Attorney-General George Brandis has been a key proponent of data retention legislation.CeBIT Australia, CC BY 2.0 The Attorney-General’s Department has rejected calls from legal experts and privacy advocates for greater oversight on proposed data retention legislation, saying that obtaining a warrant for every metadata request would be an onerous burden on law enforcement and security …

Now playing: Watch this: Now you can play Xbox games on Windows 10 PCs or tablets 1:10 The Xbox One has always been a big black box full of promise. Would it be more than a game console? With Microsoft’s Windows 10, it looks like the Xbox One’s big convergence moment is finally here. Microsoft wants your Xbox to be …

I’m a virtual reality skeptic. But from the moment I saw it, I knew that Microsoft’s HoloLens is unlike any existing VR headset, Oculus Rift included. HoloLens is smaller, for one, and the augmented, ­­or what Microsoft calls “mixed-reality,” experience it delivers excited me. Here’s how I got there. Different on the outside Though more streamlined than other VR devices, …

The world’s first glimpse of Windows 10 on a Windows phone. Nate Ralph/CNET Microsoft’s 2-hour Windows 10 launch event produced a flurry of details about what we can expect from the new operating system for phones. Overall, the OS update seems minimal. The biggest changes come with redesigned apps that will run across all platforms. Ready? Let’s go. ‘Windows Phone’ …

The battle over technology for your face goes on as more companies dream up face-worn wearables aimed at enhancing your ocular experience. One of the more interesting examples is connected ski goggles, and a new Israel-based startup called RideOn has announced what it calls the world’s first true augmented-reality goggles for the slopes. Related Links Skiing showdown: GPS-informed goggles miss …

Prototypes of Samsung’s virtual reality headset that would become the Gear VR. Samsung Tomorrow Samsung has given us some fresh info on the story behind the Samsung Gear VR headset , which goes back 10 years and was at one point planned to work with the Samsung Galaxy S4 . In a new blog post, Samsung has outlined some of …

A little glue goes a long way in fooling a fingerprint scanner. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Mobile applications that rely on biometrics — everything from fingerprint scanning to facial recognition — are set to take off in the next four years, according to new data released Tuesday from Juniper Research. The research firm predicts that in 2015 mobile users worldwide …

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was going back to Australia, and right before I was leaving, United opened a new route: LAX to MEL, Melbourne. This 8,000-mile, but low-traffic journey was made possible by Boeing’s new 787-9. We’ve written about this airplane before, and it’s pretty cool: bigger windows, higher cabin pressure and humidity, and …

Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Engineers around the world are seeking to address our reliance on fossil fuels before they become too scarce or carbon emissions have an irreparable effect on the environment by developing a variety of sustainable solutions, such as solar panels, wind farms and ocean turbines. Related articles An electric plane and Boeing’s Dreamliner star at Farnborough (photos) …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere’s aggressive promotions seem to be paying off. Josh Miller/CNET T-Mobile ended 2014 with the best quarter of all four major US carriers — at least in one respect. In a recent survey of mobile phone users, research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) found that T-Mobile scored the highest percentage among major carriers in terms of …

Similar to the Galaxy Note Edge, the Galaxy S6 may feature two edge displays along the side. Sarah Tew/CNET The next-generation Samsung Galaxy S6 could be quite the doozy, if the latest gossip proves to be accurate. Related Links Samsung reportedly to unveil two versions of Galaxy S6 First batch of Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors creep online Could this be …

It’s no European vacation for Google. Google continues to restrict its “right to be forgotten” requests to the European versions of its search engine, despite increasing pressure to apply those requests globally. “We’ve had a basic approach; we’ve followed it. On this question we’ve made removals Europe-wide, but not beyond,” David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer, said at an event …

AT&T’s acquisition of Mexican wireless carrier Iusacell has already yielded one benefit. AT&T will attempt to press its advantage with a Mexican carrier in the fold. Pictured: the headquarters of the company’s mobility unit. Sarah Tew/CNET The Dallas telecommunications giant said Tuesday that it would begin offering unlimited calls to any number in Mexico as part of its World Connect …

A look at smartphone shipments between 2013 and 2015. TrendForce Samsung had a somewhat rough 2014, as its global smartphone market share slipped almost 5 percent, new data from research firm TrendForce shows. According to TrendForce, Samsung continued to lead the pack in 2014, owning 28 percent of the smartphone market, but that number was down from 32.5 percent in …

Nicole Cozma/CNET Feedly has become a powerful RSS feed management tool, surpassing its former role as just a Google Reader replacement. Whether you’re using it to stay on top of news about specific topics, or as a tool for spotting trends across the Web, you may want to sort the posts by popularity. This option is not currently offered by …