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Questions persist about NSA surveillance

CNET Update wants answers:

In this episode of Update:

- Get up to speed on the latest developments in the NSA spying flap and how it extends to contents of U.S. phone calls. Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are only able to disclose limited details on government requests for customer data.

- Speed things up on MetroPCS with new phones that work on T-Mobile's 4G network.

- Keep the kids entertained next year with DreamWorks television shows on Netflix.

- Learn how to leave a video message for anyone on Skype.

- Speculate on rumors about Facebook's news announcement on Thursday. … Read more

Digg Reader launching June 26

Digg will start rolling out its new RSS service next week with all users having access by June 26, the site announced in a blog post on Monday.

The first version of the reader -- which lets users import feeds and folders straight from the soon-to-be defunct Google Reader -- will have basic functions, along with a tool that allows users to push what they think are the most important stories to the top. Digg promises to add more over the next few months.

Google announced in March that it would sunset its RSS reader on July 1.

Digg said … Read more

Feedly starts weaning itself from Google Reader servers

Less than three weeks before Google Reader shuts down, a top alternative called Feedly has begun switching the foundation of its RSS-reading service off Google's technology and onto its own servers.

Feedly released a new iOS app Tuesday that is "Now powered by the Feedly cloud," according to the app description. "Let's all wish a happy retirement to Google Reader."

Feedly got its start as a new interface to Google Reader, a service that lets people subscribe to Web site updates using the RSS and Atom technologies. But in March Google announced it's axing Google Reader on July 1, … Read more

Coming to Feedly reader: Speed, search, Windows 8 support

Feedly, the feed reader whose developers are trying to pick up where Google Reader left off, announced Monday that the service will get faster, work on Windows 8, and function without a browser extension.

The Web service, also available as an app for iOS and Android, lets people read Web sites via their RSS and Atom feeds. It's a technology that's popular among those with voracious information appetites, but it hasn't made it to the mainstream. In March Google announced that it's killing its Google Reader site on July 1.

Google's table scraps are a … Read more

Google Reader: Get your feeds and data out alive

Google Reader will soon be closing its virtual doors. In a move that shocked the Web, Google's SVP Urs Hölzle announced on March 13 that, despite the RSS service's "loyal following," the company would "retire" Google Reader on July 1. More than any of the other 69 products that Google has killed over the past two years, Google Reader's demise has shaken a longtime community that depends heavily on the service.

Foofaraw and conspiracy theories (about why Reader was killed) aside, if you use the service and want to save any … Read more

Digg to release Google Reader replacement beta in June

Digg surveyed thousand of people to find out what features they want in its upcoming RSS reader in preparation for a June beta launch, the company said in a blog post Tuesday.

"Our beta release in June will be just the beginning, a product built with experimentation in mind by a team eager to work with you to build something you love," the Digg blog reads.

This means Digg will start testing its RSS reader, which will probably be a subscription service, just a month before Google Reader shuts down.

This round of user feedback, gathered from over … Read more

Surf the Web in a new way with Nextly

Odds are you are quite set in your Internet-surfing ways. If you are up for trying out a new way to browse the Web -- or at least some portion of it -- give Nextly a try. It's a free Web service that provides a slick and fast way to access popular sites across a variety of topics.

Nextly lets you browse various Web sites as well as your Twitter and Facebook feeds -- or "streams," in Nextly's parlance. You can quickly jump from one article or post in a stream to the next; Nextly preloads … Read more

The Week on Download.com, April 10-16, 2013

Every week, we compile the best new reviews, products, and features from the Download.com software catalog and blog, package them up in a tidy little newsletter, and e-mail it out to all of our lovely subscribers.

If you are a registered CNET member, you can sign up for the newsletter yourself (it's listed as "CNET Download.com Software Dispatch" under "Software News and Reviews"), or check back every Tuesday to read our latest roundup.

Notable New Products

BitTorrent Surf brings the power of BitTorrent to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox Mok Force is a … Read more

Turn your RSS feed into a "Star Wars" crawl

If Google's recent decision to pull the plug on the (incredibly useful and beloved) RSS tool Google Reader has convinced you that the search giant is now the Evil Empire, then join the Rebel Alliance with the RSS reader StarRSS, from user fotcorn at github. Simply enter in an RSS feed into the box on the landing page and a scrolling list of items will appear as familiar horns trumpet the start of that classic movie music.

Clicking on the items in your feed as they scroll up and become smaller and smaller isn't the easiest task in … Read more