Xioami’s Mi 4 smartphone is the vendor’s latest flagship device. Aloysius Low/CNET Xiaomi, a 4-year-old Chinese smartphone company that sells high-end handsets, is now the leading device maker in China. During the second quarter of this year, Xiaomi was the most popular smartphone maker in China, earning 14 percent of the market, according to new …

Irrational Games/2K Games BioShock, the wildly popular franchise from video game developer Irrational Games, is coming to Apple’s iOS this summer. Publisher 2K Games is launching an iOS version of the original BioShock, complete with all of the first-person shooter action found in that title, the company has confirmed. Gamers will play through the game in the underwater city of …

Chitika Apple iPhone owners continue to surpass users of Samsung phones at generating a greater level of Web traffic in North America, according to a report from online ad network Chitika. In new data released Monday, Chitika found that Apple accounted for 52.3 percent of all smartphone traffic seen on the Web in the US and Canada last month, a …

Caviar Square has finally confirmed its purchase of Caviar, a food delivery startup that could help the mobile payments company with its bottom line. The company announced its acquisition Monday after rumors surfaced last month. Square did not disclose any details of the deal, but The New York Times reported that Square paid $90 million worth of stock for the …

Photo by HJK Last week when I listed my 10 least favorite TV technologies, I promised to follow up with the 10 I actually like. The list below comprises the display technologies and extras I consider most worthwhile, improving the viewing experience, picture quality or convenience. Presented in no particular order, here they are. HD resolution Maybe you’re too young …

KDDI There’s already been rumors of a Windows Phone 8-powered HTC phone based on the One M8, but the latest HTC J Butterfly announced for Japanese carrier KDDI isn’t it. Instead, the sequel to last year’s Butterfly S comes sporting similar specs to the One M8 flagship, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and a similar dual-camera rear system. The …

A pocket protector CNET I’d like to save quite a few commenters the trouble of adding their own “joke.” So here goes: If he’d had an iPhone 5, he’d be dead. Now, back to the story. It is said that a man dropped his wallet in a sandwich shop in Xinjiang, China. Another man picked it up for him and …

Optus has revamped its prepaid mobile offering, with two daily plans joining the more traditional monthly system. The Prepaid Daily plan offers 30 mins of calls, unlimited SMS and 40MB of data for AU$1. Go over your call and data limited and Optus will “auto bump” the plan to AU$1.50 with unlimited calls and 80MB of data. From there, you’ll …

Over the last 17 years, I’ve reviewed hundreds of speakers — and heard many hundreds more — but something about the sound of the Shindo Laboratory 604 speakers turned me around. I wasn’t thinking about transparency, accuracy, tight bass, or delicate treble. And I don’t know why, but the music had more substance, more juice, more of the essence of …

Infrared blasters can turn your tablet into a universal remote for things like TVs, DVD players, and projectors. Josh Miller/CNET Tablets are great for watching TV on the go, thanks to pixel-dense and brilliantly colorful screens, but they can also double as a universal remote. Tablets that pack IR blasters can control everything from your TV and cable box to …

The beautiful HTC One M8 may soon house Microsoft’s mobile OS. Sarah Tew/CNET What would an HTC One M8 look like running Windows Phone? We may find out soon. Rumors have been flying that HTC is on the brink of announcing a Windows Phone version of its aluminum One M8 flagship , with the latest report pointing linking the unannounced …

Now playing: Watch this: LG G Pads sport sleek designs and affordable prices 2:17 Using your tablet’s camera in public may garner some judgmental side-eyes or stifled laughter from lookers-on, but some slates actually offer a few cool features to make the public embarrassment worth risking. To be sure, their photo quality is usually less than inspiring, with even some …

The moment you realize you’ve lost a phone is a rush of emotions. Your photos, text messages, contacts, email, and social accounts are all in the hands of a stranger. You feel exposed. As technology has progressed, methods for tracking lost devices are now as common as seeing Facebook installed on a phone. Doing its part to reunite owners of …

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has more trouble in China. James Martin/CNET Chinese employees at Microsoft’s Nokia handset business aren’t pleased with the software giant’s recently announced decision to lay off a large chunk of staff. “Hundreds” of employees at a Nokia facility in China on Friday protested their new owner, saying Microsoft is guilty of a “hostile takeover and violent …

Unlocking a cell phone is officially legal again. On Friday, President Obama signed the “Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act” (S.517) into law. The new law repeals a 2012 decision by the Library of Congress that made cell phone unlocking a violation of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA, which prohibits Americans from “circumventing” technologies that protect …