Google Top Charts show world's searches for whiskey, more

Have pit bulls' search fortunes been aided by the rise of a certain hip-hop star? (Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET) Google's top dog for last month was, once again, the pit bull. Having taken the title for most searched breed away from the bulldog in January, the pit has stayed in the top spot for the past four months, but the german shepherd is looking to make a move after overtaking

Engineer crafts induction-powered LED ring for love

Here's the light-up ring lighting up. (Credit: Ben Kokes/Enfinicorp) Engineer Ben Kokes is a lot of things. He's an outdoor enthusiast. He's a Bronco mechanic. He's a tinkerer who builds electronic gadgets for fun. He's also in love.I'll let him tell his story in his own words: "Once upon a time, a boy met a girl. Then a short amount of time later, the boy decided to design and build a

Amazon's Kindle Worlds will pay writers to write fan fiction

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET) People who write fan fiction could find a paying market for their work courtesy of Amazon.Unveiled Wednesday, Kindle Worlds is a new publishing venture from Amazon that promises to reward both writers and the original rights holders for new fiction based on existing stories and characters.Related posts*Amazon proposes a colossal biosphereli

Windows that double as cell signal boosters? Yes, please

Ericsson had on display a window with a transparent antenna built in, allowing for superior indoor coverage. (Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET) LAS VEGAS -- Windows that only let in sunlight and provide a view to the outside world? That's so yesterday's news. Ericsson believes it can do more with windows, and it had on display here a few windows enhanced with different modifications. One had

Xbox Live Gold membership good for both Xbox One and 360

Microsoft's Xbox One. (Credit: James Martin/CNET) Xbox 360 owners who have a Live Gold membership will be able to use it on the Xbox One as well.Phil Harrison, a corporate vice president with Microsoft, confirmed to video-game blog Polygon that the same Gold membership will apply to both systems. Xbox Live Gold subscribers who buy an Xbox One won't have to ante up for another subscripti

If Earth had rings like Saturn, the sky would look like this

If Earth had rings, Congress would have even more glory to bask in, according to this Ron Miller illustration. (Credit: Ron Miller) The sunsets would be impossibly beautiful. The evening sky would glitter with a thousand silver arcs. If Earth had rings like Saturn, you'd only have to look up to get a spectacular show. Veteran astronomy artist Ron Miller has created some stunning views

Xbox One preorders point to Nov. 30 arrival

The logo says just Xbox, but this is the new Xbox One. (Credit: James Martin/CNET) Gamers desperate to splash out on Microsoft's blocky new Xbox One console needn't wait until Christmas, as U.K. retailers have already started taking preorders for the upcoming gaming gadget.Green-hued tech retailer Zavvi is asking for a whopping 400 pounds ($608) for the Xbox One, which was revealed Tues

Logitech intros classroom-friendly Wired Keyboard for iPad

The Lightning connector version of the Logitech Wired Keyboard will ship in August (click image to enlarge). (Credit: Logitech) We review a lot of wireless Bluetooth keyboards and keyboard cases for iPads and other tablets, but we've yet to review a wired keyboard for the iPad. It comes as little surprise then that Logitech, which makes plenty of Bluetooth keyboards, has unveiled the Wire

Amazon proposes a colossal biospherelike Seattle campus

Amazon's proposed design for its new Seattle campus. (Credit: NBBJ) The latest fad for tech companies' new office buildings seems to involve making them as far-out and avant-garde as possible. And Amazon is the newest firm to jump on that train. The e-commerce giant and gadget maker unveiled a slew of new drawings (PDF) on Tuesday that reveal a series of colossal, mirrored, biosphereli

GIF creator: It's a soft 'g', Mr. President

What will the White House say now? (Credit: White House Tumblr) You thought it had been settled, didn't you?You've been practicing the new pronunciation (or the old one).And now you're going to have to think again. Recently, the White House very presciently decided to open its own non-purple Tumblr account. It took the occasion to declare with seeming finality that GIFs -- those v

Comics Web site Comics Alliance to relaunch?

(Credit: DC) Web site Comics Alliance, a three-time winner of the Eisner award -- went mysteriously silent toward the end of April, to the distress and consternation of comics fans. No word -- official or otherwise -- was heard from either parent company AOL or any of the Comics Alliance staff members. However, the lack of updates on the site since April 29, where it usually updated sev

Staying at the Burj Al Arab? Enjoy a 24-karat gold iPad

(Credit: Burj Al Arab) It's the most golden hotel perk since gold-bar vending machines: gold iPads. As if the Rolls Royce and helicopter services weren't enough, guests at Dubai's opulent Burj Al Arab now have access to gold-plated iPads. The 24-karat tablets are engraved with the property's logo on the back, which also features a black Apple logo. Ironically enough, the hotel chai

Used games are here to stay with Xbox One but details hazy

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One on Tuesday. (Credit: James Martin/CNET) Fears of a death spiral for used games with the Xbox One may be a little premature. A Microsoft spokesman confirmed to CNET that Microsoft will support used games with its new console, though it declined to provide much information at this time. Related stories:*Xbox One: The details *Live from Microsoft's

Watch the F-35B jet make a vertical take-off and landing

The F-35B has both power and finesse. (Credit: Lockheed Martin) The latest round of cutting-edge aerospace technology feels very Zen to me. Much like SpaceX's Grasshopper Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing vehicle, this Lockheed Martin F-35B jet is capable of vertical take-offs and landings and appears to hover in the air in a sort of meditative state that seems odd for a military fighter.

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

Where do you stand? (Credit: Image by Christopher MacManus/James Martin) What's hotter -- the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4? This year kicked off a new chapter in gaming history as Microsoft and Sony revealed their next-generation consoles, which are destined to rule living rooms (and hands) around the world. Of course, Nintendo also had its fun with the Wii U, but hard-core gamers don'

Human-like opponents spur gamer aggression, study says

Participants played Quake 3. (Credit: GameSpot) The debate around video game violence and whether it leads to actual violence has once again come to the fore this year since the Obama administration asked for funding to study the matter. A study by researchers at the University of Connecticut isn't trying to answer that particular thorny question, but it has uncovered a noteworthy componen

Xbox 360 games won't work with the Xbox One

Microsoft on Tuesday updated its Xbox with new capabilities, such as voice recognition. (Credit: James Martin/CNET) Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its newest gaming console, the Xbox One, with a slew of new capabilities. But one thing it won't do is play Xbox 360games. Because the new gaming system has a different chip architecture -- Advanced Micro Devices' x86 instead of IBM's PowerPC

NASA funds attempt at 3D food printer for pizza

This schematic shows how the 3D food printer would function. (Credit: Systems and Materials Research) "Star Trek" food replicators will always be the holy grail of space-snack technology, but we could be edging a step closer to the dream thanks to the work of mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor with Systems and Materials Research in Austin, Texas. Systems and Materials Research recentl

New smart fabric mimics the way skin perspires

Researchers turned to the human skin for inspiration behind new moisture-wicking fabric. (Credit: Vox Efx/Flickr) Biomedical engineers are unveiling a new type of fabric that, much like human skin, can turn excess sweat into droplets that simply fall away on their own accord."We intentionally did not use any fancy microfabrication techniques so it is compatible with the textile manufact

Microsoft unveils Xbox One

Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, kicks off the Xbox event in Redmond, Wash. (Credit: James Martin/CNET) Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the Xbox One, the newest version of its popular game console. Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, said the company wanted to design and build the "ultimate all-in-one home ente

Print your photographs in 3D

(Credit: Amanda Ghassaei) Step aside, home photo printer! The age of the 3D printer is just beginning. But then what are you supposed to do with all those digital photos sitting on your hard drive? Well, thanks to Amanda Ghassaei of Instructables -- who showed us how to make a 3D-printed record -- you can try printing them in 3D. Using an Objet500 Connex 3D printer that prints at 600dpi

Wii U Basic price slashed by 20 percent at Target

The Wii U is selling for just $239.99 at Target. (Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET) Will gamers bite at a Wii U console that costs $239 instead of $299?Target is now selling Nintendo's diminutive console at a 20 percent discount off the full retail amount. The $239.99 price is for the 8GB white version of the console; the 32GB black version will still run Target customers the fu

BASE jumper's terrifying 1,000-foot fall caught on GoPro

This jump doesn't go as planned... (Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET) For many of us, the video below of Matthew Gough falling 1,000 feet after his parachute malfunctioned during a BASE jump is like watching a common nightmare brought to life. Remarkably, the video bears even more similarities to that horrible falling dream than first meets the eye, in that in the end, everything --

Flickr users: We hate the new site

Bigger isn't better, say Flickr uers. (Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET) Many Flickr users seem none too happy about the new layout, at least according to a heavy dose of comments posted on the site's help forum.On Monday, Flickr's parent Yahoo unveiled a slew of changes to the photo-sharing site, revamping the familiar style of the home page, photo page, and photo stream page.

Smart necklace is key to secret iPad diary

Lock down your digital diary. (Credit: Dano) Dano's iHeart Locket takes the wearable technology trend and makes it cute. The smart necklace works with the iPad to lock down digital diary entries and keep secret crushes and innermost thoughts safe from prying eyes.The gold heart necklace, designed with preteens and teens in mind, works with the iHeart Locket Diary App for iOS. The diary

U.S. Navy dolphins find antique torpedo

A Howell torpedo on display at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum. (Credit: The Naval War College Museum) Unlike Acoustic Kitty, the U.S. military's dolphin program, active since the 1960s, has had quite a bit of success. Dolphins, you see, are capable of producing sonar, and have an aptitude for learning commands, proving to be much more useful than machines for aquatic mine detection. "

13.3-inch Sony tablet is like Etch A Sketch on steroids

Sony's 13.3-inch Digital Paper tablet is based on durable plastic TFT technology. (Credit: Sony) If you love doodling with a pen but hate accumulating paper, Sony and E Ink are coming out with a tablet/digital notepad that's large and relatively light for its size compared to big e-readers. The 13.3-inch Digital Paper touch-panel display was recently shown off at Educational IT Solut

Alleged robbers butt-dial 911

(Credit: ABC News Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET) We like to give advice to the less perfect here, principally because the perfect tend not to feel they need advice.When it comes to those who rob, pilfer, or otherwise break the law, we tend to suggest that they don't taunt the police. Another suggestion is to turn off your phone. This latter suggestion might have been useful for

Let your shoes do the charging

Mechanical engineering student Julian Castro models his team's PediPower prototype shoe to run small electronics. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) After researching a device that draws energy from knee movement, some mechanical engineering students at Rice University decided to see if they could get the same result from another, less intrusive wearable item: a shoe.With help from t

HTC One makes video call from summit of Everest

(Credit: Everest Million) This might not be what the Taiwanese company had in mind when it wanted its HTC One to be on top of the world, but thanks to British mountaineer Daniel Hughes, the high-end Android phone is the first to make a video call from the highest point on Earth. Hughes, who's trying to raise $1.5 million for Comic Relief -- it's also the highest ever Red Nose -- spoke t