CNet

What you need to do to make that old laptop last longer

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 14:32:04 -0500

It's the start of a new year, which means it's time to kick-start those resolutions, whether that be to exercise more or get organized. You may want to add taking better care of that old laptop to your list of 2022 goals, too. Unless you're planning on splurging for a shiny, new laptop some time soon, it's likely...

5G decoded: Here's how to tell real 5G from the marketing fluff

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 02:00:00 -0500

It may have taken some time, but a nationwide 5G network is coming. On Dec. 6, T-Mobile will turn on its wider-coverage 5G service and says it will reach 200 million people with the new, faster wireless network. T-Mobile isn't just the latest to expand its 5G footprint, but...

Google quantum computer leaves old-school supercomputers in the dust

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0400

A Google quantum computer has far outpaced ordinary computing technology, an achievement called quantum supremacy that's an important milestone for a revolutionary way of processing data. Google disclosed the results in the journal Nature on Wednesday. The achievement came after...

Apple warns iPhone 11, 11 Pro owners about unofficial display repairs

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Apple's newly released iOS 13.1 will start warning iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max owners who replace their screens with a third-party display with an "Important Display Message."

"Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display," it reads.

The warning echoes...

iPhone 11, Pro and Max hands-on: Apple bets big on the camera for new phones

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 03:00:00 -0400

Apple refreshed its line of iPhones for 2019 at an event on Tuesday, announcing the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The phones start at...

You can now find out if Amazon's Ring has partnered with your local police

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Ring has released an official map detailing every police department that's partnered with it, showing how widely and rapidly it's been cozying up to law enforcement. The map lets you see...

Bedbugs are giving Airbnb users headaches… and itchy bites

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Terri was fast asleep when her phone rang. It was midnight on a Tuesday in early May. Despite the hour, she answered the call because it was from a guest at her Airbnb rental. The news she got was alarming...

iPhone 11, 11R and 11 Max: The specs, features and prices we expect from Apple in September

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 02:00:00 -0400

We're quite likely to see Apple's CEO Tim Cook unveil a brand new iPhone about six weeks from now. And yet, oddly, many of the rumors -- and nearly all of the most exciting rumors -- about forthcoming Apple phones do not concern the model expected to be called the iPhone 11. Rather...

Inside NASA's attempt to take humanity back to the moon

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 03:00:00 -0400

On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission to the moon launched atop a Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

That was 50 years ago.

It was a launch that represented...

5G phones and your health: What you need to know

maggie.reardon@cnet.com — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0400

5G promises lightning-fast speeds and the ability to power new technologies like self-driving cars and advanced augmented and virtual reality experiences. But an undercurrent to all of the things we can do with 5G is concern about what 5G can do to us...

Inside Apple's WWDC, from Mac Pro shock to Wi-Fi meltdown

connie.guglielmo@cnet.com — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Apple is known for slickly produced product launches and, in Steve Jobs' time, a singular masterful showman unveiling groundbreaking products including the iPhone and the MacBook Air. But...

Jeff Bezos' space colony plans are straight out of 1970s science fiction

Fri, 24 May 2019 03:00:00 -0400

The planet is getting hotter, the world population is growing and we're on a fast track to sending 1 million species into extinction. So how will the human species endure and grow when our home planet struggles to put up with us any longer...

iPhone XR and XS review: Seven months in, what's good and what's bad

Fri, 10 May 2019 01:00:00 -0400

Since the launch of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR last year, the phone landscape has changed a bit. It's recently been crowded with much sexier stories: 5G is beginning to rear its head, wild new...

How to boost your phone's bad signal strength or poor data connection

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 03:00:00 -0400

There's nothing more frustrating than trying to use a phone in an area you know has cellular signal or data connection only for it not to work. There's a lot that goes into providing your phone with consistent voice and network connections, and there are bound to be hiccups during that process.

Thankfully...

USB 4 will resurrect those ever-so-useful USB hubs

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 02:00:00 -0400

The upcoming USB 4 will restore a useful feature we lost with the technology's modernization: USB hubs that let you multiply the utility of a single port on your PC.

USB, short for Universal Serial Bus, is a remarkably successful standard more than two decades old now. It's spread far and wide, but...

All about Boeing's 737 Max, the flight ban and investigations

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Following two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, Boeing is confronting momentous problems with one of its newest and most critical aircraft models, the 737 Max 8.

Now...

If your flight's on time, thank your ground crew

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0500

I'm waiting on the ramp at San Francisco International Airport for a flight to arrive from Houston. It's a typical late September morning for the Bay Area: bright with a clear azure sky and just a whisper of fog lingering over the coastal mountains. It's beautiful weather for flying, but...

iPhone XR vs. Pixel 3: Which is the best phone to buy?

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 03:00:00 -0500

When you're choosing a phone, one of the biggest decisions you'll make is whether you're going to go with iOS or Android. To help you out, we compared two of the most affordable options from top phone-makers: the Apple iPhone XR and the Google Pixel 3. Both...

Why Amazon's dream of a New York City headquarters imploded

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 03:00:00 -0500

Not long ago -- three months to be exact -- Amazon's giant HQ2 project was considered a national prize.

The largest e-commerce company in the world had planned to create a second major campus outside its Seattle mothership as it worked toward even more expansion. City leaders across the country clamored for the attention of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in their quest to land the $5 billion development and its promise of 50,000 high-paying jobs.

Then...

Musk-backed AI group: Our text generator is so good it's scary

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 02:00:00 -0500

You can teach an AI program to write stories like a human, but you might not be prepared for the plot twists.

OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence research group backed by Elon Musk, on Thursday offered...

Sprint sues AT&T over 'deceptive' 5G E branding

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Sprint sued AT&T on Thursday over its use of 5G E branding on phones that are only tapping into advanced 4G LTE.

AT&T started using the 5G Evolution marketing last year, reasoning that it serves as a foundation for true 5G next-generation cellular technology. However...

Facebook earnings, user base jump even as scandals grow

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Facebook's spat with Apple on Wednesday shows it can't stay out of trouble. But the social network seems immune to scandals as well.

Monthly active users -- the number of people who log on to Facebook every month -- rose 9 percent year over year to 2.32 billion in the fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31. User growth is crucial for Facebook, which makes its money by selling advertising targeted to user interests.

What Amazon's Alexa will tell us in 2019

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0500

A motorcycle helmet? Yep, that works with Alexa. The Rachio 3 sprinkler controller? That, too. How about that guy over there playing a Roland keyboard? OK, we'll be here all day if we keep this up.

Best [Tech] Black Friday deals 2018

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Black Friday is Nov. 23 this year, but major retailers have revealed their big Thanksgiving holiday sales earlier than ever. From "leaked" newspaper circulars to splashy web reveals, we've already started to see some of the biggest stores' Black Friday sale prices hit the internet. As usual...

It Took Us Four Drops To Break The iPhone XR Camera

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:00:00 -0400

The iPhone XS proved it can take a beating in our drop test, but is the cheaper iPhone XR just as strong? At first glance, the iPhone XR shares many of the features of its higher-end sibling: edge-to-edge display, glass on either side and a metal bumper. But it is built slightly differently. For starters...

6 Ways To Delete Yourself From The Internet

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 06:11:00 -0500

If you're reading this, it's highly likely your personal information is available to the public. And by "public" I mean everyone everywhere. So, how can deleting yourself from the internet prevent companies from acquiring your info? Short answer...