Asus will pre-install unspecified Microsoft “productivity services” on its Android-based smartphones and tablets. Sarah Tew/CNET I’m starting to wonder whether Microsoft has a new strategy when it comes to signing patent-licensing deals with device makers that use Linux, Android or Chrome operating systems. On Thursday, Microsoft announced it had signed an “expanded” patent-licensing deal with …
Read More »
Enlarge ImageYou can use the new Split View and Slide Over modes with Skype’s iOS app as long as your iPad supports them. Skype Skype has updated its iOS app with benefits for both iPad and iPhone users. Released on Thursday, Skype’s iPad app can now take advantage of the new Split View feature in iOS 9, the latest version …
Read More »
Is it time to start blocking AdBlock? Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET 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. I interrupt your regularly scheduled Cheapskatery to bring you this important announcement: Web ads are not evil. Please, put down your torches …
Read More »
Jason Cipriani/CNET The camera app on Apple’s new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus has a new shooting mode called Live Photos. At its core a live photo is a regular photo, only Apple tacks on a few seconds of video — before and after you press the shutter button — to bring it to life. The truth is, Live Photos …
Read More »
If you’re using a single monitor, the Sideplayer extension for Chrome lets you continue working or surfing while watching your favorite YouTube videos. And if you have multiple monitors, this extension will allow you to continue using them for something other than a dedicated video screen. Grab a copy of Sideplayer on the Google Web Store. You will need to …
Read More »
Enlarge Image Tyler Lizenby/CNET Samsung is going back to basics with the Galaxy Gear S2. With no notable hits in what is now a maturing smartwatch market, the South Korean electronics behemoth has built the new device, which goes on sale today, from the ground up. In the face of plummeting smartphone profits, the battle for supremacy in the wearable …
Read More »
Sarah Tew/CNET A couple weeks after Volkswagen was laid low by the discovery some of its diesel-powered cars cheated on emissions tests, Samsung is facing an accusation that its televisions appear more energy-efficient under test conditions than in everyday use. Tests conducted by ComplianTV, a testing group funded by the European Union, spotted the discrepancy, the Guardian reported on Thursday. …
Read More »
Enlarge ImageClicking on one of these floating 3D shapes leads to a story of a Reach for Change project. Reach for Change It could easily be said of the Internet, especially when referring to its early days, that it’s powered by dreamers. A new website called The Never Ending Stories can now literally make that claim. It’s being fueled by …
Read More »
Marguerite Reardon/CNET AT&T is accusing the Federal Communications Commission of operating under a double standard when it comes to enforcing agency rules. In a letter Thursday to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the company said the agency has been slow to approve a waiver for a Wi-Fi calling feature that doesn’t meet FCC rules about accessibility for speech- and hearing-impaired people. …
Read More »
The iPhone 6S is powering down on its own for some users. CNET A new technical glitch seems to be affecting some iPhone owners. Some owners who’ve upgraded to iOS 9, Apple’s latest mobile OS, are reporting that their iPhones randomly and unexpectedly power off. So far, people have chimed in on a Reddit iPhone forum, an Apple support forum …
Read More »