poll

Ignore what I said previously about consumers not buying tablets. As a consumer focus group of one, I have reversed that position and am picking up my preordered iPad today.

My excuse? I'm a tech writer; I need to understand this stuff. Press me further, and I'll say that with Evernote on the iPad (the app was just updated for the platform), I should be able to take notes on this device in meetings in a way that's less disruptive than opening up a laptop and typing on it.

The real reason? I couldn't tell you. … Read more

iPad Day, as you've surely heard, is almost upon us. When Apple stores around the country open their doors Saturday morning, those who have preordered the much-hyped tablet, yours truly included, can finally get their hands on one. Those who haven't preordered the device can also get one at Apple stores starting at 9 a.m. local time, as well as at most Best Buys.

It's been reported here and elsewhere that iPad preorders are numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and you, being Crave fans, perhaps count for one of those. Or at least you're … Read more

It's no surprise we spend money on the things we value. So the question is, how much would you invest in a decent hi-fi or sound system? Bear in mind that a good quality system will last a long time, so amortizing the investment over a period of five or even 10 years should be factored into the expense. The coffee's gone in a matter of minutes.

Let's see, at $4 a day, a $20-a-week Starbucks expense works out to $1,000 a year. You're not going to stop anytime soon, so Starbucks, or any daily … Read more

We've been talking a lot about how the next big thing in TVs is 3D tech. But one problem, as my CNET's Erica Ogg points out, is that the sets we've seen all have proprietary glasses, meaning that one brand's glasses may not work with another brand's TV.

This might be a minor problem for some, but it could be a deal breaker for others. Since most households have multiple TVs these days, there may soon be a time at which someone has a Toshiba upstairs and a Samsung downstairs, each with their own pairs … Read more

Right now the Interwubs are all a-flutter with rumors about the forthcoming version 4 of the iPhone OS. Chief among these tittle-tattles is that it will include the ability to multitask, something other advanced phone operating systems can do that the iPhone can't, much to the chagrin of its users.

Other rumors include an updated interface with widgets in addition to apps; speed improvements; and a lock screen that displays texts, e-mails, and other alerts.

There are more things Apple could do to the OS within the constraints of the current hardware, and we'd like to know what … Read more

When we learned about an experimental technology earlier this week that turns your skin into an interactive surface, our collective skin crawled with delight. Skinput, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft, is an acoustic bio-sensor armband that picks up sound patterns created when tapping a forearm or palm.

Specific acoustic signatures from different areas on the hand or forearm can be linked to functions like dialing a phone, operating an MP3 player, or playing Tetris. Pinching and flicking gestures can also be used for commands, and adding a pico projector to the armband can display menu selections … Read more

I've been working for hours with Clearwire--the fancy WiMax ISP we mentioned this week--to get my newer, faster Clear modem up and running.

So far, so good. It's faster than my original Clearwire service. And at $30 a month--down from the $55 I was paying with Comcast--it's a pretty good deal; I really don't need 15Mbps from a cable modem, and I don't have a landline for DSL. (Sorry, Quest!)

But that doesn't mean I don't shop around. I'm a fickle consumer when it comes to certain things and broadband is … Read more

By now you may have heard the news: Apple appears to be waging a war on smut, having pulled at least some sex-themed apps from the App Store.

Plenty of others remain--but for how long? In a letter received by at least one developer (as reported by TechCrunch), the company discussed plans to "remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store."

For the moment, let's overlook the frequently puzzling and often arbitrary decisions Apple makes when it comes to app approval--and removal.

Instead, let's hear what you think. Should Apple ban apps that have adult themes? … Read more

This week Microsoft showed off some of the awesomeness that is Windows Mobile 7. Er, Windows Phone 7. Or whatever we're supposed to call it now. Actually, even though the new mobile operating system looks cool, some people are still confused by the name.

Is Windows Phone the name of the platform? Is it what we call the hardware on which the OS runs? Both?

Actually, I'm going to take a stab at Microsoft marketing here. The company definitely does things "by committee," as they say, so I'm just going to brainstorm and put out … Read more