IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (CNET) 28/11/2013

Microsoft said to beef up its Internet encryption
Edward Snowden's NSA leaks have caused Google, Yahoo, and Facebook to pledge stronger Internet encryption. Is Microsoft next on the list? [Read more]

HP pushing Windows 8.1 hybrids for holidays, says CEO
Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman believes tablet-laptop hybrids will drive consumer holiday sales. [Read more]

Qualcomm kicks off pre-orders for its Toq smartwatch
Black versions of the Android-compatible smartwatch can now be purchased on the company's Web site. [Read more]

Hunt ghosts with Snooperscope smartphone night vision lens
This magnetic device lets you act like a creepy spy, observe nocturnal wildlife, or see Kinect infrared dots. [Read more]

Defective Xbox One does not guarantee you free launch title
Microsoft says Xbox One owners are entitled to a free launch game only if their console is suffering from a faulty disc drive. Those with bricked or crash-prone consoles are not eligible. [Read more]

Top 25 Black Friday tech deals 2013
So what are the real deals this Black Friday? Check out these top picks from CNET. [Read more]

Headphone buying guide
In-ear vs. on-ear, circumaural vs. supraaural, open vs. closed back -- shopping for the right pair of headphones can be tough, but CNET's on the job with a buying guide to help you narrow down your choices. [Read more]

New Surface ads, old story: iPad is a lump of coal
Apple's tablet is, according to Microsoft, no good when you're cooking and terrible for sharing. It's a wonder Apple sold any at all. [Read more]

iPad Mini Retina more widely available, catches first Mini
Consumers can now waltz into many Apple stores and pick up an iPad Mini Retina for the first time. To date, availability was limited to online sales and pre-orders with customer pickup. [Read more]

'Touchless' Chrome's here: Prepare for more search shouting
Google announced a new extension for Chrome on Tuesday that will allow for voice-activated searching in the desktop browser. Get ready to hear the phrase "OK, Google" a lot more often. [Read more]

Cost-cutting HP beats Wall Street expectations
HP's fourth quarter earnings were better than expected, but the company remains a cost cutting story as most units and product lines saw revenue declines. [Read more]

Acer to sell touch Chromebook at fraction of Google Pixel price
The company's new C720P Chromebook, due out next month, is just the second in the market to offer touch screen. But it will cost a mere $300, compared with the Google Pixel's $1,299 price tag. [Read more]

Smartphone-controlled paper airplane kit conquers the skies
Fly the friendly skies with a hot-rod paper airplane kitted out with a propeller, rudder, and iOS app. [Read more]

Fiber-optic cables could be the key to NSA snooping
The NSA may have employed an old-school spy technique -- updated for the Internet age -- to gain access to data from tech giants like Google and Yahoo, reports The New York Times. [Read more]

Xbox One, you're not making my family life easier
The Xbox One is the loneliest number if you're trying to shoehorn its do-it-all TV proposition into a family room -- unless you're willing to be part of the experiment. [Read more]

Microsoft says 'tsk tsk' to Xbox potty mouths
Xbox players can be punished for cursing in upload videos, YouTube cracks down on comment spam, and Thanksgiving in space is a bit dry for NASA's astronauts. [Read more]

How to manually edit defaults plist files in Mavericks
The new caching of preference settings in OS X Mavericks may frustrate some approaches to manual adjustment of program settings. [Read more]

Xbox Live Gold: The yearly fee that's a big hurdle for casual gamers
If you read the fine print on the Xbox One, nearly everything cool requires a $60-per-year Xbox Live Gold subscription. [Read more]

Band to take the stage with 3D-printed instruments
New Zealand design engineer Olaf Diegel has 3D-printed an electric guitar, bass, drum set, and keyboard that will be played live at the EuroMold design fair in Frankfurt, Germany. [Read more]

The 404 1,392: Where we're fuzzy on the science (podcast)
On today's show, we'll tell you about the battle between FDA and 23andMe, how to pay for anonymous medical advice with Bitcoins, the fluid grammatical changes brought on by online messaging, and a Pepsi challenge with Monster audio cables. [Read more]

Must-have Android apps for holiday cooking and baking
Keep your sanity in the kitchen this holiday season with these helpful Android apps. [Read more]

Great iOS apps for planning Thanksgiving dinner
Whether you're running the kitchen on the big day or just bringing a side dish or wine, I've got the perfect apps to make your holiday dinner better. [Read more]

Microsoft's latest Scroogled ad: Chromebook's 'a brick'
The Redmond, Wash., company's latest anti-Google ad features a pawnshop owner educating a charming, young lady about how the Chromebook is only useful when you have Wi-Fi. [Read more]

Death Star wall tiles: The Dark Side of home improvement
When you want to communicate a subtle sense of dread to all who enter your home, then dress your walls up with Death Star tiles. [Read more]

Eat your Instagrams in marshmallow form
Boomf lets your feast on your artfully filtered Instagram photos by printing them on marshmallows. [Read more]