friday

The Android-packing Samsung Galaxy S III will be arriving in stores in a few days with plenty of fanfare to welcome it. The Galaxy Nexus is expected to change into new clothes and reappear wearing the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

All these hot Android developments mean the ball is now lobbed onto Apple's side of the smartphone court. The iPhone 5 is shrouded in both secrecy and juicy rumors. It may be bigger. It may have NFC. It may be a true world phone.

The biggest problem is you may have to wait until September for the official iPhone 5 announcement. With some enticing Android options showing up sooner, how antsy are you for a fresh, new phone?… Read more

The Fourth of July is coming up next week. It's a good time to take stock of where the country stands in the world of technology manufacturing.

We've been hearing quite a bit lately about how feasible (or not) it is to make tech products right here at home.

Manufacturing plants in Asia pretty much have the cell phone and gadget market cornered, but there are some blips on the U.S.-made tech radar. Google has managed to design and build the Nexus Q streaming media player in America.

Is this a sign of a reboot for technology manufacturing in America?… Read more

Windows is about to become a lot more portable. Microsoft hopes that its new mobile moves will also make it a lot more popular for buyers shopping for smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft has dabbled in both the phone and tablet worlds, but without the resounding sales success Apple and Android have achieved.

Now that Windows Phone 8 is due in the fall and Surface tablets are in the pipeline, it looks like Microsoft is going all in with the mobilization of Windows.

Both Windows Phone 8 and Surface will tie in strongly with the company's still-popular desktop OS, perhaps … Read more

I'm a Verizon customer. I'm currently on month-to-month, contemplating a new phone. But with that new phone comes a new two-year contract. If I sign that contract after June 28, I'll be shoehorned into Verizon's new Share Everything plan.

Share Everything lets users pool data between smartphones, tablets, and USB modems. It starts at $50 per month for 1GB of data; individual device fees are then tacked on top. Those fees range from $40 for a smartphone to $10 for a tablet.

As it's just little ol' me on my plan, I'll be looking at paying $100 for just 1GB of shared smartphone and tablet data, and unlimited talk and text that I don't need. Yippee. I should note, I have a "feature phone," and upgrading to a smartphone should land me into Share Everything territory. For more on how the math works out, check out Executive Editor Roger Cheng's explanation.… Read more

While Facebook is a pillar of online social media, it hasn't really proven itself to be a moveable feast when it comes to mobile. In a piece this week that got a lot of you talking, CNET Executive Editor Molly Wood looks into how mobile could eventually be the social-media giant's death knell.

Facebook's mobile apps have been notoriously sketchy in quality. It's at the point where I don't even try to download the latest iPad app update, I just use my browser when I want check in on the site.… Read more

It's no coincidence Geek Pride Day falls on the "Star Wars" anniversary, Towel Day for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" fans, and a special People's Revolution celebration day for Discworld devotees.

Geeks have come a long way since "The Revenge of the Nerds" movies. IT staffing firm Modis' recent geek perception survey found that geeks are cooler than they were last year, with 54 percent of respondents rating geeks to be extremely intelligent (up from 45 percent last year).

The survey also found that 60 percent of geeks would be stressed out if their hard drive got wiped, compared with only 49 percent feeling that way about a relationship break-up. It's all about priorities.… Read more

Coin-ops are few and rare these days, but that doesn't mean that the memories and quarters spent are gone forever...well, maybe the quarters. In either case, this week's Freeware Friday involves dodging speeding tickets, pulling off 99-hit air combos, and dancing like it's a revolution. Sorry folks; accessories/fight sticks/steering wheels/dance pads not included. … Read more

Verizon customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans have been wearing their status with a sense of pride for a long time. New customers stuck with tiered plans look at them with envy and longing.

But that's all about to change.

Reports say Verizon will be killing off the already-endangered unlimited data plan species on its network soon. The company's 4G LTE subscribers will be moved to a new "data share plan" that is expected to go into effect this summer.

According to Fierce Wireless, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that this move would be "beneficial&… Read more

At what juncture have you reached the Facebook point of no return? Maybe it's when you post the minutia of every meal you ate for seven days straight. Perhaps it's when you start having Farmville dreams.

It turns out Facebook addiction may be a real thing. It's a bit like what you see in "The Godfather." You may try to get out, but it keeps pulling you back in.

Much like "Star Wars," Facebook has a dark side. There are people who neglect family and work in exchange for time spent wrapped up in social networking. Some researchers have even suggested there is such thing as "Facebook depression" among adolescents, but the studies aren't very definitive.… Read more