February, 2017

• 16 February

  Snapchat maker prepares to go public valued as high as $22B

  

  You might still think of Snapchat as that sexting app, or the way teens obsessively communicate with each other. Wall Street now knows it as the next big thing. Snap, the company behind Snapchat’s short-lived photos and videos, on Thursday filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission updated paperwork detailing its initial public offering. …

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• 16 February

  Is the Pixel better than the iPhone? (The 3:59, Ep. 181)

  

  Google sweated the small stuff for the Pixel, its first homemade phone. We dive into some of the design and aesthetic decisions the search giant made to create the device, including its slight wedge shape to get rid of a camera bump and its unadulterated Android software. Also on today’s show, we talk about Verizon’s bid for Yahoo, which now …

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• 16 February

  AT&T follows rivals with standalone unlimited plan

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Jumping on AT&T’s cheaper unlimited plan? Not so fast… 2:46 With Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint serving up standalone unlimited-data plans, AT&T doesn’t want to be left behind. On Thursday, the carrier announced its own unlimited offering, set to become available Friday for all postpaid customers (people who pay their bills at the end of the month). …

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• 16 February

  Valve boss trashes his own ‘marginally adequate’ VR headset

  

  Gabe Newell, CEO of game developer Valve, says he’s not going to lose any sleep if VR doesn’t take off. “We’re optimistic. We think VR is going to be great,” Newell stated in an interview with Polygon. “We’re also pretty comfortable with the idea that it will turn out to be a complete failure.” One of VR’s biggest hurdles right …

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• 16 February

  Apple TV may get 4K video this year, according to report

  

  The next Apple TV could finally get a feature that’s been available on competing devices for almost two years. That feature is 4K resolution output, also known as Ultra High Definition, which would likely allow the device to stream the highest-quality video available from services like Netflix and YouTube to compatible 4K TVs. A new Apple TV box with 4K …

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• 16 February

  Sprint fires back at Verizon with cheaper unlimited HD plans

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Jumping on AT&T’s cheaper unlimited plan? Not so fast… 2:46 Take that, Verizon! Sprint’s unlimited data plan now has HD video too. Starting Friday, you’ll be able to sign up for Sprint’s newest wireless plan. With it, you can use all the data your heart desires, and you’ll be able to stream video in 1080p HD. …

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• 16 February

  Get a Lenovo 100S 14

  

  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 Lenovo About yesterday: Big goof on my part. I thought the Y3 smartwatch ran Android Wear, when in fact it’s powered …

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• 16 February

  Huawei may be developing its own Siri rival for its phones

  

  Chinese phone maker Huawei is reportedly working on a voice assistant that it’s planning to add to devices in China. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that the company will use its own Siri rival for its Chinese phones only. Outside of China, Huawei phones will continue to use voice-enabled assistants such as Amazon‘s Alexa and Google Assistant. …

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• 16 February

  eBay: Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl jersey not on site

  

  Devin Wenig buys his garbage bags, shampoo and even toothpaste on eBay. That’s not typical for your regular eBay customer, who may visit for a car, cardigan or collectible coin. But as eBay’s CEO, the 50-year-old Wenig likes to buy as much as he can from the site, now the world’s third-largest e-retailer after Amazon and Alibaba. See also Looking …

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• 16 February

  Use voice commands to tighten up Google privacy, security settings

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Start chatting with Google Assistant 3:33 First spotted by Android Police, the new voice commands make it easier to view your search history, change account settings, adjust privacy settings and adjust security settings. According to a Google support document, the four new commands are: Change your account settings: “Open Google account settings.” See your search history: …

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