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

Source: Gizmodo | 29 Sep 2009 | 7:00 pm

MySpace Co-Founder And CTO Aber Whitcomb Leaves, To Be Replaced By Alex Maghen

MySpace has just announced that CTO and co-founder Aber Whitcomb will be leaving the company, to be replaced by MySpace Music’s current CTO Alex Maghen. The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise — we speculated that Whitcomb would be leaving as part of the core executive shakeup that swept through MySpace last April (if anything it’s surprising that Whitcomb stayed on this long). At this point the last remaining member of MySpace’s old guard is Tom Anderson, who remains onboard in a limited capacity.

Maghen will take on the core responsibilities for running MySpace’s platform and will report to COO Mike Jones. Before joining MySpace, Maghen has previously served as CTO of MTV Networks and CTO of Yahoo Entertainment.

Other recent MySpace hires include former AOL and Tsavo exec Mike Macadaan as VP Product and former Facebook Director Katie Geminder as SVP of User Experience and Design. But it’s still seeing a trickle of current executives leaving — earlier this month SVP of Business Development Jason Oberfest left to join social and mobile gaming company ngmoco.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:36 pm

MS and Apple square off on tablets: both sounding like things you won’t buy

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Netbooks, Wireless

New rumored details emerged today about tablets from two competitors: Apple and Microsoft.  iLounge says they have 10 new pieces of info on Apple’s tablet while Gizmodo seems to have received yet another exclusive video detailing what Microsoft is thinking.  The two are at opposite ends of the tablet spectrum but overall, I am sensing they both miss the mark.

Apple iPad (like they’ll actually pull one out)

iLounge says Apple has been playing around with three different tablets that run iPhone OS.  That makes good sense as Apple would be foolish not to leverage the 85,000 and growing far too fast, applications currently residing in the Apple App Store.  Word is the tablet isn’t meant to compete with netbooks, rather it is more a big iPod touch with and without a 3G radio; think “light communication device”.

Windows Courier (it doesn’t run Vista, yay!)

Meanwhile, over at Gizmodo, the new video shows off how much Microsoft loves Nike.  Or at least how much the Courier team wants to design shoes.  The Courier uses a combination of inputs to move data around: finger swiping and the infamous stylus for text entry.  The double screen is right at home as a journal-like companion.  The thing looks gorgeous.

And I’m done with tablets

Here’s the rub, neither machine solves a problem.  The Apple is an extension of the iPod, the MS is trying to create another device to lug around.  Neither says, “hey you, stop carrying that [insert favorite device name here], use this instead.”  Neither makes me smack my head and say, “Hot damn, I need that.”

Yes, all the sneaker designers want the Courier and the geek in me would love to play with these gadgets, but at the end of the day, if neither product solves a problem, they’ll spend their lives behind glass.  Neither makes a compelling argument to get me to buy them.

The bigger problem is between my smartphone and PC, I don’t need a third screen.  Or at least, these incarnations don’t make it clear why I need that third screen.  Yes, it is totally unfair to judge these before even their manufacturers will confirm them, but really: why?  For surfing I don’t feel like doing on my phone, the PC is usually there.  A mid-range screen seems a bit gluttonous now, doesn’t it?

Think tablets are the next pet rocks?  Let us know if you’ll be sleeping in the street to get a hold of these, if, you know, they actually make it to market.

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:31 pm

Study finds weed killer hurts fish, frogs

Two University of South Florida biologists say the popular weed killer atrazine interferes with the growth of fish and amphibians. Jason Rohr and Krista McCoy, in an article published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reported on their examination of more than 100 studies of the environmental effects of atrazine, The St.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:16 pm

NASA announces a contest to choose the next contest

Apparently you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to help NASA. The space agency just posted a request for suggestions for future prize contests on their website, and anyone may submit an idea.

Of course you won’t be credited for your suggestions, but wouldn’t it be cool to know that you were the one who came up with the idea for a prize for capturing alien technology? Previous prizes have included the Astronaut Glove, the Lunar Lander, and the Power Beaming contest, all of which had substantial cash prizes.

So go tell NASA your crazy idea, and who knows.. it’s might be your contest they run with.

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Tiny, Easy-to-Build Weapons Annihilate Office Boredom

The lunchtime fridge-raider. The stapler crook. The golden parachuter. Cubicle farms are full of enemy combatants begging to be taken out. Your guide: toy designer John Austin, who spent years miniaturizing firepower for G.I. Joe and Star Wars figurines. In MiniWeapons of Mass Destruction, he describes how to cobble together a small-scale arsenal from supply-closet goodies. Here are a few of his favorite workplace munitions (deploy with caution). Ready, aim ... avenge!

Range: 20 feet
Fasten a 6-inch length of speaker wire to a mousetrap bar and staple the other end to the bottom of the trap so the bar can close only halfway. Use tape to create an ammo basket on top of the bar, and load it with gumballs or other candies. Tie one end of your trip wire to the cheese trigger and the other end to something stationary. Lie in wait.

Illustrations: 2009 John Austin

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Tiny, Easy-to-Build Weapons Annihilate Office Boredom

The lunchtime fridge-raider. The stapler crook. The golden parachuter. Cubicle farms are full of enemy combatants begging to be taken out. Your guide: toy designer John Austin, who spent years miniaturizing firepower for G.I. Joe and Star Wars figurines. In MiniWeapons of Mass Destruction, he describes how to cobble together a small-scale arsenal from supply-closet goodies. Here are a few of his favorite workplace munitions (deploy with caution). Ready, aim ... avenge!

Range: 20 feet
Fasten a 6-inch length of speaker wire to a mousetrap bar and staple the other end to the bottom of the trap so the bar can close only halfway. Use tape to create an ammo basket on top of the bar, and load it with gumballs or other candies. Tie one end of your trip wire to the cheese trigger and the other end to something stationary. Lie in wait.

Illustrations: 2009 John Austin

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Weird, Rare Clouds and the Physics Behind Them

See some of the most beautiful, strange, and rare clouds with explanations from scientists about how they form.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Spell Your Way to Victory in Scribblenauts

The new Nintendo DS title Scribblenauts packs a lot of innovation into an unassuming package. To solve puzzles, players summon useful objects by typing or scribbling words on the touchscreen (spell out "ladder" and—poof!—a ladder appears). Sounds simplistic, right? Until you realize how vast the game's vocabulary is. "There are tens of thousands of objects—pretty much anything that's not copyrighted or vulgar," says Jeremiah Slaczka, creative director at game developer 5th Cell. "Forks, tables, hang gliders, night-vision goggles, tractor beams, pyromaniacs, the Grim Reaper ..." Such intoxicating creative freedom leads players to dream up ever more convoluted and absurd ways to win.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:00 pm

Microsoft CEO's compensation down 6 percent in '09 (AP)

AP - The value of the compensation package granted to Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer fell about 6 percent in fiscal 2009, a year in which weak computer sales cut into the software maker's profits.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:50 pm

Throat infection may have brought down T. rex - Los Angeles Times

Times Online

Throat infection may have brought down T. rex Los Angeles Times Scientists studying Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton at Chicago's Field Museum, find evidence of a parasite that infects modern birds of prey. Sue's throat could have swollen until she starved. The skeleton of Sue, the most complete Tyrannosaurus ... T. Rex Bite Marks Actually Festering InfectionsWired News Parasites killed T. rex, not fightUW Badger Herald Did lowly parasite kill famous T. rex?msnbc.com National Geographic -Chicago Tribune -Metro all 67 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:46 pm

Belkin wants to save the boobs

Belkin announced two new iPod related products today, a adjustable arm strap, and a protective case. What makes these special? Both are branded with the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure logo, and a portion of the sales go to the prevention of breast cancer.

The cases retail for $29.95 each, and Belkin will donate $2.50 each time you buy one. I would suggest buying two, for obvious reasons.

From the press release:

September 29, 2009 – Maintaining the fight against breast cancer, Belkin introduces new designs of its pink-ribbon cases for the iPod touch. For each DualFit and Grip case for iPod touch sold, Belkin will donate $2.50 to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure (with a minimum guaranteed donation of $100,000).

To date, Belkin has donated over $375,000 toward breast cancer research to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

AVAILABILITY

Mid-October 2009 in the US
DualFit for the Cure (F8Z523BKPSGKBBY) – $29.99

* Adjustable dual-fit system allows for best fit on any arm; maximizes sizing
* Clear screen protector allows for easy navigation
* Key pocket for convenient storage while at the gym or outdoors
* Reflective material for use during nighttime
* Hand-washable

Grip for the Cure (F8Z532BKPSGKBBY) – $29.99

* Textured exterior provides better grip
* Form-fitting construction allows charging while in sleeve and minimizes bulk

This Accessory is compatible with the following iPod models:

* iPod touch 2nd generation, models 32GB and 64GB

For more information please visit www.belkin.com/forthecure

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:30 pm

China Education Alliance Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock

HARBIN, China, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- China Education Alliance, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:30 pm

Fannie Mae Certifies eMASON's Clarifire(R) Application for Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP) Workout

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- eMASON announced today its Clarifire® application has received certification from Fannie Mae for Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP) workout rules.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:28 pm

Mac News Briefs: PDFpen has new OCR engine (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - SmileOnMyMac Software has updated PDFpen, incorporating Nuance Communications’ OmniPage OCR engine into the PDF editing program.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:25 pm

IT Security Breaches Soar In 2009

slak11 quotes from a Globe and Mail article on the jump in corporate and government security breaches year-over-year. (The reporting is from Canada but the picture is probably much the same in the US.) "This does not seem to be all that newsworthy these days, since stories like this are appearing on a regular basis. The one detail I did like — that seems to break from the traditional 'hackers cause all the bad stuff' reporting — is the mention that everyday employees are a major cause of breaches. The recent Rocky Mountain Bank/Google story is a perfect example. As stated in the article: 'But lower security budgets aren't the only reason breaches tend to soar during tough economic times — employees themselves can often be the cause of such problems.' I figure this will be an ongoing problem until company management and employees accept their role in keeping company information safe. And IT people need to understand that regular employees are not propeller-heads like Slashdot readers, and to begin to implement technology and processes that average people can understand and use."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:24 pm

TracFone Wireless Launches SafeLink Wireless(R) to Aid 1,094,331 Low-Income Households in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, TracFone Wireless, Inc., America's leading prepaid cell phone provider announced its launch of SafeLink Wireless® in Illinois. SafeLink Wireless is the first and only completely free offering of Lifeline -- a U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:21 pm

Countertrend: H-P Says Please Print Often [The Mossberg Solution]

If your company makes printers but general trends are leaning toward using less paper and moving digital content to e-readers and smartphones, what can you do? Hewlett-Packard’s solution is to find new ways to get people to print more.

The $399 H-P Photosmart Premium All-in-One with Touch-Smart Web (hp.com/go/touchprinting) will print, copy, fax and scan like other all-in-ones. But it connects to the Internet using built-in Wi-Fi and displays customized Web applications on its 4.33-inch touch screen. These apps are designed to promote printing in any way possible, including photos from Snapfish, Sudoku puzzles, movie tickets from Fandango, coupons, maps from Google (GOOG) Maps, coloring-book pages and news articles—all without using a computer.

The print apps are part of the new H-P App Studio, H-P’s (HPQ) answer to the flurry of app stores—Apple’s (AAPL) App Store, RIM’s (RIMM) BlackBerry World, Android Marketplace, Palm’s (PALM) App Catalog and Microsoft’s (MSFT) Zune Marketplace—that ease the process of downloading onto mobile devices. A “Get More” icon on the printer’s touch screen presents descriptions of available apps. There are currently 15 available for download onto your printer, and more will be added in coming months.

This printer is designed to work with more than just the H-P App Studio. A downloadable tool called the H-P Photo Print Gadget installs on computers running Windows 7 or Vista (not Windows XP) so people can drag and drop photos to it for printing. PlayStation 3 owners can capture and print screen shots as evidence of their game success. And a long-available free app in Apple’s App Store called H-P iPrint Photo lets iPhone and iPod Touch owners send photos to this and other H-P printers.

The goal of this product is obviously to get people to print more, and in my case, it worked. I used more paper in a week of testing the Photosmart Premium All-in-One than I normally print out in three weeks at my office. The printer quickly churned out dual-sided pages with photos in rich colors.

But the concept of adding apps to a printer while also asking people to become more paper-reliant seems like one step forward, two steps back. I could see this concept working on a thin, stylish printer that could fit neatly on an entryway table, making it a cinch for people to grab maps, movie tickets and coupons on their way out the door. But this is a large, all-in-one machine that takes up some serious space.

And if this all-in-one is truly meant to work without a PC, it should do a better job of letting you interact with pages, like zooming in on a document to preview before printing. In the current document preview screen, the text is too small to read. Likewise, the Google Calendar app printed a nice one-page calendar month view, but I couldn’t zoom in on the print preview to see specific appointments. This forced me to print the page to see its contents, using more ink and more paper.

Other apps are shamelessly begging users to press Print. A Toys and Crafts app made by H-P itself includes paper dolls with cut-out clothes that can be snipped and folded to stay on the doll’s form. For the doll’s face, kids are encouraged to use a photo of themselves that–surprise, surprise—they can print using their all-in-one.

Coupons.com supplies two apps—one for coupons and one for recipes. I browsed through 87 product coupons in my ZIP Code and marked those that I wanted to print using a small check-box on the touch screen. Pressing “Print” compiled three coupons on one piece of paper. Recipes from Coupons.com printed with brightly colored photos of the end result; I’m looking forward to following one for Curried Chicken Salad.

For now, the Google Maps app isn’t ready for prime time: It prints only maps, not directions. H-P says it’s planning to add directions but wouldn’t say when. And a Nickelodeon app couldn’t load on my printer. Some apps took from 10 to 30 seconds to load—precious time when you’re running out the door.

One of the smartest apps, Tabbloid, lets people assemble a personalized tabloid-style print-out of news from a variety of sources like Daily Kos for politics and FanHouse for sports. But this assembling must be done on a computer, thus negating this printer’s no-PC approach. I chose from a list of 10 topics including automotive, celebrity, politics and sports and created a printable Tabbloid that, with one click, was sent wirelessly to the corresponding app on my printer. I printed it out to read during my commute.

I liked using the Photosmart Premium All-in-One’s generous screen for touch gestures like flicking left-to-right through a carousel of icons that represent apps. An on-screen keyboard appeared when I had to type in passwords for things like my Snapfish account.

H-P says it will introduce other products with TouchSmart Web capability and access to the HP App Studio, and one hopes these products will include low-end printers rather than expensive all-in-ones. The apps on the H-P Photosmart Premium All-in-One with TouchSmart Web are user-friendly, but I’m not convinced they’ll incite people to print more things more often.

Edited by Walter S. Mossberg.

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Source: All Things Digital | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:18 pm

Microsoft Courier Gets Demonstrated More Fully, Limitations Suggested

The trickle of news about Microsoft's Courier device continues, and this time there's a bit more of a realistic walkthrough. The device is being shown to be much more of a next-generation notepad than all-purpose tablet, and that's probably for the best; Microsoft overreaching with a device like this could result in a real crash and burn. I suppose the best way to picture the Courier is just as a web-connected organizer — you know, one of those leather-bound ones that business people used to have, and which the Courier seems clearly designed after. Of course, with an internet connection and full-color touchscreen, much more is enabled and the device becomes much more complicated. Microsoft's (and Pioneer's) task has been to pare that down to a product, and it really looks like they've done it right. Still all renders, though.
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pm

New Microsoft Courier video shows more of interface, suggests limitations

The trickle of news about Microsoft’s Courier device continues, and this time there’s a bit more of a realistic walkthrough. The device is being shown to be much more of a next-generation notepad than all-purpose tablet, and that’s probably for the best; Microsoft overreaching with a device like this could result in a real crash and burn. I suppose the best way to picture the Courier is just as a web-connected organizer — you know, one of those leather-bound ones that business people used to have, and which the Courier seems clearly designed after.

Of course, with an internet connection and full-color touchscreen, much more is enabled and the device becomes much more complicated. Microsoft’s (and Pioneer’s) task has been to pare that down to a product, and it really looks like they’ve done it right.

You’ll note that the video above shows absolutely no reference to music or media, and the minimal menus shown don’t show any connection to such functionality, although to be sure there could be a gesture they haven’t shown us which hides and shows the media player. There is a camera on the back, though, so there must be at least rudimentary photo organization. The one exception is a “watch” button next to an incoming item in the calendar mode, so it will have playback capability, which implies audio as well.

The preceding limitation sets it apart from our own CrunchPad and other all-purpose tablets, which are designed for light internet use and web apps, and the Apple Tablet, which is presumably is orientated toward media playback and possibly some gaming. See, we can all get along.

The default interface appears to be the “infinite journal,” which can hold rich content and be shared, searched, and downloaded. An endless piece of paper, or really corkboard, to which you can attach web clips, pictures, notes, and so on. Aside from that there appear to be standard gestures for displaying your calendar, displaying a paint application, and so on. The center area works as a clipboard, which is a very smart way of utilizing the dead space necessitated by a folding device.

The actual physical interface (the touchscreen, that is) remains a mystery. The finger gestures are pretty coarse, but that doesn’t mean it’s all resistive. But the pen is clearly a resistive tool, so it’s not all capacitive. There is the possibility that it is both, like what RIM was working on. In fact, if a design team were given a dual-touch-mode screen, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Courier-type hybrid was the first product they devised for it. That’s just fantasy, though; I’d expect it’s a fully resistive screen, more like a Wacom tablet with “fat touch” optimizing than anything else. Oops — as Lee points out in the comments, the Wacom does not use a resistive screen but incorporates an intelligent stylus and a capacitive screen that is aware by other means of the stylus’ exact location. That could certainly be the case here.

One last detail, confirmed by Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet, is that the Courier runs Windows 7, as I’d have expected. After all, 7 has touch interfaces integrated on the ground level, much of which was pioneered by the Surface team and later added to the OS proper. Building this device on 7 is really the best and only course of action, especially considering its certain communication with Live services.

While it appears to have more limitations than we thought when it first broke, it still is an impressive piece of work. I’m running my Microsoft contacts to ground, but it’s pretty clear they’ve already reached a secret agreement with Gizmodo to put out a morsel every once in a while. I’m headed down to Microsoft Hardware HQ tomorrow anyway, though, so I’ll do a little sleuthing.

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pm

FCC on broadband: not great now, expensive to spread

Section: Communications, Web

The Federal Communications Commission is certainly upholding President Obama’s promise to fix some of the issues with Internet connections in the US.  Last week, there was the proposed ideas of Net Neutrality and this week it comes to broadband speed and penetration.  Turns out, as most of us already knew, the state of broadband in the US isn’t all that great.  The FCC at its September monthly meeting outlined the state of broadband in the country and how to make it better.  This is leading up to the national broadband plan it has to come up with by February 2010.

Turns out, according to the preliminary findings, the Internet is becoming more important for consumers, education, employment, and the all-important health care improvements.  Each of these reasons requires, at least in some part, broadband connection.  The preliminary findings, however, find that only about two-thirds of Americans have broadband at home, about 33 percent have access, but don’t use it, and another 4 percent don’t have access at all.  On top of that, broadband speeds can be up to 80 percent slower than what the ISPs advertise to their customers.

To fix these problems, the FCC says it will take $20 billion for universal 768 kbps - 6 Mbps and up to $350 billion for country-wide 100 Mbps, with, of course, added fees for reaching all the rural areas of the country.  Of course, these monetary figures come with no time tables, so it is hard to say when or if we will get that 100 Mbps across the country.  Even if it does take a long time, if the service is cheap enough, I’m sure we can all agree on getting 100 Mbps.  Of course, there are monetary issues with the plan, like the fact that the US is in massive debt, but it’s still nice to dream about 100 Mbps anywhere and everywhere in the country.

Read [PC Mag]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:14 pm

Zork rock anthem

Phil sez, "Errol and Pifie, two members of the 50 Songs in 90 Days songwriting challenge (known as 50/90) have created a nerd-core masterpiece. A rockin' walkthrough to the original ZORK text adventure game."

Walkthrough, MP3 download (Thanks, Phil!)

Source: Boing Boing | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:11 pm

Funambol: open source mobile cloud sync (with contest!)

Smartphones are great. Ubiquitous data access is great. Mobile computing is great. Unfortunately, each smartphone represents its own little walled garden of convenience. Apple’s iPhone is tied tightly with iTunes and various other Apple services. Android is tied tightly with Google services. Each manufacturer makes a modicum of effort to allow their smartphone to sync with someone else’s services, but as is too often the case, such integration is usually lacking some important functionality. After all, there’s little business incentive to allow your users to use someone else’s services, right? Enter Funambol, and their open source mobile cloud sync.

“Mobile cloud sync” aims to be an independent solution to the walled garden problem of smartphones. I admit that I haven’t had a chance to use this yet, so I don’t know how well it works, but I like the idea of an open system handling all my data synchronization.

Funambol is the world’s leading open source solution that keeps user data and content in sync across billions of mobile devices, personal computers, email systems and social networks. It is the ultimate white label solution for delivering next-gen mobile cloud sync and push email. Its state-of-the-art AJAX portal makes it easy for users to access data and content in the cloud, using any modern browser.

Funambol is an open source project, allowing you to host your own sync server. Great for DIY-ers and control freaks. If you’re not ready to manage your own sync server, you can use the MyFunambol portal, which is a hosted version of their solution.

myFUNAMBOL is a free 90 day open source mobile cloud sync and push email demo service. It provides mobile email and over-the-air sync of contacts and calendars. It supports billions of devices, including the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian and feature phones. It lets phones sync with email clients such as Outlook and get email from Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL and Hotmail as well as POP and IMAP servers. It performs over-the-air setup of many phones and includes a web-based address book and calendar for viewing and managing this information online.

Like I said, I haven’t had a chance to use this service yet, so I don’t know how well it actually works. The iPhone app reviews are, predictably, a mixed bag. I just signed up for an account, and will be testing it shortly. If you sign up, and find it useful, come back and let us know!

Contest
Funambol is giving away 10 free, unlimited usage accounts to CrunchGear readers. All you need to do is sign up over at the MyFunambol portal, then come back here to leave a comment. Be sure to tell us your Funambol user name, and — just for fun — what model handset you’re using. Ten random winners will be selected Friday morning!

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:00 pm

Apple 1984 ad, updated for 2009

DVD Jon sez, "Apple's been making an increasing number of anti-consumer moves over the last few years, so we thought it was time to remake their 1984 ad to reflect reality."

Big Brother ad by doubleTwist

Source: Boing Boing | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:57 pm

Financial Startups Demo Their Dashboards At Finovate

The following guest post is written by Larry Chiang, a co-founder of Duck9 who also regularly blogs for BusinessWeek. Today he is reporting from the Finovate startup conference.

At the FinovateStartup conference in New York City today, it is clear that financial startups are pushing forward regardless of funding woes or a lackluster economy

Companies here at Finovate center around financial innovations. They track personal finance and are aggressively plodding forward because consumer adoption of the internet is rising. These companies did not just present ideas, they brought along established industry stalwarts to their demos. What’s more, many of these start-ups are already white labeling their product and integrating into established company sites (T-Mobile ads, Yahoo, Bank of America). The user interfaces are better than average, which is perhaps influenced by Finovate’s previous winner Mint.

Best in Show went to Kasasa, an Austin, Texas-based financial website that uses real-world rewards and charity donations to get people to open free deposit accounts. They dragged a community banker up to the stage who gave a testimonial about Kasasa’a ability to generate new saving accounts. BillShrink showed off a location-based ATM fee avoider and bank account selector. Canopy has tools to better understand and manage healthcare cost, including Health Savings Accounts. Their oh-so-chic iPhone App matches up medical services to your personal HSA.

A typical company presenting was SmartyPig, which adds a social component to saving. It crowd-shares personal saving goals for a vacation or a set of golf clubs. FinanceWorks demonstrated online banking data aggregated into TurboTax. Outright takes and scrapes sales data for one-person businesses (such as eBay sellers) and helps the entrepreneur alleviate the burden of quarterly tax pre-payments. Home-Account seeks to be a Kayak for loan mortgage shopping. It plugs into Homes.com, Movoto.com and Bills.com and ‘B’- and “C”-grade paper companies like Freedom Financial Network.

Most of the sites demoed today offer features such as interest payment tracking, loan shopping, expense account summaries and more everyday, core consumer finance applications. Many of the demos featured summaries of expenses, and visually extrapolated spending behaviors to identify trends. For example, Credit.com boils down 20+ pages of credit reports into one graph (with a trend line).

At the heart of the functionality for consumer finance are apps that summarize “money in” / ‘money out’. In the same way that dashboards revolutionized the ability of C-suite officers to forecast a company’s revenues and expenses, the average consumer now is able to get dozens of data points that paint a picture of their personal budgets.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:49 pm

New TI Factory Shows How the Chip World Has Changed [Voices]

By Don Clark, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

It was a big deal when Texas Instruments (TXN) announced plans in 2003 for a massive chip factory in a suburb of Dallas, its home town. Six years later, the company is finally preparing for production there–under a strategy that has changed dramatically.

The company said Tuesday it expects to begin moving manufacturing equipment in October into the facility in Richardson known as RFAB, which has stood empty since the building’s shell was completed in 2006. Those machines will process silicon wafers that are 300 millimeters in diameter, which allows companies to churn out chips at the lowest per-unit cost.

That part fits the original plan. But instead of making advanced digital chips, RFAB will manufacture products based on analog technology–becoming the first 300-millimeter production line turning out such chips. (Others use 200-millimeter wafers).

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:45 pm

iPhone App ‘Scarab’ Reinvents the Literary Journal

Tech-savvy English scholars and poetry lovers: We know you’re out there. (Heck, I majored in English and I work here.) There’s an iPhone app we think you’d love. It’s called Scarab, and its goal is to reinvent the literary journal.

Scarab is a literary magazine reader that does more than load works of fiction, poetry and non-fiction on your iPhone screen. Each literary piece is accompanied with an audio reading, dictated sometimes by the author (if he or she opted to provide it), whose mugshot appears next to the title. So you get the words, the voice and even the face behind each work.

“The best part about poetry or any literature really is going to a reading and getting to hear the author’s voice,” said Brian Wilkins, editor and co-creator of Scarab, in a phone interview. “It’s almost as much fun when those two come together in one place. The iPhone really made it possible for us.”

We had some hands-on time with the app, and we absolutely love the clean interface and the idea as a whole. Once you tap a literary piece, the app immediately downloads the audio recording, and soon enough you can hit play to hear the author’s reading. Each “issue” contains a collection of literary works submitted by various authors. (The October 2009 issue features 11 pieces, including a poem from the famous Charles Simic.) The app also includes transcripts of author interviews.

Wilkins, who has a master of fine arts in poetry, developed the app with his former college roommate Ian Terrell. They’re inviting creative writers of all calibers to submit their works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry for consideration. Starving artists even have an opportunity to earn a buck, too: Each issue of Scarab costs $3 as an in-app purchase; 20 percent of every issue sale is divided among the authors. Wilkins promises the submission guidelines are open-ended, although he prefers that works stay under 2,500 words.

Here’s what bugged us: You must buy the Scarab app for $1 and then pay $3 for an issue. That means when you first buy the app, you have no content. That doesn’t seem quite right. (Update: Terrell points out in the comments below that Apple requires apps to be paid apps if they incorporate in-app purchasing.) We think it’d be a wiser idea for the creators to include at least one free promotional issue with a purchase of Scarab to entice users to purchase future issues for $3 each. That way, iPhone owners would be able to try the app before committing to spending more on content.

Still, we’re not complaining about paying for additional content. We appreciate these artists, and we know literary journals aren’t exactly moneymaking machines. We’re interested in seeing how in-app purchasing works out for Scarab, because thus far it’s not raking in much dough for some iPhone developers. But with some smart execution, we think Scarab has an opportunity to become tremendously popular among creative writers and literature enthusiasts.

Product Page [Scarab]

Download Link [iTunes]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:43 pm

Robots Are Taking Over the World (but ukeleles will save us).

Boing Boing reader Patrick Misterovich writes,

My 12 year old son is the singer in a ukulele based indie band called The Scribbles. This video is of a live performance of their song "The Robot Song."

Source: Boing Boing | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:40 pm

Obama Makes a Push To Add Time To the School Year

N!NJA sends in a proposal that is sure to cause some discussion, especially among students and teachers. Obama and his education secretary say that American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage in comparison to other students around the globe. "'Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,' the president said earlier this year. 'Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.' 'Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today,' Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. ... 'Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here,' Duncan told the AP. 'I want to just level the playing field.' ... Kids in the US spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the US on math and science tests — Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days)."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:35 pm

Video: Hands-On With the Slick-Sliding PSPgo

Got an unscratchable itch to lay your hands on Sony’s new PSPgo? Before you drop two hundred and fifty smackers on this pretty piece of hardware, you should know a few things. First off, forget about playing UMD discs. If you want to enjoy a game, you’ll have to download it at the Playstation website first. Own accessories for your old PSP? Might as well hawk them on eBay. None of them are compatible with the Go.

There’s more you should know. Scope out the video above for our full disclosure on the differences between the PSPgo and its predecessor, the PSP 3000.

See Also:

• PSPgo Porn: Sexy Pics of Sony’s Tiny Gaming Console
• Warranty-Voiding Teardown Reveals PSPgo’s Internals
• Sony’s PSPgo Stokes Gadget Lust But Disappoints Seasoned Gamers

This video was produced by Annaliza Savage with camerawork and editing by Michael Lennon.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:34 pm

Video: Hands-On With the Slick-Sliding PSPgo

There are some major differences between the PSPgo and the previous PSP 3000. Let Wired's video show you what those differences are and if Sony's latest portable is worth your ducats.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:34 pm

Video: Hands-On With the Slick-Sliding PSPgo

There are some major differences between the PSPgo and the previous PSP 3000. Let Wired's video show you what those differences are and if Sony's latest portable is worth your ducats.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:34 pm

How Felicia Day Recruited Millions for Her 'Guild'

With her successful web sitcom racking up fans and making the jump to DVD, the geeky queen of the really small screen talks about internet addiction, connecting with fans and striking it little in Hollywood.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:33 pm

The Verizon Hub has been discontinued, try not to get upset

Oh, the Verizon Hub. You came to the market just a few years too late. There was a time when a VoIP device with instant messaging capabilities would have been welcomed into the kitchens everywhere but that time was 2006 and not 2009. Now, that market has primarily moved onto full featured smartphones and somewhat killing the need for a home base type device. And so the Hub is no more. Verizon has official canceled the product.

It’s been a slow death. The Hub was pulled from VZW stores a few months ago and went online only. It’s kind of hard to sell suck a device without actually seeing it. And the $200 price plus $35 a month service charge probably didn’t help. Maybe if the hardware was free and all it cost was $35, Verizon would probably have moved more units. But it doesn’t matter anymore. The Hub is done. RIP.

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:30 pm

Androids Dance, Slide and Fight at Robo-One Competition

Gladiatorial matches between bipedal humanoid robots is just one of the reasons to get excited about Robo-One, an event last weekend in Toyama City, Japan.

This year’s event showed some interesting new robots such as a thought-controlled robot, a robot that can flip its head back so you can ride it, and a mini-Gundam robot.

Check out these videos of these robots that kicked up a storm at Robo-One. Got any other great videos or photos from Robo-One? Let us know in the comments.

The Omni Zero 9

Takeshi Maeda is known to robot lovers as the man who designed the red, bi-pedal Omni Zero robots. Maeda showed the latest version, the Omni Zero 9, at Robot-One. It’s an eerily humanoid robot that can autonomously walk a few steps. Among the stunning features of this robot is it ability to lie flat on the ground and roll up a ramp using the two wheels that make up its shoulders, kind of like a slow, mechanical Jean-Yves Blondeau. It’s a sight worth watching!

The Omni Zero 9 also competed at the Robo-One Championship, as shown in the following video:

The robot’s head also flips back so if you are small enough and brave enough to sit in the gap, you can actually ride the robot. If you are wondering how big the robot is, then here are the stats: The Omni Zero 9 is just about 3.4 feet tall and weighs 55 lbs. The robot won one of the three prizes at the championship.

Thought-controlled robot

Brain interfaces are becoming popular among videogamers who use electrodes hooked up to their skulls to control the movement of characters on the screen.

Taku Ichikawa, a fourth-year student at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, is trying to do something similar with a robot. Ichikawa uses 12 electrodes to measure his neural activity, which in turn issues commands via a wireless connection to a robot that is about 20 inches tall and weighs 4.4 lbs.

Ichikawa’s robot can perform three types of movement: walking forward, rotating right and using its single arm for stabbing attacks, says Japanese newspaper Mainichi Daily News. The thought-to-action process is not instantaneous though. It takes a total of about 1.5 seconds for the robot to begin doing what Ichikawa is thinking.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:29 pm

Androids Dance, Slide and Fight at Robo-One Competition

Check out videos from Japan's Robo-One competition that featured gladiatorial matches between robots, a thought-controlled robot, a robot that can flip its head back so you can ride it, and a mini-Gundam robot.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:29 pm

Androids Dance, Slide and Fight at Robo-One Competition

Check out videos from Japan's Robo-One competition that featured gladiatorial matches between robots, a thought-controlled robot, a robot that can flip its head back so you can ride it, and a mini-Gundam robot.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:29 pm

Video: Nick Cave Talks Up His iPhone Novel, 'Bunny Munro'

Musician Nick Cave's new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, is available in regular book form, but the audio book and iPhone app include enhancements and extras designed to immerse the reader in different ways. Is this the future of the novel?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:25 pm

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Overstock.com/

In the news release, "Overstock.com to Award a 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid in Ten-Day 'Decade O' Deals' Sweepstakes" issued yesterday by Overstock.com (Nasdaq: OSTK), we are advised by the company that the headline has been revised to "Overstock.com to Award a 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid in Ten-Day 'Decade O' Deals' Sweepstakes".
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:23 pm

Patton's Multi-FXS VoIP Gateway Router Cuts OpEx for Carriers and Service Providers

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:20 pm

Appletell reviews the Expressionist Plus 2.1 speaker system from Altec Lansing

FROM APPLETELL - The Expressionist Plus system gets great sound, and they have a decent, albeit uninspired design. Unfortunately, I found the system a bit awkward to set up and use.
MORE »

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:09 pm

Dropbox Meets The iPhone; Access Files On The Go

Dropbox, the easy to use file access manager which syncs your files across all your computers and the web, has introduced an iPhone application to make it even easier to access your files anywhere in the world. After almost 7 weeks of waiting, Apple has finally approved the application. With this new iPhone app, users will get access to all their Dropbox documents, PDF's, pictures, videos and much more. Dropbox also introduced offline viewing in the iPhone app, with "Favorites." If you add a file to your ‘Favorites’, they’ll be accessible at any time. To do so, just hit the star at the bottom of any file, and it'll be added. Otherwise, your files stay in the cloud. One of Dropbox's core features is sharing your files and folders stored in the cloud with anyone else who has a Dropbox account, and the iPhone is no exception. Users can easily share their Dropbox files and folders from their iPhone to any other Dropbox user by putting in their email address, just like on the web. The app allows users to upload photos for 3G users, and videos if you have an iPhone 3GS.

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:04 pm

Shields Up!: Cybecrime and security in the news

Section: Computers, Security, Features, Originals, Columns

There have been quite a few security issues in the news this past week.  Let’s take a look at some of the top stories:

Poisoned iPhone MMS Searches

Hackers wasted no time in exploiting the release of the much anticipated MMS functionality for the iPhone.  AT&T finally made it available on Friday (September 25, 2009), and experts say that now that 6 out of the top 10 search results for search phrases involving the keywords iPhone and MMS are malicious, directing to sites that try to push fake anti-virus scareware.  This is a tactic that hackers use to exploit holidays, hot topics and news headlines.  Just a week or two ago it was used to poison searches about actor Patrick Swayze, who died of cancer on September 14th.  To protect yourself, stick to reputable, well known sites for your information.
Read [PCWorld]

Microsoft releases free anti-virus software

Today, Microsoft released its new (and free!) anti-virus software package, called Microsoft Security Essentials.  It replaces Live OneCare and offers virus, spyware and rootkit protection without the bloat of Norton or McAfee.  It’s fast and simple with a slick, clean interface and is poised to give AVG some real competition.  With no resource hogging extras like firewalls and browser plug ins, its footprint is small and it doesn’t slow down boot up or shut down times.
You can download it here.
Read [CNet]

iPhone app reveals potential privacy issue

iPhone users who have installed the version of the free app called mogoRoad received a rather rude surprise: spammy phone calls from the developer urging them to upgrade to the paid version.  When confronted the company claimed Apple had given them the users phone numbers but Apple doesn’t ever release such info, so a French site did some digging and discovered something startling: it’s not only possible, but very easy for an app to access the phone number of the iPhone it is installed on.  This might be a feature designed to enhance the functionality of some apps, but it does raise privacy concerns.  Apple hasn’t had any comment on the discovery but hopefully they will be coming down hard on the developers of mogoRoad and any others who abuse this “feature.”
Read [PCWorld]

Bank forces Google to shut down GMail account that did nothing wrong

A blunder by an employee of Rocky Mountain Bank resulted in a GMail user having their account shut down, even though they did no wrong.  The employee somehow sent an email containing over 1,000 customer names, addresses, SSN numbers and loan information to a random GMail address, apparently due to a typo.  Once the mistake was realized the bank sent another email to the address asking that the info be destroyed and that the user contact the bank.  When they got no reply they contacted Google and asked for the user’s information. 

Google said they could honor the request without a court order so the bank went to court and forced Google to shut down the account.  The bank and Google have since come up with a way to resolve the issue but until the court approves their motion to dismiss the case, the GMail user (who has not been identified) remains locked out of their account.  The bank had no comment.  One hopes they will at least issue an apology to him/her for punishing them for their employee’s mistake!
Read [ComputerWorld]

Assassination poll yanked from Facebook

Finally, in yet another example of why Facebook simply can’t keep refusing to implement better security where its 3rd party apps are concerned, it was forced to yank yet another app after the Secret Service informed them of a poll that asked “Should Obama be killed?”  Over 700 people took the poll before it was yanked, but the results are unknown.  The Secret Service is currently trying to find the person who created the poll.
Read [CNet]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:03 pm

Holiday Xbox 360 bundles ahoy: Lego Batman + Pure

While I’m sure many of you hang onto Major Nelson’s every word, you might have missed these new holiday bundles that Microsoft is cooking up. There’s the Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle, and the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Game Pack. What do these bundles contain????

• The Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundles comes with an Xbox 360 Elite, and retail copies of Lego Batman and Pure. Such a bundle will cost $299. It goes on sale today.

• The Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Game Pack comes with a wireless black controller, and copies of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and a downloadable token for Ms Pac-Man.

I heartily endorse Lumines, but the rest of those games I cannot speak to. If they’re bundle-worthy then they’re probably OK.

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm

CMDI Named to Inc. Magazine's Exclusive List of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine has named CMDI, an innovative database management company located in Falls Church, VA, to the 2009 Inc. 5000, the annual list of America's 5,000 fastest growing private companies. Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:54 pm

Web Zen: music viddy zen 2009

phenomenal handclap band
sniper twins
ballad of g.i. joe
screaming flailing machine
my territory
domo darko
bear force one
bellyful tv
the take-away shows
sour

previously on web zen:
video killed the radio zen
music viddy zen 2007
music viddy zen 2004
music viddy zen 2003

Permalink for this edition. Web Zen is created and curated by Frank Davis, and re-posted here on Boing Boing with his kind permission. Web Zen Home and Archives, Store, Twitter.


Source: Boing Boing | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:48 pm

Mozilla Slams Chrome Frame As "Browser Soup"

CWmike writes "Mozilla executives today took shots at Google for pitching its Chrome Frame plug-in as a solution to Internet Explorer's poor performance, with one arguing that Google's move will result in 'browser soup.' The Mozilla reaction puts the company that builds Firefox on the same side of the debate as rival Microsoft, which has also blasted Google over the plug-in. Mitchell Baker, the former CEO of Mozilla and currently the chairman of the Mozilla Foundation, said in a blog post, 'The overall effects of Chrome Frame are undesirable. I predict positive results will not be enduring and — and to the extent it is adopted — Chrome Frame will end in growing fragmentation and loss of control for most of us, including Web developers.' Baker says Chrome Frame's browser-in-a-browser will confuse users and render some of their familiar tools useless. 'Once your browser has fragmented into multiple rendering engines, it's very hard to manage information across Web sites. Some information will be manageable from the browser you use and some information from Chrome Frame. This defeats one of the most important ways in which a browser can help people manage their [Web] experience.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:48 pm

OMNOVA Solutions To Webcast Third Quarter 2009 Earnings Call

FAIRLAWN, Ohio, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE: OMN) will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss third quarter results on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 11:00am ET.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:45 pm

MOTOBLUNDR? [Digital Daily]

The Cliq, Motorola’s (MOT) first phone based on Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system, is headed to market and will arrive there Nov. 2. Sales to existing customers will begin Oct. 19 and open to the general public Nov. 4.

T-Mobile USA has priced the handset at $199 with a two-year contract, which seems a bit dear considering you can get a 16GB iPhone 3GS for the same price. Given $200 to spend and the choice between Motorola’s first-ever Android device and the first iteration of its Motoblur social networking service or Apple’s (AAPL) third-generation iPhone and second-generation mobile OS and App Store, what would you opt for?

How might your choice change if the Cliq were priced at $150?

[Image credit: LeakDroid]

Source: All Things Digital | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:42 pm

Review: 3M MPro 120 pico-projector

The pico-projector market is a new one, and the products are still evolving. It really wasn’t very long ago that this product’s predecessor, the MPro 110, hit the market. It got pretty lame reviews (before which I prematurely called it awesome), but that isn’t really indicative of the worth of this kind of device. A projector you can keep in your pocket? Genius. Now they just need to get it right. The MPro 120 takes some major steps towards doing that, but that still doesn’t quite elevate it from niche product to must-buy.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tech, what we’ve got here is a tiny little battery-powered DLP projector with a 12-lumen brightness — which, let’s be honest, isn’t very bright at all. But I don’t think anybody expected a pocket projector to be able to throw up a 50-inch screen on a day-lit wall. No, the application here is for when you can control your light: in a closed office, dark bar, or in your home at night.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the brightness, clarity, and size of the image it threw out once the lighting (or lack thereof) was correct. Here’s a long exposure so you can see the dimensions more clearly:

The picture was remarkably clear, and at five feet the image was about 40 inches in 4:3. One fun thing I want to add is that this creates an entirely new kind of party: having beers with a couple friends and trying to play Street Fighter II Turbo while someone moves the projector around the room. Also, incidentally, Mortal Kombat II is blowing it. We did those fatalities exactly right and not one of them worked. Not the projector’s fault, but I needed to get that out.

The perceptive among you may notice that all three RCA cables are going into the projector — yes, this thing has stereo speakers. Not good ones, mind you, but good enough that you can hear dialogue and effects clearly and loudly, though bass is pretty much absent. They tended to clip a lot at max volume — imagine two of the speakers in your phone and how that would sound. Limited and tinny as they are, they’re a welcome addition (the MPro 110 had none).

Battery life was surprisingly good. I’d give it about three hours at full brightness from full to fully empty; I beat StarFox and had a good hour and a half of Street Fighter II with my friends before it was down to low battery status, after which it probably had about 20 minutes left. More life can be gotten, of course, by changing the brightness or not blasting the sound.

Inputs are few but fairly universal: RCA and VGA. If you can’t find a combination of adapters to work something out, you disappoint me. Both pictures were perfectly sharp, and although the fidelity will obviously be lower if you play a 720p movie through a 640×480 projector, it didn’t cripple it or downsize it in any horrible way.

Controls are simple and clear: volume, brightness, power, and a focus dial. All work as expected.

3M thoughtfully includes a sturdy little flexi-tripod that was extremely handy in positioning the projector. It has a little flip-down foot at the front, but that only elevates it by half an inch, so the tripod stays on for the most part.

The Bottom Line

Having a projector with you sounds pretty cool, but the truth is it’s pretty rare that you actually need one on the run. Combine that with its poor performance in anything but the darkest of situations, and you have a pretty limited tool. That said, within its narrow set of parameters, this is a great little device. The downside is its cost: at $350, it’s a whole bill more than its closest competitor, the Optoma PK102, which has the benefit of 4GB of internal space — possibly a killer feature.

At the rate they’re improving these things, I can’t really recommend buying one unless it really fills a need you have. Maybe you give presentations on the go. Maybe you’re a guerrilla film-shower. But I have a feeling that in six months there’s going to be one of these that’s even better, and this one will be a hundred dollars cheaper. A great little device, but at the moment, a bit ahead of its time.

MPro120 at 3M

Source: CrunchGear | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:30 pm

Edit This Page: Use a Wiki in the Workplace

These simple web-based collaboration tools are great for keeping team members organized and informed. Follow our primer to learn to make a wiki work for you.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:30 pm

Massive Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Near Samoa

A magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck Samoa, triggering a tsunami as coastal residents fled to higher ground.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 3:00 pm

Retrievable iPhone Numbers Raise Privacy Issue

TechnologyResource writes "When a couple of voicemails didn't show up recently, I thought nothing of it until a friend asked me if I'd gotten his message — people just don't call me that often. But the iPhone is indeed a phone, as some users are reportedly being reminded when they get phone calls from the publishers of a free app they've downloaded from the App Store. The application in question, mogoRoad, is a real-time traffic monitoring application. As invasive and despicable as that sounds, it raises another question: how did the company get hold of the contact information for those users? Mogo claims the details were provided by Apple, but Apple doesn't disclose that information to App Store vendors. French site Mac 4 Ever did some digging (scroll down for the English version) and determined it was possible — even easy — for an app to retrieve the phone number of a unit on which it was installed."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:58 pm

AT&T and Garmin present the nuvifone (finally)

Section: Communications, Smartphones, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation

It’s a cell phone - no, it’s a GPS unit!  Actually the new nuvifone from AT&T Wireless and Garmin are both of those things and more.  The unit integrates Garmin’s popular GPS service with voice, data, and web browsing services, all in a sleek 4.4 x 2.3’ package with a 272 x 480 WQVGA touchscreen.

The device cam be used as an in car or pedestrian navigation unit with turn by turn directions.  It also offers one touch navigation from contacts or email and a safety feature that tells you where you are and directs you to the nearest police station, gas station or hospital.  It can even remember where you parked your car.  No more wandering parking lots at the mall or sporting events.

“The nuvifone weaves location into nearly every facet of its functionality making it ideal for people who depend on location to navigate everyday life,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “The nuvifone has Garmin’s easy-to-use interface, so navigating to a meeting directly from its calendar or contacts pages, or geotagging an email or photograph with a location stamp, is intuitive, useful and fun.”

The nuvifone also offers a full HTML browser with built in navigation features.  Just touch a location and it will show you how to get there.  A full QWERTY touchscreen keyboard makes emailing and texting easy.

Other features include a 3MP camera with auto focus and geo-tagging, the ability to use voice, data, and navigation at the same time, Bluetooth, WiFi andn 4GB of on board memory with up to 16GB additional memory available via the MicroSD slot.  It also functions as a music player with MP3 playback.  The 1200mAh battery is said to offer 4 hrs of talk time and up to 250hrs of standby time.

The nuvifone will be offered exclusively by AT&T and be available on October 4th for $299 after a $100 rebate and with a 2 year contract.  An additional feature, which AT&T is calling Nuvifone Connect Premium Services and includes weather, fuel price updates, movie times, and traffic updates, is available for $5.99 a month.

Read [Yahoo! Finance]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:32 pm

T-Mobile Moto CLIQ to cost $200 on a two-year contract

Even after the pre-sale countdown for the Moto CLIQ began this morning, we were left with two burning questions: How much would it cost, and when would we get’em? Fortunately, T-Mobile didn’t leave us hanging for too long.

According to the press release that just hit the wire, Moto’s Android-flavored, QWERTY-packin’ baby is going to set us back $200 bucks alongside a two year contact, and will ship out on November 2nd.

That price, unfortunately, kills our buzz a bit. While the Cliq looks like a pretty darned decent handset, we were really counting on it coming out on the cheap. Not for our own sake, mind you – but for Android’s. Android needs a good, dirt cheap (Sub-$100, at the most) handset to start winning over the masses. Combine the early rumors that indicated that this would be ultra-budget friendly with the fact that the CLIQ looks a bit.. well, ultra-budget friendly, and we certainly had our hopes high for something low. Oh well.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:22 pm

NFL Hall of Famers support college player in lawsuit against Electronic Arts

FROM GAMERTELL - NFL Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Herb Adderley are joining former NCAA quarterback Sam Keller in charging that Electronic Arts is making money off them without proper compensation…
MORE »

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

Everything We Know About Apple's Touchscreen Tablet

We've finally heard enough about Apple's rumored touchscreen tablet to actually have an idea of what it will do. Here's a roundup of everything we've heard.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

BLOG: Roman Emperor Nero's Dining Room Found

Nero's banquet hall has been discovered in his sumptuous residence on the Palatine Hill.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 2:00 pm

Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet

It’s looking more and more likely that Apple will release a 10-inch tablet computer in early 2010.

Even if you’re sick of Apple tablet rumors, we promise you’ll like this one. The latest update comes from a tipster with a solid track record, which reinforces previous reports that Apple will deliver a tablet in early 2010. The tipster also shares details on the rumored product’s specifications.

ILounge, an iPod and iPhone blog, cites a source who claims Apple plans to announce a tablet by Jan. 19, 2010. The tipster claims the tablet will measure 10.7 inches (diagonally) and will run the iPhone operating system.

The tablet will sport a higher resolution than the iPhone or iPod Touch screen: “Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod Touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area,” writes iLounge.

Also, there will be one version equipped with 3G networking and one without. This would make the 3G model a bigger version of the iPhone, and the non-3G tablet a larger iPod Touch.

This particular report raises the likelihood of an Apple tablet landing in stores soon. ILounge says this is the same source who was spot on when leaking details on the fifth-generation iPod Nano prior to its Sept. 9 launch. That same source was also accurate with its description of the fourth-generation iPod Nano before its release.

ILounge’s source also said the tablet would specialize “as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines.” Wired.com in previous months has argued that an Apple tablet would pose a serious threat to the Amazon Kindle as well as the Amazon.com e-book store. We speculated that Apple could integrate an e-book section into the iTunes Store, giving it the potential to shake up the publishing industry.

Are you getting overwhelmed by the flurry of tablet news? We don’t blame you. Here are the rumors that have been echoed by several publications:

• Steve Jobs has had a heavy hand in the tablet’s development.
  Sources: Wall Street Journal, AppleInsider, Barron’s, iLounge
• The Apple tablet will launch in early 2010.
  Sources: AppleInsider, TheLoop, iLounge, Barron’s
• The tablet will look like a larger iPod Touch or iPhone, measuring approximately 10 inches.
  Sources: Gizmodo, AppleInsider, Barron’s, iLounge, InfoTimes
• The tablet will cost between $700 and $900, positioning it between the iPhone/iPod Touch and Apple’s notebooks.
  Sources: Gizmodo, InfoTimes, Barron’s
• The tablet will come in two versions. Gizmodo’s source claims one model will feature a webcam (perhaps for videoconferencing) while the other will focus on education. A camera-equipped tablet would make more sense on the 3G-equipped tablet described by iLounge’s source; likewise, a camera-less version of the tablet could be the non-3G tablet mentioned by iLounge’s source.
  Sources: Gizmodo, iLounge

Have any doubt left in an Apple tablet? We don’t. But there’s so much here that if the tablet turns out to be a media-fabricated illusion, even David Copperfield would be impressed.

See Also:

• Rumor: Apple Tablet Will Feature OLED Screen
• Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Coming in October
• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …
• Gallery: Tablet Computing From 1888 to 2010
• Analyst Claims to Have Seen Apple Tablet
• Rumor: 10-Inch Apple Tablet Landing in Early 2010

Photo: Illustration of an imaginary Apple Tablet (vernhart/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:54 pm

Could Trash Be The Solution To Tackling Climate Change?

Waste-based biofuel could cut global emissions by over 80 percentConverting the trash that fills the world's landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:42 pm

Sugar And Weed Killer Equals Potential Clean Energy Source

A spoonful of herbicide helps the sugar break down in a most delightful way.Researchers at Brigham Young University have developed a fuel cell – basically a battery with a gas tank – that harvests electricity from glucose and other sugars known as carbohydrates.The human body’s preferred energy source could someday power our gadgets, cars or homes.“Carbohydrates are very energy rich,” said BYU chemistry professor Gerald Watt.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:40 pm

Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology: What Does The American Public Think?

Nanotechnology and synthetic biology continue to develop as two of the most exciting areas of scientific discovery, but research has shown that the public is almost completely unaware of the science and its applications. A groundbreaking poll of 1,001 American adults conducted by Peter D.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:24 pm

BLOG: Mercury Looms

The Mercury probe MESSENGER makes its closest approach to the planet.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:23 pm

Gut worms may protect against allergies

British and Vietnamese scientists say they've discovered parasitic gut worms, such as hookworms, might help prevent and treat asthma and other allergies. Researchers led by Dr. Carsten Flohr of the University of Nottingham, and Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:19 pm

Moto Cliq pricing and availability announced

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones

The phone that made me do a 180 on my stance on Moto is coming very soon.  Pre-sale for the Moto Cliq will start October 19 to November 1, 2009.  That pre-sale is for existing T-Mobile customers.  The phone will be in stores on November 2, 2009.  What’s the cost?  $199.99 with a two-year agreement. 

If you haven’t heard about the Motorola Cliq, it is Motorola’s Android phone that uses the MotoBlur UI as a shell.  The MotoBlur UI puts your social networks in one place.  A feature that gets lots of talk is seeing status updates when people call you.  If you’ve got an angry friend, maybe you don’t want to take the call. 

We had some hands on time with the Cliq and you can watch video below and see pictures right here.

Company Site: [T-Mobile]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:10 pm

Strap a 1080p camera to your head with VholdR’s ContourHD1080p

Section: Imaging, Camcorders

Some experiences have to be seen to be believed, but not every experience is suitable to having a camera in your hands.  The ContourHD1080p is a wearable 1080p camera that you can strap to a helmet or just your bare head if you so desire.  The camera uses MicroSD cards so there isn’t some cable attached to the camera to a memory unit.  It’s a self-contained barrel shaped camera. 

The Contour comes with video editing software so you can show off your adventures.  VholdR knows that this camera will be in some different situations so it has a laser alignment setup so you can tell the camera that it is level.  Plus, there’s a big record switch (no tiny buttons here) so you can hit record even if you are wearing gloves.  The ContourHD1080p also has an aluminum body so it can handle some drops and it is also weather and dust resistant (note - it is not water or dust proof).  The camera costs $329.99 and will be available mid-October 2009.

Selected Specs

• 4.3 ounces
• Wide angle lens
• 2-3 hour battery life with rechargeable battery
• Shooting Modes:
  • Full HD - 1080p (1920x1080) at 30fps
  • Tall HD - 960p (1280x960) at 30fps
  • Action HD - 720p (1280x720) at 60fps
  • Contour HD - 720p (1280x720) at 30fps
  • Fast SD - WVGA (848x480) at 60fps

Company Site: [VholdR]

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 1:07 pm

Scientist builds better cancer cell imager

A Case Western Reserve University professor says he has developed an imager than can identify and locate individual cancer cells. Biomedical engineering Professor Dave Wilson says he was dissatisfied with blurry, low-sensitivity optical images of diseased tissues, so four years ago he set out to create a better imager.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:46 pm

Hyenas problem-solve better than primates

U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:37 pm

The Deepening, a modern choose-your-own-adventure web game

FROM GAMERTELL - In this free web game, you control the fates of the two officers trying to save the day…
MORE »

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

---

Source: Gadgetell | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:30 pm

Famous T. Rex May Have Died From Parasite Infection

Sue, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimen, which resides in the Field Museum of Chicago, may have been killed by a disease transmitted by parasites, rather than through a bloody battle, scientists reported Tuesday.The massive reconstructed fossilized remains, known as Sue, possess holes in the jaw, which scientists considered to be wounds from a clash with another dinosaur.However, scientists have published a new report that shows the 42-foot-long, 7-ton dinosaur may have met her end due to a parasite that still kills many birds today.Ewan D.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:30 pm

T-Mobile Netherlands to launch Android-powered Pulse October 12

T-Mobile’s got a bit of a thing for Android, and they’re not afraid to show it to the world. Since the fledgling OS debuted on its G1 almost exactly a year ago (Sept. 23, 2008), T-Mobile has launched more Android handsets than all of the other carriers combined – and they’re about to add one more.

It looks like T-Mobile is set to launch (warning: Dutch ahead) their next ‘Droid, the Pulse, on October 12…in the Netherlands. This “new” Android device, manufactured by Huawei, shares the same name (and most of the same hardware) as the pay-as-you-go UK version, but appears to have received a dual-camera upgrade, one for “regular use” (5MP v. UK’s 3.2MP) and one for video calling.

As for the rest of the specs, the folks over @ Phandroid have been kind enough to post the English translations:

* Dimensions: 112 x 56.2 x 14.4 mm
* Weight: 135 grams
* Talk time: up to 480 minutes
* Standby time: up to 750 hours
* Networks: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS / HSDPA to 7.2mbps/GSM/GPRS
* Screen: TFT Touch Screen with 65,000 colors
* Camera: 5.0 megapixel
* Processor: Qualcomm MSM 7200A 528 MHz
* E-mail
* Internal Memory: 288 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
* Games
* Hands-free speakerphone
* HTML browser
* MP3 ringtones
* MP3 Player
* Polyphonic ringtones
* Integrated GPS receiver
* Video / Audio player
* Extensive calendar
* Vibra
* USB connection

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:28 pm

Study finds origins of prion disease gene

A University of Toronto-led team of scientists says it has determined the evolutionary origin of the prion gene. The researchers said the diseased prion proteins are responsible for the fatal neurodegenerative Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 12:14 pm

Fish Attracted To Ginger Gene

Image Caption: There may be plenty of fish in the sea but the medaka knows what it likes. A new study published in the open-access journal BMC Biology shows how a single gene mutation that turns Japanese Killifish a drab gray color renders them significantly less attractive to more colorful members of the opposite sex. Credit: Shoji Fukamachi et al BMC Biology 2009
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Sep 2009 | 11:56 am

T-Mobile 3G goes live in Columbia, South Carolina

Congrats, Columbia, South Carolina! Your town city is the proud new recipient of T-Mobile’s (slowly) expanding national 3G mobile service! Now your citizens have no excuse not to stream your own favorite son’s show, The Colbert Report, to their mobile devices. Or, you know, porn.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 11:41 am

Bacteria Engineered to Trace Faces, Images

Bacteria are engineered to trace outlines of famous faces and images.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 11:33 am

Pre-pre-sale: The Moto CLIQ pre-sale countdown begins

Boom! Looks like Moto CLIQ pamphlet that leaked out a few days ago was spot on.

The pamphlet claimed that pre-orders for Motorola’s first ‘Droid handset would begin on Oct. 19th – and sure enough, T-mobile just started the official countdown.

There isn’t much in terms of new information, but hey – at least now we know when we’ll be able to throw some money at T-mobile!

[Via TmoNews]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 11:04 am

LG’s commercial for the BL40 is a big pile of awesome.

Damn it, LG. We found comfort in chalking you up as that phone manufacturer who, though they managed to sell a bajillion phones each month, didn’t do anything awesome.

Then you went and made the BL40, a phone which has a soft-spot in our hearts for being absurdly long. (Really. If you get shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean, you could use one BL40 as a raft and another as a paddle.)

Then you went and started that insanely clever serial number campaign.

And now… now you’ve done this:

If you’ve spent the last 40 years wondering what the hell the Monolith was, now you know: it’s a big ass cell phone. You’ve redeemed yourselves to us, LG.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 10:34 am

This is the Samsung W880: It’s a phone with a 12-megapixel camera. Because why not?

And here I thought the megapixel race was over! Guess not, what with Samsung showing off, for the very first time, the SCH-W880, the world’s first cellphone with a 12-megapixel camera. Because how many times have you said to yourself, “Man, I want to take a photo of this unusual drink, but only have the iPhone’s rubbish camera”?

The odd thing is that the phone really does look like the typical digital camera on one side, and a standard issue touchscreen phone on the other side. Perhaps the word “odd” didn’t quite capture what I meant to convey, but it’s far too late now to make any corrections.

As for the specs: 3.3-inch AMOLED (!) display with an 800×480 resolution; 4GB of built-in storage; T-DMB (in the Korean version, at least—expect the international version to ship with Wi-Fi and GPS); and, of course, the built-in 12-megapixel camera, with 3x optical zoom and the ability to record 720p video. That’s a damn beefy phone.

Considering Samsung just announced this phone, don’t expect to see it in your neck of the woods anytime soon. Sorry.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 10:30 am

Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group announced

What do you get when you mix Nokia, Samsung, Silicon Image, Sony, and Toshiba together? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not NokSamSilSonTosh. Give up? The Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group, that’s what!

The newly announced Frankenstein alliance is working together (gasp!) to “create an industry standard for an audio/video interface to connect mobile phones or portable consumer electronics (CE) devices directly to high-definition televisions (HDTVs) and displays.”

Wait a second, here. You mean (some of) these companies have learned from the past (see: Blu-ray v. HD DVD)? Let’s hope so! With the never-ending barrage of new mobile phones and portable gadgets, a standard mobile HD interface should really benefit consumers, as well as these electronic juggernauts, by simplifying and improving the end-user experience.

We’re big fans of team work ’round these parts, especially when it comes in the form of an industry standard (read: 3.5mm) and results in some cable consolidation, just like the universal charger group effort. But, will this really happen? Probably. However, it’s generally a best practice to not believe stuff like this until we see it.

Here’s the rest of yesterday’s press release:

This new mobile connectivity standard, based on Silicon Image’s Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL™) technology, will be defined, promoted and marketed by the Working Group as an industry standard open to anyone desiring to be an adopter and enable the development of mobile products that adhere to this new standard across a broad connectivity ecosystem.

The Working Group’s vision for the next generation of mobile connectivity is to provide an easy and cost-effective implementation for manufacturers while offering consumers a simple and reliable mobile connectivity experience. A single-cable with a low pin count interface will be able to support up to 1080p high-definition (HD) digital video and HD audio in addition to delivering power to a portable device.

The Working Group is expected to organize a Consortium of founding members who will develop a mobile connectivity technology standard specification that governs transmission and reception of high-definition content between portable devices and display devices, to support connectivity in accordance with the new specification.

About Nokia Corporation

Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world’s leading maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and different ways – fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks. For more information, please visit http://www.nokia.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of two business units: Digital Media & Communications and Device Solutions. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

About Silicon Image, Inc.

Silicon Image, Inc. is a leading provider of semiconductor and intellectual property products for the secure distribution, presentation and storage of high-definition content. With a rich history of technology innovation that includes creating industry standards such as DVI and HDMI, the company’s solutions facilitate the use of digital content amongst consumer electronics, personal computer (PC) and storage devices, with the goal to securely deliver digital content anytime, anywhere and on any device. Founded in 1995, the company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with regional engineering and sales offices in China, Germany, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. For more information, please visit http://www.siliconimage.com.

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $79 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/.

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 730 companies, with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$67 billion. Visit Toshiba’s web site at http://www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the formation of the Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group, the development of a related specification, the establishment of a related industry standard and the anticipated features, functionality, performance, advantages and benefits of the new technology. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks associated with the claims made regarding the features, functionality, advantages and anticipated benefits and market adoption of the new technology, as well as those risks and uncertainties described from time to time in Silicon Image’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 10:20 am

Odd Rituals Surround Russian Space Flights

Russian space flights involve long-held rituals involving vodka, urination, music and movies.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 10:03 am

Garmin Nuvifone G60 launching with AT&T on October 4 - CNET News

MobileGuerilla.com

Garmin Nuvifone G60 launching with AT&T on October 4 CNET News After its introduction almost two years ago and after numerous delays, Garmin and AT&T announced on Tuesday the upcoming availability of the Garmin Nuvifone G60. The Nuvifone G60 will be sold in stores and online starting October 4 for ... AT&T Launching Location-Centric Garmin NuvifoneInformationWeek AT&T To Start Selling Garmin's G60 Nuvifone Next WeekChannelWeb AT&T to start selling Garmin nuvifone in OctoberThe Associated Press Reuters -Macworld -TopNews United States all 267 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Sep 2009 | 10:02 am

Heads-Up Display for iPhone-Toting Cyclists

If the future could be somehow wrangled from an abstract concept and transformed into a city, that city would of course be Tokyo. And riding the streets of that future-tropolis would be a cyclist wearing the iPhone ARider Bicycle Navigation System, a helmet mounted display that hooks into the iPhone.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:51 am

Surf's up Wednesday: Google Wave update

Starting Wednesday, September 30 we'll be sending out more than 100,000 invitations to preview Google Wave to:

• Developers who have been active in the developer preview we started back in June
• The first users who signed up and offered to give feedback on wave.google.com
• Select customers of Google Apps

We'll ask some of these early users to nominate people they know also to receive early invitations — Google Wave is a lot more useful if your friends, family and colleagues have it too. This, of course, will just be the beginning. If all goes well we will soon be inviting many more to try out Google Wave.

Some of you have asked what we mean by preview. This just means that Google Wave isn't quite ready for prime time. Not yet, anyway. Since first unveiling the project back in May, we've focused almost exclusively on scalability, stability, speed and usability. Yet, you will still experience the occasional downtime, a crash every now and then, part of the system being a bit sluggish and some of the user interface being, well, quirky.

There are also still key features of Google Wave that we have yet to fully implement. For example, you can't yet remove a participant from a wave or define groups of users, draft mode is still missing and you can't configure the permissions of users on a wave. We'll be rolling out these and other features as soon as they are ready — over the next few months.

Despite all this, we believe you will find that Google Wave has the potential for making you more productive when communicating and collaborating. Even when you're just having fun! We use it ourselves everyday for everything from planning pub crawls to sharing photos, managing release processes and debating features to writing design documents. In fact, we collaborated on this very blog post with several colleagues in Google Wave.

Speaking of ways you could potentially use Google Wave, we're intrigued by the many detailed ones people have taken the time to describe. To mention just a few: journalist Andy Ihnatko on producing his Chicago Sun-Times column, filmmaker Jonathan Poritsky on streamlining the movie-making process, scientist Cameron Neylon on academic papers and lab work, Alexander Dreiling and his SAP research team on collaborative business process modelling, and ZDNet's Dion Hincliffe on a host of enterprise use cases.

The Wave team's most fun day since May? We invited a group of students to come spend a day with us at Google's Sydney office. Among other things, we asked them to collaboratively write stories in Google Wave about an imaginary trip around the world. They had a ball! As did we... 



Finally, a big shoutout to the thousands of developers who have patiently taken part in our ongoing developer preview. It has been great fun to see the cool extensions already built or being planned and incredibly instructive to get their help planning the future of our APIs. To get a taste for what some of these creative developers have been working on, and to learn more about the ways we hope to make it even easier for developers to build new extensions, check out this post on our developer blog.

Happy waving!

Posted by Lars Rasmussen, Engineering Manager & Stephanie Hannon, Group Product Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:46 am

LG goes insane, wants to buy back their phones for 10 grand each

Okay – either LG accidentally plopped military secrets onto a handful of devices, or they’re looking to start a Golden-Ticket-esque hunt for their handsets. The Korean manufacturer has just offered up $10,000 to anybody who can bring them a handset with any of the following serial numbers:

• 802KPAE821224
• 803KPBF578597
• 803KPXV578330
• 803KPVH578503
• 803KPJP923836

It’s a fairly genius plan; whether or not anyone actually sets out to find these phones, it has people talking. LG has sold 21 million Chocolate phones – most of which have lived their lives and have been retired to a sock drawer or a trash bin – and they’re looking for 5 of them. Throw in the fact that these are global serial numbers, and it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except that there are 21 million other needles in there that you don’t want. If even one of the right handsets turns up, we’d be outright mindboggled – and LG will have gotten themselves one hell of an ad campaign for just $10,000.

Oh, and hey, Shady McCheaterson – put down the dremel. LG will be checking each unit thoroughly to ensure that no foul play has gone down, beginning with a photo check and ending with some time under the microscope at LG’s R&D center.

[LG via Giz]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:44 am

Hey look! Moto CLIQ box art! And new details!

Few things get a phone geek’s blood boiling like leaked box art for an upcoming handset. It’s like a strip tease where the dancer starts out wrapped in 10 layers of clothes, and you’re primarily interested in looking at the stitching of the fabric.

Leakdroid has managed to unearth the box for Motorola’s first stab at Android, the Moto CLIQ, along with a few new details:

• Comes with headphones, but no case
• There is some sort of remote management – GPS tracking, and a remote lockdown feature.
• No google apps
• Telenav GPS (monthly subscription)
• Visual Voicemail

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:15 am

WATCH: Swimming with Sharks

Discovery News' Kasey-Dee dives in to swim with sharks and explains how you can too.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:05 am

Home-Made Cargo Bike Is Cheap, Easy Rider

Want to trade your expensive car for a cheap bike in “These Troubled Economic Times”? Scared that you might not be able to make those monthly mega-mart runs and still carry home all that important junk food? Clearly a purpose-made cargo bike is out of the question, as it is a relatively expensive specialist machine. We have the answer: A hacked together cargo bike.

Flickr user Harvwoien took two old beaters and joined them together. The front bike is unmodified, other than the removal of the rear wheel. The rear bike has been more drastically chopped, and is now missing its down-tube. The end of the top-tube has been hammered flat and drilled and then bolted onto the back of the seat-post of the front bicycle, and its bottom-bracket bolted to the dropouts.

Lastly, an old derailleur has been used to guide the chain through the frankenframes, and a pair of wire baskets hung on the sides to carry cargo. Although rather scrappy, the solution is elegant in its simplicity, and while it doesn’t have the flat load-bed of some ready-made options, you do get the extra stability of a long wheelbase. Now, imagine this made with an old mixte or step-through frame, and the extra load-space it would give, and you have a rather splendid and cheap bike, ready for a shopping trip. Bonus: It’s so ugly, nobody would ever steal it.

Extra Bike [Flickr via Bike Hacks]

See Also:

• Bullitt Bike is Cool, Cargo-Carrying Cruiser
• Bucket Bike: 40 Gallon Cargo-Carrying Cycle
• Electra Delivery Bike is an Old-School Cargo-Carrier
• Euro-Style Cargo Bikes Made in America
• Photo: Incredible, Overloaded Cargo Bike

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am

Species Census Reveals Extinction Threat

A catalog of all known plants and animals finds that 10 percent of major species are at risk.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 9:00 am

Flipside Case Cloaks Chipped Credit Cards

We actually have a tinfoil-lined ten-gallon-hat here in the Gadget Lab office into which we toss items which prey on paranoia. You know the kind of thing: radiation-eating cellphone cases and “reports” on the dangers of Wi-Fi both feature heavily. And you might think that the Flipside wallet, a radio shield for credit cards, might end up in the Hat of Shame.

But sometimes the paranoia is justified, and when it comes to RFID, paranoia of Philip K. Dickian proportions is quite appropriate. You see, governments and credit card companies think it’s OK to store your sensitive information on these easily readable chips, at the same time sticking their heads into a huge pile of sand. The problem is that RFID is far from secure, and can be hacked and read easily from afar.

So, along with mesh Faraday cages for the newer, more “secure” passports, we’re actually pretty interested by the Flipside. The polypropylene clamshell case will hold seven cards (or six and a sentimental photograph), plus 15 US bills (other bills may need to be folded to fit). Inside the compartments are divided into a cash side and a card side. The cash side does without the aluminum shielding so you can keep a bus or toll pass in there and offer it to a chip-reader while the other cards remain safe. $40.

Product page [Flipside via Uncrate]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 8:18 am

Fungus Hitting Frogs Hard

A fungal infection eliminating rare species means strains on the food web and tourism.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 7:17 am

Meet Dell's New $2,000 Laptop

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:33 am

Prehistoric Shark Nursery Spawned Giants

The breeding ground of the world's largest, prehistoric predator is found.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 29 Sep 2009 | 6:17 am

A Heads-Up Map Display for iPhone-Using Bicyclists

If the future could be somehow wrangled from an abstract concept and transformed into a city, that city would of course be Tokyo. And riding the streets of that future-tropolis would be a cyclist wearing the iPhone ARider Bicycle Navigation System, a helmet mounted display that hooks into the iPhone.

Designed by future-mongers Ubiquitous Entertainment, the ARider consists of a mount on top of the helmet for an iPhone 3GS, which keeps the handset horizontal and lets the compass-guided maps swing freely. The iPhone is connected to a flip-out display which puts the map in front of the cyclist’s eye: a safe, always available HUD.

The display itself is an off-the-shelf unit from the Scalar Corporation, and is small and light enough to simply be Scotch-taped to the helmet. A wire runs video from the iPhone, but as the built-in Maps application offers no video-out signal, the folks at Ubiquitous Entertainment wrote their own application which sends video to the HMD (Helmet Mounted Display). The result is an always visible map that, although not very sharp or of high enough resolution to replace the iPhone’s screen, will give enough directional and distance information to guide the rider along city streets.

I’d love to try this, and maybe we’ll see a real product in the future: Ubiquitous Entertainment is no tiny garage-band of a company. It does business with the likes of NTT DoCoMo and Konami.

Product page [Zeptotools via Zikkir and Core77]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:55 am

Vodafone to Carry iPhone in UK and Ireland

UPDATE: Orange has also announced that the iPhone 3GS will be “coming soon” in the UK. No more details are given, but anyone interested can sign up for notifications. Could this be the beginning of universal carrier availability for the iPhone?

For cellphone and internet users, the UK is one of the best places in the world to live (unless you hate bad weather and overpriced, poor quality supermarket food, that is). Sheer volume of competition on the rainy isle means that service is good, speeds are crazy-fast and everything is cheap. My parents were here in Spain for the weekend and as my father moaned about his British Telecom internet connection, I wept on the inside (in a silent and manly way) with jealousy.

Now, it’s the turn of iPhone users, a group used to having what the Brits call “Hobson’s Choice” — in most markets the iPhone can be gotten from just one carrier. In the UK and Ireland, though, Vodafone will join current iPhone vendor O2 , doubtless driving prices down and already generous bandwidth limits up.

Vodafone will start to sell iPhones in early 2010, supplying both 3G and 3GS models. Prices and tariffs have not yet been announced. So enjoy your cheap and plentiful iPhone options, dad. And when you get a chance, could you ask mother where she left the gin? I can only seem to find empty bottles.

Product page [Vodafone UK. Thanks, Sarah!]

Product page [Vodafone Ireland]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 5:13 am

Pixel Bulb is Neither Pixels Nor Bulb

This is the Pixel Bulb, low-res cartoon light-bulb cut from “electroluminescent electronic paper”. It’s a wonderful wall-lamp design, and the large flat area should provide a soft, relaxing light.

The problem is that it has nothing to do with pixels. If a rough, uneven, jagged edge meant “pixels” then I would have wonderful, 8-bit finger and toe-nails fit for Mario World. But it doesn’t, and I will remain in smooth, analog meatspace as I bite my fingers down to the cuticles. Somebody needs to either teach the lamp’s designer, Marcus Tremonto, what a square looks like, or just show him how to use scissors. A shame.

New arrivals by Marcus Tremonto [Yatzer]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Sep 2009 | 4:49 am