Google Cardboard: cheap and easy…and ready to grow. CNET Virtual and augmented reality have been sprouting up everywhere in 2015, but Google’s had its hands in VR and AR since last year’s Google I/O developer’s conference. This year it could be poised to do even more. Virtual-reality devices, like the Oculus headset, close us up …

The SVR Glass works with most phones with screen sizes ranging from 4.7 to 6 inches. Aloysius Low/CNET SHANGHAI — When it comes to Chinese products, most people expect to find cheap knock-offs and designs that look remarkably similar to branded ones. So it should be no surprise to most that the SVR Glass virtual reality headset from Chinese company …

Amazon will begin logging sales in individual European countries, a shift that may result in a greater tax burden. Declan McCullagh/CNET Amazon will begin paying taxes in individual European countries instead of funneling sales through low-tax Luxembourg amid ongoing investigations into the tax strategies of American tech companies in Europe. Amazon’s new tax practices went in to effect on May …

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Iron Man Limited Edition smartphone. Samsung Samsung has broken away from its White Pearl and Black Sapphire palette to bring Marvel superfans a sleek new version of its flagship Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone in racy shades of Iron Man red. Launched in “celebration” of the recently-released Marvel blockbuster “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the Galaxy S6 …

Charter Communications is said to be making another play for Time Warner Cable. CNET Update, May 26 at 3:56 a.m. PT:On Tuesday morning, Charter announced deals to acquire Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Charter Communications is said to be taking another swing at Time Warner Cable. Charter is near an agreement to acquire Time Warner Cable in a …

The AC000 OneBoard Pro is a smart keyboard powered by Android or Windows. Aloysius Low/CNET SHANGHAI — As manufacturers turn almost every device into something smart and connected, Beijing-based AC000 has come up with a smart keyboard that actually makes sense — a self-contained computer that can run either Windows or Android operating systems. While keyboard peripherals have been all …

Charge your batteries while burning fat with Sooall’s exercise bike. Aloysius Low/CNET SHANGHAI — China-based Sooall has served up an interesting spin on the exercise bike with the Next DNA eBike at the inaugural CES Asia. Its name might be a mouthful and inexplicably include a DNA reference, but if you’re thinking ‘eBike’ means electric, you’re wrong. At least in …

Ben Thomas Tilt-shift photos make the world look miniature, almost as if you are looking at a diorama. Traditionally, to achieve these photos you need to manipulate perspective and depth of field with a dedicated tilt-shift lens and dSLR. However, the miniature effect can be mimicked using tools like Photoshop, or even a smartphone. Ben Thomas is a photographer who …

The US wireless market is on the cusp of big changes and competitive clashes. Those, in turn, could lead to lower prices and better deals for you. At least that’s how I hope things will play out over the next few years. From Google’s Project Fi experiment to build a hybrid Wi-Fi/cellular network, to rumblings about someone finally making use …

Uh-oh, Etsy. Amazon may have a Handmade challenge for you. Screenshot by CNET A decade into its run on the Web, the crafts marketplace Etsy may soon face its biggest challenge yet. E-commerce titan Amazon has been putting out feelers to sellers on Etsy, pointing them to an online form thanking them for their interest in “Handmade at Amazon.” They’re …

Nicole Cozma/CNET Twitch is now offering video-on-demand (VOD) service to users of their mobile apps. However, if you’re using the Android version, you actually need to do more than just receive an update from the Google Play store. The Official Twitch Blog notes that the company has addressed security vulnerabilities in their mobile app. As a result, if you’d like …

ZMF Blackwood headphones ZMF I met ZMF’s Zach Mehrbach at a local Head-Fi headphone club meeting a while back, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I’d review one of his headphones. The time has come today, and it’s his flagship, the Blackwood. The solid blackwood ear cups, actually African Blackwood, are gorgeous, and when …

Abyss AB-1266 headphones (left), Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy speaker (right) Steve Guttenberg/CNET Before we get going on this, let’s think about what the “best” speaker or headphone means — is it the most exciting, realistic, accurate, musical? Or just the one you can’t stop thinking about? As a reviewer, I think about this stuff all the time, but in my writing …

At Elemental Path’s office with co-founder JP Benini and a prototype of his company’s talking dinosaur. Sarah Tew/CNET Sitting in his company’s small Midtown Manhattan office, JP Benini speaks casually into his smartphone. “Hello!” Suddenly, a fluorescent-green plastic dinosaur sitting on the table in front of him springs to life. “Hi JP, what’s up?” it says in a gravelly cartoonish …

The steady flow of new tablets shows no signs of slowing down. Xiomara Blanco/CNET Tablets have come a long way, baby, and the flood of portable devices isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With new, speedy processors, razor-sharp HD screens, and ample apps for working or playing hard, tablets are the gadgets PDAs always wished they were. Competition in the tablet …