Enlarge ImageThis “grenade” is really a survival kit. Surf City Paracord The braided paracord bracelet, a fashion favorite for survivalists and urbanites alike, makes it look like you’re prepared for anything. If the zombie apocalypse were to happen five minutes from now, you’d be able to lash together a shelter, catch a fish, snare a …

Is the remote control being replaced by your finger? The motion-sensing Singlecue lets you control various cable, satellite and streaming set-top boxes with slight movements of your index finger. In this CNET Update, I work on my Jedi channel-surfing powers: Now playing: Watch this: Wiggle your finger to control TV with Singlecue 2:58 Also in this tech-news roundup, learn about …

Google began rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow software update on Monday to a number of its Nexus family of phones. Falling in line with last week’s announcement, the newest version of Android will come first to the Nexus 5 , Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013) , Nexus 9 and Nexus Player . As is the case with other updates …

HTC’s sales figures have been slowly declining for four years. HTC HTC’s poor smartphone sales and ongoing struggle in a hotly competitive market have resulted in its second net loss this year, the company reported Monday. The Taiwanese phone maker managed to cling to a tiny profit in the first quarter this year, but a downturn in sales contributed to …

A follow-up to the popular Surface Pro 3 is expected to launch at the event Tuesday. Sarah Tew Microsoft has spent the better part of a year talking about the software flourishes of Windows 10. Now it must get down to talking about hardware. A number of PCs and tablets already run Windows 10 , which was released to the …

Facebook is tapping into satellites to provide Internet access to parts of Africa. Facebook Facebook is trying to spread free Internet access to regions of Africa via satellite. On Monday, the popular social network announced a deal with French satellite operator Eutelsat Communications, to get more people in Africa online by creating a system employing satellites, Internet gateways and terminals. …

TOKYO — As our devices shift and shrink and we find ourselves relying less and less on keyboards and mice and more and more on touchscreens to go about our work and play. In some situations, this makes interactivity a challenge. Voice is a potential solution for some situations, but gesture control looks equally promising and 16Lab has what it …

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. Enlarge Image CNET I don’t know how long these will last, so I’m going to skip my usual amusing anecdote, personal history, razor-sharp insight or other throat-clearing and just get right to the …

As we’ve come to expect from Adobe, among its fall 2015 updates to its traditional and Web Creative Cloud applications there are a few new completely new features, a bunch of “it didn’t do that already?” additions, enhancements to existing features and a reworking of its mobile apps. Plus the continuing sad news that updates to Bridge are not among …

@Jack is back. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was appointed CEO of the social network on September 30, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing released Monday. The move ends three months of confusion at the socially influential but slow-growing company. It also marks a round trip for Dorsey, who was fired from Twitter’s top job seven years ago but …

The Xperia Z4v was supposed to be Sony’s flagship smartphone for the US market. Sony The Sony Xperia Z4v phone never even had a chance to fail. Sony and Verizon Wireless said on Monday that they had decided to not introduce the Xperia Z4v into the US market. The surprise move deals a big blow to Sony’s ambitions to establish …

Enlarge ImageThe Royal Oak in Rhandirmwyn, named Carmarthenshire Pub Of The Year 2015. The Royal Oak When you want to get more bars, Vodafone wants you to go to the bar. The UK phone network has launched a new pilot scheme in country pubs to improve mobile phone signal as you sup your pint. Internet connection and phone signal in …

CNET Apple Music debuted in June, with an assertion of that it is the music service to end all music services. It has a few good things going for it; it includes hand-curated playlists, has an exclusive live radio station and it’s already installed on iOS gadgets. In the months since its launch, however, Apple Music’s reception has been lukewarm, …

The war over camera megapixels has moved from the back of the phone to the front as smartphone-makers like Samsung, Apple, Asus and now LG scramble to outfit their handsets with clever and capable tools to make vanity shots look as good as they can on a typically weaker, cheaper front-facing lens. Selfies, the common slang for self-portraits taken with …

Great, you have a nice stereo, but the components are scattered around your room. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the whole rig in one spot? Or you have a turntable, but it’s sitting on a rickety table or on a shelf that’s not even close to level, so you’re not getting the best possible sound from your LPs. Maybe …