August, 2015

• 4 August

  Lights, camera, interaction: Welcome to LA, home of the open

  

  Check out all the places we’ve been on CNET’s Road Trip 2015. LOS ANGELES — Want to be a star? Aspiring entertainers still find themselves, suitcase in hand, heading to Hollywood. But the quest is no longer for that breakthrough audition in front of a big-name director. These fame-seekers are making bee-lines to studios tucked …

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• 4 August

  Sprint’s chairman: US networks are ‘very, very bad’

  

  Those would be fighting words. Masayoshi Son, who serves as both the CEO of Japanese carrier SoftBank and chairman of Sprint, railed against the wireless networks in the US as he made the case for why Sprint is poised for a turnaround. “When I come to the [United] States, this network is not something you should be proud of,” he …

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• 4 August

  Obama pushes for more diversity in tech

  

  President Barack Obama announces a series of initiatives to push for more diversity in the tech sector at the first-ever White House Demo Day. Screenshot by Marguerite Reardon/CNET President Barack Obama wants to help close the diversity gap in the technology industry, and he’s marshaled support from the private sector to do it. On Tuesday, the White House announced it …

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• 4 August

  Microsoft upgrades its Surface tablets to Windows 10

  

  Microsoft’s Surface tablet lineup now comes with Windows 10. Microsoft Consumers interested in buying one of Microsoft’s Surface tablets will now find it with Windows 10 preinstalled. Microsoft’s online page for its lower-cost Surface lineup shows that the tablet now comes with Windows 10 Home edition. The page for the pricier and beefier Surface Pro 3 indicates that they’re outfitted …

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• 4 August

  Customers are slowly flocking back to Sprint as it narrows its loss

  

  Sprint has been trying programs like a direct-to-consumer approach to stir up interest. Roger Cheng/CNET Sprint has managed to reverse its customer growth trajectory, but it wasn’t enough to fend off T-Mobile. The Overland Park, Kansas, wireless carrier added 675,000 net new customers in the quarter that ended in July, helped by its wholesale business and a return to growth …

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• 4 August

  Amazon responds to furor over limits on Prime sharing

  

  Amazon wanted to allay criticism about sharing Prime accounts, to ensure all those online orders keep getting made. Ben Fox Rubin/CNET Amazon has responded to an erupting controversy surrounding its popular Prime membership program, saying that a change it quietly made in regard to sharing accounts was meant to benefit customers, not restrict them. Over the weekend, several news stories …

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• 4 August

  Find what’s nearby on Airbnb with this Chrome extension

  

  Airbnb can be a bit of a roll of the dice. While the Explore nearby places for Airbnb Chrome extension can’t guarantee the condition of the apartment or the room you are booking matches that of the photos on its listing, it can let you see what types of attractions are nearby. From the makers of the YapQ city guides, …

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• 4 August

  How to get free help from Microsoft on Windows 10 and more

  

  Having trouble with Windows 10 or other Microsoft products? Microsoft can help. Updated since the launch of Windows 10, the Microsoft Answer Desk page describes all of the support options available to you as a Microsoft customer. You can chat with someone online, pick up the phone and call or visit your local Microsoft store for help. Some of the …

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• 3 August

  Exploring the new Photos app in Windows 10

  

  Windows 10 has a new Photos app that does more than just display your pictures as a slideshow. This new default app organizes your pictures by date taken (and even creates curated albums for you), features a few nice editing tools for image enhancement, and lets you share pictures via social networks and email. While it’s not going to replace …

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• 3 August

  Telstra offers post

  

  Telstra is already promoting its Apple Music partnership to customers. Telstra Forget BigPond Music: Telstra is giving its customers a much more recognisable name in the music streaming space with an offer for free Apple Music subscriptions for post-paid customers. Pitched as an “introductory 12 month trial offer,” the deal offers Telstra iPhone users on a 12- or 24- month …

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