Tech Culture

Will gamers bite at a Wii U console that costs $239 instead of $299?

Target is now selling Nintendo's diminutive console at a 20 percent discount off the full retail amount. The $239.99 price is for the 8GB white version of the console; the 32GB black version will still run Target customers the full $349.99.

Target's price may mark a new low for the basic edition of the Wii U. Most retailers charge the full $299.99. Amazon offers a small discount, selling it for $279.

Target's discount may be in order as sales of … Read more

Many Flickr users seem none too happy about the new layout, at least according to a heavy dose of comments posted on the site's help forum.

On Monday, Flickr's parent Yahoo unveiled a slew of changes to the photo-sharing site, revamping the familiar style of the home page, photo page, and photo stream page. The company also increased the free storage space per user to a hefty 1TB and updated its Android app. So, what's the problem?

Several users chiming in on the forum say the photos are now too big and "in your face." Others say the large layout makes it difficult to interact with their fellow Flickr users. And some say they just find the new look confusing and messy. Many of them are asking Yahoo to at least offer them an option to use the old layout.… Read more

Microsoft's next Xbox is already in production, and will start shipping in large numbers in the third quarter, according to a recent report.

The sometimes spotty DigiTimes on Monday reported that Microsoft has already started producing the next version of its Xbox in "small volumes," but has already placed orders for "mass shipments" of the device to kick off in the third quarter, and reach their peak in the fourth quarter. DigiTimes is basing its claims on conversations it had with members of Microsoft's supply chain.

Microsoft is holding a big Xbox event today … Read more

Microsoft is holding its special next-generation Xbox event Tuesday, and you'll be able to get your full dose of the news right here.

The press conference, where Microsoft says it will unveil the next generation of its popular games and entertainment console, kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday, May 21. CNET's Jay Greene, James Martin, and I will be bringing you the news live from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

You can tune in to the live blog and pre-show here:

As … Read more

My high school science project looked at how row covers could help plants grow in cold weather. Not a bad idea, but not nearly as cool as high school student Eesha Khare's science project, the creation of a supercapacitor that could potentially be used to fully charge a cell phone within 20 to 30 seconds.

Khare, an 18-year-old from California, won the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and $50,000 for her participation in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair run by the Society for Science & the Public. Think of it as the world's largest science fair. Khare took home one of the top prizes for "a tiny device that fits inside cell phone batteries, allowing them to fully charge within 20-30 seconds."… Read more

Five months later, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is once again aloft.

United Flight 1 took off from Houston Monday morning en route to Chicago. It marked the first flight of Boeing's next-generation airliner since the entire worldwide fleet of Dreamliners was grounded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in January in the wake of multiple on-board fires.

The fires were found to be related to the plane's batteries, and in the months since then, Boeing and its suppliers have worked to correct the problems. Last month, the FAA approved Boeing's proposed fix to the battery issues, … Read more

Will Google Glass replace our smartphones? Or is it destined to become the biggest failure in Google's history?

Only one thing is for sure: Google Glass is in for a bumpy ride.

Unlike some journalists, I believe that Glass has great potential, especially when developers build more apps for it. Google faces an uphill battle of Everest proportions spurring mass adoption for the device, though. Just because it's "the future" doesn't mean it will be embraced by the public (see: Segway).

I believe Google Glass faces big obstacles in four key areas: privacy, style, usability, … Read more

A former Grand Theft Auto producer at Rockstar Games thinks that the next, next generation in consoles won't have three hardware makers competing for your dollars.

Speaking to Games Industry in an interview published on Monday, Jeremy Pope said the economics of the console market make no sense for there to be three hardware companies competing after the next round of consoles launch.

"It's going to be very challenging for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo," said Pope, who is currently running a mobile startup he founded called Rally Games. "I wouldn't be surprised if we … Read more

Disney said today that it has begun production on "Star Wars Rebels," a new animated television series. It will air in 2014, first as a one-hour special, and then will continue as a regular series.

The special will be shown on the Disney Channel, while the series will air first on Disney XD channels globally, Disney said. It will be produced by LucasFilm Animation.

The announcement that production has commenced on "Star Wars Rebels" comes just two months after Disney shut down "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a popular and long-running cartoon series. What's unclear is whether the announcement of "Star Wars Rebels" will do anything to ease the enmity toward Disney that has sprung up in the wake of the "Clone Wars" shutdown, as well as the closure of LucasArts, the video game arm of LucasFilm. … Read more