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Lenovo in talks with smartphone party for joint venture

Lenovo told its shareholders in a statement Tuesday that it's in talks with a smartphone maker to engage in a possible joint venture.

"The Board would like to inform the shareholders of the Company and potential investors that the Company is in preliminary negotiations with a party in connection with a potential joint venture transaction," Lenovo wrote (PDF). "As at the date of this announcement, no material terms concerning the Potential Transaction have been agreed and the Company has not entered into any definitive agreement in relation to the Potential Transaction."

The business-speak aside, Lenovo … Read more

Apple to charge $149 for in-store iPhone 5 glass repair -- report

Getting that cracked iPhone 5 display fixed might be a tad bit easier than it previously was.

Apple has decided to start repairing iPhone 5 displays in-store for those who have signed up for its $99 AppleCare+ package, Macrumors reported Monday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. The site also pointed to a forum in which one member says he has a friend who works at the Apple store and who said the company is now charging $149 to fix cracked iPhone 5 screens.

Another poster said the replacement takes only about 10 minutes.

Although Apple'… Read more

HTC bleeding continues: Operations chief reportedly steps down

The HTC exodus continues, with Chief Operating Officer Matthew Costello the latest key executive to step down, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Costello leaves office after less than three years at the smartphone manufacturer, according to the report. Fred Liu, president of engineering and operations, is taking on Costello's duties, while Costello stays on as an executive adviser after moving to Europe.

HTC confirmed Costello's departure and Liu's new role and issued a statement to CNET.

To achieve success, we've had to change when it was right for the business. Recently was one of those times. We … Read more

Foxconn taking Firefox OS to tablets, not just phones

Foxconn and Mozilla announced a partnership Monday under which the Chinese electronics manufacturer will build not just Firefox phones, as others have announced, but tablets, too.

The rumored partnership was confirmed as Mozilla and Foxconn announced their tie-up at the Computex show in Taiwan. By including software in its devices, Foxconn gets to sell a more complete and therefore potentially valuable product to those companies that actually will attach their brands to the hardware.

"We believe that the integration of software and hardware development will offer greater benefits to our customers and consumers," said Young Liu, the general … Read more

Android invasion on the PC

CNET Update has a split-personality PC:

In this episode of Update:

- Prepare to find Android on more computers. The Asus Transformer Book Trio runs both Windows 8 and Android, and Acer's new all-in-one desktop comes loaded only with Android.

- Play rough with the scratch-resistant Asus Zenbook Infinity with Gorilla Glass 3.

- Pick your size for the new Galaxy Tab 3. The new Samsung tablets will come with screen sizes of 7, 8, or 10.1 inches.

- Crank up the iRadio rumors before WWDC, as Apple reaches a deal with Warner Music.

- Watch the Vine … Read more

Mobile carriers snap back at European roaming reform

A consortium representing mobile network operators didn't like what it heard last week when a top European Commission official called for an end to the roaming fees consumers must pay to use their mobile phones outside their home countries.

Neelie Kroes, the vice president of the EC leading the digital agenda, said she wanted an end to roaming fees by Easter 2014. "I want you to be able to go back to your constituents and say that you were able to end mobile roaming costs," Kroes told members of a European Parliament committee in a speech on … Read more

Broadcom brings Gigabit and Wi-Fi to power line networking

Power line networking -- the technology that enables electrical wiring to transfer data -- is about to get a lot faster.

Broadcom announced on Monday what it claims to be the industry's first HomePlug AV2 power line system-on-a-chips (SoCs) that deliver up to 1.5Gbps data speed. That's about three times the speed of the top existing power line devices.

HomePlug AV2 is the next-generation power line standard that uses an extended frequency band of up to 86MHz, while HomePlug AV was limited to 30MHz. In addition, HomePlug AV2 supports Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) -- a technology … Read more

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: Priciest car we've ever driven (CNET On Cars, Episode 19)

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Well, I don't know what to say about the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse that hasn't already been said. Add to that the fact that we only had access to it on public streets with moderate speed limits and you can see I was in a pickle. So I chose to seek out the essence of the car and tell some of its less-told stories. I hope you find it at least something of a departure from the usual … Read more

Fan TV could be the ultimate set-top box

CNET Update is a fan:

In this episode of Update:

- See how Fan TV wants to fix the television experience as an all-in-one streaming and cable device.

- Go list crazy on Twitter with the ability to make up to 1,000 lists.

- Decipher Motorola's clues about the mysterious Moto X smartphone, arriving this year.

- Lose all Sense and go pure Android with Google's version of the HTC One.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, … Read more

T-Mobile to offer white Nexus 4 for limited time from May 31

Well, that was quick.

Days after LG confirmed that it will release a white version of its <"http://reviews.cnet.com/lg-nexus-4/">Nexus 4 in the U.S. and U.K. after an initial launch in Hong Kong, T-Mobile reported that it will sell the model starting today online for a limited time only.

The black model will still be available in retail stores.

The new coat of paint is only applied on the battery door, while the phone's bezel remains the same stark black.

Other than that, the handset will not change. It will … Read more