conversations

E3 2011: The lesser-seen hardware

Sure, you know about the Wii U. You know about the PlayStation Vita. But do you know about the jDome immersive game screen? How about a device that takes physical game pieces and puts them in games? Or, what about a triple-mount TV stand for all your motion-control camera gear?

The E3 Expo is always known for its explosively loud gaming demos and endless play kiosks (not to mention costumed absurdity), but tucked away in the corners are lesser-known companies hawking peripherals and technology that ranges from the intriguing to the absurd. In years past, these odd bits of gaming … Read more

How to delete text messages from the iPhone

Perhaps when iOS 5 arrives this fall, it will offer a way to delete text messages en masse. Currently, your deleting options are limited in the iPhone's native texting app, which is disappointing to anyone with dozens if not hundreds of old text messages littering your inbox.

At the present, you have three methods to delete texts:… Read more

ALTe Powertrain Tech retrofits trucks as plug-ins

Even as the big automakers start making plug-in electric vehicles, ALTe PowertrainTechnologies is one of many companies seeking to carve out a business converting fleet vehicles to plug-in hybrids.

The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based company said today it has signed a partnership with Manheim, which sells autos through online auctions, to market retrofit trucks and vans to be extended-range electric vehicles.

ALTe Powertrain Technologies plans to convert trucks, such as a Ford F-150, into a hybrid and increase fuel efficiency by as much as 200 percent. The major components of its powertrain are a 20 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack, … Read more

Will Spotify's U.S. launch be delayed again?

Spotify, the European music service that drops the jaws of all who try it, is at risk of blowing another self-imposed deadline for launching in the United States.

While CEO Daniel Ek has promised that Spotify will finally launch before the end of 2010, the company has yet to sign a single licensing agreement with any of the top four record companies, multiple music industry sources told CNET. Sure, Spotify can claim many admirers at the top labels and some progress in the negotiations, but time is running out.

Music licensing deals are complex and typically can't be slapped … Read more

AMP to develop electric SUV prototype for OEM

AMP Electric Vehicles has announced that it's developing a mainstream SUV prototype for an automaker, but it didn't say which one. The obvious guess is GM since the Cincinnati-based start-up has developed conversion processes for a handful of GM vehicles, including the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2007-2009 Saturn Solstice, and Pontiac Sky. However, a GM spokesperson indicated that the company does not have any agreement with AMP.

AMP purchases cars from dealerships for customers (or customers can bring their own) and converts the vehicle to operate with an electric drivetrain. Using a custom lithium ion battery pack and … Read more

Facebook goes Places

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded: Update your Facebook Places Verizon on the iPad Google Chrome Web Store leaks Intel to buy McAffe Personal spy game with the iPhone

A Conversation with Facebook's Chris Cox

Me, to Facebook VP of Product Chris Cox: "Are you selling personal data to advertisers?"

Chris Cox, to me: "No."

I'll give credit to the guy: this wasn't an easy interview, and he's a much better spokesman for the site and its mission than Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg. He made it clear that the company heard the negative feedback on its recent privacy foibles loud and clear--and said they re-tasked their engineering teams to fix the privacy and sharing settings that were more byzantine than the U.S. Constitution.

And he unequivocally stated … Read more

Send in your questions for Facebook's Chris Cox

We've got a blockbuster summer on CNET Conversations, and the next big release is Chris Cox, vice president of product at Facebook and second-in-command under CEO Mark Zuckerberg (who, we can only imagine, is taking a break from interviews after a rough outing last month). I'm looking forward to a fresh face from Facebook and, hopefully, a good conversation and some solid answers.

Like it or leave it over privacy issues, Facebook's growth and popularity are unfettered--it is rapidly approaching 500 million users and Zuckerberg recently predicted it will hit a billion in the next three to … Read more

A conversation with Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz

Yahoo was on people's lips last week--from hookups with Facebook to rumors of a Huffington Post buyout to news that CNN had replaced it in the No. 1 spot in ComScore's "general news" rankings. (Don't take that last too seriously, though.)

So, it was a good time for us to sit down with CEO Carol Bartz and get her thoughts on everything from the company's burgeoning content strategy to combating spam in Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger. Below are impressions of the conversation from CNET's Tom Krazit and Molly Wood; for the full … Read more