Now playing: Watch this: Unboxing the BlackBerry Z10 3:39 BlackBerry 10 users are already being treated to their first update to the new operating system. Handset maker BlackBerry today announced that its update, which will be delivered over the air, improves the performance of third-party applications, ensuring that they run a bit faster and smoother. …

Whipping out a smart phone and prodding the screen is second nature to most people nowadays. Well Google’s Sergey Brin has been giving it some thought, and thinks it’s far from the best interface for a mobile device. Making a surprise appearance at the TED Conference, Brin took out his mobile and looked down at it. Like most people, he …

Microsoft’s Windows Phone app store has just gotten a little bigger, thanks to the addition of Photosynth. Related stories: Microsoft beefs up Windows Phone 8 camera phone features Twitter’s Windows Phone app joins the 21st century Tech Minute: Creating panoramic photos with your smartphone The software giant said Photosynth, a 3D panorama photo app, has now debuted for the latest …

Fresh off winning the Super Bowl, or at least the social media advertising wars during the NFL’s championship, Oreo is now setting out to conquer the stars in the skies. The cookie giant has teamed up with Nokia to release a stargazing app for Lumia Windows phones that could result in the heavens above being filled with virtual Oreos. Called …

Wireless operators would like to believe the pricing and terms of their services are straightforward and easy to understand. But when it comes to deciphering family plans or figuring out whether you can or cannot use your smartphone as a wireless hotspot, it’s not always so clear. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I explain to a reader who is …

Nokia Lumia 822 owners can expect a small gift from Finland today. An over-the-air software update began rolling out to the Verizon Wireless Windows Phone 8 device at 1 p.m. ET. New features in the update include improved performance for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and support for more microSD card brands. You’ll also gain the ability to select an MP3 file …

If you didn’t get enough new phones from Mobile World Congress this week, then I have good news for you. Sprint today followed through on a previous leak by announcing the Sprint Force, an Android smartphone made by ZTE. Running on Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 and powered by an 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the Force Sprint has a 4-inch WVGA (480×800 …

Lord Alan Sugar’s time at YouView is over. The gruff business bod is due to step down from his role as non-executive chairman in the next few weeks, according to a release sent out by the company this afternoon. The peer formerly known as Surralun has been non-executive chairman since 2011. A new chairman will be announced in due course, so best …

BARCELONA, Spain–We’ve seen lots of interesting hardware at Mobile World Congress, and yesterday when the team met to talk about what product should get our best of show award, there were plenty of gadgets in the mix. Asus’ Padfone Infinity was in the running, along with its FonePad, the Nokia Lumia 720, and Sony’s Xperia Z tablet. But the nine-strong …

BARCELONA, Spain–Look out, Android: three challengers are gunning for your app cash. Firefox OS, Tizen, and Ubuntu Touch have all made their debuts at mobile industry shindig Mobile World Congress this week. And in my opinion, Samsung and the mobile industry are backing the wrong horses. Mobile phone carriers and manufacturers have grown fat on phones running Google’s Android software, …

BARCELONA, Spain–We’re through the looking glass, people; as a great man once said. And as we trawl the halls of phone and tablet industry shindig Mobile World Congress, we bumped into this happy chap wearing Google Glass high-tech specs. Google Glass is a set of high-tech spectacles that records and broadcasts everything you see. The 21st century superconnected eyeglasses aren’t for sale yet, …

Mobile World Congress may be trundling to a close and the good ship CNET packing up to sail back to London, but here are some highlights from the last 24 hours you may have missed — including the results of our prestigious best of show award. While it’s hardware, the physical object, that usually gets everyone excited when they buy …

Now playing: Watch this: HTC One Zoe mode and camera software in video walkthrough 5:46 The Ultrapixel camera is the jewel in the HTC One’s smartphone crown, but camera hardware is only half the story. Click through the photos below to check out the torrent of filters, modes, and editing tricks that come stuffed inside this new smartphone’s software. The …

The dual-SIM Acer Liquid Z2 Sarah Tew/CNET When I think about the features that I need in a smartphone, I tend to be pretty practical. Sure, apps, a media player, and a good-quality Web browser are great, but what I really want is a good dual-SIM card phone. And fortunately for me, the 2013 Mobile World Congress didn’t disappoint. Now …

iFixit, a company that takes apart technology products, analyzes what’s inside, and determines their repairability, has launched a new platform to make it easier for folks to lean more about tablets. The company’s new “Tablet Repairability” list shows all of the recently released slates it’s taken apart and discusses how easy it is to repair them when trouble erupts. Each …