February, 2016

• 5 February

  Before you switch wireless carriers, read this

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Ranking the best wireless carriers by the numbers 3:00 Finding the right carrier matters. Sarah Tew/CNET Editors’ note: For a more current version of this advice, please check out Switching Cell Phone Carriers in 2022: What to Know Before You Switch Carriers. The original story continues below. Researching all those carrier websites …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Super Bowl’s wireless blitz spurs carriers to brace for impact

  

  For millions of football fans around the world, the Super Bowl is the big game. For the four national wireless carriers, it is the big test. Fans of the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos don’t just care about their team’s first touchdown on Sunday. They also value the selfies they send to social media while in the stadium. So for …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Apple now accepts damaged iPhones for trade

  

  Got an iPhone with a cracked screen or busted camera? You can now hand it over to Apple for store credit toward a new iPhone. The Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone trade-in program has always offered store credit for older models. But the program has applied only if your current iPhone is in good condition with no cracks or …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Pebble owners can finally send text messages from their watch

  

  Earlier this week Pebble released an update to its Pebble Time apps for iOS and Android, as well as new software for the watches. Among other things, the update improved upon the company’s Health activity tracking features, better handling of picture messages, and for Android users, it added a new “Send Text” app to the watch. With the app, Android …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Get his

  

  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. This is a repeat of a deal from a few months back, but it’s a little sweeter now than it was — and …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Super Bowl special effects: New cameras power ‘Matrix’

  

  Imagine targeting a camera on Cam Newton, freezing an image of the Carolina Panthers quarterback as he cocks his arm, and then rotating it just as he releases a touchdown pass. Or imagine watching Newton, one of the most versatile QBs in the game, from so low on the ground that you watch him dive over the goal line. Ken …

  Read More »
• 5 February

  Why the death of the Firefox phone matters

  

  Maybe you didn’t bat an eye when Mozilla killed off Firefox phones. The nonprofit, after all, faced long odds in taking on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile software. And the Firefox OS software had been on a downward trajectory over the past year. But you should care that Mozilla admitted defeat Thursday because it’s further evidence that we live …

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Use Bluetooth headphones with your Amazon Fire TV

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Pair Bluetooth headphones with an Amazon Fire TV box 0:57 Last week, Amazon announced some updates for its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick streaming devices, including hotel-friendly sign-in for the latter and support for Bluetooth devices for the former. Update: A more recent update added the same Bluetooth capabilities to the Fire TV Stick. Let’s …

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Manage multiple Gmail accounts with Checker Plus

  

  Many regard Gmail as the world’s best Webmail service, and Google generously places no limits on the number of accounts you can have. When it comes to managing those accounts, however, the service needs a little help. Although you can effectively sign into additional accounts, switching between them is a hassle. There’s no unified-inbox option, no way to view all …

  Read More »
• 4 February

  Play Chess in Facebook Messenger with this secret command

  

  Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to play chess, or simply love playing a game that challenges you to think ahead. No matter the reason, Facebook Messenger makes it simple to play from a computer or smartphone. Starting a conversation in Facebook Messenger and enter “@fbchess play” to begin a game of chess between yourself and the person you’re …

  Read More »