Over the weekend I updated my iPod touch to the 2.0 software, and I consider that $10 well-spent. Now I can access all the same great apps as iPhone 3G owners. Thankfully, many of them are free; I've rounded up five I really like. (Note that all links require iTunes.)

• AOL Radio Stream radio from over 200 stations spanning 25 music genres. It can even round up local stations. Who needs an FM tuner now?
• eReader As a longtime fan of reading e-books on my PDA, I'm overjoyed I can now do the same on my touch. This app lets you download books purchased at the eponymous site, and flip pages just by swiping your finger. Two public-domain books are included free so you can try it out.
• NYTimes Read the latest news, business stories, editorials, and more. It's a little slow right now, probably due to huge amounts of traffic, but talk about an incredible app: the entire New York Times in the palm of your hand!
• PhoneSaber Quite arguably the best use of the iPhone/touch tilt sensor ever, this clever bit of fluff is guaranteed to elicit a smile.
• Tap Tap Revenge Think 'Guitar Hero' for iPhone. You can download new tracks (a few are included) and even play head-to-head in the ridiculously sweet two-player mode.

What fab freebies have you discovered in the new App Store? Hit the Comments and share!

Approximately 36 hours after the release of the iPhone 2.0 firmware, existing iPhone customers still can't download it. iTunes says it's unavailable. Apple should have done better.

We already know that on Friday, there were severe activation problems with the iPhone 3G. This isn't exactly a surprise, perhaps, after the new in-store activation procedures and AT&T's dismal performance last year. » Read the rest of the entry..

Belkin today announced the pricing and planned availability for its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory. The unit will eventually be available in two separate versions: a $1,000 multi-room unit set to hit in October, and a stepdown $700 model dubbed the R1, which is intended for single-room installations.

TheFlyWire wireless HDMI kit garnered a nomination for the Best of CES Awards back in January, where it successfully demonstrated the ability to wirelessly transmit uncompressed high-definition video and audio. (See a CNET TV video of the FlyWire in action after the break.)That would allow consumers to have their AV sources--cable/satellite box, game console, Blu-ray/DVD players, and the like--feed into the FlyWire transmitter, which then wirelessly streams the resulting audio and video to the FlyWire receiver connected to a wall-mounted flatscreen TV (or a projector on the ceiling), whether it's on the other side of the room or even (with the $1,000 FlyWire) in a different room altogether. » Read the rest of the entry..

Yeah, I know, it hit me as a surprise too. However, that's one of the findings found in a recent Consumer Home Piracy market research study carried out by Futuresource Consulting and sponsored by Macrovision.

The study was done in May 2008 in the U.S. and the U.K. with the sample size of more than 5,000 people. As it turns out, one-third of all the respondents in both countries admit to having made copies of prerecorded DVDs, on average about 13 titles each, in the last six months, up from just over a quarter of respondents in 2007. At this rate, before you know it, most of us will be copying DVDs.

The survey goes deeper and analyzes other information about the copiers, from their age, the kind of entertainment they would copy, to the method they use to get the job done and so on. » Read the rest of the entry..

At 26 inches for an LCD TV, you might sniff at its puny dimensions. But Sharp's shining some light on this particular flat panel, literally.

Its 26-inch LCD TV, showcased at this week's G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, is powered by solar energy. The set was designed specifically for developing nations where the nearest AC mains are probably a town away. Sharp claims its experimental eco outing guzzles 30 percent less power than its low-power rival, though no names were mentioned. » Read the rest of the entry..

A chemical used to make LCD televisions and semiconductors could cause more global warming than coal-fired power plants, a report warns. Nitrogen trifluoride is a "missing greenhouse gas," according to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on June 26. It's used in chemical vapor deposition, which makes liquid crystal displays, semiconductors, and synthetic diamond. Production of the chemical could double to 8,000 metric tons in 2009, atmospheric chemist Michael Prather, who co-wrote the report, told New Scientist.

Nitrogen trifluoride's globe-warming effect reportedly could be 17,000 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide. » Read the rest of the entry..

Ever since flat-panel TVs began adorning walls, manufacturers have assumed that they should be treated like fine art--even to the point of disguising the sets as paintings or antique mirrors. We tend to think that even the most doltish burglar would see through this subterfuge, but maybe we're just optimists. » Read the rest of the entry..

Kevin Miller, a contributing editor for CNET, was recently invited to Japan by Sony for a weeklong trip to show off some of the company's new HDTV technology. Among the highlights were Sony's new 4K by 2K projector, the SRX-R220, its new line of Bravia, and the XBR flat panel LCD HDTVs, a new proprietary wireless HDMI technology, called Bravia Wireless Link, and some updates on its new OLED displays. » Read the rest of the entry..

Sony has just confirmed the rumor we all heard back in April: video downloads will be available on the PS3 this summer. Details right now are scarce, but we do know the service will first be rolled out in the United States, followed by Japan and Europe later in the year. As we mentioned before, we would like to see a service tied in with Netflix since everybody and their mother seems to use the service, or even a Hulu type service, which offers TV shows from Fox and NBC, broken up by short 15-second ads. Our best guess though: iTunes-esque pricing, the most expensive of all three choices. Rent a movie, pay a high premium, and lose it . We can't see how this will be successful, considering Sony's quirky history with digital media downloads (see: Sony Connect and ATRAC3). » Read the rest of the entry..

Most new TVs have three or four HDMI sockets these days. But what if yours has fewer than you need? That's not as uncommon as you might think, especially if you have an older TV or even something like the Hitachi ultra-thin screen we reviewed recently. With Blu-ray players, games consoles, satellite, and media streamers, it's not a stretch to believe some people might desperately need more HDMI inputs. Happily, there are solutions for you, including this Lindy HDMI switch, with four HDMI inputs and one output. As it features what Lindy proclaims is a "high-quality Sony chipset," you shouldn't have any problems with compatibility or signal corruption. Happy days, as you'd be rather narked if you bought something like this only to discoverer it made a mess of everything you sent through it. » Read the rest of the entry..