groupon

The 404 741: Where there seems to be a bear on my head (podcast)

Fan-favorite guest Stoopid Andy returns to The 404 for a very special appearance. Contrary to his nickname, Stoopid Andy isn't nearly as dumb as you might think. In fact, we spend most of the episode in awe of his recent hacking of a DLP TV to display 3D content. Pretty impressive, huh? Not that we recommend attempting such a thing, but Andy points us to this thread at AVS Forum for guidance.

Of course this conversation leads us into a heated debate over 3D in general, examining the merits of whether it's a legitimate and practical form of entertainment. We're curious to hear what you think. Let us know by leaving a voice mail (866-404-CNET) or e-mail the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.

Tasteful pornographers everywhere rejoiced when news of a Playboy app for the iPad was announced, but to their disappointment, word has hit that it won't include any of the artsy photographs the publication is known for.

Finally, we'll talk about the technology behind smoking--namely the e-cigarette--an invention Stoopid Andy claims was his idea back in 1998.

Episode 741 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Subscribe in iTunes video | Subscribe in RSS audio | Subscribe in RSS video… Read more

New leadership shakes up Valley (week in review)

Three tech icons announced this week major leadership changes that took Silicon Valley by surprise.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs got the ball rolling by announcing he is taking another medical leave from the company he co-founded more than 30 years ago, leaving many to wonder who might be in line to be his successor.

Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, announced in an e-mail to employees that he would be stepping away indefinitely from his day-to-day duties at Apple but would retain the title of chief executive. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will assume responsibility for the company's day-to-day operations, … Read more

A wireless mouse for your couch

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Google's Eric Schmidt steps down as CEO

A new Logitech mouse is designed to work on your couch

Verizon files an appeal against the FCC's Net neutrality rules

HP replaces four board members with five new ones

Google is getting ready to compete with Groupon with Google Offers

A German software program could set an expiration date for your online photos

Angry Birds is being developed into an animated series

The 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition is released with all sorts of useless gaming facts

Google readies Groupon competitor

Just a month after being rebuffed in a buyout offer of Groupon, Google is preparing to launch its own social-buying competitor called Google Offers.

The venture "is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in their area through a daily email," according to a fact sheet first published by Mashable.

A Google spokesperson confirmed that the Internet giant was actively recruiting businesses for a daily-deals offering.

"Google is communicating with small businesses to enlist their support and participation in a test of a pre-paid offers/vouchers program," the company said in … Read more

Steve Jobs takes health leave

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple announces that Steve Jobs will take a medical leave of absence

Nokia ends its Comes With Music service in 27 countries

GoDaddy is ready to sex up its Superbowl Ads with a campaign to promote .co addresses

Groupon is in talks to partner with Chinese Internet giant Tencent

BlackBerry users in Indonesia can no longer access porn sites from the browser

Netflix upsets customers with a change to its service

Groupon in deal talks with Chinese Net giant

Groupon is in talks with Chinese Internet giant Tencent to form a partnership to accelerate its effort in the critical Asian arena, said several sources with knowledge of the situation.

Terms of the deal are unclear, but sources said that it is likely to involve some sort of co-branded joint venture effort between the two--a key strategic move for Groupon, given the hard-to-penetrate-if-you're-not-Chinese Chinese market.

More typical for Groupon has been to buy a top local player abroad and rebrand it, such as its launch of Groupon Hong Kong, Groupon Singapore, Groupon Philippines, and Groupon Taiwan through the early … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1387: The lol j/k defense (podcast)

Will Courtney Love's lawyers argue that Twitter is just so fun and awesome that she can't be held responsible for defamatory crazy talk she types on it? If so, we're about to go crazy on Twitter. Also, Apple and News Corp may have pushed back their launch date for the Daily, BBC says no to Smart TV fragmentation, and why can't Samsung just give us our dang Froyo already? --Molly

Buzz Out Loud 1384: iPhone 4 on Verizon and the CES hailstorm of awesome (podcast)

No time for a CES hangover (although we really needed it) because Verizon is hitting us hard with the iPhone 4 announcement first thing in the morning ... but thank goodness they announced the iPhone, because if they'd punked us, heads would have rolled. But there it is: no LTE, yes to hotspots, white iPhone ... maybe? Get all the details at CNET News.com. Also, we're punch drunk and we apologize for all the delirious yelling. --Molly

Whoa: Rumor says Groupon raising $950 million

A financial news and research outlet called VCExperts posted an article today claiming that on December 17, daily-deals broker Groupon "filed a certificate to authorize a $950 million Series G round of preferred stock." The exact amount that the company raised in the monster funding round should be available next week (which means it could be quite a bit less), the report continued, adding that the company's valuation is likely $6.4 billion.

The dollar amount sounds like something out of Dr. Evil's machinations in the "Austin Powers" spoof film series, but Groupon isn'… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1364: It's not funny, it's art (podcast)

We're stealing lines from "Love, Actually" today, because Natali can quote it by heart when it's super a propos to a guy very disturbingly embedding a camera in the back of his own head. Ew. But hey, it's art! Also, Twitter says it's not suppressing Wikileaks as a trending topic--although it's a trending topic in our show. And AT&T is the worst carrier in America, says Consumer Reports. Hey, at least we didn't say it this time. --Molly