computer

Hoodie iPad sleeve brings geek chic to your tablet

The technology industry hasn't exactly spawned the most fashion-forward looks of all time, but the hoodie stands out as a persistent fashion meme, thanks to an ongoing assist from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

While you're all zipped up in your Zuckerberg tribute hoodie, nice and toasty, your poor tablet is left out in the cold with nothing but a scant Smart Cover to keep it warm. Maybe it's time to buy your iPad a hoodie of its very own.

The Hoodie Sleeve comes from Computer Apparel, the same company that brought us V-neck shirts for iPads. I suppose you could combine the two if you really want to treat your iPad like a Cabbage Patch Doll.… Read more

Lenovo builds toward the cloud with Stoneware acquisition

Lenovo will acquire software company Stoneware as the PC maker pushes to offer more cloud products.

The world's second largest PC maker by shipments already has a foot in the door with cloud-related services, which allow Intel-based computers to connect to cloud services through APIs, dubbed the "client to cloud" strategy. Lenovo's Secure Cloud Access already uses Stoneware's WebNetwork, used to improve cloud application and device interaction through the browser.

Lenovo wants to boost its cloud offerings through the Stoneware acquisition to help customers and users remotely access data or control multiple devices through one … Read more

PCs hit a high for customer satisfaction -- boosted by tablets

Driven by the popularity of tablets, personal computers grabbed a new high in customer satisfaction in the September report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Labeling desktops, laptops, and tablets all as personal computers, the ACSI gave the category a grade of 80 out of 100. That proved a 2.6 percent gain over the 78 score earned last year and in 2010. Though some may disagree with the tagging of tablets as PCs, the iPad and its brethren were partly responsible for the bump in satisfaction among computer buyers.

"The recent stall in demand for desktop PCs comes … Read more

Apple edges Amazon in J.D. Power tablet satisfaction survey

Apple ranked highest in J.D. Power and Associates' tablet satisfaction survey.

The survey, which J.D. Power plans to conduct yearly, relied on tablet users who had owned their devices for less than two years. The index was a composite of -- in descending order of importance -- a device's performance; ease of operation; styling and design; features; and price.

J.D. Power's survey points to a close battle between Apple and Amazon, which enjoyed a wide lead over the rest of the pack. The industry average was 832, according to the survey. Apple scored 848 of … Read more

Clean, repair, and optimize your Registry with ARO 2012

ARO 2012 is the latest version of a longstanding Registry cleaner and optimizer. The look is familiar, but ARO 2012 offers several upgrades over previous versions, such as improved browser cleaning and user-friendlier settings as well as new tweaks that can yield better NTFS performance, faster startups, and improved CPU utilization. ARO 2012 also backs up and optimizes the Registry. You can schedule automatic cleanings, too.

ARO 2012's installer informed us that it would scan our PC as soon as it closed. The first scan is always important with software like ARO since it establishes a baseline, and ours … Read more

Apple ready to launch new iMacs, report says

Apple is getting ready to launch new iMacs, according to a new report.

Fox News' Clayton Morris is reporting today, citing several sources, that Apple will soon update its iMac line. According to Morris, the computers will come with Intel's Ivy Bridge processors, as well as better graphics and USB 3.0.

Apple's iMacs have been in desperate need of a refresh for some time. The all-in-one computers, which were last updated in May 2011, come in the customer's choice of 21.5- and 27-inch models. The iMacs currently offer quad-core Intel Core i5 processors.… Read more

Is it a Kindle? Join CNET at 10 a.m. PT for Amazon press event (live blog)

Tune in to CNET's live blog from Amazon's Santa Monica press conference starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET today.

Nokia and Motorola have had their say, and Apple and Nintendo are still a week away. But the parade of gadget unveilings known in techdom as September continues today with Amazon set to take the wraps off a new batch of Kindle devices in Santa Monica, Calif.

The company has said only that it is hosting a press conference, without divulging details of what it will discuss. But several leaks -- and the fact that … Read more

How the PC market is being reborn

BERLIN -- The personal computer industry has torn up the rulebook.

Intellectually, I knew it was happening, but it was only after three days of intensive technology immersion at the IFA consumer electronics show that the magnitude of today's changes in personal computing really hit me. Here's some of the evidence that jumped out at me while at the conference:

Risky new designs are commonplace as new ideas about portability and multitouch percolate through hardware engineering circles. PC makers are betting on novelties including detachable keyboards, touch screens, and laptop-tablet hybrids. Microsoft has transformed from a complacent laggard … Read more

Can you spot the Apple laptop?

The designers at Samsung and HP sure love Apple's laptop design philosophy, but the duo may want to take a step back next generation and innovate a little bit. CNET found several new computers from these companies that look just like an Apple MacBook Air. Can you tell which one is the real Apple product in the picture above?

Our more discerning readers might easily spot the differences between each of these devices, but Crave decided to make it a little more challenging by shrinking the pictures down a bit. Readers who participated in our guessing game on Facebook had a pretty easy time spotting the real Apple, but the pictures were also much larger. … Read more