lives

BitTorrent to fire up CNET Live

In the Internet world, peer-to-peer sharing has always sparked discussion. This week on CNET Live, Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of file-sharing site BitTorrent, will sound off on the hot topic. Navin contributed his perspective earlier this month about Ohio University's decision to ban peer-to-peer applications on campus. What does this mean for the rest of us? Tom Merritt is going to find out.

In addition to that fiery topic, the boys are going to figure out what is behind all those blazing batteries in laptops. Brian will reveal what tops his Crave list, and Tom is going to … Read more

The boombox is back, just like Rocky

It's official: The boombox is back. Or maybe it never really left and we just weren't paying attention. Whatever the case, whether it's a budget version or one with a 7-inch LCD, the addition of video seems to have breathed some new life into one of our favorite retro wonders.

But what if you're a purist who just wants to carry a box on your shoulder, destroying your eardrums and those of everyone around you? Take heart, for iLive knows you well. Its cleverly named "iPod Docking System/Boombox" will blare "Eye of … Read more

Microsoft Tahiti gets new name, goes open beta

Microsoft's Tahiti project (not to be confused with the forthcoming Fiji update for Vista), has been given a new name this morning. Now known as SharedView, the 3MB download is available to anyone who wants it, assuming they've got a Windows Live ID, a Windows PC, and collaborators willing to install it.

It's a little early for a hands-on with SharedView, but it feels polished for a work in progress. Here are my impressions so far:

Sending invites to join SharedView is fairly simple, although Microsoft assumes you're using their services, including Windows Live Hotmail and … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 5

Here are the links to go along with the crazy episode five of CNET Live. Right before today's episode started the following things broke:

All the graphics The screen capture machine (no shots of Brian or my laptop) The audio My brain (see call about graphics cards)

We got everything back together in time to do the show. Except my brain. In any case, here are the show notes for Ep. 5.

Things we Crave

Cooling glove

$150,000 turntable

First call - How do I take calls on a podcast?

Talkshow

Skype HotRecorder

-And what microphone should I … Read more

Molly Wood is back in the house!

On this weeks Mother's Day special edition of CNET Live, Brian and Tom talk to one of their favorite new moms--Molly Wood.

Molly will be in house this week to talk about her favorite tech that makes being a new mom just a little bit easier. From her high tech baby monitor, to a digital keychain, Little Eli is practically a Cylon baby!

Today, CNET Live will also take a closer look at Intel's new Santa Rosa technology, and try to locate where the Santa Rosa river is (aren't all Intel products named after rivers?) Plus, Brian … Read more

News roundup: StumbleUpon, Last.fm, Xbox 360 chat

StumbleUpon/eBay talks heat up. The Wall Street Journal is reporting (registration required) that a deal between eBay and StumbleUpon to acquire the social networking and content recommendation service is getting closer. No agreement has been made on price, but the rumored amount brings it somewhere near $75 million dollars. If acquired, StumbleUpon's content preference algorithms could be employed on eBay's auction listings to give eBay users a new way to get recommendations on things they might want to buy. ( CNET News.com Blog)

Last.fm launching video service. As reported by the Register in March, Last.fm … Read more

Microsoft rolls out the spring '07 dashboard update for Xbox 360

The next time you turn on your Xbox 360 and connect to Xbox Live, you'll be asked to download the latest dashboard update from Microsoft. Like previous updates in the past, this spring '07 update is filled with dozens of tweaks and additions to make life a little easier and more enjoyable when navigating through the 360's operating system.

This time around, Microsoft has focused the update on communication, as support for Windows Live Messenger has been added to the system. Additionally, Microsoft has announced that sometime in the summer it will release a keyboard attachment for all … Read more

A fresh, faster Hotmail

Some 280 million Hotmail users are getting a brand-new in-box today. If you're already using Hotmail, a green button will invite you to try the new service when you log in, while the beta tag disappears for testers (pictures here).

Microsoft is also building bridges between its desktop and browser-based e-mail services. The Windows Live Mail beta download should be available later this month, succeeding Outlook Express and Windows Mail. Also later in May, expect to see the free Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta, which will synchronize contacts, e-mails, and folders with the new Hotmail. The current Outlook Web … Read more

New Spinal Tap film available free online

This is why I love the Internet.

Director Rob Reiner has created a 15-minute sequel to his mockumentary classic This Is Spinal Tap, a portrait of rock's most famous semifictional heavy metal band. While Reiner's short film was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, it won't be released in theaters any time soon.

It is available, however, online.

The short is in part a promotion for Live Earth, environmental charity concerts scheduled for July 7 at locations across the globe. Proceeds from the concerts will help fund a worldwide environmental program led by Al Gore. … Read more