cnet

Great expectations for next PlayStation

Watching Friday's CNET Update can earn you a trophy:

It's likely that Sony will show off a new PlayStation at its event on Feb. 20, and CNET's Jeff Bakalar takes a look at what to expect -- and what the PS4 needs. There is also a report of a new PS4 controller, with images obtained by Destructoid.

Also in today's tech news roundup:

- Skype has a new feature that lets users leave a video message for a friend when they are offline or on another call.

- Facebook is filtering Graph Search results when it … Read more

iPhone hack can bypass password

Thursday's CNET Update is reliving the '90s:

Apple is addressing two iOS bugs mentioned in today's tech news roundup. But one isn't so much a "bug" as it is an exploit to bypass a lock-screen passcode through a series of steps. Once bypassed, it's possible to make calls and listen to voice mail messages. Another fix is coming for those that use Exchange Sync. Some iOS 6.1 users were seeing batteries drain faster because it was excessively communicating with Exchange servers.

Also in today's report:

- Research firm IDC breaks down which smartphones dominated … Read more

Rumor Has It: Time to preorder your Apple iWatch

Dear Rumor fans,

Don't cry for me, readers, just because I am moving away from you and my partner in rumor sleuthing, Karyne Levy, to voluntarily shovel snow in Massachusetts for the rest of my life.

OK, cry a little bit (aww shucks, guys, I'm going to miss you, too!) but then dry those tears and rejoice because Rumor Has It is continuing on without me. And it's going to grow and change and highlight all the amazing talent CNET has to offer and make me so proud.

The concept for Rumor Has It popped into my … Read more

Apple's iWatch and the smartwatch trend

Wednesday's CNET Update is watching the wrist:

The buzz is building over the rumored Apple iWatch. Today's tech news roundup looks at the latest report on the team working on Apple's smartwatch and the growth of this new category.

Along with the wrist, Under Armour wants to be the gadget for your chest. Armour 39 is the company's new fitness monitor set to take on the Nike FuelBand, and it is a sensor worn around the chest during a workout. If you want to live-track your progress, you'll need an iPhone app or the special $… Read more

Shop on Twitter with a hashtag

Tuesday's CNET Update is a Twitter #shopaholic:

The social media giants are testing new ways to get you to shop on their networks. Facebook is rolling out a "Buy Tickets" button for event page owners. And Twitter partnered with American Express to let card holders shop by tweeting a hashtag.

Also in today's tech news roundup:

- Apple CEO Tim Cook said OLED displays are "awful." Of course, that's what Apple's biggest competition uses.

- Intel confirmed that it will unveil an Internet-based TV service and box later this year. And the … Read more

How we test: Monitors

To evaluate a display's performance, CNET uses a variety of DisplayMate test screens in conjunction with diagnostic equipment, and our most important tool, the human eye. Each test screen we use is specifically designed to emphasize a particular area of performance, such as text readability, color accuracy, or screen uniformity.

Test bed CNET Labs' monitor test bed consists of a 3.2GHz Core i7 960 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM running at 533MHz, an ATI Radeon HD 6850-based graphics card, centered around the 32-bit version of Windows 7. We test all monitors with Windows' Display Properties set to 32-bit … Read more

Barbie gets digital makeover at Toy Fair

It's playtime for CNET Update:

When it comes to the tech at Toy Fair, Apple steals the spotlight. Many tech-related toys at the 2013 Toy Fair integrate with an iPad or iPhone. Mattel is diving into this growing trend with several toys that offer an augmented reality experience using iPad apps. But it also wouldn't be a Toy Fair without a few cool robots.

Toys featured in the video include:

- Tomy's BattroBorg: Players use Wii-like controllers to throw punches and wirelessly control the arms of tiny boxing robots. A robot will deactivate after five hits to … Read more

CNET's Live Show 'Computer Love': Where technology and love intersect

The Internet has changed how we interact with each other through social networks, text messaging, and online dating. Because of this, the rules of finding love, keeping relationships alive, or sparking new ones have been completely rewritten.

On Valentine's Day, I'll be hosting a special live show called "Computer Love" at 11 a.m. PT. We'll talk about a host of topics, ranging from long-distance love to sexting. I'll talk with special guests about our personal experiences and yes, even "catfishing."

This show is what you make it. We'll be taking … Read more

The most anticipated tech of 2013

We're almost halfway through 2013, but it's still early innings in the tech ballgame.

The year has already seen the release of some amazing products -- the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 come to mind. But there's an even longer list of products that have been announced but not released. And that doesn't even include the rumored (but likely) products such as the next iPhone or Nexus tablet, or the more ephemeral "iWatch."

Since we originally created this list on February 8, we've dropped the products that have already been released: Google Glass, … Read more

Crave Ep. 108: Moth-operated robots

Subscribe to Crave:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ)

This week on Crave, Japanese scientists teach moths to drive mini trucks, and a new app called Dognition claims to improve our relationship with man's best friend. Also, we decide if a $30 million Death Star Kickstarter campaign is worth it, and Montana is apparently full of badasses! Those stories and more, plus a round of "Into It, Not Into It." … Read more