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Actiontec PWR511K01 power-line kit extends Internet to the far corners of your home

At a street price of around $50 for a kit of two units, the Actiontec 500 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter Kit is a bargain. And that's not the only good thing about it.

The kit, retail model number PWR511K01, comes with two identical adapters, currently the smallest of their type, that offered very good performance in my testing.

The only real complaint I have is that these adapters don't support Gigabit Ethernet, hence offering the limited data rate of the regular Ethernet standard at most. However, the affordable price and the supercompact design still make the kit an … Read more

Adjust the sudo time-out behavior in OS X

As with many other Unix-like systems that have a BSD interface, OS X includes a fully Unix-compliant terminal that can be accessed with a Unix shell in the included Terminal utility. This feature allows for a relatively powerful way to access and modify system settings to customize and troubleshoot the system.

As with the rest of the system, this command-line interface is by default limited by standard permissions restrictions so only administrators may access system files and only users may access their own files. To get around this, the sudo command is commonly invoked to execute commands as another user, … Read more

Using and managing the Terminal history in OS X

There are times when using the Terminal that you might enter a command or two and then want to either run it again or review a whole sequence of commands that have been entered. This can easily be done by pressing the up arrow, scrolling through the previous commands, and then pressing Enter to execute the selected one again. In addition to this approach, the Terminal supports a number of other options for revealing and rerunning entered commands.

The Terminal is able to do this because it stores a small history of the commands you have run both in its … Read more

Some find problems with Wii U update

You don't have to wait long for Monday's CNET Update:

Sales of the Nintendo Wii U system began Sunday, following a midnight launch event at the Nintendo World store in New York. But anyone getting a Wii U will need some patience before getting started. A required 5GB firmware update can take an hour or two to download, but be sure to not turn it off once the update has begun! Some users that turned off the console before the download was complete have "bricked" the machine and need to exchange it for a new one. … Read more

Nintendo fans line up early for the Wii U

Thursday's CNET Update is ready for the next level:

Nintendo's Wii U goes on sale Sunday, and gamers are lining up early at the Nintendo World store in New York. The first in line is the Power Glove-wearing super fan Isaiah Triforce Johnson. He's been paid by corporate sponsors while waiting outside the store for nearly a month. Other fans began showing up on Monday and Tuesday.

This Nintendo World store will sell the first Wii U console at a midnight launch event. The system comes in two models, a Basic Set in white for $300, and … Read more

iPhone 5 users complain of static lines on keyboard

Some iPhone 5 users are seeing lines in front of their eyes, at least when they key in their passwords.

Users chiming in on MacForums and on Apple's Discussion Forums say that lines of static appear across their keyboard as they type. But the problem seems to occur only when they enter their passwords at the App Store or iTunes store.

A YouTube video posted by one user clearly shows the static lines hopping across the screen.

Some posters believe the problem made be software related, especially since Apple changed the look and layout of the App Store and … Read more

The 404 1,136: Where we occupy the Low Line (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- iPhone 5: Say hello to scuffgate?

- Hacker: I've ported Google Maps to iOS 6.

- Subterranean park in Manhattan to stay sunny with fiber-optic skylights (Low Line).

- Coca-cola nails social media by releasing personalized bottles, Justin included.

- Leica cameras for some reason favored by celebrities.

Bathroom break video: iPhone 5 super-glued to ground in Amsterdam.… Read more

Friday Poll: Would you ever wait in an iPhone line?

Hush. Be quiet or you'll startle them. We are observing the annual migration of the Apple fanboys. Magnificent herds gather in patient lines, awaiting the arrival of their newest pack member, the iPhone 5.

It's Friday, but, more importantly, it's iPhone 5 release day. You might be in line, reading news about all the people in line, or back from waiting in line (you lucky dog) with your shiny new smartphone.

I've done my time in an Apple line before, way back when the iPad 2 came out. In my day, we had to wait 5,000 hours in the freezing cold with no shoes, climb Mount Everest to reach the Apple Store at the top, walk back home uphill, and sacrifice a goat to the Verizon gods to get the 3G turned on.… Read more

Low Latency No. 38: The waiting game

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.