Podcasts

Android tablets under $300

No matter how small or how affordable Apple can make the iPad, nothing can change the fact that it's a newcomer to the market of mini tablets.

Small, inexpensive Android tablets have been around for years and are finally hitting their stride. Through trial and error, manufacturers have figured out the sweet spot of features, design, and performance that seems to be resonating with customers.

What's more surprising is that the players in this space aren't the typical cast of characters that Apple is used to fighting. Sure, Samsung makes an appearance, but so does Amazon and … Read more

Ford CTO on New Ford Fusion

Paul Mascarenas, Ford's chief technology and VP of research, was in San Francisco showing off the new Ford Fusion, which now comes with a choice of engines including a 47mpg hybrid and a gasoline engine that shuts the engine off when stopped at a light or a traffic jam. CNET's Wayne Cunningham got a brief test drive and wrote some " fun facts" about the car.

In a telephone interview (scroll down to listen) Mascarenas talked about the fuel efficiency features including a "start/stop system" in its 1.6 litre "EcoBoost" gasoline … Read more

Web site presents 'all sides' of election news (podcast)

John Gable doesn't believe that there is really such a thing as objective journalism. "There's a great group of reporters that have really tried to be unbiased but as an individual," he said, "it's impossible to do that and do that reliably."

He feels that voters would be better off if they knew where writers and editorial organizations are coming from, so he built a "bias engine" to calculate that so his new site, Allsides.com, can link to articles from the left, right, and center "and bring the best … Read more

App.net: 'Plumbing' for social apps, not Twitter rival (podcast)

App.net founder Dalton Caldwell was impressed by Twitter in its "early days" when third-party developers were using it as a platform to "build really strange and amazing software, which is not what the people at Twitter necessarily intended." At that point, said Caldwell, "they had an open platform and you could build any kind of business on it in."

But, he added, "there's been a number of business moves made by Twitter to restrict third-party access to the data and discourage third-party clients being built." He said Twitter's "… Read more

Your iPhone may be worth more than you think (podcast)

I was fascinated by Marguerite Reardon's recent Ask Maggie post about selling your old iPhone because -- like lots of people -- I bought an iPhone 4S last fall, which means that I'll still be under contract if and when the new iPhone comes out next month. I say "if," but Apple is widely expected to announce a new iPhone on Sept. 12, and if the past is any indication, I'm sure I'm going to want one. Maggie did a good job describing the issue in her post, but I had some more questions, … Read more

MetaCert aims to block porn throughout the home (podcast)

There are lots of tools out there to help parents keep their kids away from what's typically considered inappropriate online content. Most, however, run on PCs and Macs, which means all bets are off if, for instance, a child surfs via a smartphone or a tablet.

MetaCert has a different idea. It's now beta-testing a server-based porn filter parents can set up to automatically block access to pornographic sites across their entire home network. It does so by hosting the filter on a DNS, or domain-name system, server -- effectively pushing the filter from individual computers into the … Read more

Reasons not to buy a Nexus 7

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD) The Nexus 7 is my favorite tablet right now. Google nailed the price, the interface, and the features, and avoided the mistake of selling it exclusively through a mobile carrier. It's enough to make the Motorola Xoom feel like a distant memory.

But no gadget is perfect, and the Nexus 7 is no exception. If you honestly think a $200 tablet can be made without cutting any corners, let me know. I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

Android fans, I recommend following this one up with … Read more

Presenting Rafe Needleman's Outie Awards

It has been a fantastic run, but it's time for me to try something new, so I'm leaving CNET. This is my last post for this great company, at least in my current role as Editor at Large.

Instead of boring everyone with the usual departure platitudes or a history of illustrious achievements, I thought I'd give out a few awards to companies, products, and ideas that I covered for CNET, ideas that have stayed with me long after I wrote about them. So here they are: The Rafe Needleman I'm Outta Here Awards. The Outies. … Read more

Flying drones getting smaller, smarter, cheaper, and scarier

A little more than a year ago, we did a Roundtable episode on aerial drones and UAVs. The discussion mostly focused on how remote-controlled and robotic vehicles were getting bigger, more capable, and more scary. Since then, a funny thing happened. The drone revolution downsized. Today we're talking about cheap and small drones. Today, perhaps, a collection of a hundred $1,000 drones can be just as capable -- and just as scary -- as a $100,000 drone.

It's not all Skynet doom-and-gloom, though. Small robotic flying vehicles can be used to save lives, keep repressive governments … Read more