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Samsung has found yet another way to compete with Apple.

The Galaxy S smartphone maker is officially kicking off its new iTunes rival Music Hub service starting today. Available as an app with the new Galaxy S III phone launching in 28 different countries, Music Hub borrows more than a page or two from iTunes but also adds a paid subscription model.

The service will offer Samsung phone and tablet owners access to 19 million songs, with prices comparable to those found on iTunes, according to Reuters. Users can stream music and download it from the Hub to play it … Read more

Though iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches are becoming less and less dependent on being connected to a computer, one important part of owning an iOS device still requires a Mac or PC -- backup.

The piece of mind that comes along with having an accessible backup for all your contacts, calendar events, texts, apps, and photos goes a long way. For users who experience a malfunction of their device that requires it to be replaced, they must have a current backup of their information or be subject to losing it when Apple replaces their unit.

The wireless sync hubs that … Read more

If you want to watch a DVD movie on your smartphone, you generally need to encode the DVD's content to a video file, which is not exactly a quick and easy task. But what if you didn't have to do that?… Read more

Forget the flowers this Valentine's Day. Go for a lightsaber-lit dinner, the open-source iNecklace, and the flirtatious Fingle app. Bridget Carey shows off tech to woo the nerd of your dreams.… Read more

For many, the ballyhooed smart home of connected devices will start with the lowly thermostat.

Startup EnergyHub today is releasing data from a study of customers who bought a Wi-Fi enabled thermostats tied to EnergyHub's Web service. It found that letting consumers operate the thermostat from a familiar PC or smartphone application, rather than on the thermostat itself, makes a dramatic difference in how often the programmable features are used.

An Internet-connected thermostat also allows people to remotely control home heating and cooling. Being able to adjust home temperature from the office or commute, for example, appears to be … Read more

LAS VEGAS--If you have a Thunderbolt-enabled computer but just can't afford Thunderbolt storage, LaCie has something that will ease the pain.

The company showed off at the start of CES the first Thunderbolt hub that also supports an eSATA connection, called the eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series.

This is a device about the size of a portable external drive that comes with two Thunderbolt ports and two eSATA ports. Users can connect up to two eSATA drives to the hub and it will instantly make them work with a host computer via one Thunderbolt port. With the other port, you … Read more

Owners of the WD TV Live Hub and WD TV Live Streaming box just got an early Christmas present from Western Digital.

Editors' note: This post was updated at 3 p.m. December 22, 2011, to add information that the Android version of the WD Remote app is also available.

The company released the latest firmware for the two players that adds a slew of improvements and support for a number of other streaming services, including Vudu, SnagFilms, and Flixster.

However, the biggest addition is the fact that, together with the new firmware, WD also released the much-anticipated WD TV remote app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices. This app allows you to control the WD TV Live Hub or the WD TV Live Streaming via Wi-Fi signal on the same network they are connected to. … Read more

Home energy management systems may finally be hitting the mainstream, thanks to lower-cost technology (think smartphones) and increased investment to develop the smart grid.

One such home energy system, from Energy Hub, was actually inspired by the Toyota Prius, according to CEO Seth Frader-Thompson. In this SmartPlanet video, Frader-Thompson explains the inspiration and offers a look at the Energy Hub device.

This video first appeared at SmartPlanet under the headline "Saving energy with a press of a button."

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET News for Thursday, August 25.

• You've probably heard by now that Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple. This leaves us with many questions. What will Jobs do as chairman? What will Apple look like three years from now? Now for some answers. Apple's new CEO, Tim Cook, e-mailed employees this morning to say that "Apple is not going to change."

• You might be swiping your mobile phone to pay for things. In May, Google and Visa … Read more