new york

iPhone 5 launch-day mania

Friday's CNET Update visits the iPhone fanboys and fangirls:

Six years after the first iPhone, people are still excited and lining up at stores around the globe. The iPhone 5 launched in nine countries Friday morning, and Australia was the first to sell it. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was seventh in line at a store in Australia just to say he was one of the first in the world to get one. (That put him 17 hours ahead of customers in California.)

For today's show I interviewed the loyal Apple fans waiting at the iconic 5th Ave. Apple … Read more

Fox: iPhone 5 has laser keyboard, holographic images

New Yorkers are over-excitable.

So when they see folks already lined up to buy the iPhone 5, they come over extra-giddy.

Who, therefore, could blame Fox 5 New York from rushing out to interview the sad, money-grabbing self-publicists who are already adorning the Apple Cube, waiting for the iPhone 5?

The lady from Fox was more breathless than the Michelin Man after running a marathon on eight pints of beer. She talked to the people in line.

And yet then she seemed to reach for that New York dimension that is often abbreviated by the two letters "B" … Read more

iPhone 5's record preorders, early lines

Monday's tech news roundup is bringing the snacks:

People are already in line for the iPhone 5 at the iconic Apple store in New York City. They lined up eight days before it launches on Sept. 21. But motivation to sit there isn't only fueled by fandom. It's fueled by marketing and media attention. The first guy in line hopes to promote his social networking app, Vibe. A few others are there sponsored by the electronics trade-in Web site Gazelle. There's also someone promoting his online financial service. On launch day you can expect more businesses … Read more

iPhone 5 preorders indicate hot demand

Friday's tech news roundup didn't plan ahead:

A rush of iPhone 5 preorders online have pushed back shipping dates at Apple and wireless carriers for at least two weeks. Some stores, like Wal-Mart and Target, are also offering iPhone 5 preorders for in-store pickup. The initial supply of iPhones for Apple preorders went in less than an hour, which is much faster than years prior. It shows that either demand is way up for this model, or Apple didn't have as many available for the preorder crowd (or a mix of both). We won't know for … Read more

The closest thing we've got to a Nintendo Wii U launch list

A lot was learned at the Nintendo Wii U preview event in New York this morning, but surprisingly enough, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime did not deliver a definitive launch list of Wii U titles available alongside the console on November 18.

Instead, much to the attending crowd's chagrin, Fils-Aime said "it's still a little too early to guarantee exactly which games will be here for you on launch day itself and which will come shortly thereafter." Mind you, the "launch window" Fils-Aime is referring to spans from November 18, 2012, all the way to March 31, 2013.… Read more

Facebook becomes gang's stomping ground -- and demise

Two rival gangs have battled in the streets of Brooklyn over the past three years -- leaving several dead and scores of others wounded. They may have kept on like this if cops didn't get savvy to their activities and whereabouts on Facebook.

Now, 49 alleged gangsters are locked up facing murder charges.

"Detectives used social media as well as good old fashioned police work to track these killers," New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a press conference today, according to the Village Voice.

The war started when a member of the "Rockstarz&… Read more

Toys 'R' Us takes on tablets with Tabeo

This Monday tech news roundup doesn't want to grow up:

Toys "R" Us has created it's own tablet designed for kids, called Tabeo. It goes on sale in stores Oct. 21 for $150, but the store is now taking preorders online. This kid-safe tablet comes with 50 apps pre-installed for games, education, reading -- even apps for cooking and editing photos. And there's 7,000 more apps available in an app store. It comes with 4GB of memory, but is expandable with a memory card slot. And Toys 'R' Us won't be sharing this … Read more

New York City puts the brakes on new Uber cab-hailing app

A day after private car-summoning service Uber announced it was expanding into the cab-hailing business in New York, the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission issued an industry notice today that it had not authorized any apps for calling for taxis or paying for rides for use in New York City cabs.

"The T.L.C. is eager to pave the way for taxi riders to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology, including smartphone apps that may help passengers locate available taxicabs more quickly," David S. Yassky, the commission's chairman, said in a statement. "However, … Read more

Uber changes lanes in New York by hailing cabs too

Private car service Uber is veering off its usual course by offering its service to taxi drivers in New York City.

Starting tomorrow, Uber Taxi will allow New Yorkers to use the smartphone app to hail a cab in much the same way it's been used to summon private cars in cities around the country.

"This is the first time in three decades that New Yorkers can get a taxi without going to the street," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick told CNET. He also touted the service as offering greater accessibility in neighborhoods where taxis don't normally … Read more

New York Times Co. to sell About.com to Barry Diller's IAC

The New York Times Co. is expected to announce soon that it has reached a deal to sell the About Group, which includes Web site About.com, to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp, a source with knowledge of the deal told CNET.

IAC is expected to pay $300 million in cash for the struggling information site, with the deal closing in the next couple of weeks, the New York Times Co. confirmed in a statement late Sunday.

"About's early expertise in search engine optimization, expert content and revenues from cost-per-click and display advertising made it a valuable component of … Read more