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Apple kicks off free next-day shipping for all iPhones

Buy an iPhone through Apple online, and you can now score free next-day shipping.

The deal is good for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4 but restricts purchases to two per buyer. Apple already offers free standard shipping on orders that total more than $50. But next-day shipping normally kicks in an additional charge depending on the size of the order.

The offer may be especially appealing to iPhone 4 buyers since that model is free with a standard two-year contract. Apple's order page doesn't indicate how long the promotion will last.

In the past, Apple … Read more

Four simple ways to overcome the PS4's challenges

It's been weeks since the PlayStation 4 event underwhelmed many people. Myself included. But as time has passed, my mind's become clearer as to why, exactly, I was so disappointed. It's a challenge for the PlayStation 4 to overcome, but it's also a challenge of all "next-gen" consoles.

I hate the term "next-gen" as much as anyone else, but that's what happens when you have one piece of hardware sit out on the market for six or seven years while you anticipate what the Next Big Thing will be. "Next-gen&… Read more

High-tech software for retailers discreetly tracks customers

Imagine that you're the proud owner of a good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar shop. Now imagine a software service that gives you a snapshot of what's hot and what's not in your store. That's what Prism Skylabs offers.

The San Francisco startup has developed technology that uses video captured by security cameras to track customers' movements and create "heatmaps." The images represent an aggregate of all the shoppers' whereabouts in the store and which items they touched. For retailers, it's a valuable tool for making decisions about product placement and floor layout.

Prism Skylabs also … Read more

The 404 1,221: Where it's the fungus that kills us (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The Valve Steam Box is coming.

- How HBO will tackle "Game of Thrones" piracy.

- The Last of Us has a unique plotline with clicking mushroom people.… Read more

How Microsoft can avoid the pitfalls of Sony's PS4 announcement

Editor's note: It's official. Microsoft has announced the future of Xbox (and the next console) will be revealed at an event in Redmond, Washington on May 21.

CNET's live coverage of Microsoft's event Tuesday, May 21

Press events are a tricky beast. No one ever said they were easy to pull off. But with Sony casting the first stone in the next-generation console gaming war, Microsoft can learn a lot from what worked and what didn't.

When the lights went up, Sony execs were shaking hands and congratulating each other. But the packed house at … Read more

Sony PS4 event skewered in animated parody

Taiwanese animator Next Media Animation is taking yesterday's Sony PlayStation 4 event to task.

Sony announced its next-generation video game console at a press event in New York, but the PS4 itself was a no-show.

Sony says the PS4 features a PC-like body architecture, x86 CPU, enhanced PS GPU, 8GB of unified memory, a local storage hard drive, and an updated DualShock 4 controller.

The animation group created a video mocking the PS4 at yesterday's press event. Sony treated members of the press to experience what using the next-generation console might feel like with live demonstrations, but did … Read more

Save and prioritize notes with Do Next

So many freeware notekeepers are available that it may actually be possible to use a different program for each note, but that would defeat the primary purpose of these simple tools: namely, productivity. Such a tool should not only be quick and simple to use but also efficient in telling you what you need to do next. That's what Do Next does. This portable freeware from Wave Digital Studios is easy to customize, and it can record and prioritize your tasks for the next few minutes, the day, and other periods of time. Do Next is an official plug-in … Read more

Sony teases big NYC event for Feb. 20, PS4 debut?

Time to dust off that hype machine. The next generation of video game consoles may debut as early as February 20. That's the date Sony has set aside for an event in New York City, leading some to believe this could be the first-ever announcement of the PlayStation 4, the inevitable successor to the company's current PlayStation 3 game system.… Read more

Otherworldly Craigslist ad seeks 'Star Trek' role-players

Those ladies who are fluent in Klingon but just can't seem to find a boyfriend are now in luck. Apparently, a certain someone is seeking women for "Star Trek" role-playing -- strictly "The Next Generation."

A recent Craigslist ad titled "Make It So" is making the joke rounds on Twitter today. The ad promises "no nudity, no touching" but asks for two to three women to get in character with the ad's author as he plays the "honorable" and "intellectual" Captain Picard.… Read more