The world is better off with Best Buy alive than dead

A Lenovo Yoga convertible ultrabook on display at a Los Angeles Best Buy. It's still the best place to comparison shop for gadgets in a physical store.(Credit:Brooke Crothers)Despite all the flak Best Buy gets from consumers and financial analysts, the world is probably a better place with it than without it. For those who don't follow Best Buy as a business, existential questions have been dogging...

Read More..

Crave Ep. 111: Man vs. jetpack

Man vs. jetpack, Ep: 111Subscribe to Crave:iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ)A German inventor has built a DIY jetpack, so we hop onboard. Also, we get a first look at "Star Wars" pinball for iOS and Android, and "Star Trek" fans win a major space battle when they vote to name a Pluto moon "Vulcan." All that and more on this week's episode of...

Read More..

Do Not Track privacy bill reintroduced in Senate

Senator Jay RockefellerA new bill intended to grant more privacy protections to Internet users was introduced today by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Dubbed "Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2013," the bill would make it law for all Web browsers, online companies, and app makers to give users a choice of opting out of being tracked online, according to The New York Times. Advertisers and data brokers commonly...

Read More..

Firefox and Tizen make a move for Android

Likely by Samsung's design, the Tizen OS looks reminiscent of Android.(Credit:CBS Interactive)Alongside a myriad of new tablets and phones, Mobile World Congress 2013 also gave us our first real look at Mozilla's Firefox OS and the Samsung and Intel collaboration, Tizen OS. While Android might dominate the smartphone landscape today, it's only five years old. I can recall plenty of headlines in 2007...

Read More..

IDriveSync online storage now offers cool Private Key option

IDriveSync offers a convenient and secure way to keep data backed up or synced between different devices in real time.(Credit:Dong Ngo/CNET)If you've been hesitant about using an online storage service because of the privacy risk or cost, you might be interested in what Pro Softnet has to offer via its IDriveSync service.The online storage provider unveiled today a Private Key Encryption option for...

Read More..

Firefox betas pull the shades per-tab on 'porn mode'

Desktops get a new Download Manager in Firefox 20 Beta.(Credit:Mozilla)Private browsing, or 'porn mode' for people with more prurient Web browsing requirements, will soon be available in Firefox on a per-tab basis.The latest versions of Firefox 20 Beta (download for Windows, Mac, and Linux)and Firefox 20 Beta for Android (download) have been updated to allow people to choose private browsing on a...

Read More..

YouTube code refers to paid channel subscriptions

Paid channel subscriptions on YouTube may be closer than previously thought.After reports last month that YouTube was considering offering channels that would require a fee to access, code has now appeared that suggests Google is already laying the software foundation for subscription channels.According to Android Police, the latest version of YouTube for Android includes two lines of code that refer...

Read More..

The Facebook mistakes people make after a date

February can make people excitable.A new year is barely old. Hope springs eternal. And then there's Valentine's Day to add a little piquancy to their emotional state.Sometimes, though, lovers suffer from a certain lack of self-control. This can manifest itself on society's everyday manifest: Facebook.I was moved, therefore, that someone had taken the time to list the major faux pas that occur when...

Read More..

Apple yanks proxy proposal after judge backs Einhorn

In response to a court ruling today in favor of hedge fund manager David Einhorn, Apple has yanked a proxy proposal that would eliminate its ability to issue "blank check" preferred stock without investor approval.Apple issued a statement concerning the ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan, who granted Einhorn's bid to block next week's shareholder vote on the proposal:"We are disappointed...

Read More..

Social media aggregator Memolane to shut down

Memolane's timeline service.(Credit:Eddie Echo/CNET)Memolane, a social-media aggregator that promised trips down memory lane, announced today that it is shutting down immediately and will delete users' account content tomorrow.Launched in 2010, the Web app extracted each moment users shared on popular social-networking services such as Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter, Foursquare, and others and combined...

Read More..

Samsung TV Discovery service launches this quarter

Samsung America Senior Vice President Joe Stinziano describes new features for TVs, including a feature that allows users to search all video services and live TV in one screen.(Credit:James Martin/CNET) Samsung today revealed more details about its TV discovery service -- except for the finalized name for the U.S. version -- as the Korean electronics giant gears up for the Mobile World Congress show...

Read More..

Apple, Facebook, Twitter hacks said to hail from Eastern Europe

While many security experts have been pointing the blame at China for the recent wave of cyberattacks on U.S. companies and newspapers, Bloomberg reports that some of the malware attacks actually may be coming from Eastern Europe. Investigators familiar with the matter told Bloomberg they believe a cybercriminal group based in either Russia or Eastern Europe is carrying out the high-level attacks...

Read More..

Microsoft quietly raises price of Office for Mac by 17 percent

Office 2013(Credit:Microsoft)Microsoft has quietly increased the prices of its Office for Mac 2011 by as much as 17 percent, putting it on price par with Office 2013 for Windows.The software giant has also quit selling multi-license packages, which allowed customers to purchase multiple copies of the application suite at a discounted rate.The single-license Office for Mac Home & Student now costs...

Read More..

Why Google's stores shouldn't look so much like Apple stores

Is this really different enough?(Credit:Crave CNET UK)Some engineers have never dated a real person.They've tried to, but it's hard for them to appreciate that real people don't necessarily use data to make decisions -- especially when it comes to love.Perhaps their most embarrassing moments come when they try to mimic what non-engineers do in order to make themselves more attractive.This mirrors...

Read More..

Russian meteorite: The conspiracy theories

A strange time for a military attack?(Credit:CNN; screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)A good hearty conspiracy theory can shine a sharp light on two of humanity's most enduring traits.One, of course, is humanity's boundless imagination. The other is humanity's essential suspicion of humanity.So while you might be deeply immersed in Bill Nye's explanation of the Russian meteorite, those with darker...

Read More..

With Microsoft as tablet rival, will HP go Android?

First a Chromebook, next an Android tablet?(Credit:Hewlett-Packard)If Hewlett-Packard introduces an Android tablet, the newfound rivalry with Microsoft will be one motivating factor, according to analysts. "I can see why they would go down this route instead of sticking with Microsoft for everything," said Ben Bajarin, a principal at Creative Strategies.That may be putting it charitably. "[PC makers]...

Read More..

Helping American designers make it in America (video)

As a graduate of the Pratt Institute with experience working for big names in the apparel and accessory industries, Matthew Bennett was ready to work independently to create his own watch label. While he might have had great ideas and a fabulous sense of design, he just couldn't seem to tackle the logistics of running such an operation. He found a manufacturer in Hong Kong that could produce his designs,...

Read More..

Hackers can easily breach Emergency Alert Systems

Hackers broke into several television stations' Emergency Alert Systems this week and broadcast that zombies were "rising from their graves" and "attacking the living." While a comical hoax, security consultancy firm IOActive warns that this type of behavior is dangerous and not that hard for hackers to do, according to Computerworld. This week it's zombies, but next time it could be something that...

Read More..

Apple reportedly has 100-person team working on 'iWatch'

Is Apple eyeing an iWatch?(Credit:Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET)As the Apple "iWatch" rumor mill gets wound up, a new report holds that Apple already has a team of 100 people working on the rumored smart wristwatch, including some prominent Apple employees.Following initial reports earlier this week that Apple was developing an iOS-based wristwatch, unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that the...

Read More..

Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studio wants to bring you interactive TV

Dive into Media host Peter Kafka, Nancy Tellem and Yusuf Mehdi. (Credit: Dan Farber/CNET)DANA POINT, Calif.--Microsoft is the new Hollywood. At least, in the same way that Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others are trying to create original programming to draw paying subscribers. The company recently opened the Xbox Entertainment Studio in Santa Monica, with former CBS TV executive Nancy Tellem at the helm.The...

Read More..