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Can Yahoo and Tumblr >>> (Credit: CNET screenshot)

Marissa Mayer wants Yahoo to attract a younger, hipper and cooler audience for Yahoo. Its audience of 700 million is aging, and the 18-year-old brand that defined the first era of the web doesn't have a compelling entry point to attract the coveted 18-to-34 demographic.

Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology conference this week, Yahoo CFO Ken Goldman said, "We're working hard to get some of the younger folks," and that Yahoo needs content that's more relevant the 18-to-34 age bracket.

Yahoo's board of directors is meeting this weekend to consider resolving its youth problem by plunking down $1.1 billion in cash for Tumblr, as AllThingsD reported Friday,.

Tumblr has a lot of momentum, with over 100 million visitors per month, 100 million blogs, more than 90 million posts per day and over 50 billion posts to date, according to the company. And, it's a social network, which Yahoo lacks, where Tumblr users are followed and follow other blogs, and can repost their blogs to their Twitter and Facebook accounts. The six-year-old company generated $13 million in 2012 and could hit $100 millio... [Read more]

    


The Chromebook Pixel, Google's I/O 2013 giveaway, improves every six weeks as its Chrome OS updates. Nevertheless, it's far from ready for everyday use.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's expensive Chromebook giveaway here at its I/O 2013 conference can't handle connecting to digital cameras, but that's just one of many problems that the laptop causes for its owners.

Chromebooks, which run Chrome OS (read review), are a perpetual work in progress. Updated every six weeks or thereabouts, just like the browser it's based on, Chromebooks rely on the promise of the modern Web.

High-end Chrome OS: Google's Chromebook Pixel (pictures)

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Full of delightful details, 'The Birth of a Jedi' by Rob Burden measures 128x88 inches.

(Credit: Kickstarter)

Do you still have your original "Star Wars" action figures? Mine are tucked away in storage, but looking at Rob Burden's artwork makes me want to dig them out.

The San Francisco artist is so obsessed with his old "Star Wars" figures that he does 10-foot-tall oil paintings of them, like "The Birth of a Jedi," above. The works don't portray the characters from the series, but the actual action figures themselves.

Now he's taking his passion to new heights on Kickstarter with a $24,000 campaign to produce two enormous 10x14-foot "Star Wars" canvases.

The two paintings will depict dozens of "Star Wars" action figures and toys. A character will be the central subject of one, while the other will have a vehicle like the AT-AT Walker or a creature as the focus. Burden wants enthusiasts to vote for which toys are included in the paintings; you can vote on his Facebook page.

Related stories

San Francisco artist Rob Burden paints the action figures he played with as a boy. Here are some examples of his art featuring toys from "Star Wars," "He-Man," "ThunderCats," and other franchises.How obsessed can you get about action figures? San Francisco artist Rob Burden (aka Robert Xavier Burden) is trying to raise $24,000 on Kickstarter to produce two 10x14-foot oil paintings depicting original "Star Wars" figures.

Whoever pledges $4,000 can get one of these 114-inch-tall oil paintings of C3PO, Boba Fett, or a Stormtrooper, which have yet to be completed; they're going to be in full color. [Read more]

    


BlackBerry Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben at the BlackBerry Live keynote session this week.

(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- When Frank Boulben joined BlackBerry a year ago as its chief marketing officer, he found a company whose reputation with the public was in shambles.

To make matters worse, its marketing strategy was in complete disarray. Each country or region had their own version of a BlackBerry campaign, complete with different agencies and creative processes. Even within the same region, campaigns would change from quarter to quarter with little lasting effect.

"There were a lot of broken pieces," Boulben recalled during his keynote presentation at the company's BlackBerry Live conference on Tuesday.

Related stories

Cameron (left) and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin Harvard graduates who competed in the 2008 Olympics as rowers and became bitcoin investors and owners, say it's time to "work with regulators."

(Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET)

SAN JOSE--The Winklevoss twins, who transformed a lucrative Facebook payout into a venture capital fund, say it's now time for bitcoin companies to work with governments rather than against them.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin Harvard graduates famously portrayed in the 2010 film The Social Network, showed up at the Bitcoin 2013 conference to talk up the future of the Internet's favorite alternative currency -- as long as it escapes a government crackdown.

"I don't think anyone wants a fight -- I think everyone here wants to build bitcoin, to work with regulators," Cameron Winklevoss told over 1,000 conference attendees yesterday evening. "Cooperation is really the way forward."

The Winklevii, who became enough of a cultural icon to be immortalized with Snooki and Kermit the Frog in pistachio commercials, have motives that are far from altruistic: they reportedly own 1 ... [Read more]

    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: A Beautiful Mess has an intuitive interface for adding stylized text, borders, and doodles on your photos. You can quickly share your work with social networks.
Bad: As a photo editor, the tool set is lacking with only a few filters. In-app purchases add up to 10 dollars more after your initial 99 cent purchase.
Bottom Line: If you are part of the target audience for the A Beautiful Mess Web site, this app may appeal to you, but if you're looking for a strong photo editor, you should look elsewhere. [Read more]
    


Google's I/O developer conference may have dominated the tech world for the bulk of this week, but did that stop CNET editors from reviewing more of the latest gear? HECK NO. In addition to some sweet sound bars, a pair of potent portable drives, and a game from the legendary Sid Maier, we also took the 2013 Audi RS 5 for a spin.

2013 Audi RS 5

The 2013 Audi RS 5 is an exceptional sports coupe that balances its, frankly, brutal performance with some of the best dashboard tech in the business. Read the review.

[Read more]
    
Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: A new sensor lets the Fujifilm X20 deliver better photo quality than its predecessor, and tweaks to the design improve the shooting experience significantly.
Bad: The lens-twist-to-turn-on is getting old fast, and the feature set provides just the basics. Plus the video quality disappoints.
Bottom Line: The Fujifiilm X20 is a great choice for people looking for a well-designed photographer's camera, but the basic feature set and disappointing video might not be for everyone. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: A new sensor lets the Fujifilm X20 deliver better photo quality than its predecessor, and tweaks to the design improve the shooting experience significantly.
Bad: The lens-twist-to-turn-on is getting old fast, and the feature set provides just the basics. Plus the video quality disappoints.
Bottom Line: The Fujifiilm X20 is a great choice for people looking for a well-designed photographer's camera, but the basic feature set and disappointing video might not be for everyone. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: The Sharp HT-SB60 ultralong sound bar delivers a huge sound, besting smaller systems and handling even music well. It also packs two HDMI inputs, which is handy if your TV doesn't have many ports. The included remote also makes it easy to adjust settings like bass/treble/subwoofer levels without diving into menus.
Bad: The HT-SB60 lacks built-in Bluetooth, so you'll need a separate device for wireless audio streaming. Its huge size also means it won't fit nicely in most living rooms, and it looks awkward with TVs smaller than 60 inches. The system's aesthetics are uninspiring, while the remote has a confusing button layout.
Bottom Line: The Sharp HT-SB60 is one of the best-performing sound bars we've tested, although its extra-long size and lack of Bluetooth will give some buyers pause. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: The Patriot Aero Wireless Mobile Drive is compact, delivers very fast speeds via USB 3.0, and has decent battery life.
Bad: There's no car charger included, and you can't use the mobile app to search, preview, or organize content.
Bottom Line: The Patriot Aero is a fast and competent mobile drive that unfortunately doesn't have enough new features to make it stand out. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: The Patriot Aero Wireless Mobile Drive is compact, delivers very fast speeds via USB 3.0, and has decent battery life.
Bad: There's no car charger included, and you can't use the mobile app to search, preview, or organize content.
Bottom Line: The Patriot Aero is a fast and competent mobile drive that unfortunately doesn't have enough new features to make it stand out. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: The Sony W802 offers relatively deep black levels and good shadow detail for an LED-based LCD TV; has sleek, minimalist styling and a simple, clear interface; well-rounded feature set includes enhanced mobile connectivity options.
Bad: Somewhat expensive; color fidelity, uniformity and picture processing are a mixed bag.
Bottom Line: The Sony W802 LED LCD delivers lots of style and features, but its picture quality is only decent at this price. [Read more]
    


Editor's Rating:
User Rating:
Good: The Sony W802 offers relatively deep black levels and good shadow detail for an LED-based LCD TV; has sleek, minimalist styling and a simple, clear interface; well-rounded feature set includes enhanced mobile connectivity options.
Bad: Somewhat expensive; color fidelity, uniformity and picture processing are a mixed bag.
Bottom Line: The Sony W802 LED LCD delivers lots of style and features, but its picture quality is only decent at this price. [Read more]
    


(Credit: Hulu)

Satellite TV provider DirecTV is thinking about buying all or parts of streaming-video site Hulu, according to news reports Friday.

An unnamed source told The Wall Street Journal that Hulu's owners, which include Walt Disney Company and Comcast, are considering several options for the site's future, including selling it.

Other unnamed sources told Bloomberg that DirecTV is still in preliminary discussions regarding Hulu and that it's not clear if DirecTV will buy some or all of Hulu.

Hulu is an attractive platform for TV providers like DirecTV because it would let them tap into online audiences. DirecTV was among the companies that were reportedly vying to purchase Hulu in 2011, but Walt Disney and Comcast eventually called off the process. Rumors surfaced earlier this year that there was renewed interest in Hulu, including from Yahoo and Amazon. [Read more]

    

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York.

(Credit: Shara Tibken/CNET)

Yahoo's board of directors is meeting this weekend to consider buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, AllThingsD reported Friday.

Unnamed sources told ATD that the deal is entirely in cash, which means Yahoo isn't offering up any stock options for the hip blogging site. The sources also said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer -- who has been trying to turn the large, struggling company around -- thinks buying Tumblr is key to her vision of a new Yahoo.

Yahoo sent out an invitation to the press Friday for a product event in New York taking place on Monday. The abrupt announcement had journalists wondering if the company was going to unveil the rumored Tumblr deal, but Bloomberg is now reporting that Monday's event is actually for an update to photo-sharing site Flickr. [Read more]

    
The A Beautiful Mess app is laid out well for quickly going through each of the different menus.There are only a handful of filters you can apply to your images. Interestingly, this is the only category you can't upgrade through in-app purchase. [Read more]
    

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions on the locations of the various libraries in OS X, the options for using an old internal hard drive from a MacBook as an external hard drive, and the options for managing Wi-Fi networks that span greater distances than their radios can cover.

I welcome contributions from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: The location of various libraries in OS X MacFixIt reader "BioHutch" asks:

I can't seem to find the system's library. Where are they located in OS X?

Answer: OS X has three relevant libraries. The first is the system library, which is at the following location on your hard drive. This library contains core OS X components and is rarely touched by third-party programs:

Macintosh HD > System > Library

The second library is the global user library, which is located directly in the root of your hard drive, and is a location for shared resources (such as fonts installed by Microsoft Word for all users to access):

Macintosh HD > Library

The last library is the one in your user account, and contains similar resources to the global library. It is only accessible by your account when you are logged in, and is the way OS X sep... [Read more]

    
Mercedes-Benz was on the scene at this week's Google I/O conference showcasing its new Google services integration in a new SL convertible.Mercedes-Benz was on the scene at this week's Google I/O conference showcasing its new Google services integration in a new SL convertible. The entire onscreen interface is rendered on an Apple iPhone running Mercedes-Benz's DriveStyle app. The phone is connected to the infotainment system via a Mercedes-Benz Drive Kit Plus HDMI connection and is controlled via the Comand control knob on the center console.

Going Apple-only to use Google's services at a Google conference seems a bit odd, but Mercedes-Benz's representatives tell us that the automaker is waiting for an established standard for display mirroring to be adopted by Android. [Read more]
    
Looking to add more storage to your tablet? A wireless mobile storage device is the way to go, especially for an iPad, since iPads don't have USB ports.Wi-Fi-enabled portable storage devices enable mobile users to carry a lot more data (up to 1TB) than a tablet or smartphone can hold. All of the devices pictured here (from left: the G-Tech G-Connect, the Patriot Aero, the Corsair Voyager Air, and the Seagate Wireless Plus) can work either as a regular portable bus-powered external hard drive, or, when disconnected from a computer, as a mobile wireless storage device with media-streaming capability.

Apart from the G-Connect, the rest of the devices on the market have a built-in battery and can operate for a long period of time without connecting to a power source. [Read more]

    
(Credit: Microsoft)

Maybe everyone's focused on the wrong Microsoft operating system.

Dell said during its earnings conference call on Thursday that "commercial" customers, meaning corporate customers, are just now transitioning to Windows 7.

"I think you continue to see Win 7 on the commercial side of the business. It's driving a refresh cycle," said Brian T. Gladden, chief financial officer for Dell, during the conference call.

Yeah, you read that write. That's corporate customers switching from, for example, XP or Vista to Windows 7. And that is driving PC and hardware upgrades at Dell.

That makes a Windows 8 upgrade pretty unlikely in the near future for those customers.

Here's what Gladden said about Windows 8. "Windows 8 has been from our standpoint, not necessarily the catalyst to drive accelerated growth that we had hoped it would be."

That's probably understatement, as CFOs are masters of understatement on earnings conference calls.

Related story

To be fair, corporations typically are slow at moving to a new operating system because the upgrade has to be orchestrated across thousands, if not tens ... [Read more]

    
Last month, Anthony Liu put the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse into the record books as the fastest open-top production car, piloting it up to 254 mph. CNET takes a look at the car on the slower roads of Napa, Calif.Bugatti launched the first Veyron in 2005, then a supercar with 1,001 horsepower. Since then, the company has followed with the open-top Grand Sport, then increased the horsepower with bigger turbochargers for the Super Sport. The most recent variation is this Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, an open top using the more powerful engine of the Super Sport. [Read more]
    

Despite its massive horsepower and torque, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse behaves nicely cruising on a twisty mountain road.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

I wish I could tell you about driving the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse up to its record-breaking speed of 254 mph. Race car driver Anthony Liu did it. Of course, he drove the Veryon on a 5.6-mile straightaway at Volkswagen's test track in Ehra-Lessien, Germany, taking the speed record for a production convertible.

On the rural roads in Napa, Calif., the best I could manage was a few seconds of maximum acceleration, making all four wheels grab pavement with neck-snapping force from the engine's 1,106 pound-feet of torque.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: World's fastest convertible (pictures)

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Wake up to a dancing iPhone, Ep. 121

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This week on Crave, we take a look at Tim-e, an iPhone dock that wakes you up in the most annoying ways possible. We salute Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on making space travel cool again, and demonstrate Petswitch, which lets you put your face on your cat's visage.

Crave stories:

- Having made the ISS cool again, Hadfield returns to Earth

- Dream Chaser space plane to begin NASA flight tests ... [Read more]

    

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