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The month ahead: Will Droid do damage to the iPhone's mojo?
ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das and senior editor Sam Diaz discuss the new Droid phone set to release in early November. Diaz also previews the ...
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CNET Conversations: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer talks about Google's apps, Apple's niche, Zune's potential, and what's up with that Courier tablet.
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News: Future of Web Apps: London
Natali Del Conte covers the Future of Web Apps conference in London. The next generation of the Web will be built on HTML 5 ...
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MythBusters spill the beans on new episodes
In advance of the fall set of new MythBusters episodes, CNET News visited stars Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman and got a peek into ...
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The month ahead: Can Windows 7 close the Vista flop chapter?
ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das and senior editor Sam Diaz share the early word on the highly anticipated OS set for release in late October. ...
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The Navy's Command Center of the Future takes shape
With U.S. military personnel increasingly spread throughout the world, the Navy has commissioned a prototype of a forward-thinking nerve center that would allow decision ...
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Robot fish swims by doing the wave
Researchers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom have developed a robot fish called Gymnobot that swims by rippling a fin on ...
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Windows 7 demo: Windows XP Mode
Is an incompatible program or device standing between you and a Windows 7 upgrade? If youre willing to pay for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, ...
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Windows 7 demo: Search tools
A terabyte here, a terabyte there, and pretty soon you're talking about some pretty serious information overload. It doesn't matter how well organized you ...
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Windows 7 demo: Taskbar features
Sociologists say that multitasking has shortened our attention spans and made us more easily distracted than ever. Apparently it's a losing battle. With 4GB ...
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Windows 7 demo: Window management
Moving, resizing, and arranging windows on the screen has been one of those things we've done since the earliest days of Microsoft Windows. If ...
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Windows 7: A worthwhile upgrade?
Will Microsoft's Windows 7 succeed where Vista failed? The new operating system offers a new graphical user interface, more reliable power management tools, and ...
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Humanoid robot Nao shows off its skills
The pint-size humanoid bot Nao, created by Paris-based Aldebaran Robotics, exhibits its dexterity, object-tracking, interaction, and balance skills. Already used in the RoboCup soccer ...
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Urban Hopper bot leaps over 25-foot fence
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is showing off its Precision Urban Hopper robot, a wheeled ground unit being developed by Sandia National Laboratories ...
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The month ahead: Partnerships and products expected
The kids are back at school, conventions are back on the calendar, and tech companies are laying the groundwork for the holidays. ZDNet correspondent ...
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Is the Apple rumor mill getting out of control?
ZDNet Senior Editor Sam Diaz shares his thoughts on the constant rumors surrounding Apples product plans. Diaz says hes grown tired of the speculative ...
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HP: Printing just ain't what it used to be
ZDNet Senior Editor Sam Diaz shares his views on the recent news that Hewlett-Packard's printing and imaging reported a 20 percent decline in the ...
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Sony touts Altus streaming-audio line
CNET's David Carnoy joins Sony's Gerry Roberts to discuss the Japanese electronics company's new line of streaming-audio products, dubbed Altus, which are set to ...
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A feisty ride in the Chevy Volt
CNET News' Martin LaMonica gets a look at the electric Chevy Volt from GM's Frank Weber, one the car's designers at GM's famed testing ...
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Apple's app flap: Don't blame AT&T
ZDNet Senior Editor Sam Diaz shares his views on the recent iPhone related controversy--Apples rejection of Google Voice. He says, AT&T was not behind ...
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The month ahead: Will Droid do damage to the iPhone's mojo?
ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das and senior editor Sam Diaz discuss the new Droid phone set to release in early November. Diaz also previews the upcoming Salesforce.com conference and weighs in on whether consumers will buy Windows 7 during the holiday season.
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Sex, games and videotape
Hear from folks attending the Sex in Videogames conference--a meeting of game developers and marketers who aim to create adult entertainment for the next generation. Also check out some game play from the upcoming "Virtual Hottie 2," a game that simulates--well, you know.
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Samsung introduces flat-panel wireless TV
ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind talks to Samsung's senior manager for plasma TV marketing, Bill Dickey, about the company's new FPT 5094 50-inch wireless flat-panel TV. The package includes an audio and video receiver that transmits information to the plasma display. The television is due out in October with a retail price of $4,500.
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Windows 7 demo: Windows XP Mode
Is an incompatible program or device standing between you and a Windows 7 upgrade? If youre willing to pay for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition, you might be able to use a clever solution to fool that old code into running in the new OS. Windows XP Mode lets you run Windows XP applications in a virtual machine right on the Windows 7 desktop. ZDNet's Ed Bott provides a close-up look at how XP Mode works.
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Windows 7 demo: Search tools
A terabyte here, a terabyte there, and pretty soon you're talking about some pretty serious information overload. It doesn't matter how well organized you are, once your collection of data files and other digital stuff gets big enough, you're going to need some help finding things. ZDNet's Ed Bott takes a closer look at the search tools in Windows 7 and shows you how you can use them to make your digital life a little more organized.
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Livescribe demos new smartpen
Jim Marggraff, CEO of Livescribe, shows off the 2GB, Java-capable Pulse Smartpen at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco. The pen records audio as the user takes handwritten notes, then synchs up the sound with the writing. Audio can then be played back when someone taps the pen on paper. The device also converts languages instantly, playing translations out loud through the embedded speaker or displaying the word on its LED screen.
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Windows 7: A worthwhile upgrade?
Will Microsoft's Windows 7 succeed where Vista failed? The new operating system offers a new graphical user interface, more reliable power management tools, and better search, but it still might not offer enough to convince PC users to buy it. ZDNet Correspondent Sumi Das talks to Larry Dignan, editor in chief of ZDNet, and Ed Bott, ZDNet's Microsoft Report blogger, about Windows 7's pros and cons.
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Windows 7 demo: Taskbar features
Sociologists say that multitasking has shortened our attention spans and made us more easily distracted than ever. Apparently it's a losing battle. With 4GB or more of memory in the standard Windows PC these days, it's possible to open dozens of windows at once. The challenge for Windows users is how to keep track of all those windows without losing focus. ZDNet's Ed Bott shows you how some new features in Windows 7 can help you multitask more effectively.
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Windows 7 demo: Window management
Moving, resizing, and arranging windows on the screen has been one of those things we've done since the earliest days of Microsoft Windows. If you've used Windows since, oh, 1995 or so, you know the maximize, minimize, and restore buttons like the back of your hand. But those old-school tools just don't cut it with today's big monitors and high-definition resolutions. ZDNet's Ed Bott shows you a cool new set of gestures and shortcuts to help you move, resize, and arrange windows more intelligently.
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Is AT&T slowly dethroning the almighty iPhone?
ZDNet Senior Editor Sam Diaz shares his views on the release of Apple's new iPhone 3G S. Diaz says there is a dark shadow being cast over the new device because of its exclusive relationship with carrier AT&T, while users complain about two-year contracts and lack of support for MMS messaging.
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BlackBerry Tour: First thoughts
TechRepublic's Jason Hiner shares his thoughts on the BlackBerry Tour on Verizon Wireless. He discusses the pros and cons of the new device from a business perspective and talks about where it fits in the smartphone market.
Hey everybody, this is Jason Hiner of TechRepublic and today I'm going to share my thoughts about the new BlackBerry Tour smartphone which I've been testing this week. Of course, since this is TechRepublic, I'll be looking at the product from a business and IT perspective.
So let's start with the positives:
- This is a 3G device and it's on the Verizon Wireless network, so the data performance is very good
- It sports the same keyboard as the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry 8800 series, which I consider the best qwerty smartphone keyboard on the market
- It has an excellent hi-res screen, which is great for reading, as well as photos and multimedia.
- Of course, if you have a BES backend in place, this device has all of the security and manageability features that IT departments love about BlackBerries
- For a 3G phone, it has very good battery life. Unlike some 3G smartphones like the Bold, the Tour here WILL get you through a full day even with heavy voice and data usage.
- For business travelers, this is a global roaming device with CDMA, GSM, and HSPA radios. It has phone service in 220 countries and data in 175.
- And finally, it has a nice form factor, very similar to the popular BlackBerry Curve and a little smaller and sleeker than the Bold
Now for the drawbacks:
- My biggest complaint is that this device does not have Wi-Fi, which can really improve data performance at home and at work and save you a lot of your cellular usage.
- The other big drawback is Web browsing. With 3G, this device is much better at Web browsing than the Curve, but just not as good as the iPhone or the Palm Pre.
Overall, I think this a strong device. I think we have to consider it one of the 2-3 best smartphones available for business users. I also think it's probably the best BlackBerry now available on the market, edging out the Bold because of battery life and form factor. I also think that this is now the best smartphone you can get on Verizon Wireless. So those are my thoughts on the BlackBerry Tour. Thanks for watching.