No two Android home screens should ever look the same. Scott Webster/CNET Android is, by its very nature, a flexible and customizable platform. In fact, that is probably my favorite of its many features. I love nothing more than to tweak and fiddle with my smartphones and tablets, changing the looks of things as I …

Google+’s new feature is similar to what rival Pinterest offers. Screenshot by Richard Nieva/CNET Google+, the search giant’s social network, has its sights trained on a new target: Pinterest. Google on Monday announced a Google+ feature called Collections, which lets users post pictures, articles and other content related to a specific topic, like food, movies or space. Other people can …

The so-called HTC One M9e figures to be another high-end smartphone. Engadget HTC could be readying yet another version of its One M9 smartphone, according to a fresh batch of rumors. Details found on China’s TENNA website indicate that a phone code-named M9e could deliver high-end hardware wrapped in a plastic shell. Related Links HTC unveils larger-screened One M9+ phone …

Samsung’s Jong-Kyun Shin poses with “Avengers” gadgets. Samsung In ” Avengers: Age of Ultron,” currently out in theaters, Tony Stark is again surrounded by all kinds of nifty, futuristic gadgets, but Samsung would like us to believe that they’re from the near future. The massive device maker has a marketing deal with Marvel and presented some of the transparent-screen phones, …

Slivver There are many reasons you might find yourself in need of a stylus. Jotting notes or sketching images on a phone or tablet, for example, is much easier with a plastic tip than a big old finger. If you need to sign your name electronically, like for many an app-powered purchase these days, a stylus again wins the day. …

It’s a hard burn from Perth. A nearly straight line due east, six hours and change across the hot flat of Western Australia. In the distance, over the horizon: gold. Or at least, the hope of gold, hiding deep beneath the Earth. Machines the size of buildings toil around the clock, hauling dirt laced with promise. Next to the town …

Wi-Fi and duplexing for $50?! Yes, please. Samsung Print is so not dead. Much as I try to steer boarding passes to my phone and leave business documents in my word processor, sometimes you just need a hard copy. And I suspect you always will. What you don’t need, however, is to spend big bucks on a printer. Not today, …

A new remote control for Apple TV? Donald Bell/CNET A long-awaited update Apple is said to have in the works for Apple TV will also reportedly include a revamped remote control. A new model of the set-top streaming box due later this year will come with a new remote that will feature a touch pad for navigating the interface, an …

Now playing: Watch this: Improve Apple Watch battery life in four easy steps 2:24 The battery on the Apple Watch will last you about a day under normal circumstances. With heavy usage, however, it can take quite a hit. Sure disabling the heart-rate sensor, reducing notifications and turning off wrist detection would improve it, but let’s not forget that this …

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced funding to support his technology initiatives at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference on Monday. CNET/Marguerite Reardon NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio wants to make sure all New Yorkers have access to high-speed Internet so that they are prepared to take advantage of the jobs that tech startups are …

Led by CEO Tim Cook and executive Eddy Cue, Apple acquired a music subscription service when it bought Beats, founded by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Apple If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Ahead of an expected relaunch next month of the Beats Music streaming service, Apple is pushing labels to choke off free streaming options at …

The Internet.org app provides free access to Web services to people across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Internet.org Internet.org, the Facebook-driven initiative designed to bring people in emerging markets online, is opening its gates to anyone who’s willing to play by the rules. Facebook announced on Monday that it’s opening the Internet.org development platform to entrepreneurs and developers who want …

Now playing: Watch this: The Internet memes we’re thankful for 6:13 It seems there was a big fight Saturday night between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. While I didn’t watch the match, I’ve been able to learn an awful lot about it via the awesome meme-fest that has resulted since Mayweather’s unanimous decision over Pacquiao. Before the fight even started, …

Da Poke Shack, a hole-in-the-wall lunch spot, became the highest-rated restaurant in the US by Yelp reviewers in 2014. Dara Kerr/CNET KONA, Hawaii — Albert Vasconcelles was fishing one day in February 2014 when an employee called with strange news. Da Poke Shack — Vasconcelles takeout eatery in Kona, Hawaii — had just been named the No. 1 restaurant in …

Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars. Showtime Manny Pacquiao isn’t the only one questioning Floyd Mayweather’s unanimously-judged welterweight boxing win Saturday night. According to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, that title goes to Periscope, the company’s tool for live video broadcasting. Shortly after the boxing decision, Costolo turned to his company’s social networking …