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Google rolls out quick action buttons for Gmail

Google is aiming to make Gmail responding, planning, and organizing a little bit easier. The tech giant announced Wednesday that it is rolling out quick action buttons for its e-mail service.

Not only can users RSVP to an event without even opening the e-mail invite, they can also rate restaurants, places, or shops from within their inbox.

Here's more from a Wednesday blog post by Google product manager Shalini Agarwal:

Email is an important part of how we get things done -- from planning an event with friends to organizing that family vacation to Costa Rica. And today, getting … Read more

Lawsuit claims Apple sold iPhone 4 with bad on-off button

A lawsuit has been brought against Apple for allegedly selling iPhone 4 smartphones with faulty power buttons. The suit, which seeks class-action status, claims that Apple knew about the issue and failed to fix the problem.

Debra Hilton filed the lawsuit in San Jose, Calif., alleging that she and "thousands of iPhone 4 users" were sold the device with on-off buttons that stopped working shortly after the 1-year warranty was up. The problem purportedly had to do with a defective flex cable that controlled the power button.

"The Apple iPhone 4 is plagued by a latent defect … Read more

Twisted Sister's legal threats over coffee shop's URL

Are they going to take it? Are they going to take it? Are they going to take it anymore?

These are the fundamental questions surrounding a legal threat presented by a lawyer for Twister Sister's founder, John Jay French, to a tiny coffee shop in Mission, Kan.

The coffee shop is called Twister Sisters. It is run by two sisters. They are twisted. Actually, as The Prairie Village Post reports, Sandi Russell and her sister Nancy Hansen were first called "twisted" by their brother in the 1960s.

The 1960s came before 1973, the year when the band … Read more

Dynamic narration makes this action RPG a joy to play

Editors' note: The regular price for this game is $4.99, but it is on sale for a limited time for 99 cents.

Bastion is a faithful iOS port of the award-winning artistic action RPG that first came out for the Xbox 360 in 2011. Now you'll be able to explore the strange world of The Calamity on the go, and solve the mystery of the catastrophe that shattered our world (literally) into pieces.

Enter a broken world You play as the Kid, an adventurer trying to piece the world back together by finding crystal-like "cores" and … Read more

Take creative photos with the HTC One

One of my favorite features on the HTC One is its camera. Beyond the picture quality, which is great, HTC really went the extra mile to pack in a bunch of cool software extras.

Two of these extras that really caught my eye are called Sequence Shot and Zoe, and you can see them in action in the above video.

Using the Sequence Shot feature allows you to composite multiple images into one picture. The trick to this one is to hold still and fire off a bunch of snapshots by holding down the camera button. This will create a … Read more

Zuckerberg's political action group adds Ballmer, Gates

Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us political action group has added a few more tech heavy hitters to its membership roster.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith, and entrepreneur and investor Sean Parker have all signed on in support of the Facebook CEO's group aimed at reforming immigration. AllThingsD earlier reported the news, and CNET confirmed the report with FWD.us.

"We've been excited by the momentum we continue to see as more members of the tech community contribute to the national debate to improve our economic future, and support the … Read more

Hack and slash through your bank account

Dungeon Hunter 4 (iOS|Android) is the latest installment from Gameloft's popular hack-and-slash RPG franchise, and it gets a lot of things right but may discourage some with an aggressive in-app purchase model.

All the right ingredients As hack-and-slash Diablo-like RPGs go, Dungeon Hunter is one of the best franchises in the genre for smartphones. Set in a medieval fantasy setting, you'll be charged with picking from four character classes, then fighting your way through hordes of demons. You can choose from two ranged classes that include a bow-wielding Sentinel or a spell-casting Warmage. On the melee side … Read more

Staples agrees to progressive e-waste standards

Staples has agreed to work with one of the most environmentally progressive electronic-waste recycling groups to handle gadgets from both the company and consumers when those devices die.

The retail giant announced a deal Monday, Earth Day, to use recyclers certified by e-Stewards, a program set up by the Seattle-based environmental group, the Basel Action Network, to handle materials collected from its free technology recycling program at more than 1,500 stores nationally. The company will also use e-Stewards-certified recyclers to handle electronic waste from its own internal operations.

One of the big problems with electronics disposal is that recycling … Read more

Custom action figures mix 'Star Wars' with Russ Meyer

Sillof is rather famous for his custom action figures. In the past, he's done steampunk Star Wars, noir Star Wars, Wild West Star Wars, and many more.

His latest collection is a commissioned custom range for comedian and actor Patton Oswalt. Called "Faster, Empire! Strike! Strike!" it combines "Star Wars" with Russ Meyer's cult exploitation film "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"

With gender-reversed characters like Darla Vade (pictured below) and R2-D2 represented as a drinks trolley (the Rest/Relaxation Drinks Dispenser), it's a masterpiece of work, even by Sillof's standards. … Read more