Now playing: Watch this: Google’s latest TV effort ties in smartphone, tablet… 5:41 Google unveiled a new television set-top box initiative Wednesday, called Android TV, as part of its latest effort to become a central hub of entertainment for its customers. The Mountain View, Calif., search giant said it has developed software that helps smartphones …

The Sharp UD27 is the company’s first true 4K TV introduced in 2014. Sharp TV makers from Samsung to TCL are scrambling to profit introduce new 2014 4K TVs even while the “old” 2014 4K TVs have barely cooled on store shelves. Sharp, thus far, has been selling only a holdover 4K model from 2013 and a passel of underwhelming …

Pioneer SP-EBS73 bookshelf speakers with top-mounted drivers. Pioneer Dolby announced that its Atmos surround-sound format is coming to home theaters earlier this week and now Pioneer is ready to detail its new Atmos-enabled speakers. Pioneer announced several Atmos-enabled home audio components this morning, including three Elite AV receivers and an Andrew Jones-designed speaker system. The 9.2-channel AV receivers and Elite-branded …

CNET Google is adding a batch of new features to its Chromecast streaming media stick, in hopes that consumers will find uses for the device beyond watching videos. This includes viewing personal photos through Google Plus, the company’s social network, and the ability to cast anything from your mobile devices to the bigger screen. The updates, which are expected to …

From left: Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Beats co-founder Dr. Dre, and Apple SVP Eddy Cue. Apple The European Union’s competition watchdog, the European Commission, will make a decision on Apple’s $3 billion deal to buy Beats by the end of next month. The Commission announced the news Wednesday, saying that while it could clear the deal …

Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Partially, but it also obeys your commands. I want to come with you to …

Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Partially, but it also obeys your commands. I want to come with you to …

Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Partially, but it also obeys your commands. I want to come with you to …

AT&T is rumored to soon carry the HTC Desire 610. evleaks AT&T may be the first, if not exclusive, US carrier to offer support for the mid-range HTC Desire 610 smartphone. According to reputable Twitter source @evleaks, the Android-powered handset is bound for Ma Bell. Related Links HTC Desire 610 preview HTC Desire 610 has iPhone 5C-style plastic, colours HTC’s …

The Soundhawk Scoop, part of the company’s $299 “smart listening system.” Soundhawk Between the hum of construction, the wave of restaurant chatter, and the sounds of blaring street traffic, the world is full of noise straining our ear drums that we’d rather tune out. While hearing is something everyone struggles with to varying degrees, we tend not to address it …

Journal of Optics Traditionally, the iris has physical blades that move in order to change the amount of light entering the lens, either opening wider or closing down. A new chemical iris proposes to turn tradition on its head, negating the need for physical blades and dramatically reducing the overall size of a camera module. Miniaturising the current physical iris …

Those things in the background? They’re called phone booths. Screenshot by Leslie Katz/CNET I took a little tour of movie history this afternoon, visiting sites where “The Graduate,” “Taxi Driver,” and “Broadway Danny Rose,” among other films, were shot. And I did it without leaving my desk, via ScenePast, a fun time travel (and time-sucking) app that puts film and …

The Duolingo app for Google Glass. Google/Duolingo Google is steadily increasing Google Glass’ cache of apps. The company announced Tuesday that it has made 11 new apps available on the device, including Shazam, Duolingo, Livestream, Runtastic, and more. A handful of the new Glassware apps are exercise and sports focused, like 94Fifty Basketball, which helps people with their shots; Runtastic, …

Designer Todd Hamilton sketches out different possible versions of the iWatch. Todd Hamilton Around 14 percent of people polled would pick up an Apple iWatch priced at $350, says investment firm Piper Jaffray. The 14 percent interested in an iWatch compares with the 12 percent last October and the 17 percent of teens this past spring who echoed the same …

Andrew Hoyle/CNET The 4G version of Motorola’s excellent Moto G smartphone is on sale in the UK today, giving Brits the chance to snap up a high-powered mobile at an extremely tempting price. The 4.5-inch Moto G 4G is out now at Phones 4U, which says it will be charging £160 for a SIM-free version of the phone, or £150 …