Apple vs Samsung

Both the iPhone 5 (left) and the Galaxy S3 were accused of violating patents. Sarah Tew/CNET

After nearly a month of testimony, rebuttals, and cross-examinations, a verdict has been reached in the latest patent dispute between tech giants Apple and Samsung. Delivering its findings in a San Jose, Calif., courtroom late this afternoon, the jury said that both companies will have to pay damages for patent violations, with Samsung owing nearly $120 million to Apple, and Apple owing $158,400 to Samsung.

How you can help improve water quality

Global water justice is at the top of the international agenda, but taking steps toward a solution can seem overwhelming — especially if you're removed from where water inequality is felt most.

Even though it’s easy to feel like you can’t have control over something as elusive as the global water supply, meaningfully supporting communities who need water-based relief is something you can do, no matter your global location.

iPhone SE specs review

After seemingly converting to big screen diagonals forever and ever, Apple made a calculated step back in time by introducing a brand new 4-inch iPhone. Technically, the smartphone is 90% identical to the iPhone 5s in terms of design, but the things that make it tick have been reimagined from the inside-out. While its size brings it closer to two to three years ago, the hardware inside the recycled bead-blasted aluminum shell screams late 2015. Indeed, the iPhone SE is very much an iPhone 6s on the inside, hence it deserves the prestigious title of the world's most powerful 4-inch smartphone.

Let's dig into the spec sheet of this little monstrosity and see if it can bite with the rest of the big boys!

iphone SE a bigger deal than many people thought it would be

We knew practically everything there was to know heading into Monday’s big Appleevent, but there were still a couple of surprises — and one of them was pretty huge. In 2015, Apple sold 30 million new iPhones that had 4-inch screens. 30 million! There are some smartphone vendors that don’t even ship 30 million total units in a year, and yet Apple’s old 4-inch iPhone models are still selling like hotcakes in many regions.

That stat alone makes the iPhone SE a bigger deal than many people thought it would be, but the phone’s appeal extends well beyond that. In fact, the new iPhone SE is a shockingly good phone, and we’ll run down the five best (and two worst) things about it right now.

Windows 8.2 release date, news and rumors

Update: It looks like Windows 8.2 may not even happen, with the company potentially jumping straight to Windows 9, as far as title updates are concerned. See the details below!

With Windows 8.1, Microsoft addressed some of the problems that scuffed the original Windows 8 release, smoothing the cracks between desktop and touch UIs, improving snapped apps, and allowing users to boot direct to the desktop, among other tweaks and fixes.

For many, this is the software that Microsoft should have launched in 2012.

For others, Windows 8.1 simply makes Windows 8 slightly less terrible. The truth is that, while Windows 8.1 improves Windows 8, the consensus is that it doesn’t do enough.

Before an all-new, rewritten-from-the-ground-up, cloud-embracing Windows 9 appears, we will probably have Windows 8.2 as a stop-gap in late 2014, although Windows 8.1 Update 1 is already available for download. Windows 9 could then appear in 2015.