Enlarge ImageHere is the unofficial cover for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," which will become the eighth book in the series. Pottermore The Wizarding World was ecstatic when J.K. Rowling revealed that "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the official sequel to the Potter heptalogy, was coming...

A bill being introduced in Congress wants to make sure your smartphone data can remain encrypted. Jason Cipriani/CNET Imagine not being able to buy an iPhone in your state because the phone's data is protected by encryption. A couple of Congressmen are trying to make sure a scenario like that can't ...

RoadshowAuto TechFeds declare that Google's self-driving car is its own driverEnlarge ImageNHTSA determined that the computer inside Google's self-driving car is a driver for purposes of the car's design. Wayne Cu ingham/CNET US regulations detail much of how cars are designed, from steering wheel p...

Enlarge ImageLorenzo WoodWe've seen a galaxy full of fantabulous geeky cakes, including this epic Legend of Zelda concoction and this deliciously adorable BB-8 cake. Star Wars fan Lorenzo Wood pulled off a stu ing "Force Awakens" cake complete with working special effects for his son Alexander's nin...

Technology is supposed to make our lives better, but it's making some people's lives worse.A recent survey found Califo ians have a low opinion of the tech industry that's helping fuel its economy. Nearly half of respondents in the San Francisco Bay Area said the tech industry is hurting the middle ...

Enlarge ImageOpera is looking to the East. Opera Opera Software intends to accept a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from a group of Chinese companies. The Norway-based company said Wednesday its board unanimously recommends that shareholders approve the bid, which would give the browser maker a stron...

Enlarge ImageTwitter is offering users the option of surfacing important tweets at the top of their timelines. Jason Cipriani/CNET Your Twitter timeline is definitely getting a new look. It's up to you what to make of it. The social network on Wednesday unveiled a feature that gives users the option...

LG is on the verge of a ouncing the G5, which we now know will have an always-on screen. LG LG Electronics is trying to drum up excitement over the launch of the G5, its next flagship Android phone, with an image revealing what's likely to be the device's most distinctive feature.The animated image,...

Enlarge Image Opera Norway-based Opera Software has received a $1.2 billion acquisition offer from a group of Chinese companies, and has indicated its intends to accept.The company on Wednesday said its board is unanimously recommending shareholders approve the takeover, which will give the browser-...

Amazing how much lightning can strike our planet in a short time #Principia#timelapsehttps://t.co/XijV5E1pI0— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) February 9, 2016 We all know what lightning looks like from the ground. It's a splashy flash of jagged light, usually followed by a big boom. That can be startlin...

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.The photo that has since disappeared. Tim Cook/Twitter screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET And there we were -- or at least I was -- thinking that Tim Cook was able to forget about being Apple CEO for a few ...

A new polymer boasts traits that seem pulled straight from the pages of a comic book. The material, developed by University of Rochester scientists, can be triggered to change shape when it comes in contact with body heat, and in the process it lifts 1,000 times its own mass. The super-polymer could...

RoadshowAuto TechFeds declare that Google's self-driving car is its own driverEnlarge ImageNHTSA determined that the computer inside Google's self-driving car is a driver for purposes of the car's design. Wayne Cu ingham/CNET US regulations detail much of how cars are designed, from steering wheel p...

Tesla's next electric vehicle, the Model 3, won't hit the road until 2017 at the earliest. But CEO Elon Musk has said that you can reserve one as early as March 2016. With starting prices said to be around $35,000, it would be Tesla's most affordable car yet. (Tesla's latest vehicle, the $80,000-plu...

Michael Breuer/Radius Images/Corbis The Federal Aviation Administration wants airlines to think twice about carrying lithium batteries. But don't worry, you're still allowed to bring your laptop and phone with you on a flight. The FAA on Tuesday issued a safety alert urging airlines to examine the r...

A new polymer boasts traits that seem pulled straight from the pages of a comic book. The material, developed by University of Rochester scientists, can be triggered to change shape when it comes in contact with body heat, and in the process it lifts 1,000 times its own mass. The super-polymer could...

Enlarge ImageCockroach-bot isn't worried about being flattened. Tom Libby/Kaushik Jayaram/Pauline Je ings/PolyPEDAL Lab UC Berkeley There are cute robots. There are helpful robots. There are unhelpful robots. And then there's one that will elicit a shriek because it's a mechanical version of a cockr...

If ever there were a classical artist most likely to get tattooed, it would have been Gustave Courbet, whose self-portrait is seen here. Described as a "painter, provocateur, risk taker and revolutionary" by Smithsonian Magazine, Courbet shook up the Paris art world in the mid-1800s by painting thin...

Online retailer Amazon continues its push into gaming today with the a ouncement of Amazon Lumberyard. It's a free, cross-platform, 3D game engine that the company says is capable of delivering the "highest quality games," featuring "beautiful worlds, realistic characters, and stu ing real-time effe...

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.Enlarge ImageDonald Trump. Serial retweeter. De is Van Tine/MediaPunch/Corbis When you become president, you're not merely the decider. You're the explainer.This is a role leading Republican presidential can...