gifts

iPad Mini launches with mini lines

While CNET's New York office waits for power to come back after the storm, we're bringing you the Update show from our San Francisco office. Friday's top tech stories include:

- iPad Mini launch day: Lines were smaller compared to a typical iPhone or iPad launch, but there were still some crowds. New York saw a long lines at the 5th Avenue store, which was sold out of iPad Minis two hours after it opened. One analyst estimates Apple might sell as many as 1.5 million iPad Minis over the weekend.

- Apple released its first … Read more

Donate to charities using Facebook Gifts

Facebook is adding a new product within its gifting service -- charitable donations.

As part of the social network's Facebook Gifts service, users can now send donations in a friend's name to organizations like the Red Cross, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, or DonorsChoose.org.

The launch comes during the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the superstorm that's destroyed homes and left countless people without power.

"We are especially pleased to be launching this test now -- when so many people are looking for new ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, or assist … Read more

Early holiday decorations driving shoppers online?

When there was no choice about shopping, stores did as they pleased.

If they decided that the holiday season began when the clocks went back, then shoppers had to endure it.

Now, however, shoppers don't have to populate malls where the restrooms are clean, but the fountains are dirty.

Now, they have the Web.

It seems, indeed, that this year might represent an even greater rebellion against holiday decorations adorning stores before Thanksgiving.

I am speaking with the assurance of a drunken pollster, because I have before my eyes a survey performed on behalf of a cloud and mobile … Read more

The Audiophiliac's favorite budget headphones

Great-sounding headphones have never been more affordable. Even the least expensive headphone model on this list, the Panasonic RP HJE 355 in-ear, has oodles of detail and decent bass punch. For me the most important thing when evaluating headphones is sound balance; no frequency range should call attention to itself, so I don't like overly bassy headphones, or ones that overemphasize treble. Headphones should sound clear, not muffled or fuzzy. I prefer spacious stereo imaging over sound that's stuck inside my head. Headphones that allow music's soft-to-loud dynamics to bloom are better than ones that constrict dynamics. … Read more

Facebook to hold Gifts event at FAO Schwartz in New York

Facebook has sent out a barebones invite to a press event in New York next month to unveil some news about Facebook Gifts, the social network's new gifting service.

The invite, sent out to media today, features the text "You = Invited," with a gift bow in the background. The event will take place the evening of November 1 at the FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, according to the invite.

A Facebook representative said the company had nothing else to share besides the info on the invite.

The Facebook Gifts service, which went live late last month, … Read more

Buy credits for Google Play from your browser

Google has added a feature that lets Google Play users top off their credit by simply visiting the Web version of the storefront. The move comes on the heels of the recent introduction of physical gift cards in various retail stores.

Scrolling to the bottom of the Google Play store, you can now click on a link that allows for credit refills in various denominations. It's possible to purchase credit in increments of $5, $10, $15, $25, and $50.

As of now, it's only possible to add to your own account, though I suspect we'll see gifting … Read more

Facebook survey says users don't want promoted posts

Most people won't pay for a promoted post, but they would shell out the cash to buy their friends a gift through Facebook, according to a report from brokerage firm Sterne Agee.

The report (posted below) was based on a survey that asked more than 750 Facebook users to weigh in on the social network's latest ideas for making money -- increased advertising in the form of sponsored stories, Facebook gifts, promoted posts, and a possible search engine.

Of the four potential moneymakers, promoted posts is the least likely to succeed, according to the survey. When this feature … Read more

eBay gives the world another Groupon

Thursday's CNET Update wants to make a deal:

eBay made headlines Wednesday with a dramatic redesign, but it's not out of the spotlight yet. Today's tech news roundup looks at eBay's Lifestyle Deals, a service similar to Groupon. It's being tested now in a few markets, including New York. Can you handle (or want) another Groupon clone? Is there room in this space for eBay? Share your daily deal experiences and thoughts with us via e-mail or in a 15-second Tout video.

This holiday, Fab expects you to flock to its mobile shopping app. The … Read more

Facebook spotlights Gifts on mobile with alerts

Users of the social network's Android app may notice birthday or celebration alerts popping up on top of their newsfeeds with a link to buy gifts.

This mobile promotion of Facebook Gifts, first noticed by TechCrunch, lets users click through a link to Facebook's gifting service. It's available through Android, and will be arriving on iOS in the coming weeks, according to a Facebook representative. For now, iOS users will also be able to see the notifications up top, but they won't be able to click through to purchase gifts.

As with the Facebook Gifts rollout on the Web, … Read more