Google just ratcheted up the pressure on Apple. For starters on Tuesday, it debuted products Apple lacks — the Daydream virtual-reality headset, the Google Home digital assistant-powered speaker, the Chromecast Ultra streamer that can pipe 4K video to your TV. On top of that is a broader competitive threat. Google designed its new devices on …
Read More »
Facebook may have a new country in its sights for its controversial free-internet plan. The social media giant is in talks with US government officials and wireless carriers about bringing its Free Basics service to millions of people in the US, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The company is reportedly moving cautiously on the initiative to avoid the regulatory scrutiny …
Read More »
Psst, looking for a new job? LinkedIn says its new feature, Open Candidates, will let its members discreetly notify recruiters they’re searching for a new position without their employer knowing. “Who among us hasn’t, at some point, tried to find work without our boss finding out?” Dan Shapero, a LinkedIn careers product manager, said in a blog post Thursday. “Now, …
Read More »
Yahoo‘s bad fortune in recent weeks could come with yet another cost. Verizon, which has agreed to buy Yahoo for $4.8 billion, is now asking for a $1 billion discount, according to a report Thursday by the New York Post. Yahoo has been hit with a mountain of bad press recently. Earlier this week, it was reported that the US …
Read More »
Spotify wasn’t just serving up tunes over the last few days. The streaming music company confirmed that some listeners on the free version of its service saw “questionable website pop-ups” that continually opened up a device’s browser. The company, which counts about 70 million people as users of its commercial-driven free service, confirmed the problem in a response to a …
Read More »
Verizon’s drone venture is taking off. Having conducted a series of successful trials across the country, the US telecommunications giant announced on Thursday a program to connect drones to its LTE wireless network. The drones could be used with various internet-enabled communications apps to, for instance, survey trouble zones in an emergency, safely monitor high-voltage lines and pipelines, and keep …
Read More »
If you’ve been waiting for a new Walmart supercenter to open in your town, don’t hold your breath. Walmart has become the biggest retailer in the world thanks to its 11,500 stores. But guess what? These days, the big-box operator is a little more interested in talking up its online persona, Walmart.com, which it hopes will help re-energize sales and …
Read More »
If you want the absolute best VR experience, an expensive PC comes to mind. That’s why the PlayStation VR, which requires only a PlayStation 4 game console, is so impressive. Today, though, Oculus says it’s lowering the minimum requirements for PC-based VR so more people can get in on the action. Now an Oculus-ready PC will start at $499. Or …
Read More »
The push and pull continues on how much the FCC will be able to safeguard your privacy on the internet. In a major shift in policy, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler eased back in his proposal for regulating privacy practices of internet service providers to keep them in line with the less restrictive approach of the Federal Trade Commission. …
Read More »
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. Look out! Drones are falling! Wait, sorry… drone prices are falling. Whew. That’s way less scary. Back in March, I shared a deal …
Read More »