friday

Smart watches are not a new concept.

In June 2003, Microsoft announced its grand plan to bring the Internet to wristwatches using its Smart Personal Objects Technology. The company partnered with various watchmakers, including Citizen, Fossil, and Suunto, to create timepieces that allowed you to check messages and calendar appointments, as well as weather, news, stock prices, and sports scores, all from your wrist.

While novel and interesting, the watches never took off, and in April 2008, Microsoft decided to pull the plug on the smart-watch business. But were those watches really a bad idea or simply a case of an idea being ahead of its time?

It may be the latter, as smart watches seem to be making a comeback.… Read more

No spoilers here, folks. You'll have to look elsewhere for those, but it's no secret that the gaming ranks are getting all hot and bothered by the controversial ending to BioWare's Mass Effect 3.

The ire over the space-bound role-playing game has raised the fan discussion to levels previously reserved for television shows like "Lost" and "The Sopranos." It's left many gamers asking if the conclusion lived up to the prerelease promises.

There are even reports that one disappointed gamer felt so let down that he lodged a false advertising complaint with the FTC.… Read more

It's not the iPad 3. It's not the iPad HD. It's the new iPad. Just like the old iPad, only different, and better, and newer.

Apple is ditching the numbers from the name of its top tablet, and we all know Apple doesn't make a move like that without thinking it through thoroughly.

CNET's Roger Cheng argues that the new naming convention is designed to turn iPads into Kleenex. No, you're not going to blow your nose on them, but you just might start using "iPad" as a generic name for tablets.

I'm trying to imagine a world in which I pick up a new Android tablet and show it off to my friends while saying, "Check out my sweet new iPad!" I'm not sure who would be more upset: Android fanboys or Apple fanboys.… Read more

My iPad 2 has survived almost a whole year of use, several hours of cats swiping at the screen, three different cases, and countless Infinity Blade foes vanquished. I'm not quite ready to give it up, but I may change my mind once the iPad 3 is unveiled.

The fervor around the iPad 3 will kick into high gear on March 7, the official announcement day scheduled for next week.

We're hearing about all sorts of cool potential features like Siri, 4G LTE, and a Retina Display.

Those are some big carrots to tempt current iPad owners into an upgrade buying binge.… Read more

I have this strange feeling that I'm being watched. Gmail is hinting in an ad that I should consider self-publishing that novel I'm working on. Thesaurus.com seems to know exactly which jackets I looked at recently on Backcountry.com.

The Obama administration's recently unveiled Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights is supposed to tip the balance of power back to Web users. It gives them the right to control what data is collected, how it is used and shared, and to have that data secured. Enforcement information, however, is still sketchy.

The document is expected to be used as the basis for new privacy legislation.

Online privacy is a sizzling topic in light of Facebook privacy missteps, Google's consolidation of privacy policies, and sneaky data collection by mobile apps. … Read more

You're streaming the entire series of "The Sopranos" on your smartphone. It's the final episode. The screen suddenly goes black! Is it the show or is AT&T throttling your data?

The cellular company has made good on its warning to slow the speeds for the top 5 percent of data users. Impacted users are ones who have unlimited data plans. Smartphone owners with tiered plans aren't subject to the throttling.

Customers have mixed reviews on the policy. Some are outraged at having their data slowed. Some are concerned about the drag that heavy … Read more

Your time is up. It's Timeline or bust for Facebook users now. The social network is automatically switching users over to the new profile look over the next few weeks.

Timeline dredges up your entire history from the day you first joined the network, and even back as far as your birth. That includes your awkward "Twilight" phase and that time you posted a heartfelt poem over a breakup three years ago.

Facebookers now face a huge banner image on top of each profile and a constantly updated stream of information about what your friends are doing, posting, listening to, or watching.

This is a big change and not everyone is thrilled about it. It's kind of like having an interactive autobiography online, except you also get to know that your best bud just watched the crazy honey badger video for the tenth time.… Read more

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak created a comment explosion over his recent remarks about certain advantages he sees with Android phones.

Woz isn't pitching his iPhone into the shrubbery, but he did talk to the Daily Beast about several Android features he feels trump the iPhone's offerings. GPS navigation, battery life, and voice commands all made the list.

The Android versus iPhone debate has been as emotional as the great over-versus-under toilet paper debate. Hearing an Apple icon praise the other side just stirs the pot up a little bit more.… Read more

Were you googling for CES 2012 gadgets this week? If so, you might have spotted Google's new Search Plus feature, which automatically includes comments and photos from your Google+ and Picasa networks--unless you opt out.

Some will surely view the feature, which launched this week, as a nice way to easily find posts and photos on a given topic from friends and acquaintances. But not everyone is happy about Search Plus.

Yesterday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center asked regulators to investigate whether the new feature violates federal antitrust rules and poses privacy concerns. … Read more