Steve Guttenberg/CNET The Audiophiliac is almost seven years old, and it hardly seems possible, but I’ve written over 1,100 posts. Last July, I asked my readers to spout a bit of their own wisdom and be an Audiophiliac for a day. It’s time we try this again: just write a “think piece” about analog, digital, …

Jay Greene/CNET Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn, plans to buy a stake in Taiwanese mobile telecoms operator Asia Pacific Telecom in order to strengthen its position within the 4G telecoms industry. The manufacturer, which supplies Apple with components for its iPhone and iPad mobile devices, is planning to shake hands on a deal with Asia Pacific worth …

A look at Apple’s Burst Mode patent drawings. Apple Apple’s patent war chest has grown ever larger with a boatload of new intellectual property granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Monday. In total, Apple was granted 59 patents on Monday, according to Patently Apple, which keeps track of the company’s patent filings. Two patents were of …

Apple The hack affected a number of Apple users across Australia and New Zealand (as well as people using Australian devices overseas) and saw iPhones, iPads and Macs hit with messages threatening to wipe the devices unless US$100 was paid to a fake PayPal account in the name of Oleg Pliss. Apple has released a statement on the hack to …

PayPal The hack emerged in recent days as iPhone, iPad and Mac users took Apple’s online support forums to raise the alarm, pointing to an error message that popped up on affected devices saying they had been “hacked by Oleg Pliss”. The error demanded that US$100 be paid to a PayPal account (linked to a Hotmail address) in order to …

The Flame, Mozilla’s first Nexus-style reference phone for Firefox OS, is now available for preorder. Mozilla When you’re building a mobile operating system, it can be helpful to have some signposts along the way for developers to follow. Google’s got its Nexus line for just that purpose, and Mozilla’s Firefox OS took a step closer to putting a reference device …

Air Canada Air travelers in Canada should soon be able to use their phones, tablets, and other portable electronic gadgets from departure to arrival. On Monday, the Canadian government announced the measure, an exemption to the Canadian Aviation Regulations, that paves the way for airlines to open up mobile device use during takeoff and landing, a benefit that had been …

The new LG G3. LG The LG G3 was unveiled in London Tuesday, and the new flagship Android phone is coming to the major UK networks on 1 July. The price? Early indications suggest £490. After it goes on sale in South Korea tomorrow, the G3 crosses to these shores where O2, Three and Carphone Warehouse have confirmed they will …

LG’s Andrew Coughlin introduces the G3’s “kill-switch” feature Screenshot by Richard Nieva/CNET LG on Tuesday unveiled its latest flagship phone, the G3, and it includes antitheft software that can render the phone unusable if stolen. The company showcased the so-called “kill switch,” along with other security features, at a live event in London. The software will allow a user to …

You can use the fingerprint scanner of the Galaxy S5 to make mobile payments. Josh Miller/CNET You don’t need to look at Alibaba, JingDong, or WeChat’s mobile payment service to tell you about China’s burgeoning online payments. Mobile payments in the country surged 255 percent year-over-year in the first quarter to 3.89 trillion Chinese yuan ($623 billion). This is based …

O2’s 4G data deals give your thumbs a workout. O2 4G is fast becoming affordable. As EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 duke it out for your 4G fees, O2 this week introduces new pay-as-you-go deals netting you extra-fast data for as little as £15. O2’s new Big Bundle PAYG tariffs cost £10, £15 or £20 per month, and the £15 …

Jason Cipriani/CNET Windows Phone 8.1 introduced a brand-new notification shade. Similar to what’s currently found on Android, the notification shade houses recent alerts and what Microsoft calls “Quick actions.” These quick actions are simply shortcuts to common device settings. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET Four buttons are displayed at the top of the notification shade. Tapping any of the buttons will …

The LG G3 Andrew Hoyle/CNET LG has finally announced its newest flagship smartphone, the LG G3 . What do we know so far? For starters, it’s big: the 5.5-inch display is larger and has more pixels than both the LG G2 and the Galaxy S5 . The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset also makes it marginally faster than its predecessor, and …

CNET Update has frickin’ laser beams: Now playing: Watch this: LG G3 loaded with laser, kill switch 2:52 LG’s newest smartphone is packed with unusual features to against other Androids. Today’s video gives you a quick breakdown on this high-end phone that’s in . It may have a laser, kill switch and covert cover, but the LG G3 won’t be …

PureGear Whether you’re prepping for your first couch-to-5K or you’re already a distance runner, a smartphone is essential road gear. It not only supplies music or podcasts to help you while away the miles, but also monitors your route and stats (via awesome apps like RunKeeper). Most important of all, a phone is essential in case you turn an ankle …