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This week, you finally get to see the results of my high-flying Road Test of the HTC One X! I actually jumped out of a helicopter because we were so sure that this HTC One X commercial, touting its camera features to such an extent that it could be used in a midair fashion shoot, was a ridiculous put-on. You'll see in the segment whether I managed to get the shot, and whether the phone's camera and features performed as advertised.

Special thanks to the folks at GoPro, who helped us set up this shoot and loaned us … Read more

The aesthetics of the modern keyboard reminds me of the U.S. car industry several years ago: uninspired.

Enter the Orée wooden keyboard, nearly made in full out of Mother Nature's greatest asset. French entrepreneur Julien Salanave came up with Orée and works in collaboration with a small design team in southern France to produce the wooden Bluetooth 3.0 wireless keyboard. … Read more

We know, we've seen your e-mails. There's something that doesn't feel quite right about buying a beautiful, brand-new piece of technology and then deliberately attempting to destroy it. Granted, it's all in the name of science and helping you make better buying decisions -- and feel more confident that your device can survive the occasional drop, ding, or dunk. But still. We're not sleeping at night.

Enter the Torture Test Giveaway. We're going to give away these "lightly used" devices in whatever condition they happen to have ended up in -- so … Read more

CNET's Always On / Torture Test Giveaway

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. YOU HAVE NOT YET WON. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Sponsor, Administrator and Prize Provider: CNET, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc. 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.

Prize Provider: CNET, Always On … Read more

With this week's iPhone 5 announcement, Apple confirmed many rumors about the new phone, both good and bad. The most disappointing confirmation of all, though, is the resized, redesigned, and still proprietary new dock connector.

Apple calls the new connector Lightning, but giving it a clever name doesn't mean it adds anything but dollars in Apple's bank account.

The company has legendarily built a strong business on licensing its proprietary connection technology to accessory makers, and in selling its own premium cables for a handy $19 each, plus $29 for adapters. But as the rest of the … Read more

In the Season 2 premiere of Always On, the Google Nexus 7 takes a beating. Well, it wouldn't be fair to say it takes a beating. It receives a beating, and frankly, doesn't handle it very well. It's one of our more dramatic Torture Tests, and I think it points out that sometimes, you do get what you pay for when it comes to quality and durability. The Nexus 7 is a great tablet in many respects but, well. It's not the toughest little thing. You'll see what I mean.

We'll find out in … Read more

It's a little unusual for a Web show to have "seasons," I know, but we are trying to create something here that's equal in length and quality to our broadcast cousins, and you can't just do that week after week. So, I know an eight-week season seems a bit on the short side, but hopefully so does a four-week production break.

And when I say "break," believe me, I don't mean we took a break. I had one of the best summers in recent memory: I jumped out of a helicopter to … Read more

This might surprise you, but our darling Sharon Vaknin has a bit of a potty mouth, and an interesting favorite cursing string that starts with the f-bomb and, well, goes from there. I know, I was shocked, too.

This week, it's blooper time at Always On -- this episode marks the best moments of Season 1 as outtakes and foul-ups (or foul-mouthed-ups, as the case may be, even though that's a completely made-up phrase that makes no sense). But you'll also get extended cuts of some good moments from Season 1, like the full interview with pro … Read more

I have to put our Always On supervising producer, Eileen Rivera, on front street a little bit this week: that woman hates the Samsung Galaxy Beam. More accurately, she hates the cheeseball YouTube videos that promote the Beam's signature feature: its built-in pico projector. And I agree ... those ads are bad. Like, bad, bad.

But after spending some time playing with the Beam, I have to confess, I was kind of taken with its little parlor trick! I can't imagine using it often, unless it was for work, but it would certainly thrill the grandparents as a better … Read more