Here are the iPhone 5S and 5C. What’s next? Apple Apple’s iPhone 6 might be vaporware at this point, but that hasn’t stopped one artist from taking a stab at what the device might look like, based on rumors. Designer Martin Hajek developed a vision of what the iPhone 6, based on rumors of the …

Google’s Android platform took the top spot for smartphone activations in the US last quarter, according to new data from research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Android was the leading smartphone OS in the first quarter, nabbing 53 percent of new smartphone activations during the period, CIRP reported Friday. Apple’s iOS came in second with 42 percent of all activations. …

Sarah Tew/CNET Vertical videos are ridiculous. They play badly on monitors. And they’re not anyone’s fault, except for the phone-makers. I’m here to defend Vertical Video Syndrome, or at least what inspires it: the videos that get shot in portrait mode by your mom or dad, your friend, or even you. Everyone wants to yell at you, but I’m here …

Samsung’s flagship phone joins another carrier. Josh Miller/CNET Related Links Ting signs Samsung Galaxy S5 to its roster Samsung Galaxy S5 review Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile to carry Samsung Galaxy S5 MetroPCS is now the latest wireless provider to offer the Samsung Galaxy S5 . On Friday, it began selling Samsung’s flagship smartphone in stores and online for $649 …

What would optical zooms on smartphones mean for the likes of the Canon EOS-1D? Canon USA Could smartphone cameras go toe-to-toe with the top digital cameras on the market within the next two years? HTC believes so. Speaking to Vodafone in blog post published Friday, HTC’s Symon Whitehorn said that optical zoom is the wall that stands between smartphone cameras …

Apple Apple mobile device owners who have yet to switch to iOS 7 are reporting issues with FaceTime. Several people have gone to Apple’s support forums, as well as other Apple-related forums around the Web, reporting that they’ve been unable to connect to the FaceTime video chat service from iOS 6-based devices. A smattering of iOS 7 users reported the …

Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET Samsung’s Milk Music streaming service will soon feature ads, according to a new infographic posted Friday to the company’s global blog. Nestled towards the end of the infographic, Samsung makes mention of two options for Milk Music users — a Basic Service that’s “free to users with ads” and a Premium Service that’s “ad-free and [comes …

Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Showtime Anytime are joining Fire TV’s voice search catalog Sarah Tew/CNET Just over two weeks after release the Amazon Fire TV streaming box is getting some significant upgrades. Our full review called the Fire TV an and now it seems the company is taking some of our advice to heart. Author Matthew Moskovciak said “the voice-search …

I’d like to call it H.265, because it sounds cool, but its full name is High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). It’s the new successor to Advanced Video Coding (AVC), also known as H.264, which is one of the compression schemes used by Blu-ray. The idea of HEVC is to offer the same level of picture quality as AVC, but with …

Disney’s launching a set of four new children’s books based on the original “Star Wars” trilogy. In a release Friday, the media giant said the series will hit bookstores beginning in October, with the publication of “The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight,” by “The Spiderwick Chronicles” author Tony DiTerlizzi. More importantly to “Star Wars” fans of all ages, the …

The new ad feature in action on Twitter. Twitter Twitter is making a significant push into mobile ads, thanks to its mobile advertising exchange MoPub. Twitter on Thursday said it’s new “mobile app promotion suite” makes it easier for advertisers to promote their mobile apps both on Twitter and through the thousands of mobile apps that use MoPub to serve …

Now playing: Watch this: Customize the Galaxy S5 like a pro 2:53 There are plenty of ways to personalize an Android phone — through downloading third-party apps or even more drastically, downloading ROMs — but the Samsung Galaxy S5 gives you a handful of built-in options that don’t require you to install a thing. You may remember some of these …

Amazon is behind a new Samsung-specific Kindle ebook service. Josh Miller/CNET Samsung and Amazon are getting together for a new chapter for ebook fans: they’re co-authors of a new ebook service called Kindle for Samsung. Kindle for Samsung is described as a “custom-built ebook service” for Samsung devices, working on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and any phone or tablet running …

Consumers who want to add Apple’s CarPlay technology to their existing vehicles may soon get the chance. Now at the bottom of Apple’s CarPlay Web site is a notice that reads: “you’ll soon be able to add CarPlay to your current car with an aftermarket system,” listing Alpine and Pioneer as the two manufacturers. Related stories Apple aims at reimagining …

Google offers select users a try-before-you-buy kit. Josh Miller/CNET While many people are probably thinking about buying Google Glass , $1,500 is a lot of money to throw down for face gear without ever trying it on. It’s not like people can walk into a shop, test it out, and see how the computer-enabled eyeglasses fit and feel. So, Google …