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Source: Gizmodo | 28 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Swiss Robot DJ Demonstrates Future Of AI-Human Symbiosis

The headline makes it sound a little more sinister than it is, but that's really the gist of it. QB1, a robot created by Swiss group OZWE, is essentially a next-generation music playing machine. While things like Pandora and Genius playlists are changing the way people interact with their music within the confines of the traditional OS, OZWE wanted to change the way we interacted with our entertainment devices in the first place. It's aware of its surroundings in 3D, recognizes faces and pictures, and can interpret gestures. I was skeptical at first, but on reflection, the QB1 seems like a really interesting and powerful idea. Think of the convenience of multi-touch gestures applied to all your media, and not limited to a small patch on your laptop. Raise your hand and make your fingers into a shelf, then lower it — the volume decreases. Spin your finger around clockwise to fast forward, counter-clockwise to rewind. Speak the name of a song, or the track number, or hold up an album cover to play it. This from anywhere in the same room as the QB1 — or whatever successor makes good on these ideas. (link fixed)

Source: TechCrunch | 28 Apr 2009 | 1:49 am

Swiss robo-DJ demonstrates future of AI-human symbiosis

The headline makes it sound a little more sinister than it is, but that’s really the gist of it. QB1, a robot created by Swiss group OZWE, is essentially a next-generation music playing machine. While things like Pandora and Genius playlists are changing the way people interact with their music within the confines of the traditional OS, OZWE wanted to change the way we interacted with our entertainment devices in the first place. It’s aware of its surroundings in 3D, recognizes faces and pictures, and can interpret gestures. I was skeptical at first, but on reflection, the QB1 seems like a really interesting and powerful idea.

The QB1’s screen turns to face you, but that’s the limit of its movement. It also shows a sort of shadow version of you and your surroundings, which helps you make gestures on-screen. But although its stated capabilities are interesting, it’s the implied capabilities which seem more important. Think of the convenience of multi-touch gestures applied to all your media, and not limited to a small patch on your laptop. Raise your hand and make your fingers into a shelf, then lower it — the volume decreases. Spin your finger around clockwise to fast forward, counter-clockwise to rewind. Speak the name of a song, or the track number, or hold up an album cover to play it. This from anywhere in the same room as the QB1 — or whatever successor makes good on these ideas.

Image credit: OZWE

The catch is that these interactions are difficult to simply program. Human behavior and the minute details of gestures are unpredictable and must be shown to an AI like QB1 over and over, not just coded in. And think of handwriting or voice recognition: even after “training” a program for weeks, you’ll still get mistakes due to the limitations of the system. But the only way they can get better, like us humans, is to make mistakes and learn from them. Therefore, OZWE is looking for volunteers to have a QB1 in their home for a while so it can learn the basics of human interaction — and probably to work out some bugs before launch without losing any sales.

This is something we’ll be seeing more of soon as AI begins to creep into what were once dumb machines. With things like Pandora and Genius replacing traditional shuffle (which itself was a marginally more “intelligent” replacement for, say, a 5-CD changer), we are witnessing the beginning of the AI-ification of our devices. Although it is a step up in sophistication in the technology itself, it’s a simplification of the interactions we have with the machines. Consider the OS you’re running, be it XP or OS X or Linux — they’re far more complicated and “intelligent” than their predecessors, but far more accessible. Natural interaction with devices is the future, but the more abstract or fuzzy the interactions (is user gesticulating or saying “next track”?), the more data needs to go into them, and the more they need to harvest from genuine human interaction. It’s nice to feel needed.

I know I’m dragging this out into a whole thing, but awareness of surroundings and users is one of the major interface changes that hardware is going through. Light-sensitive keyboards, smile shutters, and multi-touch are just the baby steps. While the QB1 is far from the vanguard of this AI in life movement, their robot has captured it pretty well by demonstrating the possibilities and limitations of such complicated devices.

There’s more info on the QB1 at OZWE’s site.

[via CNET]

Source: CrunchGear | 28 Apr 2009 | 1:48 am

USB-Based NIC Torrents While Your PC Sleeps

jangel sends us to WindowsForDevices.com for news on a prototype device created by researchers from Microsoft and UC San Diego. It's a USB-based NIC that includes its own ARM processor and flash storage, and can download files or torrent while a host PC is sleeping. As a result, its inventors say, the "Somniloquy" device slashes power usage by up to 50x. The device requires a few tweaks on the host OS side save state before sleeping. The prototype works with a Vista host but the hardware comprising the NIC is based on a Linux stack. Here is the research paper (PDF).

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 28 Apr 2009 | 1:47 am

Technorati Gives Blog Network Blogcritics A Much Needed Facelift

Technorati has fully redesigned Blogcritics, a seven-year old blog network that the media company acquired last August, in an effort to drive more traffic to the site. We originally wrote about Blogcritics in 2005. Blogcritics currently is a community of 3,300 writers who have published more than 84,000 articles, providing bloggers an entry point to publish their content to a more widely-visited site. The content on the site hasn’t changed much; it’s will simply be packaged in a sleeker, more user-friendly interface. Currently, the site’s design and interface is bland and features very little in terms of images.

The new design, which will be rolled out at 1 AM PST tonight, features a new logo, a more colorful interface, and is well-organized. The site contains a new feature “ObamaNation,” that will analyze the impact President Obama is having on pop culture. It also allows users to follow their favorite writers by listing all of the content a writer has created both on and off the Blogcritics platform. All in all, it is a big improvement in terms of the way the site looks and feels.

Blogcritics, which is similar to Salon’s Open Salon, draws about 1 million unique monthly visitors, according to Google Analytics. The site hasn’t increased traffic since its acquisition last summer—the site had about 1 million monthly uniques at that point as well, so this is clearly an effort to spruce up the blog community to drive more traffic. The site currently runs ads completely through Technorati’s ad network.

Technorati Media has been through several acquisitions and redefining changes under CEO Richard Jalichandra, who joined the company in October 2007. Last June, the company launched Technorati Media, a blog advertising network. Prior to launching the ad network, Technorati raised $7.3 million in a fourth round of financing through Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Mobius Venture Capital and FG Incubation.

Last fall, Technorati acquired AdEngage to join the company’s newly formed blog advertising network. And most recently, Technorati launched a new directory of ‘tag’ pages, offering brief overviews of a variety of tech-related topics.

Unfortunately, Technorati hasn’t been immune to layoffs during the current economic climate. A few weeks ago, the company let go 10 percent of its staff, or 4 employees, and also suffered through an earlier round of layoffs last September and also implemented pay cuts for remaining staff.

But Jalichandra told us that that the blog search engine is growing and layoffs were necessary to “fine tune” its business model to eventually become profitable. Jalichandra has also said that while the timing of launching an ad network a few months before the market crashed wasn’t optimal, quarterly ad revenue has grown by 6.5 times since the launch of Technorati Media last June, when presumably its revenues were negligible.

Here’s a look at the old homepage:

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

Source: TechCrunch | 28 Apr 2009 | 1:18 am

This crossbow should automatically classify you as “Most Wanted”

This is the kind of weapon that is owned by a killing machine. It’s not an enthusiast weapon, and it’s not a hobby weapon. It’s a murder weapon. I see it being owned by someone like the main character in A History of Violence. He doesn’t want to use it, but god help us all if you make him.

That said, it’s really a wonderful piece of engineering and has the same sort terrifying and sublime design aesthetic as other expensive (it’s $1300) and deadly weapons.

For those of you out there planning something horrible with this thing (already?), consider this: when they find a bolt in the back of the guy who used to bully you in middle school, the first thing they’re going to do is look for a guy with a really expensive crossbow. I’d give you more advice, but this is a gadget blog, not a cold-blooded-killing blog. Try icanhazalibi.com.

[via BBG]

Source: CrunchGear | 28 Apr 2009 | 12:40 am

Rumor: Sprint leak hints at Palm Profile, and remote wipe

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones

An insider over at Sprint’s Customer Care has leaked some information regarding the new Palm Pre.  While it is not official information, it does look to be pretty true, as the source leaks information regarding the webOS.

Basically, the webOS creates a sort of Palm Profile which can be used to receive updates, restore important information, as well as remotely wiping parts of the memory off the device.  The restore process is limited to contacts, preferences, downloaded apps, and account information.  While it can’t restore everything on the Pre, it does restore a nice amount of features, which would really be annoying if deleted by accident.  If you want to have access to these features, the Pre would have to be purchased alongside a Simply Everything Data plan, or the Business Data plan. 

In addition, the Pre will not have support for native Sprint apps such as Sprint Music, PictureMail, or Digital Lounge.  However, an app called Quick Tests will be offered as a means to diagnose your Pre and search for any hidden problems that could make your Pre running ineffectively. 

Unfortunately, we can’t assume all parts of this rumor is true, but it does look pretty legit, and I’m sure we will learn more in the weeks to come. 

Via [Pre Central]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 28 Apr 2009 | 12:01 am

Archive Team Is Busy Saving Geocities

jamie found this note from Jason Scott, who organizes the Archive Team. They are busy downloading as much of Geocities as they can before it vanishes from the Net after Yahoo pulled the plug. (Note: that textfiles.com link is a good candidate for Readability.) "..after 48 hours of work, Archive Team has saved over 200,000 Geocities sites. We're now pulling in new sites at the rate of something like 5 a second. Is that fast enough? We'll see, won't we. ... A side-effect of the whole process is I now know way, way, way too much [sic] about Geocities than I ever expected to. We've had to dissect every aspect of how the site functions to understand how to mirror things, from its history through how it does crazy javascript ads. Some of it is stupid and some is hilarious... We think we have most every site from 1999 and before on Geocities that was left. ... It is more important to me to grab the data than to figure out how to serve it later. People who have been talking about copyright and stuff seem to think I'm going to sell it or take credit or some crap. I don't see how the final collection won't end up online, but how is elusive — maybe a torrent of a bunch of zip files, or as a curated collection, or as a bunch of hard drives. However it is, I'll make sure people can get it, somehow."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:50 pm

Search for meteor in Arizona

Authorities in Arizona said there has been no sign that a large meteor reported in the skies near Sedona made impact with the ground. A spokesman for the Pinewood Fire Department in Munds Hill, near Sedona, said a crew drove up and down Interstate 17 but could find no evidence of the fireball
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:45 pm

Six Months With a Hackintosh Netbook: It Ain’t Pretty

Is hacking a netbook to run Mac OS X really worth the trouble? Two tech journalists today expressed grief with their Hackbooks, so I felt like chiming in with my thoughts about my somewhat controversial MSI Wind Hackintosh. In short, my Hackintosh and I have been pals for six months, but it’s been a pretty bumpy ride.

When I first bought my Wind in October, I was thrilled after successfully hacking it to run Mac OS X Leopard. I loved the netbook so much, in fact, that I almost stopped using my first-generation MacBook Pro altogether. To express my delight, I even made a custom wallpaper for my netbook featuring my favorite childhood ice cream flavor (Superman). The Wind was a great companion device: I use an iMac in the office, so when I got home the dumbed-down, lightweight netbook was perfect for web surfing, chatting and general unwinding.

But over time the problems started surfacing. Like Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel, I grew to despise the Wind’s dinky trackpad: Whoever designed it had in mind an infant’s hands; navigating became so tiresome that I started carrying around an external mouse to make it tolerable.

Second, the software issues. Seeing as this netbook was hacked to run OS X, of course it didn’t work perfectly. I accepted that, and with some tweaks I got most software utilities working properly. But while I was traveling in Europe, my netbook’s Wi-Fi suddenly stopped working. The Airport utility simply wouldn’t light up, and I discovered a few fixes that worked temporarily, only for the connection to fail again. As you can imagine, a netbook without the net in a foreign country was a huge drag — a piece of useless plastic added to my luggage. I ended up barely using my netbook during my trip, and I instead heavily relied on my problem-free iPhone.

When I returned home, I completely reinstalled OS X, and Wi-Fi worked once again. And then the hardware issues kicked in. Minor ones, actually: Screws at the bottom of the clamshell kept falling out, even after I screwed them in as tightly as possible. I inspected the case more closely and realized it no longer clamps all the way shut, which is why the screws aren’t staying in. This issue was probably a result of cheap plastic or shoddy clamshell design. Unfortunately this created another annoying problem: The battery kept popping out of the case ever so slightly — just enough to shut off the computer whenever I nudged the netbook. I eventually resolved the problem with some double-sided tape, but I wasn’t happy about it.

Given all these issues, I became pretty jaded about my netbook — hence my lack of mentioning it here at Wired.com in recent months. I ended up selling my MacBook Pro and buying the latest unibody model refurbished, and now I rarely use my netbook. So unfortunately, I have to agree with Dave “MacSparky” Sparks and The Unofficial Apple Weblog’s Steven Sande, who both grew frustrated with their Dell Mini 9 Hackintoshes. It’s a fun hacking project, but it’s like the fixed-gear bicycle you built but left sitting in the garage, because over time you realized it was too impractical.

Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:35 pm

GE Holographic Breakthrough Squeezes 100 DVDs Into a Single Disc

Picture a single disc large enough to store your entire DVD collection. GE Global Research has done just that with its latest breakthrough that can put 500 Gigabytes of storage capacity in a standard DVD-size disc.

GE researchers said Monday that by using a micro-holographic storage material they can create capacity of 20 single-layer Blu-ray discs or 100 DVDs in a standard disc. GE’s micro-holographic discs will also be able to read and record on systems similar to a typical Blu-ray or DVD player.

“Our technology will pave the way for cost-effective, robust and reliable holographic drives that could be in every home,” said Brian Lawrence who leads GE’s holographic storage program in a statement. “The day when you can store your entire high definition movie collection on one disc and support high resolution formats like 3-D television is closer than you think.”

Holographic storage differ from current optical storage technologies in that it uses the entire volume of the disc material. DVDs and Blu-ray discs store information only on the surface of the disc.

In case of holographic storage, three-dimensional patterns are written into the disc and can be read out. Micro-holographic players using GE’s technology can play back CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disc.

GE has been working on the technology for about six years, said the company. For now it is still in the labs but the GE has plans to commercialize it.  It will initially focus on the commercial archival industry for the technology and then offer it to consumers.

See also:
GE Press Release

[via The New York Times]

Photo: Overlapping blue lasers record holograms in a GE disc/GE

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:30 pm

Windows 7's Virtual XP Mode a Support Nightmare?

CWmike writes "Microsoft's decision to let Windows 7 users run Windows XP applications in a virtual machine may have been necessary to convince people to upgrade, but it could also create support nightmares, analysts said today. Gartner analyst Michael Silver outlines the downsides. 'You'll have to support two versions of Windows,' he said. 'Each needs to be secured, antivirused, firewalled and patched. If a company has 10,000 PCs, that's 20,000 instances of Windows.' The other big problem Silver foresees: Making sure the software they run is compatible with Windows 7. 'This is a great Band-Aid, but companies need to heal their applications,' Silver said. 'They'll be doing themselves a disservice if, because of XPM, they're not making sure that all their apps support Windows 7.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:03 pm

Frankenfood Gets Supersized

Scientists have designed a new technique to genetically engineer multiple nutrients into a crop at the same time. It involves bombarding seed DNA with metal bits that are coated with nutrient-boosting genes.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:00 pm

Bruce Sterling to edit Cool Tools

I'm thrilled (and honored) to announce that I'll be handing over the editorial reigns at Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools blog to none other than writer, thinker, futurist, ranter Bruce Sterling!!!

I couldn't be more eager to read Cool Tools.

[image via Edge]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:52 pm

What’s Apple Building in There? [Digital Daily]

Apple has fleshed out its chip design group with another key hire. The company has recruited Bob Drebin, former CTO of AMD’s Graphics Products Group, as a senior director.

Apple (AAPL) won’t say what it is exactly that Drebin’s going to work on, though it’s a safe bet it’s related to the multicore graphics processors in which he has his expertise. After all, Drebin’s the guy that, according to his AMD bio, “led the architecture and design of many of ATI award-winning graphics processors” and “was responsible for the design of the graphics chip used in Nintendo’s GameCube console.” That’s quite a CV and one that suggests he’ll jibe well with the rock-star chip design team Apple brought in-house with its April 2008 acquisition of boutique semiconductor design company, P.A. Semi.

What that team is working on, of course, is anyone’s guess. Perhaps something to power that high-definition, touchscreen e-book reader it’s rumored to be building…

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:50 pm

Hysteria over Swine Flu outbreak hits Twitter

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Websites

The hottest topic on Twitter right now is the Swine Flu outbreak.  The #swineflu tag has exploded and become one of the top 2 trending topics on Twitter search. Swine Flu has killed over 60 people in Mexico and cases have been discovered here in several states, including California, Texas, and New York. None of the people stricken here in the U.S. are seriously ill, and only 20 cases total have been diagnosed.

However, if you were to simply use Twitter to get your information, you’d hear a different story. The #swineflu tag is being used to post gossip, misinformation and outright lies about the situation, which is not the least bit useful and can even be harmful.  Some social networking experts say people are using the flu outbreak to get more followers.  Ever since the Ashton Kutcher/CNN race to 1 million followers, it seems the prime motivation for many Twitter users is to get as many followers as possible, and posting tweets about the Swine Flu, regardless if they are accurate or not, seems to be the hot way to attract them right now.

If you’re worried about the outbreak, get your information from credible sources like your local health department or the CDC.  Google has made available an interactive map that is charting the course of the outbreak, and most news outlets will have regular updates.  Don’t let a tweet on Twitter scare you!

Read [PCWorld]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:31 pm

Tracking Internet Chatter Helps Spot Swine Flu Outbreak

Disease monitoring outfits that scan the internet for clues got a big test in swine flu. How’d they do? At least one claims to have gotten wind of swine flu via internet chatter several days before the official organizations put the pieces together.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:20 pm

MobileCrunch Contest: Cowboys Vs. Giants. Brand New Stadium. You And A Friend?

We tend to give away a whole lot of stuff on the TechCrunch network. Phones, DVDs, laptops, TVs - you name it, we’ve probably given it away at some point. That said, I think this is the first time we’ve given away sports tickets.

FuzzyCube Software, the folks behind the iPhone game iQuarterback, just dropped us a pair of tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants game coming up in September. This game is going to be one to remember; not only is it a face-off between rivals, but its also the first game the Cowboys will be playing in their brand new stadium. Even with a few months to go before the big day, these tickets are already going for 200 bucks a pop. Want them? Find out how to win after the jump.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:18 pm

Military Enlists Open Source Community

jmwci1 writes "The US Defense Department is enlisting an open source approach to software development — an about-face for such a historically top-down organization. In recent weeks, the military has launched a collaborative platform called Forge.mil for its developers to share software, systems components and network services. The agency also signed an agreement with the Open Source Software Institute to allow 50 internally developed workforce management applications to be licensed to other government agencies, universities and companies."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:15 pm

New e-paper tech promises better contrast and color

Although the Kindle 2’s screen is much improved over the first one’s, it still lacks the contrast and brightness of a normal piece of paper. Obviously real paper is the gold standard for e-paper, and lots of research is being done to make the devices more like the real thing. Research published in Nature Photonics describes an e-ink display method that promises to be faster and more versatile than current tech.

It seems that what’s done is simple: pushing ink out of a hole, and then pulling it back in. Surface tension and viscosity levels at this tiny scale mean it can be done incredibly fast, and very reliably. Tested monochrome displays had a black-to-white response time of under 1 millisecond, far better than anything on the market. Add a couple layers with red, blue, and yellow inks and you’ve got yourself a color display. And at 300dpi (the theoretical minimum size of a “pixel”), it might actually be pretty damn sharp. The thinness of the display element (around 15 micrometers) means that it could also be used in a rollable device.

The supplementary information part of the article has a couple cool-looking videos that demonstrate what the little ink pores look like in action on a micro scale.

Of course, as usual with the research we report, this tech is far from being applied to consumer devices. But if you were wondering whether you should take the plunge and get a Kindle or what have you, it’s good to know that there’s better stuff down the line for sure.

[via Treehugger and MIT Technology Review]

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:00 pm

Coming up: how tech boosted Lisa's marathon dreams

Can gadgets (and a healthy dose of orange) help kick-start Lisa's plan to run a marathon?

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 10:00 pm

Papers Sealed In Class Action Against RIAA

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In Andersen v. Atlantic Recording, the Oregon class action brought by Tanya Anderson against the RIAA, MediaSentry, and others, the plaintiff's motion for class action certification has been sealed by the Court. Also, the Court conducted an 'in camera' conference with the defendants' attorneys — meaning the Judge met with the defendants' attorneys alone — in connection with a discovery motion, and the record of that conference has been sealed as well. The RIAA has made a motion to dismiss the class action; that has not been sealed. In case you're wondering what's going on here, so am I."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Apr 2009 | 9:37 pm

Contest: We’re Giving Away 2 tickets To The Big Cowboys/Giants Game In September

We tend to give away a whole lot of stuff on the TechCrunch network. Phones, DVDs, laptops, TVs - you name it, we’ve probably given it away at some point. That said, I think this is the first time we’ve given away sports tickets.

FuzzyCube Software, the folks behind the iPhone game iQuarterback, just dropped us a pair of tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants game coming up in September. This game is going to be one to remember; not only is it a face-off between rivals, but its also the first game the Cowboys will be playing in their brand new stadium. Even with a few months to go before the big day, these tickets are already going for 200 bucks a pop. Want them? Here are the details:

What you’ll win:

• A copy of iQuarterback for the iPhone
• Two tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants game at the brand new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on September 20th.

How to win:

• Answer the three trivia questions that follow, and send them to greg+football@crunchgear.com. It must be this email address, or it wont be counted. The questions:
1. In what year will the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium host the Super Bowl?
2. Who is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and where did he go to college?
3. How many times have the New York Giants won the Super Bowl?

We’ll select a winner at random from those who submit the correct answers to the email address above by Thursday, April 30th at 11:59 PM Pacific. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 1st. Good luck!

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Apr 2009 | 9:36 pm

Getting Used to the Silence from Sun Microsystems [Voices]

Sun (JAVA) Microsystems will issue its quarterly financial results on Tuesday afternoon, right on schedule, despite the looming takeover by Oracle (ORCL). But Sun won’t hold a conference call; the company says it plans to simply post a press release and associated financial slides on its Web site.

That’s not surprising, given the circumstances. It’s certainly a change, though, for one of the chattiest companies in Silicon Valley. And it raises questions about what could happen, communications-wise, because of the deal.

Sun’s leaders have not said anything to speak of since the transaction was announced last Monday.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Apr 2009 | 9:35 pm

New fuel cell boasts world’s highest level of efficiency

Japanese companies NTT, Toho Gas and Sumitomo Precision Products have achieved a major leap forward in the production of efficient fuel cells. Their new and jointly developed fuel cell system [JP] boasts record-high efficiency (in the field of commercial applications, at least).

The system uses city gas as the source of hydrogen and houses a few dozens of flat fuel cells in a device so that no heat can escape. By 2012 at the latest, the system is planned to be sold to restaurants and convenience stores wanting to lower heating, cooling and lighting costs.

The system features a power output of 30kw and an energy efficiency of up to 59%. According to the companies involved in the development, buyers can expect the system to run for several thousand hours. This is how the current prototype performs, but the final version is supposed to boast an operating time of several tens of thousands of hours.

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Apr 2009 | 9:19 pm

Genetics may save crops in global warming

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 9:11 pm

SeeqPod CEO: Acquisition Imminent

SeeqPod, the music search engine, is on the verge of being bought by a large new media company with enough clout to fend off the music labels that are trying to put the company out of business, its CEO tells Wired.com.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:55 pm

Study: Parasites might provide benefits

British researchers say they've discovered parasite infestations might have a good side, acting as a conditioning agent for a natural immune system. Our understanding of mammalian immunology is largely based on rodents reared under highly unnatural pathogen and stress-free conditions, said University of Nottingham Professor Jan Bradley, who led the study.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:53 pm

Researchers Make Paper Speakers For LCD TVs

narramissic writes "Engineers at Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) have developed stereo speakers in paper (video) that are are well suited for thin devices like LCD TVs and will be used in cars starting next year. According to an ITworld article, 'The special paper is made by sandwiching thin electrodes that receive audio signals and a prepolarized diaphragm into the paper structure. A special Flexpeaker adapter between the MP3 player and the speaker is used to play music through the paper.' ITRI says it hopes in the coming year to develop a chip that will do away with the adapter and allow people to plug a digital music player directly into the speaker. ITRI is also working on wireless technologies and will show off its first Bluetooth enabled paper speaker in July."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:51 pm

Japanese company sells USB-powered mini Zen garden (video)

This is an odd USB gadget that doesn’t come from Thanko for a change. A company called Japan Trust Technology is selling a mini Japanese style garden [JP] (OK, it’s just a couple of plastic bamboos) that includes a watering system and is powered by USB.

The so-called USB Hakoshishi is weird, but it looks kind of cool. It costs $25 and is Japan-only. Ask the Japan Trend Shop, Gizmine, Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya if you live outside Nippon and ask if they can get it for you.

Watch it in action below:

Via Akihabara News

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:40 pm

Mucci's recalls frozen meat, poultry items

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service says Mucci's Food Products Inc. is recalling its frozen meat and poultry pasta products due to a safety hazard. The FSIS said the products are adulterated and misbranded because they were prepared without the benefit of federal inspection.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:39 pm

Marathon Runners Tweet Their Way to the Finish Line

Two London marathon runners documented their cardiovascular treks in real-time, and they didn’t need a camera crew to follow them.

CNN news producer Peter Wilkinson and Latitude Group CEO Alex Hoye stood out among 35,000 runners at Sunday’s London Marathon — in the digital world, at least, where they tweeted their progress with their cellphones.

“To you’se enjoying marathon w/ a beer, a) chers! b) cam u shield your beverage as I pass for 9 more mls? Mi 17 http://twitpic.com/4173o,” tweeted Hoye with his iPhone.

Launched in 2006, Twitter is quickly gaining momentum in the Web 2.0 universe. Though its core premise is simply to answer the question “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less, many Twitter users have thought outside the box when answering that question. One of the most significant incidents involved November’s deadly Mumbai attacks, which were documented tweet by tweet.

Wilkinson and Hoye’s “tweet-a-thon” is a light-hearted example of creative tweeting; the two even managed to raise money for charity via Twitter. Both runners’ tweets were ridden with typos and juvenile abbreviations, but could you do any better during a 26-mile marathon?

“Raising the pace now nearly there twittering really given me something to take mind off running feels more like a car journey are we there yet?” tweeted Wilkinson near the end of the race. “One mile to go”

Hoye, whom Twitter fans dubbed “the Twunning Man,” told Wired.com he wasn’t even planning to tweet his run; the idea occurred to him when he saw amusing spectacles from the race that he thought would be interesting to share, such as a runner dressed up as a rhino.

“My biggest fear was it would be boring —  mile 1: running; mile 2: still running,” Hoye said. “But I gave it a try and people were talking about it on mile 9, retweeting it, and I said fuck it. And the great thing is, every mile you have to get your milestone of what you’re going to tweet. You have to think of something mildly amusing every mile.”

Wilkinson completed the race first at 3 hours and 30 minutes, and Hoye finished at 5 hours and 12 minutes. However, it’s worth noting Hoye’s tweets were more entertaining thanks to his pictures — so at least he wins the “Twunning” race.

Photo: Alex Hoye/Twitpic

Via Susan MacTavish’s Best Tweets [Twitter]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:32 pm

Swine Flu: What You Need to Know

With all the news and hype about swine flu, here are the facts you need to know to make sense of it all.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:30 pm

Top 10 Animals That Carry Flu

As swine flu captures the world's attention, we wondered, which strain is next?
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:30 pm

Marathon Runners Tweet Their Way to the Finish Line

Think running a marathon is hard? Try tweeting one, too, like two runners did at Sunday's London Marathon.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:30 pm

CrunchDeals: 2GB Archos 105 for $26

Pretty nice deal on the 2GB iPod Nano-like Archos 105 at $26 with free shipping. It generally sells for around $60 or so at various sites, but Amazon’s got it as a one-day Gold Box deal today.

Features include a 1.8-inch OLED screen, 7mm thickness, MP3/WMA/WMV/JPEG support, and, as mentioned, two gigabytes of storage.

UPDATE: All gone — looks like Amazon sold them all. They’re only available from third-party sellers now at closer to $60.

Archos 105 2 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) [Amazon]

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:20 pm

Old-timey, homemade iPhone dock

My pal Matt paid $25 for an old, weathered Magnavox speaker he found in an antique shop in Oakland, CA.

Using two scraps of walnut, he carved out a slot for the horn, a dock for his iPhone and a channel to carry sound between the two. Lo-fi, but pretty effective.

Side note: Magnavox invented the loudspeaker in 1915 in Napa, CA. The company eventually moved to San Francisco, then Oakland, which means someone in the Bay Area probably has a garage filled with these horns. I'm on a hunt. Write me if you have any leads:

steven AT boingboing DOT net

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:15 pm

Molecule hikes cardiac insufficiency risk

Spanish medical researchers say they've identified a key enzyme that contributes to development of cardiac insufficiency in some heart disease patients. The scientists at the University of Navarra's Center for Applied Medical Research said the enzyme is involved in the accumulation of fibrous tissues in the hearts of patients with chronic cardiac diseases and deterioration of heart functions. In their study, the scientists analyzed the expression of Llysyl oxidase, an enzyme that regulates the amount of fibrous tissue in cardiac muscle. By means of molecular and histological methods, we have found that the cardiac muscle in patients with cardiac insufficiency contains an excess of this enzyme as well as collagen fiber.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:10 pm

Get 100 DVDs on one GE disc

Section: Video, Accessories, Content, DVD/DVR/Blu-ray, HDTV, Imaging, Peripherals, Storage

Ok, ok…so you can’t go to Newegg and buy it just yet.  But GE announced just today that they’ve made some huge steps forward in the whole process, and now just have to figure out how to make their lab success work in affordable mass-produced products.

Talk about the the ultimate in space saving!  I think they will get to take over that slogan from the Tupperware people (or whoever has it right now).  Richard Doherty, an analyst at the technology research firm Envisioneering says that “This could be the next generation of low-cost storage.”

This “low-cost storage” is built on holographic technology.  More and more on things like credit cards, you are seeing those 3D images on the card being used for security reasons.  With holography, it can store the 1’s and 0’s of digital data also.  The stored data is encoded in light patterns in light sensitive material.  Then, to read the recorded data, the holograms act like a mirror letting you see the refracted light patterns.  When a laser is shined on them, voila!  Magic.  The data “appears” and can be pulled and deciphered.

Although the potential of holographic technology has been known for quite some time, since the early 1960s as a matter of fact, it hasn’t become the road most traveled mainly due to cost factors.  But with this latest development by GE, many analysts believe that could be changing.  This is due in large part to GE researchers taking the path less traveled in their approach.  They use what is called microholographic storage.  This storage depends on less complex, tinier holograms than previously concentrated on.

The biggest challenge for the research team was to find a way to allow these smaller holograms to reflect enough light.  Their GE lab in NY made the breakthrough—use a 200-fold increase in the reflective power.  This increase puts them at the lower range of light reflections that are readable by current Blu-ray players.  “We’re in the ballpark,” said Brian Lawrence, the scientist who leads GE’s holographic storage program. “We’ve crossed the threshold so we’re readable.”

With this approach, the holograms are scattered over the disc kind of like they are on CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.  So, the same player could read them all.  The big difference here is storage.  While a standard DVD holds 5-9 gigabytes of data, and a Blu-ray comes in 25 or 50-gigabytes flavors, a microholographic disc could hold a whopping 500 gigabytes.

But of course, the bottom line to many is “how much is this gonna cost?”  When Blu-ray first came out in 2006, it cost about $1 a gigabyte for a 25-gigabyte disc.  It’s about half that now.  GE predicts that when their product is introduced (and they are thinking about 2011 or 2012), that holographic discs are going to cost way less than that…more like 10 cents per gigabyte..and keep falling.

They plan to market and sell to places like TV networks, medical researchers and movie studios before heading on to the corporate and consumer market.  But they believe the time is near.  And I think Bert Hesselink, a Stanford professor and expert in the field summed it up well. ““If this can really be done, then GE’s work promises to be a huge advantage in commercializing holographic storage technology.”

via: nytimes

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 8:07 pm

NASA to air astronaut induction ceremony

The U.S. space agency says it will provide live television coverage of the 2009 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The 3 p.m. EDT Saturday ceremony will take place at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:54 pm

New blood pressure control target is found

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:46 pm

Coming up: how to drink more beer

Is dressing like Ali G helping Steven burn enough calories to drink more beer? Find out tomorrow...

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:41 pm

Solar Flash Lights Helping Children Around The World

Sun Night Solar, a Houston Texas based company, is changing the lives of children around the world with solar powered flashlights. "When you get the emails from children in the developing world.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:35 pm

Vault makes attractive garage gear

I spent a couple of hours yesterday listening to The Bugle and cleaning my garage. It's the first time in my adult life that I've cleaned out a garage, and the first time I ever cleaned my own. The pleasure it gave me was yet another of the countless signs that I am getting old. I have been considering going outside to look at it all day long, and in fact when I finish with this post I am going to do just that. (I need to get some advice on some rust in the 2002 anyway, so I'll snap some pictures.)

I've got garage and workplace lust now, which fortunately for me (a renter) can be sated with a $10 pack of those hang-up hooks and a slab of perforated board. But if I owned my house I would be be seriously tempted by the cabinetry available from Vault. They make some beautiful garage gear. (This professional series even comes in a yellow enamel, which is more my speed.)

Prices are not listed, because they want to get you on the phone with a "Garage Expert" who can provide consolation after you hear how much it will cost.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:31 pm

A Few More iPhone Apps We Wouldn’t Recommend Approving [Voices]

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:28 pm

Gadget Lab Podcast #72: Hard Times for Robots

This week’s Gadget Lab podcast kicks off with a sad note about writer Brian Chen’s drowned iPhone, and his pathetic attempt to resurrect it by sprinkling rice on it. Then we jump right into a discussion of the consumer robotics industry, which is running into some hard times: Ugobe, the company that made the Pleo robot dinosaur, is going out of business. Even iRobot and WowWee have canceled plans for upcoming robot toys, as it appears U.S. consumers just aren’t interested in these expensive gizmos.

After that, we discuss Stanford University’s iPhone development class — it’s available for free through iTunes — and we review a THX-certified plasma TV from Panasonic, as well as a roundup of four inexpensive 15-inch laptops.

This week’s podcast features Danny Dumas, Brian Chen and editorial assistant Maren Jinnett, with audio engineering by Fernando Cardoso.

If the embedded player above doesn’t work, you can download the Gadget Lab podcast #72 MP3 file.

Use iTunes? Subscribe to the Gadget Lab Audio Podcast in iTunes. Do it now!

Like video? Aim your browser at the Gadget Lab Video Podcast — available on iTunes and right here on the Gadget Lab blog.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:22 pm

Unofficial Palm Preview (I'm working the puns out of my system now)

A person claiming to be a customer support person at Sprint has posted a lot of little trivia about the Palm Pre that at least sounds credible, although there's nothing in particular that will blow your mind. Still, taken as a whole, it gives a general feel for what using the Pre will be like.

No tethering, claims the source, which does not jibe with previous reports.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:17 pm

Onshore Wind Farm Ahead Of Schedule

ScottishPower said on Monday, that its Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow is on track to be completed ahead of schedule in the next few weeks.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:12 pm

Nanocantilevers eliminate transducers

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Apr 2009 | 7:04 pm

Obama: Time Has Come for U.S. Science

The president wants to commit three percent of GDP to scientific research and development.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 6:30 pm

Ad Giant Omnicom: Stimulus Spending Could Boost Media by End of the Year [MediaMemo]

Ad giant Omnicom reported that its revenue dropped 14 percent and profits declined by 21 percent in the last quarter, but investors are bidding up the stock in a down market. Omnicom (OMC) shares are up more than four percent today.

That’s presumably because the profit slump isn’t as bad as Wall Street expected. But maybe investors are buying some of the optimism CEO John Wren doled out–sparingly–during the company’s earnings call.

Not only was he hopeful that the “pace of economic decline [will find] a bottom,” he said, but he was hopeful that things could actually start picking up in the media business by the fourth quarter when “massive stimulus spending by most governments should start to have a positive impact.”

See, Bob Pittman? You’re going to get your ad industry bailout after all!

Speaking as an ad-supported media employee, I’d be overjoyed if Wren is correct. But the informal poll I’ve been taking of publishers–on and offline–for the past couple weeks has me thinking that’s he’s probably early. But it sure would be awesome if I didn’t have to run this crater art for much longer.

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Apr 2009 | 6:23 pm

The Seagate Replica, a data back-up solution for your grandmother

Section: Peripherals, Storage

Unlike most external backups, the new Seagate Replica external hard drive is super simple system.  It is a complete PC backup system without any added bells or whistles.  Like the Flip camcorder, anyone can figure this out.  All you need to do it plug it directly into your PC and voila it will automatically and continuously stores up-to-date copies of everything on a PC, including applications, operating system, e-mail, pictures, music, movies, Internet bookmarks and settings.

I would love to say more but it really is that simple.  I plugged it right into my future mother-in-law’s laptop and within 2 hours it was backed-up.  More importantly, the only directions I had to give her was to plug it back in every two weeks or so (though a phone call may be required).  No longer do I need to fear that dreaded phone call about a crashed computer and lost files.

Research by Parks Associates indicates that one-third of consumers do not currently backup the content on their PCs, and of those that do backup, they do so rarely because of the daunting, labor-and time-intensive task of burning CDs/DVDs or manually dragging-and-dropping individual files to flash drives.  The Replica Backup System continues to run behind-the-scenes, so that there is no further interaction with the application required.  Additionally, when the Replica backup appliance is left connected to the computer, it will perform a continuous and complete backup of everything so the computer is not left vulnerable between backup events as it would be with scheduled software.

The multi-PC version of Seagate Replica includes a dock and is available for homes with two or more PCs for $199.99.  A single-PC version is available for $129.99 (both available in May).

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 6:20 pm

Samsung Announces Its First Android Phone

Nearly six months after the first Google Android mobile operating system powered device made its debut, a second Android phone has been announced.

Samsung showed off an Android-based mobile device, the I7500.  The I7500, Samsung’s first Android phone, features a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen (ctive matrix organic light emitting diode screen known for its luminosity and lower power consumption), 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connectivity.  The device will also have a 5-megapixel camera, full keyboard and 8 GB of internal memory.

“Samsung seems to have put everything it could have into that phone,” says Brad Akyuz, senior analyst for mobile devices at research firm Current Analysis. “From Android’s perspective it is a major win to get a vendor like that behind it.”

Despite its big launch last year, Android has been in danger of losing its momentum. In the last few months several major handset makers have claimed they have Android devices in the works, but phones running the OS have been largely missing at wireless industry conferences.  Now Samung and HTC are the only two to have an Android phone in the market though analysts expect to see three more models in the market. The majority of  Android phones are expected to be available in 2010.

Meanwhile, with the I7500 release Samsung could help shine the spotlight again on Android. “Despite all the hype around Android so far we just have the G1, which is not as revolutionary as the Apple iPhone,” says Akyuz. “Samsung’s commitment with a high end device is a major step forward for the platform.”

Similar to the HTC T-Mobile G1 Android phone, the Samsung I7500 will include easy access to Google’s services such as search, maps, YouTube and email.

The Samsung I7500 is scheduled to be available in some European countries starting June.  For the U.S. market, Samsung will have to find a U.S. telecom carrier–T-Mobile or Sprint– to back the device, which it is yet to do.

As for success among consumers who do buy the I7500, much will depend on how well Samsung has been able to customize Android, says Akyuz. “It is going to all come down to usability,” he says.

See also:
Smartphone War Heats Up, Google Phones Still MIA

Photo: Samsung

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 6:08 pm

Samsung i7500 gets covered in fingerprints, photographed

Sure, it was official this morning. But now it’s real. It looks like someone had a Samsung i7500 tucked away in their pocket, patiently waiting until just after this mornings announcement to share it with the world.

Outside of the fact that it’s by no means fingerprint-proof, there’s not much to be gleaned from these shots (obtained by Mobile-Review) that wasn’t announced this morning. From a purely superficial standpoint, we’re diggin’ what we’re seeing so far - but what’s up with the funky continent pattern on the back?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Apr 2009 | 6:04 pm

HTC Magic con Google now available from Vodafone Spain

That’s right, folks. Earlier today, Vodafone Spain officially launched the highly anticipated HTC Magic (con Google, for you Español speaking readers).

While it may not be got for free (read: 139€ for the phone on the cheapest plan w/ mandatory 18 month contract) like its UK sibling (expected to launch in early May), the real point is that it is here, now (in Spain at least).

I’d have filled the rest of this post with witty Spanish jokes, but that would require me to know more Spanish than “siesta” and “fiesta.” Salud!

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Apr 2009 | 5:37 pm

Corporate greed at the heart of MPAA versus Real lawsuit

Section: Business News, Video, DVD/DVR/Blu-ray

MPAA and RealNetwork court proceedings started this week in a copyright lawsuit against the RealNetworks software system that allows consumers to make digital backup copies of their DVDs.  Lawyers from the Motion Picture Association of America have won a petition to close the courtroom, but their testimony is to be based around the fact that Real is selling software that allows copying of a copyrighted product.

The MPAA feels that they should receive compensation for every copy made of their copyrighted DVDs.  Consumers should basically only be permitted one copy of a DVD and have to pay again if they want access to a digital copy.  Real’s product also competes with the digital copy inclusion provided by studios in order to entice more buyers to select DVDs.

Real contends that as part of their merchandising agreement, users are not permitted to make unauthorized copies of the digital duplicates that they make.  However, Real has a difficult battle ahead of them since they need to prove that the copying software is legal. However, the DVD Copy Control Association encrypts DVDs in order to forbid consumers from copying DVDs.  The proceedings are expected to close towards the end of the week.

Read: [PC Magazine]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 5:05 pm

Wide Angle: Swine Flu Outbreak

Get video, interviews, news and more on pandemics and the swine flu.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 5:00 pm

Antimatter Scout to Hitch Last Shuttle Ride

A 7.5-ton antimatter detector could help explain the universe's lopsided balance sheet.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 4:13 pm

Verizon iPhone Could be Here Next Year

Barely a week after Apple declared it would retain an exclusive US relationship with AT&T USA Today reports the company is in late-game talks with Verizon about the iPhone.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Apr 2009 | 3:47 pm

Samsung announces its first Android phone

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile

While we’ve been waiting and wondering about when the HTC Magic would come to the US, it seems Samsung has been busy.  As one of the top five major cell phone manufacturers, it promised us Android phones by the end of the year, and it’s making good on that promise.  Well, maybe not for Americans just yet, but there’s always hope.

The new phone, which Samsung has dubbed the I7500, will be coming to European countries in June of this year.  It will work on Android 1.5, so there will be no physical keyboard to speak of on the device.  Compared to the G1, it has a larger battery (1500mAh, compared to 1200mAh), and a 3.2” AMOLED display which will require less energy than the G1’s LCD screen, though at the same resolution.  There’s 8GB of storage on the device, with a possible expansion up to 40GB through a 32GB SDHC card.  It also happens to be the first Android phone with a standard headphone jack, which is quite welcome.

The only issue with the Samsung I7500 is the fact there is no talk about a US release yet.  It wouldn’t be all that surprising if it comes to T-Mobile within the year, as Samsung has promised US Android phones.  What remains to be seen is if Samsung will be releasing an Android phone in the spring here in the US.  There have been talks of it before.  It would be nice to have two possible choices of Android phones drop on T-Mobile at around the same time.  Perhaps it would make the platform seem more viable to the average consumer.  Or, maybe with twice the number of options it will stand more of a chance against the iPhone 3.0 when it comes this summer.

Read [Gizmodo]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 3:04 pm

Stress Gives Reef Fish Wonky Ears

Reef fish under environmental stress create offspring with asymmetrical ears.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 2:40 pm

Verizon iPhone Could be Here Next Year

According to USA Today, Apple is in late-game talks with Verizon about the iPhone. Specifically, the iPhone could be coming to Verizon’s network as soon as next year, lending some credence to the excited claims made by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg in the WSJ last week.

This comes, you will remember, barely a week after Apple made an official statement that it would be remaining faithful to AT&T (in the US, at least) for the foreseeable future.

We don’t know which way to jump on this one. It makes sense for Apple to make the iPhone as widely available as possible, and making a CDMA version will open up new markets. And the iPhone is so ridiculously successful that pretty much any carrier would jump at selling it.

On the other hand, multiple carriers in the same country would probably bring at least some small differences in pricing and contracts, which is certainly not the Apple Way. Likewise, unless there was a hybrid GSM/CDMA handset, confusion would ensue at the Apple Store:

Apple employee: “Yes sir, an iPhone. Which network will you be using that on?”.

Customer: “Wait. What? Is the the Microsoft Store?”

We still don’t know for sure when the Apple/AT&T contract expires, or if it even will — maybe it was inked in blood in a Faustian pact. One thing is sure, though — this would be good for the consumer. Multiple carriers means competition and, seamless brand message be damned, the carriers wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from entering a price-war.

Apple and Verizon consider iPhone deal [USA Today. Thanks, all powerful John!]

Photo: GlennFleishman/Flickr

See Also:

• Apple: We’re Sticking With AT&T for the iPhone

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 2:30 pm

INTERVIEW: Microbes Spread in the Wind

Dust storms can carry infectious diseases to far-flung parts of the globe.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 1:40 pm

Wimps, Fitness Buffs Hear 'Looming' Sounds Differently

Weak people perceive approaching sounds as closer than they really are. But why?
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 1:40 pm

Sea Shells Used to Clean Up Heavy Metals

Crushed shells work to remove heavy metals from contaminated water and soils.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 1:30 pm

What would a Verizon iPhone look like?

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

Today, USA Today broke the story that Verizon and Apple are “discussing the possible development of an iPhone for Verizon.”  USA Today cites unnamed sources at Apple who are not authorized to make public statements.  According to USA Today, the phone is targeted for a 2010 delivery date.  The news comes as a big surprise if accurate.

AT&T is holding onto the iPhone with both hands

Just last week, AT&T showed the world just how much value the iPhone can bring to a carrier as its profits were buoyed by the iPhone.  Apple’s iPhone is bringing in new, high paying customers to AT&T in droves.  In fact, just last week, Apple’s Tim Cook went on record saying:

Asked whether the iPhone would spawn a CDMA version, Cook confirmed that Apple “do not have a plan” to change their relationship with AT&T, and suggested “CDMA doesn’t really have a life to it after a point in time”. -Slashgear

But the iPhone is kinda slippery

So what gives?  Likely, AT&T can’t match what Verizon is willing to pay to steal some thunder.  As the old adage goes, if you can’t beat em, join em. 

So what would the Verizon iPhone look like?  Safe bets are the OS will be identical, leveraging the 25,000+ apps in the mighty App Store.  And speaking of that App Store, if this rumor is true the App Store is going to grow even faster as the developers’ audience for iPhone apps would explode with Verizon on board.

A Verizon iPhone would be largely indistinguishable from the AT&T version.  I suspect Apple would let the carriers be the difference, not the hardware it provides.  Yes, it would need to be CDMA or LTE (as Om Malik suggests) but otherwise, I wouldn’t expect a different feature set.  The goal for Apple here is to gain more customers and maximize profits, not complicate their work in keeping radically different iPhone stables going.

Or is it a ploy?

Another consideration on these Verizon-Apple talks are that it could be nothing more than scare tactics from Apple in working to negotiate a better deal with AT&T.  We know AT&T and Apple are meeting about extending the iPhone’s exclusivity and making this kind of leak could strengthen Apple’s position.  AT&T is thinking long and hard about this, make no mistake.  Larry Dignan put forth this idea here.

Source: [USA Today]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 1:12 pm

Is Swine Flu 'The Big One'?

As swine flu spreads, the question arises: Is this the big one, or will it fizzle?
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Apr 2009 | 1:00 pm

Samsung I7500: Android finally arrives in Korea

Samsung finally went ahead and did what we’ve expected them to do today with the announcement of their first Android powered handset, the I7500. Better late than ever, I say. The I7500 is no slouch in the feature department with a 3.2-inch AMOLED touch-screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, and 8GB of internal memory. It’s also an HSDPA capable device with a 5-megapixel AF camera with Power LED (no clue what that is but I assume it’s flash), Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, MicroSD (up to 32GB support) and a 3.5mm earphone jack. It’s also pretty thin at 0.47 inches.

The media player should be pretty good with MPEG4, H.263/4 and WMV video playback support. The following audio codecs are also supported in case you were wondering: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA. Battery life should also be okay with a 1500mAh removable battery.

No word on price, but the I7500 will launch in Europe this June.

I can’t say that I’m surprised Samsung will launch the I7500 in Europe first, but touting themselves as the first of the three top global handset manufacturers to announce an Android handset is nothing to boast about in my opinion. What is it with this company and having to be the first at something no matter what it is?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Apr 2009 | 12:33 pm

Nikon D5000 Unboxed, Looks Sturdy

More premature unboxulation today, this time for the video-shootin’, screen-flippin’ Nikon D5000, which has been stripped of its cardboard shell and poked, preened and, well, twisted for lucky recipient Kadath’s Flickr set.

First, isn’t is a little odd how many camera unboxings there are on Flickr? It’s not just the quantity, though — the sheer quality of them makes us wonder if the buyers actually needed a new camera after all (these were, ironically, taken with a Nikon D300).

In this case, though, we’re happy, as we get to see the first in-the-flesh photos of the new D5000; product-verité rather than the primped, powdered and photoshopped primadonna we saw pictured in the press pack.

The build looks nice, with the flecked metal finish much closer to the pro bodies than the cheaper D60. The flip-screen looks very solid, too, and we get a good look at the little speaker that is needed to play back the audio on movie clips (back panel, bottom-right). Nikon has a certain set of design cues that mean the seasoned watcher can spot models fairly accurately from afar. The D5000 has, as mentioned, the sturdy flecked finish. It also has a higher-end viewfinder and flash housing, the one which is tempting to hook a finger underneath.

On the other hand, it has the single, rear command dial, no top LCD panel and a top-mounted dial for mode selection. Finally, the pro models have the drive mode and ISO switch off on the top-left panel, where the ISO dial would have been on a film camera. Master these cues and you’ll be a nerdy Nikon-spotter in no time.

Lastly, that sturdy LCD box looks to be a handy screen protector when flipped shut — way better than the plastic screen that comes with the D700, and which you have to actually buy for the D3.

Check the whole show out on Flickr, including a few test shots taken with the camera itself.

Gallery [Flickr]

Photo: Kadath/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Apr 2009 | 12:24 pm

Flip Ultra HD now available in the retail market

Section: Video, Portable Video

In what seems to have been a pretty quite announcement, we now have another option to choose from in the Flip handheld video camera lineup.  Unfortunately, this latest addition comes with very little information in terms of specs.  So far what we have learned is coming from a user unboxing and not an official press release, however, even with limited information, the Ultra HD seems to be a worthy addition in the Flip lineup. 

The latest model to hit the retail store shelves is the Flip Ultra HD and unlike the Mino, this one, at least from the images appears to have a slightly larger size that is more comparable to the original Flip cameras.  Of course, that is still not large by any means.  As for features, the Flip Ultra HD offers two hours of recording time, has a rechargeable battery that is removable and an HDMI out.  Another nice perk is that when the rechargeable battery is out, the Ultra HD can also be powered by two AA batteries.  As for pricing, it looks like it will be retailing for $199.99.

Read [gaxonline]  Via [engadget]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Apr 2009 | 11:23 am