Consumer content

On returning home from seeing "Star Trek Into Darkness" on Sunday, I couldn't help but wish my laptop had a more USS Enterprise-y feel. Thankfully, Acer has anticipated such consumer fancies, announcing Wednesday that it's partnered with Paramount to offer a limited-edition Trek-themed Aspire R7.

As is generally the case with such blockbuster-related gadgets, the tie-in here is entirely promotional. The touch-enabled laptop comes engraved with a stainless steel "Star Trek" logo, and includes a logo-festooned sleeve, a film poster signed by the film's cast, and "Star Trek" content such as wallpapers, a soundtrack, and a video game.

The ambitiously designed Aspire R7, however, does feature a flexible design that allows users to move and position the hinged 15.6-inch 1,920x1,080 touch screen as needed, including into a configuration that does sort of resemble the Enterprise. … Read more

Those of you who use TweetDeck on the Web to access your Twitter account will find a new design the next time you launch the page.

The top bar has been moved to the left side of the screen where it offers virtually all of the commands you'd use on a regular basis. The New Tweet button appears at the top of the bar with an icon for Search directly underneath. Icons for all of your current columns then appear under Search so you can easily navigate from one to another, especially if all of your columns don't … Read more

Gaming retailer GameStop has initiated a recall on the 8GB Wii U Basic set, CNET has confirmed.

On Tuesday, gaming blog Kotaku cited a source who claimed that GameStop had requested its stores around the U.S. to return all new and unopened Wii U Basic sets still on store shelves. The return is expected to take place on June 18 -- a week after the big E3 gaming expo.

CNET on Wednesday called several GameStop stores to confirm the Kotaku report. All of those stores confirmed that the corporate office had initiated a recall, but they weren't sure … Read more

A 16-year-old programmer named Ash Bhat is attending Apple's WWDC next week for free. How? He created an iOS app that earned him one of 150 scholarships.

Tickets to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference sold out within two minutes after going on sale in April. But the company held out hope for student developers, promising scholarships for 150 of those able to create an app that would knock Apple's socks off.

The scholarship awarded one free ticket to join the conference, which runs from June 10 to June 14 in San Francisco.

Those qualified to enter the competition … Read more

Yahoo has revamped its search results page as part of an ongoing transformation.

Rolled out Wednesday, the design changes display the actual search results higher on the page without some of the clutter that appeared in the older version. A new navigation bar at the top offers links to other Yahoo pages, including the home page, Mail, News, Finance, Weather, and Flickr. That bar will also eventually wind its way to other Yahoo pages.

Yahoo also said the page loads faster thanks to some behind-the-scenes enhancements, while the overall design is a bit more in line with that of its … Read more

eBay is aiming to unite the worlds of online and offline shopping through a new experiment in New York City.

Starting this Saturday, shoppers in Manhattan will be able to select and buy products from fashion retailer Kate Spade via interactive storefront windows. Using any one of four 24-hour Windows Shops, people can pick the items they want through a touch screen, schedule a one-hour delivery to any location in the city, and then pay for the products through PayPal Here on delivery.

Buyers will be able to choose from among 30 different products available through the Kate Spade Saturday brand, … Read more

Microsoft is offering people a peek at Windows 8.1 in action courtesy of a new video.

Posted Wednesday on YouTube, and embedded into a Microsoft blog, the tour conducted by Jensen Harris, Microsoft's director of program management for Windows User Experience, shows off key enhancements to the Start screen, the All Apps screen, and the search tool.

The video kicks off with a glimpse of the new lock screen, which can now display a collage of photos gathered from your PC and your SkyDrive account. The tour then segues to the Start screen where you can now shrink … Read more

One of the most closed-off countries in the world has finally started to roll out Internet for its citizens. The Cuban government has officially opened 118 public Internet centers across the country, according to the Associated Press.

Up until now, computers with Internet access were sparse on the island. Besides a few universities and employers offering access, some of the only places to get online were tourist hotels that charged up to $8 an hour for erratic Wi-Fi, according to the Associated Press.

The Cuban government estimates that only 2.9 percent of the country's citizens get online, according … Read more

The high camp era of the 1960's Batman TV show, and video game-influenced "choose-your-own-adventure" stories, will come to DC Entertainment's digital comics this summer with new digital storytelling techniques to draw in readers.

At a "Future of Storytelling" event that DC Entertainment parent company Warner Brothers held on Tuesday in New York City, DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson said that the new comics will appeal to fans of the classic Batman TV show and the current series of Batman: Arkham video games.

"These are our latest steps in a methodical digital strategy," … Read more