sandy

A spotlight on flashlight apps for the iPhone

iPhone owners bracing for possible power outages from the "storm of the century" can make sure a flashlight is handy by downloading a virtual one onto their devices.

No matter how much I try to prepare for an impending storm and loss of power, I can never seem to find a flashlight when I need one. That's why I always keep at least one flashlight app on my iPhone, which I'll certainly use if Sandy yanks my power today or tomorrow.

Flashlight apps work by tapping into the iPhone camera's LED flash, so the light … Read more

Hurricane Sandy puts Google's Nexus event on hold

Due to the severe weather conditions of Hurricane Sandy, we won't be filming a CNET Update show out of our New York studio. We'll return once the storm passes. In the meantime, here are some of the top tech headlines for Monday:

- Tracking Sandy: Many on the east coast spent the weekend boarding up windows rather than upgrading Windows. You can keep tabs on Sandy news through several websites, apps and Twitter accounts. Google has a helpful Crisis Response map that marks emergency shelters, evacuation routes and the storm forecast. News outlets like the The New York … Read more

Apple stores batten down their hatches for Sandy

Apple is among countless retailers striving to defend their East Coast stores against the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.

The company has already closed some stores in New York and four other states, as well as in Washington, D.C., and is bracing for potential flooding and other damage, says blog site ifoAppleStore.

At least 35 Apple stores are within the hurricane's landfall zone as predicted by the National Weather Service, ifoAppleStore said, while another 15 are right outside the zone, including those in New York City and areas north of the city.

Apple stores across Manhattan were closed as … Read more

Hurricane Sandy blows down paywalls at NY Times, WSJ

Two major publications have stripped away their paywalls to give consumers unfettered access to up-to-date information on the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

The New York Times removed its usual paywall on Sunday evening for both its Web site and its apps. Spokesperson Eileen Murphy told Poynter:

The gateway has been removed from the entire site and all apps. The plan is to keep it that way until the weather emergency is over.

The paywall -- which typically prevents users from viewing more than 10 articles for free each month -- has occasionally been removed in the past, when the situation … Read more

Hurricane Sandy: Keeping tabs online

Grocery store shelves have been cleaned out, generators have been fueled up, and cell phone chargers are surely already running hot -- there's a massive hurricane coming to town.

Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the mid-Atlantic region amid all the usual warnings of potential power outages, flooding, damage to property, and other disruptions to business operations and the day-to-day lives of millions of people. Residents up and down the U.S. East Coast are bracing to be pummeled and hoping that it all turns out to be more bluster than actual damage.

In anticipation of the Category 1 hurricane, … Read more

Google cancels Monday's Android event over hurricane

Android fans eager to get a look at the latest Nexus smartphones and tablets will have to wait a little longer. Google e-mailed reporters today saying that it was canceling the event because of concerns surrounding Hurricane Sandy.

As the storm gathered strength, Google faced mounting questions over whether it would continue with the event as planned. The waterfront pier where the event had been scheduled is now in an evacuation zone. Yesterday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency.

Google said it would let reporters know as soon as the event was rescheduled.

On Monday, the … Read more

Welcome to a Windows 8 world

Friday's CNET Update is charging the backup batteries:

Today's tech news roundup has a storm of new tech, and the tech you need in a storm.

The initial preorder supply of white Wi-Fi iPad Minis were claimed in less than a half hour of it going on sale Friday morning. As of Friday afternoon, the black Wi-Fi models were still promising a delivery date of Nov. 2. White models ordered now won't be shipped for two weeks. Some of the first people to buy a 4G iPad Mini are seeing a delivery date of Nov. 23.

Windows … Read more

The 404 1,156: Where your cell phone is sick (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Another reason not to buy books: Hackers installed credit card readers at 63 stores across the country, New York City included.

- Attention New Yorkers: It's officially time to freak out about Hurricane Sandy.

- SDSU study confirms that five-second rule is pretty much bull.

- A license plate frame that defeats red light camera flashes.… Read more

Intel vs. AMD: Who's got the fastest chip now?

Advanced Micro Devices new Trinity chip doesn't deliver the performance trifecta necessary to threaten Intel's market-leading position, according to most initial evaluations.

It's an old story line now: AMD comes out with a new processor that offers better graphics performance, but, overall, does little to change Intel-AMD market dynamics -- which of course heavily favors Intel.

And AMD has done it again. Tapping into the graphics processing unit (GPU) expertise it got when after acquiring ATI in 2006, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company continues to ding Intel on GPU performance.

But AMD fails to threaten Intel on … Read more