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Why this old-school Trekkie loves the 'Star Trek' reboots

SPOILERS AHEAD: The new "Star Trek" movies with J.J. Abrams at the helm have turned into commercial successes, but some long-time Trekkies aren't thrilled with the direction the franchise is taking. Check out the Reddit responses to Wil Wheaton's take on Abrams to get an idea of the discussion.

I, for one, am a bit in love with the reboots. Sure, I was suspicious at first. I enjoyed the 2009 "Star Trek" well enough, and thought it clever how it totally wiped out the timeline from the original series and gave itself a new universe to play in for the subsequent films. But it was seeing "Star Trek Into Darkness" yesterday that truly turned me into a fan of the new films. I'm going to tell you why.… Read more

J.J. Abrams to talk up 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' via Facebook Live

Beam -- er, stream -- me up, Scotty. And do it via Facebook.

The social network is powering up its Facebook Live site Friday evening to give Trekkies, Trekkers, and Trekyamacallits of all stripes the chance to transport the original Mr. Sulu into their living room -- along with J.J. Abrams, director of the soon-to-be-released Trek flick, "Star Trek: Into Darkness."… Read more

Exploring expert guidance through Glass

CNET Update hits the bullseye:

In this special edition of CNET Update, I put Google Glass to the test as a coaching tool. Since I need to learn archery to become a proper heroine (e.g. Katniss, Merida, Lara), I wanted to try an archery coaching session through a Google+ Hangout.

I reached out to CoachUp.com to find a coach that was willing to go on this tech adventure with me. CoachUp connected me with M.J. Rogers, an archery coach in South Dakota who has worked with Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

I traveled to Pro Line Archery Lanes … Read more

J.C. Penney apologizes for former Apple exec's moves

J.C. Penney has launched a new ad campaign apologizing for the decisions made under Ron Johnson, its former chief executive and Apple's one-time retail chief.

The new ad, posted to YouTube, focuses people in different locations as a narrator acknowledges the company's recent mistakes that left customers unhappy and pushed revenue down billions of dollars.

"It's no secret, recently J.C. Penney changed," the narrator says over the ad. "Some changes you liked and some you didn't, but what matters from mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing: … Read more

John Williams to compose 'Star Wars' score? J.J. Abrams hints at it

Getting the straight word about the next "Star Wars" movie might be tougher than trying to escape out of a Sarlacc pit, but director J.J. Abrams has let loose a juicy tidbit about who may compose the score -- John Williams.

The impromptu revelation occurred during a "Star Trek: Into Darkness" press conference in Berlin on Monday, as Abrams fielded a question about the possibility of composer Michael Giacchino -- who has worked extensively with Abrams on previous ventures -- taking on "Star Wars." After speaking a few sentences about Giacchino's brilliance, Abrams threw everyone a curve ball and name-dropped Williams. … Read more

The 404 1,245: Where we print with fire (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- "FireWriter" is a far sexier way to describe an inkjet printer.

- What do gangsters do on the Internet?

- New Brad Paisley, LL Cool J song "Accidental Racist" sparks controversy.

Bathroom break video: Slacktory Supercut: The best fake Web sites from TV shows.… Read more

The iPhone tops J.D. Power satisfaction rankings -- again

Apple's iPhone satisfaction streak is alive and well.

J.D. Power and Associates today released its rankings of the most popular smartphone vendors. And for the ninth-consecutive time, Apple took the top spot with a score of 855 out of 1,000. Back in September, when J.D. Power last conducted a study on smartphone customer satisfaction, Apple scored 849.

The second-place smartphone vendor in the latest J.D. Power survey was Nokia, scoring a 795. Samsung came in a close third at 793, followed by Motorola and HTC with 792 and 790, respectively. The average vendor score was … Read more

The 404 1,223: Where we wear Beats By Hey Keep That Racket Down (podcast)

- Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Cook reportedly discussed music-streaming service with Beats.

- Snoop Lion reverts to canine type in video game "Way of the Dogg."

- W controller for "Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style" ain't nothing to futz with.

- Guy with Netflix tattoo gets a free year of Netflix.

- Andrew WK is now the spokesperson for Playtex Fresh + Sexy wipes.

- Bathroom break video: "Iron Man 3" trailer, remade shot for shot.… Read more

Carrie Fisher back as Princess Leia? Hmm, not so fast

There seems to be a great disturbance in the Force.

Was Carrie Fisher pulling fandom's collective legs when she said she'd be returning to the Star Wars universe to reprise her role as Princess Leia?

In a recent interview with Palm Beach Illustrated, Fisher gave a simple "yes" when asked to confirm if she'll be putting on the buns and bikini in the next Star Wars trilogy. Fisher joked that Leia would be elderly and living in an intergalactic old folks' home but said the princess would "be just like she was before, only … Read more

Carrie Fisher to return as Leia in new 'Star Wars' films?

Update, March 7 at 9:18 a.m. PT: A representative for Fisher says she was just joking about signing up for a future Star Wars film and that nothing has been announced. You can read our full story on that here.

The Force seems to be growing stronger with the upcoming new "Star Wars" films.

Actress Carrie Fisher will return to a galaxy far, far away to play the role of Princess Leia in the next "Star Wars" movie.

In an interview with Palm Beach Illustrated, Fisher gave a simple "Yes" when asked … Read more