cnet

A look inside the EPA's contentious MPG ratings (CNET On Cars, Episode 14)

Subscribe:

If you like high-tech cars, the Audi A7 is very high on your list. It's just about the techiest ride out there and far from the most expensive. Add the hot sauce of S trim and the 2013 Audi S7 becomes a favorite of ours. I'll take you for a ride in this episode.

I've never received more sustained e-mail on a single topic than I have on EPA mileage ratings lately. Many of you are actively wondering … Read more

Crave Ep. 114: Meet Zoe, a virtual talking head with emotions

Subscribe to Crave:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ)

Researchers at Cambridge University have created a virtual talking head that expresses emotions and someday might be your personal assistant and a shoulder to cry on. Scotland may pass a law allowing Jedi to officiate at weddings. And the Image Toaster prints pictures from the headlines on your toast, making breakfast a whole lot more enjoyable. This, and more, on Crave. … Read more

Google smartwatch in the works?

Now Google is making a smartwatch.

You didn't think Google was going to sit the smartwatch party out, did you? Since the Pebble watch made a splash at CES, we've gotten word that both Apple and Samsung are busy working on wearable tech that will talk to our mobile phones. It should come as no surprise then to find out that Google is now exploring the market with a watch based off its Android operating system. There's no date on when to expect these watches, but for now you can read reviews of ones that have already … Read more

Crave giveaway: CNET swag that's worth a brag

Congrats to Michael F. of Titusville, Fla., for winning an iKit NuCharge case and battery pack for the iPhone 5 in last week's giveaway. How much do you love CNET? This week's prize lets you count the ways.

The winner gets a CNET tote, a CNET GelaSkin for the iPad, a CNET T-shirt, two CNET notepads, and some CNET stickers. That's a whole lot of CNET!

Normally this swagtastic bundle would run you about $65, but you have the chance to get it for free. How do you go about doing that? Like this: … Read more

Google wants to 'Keep' your notes

Google wants to "Keep" your notes.

Yesterday Google introduced Keep, the new mobile and Web-based note-storing service that looks to take aim at products like Evernote. Boasting a simple, easy-to-use interface, Keep will work with Google Drive so that all notes are synced across different platforms. Users can edit their notes from either their phone or the Web and the information will be saved everywhere. You can also use voice dictation and photos to help enhance each note you take.

The BlackBerry Store has topped 100,000 apps, 30,000 of which were just added in the last … Read more

Amazon could be next Spotify challenger

CNET Update can't be grumpy for GIFs:

The streaming music scene is about to get more interesting. The latest report indicates Amazon is targeting Spotify with its own on-demand music streaming service. We've also heard that Google and Apple are working on similar products.

Other stories featured in Wednesday's tech roundup:

- Google Image search has added filters for finding animated GIFs and other specific file types.

- The Jawbone Up fitness bracelet now has an Android app.

- Websites can now put a "Send to Kindle" button on blog posts and news stories, next … Read more

T-Mobile changing the contract game

CNET Update will pay you Tuesday for a smartphone today:

Google Reader is shutting down in July, and its demise can impact citizens who have Internet access restricted by their government. The Change.org petition to keep Google Reader has about 12 percent of its signatures from people living in countries that have Internet censorship. People in Kazakhstan and China have left comments urging Google to keep the Reader tool because it's the best way to access banned websites and uncensored news.

Also featured in Tuesday's news roundup:

- Next week, T-Mobile is expected to announce a new way to pay for smartphones … Read more

Samsung Game Pad hints at Note 3

CNET Update needs bigger pockets:

Stories featured in Monday's tech roundup:

- Samsung says its new Game Pad accessory can fit a device with a 6.3-inch screen. But Samsung doesn't make a phone screen that big -- yet. Could this detail be a hint about the upcoming Note 3?

- Verizon wants to change TV fee rules by only paying for the channels subscribers are watching. And its not the only television provider trying to change the industry.

- Google Reader will soon be shut down, and Feedly is reaping all the benefits.

- Pinterest refreshed its design … Read more

Hottest tech products (winter 2013)

I don't know why I make this job harder than it needs to be. Every week I wrack my brain trying to think of a topic that will tap into the collective CNET zeitgeist. Sometimes I hit it just right, and sometimes I get nothing. But I could save myself a lot of trouble.

Without fail, the most popular Top 5 videos we produce here are the "Hottest Product" roundups. I think you guys get a voyeuristic kick out of knowing what everyone else is looking at.

Well, who am I to deprive you? This time around … Read more

Crave Ep. 113: Hot! A homemade solar death ray

Subscribe to Crave:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ)

Backyard tinkerer Grant Thompson teaches us how to build a solar-powered death ray. A man gets a Netflix tattoo for life and only gets a measly one-year subscription for it. Plus, we meet Mr. Stubbs the alligator, the first reptile (that we know of, at least) to receive a prosthetic tail. Donation came from the Phoenix Herpetological Society and the Core Institute. … Read more