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The new Xbox: Six things Microsoft needs to do

Microsoft has made it official: the next Xbox will be unveiled at a May 21 event in Redmond, Wash., just weeks before E3 opens its doors. This looks like the inevitable Xbox-PlayStation next-gen console war we've all been expecting.

What will it take for Microsoft to keep its strong foothold in the gaming industry? Here's what I'm looking for.

Be the ultimate TV-streaming (and movie-playing) box The Xbox 360 has already carved a great role for itself as a streaming-media hub, and rumors point to the next Xbox possibly being a true rival to a future Apple … Read more

Next Task Manager Widget 1.0.1 Review

If you think "Noonien Soong" when someone says "Android doc," you might be a Trekkie (and fiercely proud of it). But if you hear "Android dock" instead, maybe you're thinking of Next Launcher, an Android-based app dock and launcher. If you use Next Launcher, you'll certainly want to take a look at Next Task Manager Widget, a free 3D plug-in for Next Launcher from GO Launch Team. We tried Next Launcher with and without Next Task Manager Widget installed, and the plug-in definitely improved the docking app's 3D performance. Though Next … Read more

Busy fall for Apple, Xbox, and Amazon

CNET Update is out of breath:

Apple fans will have to wait until the fall for new "amazing" products, or so promises CEO Tim Cook.

Samsung fans will also be doing some waiting. The Galaxy S4 was said to hit stores this weekend, but the smartphone is facing supply issues -- and that's causing T-Mobile and Sprint to push back launch dates and only sell online. But you may be able to find one on Saturday in stores at AT&T, and on Tuesday at U.S. Cellular. [Read CNET's review here.]

For shoppers that … Read more

Apple kicks off free next-day shipping for all iPhones

Buy an iPhone through Apple online, and you can now score free next-day shipping.

The deal is good for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 4 but restricts purchases to two per buyer. Apple already offers free standard shipping on orders that total more than $50. But next-day shipping normally kicks in an additional charge depending on the size of the order.

The offer may be especially appealing to iPhone 4 buyers since that model is free with a standard two-year contract. Apple's order page doesn't indicate how long the promotion will last.

In the past, Apple … Read more

Four simple ways to overcome the PS4's challenges

It's been weeks since the PlayStation 4 event underwhelmed many people. Myself included. But as time has passed, my mind's become clearer as to why, exactly, I was so disappointed. It's a challenge for the PlayStation 4 to overcome, but it's also a challenge of all "next-gen" consoles.

I hate the term "next-gen" as much as anyone else, but that's what happens when you have one piece of hardware sit out on the market for six or seven years while you anticipate what the Next Big Thing will be. "Next-gen&… Read more

High-tech software for retailers discreetly tracks customers

Imagine that you're the proud owner of a good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar shop. Now imagine a software service that gives you a snapshot of what's hot and what's not in your store. That's what Prism Skylabs offers.

The San Francisco startup has developed technology that uses video captured by security cameras to track customers' movements and create "heatmaps." The images represent an aggregate of all the shoppers' whereabouts in the store and which items they touched. For retailers, it's a valuable tool for making decisions about product placement and floor layout.

Prism Skylabs also … Read more

The 404 1,221: Where it's the fungus that kills us (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The Valve Steam Box is coming.

- How HBO will tackle "Game of Thrones" piracy.

- The Last of Us has a unique plotline with clicking mushroom people.… Read more

How Microsoft can avoid the pitfalls of Sony's PS4 announcement

Editor's note: It's official. Microsoft has announced the future of Xbox (and the next console) will be revealed at an event in Redmond, Washington on May 21.

Press events are a tricky beast. No one ever said they were easy to pull off. But with Sony casting the first stone in the next-generation console gaming war, Microsoft can learn a lot from what worked and what didn't.

When the lights went up, Sony execs were shaking hands and congratulating each other. But the packed house at the Hammerstein Ballroom wasn't exactly participating in the same adulation. … Read more

Sony PS4 event skewered in animated parody

Taiwanese animator Next Media Animation is taking yesterday's Sony PlayStation 4 event to task.

Sony announced its next-generation video game console at a press event in New York, but the PS4 itself was a no-show.

Sony says the PS4 features a PC-like body architecture, x86 CPU, enhanced PS GPU, 8GB of unified memory, a local storage hard drive, and an updated DualShock 4 controller.

The animation group created a video mocking the PS4 at yesterday's press event. Sony treated members of the press to experience what using the next-generation console might feel like with live demonstrations, but did … Read more