Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:28 pm

Huddle adds OpenSocial apps to Intercall conference calls

We don’t often report on distribution deals startups make with big companies. But it’s significant that InterCall, the world’s largest conference call provider, is to give each of their 1 million customers an account with UK-based Huddle. The UK startup has built a suite of social collaboration applications which were good enough to make it the only non-US partner for LinkedIn when it added a bunch of OpenSocial apps recently (alongside the likes of Amazon and Google). Huddle is still running on a $4 million Series A round from 2007 from UK VC Eden Ventures, but revenues are coming in at the same time from premium features and enterprise accounts from the likes of UNICEF and even some US government departments.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:20 pm

Algae Could Be The Next Fuel Source

Scientists are hoping algae can help remove greenhouse gases and create new oil reserves.Millions of years ago, algae turned the earth’s hostile atmosphere into a life-supporting one through photosynthesis, a process used by plants to turn carbon dioxide and sunlight into oxygen and sugars.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:20 pm

Local TV Should Be Carried By Satellite Companies

On Tuesday, a U.S. lawmaker introduced legislation requiring satellite TV companies to carry local broadcasting regardless of the market, accusing the companies of ignoring less populated areas.The legislation was introduced by Rep.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:17 pm

The Nation's Weather - The Associated Press

The Associated Press

The Nation's Weather The Associated Press - 2 hours ago Violent storms that produced deadly tornadoes over Oklahoma and Texas were to intensify and move northeast early Wednesday, while a rain was brewing over California. Severe storms for Ohio and Tennessee Valleys USA Today Tennessee Valley severe weather threat WCBD AccuWeather.com - WVLT - WHIOtv.com all 20 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:11 pm

Sony Ericsson Does the Wrong Thing With Boomboox Walkman Phone

Oh, Sony Ericsson, why? Why have you just made the metro a little bit more miserable, and the streets just a touch more mean? Are you so desperate for cash that you are willing to risk a "Do the Right Thing" style riot just to sell a new phone?

The W395 Walkman phone is aimed squarely at the "youth" market, a fact easily gleaned from the publicity material featuring the phone alongside a skateboard. But the real gimmick, the thing that will attract youngsters like knives and anvils to Wile E Coyote's giant electromagnet, is the set of stereo speakers on the back. The press release doesn't even detail these speakers, instead relying on this visceral description:

Powerful built-in stereo speakers with high quality bass [emphasis added]

There is more in there -- a 12.5 hour battery life when playing music, a 2MP camera with which to capture urban unrest and a supplied 1GB memory card to store the recorded mayhem. But really, it's all about those speakers. In fact, Sony Ericsson should have just called the phone the "Radio Raheem". At least it doesn't need 20 D-Cell batteries to work (NSFW).

Press release [Sony Ericsson]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:10 pm

Google Moves In To Power Meter Business

On Tuesday, Google announced its plans to enter into the emerging business of “smart grid,” digital technologies that keep the electrical system on an even keel and reduce electrical energy consumption, the New York Times reported.Many companies are exploring new ways to control the demand for electric power rather than constructing more power plants.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:05 pm

Congressional Support For Federal Renewable Energy Standard

The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said Tuesday that there is now enough congressional support to pass legislation requiring utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from solar, wind and other renewable sources.Sen.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:02 pm

Law firm claims $65 million settlement by Facebook - The Associated Press

New York Times

Law firm claims $65 million settlement by Facebook The Associated Press - 2 hours ago PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) - A law firm is claiming Palo Alto-based Facebook Inc. paid $65 million to settle a suit accusing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of stealing the concept for his social network. Law firm leaks $65 million settlement by Facebook Los Angeles Times Facebook Settled Origin Suit For $65m Digitaltrends.com CNET News - Bizjournals.com - New York Times - VNUNet.com all 154 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:01 pm

Pull Wii Games Off Shelves, Says Radio Pundit

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:38 am

Beautiful Leather Kindle Cases Give Darwinian Advantage

If Amazon's Kindle ever makes it out of the US, I'll be buying one. I will also be buying one of these lovely leather cases with which to conceal the Kindle's geeky exterior.

The trouble is not the Kindle 2 design, which is a big improvement on the original, but the whole e-book concept itself. As we pointed out when we hid an iPod Touch inside a Moleskine notebook, electrons just aren't as romantic as paper (and yes, we know paper contains electrons. Stop being so pedantic).

One day, we're sure, the e-ink screen will be ubiquitous, with old men reading the sport section and young women checking out the Gadget Lab on reusable, rechargeable "paper". Until then, reading on an electronic device is simply dorky. You may as well hang a sign around your neck which reads "I hate girls".

And this is why these beautiful leather jackets from M-Edge are so helpful. They make your Kindle look like a real book, and they do it for just $45 -- surely a small price for the chance to pass your genes on to future generations.

Product page [Via everyone]

See Also:

• How To Turn an iPhone into a Moleskine Book
• Free Software Turns the iPhone Into an E-Book Reader
• Amazon's Kindle 2 Slims Down, Adds Audio
• Showdown: Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:37 am

Authors' Guild: "text-to-speech" software violates copyright -- Boing Boing Gadgets

Over on Boing Boing Gadgets, our Rob has the news that the always-retrograde Authors' Guild believes that Amazon is violating copyright law by shipping a device that can read text-files aloud using text-to-speech, because "that's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."

The Author's Guild also thinks used books are a form of theft, and that books shouldn't show up in a search-engine result unless the search engine pays for the privilege.

Kindle 2's flagship feature is the reading of text out loud, in the same way as software that's already built into desktop computers and Prof. Stephen Hawking's famous voice box. This has caused a "stir." Paul Aiken, executive director of the Author's Guild, told the Wall Street Journal that you have no right to use this feature. It's a free audiobook, see.

"They don't have the right to read a book out loud," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. "That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."

An Amazon spokesman noted the text-reading feature depends on text-to-speech technology, and that listeners won't confuse it with the audiobook experience. Amazon owns Audible, a leading audiobook provider.

Forget for a moment that text-to-speech doesn't copy an existing work. And forget the odd notion that the artificial enunciation of plain text is equivalent to a person's nuanced and emotive reading. The Guild's claim is that even to read out loud is a production akin to an illegal copy, or a public performance.

If a machine reading a book creates a derivative work, why not a person reading a book?

Ideas grow to fill the containers they imply, and the problem with bad ideas is that their containers are leaky and misshapen. Even if you firmly believe in broad copyright laws, intellectual property is a bad idea because it recasts a legal device as its own philosophical justification. This journey from the utilitarian to the exalted creates a sublime monster that can't help but govern not only the duplication of things, but every aspect of their expression and the culture that makes them meaningful.

Author's Guild claims text-to-speech software is illegal

Discuss this on Boing Boing Gadgets)

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:22 am

Action Figure museum gallery

Wired's got a fabulous gallery of photos from the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, OK -- the metastasized personal collection of one wonderful obsessive named Kevin Stark: "In 2000, Stark convinced the Pauls Valley City Council that the town needed a tourist attraction and the museum should be it. In 2005, it finally opened its doors. The museum seems a little out of place among Pauls Valley's other businesses: a gun store, a couple of gas stations, an insurance company or two."

Giant Midwest Mecca of Nerditude in Oklahoma (Image: Jim Merithew/Wired.com)

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:19 am

British rock band Oasis to play first China dates

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:11 am

Odd Dual-Screen Laptop Pops into View

GScreen has announced a ruggedized version of its dual screen notebook, seen above. This is interesting news, and the notebook will be tough enough for the US Navy, which provided the specs.

But the real surprise here is the gScreen G400 itself, a rather odd device which has only just come to our attention. Internally it's a pretty well equipped notebook -- Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz, 4-8GB RAM, up to 500GB hard drive space and a choice of two speedy NVIDIA graphics cards. But the obvious feature is the dual-screen setup.

Those are both 15.4" LED backlit monitors, both the same size as the already generous MacBook Pro screen, and we totally dig them. You gain a little weight (7.7 lbs) and some thickness, but it sure beats dragging an external monitor around with you. The only problem we detect is a whiff of vapor. The site says that we can pre-order the G400 from February 25th. It lists no price, and the only product shot is the 3D render seen above. We do hope all goes well, though: dual screen notebooks to date have been rather clunky affairs.

Product page [gScreen]

See Also:

• Photo: Lenovo Dual-Screen Notebook Is A Heavyweight
• Lenovo Introduces New Dual-Screen Notebook, Slim Desktop
• Review: Lenovo's Mega Notebook Crushes Benchmarks, Femurs

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 11:09 am

Modu Comes Out Of The Woodwork With A Truly Innovative Mobile Offering

Modu, the heavily-funded Israel-based modular phone manufacturer that enables you to slip a light mobile device into a variety of so-called “jackets” (think music players, other cellphones, car stereos, digital cameras, etc.), is prepping its big commercial launch for this year by unveiling its family of phones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. The actual sales for the device will start at the beginning of next quarter.

Modu started teasing everyone in January last year, and revealed what it had in store a month after. Crunchgear’s John Biggs dubbed it cool but flawed, but this was all way before the company ever had something to show for its promises and - meanwhile - over $85 million in venture capital funding. Well, now they do.

At the heart of the Modu ecosystem is a small modular mobile phone (the lightest one available according to the Guiness Book of World Records) that comes with complete mobile functionality but also doubles as both a music player and a mass storage device (2 GB). The modu phone boasts a seven-key keypad to perform basic functions even without a jacket, but it’s really the jackets that make the product unique.

Straight from the press release, the freshly unveiled Modu jacket line-up includes:

• Night jacket: inspired by the nightlife scene, this jacket includes futuristic styling with an edgy keypad, flashing lights, night mode imaging and a unique graphical user interface
• Street-art jacket: capturing the expressive and vibrant street art scene, this jacket fea tures stereo speak ers and dedicated music keys for a powerful music experience
• Classic jacket: designed to fit the everyday needs of a modern lifestyle, this jacket carries all essential mobile communication features with an air of elegance and fine taste
• Express jacket: this jacket transforms the modu phone and user interface with a rain bow of fun, playful flavors

Pictures:

More jackets will be announced in the course of this year.

The jury is still out if Modu is onto something here, but it’s refreshing to see a company in the mobile industry risk such a bold move and truly try to innovate the space. I’m curious to find out what else they’ll announce at the Mobile World Congress; they’re promising more news on “global distribution of the Modu phone and jackets, with a significant initial order; partnership agreements; new product news; and manufacturing and production capabilities”.

Modu was founded in 2007 by Dov Moran, the inventor of the USB Flash Drive (he was the founder, Chairman and CEO of M-systems, acquired by SanDisk Corp for $1.6B at the end of 2006), and you can hear him explain the product in the interview embedded below.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:59 am

Mobile connections surpass 4 billion mark worldwide (Reuters)

Reuters - The number of connections on mobile phone networks has crossed the 4 billion mark worldwide, industry association GSMA said on Wednesday, forecasting further growth to 6 billion by 2013.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:49 am

Bandwagon Watch: App Store for Windows Mobile Launched

Is there anything about the iPhone that other companies won't copy? Touch screens, big, fat, easy to use icons and now App Stores. Yesterday we saw paid applications available on the G1 Googlephone for the first time, and today it's the turn of Windows Mobile, the boring, crimplene leisure-suit wearing uncle of the mobile OS world.

The store is actually a free application from the online marketplace PocketGear. In fact, it really is just a mobile version of PocketGear that delivers apps directly to the phone. Previously you'd have to take part in a rather clunky process to get new apps onto your device, even choosing a delivery method: SMS, email or download to a real PC and sync.

Because of its existing lineup of software, the App Store (where did they get that name?) launches with over 2,500 titles. Not bad, and if it works smoothly enough (taking care of billing as seamlessly as iTunes, for example) then it will be a welcome service for the poor WinMo owners out there. It's just a shame the PocketGear didn't think of it by itself.

Product page [PocketGear. Thanks, Jud!]

See Also:

• Paid Apps Coming to Android Phones This Week
• Showdown: Mobile App Stores Duke It Out

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:39 am

And Twitter Goes Down Again

We’d have never thought breaking the news of Twitter co-founder and ex-CEO Jack Dorsey joining Ustream’s board of advisors would have that much of an effect on the micro-sharing service. As of 11:19 AM CET, Twitter is down for the count, which brings back a lot of memories here at TechCrunch.

I hate to pimp services I was involved in myself, but since it’s a non-commercial, fun project: Twiddict should be able to queue up your tweets for when Twitter comes back again (yes, it asks for your user name and password and no, we won’t do anything wrong with it).

Update: half an hour of downtime now, Twitter Status is silent. I’m getting my Fail Whale T-shirt.

Update 2: the error image (see below) switched to a bogus ‘database maintenance’ claim, with a message saying they’ll back in 30 minutes.

Update 3: it’s back (12:08 AM CET). Nearly an hour without tweeting; go catch up now.

Update 4: this update on the Twitter Status blog says it was a database problem and the site was down for about an hour indeed.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:34 am

PlayStation Home Developer Lineup Tops Two Dozen

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:13 am

Microsoft offers free access to Xbox Live - The Tech Herald

EL33TONLINE

Microsoft offers free access to Xbox Live The Tech Herald - 4 hours ago by Stevie Smith - Feb 11 2009, 09:03 If you’ve not yet sampled the sandbox delights of Grand Theft Auto IV, and the recent rush of BAFTA videogame award nominations isn’t sufficient incentive for you to splash the cash, then perhaps free access to Xbox ... Lost and Damned buyers find six days of free XBL GameSpot Rockstar dishes on 'Lost & Damned' USA Today Wired News - TechSpot - Game Daily - G4 TV all 80 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Feb 2009 | 10:05 am

I'm a PC and I'm 4-1/2

theodp writes "Microsoft's new Windows ad made its debut during the Grammy Awards on Sunday. It stars a 4-year-old cutie named Kylie (Silverlight required) showing how easy it is to use Windows Live Photo Gallery to edit and share photos. And while it's impressive that little Kylie is able to transfer a snapshot of her pet fish from her camera to a PC, color-correct it, and e-mail it to her family, what's truly amazing is that the toddler was also apparently able to read, understand, and accept Windows Live's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. (But minors can't legally execute contracts, can they?)"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Feb 2009 | 9:55 am

Netbook Popularity Continues to Grow With Online Consumers

PriceGrabber.com(R) research shows one in 10 online consumers have purchased a netbook

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 9:00 am

Ceragon Introduces MAST(TM) - End-to-End, LTE-Ready Backhaul Solutions

TEL AVIV, Israel, February 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ceragon Networks Ltd.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 9:00 am

Spirent(R) Communications Demonstrates Expertise for MPLS and Ethernet Testing at EANTC Interoperability Event

Spirent Solutions Benchmark Next-Generation Converged Networks against Realistic, Accurate Performance Metrics SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 9:00 am

Frost & Sullivan: Big Guns with no Bullets to Fire - Intel, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft

LONDON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- After a devastating end to 2008, the future is looking bleak. At the start of 2009 the mobile industry is starting to implement strategic job cuts and closing of overseas offices. This is just the beginning.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:55 am

Twitter’s Jack Dorsey Joins Ustream.tv Advisory Board

Twitter co-founder - and former CEO - Jack Dorsey is stepping in as an advisor to Ustream.tv, the popular live video community site. By now, you will / should have read about how Twitter came to be and how vital the role of Dorsey was to the whole story, essentially laying the groundworks for the real-time updating service we’ve all come to love (or not understand).

This history prompts Ustream.tv’s co-founder and CEO John Ham to state that “Jack has changed the internet forever”, which is a little over the top but no doubt his experience with real-time culture and the pains of scaling rapidly growing internet services will be a big help to the Mountain View, CA-based startup.

Dorsey is the third outsider to join Ustream’s Advisory Board, after General Wesley Clark and Former Head of Monetization at YouTube Shashi Seth. The company has raised over $13 million to date but faces stiff competition from similar services like Stickam, Kyte, Justin.TV and Mogulus (to name but a few), so it can use all the advice it gets.

Update: Twitter needs some advice too. The service is currently down for the count as from around 11:19 AM CET (aaah, memories).

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:49 am

Report: Apple nixed Android's multitouch (CNET)

CNET - One of the chief complaints about Google's Android is its lack of multitouch support.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:15 am

Nokia Continues to Increase Cost-Efficiency and Adapt Operations to Market Situation

ESPOO, Finland, February 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of its previously announced plans to increase cost-efficiency and adapt to the market situation, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today announced plans to close its mobile devices R&D site in Jyvaskyla, concentrating mobile devices R&D in Finland at its sites in Tampere, Oulu, Salo and the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:07 am

BoomTown Decodes the Twitter-Is-Really-Serious-Folks-About-Not-Making-$$ Memo [BoomTown]

In a blog post that comes as the polar opposite of a complete surprise, Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone clarified a comment he made to a U.K. magazine that sounded like Twitter might actually charge for something.

Leaving aside the delicious irony of the name “Biz”–given Twitter lack ‘o business model–fear not, Web 2.0 Bubblistas!

Because Twitter remains true to its non-revenue principles, according to Stone in a post yesterday titled “Nothing To Report Just Yet,” stressing the start-up-de-jour microblogging service would not squeeze companies for existing services–not no way, not no how!

Here’s the Stone post, along with BoomTown’s translation of his words:

Stone wrote: There was a sudden burst of news early this week surrounding some ideas we’ve shared publicly for quite some time. We’ve been thinking out loud for more than a year about the growing use of Twitter by companies, brands, and other commercial organizations. It’s great that both individuals and organizations are finding value in Twitter and there may be ways we can enrich the experience. In fact, we hope to begin iterating on revenue products this year.

Translation: The result of our loud thinking for more than a year? Gobs and gobs of hype and publicity for Twitter, with predictions that it will kill Google (GOOG), best Facebook and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

All in 140 characters.

By the way, “iterating” means “to say or do again or again and again.” So expect more loud–even deafening–thinking, even if we never ever come up with a way to make money.

Stone wrote: However, it’s important to note that whatever we come up with, Twitter will remain free to use by everyone–individuals, companies, celebrities, etc. What we’re thinking about is adding value in places where we are already seeing traction, not imposing fees on existing services. We are still very early in the idea stage and we don’t have anything to share just yet despite a recent surge in speculation. When we do, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Translation: Phew! That was close. Because money-making might actually require us to open a bank account, get an accountant and all do that tiresome stuff related to finances.

Until then, with our piles of VC cash and more to come (and in the immortal words of Robin Leach), it’s all champagne wishes and caviar dreams for Twitter.

Thanks for the dough, Fred and Bijan!

[Photo credit: Twitter]

Source: All Things Digital | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am

Daily Crunch: New Mutants Edition

FrankenDoll made from living cells
New Hello Kitty alarm clock looks cute, runs away to annoy you
ModBook stop motion assembly excitement
Marvel announces plan to create iTunes content
How do you compare? Teens spend 31 hours a week online

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am

Mobile World Celebrates Four Billion Connections

LONDON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced that the mobile world has celebrated its four billionth connection, according to Wireless Intelligence, the GSMA's market intelligence unit.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am

Motorola Introduces First WiMAX Outdoor CPE With Integrated VoIP for Greater Speed and Coverage

Second generation, Wave 2-ready device improves performance while reducing service provider network investments and support costs

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am

Cellcom Israel Schedules Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Results Release for March 2, 2009

NETANYA, Israel, February 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cellcom Israel Ltd.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Feb 2009 | 7:51 am

Tired of trying to find a hot spot?  Try the WiFi Walker.

Section: Computers, Wireless, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

We’ve all been there, stuck trying to connect to the Internet only to find that either there is nothing around where we are, or all the networks need FBI permission to get in.  Wouldn’t it be a lot more convenient if before we decide where to plunk down and relax with our extra large coffee and laptop we knew we could actually get online?  Now you can.  Enter the WiFi Walker.

This pocket sized gadget is an 802.1b.g WiFi finder and a USB adapter all rolled into one.  It has a backlit LCM display that reads detailed information about any in range hot spots.  It will tell you the signal strength, name, encryption, security status and AP number, and SSID.  This way you aren’t stuck sitting there wishing you had gone to that other place where you just might be able to connect.  And in case you are in the outback somewhere working on a laptop minus a wireless card, the USB Adapter also double as a wireless adapter.  Nice, huh?

It powers up right from your laptop through the USB, so no batteries needed.  It comes in a nice durable packaging, which should withstand a good amount of bangs and bumps.  You can nab yours at wifiseeker.com at an MSRP of $59.95.  Or, if you don’t want to spend quite that much, that also have the Wifi Seeker for $14.95.  The Seeker is a device you push the button and wave around and it shows red lights that stay lit when you are in range of a WiFi hot spot.  No lights, no dice.

May the Internet be with you!

via: gadizmo

 

 

Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 7:17 am

Obama sells iPhone in Japan

Danny Choo is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. Danny resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - he also works part time for the empire.

---

To folks in the US - how is your new president doing? Well in Japan, hes doing quite well as you can see from this photo taken yesterday. Softbank is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Japan and it looks like Obama-san has a part time job helping them sell mobile phones. The tag line in the poster is:- "Yes We Kau!" - "Kau" meaning "to buy" in Japanese.

Obama-san also performs magic on Japanese TV as you can see from the video below.

And for you fact fans out there - there is even a town in Japan called Obama were residents celebrated the new presidents victory.

Video from Japan Probe, photo stolen from dannychoo.com

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 7:14 am

Guest blogger: Danny Choo!

(Ed. note: Today, Boing Boing welcomes a new guest blogger, "Tokyo Stormtrooper" Danny Choo.)

Herro BB comrades! My name is Danny Choo - originally from the UK (London Hackney) and been living in Japan for 10 years now.

Formerly Website Manager at Amazon, Product Manager at Microsoft and now run my own company Mirai Inc which focuses on licensing multi-lingual consumer generated e-commerce web platforms. My full profile and other bits n pieces lives here.

In my spare time I run a Japan Portal at dannychoo.com where I post daily photos and write about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - do RSS subscribe if you want a daily dose of Japanism.

I also work part time for the Empire where I spend most of my time recruiting new troopers. I do this by attempting to "Dance" around Tokyo in Stormtrooper armor to let people know how fun it can be working for the dark lord - you may want to subscribe and see more of my recruiting videos at YouTube. I never mention the possibility of getting a Vader Force Choke though.

I'm humbly honored to have been given the most bodaciously awesome opportunity by comrade Xeni to write for BoingBoing. For the next two weeks I'll be introducing you to some crazy and not-so-crazy down to earth daily stuff from the rand of the lising sun.

An example of some recruiting for the empire below.

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 7:13 am

Fly Me To Which Moon?

Hugh Pickens writes "NASA and the European Space Agency are expected later this week to settle an ongoing debate on whether to send a robotic mission to Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Titan. Both are difficult places to get to — a mission to either would cost several billion dollars/euros to build and execute — and both have become alluring targets in the quest to learn whether Earth alone supports life. On the one hand, Europa is believed to have liquid oceans beneath its frozen crust which (on Earth at least) are a source of life-supporting chemistry. Scientists would like to scan Europa's surface for bits of material that may have seeped up from beneath the ice. 'Imagine if there were microbes entrained in material that has exuded onto the surface of Europa and they've been sitting there for maybe three million years,' says planetary scientist Dr. Brad Dalton. On the other hand, Titan has two enticing features in the search for life: liquids on the surface, and a thick atmosphere that can be used to slow down a spacecraft and help put it into orbit. Titan's surface water is locked into the crust as ice, but scientists suspect there may be a subsurface ocean where water mingles with ammonia. The mission will not get to the launch pad before 2020. 'It's unfortunate that there has to be a decision,' says NASA/JPL astrobiologist Dr. Kevin Hand. 'It's important to go to both. They are both such amazing and tantalizing worlds in terms of finding life.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Feb 2009 | 6:43 am

Recently on Offworld

Recently on Offworld we listened to good things like the free soundtrack to Konjak's Legend of Princess, which always brilliantly stays just a half-note off the Zelda originals that inspired it, and another fantastic NES mega-mix from Japan's YMCK. We also saw good things get nominated for rewards as both the Game Developers Choice Awards and the UK's BAFTA committee announced their nominees. We saw zombies surging from multiple fronts as we got more details on Left 4 Dead's first DLC and the first footage of the new Romero-inspired Dead Rising 2. We saw both new content for old versions of Katamari Damacy, and one last pre-release look at Katamari creator Keita Takahashi's new Noby Noby Boy. We saw old things in new forms from Oregon Trail coming to the iPhone, to the celebration of where this all started at the newly opened Pong Museum, and saw lots more miscellaneous excellence: Zelda translated into Latin (above), the very first (non-knitted) Sackboy toys, 8-bit Punch-Out!! in real life and brilliant papercraft Mario automata, and, finally heard word that one person is officially bringing Twitter to Call of Duty.

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 6:29 am

Recently on Offworld

Recently on Offworld we listened to good things like the free soundtrack to Konjak's Legend of Princess, which always brilliantly stays just a half-note off the Zelda originals that inspired it, and another fantastic NES mega-mix from Japan's YMCK.

We also saw good things get nominated for rewards as both the Game Developers Choice Awards and the UK's BAFTA committee announced their nominees. We saw zombies surging from multiple fronts as we got more details on Left 4 Dead's first DLC and the first footage of the new Romero-inspired Dead Rising 2. We saw both new content for old versions of Katamari Damacy, and one last pre-release look at Katamari creator Keita Takahashi's new Noby Noby Boy.

We saw old things in new forms from Oregon Trail coming to the iPhone, to the celebration of where this all started at the newly opened Pong Museum, and saw lots more miscellaneous excellence: Zelda translated into Latin (above), the very first (non-knitted) Sackboy toys, 8-bit Punch-Out!! in real life and brilliant papercraft Mario automata, and, finally heard word that one person is officially bringing Twitter to Call of Duty.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 11 Feb 2009 | 6:08 am

Video ringtones and more from Vringo

Section: Communications, Mobile, Web, Web Apps

Traditional ringtones are so yesterday, if you want to stay current you’ll need to download video ringtones onto your mobile.  Vringo has prepared to relaunch its free video ringtone application with a new 2.0 version that works with Symbian- and J2ME-enabled phones.  By the end of the month, it will be available for Windows Mobile users as well.

The new Vringo browser includes thumbnail images to find things easier as well as allowing previews to run in high resolution.  You can also record your own video ringtones through the application and send them to others via video messaging.  Vringo also offers ringback options where the user can set the videos that the person calling you will see while waiting for you to answer.

To start using Vringo, simply go to their website on your phone and sign up for a free account.  You can then download the videos or upload your own content.

Site: [Vringo]

Full Story » | Written by Heather Wood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:27 am

Inventors Hall honors chip technology (AP)

AP - A researcher who pioneered the first liquid crystal displays eventually used in computer screens and televisions is among 15 new members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:02 am

Carry-On Bag's Plethora of Pockets Will Please Type-A Travelers

This expandable roller takes care of your stuff nicely -- a fleece lining cushions electronics and a hidden pouch stashes cash. It's light for a 22-incher and it's a good bargain.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:00 am

Feb. 11, 2005: This Guy's No Dummy

2005: Samuel Alderson, inventor of the automotive crash-test dummy, dies. His creation saved countless lives ... and amused millions along the way.

Alderson graduated from high school at age 15, but the realities of the Great Depression repeatedly interrupted his college education: He needed to help his father run the family's sheet-metal business in Southern California. As a result, he studied at various times at Reed, Caltech, Columbia and the University of California at Berkeley. Alderson returned to Berkeley and started work on a Ph.D. in physics under J. Robert Oppenheimer and Ernest O. Lawrence, but left without finishing his dissertation.

Alderson worked on servomotors for missile-guidance systems during World War II. He founded Alderson Research Labs in 1952 and built dummies for the military to test jet-ejection seats and parachutes. He also engineered one for NASA to test the safety of the Apollo lunar command module splashdown.

The dummies matched the size, shape and weight of pilots and astronauts, had joints to mimic human biomechanics, and contained scientific instruments to measure acceleration and impact forces. Alderson tried adapting one to test automobile safety in 1960, but was a few years ahead of his time.

Ralph Nader's 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed and the subsequent National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 created a market for a high-quality automobile-test dummy. Automobile engineers had for decades tested their cars using cadavers, but the research results were unsatisfactory: The stiffs were, well, stiff. Also, no two cadavers were alike, and after a couple of tests they degraded rapidly (to say the least). That made it difficult to generate consistent and reproducible results.

Alderson's first auto-test dummy to go into production was the VIP model in 1968. It featured a steel ribcage, articulated joints and a flexible spine. Engineers at General Motors combined elements of Alderson's dummies with those from rival Sierra Engineering to create a dynasty of Hybrid dummies. Today's Hybrids include men, women, children and infants.

The dummies are used to test seat belts, air bags and other safety features. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates those devices have saved more than 300,000 lives since 1960.

Alderson's obituary in The New York Times listed his surviving family and went on to note: "His cultural legacy includes Vince and Larry, the ubiquitous dummy stars of highway safety advertisements in the 1980s and '90s; the television cartoon Incredible Crash Dummies and the pop group Crash Test Dummies."

In case you're wondering, Alderson, like the inventor of the three-point seat belt, died of natural causes. He was 90 and suffering from myelofibrosis and pneumonia.

Source: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:00 am

Ravenous Clock Runs Backward, Scares Children

At first glance, it doesn't look like a clock. There's the giant fanged insect on top. And instead of hands, it uses glowing blue LEDs to tell the time. Called the Corpus Clock—it's installed at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, England—the timepiece was designed by John Taylor, an alumnus, clock collector, and lifelong inventor who wanted to blend 18th-century tech with a hypermodern aesthetic. The bug is called a Chronophage, or time-eater, and it's actually a scarier version of the grasshopper escapement, a 1720s breakthrough that transformed clock making. But in this case the pendulum-driven heart is wedded to a silicon brain, which lets the device do surprisingly un-clocklike things—slow down, stop, even run backward. "I wanted a clock that would play with you," Taylor says. How steampunkeriffic.

How It Works

1// Clock face
Five feet across and plated in gold, the face was molded from a single sheet of stainless steel using controlled explosions. The hours, minutes, and seconds are displayed on the three concentric rings. Here it's 2:49:11.

2// Chronophage
Articulated hinges and weights let the Chronophage rock back and forth to regulate the spring-driven escape wheel, causing it to advance once per second.

3// LEDs
Inside the Corpus Clock are 2,736 LEDs arranged into strips that line up with the apertures in the clock face. These LEDs don't blink on and off—instead, three independently rotating steel rings, all driven by the escape wheel, block and unblock the LEDs.

4// Pendulum
By marrying a spring's power to a pendulum's swing, the Corpus Clock runs on a basic innovation first hit on by Galileo. But the clock's digital brain plays with the amplitude of the pendulum's swing, making time appear to stop or even run backward. Then the Chronophage rushes forward to catch up.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:00 am

Carry-On Bag's Plethora of Pockets Will Please Type-A Travelers

This expandable roller takes care of your stuff nicely -- a fleece lining cushions electronics and a hidden pouch stashes cash. It's light for a 22-incher and it's a good bargain.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:00 am

Gallery: Giant Midwest Mecca of Nerditude in Oklahoma

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

PAUL'S VALLEY, Oklahoma — If you're a regular Wired.com reader, there's a good chance that collecting action figures topped the list of your future careers when you were a kid … and an adolescent. Let's face it, you'd still do it if you could. Well, Kevin Stark from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, has done it.

Stark is a figurine collector and comic book artist who has become the Action Figure Museum curator. The museum has one of the largest action figure displays in the world, along with a Batman shrine, a superhero changing room and enough Transformers, G.I. Joes and He-Man figures to fill a grown man's bedroom in his mom's basement.

In 2000, Stark convinced the Pauls Valley City Council that the town needed a tourist attraction and the museum should be it. In 2005, it finally opened its doors. The museum seems a little out of place among Pauls Valley's other businesses: a gun store, a couple of gas stations, an insurance company or two. But if you love action figures, you'll find plenty to covet here.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Figurines are among some of the oldest signs of human culture on the planet, but what we think of today as action figures began in 1964 with G.I. Joe.

With the market primed by Mattel's Barbie in 1959 and a pre-existing war-toy fascination, toy guru Stan Weston achieved the "moveable man of action" or the "fully articulated man." The first 12-inch-tall G.I. Joe had vehicles, interchangeable clothing and loads of accessories, and America couldn't get enough. Weston had struck gold.

Left: The Adult Collector's Bedroom Diorama has more than 6,000 figures, none of which are glued down. That way, the exhibit is living and ever-changing.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Liberal action figure fans may be chagrined to learn that many of their favorite toys would not exist today if not for Ronald Reagan. Under his watch the FCC removed restrictions implemented in the '70s banning children's shows that promoted a commercial product.

Suddenly shows like Transformers and He-Man emerged with accompanying lines of toys. Occasionally, broadcasters got a cut of the toy sales for scheduling certain shows. From 1977 to 1987, the percentage of toys on the market that were licensed from TV shows or movies jumped from 20 to 80 percent.

In 1988, Reagan vetoed the Children's Television Act, even though it passed Congress with overwhelming support. The bill would have reinstated some of the lost restrictions.

Left: The museum's collection is so vast it doesn't fit into the building's impressive amount of display space. To make sure every toy gets its day in the spotlight, the exhibits rotate regularly.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

World War II's Pacific campaign exhibit, which uses 12-inch Hasbro and Dragon LTD figurines, is one of the special features at the museum.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

The Kenner toy company was the first to make Star Wars-licensed toys in 1978. Even though they had the license before the release of the first Star Wars movie, their toys didn't appear on shelves until almost a year later. As sales started to drop toward the end of the '80s, Kenner stopped producing new Star Wars action figures in 1985.

Then, in 1995, kids who grew up on Star Wars started having kids of their own and a renewed interest in the toys percolated. Kenner began making new Star Wars toys, and was bought by Hasbro, who will hold the license until 2018.

Because of this 10-year lapse in production, the original "vintage" action figures are highly sought after and yield hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars on eBay.

Left: Kids of all ages enjoy the Star Wars toy display case at the Action Figure Museum.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

As comic books and graphic novels become serious works of literature today, and collectors are accepted into the mainstream, action figures have become art objects. This trend owes much to comic-artist-turned-mogul, Todd McFarlane. McFarlane spent some time at Marvel illustrating big names like The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man, even creating the wildly popular villain, Venom.

In 1992, McFarlane broke with Marvel to form Image Comics with six other artists. There he created the groundbreaking Spawn title, whose first issue sold a record 1.7 million copies. The darkness of the Spawn universe led to beautifully detailed and mature action figures in 1994 that awakened fans to the idea of an action figure as a work of art.

Left: Local artist Kyle Windrix has a number of pieces on display at the museum, including this version of The Crow he carved for Neca Toys.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Batman gets a room of his own at the museum, where visitors can see comics, figurines and posters.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Mike Brown helps his son Marshall, 7, get into a costume in the Super Room. Marshall chose a Spider-Man body with a Flash mask.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Visitors can don their favorite superhero costumes in the Super Room and fly about the museum.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

In this exhibit, the DC superheroes stand ready to defend the world from injustice. Or, at least against uncourageous stances.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon packed the most bang for your frame rate back in the day, at times only requiring two per second to convey its awesomeness. But where the He-Man franchise really shone was in the sheer number of action figures it offered.

Here, The Masters show off their grotesquely defined muscles.

: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

It's hard not to stand in awe at the wall of figurines. It's even harder to believe you are in the heart of Oklahoma.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 5:00 am

Microbicide shows HIV prevention promise

AIDS researchers meeting in Montreal say anitretroviral drugs given by vaginal gel may be effective at preventing HIV infection. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that two experiments in monkeys showed oral or vaginal treatment of tenofovir, or a combination drug that also contained emtricitabine, was highly effective in blocking HIV infection.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:52 am

U.S. troops gaining weight

A Defense Department report suggests U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:36 am

How To Argue That Open Source Software Is Secure?

Smidge207 writes "Lately there has been a huge push by Certified Microsoft Professionals and their companies to call (potential) clients and warn them of the dangers of open source. This week I received calls from four different customers saying that they were warned that they are dangerously insecure because they run open source operating systems or software, because 'anyone can read the code and hack you with ease.' Other colleagues in the area also have noticed that three local Microsoft Partners have been trying to strike fear in the minds of companies that respond, 'Yes, we use open source or Linux' when the sales call comes in. I know this is simply a sales tactic by these companies, but how do I fix the damage these tactics cause? I have several customers who now want more than my word about the security of systems that have worked for them flawlessly for 5-6 years, with minimal expense outside of upgrades and patching for security. Does anyone have a good plan or sources of reliable information that can be used to inform the customer?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:33 am

Certicom agrees to RIM's sweetened takeover offer (Reuters)

Reuters - Security software company Certicom Corp agreed to be bought by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion for around C$131 million ($106.5 million), spurning a lower bid from VeriSign Inc.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:22 am

Hear Amazon Kindle 2’s text to speech feature

Section: Gadgets / Other, Household, Lifestyle

Yesterday, Amazon introduced its new Kindle to the world.  The biggest new feature is text-to-speech so you can your ebook read to you.  That’s a pretty cool trick.  How does it sound?  Why not hear for yourself?  This video also shows how the Kindle 2 flips the pages as the text is read to you so you can easily switch back to regular reading.  It’s too bad that’s the only significant new feature.  Find out more about the Kindle 2 here.

Download this video.

Full Story » | Written by Iyaz Akhtar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:08 am

Interview with Warren Buffett about ukulele

It's well-known that Warren Buffett is a ukulele fan. From Ukulelia, Gary says:

Every so once in a while, a story comes around that is so mind-bogglingly complex, I get stymied on how to blog it. I'm still wrapping my head around this, but here evidently is the dope.

Performance artists Roger Geenawalt and David Barratt recorded and performed all 185 Beatles songs with 185 guest artists...on ukulele, natch.

The performance was then cast as a benefit for Warren Buffett. (Head about to explode. Must. Keep. Blogging.) And they've now just delivered the cash to him in person. (Following is the BEST interview with Warren Buffett evar.)

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 4:00 am

Microsoft’s “My Phone” to debut at MWC next week

Microsoft’s bid to make Windows Mobile relevant should take off at the Mobile World Congress next week. We’ll be seeing the latest and greatest from the big M, hopefully including their answer to Apple’s MobileMe. Microsoft would have to try pretty hard to roll out something more poorly than that, but cross your fingers anyway.

My Phone should make syncing your contacts, favorites, and pictures easier by keeping them on a web page dedicated to your phone. Its full functionality is a matter of speculation right now, and will certainly expand with time, so I’m guessing there will be a lot of promises made on the 16th.

Will we see some Zune functionality at MWC? Lord, we can always hope. The Zune UI guys who went over to WinMo must have something good to show by now. We don’t need a Zune phone (although we’d like one), but give us something!

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Feb 2009 | 3:30 am

Top five gadgets to spread the love this Valentine’s Day

Section: Audio, Home Audio, Video, Computers, Laptops, Gadgets / Other, Imaging, Camcorders, Digital Cameras, Features, Buying Guide

So, when we think February 14th, we usually think flowers and chocolate, right?  Well, it doesn’t always have to be that way.  Believe it or not, girls do like getting gadgets too, as long as you don’t just pick something that plugs in that you chose with either only yourself in mind or for her to clean with.  There’s plenty of fun gadget options out there that will still be hot, hot, hot.  And just maybe, that way you can play together.  Hey now, I meant with the gadget.

1. Let’s start with the hot Sony Vaio (P).  It’s an 8-inch, 1.4 lb laptop with 4 hours maximum battery, that comes with a built-in webcam, GPS, and WiFi. Features a 1.33 Hz Intel Processor.  Pricing starts at $899.  And who says only roses are red?

2. The Zune Video Mp3 Player.  Yeah, yeah…I stuck with showing it in red in honor of Cupid and hearts and love, but you can pick from black, blue or pink as well.  For those not familiar with the Zune, it can do all sorts of nifty stuff.  You can listen to the radio and tag songs you like when you hear them.  You can download music using your ZunePass.  You can connect to your home network and sync your Zune with your PC.  Obviously, the GB capacity varies depending on how much you spend, for example, the 120 GB Zune can hold up to 30,000 songs, 375 hours of video, or 25,000 photos.  It has a 3.2” color LCD with 320 x 240 pixel display.  Rock me baby.

3. Tape it…tape it good.  So for all you aspiring film stars out there, the next item is for you.  The Flip Video MinoHD.  Now, this was introduced late last year and it got some pretty good reviews considering its price range and size.  Now, if you’re looking to make super high quality films, go spend $3,000 and buy a Canon.  This is for folks looking to do some filming to easily upload to places like YouTube or MySpace, or for their own viewing on the computer later.  Ahem.  720p video, superslim, holds 60 minutes of HD quality video on 4GB of memory.  Features one touch recording and zoom and has a flip-out USB arm that plugs right into your computer.  You can get it starting it $165.  A star (or stars) is born!

4. You’ll have her smiling with the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z80.  This sleek little camera shoots out some big photos.  It has a nice size LCD (2.6”) despite its compact size and also features a 8.1 megapixel resolution.  With a 3x optical zoom, auto shutter, movie button, it’s a comes nicely equipped for the price.  Even sweeter this Valentine’s Day, is that Amazon’s currently got them on sale for only $99. 

5. And finally, she’ll always find her way back to you with the Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.  Garmin GPS units are always ranked way up there in customer reviews, and this one is no different.  The nüvi 255W features a very nice sized 4.3-inch screen with auto navigator and an anti-theft feature.  You have the voice prompted turn by turn directions, as well as “Hot Fix.“  It also offers JPEG Picture Viewer, currency converter, a world travel clock, a calculator, and plenty more.  I found it starting at about $155.  Perfect for those long road trips to that romantic getaway maybe?

So there you have it.  Some hot gadgets for your Valentine that just might make you both go “Mmmmmmmmm“.  Just stay away from the sweeper aisle.

Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 3:16 am

Free Xbox LIVE for GTA IV and expansion

Soon you will be able to play GTA IV or its The Lost and the Damned expansion on Xbox LIVE for free. Specifically from Tuesday, February 17 at 9:00AM PST to Sunday, February 22 11:59PM PST, multiplayer service that usually required a paid Xbox LIVE Gold subscription will be free for owners of those games.

Rockstar and Xbox LIVE will also be holding sweepstakes promotions and give users a chance to take on DJ Statik Selektah in the new game. So mark your calendars and be sure to get in 5 days of solid gaming. More info here.

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Feb 2009 | 3:10 am

NYT: Sirius XM about to go bankrupt

Well, I'll be. [New York Times]


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 11 Feb 2009 | 3:09 am

FrankenDoll made from living cells

 Researchers at the University of Tokyo, wanting to show off fabrication of living biological structures, have created a 5 millimeter tall doll made completely from living cells.

To make this creepy living doll, they cultivated balls of skin cell covered collagen in doll shaped molds. After they combined into a single chunk of tissue, they survive for more than a day in a culture solution.

The head researcher hopes to combine multiple types of cells to make a system that functions as a living organism. If you ask me, that is getting too close to Frankenstein and Jurassic Park, but it’s cool nevertheless.

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Feb 2009 | 3:00 am

Making a toaster from scratch, mining the raw materials

Wagner James Au sez, "There's probably easier ways to illustrate our disconnect from the consumer products around us, but none this crazy:"

Thomas Thwaites is trying to make an electric toaster, from scratch. Beginning with mining the raw materials. And yes, that means extracting oil to make plastic and even processing his own copper (to make the pins of the electric plug, the cord, and internal wires), iron (for the steel grilling apparatus, and the spring to pop up the toast), mica (around which the heating element is wound) and nickel (for the heating elements!)...

The only known deposit of Nickel in the UK has long since been exhausted. In Finland however exploitation of a huge deposit has begun. I'd very much like to go and bring back a lump of nickel ore from this remote industrial area, and make it in to an element for my toaster. I'm also trying to negotiate a helicopter ride to an oil rig in the North Sea to collect some oil from which I would try (and certainly fail) to make plastic.

The Toaster Project (Thanks, James!)

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:46 am

Loud-and-Clear Mobile Calls for Seniors [The Mossberg Solution]

My grandmother, a college graduate and former reference librarian, recently walked out of an electronics store in frustration. She compared the techie conversations that were going on around her with people speaking in a different language. And she isn’t alone.

Though it isn’t always obvious, the technology industry sees senior citizens as a target demographic — especially where cellphones are concerned. Mobile phones could act as valuable lifelines in health-related situations and, at the very least, provide an easier way for relatives to keep in touch. Major cellphone carriers offer models that they say are easier for seniors to use thanks to big buttons and large screen fonts. But some companies go a step further. GreatCall Inc., for example, designed its Jitterbug cellphone specifically to appeal to non-techies, including — but not limited to — senior citizens. It shirks phone extras like Internet access for simplicity and includes a concierge service that does things like remotely adding numbers to the phone so users don’t have to do it.

This week, I took a look at a cellphone that was designed specifically for senior citizens: the ClarityLife C900. It’s the first cellphone from Clarity (clarityproducts.com), a division of Plantronics Inc. (PLT) that specializes in telephony (landlines and other products) for people with hearing loss. The cellphone incorporates features that are useful for someone who may be hard of hearing or using a hearing aid.

The C900 is a bulky slider phone with a top half that slides up, revealing a number keypad below; number keys each measure a half-inch square. This might be a deterrent for seniors who want their phone to look hip or slip easily into a pocket. But Clarity says the phone’s deliberately large size makes it easier to hold and use, and accommodates a roomy 2.5-inch screen.

I found the C900 relatively easy to navigate with sensible on-screen commands, though there were a few times when I couldn’t back out of a screen and had to close the slider to start over. Friends’ voices sounded loud and full when heard through this cellphone, though it lacks a speakerphone, which my grandparents could use for calling relatives and singing “Happy Birthday” together.

The C900 costs $270 — a steep price because it’s “unlocked,” or not tied to any one carrier, but according to Clarity’s research, senior citizens don’t like to get into long-term contracts like two-year deals. This unlocked model will work on any GSM network, like T-Mobile or AT&T (T), but buyers must take the phone to a carrier’s store to get it set up and working. The phone also could be added as one of the lines in an existing family plan.

People who would rather save money than avoid contracts can get the ClarityLife for $185 tied into a one-year service deal with T-Mobile. These monthly service prices range from $19 pay-as-you-go (20 cents a minute) to $99 for unlimited calling.

The hearing-related features on this cellphone include a 20-decibel speaker and a way to notify people of incoming calls using simultaneous ringing, vibrating and a flashing green light. All the buttons on the device make loud noises, including those that control volume. The C900 is also hearing-aid-compliant, meaning it won’t cause static interference when held up to an ear with a hearing aid.

The C900 has a large, red button on its back side that, when enabled and pressed, automatically calls and/or sends text messages to a list of five emergency contacts until it reaches someone. These contacts are notified via an automatic dialing system and must press “0″ when they answer to accept the emergency call so the system knows that a real person picked up, instead of a voicemail or answering machine. Five postcards with instructions come with this phone, and can be mailed to emergency contacts so they know what to do if they receive an emergency call from the C900 phone. Users could potentially add “911″ to their list of emergency callers.

Most people will likely use the C900 in its closed slider position, revealing just four buttons at a time. These oversized buttons can scroll through contacts, call friends and end calls. A feature called “Top 10″ lets users add their 10 most frequently called numbers in the order they prefer, which is a refreshing change from the alphabetical listing that most phones use.

The C900 accepts and sends SMS, or text messages, and comes loaded with nine canned text messages including the ominous, “I don’t have much time.” An extremely loud chime sounds when messages are received or sent.

Other helpful features include a hard button on the phone’s top edge that opens an alarm-clock function, and a button for an ultra-bright, built-in flashlight. This could come in handy, though it must be held down to stay on.

Clarity says that the C900’s battery life lasts for three hours of talk time or 150 hours in standby, and that it takes one hour to fully charge after the phone’s first-time-use four-hour charge. I left my fully charged C900 powered off for a couple weeks and it still had a full charge when I turned it back on again. This could be really helpful for people who forget to charge their phone, but want to grab it to take along on a trip.

A phonebook entry titled “Customer Care” comes preprogrammed on all ClarityLife C900s. This number is answered by Clarity’s customer-service team, people who are trained to consider a caller’s specific issues, such as hearing or memory loss. The representatives speak slowly, avoid tech jargon, and can use an amplifier to make their voices louder and easier to hear.

The ClarityLife C900 is expensive, but this phone’s hearing-targeted features will be appreciated by many seniors, as will its oversized buttons and easy-to-hold size and shape.

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Source: All Things Digital | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:44 am

Visual Voicemail for BlackBerry is in the system

Blackberry users will soon have one less thing for iPhone people to tease them about. Visual voicemail, which we’ve seen in leaked shots, should be coming soon to AT&T customers that have RIM handsets. Currently, in the account management system, you can try adding Visual Voicemail, but the system returns an error message. So even though it isn’t here yet, its appearance there suggests that it should be available soon.

What makes the deal even sweeter is the price: $0.00. Yep, Visual Voicemail for free. Hopefully they won’t “fix” that part. I think it is fair to say that we can expect an announcement sometime soon.

[via Boy Genius Report]

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: MobileCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:30 am

Kent State gives students a Second Life in the classroom

FROM GAMERTELL - The cover story for the most recent issue of the Kent State University alumni magazine (Kent State Magazine, Vol. 8, Issue 3, Spring 2009) highlights the efforts of professors using Second Life as an educational tool… MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:28 am

Creepy MIT 'Tofu' Robot Has OLED Eyes, Mimics Disney Cartoons

A graduate student in the famed MIT Media Lab has created a robot that uses circular OLED displays as eyes, enabling new ways to research human-robot social behavior.

The new bot, called TOFU due to its stretchy and bouncy actions, was based on animation techniques from Disney's 2D cartoons from the 1950s. If you remember the cartoons of the time, you'll notice that the "squash and stretch," "secondary motions," and eye rolls shown by the robot are quite accurate. According to the robot's creator, this type of motion is usually not used in other bots.

TOFU is made out of a combination of elastic materials and the vibrant colors and brightness available in the OLED displays will enable the creators to offer more lifelike expressions. It would be especially interesting if the MIT students add an angry look to such a seemingly nice character.

TOFU's jumbly, bumbly personality also resembles that of the Keepon child-development dancing robot. Keepon gained wide notoriety two years ago when its creator, Marek Michalowski from Carnegie Mellon University, released a video of the bot dancing to Spoon's I Turn My Camera On. The Keepon is used to study human-bot relations and behaviors including eye-contact, joint attention, touching, emotion, and imitation.

Check out the video after the jump.

--

Photos: ryan.wistort/flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:25 am

On Game Developers and Legitimacy

Gamasutra is running a feature by game developer Brian Green on how he and his colleagues are still striving for legitimacy and respect as part of a medium that's still commonly thought of by many as "for kids" and "potentially harmful to kids." He notes that while financial legitimacy is no longer in question, artistic and cultural legitimacy are taking more time. Green makes some interesting parallels to the early movie and comic book industries, and points out that moral outrage against comic books did significant damage to the medium's growth in the US. "... in the United States there was a 'moral panic' about the corrupting influences of comic books on children, as there often is with many 'new' media. The government threatened to enact laws to censor comic books, for the good of the children. (Does that sound familiar to game developers?) The industry reacted by enacting their own regulations, the Comics Code Authority (CCA). The Comics Code Authority heavily restricted the content that comics could contain. For example, the words 'horror' and 'terror' were not allowed in the titles of comics. Werewolves, vampires, zombies, and similar creatures of the night were forbidden."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:25 am

Video: Playing with the Kindle 2

Section: Gadgets / Other, Household, Lifestyle

Wanted some more info on the Kindle 2?  How about seeing it in action?  Take a look at the video after the break to see how fast and responsive the Amazon Kindle 2 is.  Find out how the keyboard responds through the eyes of an iPhone user.  Also, find out why Amazon did not choose to use a touchscreen in its latest device even though Sony did.

Downloadable HD Version.

Full Story » | Written by Iyaz Akhtar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 2:00 am

Yumbunny: Crowd-Sourced Matchmaking With Hilarious Results

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Yumbunny is a new matchmaking site that relies on ‘the crowd’ to help you pick out your future mate. The site presents two people side by side, asking users to vote if they look like they’re meant for each other (it also presents a brief list of the things they like and dislike, so you can get a feel for their personalities). The end result is ridiculously superficial, but it’s also a fun guilty pleasure reminiscent of Hot or Not (some of the matches have left me laughing hysterically).

The site’s biggest draws are its widgets, which allow you to embed Yumyum matching into your blog or social network profiles. You can get either a widget that pits two randoms against each other every time, or one that always features your photo as one half of the pair (presumably this is the widget you’d embed if you were actually trying to use the site to find a match). As an extra incentive to vote on other matches, the more active you are on Yumyum, the more often your photo will be shown to other users. And if at any time you come across a match you think one of your friends might like, you can Email them a recommendation.

At the end of the week the site Emails you a list of your best matches, as decided by the general population. If you’d like to initiate contact, it charges $2.99 for unlimited conversation.

Given the fact that the site doesn’t seem to take region into account at all, I have a hard time believing that many people will find their true love on Yumbunny. But I really hope that someone can prove me wrong - the commercials for this thing would be hilarious.

We should note that Engage.com does something very similar, but has less of a focus on widgets.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 1:54 am

Bartz Holds First Exec Offsite, As the Yahoos Turn (and Twist in the Wind)! [BoomTown]

Today, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has convened a two-day offsite of its managers, to bring them all together to talk about the company.

Aside from a colorful all-hands meeting she has held with the whole company, the gathering is Bartz’s first major one of its top execs, sources said, and is being held on Yahoo’s campus in Sunnyvale.

Sources said they believe Bartz has prepared an organizational structure that she will unveil soon, but has not told Yahoo’s senior staff what will be shifted, what will be consolidated and what will perhaps be cut.

Her close-to-the-vest style so far, especially about her reorganization, is what has Yahoo (YHOO) execs on edge, given it is clear to those who have spoken to her that change is surely coming.

Several people inside and outside the company who have spoken with her said she has indicated that Yahoo is still too overstaffed and needs to get leaner and meaner, while others said she has expressed concern at the complex decision-making process.

Today’s offsite with top staff is a shift from Bartz’s getting-to-know-’Hoo efforts since she got to Yahoo a month ago, which have largely been her meeting execs one-on-one or dropping into various staff meetings and, from all reports I have gotten so far, asking very pointed questions.

So far, it has been Bartz flying solo, with no entourage or staff, except for her executive assistant, Judy Flores, who came with Bartz from Autodesk.

“Wherever Carol goes, Judy goes,” said one exec. “But that’s it.”

And as she goes, Bartz has let loose with a lot of questions.

“She is asking the right ones, although the tone is much more tough than employees are used to,” said one Yahoo exec.

That’s the polite version, of course, with some at Yahoo reeling from Bartz’s laser-gun queries and some thrilled that those kind of tough questions are finally being asked out loud.

“She doesn’t seem to know the current state of the Internet business that well, but she does know how to whip a company into shape,” said another exec. “It can be a little disconcerting for those Web heads at the company to get that kind of scrutiny.”

At a recent smaller meeting of top execs, for example, Bartz went around the table and asked what each did, making comments as it went on.

Two execs were a “two-in-one box,” meaning they did the same thing to her mind. And she had to get well around the room until she could find someone who made some dough. “Finally, revenue,” Bartz reportedly joked.

Bartz has already displayed that no-hold-barred style already in public, tsk-tsking those who give Yahoo unsolicited advice and offering bounties for those employees who leak info.

(BoomTown’s personal favorite from the Bartz repertoire so far: “This is not a company that needs to be pulled apart and left for the chickens.”)

Pulling apart Yahoo internally and remaking it is another story. That’s why the company is practically humming with gossip about what will happen to a variety of execs–especially those close to the former regime of Co-Founder and CEO Jerry Yang and President Sue Decker.

More on the possible management shifts later…

Source: All Things Digital | 11 Feb 2009 | 1:27 am

A Bankruptcy Filing, Mel? Surely You Can’t Be Sirius… [Digital Daily]

Looks like Mel Karmazin, CEO of embattled satellite broadcaster Sirius XM, would rather file for bankruptcy than yield partial control of the company to Charlie Ergen and Echostar (SATS).

“People close to the company” tell the New York Times that Sirius may be days away from filing Chapter 11.

From the Times:

Sirius has been working with the restructuring expert Joseph A. Bondi of Alvarez & Marsal and the bankruptcy lawyer Mark Thompson of Simpson, Thatcher & Bartlett to help prepare a Chapter 11 filing, people close to the company said. The documents and analysis are close to being completed and a filing could come within days, according to a person familiar with the matter.”

Or not. A bankruptcy filing would wipe out shareholders, among them Karmazin, who invested $2.7 million in Sirius (SIRI) stock last summer. So perhaps the threat of a possible bankruptcy filing made through the media is a bluff to force Ergen’s hand.

Sirius shares, which had been trading a bit higher than their typical 12 cents a share, have fallen deep into the mud on the news. They’re down more than 40 percent to six cents as I write this.

A nasty price for shareholders to pay if this is truly a high-stakes game of chicken….

PREVIOUSLY:

• Sirius Rolls Out New 24 Hour Investor Keening Channel
• Sirius Debt Problems? Call EchoStar! No Upfront Fees!
• Sirius XM: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?
• Your Report Card Is Your Stock Price? Guess Sirius Is Making Straight $.13’s…
• Trade You 77 shares of SIRI for 1 Month of “Sirius Everything”

Source: All Things Digital | 11 Feb 2009 | 1:20 am

Acer officially launches the 10-inch Aspire One D150 in the US

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks

Acer has officially launched the 10-inch Aspire One netbook in the US.  Of course, this comes with little surprise considering we recently seen the FCC approval.  It does come with some good news though.  Aside from being officially available for order, as opposed to pre-order, this announcement also confirms the price at $349.99.

As for the specs, the Aspire One D150 will have a 10-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a 6-cell battery.  Additionally, it is running Windows XP and will be available in seashell white and ruby red as well as the expected sapphire blue and diamond black.

Read [Business Wire]

 

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 11 Feb 2009 | 1:12 am

Review: 'F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin' Scares Up Atmospheric Thrills

The new first-person shooter delivers a truly frightening experience without relying on cheap shock value.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 1:00 am

New Brain-Scan Tech Uses IR-Detecting Headband

Researchers at the University of Toronto have put together a new technique for coarse determination of thought processes and preferences. It involves a headband set to detect near-infrared radiation, which is apparently emitted by the brain in areas of activity — it has to do with oxygen activity and blood flow. The technique can't be used to tell if you prefer Coke Zero over Pepsi One (I don't), but it can be used as a rudimentary choice-making device. Some similar-in-concept devices are being pitched as game controllers, but they've had little success so far. The execution is different, but the idea is the same: supercortical pattern detection.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:46 am

Paid Apps Coming to Android Phones This Week

One of the biggest areas where the HTC G1 phone on T-Mobile's network lags Apple iPhone is the app store.

So far, the Android Marketplace allowed only free apps in its online store but that is set to change this week. Google is expected to allow developers to start charging for programs sold through the Android market place, says The Wall Street Journal.

Unlike the iPhone App store that has splits the revenue with the developers, Android allows for third party programmers to keep the profits to themselves. Apple keeps 30 percent of the revenue from apps sold through the iPhone store.

The Android marketplace is also open. Apps do not have to be approved by either the carrier or Google which developed the Android mobile operating system. That is in contrast to Apple's walled garden approach that requires all apps to be scrutinized by the company. iPhone users are billed for paid apps through their iTunes account. It is not clear what kind of payment framework Android will use.

Paid apps should help improve the Android marketplace. At the least, G1 phone users deserve equal access to Tipulator, Super Monkey Ball and iBeer.

Also see:
Android App No Malware, Says Google
Showdown: HTC T-Mobile G1 vs. iPhone 3G
Analysts: T-Mobile's G1 Android Phone Lacks Sizzle
Annoying: Google Android-Powered G1 Leaves Out Standard Headphone Jack
Photo Gallery: G1 Android Phone Up Close and Personal

Photo: G1 (originalpozer/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:37 am

What We Want in an Apple TV

Here are the features we think would make the perfect Apple TV. Add your wishlist.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:30 am

What We Want in an Apple TV

Here are the features we think would make the perfect Apple TV. Add your wishlist.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:30 am

What We Want in an Apple TV

An Apple survey collecting feedback on Apple TV has inspired Wired.com to dream up a list of features we'd like to see in the device.

Conducted this week, the survey polled Apple TV customers on their satisfaction with the TV set-top box as well as the features they used the most.

"We still consider this a hobby, but it is clear that the movie rental business has really helped Apple TV," said Tim Cook, Apple chief operating officer, during a recent conference call. "We're going to continue to invest in it because we fundamentally believe there is something there for us in the future."

Apple has repeatedly referred to its Apple TV as a "hobby," implying it's still a niche product. (In other words, it isn't a hot seller like the popular iPod.) Cook noted, however, that Apple TV sales during the holiday season were up three times compared to the year-ago quarter.

Prior to Apple's survey, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster distributed a report detailing his predictions of the changes coming to the Apple TV. He said it's inevitable that Apple TV will adopt digital video-recording capabilities, enabling the device to sync recorded programs with Macs, iPods and iPhones.

Here are some features we think constitute the ideal Apple TV — regardless of whether Apple would agree.

1. Seamless Streaming
Kodak surprised us with its Theatre HD Player: It sounded awfully boring at first, but we were thoroughly wowed when we tested it. Why? It was incredibly easy to set up and has amazing capabilities for streaming video from elsewhere on your home network, such as your desktop PC — even with 1080p high-definition video and YouTube clips. Apple TV definitely needs this feature to bring the TV set-top outcast closer to the rest of the Apple family. Along with offering streaming video from Macs, Apple could code an application that streams video from the iPhone to the Apple TV.

Why Apple TV Doesn't Already Have It
Apple wouldn't want you streaming illegal, pirated movies from your Macs; the company would rather you buy or rent titles from the iTunes Store. But hey — maybe Apple will have a change of heart at some point, since iTunes songs are now DRM-free. Or they could always cripple video streaming so you could only play iTunes-purchased movies, which is better than nothing, I suppose.

2. Blu-ray Player

Blu-ray has clearly won the high-definition format war; it's currently the highest quality video you can get on a device. And if Apple markets itself as a premium brand, then the Apple TV (and Macs) should adopt Blu-ray as well. For consumers, it would mean one less box they'd have to buy and plug in to their TVs.

Why Apple TV Doesn't Already Have It
Steve Jobs famously views Blu-ray as a "bag of hurt" because its steep licensing costs would drive up the prices on his products. And, oh yeah — Blu-ray discs would compete with Apple's iTunes Store, providing one less reason for people to buy movies from Apple online. And we know how much Apple hates opening doors to competition. We still want it. Perhaps this will be financially feasible when Apple TV's components get cheaper.

3. DVR

We agree with Munster all the way: A DVR device that syncs with Apple products would be brilliant.

Why Apple TV Doesn't Already Have It

Again, recorded TV shows would take away business from the iTunes Store. Who would want to buy TV episodes if they could just record them with their Apple TV?

Also, Apple would be up against a whole new army of competitors — a war Apple's "hobby" device isn't ready to handle. But coupled with the aforementioned features, the Apple TV would be an extremely strong competitor.

4. A Mini Laser Show

Sounds pretty stupid, we know — but that would be freaking awesome, right? Think the iTunes music visualizer beamed onto your living room wall! If Apple taps into the stoner market, the Apple TV will be a hobby no longer. (More like an addiction.)

That's a pretty short list, so why don't you complete it? Submit your ideas and vote on your favorites in the Reddit widget below.

What do you want in an Apple TV, Gadget Lab readers? Submit your wishes and vote on others'. Who knows — maybe Apple will take a hint?

Show suggestions that are: hot | new | top-rated or submit your own prediction

 

Submit a Prediction

While you can submit as many predictions as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed.

Back to top

Photos: pitzper/Flickr, stevegarfield/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:30 am

Miro 2.0 Launches Today

soDean writes "Miro just launched their 2.0 release today. The free and open source HD video player and Internet TV features an all-new interface and an entirely rewritten UI engine, plus tons of new features and improvements — it's less of a collection of new stuff and more of a rethinking of the whole experience. You can download Miro 2.0 here for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Miro is developed by the Participatory Culture Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, hell-bent on making Internet video more open and decentralized, along with a dedicated community of users, volunteers, translators, testers, and coders."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Feb 2009 | 12:18 am

IBM Says It Isn’t Blowing Smoke About Cloud Computing [Voices]

International Business Machines is pushing ahead with “cloud” computing technology–storing information and running applications in shared computing facilities, connected to users over the Internet.

IBM (IBM) last month tacked on an additional role to Erich Clementi, its vice president for strategy. He’s now also general manager, enterprise initiatives, with responsibility for Blue Cloud, IBM’s name for cloud computing.

“Since customers are looking for new economics, this might be a good moment for clouds,” Mr. Clementi, 50 years old, said in an interview. He described his area of operations as “a new way of delivering IT as a service,” that can be cheaper and simpler than adding capacity in a data center.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:51 pm

Tsavo Strays From The Acquisition Model, Develops Three Lifestyle Blogs

Start-up Tsavo Media, an online media network started by UserPlane founder Mike Jones, has officially added a trio of new blogs, Manolith, Twirlit and KidGlue to its growing media mini-empire. Tsavo, who has appeared to implement a growth by acquisition strategy since its start in September, opted to develop the three blogs in-house.

Tsavo is trying to tailor digital content directly to a consumer’s online experience. Twirlit, which includes content showcasing celebrity gossip, fashion, food and beauty; and Manolith, which features posts on gadgets, style and men’s health; are both blogs targeted at consumers in their mid-20s to mid-40s. Kidglue rounds out the mix with resources and news for parents. Last week, Tsavo announced the acquisition of popular foodie recipe site OpenSourceFood, which has been integrated into its search aggregator and network, Daymix, under the name NibbleDish. Daymix serves as both a platform for the blogs and as a giant automated search technology. Through Daymix, users can not only search for personalized content, but can also create and embed widgets of their favorite topic searches. See the Michael Arrington widget below. Tsavo also recently created a nifty Twitter-based search engine called Twithority.

Funded by deep-pocketed private equity firm American Capital, Tsavo has made several acquisitions since its birth, including the publishing assets of Canadian digital media network MoxyMedia and the online marketing and search engine optimization firm Better. We speculated last year about how Tsavo and American Capital are good fit for each other in terms of implementing an expansion by acquisition strategy.

While some compare Tsavo to new media network Demand Media, Jones doesn’t agree. He prefers for Tsavo to be compared to a smaller Hearst Media, CNET or even parts of Sugar Inc.’s blog platform. It should be interesting to see how Tsavo continues to differentiate itself from the aforementioned (and well-established) digital media networks in the future.

Michael Arrington

on Daymix

See full results »embed this widget

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:45 pm

Live Nation, Ticketmaster Merger Risks Antitrust Scrutiny

The proposed merger of two of the entertainment business' biggest forces is certain to attract the attention of federal regulators. The industry has been a frequent target of the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:44 pm

Google May Have Crippled Android Because Apple Asked

The T-Mobile HTC G1 — the first phone to run Google's Android platform — may lack multi-touch capabilities because of an agreement with Apple.

VentureBeat's MG Siegler cites an anonymous Android team member, who said the G1's touchscreen isn't multi-touch because Apple asked Google not to implement it.

Why would Apple do such a thing? It's a feature that sets Apple's handset apart from its competitors, whose touchscreen phones can't detect simultaneous input like the iPhone's. It's the feature that enables that precious "pinching" gesture for zooming, which Apple is attempting to protect with its recently approved, 358-page iPhone patent.

So it's certainly believable that Google would obey a request from Apple. The two companies do, after all, have a pretty strong comradery that Google wouldn't wish to disturb. And it might have been wise for Google to comply, since tensions seem to be rising between Apple and Palm, whose new Palm Pre handset appears to mimic the iPhone's multi-touch screen.

Still, if the story about Google is true, it's a bit disturbing to believe Apple is powerful enough to cripple (i.e., limit the capabilities of) someone else's hardware and software in addition to its own.

Source: Apple asked Google not to use multi-touch in Android, and Google complied [VentureBeat]

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

    

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:38 pm

Intel Moves Up 32nm Production, Cuts 45nm

Vigile writes "Intel recently announced that it was moving up the production of 32nm processors in place of many 45nm CPUs that have been on the company's roadmap for some time. Though spun as good news (and sure to be tough on AMD), the fact is that the current economy is forcing Intel's hand as they are unwilling to invest much more in 45nm technologies that will surely be outdated by the time the market cycles back up and consumers and businesses start buying PCs again. By focusing on 32nm products, like Westmere, the first CPU with integrated graphics, Intel is basically putting a $7 billion bet on a turnaround in the economy for 2010."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:32 pm

Win a Copy of 'Watchmen: The Art of the Film'

Peter Aperlo's new book shows concept artwork that was used to bring Watchmen's fantastic world to the movie screen.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:18 pm

Lead in fishing and hunting raises concern

Experts say lead shot from firearms and lead sinkers might pose health risks for humans and wildlife alike. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that studies indicate venison often contains lead fragments, and birds have been found with fishing sinkers in their bodies and elevated lead levels in their blood. In Wisconsin, 15 percent of 199 samples of commercially processed venison contained lead bullet fragments, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services found in November. In hunter-processed venison, researchers found that 8 percent of 98 samples contained lead fragments. The study suggested there may be a risk of elevated lead levels in blood among children who consume venison. The study noted that children 7 years old and younger who eat two meals a month of venison containing higher amounts of lead may have a 90 percent chance of lead levels in their blood rising above tolerable limits set by the U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:06 pm

NAM Nokia 5800 XpressMusic coming later this month for 400 bucks?

We weren’t huge fans of the 5800 XpressMusic when we first laid hands on it, and that probably won’t change when they slap North American-friendly radio in it. But if you’re aching to put your own paws all up on Nokia’s first touchscreen phone, this latest news might please you.

According to The Nokia Blog’s perusal of a “major distributors” inventory systems, the North American model of the 5800 should start shipping to US retailers by February 26th, with an MSRP of $400 bucks. Nokia’s already pushed over a million of the European model; it’s now 4 months later, a barrage of phones are to be announced next week at Mobile World Congress, and North America is notably less Nokia-centric - could it possibly meet the same level of success here in the states?

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:01 pm

Intel Moves Up 32-Nanometer Chip Production to Beat Rivals

Intel will invest $7 billion in manufacturing facilities and start production of its 32-nanometer chips in the fourth quarter of this year. The company hopes the move can put it ahead of rival AMD and coax recession-hit consumers to spend on faster computers.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:00 pm

Video: 'Street Fighter IV': Smackdown of Epic Proportions

Two 'Street Fighter IV' champs provide playing tips to Wired's Chris Baker and Chris Kohler, who square off in a test of their new skills.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:00 pm

Intel Moves Up 32-Nanometer Chip Production to Beat Rivals

Intel will invest $7 billion in manufacturing facilities and start production of its 32-nanometer chips in the fourth quarter of this year. The company hopes the move can put it ahead of rival AMD and coax recession-hit consumers to spend on faster computers.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 11:00 pm

Author's Guild claims text-to-speech software is illegal

Kindle 2's flagship feature is the reading of text out loud, in the same way as software that's already built into desktop computers and Prof. Stephen Hawking's famous voice box. This has caused a "stir." Paul Aiken, executive director of the Author's Guild, told the Wall Street Journal that you have no right to use this feature. It's a free audiobook, see.

They don't have the right to read a book out loud," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. "That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."

An Amazon spokesman noted the text-reading feature depends on text-to-speech technology, and that listeners won't confuse it with the audiobook experience. Amazon owns Audible, a leading audiobook provider.

Forget for a moment that text-to-speech doesn't copy an existing work. And forget the odd notion that the artificial enunciation of plain text is equivalent to a person's nuanced and emotive reading. The Guild's claim is that even to read out loud is a production akin to an illegal copy, or a public performance.

If a machine reading a book creates a derivative work, why not a person reading a book?

Ideas grow to fill the containers they imply, and the problem with bad ideas is that their containers are leaky and misshapen. Even if you firmly believe in broad copyright laws, intellectual property is a bad idea because it recasts a legal device as its own philosophical justification. This journey from the utilitarian to the exalted creates a sublime monster that can't help but govern not only the duplication of things, but every aspect of their expression and the culture that makes them meaningful.

[via]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 10:49 pm

Microsoft Accused of Squandering Billions On R&D

Julie188 writes "Even as Microsoft celebrates its 10,000th patent, angry shareholders are starting to speak out against what they say is the squandering of billions of dollars on pointless R&D projects. The 10,000th patent covers a technology that allows a device to associate data with objects placed on its surface, and is likely eventually to become part of the Surface table PC. But shareholders are fed up with the $8 billion annually spent. Said one, 'I believe Bill Gates is a charlatan because what he has said, implied, promised to shareholders and stakeholders and all of these visionary things that he mumbles and jumbles about and doesn't make reality of. MS is spending billions of dollars on R&D. Where is the return on investment?' In contrast, Apple had almost the same revenue gains as Microsoft while spending one-tenth as much."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Feb 2009 | 10:44 pm

Turning an iPod Touch Into an iPhone

David Burnett recommends an eWeek article on the leading contenders to make an iPhone out of an iPod Touch. Of course your newly phone-capable iTouch needs no activation and no binding carrier contract, just Wi-Fi. One of the companies working in this space, JaJah, is bundling the software with back-end services such as billing, so that carriers — or anyone really — can offer free-calling iTouch phones.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Feb 2009 | 9:54 pm

Law Firm Blunder Reveals Value Of Facebook Payout To ConnectU: $65 Million

The founders of ConnectU were apparently paid as much as $65 million in cash and Facebook stock to settle their longstanding dispute with Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, according to an ad unearthed by The Recorder this morning. The advertisment was placed by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, the lawfirm that represented ConnectU founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendr up until spring of last year, and includes a listing of all of Quinn’s successes over 2008, proclaiming that “It’s Our Opponents Who Need A Bailout.” Listed among the victories was the Facebook claim - a bizarre move given the great lengths all parties involved took to ensure that the press would not learn the details of the settlement.

From the article in The Recorder:

Lawyers in the heavyweight fight had expended great effort to keep the settlement secret — even going as far as persuading a judge to clear the courtroom of reporters on one occasion. But ConnectU’s former lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges published the settlement amount in a firm advertisement trumpeting the firm’s prowess….
The disclosure was apparently inadvertent. Firm Chairman John Quinn asked The Recorder to not print the amount, citing the confidentiality provision, and declined to comment further.

Because neither Facebook nor Quinn are willing to discuss the ad, it’s unclear how much of the settlement was paid out in equity and cash, or the valuation of the Facebook stock (it may have been based on the vaunted $15 billion valuation established by Microsoft’s ad deal 2007, while recent internal valuations are only around a quarter of that). Given the fact that it’s in Quinn’s best interest to claim the highest figure possible and the apparent lack of judgment from the ad’s writer, I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual value of the settlement is significantly less.

The case centered on ConnectU’s claims that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their intellectual property and code to build the hugely popular social network, and has dragged on for years. As The Recorder and other publications have noted, the payout is not necessarily an admission of guilt on Facebook’s part - the company may well have just wanted to put the case (and the associated negative press) behind it.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 9:36 pm

Rare Green Comet Approaches Earth

Discovered by a Chinese undergrad, Comet Lulin will make its closest pass on Feb. 24.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 9:25 pm

To keep pace, Intel plans $7B on factory upgrades (AP)

AP - Intel Corp. plans to spend $7 billion upgrading its U.S. factories over the next two years, a sign that the recession hasn't extinguished chip makers' lust for cutting-edge equipment.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 10 Feb 2009 | 9:08 pm

Solar: Have We Hit the Bottom in Demand? [Voices]

Has solar demand–and the slide in solar shares–finally hit bottom?

The solar analysts at Merrill Lynch think so. In a piece authored by analysts Lu Yeung, Vincent Chow, Matthew Yates and Steve Millunovich, Merrill this morning asserts that “improving second derivative trends” suggest the industry is headed for a cyclical bottom.

The Merrill analysts assert that, while there is not likely to be a recovery in demand until early 2010, Q4 2008 and Q1 2009 “will mark the shipment bottom,” with modest sequential increases in subsequent quarters. “Our research suggests that some Asian vendors may forecast flat-to-rising shipments, suggesting inventory is peaking and depletion is underway, thanks to swift production cutbacks, signs of easing in solar project financing and solar ASP declines,” they write.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 10 Feb 2009 | 8:40 pm

Upcoming Sprint handset launch windows leaked, Treo Pro now aiming for March 15th

If yesterday’s news that the Treo Pro’s launch date had slipped from February 15th to “TBD”, this latest bit of hearsay probably won’t help: “TBD” apparently means a full month later, with Sprint now hoping to get the Treo Pro onto the shelves by March 15th. Worse yet, that’s not even set in stone - it’s just Sprint’s hopeful launch target.

That’s the latest update to come from BGR’s whisperers, at least - and they brought some more details, too:

• LG Rumor 2: To be available in black and blue, also launching around mid-March
• LG LX370: Mid-range slider phone dropping in April/May - nothing too exciting here.
• Samsung Instinct Mini: Smaller, slimmer, EVDO Rev-0 version of the Instinct for folks who don’t need the full package. Sprint and Samsung dropped a pretty chunk of change into marketing the Instinct, so it’s no surprise they’re looking to expand the family.
• HTC Cedar: It’s the QWERTY candybar we saw back in January! (We’ve lugged the picture over for your convenience, check it out after the jump.) Look for it to drop around June.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 8:38 pm

Scientists hike carbon nanotube capacity

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Feb 2009 | 8:04 pm

Qik and Boingo Wireless to announce partnership

Like all mobile video broadcasting solutions, Qik works at its best when it’s granted access to a nice fat WiFi pipeline. But beyond their living rooms, their local coffee shop, and that one street corner where they can pick up WiFi signal if they hold their laptop just right, most people don’t have a very wide array of WiFi spots available to them - not without hotspot-by-hotspot fees, at least. Looking to make full-breadth broadcasting on the go a bit more accessible, Qik and Boingo Wireless, a nationwide WiFi provider, will be announcing a partnership later today.

Under the partnership, Qik users (or anyone who makes use of the Qik-themed signup page) will get a free month of Boingo’s Mobile service (which usually goes for just shy of 8 bucks), allowing them to hook their mobile handsets up to any of Boingo’s roughly 80,000 hotspots around the world. Boingo’s already got WiFi spots in a number of airports, McDonalds, Starbucks, and a laundry list of other major chains, so their offerings go together with Qik quite well. If you’re considering making use of the deal, know that a credit card is required and that it’ll auto-renew at the end of the month; such terms are commonplace now, but as someone who tends to forget to cancel trials I don’t want, I figured it was worth a mention.

Boingo has been offering an identical deal directly for some time, but this partnership highlights the potential money model for Qik and its competing services. By passively pointing out compatible companion services to their users, they’re able to bring in revenue without forcing pre-stream blurps or other sorts of advertisements down the user’s throat. We’ve confirmed that this is a revenue sharing deal between Qik and Boingo, though we’re not sure what sort of cut they’re getting. Qik will be promoting the deal with a community blog post, a listing on a partner page which will go live later today, and by featuring it on the user profile editing page (which every new user sees at least once), but won’t be advertising the deal within the Qik mobile application.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 7:51 pm

Qik and Boingo Wireless to announce partnership today

Like all mobile video broadcasting solutions, Qik works at its best when it’s granted access to a nice fat WiFi pipeline. But beyond their living rooms, their local coffee shop, and that one street corner where they can pick up WiFi signal if they hold their laptop just right, most people don’t have a very wide array of WiFi spots available to them - not without hotspot-by-hotspot fees, at least. Looking to make full-breadth broadcasting on the go a bit more accessible, Qik and Boingo Wireless, a nationwide WiFi provider, will be announcing a partnership later today.

Under the partnership, Qik users (or anyone who makes use of the Qik-themed signup page) will get a free month of Boingo’s Mobile service (which usually goes for just shy of 8 bucks), allowing them to hook their mobile handsets up to any of Boingo’s roughly 80,000 hotspots around the world. Boingo’s already got WiFi spots in a number of airports, McDonalds, Starbucks, and a laundry list of other major chains, so their offerings go together with Qik quite well. If you’re considering making use of the deal, know that a credit card is required and that it’ll auto-renew at the end of the month; such terms are commonplace now, but as someone who tends to forget to cancel trials I don’t want, I figured it was worth a mention.

Boingo has been offering an identical deal directly for some time, but this partnership highlights the potential money model for Qik and its competing services. By passively pointing out compatible companion services to their users, they’re able to bring in revenue without forcing pre-stream blurps or other sorts of advertisements down the user’s throat. We’ve confirmed that this is a revenue sharing deal between Qik and Boingo, though we’re not sure what sort of cut they’re getting. Qik will be promoting the deal with a community blog post, a listing on a partner page which will go live later today, and by featuring it on the user profile editing page (which every new user sees at least once), but won’t be advertising the deal within the Qik mobile application.

Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 7:50 pm

Winklevoss Brothers, Mark Zuckerberg Has Sent You a $65 Million Gift [Digital Daily]

Frankly, I’m kind of appalled that they’re threatening me after the work I’ve done for them free of charge, but after dealing with a bunch of other groups with deep pockets and good legal connections including companies like Microsoft, I can’t say I’m surprised. I try to shrug it off as a minor annoyance that whenever I do something successful, every capitalist out there wants a piece of the action.”

–Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, February 2004

The inane dispute over the provenance of Facebook apparently ended in a multimillion dollar resolution. Facebook has reportedly paid the founders of ConnectU $65 million to settle a lawsuit that accused founder Mark Zuckerberg of lifting the social network’s source code and business plan when he worked for it as a programmer. A nice little financial windfall for the founders of ConnectU–brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and their colleague, Divya Narendra. Facebook certainly has money to pay to make the suit go away and a very good reason to pay it: It would be poor form to leave its quaint little creation myth in dispute.

News of the “confidential agreement” was apparently broken by ConnectU’s legal counsel, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, which inadvertently disclosed it in a promotion for its legal services.

“Lawyers in the heavyweight fight had expended great effort to keep the settlement secret–even going as far as persuading a judge to clear the courtroom of reporters on one occasion,” The Recorder reports. “But ConnectU’s former lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges published the settlement amount in a firm advertisement trumpeting the firm’s prowess. ‘WON $65 million settlement against Facebook’ appears, along with dozens of other Quinn outcomes from last year, in the firm’s January business litigation newsletter.”

All parties involved declined comment on the “confidential settlement.”

Source: All Things Digital | 10 Feb 2009 | 7:25 pm

NASA awards launch services contract

The U.S. space agency has selected the Orbital Sciences Corp.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Feb 2009 | 7:07 pm

Atom Smasher to Try Restart in September

A $10 billion particle smasher is due to restart this Sept. after being sidelined for a year.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 7:00 pm

New walkman, new cybershot: Two new phones from Sony

Sony-Ericsson's w395 is a GSM walkman-phone with an FM radio, built-in stereo speakers and a 2 megapixel camera. There's an accelerometer for games, and it comes in gray and silver. Princing's yet to be announced but it'll be out in a few weeks.

Also put out today was the C903, a HSPA Cybershot with a 2.4" display, aGPS, and a 5 megapixel sensor. It automatically geotags shots and uploads them to Flickr, Picasa or other photo services, comes in lots of bright colors, and will be out this summer.

Press release [Sony Ericsson]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 6:58 pm

Global Warming Pushing Birds Further North

Many birds in North America are moving further north and inland during the winter, providing further evidence of global warming’s affect on natural systems, the Audubon Society said Tuesday.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Feb 2009 | 6:50 pm

Immunosuppressant may aid dry eye disorder

U.S. medical scientists say they've discovered a topical eye emulsion might become a cost-effective treatment for dry eye syndrome. Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Feb 2009 | 6:47 pm

Sony Ericsson announces the W395 to get it out of the way

Joining Samsung in the mentality of “Lets announce small stuff before MWC so that people don’t notice our gigantic leaks” is Sony Ericsson, who has gone ahead and announced the W395 Walkman phone. It’s not quite the beastly beaut we’re expecting to see next week at Mobile World Congress, but it might be just enough to tide over the desire for more leaks in the meanwhile. What’s that you’re saying? It definitely won’t? Yeah. You’re probably right.

Then again, Sony Ericsson might be getting this announcement out of the way now because its boring. Essentially another who-cares Walkman phone, it’s got a 2.0 megapixel camera, FM, “large powerful built-in stereo speakers” and, well, that’s about it. Full specs after the jump.

The Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman™ at a glance

Camera

2.0 megapixel camera
Up to 2.5x digital zoom
Photo fix
Picture blogging
Video recording

Music

Walkman™ player
Stereo speakers
Album art
Equaliser
Stereo widening
PlayNow™
TrackID™
Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Music tones (MP3/AAC)

Web

Openwave™ Web browser

Communication

Speakerphone
Polyphonic ringtones
Vibrating alert

Messaging

Email
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)

Design

Picture wallpaper
Wallpaper animation

Entertainment

3D games
Motion gaming (support)
Java
FM radio with RDS
Video streaming
Video viewing

Connectivity

Bluetooth™ technology
Modem
USB mass storage
USB support

Organizer

Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Flight mode
Phone book
Stopwatch
Tasks
Timer

Accessories

In-Box:

* W395
* Battery
* Battery Charger
* 1GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
* USB cable
* Stereo portable handsfree
* HPM-64 Stereo headset
* User book

Facts and Figures 1)2)

Size: 96 x 47 x 14.9 mm
Weight: 96 grams

Colours:
Dusky Grey
Blush Titanium

Main screen: 262,144 colour TFT, scratch-resistant
Resolution: 176 x 220 pixels
Size: 2.0 inches

Phone memory: Up to 10MB
Memory card support: Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)

Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 8 hrs
Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 480 hrs

Music listening time: Up to 12 hrs 30 min

Availability and versions

Networks
W395:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900

Available in selected markets from Q1 2009.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 6:19 pm

This is a projector

The Explay Colibri raw module draws just 1.3 watts under load and can project a 70-inch image with a 10Lm brightness.

Pico projectors are going to be everywhere.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 6:09 pm

Why no multitouch on the G1? Because Apple said so.

When the G1 launched back in October, a common question clanged through the halls: wheres the multitouch? When a few clever minds managed to patch in their own multitouch support, proving that the hardware could handle it, things got even more perplexing. Had Google just not ironed out the multitouch workings enough to support it in this first device, or had Apple’s patent stranglehold scared them away?

According to details given to VentureBeat by an Android team member, it’s something along the lines of the latter. If their source’s retellings ring true, Apple “asked” Google not to make multitouch a part of the device. it’s unclear whether “asked” here means “Please don’t include multitouch support” or “Please don’t include multitouch support, or our lawyers will eat your face.”

The source also adds that they were glad Google didn’t challenge Apple’s request. Google and Apple have a rather strong relationship, especially in the mobile realm - the iPhone comes out of the box with Google Maps installed, Google’s search engine in the browser’s top bar, and Apple has seemingly turned their heads on the fact that Google’s voice search application relies on restricted APIs.

While it might work out for everyone involved for the time being, I can’t imagine it’ll stay that way for long. Heavy marketing of the capabilities of many-fingered input on Apple’s part has made it a look-for feature, and no manufacturer wants to be on the wrong side of a trend. Palm seems to be moving forward with the Pre (which makes heavy use of multitouch), regardless of the threat of litigation by Apple’s COO Tim Cook. Multitouch has become a staple and, if they have hopes for Android to be successful as a platform (beyond the initial rush of device’s we’ll likely see at Mobile World Congress next week), Google will have to find a way to offer it.

It’s highly unlikely that a simple request from Apple has scared Google from multitouch altogether. What’s more likely is that multitouch support is being developed and maintained throughout the platform, but in a seperate (and private) development branch - in other words, “behind the scenes”. When an end to the dispute is reached, be it by Apple licensing the patent (probably not going to happen) or losing the legal ability to dictate who can detect two fingers rather than one (more likely), Google could be ready. As we’ve seen through the user-made demos, Android supports multitouch with just a few lines of code in the right places; with a few quick switches, multitouch could be sent out to the masses.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:47 pm

Moist Air May Hold Off Flu

Grandma may have been right about keeping a kettle on the stove in winter to moisten the air.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:47 pm

Japan's terrifyingly beautiful monster factories

This gallery of Japanese monster factories at night are astonishing: industry at its most beautiful and terrifying. The resemblance to Final Fantasy VII's city scapes can not be accidental.

Fantastic photos of factories in Japan [Bouncing Red Ball via Gizmodo]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:45 pm

perl -le 'print scalar localtime(1234567890)' # (Happy Birthday, UNIX)

UNIX turns 1234567890 seconds old Friday, February 13th, 2009 at 18:31:30. (At least on my system.)

Try also: python -c 'import time;print(time.asctime(time.localtime(1234567890)))' or date -r 1234567890 to get your local equiv.

[via MeFi]

           ,,,,,
          _|||||_ 
         {~*~*~*~}
       __{*~*~*~*}__ 
  jgs `-------------`

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:43 pm

Antifreeze ice cream scoop

A simple ice cream scoop with a mysterious goop inside the handle which keeps it warm for easy pint bucket scraping. It's called the Antifreeze Ice Cream Scoop, but it should work on other flavors as well. $17.

Antifreeze Ice Cream Scoop [Crate and Barrel via Uncrate]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:39 pm

Au by KDDI Spring Collection: Japan's prettiest phones

Unless you're in Japan, knowing what the new AU line-up from KDDI might hold will not be useful, since you won't be able to purchase a single one of the Spring Collection handsets. But if you enjoy taking a gander at interesting and often garish phone design, there's likely nothing finer. (Today.) [Via]

Personally, I enjoy the 1200 with these colorful straps by Alexander Girard, despite being unsure how useful they might be in real life. All I know is sometimes it might be nice to strap the phone to the palm, the better to SMS while falling to your death.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Feb 2009 | 5:38 pm

Birds Shifting North as Planet Warms

More than half the bird species in North America are wintering 35 miles farther north.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 4:47 pm

Mars' Biggest Volcano Could Shelter Life

The shape of Olympus Mons suggests it may trap water, and possibly life, beneath.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 4:26 pm

Oldest Human Hair Found in Fossilized Hyena Dung

A 200,000-year-old clump of hyena dung yields the oldest known human hair.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 3:06 pm

Sony Ericsson releases C903 Cyber-shot in a pre-MWC explosion of phones

Eyes up here, bud.

It’s stirring. Even in this harsh economy, SE is still launching two phones for MWC, a move that shows SE’s dedication to the status quo and an understanding that consumers want more of the same. In a way, Sony Ericsson is telling the world “Yes, we’re still alive and kicking. Yes, we still have phones. And yes, one is is a mid-level cameraphone for Europe.”

The SE C903 Cyber-shot is a “creative and stylish mobile phone” with swivel screen, 5-megapixel camera, Smile Shutter (TM)(C)(R), BestPic (TM)(C)(R) (a silly system that takes 9 bad pictures in a row and lets you pick the best one). It comes in Lacquer Black, Techno White and Glamour Red and includes aGPS.

Take special pictures in style with the Sony Ericsson C903 Cyber-shot™
10 February 2009

Seeing is believing with the C903 Cyber-shot™. The slick and stylish mobile phone has a unique sliding lens cover to make great photography as easy as one, two, three.

London – February 10, 2009 – The C903 Cyber-shot™ is made for taking memorable pictures – just slide down the protective lens cover and shoot! The slim slider has dedicated camera keys and an impressive five megapixel camera to create big pictures with rich details and true colours.

Packed full of features the C903 Cyber-shot™ will give you the best picture possible with Face Detection, finding up to three people in the frame at a time and Smile Shutter™ which automatically picks out beaming smiles. Snap up to nine images in quick succession using BestPic™, pick your best and delete the rest.

“The C903 Cyber-shot™ adds a creative and stylish mobile phone to our mid-range segment.” said Daniel Sandblom Global Business Marketing Manager at Sony Ericsson. “The C903 Cyber-shot™ furthers Sony Ericsson’s digital camera heritage and makes capturing special images even more memorable.”

Show off your images with the crystal clear, auto rotating 2.4” display, send them to your blog or connect to your TV screen using the TV-out function and get up close and personal.

The C903 Cyber-shot™ also comes complete with aGPS – never lose track of where you took an image or where you are – simply tag your photos to a location or use the feature to find your way home or to the pub.

The C903 Cyber-shot™
Made for taking memorable pictures

* Snap really clear, big pictures with auto focus and the five megapixel camera
* Turn your subjects into stars with Smile Shutter™ and face detection
* View images on the big screen using TV-Out cable
* Tag a place-name to your memories or stay on track with aGPS

The C903 Cyber-shot™ supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 900/2100. C903 Cyber-shot™ will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Lacquer Black, Techno White and Glamour Red.

The Sony Ericsson C903 Cyber-shot™ at a glance

Camera

5.0 megapixel camera
Up to 16x digital zoom
Photo fix
Picture blogging
Video blogging
Auto focus
Smile Shutter™
Face detection
BestPic™
Photo flash
Video recording
Image and Video stabilizer
Snapfish™

Music

Media player
Album art
PlayNow™
TrackID™
Mega Bass™
Album art
Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Music tones (MP3/AAC)

Web

Access NetFront™ Web browser
Web feeds
Photo feeds
Picasa™
Flickr™

Communication

Speakerphone
Polyphonic ringtones
Vibrating alert
Video call

Messaging

Email
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)
Exchange ActiveSync
Chat View (TBC)
Instant messaging

Design

Picture wallpaper
Wallpaper animation
Auto rotate

Entertainment

3D games
Motion gaming
Java
FM radio with RDS
Video streaming
Video viewing
Media
YouTube™
Walk Mate
Tracker
TV-out

Connectivity

Bluetooth™ technology
Modem
USB mass storage
USB support
Synchronization
PictBridge

Organizer

Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Flight mode
Notes
Phone book
Stopwatch
Tasks
Timer

Location-based services

Geo tagging of photos
Google Maps™
aGPS
Wayfinder Navigator™ (3-month trial version)

Accessories

In-Box:

* C903
* Battery
* Battery Charger
* Stereo portable handsfree
* User guide (e-manual on the phone

Facts and Figures 1)2)

Size: 97 x 49 x 16 mm
Weight: 96 grams

Colours:
Laquer Black
Techno White
Glamour Red

Main screen: 262,144 colour TFT, scratch-resistant
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
Size: 2.4 inches

Phone memory: Up to 105MB
Memory card support: Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)

Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 10 hrs
Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 400 hrs

Availability and versions

Networks
C903:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS/HSPA 900/2100

C903a:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100

Available in selected markets from Q2 2009.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 2:38 pm

Six-Legged 'Sandbot' Walks on Sand

A six-legged robot walks on sand, helping scientists understand granular media.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Feb 2009 | 2:24 pm

Yet more WinMo 6.5 screenshots

It is probably safe to say that this is what Windows Mobile 6.5 will look like with this many screen shots. No one can deny the Zune-ish feel to ‘em either. Mobile World Congress starts next week and purhaps Microsoft is reading the upcoming OS for a preview or soft launch. Previously we learned that 6.5 will hit manufacturers in April with the devices hitting consumer’s hands sometime in September. If these screenshots are any indication though, September cannot come soon enough.

Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Feb 2009 | 1:42 pm