Joanna Cole, author of The Magic School Bus books, dies at 75 - CNET

Creator of Ms. Frizzle was inspired by her own fifth-grade science teacher.

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How to catch Neowise, the brightest comet in more than 20 years - CNET

One of the most spectacular comets in decades offers a rare opportunity for skywatchers this month.

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Here's how to see five planets and the moon without a telescope on Sunday - CNET

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will put on a show.

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The best VPN service for 2020 - CNET

A virtual private network lets you send and receive data while remaining anonymous and secure online.

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You can still stream Hamilton on Disney Plus, but there is no free trial offer. How to watch - CNET

Everything you need to know about watching the Broadway movie musical online from your TV, phone or desktop.

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Sick of your view? WindowSwap site lets you peek out another window for a change - CNET

Submit a video from your window, or gaze at the ocean views, skyscrapers, or mountains that others get to see every day.

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Celebrate Christopher Nolan Day by buying classic movies at a discount - CNET

Actually, it's just the 10th anniversary of Inception, but there are good prices on his movies anyway.

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Latest Tech News

Kobo is giving Amazon a lot of competition – the company's Clara HD can go toe-to-toe with the Kindle Paperwhite, while last year's Libra H2O is a more affordable alternative to the premium Kindle Oasis. 

Now, Kobo is giving the entry-level ereader market a stab, announcing the new Nia to take on the basic Kindle. The Nia replaces the now-discontinued Kobo Aura, the company's former entry-level ereader, and shares some of the latter's key specs. 

Like the Aura, the Kobo Nia features a 6-inch display with a screen resolution of 1024 x 758 pixels, which translates to 212 pixels per inch (ppi). That puts it ahead of the Kindle's 167ppi 6-inch display, giving Kobo an edge over its Amazon rival.

• Amazon Kindle vs Kindle Paperwhite
• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle Oasis
• Best Kindle to buy in 2020

Light reading

The latest E Ink technology and a brand-new 1GHz processor means the Nia gets a massive performance boost over its predecessor. It also doubles up on internal storage with 8GB of space (as compared to the Aura's 4GB) that will hold a library of about 6,000 ebooks. In some markets, like in the US, the Kindle comes with just 4GB of internal storage (although in Australia it's only available in the 8GB flavor), which gives the Nia another edge over the Amazon alternative.

Kobo's patented ComfortLight technology has made its way to the Nia, offering a front-lit screen whose brightness can be adjusted by just swiping along the left edge of the device. There's also a 1,000mAh battery that, Kobo promises, will offer weeks of reading per charge. 

All of Kobo's ereaders – the Nia included – come with baked-in OverDrive support, meaning users in Australia, Canada, the US, the UK, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore will be able to borrow ebooks from their local library – a great money-saving tool.

The Nia is also very portable, with similar dimensions to the Kindle and the Clara HD. It measures 112.4mm wide, 159.3mm long and has a thickness of 9.2 mm, and weighs just 172g. 

The Kobo Nia is available now in select countries directly from the Kobo Store or from major retailers for $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149.95. That's a little higher than the 10th-generation Kindle's price tag of $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$139, but you are getting a higher resolution screen.

• Read more: Kobo Forma review

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Latest Tech News

In September last year, Google launched Play Pass in the US, a subscription app and game service for Android that's similar to Apple Arcade, the iPhone and iPad service which launched at almost exactly the same time. Starting today, Play Pass isn’t just for Americans.

Google has announced in a blog post that the service is “coming to Android devices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom this week”.

If you live in one of these regions, the option to sign up should soon appear within the Play Store app's menu – at the time of writing, it wasn't yet available in Australia on two separate Pixel phones we tried, so it appears to be rolling out gradually to difference locales. If you're keen on trying the service and can't see it yet, we'd advise checking back in periodically over the next few days.

• Crash Bandicoot is getting a mobile game from the Candy Crush team
• Apple could pull thousands of mobile games from its China App Store
• New Call of Duty game confirmed for 2020, with more free mobile games likely

On top of that wider rollout, Google has added over 150 new apps and games to the existing Play Pass catalog. Whether you’re a new or existing user, you’ll see a wider variety of titles on offer compared with the 350 included apps and games that initially launched last year.

As mentioned earlier, one advantage that Play Pass has over the comparable Apple Arcade service is that it includes certain premium apps as well as games, so if you’re intending on paying for some of these apps anyway, it could be worth the price of a subscription.

There’s also a good deal more gaming titles available on Google’s service when compared with Apple’s. While the latter only adds newly released titles to its library, Play Pass also offers up a number of popular older games, including classics such as Limbo, Terraria and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

For US customers, a new annual subscription for $30 per year will become available at some point in the coming week, which joins the existing $5 per month option. In the UK, you’ll be paying £5 for the month or £30 for the year, while Australians have to fork out AU$8 per month or AU$50 for the year.

For all regions, a one-month trial option is also available, meaning you can check out how the service would work for you before committing.

• Best gaming phone 2020: the top 8 mobile game performers

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Second stimulus check: Could you qualify for another IRS payment? What we know now - CNET

If a second stimulus payment is approved by the House and Senate, would you be eligible for one? And what's this $40,000 limit you're hearing about? This is the update so far.

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Tax return deadline 2020: How to file an extension, estimate returns and more - CNET

Tax Day 2020 is Wednesday, July 15. You still have time to file your taxes or apply for an October extension. We also tell you about the standard deduction, 401(k) plans, health savings accounts and more.

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Latest Tech News

Chuwi AeroBook Plus 4K laptop - $599.99 at AliExpress
(£492.24/AU$877.49)
This laptop from little-known manufacturer Chuwi is the cheapest 4K machine on the market. It certainly looks the part and its specs are decent, but shame about the outdated Intel Core i5-6287U processor. Still, this could be a great option if a super sharp display is your top priority.View Deal

The Chuwi AeroBook Plus was never meant to be the cheapest 4K laptop on the market. Its predecessor, the Laptop Plus, was supposed to hold that crown but the model was pulled (perhaps due to its woefully underpowered processor).

You can pick up this new Chuwi machine for just under $600 (£500/AU$900), excluding region-specific coupons and delivery. AliExpress, the marketplace where Chuwi sells its gears, ships globally (including the US, UK and Australia).

On paper, the Chuwi Aerobook Plus looks a fantastic piece of kit, especially if you're after a screen with one of the highest pixel densities on the market (making it super sharp), spread over 15.6 inches. 

• These are the best business laptops on the market
• Check out our list of the best rugged laptops
• We've built a list of the best business tablets right now

With a full-metal chassis, the Aerobook Plus doesn't look like a cheap device, but corners have been cut in order to reach this exceptionally low price point. 

It runs on an Intel Core i5-6287U processor - a dual-core processor that was launched five years ago. It's still quite competitive thanks to a very high base clock speed, but we can't see why Chuwi didn't opt for a more recent model.

The rest of the specification is decent; 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB SATA SSD, Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a 55WHr battery that can power the laptop for an estimated eight hours, a plethora of ports and a weight starting at 1.7kg.

• Here's our choice of the best mobile workstations available

Bear in mind

• If this product comes from mainland China, it will take at least a month to reach either the US, UK or Australia (and potentially more). You may be levied a tax either directly or through the courier.
• If you've managed to get your hands on a cheaper product with equivalent specifications, in stock and brand new, let us know and we'll tip our hat to you.

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Following yesterday's teaser and online leak, Lego and Nintendo have officially revealed their latest collaboration – the Lego Nintendo Entertainment System.

In this 2,646 brick set, users will be able to build a slightly smaller Lego version of the original NES console, along with a 1:1 scale replica of an NES controller (with pressable buttons), a Super Mario Bros game cartridge (which can actually be inserted into the console), and a mini television to round out the retro-tastic experience.

• These are the best Lego sets
• And these are the best Super Mario games
• These are the best toys to check out

As if that wasn't cool enough, the television itself is interactive, with a hand-crank on its side that lets you 'play' a scrolling course while an 8-bit Mario navigates across the screen.

Additionally, users will be able to place the interactive figure from Lego's Super Mario Starter Course on top of the TV, where the plumber will "react to on-screen enemies, obstacles and power-ups – all while the original game's theme tune is playing," as stated on Lego's website.

To get an idea of how that will work in practice, check out the video below, in which Lego lead designer Jonathan Bennink shows off the "NES-talgic" Lego set.

The Lego Nintendo Entertainment System will arrive on August 1, 2020 priced at $229.99 (£209.99 / AU$349.95). While the set isn't available to pre-order just yet, you can add it your wish list now on the official Lego website.

• The best Super Mario games: from Bros. to Odyssey, NES to Switch

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Latest Gadgets News

OnePlus Nord will be up for pre-orders today, July 15, in India starting at 1:30pm via Amazon. Even though not a lot of details about the OnePlus Nord have been confirmed till now, there is a lot of hype for the phone as it will be a budget friendly offering from the company that steadily increased its smartphone prices over the years.

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Latest Tech News

As so many of us continue to work, study or teach from home, it’s arguably never been more important to have a fast and reliable internet connection.

In an Australian first, Telstra is now guaranteeing wall-to-wall Wi-Fi coverage in the homes of its NBN customers, with a slight catch.

The guarantee comes with the purchase of the telco’s Smart Wi-Fi Booster, which comes at an additional cost on top of your broadband plan, and needs to be paired with the Telstra Smart Modem to deliver stable coverage everywhere in the home.

If you’ve been experiencing spotty coverage at home, the Smart Wi-Fi Booster is available on Telstra NBN plans for an extra AU$12 a month over 24-months, or alternatively AU$288 upfront.

• NBN plan comparison: the best value options, handpicked
• These are the fastest NBN plans in Australia
• Just need the basics? We've found the cheapest NBN plans

Is this for you?

People who live in larger, double brick, or multi-story homes are most likely to benefit from adding a Wi-Fi extender to their home network, as devices across different rooms can struggle to reach a far away modem.

As part of this new guarantee, Telstra says that it’ll work with customers who buy the Smart Wi-Fi Booster to ensure it reaches every room, and it may send up to three extra devices at no additional cost to get you there.

Telstra’s Wi-Fi extender uses EasyMesh technology – the official mesh wireless standard backed by the Wi-Fi Alliance – so connected devices will switch to the strongest Wi-Fi signal as they move around the house to reduce dropouts.

The telco says the system also monitors the connection, and can help pinpoint problems so customers can potentially solve common issues themselves. If required, Telstra has also stated that it will send up to three additional boosters to each household to ensure good coverage – and at no extra cost to the user.

Telstra says if customers aren’t happy with their coverage after 30 days, they’re able to cancel their repayment plan at no cost and receive a one-month credit.

• PSA: Don't get stung by Telstra's new mandatory mobile plan swap

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