generator

Why Gen Y buys into HP's 'Declare Yourself'

Hewlett-Packard's new back-to-school campaign, dubbed Declare Yourself with HP, isn't your typical laptop sales promotion. It probably could be used instead as a case study of how members of Generation Y tend to gravitate toward products that inflate their egos.

The online campaign, which rolled out this week in partnership with Viacom's MTV Networks, enables users to "declare" their goals with one-line summaries. HP is "hoping that this promotion will help (students) set obtainable goals that will help further personal growth."

Obtainable goals, eh? Let's check out some of the goals my … Read more

Worthless compatibility predictions

MB AstroNumero Match Software allegedly analyzes birth dates to determine if two people are an astrological match. The program's results are so sparse and vague that it's a complete waste of time.

Like other software from Mystic Board, the first screen is a cluttered mess of advertisements for Mystic Board. Past that, users enter the names and birth dates of the two lovers in question. The program then provides LifePath Compatibility, Destiny Compatibility, and a Comprehensive Reading. The first two each contain a couple of vague sentences that could apply to any couple. Our Destiny Compatibility, for example, … Read more

Random Password creator

Advanced Password Generator provides users with a randomly compiled list of passwords based on specific parameters. With simple controls, this is a great tool for increasing online security; however, trial limitations make it hard to grasp its full potential.

The program's interface is slightly confusing upon first glace. Users may be overwhelmed with the number of radio buttons and numbers scattered throughout the small screen. However, with a little experimenting or a visit to the Help file, users will learn the program's functions. While we would like to see a cleaner setup, the program does a fine job … Read more

Microsoft gives up YouTube chase

SAN FRANCISCO--In the coming months, Microsoft plans to significantly scale back Soapbox, the video site it once hoped might take on YouTube in the user-generated content arena.

In an interview on Tuesday, Microsoft Vice President Erik Jorgensen said Soapbox is one of the areas that Microsoft is pulling back on in the wake of a tough economic environment. His unit also recently pulled the plug on Microsoft Money, the company's personal finance software product.

Soapbox launched in 2006--the same year Google announced its deal to buy YouTube--but never emerged as a significant threat to the market leader. (… Read more

Creates number lists

Random Number Generator Pro lives up to its title by providing users randomly selected numbers between specific parameters. While the program's function is a success, users may be immediately turned off by its interface.

With a cluttered black and white screen featuring several buttons controlling the high and low numbers, most users will think to immediately jump to the Help file. Unfortunately, the Help file doesn't provide much direction and barely even defines what each section of the screen does and how it results in random numbers. Confused users should simply try experimenting with this tangle of buttons … Read more

Spammy screensaver

The ArcSoft Photo Book Screen Saver presents an attractive album-style display on your computer, provided you can ignore the fact that it's a blatant advertisement for ArcSoft's Print Creations photo products.

The concept behind the screensaver is a simple one, and ArcSoft executes it nicely. Users select a folder of photos they'd like to use, and the screensaver displays them as though they are arranged in a photo album, with the virtual pages turning at a speed that the user can adjust. In fact, the speed of the page-turns and the location of the photos are the … Read more

Study: Young adults haven't warmed up to Twitter

While 99 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have profiles on social networks, only 22 percent use Twitter, according to a new survey from Pace University and the Participatory Media Network.

This is consistent with what some observers have said about Twitter's recent push from early-adopter territory into the mainstream: that it's catching on with a slightly older demographic than the teenagers and college students who formed Facebook's initial core.

But of those young people using Twitter, the survey found that 85 percent of them follow friends, 54 percent follow celebrities, 29 percent follow family members, and 29 … Read more

CNET's 404 Podcast sets phasers to fun at 'Star Trek' premiere

The 404 Podcast crew scored tickets for an advanced screening of JJ Abrams' new "Star Trek" movie! We had a lot of fun interviewing all the hard-core "Star Trek" fans, and even battled a few overzealous Enterprise crew members.

Will we successfully stump the Trekkies with our in-depth knowledge of Borg cube transwarp conduit projections, or will they overpower us with a temporal chroniton field? Watch the video below to find out!

Don't forget to check out our live videocast every morning at 11 a.m. ET or head over to CNETTV.com to watch … Read more

Hailing frequencies open: VoIP Star Trek communicator engages nerd cred

Command your own fleet of nerds with this replica of the original Star Trek communicator, and guess what? It also happens to double as a VOIP phone, meaning you can use it to actually talk to another human being using Skype, AOL Instant Messenger, iChat, etc...

Bad news, though: unfortunately, the device does not have built-in Wi-Fi, so you must use USB for connectivity...worst. communicator. ever. Good news, though! Whoever designed this replica had the foresight (and the fear of vengeful Trekkies everywhere) to include buttons that play sound effects from the original series and a real mesh flip … Read more

The 404 336: Where sometimes it's good to be alone

Wilson's out slaving for CNETTV at the Amazon Kindle DX unveiling, leaving Jeff and I to man the show sans laughter...we'll let you judge the outcome. Today we veryveryvery briefly touch on the biggie Kindle, and also discuss the dangers of gaming to the death, Apple's new iPhone replacement policy, Oprah's free chicken giveaway, and more!

We'd first like to thank Randall Bennett, former host of The 404, for having us on his new show Tech VI--check us out!

One story from today comes from our brothers in the East, and by "… Read more