Source: Gizmodo | 9 Aug 2009 | 3:00 pm

FTC May Cast A Closer Eye On How Businesses Share Personal Data

Personal information shared by users with corporate websites is nothing new; you probably routinely log in to sites to which you've provided information about your age and location, or provided a credit card number in order to buy merchandise. At least sometimes, some of that information is shared in ways that the typical user would probably neither anticipate nor appreciate. David Vladeck, new head of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, has signaled recently that he's interested in tighter regulation of personal information shared online, even when it falls under the often-sweeping language of privacy agreements and sites' terms of use. An interview at the New York Times provides some insight into the regulatory environment that companies operating online may face in the course of the present administration — and it looks more stringent than online businesses have faced before, even while Vladeck shies away from saying that he supports "new rules."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:57 pm

Expert: Lack of isotopes a health risk

A University of Iowa official says the current limited supply of radioisotopes used in medical scans could put some patients' lives in danger. Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:46 pm

Apple's App Store Rejections Open the Door For Competition (PC World)

PC World - Thanks in large measure to a massive array of third-party apps, the Apple iPhone has been riding a seemingly unstoppable wave of popularity. Developers have flocked to create apps to distribute through Apple's App Store to leverage the popularity of the iPhone and reach Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch customers. Recent actions by Apple have disgruntled users and the development community and potentially opened the door to the competition.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:40 pm

Testosterone-raising drug iffy

Commercials targeting U.S. middle-age men with lowered sex drive and melancholy moods may be scientifically unfounded, experts say.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:34 pm

Assault Rubber Band

From Japan Probe.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:15 pm

Leaked images of the Nokia RX51/Rover internet tablet surface online

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Wireless

Coming courtesy of the Mobile Bulgaria blog, we have a nice (and surprisingly) clear set of leaked images of the yet-to-be-released Nokia RX51/Rover Internet Tablet.

The images are showing what is labeled as a “RX-51 Prototype” although the device is looking to be a finished product.  That said, aside from the images, which you can see below we also have a nice set of rumored specs.

• 3.5-inch 800×480 (WVGA) touchscreen display
• OMAP3430 500/600 Mhz processor
• 1GB total virtual runtime memory
• Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS
• Accelerometer
• 5-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with dual-LED flash, autofocus and a sliding cover
• Linux based operating system

Sadly as with most leaked images we are still missing the key details such as when we can expect this to become available and how much it is going to retail for.  Overall, it looks like it will be a nice unit, but is still seems a little behind in terms of other competition such as the recent offerings from Viliv.

Read [MobileBulgaria]  Via [IntoMobile]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 2:07 pm

How I Learned To Quit The iPhone And Love Google Voice

At the end of July I declared my intention to quit the iPhone and AT&T, port my mobile phone number to Google Voice and use any mobile device that I pleased (or lots of them at once) in the future. Like others, I will no longer blindly follow all things Apple. Today I’m pleased to report a status update on those efforts: complete. I am no longer a member of the Cult of iPhone.

Porting my phone number to Google Voice was a three day process, which I was pre-warned about. The mobile carriers in the U.S. have made the porting process between them fairly easy, and it occurs over a couple of hours. But they are in no hurry to help customers move their phone numbers to Google Voice, and so it took a few extra days. Also, I’m one of the first people to port their phone number to Google Voice, and there are always a few hiccups when you’re a guinea pig.

A week ago I was an unhappy AT&T iPhone customer. I couldn’t get cell phone reception here at my house and so I was always missing important calls.

Today I’m a happy Google Voice customer. My old mobile number, which all of my contacts already have, now rings simultaneously on my home Vonage phone and the TMobile myTouch 3G Android phone that I’ve started using (and, by the way, TMobile works just fine here at home, too). If I want to start using a new phone, I can make a switch in the settings at Google Voice and calls will ring through to that instead. no carrier will ever have a stranglehold on me again.

Not only are calls being sent to both of my phones simultaneously now, but all my voicemails are now aggregated at Google Voice and immediately transcribed and emailed and SMS’d to me (complete overview of Google Voice is here). And since I’m using the Google Voice application for the Android, all my outgoing calls appear to be from my existing phone number, not the one assigned to the phone.

Single best feature of Google Voice: Call blocking. Someone spams my SMS or calls me too much, I click a button and they can never call or SMS me again.

So what’s the downside?

I had to pay the AT&T termination fee of $175. But that’s it.

And this myTouch phone (which TMobile has supplied to me for free for a test period) is an excellent piece of hardware. I believe it is superior to the iPhone 3GS - it loads the camera app and video app faster, and web pages load in about 2/3 the time it takes on the iPhone/AT&T (likely more AT&T’s fault than the iPhone). The Android apps are far more interesting because they have the ability to integrate with any native function (so, for example, Google Voice, banned on the iPhone, has taken over the myTouch native dialer). And I can run persistent apps in the background like Google Talk, which lets me keep a chat window open to contacts all the time.

Google Voice really is nearly perfect. The only thing that would be better is if they became a MVNO and offered mobile services directly as well. And tethering would be a nice feature. But for now I’m extremely happy with my mobile situation. And I plan to never do business directly with a carrier again.

Want to port your mobile number to Google Voice and do what I’ve done? You can’t just yet, but porting will be released later this year publicly. Prepare yourselves, and don’t sign any new long term contracts with your carrier. Life will soon be good for you, too.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Aug 2009 | 1:58 pm

Dogs As Intelligent As Average Two-Year-Old Children

Ponca City, We love you writes "The Telegraph reports that researchers using tests originally designed to demonstrate the development of language, pre-language and basic arithmetic in human children have found that dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations putting them on par with the average two-year-old child. While most dogs understand simple commands such as sit, fetch and stay, a border collie tested by Professor Coren showed a knowledge of 200 spoken words. 'Obviously we are not going to be able to sit down and have a conversation with a dog, but like a two-year-old, they show that they can understand words and gestures,' says Professor Stanley Coren, a leading expert on canine intelligence at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Dogs can tell that one plus one should equal two and not one or three,' says Coren, adding that dogs 'can also deliberately deceive, which is something that young children only start developing later in their life.' Coren believes centuries of selective breeding and living alongside humans has helped to hone the intelligence of dogs. 'They may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2009 | 1:52 pm

U.S. military planners eye climate crises

The United States may have to resort to military interventions to deal with the future effects of climate change, military and intelligence analysts say. Drought, violent storms, pandemics, mass migration and other severe problems spawned by climate change could result in crises that pose profound threats to the United States' national security, and analysts say U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 1:34 pm

Gadgetell Review: i-gotU GT-120 USB GPS Travel Logger

Section: Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Lifestyle, Reviews, Web, Websites

What is it?

The i-gotU GT-120 USB GPS Travel Logger is a small, lightweight, water resistant GPS device that records your traveling route so you can later view it on your computer.  Just turn it on and it will automatically track your location at specific, user set, intervals.  Just install the a-trip software and you can upload map data to the program and then store it online at the @trip PC website.  In addition, it can be used with Google Maps and it will geotag any photos you take along the way.  It is currently available in many countries including the United States for $69.95. 

The Good

The igotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger is certainly an interesting product with definite potential.  Upon receiving the package the device had to be charged via USB for four hours and install the @trip PC software, which you can use to customize the interval in which you want it to track.  For example, you would want to set it at 6 seconds interval in case you are traveling by car or if you want it can track every 59 minutes.  To turn on the device, press the big button on the front and hold for several seconds.  It should flash blue meaning it is on.  After 30-40 seconds, both the red and blue light should blink indicating it picked up a GPS signal and is ready to begin tracking.  Simply press the button again and wait for the red light to turn it off.

The device as a whole is water resistant so you don’t have to worry about sweat, rain, or water getting into the device and messing it up.  It weighs only 20g and features a built-in SiRF Star III low power chipset.  I’ve used it several times to map short and long routes and it works very well.  It picked up even minor u-turn, which was impressive.  Upon plugging it into my PC, it would pick up the data from it and would clear the memory if you so choose.  You have the option to upload it directly to a-trip.com (assuming your account is created), or you can opt in displaying it in the software itself.  Either way, you can always upload it online or view it on the software.  The advantages to uploading it online is the fact that you can share your trip with friends and family, or keep it for private viewing.  Be sure to embed the map into personal blogs in case that interests you. 

In addition, it has the ability to geotag any photos you take along the way.  All you have to do is import the photos as well as the GPS info from the Travel Logger.  It will use the timestamp in order to accurately geotag each photo.  After that, users have the ability to upload photos directly to Flickr or Picasa. 

The Bad

One of the few complaints I have about this product is how long it takes to capture a GPS signal.  It could be my fault that I turn it on right before I am about to go somewhere; I should probably start it 5 minutes before I’m ready to go, in order to give it ample time to capture a signal.  I’m so used to gadgets with screens that when I own a gadget without a screen it’s almost weird and confusing.  Such a GPS device such as this probably doesn’t need a screen, but I think a screen would get rid of any confusion in terms of whether it is on, battery life, and whether it is tracking. 

Personally, I’d like to see this GPS have the ability to remotely track its route, even if that would cost extra money.  For example, if your child is going somewhere, you can easily sneak the GPS in their bag and track their moves from a computer.  However, I think it is still a tad expensive because its functions are pretty limited.

The Crux

For its size, ease of use, and portability, the igotU GT-120 USB GPS Travel Logger is a cool device that is definitely great for people who travel often.  It is a great way to share routes with others, especially using Google Earth for added entertainment.  Unfortunately, its uses are pretty limited if you don’t travel a lot, and I think it could sell for a little cheaper.  Overall I would give it a rating of 3.5/5.  If you would like to see more about this product, feel free to check it out at MobileAction.  For more pictures, check out the gallery below. 

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 1:12 pm

Is Intel Killing 12-Inch Displays On Netbooks?

HangingChad writes "Dell has retired their 12-inch Intel Atom-powered netbooks, they said today. The official reason — 'It really boils down to this: for a lot of customers, 10-inch displays are the sweet spot for netbooksLarger notebooks require a little more horsepower to be really useful.' Or is the real reason that 12-inch displays on netbooks cut into Intel's more profitable dual-core market and Dell's profit margins on higher-end machines?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2009 | 12:40 pm

Retro Review: River City Ransom (Wii Virtual Console)

Quick Version: A fool and his money are soon parted, or so the saying goes. I just dropped five bucks on River City Ransom for the Wii Virtual Console. Foolish? Or near-endless retro fun?

Spoiler: Totally worth it.

Long Version: If you played River City Ransom on the Nintendo Entertainment System, it’s been faithfully recreated here on the Wii’s Virtual Console with one shiny extra: automatic save points. The passcodes used in the NES version of the game stretched into the miles-long zone; I remember as a kid double- and triple-checking that I’d written down the code correctly so I wouldn’t load it up next time only to find that I was off by a single letter or number. Game over, indeed. This time around, your progress is saved automatically when you exit from the game back to the Wii’s main menu.

If you’ve never played River City Ransom, let me be the first to tell you that it’s an old-school game that still offers hours of entertainment today. It’s a side-scrolling fighting game with a really polished and entertaining infusion of RPG elements. That alone makes it far more replayable than standard fighting games.

The premise is pretty straightforward. You play as one of two brothers: Alex or Ryan. Ryan’s girlfriend Cyndi has been kidnapped by cross-town rival “Slick”, who’s somehow managed to convince all of the gangs in River City to stand in your way as you attempt to make it to River City High School in order to save Cyndi.

As for movement and combat, you’ve got the ability to kick, punch, run, and jump. You’ll travel through various neighborhoods, each of them the “turf” belonging to one of the area gangs. The gangs have super intimidating names: The Generic Dudes, The Frat Guys, The Jocks, The Home Boys, The Mob, The Squids, The Internationals, The Cowboys, The Plague. Real scary stuff there, right?

Along the way, you’ll fight mini-bosses and come upon various malls, which act as safe havens and allow you to buy food and other items. These items increase various powers, RPG-style. You can also buy books that teach you new punching and kicking techniques. And how do you make money? Well let’s just say that fighting is your business. Every time you knock out a goon, you take his money. If you get knocked out, you wake up in the last mall you visited to find that half of your money’s been stolen. Such is the never-ending cycle known as the life of a gang member — not that your character’s actually in a gang. He just fights them.

I always make sure to grab “Stone Hands” first, which turns your standard single punch into a quick-and-deadly turbo punch. It’s able to knock most enemies out in a single blow. There’s also Dragon Feet, Acro Circus (for jumping attacks), Fatal Steps (stomp on enemies while they’re on the ground), and more.

While the actual combat could otherwise get a bit repetitive, the ability to up your characters speed, agility, defense, strength, stamina, max power, will power, punch, kick, and weapon points keeps things interesting. You’ll find it more and more fun to go fight bad guys as the game progresses. Plus, you can pick up a veritable cornucopia of weapons in the middle of a brawl: pipes, sticks, chains, brass knuckles, garbage cans, tires — you name it.

All in all, River City Ransom takes the idea of a side-scrolling fighter and adds multiple layers of depth thanks to the infusion of all the various RPG elements. And for five bucks (500 Wii Points), it’ll provide more than enough entertainment for a weekend or two while making it fun to go back a few months later and do it all over again.

River City Ransom [Wii Virtual Console]

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 12:00 pm

Droplet: A twee Arduino notification system

Droplet from Andrew Rapp on Vimeo.

Need to know the weather? Need to check Woot? Want to read the news? Well, all you need is an Arduino board, an LCD read-out, four buttons, a breadboard, some experience in electronics, and a computer. Then you can build yourself a Droplet.

The device uses a buzzer, and LED, and a few circuits to add notifications to the Droplet system. The system then connects to your computer to pull down data from Google, Twitter, and other sources. Is it a little too complex for its own good? Definitely, but what else are you doing this weekend. It’s overkill but isn’t everything?

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:58 am

Small is beautiful (and successful) for newspapers (AP)

AP - Newspapers are hurting all over the United States, but the pain is less severe at small publications like The Blackshear Times in Georgia.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:46 am

Unlikely Genetic Suspect Implicated In Common Brain Defect

A genetic search that wound its way from patients to mouse models and back to patients has uncovered an unlikely gene critically involved in a common birth defect which causes mental retardation, motor delays and sometimes autism, providing a new mechanism and potentially improving treatment for the disorder.Researchers from the University of Chicago, University of Alberta and other institutions announce in the September issue of Nature Genetics--available online August 10--that the FOXC1 gene contributes to Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM), a brain defect that occurs in 1 of every 5,000 births.The role of the gene in Dandy-Walker malformation dispels the fog surrounding what goes awry in the brains of children born with the disorder.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:40 am

Pitching Ideas At Gen Con Indy

teknoviking writes "Gen Con Indy is coming up on August 13-16th, and if you are planning on attending, especially if you have an idea you want to pitch to one (or many) of the vendors, artists, or developers at the Con, you should check out this great series of articles by writer and game designer Jess Hartley. She covers the basics of proper planning and making a good impression, and she has some practical tips about how to promote your idea, and what you should do to follow up afterward."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:31 am

Third party apps suffer as Twitter continues to battle DDoS attack

Section: Computers, Security, Web, Web 2.0, Websites

Two days ago Twitter was knocked off line by a large scale DDoS attack and although back online, the site is still under attack and fighting to keep from being knocked offline again. Some of the steps they’ve taken have affected third party apps that use Twitter’s API. As a result users using those apps are blocked from using the service and in addition, users may encounter difficulty in posting to their accounts via text message.  Facebook and Blogger were also attacked and suffered significant slow downs.

It has been discovered that the attack is apparently been aimed at a single user.  A Georgian blogger named Cyxymu, who uses Twitter, Facebook and Blogger to express his anti-Russian views, is the cause of all the trouble hitting the three popular sites.  He has as of now not had any comment about the situation.

Twitter is working hard to find a solution that doesn’t harm third party apps or text messaging, but has made it clear that until the attack ceases they can not make any promises that things will get better or won’t get worse.  They are effectively stuck at the moment, and doing everything they can to keep the site up and running.

One of the suggested solutions is to block all traffic intended for Cyxymu so that it won’t consume more than its share of bandwidth or processing power.  While he has a right to free speech and to use Twitter and Facebook to share his views with others, should a single user be allowed to have such a detrimental affect on a network that serves millions?  Should his traffic be blocked or account shut down all together, or would that simply be giving the attackers what they want?  Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.

Read [PCWorld]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:14 am

Collapsible cooler features AM/FM radio, MP3 input for $25

Summer is slowly, slowly wasting away. Perhaps you should go to a beach, just to see what all the fuss is about. Me, I don’t care for the beach. There’s too much sand and too many people who don’t share my concern for what sand does to electronic devices. And the sun! Get over yourself, Sun! We get it, you’re bright. I’m trying to play games on my iPod touch — now tone it down a little bit, you’re washing out the screen. Anyway, here’s a cooler that holds 16 cans and features an AM/FM radio with MP3 input for $25.

Now the product description doesn’t say how many batteries you’ll need to power this thing, so let’s just assume it’s 24 D batteries. That way, when it turns out to be just 8 D batteries, you’ll feel relieved. The dimensions are 12-inches by 12-inches by 30-inches and apparently it’s an “accordian” style bag, meaning it can be collapsed down when it’s empty.

Accordian Expandable Music Cooler with AM/FM Radio/ MP3 [Overstock.com via dealspl.us]

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 11:00 am

Study Shows Psychopaths Have Faulty Brain Connections

Scientists have found that psychopaths who murder and rape others have faulty connections between the part of the brain that deals with emotions and handles impulses and decision-making, Reuters reported.The British scientists observed psychopaths who had committed murder, manslaughter, multiple rape, strangulation and false imprisonment, and found that roads linking the two crucial brain areas had "potholes," while those of non-psychopaths were in good shape.Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:55 am

If Jason Calacanis Is Against Apple, Who Can Be For It?

It is the end. Jason "The Animal" Calacanis is thinking about maybe quitting using Apple products, reporting that the company has gone all corporate and mainstream and that Steve has lost his hippie, dippy LSD edge. Look at this language, people:

Years and years after Microsoft’s antitrust headlines, Apple is now the anti-competitive monster that Jobs rallied us against in the infamous 1984 commercial. Steve Jobs is the oppressive man on the jumbotron and the Olympian carrying the hammer is the open-source movement For folks in the tech industry, this is not a new discussion. Another radical visionary, Steve Gillmor, has been hosting this discussion since Apple’s draconian iTunes updates led smart people to *downgrade* their software. Think about that mind bomb for a second: people downgrading their software to maintain their freedoms–is this a William Gibson novel? Steve Jobs is on the cusp of devolving from the visionary radical we all love to a sad, old hypocrite and control freak–a sellout of epic proportions.

This is not the thought process of a well man. Perhaps Jason spent too much time next to his Tesla roadster or maybe the stress of running Mahalo has finally gotten to him but someone needs to send Jason an iPod Shuffle STAT. Intra-cardial insertion of the Shuffle, much like the needle in Pulp Fiction, has been known to snap anti-Apple zealots out of their madness.

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:53 am

If Jason Calacanis is against Apple, who can be for it?

It is the end. Jason “The Animal” Calacanis is thinking about maybe quitting using Apple products, reporting that the company has gone all corporate and mainstream and that Steve has lost his hippie, dippy LSD edge. Look at this language, people:

Years and years after Microsoft’s antitrust headlines, Apple is now the anti-competitive monster that Jobs rallied us against in the infamous 1984 commercial. Steve Jobs is the oppressive man on the jumbotron and the Olympian carrying the hammer is the open-source movement

For folks in the tech industry, this is not a new discussion. Another radical visionary, Steve Gillmor, has been hosting this discussion since Apple’s draconian iTunes updates led smart people to *downgrade* their software. Think about that mind bomb for a second: people downgrading their software to maintain their freedoms–is this a William Gibson novel?

Steve Jobs is on the cusp of devolving from the visionary radical we all love to a sad, old hypocrite and control freak–a sellout of epic proportions.

This is not the thought process of a well man. Perhaps Jason spent too much time next to his Tesla roadster or maybe the stress of running Mahalo has finally gotten to him but someone needs to send Jason an iPod Shuffle STAT. Intra-cardial insertion of the Shuffle, much like the needle in Pulp Fiction, has been known to snap anti-Apple zealots out of their madness.

In all honesty I kind of agree with him. His reasons for picking Apple are sound. In terms of tech-per-day, PC and Macs tend to a one-to-one parity. I switched to OS X because every few months I’d have two weeks of intermittent problems with my PC, requiring a full reinstall of XP or 98 or whatever I was running. I called it the Week of Shame. With OS X problems are much more impressive (one recent problem occurred when I upgraded and needed to roll back yet Time Machine didn’t recognize the old back-up) - yet fixable in about a day.

So would I give up Apple. Never!

As for his five points - including his anger at iPod/iTunes lock-in and the App Store debacles - his complaints are pretty common but have come to a head because now instead of hipsters losing their music collections those same hipsters, now self-styled mobile businessmen, are being denied access to a lucrative revenue stream (see Palm Pre v. iTunes and People Who Make Dictionary Apps v. the App Store).

We at TechCrunch are required to follow the company line. For example, we are no longer allowed to use iPhones or shake hands with people or accept embargoes and we are prohibited from wearing red while blogging (long story). However, Michael - and his little pal Jason - can pry my 10-inch MacTablet out of my cold, dead hands when/if it ever appears. Which it will. Because Jobs loves us and is good.

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:52 am

Dell's Mini 12 bites the dust (but the Mini 9 is still hanging on) - CNET News

Techtree.com

Dell's Mini 12 bites the dust (but the Mini 9 is still hanging on) CNET News Dell's Netbook line, creatively called the Mini, has had a few lineup swaps recently. While most of the Netbook market has gravitated to 10-inch screens, Dell was one of only a handful of PC makers simultaneously hawking smaller 9-inch ... What Is The Real Reason Dell Is Discontinuing 12-inch Netbooks?Washington Post Dell Axes Mini 12TrustedReviews Dell confirm Inspiron Mini 12 axe: focus on 10-inch netbook “sweet ...SlashGear Alibaba News Channel -PC Magazine -I4U all 31 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:46 am

So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Gadgetell posts for the week of August 02, 2009

Section:

Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Microsoft reaches out to iPhone app developers
  “Look how easy it is!  Behold, all the hard work building an iPhone app can be ported over to the hot, new and exciting Windows Mobile OS from Microsoft.  In as little as three steps, developers can reap the joy, riches and camaraderie that comes from being…” MORE »
• Verizon cuts pricing of many smartphones to $99 with a 2 year contract
  ” Verizon has dropped all smartphone pricing to $99 with a few exceptions.  Prominent smartphones such as the HTC Touch Pro and the HTC Touch Diamond have also received price cuts and are now selling for $99 with a two year contract.  Maybe…” MORE »
• Get the government out of my iPhone
  “To be clear: I was disappointed Apple did not approve Google Voice apps for distribution in the App Store.  I was more than disappointed—I began to see what I believe could be the unraveling of iPhone domination.  No…” MORE »
• Google’s new tool to beat Microsoft (it’s not Yahoo!)
  ” If you haven’t realized yet: it is on.  The “it” being the battle between Google and Microsoft for control of, well, control of everything.  Today, we’ve got the billboard war. Where does tech bleed out of blogs and…” MORE »
• USB forum to host grudge match: Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone
  ” If you’ve never heard of the USB Forum, don’t feel bad.  Palm has filed a complaint with the forum that alleges Apple is restraining trade.  It is an odd place for Palm to launch this kind of…” MORE »
• Gadgetell Review: Pogoplug
  “What is it? The Pogoplug is an easy way to get your files from a USB hard drive on the Internet in under five minutes.  More technically, the Pogoplug is an easy to set up home server that uses a web interface to access your files available for $99.00. The…” MORE »
• Get caught up in technology with InterrupTech: August 03, 2009
  ”  Download:iPod version (mp4) | Audio version (mp3)  The world of tech moves fast.  If you don’t slow down, you might miss it.  This week, plenty of stories:  MORE »
• Firefox celebrates one billion downloads
  “We all know that Firefox is just about the most popular web browser out there among those who know a thing or two about tech.  We also know that it recently took up about 31 percent of the browser market share. …” MORE »
• TeleNav GPS Navigator coming to the T-Mobile myTouch 3G on August 5
  “TeleNav has officially announced the upcoming availability of their GPS solution for the myTouch 3G from T-Mobile.  That does not come as much of a surprise considering the app is already available for…” MORE »
• Sony Reader PRS-300, PRS-600 full specs revealed
  ” Just last week we saw the user manuals for two yet-to-be-released Sony Readers hit the web, and now the complete specs have been revealed courtesy of J&R.  Of course, J&R was also quick to remove those specs, however…” MORE »

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:32 am

Video: Kid solves two Rubik’s Cubes while playing Guitar Hero

Get right the hell outta town with this one. The kid in the above video plays Ozzy Osbourne’s Mr. Crowly on Expert mode in Guitar Hero, using his right elbow to work the strum bar while his right hand solves not one, but two Rubik’s Cubes. And if that wasn’t difficult enough, he plays with his back facing the game, using a mirror for some reason.

Chalk this one up to a skill that adds little, if anything, to our society as a whole, yet is one of the more awesome things you’ll ever see (and will never be able to do) yourself.

Un… beee… lievable.

[via Kotaku]

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 10:00 am

Microsoft Should Follow Apple's Lead on Windows 7 Pricing (PC World)

PC World - Apple's upcoming Snow Leopard upgrade currently occupies two of the three top spots on Amazon's software top seller list. The pre-sale prices are $29 for a single computer and $49 for a 5-user family pack.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Aug 2009 | 9:47 am

Woot! Wireless meat thermometer for $20

This kind of takes the fun out of grilling but it’s indeed a good way to make sure everything’s cooked properly. Woot! has the Maverick Remote BBQ Thermometer and Timer for $20 plus $5 shipping. The thing is wireless — wireless! — and works up to 100 feet away. So you can just slap everything on the grill, then go inside and read the paper.

While there’s something to be said about standing outside over a hot grill, drinking a beer (mmmm… Zima!) and randomly flattening hamburger patties with a spatula, this thing features a voice prompt that alerts you to which levels beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, or turkey are being cooked.

It’d also probably be a nice tool to have in the dead of winter. I grew up in Minnesota and we’ll be damned if we’re going to let a -60 degree windchill keep us from eating grill-cooked steak in February.

Available today only, as is customary with Woot! offerings.

Maverick Remote BBQ Thermometer and Timer [Woot.com]

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Aug 2009 | 9:30 am

Blogger says Twitter, Facebook outages directed at him

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Google

Even if you do your best to ignore the two websites, there was simply no missing the denial-of-service attacks on Twitter and Facebook this past week.  What you may not know is why the attacks were brought about.  The easy answer is it’s the work of a hacker with access to a botnet that wanted to make annoy a massive amount of people for no particular reason.  The purpose was actually a bit more focused than just targeting everyone.

It turns out that the attacks were brought upon Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, and even some Google services all because of one blogger.  That one blogger goes by the name Cyxymu, and dedicates his blog to “telling the truth about the Russian-Georgian war.”  According to Cyxymu’s LiveJournal, “it’s obvious it’s a special attack against me and Georgians.”  The attacks actually all targeted his pages in particular, which makes it even more amazing that Facebook actually managed to keep his page active and viewable by those in the area of The Republic of Georgia.

The attacks were the first time such a number of sites were attacked at the same time.  Google has said that it’s working with the other sites to investigate the attacks.  While Google had no real issues with the attacks, perhaps it’s a good learning opportunity for the other sites.  Nobody wants to see these sites attacked with a DDoS, especially for political reasons, and maybe this one will mean the next one won’t do as much damage.  Google certainly knew how to deal with the issue, which isn’t surprising, but perhaps they could share their secrets with the other sites so we don’t lose access to the increasingly important social websites.

Read [BBC]
Read [CNet News]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 9:00 am

Father-son Team Says Positive Gainsc Can Be Made In 'Psychological Wealth'

A focus on psychological wealth rather than financial wealth can help people get through today's tough times, according to two of the world's leading psychological experts on happiness.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:44 am

Researcher Puts Dogs' Intelligence On Par With 2-Year-Old Human

Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count.They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:35 am

Research Finds No Link Between Cognitive Decline, Socioeconomic Status In Elderly

New UCLA research suggests that for seniors age 70 and older, socioeconomic status does not play a major role in the brain's continued ability to function.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:27 am

Archaeologists Uncover Birthplace Of Roman Emperor Vespasian

A sprawling country villa believed to be the birthplace of Vespasian, the Roman emperor who built the Colosseum, was unearthed on Friday, The Associated Press reported.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:20 am

Hot gaming news for the week of 8-02-2009

Section:

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

• Monster Hunter Tri on the way to the Wii in 2010
• Special Effects: A few fanciful game industry predictions
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of July 27 to August 2, 2009
• PlayStation Store Update: Let them eat cake! (August 2 to 8, 2009)
• Get Madden NFL 10 free with a Sports Illustrated subscription

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:12 am

Commerce Dept. Clarifies Policy On Reporting Of Internet Data

The U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2009 | 8:10 am

Extinction Can Hit 'Whole Families'

New research shows that extinction events tend to "cluster" on evolutionary lineages, wiping out entire “chunks of life” as related species with a common ancestor vanish together.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Aug 2009 | 7:40 am

Gadgetell Review: Vtech IS9181 Wi-Fi Internet radio

Section: Audio, Home Audio, Reviews

What is it?

Vtech IS9181 is a Wi-Fi Internet radio which comes equipped with an auxiliary cable, remote control, and power cable.  It costs under $150 at Amazon.com.

The Good

Getting started is a simple as turning it on and registering your Wi-Fi via the knobs on top of the device.  I was excited to check out the featured weather widget, putting in my zip code and scrolling using the built in jog wheel allowed me to see an up to date weather forecast.  The screen itself is large enough and can be made bright enough to suffice for its display purpose.

Searching for stations was really simple; you can search by genre, country, or continent.  Needless to say, the choices are endless, however I noticed was a lack of international music.  Maybe this is because every country seems to play American music and completely ignore their own cultural tracks or I have been unlucky in searches.  A few of the channels from Belgium did, however, give me a taste of their language.  That is not a fault of Vtech.

The Bad

Sadly, the weather widget is the only widget available to this radio.  I would have loved to see top news stories, sports scores, and stocks widgets.

Believe it or not, this device does not allow you to adjust the bass or treble.  This ruined the sound of many of the stations; some came with too much bass.  This was such a turn off that I had to power off the radio.  I was very surprised to see that Vtech did not include an adjustment feature.  While my review unit was not brand new, the speakers should not have sounded like they were on their last legs.

The Crux

Ultimately, the Vtech Wi-Fi Internet radio would be best suited as an alarm clock radio or office radio.  However, try and use it to pump your next party and you’ll be wishing you were rocking out to the tunes of “Red Red Wine” at your local liquor store.

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 7:00 am

RevenueWire Showcases SafeCart Single-Screen Online Shopping Cart at Affiliate Summit East

VICTORIA, British Columbia and NEW YORK, Aug.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Aug 2009 | 7:00 am

Apple pulls in 32% of all smartphone profits, iPhone reigns supreme

FROM APPLETELL - According to research done by Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research, Apple contributed to 32% of the industry operating profits in the first half of 2009.
MORE »

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 9 Aug 2009 | 6:06 am