It’s almost over. The year that many regret for its taking so many celebrities from us has mere hours left before it too passes from this world. To mark the end of 2016 and the arrival of 2017, Google has created an animated doodle of balloons bouncing in a net, eagerly awaiting their chance to …

ELAC’s speakers have been favorites here at CNET for a couple of years, so when I heard the company brought out a handsome little stereo amplifier I had to check it out. It was obvious from the get-go that rather than make just another integrated amp, ELAC engineers endowed the Element Series EA101EQ-G amp with a unique features set, including …

From Sydney to San Francisco, New Year’s Eve always goes off around the world with the whizzes, pops and bangs of fireworks. This year, Facebook is joining in with a display of its own. Whenever Facebook users post, comment or tap on a New Year’s Eve trigger phrase — “Happy New Year” being the prime example — a fireworks animation …

Apple is cutting production of iPhones by 10 percent in the first three months of 2017, according to a report published Friday in the Japanese business paper the Nikkei Asian Review. It would be the second year in a row in which the tech giant scaled back production of its flagship product, the report said. The paper based its analysis …

Here’s our brief weekly roundup of the newest video to hit the major online streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and wherever else we can dig something up. Hit play below — we’ve folded in some trivia so you’ll know more about what you’re watching. For more information on what’s available to watch online, check out CNET.com/Netpicks or …

Las Vegas is the city of splashy, neon-lit promises. When the hype circus known as the CES trade show arrives in early January, well, things get even crazier. This is, after all, the show that last year brought you Samsung’s super-fridge. So there’s no better place to talk about 5G, which is simultaneously the one of the most overhyped technologies …

Waking up with an alarm is the worst — but you gotta do what you gotta do. If you’re becoming immune to your phone’s standard alarm clock app, it might be time to try something new to help you get out of bed in the morning. Like an app that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you up gently … …

Facebook has its own official app — plus about 17 other official apps, including the standalone Messenger app — but it might not be the best Facebook app for you. Alternative Facebook apps such as Friendly and Swipe ($99 at Amazon) for Facebook can give you the experience you’ve always wanted — they use less of your phone’s battery and …

That RUN-DMC gear you bought online might not be legitimate. That’s the claim of one of the hip-hop group’s founders in a lawsuit filed Thursday in a New York federal court. The suit, filed by Darryl McDaniels, targets Amazon, Walmart and Jet.com and their partners for trademark infringement. “The products sold by the Defendants confuse the public as to the …

After introducing chatbots in October, Duolingo, the popular app that teaches users different languages, is debuting a new competitive aspect to its platform. Known as Duolingo Clubs, the feature lets you create language clubs of up to 15 members. In a club, you can compete with one another to accomplish language goals, track each other’s progress and place on a …