Soon you can buy a leather smartphone to match your couch. In this CNET Update, get a quick overview of LG’s new G4 smartphone — which comes crafted in six different leather styles — and learn how it stands apart from other Android phones . If you want an LG smartwatch to go with it, …

Hulu’s $7.99-a-month subscription option, Hulu Plus, gives members earlier access to some shows and lets them watch on mobile devices. Hulu Cablevision seems to be head over heels for “over the top.” The cable company agreed on Tuesday to distribute Hulu’s catalog of on-demand video, which the streaming site currently delivers strictly via the Internet. Cablevision indicated that Hulu’s offering …

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET If you have come to enjoy the satisfying chime your iPhone emits when you plug it in to charge it, then you might want, for the sake of consistency or convenience, to hear the same chime when you plug in your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. (The new 12-inch MacBook features such a sound effect out …

MCX, the merchant consortium behind the CurrentC mobile-payments system, has replaced its CEO. MCX A consortium of major retailers backing a mobile-payments effort has appointed a new chief executive a day after member Best Buy announced it would support a competing system created by Apple. Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX, announced Tuesday that Dekkers Davidson was leaving the group “to …

The LG G4 will feature a curved, ultracrisp 5.5-inch display. LG Apple and Samsung have once again catapulted into the smartphone world’s upper echelons with two stellar devices, the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 . Now it’s time for LG to see if its next flagship, the LG G4 , can make it into the top ranks. The press …

LG’s G4 will come in multiple colors of leather, as well as a few plastic options. Roger Cheng/CNET PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — Every few seconds, the front display and an internal component of LG’s upcoming G4 smartphone roll on to a conveyor belt. The gloved hands of an employee quickly snatch up the pieces, assemble them and place the completed …

Activist investor Carl Icahn still doesn’t think Apple’s worth enough. Screenshot by Shara Tibken/CNET Carl Icahn just wasn’t that impressed with Apple’s announcement on Monday that it will return more of its massive cash pile to investors. The activist investor on Tuesday tweeted that Apple, the highest valued public company in the world, “is still undervalued and misunderstood.” He added …

Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco. James Martin/CNET Oh, the power of tweets. Twitter experienced firsthand Tuesday how its microblogging service can disseminate news faster than just about any other news organization when one of its users tweeted the company’s first-quarter sales and profit about a half hour before the results were scheduled to be announced. Selerity, a New York market …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere says the US mobile market needs to think more creatively about mergers. CNET US regulators aren’t a fan of wireless companies buying other wireless companies or cable companies buying other cable companies. But what about a cable company coming together with a wireless company? That’s a marriage they just may accept, according to T-Mobile CEO John …

Google’s New York City headquarters, far away from the troubles in Europe. Zack Whittaker/CNET Google has announced a new initiative to play nice with news publishers and achieve two goals: to look better in the eyes of Europe and to improve news content. At the center of this initiative is a 150 million euro ($164 million) grant, to be issued …

Apple CEO Tim Cook shows the Apple Watch to model Christy Turlington Burns after the company’s event in March. Shara Tibken/CNET It wasn’t quite the biggest quarter in history, but Apple’s March period report still managed to impress. The Cupertino, Calif., company on Monday posted record fiscal second-quarter revenue, iPhone and Mac sales. Apple also reported all-time record performance for …

Now playing: Watch this: Make your own custom bokeh lens cap 1:51 Lexy Savvides/CNET Bokeh is a word to describe the quality and appearance of the out of focus areas in a photograph. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to change the shape of the bokeh in your photographs by making a lens cap. There are several custom bokeh …

Disney has leveraged characters from its takeover of Marvel into blockbuster film franchises. Sony Pictures Entertainment Disney’s Marvel characters rule the big screen with films like “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Now they’re aiming to conquer the smallest screens, too. Maker Studios, a YouTube network that Disney bought last year for up to $950 million including performance targets, is working …

Samsung regained the global smartphone sales crown despite losing market share. CNET Samsung Electronics has recaptured its title as the world’s top smartphone maker, according to new research released Tuesday. The South Korean electronics giant shipped 83.2 million smartphones worldwide during the first quarter of 2015, capturing 24 percent of the smartphone market, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. While …

Sorry, ladies, this custom grill isn’t available to the general public. But you can create your own! Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET I’m a sucker for anything custom. One of my favorite early iPhone cases was emblazoned with a photo of my very own kids. And Motorola’s Moto X smartphone with all those nifty you-pick design options? It was almost enough …