news

Amazon pushes Kindles for classrooms

Wednesday's CNET Update is syncing your reading assignment:

Amazon has launched a way for teachers to easily push out reading assignments through a Kindle. Today's tech news roundup looks at Whispercast, which allows organizations to manage books and documents synced to a group of Kindle accounts. Everyone the group doesn't need to own a Kindle, but they do need a device with a Kindle app. Classrooms can also order Kindles with custom profiles that block Web browsing or disable purchasing.

In other news, Best Buy is joining retailers like Barnes & Noble and Toys "R" … Read more

News Corp. puts IGN Entertainment up for auction

News Corp. is taking bids for IGN Entertainment as the media conglomerate tries to divest itself of the network of video game and pop culture Web sites.

News Corp., which paid $650 million in 2005 for the network, expects to get around $100 million for the sale, people involved with the negotiations tell The Wall Street Journal, which is also owned by News Corp. The media giant is formalizing the bidding process as part of its planned separation of publishing assets from its media and entertainment business.

Digital content providers such as Break Media and SAY Media, as well as … Read more

Circa iOS app delivers news collages

Circa isn't a solution in search of a problem. The startup began with a well-known problem -- consuming news on smartphones and within mobile or desktop apps can be frustrating. Your eyes and finger control can easily tire after reading several longer, and sometimes similar, news stories on a petite smartphone screen. Or, you may simply want a digested version of news stories that is easy to consume on mobile devices and that isn't Twitter, Flipboard or Breaking News.

Circa's solution to news-reading fatigue is to create a curated digest, a collage of news bits from … Read more

iPad Mini steals Surface presale thunder

Tuesday's CNET Update scratches beyond the Surface:

Microsoft is now taking preorders for the Surface tablet, which starts at $499. Today's tech news roundup looks at the prices and keyboard accessories for Microsoft's competitor to the iPad.

But just one hour after Surface details are released, Apple sends out a notice that it will have a media announcement on October 23, which is likely the iPad Mini. So the speculation continues for another week.

Facebook has added some quirky emoticon options to use in comments, chat and private messages. When a <3 isn't enough, there'… Read more

Xbox Music service has its limits

Monday's CNET Update wants to keep rockin' in the free world:

Today's tech news roundup looks into the limitations of Microsoft's new music-streaming service, Xbox Music. It debuts on the Xbox 360 on Tuesday, but aside from a 30-day trial period, it won't come free. The streaming service, which syncs music across devices, costs $10 a month to be used on the Xbox 360 and on Windows Phone 8. There will be a free ad-supported version for Windows 8 PCs and tablets, but playback time is limited to 10 hours a month after the first six … Read more

Get free multiuser video chat with OoVoo

So you Skype; do you OoVoo too? Because OoVoo is a free HD video, voice, and IM chat app that lets you chat with up to 12 friends at once (6 via video and 6 on the phone). It records voice and video on your hard drive, not an online account, so file size is unlimited. You can use OoVoo to share large files (up to 25MB) as well as make phone calls to landlines, text chat, record video messages up to 1 minute long, and do a whole lot of other cool things. Mobile and tablet users have a … Read more

Apple might unwrap iPad Mini on Oct. 23

Friday's CNET Update is scanning for sales:

Best Buy plans to match prices on Amazon this holiday season, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Today's tech news roundup dives into the trend of "showrooming" and how you can use apps to get the best price at the register.

There's a fresh report on the iPad Mini. All Things Digital says Apple will reveal the smaller tablet at a news event on Oct. 23. But of course we won't know for sure until Apple breaks its silence. Pricing will be a big … Read more

eBay gives the world another Groupon

Thursday's CNET Update wants to make a deal:

eBay made headlines Wednesday with a dramatic redesign, but it's not out of the spotlight yet. Today's tech news roundup looks at eBay's Lifestyle Deals, a service similar to Groupon. It's being tested now in a few markets, including New York. Can you handle (or want) another Groupon clone? Is there room in this space for eBay? Share your daily deal experiences and thoughts with us via e-mail or in a 15-second Tout video.

This holiday, Fab expects you to flock to its mobile shopping app. The … Read more

eBay copies Pinterest in redesign

Wednesday's CNET Update is bent out of shape:

eBay is changing with the times, and these are Pinteresting times. In today's tech news roundup, we look at the the new eBay. The online auctioneer has a redesigned homepage features large images of products in a "feed." Much like Pinterest, there's plenty to scroll through that can catch your eye and suck you into a black hole of browsing. The new look is rolling out over the next 100 days, but you can activate it now by going to ebay.com/feed. Search results and profiles … Read more

iPods arrive while waiting for iPad Mini

Tuesday's CNET Update is in the mood for Tropical Skittles:

The colorful new iPod Touch and iPod Nano are now shipping. The newest members of the Apple clan have made their way to CNET, and you can check out our unboxing video here. The new Touch starts at $300 with 32GB of memory. Like its iPhone 5 cousin, the Touch sports a larger screen and works with Siri. It also comes in tropical shades of pink, yellow and blue, as well as light gray, slate and bright red for (Product) red. The new Nano is $150 and comes in … Read more