book

Judge: Evidence shows Apple colluded to fix e-book prices

Pressure seems to be mounting for Apple in the e-book lawsuit brought against it and five publishers by the U.S. Justice Department.

With less than two weeks before the trial is set to start, the judge presiding over the case said Thursday she thinks evidence will establish that Apple indeed colluded with the publishers to fix e-book prices, according to Reuters.

"I believe that the government will be able to show at trial direct evidence that Apple knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of e-books, and that the circumstantial evidence in this case, including … Read more

Cute 4-year-old Marvel trivia whiz shows off her skills

You might think you're a Marvel super-fan, but little 4-year-old Mia Grace will crush you. She shows no mercy as she deftly handles Marvel trivia questions from her parents, all while calmly riding in a car seat on the way to the store.

Mia's dad posted a video of his daughter tossing off answers like "Loki" and "vibranium" as if they were answers to questions about her favorite color or what she likes to eat. The young comic book fan has managed to build up quite a store of superhero knowledge, no doubt thanks to some quality geek parenting.… Read more

HP CEO talks Android, not Windows 8

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman had a lot more to say about the company's new Android products than she did about Windows 8 during HP's second-quarter earnings conference call.

Whitman's remarks hinted at HP's newfound affinity for new operating systems, which includes Android of course.

"Using multiple operating systems, multiple architectures, and multiple form factors, we are moving quickly to product the devices that customers want," she said.

Then she proceeded to talk about new Android devices, with no mention of Windows 8.

"Following the launch of our first Chromebook in February, we launched … Read more

Get a free 100-photo flip-book from Groovebook

The other day I told you about an app that lets you order Polaroid-style prints from your iPhone -- for 99 cents apiece.

Today, let's talk quantity. If you snap a lot of photos and frequently hit up, say, Snapfish or Walgreens for big batches of prints, I've got an interesting deal for you.

For a limited time, you can get a free 100-photo flip-book from Groovebook when you apply coupon code CNETGROOVE at checkout. That's a colossal savings of...wait for it...$2.99!

No, seriously. Without that code, a 100-photo flip-book would cost you exactly $2.99. Shipped. What kind of crazy craziness is this? I'll explain.… Read more

Penguin settles state e-book pricing suits for $75M

Penguin has agreed to pay $75 million to settle e-book pricing lawsuits filed by many states and private class plaintiffs, bringing an end to the long-running complaints in the U.S.

The settlement would resolve claims filed by 33 state attorneys general against Penguin, as well as class-action lawsuits filed by consumers who alleged the company's behavior violated unfair competition laws and caused consumers to overpay for e-books.

Along with the $75 million in damages, Penguin also agreed to pay costs and fees related to the claims and abide by the same "injunctive relief" as in its … Read more

Sony teases PS4 ahead of Xbox reveal

CNET Update gets excited about shapes:

In this episode of Update:

- See how Yahoo gets into the Tumblr spirit after buying the blogging site for $1.1 billion. Brace yourself for more ads while Yahoo looks into ways to profit off Tumblr.

- Squint to guess what Sony is showing in this PlayStation 4 teaser video, posted on the eve of the next Xbox unveiling.

- Hold off on buying a new MacBook Air as speculation builds over a new model.

- Fantasize over future tech with bendable, unbreakable screens.

- Drop some knowledge into Pinterest with Rich Pins … Read more

New MacBook Air imminent?

Signs may point to a refresh of Apple's popular MacBook Air. Possibly next month.

AppleInsider said Friday that at large online retailers like MacConnection, stock has vanished for the popular 13.3-inch Air with a 1.8GHz processor and 256GB solid-state drive.

That said, Best Buy has stock, but it's the "only reseller on AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide that is currently advertising available inventory," according to the Apple-centric site.

Dwindling inventory at authorized Apple outlets is usually an indication that a product refresh is imminent.

And what, pray tell, will Apple deliver with the next … Read more

How to upload documents, e-books to Google Play Books

Mixed in with all of the announcements and releases from Google I/O earlier this week, the Google Play Books service received an important update. Google Play Books users can now upload personal PDFs and e-books they currently own to the service.

To upload a document to the service, you can visit Play.Google.com and click on the My Books section heading, or you can go to the My Books section directly by using this link.

You will see a new "Uploads" option on the left-hand side; when you click on it you'll be prompted to … Read more

Qantas: Forget the Kindle, read a book we just wrote for you

The past is a cockroach.

It never truly goes away. It simply makes more copies of itself, each a little different from the last.

How quaint, though, of Qantas to think that its fliers should read a book.

No, not a book on some fancy machine. A paper book, with a cover and a booky smell, given to you if you're one of its fancy passengers.

These are, allegedly, no ordinary books. As Ad Age reports, Qantas claims they are "bespoke." Yes, like a hunting jacket.

The company has teamed with publishing house Hachette to offer high-fliers … Read more

Use Postable to send personalized thank-you cards

Last year I wrote about how using Postable makes managing your address book less of a hassle. The service lets you request contact information from friends and family so you can easily send letters, cards, and gifts, knowing they're headed to the correct destination.

A recent update to Postable adds the ability to send thank-you cards to those who deserve a little gratitude, for $2 plus postage. With your address book stored in Postable, sending cards is supereasy. Here's how to get started: