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February 8, 2010 3:15 PM PST

Top 5 most popular products for February

by Tom Merritt
  • 18 comments

Time to check in on the pageviews report here at CNET to see which product reviews are getting the most traffic. We figure a high number of people looking at a review means it must be pretty popular. So this Top 5 counts down the most popular products based on how many people read our reviews. And all you read about these days is phones, at least in large numbers.

Of course, there is still a lame prize, so watch the video, then come back here and post your answer in the forums. We'll pick a winner from the first 10 people to answer the trivia question correctly.

Last week's answer: HP 9830

February 5, 2010 2:35 PM PST

Add-ons in Firefox's first mobile browser

by Jessica Dolcourt
  • 8 comments

In week since Mozilla released the first Firefox browser for mobile phones, we've had a better chance to explore the Web on the Nokia N900. Firefox for Maemo, as it's called, is also available for the N810 Internet Tablet.

We go over some of our observations in the First Look video here, pointing out that extensions, in particular, are the browser's most notable innovation for Firefox mobile.

There are some limitations to the way Firefox handles the add-ons screens. For a start, the search engine icons you see when you begin a search (for Google, Wikipedia, or so on) count as pre-installed add-ons. That makes removing them easy, but it also takes up space in the add-ons manager, which is knock against Firefox for Maemo since maximizing screen real estate is the gold standard of the mobile experience. In this case, that precious space should be devoted exclusively to showing off add-ons.

So far, new add-ons are hard to find. Firefox mobile surfaces five recommended extensions at a time; expect the YouTube Enabler and Weave Sync to be at the top of a newcomer's list. Although there is a search bar, there's no way to browse the add-on catalog from the device. Your best bet is to discover what you want from the online catalog, which is clearly less than ideal for mobile users. Mozilla's Firefox developers might consider creating one screen for managing add-ons you already have, and another for discovering new ones, just like with NoScript, Adblock Plus, and TwitterBar.

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Originally posted at The Download Blog
February 4, 2010 2:36 PM PST

Migrate your Web site

by Tom Merritt
  • 2 comments

A lot of people run their Web sites by paying a Web host for server space. The Web host handles the maintenance of the servers, the actual machines, while you handle the operation of your Web site.You want to pick the right host, because moving a Web site is a hassle. And even if you pick wisely, sometimes Web hosts change their terms, lose their quality of service, or even go out of business.

Here are some pointers for moving your Web site to a new Web host.

We're going to assume you already run a Web site and are familiar with how domain name registrars and Web hosts work in general.For this example, we'll migrate a WordPress blog so that we can show how to move files and databases.

Start at your old Web host. Fire up your favorite FTP program; I use FileZilla. It's free and has a lot of the functions that I like. Connect to your old host and navigate to the folder of the Web site that you're moving. Highlight that folder and download it. It should have all your pages, images, all your WordPress files--everything. Downloading the entire folder preserves the directory structure intact.

If you already keep a copy of that site locally, don't overwrite the local copy. Instead, copy the current site into a new folder. That way if you discover any issues, you haven't touched your backup.

Next, log in to your database management interface, likely MyPHP. Select export. If you have multiple sites in the database, select just the tables from the site you're moving. Choose to compress as a ZIP file. And press Go.

Finally, check to see if there are any other site elements in odd places. Sometimes CGI scripts are kept in a directory outside the main site folder. Copy any other data you can think of.

Now go to the new Web host. Create a domain record for the new version of the site, but do not redirect the domain name yet. We want to get the new site up and running first. Reverse the process and upload the folder you just downloaded from the old host.

Now go to the database interface at the new host. Select import, browse to the zipped file you exported from the old site, and press Go.

Finally, restore any of those oddball files. CGI scripts may work a different way with the new host, so read the documentation and put the scripts where they need to go, plus update any paths that change. For instance in WordPress you'll need to update wp-config to point to your new database.

Now test the site BEFORE you change the domain name to point to it. Your new Web host should provide a way to browse to your site even without the domain. Some things may be broken if you had absolute paths coded, but you should get the idea if everything is there. Try out all the important functions.

Finally, you'll need to redirect the domain. Before you do, though, make a slight, insignificant change to one of the pages on the new Web host. That way you'll know when the domain has changed.

Go to your domain registrar's site. I recommend registering your domain at a different company than your Web host. It just keeps things cleaner. You can transfer domains to a new registrar if you need to, but we won't cover that here.

Most registrars have a way to edit the nameservers yourself. These are the servers at your Web host that resolve the domain name to the directory where you have your site. Get the new nameservers from your new host and edit the domain record accordingly.

Now wait.

Sometimes I've done this and the domain switches over almost immediately, and sometimes it takes a day. This is why you made that subtle change earlier. Once you see the change, you know the domain is now pointed at the new site. Now do your full testing, including logging into WordPress to make sure the new database works right.

I recommend keeping the files at the old host for a couple weeks, just until you're sure everything is running properly. But once you're comfortable and the old host's files are out of date anyway, you can go ahead and close that account.

February 4, 2010 2:05 PM PST

The Real Deal Podcast 196: Emergency preparedness tech

by Tom Merritt
  • 1 comment

What kinds of tech gadgets should you have in your emergency kits? We give you some ideas and take some from the audience.

Listen now: Download today's podcast



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Originally posted at The Real Deal Podcast
February 1, 2010 5:25 PM PST

Best desktop computers

by Tom Merritt
  • 33 comments

This week, we look at five desktop computers that represent the best in their classes. Oh, yes! Desktop computers, my friend. They are still kicking! Don't let those Netbook-toting hipsters tell ya different.

As usual, there is a lame prize, and this one is quite special. And probably quite lame. So watch the video, and get the question, then post your answer below. If you are one of the first ten people to get it right, you're entered in the drawing to win.

Last week's answer: Rob Glaser.

January 29, 2010 3:29 PM PST

Congratulations Jason Howell!

by Tom Merritt
  • 22 comments

As many of you know, podcast producer/engineer/wizard Jason Howell has been an expectant dad for, oh, just about 9 months now. At just before 2 p.m. this afternoon his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Jason's on top of the world right now, as you might imagine.

He'll be busy being a new Dad for the next month or so and we're going to miss him at Buzz Out Loud and all the other podcasts. (We'll make it without him, but things won't be nearly as smooth!) But we wanted to let BuzzTown know the good news, and wish Jason and his family a huge congratulations. Somebody get it in the Wiki!

Originally posted at Buzz Out Loud Podcast
January 28, 2010 4:51 PM PST

Pick the right cables for your home network

by Tom Merritt
  • Post a comment

Every so often, we get questions from people who plan to install Ethernet cable in their homes. The most frequent question we get is, "what's the difference between Cat 5e and Cat 6 cable, and which should I use?"

Here's what you need to know.

Around your house, you probably have either Cat 5 or Cat 5e wire. Cat stands for category. Cat 6 is cable that's more reliable at higher speeds than Cat 5 or Cat 5e. They look pretty much the same; in fact, Cat 6 is backward compatible with Cat 4, so you can mix and match. But they're labeled differently and they're different on the inside--where it counts.

Until recently, most home routers supported speeds of 10 or 100 megabits per second. However, Gigabit Ethernet routers have become more common. All three cables can work with Gigabit Ethernet. The old-fashioned Cat 5 cable is no longer a recognized standard, but it technically supports gigabit speeds--just not well. Cat 5e cable is enhanced to reduce interference so that it can reliably deliver gigabit speeds. However, Gigabit Ethernet still pushes the cable to its limits.

Cat 6 cable is full-on certified to handle Gigabit speeds--it's meant to handle it and it does it the best. It's also suitable for any 10-Gigabit uses that may come along someday; although at that point, you're pushing the limits of Cat 6. And let's not get into Cat 7 and it's fairyland of 40-Gigabit speeds.

Cat 6 cable also has more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than Cat 5e does. That means you'll get fewer errors on a system operating via Cat 6.

Cat 6 isn't all roses though. Some folks think Cat 6 is harder to install. Cat 6 conductors are twisted more tightly, and there's more insulation. So if you need to cut cables you need to go a little more slowly.

Now for the cost: One hundred feet of Cat 5 cable will run you about $9. One hundred feet of Cat 6 cable runs a tad more than $11.

So my short answer is to choose Cat 6. But here's the longer rationale.

If you happen to have a bunch of Cat 5e cable, don't throw it away. It's useful for many more years, and it should serve you well.

If you're supercheap and can't stand the two dollar per 100-foot price difference, then sure, Cat 5e will do fine for the next several years.

However, if you're starting from scratch and want to be ready for whatever advances come down the line, you'll want to go with Cat 6 cable. You want to be as future-proof as possible. You wouldn't remodel your kitchen to look like 1992, right? Well, OK, maybe you would. But you wouldn't buy a 1992 model laptop, would you? Now you get me!

January 28, 2010 2:02 PM PST

Real Deal Podcast 195: Tablet computers

by Tom Merritt
  • 5 comments

We take a tour through the history of previous attempts at making successful tablet PCs. How is the Apple iPad different? Is it that different? Can it succeed? Also we take your calls and answer e-mails.

Listen now: Download today's podcast



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... Read More
Originally posted at The Real Deal Podcast
January 26, 2010 4:53 PM PST

Sharetones: Rip your own Android ringtones

by Jessica Dolcourt
  • 1 comment

The second permutation of Sharetones for Android 2.0 is here.

But what is it? If you're unfamiliar, Sharetones is an app that helps you coax ringtones out of songs you already own. At first blush, that sounds identical to Ringdroid, a free ringtone editor.

What's different here is that Sharetones caters to the lazy. Not everyone has the talent or time to make killer ringtones worth listening to time and again. Sharetones skirts the annoyance by comparing the songs you have on your phone with the songs it has in its user-generated online database. The Sharetones server then returns the ringtone's formula to your phone, and the app you downloaded follows the formula of where to snip your song to fashion a ringtone. It costs $1.49 for three ringtone formulas ("recipes"), $2.49 for unlimited use for a month, or $7.49 for unlimited use for a year.

Those for whom Sharetones 2.0 rings a bell will note that the updated version (still free to download) includes Ringdroid, the very same editor mentioned above. We had hoped for this after seeing the first versions of Sharetones and wishing we could create our own ringtones from the app itself and include them in the Sharetones database. There's also a search bar in version 2.0, several other interface tweaks, and a performance boost.

All in all, Sharetones 2.0 for Android is an improvement. Sharetones advances a concept that cleverly gets around the mess of logistics and legalities that the company would need to address to license ringtones. But will that translate into success? Without the capability to buy ringtones, the service amounts to paying a company to make a ringtone for you out of your own songs. For some people, that will do just fine, but others may prefer to keep their cash and make their own 'tones. Either way, we offer you a look at Sharetones in the First Look video above.

Originally posted at Android Atlas
January 25, 2010 2:54 PM PST

Top 5 worst downloads of 2009

by Tom Merritt
  • 58 comments

CNET Download's Seth Rosenblatt just dug himself out of the avalanche of software that his team reviews every year. And in his hand was a list of the worst downloads of the year.

And he's willing to share. By worst this year, Seth means the biggest failures, so the coding, presentation, and features of these apps might be decent, but they let us and their customers down in a big way.

Go watch the video, listen to the trivia question, then come back here and post your comments and answer below. We'll draw a random name from the first 10 folks to get the answer right as the winner of the prize.

Last week's Answer: Chicago Music Show. Congrats wbandoy.

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