As part of CNET’s job chronicling the best tech released every year, our team of expert reviewers spends time trying out dozens of the top products in consumer technology — everything from smartphones to Wi-Fi routers to gaming systems to TVs and wearable devices. That often means putting them through a variety of tests in …
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CNET names 2019’s top tech products of the year
A ton of new tech came flying at us again in 2019. But weeding out the minor upgrades and the products that aren’t ready for prime time from the stuff that’s actually worth your hard-earned money is what CNET’s all about. Our team kicked the tires on a lot of new products, and a bunch of those ended up in …
Read More »VR sales on the upswing, thanks to Facebook’s Oculus Quest
Virtual reality‘s promise has always been at least a little enticing: Strap on a headset that puts a screen so close to your eyes it tricks your brain into thinking you’re piloting a spaceship on the other side of the galaxy, or deep-sea diving with a blue whale, or taking lightsaber lessons from Darth Vader. But sales since the latest …
Read More »Google Shopping 100 showcases season’s top trending gifts
With less than two weeks left to finish your holiday gift shopping, you may be getting a little nervous about what to give that hard-to-shop-for friend or family member. If you’re looking for inspiration, Google may have the solution. The web giant on Tuesday unveiled Google Shopping 100, a new microsite that highlights products that are trending on Google searches …
Read More »Microsoft to replace Wunderlist app with To Do in May 2020
Microsoft announced Monday that effective May 6, it’s finally sunsetting the Wunderlist app that it acquired four years ago with the purchase of 6Wunderkinder. Two years ago, Microsoft built its own To Do list-making app, incorporating many of the features from Wunderlist. Wunderlist will still be available in the meantime, and all user data will be accessible to export or …
Read More »Oculus Quest now works without controllers, sometimes
Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR headset keeps getting new features. Last month, it added USB-C PC tethering for running more powerful Oculus Rift apps. Now, it can work without controllers, using the headset’s external cameras to track your finger motion and hand movement. Earlier this fall, hand tracking was unveiled as a feature coming in early 2020. It’s part of Facebook CEO …
Read More »Samsung’s Star Wars Galaxy Note 10 Plus wants you to embrace darkness
Samsung is getting in on The Rise of Skywalker hype with a limited edition Star Wars Galaxy Note 10 Plus. The phone is styled after Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, with a sleek black body, red accents and a First Order logo etched on the back. It comes with a specially designed leather case, a metal badge for collectors, an S …
Read More »5G and face tracking: The weird future of VR headsets like Oculus Quest and HoloLens
VR headsets take you places and AR headsets show you things in the real world that aren’t really there. The next step is likely to be a wave of camera-filled VR headsets that are going to blend the real world with the virtual. They’ll also be able to track your room and your face at the same time. Call it …
Read More »Qualcomm is pushing connectivity to cheaper computers but still faces hurdles
The day before Qualcomm kicked off its Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii, rival Intel invited reporters to take a short drive. It had rented a $2,500-a-night villa in a nearby hotel, and it wanted to show how computers using its chips compared to those with Qualcomm processors. Intel had demos running in one of the rooms, showing how much faster …
Read More »Reddit: Bill Gates’ AMA was the most upvoted in 2019
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ Reddit AMA (ask me anything) post was the most upvoted in 2019, the massive forum site said in its year in review blog post on Wednesday. In 2019, Reddit saw more than 430 million monthly active users (a 30% increase from the year before), 199 million posts, 1.7 billion comments and 32 billion upvotes. Gates’ AMA …
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