All politics is local, as the old saying goes. The modern corollary could be that all local politics is national politics, given the power and reach of social media. That’s part of our focus this week in our Citizen Now series: We’re looking at what’s happening close to home as school boards, teachers, parents and …

If you’ve got a smartwatch, chances are you’re using it to track some aspect of your health. During the pandemic, that might have included keeping tabs on your blood oxygen levels. Smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and Withings all offer that capability.  It’s a complicated matter, though, to assess what exactly those blood oxygen (aka SpO2) numbers mean at any …

This week brought us Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, when the maker of Macs and iPhones shares details of coming changes to the software that runs those and other devices. WWDC is on the geeky side, but it’s also pretty clear what’s in store for everyone who uses Apple products. We found out, for instance, about iOS 16, coming to …

We’ve all had it happen: a cracked or shattered phone screen. But how many of us have tried to fix that on our own? It might not have been an option. But now Apple, which had long resisted it, is giving iPhone owners a way to repair their phones on their own. CNET’s Chris Parker took them up on it. …

For many of us, our connection to the internet from our homes happens via cable. Even our phones often rely on that, as we connect to Wi-Fi to work, Wordle, shop or spin through TikTok. There are alternatives, though, and not just satellite service. Nowadays, there’s a 5G option for home internet, at least in some areas. CNET’s Eli Blumenthal …

The Met Gala they’re not, but tech events like Google I/O have an appeal to folks beyond the developers in the audience. They offer a peek at the tech that’ll soon be in our hands and our homes. This year’s Google I/O brought us more than software updates, like Android 13, tweaks to Google Maps and the shift to the …

VR brings a third dimension to computing. Strap on a headset, and you’re not just looking at something, you’re surrounded by it. There’s a real sense of depth and volume and immersion. You are as good as there. One outstanding example of that is a virtual reality installation called The Infinite, which puts you inside the International Space Station and …

The internet is pretty much the air we all breathe now. It’s where we communicate, shop, find entertainment and discover what’s happening. It’s also where businesses track so much of what we do. So it behooves us to know how all that works, for good and for ill, and to learn how we can take control of our online lives. …

In the new movie The Batman, the caped crusader has high-tech contact lenses embedded with computer circuitry. Easy enough for Hollywood to fake something like that. But it may not be as far-fetched as you think. A company called Mojo Vision is working on a prototype contact lens that’s flexing some pretty impressive powers. CNET’s Scott Stein got to try …

In a war zone, the highest priority for many people is finding safety and taking care of loved ones. For some, there’s also a need to communicate with the outside world. That’s been especially apparent in Ukraine since Russia invaded in late February. In Ukraine, smartphones and messaging apps have helped ordinary citizens share videos of their plight. Social media has …