Unboxing

Unboxed: the Nintendo DSi

Nintendo sent us our Nintendo DSi review unit this morning. Follow along all the excitement step by step with our unboxing slide show. Like the previous two DS systems, the packaging is overly simple, very much in the vein of an Apple product.

Right away we noticed the free games promotion sticker we talked about last week. Anyone who purchases a DSi by October 5, 2009 will receive 1,000 free DSi Points to spend in the DSi Shop.

When we first turned the DSi on, we were greeted with a setup screen followed by a short tutorial that explains … Read more

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook impresses

In case you missed it after checking out our rumor mill posts, live coverage of the Apple press conference, and even our collection of "unboxing" pictures of the actual hardware, you can now read CNET's full reviewof Apple's new 13-inch MacBook.

The redesigned MacBook is a solid improvement on an already well-loved system. The new aluminum frame essentially makes it a smaller version of the MacBook Pro, and even the new Nvidia chipset and integrated graphics are impressive, offering playable frame rates in games such as Quake IV and Call of Duty 4 (as long as … Read more

The eagles have landed (and by eagles, we mean the new MacBooks)

Forty-eight hours after Steve Jobs showed off his latest MacBook collection to the public, a pair of shiny new Apple laptops have arrived in the CNET Labs.

We're currently benchmarking these new systems--one 13-inch MacBook and one 15-inch MacBook Pro, so stay tuned for full reviews. In the meantime, we snapped a few photos of the new systems to show off some of the physical changes, and to compare an older black 13-inch MacBook.

The 13-inch MacBook is the more radically redesigned of the two, with an aluminum body that closely apes the classic MacBook Pro--so much so that we've heard it referred to as the "MacBook Pro Mini." The edge-to-edge glass on the display and giant touch pad are also new.

Side by side with a previous generation MacBook, the new model is slightly thinner, and the metal body (carved from a solid block of aluminum) feels much sturdier (not that the older MacBooks felt particularly flimsy).

The giant touch pad will take some getting used to--it lacks a separate mouse button. Before opening the box, we had assumed the new touch pad was strictly tap-based, but in fact the entire pad depresses like a button. It's actually a bit hard to get used to, and feels a little clunky at first compared to a totally fixed-position touch pad. On the other hand, there are some useful new gestures: you can hide all your apps by sweeping four fingers up on the pad, and you can also designate one corner as a "right-click" zone.

Check out these unboxing and comparison pics, which will hopefully hold your interest while we test and review the new MacBook and MacBook Pro.… Read more

Unboxing 'Rock Band 2'

Mock rockers around the country will be warming up their fingers this week for Rock Band 2, the sequel to last year's hit music game. Both Rock Band and rival game Guitar Hero are banking on high-power holiday entries, with competing set lists of classic and new rock, from The Who to Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix to Metallica.

We got our hands on the new Rock Band 2 game disc and hardware, and gave the setup a quick run-through (purely in the name of journalism, of course).

It's worth noting that in fact, it's the Guitar … Read more

Disassembled electric appliances

Ever wondered what the inside of your waffle maker looks like? Yes? No? Well, even if not, you might be surprised how interesting small electric appliances are when you take them apart.

Brittny Badger has produced a wonderful series of still-life photos of disassembled small electric appliances, such as a waffle iron, electric knife, and a can opener. Rather than the usual slapdash tear-down photos one sees of the latest tech gadget, these are artfully composed images that show the inner complexity of mundane objects that we typically take for granted.

As my colleague Denise Gershbein says:

Seeing the sheer … Read more

Unboxing the new Flip Mino

We got our hot little mitts on the newest gadget from the folks at Flip video, the Mino.

First impressions? The new touch controls take some getting used to, but the fact that they're backlit will be incredibly handy for folks who want to shoot in dark rooms. The UI has also been given a slight facelift, but still retains its minimalist storage indicator and timer when shooting. Also, a huge step up from its former self is the internal battery that recharges via USB, which should keep you from having to buy AA batteries between shoots.

We've … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 722: Print your own drugs

In today's show, we learn that the future lets us print our own drugs, and robots will drive our sailboats for us. Sailboats? Sailboats. Also, Gmail has a new spam problem, the BlackBerry Bold could be the new iPhone of Summer 2008, and the Rolling Stones have rolled their way right off of eMusic. Bummer. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 722

Note: We are making a change to our podcast feed system on Friday, May 16. However, you do not need to subscribe to a new feed. One important thing to know: If you have your podcast … Read more

Amazon Unbox on TiVo getting HD content

TiVo users have been able to rent and buy movies from Amazon.com's Unbox service for over a year now, but lately the service has felt a little outdated compared with competitors like Vudu and Apple TV, which offer HD downloads. Well, thanks to a comment by TiVo's VP of product marketing, Jim Denney, it seems like that's going to change soon. In an article on TV Week, Denney claims TiVo and Amazon will announce HD capabilities "in the not too distant future."

While the upgrade from SD to HD would be nice for any … Read more

Webware 100 winner: Amazon Unbox

Amazon's Unbox service, once the bane of our very own CNET reviewers, has come a long way. The service lets you download movies and TV shows to watch on your PC or portable device. Through a partnership with TiVo, you can also rent and watch the movies on your TV without a computer if you've got a compatible TiVo device hooked up to the Internet.

What makes the service especially cool is its RemoteLoad feature, which lets you buy and download a movie to another computer. It's a distinctly competitive advantage to systems that require users to … Read more