giveaway

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's expensive Chromebook giveaway here at its I/O 2013 conference can't handle connecting to digital cameras, but that's just one of many problems the laptop causes for its owners.

Chromebooks, which run Chrome OS (read review), are a perpetual work in progress. Updated every six weeks or thereabouts, just like the browser they're based on, Chromebooks rely on the promise of the modern Web.

But getting browsers to talk to commonplace hardware like USB ports, Webcams, and microphones is no easy task. Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), a plugin-free way to stream video, … Read more

For Google, less is more.

That's the case with the tech giant's latest giveaway at its annual developers conference, which at face value might seem less generous than years past, though that turns out not to be the case when you do the math.

This year's haul: a Chromebook Pixel with LTE, the company's top of the line Chromebook, which sports a very high pixel density screen. Google sells it for $1,449 on its online store, though gave it away to all 6,000 I/O attendees.

All told, that adds up to $8,694,… Read more

Congrats to Tywan J. of Owings Mills, Md., for winning an Otterbox Realtree Camo case for the HTC One in last week's giveaway. Like the sound of getting a pair of high-end headphones for free? Read on.

We're giving away a pair of full-size over-the-ear Sennheiser Momentum headphones, which feature a brushed-stainless-steel headband and plush, leather-covered earpads and come with two cables and a carrying case.

Steve Guttenberg, CNET's Audiophiliac, lauded the 'phones for their build and sound quality: "The Momentum headphones sound crisp and clear with all types of music and movies." Earlier this year, the headphones scored a spot in our Top-rated reviews of the week lineup. … Read more

Apple's got about 429 million more app downloads to go before it tops 50 billion, and two companies are putting money down if their apps are the 50 billionth.

Addappt, a social address book service that launched last June and was created by former Microsoft and LinkedIn employees, says it will give the person who wins Apple's 50 billion app download giveaway a $10,000 Apple store gift card if the app they downloaded was -- you guessed it -- Addappt.

That prize would be on top of the $10,000 App Store gift card Apple says it … Read more

Congrats to Ken W. of Tallahassee, Fla., for winning a Sonic Alert Sonic-connect 2 in last week's giveaway, and to Maher K. of Maple Grove, Minn., for winning a Grace Digital Ecoxbt Bluetooth speaker the week before that. This week's prize is for the HTC One owners out there.

HTC's new flagship smartphone has generated lots of buzz with its all-metal design and revamped, love-it-or-hate-it Sense user interface. CNET reviewer Brian Bennett calls the Android device "the fastest, most beautiful phone I've ever used," and if you're going to have a gorgeous phone, you're going to want gorgeous clothing for it. That's where our freebie comes in.

We're giving away a rugged OtterBox Defender Realtree Camo case with a built-in screen protector; damage defense from drops, bumps, shock, and impact; and a cool nature-inspired design that'll make it easy to blend in to your surroundings when you and your HTC One commune out in the woods.… Read more

If you're the sort who likes (or needs) to be connected to the goings-on at your desk all day, this week's prize will help ensure you never miss a message from your important contacts.

The Sonic-connect 2, a portable USB device from Sonic Alert, functions like caller ID for your computer, alerting you to select Skype, e-mail, instant messaging, and MS Outlook calendar and task notifications via any combination of customizable alert options, such as flashing lights, rings, or vibrations.

Chances are your mobile devices already keep you plenty connected to e-mails, IMs, tweets, Facebook messages, Instagram photos, and interstellar transmissions from exoplanets. Using Sonic Alert software, this device lets you cut through all the random pings and pongs, and rank contacts so you can be alerted to only those from certain VIPs, like your boss. The gadget is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. … Read more

Over the years, it seems the iPhone has made the use of iPods a tad redundant. However, iPods keep stealing the spotlight at Always On because they're just so darn tough! Every time we put an iPod through the usual measures, it comes through with flying colors. After our children, Cheeto, and fruit-punch induced torture test for the iPod Touch last season, we had extremely high expectations for these two at Mt. Shasta Ski Park. Those expectations were greatly exceeded, to say the least.

But now it's your turn to put an iPod through its paces. Maybe you'… Read more

With the weather warming up, there's a good chance you'll start spending more time at the pool, river, lake, or whatever body of water you like to head to for sun and fun when you're not indoors staging a Zerg rush. This week's prize would like to tag along.

Grace Digital's portable Ecoxbt stereo Bluetooth speaker is not just water resistant, but 100 percent waterproof. Not only that, it floats. Just jump right in and play your music from any Bluetooth-enabled device. You can also answer incoming calls over the built-in speakerphone.

Part of Grace Digital's Ecoxgear line of outdoor-friendly gadgets, the device measures 4 inches high by 9 inches wide by 2.8 inches deep and weighs 1.5 pounds. The rechargeable battery yields 10-plus hours of play or talk time, plenty for a good run in your kayak or canoe. (See a video of the speaker in action here, complete with sexy "From Here to Eternity"-style beach product shot.) … Read more

As a self-employed person who pays quarterly tax estimates and has lots of employers, April 15 is an especially rotten day of the year -- and not just because I once again waited until the last minute to file my annual return. It's because the whole tax system is insanely complicated, confusing, frustrating, and, duh, expensive. (Hey, government: I don't mind you skimming some off the top, but I do have some quibbles with how you're spending it. Call me, we'll talk.)

Thankfully, some companies are trying to make Tax Day a little less painful by … Read more