Why Apple priced the iPad Mini at $329[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:07:07 GMT ]If Apple had popped a $249 iPad Mini, the thing would have swept down from Mount Cupertino and set fire to every competitor with its fiery breath. But it didn't. So why did Apple price it so high?

Pre-caffeine tech: Cassette tape hard drives, historical monsters![ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:37:37 GMT ]Our pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning. So Apple unveiled the iPad Mini, new iPad, new iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro and a bunch of other stuff yesterday.

ThrowMeApp: The most fun you'll have destroying your Android[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:03:03 GMT ]ThrowMeApp, according to its developer's description, allows you to "explore a new aspect of photography" by "throw[ing] your phone into the air to take aerial pictures of you and your friends." What could possibly go wrong?

Surface RT review: Microsoft tablet mixed blessing[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:06:14 GMT ]Surface RT, Microsoft's first foray into personal computing, is a hardware success, and the company should be proud. Windows RT, the operating system that runs on it, is less of a reason for self-back-patting, however.

You don't own Kindle books, Amazon reminds customer[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:56:25 GMT ]When you buy a book from Amazon, or when you buy an app, do you really own it? Amazon’s deletion of a woman’s Kindle account, without recourse, calls into question who really owns e-books and apps.

Nintendo posts another huge loss, but the blood loss is slowing[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:51:49 GMT ]The company's sales were down just seven percent during its latest half-year period, and although it lost money, that was less than the same period last year. [Read more]

Asus shows off Windows 8 and RT lines[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:01:04 GMT ]A collection of inventive systems, from dual-screen laptops to high-powered tablets. [Read more]

Apple: No, really, you'll want to spend $329 for an iPad Mini[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:06:19 GMT ]Rival 7-inch tablets cost as little as $199, but Apple's Phil Schiller insists that customers will pay a premium for a better quality product. [Read more]

Muse brainwave-reading headband: Mind control for all[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:11:45 GMT ]Your own personal "Minority Report" is a little closer to reality, thanks to the Muse brainwave-sensing headband. [Read more]

Skype 6.0, Facebook integration and all, makes way to Mac, Windows[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:17:43 GMT ]The company's updated software also includes Microsoft sign-in integration. [Read more]

Apple debuts iPad Mini[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:29:38 EDT ]Apple is expected to announce a smaller 7.85-inch version of its iPad at a press conference in San Jose, California, Tuesday morning. Rumors and leaks have been plentiful ahead of the announcement, as they were for last month's iPhone 5 unveiling, but there's still the potential for a few surprises.

Hands-on with the iPad Mini[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:48:02 EDT ]The full-sized iPad is like a hardback book. The new iPad Mini is the paperback version many tablet users have been waiting for.

Review: Microsoft's Surface tablet[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:32:50 EDT ]When Microsoft first demoed Windows 8 at the Wall Street Journal's D Conference in June 2011, it was instantly obvious that it wasn't a Windows upgrade in the conventional sense. Instead, with its radically new, touch-centric interface, it was an attempt to reimagine the PC for the post-PC era. A wildly ambitious attempt — maybe even a visionary one.

Do people really want a small iPad?[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:01:56 EDT ]OK, so you probably own a smartphone. If you're a student or someone who travels a lot for work, you almost certainly have a laptop. You may also have a tablet computer, which is great for consulting recipes in the kitchen or watching reruns of "The Office" in bed.

Do people really want a smaller iPad?[ Wed, 24 Oct 2012 05:35:08 EDT ]OK, so you probably own a smartphone. If you're a student or someone who travels a lot for work, you almost certainly have a laptop. You may also have a tablet computer, which is great for consulting recipes in the kitchen or watching reruns of "The Office" in bed.

Twitter tests 'star' and 'like' buttons in place of 'favorite'[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:20:49 GMT ]Star, +1, favorite, like, reblog, retweet, repost, share ... there are so many ways to express your enjoyment of a social media post that it's hard to keep track of which implies what and which belongs to which social media network. And now, Twitter's testing out some new buttons to add to the confusion.

Video: Hey, political junkies! Grab your iPad for even more coverage[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:11:21 GMT ]The first social-media election is upon us and you know what that means: The TV alone ain't gonna cut it. NBCNews.com's Rosa Golijan walks you through the essentials of politics, iPad-style. (NBCNews.com)

Almost half of Gen X can't identify home galaxy[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:07:46 GMT ]Identifying your home or street from a Google Earth image may be tough enough, but what about your cosmic address? Turns out, fewer than 50 percent of adults ages 37 to 40 know that humans live in the spiral Milky Way galaxy.

Hackers use next-gen 'botnets' against US banks[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:20:50 GMT ]If you have critical online banking to do, you might want to plan them for a Monday or Friday. Malicious hackers have been having their way with online banks lately, seemingly knocking sites offline at will from Tuesday through Thursday.

Micro close-ups are creepy — and cool![ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:09:56 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Small wonders can be icky as well as clicky, as this year's top images in the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition demonstrate.

Twitter tests 'star,' 'like' to replace 'favorite'[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:17:30 GMT ]The new features are apparently only available to a select group of users, so it's not clear if the change will be permanent. [Read more]

To satisfy Wall Street, Netflix's streaming service must grow[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:20:05 GMT ]It's earnings day. Investors will judge the health of Netflix's business largely by how many U.S. subscribers the company added during the third quarter. [Read more]

iPad Mini to double 7-inch tablet market[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:36:47 GMT ]IHS iSuppli expects Apple to dominate the market for smaller tablets like it has done with the larger device size. [Read more]

Canon 5D Mark III update to unlock high-end HDMI video[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:04:59 GMT ]Videographers will get better color from Canon's high-end SLR with an update coming in 2013. Also: an autofocus improvement for supertelephoto fans. [Read more]

Giant wind-blown ball rolls around and detonates landmines[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:19:12 GMT ]A childhood toy inspires a wind-powered minesweeper that could help clear the millions of active landmines buried around the globe. [Read more]

Amazon outage takes down Reddit[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:45:17 EDT ]An outage of one of Amazon's cloud computing data centers knocked out popular sites like Reddit, Foursquare Pinterest and TMZ for some users on Monday.

The funniest debate tweets[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:45:10 EDT ]Tonight's third and final presidential debate was a bittersweet occasion for the Twittersphere. The previous two presidential debates, and one equally entertaining vice presidential debate, have provided rich material for the wits of Twitter. Their rapid-fire commentary turned what could have been dry television into deeply entertaining multi-screen experiences. As many pointed out on Twitter, the micro-blogging service is like Mystery Science Theater for live television.

What to expect at the Apple event[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:44:59 EDT ]Apple is expected to announce a smaller 7.85-inch version of its iPad at a press conference in San Jose, California, Tuesday morning. Rumors and leaks have been plentiful ahead of the announcement, as they were for last month's iPhone 5 unveiling, but there's still the potential for a few surprises.

Tweaking #FirstWorldProblems[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:47:12 EDT ]A group fighting for access to clean water in developing nations has created a fundraising video that takes such first world gripes and casts them in the stark light of third world poverty.

What to expect at today's Apple event[ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:15:34 EDT ]Apple is expected to announce a smaller 7.85-inch version of its iPad at a press conference in San Jose, California, Tuesday morning. Rumors and leaks have been plentiful ahead of the announcement, as they were for last month's iPhone 5 unveiling, but there's still the potential for a few surprises.

Apple's Oct. 23 'iPad Mini' event: What to expect[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:31:39 GMT ]The rumors surrounding Apple's press event, scheduled for Oct. 23, are deafening. Will the Cupertino-based company announce a smaller iPad? (It had better.) Will the company offer up a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display? (Very likely!) How about an Apple-branded coffee maker? (No.)

US astronaut sees science breakthrough in space[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:29:29 GMT ]A U.S. astronaut departing this week for the International Space Station said Monday that the bulk of the scientific benefits from the orbiting laboratory will be seen over the coming decade, amid questions on whether the estimated $100 billion spent in last 12 years is worth the effort.

2 months to go? Mayan apocalypse set for Dec. 21[ Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:21:00 GMT ]If you believe in that sort of thing, humanity can expect a mere two months left of existence before the Mayan apocalypse hits Dec. 21.

Scientists convicted of manslaughter over earthquake warning[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:00:08 GMT ]An Italian court convicted six scientists and a government official of manslaughter on Monday and sentenced them to six years in prison for failing to give adequate warning of a deadly earthquake which destroyed the central city of L'Aquila and killed more than 300 people in 2009.

Hear the whale that talked like a human[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:03:51 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The noise sounds like someone singing a "dum-diddy-dah" tune — but it's actually the voice of a white beluga whale, mimicking human conversation by blurping air through its blowhole.

Tokyo court finds Apple doesn't infringe Samsung patents[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:35:15 GMT ]The court decided on two occasions that the iPhone maker didn't violate patents related to app downloads and airplane mode. [Read more]

Office 2013 now free to new buyers of Office 2010 and 2011[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:03:53 GMT ]Microsoft is tempting Windows and Mac users to buy the current versions of Office by offering a free copy of Office 2013 when it is released. [Read more]

Big surprise: Bill Gates thinks Windows 8 is great[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:07:59 GMT ]The Microsoft co-founder says the newest OS is "key to where personal computing is going." [Read more]

Big surprise: Bill Gates thinks Windows 8 is great[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:07:59 GMT ]The Microsoft co-founder says the newest OS is "key to where personal computing is going." [Read more]

Sprint expands LTE to new markets, now up to 32 cities[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:53:57 GMT ]Sprint's LTE now covers the communities of Chicagoland and towns in Texas, Massachusetts, and Kansas, as the company races to catch up to the competition. [Read more]

5 e-mail habits you should avoid[ Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:27:42 EDT ]Unless you are a shiftless layabout, you're probably going to have to e-mail someone more important than you during the course of your lifetime: a boss, a professor, President Barack Obama (if you're a confused elderly person and you think those campaign e-mails he and Beyoncé are always sending are actually addressed to you).

Apple vs. Samsung: A peace treaty[ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:11:19 EDT ]On an historic autumn day in 2012, online warriors from both sides of the epic Apple-Samsung feud agreed to set aside their powerful smartphones and resolve their tensions, which had grown intolerable. What follows is the HTML version of their agreement, the Cupertino-Seoul Apple-Samsung Fanboy Treaty.

CNN Trends: A broad look at top stories[ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:53:05 EDT ]CNN's Web and mobile users can use a new tool to follow the day's top stories as they're developing, even when that means going to other news sources for a broader perspective.

ISPs now warning illegal downloaders[ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:54:27 EDT ]It is about to get a bit more difficult to illegally download TV shows, movies or music online.

Cameras for adrenaline junkies go mainstream[ Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:38:20 EDT ]The dizzying variety of places GoPro cameras have gone shows how the product has grown from a niche tool for surfers into to the rugged video camera of choice for recording physical, outdoor, dangerous or first-person footage.

Orionid meteor show reaches its climax[ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:11:27 GMT ]It has been 26 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system — but this weekend, skywatchers have a chance to see leftover bits of the comet light up the night sky in the Orionid meteor shower.

Soyuz craft readied for space station mission[ Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:38:51 GMT ]A Russian-made Soyuz rocket was erected into place Sunday, ahead of the start of a mission to take a three-man crew to the International Space Station.

How to kill time without staring at your phone[ Sun, 21 Oct 2012 16:14:33 GMT ]Once upon a time, standing around and waiting involved exactly that: Standing around, waiting, and not doing much else. Today, any free moment is spent facedown in a phone.

Galaxies still evolving in present universe[ Sun, 21 Oct 2012 00:00:25 GMT ]Graceful in their turnings, spiral galaxies were thought to have reached their current state billions of years ago. A study of hundreds of galaxies, however, upsets that notion revealing that spiral galaxies, like the Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way, have continued to change.

2 months to live? Mayan apocalypse set for Dec. 21[ Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:21:00 GMT ]If you believe in that sort of thing, humanity can expect a mere two months left of existence before the Mayan apocalypse hits Dec. 21.