TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco

Source: Gizmodo | 22 Sep 2009 | 7:30 pm

Magnify.net Expands Mobile Strategy With iPhone App

Social video hosting and sharing site Magnify.net is launching an iPhone app to let users submit videos to a Magnify video channel from their 3GS. iPhone users can shoot, upload, store, and share their personal videos on any Magnify-hosted channel. The app, which is free, is currently available on the App Store.

Last year, Magnify added social networking features to its video channels, which can integrate video from across the web (YouTube, AOL). Magnify is using these features to create white-label video platforms and communities for various businesses, including Zappos, New York Magazine Mediaite, and The Weather Channel. In fact, Magnify has seen significant growth in this side of the business.

Magnify currently has more than 62,000 customers using its video platform. While iPhone 3GS users can submit videos from other sources to their Magnify channels, Magnify Mobile lets users design and layout their individual channels to fit their personal tastes. According to Magnify, the app will be developed for other smartphones, including the Blackberry and Android.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 7:27 pm

Fallout Holocaust: Experiments in ultra-violence

Sandbox games are nothing new, but in general, most players try to play the game in the way the designers intended: be good, complete quests, and reach the eventual end of the game in an orderly fashion. Sometimes though, you just have that urge to be bad.

Gamer and writer Alexander Gambotto-Burke has written about his descent into madness, and how purely visceral and difficult it is to play a psychopath. He talks about wandering the streets of Megaton using a sledgehammer like a slaughterhouse worker, killing the residents in their sleep. The interesting part is that he starts to really feel bad about it.

If you do decide the read the article, be aware that there are some spoilers for Fallout 3 inside (a few major plot points in fact) and it’s a bit graphic about the killing. This is of course in the spirit of the game (exploding heads and the like) but just consider this a warning.

He’s on part two of his article; part one is still available here. They definitely make for a good read as you go through what is essentially a walkthrough into ultra-violence.

Source: CrunchGear | 22 Sep 2009 | 7:20 pm

Suggest links with Twitter!

Do you use Twitter? Now you can use it to suggest links! All you need to do is follow BBSuggest and start tweeting @ it. For example, if you're an amateur astronomer and spot a report concerning Earth's impending destruction at the hands of a planet-destroying robot the size of the moon, tweet "Unicorn chaser! [link here] @bbsuggest" -- easy! Your contributions will head into our bloggin' brains -- and then into the collective superconscioussness of the Boing Boing trend tracker, an info-dense visualization of the topics and trends hit up by BB readers. Many thanks to Palm, which is sponsoring the tracker, as you'll doubtless notice when you visit it.


Source: Boing Boing | 22 Sep 2009 | 7:07 pm

Microsoft Tax Dodge At Issue In Washington State

newscloud writes "With Washington State facing a billion-dollar biennial budget deficit, the spotlight again shifts to Microsoft's software licensing office in Reno, Nevada. 'Although the majority of its software development is performed in Washington State, Microsoft records its estimated $18 billion in licensing revenue per year through a corporate office in Reno, Nevada where there is no licensing tax. Just by enforcing the state's existing tax law from 2008 onwards, we could reduce Washington's revenue shortfall by more than 70 percent. Alternately, we could pursue the entire $707 million from Microsoft's thirteen years of tax dodging and cover most of the expected deficit going forward.' We have discussed Microsoft's creative capitalism in the past."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Gizmodo | 22 Sep 2009 | 7:00 pm

Intel Hints at Its Own Smartphone Operating System

SAN FRANCISCO — Intel showed off a spiffy new version of Moblin, a Linux operating system designed for mobile gadgets. Initially targeted at netbooks, Intel has now hinted that it will extend the system’s reach to mobile phones.

Intel started the Moblin initiative last year in a bid to maximize the potential of netbooks and other devices that use the company’s Atom processor. But this is the first time that it has shown how the operating system, which is built on a Linux core, will appear to users.

“Moblin will be ready in time when Moorestown (the successor to the current Atom platform) ships next year,” Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel told developers at the Intel Developer Forum, an Intel-hosted conference, on Tuesday.

Although Intel did not explicitly say it was planning a smartphone version of Moblin, the company showed a screenshot of the Moblin user interface (above) with phone-like, functionality such as notification for missed calls.

Moblin’s user interface is reminiscent of the recently launched Android phone from Motorola, the Cliq. Moblin brings together updates from social networking sites, the browser, news, calendar and phone call updates into a single screen called Myzone.

The social network aggregation idea is one that has become extremely popular among smartphone makers. With the Pre, Palm was the first handset manufacturer to meld contacts, email and social networking information into a single interface. Since then, Motorola and the HTC Hero have adopted a similar approach.

Intel had initially aimed Moblin at netbooks, which largely run Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system. But with Moblin potentially running on mobile phones, Intel is walking into an extremely competitive segment. Last year, Google launched Android, an open source mobile operating system built on the Linux kernel. Android is fast becoming a favorite among handset makers such as HTC and Motorola.

So far, Intel doesn’t have a processor for smartphones. But the company has ambitions to get into that fast growing market. Earlier this year, Intel said it is working with LG to create a new line of smartphone-like internet devices based on the ‘Moorestown’ platform and the Moblin operating system. The two companies plan to release the device next year.

Meanwhile, Intel’s Moblin developers have been moving forward with their new OS. In January, they released an alpha version of Moblin, with which interested users could test multiple levels of the core Linux operating system including the boot process, connectivity, networking manager and user interface development tools.

At its developer conference Tuesday, Intel showed a slick interface that seemed to be designed to work well with both touchscreen displays and otherwise. Moblin screens will have a top bar with access to seven broad categories including applications such as calendar, email, browser; online connectivity options; and world clock.

Moblin is designed for multi-tasking, says Intel. So if a call comes up during web browsing, the interface allows users to switch easily to another application, such as the camera or a map program.

The latest demo is the first sign that Moblin could become a rival to Android and even the iPhone. But with no devices in the market yet that use the operating system, Moblin remains a dream for Intel.

Check out the demo video shown at IDF.

See Also:

• Intel Pushes New Operating System For Netbooks
• Netbooks Offer a Chance to Challenge Windows’ Long Reign
• What to Expect From Apple at WWDC 2009

Photo: Screenshot of Moblin’s user interface. Photo and Video courtesy Steve Paine

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:53 pm

DEMOfall 09 Showcases Significant New Emerging Technologies

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The technology industry's elite DEMOfall 09 conference kicked off this morning with a state-of-the-industry address given one final time by Chris Shipley, DEMO's executive producer, who was also joined by Matt Marshall, co-executive producer.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:50 pm

Announcing the Microsoft Newton [Digital Daily]

Well, what do you know? Like Apple, Microsoft is also developing a tablet computer. It’s called “Courier” and it’s remarkably different from what Apple (AAPL) is imagined to be cooking up. For one thing, the Microsoft (MSFT) device is a booklet, not a tablet; in other words, it’s designed to fold. For another, it supports input via multitouch and, in an ironic nod to Apple’s Newton, stylus. From Gizmodo, which somehow managed to uncover a bevy of information about the device:

“The Courier user experience presented here is almost the exact opposite of what everyone expects the Apple tablet to be, a kung fu eagle claw to Apple’s tiger style. It’s complex: Two screens, a mashup of a pen-dominated interface with several types of multitouch finger gestures, and multiple graphically complex themes, modes and applications. (Our favorite UI bit? The hinge doubles as a ‘pocket’ to hold items you want move from one page to another.) Microsoft’s tablet heritage is digital ink-oriented, and this interface, while unlike anything we’ve seen before, clearly draws from that, its work with the Surface touch computer and even the Zune HD.”

Source: All Things Digital | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:49 pm

The Yahoo Ad Campaign Creative We'd Like to See [BoomTown]

Yahoo introduced its new $100 million marketing and branding campaign in New York today, with “It’s Y!ou” as the new motto, making use of the Internet giant’s famous exclamation point.

Sure, it’s clever and all, but BoomTown felt the need to jump in and help Yahoo (YHOO), since our posts have been a little tough when it has come to the Silicon Valley icon’s tumultuous ride over the last two years.

So, while CEO Carol Bartz (pictured above as a giant lady on the NASDAQ Jumbotron in Times Square) explained–as reported by MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka–that “Yahoo is the only site where you when you wake up in the morning and you want to know what’s going on everywhere about everything, you can find it one place,” I’d say there’s more to the brand that just that!

In fact, there’s Bartz herself, a sassy and ofttimes salty exec whose pugnacious utterances have become legend quickly.

Today, for example, when asked about comparison with its search rival, she noted, “Why not be cynical about fricking Google?”

That was mild in comparison to her cursing me out at the seventh D: All Things Digital conference, when she thought I was insinuating she was too old to be an Internet exec (you can see that exchange in the video below).

Thus, please take a gander at our branding effort for Yahoo below.

(While Yahoo has Ogilvy & Mather to do its work, ATD has the very clever Photoshop stylings of Digital Daily’s John Paczkowski to work our marketing magic.)

Best of all, you can switch out the picture and moniker to denote any Yahoo foe–Google (GOOG); Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer, if he does not behave in the new search partnership deal; billionaire investor and Yahoo board member Carl Icahn; and more!

Fondly dedicated to Carol–and the rest of the Yahoo crew, especially Judy–here’s our ad (click on the image to make it larger):

And here is Bartz in action at D7, cussing me out at 00:57 in the video of the interview:

Source: All Things Digital | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:41 pm

Stratos and Blue Ocean Wireless Join Forces to Offer GSM Service Via FleetBroadband Terminals

--New partnership enables convenient bundling of BOW GSM Service from Stratos with FleetBroadband-- --Wallem Shipmanagement upgrades to BOW GSM Service from Stratos-- BETHESDA, MD, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:29 pm

Microsoft Unveils Secret Touchscreen Tablet

While the world eagerly awaits Apple’s fabled touchscreen tablet, Microsoft has unveiled one of its own. It’s called Courier.

The Courier, still in late-prototype stages of development, is a dual-screen device that folds like a booklet. It features dual 7-inch multitouch screens connected by a hinge. The interface is designed to detect finger gestures as well as a stylus for writing, flicking and drawing.

Microsoft introduced the gadget at Gizmodo Gallery in New York. Gizmodo has the full scoop, including a video and more images.

Looks pretty sweet, doesn’t it? That was quick: Just yesterday we reported a rumor from ZDNet that Microsoft was developing a touchscreen tablet. This could very well be it.

Keep in mind, however, that this is a prototype device, and unless Microsoft confirms it will be an official product, we might not even see one in stores. If it becomes official, it could be a long time till we can actually buy one. Still, this is exciting stuff.

See Also:

• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
• Rumor: Microsoft Readies Touchscreen Tablet
• Rumor: 10-Inch Apple Tablet Landing in Early 2010
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …

Photo: Gizmodo

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:21 pm

Intel CEO says looks beyond PCs as market matures (Reuters)

Reuters - Intel Corp rolled out a software developers' platform on Tuesday and stressed it will step up efforts to boost revenue from consumer electronics and other markets beyond its core, maturing personal computer business.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:20 pm

TrendNet introduces the “world’s smallest” wireless N USB adapter

Section: Computers, Networking

Wireless N finally became official, so if you were holding out on switching your older machines over to the new standard, now may be time to make a move.  TrendNet has introduced its new Wireless N USB adapter, the TEW-648UB, and it is tiny.  You can see that it is a little larger than a quarter.  TrendNet is claiming that you can get 150Mbps on this adapter.  If you get half of that speed, you’ll still have a pretty pleasant experience sending data around your network.  This device has a MSRP of $24.99, which means you can probably land it for around $20. 

Product Page: [TrendNet Wireless N Adapter]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:15 pm

Rare giant squid netted in Gulf of Mexico

A giant squid has been netted in the Gulf of Mexico, the first of its kind to be landed in 55 years, scientists say. U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:05 pm

Nils Christie: Empty the Prisons

From the death penalty to "three strikes" laws, Americans love tough responses to crime—but not necessarily smart ones. Nils Christie has a better idea: Stop treating lawbreakers like criminals.

"I don't like the term crime—it's such a big, fat, imprecise word," says the renowned University of Oslo criminologist. "There are only unwanted acts. How we perceive them depends on our relationship with those who carry them out." If a teenager swipes a wallet, we call it a crime. If he snakes a twenty from his dad, it's a family issue. Locking up the pickpocket only sets him up to learn worse tricks from hardened thugs. Better, Christie says, to treat him like a badly behaved son. Send him to counseling and require that he compensate his victim. Similarly, drug abuse should be considered a matter of public health, not criminal justice. Give addicts treatment instead of incarceration and you'll cure more of them and (bonus!) foster a more humane society. Of course, seriously violent criminals should be locked up, but Christie points out that the justice system does a poor job of determining which ones are so incorrigible that they need to stay behind bars.

Christie's approach may sound implausible in the US, where crime is far more prevalent than in his home of Norway. But our national predilection for punishment has gotten out of hand. The Land of the Free incarcerates more citizens per capita than any other country on Earth, almost half of them for nonviolent offenses. And it's not because of a rise in crime rates—in fact, those have been falling for nearly a decade. Rather, tough sentencing and anti-drug laws have put a growing number of marginal offenders behind bars. Maybe that's why some US officials are starting to think like Christie. California and a few other states now mandate treatment rather than imprisonment for certain drug offenders, and many communities have launched victim-offender mediation programs.

If nothing else, cutting the prison population helps the bottom line. Each inmate costs US taxpayers more than $22,000 a year. And return on the investment stinks: Two out of three prisoners released are arrested again, according to government studies. Now that's a crime.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Tony Blair's Prediction of 10 Million New Green Jobs Would Include Wall Street

NEW YORK, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Stewart Brand: Save the Slums

Some people see a squatter city in Nigeria or India and the desperation overwhelms them: rickety shelters, little kids working or begging, filthy water and air. Stewart Brand sees the same places and he's encouraged. The pioneering environmentalist, technology thinker, and founder of the Whole Earth Catalog has written a new manifesto, Whole Earth Discipline, in which he defends genetic engineering, nuclear power, and other longtime nemeses of the green left as good for the planet. Brand also makes a counterintuitive case that the booming slums and squatter cities in and around Mumbai, Nairobi, and Rio de Janeiro are net positives for poor people and the environment. Wired asked him to elaborate.

Wired: What makes squatter cities so important?

Stewart Brand: That's where vast numbers of humans—slum dwellers—are doing urban stuff in new and amazing ways. And hell's bells, there are a billion of them! People are trying desperately to get out of poverty, so there's a lot of creativity; they collaborate in ways that we've completely forgotten how to do in regular cities. And there's a transition: People come in from the countryside, enter the rickshaw economy, and work for almost nothing. But after a while, they move uptown, into the formal economy. The United Nations did extensive field research and flipped from seeing squatter cities as the world's great problem to realizing these slums are actually the world's great solution to poverty.

Wired: Why are they good for the environment?

Brand: Cities draw people away from subsistence farming, which is ecologically devastating, and they defuse the population bomb. In the villages, women spend their time doing agricultural stuff, for no pay, or having lots and lots of kids. When women move to town, it's better to have fewer kids, bear down, and get them some education, some economic opportunity. Women become important, powerful creatures in the slums. They're often the ones running the community-based organizations, and they're considered the most reliable recipients of microfinance loans.

Wired: How can governments help nurture these positives?

Brand: The suffering is great, and crime is rampant. We made the mistake of romanticizing villages, and we don't need to make that mistake again. But the main thing is not to bulldoze the slums. Treat the people as pioneers. Get them some grid electricity, water, sanitation, crime prevention. All that makes a huge difference.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

William Gurstelle: Take Smart Risks

Among our primitive ancestors, those who ventured farthest from their caves in search of better food or who overcame their fear of fire accrued significant advantages over their meeker kin. That's why a lot of us like the idea of living on the edge: It's in our DNA to take risks.

Hunter S. Thompson called his version of living dangerously "edgework." Sure, Thompson crossed the line with the LSD and shotguns, but a more disciplined brand of edgework can be a good thing. Done artfully and wisely, living dangerously engages our intellect, advances society, and even makes us happier.

A 2005 German study concluded that people who take above-average risks have a higher-than-average index of life satisfaction. Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that among business managers in the US and Canada, those who take greater risks are the most successful. More risk, more reward—not to mention livelier cocktail-party conversation.

On a bell curve, the timid and the reckless are the outliers. The one-third who are slightly more likely to take risks I call the golden Third.

It is possible to work consciously toward joining the golden Third: Just get in there and start pitching. As with knife-throwing, unicycle-riding, and whip-handling, one gets better mainly by practice. Make your choices smart ones. It's not difficult to discriminate between a good, soul-enriching risk and one that's just plain nuts.

Driving a Porsche 911 at 148 mph on the autobahn... golden

Driving on the interstate with a Friday-night buzz... nuts

Building a propane-accumulator flame cannon... golden

Building a pipe bomb filled with match heads... nuts

Imbibing a properly prepared absinthe at l'heure verte... golden

Imbibing for hours at any hour... nuts

Eating fugu (e.g., tiger puffer fish) sushi in a fine Yokohama restaurant... golden

Eating egg salad that's spent an afternoon in the sun... nuts

The most successful adventurers take the high road of risk-taking without falling off the mountain. They channel neither Evel Knievel nor Caspar Milquetoast, neither lion tamer nor monk. That's the golden art of living dangerously.

William Gurstelle (www.williamgurstelle.com) is the author of Absinthe & Flamethrowers, now out in paperback.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

New deal sought in dispute over Google book plan (AP)

AP - A $125 million settlement of a lawsuit that would give Google Inc. the digital rights to millions of out-of-print books will be renegotiated in light of the U.S. Department of Justice's contention that the deal probably violates antitrust law, lawyers involved in the case said Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:58 pm

European Adviser Backs Google on Trademarks - New York Times

Telegraph.co.uk

European Adviser Backs Google on Trademarks New York Times PARIS — A legal adviser to the European Union's top court backed Google in a trademark case on Tuesday, saying the company should be allowed to sell brand names like Louis Vuitton or Coca-Cola as advertising keywords. ... EU adviser backs Google in trademark suitCNET News EU court: Google keywords don't violate trademarkZDNet Google Gets Positive Opinion On Trademarked WordsWall Street Journal Computerworld -BBC News -V3.co.uk all 427 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:50 pm

Microsoft unveils new tablet at Gizmodo Gallery in NYC

If you're in New York City and love gadgets and geeks or both, don't forget to check out Gizmodo Gallery, the annual limited-time-only gadget extravaganza hosted by Nick Denton and Brian Lam. It opens to the public tomorrow — they have a lot of vintage electronics, a pancake machine, a giant TV you can play video games on, and a lot of surprise toys that I won't ever get to see because I'm stuck in San Francisco for the moment. Word is that they've gotten a much bigger space with &mdash! surprise! &mdash a tablet booklet from Microsoft, called the Courier.

Gizmodo Gallery 2009: The Details

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:44 pm

12mail - what visual mail was meant to be

FROM APPLETELL - If you have the extra S at the end of your iPhone’s model designation, you’d better take some video.  And that’s just what 12mail lets you do.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:40 pm

Gallery: Green Gear For Eco-Conscious Gadget Freaks

You want to go green, you really do. And you’ve taken the steps to take your carbon footprint from Sasquatch-sized to ballerina-slipper tiny by cutting transcontinental flights, separating green and brown glass, even outfitting your home with fluorescent lights. But what about gadgets? We’ve got you covered. Be it transportation, recreation or energy calibration, Wired.com has reviewed five pieces of tech that’ll get you greener than a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Read on for our capsule reviews, or click through for the full reviews on Wired.com’s Product Reviews site.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford scored a direct hit on the Camry Hybrid, topping the Toyota by 5 mpg, and almost took down the 41-mpg Honda Insight. But as Ford was shooting for fuel efficiency, it didn’t forget a car should be fun to drive and a joy to use. On that score, the Fusion excels. It combines excellent fit and finish with smooth driving dynamics in a handsome mid-size sedan that also happens to get excellent mileage.

The beauty of Ford’s hybrid system is it has none of the shudder or lag often experienced in hybrids when the electric motor hands off propulsion to the gasoline engine. It’s seamless, as is the electronic continuously variable transmission. Ford muttered something about “proprietary” when we asked how it pulled that off, then mentioned the terms “variable cam timing” and “variable voltage converter” before saying it had nothing more to say.

WIRED: European styling meets Japanese fuel economy in an American car built in Mexico. Go as fast as 47 mph on electric power. Clever dashboard makes hypermiling fun. More gadgets than Best Buy, and they’re all useful.

TIRED: Battery eats up trunk space. Climate control knobs are so low you’ve got to take your eyes off the road. Why is the light switch on the dash, not the turn signal stalk?

$30,780 (as tested), ford.com

Read our full Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Check Wired.com’s latest Product Reviews, updated daily.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:39 pm

Gold Canyon Unveils Boutique Chic(TM) Fragrance Collection, 2009 Holiday Candle Products and a new Web Site

CHANDLER, Ariz., Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:35 pm

1882 deep-sea diving suit

Calling Cory Doctorow! Calling Cory Doctorow! Mister Doctorow, please proceed to a brass courtesy bathysphere.

19th Century Deep-Sea Diving Suit


Source: Boing Boing | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:34 pm

Zoo-raised Houston toads released

Texas wildlife officials have released 360 Houston toads born and raised in the Houston Zoo, hoping they can replenish the wild population. A total of 140 toads were delivered Monday evening to Bastrop State Park in Bastrop County east of Austin.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:31 pm

Twitter Begins Emphasizing SMS Again

For a long time, it looked like Twitter and SMS were destined for a slow and painful breakup. While the functionality was originally a user favorite, as Twitter exploded in size, it looked like it would become too expensive to maintain. Twitter shut down SMS in several countries (in fact, all of them besides the U.S. and India). But even since Kevin Thau, Twitter’s head of mobile products and partnerships, came on board in January, SMS has seen a resurgence. And today it looks like Twitter is ready to emphasize the service again.

Now, on the profile for any Twitter user you follow, you will notice a little mobile phone icon surrounded by a circle. If the circle is clear, SMS updates for that user is off. If there is a green background, SMS updates are on. You can also hover over the icon to see if they are on or off. Clicking on the icon will turn them on or off. On your Following page, you will also see this same icon under the “Settings” column that you can toggle on and off.

Both of these tweaks provide a much more obvious way of handing SMS alerts. And it makes them much easier to switch on and off. Previously, there was no way to control this on individual profiles and you had to drill down into your followers to toggle them on and off.

Maintaining and expanding SMS support is important for Twitter is other parts of the world, where it remains a simple and effective way to communicate with the service. SMS remains a colossal rip-off for what it is, but in some areas, people who want to use Twitter may not really have many other options, as not all countries have affordable iPhones with data plans.

The next step will be for Twitter to turn on SMS track functionality, which will allow you to get pinged every time a certain keyword is mentioned on Twitter. But hey, one step at a time.

Note: If you aren’t seeing SMS updates working, make sure you check your Settings -> Devices area. Here, you should see your mobile phone number and in the Device Updates drop down, this should be set to “On” if you want to see updates. This is the place that you can also set Twitter to only send you text messages when you get direct messages.

Also, be careful. When I turned on Twitter notifications for the first time in a while, I was bombarded by text message tweets from hundreds of users I didn’t even realize I had turn the feature on for (not only is this annoying, but again, it’s a rip-off depending on your messaging plan).

The functionality still needs some UX tweaks — where’s the “set all to off” button? — otherwise it’s simply easier to keep them all off rather than going through each one to make sure they’re off.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:29 pm

Ingram Micro Empowers Hundreds of Partners to Grow Their Business and Expand Their Expertise

DENVER, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Ingram Micro Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:27 pm

New Google Plug-In Embeds Chrome Inside Internet Explorer

Eager to let everyone on the web experience the latest HTML5 technologies — including those users stuck with Internet Explorer — Google has released a plug-in that lets IE8 surfers load a web page using Google Chrome's rendering engine instead of Microsoft's.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:25 pm

Plaintiffs In Google Books Settlement Try To Delay Hearing

It appears that the plaintiffs in the Google Books settlement fiasco are going back to the drawing board by asking to postpone a hearing that was scheduled for October 7.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice made its intentions clear that Google needed to rewrite the settlement that the company made with the Author’s Guild to make orphan books available on the web. The hearing was to take place to hear from the plaintiffs, which include the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and others, as to what needs to be changed in the settlement.

Last October, Google signed a $125 million settlement with the Author’s Guild to pay authors for copyrighted works it has scanned and made available on the Web through its Google Book Search project. More than 7 million books have been scanned by Google so far, a large portion of them out of print. The settlement, though the site is up and running, is still up in the air, because of the antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice. And the settlement has draw its fair share of critics, including Jeff Bezos.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:25 pm

Law Shielding Cops Faces Court Challenge

A Florida law is being challenged that makes it a crime to publish the home addresses and phone numbers of police officers.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:18 pm

Precautions after scientist's plague death

About 100 people possibly exposed to plague-related bacteria blamed for a Chicago scientist's death have been given antibiotics as a precaution, officials say. Federal health officials are at the University of Chicago, where they have sealed off the laboratory of geneticist Malcolm Casadaban, who died Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pm

Gallery of old timey seed catalogs

The Smithsonian Institution has an online collection of seed catalog art. If King Corn ever runs for president, I'll vote for him, because his crown is cool. (Via City Farmer)


Source: Boing Boing | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:09 pm

Google Brings Chrome Renderer, Speedy Javascript To IE

A month after we discussed Google's bringing SVG to IE, several readers let us know that Google is expanding the beachhead by offering Chrome's renderer and speedy Javascript execution in an IE plugin. This effort is in service of allowing IE to participate in Google Wave when that technology's preview is extended in a week's time. The plugin, currently in an early stage of development, is called Google Chrome Frame.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:07 pm

New processors, chip technology at Intel Developer Forum

Section: Communications, Computers, Desktops, Hardware, Netbooks

Today began the Intel Developer Forum, a chance for Intel and a number of other companies to debut their newest computer technology.  It’s the perfect opportunity to see what’s coming up next in terms of computer hardware and will likely see a lot of new Windows 7 machines throughout the conference.  Today, as the opening day, saw a lot of announcements during the keynote presentation.

The biggest announcement for Intel looks to be the new Intel Xeon 5500 series of processors.  Intel is saying these new chips will power everything from the Internet to research oriented supercomputers.  They look to be quite fast and smart enough to clock the multiple cores to handle the task at hand through the new Intel Turbo Boost Technology.  Intel is saying the chip series is the most important processor innovation since the Intel Pentium Pro which was released nearly 15 years ago.

For processors, Intel also brought on stage a wafer of its 22nm chips that are due for release in 2011.  The technology is said to push Moore’s Law further than some have thought possible with the scaling wall nowhere in sight.  The new technology would allow for 2.9 billion transistors in the area of a fingernail and will make for even faster, more efficient computers.

In terms of more pressing consumer matters, Intel has announced the new Intel Atom Developer Program.  The program is meant to draw developers into making apps for netbooks and later MIDs and smartphones that use Intel Atom processors.  The idea is that the program will create more applications that are designed to fit on netbook-sized screens, and will be cross-platform using platforms like Silverlight and Flash.  Some companies like Acer are planning on putting app stores for such apps onto future netbooks.  It’s not clear why that is needed, however, as the idea of netbooks always seemed more like a portable web browser and maybe word processor, apps seem like they could be redundant or rarely used.

Read [Xeon 5500 series]
Read [Intel Atom Developer Program]
Read [22nm chips (PDF Link)]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:05 pm

DEMO: Tinker Gets Some New Toys For Its Real-Time Content Platform

Tinker, the product from Glam Media that aggregates real-time conversations on services like Twitter and FriendFeed, and allows publishers to embed them in widgets, has launched a new 1.0 release to the public. The company announced the new version at this week’s DEMO Fall conference.

Tinker actually launched back in March, offering both a consumer facing site that serves as a central hub for monitoring events in real-time as well as a number of widgets for publishers looking to leverage this real-time content. Today’s release introduces a number of new features, including a new section that focuses on News. The feature draws on the real-time updates that Tinker typically monitors, as well as news feeds from online publications and wire services.

Also getting a boost are Tinker’s media apps, which let bloggers, news sites, and other publishers manage the tweets they’d like to display on their pages. For example, we could include a Tinker app on TechCrunch that would only show tweets from TechCrunch staff, or could display the latest tech trends to surface on Twitter.

Tinker has also recently launched a new advertising product called ‘Tinker Stream Ads’, which let major brands create a filtered stream of real-time content relevant to their products, which can then be displayed on publisher sites. In September alone these new ads saw over 50 million impressions.

Finally, Tinker now offers a real-time search engine that lets you search through the news, tweets, media, and other content that’s tracked by the site.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:01 pm

Coyote + Wolf = Big, Carnivorous Coywolf

Coyotes are breeding with wolves, turning mice-eating coyotes into larger, hungrier animals.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:01 pm

Sony Electronics Launches Education Scholarship Program

SAN DIEGO, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 5:00 pm

Behave Like a Bavarian: Oktoberfest Etiquette

When in Germany, do as the Germans do. Here's our guide to Oktoberfest etiquette, including finding a seat, ordering beer and food properly, and tipping your server.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:44 pm

Two girls, one uke

Two girls, one uke: Jonathan Coulton's fantasy realized. (Thanks, Michael!)

Source: Boing Boing | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:35 pm

Federal Signal Appoints Leo T. Mahon Vice President of Strategy, Business Development and Investor Relations

OAK BROOK, Ill., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS), a leader in advancing security and well-being for communities and workplaces around the world, today announced that Leo T.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:30 pm

FDA OKs First Human Trial of Neural Stem Cell Therapy

An anonymous reader sends word that the FDA has approved a phase 1 trial for Neuralstem, a company with a patented stem cell procedure targeting ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and other spinal conditions. The company's CEO said in a press release, "While this trial aims to primarily establish safety and feasibility data in treating ALS patients, we also hope to be able to measure a slowing down of the ALS degenerative process." Results are expected in 2 years. The trial will involve 12 ALS patients who will receive stem cell injections in the lumbar area of the spinal cord. An information site for the disabled community adds hopefully: "If it makes it through all stages of testing, we will see if doctors are willing to [use] it on subjects that have injuries coming from physical injuries like diving accidents."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:19 pm

SouthernLINC Wireless Information Technology Director Named Women of the Year in Technology Awards Finalist

ATLANTA, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced that Christine T.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:18 pm

FCC of Two Minds on Net Neutrality Rules? - Wired News

CBC.ca

FCC of Two Minds on Net Neutrality Rules? Wired News On the same day the FCC announced it would start formal proceedings to turn anti-discrimination guidelines into the law ruling the internet, the commission told a federal court judge that its current, ad-hoc rules are good enough to ... Obama Supports Net Neutrality PlanPC Magazine FCC Head Net Neutrality Remarks Spark ReactionInformationWeek Battle Lines Drawn in FCC Net Neutrality FightPC World ZDNet -ChannelWeb -BetaNews all 980 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:13 pm

Picasa Photo App Gets Better at Recognizing Faces, Locations

Google's free photo sharing service gains the ability to automatically group together photos of the same people by studying their faces. Also, Picasa 3.5 gets new geotagging features and the ability to directly upload images from a camera or phone in this recommended upgrade.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm

The Slew's Monster-Rock Mash Turns Turntablism to 11

Kid Koala and Dynomite D join forces, mixing DJ skills with raw rock 'n' roll on their adventurous new recording, 100%. The duo is taking its show on the road, backed by Wolfmother's original hard-driving rhythm section.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:59 pm

Scribd Cries Foul on Unusual Infringement Lawsuit

Scribd, a document hosting service, is upset over an infringement lawsuit accusing its filters of violating copyrights. The lawsuit accuses the startup of copying works to input to its filters, but Scribd says it only makes digital fingerprints.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:44 pm

Intel Plans Even Tinier Circuits in 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — Moore’s Law coming to an end? Not if you ask Intel, which announced Tuesday that it plans to offer chips based on a 22 nanometer process technology in the second half of 2011.

The 22nm chip packs in more than 2.9 billion transistors into an area the size of a fingernail. That’s double the density of the 32nm chips that are currently the cutting edge; most of Intel’s CPUs today are still based on a 45nm process.

Generally, the smaller the circuits in a computer chip, the more complex features the chipmaker can integrate into that chip. Small circuits also have the potential to increase the computing speed, but the tradeoff is increased power consumption, heat production, and — with very small circuits — increasingly large challenges in keeping the circuits electrically isolated from one another.

At the company’s developer conference here Tuesday, Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini (above) showed a silicon wafer containing the first working chips built on the technology. The 22nm test circuits include both SRAM memory as well as logic circuits that will be used in future Intel microprocessors.

“We are moving ahead with development of our 22nm manufacturing technology and have built working chips that will pave the way for production of still more powerful and more capable processors,” said Otellini.

Moore’s Law, first introduced by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in 1965,  postulates that the number of transistors on a cost-effective integrated circuit will double every two years. One way to describe how well transistors are packed is the smallest geometric feature that can be produced on a chip, usually designated in nanometers (billionths of a meter).

In late 2007, Intel started mass production of chips based on the 45nm technology. The company has said it plans to introduce 32nm processors early next year.  By comparison, the Intel 4004 microprocessor introduced in 1971 was based on 10,000nm process. A human hair is approximately 100,000 nanometers.

The 22nm wafer is made up of individual die containing 364 million bits of SRAM memory. SRAMs are used as test vehicles to demonstrate technology performance, yield and chip reliability. Once the technology works on SRAMs, Intel will move to utilize it in CPU production.

At 0.092 square microns, the 22nm process based chips contain the smallest SRAM cell used in working circuits ever reported, said Intel.

See Also:

• A Quick Guide to Intel’s Chips, From Arrandale to Yorkfield
  
• DNA May Help Build Next Generation of Chips
• Apple Quietly Recruits Chip Designers for In-House Tech

Photo: CEO Paul Otellini holds a silicon wafer containing the world’s first working chips built on 22nm manufacturing technology (top). Lower photo: Closeup of a 22nm SRAM die. Both photos courtesy Intel.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:43 pm

Intel Plans Even Tinier Circuits in 2011

Intel chips coming in 2011 will pack 2.9 billion transistors into an area the size of a fingernail.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:43 pm

Shields Up!: Netflix plans to hand over user data in new research contest

Section: Computers, Security, Web, Websites, Features, Originals, Columns

Privacy experts are warning Netflix to cancel its upcoming research contest, citing serious concerns over the company’s plans to hand over user data to contestants.  The contest, like the one held previously, asks contestants to develop technology that will help it better predict what movies a customer will like.  On Monday Netflix awarded $1 million dollars to the winner of the previous contest.

The concerns behind this contest revolve around the company’s plans to release test data to the contestants.  This data includes customer’s ages, zip codes, genders, and previous rentals.  Privacy experts say this information can easily be used to personally identify an individual.

“Researchers have known for more than a decade that gender plus ZIP code plus birth date uniquely identifies asignificant percentage of Americans (87% according to Latanya Sweeney’s famous study.) True, Netflix plans to release age not birth date, but simple arithmetic shows that for many people in the country, gender plus ZIP code plus age will narrow their private movie preferences down to at most a few hundred people.”

Netflix could face an FTC investigation or a lawsuit under the Video Privacy Protection Act.  They’ve had no comment on the controversy so far.

While I don’t think Netflix is purposely acting with disregard for its customers’ privacy, I do believe they may simply not understand that all customer data must be protected and kept private.  At the very least they need to contact their customer base and give them a chance to choose to have their information withheld from the contest.

Read [PCWorld]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:36 pm

Court To Scammer, "Give Up Your House Or Go To Jail"

coondoggie writes "Too many online scammers get away with what amounts to a wrist-slap, but a case if Las Vegas this week seems to be heading the right direction. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a business opportunity scammer has been held in contempt for the second time by a federal court and ordered to turn over the title of his home in Las Vegas or face jail time. The court found that the operator of the scam, Richard Neiswonger, failed to deliver marketable title to his home, in violation of a previous court order entering a $3.2 million judgment against him, the FTC stated. The FTC charged that the defendant deceived consumers with false promises that they could make a six-figure income by selling his 'asset protection services' to those seeking to hide their assets from potential lawsuits or creditors."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 Sep 2009 | 3:29 pm

Netflix Prize 2: (Privacy) Apocalypse Now? - Ars Technica

MiamiHerald.com

Netflix Prize 2: (Privacy) Apocalypse Now? Ars Technica Netflix passed out a $1 million check for its Netflix Prize yesterday and announced plans for a sequel. One law professor says that the new data release could cost the company millions if and when people's movie preferences are revealed. ... Netflix isn't done mining consumer datamsnbc.com New "Irresponsible" Netflix Contest May Violate Customer PrivacyPC World How the Netflix Prize Was WonWired News TechNewsWorld -ChannelWeb -Christian Science Monitor all 425 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Sep 2009 | 2:36 pm

Picasa 3.5, now with name tags and more

Today, I'm happy to announce that we're releasing Picasa 3.5, a new version of our free photo editing software. This version gives you the ability to add name tags to your photos, using the same facial recognition technology that powers name tags on Picasa Web Albums. Name tags are designed to help you organize your photos by what matters most: the people in them. Picasa identifies similar faces and puts these into an "Unnamed People" album. From there, you can easily add a name tag by clicking "Add a name" and typing the person's name. After you've added name tags to some photos, you can use your tags to do creative things, like quickly find all the photos with the same two people in them, make a face collage with just one click or upload and share people albums with friends.

In addition to name tags, Picasa 3.5 has integrated Google Maps, so you can easily geotag your photos or view the locations of already-tagged photos on a map. And using our totally redesigned import process, you can now import photos from your camera and upload the photos to Picasa Web Albums in one easy step.



Picasa 3.5 is available for both PC and Mac, in English for now. You can download and try it today at picasa.google.com.

Posted by Todd Bogdan, Software Engineer
Source: The Official Google Blog | 22 Sep 2009 | 2:23 pm

Published Google Docs To Appear In Search Engines

dotancohen writes "Google plans to make all published documents from Google Docs users crawlable, if the documents are linked from a public Web site. No official announcement appears to have been made, just a short blog post on the subject by a Google employee in a help forum. (One comment on the ghacks.net post linked above says that email was sent to the admins of Google Apps accounts.) There does not seem to be any way to make an individual document not crawlable; you can only un-publish it, at which point Web links to it will not work any more." The move makes sense from one point of view — Google is just making crawlable a document linked from another crawlable document — but it's likely to catch a lot of people by surprise.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 Sep 2009 | 2:20 pm

Appletell reviews the BackBeat Pro noise isolating headphones

FROM APPLETELL - There are cheaper options available in the BackBeat line, but bypass those. If you use headphones frequently, save up a few more dollars and pick up the Pro level. You’ll be glad you did.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 2:17 pm

Apple Battles Entrepreneur Over 'Pod' Trademark

An entrepreneur is so far winning his trademark battle with Apple for the right to use the word "Pod" in his product Video Pod. A judge denied Apple's motion for summary judgment, and the two parties must now face off in court.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

Apple Battles Entrepreneur Over ‘Pod’ Trademark

We assure ourselves that words will never hurt us, but they can cost a lot of time and money when it comes to trademark battles. Take the story of Daniel Kokin, who is continuing to fight Apple over a three-letter word: Pod.

Not iPod, mind you — just “Pod.” For nine years, Kokin has been developing a video projector, whose body design he feels is best described as a pod. His “Video Pod” projector would display video from a DVD player and other multimedia equipment, but not an iPod.

In 2007, Apple filed an opposition blocking Kokin’s registration of the Video Pod trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Kokin (pictured right) decided not to back down. Thus far his efforts are paying off: USPTO recently denied Apple’s motion for summary judgment, meaning the two parties must finish this battle in court in front of a judge.

“After a careful review of all of the evidence, on the record presented, we find that there are genuine issues of material fact remaining for trial,” USPTO said in a statement (.pdf). “Accordingly, the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment on opposer’s likelihood of confusion claim are hereby denied.”

Winning the rights for the Video Pod mark is far away and uncertain, but for Kokin, just getting to this step was a victory.

“It’s an amazing feeling, it really is,” Kokin said in a phone interview. “I’m a little guy, and for Apple to be kind of shut down at this stage, I feel vindicated. You start to question your own sanity after a while. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I at a disadvantage because I have no money and therefore I’m supposed to be wrong?”

Apple for years has aggressively pursued other tech companies using the word “Pod” in their products or company names. One example involved a San Francisco startup called PodShow, a social networking website for video podcasters. Apple in June 2008 filed an opposition to the company’s usage of PodShow. Seven months later, Apple withdrew that opposition (.pdf). (PodShow later renamed itself to Mevio to coincide with a site redesign.)

Of course, not all entrepreneurs muster up for the challenge. Apple took the same action against TightPod, an independent, one-woman business that sold protective covers for notebooks. The proprietor, Terry Wilson, later renamed her business TightJacket.

The allegations are almost always the same: Apple claims a company’s usage of “Pod” will cause confusion among consumers who have come to associate the word with the famous iPod. Apple also claims consumers will believe a product with the word “Pod” in its name is made by Apple, thus causing confusion. Apple has made the same allegations to block Kokin’s registration of the Video Pod mark.

“Like Apple’s iPod registrations and applications, the Video Pod application covers a device that is or will be used to transmit video for entertainment and other purposes,” Apple wrote in its statement of opposition (.pdf). “As a result the similarity between Apple’s marks and Applicant’s Video Pod mark and the highly related nature of the parties’ goods and services, Applicant’s Video Pod mark is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception in the trade and among purchasers.”

A legal scuffle over a three-letter word may sound trivial to the average consumer. But Kokin’s lawyer David Herzog of Pinnacle Law Group told Wired.com it was necessary for Apple to take these actions in order to protect its trademark. He explained that Apple is concerned with Kokin’s usage of the word Pod to describe an electronic device. If Apple doesn’t challenge Kokin, then future companies will not hesitate to use the word “Pod” in their names to sell electronics similar to Apple’s. It’s a matter of insulating trademark protection by setting a precedent, he explained.

But the same goes for Kokin: If he wins, it could pave a road for entrepreneurs to more easily use “Pod” in their product or company names. That doesn’t mean Apple won’t file opposition against their trademark registrations, too. It just means if they decide to stand up against Apple, there’s a higher chance they’ll win.

Apple declined to comment on this story.

“I think Daniel’s got an excellent chance,” Herzog said. “It’s a great win because so often the appeals board grants the summary judgment. There’s no question that this is a good ruling and is certainly making Apple nervous for sure.”

For Kokin, the Video Pod has been the subject of a long, tumultuous chapter in his life. He began developing the gadget in 2000, but the entire project was delayed indefinitely because of shady investors with ulterior motives, he said. Then, when he was getting the Video Pod project moving again, Kokin received a cease-and-desist letter from Apple in March 2007, a moment he said marked a turning point in his career.

“It changed my life at that point,” Kokin said. “You have to decide a), I’m not worthy of this challenge, or b), I’m about to let this consume a tremendous amount of my time.” Clearly, he went with b.

“While we’ve won this battle, it looks like this is just the beginning of a long, protracted legal battle — a battle I’m not finished fighting,” Kokin added.

Trial dates have not yet been set.

See Also:

• Apple Aggressively Pursues ‘Pod’ Trademarks
• Apple Bullies iPhone Accessory Maker Over the Word ‘Pod’

Photo: Fr3d.org/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:52 pm

20 Years Ago: Apple Hatches the Macintosh Portable

Step aside, Bilbo Baggins and Frodo: Here at Gadget Lab we don’t care that today’s your birthday. We’re more psyched about the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh Portable, the first portable Macintosh.

That’s right: The ancestor of those slick MacBooks we see today was a bulky, clamshell device sporting a 10-inch monochrome screen. Apple released the Macintosh Portable on Sept. 20, 1989, and it wasn’t a hot seller: It cost $6,500 at the time ($11,313 in today’s dollars), and it weighed 16 pounds. Apple, and the entire tech industry, sure has come a long way.

The tech community this week has been celebrating this important gadget’s anniversary. Technologizer has posted a teardown looking at the insides of the Macintosh Portable, and both Ars Technica and Macworld reminisce on the most significant Mac laptops in history.

So, Mac users: What’s your favorite Mac laptop? The 12-inch PowerBook G4 perhaps? The current unibody MacBook Pro? My favorite was the 12-inch iBook G3 (500MHz): As a student at the time, this machine was the perfect size and weight for me to tote around everywhere. I was quite fond of this notebook before the logicboard crapped out completely.

Photo: Vokabre/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:34 pm

Was giving GMail Push for iPhone a bad move for Windows Mobile?

Section: Communications, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Software / Applications

The big news today is that finally, Google has push email and push calendar updates for the iPhone and other smartphones that can use the Exchange protocol.  Users can now have their inboxes and calendars always up the the second they are updated thanks to a license to use the technology from Microsoft.  I’ve got to wonder though, is MS giving away the farm on this?

The Microsoft Exchange protocol is extremely stable and reliable.  Windows Mobile phones have had this benefit for years, but recently, Microsoft began licensing the tech to companies that wanted to attract corporate market share.  Another way to read that is companies came to Microsoft to license the tech to steal business from Windows Mobile.  And Microsoft says, “Here are the keys to the castle.”

Was it short-term thinking on Microsoft’s part?  Take the cash now for the license, make your competitors pay you?  Could they have been thinking, “Hey if this whole WinMo train wreck doesn’t turn around, we can still sell software, you know, our core competency?”

I am not alone in this thinking.  Kevin Tofel over at jkOnTheRun agrees, “I know I’ve said this before, but what’s interesting to me is that Google Sync uses the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol to make the magic happen. A primary differentiator and advantage that Windows Mobile devices used to enjoy in the early days was this rock-solid sync method. Now that Microsoft has licensed it away to several phone platforms, that advantage is lost….I still find it bad for the Windows Mobile platform as a whole — it requires Microsoft to deliver another “killer feature” for WinMo.”

Today, iPhone users not using Exchange for work are thrilled, I am sure.  For those of us that do pull email and calendaring from our corporate exchange servers are left out wishing the iPhone could handle more than one profile for these functions.

Read [Google] via [jkOnTheRun]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:23 pm

Microsoft Bing Takes More Search Baby Steps - ChannelWeb

Product Reviews (blog)

Microsoft Bing Takes More Search Baby Steps ChannelWeb Microsoft's Bing search engine grew nearly half a percentage point in August and now accounts for 9.3 percent of the US search market, according to the latest data from comScore. Comscore hasn't yet released its August ... Bing Gains on Google, But Still Way BehindAtlantic Online Bing Gains Ground Against GoogleInformationWeek Google Prepares to Neutralize the Microsoft MonopolySeeking Alpha (blog) Bizjournals.com -Reuters -BBC News all 182 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:22 pm

SLIDE SHOW: Space Station Resupply Fleet

Explore current and future spacecraft that will keep the space station up and running.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:15 pm

ESA to call for climate change study ideas

The European Space Agency says it will soon issue a call for suggestions for climate change studies to be conducted from the International Space Station. ESA officials say they plan to use the space station as a platform to conduct research into global climate change.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:11 pm

US Reaches Over $1 Billion In Renewable Energy Investments

Government spending on renewable energy has reached more than $1 billion since the launch of the economic stimulus package.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Tuesday announced the addition of $550 million dollars to be spent on renewable energy projects,
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:06 pm

Obesity may increase cancer mortality

U.S. medical scientists say obesity is an important factor contributing to chemotherapy resistance and increasing relapse rates among children with leukemia. Researchers led by Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:02 pm

Peek looks back on first year

Peek, the cheap (and good) email-only cellular handset, has been in business for a year. Dan Morel, Peek's chief geek, looks back on how close they came to doom, right from the outset:

Starting a business is mind-blowingly, exhausting. But let me tell you this, the first year thereafter is gutwrenching emotionally. The highs and lows of sales, reviews, customers, staff.... wow! There are so many firsts and so many new things you do. Your first big bugs, your first angry customers, your first bad reviews, problems with your model, sneaking costs, your first disaster/outages, these are all real things that come up that you don't think about in the starry-eyed days of launch.

If you don't own a smartphone, but keep stealing the smartphones of others in order to check your mail, this device--service is $15 a month, no contract-- is strongly recommended.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 1:01 pm

Microsoft announces an end to coffee rings

A table on which nothing hot, wet, sharp or heavy may be placed! [Marilink's flickr via Gadget Lab]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:55 pm

Disney might have to fight to keep Marvel heroes

FROM GAMERTELL - Heirs to several of the Marvel characters are suing Disney to make certain they recover rights to their parent’s creations…
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:53 pm

Classic Start Menu: Make Windows 7 more like older versions

Section: Computers, Software / Applications

A lot of us have a strange relationship with software.  We want software to get easier and easier, but we don’t want anything to change because we do not want to relearn things.  Windows 7 is about one month away, but there are some changes to the Start menu that some users may find jarring.  In Windows 7, as you drill down into folders from the Start menu, the contents of the Start window change without fly-out panels.  The Classic Start Menu software is meant to make the Windows 7 Start menu more like the Start menu of older versions of Windows with those fly-out panels.  There is a trial version of Classic Start Menu available for free.  If you want to own it, the price is $19.99.  If you’re afraid of change, this may be your answer. 

Company Site: [Classic Start Menu]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:50 pm

Northern Brown Bears Seen Feeding On Whitefish Runs

Researchers call on developers in Mackenzie Delta to exercise cautionThe discovery of brown (grizzly) bears feeding on migrating broad whitefish in a stream in Mackenzie Delta region of the Northwest Territories has researchers advising increased care in petroleum extraction and infrastructure development within the area.In a paper published in the September issue of the journal Arctic, Oliver Barker and Andrew Derocher from the University of Alberta report seeing at least one brown bear engaged in the unusual activity of caching whitefish at Pete's Creek, a small Mackenzie River tributary located between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:46 pm

Study may help better cool hybrid cars

Purdue University researchers say they have perfected an understanding of precisely how fluid boils in tiny microchannels in hybrid and electric cars. That discovery, said the researchers, has led to formulas and models that will help engineers design systems to cool high-power electronics in electric and hybrid cars, aircraft, computers and other devices. The new type of cooling system will be used to prevent overheating of devices called insulated gate bipolar transistors -- high-power switching transistors used in hybrid and electric vehicles. Allowing a liquid to boil in cooling systems dramatically increases how much heat can be removed, compared to simply heating a liquid to below its boiling point, said Professor Suresh Garimella, who led the research.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:46 pm

Glow in the dark keyboard stickers

We spent a meelion dollars making a keyboard with backlit keys. The Soviets, they took glow in the dark stickers into cyberspace. [Crunchgear]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:03 pm

How should Net Neutrality affect the mobile Internet?

The Big Deal yesterday was the FCC’s announcement of two additional proposals to its enforcement of Net Neutrality: non-discrimination (ISPs can’t play favorites when it comes to network traffic), and transparent management (ISPs should be upfront with their network management practices, like blocking BitTorrent during peak hours). That’s all well and good—I don’t think you’ll find anyone across the Crunch Network who doesn’t support Net Neutrality—but this is thought to apply to “traditional” ISPs: Comcast, Time Warner, etc. The question becomes, then, how should Net Neutrality affect the wireless Internet? Should AT&T be subjected to the same regulations that Time Warner is vis-à-vis the iPhone? What about Sprint and the Palm Pre (and Pixi!)?

Go ahead and ask these companies, and they’ll tell you: thanks, but no thanks. They argue that the wireless Internet is inherently different than the “regular” Internet because of the much more limited bandwidth they’re dealing with, and the way in which that bandwidth is used. Host some sort of tech convention in Anytown, USA, and you’ll quickly find that Anytown’s mobile Internet has exploded. (See SXSW this past March. AT&T was pretty much unusable for several days in Austin, TX.)

Besides, if you [the public] want the mobile Internet to keep expanding at such a rapid rate, then the last thing you want is regulation. (That’s the VZWs of the country talking.)

Of course, to call the United States’ mobile networks “advanced” would be a bold-faced lie. Go to Japan or Europe and tell me that the shitty service you pay for here in America is “advanced.” “Can you hear me now?” WHY IS THIS SILL AN ISSUE?

Also remember: this is the same wireless industry that charges 20 cents per text message, when there’s absolutely no reason why that should be the case. So tread lightly when dealing with these guys and their complaints vis-à-vis dirty, dirty regulation.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 12:00 pm

Sprint goes full bore with Android dev support

Motorola’s been at it for a while now with their Android developer resources, but with Sprint poised to launch what is undoubtedly one of the most impressive Android phones to date, they’re jumping on the support bandwagon pretty hard. Sprint has announced today that they’re rolling out the red carpet for Android devs looking to do some good with the Hero.

Alright, granted, maybe “red carpet” is a bit of a stretch, but new additions to the Sprint developer site look to make things just a bit easier for aspiring App Catalog moguls to hit their stride. Once they’ve downloaded the Android SDK, Sprint jumps in the fray to offer some tools to make the development process go a little easier.

Now, to be fair, Sprint didn’t actually make these any of these resources — the word “middleware” tells us that much — but they’re at least trying to make their development site as comprehensive as possible. One big bonus for potential Hero developers is that they will be allowed access into Sprint’s Developer Sandbox, a tool that allows authorized users to access Sprint network services in order to create and test app functionality.

Don’t think that all Sprint has to offer are a few links and some well wishes, though — interested parties can register for the Open Developer Conference in October. Sure, it’s set to feature sessions and workshops for Android development, but the big draw is clear: HTC and Sprint will be giving the hook-up to give at least 400 developers — a free Hero and a month of service are theirs for the taking.

Sprint seems committed to making the Hero their number-one handset, and targeting developers seems like a great way to do it, but will everything go according to plan? For once, things seem pretty hard to screw up — the Hero has been bathing in positive buzz for a while now — hopefully Sprint can take that momentum and run with it.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:46 am

There is now a hairdryer with Swarovski crystals

At long last.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:45 am

Recently on Offworld: Elite turns 25, Left 4 Teletubbies, Indies Invade Austin

With the launch of Retro Remakes on Offworld, we started a straw poll to ask: what's the one remake you'd most like to see appear on consoles or handhelds, with the results to be tabulated and published at the end of the week. We also read the latest official response on the disappearance of an Xbox Live Arcade version of N64 classic Goldeneye 007, and celebrated the 25th anniversary of UK space-exploration legend Elite (above) with developer Frontier.

Elsewhere we put together a high-res gallery documenting Indies Invading Austin -- the two days of the inaugural Indie Games Summit at GDC Austin -- and began rounding up the reasons why you should be attending LA's Oct. 1-4 Indiecade conference/exhibition, with appearances by Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, former MIT games head Henry Jenkins, and flOw/Flower creator Jenova Chen.

Finally, we saw the horrific visage of the Teletubbies invading Left 4 Dead, watched an epic fan-made video of game characters invading Earth, Cloverfield-style, and our 'one shot's: Spacesick's awesomely designed Game Buddy, and the cranio-facial reconstruction of what your head looks like after too much Tetris.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:35 am

A pink webcam for the ladies

If you find something creepy about PR that describes something as "targeting women," you're not the only one.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:31 am

Intel announces Moblin 2.1

So, you read that headline. First word: Intel. Got it. Second word: announces. Easy. Third word? Moblin. “What the hell is a Moblin?”, you wonder. We feel your pain. All the jargon, all the model numbers – it gets tough to handle. So, here’s a recap: a Moblin is a bulldog-esque enemy from the early Zelda games.

Surprised that Intel would have anything to do with such a creature, much less introduce a second (point one) version of it? Don’t worry. “Moblin” also happens to be the name (short for “Mobile Linux”) of an operating system made by Intel and The Linux Foundation for mobile phones, MIDs, and netbooks.

While Moblin has flown mostly under-the-radar so far (v2.0 never even dropped the beta tag, as far as we know), it looks like Intel’s ready to put it under the spotlight. They’ve just announced v2.1 at the 2009 Intel Developer forum, showing a brand new minimalist interface for mobiles, a handful of social networking widgets, and how background processing/app switching is handled. Details are still pretty sparse – but we’ll update if any more come in.

Update: A few more shots here. Nothing too revealing.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

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Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:26 am

Sandberg: Facebook can build your business, and now we can prove it - CNET News

DailyTech

Sandberg: Facebook can build your business, and now we can prove it CNET News by Caroline mccarthy Pretty much everyone in the audience at Sheryl Sandberg's talk on Tuesday morning as part of New York Advertising Week understood the meaning of the slide she displayed that read "Nielsen and Facebook are in a relationship. ... Facebook Partners With Nielsen, Ditches BeaconPC Magazine Facebook Partners With Nielsen Over Advert PerformanceITProPortal Facebook and Nielsen Team to Track YouPC World ChannelWeb -DailyTech -San Jose Mercury News all 158 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:16 am

FCC approves Android-packin’ Samsung InstinctQ

Great news, fandroids! The one and only FCC has just approved Sprint’s (rumored) second foray into Android – the Samsung InstinctQ.

So far, all we really know about this ‘Droid is that it sports a decent sized touch screen, includes a QWERTY slider, and offers CDMA/EV-DO connectivity, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Assuming all goes according to plan (hmm, how often does that really happen?), the InstinctQ will join Sprint’s pending HTC Hero sometime in the very near future, giving the Now Network a couple of desirable Google-packin’, Android-sportin’ smarties heading into the all important holiday bonanza season.

So what do you think – is this the Droid you’re looking for?

[via Unwired View]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:12 am

Sprint loves Android - adds Android developer site

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Computers, Software / Applications

A year ago, when Google introduced its Android mobile operating system, Sprint said, “Thanks, but no thanks.  Android just isn’t ready for prime time.”  Sprint recently released its first Android phone, the HTC Hero, with the swanky Sense UI.  Sprint also is showing its new found Android love by putting up a dedicated Android section on its developers’ site.  There are FAQs and a forum.  The forum is a little light on content right now, but expect it to fill up as time passes.  The Sprint site is pretty well laid out and puts all the tools you need to put together an Android app at your fingertips.  If you are a developer or are interested in making Android apps, the Sprint site may be a good site to start with. 

Read: [Android Sprint Developer site]
Read: [Google Android Developer site]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 11:09 am

Verizon to Storm owners: No, really. Check out YouTube.

Every once in a while, a new application will launch for the BlackBerry Storm that Verizon wants to shine a light on. To make sure that everyone gets a glance at it (and not just those who pop into App World), they push a download icon all the way to the user’s app launch screen. First it was Slacker, followed shortly thereafter by Facebook. In both of these cases, the icon’s arrival was right around the time the app itself launched.

The latest push, however, is a bit tardy. A bunch of people are reporting that a download icon for the Storm Youtube application popped up on their homescreen in the last day or so; thing is, this app has been available since December of last year. Why the sudden push, Verizon? Were download numbers too low, or was the push system just not in place at the time YouTube launched? Either way: if it bugs you, just hide the icon and it’s gone for good.

[Via CrackBerry]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 10:52 am

Gamertell Review: Gamer (the movie)

FROM GAMERTELL - Gamer is a good film for those who only love video games and action. Those who desire deep storytelling and character development, however, should stay away…
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 22 Sep 2009 | 10:34 am

WATCH: Night-Shining Clouds

Do you ever wonder why you can sometimes see clouds at night?
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 10:15 am

Echidna's Ancestor Swam With Platypuses

Egg-laying mammals like echidnas have evolved quicker than previously thought.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 10:01 am

BIG PIC: Milky Way Galaxy Closeup

Take a closer look at the very heart of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 10:00 am

Verizon’s new Entice is destined for the bargain bin

Calling all cheapskates: Verizon’s always had a solid, if at times unassuming selection of featurephones, and they’re ready to throw one more into the mix. For a scant $39.99 (after the obligatory $50 mail-in rebate), you’ll be able to snag yourself a brand new Motorola Entice W766 today.

The successor to the W755 (also inaccurately known as the “COOL”), the Entice takes the same flip form factor and… doesn’t really change anything. Sure, they’ve bumped the camera up to 2 megapixels, and yeah, it can handle up to microSD cards up to 8GB in size this time around, but these are minor upgrades when you consider most phones rocked similar specs 2 years ago. Then again, this is Motorola we’re talking about here: for all the cool ideas they can come up with, they don’t seem to have much trouble running with a design until it’s dead and buried.

You can pick one up via the Verizon website today, but you’ll have to wait until later this month to get your hands on it in one of their retail stores. It’s almost sure to be a freebie at some point soon though, so there’s a pretty good case for biding your time and saving your pennies.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 9:37 am

Google climate change tools for COP15

In December of this year, representatives from nations around the globe will gather in Copenhagen to discuss a global agreement on climate change. The objective is to reduce global warming emissions sufficiently in order to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change and to support the global community in adapting to the unavoidable changes ahead. Denmark will act as host for this fifteenth Conference of the Parties under the United Nations’ Climate Change Convention, known as COP15.

In collaboration with the Danish government and others, we are launching a series of Google Earth layers and tours to allow you to explore the potential impacts of climate change on our planet and the solutions for managing it. Working with data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we show on Google Earth the range of expected temperature and precipitation changes under different global emissions scenarios that could occur throughout the century. Today we are unveiling our first climate tour on Google Earth: "Confronting Climate Change," with narration by Al Gore. Stay tuned for more tours in the coming weeks!

Together with the Danish government, we're also launching our YouTube COP15 channel. On the channel, you can submit your thoughts and questions on climate change to decision-makers and the world through an initiative called "Raise Your Voice." These videos will be broadcast on screens around the conference in December and rated by viewers of the channel. The top-rated contributions will be aired globally during the COP15 CNN/YouTube debate on December 15th, and the top two submissions will win a trip to Copenhagen. We look forward to seeing your videos!

Posted by Benjamin Kott, Green Business Operations and Jonas Vang, Industry Analyst
Source: The Official Google Blog | 22 Sep 2009 | 9:01 am

BLOG: Dying Sun Not So Far-Fetched

"Q balls" (if they exist) could mean an early death for our sun.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am

Yellowstone Grizzlies Back on Threatened List

Facing climate change pressures, Yellowstone's grizzlies get threatened status.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Sep 2009 | 8:20 am

Layar Enhances Augmented Reality Browser Platform With 3D Capabilities

Layar, one of the first companies to start popularizing the concept of augmented reality browsing using modern day’s mobile phone cameras, is today announcing the addition of 3D capabilities to its AR browser platform for Android and will be demoing the experience starting tomorrow at the Picnic Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

With 3D, third-party developers can now tag real-life objects with three-dimensional text, place 3D objects on top of real-world space and create multi-sensory experiences. The general idea behind the addition of 3D capabilities to Layar is to encourage developers to create more realistic and immersive augmented reality browsing experiences for mobile devices.

This in turn should further the overall adoption of the much-hyped technology.

The first demonstration of the Layar 3D experience will be at creativity festival Picnic in Amsterdam from September 23-25. The event’s attendees looking for “Picnic” in the Android Market can find and download an application to any Android-powered phone and view a virtual exhibition that delivers a multi-sensory experience of real life. They will experience a jumbo jet flying by, a rocket launch, and find themselves in the middle of an arcade game – all including sound. Conference buildings will be found tagged with 3D texts and on the lawn several 3D objects are placed, such as windmills and 3D “experience domes”.

You can view videos and images of the demo here, and we’ve embedded some below. Granted, the graphics are fairly clunky, but imagine the potential for the future.

So how does it work?

Layar 3D uses OpenGL, the accelerometer, the GPS and the compass of the Android phone. Developers can place 3D objects in their content layers based on coordinates, which can be optimized in size and orientation and enhances with actionable items such as ‘open link’ or ‘play music’ in order to create a realistic experience. The 3D capabilities support live downloading and rendering of 3D objects.

Together with selected partners, Layar will update their API to support 3D objects for new and existing layers. Layar will launch 3D to the public in November together with the launch of version 3.0 of the Layar Reality Browser for Android.

I asked Layar’s Raimo Van Der Klein about the adoption of the app by Android phone owners and the API by third-party developers. Van Der Klein informed me that the Android application has currently been downloaded over 100,000 times, and that out of 800 requested API keys, about 500 developers are actively making use of it today.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 8:06 am

CrunchDeals: All AT&T phones for a penny

We'll start this deal off with a gigantic asterisk. This deal does NOT work for a) existing AT&T customers looking to renew or b) anyone who wants an iPhone.

Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Sep 2009 | 6:13 am