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Don't kill the messenger, but here's why you should skip the LG Envoy II

You wouldn't expect high-end features in a simple phone, and you're not going to get them with the Envoy II. Not only is the low-resolution screen hard to look at from certain angles, you also won't get video recording, a flash, or any expandable memory.

True, like its predecessor, this handset is geared toward people who are mostly interested in making calls. But given that, call quality should have been better than it was.

Frankly, for a prepaid price of $49.99 and a contract price of $69.99, I'd want something more. Fortunately for U.… Read more

Apple looking at 5.7-inch iPhone, claims report

Apple is exploring iPhones as large as 5.7 inches, as it feels the heat from large-screen rivals, according to Reuters.

The company is considering the introduction of "at least two bigger iPhones next year," the report said.

One could sport a 4.7-inch screen and the other a 5.7-incher, Reuters said, citing sources in the Asia supply chain.

"Suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens," the report claimed, adding that the move is "still under discussion."

The motive appears to be a growing need to respond to large-screen smartphones … Read more

'Star Trek II' producer talks Ceti Eel, J.J. Abrams, and more (Q&A)

The release of "Star Trek Into Darkness" has not only spurred interest in the "Trek" world in general, but especially in its film daddy, the original Khan-as-villain movie "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." While the new film takes quite a few detours, it is full of homages to the earlier work.

Let's look back to 1982. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" had been released in 1979 and faced a poor critical reception. Paramount, the film's studio, was gun-shy after the movie nearly doubled its original budget, ending up with a $46 million price tag. Nonetheless, plans for a second movie plodded along.

Into this mix of wariness and hope stepped Robert Sallin. With 2,000 commercials to his name, he was primarily a director, but he signed a deal with Paramount to take on producer duties for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." With no script ready, no director on-board, and Paramount keeping a tight clamp on the budget, Sallin had his hands full with steering the film into and through production.

All those trials somehow came out OK in the end. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is now often viewed among fans as one of the greatest films (if not the greatest) the franchise ever turned out. Crave caught up with Sallin to get a behind-the-scenes view on this iconic movie.… Read more

Review: Save Earth from aliens in the dungeon-crawler Mystery Island II for Mac.

Are you a fan of the old-school dungeon crawlers? Then explore the story and secrets of Mystery Island II for Mac. While the game doesn't have too much to offer aesthetically, the gameplay could be appealing to puzzle and adventure game seekers.

Download and installation of Mystery Island II for Mac run easily. Once the game is launched for the first time, a message will appear giving the user instructions on how to play. This game uses a basic control scheme that is reminiscent of the dungeon crawlers of the 1990s. You simply use your left and right keys … Read more

Android 4.1 launches for Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket owners finally have their shot at Android 4.1.

Available as of Wednesday, the Jelly Bean flavor of Android can be downloaded courtesy of AT&T.

Users can update their OS to Android 4.1.2 by following the how-to page on the carrier's Web site. The update does require Galaxy S2 Skyrocket users to download the software through Samsung's Kies and then sync it with their mobile phone.

Jelly Bean offers a number of enhancements over its predecessor, as an AT&T blog points out.

The notification screen organizes updates … Read more

T-Mobile's 4G LTE impresses in real-world tests (hands-on)

Two weeks ago, when T-Mobile announced that its 4G LTE had launched, CNET's own Brian Bennett gave the network a test run in New York across three handsets: the iPhone 5, the HTC One, and the BlackBerry Z10.

But as most of us know, the carrier's 4G LTE isn't actually live now in New York; it was turned on temporarily just for the press conference. Currently, if you want to experience T-Mobile's fledgling 4G LTE, you'll need to be in Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; or Washington, D.C.… Read more

Hack your old Mac's ADB keyboard to bring it up-to-date

If you are a longtime Mac user who simply could not bring yourself to throw away your old systems, then you may still have an old Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) keyboard such as the Apple Extended Keyboard II lying around. Despite being an older style, many of these keyboards were quite well-made and if only they had USB connectors instead of their ADB connections they could be put to good use on modern systems. It turns out, this is quite doable.

Recently tech hobbyist Scott Vanderlind found that by adding a small USB controller to the keyboard, he could tap … Read more

The untold story behind Apple's $13,000 operating system

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, Calif. -- In the common retelling of Apple's history, it was Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's second computer, the Apple II, that launched their fledgling company toward stratospheric growth and financial success. The machine's triumph as a single platform for business software, games, artistic tools -- and more -- set the stage for the later debut of the first Mac, and later OS X and iDevices.

What many forget -- or may not even know -- is that when the Apple II was introduced at the inaugural West Coast Computer Faire in April, 1977, it suffered from what, in retrospect, was a glaring shortcoming: It had no disk drive. … Read more

SEC probe on Facebook pre-IPO sales ends in financier's arrest

To many investors last year, it must have seemed like an amazing opportunity -- giving financier Craig Berkman thousands in cash in exchange for early dibs at Facebook's highly coveted pre-IPO shares.

Berkman, 71, seemed trustworthy. He was a former gubernatorial candidate for Oregon, the state's Republican chairman between 1989 and 1993, and an ex-investment banker.

Little did they know that Berkman was said to have pocketed that money -- totaling $8 million -- and then allegedly used it to pay off debts and fund personal expenses.

Berkman was arrested in Florida today for allegedly defrauding investors in … Read more

Salamander robot slithers between water and land

We first met Salamandra robotica back in 2007 when it was helping researchers study vertebrate locomotion. Like a real salamander, the manmade critter has evolved over time and we now have Salamandra robotica II, the next generation of the creepy-crawly-swimmy thing.

The original robot looked like a bunch of blocks stacked together. The new one looks like it could star in a sci-fi movie called "Robo-salamanders on a Spaceship." (Hey, isn't that already in production on the SyFy channel?) The robot didn't just get an upgrade in the looks department, it also can swim twice as fast, has foldable limbs, and sports more powerful micro-controllers that simulate muscles.… Read more