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Kickstarter racks up over $2 million for two projects

"WoooooooooOOOOoooOoOoooOOooo! We did it! 100% funded in just over eight hours. You people are amazing!," read the Kickstarter page for Tim Schafer's Double Fine Adventure today.

This was one of two projects to hit $1 million in donations today from the crowd-source funding platform Kickstarter.

According to Kickstarter, every week, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects listed on its site. But never has a project topped $1 million, much less two in one day.

One of the projects is the Elevation Dock designed by Casey Hopkins, the founder of ElevationLab in Portland, … Read more

Italy fines Apple $1.2 million over AppleCare practices

Apple has been hit with a hefty fine on charges that it misled customers.

Italy today fined Apple 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) for allegedly encouraging customers to sign up for AppleCare, the company's technical support service, without informing them that they had two years of free support after buying the product. According to Reuters, Italy requires companies to offer two years of free technical support to customers.

AppleCare is an important after-purchase revenue generator for Apple. The company offers protection plans on all of its products, but prices vary depending on the devices for which customers want … Read more

Apple fined $2,800 for location tracking

Apple has been slapped on the wrist by the Korea Communications Commission over the company's inadvertent collection of location data.

The commission, which is South Korea's equivalent to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, fined Apple 3 million Korean won, or about $2,829, following the revelation earlier this year that Apple's iOS-based devices collected location information on users without their specific authorization.

The fine could have been much stiffer. According to Reuters, which first reported on the story, the commission could have suspended Apple's operations in Korea or imposed a fine of up to 10 … Read more

Fujifilm X100 verdict: The next one should be great

From a market standpoint, the pricey Fujifilm FinePix X100 is a bit of an oddball. Though we traditionally call models like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 or Canon PowerShot G12 "large sensor" compacts, their CCDs are relatively tiny compared to the APS-C-size CMOS in the X100. ILCs like the Sony Alpha NEX or Samsung NX series have APS-C sensors, but they're higher resolution with smaller photosites. The X100 also sports a prime lens with a 35mm-equivalent focal length, while the less expensive, more mainstream-focused compact models incorporate zoom lenses; no matter how short the zoom range, a prime … Read more

Unboxing the Fujifilm FinePix X100

The much talked about and hyped Fujifilm FinePix X100 has finally arrived. In CNET Asia's offices, at least. If you haven't heard about the X100 before, here's a quick brief history of it and why it's one of the most anticipated snappers this year.

The X100 was announced last year at the Photokina imaging trade show, and it stole the limelight with its retro styling. It looks like a rangefinder camera from the past, giving it a nostalgic feel.

What's also interesting about this FinePix is its hybrid viewfinder: It combines both optical and electronic viewfinders in a single component. More about this in the hands-on that we'll put up soon, so check back for that. … Read more

Fujifilm reveals more information about the X100

In September, Fujifilm showed off the X100 at the Photokina trade show in Germany. Aside from several mockup units and prototypes on display, the company was tight-lipped when pressed for more details. Since then, the hype for this camera has waned, but the firm just revived interest by releasing more information regarding the FinePix's specifications.

According to the Japanese camera maker, the X100 will have three focusing modes: manual, single autofocus, and continuous autofocus. In manual-focus setting, photographers can rotate the focusing ring around the lens to focus on the subject. Using the hybrid viewfinder, users can magnify a portion of the scene to check if the frame is sharp.

There will also be a dedicated RAW button. When you press the button in JPEG mode, the camera will capture in both RAW and JPEG. Included with the snapper is the SilkyPix RAW software which lets users convert RAW photos to common formats such as JPEG. … Read more

Quick Take: Fujifilm FinePix S1800

CNET did not review the Fujifilm FinePix S1800, but we did review the Fujifilm FinePix S2550HD, which is very similar.

Both 12-megapixel models feature a Fujinon 18x zoom and 28-504mm-equivalent lens, HD movie recording (720p), mechanical sensor-shift image stabilization, and a 3-inch LCD and electronic viewfinder. The S2550HD, however, has a Mini-HDMI out for connecting directly to an HDTV or monitor, which will cost you roughly $30 more. However, the key components are the same, so we expect that the shooting performance and photo quality would be identical.

The S1800 does have a couple extras to make you think twice … Read more

preGame 24: Metroid: Other M; Kane and Lynch 2

Today on preGame, we'll take a look at Metroid: Other M, and Kane and Lynch 2.

It's been a while since we've featured a Wii title on preGame, but the latest installment in the Metroid franchise is a totally new take on the series and something we're excited to preview. Metroid: Other M combines 2D, 3D, third-, and first-person action in a way we haven't yet seen on the Wii.

Next we'll roam the gritty streets of Shanghai in Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days. A complete departure from the original, Dog Days also … Read more