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Developing countries must boost broadband: U.N. (Reuters)Reuters - Developing countries risk missing out on the benefits of information technology because of their lack of broadband infrastructure, a U.N. agency said.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Oct 2009 | 4:32 am Touchy-Feely: Finger-Baring Gloves Allow Winter Gadget Use
Etre Touchy gloves are designed to let you operate a modern touch screen device with your gloves on. However, instead of the high-tech approach of weaving some capacitive fibers into the fingertips, Touchy just lops them off. That’s right: they’re a fingered/fingerless glove hybrid - a mitten-mongrel, if you will, which leaves forefinger and thumb naked and proud. Yesterday I was reminded of the impending winter doom as Barcelona suffered one of its two rainy days of the year, the gray sky so low over the city that it felt like we had been boxed in Tupperware. And winter means gloves. But I’m not sure that Etre’s comparison chart is quite honest, claiming as it does that the Touchies “Keep your fingers warm and dry” whilst fingerless gloves do not. Perhaps the claim should be “keeps some fingers warm and dry”? If you do want to freeze off the most valuable appendages of your hands, then go ahead. The gloves can be had for £20, or around $33 a pair. Or, of course, pick up some regular gloves from the dime-store and dust off the scissors. Product page [Etre Touchy. Thanks, Dan!] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Oct 2009 | 4:10 am Are Game Publishers a Necessary Evil, Or Just Necessary?An editorial at GameSetWatch examines whether game publishers really deserve all the flak they get from gamers and developers alike. While some questionable decisions can certainly be laid at their feet, they're also responsible for making a lot of good game projects happen. Quoting: "The trouble comes when the money and the creativity appear to be at odds. ... Developers and publishers often have a curious relationship. The best analogy I can think of is that of parent and child. The publisher or parent thinks it knows best, because it's been there before (shipped more games), and because 'it's my money, so you'll live by my rules.' The developer — or child — is rebellious, and thinks it has all the answers. In many ways, it does know more than the parent, and is closer to what's innovative, but maybe hasn't figured out how to hone that energy yet"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Oct 2009 | 4:08 am Destroy All Photos: Lensbaby Fisheye and Soft Focus Lenses
Lensbaby is turning its range of selective focus blurry-cam lenses into a full-on budget FX system for SLRs. Today the company announced a new fisheye and a soft-focus plugin for the Lensbaby Composer or Muse, which both work by replacing the optical part with a new one. One slotted in, the Fisheye gives a 12mm bulge-o-rama with a 160º field of view (yes, your toes will be in every shot). The Soft-Focus Optic works by simply putting a metal plate with holes in it in front of a 50mm lens, and both new lenses work with Lensbaby’s aperture disks, which let you change the opening size by swapping in different sized disks. Neither lens twists to give the movable clear spot and blurred outline that is the Lensbaby trademark, but then, just how much destruction can a single image take? Available now: Fisheye $150, Soft-Focus $90. Product page [Lensbaby] See Also: 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:55 am Motorola Droid Specs Appear - Techtree.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:52 am CORRECTED-Mongolia lists 8 potential bidders for coal project(Corrects headline and first line to say eight bidders, not seven)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:52 am Global warming scepticism rising faster than temperatures - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:49 am To Revitalize iPhone App Sales, Get T-Mobile And Dana Carvey To Pimp A Copycat Android AppHere's a quirky story: Israeli iPhone app dev house ApParty released an app back in December 2008 called iFog (iTunes link). The premise being that the user selects a photo which then has a steam effect...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:43 am To Revitalize iPhone App Sales, Get T-Mobile And Dana Carvey To Pimp A Copycat Android App
Here’s a quirky story: Israeli iPhone app dev house ApParty released an app back in December 2008 called iFog (iTunes link). The premise being that the user selects a photo which then has a steam effect superimposed upon it. The steam can be wiped away by running a finger over the screen surface. Blowing on the iPhone microphone fogs the screen back up. Cute. Simple. And lucrative—it was bought 200,000 times for $0.99 a pop. As soon as it was released, iFog climbed the iPhone app charts, reaching the number one download spot in most European counties and even made it into the top 20 in the US version of the App Store. Since then—unsurprisingly—sales have flattened to a steady pace of about 250 per week. Until two weeks ago, where out of the blue iFog’s sales surged again and more than doubled. The two developers behind the app had no clue what the reason for this revitalization could possibly be. A couple of days ago, the mystery began to finally unravel. A friend of one of the developers who happens to live in Miami asked whether it was possible that she saw iFog on TV. Fat chance seeing as ‘Television Ads’ isn’t on any line in the company’s P&L. The friend was able to recall though that she saw the app in a new T-Mobile myTouch commercial (embedded below). Lo and behold, none other than Dana Carvey is seen with the same exact app, except it actually happens to be a knock-off made for Android. The ApParty guys added two and two together and realized that there was a spillover effect from the commercial, where iPhone owners that saw it rushed over to the App Store and found iFog. Go figure, huh?
The T-Mobile commercial featuring Dana Carvey: Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors 
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:43 am Intel assures Clearwire on investment info: report (Reuters)Reuters - Intel Corp assured Clearwire Corp it is closely guarding its investment information on the wireless-broadband company after an insider-trading scandal surfaced last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Clearwire chief executive Bill Morrow.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:33 am Intelligent Inboxes - Mozilla Raindrop is a Better Way to Filter Your Email (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) How often have you opened up your inbox, excited to see a lot of mail and expecting something interesting, only to find it's all newsletters and slightly interesting junk? The new Mozilla...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:30 am DIY Project Keeps Track Of Your TV RemoteBy Chris Scott Barr Have you ever lost your TV remote? Unless you’ve never owned such a contraption, I can almost bet you’ve answered "yes." Finally, through our great technological advances,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:21 am Geometric Modern Furniture - The Geo Side Table by West Elm is a Mathematician's Dream (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The Geo side table by West Elm looks more like a computer concept than actual home decor. Geometry geeks and number nerds will surely fall in love with this mathematical design. I know...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:20 am Mongolia lists 7 potential bidders for coal projectBEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Mongolia has shortlisted seven potential partners for its huge Tavan Tolgoi coking coal project, according to Temuulen Ganzorig, deputy director of Erdenes MGL, the Mongolian...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:11 am Nokia sues Apple over iPhone - ZDNet (blog)
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:11 am Full Circle In Sight As Inventor Of The World Wide Web Signs Up For TwitterSir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee, credited for inventing this little thing called the World Wide Web, has signed up for Twitter in a move that could potentially rip a hole in the time/space continuum...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:10 am Full Circle In Sight As Inventor Of The World Wide Web Signs Up For Twitter
The British computer scientist, engineer and MIT professor apparently got on Twitter yesterday just before he entered into a conversation with Tim O’Reilly on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit. The man uses Tweetie and thinks either the app or the Twitter website has a confusing user interface. Since Berners-Lee is also the Director of Web standards organization World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), that’s telling. (Hat tip to Tom Raftery) Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:10 am Retro Future Fears - Computopia Illustrations Show 60s Japan's Predictions of a Digital World (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Japan is often on the cutting edge of technology, so these comics from 1969 are a bit of a surprise. The Computopia illustrations were featured in the magazine Shonen Sunday, and each...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:10 am Amazon Lowers Price Of International Kindle, Drops US VersionBy Chris Scott Barr Are you tired of e-reader news yet? Well since I can’t hear anything other than the voice inside my head, I’m going to assume you’ve answered no. Well as a follow-up...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:06 am Apple Prepares to Rock the Market with Hardware Subsidizing Program [Voices]By Jack Purcher, Senior Patent Editor, MacNN The US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple (APPL) today that reveals various concepts behind a newly advanced service in development that entails subsidizing an incredible array of hardware from Apple. The hardware ranges from their sizzling hot iPhone to Apple TV – the set top box – to an actual television, notebook, iPod touch and more. The subsidization could also cover software from Apple or third party developers. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:03 am Announcing The HP Envy 15 Giveaway Winner!By David Ponce The only sad thing about giveaways is that for every winner there are 300 people that are upset they didn’t win. We’re sorry folks, but there is only one laptop to go around...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:03 am Asustek eyes market-beating unit growth in 2010TAIPEI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Netbook PC pioneer Asustek aims for its notebook PC shipments to grow faster than the overall industry in 2010, its CEO Jerry Shen said on Friday, with tech demand returning...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:02 am UPDATE 1-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitionsOct 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0900 GMT on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:00 am UPDATE 1-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitionsOct 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0900 GMT on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:00 am ChinaEdu Corporation to Present At the Third Annual Signal Hill Education Preview Investor ConferenceBEIJING, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- ChinaEdu Corporation (Nasdaq: CEDU) ("ChinaEdu" or "the Company"), a leading educational services ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:00 am Intel assures Clearwire on investment info - WSJOct 23 (Reuters) - Intel Corp assured Clearwire Corp it is closely guarding its investment information on the wireless-broadband company after an insider-trading scandal surfaced last week, the Wall...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:59 am Weighing the Pros and Cons of Stratospheric Geoengineering [Voices]By Jeremy Jacquot, Contributor, Ars Technica The ideas may sound like science fiction, but some researchers are seriously considering what it would take to shoot sun-reflecting aerosols into the atmosphere to counter climate change. Fleets of small jet aircraft could fly into the lower stratosphere several times a day and release sulfur gas to produce planet-cooling sulfate aerosols. Or giant balloons made out of plastic could be equipped with long hoses and used to pump sulfur gas upwards into the atmosphere. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:51 am UPDATE 1-France's Total finds oil offshore in AngolaPARIS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - French oil major Total has made an offshore oil discovery in Angola, the company said on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:51 am UPDATE 1-Merck takeover of Schering-Plough wins EU approvalBRUSSELS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co Inc's $41.1 billion takeover of smaller rival Schering-Plough Corp won approval from European Union antitrust regulators on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:44 am UPDATE 1-Merck takeover of Schering-Plough wins EU approvalBRUSSELS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co Inc's $41.1 billion takeover of smaller rival Schering-Plough Corp won approval from European Union antitrust regulators on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:44 am Mobile Phone Use Soars in Africa, unevenlySome interesting figures from a United Nations report on mobile phone growth in Africa, via Voice of America. -- In the five years between 2003 and 2008, the number of subscriptions in Africa grew by...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:42 am Open Microblogging Service Hires Former Creative Commons StrategistAn all-star team is forming at StatusNet, the open microblogging service for businesses and communities. The newest addition is Jon Phillips, former community and business development manager for Creative...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:42 am Dutch Gov't Has No Idea How To Delete Tapped CallsMcDutchie writes "The law in the Netherlands says that intercepted phone calls between attorneys and their clients must be destroyed. But the Dutch government has been keeping under wraps for years that no one has the foggiest clue how to delete them (Google translation). Now, an email (PDF) from the National Police Services Agency (KLPD) has surfaced, revealing that the working of the technology in question is a NetApp trade secret. The Dutch police are now trying to get their Israeli supplier Verint to tell them how to delete tapped calls and comply with the law. Meanwhile, attorneys in the Netherlands remain afraid to use their phones."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:41 am Sequoia Accidentally Reveals (Potentially Illegal?) E-Voting Code [Voices]By Michael Masnick, Editor, Techdirt For years, the big e-voting firms have refused to share their source code, repeatedly insisting all sorts of awful things would happen if the code was revealed. Of course, in the few instances where people actually did get access to the code, the only “awful things” that turned up were pretty massive security holes and weak programming. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:13 am Huawei Still Eyes Developed Markets From Outside (PC World)PC World - Chinese networking giant Huawei Technologies has struggled to break into developed markets for communications equipment, despite long-standing fear among the vendor's Western rivals that it could overtake their business, according to analysts.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:10 am The Real-World Boom in Online Cities [Voices]By Victor Keegan, Technology Columnist, The Guardian The internet has been evolving into three dimensions for years without most people noticing. The change has been confined to niche activities, even though some – such as World of Warcraft or Second Life – are big niches. Now there is a worldwide move to bring the 3D web to a mass market, led by the building of “virtual” cities where avatars can walk, shop, club or whatever with links to “real life” activities. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:08 am Microsoft Earnings Preview: Move on, Nothing to See Here [BoomTown]
Microsoft has had a high-profile week, between launching its new Windows 7 operating system and striking real-time feed deals with both Twitter and Facebook. But, Wall Street is not expecting quite as much excitement from the software giant’s first-quarter earnings, which will be announced before the markets open this morning. Both revenues and profits are expected to be down from the same period a year ago. Microsoft (MSFT) will hold a conference call on the results at 7:30 am, which BoomTown will be liveblogging–mostly to enjoy the lilting accent of CFO Chris Liddell. Analysts are expecting the company to report 32 cents a share on revenues of $12.4 billion. In the same period a year ago, Microsoft’s revenue was $15.1 billion on net income of 48 cents a share. Microsoft’s execs have been striking a tone of caution for several quarters, largely due to the fall-off in sales of personal computers in the wake of the econalypse. In the last quarter, the company’s income fell 30 percent, for example, and it missed revenue estimates by $1 billion. There have been no new products in the first quarter of any consequence, although Windows 7–which has been well-received so far–is likely to boost results in the months ahead. Office 2010 is also coming out in the first half of this fiscal year, which should also add to a better future performance. Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:03 am Google Founder: A "Shame" That Yahoo Abandoned Search [Voices]By Jessica Hodgson, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Google co-founder Sergey Brin said Thursday that he believes it’s a “shame” that Yahoo had decreased its focus on Internet search, through its recently announced partnership with Microsoft. Yahoo in July agreed to a pact with Microsoft that effectively sees the Sunnyvale, Calif., Internet company outsource search to Microsoft. Mr. Brin, who with Larry Page founded Google, said that, despite the company’s dominance of the Internet search-advertising market, he believes there is healthy competition. He’s disappointed, however, that Yahoo, for some time Google’s key competitor, is decreasing its work in that area. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:00 am Critical habitat in Alaska is proposed for polar bears - Los Angeles Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:47 am That Was Fun, But Now Nokia’s Looking To Sell Off Dopplr
Whoa. What? The deal was announced on September 24. It’s been less than a month. Not even eBay throws away acquisitions that quickly. According to our source, all Nokia really wanted from the acquisition was the team, particularly CEO Marko Ahtisaari (formerly a star Nokia guy) and CTO Matt Biddulph. Suddenly, Mike Butcher’s article about the deal on TechCrunch Europe makes a lot of sense. They may actually want to keep the mobile stuff, too, which will be useful for future Nokia products. But the main Dopplr site is now up for grabs, from what we hear. So if you’re in the market for a really nice travel social network, give Nokia a call. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:03 am Why Steve Jobs Could Be A Savior For Media Companies [Voices]By Arnon Mishkin, Partner, Mitchell Madison Group One of the most effective television ads for a media company was one that WINS, an all-news radio station in New York, ran several decades ago. It asked viewers if they knew how to set the [preset] “buttons” on their car radio, and then explained, “You pull out the middle button…tune to 1010 WINS…and then push the button all the way in.” In those days, all car radios had the same mechanical preset system. And since hardly anyone had ever read that part of the auto manual, a large number followed the advice in the ad. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:01 am Daily Crunch: Discovery Edition
Video of the Honda U3-X auto-unicycle
Source: CrunchGear | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:00 am Manned NASA trips at 'tipping point' on funds - Washington Post
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:55 am History In Video Games — a Closer Lookscruffybr writes "Whether it's World War 2, the American Wild West or ancient Greece, history has long provided a rich source of video game narrative. Historical fact has been painstakingly preserved in some games, yet distorted beyond all recognition in others. Whereas one game may be praised for its depiction of history, others have been lambasted for opening fresh wounds or glorifying tragic events of our near past. Games have utilized historical narrative extensively, but to what extent does the platform take liberties with, and perhaps misuse it?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:20 am Japanese university plans huge 'manga' library (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:11 am As Windows 7 launches, tech sector waits and hopes - Los Angeles Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:03 am Opera Mini Now Serving Over 500 Million Pageviews Per Day You hear that rumbling? That's the sound of mobile internet usage exploding.
Sometime tomorrow, Opera will be releasing a couple of interesting usage statistics for what is one of the most popular browsers in the world, Opera Mini. They were nice enough to fill us in on the details a bit early, and to give us a green light to share them with you tonight.
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:01 am Opera Mini Now Serving Over 500 Million Pageviews Per Day
Sometime tomorrow, Opera will be releasing a couple of interesting usage statistics for what is one of the (if not the number one) most popular browsers in the world, Opera Mini. They were nice enough to fill us in on the details a bit early, and to give us a green light to share them with you tonight. For those unfamiliar with the application, Opera Mini is a popular internet browser for mobile phones. Being that it’s written for J2ME, a very widespread Java platform, Opera Mini is compatible with a damn near absurd number of phones. Combining this compatibility with a rather impressive feature set and the fact that Opera Mini is completely free, the application has rocketed in popularity since launching in 2006. Here are tomorrow’s stats:
One thing that’s interesting to note here: the number of pages served is not proportional to the growth in active users. While the active user count has ticked up by around 68%, the number of pages served has rocketed upward by 233%; in other words, people are viewing significantly more pages on their handsets than ever before. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that mobile internet usage is growing rapidly, but it’s incredible to see by how much. Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Source: MobileCrunch | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:00 am Digital Open Winners: Australian Teen Crafts "Sneaky" Games
(Download MP4 video or Watch on YouTube, or view with subtitles on Dotsub). Institute for the Future teamed up with Sun Microsystems and Boing Boing Video to co-host the Digital Open, an online tech expo for teens 17 and under around the world. We're publishing an 8-part series of videos profiling the winners. Today, meet 16 year old Harry Lee of Melbourne Australia. He talks with us about his "Sneaky Card" game concept, which explores social interactions between people. He was inspired by ARG and indie projects like "Bite Me," by Gamelab, and Jane McGonigal's Top Secret Dance-Off, both of which we've covered previously on Boing Boing. "I love index cards," says Harry, "And I was thinking -- hmm, how can I incorporate them into a project?" So he designed and printed these game cards, and "spread the seeds of sneakiness and espionage" into the unsuspecting pockets, math books, binders and bags and jackets of his schoolmates. I tracked most of the cards and found, with much satisfaction, that a majority of them had been passed down at least three times. The most successful story is of the card passed from student to student three times before ending up in a math teacher's jacket. The teacher found it and gave it to another math teacher, who inserted it into a student's corrected test before giving it back to him. The card passed hands once again before I lost track of it.Below, some sample cards in Harry's game. (Link to PDF). More after the jump.
Previously:
 Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:44 pm Sheriff Still Thinks Craigslist Needs Some Policing - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:43 pm Fake car key is a spy video camera
Another fun spy gadget from Brando in Hong Kong: - The FAKE Keychain Car Key Lock with REAL Security Video Record, Photo Record and Sound Record! Fake car key is a spy video camera
Source: Gizmodo | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:40 pm Chinese Gov't Pushing Linux In Rural China With SubsidiesnerdyH writes "The Chinese government's 'Go Rural' program offers subsidies up to 13 percent for rural residents who purchase approved nettops or netbooks. The systems come with a version of Red Flag Linux built on the Moblin stack. Along with Internet access, the software is said to provide apps for crop and livestock management, farm production marketing, remote office access/automation, and even online tour and hotel booking systems. Of course, Windows dominates the China market, and if traditional patterns hold, about 30 percent of these subsidized systems could ultimately wind up re-installed with Windows."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pm The dangers of late night Internet
Cruising Craigslist usually brings up some interesting things. And this is definitely one of the most terrible and yet oddly funny posts I’ve seen in a while. When doing the Empire Strikes Back costume of Chewbacca, most people would just get a few C3PO parts and throw them over their back. One resident of Austin, Texas however, wants to take it the next step. This guy is looking for:
Hey, dude’s upfront about it. If you’ve always wanted to be everybody’s favorite protocol droid, but you’re missing a few appendages, this might be for you.
Source: CrunchGear | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:50 pm Australian public broadcaster releases Zombie Walk footage under Creative Commons Gary sez, "ABC News Online (Australia) is going to release footage (photos, video, audio, text) of Sunday's Brisbane Zombie Walk, under a CC license. Content will feature on ABC Pool, for users to create their own mashups/remixes etc. Not sure if this is an Australian first, but it's pretty rare for MSM to release content like this. ABC Pool is also seeking video/audio/text with a zombie theme, either real or imagined."
Project: The Dead Walk!
(Thanks, Gary!) Building a brain inside a supercomputer Blue Brain is an IBM computer built to simulate a human brain. It's powered by 2,000 microchips, each acting as a single neuron, that enable it to execute 22.8 trillion operations per second. Based at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the project launched in 2005 to much controversy and skepticism. Modeling the complexity of the brain in a computer is considered a holy grail to some, and hubris to others. The Blue Brain Project isn't an attempt to build an artificial intelligence, although it could someday inform such an effort. That's because the scientists are hoping to use the machine to understand physiology, brain chemistry, and even intelligence and consciousness. The project's stated goal? "To reverse engineer the brain." Here's Markam talking at TEDGlobal this year: Already though, Blue Brain has simualated the brain's neocortical column, containing 10,000 neurons and 30 million synaptic connection. "The column has been built and it runs," project director Henry Markram told Seed Magazine. "Now we just have to scale it up." In two years, Markram hopes to have modeled a complete rat brain that he will then load into a mobile robot. From SEED: When listening to Markram speculate, it's easy to forget that the Blue Brain simulation is still just a single circuit, confined within a silent supercomputer. The machine is not yet alive. And yet Markram can be persuasive when he talks about his future plans. His ambitions are grounded in concrete steps. Once the team is able to model a complete rat brain--that should happen in the next two years--Markram will download the simulation into a robotic rat, so that the brain has a body. He's already talking to a Japanese company about constructing the mechanical animal. "The only way to really know what the model is capable of is to give it legs," he says. "If the robotic rat just bumps into walls, then we've got a problem."Blue Brain Project (EPFL) "Out of the Blue" (Seed) 
Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:12 pm Infographic of Mars missions Editorial illustrator and data visualizer Bryan Christie created this fantastic graphic of Mars missions. Higher res at imgur. (via Laughing Squid) Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:10 pm Fake car key is a spy video camera
Another fun spy gadget from Brando in Hong Kong: - The FAKE Keychain Car Key Lock with REAL Security Video Record, Photo Record and Sound Record! Fake car key is a spy video camera
Consumers still flock to Amazon: income up 62 pct (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:06 pm Chamber of Commerces tries to Ralph Lauren the Yes MenRebecca from EFF sez, "The Yes Men prank -- they put out a press release and held a spoof news conference on Monday, claiming that the Chamber of Commerce had reversed its position and would stop lobbying against a climate bill currently in the Senate -- apparently hasn't embarrassed the Chamber of Commerce enough yet. Attorneys for the group have issued a takedown demand for the website connected to the prank, claiming copyright infringement. The demand ignores the parodic nature of the stunt (parody enjoys First Amendment protection) and may just serve to put the Yes Men's criticism in the news for one more day."EFF: Chamber of Commerce Takes Aim at Yes Men (Thanks, Rebecca!) Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 9:55 pm Junk Dunks: Nike Airs made out of consumer waste Gabriel Dishaw's "Junk Dunks" are sculptures of totemic Nike Airs made out of consumer garbage.
"Junk Dunk (Left)"
(Thanks, Gareth!) Interfictions online story-thinggums
Ellen Kushner sez, "The Interstitial Arts Foundation is presenting 8 new original online stories - er, pieces of interstitial writing, a new one each week for the 8 weeks leading up to the November 3 publication of our new anthology, _Interfictions 2_ . So far we've ranged from F. Brett Cox's 'Nylon Seam,' Brett's 'tribute to Bettie Page fandom'complete with soundtrack (vocals & guitar, F. Brett Cox) to Ron Pasquariello's 'Chipper Dialogues' - a man & his mutt converse in haiku. This week, it's Kelly Cogswell's story-and-poem combo, 'For the Love of Carrots' and 'The Luxembourg Gardener.' Check out the Annex Page for a complete list of stories and authors. Interstitial art is found in the interstices of recognized category and genre. "
Annex (Thanks, Ellen!)
Previously:
Source: Gizmodo | 22 Oct 2009 | 9:40 pm Collecting drug use data via cell phoneResearchers studying the situational use of malt liquor and marijuana are employing an automated cell-phone calling system to collect data. The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system calls you, well if you're involved in the study that is, and asks a series of questions about what you're up to at the moment and, I guess, whether you're stoned, drunk, or have immediate plans to be. Health behavior specialist R. Lorraine Collins at the University of Buffalo came up with the system after using PDA-based approaches to data-gathering that she says put too much responsibility on the study participant. I'd imagine that if you're really lit, you may not remember (or bother) to input the who, what, when, and where later on. From the University of Buffalo:(Collins) showed that, in what is known in the psychology research community as "ecological momentary assessment" (EMA) or "right here, right now" data collection, cell phones are more familiar to research participants and therefore training is easier; and that with IVR, data is stored instantly, removing any issues around the loss of information."Two New NIH grants Use Cell Phones to Collect Real-Time Data on Substance Use" (via Dose Nation) Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 9:15 pm Apple Ads' New Target: Windows 7 (See the Videos!) [BoomTown]
Here are the three new Apple (AAPL) commercials trying to take a smack on the launch of Windows 7 (MSFT), the new operating system software from Microsoft. The “Get a Mac” advertising features the PC and Mac guys, as usual, but are quite a bit meaner than usual. The first, titled “Broken Promises,” is a series of flashbacks to promises made about earlier Windows versions, complete with flip sunglasses. The second, “Teeter Tottering,” has a Windows user switching over to Mac instead of upgrading from Windows XP. “I could stick with what I know, but what I know is pain and frustration,” she says. Ouch! The third commercial, called “PC News,” has the PC guy as a television anchor, talking to a reporter at the Windows 7 launch, to disastrous results. Here are the new videos (and you can see all the Apple ads here): Source: All Things Digital | 22 Oct 2009 | 8:56 pm Microsoft launches Windows 7
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 BBC News | Web 2.0: Teens love Facebook and Apple, confused by Twitter VentureBeat The old fogies at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco today tried to figure out what those crazy kids are doing with technology by interviewing a group of five Bay Area teenagers. The session, moderated by former Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy, ... Social Search from Google and Bing: My 8 Big Concerns Microsoft Bing Takes Center Stage at Web 2.0 with Twitter Integration Bing & Google Rockin' Real-Time, Baby! |
Reuters - Top global cellphone maker Nokia Oyj on Thursday charged Apple Inc with infringing Nokia patents, accusing the iPhone maker of trying to hitch a "free-ride" on Nokia's technology investments.
I believe that headline contains what’s known as a gaggle of acronyms. TMOS (time-multiplexed optical shutter) is a new display technology that claims brighter, thinner, longer-lasting, higher-resolution displays. Hey! I hear you giggling out there. “Yeah, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.” Okay, so extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I’d say their pitch is somewhere short of extraordinary, but if there’s anything to the technology, it really may just be all that they say. The company and technology have been around for a while, but they’re actually approaching the market at this point and you might want to know something about it before you start seeing the name pop up all over.
The idea is that by taking out as many layers of the display as possible, you reduce light interference (increasing brightness), power draw (better battery life) and component number (allowing for more pixels per square unit). But what to strip out? Uni-Pixel, the people behind TMOS note that instead of having three dots per pixel (red, green, blue in varying intensity), you could just have one, but with the dot changing color so rapidly that your eye only perceives the aggregate color. I’m not going to get all neuroscience on you here, but allow me to just say that there are biological reasons both for and against this technology, which I’m sure Uni-Pixel is aware of.
Micro-mirrors would direct light from side-mounted LEDs, which sounds clumsy to me, but they say it’ll result in refresh rates far above current displays’. They would also be simpler to manufacture, more durable, and more flexible. Anyhow, the engineering challenges are serious, but they say they should be able to put one in a product in 2010. Guess we’ll just have to wait!
Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Computers, Netbooks
Today, as you probably already know, is the release of Windows 7. The day comes not only with the new OS, but with a number of new computers to go along with the release. One of the biggest features is that Windows 7, unlike Vista, works fairly well on netbooks, which means today there’s a few new netbooks being released. It only makes sense then, that the cellular networks would take advantage of it.
Verizon Wireless has announced that it is now carrying two new HP netbooks that are released today. The new netbooks are the HP Mini 311-1037NR and the HP Mini 110-1046NR. The Mini 110 is a standard netbook running Windows XP, while the Mini 311 runs Windows 7. The Mini 110 will sell for $199 and the Mini 311 will sell for $249, both after a $100 mail-in rebate. The extra $50 will get you an extra GB of RAM (The 311 has 2GB, compared to 1GB) in addition to the upgraded OS. The plans for both are the same as the current Verizon Wireless netbook plans, which is to say expensive.
It’s great to see that Verizon is supporting the new OS on day one so users don’t have to try to find a way to get 7 to work nicely with the network after upgrading. What would be nice, would be if Verizon lowered the price of the data. $60 a month for 5 GB of data is not a good deal at all. Plus, its locking users into the same netbook for two years. It might just make more sense to get a new Windows 7 netbook with a Sprint MiFi. There’s no usage caps, you can upgrade the netbook, and the data is usable by more than just the one device.
Read [PR Newswire]
AP - Netflix Inc. has been doing so well during the recession that it's getting tougher for the DVD-by-mail pioneer to live up to investors' lofty expectations.
A gauntlet of wildly cheering sales people dressed in brightly colored T-shirts, a sleek, white store, a simple but deceptively elegant design.
You will be excused for thinking this video below is from an Apple (AAPL) store. But, it is actually from the opening of a Microsoft (MSFT) Store in Scottsdale, Ariz., today.
It was the first retail outlet for the software giant to open, which will sell all kinds of hardware and software, with another debuting in Mission Viejo, Calif., next week.
It reminds me my favorite television show opening ditty:
Still, they’re cousins,
Identical cousins and you’ll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike.
You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.
Microsoft’s last foray into the retail space–a store called microsoftSF in San Francisco–was a failure and closed after two years in 2001, but this looks promising at least.
Here’s the video–done by someone who has clearly studied BoomTown’s shaky style carefully–which is on the Microsoft Store’s channel on Google (GOOG) video site YouTube.
Below it is a similar-looking video from the opening of an Apple store in Boston, Mass. last year (plus the genius opening of “The Patty Duke Show”):
One tiny detail that went largely unnoticed about the “nook”, the slick new e-book reader that Barnes and Noble just released: the nook’s operating system is based on Google’s Android OS. Hmmm… Why would B&N develop the nook based on Android? Well, Android is a sick platform for developers, and they absolutely love building on it. So why not open it up and let others develop for the nook? According a person close to the situation, that is in the plans for the nook, and it will soon be able to run apps.
Now, we don’t know if this will become a full-fledged Android device, where the nook would enable a user to download anything from the Android Marketplace. Chances are it’ll be more like a mini-Android marketplace, for apps built specifically for the nook. Either way, it would be a sweet addition to an already-impressive device. Imagine having crossword puzzles, interactive books, games and the like on your e-Reader. Unlike the Kindle’s closed platform, this would theoretically be more open and would provide developers and book publishers with a clever way to improve the interactivity of their books. Of course, the nook has to take off before this becomes likely so developers have a real incentive to build on the platform. Time will only tell, but for now, the e-book race just got even more interesting.
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 DailyTech | More signs Hulu subscription service is coming CNET News On Thursday came more signals from News Corp. that Hulu will charge for at least some of its films and TV shows. Chase Carey, News Corp.'s deputy chairman, suggested in comments he made at the OnScreen Media Summit that it's just a ... Very Bad News: Hulu May Start Charging for Online Content Next Year Hulu Likely To Start Charging For Content In 2010: Report Hulu to be subscription-based service |
Mozilla Labs, Mozilla’s innovation group, has developed a new open-source, experimental email and communication platform called Raindrop. Mozilla says that Raindrop was built to be focused on highlighting and breaking out personal conversations, making it easier for you to see all of your conversations in one client. It is designed to “bubble up” the important conversations from your messages
According to the site, Raindrop “is an effort that starts by trying to understand today’s web of conversations, and aims to design an interface that helps people get a handle on their digital world.” Still in prototype form, the platform is very young but it aims categorize messages and then separate the personal messages from bulk messages, so you know what to respond to vs. just noting a communication. So Raindrop will import all of your email, but break out your personalized email from your mailing list emails and will portray the personal emails higher on the page. Raindrop will also separate direct messages and @replies from your stream, acting like a Twitter client And you’ll be able to Tweet from the platform and pull in RSS feeds.
I briefly spoke with one of Raindrop’s lead engineer’s and the CEO of Mozilla Messaging, David Ascher, who told me that in the future iterations the platform should include all types of messaging, including IM, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube and basically, any communication with an open API. And according to the site, content with in communications, such as links from YouTube or Flickr should be shown near or as part of the message, rather than in a separate tab. Ascher said that Raindrop doesn’t really aim to replace your Gmail account but add to it with an intelligent way to understand your communications. The application works on Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
Mozilla also wants to developers to build applications off of Raindrop and is releasing its API to help users customize their communications experiences. The back-end of the platform is a non-relational database (CouchDB) which was optimized for massive web interactions. The front-end, says Ascher, uses high-powered JavaScript libraries, modern CSS to give your best browser with the platform. Ascher told me that Raindrop is still very, very early stage but the platform will continue to evolve with time.
It takes page from social media messaging aggregation services like FriendFeed but with a strong focus in filtering. It will be interesting to see what two-way interactions the platform will feature and what content it eventually will bring in. Because its a modern communication system, it could compete with open communications platform Google Wave.
If you’re confused, take a look at the video. It explains the purpose of Raindrop pretty well.
Raindrop UX Design and Demo from Mozilla Messaging on Vimeo.
Full disclosure: My husband works for the Mozilla Corp.
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It’s been a few hours since the Internet exploded over the Psystar Rebel_EFI bootloader and we tried it out on a few machines in the office and originally thought it failed. However, I let the boot screen run for a bit without touching the keyboard on an HP TouchSmart we had here and it suddenly dropped into the OS X install screen. A quick format using Disk Utility and I was, amazingly, in business. The touchscreen even worked!
UPDATE – Video after the jump.
The video is arguably pretty boring but it’s essentially proof of life.
First, download the software. MIRROR Burn the ISO to a CD ROM, boot it in the CD ROM drive, and select verbose in the set-up so you can watch it run. Just let it churn away and assume that it’s crashed if it takes longer than an hour to enter into the OS X install screen. We’ll report back on how our new Hackintosh(ii) run as we try this trick on multiple machines.
Here are the instructions again:
1. Download the Rebel EFI file, available here.
2. Burn the file to a CD.
3. Insert the Rebel EFI disc into your CD drive.
4. Start or restart your computer.
5. As computer boots up select, Boot Options or Boot Menu Key
**Boot Options or Boot Menu Key differ by motherboard manufacturer.
6. Select CD ROM
7. After CD loads press enter to run the CD
8. When prompted, Eject the CD and it will ask for the Snow Leopard DVD
9. Insert the Snow Leopard DVD
10. Select Main Language
11. Click Continue, if you want to continue with the installation of Snow Leopard.
12. Click Agree, if you agree.
13. Select the disk that you want to install Snow Leopard on.
a. If no disk shows, Click on Utilities on the tool bar, then select Disk Utilities.
b. On the left you should see your hard drive.
c. If not, a disk is not connected or cannot be read by your computer.
d. After selecting your hard drive click on Partition.
e. Under Volume Scheme, click current and select 1 partition.
f. Under Volume Information, name your hard drive.
g. Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
h. At the bottom of the window Click on the Options Button.
i. Select the GUID Partition Table
j. Click OK
k. Click Apply
l. Click Partition
m. Quit Disk Utilities
14. Select the disk that you want to install Snow Leopard on.
15. Click Install.
16. When Installation completes. restart the computer
17. As the computer starts up, insert the Rebel EFI CD
18. As computer boots up select Boot Options or Boot Menu Key
**Boot Options or Boot Menu Key differ by motherboard manufacturer.
19. Select CD ROM
20. Once CD loads you will see both the Hard Disk and the Rebel EFI CD
21. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Hard Drive
22. Press Enter to boot Hard drive.
23. Launch the Rebel EFI application from the CD.
24. Follow the on-screen authentication procedure.
25. Click Continue
26. Select your Keyboard
27. Click Continue
28. Select, Do not transfer my information now.
29. Click Continue
30. If, you have and Apple ID enter it now
31. If not, Click Continue
32. Enter your Registration Information
33. Click Continue
34. Create your Account Information
35. Click Continue
36. Select Time Zone
37. Click Continue
38. Click Done
Yesterday, Hoder's father wrote a letter to Iran's judiciary to appeal for his son's release. That letter was published on the website of Salaam, a reformist newspaper from Iran. (both items via Cyrus Farivar).
Source: Boing Boing | 22 Oct 2009 | 5:23 pm
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Sean Parker, a managing partner at Founder’s Fund, gave an interesting talk today at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. The key to it is simple: Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and eBay will dominate the web going forward. One company of note that won’t? Google.
Why? Parker believes we’re shifting from the first phase of the Internet, which was dominated by what he calls “information services” These are companies like Google and Yahoo. But next up to dominate the web will be the “network services” like Facebook and Twitter, he believes.
To be clear, he thinks Google will stay huge and relevant, but it’s dominance will go down because collecting data is less valuable than connecting people, he said.
He went on to talk a bit about the social networking space, which is significant because he helped found Facebook.
Parker noted that data portability is a red herring. Data portability is easily solved by converters and adapters, he said. Facebook has of course been criticized for being much more closed with regards to its data than many of the other social networks. In Parker’s view, it would seem that not only is this not a bad thing, but it will help them dominate, because it will force other users to join them. That’s something that I would bet a lot of people believe, but it’s interesting to hear someone like Parket be ballsy enough to say that.
He went on to say that Friendster was not a fad, it failed because of the failure to scale, not because of poor product execution. So how did MySpace fall? It was a “systematic product failure,” said Parker. And Facebook was smart to launch with the college campus networks. “College students didn’t have MySpace accounts, so we went for them,” Parker said. It was all about tightly spun networks at colleges, and that helped Facebook spread naturally and virally.
Parker also talked a bit about why it’s not always the best products that win. Craigslist, MySpace, AIM and eBay all were poorly designed or executed, yet they did well. This was because of their networks were strong enough to overcome their bad products, Parker said.
Also of note was that one of Parker’s slides talked about the few networks Google does own, like Orkut. That slide seemed to imply that Foursquare is owned by Google, which of course is not true. Google did buy Foursquare co-founder’s Dennis Crowley’s former location company, Dodgeball, but they have since killed it. So in Parker’s view, Google is actually weaker than he thinks.
Update: Parker has written to let us know that he did, in fact, mean Dodgeball rather than Foursquare.
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In Tokyo today, Sony unveiled a 3D display that can be viewed from any direction. No glasses required, and several users can see the 3D images simultaneously from various angles. Snip:
The cylindrical display case is 27 cm tall with a base of 13 cm in diameter, and features a 96 by 128-pixel resolution that looks better than might be expected. The screen displays 3D objects including a cartoon character, car, globe, and people. Sony created these objects either in 3D on a computer or by taking photographs of them from various angles. The result is that the objects appear to have depth, and can be viewed from any angle on the horizontal plane by walking around the display screen.Sony's keeping details under wraps, and hasn't explained how it works. We do know that it uses an LED light source, and that Sony claims it took about three years to develop the two demo models shown off today. The company has no immediate plans to commercialize the device, but a rep says they will develop versions with larger displays within the coming year.
More: physorg, Network World TV. (via @GreatDismal)
Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 Oct 2009 | 5:08 pm
Personalized ranking - Only have a 10-minute coffee break and want to see the best items first? All feeds now have a new sort option called "magic" that re-orders items in the feed based on your personal usage, and overall activity in Reader, instead of default chronological order. Click "Sort by magic" under the Folder Settings menu of your feed to switch to personalized ranking. Unlike the old "auto" ranking, this new ranking is personalized for you, and gets better with time as we learn what you like best — the more you "like" and "share" stuff, the better your magic sort will be. Give it a try on a high-volume feed folder or All items and see for yourself!
The goal of personalization at Google remains the same as ever: to help you find the best content on the web. We hope these new features help you do just that — go Explore for yourself.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
At the Web 2.0 Summit today in San Francisco AOL’s chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong took the stage for a discussion with Federated Media’s John Battelle. Armstrong, who was previously in charge of the Google ad group in America, took the AOL job in March as the company prepares the split from its parent, Time Warner.
The Armstrong talk can be summarized pretty easily: Content, content, content. Armstrong made it very clear that not only is AOL in the process of spinning off into its own public company, but that they are now going to be a content company. In fact, they’ve gone from 500 journalists to over 3,000 since he took over, he said. And that will keep growing.
The idea is to grow AOL’s unique visitors and then figure out the best way to monetize it. But again, growth, will be the key. He’s not sure if 2010 will see that significant growth, but after that, he expects they’ll be going in the right way.
Notably, Armstrong also hinted at some new technology that AOL has been working on for the past 3 months now. When pressed, he would not say what it is, but said that they will be talking about it at a later date. Mysterious.
Armstrong says he took the AOL job partially because it was a risk. And he noted that if you’re not working in the Internet industry to take risks, you shouldn’t be in it. “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough,” he said.
Below find the full Q&A (paraphrased):
JB: You and Sergey dress a bit differently.
TA: This is his tie (laughs).
JB: Why take the AOL CEO job? You had other options, like a sandy beach.
TA: I wasn’t thinking about leaving (Google) but the AOL thing came up. I’m a big believer that this is just the beginning for the Internet. AOL has a lot of things that people don’t realize. It’s undervalued. Google was a great experience, but I wanted to learn again. I have on this job in the first 6 months already. And the company was ready to change.
JB: Would you have taken the job if you knew you couldn’t spin it out from Time Warner?
TA: That’s not true. But it does make sense to spin it out.
JB: It hasn’t happened but it will right?
TA: Yeah that’s the intention.
JB: How does one do that? Take it public, private?
TA: If you own Time Warner stock, you will get a share of whatever AOL is. It’s like the Time Warner cable offering. So you can buy a share of AOL too soon.
JB: Is the company ready for that?
TA: Everyone has worked really hard. Still more work to do. We need to prepare to go public, so we have to do investor relations and taxes, etc. We’re in a good position, working towards it.
JB: How profitability and rev growth?
TA: Well that’s the tricky part. (laughs) The company is very profitable. Most of it is paid services, very small is from dial-up. We’re very focused in growing a large platform around content now. That’s the hard work to get down. The rev 2010 for us will see the content coming up.
JB: Lot of AOL brands now, TMZ, women’s brands, etc. Will this be more of that?
TA: We have some secret sauce that I can’t announce. But we’ve been working on something for 3 months that’s a big tech shift. I can talk about it later.
JB: Wait, tell me more. What tech?
TA: It’s a broader platform with more information about content, and around content. I can’t give you a better answer. We’ve gone from 500 journalists to over 3,000. We’re going to keep growing. Our content is 80% our own, we’re going to keep going. It’s all about taking content management serious. There’s an opportunity there.
JB: Will AOL start acquiring again?
TA: Yeah the AOL/Yahoo deal that almost happened really set us back. Now we’ve flipped it, we’re not living in fear. We will acquire other companies again. I’m not sure who yet. Our money is going to the product right now, period.
JB: Talk to me about Twitter, all we’ve heard the past few days. Do you want to integrate Twitter?
TA: Yeah we’re interested in bringing in stuff like that. We have lifestreaming now, we do see that as a part of our future. Brad Garlinghouse’s mandate is ‘how do we take messaging to the next level?’ I’m a bit fan of Twitter, they’ve made it impactful. We’d be happy to use it in some way.
JB: What about Bing?
TA: I think they did a good job with Bing. They’re getting worthy attention. I was surprised.
JB: Can content-bases strategies scale? Content businesses don’t seem to get all the love that tech companies do.
TA: I don’t know what our valuation will be but people in the media business look at Silicon Valley companies with envy. We have the opposite view. Let’s take some tech and be serious about it, around our content.
JB: But how do you scale?
TA: I can’t tell you that! (Yet) I’ll use the television example. When you see the TV channels, look at the depth of content with 300 channels. It could be better. The distribution has massively changed with the Internet.
JB: The deal with Google, let’s talk about that. Is Google going to get a new search deal with you?
TA: AOL is not in the search business. We’re not in a rush to get a new deal done. We’re patiently working to get something done. Google has been a great partner. Google has a leg up on the relationship side, but in my AOL hat I need to make sure we get the right deal.
JB: What about Yahoo not being a search company anymore, like what AOL did a while ago? Did you agree with Sergey that Yahoo should have stayed going it alone?
TA: No, but I wasn’t as concerned as he was about it. Yahoo had to do what it had to do. It’s a tough market. Did I think we’d be major search partners with Yahoo? No. Now they’re getting out.
JB: What are the metrics how you judge where you are now and down the road?
TA: When I got there, pageviews were the main metric. I still am looking at that, more uniques, etc. We need to get to new areas of innovation too. Looking at user interest, etc. It may be tough in 2010, but post 2010, how do we get shareholder value? I think it comes from consumer value. I want to see large growth. Then we’ll figure out how to monetize those.
JB: What are they now?
TA: 270 million globally, 100 million in the U.S. but we’re changing things (unique visitors). 2010 should start showing things, but we may drop a bit at first, then we should see growth after that.
Audience Q&A
Q: What’s the vision for Patch? And what about Yellowpage revenue?
TA: Patch is in about 10 towns, it’s being tested. We’re trying to digitize towns. But all that town’s information online. The vision is that this is a business, but this could be good for the world. This is a core area we can innovate in. We’re excited about that area.
I think in the future the Yellowpage business will be much, much better than it is today. A lot of companies out there are working on it. And Patch will help.
Q: Talk about email and ICQ.
TA: We’ve have: content, ads, and communications. What you’re talking about is the last bucket. People ask why isn’t AIM a billion dollar business? For us, that’s about the community.
Q: 500 to 3,000 journalists? Holy cow, how’d you do that?
TA: Mainly it’s been hiring and getting free-lance people on payroll. We have come up with a content strategy that fragmentation is our friend. We started to quickly add content when we see successful ideas. We’re doing over 3,000 pieces of content a day online, and much more than that soon. We’re also now doing 3-4 times the amount of video we were doing a few months ago. This is a way for us to build a community. We’ve been hiring big names from ESPN and WSJ. For journalism, you’re not just hiring the person, you’re hiring their community too.
Q: What about using new devices?
TA: There’s some interesting stuff from a device perspective. But we’re just thinking about the users now, no matter what they use. Mobile will be even more important in the future. I’m agnostic towards the devices though.
Q: So will mobile be it’s own interface?
TA: I don’t know.
JB: What about Google going into content?
TA: I know Google gets criticized a lot for going into new areas, but they keep ahead of the curves. They’re very good at that. It makes sense to test things, even if they don’t work out. It’s more than just sitting around the room and thinking about it. “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.” AOL used to take no risks, now we’re changing that.
Bebo is a great product, we’ve pulled it back out and are trying to do it as its own product again. Shame on us for trying to integrate it to all this other stuff. I came to AOL because it’s a risk. If you’re not ready for that, the Internet isn’t for you.
That’s a wrap.
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Oh God, even Napoleon is on Facebook!
Sid Meier—yes, the Sid Meier—just posted a note to Facebook announcing Civilization Network, which “will allow you to join together with your friends to create the world’s most powerful, richest, smartest, or just plain coolest civilization.” It will probably be huge, yes.
The game, which comes to Facebook sometime next year, is currently in development, and a closed beta will begin “soon.” Meier describes the game as having been borne from his desire to expose the Civilization world (what an odd phrase) to the “uniqueness” of social networks.
What that means, of course, is anyone’s guess. Details are pretty scare, as you can imagine.
One key point: it will be totally free to play, which ensures that it at least has the potential to go viral, which is all the rage these days.
Overheard at the Web 2.0 Summit: “A couple of months ago [MySpace CPO] Jason Hirschhorn held an executive meeting at MySpace. The only goal of the meeting was to figure out which products we’d kill off.”
And boy they sure have killed off a lot of products. CEO Owen Van Natta mentioned the execution of Classifieds, Jobs and Weather yesterday on stage.
We’ve confirmed that Books, Horoscopes, News, Calendars and Polls are also on the chopping block. A total of ten or so products will be flatlined when they’re done with the executions.
It’s clear that MySpace wants to juggle fewer balls. And products that don’t fit the “socialization of content” mantra had better sleep with one eye open. Hirschhorn is coming after them.
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Google co-founder Sergey Brin made a surprise appearance at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco today. He spoke briefly with John Battelle.
Of note, Brin said that he’s excited about Twitter’s success because it’s interesting for him to see entrepreneurs that succeed twice. Twitter co-founder Evan Williams first big break came when he sold Blogger to Google in 2003. It reaffirms the difference an good entrepreneur can make, Brin said.
When asked if he had anything to do with the Google/Twitter search deal yesterday, Brin said he was aware of it but wasn’t personally involved. He also noted that he hasn’t attempted to buy Twitter in the past, though it’s not clear if that just meant him or anyone at Google. He went on to say that Google talks to a lot of companies about partnerships and the idea to buy is always one of the options.
Battelle asked Brin to comment on whether Google would eventually make its own phone hardware. Brin said that was a better question for Andy Rubin (Google’s Android head) but noted that Google has worked closely with a number of phone makers since the G1 to closely tie the software to the hardware, which he believes is important.
Speaking of hardware, Brin said that is an area that keeps him up at night with excitement. He loves the pace of innovation and is always thinking about what Google can do with new and faster devices.
On Bing, Brin noted that he uses all the search engines (presumably to test them out against Google). He said that he thinks it’s good that Microsoft is bringing stronger competition in the market. He also expressed disappointment about Yahoo and Microsoft’s search deal. He wishes Yahoo would continue to go it alone.
Finally, someone asked him where Chrome for Mac is — a topic near and dear to our hearts. Brin says that he’s already using it, the unstable developer’s version. He said that it’s personally troublesome to him that it has taken this long to get it out. He wishes they could have launched it at the same time, and really wishes they had a beta out already.
Below find the Q&A (paraphrased):
JB: So you got to chat with Tim Armstrong. Do you miss him?
SB: Oh yeah it’s great to see him here. We miss him a lot. But it’s great for AOL to have a leader like him.
JB: So yesterday the Twitter deal, how did that go down?
SB: I was aware of it, but not personally. It’s exciting to see an entrepreneur be successful twice. Blogger was great, and I got to work with Ev for a while obviously. It reaffirmed the difference an entrepreneur can make. It’s nice to see him be successful. We have quite the alumni community, which is great for partnerships and trust.
JB: Did you try to buy Twitter.
SB: Um, I did not try to buy Twitter. But when companies approach us, we consider the opportunity to buy.
JB: We talked to Sheryl Sandberg yesterday, another alum. What’s Google’s response to Facebook and Twitter?
SB: I would dispute that Google dominates the economy of attention. From the beginning, it’s just about coming on and doing a search and find these other websites. The web has grown, but people don’t spend all the attention in the search box.
JB: But you can make money there.
SB: When we started, you couldn’t make any money there though. But we made a bet that this would be important. It took several years to make what is now something that’s very lucrative. There will be others that we don’t realize now.
JB: What about the push into premium display ads?
SB: I can’t forecast what it will be. But at a high level, the Internet as an ad platform is effecient. It’s a rising tide, rates will go up.
JB: Google has been criticized for doing too many thing. Boiling a lot of oceans, mobile, search, ads, etc. Can you succeed in all of them? Do you want to bat .350?
SB: I don’t know baseball, is that like 35%? I think we can do better than that.We we started Gmail, it was a pain to deal with email. There were client solutions, but none were that great. The web offerings were toys basically. With Android, we were trying to use other platforms, but they were closed, different, etc.
JB: Will their be a Google hardware device for Android?
SB: I’ll leave that for Andy Rubin. But we have been very involved. Ever since the G1. We want to work closely with a few at any time. You can’t make software totally divorced from the hardware.
JB: Do you like Bing? You a Bing users?
SB: I use all search engines out there. Bing reminds us that search is a competitive market. There’s Powerset that Microsoft bought. There’s Cuil. There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on. It’s a shame Yahoo is abdicating.
JB: They would say they’re not.
SB: Sorry that was my impression.
JB: Do you have a comment on Microsoft/Yahoo search deal?
SB: I shouldn’t comment on that. But Yahoo had some interesting things, they should stick with it.
Audience Q&A
Q: What keeps you up at night?
SB: There are things that keep me excited at night. Primarily hardware. Moore’s law still continuing is amazing. 8 core processors, 2 terabyte hard drives, it’s incredible. Fiber optics too. Google looks at what we can do with this new powerful technology that we couldn’t do before.
JB: What do you make of the recent complaints about Google not paying their fair share to places like the AP and Rupert Murdoch?
SB: I think they’re just tying Google with change. The world is changing, the business models are changing. They’re making a leap that we’re causing that or we’re stealing from them, I think. I don’t agree with the conclusion, but I hear the pain.
Q: Where’s Chrome For Mac?
SB: I am using it. Anyone can. You have to go to a page that says you shouldn’t use it, but you should. To be fair, it’s not as stable as I’d like it to be. The timing has been an issue. I’d be much happier if we launched at the same time or had a beta now. We are all suffering from this. I do use it a lot now, but it’s somewhat unreliable.
Q: Give a 2 years or 3 years out vision of what Google Books will be?
SB: Yeah thanks for that question. I’ve been surprised about the controversy there. We want to make books available on a huge scale. We overcame tech challenges. We had to overcome the legal dispute, which we’re working on. These books have great content, even if they’re 50 years old. People need to access them and we need to pay them for that, we know that. I’m surprised by the resistance. But I’m optimistic that we’ll be successful and that we’ll provide access to tens of millions of books.
That’s a wrap
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To call us a “car blog” would sorta be stretching the truth. Occasionally one of the guys—aka Matt Burns—will do a car story, yeah, but that's primarily because he thinks he's James May. I have no such illusions of grandeur; I'm just sitting at a desk typing things, and writing student loan checks… Before this gets any further off track, the news: Volkswagen has teamed up with the guys behind Real Racing, Firemint, Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Gadgets / Other, Green
Toshiba has announced the launch of a device using direct methanol fuel cell (“DMFC”) technology. Dubbed the Dynario, it’s a charger for small gadgets like cell phones, mp3 players and digital cameras and will go on sale today on Toshiba’s website. Methanol fuel cells produce electricity via a reaction between water, air, and methanol, with harmless byproducts like water vapor and carbon dioxide. This makes it a greener, cleaner energy source than traditional chargers and batteries.
Unfortunately this device comes with a steep price. The chargers will go for 29,800 yen (about $328 US). 50 milliliter bottles of methanol for refilling the charger will go for 3,150 yen (about $35 US)—one of these bottles will allow the Dynario to charge a cell phone twice. Right now, it seems like a tremendously impractical device and Toshiba seems to agree. They are only offering 3,000 for sale and will throw in 5 free bottles of methanol for all purchases made in the next month. That’s enough for 10 cell phone charges.
The Dynario makes Toshiba the first major consumer electronics maker to offer the new DMFC technology and they say the next step is to make devices with the fuel cells embedded. One has to wonder how much such cells would add to the price of the device and whether the price of the refills will come down to a reasonable level.
So far Toshiba has no plans to sell the Dynario here in the U.S. and claims to be working on a cell phone containing DMFCs for a Japanese carrier but has no estimated date of release.
Read [PCWorld]
Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
You can almost hear Steve Jobs flipping out right now. Psystar, notable for its efforts to sell generic PCs with Mac OS X pre-loaded, has just released something called Rebel EFI. It’s software that allows you to install Mac OS X on generic PCs without having to Hackintosh said PC. (Hackintoshing isn’t for the weak of heart!)
How does it work? I have no idea, but Matt (or someone, it’s chaos here today) is buying it right now and should have something up in a bit. (I don’t have any PCs here, I’m afraid.)
Nearest I can tell, you download and burn the ISO, it performs some sort of voodoo, then you insert the Mac OS X DVD and install like normal.
So if you’re even remotely interested in this I’d say to download it right now because Apple’s lawyers will be all over this within a matter of seconds. You can count on that.
Update: Psystar’s site is down but here are the installation instructions if you managed to grab the trial version in time. Anyone get it to work yet?
1. Download the Rebel EFI file, available here.
2. Burn the file to a CD.
3. Insert the Rebel EFI disc into your CD drive.
4. Start or restart your computer.
5. As computer boots up select, Boot Options or Boot Menu Key
**Boot Options or Boot Menu Key differ by motherboard manufacturer.
6. Select CD ROM
7. After CD loads press enter to run the CD
8. When prompted, Eject the CD and it will ask for the Snow Leopard DVD
9. Insert the Snow Leopard DVD
10. Select Main Language
11. Click Continue, if you want to continue with the installation of Snow Leopard.
12. Click Agree, if you agree.
13. Select the disk that you want to install Snow Leopard on.
a. If no disk shows, Click on Utilities on the tool bar, then select Disk Utilities.
b. On the left you should see your hard drive.
c. If not, a disk is not connected or cannot be read by your computer.
d. After selecting your hard drive click on Partition.
e. Under Volume Scheme, click current and select 1 partition.
f. Under Volume Information, name your hard drive.
g. Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
h. At the bottom of the window Click on the Options Button.
i. Select the GUID Partition Table
j. Click OK
k. Click Apply
l. Click Partition
m. Quit Disk Utilities
14. Select the disk that you want to install Snow Leopard on.
15. Click Install.
16. When Installation completes. restart the computer
17. As the computer starts up, insert the Rebel EFI CD
18. As computer boots up select Boot Options or Boot Menu Key
**Boot Options or Boot Menu Key differ by motherboard manufacturer.
19. Select CD ROM
20. Once CD loads you will see both the Hard Disk and the Rebel EFI CD
21. Use the arrow keys to highlight the Hard Drive
22. Press Enter to boot Hard drive.
23. Launch the Rebel EFI application from the CD.
24. Follow the on-screen authentication procedure.
25. Click Continue
26. Select your Keyboard
27. Click Continue
28. Select, Do not transfer my information now.
29. Click Continue
30. If, you have and Apple ID enter it now
31. If not, Click Continue
32. Enter your Registration Information
33. Click Continue
34. Create your Account Information
35. Click Continue
36. Select Time Zone
37. Click Continue
38. Click Done
Dennis LeRoy, 62, of Proctor, Minnesota, pled guilty to driving his tricked-out, motorized easy chair while drunk. After leaving a bar where he had at least eight beers, LeRoy smashed his chair into a parked car. The chair features a lawnmower engine, built-in stereo, headlights, and some sharp pinstriping.
"Man pleads guilty to DWI in motorized La-Z-Boy" (Thanks, Carlo Longino!)
That other blog that John writes for, WristWatchReview.com is having a little contest where you can win an Orient watch. Click on the link for the details, it's an easy win. the contest ends tonight, so it's probably best to hurry.
To call us a “car blog” would sorta be stretching the truth. Occasionally one of the guys—aka Matt Burns—will do a car story, yeah, but that’s primarily because he thinks he’s James May. I have no such illusions of grandeur; I’m just sitting at a desk typing things, and writing student loan checks… Before this gets any further off track, the news: Volkswagen has teamed up with the guys behind Real Racing, Firemint, to “launch” the new 2010 VW GTI. By downloading the app to your iPhone or iPod touch, you can drive around—for free, mind you—the car you wish you owned.
If you’re not familiar with Real Racing, here’s a 10-second review: it’s a racing game for the iPhone (and iPod touch) that has been very well received. Like, it’s currently sitting on 4.5 stars on the iTunes Store. That’s pretty much it.
So what Team VW did was hook up with Firemint, and now you can “test drive,” so to speak, the new GTI (full name: Volkswagen GTI MkVI) before your local car dealer has one. Or maybe you’re 15-years-old and can’t drive yet? Whatever the case may be, friends.
Incidentally, every time you play the game you’re automatically entered into a contest to win one of six special edition cars. So that’s neat.
Time for some good-natured cynicism: right now the iPhone is still cool (how long will that last, by the way?), so it’s still OK for companies to do what VW did, create an App that popularizes their product or whatever. I just wonder how long these types of campaigns will be effective before people decide they’re lame.
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Amazon may have sold over a million Kindles and millions of e-books, but there’s another e-book reader that seems to be gaining some traction: the iPhone. And of the many e-book readers on the iPhone, ScrollMotion seems to be having real success with over 2,500 titles and counting. When we last wrote about ScrollMotion’s launch in December 2008, the App Store was a young lad and ScrollMotion had already signed up publishers Random House, Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin, Penguin Group USA and Hachette. Now, with the App Store all grown up, ScrollMotion has expanded that repertoire and created a solid offering on the iPhone. Though they won’t disclose the actual sales numbers, CEO John Lema tells me they’ve sold more than a whopping 200,000 books on the store. Wowza – who ever said that screen was too small for reading?
Today, ScrollMotion releases Iceberg Reader [iTunes link], an update to their existing e-book reader that takes advantage of Apple’s in-app purchase feature. Previously, each of ScrollMotion’s e-books came as a separate app, which means that ScrollMotion has over 2,500 apps on the store [iTunes link]. Now, instead of having to get a separate app for each book, users can simply obtain Iceberg Reader 3.0 for free and then use the in-app bookstore to purchase additional titles. Iceberg Reader comes with a free copy of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride.
I’ve had the chance to test this app out over the last few days and it’s extremely well-done. The app allows you to write notes or place bookmarks in certain sections as well as browse the book through a table of contents or by selecting a specific page number. You can search the text of the book as well. The in-app store has tons of options and is divided into 32 categories including bestsellers, self-help, teen fiction, travel and history. The only complaint I have is that it was a bit difficult to figure out how to get to the table of contents and to the in-app store when you first open the app.
I’ll also add that the reading experience is better than Kindle for the iPhone. Specifically, the pages are much easier on the eyes because they have an off-white background instead of the Kindle’s pure white. The text was a lot more authentic, which is in line with what Lema told me is the goal of the company: to keep the reading experience the same as a real book. Obviously, the iPhone’s screen prevents that from becoming a reality, but the Iceberg Reader comes as close to paper as possible.
Many of us already read news on the iPhone, so reading books is not too much of a stretch. Granted, there are tons of dedicated e-book readers already on the market, but I don’t know that I want to walk around with a bulky Kindle, Nook or IREX when I’m on the go. For people like me, buying a book or two on the iPhone might make sense, though I can’t imagine having a large collection on my iPhone.
That said, Amazon and Barnes and Noble both have apps on the store, and the big issue for ScrollMotion is that their books often cost more than in the Kindle store. For example, Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama costs $14.99 via ScrollMotion’s Iceberg Reader [iTunes link], but only $9.99 on the Kindle Store. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers costs $9.99 on the Kindle Store, but a startling $19.99 on the Iceberg Reader. However, most non-bestsellers show no significant difference in price, so don’t expect the trend to continue when you try to buy books that aren’t as famous.
It seems like two major influences are causing the price difference. First, I have to assume that Amazon’s booming business affords it the ability to discount their books a lot more than a small publisher like ScrollMotion. Amazon’s sheer size and power is probably showing its face here; because they make money on selling the Kindle, they can sell premiere books such as New York Times Bestsellers at a loss. Just like Wal-Mart, Amazon is using “loss-leaders” to draw folks into their platform. Second, the Iceberg Reader’s in-app purchase still uses the iTunes store’s billing and payment system, which means Apple gets a 30% cut of the sales. The Kindle app, on the other hand, is free and you buy books directly from the Kindle Store. I assume that means they don’t give Apple anything. Bet Apple doesn’t like that too much. They’ve definitely shown their love for ScrollMotion, and may be their biggest advocate. They’ve featured ScrollMotion apps multiple times on the App Store, which can significantly improve app sales.
But despite the difficulties of taking on Amazon, ScrollMotion has sold over 200,000 books and that’s nothing to scoff at. Remember that most books are upwards of $10, which means they’ve sold almost $1 million worth of books. Add that to the fact that ScrollMotion has deals to create iPhone apps for People, Esquire, ESPN The Magazine, and Bon Appetit, and ScrollMotion is quietly running a successful indie publishing business on the iPhone. As ScrollMotion’s CEO puts it, “ScrollMotion’s goal is to allow people to read books wherever they are without destroying the experience.”
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Microsoft’s loyal customers are finally getting the operating system they deserve with Windows 7, and it was well worth the wait.
First, to provide full disclosure (as critics have requested in our previous Windows 7 write-ups) yes, I am indeed a Mac user. But until heading to college, I grew up on a steady diet of Windows. (I made the switch after a system crash that resulted in the loss of an enormous school project.) With that said, Windows 7 thoroughly wowed me, dissolving the grudge I’ve held against Microsoft for many years.
The latest OS from Microsoft delivers a truly next-generation interface that will transform the way we use our computers, while addressing a number of nagging issues that have turned off Windows users in the past. The Windows team deserves a round of applause.
The best decision Microsoft made this time around was listening to its customers. The company crowdsourced feedback and distributed a free Windows 7 beta to Microsoft enthusiasts back in January. The result is an OS designed to beautify PCs both old and new, while retaining many of the features Microsoft fans have adored about Windows and removing many major annoyances.
Read the rest of Wired’s Windows 7 review on the Wired.com Product Reviews site.
See Also:
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I’m a big fan of WordPress, be it their free blogging service (WordPress.com) or their free blogging platform (WordPress.org). Heck, the entire TechCrunch Network and my personal blog run on the stuff.
As of yesterday, two mobile themes, a modification of WPtouch and an updated version of the WordPress Mobile Edition (both shown above), became the default for mobile visitors (depending on their device type) to WP.com blogs.
When readers visit a WP.com blog from a “modern [mobile] web browser” (i.e. with a iPhone / Android device), they will now “get easy access to posts, pages, and archives” along with “fancy AJAX commenting and post loading.” Visitors accessing WP.com sites with other/older mobile phones will be greeted by the WordPress Mobile Edition, which aims to load the site quickly and in a mobile-friendly format.
Oh, and for anyone who does not want these themes activated by default (what’s wrong with you?!), simply log-in to your WP.com account, go to Appearance > Extras in the Dashboard, and uncheck ‘Display a mobile theme when this blog is viewed with a mobile browser.’
[via The Next Web Appetite]
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Like Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, a new dual-screen device has two faces to match its double identity: It promises to be an electronic book reader and a netbook at the same time.
The Wi-Fi enabled device, called eDGe, will fold like a book and can be used as an e-reader. It will also serve as a digital notepad you can use to write notes or highlight text, send e-mails and instant messages, browse the internet and run apps, say the device’s creators. Under the hood, eDGe will be powered by Google’s Android operating system.
The left half of the eDGe will have a 9.7-inch E Ink e-paper display. Users will be able to read e-books in PDF and EPUB format and take notes or draw diagrams using a stylus. The right side of the device is a 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen that can be used to check e-mail and surf the web.
The $490 eDGe won’t be available until February, 2010, says its creator, Entourage Systems, a startup based in McLean, Virginia. But the company is taking pre-orders for the device.
Currently, e-book readers and netbooks are among the fastest-growing categories in consumer electronics. Not surprisingly, companies are trying to find ways to meld the two. Netbooks pioneer Asus, for instance, is also working on a dual-screen e-reader. Asus showed a prototype of the device at the CeBIT trade show in March and plans to unveil it at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Asus’ e-reader will likely have two color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls.
The eDGe will have an ARM processor, 4 GB storage, an SD card slot and 2 USB ports. Weighing about 2.5 pounds, eDGe’s dual screens will work together, the company says. That means a user will be able to highlight a word from the e-paper screen and drag it to a browser on the LCD screen in order to do a Google search on it. (See a list of eDGe’s specs.)
As with many hybrid devices, eDGe runs the risk of not being good enough as either an e-book reader or as a netbook. Also, eDGe doesn’t have the kind of integrated access to an e-bookstore that companies such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble can offer with their e-readers. However, because eDGe uses the EPUB format, its customers can access the 1 million free, public-domain books digitized by Google. Getting the latest Dan Brown bestseller may be more difficult.
Still, the eDGe packs in some appealing extras. The device will come with a text-to-speech function and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. It will offer about 16 hours of battery life in e-reader mode and up to 6 hours when running the LCD screen, says Entourage Systems.
See Also:
Photo: eDGe/ Entourage Systems
So there you are, cruising down the road in your new Honda Civic. The sun’s beating down on the arm you’ve got casually hanging out the window, the wind riding up your sleeve. Then that damn song starts blasting out of your iPhone again — you know, the one that you’ve heard 53 times on the radio this week. “No more!”, you think to yourself, “I refuse to listen to this song again. Now, where’s that ‘Next Song’ button?” You jam your finger around aimlessly, searching for an impalpable beacon in the sea of glass that is the iPhone touchscreen. Frustrated, you glance down at the device – and BAM! You just hit a bus full of orphans.
If only you had Faceplant’s EasyPlay! EasyPlay for the iPhone and iPod Touch wants to save buses full of orphans by enabling full iPod playback control via no-sight-needed gestures.
The concept is incredibly simple – so much, in fact, that it’s somewhat amazing that Apple didn’t incorporate this into the iPod to begin with.
First, you pick the songs you want to hear while you drive – sort of like an on-the-fly playlist. You can add individual songs, entire albums, your entire catalog, or pick from your pre-made playlists without much effort. Once your playlist is all queued up, you use gestures you’re already accustomed to from other applications to control playback without having to take your eyes off the road. Next song? Swipe right-to-left across the screen. Previous song? Swipe left-to-right. Volume control? Swipe up or down. Like we said – incredibly simple.
As a bit of a bonus feature, it can also track down and display Album Art for songs in your collection that otherwise don’t have it. It’s not going to find art for that crazy obscure local band who you figured you’d support because they kind of sucked and no one was buying their CD, but it has a pretty decent hit rate.
At $1.99, it may seem a little bit pricey for a single purpose app – but it’s a whole lot cheaper than getting your front end fixed after you drift into an embankment. (Disclaimer: Gestures or not, distractions are distractions. Keep your eyes on the road)
What we like:
What we don’t:
If you drive a lot and don’t have a hands-off means of controlling playback (such as steering wheel controls), EasyPlay is a good alternative. Two bucks is a bargain if it means you can still jam out without taking your eyes off the road. Find it in the App Store here. [iTunes Link]
(Fun Trivia: EasyPlay was made by Charles Ying, who just-so-happens to have been the winner of Samsung’s TouchWiz Widget competition a few months back. If anyone’s looking to acquire some mobile dev talent, he seems like a pretty multi-faceted dude.)
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Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Video, Accessories, HDTV, Portable Video, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Gaming, Accessories
Another day, another video eyewear announcement, right? Wrong. Down at the very bottom of the release announcing the shipping of the Vuzix Wrap 310 is something about 3D compatibility; this gadget is compatible with the major 3D formats. That got me thinking: with all the push from studios and home entertainment to 3D, maybe this revolution will skip the TV.
My biggest problem with 3D is getting around the glasses: to get 3D today, you’ve got to wear glasses. So, why not have glasses with screens inside them; turn a requirement into something better by adding super big, super clear images (Vuzix says their Wrap 310 has the equivalent of a 55 inch screen at 10 feet)? If the wave of the future is 3D, then Vuzix might just have their timing down.
The Vuzix Wrap is available starting today for $245.95 and they do look very similar to a pair of sunglasses (scoring much lower on the dork factor, thankfully). These shades offer regular video viewing like other video eyewear. Besides being upgradeable, input accessories are coming:
“The Wrap 310 also brings advanced features to the video eyewear category that no product has. With capabilities to add tracking and cameras that enable augmented reality and incredible gaming experiences; there is nothing like it on the market” added Vuzix CEO, Paul Travers.
So now we are talking about augmented reality and potentially live video input along with 3D capabilities. So many issues just became solved that video eyewear could become the LCD Flat panel of the next decade. Imagine sharing #D-immersive content with family, each in their own video eyewear in what used to be called your TV room.
This is going to be a pair of video eyewear to watch and the pair to grab if you are in the market.
Product page: [Vuzix]
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Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Want an iPhone but don’t want to put up with an on-screen keyboard? Are you also kind of fuzzy on the whole “what is a real iPhone” thing? Do you also have $149 to spend? Well, you’re in luck because China as the answer.
This quad-band phone includes a small removable keyboard as well as these exciting features:
Attachable QWERTY keyboard, accelerometer for rotating screen from landscape to widescreen (internet rotation, messaging rotation, wall paper switch, FM channel switch, TV channel switch, call silent, motion gaming) Java 2.0, TV, eBuddy + Opera mini browser preinstalled, wifi, FM radio with recording,
Java! TV! Radio! All this and more could be yours if you send in your money today. It has a card slot for expansion and includes 70MB of onboard memory.
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FROM GAMERTELL - If you’ve been saving your games on a non-Microsoft memory card and you’re an Xbox Live member, the newest update is going to lock you out.
MORE »
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
It’s only slightly bigger than the smallest of compact cameras — and fits nicely in a jeans pocket — but Canon’s S90 is packed with features that will make serious photographers sit up and take notice. First of all, there’s that lens: 28-105mm equivalent (about 3.7x zoom), but with an impressively wide maximum aperture of f2.0. Oh yes: We like that.
We also like the retro-ish control ring around the barrel of the lens. You can assign whatever function you want to this ring, be that exposure compensation, ISO equivalent, aperture, focus, zoom… and with a second configurable control on the back, you’ll soon be dialing up whatever kinds of shots you want, just like you can on a decent SLR.
Read Wired’s review of the Canon S90 by Mark McClusky, and let us know what you think of this camera.
Sometime yesterday, the one and only United States Postal Service launched a mobile-friendly website – m.USPS.com – for any web-enabled mobile device. Hooray!
The new mobile site sports the USPS’ most “popular [online] functions” including Track & Confirm, Post Office locator, and everyone’s favorite application (according to the USPS itself), ZIP Code lookup.
So why go mobile, USPS? “Our new mobile capability makes USPS services even more convenient for our customers,” said Robert Bernstock, president, Mailing and Shipping Services. Oh right, convenience! Something that seems to be waning in real-world USPS Post Offices. Have you tried to send a package from a Post Office lately? My last few experiences were just plain awful. Long waits and very little convenience were involved.
But anyways, the fun doesn’t stop here, kids! The USPS “is also designing applications for ’smartphones’ and other mobile devices like the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry and iPod Touch which take advantage of additional capabilities, such as GPS.” Now, if only we could track our actual mailman with an app…that’d be something.
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Section: Communications, Mobile
Cellufun, a host of one of the largest communities for mobile gaming, has announced the inclusion of a series of Halloween games and activities, called Hallofun. Using your cell phone, you can decorate your Cellfun homepage, dress up your avatar and trick or treating on your friends’ pages. Additional activities include a costume contest, haunted hayride and bonfire building. They are also relaunching their popular Captives of Witch Hall game.
The costumes are available for free as well as for a small fee ($2 to $4). Some examples you can choose from are Betty Boop, French maid, astronaut, alien, robot and ghost. You can also add Halloween themed pet friends, including pet dragons and pet bat.
Hallofun is available to subscribers with a data plan through their mobile phone and can be downloaded from the mobile Cellufun website: m.Cellufun.com. To start playing, you need to set up a free profile by giving your mobile phone number, email address, screen name and password.
Site: [Cellufun]
Full Story » | Written by Heather Wood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Section: Computers, Software / Applications, Gadgets / Other, ebooks
With the ebook reader market getting bigger and bigger, Amazon is trying to keep relevant. You could access Kindle books on your Kindle and on the iPhone app—now there is the Kindle reader for Windows so you can read on your laptop. Sure a computer screen is usually hardly optimal for long reading periods, but having the option to read your books on multiple machines may be of interest to some. Maybe this kind of thing will help out the new tablet PCs that are coming out. With Windows 7, the Kindle reader can zoom in and out using the pinch gesture. Turning pages can be done using a finger swipe.
Right now you can head over to the Kindle for PC site and sign up for a notification when the software is available. It’s a free download that will be available next month and it will be compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP.
Notification Site: [Amazon]
Full Story » | Written by Iyaz Akhtar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Nokia has filed a compaint against Apple for infringing on its GSM, UMTS, and WiFi "standards," which is as absolutely vague as it sounds. While Nokia states that forty vendors have licensed its patents in these areas there is no mention of the specific instances of infringement and, given that GSM, UMTS, and WiFi are the defacto standards for GSM-based phones across the board it's hard to tell what Nokia's real problem is here.
"Celebrate the launch of Windows 7 by illegally downloading your very own copy!" Video link. (Funny or Die, thanks, @serafinowicz)
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks
In what can only be seen as a move to compete with the Barnes & Noble Nook, especially considering the international edition Kindle was only announced less than a month ago—Amazon has made some changes to the current Kindle lineup.
Good news! Due to strong customer demand for our newest Kindle with U.S. and international wireless, we are consolidating our family of 6” Kindles. As part of this consolidation, we are lowering the price of the Kindle you just purchased from $279 down to $259. You don’t need to do anything to get the lower price—we are automatically issuing you a $20 refund. This refund should be processed in the next few days and will appear as a credit on your next billing statement.
It seems that they have consolidated the Kindle lineup, well in short they have ditched the $259 US only version in favor of the US and International version. The good news here is that Amazon has also lowered the price on that model from the original $279 down to $259. In other words it is now priced the same as the Nook.
In addition, anyone who has purchased the US and International version for the original $279 price tag will be getting a $20 refund. And the better news here is that refund will be automatic. According to Amazon, anyone that falls into that category should see the refund come in the “next few days.”
Personally, I am still sporting the original Kindle, but have been dreaming about the Nook since it was announced the other day. I am thinking a trip to a local Barnes & Noble may be in order. But that said, I will most keep my original Kindle until either Barnes & Noble or Amazon release an ebook reader for Android.
Product [Amazon] Via [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Apple 30-inch Cinema Display: $1,800. Apple iMac, with 27-inch display: $1,700. If you’re having trouble with those numbers, it means that if you can give up just three diagonal inches (and remember, it’s not the size but what you do with it that counts) then you can save $100, and Apple will effectively throw in a free computer.
It’s true that the Cinema Display is slightly more cinematic, with a vertical pixel count of 1,600 versus the iMac’s 1,440, but both have the same horizontal resolution of 2,560 pixels, which means you don’t get to fit much more on the bigger monitor.
Add to this the iMac’s killer feature: The screen can be used as a display for another computer using an optional DisplayPort adapter (DisplayPort is a two-way interface). This means that, a few years down the line when you have convinced yourself your computer is too slow, you’ll still have a great TV.
And make no mistake. From the splash page featuring the Star Trek graphic above to the VESA-compatible mount to the heavy emphasis on contrast ratios and viewing angle show you that Apple wants you to toss your telly and put this in the living room instead. The new iMac, it seems, is also the new Apple TV.
Product page [Apple]
If you bike a lot, and especially if you bike a lot away from home or city, you need to carry a tool-kit. Luckily, you can repair any fairly modern bike with a toolkit small enough to fit into a tool-roll, saddle bag or even a repurposed pencil-case.
I have put together the perfect kit (for me, at least) over the last few months as I spend more time out on the road, but the one thing I could not find was a 15mm box-wrench small enough to fit in the bag. Finally I caved and ordered a Surly Jethro Tule from the UK. It cost too much, but it has the great advantage of incorporating a beer-bottle opener Here’s the kit:
You see the Jethro Tule (a great name, by the way), a Topeak multi-tool, a tiny Wrench Force mini-pump (which works very well, considering the size), a patch-kit in a section of inner-tube and a spare section of chain (five half-links). It all lives inside a Brooks D-Shaped Tool Bag, which comes in two parts meaning you can quickly remove the inner, zippered section from the seat.
With this kit I can fix pretty much anything short of the headset or bottom-bracket, including chain repair. The Jethro Tule is one of many 15mm wrenches aimed at fixed-gear riders. They are all distinguished by a high price and a beer-opener. But does it work? The short answer is yes, but there is a problem.
The wrench is short. If you have tightened your wheel nuts with a longer spanner you’ll have some trouble getting enough leverage to remove them. It can be done though: The tapered box means the handle points out, away from the wheel, and the large flipper-like plate is big enough to kick with a heel, just like you do with a car wheel. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done, and the box itself is deep enough that it holds on tight to the nut.
The Jethro Tule won’t replace a standard-sized box wrench at home, but on the road, it works great. And did I mention it opens beer? Around $30.
Product page [Surly]
Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Transportation
Trendy, hip, affluent, savvy, and disproportionately good looking. That’s the iPhone audience (I might have made the last one up) and that is who VW is looking to reach with a ground-breaking launch: launch the 2010 VW GTI via an iPhone game. As of this morning, Real Racing GTI is a free download that allows users to experience the thrills and benefits of VW’s latest GTI.
Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. says “the GTI customer is a tech-savvy consumer who enjoys social networking, playing games and spending time on mobile devices – most often an iPhone. Launching the all-new 2010 GTI via the Real Racing GTI App allows us to connect with this savvy GTI consumer within his or her everyday life in a way that no 30-second spot ever could.”
What’s more, to encourage game play, six registered players in the US will be chosen over six weeks to win a numbered, limited edition GTI. The game was built by Firemint, an Australian developer with over 30 titles in the app store including Real Racing and Flight Control. Real Racking has been modified to highlight VW and their new GTI.
The game features a VW showroom that takes you through some of the cars details, such as images of the “carbon fiber inspired” trim (which is like saying tofu is “meat inspired product”). The game walks the fine line between keeping true the original without become just an advertisement hidden in a cheap game. If the GTI handles like the game, users will be impressed. The game is available now for free in the App Store.
Personally,I believe this is great marketing. The company is reaching out to make a connection with customers by making it a win-win. Customers get a free game, VW gets people racing their cars, creating more awareness, and the developer gets VW to foot the bill for some hard work. Who doesn’t love that?
iTunes: [ App Store Link]
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
I was sure we’d covered the prototype of the Alien Abduction Lamp already here on Gadget Lab, but Google tells me otherwise. So here it is for (possibly) the first time in all its ready-to-buy, steel’n’perspex glory.
The $100 lamp comes with glow-in-the-dark aliens in the cockpit, a “Removable Bovine Abductee” and three options for the energy-saving LED light: On, off and - most appropriate - pulse.
The lamp is currently sold as part of a limited edition of 2000 units, complete with an engraved signature from the designer Lasse Klein, although soon it should be making it into an otherwise annoying novelty gift store near you, destined to become the next Big Mouth Billy Bass. Until then, visit the web site and, if you have some colored spex, view it in 3D (for those lacking the 1950s cellophane glasses, there is also an “Earthling Mode”).
Product page [Abduction Lamp via Oh Gizmo!]
Oh, where to start with the list of things wrong with the “Pilar Touch-Activated Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet”? Perhaps the outrageous $500 price tag? Or the forcing of touch-control tech where is doesn’t belong? Or the “technical” description which drops phrases like “Touch2O Technology” and “inspired by a fusion of technology and nature”?
Now, a mixer tap in the kitchen is great. I have one, and it also has a “touch-sensitive” handle. The difference is that mine cost almost nothing and that instead of an electronically operated detecting surface it has a paddle you can tap. Both require actual touching, whether with oily fingers or the back of a hand, and both can easily be switched on or off. My faucet, though, will work as I expect it to and when it breaks, I know how to fix it.
Product page [Delta via Noquedanblogs]
There’s something very appropriate about hooking up a trailer to a recumbent bike. The eco-warrior beardo reputation of horizontal cyclists fits nicely with the green ethos of cargo-carrying. And at the risk of annoying the recumbent crowd, building the trailer from walkers is just one more ticked box on a successful dating-agency sheet.
Joking aside, the aluminum walker is an excellent frame for a trailer. They have to be light enough to be lifted by frail old-folks and strong enough to stop them falling, even if they have had too many cup-cakes with their afternoon tea. Bike-hacker Tim picked up a pair of them from a goodwill store for $5 apiece and along with some old bmx wheels, some scrap aluminum, webbing and cable ties, came up with this very professional looking trailer, designed to hook up to his recumbent bike.
So clean looking is this trailer that I’m tempted to build one to hook up to my fixed gear. And if I run it without brakes for a day or two, I’ll probably be able to run over a few pensioners and steal their frames, bringing the cost of the project near to zero.
Recumbent Bicycle Trailer Hack [Bike Hacks]
Section: Communications, Broadband Cards, Mobile, Computers, Wireless
It looks like Novatel has released the first firmware update for the MiFi 2200, which means the update is now available for those who purchased a MiFi on either Sprint or Verizon.
The update is said to offer some bug fixes, add some new admin options, make improvements to international roaming as well as remove the hibernation mode while the device is running on AC power.
For those with a MiFi, you will need to head on over to your MiFi admin page to find and perform the update. Personally, I have not yet updated mine, but would advise a little caution as things can go wrong from time to time when messing with firmware.
Read [EVDOinfo.com] Via [Pocketables]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
This 4lb, two liter "Tankard of Terror" World of Warcraft mug would be a fantastic addition to your kid's birthday party or family Thanksgiving dinner.
Tankard O' Terror Replica Stein
(via Geekologie)
Frank sez, "Looking for a Halloween decoration? Place this on your table and watch it pump blood from around an eye socket, flowing into the mouth, of the undead!
This Zombie Head measures 7 inches tall and it runs on standard 120v power source with an indoor adaptor. No doubt an eye-popping for your guests with this gruesome Eyeball Fountain."
I can't believe they're trying to sell this without a video of the head in action! Also: does it make gurgling, sucking, choking noises as it drinks its own blood? It says, "uses tap water," but can you put in other stuff? Rum? Chocolate? Kaopectate? Blood? Also: could you fit it with a small digital clock and a lamp so you could keep it on the bedstand?
Better link: Spinning Eyeball Fountain
(Thanks, Frank!)
Update:video here -- Thanks, Fester88!
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Sir Timothy John 
The damn ink isn’t even dry on the 
![Screen shot 2009-10-22 at [ October 22 ] 8.51.40 PM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Screen-shot-2009-10-22-at-October-22-8.51.40-PM.png "Screen shot 2009-10-22 at [ October 22 ] 8.51.40 PM")
You hear that rumbling? That’s the sound of mobile internet usage exploding.
You’d think that when you’re about to announce something, you’d want to keep that hand away from the “GO LIVE ON ALL SERVERS ON PUBLIC SITE” button. It’s labeled very conspicuously. But apparently the new guy at Motorola didn’t know. So up went Droid, specs, pics, and all, for a few minutes. And as you know, a few minutes is more than enough to grab all the assets.
