SAN FRANCISCO — Lynette Shaw, the self-proclaimed “godmother of marijuana dispensaries,” is thrilled that tech is helping bring cannabis into the mainstream. “It’s fabulous,” the 61-year-old said here Friday at the inaugural New West Summit, a two-day conference on the budding billion-dollar convergence of pot with technology, business and media. “I’m honored to see my …

Village Roadshow will be one of the first rights holders to put new site-blocking laws to the test, confirming it is preparing an application to the Federal Court under the Government’s anti-piracy legislation. While the site-blocking laws came into effect in June, rights holders have held back from using the laws to shut off access to websites that “facilitate” piracy …

Savvy shoppers already know that buying generic brands of products such as cold medicine and cereal will save you big bucks. Could the same be true for wireless service? In this edition of Ask Maggie I explain the pros and cons of using “off-brand” prepaid wireless services, which are owned by the national carriers themselves. Dear Maggie, I’m an AT&T …

Last month I posted “The Audiophiliac’s top 10 (full-size) headphones for 2015” list of the world’s best and most expensive models, this time it’s an affordable headphone list. I’ve limited my selections to just one model from each brand, and I’ve spent many hours listening to each of these headphones, they’re listed in alphabetical order. All of them are full-size …

The Force will awaken in less than a month, so now is the perfect time to revisit the classic Star Wars movies and once again take the journey — or introduce some younglings — to a galaxy far, far away. “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” is the first film in the legendary series in a decade, continuing the …

When was the last time you used Yahoo Answers? Can’t remember? You probably haven’t used Yahoo Real Estate, Notepad or Local in awhile either. The Sunnyvale, California-based Web giant lists roughly 60 products and services in the US, but the portfolio is in such disarray that Yahoo itself can’t keep track of it. Clicking on some services, like Contacts, yields …

The KEF LS50 was my Speaker of the Year when it debuted as the company’s 50th Anniversary Edition speaker in 2012. It’s been in and out of my system since then, but more recently I’ve spent a good deal of time listening to the LS50 and my respect for this speaker has only grown. It defines what it means to …

Congrats to Elden W. of Portland, Oregon, for winning two Nuyu activity trackers plus a Nuyu wireless scale last week. Is that a Bluetooth speaker in your pocket or are you just happy to see another Crave giveaway? Both, it turns out. This week, we’ve got a Pocket Party, a pocket-size Bluetooth speaker with a colorful integrated light show that …

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. Enlarge Image The Ninja Loop makes one-handed operation of your smartphone easier. Loop This is a weird time in Cheapskateland, because although tons …

Mark Zuckerberg plans to take two months off to spend with his daughter when she’s born. That’s the message the Facebook CEO posted on his account Friday, telling the nearly 42 million people who follow him that he’ll be taking about half the four months Facebook typically offers to new parents. (By comparison, Netflix allows up to a year, Google …