Microsoft has been testing its xCloud cloud-gaming platform, the technology that lets you play Xbox games on your phone, streamed from remote servers, for more than a year. Now we’ve come to the part where the free ride for testers ends and it’s time to pony up for the privilege via a subscription to Xbox Game …
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Google Accounts get security boost with new critical alerts system
Google on Wednesday unveiled a pair of online products designed to better protect the security and privacy of Google users’ information. The company said it will soon introduce a redesigned critical alert to warn Google Account users when a serious security threat is detected, such as a suspected hack. Unlike alerts that arrive in your email or on your phone, …
Read More »Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon abused monopoly power, House report says
Lawmakers from the US House of Representatives accused Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple of “abuses of monopoly power” in a 449-page report released Tuesday. The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee drew its conclusions after a 16-month investigation that culminated in an hours-long hearing with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai in July that featured tense exchanges portending a …
Read More »Requiem for a Daydream: RIP, phone VR
In late 2014, I pulled CNET TV editor David Katzmaier into a conference room to show him a black plastic pair of goggles fitted over a Samsung phone. I seated him in a comfy swivel chair. I wanted to see what he thought of what I was about to show him, from a display perspective. A few 3D 360-degree videos …
Read More »Apple and Fortnite developer Epic Games court battle to resume in May 2021
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, the free online title from Epic Games, 100 players take control of characters wielding everything from axes to sharpshooter guns to rainbow-colored unicorn stick horses. Their objective is to battle to the last person standing, kinda like the Hunger Games, but much more silly and cartoonish. Fortnite‘s become an international phenomenon, attracting more than 350 million …
Read More »Apple Health app now consolidates patients’ medical records in UK, Canada
iPhone users in the UK and Canada now have a central repository for all their health care information. The health records feature, which has been available in the US since 2018, collects medical records from multiple sources and consolidates it all within the Apple Health app. Oxford University Hospitals and Women’s College Hospital are two of the first health networks …
Read More »The Cheapskate Show podcast: Expensive TVs aren’t worth the money
Let’s talk TVs. You know where I stand: A lot of lower-end models are perfectly good — and definitely easier on the wallet. But what do you sacrifice when you choose a cheap TV instead of a high-end model from, say, Samsung or Sony? For answers, we brought in CNET TV guru David Katzmaier. Trust me, if you’re in the …
Read More »The Beats Solo3 wireless headphones are now half off
They’re too old to make “best headphone” lists anymore, but the Beats Solo3 is still a darned good set of headphones. They’re well-built and offer a formidable 40 hours of battery life between charges — not many headphones that are new for 2020 can claim that. Back in the day, these headphones debuted at $300, which was admittedly too much …
Read More »Tuesday’s top deals: Free Chromecast, $20 Echo Auto, $65 Klipsch T5 and more
After a few days of relative quiet on the deal front, things are suddenly cooking all over. Amazon has a bunch of new pre-Prime Day deals, Google is giving away its new Chromecast (with purchase) and a $200 true wireless earbud set is on sale for $65. Before all that (and more), a few notes: The Cheapskate newsletter has a …
Read More »iOS 14 just made your iPhone more private and secure: 3 things that changed
Apple has never been shy about beating its own drum when it comes to data protection tools and user privacy. With iOS 14, Apple is giving iPhone and iPad owners even more power over their data, ranging from better location options to tracking controls that require an app to be more transparent about the data it collects about you, and how the …
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