Ad: Manage updates with the Download App

arc

The 404 654: Where Jeff is elbow deep in Poutine (podcast)

Mark Licea fills in for Jeff, who's on vacation in Montreal reenacting "The Hangover," so get ready for a hate-free show. On today's episode of The 404, we're chatting about the new Netflix app for the Apple iPhone, Sumo wrestlers using iPads, "character amnesia" hitting China, and the first of many expired movie reviews from yours truly in a new segment we're calling Yu Ain't Seen That?! First film to scratch off the bucket list: "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

It's been a long time coming, but you … Read more

Microsoft Arc Touch mouse leaked in Germany?

Ever-handy with Google Translate, Engadget has a story from German tech site Winfuture.de regarding a seemingly likely leak of a new Microsoft Arc Touch mouse. Winfuture cites German retailer Notebooksbilliger as the originating source by way of a premature listing on its site, although Engadget and others have been tracking rumors of the mouse for the past few months.

The product shots, which Winfuture seems to have grabbed from Notesbookbilliger before the retailer removed the listing, indicate a core design not entirely unlike Microsoft's original Arc mouse. Rather than folding into itself like the original, the new model … Read more

preGAME 03: X10 Showcase

This week on preGAME, hosts Jeff Bakalar and Mark Licea take a look back at all of the big announcements from last week's Microsoft X10 conference in San Francisco. Today's show is chock-full of debut trailers, announcements, and first look game play video of some of 2010's most anticipated Xbox 360-centric games.

But before we get into the big announcements, we'll chat about the death of local multiplayer. Long gone are the days of local four-player split screen action like Goldeneye 64. Now more than ever, game developers are overlooking the game play element that defined the "party game." Why is this upsetting trend so popular? And why do game developers choose to leave it out?

All this plus the week's headlines and releases on preGAME!

Want to be a part of our live taping? Make sure you head to http://cnet.com/live/pregame every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. If you missed any of the stories we talk about on today's preGAME, make sure to check out our links below.

Xbox Live coming to Windows Phone 7 Street Fighter IV coming to iPhone LA Noire screenshots finally surface Sony will show off motion controller at GDC Jeff's X10 wrap-up post on Crave… Read more

Microsoft adds keyboard to Arc input family

Microsoft's Arc Mouse is finally getting a keyboard companion. Announced Thursday, the Arc Keyboard will go on sale February 21 as a $60 Best Buy exclusive. Microsoft envisions the keyboard as a home-friendly input device that you'll carry around to your couch or kitchen to use with your laptop. Whether or not you like the idea of a full-size keyboard in your living room, we can't say the Arc Keyboard looks unappealing.

Based on the product shots (official info page here), the Arc Keyboard has a graceful, inviting profile. It comes with a tiny USB microtransceiver that … Read more

Mediocre movie maker

FoxArc Movie Editor allows users to create video presentations using still images, videos, and audio files. Although the program works, we found it to be somewhat inflexible and not as powerful as we had hoped.

The program's interface is sleek and fairly intuitive; users import the files they want to use, arrange them on the timeline, and then add special effects as desired. However, unlike similar programs we've seen, FoxArc Movie Editor does not support drag-and-drop placement of files. That means that rearranging files on the timeline is a matter of right-clicking them and then moving them one … Read more

The 404 436: Where we're different by choice

We're very proud and excited to welcome Beck's Beer back as our official show sponsor for the month of October, as you can see by the advertisement over yonder. You know what that means, right? All month long we'll be bringing back the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. That's a lot to say, so if you can think of a better title for the segment (maybe even a funny acronym involving beer), shoot us a line at the404(at)cnet[dot]com. Just like in July, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite musicians and playing their music on the show every Tuesday and Friday for the next month, so be excited, and if you have any suggestions, well, tweet us.

OMGWTFBBQ! The Robsham Theater Arts Center from Boston College is putting on a musical comedy inspired by songs by our buddy Jonathan Coulton! If you didn't hear his live performance the last time he was on The 404, go check it out and get ready for some musical theater. Luke Jorgenson, the associate theater professor at BC, was "taken by Coulton's satire of office life and technology," which inspired him to produce the script. We're very psyched for Jonathan. Congrats, buddy!

Next up in the news, we've got a few iffy Sony PS3 ads to show you guys. The first one is a picture of a stereotypical gamer giving a blood transfusion to someone that looks a lot like Erwin Rommel, aka "The Desert Fox" and a German General in World War II. The other one features the same gamer, but this time he's giving his heart to Joan of Arc. Like, literally giving his heart in a celebratory transplant. Yikes, Sony--what message are you guys trying to convey here?

Next, we play a brief PSA video to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a subject that is very dear to our hearts. The video is played in jest, and of course we have to make a few jokes about the steamy subject matter, but Breast Cancer itself is very real, so all month we'll be supporting the cause.

Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!

EPISODE 436 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Intuitive image stitcher

ArcSoft Panorama Maker Pro is a simple and elegant way for users to convert multiple images into one panoramic image. Its sleek design and ease of use place it among the best programs we've seen.

The program's interface is quite sleek and attractive. The first screen that users encounter upon opening the program contains information about how to shoot photos that make good panoramic images, including information about camera settings, tripod use, and photo overlap. Past that, to the left is a tree-structured view of the computer, allowing users to quickly locate the images that they want to … Read more

BookArc Desktop Stand for the MacBook: Is a $50 stand worth it?

Apple has created a monster. No, we're not talking about growing iPhone sales or the success of its imposing chain of retail stores. We're talking about the almost oppressively beautiful design of the product packaging and marketing of Apple products. In addition to the acclaimed look of Apple products themselves, their boxes and accompanying packaging border on the obsessive. Laptop boxes unfold gently and present fitted trays. iPhone boxes unfurl like Chinese puzzles.

It's no surprise, then, that Apple accessories have gotten in on the game, too. TwelveSouth's BookArc Desktop Stand for MacBooks promises a "… Read more

BookArc turns your MacBook into a desktop

If you want to use your MacBook as a desktop (and I don't see why), there's now an easy and pretty way.

Mac accessory maker Twelve South released BookArc, a metal stand designed to hold any Apple MacBook, from the MacBook Air to the 17-inch MacBook Pro. The stand is designed to hold the laptop in a vertical position and therefore supposedly should free up your desk space. The BookArc has a compact footprint of just 10 inches long by 4 inches wide, which is significantly smaller than that of any MacBook.

The BookArc is equipped with a … Read more