Apple's iTunes Store went completely DRM-free today, after Apple struck deals with all four major record labels. And the iPhone can now download from iTunes over 3G. Took you long enough, guys!

Phil Schiller excitedly announced a 17-inch MacBook Pro at his keynote at Macworld today -- it's supposedly the thinnest 17-inch laptop ever made and has a stonking great battery

After announcing in its last fiscal year Apple had sold almost 10 million Macs, Apple announced at Macworld today the launch of iLife '09, and it includes a new version of iPhoto.

iPhoto now lets users organise photos using face-detection technology. After detecting a face, users can tag it with a name, then browse other photos featuring the same face. Should iPhoto get it wrong, you can tell it so, and remove the wrong person's photo from the list.

Also new in iPhoto is the ability to organise pictures by their location. So if your photos are geotagged with GPS location information -- say, Paris -- iPhoto will let you browse all the photos you've taken in Paris. No geotagged photos? No worries, since you can add place names yourself.

And with integration with Facebook and Flickr, photos tagged with your friends' names bring their tags with them when synced and downloaded to iPhoto.

Canon just launched a pair of new DVD-based camcorders aimed at families who are generally scared of technology -- the simple-to-use DC400 series

Canon has just let its new range of standard-definition camcorders out of bag -- the Legrias FS22, FS21, FS20 and FS200. We've got not only all the beef, but pictures of the beef, too

Always wanted a MacBook Air but can't afford one? You'll be delighted to hear MSI is all set to unleash a MacBook look-a-like

Six months after announcing its intention to bring SlingPlayer to the iPhone 3G, Sling Media has been demoing the software at Macworld and hopes to release the final version to the public in the next three months.

Like SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, UIQ, and BlackBerry platforms, this iPhone version will let you access one or more Slingboxes from your mobile device, and watch your TV stations on-the-go.

You'll also be able to manage your PVR from the iPhone, plus add and remove favourite channels directly from the phone's interface -- a first for the SlingPlayer Mobile line of software.

The Mini 2140 heads the third wave of netbook laptops, as the devices begin to acquire useful extras and features largely missing from previous designs

HP is barrelling into CES with some hot new portable computing solutions. The highlight of the lineup is this new, thin, 12-inch AMD-powered model, called the Pavilion dv2. At first glance, another glossy HP laptop with an AMD processor may induce yawns, but when we learned this was the first system to use AMD's new super-efficient Athlon Neo platform, our ears perked up.

The new IdeaCentre A600 includes a motion-sensitive remote that works as a Media Center control, VoIP phone, 'air mouse' and game controller, according to Lenovo

Freescale has unveiled an ARM-based, Ubuntu-toting netbook design, claiming it will bring cheap Internet devices to the younger, Windows-averse widget users

Apple has struck deals with the Sony Music, Universal and Warner, enabling its iTunes Store to offer a catalogue of music free of copy-protection, from all the major record labels

The CES camcorder deluge begins with the Legria HFS10 and HFS100, two flash-memory, high-definition shooters with a funny new name

The clock is ticking. Crave has dispatched agents to CES 2009 and already the announcements have started, with the Jack Bauer-approved 24x optical zoom of the Z980

Kodak is following up its first high-definition pocket camcorder with the new Zx1, including a bigger screen and weather-proof body. Crave wishes its body was weather-proof

On Monday, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs issued a statement concerning his health and explaining his absence from the Macworld show.

In a letter, Jobs wrote:

"Dear Apple Community,

"For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

"Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil [Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing] deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

Sales of Nokia's Comes With Music service have been "Okay, but not Earth-shattering," according to a report. The unbroken planet is sighing with relief

A German security researcher has disclosed a denial-of-service attack that could affect Symbian-based smartphones made by Nokia and others

According to a rumour started by CrunchGear yesterday, Palm is set to launch a potential iPhone competitor this Thursday. The new Palm phone will apparently run on the company's new operating system, Nova, which is based on Linux.

In addition to a new OS, the as-yet-unnamed Palm phone is also rumoured to feature a touchscreen and a slide-out Qwerty keypad. Little else is known about the incoming Palm -- we don't expect it'll look much like the Z22, pictured -- but we're very curious indeed.

Interestingly, CrunchGear also hints at the device being manufactured by HTC, which makes the T-Mobile G1, as well as its own-brand HTC devices, so we might see something rather interesting -- fingers crossed.

A new documentary film details the history of the most rabid Apple lovers. We set our left eyebrow firmly in the raised position and had a watch

Possibly as early as this week, Apple is expected to boost its MacBook Pro lineup with a 17-inch version, sporting a unibody construction and fixed internal battery

At CES, the world's largest consumer-technology tradeshow, Lenovo will bolster its IdeaPad line with a few new models, including the 16-inch Y650.

The new Y series also includes the 15-inch Y550 and the 14-inch Y450. All the laptops will share a similar design, with a black, "interlocked hexagon pattern" on the lid and a copper accent band around the edge.

The 16:9 displays on all three laptops indicate a multimedia focus, as does the Dolby Home Theater Surround Sound-branded audio. Both audio and video settings can be accessed from a quick-launch button that opens a software app called 'OneKey Theater'.

The inventor of the MechRC robot explains how a user-focused software package makes for a more rewarding, interactive robotic experience

In the podcast this week we take the obligatory look back at 2008 and discuss all of our favourite news stories. Also included: a scuffle over who had the best WTF story of the last 12 months

Facebook has not only gone high definition with 720p video, it has also added an option to embed your videos on other sites. It was this feature, we'd argue, that made YouTube the video-hosting behemoth is today. Facebook isn't the first site to offer these features -- Vimeo and SmugMug do HD, and even good old CNET UK offers video embeds -- but it does have one feature that puts it above the others: privacy.

Where the 'Book differentiates itself from the 'Tube is that once the video is embedded, the privacy settings that you set on Facebook apply to the embedded video across the web. So if you make the video only visible to your friends on Facebook itself, then the embedded video can only be watched by your friends, if they are logged into Facebook. That's the kind of interwebs black magic that makes our head hurt.

If 2009 is about saving money, then you have to look at your mobile expenditure as a matter of urgency. If you're not on the best tariff, then you need to change it

Nintendo is planning to launch a free, on-demand television channel in Japan, delivered via its Wii console. It'll feature original and exclusive programming, and will hopefully hit the UK later this year

We've collected together the six most useful programs released in 2008 designed to make your life easier and your computer faster

'Move along, nothing to see here' says Microsoft after a security researcher says he has found a flaw in Windows Media Player

The States will get a new e-book reader next year to join the Sony Readers and Amazon Kindles they are enjoying so much. But this one is a lot cheaper

Apple was at it again on Christmas day -- filing a patent application for an intriguing new series of gestures that would replace keys with finger swipes

The first beta of Windows 7 has popped up on Torrent sites, along with many people's first impressions of the new operating system

Did you know the headphones that came with your new MP3 player are useless? Here are four essential upgrades to help you get the most from your new player

"Holy f***ing s*** I was just in a plane crash!"

That was the message sent to Twitter by Mike Wilson, a resident of Denver, Colorado, shortly after Continental Flight 1404 veered from the runway in his home town, plunging into the snow-strewn surrounding area.

Armed with an iPhone and the Twitterific Twitter app, Wilson proved once and for all that when it comes to emergencies, even normal blogging is too sluggish. "Ugh... My glasses fell off in the mass exodus getting off the plane... Can't see very well," he continued, before posting a blurry photo of the crash site.

Christmas is nothing without nostalgia, so Crave had a warm, seasonal moment when we read this report from the Los Angeles Times that the last major US supplier of VHS tapes has shipped its final truckload of the format. We know VHS has been considered dead for years, but now it's officially the end of an era.

Ryan Kugler, the owner of the warehouse, said he'll end up just giving away the rest of the unused tapes or dumping them in the rubbish.

The LA Times article goes on to detail the interesting history of the VHS tape, including what it meant for the home entertainment industry and how it was eventually overtaken by DVD in the mid-2000s.

On the heels of Google revealing enhancements to its mobile platform, rumours are circulating that we may soon be seeing a new Android device

5...4...3...2...1...competition! CNET UK and Symantec are giving you a crack at a zero gravity flight, and maybe even a chance to go into Space. Cosmic!

The BBC has made public its new version of a desktop iPlayer client, enabling downloads of its TV shows for Mac and Linux for the first time.

If you're bored of hearing about the blinkin' credit crunch Christmas, and long for some good old-fashioned gadgety over-indulgence, here's the Leica D-Lux 4 Titanium. Because nothing screams class like misspelling the word 'deluxe'

This week, the CNET UK Podcast reaches the dizzying heights of episode 116. To celebrate such as auspicious occasion, Rich, Nate and Ian discussed the week's news, cravings and answered some listener questions.

We were surprised to hear that some Amazon UK warehouse staff are a touch unhappy with their working conditions. Apparently unrealistic targets and 14 miles of walking a day upset employees.

We also learnt that Australians are being served serious legal papers via Facebook. We found ourselves angered by the news that an MP has claimed his iPod back on expenses, despite earning a substantial salary. And there was excitement in the microblogging community as Jonathan Ross started twittering.

'Tis the season to be jolly, Cravemeisters! Yes, it's getting on for that time of year when the right-thinking gadget fan can set aside all other considerations and concentrate solely on gizmo goodness. It's the time of year when we know we'll be served up with the latest technological treats. Christmas? Bah humbug! We're talking about the Consumer Electronics Show, true believer. Yes, it's nearly time for the insanity of CES 2009!

One of the most popular pairs of earphones in the world is being discontinued in favour of a refined, more competent new version. Sennheiser's CX 300s are extremely popular upgrades for MP3 players due to their decent performance and low cost. And now they're getting go-faster stripes.

The CX 300-II earphones will be out in time for Christmas this year in a range of colours for £39, with a bump in performance to boot, making them even more advisable as first upgrades to the population's iPods.

If you're spending £150 on an MP3 player, you should consider at least £40 on a pair of decent earphones. The ones that come with today's players are typically abhorrent insults to music -- all the money you spend goes into the player, with a pittance diverted towards the cheap little buds that get shoved in the box.

The chipmaker's new Ion platform combines Nvidia's GeForce 9400 GPU with Intel's Atom chipset, delivering impressive graphics performance on a budget

The iPhone's increasingly impressive games library just got a double shot of nostalgia and megalomania -- the legendary SimCity is now available from the App Store

The social network has released stats that peg its active-user count at 140 million, surprisingly soon after reaching 130 million -- most of the growth has been outside the US

We've got the hottest and most hyped new MP3 player to come out of Korea, with a boat-load of pictures and a hands-on report to prove it

The iPhone camera is a bit rubbish, isn't it? A quick trip to the iTtunes app store will set that right, with OldBooth, Tiltshift, ShoZu and Seadragon making image magic

It's no secret that we love a good media streamer. So far this year we've been blown away by the quality of new products hitting the market. The Popcorn Hour A100 and A110 are both brilliant machines. We were also impressed by the DVICO TViX HD M-6500A too, which is a little more costly, but still a great performer. Now we've been sent an HDX 1000 to make our Christmas even better.

Samsung's latest MP3 player just hit Korea -- with high quality audio and video support, plus a whopping touch-sensitive screen, you've every reason to be interested

Without Steve Jobs giving this year's Macworld keynote, it's safe to say Apple won't be making a huge splash in January