April 20, 2006, 5:30 PM PDT
Cell phone recycling services don't make the grade
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

We toss tens of millions of mobile phones each year, yet only 2 percent of those ever get recycled, says the nonprofit Earthworks. The group just released a report card (PDF) that gives the thumbs-down to major carriers' lazy telephone-takeback programs. Verizon gets the best grade--a dismal C minus, and Cingular trails with a D. Sprint and T-Mobile fail altogether. And while we originally recommended ReCellular, that service has not yet pledged that its goods won't be dumped overseas. The good news? You can find this list of electronics recycling services that vow not to export toxic electronics waste and more options in our "Trash your old tech" story.

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April 20, 2006, 4:09 PM PDT
The software deal of the day
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Woot.com is one of my favorite sites on the Internet. The site sells one product a day, online only, starting at midnight. The products are mostly out-of-production or overstock goods. Each day, when the inventory is gone, it's gone. But the prices are really good, and the write-ups are quirky and sometimes hilarious. I've bought just one thing from Woot (a set of Logitech computer speakers), but I read the pitches fairly regularly via the Woot RSS feed.

I'm not sure if Woot was the first deal-o-the-day site out there, but its success has spawned several imitators, including the new site, Bits du Jour. This site sells software--a program a day, at a decent discount compared to the "list" price (which, in software, generally bears no relation to anything). So far the collection seems a bit haphazard. It looks like Bits du Jour is an experimental sales vehicle offered to software vendors. Woot, in contrast, gives the impression of being run by a bunch of geeks who have multiple products to choose from each day, and who delight in surprising their customers with good deals and good writing.

I'm not sold on the Bits du Jour concept, because I don't like having to rush to pay for software. It makes sense to use a free trial version of a product before you buy it, but Bits du Jour encourages you to pay for a product before you've really had a chance to get to know it. Personally, I give up on most trialware long before the free period expires. But if you're on Bits du Jour and you happen to stumble across a product you were already thinking of buying, you will save money.

Disclosure: CNET runs Download.com, a site filled with free trialware.

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April 20, 2006, 3:20 PM PDT
Burning battery alert: HP recalls 16,000
Posted by: Molly Wood

What is it about those notebook batteries? Oh, right, lots of power, small container, high heat on a plastic case: check. Anyway, the curse of the burning battery has struck HP, which is recalling 16,000 notebook batteries because they can overheat and melt. And that just plain smells bad. (Oh, and there's the risk of injury.) Click here to see if your notebook is headed toward the hot zone.

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April 20, 2006, 1:47 PM PDT
HP recalls laptop batteries
Posted by: Michelle Thatcher

Own an HP laptop? Check your battery. The company has recalled batteries that may be found in HP Pavilion, HP Compaq, and Compaq Presario brand notebooks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "An internal failure can cause the battery to overheat and melt, or char the plastic case, posing a burn and fire hazard."

Freaked out? Visit the News.com story for a list of HP and Compaq laptops that may be affected.

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April 20, 2006, 12:05 PM PDT
Alltel widens its circle
Posted by: Kent German

Alltel today unveiled a new program for subscribers called My Circle. Alltel customers with rate plans of $59 or more can select 10 phone numbers that they'll be able to call for free at any time of the day. And better yet, there are no restrictions on which phone numbers can be in a customer's circle. Participants can choose home, work, or mobile numbers regardless of their friend's carrier.

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April 20, 2006, 11:14 AM PDT
Viliv P2 to be released in the States
Posted by: Jasmine France

The U.S. representative for the Viliv P1 recently paid a visit to the CNET offices to get an idea of what updates could be made to the P1 to improve upon the device. During his visit, he also briefed us on Yukyung Technologies' upcoming U.S. release: the Viliv P2. Overall, the P2 stands to be an improvement over the P1 for the U.S. market. Here's the breakdown:

• AMD 400MHz (Alchemy) processor
• Runs Windows CE 5
• 30GB/40GB or more of internal storage
• 4.3-inch, touch-sensitive, wide-screen LCD with QVGA resolution
• Supports H.264; DivX; MPEG-1, -2, -4; XviD; WMV 7 and 8 (320x240); and WMV 9 (720x480) video formats
• Set to support DRM-protected video
• Supports MP3, WMA, OGG, AC-3, WAV audio; WMA DRM9 playback expected, and Janus compatibility possible
• Audio-out and CVBS Video-out ports
• Optional GPS receiver
• Acts as a USB host

Measurements, weight, and pricing coming soon.

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April 20, 2006, 9:26 AM PDT
Sony names its first dSLRs
Posted by: Will Greenwald

Sony has officially named its new digital SLR series, a long time coming since the company acquired Konica Minolta's digital SLR resources. The new digital SLRs will be called Alpha and will use the same lens mount as previous Konica Minolta digital SLRs. K-M's dSLRs were known by the Maxxum brand name here but were in fact called Alpha themselves in Japan. Unfortunately, Sony didn't say much else about the new dSLRs. We don't yet know anything about the pricing or ship dates for Alpha, but keep an eye here for news about Sony's new dSLRs as it develops.

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April 20, 2006, 9:26 AM PDT
Sony names its first dSLRs
Posted by: Will Greenwald

Sony has officially... symboled its new digital SLR series, a long time coming since they acquired Konica Minolta's digital SLR resources. The new digital SLRs will be α, the Greek letter alpha. No, we don't know why, either, but we think it's to drive every copy editor on the planet insane.

They will use the same lens mount as previous Konica Minolta digital SLRs. K-M's dSLRs were known under the Maxxum brand name here, but were in fact called "Alpha" (the word, not the symbol), themselves in Japan. Unfortunately, Sony didn't say much else about their new dSLRs. α now has its own page on Sony's site, and Sony now offers Permalink | Post a comment

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April 20, 2006, 8:05 AM PDT
PlayStation 2 hits a new low... price
Posted by: David Rudden

Sony announced today that its PlayStation 2 console will drop $20 in price to $130, effective April 27. If you're not one of the 101 million suckers who paid more than a buck-thirty, now's the time to pick up one of the most popular systems of all time, as $130 is an amazing price for an all-in-one PS2 and PS1 game/progressive-scan DVD player. Also, despite the looming presence of the November-due PlayStation 3, Sony seems to be the most committed of the Big Three to continue providing quality software for its current-gen consoles with titles such as God of War 2 and Guitar Hero II both scheduled for release later this year. This price drop puts the PS2 in between its comparatively dormant competitors, the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube, which sell for $150 and $100, respectively.

Looking for something to spend that crisp Andrew Jackson on? Check out the best PS2 games under $20.

Source: Kotaku

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