This story is part of CNET at 25, celebrating a quarter century of industry tech and our role in telling you its story. Every time you use a smartphone, you’re enjoying something we thought might never exist: a device that does almost everything really well. But in the early years after CNET’s founding in 1995, …

5G is the biggest jump forward in wireless network technology — and also one of the most opaque. It’s about much more than just better “speed,” yet consumers are often unsure they need 5G’s manifold benefits like low latency, high density and new services placed closer to the edge of the network. We think 5G is compelling, but perhaps in …

If you’ve read that the rate of US cord cutting is about to speed up and also about to slow down, don’t feel confused; It’s all in the nuances of what is no longer a simple household decision to “stick it to the man.” Now playing: Watch this: We’re obsessed with broadband and streaming at home…. 15:57 Bruce Leichtman is principal …

We’re all on more web conferences and video meetings via Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and WebEx lately, so you may as well make a professional impression and get your point across memorably. Here are the six easiest ways to look (and sound) sharp when you meet online. Now playing: Watch this: You have to look good on a webcam today 7:47 Coronavirus …

5G is the next generation of wireless networks and it does a lot of things better than 4G. It will arrive in fits and spurts as the networks and devices debut and mature, but the recent pandemic and disruptions it has caused may stoke an appetite for the best connectivity everywhere, as our lives have moved more online.  A 5G connection …

Smart hearables are a lesser-known category of tech that goes beyond playing music, handling calls and damping external noise. Using custom ear tuning, selective noise cancellation and real-time language translation, smart hearables shape or augment the audible world around us. Unlike visual forms of AR that ask us to awkwardly utilize screens or glasses, hearables go where we’re already happy …

One of the key takeaways from the 9/11 Report was that emergency communications were a mess. You would think that was addressed long ago, but only now is a new mobile network called FirstNet arriving, along with a move toward using cellular networks as mission-critical infrastructure. Now playing: Watch this: With the black SIM, first responders’ calls go ahead… 7:18 …

5G-ready phones such as the Galaxy S10 5G, foldable Huawei Mate X and LG V50 are just some of the handsets that are waiting for carrier networks to come online. 5G promises to make phones anywhere from 10 to 100 times faster than your current device, connecting to the internet instantly. But some are arguing that phones such as the Galaxy S10 Plus …

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. After a two-year gestation period at CES, the Omron HeartGuide blood pressure watch is real. For $499 on preorder you get a watch that is a marvel of miniaturization: It contains tiny pumps and air bladders that conduct the same kind …

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are seem to have been on the cusp of mainstream success for years. But you can’t decide if they offer something for you until you understand what they offer at all.  Now playing: Watch this: What is AR and how does it differ from virtual reality? 3:17 Augmented reality AR is when you …