Way to come late to mobile payments, Microsoft. The tech giant said Tuesday that it finally turned on the ability to pay for purchases with a tap in some of its phones running Windows 10 software, the first of which Microsoft launched in October. Microsoft trails Apple, Google and Samsung, whose phones have used NFC …

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. As you know, I love me some tablets. And when I can get one for cheap, I’m happier still. So color me happy: …

With more and more security breaches and leaked usernames and passwords for major online services like Twitter, PlayStation Network and LinkedIn, two-step verification (2SV) is a must. Choosing a stronger password certainly helps, and not using the same password twice is even better. But two-step verification adds an additional layer of security that makes breaking into your accounts much more …

Now playing: Watch this: iPhone 7 may not feature drastic changes 2:31 Do you like the current Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus? Good, because a new report suggests the iPhone 7 won’t be much different. The Wall Street Journal basically corroborated Tuesday what analysts and rumors have said for months: The big hardware changes, the ones that would really …

Agriculture is a massively important industry in Japan — so naturally, bugs and other pests can be a bit of a problem. A joint project between Saga University and IT firm OPTiM is using drone technology to help fight the good fight. They developed the Agri Drone to reduce the use of pesticides through the application of drones. Primarily used …

Google Chrome has earned legions of fans over the years, but it has a reputation. Every so often we hear that the browser consumes more than its fair share of RAM and power, and now there’s a new piece of proof. In a video posted yesterday, Microsoft set up four identical laptops running the same streaming video in four different …

British monarch Queen Elizabeth II looks to be on the verge of a dangerous social media addiction after posting her second tweet in two years on Tuesday. “I am most grateful for the many digital messages of goodwill I have received and would like to thank you all for your kindness. Elizabeth R,” tweeted the Queen, thanking the world in …

Slack is trying to make it harder to leave its workplace chat app by bringing third-party apps right into your chats. Dubbed Message Buttons, Slack’s new feature introduced on Tuesday will allow users to interact with other apps without leaving the popular messaging tool that companies use to communicate and collaborate with each other. The buttons will allow Slack’s 3 …

Come August, becoming a commercial drone pilot is going to be much simpler. The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it has finalized regulations for commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) or “drones.” The rules will make it easier for pilots to use drones for everything from structural or crop inspection to search-and-rescue operations …

What’s real in the below photo? Did the artist paint a hand around one of her eyes, or an eye on the back of her hand? What we think we see isn’t always what’s really there, and vice-versa. Ask anyone who marveled at the wolf optical illusion, or squinted to try and see the shark in Blake Lively’s Magic Eye …