This is Henry. He’s a miniature pinscher who loves walking diagonally across crosswalks and treats lapsitting like an extreme sport. For the past couple of months, Henry has also had a very important job — keeping secrets for Essential, a new smartphone company from the father of the Android operating system. Henry is one of …

“We don’t just hit a button, 400 million machines update and we break the internet,” says Microsoft spokesman David Dennis. No, the Windows 10 Creators Update won’t be nearly that fast. Microsoft heard you loud and clear when you said you didn’t want updates shoved down your throat — so even as the company promises a long list of improvements …

Today, you can preorder the gorgeous new Samsung Galaxy S8. Or you could wait until May 9, when Best Buy will begin offering unlocked versions of Samsung’s new Galaxy phones you can use with any major US carrier. It’s funny. My colleague Dan Graziano and I are basically trading phones this year — he’s angrily ditching his Google Nexus 6P …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S8’s major makeover 2:14 No, hell hasn’t frozen over. But yes, Microsoft will sell you an Android phone on April 21. Microsoft informs us that, starting today, you’ll be able to pre-order a “Microsoft Edition” of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, from the company’s US-based brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores. What makes them …

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey almost single-handedly rekindled the world’s interest in virtual reality, starting with a humble Kickstarter campaign. Now, he’s about to leave the brand he helped create. His last day is Friday, a Facebook representative confirmed to CNET. In March 2014, Facebook announced it would buy Oculus VR for nearly $2 billion, a move that spurred interest and …

Want a second phone number, perhaps while traveling abroad? Buried in the spec sheet for Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones is this exciting tidbit: They may take two SIM cards at once. It’s thanks to a feature called Hybrid Sim, which will make more sense when you see the picture below. Depending on which direction you …

Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S8’s major makeover 2:14 A gorgeous curved display. A new smart assistant. Facial recognition. What do those things do to the just-announced Samsung Galaxy S8‘s battery life? On stage, in front of the world, Samsung didn’t say. But based on the company’s official spec sheets — where companies typically trot out their most optimistic …

On March 29, Samsung will announce its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. I won’t buy one. But not for the reasons you’d think. It’s not because I’m scared it’ll catch fire. It’s not because I’m disappointed by all the photos and specs that have leaked. (They look pretty great.) It’s not because I generally prefer a different brand like …

You’ve put hundreds, maybe thousands of hours into your favorite PC games. What if a company offered free goodies if you simply do more of the same? The company is Razer, game hardware maker extraordinaire; the program is called zVault, and the rewards are reasonably generous: high-end wireless mice, keyboards and headsets are among the items you can claim. And …

Weeping Angel (noun): 1. A terrifying monster from the popular UK sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” which resembles a harmless winged statue — until you blink or look away. 2. An alleged spying tool, co-developed by the CIA and the UK’s MI5 security agency, which lets a Samsung Smart TV (specifically, the F8000 Smart TV) pretend to turn itself off — …