All CNET Audio Podcasts

For the Record Podcast: E-tailer 'scams' deceive consumers

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:55:00 -0800

As CNET's Greg Sandoval has been reporting, a number of well-known e-tailers have been implicated in marketing schemes that have led to people purchasing services that they were unaware they had signed up for.

Prentiss Cox, professor at University of Minnesota Law School

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has been investigating these practices, as has professor Prentiss Cox of the University of Minnesota Law School. Members of the Senate and angry online shoppers have used such terms as "scam," "robbery," and "theft" to describe such practices.

To find out more about how these work, Larry Magid spoke with Cox and CNET's Greg Sandoval.

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Digital City Podcast 59: Black Friday shopping tips, and a PS3 MAG beta invite giveaway

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:16:00 -0800

It's episode 59 of the Digital City, and if our cast looks a little different today, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Joey, Julie, and Scott all called in sick, so we recruited some of our CNET colleagues to step in and offer their holiday shopping advice.

David Katzmaier, John Falcone, and Matt Fitzgerald weigh in on Black Friday tips for big-screen TVs, home theater equipment, and digital cameras, and we go over some of the best and worst laptop deals around.

Also discussed was the high-concept Tony Hawk: Ride skateboard video game, the surprise popularity of Assassin's Creed 2, and Dan showed off his new Forza-3-branded Pumas.

Added bonus: we've got a handful of beta invites for MAG, the massive 256-person PS3 shooter to give away. Ping me on Twitter , or e-mail us at digitalcity@cnet.com, and we'll hook the first five people up.

>>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!

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CNET News Daily Podcast: Murdoch enlisting Microsoft to shun Google

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:49:00 -0800

It appears that Rupert Murdoch was serious about wanting to remove his company's media properties, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Fox News, and Hulu, from the Google search index. Murdoch's News Corp. has reportedly initiated discussions with Microsoft over a plan to have the media company's Web content essentially delisted from the world's largest search engine, Google, but included on Microsoft's Bing, in exchange for payment from Microsoft. Microsoft has reportedly approached other media giants about having their content removed from Google search results as well.

CNET is preparing an update on this development and we'll have more news later today.

Also on the podcast: No app store apologies from Apple; a dangerous, if rare, iPhone worm; "smartbooks" to take on netbooks; and editors begin to leave Wikipedia.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Report: Microsoft may help News Corp. delist sites

Schiller: No apologies for App Store approval process

Another iPhone worm, but this one is serious

E-tailers snagged in marketing 'scam' blame customers

Will the 'smartbook' be a better Netbook?

Dell Mini 3i smartphone ready for China launch

Nintendo launches paid video content for Wii

Wikipedia losing volunteers

'Jurassic Park' kid cast as Facebook co-founder

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1112: Rupert Murdoch battles infinity

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:07:00 -0800

Microsoft is apparently willing to pay Rupert Murdoch to block Google from indexing any of his company's Web sites. Are we headed toward a world where the search engine you use determines what news you get? Probably not. We explain why Murdoch may be thinking in an old fashioned limited way rather than in the current infinite Internet way. We also declare the patent office baroque, and ask it to lose weight.

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EPISODE 1,112

Microsoft offers to pay News Corp. to “de-list” itself from Google
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-offers-to-pay-news-corp-to-de-list-itself-from-google-2009-11
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10403336-93.html

Large Hadron Collider progress delights researchers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8372737.stm
http://www.dailytech.com/Scientists+Complete+First+Steps+to+Bring+LHC+Back+Online/article16909.htm

Another iPhone worm, but this one is serious
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10403425-2.html

B&N Nook sold out for the holidays
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10402710-1.html

Roku adds Flickr, Facebook, Pandora, and more video channels
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10402856-260.html

Farewell, triangles: AOL preps its post-Time Warner look
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10403346-93.html

Smoking may void AppleCare warranty due to “health hazard”
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/21/smoking_may_void_applecare_warranty.html

Spotify expands its reach, but still can't get to the U.S.
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091123/spotify-expands-its-mobile-reach-but-still-hasnt-landed-in-the-u-s/

Gameloft and others, reigning in Android plans – game developers pulling back
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AJ1EU20091120

Apple’s Schiller Defends iPhone App Approval Process
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2009/tc20091120_354597.htm

Man to marry his video game girlfriend this Sunday
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/20/man-to-marry-his-vid.html

VOICE MAIL
Brandon has a way to do hands-free texting

Gil in Iraq has a worry about Digital Britain

E-MAIL
Caroline wrote a great article about the re-branding of AOL as —> “Aol.” + the results of typing “random crap” into Google image search.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10403346-93.html

This is so FAIL, I am having trouble wrapping my head around it.
1) America Online, AOL is an acronym, so why “Aol”?
2) Again, AOL is an acronym not a fraking sentence, WHY IS THERE PUNCTUATION??
3) Based on the write-up, there is a finite number of ‘clip art’-esque backdrops for the now Aol (pronounced “OWL” now in my book). So, I’m glad that the online company went with an image of Scratchy from the Simpsons with an exploding brain containing tinier Scratchy heads. Marketing GENIUS.

Clearly, the marketing team was part of, and stayed with, Time Warner. Not like I’d ever use Aol., but this is some serious marketing FAIL.

Love,
Dr. Karl

**********

Buzz Gang…

I dont remember which episode it was, (1099) but it was when you were
talking
about the ACTA Treaty. I thought I would send this little graphic I threw
together which I will be posing on my sites with a link to the Electronic
Frontier Foundation: http://tekpedia.net/files/2009/11/no_acta.png
https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=383.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention and many others. Until I heard
this,
I thought the Net Neutrality issue was the big issue, now Im not so sure.

Rob Truman, USN Ret.
Tucson, AZ
http://tekpedia.net/files/2009/11/no_acta.png

**********

A short time ago,
in our very own galaxy……….

Patent Wars
(cue Imperial March)

Hi all in Buzzington,
This has got to be the worst and/or scariest patents I’ve seen. Slashdot has a report that some company called Volomedia, got a patent that grants them exclusive rights to create, download, and sync podcasts. Them and no one else. The way it’s worded not only spells doom for nearly every online news/media site, but possibly TV shows to an extent.

Ok, so I want to patent the rights of creating a sequel work based on an original intellectual property. Oops, there goes the media/entertainment industry.

Please tell me I’m misunderstanding this patent, otherwise BOL and every other podcast that I love could be wind up on the streets.

JoshuaCaleb

**********

Hey BOLers,

I love you guys, but every time you start to talk about Windows Mobile and the Zune and Microsoft’s strategy (or lack thereof), it makes me want to blow a gasket.

While WinMo is clearly behind compared to several other mobile OSes, everyone seems to forget that Windows Mobile has had apps available for a long, long time. I have a great Twitter app (Twikini), an official Facebook app, mobile maps with driving directions (Bing), and more.

Could it be better? Absolutely. There are still a lot of aspects of the OS that are behind the times. But if you look at the published required specs for WinMo 7 phones, it looks like it’s going to be really powerful and full of cutting edge features. Additionally, the Zune platform will reportedly be intergrated into Windows Mobile 7, so why would MS put out a Zune phone when ALL the WinMo 7 phones will be Zune phones?

Even though I disagree with your thoughts on Windows Mobile, I still … Love the show.

George A. Roberts IV
President and CEO, Purity Networks, Inc.
http://www.purity.net/

The 404 Podcast 473: Where Papa's got a brand new plaid

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:28:00 -0800

(Credit: Outsanity Photos/Flickr)

Jeff is taking the week off to get a head start on Thanksgiving, so Wilson and I invite Mark to help us out on today's episode of The 404 Podcast. After spending a couple days out of the office last week, it feels great to get back in front of the mic. It's no fun being home with the flu, but it did give me an opportunity to check out Twilight. No, not The Twilight Saga: New Moon, I meant the first one, which I never bothered to watch in theaters. I'm glad I didn't spend $12 to watch it, too! Get all the details plus a sneak peek at the new movie in theaters now. Wilson also checked out Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey's new movie, "Precious." The movie also features Mariah Carey and Mo'Nique, who's up for an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Precious' abusive mother.

(Credit: Hulu)

The first story of the day is about the much-publicized-but-never-materialized Hulu iPhone App. The self-proclaimed "bada**" portable player was first announced in April '09, successfully drumming up hype for a product that never actually came out. Wilson and Mark speculate that it could be because Hulu is preparing to launch a paid version of the streaming video site, which could potentially be holding up development of the iPhone version, which leads us to pose the question: How much would YOU be willing to pay for a monthly Hulu subscription on your iPhone? Do you frequently watch video on your smartphone, and if so, how much does it eat up your battery life? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Mark and Wilson know a thing or two about Black Friday after heading out to Best Buy every year to video tape the anxious shoppers waiting in line, but this year is a different story. While those two are fast asleep in their beds, others will be pushing, fighting, and kicking to get the best deals at their local big box retailers. But as Chris Matyszczyk tells us, some of the deals might not be awesome as they seem. Watch out for deceptively low product quantities that give zero hope for anyone NOT third in line, as well as "derivatives," aka products that are advertised as brand name but are actually "inferior models." If you're planning on waiting in line, be sure to listen to this segment for helpful tips on how and where to shop for the best deals this Black Friday.

We're only recording three shows this week, but be sure to tune in LIVE tomorrow and Wednesday for a few surprise guests and more turkey talk!

EPISODE 473
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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

For the Record Podcast: '12 scams of Christmas'

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:53:41 -0800

To highlight the increased crime during the holidays, security company McAfee has come up with the "12 Scams of Christmas" ranging from bogus electronic greeting cards that deliver malware instead of cheer to fake charities that steal your money and your identity.

In this podcast, McAfee's David Marcus counts down those scams that criminals are using to take some of the cheer out of the holiday season.

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Car Tech Live Podcast 145: An Audi that drives itself

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:20:00 -0800

A road map for electrifying our streets, and a plan to charge by the mile to drive them. We'll check out an Audi that drives itself and look at the A5 Cabriolet--as it lost its top, did it lose its beauty as well? Plus: Is a Tesla IPO on the way?

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EPISODE 145
SHOW NOTES

• Autonomous Audi TTS drives itself

• Dutch drivers to pay by the mile (well, kilometer)

• A grand plan to electrify the nation's driving

• Tesla Motors IPO rumored to be near

• CNET Review: Audi A5 2.0T Cabriolet

Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:20:00 -0800

Why is it that as Thanksgiving approaches, when we should be focusing on the good things in our lives, journalists take the opportunity to talk about what's bad? I don't know, but I do know that I'm not immune to the trend.

This week on the Reporters' Roundtable: tech business turkeys! Unlike the Real Deal podcast Thursday in which Tom Merritt and Brian Tong tried to steer you away from turkey products, in this episode, we discuss the turkey business decisions and business models that we've seen in tech over the years.

My guests are both co-workers. First, in the studio, Charlie Cooper, executive editor at CBSNews.com and author of the column Coop's Corner. Before moving to his highfalutin' job at CBS News, Charlie worked in the CNET newsroom as an editor and columnist, and he ran a great daily video podcast called the Daily Debrief.

Dialing in from our Boston bureau is Jim Kerstetter, executive editor of CNET News. Jim is responsible for all the news coverage on CNET, and he covered tech prior to that at BusinessWeek. When I approached him about this roundtable topic, he said, "I think I covered all the bad businesses already."

By the way, right after we stopped recording, and my guests left, the live chatroom pointed out that we had neglected to mention perhaps the most heinously derelict tech business decision in the history of personal computing. They were right. I could tell you what it was--or leave it up for ongoing discussion in the comments, which is what I'm going to do.

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Reporters' Roundtable Podcast 11: Tech biz turkeys

Show notes and talking points:

The troika of dot-com crazy: Kozmo.com, Pets.com, and Webvan.
Microsoft's mishandling of negotiations with the Justice Department.
Speaking of Microsoft: Yahoo's failure to sell itself to Microsoft and failure to live up to its fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders. Pure madness.
Compaq Computer buying DEC...for what, exactly? The mainframe business or the high-end server business, just as x86 servers take over the market (see Sun Microsystems failures).
Potential disaster: Oracle buying Sun. We still don't get this.
eBay buying Skype: We have never figured out how this worked.
Sony spying on users.
Hewlett-Packard spying on CNET.
Going back in time, Time Warner buying America Online, of course. And AOL failing to do anything with its chunk of Netscape (same with Sun, of course).
Be not selling itself to Apple.
And more!

Thanks for listening to Reporters' Roundtable. We're on live each Friday at live.cnet.com, except Thanksgiving--we're taking the week off. After the Thanksgiving holiday and through the rest of the year, Reporters' Roundtable (December 4, December 11, and December 18) will start an hour early, at noon PT.

Topics for future weeks will include: the role of design in the creation of tech products; advances in air travel, and what they mean for you and me; and the future of the Web browser.

Watch my Twitter feed for updates, and please send feedback to our new e-mail address, roundtable@cnet.com.

Thanks!

CNET News Daily Podcast: Nokia's layoffs and Skype's eBay adieu

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:21:00 -0800

It's been a bad week for Nokia's research and development division, which had more than 300 of its staff laid off this week. The news was a little better for Skype, which detached from its eBay owners and netted a $2.75 billion valuation. Also, Facebook's video hosting is now the third most popular video hosting site on the Web, though it still lags far behind leader YouTube. Hear more about these stories and others in today's episode.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Nokia to lay off up to 330 R&D staffers

eBay sets Skype loose at $2.75 billion valuation

Facebook becomes third most popular video site

Twitter's geotagging API goes live

Cisco launches iPhone security app

Town to photograph every car that enters and leaves

Germ alert: Attack of the killer necktie!

HDMI products to get meaningful labels

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1111: Facebook is depressing

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:00 -0800

Why the long Face...book? A woman battling depression put some pictures of herself having fun privately on Facebook. Somehow the insurance company found them and cut off her benefits saying she looked happy enough and must be cured. Really? We also get further impressions on Google's Chrome OSD now that we've had more time with it, and YouTube pulls a Hulu, but not in the good way.

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EPISODE 1111

Try out Chrome OS for yourself
http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/20/google-chrome-os-available-as-free-vmware-download/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10401919-265.html

Inside CNET Labs Podcast 70: Or I'll kick you in the face

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:30:00 -0800

A typical ICL recording session (my foot).

Dong finally watches "The Wire" and not surprisingly sings its praises. I've been telling him it's the best show I've seen for years now and he finally takes the hint. Although, he has a bit of trouble understanding what a re-up is. Noob.

We then move to the communist empire that is Vietnam. Dong thinks that it is attempting to block Facebook from users in Vietnam, but has no real proof of this. I mean how can a government block Facebook for fear of their citizens getting "Americanized," yet continually revere KFC?

Then, via the backdrop of Linux, we ask why people like to spend their money and actually don't want things for free.

Lastly, we take the second half the episode to answer just two e-mails.

To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the podcast link on the right. Don't forget to leave us voice mail at 1-800-947-6399 or e-mail us at insidecnetlabs@cnet.com.

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The 404 Podcast 472: Where Natali takes over Oprah's book club

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

Natali Del Conte fills Justin's diminutive shoes today, and boy it could not be more appropriate with today's stories. Big news of the day is daytime talk show goddess Oprah Winfrey's plans to end "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and we're hoping our very own Natali Del Conte will take over.

(Credit: Harpo Productions)

According to WholeFitness.com, staring at breasts for 10 minutes will prolong a man's life by 5 years. Yes, this could possibly be the greatest piece of health care news ever, and we're hoping they incorporate it into the current legislation.

After some really awesome voicemails, we finally get into some tech talk with high-definition primetime entertainment. The majority of shows have switched over to high-definition broadcasts, but we're particularly disappointed that "Family Guy" and "American Dad" aren't available in high definition yet. Jeff gets really disappointed to learn that almost all cartoons are animated in South Korea. Guess that makes "American Dad" even more ironic. Included in the same list is "America's Top Model." Wilson is particularly disappointed.

Jeff will be out next week, so hopefully it won't be Wilson alone curled up in a snuggie talking about Apple and washing machines. In the meantime, be sure to keep sending in those voicemails as we prep for Thanksgiving. If you're in the New York metropolitan area, be sure to check out Ms. Del Conte on WCBS as she hosts the local news for Black Friday.

EPISODE 472
Listen now: Download today's podcast

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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

ViewSonic's VP2365wb fails to see the light

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:00 -0800

Hey! A black ViewSonic monitor!

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

We get in a lot of 16:9 monitors, but this is the first we've gotten that didn't have a TN-based panel. The 23-inch wide-screen ViewSonic VP2365wb monitor has an Enhanced In-Plane Switching panel (E-IPS).

E-IPS panels usually have improved viewing angles over TNs, especially from the lower angle. The VP2365wb does, indeed, have the type of viewing angle you'd expect from an IPS model, but its brightness leaves a bit to be desired.

Check out the full review. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the monitor product door for new monitor reviews every week.

Gadgettes Podcast 163: The Technology We're Thankful For Episode

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:57:00 -0800

Today's cornucopia of technology is perfect for when you travel to visit your family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Some tech makes getting there safer and capturing the moment easier. Other tech was meant for your escape from the in-laws.

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EPISODE 163

Next year’s Flip will do Wi-Fi

GPS in smartphones

Touch up your iPhone photos–with cats!

Make old-timey movies with your iPhone

Logitech Harmony 700

Juicy Couture Digital Picture Frame Looks Like an Antique

What a Concept!
Dancepants MP3 Player Makes You Run for Your Music (thanks Shalin!)

Bling-RX
Swarovski-studded Christmas Tree stand

Tool Time (Thanksgiving football edition)
Drinking: iPhone App for Drunks

And a bunch more drinking iPhone apps

It’s About Time
Shake N Wake gently nudges you out of your slumber

What the Hell
Gross video: Whizbang Chicken Plucker really works

Wale Penis followup
Dartz drops the whale penis leather interiors in $1.5M SUV

E-Mail
Hey gals & guy!

I love Gadgettes, and I love gadgets. But I have to ask what’s wrong with these girls who don’t have any love for the guys rocking a more “old school” style. I couldn’t imagine steering clear of a man just because he has outdated technology! I may carry my iPod Touch and 3G phone everywhere I go, but I find my boyfriend’s lack of tech refreshing and sweet.

For one thing, I never have to worry about him answering his phone or texting when we’re at dinner, because he only turns on his cell when he’s traveling. And if I need any information when we’re on the go, I have my own devices for that!

Still totally a fan,
Katie

Hey Guys,

I’ve been watching the show for a while and I think it’s HILARIOUS!!! I laugh out loud every time. My mom’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago. But the moment you mentioned the tea kettle I knew that it would be perfect for my mother. She loves fancy kitchen toy and I used some of my saved up birthday, holiday, and allowance money to buy the kettle as a surprise. It is actually awesome, we set it up which may have taken us an hour but after reading the manual which comes in a variety of languages we finally set it up. It tells the time and does everything you said it does, it’s also good because me and my mother are russian (I was born here in New York but my mom was born and raised in moscow) and since she’s from europe she’s used to 24-hour time and Celsius which are the only presets available on the kettle so she understands it better than me. Overall even I’m impressed with it. It’s sleek and the screen looks great!!! Even I like it!!!

ALSO I use the mighty mouse which has for buttons, for expose and regular clicking, and it does increase functionality!!! : )

Hoping This Gets Read on the Show Sincerely,
Daniel
PS. I Got My mothers permission for you to show the attached pictures on the show
PPS. Am I a tool?

Google chief engineer on why a new OS

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:00 -0800

Google's Matthew Papakipos

(Credit: Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Google's Chrome OS PC operating system won't be available until the end of 2010, but the company has unveiled some details as it encourages developers to start creating Web-based software for the operating system.

To find out more, and get a feel how Chrome will affect consumers, I spoke with Matthew Papakipos, Google's chief engineer for Chrome OS.

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The Real Deal 188: Tech Turkeys

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:06:00 -0800

Tom and Brian name the tech they think was a turkey in 2009 and get a few turkeys from listners of the show as well.

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Episode 188

Twitter Peek
Garmin Nuvifone G60
Danger’s Sidekick Servers
Xbox 360 (Red Rings of Death)
Apple Magic Mouse
BlackBerry Storm
PSP (no)Go
Palm Pre?

Brother MFC-5890CN “The Brother MFC-5890CN all-in-one is hands down the worst printer to take up space in our lab. From the irritating initial set up to the horrendous output quality and slow print speed, this device is the easiest way to flush $200 down the drain.”
http://reviews.cnet.com/multifunction-devices/brother-mfc-5890cn/4505-3181_7-33303729.html?tag=mncol;lst

EMAIL QUESTIONS

**********************

I was looking at getting a tablet PC. I was looking for a speficic kind. I would like for it not to have a keyboard and only have sceen input. My ultmate goal is one simular to the one used on Stargate Atlantis by Dr. Mckae. I was wondering what your opion on options would be.

Thanks
Jason Johnston
Beaver Falls, PA

Answer: I think Tom’s opinon is probably “don’t”. But if you’re set on it as you seem to be, I would say Lenovo X60 Tablet. It does have a keyboard buit you can swivel it out of the way and pretend it’s not there. The thing is, it’s two years old. Nobody’s making a lot of good new tablets these days. The best recent one’s are netbook sized like the Yukyung Viliv X70EX.

http://reviews.cnet.com/1770-3126_7-0.html?tag=mncol%3Bsort&query=tablet&searchtype=products&rpp=10&sort=editorsStarRatingAndReviewDate+desc

HP Touchsmart TX2, another flippable tablet. Amazing specs for the price, but be warned it’s a creaky, rickety machine and the screen has sparklies on it. Or http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook

**********

Tom:

The Windows System Repair disk on the Oct 21, 2009 How To video doesn’t
seem to do much. When my Win7 crashed for some mysterious reason within
the first 2 hours, Windows 7 seemed to boot but found an error, tried
but failed to repair itself. When I put in the Repair Disk, it does the
same thing as the self-repairing process as Win 7 on my HD, ending with
the same result. In both cases it says Unknown Error and cannot be
corrected. I even tried the Windows 7 original installation DVD and used
the Repair option ending with the same process and result screen. I had
to do a full reinstall.

Given this experience, it seems like the Repair Disk and the Windows
Installation DVD does the same thing–so why would one need to create a
repair disk.

Thank you.

Dickson

Answer: Correct, the System Repair disk is included on the Windows 7 DVD. Making a system repair disk is god in a few scenarios though. 1. You didn’t get a Windows 7 disk form the manufacturer when you bought the computer. You got a ’system recovery’ disk that in fact doesn’t have a Windows System repair function on it. This is common. 2. You want a disk you can throw in your bag when you’r eon the go, without worrying about scratching up your original Windows 7 install disk.

As for it not working or doing the same thing as Windows did on it’s own that’s just the luck of the draw. If your system won’t boo the system repair disk will, giving you an extra chance. It also works better if you have restore points created. But it’s not guaranteed to work every time.

Rafe: Create a Sytem Repair disk. It can access system restore files, and there are instances when you will need those.

**********

Hey,
I was just driving through Atlanta and saw a billboard advertising a
4G Mobile Network from Comcast. Now if memory serves me right comcast
is an ISP, but not a mobile ISP, so I was wondering if you could
explain what was up.

(if it’s any help the advertisement ad some sort of box that looked
like it had something in the process of being plugged in to it, so it
seems like some marketing shinangin to me)

Answer: Comcast is an investor in the Clearwire WiMax service and sells a Comcast branded version of that service ins elect markets. Time Warner Cable Bright House Networks and Google are also investors.

*****************
Dear Real Dealers,

I was considering upgrading my 40GB PS3 hard drive with a 320GB one, as between game info files and a few movies and songs I’m just about out of drive space. I know most laptop SATA hard drives will work, but I dont want to lose the data thats on the old drive. I was thinking of trying to clone the drive, but the only way I can figure to do this is to take out the hard drive out of my laptop, put in the old PS3 40GB drive, boot a live CD with some linux backup software, clone the disk to my external hard drive, then insert the new drive into the laptop, and transfer the cloned drive to it. One, I don’t even know if the software will back up my PS3 data, and two, this seems needlessly complex, but I can’t think of a better way. Any ideas gents? Thanks

Rich in Lovely Cleveland

Answer: Actually the standard method requires two drives, your new 320GB drive and a second external drive that should be close ot he old 40 GB drive in capacity, though it can be a bit less. Take the small external drive formatted to Fat32, hook it up in an enclosure (or just use a USB drive) to the PS3 and back up all your data. Then just put the new hard drive in the PS3 and format it. Then take your small external drive, plug it into the PS3 and restore the backup.

That’s the easy way, if you have an extra drive laying around. If you don’t, you can make a bit-for-bit clone of your PS3 drive that will work in YOUR PS3 drive. Don’t get all wide-eyed about being able to clone drives and sell them to friends with saved games on them. This bit involves mucking about with reiserdriver. The whole process is listed out here: http://www.ps3news.com/forums/ps3-hdd-news/help-transferring-old-data-new-playstation-3-a-108384.html

****************

COMMENTS

**********

Tom Merritt is a big fat liar!

Dear Tom Merrit,
Don’t take this seriously.
The tip on using the free version of Yahoo Mail as a POP3 Failed me. Google got rejected by Yahoo POP3.
Perhaps Yahoo realized that you were working for CNET and could give them a bad review? Maybe? Just a theory,
anyway love the show.

This is the error.
Server denied POP3 access for the given username and password.

POP access is limited to Yahoo! Mail Plus subscribers. Please contact Yahoo! Mail’s support team for more information.

Server returned error: “[AUTH] invalid user/password”

Ivan

************

NO EPISODE NEXT WEEK (THANKSGIVING) NEW TIME in December at 7 PM Eastern / 4 PM Pacific on http://live.cnet.com/ Call live! 888-900-2638 (CNET)

Next time: Road Test

realdeal@cnet.com

forums.cnet.com

CNET News Daily Podcast: Meet Chrome OS

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:59:00 -0800

Today, Google released the source code for its Chrome OS project and gave the public the first real look at how the new operating system for Netbooks will work. CNET reporter Tom Krazit calls in from Google headquarters to give us the scoop.

Also in today's podcast: a computer glitch at the FAA caused nationwide flight cancellations and delays; Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says Windows 7 is selling better than any previous version of Windows; and AOL looks to shed about 2,500 workers and its MapQuest division.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Google releases Chrome OS source code

Computer glitch slows U.S. air travel

Ballmer: Windows 7 selling like hotcakes

AOL: We need to fire 2,500 'volunteers'

AOL to sell MapQuest, maybe to Microsoft?

Yahoo adds photos, tweets to news search

Best Buy starts Black Friday craze a week early

Next year's Flip will do Wi-Fi

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1110: Apple Tablet is the unicorn of tech

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:55:00 -0800

The rumors about the Apple Tablet are getting crazy and special guest Cali Lewis nails it when she calls it a unicorn. We also get the first look at the Google OS, and nobody is very excited about Microsoft Office 2010. Except the one person who never uses it: me. And we get some of the inside scoop behind the FAA outage.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 1110

Liveblog today: Google Chrome OS press conference
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10401095-2.html

Apple Tablet that has never been more than a rumour now delayed until 2H 2010
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20091118PB201.html

Ian Paul at PC World declares Tablet dead
http://www.pcworld.com/article/182571/

ATandT loses first legal battle against Verizon ads
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10401094-266.html
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/18/atandt-hits-back-at-verizons-map-for-that-campaign-with-an-ad/

Microsoft launches Office 2010 beta with social networking in Outlook
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10400648-56.html
http://blogs.msdn.com/outlook/
http://blog.linkedin.com/2009/11/18/linkedin-microsoft-outlook-connector

FAA Computer Glitch Causes Widespread Airline Delays
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/11/19/152243/FAA-Computer-Glitch-Causes-Widespread-Airline-Delays

Programmers Guild protests visa extension laws
http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/tech-workers-take-h-1b-case-supreme-court-024

California approves new standards on energy-hungry TVs
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-big-screen-tvs19-2009nov19,0,4027697.story

Next-gen Flip camcorder to boast Wi-Fi
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/29658/cisco-prepping-wi-fi-enabled-video-camera
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/11/18/the-next-flip-camera-will-have-wi-fi/

US government using PS3s to break encryption
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/11/18/2149202/US-Government-Using-PS3s-To-Break-Encryption

Lab worms are stunned by phaser
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8367081.stm

VOICE MAIL
Anonymous on Film and Games

Brian on the in-dash robot

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,
Chris the former SNOWMAN HUNTER (and secret robot resister) here to say I too was creeped out by Aida, the backseat driving robot on Episode 1108. A passenger in my car that scolds and nags and guilt-trips? What a clanking piece of Hell in the car pool lane.
But then it hit me. Give it a thin British accent, paint it gold and call it C-3P0… and I’d buy one tomorrow.
Love the show… until we’re all turned into a warm slurry by the coming robot hoards.
Chris

**********

Hi Buzz Crew,

Watching episode 1109.

Tom the circle on you iPhone next to the bars as far as im aware means you have cell data.
the bars are the signal strength from the mast. the circle is cell data, and E is Edge, 3G is 3G.

Over here in the UK on O2 we have pretty good 3G coverage and every time iv used my iPhone
to load a page – it loads, what ever i’m on (cell,edge,3g), yes on cell it takes a bit longer – but it loads,
sounds like AT&T should give up and go do something else

Love the show guys.

Thanks
Carl

England, UK

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,

Xerox has setup http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html to have people sign up to send free printed postcards to troops overseas. You select one of the designs, add a message, your name and hometown and they send it for free to a random troop.

I thought this was a neat idea from Xerox and I’m hoping that you’ll put the link in your shownotes.

Thanks and “Love the show.”
Hutch from Grand Rapids

The 404 Podcast 471: Where we work for No. 2

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:04:00 -0800

It's National Toilet Day today, and Justin isn't here to celebrate. Fortunately, we more than make it up with dozens upon dozens of fecal jokes. Mark Licea of The Green Show joins the show today to talk tech and...lingerie?

(Credit: CBS Interactive/Wilson G. Tang)

Admittedly, we here at The 404 celebrate National Toilet Day at least three times a day, but we're glad to see that people across the planet are starting to recognize the importance of the porcelain throne. It may sound a bit unusual for us to be so beholden to the toilet, but most New Yorkers can sympathize. After all, most of us here have to deal with a mixed bag of ethnic food and $20 dollar fees to use a public restroom.

In nonpoop news, we talk about a Warner Bros. program to let DVD owners upgrade their discs to Blu-ray versions. The program is called DVD2Blu. This only applies to Warner Bros. films, and viewers must pay a fee of $8 to $10 per disc. We think this is a great idea. Wilson is especially keen on not having to pay $30 for each disc in his "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" collections.

Also, Jeff has a follow up to our video game censorship series. He interviewed Major Nelson of Microsoft to talk about racism, misogyny, and homophobia in online gaming. Check it out. A keen chat room listener though points out the irony of talking about derogatory words when players are shooting people in the head.

If you're worried about your cheating wife or girlfriend, a Brazilian line of lingerie from LindeLucy that comes with a built-in GPS tracking device. Now, the device is not exactly subtle, but for the paranoid ones out there, this might be the trick to keep your lady in line--or get her mad at you, again. Trust, after all, is the bond that holds all relationships together.

Finally, we get to some voice mails and viewer feedback about cool moms that play video games before their children do and an early review of "2012." Wilson is disappointed with the fact that the film won't be available in IMAX. He just wants to watch the world burn. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew remember the movie magic of the first "Jurassic Park" movie. The t. rex at the end: Priceless.

Send in your feedback and callbacks to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Or call us! We are after all an audio podcast too! The number is 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Thanks again!

EPISODE 471
Listen now: Download today's podcast

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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

Dialed In Podcast 105: Google Phone rumor redux

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:26:00 -0800

Remember the rumor about Google working on its own Android phone? Well, it's back again, despite the fact that Google has said it's not interested in making hardware. On this week's episode of Dialed In, we discuss the possibility of an actual "Gphone" and its ramifications. Plus, Kent has a few things he would like to get off his chest about Sony Ericsson, and Nicole takes a look at a Bluetooth headset with a one-of-a-kind design.

Also, we're nominated for Best Mobile Phone Formatted Podcast at Podcast Awards, so feel free to head on over to the Web site and vote for our little old podcast. Voting takes place now until November 30 and you can vote once a day. Thanks for listening!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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Rumor(s) of the week
Rumors of GPhone refuse to die
HTC Passion rumors heat up

News
Switching to Android? Read this first
It's OK, iPhone, the Droid can be good, too
Dell unveils Android-based Mini 3 smartphone
Nokia N900 now on sale in the U.S. BlackBerry Curve 8520 coming to AT&T
AT&T reveals the LG Shine II
An open letter to Sony Ericsson

Reviews
Samsung Mythic
T-Mobile Tap
Jabra Stone
Samsung Behold II
Palm Pixi
Sanyo SCP-3800

Upcoming reviews
Samsung Convoy
Samsung Code

CNET News Daily Podcast: IBM's work to reverse-engineer the human brain

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:16:00 -0800

A leading IBM researcher says computers capable of mimicking the human brain's power and efficiency could be just a decade away. CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman talks about the findings.

Plus, Hulu inks its first major music label deal, the Office 2010 beta goes public, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 breaks even more records than we originally thought.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Modern Warfare 2 tops entertainment industry, not just games

Office 2010 beta goes public

Who makes the most reliable laptops?

Carriers to sell majority of mobile devices by '13

Hulu lands first music label deal

Google set to promote Chrome extensions

Intel sees opportunities in wind, electric cars

IBM: Computing rivaling human brain may be ready by 2019

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1109: In the future we'll all be cats

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:56:00 -0800

IBM is working on an artificial brain they think they'll have done by 2019. And we figure once that happens, the robots will rise and we will become your pets. And like cats we'll think that we're in charge. In other news, Modern Warfare 2 beats Harry Potter to a pulp, and Verizon and AT&T are a'courting! Actually they're in court. Being sued.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 1109

Modern Warfare 2 tops entertainment industry, not just games
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10400394-235.html

Google-branded phone coming early next year?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/18/google-branded-phone-coming-early-next-year/

Chrome OS demo event tomorrow
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10400012-265.html

Azure goes live in January, paying customers in February.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/11/microsoft-azure-to-go-live-january-for-pay-february.ars

“Map for That” campaign goes to court today
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2009-11-18-att18_ST_N.htm

Did feds uncover most successful Web scam ever?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10399880-93.html

T-Mobile says workers sold customer data
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10400213-245.html

Microsoft: mobile apps aren’t important
http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/11/17/ms.ozzie.claims.mobile.apps.secondary/

Ordnance Survey maps to go online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8366190.stm

No More Yahoo Go for TV
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/18/yahoo_go_gone/

Computing rivaling human brain may be ready by 2019
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10400362-52.html

VOICE MAIL
Tone on MW2

Ben the Canadian gets pushy

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz crew..
Your discussion of social viewing on NBC.com’s Communicator, had me yelling at my Zune HD, yes it looked wierd. Anyway, I was yelling because I do this on CBS.com now. CBS.com has watch and chat rooms on the site, in flash! I have some old college roommates and we are all NCIS, so when NCIS is showing in one of the rooms we make a point to head in to it, and chat about it. We like it!

Last thing, about Rupert and paying for news, does he intend on putting his Cable news sites behind a pay wall? If not then this plan of his won’t effect me since I get most of my news from the website of his cable channels..Although i do pay for the Wall Steet Journal online since it's cheaper than the Kindle edition of it.
Love the Show,
Stephen
Charlotte, Nc

PS
Love my Sprint 4G!

**********

Hey Buzz crew,

Haven’t listened to Ep. 1108 yet, so you may have reported on this already, but the town of Coshocton, Ohio has their Wifi back:

http://consumerist.com/5407138/free-muni-wifi-back-after-mpaa-shut-it-down-for-1-download

Consumerist links to this story:

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20091117/NEWS01/911170301/1002/Downtown-Wi-Fi-connection-back-on

FYI: the town name is pronounced Cah – shock – ton.

Keep on keepin’ on.

Tim
Dublin, OH.

**********

Hi all in Buzzington,
Several days ago you reported on that 60 minutes story about hackers taking down the Brazilian power grid. This report was later proven to be false. Well, maybe they were just telling the truth ahead of time. According to Slashdot, a group of hackers were inspired by the 60minute story and actually did hack into the Brazilian power operator using an SQL injection.

It’s times like these when I wonder if the world wouldn’t be a better place if we all just kept our mouths shut.

Love the show,
JoshuaCaleb

P.S. Don’t know if caught my mention of it in the chat room yesterday Tom, but I finally got Digital City to introduce themselves….halfway through the show.

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,

I’m writing regarding episode 1107 where Molly said she would be willing to pay for a great newspaper aggregatation service. I remember hearing about such a thing a couple of months ago at a site called pressdisplay.com . They have newspapers from all over the world including (for Tom) the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post and hundreds of others. Also, they have different subscription plans ranging from a pay as you read option to a monthly unlimited option. Just wanted to shed some light on this service for those who want to read the newspaper online. Love, the, show!

Miguel in San Francisco.

PS:They have a mobile site to access your subscriptions on your smartphone.

The 404 Podcast 470: Where we play Streetball

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:39:00 -0800

Justin is sick today, so Demetrius Wren and Christina Ghubril join the show to talk about their new film "Streetball." It's the story of a group of homeless South African kids who try to break out of the cycle of poverty by competing in the Homeless World Cup. After some calls about "1984" and convergence, we talk a bit about some unusual uses of bacon flavor.

The most amazing part of "Streetball" was that it was entirely written, shot, edited, directed, and produced by two people! It's a full-length transcontinental movie made possible with only a couple of laptops and some prosumer cameras that have really leaped toward professional film cameras. Demetrius points out that it would not have been possible to shoot their film with a huge camera crew and big pieces of equipment.

The movie is a really fascinating look at how South Africa has changed and not changed since the end of apartheid. The pair says the film is on track for a June-July 2010 release, so be sure to check it out. (Side note: "Streetball" is sponsored by the From Us with Love charity. Be sure to donate!)

After the break, we get to some voice mails about how George Orwell's dystopian future may already be here. That means it may be a normal thing this time next year for Big Brother to know exactly what you purchased at Wal-Mart and that you spend way too much time at the bar down the street.

Bacon-flavored lip balm. Kiss me.

(Credit: J&D's)

Last story of the day is about bacon--oh, that delicious food of the gods! Jeff the Hypochondriac thinks bacon-flavored envelopes just might be enough to get him to lick his envelopes closed again. Meanwhile, an intrepid live listener of the show shows us some bacon-flavored chapstick along with some bacon-flavored...personal...lubricant. Yeah, the show ends on that note today.

Side note: We changed the way we're naming our shows in the blog. This is probably going to result in some confusion and backlash. It was done to please the Internet gods.

EPISODE 470
Listen now: Download today's podcast

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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

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The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

MP3 Insider Podcast 169: On wood and water bottles

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:48:00 -0800

This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss the addition of Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter, and Zune Video features on the Xbox 360. Then, fake water bottle MP3 players leave us totally baffled, Jasmine dishes up some iPod accessory suggestions, and we go ears-on with an inexpensive pair of wooden earbuds.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 169

Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm hit Xbox 360 today

Ear Pollution Timbre earphones don't save trees

Topping the list of weird MP3 players

iPod Touch accessories

iPod Nano accessories

Listener e-mail
---------------------------------------

Hi Jasmine and Donald, I use Itunes as my media player on my computer. Right now I don't have an iPod, and in the mean time I am using my music phone as one. My phone, the chocolate 2, wants all of the songs in one folder, but no subfolders. Itunes, on the other hand, keeps all of it's music in artist/album subfolders. I can't use a program like Itunes agent to sync, because the subfolders are transfered as well. How can I get the songs out of the itunes subfolders and into the phone without manually dragging and dropping?

Thanks, love the show,
-Ethan

CNET News Daily Podcast: AOL gets a spin-off target date

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:44:00 -0800

Eight years after merging with Time Warner, AOL has finally been given a date for when it's being spun off to once again be its own company. We also talk about clean coal in China, the next versions of Adobe's Flash and AIR platforms, as well as the news that Microsoft's next version of Internet Explorer isn't quite ready for a public peek just yet.

Two small housekeeping notes: Thanks to everyone who wrote in last week to provide feedback on the CNET News Podcast. It's much appreciated. Also, there was a problem with Monday's episode making it to places like iTunes and other podcasting grabbers. In case it hasn't shown up yet, try refreshing the feed in whatever podcasting software you're using.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

AOL to spin off Dec. 9, begin trading Dec. 10

Survey: Third of teens text while driving

T-Mobile resumes Sidekick sales

Antitrust concerns linger in Google Books deal

Adobe releases new Flash, AIR betas

Paul Allen diagnosed with cancer

Internet Explorer 9 not coming at PDC

GE inks deal for 'cleaner coal' in China

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1108: Tracker pulling

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:55:00 -0800

No, no, fellow residents of southern Illinois, not tractor pulling--tracker pulling! The Pirate Bay has pulled out the trackers, but that doesn't mean you can't download anything. The site's still up for now using a different technology. Also, Google's book deal seems to have been changed, but not enough to satisfy its opponents. And Natali and I get into a philosophical argument.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 1108

Google book settlement revised, criticized
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/11/google-offers-revised-book-settlement-but-critics-unappeased.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10398995-93.html

AOL to spin off Dec. 9, begin trading Dec. 10
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10399445-93.html

Amazon to launch Kindle in Canada
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5AG38V20091117

The Pirate Bay tracker shuts down for good
http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-tracker-shuts-down-for-good-091117/

Swedish retailer pirates the Pirate Bay logo
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/piratebay-logo-registered/

Activision denies Modern Warfare 2 Russian ban
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/17/russia_mw2/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10399131-71.html

Twitter, Orange rock MMS in the U.K.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Twitter-Orange-Rock-MMS-in-the-UK-814457/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10399475-2.html

NBC Launches all-in-one video player, VoIP and texting tool--and it's ad-supported
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-nbc-launches-all-in-one-video-player-voip-and-texting-tool-and-its-ad-s/

Times editor James Harding outlines plans for online charging
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/17/times-editor-james-harding-online-charging

MIT robot rides shotgun to make us happier drivers
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/mit-robot-rides-shotgun-to-make-us-happier-drivers/

VOICE MAIL

Anonymous – tip for Xbox 360 isn’t true

E-MAIL
How Google Voice forwards to Skype using Gizmo and no Skypein number is pretty easy. Once you set up your Gizmo account to work with your Google Voice account, you can then go to Gizmo, and by using the forwarding tab, you can enter a Skype ID which is the first option. Since this is a VOIP solution, I don’t even think funds are required such as forwarding to phone number.

I don’t see Gizmo or Google Voice killing this feature, but Skype may have a problem with it. However, in reality – I noticed that when it’s not a Skype – Skype communication, or if you are forwarding your Skype to a phone number, it seems to degrade the quality. Personally, I only use Skype for calls in the event that the cell phone doesn’t work, and use a SIP client for Gizmo based calls.

However, nonetheless, at least until Skype doesn’t like the fair competition, and may try to alienate users, this works just fine. A note of advise. While Google Voice accepts SMS from phone numbers, it doesn’t take Short Code numbers (such as Twitter’s 40404), so you couldn’t set your GV number to show in Skype’s CID info, so calls from Skype would still not show a number where you could be reached.

Hope this provides some enlightenment,
Frank

**********

Our cable went out the other day so we had been waiting for HULU to put the latest episode of “V” online.
One thing we noticed while watching it was that it had the “WSB-TV Atlanta” logo branding in the lower left corner. Does everyone see this, or just people in the Atlanta area? Does this mean they have a HULU server in every market? We went to the abc website, and that branding was not there, just the plain abc logo branding.

I just thought this was odd.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Geoff Johnson

The 404 Podcast 469: Where CBS turns our Twitter account into a sitcom

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:26:00 -0800

Dell Zino HD: Mac Mini killer?

(Credit: Dell)

No, The 404 Podcast isn't getting a TV deal with CBS, but it doesn't seem that far out of reach. The network has its giant eye on the witty musings of a cynical old man, posted on a Twitter account created by his son, Justin Halpern. Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are signed as Exeuctive Producers and Justin himself will super the writing along with Patrick Shumacker. Uhh, HELLO CBS, is anyone from our parent company out there? You already got a strategically developed television show just waiting to delight the eyes and ears of America: it's called THE 404.

Next, we take a moment to spotlight the Dell Zino HD, a full-on entertainment PC that looks remarkably like Wilson's firstborn son, the Mac Mini, but can actually do a lot more with up to a terabyte of storage space, 8GB of RAM, and the option to throw in a Blu-ray or DVD drive. Wilson wishes his Mac Mini gave him direct HDMI access and a bigger hard drive, but still defends Apple and its OS to the death--it's interesting to hear him try to wiggle his way out of this one.

Another story from today's episode comes from our own Caroline McCarthy, who tells us that the New Oxford American Dictionary has picked the verb "unfriend" as its 2009 Word of the Year. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the process of removing someone formerly deemed as a friend on a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter. You might recall the Burger King ad campaign that encouraged users to "sacrifice" friends to get a free burger. Systems like these encourage the use of the term "unfriend," and give it value in the everyday lexicon, but when will this stop? I'm scared to think that the 2018 Word of the Year will something awful, like "tweet" or "pwn."

If you haven't had a chance to listen to yesterday's show with Tony Hawk, definitely go back and check it out and keep listening for your chance to win tons of video game prizes, including a free giveaway of Tony Hawk: RIDE. Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

EPISODE 469
Listen now: Download today's podcast

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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

Digital City Podcast 58: Apple vs. Psystar; our fave laptop backpack; and New Super Mario Bros. Wii

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:11:00 -0800

Episode 58 of the Digital City, where we wrangle with the legal arguments over Apple vs. Psystar; show off the latest super-fancy laptop to hit our desks, the $2,000 HP Envy 15; and find the world's best laptop backpack in the Booq Boa.

Both Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii get some praise, while PSP Go sales seem to hit a wall; and we compare the original God of War games to the new polished-up versions in the God of War collection for PS3.

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
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CNET News Daily Podcast: Supercomputers and the future of Hulu

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:31:00 -0800

Supercomputers are in the news again. First Microsoft has a new version of its Excel program that can tear spreadsheets that used to take weeks to calculate, down into a few hours. Then we've got results released early Monday that unveil which company gets to claim its supercomputer as the fastest among the top 500 in the world.

We also get CNET News senior writer Greg Sandoval on the phone to talk about what's going on with Hulu, and why it may soon cost you money to watch your favorite TV shows and movies on the popular site.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Judge rules for Apple in Psystar case

'Jaguar' supercomputer races past 'Roadrunner'

Cisco boosts bid for Tandberg to $3.41 billion

Microsoft testing Excel for supercomputers

iPhone app developer quits over approval process

Oxford's word of the year? 'Unfriend'

Hulu's backers bicker as Web video soars

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1107: Vote for us or the chicken gets it

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:12:00 -0800

The Podcast awards are on, and we're up against TWiT again, so we had to get drastic. We will no longer protect your chicken from Dokken if you don't vote for us. So there. Also Psystar is no longer protected from Apple, and Modern Warfare 2 is no longer available in Russia. Whew. So much less availability these days.

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EPISODE 1107

UPDATE: Apple wins important round In Psystar copyright case
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091115-703736.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10397876-37.html

Apple relents on Mad artist’s caricature app
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10397895-93.html

Russia bans Modern Warfare 2, recalls all copies of game
http://www.destructoid.com/russia-bans-modern-warfare-2-recalls-all-copies-of-game-155211.phtml

Zune to launch outside US
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/76f98ae8-d205-11de-a0f0-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Windows Mobile loses nearly a third of market share
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39877964,00.htm

Is Sezmi a cable TV killer?
http://technologizer.com/2009/11/16/sezmi/

About half in U.S. would pay for online news, study finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/media/16paywall.html
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-consumers-want-choice-on-pricing-delivery-of-co/

URL shorteners suck less, thanks to the Internet Archive and 301Works
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/13/url-shorteners-suck.html

New dating sites match people through DNA tests
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/11/15/1734238/New-Dating-Sites-Match-People-Through-DNA-Tests

Shuttle to haul 27,000 pounds of spare parts
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/science/space/16shuttle.html

VOICE MAIL
Ted from Berkeley on a Gizmo workaround to avoid paying for Skype

Mike from Irvine describes a poorly designed cookie implementation

E-MAIL
Sudo not violating Microsoft patent – Ill be brief since I have written in about patent hate before so Ill just get to the specifics of this instance. I did a quick read of the claims, and I will admit i am not a programmer but i have some experience in it from highschool and college, but my reading of the claims sounds like they are linking different admin accounts using some underlying algorythm and showing the linked accounts in a graphic interface for the user. This does not sound like the way the sudo command is implemented and the Microsoft patent would not prevent people from using the psuedo command. Ill attach the patent language for you to read as i feel grocklaw is a biased observer. Despite the on going patent hate, Love the show.

Tim the Patent Examiner

PS: Yes I am biased too.

**********

Hey Buzzcrew,

Today I was listening to episode 1106 and I wanted to comment on the discussion of modified xbox 360 consoles. It was mentioned that the only way to detect a banned console is to connect it to the internet. This is not entirely true. You can pop off the front face (which is totally legit to do) and check if the warranty sticker is still intact. This holographic sticker near the controller USB ports cannot be left intact when performing the mod to allow backups to run. Just because it’s broken doesn’t necessarily means the console is banned, BUT if it is intact, there is no possible way the console is banned.

On craigslist or eBay you could demand a picture of that sticker before considering a purchase, at least adding some confidence to the sale,

Love the show!
-Chris

**********

Hey Buzz Crew,
Just wanted to point out that Buzz Out Loud is nominated for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards for Best Video Podcast so:
DON’T LET REVISION3 BEAT YOU!
Tell everyone to vote!

http://podcastawards.com/
(Vote 1 time daily through November 30th! -Jason)

I am not affilliated with the podcast awards, by the way.
Somewhat ironically, I discovered that you were on the list when I clicked a link on Revision3’s site to vote for them.
But when I saw Buzz Out Loud as an option, I knew I had betrayed you CNET! I immediately voted for Buzz Out Loud!
Love da show-

Andrew Faulds

The 404 Podcast 468: Where we take a RIDE with Tony Hawk

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:13:00 -0800

Tony Hawk on CNET's The 404 Podcast

CNET's The 404 Podcast is very proud to welcome Tony Hawk to the studio today! The man who rode skateboarding to mainstream success sits down with us for a chat about his expansive video game franchise, skateboarding being added to the Olympics, and, of course, his newest game, Tony Hawk: RIDE.

All of us have been huge fans of the Tony Hawk video game franchise since the first Tony Hawk Pro Skater, but his latest game, Tony Hawk: RIDE, brings a new level of entertainment to the series with a physical skateboard equipped with a contoured base, infrared sensors, and four smart motion sensors that help you push, turn, lean, and pull off unbelievable tricks within the virtual environments. Tony tells us all about the creation of the board and the prototype decks that didn't make the cut. He also explains the motivation behind making the switch to a physical board instead of the hand-held controller that propelled the original games into instant classics, making comparisons to the Wii Fit Balance Board to show how much extra work went into the dual accelerometers.

(Credit: Activision)

After getting the full scoop about the game (in stores tomorrow for $120), we're all very excited to see him in action with a live in-studio demo on an Xbox 360. Tony shows us how the accelerometers pick up the movement of your feet on the board and how to grab the nose by simply bending over and reaching toward the front of the board. After he goes through some of the basic moves, he hands the board over to me to give it a shot. Obviously, Tony Hawk himself is a hard act to follow, but I think I pulled off a few tricks before face-planting onto the concrete. Be sure to check out the video for all the action.

After the break, we talk to Tony a bit more about the game and how influential the series has been on bringing the sport to mainstream popularity, the eclectic music choices in the soundtrack, and some of the active characters you can choose. And, of course, we have to get Tony's take on the future of skateboarding and whether or not the sport will ever go the way of snowboarding to make it as an official event at the Olympics.

There's a whole lot more to talk about with Tony, a few Calls From the Public, and some insightful questions from the chat room, so be sure to listen or watch the entire episode for the full scoop. Much thanks to Tony for coming on the show and keep listening for a chance to win a copy of the game!

EPISODE 468
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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

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The 404 Fan Page
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Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

Car Tech Live Podcast 144: GM says yes to the Cadillac of Volts

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0800

GM says yes to the Cadillac of Volts, eBay offers some free online car buying protection, electric cars you fill up--not charge up--and a ride in a car that has the Sport on it, but not really in it.

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EPISODE 144
SHOW NOTES

• GM will build the Cadillac Converj

• TomTom iPhone app gets better--but not cheaper

• Europe envisions cars forming highway trains

• eBay offers free vehicle history reports with listings

• Electric cars you don't charge but fill up

Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Funny business

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:10:00 -0800

Humor is serious business. This week, we have two entrepreneurs who prove it: Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, the company behind Failblog, ICanHazCheezburger, ThereIFixedIt, and other sites you've probably wasted your lunch hours on; and Ryan Dolan, previously in business development at The Onion, now making a go of it with his own business, 30Watt, which sells funny products like those at PrankPack.

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Reporters' Roundtable #10: Funny business

Show notes and talking points...

Intros - Ben - What is the Cheezburger Network?

Ryan - What is 30watt?

How do you start a business based on humor? Do you have to be funny?

Original content vs crowdsourcing.

Onion News Network video - costs of doing.

In general media, who's the king of funny? What can learn in the online world from this?

Discuss the attention span of the Web surfer? How to take advantage of that. Long form or short?

What's the business model?

Will people pay for content directly (subscriptions or micropayments)?

Do you target specific audiences or go general?

Boundaries, or "The economics of good taste;" Discuss NSFW or adult content

How expensive is it to produce good funny content?

Spin-offs - what works?

How do you get a deal with a major media company. And should you?

"Hey, I'm funny! Can I work for you? How much can I make?"

What's the future of online humor?

What's next for your businesses?

Next time: In honor of Thanksgiving, Turkey tech business ideas with Jim Kerstetter of CNET and Charlie Cooper of CBS News.

Watch my Twitter feed for updates.

Feedback to our new email address, roundtable@cnet.com.

Thanks!

Indecent Exposure Podcast 68: Inky extents

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:27:00 -0800

Calibration on the cheap, fun with focal length and back-to-back black contest photos.

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EPISODE 68

Today's links:

News

Pixel peepers

Ricoh goes modular for GXR camera system

Poll: Are these EVIL cameras?

Kata Dream Bag Challenge

Contests

To convert text to clickable links, at least in Firefox, install Linkification. We apologize for the lack of HTML link support in our comments; we had excessive spamming with link capability.

Last topic: Black

Winner: Black Skull

Honorable mentions: Black Hole, Saving Black

Next topic: cute overload. Deadline: Thursday, November 20, noon EDT
Note: To minimize confusion, we're now providing entry deadlines. They'll usually be Thursdays at noon Eastern time. You can still post links after that, which may still get included, but to ensure they get entered, that's the time you should target. To enter, please use the blog comments to provide a link to your entry, plus any background information you'd like to share with us and other listeners.

Today's questions

Calibration

Lori and Matt

Thanks for the info about sharpening, I've read the article you posted and I can't wait to get home and start playing with it against some of my photos. Got another question for you. How do you or what do you use for calibrating your monitors? I've seen some relatively inexpensive calibration equipment and I was wondering if it was worth it to spend the $50-60 for the gear or just go off of some test prints. I recently replaced one of my dual monitors and there's a vast difference between both of them. I don't know which one to trust at this point.

Audrey

CNET News Daily Podcast: Dell's big smartphone move

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:43:00 -0800

In today's podcast: Dell makes its entry into the smartphone category official with the Dell Mini 3, Verizon Communications starts warning music pirates, Advanced Micro Devices' rough road is just beginning, and Office 2010 leaks early online.

Please take this short survey to help us make this podcast even better.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Dell unveils Android-based Mini 3 smartphone

Verizon tests sendding RIAA copyright notices

With $1.25 billion, can AMD finally compete?

Office 2010 beta leaks early

A CNET Conversation with Eric Schmidt

Vega tablet is real

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1106: A tall drink of moon water

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Turns out when we blew up the moon a few weeks ago, we found water! Yay! The bottled water companies are presumably planning their trips now. THIS is how we motivate us to get back to the moon! We also hear more from old man Murdoch on blocking Google from indexing his newspapers, and Dell launches a smartphone. Does anybody want it?

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EPISODE 1106

Rupert Murdoch to remove News Corp’s content from Google ‘in months’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/6559694/Rupert-Murdoch-to-remove-News-Corps-content-from-Google-in-months.html

Google Chrome OS to launch within a week
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/13/google-chrome-os-to-launch-within-a-week/

Google confirms purchase of VOIP provider Gizmo5
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-google-confirms-purchase-of-gizmo5/

Dell smartphone to debut in China, Brazil
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_tec_dell_smart_phone
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10397177-94.html

Cheap to good home: Used 360, pirated games, slightly banned
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/11/cheap-to-good-home-used-360-pirated-games-slightly-banned.ars

Modders release update to free the 1 million Xboxes banned by Microsoft
http://www.dailytech.com/Fix+for+1+Million+Banned+Xbox+360s+is+Incoming/article16823.htm

YouTube to get high-def 1080p player
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10396826-2.html?

SPDY: Google wants to speed up the Web by ditching HTTP
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/11/spdy-google-wants-to-speed-up-the-web-by-ditching-http.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10396574-265.html

Comcast TV Everywhere launch details: December, free for existing subs, really goes anywhere
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/12/comcast-tv-everywhere-launch-details-december-free-for-existin/

Synthetic Stone DVD claimed to last 1,000 years
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/11/13/019202/Synthetic-Stone-DVD-Claimed-To-Last-1000-Years

Using photosynthesis to power hydrogen production
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/11/photosynthesis-proves-to-be-a-powerful-source-for-hydrogen.ars

Water. On the moon.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/prelim_water_results.html

VOICE MAIL
Ken in DC has a solution for the town in Ohio that lost it’s WiFi

Richard in Santa Monica has a theory

Anonymous Verizon user’s question about cancellation.

E-MAIL
Hey guys,

I’m sobered up now, and the bet about Project Natal is most definitely
on. Um… the thing is, I only intended to make a bet against any
buzz host, not every host. It’s possible that I wasn’t exactly clear
about that (I can’t imagine why) but I’m not sure I can justify
shelling out for 3 or 4 of them, and if I win, then the hassle of ebay
or craigslisting the extras ones doesn’t exactly smell of victory.

So since Natali was the first one to accept, then this is my digital
handshake. If Project Natal is available at retail on or before
November 30th, 2010, I will buy one for her. If it’s not, then she
will have to buy one for me. I only ask that you all autograph the
box for me (I promise not to sell it!). If Natali decides to back
out, then the offer is still on the table for anyone else.

/casey

**********

Hi Buzz crew, Matt from MN.
So whats the difference between what the MPAA is doing to a town and what Microsoft is doing to XBox Live users. There was no judicial oversight in either case.
Does this mean that Apple could claim an user violated the EULA on a jailbroken iPhone and then take away their right to use Apple's OS on their phone?

Love the show!

**********

Hey buzz crew

Just a thought.. If you can use facebook status updates to get yourself out of jail, maybe the next thing will be using your google latitude history to show you weren’t at the scene of a crime.

Just sayin..

Love the show
-beth

**********

Hey Buzz Crew -
I am an Apple stock holder (albeit a fairly small investor - but an investor nonetheless) and I am starting to give a second thought to the whole Psystar lawsuit with Apple. Since they are going about legally purchasing licenses and using them to install on other machines, does Apple really have a case against them or not? I'm concerned that if Apple does not win this suit, this will open the floodgates HUGE to making all types of Hackintosh-style computers, thus taking a potentially huge portion of the market away from them and would begin the decline of Apple stock. I know that Apple is more than just an operating system but still…Thoughts? Should I be afraid that Apple might not be able to defend against this?

Thanks guys!
Rob

Inside CNET Labs Podcast 69: 69, dudes!

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:00 -0800

Whoah...

(Credit: MGM)

Dong tells another one of his foreigner (not the band) stories in a tale that attempts to explain his excitement and maybe even obsession with the number 69. As with most of his stories, it involves much pointing and laughing. Mostly by me.

Then, prompted by a listener voice mail, we discuss our experiences playing Warcraft--as in the World of Warcraft, not sure if you've heard of this game--with women. Not just any women, though, but our women. We'll probably be in the doghouse for a few weeks after this...which is fine, as long as there's access to a computer with an online connection. :)

Finally, we answer the burning question: "What happens when you buy a new, top-of-the-line monitor and you still have a POS computer?" Not really a burning question, but we answer it regardless.

To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the podcast link on the right. Don't forget to leave us voice mail at 1-800-947-6399 or e-mail us at insidecnetlabs@cnet.com.

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The 404 Podcast 467: Where we double our termination fee

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:26:00 -0800

(Credit: Flickr/IanPhilipMiller)

It's hard to believe that anyone would want to unsubscribe from The 404 Podcast, but we're here to say that the unspeakable act comes with a $250 termination fee, which actually ain't that bad considering Verizon recently doubled its early termination fees from $175 to $350. Verizon attempts to justify it by reducing the fee by $10 as each month of your contract passes, but we're not entirely convinced you're saving money. Case in point: if you buy a Droid with a two-year contract on Verizon but want to jump ship after a year, the penalty is still a rip-off at $230, which is already $80 more than what I paid to terminate my fee when I switched to AT&T for the iPhone three years ago. With a Verizon iPhone around the corner, we're hoping to finally have a way to escape AT&T's frustratingly spotty 3G service. Sing it with me..."We want prenup, we want prenup, YEAHHH."

If you just couldn't wait for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to come out and modded your Xbox 360 to play a pirated version of the game, you might want to check the status of your Gamertag because you might be one of the 1 million players that Microsoft banned earlier this week. This week's release of the popular Call of Duty sequel caused a spike in players altering their consoles to play a bootleg version of the game, but many are unaware that Xbox 360s all contain "digital right management technologies designed to detect pirated software," says a report in InformationWeek. Unfortunately, once a Gamertag is banned, the person responsible is banished for life and must purchase a brand new console in order to reregister and play again. There's no doubt that Modern Warfare 2 is an amazing game, but it's worth it to keep your Xbox 360 clean and shell out the dough for the legit game. Piracy doesn't pay!

Comment with "Exit Strategy NYC" to win a free download!

(Credit: Exit Strategy NYC)

Finally, all our New York listeners should pay special attention to our next segment, because this new iPhone app could literally shave minutes off your commute time. I joke you not, any time saved on the subway is a blessing, so we're all very excited about Exit Strategy NYC, a mapping application that downloads an entire map of the city to your iPhone, so it works underground. It displays zoomable, scrollable, and interactive maps of the subway system as well, and even shows you which specific car to board so you'll exit exactly at the street level stairs.

The app is available on the iPhone App Store for $4.99, and it's well worth the purchase if you live in New York or plan to travel in the area. You can also download it for the BlackBerry, Android, and Amazon Kindle. The good folks at Exit Strategy were generous enough to give our listeners a handful of codes to download the app for free! All you have to do is comment on this blog with the words "EXIT STRATEGY" and you'll be automatically entered into the random lottery. We'll choose five winners over the weekend and send out the codes on Tuesday, so leave a comment now!

Also, don't forget that Tony Hawk will be on the show Monday to chat with us and do an in-studio demo of his latest video game, Tony Hawk Ride, so be sure to send in any questions to the404[at]cnet{dot}com and pick a few to ask. Have a great weekend, everyone!

EPISODE 467
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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

Gadgettes Podcast 162: The Swank Pad Episode

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:59:00 -0800

We are here to help you swankify your domicile. Now, all you need to do is shell out a gazillion dollars and you're golden.

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EPISODE 162

ZeroEdge aquariums bring infinity pools to your fish

Dell Inspiron Zino ready to grace home theaters everywhere

9h Capsule Hotel: micro rooms with mucho luxury

Futuristic Bathtub by Spiritual Mode

Shower cubicle lets you sweat, watch TV and get clean (Thanks NDC!)

Wall of Sound’ is the world's biggest iPod speaker

"Bad" Asian Gadget
BAD: The Michael Jackson Cell Phone

Golf Crap
Bra doubles as a golf putting mat

It’s About Time (thanks Eric!)
Natalia Brilli's Nolex

What a concept!
Real calculators modeled after desktop calculators

What the Hell!
The OpenOffice Mouse

E-Mail
In last weeks Gadgettes you mentioned the aliens coming and destroying us for what we do to whales, use their penises for automobie interiero and other such things. Well the nerdy side of me could no resist bringing up that you were bascially describing the story line from Star Trek IV The Voyage Home.

Love the show.

R.B.

Freedom Leg
I wish I had this option in 2000 when I broke my right leg at the ankle

David Eckard

Hey,

I am really into new gadgets. I usually purchase most of the new electronics that come out. It’s funny because in your last podcast you guys mentions dating habits in reference to technology, and right after that one of my coworkers asked me out. I started to give him my number, but when I asked for his phone to put my number in, his phone looked like a jitterbug. I made a few jokes about his phone not having a color display, which was enough to deflect from me not giving him my number. He’s a Verizon customer, and they are constantly contacting him pretty much begging him to upgrade his phone. He’s even been offered a free phone, but he still will not do it. I really enjoy your listening to your podcasts. You guys are awesome.

Thanks,
Jazz

Podcast: Clicker CEO on discovering Internet video

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:34:00 -0800

Jim Lanzone, CEO of Clicker, wants to help people find video to watch online. The site, which CNET's Rafe Needleman described as "a carefully curated directory of full-length video content, with several extremely nice features and user interface flourishes," is now online.

New site helps users find video content

(Credit: Clicker.com)

Clicker CEO Jim Lanzone spoke with Larry Magid about the new service which he says is part search engine,part directory, part wiki (because users will help them edit) and "what the TV Guide of the next generation needs to look like."

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.

The Real Deal 187: Should you buy that warranty?

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:56:00 -0800

Should you buy that extended warranty? Tom Merritt says no. Rafe Needleman says sometimes. We'll give you some guidance on how to decide if it's worth the money.

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Episode 187

Should I buy that Warranty?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10388909-260.html

Recommended for: laptops. Applecare. Just factor it in.
Not recommended for TVs

Also
GreenUmbrella: If you must buy an extended warranty, buy this one
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10005159-2.html

sneaky anti-applecare idea:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2C388AN8YLA1K/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2C388AN8YLA1K

Best advice: Don’t buy stuff that has a chance of breaking. Ex: My seagate drive. I’m on my second. Sure, I can send it back, but what a PITA plus I have to pay shipping for the privilege.

E-mail questions

Hey Tom and Rafe,

you said in BOL that the short answer to warranties is no. What about Best buy’s new extended warranty plan that for $140(basic) on a $400-$600 laptop, you can get a free battery at the end of two years(because your battery “won’t be functioning like it was when you bought it”), and if you have any major problems during the warranty they will more often than not replace your computer with a new one.

I’ve had to use an extended warranty a few times and have been VERY grateful for them, though some are obviously better than others.

Great shows,

JoshuaCaleb

P.S. when’s your next “all questions” ep? I have one that stumped the Geek Squad.

*******************

Dear Tom and Rafe,

After breaking my fourth pair of white apple earbuds in less than 10 months, I have decided to move on. I’m looking for ear buds that work with the iPhone (same clicking to answer/pause/skip + mic). I’m looking for something for no more than $100. I actually prefer durability and comfort over sound quality since I assume any decent earbud will sound better the apple’s. I checked out CNET’s reviews but their were SO MANY and I couldn’t always tell if they had the clicker/mic. Thanks for all the great advice and keep up the great work.

-Dan in MA via RI

Answer: Spend $20 on this http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/smarttalk Then take this advice from Jasmine France. Koss earphones (i.e. http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/koss-keb-79/4505-7877_7-32521878.html) come with a lifetime warranty, Shure also has a good durability reputation but they’re a bit more expensive. Skull Candy “Smokin’ Buds” (http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/skullcandy-smokin-buds-headphones/4505-7877_7-33715606.html?tag=mncol;lst) sound like crap but have cloth-coated cable and those are usually more durable.

*******************

Rafe,

There is an internet myth circling about the home and student edition of Microsoft Office, obviously the EULA says that: “The software is not licensed for use in any commercial, non-profit, or revenue-generating business activities.”

The myth goes that if it is used for business purposes, such as writing a book that then gets published, Microsoft owns part of that book and its income. Do you know if there is anyway to verify that?

I only ask because as I was searching for information, I saw an article you wrote on Microsoft Office.
-Nick

Answer: MS says: This rumor is untrue. You cannot use Home and Student for any business or revenue generating activities and if you do so you are in violation of the EULA. However, Microsoft does not 'own' or receive income from those business activities.

*******************

Hi CNET crew,

I am high school students and a couple of years ago when my needs weren’t that great I signed up to Yahoo Mail and now everything comes to Yahoo, but I want to go to Gmail for a variety of reasons, there’s not a single problem with that but I want to forward all my E-mail automatically onto G-mail which Yahoo won’t do unless I sign up to their premium version which I cannot afford. Is there a third party way of automatically forwarding all your incoming E-mail to gmail from yahoo. Any help would be great.

Regards

Karan (pronounced: Kar-aaan)

Answer: Ingenius Linux solution – http://digitalcardboard.com/blog/2009/04/15/forwarding-yahoo-mail-to-gmail-for-free/ There’s also Mr. Postman which will transfer mail for you from your desktop http://sourceforge.net/projects/mrpostman/ Gmail will import the mail for 30 days http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ctx=mail&answer=117173

But the best way is….
Gmail go to settings. Choose Accounts and Import. Under Check Mail Using Pop3, Enter your Yahoo adress. Put in your password. And you’re set!
************

Hey guys,
I’m currently coming up on the end of my iPhone contract with AT&T and
I’m pretty sure I’d like to move over to Sprint’s service for the
great rates. I’m looking for a smartphone and I’m considering the Pre
and the HTC Hero. Which do you guys think is a more worthy iPhone
competitor for the long haul, WebOS or Android? Thanks!

– Tony the insurance adjuster in Miami

Answer: Android.

**********************

COMMENTS

**********
In regards to the essential apps episode, and Rafe’s refrain throughout about how installing apps slows down the system and adds processes. Uh, what? First of all, good software doesn’t add startup items or services without your permission. And for those that do, try “msconfig”. There’s no law that says you have to have a process running in the background for every installed bit of software, and you can disable these entries in your startup list to avoid the whole problem.

Antonio

Rafe: Correct, good apps don’t add resident processes. Bad apps do. MSConfig is very useful. Also, Process Explorer will tell you what’s running.

***********
Hey Rafe and Tom,
Just so you know, download.com also offers TechTracker in Mac flavor.
It’s a great app, and although it keeps my apps up-to-date, it’s best
function may be reminding me of all the apps that I’ve downloaded and
only used once. Keep up the good work.
-Alan in New Jersey

************
Greetings Tom and Rafe,

On your latest podcast of essential PC software, you mentioned HijackThis.

There is a website: hijackthis.de that will take your hijackthis log file and analyze it.
It displays the results in a user readable form with user feedback and rating about
Each program running on your system.

One other tool that I think was left out was Malwarebytes.

Thanks for great podcast.

Henry Cocozzoli
Sr. Systems Engineer

********************

Which peripherals are covered under Apple Care

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/11/which-peripherals-are-covered-under-applecare/

Now live Thursdays at 4 p.m Eastern / 1 p.m. Pacific on http://live.cnet.com/ Call live! 888-900-2638 (CNET)

Next time: Tech Turkeys

realdeal@cnet.com

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CNET News Daily Podcast: Have Intel and AMD buried the hatchet?

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:37:00 -0800

In the wake of Thursday's announcement of a $1.25 billion settlement in the long-running disputes between Intel and AMD, CNET News reporter Stephen Shankland talks about whether the hatchet is finally buried, and who (if anyone) is emerging a winner.

And please take this (very) short survey to help us make the podcast more of what you're looking for.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Intel to pay AMD $1.25 billion in antitrust settlement

Universities reject Kindle over inaccessibility for the blind

Yes, it's coming: The Boxee Box

Apple ranks 3rd in smartphones, nipping at RIMs heels

Expert says Adobe Flash policy is risky

NASA launches Web resource for 2012 predictions

Twitter issues mulligan on new 'retweet' feature

U.S. Army orders bridges made of recycled plastic

Even in media mecca, plenty are willing to pirate

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1105: The New Testament of Torrents

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:10:00 -0800

I'm very pleased that LegalTorrents.com has come along to prove that I'm not crazy when I say there are plenty of legal reasons to use torrents. And they even have a torrent of Bible 2.0. Probably with new commandments from the MPAA. We also chat about AMD and Intel making nice, and how long that might last. And Microsoft tries to patent sudo. Yes, they said, "Sudo grant me a patent," I'm sure.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 1105

AMD and Intel settle on antitrust and IP disputes
http://channel.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=21135

HP acquires 3com
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2009/091111xa.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10395645-260.html

Microsoft exec: Mac OS inspired Windows 7
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10395980-71.html

How we really designed the look and feel of Windows 7
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/11/11/how-we-really-designed-the-look-and-feel-of-windows-7.aspx

MPAA shuts down entire town’s muni WiFi over a single download
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/12/mpaa-shuts-down-enti.html

Microsoft Patents Sudo’s Behavior
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/11/11/2055226

Xbox console ban is ‘permanent’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8356621.stm

Twitter issues mulligan on new ‘retweet’ feature
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10395812-2.html

Google SafeSearch now lets parents lock settings
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10395112-238.html

LegalTorrents Launches Copyright-Compliant Tracker
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/11/11/2026244/LegalTorrents-Launches-Copyright-Compliant-Tracker

Facebook status update saves man from jail
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10395597-71.html

VOICEMAIL
Casey in LA has a abet for us on Project Natal

Skyler in Bakersfield on SIP

EMAIL
But here it goes: I told you so!

http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.hacknroll.com%2F2009%2F11%2F12%2Fa-verdade-sobre-o-apagao%2F&sl=pt&tl=en&history_state0=

The link is a translation of an article written by a brazilian guy who managed to hack into the ONS (national electric system operator) by spying on their robots.txt file and using SQL injection technique. He claims it wasn’t him who took down the power grid.

Now, excuse me, I gotta go find what I need to do in order to immigrate to Canada.

Love the show – Rafa

**********

Hi buzz-crew.

Regarding the EU cookie law. How do Local Shared Objects
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Shared_Object) fit in to the
equation?
Will LSOs have to be approved by the user as well? If not, then all
sites will just store all data in LSOs instead and those are even
harder to get rid of.

To delete LSOs you have to go to the right folder on your computer and
delete the files manually or you have to go to Adobe’s control
panel-site and delete them there. On the control panel-site you can
also choose if sites should be able to store data on your computer or
not, BUT if you block storage some sites will not work (ustream is one
example).

If you’re using Firefox there is an extension called BetterPrivacy
which gives you better control over LSOs.

Lllloooooooooove the show.

Mauritz, a concerned EU-citizen.

**********

Buzz Crew,

Isn't anyone a little worried about what Google is doing with all this information they are collecting? Maybe they are developing all these free products just to gather as much information as they can?

Example:

I am at work, get a Gmail from my boss saying I need to finish a report (and we use Google Docs of course because it's free). My wife calls my Google Voice number and says we need toothpaste. I leave work to go to the gym, and decide to watch a popular YouTube video while on the bike. A 15 second Crest commercial happens to pop up, but I skip it. I usually take the long way back to work (of course Latitude knows this).

Then my Droid tells me, "You better pick up some Crest on the way back to work and take the shorter route since you will pass a drugstore. And you better hurry since you are only half done with the report!"

And of course due to some error all this ends up searchable on Google.

Love the show,

Heath
Honolulu, HI

**********

Hi BOL folks,
The reference to the 5gb limit on data is in the fine print from the PDA/Smartphone email plan (which I have for my Droid).
It says:

The Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation, the following: (i) continuous uploading, downloading or streaming of audio or video programming or games; (ii) server devices or host computer applications, including, but not limited to, Web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine-to-machine connections or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing; or (iii) as a substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections. This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services and/or redirecting television signals for viewing on laptops is prohibited. A person engaged in prohibited uses, continuously for one hour, could typically use 100 to 200 MBs, or, if engaged in prohibited uses for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, could use more than 5 GBs in a month.

For individual use only and not for resale. We reserve the right to protect our network from harm, which may impact legitimate data flows. We reserve the right to limit throughput or amount of data transferred, and to deny or terminate service, without notice, to anyone we believe is using an Data Plan or Feature in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. Anyone using more than 5 GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice. We also reserve the right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer Agreement term.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=planFirst&action=viewPlanList&sortOption=priceSort&typeId=3&subTypeId=49&catId=448

Hope this helps.

Lee B
Droid owner in Atlanta

The 404 Podcast 466: Where we dissect a live fanboy

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:41:00 -0800

Modern Warfare 2

(Credit: GameSpot)

With so many new blogs and Web sites that review video games and offer buying guides, it's hard to know who to trust; if you've ever vehemently disagreed with an online review and felt a boiling need to hunt down the writer, listen to today's episode of The 404--it's all about fanboys, online reviews, and our credibility as unbiased journalists.

(Credit: Destructoid)

We start off the show with a quick verbal fanboy bashing, and Jeff is probably the most engaging participant as a result of an article that instructs video game fans on how to respond to a bad review. After grilling Jeff for a while on what exactly makes him qualified to review video games, we run down the list of excuses as to what outside sources might influence a writer to give a game an unfairly low rating. For example, it could be that the reviewer might just suck at the game, or maybe the writer is just trolling for hits to further their career. In any case, The 404 fully endorses MetaCritic as the definitive source for unbiased, aggregated user reviews. (Disclosure: MetaCritic is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET.)

Jeff is jokingly ticked off after we challenge his legitimacy as a professional video game reviewer, so we help him let off some steam with a study out of Keele University in North Staffordshire that claims swearing relieves pain. Although we don't normally use foul language on the air, everyone agrees that a well-placed cuss word can certainly alleviate frustration and even mild physical pain. Without getting ourselves into trouble, we run down a list of curse word dos and don'ts and even offer a few choice expressions in our native tongues.

We also want to give a big thanks to everyone that e-mailed and called about the derogatory comments sometimes heard on Microsoft Xbox Live. We received a lot of excellent comments about censorship and age limits in video games as well, so thanks to everyone for their input. If you have something to say about today's episode, give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET or email us at the404[at]cnet[dot]com and tell us what's on your mind.

Have a great day everyone!

EPISODE 466
Listen now: Download today's podcast

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The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
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Wilson Tang

Dialed In Podcast 104: Visit from Asia

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:08:00 -0800

We have special guest Damian Koh from CNET Asia joining us on today's show. He answers our questions about the cell phone market in Asia, and surprisingly, he tells us he actually envies us for the phones that are available only in the U.S. We also discuss the Motorola Droid, Verizon's AT&T-bashing ads, Samsung's Bada, and more.

Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)

News
Initial Motorola Droid sales look good
New Verizon ad calls iPhone 'misfit toy
Verizon reveals Casio G'zOne Brigade
T-Mobile to phase out MyFaves
Samsung launching its own mobile OS

Reviews and features
HTC Droid Eris
Nokia 3711
Samsung Flight
LG Chocolate Touch VX8575
Twitter Peek
RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700
Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS prizefight

Upcoming reviews
Samsung Convoy
T-Mobile Tap
Samsung Mythic
Jabra Stone

Podcast: Google's Scott Rubin on SafeSearch lock

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:47:00 -0800

With SafeSearch turned on parents can see these bubbles on the search page

(Credit: Google)

Google has long made it possible for parents to restrict kids to "SafeSearch," but until now it was extremely easy to turn that off. With SafeSearch lock, Google makes it harder but far from impossible for kids to get around the restrictions. Google's Scott Rubin explains the new SafeSearch locks to Larry Magid.

Length: 9:33

Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | RSS (audio)

CNET News Daily Podcast: No solar power in my backyard, please

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:21:00 -0800

Are solar and wind the new nuclear? Alternative energy has a lot of support across the country, but when it comes to actually building solar and wind farms, some communities are saying "not in my backyard." Also in today's podcast: Adobe Systems has a 9 percent layoff, Google cuts prices on its photo storage service, and how real a threat is malware planting child porn on your PC?

Please help us make the podcast better by taking this quick (we mean it!) survey.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

As alternative energy grows, NIMBY turns green

Adobe to cut 9 percent of workforce

RealNetworks appeals injunction on RealDVD sales

A child porn-planting virus: Threat or bad defense?

Google cuts Picasa photo storage prices

Nokia: Smartphone batteries need 'breakthrough'

Is Mozilla's plan for contributions working?

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1104: Microsoft hides its hot new TV service

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:00 -0800

Bing has taken over MSN video and it has videos from every network. Why isn't Microsoft trumpeting this? We also get really confused by Verizon's unlimited plan that has a limit of 5GB. Does it? Doesn't it? What the hell? And we debate the way Twitter retweets.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 1104

Microsoft disconnects Xbox gamers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8354166.stm

New Microsoft Project Natal details leak, coming next year for cheap
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/11/new-microsoft-p.php

Google tests skippable ads In YouTube videos
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=117200

T-Mobile moves aggressively into HSPA and HSPA+
http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2009/11/t-mobile_moves_aggressively_into_hspa_and_hspa.html

Supremes wrestle with business method, software patents
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/supremes-wrestle-with-business-method-software-patents.ars

Google hopes to remake programming with Go
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10393210-264.html

Microsoft moves MSN Video under Bing umbrella
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10394673-56.html

Twitter changes up ReTweet
http://evhead.com/2009/11/why-retweet-works-way-it-does.html

Google Latitude, now with Location History & Alerts
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/11/google-latitude-now-with-location.html

Google Latitude gets snoopier: Adds location history and alerts
http://www.pcworld.com/article/181907/google_latitude_gets_snoopier_adds_location_history_and_alerts.html

VOICE MAIL
Brannon from Lake Elsinore on Gizmo

Jeremy in Virginia about the cookie law in Europe

E-MAIL
Hey Buzz Crew,

It was funny how you guys talked about hackers blacking out Brazil in previous years and just yesterday (Tuesday) we have suffered another one. A report says that it affected 18 states (4 totally, 14 partially) and also Paraguay (about 90%). The blackout is believed to have been caused by weather conditions and it has shut down 3 power transmission lines, some hydroelectric power plants and two nuclear power plants. The power was totally restored by 3:15 AM (Brazilian DST). More information can be found in the following link (in Portuguese, sorry): http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/ult95u650831.shtml

Please stop talking about blackouts here… It appears to have and immediate effect! LOL

Love the show!

Gus, the IT Auditor from Curitiba, Brazil.

*********

Hey buzz crew love the show! Have heard you guy mention that “unlimited
data” on wireless isn’t really unlimited. I did some checking as I am a
heavy data user and can’t find anyplace on Verizon, ATT or Sprints
website that says theres actually a 5gb limit (and yes I read as much of
the fine print as I could find). I did see that there was a 5gb limit on
there data card plans and tethering but it says that right up front. So
my question is what are you talking about? Oh and when I said I was a
heavy data user I meant that I am a truck driver who uses my Sprint data
card which I luckily got when they had the unlimited plan which I get to
keep. My average usage is… 25gb a month with an all time high of 52gb.
I also have almost no trouble getting 3G service in all the places I go.
Again Love The Show!

James

*********

Hello Buzz Crew,

Referring to yesterdays episode, you mentioned the Milestone going to
Europe and how you would want to get a phone sent to you from Europe.
Well surprise surprise, you can go on a field trip to your friendly
neighbours up north. Telus is announcing that it will have it
exclusively (unlocking anyone? ). It’s supposed to come out “early
2010″.

Here is a link to engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/10/motorola-milestone-headed-to-telus-in-early-2010/

Love.The.Show

Carl from BC,Canada

The 404 Podcast 465: Where the television will not be revolutionized

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:05:00 -0800

Martin Cooper, inventor of the mobile phone.

(Credit: LetsGo Mobile)

We've been accused (and mostly guilty) of saying a lot of heinous things on The 404, but we refuse to just rest on our laurels and accept these recent allegations of AGEISM. The accusation actually comes at a good time for the show, since the majority of the episodes this week have dealt with censorship, video game ratings, parental responsibility, and childhood development--why not throw ageism into the mix?

We intercepted a Call-From-The-Public from a 50-year-old man who jokingly accused us of being ageist, and we're not! The fact that Wilson appears to be 48 but is actually only 25 should be enough, right? I guess it doesn't help that the first story of the day is about Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, who thinks that modern handsets are just "too complicated."

Cooper is a former Motorola engineer who's credited with inventing the handheld cellphone back in 1973. He isn't too happy about the current state of mobile handsets and actually imagines a future with "a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing that will improve our lives." Um, Mr. Cooper--we understand that it's been awhile since you were in the mix, but certain things have come to light...maybe we should start here.

iPhones Gone Wild

(Credit: Noupe)

After giving a brief rundown of each of our cell phone histories, we segue into the latest iPhone app to hit the streets, and big surprise, it's based on the wildly popular Girls Gone Wild series.

The GGW iPhone game is basically just a photo library of the starlets you see on the GGW TV show, but the game is a "test of resistance." In other words, the app asks you random trivia questions while attempting to distract you with 80 pictures of beautiful women in "warm weather clothing." Since this is the iPhone App Store, don't download the game expecting to see nudity, although it has been given a 17+ rating for suggestive themes.

Plenty more stories to get to, including a very awkward voice mail in Calls From the Public, and more details about Tony Hawk's appearance Monday, November 16. Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

EPISODE 465
Listen now: Download today's podcast

Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video

The 404
Jeff Bakalar
Justin Yu

Wilson Tang

Add us on Facebook!

The 404 Fan Page
The 404 Group
Justin Yu
Jeff Bakalar

Wilson Tang

MP3 Insider Podcast 168: Inspired by the uninspiring

podcast@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:45:00 -0800

This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss the firmware fix to the Zune HD, which can now count itself a feature short of one-upping the iPod Touch, thanks to a new Gigaware remote that adds HD radio to the omnipresent king of MP3 players. We also get to spend a little one-on-one time with the slick-but-confusing Cowon E2 and the boring-but-shuffletastic Haier America Video MP3 Player. Plus, we direct you to a couple of how-tos you may find worth your while, and we address some listener questions about earphones, podcast management, and iPod speaker docks.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

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EPISODE 168

Zune HD firmware fixes play-count issue

Gigaware remote adds HD radio to iPod Touch

Hands-on with Cowon E2

New Haier America Video MP3 Player all kinds of meh

Some handy how-tos:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10031813-49.html?tag=mncol;title
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10393351-49.html?tag=mncol;title

READER E-MAIL
________________________________________

I listen to your podcast every week. You always talk about earphones & headphones, but hardly about speaker docks. Turns out I need some help in choosing a speaker dock for my iPod. I've looked at some on the web (and on cnet), but couldn't figure out which one I should choose.

To give you some idea at what I'm looking for, here's my criteria:
-Must support the iPod classic
-Doesn't have to be portable. In fact, I prefer something that is hefty.
Honestly, something like the iPod hi-fi is a good size for me.
-Video output is a plus but not required.
-Something below $400

I really love the look and size of the Bose SoundDock 10, the price is a bit too high for my budget. I'm planning to put it in my living room.

Appreciate some advise.

Love the show.

-Wan, from Malaysia

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EPISODE 473

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Episode 188

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EPISODE 471

loadUniversalPlayer({playerType: 'small',lumiereQueryType: 'id',lumiereQueryValue: '50079771',useCurrentPageUrl: true,relatedVideo: false,preRollAd: true,hideLeftTab:true,wrapperFloat:'none'});

Dialed In Podcast 105: Google Phone rumor redux

CNET News Daily Podcast: IBM's work to reverse-engineer the human brain

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1109: In the future we'll all be cats

EPISODE 1109

The 404 Podcast 470: Where we play Streetball

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MP3 Insider Podcast 169: On wood and water bottles

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CNET News Daily Podcast: AOL gets a spin-off target date

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1108: Tracker pulling

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The 404 Podcast 469: Where CBS turns our Twitter account into a sitcom

EPISODE 469

Digital City Podcast 58: Apple vs. Psystar; our fave laptop backpack; and New Super Mario Bros. Wii

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Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1107: Vote for us or the chicken gets it

EPISODE 1107

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EPISODE 468

Car Tech Live Podcast 144: GM says yes to the Cadillac of Volts

EPISODE 144

Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Funny business

Indecent Exposure Podcast 68: Inky extents

EPISODE 68

CNET News Daily Podcast: Dell's big smartphone move

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1106: A tall drink of moon water

EPISODE 1106

Inside CNET Labs Podcast 69: 69, dudes!

The 404 Podcast 467: Where we double our termination fee

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Gadgettes Podcast 162: The Swank Pad Episode

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Dialed In Podcast 104: Visit from Asia

Podcast: Google's Scott Rubin on SafeSearch lock

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EPISODE 1104

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EPISODE 168