Lollipop on a budget: Say hello to the new Archos Helium Plus. Archos In what’s fast becoming a trend, Archos has announced a pair of budget-minded Android 5.1 smartphones to be sold direct to consumer. Of course, this has been the Archos way of doing things all along. Related Links Blu delivers $100 unlocked smartphone …

ProntoTec I’m fascinated by cheap tablets. In the early days of tablet evolution, a smattering of no-brand models offered prices far below their Apple and Samsung counterparts — but saddled you with resistive touchscreens (meaning you had to apply actual pressure), abysmally slow processors and already-outdated versions of Android. In other words, they were all but unusable. Today, you can …

Grocery chain Woolworths is now a mobile virtual network operator using the Telstra 3G network, and will begin offering both pre-paid mobile and data-only plans from June 15. Called Woolworths Connect, the MVNO will have two pre-paid mobile plans: AU$30 plan that includes 1.5GB of data, AU$650 of standard calls in Australia and unlimited SMS. AU$45 plan that includes 3.5GB …

Amazon’s cloud-computing business has been clouded in criticism. John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images Amazon Web Services, the e-commerce giant’s cloud-computing business, will support the building and operation of a roughly $150 million solar farm planned in Virginia, with the project being named Amazon Solar Farm US East. An Amazon representative declined to specify Amazon’s financial commitment to the project, saying the company …

The Opera Subscription Mobile Store interface. Opera Software If you’re a heavy app user in Vietnam, it’s about to be much cheaper to download a plethora of premium apps, thanks to the new all-you-can-eat subscription model from Opera Software and mobile operator Vinaphone. Announced today in a press release from Opera, the new plan lets Vinaphone users who sign on …

This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s complete coverage from and about Apple’s annual developers conference. For the first time, Apple will offer an Android app for its new music service. James Martin/CNET Apple wants to control every aspect of your life — as long as you choose to let it. The company on Monday showed off the newest …

Apple’s Craig Federighi talks about Apple Maps at WWDC. CNET If you see a car snapping photos of you as it drives by your home, it might just be Apple behind the wheel. Apple is driving around the world to capture images for a service that sounds a lot like Google’s Street View. The company confirmed its plans on a …

Sony If you were looking for proof that Sony is at the top of its game in image sensor technology, here it is. Today at a press conference in New York, the electronics giant announced three new cameras — the Cyber-shot RX10 II and RX100 IV enthusiast compacts and the α7R II interchangeable lens compact — with “world’s first” sensor …

The Airboard is a super-small development device for people wanting to get started with Sigfox networking. It’s geared for the hobbyist set who might want just a single device. Stephen Shankland/CNET Sigfox, a French company that’s developed a network tailored for electronic sensors and a host of other devices, will see its network arrive in Denmark next year through a …

Jack Ma, at the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday, seeks to partner with US businesses. Ben Fox Rubin/CNET NEW YORK — Ever since Wall Street’s interest in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reached a fever pitch last year, investors and analysts have focused on one major question: When will the company expand into the US and take on Amazon …