testing

iOS 5 may have come out just a few months ago, but it appears Apple is already testing iPads with the next major version of the software--iOS 6--against popular Web sites.

Ars Technica this morning published some analysis of its latest traffic logs, pointing to the fact that it has received visits from iPads running iOS 6, and that those devices are located around Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

Ars notes that these tablets are running a newer version of WebKit (version 535.8), as opposed to the tablets running existing versions of iOS 5, including both iOS 5.… Read more

This week we show off the new Dell XPS 13, or as we like to call it, the DellBook Air. Plus, check out the latest PlayStation Vita media and social apps, and watch us play with the half-phone, half-tablet Samsung Galaxy Note.

… Read more

It is often futile to ask why people do things.

Life is short, sometimes brutal, and often so absurd that all we can do is meander through it and allow the depths of our subconscious to propel us.

However, when I saw the video of this scientific test, I did wonder about the contents of this man's inner workings.

For it seems to show him wearing a bulletproof vest and testing it by shooting himself in the stomach.

Some will declare that this is merely a man who is confident of his product. I will declare that confidence is … Read more

Ford's Virtual Test Track Experiment (Virttex) just got a major technology upgrade.

Virttex, developed in 2001, is a high-fidelity, motion-based simulator that features a dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement, giving it a slight resemblance to a jellyfish.

The upgraded image rendering technologies will provide a high-res, digitally projected 360-degree horizontal field-of-view to test and measure driver acceleration, braking and steering performance as well as overall driver reactions in varying conditions. This will help Ford develop and test active safety and driver aid technologies that warn drivers of imminent collision, drowsiness and other potentially … Read more

This week, we pass around Sony's new PlayStation Vita for some hands-on testing, check out HP's newest Beats Audio laptop, and debate the best and worst Valentine's Day gadget gifts.

… Read more

Transferring pictures, music, data, and other files between your Android device and your computer can be simple--if you've got a cable within easy reach. If not, you may end up sticking with last year's music or keeping your pics locked up tight where nobody can see them. Fortunately, a free app called Software Data Cable lets you use your Wi-Fi network to transfer files easily. Here's how to use it: 

It's fair to say the planners at Boeing Test & Evaluation spiced up a recent extended operation test of the Boeing 787.

Spanning 9,000 nautical miles over 12 states, the 787's impressive route spells out "787" and the Boeing logo like a giant Etch A Sketch in the sky. The next-generation commercial airplane took off on February 9 at 1:33 p.m. from Boeing's airfield in Washington state, and landed this morning at 8:45 a.m. Some of the turns needed to create the numbers and logo seem like they'd send a stomach into a spin, but the zoomed-out map exaggerates the sharpness of the turns. … Read more

You've seen the video and you've read the entire How We Test document top to bottom. Now take the photo tour.

As CNET's two-man HDTV reviews team gears up to take on the panels of 2012, we thought we'd pause to give you a taste of the place where the magic of evaluation happens: our lab. We just vacuumed and we're pretty proud of the results. … Read more

Perhaps you are aware that we conduct power consumption testing across a number of review categories.

David Katzmaier started it with TV reviews in 2006. We rolled it out to desktops, laptops, and monitors in 2009. At least for most desktops, measuring power consumption no longer makes sense. So we're going to stop.

I wish we'd started testing energy usage on desktops earlier, particularly with Intel's old power hog Pentium D chips. The problem is Moore's Law. Intel's Sandy Bridge chips (sorry, "second-generation Core") are too damn efficient. They're also pretty much everywhere.

The result is that our power draw tests aren't all that interesting anymore for mainstream PCs. The chart below helps illustrate the point.… Read more