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The greatest air-conditioner ad ever made

Some products are never graced with memorable ads.

Perhaps the products speak for themselves. Or perhaps their manufacturers are dowdy conservative folk, who just want to do something basic.

Then along come the macabre minds at air-conditioner manufacturer BGH. They got together with their ad agency in Argentina to create something that may leave you with, well, chills.

For here is a man who hates summer.

He stays at home. He is regarded as something of a psychopath. Perhaps he merely grew up in New York, where summer offers a full exposition of the perfect hell, leaving many with strange … Read more

Google reportedly working on open alternative to AirPlay

Google is again taking aim at Apple in the mobile space, setting its sites on developing an AirPlay challenger.

The Web giant is working on an alternative to Apple's wireless feature and hopes to attract the interest of device and software vendors with the effort, according to a GigaOm report. A Google representative declined to comment specifically on its plans for the features, saying "Stay tuned to see this feature coming to more devices and screens in the future."

Google offered an early taste of what it has planned with the debut last week of a new feature for YouTube … Read more

Great local search apps for iOS

I was going through the app listings the other day and came across LocalScope, a unique local search tool that helps you find things near your current location. Obviously, many people already use Google Maps (no current version for iOS) for this purpose, and the Yelp-powered Apple Maps gets better every day, but after looking at LocalScope (reviewed below), I went on a search for other apps that tailor their results just for what is right around your area.

This week's collection of apps is all about searching for services around your location. The first gives you tons of listings and a surprising bonus feature for finding your destination. The second offers a slick radial interface and tons of categories to pick from. The third is LocalScope, and uses social data to find places, videos, and images from people around your location.… Read more

Apple releases bug-fix update for 2012 MacBooks

For those of you who own one of Apple's new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro systems that were released in June, Apple has made a software update available. The update is around 127MB in size and includes bug fixes and performance enhancements for the systems' graphics, and their ability to communicate with some USB devices.

While Apple didn't reveal the specific problems addressed by this update, recently a few owners of the new MacBooks have reported noticing flashing displays when waking the system, washed-out or high-contrast colors when using external displays, and odd graphical artifacts when using some … Read more

Boxee set to battle Apple TV, Roku

While CNET's New York office waits for power to come back after the storm, we're bringing you the Update show from our San Francisco office. Thursday's top tech stories include:

- Boxee TV arrives at Walmart for $99 and offers perks for early adopters, including three months of free service and a discounted DVR subscription afterward.

- AT&T and T-Mobile have activated a new service that blocks smartphone thieves from using a stolen phone on GSM networks.

- AT&T launched the AT&T Locker app that offers 5GB of free cloud storage … Read more

Amazon flies into mobile games with Air Patriots

Amazon has kicked off its first mobile game, and one that can be played on both Android and iOS devices.

Taking to the skies today, Air Patriots lets you command a squad of planes by moving your finger around the screen. Drawing paths on the screen manuevers the planes to the right spots to defend your territory and battle the enemy.

You can outfit your fleet with 13 different types of planes. The game offers 28 levels and 7 different maps (the first 3 maps are free). The more victories you score, the more gears you collect, which can unlock … Read more

Shaky-cam be gone with an inflatable camera slider

I was on a video shoot recently, helping haul equipment over the hills and river rocks in the Gold Country of California. A metal slider rail for the camera was an especially challenging piece to move around due to its size and weight.

There will soon be an inflatable alternative. AirTracks is a blow-up camera track and dolly designed to hold 8 pounds of equipment. It deflates down to fit into a small stuff sack so you can pack it into the backwoods and still get smooth tracking shots.… Read more

Unlocked fin likely brought down X-51A in August crash

The U.S. Air Force said today that an experimental test in August of its hypersonic X-51A Waverider failed due to a fin inadvertently unlocking and sending the aircraft into a corkscrew that ended in a crash into the Pacific Ocean.

At the time, the Air Force said only that the August flight had ended with the crash, but didn't reveal what had been at fault. But in a conference call today, X-51A program manager Charlie Brink explained what he and his colleagues have learned over a couple of months of investigation.

The August flight was the third of … Read more

Poll: iPad Mini, iPad Air? What to call a small iPad?

It seems hard to believe now, but a few years ago the notion that Apple might actually release a device with a clunky name like the "iPad" was openly mocked -- until it came to dominate the category of consumer technology that it created nearly by itself.

Now, the smaller iPad that Apple is expected to announce at a media event tomorrow is stirring similar discussions.

The anticipated 7.8-inch slate with specs comparable to the second-generation iPad has been most commonly referred to as the "iPad Mini" in the onslaught of rumors over the past six months. But we've also heard that it might be called the "iPad Air" in a nod to its MacBook cousin.… Read more