paris!!

Microsoft aims to match Cupertino's retail glitz

Microsoft has been keeping rather mum on what to expect from its new retail stores, but sources tell CNET News to expect lots of flashy monitors, fancy PCs, Surface table-tops, as well as a giant display.

The outlets, which will be called simply the "Microsoft Store," closely resemble the mock-ups that leaked earlier this year, according to one source. They also borrow some of their design cues from Apple's retail outlets, including an "answer bar" that seems to closely mimic Apple's Genius Bar.

The stores will sell PCs from some of the leading brands, … Read more

Microsoft to open Windows cafe in Paris

Parlez-vous Windows?

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a "Windows Cafe" in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee.

The cafe will open on Oct. 22--the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.

"This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet," a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. "People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows … Read more

Inside CNET Labs 61: Next meeting, Hawaii. No, Paris!!

First up, Eric narrowly escapes getting struck by lightning but still gets to see fireballs race past his window in the wee hours of the morning. True story.

Then a PSA: Dong finds a new old charge on his AT&T phone bill and explains why you should look at yours more closely.

Then, Kanye Interruptus, Serena's intimidation, and Joe Wilson mouthing off? What's going on?!! We share our theories.

Lastly, we're apparently in the wrong business. Dong explains why we should be in the Wi-Fi standards business. From the sound of it, it's a … Read more

Where will Google send its new Street View tricycles?

They might almost be men selling ice cream.

They ride around on tricycles, a big fridge-like box perched on the rear wheels, a brightly colored logo on its side.

And yet that 10-foot-tall mast between the rider and the box tells you that this isn't pistachio peddling. No, this is surveillance, Google-style.

Those nice people at Google Street View became frustrated that their cars couldn't access every single corner of the world. Indeed, earlier this year the company removed footage of one of its cars after it transgressed traffic regulations. Then there are those pesky pedestrian areas and … Read more

ChicBuds thinks women need bling-bling

It's once a week I turn away from the monitor and gag at the latest Swarovski crystal-embellished gadget. I think to myself: "Will someone really purchase this bling-bling Hello Kitty camera? If they do, will they take it out in public?"

Well, Paris Hilton would. Or so says the newest company embracing the Swarovski trend, ChicBuds.

ChicBuds prides itself on being what it says is the only electronics company targeting women: "products made by women for women." Their goods are created with a woman's "needs" in mind, and have reached celebrities including … Read more

The 404 Holiday Weekend Throwback: Episode 187, 11/18/08

Have a great Independence Day and enjoy this 404 Throwback episode #187 from September 18, 2008 featuring CNET Smartphones Editor Bonnie "The Bonch" Cha!

We finally get our hands on the much coveted Bonch aka Bonnie Cha, Senior Editor for CNET.com. No, we don't grill her on the latest cell phones at CTIA or the proper way to make a Superman cape. Instead, we try to guess Sarah Palin's e-mail password, run through a list of Jeff's mancrushes, do the Cha Cha on the air, and take a visit to the Sex Museum, aka Wilson's cellar.

Wow, did someone open up a tank of nitrous oxide in here? Today's show is literally 40 minutes of constant laughter, and we owe that to our special guest, Bonnie Cha! She's a Senior Editor of mobile phones at CNET and one of the first people I ever met at the San Francisco office. Please don't be operating heavy machinery while listening to today's show! We do taint, tarnish, and otherwise frack up Bonnie's "innocence" by explaining the science behind "Supermanning that ho," which goes over surprisingly well with her. We also debut a service called Cha Cha that allows you to text or call a 24/7 concierge service that will literally answer any inquiry, such as "Is the 404 going to be taken off the air tomorrow?" or "Why is Bonnie's nickname The Bonch?" Of course, all of these questions can be answered using another service; here in 2008 we call it Google. Furthermore,why would I use the Cha Cha when I know Wilson will always be within arm's length of a computer? The man is physically tethered to the Internet. Finally, we take a look at the NBC fall lineup and Bonnie asks the question that's on all of our minds: Jeff, how can you like Sex and the City and still urinate standing up?

EPISODE 187 Download today's podcast … Read more

Boeing, Airbus optimistic at Paris Air Show

The famous Paris International Air Show opened Monday amidst troubled times for the airline industry with plummeting sales, employee layoffs, canceled orders, rising oil prices, and the recent as-yet unexplained crash of Air France Flight 447.

Against the cloudy backdrop, key airline manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus expressed optimism at the show. Scott Carson, president and chief executive of Boeing's commercial aircraft division, told reporters on Monday that he believes the recessionary downturn in the commercial aircraft market has hit bottom.

"Are we down in the dumps about the status of this industry? Have we allowed the current … Read more

Metromantics

Location matters. Black Swan-author Nassim Nicholas Taleb finds "living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters – you gain exposure to the envelope of serendipity." That's particularly true for romance. People move to big cities not to advance their careers, party, escape, disappear, be a star, and so on. The chick-flick fan that I am, I remember very well that candid line from Sex and the City (the movie): "I came to New York City to fall in love." Exactly. "Anyone who's predicting the decline of big cities has … Read more

Photos: First look at BMW's new iDrive

At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, we got our first chance to try out the new version of BMW's iDrive in the new version of the 7-series. Unfortunately, the language was set to French so we only had a vague idea of what we were accomplishing by selecting various menu areas. But it was still enlightening to get a feel for the new interface and imagine how it might work in English. From what we could tell, it will be a vast improvement over the current system, and take away our major criticism of BMW's cabin tech.

Click here for photos of BMW's updated 7-series with the new iDrive system.. … Read more