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holiday

iPads once again the top holiday gadget among kids, study says

Kids in the U.S. sure do like Apple gear, says a new study.

According to a recent poll of children ages 6 to 12 in the U.S. by research firm Nielsen, Apple's tablet once again came in first as the most-wanted gadget this holiday season, followed closely by iPods and iPhones. Of those polled, 48 percent said they wanted an iPad.

This is actually the third year in a row Apple's tablet has topped the list. Since 2010, the gadget has beat out computers, and Apple's own iPod Touch. This year's list also includes … Read more

Get in the holiday spirit with themes for Windows

To help you get in the spirit of the holidays this season, Microsoft has released some new holiday theme packs for Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems. To install them, just download the theme packs, then double-click them. Here are some samples of the new themes:

Decking the Halls There are a total of 12 wallpapers in this theme, consisting of mostly beautiful ornaments.

Get it HERE.

Holiday Lights This theme has 17 wallpapers of decorative lights.

Get it HERE.

Snowmen The snowmen theme has seven wallpapers of snowmen in various poses.

Get it HERE.

Decorating the Trees This theme … Read more

CNET Exclusive: Up to 50 percent off headphones for a good cause

This week I am most excited about the GoGroove AudiOHM iDX Noise Isolating Earbuds with Integrated Microphone  for only $14.99. They not only sound good, but the profits go to a good cause. The Fender Music Foundation provides grants for music education programs such as classrooms, community-based organizations, and music therapy programs. Accessory Power has partnered with The Fender Music Foundation to raise awareness and funding for the foundation. Five percent of net profits from the sale of all AudiOHM iDX models during this CNET Exclusive will be donated to the Fender Music Foundation. These comfortable earbuds … Read more

Sphero, the iPhone-controlled ball, needs a companion

NEW YORK --Sphero rolled, danced, and lit up like a Christmas tree.

In Union Square here on Saturday night, marketers from Orbotix, makers of the ball that owners can control remotely with their iPhones and Android devices, dazzled crowds by showing off how their product can be programmed to move in a sort of synchronized ballet (video at bottom).

If you're thinking this may be the right holiday gift for the gadget nerd who has everything, note that buying multiple balls won't be cheap. On Amazon, the Sphero retails for $130.… Read more

Grab the best Black Friday deals with these Android apps

The holidays are fully under way, which means that shopping is at top of mind for many. In years past, this might have meant thumbing through the weekly circulars and braving the inevitable shopping mall stampedes, but these days, online retailers and deal-hunting mobile apps are changing the game.

For Android users, here are three of our favorite shopping apps, all of which can help you get a heads up on the best deals, not only online, but also in your area. Try them out for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Editors' note: … Read more

CNET Exclusive: Thirty-three percent off Roku Bundle

I love my Roku. I want to start with that so there is no confusion. I've been the proud owner of a Roku since 2010 (thanks Uncle Mike) and just upgraded to the Roku 2 XD. And today we've teamed up with the wonderful people at Roku to bring the CNET Exclusives' audience an unbeatable deal on a Roku bundle.

The Roku is a fantastic streaming media device that allows you watch content from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Pandora, and the list goes on and on. With an assortment of free and paid services, the Roku 2 … Read more

Santa, older kids want laptops, younger ones iPads, iPhones

If you're a parent, you're probably already panicking about how to satisfy your children during the season of goodwill hunting for material goods.

I am here to help. For I have just been given the results of a survey conducted for online cashback shopping site Ebates.

It's a survey that delved deep into the complicated covetous minds of kiddies and emerged with fascinating results.

It seems that older kids and younger kids have very different ideas about what Santa should shove in their stockings.

Among the 16- to 18-year-olds, there seems considerable consensus that their one heart'… Read more

PayPal's holiday gift: Price-matching refunds up to $1,000

PayPal is getting competitive for the holidays. The payment service will refund customers up to $1,000 if they find that an item purchased through PayPal is advertised for cheaper elsewhere during the holiday season.

From today through December 31, PayPal will price-match your purchases with a limit of $250 on a single item, according to a blog post from PayPal Shopping Specialist Claudia Lombana.

"If the item you purchase is advertised for lower with any merchant within 30 days of purchase, you can receive a reimbursement for the difference," Lombana writes. "It doesn't matter if … Read more

Fab reaches 9 million users, opens up holiday shops

After shutting down shipping because of Hurricane Sandy, shopping site Fab made sure to keep its holiday deadlines, unveiling its holiday shopping stores and a milestone of 9 million members.

"This has been a tough week for us here at Fab in NYC, but we're still smiling. Big time," the company said in a blog post.

Like other New York-based online companies, Fab felt the impact of the superstorm, but the ever-cheeky site was determined to plow on with its holiday promotions scheduled for today. This includes the addition of holiday shops to the site and to … Read more

The Audiophiliac's favorite budget headphones

Great-sounding headphones have never been more affordable. Even the least expensive headphone model on this list, the Panasonic RP HJE 355 in-ear, has oodles of detail and decent bass punch. For me the most important thing when evaluating headphones is sound balance; no frequency range should call attention to itself, so I don't like overly bassy headphones, or ones that overemphasize treble. Headphones should sound clear, not muffled or fuzzy. I prefer spacious stereo imaging over sound that's stuck inside my head. Headphones that allow music's soft-to-loud dynamics to bloom are better than ones that constrict dynamics. … Read more