Apple pushed mobile payments forward when it launched Apple Pay. But now, several retailers are pushing back and blocking NFC technology from being used in stores. Pharmacy chains Rite Aid and CVS disabled the sensors that allowed customers to use Apple Pay and Google Wallet . More than 50 other major retailers have also sided …

The first look at HTC’s take on Android 5.0 design principles. Screenshots by YouMobile The first glimpse of HTC’s next major release of Sense UI has made its way into the hands of YouMobile. And, if these first few screenshots are any indication, HTC may not stray far from the standard Android 5.0 aesthetics. Related Links Android version report card: …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere (right) with Recode’s Ina Fried. Shara Tibken/CNET The T-Mobile customer growth engine keeps chugging along, even if profits continue to lag behind. The country’s fourth-largest wireless carrier by subscriber base posted third-quarter a loss of 12 cents a share, on revenue of $7.35 billion. In comparison, Wall Street had an average forecast of a penny a …

Enhanced lock-screen notifications are but one feature in Android 5.0 Lollipop. John Miller/CNET Formally announced in mid-October, Android 5.0 Lollipop is set to launch with new Nexus devices on November 3. Related Links When and where to get Android 5.0 Lollipop Android 5.0 Lollipop preview Get familiar with Android 5.0 Lollipop Android 5.0 Lollipop to launch November 3 — report …

Awersowy/Wikipedia If you plan to visit Slubice, Poland, you might want to read about the place on Wikipedia first. Then you might consider showing your appreciation for the info by visiting the new Wikipedia monument there. Yes, Slubice is now home to the first-ever Wikipedia monument, according to (who else?) Wikipedia. The fiberglass and resin monument, designed by Armenian sculptor …

Camera+ offers greater control over your photos. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET iPhone users looking for a more versatile and powerful camera app than Apple’s default one can now grab a good one for free. Camera+ normally sells for $3 in Apple’s App Store. For a limited time, though, Apple is offering the app for free through its Apple Store app, …

Instacast 5 takes an already good podcast manager and makes it even better. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET Apple’s Podcasts app has a long and varied history of, well, sucking. First the company wrestled podcast management out of the Music app, which nobody wanted. Then it created arguably the worst app in its history. Now, adding insult to injury, you can’t …

Extra Life’s official day was October 25, but gamers can choose any day to participate. Extra Life Extra Life, the 24-hour gaming marathon that raises money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, has raked in a massive chunk of change. The program this year raised $5.1 million as of Sunday, 24 hours after this year’s event kicked off, organizers announced on …

Now playing: Watch this: Fitbit Charge, Charge HR and Surge do heart rate and… 2:02 Fitbit is the runaway leader in the fitness-tracker market, and yet the company has been completely quiet in 2014. Now, as leaks have hinted, it’s back at the end of the year with a trio of new products. They range in price from $130-$250 in …

From left to right: Madison Square Garden CEO Tad Smith, ZTE USA CEO Lixin Cheng, and former Knicks stars Earl Monroe and John Starks. Roger Cheng/CNET ZTE said on Monday that it is the official smartphone for NBA team the New York Knicks. What’s less clear is which phone ZTE is referring to. Generally speaking, the sponsorship covers the idea …

Twitter’s mobile user base is large and growing — but not enough to suit investors. The social-networking giant reported increased user growth and usage for its third quarter, as well as a profit for the second straight quarter, but the standout metric was from mobile devices. The company said that 80 percent of users who log in at least once …

CEO Simon Segars wants ARM to grow in mobile graphics. ARM These days, even cheap smartphones and tablets need to handle complex graphics, with people using the devices for mobile gaming and high-resolution video. ARM, which designs the computing chips in nearly every smartphone, hopes to seize on that trend, introducing Monday a new suite of its Mali graphics-chip designs …

AccessoryGenie Today’s post is something of a rerun, a deal I first shared back in May. But it’s just as good now as it was then, especially as a certain gift-giving season approaches. Indeed, for anyone not already acquainted with the joys of the battery-powered Bluetooth speaker, this is a great place to start. For a limited time, and while …

Zikto Zikto, a new Korean startup founded by six engineers from LG Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, SK Telecom and Shinhan Bank are set to unveil a fitness band that can provide feedback on the wearer’s posture on Kickstarter next week. Called “Arki”, the new wearable goes further than trackers like Fitbit. In addition to tracking the numbers of step walked, Arki …

With Baton, you can choose which device to sync with, allowing you to move to another device and carry on with the same activity. Nextbit Secretive startup Nextbit has finally broken its silence. The San Francisco company, founded by Google veterans Tom Moss and Mike Chan and funded by Accel Partners and Google Ventures, has been quietly toiling away in …