Oprah

O, Oprah! Tweeting your love for the Surface... on an iPad?

In life, you have to get your story straight. Especially if you're a public figure. If your story becomes crooked, you might too -- even if it's a mere accident.

It's hard to know, for example, whether Microsoft's new Surface is one of Oprah's favorite things or not. It was very much on her recently-published list. She compared it to a Mercedes.

This might only mean, sadly, that she believes her iPad is a Ferrari.

For, in tweeting her continued love for the Surface, she made something of an O-Pas. Yes, she used her iPad. … Read more

Oprah: Microsoft's Surface is like a Mercedes

When a person of influence endorses your product, your marketing department reaches for the sky.

Or, more likely, for the Skyy.

So, wherever you are, you will surely be hearing the ululations of vodka-fueled pleasure emanating from Redmond on hearing that Oprah has declared the new Surface one of her "Favorite Things" of the year.

As Mashable reports it, Oprah likened the Surface to a Toyota Prius, because it is such a perfect hybrid of tablet and PC.

No, wait, she actually said: "The Surface, Microsoft's first tablet, feels like a Mercedes-Benz to me, people!

Would … Read more

Star game maker McGonigal launches game for Oprah

If you look under your seat, you might find a new Oprah Winfrey game designed by star game maker Jane McGonigal's Superbetter Labs.

The new project, called Oprah's Thank You Game, was announced today with the specific -- and ambitious -- goal of "spreading the positive emotion of gratitude to half a billion people worldwide."

"Once someone clicks on the 'I said thank you' button," the game's Web site reads, "they will be taken to the game on Facebook to record their thank you and participate in other exciting game elements -- … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1545: Netflix isn't seeing Starz anymore (Podcast)

Just in time to force us all to streaming plans, Netflix announces that its content streaming deal with Starz has fallen apart. Eek. But at least they protected us from the tiered pricing Starz wanted in addition to $300 million per year. AT&T prepares its pro-merger death ray, Dominos announces plans for a pizza delivery joint on the moon (seriously), your responses to our decision to go weekly, and Pastor Luke mans up on Computer Love.

The 404 829: Where money is the root of all evil (podcast)

Say what you want about Vin Diesel's current choice of movie roles, but we have to give the guy credit for his performance in "Boiler Room." One of Jeff's friends found a peculiar flyer referencing the movie at a job fair at Rutgers University, so we spend the first few minutes of today's show chatting about that, then move onto the strange phenomenon of Opera Software receiving e-mails from Oprah fans who can't spell her name right.

We're also excited about today's Google press conference, where it announced a new mobile payment system featuring NFC technology. Stay tuned for more!

The 404 Digest for Episode 829

Oprah e-mails sent to the Opera browser company. Tricked! Botox mom was lying all along! Google Press conference-- Google Wallet. Obama says hi on someone's phone. Stormy video voice mail from Rich in Cleveland.

Episode 829 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

This Day in Tech: Twitter acquires TweetDeck, Google to offer mobile payments?

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, May 25.

Twitter acquires popular client TweetDeck Twitter says it will use the desktop service to help commercial users track conversations across the social network, in a deal reportedly valued at about $40 million. More

Piper Jaffray: Now's a good time to own Apple stock A new analyst report says that despite Apple's "lagged" stock gains this year, now is a good time to pick up shares based on the company's estimated growth over … Read more

The 404 715: Where we really grind our gears (podcast)

Jill Schlesinger and Natali Morris join us on today's show as our Thanksgiving week without Justin Yu continues. Justin usually takes care of our daily blog post seen here but instead has opted to take off three days so he can read bedtime stories to his cat, Chairman Meow.

Today Jill and Natali help us make sense of the inherent dangers associated with allowing civilians to text, MMS, or even video stream to 911 rather than dialing in. Of course Wilson and I overlook the prime opportunities this would present hoodlums who will inevitably use the new technology for evil. While funny, we certainly wouldn't support pranking 911 with video of a fake incident. Not to worry though, Natali informs us that not only is there no funding for such a thing, it hasn't even been planned out at all, and it turns out it was just someone's idea that somehow made its way into mainstream news outlets.

Next up is Oprah Winfrey announcing that the iPad is her favorite thing ever. Though we're pretty sure Apple doesn't need the attention, it's hard for us to believe that Oprah even uses an iPad. We figure she'd just scream at it repeatedly and tell it that it's going on a 10-day trip to Europe over and over.

There are a tons of laughs on today's show, so be sure to tune in, plus some vital financial info that everyone shopping this holiday season needs to know! Jill tells us how much we should be spending on gifts this year, so make sure you've got a budget!

Episode 715 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Oprah anoints iPad her favorite thing ever

Away with your protestations of sorcery and revolution.

No one truly believed the iPad wasn't a mere iFad until Oprah stood up and declared that Apple's creation is better than gold, sparkly Ugg Boots.

Not only that, she went on to exclaim that it was better than the equally shiny Madison Patent Sophia Satchel from Coach. Which retails at a mere $398 and which, to my eyes, is something of a disappointment in that ivoryish/grayish color. Although it is quite fetching in red.

You might feel as if an electrical storm has queered my receptors. But, no. On Monday, Oprah aired her final Favorite Things Ever show and declared the iPad the greatest invention of the century so far. And truly, her favorite thing ever.

Certainly, she challenged Apple to beat it in the next 90 years. But her audience members, who were all gifted an iPad, as well as the slightly more disappointing Sparkly Ugg boots, shiny Sophia satchel, and Volkswagen Beetle, shrieked at the mere sight of an iPad being lowered from the ceiling, with angel wings at its side.… Read more

Zuckerberg on Oprah: More than crisis PR

Zuckerberg and Oprah. They go together like steak and custard. At least in the eyes of many, perhaps slightly jaundiced, observers.

The story goes that the Facebook CEO's appearance Friday on Oprah Winfrey's show was a vast, cynical attempt to blunt any ill effects from the launch of a movie that portrays him as a sleazy little nerd with slightly fewer than one scruple.

That story, of course, may be true. The grand gesture of a $100 million donation to schools in New Jersey certainly offers a counterweight to a movie in which only billions seem to matter.… Read more

Motorola Defy coming to T-Mobile

On Monday, Motorola introduced its latest Android handset for T-Mobile, the Motorola Defy.

Already announced for the European market, the Defy is an updated, sleeker version of the Motorola i1. The ruggedized handset is water resistant and dust-proof, and it has a scratch-resistant 3.7-inch WVGA touch screen.

Motorola is shipping the Defy with Android 2.1 and Motoblur, it also has a 5-megapixel camera with flash, DLNA support, Flash Lite-enabled Web browser, and Moto's CrystalTalk Plus technology for clearer calls. Motorola did not reveal the phone's pricing and release date; however, according to the company, it will … Read more