(Credit:
Panasonic)
For today's giveaway, we've got the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 digital camera. When Josh Goldman reviewed it just a few weeks ago, he praised this 12-megapixel megazoom for being simple to use and for delivering excellent performance and photo quality. Normally, the camera goes for between $230 and $280. But the folks at Willoughy's have supplied us with one to give away to our readers for free.
So, how do you try to win this Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 digital camera. Approximate retail value is $279.95.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, December 2, at 6:59 a.m. EST.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 6:59am ET on December 2, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck.
On Sale Now: $228.88 - $309.95
View the latest prices for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 (blue)
Episode 60 of Digital City has arrived, and whereas last week saw Joe, Julie, and Scott out sick, this week Dan and Joe are out. In with Scott and Julie are CNET editors Josh Goldman and 404 co-host Justin Yu, both of whom share thoughts on some of the good, bad, and ugly Cyber Monday shopping deals out there, and whether or not any good point-and-shoot cameras are being offered. Plus, some quick holiday movie reviews, Scott's buyer's remorse over a PSP Go purchase, and one of the largest backpacks we've ever seen. Kick up your feet, it's Digital City!
Related links:
>>CNET's Cyber Monday shopping deals
>>Holiday travel: sometimes it's nice not to have an app for that
>>Pointed, shot: 2009's best compact cams
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
>>Follow Scott on Twitter.
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Where's the Grinch? In this uninspired game, only his hand appears. Grinchmas, indeed!
(Credit: Oceanhouse Media)Maybe I'm feeling extra Grinchy today because stupid iTunes keeps timing out when I sync my iPhone, but I don't like Grinchmas.
In this new game from Oceanhouse Media, you're a disembodied Grinch hand that flings snowballs--or presents, if you're in more of a "Merry Grinch" mood--at houses down in Whoville.
And that's it. The challenge, if you can call it that, lies in flinging accurately: you have to swipe at just the right speed and in just the right direction to score a hit.
If I'm any indication, grown-up players will tire of this in about 18 seconds. The littler Whos in your house might enjoy it for longer--the game skews cute, colorful, and Seussian--but ultimately, Grinchmas works so hard at being "casual" that it forgets to be fun. Skip it.
Give your snapshots a fun, Grinch-ian makeover with Dr. Seuss Camera.
(Credit: Oceanhouse Media)The real Dr. Seuss-inspired fun lies in Dr. Seuss Camera: The Grinch Edition, which uses the iPhone camera to create whimsical, Grinchy holiday cards you can share with friends.
Start by choosing from 20-plus different cards, then point your iPhone camera (sorry, Touch users) at the kids, the dog, cranky Uncle Fred, etc.
Each card has either a face cutout area or an empty space alongside a Grinch-related character (if not the ol' meanie himself).
After you snap the photo, you can decorate it further with stamps and borders, then save it to your Camera Roll and/or e-mail it to friends and family.
It's a cute little app, easy to use, and a perfect slice of holiday fun. Here's hoping that "The Grinch Edition" subtitle means there are other versions in the works. (I've always wanted a photo of myself next to Horton the Elephant.)
And, of course, there is a lame prize as usual. So watch the show, then come back here and post your trivia question answer below. We'll choose one of the the first 10 correct posters to win the Star Wars Episode 1 Electronic CommTech Reader.
The answer to the lame prize question from last week's tech turkeys countdown was: Meet Me Tour.
(Credit:
memeticians.com)
If you're cursing yourself for sleeping through Black Friday, you can still indulge your inner cheapskate today on Cyber Monday! No, it's not what you're thinking, dirty birdy--Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving when all the vendors come together to tempt you with online deals and take whatever coins are left in your bank account.
Since it's our first day back, we take the first half to update each other on our holiday festivities: Jeff visited the Norman Rockwell Museum, Justin is missing an arm after shooting guns in the Garden State, and Wilson stuffed himself silly with a batch of be-deviled eggs. I also suffered through "Twilight: New Moon" and "Ninja Assassin" over the weekend. Which movie deserves the award for least entertaining flick of the year? Check out our full review!
And speaking of Cyber Monday, Wilson digs up a controversial story about an "Adult-only" app arriving on the Android marketplace. The steamy app is pseudo-cleverly called "MiKandi" and according to Phandroid, the app only works with the Android. Sorry, iPhone users, your Web browser will have to do.
We're super excited to be back and ready to tackle the rest of 2009 with more giveaways, surprise guests, and a series of year-end wrap-up episodes coming your way, so don't miss an episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast. While you're listening, leave us a voice-mail at 1-866-404-CNET and give us your two cents. You can also send us an e-mail at the404(at)cnet[dot]com or just leave a comment on this blog!
EPISODE 476
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
... Read more
(Credit:
Scott Stein/CNET)
My Thanksgiving was spent in the New York City area, since my family all live on Long Island. But, since I live in the city in an area that's not conducive to owning or parking a car, I'm a renter when it comes to trips. As a result, services like Zipcar and other rental agencies are of great importance to me, as is the quality of their services as opposed to their apps.
When it comes to Thanksgiving car rentals, the city's supply dries up incredibly quickly--weeks in advance, if my attempts were indicative. In particular, Zipcar--the service that's high-tech enough to have an app that unlocks your car for you and offers a mobile rental portal for phones--showed me a map full of unavailability. My car savior came from another service, Connect by Hertz, that happened to have plenty of cars available. And, by coincidence, there's no app. I'm also an iPhone user, and I've become dependent on my apps. But this weekend, I learned a bit of a lesson about phone dependence: sometimes, perhaps, it's better not to have an app for everything.
A me-too competitor to Zipcar, Connect by Hertz is another car-sharing service that has prices and vehicles similar to Zipcar's, as well as a system that uses your membership card as the access key. Connect by Hertz requires a yearly membership equivalent to Zipcar's and works off the same car-sharing model, using your membership card as the car key and offering free gas fill-ups.
It's far from ideal to be subscribed to multiple services, as I am. But the difference is availability: a day before Thanksgiving, Hertz had cars in the city ready to go, many of them, on its Web site. I'm inclined to shift over to Hertz simply to not be stuck on major holidays.
Now, the question is: does not having apps or mobile portals make services like Connect by Hertz more off-the-beaten-path, and thus paradoxically easier to reserve with? Does not having an app make you the equivalent of that below-the-radar cafe that's somehow avoided crowds despite serving delicious food? And am I, by posting news of this, possibly doing the very thing I'm trying to avoid in the first place, blowing this secret up?
Of course, there's always lesson No. 2: don't drive anywhere for Thanksgiving.
(Credit:
Vizio)
For today's giveaway, we've got the Vizio VOJ320F1A. It's a 32-inch LCD HDTV, but unlike most models at this size, the resolution is full 1080p. And the VOJ320F1A eschews basic black, going for a more unique java (brown) coloring. Normally, this set goes for between $519 and $569. But Vizio is giving you the chance to score it for free. (Thanks to the folks at Vizio for supplying the product.)
So, how do you try to win this Vizio VOJ320F1A? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Vizio VOJ320F1A. Approximate retail value is $519.99.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, December 1, at 6:59am EST.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 6:59am ET on December 1, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck.
On Sale Now: $448.00 - $585.78
View the latest prices for Vizio VOJ320F (java)
If I show up for something on time, it's probably an accident. Some of us just weren't born with internal clocks that sync up with the rest of the world--the gifts in the gallery below are for people who're late for everything.
I was late turning this in, so surely, there's something I missed--toss your own ideas in the comments.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
It's the day before Thanksgiving and CNET's The 404 Podcast has a lot to be thankful for. As we go around the circle from Wilson, to me, then to our special guests Natali Del Conte of CNET's Loaded and Tim Geisenheimer, we realize we all have something in common: we're all very very thankful to Les Moonves for signing our paychecks twice a month! We're also want to give a big shoutout to all The 404 listeners and chat roomies- you guys put up with our idiocy on a daily basis and keep coming back for more, and we can't thank you enough for the support!
Natali always brings the best stories to the show, and today (after a very strange confessional to Justin) she tell us that New York might seize control of your XBox 360, Sony Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. Similar to the emergency broadcast interruptions on your television, a new notification system will debut next year that will pause your gaming and warn you about imminent dangers, severe weather alerts, and other life-threatening situations. Unfortunately for Tim, it won't help you talk trash back to your 12 year old competition in Modern Warfare.
As with most of The 404's episodes that come at the end of the week, today's show skips around and derails a lot. We get into a lengthy debate about Harry Potter vs. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Ninja Assassin, a man marrying a video game character, and even play a listener-submitted 404 theme remix. Thanks, Same Slim!
The most important thing to learn from today's episode comes from Natali and today's episode of Loaded: watch the episode and head over to www.nonprofitshoppingmall.com, where any money you spend through their retail partners will get routed do a nonprofit organization of your choice. It's very easy and only takes a few minutes to set up, so do your part and join the cause!
No more shows for the rest of this Thanksgiving week, but we'll be back on Monday so give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET or e-mail at the404(at)cnet[dot]com and let us know how you're spending the long weekend. Have fun and be safe, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
EPISODE 475
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
... Read more
Hey you, Ground Controls and Major Toms orbiting out there! If you're a space aficionado or know someone who'd like to blast into the cosmos, it's time to take your protein pills and click on the gallery below for a definitive go/no-go holiday gift list. It was complied by Gizmodo and reprinted with the site's permission.
See anything we missed? Be sure to let us know in the TalkBack section below.












