If you haven’t yet sprung for a gaming system such as Wii, Xbox 360 or PlayStation3, 2011 may be the time to do so. Analysts are predicting the console companies will be slashing prices this year.
More here: http://cnet.co/i7iFvh

Flickr admitted to accidentally deleting a user’s paid account -- and all of his 4,000 photos -- with no way of retrieving them. A site spokesman says the company is working on a system to restore accounts by early this year.
More here: http://tcrn.ch/gV7LY3

Crossword puzzle lovers, rejoice! Zynga’s popular Words With Friends game will soon be available for Android users. More here: http://tcrn.ch/g8vJzZ

Adding to the list of successful sites that said no to Google, (we’re looking at you, Groupon) Path, an app that’s like a really intimate version of Facebook, turned down Google’s offer to buy them for more than $100 million.
More here: http://tcrn.ch/ftt75D

Google has teamed up with the Yad Vashem museum in Israel to create the world’s largest digital archive of Holocaust-related photos and documents.More here: http://bit.ly/hiNQCl

All that talk about social media making us forge weaker relationships seems to be somewhat groundless: A new study finds that Facebook actually makes us more sociable.More here: http://nyti.ms/h6T7MR

A fire department in California has created an app that alerts CPR-trained citizens of nearby cardiac emergencies where their skills may be needed. More here: http://cnet.co/fOtLgK

Several U.S. states are considering various legislative proposals that would prohibit people from texting, wearing headphones or talking on the phone … when walking in public!More here: http://cnet.co/h1z3tI

According to Gartner research, more than 185 billion apps will have been downloaded by the end of 2014. The projected climb is attributed to the growing popularity of tablets (like the iPad).

Toyota owners will now have access to Pandora radio through the Entune platform, an app you can download on your smartphones. Entune then syncs with Toyota’s multimedia system to create an endless stream of soundtracks. Bring on the road trips!Read more here: http://on.mash.to/hHRbJ2

Tech giant Lenovo is also looking to take on the tablet market. The company revealed its first attempt, the LePad, which has a 10.1-inch screen and runs on Google's Android 2.2 OS. The device can also be used as a netbook. Read more here: http://bit.ly/hbbSfT

President Obama has granted the Department of Commerce the power to create an Internet ID for Americans, in hopes of increasing online security and eliminating the need for online users to create and memorize dozens of passwords. Read more here: http://bit.ly/hIUR0b

GoodGuide.com, which helps consumers determine the safety of various cleaning products, just rolled out new social networking capabilities. Users can now interact, share reviews and recommend products to their followers. Read more here: http://tcrn.ch/fPprBP

Polaroid cameras aren’t dead … they’ve been reincarnated as digital cameras with built-in printers!

Your favorite apps are no longer relegated to just your mobile device. The Mac App Store now makes them available to desktop users too.

Did you know that Facebook "likes" and check-ins can now be featured in advertising on the site? Lucky for you, if you object, you can opt out of having your activity used for marketing purposes. See your privacy settings.

Happy 10th birthday to Wikipedia! It now has more than 3.5 million articles and is hosting birthday parties around the world.

Love location-based apps like Yelp? IPhone users can now download and use Google’s Hotpot, which performs personalized searches for nearby restaurants, bars, gas stations and other places.

Handheld 3-D gaming devices might seem fun for all ages, but beware: They may be harmful for kids under the age of 6, warns Nintendo.

Have you gotten the hint yet about not texting while driving? If not, AT&T is driving the point home with a dramatic documentary about the downsides.

Love the movie Fantastic Voyage? Try Google's brand-new Body Browser, which allows WebGL-enabled browser users to see inside the human body (akin to Google Earth's prime access to our planet).

In January, more than 17,000 Hotmail users lost the contents of their inbox. Luckily, Microsoft was able to recover the missing messages.

In just two months, Instagram has amassed more than 1 million users, according to The New York Times. The photo-centric app allows shutterbugs to share photos online and add fun filters to their images.

EBay has launched a new local shopping site called GiftsNearby , which tracks inventory and lets consumers purchase online and pick up in-store.

Google has launched a cloud service that syncs Microsoft Exchange email accounts with Gmail. So when an Exchange server goes down, users can switch to Gmail without missing a beat.