Might LG return to the G Pro line of devices later this year? Sarah Tew/CNET LG’s next smartphone could prove to be quite the monster, if the latest rumors pan out. According to chatter surfacing in recent days, the so-called LG G Pro 3 may emerge in the second half of the year. Big and …

Showtime’s latest offerings will now be available — without a cable TV subscription — on Roku, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, and Apple devices too. Showtime Cancel your weekend plans: Showtime’s standalone streaming service has launched. Showtime isn’t the only channel of its kind that allows you access to programs independent of a cable subscription. A similar online-only service from HBO, called …

Acer There’s no single laptop that’s ideal for everyone. Normally I focus on the super-inexpensive models — the Chromebooks, the HP Streams — that have low-power processors and smallish screens, the idea being that many users can “get by” just fine with modest specs. But if you prefer a bigger screen, a wider keyboard, a faster processor and ample storage, …

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge hasn’t delivered the sales Samsung hoped. After a strong end to 2014, the smartphone market seems to have taken a turn. Samsung warned on Monday that it would miss Wall Street’s expectations for the second quarter, an indication of a rough start for its flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone. Also on Monday, HTC reported that it …

Apple Stores are now selling a smart thermostat that you can regulate through Siri. Available Tuesday at Apple retail stores in North America, the Ecobee3 smart thermostat is the first connected thermostat compatible with Apple’s HomeKit technology, The Verge said on Tuesday. That means you can use your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to remotely monitor and control the device, …

Palette’s snap-together control system is a new attempt to fix an old problem: what’s the best way for a human being to operate a computer? Palette When it comes to controlling personal computers, keyboards and mice are the reigning champions. A startup called Palette, though, thinks photographers and other creative types will embrace hardware that offers even more direct control. …

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET Microsoft’s new browser may have dropped the ‘Spartan’ nickname, but if you open it up you’ll find that, feature-wise, it’s still pretty…spartan. At the moment (Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Build 10158), there’s not a ton you can do to customize the new Edge browser to make it look and act the way you want. But you …

Jason Cipriani/CNET If you own an Apple Watch you’ve likely at least experimented with controlling music playback from your wrist, with the built-in Music app. The convenience is immediately apparent, with the ability to pause or skip songs and control volume. It’s only natural if you own a Sonos speaker to begin looking for control it from your wrist. But …

GoPro’s Hero 4 — the newest step to stardom? Sarah Tew GoPro is turning its lens toward beefing up original content with its latest hire. The maker of cameras for adventure enthusiasts has hired Charlotte Koh, the former head of Hulu’s original-content initiatives, to fill a newly created position as head of features and series, according to a Variety report. …

Kirk to Enterprise. Beam me off this pleasure planet. The Wand Company As a young impressionable “Star Trek” fan, I dreamed of having a communicator of my very own. I imagined flipping it open, hearing that iconic sound and requesting a beam-up to the Enterprise. The closest I ever got was making one out of Lego. It took a long …

Enlarge ImageThe Kingii inflates instantly to float you to safety. Kingii I was on an ocean liner recently. Passengers had to go through a muster drill where we all gathered large orange life vests from our rooms and learned how to put them on in case of an emergency. Life vests are effective, but bulky. They’re not the sort of …

Making a custom photo book can be more frustrating than you’d guess. Josh Miller/CNET A photo book or calendar is a great gift any time of year. It’s personal. It’s customizable. Best yet, it organizes digital moments that tend to get lost in the cloud, tansforming them into physical reminders of an event. Photo books literally make memories. After printing …

Instagram picture sizes are about to get substantially bigger. Screenshot by Sarah Mitroff/CNET Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram is rolling out a much-needed boost to image size. The iOS and Android apps are adding support for pictures 1,080 pixels by 1,080 pixels in size, an Instagram spokesman confirmed Monday. The feature is “gradually rolling out,” but the spokesman did not confirm …

If you’re looking for a small portable compact with great performance, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV has plenty to offer. Lori Grunin/CNET If you’re hankering after the latest Sony camera, in particularly the new Cyber-shot RX100 IV and RX10 II , the good news that you’ll be able to get it this month if you live in Australia or countries …

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET Microsoft’s new Edge browser is sleek and minimalist — so minimalist that it no longer features a home button on the default toolbar. For many users, this probably isn’t an issue — I don’t know about you, but I probably haven’t hit the home button on a browser’s toolbar in 15 years. But if you’re the type …