early

Editors' take: In a nutshell, The Early Edition aggregates your favorites news sources and presents them in an attractive, familiar-looking newspaper format. It's what happens when high-tech meets old school.

The app comes with about a dozen news feeds already configured. The default All Feeds view generates your "newspaper" from all these sources, though you can tap any one of them to view just that source.

As with actual newspaper apps, tapping any story brings it to the fore. However, if the story includes a "read more" page break, you'll get only the first … Read more

If you've got wireless questions, I've got answers.

More than 90 percent of the U.S. population now has a cell phone. And as hot new smartphones, such as the iPhone 4, HTC Evo, and Motorola Droid, gain in popularity, consumers around the country are trying to figure out what phone is right for them. Meanwhile, wireless operators are touting faster 3G networks and 4G wireless networks to entice new customers. Carriers are changing service plans and early termination fees. And consumers are confused.

Having reported on the wireless beat for six years, I've fielded hundreds of … Read more

A word of warning to AT&T subscribers who would switch carriers when the company's iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple finally ends: The cost of doing so will soon rise--substantially. Come June 1, AT&T is raising its early-termination fee on smartphones to $325 from $175.

The increase comes amid speculation that AT&T's iPhone-exclusivity deal with Apple is nearing its end. But a company representative tells me it has "nothing to do with the iPhone or any other device."

$325. That's a pretty steep increase from $175. Though to be fair, … Read more

Facebook claims that it has 400 million users. But are they well-protected from prying eyes, scammers, and unwanted marketers?

Not according to Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online.

She says your privacy may be at far greater risk of being violated than you know, when you log onto the social-networking site, due to security gaffes or marketing efforts by the company.

Facebook came under fire this past week, when 15 privacy and consumer protection organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that the site, among other things, manipulates privacy settings to make users' … Read more

The CNET New York office is typically a tame environment--unless it happens to be the eve of a big Apple product drop and turns into pure unapologetic madness! It's the day before the release of the much-anticipated Apple iPad and Natali picked one up this morning for a CBS News segment, but little does she know The 404 has our own version, and it's bigger, cheaper, and even comes with its own stylus! Unfortunately, we can't do a side-by-side comparison because the real iPad is currently submerged in a puddle of Wilson's saliva, but we'll try to get the thing in the studio for Monday's show, pending a serious wipedown.

Jeff and I are still disappointed by the lack of features on the iPad, but we can't shrug off the awesome-factor of the new Netflix for iPad app that dropped yesterday. Some disregarded it as a cruel April Fools' joke, but it is indeed available now on the App Store. The service is free to all Netflix customers, who will now have mobile access to more than 20,000 movies and television shows currently in the library. You can even continue watching movies from where you left off on your TV or computer at home.

We can already sense your irritation at all this iPad talk, so let's move on. Sending dirty text messages to your boo bear isn't just for professional golfers and tweens anymore. Studies show that more and more adults are using "sexting" to get nasty on the run, so we're running down a list of five tips for safe sexting. The list is cheeky, and while we agree that the No. 1 tip is to be discreet, the article neglects to address the wonderful world of multimedia messages that can add a visual aid to your naughty text.

Guess we know what you're doing this weekend! And after you do that, shoot us a line by leaving a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET or send a message to the404(at)cnet(dot)com and let us know what's on your mind!

Today's show title is a little deceptive, and we should be clear that Alison Rosen's mother does not make an appearance on this episode, but Alison's all we need anyway because she's the future of television! We're excited to have her back after a long hiatus, and she updates us on everything going on in her life, including ALISON ROSEN IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND, a new weekly interactive show on Ustream that features guests like Michael Showalter and Andrew W.K., in addition to an upcoming segment where Alison will explore the world of online dating. Be sure to add her on Twitter to stay updated.

We're also super excited to show you guys a clip of Natali Del Conte on last night's episode of "The Daily Show"! In a segment called "Tech-Talch," Jon reports on Chatroulette, aka our new favorite Web site, and shows a clip of Natali shielding her eyes as she gives a demo and inevitably stumbles upon a a dude having too much fun. Alison has the common sense to stay off the Web site, even for professional research, so we try to offer her some suggestions on how to make ChatRoulette more fun if you're a girl.

What would you do for five bucks? Twitter posts on a new site called Fiverr attempt to answer that question, and a lot of people are offering compelling services for five bones. If you can scrounge together some cash, you can turn into a dead jedi, get your fortune read, and even get a private wake-up call! Ooooh, invasive!

Many thanks to Alison for joining us this morning; we always have a lot of fun with her, and you should too! Head over to AlisonRosen.com, read her blog, write her a poem, download her iPhone app, and look for her again soon on The 404!

U.S. mobile operators, , in letters sent to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this week, defended their use of early termination fees and explained how they are informing consumers about their policies.

In January, the FCC asked each of the four major wireless carriers, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA, along with Google to detail how they inform customers of their fees in statements on corporate Web sites, in brochures and sales scripts, and in monthly bills. The companies had until February 23 to respond. Earlier this week, they filed their answers to the FCC's … Read more

You may be surprised to learn that Tuesday, Feb. 23 was a big day in the U.S. wireless industry. It marked the deadline for cell phone carriers to respond to an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into early termination fees (ETF). Though ETFs are nothing new, it was only in the last couple of years that the Feds put them under the microscope. And naturally, the carriers and their man in Washington, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, are doing their best to justify the charges.

The four major carriers plus Google each responded to the FCC's set … Read more

I was on the phone with my parents who live in Ohio earlier today and they commented on how they've accumulated roughly two feet of snowfall in February alone--and the month isn't even over yet! Based on what I've heard, the snow is just going keep on coming, and all of my east coast buddies are ready for a break already. With the snow being a fact of life in the immediate future for many Americans, I thought it timely to present some video about how to deal with driving your car in snowy and icy conditions. … Read more