Amazon takes aim at parents with a cheap, kid-friendly tablet. Amazon Amazon announced its new tablet lineup Wednesday, catering to a wide range of users from the budget-conscious to tech-savvy children. The line includes a refresh of its Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and Fire HD 7 , as well as a colorful $99 Kindle Fire …

Apple’s iPhone 6. CNET The iPhone 6 is still without a due date at the world’s largest mobile carrier. Speaking at an industry forum on Tuesday, Wang Xiaoyun, general manager of China Mobile’s technology department, said the carrier’s focus will now be on unsubsidized 4G phones that cost less than 600 yuan ($98), Bloomberg reported. As for Apple’s iPhone 6? …

There are 180 billion reasons why Sony should get out of the smartphone business. The Xperia Z3 is Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, part of a line that’s found mixed success in the marketplace. CNET That’s the amount in yen ($1.67 billion) that the Japanese consumer-electronics conglomerate had to write off from its mobile division, the latest proof that its Xperia …

Apple’s iPhone 5S and 5C are now accepted by Ting. Apple Sprint subscribers who own an iPhone 5S or 5C can now bring their phone to the Ting network. And just why would you want to do that, you may ask, especially if you’ve never heard of Ting? Well, here’s how it works. Ting is a mobile service that tries …

Cricket’s latest smartphone is the 4G LTE Moto G. Andrew Hoyle/CNET One of the best budget phones, the Motorola Moto G 4G LTE , is coming to Cricket Wireless, the carrier announced on Wednesday. Related Links Motorola 4G LTE Moto G review Cricket doubles down on data for latest promotion Cricket makes GameStop second player in phone sales To be …

Recent and Favorite contacts now sit atop the app switcher screen in iOS 8. Josh Miller/CNET Prior to iOS 8, when you double-clicked your home button you would only see an array of app thumbnails, allowing you to quickly switch between apps. With iOS 8, avatars of your recent and favorite contacts will now show up as well. 30 tips …

An interactive notification for the Messages app on iOS 8. Josh Miller/CNET iOS 8’s new quick reply feature brings the ability for users to reply to a message, be it SMS or iMessage, from the lock screen or without leaving the current app he or she is using. 30 tips every new iOS 8 user should know +28 more See …

Apple has long boasted that there’s an app for just about everything. The company even trademarked the phrase. But not when it comes to finding an app to locate the shortest line to buy an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Apple has barred from its App Store the handicraft of a San Francisco startup called Miego Apps that crowdsourced the …

CNET Are you stuck in the middle of a two-year phone contract? Do you like the size of your current iPhone and do not care to go bigger with the iPhone 6 or even bigger with the iPhone 6 Plus ? Even if you have no plans to upgrade to either of Apple’s newest iPhone models, you can still upgrade …

Jason Cipriani/CNET One of the creepiest parts of iOS 8 is its app suggestion feature. This new feature uses your current location to determine if there’s a nearby venue or business who has an iOS app in the App Store. If it determines an app is likely relevant based on your current location, it will discreetly recommend the app to …

Josh Miller/CNET There’s no shortage of third-party mail apps in the iOS App Store, making the default Mail app look a bit dated in the features department. As is the case with every revision of iOS released since its inception, Apple has included improvements to the Mail app, hoping to improve the user experience. iOS 8 is no different, with …

Jason Cipriani/CNET It seems a major iOS release just wouldn’t be complete without improvements to the Camera app. In iOS 8, users will be able to take advantage of four new features (not including the features exclusive to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ). 30 tips every new iOS 8 user should know +28 more See all photos …

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET As you’ve probably heard, today is iOS 8 launch day. As you might have discovered, although the new operating system is contained in a 1.1GB download, you can’t install it unless your iPhone has nearly 6GB of free space. That was the message I faced today upon trying to commence an over-the-air update. Traditionally, less space …

You may have not heard of the Samsung Galaxy V, but its low price of $98 makes it the perfect entry level device in developing markets. Samsung Google unveiled the first Android One phones this week, but these phones may not be the best value phones around — especially in Asia. Android One phones are designed to be low cost …

Kevin Lynch joined Apple from Adobe in March 2013. Stephen T. Shankland/CNET One of the stars of last week’s Apple event wasn’t a well-known name or even a regular on stage for product demonstrations. Instead, it was a person who once cheered as a steamroller (and blender and dynamite) demolished an iPhone. That man was Kevin Lynch. It was up …