BARCELONA — It could be a while yet before customers actually see HTC’s elusive smartwatch, which is still in the works. That’s the word from HTC CEO Peter Chou, who was reluctant to spill any details about the project. Check out CNET’s full Mobile World Congress 2015 coverage here. “We try to be very careful …

Four years ago, Sen. Al Franken was one of the few US lawmakers standing up for rules to keep the Internet open. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) Now he’s celebrating a victory, along with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats who applauded the Federal Communications Commission’s new Net neutrality rules adopted last week. For years Franken — comedy writer, author and …

Attorney-General George Brandis. CeBIT Australia, CC BY 2.0 The Government has agreed to amend proposed data retention legislation to adopt a number of recommendations from a bipartisan review, including agreeing to define the data set in legislation and provide protections for journalists. The announcement follows a joint parliamentary inquiry into the bill, which heard from critics and proponents of data …

Now playing: Watch this: See how fast this Storedot modified Galaxy S5 can charge 1:28 BARCELONA, Spain — Smartphones are amazing things, but one gripe felt almost universally is the problem of dreadful battery life. StoreDot hopes to ease our worries, showing off the latest iteration of its charge-in-seconds tech at Mobile World Congress. What’s more, it says we’ll see …

Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra, at a session at Mobile World Congress, says: “We increasingly see ourselves as a lifestyle brand.” Aloysius Low/CNET BARCELONA — Hot on the heels of Xiaomi’s event in San Francisco where the Chinese company announced plans for its online Mi store to debut in the US, Xiaomi said at a trade show here that the same would …

Google’s Eric Schmidt talked with the EU’s antitrust chief Monday, but details about the meeting haven’t been released. Stephanie Pilick/AFP/Getty Images Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has met with the European Union’s antitrust chief, but it’s unclear whether that will help his company overcome the possibility of getting hit with billions in fines. Schmidt and European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager …

BlackBerry devices executive Ron Louks teases a BlackBerry with a slide-out keyboard. Sarah Tew/CNET BARCELONA — BlackBerry is going back to a full touchscreen with the BlackBerry Leap. The Leap marks a departure from last year’s line-up, which was totally dependent on BlackBerry’s trademark physical keyboard. The company plans the smartphone to go on sale in April in Europe for …

A convertible Chromebook for $229.99? Yes, please! Lenovo If you’ve been eyeballing a Chromebook but wishing for a model that’s a bit more versatile, a bit more, shall we say, flexible, today’s deal is for you. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Lenovo N20p 2-in-1 touchscreen Chromebook for $229.99 shipped (plus tax). That’s a …

Now playing: Watch this: Dive into Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge ‘edge’ display 1:55 While the Galaxy S6 might technically be the latest flagship phone in Samsung’s Galaxy family, it’s the S6 Edge that’s turning heads over at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. CNET is on the ground at MWC and we’ve explored just some of the edge-based features that …

Airbnb launched a major marketing campaign in New York City over the summer, hanging upbeat posters in the city’s subways. CNET Airbnb is one of the success stories of the current dot-com boom. Valued at more than $10 billion, the company has rocketed its founders onto the Forbes billionaires list, even while negotiating fierce resistance from the hotel industry and …

BARCELONA — AT&T is tapping into the health field, covering both young and old. AT&T is going deeper into the health business. AT&T The US’s second-largest wireless carrier said it was partnering with fitness data tracking company Tictrac to create ForHealth, a platform designed to break down your data in useful ways. Separately, the company also struck a deal to …

Netflix has several original programs hitting its streaming service in the next few months. Netflix Get ready to binge: video-streaming provider Netflix has announced a slate of upcoming releases in the wake of its “House of Cards” Season 3 launch. The Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black” will be ready to stream on June 12, a week after …

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is always a huge tourist drawcard for NSW, bringing hundreds and thousands of local, interstate and even international spectators who line Oxford Street to watch the colourful cavalcade of floats. Of course, not everyone can be present on the day and if you’re looking for a slightly more exciting experience than just …

Sikur’s security-minded, locked-down GranitePhone is due to ship in the third quarter of 2015. Stephen Shankland/CNET BARCELONA — Brazilian security company Sikur announced the GranitePhone on Tuesday, the latest in a bumper crop of secure-phone efforts at this year’s Mobile World Congress show. The GranitePhone, set to arrive in the third quarter of 2015, offers encrypted text messaging, voice, group …

BlackBerry CEO John Chen presenting at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Sarah Tew/CNET BARCELONA — BlackBerry may take another run at the tablet market. That’s if CEO John Chen thinks the opportunity is right. “It’s not in the works, but it’s on my mind,” Chen said in an interview at the Mobile World Congress conference here. A BlackBerry tablet could …