Sears promises to spy no more One of the biggest US retailers has agreed to settle charges brought by federal authorities that it snuck privacy-stealing software from ComScore onto customers' machines.…Video - Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Full published article at: Read More »

As if it wasn't clear already, smartbooks are one of the big trends (if not the biggest) to emerge out of this year's Computex, be they Snapdragon or Tegra-powered. Just as interesting as the devices themselves, however, is the fact that a number of manufacturers are looking at using Android as an OS for 'em, including big players like ASUS, and now Compal. While's ASUS' Snapdragon-based offering was impressive enough, Compal looks to have slightly outdone it by adding a customized interface at start-up, which is apparently just a taste of further...Read More »

We just sat down for an interview with Sony's John Koller, who among many other interesting tidbits and factoids (more on those later) assuaged fears that our giant UMD library would be entirely forsaken. While light on details -- they're still figuring it out, he said -- there will be a "good will" program by which owners of current disc-based titles will be able to obtain digital copies for use on the PSP Go -- "a set number of titles for a set period of time," to be exact. He couldn't confirm all games, or at...Read More »

It's no secret that Sony's has a ten-year lifecycle (or longer) in mind for all of its consoles, but Microsoft has so far been a bit less clear cut when it comes to talking about its long-term plans. That now looks to be changing, however, as Microsoft Shane Kim has told VentureBeat that the company "firmly" believes that the Xbox 360 "has a life cycle through 2015," or exactly ten years since it launched. That minor revelation came in the same interview where Kim also discussed Project Natal at length, which, he notes, would fit "mid-cycle" into...Read More »

Step aside, Project Natal, Ubisoft plans to bring camera-based body scanning to the Wii for the holidays, with its new Your Shape title. The "game" doesn't really sound like a pleasure, however: the USB camera scans your body and casts moral aspersions on your "shape." Once a 3D version of yourself is captured, you can glare at your TV through the tears and pick a particular segment of your body to work on. You then tell the "game" what sort of training you're going for, and how much time you have, and Your Shape proceeds to build...Read More »

We've seen USB adapters and chocolate-flavored cases, but we're guessing this is the iPod shuffle 3G accessory most folks have been waiting for: an adapter that'll finally let you use your headphones of choice with the diminutive player. While its glossy, seemingly plasticky finish doesn't quite match up with the shuffle itself, it looks Oazki's iCommand Controller will get the job done, with it packing some tiny volume controls on one side and play/pause/track controls on the other, plus that all important proprietary magic inside.. No word on a price just yet,...Read More »

Cans are so hot right now; the bigger and gaudier the better, because nothing says "Don't talk to me" like giant domes covering your ears. Creative's latest set, Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MkII, don't really have much to offer in the flash category and certainly aren't excessively sized, but for serious gamers they seem to be a solid option and just the thing to keep your mom from interrupting your session. Shipping next week for $99, they offer an over-ear design with memory-foam surrounds and a sophisticated but not particularly flashy look that says "I want...Read More »

Among the expected netbooks and digiframes encountered at this year's Computex, the gang at Engadget Chinese have stumbled across this beauty. Pioneer's unnamed 3D imaging / sensing device contains a wholesome, dancing three dimensional figure. The camera in the top of the cannister keeps an eye out for contact, and if the operator touches the figure, her clothes disappear... behaving much like the avatars you meet up with in the "red light district" of Second Life. No, this thing doesn't appear to be available commercially -- and shame on you for even asking!...Read More »

So, we know you're as giddy as a child on Christmas morn' every time one of your flights turns out to have WiFi. But what if we told you that those puny 900+kbps transfers could soon be dwarfed by download rates as high as 45Mbps? This is Wi-SKY's claim, made during a presentation at the Immarsat Aeronautical Conference. According to Electronista, the technology relies on a series of radio towers that are each capable of broadcasting a distance of up to 54 miles. The company has yet to announce any airline partnerships or a...Read More »

Careful analysis of a Pre's identity to its host system when connected via USB has now confirmed what's been suspected for a few days now -- the way it hooks to iTunes is very shady indeed. Turns out that the Pre identifies itself as an iPod when it's in Media Sync mode, but only on the system's mass storage interface; the root USB node still comes through as a Palm Pre, which Apple could easily tease out and block if it so chose. We're still up in the air on whether Cupertino would actively move to...Read More »