LG’s latest smartphone, the G2, is expected to launch Wednesday at an event in New York City. The smartphone maker has been preparing for the big debut for more than a month. The new phone, which is the next flagship device for the company, drops the Optimus branding for the new “G premium brand.” While …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active makes waves 2:07 Samsung Galaxy S4 Active owners who bought the phone through AT&T can score a new one in the event of water damage. AT&T announced the news on Tuesday via the following statement sent to CNET: Samsung designed and tested the Galaxy S4 Active to adhere to IP67 standards for …

Now playing: Watch this: 4G networks: How they’re tested 1:53 Apparently, it takes just two words to rile up wireless giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Verizon’s latest ad. Verizon Those words, “most reliable,” set off the latest fracas between the two as both attempted to claim network superiority. With handset selection and phone plans so similar, the carriers are increasingly …

Not bad! HTC is promising ‘Big Things Ahead’, in a new teaser video that hints the rumours about the HTC One Max could well be true — and that Robert Downey Jr might be the one to unveil the giganto-blower to the world. The video features a military-looking helicopter landing in a car park. A suspiciously chic tousle-haired exec clambers …

BlackBerry Messenger for Android is coming to Samsung Galaxy phones first — if you’re in Africa. Samsung Africa spilled the beans, revealing that the new BlackBerry Messenger app will become part of the Samsung Messenger Hub. The BBM app will be available “soon” for Galaxy phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 across Africa, for free from the Google Play Store …

Transit App In a spurt of perfect timing, I discovered Transit App almost immediately upon arrival in Chicago, where I was totally unfamiliar with the city’s awesome public transportation system (make that systems, plural). In short order I was riding the CTA and Metra buses and trains all over the place with the ease and efficiency of a Chicago native. …

Make a Note in your calendar: the new Samsung Galaxy Note will be unveiled on 4 September. Invitations have been sent to press for an announcement on that date, the tagline ‘Note the date’ giving a clanging clue as to what we can expect. Like the two previous generations of Note phablets, the Note 3 will be unveiled at annual …

The second quarter wasn’t especially bright for tablet sales, and Apple is partly to blame, according to IDC. Tablet makers shipped 45.1 million tablets in the second quarter, down 9.7 percent sequentially, according to IDC. That’s still a sharp 60 percent increase from the same period a year ago but is the first time sales have slid between the first …

Samsung via Crave UK Make a Note in your calendar: the new Samsung Galaxy Note will be unveiled on September 4. Invitations have been sent to press for an announcement on that date, the tagline ‘Note the date’ giving a clanging clue as to what we can expect. Like the two previous generations of Note phablets, the Note 3 will …

Jason Cipriani/CNET After Google launched a completely redesigned Google Maps experience for iOS and Android users, our own Nicole Cozma covered five tips for Android (which applied to iOS as well) users to get started with Google Maps. On Monday Google posted six tips of its own for Google Maps. Some of the tips covered overlap with our previous post, …

Fresh from having a few pops at Apple fans, Samsung is aiming its wand at Harry Potter in an ad for the Galaxy S4. Bang up to date with its cultural references, Samsung showcases the magical abilities of the S4 and its gesture controls in a new Korean advert. Sorry Potter sees a young Samsung fan joins the ranks of …

New leaked photos of HTC’s first monster-screened phablet have leaked online, showing what looks like an HTC One — after it’s eaten a mega mushroom. It’s our first sighting of the One Max in the wild. The pics come courtesy of indiscreet Hong Kong retailer ePrice, which reckons its 5.9-inch screen is 1080p resolution, like the One, and is running …

Sarah Tew/CNET We’re on a countdown until the inevitable Next iPhone, a moment that feels far less anticipated than last year. In 2012 we had the iPhone 5 casting a shadow of mystery: a rumored design revamp, the curiosity surrounding the first post-Steve Jobs iPhone, plus overdue features, namely, LTE and a larger screen. This year, we have rumors of …

You lie on the bleached-white sand, staring out into the heaving expanse, the sound of grey waves crashing on nearby shoals, echoing off stark, surrounding cliffs. You remember the curve of the ship’s prow as it slipped, groaning beneath the waves, and the outline of the sunken hull, briefly illuminated in the glow of rupturing electrics. You try to stand, …

Samsung may soon introduce its first smartwatch, known as the Galaxy Gear, should a recent trademark filing prove accurate. A newly discovered filing from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) confirms Samsung’s intention to produce smart wearable technology. Listed as a Samsung Galaxy Gear, the trademark’s description is rather vague and open-ended. Here’s an excerpt from the filing: Wearable …