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NOW: Web Extra: The Best of the Consumer Electronics Show 2009

CNET News

Marc Andreessen launches new venture fund
$300 million Andreessen Horowitz fund to back companies large and small, but only Internet-focused.

Fun with numbers a boon for StatCounter
The Web-tracking service claims IE market share has dropped off since March, but should we believe the numbers?

4chan may be behind attack on Twitter
The micro-blogging site's trending topics is siege attack by Internet message boards.

After Wikipedia, Jockipedia
A new site collates the social-networking activity of sports people, tabulated by name, league, and country.

Apple MacBook Air: Cooler graphics
Is there a downside to squeezing a real graphics processor into in a 3-pound, ultra-thin laptop?

CNET Editors' Choice

Apple MacBook Pro Summer 2009 (Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, 13-inch)

Apple MacBook Pro Summer 2009 (Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, 13-inch)

Belkin N+ Wireless Router

Adobe Flash CS4 Professional

2009 Cadillac CTS-V

Dell Studio Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200, 750GB HDD, 6GB)

2010 Honda Insight EX

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 (PCI-e 2.0, 2GB, GDDR3)

HP Pavilion dv3510nr

Maingear Ephex (Intel Core i7 965)

HP Firebird 803 with VoodooDNA

LG enV Touch (Verizon Wireless)

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro

Panasonic TC-P50V10

Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition

Canon EOS 5D Mark II (with 24-105mm lens)

Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition (250GB, USB 2.0, FireWire, white)

TurboTax Deluxe 2008 (Federal + State)

Motorola Motorokr T501

Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition)

Klipsch Image S4 earphones

AVADirect Custom Gaming PC

Audeo PFE 122 Perfect Fit Earphones with Microphone (white)

Asus W90Vp-X1

Asus Eee PC 1005HA (black)

CNET Recent Reviews

T-Mobile Dash 3G
Long overdue, the T-Mobile Dash 3G is a worthy upgrade to its predecessor with the addition of such features as 3G support, GPS, and an updated design.

Fight Night Round 4 (PlayStation 3)

Fight Night Round 4 (Xbox 360)

RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 without camera (Verizon Wireless)
With a winning design and fast performance, the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 is one of Verizon Wireless' top smartphones for both business users and messaging fanatics.

2009 Lexus GS 450h
The 2009 Lexus GS 450h offers power and luxury, without costing a bundle at the pump. But merely average cabin tech suggests waiting for a model update.

Asus Essentio CM5570-AP002
The Asus Essentio CM5570-AP002 isn't an overly remarkable desktop, but it has a few extra features that help it stand out. Its Wi-Fi and HDMI video out port give it some unique capabilities, and the best part is that Asus still manages to keep the price down. It's hard not to like this system, even though we wish Asus had more comprehensive support.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PC)

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Xbox 360)

ASUS VH236H - LCD display - TFT - 23"
The Asus VH236H is a great-performing 23-incher with a welcoming low price.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PlayStation 3)

HTC Touch Pro2
With a feature set to match its large size, the HTC Touch Pro2 will be a great device for power and business users once it finally hits North America and adds U.S. 3G support.

Phiaton PS 320 Primal Series headphones
If you loathe sticking earbuds in your ears and demand crisp, bright audio response, the Phiaton PS 320 Headphones are a good choice.

Beyond E-Tech Duet D8 (unlocked)
The Duet D8 offers support for two SIM cards, but its touch screen and keyboard result in a frustrating user experience.

HP Pavilion dv7-2185DX
HP makes excellent, slick multimedia machines, such as the Pavilion dv7-2185DX, but we'd still trade its quad-core CPU for a full HD 1080p display and Blu-ray.

Asus G71GX-RX05

Sony Handycam HDR-XR520V
Though the geotagging capability is more of a novelty than killer a app in this product, and the interface could use a complete overhaul, the Sony Handycam HDR-XR500V and HDR-X520V's top-notch video quality, performance, and consumer-friendly feature set distinguish them--though consumers might justifiably want a lower price. Since 14 hours is plenty of recording time, especially if supplemented with flash media, the XR500V is the better deal of the two.

Altec Lansing BackBeat Pro UHP606 headphones
While Altec's BackBeat Pro UHP606 headphones don't quite deliver on their promise of reference-quality sound, they're a step up from the BackBeat 326s and offer decent bang for the buck.

BlueAnt S1
For the price, the BlueAnt S1 is an excellent Bluetooth speakerphone with great features and performance.

Motorola Rokr S9 HD - black
The Motorola Rokr S9 HD is a simple and lightweight stereo Bluetooth headset, but take caution when using it for an active lifestyle.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC)

Samsung Axle SCH-r311 (U.S. Cellular)
Though its voice quality isn't amazing, the Samsung Axle is a functional phone for basic communication.

Yamaha HTR-6250BL
The Yamaha HTR-6250BL works well as part of the Yamaha YHT-791 home theater system, but it doesn't fare as well when compared to other standalone AV receivers.

Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 - 500 GB Hi-Speed USB hard drive
A sexy slim design and backup software set make a compelling argument for the Maxtor BlackArmor PS 110 external hard drive. We like the unique "Try and Decide" feature preloaded on the drive, and the throughput speed scores stomp the competition. Shoppers on a strict budget should look into the Fujitsu Handydrive for the best cost per gigabyte, but the BlackArmor PS 110 offers many extra features for just a few more dollars more.

Digital Storm 950Si (Intel Core i7)
Digital Storm's 950Si has all the makings of a quality performance gaming system, but its value proposition comes up just a bit short. The stable-yet-aggressively overclocked CPU tells us that Digital Storm knows what it's doing, and with a more competitive price it would earn a more enthusiastic recommendation.

HP Pavilion P6110y
HP's Pavilion p6110y isn't necessarily an offensive system, and its case might even entice you to give it a second look. We just wish HP had taken a more substantive approach to help this desktop stand out. Its FireWire port might sway you, but otherwise you can find more interesting features from other PCs on the shelf.

News.com Daily Podcasts

The News.com team bring you this snappy podcast every weekday, covering everything from privacy to processors, iPods to Intel. Charlie Cooper, Leslie Katz, Erica Ogg, and Jennifer Guevin cover the top technology news of the day.

CNET News Daily Podcast: Our love-hate relationship with the Pre
After a week using the Palm Pre, CNET mobile phone reviewer Bonnie Cha tells us what she loves--and doesn't love--about the new smartphone and why it might be the first true rival to the iPhone (no, really, we mean it this time).Also in today's...

CNET News Daily Podcast: Europeans get browser-less Windows 7
CNET News has learned that to appease regulators, Microsoft plans to ship Windows 7 in Europe without Internet Explorer, though computer makers can add it in. CNET News intern Mats Lewan chats with reporter Ina Fried about what a browser-less...

CNET News Daily Podcast: Iranian protests hit social networks
Following the controversial results of Iran's presidential elections, citizens turned to Twitter, Facebook, and other social-networking means to circumvent a government media clampdown and get supporters out to rallies. CNET News reporter Daniel...

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CNET TV

Documents To Go for iPhone: First Look (video)

Documents To Go (with and without support for MS Exchange attachments) is one of our favorite apps for turning your iPhone into a home office. But it's not anywhere near complete and ...

Originally posted at The Download Blog

Top 5 Google searches
Every three months we like to dip into Google Insights and see what the fastest-rising search terms were in the world.

This time we got clever. You see, because we're examining a

...

iPhone keyboard tricks
Does the iPhone spell check drive you crazy? Turn it off!

Go to Settings, then General, then Keyboard and turn off autocorrection. You can turn off autocapitalization, too.

Also while you're there,

...

Take control of time in the iPhone
Has your iPhone's date and time got out of whack? Don't like it to reset itself when you cross time zones?

Here's how to take control of time in your

...

Turn on iPhone autofill
The Web browser has been kind of annoying on the iPhone, because it won't remember what you write in forms, like Safari or IE do on computers.

Here's how to turn

...

Music Sessions from Studio C

Music Sessions from Studio C: Amos Lee

On the way to his Fillmore gig, Amos Lee stopped by to share his soulful signing and songwriting. And he tells us why he doesn't mind being the male Norah Jones.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Raphael Saadiq

Our guests in Studio C just keep getting stronger--and this week we outdid ourselves, hosting former Tony! Toni! Ton�!/Lucy Pearl frontman Raphael Saadiq, who was in town promoting his latest album, The Way I See It. In our exclusive session Saadiq talked about working and hangin� out with Stevie Wonder, and how the late great J Dilla influenced him musically.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Kardinal Offishall

Hailing from Toronto, a.k.a. the Tee-Dot, we somehow suckered Konvict Music emcee Kardinal Offishall into hookin' up an interview inside Studio C, while he had a few hours to spare from his tour with Wyclef. Kardi's new single "Dangerous" (feat. Akon) is all over radio and video, and his album Not 4 Sale is set to drop Sept. 9.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Far*East Movement

Los Angeles hip-hop collective Far*East Movement stopped by Studio C recently to fill us in on their upcoming release, Animal. They also broke down the origin of their name, the different perceptions of being an Asian hip-hop act, and how their parents have reacted to their career paths.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Radar Bros.

Radar Bros. make pretty country-folk ditties that show their attachment to lo-fi folk without bogging them down by the genre's self-seriousness. Listen to our exclusive live performance and interview with frontman Jim Putnam and the gang.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Raashan Ahmad

Crown City Rockers emcee Raashan Ahmad is this week's Studio C guest. Besides busting a fresh a capella freestyle for us, Raashan talks about the state of hip-hop today and what he wanted to achieve with his debut solo album The Push on OM Records.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Akron/Family

As "well-mannered" as Akron/Family is in person, their music remains impossible to compartmentalize. But that's not to say their mix of gentle folk harmonies and free-form grooviness isn't knockout beautiful. See what we mean as they chat about their latest album, Love Is Simple, and play low-key acoustic versions of three songs live during our latest Studio C podcast.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Jim Lauderdale

Looks like 2008 is another banner year for Jim Lauderdale. Repeating his '06 agenda he's again released not one but two new CDs, Honey Songs and The Bluegrass Diaries. To honor his achievements, we dug into the Studio C archives and unearthed this exclusive podcast, where Jim chatted about songwriting and played four acoustic songs live in our studio.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Orgone
Orgone

Members of L.A.-based funk collective Orgone are this week's Studio C guests. They've got a new release, The Killion Floor, in stores now, and it should please fans of Breakestra, Connie Price, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings because most of the members are affiliated with those bands as well. During the podcast they explain the zany origin of their name and pick cover songs to perform; we also listen to album cuts including It's What You Do and Who Knows Who.

Music Sessions from Studio C: Mark Kozelek

With a new Sun Kil Moon LP, as well as Retribution Gospel Choir's debut album (which he produced), a book, and a movie score all coming out this year, it's safe to say Mark Kozelek is a "prolific artist." He sat down with us for a rare interview (he doesn't do them often) to discuss all his projects and play some new songs.