Now playing: Watch this: 3 ways to wrangle your VR headset’s cord 1:12 VR headsets are a mind-blowing way to escape into a new world. But the cord that connects the headset to your computer and keeps you tethered is gentle reminder you’ve never really left. At best, it’s annoying when it gets in your …
Read More »How much bass is too much for your headphones and speakers?
I’ve seen it happen many times. A big speaker puts out a lot of bass and overloads the room. The room is too small for the speaker, and the sound turns thick and boomy as a result. It happened to me years ago when I moved from one apartment with a large living room and a suspended, creaky wooden floor …
Read More »Freebie Wednesday: A migration utility, a password manager and a Windows book
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. Put your wallets away, cheeps! I come to you today with three great deals that won’t cost you a dime. Nor a nickel. …
Read More »Amazon Prime’s free same
Amazon’s free same-day delivery service for its Prime membership customers just expanded to 11 more metro areas, the company said Wednesday, with the service now in 27 total metro areas in the US. The new cities are Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton and Tucson. The online retailer also said it’s added more locations in the …
Read More »Chinese agency bans online mention of Panama Papers
China is flexing its censorship muscles yet again, banning any online mention of the widely publicized Panama Papers. A government agency sent an order to media groups to “find and delete reprinted reports of the Panama Papers. Do not follow up on related content, no exceptions,” according to the China Digital Times. “If material from foreign media attacking China is …
Read More »Facebook live
Facebook Live is about to get livelier. The social network on Wednesday introduced new features for its live-streaming service, which lets people broadcast live video feeds over the Internet using a phone’s camera. The video streams can be watched by other people on Facebook. Among the new features: Viewers can click on Facebook’s gamut of new “reactions” — emojis for …
Read More »Facebook’s live video service gets more emotional (The 3:59, Ep. 23)
Facebook wants to get us to start oversharing on video, too. The social-network’s Live video feature, which lets folks broadcast live from their smartphones, got a handful of new tools, including more “reaction” buttons, such as Love and Wow, as well as filters like sepia tone. Facebook needs to keep building more features onto Live to keep up the competition …
Read More »Android Marshmallow uptake doubles since last month
Android 6.0 Marshmallow has bitten off its biggest piece of the market so far. After showing little growth since its release in November, the latest edition of Google’s mobile software doubled its adoption rate from a month ago, according to Tuesday’s update of the Android Developers Dashboard. Over the past week ending Monday, Marshmallow was found on 4.6 percent of …
Read More »Apple squashes Siri bug that allowed access to your photos and contacts
Apple has quickly put the kibosh on one of the latest bugs found in its iOS mobile software. Demoed Monday in a YouTube video, the flaw enlisted Siri to run a Twitter search to look for any results with an email address. On an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, you could then “force tap” the email link to access the …
Read More »FBI stays mum on whether data on terrorist’s iPhone is useful
What’s inside Syed Farook’s iPhone remains a mystery, at least for those of us not in the FBI’s crime labs. The FBI is saying only this much publicly: It has obtained data from the phone and is putting it to use, according to The New York Times. Whether that data is in any way meaningful is another matter. “We’re still …
Read More »Hands
I continue to be amazed by the virtual-reality experiences you can have right on your smartphone. To ride a virtual rollercoaster, sit onstage with Paul McCartney or blast away at waves of incoming aliens, all you need is Google Cardboard or a similar headset. In fact, now you don’t need a headset at all. With VR Cups, you just suction …
Read More »How to adjust the Oculus Rift for a perfect fit
Now playing: Watch this: Get your VR headset to fit just right 1:35 Right out of the box, the Oculus Rift probably won’t fit perfectly. But this one-size-fits-most headset just needs a few tweaks to get the best fit. Here’s everything you need to know about adjusting the headset to your head and eyes. Fit the outside first Loosen the …
Read More »Facebook perks up Live video by copying ideas from other apps
It’s just like Periscope’s hearts… but sideways? Facebook livens up its Live video with floating reaction icons and color filters. Also, Facebook-owned WhatsApp is making some big changes to boost encryption. Get the details by watching CNET Update below, along with news on changes coming to Twitter, Etsy and the expansion of Amazon same-day delivery: Now playing: Watch this: Facebook …
Read More »How to make your GIFs load fast every time
Have you ever excitedly turned a video into a GIF…and then realized it took forever to load on your phone? Or didn’t load at all? It sucks the joy right out of GIF-sharing. An unoptimized GIF can look jumpy and strange and even look pixelated or jittery. The good news is that you can make fast-loading GIFs with just a …
Read More »Where we’re going we don’t need headsets: Samsung receives patent for AR contact lenses
Now playing: Watch this: Samsung gets the green light for augmented-reality contacts 1:07 With Gear VR, Samsung was one of the first companies to get its foot in the virtual reality door. Now, it looks like the South Korean electronics giant is experimenting with augmented reality. Samsung has received a patent for “smart” contact lenses, which it originally filed in …
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