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This is it. This is really it. This is the final curtain call. OK?

Our final episode is ready. Instead of boring you with its contents, I just wanted to take this opportunity to quickly thank each and every listener we've ever had, whether you liked the show or not. One hundred episodes of anything is nothing to sneeze at and we couldn't have (wouldn't have) done it without the support of all of you, so thank for that.

Now, enjoy the last. We're glad to be with you all, here at the end of all … Read more

Like the lead-up to any big, annual Apple event, the weeks and months ahead of this year's WWDC brought the usual wash of rumors about new hardware, software, and online services.

The biggest unknown was not so much on the hardware side--as we all knew there was a new iPhone on the way (even what it looked like and whose fault that was), but the software and online services portion remained a mystery. This is typically the chunk of the WWDC keynote where Steve Jobs and company go into detail about the latest operating system tweaks and new software offerings.

There were rumors on both sides of the spectrum ranging from paid services like MobileMe going free and iTunes getting a streaming component to a fancy new wireless trackpad. Read on to get the details.

1. OS X 10.7

Apple's preview of OS X 10.6, nicknamed Snow Leopard, happened at 2008's WWDC. 10.5 was unveiled during 2006's keynote, and 10.4 in 2004's. Following that logic, 2010's show would bring a preview, or at least an acknowledgment that Apple had 10.7 in the oven. Though given the focus on Apple's iOS, and the shiny new device that will run on it, it's not all that surprising we didn't hear a peep.

An OS update, especially for the desktop, would have likely filled an hour or two on its own. Yet, the downside of this omission is that the eventual preview of that update will likely be shelved until next year's show, since WWDC is Apple's only big developer event of the year.

2. A developer preview for the iPad's iOS 4

When introducing OS 4 at a preview event back in April, Jobs said we'd be seeing a public release of it for the iPad sometime this fall. Again, logic would dictate that developers would get their hands on a build of the iPad 4.0 SDK at Apple's big developer event, alongside the first beta of the firmware for testing on real devices.

So why the no-show? Apple has likely had its hands full getting the iPhone and iPod Touch version of OS 4 ready to go in time for the iPhone 4 launch in two weeks. And developers only got their hands on the gold master candidate version of that late Monday. Maybe the delay was to include some new OS features being baked into the next batch of iPods this fall.

3. A Steve Ballmer appearance

In a note to investors, Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry claimed that Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer would be giving a seven-minute presentation of Visual Studio 2010 during the WWDC keynote. This was vehemently denied by Microsoft reps, then later retracted by Chowdhry, though many large news outlets (including us) picked up the story and ran with it.

There was some semblance of truth to the rumor of Microsoft having a presence at the keynote, in the form of Jobs announcing that Microsoft's Bing was now a search option in Safari, both on portable devices and on the desktop software.

4. iTunes streaming service

Like Apple's annual "buy a Mac, get a free iPod" promotion, which always manages to end just a few days before the company announces a new model, it seemed just a little too convenient music-streaming service Lala, which Apple bought back in December of last year, was being shut down just a week before WWDC.

Prior to Apple picking up the company, sources had told CNET that Apple was planning to purchase the company primarily for its music streaming technology and engineering talents. It seemed fair then (given the timing), that Apple would fill in the gap Lala.com's closure had left with something similar built right into iTunes, though that never came to fruition during Monday's keynote. Then again, given Apple's propensity for having its "music" events in September, we might just have to wait three months. … Read more

Whenever I'm baking, I feel like half my time goes to cutting parchment paper to the right size. I use it when I'm making cakes, cheesecakes, and plenty of other treats that are baked in a round pan. When I found that Regency Round Parchment Papers come precut, I was ecstatic. Even better, the parchment rounds are available for both 8-inch and 9-inch pans. You can get all the benefits of parchment paper, like keeping cakes from sticking to the pan, or minimizing the amount of grease you need to use on a pan, without the hassle of … Read more

How often do you think about the background systems that make your computer run smoothly and surely? As with most foundations, generally only when they're broken or faulty. And that's a shame. We've rounded up seven freeware utilities that can help you get (and keep) your Windows system in top shape.

We include some top picks in the disk defragger, file compressor, and all-around optimizer categories. There's a tool to recover lost data, and another to cleanly remove programs, including Registry leftovers. Check it out in our must-have utilities roundup.

Have other favorites that didn't … Read more

Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California is usually busy around this time of year, and this last weekend was no exception. While much of the attention was on the Indy Car Grand Prix race held on Sunday with commercials pimping such Indy Car stars as Danica Patrick (duh) and Helio Castroneves, the Formula Drift company had an event of its own at Infineon the night before featuring Round 6 of the Locked and Loaded series.

Formula D's "Locked and Loaded" was held on Saturday August 22 at Infineon Raceway, and based on the video here it looked like … Read more

Later this summer, owners of EA Sports' highly rated and enjoyable boxing game, Fight Night Round 4, will get a shot at some free downloadable content.

EA says the first "DLC" pack will be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 users by early August, and will include a new training gym, new gameplay sliders, and "a host of new equipment that can be used for outfitting boxers." Xbox 360 users get a bonus: an alternate version of Sugar Ray Leonard courtesy of Pizza Hut (we're not sure what "alternate" means, but … Read more

Last week we gave gamers plenty of reasons to be excited about the month of May's anticipated releases. Now we're providing video sneak peeks at some of the latest in digital interactive entertainment.

We've got the latest trailer from The Conduit, a first-person-shooter built from the ground up exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Also for the Wii is Let's Tap, a title that offers a brand-new way of interacting with games. You control Let's Tap by doing just that, tapping right in front of your Wii remote.

The unbelievably realistic graphics in Fight Night Round 4 … Read more

Microsoft's RoundTable has found a white knight.

The software maker will stop selling the Microsoft Research-developed panoramic video camera. Instead, Microsoft said this week, it will license the Webcam technology to teleconference gear maker Polycom, which will take over sales of the device.

It's unclear whether Microsoft will get a lump sum payment or receive per-unit royalties. It's also unclear how it will be compensated for the technology.

"Microsoft and Polycom are not discussing the financial terms of the deal, but profit is not the focus for Microsoft in distributing the RoundTable device," the company … Read more