Retail group MCX says it’s not telling merchants to block Apple Pay

CurrentC, a rival of Google Wallet and Apple Pay, is under fire for the actions of its supporters. Merchant Customer Exchange Quiet since the weekend, retail group Merchant Customer Exchange published a blog post on Wednesday defending CurrentC, its mobile-payments service meant to rival the likes of Google Wallet and Apple Pay. MCX, a consortium …

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A massive success: 10 years of World of Warcraft (Q&A)

Now playing: Watch this: World of Warcraft hits its tenth anniversary 5:19 It’s the Methuselah of video games. It launched in a world without iPhones, Facebook or YouTube — and when AMD Athlon 64 processors were beating the pants off Intel’s Pentium 4. It’s been with us long enough that people have met through the game, married, and had children …

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Metadata retention laws introduced to parliament

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET Malcolm Turnbull has today introduced a bill for mandatory data retention into parliament, requiring telcos and ISPs to retain telecommunications data for a period of two years. The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill 2014 [PDF] is the third and final piece …

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Spartan Apus Launcher conquers 30 million users internationally

CEO Li Tao has ambitious plans for his company’s Apus launcher. Apus Building a business is no longer regional. It’s international or nothing. Founded by Li Tao, a former VP at Chinese software giant Qihoo 360, Apus is dedicated to building the smallest, fastest, simplest user system for Android it can. The Apus has picked up more than 30 million …

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Amazon Fire TV Stick shipments pushed back to January

Amazon now says orders for its Fire TV Stick will arrive after January 1, 2015. Amazon Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is already proving difficult to come by. Earlier on Wednesday, CNET attempted to place an order for a Fire TV Stick . Upon getting to the checkout page, Amazon revealed the streaming device would not ship until January 16. The …

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Windows 10 to offer Mac

Microsoft is baking some trackpad features into Windows, which should make gestures more consistent across different manufacturers’ Windows laptops. Tom Warren/YouTube; screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Microsoft will outfit Windows 10 with new trackpad gestures that borrow more than a few tricks from the Mac. In a speech at the TechEd Europe conference on Tuesday, Microsoft corporate VP Joe Belfiore took …

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FTC sues AT&T for limiting speeds on unlimited

The Federal Trade Commission says AT&T’s practice of slowing down the connection speeds of unlimited-data customers who tap excessive amounts of data is a failure to deliver on the promise of “unlimited.” The Federal Trade Commission says AT&T violated the FTC Act by changing the terms of its unlimited-data plan while customers were under contract, and failing to alert them. …

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Embercase iPhone case doubles as hand warmer

Protect your iPhone while heating your hands. Exumme Heat sources and iPhones are usually two things you would prefer to keep far apart from each other. However, a Kickstarter project has figured out a way to bring the two safely together, all in the name of warming your cold little fingers. The Embercase from Exumme is definitely the sort of …

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Google Fit walks onto Android devices

Google Fit knows whether you walked to work today or rode a bike. Google First announced at Google I/O 2014, Google Fit is finally available for Android users everywhere. Related Links Google takes aim at Apple’s HealthKit with new fitness service Google opens Fit wearable toolkit for developer preview Who will wear Android Wear? Offered as an Android app, the …

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​Google on Android Lollipop security: Set it and forget it

With Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google says, security will be set automatically. CNET The head of Google’s Android mobile software security team has a little secret: Although he lives in urban San Francisco, “most days” he doesn’t lock the front door to his house. And he’s not worried about it. While it’s not clear whether Adrian Ludwig is arrogant, trusts his …

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Droid Turbo supercharges Verizon’s franchise with 2

The Droid Turbo boasts impressive battery life and other high-end specs. Verizon NEW YORK — For the Droid Turbo, the latest smartphone from Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, it’s all about endurance. Verizon and Motorola on Tuesday unveiled the latest smartphone in Verizon Wireless’ flagship Droid franchise, and it features a whopping 3,900-mAh battery that the companies claim will last …

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Browse Instagram from your Mac’s menu bar with Instastack

Matt Elliott/CNET Instagram is still stubbornly mobile only. Until Instagram releases a desktop app, you are left to use third-party apps or access Instagram awkwardly through a browser if you want to see your feed on a computer. I wrote about PhotoDesk earlier this year, a third-party app which brought Instagram to Macs, and now I’ve got another Mac app …

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Play your favorite ‘Star Wars’ games from the ’90s right now

“Star Wars: X-Wing” is finally getting the digital rerelease it deserves, thanks to Good Old Games Disney Interactive/LucasArts Remember “Star Wars: X-Wing” and “Star Wars: TIE Fighter?” Those space combat simulators count among the best “Star Wars” games of all time, and they’re just two of the six LucasArts titles being released on retro gaming store Good Old Games (GOG) …

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My three favorite Windows laptop alternatives

Amazon So the big news yesterday was, of course, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which you still have time to get for a ridiculously low $19 — if you’re a Prime subscriber. To me it’s a no-brainer; grab one for yourself or someone on your holiday list. (You’re limited to just one, alas.) Now that you’ve got a solid deal …

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