Vegas

The 404 726: Where Jeff and Scott get dirty together in Vegas (podcast)

The new year is coming up, which means everyone here at CNET is gearing up for CES 2011, including our laptop editor Scott Stein, who joins us to chat about what to expect at next year's biggest technology trade show.

Perhaps the most anticipated event for us at CES 2011 is all the gambling we plan to do in order to make up for last year's financial losses. Jeff and Scott got a little too excited last year and lost some money right when we got to Las Vegas, so this year we'll be sure to avoid the dealers holding flaming skulls and and play by the book!

Google has released its own year end wrap-up for most popular search terms for 2010 in an report called Google Zeitgeist. Turns out that ChatRoulette, the Web site that paired strangers together in a random video chat, was the fastest rising term of 2010, beating out the Apple iPad and Justin Bieber that took second and third place.

Conversely, many search engines fell from popularity since last year, and Google reveals that "swine flu" was the fastest falling search term around the world this year, followed by the bank Washington Mutual and tween favorite Twilight:New Moon. And Michael Jackson, last year's top search query, dropped to the ninth spot in Google's list of falling results.

Google also reveals bizarre sentences queried in 2010 that question if a horse can have OCD, why you can't stand on the sun's surface, and whether or not ninjas are better than pirates.

Protesters in the UK attacked a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla yesterday, and CNN was on the scene to cover the security breach, but check out this video of a messy programming error halfway through the broadcast.

Someone at the station must have queued the infamous bathroom scene from Dumb & Dumber for another segment, because even the news anchor is surprised at the display and promises to edit out the hilarious mistake from the final broadcast. That being said, expect the video for today's episode to feature many, many cuts to said clip.

Finally, thanks to Austin from Luke that has some fashion tips for me in today's video voice mail. Have a great weekend everyone!

Episode 726 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

preGame 32: Fallout: New Vegas

Today on preGame, we'll brave the post-apocalyptic Mojave desert in search of the man who tried to kill us! Tune in as we try our luck with a demo of Fallout: New Vegas.

But first, Mark and Jeff reminisce about a console celebrating its 25th birthday this week. That's right, the original Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES for short) is a quarter-century old. We'll chat about the first time we remember firing up the system, cartridge blowing, and much more.

Making headlines this week are the top-selling video games of 2010 this far. There are a few … Read more

Cruising the wasteland strip in Fallout: New Vegas

The follow-up to what many consider 2008's game of the year, Fallout: New Vegas takes place just a short time after the events of Fallout 3.

Does Fallout: New Vegas take the franchise in a new direction, or is the iteration simply a case of "same game, different setting"? We'll also be taking a look at the PC experience, thanks to the contribution of our desktop editor, Rich Brown.

Jeff: While Fallout 3 was easily one of 2008's best games, Fallout: New Vegas doesn't seem to be attracting the same amount of hype. Perhaps it's because New Vegas is more of a shoot-off, rather than a numbered successor. Whatever the reasoning, New Vegas is a lot of what we remember from Fallout 3. In fact, looking specifically at gameplay, the two titles are nearly identical.

In the case of Fallout--and its loyal fans--this certainly isn't a bad thing. But if you were only a casual fan of Fallout 3 and are expecting the innovation and change that true sequels tend to offer, New Vegas won't supply that.

Instead, Fallout: New Vegas is able to deliver exactly what the franchise is known for: creating a compelling storyline and memorable cast of characters while remaining incredibly accessible. For gamers who have never attempted an RPG, Fallout 3 or New Vegas is definitely the one to get started on.

As we mentioned earlier, New Vegas shares a lot in common with Fallout 3. Unfortunately, though, this means the bugs are back. Occasional lock-ups and freezes aren't uncommon, but like with Fallout 3, these issues tend to get patched up quickly. To that end, New Vegas will also be getting the DLC treatment, with the first installment exclusively hitting the Xbox 360 by year's end.

With a holiday season that's gearing up to be one of the most underwhelming in some time, it's comforting knowing that Fallout: New Vegas is providing reliable backup.… Read more

MetroPCS launches second 4G LTE market

MetroPCS Communications opened its second 4G LTE market today, this one in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.

The new service follows the carrier's initial 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) launch in Las Vegas last week. As in Vegas, the Dallas-Forth Worth service will offer prepaid monthly plans starting at $55, which include unlimited talk, text, and data, and require no contract.

But Dallas-Forth Worth customers will also get a few additional features. MetroStudio, available through the $60 monthly plan, will offer downloads and ringtones as well as video content from NBC Universal and other providers, MetroPCS said. A new combined … Read more

Edit videos on your PC

As more and more portable devices integrate camcorder functionality, recording amateur video on the fly becomes a much less daunting task. However, editing that video can be another matter altogether. From very basic consumer apps to professional grade production suites, there's no shortage of software available to help you trim your footage and add an appropriate soundtrack.

Sony's Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 falls somewhere in the middle in terms of consumer video-editing programs. It's probably too advanced for most newbies, but those with some level of experience toying with digital video will find that … Read more

Security ramps up

Antivirus and security software may have an expiration date, but it's not dead yet. We found evidence in the form of Norton's new offerings, which were released just last week to praise from CNET editors. Internet Security 2011 maintains its recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features in the latest version, making it one of the top Internet security suites available. Meanwhile, AntiVirus 2011 offers the same core high-quality computer and networking protection features as its more full-featured sibling, but comes with a slightly cheaper price tag attached.

We also spent some time with BitDefender Total Security 2011, … Read more

Zynga enlists Snoop Dogg to blow up truck

Social-gaming powerhouse Zynga launched its latest game, "Mafia Wars: Las Vegas" earlier this month, and it promised eager players that when the game hit 10 million users, it would celebrate by detonating an armored truck in the Vegas-area desert and live-stream the whole thing on the Web. Yes, really.

Well, the milestone has been hit, according to a release on Thursday, and Zynga has made good on its promise to blow up the truck. Oh, except there's an addition: the truck will be blown up with the help of rapper Snoop Dogg, whose name I will never … Read more

The 404 642: Where Justin jumps down the emergency slide with a Shirley Temple (podcast)

Fresh off her appearance on MSNBC, Caroline McCarthy replaces Justin today to talk Net neutrality, iPhone users getting laid more than Android owners, Fallout New Vegas, and a Web-surfing contest.

There have been a lot of misconceptions and misstatements about Net neutrality. Usually on The 404, we strive never to talk about real issues, but the Net neutrality debate has really stirred up the emotions with Jeff, Wilson and Justin. Caroline helps explains some of the issue from her appearance on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" on MSNBC, and if it means a lot to you, be sure to check out Wilson's rant yesterday about the issue.

But ultimately, there are several competing interests involved, and we just want make sure that the next Google or Facebook that comes down the road won't have to pay to get priority access. The stakes are high here, people! Everything will be delivered over the Internet in the coming years, from books, to newspapers, magazines, blogs, social networks, video channels, radio, music, etc.

Rant over. Moving on.… Read more

Sony launches updated multimedia suite

Fans of Sony's multimedia production and editing tools get some happy news today with the release of updated versions of Vegas, ACID, and Sound Forge. Vegas Movie Studio HD 10 Platinum ($99.95) is a user-friendly video-editing application packed with all the features of the previous version as well as some handy new tools. Worth noting is Image Stabilization, which allows anyone with shaky footage to quickly and simply even out the shot with a selection of optimized presets. There's also a slideshow creator, new color correction tools, GPU-accelerated AVC rendering, and a feature that lets you burn … Read more