Enlarge ImageBlackBerry CEO John Chen (right) shows off his company’s first Android phone during a chat with Recode’s Walt Mossberg. Shara Tibken/CNET HALF MOON BAY, California — BlackBerry CEO John Chen has set a deadline for the recovery of the company’s smartphone business. Chen, speaking here Thursday at the Code Mobile conference, said BlackBerry’s hardware …

Nicole Cozma/CNET When someone sends you an image via text, it’s easy to save it at that moment. But what if you have a long texting history, don’t remember who sent you a particular photo or you just want an app to do the work for you? Well, you’re in luck. In a recent How To Geek post, an app …

Enlarge ImageLittleBits’ new kit includes more than a dozen instructions on making different devices and games. Ariel Nuñez/CNET NEW YORK — At LittleBits’ pop-up storefront on West Broadway, employees Krystal Persaud and Emily Tuteur helped me construct a colorful car and its remote control using a handful of the company’s magnetically connected components, some stickers, wheels and paper. The remote-controlled …

Enlarge ImageAmit Singhal, Google’s head of search, talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about the company’s efforts. Shara Tibken/CNET HALF MOON BAY, California — Users should be allowed to have some of their information scrubbed from online search results, Google’s head of search said Thursday, in what appears to be a softening of the company’s official stance on the so-called “right …

Any differences in the battery life of iPhone 6S Plus units should be minimal, Apple says. Andrew Hoyle/CNET Apple on Thursday downplayed the concerns that different chips powering its new iPhones offer varying levels of battery life. “Our testing and customer data show the actual battery life of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, even taking into account variable …

Enlarge ImageThe Apple iPhone 6S (left) and 6S Plus. Sarah Tew/CNET AT&T has finally rolled out its native Wi-Fi calling feature on certain smartphones, after the Federal Communications Commission granted the wireless carrier’s waiver request for the feature. Starting today, AT&T customers with the latest phones, the Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus , as well as those with last …

Enlarge ImageKevin Weil, Twitter’s head of product (right), talks about the company with Kara Swisher at Code Mobile. Shara Tibken/CNET HALF MOON BAY, California — Twitter’s task over the next year is making its product simpler to attract new users and adding functionality to keep current users happy, the company’s head of product said Wednesday. Kevin Weil, Twitter’s senior vice …

Talk about getting the royal treatment. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is now the proud owner of more than 5 percent of Twitter shares, worth about $1 billion. That investment could be seen as a show of confidence from the prince, who previously said he didn’t think Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey should be named CEO. Dorsey is also chief …

Pandora is the biggest online music service by listeners. Joan E. Solsman/CNET Long a solo act, Pandora is ready for a duet. The Oakland, California, Internet radio company agreed to buy online ticketing agent Ticketfly for $450 million split nearly equally between cash and stock. “With Ticketfly, we will thrill music lovers and lift ticket sales for artists as the …

Even Microsoft can’t decide whether Windows is relevant in the smartphone world. Since its Windows Phone mobile operating system launched in 2010, Microsoft has pinned its hopes on devices running the software. Just wait until Windows Phone 7, the company said years back in regards to its mobile ambitions. Windows Phone 8 was the next supposed savior of Microsoft’s smartphones, …