Opinion

Data backup: Top portable drives for home users (roundup)

Having up-to-date backups of your data is like insurance, we all need it and at the same time never want to have to resort to it.

Though backing up data is not required by law, the consequences of not doing it are often so huge that it's fair to call those who don't frequently back up their important data, well, reckless, irresponsible, or just simply foolish. The truth is, when you realize that the originals of your important documents or photos are gone because of a hard-drive crash or losing your laptop, being called names is the least of your worries.

Now there's an easy fix. Here's a list of our top portable hard drives that make backing up data a no-brainer. Take a look and get yourself one if you don't already have a backup solution in place. … Read more

Crave in Comments: From recycled bras to brazen bills

Crave in Comments is sort of like a recurring awards show. While we don't have the funds to dole out fancy golden trophies and plaques for the standout comments of the week, you could win your very own spot in this feature. Like these five people:

In regard to Japanese turn used bras into fuel:

This definitely gives new meaning to the idea of "bra-burning." --by T-Guy

In regard to MacBook Air gets elemental with Earth, Water, Fire:

All we need now is the MacBook Heart. Then we will have the ability to combine their powers and bring forth an environmentalist edition of Steve Jobs' spectre to fight off evil corporations that are polluting the environment! --by Rozencrantz14

Early peek at new Assassin's Creed, animated short

SAN FRANCISCO--In a quiet alleyway here, Ubisoft gave members of the media an early preview of Assassin's Creed: Revelations and the final travels of Ezio Auditore.

For the uninitiated, the Assassin's Creed series chronicles heroic members of a secret society of skilled professional killers that fight corruption and oppression. The games are deliberately steeped in historical research as each game educates players on the era it's set in and real power players of the period--if players choose to take a moment to read the game notes.

In the new game, Ezio, hero of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, leaves Rome behind for Constantinople in search of a weapon that could forever end a war between Ezio's assassins and the Knights Templar. Journalists had the opportunity to play the game for about three hours, uninterrupted--including the entire map of the great Middle Eastern city. … Read more

Crave in Comments: From Superman to Star Wars

Our first week with CNET's redesign has passed pretty smoothly. The format changes also will change how Crave in Comments is displayed, and I think it looks quite fancy. I'll even go above and beyond reason and say the comments are HD-quality. After a couple more redesigns, we'll be pitching you comments in 3D!

In regard to Man turns to surgery to become Superman:

He probably spends a lot of time in his Fortress of Solitude. --by mike_m_ekim

In regard to See Germany's nuclear plant turned family playground:

Laughing at the guy behind the car wrapped by mutant spiders. --by miky500

preGame 61: Batman: Arkham City, Sonic Generations

Today on preGame we venture into the dark and ominous world of Batman: Arkham City. It'll be tough following up one of 2009's games of the year, but from what we've been able to play, we think the team at Rocksteady Studios nailed it.

Next, we'll be showing off an incredible amount of gameplay we were recently treated to for the upcoming game Sonic Generations. In this veritable Sonic all-star game, players can play as "new" and "old" Sonic in a collection of 2D and 3D levels. We've got Sega's Aaron Webber in the studio to explain the process involved in creating such an epic Sonic experience for fans new and old.

Got an idea for preGame? E-mail us! pregame [at] cnet [dot] com.

Be sure to subscribe to the show: RSS (video) | iTunes (video)… Read more

CTIA's fall show fights for relevancy

While the fall version of CTIA in San Diego did not prove to be the boring slow show that we thought it would be, it still didn't exactly wow us. Part of the reason was the timing of the show this year was almost incomprehensibly bad: not only is the iPhone 4S launching in the same week, but two of the year's most anticipated Android handsets--rumored to be the Motorola Droid Razr and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus--are slated to be announced a week after the event is over. Samsung and Google did plan to announce their new Ice Cream Sandwich phone at the show itself, but they ended up moving the launch not only to another date, but to a country across the globe. … Read more

Archos 80 and 101 G9 reviews: Bad timing

The tablet business is pretty cutthroat (just ask HP), and with the release of the Amazon Kindle Fire just weeks away, it's only going to get scarier out there for would-be iPad competitors.

The timing of a tablet release is crucial, but does rushing a tablet to market to beat the wave of upcoming competition do more harm than good?

The versions of the Archos G9 tablets we originally received were not ready for prime time. They suffered from a malfunctioning camera, frequent lockups, and an overall buggy experience. … Read more

Crave in Comments: Suction cups and toilet bikes

It's been a really long week: the iPhone 4S arrived, and Steve Jobs departed. The news of both events was all over the Internet, making it easy to assume that many of you are a little weary from the news overload. So, let's take a breather from it all for a moment and read some amusing or otherwise noteworthy comments from Crave readers. Things are looking up already, right?

In regard to Tropism Well senses you need a refreshing drink:

"Nice, bird poop, and other harmful spores will contaminate the water nicely. Drink up now!" --by nauj_solrac

In regard to Adorn your console with Battlefield 3 ornaments:

"This looks like it came out of a shop! So haggard--I have to get this." --by MrSlipp

In regard to Solar suction cup is handy phone charger:

"First time passengers/flight attendants see someone suction cup an electronic device to the window of the plane it will be dogpile city and a redirected flight." --by 1Opinion

preGame 60: Dark Souls, Rochard

This week on preGame, Mark and Jeff will crawl through a dungeon or two in Dark Souls and then mess around with a gravity gun in Rochard.

But first we'll dive into instant reactions regarding the news that broke today about Xbox 360 bringing TV programming to Xbox Live. Beginning around the holiday season, Microsoft will partner with close to 40 content providers like HBO GO, Verizon, and Comcast and stream over Xbox Live.

All these demos, stories, the Xbox Wireless Speed Wheel, and chance to win a limited-edition Deus Ex: Human Revolution T-shirt on today's show!

preGame … Read more

Stop whining, this is the iPhone 5

The headlines were flying fast and furious online, even before Apple's iPhone press event ended. With only an updated iPhone 4, called the 4S, and no iPhone 5, today's news was labeled a "big disappointment," and it was said that the iPhone 4S "disappoints Apple fans (and Wall Street)."

On Twitter and Facebook, comments included: "The S in iPhone 4S stands for Same," and even, "If I just tell myself it's an iPhone 5, I'll be happy with the iPhone 4S." That last comment caught my attention. It's author has stumbled onto the great untold truth from today's Apple news. If you look past the fact that this is essentially the same glass-and-metal case and 960x640-pixel display, it's an almost entirely new device, at least as different as the iPad 2 was from the original iPad.

The CPU? Different, moving up to a dual-core Apple A5. The camera? Upgraded from 5 megapixels to 8mp, and with video recording bumped from 720p to 1080p.

Perhaps as important, the hybrid GSM/CDMA architecture and improved antenna for what Apple claims will be 4G-like download speeds. (Of course, we'll believe this when we see it--an actual 4G iPhone would erase any doubt that this is an entirely new generation of iPhone). Finally, Apple says the iPhone 4S offers improved battery life with eight hours of talk time. … Read more