Chinese tech at CES: Politics is temporary, business is permanent

At the start of 2018, the US imposed a series of tariffs on Chinese products ranging from solar cells through to home appliances. It was the escalation of rhetoric between the two countries over fears that the US-China trade deficit had bec…

The New York Times expands its briefing series on Alexa

The New York Times is expanding its slate of audio programming to Alexa, with dedicated daily news briefings, quizzes and arts and travel coverage. On weekdays, the paper will offer a news briefing hosted by The Daily's Michael Barbaro. Onc…

The ‘Minecraft’ movie will now be directed by Peter Sollett

The Warner Bros. Minecraft movie has a new director... again. Variety reports that Peter Sollett is now on board to write and direct the long-awaited movie, which was at one point supposed to be released in May of this year. However, produc…

Everywhere we found AirPlay 2 at CES 2019

As is tradition, Apple was once again infamously absent at the biggest technology show of the year, CES. The company hasn't actually stayed out of the headlines over the past week, however. Apple didn't do any announcing of its own, but it …

Google kills its Chromecast Audio dongle

If you've been thinking about whether to pick up a Chromecast Audio to make your audio setup a little smarter, you should probably make your mind up quickly. Google has confirmed it's discontinuing the device.

'Choose Your Own Adventure' publisher sues Netflix over 'Bandersnatch'

Netflix's choose-your-own-adventure style film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is the subject of a new lawsuit, brought against the streaming giant by Chooseco LLC. The company is known for publishing the "Choose Your Own Adventure" book series …

China cracks down on Twitter users critical of its government

It won't surprise you to hear that China keeps a tight lid on homegrown social networks, but it's now doing more to stifle free expression on outside networks, too. The New York Times reported that Chinese law enforcement recently began a c…

'Red Dead Online' gets a 32-player battle royale mode

Rockstar continues to expand the Red Dead Online beta, and its latest update will seem particularly familiar. The studio has added a Gun Rush mode that's effectively a one-for-one parallel to the battle royale modes you see in Fortnite, PU…

Researchers may have witnessed the birth of a black hole

Researchers believe they might have an explanation for an incredibly bright event that took place in a distant dwarf galaxy. Scientists observed it last June when the object in question lit up and then faded over the course of 16 days, and …

Government shutdown has left several US agency websites inaccessible

Agency websites are among the many facets of the US government that the ongoing shutdown has affected, as more than 80 TLS certificates on government sites have reportedly expired. Even though federal employees could have renewed them well …

Caper's smart shopping cart uses AI to skip checkout lines

From cashierless Amazon Go stores to Walmart's self-driving vans for food drop-offs, tech is revolutionizing grocery shopping with an emphasis on speed and convenience. Now a lesser-known startup is entering the fray with its AI-powered sho…

'New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe' hits the Nintendo eShop

Nintendo has given another stellar Wii U title the deluxe Switch treatment in the hopes that more people will play it on a system that's actually popular. We're talking about New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, which is available today on the N…

CES 2019 recap: it's a wrap!

'Baby Shark' has gone so viral it's now a Billboard Top 40 song

Unless you spent the latter half of 2018 on the moon with your hands over your ears, it's highly likely you're at least aware of Baby Shark, the infectious kids' song and scourge of parents everywhere. So popular is this viral sensation tha…

'Bird Box' writer will lead Netflix fantasy series 'Shadow and Bone'

Netflix has put in an eight-episode order for Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows Grishaverse fantasy novels. And it's probably not just because the books in those series are bestsellers -- we'll bet the fact that the show was …

US Secret Service is probing how crooks use smart credit cards for fraud

Credit card thieves have been taking advantage of smart card technologies to avoid getting caught, according to Krebs on Security. The US Secret Service offices in New York and St. Louis have apparently been working on a criminal investigat…

Germany outlaws Amazon's one-click Dash buttons

Amazon has run afoul of consumer protection laws in Germany over its click-to-buy Dash buttons for Prime members. A Munich regional court ordered the company to stop taking orders from the dinky devices because they fail to provide customer…

The Morning After: Best of CES / Want to see a Starship?

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. We're preparing to wrap things up in Las Vegas and head home after a long week at CES. Before we go, we'll leave you with the Best of CES and a few more things we saw on the show floor. Congratulations…

Report: Apple plans three new iPhones, one may have three rear cameras

Apple will introduce a triple-camera iPhone this year and another lower-priced LED model, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite supposedly sluggish sales of its current iPhone XR LED model, the news means the company still wants a d…

Final Fantasy X, X-2 and XII come to the Switch this April

If you've wrapped up Octopath Traveler and are patiently waiting for Dragon Quest XI to reach the Switch, good news: Square Enix has a bunch of classic JRPGs heading to Nintendo's portable-console hybrid. The remastered versions of Final Fa…

CBS Super Bowl coverage features augmented reality and 8K

CBS has big, high-tech plans for its Super Bowl LIII coverage this February. To start with, it's using 14 cameras, including aerial systems, to create live virtual graphic elements designed to blend into the background. The network promises…