demo

Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, new Donkey Kong Country coming to Wii U

LOS ANGELES -- This isn't a normal E3 for Nintendo. For the first time in recent memory, the company has decided to forgo a traditional press conference in lieu of a more intimate experience.

While Microsoft and Sony continue to exchange unpleasantries, Nintendo is using the opportunity to give the media a behind-closed-doors look at some of its upcoming Wii U titles, some of which are completely unannounced.

I got to sit down with these games and get some hands-on time to see what Nintendo has planned for the Wii U, a console that has undoubtedly stumbled out of … Read more

Embarking on a Google Glass exploration

CNET Update keeps it Glassy:

Google Glass has arrived. CNET's Bridget Carey takes you though the basics of the early developer model of Google Glass, known as the Explorer Edition. This episode of Update explains what the wearable computer can do and what it's like to look at the screen.

CNET will bring you continuing coverage of Glass as we learn to live with this new device and explore the apps being created for it -- because that's when things will get interesting.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget … Read more

BeerHunt app wants you to have fun and free beer

If you ever thought you should be rewarded for drinking lots of beer, here's your chance. A new iOS app turns drinking into a game, giving you points, and ultimately physical rewards, for guzzling down microbrews.

BeerHunt, an app created by incubator The Monkey Inferno, launched today at the Demo Mobile conference in San Francisco. The creators described it as a kind of Foursquare for beers. You get points every time you log a beer into your beer profile depending on what type of beer it is. More points if it's a rare beer, a beer from a … Read more

Special feature: The Ken Levine interview (podcast)

Now that BioShock Infinite has been released to the masses, The 404 Show's Jeff Bakalar goes one-on-one with the mind behind the game, co-founder and creative director at Irrational Games, Ken Levine.… Read more

At Y Combinator Demo Day, many echoes of Kickstarter

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--If you cringe when you hear a company described as "Kickstarter for" this industry or that genre, yesterday's Y Combinator Demo Day was probably not for you.

As happens twice a year, a Who's Who of A-list (and B- and C-list) venture capitalists and angel investors descended on the Computer History Museum here for the semi-annual Demo Day. There, the newest graduating alumni of the world's leading tech incubator had the chance to show off their talents -- and wares and/or services -- to the money men and women and reporters … Read more

Y Combinator's first nonprofit aims to crowdfund health care

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Though it is the undisputed king of incubators, many Y Combinator alumns have failed to make a profit over the years. But now, Watsi, which is hoping to bring a Kickstarter crowdfunding model to health care, is aiming to be its first (intentional) not-for-profit venture.

At Y Combinator's 16th Demo Day here today, Watsi showed off its platform, which is trying to be the first global crowdfunding platform for health care.

Rather than graduating from the Y Combinator program and seeking investment from tech-savvy venture capitalists, Watsi is soliciting donations from the tech community.

The … Read more

Airware's OS for commercial drones takes flight

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- While hobbyist use of drones is all the rage these days, there are few ways for commercial or enterprise customers to get unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the air.

But that's what Airware, one of the startups in the winter 2013 Y Combinator class, showed off at Demo Day today.

The Newport Beach, Calif., company aims to give commercial companies an easy-to-use development platform that will get their purpose-built drones up and flying in no time. Airware's platform comprises both on-board hardware and software, founder Jonathan Downey said. It also features elements that all … Read more

Capture still and moving images with Snapz Pro X for Mac

Snapz Pro X for Mac is a capture utility for Mac OS X. It is available from several download sites, but with a purchase price of $69 if you want to upgrade after using the free trial. Snapz Pro X for Mac installs cleanly and quickly.

More than a simple screenshot utility, Snapz Pro X for Mac lets you capture anything that appears on your screen either a still images or as a movie in QuickTime format. Snapz Pro X for Mac can capture full-screen or a smaller portion, and provides a simple way to make product demos, tutorial videos, … Read more

Companies choose 'glamor' launches over trade shows

In 2012, other companies learned what Apple had long ago mastered: How you launch your product matters just as much as the product itself. What's more, instead of unveiling your new creation on a crowded stage like a huge trade show, you can maximize your buzz by staging your own event exactly when and where it suits you.

Samsung showed it had chutzpah when it launched the Galaxy S3 last May in London. A tight clamp on leaks got the tech press salivating early and Samsung broke with tradition by staging a global launch of a flagship device. Then … Read more

Y Combinator's stars shine at Demo Day

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Twice a year, Sand Hill Road, the most important hub for venture capitalists in the world, empties out for a day. But it's not vacation that pulls away all the VCs -- it's Y Combinator Demo Day.

At the Computer History Museum here today, the heart of the tech investing universe came together once again to see, up close and personal, what the 74 companies in the summer class of Y Combinator have been working on all summer.

As is the case with any demo day, there were plenty of misses. But given Y Combinator'… Read more