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WD joins networking with My Net router family

Once in a while there's a big change, and Western Digital is having one of its own.

The major storage vendor today unveiled not a new hard drive or NAS server, but its very first networking devices in the My Net family. There are five routers and one Gigabit Ethernet switch, enough to challenge other major home-networking vendors, such as Cisco, D-Link, Trendnet, and Netgear.

Unlike other networking vendors whose lineups tend to start with a budget single-band router, WD starts with the My Net N600, a true dual-band router that offers 300Mbps on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. The next step is the My Net N750, which also offers the 450Mbps speed on the 5GHz band, and finally there's the top-tier My Net N900, which offers the 450Mbps data rate on both bands. The My Net N900 also notably comes with seven Gigabit LAN ports (as opposed to the four ports found in most wireless routers). All of these routers work with any existing Wi-Fi clients.… Read more

Microsoft updates My Xbox Live for iOS, adds Xbox control

Now at version 1.5, My Xbox Live enables iPhone users who have XBox 360s to control their console using their iPad or iPhone in a whole new way.

Previously the My Xbox Live app only allowed users to track and compare user profiles and achievements, connect with Xbox Live friends, and manipulate your 3D avatar. … Read more

Google Maps adding 3D, offline directions

In today's show we're changing our passwords, talking to strangers and pretending we can fly:

Google Maps are going 3D. Google announced new features it's building into maps, and it gives the perspective of what you might see if you could fly between buildings. Multiple photos are taken by airplanes, and then it's automatically stitched together to look like a 3D model. The demo was of San Francisco, but no word on which other cities will be the first to get this feature. It is expected to cover 300 million people by the end of the … Read more

Create entertaining animations on iOS

A few days ago, CNET photographer Josh Miller was going around the office making Cinemagrams. I had seen the app before on the iTunes App Store most-popular lists, but had assumed it was simply a version of Instagram for video. When Josh showed me how the app worked, I was really impressed.

After seeing what Cinemagram could do (more about that below), I started wondering about other animation apps in the App Store and came upon several that were impressive for different reasons, but popular for the interesting animations you could make with your iPhone.

This week's collection of apps is all about making short animations. The first makes stop-motion animations by taking several photos of a moving object. The second makes short videos into animated GIFs you can add to text messages. The third is Cinemagram, an app that lets you make photo and video hybrids that are simple and fascinating.… Read more

Turn photos into sketches on iOS

Everyone who uses Instagram, EyeEm, or other photo-sharing apps knows how easy it can be to add effects to photos and make them look even better than the original. But there's another group of apps at the iTunes App Store that add something more to your images, taking a mostly mundane photo and turning it into a work of art.

This week's collection of iOS apps turns your photos into hand-drawn works of art. The first offers one-of-a-kind effects to make your photos look like sketches. The second is an old favorite of mine for the incredibly realistic line drawings you can create. The third takes a different tack, turning your photos into super-realistic paintings in the style of some of the greatest painters ever.… Read more

How Facebook quickly took over the Web

Facebook is on its way to 1 billion users with an IPO around the corner. Not bad for a company with its roots in a Harvard dorm room.

But how did it achieve its grip on the global market? New findings from Nielsen offer a peek into some key milestones for the social network.

Facebook's user base currently numbers more than 900 million. But it's also one of the most visited Web sites in the world, according to Nielsen.

The site received around 152 million unique visits from people in the U.S. in March, which means that … Read more

Take another look at system events with MyEventViewer (64-bit)

What happens in Windows stays in Windows, and the tool that logs and displays it is called the Event Viewer. NirSoft's MyEventViewer is a useful alternative to the built-in Windows tool. For example, it's less confusing, with a simpler layout. You can view multiple logs in one list. It displays the event description and data in the same list, too, instead of opening a new window. And it's available in separate versions for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems, for maximum compatibility and stability. We sampled the 64-bit version in Windows 7.

As with many of NirSoft'… Read more

Tweak Windows 7 with EnhanceMySe7en Free

Windows 7 has quite a few built-in enhancements and tweaks, and it enables still more. Most of these tools are scattered throughout Windows or just aren't convenient to use. We've tried many programs that bundle a variety of Windows 7 tools, tweaks, and cleaners into a "one-stop" solution. SeriousBit's EnhanceMySe7en Free offers most of the features of a premium Pro tool, including Registry and security cleaners, and customizations. It omits the Most Used Tweaks features, context menu integration, and hard-drive monitor. But we were surprised to see that the freeware also omits access to many … Read more

Keep track of your TV shows with a Chrome extension

When is "Homeland" on again next? When will your DVR pick up the next episode of "Modern Family"? Is "SNL" a repeat this Saturday? Get these answers and more with My Episode Guide. This Chrome extension keeps you posted on how many days remain until the next episodes of your favorite TV shows air.

My Episode Guide adds a small button to the right of Chrome's URL bar. After you install the extension, the button's icon is a yellow smiley face with sunglasses. After you add your favorite shows, the button shows … Read more

2012 Ford Focus Electric: The strong, silent type (first drive)

Last week, I rather flippantly mentioned that I'd driven Ford's new Focus Electric, but that I couldn't talk about it. I know you've been on the edge of your seat since then, so I won't bury the lead any further and just get right into what you're here for: the drive.

On the road, the Focus Electric rides nearly identically to the gasoline-powered Focus. That is, until you listen and realize that there is no exhaust note and no engine noise, only the gentle "whoosh" of the road beneath the tires and … Read more