In a hotel opposite Central Park, my 10-year-old son Alex and I are sitting in a room full of cardboard, and the man who dreamed it all up is in the middle of it. Nintendo invited both me and my son to interview Tsubasa Sakaguchi, the Director and Software Lead for Nintendo Labo, including the …
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This weekend, the Easter Bunny takes care of one basket; allow me to take care of another. I mean your shopping basket, of course, because there are a few good deals to be had. For starters, Best Buy has a pair of TVs worth considering. If you already own a media-streaming device like an Amazon Fire TV or a Roku, …
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In the market for a new laptop? This might be the ideal time to see if a Chromebook is the right option for you. The price is certainly right: Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the refurbished HP Chromebook 14-ca043cl for $199.99, with free shipping for Prime subscribers. (Amazon owns Woot.) Elsewhere, I’m seeing it new for $325. …
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At first glance, Sphero’s newest robotic toy looks like an RC car. In a lot of ways, that’s what it is. Sphero’s co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Adam Wilson, drives the tread-wheeled little tank-thing around with a phone app. It’s zippy, can spin and pivot, and has good traction. It also looks cute, but almost like something that came from …
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I’m looking at a Lego brick construction sitting on our office table and I don’t know what to make of it. It’s an old mansionlike building that feels Harry Potter-esque. The building’s sides bend down, windows flip open and now it’s a snarling beast. I’m handed a phone, and I aim an app at the bricks. I see virtual ghosts …
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If there’s one thing that both the Trump and Obama White Houses agree upon, it’s the importance of computer science education for children in America. Because of how digitally entrenched the world is getting, coding skills (at least at a basic level) are becoming nearly as essential as reading, writing, and math. I’ve taught computer programming at the college level …
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In an early rehearsal for Black Friday this year, Target has posted a bunch of deals online for one day only. And that day is today: Thursday, Nov. 1. All of the deals posted today are available at Target.com, though some may also be found at retail locations. Here are the best deals we’ve spotted so far: Disclaimer: CNET may get …
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Where, oh where will we buy cheaply made electronic toys now? Toys R Us is gone, and now mall fixture Brookstone is joining it in brick-and-mortar purgatory. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankcruptcy today, and has just announced it’ll be closing all 101 of its stores in shopping malls around the United States. Technically, it isn’t dead quite yet, …
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GoPro is hitching a ride with Hot Wheels, as the two companies team up to create the first die-cast toy car that attaches to a GoPro action camera. That means Hot Wheels fans can capture video of fast-flying toy car stunts from the driver’s seat, so to speak. The Hot Wheels car itself isn’t high-tech. Called the Zoom In, the …
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Today we bid farewell to Nintendo’s first, unlamented effort at a mobile game, Miitomo. The company had started its slow death back in January, but today the site’s home page informed what’s left of its fans that the servers have shut down, and points you to its collection of Miiphoto memories.
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