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Twenty highest-radiation cell phones

Editors' note: Updated June 1, 2011.

We do a lot of top products lists here at CNET, and manufacturers are usually pretty excited to see their products on those lists. But this is one "top" list that manufacturers probably aren't too thrilled to find their products on.

As we note in our intro to the list, for a phone to pass FCC certification and be sold in the United States, its maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6 watts per kilogram. In Europe, the level is capped at 2 watts per kilogram, whereas Canada allows … Read more

New Nook Simple Touch Reader review

Is the new Nook better than the Kindle? That's what a lot of people are asking and the short answer--at least at this moment--is arguably yes.

No, it doesn't have an audio jack for MP3 music playback or a built-in basic Web browser, but it does have one thing the Kindle doesn't: a touch-screen interface--and it's a good one.

How does the new Nook perform compared with the Kindle?

Read the full review of the 2011 Nook to find out.

Top fund manager: Ballmer must go

A top hedge fund manager is calling on Microsoft's Steve Ballmer to step aside as CEO and let someone else lead the company.

Speaking at the Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference in New York yesterday, David Einhorn, president of hedge fund Greenlight Capital, was outspoken in his criticism of Ballmer as a key factor holding back the company's stock.

"It's time for Microsoft's board to tell Steve Ballmer, 'All right, we see what you can do, let's give so-and-so a chance,'" Einhorn said. as quoted in a Bloomberg story. "His continued presence … Read more

B&N fires back at Amazon over Kindle battery life

This morning, CNET posted a story about how Amazon--after Barnes & Noble had claimed that its new Nook e-reader offered two months of battery life--had changed the battery life figures on its Web site for the Kindle WiFi and Kindle 3G to match the new Nook's.

Apparently, Amazon felt that Barnes & Noble had come up with its numbers using an equation based on having the wireless completely turned off and reading for just 30 minutes a day. Amazon's original one-month battery life for the Kindle was based a user reading for one hour a day with the wireless turned off. So it went ahead and updated the Kindle's battery life numbers to reflect Barnes & Noble's equation and clarified the new numbers with the following promotional copy on the Kindle's product page:

Kindle battery life doubles overnight

When Amazon first launched its latest-generation Kindle e-reader last year, it touted the fact that it could get up to a month's worth of battery life. That same figure is mentioned in a variety of print and television ads.

But after Barnes & Noble launched the new Nook yesterday and played up the Simple Touch Reader's 2 months of battery life (B&N called it the "longest battery life of any eReader"), Amazon countered by magically upping the battery life of the Kindle to two months as the company released a $164 Special Offers version … Read more

Hands-on with new Nook: Better than the Kindle?

Note: CNET's full review of the new Nook is up now.

The day after Kobo served up a new $129.99 touch-screen e-reader, Barnes & Noble, as expected, unveiled its own touch-screen e-ink Nook, which it's branding as "The Simple eReader."

We had a very good idea what the new device would be prior to the launch, but before we get to the initial impressions, here's a quick rundown of the new Nook's key specs:

Touch screen with Neonode "responsive" zForce infrared touch technology 6-inch Pearl e-ink screen (same screen as Kindle'… Read more

Bezos hints at Amazon tablet in interview

For months we've been talking about the impending arrival of an Amazon Android tablet and Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos didn't quite let the cat out of the bag--but he came close.

In an interview with Consumer Reports, when asked about the possibility of Amazon doing a tablet, he replied, "stay tuned."

Bezos also said that if Amazon were to do a tablet, it wouldn't replace the Kindle but be sold alongside it. That seems rather obvious, but that he was even talking hypothetically about such a scenario strongly indicates that a tablet is coming; … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1464: PSN Hackers don't quit (Podcast)

Wilson Tang from the 404 joins us in studio to hack away at all the tech news along with host of the week Mr. Brian Tong. Hackers are threatening a third attack on Sony which may cause consumers to think twice about adding their credit card information onto any site in the future despite the 1 million dollar insurance policy that Sony will take out for every user. The LastPass CEO explains how their system was hacked in detail while video game developer David Braben creates a USB stick sized PC for $25 which we all want. And we find out if the Chrome OS notebook will blend. Will it blend?

Should you buy the $114 or $139 Kindle?

With the arrival of the $114 Kindle with Special Offers last week, Amazon.com has created an interesting dilemma for buyers.

The company has duplicated its Wi-Fi-only e-reader from a specs and hardware standpoint but offers you a $25 savings if you're willing to contend with some ads. Or you can choose to see it from a different perspective: to keep your Kindle ad-free, you must pay an extra $25.

Now some of you are probably saying: what's $25? Not much really. Here in New York, it's a couple of drinks at a bar (and sometimes $25 … Read more

Watson leader highlights list of eight new IBM Fellows

For months, IBM's "Jeopardy" champion computer Watson has been a major PR win for the company, and tonight, its lead developer was awarded Big Blue's highest technical honor.

At a ceremony in New York, CEO Samuel Palmisano celebrated Watson team leader David Ferrucci and seven other employees as IBM's newest Fellows. The eight new Fellows join a group of just 209 previous winners, among whom have been the creators of technologies such as DRAM, the scanning tunneling microscope, Fortran, and relational databases.

And while the other seven 2011 winners include scientists and innovators who have … Read more