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FreedomPop offers free home broadband

Wednesday's CNET Update wants to break free:

Freedom Pop is offering 1GB of free home Internet service every month with purchase of its router, which costs $90. Those that stream video or need more data can upgrade to 10GB for $10 a month, or pay-as-you-go for $5 a gigabyte. The service uses Clearwire's 4G WiMAX network. Free home Internet service can shake up the broadband industry, much like Skype changed the voice industry.

Also in today's news roundup:

- Facebook added new ways to access privacy settings.

- Microsoft's Surface tablet is now sold at Best Buy and Staples. … Read more

FreedomPop launches free home broadband

Expensive in-home Internet service may soon be a thing of the past, at least if FreedomPop has anything to say about it.

The startup, backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, today said it's now taking preorders for its FreedomPop Hub Burst home modem that allows users to access the high-speed Internet for free.

The company noted that the device, available for an $89 deposit, will ship next month. If a user decides to turn off the service within the first year, he or she can return the modem to FreedomPop and receive the deposit back. There are no contracts … Read more

PopSlate case adds second screen to iPhone 5

Look at your smartphone case. If it's plastic or rubber, it's way behind the times, man. You might agree with that sentiment after seeing PopSlate, an innovative iPhone 5 case with a rear 4-inch e-ink screen currently making waves on Indiegogo.

True to its name, PopSlate offers a customizable slate -- sort of like a second screen -- that enables the owner to display any picture(s) on the iPhone as a black and white image on the back of the phone case. To change images, owners can tap the back of the phone twice, or alter a pic through the related PopSlate app. … Read more

Kill mobile ads with Adblock Plus for Android

Released yesterday, Adblock Plus for Android offers a no-nonsense way to completely remove ads from your mobile computing experience. Simply download and install the app, and let it run behind the scenes. From there, you should notice that display ads, video ads, push notifications, and even many in-app ads are no more.

So far, I've seen AdBlock Plus kill ads on several Web sites, including Google, and within the ad-supported Pandora app. According to its developers, though, AdBlock Plus does not work when browsing with Firefox for Android, since Firefox does not support Android's system proxy settings.

Adblock … Read more

The 404 1,162: Where we protect our necks (podcast)

Questions answered on today's episode of The 404 Show:

- What's the point of having an LCD screen and buttons on my credit card?

- What comes in the Nintendo Wii U box, why do people love unboxing videos so much, and why does my brain feel like it's being massaged? Side note: ASMR Subreddit

- What's the history of Goatse.cx and how can I use it to ruin everyone's day?

- How can I sucker someone into giving me free money for the holidays?… Read more

Most addictive plant-eats-zombie game on the market

Plants vs Zombies is one of the most popular games on the Windows, iPhone, and iPad platforms, and now it's on the Mac. The goal of Plants vs Zombies is to stop zombies from marching across your lawn or roof and eating you. To defend yourself you have to put various plants in their way, each plant having special skills. Plants vs Zombies installs easily.

The plants in Plants vs Zombies get laid out on a grid. Some plants shoot peas, which injure zombies, some plants eat zombies, and so on. There's about a dozen different plants that … Read more

iPad Mini, 4th-gen iPad reviews

While CNET's New York office works to get power back after the storm, we're bringing you the Update show from our San Francisco office. Wednesday's top tech stories include:

- Apple judgement day: Read CNET's reviews of the iPad Mini and the latest full-size iPad. The Wi-Fi versions of the Mini and updated iPad arrive in stores on Friday.

- Give 4G connection to an iPod Touch with a $99 Freedom Pop sleeve.

- If you're buying the deluxe Wii U game console bundle, Nintendo has a perk for downloading games: 10% of every dollar … Read more

FreedomPop's $99 sleeve brings 4G to iPod Touch

After a long wait, FreedomPop is now shipping the iPod Touch 4G Sleeve.

The sleeve can be attached to any fourth-generation iPod Touch, and allows you to connect to the firm's 4G network and make free calls via Skype and any other voice-over-IP application. Users can connect to 4G anywhere that is on the startup's 4G coverage map -- including the East Coast, Florida and California.

Currently, a sleeve-equipped iPod Touch can stream video, make VoIP calls, and serve as a hot spot for up to eight devices. The startup began taking preorders in May for the $99 … Read more

Get all of your email notifications in one place using POP Peeper

Managing multiple email accounts can be a chore, especially if the accounts are from different providers. POP Peeper offers a solution to set up and manage your many accounts from one place. Automatic Mail check is also enabled by default.

POP Peeper's uncluttered interface places the essential email options to create or respond to messages on a fully customizable Tool Bar. You will have to do some manual work to get your accounts setup but there is plenty of user guidance to help you get started and it handles nearly all of the most popular email services, including Yahoo, … Read more