polling

How much will the Wii U cost?

Despite more than a year of teases, one critical aspect of Nintendo's Wii U remains a mystery: the pricing.

With two E3 gaming expos now under its belt, we know plenty about the Wii U. Nintendo has showed off many HD games and fully revealed the second-screen GamePad tablet.

Earlier this month, CNET Senior Editor Scott Stein mused on the Wii U's retail cost, saying: "The Wii U needs to undercut the competition and be practically an impulse purchase. Is that even possible?"

To answer that question, perhaps we should look at Nintendo's past.… Read more

Friday Poll: Will Microsoft finally conquer mobile?

Windows is about to become a lot more portable. Microsoft hopes that its new mobile moves will also make it a lot more popular for buyers shopping for smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft has dabbled in both the phone and tablet worlds, but without the resounding sales success Apple and Android have achieved.

Now that Windows Phone 8 is due in the fall and Surface tablets are in the pipeline, it looks like Microsoft is going all in with the mobilization of Windows.

Both Windows Phone 8 and Surface will tie in strongly with the company's still-popular desktop OS, perhaps … Read more

Do you want a Microsoft Surface tablet? (poll)

Before Microsoft announced its Surface tablets today (and while speculation was still running wild as to what the big mystery reveal would be), we asked you, readers, what a Microsoft tablet should be should Redmond head in that direction. This is the answer that led our poll by 77 percent:

"Design it to be forward-looking. New tablet-centric software is key, older Windows software is not. Very cool (in other words thin), good battery life, and good-enough performance. Tight integration of software and hardware is important. (Apple's iPad comes to mind.)"

Well, now that Microsoft's two new slates have arrived, it's time to ask if they meet your expectations. The forward-thinking highlight feature of the Surface might be a magnetically attached, 3mm-thick Touch Cover that folds down and functions as a full touch-screen keyboard. But maybe you were hoping for more. … Read more

Friday Poll: Upset about Verizon's new plans?

I'm a Verizon customer. I'm currently on month-to-month, contemplating a new phone. But with that new phone comes a new two-year contract. If I sign that contract after June 28, I'll be shoehorned into Verizon's new Share Everything plan.

Share Everything lets users pool data between smartphones, tablets, and USB modems. It starts at $50 per month for 1GB of data; individual device fees are then tacked on top. Those fees range from $40 for a smartphone to $10 for a tablet.

As it's just little ol' me on my plan, I'll be looking at paying $100 for just 1GB of shared smartphone and tablet data, and unlimited talk and text that I don't need. Yippee. I should note, I have a "feature phone," and upgrading to a smartphone should land me into Share Everything territory. For more on how the math works out, check out Executive Editor Roger Cheng's explanation.… Read more

What's the best game controller?

Update: Voting is now closed. Thanks for helping us choose a winner. Stay tuned for an upcoming CNET Top 5 on console controllers.

All this E3 coverage recently has me thinking it's time for a Top 5 on console game controllers.

I have my thoughts, and I'll be sure to poll our CNET editors for their opinions too. In fact, I'll probably have the final Top 5 span the best game controllers of all-time, just to keep things interesting.

But I also want to know what you think. To keep it manageable, I'm restricting this reader'… Read more

Friday Poll: Is Facebook mobile enough for you?

While Facebook is a pillar of online social media, it hasn't really proven itself to be a moveable feast when it comes to mobile. In a piece this week that got a lot of you talking, CNET Executive Editor Molly Wood looks into how mobile could eventually be the social-media giant's death knell.

Facebook's mobile apps have been notoriously sketchy in quality. It's at the point where I don't even try to download the latest iPad app update, I just use my browser when I want check in on the site.… Read more

Friday Poll: How are you celebrating Geek Pride Day?

It's no coincidence Geek Pride Day falls on the "Star Wars" anniversary, Towel Day for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" fans, and a special People's Revolution celebration day for Discworld devotees.

Geeks have come a long way since "The Revenge of the Nerds" movies. IT staffing firm Modis' recent geek perception survey found that geeks are cooler than they were last year, with 54 percent of respondents rating geeks to be extremely intelligent (up from 45 percent last year).

The survey also found that 60 percent of geeks would be stressed out if their hard drive got wiped, compared with only 49 percent feeling that way about a relationship break-up. It's all about priorities.… Read more

Friday Poll: Verizon killing unlimited data, what are you going to do?

Verizon customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans have been wearing their status with a sense of pride for a long time. New customers stuck with tiered plans look at them with envy and longing.

But that's all about to change.

Reports say Verizon will be killing off the already-endangered unlimited data plan species on its network soon. The company's 4G LTE subscribers will be moved to a new "data share plan" that is expected to go into effect this summer.

According to Fierce Wireless, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that this move would be "beneficial&… Read more

Friday Poll: Is there a downside to your Facebook use?

At what juncture have you reached the Facebook point of no return? Maybe it's when you post the minutia of every meal you ate for seven days straight. Perhaps it's when you start having Farmville dreams.

It turns out Facebook addiction may be a real thing. It's a bit like what you see in "The Godfather." You may try to get out, but it keeps pulling you back in.

Much like "Star Wars," Facebook has a dark side. There are people who neglect family and work in exchange for time spent wrapped up in social networking. Some researchers have even suggested there is such thing as "Facebook depression" among adolescents, but the studies aren't very definitive.… Read more

How important are cameras in a tablet? (poll)

A couple of months ago, Apple made a big fuss about the greatly improved camera in the new iPad. Five megapixels, 1080p video, advanced optics, and so on.

My reaction: meh.

I need a camera in a tablet like I need a radio in a toaster. It's just not a feature I have much use for, and in fact I've rarely used it at all. I suspect I'm not alone in this sentiment, as evidenced by the massive popularity of Amazon's lens-free Kindle Fire.… Read more