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After rumors surfaced last week that the next-generation PSP would do away with the UMD optical drive in favor of direct downloads to flash memory via the PlayStation Network, Eurogamer is reporting something similar and adding a new twist to the mix: the new PSP will have a "sliding screen" and will feature a more compact, narrower design.

In typical fashion, this is all according to an anonymous "development source close to Sony," so take it for what it's worth. Said source claims that the next PSP--it may be called the PSP 4000 rather than … Read more

Virtual Worlds Management, a company that provides research on the growth of online virtual worlds, said $594 million was invested in 63 virtual worlds during 2008. Gaia Online and PlayFish were two of the most prominent recipients of venture funding during the year. That said, investments in virtual worlds declined as the year wore on. In the first quarter of 2008, virtual worlds received $184 million in funding. By the fourth quarter of that year, investments dropped to $101 million. Virtual Worlds Management expects a further decline in funding in virtual worlds during 2009.

Fuzz.com, a social-networking site for … Read more

While the Nyko Wand took our Best of CES gaming award, we were also fans of a few additional accessories the company announced for the Nintendo Wii.

We really like the Kama Wireless Nunchuk we reviewed a few months ago, and Nyko has decided to improve on the item again. We know Nintendo had a fairly unpublicized grievance with the Kama's striking resemblance to an original Nunchuk, and Nyko wouldn't comment if the Kama Charge Kit was a result as a settlement between the two manufacturers.

The Kama Charge kit not only comes with a new and improved … Read more

We chose the Nyko Wand as a Best of CES gaming finalist because the product not only improves on the original Nintendo design, but because of the controller's innovative Trans-Port interface.

Check out our slide show detailing the features of the Wand and see how it will combine with accessories like the Pistol Grip.

Smartphones never take the main stage at CES, but that doesn't mean they go unnoticed. While there weren't any surprises this year, CES 2009 served up some tasty smartphone treats, including the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900, the HTC S743, and the T-Mobile Shadow. We got a hands-on look at all these device, plus the coveted Nokia N97, at the Digital Experience media event on Wednesday night. Check out our photo gallery of CES 2009 smartphones and pick out which shiny gadget you want next.

Brian Cooley gives us the scoop on the LA Auto Show, we help you recover songs from a crashed iPod, and Bonnie Cha reviews the BlackBerry Storm.

Watch the show on CNET TV.

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Iyaz sent a video about stuttering problems in OS X Leopard. Brian Tong noted that many other users reported this problem … Read more

One of the cool features of the iPhone is its ability to handle photos in a way that allows you to flip through the images very easily or view them as a simple slide show. However, after a while it gets mundane.

For this reason, I was excited that Moblyng announced on Thursday its slide show application for the Apple iPhone. Being an amateur photographer, I decided to try it out. And it delivered!

Almost immediately I appreciated its improvement over the phone's built-in photo-managing tool. It was very easy to pick either existing photos or take new ones … Read more

280 Slides is a notable online replacement for desktop presentation apps. It's fast, functional and very visual.

In it, you can create a presentation, theme it, add graphics and video, and then present it, share it via Slideshare, or download it as a PowerPoint or PDF file. It's so smooth to use that it's hard to tell the difference in the experience between working in a traditional presentation app like Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. It doesn't have a traditional app's over-the-top feature set, but it's so fast and easy to use you'll … Read more

Slide, the start-up that brought sheep-flinging to the social-networking world, has inked deals with several major content companies, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

San Francisco-based Slide makes software tools that let people add some personalization--in the form of slideshows, guestbooks, skins, or virtual pets--to their pages on all the major social networks.

Now the company is expanding its reach to include somewhat more sophisticated media. On Thursday, it plans to announce deals with several major media companies that would allow people to view clips of popular TV shows on social-networking sites, according to the Journal.

The … Read more