AOL's twist on e-mail: You've got stacks
AOL believes it can tame the inbox with Alto, Yelp calls out review cheaters, and Google reveals a low-budget Chromebook.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
Thursday's CNET Update is checking your away message:
Just when you've given up all hope of having an organized inbox, along comes AOL with a new e-mail client called Alto. Today's tech news roundup looks at how Alto manages multiple accounts and sorts messages into stacks. The service is in beta test now (so you have to sign up for an invite to try it), but it could be open to everyone by February.
In other news, Yelp is cracking down on companies that pay for reviews. If Yelp sees that a business is trying to inflate reviews, it will post an alert for 90 days to call out the company for not playing by the rules. And there will be a link to the evidence it complied. Pinterest is also getting tough. Users can now block and report questionable activity, such as posts with nudity, hate or violence.
Google announced a new Samsung Chromebook that costs $250. But you get what you pay for: This browser-based system isn't like a typical laptop. Instead of downloading applications, everything is run through a Chrome Web browser. It's also not very powerful since it has an ARM processor. It could be something you keep around the house a tool for light online work.
The Uber app now lets you hail a taxi in San Francisco, but it dropped taxi service in New York. Uber gave up battling New York's strict taxi-payment regulations.
Watch CNET Update in the video above, or subscribe to the podcast via the links below.
Subscribe: