Don’t want your 6-year-old braving the wilds of the app store? Wish there was a trusted place to find free, worthwhile games for kids, without having to comb through reams of reviews or worry about in-app purchases? Well, lucky you. Launching today is a new free app from PBS Kids that collects many of its …

Now playing: Watch this: Facebook reveals government requests to access users… 1:31 The government wants to get more and more information out of Facebook, but they don’t want you to know about it. The social network’s latest “Global Government Requests Report,” released Thursday, documented a 13 percent rise in government requests for Facebook user data in the second half of …

Everyone’s favourite 140-character micro-blogging platform is quietly setting off on a new course on the vast oceans of the Internet, changing classification in the app store from “Social Networking” to “News.” Rather than going up against the likes of Facebook, Skype and Facebook’s spin-off app Messenger, the move sees Twitter playing in the big leagues with The New York Times, …

A whole generation of British kids was emotionally scarred by the 1978 animated film “Watership Down”, and now the BBC and Netflix is planning a new version that hooks in young viewers with Star Wars star John Boyega. In their biggest collaboration to date, the UK broadcaster and globally available streaming service will produce a big-budget four-part computer-animated series based …

Ask anyone who owns the 12.9-inch iPad Pro how long it takes to fully charge and they’ll likely tell you it takes far too long. In fact, during my testing with the standard 12W power adapter included with the iPad Pro, it took exactly 5 hours to go from a completely depleted battery to 100 percent with zero usage while …

The UK government has spent £70,000 (about $100,000 or AU$134,000) on Snapchat filters. The filter — which puts prison-style bars over a user’s picture — wasn’t wasted in sending funny messages between civil servants, however. Images with the filter were used as part of the government’s THINK! public health campaign against driving while under the influence of drugs. The numbers …

Amazon, a company known for spending like a drunken sailor, appears to have sobered up. At least for now. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos at the Fire phone launch in Seattle on June 18, 2014 James Martin/CNET The world’s largest online retailer on Thursday reported unexpectedly strong sales and earnings in the first quarter, blowing out analysts’ projections and driving shares up …

The New York Times and Google are teaming up once again to provide select subscribers with Google Cardboard headsets. The newspaper said Thursday it will provide 300,000 of the VR headsets to its “most loyal” digital-only subscribers, which the company determined based on the duration of their subscriptions. This isn’t the first time the Times has teamed up with Google. …

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. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page. Now we’re getting somewhere. Paying $250 or more for a watch, even one that’s smart — it’s just hard to swallow. That’s why …

Hoverbikes are complex machines that require a great deal of engineering knowledge and concern for comfort and safety. However, that didn’t stop YouTube’s most insane inventor, Colin Furze, from building one in his work shed. Furze unveiled a working prototype for his homemade hoverbike in a video on his YouTube channel on Thursday. Related links This trash bin can drive …

You may soon have two minutes to jump into your waiting Uber instead of a more leisurely five, as the ride-hailing company experiments with a shorter waiting window. Currently, an Uber driver will wait for you for five minutes with no fee. Under the new policy, being tried out in the US in Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey and New York, …

You might say I’m spoiler-averse. QUICK-CUT FLASHBACK: INT. DARK MOVIE THEATER The trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” plays on the screen. BROIDA, man, is seated, fingers crammed into his ears. BROIDA La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! BACK TO PRESENT. Yeah, I’m that guy. Because trailers ruin movies. Social media: ruins movies. Friends: same. (The previous flashback? Truth. I’ve performed that very ritual …

Ever wanted to hack an Xbox? Or perhaps you have a desire to learn how to generate your own electricity? Does creating your own surveillance system from scratch seem like a great way to spend a weekend? The latest Humble Book Bundle offers books on hacking, security, online privacy and more by No Starch Press. Humble Bundle, a digital storefront, …

For most people, the barely discernible disparity in quality of photos between smartphone and point-and-shoot has removed the need for a dedicated camera. But for professional photographers or those who need that extra bit of quality, be it depth of field or low-light photography, a dedicated shooter is the way to go. When using a dedicated camera, however, you run …

Carl Icahn has hung up on the maker of the iPhone. The billionaire investor said he had sold his stake in Apple, citing concerns over China. The Chinese government could “come in and make it very difficult for Apple to sell there,” he said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. Icahn, an activist investor who has publicly brawled with …