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Police Down Under rescue Apple map users

Monday's CNET Update shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque:

It's no secret that Apple's Maps are bad. But using the app could be hazardous to your health. Australian police had to rescue several people who were stranded in the wilderness after being directed 70 kilometers off-course by Apple's directions on iOS 6. Police have urged residents to use other mapping apps in the meantime.

Today's tech news roundup also looks into the continued drama between Twitter and Instagram. You'll no longer see a photo automatically load inside of a tweet -- you have … Read more

White House to debut on Pinterest with holiday social

President Obama is increasing his administration's social media presence by moving the White House onto Pinterest.

While the president already has a Pinterest account in his own name, used primarily to support his re-election campaign, the White House account will be used to post images and information relating to life inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"It's the 'People's House,'" First Lady Michelle Obama said in a WhiteHouse.gov blog post. "It's a place that is steeped in history, but it's also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that's why my … Read more

Obama opposes Silicon Valley firms on immigration reform

President Obama opposes an immigration reform bill backed by companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe that would let U.S.-educated computer programmers and engineers remain in the country, the White House said today.

The surprise announcement comes in advance of a House of Representatives vote scheduled for Friday on the Republican-backed STEM Jobs Act of 2012, which would make up to 55,000 visas available to foreigners who earned a master's or doctoral degree in certain science or technology area from a U.S. university. Those visas would only be available if immigration authorities certify that no American … Read more

Obama turns to Facebook to decide which turkey to pardon

If Facebook had been around when "The West Wing" was still on NBC, this would be straight out of an episode of the long-running Aaron Sorkin hit.

Instead, this is for real: As is an annual White House tradition, President Barack Obama is getting ready to pardon a turkey. But he's got two to choose from, and if you're on Facebook, you can help the president decide which one gets the nod.

On Wednesday, Obama will pardon the 2012 National Thanksgiving Turkey and this year, for the first time ever, the American public will get its … Read more

Should the White House have a 'made in the USA' hi-fi?

America may not design world-class cars anymore. We don't build TVs, phones, tablets, cameras, or all that much consumer technology, but we're still at the top of the heap in high-end audio! That's why the White House should have an American engineered and built hi-fi system for use by the president and his invited guests.

I'll volunteer my services to coordinate and help assemble such a system (presumably donated by the manufacturers). On a leap of faith, I'm assuming the president still plays LPs, so I'd recommend the Spiral Groove turntable and tonearm from … Read more

Obama, Congress get poor grades for Internet openness

Both President Obama and the U.S. Congress get failing grades for not allowing the public to learn through the Internet what's actually happening in Washington, D.C, according to a forthcoming report.

It might seem like a surprising conclusion after Obama launched Data.gov and endorsed greater transparency on his first day in office, saying at the time that he's committed to an "unprecedented level of openness in government."

But since then, says the report from the Cato Institute scheduled to be released next week and reviewed by CNET, there's been an "Obama … Read more

White House reportedly finds no evidence of spying by Huawei

An 18-month review by the White House found "no clear evidence" that Chinese telecommunications gear maker Huawei had performed any spying on behalf of the Chinese government, according to a Reuters report.

The news service, citing two unnamed sources, said the White House looked into reports of suspicious activity, with the help of intelligence agencies and other government departments, and queried nearly 1,000 telecom equipment buyers. One of the sources said that "certain parts of government" very much wanted evidence of espionage. In the end, though, they came up with nothing definitive.

"We would … Read more

Tiny GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition captures 4K video

SAN FRANCISCO--GoPro pulled the wraps off of a new generation of its line of Hero sports camera packages built around the smallest, most powerful camera that it has ever offered: the GoPro Hero3.

The GoPro Hero3 Black Edition is the flagship model that will retail for $399.99. This new model features a chassis that is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the outgoing Hero2 model and is only 20mm thick when removed from its plastic shell. The plastic shell itself is also smaller (obviously) and features a new flat lens. The case also features a double lock … Read more

PETA wages war on Pokemon for virtual animal cruelty

Pokemon has begun his struggle for freeman and liberation, fighting his trainers, doling out group hugs and going to protests... in PETA's alternate universe, that is.

The animal rights group has launched a campaign against Pokemon Black and White 2, saying that the game condones animal cruelty and that its creatures are treated like abused animals.

"The amount of time that Pokemon spend stuffed in pokeballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to 'perform' in circuses," PETA wrote on its Web site. "But the difference between … Read more