“The hypnosis session you’re about to experience has been designed to enable you to forget one of your favorite TV series, so you can experience it as if for the first time, even though you’ve already seen it.” That’s what you’ll hear when you visit Unspoil Me, a site Samsung set up to promote its …

After five days, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally responded to the Cambridge Analytica scandal that began to unfold late last Friday. Naturally, it was done via a Facebook post. Unfortunately for Zuckerberg, many netizens didn’t seem too impressed. “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you,” Zuckerberg said, reacting …

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus have scarcely been on sale for a week and already some Galaxy S9 owners are reporting dead zones.   Numerous complaints on the official Samsung forums and all over Reddit (here, here and here) describe how portions of the screen won’t respond to touch input. Samsung has said it’s responding to the issue. …

Sony fans holding out for a cheaper OLED TV, prepare for a bit of disappointment.  The new A8F series, first shown off at CES 2018 in January, will cost $2,800 at the 55-inch size and $3,800 at the 65-inch size. Those prices are $300 more than the cost of LG’s 2018 C8 series in the same sizes.  Meanwhile the Sony …

Great news, Australia: Internet shopping could soon be more expensive. The federal government is reportedly considering adding a levy on all packages arriving from overseas, tacking on a AU$2 to $7 charge to cover the cost of security screening at the border. According to the ABC, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs is considering the charge to help pay for the …

It was soft. It didn’t leave marks on my face. And the VR looked just fine. That’s my first-impression feel of Oculus Go, an upcoming bid by Facebook to get new people interested in VR for a sub-$200 price, no phone necessary. That $199 roughly converts to £150 or AU$255. The Oculus Go is a VR headset that’s self-contained. In …

On this podcast, we talk about: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg breaks his silence and apologizes over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Best Buy decides to stop ordering new Huawei phones. Etsy’s new CEO talks about his vision for the specialty e-retailer. Now playing: Watch this: Is Facebook’s apology over Cambridge Analytica enough?… 4:32 The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis …

How many clicks does it take to keep your Facebook data private? That was the question I set out to answer when I created a Facebook account on Wednesday. Specifically, I wanted to discover what it takes to stop my Facebook friends from sharing data from my account (created under the alias Lauren Mapala, because I’d make a terrible spy).  …

It’s going to get harder for Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to sell its smartphones in the US. Best Buy, the nation’s largest electronics retailer, has ceased ordering new smartphones from Huawei and will stop selling its products over the next few weeks, according to a person familiar with the situation. The retailer will also stop selling its laptops and smartwatches. …

Last year was brutal for Etsy. Looking to cut costs and quell investor complaints, the specialty online retailer known for handmade soaps and Audrey Hepburn-shaped pins brooches went through its first major round of layoffs in May and the board fired its popular chief executive of six years. The new CEO was Josh Silverman, an Etsy board member, who instituted …

Consumers can expect heftier bills for TV service if AT&T is allowed to buy Time Warner. That’s according to a lawyer for the US Justice Department, who delivered opening remarks in Washington on Thursday during the federal trial to stop the $85 billion merger. Long lines formed to get into the building where AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, Time Warner CEO …

Facebook’s threat to sue Guardian journalists to keep a privacy exposé about Cambridge Analytica buried was “not our wisest move,” the social network’s point person to the news industry says. “If it were me I would have probably not threatened to sue The Guardian,” Campbell Brown, head of news partnerships at Facebook, said Thursday at the FT Future of News conference. …

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter! Enlarge Image The DJI Spark, shown here in Meadow Green, is even better when flown with the remote …

The Federal Communications Commission is altering regulations so wireless carriers can deploy 5G faster. In a 3-2, party-line vote Thursday, agency commissioners passed a measure that exempts small cell radio deployments from federal environmental and historical preservation reviews originally meant for large cell phone towers. The vote didn’t affect reviews from towns and cities. The agency may consider exemptions for …

GoPro is going more professional. The iconic action cam company has entered a licensing partnership with Jabil, a manufacturing services company with expertise in electronics design.  “This collaborative approach with Jabil will enable innovative, GoPro enabled products and services from some of the most exciting hardware and software companies out there,” said Sandor Barna, GoPro’s chief technology officer in a …