See which apps are connected to your network with Mac app Loading

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET When an app is accessing a cellular or Wi-Fi network on your iPhone, a small spinning starburst icon is displayed at the top of the screen. With the Loading app, you can get the same treatment in the menu bar of your Mac. After installing Loading from developer Bonzai Apps, you’ll …

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Former Apple retail boss Ron Johnson launches ‘Enjoy’ shopping site

Even if retail is hard, as Ron Johnson seems to be saying in this 2009 file photo, he’s pushing on with his new shopping venture, Enjoy. Sarah Tew/CNET/2009 file photo Former Apple retail executive and J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson has launched a new online gadget shopping site with an offline twist. The new venture, called Enjoy, launched on Wednesday …

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FiiO’s new low

The new FiiO X3 2nd Gen music player. FiiO Neil Young’s Kickstarter funded high-res PonoPlayer may have grabbed the lion’s share of media attention, but FiiO’s more-affordable portable players were on the market years before Pono entered the fray. FiiO has continued to refine and improve its players, and its latest, the X3 2nd Gen is totally revamped, looking nothing …

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What is HDMI 2.0a?

Update 1/2017: There’s been an update that supersedes this one, it’s called HDMI 2.1. HDMI 2.0a is the latest version of the beloved/despised spec that regulates those ubiquitous cables, inputs and outputs that connect pretty much everything in your home entertainment center. It’s a minor update, but a potentially important one for this year and beyond. The most important part …

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Crazy see

It’s a skateboard and an elegant sculpture. Gridboard It’s no “Back to the Future” hoverboard, but the Gridboard on Indiegogo is one futuristic-looking device. Everyone knows what a regular skateboard looks like — essentially a plank with rounded ends and four wheels underneath. The Gridboard has four wheels and a recognizable silhouette, but the rest of the longboard looks like …

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Samsung readies new processors to power the Internet of Things

Samsung will talk about new processors to power the Internet of Things. Samsung Samsung’s bet on the Internet of Thing is about to get a little smaller — physically, that is. The South Korean electronics giant on Tuesday plans to reveal new chip platforms to power Internet-connected devices, ranging from wearables to smart washing machines, sources tell CNET. The new …

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Sharp joins Insignia selling cheap Roku TVs at Best Buy

Roku Roku continues to add brands to its stable of Roku TV partners, and Sharp is the latest. The well-known TV maker joins less familiar monikers TCL, Hisense, Haier and Insignia in offering televisions with Roku’s streaming platform built-in, and true-to-form, they’re all very affordable. The new Sharp TVs will be available in two sizes, the 43-inch LC-43LB371U ($380) and …

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Meet Fizzics, the gadget that wants to make your beer better

Beer is already pretty great, but one company thinks it can make your brew even better. That company is Fizzics, and it’s developed a battery-powered countertop machine of the same name that is supposed to use high-frequency sound waves and oscillation to create a dense, long-lasting head and consistent carbonation and distribution of the beer so you get a better …

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Waiting for Project Ara phones? Check out the Nexpaq modular case

The Nexpaq lets users pick and choose add-on smartphone components Nexpaq Mad for modular? Google’s Project Ara phones are still to launch in trials this year, but in the meantime, one company has found a way to use the concept for the iPhone 6 , Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6 Edge . Nexpaq, a Kickstarted campaign, lets you power …

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Nokia N1 tablet finally available outside of China

The iPad-looking Nokia N1 tablet is now being sold outside of China. Andrew Hoyle/CNET Remember the Nokia N1 tablet that turned heads because of its Apple-inspired design? Here’s the good news — the same Android tablet is now being sold outside of China, beginning with Taiwan this month for 8,190 Taiwanese dollars (about $265, converted directly). The bad news is …

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Comment on files with updated Dropbox iOS app

Matt Elliott/CNET Dropbox last week added commenting ability to its Web interface to bring it up to speed with Google Drive, and now the Dropbox iOS app received an update that delivers file commenting to your iPhone and iPad. When viewing a Dropbox file with the iOS app, tap the speech-bubble button to add a comment to the file. You …

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See Verne Troyer (who played Mini

Dr. Evil would be proud of such destruction. Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET Actor Verne Troyer, probably best known for his role as Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” movies, has a new show on YouTube called “One Size Fits All,” and he spends most of the first episode shooting stuff with Richard Ryan. That’s a name that might also be familiar, …

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Tidal vs. Spotify: My four weeks with Jay Z’s streaming service

Tidal is competing with Spotify, Beats and other music streaming sites. Screenshot/Claudia Cruz Tidal made a splash in the streaming music scene thanks to its celebrity-studded re-launch that included the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce, Daft Punk, Kanye West, and Madonna — it was like a gathering of the musical Avengers. It differentiates itself with lofty claims of high-quality streaming …

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Get a GoGroove Bluetooth sound bar for $74.99

GoGroove Regular Cheapskate readers know that when it comes to TV audio, I recommend — no, insist on! — a sound bar. Anything less is cheating your ears in a way that’s just unforgivable. But what should you expect to pay for a decent one? A hundred bucks? Two hundred? Not today: GoGroove is offering its BlueSync SBR Bluetooth sound …

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Comcast vows to put customers first

Comcast says it has a plan to fix its troubled customer service reputation so that people won’t hate the cable company. New Comcast initiative seeks to repair strained customer relations. Getty Images The new initiative announced Tuesday is meant to “reinvent the customer experience” and create a culture within Comcast that is “focused on exceeding customers’ expectations.” The most important …

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