Previously:

• KCET interviews Jaime Hernandez, Johnny Ryan and other LA ...
• Jaime Hernandez interview - Boing Boing
• Jaime Hernandez interviewed - Boing Boing
• Jaime Hernandez's poster for Bob Dylan - Boing Boing
• Mark interviews Love and Rockets' co-creator Jaime Hernandez ...
• The Comics Journal interviews Jaime Hernandez - Boing Boing
• Boing Boing: Love & Rockets: 25 years exhibit
• Salon has an article about - Boing Boing

Source: Gizmodo | 17 Jul 2009 | 11:00 pm

MSN Preps for Major Renovation, Focusing on Five Verticals, as It “Does Less Better” [BoomTown]

The edging-ever-closer-to-consummation deal talks with Yahoo about an online advertising and search partnership and the aggressive marketing of its new Bing search service aren’t the only things going on for Microsoft’s online services business these days.

MSN, Microsoft’s online portal, is also preparing a major redo of what U.S. and, possibly, international consumers will see, as it doubles down on five key content verticals, while cutting back on others.

In a new focus that will start to be apparent in the next month, MSN will heavily add to its News, Sports, Finance, Lifestyle and Entertainment offerings, weaving more data from Bing into the mix.

“It’s a decision to make it so MSN does less better,” said one source close to the situation. “So there will be a focus of attention on a smaller number of categories in which we can be either #1 or #2 in, rather than #4 or #5.”

And despite big traffic, that has been the rank Microsoft (MSFT) has achieved for a lot of its vertical categories. It competes against the dominant Yahoo (YHOO) and also Time Warner (TWX) online unit AOL, as well as a range of independent sites.

The refurbishment is being led by Scott Moore, the former Yahoo media exec who came back to Microsoft earlier this year to help juice its prospects.

That does not mean Microsoft is abandoning non-competitive arenas, such as tech, though. Instead, its offerings in those verticals will be more automated, less original, using content from many partners and also will rely on mixing in shopping and data from Bing.

“It is not rip and replace,” said another source. “It is putting a lot of scale where we can compete best and using technology tools to help elsewhere.”

In fact, the idea of linking content properties to search in a push-and-pull manner is a strategy that both AOL and Yahoo have also been honing, especially since their own highly trafficked sites are the prime ways they have grown search and vice versa on content.

Bing has taken a very interesting niche approach to search, aiming to provide a richer experience in key verticals, like entertainment and travel, in order to differentiate its offering from search behemoth Google (GOOG).

In an interview with paidContent last month, MSN Corporate VP Erik Jorgensen signaled the some of the changes now coming, discussing the cleaning up of its home page, more tightly integrating Bing and MSN, making it easier to share on social networking sites, focusing content and allowing users to even customize it.

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:54 pm

Ignore That Scary MSNbot, It’s Just The Friendly BingBot - Unless It Attacks!

Microsoft has a post today on its Bing Community blog alerting website owners that they may start seeing a lot of pings from the user agent “msnbot/2.0b (+http://search.msn.com/msnbot.htm)”. Not to worry, they say, despite the scary MSN Web 1.0-name, this is just the BingBot, crawling sites, doing its indexing job.

While Microsoft has updated the bot’s version number (from 1.1), it isn’t changing the name, it notes. But what’s interesting is the part of the post from Microsoft that reads:

We do not anticipate any problems related to our increasing emphasis on MSNBot 2, but the unexpected can’t always be avoided, no matter how hard you try! As such, we wanted to preemptively alert folks to the most effective way to report bot and crawling issues to Bing’s support team in case they arise.

Problems? What sort of problems? Is the BingBot going to become self-aware, Skynet-style? Microsoft gives no details. I’m scared.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:50 pm

Hulu’s Content Owners Are Missing A Major Opportunity This Summer

It’s no secret that summer is the season of terrible television, when networks flock to broadcast cheap reality TV and game shows that actually will turn your brain into a slippery pile of goo. Granted, there are a few gems out there (particularly on the cable networks), but for the most part TV fans are out of luck during the dog days of summer. At least, that’s the way things used to be.

Earlier this week I had something of an epiphany. Hulu, with its mountains of movies and prime-time TV shows, is the perfect answer to the summer doldrums. I’m finally free to catch up on those shows that my friends have been talking about for years, or at least watch the first few episodes of a show to see if it’s worth buying on iTunes or DVD. Eureka!

Unfortunately, when I went to catch up on a few shows the other night, I fell prey to a problem that’s nagged the site since it launched: content owners frequently impose bizarre restrictions on which content you’re allowed to watch on Hulu. The number of episodes available for each show vary wildly, and serial dramas will sometimes only offer a smattering of episodes scattered across a season, which makes it impossible to follow the story line. Hulu does its best to explain the situation to users with messages like “We are able to run five trailing episodes of this series”, but these bulletins don’t do much to ameliorate the frustration and apparent lack of logic. In short, it leads to a bad user experience on an otherwise highly-polished site.

A quick spin through the site reveals how bad the problem is. Rescue Me, which I’d heard was quite good, has a measly three episodes available, all taken from the end of the fifth season. Given that I know absolutely nothing about the show other than that Dennis Leary plays a firefighter, I figured this probably wasn’t the best way to get hooked. Fox’s popular serial drama 24 is currently offering a whopping five episodes, but these are taken from the middle of the first season (for those that haven’t seen 24, trying to pick up the story mid-season is an exercise in frustration). Battlestar Galactica is similarly limited. The list goes on.

In case it wasn’t obvious, Hulu has very little control over what it’s allowed to show users — it’s forced to bow to the whims of its content partners. And while it’s easy to point the finger at the studios and accuse them of simply being withholding, the reality is likely a bit more complicated. Distribution of this content is impacted by ‘windowing’ — the time periods when the rights to a show or movie belong to different mediums like Cable, syndication, or DVDs. So in some cases, studios really may have their hands tied.

That said, it’s hard to imagine that some of these media companies couldn’t do a better job with their licensing deals, and I suspect some of them really are withholding content because they’re afraid of undercutting their DVD and iTunes sales. In those cases, they’re shooting themselves in the foot.

If I can’t begin watching a show from the start, the odds of me watching it at all plummet. Sure, I could probably buy the first season on iTunes, but I’m not likely to pay for TV unless I’m quite certain I’m going to like it. Studios should be doing everything they can to introduce Hulu users to new shows during these summer months, perhaps going as far as enabling access to a show’s entire first season. Yes, I might wind up skipping buying the first season on DVD, but I’m also far more likely to go out and buy seasons 2-3 so I can continue watching from the comfort of my couch.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:45 pm

CIT Group falls off S&P 500 index (AP)

AP - Standard & Poor's is replacing the struggling CIT Group Inc. with software maker Red Hat Inc. in the S&P 500 index.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:43 pm

Amazon Pulls Purchased E-Book Copies of 1984 and Animal Farm

Oracle Goddess writes "In a story just dripping with irony, Amazon Kindle owners awoke this morning to discover that 1984 and Animal Farm had mysteriously disappeared from their e-book readers. These were books that they had bought and paid for, and thought they owned. Apparently the publisher changed its mind about offering an electronic edition, and apparently Amazon, whose business lives and dies by publisher happiness, caved. It electronically deleted all books by George Orwell from people's Kindles and credited their accounts for the price. Amazon customer service may or may not have responded to queries by stating, 'We've always been at war with Eastasia.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:39 pm

Costco Pairs With Gazelle for Old Tech Trade-Ins [Voices]

By Geoffrey Fowler, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Last week, Costco quietly rolled out a new partnership with Web site Gazelle to encourage its legions of discount shoppers to trade in their old technology for credit they can spend on new gadgets.

The Costco customer program works pretty much like the one that startup Gazelle has offered to everyone for about a year. Enter the make and model of your old gadget (say, a third-generation 8GB iPod Nano) into the Costco Gazelle Web site, and the company tells you how much cash they’ll give you for it ($47, as of Friday, July 17) if you put it in a box and mail it to them. Gazelle then resells your old gear on eBay (EBAY) and to wholesalers — or, if it’s really old, they’ll recycle it for the value of its tech innards.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: Gizmodo | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:30 pm

Registration Now Open for Directions On Microsoft Licensing Training

FREE Briefing: Evaluating Software Assurance [July 30th @ 10:00 PDT]Register for a phone-based conference hosted by Directions On Microsoft licensing expert, Paul DeGroot. You'll learn how to weigh the benefits of Microsoft Software Assurance, a major component of Microsoft volume licensing programs such as Enterprise Agreement and Select. It's a taste of the expertise that you'll get at the Directions On Microsoft Licensing Boot Camp, a two-day workshop that demystifies Microsoft licensing programs and rules. You'll get information you need to intelligently evaluate your Microsoft licensing options and maximize the return on your software investment. Learn licensing in a way that is clear and concise, with no hidden agendas.Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Directions On Microsoft Licensing Boot CampGet critical information and understanding to build your licensing expertise and make decisions that keep your company in compliance without overbuying Fill in gaps in your knowledge and identify weaknesses in your strategy Discover options that will save you tens-of-thousands of dollars . . . or moreNetwork with your peers and compare notesLearn basic software asset management practices to identify hidden savings, underutilized licenses, and potential legal liabilities For more information on the Software Assurance TeleBriefing, please visit: http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/alerts/ For more information on the Boot Camp, please visit: http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/licensing/30-licensing/312-bootcamp.html About Directions On Microsoft
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:16 pm

Cisco lays off 600 to 700 workers at headquarters (AP)

AP - Cisco Systems Inc. laid off 600 to 700 workers at its company headquarters and an undisclosed number of employees at other locations this week, bringing the world's largest maker of computer networking gear closer to its goal of reducing its work force by about 2,000 positions.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:15 pm

UK Entrepreneurs: Get Your Funding While You Still Can

You think you have it bad, Mr.-Silicon-Valley-entrepreneur-trolling-Sand-Hilll-Road-for-cash? Try life on the other side of the pond.

Out of 39 firms that were active investors in British start-ups over the last five years, only thirteen venture firms have £5 million or more left in their coffers to invest, according to NESTA, the UK agency that advocates for start-ups and also sponsored the recent Traveling Geeks blogger tour.

That’s right: All but thirteen firms in the United Kingdom are either completely tapped out or have committed the rest of their funds for follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies. In total, NESTA estimates there’s about £400 million left that’s uncommitted among the thirteen, with only half of that available for brand-new series A deals. To put that into perspective, there’s roughly the same amount of money in the fund Marc Andreessen just closed than there is for new companies in the entire United Kingdom right now.

This is coinciding with a precipitous drop in UK firms closing on new funds thanks to the global credit crunch. In 2008, only seven firms closed new funds, and NESTA expects fundraising to be even weaker in 2009.

As most people know, I’m a pretty big advocate of the idea that many of the next great high-growth companies will be founded outside of the U.S., but these stats starkly demonstrate a undeniable advantage of being Valley-based. Even when fundraising slows and VCs save bigger reserves than usual for current investments, there are still billions sloshing around to fund new deals. Sure, it’s hard during times like these even in the Valley, but raising venture capital should be hard.

As with most research reports on the venture business, it’s the trend line that’s important to note here. It’s probable that NESTA isn’t counting a firm here or there. But it can’t be too far off. Indeed, the stat explains a lot of the anecdotal evidence that hit me in the face as soon as I arrived in London two weeks ago. Many of the entrepreneurs who’d pitched me on my last visit to London in November have already shuttered their companies and were unsure of what to do next. I have exactly one friend in Silicon Valley who has been forced to that point.

Even the good UK early stage names are struggling to close deals. It took AlertMe—a hot energy home monitoring company that won The TechCrunch Europa for best clean tech company last week—a whopping nine months to raise money almost landing the company in bankruptcy. (Index Ventures and others finally snapped up the deal a few months ago.) “I don’t want to go through that again,” the very polite and British CEO Pilgrim Beart demurred.

It’s that kind of bleak desperation that lead the infamous Paul Carr to pronounce the UK Internet scene dead….just before his own column in the Guardian became its own victim of the economy a few days later. (See Mr. Butcher’s TechCrunchEurope rebuttal here.)

Indeed “the scene” may be dead, but there’s an upside here. The companies that are still around have a much greater emphasis than Valley companies on making money. The Traveling Geek contingent went to Accel’s London office to meet with a handful of start-ups, and each one emphasized revenue and profits in their five-minute elevator pitches.

One that caught me by surprise was Michael Smith’s Moshi Monsters, a social network/ virtual game for kids. Cute idea, but sounds like it should be road kill in this environment, right? Nope. Its revenues are growing 35% month-over-month, it has 85% gross margins, and just five months after launching the site is cash flow positive. Nicely done, gents. (BTW, Smith isn’t all business. His house was the setting of those famous Scoble pictures…)

Indeed, there’s always something healthy about startups having to work within constraints. There will be fewer of them, but it’s possible that the companies that make it in this environment could well make up one of the most promising crops of UK companies we’ve ever seen. After all, Skype was laughed out of VCs’ offices when it started in the wake of the dot com bust.

In the coming days, I’ll be writing several more posts about the London companies that impressed me the most. Stay tuned.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:11 pm

Drew Friedman fine art print of The Three Stooges

Here's a stunning Drew Friedman fine art print of The Three Stooges (with Shemp) and recurring nemesis Vernon Dent. Limited edition of 35 numbered prints signed by the artist.


Source: Boing Boing | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:08 pm

i2 and Knowledge Computing Corporation Announce the Completion of Their Merger, Focus on Innovating Technologies to Further Accelerate Law Enforcement

About KCCSince its formation in 1998, Knowledge Computing Corp. has provided technology-based crime-fighting solutions to leading edge law enforcement agencies nationwide. COPLINK supports over 3,000 jurisdictions nationwide. Spanning across 20 states, and including four of the nation's five largest cities, COPLINK is helping law enforcement officers fight crime, thwart terrorism and improve community safety through comprehensive information sharing.About i2Founded in 1990, i2 is the leading provider of intelligence and investigation management software for public safety, military, national security and commercial organizations. The Intelligence-led Operations Platform launched in May, enables analysts and investigators to quickly understand complex scenarios and volumes of seemingly unrelated data, perform analysis and communicate the results. More than 2,000 organizations in over 115 countries rely on i2 road-tested technology to prevent crime and terrorism by uncovering hidden connections faster and making the right decision at the right time.About Diamond Ventures
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:03 pm

Company Law Board Withdraws Four Government-Appointed Directors from Mahindra Satyam Board

HYDERABAD, India, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mahindra Satyam, the new brand identity of Satyam Computer Services Ltd.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 10:00 pm

Twittergate Is Lame - PC World

BBC News

Twittergate Is Lame PC World Citizens of the blogosphere: We've been had. The revelations from the dubiously named Twittergate have been about as exciting as watching wet paint dry, and has served only to hype the TechCrunch and Twitter brands. When Michael Arrington first ... Did TechCrunch Go Too Far In Revealing Twitter Docs?ChannelWeb TechCrunch vs. Twitter, Round 2Mediapost.com Twitter vs TechCrunchTechtree.com ZDNet -Poynter.org -eWeek all 655 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:42 pm

Exclusive: Patch Media CEO Brod Now Heading AOL’s Venture Unit [BoomTown]

In yet another appointment of an exec close to AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong, Patch Media CEO Jon Brod (pictured here) has taken over the new venture arm of the Time Warner (TWX) online unit.

AOL confirmed the appointment to BoomTown.

Patch is a hyperlocal community news site, in which Armstrong was the major investor. It was bought by AOL in June for just under $10 million.

Like recently installed AOL advertising head Jeff Levick, who worked with Armstrong at Google (GOOG), Brod has also known him for a long time.

He ran Patch for Armstrong and was president and COO of Polar Capital Group, Armstrong’s private investment company, which is focused on the media, technology and sports sectors.

Previous to that, Brod worked as an exec at InterActiveCorp (IACI) and even at the National Basketball Association.

Now Brod will helm AOL Ventures, a new unit of AOL that Armstrong created as part of a larger new strategy to invest in new things, and he will manage a portfolio of some of its more difficult recent acquisitions.

That means Brod will be figuring out what to do with AOL’s pricey purchase of its Bebo social networking site, as well as the Truveo video search unit, widgetmaker Userplane.

Sources close to the situation said AOL is bullish on Truveo (even though the previous management at AOL was poised to sell it), thinks Userplane’s once-promising prospects have dwindled due to neglect and will likely seek to sell Bebo.

But Brod will also be charged with investing in start-ups and also incubating.

“The Ventures group is about fostering innovation around the globe,” said Brod, in an interview with me. “And we’re going to create the Internet’s most entrpreneurial-friendly environment in order to accomplish this.”

The New York-based Patch is a platform that does deeply localized coverage of communities on a range of topics, from announcements to news to events to obituaries. It is aimed at competing with local newspapers and other media.

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:39 pm

Keyboard Cat t-shirt

A t-shirt design by OXEN over at Threadless. And the crowd goes wild. Three Keyboard Cat Moon (Thanks, UPSO!)


Source: Boing Boing | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:17 pm

Parsing Words in the Tussle Over Nortel [Voices]

By Michael Corkery, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Here is a good rule of thumb in M&A: Be careful what you say in public.

The joint venture Nokia Siemens (NOK) appears to be learning this lesson the hard way this week, after its North American Operations president, Sue Spradley, was quoted as saying it would be interested in buying “other” assets of Toronto telecommunications-gear maker Nortel (NT) Networks, which filed for bankruptcy-law protection in January.

“If other assets come on to the market, we will look at each one for their value and if there is something there, we will do a deal,” Spradley said at an Economic Club of Canada luncheon this week, according to the Canadian Financial Post.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:14 pm

5 Questions with TechVi’s Randall Bennett

Section: Web, Websites, Online Music/Video, Features, Interviews

1. Who are you?
Randall Bennett, technology enthusiast and content creator.  I run TechVi.com as the Executive Producer.

2. Facebook, Twitter, or something else and why?
Facebook for my family and “real” friends, and Twitter for my internet pals (@randallb), because I need a replacement for watercooler chat when I work from home.
3. What is the gadget you couldn’t live without (and why)?
MacBook Pro.  Not sure if it’s a “gadget” proper, but it’s basically everything I do in my life.  I shoot my show using it, edit video, write biz docs, email, facebook, twitter, use it as my media center with Boxee, and pretty much everything I do for a living revolves around it.

4. Most regrettable piece of tech you own [mine’s an original Sony Reader]
Motorola Q.  I got it for free from Sprint with their SERO plan to use primarily as a modem, but as I’ve used it as a phone, I’ve grown to loathe Windows Mobile even more.  Oh, that and the battery life is absolute crap.

5. If you could wish a gadget into existence, what would it be?
A non-AT&T iPhone that could actually send and receive calls reliably, and also not have exorbitant pricing for the plan.  Oh, that, and a gadget that automatically promotes my website, TechVi.com, so I don’t have to oddly do it in non-applicable questions.

Visit: [TechVi]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:13 pm

Endeavour Arrives at Space Station

Space shuttle Endeavour reaches its destination: the International Space Station.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:10 pm

Amazon, Why Don’t You Come In Our Houses And Burn Our Books Too?

So plenty has already been said about this, but we’re going to weigh in too because it’s just so ridiculous. Amazon began remotely deleting books from Kindles this morning. Illegal books? Nope. Perfectly legal versions of George Orwell’s “1984″ and “Animal Farm”, purchased through Amazon.

Why? Well, apparently the publisher changed their minds about having digital versions of the books available for the Kindle, reports David Pogue. Okay, that’s up to them — from this point forward. But those who already paid for the books, own them. In a word, this is bullshit.

Seriously, why doesn’t Amazon just come into our houses and burn the print copies as well while they’re at it?

This remote deletion issue is an increasingly interesting one. Last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed that the company has a remote “kill switch” to remove apps from your device if it thinks that is necessary. To the best of my knowledge, they have yet to use such functionality, and would only do so if there was a malicious app out there that was actually causing harm to iPhones. They have not even used it to kill some poor taste apps that were quickly removed from the App Store, like Baby Shaker.

That sounds reasonable. What Amazon is doing, is not. Yes, they credit your account with the money you paid for the book, but I don’t want the money. I want the book, which I legally bought. And this follows its poor choice in making certain app makers remove their apps from the App Store that call their APIs in ways they don’t like — that is to say, on mobile devices. Laughable.

Pogue and our own CrunchGear have it right in pointing out the parallels between a move like this and Orwell’s own novels that are being removed. “And of course the fact that this happened to 1984, of all books, makes this even more surreal,” write Gizmodo.

Big Brother is in your Kindle. Watching.

Update: As commenter Edward Virtually notes, this action is likely within Amazon’s legal rights. I think that’s pretty obvious or there is no way they would have done it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not complete and utter bullshit too. Everyone who hears about this and has a Kindle will now think twice about buying a book on there. Legal BS aside, this is Amazon shooting themselves in the foot here. Big time.

Update 2: Amazon has admitted how stupid this was, and says it won’t do so in the future. But InformationWeek is reporting that the FTC may be interested in looking at Amazon’s shady actions.

[photo: flickr/pccorreia]

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:09 pm

Endangered alligators hatching in China

Endangered Chinese alligators have been reintroduced at the mouth of the Yangtze River and are multiplying on their own, authorities said. Fifteen hatchlings born on the river this year are the descendants of Chinese alligators exported to New York's Bronx Zoo, bred in captivity and then exported back to China, Wildlife Conservation Society officials said in a release Friday. We are grateful to our Chinese partners for their commitment to reintroduce Chinese alligators back into the wild, Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:08 pm

Your Apollo Anniversary Experience

A roundup of events tied to the 40th anniversary of man's landing on the moon.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:01 pm

Verizon intros the 2-in-1 Novatel Wireless PC770

So your personal notebook has an ExpressCard slot, but your work-issued notebook is older and therefore equipped with a PCMIA slot. Oh noes. What’s a person suppose to do? Well, you could opt for a USB wireless modem, or…get the Novatel Wireless PC770 that bats for both teams! Plus, it works with both Windows and OS X. The aircard will hit VZW stores on August 2 with a 2-year agreement price of $99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

VERIZON WIRELESS INTRODUCES NOVATEL WIRELESS PC770

Versatile 2-in-1 PC Card Provides High-Speed Mobile Broadband to Access the Internet, E-mail and Download Files While On the Go

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SAN DIEGO – Verizon Wireless and Novatel Wireless (NASDAQ: NVTL), a leading provider of wireless broadband solutions, today announced that the PC770 2-in-1 PC Card and Express Card will be available on Sunday at www.verizonwireless.com, through business sales channels and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN. The PC770 gives customers access to Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband service, which provides fast access to e-mail, corporate data, the Internet and more.

Key features:

· Runs on Verizon Wireless’ high-speed network, which uses Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technology

· Uses NovaSpeed™ technology that enables high-speed simultaneous uploads and downloads

· Includes VZAccess Manager software for easy connection management and automatic installation

· 2-in-1 card includes an adapter so the PC770 can be used with an ExpressCard or a PC peripheral interface slot and is compatible with both PC and Mac notebook computers

Lifestyle features:

· Ideal for individuals and organizations making the transition from PC Cards to the newer ExpressCard format

· Addresses the flexibility that enterprise customers require in their mobile broadband solutions

Price and availability:

· The PC770 will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Aug. 2. It will be available for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· For additional information on any Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may contact a Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative directly at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pm

Dispute Between Wikipedia, Art Gallery Heats Up

A dispute over Wikipedia’s use of images from the Web site of a British art gallery is heating up as the online encyclopedia accuses the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) of violating its public service objective.But the gallery claims it needs to recover the $1.6 million (£1m) cost of its digitization program, and says Wikipedia has distorted its position.The NPG is now threatening legal action after 3,300 high-resolution images from its Web site were upload to Wikipedia by volunteer Derrick Coetzee.Erik Moeller, the deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, outlined the organization's position in a blog post.  He said the two sides should be "allies not adversaries" and that museums and other cultural institutions should not seek additional revenue at the expense of limiting public access to their material."It is hard to see a plausible argument that excluding public domain content from a free, non-profit encyclopedia serves any public interest whatsoever," he wrote.Moeller referenced two German photographic archives that had donated 350,000 copyrighted images for use on Wikipedia.   Meanwhile, other institutions in the U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:55 pm

Cisco Lays Off Employees

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that U.S. computer networking giant Cisco Systems has laid off between 600 and 700 employees at its headquarters in San Jose, California, in an attempt to cut cost during the down economy.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:48 pm

Google Says Mobile App Stores Have No Future

Apple’s iPhone App Store may be a resounding success. But Google says app stores are a dead end.

Sour grapes? Maybe. It’s no coincidence that Google has placed its money on web-based applications, for its mobile Android operating system as well as its forthcoming Chrome OS.

Vic Gundotra, Google’s engineering vice president and developer evangelist, said on Friday at the Mobilebeat conference in San Francisco that the future of the mobile industry lies in web-based applications, rather than native software coded to run on specific smartphone operating systems.

“Many, many applications can be delivered through the browser and what that does for our costs is stunning,” Gundotra was quoted in a Financial Times report. “We believe the web has won and over the next several years, the browser, for economic reasons almost, will become the platform that matters and certainly that’s where Google is investing.”

Ever since Java emerged in the 1990s, the tech industry has debated whether software would shift from native programs sitting on a hard drive (like Microsoft Office) toward web-based applications accessible through a browser (like Google Docs). Developed by Sun Microsystems, Java is a cross-platform environment that many web-based applications use today, albeit “in the cloud” — on central servers — rather than in the browser. One big benefit of cloud-based, web-centric applications is that users can access the apps and their personal data from any computer using a browser.

However, while Google’s internet software suite is certainly popular, web-based apps are far from winning, said Michael Gartenberg, technology strategist of Interpret. He noted that Apple’s App Store, which serves 65,000 third-party apps and has attracted over 1.5 billion downloads and 100,000 developers, is a testament for strong consumer and developer interest in native applications.

“It’s odd that Google feels the need to position as one versus the other,” Gartenberg said. “That’s last century thinking.”

Gartenberg pointed out that many iPhone apps are native and web-based at the same time. That’s because a lot of the apps download or share data via the internet. And it’s beneficial for the apps to be native, because that way they’re programmed to specifically take advantage of the iPhone’s processor, graphic accelerator and other hardware features.

“It’s not about web applications or desktop applications but integrating the internet in the cloud into these applications that are on both my phone and the PC,” Gartenberg said. “Ultimately, it’s about offering the best of both worlds to create the best experience for consumers — not forcing them to choose one or the other.”

Gartenberg highlighted social networking service Twitter as an example. The Twitter service exists on the internet, and yet most users prefer reading their feeds and posting tweets with a native application rather than visiting Twitter.com in a browser, Gartenberg said.

Raven Zachary, an analyst and president of iPhone strategist firm Small Society, also disagreed with Google’s assessment. He said that the App Store makes it clear that native apps are proving a better experience for consumers. When Apple released the original iPhone in 2007, the company offered no software developer kit for the smartphone and told developers to make web-based apps. However, web-based apps proved unpopular among developers, and the iPhone didn’t explode in popularity until its App Store and the second-generation iPhone 3G launched in 2008.

“It’s pretty clear that native apps and on-phone distribution are by far the most efficient and compelling ways to have consumer apps,” Zachary said.

And speaking technically, Zachary pointed out that there will always be fundamental challenges with coding apps purely for the web: Not all hardware will be optimized to run the software. Different phones possess different screen resolutions, for example, meaning some apps would load better on certain phones than others. And other than that, a web-based app can’t take full advantage of a specific phone’s powers if it’s coded to work in a cross-platform environment.

Loren Brichter, developer of the popular iPhone Twitter application Tweetie, can vouch for the technical challenges lying ahead for web-based mobile programming. He said he’s been trying to code apps using the Palm Pre’s webOS software development kit, which involves programming in JavaScript and CSS.

“The Pre’s SDK is painful to work with because JavaScript is so clumsy,” Brichter said.

He added that web technology is not improving quickly enough to fulfill Google’s prophecy of web apps winning in the near future.

“The progress of web technologies is going so slow,” Brichter said. “With HTML5, they can’t even decide on a video format…. It’s just moving at a snail’s pace.”

What do you think about the future of mobile? Web apps winning? App stores surviving? Both native and web co-existing? Vote in the poll below.

See Also:

• Report: Sony Readies PSP ‘App Store’
• GDC: In iPhone’s Wake, Nintendo, Sony Push Handheld Game Downloads …
• Nokia Ovi App Store Faces Turbulent Start
• BlackBerry App Store Gets a Name
• Microsoft Reveals New App Store Strategy
• Coder’s Half-Million-Dollar Baby Proves iPhone Gold Rush Is Still …
• iPhone 3.0: Will the Gold Rush Continue?

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:29 pm

Google Says Mobile App Stores Have No Future

Google sees no future in mobile application stores such as the iPhone's. The search engine thinks web-based software will win. Analysts and an iPhone developer beg to differ.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:29 pm

Google Says Mobile App Stores Have No Future

Google sees no future in mobile application stores such as the iPhone's. The search engine thinks web-based software will win. Analysts and an iPhone developer beg to differ.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:29 pm

Google Expects YouTube To Be Profitable In The Future

Despite previous losses from YouTube, Google expects its video-sharing site to begin turning a profit soon after a boost in advertisement.  In 2006, Google bought YouTube for $1.6 billion, but the popular site has only caused Google to lose money up to this point.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:28 pm

Microsoft, Yahoo Deal Could Be Closing Soon

Microsoft and Yahoo have been in and out of the news for months after the software giant bid to buy Yahoo last year, but new talks are underway and are speculated to be almost near completion.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:16 pm

Ecologist resurrects old eggs

Resurrecting old eggs of zooplankton offers insight into how species have evolved, a Cornell University ecologist said in New York. Nelson Hairston Jr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:15 pm

LeapFrog Enterprises Announces Second Quarter 2009 Conference Call

EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 8:05 pm

Anthrax Guitarist Shreds DC Comics Hellraiser Lobo

Metal-maniac-turned-comics-scribe Scott Ian shares a certain extreme attitude with the ultraviolent character whose story he will tell in an upcoming miniseries.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:57 pm

Orbiter returns images of moon landing

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first images of the Apollo moon landing sites, NASA officials said Friday. The images captured by the orbiter's camera show descent modules sitting on the moon's surface, NASA said.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:54 pm

Think You Own the Book You Bought for Your Kindle? You Don’t, Says Amazon. [MediaMemo]

Buy an e-book for Amazon’s Kindle recently? You might want to check to see if it’s still on your device. Kindle users are complaining that the e-commerce giant has removed titles from their machines this week and given them refunds in their place.

What happened? The details are fuzzy, but apparently, a publisher that supplied Amazon (AMZN) with two George Orwell titles has decided that it doesn’t want to sell them via Amazon anymore. So away they went.

Readers described their experiences at this Amazon forum, and one of them included this note she said she received from Amazon customer service explaining what happened:

The Kindle edition books Animal Farm by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) & Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Published by MobileReference (mobi) were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase. When this occured, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available. Although a rarity, publishers can decide to pull their content from the Kindle store.

Normally, I’m pretty cavalier about the complaints that people make about the evils of digital rights management–the locks and restrictions distributors often attach to digital media like music, movies and books–but this is the sort of incident that gives those gripes some gravitas. If you’re buying bits, you ought to own those bits, just as you would when you plunk down dollars for a CD, a book or any other physical item.

Doubly confusing: As far as I can tell, Amazon’s license terms don’t have any loophole that allows for this. The section on “digital content” explains that I don’t have the right to “sell, rent, lease, distribute,” etc., the stuff I buy from Amazon. But it sure looks like stuff I buy, I keep:

Upon your payment of the applicable fees set by Amazon, Amazon grants you the non-exclusive right to keep a permanent copy of the applicable Digital Content and to view, use, and display such Digital Content an unlimited number of times, solely on the Device or as authorized by Amazon as part of the Service and solely for your personal, non-commercial use. Digital Content will be deemed licensed to you by Amazon under this Agreement unless otherwise expressly provided by Amazon.

So, what am I missing here? I’ve asked Amazon for comment, but if anyone has any bright ideas, sound off in comments below.

UPDATE: Amazon says the copies it sold were “illegal”, because the publisher never had the rights to them. But it says that going forward, it won’t be removing books from customer’s Kindles “in these circumstances”.

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:50 pm

An App To Show You Mastercard “Priceless” Deals: Priceless.

When I first heard that Mastercard was releasing an iPhone app called “Priceless Picks,” I thought for sure it would be a lame gimmick. But I must admit, it’s actually a kind of cool gimmick.

If you’ve ever watched TV, you’ve undoubtedly seen at least a dozen of the Mastercard “Priceless” ads. You know the ones, “So and so consumer items: $5. Such and such memorable moment paid for with your Mastercard: Priceless.” Yeah, now there’s an app for those.

Well not exactly. It’s not like this app is limited to the priceless moments mentioned in the commercials, that would be kind of pointless. Instead this is a social app that allows consumers to point out their best deals at their favorite local spots for all to see. The app uses the iPhone location services to figure out where you are. It then shows you on a map and shows all the deals others have placed around you.

That may sound bland and obvious, but the app is actually done in a really nice way. You can choose either a bird’s eye view of the deals around you on the map, or get a more street-view like look (though, sadly, it doesn’t use the iPhone 3GS’ new compass to move the map when you move). If you tap on any of the color-coded bubbles, you zoom into that specific deal and can tap to get more info about it.

You can also flag the deal is “improper” or send it to a friend, all without leaving the app. It also tells you when (if ever) the deal expires.

If you want to add you own deal, you simply click the “+” button, and enter the relevant details. It will tag the place at whatever your current location is.

So will anyone actually use this app? Who knows. But if Mastercard starts promoting it on their annoyingly effective commercials, I could certainly see a bunch of tourists picking up this app to find some deals in whatever city they happen to be in.

The best part of this “priceless” app is that it really is price-less, as in, free. Find it here.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:49 pm

Google Says Mobile Web Apps Will Win In The Long Haul

Native Apps, or Web Apps? It's the great debate of the mobile world right now, essentially fueling the platform wars from behind the scenes. Palm took the Web App route with the Pre and webOS, though with the SDK just now available to all its a bit too early to gauge that decision. The iPhone began its life with Web Apps, only to later open up native support and become the apotheosis of how app development and distribution can be done. Even Google, who will try to jam just about anything into the cloud, is putting a lot of weight behind running things locally on their Android platform. Still, Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra says Web Apps are the way.

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:43 pm

Microsoft Seen Posting Sharp Profit Decline For Fiscal 4Q - Wall Street Journal

New Zealand Herald

Microsoft Seen Posting Sharp Profit Decline For Fiscal 4Q Wall Street Journal Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is expected to post declines in profit and sales for its fiscal fourth-quarter next Thursday, as the software giant contends with flagging sales of personal computers bundled with its technology. ... Microsoft, Yahoo Close To Deal (Again)ChannelWeb Microsoft Should Run From Supposed Yahoo DealPC World Microsoft, Yahoo Said To Renew Search TalksInformationWeek San Jose Mercury News -eWeek -PC Magazine all 726 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:40 pm

Gadgetell Round table: What to do when your mom tries to friend you on Facebook

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Features, Originals

Facebook, the once college only social network (does anyone remember those days?), is getting older and older.  Eventually you will face the familiar “You have a friend request,” but it’s from your mom.  What do you do?  We had a round table discussion at Gadgetell to see what we would do faced with this odd eventuality.

JG Mason: Multiple Facebooks are the answer

I’d go limited, though, to be honest, I’ve no idea how to do that.  I’ve been researching all morning and the settings are less than user friendly. 

Then there is the problem of living double lives.  Do I post something for everyone to see, two versions?  ignore one set of people?  I’ve tried this and the result is always showing your grandparents pics of you running naked down a hotel corridor.  It always ends this way.

What I’d love to see is this:

Facebook Me: (Yep, stole it from Windows) - you, uncensored for your core friends - the default
Facebook Pro: For your business associates, church friends, straight laced up and up.  You have to post stuff here specifically.
Facebook Fam: In between Pro and Me.

Then you tag stuff Pro, Me, Fam and it gets posted as you wish.  That would makes tons more sense to me.  Of course, I’d still end up tagging something wrong and my grandparents would still get nudy pics of me.  Damn!

Jodie Andrefski: Mom may not approve

.
Well, I can’t even imagine my mom or dad on Facebook, but I would definitely go limited—especially with my mother.  I do have family members on my Facebook account, but they are ones that I am cool with seeing whatever I put up there and vice versa. 

Even now my profile isn’t public.  I used to have it that way and noticed I tended to get a bunch of weirdo stalker sorts.  It’s not nearly as bad on Facebook as back in the myspace days at least.  That place was like a virtual playground for people on the make who just couldn’t understand that you might not be.

Natesh Sood: Don’t underestimate passive resistance

I would let the friend request sit there, I wouldn’t accept it or reject it.  Either way my parents can’t really force me to add them on Facebook.  There’s just things on Facebook that they couldn’t understand and would probably annoy me about it. 

Shawn Ingram: What, me worry?

I would not even add them if I had anything I had to worry about.  It depends on how Internet-savvy they are.  I actually did add my father as soon as he got on, because I knew he’d never take the time to learn too much about it.  it could also be because I don’t have friends that would post pictures of me doing stupid things at college, that is probably until they start taking video.  I guess it depends on the personal situation.

Being in college I’m almost expected to be doing stupid things at the start, so it’d probably be more of a surprise to my parents that I’m not.

Sue Walsh: Follow one rule and you’re set

Actually my dad is on Facebook and he’s on my friend’s list.  Since my rule is to never put anything on my profile I wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the New York Times (and my friends have the same rule) I have no worries.

Robert Nelson: I’m an open book

My Mom, along with my sisters and a bunch of other family members are all on Facebook and so are my friends.  Personally, I do not worry much about what they will see or learn about me, other than my daughter, but we just added her recently and are still considering that one fully.  They have known for a while that I am not the most normal person in the world and have done more than my fair share of stupid and crazy things during my life.  I am pretty certain that while there are still secrets, nothing (should it appear on Facebook) would be all that surprising.

I have them all, just like everyone else, with full profile access. It is also safe to say that I have way more than I should in terms of personal information available on Facebook.  I take the “if they really want to know, they will find it somewhere else” approach.

Personally, I think it is kind of cool that my mom and many other family members are on Facebook, heck the Facebook app even convinced my Aunt (mom’s sister) to buy an iPhone.

Iyaz Akhtar: It’s all public

Personally, I’m pretty cautious on Facebook since I have put all my info as public.  So if my Mom wanted to follow me, I’d say “Sure” and she could see my entire profile.  Although I wonder what would happen if college friends put up pictures of me doing dumb things.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:22 pm

Global Model For The Origin Of Species Independent Of Geographical Isolation

A modern approach to the formation of diverse species is developed without boundaries and ecosystem nichesThe tremendous diversity of life continues to puzzle scientists, long after the 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:20 pm

10 Gaming Gadgets That Will Make Us Hurt Ourselves

It's all fun and games until somebody gets a Wiimote in the eye. Here are the game accessories we think have the greatest potential for damage.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:18 pm

Endeavour docks with space station

The shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station Friday after performing a backflip during an inspection for possible damage, NASA said. Shuttle commander Mark Polansky docked with the orbiting space station at 1:47 p.m.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:14 pm

Google Says Mobile Web Apps Will Win In The Long Haul

Native Apps, or Web Apps? It’s the great debate of the mobile world right now, essentially fueling the platform wars from behind the scenes. Palm took the Web App route with the Pre and webOS, though with the SDK just now available to all its a bit too early to gauge that decision. The iPhone began its life with Web Apps, only to later open up native support and become the apotheosis of how app development and distribution can be done. Even Google, who will try to jam just about anything into the cloud, is putting a lot of weight behind running things locally on their Android platform.

Still, Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra says Web Apps are the way.

During a panel at Mobilebeat 2009, Gundotra put his full support behind the Web:

“We believe the web has won and over the next several years, the browser, for economic reasons almost, will become the platform that matters and certainly that’s where Google is investing.”

For developers currently accustomed to developing in Objective-C or J2ME, this might sound like crazy talk; in its current state, the only time we turn to the mobile web for app development is for the most basic of services. Twitter client? Sure. Complex 3D games? Yeah, probably not.

But that could very well change. With the advancement of HTML5 and Web App-centric SDK’s like Palm’s Mojo, the limitations are dwindling. Inch by inch, function by function, handset functionality is becoming web accessible. Already, some handsets are allowing applications to tie into their accelerometers and GPS receivers. As mobile broadband speeds increase and APIs are opened up, what’s really to keep us from piping those complex 3D games from afar?

To think that applications are always going to be completely locally ran is short-sighted; once the functionality of web-based applications is on par with that of native applications, the line blurs. Once the consumer can’t tell the difference between something running on their handset and something coming off the web, they stop caring. If the consumer is no longer resisting, the advantages of web apps, such as instant deployment and simplified cross compatibility, are too great to pass up.

Vic Gundotra acknowledged Apple’s move from Web App to Native, implying that Apple was simply a bit ahead of the times:

“I think Steve [Jobs] really did understand that, over the long term, it would be the web, and I think that’s how things will play out.”

We’d agree with Vic here. It’s not going to happen tomorrow, nor even in the next year - but the short list of reasons to develop natively is growing shorter each day.

[Via FinancialTimes]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:14 pm

Study Sheds Light On Growing US Wind Power Market

For the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. was home to the fastest-growing wind power market in the world in 2008, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Energy and prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).  Specifically, U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:10 pm

The 10 Most Dangerous Foods to Eat While Driving

We're not making this up. It's a real list. And the first item on it is something you probably had on the way to work this morning.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:06 pm

Microsoft: ‘When’ not ‘if’ Xbox will go mobile in some capacity

Apparently it’s not a matter of “if” Microsoft will bring the Xbox, in some capacity, to the wonderful world of mobile entertainment, but “when.” So says Corporate Vice-President Shane Kim, at least; if you can’t trust Mr. Kim, then who can you trust?

Here’s the money quote from Mr. Kim, swiped from an interview with Kikizo:

For us, it’s a matter of focusing on “when,” because if we chased after a mobile or handheld opportunity, we would not have the resources and ability to do things like… Project Natal. So we’ve chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we’re building a service in Live that will… will extend to other platforms. No question about it.

The key to all of this, apparently, is Xbox Live. Microsoft sees the service as “connective tissue,” sustaining life between your Xbox 360 and your TV by way of Twitter and Facebook integration, Netflix streaming, and so on.

Nowhere does Kim explain what, exactly, Microsoft has in mind. Will it go the “traditional” route of releasing its own portable system? I can’t see that doing too well on its own: why is someone, in 2009, going to carry around a cellphone that doubles as a mobile computer and a dedicated video game machine?

Perhaps a Zune phone, one so powerful that it’s able to play video games with ease? (Just look at this video of Resident Evil 4 running on the iPhone and tell me that doesn’t look playable, if not great.) It’d give the Zune brand a much needed shot in the arm, that’s for sure. I can’t imagine too many Xbox Live Arcade games giving a modern cellphone too much trouble.

Of course, that’s merely speculation that I just came up with; it has no bearing on reality. I like to think out loud. It makes the day go by faster.

But, now you know: Microsoft wants to bring Xbox into your mobile world. How it does that, when it does that, who knows.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:00 pm

SLIDE SHOW: This Week's Top Stories

Flip through images from the week's lead stories on Discovery News.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 17 Jul 2009 | 7:00 pm

Jacket That Helps You Breathe in an Avalanche

The AvaJacket is a safety vest with a built-in mouthpiece. It's similar in concept to the AvaLung, which also helps filter fresher air from below, allowing the wearer to avoid breathing in his/her exhales.

The difference with the AvaJacket is you get the added benefit of an airbag which serves double duty: 1) inflates to protect the neck, 2) creates a pocket in the snow around the head that allows for more movement.

Great concept.

[via MedGadget]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:49 pm

Verizon Wireless Introduces Novatel Wireless PC770

Key features:Runs on Verizon Wireless' high-speed network, which uses Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) technologyUses NovaSpeed technology that enables high-speed simultaneous uploads and downloadsIncludes VZAccess Manager software for easy connection management and automatic installation2-in-1 card includes an adapter so the PC770 can be used with an ExpressCard or a PC peripheral interface slot and is compatible with both PC and Mac notebook computersLifestyle features:Ideal for individuals and organizations making the transition from PC Cards to the newer ExpressCard formatAddresses the flexibility that enterprise customers require in their mobile broadband solutionsPrice and availability: The PC770 will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Aug. 2. It will be available for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. For additional information on any Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may contact a Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative directly at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.About Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.About Novatel Wireless
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:15 pm

What Did the Xbox Ever Do to Obama?” [Voices]

By Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

In a speech to the NAACP Thursday night, President Barack Obama exhorted parents to play a more active role in raising and educating their children, including “putting away the Xbox” when it’s bedtime.

“We can’t tell our kids to do well in school and then fail to support them when they get home,” he said. “You can’t just contract out parenting. For our kids to excel, we have to accept our responsibility to help them learn. That means putting away the Xbox–putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences and reading to our children and helping them with their homework.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:14 pm

Power Your Car With Pee

An Ohio University researcher finds a way to fill one tank while draining another, and says it could power our cars before you know it.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:10 pm

Will Apple sue Microsoft over Laptop Hunter ads? - CNET News

Slippery Brick

Will Apple sue Microsoft over Laptop Hunter ads? CNET News Back in May, my crystal ball twitched with wonderment at the idea that Microsoft might be feeling a frisson of excitement that Apple had decided to make an ad in response to Redmond's "Laptop Hunters" campaign. ... Microsoft vs. Apple: Running Stupid, Not ScaredPC World Microsoft Says It's Starting To Get Under Apple's SkinChannelWeb Apple vs. marketing on 'best price'MarketWatch Switched -PC Magazine -KIROtv.com all 435 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:09 pm

Perhaps It’s Time for Another One of Those “Your iPhone Contract Is Up” Ads? [Digital Daily]

Palm’s (PALM) Pre may compete Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone on a feature-to-feature basis, but judging from the latest search stats from comScore, the Pre has some way to go before it matches the iPhone in mindshare.

According to the research house, Palm Pre search activity, which more than doubled in late May thanks to Sprint’s “Now Network” advertising campaign, suffered a significant decline in mid-June, right around the debut of the new iPhone (click on chart below).

“The final two weeks in June saw the [number of weekly searchers on terms relating to the Palm Pre] fall to approximately half the number of the peak week of activity,” comScore noted in a release today. “Interestingly, this decline in Palm Pre search activity coincided with the launch of the Apple iPhone OS 3.0 on June 17 and launch of the iPhone 3GS two days later. Throughout May and the first week of June, the number of unique iPhone searchers remained fairly consistent at approximately one million people per week. In the week prior to the launch of the 3GS, however, the number of iPhone searchers more than doubled to 2.3 million people during the week of the launch.”

ComScore offers no correlating evidence beyond this, and the end of the Sprint campaign obviously played a role in the decline, but this is clearly not a simple coincidence. (Google Trends shows virtually the same thing. Click on chart below.) These are rival devices in a unique market we’re talking about. That said, comScore suggests that the Pre does resonate with an audience different from the one interested in the iPhone.

“Of the people who searched for Palm Pre-related terms during the eight weeks of the study,” comScore notes, “just 11 percent also searched on iPhone-related terms, suggesting that the majority of the people interested in the Pre have little interest in the iPhone.”

Source: All Things Digital | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:05 pm

SLIDE SHOW: Revisiting Apollo's Landing Sites

An orbiter sends fresh images of the Apollo lunar landing sites.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm

Potential Neurotoxin Could Be in Our Food

A new study finds the flame retardant PBDE, a potential neurotoxin, in food. The scientists say the chemical could stick around in our food chain long after it is taken off the market.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm

WATCH: Arctic Melt Caught on Video

Greenland's Petermann Glacier is poised to lose a Manhattan-sized chunk.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 17 Jul 2009 | 6:00 pm

Verizon loosens up their exclusive deals - sort of

According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon has announced a change to their policies on exclusive handset deals. Under the terms of the new policy, Verizon will allow handset manufacturers to sell otherwise VZW-exclusive models to small wireless carriers (those with less than 500,000 subscribers) after a 6-month period.

Now, we’re all for getting rid of (or at least shortening) exclusive handset deals. We’d love to be able to grab a Palm Pre on AT&T or an iPhone on Verizon. But this doesn’t do squat. Less than 500,000 subscribers? Great. Even MetroPCS, which is one of the smaller nationwide carriers, has over 6 million subscribers. Sure, this will help the handful of MVNOs still managing to stay afloat out there under the 500k mark - but then Verizon goes and tacks on a 6-month wait. Way to help the smallest group of people in the least helpful way possible, Verizon.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:59 pm

How Google Made Its Q2 Numbers: Squeezing Expenses

Google made its earnings numbers yesterday, actually coming in above expectations.  Total revenues were $5.5 billion, 3 percent above the same period last year and flat with the first quarter (when sequential revenues actually declined).  Net revenues, which are the revenues which actually go to Google after they pay off AdSense and AdWords partner sites via traffic acquisition costs (TAC), came in at $4.07 billion.  That was slightly above the Street consensus of $4.05 billion (see Citi’s cheat sheet below).  Non-GAAP earnings came in at a respectable $5.36 earnings per share, well above the $5.05 Street consensus.  

Investors should be ecstatic, right?  Yet the stock is down $15 right now from yesterday’s close, to about $428. Some of that is selling on the news that advertising revenues have “stabilized.” But if you take a deeper look at the numbers, it looks like Google’s earnings strength has more to do with cost-cutting than with revenue growth.

Google ended the quarter with 378 fewer employees than in March, 2009 (total headcount was 19,786). Some of those might have included the 200 sales jobs it announced it would cut at the tail end of the first quarter. Google was able to reduce its sales and marketing costs by 3 percent and of its general and administrative costs by 23 percent from last year. The latter translated into $110 million in savings.  All of this cost containment certainly helped operating income rise 19 percent (to $1.9 billion), when net revenues were flat.

Google also put a major squeeze on capital expenditures, which came in at $139 million (80 percent lower than a year ago).  That helped free cash flow increase 37.5 percent to $1.5 billion from a year ago, but that was still down $517 million from the first quarter.  And when you back out the CapEx numbers the actual net cash coming from operations declined 9 percent to $1.6 billion.

 

Other key metrics:

Paid clicks were up 15 percent year-over-year, but down 2 percent from the first quarter.

Cost per click ($0.42 on average) was down 13 percent from a year ago but up 3 percent from the first quarter.

YouTube close to profitability: On the conference call, Google reported that monetized views on YouTube had tripled and that profitability for the service is in sight.

 

 

 

 

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:33 pm

4 Years After TJX Hack, Payment Industry Sets Security Standards

TJX's wireless network was breached four years ago. Now, the payment-card industry finally releases basic security standards for deploying wireless networks.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:30 pm

HTC Touch Pro 2 for Telus gets the 3.5mm treatment

When we’d heard that HTC was making the jump to good ol’ 3.5mm headphone jacks, we were beyond excited. That said, HTC made it pretty clear that devices they’ve already announced probably wouldn’t get a last minute change - which we took to mean, amongst other things, that the HTC Touch Pro 2 wasn’t in on the change. Nope!

WMExperts got their hands on the Telus version of the Touch Pro 2 and, sure enough, it’s sporting 3.5mm. That knocks one of the only two faults we had with this handset right off the list, inching it that much closer to perfection. We know it bugs handset makers when we say this, but seriously: if someone manages to squeeze Android onto this thing, I’ll eat a fist full of bees*.

* I’m allergic to bees, so I won’t really do this.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:29 pm

If Execution Is What Matters, Where Does That Leave Ideas?

There’s a cliché statement about entrepreneurship that says ideas are nothing without execution, rendering the former virtually worthless without the combination of hard work and luck that can transform unmaterialized concepts into viable businesses. Some have described ideas to be a mere multiplier of execution, which is close to how I personally think about them, and I would add that the process of getting a great product out there is a vital part of what constitutes innovation in the first place.

In my view, it’s not that ideas are worthless per se, it’s that they’re never more than a starting point, a launchpad.

I’ve been thinking about this all day after I read this blog post by Marjolein Hoekstra (who I consider to be a friend) about the original idea for Tweetmeme, a service that aggregates the most discussed and retweeted stories on Twitter (we use their retweet button at the bottom of blog posts, and you should use it).

I won’t dive deep into the details of the story because I’m trying to make a larger point, but here’s the gist: Hoekstra feels she doesn’t get enough credit publicly about the original idea for Tweetmeme, and calls out the company’s founder Nick Halstead for acknowledging her role and suggest perhaps they should even consider writing her a check. According to her, Halstead has been open about her role in Tweetmeme’s early days but has stopped doing that ever since they’ve raised about $650,000 in seed financing for taking the service to the next level. Halstead’s side of the story boils down to the fact that she was very involved in the (not so great) first version of the product, but they let it languish for 8 months and finally refocused and turned it into a great service without her help.

I tend to lean towards Halstead’s view on all this, despite my respect for Marjolein and knowing how knowledgeable she is about the Web and Twitter in particular. The way I see it, Tweetmeme is what it is in part of what Hoekstra talked about with Halstead et al. in the early days, through direct messages on Twitter and conversations on Skype. But it was a fairly obvious idea in the first place, and there were already others competing for the title “Techmeme for Twitter stories” when it first came out.

I’ve been in similar situations myself, having discussed business ideas with people online or offline and seeing them start a company, add a certain feature or rethink their strategy after these conversations (not that I’m saying I’m always right, quite the contrary). Sometimes I get credited, sometimes I don’t. But usually it’s not something I care much about, because I realize ideas are essentially a dime a dozen and there’s little chance that these people wouldn’t have made these moves without my help. Furthermore, most of the time it pleases me to see something happen because of something I told someone, whether it gets publicly credited or not.

I understand Hoekstra’s sentiment, but in general, I also think if your role is that significant from the get-go you should become a partner or somehow try to get compensated for your work early on. Complaining about not getting enough credit this late in the game comes off as envy rather than a call for sympathy, even if I know in Hoekstra’s case it’s most certainly the latter. To her credit, she blogs she just wants to get stuff settled between them and then move on.

Question is: what should one expect for helping shape an idea that turned into a business after many meetings, a lot of trial and error and some risk taking which did not involve her?

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

Source: TechCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:23 pm

5 Atrocious Science Cliches to Throw Down a Black Hole

Wired.com is throwing an extended black hole party to get rid of stuff that sucks. This week, Wired Science chucks in the worst cliches used to describe science. Add your own cliches and vote on what you hate most.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:21 pm

Who’s on Crack in Tech: 07.17.09

Section: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Netbooks, Gaming, Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack

An interesting news week always brings some insane thoughts into the light of day.  This week saw Microsoft hinting at bringing Natal not just to Xbox but to Windows, LG jumping on the apps wagon, Blockbuster to sell netbooks, and our very own Iyaz outdoes me on Interuptech, Gagetell’s new weekly show.

Project Natal to bring crazy gestures to work?

Project Natal was conceived to give users control using just their bodies, no controllers, keyboards, or cables necessary.  The project was originally intended as a gaming control much like the Wii.  But now, Project Natal has jumped the rails and looks to be rolling into Windows-ville. 

According to our Shawn Ingram, “In a recent interview with CNET, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates mentioned that both the Xbox and Windows divisions in Microsoft have latched onto the idea of Project Natal.  The technology will allow for easy file management in Windows, moving files just by moving them around with your hand. “

Fact: It will not be as cool as Tom Cruise in Minority Report.  You’ll look like you are swatting flies to your cube-farm mates.
Fact: This will become the bane of existence to folks like me who talk with our hands.  Can you imagine giving a presentation (where observers believe Natal would be great to advance slides) and getting animated only to have your slides jumping around like they just snorted a Pixie stick?  Instant anarchy.

There are a lot of users who have yet to master the mouse.  Now you wish to give them control using their arms?  Keep dreamin’ Bill.

Shove it up your Apps.

As Apple celebrated its one year anniversary of its App Store with over a billion or so served, LG wants everyone to know that it, too, will join the party.  LG is casually late to everything it seems these days.  Our Natesh Sood says, “LG plans to launch its LG Application Store with 1,400 apps to start and 100 of which will be sold at no cost.  “

Contrast this story to what Google is saying today: web apps are the wave of the future.  The thinking is many of the apps we use today could be made better with real-time data.  By using web apps that are drawing from the net, they are always up-to-date.  Then, the apps become device unspecific as they get run through a browser.  Is that too hopeful a picture for wireless broadband speeds?  Perhaps, for today.

But LG bringing their own apps to the game seems like a late attempt to stay current.  Where is the drive for apps on an LG platform?  Will they open it up to developers with an SDK?  Would anyone care?  I am not sold on the idea.

Blockbuster believes it is the hub for your mobile computing needs.  Huh?

Really Blockbuster?  With your bins of yesteryear’s B movies marked down at just $2.99, you are going to convince shoppers to impulse buy a netbook?  Your staff has trouble recommending me a new thriller, much less a piece of hardware.  But you’ve got bigger issues than that.

Our Shawn Ingram theorizes: “Netbooks are probably the easiest way for a company to promote its online services, like Blockbuster is doing.”  OK, but netbook screens are notoriously small (for a reason).  How can you promote a good online experience through the limit of a small screen?  Someone didn’t think this one all the way through and the guy or gal that piped up at the last board meeting with, “Hey, why don’t we sell more expensive stuff?” is going to look real silly in a few months.

Getting shown up on Interruptech.

This week I battled Iyaz on the big tech issues in a new weekly show called “Interuptech.”  Your time is limited so our time to talk about stuff is limited as well; this show cuts the BS and gets down to business quick and easy.  Iyaz and I differed on many points last week and I was pretty sure I came out on top in each argument.

So how does Iyaz compensate?  Editing.  Hear me now, kids: the future will be owned by those that edit well.  Editing is the next plastics.

By combining the funniest things he said, the worst laughing noises I made and degrading my video quality to make me seem as if I was remoting in from Venus, Iyaz made himself look sharp.  Too sharp.  Try as you might you are still hampered by one thing, Mr. Editor: you edit Gadgetell.  Zing!

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:06 pm

Bush-Era Plans to Reach Moon and Beyond Still Alive Under Obama

Despite rumors that NASA's next-gen human space-flight program would be severely cut back or scuttled, Obama's Human Spaceflight Plans Committee said today that no such decision had been made.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pm

Frost & Sullivan Names InterCall the Recipient of the 2009 Latin America Web Conferencing Solutions Market Competitive Strategy Leadership Award

2009 Award for Competitive Strategy Leadership in the Latin American Web conferencing solutions market is conferred on InterCall. The global company has been able to leverage its success to penetrate the market in the Latin American region, bringing a diverse portfolio that suits the needs of clients coming from any vertical or company size.(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)"InterCall gathered the key requirements to succeed in the Latin America web conferencing market: a compelling solutions portfolio; satisfying end-user experience and language integration; the highest quality of service; as well as compatibility with all the current operative systems," highlights Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Frost & Sullivan s Enterprise Communications Team Leader.In Latin America, the company has experienced a double digit growth rate from 2007 to 2008, and this is in great part due to the competitive advantage of InterCall s different products within its portfolio. Other factors behind this success are: the strong global presence of the company; the agreements among its clients to expand contracts to the region; and strong customer support and training teams. InterCall provides ad-hoc and customized training sessions and courses for clients in Spanish and Portuguese."InterCall's approach toward strategic acquisitions in the previous years has also been one of the drivers for the company's growth," explains Gonzalez. The major acquired companies were ECI, Raindance, the conferencing assets of Sprint Nextel Corp and, in May 2008, with the acquisition of Genesys, the company ensured a proprietary platform that can be upgraded and modified as per the client demands and markets trends. In December 2008, IBM announced that it had selected InterCall to resell its IBM Lotus Sametime Unyte, which allows customers to enjoy the power of Lotus Sametime Unyte's easy-to-use Web conferencing complemented by InterCall's audio."InterCall continues to enhance its core Web conferencing solution in terms of features, security and applications. In the meantime, due to its strong selling strategy and evangelism of conferencing solutions in Latin America, InterCall has been able to gain the trust and confidence of a large portion of the conferencing market in the world. This is steadily replicating to Latin America," observes Gonzalez. "Latin America is an exciting market for us because it is so diverse and fast-paced," said Luis Ramirez, director of Latin American sales and marketing for InterCall. "Our team works hard to understand what our customers need to improve their productivity, so it's an honor to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for our efforts. We're up to the challenge of keeping momentum going in Latin America for years to come."About the AwardThe Frost & Sullivan Award for Competitive Strategy Leadership is presented to the company whose competitive strategy has yielded significant gains in market share during the research period. Often, the recognized company has taken advantage of recent market changes that facilitate the introduction of never-before seen methods of capturing and solidifying market presence. Alternatively, the Award recipient may have executed an innovative strategy within the existing competitive landscape, empowering the company to overtake the competition. In either case, the company captures the attention of the competition, which quickly adjusts in order to protect its own market position. Frost & Sullivan analysts expect such innovations to produce lasting, precedent-setting trends in the industry.About Frost & SullivanFrost & Sullivan, the Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices empower clients to create a growth focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 35 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com. About InterCall
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 17 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pm

Android and LG’s GW620 “Eve” a match made in heaven

Apparently, the guys over at NieuweMobiel like to get their kicks by poking around in random XML files on LG’s website. It doesn’t sound like the most exciting pastime in the world (mostly because it isn’t), but it looks like our Dutch phone junkie comrades have struck the proverbial gold: they’ve managed to unearth a listing for the LG GW620 (A.K.A the Eve), one of the company’s first Android-powered handsets.

It’s not immediately obvious just by poring over the file’s contents, but the confirmation comes by looking at the name of the browser that’s set to ship stock with the device: what do you know, it’s listed as Android-Webkit (and version 3.1.2, no less). That’s not all though; upon further inspection, we’ve got a 320×480 display that we’re guessing is a touchscreen (after all, they probably wouldn’t want to go after their eternal rival Samsung with a disadvantage right out of the gate), support for UMTS and HSDPA, and a full QWERTY keyboard. To run through every detail here would take a while, so here’s the XML file, laid bare for your probing eyes to take in.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:49 pm

Lucky Germans: You can watch every single Bundesliga game live on your T-Mobile cellphone this season

Good news for German football fans who use T-Mobile. The company’s Bundesliga Total service is coming to cellphones. That means you’ll be able to watch every single game played in the first and second division from the comfort of your iPhone, G1 and G2. This is all live, by the way, not cheap-o highlights sent to your phone hours after the game has ended.

The service is free with the purchase of an iPhone 3G S with a 12-month contract.

Do we have a comparable service in the U.S.? Can you watch every single NFL game live on your iPhone? Can you buy a “Phillies Season Package” deal to watch the team tear apart the N.L. East (not that that’s hard to do these days)?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:30 pm

Android Donut dropping later this summer?

We did say that T-Mobile would be dropping one more major update this year for Android devices and it looks like The Weather Channel is quasi confirming that. In an interview with the Android Guys, TWC revealed that they’ve been working with Donut (2.0) and that their next update is slated for late summer.

The TWC dev team chimed in that 2.0 is much more stable and that the OS has “been greatly improved.” I’m down with that, but I’d much rather see cosmetic changes to the UI. It’s so drab looking with black and grey backgrounds. So half ass.

via Android Guys

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:19 pm

Crush Madoff's Head

Our Price: $14.95

List Price: $50,000,000,000.00

You Save: $49,999,999,985.05

Product Page [Klear Gear]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:18 pm

iPod nano rumor: 5th gen model to include a camera?

FROM APPLETELL - Uxsight is selling a case for a rumored 5th gen iPod nano, complete with…guess what.  Yep, an opening for a possible camera.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:14 pm

Video: The Virtusphere Revisited

Vice Magazine profiles the maker of the Virtusphere, essentially a stationary hamster ball for humans who want to do VR and interactive gaming.

Note: Sorry for the pre-roll ad.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:01 pm

Expanding shipping material protects PC components

I hate the prospect of selling an old gaming computer on eBay, not because of scammers, but because it'll get mistreated in delivery. This is clearly a Problem in general, because iBuyPower's using a fancy packing tech to ensure internal components in its systems don't get knocked about. From the blurb:

iBUYPOWER Advanced Packaging System utilizes chemical reaction to create an easily removable custom padding solution that molds perfectly to the system. This internal cushion prevents components from shifting or coming loose while in transit, significantly reducing the chance of damage occurring during shipping. The iBUYPOWER Advanced Packaging System is highly recommended for orders with one or more large graphics cards or large CPU cooling solutions.

Better, one presumes, than filling a midi-tower with styrofoam.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 4:00 pm

Quick Look: HTC Hero

The HTC Hero just landed at my humble office/abode and I'm pleased to report that it is, in fact, all that and a packet of crisps. The phone is slim and sexy with a great UI - one of the best I've seen on a smartphone since the phone that starts with 'i' and ends with Phone - and it's quite snappy, a huge improvement over my experience with the G1.

Source: MobileCrunch | 17 Jul 2009 | 3:57 pm

Averatec All-In-One not afraid to resemble you know what

Averatec's D1005 all-in-one has a 22 inch WXGA display, 3GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive and an Intel E5200 CPU with integrated video. There's gigabit LAN, Vista Home Premium, a 2 megapixel webcam and an $800 tag.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 3:41 pm

Oetzi Iceman's Tattoos Came from Fireplace

Tattoos on the 5300-year-old Oetzi iceman were made from fireplace soot.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 17 Jul 2009 | 3:25 pm

Netbooks coming soon to Blockbuster

Section: Computers, Netbooks

It seems that anybody with even a vague reason to get into the netbook market has been doing so.  Toy stores started carrying them last year billing them as good computers for kids.  Cell phone carriers are subsidizing them with two-year data contracts, which makes a lot of sense.  Verizon is even giving away a Compaq Mini to every new FiOS subscriber.  Now Blockbuster looks to be getting into the action.

Blockbuster today announced that it would soon be carrying the Archos 10 netbook in stores.  The netbook will be billed as a way to access Blockbuster OnDemand from anywhere you could possibly want to access it.  The desktop of the netbook will have a shortcut on the desktop linking straight to the service, in addition to Archos’ special photo, online radio, and online TV apps.  The price of the unit will be down to $300, presumably Blockbuster will be eating some of the cost on the units for the assumed increase in usage of OnDemand.

For some reason the move isn’t all that surprising.  Netbooks are probably the easiest way for a company to promote its online services, like Blockbuster is doing.  Add that to the fact that Blockbuster has also been selling video game consoles for several months now, so it’s no stranger to selling a small amount of electronics.  What would be surprising, however, is if the employees actually push the netbook to anyone.  The nature of a store like Blockbuster is to not try and hard sell anything, but how else would they get someone to buy a netbook they could just as easily get in Best Buy with more (albeit mostly aesthetic) options?

Read [Electronista]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 17 Jul 2009 | 3:18 pm

Moto bluetooth box has three days of talk time

Motorola's T215 is a bluetooth car speakerphone with three days of talk time, designed to be compatible with hands-free car kits. It has a 2 watt speaker and noice cancellation. It is clearly intended to be more functional than beautiful.

That fact notwithstanding, it has a curiously 1990s look to it. Do you think that style will ever become cool? It seems to be between two more distinctive eras (think "square walkman" and "rounded iPod") lacking its own unique look. Stuff from the mid-late 1990s often seemed like an expression of some cheap new heat-molding technology than an explicit design choice.

Press release (PDF) [Motorola]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 3:18 pm

What would fit in the original Walkman today?

This pic, of Sony's original walkman, makes me hanker for an identical-looking device that does as much as you can cram into the form factor. What might such a thing do? Given the tininess of modern computers, there's not a lot it couldn't do--but having it actually be a little UMPC or netbook would be awfully gimmicky.

How about a flip-style HD camcorder, but with buckets of storage, high-end portable audio recording, and grown-up I/O? And auto-reverse. [via Gizmodo]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:56 pm

Recently on Offworld: insanely twisted shadows, iPhone Portal, Wii-injuries

Recently on Offworld we watched what surely must be the game trailer of the month: an extended look at animator Michel Gagne's upcoming Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (above), with some of the most striking art direction and animation we've seen in games for some time, cut to black metal band Dimmu Borgir's "Blood Hunger Doctrine", which shouldn't work but absolutely fantastically does -- it's a must watch.

Elsewhere we saw one fan's attempt to recreate Portal on the iPhone and the latest look at tiny-planet shooter Max Blastronaut, found the latest two gorgeously designed official Team Fortress 2 T-shirts, and listened to a wicked live remix of the theme song to The Silver Case -- the first PlayStation adventure game from No More Heroes and Killer7 creators Grasshopper Manufacture.

Finally, we found a new on-demand publisher for budding board game designers that lets you piece together your pieces, upload your own artwork, and sell the game directly through the site, spent our first day on the Wii Sports Resort, which ended in broken glass and a trickle of blood, and our 'one shot's for the day: the gorgeous girls of Nintendo punk, a Metal Gear packing slip that's just a box, a fantastic new Darkstalkers montage, and, best of all, beautiful and very French pixels for what we genuinely hope is a new catburglar game.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:55 pm

Alienware goes disco with new "laptop" keyboard

"Laptop" is in scare quotes because the M17x in question is the size of a refrigerator door. But look! Rainbows! [Cnet]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:54 pm

Reading Lamp Holds Books, Shuts Itself Off

This late-night lamp takes your laziness and turns it into a virtue. When you are propped up in bed reading and you can no longer keep your eyes open, let alone fumble for a light switch, just drop your book on top of the bedside light. The wedge-shape of the Reading Lamp will let your book hang over it, keeping your place, and an infrared switch detects the book and kills the power. Too hot? Scared the book might hit Fahrenheit 451? The compact fluorescent inside keeps things cool-ish and the polycarbonate shade is tough enough to last.

The Reading Lamp is part of a group project by designers Alban Le Henry, Olivier Pigasse, Vincent Vandenbrouck and Jun Yasumoto, and looks to us very much like the lights inside the railroad trains of childhood, when the windows had curtains, the seats had ashtrays and the conductors called you sir. Well, they called my father sir. I was always to busy throwing up my ice-cream lunch from the window (an opening window, at least).

This is a concept which should be snapped up right now. Muji and Ikea, I’m looking at you.

Product page [Jun Yasumoto via Core77]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:44 pm

Augmented Reality Hobo Signs? There’s an App for That

Forget coal, chalk or even magic-markers. The latest, and probably the greatest, way for hobos to communicate is, you guessed it, the iPhone 3GS.

iHobo is a spoof augmented reality application for the iPhone which overlays virtual hobo-signs onto real places. What are hobo-signs? They are symbols marked on the ground or other street-furniture so railroad-hopping, homeless bums can communicate over distance and time. They might mark the site of a friendly house which will provide food, or the presence of a bad-tempered dog.

From Wikipedia:

To cope with the difficulty of hobo life, hobos developed a system of symbols, or a code. Hobos would write this code with chalk or coal to provide directions, information, and warnings to other hobos. Some signs included “turn right here”, “beware of hostile railroad police”, “dangerous dog”, “food available here”, and so on. For instance:

So it has been for years, but now there is a fake iPhone application which take the humble, hand-scratched hobo sign into the digital age.

The advantages of a virtual sign system are clear: pesky non-hobos can’t spot them and scrub them off, thus depriving the hobo of vital information. New signs can be added to the lexicon and the meanings shared instantly (iHobo hooks into and syncs with the user’s profile on social networking site HoboBook). And, most useful of all, the hobo isn’t limited to browsing the street in front of him, instead being able to search for, say, a “safe camp” or a “Kindhearted Lady” (a picture of a cat with breasts) and then have the iPhone show him the location.

iHobo works like most augmented reality apps and overlays the hobo signs onto a picture which comes through the iPhone’s camera. The phone knows exactly where you are and which way you arte facing thanks to a combination of GPS and the inbuilt compass. Arrows point to nearby signs and you can also view the local area on Google Maps, using the 3.0 software’s ability to embed maps into third party apps.

A hobo can drop a pin on the map and instantly add a new sign which will then be immediately available for others. If he adds a new sign, a drawing sheet drops down with basic editing tools (thankfully there are multiple levels of undo — useful if the hobo has, as they are wont to do, been drinking). These new signs don’t go live immediately but are held for peer-moderation in the hobo-wiki, similar to Wikipedia but with more knife fights.

Of course, iHobo relies on an installed user-base to be useful, but the current database is quite comprehensive, and the app is cheap enough for iPhone-owning hobos to afford, at just Hobo Nickel. The app is not, and will likely never be, available on the App Store. If you are still wondering, this product is a fake.

Photo illustrations: Charlie Sorrel/Wired

Hobo Signs [World Path]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:26 pm

Pre/iTunes Sync Arms Race: Palm 2, Apple 1

Apple has disabled Pre syncing with iTunes, but there are a handful of third-party workarounds.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 17 Jul 2009 | 2:20 pm