Source: Gizmodo | 10 Aug 2009 | 9:00 pm

Road-trip guided by coin-tosses and D4 rolls

A reader writes, "This weekend, my wife and I traveled on a Random Road trip. It turned out great. We used a four-sided die (d4) when there were more than 2 routes to decide upon and a coin for the others. We didn't have any hard and fast rules when we started, but developed some as we drove deeper into the trip. I recommend it to anyone even if you don't have a d4 handy."

Near our starting point is the intersection of 2 highways 23 and 94 with convenient N (1), S (2), E (3), and W (4) options. I proposed that we eliminate the "east" option on our first roll, because I wanted to avoid the morass of highways around Detroit. Mrs. BBspot vetoed this idea and she promptly rolled a 3 (east) for our first direction. At this point we had to turn around and go back home to get our passports, because starting in Michigan there's always the danger that we'd end up in Canada. (see map at end of post for a look at our final route)

I was a bit miffed at the first roll, but headed east anyway. Approaching 23 Mrs. BBspot rolled a 1, which turned us north. Phew, I preferred moving away from Detroit. At our next intersection she rolled another 1 and kept us going North on 23.

Unfortunately, randomness pointed us back toward Detroit when she rolled another 3 and we headed east on 96. Mrs. BBspot started getting a little perturbed at my disappointment in her rolls.

Random Road Trip Recap


Source: Boing Boing | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:54 pm

CrunchDeals: Nintendo DS Lite for $89

Oh man, a DS Lite for only $89? Tits. Now that the DSi is selling like Devin’s hotcakes, the DS Lite was bound to drop in price. Good thing Target agrees.

Right now if you use the coupon code TGTBBY92, you can get the Metallic Rose, Cobalt/Black, or Crimson/Black for only $89 bones. That’s cheap, y’all. The normal price is $129. Too bad that the estimated shipping time is 2 to 4 weeks.

Source: CrunchGear | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:30 pm

Charlie Stross, Paul Krugman Discuss the Future

Peripatetic Entrepreneur writes "At the Science Fiction World Convention in Montreal, Hugo Award winning author Charlie Stross and Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman opened the show with a 75-minute, wide-ranging conversation on stage. From flying cars to decoding the genome of the Pacific Ocean to vat-grown Long Pig, it's all there. Audio is also available — video soon."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:25 pm

Twitpocalypse: Best analysis yet of ongoing massive DDOS attacks

From Dueling Analogs webcomic, click here for large size (via Wayne's Friends List)

Source: Gizmodo | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:00 pm

Nambu Wants $80K-$100K For Tr.im, Considers Shutting Down Its Twitter Client

Earlier today, we reported on Bit.ly offering Tr.im parent Nambu Network, a couple of ways to ensure all its links don’t die when the service stop supporting them at the end of the year. Nambu rejected those, as it is instead looking to sell. Now we know the price it’s asking for: As of right now, they’re seeking something between $80,000 and $100,000, three separate sources have told us.

Not surprisingly, all three are balking at that price. After all, the main reason Nambu is giving for folding Tr.im is that it can’t compete against Bit.ly when Twitter is actively promoting and using it as its default link shortener. Still, several other parties have reached out to us to say that they are interested in purchasing the service (though they did not appear to know the price tag).

We’re also hearing that Nambu Network is also considering shutting down its Nambu Twitter client, again citing Twitter’s preferential treatment of others. Currently, Nambu has a desktop and iPhone client.

Again, Tr.im URLs are going to be supported through the end of the year, so there is still plenty of time for a buyer to step in and scoop up the service. But with so much negativity surrounding it now, and not great numbers to begin with, will anyone?

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

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:54 pm

First Impressions: Samsung Reclaim

As we mentioned earlier, we got a big box of (partially) recycled goods today. In just a few days, Sprint will be launching Samsung's "Green" phone, the Reclaim. We put "Green" in quotes here because it's somewhat questionable just how eco-friendly this phone is. It's greener than most phones, yes. A step in the right direction, sure. We like that. But it's marketed for it's "Green"ness, in a cardboard box covered in birds and butterflies; when such a direction is taken, scrutiny is in order. Read on for our impressions.

Source: CrunchGear | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:52 pm

First Impressions: Samsung Reclaim

As we mentioned earlier, we got a big box of (partially) recycled goods today. In just a few days, Sprint will be launching Samsung’s “Green” phone, the Reclaim. We put “Green” in quotes here because it’s somewhat questionable just how eco-friendly this phone is. It’s greener than most phones, yes. A step in the right direction, sure. We like that. But it’s marketed for it’s “Green”ness, in a cardboard box covered in birds and butterflies; when such a direction is taken, scrutiny is in order.

Read on for our impressions.

Is it really green enough for the marketing?

Look - as we mentioned above, we’re stoked that phone companies are at least trying to clean up their act a bit for the sake of the planet. But, considering the amount of weight Samsung and Sprint are throwing behind the “Green” aspect of this phone, it seems to have missed the mark.

Here’s why:

• Shipped/Made in Korea: Just about every surface on the box proudly exclaims that the phone is manufactured in and shipped from Korea. Unless they’re shipping these things as packing peanuts in the empty space between other crates, that means a whole lot of fuel is being burned up shipping these things stateside.
• Huge box: This box is just as big as any other phone, and unnecessarily so. You need a bit of padding room in a box to protect the goods inside - but a huge percentage of this box (more than half of the bottom section, which holds the accessories) is empty, while around a third is dedicated to holding the manuals and pamphlets. Speaking of which..

• Five friggin’ pamphlets: “Getting Started” Guide. “Features” Guide. “Important Information” Booklet. “Important Sprint Information” booklet. “Terms and conditions of Services”. All in all, it’s about 100 pages of extra stuff that no one will read. This could have easily been stuck on the microSD card, with one simple page saying “Hey! Looking for the manual? Check the sd card!” Tada! 100 pages worth of paper and ink saved, and that whole chunk of the box could be lopped out. Even if the ink is soy (which it is) and the paper is recycled (which it probably is), that’s extra box space, extra shipping weight, and extra energy used in printing.

Still, it’s a step in the right direction. They’ve nixed all harmful chemicals, and are using recycled/recyclable products. That’s fantastic - but why dedicate one phone to it? If the “Green” goal is legitimate, why not focus on making small changes across the product line? By selling only one or two “Green” phones, nothings really being solved; you’re just catering to the niche that wants this.

Anyway - on to the phone:
Introduction:

The Samsung Reclaim is a feature phone. It’s running Sprint’s One Click user interface, which is actually pretty damned decent (at least in theory - see more in the software section below) piece of software for a carrier-made frontend. Don’t expect App Stores and endless expandability, as the thing does only cost 50 bucks on a 2 year contract.

The Hardware (3/5):

For $50 bucks, you could do a whole lot worse in the aesthetics department. However, that’s not to say it’s perfect by any means. The design is all over the place; the keyboard looks great, as do the sides and rear of the phone. The face, however, looks pretty tacky. The circular D-pad around the “OK” key is far too small, while the other, less frequently used buttons are quite large.

Samsung’s got the sliding mechanism down, as proven by the Reclaim. Even on a relatively cheap phone, the slide is quite smooth. We’d never pick up this phone and say, “Hey! This is made partially of recycled goods!”. It feels decent in the hand, if a bit on the light side.

In our endless war against non-3.5mm headset jacks, we’ve got to give Samsung a high-five for squeezing a 3.5mm port onto the reclaim.

The Keyboard (4/5):

For the space available for it, the keyboard is better than we expected. The keys have a fantastic squish to them. They’re far too small - but that’s a fault of the form factor, not this specific design.

The Software (3/5):

We really like the idea of Sprint’s One Click UI. Your homescreen is essentially a looping carousel, filled from left to right with “Tiles” of your choosing. They’ve got the basics covered: Facebook and Myspace are there for your social needs, quick (basic) access to just about every Google service is available, and customization is quick and easy. This thing is jam packed with bugs, though - in the first 10 minutes of playing, it locked up on us twice. Later, one of the applets decided our backspace key was now the “ÿ” key. Each time I pressed it, a “ÿ” would appear. Yeah, I’ve got no idea. There’s a half second delay with just about everything, which drove us bonkers; still though, it’s one of the better frontends we’ve used on a feature phone.

The Camera: (1/5)

Hot garbage. It seems to have a fixed focus outside of any known dimension; whether near or far, things are blurry messes.







Conclusion:

In today’s day of incredible smartphones costing just $100-$150 bucks, we’d never, ever recommend a $50 feature phone. If we did, we’d consider recommending the Reclaim Not because of the supposed eco-friendliness - because, to be honest, we think that’s a bit of a sham. At the very most, it’s a well intended but way off the mark gesture. Samsung makes some 50+ phones a year; in the grand scheme of things, a few small changes across all of Samsung’s models would make more of a difference than one ultra-green phone.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:48 pm

Dell to launch China-only mobile phone after all, calls it “Ophone mini3i”

We broke the news on Dell launching a China-only cell phone on Sunday, and today major Chinese news portal 163.com reports the device is on its way: What Dell will be offering in China is an Android-powered "Ophone" called the mini3i. China Mobile, the world's biggest carrier, will distribute the device and plans to launch it as early as "in the middle of this month" (which could mean any day this week). China Mobile plans to establish Ophone as a new brand and sell a number of devices from different makers under it. Apart from Dell, Lenovo and another Chinese company called Dopod [CN] (aka HTC) are expected to release Ophones in the next few days.

Source: CrunchGear | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:40 pm

Midcentury Mexican sci-fi kitsch movies: an appreciation

Over at the WIRED "Underwired" pop culture blog, Hugh Hart has an extensive post up about cheesy, low-budget Mexican science fiction movies from the '50s and '60s. Above, a scene from Santo vs. the Martians (1967), which features the famous Mexican wrestler defending nuestra planeta against space-aliens. Snip:

These unsung heroes of vintage Mexican cinema mesmerized south-of-the-border moviegoers for a decade in low-budget pictures that threw together science, sex and action with low-budget abandon.

"Part of the charm of these films is that they are so atrociously underbudgeted and the effects are so cheesy," said UCLA Film & Television Archive programmer Shannon Kelley, who curated the upcoming free film series "Aztec Mummies & Martian Invaders: Mexican Sci-Fi Classics."

"To make something seem supernatural, they'd just add a strange warble sound effect in the background," she said. (...) "The aliens all wore these very simple Mylar costumes," she said. "Plus you have the posturing by the actors."

Vintage Mexican Sci-Fi Beams a Blast From the Past, con Queso (WIRED: Underwired)

And if you're in Los Angeles, every Friday in August there are screenings of these films over at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. Looks like an amazing lineup, I hope to catch at least one of them: ¡ AZTEC MUMMIES & MARTIAN INVADERS !: MEXICAN SCI-FI CLASSICS


Source: Boing Boing | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:39 pm

Video: A PS3 Slim Ghost Story

Maybe this explains why Peter hasn’t been around lately. It seems that blogger are being brutally murdered politely asked to remove confidential information whenever they write about the upcoming… well, let’s just say it isn’t the fat PS3.

I haven’t had any mysterious knocks on my door, but these guys weren’t so lucky.

From what I hear, though, the PS3 “Not wide” will be launching at Gamescom next week. We’ll have the details as soon as we get the go-ahead from our corporate masters pals at Sony.

Source: CrunchGear | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:30 pm

Dell to launch China-only mobile phone after all, calls it “Ophone mini3i”

We broke the news on Dell launching a China-only cell phone on Sunday, and today major Chinese news portal 163.com reports the device is on its way: What Dell will be offering in China is an Android-powered “Ophone” called the mini3i.

China Mobile, the world’s biggest carrier, will distribute the device and plans to launch it as early as “in the middle of this month” (which could mean any day this week). China Mobile plans to establish Ophone as a new brand and sell a number of devices from different makers under it. Apart from Dell, Lenovo and another Chinese company called Dopod [CN] (aka HTC) are expected to release Ophones in the next few days.

All Ophones will support TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), a China-only 3G standard, which means it will be hard to get the Dell Ophone to work outside China.

No updates yet on Dell China’s or China Mobile’s (Chinese) site. We’ll bring you pictures and specs of the mini3i as soon as we get them.

Via 163.com [CN]

Thanks to Snake Chen from NetEase for the tip.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:25 pm

In case you missed it: Zero Punctuation number 100

Yahtzee reviews Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood for his 100th review, then goes on to indulge in a little celebration after the credits. I might check this game out, I’ve been looking for a good western shooter for a while now, and although Yahtzee does tear into it a bit, he does relent towards the end.

The contest he’s referring to at the end is here: the Stonking Great Game Contest. You’re to create a Zero Punctuation-based game, which Yahtzee will annihilate in a review.

Man, 100 reviews. Can you imagine writing a game review every week for two years? It would actually be quite hard! Well, in some ways.

Source: CrunchGear | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:00 pm

Hugo Award winners and statsporn!

Last night I had the extreme pleasure of attending the Hugo Awards ceremony at the World Science Fiction Convention and of losing two Hugos to two of the nicest, most deserving people in science fiction: my friend and teacher Nancy Kress (Best Novella for "The Erdmann Nexus") and my friend and copyfight comrade Neil Gaiman (Best Novel for "The Graveyard Book"). Indeed, this may have been the strongest Hugo ballot in a decade. The pre-award reception was practically awash in awesomesauce, and the winners were, to a one, absolute mensches and geniuses.

I've pasted in the winners below, and thrown in a link to the Hugo Awards administrators' traditional infoporn dump of stats on who nominated and voted for what. My undying thanks to all of you who put Little Brother and True Names on the ballot. I've also thrown in the text of my undelivered Little Brother acceptance speech, because I can, and because it thanks a lot of people who deserve it.

Congrats to Boing Boing reader Jeremy Kratz on wiinning the Hugo Awards logo design competition!

Once I've got a fatter network pipe (this post is going out over the VIA Rail on-train WiFi), I'll upload my Hugo photos, which includes a shot of Neal Stephenson's undelivered acceptance speech for Anathem, which was translated into Ur by Jeremy Bornstein!

Best Novel: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)

Best Novella: ''The Erdmann Nexus'' by Nancy Kress (Asimov's Oct/Nov 2008)

Best Novelette: ''Shoggoths in Bloom'' by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's Mar 2008)

Best Short Story: ''Exhalation'' by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)

John W. Campbell not-a-Hugo Award for Best New Writer: David Anthony Durham

Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)

Best Editor, Short Form: Ellen Datlow

Best Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell

Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola

Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan

Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima

Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

Hugo Award nominations (PDF)

Hugo Award votes (PDF)

This is one of the finest moments in my life, the fulfilment of a dream I've chased since I first put pen to paper and wrote a story, in 1977, when I was six years old. My friends know that I watch the Hugos like baseball fans watch the World Series, pounding my feet and shouting when the books and stories and writers and editors I love are recognized by the WorldCon members.

It's doubly rewarding that I receive this prize for Little Brother, a novel that is so near and dear to my heart, a novel that I tried to imbue with the hopes and fears of my comrades in the fight for technological freedom, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Software Foundation, ACLU, CIPPIC, and Open Rights Group to the thousands of hackers, librarians, activists, and dreamers whom I've had the fabulous privilege of working with over my career.

My sincere and everlasting thanks to my wife, Alice, who gracefully puts up with all the frustrations of living with a writer, even down to letting me get up at 5AM in our hotel room during our anniversary trip to Rome to finish this novel.

Also thanks to my editor, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and to the people at Tor from Tom Doherty to Dot Lin and Irene Gallo and Pablo Defendini who made this book the success it is.

Especial thanks to my friend Scraps DeSelby, whose sensitive and intelligent copyediting immeasurably improved Little Brother.

Thanks to my literary agent Russell Galen and my foreign rights agents Danny and Heather Baror and my film agent Justin Manask for helping get this book into so many people.

And finally, thanks to all the readers, copyers and remixers who spread this book so quickly and so well all over the world. Without you, why bother with any of it?

The age-old dreams of universal access to all human knowledge and cheap group coordination to act on that knowledge are upon us. If we can keep the network free and open, no matter how many times the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse -- child pornographers, pirates, criminals and terrorists -- are presented as a pretext for shutting it down, then we can do anything.

Source: Boing Boing | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:52 pm

Flooded Louisville Free Public Library needs your help

Joshua sez, "Steve Lawson and the Library Society of the World are trying to raise money to help the Louisville Free Public Library, which was hit by horrible flash floods last week. Could you help us help the library out?"

So a lot of those books we sent them in the spring are now covered in water and sewage. And so are the bookmobiles. And the mechanical equipment for HVAC. And the data center. And $50,000 worth of new computers. The initial estimate is $1 million in damage, but they must just be guessing at this point.

Louisville Free Public Library needs your help (Thanks, Joshua!)


Source: Boing Boing | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:52 pm

Pics: The Facebook/FriendFeed Deal Signed Under The Cover Of Night

With all the hoopla over the Facebook’s $50 million acquisition of FriendFeed today, it’d be nice to see how it actually went down. And now we can, thanks to pictures FriendFeed co-founder Paul Buchheit, who posted some pictures of the two sides immediately after signing the deal in the wee hours of the morning.

As you can see in these pictures, this deal was obviously important enough to Facebook that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself is there. Also pictured from Facebook is Vaughan Smith the director of corporate and business development. From FriendFeed, there were three of the co-founders Buchheit, Bret Taylor and Jim Norris (Sanjeev Singh, the fourth co-founder, was not there because he was getting on a plane, Buchheit notes).

I’m still not entirely sure that these pictures are of the deal signing, and not of the crew getting ready to play a game of pick-up basketball.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:46 pm

Appletell reviews Navigon’s MobileNavigator North America for iPhone

FROM APPLETELL - Navigon’s MobileNavigator is a superb choice for turn by turn navigation, even without waiting to see what others will produce in the future.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:30 pm

Nearby, Recent Interplanetary Collision Inferred

The Bad Astronomer writes about a new discovery by the Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected signs of an interplanetary smashup only 100 light-years from here, and only a few thousand years ago. There's a NASA-produced animation of the collision between a Mercury-sized planet and a moon-sized impactor. The collision's aftermath was detected by the presence of what are essentially glass shards in orbit around the star. Here's NASA's writeup.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:29 pm

Report: Google Voice Could Bypass Apple's Restrictions As A Web App - Washington Post

Marketing Pilgrim

Report: Google Voice Could Bypass Apple's Restrictions As A Web App Washington Post iphone owners may ultimately get their chance to use Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Voice?and it may happen before the FCC finishes (or even starts) its investigation into why Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) rejected the app in the first place. That's because Google is ... Google Online Voice Service To Get Around Apple's Restrictions?ITProPortal What Google's Schmidt Got out of Apple GigPC World Google Voice Coming To iPhone As Web AppInformationWeek BusinessWeek -CNET News -V3.co.uk all 122 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:20 pm

Novelty Phones Ring a Familiar Bell

Phone design creativity has pretty much gone straight downhill since the 1980s.

Sure, your Palm Pre may look like a futuristic Zen pebble, and your iPhone can run any one of 60,000 individual apps (no more than 10,000 of which make fart sounds), but really: Can you top the saccharine cuteness that is the Kermit the Frog phone? Does your BlackBerry look like a football? We think not.

Wired photo editor Jim Merithew recently photographed a collection of old novelty phones, and while his gallery is excellent, it’s hardly the last word on these kitschy gadgets. We think that you, Gadget Lab readers, can do much better.

Use the form below to nominate your own novelty phones. Be sure to include a link to a photograph. And vote on your favorites in the list right here.

The photo must be your own, and by submitting it you are giving us permission to use it on Wired.com and in Wired magazine. Please submit images that are relatively large, the ideal size being 800 to 1200 pixels or larger on the longest side. Please include a description of your photo.

We don’t host the photos, so you’ll have to upload it somewhere else and submit a link to it. If you’re using Flickr, Picasa or another photo-sharing site to host your image, please provide a link to the image file directly and not just the photo page where it’s displayed. Using an online photo service that requires that you log in will not work. If your photo doesn’t show up, it’s because the URL you have entered is incorrect. Check it and make sure it ends with the image file name (XXXXXX.jpg).

Please bookmark this page and check back periodically over the next two weeks to vote on new submissions!

Top photo credit: Jim Merithew / Wired.com

Show phones that are: hot | new | top-rated or submit your own

Submit a phone

While you can submit as many phones as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed.

Back to the list

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 pm

Vote: The Kitschiest, Craziest Novelty Phones

The Kermit phone is ringing! It's the 1980s — and they want their phone back! Vote for your favorite kitschy novelty phones in Wired.com's reader poll.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 pm

Vote: The Kitschiest, Craziest Novelty Phones

The Kermit phone is ringing! It's the 1980s — and they want their phone back! Vote for your favorite kitschy novelty phones in Wired.com's reader poll.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 pm

You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again

Most of the net's top sites use a little known capability in Flash to keep track of you, and some sites even use it to reinstall your tracking cookies after you delete them, a new report finds. The study comes as the feds contemplate expanding their use of cookies and cracking down on rogue marketers.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:39 pm

Facebook Acquires FriendFeed

Several readers including carpenter37 let us know that FriendFeed has sold itself to Facebook. Nobody who knows is talking about the terms of the deal. Here is Facebook's announcement, and here is FriendFeed's, which elaborates: "As my mom explained to me, when two companies love each other very much, they form a structured investment vehicle." FriendFeed was founded in 2007 by four ex-Googlers, including Paul Buchheit — the engineer behind Gmail and the originator of Google's "Don't be evil" motto — and Bret Taylor, a former group product manager who launched Google Maps.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:37 pm

The Cost Of FriendFeed: Roughly $50 Million In Cash And Stock

Everyone is obviously talking about the Facebook/FriendFeed deal, but everyone wants to know one key detail: How much did Facebook pay? Now we know: Facebook paid nearly $50 million when you add the $15 million it paid in cash with roughly $32.5 million (based on current valuations) in stock, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The stock is the key part of this deal. Its value is derived from the $6.5 billion common valuation after a recent purchase of employee stock by the Russian investment group DST. But what’s really interesting about the stock is that these are options that vest over a set period of time (”several years,” says WSJ), just as employees in the company get. Compared to the Parakey deal in July 2007, in which the company got only cash and no stock, this seems like a pretty nice deal (assuming that Facebook’s stock eventually pans out, of course).

Another interesting question about this is what Benchmark Capital, FriendFeed’s outside investor, got? It’s certainly possible that they’re taking the cash, while the FriendFeed employees take the stock. Benchmark invested a small part of the company’s $5 million round in early 2008, so a $15 million exit would be pretty solid. But that’s all just speculation, it’s hard to know what Benchmark is getting for sure.

What else is interesting about this $50 million number is that it is 1/10th of what Facebook was apparently willing to pay for Twitter late last year. One big hold up in that deal was that Facebook was offering mostly stock, while Twitter wanted more cash (we heard roughly 20% would have been cash, with the rest coming in stock). Another big problem was that the stock Facebook was offering Twitter was apparently valued based on the ridiculous $15 billion valuation after Microsoft’s investment in October of 2007. The $6.5 billion common stock valuation seems much more reasonable. Too bad for Twitter.

[photo: flickr/tracey o]

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

Source: TechCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:32 pm

Quest Software's 2Q results beat expectations (AP)

AP - Quest Software Inc. said Monday its second-quarter profit more than doubled to $20.5 million, beating analysts' expectations, even as revenue fell.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:15 pm

Facebook expands, acquires FriendFeed

Section: Business News, Communications, Web, Websites

Looking to expand its online reputation, Facebook just finished off an acquisition of FriendFeed, an online service for sharing links and such for an undisclosed price.  Facebook and FriendFeed have many similar goals, so it makes sense for Facebook wanting to acquire the lesser known FriendFeed.  In addition, FriendFeed has access to the 250 million Facebook users as well as an experienced team of Facebook engineers.  FriendFeed employees will be pleased to know that they will still have their jobs under Facebook, and the four founders of FriendFeed will now hold senior positions on the Facebook team.

Interestingly enough, the four founders - Bret Taylor, Paul Buchheit, Jim Norris, and Sanjeev Singh, were some of the leading engineers behind Gmail and Google Maps.  It is easy to see why Facebook wanted such a prominent service started by such a prominent group individuals on board.  FriendFeed.com will stay as is until further plans and goals are set in stone for Facebook and FriendFeed.  Facebook has began to employ some of FriendFeed’s tactics in real time news updates, so hopefully Facebook can use more of their strategies and tactics in the months and years to come. 

Read [Facebook Press Release]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:09 pm

Ingenious Folding Bike Nails Form and Function

A folding bike is a folding bike is a folding bike, right? Wrong! Giant's new Clip folder has a striking design and some innovative features (kickstand in the seat post!) that we've not seen in a two-wheeled vehicle.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:00 pm

Ingenious Folding Bike Nails Form and Function

A folding bike is a folding bike is a folding bike, right? Wrong! Giant's new Clip folder has a striking design and some innovative features (kickstand in the seat post!) that we've not seen in a two-wheeled vehicle.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:00 pm

Now That There’s FaceFeed, Does That Make Twoogle More Inevitable? [BoomTown]

MicroHoo. Check! FaceFeed. Check!

And Twoogle? Let’s check!

Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) have finally partnered. Microsoft is already a big investor in Facebook. And today, the huge social networking site just picked up online content-sharing site FriendFeed, which is chock-a-block full of ex-Google execs.

Now, one has to wonder if it wouldn’t be easier if Google (GOOG), the cash machine of a search giant, finally ponied up and bought the most recent star of Web 2.0?

That would be, of course, Twitter.

While previous rumors in the early spring that Google was imminently poised to acquire Twitter proved premature, the investors of the fast-growing microblogging service and Google execs have got to be thinking the same thing right about now:

Do we need each other to make some real-time noise?

It’s true that a lot of the hubbub around the idea of Twitter selling out has been mostly hype.

In addition, there are a lot of good arguments to be made that the San Francisco start-up is likely to be fine on its own and will soon find some very lucrative revenue streams.

Still, it is probably very disconcerting for Twitter to be holding onto the tail of the tiger of its own phenom and hope that it will not turn out to be a bad decision to imagine it will always be thus.

Linking up Twitter and Google is certainly a big idea, giving Google de facto ownership of real-time search, a big lift in the status-update game and yet another major and innovative Internet name brand.

It would also likely ensure that Twitter will dominate its sector for a very long time.

In other words: Gentlemen–and, since this is Silicon Valley, I do mean pretty much all gentlemen–start your engines.

Because whatever happens, it certainly will be fun to watch from the sidelines as MicroHoo, FaceFeed, Twoogle and more crash into one other and make the Internet as thrilling a place as it has ever been.

Source: All Things Digital | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:59 pm

Music Labels Working On Digital Album Format

Nerdfest writes to mention that just weeks after Apple announced their new "Cocktail" digital album project, the four big record companies are moving forward with their own project dubbed "CMX." The new digital album will feature songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes, and artwork. "However, this may be of little interest if CMX isn't compatible with iTunes, the default music software for iPods, iPhones and Apple computers. Whereas labels are eager to resuscitate the album format in an age of singles, Apple is concerned with selling hardware, including a tablet computer rumored to be launching this fall. The major labels plan to launch CMX, which is just a working title for the format, in November. It will reportedly be 'soft-launched' with a few select releases."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:45 pm

Stanford prof sequences own genome in weeks (AP)

AP - It might not be long until there is a gene scanner in every doctor's office, as DNA sequencing becomes faster and cheaper.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:40 pm

Facebook buys social media aggregator FriendFeed (AP)

AP - Facebook is buying a Web service called FriendFeed that gives users a view of what their friends are doing on all sorts of social media sites, including Facebook's rivals.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:37 pm

Razorfish-Publicis: And the Digital Walls Come Tumbling Down [Voices]

By Paul Sharma, Technology Columnist, Dow Jones Newswires

The prevailing wisdom has been that the important word in ‘digital advertising agency’ wasn’t the advertising as much as it was the digital. Technology was king.

That has all changed, as seen in two deals in the past week. On Sunday, Microsoft (MSFT) sold its digital advertising agency Razorfish to French advertising giant Publicis Groupe. This followed closely on the heels of Google’s (GOOG) sale of its Google Radio advertising business to WideOrbit, a closely held company with a leading position in managing advertising on cable networks.

These deals give an indication of how the circle of competence for the two technology-led giants has changed. A decade ago, a key differentiator of a digital agency was technology and its understanding of how the then-mysterious internet functions.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:30 pm

Fairtheworld 3D Media Market Observation: Global Container Shipping Deflates, China Shows Signs of Upturn

HONG KONG, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- A.P.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:30 pm

Best Buy may be matching used prices on new games in some markets

FROM GAMERTELL - Would you be interested in getting brand new games at used game prices?  Best Buy wants to gauge that interest, it seems.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:10 pm

UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

Evidence of planetary collision discovered PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:03 pm

Giveaway: iSkin cases for the BlackBerry Curve, Bold, and Storm

Who has a Blackberry Curve, Bold, or Storm? Wanna iSkin case for it? Of course you do. The company is kind enough to giveaway a bunch of their custom fit skins. These things are nice too. All three skins feature MicroBan antimicrobial protection to keep the germs under control. The Storm skin has a anti-glare and fingerprint screen. The Bold skins has a leather back and the Curve's skins come in wacky - yes, wacky - colors. All we ask is that you leave the model number of your BlackBerry along with a little message describing why you need a case for it after the jump. We'll pick 10 winners per phone model. Aren't we the coolest?

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:00 pm

Tellabs Intends to Repurchase Up to $200 Million in Common Shares

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tellabs intends to actively repurchase its common stock under an existing Board of Directors authorization, previously announced on Nov. 8, 2007.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 4:00 pm

Working Off the Clock, How Much Is Too Much?

The Wall Street Journal has word of yet another suit against an employer who required an "always on" mentality to persist because of easily available communications. Most of us working in some sort of tech related job are working more than 40 hours per week (or at least lead the lifestyle of always working), but how much is too much? What methods have others used in the past to help an employer see the line between work and personal life without resorting to a legal attack? "Greg Rasin, a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, a New York business law firm, said the recession may spawn wage-and-hour disputes as employers try to do the same amount of work with fewer people. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act says employees must be paid for work performed off the clock, even if the work was voluntary. When the law was passed in 1938, 'work' was easy to define for hourly employees, said Mr. McCoy. As the workplace changed, so did the rules for when workers should be paid."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:54 pm

"Ship of Fools" made from a giant map

New Zealand designer Fletcher Vaughan made this sculpture of a boat &mdash his modernized objectified version of the Ship of Fools allegory &mdash out of a giant map of the world. He folded it origami-style and placed it out by a waterfront, where it could be swept by wind into the sea or drenched and destroyed by rain. "The illusion of simple paper construction," he writes, "represents the fragility of our planet and its inhabitants in the present day."

Fletcher Systems main page

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:45 pm

New World of Warcraft Races, 'Cataclysm' Expansion Leaked? (PC World)

PC World - Werewolves and goblins and cats-out-of-the-bag oh my, a World of Warcraft fansite is dishing rumors on Blizzard's next expansion to its massively successful online roleplaying game.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:33 pm

Open Source 'Twitter' Network Could Prevent Next Twitpocalypse

Last week's Twitter failure proves that micro-blogging -- as much as people make fun of it -- is too important to be controlled by a single entity. Laconi.ca and Identi.ca let you run your own micro-blogging node with hooks in to Twitter and Facebook, so that the next time Twitter goes down, you'll be prepared.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:29 pm

Tr.im Goes Under, But What Of Tr.im Links? - ChannelWeb

dBTechno

Tr.im Goes Under, But What Of Tr.im Links? ChannelWeb As Tr.im goes, so too go its links? That's the question now that Tr.im, the popular URL shortening service, is going belly-up thanks to a lack of funding. At first glance, it doesn't seem like a big deal. A service that shortens URLs isn't exactly a ... URL shortener Trim gets cut offCNET News Link-Shortener Tr.im Sees Its Life Cut ShortWashington Post Tr.im URL Shortener AxedInformationWeek PC World -PC Magazine -CNNMoney.com all 183 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:27 pm

Sunrise Telecom(R) Reports $13.2 Million Sales for Second Quarter of 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:24 pm

Cuneiform Tablets Found In Ancient Turkish Temple

A team of University of Toronto archaeologists has uncovered a cache of cuneiform tablets dating back to between 1200 and 600 BCE at the site of a recently discovered temple in southeastern Turkey.Found in the temple’s cella, or ‘holy of holies’, the tablets are part of a possible archive that may offer insights into Assyrian imperial aspirations during the Iron Age period.The assemblage appears to represent a Neo-Assyrian renovation of an older Neo-Hittite temple complex, providing a rare glimpse into the religious dimension of Assyrian imperial ideology,” said Timothy Harrison, professor of near eastern archaeology in the Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations and director of U of T’s Tayinat Archaeological Project (TAP).  “The tablets, and the information they contain, may possibly highlight the imperial ambitions of one of the great powers of the ancient world, and its lasting influence on the political culture of the Middle East,” he said.The cella also contained gold, bronze and iron implements, libation vessels and ornately decorated ritual objects.The structure of the building where the tablets were found was partially unearthed in 2008 at Tell Tayinat, capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Palastin, which preserves the classic plan of a Neo-Hittite temple.  It formed part of a sacred precinct that once included monumental stelae carved in Luwian (an extinct Anatolian language once spoken in Turkey) hieroglyphic script, but which were found by the expedition shattered into tiny shard-like fragments.“Tayinat was destroyed by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III in 738 BCE, and then transformed into an Assyrian provincial capital, equipped with its own governor and imperial administration,” said Harrison.  “Scholars have long speculated that the reference to Calneh in Isaiah’s oracle against Assyria alludes to Tiglath-pileser’s devastation of Kunulua – ie, Tayinat.  The destruction of the Luwian monuments and conversion of the sacred precinct into an Assyrian religious complex may represent the physical manifestation of this historic event.”The temple was later burned in a powerful fire and was found filled with heavily charred brick and wood that, paradoxically, helped preserve the finds recovered from its inner chambers.  “While those responsible for this later destruction are not yet known, the remarkable discoveries preserved in the Tayinat temple clearly record a pivotal moment in its history,” said Harrison.  “They promise a richly textured view of the cultural and ethnic contest that has long characterized the turbulent history of this region.”---Image Caption: An image of a tablet being prepared for removal.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:23 pm

Scientists observe nanocrystal growth

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:21 pm

Blueberry leaves may kill hepatitis C

Japanese scientists say they've discovered a chemical found in blueberry leaves can help block the replication of the hepatitis C virus. The researchers, led by Hiroaki Kataoka and colleagues at the University of Miyazaki, said the discovery opens a new avenue for treating chronic hepatitis C infections.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:07 pm

Scientists Create Artificial Bones From Wood

steve_thatguy writes "According to Discovery News, Italian scientists have made artificial bone from wood. Created by blasting wood blocks with heat until they are nearly pure carbon then coating them with calcium, the scientists say the material allows bones to heal faster and more securely. Unlike titanium, the wood-based artificial bones flex slightly much like real bone, and the porous nature of the wood allows for better bio-activity with surrounding tissue. Though human testing is still likely years away, the material is currently being used successfully in sheep and may have other industrial applications."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:05 pm

iPayment Announces Conference Call To Discuss Second-Quarter 2009 Financial Results

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- iPayment, Inc. today announced that its management will hold a conference call on Friday, August 14, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss its 2009 second-quarter results.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:03 pm

BIO-key(R) Reports Third Consecutive Quarter of Profitability

WALL, N.J., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BIO-key International, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BKYI), a leader in wireless public safety and finger-based biometric identification solutions, today reported results for the second quarter and first six months ended June 30, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:03 pm

Gadgetell Review: DYMO LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo

Section: Gadgets / Other, Household, Peripherals, Printers / Scanners, Reviews

What is it:

The DYMO LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo is a double spool label printer for Macs and PCs that utilizes thermal printing technology.  It can be print a variety of label types, including address, shipping, and postage.  The included labelmaker software, DYMO Label v.8, also includes DYMO File, which sets up barcodes for auto-sorting scanned documents, and DYMO Stamps for printing postage.  The DYMO LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo is available for purchase from DYMO for $209.99.

The good:

There is a lot of good stuff with this label printer.  The dual spools let you print two sets of labels at once, such as address labels along with the postage, so you can get your projects done faster.  To print postage, DYMO Stamps makes use of Endicia.com, which doesn’t require a monthly fee to use, but does require you to sign-up for an Endicia account.  Being able to print postage at home makes for quick package drop-offs - no standing in long lines.  There is an optional DYMO USB postal scale available for $74.99, which might be useful for those who mail a lot of packages.

With no ink or toner to buy, thanks to the thermal printing, you only have to worry about being short on actual labels.  The thermal printing produces crisp print quality and makes for a fast printing speed.  The included labelmaker software is easy to use and includes a variety of label templates, clip art, auto text (date, counters), barcodes, and font formatting.  The program really lets you be creative and make labels beyond just your basic address label.  You can also import labels from productivity software (i.e., Microsoft Word and Excel).  There is a convenient quick-print feature when you need to print just one label.

The bad:

Though you will escape the ink/toner-buying nightmare, you will still have to buy labels.  A 2-roll box (700 labels) of address size runs $22 and a 200-label roll of postage size runs $14.95 - so, not quite as expensive as ink, but still a recurring cost to keep in mind.  Installing the label rolls is a little tricky - there are diagrams, but they’re not as clear as they could be.  I actually had a couple labels peel off as I tried to get the roll started.

The printer requires a DVD player to be installed, so netbook users beware.  Also, the initial cost of the printer, as well as the cost of the labels, may be on the expensive side for light users.

The crux:

The printer is really fun to use - you will start actively looking for stuff to label and mail.  The print quality is very good, the software easy to use, and the print speed is zippy.  It is definitely a useful tool for those who like to drop-off prepaid packages, send mass mailings (i.e., holiday cards, invitations), or like to be really organized.  I highly recommend the DYMO LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo label printer.

Site: [DYMO LabelWriter 450 Twin Turbo]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:02 pm

Datascension, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Financial Results

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Datascension, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DSEN), a global outsourcing solutions company, today announced financial results for the Company's second quarter ended June 30, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:02 pm

Facebook, FriendFeed Face Merger Hurdles

Social networking juggernaut Facebook has acquired the life-streaming website FriendFeed. Both sites will continue to operate independently for now, but many issues must be sorted out before the products are fully integrated.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:00 pm

Belzberg Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results

TORONTO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Belzberg Technologies Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:00 pm

BMW Builds the Ultimate Security Machine

Our favorite option on this tricked-out, high-security car? The gun safe with room for two machine guns.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 3:00 pm

Appletell reviews the Wacom Intuos4 professional pen tablet

FROM APPLETELL - The Wacom Intuos4 is just another reason why Wacom will continue to be the obvious choice for tablets in the foreseeable future.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:54 pm

1 In 78 Brits Targeted For Surveillance: Report

British police, intelligence services and local councils made more than half a million requests to access the private telephone records and emails of citizens last year, according to an annual report of government surveillance released by the Interception of Communications Commissioner.The figures show that roughly 1,500 surveillance requests were made every day in Britain, the annual equivalent to one in every 78 people being targeted.     Although these numbers represent a slight decrease from last year, the total is still up more than 40 percent from two years ago.The vast majority of requests to access people's private records were made by the police and security services, the report found, but about 1,500 requests were granted to local council officials.  Most of the local council requests were for investigations of  trivial offenses such as dog fouling, spurring concern that the system is being misused.Each approved surveillance request allows government bodies to access data about the telephone records, email and text messages.  But it does not permit access to the actual content of the conversations or messages."It doesn't allow you to see the content of the message or conversation.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:41 pm

Harry & David Announces New CFO

MEDFORD, Ore., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Harry & David Holdings, Inc., today announced the appointment of Ed Dunlap as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the company. Mr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:27 pm

Comparing the MMO Industry With the Silver Screen

Karen Hertzberg writes "With video gaming — specifically the massively multiplayer online titles — quickly surpassing Hollywood's cash flow, it seems logical that the silver suits at Tinsel Town would begin paying attention to their digital brethren. On the same line of thought, Hollywood provides the MMO industry with a history in the entertainment medium that we simply don't have. Ten Ton Hammer's Cody Bye sat down with four industry experts to draw together some similarities between MMOs and films, and he attempted to use those points to draw out some predictions for the future of the MMO gaming industry."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:13 pm

Evidence of planetary collision discovered

The U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:04 pm

Virtual Reality Lets Surgeons Practice Before Cutting Humans

The next generation of surgeons may not have to learn on real patients. New touch-feedback virtual surgery devices could help prepare fledgling surgeons before they cut into a person.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Aug 2009 | 2:00 pm

Unannounced Samsung winds up on Craigslist

The mobile industry is a funny place, friends. Bloggers fight relentlessly to be the first with images of a new handset, working endlessly to establish relationships with “sources” who can leak them the latest goods. Phone companies go to great lengths to keep their new toys a secret, requiring most folks who get even a quick glimpse of the phone to sign an NDA. Still, stuff somehow manages to make its way to folks who, of all possible options, put it on Craigslist.

Such is the case with the Samsung SGH-A797, an as of yet unannounced QWERTY slider that looks to be carrying the AT&T brand. A whole lot of nothin’ is known about this guy, beyond the obvious form factor clues and that it appears to be running TouchWiz.

The seller’s currently got it up for $115, which seems pretty damn cheap for an unannounced, contractless phone. Really, though - Craigslist? Come on. If you’ve got an unreleased phone in your pocket, think of something better to do with it than hawking it - at the very least, hook a blogger up.

[Unwired View, Via EngMo]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:59 pm

Gadget Lab Comment of the Week #3

The top comment on Gadget Lab last week was posted by senor_demasiado, on my post about the Zune HD.

“What’s with the smug comments about microsoft?” senor_demasiado asks. That’s a response to my question about what kinds of video you’d want to store on your Zune, then display on your hotel room’s widescreen TV. What kind of video, you ask? Think of the children, he says: Such videos are indispensible for entertaining the wee ones on long trips.

And then there’s always the “tech for tech’s sake” argument:

“Why would you want to plug your Zune into a TV?… I bet 10 years ago, people would ask, “why would someone want to put a video camera on a phone”? The answer is always the same for these questions; Because it doesn’t have one now, or just Because.

Good point, senor_demasiado. Why ask why? New features, in all their purity, are the Gadget Lab’s reason for being. Useful, useless, or just plain awesome, we love writing about them, especially if we can also use them to entertain our kids. So you want to put HDMI out capabilities on a media player? Hell yeah! We’ll find a use for it, somehow.

The comment-of-the-week prize is a Leatherman Freestyle CX (above), one of the smallest tools Leatherman makes. It’s got a pair of pliers and a hard, 154CM stainless steel blade, and that’s about it. It fits nicely in your pocket, feels good in your hand and looks cool. Thanks very much to the Leatherman company for donating these as prizes.

A close runner-up last week was Rob Beschizza’s comment comparing fanny packs to Atlantis: “The problem with fanny packs is the same as the problem with Atlantis: as soon as you make the proposition reasonable, it becomes something else entirely.” Unfortunately, Rob, as the former editor of Gadget Lab and the gadgets editor for BoingBoing — aka “Wired’s paramilitary wing” — has been disqualified from winning. Instead, I am going to send him a consolation prize: the iPhone case I got at the GDGT party last week.

There is one more week to win a prize, so keep those comments coming. And as a reminder, here’s the Gadget Lab comment policy.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:45 pm

Advances in lung cancer research announced

U.S. scientists have announced two significant advances in lung cancer research. Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:38 pm

New tools for Google Services for Websites

Earlier this year, we launched Google Services for Websites, a program that helps partners, e.g., web hoster and access providers, offer useful and powerful tools to their customers. By making services, such as Webmaster Tools, Custom Search, Site Search and AdSense, easily accessible via the hoster control panel, hosters can easily enable these services for their webmasters. The tools help website owners understand search performance, improve user retention and monetize their content — in other words, run more effective websites.

Since we launched the program, several hosting platforms have enhanced their offerings by integrating with the appropriate APIs. Webmasters can configure accounts, submit Sitemaps with Webmaster Tools, create Custom Search Boxes for their sites and monetize their content with AdSense, all with a few clicks at their hoster control panel. More partners are in the process of implementing these enhancements.

We've just added new tools to the suite:

• Web Elements allows your customers to enhance their websites with the ease of cut-and-paste. Webmasters can provide maps, real-time news, calendars, presentations, spreadsheets and YouTube videos on their sites. With the Conversation Element, websites can create more engagement with their communities. The Custom Search Element provides inline search over your own site (or others you specify) without having to write any code and various options to customize further.
• Page Speed allows webmasters to measure the performance of their websites. Snappier websites help users find things faster; the recommendations from these latency tools allow hosters and webmasters to optimize website speed. These techniques can help hosters reduce resource use and optimize network bandwidth.
• The Tips for Hosters page offers a set of tips for hosters for creating a richer website hosting platform. Hosters can improve the convenience and accessibility of tools, while at the same time saving platform costs and earning referral fees. Tips include the use of analytics tools such as Google Analytics to help webmasters understand their traffic and linguistic tools such as Google Translate to help websites reach a broader audience.

If you're a hoster and would like to participate in the Google Services for Websites program, please apply here. You'll have to integrate with the service APIs before these services can be made available to your customers, so the earlier you start that process, the better.

As always, we'd love to get feedback on how the program is working for you, and what improvements you'd like to see.

Posted by Rajat Mukherjee, Group Product Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:30 pm

Onkyo announces home theater receiver with Internet music services

Section: Audio, Accessories, Audio Receivers, Home Audio, Video, Accessories, Web, Online Music/Video

With the allure of Internet music services like Pandora and Rhapsody setting up a home theater system that incorporate them can be a bit difficult without having to put a whole computer in the system.  Sure, having a computer in the setup would be cool, but when’s the last time you wanted to browse the Internet on your TV?  A simple solution that allows you to have access to some of those Internet media services is really all you need.  That’s what Onkyo is trying to deliver.

The new Onkyo TX-NR807 is home theater receiver that in addition to having an enormous number of ports for audio and video has an added ethernet port.  It can connect to your home network and Internet for some nifty features.  The TX-NR807 uses the Internet connection and an on-screen UI to connect Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius Internet Radio, and vTuner for easy music/radio playback.  The receiver also supports DLNA so you can stream nearly any audio file from any computer or storage also connected to your home network, though strangely there is no word on streaming video.

The Onkyo TX-NR807 also makes it easy to program the remote to connect to the receiver, TV and any other supported device.  Through the on-screen UI, all you have to do is select the correct device, and the receiver transmits the code to the remote, which can support up to four macros.  It will take a lot of the guess work out of programming the home theater to work without have to use five different remotes for the five different boxes or devices.  It will be useful as the TX-NR807 can use connect to any device you could possibly think of in any nearly any possible way, which is to say more ways than most people are even aware of.

Read [Onkyo]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:16 pm

Is that Wi-Fi on the Storm 2?

It is and it was quasi-confirmed back in April, but that’s a Vodafone Storm 2, so who knows if Verizon will let that slide when it finally gets announced for the US.

via CrackBerry

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:10 pm

Emissions Pledges Kick Off Climate Talks

U.N. negotiators aim to forge a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 1:00 pm

Pocket Pal Knife Sharpener

Smith's mini-sharpener features two v-shaped slots with carbide blades and ceramic stones. The pocket pal, which can handle serrated and standard edges, also has a 400-grit diamond-tapered rod that flips out.

For $10, I can't imagine this thing is amazing. But if you're in the bush and need to liven up a blade just a little, it could be worth carrying.

[via Toolmonger]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 12:20 pm

Life and Death In The Living Brain

Like clockwork, brain regions in many songbird species expand and shrink seasonally in response to hormones.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 12:14 pm

Personal Rockin' Computer

This is really just another fancy design-y chair that hangs from the ceiling, but its creators have dubbed it "personal rocking' computer: the ultimate generation workstation." It may be because the position of the knees when sitting in this position create perfect thigh space to put a laptop on. I kinda wish I had one instead of two flat couches which often cause strain in my neck and my back.

Yours for just $4200 from a Swedish web site. And no, I don't think it comes with a sexy woman on top.

[Product page via Notcot]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 12:00 pm

Molecular Biologist Establishes

Strigolactones are plant hormones, which were first discovered in crop plants during the infection with the parasitic plant "Striga". Only plants which produce strigolactones were infected with the parasite resulting in a significant reduction of vigor.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 12:00 pm

Unboxing (and licking) the Samsung Reclaim

Late last week, Sprint, Samsung, and Captain Planet announced a plan to save the world, very slowly: the Samsung Reclaim. Made primarily of corn and renewable resources, the Reclaim is a green phone - both figuratively and literally. Peter Ha, who is known (outside of his CrunchGear writings) primarily for planting trees and installing solar farms in Africa, was having none of it.

Mr. DeliveryMan just showed up with our Reclaim review unit. We’re just tearing it apart now, but we figured we’d get some pics up for those at home interested in this thing. As a side note, it should be mentioned that this phone, made at least partially of corn, does not taste like corn. Yes, Yes; I licked the phone. Purely in the interest of science, of curse. It tastes like a phone — or more accurately, like a combination of bear mace and lysol. If I drop dead mysteriously in the next 48 hours, blame Samsung.

Whether or not the whole “Green” thing is much more than a gimmick, I remain undecided - but for $50 bucks on a 2 year-contract, this feature phone really isn’t too shabby. We’ll have our hands on impressions up in a few hours.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 11:54 am

Argonne announces public open house

The public will be able to tour the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory Aug. 29 for the first time in three years. Officials said the gates at the laboratory will be open 9 a.m to 4:30 p.m.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 11:47 am

Soybean Plants Resistant To Aphids And A New Aphid

 This year farmers in the Midwest are growing a new variety of soybeans developed by University of Illinois researchers that has resistance to soybean aphids.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 10 Aug 2009 | 11:37 am

USAA Bank to begin allowing customers to deposit checks using a mobile phone

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile

With smartphones becoming more and more popular these days, they are beginning to allow users to handle more and more tasks; some that we may not have thought of before.  The latest development is coming in the form of mobile banking and it will soon mean that users will be able to deposit a check from anywhere using nothing other than a smartphone.

In this case, the bank in question is USAA, and they have announced plans to release an updated iPhone application that is going to allow customers to deposit their checks.  The user will just have to take a picture of both sides of the check and then the deposit will be made electronically.

“We’re essentially taking an image of the check, and once you hit the send button, that image is going into our deposit-taking system as any other check would,” said Wayne Peacock, a USAA executive vice president.

Additionally, after that image is sent, the customer will be done.  In other words, they will not have to do anything else such as later bringing or mailing the actual check to the bank.  Of course, USAA did suggest that customers void, discard and/or shred that check to avoid future confusion or mishandling.

Unfortunately, this option will not be available for every USAA customer.  According to reports, the customers will need to be eligible for credit and also have insurance though USAA.  That is said to be an effort to help reduce any possibility of fraud and according to the bank about 60 percent of their current customers will qualify.

All-in-all, this is a pretty limited option, USAA today has its rules of requirement, not to mention this option will be delivered by way of an iPhone app.  Yes, it seems there is an app for just about everything (except Google Voice).  In addition, USAA is currently not one of the largest banks in the US, they were noted as sitting “just below the top 20 banks in the United States.”

Of course, even without an iPhone app there could be room to open this up in the future -  maybe something as simple as taking a picture with any mobile phone (smartphone or standard feature phone) and being able to send the image by way of a confirmed telephone number (MMS) or by confirmed email address.

Read [NY Times]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 11:14 am

Gardening tool combines plant pot and watering can

NY product designer Deger Cengiz has invented a new gardening tool &mdash it's plant pot and watering can hybrid, designed so that whenever you tip it on its side the water directly hits the plant pot. He calls it "Selfish and Devoted" &mdash the plant pot is selfish because all it does is suck up water, and the watering can is devoted because its whole being is dedicated to feeding the plant.

[Deger Cengiz's web site via Dezeen]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 11:00 am

Hidden setting enables flashy transitions on the N97

We drooled over the N97 for months before release. The hardware looked pocket-perfect, the keyboard oh-so-friendly with our thumbs. But when it finally launched, it.. well, it wasn’t our favorite phone ever, to put it kindly. Of all the flaws, the most glaring was the OS; it just seemed muddled and ancient, and weighed down the phone.

The guys over at The Symbian Blog have figured out a way to make the OS seem slightly less dated. It’s a bit like sprinkling glitter onto a pile of vomit, but a quick tweak and a small options toggle will enable a fancy screen transition animation. It’s not very useful nor completely stable - but if you want to pretty things up a bit, it’s a nice trick.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:50 am

Apple's Duty (and How it's Failing) - PC World

IntoMobile

Apple's Duty (and How it's Failing) PC World In recent days, two major tech pundits, Michael Arrington and Jason Calacanis, have come out swinging against Apple's tactics with respect to the iPhone App Store, iTunes integration, and related topics. Long-time Apple fans appear to be scratching ... New products, possible Verizon deal expected to boost Apple stockApple Insider Apple feels the tech crowd's wrathITworld.com Blu-ray may be less of a bag of hurt with iTunes supportArs Technica ChannelWeb -Tom's Guide -IntoMobile all 143 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:38 am

Water carbonator looks like a sex toy

This looks like a deformed dildo, but it's actually a kitchen tool, a home water carbonator for those of you who prefer agua con gaz over normal tap water. It was designed by Aemillios Grohmann and André Kieker for water treatment machine maker WasserMaxx.

via MoCo Loco

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:32 am

If Mr. Potato head was in the army...

...he'd look like this. These prototypes were created with a 3D printer by Avihai Shurin.

[via Designboom]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:30 am

WATCH: Nanotechnology Offers Big Rewards

Nanotechnology promises to make our lives better. Find out how.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:30 am

These are not just ugly stuffed animals

This pack of stuffed dog toys with giant mouths from Japan are actually functional gadget accessories. Can you guess what they are?

Answer is here.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:22 am

Internet usage in America is now spiking before breakfast

Section: Web, Websites

Think about your average morning for a moment.  Chances are rather than getting up and going straight to find some sort of breakfast you wake up and head straight for your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, or any sort of Internet device.  Don’t worry, it turns out you’re not alone in this early morning email/Facebook/Twitter checking, it seems that a lot of Americans are starting to do so.

According to Arbor Networks, a company that monitors Internet usage, Americans are starting to connect to the Internet as soon as they start their day.  Where Internet traffic used to spike mainly at night before most people started to sleep, now as soon as we wake up there’s a spike.  Facebook and Amazon both face traffic as early as 6 a.m., while most traffic skyrockets at 7 a.m.  It’s not just limited to Internet, either.  Verizon Wireless is reporting that there’s 50 percent more text messages sent between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. this July than the same month last year.

These findings, while interesting, aren’t exactly surprising.  Surely a decent number of those who visit this site have been doing this for a while now.  It only makes sense that we would want to check the various forms of communication we have as soon as we wake up.  There can be a lot that was missed while we sleep, with people who tend to sleep later or those in other timezones sending messages, updating statuses and whatnot overnight. 

Read [NY Times]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:11 am

Review: Laptop Lunch, a bento box for geeks

Finally, a lunch box apt for geeks who like organized packed lunches! The laptop lunch bento box comes in a thermal laptop bag-like tote with an inside sleeve for gadgets and pens and notebooks. The main compartment holds a colorful modular lunch box with multiple compartments and a small spill-proof sport-style juice bottle, which also comes with the kit. A small stainless steel fork and spoon are also included. The containers are microwave and dishwasher-safe.

I used the laptop lunch box to pack Brian a meal to take on his morning surfing trip. There are four main color-coded compartments &mdash I put dumplings (left over from a feast we made last night) in the blue rectangle, cabbage & chicken & rice & pickles in the green (has a lid), farmer's cucumbers and sauteed pea shoots in the purple, and fruits in the red. The little yellow bin with the sealable lid was perfect for dipping sauce. Mango juice in the drink container.

The kit comes with an instruction booklet with some simple recipes. There are other books on Japanese-style boxed lunches, too. I have one called Bento Love, but today I just stuffed the bento box with leftovers.

When Brian came back from surfing several hours later, he reported two problems: 1. The warm food next to the cold drink made the drink warm and the food cool. 2. Because the compartments are designed to hold food horizontally but the bag's strap is on the vertical, the food gets shifted around and the flavors tended to mix. The fruit tasted slightly like chicken, he said. To avoid this, make sure to keep the saucy, juicy stuff in the sealed yellow or green containers.

Overall, yummy food + a little TLC + a great way to carry it all = one very happy surfing geek.

[Laptop Lunches bento box from ReusableBags.com]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 10:00 am

New Himalaya Species Include Flying Frog

Over 350 species discovered in Himalayas are threatened by development.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 9:30 am

WATCH: Born Animal Presents: Collared Peccary

Explore the collared peccary, a hardy desert survivor in the American Southwest.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 9:30 am

Coming Soon? Bank Deposits by iPhone - PC World

GadgetCrave.com

Coming Soon? Bank Deposits by iPhone PC World Bank deposits at ATM machines just became low-tech thanks to a fascinating and cool new application that will allow Apple iPhone users to photograph both sides of a check, then send the images via their iPhone to make a deposit. ... Want To Deposit A Check? Just Use Your iPhoneWashington Post Bank to allow check deposit via iPhone appMacworld US bank deposits checks via iPhone cameraRegister FOXBusiness -DVICE -Christian Science Monitor all 106 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 10 Aug 2009 | 9:28 am

Recently on Offworld: Kochalka on Game Boy, conflict diamonds on DS, knock-off Pokemon

Recently on Offworld, American Elf artist James Kochalka dropped in to let us preview Robot Shark, one of the songs off his latest album Digital Elf, created entirely with Nanoloop on his Game Boy Advance, and we discovered that Jason Rohrer, creator of reigning memento mori art-game-champ Passage, was creating a two player DS strategy game based on the illicit blood diamond trade in Angola (!).

We also watched Love Sport, a set of fantastically expressive pixel animations from Studio AKA's Grant Orchard, and heard Austin Wintory's soundtrack for thatgamecompany's PS3 art-game flOw being played live by LA's Golden State Pops Orchestra, and (literally) looked inside Sony's upcoming augmented reality virtual EyePet.

Finally, we saw why 2D still matters in 2009 with the jaw-dropping visuals in XNA game Dust, and found infinitely adorable crocheted Marios, a re-imagined 80s arcade pinup, and, best of all, back-alley knock-off Pokemon.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 9:24 am

Motorola Morrison spec’d out

Like Palm before the Pre, Motorola is on its last leg and the adoption of Google’s Android OS could make or break the handset division of the company. We’ve seen numerous images and industrial sketches of the forthcoming Morrison, but hardware specs have been absent until now. Android and Me has been tipped off on the purported specs for the QWERTY slider.

Moto has gone with a Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528MHz processor, which is the same series (MSM 72XX) chip that the G1 and myTouch 3G are powered with. RAM and ROM are the same as the myTouch at 256MB and 512MB, respectively. Screen resolution is HVGA (320×480), camera (AF, adjustable WB, etc.) resolution is 5 megapixels and, yes, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Previous rumors indicate the Morrison aka Cliq could launch on October 21 with T-Mobile.

via Android and Me

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:54 am

Sewage Breeds Bigger, Faster Mosquitoes

Larger, faster mosquitoes created in sewage can spread dangerous diseases.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:45 am

SLIDE SHOW: Top 10 Supernovae

When stars explode, we tend to take notice. Discovery Space looks at the top 10.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:45 am

Get angry: AT&T changes contract to prevent class action lawsuits UPDATE FROM AT&T

When was the last time you read your AT&T contract? If you answered “never,” then may I suggest you take two minutes to look this over. That’s right, unbeknownst to you, you just lost the ability to enter into a class action lawsuit against the mobile phone carrier. High five!

Right, so the language in question is:

Any arbitration under this Agreement will take place on an individual basis; class arbitrations and class actions are not permitted.

In other words, thanks to the new wording of the AT&T contract, if you feel like entering into a class action lawsuit against AT&T, well, you can’t. It’s all there in black and white.

The thing is—and this is based on like 10 minutes of research—any change to a contract that benefits one part over the other represents a chance for the other party to cancel the contract without facing any penalties or fees. So, if you don’t like the fact that you now cannot join a class action lawsuit against AT&T, ring ‘em up and say, “Yes, I’d like to cancel my contract, please. Here’s your rubbish iPhone back.”

This is not a good summer for AT&T. First the upgrade fiasco, then a mass nerd defection due to outages, and now this.

via Slashdot

Quoth AT&T:

AT&T has not recently made any changes in its terms of service regarding our arbitration clause. This approach has been in effect since Jan. 2001. We have made minor changes to our arbitration clause – most recently in Jan. 2009 – but those changes have been to the benefit of the consumer.

· It is worth noting that this approach – an arbitration clause with a class action waiver — is standard for the wireless industry.

*We continue to believe that a consumer is better off pursuing a claim under our arbitration clause, rather than pursuing a class action. Arbitration is typically a fast, cost-effective, and pro-consumer way to address disputes, and AT&T’s arbitration agreement is among the most consumer-friendly in the nation.
*A federal judge in West Virginia, even before recent improvements to AT&T’s arbitration policy, praised it as “unusually consumer-centered.”
*Our current arbitration clause calls for the company — if it does not settle a consumer complaint and the consumer receives an award that is greater than the company’s settlement offer — to pay the greater amount of either the arbitration, or $10,000. This is what changed in Jan. 2009; previously the amount was $5,000.
*Likewise, if the consumer has used a lawyer in winning an arbitration case and is awarded more than the company’s settlement offer, the company would pay two times the lawyers’ fees. Finally, we pay the entire cost of the arbitration, except if a customer is claiming $75,000 or more.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 8:16 am

Toshiba applies to join Blu-ray Disc Association, expect Blu-ray products from Toshiba soon

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

It looks like Toshiba is ready to fully move on from HD-DVD products and enter in the more popular field of Blu-ray products and goods.  Toshiba applied to join the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), in order to market Blu-ray capable devices.

The reason they decided to look into Blu-ray is because “of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers alike.”  This makes perfect sense for Toshiba.  So what types of products can we expect from Toshiba?  For starters, they list Blu-ray players and notebooks equipped with Blu-ray drives will be the first products announced and up for sale.  Unfortunately, they don’t release any model numbers, pictures, or timeframes for any product releases.

Via [Toshiba Press Release]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:49 am

Waterproof iPhone Case Thwarts Toilet Tumbles

If only we’d heard of this earlier! Our own Brian Chen killed his iPhone by carelessly tossing a glass of water at it and confounded the mistake by weeping cry-baby tears all over the thing. If he’d been using this inflatable, waterproof iPhone case, though, he’d still have his trusty 3G.

The case lets you use the phone as normal, too. You can plug in some waterproof headphones to a clever slot which routes electricity and not water to the actual jack, you can use both the home and the off button and the camera has a window to peek out of. You can even use the touch-screen through the plastic cover.

A lanyard means you can swim with your iPhone round your neck, an armband is a little more practical for the same thing, and the earbuds also come in the box. A bargain at ¥3,280, or $34. Or you could, you know, wait until you have already dunked your phone and then put it in a box of rice, like Brian. The same rice that manages to stay dry for months even in a humid climate. How did that work out for you, Brian?

Product page [Sanwa via The Giz]

See Also:

• Rest in Rice: My Poor, Dead iPhone (2007 to 2009)
• IPhone Water Sensor Revealed
• iPhone Includes Water Damage Indicator

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:42 am

US Bank To Allow Check Deposits via iPhone

The USAA bank will soon let you deposit a check with your iPhone. Many banks have iPhone apps that allow online banking, but USAA, from its single branch in San Antonio, will be the first to dispatch with the decidedly old-school check.

Using the application, customers photograph the front and back of the check with the iPhone’s camera. Hit send and the check is whisked off into the clearing system. The paper check itself never needs to go to the bank, and you can just tear it up and toss it away (or, for the more paranoid, file it in a safe place). The service will be appear in an update to the already available iPhone app sometime this week. The application will also steer you to your nearest ATM, show you where the nearest car rental joint is and, weirdly, “record accident details to help you file a claim.”

What surprises us is that people still use checks. In Spain, cash is still king, but more and more people use debit cards that work just like checks, only without the dead trees. I almost never see checks, to the extent that when I do spot one being written, I stare and point. The app is free, and available now.
Product page [USAA via NYT]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 7:15 am

Get caught up in technology with InterrupTech: August 10, 2009

Section: Business News, Apple, Audio, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video, Communications, Smartphones, Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Google, Features, Podcasts, InterrupTech

Get caught up in a hurry with InterrupTech.  You won’t find endless chatter here.  We’ve got a timer to move things along.  This week:

• Is the Zune HD a real competitor to iPod?
• Google CEO Eric Schmidt leaves Apple’s Board.
• Twitter meltdown.
• Palm Pre gets lots of apps, just not officially.
• RadioShack transforms into “The Shack”

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 am

New Artificial Bone Made of Wood

Artificial bones made of wood should allow live bones to heal more quickly.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 am

Why Star Trek Fans Should Be Hoping for a Mac Tablet

We've all heard the rumors: Apple is going to be releasing some kind of touch-screen tablet computer, either in September or 1st quarter 2010 (depending upon the source). We don't know the details -- but what I do know is that for a geek like me, another little piece of sci-fi futurism from my youth is about to hit the market, and I couldn't be more excited.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Aug 2009 | 6:00 am

New case protects your iPhone from scratches, water and sand

A Japanese company called Sanwa is selling a waterproof case [JP] (or a bag as they call it) that protects your iPhone from nasty stuff like scratches, water and sand. Sanwa says their 200-PDA016 is ideal for all users who can’t go hiking, to the beach or skiing without their iPhone.

The case looks pretty robust, but the company promises that users will be able to do everything with the iPhone in it: using the touchscreen, taking pictures and even listening to music (it’s equipped with a special jack for use with waterproof headphones). But be careful, the case is IPX7-certified, meaning it can withstand immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

For $35, buyers will also get a neck strap, earphones and an armband. This sound like a very good price to me, but the problem is the case is only in Sanwa’s Japanese online store. You might want to contact the export specialists from the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U if you want to get one shipped outside Japan.

Via Gizmodo

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Source: MobileCrunch | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:50 am

Chinese Farmer Builds His Own Flying Machine

“I had this dream from childhood of not needing to climb mountains anymore. I wanted to go to school in my own flying machine.”

This was the childhood dream of Wu Zhongyuan, of China’s Henan province. It is also, quite likely, a childhood dream of most you, dear Gadget Lab readers. Unlike you, though, Zhongyuan actually did something about it. He built his own helicopter.

The device, which likely breaks almost every airspace and safety law simultaneously, is made from steel scaffold, has blades cut from Elm and is powered by an old motorcycle engine. Zhongyuan says that the ‘copter, which took three months and around $1600 to build, can soar to 800 meters (2600 feet). We’re not sure if it can even get airborne, though, as currently the machine is grounded by Chinese authorities.

How did he come up with his ramshackle design? The internet, of course. “I didn’t have a design. The only source for me to get relevant knowledge was surfing the internet via my mobile phone,” he said to news site Ananova. We love it. A personal helicopter is a fantastic project, and we wish Zhongyuan luck getting it off the ground. Of course, we’d never go near the thing. Imagine being half a mile up and when the engine cuts out on you. No thanks.

Farmer’s home-made helicopter [Ananova via DVICE]

Chinese farmer builds a working wooden helicopter [Auto Motto]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:46 am

Halo: Light-Writing Graffiti Spray-Can

Halo is a beautiful device for spraying light. Shaped like a spray-can, the glass tube has an LED in the cap which shines when pressed. The form factor lets graffiti artists use their existing muscle memory to tag and draw.

Couple this with a camera set at a low shutter speed and you get some great effects, and the caps can be swapped to switch colors. The best part, though, is way you charge it. Inside, designer Aïssa Logerot has put a copper coil and some magnets on a spring. When the lamps finally dim and wink out, you shake the “can”, just like you would if you were mixing paint, and the battery is charged. Ingenious, and sadly not for sale.

Product page [Aïssa Logerot via Geekologie]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:29 am

Tiny USB Card Reader Packs 16GB, Is Smaller Than USB Port

This tiny little plug might look like an ordinary microSD card reader, and it is. The catch? Buffalo’s diminutive device will cost you $160, although for that the company throws in a 16GB microSD card.

That’s actually quite a good deal, and will turn your cellphone into a pocket media center, allowing you to share music just like the generous kids in my town. They “share” their tunes on buses, trains and even in the street, blasting tinnily distorted noise through tiny cellphone speakers. And if its too expensive, you can always opt for a smaller and cheaper 4GB version, for just $36.

These things are becoming so small that we wonder if the full-sized USB plug is too big. Is there any (technical) reason why the side of my MacBook couldn’t have a row of four mini USB ports on the side in the place of the two honking great holes there now? Wouldn’t that be a lot better?

Product page [GeekStuff4U]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 10 Aug 2009 | 5:04 am