Crave

(Credit: Microsoft)

Logos and logo stickers are a big deal for companies about to make a big push on a new product, and forgive us for getting this one wrong. Microsoft's Windows 7 Compatible program, which labels qualified products as being Microsoft-approved to work with Windows 7, is designed only for software and peripherals, not the computers themselves. Microsoft plans a separate program for labeling those. Like Apple's "Works with iPhone," it indicates that the device in question works under all conditions that Microsoft deems necessary. That includes being compatible with 64-bit Windows 7 as well as 32-bit, hence the program's focus on that detail.

We previously reported that this might mean Netbooks wouldn't be sticker-slapped, but rest assured that they (and any other Windows 7-compatible or preinstalled laptop) will get their own stickers, most likely that say something quite different but still Windows 7-related.

Needless to say, the landscape can get confusing. But to clarify: Microsoft will let us know more of what to expect on the PC side in the coming weeks, but until then, if you see a gizmo that has the above logo on it, you at least know you'll be able to use it on your Windows 7 computer.

Will this make life easier? As long as we can understand what the stickers stand for, then yes.

Since we're not having a show tomorrow for Independence Day, there's a lot to cover today, including a new segment with Beck's Beer and Last.fm, a chat with the winner of our logo design contest, and a hilarious voicemail from everyone's favorite Tina Schwartz.

Blake Stevenson's masterpiece poster...click for a larger image

(Credit: Blake Stevenson)

Our annual GetMcDonaldsBreakfastOnJulyThird Day leaves us with upset stomachs and wandering minds, so it's a good thing we have Blake Stevenson on for a quick segment in the beginning of today's show to talk about his winning submission for our logo contest.

We get to pick his brain a bit about how he came up with the design, and we're also curious about his work history and how he got so good! In turn, Blake also surprises us with the amazing poster illustration you see to the left. Click on it to see the larger version, and check out the impressively accurate caricatures of Wilson, Jeff, and me! From Wilson's highlights to Jeff's pursed lips and my ridiculous everything, Blake really did an excellent job of capturing the feel of the show, both with the poster and the logo itself. Attention Tom Green: critics agree, your logo sucks.

The good news is that Blake Stevenson is more than willing to redo it, so head over to JetPacksandRollerSkates.com and put him to work!

(Credit: Daniel Kelleghan Photography)

We're also very excited to debut the very first of our bi-weekly (that's twice a week) segment called The Weekly Audio Draft, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. Every Monday and Friday we'll introduce you guys to some fresh bands with varying genres that we hope will be music to your ears.

Jeff is first up with a band called The Twilight and the Sound, which features Jeremiah Rangel and Matt Lovato, former members of pop-punk band Mest. Their new band draws influences from The Cure, Deftones, Weezer, and Interpol, and you can buy their new album "100 Sundays..." on their profile page on Last.fm. On today's edition of the Weekly Audio Draft, we rock out to their new song "There's No Basement at the Alamo," a driving, upbeat track that combines male and female vocals in a call-and-response format that makes the perfect accompaniment to a weekend BBQ or road trip. Leave a comment on this post and let us know what you think! Check out more info for the band at their MySpace page as well.

The second half of the show is filled with hilarious voice mails including some bike shopping advice as well as a really funny voice mail from our favorite listener, Tina Schwartz. We have to reiterate that her views and opinions DO NOT reflect those of The 404 or our parent company, CBS Interactive. We even get into a few stories at the end of the show, including some back and forth about the Microsoft and Nickelback collabo, Facebook flirting and Universal grabbing the rights to the Asteroids full-length movie.

Have a great Independence Day weekend everybody, stay safe, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for our weekend throwback episode!

Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET.

This show is getting too many mascots. First Boxxie McFinderberg, then our soon-to-be beta fish, and now a baby panda?! On today's show, we discuss "Terminator Salvation," Asian actors in Pixar's "UP," E3 2009, the Sony PSP Go, and the leaked Palm Pre review on Boy Genius Report.

Someone saw 'Drag Me To Hell' over the weekend...

(Credit: Edward McInTyre/CNET)

Sony and Palm are clearly using the same marketing team, because they're both mucking things up with the release of their latest products, the Palm Pre and the recent Sony PSP Go leakage. Jeff and Wilson suspect that they released it early on purpose, but the real story here is how boring it is. None of the internal specs have changed, it's the same screen as the PSP 3000 except for minor upgrades to the onboard memory. The most obvious difference is the sliding keypad. Wilson thinks it's simply useless and just another piece of hardware prone to break over time. Not surprisingly, the dudes think it's a wise move not to include a UMD slot in the new PSP Go. After all, everything is going the way of cloud computing, and you can still put a game on a Sony Memory Stick anyway. Wait a second, what the hell? Why am I even writing about all this gaming garbage? Up until five minutes before the show, I didn't even know what a PSP Go was!

Moving on: if you're running out of toilet paper for the day, print out Boy Genius Report's Palm Pre review and wipe away. BGR unveiled the "world's first review" of the new handheld on Friday, and it also happens to be the "world's most poorly written review" as well. First of all, there's a code of ethics that comes into play here, and BGR still hasn't revealed how or why they decided to leak the review before anyone else. Journalistic integrity, anyone? And come on, dude: if you're going to leak a high-profile review that you know will get a massive amount of hits, maybe spend a tiny bit more time shaping the text. We get that it's a blog, but this review reads like someone wrote it on the pot. Or maybe we're just jealous that we didn't get one first. :)

Finally, thanks again to EVERYONE that submitted logos over the weekend for our contest. It ended today, so don't send any more unless you have one that can seriously compete with the finalists (which we will debut tomorrow). Check out the final submissions below and let us know what you think in the comments. Do you have a favorite out of all of them?

Last round of submissions for our 404 logo contest!

After yesterday's much-lauded episode with Jill Schlesinger, Jeff, Justin, and Wilson are back to classic 404 goodness today. We're glad that for once in the world we can offer some helpful financial advice. And yes, we're still offering 404k options, so please send your checks to the show.

(Credit: Joseph Fedele)

On today's show, we've got a First Look at the new Hulu Desktop app. It kind of destroys Joost and Boxee's previous efforts. For those of you who don't know, it's an actual application like Front Row or Windows Media Center that plugs into Hulu content and can be controlled with a remote. Pretty cool.

Also, we're pretty excited about Sonic the Hedgehog coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. Jeff and Justin don't like that the game will be controlled via tilt, but Wilson thinks that--considering you spend most of the game just hitting forward and jump--it's not really that big of a deal.

Finally, we spend the second half of the show picking up the pieces after Justin offends millions and millions of Dave Matthews Band fans, who call in to unleash their hatred. Hopefully, Justin learns never to mess with DMB fans again. They are rabid. After that, we spend the rest of the show going over the hundreds of 404 logo submissions. They are fantastic! Please continue to send them in. We're extending the contest until the beginning of next week. Have a great weekend everyone!

Another round of 404 logo submissions - 40 today!

Aside from some technical difficulties today and a giant bug bite, we've got a great show featuring all three of your favorite Web celebrities. Before we get to the stories, we want to remind everyone of The 404 logo contest and of our appearance on our buddy Clayton Morris' FoxNews.com's Strategy Room to talk about all the good tech, video game-related goodness at 2 p.m. EST.

(Credit: Jasper Engels)

On today's show, find out ways that kids now are using abbreviations in text messages to hide things from their parents. Apparently, "RU/18" is something that kids these days are getting on their cell phones. Also, Pfizer is giving away free three-month supplies of Viagra and Lipitor because of the recession, but only if you were on the drugs before you got laid off. We hope Justin isn't itching to get fired for this deal.

In regard to a story about China shutting down a sex-themed park, Wilson gives us way too much information about "the talk" with his mom when he was 15. Justin and Jeff learned everything from "Sesame Street." Speaking of more things naughty, there is a new version of "Star Trek" called "Star Trix", and we can't really say much more about it other than it's totally NSFW.

Finally, showers make you more productive at work. Just be sure to watch out for peephole-size openings at work. Be sure to write in at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. We'd love to see more of your submissions for our logo contest. See you on Tuesday after the Memorial Day break!

Episode 348

(Credit: Altec Lansing)

In case you missed it, Altec Lansing has undergone a corporate makeover and is showing off a new logo along with several new products, including a pair of funky-looking PC speakers and a couple of sleek iPod speaker systems. We'll be getting review units in soon, and will actually have a full review of the new Orbit posting shortly.

Here's the rundown--and some links--for easy reading:

Two new inMotion iPod speakers from Altec Lansing

PC speaker-design alert: Altec Lansing goes mod with Expressionist Bass

Second Orbit: Altec Lansing's new iPod speaker

(Credit: Belkin)

We doubt that it was done intentionally, but there's probably no shortage of conspiracy freaks out there who will claim that something sinister was behind the design of Belkin's new "Micro Grip" cases for the 3G iPhone. Either way, we do find it curious that it looks like a bunch of interwoven Zune logos.

And regardless of whether your alliances lie with Apple or Microsoft, the design of these cases seem dubious at best from both a practical and aesthetic standpoint. On the practical side, this kind of rubberized webbing appears to defeat the purpose of something that's supposed to supply complete protection; as for the aesthetics, these cases look like they belong on the street strutting their fishnet stockings. Just sayin'.

(Credit: eBay)

Normally we wouldn't torment you with an eBay auction that's already ended, but we've learned over the years that practically anything about Apple is worth mentioning--even used sneakers.

After seeing all manner of Mac tattoos, haircuts and other signs of affection, we're accustomed to seeing the familiar logo pretty much anywhere. The only thing that's somewhat surprising is that image-obsessed Apple allowed the hallowed icon to be used on something as easily soiled as footwear, even for just prototypes. (Then again, it was done during the non-Jobs years.)

Whatever the case, this size-8.5 promotional pair from the early '90s went for $79, according to TechEBlog. Given the cult of the Mac, we thought it would have drawn more than one bid.

If the standard silver or black (and the occasional pink) of Kodak's cameras aren't enough for you, then you're in luck. Kodak has announced a partnership with SkinIt, a company that makes custom vinyl skins for gadgets. According to a recent announcement, SkinIt will offer exclusive skins for 28 different Kodak EasyShare digital cameras, ranging from sports logos to bands to comics. SkinIt will also offer custom skins from users photos. SkinIt vinyl skins for Kodak EasyShare cameras will ship next year and retail for $10 and up.