arc

The Kobo Arc tablet is the less discerning man's Nexus 7

As the latest in a now long line of 7-inch tablets to hit the market with a sub-$200 price, the Kobo Arc attempts to set itself apart in two specific ways. The first is its folderlike interface called Tapestries that allows you to organize apps, articles, pictures, and other content into customizable nodes. The second is the ever-present Discover Ribbon, which, based on what you're currently looking at, constantly offers recommendations at the bottom of the home screen.

Unfortunately, these features do little to make the case for a tablet that otherwise offers less storage than the competition … Read more

Amazon lights a new Fire under iPad

Thursday's tech news roundup has a glow about it:

Amazon unveiled several new Kindles on Thursday. Here's the quick breakdown with links to the full first-take reviews:

• The new Kindle Fire HD comes in three flavors. There's a 7-inch model with 16 GB of memory for $199, and it ships Sept. 14. Coming out late November is a larger 8.9-inch model with 16GB of memory, selling for $299. If you want double that memory and the option for 4G LTE wireless, that'll cost $499 -- the same as a new iPad. • That 4G LTE wireless … Read more

Evouni's leather Arc Cover an iPad case that contorts

TAIPEI, Taiwan--Evouni's leather Arc Cover might seem like a normal iPad case, but there's more than meets the eye.

The flexible leather lets you roll and shape the case according to how you want the device to be propped up. There are just so many ways to contort the case that we've decided a video would do the job better. So don't blink, or you'll miss something. … Read more

Sexy, six-legged robot Hexy wants to get friendly

You'd be surprised at the number of people who crave spider-like robots.

Boston-based ArcBotics is gathering funds for its Hexy kit robot, billed as a low-cost, completely open-source critter that is easy to program.

It has six legs instead of eight, but Hexy can walk, dance, bang some keyboard keys, and do whatever else you can imagine.

It comes with a few installed moves, too. It's so cool, it even plays electric guitar. … Read more

Grab it with FoxArc Screen Capture

There's nothing wrong with the Snipping Tool, the screen-capture tool that comes with most versions of Windows, but there's always room for another tool in the toolbox, especially when it's compact and has something extra. FoxArc Screen Capture takes a snapshot of your entire desktop, a window, or a selected region, as well as capturing Print Screen images, and saves them in a variety of common formats as well as few less familiar ones such as TIFF, PCX, and PMN.

Screen Capture's small, rectangular interface has just four buttons: Get Region, Get Window, Get Desktop, and … Read more

Sony to issue Ice Cream Sandwich to 2011 Xperia line soon

Sony today announced that it plans to begin issuing Android 4.0 updates to its 2011 Xperia smartphones beginning in mid-April.

The first models expected to see Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V, and Xperia Ray. These updates should take around four to six weeks to complete and will depend on the various markets and carriers.

Jumping ahead to May and early June, Sony expects to deploy Android 4.0 to the remaining models, including the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, and Xperia Active. Sony's new Xperia S won't be upgraded … Read more

Watch HTC zap its One S smartphone casing

When the HTC One S smartphone debuted at Mobile World Congress this year, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt mentioned the HTC One S features "a soft-touch surface created by a micro arc oxidation technique."

What does this fancy oxidation term mean, though? If one could sum it up in a simple phrase: mega blasts of raw electricity. Earlier this week, HTC shared a promotional video (below) of this electrocution process in action.

Microsoft gets artsy with bold new mice

Fancy a fancier mouse?

Microsoft today announced five new additions to its lineup of artist-edition mice. The artists behind the bedecked peripherals, hailing from around the globe, include Kenzo Minami, Stina Persson, Tchmo, Sally Zou, and Oh Joy (that's the artist's name, not necessarily an editorial comment on the new products). … Read more

Sony Ericsson Xperia phones out in U.S., if you can find them

Two Sony Ericsson Android phones made their debut in the U.S. today, although they are only available through the Sony Store.

The handset manufacturer unveiled the Xperia Arc S and the Xperia Neo V. The Arc S is $549.99 and the Neo V is $349.99, and both come unlocked.

That the two phones are hitting the U.S. shores only through Sony's stores is indicative of Sony Ericsson's recent struggles in the U.S. Smartphones that are sold without carrier support typically languish in the market or remain niche items for gadget enthusiasts.

A representative … Read more

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc review: A solid foundation

When we first saw the handsome Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc at CES last January, we knew it was a solid effort--slim and sleek with sharp edges, impressive camera specs, and a Reality Display worth talking about.

Nine months later, the unlocked phone we've finally got in our hands still holds our interest.… Read more