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Working robot mecha suit is built for kids

What do you get the kid who has it all? A robot mecha suit wouldn't hurt.

Japan's Sakakibara Kikai has a new crushworthy robot exoskeleton that would turn a few heads at school.

The bright green Kid's Walker Cyclops is an 800-pound, 7-foot-tall drivable mecha suit with a cockpit and moving arms.

The front of the machine opens to become a ladder to the cockpit. As seen in the vid below, one hand has a hook to grapple foes and the other has a power drill to smite obstacles. … Read more

Adobe requires monthly payments for Photoshop

CNET Update subscribes:

In this edition of Update:

- Welcome to the software subscription era. Adobe is moving its creative software, including Photoshop, to a subscription-only model. Read up on the latest upgrades to see if you want to go the monthly-payment route.

- YouTube also is joining the subscription movement. YouTube has been talking about offering some premium channels for $2 a month, and reports say it could launch this week.

- Fitness gadgets are a growing trend, and the latest device to hit the market -- the Fitbit Flex wristband -- is better than most. Read our full reviewRead more

Adobe's professional cloud push arrives at its final destination

In a move that's bound to tick off a lot of (probably formerly) devoted users, Adobe's finally made the jump we've been expecting to an all-subscription model for the applications that used to be part of Creative Suite. Adobe's not just rebranding all of its professional applications with the Creative Cloud moniker (except Lightroom -- so far). Now it's created a supercell composed of Photoshop CC, Dreamweaver CC, InDesign CC, so on and so on, ad infinitum. You'll only be able to get individual copies of those packages by subscription, though that individual-product subscription … Read more

Adobe kills Creative Suite, goes subscription-only

In a major shift for its business and its customers, Adobe Systems on Monday announced it no longer will sell its Creative Suite software as it moves instead to the $50-per-month Creative Cloud and other subscription plans.

"We have no current plans to release another perpetual release of the CS tools and suites. Creative Cloud is going to be our sole focus moving forward," said Scott Morris, senior director of product marketing for Creative Cloud.

When Adobe launched its Creative Cloud subscription last year, executives weren't sure how long it would offer it alongside the traditional perpetual-license … Read more

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Review

Adobe Photoshop CS6 only strengthens the benchmark software's existing position as the unrivaled production suite and an indispensable tool for old and new generation creative minds: graphic designers, web developers, video editors, you name it.

Let's start with the interface: dark is good. Photoshop CS6 brings a darker, more focused default work environment, with menus and toolbars painted in dark grays and blacks. Of course, if you're itching for a brighter look, CS6 gives users lighter-colored interfaces, reminiscent of previous versions. Tools are more streamlined thanks to Adobe's continuing move towards collapsible menus, while leaving the … Read more

Apple sued over EarPods product name

A new lawsuit claims Apple's latest headphones could be confused with a line of hearing aids bearing a similar, trademarked name.

In a complaint filed late last week, Randolph Divisions and Hearpod Inc. said Apple's EarPods headphones infringe on its trademark for "Hearpods." Randolph Divisions filed for the name in February 2005, and ended up using the name in its line of hearing aids.

"Both Plaintiffs' Goods and Defendant's Goods are similar in nature in that, among other things, they are inserted into the ears of their users and are used to facilitate and … Read more

Survey: Customers happy with Adobe Creative Cloud so far

The shift by Adobe Systems toward its Creative Cloud subscription plan looks to be popular with customers, a Jefferies survey of some of them shows.

Adobe is making its entire Creative Suite of software available for an introductory price of $30 per month for annual commitments, with a regular $50 monthly price to kick in later. The subscription also includes services, software that's not part of the CS products, and early updates that traditional perpetual-license customers won't get until CS7.

Jefferies asked customers about their sentiments in a follow-up to a 2012 survey with CNET.

"The majority … Read more

Apple sued over sound tech by George Lucas' THX

The George Lucas-founded audio-and-visual tech firm THX has filed a patent suit against Apple for allegedly swiping speaker technology for the iPhone, iPad, and iMac.

The suit, filed Thursday in federal court in San Jose, Calif., involves a patent called "Narrow Profile Speaker Configurations and Systems," which essentially covers various setups for directing sound from a small speaker or speakers toward a narrow, slotted opening in such a way as to produce the best possible sound quality.

The abstract of the patent says the speaker units "may be integral with or attached to electronic appliances such as … Read more

SimCity: The new game you can't play

CNET Update builds cities on rock and roll:

Friday's tech news roundup explains it all:

- BlackBerry Z10 could hit AT&T stores on March 22

- SimCity's launch is a complete disaster

- Nook Free Fridays now include free apps

- Trulia helps you home hunt with new suggestions

- Try these alternatives to TweetDeck, before the app stops working

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Office 2013 licenses can now be transferred to another PC

Office 2013 users can now legally transfer their license if they buy a new computer or their current one breaks down.

In the face of user concerns over its previous policy, Microsoft today amended its Office 2013 license agreement. Now Office 2013 customers can move the software and license to another PC once every 90 days.

Effective immediately, the agreement covers Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013, Office Professional 2013, and all of the standalone Office 2013 applications.

Microsoft's previous policy for Office 2013 limited users to a perpetual license good for only one PC. … Read more