Super Bowl special effects: New cameras power ‘Matrix’

Imagine targeting a camera on Cam Newton, freezing an image of the Carolina Panthers quarterback as he cocks his arm, and then rotating it just as he releases a touchdown pass. Or imagine watching Newton, one of the most versatile QBs in the game, from so low on the ground that you watch him dive …

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Why the death of the Firefox phone matters

Maybe you didn’t bat an eye when Mozilla killed off Firefox phones. The nonprofit, after all, faced long odds in taking on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile software. And the Firefox OS software had been on a downward trajectory over the past year. But you should care that Mozilla admitted defeat Thursday because it’s further evidence that we live …

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Use Bluetooth headphones with your Amazon Fire TV

Now playing: Watch this: Pair Bluetooth headphones with an Amazon Fire TV box 0:57 Last week, Amazon announced some updates for its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick streaming devices, including hotel-friendly sign-in for the latter and support for Bluetooth devices for the former. Update: A more recent update added the same Bluetooth capabilities to the Fire TV Stick. Let’s …

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Manage multiple Gmail accounts with Checker Plus

Many regard Gmail as the world’s best Webmail service, and Google generously places no limits on the number of accounts you can have. When it comes to managing those accounts, however, the service needs a little help. Although you can effectively sign into additional accounts, switching between them is a hassle. There’s no unified-inbox option, no way to view all …

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Play Chess in Facebook Messenger with this secret command

Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to play chess, or simply love playing a game that challenges you to think ahead. No matter the reason, Facebook Messenger makes it simple to play from a computer or smartphone. Starting a conversation in Facebook Messenger and enter “@fbchess play” to begin a game of chess between yourself and the person you’re …

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Don’t even think about flying a drone near Super Bowl 50

Just in case you were considering flying your camera-toting quadcopter — or any other model aircraft — around Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50, don’t. Just don’t. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction (TFR) prohibiting flying of unmanned aerial systems within a 32-nautical-mile radius of the big game on Sunday. The FAA even made the short …

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Verizon punches up its prepaid plans

For Verizon, it’s time to get competitive on prepaid. The carrier announced changes to its prepaid plans on Thursday in an effort to keep up with competing carrier offerings. The upshot: Verizon customers on these plans get more data for their money than they did before. As customers seek better and lower-priced rate plans, prepaid service providers are becoming increasingly …

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Apple Music for Android update adds SD card support

Apple on Wednesday updated the beta app of Apple Music for Android with bug fixes and a new feature some subscribers are sure to love: Apple Music can now store music on an SD card. The ability to move a music catalog to external storage is an easy way to free up storage on your smartphone. And depending on what …

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LinkedIn stock plummets more than 40 percent on weak outlook

LinkedIn’s efforts to get professionals excited about its social network are not paying off as fast as some expected, especially investors. LinkedIn announced Thursday that its fourth-quarter earnings and revenue had topped analysts’ estimates. But the company’s stock closed down 40 percent on trading Friday after it issued weaker-than-expected guidance. It was the second time in the past nine months …

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Apple tells Supreme Court that Samsung case is ‘legally unexceptional’

Apple sure isn’t impressed by Samsung’s Supreme Court plea. On Thursday, the iPhone maker filed its response to Samsung’s request for the US Supreme Court to examine the patent infringement suit between the two electronics giants. And shocker, it doesn’t want this thing to drag out. Apple argued that the case is “legally unexceptional” and asked the court not to …

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So, my Gmail inbox started getting these weird emails…

My Gmail inbox is a clean, spam-free place, and I like to keep it that way. Like many of you, I use a separate email address for funneling new site registrations, newsletters and sales alerts. This division of church and state between my two accounts has kept my personal Gmail inbox personal and relatively clutter-free. Until now. The first questionable …

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Get an unlocked LG G Flex 2 for $199.99

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. LG Last year’s state-of-the-art smartphone is this year’s bargain. The LG G Flex 2 made its debut right around this time in 2015, …

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Injured football player may wear 3D

National Football League player Thomas Davis had both a triumphant and a devastating game on January 24. His Carolina Panthers dominated the Arizona Cardinals and earned a trip to the Super Bowl, but at the expense of a broken right forearm for Davis. Davis may be carrying some extra equipment with him onto the field if he plays in Super …

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How to watch tonight’s Hillary Clinton

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will take the stage for one last debate prior to the New Hampshire primary. This will be the first debate without former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who suspended his campaign following the Iowa Caucus. The debate is scheduled to take place at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and will be …

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Sony’s new A6300 camera adds better autofocus and 4K video

Stressing “curiousity” and “creativity” and timing the launch to avoid the noise of CES in January, Sony today announced the replacement for its immensely popular APS-C sensor-based A6000, the A6300, and a new line of flagship lenses, called G Master. The A6300 incorporates a new 24.2-megapixel sensor and new 425-point phase-detection autofocus. It uses on-sensor phase detection so it works …

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