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

Source: Gizmodo | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:00 pm

AT&T complains Google Voice blocks calls it can't (AP)

AP - AT&T Inc. said Friday that Google Inc.'s Internet phone program gets an unfair advantage from blocking calls to rural communities where local carriers charge high connection fees.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:51 pm

Judge Nixes Google Book Hearings, as Negotiations Continue

The Google Books Settlement is officially being delayed indefinitely after the judge overseeing the controversial copyright case postponed a hearing, as Google and copyright holders in books try to deal with objections. A new version will try to placate Microsoft, the Justice Department, and European governments, among others.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:47 pm

IRS Scam Now World's Biggest E-mail Virus Problem (PC World)

PC World - Criminals are waging a nasty online campaign right now, hoping that their victims' fears of the tax collecter will lead them to inadvertently install malicious software.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:40 pm

US auto safety group wants to curb gadget use by truckers (AFP)

AFP - A prominent auto safety group is calling on US officials to restrict truckers from using mobile phones, laptop computers, CB radios or other gadgets while driving.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:33 pm

SuccessFactors Showcases Business Execution at HR Technology Conference

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:30 pm

Google Project 10^100 Reaches Voting Phase

An anonymous reader writes "In autumn last year, Google announced Project 10 to the 100, through which it aimed to commit $10 million to implement the best philanthropic idea. The project was suspended indefinitely after receiving more than 150,000 submissions. Google has now announced sixteen finalists — each of which was inspired by many individual submissions — and issued a call for votes. The voting deadline is October 8 and the Project 10^100 advisory board will then select up to five ideas to be implemented."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Gizmodo | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:30 pm

Reader Photo Gallery: Awesome DIY Astronomy

Wired Science asked our readers and Twitter followers for their best DIY space photos. They responded with beautiful images of our universe.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:30 pm

Google Hits Back At AT&T Over New Google Voice FCC Complaint

Earlier today news broke that AT&T had filed a letter with the FCC asserting that Google is violating net neutrality principles with Google Voice by preventing users from calling certain numbers. Google has wasted no time in posting a response to its Public Policy Blog to defend itself against the accusations.

For those who missed the initial letter: AT&T has long had to deal with local phone carriers who charge exorbitant prices to long-distance companies to connect their calls. These local carriers are further exploiting the system by partnering with phone sex operators and similar services to maximize the number of calls to these high-priced numbers. AT&T has tried to restrict such calls but was barred from doing so, and it’s angry that Google Voice — which does restrict calls to some of these pornographic numbers to save money — is getting away with it.

Google’s response outlines AT&T’s concerns over the local operator abuses and actually says that it too believes the current carrier compensation system is “badly flawed.” But then it goes on to say that none of this should apply to Google Voice, because it’s not a phone service.

Google writes that AT&T has tried to “blur the distinction between Google Voice and traditional phone service”, then offers the following bullets as evidence for why they are different:

• Unlike traditional carriers, Google Voice is a free, Web-based software application, and so not subject to common carrier laws.
• Google Voice is not intended to be a replacement for traditional phone service — in fact, you need an existing land or wireless line in order to use it. Importantly, users are still able to make outbound calls on any other phone device.
• Google Voice is currently invitation-only, serving a limited number of users.

Finally, Google closes out the letter by saying:

“The FCC’s open Internet principles apply only to the behavior of broadband carriers — not the creators of Web-based software applications. Even though the FCC does not have jurisdiction over how software applications function, AT&T apparently wants to use the regulatory process to undermine Web-based competition and innovation.”

So who is right? Google may well be correct in its interpretation of the current open Internet principles, and given AT&T’s history of fighting against net neutrality it’s hard not to take its arguments for it with a nice big grain of salt. That said, the notion that a call traveling directly over carrier lines should be treated differently than those that go though software applications seems to be a distinction that is quickly blurring. And from the consumer’s perspective, having some phone services that can call any number and others that come with restrictions seems like a setup that’s ripe for confusion.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:28 pm

Measy Helps You Pick Gadgets With A Quiz (Private Beta Invites)

Picking out the right gadget to buy is so difficult that an entire publishing industry (Cnet, Engagdet, CrunchGear, GDGT) has grown around helping people sort through the process.  A new site in private beta called Measy is taking a different approach.  You take a quiz answering questions about what you are looking for in a digital camera, flat-screen TV, or netbook, and it comes up with the gadgets that match your requirements.

We have invites for the first 200 people who redeem them here with the promotion code “techcrunchfriends.”

Measy’s CEO Ian Manheimer is the creator of Glassbooth, a site which helped voters pick candidates based on taking a quiz about their political views and then matching those up with candidates’ positions. Measy takes a similar approach to helping people make decisions about what gadgets they should buy.

Visitors set their budget and answer questions, pick brand preferences, and answer questions about what features, specs, and size they are looking for. For instance, the digital camera quiz asks how important is brand, picture quality, recording videos. The HDTV quiz asks about viewing angles and sound quality.

After you answer all the questions, it presents you with the single best match, and you can also browse other close matches. (Contrast this to the crowdsourced wiki approach at GDGT). While all of this sounds great in theory, the truth is that there are always a couple of factors that are more important than others to any given consumer. Measy seems to weight all the factors roughly the same. It is not going to eliminate the research you need to do before you buy your next gadget, but at least it gives you a starting point and helps cut down the overwhelming number of initial choices.

When it comes to finding the best digital camera or TV, there never is one right answer, as much as we all wish that there was.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:26 pm

Yahoo director to step down at end of year (AP)

AP - Yahoo Inc. director Maggie Wilderotter plans to step down from the slumping Internet company's board at the end of this year. The resignation will leave Yahoo with 11 directors.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:25 pm

PSPgo Porn: Sexy Pics of Sony’s Tiny Gaming Console

Sony delivered unto the Gadget Lab a new PSPgo. And while we promised Sony we wouldn’t tell you our opinion of the device just yet, we can show you these pics — almost a dozen of them — of the newest PlayStation portable as it looks coming out of the box.

Sony won’t let us publish a review until Monday. But until then, scope out these delightful naked PSPgo images by Wired.com’s jolly photo editor Jim Merithew.

What time is it? Time to upgrade your PSP. In this ménage à trois, the original Sony PSP is on top and the PSP Slim is on the bottom, with the PSPgo in the middle.

Just like a parking meter, the PSPgo is big on change.

A side view.

Close up of the controls on the right hand side.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:15 pm

Hands On With the PSPgo, Sony's Tiny Gaming Console

The PSPgo is smaller and lighter than the PSP and PSP Slim. Oh, and it slides, too. Wired's gallery of the new PSPgo shows it from every sexy angle.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:15 pm

Hands On With the PSPgo, Sony's Tiny Gaming Console

The PSPgo is smaller and lighter than the PSP and PSP Slim. Oh, and it slides, too. Wired's gallery of the new PSPgo shows it from every sexy angle.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:15 pm

Squidoo Backs Down On ‘Brand Campaign’ As Many Are ‘Not so Happy’ About It

Squidoo founder and author Seth Godin has backed down on creating company pages by default as part of their new ‘Brands In Public’ service that launched a few days ago. The idea behind the new service is that brands are able to track feedback from customers on a public ‘lens’ (aka. a web page).

Feedback is aggregated from multiple sources, but mostly twitter and mostly by matching against the brand name. The concept itself is not an evil one, but Squidoo setup feedback pages for over 200 brands at launch without the express permission from the vast majority of them. The hitch was that if a brand wanted to control the lens and the feedback, they would have to pay Squidoo $400 a month – and it was that part of the deal that made a large number of people rightfully angry.

Godin says in a blog post today that they will remove the brands they created by default, and instead make the program opt-in. This is a big step back from yesterday where he left a comment on an excellent blog post by Lisa Barone, who criticized the product as being ‘brandjacking’, by saying:

I’m not sure it’s brandjacking any more than a Google search or a Twitter search is brandjacking. I guess the difference is that we’re making it really easy for the brand to show up next to the stream of comments.

Godin has built a reputation, on the back of his books, as being a marketing and community guru. He must have read some of his own work overnight because today on his blog he says the policy has changed to:

When a brand wants a page, we’ll build it, they’ll run it and we’ll both have achieved our goals.

Godin opens his post today with:

The response from the brands we’ve shared it with has been terrific, but other people didn’t like elements of it. And they were direct in letting me know.

Well we know he didn’t hear that ‘direct feedback’ using Squidoo’s own ‘Brands in Public’ page, which during the storm yesterday conspicuously didn’t mention a single point of negative feedback about the campaign.

Godin also does not have comments enabled on his blog, but the launch of the new Squidoo service just happen to time with the launch of Google Sidewiki – which allows users to leave notes on a website. Many flocked to Sidewiki out of frustration, including SearchEngineLand editor Danny Sullivan, and left constructive and well thought out arguments against ‘Brands In Public’. It is ironic that the ‘customer feedback’ for a product that is meant to aggregate just that all came from other sources such as sidewiki, blog posts, twitter and comments on blogs.

We were going to reach out to Godin yesterday, but instead figured we could write this story by aggregating what everybody in the world thinks of Squidoo, and then asking him to pay us $400 to remove the parts he may not agree with.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:11 pm

Something to tweet about: Twitter valued at $1B (AP)

AP - Twitter Inc.'s founders now have a billion-dollar baby, and they seem determined to raise it without a corporate parent.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:06 pm

Chinese iPhone pricing revealed: it’s the exact opposite of ours

China Unicom, the country's second-largest carrier, will offer the iPhone starting in mid-October. And in pricing that is rather the opposite of the low upfront cost and high monthly pricing at AT&T, they'll be selling the device almost at cost and pairing it with plans that make ours look positively extortionate. Prices will start around $300 for an 8GB iPhone 3G, which seems a bit high until you consider the fact that they'll be paying less than $20 per month for service.

Source: CrunchGear | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:04 pm

Chinese iPhone Pricing Revealed: It’s The Exact Opposite Of Ours

China Unicom, the country's second-largest carrier, will offer the iPhone starting in mid-October. And in pricing that is rather the opposite of the low upfront cost and high monthly pricing at AT&T, they'll be selling the device almost at cost and pairing it with plans that make ours look positively extortionate. Prices will start around $300 for an 8GB iPhone 3G, which seems a bit high until you consider the fact that they'll be paying less than $20 per month for service.
Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm

Vodafone gets app store, “Vodafone 360,” touts security app

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Computers, Software / Applications

Vodafone just joined the app store universe.  Their new service is called Vodafone360 and it aims to put together your contact information in one place, allow you to purchase digital content like music, and features apps.  One of the apps Vodafone has already pushed is “Keeper Mobile,” which is a free app for Vodafone that organizes passwords, logins, and account numbers using 128-bit AES encryption.  Data is also syncable with your computer.  The desktop version of the software costs around $15.  In the case your phone ends up in the wrong hands, there is a self-destruct mode where five wrong attempts at the database erases all the data.

The plan is to have the mobile app ready by the holiday season.  The Keeper Mobile app is already available for iPhone and Android.  The desktop application is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. 

Read: [Wall Street Journal]
Read: [PR Newswire]
Product Page: [Keeper]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:56 pm

Early Twitter Backer Union Square Sits This One Out [MediaMemo]

Twitter CEO Evan Williams thanked a long list of investors in his blog post today formally announcing his newest funding round. Not included: New York’s Union Square Ventures, which has been one of the messaging service’s most prominent backers, but which didn’t reinvest in the company this time.

Union Square was the lead investor in Twitter’s first funding round in July 2007, and participated in subsequent rounds in May 2008 and February of this year. In that last round, Union Square said it was re-upping “to maintain our ownership position.”

What happened this round?

Union Square partner Fred Wilson, who is a Twitter board member and a tireless Twitter advocate (and Twitterer) declined to comment. So I’ll hazard an Occam’s Razor guess: The $1 billion valuation that Twitter achieved in this round priced out Wilson’s fund.

If that’s the case, it’s a high-class problem to have. Union Square is a relatively small venture player (the two funds it manages have a total commitment of $281 million). It specializes in early-round investing in which the bets are comparatively low stakes–a few million dollars here and there. If things go well, those bets are enough to get the company to an exit–in the old days, that meant an IPO, these days, a sale to Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo (YHOO) or Google (GOOG).

But as the valuations increase, so do the amounts a start-up’s investors need to pay to keep their ownership stake, which is why angels and other early investors usually drop away. A player Union Square’s size can play up to a point, but then has to step aside or it would end up with most of its portfolio invested in a single company.

In order to re-up at this level, Union Square would have needed to make a much larger bet than it is used to making, and perhaps more than it is able to make. The new round, which raised $100 million, is nearly twice as much as the $55 million Twitter had raised to date. Which means Union Square’s bet would likely have to double as well.

[Image credit: Steve Jurvetson]

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:56 pm

Chinese iPhone pricing revealed: it’s the exact opposite of ours

China Unicom, the country’s second-largest carrier, will offer the iPhone starting in mid-October. And in pricing that is rather the opposite of the low upfront cost and high monthly pricing at AT&T, they’ll be selling the device almost at cost and pairing it with plans that make ours look positively extortionate.

According to Xinhua News as reported by Fortune, an 8GB iPhone 3G will start at 2075元 (~$303); previous reports had the 16GB 3G going for 2999元 (~$439), which, if accurate, posits a thousand yuan premium on each successive upgrade. 3GS pricing is still speculative, but if we extrapolate: 3GS 16GB for ~$585 and a 32GB for ~$730. The pricing ends up being a little sloppy when you translate it, but it looks like they’re not afraid to put a big price tag on it. And of course, it’s totally possible that they’ll shift both down by 500元 to ease upsells, which gives slightly more palatable figures.

Of course, then you consider that the plan they’re signing you up for is 126元, or around $18.45. Compared with paying $80 a month for your iPhone (and some pay far more), you’d break even in a couple months, even with the 3GS. Whether that lower price indicates a similarly lowered level of service is beyond my power to determine. And of course, some would say AT&T hasn’t been giving its iPhone users $80 worth of network every month.

With 140 million subscribers, China Unicom is still a midget compared with China Mobile, but as was the case with AT&T, having an iPhone on their side could lure scores of millions over from the other side. There is plenty of demand despite Asian mobile users generally preferring a different kind of handset, and unlike its launch here in the US, the iPhone will be introduced as an established and proven product with a huge amount of resources already available to it. This makes it seem like less of a risk to potential subscriber, and therefore no risk-distribution strategy (like spreading the cost out over two years) is necessary to make it seem reasonable.

In any case, it’s all gravy for Apple. They gets their money and they makes their incremental upgrades. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said about how much money Apple stands to make over there. And, at the risk of sounding political, they have less to worry about from the Chinese as far as complaints about restrictive licensing and app policies. I dare say that subscribers there are used to such draconian measures.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:55 pm

BGR previews the MOTO CLIQ (prototype)

Motorola has got a thing for four letter words. No, no – not those words. You know, device names like RAZR, ROKR, etc. Thus, it came as no surprise that its first entry into the Androidian landscape, which was announced earlier this month, is yet another four letter word: CLIQ.

Although not expected to ship until sometime next month, the ever-resourceful Boy Genius has got his hands on a pre-release CLIQ and has been kind enough to share some insights.

Feel free to read through the whole dang thing, or if you are more a CliffsNotes kinda guy or gal, just take a quick spin through our recap:

Hardware:
As we noted in our first look, BGR thinks the CLIQ has a solid feel to it, albeit a bit plastic-y, with a good slider mechanism and a responsive but cramped capacitive touch screen display. He isn’t as keen on the keyboard as many early reviews, citing hard, cheap plastic keys, and apparently the battery life is just plain awful (possibly an early software bug).

MOTO BLUR:
BGR has mixed feelings on MOTO BLUR, Motorola’s new UI/modification for Android. The good: Motorola has done a good job of implementing its Android mods to maximize the phone’s hardware. The bad: BLUR’s attempt to simplify our social networking lives is more of a valiant effort at the moment than a fully functioning, life-altering organization tool.

The overall bottom line is that with some software tweaks, this isn’t a bad start for Motorola and Android, but its definitely not quite a full-baked concept, yet. For more, head on over to BGR for the rest of the in-depth MOTO CLIQ preview.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:47 pm

Google to AT&T: "Noisome Trumpeter"? Takes One to Know One. [Digital Daily]

Google is violating the Net neutrality principles it so strongly advocates–according to AT&T, anyway. In a letter to the head of the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau Friday (see below for full text), the telephone company described Google (GOOG) as “one of the most noisome trumpeters of so-called net-neutrality” and asked the FCC to order it to “play by the same rules as its competitors.” (As folks are noting in the comments below, AT&T, by describing Google as “noisome” is either using the word incorrectly or being extraordinarily honest about it’s opinion of the company)

Seems AT&T (T) feels that Google’s Google Voice Internet call-forwarding service violates federal rules designed to ensure that phone companies connect all calls. From the company’s letter:

Numerous press reports indicate that Google is systematically blocking telephone calls from consumers that use Google Voice to call telephone numbers in certain rural communities. By blocking these calls, Google is able to reduce its access expenses. Other providers, including those with which Google Voice competes, are banned from call blocking because in June 2007, the Wireline Competition Bureau emphatically declared that all carriers are prohibited from pursuing “self help actions such as call blocking.” The Bureau expressed concern that call blocking “may degrade the reliability of the nation’s telecommunications network.” Google Voice thus has claimed for itself a significant advantage over providers offering competing services. Google casually dismisses the Bureau’s Order, claiming that Google Voice “isn’t a traditional phone service and shouldn’t be regulated like other common carriers.” But in reality, “Google Voice” appears to be nothing more than a creatively packaged assortment of services that are already quite familiar to the Commission….

[The FCC] cannot, through inaction or otherwise, give Google a special privilege to play by its own rules while the rest of the industry, including those who compete with Google, must instead adhere to [FCC] regulations.

AT&T’s letter comes just days after FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed six Net neutrality regulations that will apply to both wireline and wireless platforms. Interestingly, it also follows an FCC investigation into the rejection/delay of Google Voice for the iPhone.

UPDATE:

Google’s responded to AT&T’s letter in a post to the company blog, pointing out the differences between Google Voice and traditional phone service and questioning AT&T’s motives for appealing to the FCC.

“AT&T is trying to make this about Google’s support for an open Internet, but the comparison just doesn’t fly,” Richard Whitt, the company’s Washington telecom and media counsel, wrote. “The FCC’s open Internet principles apply only to the behavior of broadband carriers–not the creators of Web-based software applications. Even though the FCC does not have jurisdiction over how software applications function, AT&T apparently wants to use the regulatory process to undermine Web-based competition and innovation.”

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:46 pm

Tokyo Game Show: Undead Knights for PSP (video)

I took the chance at Koei Tecmo’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show and played Undead Knights on the PSP for a while. As the name suggests, the game is about zombies. And there are knights, lots of them, who you can turn into zombies and let them kill off enemies for you. Undead Knights is PSP-exclusive and will go on sale in Japan on October 15 (USA: September 29).

Here’s a video I took (I tried to play with one hand and shoot the video with the other):

Source: CrunchGear | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:41 pm

CrunchDeals: Pre-owned Nintendo GameCube for $29.99

Seriously, if your weekends are void of human contact and your nights are spent alone on Reddit, buy this GameCube. It’s $30. Then head over to eBay or Gamestop and snag some used games on the cheap too. My god, man, it’s only $29.99. For a GameCube! Buy it!

Yeah, I know it’s pre-owned, but who the hell cares. If you get 20 hours of game time on it before it craps out, it would still be worth it. I think I might buy one myself…

Source: CrunchGear | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:30 pm

BIG PIC: Space Station Spotting

A photographer snaps a shot of the space station from more than 180 miles below.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:30 pm

SLIDE SHOW: The Week's Top Stories

Take a look at the past week's top news in the Flashback Slide Show.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:30 pm

Behind the scenes of 'Uncharted 2: Among Thieves' (AP)

AP - The cast of the action-adventure sequel "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" are doing something most video game actors never do: They are rehearsing together in a room.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:26 pm

Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time Offers New Gameplay Mechanic

Ars Technica has a great look at the latest installment in the Ratchet and Clank series, "A Crack in Time." Along with the great looking graphics and same great gameplay, A Crack in Time offers a brand new game mechanic: "time pads." Time pads allow you to make a copy of yourself and move through a series of action, then shift back to "real time" and interact with your past self. "It's a game mechanic that's hard to describe in words, and wrapping your head around it inside the game isn't much easier when it's first described with an example or two. You have to play with it and bend time to your will before you see just how ingenious the whole thing is. The puzzles begin simply and grow harder as the game moves on. The use of time is done very well and elevates what we've played of the game from another platforming experience to something truly special."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:22 pm

AT&T Goes After Google Voice, Net Neutrality And Double Standards (Full Letter To FCC)

Well this is interesting. Fresh off a wave of good karma following the revelation that it was not behind blocking Google Voice on the iPhone, AT&T appears to be looking to draw the ire of consumers with regards to the service once again. The telco giant has sent a letter (attached below) to the FCC asking them to investigate Google Voice. Yes, you read that right. But this actually goes much deeper than that. Once again, this is about net neutrality.

While AT&T may have not blocked Google Voice from being on the iPhone, it clearly does not like the service (no surprise there). From AT&T’s letter:

According to Google, non-discrimination ensures that a provider “cannot block fair access” to another provider.9  But that is exactly what Google is doing when it blocks calls that Google Voice customers make to telephone numbers associated with certain local exchange carriers.

Yes, AT&T is calling out Google for violating net neutrality principles.

Here’s where this gets pretty interesting. AT&T is really upset because they tried to do the same thing a couple years ago. Back in 2007, AT&T and the other telecos were trying to block access to some rural phone customers because the giants felt local carrier fees were too high, WSJ reports. Google has acknowledged that it does block some access, but says that it’s to things like adult voice lines. That’s obviously a big difference, but AT&T is claiming that Google doing exactly what it was banned from doing by the FCC two years ago. From Reuters:

AT&T cited media reports that Google Voice was blocking some calls to phone numbers in certain rural areas in order to cut down on expenses. Phone companies are banned from blocking calls.

And so now we’re stuck with the rather humorous situation where AT&T is playing the net neutrality card. Of course, what’s hilarious here is that AT&T (and Verizon) just got done saying that net neutrality should not apply to wireless communications mere days ago.

AT&T is trying to argue there’s a difference between regular Internet net neutrality and wireless net neutrality, but that’s garbage. More and more, the lines are blurring with the way people access the web. Sure, it used to the case that people used wireless lines only for phone calls and text messages, but the rapid rise of smartphones and other mobile devices that use things like AT&T’s 3G wireless cards have changed everything.

Meanwhile Google, a huge proponent of net neutrality, also appears to be going against it in this case. What a mess. Both of these companies need to realize that you can’t be selectively for and against net neutrality.

Update: Google has responded on its public policy blog. Basically, they are saying that software should not have to be regulated by net neutrality rules, despite what AT&T says. Interesting, but it seems that Google Voice is going well beyond the range of your typical software. We’ll have more on this shortly.

ATT Letter to FCC on Google Voice v7 clean –

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:19 pm

Gallery: Scenes From the Peripatetic Tokyo Game Show

Controlled mayhem rules the floor at the Tokyo Game Show as attendees scramble for a glimpse of the future -- and to sneak a peek at the hot booth babes.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:15 pm

TransFS Launches Comparison Shopping Site For Credit Card Processing Fees

Accepting credit cards is crucial for any merchant but the obvious downside of this are the associated credit card processing fees which can amount to significant chunks of change. Usually fees range anywhere between 2 percent and 4 percent. Startup TransFS is hoping to help businesses sort through this issue by offering a comparison shopping website for credit card processing fees.

On TransFS, businesses submit information about their transactions including the percentage of online, in-store, mail-order and phone transactions; the merchant’s current credit-card processing fees; and monthly volume of sales and average transaction size. This is all variable information used by processing firms when determining fees for a particular merchant.

Once a merchant submit the form, their “auction” will begin. They will be presented with a series of competing bids from credit card processing companies and can review each proposal and select the bid that saves the most money. Bids are presented side by side to help users compare offers more easily and TransFS will also show businesses how much they will save vs. the fees associated with their existing credit card processing service. It’s a fairly simple and transparent process.

TransFS says that from the data collected from beta testers, their comparison engine can save businesses and average of 40 percent from their credit card processing. Another comforting feature is that TransFS vets all bidders in the site to make sure the the companies can put the money where their mouth is, so to speak.

The engine is completely free to the business or merchant and generates a small revenue from the processors if, and only if, a business chooses a new processor. And TransFS won’t pass on any merchant contact info to the bidders on the site until the business chooses a winning bidder (at which point the site only passes the info on to the winning bidder), assures TransFS’s co-founder and COO Eric Olsen.

Olsen says that TransFS will eventually extend its comparison shopping engine functionality to help companies compare employee health insurance fees, payroll processing, and property insurance. TransFS faces competition from lead-gen sites like BuyerZone.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:12 pm

Yahoo Loses Board Member: Wilderotter to Resign [BoomTown]

Maggie Wilderotter, a Yahoo director who was once under consideration to be its CEO, has told the company she intends to resign from the board at the end of the year.

She has served on the Yahoo (YHOO) board since mid-2007, during its most tumultuous period ever.

Wilderotter (pictured here)–whom BoomTown just had a lovely chat with at a conference–is CEO of Frontier Communications (FTR), a large telecom services company.

She is also a former Microsoft (MSFT) exec, has been president and CEO of Wink Communications and has held a number of jobs at AT&T (T).

Said Yahoo in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission:

“On September 23, 2009, Mrs. Maggie Wilderotter notified Yahoo! Inc. (the “Company”) that she intends to resign from the Company’s Board of Directors on December 31, 2009. Mrs. Wilderotter is resigning to focus more on other responsibilities and not due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter related to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.”

Hmm, interesting that they had to underscore that!

(Also, I could think of a lot less worthy Yahoo board members than the talented Wilderotter who should be going.)

Wilderotter’s departure means Yahoo will only have one women on the board of the Silicon Valley Internet giant–CEO Carol Bartz.

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:12 pm

SuccessFactors Founder and CEO to Present at the Maxim Group Growth Conference

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:12 pm

Review: The Flipside Wallet 2.0

Wallets are a very personal thing. Generally speaking, once you find one you like, you stick with that one until it wears out, and then spend weeks trying to find a replacement that’s the same style, only to realize that they don’t make them anymore, and you’re going to have to find something else. This was my dilemma, so when I was asked to review the Flipside Wallet, I was a little dubious about how well I would like it, given how particular I am.

Now to be fair, I’m bifold guy. I know some people prefer a long checkbook style wallet, or carry a trifold, but I’ve always been a fan of the bifold style. My last wallet, a leather bifold that’s been with me through two states, four jobs, and five moves finally started to wear to the point that I couldn’t use it any more. I was starting to panic.

Then, the Flipside wallet showed up. After figuring out how to open it for the first time, I was surprised by the quality of the design. The wallet is made from an industrial plastic, similar to the type used in pelican cases. It opens much like a flip phone, with one side intended for credit cards, ID, and things of that nature, and the other side has a clear plastic holder for cash. There’s a center divider that provides additional storage for credit cards on the right side, and a space for a photograph on the left. I did attempt to put my ID in the photograph slot, though my drivers license was obviously too thick to fit. I wouldn’t advise doing it.

The case is spring loaded, and when you move the latch to open it, it will open smoothly and quickly. The hinge is not just plastic however, there is an aluminum bar that looks like it would outlast the plastic. The metal plates inside are held together with tiny aluminum screws. This implies the possibility that if you were to break a side or a retaining clip, you might be able to order a replacement.

The Good: It’s built to last, the aluminum plates will protect you from RFID hacking (remember, those Real IDs are coming in 2010), and it’s small enough that you could put it in your back pocket, but be aware that its stiffness really only qualifies it for your front or jacket pocket. Also, how many other wallets offer a one year warranty?

The Bad: They are a little expensive at $39.95. Also, the one I was sent to review was the color “Orange Crush” and it’s horrible. If you are fixated on putting your wallet in your back pocket, this might not be for you.

Bottom Line: While this is a product that we made fun of in the past (what haven’t we made fun of) it’s actually not bad. A plastic wallet that you carry in your front pocket might not be for everyone, but it is for me. Just not in that awful safety orange color.

Source: CrunchGear | 25 Sep 2009 | 3:00 pm

Obama Appoints Scholar as New Copyright Czar

President Barack Obama selects the nation's first copyright czar. Victoria A. Espinel, an intellectual property scholar and U.S. trade official, still requires Senate confirmation.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:43 pm

Twitter's $1 Billion Question: Where'd Everyone Go? - PC World

CTV.ca

Twitter's $1 Billion Question: Where'd Everyone Go? PC World Twitter's the talk of the Web this week, with word that its latest round of funding could be worth as much as $100 million. That'd bring the company's total value to a whopping $1 billion -- an awful lot of zeros for a startup based on brevity. ... Something to tweet about: Twitter gets more doughThe Associated Press Twitter Appears Set to Raise $100 Million, Valuing It at $1 BillionNew York Times Twitter's $100M Funding Coup Prompts 'Bubble' BuzzE-Commerce Times Sci-Tech Today -BusinessWeek -TechSpot all 334 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:42 pm

Pomeroy IT Solutions, Inc. Announces Agreement To Be Acquired by Platinum Equity for $6.50 Per Share in Cash

HEBRON, Ky., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pomeroy IT Solutions, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:40 pm

Video: Resident Evil 5 played with the PS3 Motion Controller

Sony laid out its motion controller plans the other day at the Tokyo Game Show and mentioned that Resident Evil 5 and LittleBigPlanet would be the first games to take advantage of the system. Well, freaks and geeks, wanna see some actually gameplay? ‘Course you do.

Go ahead and skip to 2:50 when the action starts. It looks good enough, I guess. Hopefully when the product launches though, you don’t have to use the motion controller along with a normal PS3 controller like the dude is using in the demo. That would be, well, lame and a cop-out on Sony’s part.

Source: CrunchGear | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:30 pm

Spotted: Ultimate Apple Fanboy Visits The Mothership

People always send in tips about Steve Jobs‘ Mercedes being spotted (usually parked at some weird angle or in the handicap spot) at Apple HQ in Cupertino, CA. But today we have an even better Apple parking lot tip.

Just look at the license plate of the car that was parked at Apple HQ this morning. For those non-religious readers, or those less versed in comedy, I’ll go ahead and spell it out for you. WWSJD stands for What Would Steve Jobs Do? — a take on the popular religious meme WWJD? which stands for What Would Jesus Do?

Yes, this person is directly relating Steve Jobs to Jesus. And yes, they’re at Apple HQ today. Steve Jobs, if you are reading this, you may want to hide in your office. Stalker alert!

Or what if this person actually works at Apple? Awkward.

Update: Word is that this actually is someone who works at Apple. Again, awkward.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:28 pm

Honda's U3-X is the new segway

Earlier this week, Honda unveiled the U3-X, a unicycle-like tilt-operated vehicle that could put the Segway to shame. It's still a prototype, but once commodified it could become a popular mode of transportation in

[via TokyoMango]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:26 pm

Monsters Cereal Blog

Bassam Tariq is a Boing Boing guestblogger who is the co-author of 30 Mosques. A blog that celebrated the New York City mosques during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He lives in Harlem, New York.

 

They gave me the creeps when I was a kid, but damn did their cereals taste good. Not sure if anyone has noticed, but there has been a sudden reemergence of all things Monster Cereal and this site is documenting every step of it. Who would've thought there was such a large cult following for Count Chocula and company?

Who's your favorite of the bunch? Count Chocula may have swag, but Boo Berry's sedated brows kill.

See all the collectibles showcased: http://monstercereal.blogspot.com



Source: Boing Boing | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:22 pm

Alzheimer's Disease Possibly Linked To Sleep Deprivation

sonnejw0 writes "NewScientist is reporting a link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer's Disease via an increased amyloid-beta plaque load thought responsible for a large part of the symptoms of the disease, in mice. Medication to abrogate insomnia reduced the plaque load. Also discussed is a recently discovered sleep cycle of amyloid-beta deposition in the brain, in which levels decrease while asleep. 'Holtzman also tried sending the mice to sleep with a drug that is being trialled for insomnia, called Almorexant. This reduced the amount of plaque-forming protein. He suggests that sleeping for longer could limit the formation of plaques, and perhaps block it altogether.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:17 pm

Real Science Sets Up Futuristic Robot Action in 'Surrogates'

Director Jonathan Mostow mines recent breakthroughs to ground his comic book storyline in reality. But Bruce Willis' wig? Now that's too unbelievable for sci-fi.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:15 pm

Got $240,000 and no sense of shame? Check out this BlackBerry.

Lets say you’ve got way, way too much money. You’ve dumped it out of planes, shot it out of cannons, swam in it Scrooge McDuck style – but now you’re bored. What else is there to do?

Well, if you also happen to have absolutely no sense of shame, you can drop some (read: $240,000) of that cash on a fully glitzed BlackBerry Curve 8900. First, they replaced the outer casing with solid 18-carat gold – then, because that wasn’t enough, they went ahead and decked it out with 4,459 brilliant cut diamonds.

The company behind the bling, Alexander Amosu LTD., says that they’ll only be pushing out three of these – one of which has already been snatched up. Hey, mystery buyer – wanna hang out?

[CIO via CrackBerry]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:05 pm

Analysts refute latest Verizon-Palm Pre rumor - CNET News

UberGizmo (blog)

Analysts refute latest Verizon-Palm Pre rumor CNET News TheStreet.com reported late Thursday that sources close to the companies said Verizon was considering not offering the phone on its network, as had been expected. But now analysts are saying the rumors are likely bogus. ... It Lives! Amazon Offers Palm Pre for $100PC World Verizon Wireless WILL Sell The Palm PreI4U Is the Palm Pre still coming to Verizon?BetaNews V3.co.uk -InformationWeek -Washington Post all 320 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:01 pm

8 Outrageously Annoying Tech Videos

Most TV commercials are annoying, but the tech industry takes the cake for making ads so bad that you have to question if it was intentional.

Ever seen Snakes on a Plane? Now imagine that the creators were given the Microsoft account and told, “Make us look cool with one of those ‘viral videos’ that we hear the kids are so excited about these days.” What else explains the awfulness of these commercials and infomercials?

Who, in their wildest imagination, would think a video of a woman puking on her husband — three times — would increase the appeal of Internet Explorer 8? Or that a creepy, unbelievably diverse group of weirdos hosting a “Launch Party” would help sell Windows 7? We were close to puking ourselves.

Those are just a few examples of what you’re about to witness. Here, we round up a list of the 8 most God-awful, weird, and horrible-beyond-apprehension tech video ads we’ve ever seen. In Jay Leno fashion, we’ll run down the list in reverse order, from least offensive to most offensive, for the sake of your stomachs. Hang on tight.

8. MSI’s Butt-Crack-Compatible Notebooks

We can only imagine the altered mental state that MSI’s marketing team was when it concocted this bizarre ad. We’re sure these spandex-clad actors aren’t really catching notebooks with their butts — and it’s a little funny — but geez Louise, it tickles us. That doesn’t mean we’re perverts, does it?

7. Nintendo’s Cross-Dressing Legend of Zelda

In conversations about the Legend of Zelda videogame series, we’re well aware that a lot of people mistakenly call Link, the main character of the game, Zelda. That’s a funny mistake, because Link is the dude, and Zelda is the chick. Perhaps Nintendo was poking fun at the Zelda-Link mixup when the company decided to cast a woman to play Link in this old Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past commercial. That or Nintendo is just weird. Actually, the rap song and the dancing make the latter theory seem stronger.

6. GE’s Soulful Tribute to Its Locomotives

Why are there even GE Locomotive commercials? Who the hell is going to go out and buy a locomotive after watching a video on YouTube? We can tell this was an attempt at a clever joke, but the grizzly, bearded actors, who are probably just glad to have jobs at all in this day of industrial offshoring, don’t deliver. Bonus: There’s a keytar!
(Thanks for suggesting this one, @CycleFreak!)

5. Pets.com’s Tone-Deaf Sock Puppet

Pets.com should’ve taken a tip from the Taco Bell chihuahua, who was a charming cutie. Boy was this website lazy with this sorry excuse for a puppet. It looks like it was haphazardly stitched together by Rosie O’Donnell’s character in Another One Rides the Bus. If you’re a pet community website, just use a real freaking dog! And this video, which features the sock puppet singing in a painfully off-key way, is the worst of the bunch. Even the nameless Wired.com staffers who kinda liked the sock puppet hate this commercial.
(Good call on this one, @AlexisMadrigal)

4. Palm’s Creepy Ice Maiden

An affectless, eyebrowless lady soft-talking like Christian Bale certainly sent shivers down our spines, but we doubt it really helped sell Palm Pre phones. Bonus: parody videos like this one!

3. Microsoft’s Cringeworthy Songsmith Spot

Microsoft should publish a book called How to Annoy Consumers and Humiliate People. In American Idol fashion, Microsoft must have done a casting call for people with laryngitis, just to demonstrate that Songsmith can teach even give even the worst vocalists the power to sing. Well, the ad convinces us of the complete opposite. Thanks to the trauma from watching this video, I probably have a psychological trigger that compels me to immediately punch a person in the jaw if I ever see them singing in front of a computer.
(Kudos for calling this one out, @a1by and @pushkin504!)

2. Microsoft’s Cheesy Windows 7 Launch Party

This one’s especially astounding because the Windows 7 operating system is surprisingly cool — so it was difficult to conceive that the product’s marketing team could be so utterly lame. You’d have to be a neutered space alien to identify with any of these soulless beings gathering for a “launch party” for Windows 7. Because, sure, sane human beings do that. The last time I saw a video with such an awkwardly eerie vibe was when I wrote a research paper on the Heaven’s Gate cult. Yeah, you know — that video they shot right before they committed mass suicide. Same feeling. The only thing that saves this informercial is that there’s a shorter parody video, which is hilarious.

This video is so bad, it almost takes the cake for the most horrible tech promo video of all time — except for the fact that Microsoft made one even worse earlier this year.

1. Microsoft’s OMGIGP, a.k.a. That Puking Video

When Microsoft met with me to talk about Internet Explorer 8, the company reps said Microsoft’s goal with IE8 was to erase perceptions of Internet Explorer 6. Apparently lurid images of puking were part of that strategy. Sorry, Microsoft, but I still remember the atrocious IE 6 as clearly as the time I suffered from near-death pneumonia. And your puke-fest video makes me want to keep a more-than-safe distance from IE 8.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

8 Outrageously Annoying Tech Videos

Microsoft's painfully forced "Windows 7 launch party" video is only the latest in a long string of horrible infomercials and commercials produced by the tech industry. Here, we bring you eight of the worst.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

Supervolcano Eruption Was Tough on Teeth

Ash from an ancient supereruption would have made it difficult for humans and animals to eat.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

Britain explores undersea carbon capture

Geological formations under the North Sea could store more than 100 years' worth of emissions from British power stations, energy officials said. The process, known as carbon capture and storage, could reduce airborne carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fueled power plants by up to 90 percent,
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:43 pm

Ants Vs. Worms: New Computer Security Mimics Nature

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sept .25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the never-ending battle to protect computer networks from intruders, security experts are deploying a new defense modeled after one of nature's hardiest creatures -- the ant. Unlike traditional security devices, which are static, these "digital ants" wander through computer networks looking for threats, such as "computer worms" -- self-replicating programs designed to steal information or facilitate unauthorized use of machines.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:43 pm

New Species In Mekong Threatened By Climate Change - RedOrbit

Telegraph.co.uk

New Species In Mekong Threatened By Climate Change RedOrbit Researchers reported the discovery of 163 new species in the Greater Mekong region last year, and now they are at risk of becoming extinct due to climate change, according to conservation group WWF. World Wildlife Fund reported Friday that scientists ... Conservation Group: Climate Change Threatens Newly Discovered ...Voice of America Mekong rich with new speciesStraits Times Bird-eating frog among several new species found in Greater MekongTimes Online LiveScience.com -The Associated Press -บางกอกโพส all 361 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:33 pm

Jump to the information you want right from the search snippets

For most search results, Google shows you a few lines of text to give you an idea of what the page is about — we call this a "search snippet." Recently, we've enhanced the search snippet with two new features that make it easier to find information buried deep within a page.

Normally, a search snippet shows how a page, as a whole, relates to a your query by excerpting content that appears near and around where your query terms show on the page. But what if only one section of the page is relevant to your search?

That's where these new features can help, by providing links within the snippet to relevant sections of the page, making it faster and easier to find what you're looking for. Imagine, for example, that we're researching trans fats and cholesterol, and their effects on the body. If we start with a generic query like [trans fats], Google returns several results with lots of information about trans fats in general, including this result from Wikipedia:

Now, included with the snippet are links to specific sections within the page, covering different subtopics of trans fats. Since we're particularly interested in what's healthy and what's not, "Nutritional guidelines" is probably where the most relevant information is. Clicking this link will take you directly to that section, midway down the page.

Now imagine we're particularly interested in learning about good cholesterol and what levels of it are healthy, so we try a more specific query, [good cholesterol level]. The top result is from the American Heart Association and has tons of information about cholesterol levels. The specific information about good (HDL) cholesterol, however, is contained in one section titled "Your HDL (good) cholesterol level"‎. Since the query was more specific, the snippet for this result now provides the option to "jump to" just this section of the website.


Clicking on "Jump to Your HDL (good) cholesterol level‎" takes you directly to the most relevant information on the page:


Clicking on the title of the snippet ("What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean") still takes you to the top of the page, as always.

If you're a webmaster and would like to have these links appear for your webpages, take a look at the Google Webmaster Central Blog for info on some of the things you can do. And in the meantime, we hope these enhancements help you find the information you're looking for faster.

Posted by Chris Kern, Snippets Team
Source: The Official Google Blog | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:29 pm

Public Must Be Involved In Nanotech Policy Debate Demands Groundbreaking

Decision-making on science – especially emerging technologies such as nanotechnology – must become more democratic, a new report on science policy released today argues.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:13 pm

Why Games Cost $60

eldavojohn writes "Crispy Gamer is running a very interesting article on why games cost $60. Many games start out at this retail price — but why? Did the makers of The Beatles Rock Band game just happen upon $59.99, as did the makers of Batman Arkham Asylum? After all, those two titles surely took different amounts of man hours to develop, and result in different averages of entertainment time enjoyed by the consumer. They interview a director at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, who breaks down the pie as $12 to retailer, $5 to discounts/returns/retail marketing, $10 toward manufacturing costs and shipping. That leaves $30 to $35 in the hands of the publishers. Though lengthy, the article looks at three forces of economics on why game publishers continuously end up in lockstep for pricing: sensible greed, consumer stupidity or evil conspiracy. When asked about the next step up to $70 or $80, Hal Halpin (president and founder of the Entertainment Consumers Association) says, 'I'm not sure that we'll see a standard $70 price point at all. To my mind, emerging technologies, subscriptions and episodic and downloadable content should all enable price drops — increasing accessibility to a much wider audience.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:12 pm

Four-Winged Fossil Bridges Bird-Dinosaur Gap

A fossil with four wings and evidence of a slew of feathers pushes the date of the earliest known feathered dinosaur by millions of years.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:10 pm

Scientology YouTube Channel 'Meet a Scientologist' Videos Reach 100

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Church of Scientology YouTube Channel has broadened its "Meet a Scientologist" mini-documentaries online, with 40 new videos bringing the total number to 100.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:04 pm

Honda shows off innovative transportation device - DailyTech

Straits Times

Honda shows off innovative transportation device DailyTech Honda recently showed off a new personal mobility technology that closely mimics a robotic unicycle designed to help disabled people move around. The new device, the U3-X, has a seat height a bit higher than an average person's waistline, ... Honda's U3-X unicycle really for robotsCNET News Honda's new wheelReuters Blogs (blog) Walk This Way: Honda Shows Off U3-X "Personal Mobility" DeviceEdmunds.com/Inside Line The Associated Press -DVICE -Slippery Brick all 325 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:02 pm

Has Twitter Peaked? [Voices]

By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s

Is Twitter running out of gas? The company, which just today acknowledged that is completed a new round of financing which reportedly consists of $100 million raised at a $1 billion valuation, appears to be seeing a significant deceleration in traffic, according to market research firm Hitwise. In a blog post, Hitwise general manager for global research Bill Tancer shows that traffic to Twitter.com as a percentage of overall U.S. Web visits apparently peaked in April.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:01 pm

How should RIM react to increased competition from Apple, Palm?

If only those were storm clouds, we’d have quite the metaphor going!

Poor RIM. One or two analysts lower your stock rating from “buy” to “neutral” (or the equivalent), and then your stock drops some 16 percent. You know who to blame, too: it’s those busybodies at Apple and Palm, what with their iPhones and Palm Pres eating into your bottom line. (Never mind that your own “iPhone killer” was sorta meh.) What is RIM to do?

That’s the basic scenario that’s been playing out over the past few days. A couple of those big research firms downgraded RIM stock, and now its stock price isn’t doing too well. Not that a corporation’s stock price will affect our day, of course, but it’s indicative of one things: RIM isn’t doing as well as it’d like to be doing.

So what’s causing the run on the stock? Yes, it’s partially competition from Apple, which, with each successive iPhone OS update, is becoming more and more “business friendly.” The same can be said about the Palm Pre, but perhaps to a lesser extent.

The fact is, the BlackBerry isn’t the only device on the market anymore that gives you mobile access to your e-mail. And if you have a new sales staff of recent grads begging IT to let them use their iPhone on the corporate network, well, there you go.

So where does RIM go from here? Should it keep plugging along with its attempts to make a touchscreen phone, or should it say, “Nuts to this rat race. We’re the king of the QWERTY device, and that’s our market, gosh darn it?” Presumably RIM executives would be using harsher language than that!

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:01 pm

High schools and colleges testing the use of Kindle and iPhones in classrooms

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

It looks as though it is possible that schools will soon start phasing out traditional textbooks and instead rely on tech products like Kindle and iPhone to provide course materials.  A pilot project in Oklahoma City at the Francis Tuttle Technology Center is giving e-readers and smartphones to students as a way to determine the technical benefits as well as the cost that would be passed on to the student body.

For practical purposes, students in fields like nursing may not easily be able to carry and reference large textbooks when performing clinical studies.  It is much easier to have them simply take out an iPod Touch or a Kindle.  The school is considering the possibility of having a Kindle available at the college bookstore already pre-loaded with the textbooks required by the student.  Electronic textbooks can prove to be a huge savings to students with the school’s Chief Technology Officer Russ Hester stating that on average, electronic versions cost 50% less.  The main drawback, according to Hester is that more publishers would need to use the Kindle format.

Amazon has already started running trials of the Kindle DX at several colleges, including Princeton University and hopes the device will be integrated into curricula.

Read: [Computer World]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 1:00 pm

Leading Analyst Firm Positions Verizon in Leaders Quadrant for U.S. Telecommunications Service Providers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has been positioned by Gartner Inc. in the Leaders Quadrant of the analyst firm's newly released report, "Magic Quadrant for U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:55 pm

ITT Educational Services To Release Third Quarter Results

CARMEL, Ind., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ITT Educational Services, Inc. (NYSE: ESI), a leading provider of postsecondary degree programs, today announced that it intends to release third quarter 2009 earnings before the market opens on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:46 pm

New Species In Mekong Threatened By Climate Change

Researchers reported the discovery of 163 new species in the Greater Mekong region last year, and now they are at risk of becoming extinct due to climate change, according to conservation group WWF.World Wildlife Fund reported Friday that scientists found 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and one bird species in the Mekong River region of Asia last year.The new creatures include a leopard gecko with an “other world” appearance, a bird that prefers to walk rather than fly, and a bird eating fanged frog."After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered," said Stuart Chapman, director of the WWF Greater Mekong Program.But the report warns that these new species are threatened by the impacts of climate change, citing climate models that suggest continued warming increased variability and more frequent and damaging extreme climate events.The most recent International Panel on Climate Change data shows that rising seas and saltwater intrusion will result in major coastal impacts especially in the Mekong River delta.“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions,” said Chapman.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:45 pm

Postponement for the Google books settlement - Los Angeles Times

BBC News

Postponement for the Google books settlement Los Angeles Times Today a New York judge postponed a scheduled hearing in the Google books settlement because of pending changes to the agreement. Our tech blog reports: In response to concerns raised by federal antitrust regulators, the Authors Guild and the Assn. of ... Judge Delays Google Book Search Hearing to Allow for RevisionseWeek Judge delays hearing on Google books dealReuters US judge postpones Googlebooks hearingRegister Wall Street Journal -Wired News -San Francisco Chronicle all 494 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:35 pm

AT&T Starts Enabling MMS on U.S. iPhones

As we reported yesterday, AT&T is finally turning on multimedia messaging service (MMS) for iPhones.

In enabling the service, which iPhones in other countries have supported since June, AT&T is finally making good on its promise to enable MMS by “late summer.” Well, not quite — since technically summer ended on September 22 — but considering that MMS is a 5-year old technology, what’s a few extra days here and there?

If you haven’t received a text message like the one shown here, you can still turn on MMS. Here’s how:

Connect your iPhone to your computer. Select the iPhone in the left pane. Click the “Check for Update” button. A dialog should pop up, telling you that a new carrier file is available. Download and install it, click OK when you’re done, then reboot your iPhone.

Thanks to Gadget Lab writer Brian X. Chen, who supplied the information in this post despite being on vacation.

Screenshot: iPhone MMS alert, courtesy of Michael Calore

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:33 pm

Finally! AT&T Enables iPhone MMS

Months after the feature was first enabled on the iPhone, AT&T began offering MMS service to its iPhone customers Friday.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:33 pm

Finally! AT&T Enables iPhone MMS

Months after the feature was first enabled on the iPhone, AT&T began offering MMS service to its iPhone customers Friday.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:33 pm

Antenna key to Monarchs finding Mexico

Monarch butterflies locate their winter home in Mexico through a key mechanism in their antennae, scientists in Massachusetts said. Scientists have long known that butterfly antennae can detect odors, wind direction and vibration, said Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:32 pm

Jackson Pollock's name hidden in his painting Mural?

A new article in Smithsonian posits that Jackson Pollock hid his full name in the abstractions of his famed piece Mural. The article's author, art historian Henry Adams, says that his wife, also an art scholar, was the first to notice the letters. From Smithsonian:

I was researching a book about Pollock's lifelong relationship with his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton, the famed regionalist and muralist, when I sat puzzling over a reproduction of Mural after breakfast one morning with Marianne, herself an art historian. She suddenly said she could make out the letters S-O-N in blackish paint in the upper right area of the mural. Then she realized JACKSON ran across the entire top. And finally she saw POLLOCK below that.

The characters are unorthodox, even ambiguous, and largely hidden. But, she pointed out, it could hardly be random coincidence to find just those letters in that sequence...

Pollock's possibly writing his name in Mural testifies to an overlooked feature of his works: they have a structure, contrary to the popular notion that they could be done by any 5-year-old with a knack for splatters. In my view, Pollock organized the painting around his name according to a compositional system—vertical markings that serve as the loci of rhythmic spirals—borrowed directly from his mentor, Benton.

"Decoding Jackson Pollock"




Source: Boing Boing | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:25 pm

Headphones inspired by Thriller

These awesomely Thriller-esque headphones made their debut at the Nokia design competition this year. Rumor has it you can get your own pair at the Nokia store in London.

Update: Gizmodo tells us they have a pair on display at Giz Gallery in NYC right now.

[via Shiny Shiny]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:20 pm

IBM Opens Linux Innovation Center in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:15 pm

New Microphone Uses Smoke — and Lasers!

Most microphones translate sound waves into electrical signals using vibrating membranes and magnets, capacitors, or other electrical components. But for decades, audio engineers have dreamed of using lasers to detect sound waves instead.

Now, audio engineer David Schwartz has succeeded. His prototype uses a laser, smoke-filled air, and a super-sensitive photocell to pick up the sonic vibrations in the air and translate them into audio signals.

The resulting recording is, well, not even as good as 100-year-old wax cylinder recordings, but Schwartz says he’s not concerned because it’s just the “talking dog” phase of the project.

“We don’t care if the dog is delivering a Shakespeare sonnet — it’s just the fact that the dog’s talking,” Schwartz told Wired.com’s Eliot Van Buskirk.

Check out Wired’s exclusive video with Schwartz, above — and to learn more, read the rest of our report on Wired’s business blog, Epicenter.

Smoke and Lasers Could Disrupt Microphone Market (Exclusive Videos) [Wired.com Epicenter]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:14 pm

Don’t show your parents: HTC Tattoo spotted on video

HTC’s first foray into a cheap budget-friendly Android smartphone comes in the form of the previously revealed Tattoo (what are you trying to say, HTC, all us poor folks have tattoos?). And just like a real tattoo, HTC wants your Tat to be personal and unique, so the phone comes with removable/swappable front and back covers to provide for that extra level of personalization (or chintzy-ness, depending on your taste). If it were up to us, the device would also come with a set of cute macho geeky Android-themed temporary tatts (picture the Android robot skateboarding, biting a rose, or flexing its guns, for example). You know. For the kids. Not us. Really.

In any case, the::unwired has posted a hands-on video that we wanted to share with all of you, our favorite fandroids. As mentioned when the Tattoo was unveiled earlier this month, the budget-Droid features: Android v1.6 (Donut), HTC’s lovely Sense UI, an economical (compared to a capacitive) 2.8″ resistive touch screen, aGPS receiver, FM radio, digital compass, 3.2MP fixed-focus camera (i.e. no auto focus), 3.5mm headphone jack (!), and a 5-way D-pad for non-gesture navigation. The HTC Tattoo is expected to be inked drop in Europe sometime next month, with the “rest” of the world markets to follow in the coming months.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:01 pm

Climate Change Threatens Mekong Species

More than 160 new species from the Mekong region are at risk of extinction.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 12:00 pm

Palau To Establish Shark Sanctuary

The Pacific Republic of Palau is banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters in an effort to create the world's first "shark sanctuary", BBC News reported.President Johnson Toribiong announced the sanctuary during Friday's session of the UN General Assembly.Many conservationists are calling it a "game-changing" move, as half of the world's oceanic sharks at risk of extinction.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 11:55 am

Discovery Fuels Evolutionary Debate Between Birds And Dinosaurs

Fossil experts say the stunning remains of a "four-winged" dinosaur have confirmed that birds owe their ancestry to two-footed dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago, AFP reported.The well-preserved fossil of a bird-like dinosaur called Anchiornis huxleyi may be the deciding factor, according to Xing Xu of the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing.Based on incomplete fossils, A.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 11:27 am

New iMacs May Include "Bag of Hurt" Option [Digital Daily]

Asked in October 2008 why Apple wasn’t yet offering Blu-ray DVD drives as an option on machines, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the licensing issues were too complex to make doing so worthwhile. “Blu-ray is a bag of hurt,” he quipped.

Well, no longer. Because Apple (AAPL) is planning to refresh its iMac desktop computer in the next few weeks, and when it does, it may well offer a Blue-ray drive option.

Sources tell AppleInsider that the new all-in-one, dual-core desktops, which are also said to feature a new, slimmer enclosure, were finalized earlier this month and are already rolling off the assembly lines of Apple’s manufacturing partners.

“The late 2009 iMac line should also debut several features previously unavailable to Mac buyers,” the publication notes. “People familiar with Apple’s thinking have suggested in recent months one of these moves could see the company finally embrace Blu-ray.”

One last point worth noting here: According to the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide, the iMac is due for a refresh. Apple has updated it every 220 days on average since it debuted the machine in 2003. As of today, it has been 204 days since the last update. MacRumors’s recommendation: “Buy only if you need it–Approaching the end of a cycle.”

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 11:19 am

The AT&T iPhone MMS update is now live

Welcome to the future, everyone! As we mentioned earlier this morning, AT&T is rolling out MMS for the iPhone today. If you’re one of those folks who couldn’t be bothered to sit in iTunes and click the “Update” button for hours on end, go check now. We just got hit by an onslaught of reports saying that it had gone live and, sure enough, we just got our update.

To get the update, plug into iTunes, go to your iPhones device screen, and hit the update button. The carrier file will take 5-10 seconds to download. Power cycle your handset, and bam – you’re ready to roll.

Update: CrunchGear Alum Peter Ha thought we ought to add a screenshot to this post. Not sure why anyone would want a picture of us sending a picture, but here you go, Peter! Have a picture of us sending a picture of you to you.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 11:13 am

Who’s on Crack in Tech: 09.25.09

Section: Business News, Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks, Software / Applications, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack

The world of tech is filled of business decisions that could only be fueled by some kind of drug-induced lunacy.  This is the column that calls out the companies that might need to hit rehab.  Today, we’re looking at you, Palm, Microsoft, Verizon, and Intel.

Celebrities to move Pixis?

A lot of us in the tech community have a soft spot for Palm.  Their PDAs were an excellent execution of simplicity in technology.  Somewhere they got lost in the shuffle as smartphones came in to eat Palm’s lunch when Palm clearly had their lunch labeled with a black marker on a brown bag at the fridge of the company kitchen.  Then in a sink or swim situation back in January 2009, Palm introduced the Palm Pre with its webOS.  Many people were thrilled that Palm was on its way back.

Recently, the second webOS phone was announced, the Palm Pixi.  To promote their product, they ran a series of teaser trailers and got the phone in the hands of reviewers and the public right away.  No, wait, that did not happen.  Palm did get a bunch of celebrities to hold the Pixi.  Then Palm took pictures of the event so people will know that Palm products are da bomb, dog.  Is this going to move products?  How about landing deals with as many carriers as you can instead of wasting time that you do not have on photo ops?

Microsoft Secrecy

Pictures of the Microsoft booklet computer, the Courier, and the rumored Pink phone were floating around the web this week.  Why?  Because Microsoft is apparently the anti-Apple when it comes to security this week.  Maybe their people in charge of secrecy were sniffing glue in the corner when someone came in to swipe a PowerPoint presentation. 

Also, the Pink and the Courier crushed the spirits of the Associate Editor of Gadgetell, JG Mason, to the point where he was unable to write this column.  He is sitting in the corner mumbling about styli on the Courier and the overall cheap look of the supposed Pink phones.  Why would you need a stylus to use a computer these days?  Aren’t we living in the future with flying cars, wireless power, and monkey butlers? 

Verizon: We hate you, Palm Pre.

Way back in July 2009, Verizon was touting that they would have the Pre.  Now, it looks like it just won’t happen.

Verizon, that company with an awesome network without a superphone, thinks the Pre is not good enough for them. Why would Vz say no to the Pre?  The Pre just doesn’t sell enough.  Crazy idea, Verizon.  Maybe people do not want to buy the Pre right now because they were waiting for it to come out on another carrier.  You see, perhaps a Verizon Palm Pre would be the answer to those sales woes. 

We know that the head of Verizon is reading this - maybe you want to rethink denying the Pre. 

Intel’s Moblin

You can tell netbooks are here to stay when operating systems are tailored to them.  Microsoft Windows 7 is built to work on these underpowered machines.  Then there is Intel’s Moblin.  The initial version of this mobile Linux operating system was the exact opposite of a smash hit.  Over at the Intel Developer Forum, Intel brought out its new version of Moblin - and get this - Dell will have a netbook running Moblin soon.  Why is Intel in the software biz?  Perhaps they are just trying to tick off Microsoft to the point where Microsoft builds its own hardware using Tegra processors and ditches Intel altogether.  Wait a second.  Didn’t that happen with the Zune HD?  Would Microsoft even contemplate building machines without packing an Intel processor?  Wait, they did that with the Xbox 360. 

For those of you who think Gadgetell is on crack for doing this column without JG, he’ll be back next week. 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 11:00 am

Baby Name Finder finishes off the list; there really is an app for everything now

Do you often find yourself thinking, “Oh, crap. We forgot to name this baby. We need a name, stat!”? I know I sure do. While most people tend to spend months toiling over their child’s name, digging through their family history and fretting over each potentially offensive rhyming variation, you’re a modern parent. This is 2009, after all – we have the power of the Internets right in our pocket. We’ve got better things to do than spend time coming up with the name our child will live with for the rest of their life.

Fear not, present-day procreators – BabyNames.com is now an iPhone app. It pulls from BabyName’s list of over 15,000 names, and lets you save your favorites. It’s not really so much for on-the-spot baby naming as it is for helping the uncreative in conjuring up a list of possibilities, but we like to pretend. With that said, it does have a random name picker – so if you feel like namin’ your offspring UrbanSpoon style, go right ahead.

[Via IntoMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:59 am

Less costly memory foam developed

A new shape-shifting memory foam could have widespread use in car engines, inkjet printers and surgical-positioning tools, U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:35 am

Happy MMS on the iPhone day, AT&T customers!

It’s time to go back, folks. Waaay back. Back to a simpler time; back when the government was busy with Enron and leaving No Child Behind. Back when the best Nintendo handheld the world knew had one screen and looked vaguely like a clam, and smart phones cost upwards of $600 – on contract.

We’re talking, of course, about 2002. Why are we having this little time travel adventure, you ask? Because 2002 also happens to be the same year MMS, otherwise known as “Multimedia Messaging Service” or “How people send inappropriate pictures to each other when they’re drunk”, made its big debut. Today, just 819 days and 3 models after launch, this oh-so-futuristic feature has found its way to iPhones on AT&T’s network. We loves us some iPhone around these parts – but anybody who thinks its acceptable that it took AT&T this long to get a feature found on every dumbphone since 2003 onto their flagship handset is taking too many sips of the fanboy juice.

It’s not live quite yet – but expect it sometime around lunch time, wherever you are. Remember, you’ll most likely have to plug into iTunes for a carrier update.

Update: The update just went live.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:32 am

WATCH: Digging for Dinos

Few things are as addictive as cutting through dirt hoping to unearth a fossil.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:15 am

Treasure Trove Found in Farmer's Field

Gold artifacts from the Dark Ages were discovered by an amateur treasure-hunter.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:15 am

Another Ad You Can't Ignore: The New York Times Serves Up Old News [MediaMemo]

The Internet advertising industry is doing its best to grab the attention of Web surfers, who have been trained over the years to tune out the come-ons. Here’s the latest, from the New York Times (NYT): An ad for Canon (CAJ) that swaps out the entire front page of the paper’s business section, replaces it with a black-and-white version of the business section, circa June 2009, and then replaces that version with a color version of the same page. Eventually, the ad disappears and you get returned to the old version.

You’ll get the best sense of the ad if you head to the Times yourself, because it will auto-load, but if for some reason that doesn’t work, here’s a screen grab I took this morning:

I’m all for the industry trying new stuff, since my paycheck is at least partly dependent on ad dollars. And I think that outlets like the Times are more likely to succeed with extraordinary one-off presentations like the one that Apple (AAPL) ran on the cover of the Times and The Wall Street Journal a while back. And I’m also okay with publishers who allow advertisers to step between me and the stuff I want to see–within reason.

But the execution here seems off: When my screen turns from color to black and white, my first reaction isn’t “Cool, I wonder who sponsored the monochrome?” but “WTF? Is my MacBook busted?” My next reaction: “What happened to the headlines I was just reading?” And the next: “Maybe I should be reading a different site.”

That can’t be what Canon and the Times were hoping for, right?

Another problem: I’m not in the market for a printer (or is it a copier?) and I don’t know that I ever will be. I know that ad buyers don’t really care about that and that they’re generally trying to reach a very wide swath of people who fall into my general demographic profile.

But if you’re going to make it hard for me to get to the content I want, don’t you want to make sure you’re doing it for a good reason?

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:08 am

Zabihah.com and Halal Dining

Bassam Tariq is a Boing Boing guestblogger who is the co-author of 30 Mosques. A blog that celebrated the New York City mosques during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He lives in Harlem, New York.


If you live in New York City or any other major city, you may have seen a store sign scream "Halal Meat" or "Halal Certified." These signs are nothing but comfort for many Muslims who want meat that's prepared in accordance to the Islamic guidelines. The whole halal-making process is very similar to the kosher-making one. In fact, many Muslims, including myself, limit their meat consumption to only kosher and halal meat since they both fall under a similar rigorous certification.

So when I get tired of tuna sandwiches and want to get my halal grub on, where do I go? Zabihah.com - it's really the authoritative guide to halal dining. It's a wiki-site created by the brilliant Shahed Amanullah back in 1999. Shahed meticulously typed in 200 restaurants himself, and now the site bolsters around 6,000 halal restaurants worldwide. Anyone can add their own restaurant and leave a review or two.

Anyone like to recommend their favorite halal eatery? Please do share!

Visit the site: www.zabihah.com




Source: Boing Boing | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:06 am

RIMM Clobbered for Weak Guidance [Voices]

By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s, Tech Trader Daily

Research In Motion (RIMM) shares are getting clobbered this morning after the company yesterday issued weaker-than-expected revenue guidance for the fiscal third quarter ending in November.

While Q2 results were mixed–revenue was a tad light, as net subscriber adds came in toward the low end of guidance, while EPS was a bit ahead of estimates–the Q3 outlook disappointed investors. The company said it sees revenue for Q3 of $3.6 billion to $3.85 billion, below the Street consensus forecast of $3.92 billion. RIMM also said it sees gross margin in the quarter of 43%, down about one point sequentially. And with average selling prices sinking, and many new handsets coming from other manufacturers, there are worries that gross margins will see more pressure in coming months.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 10:00 am

UN Releases Less Optimistic View Of Projected Global Warming

The Earth's temperature is projected to increase 6 degrees by the end of the century even if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, says a United Nations press release. Scientists reviewed emission proposals from 192 countries and calculated future global warming.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 9:44 am

How To: Get your three free games via PSPgo Rewards

FROM GAMERTELL - SCEE is starting a new promotion for the next 6 months called PSPgo Rewards. It offers three free games to owners of both a PSPgo and a PSP…
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 9:33 am

Shutup, Internet: The Palm Pre will be available on Verizon Wireless

How many hours ago did it “break” that the Palm Pre wasn’t going to be available on Verizon Wireless? Yeah, well, now word on the street is that, forget everything you read last night, because there’s no way in hell the Palm Pre won’t be available for Verizon Wireless. Or, to remove the double-negative: yes, the Palm Pre will, indeed, be available on Verizon Wireless, most likely this winter. Calm yourselves.

Who’s calling foul on last night’s report? Mainly Deutsche Bank and Morgan Keegan & Co. DB says:

We believe the press reports late Thursday afternoon that Verizon would not launch the Palm Pre are incorrect. Our checks continue to point to healthy carrier demand for the Pre early in calendar 2010. We believe Palm has placed orders with the supply chain for another version of the Pre with features highly consistent with a Verizon launch.

Meanhwhile, Morgan Keegan & Co says:

Feb. holds the potential to be a strong Pre quarter as shipments to Sprint likely stabilize and distribution expands to Verizon Wireless (our assumption).

So there you have it. Two big firms insist the Palm Pre is coming to VZW. Hope this helps.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 25 Sep 2009 | 9:29 am

Industry group backs Apple, they are allowed to block the Pre from syncing with iTunes

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

The latest in the cat and mouse game with Palm, the Pre, and iTunes now has Apple in the lead.  If you remember back, the last we heard was that iTunes 9 broke the Pre’s ability to sync with iTunes over a USB connection, at which Palm quickly followed up by filing a complaint.  Of course, that complaint stated that Apple was misusing its USB vendor code and in turn was not treating Palm nicely.

Ultimately though, it seems that Apple is not doing anything wrong, that is at least what the industry group has determined.  It looks like it is back to the drawing board for Palm and this time they may have their work cut out for them.  In addition to siding with Apple, the group also let Palm know that they were not allowed to update the software on the Pre to include Apple’s USB vendor code.

Given that, a spokesman for Palm stated that they are still reviewing the letter and will respond if they deem it appropriate.  As far as Apple is concerned, as you may have expected, they have not released any comment or statement.

The sad part here is that this little spat between Apple and Palm is ultimately going to hurt the customers.  Granted the Pre can handle quite a bit over-the-air, however Palm touted the ability to sync with iTunes.  It looks like it may be time to throw in the iTunes towel and begin some work on alternative methods.

Via [PreThinking]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 8:49 am

Cold, Scared Dinosaurs Dug Burrows

Small Australian dinosaurs escaped bitter cold and predators by digging shelters.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 8:45 am

Official: TomTom iPhone Car-Kit Will Cost $120, Hardware Only

After several smoke-signals went up across the internet, and false claims that the hardware price would include the software, TomTom’s iPhone GPS unit has finally got an official price: $120, or €100, plus another $100 for the software:

TomTom announces today that the TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of EUR 99.99 or USD 119.95.

The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS.

And that’s it. We still don’t know when the GPS-boosting box will actually show up in stores, but at least we can budget for it now. And we think that this will be the future for GPS devices, especially as more and more phones are shipping with GPS built-in. After all, who takes two boxes into the car when you can get away with just one?

Press release [TomTom]

See Also:

• TomTom for iPhone Boosts GPS, Adds Turn-By-Turn Directions …
• Pricey GPS App TomTom Arrives for iPhone
• TomTom GPS Car Kit for iPhone Could Cost $200

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 8:09 am

Comprehensive Analysis Sheds Light On The Origin Of Cetaceans

Image 1: The Eocene "walking whale"(Ambulocetus natans) is a close relative to the Cetacean. Credit: Carl BuellImage 2: The Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Leucopleurus [Lagenorhynchus] acutus) is a close relative to the Cetacean. Credit: Carl BuellImage 3: The pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a close relative to the Cetacean. Credit: Carl Buell
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 8:02 am

Analyst: Reports that Verizon Snubbed Palm "Off Base" [Digital Daily]

Analysts who follow Palm (PALM) are already rolling their eyes over TheStreet.com’s claim that Verizon (VZ) has balked at adding the company’s new Pre handset to its lineup. In a research note this morning, Deutsche Bank’s Jonathan Goldberg dismissed it as “off base.”

“We believe the press reports late Thursday afternoon that Verizon would not launch the Palm Pre are incorrect,” Goldberg wrote. “Our checks continue to point to healthy carrier demand for the Pre early in calendar 2010. We believe Palm has placed orders with the supply chain for another version of the Pre with features highly consistent with a Verizon launch.”

Over at Morgan Keegan & Co, Tavis McCourt was equally dubious. “Palm reiterated its FY2010 guidance, which we believe REQUIRES a launch at Verizon (you just can’t get there with just Sprint and AT&T),” he wrote. “Verizon has carried just about every Palm product in its history, and the Pre is clearly the best. We do not have insight as to the marketing support Palm will get from Verizon, but we see little risk in not getting a placement at this carrier. The timing of the rumor post-deal makes it equally as dubious as the timing of the ‘Nokia will buy Palm’ rumor during the roadshow.”

McCourt, it’s worth noting, believes the Pre will come to Verizon Wireless early next year. “Feb. holds the potential to be a strong Pre quarter as shipments to Sprint likely stabilize and distribution expands to Verizon Wireless (our assumption),” he explains. “Palm’s success at Sprint has typically been a good barometer for shipment trends at VZW and, with a postpaid sub base that’s roughly 3x as large as Sprint’s CDMA business, the market opportunity at VZW is much larger. However, Pre trends at Sprint were aided by the device’s near term exclusivity and a large base of existing Palm users upgrading their devices, both factors that VZW lacks.”

UPDATE: Jim Gerace, executive director of media relations at Verizon, tells E-Commerce Times that the company will offer the smartphone in January as planned.

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 7:54 am

You and the Pirates

Jesse Brown, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the host of TVO's Search Engine podcast.

Canadian literature (or CanLit, as some insist) has gradually become a genre of its own- one of books that are bleak, desperate, *meaningful*, and above all, dull.

New DIY publisher The Workhorsery aims to do something about that by releasing You and The Pirates, Jocelyne Allens' superfun debut novel.

The book dares to star you (a snarky prairie-girl expat) in its second-person wackjob tale of terrorists, cats and pirates in modern-day Tokyo. Check it out!

Free chapter (PDF)

Amazon page (link)


Source: Boing Boing | 25 Sep 2009 | 7:41 am

BLOG: Ashton Kutcher Irked by Space Hero?

Ashton Kutcher allegedly takes John Glenn to task over criticism of social networks.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 7:15 am

Desktop comforts on a laptop thanks to Kensington’s new notebook docking stations

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Peripherals, Displays/Projectors, Mice / Keyboards

Maybe you are a person who uses their laptop a lot but would like desktop comforts like a full-sized keyboard, a mouse, and a nice big monitor.  Kensington’s new docking station may be of interest to you.  Here’s how this works: attach you DVI monitor, Ethernet, speakers, headset, and USB devices to the docking station.  Then attach a USB cable from the docking station to your WIndows laptop and you are good to go (Mac users will have to buy a different model that does not do networking). 

In the bad old days, we had to get proprietary docks for our laptops and if you ever switched brands, you were out of luck.  This device can display a resolution of up to 2048 x 1152, so you can easily watch a 1080p movie from one of those new Tegra devices on a big screen.  If you want to plug this into your television, you will need an optional HDMI adapter.  $149.99 gets you the Kensington Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI and Ethernet (model number K33926US).  The Mac compatible Universal Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI (model number K33930US) costs $129.99 - this device also works with Windows machine, but again does not have Ethernet.  Both devices can put out a display of 2048 x 1152.

Product Page: [Docking station with Ethernet]
Product Page: [Docking station without Ethernet]
Read: [Everything USB]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 7:00 am

DARPA Wants Space Cleaning Ideas

The Pentagon is soliciting new ideas for clearing space junk from Earth orbit.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 25 Sep 2009 | 6:45 am

Paper Notebooks Mimic iPhone

If you want a small pocket notebook that looks just like an iPhone, you’d better act quick. Australians Inventive Labs and Jacky Winter have teamed up to make this three-pack of Notepods which not only taunt Apple’s notoriously protective lawyers with the “pod” suffix, they copy the appearance of the iPhone, front and back.

The notebooks are US$18 for a pack of three, and measure 60 x 110 mm, and 100 pages thick. Presumably unintentionally, they also add in a frustrating design decision, much like every Apple product ever. In this case it is the gridded paper inside. Why? This was useful when I was five years old and learning to write and add up, but now? I’m fine with blank paper, thanks.

Product page [Notepod]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 6:36 am

Some More Positive Murmurs for Web Ads [MediaMemo]

More upbeat–but not too ecstatic–chatter about the state of the Internet advertising market this morning from Wall Street: Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuth is raising his estimates for Google (GOOG), citing “improving macro conditions [and] a stronger ad market.”

Anmuth says his research shows an increase in pricing for Google’s search ads over the past few months, particularly in the battered retail and auto sectors. His note comes a couple days after Citigroup’s Mark Mahaney raised his Google estimates, citing a dramatic improvement from mid-August to mid-September.

Other Google bulls: Investors, who have been pushing up the company’s shares since March (they’re now hovering near the $500 mark again), and CEO Eric Schmidt, who declared this week that “it’s clear that the worst is behind us.”

The tempered enthusiasm isn’t limited to Google’s chances, by the way. Mahaney also had good things to say about Yahoo’s (YHOO) chances as the economy recovers. While Yahoo is handing over its search business to Microsoft (MSFT), Carol Bartz and crew still dominate the display ad business, and that should be picking up as well, he said.

It is worth noting that Yahoo executives themselves were more cautious this week when asked to describe market trends: At an Advertising Week press conference, Bartz brought out her “still bumping along the bottom” line, while EVP Hilary Schneider said ad sales had stabilized but that she “wouldn’t go so far as to say as we’re seeing a full recovery.”

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 6:01 am

H-P Set to Outpace, CEO Says [Voices]

By Ben Charny, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) Chief Executive Mark Hurd said his company was poised to grow faster than the overall technology market amid signs spending on several critical H-P products was beginning to pick up.

“We feel in the end, we’re pretty well positioned to go out in the marketplace and win,” Mr. Hurd said during a presentation at the Palo Alto, Calif., company’s financial analyst day. “H-P’s best days are ahead of it, not behind it.”

Mr. Hurd added that H-P’s performance would be driven in large part by the overall tech market, which is starting to show some signs of life, and that the company would grow more quickly than the market “if in fact that growth presents itself.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 25 Sep 2009 | 6:00 am

Knog Demonstrates Keyless Electronic Bike Lock

Knog, the Aussie bike accessory maker, has been showing off a new keyless, electronic bicycle lock at Interbike 2009 in Las Vegas.

The lock is a U (or D) type, fashioned from hardened steel with a fetching orange rubber internal trim which is alone an excellent feature, obviating top-tube pads immediately. The folks at bike blog Urban Velo, who took these pictures and played with the lock, say that there are no batteries either inside the lock or the unlocking fob, and that solid-state electronics are somehow employed.

It’s an interesting idea, and we’re all for adding security, but while trying out, say, beta software is unlikely to cause trouble, testing out unproven bike lock tech is way more scary. We’ll be watching this one closely.

Knog Solid State U-Lock [Urban Velo]

See Also:

• Hands-On with the Knog Frog Bike Light
• Knog Nerd

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:56 am

Tapstick Case Adds Buttons to Buttonless iPod Shuffle

We love Apple’s minimalist ethic, and usually it means not just cleaner lines, but an easier-to-use gadget, like the iPhone. But sometimes Apple just goes too far. Exhibit A. The third-gen iPod Shuffle. Its buttonless design means that you have to either use Apple’s own earbuds or search out a pair of ultra-rare third-party headphones. Even then, you’ll need to learn the Shuffle’s proprietary version of Morse Code to tap out coded instructions, again all with a single button.

Which brings us to a product from Scosche, the splashproof Tapstick. It is a case for the Shuffle which adds buttons. This should be ridiculous, and in another universe we would rightly poke fun, but the fact is that Apple’s insane simplification makes this a genuinely useful stick of plastic. The buttons mimic those on the Shuffle’s ‘buds, so you’ll still have to learn the tappity-tap instructions, but one you have the case you can buy any headphones you like.

Better, the diminutive size of the Shuffle means that even when encased in polycarbonate, it is still tiny. It’ll cost you $30, or the same as a pair of replacement Apple earbuds.

Product page [Scosche. Thanks, Mark!]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:31 am

Monarchs Use Antennas To Point The Way South

After years of theorizing about how Monarch butterflies find their way to Mexico for the winter, scientists have finally discovered that their antennas help them navigate the journey.Researchers confirmed the finding when they painted their antennas black and observed them losing their way.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:25 am

Uganda To Launch Virtual Gorilla Tourism Project

Uganda is set to launch a project that would allow gorilla enthusiasts to pay online visits to the nation’s endangered apes, and to become virtual friends with them via the Internet, according to Ugandan officials.The "Friend a Gorilla" project will involve a system of cameras placed in a forest in the southwest part of the country that will allow people to watch the gorillas feed, run through the undergrowth and even give birth, said Moses Mapesa Wafula of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) during an interview with the AFP news agency.The initiative will be formally launched on Saturday in Kampala, and will cost visitors just one dollar a year for access.The generated funds will help with mountain gorilla conservation."Because we cannot physically satisfy global demand to track gorillas we have decided to use technology and bring these gorillas into the sitting rooms of people around the globe, by positioning cameras in the wild," Wafula said.Uganda currently has seven groups of gorillas habituated to visitors, with an eighth, the Nshongi group of 34 individual apes, to be introduced on Thursday.   These habituated animals are less than one-quarter of Uganda's total gorilla population."We're being conservative because the most important thing with the gorillas is their own safety.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:20 am

Palm Pre bits: Verizon does not want the Pre and Amazon is selling it for $100

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile

The Palm Pre is certainly getting its share of attention lately, just yesterday we saw the official announcement of the GSM version and now rumor has it the Verizon has decided against offering it to their customers.  That, and Amazon has lowered the price making it just a little more affordable for those looking to make the move to Sprint.

To begin with, the news looks bleak for any Verizon Wireless customer that was holding out hope of seeing a new smartphone because if we can believe this latest rumor then we can assume that the Palm Pre will never be available.  According to the report coming from TheStreet:

“The Pre, Palm’s premier touch-screen smartphone, which has been an exclusive offering this year at Sprint, had been scheduled to arrive at Verizon in January. But people close to the discussions say Verizon has decided not to support the Pre.”

According to the report, Verizon has decided to take a pass due to the lack of overall sales on the Palm Pre.  Additionally, it was suggested that the VCast service that Verizon wants will end up being in conflict with the App Market.  As you would expect, a Verizon rep declined to comment.  Bottom line, it does not look good for any Verizon customer that was hoping to get a decent smartphone.

Moving on though we have a little bit of good news in regards to the Palm Pre price.  It seems Amazon has decided it would sell better at a lower price and have begun to offer it for $99.99.  Of course, that price does require you to sign a two-year agreement, but that would be the same if you purchased directly from Sprint.

More and more it seems that Amazon is becoming a good alternative for picking up phones and similar gadgets.  Personally, I recently picked up a Sprint MiFi for just $0.01 and did not have to deal with any rebates, which is nice because had I went directly to Sprint I would have been expected to pay $150.00 and then wait for a $50 mail-in-rebate.

Read [TheStreet.com] and [Amazon] Via [everything pre]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 25 Sep 2009 | 5:17 am

CameraBag Hops From iPhone to Mac, Slips Up Terribly

CameraBag, one of the most successful photo-processing applications on the iTunes Store, has made the transition to the Mac, and manages to get almost everything wrong.

CameraBag on the iPhone takes pictures from your Camera Roll and processes them to look like pictures taken with old film cameras. The names of the filters give away the models they mimic: Helga, Lolo, Instant and so on. On the iPhone this is fantastic, as the quick-and-dirty snaps you take there are wonderfully suited to this treatment. It also costs just $2, and has a handsome, simple, iPhone-esque interface.

Over on the Mac the problems start after downloading. There is no trial period at all. Launch CameraBag and you are prompted to enter name and serial number, with the application interface peeking tantalizingly from behind this dialog box. If you choose not to, the app quits. We know that, on the iPhone, there is no try-before-you-buy, but this is the Mac, sonny-boy, and we do things different over here.

Next is the interface, neither as elegant as the iPhone version, nor anything like what a Mac user would expect. It looks more like a Java app written for a PC. Thankfully, the results are fine, but we wonder why you would buy this when it costs $20. That’s a lot of money for something that works better on your phone, and for one tenth the price.

Product page [Nevercenter]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 25 Sep 2009 | 4:18 am