HTC Puts New Face on Latest Google Android Phone, Hero (PC World)

Spider Mimics Ants to Scare off Predators

Adobe Lightroom Updated, New DNG Spec Takes Shot at Panasonic

We cover a lot of new cameras here at Gadget Lab, and if you go right out and buy them, often you’ll find you can’t actually do much with the pictures (unless the camera shoots JPEG only, in which case this is not the post you’re looking for. Move along). Manufacturers’ software is almost uniformly execrable (even Nikon’s Capture NX2, which gives great results, is real pain to use).

So it falls to the third party software to update regularly to play nice with new cameras. This pretty much means Apple’s Aperture and Adobe’s Lightroom. It’s Lightroom’s turn today, and it adds support for a huge amount of new cameras. 31 of them, in fact, and although most of those are Hasselblads, the Canon EOS 500D and Nikon D5000 sneak in, along with the latest Sony DSLRs (A230, A330 and A380) and the Panasonic DMC-GH1.

This last is accompanied by an interesting snipe at Panasonic. The LX3 uses some tricksy software to fix the large amount of distortion from its wideangle lens. These algorithms are applied to the RAW file in-camera, which is a big no-no for RAW. To address these kind of shenanigans Adobe has updated to DNG spec to allow this kind of heavy processing to be done on powerful computers rather than weakling camera chips. The tools are called Opcode Lists:

This also allows processing steps to be specified, such as lens corrections, which ideally
should be performed on the image data after it has been demosaiced, while still retaining the
advantages of a raw mosaic data format.

Sadly, this still relies on camera makers to make these algorithms and processes open instead of squirreling them away as some kind of “intellectual property”. Tell me. You have spent your money on a camera. Who should control what is done to the pictures by that camera. You, or Canon or Nikon?

Lightroom 2.4 and Camera Raw 5.4 Now Available [Lightroom Journal]

Digital Negative (DNG) Specification [PDF. Adobe]

World of Warcraft Languishes Offline in China (PC World)

Professional Video Shoulder Mount for iPhone 3GS

We came away with two things after watching this video spot from Alex Lindsay, MacBreak Weekly regular, Pixel Corps supremo and Star Wars SFX alumni. One is that Alex is crazy. The second is that he is dead right.

What you see in the screengrab is the iPhone 3GS mounted on a shoulder rig. The setup is fashioned from a professional Red Rocks Micro shoulder mount (priced at anywhere up from $300 for the basic frame), a PED3 Auto iPhone dashboard mount and an LED light panel. Why bother, you ask? Because a small camera like the iPhone can do with some stability. And because, unlike any pro camera costing many tens of thousands of dollars, the iPhone 3GS can upload its video direct to YouTube.

And third, why not? This is good, clean, nerd-fun.

Video [Pixel Corps]

Denmark Seeking Consent To Hunt Humpback Whales

Twitter Users Buy More Music Online Than Average Surfers, Study Says

Market research firm The NDP Group has issued a report that says Web users who are active on social networking site Twitter are more engaged with music and, more importantly, tend to be more likely to purchase music online.

The firm bases these conclusions on less than 4,000 completed surveys for its quarterly music-acquisition study.

First, the engagement: according to the report, one-third of surveyed Twitter users listened to music on a social networking site, 41% listened to online radio (compared to 22% among all Web users) and 39% watched a music video online (versus 25% among all Web users) during the first quarter. Twitter users are also said to be twice to visit services like MySpace Music and Pandora than average Web users.

Music buyers’ awareness of Twitter was 67% in the first quarter, compared with 52% of general Web users; 12% of music buyers said they used Twitter in the past three months, versus 8% overall. Some 33% of Twitter users purchased a CD recently, compared with 23% of Web users.

Twitter users also seem to be more keen on purchasing music online, according to NDP: 34% bought a digital download, compared with 16% of general Web users. Apparently, they buy more on average too, 77% more so than users who are not on Twitter (yet).

Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD, commented:

“[This] study shows that there are segments of consumers who are more actively integrating Twitter as a key tool for communicating and networking. Based on their music-purchasing history, active Twitter users are simply worth more to record labels and music retailers than those who are not using Twitter.”

We recently wrote about artist duo TRV$DJAM offering a download of their new mixtape free of charge in exchange of a tweet, and how Twitter helped Universal Motown Republic put one of its new artists, Asher Roth, on the map. You can find a lot of music-related applications tied to Twitter in this post.

(Via @gleonhard and DMW)

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

Live @ the HTC Sense Launch

HTC Hero/Sense Event Liveblog

Live from the HTC press event.

• 7:13 AM: johnbiggs OK. So we have the Sense and the Hero today.
• 7:13 AM: johnbiggs The CEO just showed up to talk about Sense. Not much info.
• 7:14 AM: johnbiggs CMO John Wang
• 7:14 AM: johnbiggs Now on stage.
• 7:14 AM: johnbiggs “Phones have too many features made by techies.”
• 7:14 AM: johnbiggs HTC Sense
• 7:15 AM: johnbiggs “HTC Sense is a holistic experience that put people at the center by simply making things work as they should”
• 7:15 AM: johnbiggs You are the center.
• 7:16 AM: johnbiggs Bring all of your things to the surface. It is so much like Palm Pre interface it’s scary. Uses cards.
• 7:16 AM: johnbiggs Lots of widgets.
• 7:16 AM: johnbiggs Set your scene for the weekend - change the way it looks on the weekend.
• 7:19 AM: johnbiggs You can slide between icons to see different info on a person. One contact card has your contact’s smses, IMs, pictures on Flickr, etc.
• 7:20 AM: johnbiggs Land at a new place: clock, weather, appointments change
• 7:21 AM: johnbiggs search: in internet, search google, in twitter search twitter, in calendar, search only calendar
• 7:21 AM: johnbiggs Multi-touch - pinch in email to change text size
• 7:21 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:22 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:23 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:23 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:23 AM: johnbiggs Now releasing HTC Hero - first product to use Sense.
• 7:24 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:24 AM: johnbiggs Teflon coated
• 7:24 AM: johnbiggs so it doesn’t get messy
• 7:24 AM: johnbiggs wacky, right?
• 7:25 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:26 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:26 AM: johnbiggs Lots of “man on the street” interviews - “Very nice! Can I go with this?”
• 7:26 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:27 AM: johnbiggs The phone looks very similar to the G1. Angle bottom. Probably will end up as the T-Mobile G3.
• 7:27 AM: johnbiggs Finish is “soft to the touch” not cold and slippery… like the iPhone?
• 7:27 AM: johnbiggs Resists dirt and stains
• 7:27 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:28 AM: johnbiggs anti-fingerprint finish on hero
• 7:28 AM: johnbiggs “You shouldn’t be polishing your phone.”
• 7:28 AM: johnbiggs Sorry images aren’t popping up.
• 7:29 AM: johnbiggs Ah. I guess they are.
• 7:29 AM: johnbiggs GPS, digital compass, and tilt sensor.
• 7:30 AM: johnbiggs You can mute an incoming call just by turning the phone over.
• 7:30 AM: johnbiggs 5-megapixel camera
• 7:30 AM: johnbiggs Announcing Adobe Flash support
• 7:31 AM: johnbiggs Error correction and spellcheck for typing
• 7:31 AM: johnbiggs
• 7:31 AM: johnbiggs Coming this Summer
• 7:32 AM: johnbiggs So what we have here is Android with an amazing overlay. This is the Palm Pre++
• 7:33 AM: johnbiggs T-Mo and Orange are the local partners in Europe. Available in Europe in July. Asia in the end of summer.
• 7:34 AM: johnbiggs Heading over to the demo pit. Thanks for watching.

Comparing Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Stock: A Bing Zing? [BoomTown]

There is no doubt that Microsoft (MSFT) is pulling out the stops with the launch of its renovated search service, now called Bing, spending $100 million in marketing dollars.

But, besides lifting the software giant’s share of the search market in early surveys, has it also given Microsoft’s stock an added boost?

Yes, indeed, but only just over the last 30 days.

Here’s some pertinent stock price data, using the No. 1 Google (GOOG) and the No. 2 Yahoo, Microsoft’s search rivals, as comparison:

Since the beginning of the year, the shares of all three were up strongly–Google is up almost 32 percent, Yahoo is up 20.3 percent and Microsoft is up 20 percent.

But if you narrow that to just a month, which is about the time frame since Microsoft launched Bing–by CEO Steve Ballmer at the D: All Things Digital conference, by the way, in a highlight video you can also see below–the stocks show some interesting changes.

Google is up just over three percent in the 30 days and Yahoo is down two percent. And Microsoft? Up more than 18 percent (see the chart below; click on it to make it larger).

That pop is likely due to a perception of momentum from continuing market share reports showing the early promise of Bing, which has also gotten good reviews so far as an innovative product.

That includes yet another yesterday by Efficient Frontier showing Microsoft’s share of paid clicks continued to rise.

Said search engine marketing firm Efficient Frontier in a blog post:

“According to our data analysis, Bing expanded its share of paid clicks for the two weeks post launch. Bing’s share of paid clicks is up 13% for the second week post launch as compared to pre-launch. And, it represents an incremental 5% lift over the first week.”

The blog also correctly added: “However, as Danny Sullivan rightly cautions in a recent blog post on Bing, two weeks does not make a trend.”

Nope, but it is a nice boost for Microsoft shareholders, who have not had a lot of those of late–its stock is down 17.3 percent since last year and 17.7 percent since five years ago.

And here is the video of Ballmer launching Bing at D7 in an interview by Walt Mossberg:

Vizio unveils the everything-including-the-kitchen-sink enabled HDTV

Section: Video, HDTV

Vizio seems determined to stand out in the HDTV market and by standing out it seems that they are making an attempt to do so in other ways aside from being one of the more affordable models on the store shelf.

The latest announcement coming from Vizio includes HDTVs that are ready to support just about every web service you could hope for.  Well maybe not every service, but a nice variety.  Anyway, the new sets will be able to keep you connected with social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and the Yahoo Widgets Engine.  Additionally, owners will be able to stream content from sites such as Pandora, Rhapsody Plus, Showtime, and Revision 3 as well as Netflix, Blockbuster OnDemand, Amazon Video On Demand and Vudu.

The new line is expected to be priced from $749 for a 32-inch model and will have both wired and wireless connectivity options.  Additionally, they will be shipping with a Bluetooth enabled remote that features a slide-down QWERTY keyboard.

Via [CrunchGear]

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

Researchers expand clinical study of brain implant

Joshua Foer is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. Joshua is a freelance science journalist and the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura: A Compendium of the World's Wonders, Curiosities, and Esoterica, with Dylan Thuras.

I'm excited to see that the BrainGate Neural Interface System is moving to phase-II clinical testing. BrainGate is:

A baby aspirin-size brain sensor containing 100 electrodes, each thinner than a human hair, that connects to the surface of the motor cortex (the part of the brain that enables voluntary movement), registers electrical signals from nearby neurons, and transmits them through gold wires to a set of computers, processors and monitors. The goal is for patients with brain stem stroke, ALS, and spinal cord injuries to eventually be able to control prosthetic limbs directly form their brains.

An earlier version of the BrainGate system helped a young tetraplegic named Matt Nagle control a mouse cursor and operate a very basic prosthetic hand.

Last fall, I met a 25-year-old locked-in patient named Erik Ramsey, who is participating in the only other FDA-approved clinical trial of a brain-computer interface. Ever since a car accident nine years ago, the only part of Erik's body that has been under his control has been his eyeballs, and even those he can only move up and down. The hope is that he might someday use his neural implant to control a digital voice:

When Erik thinks about puckering his mouth into an o or stretching his lips into an e, a unique pattern of neurons fires--even though his body doesn't respond. It's like flicking switches that connect to a burned-out bulb. The electrode implant picks up the noisy firing signals of about fifty different neurons, amplifies them, and transmits them across Erik's skull to two small receivers glued to shaved spots on the crown of his head. Those receivers then feed the signal into a computer, which uses a sophisticated algorithm to compare the pattern of neural firings to a library of patterns Kennedy recorded earlier. It takes about fifty milliseconds for the computer to figure out what Erik is trying to say and translate those thoughts into sound.

Giant code wheel for sale, proceeds to EFF

What we have here is a genuine functioning coding cryptex built by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters. They used it for a demonstration at the RSA Conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco, April 24th, 2009. See a video of the demonstration at the following link: http://media.omediaweb.com/rsa2009/keynote_catalog.htm.

The client wanted a unique demonstration of something to do with encryption and secrecy, and Jamie Hyneman, and Adam Savage designed, built and used this machine to encode the phrase "Cryptologists do it in secret". Then they went on stage at RSA and used the machine to DECRYPT the secret message. The appearance was a smash success. The crowd was great. The machine worked great.

THE MACHINE: at 13' long, and just over 6' high, it's made to be highly visible, even from the back of the audience. It's composed of a long pole, holding 29 distinct wheels, built from MDF and Cintra, with applied vinyl letters. There are 4 different alphabet wheels randomly distributed among the 29, making this a moderately robust coding machine (save for the fact that pictures here compromise it's secrecy). All of this sits on a custom welded steel frame and heavy-duty castors. Although it weighs approximately 300 pounds, it rolls around quite easily.

Video

(via Make)


Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:59 am

Toshiba thinks about joining the Blu-ray bandwagon

Remember HD DVD? The video format developed by Toshiba that lost the format war against Blu-ray? Today Toshiba held a pretty interesting annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo during which president Atsutoshi Nishida didn’t say they will revive HD DVD but that his company thinks about producing Blu-ray products.

Nishida said that Blu-ray recorders in particular appear to be a viable option, adding one reason is that the video disc format war is lost once and for all for Toshiba. Another reason might be that demand for Blu-ray recorders is on the rise (especially in Japan) and Toshiba wants to have a share of that market segment.

Another factor is surely pressure from the shareholders, as Toshiba is in a devastating financial state. For the current fiscal year, Nishida said his company is on track to save $3.5 billion after he apologized for the bad numbers in fiscal 2008.

Spector wants TV, music player for new prison cell (AP)

AP - Phil Spector is hoping to get a few comforts of home in his new prison cell, and a television, iPod and computer access are at the top of his list.

HTC Introduces Sense, the First Customized Android Installation On Its New Hero Smartphone

With its 3.2-inch HVGA display, the HTC Hero is optimized for Web, multimedia and other content, while maintaining a small size and weight that fits comfortably in your hand. It also boasts a broad variety of hardware features including AGPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a five mega-pixel autofocus camera and expandable MicroSD memory. HTC Hero also includes a dedicated Search button that goes beyond basic search, providing you with a more natural, contextual search experience that enables you to search through Twitter, locate people in your contact list, find emails in your inbox or search in any other area in Hero.

Flash comes to Android

Adobe and HTC are bringing Flash to Android on its new Hero smartphone. The implementation will support video and audio codecs familiar to users of Flash on the desktop.

The HTC Hero delivers powerful, compatible video playback performance using Flash technology, and interactive content enabled by ActionScript® 2.0. Users can enjoy and navigate through Web videos using intuitive video controls. With progressive streaming of large MP3 audio files from a Web server and the local file storage, the HTC Hero provides a seamless audio experience. Support for Sorenson and On2 VP6 codecs enables higher quality video and playback of existing Web content. A demo of the user experience enabled by the Flash Platform on the HTC Hero and the Android operating system can be viewed at www.adobe.com/go/htchero.

Not official word on availability right now but it should arrive with the new Hero handset this summer and in the US later this year on, it is assumed, T-Mobile’s version of the Hero device. There is no information on whether this implementation will be available on other handsets - the G1, for example - at this time.

Adobe and HTC Bring Flash Platform to Android
New HTC Hero Delivers More Complete Web Browsing Experience with Adobe Flash Technology
SAN JOSE, Calif. and LONDON — June 24, 2009 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and HTC, a global designer of mobile phones, today announced that the new HTC Hero is the first Android phone to ship with support for Adobe® Flash® Platform technology. The new phone delivers a more complete Web browsing experience and provides access to a broad variety of Flash technology based content available on the Web today.
“As the first Android device with Flash, the new HTC Hero represents a key milestone for Android and the Flash Platform. With close to 80 percent of all videos online delivered with Adobe Flash technology, consumers want to access rich Web content on-the-go.” said David Wadhwani, vice president and general manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “The collaboration with HTC offers people a more complete Flash based Web browsing experience today and presents an important step towards full Web browsing with Flash Player 10 on mobile phones in the future.”
The new HTC Hero is a key element of the HTC experience and a new generation of HTC mobile phones and devices. Users can browse and discover a broad set of Web content and applications not supported by mobile phones in the past. People can also view YouTube videos using Flash technology, and enable full screen viewing mode by simply double tapping the screen.
“Adobe Flash is an important core technology for people interacting and experiencing the Web, it is only natural to be offering it on the new HTC Hero first,” said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation. “We look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Adobe and to bringing Flash Player 10 support to our phones in the future.”
The HTC Hero delivers powerful, compatible video playback performance using Flash technology, and interactive content enabled by ActionScript® 2.0. Users can enjoy and navigate through Web videos using intuitive video controls. With progressive streaming of large MP3 audio files from a Web server and the local file storage, the HTC Hero provides a seamless audio experience. Support for Sorenson and On2 VP6 codecs enables higher quality video and playback of existing Web content. A demo of the user experience enabled by the Flash Platform on the HTC Hero and the Android operating system can be viewed at www.adobe.com/go/htchero.
HTC Participates in Open Screen Project
HTC also announced its participation in the Open Screen Project, a broad industry effort to deliver a consistent runtime across screens and to provide access to all Flash technology based Web content in the future. As a contributor to the initiative, HTC is collaborating with Adobe and more than 25 other industry leaders to bring Flash Player 10 and full Web browsing to the next generation of Android based smartphones and other mobile computing platforms and devices. For more details on the Open Screen Project, visit www.openscreenproject.org.
About Adobe Flash Platform
The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers for the development of Web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices. Adobe Flash Player content reaches over 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops, and Adobe Flash technology is the No.1 platform for video on the Web. In addition, the mobile runtime has shipped and delivered Flash technology based content on close to 40 percent of all new mobile phones and devices in 2008. For more information about the Adobe Flash Platform visit www.adobe.com/flashplatform. For details on the goals set for the Adobe Flash Platform as part of the Open Screen Project, visit www.openscreenproject.org
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry and continues to pioneer industry-leading mobile experiences through design, usability and innovation that is sparked by how the mobile phone can improve how people live and communicate. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Source: CrunchGear | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:54 am

Flash Comes to Android

Adobe and HTC are bringing Flash to Android on its new Hero smartphone. The implementation will support video and audio codecs familiar to users of Flash on the desktop. Check this post for more info as we get it.

The HTC Hero delivers powerful, compatible video playback performance using Flash technology, and interactive content enabled by ActionScript® 2.0. Users can enjoy and navigate through Web videos using intuitive video controls. With progressive streaming of large MP3 audio files from a Web server and the local file storage, the HTC Hero provides a seamless audio experience. Support for Sorenson and On2 VP6 codecs enables higher quality video and playback of existing Web content. A demo of the user experience enabled by the Flash Platform on the HTC Hero and the Android operating system can be viewed at www.adobe.com/go/htchero.

Source: Gizmodo | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:50 am

HTC introduces Sense, the first customized Android installation on its new Hero - UPDATE

The era of Android customization has begun with HTC’s Sense UI, a customized overlay for Android that adds HTC’s stunning graphical interface to the sturdy Android OS. The UI will run on the new Hero, a 3.2-inch touchscreen phone running at 528MHz with MicroSD slot.

More specs on the phone:

With its 3.2-inch HVGA display, the HTC Hero is optimized for Web, multimedia and other content, while maintaining a small size and weight that fits comfortably in your hand. It also boasts a broad variety of hardware features including AGPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a five mega-pixel autofocus camera and expandable MicroSD memory. HTC Hero also includes a dedicated Search button that goes beyond basic search, providing you with a more natural, contextual search experience that enables you to search through Twitter, locate people in your contact list, find emails in your inbox or search in any other area in Hero.

The new Android UI will have something called “Perspectives,” a new method for connecting email, contacts, and social media automatically. This version will also be the first to support Flash natively.

So here’s my assessment:

Sorry, Palm: this is the new hotness. The HTC Hero with Sense does everything WebOS can do but it uses Android, a platform that is already popular with the geekerati and has a great install base. There wasn’t much to see in these versions - a short hands-on appears below - but you’re looking at what promises to make Android the real killed feature-phone OS: customizability with an eye on processor intensive “data linking.”

The parts we saw of the OS promise contact linking, which will allow you to add social media aspects to contacts. Instead of a name and address you can add Flickr streams, Twitter info, and other goodies. The changeable UI based on activities - the weekend vs. weekday screens - promises fewer distractions during key points in your life (i.e. when going out with the kids you can hide your email). Most importantly, however, this is Android. It has a full app store.

Oh, and it has Flash.

As I’ve said, Android is the next WinMo. It’s the more powerful smartphone OS for business and casual users and because it is open it can be customized to your liking in seconds. OEMs will lap it up because it’s free. More in a bit.

HTC Sense™ DEBUTS on new HTC hero™

HTC Hero is the world’s first Android-based phone with a
customized user interface

HTC Sense to be integrated across a portfolio of
phones beginning with HTC Hero

LONDON – June 24, 2009 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones, today debuted HTC Sense™, an intuitive and seamless experience that will be introduced across a portfolio of phones beginning with the new HTC Hero™. With its distinct design and powerful capabilities fully integrated with HTC Sense, Hero introduces a unique blend of form and function that takes Android to new heights.
HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the centre, by making your phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were designed by quietly observing and listening to how people live and communicate.
‘HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to people and accessing your important information, not by following the status quo of today’s phones, but by following how you communicate and live your life,’ said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corporation. ”HTC Sense is a distinct experience created to make HTC phones more simple for people to use, leaving them saying, “it just makes sense.”’
HTC Hero
HTC Hero continues HTC’s leadership in cutting-edge design that focuses on introducing a variety of distinct devices to represent your own individuality. Boasting bevelled edges and an angled bottom, the HTC Hero is contoured to fit comfortably in your hand and against your face while you’re on a call. The HTC Hero is built to last, beginning with an anti-fingerprint screen coating for improved smudge-resistance and a longer-lasting, clearer display. The white HTC Hero includes an industry-first, Teflon coating, resulting in an improved, durable white surface that is soft to the touch.
With its 3.2-inch HVGA display, the HTC Hero is optimized for Web, multimedia and other content, while maintaining a small size and weight that fits comfortably in your hand. It also boasts a broad variety of hardware features including AGPS, digital compass, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a five mega-pixel autofocus camera and expandable MicroSD memory. HTC Hero also includes a dedicated Search button that goes beyond basic search, providing you with a more natural, contextual search experience that enables you to search through Twitter, locate people in your contact list, find emails in your inbox or search in any other area in Hero.

HTC Sense
Built on a culture of innovation and a passion to enhance people’s lives, HTC shapes the mobile experience around the individual. Debuting on the HTC Hero and available on all new HTC devices moving forward, Sense delivers on three basic principles: Make it Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.

Make It Mine
Make It Mine is about feeling your HTC phone was created for and by you. To do this, HTC encourages you to dictate and organize how you want to access the people and content in your life in a way that fits best for you. For some, this means adding glance-view widgets that push content like twitter feeds, weather and other content to the surface while others may want quick access to business-focused information like email, calendar and world-times. HTC is also introducing a new profile feature called ‘Scenes’ that enables you to create different customized content profiles around specific functions or times in your life.

Stay Close
Today, staying in touch with the people in your life means managing a variety of communication channels and applications ranging from phone calls, emails, texts, photos, status updates and more. HTC Sense takes a different approach by integrating these communication channels and applications into one single view, enabling you to stay closer to your important people. With HTC Sense, friends’ Facebook status updates and photos, along with their Flickr photos are included alongside their text messages, emails and call history in a single view.

Discover the Unexpected
Many of the most memorable moments in your life are experienced, not explained. HTC Sense is focused on providing a variety of these simple yet innovative experiences on your HTC phone that will sometimes bring you moments of joy and delight. It can be something as basic as turning the phone over to silence a ring or as simple as improving the smart dialler for making calls quicker. HTC Sense also includes ‘Perspectives’, a new way for viewing your content such as email, photos, Twitter, music and more in different ways.

Availability
The HTC Hero will be available to people across Europe in July and in Asia later in the summer. A distinct North American version will be available later in 2009.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry and continues to pioneer industry-leading mobile experiences through design, usability and innovation that is sparked by how the mobile phone can improve how people live and communicate. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

# # #

The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: CrunchGear | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:49 am

IPhone Wireless Charger Takes Swipe At Pre Touchstone

Along with the keyboard, there’s one major advantage the Palm Pre has over the iPhone, and that’s the fancy Touchstone wireless charger. Throw the Pre at the desktop pebble and it sticks, via magnetic magic, and charges without a plug.

Now, though, that lead has been erased, albeit in a slightly clunky way. Wire-Free will sell you a gel-skin for your iPhone or iPod Touch which contains the necessary inductor circuitry to provide the iPhone with power, which itself comes from a large, flat charger pad. The problem with an aftermarket solution is immediately apparent from the picture. It has a nubbin. That, though, mightn’t be a problem for many.

What might be a problem is the price. The case costs $35, but the charger pad is another $50. There’s a kit available for $75, though, and the advantage over the neat, built-in Pre setup is that you can get adapters for other cellphones and toss them all onto the same pad. The Touchstone is neat for the Pre and all, but it doesn’t eliminate proprietary charging solutions from your desktop. IPhone version available in a week or two, iPod Touch version available now.

Product page [Wild Charge]
See Also:

• Palm’s Touchstone: Not Just a Wireless Charger, But a Whole Line …
• Wireless Power Energizes Many Devices - Video - Wired
• Space Geeks Seek Wireless Power

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:40 am

Steve Jobs Has “Excellent Prognosis” [Digital Daily]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently underwent a liver transplant and “has an excellent prognosis,” a Memphis, Tenn., hospital has confirmed. In a statement issued late Tuesday, Dr. James D. Eason, the chief of transplantation at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, said that Jobs did in fact receive a new liver at his transplant facility and is now recovering well. He also dismisses speculation that the Apple CEO’s wealth and celebrity may have afforded him early access to the organ, noting that Jobs qualified for the donor liver when he did because he was the sickest patient of his blood type at the time it became available. Below, the statement in full

James D. Eason, M.D., program director at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute and chief of transplantation confirmed today, with the patient’s permission, that Steve Jobs received a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in partnership with the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies.

He received a liver transplant because he was the patient with the highest MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) of his blood type and, therefore, the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available. Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis.

The Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute performed 120 liver transplants in 2008 making it one of the ten largest liver transplant centers in the United States. We provide transplants to patients regardless of race, sex, age, financial status, or place of residence. Our one year patient and graft survival rates are among the best in the nation and were a dominant reason in Mr. Jobs’s choice of transplant centers. We respect and protect every patient’s private health information and cannot reveal any further information on the specifics of Mr. Jobs’s case.

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:30 am

Where the iPhone is driving Mac OS X (InfoWorld)

InfoWorld - When Apple unveiled the iPhone 3.0 OS and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard at WWDC recently, I was struck that one of the most significant additions to Snow Leopard came from the iPhone 2.0 OS: support for ActiveSync and native Microsoft Exchange.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:30 am

Web TV You’ll Need to Pay to See: Time Warner, Comcast Roll Out “Authentication.” Who Else Is In? [MediaMemo]

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts will announce this morning that their two companies are linking up for a trial of an “authentication” effort. That means a handful of cable subscribers will get online access to Time Warner TV shows that have been previously kept off the Web.

The idea is to protect cable subscription revenues by giving pay TV customers–but only pay TV customers–Web access to all the shows they get on TV, and hoping that keeps them from canceling their subscriptions.

But that’s old news: Comcast (CMCSA) already told Bloomberg earlier this month that the two companies are linking up, and that Time Warner (TWX) would offer programming from some of its networks in the first part of Comcast’s tests.

Presumably Bewkes and Roberts will offer up a few more details, like which Time Warner networks are participating (good bet: TNT and/or TBS), along with a timetable. But I worry that the press conference will be light on details, in large part because many of the details haven’t been hammered out yet.

Still, I’ve been able to glean more from industry executives who’ve been involved in discussions with Time Warner, Comcast and other players in the authentication effort, which Bewkes has been calling “TV Everywhere” and Roberts has been calling “OnDemand Online”. Some of the details:

• The test will start very small–with some 5,000 subscribers–but Comcast is determined to expand it aggressively, and wants to have it available throughout its system by the end of the year. Comcast plans to use its Fancast video portal as a hub for its efforts. And it  may use other digital assets it has acquired as well. Online rolodex Plaxo, for instance, which the company bought last year, could be used to help subscribers sign in to watch their shows.
• The test is separate from Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) own authentication offering, which is essentially the same thing, but which will be launching later than the Comcast test, using different technology, and will likely offer a different mix of programming.
• And those tests are separate from the one that telcos Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) have been working on with satellite operators Echostar (SATS) and DirectTV (DTV). That one also has the same thrust, but will take the longest to roll out.
• Comcast isn’t likely to announce other programming partners for the tests until later this month.
• Hulu is interested in playing along, because its owners–GE’s NBC (GE), News Corp.’s Fox (NWS) and Disney’s (ABC) — see authentication as a way to appease riled-up cable providers. The cable guys are upset that Hulu shows (some) cable programs for free, while they have to pay for the right to air them. In theory, authentication solves that problem for Hulu, because everyone will be on a level playing field: Only cable subscribers will get access to cable programming, whether it’s on Hulu, Fancast, or anywhere else. But the cable guys aren’t rushing to let Hulu in just yet.
• Separately, NBC has been talking about offering some cable programming that isn’t already on Hulu for the tests. That could also be seen as an appeasment move, but I’ve heard a more benign suggestion: NBC merely wants to figure out if authentication technology works, because it is considering using it for some of its coverage of the Vancouver Olympics next year.
• CBS (CBS), which isn’t a part of Hulu and which doesn’t have any cable assets of its own, would still like to get into the mix. The idea is that the network would offer the cable guys shows that it has kept offline until now (say, “The Mentalist”), while tying the Web programming to “retransmission” fees it would like to extract from the cable companies for all of its shows. Comcast executives seem to be amenable the notion.
• Big cable players like Viacom (VIA) and Liberty’s Discovery may participate in some trials but not others. Viacom, for instance, has been talking about working with the telco group but not Comcast during the trials. It has also discussed ,offering a “premium product”–like access to the full Spongebob Squarepants library, or other kids shows that have a very limited online profile–to Time Warner Cable subscribers for an additional fee.

Bewkes and Roberts are scheduled to speak at the Time Warner Center at 9:45 am eastern, so we’ll know more shortly.

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 10:00 am

IBM names new M&A chief after losing chief to Dell (Reuters)

Reuters - IBM named one of its executives, a former Morgan Stanley banker, to be its new head of mergers and acquisitions on Tuesday after losing its chief dealmaker to rival Dell Inc, which is beefing up its acquisition efforts.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 24 Jun 2009 | 9:37 am

HP Mini 5101: Very pretty

I’ve been rounding up a lot of ultralights - I wouldn’t call this a netbook - and this looks to be one of the purdiest of the bunch. The 5101 will cost about $449 and runs an Atom processor. It has a 10-inch screen and full keyboard.

Look for more of these “ultralights” to pop up this year. Notebook manufacturers have realized that selling a tiny laptop for $5 and a few bottle caps was not a very good strategy and so they’re rethinking this whole “netbook” moniker. You’ll see ultralights - smaller notebooks with more powerful hardware - and MIDs like the iPod Touch or whatever Nokia is planning.

HP Blends Functionality, Durability and Style with New HP Mini PC

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 24, 2009 – HP today unveiled its top-of-the-line Mini PC for on-the-go professionals who demand a stylish, yet durable fully functional companion PC.

The HP Mini 5101 features a sturdy, lightweight anodized aluminum display enclosure with a black, brushed finish. Complementing the aluminum is the use of magnesium alloy in the lower case of the Mini frame. Soft-touch paint on the base and palm rest further advance the PC’s look and feel. This combination of materials, an industry first in the netbook category, not only delivers an eye-catching design, but also improves durability.

Furthering the stylish look of the HP Mini 5101 is a newly designed, spill-resistant keyboard that is 95 percent of a full-size QWERTY keyboard. It features a visually open and spacious keyboard design with keys raised from the surface. HP DuraKeys, a clear coating over the keys, makes the keyboard 50 times more resistant to visible wear than keyboards without it.(1) In addition, the mouse buttons are located in the traditional space below the touchpad, making for a familiar user experience.

“HP Mini PCs have no equal when it comes to industrial design, use of innovative materials and overall feature sets,” said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. “The HP Mini 5101 is truly a work of art, a sophisticated companion PC crafted for the trend-savvy mobile professional who needs functionally, durability and style.”

Starting at 2.6 pounds,(2) the fully functional and durable HP Mini 5101 is an ideal companion PC for the on-the-go professional. It features a large 10.1-inch diagonal LED display available in either WSVGA or high-definition (HD)(3) resolutions. Customers can also choose either the four-cell battery for lighter weight or six-cell battery for longer battery life. When configured with the optional six-cell battery, the HP Mini 5101 delivers up to eight hours of battery runtime.(4)

Mobile professionals can stay ultra-productive with the HP Mini 5101 PC’s small, low-power Intel® Atom processor, which enables the unit to run cooler, use less power and improve battery life. A fast-performing 7,200 RPM hard drive comes standard with the unit. Alternatively, an optional Solid State Drive (SSD) is available in either 80 or 128 gigabytes.

An optional, integrated Gobi-powered HP Mobile Broadband module allows users to conveniently access the Internet, corporate intranet, email and other critical information around the world.(5) Other wireless technologies include integrated Wi-Fi Certified WLAN(6) and optional Bluetooth® 2.0. An integrated 2-megapixel webcam allows for easy still-image capture, web-conferencing or video-enhanced instant messaging(7) with no additional hardware.

HP QuickSync software, planned to be available as a web download in September, allows quick synchronization of the HP Mini with notebooks or desktops so users can avoid maintaining multiple documents, media files and email. Information also can sync to portable storage devices.

The versatility of the HP Mini 5101 can change how students learn and is the practical answer to providing each student continuous access to a PC in one-to-one computing. Its suite of wireless, (6) multimedia and security capabilities allows students to learn wherever they have Wi-Fi access – from the classroom, to the library, to their homes.

The HP Mini 5101 is built to last, featuring HP 3D DriveGuard, which offers a three-axis digital accelerometer chip that sends a signal to shut down the hard drive upon sudden movement or shock. The HP Panel Protection System includes a scratch-resistant acrylic LCD cover and magnesium hinge bracket for added durability in demanding environments.

The HP Mini 5101 has been engineered for reduced impact on the environment by eliminating or reducing substances of concern, using fewer resources and reducing energy consumption. Configurations of the HP Mini 5101 are ENERGY STAR qualified and are identified as HP Mini 5101 ENERGY STAR on HP websites and on www.energystar.gov. In addition the Mini 5101 is EPEAT Gold registered in the United States.(7)

New accessories designed for use with the HP Mini include a USB 2.0 port replicator that adds a variety of audio, networking and USB ports to allow greater productivity. A lightweight, functional messenger bag designed specifically for the HP Mini or a neoprene slip case offer added protection for professionals while on the go. Other accessories available for the HP Mini include a USB 2.0 docking station, external optical drive and USB-powered external speakers.

More information on HP Mini 5101 product specifications, images and other HP mobility solutions is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/personal.

Pricing and availability
The HP Mini 5101 starts at $449(8) and is expected to be available in late July.

via Giz

Source: CrunchGear | 24 Jun 2009 | 9:32 am

Microsoft, Outlook Is Broken, Says 6,000 Tweets (And Growing). Fix It.

While it is pretty much the standard email client, Microsoft Outlook has long had problems rendering HTML correctly in emails. And the latest version, Outlook 2010, due sometime in the next several months, doesn’t look like it’s going to be any better — and it actually may be worse. And a lot of users aren’t happy about it at all.

A group of people apparently felt strongly enough to create a site called Outlook’s broken — Let’s fix it. The site is simple, it’s a constantly updating stream of users tweeting out their desire for Microsoft to fix this problem with Outlook. Right now, it’s just about 6,000 tweets, but it’s growing about a tweet every second (even at this hour of the night here in the U.S.). When a new tweet comes in, that user’s icon appears on the screen next to hundreds of other icons that had previously tweeted about it. And as the stream updates, random tweets about fixing Outlook are flashed on the screen.

Here’s the text from the site:

Microsoft have confirmed they plan on using the Word rendering engine to display HTML emails in Outlook 2010.

This means for the next 5 years your email designs will need tables for layout, have no support for CSS like float and position, no background images and lots more. Want proof? Here’s the same email in Outlook 2000 & 2010.

Outlook 2010 is still in beta and Microsoft wants your feedback. It’s time to rally together and encourage Microsoft to embrace web standards before it’s too late.

Let’s use Twitter to send a clear message to Microsoft.

Join 5,927 others asking Microsoft to improve standards support and make sure you include fixoutlook.org in your tweet. We’ll pull together every tweet that includes the link here to give Microsoft a unified message from the community.

Again, to have your voice heard in this cause, simply include the http://fixoutlook.org/ URL somewhere in your tweet. Here’s the comparison image of what HTML rendering looks like in Outlook 2000 versus what it will look like in Outlook 2010.

Update: Here’s some info on who created the site:

Who built the site?

This site is the brainchild of the Email Standards Project, an organisation working with email client developers and the design community to improve web standards support and accessibility in email.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 24 Jun 2009 | 9:11 am

UK Gets Europe's First 3G Femtocell

judgecorp writes "Femtocells have been on the horizon for a while, but the UK just got the first 3G femtocell launch in Europe, by Vodafone. The device connects to handsets in the room and links them to the cellular network over broadband. It's a classic win-win, because it gives the user better coverage and takes traffic off the service provider's network. The only complaint might be from the broadband provider, who could be carrying traffic for a rival. Vodafone isn't pushing the data angle, but since it has HSPA, the product could work just fine with laptops and dongles. Femtos have been in limbo waiting for serious launches, but judging from the list of speakers at the World Femtocell Summit in London, Vodafone might not be the only one."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 24 Jun 2009 | 8:59 am

EU Advisory Group Proposes Tighter Privacy Regulation On Social Networks

The influential Article 29 Working Party, an independent European advisory body on data protection and privacy to the EC, has argued that social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace need more regulation to ensure that personal data of their respective users is not put at risk. Even though the majority of sites that the report mentions are based in the United States, the group states their large presence in Europe means that they should be subject to European Union privacy and data protection legislation.

This isn’t exactly news, since the FT wrote about the report last week when it was still unpublished. It is now, and I’ve embedded it below.

In it, the advisory group mainly addresses issues with the fact that social networking services as well as third-party developers have access to personal data of users, including minors. It basically deems SNS providers to be ‘data controllers’ (rather than merely ‘data processors’), bringing along corresponding responsibilities and legal obligations with regards to these users. Topics like the processing of sensitive data and images, advertising and direct marketing on social networks and data retention issues are also addressed.

Essentially, the group says users of social networking sites have no legal obligations as data controllers as long as the use is purely personal (the so-called ‘household exemption’), but that they carry the same responsibility as the operators of the social networks in case they act on behalf of a company, association or in pursuit of commercial, political or charitable goals. Also worth noting: the opinion states sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter should clearly inform users of their identity, and provide comprehensive information about the purposes and different ways in which they intend to process personal data. They should also offer privacy-friendly settings by default and provide easy and visible access to a complaints process on their home page.

We’re awaiting comment from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter representatives and will update accordingly.

As an aside, the Article 29 Working Party is the same group that recently called for Google to set a time limit for how long it retains pictures of people in its Street View application. In the past, they’ve also called for Google to reduce the time it retains users’ cookies - Google ultimately volunteered to anonymize information held after 18 months following earlier EC concerns.

ARTICLE 29 DATA PROTECTION WORKING PARTY - Opinion 5/2009 on online social networking

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

Source: TechCrunch | 24 Jun 2009 | 8:47 am

Turn zombie game into Benny Hill game

StevenF has a great lazyweb idea: a simple game-mod would turn the terrifying and brilliant multiplayer zombie combat game Left 4 Dead into Benny Hill, the Game:

1. Start with "Left 4 Dead"
2. Replace all weapons with slapping attacks
3. Replace all zombie models with half naked women, nuns, and policemen
4. Replace writing-on-wall textures with terrible puns and one-liners
5. Replace music with "Yakety Sax"

Result: Benny Hill, The Video Game

this is stevenf.com (via Wonderland)

Previously:

• Left 4 Dead 2 screenshots -- Offworld - Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 8:21 am

China Mobile's TD-SCDMA Services off to a Slow Start (PC World)

PC World - China Mobile's 3G services are off to a slow start. So far this year, fewer than 3 percent of new China Mobile subscribers have signed up for the operator's 3G service based on a locally developed mobile technology called TD-SCDMA, with the rest opting for 2G services.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 24 Jun 2009 | 8:20 am

Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo: The Full D7 Session [BoomTown]

As President and CEO of Nokia, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo runs the world’s largest mobile phone maker (with roughly 36 percent share) and one of the top few tech companies in Europe.

It’s a hard won and enviable position, but a tough one to maintain, especially in a souring economy. And that is even more of an issue for Nokia (NOK) now, with new rivals like Apple (AAPL) emerging in the sector the company has long dominated.

Both Apple and also Research in Motion (RIMM) gained market share at the company’s expense in the first quarter, with innovative touchscreens and apps, features that Nokia has been late to the smart phone party with.

Kallasvuo talks about all this and more in an interview with Walt Mossberg at the seventh D: All Things Digital conference.

Here’s the video of the full D7 session:

###video###

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 8:15 am

Nikki Finke: Grilled [Voices]

By Sharon Waxman, Founder & CEO, TheWrap.com

On chasing news, her vision for the future and selling DHD for “the GNP of a small country.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 7:01 am

RealPlayer SP makes it easy to transfer videos to your mobile device

Assuming you’re a Windows PC user, RealNetworks RealPlayer SP app makes transferring any video to your mobile device a piece of cake. It’s currently in Beta for Windows users with support for Macs coming by the end of the year.

For $40 you can upgrade to the RealPlayer Plus SP, which supports h.264 video conversion, DVD playback and DVD burning. Grab the Beta here and test it out for yourselves.

* Play Web video on nearly any device, including the Blackberry family, Nokia smartphones, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, Xbox, and many others through automatic conversion and transfer to the correct device format, including Flash, Windows Media, QuickTime & RealVideo.
* Save time by downloading several videos or transferring the same video to many different devices from one screen.
* Add custom device profiles and easily change format settings to maximize video quality and control for a device.
* Create audio-only files from videos for playback on devices that only support audio.
* Easily share videos on Twitter and Facebook.
* Support for latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 24 Jun 2009 | 7:00 am

Can Alice.com Lure CPG Players Back to E-commerce? [Voices]

By Jack Neff , Editor at Large, Advertising Age

Package-goods marketers tried — and largely rejected — e-commerce about a decade ago. But their interest has rekindled lately, and a novel start-up named Alice.com is betting they’re ready to party again like it’s 1999.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 7:00 am

You get better results asking for stuff when you talk to the right ear

Researchers at University "Gabriele d'Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy have published the results of three cleverly designed studies that indicate that humans are more apt to act on information heard through their right ears than through their left.

Tommasi and Marzoli's three studies specifically observed ear preference during social interactions in noisy night club environments. In the first study, 286 clubbers were observed while they were talking, with loud music in the background. In total, 72 percent of interactions occurred on the right side of the listener. These results are consistent with the right ear preference found in both laboratory studies and questionnaires and they demonstrate that the side bias is spontaneously displayed outside the laboratory.

In the second study, the researchers approached 160 clubbers and mumbled an inaudible, meaningless utterance and waited for the subjects to turn their head and offer either their left of their right ear. They then asked them for a cigarette. Overall, 58 percent offered their right ear for listening and 42 percent their left. Only women showed a consistent right-ear preference. In this study, there was no link between the number of cigarettes obtained and the ear receiving the request.

In the third study, the researchers intentionally addressed 176 clubbers in either their right or their left ear when asking for a cigarette. They obtained significantly more cigarettes when they spoke to the clubbers' right ear compared with their left.

Need Something? Talk To My Right Ear


Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 6:23 am

Britain's secret plan for surviving a nuclear war

Britain recently released its "War Book," detailing the national plan for life after a nuclear attack. By all accounts, it's a hair raising document, but I'm damned if I can find a copy on the web, or on the National Archives' site. Can you? Post links in the comments section, please!

The country would have been divided into 12 regions, each governed by cabinet ministers with wide powers, aided by senior military officers, chief constables and judges and based in bunkers. Other senior figures would have retreated to a central government shelter under the Cotswolds.

The plans all assumed that the confrontation would be with the Soviet Union. Among the possible scenarios spelled out in the autumn of 1968 was escalating tension following a Soviet moon landing and troop movements in eastern Europe...

The book apparently formed the basis for regular exercises every two years by senior civil servants, with daily internal briefings, the organisation of national preparedness schemes including the stockpiling of food and building materials for shelters and, as the threat grew more imminent, the removal of art treasures from London to Scotland and the emptying of hospitals of all but the most acutely ill.

David Young, a former Ministry of Defence civil servant who took part in the mock exercises, told the programme: "R-hour would be the final release of nuclear weapons. There may have been an earlier tactical use ... but R-hour was [when] everything that's left goes. That's not an easy decision to participate in. Even though you know it is just an exercise, it makes you think."

Young said ministers were not encouraged to take part in the exercises: "They would be disinclined to play by the rules. Some of them quite liked talking, so you'd get behind time and there would be a fear that if they showed a reluctance to do what the military believed was necessary, that this would weaken deterrence..."

"My favourite measure, the one which always aroused a lot of debate ... was the introduction of censorship for private correspondence. You can imagine that was something that ministers would only agree to right at the very end when it was clear that war was inevitable."

War Book reveals how Britain planned to cope with nuclear attack (via Futurismic)


Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 6:18 am

Woodsy themed laptop and iPhone cases

Yogi Bear-style Laptop sleeve and iPhone case from HunterGatherer. Very nice! HunterGatherer iPhone Case & Laptop Sleeve


Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 5:55 am

On the Humble Default

Hugh Pickens sends along Kevin Kelly's paean to the default. "One of the greatest unappreciated inventions of modern life is the default. 'Default' is a technical concept first used in computer science in the 1960s to indicate a preset standard. ... Today the notion of a default has spread beyond computer science to the culture at large. It seems such a small thing, but the idea of the default is fundamental... It's hard to remember a time when defaults were not part of life. But defaults only arose as computing spread; they are an attribute of complex technological systems. There were no defaults in the industrial age. ... The hallmark of flexible technological systems is the ease by which they can be rewired, modified, reprogrammed, adapted, and changed to suit new uses and new users. Many (not all) of their assumptions can be altered. The upside to endless flexibility and multiple defaults lies in the genuine choice that an individual now has, if one wants it. ... Choices materialize when summoned. But these abundant choices never appeared in fixed designs. ... In properly designed default system, I always have my full freedoms, yet my choices are presented to me in a way that encourages taking those choices in time — in an incremental and educated manner. Defaults are a tool that tame expanding choice."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 24 Jun 2009 | 5:48 am

Bozeman, Montana changes its mind about job applicants' social networking passwords

The town of Bozeman, Montana has rescinded its policy requiring job applicants to submit their logins and passwords for all social network sites, email accounts, etc, as part of its background check process.

The city announced in a meeting (PDF) on Monday that it had suspended the practice as of Friday, June 19 and that it would update its hiring procedures within 30 days to determine a more appropriate level of screening for employees...

It's clear now, however, that the city has gotten a major whiff of its own bad PR and has decided to back off. In its meeting yesterday, city officials clarified that no candidate was ever disqualified for not disclosing the login info, and that the only staff to review password-protect information was the HR department. Still, the city is red-faced over the incident. "We appreciate the concern many citizens have expressed regarding this practice and apologize for the negative impact this issue is having on the City of Bozeman," City Manager Chris A. Kukulski said in a statement.

"This was an honest mistake," he continued. "Human Resources, our Police and Fire Departments were doing something they believed was consistent with our core values. I take full responsibility for this decision and we will work hard to regain the trust and confidence of the City Commission and our community."

Bozeman apologizes, backs down over Facebook login request


Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 5:46 am

Goopymart's paper taco trucks

Goopymart has created a set of print-and-fold taco trucks for you to enjoy, celebrating the Taco Trucker's art even as city officials around the world struggle to stamp it out.

paper taco trucks (via Andre Torrez)

Previously:

• Saveourtacotrucks.org - Boing Boing
• Goopy's Polynesian monster cartoons - Boing Boing
• Hallowe'en art from Goopymart - Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jun 2009 | 5:43 am

Tennessee hospital confirms Jobs liver transplant (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - Confirming a weekend report in the Wall Street Journal that Steve Jobs underwent a liver transplant, Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute of Memphis, Tenn., said on Monday that it had performed the procedure on the Apple CEO. The hospital's announcement came after receiving permission from Jobs.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:46 am

China Mobile Limited 2008 Annual Report on Form 20-F Filed with the SEC

HONG KONG, June 24 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- China Mobile Limited (the "Company") (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL) announced today that it has filed its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008 (the "2008 Form 20-F") with the U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:41 am

SAGE (1954)

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:21 am

How AT&T Stumbled Through the iPhone 3GS Launch

Over the weekend Apple waltzed through the latest iPhone launch, while its partner AT&T tripped and stumbled like a dance-school dropout. Perhaps AT&T didn’t feel the need to smooth its moves, because in three days Apple sold over a million iPhone 3GS units worldwide anyway.

But in a surprising move, Apple two weeks ago pointed the harsh spotlight of scrutiny on its partner at the Worldwide Developers Conference by announcing that multimedia messaging and tethering on the iPhone would be immediately available for customers with several international carriers — but not for AT&T customers. As if the chorus of “boos” in the audience weren’t enough, AT&T soon after came under heavy fire when customers learned about an early-adoption fee — an extra $200 that iPhone 3G users would have to pay to upgrade to the latest iPhone 3GS handset.

While AT&T has addressed both the lack of MMS (it’s coming, the company says) and the early-adoption fee (AT&T later offered the fully-subsidized new-customer price to a larger number of current customers), these are just two of the company’s many missteps around the iPhone 3GS launch.

Still, it’s unlikely Apple is going to find a new dance partner in the U.S. Together, Apple and AT&T have sold more than 6 million iPhone 3G units to date, according to AT&T. With that much at stake, it’s unlikely the two will call it quits after coming so far. Our advice? It’s time for a little heart to heart. When stuff gets rocky, a common method is to look back and discuss the situation to avoid repeating mistakes. The following is our analysis of what went wrong with the iPhone launch and why (according to AT&T; Apple has not answered our requests for explanation), coupled with suggestions for how execution could have been better.

No immediate MMS or tethering support
iPhone customers have been clamoring for MMS since day one: Even cheap cellphones have carried this feature for as long as we can remember. Tethering — the ability to turn a handset into a wireless modem for browsing the web on your computer — has also been in high demand among iPhone owners in envy of BlackBerry users with tethering capabilities. So imagine the air of disdain exuded from iPhone users at WWDC when Phil Schiller, Apple’s VP of marketing, delivered the bad news: MMS won’t be available for AT&T subscribers until late summer; there is no official announcement about when AT&T will offer tethering, either, or how much it will cost.

AT&T’s explanation? The company declined to give the reason behind the lack of immediate support for either of these features, but a spokesman told Wired.com that the delay has nothing to do with AT&T’s network.

So what could it be? A tipster told The Boy Genius Report that MMS isn’t immediately available because AT&T must manually remove a code disabling MMS — an “Opt Out MMS Code” — from each account. We’re confused about this explanation, because prior to the launch of iPhone 3.0, Apple’s text-messaging app didn’t support MMS to begin with. Why insert an opt-out code at all?

This is a case where transparency could’ve helped calm the angry masses. The least AT&T can do is give customers an exact date when MMS and tethering will be available. The company should also provide a general explanation of what’s causing the delay — more than “These upgrades are unrelated to our 3-G network.” Telling consumers what’s not going on is useless. Tell people what the delay is related to, and they’ll be more understanding and a little more patient.

To be fair, AT&T is making an effort to communicate with consumers via its Twitter account, YouTube channel and Facebook page. But clearly the company is glossing over topics that consumers really care about, such as MMS and tethering. Having all these outlets of communication is the perfect opportunity for AT&T to improve its customer relations, so why not start with this topic?

We all know this much: If other carriers are already providing MMS and tethering, then it’s clearly not an issue with the phone’s hardware. So the heat is on AT&T.

Early upgrade fee for iPhone 3GS
iPhone 3G owners felt insulted when they learned they had to pay an extra $200 on top of the price tag of the iPhone 3GS, bringing the total to $400 or $500 (for the 16-GB or 32-GB models, respectively). Why the hefty price? It makes sense: The iPhone 3G launched about a year ago, and customers bought the phone for subsidized prices of $200 or $300. They haven’t finished their two-year contract, so AT&T isn’t obligated to subsidize yet another iPhone for them.

But that still smacks of punishing your best customers. And it’s inconsistent, to boot. In 2008, original iPhone owners were not required to pay an extra fee to upgrade to the iPhone 3G. Thus, they felt confused and betrayed when they found out about the early-adoption fee for iPhone 3GS.

AT&T explained to Wired.com why the iPhone 3GS upgrade policy is different: Original iPhone customers bought their iPhones without an AT&T subsidy. (If you recall, the original iPhone cost $600 at launch in June 2007). Therefore, they were eligible for subsidized pricing for the iPhone 3G without paying an early-adoption fee.

Confusing, isn’t it? But AT&T didn’t make that clear at its iPhone 3GS order website, nor did Apple. This lack of transparency inspired outrage among iPhone enthusiasts, who demanded better treatment for their loyalty. In response to complaints, AT&T reduced the amount of time some iPhone 3G owners would have to wait to become eligible for subsidized pricing.

While it’s good to see AT&T listening to customers, the buyers remorse could have been mitigated had the company been clear about where the early-adoption fee came from.

Additional charges for text messaging
Owners of the original iPhone are paying at least $15 more monthly for the new iPhone 3GS, just like those who upgraded to the 3G last year. That’s because the unlimited 3G data plan costs $30 — $10 more than the original iPhone’s unlimited Edge data plan. Also, original iPhone owners had an option for 200 free text messages. For the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, it now costs $5 for that minimal 200 SMS plan.

The increased data fee might make sense, but why pay $5 for text messages when in the past it cost nothing? An AT&T spokesman’s explanation provided to Wired.com: “We brought the iPhone plans in line with all of our other smartphone plans. I believe that we kept the original plan grandfathered in, but were making that standardization starting with the iPhone 3G.”

That will likely translate to consumers as, “We’re ripping off other smartphone users with text messaging, so it’s only fair we do the same to iPhone owners, too.”

Our suggestion is somewhat idealistic: Get rid of those text-messaging (SMS) fees altogether. Text messages cost nearly nothing for telecom companies; text messages are indeed data, and yet we pay additional fees just to send them — meaning AT&T’s unlimited data plan isn’t truly an unlimited data plan. Lump unlimited text messaging into the unlimited data plan, and you have a less expensive smartphone package. That would earn some respect from customers, wouldn’t it?

AT&T’s pre-order system
Several iPhone 3GS customers polled by Wired.com expressed regret for pre-ordering the new handset through AT&T rather than Apple. Why? See the screenshots to the right. Apple’s tracking system kept pre-order customers informed every step of the way — even notifying them when iPhone 3GS units left the warehouse in Shenzhen, China. Those who ordered through Apple knew exactly what day to expect their iPhone 3GS.

AT&T pre-order customers (including myself), on the other hand, were left in the dark. AT&T’s order-tracking system didn’t offer any up-to-date information. Even a week after placing the pre-order for an iPhone 3GS, AT&T’s order status displayed the message “In Progress” for three items: Various SIM, freight and the iPhone. Finally, on June 19, the date of the iPhone 3GS’s release, the tracking system updated saying “Various SIM: Shipped”; the iPhone itself disappeared from the page. (I shared this experience with a couple of others.) Even after the status changed to “Shipped,” the tracking page never provided a tracking number.

Needing the new iPhone 3GS for an assignment, I was antsy about when the smartphone would arrive. I dialed AT&T’s customer service, and even a supervisor (”Pam,” who refused to disclose her last name) could not provide more detailed shipping information other than “Your order is in progress.” She admitted that “some customers will be disappointed because they won’t receive their iPhones.” Why not provide a shipping number? Any delivery service provides this basic information.

The problem with AT&T’s pre-order system is marked by a clear misunderstanding of pre-order customers. They’re obviously people who want the new iPhone first, and they want to know exactly when it will arrive. Other than that, the company clearly is not equipped with the proper tools or trained to handle an order-tracking system. In this case, AT&T would have been better off letting Apple handle all the pre-orders (they are, after all, shipping the same phone) or directing customers to the FedEx tracking website rather than AT&T’s order status site.

Activation woes
As if the aforementioned hiccups weren’t enough, some new iPhone 3GS owners were left phoneless over the weekend due to the network’s failure to activate their phones. Apple apologized to affected customers in an e-mail and issued $30 iTunes credit.

While Apple’s e-mail to the affected customers seemed to suggest the problem lay with AT&T’s network, AT&T has denied responsibility for these issues and declined to provide a technical explanation. Apple has not returned phone calls requesting comment.

Apple’s apology and issuing of iTunes credit is a testament to why the corporation consistently tops the charts in customer satisfaction surveys.

Regardless of whose fault it was, AT&T should have come forward with an apology as well, padded with a small discount from affected customers’ bills to compensate for days of having phoneless iPhones.

Any other thoughts about AT&T, Apple, the iPhone, customer service and the whole shebang? Add your suggestions in the comment section below.

See Also:

• AT&T Screws Up iPhone Launch, Apple Cleans Up Mess with $30 iTunes
• How Apple, AT&T Are Closing the Mobile Web
• Tether Your AT&T iPhone Right Now
• Group Calls Foul on AT&T Blocking Some iPhone Video Apps
• SlingPlayer iPhone App Crippled by Apple, AT&T
• AT&T Seeks to Extend iPhone Deal to 2011: Report
• Apple, AT&T Extend Monogamous Relationship

Photo: John Swords/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Latest Lenovo Laptop Is Svelte, Speedy and Frickin' Sweet

You like notebooks, right? Business notebooks? Well we've got a business notebook for you. One with a 14.1-inch backlit screen, 2 GB of RAM and a chassis almost as thin as a MacBook Air.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Requests to the Right Ear Are More Successful Than to the Left

Research done in a loud Italian discotheque suggests that if you really want something, you should make the request directly into someone's right ear, not their left.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Mr. Know-It-All on Dear Abby's Copyright, H-1B Visa Resentment, and College Fund Nosedives

On my blog, I reprint letters from newspaper advice columns with my own comical answers. Am I risking a legal smackdown from Dear Abby?

You bet. The advice queen's reps can reasonably contend that your blog violates copyright. Contrary to popular belief, copping content for satire doesn't automatically qualify as fair use—and you're probably over the line here.

But you raise a philosophical question much more interesting than "fair use": What is the point of advice columns? They come in two distinct flavors. Some, like the one you're (hopefully) enjoying at this very moment, employ brief questions that reveal little. The columnist uses that relative anonymity as a springboard, expounding on variables left unmentioned in the initial query. You've chosen to mock the other kind of column, a breed that relies heavily on personal letters. The columnist's advice isn't necessarily the draw; readers get a voyeuristic thrill from the broken marriages, sexual perversions, and drunken relatives who ruin Thanksgiving. To be honest, Mr. Know-It-All doesn't get the appeal—but he knows that swiping such letters is tantamount to swiping the columns' heart.

Abby appears in 1,400 newspapers daily; she can afford a fight. Now, you could turn your satiric gaze toward yours truly, who's both man enough to handle the ribbing and poorly compensated enough to be unprepared for a protracted legal battle. But keep in mind that corporate overlord Condè Nast has lawyers, too.

My company seems to be hiring lots of foreigners on H-1B visas, while recent US college grads like my daughter go jobless. How do I complain about this without seeming racist?

In the dispiriting thick of Depression 2.0, it's natural to feel anxious about your daughter's prospects. But before you broach this sensitive topic with your bosses, take a deep breath. Applications for H-1B visas are actually down this year, what with the US job market shriveling. Maybe you're just noticing the foreign workers now that you have genes in the job hunt?

If the increase is genuine, it may be that these workers possess specialized knowledge. Your daughter is doubtless an amazing young woman, but perhaps her C++ skills don't match those of a foreign PhD with two decades of experience. Also bear in mind that H-1Bers, if hired by the book, aren't cheap. Visa holders must be paid at least the "prevailing wage" for their occupation, as determined by the US government, and immigration paperwork can run up to $8,500 per visa. So the company doesn't have a financial incentive to load up on H-1Bs. It would be cheaper to hire your kid.

It's possible that your company is flouting the strict H-1B rules. If this is the case, you have every right to complain. Meanwhile, congrats on working for a company that's actually hiring.

Due to my foolish overreliance on equities, the 529 account I've been keeping for my teenage son has lost more than half its value. How do I tell the boy?

Take a cue from politics and lead with a message of hope. Assure Junior that you're still committed to helping him attend his first-choice college. "There is plenty of money available," says Reecy Aresty, author of How to Pay for College Without Going Broke. "You just need to work at developing a better understanding of the financial aid game."

You should also make it clear that you take full responsibility and are willing to make sacrifices. If that means putting in overtime, getting loans, or selling your beloved Harley, so be it. The tricky part will come when you inform Junior that he may be expected to pitch in, too—say, by working a campus job or forgoing luxuries (bye-bye, spring break in Florida). If he grumbles, you can always remind him that Taco Bell needs cooks. But above all, be honest. Another lesson from politics: The cover-up is always worse than the crime.

Need help navigating life in the 21st century? Email us at mrknowitall@wired.com.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Playlist: Spherical Ice, Day-Glo Brothers, Maru the Cat, and More

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The carefully hand-carved orb of ice used to chill our last Yamazaki single malt in Tokyo wasn't just for show. As master bartenders there know, a 2-inch diameter ball of cold has a lower surface-area-to-volume ratio than a typical cube. That means it melts more slowly, preventing vintage hooch from warming up and getting watered down. Japan's mixologists hire apprentices to chisel perfect frozen spheres, but if you aren't so flush, pick up DIY molds (two trays for $16) from the MoMA store.

Photo: Tom Schierlitz

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Not all summer anthems require booty-shaking beats. On its vibrant second album, this Los Angeles-based quartet leaves behind its old melancholy new wave synths for upbeat slide guitar, lively hand claps, and wall-of-sound horns and strings. Somewhere between "Vacationing People" and "See Us Home," we started to long for a little offline, sun-kissed R&R.

Photo: Emily Ulmer

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The NYPD once had a word for walking along this elevated railway line on the West Side: trespassing. But the abandoned tracks, perched 30 feet above Gotham's streets and sidewalks, are being reborn as a surreal 1.5-mile-long public park designed by the landscape architects at Field Operations. Strolling among the trees and meadows atop the hulking steel structure feels like something out of a dream. Or a game of Halo.

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You may not know their names, but you're familiar with their work. In 1938, Bob and Joe Switzer invented fluorescent paint—without which we might not have highlighters, traffic cones, or the cover of this magazine. Their enlightening story, as told by children's author Chris Barton (with illustrator Tony Persiani), shows how basement tinkering can lead to scientific discovery.

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Ever lost baggage while flying to or from Heathrow? There's a tiny chance that Luna Laboo has it. Over the past eight months, the art director has bought $227 worth of unclaimed luggage at airport auctions and photographed it. Her goals: 1) Capture what's inside and 2) harness the power of the Web to return all 11 bags to their rightful owners. Recognize anything?

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Is it OK to eat Independence Day hot dogs on July 9? Just how dangerous is sun-drenched coleslaw? Ask Stilltasty.com. The site tells you when leftovers are safe—and when it's time to toss 'em. It also offers tidbits on whether condiments should be refrigerated (yes) and if that pizza from yesterday's meeting is, well, still tasty (no). Those five-day-old wieners? They're done.

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Inspiration struck artist Erika Iris Simmons when she spotted a bunch of cassettes sitting atop a blank canvas. Now, under the name iRI5, the Atlanta- based Simmons unspools the tapes for her Ghost in the Machine series and uses their entrails to create stunningly accurate portraits of musicians like Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix, and Robert Smith. (That's Ian Brown of the Stone Roses above.) See and purchase Simmons' work at iRi5.com.

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Barbecuing doesn't have to be a heated challenge, especially if you arm yourself with the right utensils. This seven-in-one multitool packs everything you'll need to make your grilling seem more like chilling: a spatula, two-pronged fork, bottle opener/corkscrew, tongs, serrated cutter, and even built-in holder for a cigarette lighter. The only task it can't handle? Telling you when to flip those Kobe burgers.

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Yes, we know that YouTube is full of cat videos. But this is a Japanese cat video. Starring an acrobatic tabby leaping in and out of a cardboard box. (He even has his own blog.) We laughed so hard we wept. Thanks, Interwebs.:

Two decades after This Is Spinal Tap skewered the music biz, the band has reunited—again—to record a follow-up album. Real rockers Steve Vai and Keith Emerson join parodists Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer on Back From the Dead. The disc includes classic tunes, plus new ones that capture the clumsy mixed metaphors and misogyny intrinsic to Tap's comic genius. First line of the title track: "Give me reincarnation, or give me death!"

Photo: Art Streiber

Source: Wired Top Stories | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

June 24, 1993 and 2000: Concert, President Go Live on Net

It's the anniversary of the internet's first live musical concert and the first presidential webcast. No, they weren't the same event, although that might have improved the content of both.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Latest Lenovo Laptop Is Svelte, Speedy and Frickin' Sweet

You like notebooks, right? Business notebooks? Well we've got a business notebook for you. One with a 14.1-inch backlit screen, 2 GB of RAM and a chassis almost as thin as a MacBook Air.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 24 Jun 2009 | 4:00 am

Hospital Confirms Steve Jobs's Liver Transplant

CNet is reporting that the hospital where Apple's CEO reportedly got a liver transplant two months ago has now confirmed the truth of these reports. "Steve Jobs underwent his liver transplant about two months ago at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, the hospital confirmed Tuesday. Jobs, who returned to work Apple's campus in Cupertino, Calif., on Monday after a six-month medical leave, 'is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis,' according to a statement by Dr. James D. Eason, the program director of the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute. ... While Eason said the confirmation was being provided with Jobs's approval, he cited patient confidentially in saying that he could not reveal any further information on the specifics of Jobs's surgery."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 24 Jun 2009 | 3:26 am

Wiimbledon 2009: Sponsors, donations, and other general news

This year’s Wiimbledon is fast approaching (Saturday the 27th), but it’s not too late to sign up for the tournament. Jump on over to the EventBrite page and register for the tournament. Wiimbledon is free to all, but you’ll have to pay to play. Barcade is once again hosting the event and they’ve committed to matching our donations to Child’s Play.

Source: MobileCrunch | 24 Jun 2009 | 2:20 am

Confirmed: Travis Katz Remains at MySpace as International Head (Though With 66.7 Percent Less Staff) [BoomTown]

Earlier today, there was an odd little news kerfuffle around the status of MySpace international head Travis Katz, as the troubled social networking site laid off 300 of its non-U.S. employees.

Last week, MySpace announced it was reducing its U.S. staff by 420 workers, in what has been a major restructuring for the News Corp. (NWS) unit.

Both TechCrunch and Media Week initially reported Katz was “out” in the shake-up. Then, an update by TechCrunch later said he “may still be at the company” and, after that, said, “sources at MySpace are saying that Katz will remain with MySpace and that ‘his role hasn’t changed.’ The company will still not respond to an on-the-record request for comment about Katz.”

Well, to clear up the is-he-is-or-is-he-ain’t question, as a longtime practitioner of non-”process” journalism–which some bloggers have been calling posting information, right or wrong, as a story develops–it turns out Katz is definitely not leaving in the current shake-up.

I easily managed to reach Katz and other top MySpace execs by phone and email and they all confirmed on the record that he remains international head.

“I [am] still around in the same job,” wrote Katz from London.

Of course, it is a much different job with an obviously decimated staff–an organization that Katz was key to building over the last several years. Indeed, the changes today are clearly tough for everyone there.

But, nonetheless, Katz is still at MySpace.

Here’s a video interview I did with Katz back at the end of 2007, when he was about two years into his job.

(Full disclosure: News Corp. owns Dow Jones, which owns this site.)

Source: All Things Digital | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:50 am

Didn't get that $200 rebate from Apple for the iPhone 3GS? Wait a bit longer

File this under "From a poor, overworked customer rep at a contracted call center," but when I asked an Apple customer service representative today if I would qualify for that $200 refund that some early iPhone 3G adopters were getting for upgrading to the iPhone 3G, she consulted her supervisor (or took a smoke break) and returned to say, "We've been told that those emails are going out in stages and it will take another week before they're all sent." I hope against hope—that would make my 3GS upgrade basically free (if you ignore my renewed 2-year contract with AT&T).

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:38 am

On Alan Turing’s birthday, we look back at great moments in technology

Section: Computers, Gadgets / Other, Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Web Browsers, Websites, Online Music/Video, Google

Remember your first time?  No, not that one you pervert.  Your first time on the Internet or even using a computer. 

After all the years, through all the changes, it began with what was never even meant to be a computer by a brilliant man.  Today, we tip our hats to Mr. Alan Turing on his birthday.  Modern computing would not be what it is without him.  Let’s take a look back at some great leaps in technology. 

My own random access memories

 
I didn’t grow up working on computers, which is kind of odd since my brother went into that field and I now find myself surrounding by tech and tech folks.  I remember first playing around on an old Apple and eventually working with PCs using DOS prompt.  I remember when it seemed like the Internet was old hat to this one friend of mine who was way ahead of all things geek, and I was totally amazed.  I knew this was something I had to play with and use myself.  Now, kids are online from the womb.

In the grand scheme of things, in such a short time, there have been so many leaps in technology.  How far we have come.  A computer comes out, and a year later it is a dinosaur.  What is fast and powerful and gives you bragging rights of king geek one day, six months later you look old school.

Taking a look at some great moments in technology

June 23,1912: Alan Turing was born.
If you have ever sat down at a computer and tapped at a keyboard, you have this man to thank.  He is pretty much the father of computer science.  He was amazingly influential in the creation of the concept of the algorithm and computation with his Turing machine.  It was never meant to be a computer per se, but instead, a thought experiment showing the limits of mechanical computation.  Oh how far you can go, baby.

August 6, 1991: Tim Berners Lee releases web software
Tim Berners Lee formally introduced his world wide web project to the world on the alt.hypertext newsgroup.  In his post he said the project “aims to allow links to be made to any detrmation [sic] anywhere.”  It did this by using hypertext which is a method for linking between different documents.  Although invented many years earlier, Mr. Berners Lees invention joined together hypertext with the Internet.  He also made available all of the files necessary for people to replicate his invention.  And so it begins.

November, 1992: There are 26 web servers online
26.  That’s all.  Nowadays, you could run 26 web servers using virtual machines.  All the data available in the world in just 26 web servers.  Think about how small hard drives were in 1992.  Then remember those oh-so-fantastic modems. 

In November, 1993: The first webcam goes online watching a coffee pot.
Yep, coffee and technology go together like peanut butter and jelly.  A webcam was set up by a group of computer scientists at Cambridge University.  Frustrated at having to navigate several flights of stairs in search of coffee only to find the pot empty, the academics installed a webcam to monitor the brew.

February, 1994: The precursor to Yahoo written by two US students goes online
Yahoo was first started by Stanford University students David Filo and Jerry Yang.  It was first called “Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web,” and featured a hierarchical directory of other sites.  It was renamed Yahoo soon after.  The name stands for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.

August, 1995: There are now 18957 websites online

September, 1998: Google opens its first office in a garage in California
The mega-search giant first started out as a research project by two postgraduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University.  They designed a search engine to analyze the relationships between websites to rank their importance.

Up until September 1997, the search engine used the Stanford University website with the domain google.stanford.edu.  And the kicker?  The name is a misspelling of the word googol.

May, 1999:  A student in Boston named Shawn Fanning founds Napster
And so widespread online pirating begins.  Napster was the first widely used P2P file sharing service.  Fanning wrote the program at college so he and his friends could find and share mp3 files.  The recording industry noticed, shut it down, and a legal version launched in summer of 2001. 

August, 2000: Nearly 20 million websites online

April 28, 2003: Apples iTunes music download service launches
A crazy idea sprouts out of Cupertino.  Make digital music available at low prices.  Maybe people will actually buy it.  This could cut down on piracy.  A lot of companies thought Apple was crazy.  We all know how this turned out.

November 9, 2004: Mozilla Firefox web browser launched 

February, 2005: YouTube.com goes online

2006: There are approximately 92615362 websites online

2007: Apple launches the original iPhone

2009: The number of websites changes by the minute.  Good luck keeping up.

Now, there’s no way we could do an exhaustive list of all the great moments in technology.  Do you have a favorite moment on or off this list?  Well, sound off in the comments. 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:19 am

Vizio connected HDTV remote reminds that everything is turning into a PC

Available soon, budget HDTV maker Vizio will soon be selling televisions that can stream internet content, including Netfli, Amazon, Showtime, Yahoo widgets, and more. But check out that snazzy slide-out QWERTY keyboard!

Previous ⌦ DIGITAL PICTURE FRAME REMINDS THAT EVERYTHING IS TURNING INTO A PC

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:17 am

A Summer's Worth Of Science Writing

 Berkeley's Summer Reading List, produced annually for incoming freshmen — and the rest of us — by staff in the University Library and College Writing Programs, this year focuses on books about science.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:11 am

Video Update: My garden is coming along (iPhone 3GS Video comparison)

Except for some habanero peppers and some sugar snap peas that don't seem to want to thrive, my garden is doing quite nicely. It's been a joy to have space to work on it.

I shot this vid with the iPhone 3GS and uploaded to YouTube directly from the phone. It took about 10 seconds to send this 30-second clip, including compressing and sending over Wi-Fi.

Interestingly, the video was viewable on YouTube within about 60 seconds, but there was a little bar at the top that said that processing was still going on. "This video is still being processed. Video quality may improve once processing is complete." I hope so, because while being able to upload right from the phone is great, the video quality is definitely lacking.

Here's what it looks like when I uploaded the original 13.3MB file directly to YouTube. Still not amazing, but definitely better.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 24 Jun 2009 | 1:06 am

The Imminent Demise of SORBS

An anonymous reader lets us know about the dire straits the SORBS anti-spam blacklist finds itself in. According to a notice posted on the top page, long-time host the University of Queensland has "decided not to honor their agreement with... SORBS and terminate the hosting contract." The post, signed "Michelle Sullivan (Previously known as Matthew Sullivan)," says that the project needs either to "find alternative hosting for a 42RU rack in the Brisbane area of Queensland Australia" or to find a buyer. Offers are solicited for the assets of SORBS as an ongoing anti-spam service — it's now handling over 30 billion DNS queries per day. An update to the post says "A number of offers have already been made, we are evaluating each on their own merits." Failing a successful resolution, SORBS will cease operations on July 20, 2009 at 12 noon Brisbane time. Such a shutdown could slow or disrupt anti-spam efforts for large numbers of mail hosts worldwide.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 24 Jun 2009 | 12:47 am

Sprint: iPhone what? We still be selling out of Pres, shorty

Sprint’s CFO got crunk all over an investor conference, informing them (between WHAT!s) that Pre sales don’t seem to have been affected by the launch of the iPhone 3G S. WHAT! Yes, they’re still selling out, but hopefully will be catching up with demand soon.

That’s all there is to the report, really, other than an uptick in both Palm and Sprint’s stock prices. Come on, little guy!

[image from Say Crunk]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 24 Jun 2009 | 12:07 am

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

Usually business notebooks are snore-fests with dull chassis design and humdrum interior components. Not the ThinkPad T400s. The latest lightweight (under 4 pounds!) to come from Lenovo, the  computer also sports a Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM and a solid-state drive. Here’s a snippet from reviewer Christopher Null:

Clad in that familiar black shell, the 14.1-inch laptop (screen resolution: 1440 x 900 pixels) has a case that’s only about 4/5 of an inch thick and just under 4 pounds, a whole pound lighter than the T400. Apparently the s tacked onto the end of T400 stands for “svelte.”

Performance is simply outstanding: While graphics are a tad weak due to the lack of a video card, the high-end CPU (the newest Core 2 Duo SP9600, running at 2.53 GHz), 2 GB of RAM and 128-GB solid-state drive give the T400s plenty of juice to power through general apps, running rings around nearly all other notebooks we’ve benchmarked this year. The screen, now backlit by LEDs, is also dazzlingly bright — one of the brightest on the market, especially in this size class. Netbook and MacBook Air users, take a back seat: There’s also a DVD burner.

$2,000 as tested, lenovo.com

Does this get your internal bongos beating? Check out the rest of the write-up of the T400s on our insanely-awesome reviews site.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jun 2009 | 11:56 pm

Boingo Awarded a Patent For Hotspot Access

Boingo has scored a patent for accessing a Wi-Fi hotspot by a mobile device. The patent, no. 7,483,984, was issued in January, but Boingo only started talking about it recently. The patent application was filed in December 2002. According to the company, the methods covered by the patent include: "...accessing wireless carrier networks by mobile computing devices, where a client software application hosted by the device accesses carrier networks using wireless access points. For example, when a computer — or netbook, smartphone or any other Wi-Fi-enabled device — is in a location where there are multiple signals, the patented technology looks at each signal and alerts the user which signal will work, showing the signal as an understandable name and ID for the user.The patent covers all wireless technologies and spectrums, as well as any mobile device that access wireless hotspots." The company is not saying anything about whether or how they will attempt to wield this patent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 23 Jun 2009 | 11:19 pm

Four iPhone accessories I'd buy tomorrow...if they existed

The iPhone is an all-in-wonder device, capable of replacing an increasingly large number of other gadgets. But there's some things that it can't do—things that are so specialized that they're best made possible by aftermarket peripherals.

Now that the 3.0 firmware makes the addition of peripherals possible (at least through the dock connector, if not Bluetooth), here are a few accessories I'd like to see:

⌦ Tripod mount – It would be dead simple for a third-party to make a case with a couple of the standard issue screw holes: one in the bottom for portrait; another on the side for landscape. This makes even more sense now that the iPhone 3GS can shoot video.

⌦ Underwater housing – I know—how would you use a touchscreen underwater? I'm just a whiny gadget blogger. It's my job to complain about this stuff—it's up to manufacturers to figure out how to make a touchscreen that works even through a waterproof membrane.

Bonus points if it's actually able to be taken to recreational scuba depths (~100ft). Update: My Google is weak: iDive makes a speaker housing that works with iPhone. (Thanks to @danfrakes seting me straight.)

And because I'm going for ideas here and not bullet points, you could combine something of the first two points and get another good one: an Action case that could be clipped to vehicles or athletes that is rugged enough to withstand a few hard knocks.

⌦ Multitool – You can already get an iPhone case that doubles as a wallet. So why not one that turns the metaphorical Swiss army knife into a literal one? I'm sure someone like Gerber, Leatherman, or Victorinox could make a slim case that held at least a knife, scissors, and a bottle opener. (And hopefully designed it in such a way that you wouldn't be torquing it against the iPhone screen. Krueesush!)

⌦ Keyboard – There have been wireless Bluetooth hacks that need jailbroken phones and ones that work by tricking the phone (which can be purchased), but as of today there's still not a good way to use an external keyboard with the iPhone.

The onscreen keyboard works just fine for daily use, but as someone who writes several thousand words a day, I would love to be able to use a portable full-size keyboard. My little dream is that it could be the Apple Wireless Keyboard paired over Bluetooth, but at this point I'd be happy with something that connected through the dock.

With the speed of the 3GS, coupled with push updates that enable a primitive multitasking, I think I could happily live without a laptop—or even a netbook—for days at a time. But I've got to have that keyboard if I were going to do any real work.

Photo: Mike Rohde

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 11:11 pm

Nokia and Intel officially announce a new partnership

Section: Business News, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Hardware

The rumor was true.  An announcement came today about a new partnership between cell phone manufacturer Nokia and chipset manufacturer Intel.  Both are major players in their respective fields.  Together, they hope to create new products that will revolutionize the mobile communication world. 

Whenever two different companies team up to produce a new, innovative product; the consumer comes out the winner.  Personally, I can’t imagine Intel and Nokia producing anything groundbreaking, but they could improve upon existing technologies.

A main goal of the two companies will be to “define a new mobile platform beyond today’s smartphones, notebooks and netbooks.”  Of course, that is left up to interpretation as no specific details of future projects has been released.  A main concept that will be present in their product will emphasize always being connected to the web, many mobile applications, as well as a pocket-size form factor with a powerful processor.  As of now, they have plans to create Linux running software, and Intel will get a license to use Nokia’s HSPA/3G technology. 

An optimistic Anand Chandrasekher, Intel Corporation senior vice president and general manager, Ultra Mobility Group, had this to say about the new partnership:

“This Intel and Nokia collaboration unites and focuses many of the brightest computing and communications minds in the world, and will ultimately deliver open and standards-based technologies, which history shows drive rapid innovation, adoption and consumer choice. With the convergence of the Internet and mobility as the team’s only barrier, I can only imagine the innovation that will come out of our unique relationship with Nokia. The possibilities are endless.”

It will be interesting two see what these two powerful companies can come up with.  Hopefully, we hear a product announcement in the coming weeks and months. 

Read [Intel & Nokia Press Release]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 11:11 pm

Predicting SCO's Actions Post Bankruptcy

eldavojohn writes "SCO lost last year and began the bankruptcy filings a long time ago but PJ has some speculative bad news on what they retain through the bankruptcy proceedings. SCO proposes to sell a number of assets to an outfit called UnXis, which PJ characterizes this way: 'It starts to hint that this is more a renaming, taking in some new management who seem to have financial expertise, and SCO keeps skipping along as unXis, with the dangerous litigation spun off safely into a litigation troll.' In their filings SCO says they retain 'their litigation and related claims against International Business Machines Corporation, Novell, Inc., AutoZone Corporation, Red Hat and certain Linux users which are not material customers of UnXis (excluding certain large-scale users of Linux servers) that are claimed to have infringed against UNIX copyrights.' So that's still a possibility they could go after anyone who is a 'certain Linux user.' And what's even worse is that they'll retain a patent for running multiple Java applications on a single Java virtual machine. We may not be out of the SCO litigation woods yet."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:29 pm

Sirius XM iPhone app downloaded 500,000 times

The “Howard who?” jab is unnecessarily provocative, but it helps illustrate a point. According to a leaked internal memo, courtesy of Alley Insider, the Sirius XM iPhone app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since its release last Thursday. All the assumptions that “no one” would download the app because of its lack of Howard Stern (and MLB and NFL), it seems, were just slightly off-base. (Perhaps more than that.)

Now Sirius XM needs the free trial-people who downloaded the app to actually subscribe to the service. I mean, 500,000 downloads is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s only so helpful if these people turn around and then subscribe to the service. The $13-a-month streaming-only subscription isn’t a bad deal when you consider all the content you’d be getting, but now Sirius XM has to compete with the likes of Pandora and whatnot.

God, remember all those dumb logos in anticipation of the Sirius-XM merger? Oh, memories.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:12 pm

Tortoise's New 'Beacons of Ancestorship' Champions Smart Sonics

After nearly two decades churning out thought-provoking rock, the Chicago-based multi-instrumentalists unleash a brainy blast of musical mayhem.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:11 pm

Peebles-Led Team Launches Website Detailing Vision for Aqueduct Racetrack

Peebles-led team unveils www.TheAqueductCasino.com, an informative website unveiling their vision for development at Aqueduct Racetrack MIAMI, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- R.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:10 pm

United States Air Force Awards Service Contracts to Ezenia! Inc.

NASHUA, N.H., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ezenia! Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:06 pm

Transformers 2: "Have you ever fallen into a city-sized Cuisinart?"

Choire Sicha reviews Transformers 2:

Have you ever fallen into a city-sized Cuisinart that is grinding its way through a vast Chinese scrap metal field and had your face abraded with shards of aluminum and eyelash-size scraps of rusty torn iron, so all the skin is peeling off your face, your delicate nose-bones being flayed by grinding gear bits and yesterday's shredded microchips and at the same time that song "Citizen Soldier" from the National Guard commercials is blaring at top volume, and somewhere in the distance you can see that "The Hurt Locker" is screening for no good reason and there is sand inside what remains of your teeth and then Megan Fox float-flounces by (like the cow in "Twister"!) with her nipples nearly pouring out of her crop-top camisole and some kid is trying to give her a flower but she is like "I am sooo busy getting highly paid and even though the makeup department set their mirror to 'evening' instead of 'day' and so my beautiful perfect skin is sort of plastered needlessly with foundation, I am still the hottest sex doll on two legs," and so she doesn't take the flower, the poor sad flower, which stands for natural beauty, a flower which is then blenderized like a sad goose sucked into a jet turbine?

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 10:04 pm

Apple's Obsession With Secrecy Grows Stronger

Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times has a story on the culture of secrecy at Apple (registration possibly required). Secrecy is not just the prevailing communications strategy; it is baked into the corporate culture that had its origin in the release of the first Macintosh. 'It really started around trying to keep the surprise aspect to product launches, which can have a lot of power,' says marketing veteran Regis McKenna who advised Apple in its early days. Today few companies are more secretive than Apple, or as punitive to those who dare violate the company's rules on keeping tight control over information. Employees have been fired for leaking news tidbits to outsiders, and the company has been known to spread disinformation about product plans to its own workers and sue bloggers who cover the company. Apple's decision to severely limit communication with the news media, shareholders, and the public is at odds with the approach taken by many other companies, and many experts agree that the secrecy that adds surprise and excitement to Apple product announcements is not serving the company well in corporate governance. Some say that recent reports that Steve Jobs may have had a liver transplant, still not confirmed by the company, now makes one of Apple's assertions from January — that Jobs was suffering only from a hormonal imbalance — seem like a deliberate untruth."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:42 pm

Wood storks reproducing well this year

Observers in South Florida say 2009 has been a good year for the wood stork, with an estimated 3,500 young birds expected to fledge. Last year, no young birds survived in a season when the area was hit by a drought, the Miami Herald reported.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:29 pm

Cellular forces studied in tissue creation

A University of Pennsylvania-led study has measured the cellular physical forces generated by individual cells during tissue development. The bioengineers said they created a tiny micron-sized device that allows researchers to measure and manipulate cellular forces as assemblies of living
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:27 pm

Tick Removers: Which Do You Use?

"Uh, I think I snapped it..."

I got my first tick on the BBG camping trip. I was lucky. I didn't even know it was there until it was gone. I brushed it off in the shower somehow without leaving any of the tick in my body *knock wood*. My completely uneducated guess is the hot water must have shocked the little bugger, and when I inadvertently passed my hand over him, he backed out and/or fell out because he had yet to burrow? (if you're a tick expert, feel free to weigh in).

Next time, I won't be so lucky, which is why I'm going to: a) use bug spray, and b) pick up a legit tick remover just in case. Cause there's no way I'm going to try the above method.

Here's a series of tick removers, including one that uses cryotherapy. I'm tempted to buy the one with a mini-lasso and just call it a day. Before I do, though, please feel free to chime in with any suggestions, experiences or links to videos of yourself removing ticks.

Tickner
("My name is Freeze. Learn it well. For it's the chilling sound of your doom.")

Ticked Off
(you can personalize yours)

Tick Off
(battery-operated)

Tick Key
(comes in a variety of colors)

Trix TickLasso
(via Cool Tools)

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:27 pm

Changes In Brain Architecture Could Be Driven By Different Cognitive Challenges

Scientists trying to understand how the brains of animals evolve have found that evolutionary changes in brain structure reflect the types of social interactions and environmental stimuli different species face.The study is the first to compare multiple species of related animals, in this case social wasps, to look at how roles of individuals in a society might affect brain architecture.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:17 pm

Mice have Parkinson's non-motor symptoms

U.S. scientists say they have genetically engineered mice to reproduce many of the non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease in humans. Emory University researchers said the classic symptoms of Parkinson's disease involve tremor, stiffness and slow movements.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:16 pm

Testing out the Panasonic portable Blu-ray player, the DMP-B15

Section: Video, DVD/DVR/Blu-ray, Portable Video

$800 for a portable Blu-ray player may seem crazy, but it’s really a step to make Blu-ray discs more prevalent.  One of the complaints about Blu-ray is “I can’t take it with me, so I’ll get a regular DVD instead.”  The portable player looks to take away that problem.

So you’ve seen this device before, but what’s new?  Gadgetell got to play with the DMP-B15 and found out a couple of new things.  The display is a bit finicky.  It only shows video if the unit is set up in tablet mode.  If you try to use the Blu-ray player in a laptop style mode, forget it.  The unit turns off.  Why this limitation?  The folks I spoke to at Panasonic also thought this is a bad idea.  Expect future editions to get rid of this oddball behavior.

Also, since this device is supposed to be portable, how about a shake test?  Of course, Gadgetell asked permission before shaking the portable Blu-ray player like a martini.  Take a look at an intentionally shaky video below.  Here you can see the device being shaken vigorously then wobbled to see what kind of anti-skip technology the DMP-B15 packs.  The disc didn’t skip at all.  At least that makes sense. 

Download (HD)

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:15 pm

You’re Always Online With Push IM for iPhone

Internet-addicted iPhone users, rejoice: Push instant messaging is here. That means you can constantly stay connected to your IM services (e.g., AOL Instant Messenger and Gchat) on your iPhone even when it’s asleep; you can receive IMs similar to the way text messages work.

BeeJive is one of the first IM clients to take advantage of push. I’ve tested the app for about seven hours, and I’m pleased to report push IM works quite nicely. On my iPhone 3GS, push IMs appeared almost immediately on my screen, even when I was using other apps. The IMs appear in a small rectangular box, giving you the option to close the message or view it in the BeeJive app.

During testing there were occasions where push IMing simply wasn’t working. However, some users are also reporting similar problems with the AOL Instant Messenger IM app, which is also supporting push. Kai Yu, developer of BeeJive, assures me this is likely a problem related to Apple’s push-notification server — new technology, so hopefully Apple will improve it over time.

“Apple push is not a guaranteed delivery, so a failure to deliver to the phone does not necessarily mean it’s going to queue up the messages and try again,” Yu said. “This may change down the road but right now it’s a best effort attempt.”

Yu added that push IM is performing better on iPhone 3GS compared with the earlier models, the iPhone 3G and original iPhone. He believes this is because the 3GS is more efficient with radio and memory usage.

Overall, after testing various IM apps (AIM, Fring and Palringo), BeeJive is by far my favorite. The interface is slick and beautiful. Flipping the iPhone sideways displays IMs, as well as the keyboard, in landscape mode for easier typing. The app supports eight IM services including AIM, Google Talk, Facebook IM and ICQ.

BeeJive is available for a sale price of $10 for a limited time through the App Store. For a video tutorial on setting up push, visit BeeJive’s web site.

(Thanks, Eileen and Kai!)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pm

Yugster.com Will Feature Medis Fuel Cell Power Emergency Kit

Available Online June 24, 2009 Starting at 6AM EDT NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medis Technologies Ltd.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:01 pm

Global Payments to Announce Fourth Quarter and Year-End Earnings on July 23, 2009

ATLANTA, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), a leader in payment processing services, will release fourth quarter and year-end financial results for fiscal year 2009 after the market closes on July 23, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:01 pm

SoftBrands Introduces New Products, and Customer and Business Partner Initiatives at HITEC 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SoftBrands, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 9:00 pm

El Gaucho Bellevue Holds First Taste and Tweet Event

Local Restaurant Group Embraces Practical Use of Social Media with Virtual Tasting BELLEVUE, Wash., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Let the Tweeting begin! El Gaucho in Bellevue is hosting its first ever Taste and Tweet event Wednesday, June 24 from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Taste and Tweet is organized by El Gaucho and the CEOs behind "Social Media for Executives," Clay Loges and Blaine Millet.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:53 pm

AP Issues Strict Facebook, Twitter Guidelines to Staff

The Associated Press tells its 4,000 employees and journalists to delete impartial comments, even those by others, from their personal Facebook accounts. The union representing AP reporters calls it the most stringent policy it has ever seen.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:47 pm

Good Partner Relationship Can Act As A Buffer Against Stress

 A positive approach and successful stress-management techniques also help to reduce the negative effects of work-related stress", explains Ann-Christine Andersson Arntén, who will be presenting her  dissertation in psychology.- But when there are stressful experiences both at work and in the relationship, the risk of burn-out and poor health increases dramatically.About 900 persons took part in her survey.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:46 pm

YouSendIt Named 'Best Overall Company' for Computer Software & Services Industries at American Business Awards

YouSendIt honored by American Business Awards judges and Web site voters for its digital file delivery service CAMPBELL, Calif., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- YouSendIt, Inc., the leader in secure digital file delivery on the Web, was chosen by American Business Awards (Stevie's) judges as the Best Overall Company (Up to 100 employees - computer software & services industries).
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:31 pm

Sirius XM Releases 'Lite' iPhone App. WTF?

After spending millions on what is arguably the strongest lineup in audio history, why would the recently merged Sirius XM not beam its shows to iPhones, which seem built exactly for that purpose?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:30 pm

Review: Therm-A-Rest Sleeping System

Kevin Kelly pointed me to the idea of ditching a sleeping bag for a tech blanket. He learned the tip from Ray Jardine, who extols the virtues of lightweight backpacking and camping in a series of books, including the recent Trail Life.

The basic premise is that the flattened bottom of a sleeping bag is wasted material, since you're compressing the insulation. A blanket can provide more warmth because it contours to your body rather than maintaining a bag or mummy shape. Plus, it's much easier to overheat if you're crashed out in a bag, as opposed to a blanket you can drape and quickly adjust throughout the night.

Ray sells his own quilt kits, which I'd love to try. For the recent BBG camp trip, I used Therm-A-Rest's $50 Tech Blanket (pictured). It is light to carry (1 lbs, 5 oz.), warm (quilted nylon exterior, polyester fill), and packs quick, easy and small (mine packed up smaller than the no-frills sleeping bag I have).

What's particularly smart about Therm-A-Rest's set up is that their Fitted Sheet ($21) and blanket have snaps positioned periodically lengthwise, allowing you to quickly attach and remove the blanket. Not a pain to set up, take down.

Better yet, it was far more comfortable than any sleeping back I've ever used. We were camping in mid-50sF, and I was never cold and never too warm. What's more, unlike a sleeping back you might unzip and find completely open by the morning, the Tech Blanket provided enough room on either side for me to turn over without disrupting the whole tent. If you were camping in warmer weather, I'd imagine un-snapping one button on either side in the middle of the night wouldn't be too difficult either.

Note: I used the blanket and sheet with Therm-A-Rest's $100 LuxuryCamp self-Inflating mattress and $28 Compressible Pillow. You don't have to go all-out and get either of these. My favorite makeshift pillow is a small fleece case a friend made and gave to me. You just fill it with your clothes, towel, etc.

The only thing you want to be sure of, is that you use a pad that's size/shape is comparable to the fitted sheet. Otherwise, you won't feel as snug.

The sheets come in medium, regular and large which are 20x66 in., 20x72 in. and 25x77 in., respectively. If you already have a sleep pad that size, you should go for it. Again, we're talking $21 for the sheet and $50 for a blanket that could also serve double duty at home. I'm in.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:26 pm

Verizon Wireless Presents HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award to Broward County, Florida, Sheriff

Honor Given At the National Sheriffs' Association Annual Conference BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and BOCA RATON, Fla., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, a recognized corporate leader for its commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence, presented Sheriff Al Lamberti of the Broward County Sheriff's Office with the HopeLine(R) Law Enforcement Partnership Award.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:20 pm

Stream Global Services Enters Agreement With Information Technology Development Agency (ITIDA) for Egyptian Workforce Development

Working Together with ITIDA, Stream will Train and Employ 1000 Employees in its Newly Opened Cairo Facility BOSTON, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stream Global Services, Inc., (Amex: OOO), a premium provider of customer care and business process outsourcing (BPO) services for Fortune 1000 companies, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Egyptian Information Technology Development Agency (ITIDA) to employ and train more than 1000 Egyptian employees in its Cairo facility over the next three years.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:15 pm

Improved cancer risk test developed

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:08 pm

Geek and Thief Come Face to Face Thanks to ‘Find My iPhone’

A LiveJournal blogger tells the first riveting tale involving Find My iPhone, a new feature in the latest iPhone 3.0 operating system designed to help users recover their lost or stolen iPhones.

Kevin Miller, who goes by the LJ handle HappyWaffle, recounts his experience quite thoroughly. In summary: After attending Brickworld, the world’s largest Lego convention, Kevin and his friends end up at a dive bar in uptown Chicago, where he accidentally (and perhaps drunkenly) leaves his iPhone. They return to the bar to recover it, but the iPhone is apparently in the hands of an individual who still subscribes to the philosophy of “Finders, Keepers.”

The group proceeds to use a MacBook Pro and Sprint wireless EVDO card to log in to Apple’s MobileMe internet service, where a map spits out the location of the iPhone. From thereon, the story gets exciting: The trio of “skinny white guys” stumbles into a Puerto Rican neighborhood. (He notes that he brings up race only to illustrate that he and his friends stood out awkardly.) Kevin uses MobileMe to send messages to his phone requesting it be returned.

Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the dot on the map begins to move, and the group follows it. After a game of refresh-the-map-and-chase, they eventually come face to face with the thief, and he sheepishly hands it over.

Amusing tale, though we’re not very thrilled about the idea that Find My iPhone is conducive to confrontation, as demonstrated by Kevin. The outcome could have been far different had the thief been armed.

What are your thoughts about Find My iPhone and how it was used in this particular story? Any suggestions for how this feature can be used more prudently? Add your comments below.

See Also:

• Apple Rolls Out iPhone 3.0 Operating System Upgrade
• Apple Bestows Cut-and-Paste, MMS on iPhone Users
• Gadget Lab Video: Masked Developer Demos iPhone 3.0 Beta

(Thanks, Mat!)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jun 2009 | 8:04 pm

Find My iPhone in action

FROM APPLETELL - While attending a convention, Kevin Miller left his iPhone where he had dinner. This blatant act of abandonment, however, turned into a day of adventure when he used his MobileMe account to track down the man who stole his iPhone.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:43 pm

Alice.com wants to make sure you never run out of toilet paper again

Section: Gadgets / Other, Household, Lifestyle, Web, Web 2.0, Websites

Alice.com just launched in beta mode after first making announcements hinting it was coming way back in November.  Alice is a website that promises consumers “free shipping, saving you time, and making sure you never run out of bathroom tissue.”  Now, there is one heck of a marketing slogan.

So, will their promise hold true?  Well, the shipping is indeed free.  It saves times in the fact that you can do your shopping in your bedroom in your jammies at three a.m. and not have to run to three different stores to get Fido’s food, your kid’s DS batteries, and that shampoo that your wife likes.  And as for the never running out of toilet paper?  Well, Alice even has this nifty reminder feature that lets you know when you might be running low and reminds you it just may be time to order some more.

Alice is brought to you by the founders of the social shopping network Jellyfish, which was bought by Microsoft in 2007.  So, it could be presumed that the makers aren’t total peabrains.

At its most basic, Alice.com is an ecommerce website for household essentials.  It gives you recommendations based on who lives in your household.  So, if you don’t have children, it won’t recommend baby shampoo.  Or, if you are a guy living alone, it probably won’t suggest those dreaded female products.  The recommendations Alice makes appear as little bathroom ducks (a tad cutesy).

When you click on a duck, it takes you to where you then choose your specific product.  Say you need razor blades.  You click on your duck.  You go to the shaving section and then can select Mach 3 razor blades by Gillette.  Where it gets personalized is that you can set quantities, set custom labels, and in my opinion most importantly, tell when you want to reorder.  It will send you a reorder reminder according to what you specify.

You’ve got thousands of product brands to choose from.  After you have set all of your products and reminders, you have a display of your shopping orders, your discounts and any taxes.  This makes your reordering process much easier the next time.  And you are far less likely to run out of anything.

Heck, even driving to the store costs you gas.  That free shipping is a very nice bonus is this economy. 

Site: [Alice.com]
via: [CNET]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:36 pm

Review: Three sleeping bags for cold-ish nights

North Face Re Meow

A great pick for uber-earth-conscious campers, the Re Meow is a hodge podge of recycled materials, from fabrics to yarn waste to water bottles. It's a three-season 20-degree mummy with thoughtful little features like a pocket for watches and cell phones and a glow-in-the-dark zipper pull, and straps on the bag cover to hold or strap onto a pack. Cost: $200.

Big Agnes Peggy SL

The lightest and best-looking of the three, this women-specific bag with 800 goose down kept me toasty all night, and collar seals kept wind from seeping in through the neck. There's a sleeve on the back that you can slip your sleeping pad into so you don't roll off of it. The one thing I had trouble with was the zipper, which tended to snag when on the fabric when I wasn't lying perfectly straight. Cost: $300.

Sierra Designs Cochise 15

The cheapest of the three, the Cochise 15 is a 15-degree mummy sack . It's pretty basic, but has some solid basic comfort features like a snag-free zipper, a pillow pocket, and a full-length draft tube to keep cold air from seeping in through the cracks. Like the Re Meow, it has a chest pocket for keys and stuff. Cost: $160.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:23 pm

Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Takes Robot Action to Limit

Bigger, badder, louder and longer than the original, this shape-shifting robot popcorn flick pushes explosive CGI to the max. Too bad nobody thought to upgrade the sequel's brain.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:22 pm

'Man Vs. Wild' Helps Lost Boy Survive Alone

Nine-year-old uses tips from 'Man Vs. Wild' to survive in Utah's forests.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:15 pm

BLOG: Russian Volcano Shocks the World

Astronauts spot a Russian volcano eruption from space.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:00 pm

Video: iPhone 3GS Picks Up the Pace With New Features

The iPhone 3GS features a 3.0-megapixel camera, voice-activated commands, a built-in compass and enhanced speed. But with sky-high upgrade fees, iPhone 3G users may want to think twice before upgrading.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 7:00 pm

Get caught up on the most recent gaming news at Gamertell.com

Section:

No need to scour the interwebs for hot gaming news, Gamertell‘s already done that for you!  Here’s a look at this week’s top stories…

• A few games we want to see remade in HD
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of June 8 - June 14, 2009
• Opinion: Fable 2 on the PC is a smart business decision
• The search for budget-priced Wii RPGs
• E3 2009: The 10 best games announced for the Wii

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 6:21 pm

Review: MSR Hubba Hubba HP 2-Person Tent [ultralight]

The Hubba Hubba HP is a $450 3-season tent that weighs a scant 4 lbs when fully-packed (at just 20 x 7 inches), making it ideal for longer-term packing or anyone looking to lighten the load. When assembled, the HP provides 29 sq. ft. Not exactly the Taj Mahal of tents, but my wife and I slept comfortably inside (disclaimer: we're both under 5' 8"). Plus, it's dual-doored, meaning no one has to crawl out over anyone.

The real beauty is in the details: there is only ONE tent pole with various offshoots that make up the frame of the structure. It made for a ridiculously-easy set up: The very first time I assembled the tent, the whole process took less than 8 minutes, including stopping every once in a while to say, "Man, this is really easy."

The first time I packed it up, too, the whole experience took less than 5 minutes.

The HP version includes a body that's primarily made of fabric (as opposed to the mostly-mesh Hubba Hubba), which lightens the load by a few oz. and makes it preferable for colder conditions or where there's wind and sand. We used our tent in very mild conditions (mid-50Fs at night). No rain, no snow, and virtually no wind. So I can't really say how it will handle in more extreme environments, but considering it's twice as expensive as some of the other 2-person tents we tested, it better be able to withstand a nuclear blast.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 6:15 pm

Ericsson preps Dynamic Discounts for developing markets, cheapskates

Your cell phone company probably gives you free nights and weekends as part of your plan, to give you an incentive for calling when the strain on their network is low. It’s a great concept, but Ericsson’s looking to take it to the next level: instead of just giving you a break when you make an off-peak call, they’ll give you bigger discounts if the network load form where you’re calling is low.

First developed for low-income areas in South Africa last year, Ericsson’s Dynamic Discounts initiative gives customers real-time updates on the discounts they could receive by calling when the load is light. It seems like an impractical idea at first, but it’s a boon for callers who want to save some dough (at times, discounts can reach as high as 99%) and for the operators that maintain the network (Dynamic Discounting can mean lower loads during peak hours, if customers bite).

The program has been working like gangbusters in its test markets - 60% of customers have adopted the program after only two months. With the economy floundering, it could be a solid selling point for any carrier willing fork over that initial investment. According to Ericsson, “the system is… gaining interest in mature markets,” which hopefully means we spendthrifts will be able to take advantage of it outside of Johannesburg sometime soon.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 5:34 pm

Oh yeah Touchstone?  iPhone can do that now

Section: Communications, Accessories

 

WildCharge is bringing wireless charging to the iPhone and iPod touch via special skin (like a case)  your device must wear, then be placed on the special WildCharge charger.  True to its word, no cables are necessary.  Since the iPhone does not have a replaceable back cover to swap out for one that can be compatible with wireless charging, the long route must be taken.

This is a tough way to copy what the Palm Pre Touchstone did so elegantly.  Sure wireless charging wasn’t invented by Palm, but they sure made it elegant.  This solution is a decent work-around but isn’t near as elegant as Palm’s solution.  Do you need to go this far to wirelessly charge up your phone?  For the iPhone, the answer is yes.

Other phones can be used in this method as well.  WildCharge makes skins for a few BlackBerry models, the ubiquitous Razr from Motorola and even a universal no-wires charger kit.

According to WildCharge, their new skin is even compatible with the new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3GS (whichever Apple decides they are going to call it). 

What is pleasant about this whole deal is the price.  The adapter skin for the iPhone and charger pad is just $79.99, a little more than the Touchstone from Palm at $69.99. 

Product Page: [WildCharge]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 5:09 pm

Qik For Android Alpha leaks, Immediately Hits The Market

Uh-oh. Looks like the race for live video streaming on Android is on. When we got footage of Kyte running on Android last week after hearing next to nothing on the matter from the competitors, we guessed that it might be the first mobile streaming app to go live on the platform. Turns out, Qik has had something up their sleeve - and it just slipped right out.

We’re not quite clear on all of the details yet, but an early Alpha version of Qik’s Android application has become available.

From what we’ve been told, this leak is only a little early. One of Qik’s testers got a bit excited and started passing around the installation file, and the news quickly found it’s way to Twitter. Qik hadn’t planned for this to go live until later in the week but, with the cat out of the bag, went ahead and pushed it live to the market. Qik says they did intend for this to be the initial Android release - just not quite so soon.

We’ve just cracked it open, and have recorded a video quality sample below. We’ve only been playing with it for a few moments, so we can’t vouch for its stability or functionality just yet - but all is well so far. At the moment, functionality is limited to basic streaming/recording, title/description and private/public settings, and the ability to post a link to your video straight to Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

Video Sample:

Update: Screenshot

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:25 pm

Recession-O-Rama: 30% off HP laptops

Section: Computers, Laptops, Features

We’ve partnered up with LogicHP.com to bring you today’s Recession-O-Rama deals. The website focuses news, deals, reviews, and discussion on everything HP Laptop, Desktop and Printers. So, what do we have for you today? 30% off a bunch of HP laptops—and who said we are in a recession anyway?

30% off coupon for HP tx2z Tablet PC

This 4.65 lbs. laptop features a glossy, titanium finish & “Reaction” imprint pattern to go along with gesture-capable multitouch display. Base HP tx2z starts from $1,049.99 - 30% off Coupon Code = $734.99 with FREE shipping.

30% off coupon for new HP dv2z 12-inch Notebook

HP Home is offering 30% off LogicHP Coupon Code for the newly released customizable HP Pavilion dv2z Ultra-slim laptop configured over $999. HP’s thinnest and lightest laptop measuring .93” thin and 3.81 pounds.  HP is also offering FREE 2GB RAM Upgrade, 50% off if you opt for 4GB RAM upgrade, 50% off 512MB discrete graphics, FREE Upgrade to 320GB Hard Drive, FREE HP DeskJet Printer after paperless rebate and FREE shipping to your door.

30% off coupon for HP dv3t 13-inch Notebook

HP Home & Home Office store is offering LogicHP’s 30% off Coupon Code for HP Pavilion dv3t 13.3-inch Notebook when configured over $999+. Plus, FREE upgrade to 3GB RAM, FREE upgrade to 320GB Hard Drive, Free shipping & FREE HP DeskJet Printer ($70 value) after mail-in rebate.

30% off coupon for HP HDX18t 18-inch Notebook

HP HDX 18t Premium 18.4-inch Widescreen 1080p (16:9) Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz Blu-ray Laptop. Plus, FREE upgrade to 4GB RAM from 3GB ($50 value), FREE HP DeskJet Printer ($70 value) after paperless rebate and FREE shipping.

30% off coupon for HP HDX16t 16-inch Notebook

HP HDX16t 16-inch 1080p (16:9) Core 2 Duo T6600 2.2GHz Laptop. Plus, get FREE upgrade to 4GB RAM ($100 value), FREE upgrade to 320GB Hard Drive and FREE HP Deskjet Printer ($70 value) after paperless rebate. Base HP HDX 16t starts at $1,149.99 - 30% off Coupon Code = $804.99 with FREE shipping.

30% off coupon for HP dv7t 17-inch Notebook

HP Pavilion dv7t 16:9 17.3-inch Laptop configured over $999. Plus, FREE Upgrade to 3GB RAM upgrade from 2GB, FREE upgrade to 320GB Hard Drive from 250GB, $100 off 6GB RAM Upgrade, 50% off integrated TV Tuner, FREE shipping and FREE HP DeskJet Printer ($70 value) after mail-in rebate. Base HP dv7t starts at $999.99 - 30% off coupon = $699.99 with FREE shipping.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:20 pm

Intel and Nokia announce “long-term strategic partnership” for an open mobile computing platform

Here are some notes from Intel’s “breaking news” conference call with Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager, Ultra Mobility Group and Kai Öistämö, Executive Vice President, Devices, Nokia.

• Intel and Nokia have formed a long-term strategic partnership to create an open standard for a new mobile computing platform built upon Linux-based operating systems.
• Intel will acquire a Nokia HSPA/3G modem IP license for use in future products — will complement Intel’s Wi-Fi and WiMax offerings.

So is it a new Nokia phone with an Intel chipset? Is it a new Nokia netbook?

No. Not yet, at least. They’re not ready to talk about products today. The two companies basically announced that they’ll be teaming up to work on future mobile computing devices — not quite as exciting as it seemed earlier today, at least not from a hardware/gadget angle.

Read the rest of this entry >>

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:17 pm

Motorola prepping to launch Android handsets for T-Mobile and Verizon by year’s end

At this point, it’s by absolutely no means a secret that Motorola is cracking away at some Android phones. Hell, Android is kind of a big deal for them now. While early details have come in abundance, the finer things — such as a release date for any of the Moto/Android handsets — have been evasive. We still don’t have anything specific, but if these latest rumors pan out, we might have an idea of a launch window.

According to the WSJ’s very own “people familiar with the matter”, we ought to expect both T-mo and the ol’ VZW to be rockin’ Moto-branded Android phones by the end of the year. T-Mobile will be getting a touchscreen/QWERTY phone with an emphasis on social networking. Verizon’s will sport the touchscreen/QWERTY combo as well, though there’s no mention of its social abilities.

Now, Moto - please do this right. We need a gorgeous Android phone. Don’t let them be dog ugly. Oh, and for bonus points, lets make sure they all work.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:11 pm

Do women need special cell phones? Deutsche Telekom says yes

Do cell phone producers really need to think of female customers as a specific market segment? So far, most of them think if they make the devices pink, cute or small enough, women will just take the bait. But quite unsurprisingly, a German design researcher from Deutsche Telekom says this isn’t enough [GER].

According to Gesche Joost, who is a women herself and lead designer at the Deutsche Telekom Laboratories, cell phone manufacturers do need to distinguish between the specific needs of men, women, young and elderly people.

Her research has shown that women in particular put emphasis on privacy and look for cell phones that allow them to get contacted by a certain group of people (family, friends, etc.) but by nobody else. Another feature is micro communication. Joost claims that her work has shown that especially young girls want services like Twitter to be installed on their cell phones. A third factor asked for (especially by women with families) is the possibility to organize multiple tasks at the same time just by using the cell phone.

Via Technology Review German Edition [GER]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:07 pm

Howard Stern not on the Sirius XM iPhone app because of ‘contractual rights thing’

So how’s the Sirius XM iPhone app treating you? I hear good things! (Remember: I don’t have an iPhone, and I never will.) But here’s something that probably should be brought up: the lack of Howard Stern. He’s not my cup of tea, and my loyalties lie elsewhere, as you know, but to deny his show’s importance to Sirius XM is silly. Anyway, Mr. Stern explained yesterday why his show is nowhere to be found on the iPhone app. Citing a “contractual rights thing,” Mr. Stern then said he hopes to be on the app “one day.” Hoo hoo.

And, really, who benefits by not having Stern on the app? Certainly not Sirius XM (even though the app has been downloaded like whoa without the show), which wouldn’t mind all those iPhone users out there buying a Sirius XM subscription. Same thing with Stern: you’d think that a radio broadcaster would want to reach as large an audience as possible—the iPhone helps there, right? Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of the future

(And what lazy reporter thought that naughty content would preclude Howard Stern from being included? Playboy Radio is on the app, as is The Virus, which includes Opie & Anthony and Ron & Fez, two shows that use naughty language and talk about “adult” things.)

In any event, there’s no time frame for when to expect Stern.

I wouldn’t worry about it.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Jun 2009 | 4:00 pm

Will the iPhone 3GS Kill the Cheap Pocket Camera?

Will the iPhone 3GS be a lancing blow to the point-and-shoot market? It's now "just good enough" for most people to take good everyday pictures and, remember, the best camera is the one you have with you.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 3:19 pm

Giant Elephant Fossil Unearthed in Java

Scientists uncover the most complete prehistoric elephant skeleton ever found in the tropics.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pm

Flying to the Moon: A Dead End?

Some argue NASA should skip returning to the moon and just head straight to Mars.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 2:52 pm

Untouched Tomb Uncovered in Bethlehem

A 4,000-year-old untouched tomb is uncovered in Bethlehem.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 2:50 pm

Plasma Torch Disinfects Teeth

A tiny torch deploys cold plasma -- the material normally found in stars -- to clean teeth.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 1:38 pm

Water-Cooled Supercomputer Doubles as Dorm Space Heater

Massive supercomputers that devour electricity to keep them humming are not exactly the poster children for green technology. But IBM hopes to change that with its plans to build a supercomputer that will use water to keep the system cool and even recycle some of the waste heat to help heat the university where it’s housed.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jun 2009 | 12:53 pm

Neanderthals Made Mammoth Jerky

Neanderthals wore tailored clothes and dried big game meat.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 23 Jun 2009 | 12:38 pm

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