Crave

Some ideas are so obvious that when announced, one's first reaction is to ask, "Wait, weren't we already doing it that way?" Such is the case with laptops featuring both integrated and discrete graphics processors, and Nvidia's new system for juggling them, called Optimus.

Common sense dictates that laptops with both a discrete GPU and standard integrated graphics should be able to switch between the two at will. After all, why waste battery life powering a GeForce card when you're just surfing the Web or sending an e-mail? Many laptops currently offer this option, commonly called switchable graphics, including select MacBook Pro models and systems from Asus, Sony, and others.

The Nvidia Optimus test tool, showing the GPU turned off and on.

Unfortunately, until now, this required one to manually flip a switch to turn the discrete GPU off or on. Sometimes this was a software switch, sometimes an actual physical switch on the laptop. This kludgey system presents many problems. First, one has to remember to activate the GPU before launching a game or other graphics-intensive task, and then turn it off after (or risk killing your battery). Second, many mainstream users may not even know they have switchable graphics, and will simply leave the GPU permanently off or on, defeating the purpose altogether.

Some laptops label the two modes with unclear names such as "high performance" or "better battery life," which doesn't really spell out exactly what you're doing when you activate the mode. Even worse, some laptops require you to close all your apps and log out to switch modes (we're looking at you, MacBook Pro).

With Nvidia's new Optimus technology, that basic task of turning the discrete GPU on and off when appropriate has been automated. The company describes the process, saying, "Users can now experience the full performance benefits of a discrete GPU with the battery life of an integrated graphics solution. Nvidia Optimus automatically, instantaneously, and seamlessly optimizes the notebook to offer the best performance or best battery life depending on the application."

A More Perfect Union

(Credit: Schneids/The 404)

If you've ever petitioned Facebook to add a "Dislike" button to the site, you might get a kick out of a new antisocial networking site that lets your friends anonymously rag on you from the privacy of their homes. Failin.gs is currently in beta, but soon you'll be able to hit your friends up for anonymous comments about your mundane status updates. No, it doesn't integrate with Facebook itself (thankfully), but hopefully it'll force you to think twice about telling everyone what you had for dinner last night.

After 30 years of the same boring design, Heinz finally wised up and redesigned its ketchup packets. Fans of fast food will be treated to a new packet that opens up on BOTH ends: the top features the same tear-off perforation, but the new bottom opens to reveal a section for dunking your fries, which happens to be one of the most popular applications for the condiment! Check out this video on CBSNews.com for more details and look for the new packets coming to fast food joints near you!

Doppelganger week!

(Credit: The 404 )

Last week's viral "Post your doppelganger to Facebook" meme might violate Facebook's terms of service, but we're featuring our own celebrity photos on today's episode anyway...with a twist. Check out our cartoon doppelgangers above and let us know what you think: does Wilson really look like the Asian kid from "Up?" Does Jeff turn into a green-faced ogre at night? And should I seriously consider growing a goatee? Sound off by leaving us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET or send an e-mail to the404(at)cnet{dot}com.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(Credit: Maahstud/The404)

We kick off today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast with a fun story about the Nestle Crunch Hotline number. The company's latest viral campaign offers a series of hidden menus within the prerecorded call center that lets callers choose between English, Spanish, and Pig Latin language options. You can also choose to hear prerecorded knock-knock jokes, "funner game options," and the weirdest feature of all, which lets you listen to the sound of bubble wrap. We attempt to call the number during the show, but the line is so popular that we keep getting busy signals, so call 1-800-295-0051 if you have time to waste after listening to our show.

Jeff also brings us an amazing deal from Dell for the new Alienware M11x. It won our Best of CES 2010 award and, judging by its size, it's comparable to a gaming Netbook. You get an 11.6-inch display and a 1.3GHz Pentium SU4100 processor inside as well as a battery with 2 hours of gaming play and 6.5 hours of standby time. Best of all, the gaming rig comes in at a base price of $799. No, we're not working on the Alienware payroll, but with portable gaming systems dropping in price, the appeal of PC gaming is bigger than ever and we thought our listeners would appreciate this deal. Check it out!

Lots more stories in the rundown today, including a $7,000 talking sex robot, a T-shirt that all predators will enjoy, the new Sonic the Hedgehog 4 trailer, and more!

The Gabriel Knight series is an adventure classic, and a great match for Netbooks.

(Credit: Activision)

Since we put together our first Netbook-friendly PC game list, we've gotten many excellent suggestions from readers for new additions. We've also finally seen some long-awaited new entries from the classic Sierra/Activision library come to the popular GOG.com retro gaming Web site (including one of our long-time faves, Gabriel Knight), which gives us even more to choose from.

The new 2010 crop of Netbooks sadly don't offer much in the way for performance improvements. Instead, systems with the latest Intel Atom N450 CPU have made big gains in battery life. That's always a plus, but it also means our standard admonitions about not expecting too much from your Netbook in terms of performance remain in effect. That said, this collection (which includes links to download or play the games themselves) should help make your Netbook a pretty decent mobile gaming machine.

Updated: Twenty-five great games you can play on a Netbook (photos)

Like just about everyone else on the planet, you broke down and purchased a Netbook. After all, these low-cost, low-power laptops are great for tossing in your bag for a trip, working at the coffee shop, or just taking to class.

You knew all along that these systems were not made for gaming, and obviously you planned to spend all your time doing Netbook-like things such as Web surfing and working on office docs. Still, somewhere along the way, the thought crept in--maybe I can find some games that'll run on an Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics...

In the name of science, we loaded up a wide variety of games and asked friends and associates what games they had successfully played, all to help us compile this list of Netbook-friendly titles. They range from free to around $20; some are re-released PC classics, some are Web-based casual games, and a few are even from that fast-growing social-gaming genre found on Facebook (such as FarmVille).

Browse through the slideshow below to see our current favorites (and links to where you can download or play them). Bookmark this page for periodic updates as we find new games, or suggest your own Netbook favorites in the comments section below. Most of these will run on any Netbook with Windows 7 or XP, 1GB of RAM, and an Intel Atom processor. A handful are recommended only for Netbooks with Nvidia's Ion graphics.

Note: If you dig into your old dusty CD and DVD binders, there's no doubt you can find a ton of great classic PC games to try (we just found our original discs for both Grim Fandango and System Shock 2), but since your Netbook doesn't have an internal optical drive, we're restricting this list to games one can download from legit online sources, such as Steam or GOG.com.

Update, February 4: We updated this post to include reader suggestions.

> Need more? Follow me at twitter.com/danackerman.
> See our list of Five classic adventure games that need to be rereleased as digital downloads.
> Get a Netbook primer in our Netbook Quick Guide.
> More on Netbooks and video games every week on the Digital City video podcast.

The relationship between TV and PC is a complicated one. Over the years, we've used desktops, laptops, and small form factor machines to act as media centers, networked entertainment hubs, and more recently, as Hulu and streaming-Netflix players.

Our love/hate relationship with getting a PC signal on a large TV screen has recently moved toward ambivalence, as living room game consoles have taken over many streaming media tasks, adding Netflix streaming as well as their own libraries of movies and TV shows to buy or rent.

To that end, one of the CES announcements we were most excited about, at least in theory, was Intel's Wireless Display technology. This combination of hardware and software would allow you to wirelessly stream whatever was on your laptop display to a nearby plasma or LCD TV.

Having seen a few demos of varying effectiveness (which didn't stop the technology from winning CNET's People's Voice award at CES 2010), we were excited to be able to hook up a Wireless Display (or WiDi, as it is also known) setup in the CNET Labs to test it out.

While the underlying technology is part of Intel's 2010 Core series platform, to start it'll be available only in three specific laptops, one each from Dell, Sony, and Toshiba. All three are Best Buy exclusives, but they also, fortunately, come bundled with all the hardware you'll need to hook the WiDi up.

That means these three laptops are WiDi-certified, and each comes bundled with an adapter from Netgear somewhat awkwardly named Push2TV. When and if the WiDi technology gets rolled out on more laptops, the Netgear box will be available separately for $99.

Though there are other ways to wirelessly stream audio and video to your big-screen TV, the possibility of effortlessly mirroring whatever is on your desktops to another display, with near-zero setup, makes this a much better candidate for mainstream adoption.

With a new Toshiba E205 laptop (one of the three initial WiDi models) in hand, and the included Netgear adapter, we set out to test Intel's Wireless Display. In practice, the actual results were not completely effortless, but they came pretty close.

The Sony Vaio E Series

(Credit: Sony)

Sony recently has made some very good HD media-focused laptops sporting big screens, most notably in their F and NW lines. While laptop prices keep dropping, Sony has announced a new line of multimedia laptops that offer new Intel processors and an aggressive price point.

The Sony Vaio E series has a large 15.5-inch screen in resolutions up to 1080p HD, as well as a full keyboard with number pad that runs edge-to-edge across the bottom width of the laptop. With an optional Blu-ray drive, the Vaio E could potentially offer as much as other Blu-ray Vaios do at a price range that Sony quotes as being "about $700." According to Sony's Web site, the Vaio E series prices start at $799.

See, we told you some of the Vaio E's color options were odd.

(Credit: Sony)

The Vaio E's internal components look promising on its spec sheet. The Vaio E has dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon graphics with up to 512MB of video RAM, has either an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 CPU, and it offers hard drives up to 500GB in capacity.

Other notable ports and features include HDMI-out, an eSATA/USB combo port, and a face-tracking Webcam. Continuing a trend in recent Vaios, a discrete "WEB" button will launch up an instant Web browser for those too impatient to tolerate a Windows 7 boot.

If you like colors, a spectrum of "translucent high-gloss" case options are offered up in the E series: Caribbean Green, Iridescent Blue, Coconut White, Hibiscus Pink and Lava Black. Just in case the words "high gloss" freak you out in a laptop, muted colors are offered too: Maple Brown, Silver White and Gunmetal. Sony is now taking preorders on its Web site. Judging by the combinations of colors and optional keyboard skins displayed there, some bold color options are possible, to say the least.

Sony Vaio E Series - photos

This week, we debate the pros and cons of Apple's iPad touchscreen tablet, as well as Intel's new Wireless Display technology; plus, there's some good news for fans of DRM-free gaming.

Related links:
>>Should the Apple iPad be considered a computer?
>>10 things Netbooks still do better than an iPad
>>Classic Activision games go DRM-free

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter! And Scott!

(Credit: Dell)

While optical drive-free larger-screened thin-and-light laptops are not always ideal for the average consumer, they could be the killer app for business travelers. Dell has formally announced the Latitude 13, described as "the world's thinnest 13-inch commercial client laptop," as a solution for businesses that might want to incorporate a device as thin as a Netbook, but with significantly more processing muscle.

(Credit: Dell)

With a look that's nearly identical to the recently-released Vostro 13, the Latitude 13 has a look evolved somewhat from the Adamo school of thin-and-light design, with metallic angles and a clean profile. What the Latitude 13 should offer that the Vostro 13 doesn't is a preinstalled Citrix client, easier virtualization options, and an IT-friendly infrastructure for distributing system images for software updates.

Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and WWAN wireless options are available, as well as an optional Blu-ray external drive--not that we know of many businesses that would justify such an expense.

The Latitude 13 will be available for order in a few weeks from Dell's website, with pricing and CPU configurations to be determined--but we expect a similar ULV processor as the Vostro 13.

You guys filled up our voice mail box over the weekend with your thoughts on the new Apple iPad, but we have to spread the hate around with a quick chat about last night's Grammy Awards, PETA's robotic groundhogs, and high school reunions. We've also got plenty of your sticker pictures to show off, including one that might be NSFW....big surprise, 404!

Keep sending us your sticker pictures!

(Credit: Alan )

The Grammy Awards are becoming less and less significant to our personal music tastes, but something has to be said about a show that nominates NICKELBACK for Best Hard Rock Performance. To make matters worse, the show paired together some of the worst collaborations in the history of live performance.

To quickly recap the night, all you need to know is that Lady Gaga won two well-deserved awards and performed Speechless with Sir Elton John, Green Day took the award for Best Rock Album, poor Stevie Nicks looked pissed to be singing about locker room romance with 16-year-old darling Taylor Swift, and the live studio audience got treated to a 3D clip from Michael Jackson's "This Is It" while the rest of us settled for 2Ds and a subsequent headache.

Kirby <3 The 404!

(Credit: Lani Nguyen/The 404)

Speaking of bad news, we've got some bad news about the Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the new Broadway musical coming soon to New York. We just found out that the entire musical soundtrack is composed by U2's Bono and The Edge. Don't get us wrong, the three of us all have a special place in our hearts for U2, but their music just doesn't evoke images of a masked web-crawler slinging his way about town snapping photos of criminals and taking down a few in the process.

Finally, much thanks to everyone for sending in their sticker pictures! We've sent out hundreds of envelopes so far, so keep them coming; send a photo of where you put the stickers and tattoos to the404(at)cnet(dot)com!