October, 2015

• 12 October

  Riding hoverboards in public is illegal in the UK

  

  A self-balancing scooter was on display at CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Josh Miller/CNET What do pop singer Lily Allen and the son of football star David Beckham have in common? They’ve both been seen riding “hoverboards” in the street, which has now been stamped illegal in the UK. Guidance for the use of the …

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• 11 October

  Acer unveils its first wave of Windows 10 devices

  

  Acer’s newly announced Aspire 14 convertible notebook. Acer Last week, Microsoft led the Windows 10 charge, announcing a range of hardware that takes advantage of its newly refined operating system. Acer followed suit on Monday, announcing two new computers powered by Windows 10 at a press conference in Taipei: the Aspire R 14 convertible notebook and the Aspire Z3-700 portable …

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• 11 October

  Apple reportedly blocking its own News app in China

  

  Enlarge ImageApple’s News app has been disabled in China. James Martin/CNET Apple has disabled its News app in China, according to the New York Times, apparently becoming the latest foreign tech company frustrated by China’s tough censorship rules. The app, intended to be a personalized digital magazine and newspaper viewer, launched to US users in June. Customers traveling abroad can …

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• 11 October

  India is the most expensive place to buy an iPhone 6S

  

  Enlarge Image Twitter/Maheshtelecom They say time is money, but unfortunately for Apple enthusiasts in India, they’ll need to spend more of both for the iPhone 6S. In addition to launching on October 16, 3 weeks after it was released in much of the western world, the range will cost more in India than any other country, starting out at 62,000 …

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• 11 October

  Will you heart Facebook’s new emojis?

  

  Enlarge ImageFacebook is expanding beyond the Like button. Facebook Ian Sherr is that “Game of Thrones” is back for a new season. Ian Sherr is that it’s still not raining in California. Ian Sherr is at the antics of his nutty cat, Dia. Coming soon, Facebook will add these and three other emojis alongside its ubiquitous Like button, the thumbs-up …

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• 10 October

  Aural ecstasy: Focal Sphear in

  

  I review a lot of headphones, and here’s what I learned: they all sound different. Some are too bright, most pump up the bass to some degree and a lot of them are downright uncomfortable. Not this pair — I could wear the Focal Sphears for hours without fatigue. They sell for $179 in the US, £100 in the UK …

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• 10 October

  Would you be happier listening to music if you had better sounding headphones or speakers?

  

  Even as a kid I was always seeking out better sounding speakers. Sometimes I’d borrow friends’ speakers just because I liked hearing familiar music sound different. With one set of speakers, vocals would be more or less prominent. Bass lines that were inaudible might come to life over a different set of speakers. Stereo imaging also changed, and becoming more …

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• 10 October

  ‘Steve Jobs’ film is a ‘painting, not a photograph,’ moviemakers say

  

  Enlarge ImageDirector Danny Boyle (left) and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin chat on the set of the “Steve Jobs” film. Universal Pictures SAN FRANCISCO — After a screening here Friday of the new film “Steve Jobs,” writer Aaron Sorkin found himself defending his choice to fictionalize parts of the Apple co-founder’s life, something he called making “a painting, not a photo.” Sorkin, …

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• 9 October

  Load Web pages in a flash with Speedafari for iOS

  

  When you’re browsing the Web on your broadband-connected PC, it’s not a big deal if pages are stuffed with ads, photos, tracking scripts and the like. You’ve got speed and bandwidth to spare. When you’re on your phone or tablet and connected via cell towers, on the other hand, suddenly that stuff totally matters. Even sites optimized for mobile devices …

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• 9 October

  iPhone 6S, 6S Plus to hit more than 50 new countries this month

  

  Enlarge ImageApple aims to get its new iPhones into 130 countries by the end of year. CNET October will be iPhone 6S month for dozens of countries around the world. Apple this month plans to deliver the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus to more than 50 additional countries, with the goal of reaching 130 nations by year’s end. …

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