David Pogue's Blog, page 14

Place Your Emphasis HERE, Not THERE

When graphic designers use their computers to fool around with typography, sometimes they get the emphasis all wrong.

A Review of the Windows 8 Beta

Microsoft has made a test version of its new Windows 8 operating system software available to the public. It's an imaginative and successful rethinking of an operating system. The Start screen, for example, is like a Lego kit for your life's control panel.

More on OnLive Desktop – Readers' Questions Answered

Following Thursday's column, more information about OnLive Desktop, the app that turns an iPad into a blazing-fast Windows machine.

What Cameras Inside Foxconn Found

ABC's "Nightline" was invited to visit Apple's production lines at Foxconn, giving Americans a chance to see how iPads and iPhones are made in China. A note from a man born in China gave another perspective on jobs in that country.

Apple's Mountain Lion Makes the Mac More Like the iPad

Apple's Mountain Lion operating system software for the Mac brings even more of the iPhone/iPad features to the Mac. The juiciest payoff here is the suite of Mac apps that now mimic what's on the iPhone/iPad. Through your free iCloud account, all of these apps are synced instantly and smoothly across all your Apple gadgets.

The Dilemma of Cheap Electronics

If consumers want cellphones and other gadgets to be made under decent working conditions, they will also have to reckon with higher prices.

Things That Were Once Amazing

David Pogue is amazed that people are still amazed at children's tech prowess. It's too bad there's no List of Things That Were Once Amazing, but Are Really Kind of Old News at This Point, he says. It would be a handy clip-and-save document that you could review, perhaps to avoid unwittingly embarrassing yourself at the next cocktail party.

Look, Ma, No Hands! Operating a Laptop With Eyes Only

Tobii, a Swedish company, is demonstrating eye-tracking software that really rocked my world. Imagine reading a Web page or Word document on the screen and the page scrolls automatically, gracefully and effortlessly as you proceed through the article. The system knows where your eyes are and how fast you're going.

A New G-Shock Watch Awaits a New Bluetooth

Casio's G-Shock GB6900 watch uses a new, low-power Bluetooth chip called Bluetooth Smart (or Bluetooth 4.0) to do amazing things with a PC or smartphone. Butt the watch doesn't work unless your phone also has Bluetooth 4.0 - and right now, only a couple of them do.

Put Down the Pitchforks on SOPA

Not enough people have acknowledged that the opposition was arguing two totally different different points - the "you're going about it the wrong way" group and the "we want our illegal movies!" group. In the new world of Internet versus government, the system worked; the people spoke, government listened, and that's good. But let's do it responsibly, people. Both sides have an obligation to do the right thing.