Samsung’s curved smartphone has generated a lot of buzz but not a lot of reasons to buy it — other than the novelty effect. The South Korean electronics giant late Tuesday unveiled the Galaxy Round, a smartphone similar to the Galaxy Note 3 but with a lengthwise dip in the middle. That dip forms a …

Vodafone has confirmed the launch dates for 4G in Liverpool and Glasgow are before the end of the month, with coverage extending further out of London from today. 4G will be turned on for scousers on 17 October and Glaswegians on 24 October, with Manchester to follow shortly afterwards. And the service is being extended across the greater London area …

AT&T subscribers who own the HTC One should keep an eye out for Android 4.3. On Tuesday, AT&T confirmed that it has officially started pushing the latest flavor of Jelly Bean to HTC’s flagship phone. HTC One owners should see a notification that the update is available for download. Users can also manually check for the update by tapping the …

If you’re a frequent international traveler, you’re going to want to pay attention to Uncarrier 3.0. T-Mobile’s latest shake-up puts international roaming rates in its sights, with the carrier eliminating fees for data and text messages entirely in more than 100 countries. It will also simplify the calling rates, charging a fixed rate of 20 cents per minute. New and …

The Pioneer SP-SB23W ($399) may be in a class of its own for affordable sound bar performance, but it’s not quite perfect. Shortly after posting our review of the SP-SB23W, I noticed a couple of user reviews that mentioned issues with Bluetooth audio sound quality. Specifically, the customers found that when using Bluetooth audio, only the right channel of audio …

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that most people like bass, and they like more bass even more. I suppose JBL engineers know the same thing, and they made sure the new Synchros S700 over-the ear, closed-back headphones deliver incredibly deep bass. Designwise, JBL avoided the slick, plastic look of Beats and other fashion-oriented ‘phones. The …

Last month I wrote a preview of the Prong PocketPlug, an iPhone case that can plug right into a wall socket. In other words, no more carrying around an AC adapter and charge cable. I liked the idea, but had a few concerns. Now that I’ve had a few days to test-plug the PocketPlug, I can safely say that my …

Nexus 7 owners looking to protect their tablet now have four new cases from Google. Introduced Tuesday on its Play Store, Google’s $49.99 cases for the 2013 Nexus 7 model come in black, white or gray — with colored accents. And similar to Apple’s Smart Covers and Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HDX cases, the covers can contort to function as …

There are two curved smartphones rumoured to be in the works: the LG Flex and the Samsung Galaxy Round. Samsung’s Galaxy Round or just Photoshop chicanery? (Credit: @evleaks via Twitter) While CNET obtained information on and sketches of the LG Flex earlier in October, the often-reliable @evleaks has posted an image said to be that of the Galaxy Round. The …

Samsung’s recent acquisition shopping list zeroes in on several software names, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. According to the paper, some of those possible targets have included Unity Technologies, a San Francisco-based gaming platform developer; Green Throttle Games, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based company that makes game controllers and software that connects mobile devices to televisions; Israeli …

Just hours after images of the Galaxy Round leaked online, Samsung has officially launched the curved-screen smartphone in its home country of Korea. The Samsung Galaxy Round. (Credit: Samsung Tomorrow) As images on the official Samsung Tomorrow blog show, the curved phone does indeed feature a number of design cues from the Galaxy Note 3, including the stitched leather-look back …

Possibly the worst-kept secret in the world of smartphones is HTC’s big-screen variant of the HTC One. (Credit: CBS Interactive) Dubbed the HTC One Max, the 6-inch device will join the HTC One (4.7 inches) and the HTC One Mini (4.3 inches). Engadget is saying that the One Max will launch in China on 15 October, and the blog has …

The wearable-tech market — specifically the sector concerned with health and fitness — is a hotly contested space, with major players large and small waging wars for the wrist and shooting for the sweet spot between price point and functionality. Basis Science, a startup that makes a high-end fitness tracker called the Basis band, has just solidified its stake in …

Samsung has won the race to be the first phone manufacturer this fall to launch a curved smartphone. The company announced late Tuesday that the new Galaxy Round incorporates the latest in screen technology, along with other unique features. The device resembles the Galaxy S3 and S4, but it has slight dip in the middle that causes the phone to …

It looks like Google’s Hangouts app could soon absorb new communications abilities with integration of text and picture messaging, according to screenshots and a report that surfaced Monday. Hangouts originally debuted as a video chat tool for Google+, but Google built into it the instant-messaging ability that formerly shipped in the Google Talk app for Android. Now it’s possible that …