Apple and Samsung have been battling over patents for years. CNET A US appeals court on Thursday ruled Samsung should have been banned from using certain patented Apple features in its devices, giving the California company a victory in the prolonged patent infringement suit between the two mobile giants. A jury in May 2014 had …

Peace is one app that can block web-based ads in iOS 9. But is there a downside? Ad-blocking apps have soared to the top of Apple’s App Store charts following Wednesday’s debut of iOS 9. A $2.99 app called Peace (£2.29, AU$3.79), which promises to block “most ads and privacy-invading trackers on web pages” is the top paid app in …

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Enlarge ImageWell, how was it? HP Believe it or not, nearly every day that I share a deal, I come back later and read the comments. Time doesn’t always permit me to reply, …

There are two likely suspects if you find your selfies lacking: your face or your phone. Let’s assume it’s the latter. With a low-resolution camera and no flash, it can be a challenge to snap the perfect selfie shot. To aid this important, time-consuming endeavor, Apple has improved the front-facing camera on the iPhone 6S , which will boast more …

The One M9 is HTC’s most recent flagship smartphone. CNET Just when you thought HTC was readying a high-end killer smartphone for later this year, new details suggest the handset maker may have a more modest device on deck. Sorry, but according to a new set of rumors, it doesn’t appear that 10-core HTC superphone will be here anytime soon. …

Enlarge ImageThe Apple Watch can now run apps on the device itself, letting users tap into more features. CNET You’re going to have to wait longer for your Apple Watch software update. Apple on Wednesday delayed the Watch OS 2 software update for its wearable device, citing bugs. It didn’t specify when the software would be available. “We have discovered …

Enlarge ImageThe sonic screwdriver lights up behind blue glass. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET We can’t all have access to big-budget BBC prop shops. There are a lot of plastic “Doctor Who” sonic screwdriver replicas out there, but sometimes it’s more fun to make your own. DIY Prop Shop, a YouTube show dedicated to cheap make-it-yourself props, took on the …

The JDS Labs Element’s big draw is big power, which comes in handy if you have a set of power-hungry planar-magnetic headphones. Then again, a headphone amp that can put out more than 1 watt can work its magic on any full-size headphone. The very first headphone I plugged into the Element was my Hifiman HE6s. These guys suck up …

Comcast wants to make it easier for low-income families to get broadband Internet access. The Philadelphia-based cable giant announced Wednesday that it will extend its Internet Essentials program, which offers 10 megabit per second broadband service for $10 a month, to families with students in community college who qualify for federal education grants. The extension to the program is being …

Expedia has won approval from US antitrust officials to buy rival Orbitz, clearing the way for a $1.3 billion merger of the two pioneers of online travel booking. The Justice Department said Wednesday that it had closed its six-month investigation into the acquisition after finding no harm to competition would result from the companies merging. “We concluded that Expedia’s acquisition …