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Firefox 3.1 gets some privacy

The much-anticipated Firefox 3.1 beta 2 is out and about for Windows and Mac users, incorporating the faster JavaScript engine TraceMonkey as the default setting and introducing Private Browsing, which has been in development for years. There are other improvements, of course, but the big one is the ability to turn off the cache and other private data settings with a single click.

Private Browsing works similarly to Google Chrome's Incognito, or Safari's setting of the same name. Go into Tools on the Menubar and click Private Browsing, and all your movements on the Internet will not … Read more

Sneak peek at Cowon's S9 touch screen GUI

CNET Asia's DigiHunter recently published some user interface shots of the Cowon S9 touch screen media player. Considering that Cowon has been teasing the S9 since August, my expectations were running pretty high ...maybe too high.

I don't want to spoil it, but I'd be lying if I said the S9's GUI doesn't come across as a poor imitation of the Apple iPod Touch. I know that iPhone and iPod Touch comparisons get thrown around a lot these days, but really, this thing makes the Meizu M8 look original.

Like any Cowon device, the S9'… Read more

Tim Lincecum, motion capture star

NOVATO, Calif.--Sports Illustrated magazine called Tim Lincecum "the freak," and for the motion capture specialists at 2K Sports, getting a good computer model of baseball star Tim Lincecum's unique, and violent, pitching motion presented a special challenge.

Last month, Lincecum, a diminutive 24-year-old whom you would never pick out of a lineup as a superstar ballplayer, won the National League Cy Young award, given to the league's best pitcher. The same day, the San Francisco Giant found out that he'd been chosen as the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K9, 2K's hit … Read more

From Cy Young to video game fame

NOVATO, Calif.--We're about to see Tim Lincecum, the 2008 National League Cy Young award-winning pitcher, go deep.

"He's going to hit a home run, which is the first time in his life he's ever done that, including Little League," said Johnathan Rivera, an associate producer for 2K Sports, who was standing near the pitcher, explaining what he was about to do.

"Thanks," Lincecum said sarcastically.

The San Francisco Giants pitcher was here, at 2K Sports' motion-capture studio on Tuesday, because he's the cover athlete for the publisher's forthcoming Major League … Read more

Dell Netbook now 3G-enabled in the U.S.

The Inspiron Mini 9 can now be ordered with built-in mobile broadband, Dell announced Tuesday.

Just last week, CEO Michael Dell confirmed the company was signing up more wireless providers as partners on its new line of Netbooks, but gave no specific date. Dell has offered 3G capability with Vodafone for European customers since the device's September launch.

Now U.S. customers get their turn. For $125 more, the 9-inch Netbook can now be configured with embedded WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network). But right now, AT&T is offering a $120 rebate to those who sign a new … Read more

Hot pink for the Dell Mini

The recently released Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is getting a face lift. Depending on your taste, that is. What I'm trying to say is that if you like hot pink, you're in for a treat.

On Thursday, Dell launched new colors and graphics designs for the Mini 9. OK, not just hot pink, but you'll have your choice of cherry red as well. If, however, you'd actually like to leave the house with your computer, Dell is also offering Mini 9s with art by "designer toy" designer Tristan Eaton.

I must say, a couple … Read more

Is white listing going mainstream?

White lists will be on every desktop within the next five years, according to Patrick Morley, CEO of Massachusetts-based Bit9. Morley was in town to address the Dow Jones VentureWire Technology Showcase in Redwood City, Calif., on Tuesday. He stopped by CNET News afterward to discuss why he believes white listing will be important in the next few years.

The basic idea behind "white listing" is to define a set of software, a set of vendors, and allow only those trusted applications or files from those vendors to run on your machine. If a file or application is … Read more

Sony's 18-inch Blu-ray laptop is our portable home theater favorite

In any collection of similar laptops, the one with the Sony Vaio logo is likely to be the most expensive in the group. So, imagine our pleasant surprise to find the Vaio AW125to be less expensive than the other 18-inch, Blu-ray equipped laptops we've seen.

Our Blu-ray HP HDX18was $2,149, while the Blu-ray version of Acer's Aspire 8920was $2,499 (both have cheaper non-Blu-ray versions). In comparison, the Vaio AW125 was a mere $1,849 (although fancier models from the AW line can get up as high as $3,200).

We're big fans of the 18-inch … Read more

Does anyone really need a 16:9 15-inch laptop?

The move from traditional 16:10 laptop displays to 16:9 ones that mirror HDTV screens is shift that's here to stay, judging by the mini-flood of new 18-inch and 16-inch systems that have crossed our desk. What's a little odder is that we've also run into a couple of systems that have 15-inch 16:9 displays (making them 15.6-inches, diagonally, to be precise).

This is a good illustration of how to be a smart laptop comparison shopper, because one of these two 15-inch 16:9 laptops is a much better deal than the other (and … Read more