New royalty program for Kindle books[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:48:50 GMT ]Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday it will begin offering do-it-yourself authors and publishers a bigger cut of book sales on its Kindle e-reader — but with strings attached aimed at keeping prices down for consumers.

Cosmic Log: Big brains for video games[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:40:30 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Psychologists say they can predict how well you'll learn a video game by looking at three little structures inside your brain. The bigger they are, the better you’ll do.

Facebook a preview of world without secrets[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:15:35 GMT ]Privacy experts continue to be amazed as hundreds of millions of adults around the globe do things online, and on Facebook in particular, that they would never do in person.

Cosmic Log: Solar salvation for Haiti?[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:49:30 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Donors are gearing up to send solar-powered cell phones, streetlights and even audio Bibles to earthquake-hit Haiti.

Clinton plans to stump for global Net freedom[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:06:00 PST ]CNET has learned that Secretary of State Clinton will elevate Internet freedom as a departmental priority in speech Thursday. She'll also address the Google-China flap.

Apple, labels talk music in the cloud[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:05:00 PST ]iTunes customers who dream of storing their music on someone else's servers could get their wish, according to several music industry sources.

Kids pack in nearly 11 hours of media use daily[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:12:06 PST ]A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows a "dramatic" rise in the amount of time children and teens spend using entertainment media. But is it all bad?

YouTube gets rentals, starting with Sundance films[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:15:00 PST ]The popular video provider gets into the rental business with a small selection of titles from the Sundance Film Festival.

Opera 10.50 preview crawls forward[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:44:00 PST ]The significantly faster public pre-alpha build doesn't introduce any major new features, but it does include several important bug fixes from the last pre-alpha.

Want to be a better gamer? Size matters[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:55:00 PST ]A multi-institutional research team finds that the volume of three specific structures in the human brain can predict video gaming performance in men and women.

YouTube begins HTML5 rollout[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:11:00 PST ]YouTube has begun rolling out support for HTML5 video, a spec that will let users view YouTube videos in most modern day browsers without Adobe's Flash.

View and manipulate your browser cache[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:13:00 PST ]Forget about exploring your Firefox or Google Chrome cache. When it comes to browser cache, the biggest problem that most users face is figuring out just which folder the elusive cache resides in.

Grounded teen tries Facebook to embarrass parents[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:26:18 PST ]A 15-year-old is grounded by her parents for breaking their rules. So she goes where all fine teens go to pout--Facebook--where she creates the group "1,000 to get Tess ungrounded."

Report: Apple tablet is a shared media device[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:34:00 PST ]New details emerge about Apple's upcoming device, expected to be unveiled next week.

Why I can't watch 3D TV[ Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:25:13 EST ]When it comes to 3D TV, I don't see it. Literally. I and millions of others like me cannot see three-dimensional images on screens -- and we're being left behind by TV makers and Hollywood as they rush towards 3D.

Social Web's true impact on China, Haiti[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:39:23 EST ]Google's threat to pull out of China and the devastating Haiti earthquake are causing people to reassess the impact of social media on the world. But new media can't effect change by itself.

Apple invites press to see 'our latest creation'[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:09:23 EST ]It's official: Apple Inc. will host a much-anticipated press event January 27 in San Francisco, California.

Red Cross text donations pass $21 million[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:09:53 EST ]A campaign using text messages to raise money for the Red Cross has tallied more than $21 million for relief efforts in Haiti.

Journalists in China face e-mail hijacking[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:31:54 EST ]Foreign correspondents in at least two Beijing, China, bureaus of news organizations have had their Google e-mail accounts attacked, with e-mails forwarded to a mysterious address, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Video: 'Army of Two’ a bromance to remember[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:13:45 GMT ]You follow Tyson and Elliot, two ruthless yet oddly affectionate mercenary partners who must fight their way out of Shanghai, China as it is under siege in "Army of Two: The 40th Day". Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck gives it a 7 out of 10. (msnbc.com)

Cosmic Log: Big brains for video games[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:40:30 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Psychologists say they can predict how well you'll learn a video game by looking at three little structures inside your brain. The bigger they are, the better you’ll do.

Facebook a preview of world without secrets[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:15:35 GMT ]Privacy experts continue to be amazed as hundreds of millions of adults around the globe do things online, and on Facebook in particular, that they would never do in person.

Cosmic Log: Solar salvation for Haiti?[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:49:30 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Donors are gearing up to send solar-powered cell phones, streetlights and even audio Bibles to earthquake-hit Haiti.

Apple: The great market maker[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:10:00 PST ]Apple knows how to build great products, but it doesn't always benefit from its innovations because of its insistence on being a mass-market luxury brand.

Bill Gates, the Twitterati[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:25:01 PST ]The war between China and Google rages on, the PlayStation 3 Motion Controller gets delayed, and Bill Gates is the newest, most popular Twitterer.

New York Times eyes 2011 for online fees[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:32:25 PST ]Under the plan, users would have free access to a certain number of articles a month and then have to pay once they exceed a cap.

Amazon adds greener electronics ranking[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:39:00 PST ]EPEAT certification ranks computers on a variety of criteria, including energy efficiency, toxic materials, and recycling programs.

Beyond Binary named 'Lord of Catan'[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:00:00 PST ]CNET's Ina Fried proves herself an ungracious guest and a poor reporter, winning a "Settlers of Catan" board game tournament she showed up to cover.

Microsoft urges laws to boost trust in the cloud[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:45:00 PST ]Company's general counsel calls on business and government to work together to address privacy and security for cloud computing while the time is ripe.

Skyfire shoots off Symbian browser update[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:00:00 PST ]The latest Skyfire mobile browser gets a new look and smooth scrolling.

Using Twitter to help Haiti[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:12:06 PST ]Recently a vacation site, Haiti.com has been transformed, now allowing anyone to filter through Twitter reports from Haiti and send the information on to relief workers.

U.S. says wind could power 20 percent of eastern grid[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:38:52 PST ]Wind energy could meet the 20 percent threshold by 2024, but it would require up to $90 billion in investment, according to a new government report.

Utility PG&E to finance rooftop solar panels[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:44:26 PST ]In a deal with SolarCity, California's Pacific Gas & Electric will provide the money to fund solar panel installations that require little upfront investment.

Digital fundraising still pushing Haiti relief[ Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:25:21 EST ]A 48-hour-old fundraising campaign to help Haiti earthquake victims, done solely through text messages, was already stunning Red Cross officials on Thursday when it hit $3 million. By Friday morning, the tally had more than doubled.

Why I can't watch 3D TV[ Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:25:13 EST ]When it comes to 3D TV, I don't see it. Literally. I and millions of others like me cannot see three-dimensional images on screens -- and we're being left behind by TV makers and Hollywood as they rush towards 3D.

Social Web's true impact on China, Haiti[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:39:23 EST ]Google's threat to pull out of China and the devastating Haiti earthquake are causing people to reassess the impact of social media on the world. But new media can't effect change by itself.

Apple invites press to see 'our latest creation'[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:09:23 EST ]It's official: Apple Inc. will host a much-anticipated press event January 27 in San Francisco, California.

Red Cross text donations pass $21 million[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:09:53 EST ]A campaign using text messages to raise money for the Red Cross has tallied more than $21 million for relief efforts in Haiti.

Journalists in China face e-mail hijacking[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:31:54 EST ]Foreign correspondents in at least two Beijing, China, bureaus of news organizations have had their Google e-mail accounts attacked, with e-mails forwarded to a mysterious address, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Tech camp yields programs for Haiti[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:27:47 EST ]A weekend meeting of technology pros looking to help victims of the Haiti earthquake yielded some ready-to-roll projects and a few more nearing completion.

'Pants' becomes first viral video of 2010[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:30:41 EST ]A 62-year-old's rhythmic fashion review has become the Internet's first viral sensation of the new decade.

Wednesday whales take down Twitter[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:07:03 EST ]The popular site Twitter crashed again on Wednesday morning.

Low-tech radios connect some Haitians[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:27:46 EST ]In the brutal aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, Jean-Robert Gaillard turned to his low-tech radio for solace and for a lifeline.

Web-based relief tools emerging to help Haiti[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:32:25 GMT ]Hundreds of tech volunteers spurred to action by Haiti's killer quake are adding a new dimension to disaster relief, developing new tools and services for first responders and the public in an unprecedented effort.

Video: 'Mass Effect 2' is about choice[ Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:18:33 GMT ]Commander Shepard is back to lead a new team on a suicide mission to save the human race. Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck reports. (msnbc.com)

Handwritten tale of Newton’s apple goes online[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:53:47 GMT ]An 18th-century account of how Newton developed the theory of gravity has been posted to the Web, making the fragile paper manuscript widely available to the public for the first time.

What Internet? China region cut off 6 months[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:49:19 GMT ]They arrive at this gritty desert crossroads weary from a 13-hour train ride but determined. The promised land lies just across the railway station plaza: a large, white sign that says "Easy Connection Internet Cafe."

Dying star gives sneak peek of sun's demise[ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:03:14 GMT ]A preview of what's in store for our sun is in view across the galaxy, as a similar star balloons in its dying throes.

Google’s phone launch in China ‘postponed’[ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:22:20 GMT ]Google on Tuesday postponed the planned launch of its mobile phone in China amid a dispute with the government over Internet censorship and e-mail hacking.

Blu-ray buzz: Exciting HD players under $300[ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:07:53 GMT ]Bringing magnificent image quality and the best of the Internet (including the likes of Amazon, Netflix, and even Pandora) straight to your living room, Blu-ray players are falling in price.