Lexus wants to take us “Back to the Future” with that tantalizing and much-dreamed-about transportation device that always gets heart rates soaring — a hoverboard. The Japanese carmaker released a short promotional video of what it’s calling a “real, rideable hoverboard” to its YouTube channel on Tuesday, ever so briefly showing off the prototype to …

You can now take a virtual trek up El Capitan. But watch out if you’re afraid of heights. Google El Capitan is not just the name of Apple’s next version of the Mac OS. It’s also a rugged real-world site you now can explore virtually thanks to Google’s latest Street View tour. To capture the 3,000-foot ascent up El Capitan, …

Now playing: Watch this: Never lose a tab in Google Chrome again 2:07 The introduction of tabbed browsing made it really easy to check lots of things at once, but sometimes even the best of us get tab-happy. This can lead to a lack of productivity because more time is spent hunting for a tab than doing actual work. Google …

Microsoft Office makes its way to Android phones after arriving first on tablets. Microsoft Don’t own an iPhone or Windows Phone, but rely on Microsoft’s Office for writing, building presentations and crunching numbers? No problem. Microsoft’s venerable suite of applications, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel, is finally making its way onto smartphones powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system, Microsoft …

It’s a Festivus for the rest of us, or at least those of us who subscribe to Hulu. Hulu Hulu subscribers can now hang out with Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer, at least online. As of Wednesday, anyone who pays the $7.99-per-month price tag to subscribe to Hulu can stream all 9 seasons and 180 episodes of the hit ’90s …

The Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition, on sale in Europe, is the latest device to bring Ubuntu to a smart phone. Andrew Hoyle/CNET If you fancy trying out the latest Ubuntu phone, you’ll have to wait until your number comes up. In a rather novel sales tactic, the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition will be available tomorrow in an unusual origami-based lottery. …

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg touts the Messenger app, now rolling out to anyone with a phone number. James Martin/CNET Soon, Facebook Messenger might be known simply as “Messenger.” That’s because the world’s largest social network announced on Wednesday that users in select countries can access the popular mobile app even if they don’t have a Facebook account. The Menlo Park, …

Right out of the box, Amazon’s voice-controlled Echo speaker — which was previously available by invitation only, but is now on sale to the general public — can perform some pretty cool tricks. Indeed, once you start asking the Echo’s virtual assistant Alexa to do stuff — start a playlist, read some news, check the weather — you’ll wonder how …

Image by CPOA, CC BY-ND 2.0 This week, one of the most significant pieces of anti-piracy legislation in recent years passed through Parliament, allowing rights holders to force ISPs to block overseas websites on a court order. The “Online Infringement” Bill has been labelled a win for Australia’s creative industries and rights holders, but critics have slammed it as “a …

Narwhal Bacon Box Subscription boxes are all the rage nowadays, bringing themed mystery goodies to your door every month. Snacks, teas, pet stuff, beauty products, gamer gear — there’s a box for just about everyone. And, now, there’s one for self-proclaimed Internet geeks as well. (Needless to say, that description got my attention.) For a limited time, Cheapskate readers can …