In this spherical video, viewers can look in any direction by clicking arrows in the corner of the screen. Soon enough, all you’ll need to do is look around while wearing a virtual reality headset. Screenshot by Nick Statt/CNET GoPro is adding new ways to make extreme video even more out there — with virtual …
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Microsoft’s 2015 Build developer confab: Join us Wednesday (live blog)
Beyond a more classic look and feel that did away with the missteps of its predecessor, Windows 10 is designed to run on devices of all shapes and sizes. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET It’s time for Microsoft Build, the software maker’s annual developer conference where it serves up a glimpse of the future along with guidelines for building products and …
Read More »Microsoft’s top task for Windows 10: Proving it’s worth starting up
Windows 10, to take center stage at Microsoft’s Build conference this week, can’t succeed if it runs on phones almost no one buys, powers tablets only some people use and is only installed on newer PCs, say analysts. Nick Statt/CNET Has the technology industry passed Microsoft by? That’s the question the world’s largest software maker, its customers, its developers and …
Read More »Oyster, the Netflix of e
Moving beyond e-book subscriptions, startup Oyster will now sell digital titles outright in a bid to rival Amazon. Oyster Oyster, a subscription service for e-books that launched a year and a half ago, is expanding into online retail with an e-book store set to spar with Amazon’s. Until Wednesday, Oyster only sold consumers a subscription book service for $9.95 a …
Read More »Microsoft’s Surface 3: Stuck in the middle between work and play?
Microsoft’s Surface 3 may be too pricey for binging on Netflix and not quite powerful enough to replace your laptop. Sarah Tew/CNET Microsoft has yet to find the one true purpose for its Surface tablets. Are they Apple iPad killers, laptop replacements or hybrid two-in-one computers? That question still applies to the Surface 3, Microsoft’s new $499, 10.8-inch tablet announced …
Read More »Facebook to support ‘spherical’ videos in News Feed, Oculus Rift headset
The Oculus Rift, still only sold to developers as a work-in-progress, will be home to Facebook’s new interactive 360-degree videos. Nick Statt/CNET When Facebook accidentally dumped details of its F8 developer’s conference through a mobile notification yesterday, it cryptically mentioned its new so-called “teleportation station.” Now, we know what the social-networking company was talking about: spherical videos. These interactive short …
Read More »Microsoft to preinstall more apps on Android with Dell partnership
Office apps like Microsoft Word will come already downloaded on some Android tablets from Dell, Samsung and other device makers. James Martin/CNET Microsoft just sharpened its software sword against Google on the search giant’s own platform. Windows productivity and collaboration apps, like its Skype messaging service, will now be found on the home screen when people buy some Dell devices …
Read More »With one OS to run them all, Microsoft is shrinking Windows 10
Microsoft says Windows 10 will run on screens of all sizes. CNET Microsoft has promised its next operating system, Windows 10, will run across every device, from desktops with large hard drives all the way down to low-cost smartphones with barely a gigabyte to spare. It’s a lofty goal, but one fraught with the challenges of rolling out one piece …
Read More »Square to shutter Order app later this month
Square Square’s latest mobile experiment is slated to shut down after a quiet year on the market. On March 20, the company will phase out Order, an app designed to help consumers beat long lines by placing orders ahead from their smartphones, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Order never expanded beyond New York City and San Francisco. Since its …
Read More »This Apple Watch ‘ad’ may make you profoundly uncomfortable
James Martin/CNET It’s unclear when Jony Ive-inspired Apple product language started to resemble quasi-erotic offerings at the altar of technology. But we can be sure where it’s ended up — with these Apple Watch band animations, found on Apple’s online store. Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design, is known both for his conscious shaping of the look …
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