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, …
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Samsung expects 58% profit bump in the third quarter
The slowdown in tech doesn’t appear to be weighing on Samsung as much as it has in the past. The company on Wednesday predicted its operating profit for the third quarter would come in around 12.3 trillion won ($10.6 billion), an increase of 58% compared with the year-ago period. It also said its revenue increased by nearly 5% to 66 …
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 »xCloud, now Xbox cloud gaming: Games, pricing and more you need to know
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 Pass Ultimate. And as frequently …
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 »Chrome now can find hacked passwords on Android and iPhones
Chrome running on your smartphone now can check whether your passwords have been hacked. The feature previously worked on personal computers, but now works on Apple iPhones and devices powered by Google’s Android, the company said Tuesday. The feature sends usernames and passwords to Google servers to check if they’ve been compromised in known data breaches. Google itself can’t see …
Read More »The camera that taught me how to see the world
When I was a kid and it came time for family snapshots, my dad was always heads-down. Chin to chest, eyes locked onto a camera grasped in both hands at waist height. Left hand to steady, right hand to work the controls. This was no point-and-shoot. Not like the plastic Kodak Instamatic 44 I would receive as a 12th birthday …
Read More »Google’s Fitbit deal may win EU approval despite concerns from rivals, report says
Google’s $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit is getting some pushback in the European Union. Rival makers of wearables are reportedly concerned that the search giant’s promises on using Fitbit’s data for advertising don’t go far enough. According to the Financial Times, several “major hardware makers and leading cloud services providers” have raised issues with the EU about some of the …
Read More »Pixel 4A 5G is the unusual $500 phone that gives you 5G without skimping on the camera
In a world where nearly every handset maker is selling a 5G phone, Google did something unusual: It made a less expensive 5G device that doesn’t compromise on the features consumers care about the most — especially the camera. The company’s new $499 Pixel 4A 5G packs in the same superfast 5G connectivity as Google’s new $699 Pixel 5 flagship, as well …
Read More »Get a Mophie dual wireless charging pad for 78% off
Wireless charging pads are priced like gas stations — they’re all over the map. You can find no-name discount models for a couple of Hamiltons, but reputable and well-known brands price theirs at a premium. Mophie’s dual-coil pad, for example, sells for $70 at Apple. But right now, you can get the Mophie Dual Wireless Charging Pad for just $15 …
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