Qualcomm is giving its Quick Charge technology a sizeable boost, one that the company claims will be able to plug in and get a device with a  4,500mAh battery from 0 to 50% in five minutes and from empty to 100% in 15 minutes.  The new technology — which will make its first appearance in …

Happy Monday, cheeps! A quick book recommendation for you: Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman. It caught my eye in a bookstore (remember those?) and I couldn’t put it down. Surprising, fascinating, informative and, best of all, hopeful. It’s $9 for the paperback and $10 for the Kindle edition.  Utopia for Realists Pricing not available It’s another Monday when deals …

When I see people walking (or running) around with Apple AirPods, I want to go up and give them a shake. “You paid too much for these! And they’re not even sweatproof!” Yep, little-known fact: AirPods are not rated to withstand any kind of liquid-related damage. And the standard warranty doesn’t cover them against it.  Thankfully, inexpensive AirPods alternatives abound, …

Ultimate Ears makes some of the best portable Bluetooth speakers around and the Boom series is right at home outdoors thanks to a simple but rugged design and good battery life. The Boom 3 might be priced a little on the high side, but it’s worth it. That’s why I was excited to find that right now, you can snag …

Quickly switching between a text conversation and Yelp as you work out what to order for delivery with your partner is a convenient yet tedious way of multitasking, especially on an Android phone. Sure, it works, but there’s a better way. Android has a built-in feature that lets you use two apps on your screen at the same time, letting …

Texting friends you haven’t seen in months gets boring after a while, especially when they’re the friends you used to get together with to watch your favorite YouTubers. Fortunately, if you’re missing those nights with your besties, you can have ’em back. An app called Airtime lets you video chat with others while watching movies and YouTube videos on the …

It’s back-to-school season in just a few weeks, and it’s looking increasingly likely that most kids won’t actually be going anywhere when the school bell rings. But whether you’re packing for school or just planning to work outdoors to enjoy a bit of the summer, a spacious laptop bag is a welcome luxury. This Seehonor travel laptop backpack packs a …

This story is part of CNET at 25, celebrating a quarter century of industry tech and our role in telling you its story. If you could point to one tech trend over the last 25 years, it’s that gadgets are getting smaller. Phones, computers, watches — all pack more power into more compact packages than ever. A quarter century ago …

The 2020 iPhone SE has an iPhone 8 body with an iPhone 11 Pro brain. But it’s more than just an iPhone 8S or 9 with an internal spec bump. The powerful A13 Bionic chipset transforms the phone and brings new features never before seen on a 4.7-inch iPhone.  The mix of old design and new power means you can unlock the …

Chinese phone-maker Vivo recently unveiled its X50 series, marking the launch of its first global flagship this year. Vivo, which is one of the top 10 phone manufacturers by market share despite being relatively unknown in the West, advertises its latest phone as a “professional photography flagship.” It introduces an internal gimbal camera system to the series, which it’s selling …