launch

Mac OS X Lion review: A worthy upgrade for the price

When Apple showed off Mac OS X Lion at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote speech earlier this year, it was clear the company had paid attention to its successes with the popular iOS devices, and was now beginning to include successful iOS features in its flagship OS.

Also, with Apple laptops and tablets now far outpacing desktop sales, Apple has moved from a primarily desktop computer company to embrace mobile computing. This release of Mac OS X seems to be a reflection of Apple's successes in those categories.

With this eighth major release of the big-cat OS, Apple is … Read more

Mac OS X Lion not launching today after all, apparently

Another day is upon us, and so far, there isn't any sign of Mac OS X Lion. But one rumor suggests users won't need to wait much longer.

Chinese Mac site MIC Gadget is reporting that Mac OS X Lion will launch tomorrow. The publication said that Apple stores in China are planning "overnights" tonight. Overnights are typically used for Apple to train employees on new products and refresh the store's display with updated products.

Last week, 9to5Mac had cited "overseas sources" saying that the overnights would be happening last night, and therefore … Read more

The 404 856: Where we have liftoff (podcast)

We all watched NASA's final space shuttle launch this morning before heading into the studio, and by "we" I mean Wilson and me, because as usual, Jeff couldn't care less. Nevertheless, we're still excited about Atlantis and spend part of the first half of the show watching videos and talking about the official Atlantis fanfare written by Emmy-nominated composer Bear McCreary and produced by actor Seth Green!

We're also mourning the death of Sony MiniDiscs, checking out a new way networks are handling product placements, and singing a brand new Tang That Tune!

The 404 Digest for Episode 856

Atlantis launch a bittersweet end for space shuttle. Fanfare for final NASA shuttle mission. Sony to kill the MiniDisc Walkman in September. TV networks inserting ads and product placements in show reruns. Kidrobot launches Street Fighter toys. The missing person living in Savannah.

Episode 856 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

A free launch

We use a Windows machine for work and a Mac for pleasure, and one thing we love about our Mac is the dock. This strip across the bottom of our screen contains shortcuts to all our favorite applications, documents, and folders, giving us quick access to the things we use the most. LaunchBar Commander is a similar utility for Windows, and although it doesn't have the sleek interface or animations of the Mac dock, it works just as well at keeping our favorite things handy.

LaunchBar Commander has a plain interface, just a skinnable gray strip that can be … Read more

Welcome to CNET How To

For more than a decade, people like you have flocked to How To stories and videos we've produced on CNET. (iPod your car, anyone? Wow, that's a blast from the past.) Whenever we write a roundup of iPhone tips or a collection of Chrome shortcuts, you click like crazy, discover inspiring new tricks, and share your newfound tech knowledge with your friends.

We're finally putting all these hacks, tips, tricks, and ideas into one home: CNET How To. We're launching with more than 700 How To posts, and we'll give you a steady stream of … Read more

RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook launching in 16 countries

Research In Motion is ready to launch its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in an additional 16 markets.

The tablet will be made available to customers in the U.K., Spain, Germany, Australia, and several other countries within the next 30 days, RIM said. Currently, the BlackBerry PlayBook is available only in the U.S. and Canada.

Unlike much of its competition, RIM's tablet focuses on enterprise customers first. The tablet boasts a 7-inch display and runs the company's new tablet operating system. It includes dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and capture, and runs on a 1GHz dual-core … Read more

Twitter revamps 'following' pages

Twitter is rolling out a new feature that lets you click on someone's "following" page and see the latest tweets from the folks that individual is following.

The update to Twitter's following pages is a major departure from the former functionality. Previously, when people would click on someone's following tab, they would see the usernames and biographical information of the people being followed. To satisfy those who prefer that functionality, the new following page has two tabs: the new, default "tweets" tab and a "people" tab. The latter will show only … Read more

Duke Nukem Forever to launch in mid-June

Duke Nukem Forever is finally ready to launch--after what seemed to some like an eternity.

"Duke Nukem Forever is the game that was once thought to be unshippable, and yet here we are, on the precipice of history," Christoph Hartmann, president of publisher 2K Games, said yesterday in a statement that may have contained just a tinge of hyperbole. "Today marks an amazing day in the annals of gaming lore, the day where the legend of Duke Nukem Forever is finally complete and it takes that final step towards becoming a reality."

Duke Nukem Forever, which allows users to play the brash, obscenity-happy title character who wants to save the world from "pig cops, alien shrink rays, and enormous alien bosses," has become a bit of a running joke in the gaming business for its protracted delay.

The game was first announced in 1997 as a follow-up to Duke Nukem 3D. After being delayed from its original 1998 release date, the game's developer at the time, 3D Realms, made several promises that it would be launched in subsequent years. Each time, those promises were broken, and many wondered whether the game would ever actually launch.… Read more

Delayed by quake, iPad 2 coming to Japan

Apple's iPad 2 is launching in Japan tomorrow, the company said this morning.

The company initially planned to start selling the iPad 2 in Japan on March 25. However, following the country's devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Apple decided to delay the tablet's launch.

Japanese customers who want to get their hands on the slimmer tablet can do so at Apple stores and other retail outlets, starting at 9 a.m. local time tomorrow.

Outside of Japan, Apple said today that it will launch the iPad 2 on Friday in Hong Kong, India, … Read more