w

Vizio S4251w-B4 review: A sterling sound bar for surround-sound devotees

Nearly every sound bar claims it can create faux surround sound without extra speakers, and with a few exceptions, those claims are always overhyped.

The Vizio S4251w-B4 ($330 list) is one of the very few sound bar systems on the market that can deliver true surround sound, precisely because it augments the traditional sound bar/subwoofer configuration with two rear speakers. The combination delivers some of the best sound we've heard from a budget sound bar, and nothing at this price competes in terms of immersive home theater sound. The rest of the package is polished, too, with a … Read more

W3C proceeds with Web video encryption despite opposition

The World Wide Web Consortium has decided to go ahead with a technology that will let companies like Netflix stream encrypted video using Web sites -- against the wishes of the Free Software Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and 25,600 petition signatories.

The Web standards group announced the move Thursday, to nobody's surprise. Entertainment-industry players had approached the group three years ago to discuss the technology, Microsoft has been helping develop it, and Google already has built the specification, called Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) into Chrome.

The standard doesn't actually handle encryption and digital rights management (DRM) to … Read more

Huawei W1 Windows phone lands at Walmart this month

Huawei's first Windows Phone 8 handset, the Huawei W1, lands later this month in select Walmart stores and on Walmart.com.

The handset, known globally as the Huawei Ascend W1, by the way, is an entry-level device with a 4-inch LCD display, a 1.2GHZ dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and a 5-megapixel camera that can capture 720p HD video.

That's not all, of course. The specs continue with a VGA front-facing camera, and the phone comes with an Adreno 305 400MHz GPU. Although there will only be 1.7GB of available user storage, the W1 will come … Read more

Free Software Foundation attacks DRM in HTML video

The Free Software Foundation, never a friend to digital rights management, has taken issue with its arrival in the Web standards world.

In a letter from the FSF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Creative Commons, and other allied groups yesterday, the group called on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to keep DRM out of the standards it defines.

"We write to implore the World Wide Web Consortium and its member organizations to reject the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) proposal," the groups said. "DRM restricts the public's freedom, even beyond what overzealous copyright law requires, to the perceived … Read more

Windows 8 meets 8-inch tablet? Possible Acer Iconia W3 leaks

At the Microsoft Store, 10-inch tablets rule. But that may be about to change.

Earlier today, a French-language site posted lots of images (now removed due to an Acer request, the site says) of what it claims is a future Acer Iconia W3 8-inch tablet.

If accurate, that would be a Windows 8 first for a global top-tier vendor and would put Microsoft and its hardware partners in the tablet screen-size sweet spot.

This product, as reported, does not use the limited RT version of Windows 8. So, this would give you full-blown Windows compatibility on a device that can … Read more

Microsoft Store slashes prices on Windows 8 tablets, hybrids

In what could be a sign of things to come, the Microsoft Store is slashing prices on a variety of hybrid laptop-tablet models.

Here are some of the highlights now appearing on the Microsoft Store "Tablets and Convertibles" page:

Toshiba Satellite U925t-S2130 Convertible Ultrabook: Cut to $799 from $1,149. 12.5-inch screen, Core i5 Intel chip, 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). ( Read the CNET review.) Acer Iconia W510-1674 Tablet: reduced to $399 from $499. 10.1-inch display, Intel Atom 1.8GHz "Clover Trail" Z2760 chip, 32GB SSD. ( Read the CNET review.) HP ENVY x2 11-g012nr Touchscreen: … Read more

Prepare and print W2 and 1099 forms with W2 Mate 2012

No one likes tax time -- not even paid tax preparers. They view tax season the way retailers view the holiday season; something to survive in order to thrive. Yet it's even worse for employers, who must not only do their own taxes but also prepare W-2s for each and every employee. Real Business Solutions has a solution for real businesses: W2 Mate 2012. Simply put, it can import, prepare, and file W-2, W-3, 1099, 1098, and related tax forms. Better yet, it saves you money by laser-printing your own government-approved substitute forms on blank paper. It prints individual … Read more

File your 2012 federal income tax from your Android phone with TurboTax SnapTax

Taxpayers who file the 1040EZ income tax form have always had it easier, at least when it comes to the paperwork. They've long enjoyed the ability to file electronically, for instance. Things just got even easier for 1040EZ users, thanks to TurboTax SnapTax, a free Android app from one of the biggest and most trusted names in tax preparation, especially online tax prep and e-filing. With SnapTax, you can file your 2012 federal income tax returns using your Android smartphone, or tablet, or any device running Android, so long as it has a high-resolution camera. Simply take snapshots of … Read more

Fujifilm XP200, S8400W adds more Wi-Fi to FinePix line

Continuing to focus on its pockets of growth for point-and-shoots, Fujifilm announced today two new FinePix models, the XP200 and S8400W.

An update to 2012's rugged XP170, the XP200 gets better waterproofing, now able to shoot down to 50 feet, and is still shockproof to about 6.6 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and dustproof. It has a redesigned battery door with a dial-locking mechanism to help keep the seal tighter than simple sliding locks.

Other improvements include a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3-inch, 920K-dot-resolution LCD, and a new burst-shooting button for capturing shots at up to 10 … Read more

Crave Ep. 111: Man vs. jetpack

Subscribe to Crave:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ)

A German inventor has built a DIY jetpack, so we hop onboard. Also, we get a first look at "Star Wars" pinball for iOS and Android, and "Star Trek" fans win a major space battle when they vote to name a Pluto moon "Vulcan." All that and more on this week's episode of Crave. … Read more