box

Defcon vending room showcases tech of all ages

LAS VEGAS -- While ninjas inhaled much of the available oxygen in the vendors room, with its truck-based Ninja Tel mobile network, other vendors offered a more esoteric menu of hackables at Defcon this year.

Vendors at the hackers conference came in all sizes. Some signed up hackers to donate their skills to impoverished communities. Others appealed to sartorially minded hackers, with unofficial Defcon 20 T-shirts and other wearables.

In this gallery, CNET showcases three vendors who were offering something interesting or unexpected: Hak5's Darren Kitchen and his penetration-testing tools; Meco proprietor Ira Moser and his collection of antiquated … Read more

Cloud-storage company Box raises $125 million

Box, a cloud-storage company focused on the business market, has raised $125 million in its latest round of funding, the company posted on its blog today, giving Box a valuation of $1.33 billion.

The round was led by General Atlantic, with participation from Social+Capital Partnership, according to PrivCo, a research firm that specializes in private companies' financial data.

PrivCo said its data indicates that this round doubles Box's valuation in the last 9 months. It was valued at $650 million in October 2011.

"Box's latest round demonstrates that rapidly growing companies with strong revenue models … Read more

Divide for Android integrates Box with version 1.7

If you find yourself carrying around two separate mobile devices (one for work, the other for personal use), then you probably haven't heard of Enterproid's Divide app for Android.

Known as a solution to the growing BYOD (bring your own device) trend that plagues many a corporate IT department, Divide creates a separate, fully encrypted and password-protected work environment right on your Android device. This means you can securely access your work e-mail, contacts, calendars, and corporate applications, all while keeping your personal life out of your employer's reach.

Today, Enterproid updates Divide for Android to version … Read more

Google TV gets new audition with $199 Sony box, due July 22

Sony has finally said when it'll launch its next-generation Google TV set-top box it unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

Dubbed the NSZ-GS7 Internet Player with Google TV, the device will launch nationwide on July 22 for $199. Sony has already opened up preorders on the device on its online marketplace. In addition, the company has unveiled the NSZ-GP9, which adds Blu-ray support to the Google TV integration. That device will hit store shelves "in time for the holiday season," and will go on sale for $299.

Google TV has been somewhat of a … Read more

As Microsoft retools, Ballmer has chance to rewrite his CEO legacy

A year ago, the influential hedge fund manager David Einhorn was calling for Steve Ballmer's head.

It was time to give someone else a chance, Einhorn, the president of Greenlight Capital, told an investor conference. "His [Ballmer's] continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft's stock."

Microsoft had long been milking its installed base and enterprise business for profits -- Windows still accounts for more than 90 percent of the desktop market -- while rivals swept into tech's hot growth areas. The stock was going nowhere, at the time trading just above $24 per … Read more

How to check if your cloud storage service is down

If you can't access your cloud storage service, the problem could be any number of things, from your own computer, to the servers in the cloud. To check if the problem is on the service provider's end, check out the system status pages for your provider. Here are the status pages for Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Box, and SkyDrive:

Dropbox The Dropbox status page provides the status for Dropbox web access, as well as desktop client access. Details of updates are also provided below the status box. To check Dropbox status, go to http://status.dropbox.com.

iCloud … Read more

What the Wii U needs to succeed

It's trendy at this year's E3 to trash the Wii U. Nintendo's next-gen console has its work cut out for it: strange tablet-like GamePad controller, the challenge of making games for its dual-screen potential, the unknown price, and the looming question of whether Nintendo's core casual-gaming crowd has moved on to Apple's iPastures.

What if the Wii U were to succeed?

Nintendo has had a way of pulling rabbits out hats with strange hardware. I remember hating the Nintendo DS when it first was released; it became my favorite handheld. The original Wii was mocked for its name, its lack of HD, and its games-for-everyone mantra. It only became a household name.

If these things come to pass, I think the Wii U could succeed, too. … Read more

Cook sizes up TV prospects for Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook dodged a handful of questions about whether the company is at work on a TV set, while making the argument that it's still an activity Apple is trying to improve.

During a live interview at the D10 conference tonight in Palos Verdes, Calif., Cook was asked how the company was looking to "change television," a question he dodged.

"Very uncharacteristically of us, we're staying in the Apple TV business," Cook said, adding that Apple was "not a hobby kind of company."

Cook added, however, that Apple has already … Read more

Easily unfollow a Facebook post from the new notification box

Awhile back I showed you how to unfollow a comment thread or post on Facebook. The process wasn't all that straightforward and required you know where to click, and what to look for once you did.

Recently, Facebook gave its notification box a revamped look, as well as a new feature. You can now unfollow a post directly from the notification box.

As you can see above, in the top-right corner of each notification you'll see a small X. When the X is clicked on, you'll be asked to confirm that you do want to unfollow that … Read more