Target announced Wednesday that it will launch its own brand of prepaid mobile services this weekend, following the lead of rival retailer Walmart. Beginning Sunday, consumers will be able to sign up for Brightspot, which will offer unlimited talk and texting on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G network for $35 a month, the company said in a …

Owners of Samsung devices now can tap into their PayPal funds to purchase apps, music, and more. Announcing the new option on Wednesday, PayPal said that Samsung Apps and Samsung Hub customers can choose PayPal to buy apps, music, movies, TV shows, e-books, and games. The option is available to customers in Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, and …

LG is reportedly preparing a new smartphone for its G-series range, this one featuring a curved display. The LG G Flex smartphone features a curved display. (Credit: Supplied) Pegged to be called the G Flex, few details are known about the device, although information obtained by CNET points to a 6-inch plastic OLED display and a possible reveal of the …

If your wallet’s as bottomless as Scrooge McDuck’s and your hunger for calfskin and titanium knows no bounds — not even good taste — then Vertu’s new €4,900 (£4,090) Android phone should be heading towards your pocket post-haste. The new Constellation is the British luxury phonemaker’s second blow-out blower to run Google’s mobile software, but it’s no high-end powerhouse. Your …

The Galaxy Note 3, and its companion device the Galaxy Gear smart watch, is now on sale across Australia. (Credit: Josh Miller/CNET) If you’re wondering whether it’s worth upgrading from the Note 2, or even the original Note, we’ve compiled a quick rundown of the important specs. For our money, the Galaxy Note 3 is undoubtedly the best of the …

In 1983, intrigued by an article on fractals, I wrote a program to display the Mandelbrot set on my family’s TRS-80 Color Computer. It had a maximum screen resolution of 256×192 when plugged into our TV, had 16KB of memory after we soldered on new memory chips, and ground through the calculations so slowly that I had to wait for …

Facebook just “friended” Cisco Systems. The two companies are partnering up to provide restaurants, hotels, retailers, and other public locations with an integrated Wi-Fi check-in experience that ties into the Facebook network. Such a service would allow retailers to get more data on its customers, allowing for better targeted advice, advertising, or discounts. Related stories Facebook’s $90 Million Data-Tracking Settlement: …

“Excuse me. I just wanted to ask: did you know I was taking a picture of you with my watch?” This is what I asked a barista at a coffee shop near work, because, moments before, that’s exactly what I did. Wearing a black-and-steel Samsung Galaxy Gear on my wrist, I made a few swipes and taps on the screen …

Dell is putting the focus back on hardware. For the bulk of 2013, any headlines you’ve read about Dell have more than likely reported on the company’s rocky transition from public to private via a $25 billion buyout from Silver Lake Partners. But with today’s announcement of a long list of new Windows 8.1 laptops, tablets, convertible devices — and …

NEW YORK — Microsoft’s Windows RT operating system just lost another proponent. Neil Hand, head of tablets at Dell, on Wednesday said his company won’t be releasing a new Windows RT device to follow up its XPS 10 device from a year ago. “We are not planning to refesh our current line of RT products,” Hand said at a Dell …

HTC must modify a key technology in its Android smartphones or else face a potential sales ban in the US, according to The Wall Street Journal. Citing information from “people familiar with the matter,” the Journal said Wednesday that HTC has teamed up with chipmaker Qualcomm to try to revise certain chip technology in its HTC One and other new …

Looks like iMessage is messed up. Apple users are complaining that since the iOS 7 update, they can’t get their message across as missives from their iPhone and iPad aren’t getting through. “Phew I thought everyone hated me but iMessage was not working,” says blogger Brian Lam, as users report their messages are delayed or not sent at all. The system …

LG and Samsung may be trying to beat each other to the market with a flexible smartphone. Dubbed either the LG Z or Z1, LG’s entry into the flexible smartphone arena would offer a concave design, ZDNet Asia said on Wednesday, citing “industry sources.” Curved like a banana, according to the English translation of the story, the display would offer …

Sky Go has added Android support for a slew of new smart phones, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and the Sony Xperia Z1. A total of six new mobiles have been granted support for the broadcaster’s on-demand service, with the HTC One SV, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia M and LG G2 also welcomed into the fold. That brings the …

CNN recently reported on the “death” of the home stereo system, and while that’s an exaggeration, few people — young or old — have “stereos” anymore. CNN was asleep at the wheel on this one; precious few folks have had stereos for decades. Music is now almost always consumed in cars, and over phones and plastic computer or Bluetooth speakers. …