sonic

Following the MegaUpload shutdown and indictments last week, FileSonic, one of the Internet's most popular file-sharing services, has disabled its sharing functionality.

The service can "only be used to upload and retrieve files you have uploaded personally," according to a note posted on the site's home page. FileSonic also suspended its affiliates rewards program, which paid users when people downloaded their files.

Some users on Reddit say the online digital locker has already begun deleting files and even accounts, as ZDNet's Zack Whittaker notes.

TorrentFreak called the development "a pretty big deal. Filesonic isn'… Read more

Sonic CD is an excellent iOS port of what's widely considered the best game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, an ill-fated but critically acclaimed 1993 release for the Sega CD console.

Anyone who has even passing familiarity with video game history will know the Sonic schtick--speeding around, spinning and jumping, and collecting rings--and the coolest thing that sets Sonic CD apart from other Sonic titles is a time-traveling feature that essentially lets you experience three different versions of each level (past, present, and future). The game looks and feels like the original, with settings and unlockable extras that … Read more

LAS VEGAS--ViewSonic is mostly known here in the states for its monitors and tablets, but did you know that trio of finches the company uses for a logo marks cell phones as well?

Chances are it's one that's still going to swim below most people's radar. Like so many of the phones we've seen here at CES, the ViewPhone 3 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The company has added its own skin on it, which includes a rotating carousel of panels for you to easily switch among. One nice touch--each panel (for weather or the clock, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The sneak preview video for the EXOdesk had lots of people drooling over the big touch-screen interface that's reminiscent of the Microsoft Surface, minus the honking big price tag.

The EXOdesk from EXOPC is now making a cameo appearance at ViewSonic's booth at CES. The 36-inch demonstration device begs you to run your hands all over it, so I did.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--When CNET reviewed Polk's I-Sonic ES2 almost four years (!) ago, we knocked it for lacking then-cutting-edge features like a CD/DVD player, satellite radio, USB port, and network audio functionality.

Fast-forward to 2012 and the story is the same, but the details have changed, with Polk's recently announced I-Sonic ES3 lacking many of the cutting-edge features we've seen on competing iPhone speakers, such as AirPlay and Bluetooth. Even the USB-looking port on the back, but close inspection reveals it's for service-use only.

Still, the I-Sonic's real claim-to-fame was always performance, not features, which is … Read more

Jeff: I first got the idea for a comic like this when I was in a GameStop store and saw a kid who couldn't have been older than 10 begging his mother for Modern Warfare 3. It got me thinking about the games I was desperate to have when I was that age, and I immediately remembered the 3-hour wild goose chase I sent my parents on in search of Super Mario Bros. 3. … Read more

I shouldn't have to say this, but don't try this at home.

Pro-skater-cum-stunt-driver Rob Dyrdek became the first person to ever kickflip a car at a skateboarding-themed event at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif.

In the world of skateboarding, a kickflip involves the leaping into the air while simultaneously flipping the board through a 360-degree barrel roll beneath you and, of course, landing safely. In the world of automotive stunt driving, a kickflip involves driving a stunt-prepped Chevrolet Sonic hatchback over a corkscrew ramp at high speed, then praying to your deity of choice as the car flies over a comically sized skateboard prop. I won't spoil much more of the video embedded below, but suffice it to say that even Dyrdek looks surprised at the end of this stunt.… Read more

Forgive my excitement, but Sonic CD just hit the iPhone--and it's only $1.99.

Sega has done some questionable things--to say the least--with the Sonic franchise, but Sonic CD isn't one of them. Sonic CD, despite the misleading title, isn't a soundtrack or a music game. It's one of the biggest, and best, side-scrolling old-school Sonic games ever made, but it was only available for the short-lived Sega CD, a CD-ROM add-on for the Sega Genesis (it also saw brief life in a 2005 Sonic compilation game for the GameCube and PS2). I actually owned a Sega CD, and Sonic CD was its best game by far--though technically that wasn't saying much.… Read more

Apologies for my unannounced absence yesterday; I was attending a funeral and neglected to leave a heads-up on Tuesday.

It seems only fitting, then, that I serve up three sweet deals today. Technically, I've got five, but "five-deal Thursday" doesn't have quite the same alliterative ring.

First up, TigerDirect has the ViewSonic gTablet 10-inch Android tablet for $269.97, plus $7.50 for shipping. It's new, not refurbished, and it comes with 16GB of storage. It's on the chunky side, not unlike the $299.99 Toshiba Thrive from the other day, but the real … Read more