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What to watch during the long weekend

Now playing: Watch this: Netpicks: What to watch during the long weekend 1:54 In honor of Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day, we’ve put together a bunch of movies and tv shows you can watch on Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix. On February 13, Amazon unleashes a full season of “Bosch” for binge watching. This …

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US carriers, you’ll have to unlock those phones

The days of carriers locking down devices to keep customers in place are officially dead. Starting now, all US carriers must comply with requests from postpaid and prepaid customers to unlock their devices, as long as certain parameters are met. The industry group CTIA had committed last year to have all wireless carriers adhering to the regulation by February 11, …

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Expedia snaps up rival Orbitz for $1.3 billion

Expedia has kept up its buying streak, following its recent purchase of Travelocity. Mike Coppola/Getty Images Expedia has agreed to buy Orbitz for $1.3 billion, bringing together two pioneers of online travel. The deal, announced Thursday, adds to Expedia’s long list of travel sites, including Hotels.com, Hotwire and Trivago. The company also last month just finished its acquisition of Sabre’s …

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Qualcomm’s regulatory woes may be adding up

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf, whose company has been working through a handful of regulatory investigations. CNET Just as it settled a major investigation in China, Qualcomm may be facing even more regulatory problems. South Korean competition regulators are starting to investigate Qualcomm’s business practices there, several news sources reported, citing unnamed sources. This information comes just days after the chipmaker …

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Microsoft offers preview of Windows 10 for phones

Microsoft shows off a preview of Windows 10 for phones, though it’s limited to a half dozen Lumia devices. Microsoft/Screenshot by CNET Microsoft is making available to testers the first public preview of Windows 10 mobile, a version of the Windows 10 operating system ultimately designed to run on ARM-based Windows phones and ARM- and Intel-based small tablets and phablets. …

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WPS Office for Windows: Still the best Microsoft Office alternative?

WPS Office Writer 2015 comes with lots of handy templates. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET Last August I professed my ongoing love for Kingsoft Office, which had just been rebranded WPS Office and updated with some new features. Why on earth would anyone shell out for Microsoft Office when this freebie delivers most of the same core functionality? Today, realizing I’ve …

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TPP protects rights holders, not consumers, says Senator Ludlam

WikiLeaks Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has slammed the Trans-Pacific Partnership currently being negotiated between 12 major nations, including Australia, saying it is designed to protect the profits of major corporations, including major movie studios and rights holders. Senator Ludlam said Australian individuals were the ones with the most to lose under the TPP, which he said “effectively imported some of …

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Samsung Galaxy A5 and A3 on sale today

Josh Miller/CNET The Samsung Galaxy A5 and A3 are on sale in the UK from today, giving gadget fans who lust after metal mobiles two more options to consider. Both the A5 and A3 have metal casings, which is a departure from Samsung’s usual reliance on plastic chassis. Both feature 4G LTE and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras — which should make …

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Pinterest tackles iPhone, iPad app overload

Pinterest unveils app Pins, a way to pin your favorite programs for others to see. Pinterest Pinterest wants to help you cut through the noise when it comes to finding the right iPhone and iPad apps. On Wednesday, the social discovery start-up, which lets people “pin” photos, websites, products and other items on virtual boards for others to see, unveiled …

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