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How Dish's deal could improve Sprint

CNET Update dishes the details:

Dish has made a $25.5 billion unsolicited bid to merge with Sprint. Today's video explains what this deal means for consumers and how it might improve Sprint's network.

Also in this tech roundup:

- Microsoft reportedly is considering making a smartwatch

- Windows 8 apps for news and maps get updates

- Electronic Arts will shut down Sims games on Facebook

- This 55-inch Panasonic plasma is the first television to get a 5-star rating from CNET

Watch CNET Update in the video above, and subscribe to the podcast via the links … Read more

Alarm Lock 6.0 Review

Before Apple made "Find My iPhone" free for all users, there were quite a few security apps on the App Store designed to protect your personal information and make it possible to find your phone if it were ever stolen. Released around the time that that transition was happening, Alarm Lock was designed to provide extra features for any users concerned about the security of their iPhone. Should your device become lost, it is designed to help you find it fast.

While Alarm Lock has far more features than Find My iPhone at first glance, the interface makes … Read more

Panasonic's ST60: best TV value of the year

I've written TV reviews for more than 10 years, but I'm pretty sure this one is the most important. I'll cut to the chase: If you value picture quality, don't have money to burn and don't game seriously enough to worry about input lag, you should buy the Panasonic TC-PST60.

Yes, it's a plasma. That's the main reason why its picture is so good. And despite what you may have heard, there's very little reason not to get a plasma TV. Once you decide to go plasma -- don't worry, you'… Read more

Sharp's LE650 TV a solid value

If you're looking for a big-screen TV of 60 inches or above, then Sharp should be one of the first brands you consider. Last year's LC-LE640U was a very good combination of picture quality and value, and its replacement offers more of the same. In fact they're almost identical, and that's not a bad thing.

The 650 incorporates a couple of tweaks to the set's design and picture processing, as well as a few extra features. The highlights are an expanded Smart TV offering with Skype and Hulu Plus now standard, while in picture-quality terms … Read more

Sharp's LE650 TV a solid value

If you're looking for a big-screen TV of 60 inches or above, then Sharp should be one of the first brands you consider. Last year's LC-LE640U was a very good combination of picture quality and value, and its replacement offers more of the same. In fact they're almost identical, and that's not a bad thing.

The 650 incorporates a couple of tweaks to the set's design and picture processing, as well as a few extra features. The highlights are an expanded Smart TV offering with Skype and Hulu Plus now standard, while in picture-quality terms … Read more

Jack Dorsey tells '60 Minutes' Twitter, Square creation stories

It might be hard to believe that emergency dispatchers in St. Louis were the inspiration for Twitter, but that's exactly the case, Jack Dorsey told "60 Minutes" recently.

This Sunday, Dorsey -- who co-founded Twitter and later co-founded Square, the mobile payments company -- will appear on "60 Minutes," recalling how listening in on radio calls between emergency dispatchers fueled his interest in the idea of very short-form communications (see video below).

During the episode, which will air Sunday evening on CBS (CNET's parent company), Dorsey will talk about growing up in St. Louis … Read more

Volvo XC60 makes collision prevention standard

If the 2013 Volvo XC60 is any indication, the Swedish automaker's first five years under the thumb of the Chinese company Geely has not changed a thing where it comes to product. The XC60, a midsize SUV, retains the styling and technology course began under previous owner Ford.

Both owners have let Volvo be Volvo, which means building premium-quality, safety-conscious vehicles.

The exit of Ford may, however, have caused the stagnation of Volvo's cabin electronics, which have not progressed much in the last five years. Although the XC60 does a solid job with the basics, such as navigation … Read more

The classic game of Connect 4 in a portable, friend-matching wrap

If mobile phones have done anything well, it's pitting friends and family members against each other in cross-country bouts of word games and chess. Four in a Row Vs Friends is the newest entry into the growing genre, bringing the classic Connect 4 game into the digital space with digital friend-matching and wireless synced games. The game is as intuitive as you likely remember, requiring you to drop checkers into one of seven slots, blocking your opponent as you attempt to match four of your own tokens and win. The game installs quickly and easily and, after registration, you'… Read more

Want a TV now-ish? Get the Panasonic ST50 rather than waiting on the ST60

I can't tell you how many times last year I told people, "Just get the Panasonic ST50 plasma." A lot. More times than I shaved, surely.

Turns out I'll be saying it a lot at the beginning of this year, too, at least until the TV sells out.

One of the most important products announced at CES 2013, at least as far as I'm concerned, was its direct successor, the Panasonic ST60 series. So with the ST50 still available for sale and the ST60 launching in March or April, the natural question is whether to … Read more

Will Panasonic ST60 outdo our favorite 2012 TV?

LAS VEGAS -- Last year, if someone asked for a recommendation on which TV to buy the discussion usually started and ended with the excellent Panasonic ST50. This year the ST60 again looks like that TV.

Panasonic reps told me that the ST60 has a few picture quality improvements over the ST50, namely a slightly better screen filter, but I took that to mean the two would perform basically the same. That's not a bad thing; the ST50 was one of the best-performing TVs of the year, despite a modest price.

Speaking of price, Panasonic is already taking pre-ordersRead more