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Samsung Series 9, 15-inch: Hands-on with the 13-incher's bigger brother

There's no doubt about it: Samsung's Series 9 has always been a hot-looking laptop. Thin and every bit as iconic as a MacBook Air, the 2011 Series 9 laid the groundwork for all the sleek and sexy ultrabooks we've seen so far and throughout January's CES.

We've peeked at the second-gen Series 9 13-incher a few months ago, but we also knew that a larger-screened version was on its way. I saw it at CES, and wondered how the concept of a thin ultrabook would work on a 15-inch scale. Well, it's here now at CNET, and before I dropped it off at the Labs for testing, I spent a little time with it up close.… Read more

2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4x4: Zombie apocalypse approved

It's no secret that I'm a zombie enthusiast--it's right there at the top of my Twitter profile. So, I tend to see things a bit differently. When tossed the keys to a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4x4, I saw the ultimate vehicle for keeping myself un-undead when the zombies rise and society falls.

Think about it. The Wrangler is rugged. It can traverse almost any type of terrain, but it's still small enough to creep through some fairly tight spots. The simple chassis and power train are easy enough to modify and maintain. And while it'… Read more

4x4 freedom

4x4 Jam is an off-road racer that lets you drive wherever you want--an ongoing and changing landscape continues in every direction. This game is from the early days of the iTunes App Store, and while the gameplay is still pretty fun, it's easy to tell the graphics haven't been updated for the latest iOS devices.

Even so, 4x4 Jam still manages to be fun and worthy of a download if you've never tried it. Steer by tilting your iPhone left and right and you have several options for control sets depending on how much control over gas … Read more

Monster trucks and off-road racing for iOS

A new monster truck game came out this week and it got me thinking about off-road games on the iOS. I remember playing and writing about a few early on, like 2XL ATV Offroad and then later Reckless Racing (both are definitely worth checking out), but hadn't really seen that many off-road games recently.

In my search to complete this collection I found that good monster truck games are underrepresented in the iTunes App Store, but still managed to find a couple of old favorites that are worth checking out.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about 4x4s. The first is an oldie but goodie with excellent off-road physics. The second is a side-scroller with huge jumps and four different types of vehicles. The last is a new monster truck game with tons of jumps, stunts, and destruction.… Read more

D-Link unveils superfast, compact wireless-N access point

LAS VEGAS--If you want to upgrade your wired network to wireless-N, you probably want to wait for the newest access point from D-Link.

The company unveiled at CES 2010 its most powerful consumer access point ever, the D-Link Rush (DAP-1560) wireless-N access point.

According to D-Link, the DAP-1560 will bring home networking to a new level of performance for those who demand the fastest streaming of high-definition content, such as movies, HD video, and photos. The new access point features a 4x4 antenna design that helps boost the power of any existing router with up to 600Mbps wireless speed and … Read more

SanDisk ships 'X4' flash chips

SanDisk said Monday that it is shipping memory chips that will allow consumers to store more data on tiny Secure Digital flash cards.

The Milpitas, Calif., company's X4 technology packs four bits of data into each memory cell. To date, flash memory chipmakers typically stored one bit or two bits per cell. Each individual die--or chip--holds 64 gigabits of data, or 8 gigabytes. This is the highest capacity per die in the industry, according to SanDisk.

The technology is not yet shipping in cutting-edge retail products, however: it is currently being used in 8GB and 16GB SDHC (Secure Digital … Read more

AMD eyes Intel, Windows 7 with $99 chip

Advanced Micro Devices will try to inject new life into the lackluster desktop PC market with the first sub-$100 quad-core processor aimed at Windows 7--and Intel.

It's all about mobile computing today. But AMD's Athlon II X4 quad-core processor will give consumers something to consider on the desktop when Windows 7 ships in October. The chip is priced at $99 for "system builders," according to AMD.

"The introduction of the new AMD mainstream desktop platform coupled with Windows 7, allows...a faster, higher performing experience at an attractive price point," said Mike Ybarra, … Read more

Create photo presentations and race 4x4s off road: iPhone apps of the week

Last week I mentioned how long it took to sync my iPhone to iTunes and it seems I'm not alone. I think almost all Mac users reported that syncing only took a few minutes, but a lot of Windows users (with some exceptions) were having the same experience as me. Is Windows doing something to muck up the process or is syncing different across platforms? Hopefully, this is something Apple will look into in future updates.

Following your advice, and the advice of other iPhone forums, I restored my iPhone and then used my latest backup to get my … Read more

SanDisk to begin making 'X4' flash chips

SanDisk is disclosing at a San Francisco technology conference Tuesday that it will begin mass production of memory chips that will allow consumers to store up to 64GB of data on tiny flash cards.

The Milpitas, Calif., company's X4 technology will pack four bits of data into each memory cell. To date, flash memory chipmakers typically stored one bit or two bits per cell.

SanDisk--the largest supplier of retail flash cards--is making the disclosure jointly with Toshiba at the 2009 International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). The two companies will use 43-nanometer manufacturing process technology to make the chips. … Read more