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Yelp, a popular user-review website that has a strong foothold in rating local businesses and services, has been slammed with two class-action lawsuits alleging extortion -- specifically that Yelp offers business owners control over posted reviews in exchange for buying advertising on the website. In both cases, separate business owners say that Yelp offered to delete negative reviews in exchange for a monthly ad contract -- and when the business owners declined, positive reviews disappeared. Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman has flatly dismissed both suits as without merit.

Trying to trim down? Toss back a glass of wine. That's right, according to a recent study, it might make a difference. In their study, scientists monitored about 20,000 trim women. Over time, they found that women who drank alcohol in moderation put on less weight and were less apt to become overweight compared to non-drinkers.

In separate press events in New York this week, Samsung and Panasonic officially announced that 3D-capable TVs and Blu-ray players are now on sale, with even more models expected over the coming months.  Despite the hoopla and some rosy projections over how many sets will be sold this year and in years to come, there's still more than enough skepticism to go around. Some new bumps in the path to 3D have also surfaced, such as concerns that Samsung's first 3D Blu-ray players might not actually be able to show content in 3D. For now, at least, we have a clearer picture of what 3D will actually cost early adopters, and that's a mixed bag.

From the glitzy gowns to the eye-popping bling, where can you see the best coverage of Oscar fashion?

E! Live from the Red Carpet delivered a full two hours of minute-by-minute coverage of the 2010 Oscars. In case you missed it, you can go online to see a recap of more than 40 memorable red carpet moments on video. Play the "Red-Carpet Pose Off" and pick who you think looked more stylish. Sandra Bullock vs. Sarah Jessica Parker? Charlize Theron vs. Cameron Diaz? You decide.

Sony has officially advised owners of certain PlayStation 3 gaming consoles to avoid using their systems while company engineers work to resolve a bug involving the console's clock. The glitch doesn't impact owners of the current PS3 "slim" systems, but does send older PS3 "fat" systems to the sidelines for the next day or so -- or at least that's what Sony is crossing its fingers for. In a post on the company's official PS3 blog, Patrick Seybold, senior director, corporate communications & social media, says that the company hopes to resolve the problem in the next 24 hours.

It's no secret that the Google Nexus One smartphone launched with much excitement and mostly positive reviews. Everyone agreed, however, that Google's customer service was very lacking and users reported difficulties with problem resolution, or in some instances, even getting a straight answer. Normally, when you purchase a phone through a carrier, any issues you have can be directed to them. However, since the Nexus One is an unlocked phone sold directly by Google, it's much less clear who customers are supposed to contact when something goes wrong. T-Mobile and AT&T support the Nexus One, but neither carrier sells the phone. HTC, the Taiwan-based company that manufactures the Nexus One (in addition to many other Android phones, such as the HTC Droid Eris), can't necessarily help with connectivity problems. So what's a Google Nexus One owner to do? Until last week, the answer wasn't so pretty.

Long blamed for big bellies and bad behavior, could beer finally be shedding its bad reputation? In a newly-published study, food science researchers from the University of California have found beer to be rich in silicon, a nutrient required for proper bone growth and development.

The latest in an alarming series of hinge-related stroller recalls involves Britax, which announced that about 15,000 Blink umbrella strollers are being recalled over concerns that the hinges could lacerate or cut off children's fingers.  The recent spate of amputation-risk-driven recalls began when Maclaren recalled more than 1 million strollers in November after a dozen children had their fingertips amputated. Last month, Graco recalled 1.5 million strollers after five fingertip amputations occurred.

On February 9, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of Discovery Kids Animated Marine and Safari Lamps after the manufacturer, Innovage LLC of Foothill Ranch, Calif., received at least seven reports of fires. One reported injury involved a child who suffered smoke inhalation in one of the fires, and three other fires resulted in minor property damage. The fires result from a defective circuit board that can cause an electrical short.

Though LCD has surpassed plasma as the HDTV technology of choice for most consumers, plasma TVs still draw their share of kudos from professional reviewers for their superb black levels. For the most cinematic picture quality, those deep blacks are essential. Among current plasma sets, experts say that the Panasonic plasma TVs deliver the inkiest blacks of all. Unfortunately, however, as a result of what increasingly appears to be a questionable design decision by Panasonic, owners of  the company's recent plasma TVs might not enjoy those excellent black levels for nearly as long as they expected.