Also: How to watch Flash videos on the iPad; Sony unveils a pair of tablets that go where no tablets have gone before; how to review tagged photos of you on Facebook; Samsung’s massive smartphone; and a classic HP calculator marks its thirtieth anniversary.

Netflix’s new, pricier subscription plans about to kick in; which one’s right for you?
If you’re still signed up for one of Netflix’s cheaper streaming-and-DVD combo plans, it’s decision time. Read more…

How to turn on Facebook’s new “Profile Review” feature
Facebook’s new privacy controls let you check any photo you’ve been tagged in before it pops up on your profile—but you’ll have to tweak your settings first. Read more…

Sony breaks the mold with new Android tablets
Kudos to Sony for trying something new with its upcoming Android tablets, one of which looks like a folded-over magazine, while the boasts dual screens. Read more…

Is there an app for watching Flash videos on my iPad? (reader mail)
Nope, Apple’s iOS platform doesn’t support Flash, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when it comes to viewing Flash videos on the iPad. Read more…

The HP 12c Financial Calculator from 1981: 30 years later, still on sale
Hewlett-Packard’s best-selling 12c financial calculator first went on sale 30 years ago, and it’s remained in stores ever since. Read more…

How to restrict access to all your old Facebook profile posts
You can lock down access to all your wall posts in just a few clicks—but once you do it, there’s no easy way to undo it. Read more…

Samsung’s massive 5.3-inch Galaxy Note smartphone; how big is too big?
Samsung’s new Galaxy Note boasts an eye-popping 5.3-inch display, nearly two inches larger than the iPhone’s puny 3.5-inch screen. Read more…

U.S. to AT&T: Not so fast with the T-Mobile merger
Worried that consumers like us will be the losers if and when AT&T manages to gobble up T-Mobile? Well, it looks like the U.S. government couldn’t agree more. Read more…

Clear plastic film turns Apple’s Magic Trackpad into Magic “Numpad”
The Mobee Magic Numpad includes a trio of plastic films printed with number keys, perfect for Magic Trackpad users longing for an old-fashioned numeric keypad. Read more…

Remote video camera for iPhone keeps a watchful eye over a room
Is it a baby cam, a security cam, or a spy cam? That depends on how you plan on using the new iZon Remote Room Monitor for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Read more…

Dish Network’s “Tailgater”: A 10-pound, cooler-size satellite TV dish
Want to take your TV with you to the big game, or the great outdoors? Try this portable satellite dish on for size. Read more…

Why isn’t my iPad charging? (reader mail)
Need to quickly recharge the iPad? The USB port on your older Mac probably isn’t up to the task. Read more…

Digital pen transmits your scribbles to a PC or smartphone
Still like taking notes with paper and pen? Try a digital pen and receiver that can store your doodles and transfer them to your PC, Mac, or smartphone. Read more…

Note: here’s the thing will be taking a break for Labor Day, but never fear—posts will resume Tuesday. See you then, and have a great weekend!

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The Sony Tablet S—that’s the one with the curled edge—is slated to go on sale in September, starting at $499 for the 16GB version and $599 for the 32GB model. The book-style Tablet P, meanwhile, doesn’t have a price or a release date just yet.

Both the Tablet P and the Tablet S are powered by Google’s Android operating system, and they’ll also come with front and rear cameras, apps for renting movies and buying songs, and support for Sony’s suite of “PlayStation-certified” mobile games.

What really sets these tablets apart from the crowd, however, is how they look and feel.

Weighing in at just 1.33 pounds (same as the iPad 2) and armed with a roomy 9.4-inch display, the Tablet S marks the first tablet I’ve seen with an edge that curls around and folds back on itself, making for (as Sony describes it) an “ergonomic, asymmetric” look that “feels lighter” than it is because of its off-kilter design.

Then we have the 0.83-pound Tablet P, which opens like a book to reveal its twin 5.5-inch screens—a design reminiscent of the dual-screen Kyocera Echo phone on Sprint from earlier this year.

The P’s twin displays can either work together (say, to display a single web page) or separately (example: a video on one screen, with playback controls on the other), or they could make for an ace e-reader when held vertically, with facing pages on each screen.

So yes, we’re talking definite head-turners here. But will the curled-over design of the Tablet S really be easier to hold than a standard flat tablet? And will the Tablet P’s dual screens get old after awhile—particularly since a given Android application would have to be customized to take full advantage of the twin displays? Hmmmm.

Personally, I won’t be able to answer those questions until I heft the new tablets in person. That said, it’s great to see Sony thinking out of the box.

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On the left, you’ve got the 60-inch Samsung UN60D6500, while on the right sits the UN60C6500—same size, same basic look. What’s the difference between the two?

Well, with the help of the aptly named HDTV “model decoder” from online shopping site Retrevo, we can tell that the first set is the more recent model, while the second is from last year.

The secret: the “D” and “C” smack-dab in the middle of each cryptic model number, with “D” standing for 2011 and “C” denoting 2010—yesterday’s news, in other words.

Retrevo deciphers the model numbers for several HDTV manufacturers, including Sony, Samsung, and LG.

The Retrevo guide, which you can easily print out and take with you the next time you go HDTV shopping, also tells us that “UN” stands for an LCD display with LED backlighting (for sharper contrast and deeper, darker black levels), the “60” refers to screen size, and the “6500” at the end means Samsung’s 6000 Series, a line of HDTV sets that includes features like built-in Wi-Fi and Internet-enabled “Smart TV” widgets.

Retrevo’s HDTV decoder also breaks down model numbers for Sony, Vizio, Panasonic, and LG sets, along with crib sheets for specially branded features like Sony’s “Motion Flow” (a technology that smooths out the jitter between frames, making filmed content look more like video—a really weird effect, if you ask me) and LG’s Smart TV (for Internet-enabled widgets, similar to Samsung Smart TV and Sony’s Bravia Internet Video).

Last but not least, the guide lists alternate model numbers used by such big-box retailers as Costco, Sam’s Club, and Best Buy—a gambit the big stores use to skirt price-matching policies, Retrevo notes.

Visit: Retrevo’s HDTV Model Decoder

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But now there’s a new online shopping service that claims to predict price drops—or hikes—for the latest digital cameras, HDTVs, and laptops, as well as warn you if the gadget you’ve been eyeing is about to become obsolete.

Decide.com launched just a few hours ago, and it’s kicking off with deals for digital cameras, TVs, and notebook PCs. (You can also vote on which new electronics categories you’d like the Decide.com team to add next.)

Search for the gadget you’re thinking of buying, click the listing, and you’ll get details such as the current low price, a line graph that charts the peaks and valleys in the product’s pricing history, and a prediction on whether the price tag will rise, fall, or stay put in the coming weeks.

The site will also make its best guess on whether a new model is on the way in the next few months, along with the bottom line on whether you should bide your time, or strike while the iron’s hot.

Example: I found a fancy Sony SLR-style digital camera (the SLT-A33) on Decide.com and learned that it’s a) about nine months old but b) just $749, a good $50 cheaper than the original $800 price tag.

Nice, but the Decide.com product page for the SLT-A33 has been stamped with a prominent “Wait.” Why? Because a newer model, the Alpha A35, is already available for pre-order for just $599.

So, what’s the secret behind Decide.com’s crystal ball? As the site’s official blog puts it:

…we are utilizing a proprietary 60-terabyte database comprised of model lineages (hundreds of thousands of devices mapped to their model lines), historical pricing (billions of price observations from thousands of sellers) and electronics rumors and news from across the web. On top of that, our data scientists apply advanced machine-learning and text-mining algorithms to predict future model releases and price changes.

Interesting—and potentially a handy way to avoid learning that the $1,500 HDTV you just bought is already yesterday’s news.

Source: CNET

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Rita writes: I really do want to replace my cable, but it seems like such an effort and it might not even save me money. Is Apple TV worth it? The only shows my family watches are Dora the Explorer (for the kid), Daily Show (for me), MLB (for my husband).

Well, Rita, here’s my first question for you: Are those really the only TV shows you watch? Because as many shows as there are available on iTunes and Netflix, there are still an awful lot of gaps—particularly when it comes to live TV.

And here’s another thing: While cutting the cord with an Apple TV or another set-top box certainly can be a lot cheaper than a cable subscription, it’s not like all those Internet-streamed movies, TV shows, and sporting events are free.

Let’s start with your family’s favorite shows. Dora the Explorer is available on Netflix (which you can stream over Apple TV) if you happen to be a subscriber, while episodes of “The Daily Show” are available for purchase on iTunes. Even better, Apple TV and other competing set-top boxes come with an app for streaming Major League Baseball games.

Not bad, right? But before you get too excited, let’s break out a calculator and do a little addition.

First, the Apple TV itself, which sells for $99—not nothing, but relatively cheap all things considered, and it’s a one-time cost. Even cheaper is the $59 Roku HD, a small streaming set-top box that supports Netflix, Hulu Plus (the for-pay version of Hulu, the website that streams network TV shows for free), Amazon Instant Video (which boasts many of the same TV shows and movies as iTunes does), MLB.tv, NBA games and more. Other TV set-top boxes are also available, but some—like the $199 Boxee Box—are expensive, while others—like Sony’s $79 Netbox—don’t support MLB.tv, which sounds like a requirement in your living room.

(By the way: connecting a streaming-video box to your TV typically takes all of five minutes. In most cases, you just plug an HDMI cable from the video output in the back of the box to the input on the back panel of your HDTV; after that, a setup wizard will usually guide you through connecting the device to your home Wi-Fi network.)

Next, we’ve got the subscriptions for your various streaming services. You can get a streaming-only subscription to Netflix for just $8 a month—quite a bargain, considering the tens of thousands of movies and TV shows available—while a season’s subscription to MLB.tv will set you back $80. If you want access to Hulu’s shows (which aren’t available on Apple TV, by the way), that’s another $8 a month. Now, if you forego Hulu, you could always buy shows (like “The Daily Show”) on iTunes à la carte—but they’ll run you $2 a piece, or $10 for a bucket of 16 episodes.

Add all that up (let’s assume that you chose Hulu Plus, which offers “The Daily Show” for $8 a month), and that comes out to a reasonable $16 a month, or about $30 during baseball season ($80 divided by six months = about $13.33). That brings your total cost for the year to about $270, give or take, compared to an annual cost of $864 for, say, digital cable and an HD DVR from Time Warner.

Pretty good, but here’s the thing: You’re still going to need a broadband Internet connection for streaming your shows, either from the phone company or your cable carrier. A decent broadband connection for streaming HD video will typically run you anywhere from $20 to $40 a month, so let’s split the difference and call it $30/month.

So…$30 a month for 12 months comes to a total of $360. Add the $360 Internet bill to your $270 in streaming video subscriptions for the year, and we come up with $630—still cheaper than Time Warner’s digital cable plus broadband combo, which goes for $948 a year.

Now, even if those numbers work for you and you’re ready to cut the cord, there are still a few factors to consider before you snip.

While sporting events like the MLB and NBA basketball (assuming you’re ready to pay up for streaming professional hoops, of course) are often streamed live, other network TV shows—like, say, American Idol or Dancing with the Stars—are not. That means you’ll need an over-the-air antenna if you want to see who gets kicked off Idol along with the rest of the country. (And remember, unless you own a TiVo—which costs between $13 and $20 a month—you won’t have a DVR anymore, so no time-shifting.)

Also: does your husband watch ESPN? If he does, bad news: the main ESPN channels aren’t available online without a cable subscription—and since ESPN is a cable network, you can’t get it over the air.

So, Rita … where does that leave us? No question, if you have a standard TV antenna, an Apple TV or Roku, and subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and MLB, believe me—you’ll never be bored, and you could save hundreds of bucks a year by cutting the cord (well, the digital cable part of the cord, at least). Then again, I’d be lying if I told you there weren’t any compromises involved or hoops to jump through.

Did this help? Have more questions? (I’m sure you do, since I skipped over so many details.) Let me know!

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The bad news is that online hack attacks and phishing attemps are getting more and more sophisticated every day. The good news, however, is that you can foil most hackers—or at least keep the damage to a minimum—by following a few simple steps.

1. Never give your password(s) to anyone.
Just get an email from the likes of Citibank, Paypal, or Amazon asking you to verify your username and password? Beware. You may be the target of a phisher—that is, someone who’s trying to steal your login credentials through an official-looking email or website.

First of all, remember that no reputable customer service rep or IT staffer would ever ask for your account password via email or over the phone. Also, never log into one of your online accounts after clicking a (possibly bogus) link in an email message unless you’re convinced the email is legit; instead, type the URL of the account you need to access directly into your web browser.

2. Never open links or attachments in an email from a stranger.
Another favorite tactic of hackers is to trick unsuspecting victims into opening a malicious email attachment or click a link to a Trojan-infested website. Some phishing emails may look incredibly obvious, while others are far more devious—and indeed, in the most recent White House attack, the messages were written in flawless English and referenced projects that the recipients were actually working on, and even appeared to be sent by friends and colleagues. (Such personalized, highly targeting attacks have been dubbed “spear phishing,” according to the New York Times, and unfortunately they’re very tough to spot.) Sneaky, right? In any case, when in doubt, don’t click.

3. Don’t be fooled by anti-virus pop-ups.
You’ve seen ’em—those annoying pop-up ads that purport to have detected a virus in your PC or Mac and promising to clean your system if you just tap the big flashing button. Careful: there’s a good chance that by clicking that ever-tempting link, you’re opening up your computer to a trunk full of malware.

4. Don’t use the same password for all your accounts.
It’s great advice that’s tough to follow—after all, who wants to remember 20 different passwords? The reality, though, is that if you use a single password for all your online accounts and hackers manage to break into one of them, you’ve essentially given them the key to unlocking all the others. Not good.

5. Don’t use a debit card for your online transactions.
If the worst happens and a hacker does manage to snag your address, phone number, and credit card info, you can always dispute any suspicious—and potentially massive—charges with your (typically agreeable) credit card company without dealing with any cash-flow problems. But if the bad guys nab your debit card and manage to drain your checking and savings accounts, you may have to figure out how to cover your rent and groceries while dealing with the authorities. Better to spare yourself any headaches and keep your debit card stowed while shopping online.

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Revealed back in January and slated to arrive sometime this holiday season, the NGP (short for “Next Generation Console”) is a follow-up to the five-year old PlayStation Portable, and believe me—this thing is more than just a kid’s toy.

Armed with a quad-core processor (or roughly twice the processing power of today’s top-of-the-line, dual-core tablets), a five-inch touchscreen and a rear touchpad, the NGP seeks to be nothing less than a full-power gaming console—albeit one that fits easily in a purse or a knapsack.

Sony is clearly teasing the NGP (which will likely hit the market with a different name) ahead of next week’s E3 conference, the gaming industry’s largest annual confab. During its keynote on Monday night, Sony will probably show off new NGP games, and it may also reveal specific release dates and pricing details (probably in the $250 range).

So, what makes the NGP different from, say, the games you’ll see on an iPhone, an Android handset, or the Nintendo 3DS? Rather than going for so-called “casual” games like Angry Birds (aren’t we sick of Angry Birds yet?) or Words with Friends, the NGP will focus mainly on “hard core” games that push graphics processors to the limit.

I’m sure plenty of teenagers will get a charge out of playing, say, the upcoming “Uncharted: Golden Abyss” (a graphically intense action/puzzle game that’s a cross between “Tomb Raider” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) on their NGPs, but make no mistake—plenty of grown-ups with a taste for high-end gaming will thrill to the NGP, as well.

Indeed, I suspect portable gaming on powerful new devices like the NGP will particularly be a godsend for gaming-minded parents (a category that’ll probably include me in the near future) who’d rather not expose their little ones to blood-soaked, M-rated bedlam in the living room.

here’s the thing: Video games aren’t just for kids anymore, and as more and more gamers become parents, I suspect that portablet high-end gaming consoles like the NGP will become increasingly popular with the over-30 set.

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Performance on the store, which Sony closed up in the wake of last month’s thorough sacking of the PlayStation Network by hackers, was a tad sluggish Thrusday morning; when I tried to download the new demo for Infamous 2, for example, a few of my button presses took up to a minute or more to register, and the store quit unexpectedly at one point when the server connection failed.

Sony resuscitated much of the beleaguered PlayStation Network in mid-May, but it kept the store on ice until now to install additional security “enhancements” and complete “testing of the payment process and commerce functions.”

here’s the thing: I’ll cut Sony a little slack as it irons out the early kinks, at least as far as free game demo downloads are concerned. That said, I’m not quite ready to trust Sony with my credit card numbers again … or at least not yet. (Check out how to buy downloadable goodies on the PSN without a credit card, and how to sign up for Sony’s offer of free identity-theft protection.)

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Online multiplayer matches and PSN services such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and MLB.tv had already been re-activated earlier this month, but online money-changing remained on ice as Sony “implemented considerable security enhancements” and finished “testing of the payment process and commerce functions.”

Of course, whether the PlayStation Store (where PlayStation 3 gamers can buy and download games, add-ons, console wallpapers, and movie rentals) actually opens its doors again by the end of the week remains to be seen, especially after the company missed previous deadlines to resuscitate the hacked network.

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Your free membership in Debix’s AllClear ID Plus service (assuming you were a PSN or Qriosity subscriber as of April 20) includes 24/7 “cyber monitoring and Internet surveillance,” mobile alerts in case your personal info is discovered online, and—most importantly—$1,000,000 in ID theft insurance.

To sign up, visit this page and enter your email address; you should get a code for a year of AllClear ID Plus service within 72 hours, Sony says. (I just signed up myself, incidentally.)

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