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Top 5 must-have Android tablet apps

Even the most die-hard Android fan has to admit that it has taken Android quite a while to catch up to Apple when it comes to quality tablet-optimized apps. You can't blame Google entirely, though. With the dramatic launch of their tablet-only Honeycomb OS, Google tried hard to rally Android developers around building great tablet apps. Why it took developers another year to answer that call for tablet apps is another whole story.

The good news is, Android tablet owners now have a fantastic assortment of apps to choose from. Apps that don't merely scale up the Android … Read more

Watch water freeze instantly as it pours

Ever wanted to be a waterbender, or maybe Iceman (not to be confused with Mr. Cool Ice)? A trick to freeze water instantaneously won't actually make it so, but you'll feel pretty cool.

YouTube user Grant Thompson of Random Weekend Projects has posted a video that shows how it's done. You need some bottles of purified water, a clock, and a freezer. When you put the bottles of purified water in the freezer, the absence of impurities such as dust or microorganisms in the liquid means ice crystals have nothing to form around, so the water can reach temperatures below freezing without solidifying. … Read more

IE piggybacks on Everest celebration to showcase new browser tech

There's much more to climbing Mount Everest than the trek to the summit, mountaineer David Breashears would tell you.

To help emphasize that point, the filmmaker and explorer has teamed up with Microsoft to build an interactive examination of the mountain and the Greater Himalaya region, which have enthralled imaginations since Edmund Hillary made his successful ascent of the Everest summit 75 years ago this week.

Everest: Rivers of Ice is a new Web site open to the public on Tuesday night built in HTML5 and CSS3 for touch screens. Created by the Internet Explorer 10 team, Microsoft Research, … Read more

Frothy milkshakes with a wave (or spin) of a wand

There is something magical about going out to eat. Walk into a restaurant, sit down, and pick something to eat from a list that is presented to you. Not long after, your order arrives -- professionally made -- and when finished, the dishes disappear. How all this is able to happen not only involves a well-choreographed dance, but also skill and talent. But it's not all about the main course.

Just as with life in general, it's the little things that matter when going out to eat. Little things like dessert, milkshakes, and sometimes pie. The Waring Milk Shake & Drink Mixer ($169.95)Read more

Kyocera looks to create multi-headed Hydro

LAS VEGAS -- Kyocera is looking to capitalize on one of the phones that has been a quiet success story for the company.

The Kyorcera Hydro has been one of the top 10 selling smartphones each month since its launch in August, according to ITG Majestics. The company is looking to build on the Hydro name with the introduction of two new phones, the lower-end Hydro Edge and mid-tier Hydro XTRM.

The Hydro Edge is a low-end phone destined for Sprint Nextel's contract service and Boost's prepaid service. It will launch later this summer; its price has yet … Read more

Homeland Security cuts off Dwolla bitcoin transfers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed it has initiated legal action that prompted the Dwolla payment service to stop processing bitcoin transactions.

Nicole Navas, a representative for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed the legal action to CNET this afternoon.

Dwolla, a Des Moines, Iowa-based startup, which raised $16.5 million in funding two weeks ago, notified users about the move earlier Tuesday. It blamed the decision on "recent court orders" limiting its ability to send money through Mt. Gox, the largest bitcoin exchange.

"In order not to compromise this ongoing investigation being conducted … Read more

Confessions of a technology pack rat

I'm taking spring cleaning seriously this year. I've already Craigslisted a good chunk of my furniture and hosted a massive yard sale. Now, I'm breaching the depths of uncharted waters in my closets and desk drawer. I'm going after all those old gadgets I've been hanging onto for years. What wonders will I discover?

I have old cell phones. I have old computers. I have sickening piles of cords tangled about each other in knots that may never be unraveled. Why do I do this to myself? Do I really think I'm going to need to make a call on that 2002 LG VX-10 with the extended battery pack? It's time for it to go, along with all the other dusty old tech that hasn't felt a surge of electricity in years.… Read more

Android Jelly Bean on the rise, thanks to Google's new math

More Android devices are gobbling up Jelly Bean, but it's largely because of a tweak in how Google calculates the adoption of its mobile operating system.

Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1 to 4.2, made up a quarter of all Android devices, according to data captured during two weeks that ended on April 2. That's an increase from 16 percent a month ago. Droid Life first spotted the data on the Android developer blog site.

Google, however, noted that for the most recent data, it used a different method of tallying up the devices. Previously, the device … Read more

Nostalgia Electrics dishes out a double scoop of frozen treats

Decisions, decisions; life has enough of them. Sometimes, the best course of action is to opt not to choose. Take a hot summer day, for example. After a long hot day at the beach or the park, there comes a time to choose what the cool-down treat is to be. Naturally, having gone through a long day of decision making regarding which sandwiches to bring to the park or whether to barbecue at the beach, the finishing touch should be an easy one to make.

Just in time for the warm weather months, Nostalgia Electrics has released not one, but … Read more

Android phones susceptible to freezing cold boot attacks

The next time you're looking for your misplaced Android smartphone, check the freezer. It's possible, however unlikely, that someone is trying to hack into your data using a new FROST attack method.

Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany have learned that it is possible to access personal information on Android 4.0 smartphones using a chilling technique.

Called FROST, or forensic recovery of scrambled telephones, it amounts to placing the phone in temperatures of -15 Celsius for roughly 1 hour. After removing from a freezer, you must repeatedly power on and off the phone and hold down the … Read more