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Check your speed

DownTester is a portable app that tests download speeds from HTTP and FTP URLs. It's unobtrusive and gets the job done, but also comes with some useful features that make it worth downloading.

The Advanced Options menu is reasonably robust. You can configure the tests to conclude and move on to the next URL based on time or bytes downloaded. Both of these are user configurable, giving the test broad powers to judge how fast data is flowing to you. You can also set the program to retry upon failure and configure the number of times that repetition should … Read more

Imeem, Lala investments not paying for Warner

Investments made in Web music services Lala, Imeem, and MySpace Music haven't paid off for Warner Music Group, at least not yet.

The third largest of the four biggest recording companies said Thursday it would write down $33 million, most of it from investments made in Lala and Imeem. Edgar Bronfman Jr., Warner Music's CEO, also said after the company issued quarterly earnings report that MySpace Music's performance has so far "disappointed."

Warner Music's write down--$16 million in Imeem and about $11 million in Lala--is a reflection of the company's valuations during … Read more

Take to the skies in WWII

iFighter Lite is a fun, free, one-level preview of the upcoming game iFighter, a vertical-scrolling arcade shooter in which you pilot a WWII fighter plane against wave after wave of Nazi tanks, planes, bosses, and other ground and air targets. iFighter's interface lets you control your plane in one of three ways: with a touch directional pad, swiping touch controls, or simply by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The accelerometer-based controls are by far the best--and they're arguably an improvement over even the controls of iFighter's stand-up arcade predecessors, allowing for quick and precise movements as … Read more

MySpace CEO to step down

MySpace CEO and co-founder Chris DeWolfe is stepping down from his post, but will remain on the board and serve as a "strategic adviser," parent company News Corp. announced Wednesday.

In a press release, News Corp. said DeWolfe's contract would not be renewed by "mutual decision," and that the company was in talks with MySpace President Tom Anderson to assume "a new role in the organization."

The company did not immediately name a replacement, and a company spokesperson declined to comment, but some speculate that former Facebook COO Owen Van Natta is a … Read more

The 404 325: Where we can 'feel it calling in the air tonight'

It's just the three of us today, but that's when we have the best shows. Before we get into stories, please be sure to check out the preshow some time at the404.cnet.com or watchbol.com. During the weekdays, around 11 a.m. EST, Jeff, Justin, and Wilson spend about 20 minutes goofing off, and it becomes a riot.

Today's show is jam packed with stories. First, Pizza Hut is trying to hire an intern, who's only job is to Twitter for the company. We think they should have advertised this yesterday on 4/20. So-called "beer googles" don't really exist, according to scientists. We never believed they did either. We just think that it makes most guys say, "Why not?" Last story for the first half is the release of the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX. It's no longer a brick. Justin is still intent, though, on keeping his iPhone since Hulu announced it would release an app.

Second half of the show, we've got Tuna Tuesday again! This time from Amsterdam! Also, the press seems to hate "Sit Down, Shut Up." Jeff and Wilson aren't big fans of the pilot, either, from "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz. Further along, we find out there's a Lego Rock Band game and a DJ Hero game! Finally, vote for CNET TV for the People's Choice Award at the 2009 Webby Awards. Our jobs depend on it... not really, but it would be nice to play dress up.

Follow us on the Twitter at @the404, and send us your comments. We listen. We promise.

EPISODE 325 Download today's podcast |  Subscribe in iTunes |  Subscribe in RSS… Read more

Desktop sticky notes

Jot down notes and keep them organized on your desktop, keeping your other desk top a bit less cluttered. Freebie Notes provides a simple alternative to the paper sticky note.

This freeware is incredibly simple to use. By choosing a new note from the toolbar, users write themselves a quick note and place it on the desktop. This no-frills note system is perfect for jotting down ideas, phone numbers, or other brief info. Freebie Notes also provides several helpful options to go along with its primary function. A wide spectrum of colors ensures that you don't have a desktop … Read more

Why can't Windows shut down promptly?

Back in the old days when TVs and radios had tubes, it took a couple of minutes for a set to warm up before you could watch or listen. But even then, you could turn it off instantly. That's not true with Windows PCs. Not only does it sometimes take seemingly forever for them to boot, but it can take several minutes for one to shut down. Even worse, if a program stops responding, you may or may not be able to shut it down. And even if it does terminate, it may take awhile.

And by the way, … Read more

Monitor your Mac processes

MenuMeters is a free, open-source, small-footprint set of menubar tools for monitoring CPU, disk, memory, and network usage. You set up MenuMeters in a system preference pane, adding any or all of the four meters that you want to appear in your menubar. The CPU meter displays load information along with options for graphs; the disk meter show activity on local disks, with space usage on a drop-down menu; the memory meter shows RAM usage with an optional paging activity indicator; and the network meter provides multiple options for displaying and scaling activity. MenuMeters has a long, stable history and … Read more

Inside CNET Labs 35: 'When they talk, their head kinda jumpin' up and down'

We have the power this episode! I feel it. Dong feels it. And soon you will feel it...Can you feel it yet? No? Well start downloading.

Dr. Orgy returns this week with some very sound relationship advice for Dong. Dr. Orgy has been divorced once thought, so seriously, how helpful can this be?

Dong and I give our impressions of the upcoming iPhone 3.0 update that turns into a discussion of Apple culture that probably goes on too long. I would have edited it down some, but, we've gotten some complaints lately about us not censoring ourselves. … Read more