research

For really deep bass, you need a real subwoofer

There are a number of terrific small subwoofers on the market, but all of the best subs are big. The little ones can certainly make bass, but the quality and quantity of the larger subs' deep bass is considerably better. You can literally feel the difference -- deep bass is as much felt as it is heard.

I remember the impact a big sub made when I reviewed the Outlaw LFM-1 (now upgraded to the LFM-1 Plus, $549). The LFM-1 weighs 58 pounds and measures 21.75 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and a whopping 22 inches deep. It had … Read more

Why it's possible to still believe in RIM's BlackBerry 10

Research In Motion's BlackBerry Jam developer conference in San Jose, Calif., could either be considered the rebirth of a company or a last gasp attempt to keep developers interested in the platform. There's not much in between.

Given that binary reality -- BlackBerry 10 either does well or RIM dies -- it's worth checking in on both sides of the equation. Watching RIM CEO Thorsten Heins talk all things BlackBerry 10, which will be tested by carriers in October, I couldn't help but root for RIM. Yes, I realize RIM faces long odds, but we all … Read more

Finding flaws in the iPhone 5

Monday's CNET Update is a bit scratchy:

Apple sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 units as of the first weekend. That's a million more than the launch of the iPhone 4S. But looks like Apple could have sold many more if there was enough supply. Several retail stores in major cities had only 8 or 10, according to reports, and didn't get enough to fulfill preorders.

When you have millions of people around the world racing to be the first to have one, there are high standards. So there's been quite a bit of press … Read more

En route home, Endeavour soars over Golden Gate Bridge

SAUSALITO, Calif. -- With thousands of fans looking on from around the San Francisco Bay, the space shuttle Endeavour soared over the Golden Gate Bridge this morning en route to its final home in Los Angeles.

After taking off a little after 8 a.m. PT from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Mojave Desert, and piggybacked on top of a specially-outfitted Boeing 747, Endeavour made its way north to Sacramento and then turned west toward San Francisco. The journey was a farewell tour for what was called the "Baby" space shuttle, a replacement for the ill-fated Challenger, which exploded after liftoff in 1986. Endeavour made 25 launches during its lifetime, the first in 1992, the last in May 2011. … Read more

Microsoft, RIM ink patent deal on storage tech

Microsoft and Research In Motion today said they have signed a patent licensing agreement that gives RIM access to Microsoft file system technology.

That technology is called Extended File Allocation Table -- or "exFAT" for short -- and Microsoft says it optimizes files for use on flash storage, which is overwhelmingly the storage of choice on smartphones and tablets.

"Today's smartphones and tablets require the capacity to display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones," David Kaefer, the general manager of intellectual property licensing at Microsoft said in a statement. "This agreement with … Read more

If you play violent video games, you can take more pain

Researchers do sometimes concoct the most marvelous hypotheses.

However, some large heads at Keele University in the U.K. have managed to entice me into a piece of research that truly lifts the spirits.

For reasons that may or may not be related to Britain's own repressed but violent nature, these psychologists decided to inflict pain on gamers.

They wanted to see whether those who played violent games tolerated real, physical anguish better than those who played sissy games like EA's Tiger Woods mullarkey.

One wonders whether the participants knew that they would be subjected to waterboarding.… Read more

Did Samsung verdict hurt Apple's reputation?

With everyone's nerve-endings needing massage by Valium in anticipation of Wednesday's new iPhone announcement, this is hardly the time for sobering thoughts.

Still, if you can't be sobering in the morning, when can you?

I have therefore dug deep into the annals of the anodyne to unearth a piece of, um, research that suggests Apple is becoming ugly -- even to its own fanpersons.

This research, performed by a company called Media Measurement, attempted to place a gentle, caring finger upon the pulses of enthusiasts, after Apple had defeated Samsung in the recent patent trial.

As Forbes tells it, … Read more

Cooking simulator adds a sense of touch to virtual food

Learning how to cook can be a frustrating experience. This should not be the case. Aside from an occasional overcooked steak, the process should be an enjoyable one. And considering that one gets to eat the results of one's labor, the aftermath isn't too bad either. (Unless that steak is really overdone.) Understanding that learning how to cook can be thought of as a game, a research team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology has created a cooking simulator designed to give novice cooks instantaneous feedback.

As a novel approach to culinary education, the system is composed of … Read more

Why shop via your phone? To keep your spouse in the dark

Some people just cannot stop buying.

They wander into stores during their lunch hour, they're constantly attuned to online shopping. Who can wonder that the wise people at Amazon decided to name their online clothing store MyHabit?

And yet, as everything goes mobile, is it really quite as easy to shop through your phone, as it is on your cute little PC or iPad? Everything is a little smaller, for example. It's harder to zoom out and imagine.

However, new research has entered my laptop that offers a far more rational perspective on mobile shopping. Apparently, a substantial … Read more

How your tweets may prove you're a psychopath

You know all those people who use the phrase "iPhone killer" on Twitter? They're probably psychopaths.

So are, very likely, those who wanted Apple to "bury" Samsung.

How do I know this? Well, I am privy to new scientific information that indicates something very powerful about the language used while expressing one's feelings in social media.

Swearing or using words of high aggression is an apparent indicator that one is not necessarily well in the head.

I am grateful to the Daily Mail for not killing the story of the boffins at Florida Atlantic … Read more