Can it get any better than this? Why, yes, I believe so. Josh Miller/CNET There’s no doubt that the smartphone has made amazing strides since its humble beginnings. But lately I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how these days devices can have no room for real improvement. Every time a new flagship phone …

Surface Pro 3: No Mini to see here. Microsoft After weeks of rumors that Microsoft’s Tuesday event was all about a Surface Mini, it wasn’t. What in the world happened? What happened of course is that Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3 , a full-fledged 12-inch laptop that can function as a tablet. “The Mini would have been a tablet-only …

Starting Tuesday, regional carrier U.S. Cellular drops the fee it will charge you for each device on its Shared Connect data plans. The new fees are $10 per-phone charge on plans that are 10GB or higher, and $20 to connect a device to plans that provide 8GB or lower. U.S. Cellular takes aim at two Goliaths, Verizon and AT&T, by …

Apple European iPad owners looking to upgrade can now swap their tablet for cash towards a new iOS gadget, as Apple’s in-store trade-in scheme spreads across the globe. Several of Apple’s online pages for its UK retail stores now sport an advert that reads, “Trade in your old iPhone or iPad and get credit towards a new one.” 9to5Mac reports …

Verizon will soon offer a video calling service over its LTE network that will work like Apple’s FaceTime app. Video chatting with far-flung family members could get even easier for Verizon wireless customers. Verizon executives said Tuesday that the company will be launching a FaceTime-like video calling service later this year as part of its nationwide rollout of voice over …

Sarah Tew/CNET Perhaps the biggest surprise at Microsoft’s Surface event today was what wasn’t announced: the Surface Mini. Instead, Microsoft went big with a 12-inch Surface Pro 3 . The new Surface has lots of tweaks aimed at being easier to use: a more lap-friendly design, a new keyboard cover, and maybe notably, a brand-new pen. That pen might be …

The HTC One M8 Prime? evleaks HTC may be getting ready to give its flagship One M8 a supersized makeover. Recent rumors have suggested that the Taiwanese handset maker was developing a larger, faster version of the One M8, a smartphone purportedly dubbed One M8 Prime. An animation posted by @evleaks Tuesday allegedly shows a 360-degree view of the apparent …

The iStick switches between USB and Lightning connectors. Hyper How much storage do you have in your iPhone or iPad? For many users, the answer is “not enough.” The more photos, videos, apps, and other stuff you accumulate over time, the more you find yourself wishing for more space. There are, of course, ways to expand iDevice storage, including cloud …

Google Project Ara ‘Phonebloks’ Google Toshiba will power Project Ara, so says Japan’s largest business daily. The Japanese electronics company will supply three types of processors that will control, among other things, the flow of data and electrical signals between the modules and the phone, the Nikkei report said. The electronics maker is the only Japanese company to become a …

Introducing the Surface Pro 3. Sarah Tew/CNET Microsoft has officially unveiled the Surface Pro 3, a device aimed at eliminating the “conflict” Microsoft sees between the tablet and laptop. The device features a 12-inch screen and kickstand, and supports a stylus. In addition, the tablet comes with support for USB 3.0 and Microsoft’s popular Type Covers in multiple colors. The …

Taxis protesting “VTC” car services like Uber or AlloCab blocked traffic in Paris. Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET of CaBoMaN238/Twitter Former New York taxi commissioner Ashwini Chabra has stepped in to lead Uber’s policy development team, the on-demand car service announced Tuesday. His experience in both tech and government could help smooth over any public sector clashes as the startup continues …

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Sarah Tew/CNET Lighter, faster, stronger — the Surface Pro 3 is here, and Microsoft wants it to be the tablet that finally replaces your laptop. Of course, we’ve heard that all before. But at a press event on Tuesday, Microsoft laid out its case: the Surface Pro 3 is a scant 9.1mm thick, making it …

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella did not announce a Surface Mini. But why? Sarah Tew/CNET It’s not fair to call an unofficially announced product “delayed” when it doesn’t debut according to the rumored schedule. But that said, I’m calling the ARM-based Surface Mini delayed. I won’t say the long-rumored device has been axed (though it may have been). But I will …

CNET Take note, anyone who’s shopping for a smartphone but doesn’t have hundreds of pounds going spare — Nokia’s Lumia 630 will hit the UK in a little over a week, for less than £90. The Lumia 630 sports a 4.5-inch display with a 854×480 pixel resolution. That’s not as pin-sharp as some hoity-toity smartphones, but should be plenty to …

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 Josh Miller/CNET Samsung’s Galaxy S5 Prime, the long-rumored update to the company’s Galaxy S5, could deliver some seriously fast download speeds, according to a new report. The Galaxy S5 Prime, which has been rumored for weeks but has yet to be announced, will feature download speeds of up to 225 megabits per second, CNET sister site ZDNet …