I’m going to let you in on a little secret: A lot of the web is built on a lie. That lie is a little bit of text called the User-Agent string that a browser uses to identify itself to websites. User-Agent strings are problematic — and to get around one of those problems, browser …

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon. Get ready to say bye to buttons. Next year, some phones will replace the physical buttons for power and volume with ultrasonic sensors that power virtual buttons. The benefits include better waterproofing and durability, at least in the eyes of startup …

Google on Tuesday released a fix for Chrome and the related WebView software that had wiped out access to data stored by some Android apps. Google, which had stopped releasing the update after the data-loss problem emerged, apologized for the problem in a statement Tuesday. Chrome 79 and the related version of WebView, which lets developers use web programming techniques …

Google is scrambling to fix a data-storage problem that crippled some Android apps that use the company’s Chrome browser technology. It halted distribution of the latest version of its Chrome technology to Android and began testing a fix this weekend. The fix itself isn’t perfect, though. Google faced a choice between restoring access to older data or keeping any new …

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday endorsed new networking technology called C-V2X, which links cars to each other and to traffic signals. In a unanimous decision, the commission voted on a proposal that would carve off some radio airwaves in the 5.9GHz frequency range for use by C-V2X . The FCC’s proposal also would free up some spectrum for unlicensed …

Quantum computers are getting a lot more real. No, you won’t be playing Call of Duty on one anytime soon. But Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Rigetti Computing and IBM all made important advances in 2019 that could help bring computers governed by the weird laws of atomic-scale physics into your life in other ways. Google’s declaration of quantum supremacy was the most …

Twitter has raised its limit on photo quality, now preserving fine details it had previously scrubbed out in an effort to cut down on file sizes and make the service faster to use. The change lets you zoom into photos better if your own screen is big enough to take advantage of the new detail that’s possible. Twitter programmer Nolan …

Lightroom for iPad can now directly import photos from a memory card with an update Adobe released Tuesday to its image-editing and cataloging software. The move brings the tablet version of Lightroom closer to the version for PCs running Windows and MacOS — and improves tablets, too. For years, Lightroom users have wanted direct import abilities for iPads, something that’s …

A human defeated a computer-piloted drone in the Drone Racing League’s first man-vs.-machine competition. But the programmers behind the AI-powered drone, Team MAVLab from the Netherlands, can take consolation in a $1 million prize for creating the fastest self-piloting aircraft this season. The Drone Racing League mostly involves human pilots, but this year it began its first computer-piloted drone competition, …

Sorry if I’m not getting excited about Google pushing RCS messaging, its Android answer to Apple iMessage technology. I welcome the features now arriving in the company’s Messages app, but I have much deeper problems after being stuck for years in a Google messaging mud bog. Along with that, RCS (Rich Communication Services) comes through a new Messages app that’s a …