Image by Randolph Croft, CC BY 2.0 When it comes to heading into bricks and mortar stores, Australians don’t really have access to the variety of retail stores seen in the US. But thanks to globalisation, the growing popularity of online shopping and more packages making their way to Australia, prices are coming down down-under. …

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET All over the world, in places once rife with conflict, monuments to the struggles of men remain. The relics of war. Silent ships. Now quiet battlefields. Aircraft grounded forever. These reminders are, thankfully, the closest most of us will ever get to combat. They’re awe inspiring, in their way, and for many, a source of true fascination. In …

Nicole Cozma/CNET A bug in Android 5.0 Lollipop was draining Nexus 5 smartphone batteries at a fast clip, but the Wi-Fi-related glitch was fixed by early Thursday. Nexus 5 users who had received the Android 5.0 update had been complaining that their phone battery would drain much faster than expected when Wi-Fi was enabled. Users piping in on the Android …

Candy Crush Saga. Screenshot by Jennifer Van Grove/CNET It may seem to consume every spare moment of our lives, but the world’s most famous social networking app is chewing up our mobiles too, with Facebook topping a global list of the most performance-draining Android apps, which considered battery drain, storage consumption and data use. But it’s not just Facebook draining …

A recent launch in Singapore saw Chinese smartphone maker Oppo launching the super slim R5. Aloysius Low/CNET Chinese phone maker Oppo may not have the global brand recognition of its compatriot Xiaomi, but the company is working on it. Oppo recently held the launch event for its new N3 and R5 smartphones in Singapore, flying in partners, distributors and journalists …

The Moto Maxx is a GSM take on the Droid Turbo. Motorola Motorola on Wednesday announced a GSM variant of its latest Android creation, the Motorola Droid Turbo . Dubbed the Moto Maxx, the phone touches down in select markets starting today. Related Links Editor’s Take: Motorola Droid Turbo Why the Verizon-exclusive Droid Turbo is actually good for you Droid …

Sarah Tew Samsung’s newest wearable gadget goes on sale in the UK this Friday — but only those with deep pockets need apply. The Gear S , which features a curved, 2-inch screen, was unveiled earlier this year. Its superpower is that, unlike other smartwatches, it doesn’t need to pair with a phone, but can make and receive calls all …

Swype’s latest keyboard for iOS 8 devices. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET iPhone and iPad users who like Swype’s iOS keyboard will find even more to tap into in the latest version of the app. Swype is one of several third-party keyboards that have cropped up since Apple opened up support for them in iOS 8. Though Apple’s built-in keyboard offers …

Lenovo profits rose in the second quarter. CNET Lenovo Group announced on Thursday that its net profit for the second quarter rose 19 percent as it increased its presence in the global PC and smartphone markets. The Chinese computer giant recorded a net profit of $262.1 million for the three-month period ended September 30, up from $219.7 million a year …

The government wants to improve phone signal in hard-to-reach areas, but networks aren’t impressed. Shutterstock The UK’s biggest operators have railed against proposed government plans to battle “notspots” — parts of the country that suffer from poor or non-existent signal. Culture secretary Sajid Javid says that he’s failed to find a solution having held talks with the UK’s biggest operators, …

Did you know you don’t have to half-press the shutter button to focus? Here is an introduction to the brave new world of back button focus. What is it? The magic AF-On button. Lexy Savvides/CNET Normally, photographers learn to half-press the shutter button on their dSLR to find focus, and then fully press the button to take the photo. Back …

PNY After getting you all hot and bothered about solid-state drives with yesterday’s deal on migration software, it seemed only logical to follow up with a post about an actual SSD. And here it is: For a limited time, and while supplies last, TigerDirect has the PNY Optima Series 240GB SSD for $79.99 shipped. That’s after redeeming a $20 mail-in …

Qualcomm Steve Mollenkopf, who took over as CEO of the mobile chipmaker in March, now faces a handful of government investigations. CNET Qualcomm’s legal headaches keep growing. The leading maker of mobile chips that power top-selling smartphones from Apple’s iPhone to Samsung’s Galaxy S5, Qualcomm is facing two new government probes, adding to the pressure from an investigation launched last …

Matt Elliott/CNET Just how many times a day do you check your phone? If you aren’t afraid to find out the answer, give Checky a whirl, a free app for iOS and for Android. It may help you curb your habitual phone-checking habits and let you enjoy the rest of the world around you and your electronic device. When you …

Old tech is bad tech, right? You don’t see anyone toting around PalmPilots anymore. Actually, the whole concept of outdated hardware is changing rapidly. A phone or tablet or laptop that’s a year or two old may lack the latest bells and whistles, but it still gets the job done. Indeed, what was very recently considered flagship gear only seems …