Ever since Google launched Chrome in 2008, Web browsers embraced spartan interfaces that stripped out toolbars, menus and anything else that got in the way of viewing a website. Simplicity is swell. But Tuesday night, a new browser arrived from Oslo, Norway, that caters to power users who don’t want to see everything pared away. …

At its Build conference on Wednesday, Microsoft did something that made my jaw drop. It wasn’t the HoloLens augmented reality demonstration. Or the Cortana digital assistant. Or the push to build other bots. It was the announcement that Microsoft is bringing to Windows a developer-oriented tool that’s central to two rival operating systems, Linux and Apple’s OS X. You needn’t …

Part of the appeal of Minecraft, Microsoft’s immensely popular video game, is that its remarkably adaptable. Fans can rewrite the rules to make Minecraft’s blocky virtual world behave any way they want. Well, some fans can. People who play Minecraft on PCs get lots of flexibility compared with those who use Minecraft Pocket Edition, the $7 version for phones and …

Facebook activated its tool to help people stay in touch after fatal terrorist bombings struck the airport and subway in Brussels on Tuesday. The social network tool, also used after November terrorist attacks in Paris, lets people tells their contacts that they’re safe. It’s one of the many ways the Internet has become an essential tool in responding to crises. …

Think phones are a big part of your digital life? Virtual reality and augmented reality will be even bigger, a key player in the tech industry predicts. “It’s going to be huge… It has the opportunity to eclipse the smartphone market,” said Clive Downie, chief marketing officer of Unity Technologies, whose software is used to build thousands of games on …

The Photoshop name is so well established you probably consider it a generic verb for manipulating photos. But when it comes to tweaking the look of the photos on your phone, you’re more likely to use Instagram to apply a quick filter. A new survey from CNET and RBC Capital Markets of people using Adobe Systems’ software shows lukewarm adoption …

Next-generation wireless networks could well make your phone dramatically more powerful and transform everything from driving to entertainment. But to hear the industry players right now, you’d think the 5G revolution is just around the corner. It’s not. Today’s technology industry has a remarkable success rate developing new products and services that profoundly transform our lives. You’d be well advised …

Opera Software, a perennial underdog, has launched a new browser project to help get it out of the doghouse. The project is designed to revamp the basics of how you use a browser, Chief Executive Lars Boilesen said in an interview at the Mobile World Congress show here in Barcelona, Spain. “I want to add more smart features,” with a …

Despite troubles convincing Google that its app is legit, Brave Software’s browser is now available to anyone who is sick of annoying mobile ads. Apple added Brave for iPhones and iPads to its app store on Friday, but Google rejected the app twice before publishing Brave for Android devices in the Google Play app store Tuesday night. Google’s opposition, which …

OK, enough with the Internet-connected refrigerator already. That appliance is becoming a reality, what with Samsung and its smart fridge. But it also leaves a lot to be desired as an example of the Internet of Things, the idea that network connections will spread to anything with a power cord and even to a lot of things without one. The …