technology

Finding flaws in the iPhone 5

Monday's CNET Update is a bit scratchy:

Apple sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 units as of the first weekend. That's a million more than the launch of the iPhone 4S. But looks like Apple could have sold many more if there was enough supply. Several retail stores in major cities had only 8 or 10, according to reports, and didn't get enough to fulfill preorders.

When you have millions of people around the world racing to be the first to have one, there are high standards. So there's been quite a bit of press … Read more

iPhone 5 launch-day mania

Friday's CNET Update visits the iPhone fanboys and fangirls:

Six years after the first iPhone, people are still excited and lining up at stores around the globe. The iPhone 5 launched in nine countries Friday morning, and Australia was the first to sell it. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was seventh in line at a store in Australia just to say he was one of the first in the world to get one. (That put him 17 hours ahead of customers in California.)

For today's show I interviewed the loyal Apple fans waiting at the iconic 5th Ave. Apple … Read more

Apple's map flop stirs new mobile battle

Thursday's CNET Update feels a little lost:

Apple's got a bit of a mess on its hands. A map mess. In the upgrade to iOS 6, Apple has replaced maps powered by Google with its own new creation. But depending on where you roam, map results can be inaccurate or hard to decipher. Examples of glitchy moments, inaccuracies and lack of data have been posted on the Tumblr blog "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps." If you upgraded to iOS 6, you can access Google Maps via the browser. You can also bookmark maps.google.com as … Read more

Microsoft reportedly asks China to stop state-run software pirates

Microsoft wants China to curtail the use of pirated software at four of the country's state-run companies, according to a story out today from Bloomberg.

Microsoft has reportedly already issued complaints against China National Petroleum (CNPC), China Post Group, China Railway Construction, and TravelSky Technology, all of which are run by the Chinese government.

Redmond believes that more than 40 percent of Office and Windows Server client software used by CNPC is pirated, Bloomberg reported, citing information from "three people familiar with the situation."

A spokesman for CNPC declined to comment to Bloomberg on the allegation. A … Read more

The iPhone 5 review has landed

Wednesday's CNET Update has a special guest:

CNET's iPhone 5 review is here, and senior editor Scott Stein spent a week secretly living with it to do a thorough review. He was kind enough to stop by the show and let me hold it while I talked about his review. (Yep, I had a geek-out.) During his review, he found a few things surprising: It was noticeably lighter and the 4G ended up being faster than his home Wi-Fi. Also be sure to check out videos about the new panoramic photo feature and Apple's new Maps, available … Read more

Fitbit adds Zip to its workout routine

Tuesday's CNET Update has some Zip:

If you geek out over workout and personal fitness technology, then check out the review of the new Fitbit Zip. For $60, this fitness tracker is an advanced pedometer that records calories are burned over time. Progress is displayed on the app, and data is synced to an iPhone via Bluetooth. (Bluetooth syncing not yet available for Android.) Users also earn fitness badges and share progress with friends. The higher-end model is called the Fitbit One, which in addition tracks sleep and has a silent vibrating alarm. That comes out in early October … Read more

iPhone 5's record preorders, early lines

Monday's tech news roundup is bringing the snacks:

People are already in line for the iPhone 5 at the iconic Apple store in New York City. They lined up eight days before it launches on Sept. 21. But motivation to sit there isn't only fueled by fandom. It's fueled by marketing and media attention. The first guy in line hopes to promote his social networking app, Vibe. A few others are there sponsored by the electronics trade-in Web site Gazelle. There's also someone promoting his online financial service. On launch day you can expect more businesses … Read more

iPhone 5 preorders indicate hot demand

Friday's tech news roundup didn't plan ahead:

A rush of iPhone 5 preorders online have pushed back shipping dates at Apple and wireless carriers for at least two weeks. Some stores, like Wal-Mart and Target, are also offering iPhone 5 preorders for in-store pickup. The initial supply of iPhones for Apple preorders went in less than an hour, which is much faster than years prior. It shows that either demand is way up for this model, or Apple didn't have as many available for the preorder crowd (or a mix of both). We won't know for … Read more

Down on the farm, Lettuce Bot is quietly slaying weeds

Robot chefs can prepare everything from pancakes to sushi, and now a California startup is trying to put droids to work on farm produce as well.

Blue River Technology this week announced $3.1 million in funding for its plans to develop robots that can automatically kill weeds and thin out plants like lettuce that need adequate room to grow.

Both tasks can require large human work crews, driving up the cost of the produce.

The startup's prototype Lettuce Bot uses a camera to image the plants beneath it. Machine learning algorithms then identify which ones are desirable and … Read more

Nintendo sets Wii U price, unveils TVii

Wii play around for Thursday's Nintendo news roundup:

Nintendo announced that its new Wii U game console will be available in the U.S. on Nov. 18, coming in two flavors. The white "Basic" bundle is $300 and comes with a GamePad and Wii U with 8 GB of memory. But it makes more sense to pick up the $350 black "Deluxe" bundle, which includes a 32 GB Wii U system, charger, stand and Nintendo Land. Nintendo Land is a pack of 12 mini games which use the GamePad and allow 5 people to play … Read more