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2010

Highlight messages sent only to you in Gmail, Outlook 2010

As your e-mail inbox fills up, it can be difficult to distinguish the important messages from the ones you can read later--if at all. One way to help identify personal e-mails from impersonal ones is by the number of recipients. By highlighting messages sent only to you, you're less likely to miss mail requiring your immediate attention.

Last November I described how to merge multiple e-mail accounts and organize them by using filters and labels. This can help shuttle less-important messages out of your inbox and into folders you can peruse at your leisure.

But not all the non-filtered … Read more

Skip this uninstaller

Simnet UnInstaller 2010 is a free utility for uninstalling programs from Windows PCs. It's compact and easy to use, and removes programs as completely as the Windows uninstaller. However, it does less than the Windows uninstall tool and similar free uninstallers. It also offers to help you manage your programs, but it only uninstalls them.

Simnet UnInstaller shares a similar interface with the developer's other tools, a compact, colorful dialog with buttons marked About, Status, Programs, Settings, and Help. The Settings are limited to check boxes for automatic updates and creating a System Restore point before uninstalling software. … Read more

Easy registry defrag

Simnet Registry Defrag 2010 is a free tool that analyzes and defragments the Windows Registry, restoring some of the performance that daily use tends to erode. And, like many free registry utilities, it will also scan your system for other performance problems, find them, and offer to install shareware to fix them. However, unlike many "free utilities" that do nothing but find problems for other software to fix, Simnet Registry Defrag actually defragments the registry. It's easy to use, too, and seems to do a good job.

Registry Defrag has a stylish interface with a minimum of … Read more

Intel CEO: How we will compete with ARM

Intel CEO Paul Otellini today spelled out how his company will compete with the burgeoning ARM chip ecosystem, which has taken the lead in tablet designs, during the chipmaker's fourth-quarter earnings conference call.

In the call, Otellini was quick to address tablets, a market currently centered on Apple's iPad, which runs on Apple's flavor of the ARM processor design. Motorola, RIM, and Samsung have also based their tablet products on power-efficient ARM processors. He discussed a few ways Intel could ultimately prevail in the tablet and smartphone markets.

Operating system three-fer: "In 2011, you will also … Read more

Game sales shrunk, but Xbox set records in 2010

Despite high watermarks like Microsoft selling 8 million Kinect accessories in 60 days, as well as more Xbox 360 units than it ever has before, 2010's overall gaming sales shrunk compared with last year.

The NPD Group, which published its December and annual reports for video games in 2010 earlier today, said total video game sales for the year were $18.58 billion. That's compared with sales of $19.66 billion for 2009, and $21.4 billion in 2008.

NPD said the loss can be attributed to both a 13 percent dip in console hardware spending, as well … Read more

Intel earnings zoom up 48 percent

Microprocessor heavyweight Intel today posted a 48 percent jump in net income over the same period last year on strong server demand, while revenue was up slightly.

The world's largest chipmaker reported fourth-quarter profit of $3.39 billion, or 59 cents a share, a 48 percent increase over the same period last year when it reported a profit of $2.28 billion, or 40 cents a share.

Revenue for the quarter, which ended December 25, was up 8 percent to $11.46 billion, from $10.57 billion. Analysts had expected revenue of $11.38 billion.

Gross margin, a key … Read more

2010 PC growth sees slowdown, tablet cannibalization

Following its modest growth last quarter, the PC market saw its strongest quarter of the year, while managing to miss the expectations of research firms IDC and Gartner.

According to the Quarterly PC Tracker Survey released today by IDC, overall worldwide PC shipments grew 2.7 percent year-on-year during the fourth quarter, with Gartner reporting a slightly larger 3.1 percent as part of its quarterly report. Both numbers missed the firms' expectations, which IDC had predicted at 5.5 percent and Gartner at 4.8 percent.

IDC said that one of the big reasons for the "modest" … Read more

The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode: Where that was actually pretty funny (podcast)

We've had a productive year on The 404, so before we hit 2011 we're glancing back at a few of our favorite movies from the show in 2010. We've been honing our professional radio-DJ skills with daily promos, but we also had a ton of fun doing things like our annual pilgrimage to McDonald's, Wilson eating real chicken feet on the air, and meeting up with local 404 listeners in person at The Frying Pan bar here in NYC!

Thanks to Chris Bletzinger for clipping the segments you'll hear throughout the episode, and a HUGE … Read more

The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode: Where we're already in line for the Apple iPad 2 (podcast)

Merry Christmas Eve! CNET social-media expert Caroline McCarthy joins us on this 404 Podcast Yuletide episode where we're wrapping up the year in tech.

The Apple iPad dominated our most-wanted list for the year, but 2010 was a huge year for technology as a whole. From mobile location check-in apps like Foursquare to on-demand video and wireless set-top boxes to motion-control video games and e-books, join us as we recap our personal favorites and reveal what we're looking forward to the most in 2011!

The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode, 2010 Tech Round-up Edition Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | … Read more