The longest night is upon us. The winter solstice arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, ushering in winter on what is also the shortest day of the year. Winter officially arrives at 2:44 a.m. PT, when the sun is at it lowest latitude in the Earth’s sky. To underscore the bone-chilling weather many of …

This holiday season, you’re bound to take hundreds of photos. But you probably won’t be reaching for a dedicated camera, you’ll grab the phone from your pocket instead. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Point-and-shoot cameras have been on a steady decline since 2012. But while smartphones have put an above-average camera in nearly everyone’s pocket, one question remains: What’s the …

Samsung seems to be doing everything within its power to avoid a repeat of the great Galaxy Note 7 battery crisis of 2016. That might even include buying batteries from LG, according to a Reuters report published Monday. Samsung currently sources its phone batteries from Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of the company, and China’s Amperex Technology, but could be set …

Look, kids are awesome. But you’d be crazy not to think there are times when the iPad becomes a parent’s best friend, babysitter and bargaining chip all in one. Foxtel has cottoned on to this with the launch of a new streaming app just for kids, designed to offer all the age-appropriate shows they want to watch, with the kind …

Now playing: Watch this: How to turn on iOS parental controls in 20 seconds 1:23 It’s highly likely that a child in your family might get a new iPad or a hand-me-down iPhone as a gift this holiday. Their shiny new iDevice will give them access to amazing technology, but it also puts both them and you at some risk, …

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. This super-compact sound bar is just over a foot wide. Insignia Are you doing TV wrong? You might be if: a) You haven’t …

A seven-year-old Syrian girl who has 326,000 Twitter followers has been safely evacuated from the city of Aleppo, the Syrian American Medical Society confirmed on Monday. Bana Alabed and her family are among many Syrian civilians, including at least 2,700 children, who were allowed to leave rebel-held zones in northern Syria over the weekend. Alabed, who was pictured in a …

Charitable giving can be a tricky business. It takes money, of course, but also time. If both are in short supply, you can end up feeling like you’re not doing enough. I’ve got good news: You can give to charity without doing a thing — or spending a dime. Sort of. Thanks to a variety of sites and services, as …

Facebook is making it easier for you and your family to be together even if you’re not physically together this Christmas with the launch of group video chat for Messenger. The addition to Messenger is the most-requested feature ever, the social network said Monday. Group video chat will begin rolling out immediately to mobile users of the Messenger app. It’s …

Facebook’s Safety Check feature was activated Monday in the wake of a deadly truck crash that killed at least nine people and injured dozens more at a crowded market in Berlin. Berlin police encouraged people in the area to use the Safety Check feature to let friends and loved ones know they are safe after the truck rammed the crowded …