Top technology news headlines

• 

  Memo to Steve Jobs:
  Set the music free

  CNET News' Greg Sandoval says that for iTunes customers, record labels, and its own good, Apple needs to make deals to do away with copy protection software.
  •  Does mainstream consumer care about DRM?
  • Podcast: Behind Apple's holdout on DRM

  Read full story
• 

  Going solar? Seven sites map your plans

  Consumers and businesses seeking to install solar power can turn to these Web sites for interactive maps and cost estimates.
  • SunRun lands financing
  • Meraki takes Wi-Fi solar

  Read full story

• Microsoft confirms Yahoo hire

  Software maker says Sean Suchter, who announced his departure from Yahoo on Wednesday, will join its Silicon Valley search center.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• Google SearchWiki brings custom search results

  Company gets a taste for collaborative search: SearchWiki lets people promote Web sites they like, delete ones they don't, and share comments.

  (Posted in Webware by Stephen Shankland)

• Google drops Picasa's 'beta' (and pigs fly)

  Only two months after releasing Picasa 3 beta, Google does the uncharacteristic and commits to a full version release, sans safety net.

  (Posted in The Download Blog by Jessica Dolcourt)

• Microsoft: IE 8 won't be done until 2009

  Company will do one more test version early next year before releasing the final version. Microsoft had earlier said to expect the browser to be finalized this year.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• Coulomb car-charging stations coming to Calif.

  Smart meters from Silicon Valley company are set to charge electric cars at gas stations along California freeways next year.
  • SolarWorld serious about buying GM's Opel

  (Posted in Green Tech by Elsa Wenzel)

• YouTube videos go HD with a simple hack

  Want to host high-definition videos on YouTube? No problem. Just get your copy-and-paste skills ready because all it requires is changing the video's URL!

  (Posted in Webware by Josh Lowensohn)

• iSuppli cuts forecast for PC market growth

  Tanking economy is to blame, says industry analyst firm. Company had predicted shipments would rise 11.9 percent next year, but it now says it expects a rise of 4.3 percent.

  (Posted in Business Tech by Erica Ogg)

• Web sites wage holiday price wars

  As deserted malls and department stores struggle to court consumers with steep discounts, an even more ferocious price war is being waged online.
  (From The New York Times)

• Photos: Gadgets we're thankful for, Part 1

  Some of your favorite Crave contributors reveal which gadget or aspect of technology they're feeling most grateful for these days.
  • Video: Walt Mossberg picks hot holiday gadgets
  Video: Devising your Black Friday strategy

  (Posted in Crave by Crave staff)

• BlackBerry Storm packs more of a drizzle

  review Phone features an innovative touch screen that provides tactile feedback, but the onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped, and the smartphone can be sluggish, and speakerphone quality is choppy.
  • Verizon's answer to the iPhone

• 'WoW: Wrath of Lich King' sets sales record

  Blizzard Entertainment says second expansion to the hit online PC game sold 2.8 million copies in its first day, breaking the record set by the previous expansion.

  (Posted in Gaming and Culture by Daniel Terdiman)

• Teenagers' Internet socializing not a bad thing

  Hanging out online helps teenagers develop "technological skills and literacy," a researcher on a new study says.
  (From The New York Times)

• Mufin opens up with Facebook app, iTunes plug-in

  Scientific music search tool Mufin opens up and launches its iTunes plug-in for sorting through your music for recommendations.

  (Posted in Webware by Josh Lowensohn)
• All CNET News headlines

Multimedia

Additional features