Source: Gizmodo | 3 Sep 2009 | 8:00 pm

Boeing kills things on the ground with frickin’ lasers

Well, it’s not exactly a surprise, as they’ve been working on it for years, but Boeing just had a successful firing of their aircraft based military laser. So successful in fact, they managed to blow something up.

While not exactly portable (it’s mounted in a C-130) the laser certainly is powerful. The chemical laser consumes as much energy in a 5 second burst as is needed to power an american household for an hour. That’s a whole lot of pew-pew. The system has been in development since 2008, at a cost of approximately $30 million. Good to see that it’s finally been successful.

I wonder if you can use it to make popcorn.

Source: CrunchGear | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:30 pm

Google provides peek at Android marketplace, doesn’t spill release date

Google trickled out some screenshots from the upcoming refresh to the Android marketplace today. Their primary goal here seems to be to address complaints that the experience is unwieldy to users, while adding subcategories and regional options. This will be version 1.6 of the marketplace, but there’s no word on exactly when it’s going to be released. See the video after the jump.

In addition to the categories, developers will be able to provide more information about their apps. This has been a huge request from developers, who will now be able to include screenshots, icons, and more detailed descriptions. It’s a bit late to the game, but we’re always fans of positive change.

[via EndgadetMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:12 pm

Meat tenderizing ring: brutal or useful?

I don’t think they’d let you into the club with one of these on, but if you rocked it in the kitchen, nobody would question your recipes. Chocolate chips au poivre? Sounds great! Just… just take it easy with that thing.

[via Core77 and Make]

Source: CrunchGear | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:00 pm

Finally some Guitar Hero “Satisfaction”

Well, they don’t have their own game, but at least the Rolling Stones have their own download pack. Guitar Hero just announced that the Stones have their own DLC pack, available starting today for 720 Microsoft Points (or $9).

Here’s a list of what’s available:
“Prodigal Son (Live)”
“You Gotta Move (Live)”
“I’m Free (Live)”
“Under My Thumb (Live)”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (Live)”

So no stand alone addition. We can keep the hope alive though. I mean, if Aerosmith can get their own game, surely…

Source: CrunchGear | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:30 pm

Microsoft Gets Reprieve in Word Case (PC World)

PC World - An appeals court has granted Microsoft's request to put off an injunction that could have forced it to stop selling its Microsoft Word software next month.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:10 pm

Attractive Women Make Men Temporarily Stupid

Ponca City, We love you writes "The Telegraph reports that men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive. This leads to speculation that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks. Psychologists at Radboud University in The Netherlands carried out the study after one of them was so struck on impressing an attractive woman he had never met before, that he could not remember his address when she asked him where he lived. Researchers recruited 40 male heterosexual students and had each one perform a standard memory test. The volunteers then spent seven minutes chatting to male or female members of the research team before repeating the test. The results showed that men were slower and less accurate after trying to impress the women. The more they fancied them, the worse their score."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:05 pm

Toshiba’s new HD camcorders look reasonably good

Although the pocket-cam market (Flips, Zi8s and such) is blowing up, these compact handhelds really have the upper hand in image quality and storage. I switched my primary camera for reviews and such from the Zx1 to a Sanyo because of the better low-light and close focus abilities, and I’m sure these new Toshibas enjoy the same advantages.

John noted them briefly in the Toshiba press conference, but the new lineup is worth a closer look. Details are a bit fuzzy due to Toshiba giving these things the same names as some of their projectors (hello?!).

The S20 (not the projector) is the thin one you see up top there. The lens actually looks pretty weedy on it (no zoom, tiny aperture), so I’m not sure it’s got much of an advantage over any given pocket cam. Sure is a good-lookin’ little bugger though, ain’t it? It’ll shoot 1080p, though I’d guess the image quality is pretty god-awful.

The X100 (also not the projector) is the big brother of their compact HD cam lineup, above the already-available H30. It’s got a much nicer lens, with a full 10x optical zoom and a 10-megapixel sensor for taking stills. This would be a great family camcorder, although the 4GB of internal memory isn’t a lot when you’re shooting video of your kid’s birthday party.

They’re only announced over in Europe at the moment, with pricing in pounds, so US prices are only guesses. The S20 is £120 and the X100 is £270. More deets if I get ‘em.

Source: CrunchGear | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Olympus Audio Recorder Is a Sonic Sponge

If you need a an audio recorder that sucks up fidelity from university lectures, concert halls or even an underground concert, the LS-11 from Olympus has you covered. Just don't think about using it as a media player.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Olympus Audio Recorder Is a Sonic Sponge

If you need a an audio recorder that sucks up fidelity from university lectures, concert halls or even an underground concert, the LS-11 from Olympus has you covered. Just don't think about using it as a media player.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

American Vice: Mapping the 7 Deadly Sins

We're gluttons for infographics, and a team at Kansas State just served up a feast: maps of sin created by plotting per-capita stats on things like theft (envy) and STDs (lust). Christian clergy, likely noting the Bible Belt's status as Wrath Central, question the "science." Valid point—or maybe it's just the pride talking.

Kansas State University Geography/USACE

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

The SCO Group Offers Free Subscription for the First Year on New Virtualized Version of OpenServer(R) 5.0.7 UNIX(R)

LINDON, Utah, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:43 pm

SharesPost Ramps Up [Voices]

By Pui-Wing Tam, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

The race to become a top marketplace for private-company shares is heating up.

SharesPost, an online marketplace for private stock that launched in June, said it will collaborate with Chicago-based financial firm Advanced Equities Financial so that buyers and sellers of private stock can have access to Advanced Equities’ crew of brokers. SharesPost, Santa Monica, Calif., has been working to connect buyers and sellers of private company stock through its online platform. Having access to brokers helps reduce the amount of work that buyers and sellers of those assets have to do to find one another and work out a price for a transaction since a broker can take those duties on, says SharesPost CEO Greg Brogger.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:34 pm

Judge extends deadline to debate Google book deal (AP)

AP - The final assault on a class-action settlement that would expand Google Inc.'s already vast digital library has been delayed until next week.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:30 pm

World of Warcraft faction change is now live!

The World of Warcraft faction change service is now up and running. It costs $30, and will take your Alliance Priest and turn him or her into a Horde Priest. You can go from any race to any race: Human to Orc, Human to Blood Elf, Human to Troll, you get the idea.

Any and all changes are made from the Account Management section of worldofwarcraft.com. Note that, during the faction change, you can change anything else about the resulting character: name, hair color, hair style, etc. It basically comes down to, “Give us $30, and we’ll turn whatever you have into whatever you want, class permitting.” Like, you can’t change a Human Priest into an Orc Warrior.

The whole process, from the time you pay Blizzard, to the time you can run around your new capital city, could be as long as “several days.”

This doesn’t “break” the game, right?

Source: CrunchGear | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:30 pm

Want a Wiretap Warrant? No Problem, Court Says

A federal appeals court is talking tough and says it does not "endorse" the tactics by which the authorities obtained a wiretap warrant to monitor a suspected drug dealer. Yet the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is reversing a lower court judge who had suppressed the drug evidence in the case.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pm

ES&S To Buy Diebold, Blackbox Voting To Sue

Gottesser writes "Long-time election rights activist Bev Harris (she had an HBO special a while back where she hired Hari Hursti to hack an optical scan voting machine) just sent this out: 'Diebold/Premier Election Systems is being purchased by Election Systems & Software (ES&S). According to a Black Box Voting source within the companies, there will be a conference call among key people at the companies within the next couple hours. An ES&S/Diebold-Premier acquisition would consolidate most US voting under one privately held manufacturer. And it's not just the concealed vote-counting; these companies now also produce polling place check-in software (electronic pollbooks), voter registration software, and vote-by-mail authentication software.' Our voting system is heading toward a server-centric model with our vote being delivered to us by computers under lock and key far away from public oversight. Here's ES&S's press release. Wikipedia's got something on the ongoing string of ES&S controversies as well."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:05 pm

Red Hat eyes REST standardization (InfoWorld)

InfoWorld - Red Hat is seeking REST standardization through an effort it is calling REST-*,  which could serve as a counterpoint to the alternative WS-* specifications for Web services.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:02 pm

Samsung announces new 2TB S3 Station and S2 portable external hard drives

Section: Peripherals, Storage

At IFA 2009, Samsung announced two new external hard drives, the S3 Station and the S2 portable, both of which are external hard drives.  The 3.5-inch S3 Station features 2TB of storage, while the 2.5 inch S2 portable stores 640GB worth of data.  Both of these devices are set to complement the other hard drives in Samsung’s S series. 

Customers will be hard pressed to find 2.5 inch portable external hard drives that store greater than 500GB, as Samsung’s S2 portable is the successor to the previous 500GB model.  While 140GB more storage space may not seem like a lot, take a minute to consider the fact that 140GB can store “128,000 digital images, 160,000 MP3 music files, or 77 hours of high definition movies.” 

In addition, 1TB and 1.5TB are common 3.5 inch external hard drives, as there aren’t a whole lot of 2TB drives out there.  However, Samsung will begin selling the 2TB S3 Station beginning next year.  Available in a piano black glossy casing, the S3 Station is designed to store all of your media files as well as taking up minimal desk space.  An important feature within external hard drives is the amount of security and protection included by the manufacturer.  Users familiar with the S series will recall security software such as Auto Backup, SafetyKey, and SecretZone.  Samsung has included those three softwares within both of the new hard drives. 

Furthermore, Samsung claims that the S2 portable is 17% smaller than other 2.5 inch hard drives, which allows for reduced failure rates, and less power consumption.  Both of these devices feature USB 2.0 connectivity and fast transfer rates.  The S2 portable is set to hit retail stores sometime in September, while the S3 Station will be available sometime early next year.  Unfortunately, no word on pricing at this time.

Via [Samsung Press Release]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:02 pm

Google Domestic Trends: tracking economic sectors

Today, we're really pleased to launch Google Domestic Trends on Google Finance.

Google Domestic Trends tracks Google search traffic across specific sectors of the economy. The changes in the search volume of a given sector on google.com may provide useful economic insight. We've created 23 indexes that track the major economic sectors, such as retail, auto and unemployment.

For example, the Google Luxuries Index tracks queries like [jewelry], [rings], [diamond], [ring], [jewelers], [tiffany] and so forth. As you can see from the screenshot below, this index has seasonal spikes in December — however, in the last two years there has been a pronounced decrease as the recession made consumers wary of spending on luxury items.


The Auto-Buyers Index is also interesting, especially the dramatic 40% increase correlated with the launch of the Cash for Clunkers program in the U.S.:


These charts let you easily compare actual stocks and market indexes to Google Trends. And the data for these indexes are available for download — so you can use it with your own models.

Read more about this on the Google Finance Blog, and be sure to check out the Google Research Blog for info on Hal's research on using Google Trends data to predict economic activities.

Posted by Hal Varian, Chief Economist and Ayan Mandal, Product Manager Google Finance
Source: The Official Google Blog | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:59 pm

Apple iPod updates expected, Jobs show uncertain (Reuters)

Reuters - Apple Inc's media extravaganza next week is being greeted with unusual calm, as it is uncertain if charismatic CEO Steve Jobs will appear and investors have nothing much to bet on apart from new iPods with cameras.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:26 pm

Digital Realty Trust to Present at the 12th Annual Kaufman Bros. Investor Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) announced today that A. William Stein, CFO and Chief Investment Officer, will be presenting at the 12th Annual Kaufman Bros. Investor Conference at 10:00 am ET on Friday, September 11, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:12 pm

Privacy, Mobile Phones, Ubiquitous Data Collection

ChelleChelle writes "Participatory sensing technologies are greatly expanding the possible uses of mobile phones in ways that could improve our lives and our communities (for example, by helping us to understand our exposure to air pollution or our daily carbon footprint). However, with these potential gains comes great risk, particularly to our privacy. With their built-in microphones, cameras and location awareness, mobile phones could, at the extreme, become the most widespread embedded surveillance tools in history. Whether phones engaged in sensing data are tools for self and community research, coercion or surveillance depends on who collects the data, how it is handled, and what privacy protections users are given. This article gives a number of opinions about what programmers might do to make this sort of data collection work without slipping into surveillance and control."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:03 pm

AT&T Sets the Date for iPhone MMS. Whoopee? (PC World)

PC World - AT&T, everyone's favorite phone company to hate lately, has finally set the date for MMS availability on the iPhone. Multimedia messaging will debut for U.S.-based iPhone 3G and 3GS users on September 25, AT&T says. All you'll have to do is download a software update, and you'll be in business.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:01 pm

AT&T on iPhone MMS: Did We Say Summer? We Meant Autumnal Equinox. [Digital Daily]

Most entry-level phones in AT&T’s handset lineup have been able to send multimedia messages for years. Soon the most advanced will as well. The carrier on Thursday confirmed that it will offer MMS on Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone starting Sept. 25–about two months after the handset first began supporting the feature.

Evidently, AT&T has finished “finalizing” those very important “internal system upgrades” that prevented the company from supporting the feature at the outset like virtually every other carrier, a delay that made it the laughing stock of Macworld earlier this year.

AT&T (T) had repeatedly insisted that MMS capability would be available by the end of summer. By debuting the service on Sept. 25, it’s launching it three days into fall. But, whatever. At least, AT&T is launching it.

MMS will be available at no extra charge to iPhone users who already have a text-messaging subscription from AT&T and own a 3G or 3GS iPhone. It will be enabled by a software update on Sept. 25.

The official release, below:

An Update on iPhone MMS for our Mobility Customers
We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches–and that launch date is: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.
We know that iPhone users will embrace MMS. The unique capabilities and high usage of the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities required us to work on our network MMS architecture to carry the expected record volumes of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience from Day One. We appreciate your patience as we work toward that end.
We’re riding the leading edge of smartphone growth that’s resulted in an explosion of traffic over the AT&T network. Wireless use on our network has grown an average of 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years, and is projected to continue at a rapid pace in 2009 and beyond. The volume of smartphone data traffic the AT&T network is handling is unmatched in the wireless industry. We want you to know that we’re working relentlessly to innovate and invest in our network to anticipate this growth in usage and to stay ahead of the anticipated growth in data demand, new devices and applications for years to come.
We thank you for your business and look forward to keeping you updated on our initiatives.

Source: All Things Digital | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:47 pm

Intel to Put Westmere Desktop Chips in Servers (PC World)

PC World - Intel has tweaked its chip road map, with plans to extend its upcoming Westmere mainstream desktop dual-core chips with integrated graphics processors to entry-level servers.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:20 pm

E-Readers at $50: A Best Seller, Says Report - PC World

BusinessWeek

E-Readers at $50: A Best Seller, Says Report PC World If you don't already own an e-book reader like the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader, how much would you pay for one? For these devices to attain mass-market appeal, they'll need to be priced as low at $50, according to a new report by Forrester Research. ... Forrester: E-Readers Too PriceyBusinessWeek E-Reader Mass Market Price Point As Low As $50, Says ReportWall Street Journal No Way To Go Mass Market With $199 E-ReaderspaidContent.org New York Times -Alibaba News Channel -GigaOm all 52 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:19 pm

SureWest Opens New Data Center

ROSEVILLE, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Leading independent communications holding company SureWest Communications (Nasdaq: SURW) today announced the completion of a new data center in Lenexa, Kansas.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:17 pm

Ribbon Seal Protection Sought by Activists

Ribbon seals are under threat from global warming and require protection, say advocates.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:15 pm

Dad's Rants Become a Twitter Hit [Voices]

By Dana Mattioli, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Until last week, Justin Halpern’s 73-year-old father didn’t know that he was a Twitter sensation.

His dad’s quips have resulted in more than 231,000 followers under the account name @–mydadsays. But after it attracted wide attention in recent weeks as followers retweeted postings, and blogs and mainstream media covered it, Mr. Halpern finally broke the news.

But his dad didn’t really get it. “He asked if I had to start up the Internet to get on Twitter, and then I felt better because I knew he wouldn’t understand the grand scope of what was going on,” said Mr. Halpern in an interview.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:14 pm

Color e-paper due next year but will the price be right?

Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

Taiwanese firm SiPix Imaging has announced it will ship a small volume of color e-paper in the second half of next year.  This puts it far ahead of its rivals.  These displays will be used in e-readers to display books, magazines, and newspapers.

“Making colored electronic paper displays is our top priority,” Tseng said. “We are in talks with customers to supply colored displays ... as [color] would encourage advertisers to place ads on [electronic] publications, which then would be able to provide more content [to readers] for free.”

The market is expected to grow to over $800 million in 2012, up from just $2 million this year.  Fujitsu is said to be one of SiPix Imaging’s partners.

While the future of e-paper seems to be bright, some experts say the price of e-book readers needs to come down before they will become truly successful and mainstream.  Forrester analysts surveyed more than 4,700 online consumers and found the average price they would consider paying for an e-reader is $91 and that they would refuse to consider any device priced over $151.  E-readers like the Kindle go for $200 and up and color e-readers are expected to be a whopping $600 and up.  This presents a problem - or does it?

Avid readers love the Kindle as do gadget geeks.  Plastic Logic’s offering is highly anticipated as is the one upcoming from magazine publisher Hearst.  Sony, iRiver, IREX, and some say even Apple are getting into the game as well.  There are always going to be those who think a device that can only display e-books is stupid and not worth paying much for, but there is also a much larger audience of readers, writers, business people, teachers, and students who understand the beauty and convenience of such a device.

Will the prices eventually drop?  Of course.  As the technology becomes more widespread and easier to produce, the prices will naturally come down.  Look at how much a PC used to cost a few years ago compared to now.  Until then, however, I think e-readers will continue to sell well and that the ebook market will continue to explode.

What do you think?  Do you have an e-reader?  Want one?  Why or why not?

Read [Taipei Times]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:13 pm

Use Your iPhone to Help Scientists Track Crickets in NYC

Calling all citizen scientists in New York City: USGS researchers are asking for help with a comprehensive survey of the urban crickets and katydids. On Sept. 11, participants will go outside and identify cricket calls, and then submit their data to the researchers by cell phone.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:11 pm

How To Survive a Patent Challenge?

An anonymous reader writes "I have written a nifty application that helps me run my own business, and could really help in running almost any business. It has been abstracted well enough that it could very plausibly be made a sale-able product. There are several very good, possibly patentable ideas within it. However, they are overshadowed by virtually an infinite number of possible bs challenges to its more mundane parts. I'm rather fearful of bringing this to market for that reason, and so far have only deployed it as a 'consulting' project with two other small companies (who love it). Does anyone have suggestions about how to proceed?" Other than a generic "hire a lawyer!", are there practical steps a software author can do here?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:07 pm

7 Ways to See the World Through Twitter's Eyes

How do you fit 1,000 words into a 140-character tweet? Short messaging networks like Twitter are packed with countless terse text messages, making images a more attractive way to broadcast complex messages and cut through the clutter. Wired.com shows you seven ways to visualization nirvana.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 3:00 pm

Lexmark to webcast introduction of new inkjet line for small and medium-sized businesses to securities analysts and investors

LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) will introduce the company's new line of all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printers for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) to securities analysts and investors on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:45 pm

Spare Gene Fodder For Fish Evolution

Scientists have suspected that spare parts in the genome—extra copies of functional genes that arise when genes or whole genomes get duplicated—might sometimes provide the raw materials for the evolution of new traits.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:38 pm

Meet Wired.com's Terminal Man

Brendan Ross will spend 30 days traveling everywhere JetBlue flies. Follow his adventures and tell us where he should go.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:37 pm

CRN Announces Fast Growth 100

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:30 pm

ATA Announces Results for First Fiscal Quarter 2010

BEIJING, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- ATA Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:15 pm

New York University rocks out with Guitar Hero-themed course

FROM GAMERTELL - New York University is getting a lot of publicity (not all of it positive) for a course about Guitar Hero and human cognition…
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:14 pm

GCIO Issues Call for Participation: Sustainability in the Cloud

Long Beach, CA, December 10, 2009 NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Green CIO (GCIO) today issued a Call for Participation for the Green Computing Think Tank: Sustainability in the Cloud, to be held in Long Beach, CA USA on December 10th, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:14 pm

Ubuntu 9.04 On Kindle 2

JO_DIE_THE_STAR_F*** writes "Jesse Vincent managed to get Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope running on the Kindle 2. The new functionality was presented in a talk at OSCON 2009."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:13 pm

Enrollment Growth Prompts PA Cyber Charter School to Expand Harrisburg, Philadelphia Regional Offices

PHILADELPHIA, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:08 pm

SuccessFactors to Unveil Next Generation of Products and Corporate Strategy at San Francisco and Virtual Online Events

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:05 pm

Britain’s ‘Oldest’ Computer To Be Restored

Britain's oldest original computer is being sent to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley, where it will undergo a one-year restoration project.The Harwell system was originally designed in 1949 to perform mathematical calculations, and ran from 1951 to 1973.The state-of-the-art computer measured roughly 8 ft.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2009 | 2:05 pm

This Spec Has a Posse: 'Superfriends' Suggest Changes for HTML5

A group of famous web standards and web design gurus have formed the "HTML5 Superfriends," a group advocating specific changes in the draft specification for the next revision to the underlying language of the web.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:57 pm

U.S. Atlantic coast sea level anomaly seen

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:50 pm

T-Mobile makes Facebook and Twitter apps available for older ‘kicks

Earlier today, T-Mobile announced the availability of Facebook and Twitter apps (already available on the Sidekick LX 2009) for its older Sidekicks - the Sidekick LX (including Tony Hawk Sidekick LX), Sidekick (2008), and Sidekick Slide.

While the Facebook app remains free for any ‘kick, the Twitter app is gonna run you $1.99 PER month on the older models. So, you can either dish out $24/yr for a native Twitter app, or you could wire up Facebook to automatically post to Twitter for free. Hmmm, tough call.

via Phone Scoop

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:44 pm

Ban calls for action over climate change

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at a Swiss conference a global warming pact should be finalized in the face of ongoing climate change. Appearing at the World Climate Conference in Geneva, Ban told assembled officials Thursday he witnessed firsthand the melting of glaciers due to climate change during a recent visit to the Arctic, a U.N.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:39 pm

Potential skin cancer treatment reported

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:31 pm

The Social Benefits of the Google Books Settlement [Voices]

By Jessica E. Vascellaro, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Google’s (GOOG) settlement with authors and publishers to gain copyright licenses over millions of books will expand the underprivileged’s access to information, a group of professors and civil rights advocates argued Thursday.

In a conference call with reporters, a broad group of professors and civil rights leaders said that the important social benefits of the settlement–which would allow Google to make millions of out-of-print books accessible online–are getting lost in the discussion of the settlement, which has drawn a fierce group of critics hoping to block a federal court from approving it.

Google helped arrange the event, which the participants said they called to bring more attention to the settlement’s benefits.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:30 pm

Web Boycott: Just Say No to Viral Videos Starring Cats

Fed up with a never-ending string of LOLcats and cuddly kitty clips, a web tastemaker launches a movement to ban felines from the internet — at least for a day.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:30 pm

Educause Announces Plans To Sign .edu TLD With DNSSEC

jhutkd writes "Educause (who run the .edu gTLD) announced today that they will deploy DNSSEC and sign the .edu zone by the end of March 2010. This will enable all educational institutions to benefit from deploying DNSSEC via the secure delegation hierarchy starting with IANA's ITAR (a temporary surrogate for the root zone signing), going through .edu, down to schools, and potentially leading all the way down to individual departments. Unlike larger gTLDs like .org, the churn of adding new and deleting old zones in .edu is much lower (due to the fact that there are tight controls on who may register for a delegation). Thus, many of the hassles of adding new DS records and maintenance procedures might be more manageable and help speed DNSSEC's rollout in this branch of the DNS hierarchy."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:19 pm

Wireless HDMI coming from Philips, but it’s not cheap

Section: Video, Accessories, HDTV

With televisions getting thinner and lighter, hanging a television on the wall gets easier.  However, there is still the aesthetic issue of cabling.  Wireless HDMI technology is finally coming to homes in Germany this month.  The Philips Wireless HDMI Link will be a two part system: one transmitter that hooks up to your components to send up to 1080p video and a small receiver box that connects to the television. 

What’s this miracle of modern technology cost?  $29.95?  Nope, that price isn’t even close.  Try approximately $850.  The maximum distance between the receiver and transmitter is 25 meters.  No word on when the Wireless HDMI Link will be available in the United States.

Read: [Network World]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:18 pm

Arctic Temperatures Highest in 2,000 Years

The Arctic is warmer than it's been in 2,000 years, reversing a long cooling trend.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:15 pm

Hero vs Hero: To chin, or not to chin - which is better?

When Sprint announced plans to carry the HTC Hero this morning, they had a bit of a surprise (albeit one that had already been rumored) in store: it looked totally different than the Hero we’d come to know and love.

The once square edges have been rounded out, and the jutting chin that has been a signature across HTC’s Android lineup thus far has been dropped entirely. Some loved the new look; others responded as if the new HTC Hero had insulted their family and razed their house to the ground. So lets settle this once and for all (as scientifically as is possible in a blog post on the Internet): it’s poll time.

Which HTC Hero do you prefer: the original, Chin-tastic Hero, or Sprint’s shaved down edition?

Which variant of the HTC Hero do you prefer?(opinion)

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 1:10 pm

Treated bed nets cut infant malaria deaths

A U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:51 pm

AT&T iPhone 3G and 3G S officially getting MMS on September 25

After months of speculation (and frustration) MMS for the iPhone 3G and 3G S is officially arriving on September 25, AT&T has confirmed. This is a full 3 days after summer officially ends (AT&T’s original deadline was “late summer”) as our own MG pointed out earlier today, but like a lot of things with Apple/AT&T, better late than never.

AT&T posted the following comments on its Facebook page:

An Update on iPhone MMS for our Mobility Customers

We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and that launch date is: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.

We know that iPhone users will embrace MMS. The unique capabilities and high usage of the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities required us to work on our network MMS architecture to carry the expected record volumes of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience from Day One. We appreciate your patience as we work toward that end.

We’re riding the leading edge of smartphone growth that’s resulted in an explosion of traffic over the AT&T network. Wireless use on our network has grown an average of 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years, and is projected to continue at a rapid pace in 2009 and beyond. The volume of smartphone data traffic the AT&T network is handling is unmatched in the wireless industry. We want you to know that we’re working relentlessly to innovate and invest in our network to anticipate this growth in usage and to stay ahead of the anticipated growth in data demand, new devices and applications for years to come.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:47 pm

Human Influence On Climate Change In The Arctic

Recent warming reversed long-term coolingSpecifically, the Kaufman et al. study is the first to quantify at a decadal resolution a pervasive cooling across the Arctic from the early part of the first millennium AD to the industrial revolution, according to Kaufman. During this period, summer temperatures in the Arctic cooled at a rate of about 0.2 degrees Celsius per millennium, leading to the 'Little Ice Age', a period of sustained cold that ended around 1850."Scientists have known for a while that the current period of warming was preceded by a long-term cooling trend," says Kaufman. "But our reconstruction quantifies the cooling with greater certainty than before."The researchers believe that the long cooling trend was caused by a previously recognized wobble in the Earth's axis of rotation that slowly increased the distance between the Earth and the Sun during the Arctic summer, and thereby reduced summer sunshine in the Arctic. (See figure.) But even though this cooling wobble persisted throughout the 20th Century, by the middle of the 20th Century, summer temperatures in the Arctic were about 0.7 degrees Celsius higher than would have been expected if the cooling trend had continued. This incongruity provides evidence of human influences on climate change, says Kaufman.What's more, the results of the Kaufman et al. study together with recent records of thermometer readings indicate that the last decade was the warmest of the last two millennia--with Arctic temperatures averaging about 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than would have been expected if the cooling trend had continued, according to Kaufman.Arctic sensitivity to climate changeKaufman says that his team's study agrees with previous studies that have shown that Arctic temperatures increased during the 20th Century almost three times faster than temperatures increased throughout the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. Called arctic amplification, this phenomenon is caused by increases in the Arctic's absorption of the sun's heat by dark land and exposed ocean as Arctic ice and snow melt away. "The ability of such a slight wobble in the Earth's axis to cause a significant temperature change over the 1,900 year period preceding the onset of recent warming provides further evidence of the sensitivity of the Arctic's climate system," says Kaufman."Because we know that the processes responsible for past arctic amplification are still operating, we can anticipate that it will continue into the next century," says Gifford Miller of the University of Colorado, Boulder, a member of the study team. "Consequently, Arctic warming will continue to exceed temperature increases in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in accelerated loss of land ice and an increased rate of sea-level rise, with global consequences."Real-world records of climate changeThe 2000-year reconstruction of Arctic temperatures provided by the Kaufman et al. study incorporated three types of field-based data--each of which captured the response of a different component of the Arctic's climate system to changes in temperature.These field-based data included temperature reconstructions that were published by the Kaufman et al. team earlier this year. These reconstructions were based on evidence provided by sediments from Arctic lakes, including algal abundance, which reflects the length of the growing season, and the thickness of annually deposited sediment layers, which increases during warmer summers when deposits from glacial melt-water increase. The Kaufman et al. study also incorporated previously published data from glacial ice and tree rings that was calibrated against the instrumental temperature record.Computer models of climate changeThe Kaufman et al. study also included a 2,000 year-long computer simulation of climate change that incorporated the Earth's slow rotational wobble and resulting reduction in seasonal sunlight in the Arctic. Because the model's estimate of the amount of cooling resulting from the wobble effect matched the cooling reflected in the long record of climate change provided by lake sediments and other natural archives, this analysis increased confidence in the model's ability to accurately predict temperature responses in the Arctic to factors that influence climate change.  "This result is particularly important because the Arctic is perhaps the most sensitive area of the Earth to the human factors that influence climate change," says David Schneider of NCAR, who is a member of the research team."As we are confronted with evidence of global warming, it is extremely helpful to be able to use paleoclimate data to provide context for today's climate relative to the range and trajectory of recent climate regimes," says Neil Swanberg, director of NSF's Arctic System Science Program. "This reconstruction uses a variety of data sources to extend high resolution records back in time sufficiently long to compare reconstructed temperatures to those from models that include changes in insolation due to changes in the Earth's orbital patterns. That the results appear to match so well increases our confidence in our understanding of the processes that are impacting the global Earth system."---Image Caption: Researchers are examining the sediment from lakes such as Cascade Lake in southwestern Alaska to determine changes in climate through the amount of glacier melting as reflected
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:45 pm

Study finds Earth's coldest, driest place

Australian and U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:35 pm

Metaklett - Steely Hook And Loop Fastener

Hook and loop fasteners have become commonplace features of both industry and households. However, they have one snag: they are too weak for many applications.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:21 pm

Take-Two reaches $20 million settlement over Hot Coffee

FROM GAMERTELL - The Hot Coffee hidden sex scene in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas put Take-Two Interactive Software in scalding water and the company is still paying for it…
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:19 pm

AT&T Breaks Promise to Deliver iPhone MMS by ‘Late Summer’

AT&T has announced an official date for the arrival of multimedia messaging on the iPhone: Sept. 25, a few days past the official end of summer. Thus, the company is breaking its promise to deliver MMS by “late summer” by a few days.

AT&T confirmed the date in an e-mail provided to Wired.com, in which it explained that the delay was due to enabling equipment in data centers across the country to process iPhone MMS signaling and optimizing the network to prepare for record volumes of MMS traffic driven by iPhones.

“We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),” an AT&T spokesman said. “We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and today we can announce that launch date: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.”

Apple initially previewed MMS for iPhone in a March event demonstrating the iPhone 3.0 operating system. Then during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple delivered the news that MMS support would be available for 29 carriers as soon as the iPhone 3.0 OS launched June 17 — but not for AT&T customers until “late summer.” This announcement inspired many boos in the audience. Months later it led to a lawsuit filed by an iPhone customer who alleged Apple and AT&T misled customers by heavily marketing iPhone MMS and failing to deliver.

AT&T in June issued a statement claiming the delay for MMS was unrelated to AT&T’s 3G network.

See Also:

• AT&T: Lack of MMS, Tethering Support for iPhone Is Not Network’s …
• iPhone Owner Sues AT&T, Apple for Tricky MMS Marketing
• Apple Bestows Cut-and-Paste, MMS on iPhone Users
• AT&T Denies Rumors of MMS Delays, Tethering Costs for iPhone …

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:18 pm

AT&T Misses Promise Date for iPhone MMS Delivery

AT&T will deliver the long-awaited multimedia messaging service for U.S. iPhone customers on Sept. 25, narrowly missing its promise to deliver MMS by "late summer."

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:18 pm

Natural compounds may help treat cancer

Oregon State University scientists say they've discovered some food compounds studied for an ability to prevent cancer might also be able to treat it. Researchers at the university's Linus Pauling Institute suggest some natural food compounds might be effective in working side-by-side with conventional drugs that are now used in chemotherapy. The scientists said they examined the activity of chlorophyllin and found, on a dose-by-dose basis, it was 10 times more potent at causing the death of colon cancer cells than hydroxyurea, a chemotherapeutic drug commonly used in cancer treatment. Beyond that, chlorophyllin kills cancer cells by blocking the same phase of cellular division that hydroxyurea does, but by a different mechanism.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2009 | 12:02 pm

Apple’s Snow Leopard Ships With Older, Vulnerable Version of Flash

Apple’s new Snow Leopard operating system includes a few security enhancements protecting users from malware, but the OS shipped with a downgraded version of Adobe Flash with known vulnerabilities.

Anti-virus software company Sonos discovered the security issue and documented it in the video below accompanied with an explanatory blog post.

“Mac users are not informed that Snow Leopard has downgraded their version of Flash without permission, and that they are now exposed to a raft of potential attacks and exploits which have been targeted on Adobe’s software in recent months,” wrote Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.

Adobe acknowledged the downgrade in a blog post and recommended for Snow Leopard users to upgrade to the latest, most secure version.

Sonos highlights an issue raised in a Wired.com article published Wednesday on the topic of Snow Leopard and security. Security researchers told Wired.com that the Mac platform is less secure because it lacks some security features that Windows operating systems have had for years. However, they said the Mac is safer because it’s a smaller target for “the bad guys” due to Apple’s 10-percent PC marketshare.

An earlier Wired.com article published in December also touched on the issue that many pieces of malware are no longer platform dependent. Mike Romo, Symantec’s product manager for Mac antivirus software, said a lot of new malware is “platform-agnostic,” because hackers are mostly attacking online shoppers with phishing scams and other internet-based methods. Adobe Flash is an example of a web format that works on both Mac and Windows platforms; Flash’s vulnerabilities apply to both.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

See Also:

• Another Mac Virus Alert. Real This Time?
• Mac Virus In MOMA Permanent Collection
• Mac Attack: Another Trojan Hidden Inside Photoshop Crack
• Virus Infects Space Station Laptops (Again)
• Apple on the Need for Anti-Virus Software: Now You Do, Now You Don …
• Mac Attacks Are on the Rise

Photo: Tambako/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 11:57 am

Toshiba TG01 to get the WinMo 6.5 treatment

While the TG01 is kind of a beast on the hardware front, the software is sorely lacking. 4.1″ WVGA touchscreen? Yes please. HSDPA, WiFi, and a 1GHZ Snapdragon process? Heck yes! Windows Mobile 6.1? Er, we’ll pass. But fear not, current and potential TG01 owners: Toshiba’s fixing that shortcoming as best they can.

Toshiba has just announced that the original TG01 is set to evolve into the “TG01 Windows Phone” - an inch-for-inch and spec-for-spec match of the original TG01, but running Windows Mobile 6.5 rather than 6.1. The new TG01s will begin shipping on October 6th. And for everyone who already owns one? You’ll be getting a free software upgrade, which will be made available here.

Now that that’s out of the way, Toshiba, how about crackin’ out an Android option? Everyone loves alternatives.

[Via SlashGear]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 11:24 am

Thin, Light Dell Laptop Gorgeously Overpriced

The Adamo notebook sets out to prove Dell has serious design chops. And they do! Too bad they forgot to make a machine that actually performs quickly.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 11:15 am

YouTube in talks wiith studios to offer movie rentals

Section: Business News, Web, Downloads, Online Music/Video

YouTube is attempting to build upon its popularity by offering full length features on a rental basis.  The company has been in talks with several movie studios about potential ways to make this possible.  Their biggest hurdle is attempting to get users to pay for premium content when free content is readily available on sites like Hulu and Crackle.com.

YouTube has been in contact with YouTube is talking to Lions Gate Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony, and Warner Bros. about releasing movies the same day that the DVD becomes available and charging a set fee for instant online viewing.  The studios hope this type of venture could possibly help bring in revenue since DVD sales are down.

If YouTube does decide to start offering movie rentals, they face stiff competition from sites like iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon.com.  The talks are still in the early stages, so no pricing information has been indicated or an expected date when this service could become available.

Read: [Wall Street Journal]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 11:04 am

About a Quarter Of Facebook Users Connect Via Mobile Phones

Facebook's quest to become the social operating system of the Web is driven by how many how many other Websites and apps tap into the social network through Facebook Connect. The mobile Web is a big target for Facebook. Back in March, it made Facebook Connect available to iPhone apps, since those are the most fully featured and popular. Today, it took another step in expanding the reach of Facebook Connect to any mobile phone with a Web browser. Called Facebook Connect For Mobile Web, it will let any mobile site accept Facebook IDs for sign-on, grab social data from Facebook with permission from the user, publish items into their Facebook stream, and more.

Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:50 am

Sprint to Sell the HTC Hero Android Phone

HTC’s recently announced third Android phone, the HTC Hero, has found a telecom carrier in Sprint. The device will sell for $180 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and with a two-year contract, in Sprint stores starting Oct. 11.

It will be the first Android phone on the Sprint network. So far, only T-Mobile in the U.S. offered phones running the Google-designed Android mobile operating system.

HTC had introduced the Hero in June though at that time the company did not reveal the telecom carrier for the device. The Hero has a 3.2-inch touch screen display, GPS, digital compass, a 5-megapixel auto focus camera and expandable MicroSD memory. It also features an anti-fingerprint coating on the screen for smudge resistance and a Teflon coating on the exterior. The HTC Hero will be the first Android device to support Adobe’s Flash standard.

The phone has been given a minor face lift for its American debut. Instead of sporting a ‘chin’ that we have seen on recent HTC phones such as the T-Mobile G1, the Hero has a sleek, flat compact design that should please consumers.

The Hero’s user interface will be reminiscent of the Palm Pre webOS as it tries to organize the phone around contacts and other user information. The HTC Hero will also allow users to add widgets such as Twitter feeds, weather, email and calendar to the home screen in a bid to customize the phone.

The device is a coup for Sprint, which also has the Palm Pre exclusively available on its network. For mobile phone buyers who want an alternative to the iPhone, Sprint is fast emerging as the better choice in terms of the range of smartphones that it has, compared to Verizon or T-Mobile.

See Also:

• Hands On With HTC G2 Android Phone
• HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G
• Second HTC Android Phone Peeks Out
• HTC, Vodafone Show World’s Second Googlephone

Photo: HTC Hero/HTC

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:48 am

New Mitsubishi televisions have Vudu video on demand built in

Section: Video, HDTV, Web, Online Music/Video

Vudu is working with Mitsubishi once again.  Recently, a purchase of a Mitsubishi television garnered a Vudu player and more.  Now, certain Mitsubishi televisions will have Vudu built in.  The Diamond models of Unisen Immersive Sound TVs will have a Vudu player integrated.  The model numbers of these televisions are LT-46249 and LT-52249.  You’ll have to hook an Ethernet cable to these televisions or pay for a wireless adapter from Vudu called the Vudu wireless accessory bridge to access the Vudu service.  These models are already shipping.  The 46-inch LT-46249 costs $2599.  Th 52-inch model, the LT-52249, is $3099. 

Vudu is a movie on demand service that offers 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound.  I have yet to experience these Vudu videos first hand, but the HTguys of the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast gave it good reviews. 

Read: [Press Release]
Product site: [Mitsubishi Unisen Immersive Sound TV]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:20 am

Bookmark 2.0

I'd pay a buck or two for Propaganda's clever design! Via MocoLoco.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:18 am

WATCH: Burn Boss Manages Big Blazes

Find out what it's like to set prairie fires for a living.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:15 am

Barbie's gadgets

This collection of Barbie's gadgets, of late 1980s vintage, could be yours for as little as eight quid. Among the cargo cult delights are a computer, a stereo, a popcorn maker, a TV with cassette player (always tuned the the Ballet Channel!), a cine camera and a broken toaster. [eBay]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:04 am

Review: Two weeks with the Dyson DC31

According to its inventor James Dyson, the DC31 handvac has the fastest motor in the world at 104,000rpm &mdash five times as fast as a Formula 1 race car engine! That's cool, but what I really want to know is, does it bust dust cleanly and efficiently? I have been using its predecessor, the DC16, for about two years, and I'm sad to report that it has become virtually obsolete &mdash the suction is weak, the battery only lasts 2-3 minutes, and dust accumulates relentlessly at the nozzle. This review will not give an answer as to whether the newer DC31 will have a longer lifespan than that, but here's what I think of it so far after a couple of weeks of use.

The DC31 is lighter, smaller, and doesn't require a giant docking station. These are all great improvements. It definitely has a lot more power than the 16 ever had &mdash it swept up everything from dog hair to human hair to wood chip fragments without hesitation. The .09-gallon bin is small but easy to empty, you just push a lever down &mdash I actually prefer it small because it urges you to empty it more often, which prevents old dust from hanging out in there for too long.

There are two problems I wish Dyson would fix in their next iteration of a handvac, though: 1. This thing is still pretty loud. I would be willing to give up some of that motor power for a more quiet dust-busting experience. 2. This might sound nitpicky, but there are air holes in the top back portion that blow out a significant amount of air while the nozzle is doing all its high-power sucking. That's fine when you're bending down to vacuum the floor, but when you're working on a parallel or multi-tiered surface like on stairs or between furniture, this actually blows dust and hair away. Which is kind of annoying.

And then there is the meta problem of handvacs being inefficient to begin with &mdash they're nice for daily upkeep, and I like having one in the house, but a device that only cleans a couple of square inches at a time with a 10-minute battery life that makes lots of noise may be a dying breed of gadgetry.

Product page [Dyson]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 10:02 am

Video: Unboxing The Fleshlight

When I tweeted about needing to get a hold of a Fleshlight, I wasn't entirely kidding. One BBG reader answered my bluff call, put me in touch and, well, now I've got a real-life Fleshlight [NSFW] in my home... actually, TWO: a pink-flesh-colored one shaped like a woman's hoo-ha vagina and another transparent one shaped like a, uh, butthole (!) an anus.

To be continued...

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 9:30 am

Prehistoric Hand Axes Older Than Once Thought

Scientists have dated what could be the oldest hand axes in Europe.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 9:15 am

Samsung puts DivX in the R1 personal media player

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video

Photo from CruchGear

Samsung has already put DivX on its televisions and now Samsung’s just introduced its R1, a personal media player that can play DivX video.  The screen is a bit on the small side at 2.6-inches, so it probably is not the best for longer watching experiences.  The R1 comes in two capacities, 8 or 16GB.  From first hand knowledge, DivX video packs great quality into small file sizes, so you ought to be able to pack more videos into those R1s than if you used other codecs.  The device is already available in Europe and Russia. 

Read: [Press Release]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am

Recently on Offworld: from girl geek to Godwin's Law, Spelunky goes console, Bonk returns

Quick -- how many games in the industry's long history can you name with a female lead? In her latest One More Go column, Margaret Robertson says the fact that we "run out of entries for the Great Gaming Leading Lady Pantheon before we run out of fingers is just plain odd" and asks, "Are we really saying that we can't find a viable way to make games that turn 51% of the world's population into heroes a goer?"

Elsewhere on Offworld: huge indie news, as Derek Yu's procedurally-generated rogue-like platformer masterpiece Spelunky is announced for Xbox Live Arcade, and LostWinds -- the gorgeously gentle WiiWare debut game from Elite creators Frontier -- prepares for the Winter of the Melodias, its season-shifting sequel.

Two classic Hudson franchises are also due for revivals, with hex-strategy game Military Madness/Nectaris announced for the iPhone and prehistoric underdog mascot Bonk comes to PS3/Xbox 360/Wii, and Gaijin Games announces the latest in its retro-futurist rhythm series with the pixel-collecting nothing-expanding beauty of Bit.Trip: Void (above).

And our 'one shot's of the day: Rolando artist Mikko Walamies teases his intergalactic next, and the new face of Grand Theft Auto creators Rockstar: tigers with lasers, fire-breathing grizzlies, and stunt-jumpin' polars.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 8:59 am

Acoustic Barrel Grows Materials in Space

A chamber uses beams of sound to suspend materials as they're growing in space.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 8:35 am

Garmin’s New Tiny In-Bike GPS

Garmin probably realizes that as more and more cellphones pack GPS, less and less people will be buying units for their cars. Luckily, the company has a big hand in the outdoor market, where people want something more rugged and, more importantly, something that doesn’t rely on a monthly contract or weigh a ton.

The Edge 500 is an in-bike GPS, and while it won’t give you turn by turn directions to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts, it will replace your cycle computer and do a whole lot more, all in a lightweight two ounces. It has all the expected measurements: speed, distance, altitude, but it will also connect wirelessly to compatible (ANT) power meters and cadence sensors, and will track your heart-rate for calorie counting purposes (so you will know the exact moment you can head to Dunkin’ Donuts).

When you get home the unit hooks up to a computer and charges via USB, and of course lets you upload all the data and study it the form of maps and charts. The Edge 500 will be $250, and $350 in a kit with a heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor. Available in the fall.

Press release [Garmin]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 8:29 am

Kool-Aid Man Is Giving NSFW Tours In Second Life [Wow, There's Still A Second Life?]

Kool-Aid Man has been tearing it up over in Second Life. So much so, he's now offering free guided tours for anyone willing to dive back into Second Life.

Of course, it's not really Kool-Aid man, but an avatar created by artist Jon Rafman. Still, seems like it could be quite a trip, especially since homeboy is known for busting through walls wherever he goes.

Warning: The above video features NSFW moments; mostly around 08:00 when Kool-Aid Man visits a sex club, then a strip club. See, I told you dude gets wild.

[via Beautiful Decay]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 8:00 am

Apple Store Heist: Gone in 31 Seconds

Apple’s carefully thought out notebook designs, and the clean lines of the iconic Apple Stores, make things very easy for smash and grab thieves.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:32 am

Animals That Favor One Side More Successful

Animals that process information using a preferred side of the brain prove better at problem-solving.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:05 am

Sony bits from IFA: 1 hit, 1 miss, 1 meh

Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Wireless, Imaging, Digital Cameras

Yesterday, Sony launched their new marketing slogan: Make. Believe.  The idea is whatever you can think up, Sony can make.  The products the company showed off yesterday show some of this idea while some were classic old Sony.

Xperia 2: Miss

Sony launched the Xperia 2.  You’ll remember the oohs and aahs from the Xperia one that took forever to launch and then finally did to little fanfare.  The 2 will run at $1000 unsubsidized and runs Windows Mobile 6.5 (so we won’t see it before October 6th for sure).  The phone features a familiar slide out keyboard 480x800 touchscreen and 8.1mp camera with autofocus.  All the right answers but nothing outstanding.

Vaio X: Hit

At IFA, Sony showed off a few interesting things, chief among them was the ultra slim Sony Vaio X.  Adorned with sexy carbon fiber, the Vaio X weighs in at under 1.5 lbs and is expected to be powered by an Atom chip and have unprecedented battery life (Sony says, “all day and all night battery life”).  There are very few specs on this, other than it looks hot, but the price is sure to be the buzzkill.

TX1 Cybershot: meh

Sony also showed off their latest TX1 Cybershot camera.  The TX1 features a one-touch automatic panorama mode as well as low-light sensitivity.  This one was announced last month and was waved about on stage showing off how proud Sony is of the panorama mode.

Thankfully Sir Stringer, Sony CEO spoke about 3D and fulfilled the expectation that Sony is getting more than knee deep in the game.  You can read all about it here.

Stay tuned to Gadgetell for more IFA coverage.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 7:04 am

Golf Courses May Protect Wetland Animals

Amphibians and other wetland animals may benefit from your golf game.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 3 Sep 2009 | 6:05 am

YikeBike: Cute Electric Penny-Farthing

The YikeBike could more appropriately be called the YikesBike. The small front wheel, upright position and hands-behind stance all say one thing: pothole-faceplant.

The little electric penny-farthing (or P-Far, as the Bike Snob would call it) is on display at the Eurobike show right now, and looks like a lot of fun. It has a 1kW motor driving a 20-inch front wheel, and the carbon-fiber body means that it weighs just under 10kg (22 pounds) — good for acceleration and also good when you carry it, for the YikeBike is a folder which ends up not much bigger than the wheel. One charge takes around a half hour and juices you for a 7-8km (5 mile) run at up to 20 kph (12 mph).

Downsides? For something designed as a traffic jam beating runaround, it looks a little top-heavy. All your weight is above the wheel, raising the center of gravity. It looks easy to jump off in and emergency, though. Also, once the battery dies, you’re carrying it. At least an electric bike can be ridden home when the power runs out.

We dig it, though, and we can’t wait to see Woz on one, playing YikeBike Polo. There’s one more thing that might make you say “Yikes!” The price, when it ships next year, will be €3,500-€3,900, or $5000-$5570.

Product page [YikeBike]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:05 am

Logitech officially unveils the Squeezebox Radio and Squeezebox Touch

Section: Audio, Home Audio, Portable Audio

Logitech has just unveiled two new Wi-Fi equipped music players—the Squeezebox Radio and the Squeezebox Touch.  As for features, both models have built-in Wi-Fi which will allow you to set up your radio without having to worry about a wired connection being available and has integration with sites such as Facebook for music recommendations as well as Flickr for viewing photo slideshows.

The Squeezebox Radio is the smaller of the two units and is designed to be more portable.  It has a 2.4-inch display and measures in at 5.12 x 8.66 x 5.04-inches.  It also features a built-in set of speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack making it a truly stand-alone unit.  The Squeezebox Touch is the fancier of the two units and as you would assume by the name, it features a touchscreen display which is 4.3-inches.  The Touch also has a USB port and SD card slot that can be used to store, play or view music or photos.

As far as available content, that is pretty much wide open thanks to the Wi-Fi and you will be able to enjoy music from sites such as Pandora, Napster, Rhapsody as well as DRM-free iTunes downloads and more.

As far as pricing, the Squeezebox Radio and the Squeezebox Touch will retail for $199.99 and $299.99 respectively.  In terms of availability, the Squeezebox Radio will hit the retail market in September with the Squeezebox Touch following a little later in December.  Additionally, there will also be an accessory pack that will be available in November and retail for $49.99.

Keep reading to check out the full press release;

Limitless Choices: Logitech Brings Your Digital Music Together, Unveils Two New Squeezebox Wi-Fi Music Players
Logitech Squeezebox Radio, Logitech Squeezebox Touch Deliver All The Music On Your Computer, All The Music On Internet Into Your Home; Feature Streamlined Interface, Facebook App

FREMONT, Calif. – Sept. 3, 2009 — You’re a 21st century music lover but your stereo is stuck in the 20th century. To help bring the digital world into your home, Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today unveiled the Logitech Squeezebox™ Radio Wi-Fi music player and the Logitech Squeezebox™ Touch Wi-Fi music player. Both Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi music players give people simple, intuitive access to a wide variety of music choices including free Internet radio, personal digital music files and music subscription services.
“Digital music and the Internet have radically changed how we discover, share and listen to the music we love,” said Sam Feng, product marketing director of Logitech’s Streaming Media business unit. “Now, millions of people are downloading music through iTunes® and listening to Internet radio stations and music services and our newest Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi music players bring it all together. Just plug one in and you can be ready to discover and enjoy music from around the world.”

Logitech Squeezebox Radio – Small Package, Big Sound
The Internet has changed everything, including your radio. With the Logitech Squeezebox Radio, you’ll get the simplicity of old-fashioned radio with the power of the Internet wherever you want to listen to music.

Unlike other complex Wi-Fi music systems, Squeezebox Radio sets up easily. You just plug it in, turn it on, connect to your home network and like magic, you’ve got access to a world of music – Internet radio, your personal music collection including DRM-free iTunes Plus downloads, and subscription services such as Napster®, Pandora®, Rhapsody®, SIRIUS®, and Last.fm™. And the Squeezebox Radio’s color screen can display album art, track and station information, visualizers and more.

With six preset buttons located on the side of display, at the touch of a button the Squeezebox Radio makes it easy to enjoy your favorite song, Internet radio station or playlist. With automatic brightness adjustment and a built-in alarm clock, the Logitech Squeezebox Radio is even ideal for your bedside table. And if you want to listen to music in private, a 3.5 mm jack lets you plug in your headphones.

At just 5.12 inches (130 mm) by 8.66 inches (220 mm) by 5.04 inches (8.5 cm), the compact design makes the Squeezebox Radio ideal for your living room, kitchen, bedroom – even your patio. While it’s a space-saver, the Squeezebox Radio still delivers clear sound with minimal distortion – no extra speakers required – thanks to the 3/4-inch high-definition, soft-dome tweeter and 3-inch high-power, long-throw woofer.

For your convenience, a rechargeable battery pack that is sold separately will let you move the Squeezebox Radio around your home without interrupting the music. The battery can power your Squeezebox Radio for up to six hours and recharges automatically when it’s plugged in.

Logitech Squeezebox Touch – Color Touch Screen Puts Music at Your Fingertips
So you can seamlessly discover a world of music and play it through the stereo system you already own, the Logitech Squeezebox Touch Wi-Fi music player has a stunning 4.3-inch color touch screen that lets you easily select and play music – and even view album art. Plus, to provide a better listening experience, the Squeezebox Touch supports sampling rates of up to 24 bits at 96 kHz, delivering rich sound with very little distortion. Simply plug in the Squeezebox Touch to your existing speakers, connect to your home network and you’re ready to rock out. An included USB port and SD card slot on the back of the Squeezebox Touch also lets you access music and photos stored on flash drives and memory cards.

To put control within reach, a wall-mount bracket (sold separately) lets you put your Squeezebox Touch at eye level – near the stereo, over your kitchen table or wherever you want convenient control of your music. With the optional Logitech Squeezebox Touch Wall-Mount Bracket, the power cord and speaker wires can be run inside your walls so cords or cables aren’t dangling from your Squeezebox.

Streamlined Interface, Facebook App and Flickr Support
The intuitive Squeezebox interface was designed for speed and convenience. The color display found on the Squeezebox Radio and Squeezebox Touch help you quickly locate your favorite radio stations, playlists or music services. And, with its redesigned menu system, you can easily choose from a variety of applications to enhance your listening experience.
Plus, if you’re a Facebook fan, you can share music recommendations, as well as check out your friends’ statuses, recommendations, and full-color photos right on your new Squeezebox. Photo slide shows from the popular photo-sharing site Flickr are also supported on both new Squeezebox Wi-Fi music players.

The Squeezebox Family
Both the Logitech Squeezebox Radio and Logitech Squeezebox Touch can seamlessly integrate into your existing Wi-Fi or Ethernet-based home network, as well as with the Squeezebox family of products, which includes the award-winning Logitech Squeezebox™ Boom Wi-Fi music player, Logitech Squeezebox™ Duet Wi-Fi music player, and the audiophiles’ choice, the Logitech Transporter® Wi-Fi music player.

All of the products in the Squeezebox family work together so it’s easy to expand your system. Simply add additional Squeezebox Wi-Fi media players to any room you like and then you can listen to one song throughout your entire home – perfect for a party – or enjoy a different song in every room.

Pricing and Availability
The Logitech Squeezebox Radio Wi-Fi music player is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in September for a suggested retail price of $199.99 (U.S.). For a limited time, a special edition Logitech Squeezebox Radio Wi-Fi music player will be available in red at http://www.logitech.com and select retailers. The Logitech Squeezebox Touch Wi-Fi music player is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in December for a suggested retail price of $299.99 (U.S.). The Logitech Squeezebox Radio Accessory Pack (which includes a battery pack and IR remote) is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in November for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (U.S.). The Logitech Squeezebox Touch Wall-Mount Bracket is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in December for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (U.S.).

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 3 Sep 2009 | 5:00 am

Tenderizer Ring and Other Weaponized Jewelry

Ken Goldman makes jewelry. Weird, dangerous jewelry that is functional, but if you used it you would probably cause yourself some irreparable damage.

Above right you see his Tenderizer Ring which, if used to hammer a sheet of meat into succulent submission would likely do the same for the knuckle within. It is actually built from a spare tenderizing hammer he had at home. Thankfully he has never made a Ring Tenderizer.

The Ring It Up is equally dangerous, putting a scary paper-spike onto your finger. Useful, we guess, when you are explaining to your accountant that that $2000 dinner at Lotus of Siam was a legitimate business expense.

Thankfully both home-made, and staying that way. Make your own, or head over to Ken’s Flickr pages to check out his dangerous creations.

Product page [Flickr via Core77]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Sep 2009 | 4:37 am