harry potter

Geeks sure know how to propose to each other. They've done so by planting a field full of tulips, creating an elaborate Lego video, and writing a physics paper. So, how does a "Harry Potter" fan go about proposing to her girlfriend? With a custom-made Quidditch set.

Rachel Allison first met Jaquie Richards in college. Their friendship blossomed into love. As their affection for each other grew, so did a mutual passion for the "Harry Potter" series. When Allison decided it was time to propose, she knew a magic touch was called for.… Read more

Update, 3:21 p.m. PT: Updated with comment from Amazon.

E-book readers who were excited about reading Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's first adult book, "The Casual Vacancy," were met with an unpleasant surprise today -- the text delivered to their e-book readers was unreadable.

A glitch on the publishing end caused the book to be viewed into two formats: oversized letters that took up the screen or tiny, illegible font, paidContent reported, which first noticed the problem on Amazon's Kindle models.

It left the eager fans who shelled out $17.99 for the … Read more

As promised, all seven "Harry Potter" books are now available in Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Amazon announced last month that it had inked an exclusive licensing deal with J.K. Rowling's Pottermore to make all seven "Harry Potter" books available through its lending library. The books are available to Kindle owners who also subscribe to Amazon Prime. Amazon promises an unlimited supply of the books, so users won't find a book checked out.

"Nowhere else can customers borrow any of the seven Harry Potter books for free, with an unlimited supply … Read more

In today's show, we're Binging our friends, casting spells in Kindle's library, and bracing ourselves for the return of the browser wars:

Microsoft's Bing search engine now includes Facebook integration. When you search for something on Bing, a side panel will pop up and show which of your friends might help you with your search. So for example, if you search for hotels in Chicago, Bing will point out which of your friends live in Chicago.

Microsoft is also in the news today for stirring up the browser wars again. According to Mozilla, Microsoft is preventing … Read more

All seven books in the "Harry Potter" franchise are coming to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Starting June 19, Amazon Kindle owners who also subscribe to the company's Prime service will be able to check out the titles at no charge from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. According to Amazon, the titles can be borrowed as frequently as once a month, and unlike some other lending services that limit the number of e-books available, Amazon will have enough for anyone to access the books when they go live on the service.

"We're absolutely delighted to … Read more

I'm a full-grown adult, and I must confess that some of my favorite Xbox games have "Lego" in the title.

Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones -- these games may be aimed at kids, but they're funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining for all ages.

Alas, although they're available for nearly every platform known to man, only one has made its way to iOS: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4. It was great -- but it was also 18 months ago.

Finally, finally, there's more Lego goodness for iOS, even if it's just … Read more

Pottermore has finally opened its gates, allowing Harry Potter fans to enter the previously forbidden and potentially forboding Web site.

Initially available for just a select number of users, the site is now inviting anyone to register to gain access. The process may be slow, however. A Pottermore insider blog explained that it plans to activate a steady stream of registrations but said that people may not get access right away

Potter fans can currently find both e-books and audiobooks of all seven books in the series.

But full access to the site will offer more, including interactive tours of … Read more

Readers eager for digital books were out of luck at Amazon's Kindle Store for a short period today.

Shoppers could browse the site with their Kindle e-readers. But titles were listed as "currently unavailable."

Amazon didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

The store resumed normal sales by about 1 p.m. PDT.

Correction 1:39 p.m. PT: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the new digital versions of the Harry Potter series were affected by the outage. Buyers of those titles on the Kindle store are redirected to the Pottermore Web … Read more

Why are gay men worth more to advertisers on Facebook? We'll begin today's show with a story on PC Pro that clarifies how social networks sell your information as part of a package demographic that advertisers can use to target specific markets.

We'll also highlight the similarities between Android phones and condoms, notably the criteria they share for nomenclature that includes seven characteristics -- "distinctive," "short," "appropriate," "easy to spell and pronounce," "likable," "extendable," and "protectable."

Other stories of the day include a high school senior getting expelled for dropping several F-words in a Twitter post supposedly crafted on campus, HBO Go hitting Xbox Live tomorrow, another chapter in the "Ninja Turtles" saga, and The Weinstein Company refusing the MPAA's R Rating for the movie "Bully."… Read more