Hardware

MONTEREY, Calif.--One after another, the framed pictures on both walls of the narrow hallway tell the story: submarines and naval ships churning white wakes as they slash through open ocean, each photo accompanied by unbidden gratitude.

"Thank you for your team's efforts & hard work! You ensure my safety and enhance my tactical advantage," one reads.

Welcome to the U.S. Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology & Oceanography Center. That long-and-hard-to-say name notwithstanding, this is one of the United States military's sharpest weapons in the never-ending battle for survival in rough seas all around the … Read more

So yesterday I got invited to Microsoft's super secret mystery event. It starts this Monday afternoon and will be somewhere (they've yet to provide any actual venue information) in LA. Also, the invite provided very little clue as to what exactly will be shown, stating only that I would "not want to miss it".

Honestly, given the very short notice and lack of information, at this point I'm more annoyed than excited. Hopefully, whatever is announced will be worth it. I doubt it will be, but I've been wrong before.… Read more

Who can deny the charm of gold?

Sony Computer Entertainment today officially unveiled the metallic gold Dualshock 3 controller for the PS3, due for release on October 19.

Launching exclusively through GameStop, the controller carries a hefty $54.99 retail price. However, we doubt that sum would stop the aspiring Auric Goldfingers of the world from getting one. We say this because its insanely easy to find most of the other PS3 controller colors sold online (and often at stores) for $40 or less.… Read more

On CNET's newest on-demand show, you'll get all the hottest rumor news, plus you can try to outsmart the hosts by voting in our weekly poll. On every show we'll put one rumor up for a vote; once you, the viewer, and the hosts have weighed in, we let CNET's anonymous Council of Experts decide who was on the right track.

This week in rumor land, Apple surprised nobody by not announcing the next iPhone or the much-ballyhooed Apple television. Did that stop the speculations from flying? Of course not. This is America.

The biggest thing … Read more

LOS ANGELES--As E3 2012 shuts its doors, we're not entirely sure we ever want them to open up again. Scott and Jeff spent a day going to press conferences and two full days on the show floor. It wasn't pretty and what follows is a brutally honest take on the show.… Read more

LOS ANGELES--Call it a toy, call it an experience, but I'm not sure you should call it a book. The J.K. Rowling-created "Book of Spells," the launch title for Sony's Wonderbook platform announced at E3 2012, was originally touted during the kickoff Sony press conference as being a way to bring reading to life.

I had a chance to check out the Wonderbook at Sony's E3 booth, and I'm not sure reading really entered that much into the equation. It is, however, a fun augmented-reality toy with some beautiful animations. … Read more

LOS ANGELES--It's been a big year for the people behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console, and its growing ecosystem. Month after month, the machine tops the console sales charts, and it boasts some of the most anticipated exclusive games in the industry.

This week, of course, the Xbox team is cheek-by-jowl with all of its partners and developers, and its competitors. It's E3 week, after all. And at its Monday media briefing, and at its mammoth booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center here, Microsoft has been touting its latest attempts at separating the Xbox from … Read more

LOS ANGELES--I've lost track of how many E3 shows I've been to. It doesn't matter. What's important is that the show used to be larger, more vibrant...and more relevant. What happened?

If you boil down this year's show, new hardware was scarce and new software didn't fill the gap. Still, trends were present and lessons, too, that I hope get applied to next year's show. Yes, it was an odd year this year. … Read more

Microsoft looks set to flood its blowers with Xbox-scented video, making it possible to access movies and TV shows from your Windows phone.

In a letter posted on the Major Nelson blog, Xbox Live bigwig Marc Whitten has outlined the new services hitting Microsoft's shiny black games box, including a section dubbed "Xbox on Windows 8 and Windows Phone."

The letter details three services, including Xbox Video, which Microsoft says "provides you access to the video marketplace, making it easy to browse and search for TV episodes and movies."

Read more of "Xbox Video heading to Windows Phone, Microsoft hints" at Crave UK.… Read more