Technology 9 great reads from CNET this week

The short workweek before Thanksgiving is typically a slow time for tech news, and that was certainly true this year. Aside, that is, from the nonstop churn of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Also on the retail front, Amazon gave front-line workers a $300 bonus, even as it faced the prospect of Black Friday protests.

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New vaccine technology could help end the pandemic -- and future pandemics, too.

We had been watching out for some sort of resolution in the the US vs. TikTok saga, but it wasn't to be. Instead, the US government punted again, resetting the deadline for a potential sale of TikTok's US operations until Dec. 4. On the weirder side, a mysterious metal monolith, reminiscent of the one in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, appeared in the remote Utah desert, prompting a quest for answers.

From The Pathless to Fantasian: All the Apple Arcade games we can't wait to play

Apple Arcade adds more games every week. Here's what we're still waiting on and excited to play next.Read more: Apple Arcade offers 3-month free trial with new Apple device purchase

CNET News staff. May 15, 2020 2:00 p.m. PT. For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website. As countries and states continue to loosen their coronavirus restrictions, we've been keeping an eye out this week for what that means for technology

CNET Weekly News. Get a roundup of tech news, featuring the best and most important stories from each week . Here are the week 's stories you don't want to miss: How COVID-19 infected the world with lies. Misinformation has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, spreading faster and further than

We did also have a number of in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries, including a look back at the top tech fails of 2020. So here you go, these are the stories from the past week that you don't want to miss:

Coronavirus mRNA vaccines won't just end the pandemic, they could change vaccines forever

Two mRNA vaccine candidates show promise in knocking out the pandemic. The technology used to develop them could herald more breakthroughs.

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GPS rules everything. And it's getting a big upgrade

It's a lot more than just driving directions. GPS, managed by the US Space Force, is embedded throughout the high-tech world we live in.

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The biggest tech fails of 2020

Commentary: From torrents of misinformation to the fall of Quibi, these tech flops stood out in a dumpster fire of a year.

See what your favorite country music stars looked like at the beginning of their careers

You won't believe what these country singers looked like way back when.

CNET Weekly News. Get a roundup of tech news, featuring the best and most important stories from each week . Samsung has succeeded in making a follow-up foldable phone that turns almost everything we hated about the original Galaxy Fold into something great .

CNET explored the problem this week from many perspectives, even from a remote school district in Alaska. Meanwhile, TikTok's CEO resigned as For more like this . Subscribe to the Mobile newsletter, receive notifications and see related stories on CNET . Here are the week 's stories you don't want to

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Charli D'Amelio first person to hit 100 million TikTok followers

A 16-year-old from Connecticut has achieved social media superstardom by becoming the first person to hit 100 million followers on the platform.

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Why you should buy a Switch Lite and Oculus Quest 2, instead of PS5 or Xbox Series X

If you've got around $500 to spend on gaming hardware, I have an idea for you.

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The PS5 is the weirdest thing I've ever seen

Commentary: The more you think about the PS5's design, the less sense it makes.

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Taylor Swift on Disney Plus: Folklore and firelight will get you all up in your feelings

Commentary: Swift's music thrives in her self-directed film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, which explores the making of an album during a pandemic.

iPhone 12 Pro cameras show off around Lake Tahoe

Sunsets, sunrises, wide vistas and aquamarine waters give ample evidence of another leap forward in mobile photography.This week, I took the iPhone 12 Pro on a short trip to a beautiful place, Lake Tahoe, and found that the Night Mode software and ultrawide lens upgrades are pretty exciting. Let's dive into some of these updates that make the iPhone so great, and gauge how it compares with Apple's previous phone, the iPhone 11 Pro .

Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks of the most important stories of the day. Here are the week 's stories you don't want to miss. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read . Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.

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Hands on: SquareOne wants to be your digital board game table

I tried a prototype of this tabletop touchscreen tablet that promises big-name games.

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These moms found a way to make virtual preschool work

Founders of BumoBrain speak with CNET's Now What on how to engage the youngest of remote learners.

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