The Real Deal from CNET

Microsoft's got a new competitor to Flash, but it's much more than that, and much different. Find out why.

Twitter has taken the Web world by storm. Why is it so hot? What is it? We'll get you up to speed on miniblogging in this episode.

We deal with all the instant messenger protocols and review some of the best multi-protocol clients.

Wondering what all the fuss about SATA drives is? We'll unravel the mystery.

Find out what VoIP is, how it works, and whether you should trade in your landline for Internet telephony.

You can play games from Pong, to Atari to Nintendo, all on your current PC. Tom Merritt talks game emulators.

So what's all this hooplah about the Apple TV? And did you know there are other devices that do the same thing?

A media center isn't just a program from Windows. Oh no! Find out what a good media center does and what all your options are.

Refurbished electronics sell for cheaper than brand new items, and usually are identical. So what's the catch? Tom Merritt tells you hot to safely negotiate the world of refurbished tech gadgets and reap the savings.

Tom discusses how he gets web video on his living room TV, and reveals some of his favorite sources.

Want cheap software? If you're willing to do without a few niceties like tech support, OEM can save you big bucks.

Did you know you can get a small PC card that allows you to get digital cable in any device? It's CableCARD. And if only it was as easy as I just made it sound.

Why are videos so frustrating? One of the reasons is codecs. There are lots and lots of codecs out there. Tom and Justin attempt to explain why that is, how codecs work, and ho to navigate the confusing world of video.

A little primer on CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). What it is, what it does, and how to use it.

Digital cameras can be hard to understand. Don't know your ISO settings from your RAW image format? Lori Grunin helps Tom understand how digital cameras work.