Crave

Apple TV taken off store shelves; refresh coming soon?

If you're looking to buy an Apple TV, you're going to have an exceedingly difficult time doing so.

As of this writing, BestBuy.com and Walmart.com don't even list the Apple TV on their sites, and Amazon has stopped selling it. Apple's online store is the only major e-commerce Web site CNET has come across that lists the Apple TV, and actually has the set-top box in stock.

AppleInsider, which first reported on the news, says it's a similar story in many brick-and-mortar stores around the country, with one Best Buy sales representative telling more

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Friday Poll: Is AT&T data throttling reasonable?

You're streaming the entire series of "The Sopranos" on your smartphone. It's the final episode. The screen suddenly goes black! Is it the show or is AT&T throttling your data?

The cellular company has made good on its warning to slow the speeds for the top 5 percent of data users. Impacted users are ones who have unlimited data plans. Smartphone owners with tiered plans aren't subject to the throttling.

Customers have mixed reviews on the policy. Some are outraged at having their data slowed. Some are concerned about the drag that heavy users place on more

Mountain Lion's Messages beta hints at Mac Retina Display?

Apple's iPhone is the only device sporting a Retina Display, but that might eventually change.

Apple blog Macrumors today revealed a discovery in Mountain Lion's new Messages beta application that hints at the company bringing Retina Displays to Macs. The blog, which didn't venture a guess on which Macs would sport the high-resolution display, pointed to Messages' developer resources that have the same "@2x modifier" used in images for iOS. When developers add that modifier, they can display high-resolution images that accommodate the Retina Display's higher pixel density.

The standard 15-inch MacBook Pro ships with a more

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Crave giveaway: littleBits starter kits

First off, congrats to Robert C. of Atlanta for winning last week's prize, two DeskPets TankBots toy robots and a Griffin Helo TC remote-controlled helicopter.

Now, onto this week's giveaway. I had a blast last week creating a robot using littleBits, and now you have an opportunity to build a robot of your own, or whatever you please, with these magnetic circuit boards.

As promised, we're giving away two littleBits starter kits this week. There are 11 modules in a box, and each part has a specific function, such as power, motor, light, or switch. They snap together via magnets, so there's no need to solder or program anything, and all you need to create a working circuit board is a power source and some kind of output, which are all provided in the kit.

littleBits was created by engineer and interactive artist Ayah Bdeir, who wanted to come up with a way to get kids (and adults) interested in learning how electronics work, so it's an educational tool, as well as a great source of fun.

Normally, a littleBits starter kit costs $89, but the winner will get two for free. How? Well, there are a few rules, so please read them carefully. There will be a test. And since only one reader can win this giveaway, be sure to register for CNET Exclusives and check this page next week to get littleBits for a special price.

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Lego Minecraft available for preorder

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson and Mojang employees today unveiled the first set dedicated to the building game at Lego World in Copenhagen.

The 480-piece Lego Minecraft Micro World set (due in summer) features four different areas that you can link together with cylindrical connectors.

While the miniature take on the popular game is a bit pricey at $34.99, we admire the attention to detail in recreating the Minecraft experience. It's also neat that this came together from a community-driven movement, but we hope there will be bigger and better sets soon. Resource gatherers can take joy in exploring the "hidden resources, extra pieces for wood, dirt, and stone," according to the official product description. We strongly recommend you avoid the lava area, though.

Do not miss the hilarious launch video created by Notch and friends:

Do you suffer from nomophobia?

Nomo-what?

Nomophobia is the fear of being without mobile contact (who knew such a term or condition existed?), and according to a new study from the U.K., two out of three people suffer from it.

. SecurEnvoy, a mobile authentication solution provider, sponsored the study and found that of the 1,000 people surveyed in the U.K., 66 percent were afraid of losing or being without their phone--a 13 percent increase from when the study was first conducted four years ago.

The increase is not a huge surprise, as cell phones and smartphones have become more and more prevalent, more

The Clear method to complete tasks

I wrote my previous app collection about Advanced task managers on iOS, but a new app came to my attention this week that's too good to pass up.

Clear (99 cents) is a to-do list app that lets you use simple gestures to manage your tasks with an interface that's as intuitive as it is easy on the eyes. People seem to like this simple task manager, because it's now No. 1 in the iTunes App Store. This app won't take the place of Reminders or other scheduling apps that offer alarms--Clear sticks to simple list making, and it does a fine job.more

Originally posted at The Download Blog

Windows 8 and Android Jelly Bean: To wait or not to wait?

Windows 8 is hoping to merge tablet touch screens into our desktops, laptops and whatever hybrid devices we might be using a year from now. Meanwhile, Google is allegedly already at work on Android 5.0 Jelly Bean and is looking to further integrate its mobile OS with Windows 8. It's a lot to look forward to, but where does that leave us for the rest of 2012?

In my case, my old Windows laptop is on its last legs--as is my much-abused Android phone. It's time to buy new hardware, but unfortunately we're stuck in an awkward in-between time for both operating systems and hardware.

Last month at CES in Las Vegas, I had a chance to play with the perhaps too cleverly named Yoga from Lenovo--it's a laptop with a keyboard and touch screen. The keyboard folds all the way around nearly 360 degrees to transform into a de facto tablet.

With the Yoga in my hand, a single thought repeated itself in my head--so, this is what Windows 8 is meant for!

3D Printer Build Week: Days Three and Four

This step took longer than I anticipated.

My goal, as stated at the end of our Day Two post, was to leave the office with our final print in progress. We actually got close, but we didn't quite make it.

Matt and I found the hardware side of building our Mosaic 3D printer about as hard as building a DIY desktop. The software side was a little more confusing.

MakerGear offers a walk-through (PDF) pointing you to the various firmware updates, driver software, and necessary applications to connect the printer to your PC, and print an object from an more