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Top prepaid phones (roundup)

Two years is a long time. In that amount of time you can finish a master's degree or, uh...raise a baby into a 2-year-old child. OK, that latter example wasn't the most illustrative, but what I'm trying to say is that for some mobile phone users out there, two years is too long to be locked down in a carrier agreement. That's why I've gathered a few top-notch, recently released phones on prepaid carriers that are ideal for those who want to be contract-free.

Samsung Galaxy Reverb (Virgin Mobile), September 2012 Though it doesn'… Read more

Samsung feels the power as Galaxy Note 2 lifts off

Even Apple's iPhone 5 couldn't slow Samsung Electronics down.

The Korean conglomerate's flagship Galaxy S III had four of its five best-selling weeks in the U.S. after the iPhone 5 was unveiled, Samsung told CNET.

The spike after the iPhone 5 launch suggests that consumers hung around to see what Apple had to show off, weren't impressed, and went with a Galaxy S III instead.

"I was shocked by the numbers," Kevin Packingham, chief product officer of Samsung's U.S. mobile arm, said in an interview. "I thought: 'What the heck … Read more

Retelling history, 140 characters at a time

Spoiler alert: The Cuban Missile Crisis ended without the United States and the Soviet Union launching even a single nuclear weapon, and the Allies won World War II.

You're no doubt well aware of those ultimate outcomes, but what if you don't remember, or never knew, the myriad individual moments, big and small, that led to those famous conclusions? There are plenty of thick history books you could pick up, but maybe you're someone who wants a more dramatic sense of what happened -- even, perhaps, to feel like you're right in the thick of the drama.

To be sure, there's no time machine that can take you back to London during The Blitz, or to the White House Situation Room as JFK stood firm against belligerent military leaders wanting to engage the Soviets over surreptitiously putting nukes in Cuba. But these days, in little 140-character snippets, many of those moments are being played out for the whole world to see. And if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine you're there. … Read more

Digging deep into Microsoft's Surface

Wednesday's CNET Update covers the Surface:

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet hits stores Friday, but CNET has the full review here. Today's tech news roundup also goes over the differences in Windows RT and Windows 8.

If phablets are more your style, CNET also has the review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, now available at T-Mobile for $370 after a rebate and two-year contract. AT&T will sell it for less, at $300, when preorders begin Thursday.

Ready for shopping on Instagram? A new service called Chirpify gives users on Twitter and Instagram the ability to … Read more

iPad Mini steals Surface presale thunder

Tuesday's CNET Update scratches beyond the Surface:

Microsoft is now taking preorders for the Surface tablet, which starts at $499. Today's tech news roundup looks at the prices and keyboard accessories for Microsoft's competitor to the iPad.

But just one hour after Surface details are released, Apple sends out a notice that it will have a media announcement on October 23, which is likely the iPad Mini. So the speculation continues for another week.

Facebook has added some quirky emoticon options to use in comments, chat and private messages. When a <3 isn't enough, there'… Read more

Galaxy Note II coming to Sprint October 25, stylus in tow

Sprint has doubled down on Samsung's big Galaxy Note 2 bet. The carrier has just confirmed that the advanced, 5.5-inch screen Android device will hit its stores shortly.

Expected to cost $299.99 when it launches on October 25, both Samsung and Sprint hope the Galaxy Note 2 will offer plenty of catnip for Android users and possibly prove irresistible for users craving a smartphone with tablet-like features. Running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google's latest and greatest software yet, the phone will connect to Sprint's new 4G LTE network and boast a 1.6GHz quad-core … Read more

LG details Jelly Bean upgrade timeline

Though the LG Optimus G is set to arrive at AT&T stores on November 2 (and later to Sprint), LG isn't still hedging on when it will get an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade.

Yet, for the Optimus G's international brethren, LG is being more forthcoming. A press release (translated) on LG's Web site today detailed the expected time frame for an Android 4.1 update for a select few Optimus models.

Things get started in November with the Optimus LTE II, followed in December by the international Optimus G. Then, the first quarter … Read more

CNET UK reviews the Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Note 2 smartphone/tablet hybrid, paraded it around our various U.S. offices, and is even planning a big ol' coming-out party. But we don't have the phone yet. Luckily for us, our friends at CNET UK do.

Not only does bigger equal even better according to CNET UK reviewer Andrew Hoyle, the "phablet," with its massive screen, powerful quad-core processor, and quirky-cool S Pen stylus dazzled enough to earn the phone a coveted Editors' Choice award.

Check out the full Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (II) review at CNET UK, and stick … Read more

The Golden Gate gets a big gun

Visitors to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, will soon be able to check out a massive new World War II-era battleship gun.

The 16-inch gun, originally mounted on the USS Missouri, saw significant action during World War II, and according to the National Park Service, is featured prominently in photographs of the Japanese surrender ceremony that took place aboard the Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945. It will soon be installed in Battery Townsley, in the Marin Headlands area of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Weighing in at 120 … Read more

Samsung teases Galaxy Note 2 launch party on Oct. 24

Just one look at the stylus in Samsung's Save the Date invite we received today will tell you all you need to know: it's time for the U.S. to get the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (II) "phablet."

That's my educated guess, anyway, considering that the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is out in the world, and since Samsung will want to put great marketing and sales efforts behind their latest phone in a category they're aggressively pioneering.

The Note 2 smartphone has a 5.5-inch screen, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an 8-megapixel … Read more