Thursday, September 30, 2010
USB Flash Drives Get Spooky
Do you decorate your home or office for Halloween? Yeah, me neither. It takes too much effort… But I do have an easy way for geeks to show some holiday spirit (ha! spirit, get it?) this year. MIMOBOT is offering a cute little glow in the dark skeleton USB flash drive. It’s a RayD81, which [...] Filed in categories: Gear, News, Spotlight GadgetsTagged: USB flash driveUSB Flash Drives Get Spooky originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 29, 2010 at 8:30 am.
Alessi Tab, Over-Designed Android Tablet for ?Young Housewives?
Italian design-house Alessi’s new Alessi Tab comes on like a digital photo-frame with benefits. The Android-powered tablet is meant to be used at home – the odd angular shape means it prefers table and countertops to pockets and bags.
Astonishingly, the press release says the Tab is aimed at the ‘young housewife’, who will presumably move [...]
Astonishingly, the press release says the Tab is aimed at the ‘young housewife’, who will presumably move [...]
First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia
Super Hi-Vision is still very experimental, but the BBC and NHK's first UK-to-Tokyo SHV broadcast trial of a live musical set by the The Charlatans hints it is inching closer to commercial viability. A NHK-developed camera -- one of three in existence -- made it all possible, and featured a specialized lens and optical data transmitter to handle the retina-confounding 7680 x 4320 pixel signal. This SHV trial was also the first to use a blazingly fast 24Gb/s internet connection to broadcast in lieu of more expensive satellite transmissions used in previous tests. As if the brouhaha wasn't bleeding-edge enough, a lucky few at the BBC could even view the show on a prototype 103-inch plasma television developed by NHK to see a mere quarter of the signal's massive resolution. Sure, this may not be the kind of event kids will learn about in class someday, but it certainly makes us feel like giddy little school boys. To learn more, watch a behind the scenes BBC video on the event embedded after the break.
[Thanks, Matt]Continue reading First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopediaFirst Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink HDTV News | BBC | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Matt]Continue reading First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopediaFirst Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink HDTV News | BBC | Email this | Comments
Study: select Android apps sharing data without user notification
Come one, come all -- let's gather and act shocked, shall we? It's no secret that Google's Android Market is far easier to penetrate than Apple's App Store, which is most definitely a double-edged sword. On one hand, you aren't stuck waiting a lifetime for Apple to approve a perfectly sound app; on the other, you may end up accidentally downloading some Nazi themes that scar you for life. A curious team of scientists from Intel Labs, Penn State and Duke University recently utilized a so-called TaintDroid extension in order to log and monitor the actions of 30 Android apps -- 30 that were picked from the 358 most popular. Their findings? That half of their sample (15, if you're rusty in the math department) shared location information and / or other unique identifiers (IMEI numbers, phone numbers, SIM numbers, etc.) with advertisers. Making matters worse, those 15 didn't actually inform end-users that data was being shared, and some of 'em beamed out information while applications were dormant. Unfortunately for us all, the researchers didn't bother to rat out the 15 evil apps mentioned here, so good luck resting easy knowing that your library of popular apps could be spying on you right now.
Update: A Google spokesperson pinged up with an official response to the study, and you can peek it after the break.
Update 2: Looks as if the full study (PDF) has been outed, with the 30 total apps named. Here they are: The Weather Channel, Cestos, Solitaire, Movies, Babble, Manga Browser, Bump, Wertago, Antivirus, ABC - Animals, Traffic Jam, Hearts, Blackjack, Horoscope, 3001 Wisdom Quotes Lite, Yellow Pages, Dastelefonbuch, Astrid, BBC News Live Stream, Ringtones, Layer, Knocking, Barcode Scanner, Coupons, Trapster, Spongebob Slide, ProBasketBall, MySpace, ixMAT, and Evernote. Thanks, Jordan!
Continue reading Study: select Android apps sharing data without user notificationStudy: select Android apps sharing data without user notification originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | BBC, App Analysis (PDF) | Email this | Comments
Update: A Google spokesperson pinged up with an official response to the study, and you can peek it after the break.
Update 2: Looks as if the full study (PDF) has been outed, with the 30 total apps named. Here they are: The Weather Channel, Cestos, Solitaire, Movies, Babble, Manga Browser, Bump, Wertago, Antivirus, ABC - Animals, Traffic Jam, Hearts, Blackjack, Horoscope, 3001 Wisdom Quotes Lite, Yellow Pages, Dastelefonbuch, Astrid, BBC News Live Stream, Ringtones, Layer, Knocking, Barcode Scanner, Coupons, Trapster, Spongebob Slide, ProBasketBall, MySpace, ixMAT, and Evernote. Thanks, Jordan!
Continue reading Study: select Android apps sharing data without user notificationStudy: select Android apps sharing data without user notification originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | BBC, App Analysis (PDF) | Email this | Comments
CSL's $500 Spice Mi700 DroidPad runs Froyo, looks awfully familiar
Seen this fellow before? Look closer. Seeing any similarities? For all intents and purposes, CSL's new Spice Mi700 DroidPad is just a rebadged Viewpad 7 / Camangi FM600, and given that CSL was also responsible for manufacturing the JooJoo, we'd say these guys know a thing or two about building a tablet. The device ships with Qualcomm's 600MHz MSM722, stock Android 2.2 (Froyo), the same nasty widgets that ship on FM600, a total lack of Flash support and no access to paid apps via the App Market. There's also a 3 megapixel camera on the rear, a VGA webcam on the front, WVGA capacitive touchpanel (7-inch), inbuilt WiFi / WWAN / Bluetooth, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It's said to be available starting this month for $500, but early reviews aren't exactly giving it two thumbs up -- crank 'er down to $250 and we suspect those views will shift.CSL's $500 Spice Mi700 DroidPad runs Froyo, looks awfully familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | CSL Group | Email this | Comments
An Ancient Village With 21st Century Juice [Imagecache]
Tocco da Casauria is a quaint town, located in the mountainous region of Italy's interior. It's also home to an electrical grid that bests many of the world's metropolises—the small burg is powered entirely by wind and solar. More »
DropMocks is a beautifully simple, HTML5-powered photo sharing site
Filed under: Photo
I'm a big fan of Gmail's HTML5-powered drag-and-drop attachment feature, and I've been waiting to see it pop up in other Web apps. Thanks to Ryan Wagner over at CyberNet, I discovered DropMocks -- an amazingly simple little photo sharing site that offers the same functionality.
Open your pictures folder, select a few images, and drag them onto a DropMocks tab in a supported browser (Firefox 4 or Chrome 6 or 7). Once the upload is complete, you'll receive a short(ish) URL to share with your friends.
Multiple images are supported as well. Drag in five or six favorites, and DropMocks attaches them all to the same URL.
Clicking the previous or next image (or clicking a filename in the navigation box) causes it to slide into focus.
No account is required to use DropMocks, but if you do want to keep tabs on multiple uploads, all you need to do is sign in with your Google account. It's also totally free to use, at least for the time being.
DropMocks is about as easy as it gets when it comes to sharing photos between your desktop and the Web, and it's well worth adding to your bookmarks. It's certainly earned a place in mine.DropMocks is a beautifully simple, HTML5-powered photo sharing site originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
I'm a big fan of Gmail's HTML5-powered drag-and-drop attachment feature, and I've been waiting to see it pop up in other Web apps. Thanks to Ryan Wagner over at CyberNet, I discovered DropMocks -- an amazingly simple little photo sharing site that offers the same functionality.
Open your pictures folder, select a few images, and drag them onto a DropMocks tab in a supported browser (Firefox 4 or Chrome 6 or 7). Once the upload is complete, you'll receive a short(ish) URL to share with your friends.
Multiple images are supported as well. Drag in five or six favorites, and DropMocks attaches them all to the same URL.
Clicking the previous or next image (or clicking a filename in the navigation box) causes it to slide into focus.
No account is required to use DropMocks, but if you do want to keep tabs on multiple uploads, all you need to do is sign in with your Google account. It's also totally free to use, at least for the time being.
DropMocks is about as easy as it gets when it comes to sharing photos between your desktop and the Web, and it's well worth adding to your bookmarks. It's certainly earned a place in mine.DropMocks is a beautifully simple, HTML5-powered photo sharing site originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Could We See BlackBerry Phones Running the PlayBook Tablet OS? [BlackBerry]
RIM's said we might just see phones running the PlayBook's QNX software over their BlackBerry OS in the future. Considering it's a true multitasker, and supports OpenGL ES 2.0 for awesome gaming potential, this is great news. More »
Admin templates for Google Chrome make it more enterprise-friendly
Filed under: Google, Browsers
System admins generally aren't fond of rolling out new software to their users if they don't have a measure of control over what those users can and can't do with the app in question. Google knows that, and they've been working for a while now to add enterprise-friendly policy support to Chrome.
Now, Google has made policy templates available for download which provide a measure of lockdown functionality. As you can see, after importing the .ADM files into the Windows Group Policy Editor you'll be able to manage a handful of Chrome settings via a local machine policy.
A default home page and proxy settings can be configured and Chrome Sync can be blocked, but the bulk of the options are related to background communications with Google (alternate error pages, DNS prefetch, crash reporting, suggestions, etc.). There are a few things missing right now. For example, while I can choose to disable certain plug-ins, there's no switch to disallow extension installs. I'd also like to disable Chrome's autofill feature, but it, too, is missing.
Google has also provided a separate template for managing Google Update options, which provides policy-based control over which Google Apps can install via the updater.
Providing this type of application control was a key step if Google had any hopes of wresting away enterprise market share from Internet Explorer. Now that it's here, it will be interesting to see if Chrome can make inroads in the workplace.Admin templates for Google Chrome make it more enterprise-friendly originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
System admins generally aren't fond of rolling out new software to their users if they don't have a measure of control over what those users can and can't do with the app in question. Google knows that, and they've been working for a while now to add enterprise-friendly policy support to Chrome.
Now, Google has made policy templates available for download which provide a measure of lockdown functionality. As you can see, after importing the .ADM files into the Windows Group Policy Editor you'll be able to manage a handful of Chrome settings via a local machine policy.
A default home page and proxy settings can be configured and Chrome Sync can be blocked, but the bulk of the options are related to background communications with Google (alternate error pages, DNS prefetch, crash reporting, suggestions, etc.). There are a few things missing right now. For example, while I can choose to disable certain plug-ins, there's no switch to disallow extension installs. I'd also like to disable Chrome's autofill feature, but it, too, is missing.
Google has also provided a separate template for managing Google Update options, which provides policy-based control over which Google Apps can install via the updater.
Providing this type of application control was a key step if Google had any hopes of wresting away enterprise market share from Internet Explorer. Now that it's here, it will be interesting to see if Chrome can make inroads in the workplace.Admin templates for Google Chrome make it more enterprise-friendly originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
This May Very Well Be the First New Earth [Astronomy]
You are looking at what could be the fourth planet on the Gliese 581 star system, 20.3 light years from Earth. If the NASA artist rendition looks very much like our Earth... it's because it is similar to Earth. More »
GameCrush -- where you pay to play video games with hot girls -- opens its doors
Filed under: Games, web 2.0
GameCrush is just like prostitution, but with boys buying game time rather than sexy time from a dizzying array of cute, gamer girls. The service, which has been privately beta testing since the start of the year, launches today around 3PM Pacific time. 'Lots of girls have already signed up,' an internal source told us earlier, while we enjoyed a game of topless Call of Duty.
Just like prostitution, some of the girls are cuter than others -- and some are better at what they do, too -- but they're all available as potential PlayDates (seriously). All you have to do is whip out your credit card (it's $0.60 per minute), grab your joystick and game. Every girl has a camera, and I'm told by an inside source that many of the girls are quite, er, accommodating. Understandable, considering a good girl can earn more than $20 per hour if she behaves well.
According to the press release, any game works with their system -- but in fact there are only specific games at launch that will be playable with a companion. If you prefer one-handed, left-hand-stretched-over-to-the-mouse gaming, there's also a bunch of casual, browser-based games that you can play with your PlayDate.
Finally, in case you were wondering (because I know I was) guys can also sign up. I've already done so! Girls can pay to play with me. What an awesome world we live in, gentlemen.GameCrush -- where you pay to play video games with hot girls -- opens its doors originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
GameCrush is just like prostitution, but with boys buying game time rather than sexy time from a dizzying array of cute, gamer girls. The service, which has been privately beta testing since the start of the year, launches today around 3PM Pacific time. 'Lots of girls have already signed up,' an internal source told us earlier, while we enjoyed a game of topless Call of Duty.
Just like prostitution, some of the girls are cuter than others -- and some are better at what they do, too -- but they're all available as potential PlayDates (seriously). All you have to do is whip out your credit card (it's $0.60 per minute), grab your joystick and game. Every girl has a camera, and I'm told by an inside source that many of the girls are quite, er, accommodating. Understandable, considering a good girl can earn more than $20 per hour if she behaves well.
According to the press release, any game works with their system -- but in fact there are only specific games at launch that will be playable with a companion. If you prefer one-handed, left-hand-stretched-over-to-the-mouse gaming, there's also a bunch of casual, browser-based games that you can play with your PlayDate.
Finally, in case you were wondering (because I know I was) guys can also sign up. I've already done so! Girls can pay to play with me. What an awesome world we live in, gentlemen.GameCrush -- where you pay to play video games with hot girls -- opens its doors originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Bose VideoWave Is A Little Much Even For Bose
Bose showed off their latest innovation yesterday: The VideoWave, an average 46-inch LCD with an enlarged Wave Radio speaker setup bolted on the backside. It's expensive. Of course it's expensive. I mean, it's a Bose system. Did you expect anything less? However, it's a tad too expensive at $5,349 and I believe Bose knows this.
Now, I understand Bose and their target demographic. I sold AV equipment retail for years at Circuit City and know that Bose products sell themselves. They require nothing more than a quick demo and a store credit card with a high enough limit. My friend's father recently "treated" himself to Bose speakers after retirement, beaming with pride as he unboxed his set.
It's even easier to sell against Bose, though. All it requires is a reasonable argument from the salesman and suddenly a customer is spending hundreds, if not thousands less, on an Onkyo HTIB with professional installation. It's this logic Bose is afraid of and perhaps explains the high-price. Bose knows they're not going to sell a lot of these TVs.
Now, I understand Bose and their target demographic. I sold AV equipment retail for years at Circuit City and know that Bose products sell themselves. They require nothing more than a quick demo and a store credit card with a high enough limit. My friend's father recently "treated" himself to Bose speakers after retirement, beaming with pride as he unboxed his set.
It's even easier to sell against Bose, though. All it requires is a reasonable argument from the salesman and suddenly a customer is spending hundreds, if not thousands less, on an Onkyo HTIB with professional installation. It's this logic Bose is afraid of and perhaps explains the high-price. Bose knows they're not going to sell a lot of these TVs.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Barry Diller: Ask.com Has No Value Inside Of IAC
Many of us may have forgotten that Ask.com is a search engine just like Google and Bing. It seems that IAC's Barry Diller, who owns Ask.com, seems to have no memory of Ask's value as well. Diller sat down with Michael Arrington today at TechCrunch Disrupt, and spoke candidly about the future of Ask.com.
Says Diller, "I don't think Ask.com is going to gain search share; everyone copied us." He added that Ask is not competitive with Google at all. When an audience member asked whether Ask would be more valuable outside of IAC rather than within the network; Diller quipped: Ask has no value inside of IAC, so why would it add value as a standalone site? He also said that IAC hasn't been able to grown Ask the way he thought the company would be able to.
Says Diller, "I don't think Ask.com is going to gain search share; everyone copied us." He added that Ask is not competitive with Google at all. When an audience member asked whether Ask would be more valuable outside of IAC rather than within the network; Diller quipped: Ask has no value inside of IAC, so why would it add value as a standalone site? He also said that IAC hasn't been able to grown Ask the way he thought the company would be able to.
Apple TV teardown reveals 8GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, leftover iPad parts
"Of course the new Apple TV gets a teardown, silly," is what we would tell you should you have the audacity to question its inevitability. But alas, we're too busy analyzing every photo of iFixit's gallery to even dignify your raised eyebrow with an unprovoked response. The site gives it 8 out of 10 in its metric of repairability, opining it might be "the most eco-friendly set-top box of all time." With that said, here are the big takeaways we're seeing so far: 8GB of storage provided care of a Samsung K9LCG08U1M NAND Flash chip, and the same one found in the iPad. Speaking of which, there's also the exact same markings on its Apple A4 processor as the iPad and new iPod touch, K4X2G643GE (not the same as the iPhone 4, as it turns out), the exact same Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n WiFi / Bluetooth / FM chip as the iPad, and at 256MB, the same amount of RAM. Also interesting and of note are the solder pads near the side of the logic board, which look to be a perfect fit for an Apple dock connector. At any rate, with all that's under the hood, we expect the jailbreak community to have an absolute field day.Apple TV teardown reveals 8GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, leftover iPad parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | iFixit | Email this | Comments
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review
How do you judge a pair of headphones in this pristine, digital age when you?re listening to a new track from J�nsi and Alex that has analog noise added for effect? I have no idea, but boy, does it sound ethereal and haunting. The track is ?Dan�ell In The Sea?, which may not be your [...] Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: Audio, Headphones, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portableBowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm.
3 Secret Apple TV Features Steve Jobs Hasn?t Told You About
The new Apple TV could be Steve Jobs’ best sleight-of-hand trick yet.
During his modest introduction of the device, Jobs called the Apple TV “one more hobby.” But a closer look at the code and the hardware powering the Apple TV reveals that there’s a lot more going on under the hood than the CEO shared.
Interestingly, [...]
During his modest introduction of the device, Jobs called the Apple TV “one more hobby.” But a closer look at the code and the hardware powering the Apple TV reveals that there’s a lot more going on under the hood than the CEO shared.
Interestingly, [...]
Raytheon's Sarcos XOS 2 military exoskeleton just does the heavy lifting -- for now
Raytheon's XOS 2 has a right hook that can rip straight through a wall, but Dr. Fraser Smith assures us that death-dealing variants are still a good ways off. We caught up with the good doctor earlier today, who's been working on the military-grade exoskeleton for eight years, and quizzed him on the hows and whys of building a would-be Iron Man. Find out what we learned after the break, and see the mean machine in our gallery below! Gallery: Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2 exoskeleton - press picsContinue reading Raytheon's Sarcos XOS 2 military exoskeleton just does the heavy lifting -- for nowRaytheon's Sarcos XOS 2 military exoskeleton just does the heavy lifting -- for now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Raytheon | Email this | Comments
Stop Underestimating Your Printer [Printers]
The only time I recall using my printer in the last few months was when I tried out printing from my iPad. Why am I not taking full advantage of the long list of things I can do with it? More »
Big things ahead for Launcher Pro
Launcher Pro and Launcher Pro Plus are easily some of the most popular alternative launchers for Android. The developer has been iterating at a fast pace and has integrated some awesome features into the product. A big announcement from him today hints at big changes in the future.The developer, if you aren't familiar, is Federico Carnales, who is very accessible and has been working extremely hard at Launcher Pro. To sum it up, here is what he said:Launcher Pro is based on the stock Android 2.0 launcherThe stock launcher was not developed to support some of the iterations that Launcher Pro has introduced, such as the ability to have seven home-screensDue to this, he has decided to throw out the current version and develop Launcher Pro from scratchThis will allow him to have more control over the app and have an easier time implementing some of the features he has his mind on. According to the announcement, this change will result in:Improved speedReduced memory usageIncreased flexibility (adapting to other devices, like tablets)Cleaner code to allow more featuresThe bug fixes that haven't been addressed yetThose of us who have purchased Launcher Pro Plus will not have to pay for the app again. The new version will simply replace it. No date has been set, but don't expect anything too soon, it's a huge job. Nevertheless, Launcher Pro users should be excited at this announcement, as it will only result in a more functional app. [LauncherPro]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
7-Inch Tablet Will Launch in Coming Weeks, Says Dell [Tablets]
That 7-inch tablet Michael Dell confirmed the other week? It's launching in a matter of weeks, and an even larger one similar to the iPad's size will trot out in 6 - 12 months' time. More »
Wield the Force with the Lightsaber Pen from ThinkGeek
If the pen is mightier than the sword, the lightsaber pen must be mightier than … everything!� ThinkGeek has three Star Wars Lightsaber Pens to help you hone your skills.� The pens arrive in a collector’s tin, and you can choose from red, green, or blue.� They are only $19.99 each – a small price [...] Filed in categories: Gear, NewsTagged: lightsaber, Pens, Star WarsWield the Force with the Lightsaber Pen from ThinkGeek originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 9:00 am.
Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]
We hope you indulge in today's excellent #dealz on a 18.4" Core i5 Toshiba Laptop, a Pharos Touchscreen GPS Navigator, and a free dessert from Cold Stone Creamery. We think you've earned it. More »
Open Source Databases Have Come of Age
When the Internet and World Wide Web finally went mainstream in the mid-1990s, new Unix-like operating systems running on PCs went mainstream too. Developers working on these systems had access to a wide range of development tools, but these platforms didn't initially offer anything like the mature, SQL-based and 4GL-based database frameworks common on traditional platforms of the time.
MobilePay May Be The Death Of The Wallet. Yes, For Real This Time.
I absolutely hate carrying around both my phone and my wallet in my pocket. What if I could just carry around my phone and my driver's license? That would be awesome. If MobilePay USA takes off, my wish will come true.
The company, which was the TechCrunch Disrupt attendee pick to come out of the Startup Alley today seems fairly amazing. It's an iPhone app (right now, but they will expand it to many mobile platforms) that replaces your credit cards and loyalty cards. You simply enter in your credit card data (but don't worry, it isn't stored on your device, it's securely stored in the cloud) and you can pay for things with the click of a button rather than fumbling around for and carrying all your credit cards.
The company, which was the TechCrunch Disrupt attendee pick to come out of the Startup Alley today seems fairly amazing. It's an iPhone app (right now, but they will expand it to many mobile platforms) that replaces your credit cards and loyalty cards. You simply enter in your credit card data (but don't worry, it isn't stored on your device, it's securely stored in the cloud) and you can pay for things with the click of a button rather than fumbling around for and carrying all your credit cards.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Keep your kids iSafe with an alarm enabled backpack
Designed for kids ages 8 and up, the iSafe backpack has a built in security system, which is powered by batteries and can be activated by the wearer pulling on a cord. Once the cord is pulled, the bag sounds off as loud as a car alarm and can run up to 2 continuous hours [...] Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets, News, Spotlight GadgetsTagged: Backpack, Kids, SecurityKeep your kids iSafe with an alarm enabled backpack originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 9:03 pm.
Blue Watchdog Bluetooth proximity alarm: 100 decibels of aural terror in a credit card-sized package
While we've seen (and reviewed) a few Bluetooth proximity alarms in our day, these guys are still pretty a much a niche product. The premise is pretty straightforward: paired with your handset, the device emits a shrill alarm on the event that the two are separated. Of course, this depends on you keeping the thing on your person, and not in the backpack or laptop bag in which your phone resides -- something that's presumably more likely to occur with the credit card-sized Blue Watchdog by Secu4 than it is with other solutions we've seen. Selling for €70 (about $95), is small enough to fit inside your wallet, and features a stand-by time of 120 hours, thanks to a 3.7 volt LiPo battery. It can be charged via recharger or USB, sports a 100 decibel alarm, and can be configured to go off if separated from your handset anywhere from one to thirty meters. On sale now from the company's website (which also has a complete list of compatible phones), but not so fast: you'll want to see it in action first, right? You're in luck! There's a video after the break.Continue reading Blue Watchdog Bluetooth proximity alarm: 100 decibels of aural terror in a credit card-sized packageBlue Watchdog Bluetooth proximity alarm: 100 decibels of aural terror in a credit card-sized package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Gizmag | Secu4 | Email this | Comments
No Love for VLC on iPad
In recent days, Apple has shown signs of relaxing its hand on what kinds of apps it will allow into its iTunes store. The first sign of the change occurred when the company opened up its review policies for public scrutiny. Another sign has been the appearance in the store of programs that were previously barred from admission, most notably some Google Voice apps.
Simon Pegg is Worried About What 3D is Doing to the Movie Industry [Block Quote]
Echoing the opinions of Francis Ford Coppola and Roger Ebert, Simon Pegg took to Twitter today to voice his opinions on 3D movies. Even 3D porn was under fire: "Could you seriously masturbate knowing you look like the nutty professor?" More »
Daily Crunch: Home Axe Movie Edition
Extrude the Light: Britons Make 3D ?Holograms? With The iPad Hands-on With The Lumus See-Through Wearable Display: Real 3D, Real Augmented Reality 3M Releases New Pico Projectors And Camcorder-Projector A VHS Skin For Your Notebook, iPhone, & Blackberry Slow Motion Axe Porn? Wait, It?s Not What It Sounds Like
EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration
Filed under: Developer
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Target Stores to Sell iPad Beginning in October
According to many news sources on the internet, including my hometown paper, Target stores will begin selling iPads beginning October 3.� They will apparently be offering four models, both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/3G models.� Prices will match Apple pricing, but Target�credit card holders�will be able to get a 5% discount on the iPad beginning October 17.� [...] Filed in categories: News, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: iPad, Target StoresTarget Stores to Sell iPad Beginning in October originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2010 at 5:00 pm.
Booq Announces new Cobra line of Gear Bags
Booq has just announced their new line of Cobra gear bags for laptops and the iPad. The iPad bag is the one that catches my eye most. I like vertical oriented bags, so Cobra courier XS fits that criteria nicely. Each Cobra bag is made of Black 1680 denier ballistic nylon with a water-repellant coating [...] Filed in categories: News, Spotlight Gadgets, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: gear bag, iPadBooq Announces new Cobra line of Gear Bags originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 23, 2010 at 1:27 pm.
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews
Filed under: Fun, Apple, MobileI'm not quite sure if this one counts as 'news', and you'll probably want the 30 seconds of your life back afterwards, but anyway: Marco Arment (of Tumblr and Instapaper fame) has compiled a list of the most commonly used words in 1- and 5-star App Store reviews.
In true American style, awesome and worth are at the top of the 5-star list. As Marco points out, it's very nice to see simple so high in the 5-star list, but words like ever, never and done are a bit odd. I don't have an iOS device, so I can only guess, but are people writing reviews that read 'This app is awesome. I don't know how I ever got along without it. I will never leave home without it'? And where does touch figure into positive reviews? I hope it comes from 'it also works on my iPod touch!'...
The bad-review list reads like a litany of woe: waste and money come first, quickly followed by crashes, useless, deleted and stupid.
Interestingly, both lists emphasize cost and value: i.e. when an app works well, it's 'worth its weight in gold', but when it doesn't work, an app is 'a useless waste of money'. As Marco highlights, though, talking about the price when you've paid hundreds of dollars for the device itself is a little silly.
My favourite word, if you're wondering, is right at the end of the 1-star review list: Apple.
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In true American style, awesome and worth are at the top of the 5-star list. As Marco points out, it's very nice to see simple so high in the 5-star list, but words like ever, never and done are a bit odd. I don't have an iOS device, so I can only guess, but are people writing reviews that read 'This app is awesome. I don't know how I ever got along without it. I will never leave home without it'? And where does touch figure into positive reviews? I hope it comes from 'it also works on my iPod touch!'...
The bad-review list reads like a litany of woe: waste and money come first, quickly followed by crashes, useless, deleted and stupid.
Interestingly, both lists emphasize cost and value: i.e. when an app works well, it's 'worth its weight in gold', but when it doesn't work, an app is 'a useless waste of money'. As Marco highlights, though, talking about the price when you've paid hundreds of dollars for the device itself is a little silly.
My favourite word, if you're wondering, is right at the end of the 1-star review list: Apple.
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Call Informer brings more information to incoming call screen
Having a large contact list can be a little bit difficult at times as it is easy to confuse people, especially those with common names, or similar last names. Having the company name that the caller was from, or just some additional information about them on the incoming call screen would be great as it would help differentiate the people that are calling, and until now this was not readily available.Jesta's Funhouse has recently released an application called Call Informer which allows additional information to be shown on the incoming call screen so you can have a better understanding of who is calling. Users have the option to add notes, company names, nicknames along with the city, state and country the caller is calling from. This information must appear under the inbound callers contact information in your Android device, and users can define exactly which pieces of information they want displayed. For only 99 cents in the Android market, this is a must-have for anyone who has a large phone book.This application has been tested on the Motorola Droid and Droid X but should work on other devices. If your device is not supported please send feedback to the developer so the development can continue!
appid:
com.jestasfunhouse.callinformer
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
appid:
com.jestasfunhouse.callinformer
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
A Tale of Two Root Exploits, and Why We Shouldn't Panic
There's no denying Linux is more secure than perpetually-patching Windows, but the past month or so has not provided an ideal demonstration. In August, we saw the arrival of a long-overdue fix for a kernel bug that was six years old; now, in the last week or so, it's been not one but two root exploits causing a fuss.
Robot Teaches Itself to Fire a Bow and Arrow
by Mark Brown
In the latest episode of ?stop teaching them so much,? scientists have created a humanoid robot that teaches itself how to accurately hit a target with a bow and arrow.
The cute, childlike robot, named iCub, was designed by researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology. Armed with a bow, an [...]
In the latest episode of ?stop teaching them so much,? scientists have created a humanoid robot that teaches itself how to accurately hit a target with a bow and arrow.
The cute, childlike robot, named iCub, was designed by researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology. Armed with a bow, an [...]
Monday, September 27, 2010
Nielsen: growth of digital music sales flat in 2010
It's a bit early for the big music companies to start panicking, but it looks like the heyday of double-digit growth in digital music sales may now be behind us. That's according to market research firm Nielsen, at least, which found that sales in the US fell flat in 2010 after a 13 percent increase from 2008 to 2009, and a whopping 28 percent jump from 2007 to 2008. Nielsen is quick to point out, however, that it thinks this is a "plateau," and that it "doesn't mean that this digital consumption is going to drop significantly." It also still seems to be a different story outside of the US, with Nielsen reporting that digital music sales were up 7 percent in Britain, 13 percent in Germany and 19 percent in France.
Nielsen: growth of digital music sales flat in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments
Nielsen: growth of digital music sales flat in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments
BlackBerry announces 7-inch PlayBook tablet, iPad competition heats up
RIM has just announced their iPad tablet competitor, the BlackBerry PlayBook. They’re marketing it as the world’s first professional table and the specs look great, almost as though it was specifically designed to counter-program the iPad:
7-inch screen
1GHz dual-core processor (or is it 2GHz Cortex A9?)
1080p video with HDMI out
Front and rear cameras
HTML5 and Flash 10.1
BES [...]BlackBerry announces 7-inch PlayBook tablet, iPad competition heats up is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
7-inch screen
1GHz dual-core processor (or is it 2GHz Cortex A9?)
1080p video with HDMI out
Front and rear cameras
HTML5 and Flash 10.1
BES [...]BlackBerry announces 7-inch PlayBook tablet, iPad competition heats up is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Internet Innovation Is Like The Auto Industry In The 1950s ? Big, Stagnant Companies Rule
"The Yelp for cellphones will be Yelp. The Google for cellphones will be Google."
That was Clarium Capital President Peter Thiel talking to our own Sarah Lacy on stage during TechCrunch Disrupt today. His point was that Internet innovation today is much like innovation in the automobile industry in the 1950s and 1960s. That is, there isn't much -- it's all about the big boys, in Thiel's mind.
Thiel kept coming back to this point during his talk. Given this, Sarah was especially curious about his early Facebook investment. While Thiel said that he believes that Facebook is currently undervalued at $30 billion, he would�think twice about funding a startup like Facebook today. Again, he just doesn't believe there's going to be a lot that's happening that isn't dominated by the big boys.
That was Clarium Capital President Peter Thiel talking to our own Sarah Lacy on stage during TechCrunch Disrupt today. His point was that Internet innovation today is much like innovation in the automobile industry in the 1950s and 1960s. That is, there isn't much -- it's all about the big boys, in Thiel's mind.
Thiel kept coming back to this point during his talk. Given this, Sarah was especially curious about his early Facebook investment. While Thiel said that he believes that Facebook is currently undervalued at $30 billion, he would�think twice about funding a startup like Facebook today. Again, he just doesn't believe there's going to be a lot that's happening that isn't dominated by the big boys.
Change Your iPhone's App Icons Without Jailbreaking [IPhone]
Jailbreakers have been theming their iPhones for a long time, but if you like to refrain from jailbreaking, you can still change that app's ugly icon using previously mentioned iPhone Explorer. More »
Acer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 pick up NVIDIA Optimus, Aspire AS5742G nabs some 3D Vision
You know who may have been a bit inspired by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's GPU muscle? Acer! Okay, that's not exactly what happened, but Acer does have quite a few new laptops that tap the graphics-chip maker's latest. First up are the 15.6-inch AS5742G and 17.3-inch AS7745, which still have the same design and Intel Core 2010 CPU options as the previous models, but now have the brand spankin' new GeForce 400M GPUs along with Optimus technology for automatically switching between the integrated and discrete graphics options. Both will be available for less than $800, though there's no word on exact availability of the mainstream machines. Those a bit too 2D for ya? There's also the Core i5-powered, GeForce GT 420M-packing Aspire AS5745DG, which is one of the first machines to have NVIDIA's updated 3D Vision. The IR receiver is integrated into the 120Hz LCD's bezel and it supports 3DTV Play, which lets you reap the laptop's 3D benefits on a larger 3DTV. For $1,000 (active shutter glasses included!) that's not a bad deal, but don't get too excited about ordering one today -- it'll hit e-tailers in late October. Oh, and there's one more! The 18.4-inch Aspire AS8943G has been updated with a Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and ATI's newest Mobility Radeon 5850 graphics for $1,499.99. That's a lot to digest, but hit the break for the press release if you're up for even more details on all the new rigs. Gallery: Acer Aspire AS5745, AS7745, AS5742GContinue reading Acer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 pick up NVIDIA Optimus, Aspire AS5742G nabs some 3D VisionAcer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 pick up NVIDIA Optimus, Aspire AS5742G nabs some 3D Vision originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review
How do you judge a pair of headphones in this pristine, digital age when you?re listening to a new track from J�nsi and Alex that has analog noise added for effect? I have no idea, but boy, does it sound ethereal and haunting. The track is ?Dan�ell In The Sea?, which may not be your [...] Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: Audio, Headphones, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portableBowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm.
The Joust: A Travel-Ready Bike-Polo Bike
Every year, the Interbike show in Las Vegas brings new and updated products from the big bike-makers. It also has lots of weird niche bikes, which are probably a lot more interesting. And you can’t get much more niche than polo bike designed for travel.
This is the Joust, from Fleetvelo. It was designed by a [...]
This is the Joust, from Fleetvelo. It was designed by a [...]
Sharp E-Readers Are Stealth Android Tablets
Sharp has a pair of new e-readers coming to stores this December. At the same time, the company will be launching its own book-store, called Galapagos. But all is not quite what it seems.
The e-readers come in two sizes, a 5.5-inch 1024�600 resolution model and a 10.8-inch 1366�800. They both have Wi-Fi, but lack 3G, [...]
The e-readers come in two sizes, a 5.5-inch 1024�600 resolution model and a 10.8-inch 1366�800. They both have Wi-Fi, but lack 3G, [...]
You Ask, We Find ? Leather ?Watch? Band for iPod nano (6th gen)
A couple of days ago, Julie posted a news item about the NanoWatch silicone straps for the new iPod nano.� One of our readers – Mark Rosengarten – said he was holding out for a leather wrist strap.� A company called iLoveHandles has a black genuine leather band they call the Rock Band.� This strap [...] Filed in categories: News, Spotlight Gadgets, Watches and Clocks, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: Nano, WatchYou Ask, We Find – Leather “Watch” Band for iPod nano (6th gen) originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 23, 2010 at 7:30 am.
Microsoft Security Essentials now provides free antivirus protection for Small Businesses
There are a lot of great, free antivirus programs for Windows -- as long as you're using those programs at home. When it comes to options for the workplace, there's really nothing available for free.
At least, not until now. Starting in October, Microsoft is opening up the licensing for Security Essentials and will allow small businesses up to 10 users to utilize one of the top-rated, free antivirus apps on their systems. Dollar-wise, you're not talking about a gigantic savings -- 10 users would run around $270 per year for the customers I support who use NOD32 -- but it all adds up.
Still, that's money you could be spending elsewhere -- like a few small hardware upgrades or faster Internet access. Anyway you slice it, free MSE for your small business computers is great news!Microsoft Security Essentials now provides free antivirus protection for Small Businesses originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
At least, not until now. Starting in October, Microsoft is opening up the licensing for Security Essentials and will allow small businesses up to 10 users to utilize one of the top-rated, free antivirus apps on their systems. Dollar-wise, you're not talking about a gigantic savings -- 10 users would run around $270 per year for the customers I support who use NOD32 -- but it all adds up.
Still, that's money you could be spending elsewhere -- like a few small hardware upgrades or faster Internet access. Anyway you slice it, free MSE for your small business computers is great news!Microsoft Security Essentials now provides free antivirus protection for Small Businesses originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
oStylus Capacitive Touch Screen Stylus Review
The iPad is known to be primarily a finger driven device, but it seems to be creating a revival of the stylus. Why? People who enjoy drawing and sketching want a tool to make it easier. We’ve been reviewing several styli since the iPad’s release and today I have another. It’s the oStylus Capacitive Touch [...] Filed in categories: Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: iPad, StylusoStylus Capacitive Touch Screen Stylus Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 23, 2010 at 11:00 am.
TiVo banking on the software business, delays DirecTV HD unit to 2011
It's been five years since TiVo first promised DirecTV customers an HD DVR and two years since the company reaffirmed that claim, so if you've been waiting patiently you probably know what we're going to say -- it's been delayed yet again. TiVo marketing VP Joe Miller told PC Magazine that the fabled DirecTiVo will actually appear "early next year," which should give you plenty of time to work out your rage. Before you storm off to your standard-definition video collection, however, there's another thing you might like to know: the executive also not-so-subtly suggested that TiVo's hardware business won't be a focus for long. In a series of increasingly telling quotes, Miller called software the company's "core competence," said it was "in our blood" and "the thing we do well," and even added that "the software is what we're all about." To be completely frank, TiVo has held the gold standard for DVR software for over a decade, but that's mostly because no one successfully stepped up to the plate -- not even TiVo itself, whose Premiere interface shipped the definition of half-baked. So when the company suggests that software is one of its strengths, please pardon a few chuckles from our corner of the room. TiVo banking on the software business, delays DirecTV HD unit to 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Zatz Not Funny | PC Magazine | Email this | Comments
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Nine Restaurants Sent Back From the Future to Destroy Us (With Good Eats) [Video]
The basic premises of going to a restaurant haven't changed tremendously throughout history. You sit down. You order. It shows up. Maybe it's good. But new, high tech establishments around the world are putting a innovative spin on eating out. More »
HP Slate prototype from an iPad user?s perspective
Since a couple videos have started floating around on YouTube I figured it was about time I spoke up a little about my brief experience with the HP Slate. I had an opportunity to play with one about 3 months ago. HP apparently has a couple of these prototype devices they ship off to customers [...]HP Slate prototype from an iPad user’s perspective is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
The Long Wait for the Iliad of Modern Cooking, Modernist Cuisine [Modernist Cuisine]
Nathan Myhrvold, Bill Gates' former right-hand man is well known as the mastermind behind Intellectual Ventures. But he's also an insane chef, who's been working on the definitive guide to modern cooking, a six-volume, 2400-page tome, Modernist Cuisine. It's delayed. More »
Piq is a fun way to create pixel-art and favicons
Filed under: Design
Once upon a time, creating pixel art was a completely manual process. You drew your base shape, and then if you wanted to add highlights, shadows, or blur, you had to draw them in, pixel by pixel.
Piq is a Flash-based pixel art editor that lets you enjoy fine-grained manual control, while making it a bit easier to add those extra touches to your image. You first draw the image pixel by pixel. Then, once you have the base shape, you can use one of several tools to painlessly manipulate the colors.
In the screenshot above, I drew the letters "DLS" (hey, I never said I could do pixel art!), and then I used the "burn" tool to create some highlights. It may not be a very good example of what this tool is capable of, but that's just because I can't draw. As their gallery shows, piq can be used to create some very detailed and beautiful pixel art, such as this beautiful apple.
Once you're done drawing, you can upload your image to the piq gallery with a single click. You can also save the image to your hard drive as a BMP and then easily convert it to a site favicon.Piq is a fun way to create pixel-art and favicons originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Once upon a time, creating pixel art was a completely manual process. You drew your base shape, and then if you wanted to add highlights, shadows, or blur, you had to draw them in, pixel by pixel.
Piq is a Flash-based pixel art editor that lets you enjoy fine-grained manual control, while making it a bit easier to add those extra touches to your image. You first draw the image pixel by pixel. Then, once you have the base shape, you can use one of several tools to painlessly manipulate the colors.
In the screenshot above, I drew the letters "DLS" (hey, I never said I could do pixel art!), and then I used the "burn" tool to create some highlights. It may not be a very good example of what this tool is capable of, but that's just because I can't draw. As their gallery shows, piq can be used to create some very detailed and beautiful pixel art, such as this beautiful apple.
Once you're done drawing, you can upload your image to the piq gallery with a single click. You can also save the image to your hard drive as a BMP and then easily convert it to a site favicon.Piq is a fun way to create pixel-art and favicons originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The FCC's Great White Spaces Hope
The airwaves -- or really, electromagnetic spectrum -- are everywhere, but they definitely are not free. At least, the legal rights to use spectrum aren't free. In the U.S., those rights are managed by the FCC, and the commission just granted wireless companies the rights to a significant chunk of unused spectrum.
An Alligator for your Keyring
The MyArk Ti-6Al-4V Alligator Wrench is a key ring multi-tool made from Ti-6Al-4V, which is an alpha-beta titanium alloy with medium to high strength. The tool features a bottle opener, a ratchet wrench for nut sizes from 3/8?- 3/16? on one end and metric 10mm- 4mm on the opposite end (perfect for car battery terminal [...] Filed in categories: Gear, News, Spotlight GadgetsTagged: Keychain, ToolAn Alligator for your Keyring originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2010 at 1:31 pm.
7-inch iPad nano with FaceTime complete, looks like iPhone 4 [Gossip!]
7-inch iPad nano rumors — or 7-inch iPod touch maxi rumors depending on whether you measure up or down — are back, with Shanzai gossiping that the product is done and looks like an iPhone 4.
Yes there will be a 7? tablet, yes it?s well underway in terms of product development and in [...]7-inch iPad nano with FaceTime complete, looks like iPhone 4 [Gossip!] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Yes there will be a 7? tablet, yes it?s well underway in terms of product development and in [...]7-inch iPad nano with FaceTime complete, looks like iPhone 4 [Gossip!] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
AT&T-branded Motorola Flipout released... on eBay
You might not be able to score a Flipout in AT&T stores just yet -- in fact, AT&T still hasn't fessed up to the fact that it's coming -- but if you've got $388 and a can-do attitude, you can still grab one. The swiveling Android set in full AT&T livery and packaging has shown up on eBay for $388.88... which, ironically, is probably less than you'll pay off contract once it officially launches. There appear to be a few available at that price, so let us know if you pull the trigger.
[Thanks, Jon]AT&T-branded Motorola Flipout released... on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | eBay | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Jon]AT&T-branded Motorola Flipout released... on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | eBay | Email this | Comments
Star Walk Goes To New Heights In Version 4.4
Astrology fans worldwide are going to love what Vito Technology has done with their latest Star Walk v4.4 update. They have taken their highly popular and award winning Star Walk app for the iPad and iPhone and made it even better. So let’s get down to business, what’s new in Star Walk 4.4? Arrow Guides [...]
Lint is a challenging, frustrating platformer - Time-Waster
Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
As a platformer, Lint is fairly thin on the graphics. The protagonist is a tiny ball that rolls around and the whole thing works as one huge level, which you traverse screen-by-screen.
There is often more than one way to cross a given screen. Navigation is great; it's very fast and fluid. You can jump high, double jump (i.e., jump again when you're already airborne for an added boost), and scale walls easily. The controls are quite intuitive and easy to master, which makes the game more enjoyable.
The tricky part in Lint is the timing. It's quite simple at the start, but pretty soon, you need to accurately time your jumps. In the screenshot, that dark shape on the right is a hammer that pounds down repeatedly, and it will kill you if you touch it (even if you just glance it from the side while jumping). You need to jump down at exactly the right instant. If you die you'll start again at the left side of the screen -- so you need to spend a moment to get to where the hammer is. It's can be quite frustrating, indeed.
Another nice thing about this game is that you get endless lives, and respawning is instant (it doesn't pause even for a second, you just instantly reappear after you die). Give Lint a shot, but prepare to be frustrated!Lint is a challenging, frustrating platformer - Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
As a platformer, Lint is fairly thin on the graphics. The protagonist is a tiny ball that rolls around and the whole thing works as one huge level, which you traverse screen-by-screen.
There is often more than one way to cross a given screen. Navigation is great; it's very fast and fluid. You can jump high, double jump (i.e., jump again when you're already airborne for an added boost), and scale walls easily. The controls are quite intuitive and easy to master, which makes the game more enjoyable.
The tricky part in Lint is the timing. It's quite simple at the start, but pretty soon, you need to accurately time your jumps. In the screenshot, that dark shape on the right is a hammer that pounds down repeatedly, and it will kill you if you touch it (even if you just glance it from the side while jumping). You need to jump down at exactly the right instant. If you die you'll start again at the left side of the screen -- so you need to spend a moment to get to where the hammer is. It's can be quite frustrating, indeed.
Another nice thing about this game is that you get endless lives, and respawning is instant (it doesn't pause even for a second, you just instantly reappear after you die). Give Lint a shot, but prepare to be frustrated!Lint is a challenging, frustrating platformer - Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
CrunchGear Week in Review: Death Drives A Stick Edition
Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: New Display Tech Could Have Eight Times The Pixel Density As Retina Display Immortality Via Valve?s Team Fortress 2 Hat-Describing Contest Now You Wily Terrorists Will Be Subject To Long-Range Skeleton Analysis I?d Live In It. Bufalino Camper Combines Car, Bedroom, Office Science! Viral Batteries [...]
NSFW: TechCrunch Disrupt: The Drinking Game
In a little over 24 hours, the sun will rise on the second TechCrunch Disrupt conference, brilliantly titled "TechCrunch Disrupt: San Francisco". (Rejected titles include ?TechCrunch Disrupt 2: Money Never Sleeps?, ?TechCrunch Disrupt 2: For a Few Dollars More?, and ?TechCrunch Disrupt 2: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer?.)
For those of you who missed the inaugural Disrupt, held in New York back in May, the event is a mash-up of two formats: a start-up competition where 24 as-yet-unlaunched businesses compete for $50,000 and an old bowling trophy The TechCrunch Disrupt Cup - plus a star-studded conference where the likes of Erick Schmidt and Barry Diller take to the stage to inspire entrepreneurs and attempt to out-swear Carol Bartz. It's a ridiculously impressive line-up, with a ratio of three Chabillionaires to every Chamillionaire.
For those of you who missed the inaugural Disrupt, held in New York back in May, the event is a mash-up of two formats: a start-up competition where 24 as-yet-unlaunched businesses compete for $50,000 and an old bowling trophy The TechCrunch Disrupt Cup - plus a star-studded conference where the likes of Erick Schmidt and Barry Diller take to the stage to inspire entrepreneurs and attempt to out-swear Carol Bartz. It's a ridiculously impressive line-up, with a ratio of three Chabillionaires to every Chamillionaire.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Could There Be A Better Advertisement For The iPad?
Apple, no doubt, has a history of creating commercials that resonate with consumers. And with the recent Facetime ads, Apple has taken it one step further, appealing to the human emotion. But honestly, sometimes the best commercials are not produced by a big-name agency or a famous director. TechCrunch reader Paul Sanduleac sent us this video of his four-year-old brother using an iPad. It's nothing short of impressive.
Not only is the little boy able to swipe on the device, but he's taped playing various with apps, including a Keyboard app and a few games. You can see he's having the time of his life, while also interacting with the content and learning alphabets and colors as well.
Not only is the little boy able to swipe on the device, but he's taped playing various with apps, including a Keyboard app and a few games. You can see he's having the time of his life, while also interacting with the content and learning alphabets and colors as well.
Deal of the Day ? HP Pavilion Elite HPE-480t Core i7 Quad-Core Desktop PC with Free Upgrades to 9GB DDR3 and 1TB Hard Drive
The LogicBUY Deal for Saturday is an HP Pavilion Elite HPE-480t desktop PC with a Quad Core i7-930 2.8GHz cpu, a free upgrade to 9GB DDR3 memory, a free upgrade to a 1TB 7200rpm hard drive, and a 16X DVD+/-RW with LightScribe.� It?s loaded with 1GB Radeon HD 5450 graphics, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and a [...] Filed in categories: NewsTagged: Deal of the DayDeal of the Day ? HP Pavilion Elite HPE-480t Core i7 Quad-Core Desktop PC with Free Upgrades to 9GB DDR3 and 1TB Hard Drive originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 8:00 am.
Mesmerizing Wooden Sink Takes 12 Weeks to Create [Homemod]
For a luxurious, unique bathroom fixture, you can't go wrong with one of Ammonitum's stunning designs. The process to get the wood both beauteous and waterproof—which involves shaping, gluing, polishing, and at least ten layers of varnish—takes 12 weeks. More »
Caption Contest: NVIDIA CEO flaunts tattoo on stage, still serving cans of whoop-ass
Oh sure, NVIDIA might not have had any physical chips to show off at the GPU Technology Conference earlier this week, but CEO Jen-Hsun Huang did have one very, very special exhibit up his sleeve.
Paul: "And below the logo is a picture of all the shipping devices running Tegra 2."
Don: "Here are the new logo designs we've been working on, Mr. Huang."
Ross: "Take a cue from Peter Moore and go with temporary. You never know where you'll be in even just a few years' time."
Chris: "Huang's Boxee Box tramp stamp, of course, would remain a secret."
Joanna: "And this is why I hate gun, er GPU shows."
Darren: "Whatever. At least it's not a Zune tattoo."
Richard Lai: "Yo Intel, this is how embedded is done."
Vlad: "Jen-Hsun's displays of support for Notion Ink are starting to get out of hand..."Caption Contest: NVIDIA CEO flaunts tattoo on stage, still serving cans of whoop-ass originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | International Business Times | Email this | Comments
Paul: "And below the logo is a picture of all the shipping devices running Tegra 2."
Don: "Here are the new logo designs we've been working on, Mr. Huang."
Ross: "Take a cue from Peter Moore and go with temporary. You never know where you'll be in even just a few years' time."
Chris: "Huang's Boxee Box tramp stamp, of course, would remain a secret."
Joanna: "And this is why I hate gun, er GPU shows."
Darren: "Whatever. At least it's not a Zune tattoo."
Richard Lai: "Yo Intel, this is how embedded is done."
Vlad: "Jen-Hsun's displays of support for Notion Ink are starting to get out of hand..."Caption Contest: NVIDIA CEO flaunts tattoo on stage, still serving cans of whoop-ass originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | International Business Times | Email this | Comments
Make the red ball meet the blue ball in Bipole -- Time-Waster
Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
So, there's a red ball, and there's a blue ball. When they meet, there's a flash of light and you win. That sounds simple, right?
Well, Bipole quickly gets complicated. Each level is circular; you use the left and right arrow keys to rotate the level, and the balls slide around, bump against things, and free fall.
Pretty soon, "magnets" appear in the game. I'm not sure why they're called magnets, because they don't actually pull the balls in - they change their color! So, as soon as the red ball touches a blue "magnet," it becomes blue. And if two blue balls meet, nothing happens (ahem). You've got to be careful of the magnets. There are also hazards that just kill the balls altogether.
There are two other handy controls: hit Space to freeze the balls in place, and hit R to restart the level. It's casual, fun, and quite addictive!Make the red ball meet the blue ball in Bipole -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
So, there's a red ball, and there's a blue ball. When they meet, there's a flash of light and you win. That sounds simple, right?
Well, Bipole quickly gets complicated. Each level is circular; you use the left and right arrow keys to rotate the level, and the balls slide around, bump against things, and free fall.
Pretty soon, "magnets" appear in the game. I'm not sure why they're called magnets, because they don't actually pull the balls in - they change their color! So, as soon as the red ball touches a blue "magnet," it becomes blue. And if two blue balls meet, nothing happens (ahem). You've got to be careful of the magnets. There are also hazards that just kill the balls altogether.
There are two other handy controls: hit Space to freeze the balls in place, and hit R to restart the level. It's casual, fun, and quite addictive!Make the red ball meet the blue ball in Bipole -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sonos Wireless Dock hands-on
What you have pictured here is the latest Sonos music device. In person the Sonos Wireless Dock is exactly what you were thinking when you read the press release yesterday. The demo unit had a special Sonos branded half case that left the bottom unaltered, because like many other docks, the cases get in the way of proper docking. The dock does accept the standard iPod dock inserts, so maybe there's still hope that a case manufacturer will ship it with a special insert made with the intent to simplify the life of one who like to use both an iPod case, and a dock together.
Gallery: Hands on with the Sonos Wireless DockSonos Wireless Dock hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Gallery: Hands on with the Sonos Wireless DockSonos Wireless Dock hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]
Today's #dealz include discounts on the nimble Lenovo IdeaPad Z360, Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 Noise Isolating Earphones, and free entry to 1200 Museums and National Parks, today only. More »
EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration
Filed under: Developer
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Archos 32 Internet Tablet review
With there now being five (oh yes, five!) Archos Android Internet Tablets on the market, it's understandably hard to keep 'em all straight, but in our minds the 32 is easy to separate from the rest - it, along with the 28, is more of an Android PMP than anything else. With 3.2 inches of resistive touchscreen, the 32 packs the specs of a typical media player: 8GB of storage, media player software with support for loads of audio and video formats, and a VGA camera. But unlike most, it runs Android 2.1 (2.2 will be a firmware update, we're told), which adds quite a bit more functionality in terms of applications and web browsing. And it's also got an accelerometer for playing games. At $150, it seems like a pretty good deal, especially when you consider that it's cheaper than an iPod Touch or even a Zune HD (depending on where you're shopping), but there are a few issues that may hold you back from forking over the cash. You'll want to check out our full review after the break to find out just what those are. Gallery: Archos 32 reviewContinue reading Archos 32 Internet Tablet reviewArchos 32 Internet Tablet review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Archos | Email this | Comments
HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video)
Remember that HP Slate prototype video we happened upon just yesterday? The owner, who goes by the name x313xkillax on YouTube, is back with over eight more minutes of footage, including the packaging. According to the back of the box of this self-proclaimed business model, here's the official specs we're looking at: a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 with GMA500 and Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator, 8.9-inch WSVGA screen, 2GB DDR2 RAM, about 60GB storage capacity, Windows 7 Home Premium, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, SD card reader, and a 2-Cell 30WHr Lithium-ion Polymer battery. There are two cameras here, one in front and one in rear.
As shown via MS Paint, the screen can detect at least four fingers at a time. The browser is a bit laggy but does do pinch-to-zoom -- again, he calls it a prototype, so it may be better in the final production model. Also in the packaging? A handy dock for keeping your Slate comfy and upright -- it's even got kickstand, two USBs, and HDMI out. But hey, we're wasting your time, and you're the kind of person who wants to see this enterprise-bound tablet in action. Don't let us get in your way, it's just after the break.
[Thanks, Kim L]Continue reading HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video)HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | YouTube | Email this | Comments
As shown via MS Paint, the screen can detect at least four fingers at a time. The browser is a bit laggy but does do pinch-to-zoom -- again, he calls it a prototype, so it may be better in the final production model. Also in the packaging? A handy dock for keeping your Slate comfy and upright -- it's even got kickstand, two USBs, and HDMI out. But hey, we're wasting your time, and you're the kind of person who wants to see this enterprise-bound tablet in action. Don't let us get in your way, it's just after the break.
[Thanks, Kim L]Continue reading HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video)HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | YouTube | Email this | Comments
Wolfram Alpha now processing U.S. retail sales data
Filed under: Search, web 2.0, Education
When I was a kid and used to fantasize about what the future was going to be like, I didn't envision a Google-like search engine. If anything, I thought the future would hold something more along the lines of Wolfram Alpha - an omniscient search box that would slice and dice numbers and facts in all sorts of crazy ways and spit out a bunch of cool graphs.
And now, Wolfram Alpha has added one more key data source to its growing arsenal: U.S. Department of Commerce reports about retail sales in the States.
This is significant, because there's so much hype about "the economy" and how it's all crashing and burning -- or how it isn't. And really, the best antidote for hype is data. With Wolfram Alpha making this data so compelling and accessible, there's really no reason not to find out for yourself how the U.S. economy is doing. It's also smart enough to seasonally adjust the data in order to compensate for spikes and drops that are due to purchasing habits typical to that time of year rather than actual market anomalies.
Some of the queries you can chart:
Seasonally adjusted retail sales jewelry stores vs U.S. unemployment (Their idea, not mine)
Seasonally adjusted retail sales vs US military spending - This one doesn't give you a graph, but is still quite interesting.
April 2010 retail sales computers vs April 2010 retail sales - To see how large the computing industry's direct role is in U.S. economy.
Bottom line: Wolfram Alpha keeps adding more and more data sources - we just need to figure out how to use them.Wolfram Alpha now processing U.S. retail sales data originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
When I was a kid and used to fantasize about what the future was going to be like, I didn't envision a Google-like search engine. If anything, I thought the future would hold something more along the lines of Wolfram Alpha - an omniscient search box that would slice and dice numbers and facts in all sorts of crazy ways and spit out a bunch of cool graphs.
And now, Wolfram Alpha has added one more key data source to its growing arsenal: U.S. Department of Commerce reports about retail sales in the States.
This is significant, because there's so much hype about "the economy" and how it's all crashing and burning -- or how it isn't. And really, the best antidote for hype is data. With Wolfram Alpha making this data so compelling and accessible, there's really no reason not to find out for yourself how the U.S. economy is doing. It's also smart enough to seasonally adjust the data in order to compensate for spikes and drops that are due to purchasing habits typical to that time of year rather than actual market anomalies.
Some of the queries you can chart:
Seasonally adjusted retail sales jewelry stores vs U.S. unemployment (Their idea, not mine)
Seasonally adjusted retail sales vs US military spending - This one doesn't give you a graph, but is still quite interesting.
April 2010 retail sales computers vs April 2010 retail sales - To see how large the computing industry's direct role is in U.S. economy.
Bottom line: Wolfram Alpha keeps adding more and more data sources - we just need to figure out how to use them.Wolfram Alpha now processing U.S. retail sales data originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
ElementCase Vapor Case for iPhone 4 Review
If ever a manufacturer has handed third-party accessories manufacturers a blank check, it was Apple with the iPhone 4.� Whereas the third-party smartphone case market traditionally sets its sights on those who want to protect or personalize their phones, the widely-publicized “Antennagate” issue has effectively ensured that practically every iPhone 4 owner will purchase a [...] Filed in categories: Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: iPhone CaseElementCase Vapor Case for iPhone 4 Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2010 at 12:40 pm.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Rainbow Shots Turn Even More Rainbow In Your Stomach...Honest [Video]
There's not much you can say about this video of a bartender pouring out a series of rainbow-hued shots than WOW. I wonder if they all tasted different? More »
CEO Jeff Zucker leaving NBC following Comcast merger, exit stage left
Comcast's acquisition of NBC isn't quite in the bank just yet, but that doesn't mean the upcoming change isn't already dealing an impact. Current CEO and President Jeff Zucker announced today he plans to leave the company sometime following the takeover -- but also noting his final day might not be for another six months from now. "Comcast will be a great new steward, just as GE has been, and they deserve the chance to implement their own vision," he said. We wonder what exactly that new vision might be and how it pertains to the shift in online offerings -- for his part, Zucker's made a few headlines over the years that seem to suggest hesitation / aversion to the current digital transition. No successor has been named, but again, that could very well be half a year away -- as they say, stay tuned.
Update: And now it gets juicy. The New York Times is reporting that Zucker's departure wasn't exactly his call. Interesting, indeed.CEO Jeff Zucker leaving NBC following Comcast merger, exit stage left originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | CNN | Email this | Comments
Update: And now it gets juicy. The New York Times is reporting that Zucker's departure wasn't exactly his call. Interesting, indeed.CEO Jeff Zucker leaving NBC following Comcast merger, exit stage left originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | CNN | Email this | Comments
What's Worth Watching on the Web this Week? [TV]
Clicker.com is back again with the definitive guide to this week's Web programming. Nearly every broadcasting network is posting their premieres online shortly after they air now, but we're most excited about Louis CK's stand-up movie Hilarious. More »
Facebook Fixed Yesterday's Outage By Rebooting Facebook [Powerswitch]
Facebook's two-hour outage yesterday undoubtedly left thousands of acres of Farmville crops untended and countless high school acquaintances unstalked. So how'd they fix it? Just like you fix your own stubborn machine: rebooting the entire system. Works every time. [Guardian] More »
Google CEO Eric Schmidt To Speak At TechCrunch Disrupt
TechCrunch Disrupt starts Monday - just three days from today. And we've just gotten word that Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be speaking. We've added him to our amazing list of speakers. Schmidt will join Disrupt on Tuesday at 10 am.
This is a surprise guest. We're not quite sure what Schmidt will talk about. Will it be about that new social layer Google is adding to its services? Will it be about how Google is doing in mobile with Android? Will it be about the forthcoming Chrome OS? Whatever it is, it will be interesting. Come to Disrupt to find out. (Yup, there are still a few tickets left).
This is a surprise guest. We're not quite sure what Schmidt will talk about. Will it be about that new social layer Google is adding to its services? Will it be about how Google is doing in mobile with Android? Will it be about the forthcoming Chrome OS? Whatever it is, it will be interesting. Come to Disrupt to find out. (Yup, there are still a few tickets left).
Apple Reduces Audio Jack Size Without Changing the Standard Stereo Plug [Patent]
Apple may shave a few millimeters from future iPods and iPhones by using a new patent for a new audio jack. The device uses Pogo pins as conductive contacts. More »
Qualcomm's Peanut challenges ZigBee, Bluetooth for control of your personal area network next year
Perhaps dissatisfied with the glacial pace of Wibree, Qualcomm's working on an ultra-low-power, short-range wireless transfer tech of its own -- it's called Peanut, and executives claim it only needs "fractions of a milliwatt of power" to push data at several megabits per second. Computerworld got the scoop on the new low-power radio at EmTech@MIT 2010, and reports that Qualcomm's had these goobers in the oven since 2006 and is looking to trump the likes of ZigBee and Bluetooth by this time next year. Assuming, of course, the Peanut standard doesn't require a molasses-like committee of its own to attain formal approval.Qualcomm's Peanut challenges ZigBee, Bluetooth for control of your personal area network next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Computerworld | Email this | Comments
Firefox finally gets "paste and go" in FF4 nightly
Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers
Other browsers like Chrome and Opera can do it, and they've been doing it for ages. There are add-ons that let Firefox do it, but if it's such a useful feature, why hasn't it been included out-of-the-box?
"It" is paste and go, and like sync functionality, it has finally been permanently bolted on to Firefox. In recent nightly builds of Firefox 4, you can right-click to paste a URL and go to it without pressing enter -- or paste and go to search any copied text. To be fair, you could already right-click highlighted text and choose to search with your default engine in Firefox, but the absence of paste and go has often made me wonder "why?"
It's yet another feature addition to Firefox 4, which is racking up quite a lengthy list during its beta phase. As always, you can download the latest nightly build of Firefox 4 from Mozilla or check for updates in Minefield's about screen.
[via Mozilla Links]Firefox finally gets "paste and go" in FF4 nightly originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Other browsers like Chrome and Opera can do it, and they've been doing it for ages. There are add-ons that let Firefox do it, but if it's such a useful feature, why hasn't it been included out-of-the-box?
"It" is paste and go, and like sync functionality, it has finally been permanently bolted on to Firefox. In recent nightly builds of Firefox 4, you can right-click to paste a URL and go to it without pressing enter -- or paste and go to search any copied text. To be fair, you could already right-click highlighted text and choose to search with your default engine in Firefox, but the absence of paste and go has often made me wonder "why?"
It's yet another feature addition to Firefox 4, which is racking up quite a lengthy list during its beta phase. As always, you can download the latest nightly build of Firefox 4 from Mozilla or check for updates in Minefield's about screen.
[via Mozilla Links]Firefox finally gets "paste and go" in FF4 nightly originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tinypic Restricts Photo Uploads To U.S., Users Up In Arms
Image hosting service Tinypic just killed off its service to all international users. According to reports, users in countries other than US, UK and Australia are now seeing the message above.
From what we're seeing on various blogs, users both restricted and unrestricted are unhappy about the move calling for a Tinypic boycott as well as figuring out a work around.
From what we're seeing on various blogs, users both restricted and unrestricted are unhappy about the move calling for a Tinypic boycott as well as figuring out a work around.
New Galaxy Tab video offers thorough overview, glimpse of starry mail client
Can't get enough of the Galaxy Tab? Then Samsung's got you covered with its latest, and possibly most detailed video overview of the tablet yet. Running just over nine minutes, the video doesn't exactly offer a ton in the way of surprises (apart from a rather curious contact listing for someone named "Bill Jobs"), but Samsung's demonstration of the Tab's email client did catch our eye. As you can see above, it shows a Gmail account with what appears to be starred emails. Unfortunately, it's not clear if those stars are actually tied to Gmail, since the client also showed the same stars in a Hotmail account during our first hands-on with the device. So, is a star just a star, or a star? Just one of many things to ponder as you watch the complete video after the break.Continue reading New Galaxy Tab video offers thorough overview, glimpse of starry mail clientNew Galaxy Tab video offers thorough overview, glimpse of starry mail client originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Samsung Mobile (YouTube) | Email this | Comments
Microwaving the Moon [Space]
When I first saw the words microwave and moon in a sentence, I thought of dinner—not about the very first microwave map of the entire moon. That was a shame, because the latter is actually a great achievement: More »
Startup Plans Pocketable Dual-Screen E-Reader
Just seven months after unveiling the Entourage eDGe, a device that somewhat awkwardly combined an e-reader and a LCD screen, Entourage is gearing up to launch a pocket-sized version.
The original dual-screen eDGe has a 9.7-inch E Ink screen on the left half and a 10-inch touchscreen LCD on the right. That means you could [...]
The original dual-screen eDGe has a 9.7-inch E Ink screen on the left half and a 10-inch touchscreen LCD on the right. That means you could [...]
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