Top technology news headlines

• 

  Will the 'smartbook' be a better Netbook?

  At least two companies aim to make smartbooks different enough from laptops--and Netbooks--that consumers will take notice. Think of the device as a large smartphone.

  Read full story
• 

  Google has its own
  plan for Netbooks

  No, the search giant isn't saying it will build a Netbook. But it sure knows what it would like one running Chrome OS to resemble, and it's a little different from the Netbook of today.
  • Screenshot tour of Chrome OS
  • Mozilla: No interest in Firefox OS

  Read full story

• Firefox: Heat and the CPU usage problem

  Mozilla's browser doesn't efficiently use computer's CPU and can cause overheating problems in some laptops, particularly ultraportables.

  (Posted in Nanotech - The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

• GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks

  Google will shut down site for GrandCentral, which it acquired and reworked into Google Voice. Users should backup old messages now.

  (Posted in Wireless by Michelle Meyers)

• High-tech babysitters get drivers off phone?

  Which is safer: technology that disables a cell phone in a moving car, or that makes the conversation completely hands-free?
  (From The New York Times)

• McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'

  Shoppers and retailers aren't the only ones gearing up for the holidays. Criminals are out in full force with plenty of scams to separate you and your money

  (Posted in Safe and Secure by Larry Magid)

• Top-rated reviews of the week (photos)

  Here are a few of CNET Reviews' favorite items from the past week, including the Alienware M15x, Synology Disk Station DS409slim, and the Sonos ZonePlayer S5.

• Another (loud, fuzzy) peek at Wired's tablet edition

  What will Conde Nast magazines look like once they show up on tablet computers made by Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and others? This video gives you an idea.

  (Posted in Digital Media by Peter Kafka, AllThingsD)

• Nook sold out for the holidays

  Barnes & Noble has announced on its Web site that its much-anticipated e-book reader, the Nook, is sold out through 2009. Is that good news for Amazon?

  (Posted in Crave by David Carnoy)

• Large Hadron Collider up and running again

  The world's biggest particle accelerator is in full operation after a year of repairs.

  (Posted in Cutting Edge by Karen Friar)

• Windows 8 in 2012?

  It's not clear what Microsoft's desktop plans are, but the Windows Server team included slides at PDC suggesting a new major release coming around 2012.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• Hacked e-mails fuel climate change skeptics

  The e-mails and documents hacked from a computer server at a British university will undoubtedly raise questions about the actions of some scientists.
  (From The New York Times)

• Electric-car maker Tesla preparing IPO

  An IPO filing for the electric-car start-up is expected any day, according to sources. Public offering would be the first from a U.S. automaker since Ford Motor shares debuted in 1956.

  (Posted in Green Tech by Reuters)

• Brin: Google's OSes likely to converge

  Puzzled onlookers have wondered why Google is overseeing two separate operating-system projects. Co-founder Sergey Brin thinks that at some point the two will become one.

  (Posted in Relevant Results by Tom Krazit)

• Sinofsky's Windows plan: More data, less testosterone

  In an interview, the president of Microsoft's Windows unit tells CNET why he does things the way he does.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
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