Broadcom, TI try adding more charge to smartwatch batteries

Smartwatches — like this Samsung Gear S — can be a helpful tool, but not when their batteries run out. Sarah Tew/CNET A major gripe about smartwatches is that the battery on most devices lasts only about a day. Looking to address that problem, both Broadcom and Texas Instruments unveiled new platforms for their chips …

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LG unveils first 4G smartwatch, based on WebOS software

WebOS, the cult favorite smartphone operating system pioneered by Palm, is making a comeback in mobile thanks to LG and its latest smartwatch. LG on Thursday took the wraps off the LG Watch Urbane LTE , the first smartwatch able to connect to a high-speed 4G wireless network. The smartwatch doesn’t run on Google’s Android Wear software, but instead on …

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Unlocking your door might soon be as easy as ‘open sesame’

Kids and adults alike have long jokingly said “open sesame” in the hopes those magic words might literally open doors. Dheera Venkatraman, a grad student at MIT, might be the first person to make the words actually work. Related Links Ö smart ring displays Elvish, notifications for high-tech Frodos Push Button, Receive Bacon comes to life Blink to control this …

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Grooveshark gets more social with site revamp

Grooveshark has a new layout and social focus. Grooveshark Music-streaming site Grooveshark is launching a new look designed to encourage people to share more. Due to roll out for all users over the coming week, the update offers more of a community-minded approach in which Grooveshark users can discover music through fellow users and discover fellow users through music. The …

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Looking for that next T

T-Mobile offers insight into its Android updates with new tool. Screenshot by Scott Webster/CNET T-Mobile customers who want to track the status of their Android software updates now have an official tool to help in the process. Related Links Samsung Galaxy S6 with edge display pops up in carrier tease T-Mobile CEO says he’s open to all scenarios with Dish …

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Cheap LTE phone Trooper leads Kazam’s charge in battle to beat rivals

The Trooper 445L. Cheap LTE is the name of the game here. Kazam Kazam, the phone company formed by British ex-HTC executives, has unleashed its latest salvo in the battle to make a name for itself, lifting the lid on a host of new gadgets, including cheap LTE phones. Heading up the charge is the appropriately named Trooper 445L, a …

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Plex unveils revamped Roku app, we go hands

Dan Graziano/CNET Plex is one of the most powerful and popular apps available on Roku . It doesn’t have the name recognition of Netflix or HBO Go, but Plex claims it’s ranked as one of the top five apps on the platform, and is used on more than 1.4 million Roku devices. Compared to the slick Plex apps on other …

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Google’s Blogger to put sexually explicit content behind privacy wall

Google’s Blogger platform will make its adult content much harder to access in the coming weeks, the search company has announced. Starting on March 23, blogs with sexually explicit content or graphic nudity will be made private, the company said Monday. Google made assurances that no content will be deleted, but only the blog’s owner, administrators on the blog, and …

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Net neutrality: How we got from there to here

Emotions have run high over Net neutrality. Here, protesters interrupt a meeting of the FCC commissioners in December. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images From the Internet’s earliest days, US policy makers have been grappling with the question of if or how much the federal government should be involved in regulating the information superhighway. For more than 16 years, policy makers at the …

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Arrange your iOS home screen any way you like with Makeovr

Blank icons now are placed where app icons once were. Jason Cipriani/CNET There’s no way anyone can dispute the claim that Android is better than iOS when it comes to customization options. Beyond the ability to install launchers and overhaul the entire look of an Android device, users are able to arrange icons however they please on the home screen. …

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Control your music from Notification Center using Music Zone Widget

Music Zone Widget. Jason Cipriani/CNET Accessing your music from any screen on your iOS device is possible with Apple’s Control Center, but its use is limited to playback controls. After iOS 8 launched with extensions, developers have come up with clever ways to take advantage of the added functionality. Music Center is an app built solely to put your music …

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Pebble Time smartwatch breaks Kickstarter records

It’s Pebble Time and Morphin’ Time! In this episode of CNET Update, learn about the new Pebble Time smartwatch . It debuted on Kickstarter and the company pulled in $5 million from pre-orders in just a few hours. This isn’t your average Update roundup. The tech-news stars have aligned to give us new emoji, Waffle House and Power Rangers: Now …

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Feds say skin cancer apps are deceptive

The FTC says those behind supposed melanoma-detection apps, such as Health Discovery’s MelApp, must provide scientific evidence before making claims about their product’s efficacy. Health Discovery Corporation A wave of your smartphone won’t tell you if you’re sick, have a broken bone or, apparently, if you have melanoma. The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said it has taken action against …

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Apple Pay could benefit from Visa Europe’s new security

During transactions using a service like Apple Pay, a token is submitted instead of your actual credit card information. James Martin/CNET Apple Pay could find its ticket into Europe courtesy of a new service to be offered by Visa. Announced on Tuesday by Visa Europe, the new “tokenization” service will benefit European consumers who wish to use their mobile phones …

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