pop

Jot down quick notes and passing thoughts with Pop for iOS

This post could be more accurately titled, "How to not be disappointed by Pop for iOS."

I say this not because I dislike the app. I do think it can be useful if you are the type of person who often employs sticky-notes reminders or scribbles down notes throughout the day. If you have yet to abandon your reliance on pen and paper for your iPhone because note-taking apps require too much tapping and a file hierarchy you'd rather not deal with, then the 99-cent Pop for iOS might hold some appeal. But be warned: it's … Read more

'Call me Maybe' gets 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek' treatments

What's better than a summer pop hit? How about Han Solo, Darth Vader, and the whole "Star Wars" crew serenading you with a summer pop hit? That's a million times better. As it turns out, Yoda is quite the crooner.

YouTube user jamesconvenant rejiggered the Carly Rae Jepsen hit "Call me Maybe" with footage from the "Star Wars" franchise. He even managed to work in some subtitled Jabba the Hutt contributions.

Not to be outdone, the "Star Trek" fan contingent got on the case and intrepid YouTuber Zyphorg put together a version featuring Captain Picard and the Next Generation Enterprise crew. It's a little choppier than the "Star Wars" version, but impressive nonetheless.… Read more

Microsoft pop-up stores coming this holiday season

Microsoft officials said earlier this summer that they planned to open a number of temporary "pop-up" holiday stores this year. At the time, they didn't specify where these stores would be.

Braintree, Mass. Chicago (downtown) Cleveland, Ohio Manhattan, N.Y. Miami, Fla. Natick, Mass. Portland, Ore. San Antonio, Texas San Francisco St. Louis, Mo. Vancouver, B.C.

Microsoft Stores sell Windows PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft and third-party software, games, peripherals and more. Microsoft also is going to sell its recently announced Surface PC/tablets through its Microsoft Stores in the U.S. and through select online Microsoft … Read more

The songs remain the same (but louder), say scientists

It isn't true until the numbers say so.

That is the mantra of the modern world.

So I bring you news that the figures have been counted and the declaration has been made by unimpeachable scientists: pop songs are becoming noisier and increasingly homogenized.

Yes, should you wonder, on hearing a Lady Gaga song: "Gosh, haven't I heard that somewhere before?" you might well have, but this time it's accompanied by a few more decibels.

You might be wondering what sort of scientists have taken time out of their busy schedules to put a number … Read more

$99 Pop Video accessory turns iPhone into pico projector

Looking into the future, concept artists often equip their dream iPhones with built-in pico projectors. That feature probably isn't coming to an iPhone anytime soon, but Micron Technology's upcoming $99 Pop Video pico projector accessory may be the next best thing. … Read more

RIM, Samsung accused of emoticon patent infringement

The latest in the everyone-sue-everyone patent war is an alleged infringement by Samsung and Research In Motion for installing emoticon shortcut menus on their mobile phones, according to tech news site Ars Technica.

A firm called Varia Holdings began the process of suing both cell phone makers on Thursday for using its "emoticon input method and apparatus" patent, reports Ars Technica. The company asserts that it owns the idea of pop-up emoticon menus, which let users easily insert a happy or frowny face without having to type out the characters one at a time.

"It is known … Read more

Intel goes flash mob style to pimp Ultrabooks

What the hell is an ultrabook?

That's an excellent question that's been raised by CNET editor Scott Stein, among others, and one Intel is trying to answer, in part, by going out and performing some flash mob-style theatrics.

The Pop-up Theater is an Intel ad campaign where a team of 60 individuals descend upon various spots around Los Angeles to wow passersby and unassuming individuals with messages splayed across a digital wall of ultrabooks.

Such stunts include standing in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. to spell out "I heart Ultrabooks." In another example, the team brings a virtual crowd to a game of 3-on-3 basketball by displaying shots of cheering fans whenever someone scores. … Read more

Reports of pops, peeling on Samsung plasmas explored (update)

Update Feb 3, 2012: In early January Samsung told me of a firmware update that addresses the brightness pops in both the D7000 and D8000 plasmas (I was also told that 2012 versions wouldn't suffer this issue), but since that time the company has not given me any additional information despite repeated inquiries. Meanwhile multiple CNET readers have told me how they have contacted Samsung customer service (in one case via chat), described the "pops" and been sent updated firmware on a USB stick (version 1024.8). The effectiveness of the new firmware varies according to reports … Read more

Marble Blast is a unique bubble-based puzzler

Similar to probably a hundred other games in the Android Market, Marble Blast requires you to shoot monochromatic bubbles at other monochromatic bubbles. Create a cluster of three or more, and all of them pop and disappear. The object, of course, is to clear your screen of all of them.

What makes Marble Blast unique, however, is that the bubbles, or marbles, actually travel around your screen in a single-file line. They aren't stationary targets anchored to the top of your screen as they are in other bubble-based games like Bubble Blast 2. Your job in Marble Blast is … Read more