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E-mail bill raises privacy concerns

Tuesday's CNET Update is checking privacy settings:

There's an update to today's top story. Hours after CNET reported on a bill rewrite that would give warrantless access to American's e-mail, the senator behind the legislation has abandoned his controversial proposal.

Other stories in today's tech roundup:

- Facebook is testing Photo Syncing for some iOS users. It automatically uploads images on a phone or tablet to Facebook, saving them in a private folder. Google+ has a similar feature called Instant Upload.

- YouTube users with anonymous nicknames can link with a Google+ account. Back in … Read more

Sony Music Unlimited for $1 a month

Sony has announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to add Music Unlimited Premium membership to their accounts for a limited time at $12 per year.

The PlayStation store update is due to go live later today (November 20) and represents a saving of 90 percent based on the regular price of $10 per month, while non-PlayStation Plus members can sign up for a discounted $60 yearly rate instead.

A PlayStation Plus account costs $49.99 a year, so buying Plus and Music Unlimited together makes more sense while the deal is running.

Sony boasts it has a catalog … Read more

Wii U to ship incomplete, missing Nintendo TVii service and more

Just like the 3DS before it, Nintendo's Wii U console will ship with limited functionality, falling short of what the company promised would be available on launch day this Sunday, according to a Nintendo press release.

Most notable from the release is the absence of the Nintendo TVii service, the free program the company had said would be available from day one. TVii will be activated for the Wii U sometime in December. As you may recall, TVii is the live TV, TiVo DVR, and streaming service integration that aims to become the jumping-off point for your living-room entertainment. … Read more

DivX Plus improves player design and adds DLNA streaming over Wi-Fi

DivX Plus packs in a video player, codecs, and tools that cover the basic needs of streaming and converting your videos. It was considered one of the more popular video standards when high-definition content was first trickling to the Web. Version 9.0 brings with it updated features and some sleek changes to its look. So how does it hold up?

The core player has been skinned with an unobtrusive look and a dark, sleek interface. It doesn't compete for your attention with a bunch of bells and whistles or knobs. Nothing is meant to really distract you from … Read more

CNET Exclusive: Thirty-three percent off Roku Bundle

I love my Roku. I want to start with that so there is no confusion. I've been the proud owner of a Roku since 2010 (thanks Uncle Mike) and just upgraded to the Roku 2 XD. And today we've teamed up with the wonderful people at Roku to bring the CNET Exclusives' audience an unbeatable deal on a Roku bundle.

The Roku is a fantastic streaming media device that allows you watch content from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Pandora, and the list goes on and on. With an assortment of free and paid services, the Roku 2 … Read more

Compelling PS Plus game collection and firmware headed to Vita

Next week, Sony's PlayStation Vita gets a much-needed shot in the arm as the company has revealed a selection of games for PlayStation Plus subscribers and new firmware that adds some mildly exciting new features to the handheld gaming gizmo.

After months of teasing, the upcoming PlayStation Plus ($49 a year) game collection for the Vita arrives on November 19. The first set of PS Plus Vita games includes Uncharted: Golden Abyss; Jet Set Radio HD; WipEout 2048; Gravity Rush; Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack; and the PSP version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Many of those titles are top-tier gaming experiences and currently cost more than $30. … Read more

Return of the $79.99 Roku-Hulu Plus combo deal

This is an update of a deal I first wrote about back in June. With the holidays upon us, it's the perfect time for this "rerun."

Through the end of next week, and while supplies last, Roku is bundling the Roku HD box, a six-month Hulu Plus subscription, and an HDMI cable for $79.99 shipped. Those items would normally cost you around $128 if purchased separately.

A brief personal story: we're having a bit of trouble with our cable service. For some reason, the signal from ABC has degraded in the last couple weeks, leaving … Read more

CBS library programming heads to Hulu Plus

CBS programming is coming to Hulu Plus.

The video-streaming site announced the news today, saying that the CBS library will be made available to Hulu Plus customers starting in January. More than 2,600 episodes from the CBS library will come to Hulu Plus, including those from series "Medium," "Numb3rs," and "CSI: Miami."

As part of the deal, Hulu will also get its hands on old shows, like "I Love Lucy" and "The Twilight Zone," the company said today in a blog post announcing the deal.

CBS, which owns CNET, … Read more

KMPlayer adds video channels and apps

KMPlayer has changed a bit since we reviewed version 3.2 back in May. KMPlayer has always been popular and familiar software, so the latest version might be a bit of an eye-opener -- in good ways and bad. One of the new additions, "KMP Plus," acts as a dashboard for the program. On startup, users are greeted by an interactive home screen where they can watch promoted videos and advertisements, browse video channels, or access their own library content directly.

KMP Plus is attempting to become a premium service, but this 3.4 release highlights what seems … Read more

Tiny Flashlight + LED is a bunch of cool lights in one Android app

Most Android flashlight apps are extremely simple: on and off. Some add battery meters. Then there's Nikolay Ananiev's Tiny Flashlight + LED. Like most of the others, it's free, though it does have ad banners. No big deal, because it's way more than just an LED flashlight for your smartphone. Like what? For starters, it includes a prominent battery meter. The illuminated, color-coded Power button glows green for on and blue for off. But tap the Options button, and Tiny Flashlight's awesome extras come to light.

We installed Tiny Flashlight in a new smartphone running Android … Read more