Source: Gizmodo | 15 May 2009 | 11:20 pm

“Print to Kindle:” What could make the DX almost worth its price tag

Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Features, Originals

The big hang up on the new Amazon Kindle DX is the incredibly high price ($489).  The large e-ink display certainly is easy on the eyes, but hard on the wallet.  Some people even speculate that the DX was introduced, in part, to make the Kindle 2 seem less pricey. 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explained that we’re far from a paperless society due in large part to cheap printers and then we’re held hostage by the ink cartridge business.  He claimed that the way to go paperless would be to get a large e-ink display and then introduced the Kindle DX that had native PDF support.

Here’s the real killer application for the large screen DX—make it a virtual printer available on your network.  Imagine a printer that never runs out of ink or paper.  Never.  Think about why you print things.  You want a portable and easy to read version of whatever you were looking at on your screen. 

Hell, the iPhone already has an app that lets you print to it.  Calling something a printer explains everything to the consumer.  Instead of constantly using ink and paper, just print to your e-ink machine.  You could almost justify the price tag if the DX was your main printer. 

We’re all used to 8 1/2” by 11” paper.  The Kindle DX is meant to recreate that experience with its 9.7-inch screen.  Sure you can get your documents on it via the DX’s native PDF support, but that doesn’t seem as straightforward as “Print to Kindle.” 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 11:17 pm

Apple Is Indeed Talking About Opening iPhone Background Tasks

As great as the iPhone is, it has one glaring weakness: The inability to run third-party applications in the background. That badly cripples certain types of apps, such as those that do instant messaging, music streaming and location-based services. Apple’s Push Notification system coming with the iPhone 3.0 software will help slightly, but it will not be a complete solution. And Apple clearly knows that, because it’s talking about ways to do background tasks.

Earlier today, Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider cited sources in the mobile industry saying that Apple was serious about allowing background applications. John Gruber of Daring Fireball backed this up, saying he heard something similar from a decent source a few months ago. I’ve just spoken with a trusted source who confirmed the news as well.

Basically, my source says that while this is in no way a done deal yet, Apple is definitely trying to come up with a way to offer background support for third-party apps. They went on to note that while Apple may have something to say about it at WWDC, it’s very unlikely that any solution would be ready at that time, and could be a situation similar to how Apple announced Push Notification at WWDC last year but said it was coming in a few months (which it later was delayed until iPhone 3.0).

And it’s entirely possible that Apple won’t even have anything to say about it at WWDC as it’s still believe to be in the relatively early planning stages. All that is for sure is that Apple is telling some people that it is very aware of the community’s desire for background tasks and that it thinks it may have a solution to offer on the horizon.

The reason Apple is being careful about this is because if it fully opened the iPhone to background tasks, the device’s excellent user experience would be threatened on a couple fronts. First, there’s a security concern about third-parties pushing and pulling data constantly to and from the device. My source believes Apple would likely separately approve apps for background support, but wouldn’t necessarily limit the offering to a handful of special apps.

The second concern is the iPhone’s power and speed. Some users have been bitching about the device’s battery since day one — with third party applications constantly running in the background, the battery life would get much, much worse. Owners of the G1, the Android-powered phone that allows robust apps to run in the background, will know what I’m talking about. And background apps also eat up processing power. With some high-powered games that now run on the device, system resources are already getting heavily taxed, imagine running one of those with other applications also running.

Apple’s solution for this would likely be to limit the number of third-party apps that could run in the background at once, says my source. This is consistent with the other reports on the matter. And the new iPhone hardware is likely to have a better processor and more RAM, which would alleviate system strain, so it’s also possible these background apps would only be possible with the new hardware.

So why is Apple talking about this now? Well one part may be the new hardware that should be coming shortly, but another is undoubtedly the imminent launch of the Palm Pre.

Given that the Pre will be the first phone since the iPhone to use multi-touch and that Palm is made up of many former Apple employees, there’s been quite the rivalry brewing between the two companies over the past several months. There has been talk that the 3.0 software will neutralize many of the supposed advantages the Pre would have had over the iPhone, but background tasks will remain the big one. If Apple can neutralize that as well, the Pre becomes a lot less attractive.

Of course, there’s a lot of talk about how the Pre’s webOS platform was constructed specifically around the idea of running multiple applications at once, the iPhone’s OS was not. But I think even limited third-party background support would be enough to satisfy most users. If I could just say, listen to Pandora, while also surfing the web, I’d be a happy man.

There has been talk about third-party application background support before, and I’ve heard whispers in the past as well. And while my source today made it very clear that it’s entirely possible Apple will scrap its plans completely if it can’t come up with a good solution, it seems pretty clear that we’re closer than we’ve ever been to the possibility of third-party background tasks on the iPhone.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 11:15 pm

Jammie Thomas Lawyer: Get Me Off This Case!

The lawyer defending the nation's only file-sharing case to go to trial asks to be removed before the retrial, fearing he'll lose even more than the $130,000 he has billed for but not recovered.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 11:14 pm

Wolfram Alpha Launches Tonight, On Camera

future.nerd tips news that Wolfram Alpha is set to be launched tonight at 8PM EST (00:00 GMT), and the entire process will be broadcast live, via webcast. Steven Wolfram said to PCPro, "We've been rather surprised that we haven't been able to find even a single publicly available record of the commissioning of any large website at all. So we thought we would document our own experience. We can't guarantee that everything will go smoothly. We fully expect to encounter unanticipated situations along the way. We hope that it'll be interesting for people to join us as we work through these in real time." In a related blog post, he explains how Wolfram Alpha interacts with Mathematica.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Gizmodo | 15 May 2009 | 11:00 pm

Roundup of latest SSDs reveals yet another stalemate (a hot one though)

We’re seeing SSDs popping up more and more, in plain drive form or included with high-performance laptops. There’s lots of news to sift through and it’s easy to get lost and wonder “Are any of these stupid things different from each other apart from capacity?” And the short answer is… yeah. But imagine I’m saying that while looking skeptical and making a “ehh” motion with my hand.

The benefits of SSD over HDD are certainly well-known, but between SSDs the differences are still microscopic when compared with the former. Unless you’re planning on getting one of these insane >$1000 PCI-mounted arrays, you’re getting a lot of sameness between drives. Doubtless some manufacturers will start making real advancements that put them ahead of the pack, but as it stands it seems that no one drive (or type of SSD drive) is king of the hill. Check out this solid state roundup over at Hot Hardware, where they do in fact find one better than the others (no spoilers), but all recommendations with drives like this come with a lot of qualifications.

I can’t wait to get my first SSD and load up some games on it, but I think I’ll wait another six months or a year.

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 11:00 pm

Nintendo prepares to set new Wii gizmo into motion (AP)

AP - There's nothing all that charming about Nintendo's latest gadget.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 10:57 pm

Will Micropayments Take Center Stage At YouTube? (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - Google's plan to erect a toll road on YouTube faces some serious potholes.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 10:37 pm

Olympus to Release Digital Rangefinder This Summer

Olympus is preparing to release a rangefinder-style camera based on the Micro Four Thirds System this summer, a blogger reports.

We contacted Olympus and a representative confirmed that the Micro 4/3 camera would be available in summer 2009 — although they would not confirm the early July release date cited by Aving USA.

The picture here is a mockup Olympus released last year and may have no bearing on reality.

We’re excited about this camera (and the Micro 4/3 format) because it could combine a reasonably large sensor size with a fairly compact, point-and-shoot-like body and the possibility of using interchangeable lenses.

Panasonic released a Micro Four Thirds camera, the Panasonic G1, last year, to mixed reviews.

AVING USA - Global News Network (via Gizmodo)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 15 May 2009 | 10:31 pm

Android goes to the hospital

A pack of medical applications was just released for Android, and it set me a-thinkin’. Although our phones are far from tricorders at this point (but getting closer), Android has a bit more of a versatile position. A powerful smartphone OS and (possibly) a passable netbook or tablet one, it seems like it may be a really good fit for embedded systems. I don’t even want to think about the proprietary systems and decade-old OSes that hospitals are running their diagnostic and records-tracking programs on. With a modern, touchable, and inexpensive to run OS like Android, there could be a huge increase in standardization and interoperability.

Obviously it wouldn’t just be doctors carrying around G1s and stuff. But picture a hospital (or school, or what have you) where the embedded and use-limited devices integral to its functioning are all running Android in some form or another. It acquits itself equally well to a tablet as to a wall monitor as to a handset, and a few tweaks would make it eminently networkable. Of course, this is all pie in the sky, and one could say the same for any number of alternate OSes, not the least of which being Linux in some adaptable flavor. Still, it’s food for thought.

As for the medical applications, damn are they expensive! But they’re established, professional apps that also work on Blackberries and such, so the price is probably are justified.

[via MedGadget]

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Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 10:30 pm

Android goes to the hospital

A pack of medical applications was just released for Android, and it set me a-thinkin’. Although our phones are far from tricorders at this point (but getting closer), Android has a bit more of a versatile position. A powerful smartphone OS and (possibly) a passable netbook or tablet one, it seems like it may be a really good fit for embedded systems. I don’t even want to think about the proprietary systems and decade-old OSes that hospitals are running their diagnostic and records-tracking programs on. With a modern, touchable, and inexpensive to run OS like Android, there could be a huge increase in standardization and interoperability.

Obviously it wouldn’t just be doctors carrying around G1s and stuff. But picture a hospital (or school, or what have you) where the embedded and use-limited devices integral to its functioning are all running Android in some form or another. It acquits itself equally well to a tablet as to a wall monitor as to a handset, and a few tweaks would make it eminently networkable. Of course, this is all pie in the sky, and one could say the same for any number of alternate OSes, not the least of which being Linux in some adaptable flavor. Still, it’s food for thought.

As for the medical applications, damn are they expensive! But they’re established, professional apps that also work on Blackberries and such, so the price is probably are justified.

[via MedGadget]

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 10:30 pm

YouTube Video Sends Guatemala Into Crisis

Several have sent word that a YouTube video of recently assassinated lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg has sent Guatemala into a tailspin. The video of Rosenberg claims that if you are watching, he has been murdered by President Alvaro Colom with help from presidential secretary Gustavo Alejos. "The video spread across the Internet after family members handed it out during Rosenberg's funeral on Monday. In the 18-minute tape, a seemingly calm Rosenberg, sitting behind a desk and microphone, alleges that Colom, the First Lady and two associates were involved in murder, corruption and money laundering. The group, he says, filtered public funds through a state-owned bank for personal gain and to finance drug traffickers. Rosenberg then claims that after Khalil Musa, a prominent businessman and bank board member, had learned of the Coloms' scheme, Musa and his daughter were shot to death in front of a shopping center in April. Rosenberg says the President signed off on the killings."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 15 May 2009 | 10:26 pm

FBI Adds Facebook, YouTube, Twitter Profiles. MySpace Completely Dissed

The FBI is willing to do just about anything when it comes to tracking down bad guys. They did the widgets thing last year. And today they announced that they’ve “set up shop in several social media websites.”

They’ve now got profiles on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube profiles are highlighted. They even have billboards up in Second Life. But nothing is mentioned about MySpace. Except that you can add FBI widgets to “social media websites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Blogger.”

Given all the attention the Attorneys General have given MySpace over the years you’d think it would be the first place they’d stake out and infiltrate. But as of now, they’ve got no official presence there. At least, none that they’ll admit to. A search on MySpace, after you work through the ridiculous advertising clutter, shows nothing.

Probably the only thing MySpace hates more than getting too much government attention is this - getting completely ignored while fast growing competitors get all the attention.

Update: From Jonathan Cox at the FBI - “We have a widget that works on MySpace, but nothing formal yet. Its a long vetting process and I have so many government rules to follow it would make your head spin. This is just the beginning though. I’ll keep you posted as things progress. Thanks.”

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Source: TechCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 10:21 pm

Generation by Knoll Chair Moves With You

Few are as chained to their desks as writers; even fewer fidget, stand up and sit down again as much as we do when avoiding a deadline. Lucky for us, we were absolutely slammed when we spent a week with Knoll’s latest creation. The Generation work chair promised not only to accommodate our work-avoidant tendencies, but also to add a few new ones to our repertoire. The Generation, which will debut next month at NeoCon (Chicago’s contract furniture trade exposition), allows for an unusually wide range of movement while seated. “Unusual,” though, can describe more than just the chair’s functionality; its design is striking since it hits the rare balance between daring and elegant. Though its head-on appearance is bold—verging even on the futuristic–its side-view is so slight that the Generation almost seems to dissolve into the background. It got more than a few jealous glances around the office.

While spending an afternoon with Benjamin Pardo, Knoll’s Director of Design, it became clear that each aspect of the chair was part of a careful approach to designing something that would enable and support its owner in more than just range of movement. The back, for example, is comprised of evenly spaced pieces of elastomer that support your back, but don’t block you from your colleagues’ views; ditto the shortness of the piece itself, which only reaches the middle of your back. Pardo stressed that the Generation’s size and shape all take into account a constantly rotating torso—a constant occurrence in a collaborative office. The chair’s arms are not only easy to adjust individually, but they’re strong enough to act as lumbar support when you’re sitting sideways, something which other chairs make incredibly uncomfortable (if not impossible). If you turn backwards while facing forward in the chair, the flexible top bends naturally and acts as an impromptu armrest. In fact, it was extremely hard to find a position that the chair didn’t allow for, which only made it more difficult to justify getting up for one more unnecessary walk around the office.

None of this would be possible without the chair’s most central design feature (and it’s most double-edged sword): elastomer, an elastic polymer that connects most of the Generation’s movable pieces together. While it definitely makes the chair feel flexible and durable, there were certain situations in which the flexibility was disconcerting. Sitting upright and facing forward, for instance, means getting used to the slight slouch that the chair encourages. Most office chairs require a more rigid posture. The lumbar support is firm enough to feel supportive, but the increased flexibility in the Generation’s upper back (which makes backwards-facing so comfortable) tended to give way more than we were used to. Changing the position of the lumbar support can be difficult: Instead of turning a screw or moving a slider, you have to move the chair’s seat forward or backward to adjust the angle at which the lumbar hits your back.

Even so, the chair really did seem to intuit our shapes when we sat in it, shifting with a fluidity that made for a gloriously lower-back pain free workweek. So enjoying the Generation seems to require a kind of suspension of previously held beliefs; we may be used to more rigid office chairs with taller backs and moveable lumbar support, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t time to readjust our expectations. After a week sitting in the Generation, our regular chair actually felt so confining, so unable to move as we moved and in the way we wanted to, that it was almost like getting back into a straightjacket.

Photos courtesy Knoll

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 15 May 2009 | 10:12 pm

New Avatar Technology Is The Next Best Thing to You

Have you ever wished you could be in two places at once? Perhaps you've had the desire to create a copy of yourself that could stand in for you at a meeting, freeing you up to work on more pressing matters.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 10:10 pm

Plant theremin makes weird noises, photosynthesizes

Improvised and modified instruments are part of any self-respecting weird music creator’s repertoire. As for using plants (and banaynays) as conductive channel for a theremin-like instrument, it’s been done before (by Simian) but not on video, I think.

The sounds created are… shall we say, limited, but could be useful in a track, and are certainly fun to create. I’d try it with a succulent. I try everything with a succulent.

[via Make and Create Digital Music]

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 10:00 pm

Time Makes A List Of Tech Failures, Microsoft Makes It Twice

Time Magazine recently published a list (completed by 24/7 Wall St.) of the “Top Ten Biggest Tech Failures Of The Past Decade.” Microsoft Vista, Microsoft Zune, Gateway, YouTube and the Segway all made the list. Time said that 24/7 Wall St. evaluated both start-ups and products that were “widely recognized,” and were available to anyone in the world. Time had a couple other qualifications to make the list including the rule that the product/company had to have the potential of bringing billions of dollars of revenue to its owner.

Here’s the list:

1. Microsoft Vista
2. Gateway
3. HD DVD
4. Vonage
5. YouTube
6. Sirius XM
7. Microsoft Zune
8. Palm
9. Iridium
10. Segway

Most of products/companies on the list are spot on, like Zune and Vista. However, I don’t see how YouTube, the largest video site on the web, is truly a failure. Yes, it’s not profitable yet and who knows when it will be. But Google only bought the video site a few years ago, and I think it’s too early to call this one a failure.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 9:51 pm

New Google Trademark Policy Could Rile Owners - Wall Street Journal

Ars Technica

New Google Trademark Policy Could Rile Owners Wall Street Journal By John Letzing Google Inc. (GOOG) has announced a more permissive policy for using trademarks that could fuel an increase in sales, but could also rile companies already wary of the use of their brand names on Internet search advertising services. Google may relent on AdWords trademark usage Ars Technica paidContent.org - Google Revises Trademark Policy To Allow Brand ... Washington Post eWeek - Sci-Tech Today - The Business Insider - Digital Media Wire all 123 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 15 May 2009 | 9:45 pm

Why Google's Outage Wasn't a Complete Failure - PC World

PC World

Why Google's Outage Wasn't a Complete Failure PC World I noticed something interesting in the Google outage and its aftermath on Thursday. Google's sites, in case you were hiding in a cave yesterday, were unreachable around the world for a good hour and a half. Google News Updates with YouTube, Experiences Shutdown eWeek Google apology for slow service BBC News San Francisco Chronicle - The Money Times - NewsFactor Network - E-Commerce Times all 731 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 15 May 2009 | 9:44 pm

US videogame sales down 17 pct in April: NPD (AFP)

AFP - The absence of a blockbuster release and the recession combined to push US videogames sales sharply lower in April, according to market research firm NPD Group.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 9:44 pm

KGB Material Released By Cold War Project, Available Online

pha7boy writes "The Cold War International History Project just released the 'Vassiliev Notebooks.' The notebooks are an important new source of information on Soviet intelligence operations in the United States from 1930 to 1950. Though the KGB's archive remains closed, former KGB officer turned journalist Alexander Vassiliev was given the unique opportunity to spend two years poring over materials from the KGB archive taking detailed notes — including extended verbatim quotes — on some of the KGB's most sensitive files. Though Vassiliev's access was not unfettered, the 1,115 pages of densely handwritten notes that he was able to take shed new and important light on such critical individuals and topics as Alger Hiss, the Rosenberg case, and 'Enormous,' the massive Soviet effort to gather intelligence on the Anglo-American atomic bomb project. Alexander Vassiliev has donated his original copies of the handwritten notebooks to the Library of Congress with no restriction on access. They are available to researchers in the Manuscript Division."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 15 May 2009 | 9:44 pm

Astea Reports First Quarter 2009 Results

HORSHAM, Pa., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Astea International Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 9:30 pm

Indianapolis Man Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced in Child Pornography Case

WASHINGTON, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Roger Lowe, 50, of Indianapolis, was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving child pornography, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 9:30 pm

Why Online Video Ads Still Don’t Work [MediaMemo]

From the funny-and-true! department: A biting clip from the dudes at College Humor satirizing the lousy ad options and mind-numbing ad jargon that dominate the online video business.

And a good reminder that even though Google’s (GOOG) YouTube generates more than five billion streams a month and Hulu has grown 490 percent in the last year, no one has really figured out a good way to turn all those eyeballs into dollars. Yet.

A short cheat sheet: The guys on the left side of the table are College Humor co-founders Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen, who sold their company to IAC (IACI) in 2006, yet remain employed by Barry Diller. They’re also pretty sharp business guys, it turns out. The guys on the right side are Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld, College Humor employees who have had a long-running series of clips on the site. Dina Kaplan, who gets name-checked several times, is COO of New York-based video site Blip.tv, which happens to be the distributor of this clip.

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 9:12 pm

Google changes AdWords policies to permit use of trademarks

Section: Business News, Web, Google

Google has adjusted their policies in order to allow users of AdWords to included trademarked names into their ads.  Users can start creating the ads as early as today, but the new ads will not go live until June 11.  This inclusion is an attempt at creating a better user experience as well as allowing AdWords customers to better target their audience.

This change permits ad creators to write ads with brand names in text without getting express permission from the brand’s owner.  The following was posted on the Google blog:

“Under certain criteria, you can use trademark terms in your ad text in the U.S. even if you don’t own that trademark or have explicit approval from the trademark owner to use it.  This change will help you to create more narrowly targeted ad text that highlights your specific inventory.  For example, under our old policy, a site that sells several brands of athletic shoes may not have been able to highlight the actual brands that they sell in their ad text. However, under our new policy, that advertiser can create specific ads for each of the brands that they sell.”

This change can benefit users by preventing unnecessary clicks on ads that are generically worded.  It can also help ads stand out instead of being lumped in with hundreds of other generic product ads.  Placement on webpages is likely to be improved as well since audiences will be better targeted when the company can use actual product brands instead of phrases like designer shoes and brand name clothing.  Further details about the change to the Google AdWords trademark policy can be found on the Google website.

Site: [Google AdWords]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 9:11 pm

Mozilla to Designers: Help Us Build Better Firefox Tabs (PC World)

PC World - Mozilla Labs is challenging Web designers to help it find a more innovative way to represent browser tabs.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 9:10 pm

Video: Light Art Performance Photography

If you wonder if I sit at my desk and talk to myself, you may be like to know that I just started watching this video and said, aloud, "Ho-lee shit." Porter, the dog, shrugged. The video is a collection of stills from a group called "Light Art Performance Photography" who use LEDs, lasers, illuminated body suits, sparkers, and sheer pluck to make these wonderful long-exposure photographs. Just tremendous. [via HackNMod]


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 9:08 pm

EPA Gives Servers Energy Star Ratings (PC World)

PC World - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will introduce its Energy Star for Servers program on Friday, aiming to make it easier for buyers to identify energy-efficient systems.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 9:00 pm

Can you solve the Coding Machine’s encrypted haiku?

This is the Coding Machine. It looks a lot like the old Enigma machine, doesn’t it? The designer, Tatjana van Vark, who wins today’s Most Dutch Name Award, won’t reveal its secret—how to solve decrypt messages and whatnot—until someone solves an encrypted haiku.

Here’s the haiku, pasted here to save you the trouble of lifting your finger to click a link:

ETSFV FD1NV ZS7M2
UM8VK RCSZA P11IN FW-KX P/1RW
1MF4L F+3,0 QHWKS H+53- ZMTBI

QRVI8 YKK8Y

How would you even decrypt the message? Don’t you need a few samples, know what language it is, or at least what the subject is (“sports,” “astronomy,” etc.)? I don’t know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen all those Enigma machine documentaries. It’s also sorta hot in here.

via Retro Thing

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 9:00 pm

Level 3 Closes $60 Million Addition to Senior Secured Tranche B Term Loan

BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Level 3 Financing, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 9:00 pm

Apple Rumors: iPod Gets an iPhone-like Camera and 'Project Charlie' (PC World)

PC World - With all the unsubstantiated rumors buzzing about a new iPhone and its alleged features, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Apple will launch some sort of new or upgraded device very, very soon-perhaps even at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) June 8-12 in San Francisco, or maybe later this summer in a separate announcement.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 8:50 pm

Asian camera doesn't understand Asian eyes

Joz got her mother a new camera. It seems to have just enough intelligence to say the wrong thing. I feel sorry for manufacturers. First they had to teach their gadgets how to think—now they have to teach them tact.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 8:47 pm

'Anonymous' Pin-Up Girl Is Runner-Up for 'America's Next Top Model'

Years before Top Model finalist Allison Harvard was known to a national TV audience, she was appreciated and feared on the "/b/" board on 4chan — the birthplace of the internet's greatest memes and most felonious pranks.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 8:47 pm

Quote: Sony Pictures CEO on the value of the internet

"I'm a guy who doesn't see anything good having come from the Internet," said Sony Pictures Entertainment chief executive officer Michael Lynton. "Period." – Woman's Wear Daily


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 8:40 pm

CrunchDeals: Big Sale at NY and Chicago Nokia Flagship Stores

If you live in New York or Chicago and are lookin’ to save some ducats on a Nokia device, this weekend is the time to buy. We just got word that from Saturday, May 16th at 10:00 AM to Sunday, May 17th at 6:00 PM, the Flagship stores are holding a big ol’ discount bonanza.

Read the rest of this post >>

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 8:30 pm

Phonetime reports strong first quarter 2009 results

- Revenue grows by 17% - MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Phonetime Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 8:30 pm

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results

BEIJING, China, May 15 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education in China focusing on professional education, reported today its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2009 ended on March 31, 2009. Second Quarter Fiscal 2009 Business and Financial Highlights: -- Total online course enrollments exceeded 197,000, an increase of 72.6% from the second quarter of fiscal 2008. -- Net revenues increased 99.3% over the second quarter of fiscal 2008 to US$6.8 million. -- Gross profit increased 53.2% over the second quarter of fiscal 2008 to US$3.3 million.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 May 2009 | 8:30 pm

CrunchDeals: Big Sale at NY and Chicago Nokia Flagship Stores

If you live in New York or Chicago and are lookin’ to save some ducats on a Nokia device, this weekend is the time to buy. We just got word that from Saturday, May 16th at 10:00 AM to Sunday, May 17th at 6:00 PM, the Flagship stores are holding a big ol’ discount bonanza.

What’s on sale:

• $100 bucks off the E75, bringing it down to $429
• 20% off all other devices, as long as they’re not on clearance or Vertu branded. This means the 5800 XpressMusic will be going for less than $300, with the E63 and E71 going for around $225 and $290 respectively.
• All accessories will be 25% off
• If you pre-order an N97 during the sale, they’ll hook you up with the $99 BH-804 Bluetooth headset for free.

In other words, you should still expect to walk out a few hundred bucks lighter if you’re going in looking for an unlocked handset - but they’ll all be a good $20-30+ bucks cheaper than you’d find them elsewhere. Tell them CrunchGear sent you, and they’ll look at you and say “What’s a CrunchGear?”

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 8:26 pm

Attention: The DustBuster is 30 years old this year

That’s right: many of us have been alive as long as the Black & Decker DustBuster vacuum, a cleaner that I remember fondly from my ill-spent youth. Remember the first models? The tan color scheme? The incessant whirring? The sad majesty of the dying DustBuster as its battery slowly drained over a pile of Cheerios or sawdust?

Say what you want about Dyson and his ilk: the DustBuster is the Hitachi Magic Wand of home cleaning devices, dedicated to performance, fun, and, most importantly, the improvement of our lives in general.

So hats off, Mr. DustBuster, we salute you. Best of all Black & Decker is offering us five DustBusters - of the modern variety - to five lucky readers.

To win please leave your fondest vacuuming story in comments. We’ll pick the five most poignant remembrances next Wednesday at noon ET. Do you remember lying on the floor listening to the vacuum and trying to hum in tune? Did you make a huge mess and then clean it up? Did you get something caught somewhere? Tell us, dear reader.

Source: CrunchGear | 15 May 2009 | 8:25 pm

Ode to Richard "Data" Wang, master-tinkerer & goonie

Nevermind that the character's frequent technical malfunctions -- or actor Jonathan Ke Quan's accent -- were used as comic relief. When I force my children to watch Goonies, I'm going to make sure they appreciate Data's ingenuity and drive to invent.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 8:12 pm

Foodies flock to Twitter-savvy food trucks (AP)

AP - For some foodies, Tweets lead to great eats.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 8:01 pm

Korean Rubik's cube is a tic-tac-toe board

A guy I know got this Rubik's cube in Korea. It's pretty much the same deal, except instead of being color-coded you have to try to line up completed tic-tac-toe boards on each side. [Link (Japanese)]


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 8:00 pm

7 Webotainers Worth Watching

Does webotainment 2.0 deliver? Is the formerly radical anyone-can-upload technology resulting in experiments that burst the confines of network television hackery, or are the New Webotainers simply producing shorter versions of lame sitcoms and tired sci-fi clichés?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 8:00 pm

Steve Forbes: We’re Not Making More Cuts [MediaMemo]

Just because Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners is stepping down from the Forbes Media board, to be replaced by a cost-cutting expert, doesn’t mean more cuts are coming, says CEO Steve Forbes.

Here’s the memo Forbes distributed to his staff this afternoon:

Various media outlets today noted that Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners has stepped off the Forbes Media board and that this portends an imminent round of additional cuts. It does not.

Cutting costs has been necessary at Forbes and virtually every other company in response to the unprecedented economic downturn. We are doing what is necessary for Forbes to get through these difficult times. It is critical to remember, however, that while coping with current conditions, we are also pursuing new initiatives, the latest being ForbesWoman. We are actively examining a number of other new ventures.

Forbes continues to outperform its competitors. The brand is stronger today worldwide than ever before. In a few days I am going to India for the launch of Forbes India, our eleventh local edition and the first of its kind in India. No other business brand has a larger worldwide audience offline and online. At 5.4 million, readership of Forbes Magazine itself is at an all-time high, and Forbes Digital attracts some 40 million unique visitors each month.

Let us also remember that in 2001-2002 in the aftermath of the tech bubble bursting, and particularly after 9/11, magazine advertising plunged. We had to take many painful steps at that time as well. There were many who said we should shut down the then money-losing Forbes.com. We did not, and it went on to great success. Now, just as then, we are contending with crisis but also planting seeds of our future success.

As for the Forbes Media board, several Elevation partners have rotated on it. Bret Pearlman has been involved from day one.  And Roger McNamee is still very much engaged with the company, particularly web strategy and technology.

We fully understand the concerns that the present difficult environment causes. We want to thank everyone for their hard work. We profoundly believe that the steps being taken, not only short-term painful ones, but also new growth initiatives, will make Forbes stronger than ever when economic recovery comes.

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 7:49 pm

Fennec (Firefox Mobile) Alpha 1 For Windows Mobile Goes Live

After the slightly shaky launch of their ultra-early milestone release, Mozilla is back with more Fennec (otherwise known as “Firefox Mobile”) goodness. This morning, the company began distributing Alpha 1 of Fennec for Windows Mobile. As with all Alphas, this release is by no means intended for every day use by the general public, but it gives us a sneak peak at what’s to come.

Read the rest of this post >>

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

Source: TechCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 7:45 pm

Photo of a computer lab in Dharamsala, India

I took this photo of a computer lab at a nunnery in Dharamsala, India in the fall of 2006. After traveling through more rural parts of Northern India where kids at school all claimed to want to become computer scientists but had never seen electricity, it was a relief to see that some were getting the opportunity they deserved. This nunnery was built by the Dalai Lama's sister-in-law to accommodate young refugee girls who left their families in Tibet and risked their lives trekking through the Himalayas to meet His Holiness and to be free.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 7:41 pm

MoMA’s Viral Video Aims for Modern-Art Skeptics [Voices]

A new online campaign from the Museum of Modern Art targets people who might scoff at contemporary art.

The video, “I See,” developed by boutique ad firm Taxi New York, features a MoMA visitor (played by Meryl Streep’s son, Henry Gummer) looking with boredom at a sculpture while listening to an audio guide.

He becomes more interested as the narrator says: “The sculpture you are looking at drew ridicule and shame when the artist first exhibited it in 1913. Nearly a century later ‘Symphony Number One’ is considered a pivotal example of abstract sculpture. Your immediate reaction might be to dismiss this work, just as your boss dismissed you after making what anyone would agree was an honest mistake. But if you allow yourself to really look at this piece, you’ll see that it awakens all senses simultaneously.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 7:39 pm

SLIDE SHOW: The Week's Top Stories

From animal joy to rogue black holes, see images from the week's news here.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 7:35 pm

Fennec (Firefox Mobile) Alpha 1 For Windows Mobile Goes Live

After the slightly shaky launch of their ultra-early milestone one release, Mozilla is back with more Fennec (otherwise known as “Firefox Mobile”) goodness. This morning, the company began distributing Alpha 1 of Fennec for Windows Mobile. As with all Alphas, this release is by no means intended for every day use by the general public, but it gives us a sneak peak at what’s to come.

What’s new in this build:

• 3 months worth of bug fixes and performance upgrades.
• Fennec UI have been rebuilt entirely in CSS, allowing Mozilla to tweak the UI for different handsets without having to go in and change the hardcoding. This should make it a lot less complex to port Fennec to different screensizes and resolutions.
• Add-ons! Add-ons are an integral part of Firefox, and something much clamored for in its mobile spinoff. Add-ons won’t jump directly over from Firefox, but users are already hard at work at creating them.

Being that it’s an Alpha, its not nearly perfect. Mozilla cites a few bugs for themselves, noting that performance is a bit shoddy and panning is laggy. As long as that “Checkerboard” bug that plagued nearly everyone’s test runs in the milestone have been fixed (where, upon launching Fennec, nothing was displayed but a checkerboard pattern), we’ll forgive’m for these other little bugs.

Though Firefox has seen great success on the PC (over 50% of MobileCrunch readers use it), the mobile space is rough territory. A significant chunk of mobile users have no clue how to install software on their handsets, especially as a number of carriers block the installation of software through the browser. As such, many simply stick with the default browser. Of those that do know how (and want) to switch away, Opera Mobile is already well established as an alternative browser of choice, with Skyfire (and its Flash-playing capabilities) hot on its tail.

Only the HTC Touch Pro (and presumably the AT&T branded Touch Pro, the Fuze) is currently supported, though it might just work elsewhere. If you’ve got a Windows Mobile handset running at a resolution of 480×640, it’s worth a shot. You can find the CAB files for installation here.

Don’t have a compatible handset, but still want to take a look? Check out the video walkthrough below:

Fennec - alpha 1 for Windows Mobile from Madhava Enros on Vimeo.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 7:28 pm

Kohler Fluid Faucet is also a bathroom water fountain

While the Fluid Faucet is not yet in production, I will wrest it into being through desirous thirst. You may be thinking, as I did, what happens when you crack it up to get a sip? Does water go everywhere? Oh ho! The water slows until the faucet is parallel to the sink; continuing to twist it up turns it back on again. [via Freshome]


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 7:20 pm

UE's Premium Ear Pills Are the Perfect Rx for Sonic Bliss

Are your ears misshapen, filled with wax, narrow or otherwise disfigured? Good news! There's a set of in-ear headphones out there for you, too. The UE 700s are designed to fit any auditory canal, regardless of how nasty they might be.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 15 May 2009 | 7:00 pm

Are Antimatter Bombs in 'Angels & Demons' for Real?

Angels & Demons's plot hinges on an antimatter bomb — a tiny device with the power of a nuclear warhead. That may sound good in a thriller, but are antimatter bombs more than just fiction?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 7:00 pm

Flower Petals Help Bees Keep Their Grip

Scientists at the University of Cambridge in Britain have found that tiny conical structures on the surface of flowers provide bees something to hold on to, increasing their foraging efficiency.  Furthermore, the bees actually prefer these easy-to-grip petals, the study found.Most insect-pollinated flowers have cone-shaped surface cells, in contrast to other flowers with flat surfaces.  It was long believed that these conical "bumps" existed to attract pollinators.However, Beverley Glover and her team of researchers are the first to show precisely how these surfaces assist the bees."These cells also change the color of the flower by focusing light onto pigments, so researchers thought that might be their purpose," Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 6:50 pm

Ancient termite provides look at evolution

A termite entombed for 100 million years has revealed the oldest example ever found of animals and microorganisms working together, a U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 6:49 pm

Commute Driving You Crazy? Read On

MyCommuteSucks.org is a great place to vent about all the things that make your commute a pain in the ... car seat. You can also tell Congress to do something about it.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 6:48 pm

EPA praises Energy Star griddles, ovens

New Energy Star-approved commercial griddles and ovens are an estimated 10 to 20 percent more efficient than standard models, U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 6:30 pm

Who’s on Crack in Tech: 5.13.09

Section: Apple, Communications, Computers, Gadgets / Other, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack

This week in Gadgetell’s Who’s on Crack we’ll go on a journey into the dumb, silly places the tech world is all too happy to lead us.  This past week sees some far too much that should have been left on the cutting room floor.  Things like standards that are changing too fast; we’ve hit the ceiling on mobile content, Google goes broke, and adios speeding thanks to tech.

HDMI goes to 1.4

Really? 1.4?  My cables are still warm from the store, why are we changing already?  Was there a security breach that needed fixing?  Was 1.3 favoring HD on only FOX News?  What gives?  Our Shawn Ingram explains it so commoners like me can understand:

HDMI will be going up to version 1.4 sometime next year.  Not only will it export HD video, but it will be able of transferring data between devices using HDMI Ethernet Connection (“HEC”).  HEC will be able to transfer data at 100Mbps which can be useful for devices in the same room or short distances.  The upgrade also brings support for compressed surround sound so you won’t need optical sound cables if you don’t want them, and up to 4K resolution.

Right before this whole recession thing, I upgraded to HD and went to the stupidly priced HDMI cables.  Throwing out a new standard with new features will only confuse those who finally made it through the Herculean task of picking a stupid LCD or Plasma.  More things to figure out doesn’t help guys.

AT&T slaps Sling

If we are to believe AT&T, the iPhone app by Slingbox is too unwieldy.  It will suck the life out of all available bandwidth and cause all others to get no connectivity.  Really, we are there already?  What other apps can’t we use because of bandwidth issues?  Sure, mass congregations of iPhone users, like SWSX,  are capable of bringing the deal to a grinding halt but what about here in the NorthEast?  Aren’t we safe?

Maybe, maybe not.  There are those that say AT&T is looking out for numero uno (themselves) and their I-Verse concept that has yet to make it to the iPhone that replicates the Sling service.  Sneaky huh?  Our Natesh Sood laid it down:

For iPhone owners who have a Slingbox, $30 bucks lying around, and usually in range of a Wi-Fi connection, you will probably be happy with the opportunity to use this app.  For the rest of us, it is probably an app we would like to have, but not worth it at this point due to inefficiency/price.

Gmail Goes broke?

For many of us, about 14% according to Google, Gmail services were down for some time on Thursday.  The ordeal was explained by our Sue Walsh:

According to their official blog, Google says this morning’s outage was caused by a “system error” that rerouted some traffic through Asia, causing a traffic jam.  The bottleneck resulted in GMail, Blogger, and Google itself loading slowly and in some cases being totally unavailable.

Google, if you want all my stuff, all my secrets, my winning lottery numbers from Belguim, then take them.  The deal is you stay up and running and I’ll look at a few of your ads now and then.  You are breaking your part of the deal, don’t make me boycott your ads.

Apple’s run out of fashion ideas?

According to rumored info, the next iPhone will look just like the current iPhone.  How boring!  Have you run out of ideas already Apple?  You were supposed to be this design team from a smarter, better planet.  Seems you were a two trick pony.

Do I believe this rumor?  No.  Apple knows way better than to just changing things under the hood without making it lust-worthy on the outside for everyone that just plunked down a couple hundred just 6 months earlier.  I would love to see these.

Goodbye speeding

Speeding is a God-given right.  It is written into the Bill of Rights, “Article 7: No one shall inhibit drivers ability to exceed speed limits, so long as they are prepared to deal with the consequences.”  It is written on the pyramids in hieroglyphics.  Everyone knows this.

But some Brits have other ideas.  Heather Wood tells us:

The Intelligent Speed Adaptation will use the information collected to determine when to limit a driver’s acceleration to ensure that he stays within the legal speed limit.  The driver will have the opportunity to disable the limiting feature and will instead receive a verbal warning if he exceeds the speed limit.  An override switch will be available as well to disable the device completely.

This is the beginning of the end.  Soon, this device will loose it’s disable switch.  Then it will report your speed to the authorities real time and you’ll just get the ticket emailed to you.  Then the device will convince your cars computer to slow itself down despite your pedal-mashing power grinding it into the floorboard.  Just like those darn race cars at Disney.

That’s what got in my bonnet this week.  What got in yours?  Let us know in the comments.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 6:30 pm

Twitter @replies Saga: Oops, But the Feature Isn't Coming Back

Twitter's Biz Stone falls on his sword for creating a rare bad PR week for the mindcasting medium, saying he blew the message. But the arcane feature at the heart of "the replies kerfuffle," which Twitter pulled unilaterally and without warning, well, that's not coming back.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 6:30 pm

Elvis gets his own iPhone app, is probably still dead

If you’re an Elvis fan who happens to carry an iPhone and be partially insane, do we have good news for you! This week, the King joined the likes of P Diddy in having an iPhone application solely dedicated to all things them.

Features:

• Are you crazy as hell and see Elvis everywhere you go? Now you can share your crazies with other crazies by submitting Elvis Sightings!
• Tired of watching your own grass grow? Now you can watch the Graceland grass grow, with the Graceland live cam! It’s almost as riveting as the CrunchCam!
• Be the first to know about all the latest Elvis news and gossip via the built-in Elvis RSS feed! Forget the fact that the King has been dead for 30+ years - we want Elvis news!

The good news: it’s free. The bad news: It won’t take care of your 300 cats.

[iTunes link]

[Thanks Marc!]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 6:28 pm

Scientists isolate cholesterol-eating bug

A bacteria found in sewage sludge could lead to products that reduce cholesterol contamination in urban areas, researchers in Spain said. Gordonia bacteria, in general, already have proven useful in degrading pollutants such as phthalates used in plastics and rubber.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 6:25 pm

Food Wrapper Coating Found in Human Blood

Chemicals used to make food wrappers grease-proof are found in human blood.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 6:15 pm

Pirate Bay Defendants Add New Bias Charges

The Pirate Bay defendants lob new ethics charges, accusing a Swedish court of purposely choosing a judge who would convict the founders of the world's most notorious BitTorrent tracker.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 15 May 2009 | 6:08 pm

IBM to Buy Red Hat… Someday… Maybe [Digital Daily]

Red Hat is destined to be acquired, most likely by IBM–according to Jefferies analyst Katherine Egbert, anyway. Noting that Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems is bad news for Red Hat, Egbert says the open-source outfit is going to need a partner sooner or later and that IBM may well volunteer for the position. After all, if Oracle found Sun’s Java software to be important enough to own, it’s conceivable that IBM would take a similar view of Red Hat. To acquire it would certainly be a savvy defensive move against Oracle. Her reasoning:

To date, much of Red Hat’s success has come because the software is relatively inexpensive, Unix applications port easily to Linux, and because Red Hat is not Microsoft i.e. they are not a large, integrated vendor that can lure customers in with low pricing but exploit their pricing power once the customer becomes dependent on the software. Most customers view Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a way to break free of large vendor lock in and the high economic toll it extracts.

However, with Oracle buying Sun, Red Hat now has two giant competitors, both of whom have virtually unlimited pricing power. We believe it will be increasingly difficult for Red Hat to compete over a sustained period as a small, standalone, independent vendor against the upcoming entry of Oracle, who could offer cheap hardware/software bundles, steep discounts to stay on or migrate to Open Solaris, or even pay customers to not use RHEL as they seek to stabilize the Solaris maintenance stream. Therefore, with Red Hat’s choice-based value proposition potentially pre-empted by a data center land grab among 2 giants, it seems to us that Red Hat needs a partner. A large partner. Someone with pricing power, C-level relationships, and a significant enough presence in the data center to combat the Oracle/Microsoft threat. IBM fits the bill.

So, caught between Oracle (ORCL) and Microsoft (MSFT), Red Hat (RHT) rushes into the waiting arms of IBM (IBM). Makes sense I Suppose, as Barron’s recently argued–though with a caveat: Unlike Sun (JAVA), which was fast slipping into the mud when Oracle acquired it, Red Hat is doing quite well for itself. And that could make it prohibitively expensive.

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 6:00 pm

GoPhone! $3 per day unlimited AT&T prepaid service

AT&T now has a $3 per day prepaid cellphone service. For $3 per day, you can make as many cellphone calls as you want. It’s that simple.

That’s unlimited voice service—text messages and whatnot would be charged on top of that $3.

The plan is designed for people who seldom use their cellphone. Why pay just shy of $100 per month when you only make a handful of calls?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 6:00 pm

McAfee, EMC team up vs Symantec in online backup (Reuters)

Reuters - McAfee Inc, the No. 2 computer security company, plans to team up with EMC Corp to offer online PC backup services, and announced the acquisition of a company that protects ATMs against hackers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 15 May 2009 | 5:58 pm

Space Tomato Packs Nutritional Super-Punch

A NASA-developed tomato flops in space but could succeed on Earth.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 5:35 pm

Federated Media Will Search for New Leader Says Founder and CEO Battelle (Plus a Web Squared and Double-D Video!) [BoomTown]

John Battelle (pictured here), the founder, chairman and CEO of Federated Media Publishing, told his staff this morning that he will begin a search for a new top exec to take the company into its next stage of growth.

Battelle, who is apparently not leaving the San Francisco-based company, wrote that the new exec–whose title could be CEO–would report to him.

In a post on the FM site about the move called “The Start of Something, Again,” he wrote:

“It’s time to take it to the next level. FM is no longer a scrappy startup, and while its leadership team is deep and experienced, we’ve come to the conclusion that to take the company to the place we all know it can go, we need an additional leader on board. So today, I’m announcing that I’m officially launching a search for that position. It used to be you did this in private, but we live in the world of social media, and one of FM’s mores is transparency. I want to honor that value today.

So let me be clear: I am in no way leaving the business. This new leader–the title will depend on the person–will be responsible for running the business–taking all reports and managing to our plan–but he or she will be working very closely with me.”

FM, which sells online advertising for a large group of social-media sites and blogs, raised $50 million in funding a year ago from Oak Investment Partners, giving it a valuation of over $200 million.

The start-up had previously raised about $4.5 million from other investors, including the New York Times, the Omidyar Network and Panorama Capital.

FM reportedly did $40 million in revenue last year and has been cash-flow positive for many years, although the recent economic downturn has impacted its bottom line.

Here is a video interview I did last night with Battelle and others at a dinner he and Tim O’Reilly threw in San Francisco for Silicon Valley movers and shakers, related to the upcoming Web 2.0 Summit that they organize.

He did not mention the exec search at FM, though–instead he talked about the next phase of Web 2.0, which he is now calling “Web Squared.”

No kidding.

Here’s the video–which also includes CBS (CBS) Interactive exec Zander Lurie suggesting a more buxom name for D: All Things Digital:

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 5:32 pm

Yes, the HTC Magic supports Microsoft Exchange

There’s really no need to complicate this. The HTC Magic, now in the hands of a number of lucky ducks, supports Microsoft Exchange right out of the box. Google says Android, which powers the HTC Magic, doesn’t support Microsoft Exchange without third-party applications. Conclusion: HTC included an Exchange application on the phone. Why do we need to be all, “Hey, Google, can you set the record straight here?” Just be grateful that it works and call it a day.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Android a completely open source operating system? If we were so inclined, we could code a Crunch app that combs 4chan for wacky photos of bears fighting alligators, charge $2 for it, and become millionaires.

The point is, yes, HTC included Exchange support onto the phone. What’s so crazy about that?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 15 May 2009 | 5:19 pm

Disgraced scientist claims breakthrough

A breakthrough in creating stem-cell lines from cloned pig embryos will restore the reputation of South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk, a colleague said. Hwang's new work could advance research in extracting stem cells from cloned human embryos, said Hyuan Sang-hwan, a key colleague of Hwang's at the Sooam Biotech Research Center. Hwang began working at Sooam after he was dismissed in 2004 from Seoul National University, where some of his gene studies were exposed as fraudulent. His new work with cloned pigs will put to rest any doubts about his skills and knowledge as a scientist, Hyuan told The Korea Times in a story published Friday. Hwang's study is to be published several months from now in Zygote, a peer-review journal.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 5:16 pm

Gadgetell Experiment: Naked Windows week 2 update

Section: Computers, Security, Software / Applications, Features, Originals

If you didn’t know, I am running an experiment using two Windows machines.  Both are not running any antivirus or anti-spyware.  One machine will be used in a limited fashion—going only to “safe” sites and being very cautious.  The other machine is being used as if the user was an idiot.  Week 1 went without a hitch.  How about week 2?  Keep reading.

The cautious Windows user

At this point in my computer experience, I have some ideas of where to go and how to search for safe things.  I downloaded some programs from Download.com and, of course, the files were clean.  I go to lots of video sites like Hulu, YouTube, and a variety of network television sites.  There is no antivirus or anti-spyware running on the machine.  All scans are via online scanning.  I had to run a Symantec online scan since my other machine would not load Trend Micro’s online virus scanner.  67641 files scanned, 0 files infected. 

Win Idiot

The machine I use to just act like an idiot is a virtual machine running on VMWare.  Doing simple Google searches like “free antivirus” brings up a lot of legitimate antivirus programs and their sites.  To download an evil antivirus program would actually take work.  Live.com seems to bring up some sites I am unfamiliar with.  My theory is that an “idiot” would be lazy as well.  They would be clicking the first links in the search results pages.  Similarly, searching online for Internet Explorer add-on brings up lots of Microsoft sites first.  Surprisingly, using a decent search engine may be a good way to stay safe. 

I downloaded a couple of programs.  I looked up “free DVD player” since XP doesn’t come with one.  Again, the top Google search result actually is information on DVD Decoders and VLC, the free swiss-army knife of video players.  That site has a link to the official VLC download page.  Again, it still takes work to do something dumb.  Trying to download instant messenger clients is the same.  Checking on Live.com brings up plenty of reputable sites again. 

A weird thing happened when I tried to use Trend Micro’s free online antivirus scanner—I kept getting an error in IE6.  I grabbed Firefox to see if it would allow me to use the service.  No go.  I had to use Symantec’s online antivirus scanner which only worked in IE.  21554 files scanned, 0 files infected. 

Now what?

I’m thinking about just opening up my spam e-mail account and now clicking on everything and see what happens.  It seems unrealistic to intentionally search for virus infected software.  What suggestions do you have?

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 5:10 pm

The Real-Time Local News [Voices]

Impending hurricanes and missing children make the local news, but what about smaller incidents–like senior citizens who wander from their care facility or nearby traffic accidents–that residents still want to know about?

Nixle, a San Francisco community-information startup, has developed a notification system for authorities that lets them alert people in their community by text or email. A police officer can quickly tell local subscribers, for example, if a bank robbery suspect is on the loose.

People shop online and send emails instantaneously, said Nixle CEO Craig Mitnick, who has worked as a prosecutor in New Jersey and a legal correspondent for Fox News, “but when you lose a dog, you still have to post a flyer on a telephone pole.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 5:09 pm

'Super rats' evolve in Britain

Britain's poison-resistant rat population has risen to an estimated 80 million -- an increase of more than 200 percent since 2007, scientists said. Genetic mutations have produced super rats with DNA that protects against common pesticides, said Robert Smith, a researcher at the University of Huddersfield. Natural selection means that when you have a rat population in your town, poison will kill the ones that aren't resistant, the ones that survive may have the gene, they then have babies who can receive the gene themselves, Smith told The Daily Telegraph in a story published Friday. Exterminators are using traps, guns and dogs to try to keep the rat population under control across Britain.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 4:56 pm

Cooperative Cichlids Boost Their Own Reproductive Success

Subordinate individuals living within a group of vertebrates sometimes assist a more dominant pair by helping to raise the dominant pair's offspring and this has been shown to occur among subordinate female cichlids.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 4:43 pm

Scientists Closer To The Ultimate Green 'fridge magnet'

Scientists are a step closer to making environmentally-friendly 'magnetic' refrigerators and air conditioning systems a reality, thanks to new research published today in Advanced Materials.Magnetic refrigeration technology could provide a 'green' alternative to traditional energy-guzzling gas-compression fridges and air conditioners.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 4:37 pm

Emerald ash borer found in Minnesota

The tree-killing emerald ash borer has been found in Minnesota, which has the nation's second-highest number of ash trees after Maine, scientists said. The long-expected pest was found this week in a tree in St.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 4:21 pm

Scientists Review Projected Impact of Ice Sheet Melt

Scientists have reevaluated the repercussions that the Earth would suffer if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet were to completely melt.In the journal Science, researchers said a complete melt of the WAIS would cause a 3.3 meter (10 ft) increase in sea level, compared to previous studies that predicted a rise of five to six meters.They added that even a rise of lesser levels would still have an impact on coastal cities, including New York."Sea level rise is considered to be the one of the most serious consequences of climate change," said lead author Jonathan Bamber of the University of Bristol's Glaciology Centre."A sea level rise of just 1.5m would displace 17 million people in Bangladesh alone," he added."So it is of the utmost importance to understand the potential threats to coastlines and people living in coastal areas."The Earth has three ice sheets: Greenland, East Antarctica and West Antarctica.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 May 2009 | 4:20 pm

Hubble Gets 'Like-New' Gyroscopes

Astronauts install refurbished gyroscopes when the new ones don't fit on Hubble.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 4:05 pm

HDMI 1.4 specs shown off

Section: Audio, Video

By now most of us are familiar with HDMI, the standard for exporting HD video to a TV from a Blu-ray player, computer, Xbox 360, PS3, etc.  It never seemed like it really needed much improvement.  Just showing HD video seemed like it should have been enough, but apparently not according to the HDMI Licensing group that sees the need to add a bunch of new features to the standard.

HDMI will be going up to version 1.4 sometime next year.  Not only will it export HD video, but it will be able of transferring data between devices using HDMI Ethernet Connection (“HEC”).  HEC will be able to transfer data at 100Mbps which can be useful for devices in the same room or short distances.  The upgrade also brings support for compressed surround sound so you won’t need optical sound cables if you don’t want them, and up to 4K resolution.

It’s nice to see that HDMI Licensing is pushing forward with the standard, but it seems almost a bit overkill right now.  Even without the recession getting users to upgrade to HD has been difficult enough.  The differences in functionality may confuse some people who don’t know the feature differences between 1.3 and 1.4.  not to mention the fact that it goes up to 4K.  Do we really need 4K resolution for home use yet?  So yes, HDMI 1.4 is nice, but it just seems like a bit of bad timing to upgrade it to include the same features that other cables can do.  The reduced cable clutter would be nice, though.

Read [Electronista]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 3:29 pm

New York Times Online Payment Plan Coming Soon? [MediaMemo]

The New York Times (NYT) has already tried charging people to read part of its Web site. Now, like everyone else in the publishing business, it’s trying to figure out how to charge for online access again.

A decision could come by the end of June, the New York Observer reports, relaying information that executive editor Bill Keller passed on to his staff at a Wednesday meeting (no more tweeting!).

The short version: The Times is mulling two strategies. One would look a lot like the model used by the Financial Times whereby online readers get a certain amount of content for free but are required to pay up beyond that. The other would be akin to the one used by Web 1.0 pioneer Salon–a public radio/TV-style subscription/donation model that lets everyone read the site for free, but gives “members” access to extras.

The long version, from the Observer:

One includes a “meter system,” in which the reader can roam freely on the Web site until hitting a predetermined limit of word-count or pageviews, after which a meter will start running and the reader is charged for movement on the site thereafter. He warned staff at the meeting that this pay model would be “tricky.” If the word-count limit or page-view limit is set too low, it could chase readers off, compromising traffic and advertising revenue. He said the site presently makes “a lot, a lot of money” from digital advertising–though he wouldn’t specify how much–and that executives at the paper believe it is “substantially more” than The Wall Street Journal presently makes on a subscription-based pay model. On the other hand, he said, set these bars too high and there will be little improvement in revenue.

Mr. Keller described the second proposal as a “membership” system. In this model, readers pledge money to the site and are invited into a “New York Times community.” You write a check, you get a baseball cap or a T-shirt (if it’s like Channel Thirteen, a tote bag!), an invite to Times event, or perhaps, like The Economist, access to specialized content on the Web. He said he wouldn’t even be opposed to offering a donor access to a Page One editorial meeting as long as it doesn’t affect the paper competitively.

Recall that the Times was actually able to extract $10 million a year or so from its Times Select experiment in which it forced online readers to pay $50 a year to get access to opinion writers like Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd.

This was back in 2007, when online know-it-alls (um, like me) jeered the paper for “cutting itself off from the conversation,” etc., and promised that if it only opened itself up to the Web, big ad dollars would come. And actually, the Times has done reasonably well selling display ads–the paper’s online managers say that its pricing for premium ad inventory has held up even during the crash, though classifieds/help-wanted ads have evaporated.

The problem is that the paper now needs much more than $10 million a year to counter its disintegrating print business. Hard to see either of the two strategies described above panning out, but well worth trying.

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 3:05 pm

Lithium in Water Shown to Curb Suicide

Communities drinking water with naturally high levels of lithium have fewer suicides.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 2:26 pm

Google Has Search Market Share, Microsoft… Not So Much [Digital Daily]

“Search and advertising, we are a small share….It’s all about Google. They have share, we don’t have share.” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that back in February, and according to the latest metrics from comScore (SCOR), it’s as true today as it was then.
Google (GOOG) grew its share of the search market once again in April, and once again, Microsoft (MSFT) did not. The search sovereign’s share rose to 64.2 percent in April from 63.7 percent in March and 61.6 percent from a year ago according to new data from ComScore as reported by Barclays Capital. Its April query volume grew 45.5 percent, the fastest growth rate since October 2007.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s market share for the month topped out at 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in March and 9.1 percent a year ago.

They have share, we don’t have share. Truer words. Microsoft doesn’t have much share when compared to Yahoo (YHOO), either. The Internet underachiever saw its April share slip to 20.4 percent from 20.5 percent in March, but it’s still more than double Microsoft’s.

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 2:16 pm

Why Frontier Will Escape the Curse of the Verizon Deal [Voices]

Should Verizon Communications (VZ) deals come with a warning label?

In the past few years, the telecommunications company has been shedding slow-growth businesses as it focuses on its wireless and FiOS businesses. While the deals have served Verizon well, they haven’t worked out as well for those acquiring the assets–at least in three cases.

Wednesday, Frontier Communications (FTR) embarked on this path. The rural telecommunications operator agreed to acquire 4.8 million access lines in 14 states from Verizon in a deal valued at $8.6 billion. Will Frontier face the same fate? Perhaps not.

“The problems with those deals had nothing to do with Verizon or how the deals were structured. The companies had operational problems after the deals closed,” a Verizon spokesman said.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 1:55 pm

Free Software Beats Nikon at its Own Game

Sofortbild is the second cheap alternative to a Nikon product we have seen this week. It is a piece of software with which to tether your Nikon DSLR, and it’s free. Why shoot tethered? There are lots of reasons, including the ability to remote control the camera and to almost instantly display your pictures on the big screen as you take them.

Sofortbild (which translates roughly as Instant Picture) doesn’t offer all the features of Nikon’s Camera Control software, but it adds a few things you won’t find in Nikon’s version, such as shooting a bracketed range of pictures and generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image from them. There is also GPS support and a rather nice HUD-style panel to show the metadata. In fact, the entire application wins in terms of interface — Nikon’s software products seem to be designed with a real hatred for the user.

You don’t get to use live view, which is a shame — it’s nice to see a live, full screen feed from the camera, and you can’t control as much as you can with the Nikon software, but it’s free, and Nikon Capture Control cost $180. That alone makes it worth a download.

Product page [Sofortbild]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 15 May 2009 | 1:43 pm

Viddler bumps up features including widgets

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Online Music/Video

There are plenty of options when it comes to video sharing sites.  YouTube has been the big player, but has been very slow rolling out features.  Viddler’s big distinguishing feature is allowing comments to be placed at certain points during the video. 

Now Viddler has come out with “Vidgets” (widgets, get it?) that allow you to share playlists a lot easier.  If you’ve got a bunch of videos, you can easily just embed a list in several different ways.  Each widget is pretty customizable and a preview shows you what to expect.  Also, it looks like an easy way of embedding code once and updating via adding to the list. 

If you’re a Drupal user, there is a new Drupal Module that allows you to embed video easier from Drupal.  For those unfamiliar with Drupal, it is a content management system that allows you to create a blog and organize lots of your content in many different ways. 

Also, you can now get access to your API key.  Previous to these latest revisions, you would have to email Viddler to get access to the API key.  The key lets you use plugins like the Drupal Module. 

Those “Vidgets” are really the most interesting thing to come out.  The different embeddable options are really handy for different layouts.  If you want to spice up your blog with videos, you might want to check this out. 

Site [Viddler.com]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 1:15 pm

Monkeys Learn From Their Mistakes

After a disappointing experience, monkeys ponder what might have been.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 1:05 pm

Spring Fever? More Very, Very Cautious Optimism for Media. [MediaMemo]

News out of the traditional publishing industry is grim, but if you broaden your perspective and look at the rest of the media business, things are starting to look… not horrible.

Granted, “not horrible” doesn’t equal “good times are here again.” But I keep hearing that the sickening decline in advertising spending has stopped, at least, and that some marketers are actually spending money again.

Here are a couple more bits of anecdotal evidence:

The newest Advertiser Optimism Reports conducted by Advertiser Perceptions Inc., show that ad buyers are slightly more optimistic than they were a few months ago. MediaPost:

“The most recent survey suggests that the degree of ad budget pessimism may have bottomed out, or at the very least, is leveling off. The average for all media shows that 29% or ad executives expect to increase and 29% expect to decrease their ad spending over the next six months. That’s a marginal improvement from two months ago, when only 26% planned to boost their budgets, while 30% planned to cut them.”

And from Wall Street, a little more cautious optimism: Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente has upgraded his outlook and/or his price targets on a swath of entertainment stocks–Time Warner (TWX), News Corp. (NWS), Scripps Network Interactive (SNI), Viacom (VIA) and CBS (CBS).

That’s in part because DiClemente also thinks advertising–or at least TV advertising–has bottomed out. He now thinks broadcast TV ad dollars will increase by four percent in 2010, up from a previous estimate of minus-one percent, and that cable TV will increase 5.5 percent, up from two percent.

It’s easy enough to be skeptical of this stuff, especially any happy talk about TV, given that we’re now in the “upfront” season when network executives do their best to convince buyers that sales are hotter than ever. But wouldn’t it be nice if they were right?

[Image credit: Iragerich]

Source: All Things Digital | 15 May 2009 | 12:53 pm

First Look: Vivitar Film SLR is All Manual, All the Time

You have to admire Vivitar. The company has the cojones to sell an all-manual, 35mm film camera in a world where film is pretty much dead, at least as a mass-market product.

I got mail from the Vivitar PR people earlier this week asking me to take a look the V3800N, a 35mm SLR with manual focus, manual exposure and a manual film winder. In short, a camera much like the one I used to use all through school and beyond. So of course I said yes.

The camera comes in a box with everything you need to start, except the film. Along with the body there is a 50mm lens, a pair of button-cells to power the light meter, a strap, a faux-leather never-ready case, a lens hood and — remarkably — a double exposure mask for blacking out sections of the frame.

Which brings us to the surprisingly high-end specs. I won’t say high-quality until I have run a few films through it, but on paper the features are impressive. The lens is a 50mm ƒ1.7 manual focus model with the once-ubiquitous Pentak K-mount (hint — you’ll find lots of very good cheap used lenses for it). That wide maximum aperture means you can throw backgrounds out of focus with ease, as well as shooting in low-light.

The shutter speed goes up to a good 1/2000th second and down to anything you like as long as you hold the button down. Focusing is done by twisting the lens and matching up the split screen and microprism collar in the viewfinder, a very accurate and fast way to do things once you’re used to it.

But there’s a lot more, which shows that Vivitar is aiming at the creative end of the market. There is a self timer (twist the lever to set it), a depth-of-field preview button to stop the lens down and check just what will be in focus, a multiple-exposure button which disengages the film-winder but lets the lever still cock the shutter, a hotshoe for a flash and a PC socket to fire a flash off camera. Finally, the all-mechanical nature of the camera means that you can use a cheap, standard cable release just by screwing it into the shutter button.

The camera body is pretty cheap feeling, but the extensive use of plastic means it’s very light and it does feel solid enough. Looking through the viewfinder is not such a pleasant experience, though: it is small and cramped and — despite the bright lens — quite dark. There is also a distracting reflection of the image off the bottom floor of the box — think of Apple’s wet-floor effect in Cover Flow view and you’ll know what I mean.

This is a shame, as the advantage of a full-frame camera is that it has a big ‘finder. Vivitar nailed the exposure meter, though — it is a center-weighted design with “traffic light” indicators: a red plus and minus sign guide you to the correct value and the green light in the center tells you when you have it right. Easy and fast, and probably my favorite manual meter design ever (it’s pretty common in older cameras).

I’ll be running some film through this weekend, and I’ll have a full write up on it when I get the pictures back from the lab (I didn’t think I’d ever be saying that again). I’m totally looking forward to getting all old-school, though, and dusting off my Zone System skills. The price for this retro experience? Around $170, plus film and processing every time you use it.

Product page [B&H]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 15 May 2009 | 12:49 pm

Rare Bird Gets Own Private Beach

A rare, chicken-sized bird now has a 36-acre beach in Indonesia where it will be protected.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 15 May 2009 | 12:25 pm

About Friggin Time: Komodo Adapter to let you use old controllers with your Wii

FROM GAMERTELL - A press release sent by game product distributor Innex announced the upcoming release of the Komodo Adapter, a “3-in-1 Virtual Retro Adapter that allows gamers to connect NES, SNES, and N64 controllers directly to the Nintendo Wii video game console.” Now you can put your old… MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 15 May 2009 | 12:07 pm

Geomate Jr GPS Gets Kids Out of the House

Who says that electronic games can’t be good for you? The Geomate Jr is a super simple, kid-friendly GPS device with one function — directing you to pre-programmed geocaches.

Geocaching is the modern-day treasure hunt. The “treasure” is a log book and sometimes a small prize, and their locations are known. The Geomate Jr comes loaded with the positions of 250,ooo caches, and is pretty much ready to go when you open up the box. After switching on, you press the big button and the display fires up with an arrow telling you which way to go (it automatically picks the closest cache). Pressing the small button marks a cache as found, and hitting both buttons together marks your current position as “home” so you can get directions back later.

The pre-loaded locations are all in the US. What if you want to update them, or use this in another country? That’s where they get you. The unit is a reasonable $70, but to update you can’t just hook up via USB. Instead you need to buy a separate update kit. Or you will: The kit is not yet on sale. Can you say “nickel and dime”?

Money-grabbing antics aside, this looks like a lot of fun, and a much better way for the kids to spend a Saturday afternoon than holed up on the couch with a Nintendo DS Lite.

Product page [Geomate Jr via Crave]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 15 May 2009 | 11:51 am