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Source: Gizmodo | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pm

Neo Technology Commercializes Next Generation Graph Based Database

A new generation of database products and companies is beginning to emerge, and one of the more interesting examples is Swedish-based Neo Technology, the developer and vendor of the neo4j graph based database (graph in the data structure sense). The neo4j product has been in development for over 8 years, and Neo Technology are today announcing a new $2.5M round of funding. The company has been developing the neo4j project as a commercial product, and is now taking it to market with a dual-license model.
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:53 pm

British couple who blogged sailing trip around the world feared captured by Somali pirates

Update: Confirmed, the couple were captured. Their boat is believed to have been spotted.

A British couple in their mid-fifties who pretty much live their lives sailing around the world on their boat, "The Lynn Rival," are feared to have been captured by Somali pirates. Above, a screengrab from the blog Paul and Rachel Chandler maintained throughout their travels (blog.mailasail.com/lynnrival). The "thumbtack" icon shows the last spot they registered online before disappearing a few days ago while traveling waters off the coast of East Africa.

More on their story in the New York Times, and the UK Times.


Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:38 pm

Report: AMD ex-CEO said linked to Galleon case (AP)

AP - Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is "thoroughly reviewing" published reports fingering former chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz as the AMD executive who gave confidential company information to a defendant in the Galleon Group insider trading case.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:35 pm

Soviet war painting gallery

"The Knocked Down Ace," by Alexander Deineka

Here's a gallery of astounding Soviet WWII-era paintings.

Alllie says:

These are amazing paintings. I can't think of anything in the west in the same time period that is as moving, as emotionally evocative, except Norman Rockwell. It surprises me that more people don't like them.

There's a book called The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters by Frances Stonor Saunders. Part of it deals with the CIA's efforts to destroy social realism, to make acceptable only art devoid of political or emotional content. I thought they had just succeeded in keeping it out of corporate media, out of the museums, but that they couldn't change how people reacted to it. But it may be that they won and that most of us can't react to such art anymore.

These pictures, to me, represent where art should have gone after the impressionists and the post-impressionists, that they are the heirs to Gauguin and Cezanne and of Van Gogh's "Potato Eaters", to Goya's "The Third of May, 1808, or The Executions on Principe Pio Hill." Instead, what do we have today? Sometimes art is pretty. Sometimes it is clever, but it is usually without any deeper significance, without any emotional or political content.

I find that very sad.

Soviet WWII-era paintings


Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:33 pm

US Chamber of Commerce suing the Yes Men

Mother Jones senior editor Michael Mechanic writes in with this update on the "Yes Men pwn the US Chamber of Commerce" story I blogged about last week, which Cory further updated here. Michael says,

Kate Sheppard [of Mother Jones] was at the fake US Chamber of Commerce press conference in DC where a Yes Man, posing as a Chamber rep, claimed the Chamber was reversing its draconian position on climate change, which has caused lots of big Chamber members -- Apple, Nike, Exelon, and others -- to quit the national business group. But then a REAL Chamber PR man arrived at the meeting to declare it a fraud. (And Sheppard ended up on Maddow that night).

Today, Sheppard reports that the Chamber is suing its impersonators: "The defendants are not merry pranksters tweaking the establishment," the Chamber said in a press release issued with the suit. "Instead, they deliberately broke the law in order to further commercial interest in their books, movies, and other merchandise."

Mother Jones stories on the US Chamber (here's an index):
* Chamber Sues Yes Men
* Chamber Uses Yes Men 'Attack' to Fundraise

Here's a related item in the New Yorker.

Image: by Wikimedia Commons user Tavis used under a CC License


Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:32 pm

Android grabs attention at Sprint conference - San Francisco Chronicle

TG Daily

Android grabs attention at Sprint conference San Francisco Chronicle For many of the 1000-plus developers at the Sprint Open Developers Conference on Tuesday, there was but one word on their lips: Android. While talk in the past has focused on Windows Mobile or Palm, the biggest topic of conversation at the ninth annual ... How Important Is Open Source To Mobile Devices?InformationWeek Google Shows Android 2.0 to DevelopersPC Magazine Google intros Android 2.0 Eclair SDK for Droid smartphonesTG Daily New York Times -ChannelWeb -PC World all 145 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:28 pm

Matt Galligan And Joe Stump Are Building An Infrastructure For Location-Based Services

Last May we wrote about a new company called Crash Corp that was being formed by Digg’s long-time Chief Architect Joe Stump and Social Thing founder Matt Galligan, who were looking to build alternate reality mobile games. Over the last six months a lot has changed: the team has changed the company name to SimpleGeo, and they’re now building something that’s entirely different, and significantly more ambitious: an infrastructure that other applications can use to easily build location-based applications.

The new company caught our interest when we learned that AOL’s former chief life streamer David Liu had invested in the company. Stump and Galligan declined to comment on the company just yet (they’ll be launching at Under The Radar next month) but we were able to glean some information from Under The Radar’s directory of presenters.

SimpleGeo is ready-to-use location infrastructure. They currently have three products: a geo-spatial Context Engine, Storage Engine and a comprehensive SDK. The SimpleGeo Context Engine enables application developers to quickly and easily get relevant information about specific locales including (but not limited to) ZIP codes, real-time weather, and geo-tagged media. Additionally, the SimpleGeo Storage Engine makes it possible to store and query location data in a scalable fashion, as well as perform complicated geospatial operations effortlessly.

Located in Boulder, CO

It sounds like SimpleGeo is looking to become something analogous to an “AWS for location”. And that may well be a very smart move — Location based services are clearly about to explode as more mobile devices support GPS and fast internet connections. And you can be sure that the new startups and services that emerge won’t want to have to reinvent the wheel whenever they want to integrate location into their app. We’ll be keeping an eye for more on this one soon.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:25 pm

Jive Brings Workgroup Collaboration to Microsoft Office

Source: Gizmodo | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:20 pm

Disney iPhone app makes photos the key to content (AP)

AP - The Walt Disney Co. is releasing an iPhone application that rewards users for poking through the Disney.com Web site and could one day offer exclusive bonuses for activities such as shopping at Disney Stores.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:02 pm

The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Pleo

robotsrule writes "This article contains notes from a 1-hour phone call with Ugobe founder Derek Dotson, now CEO of Innvo Labs Corporation, the company that acquired the rights to Pleo at the recent bankruptcy auction. Dotson reveals the hidden story behind Pleo's rise, fall, and resurrection including intriguing facts about the money trail and what he feels caused Ugobe to fail, including how he had to save Pleo's future on more than one occasion. He also lays out in plain detail Innvo Labs's strategy to help owners of older Pleos and those whose units were swallowed up by Ugobe's bankruptcy." We've been following the Pleo saga for years.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:52 pm

Helmet radar: coming to a supersoldier near you

A helmet-mounted radar unit seems redundant with the kind of crazy surveillance and intel they already have available or in the pipes, but hey, whatever helps our boys. While satellite and air-based imaging are invaluable to the modern field commander, an individual infantryman has little feedback in an more local tactical situation. So why not have an imaging system for individuals?

The Helmet Mounted Radar System (HMRS) is “a miniature, low power, near 360-degree field of view Moving Target Indicator (MTI) radar sensor that will alert the soldier to the whereabouts of a target out to at least 25 meters.” 25m isn’t very far, but providing even a hint of a nearby enemy could be the difference between life and death. The only trouble, it seems to me, is that the modern soldier is going to be so weighed down with all the gadgets and armor made to save his life that he won’t be able to maneuver.

Not to mention, this may lead to extremely scary moments like that part in Alien where the guy is in the tunnels and IT’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU AAAAAARGH

[via Gizmodo]

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:50 pm

Stalqer Peers Into Your iPhone For A New Level Of Location-Based Creepiness

Foursquare and Loopt have put location-based social networks on the map, and have potentially created a viable business model as well. Now there’s a new kid on the block, called Stalqer, which best described as a Foursquare on steroids. The iPhone app, which will be free, should hit the app store in the next few hours.

In theory, Stalqer is very similar to Foursquare in that it tracks your and your friends’ locations and broadcasts this information via the application and through push notifications. But one of the key differentiators is the fact that Stalqer updates the location in the background, which Foursquare, and most other apps, don’t do at the moment. This is because the device does not allow third party apps to run in the background. But Stalqer has found a way to record your location without you having to actually open up the application. So how does Stalqer do it?

The app sets up an email account which operates in the background, and collects large amount of data out of the POP or IMAP handshake relevant to location, primarily via the IP address. Stalqer’s founder Mick Johnson also tells me that the app contains iPhone configuration profiles that make it easy to install an email account pointing to Stalqer’s servers on the user’s iPhone. So when the phone checks for mail, the app gets a location point, which Johnson says happens on average, every 15 minutes.

Loopt has also found a work-around the whole background update issue by partnering with other companies in the mobile industry for an “Always-On Location Service (which costs users $3.99 per month).

In addition to background functionality, Stalqer lets you import your Facebook friends, via Facebook Connect, to the app. If your friends have made their general location public via Facebook, The app then syncs your friends with your iPhone contacts and will then show you where your friends are. So, Stalqer will basically pull any public information about your friend (i.e. what city they live in) and show where the friends is on your application, if if they haven’t downloaded the app. At the moment, you cannot see anyone on Stalqer who is not your friend on Facebook.

You can see your friends’ locations via a list format and on a detailed, high quality map. Similar to FourSquare, you can check into listed locations rather then just the app recording your location via an IP address. Stalqer has close to a half million bars and restaurants listed in the U.S and you can add locations as well. Stalqer will steadily add non-U.S. locations in the future. The app is actually missing one of the key gaming aspects of FourSquare—the ability to collect badges or mayorships. Since the app operates in conjunction with an email account and your address book, it allows you to conduct a conversation with your Stalqer friends within the app. The app also features an augmented reality view of your friends’ locations. And while Slaqer is only available for the iPhone, Johnson is hoping to roll out versions for the Blackberry and Android in the future.

So for me, the key issue with this app is privacy. The background location technology is certainly innovative but I really feel strange about Facebook friends knowing where I am at all times, even if I have not started up the app on my phone. Privacy has been an issue with Foursquare and I suspect that it will become an issue for Stalqer.

But Johnson says that Stalqer has very powerful security settings that let you specify whether you want your location broadcasted and you can also indicate specific friends who can see your check-ins. Plus you can make sure the app only shows your greater surround area (i.e. San Francisco) vs. your exact location within the city. And you can make customer lists with close family and friends who can see your detailed whereabouts.

At the moment, Stalqer isn’t monetizing the app because Johnson is waiting to see if the app will gain popularity. And Johnson adds that Stalqer is aimed towards a younger crowd (which is apparent from it’s demo video), who may not be as concerned with the privacy issues.

Stalqer seems to be focused exclusively on broadcasting background location and tapping into your social graph via Facebook whereas Foursquare’s new app includes gaming, Twitter integration and a few more bells and whistles. But Foursquare is addictive and Stalqer could be too, if you really want to stalk your Facebook friends. Of course, Facebook is rumored to be launching their own location based technologies, so it should be interesting to see how that effects Stalqer.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:45 pm

Do chimps grieve?

Look at this photograph and just try to tell me the answer is no.

This incredible image was shot for National Geographic by Monica Szczupider, and shows chimpanzees at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon. They're observing as the body of an elder troop member named Dorothy is taken to burial. She died at 40 years of age, which is pretty old for a chimpanzee.

The photo appears in the November issue of National Geographic Magazine, in the "Visions of Earth" section. [ Thanks, Marilyn Terrell ]


Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:39 pm

Sprint Drops Call Forwarding Fees With Google Voice In Mind

As the endless brouhaha ringing from all corners of the Internet has proven, AT&T (or Apple, or whoever takes the blame in the end) really dropped the ball on this Google Voice thing. Whether it was rejected outright or shelved indefinitely, competing parties have been quick to play on their delays.

First, Palm essentially put third-party Google Voice dialer gDialPro on its shoulders and carried it across the finish line by ensuring that it was one of the first (and still one of just a few) applications to land on the webOS App Catalog. Now, Sprint has come along and done something rare: they’ve dropped long-established fees. With Google Voice’s new keep-your-number feature in mind, Sprint will be doing away with the call forwarding fees associated with third-party voicemail services come mid-November.

Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch >>

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

Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:31 pm

Sprint Drops Call Forwarding Fees With Google Voice In Mind

As the endless brouhaha ringing from all corners of the Internet has proven, AT&T (or Apple, or whoever takes the blame in the end) really dropped the ball on this Google Voice thing. Whether it was rejected outright or shelved indefinitely, competing parties have been quick to play on their delays.

First, Palm essentially put third-party Google Voice dialer gDialPro on its shoulders and carried it across the finish line by ensuring that it was one of the first (and still one of just a few) applications to land on the webOS App Catalog. Now, Sprint has come along and done something rare: they’ve dropped long-established fees. With Google Voice’s new keep-your-number feature in mind, Sprint will be doing away with the call forwarding fees associated with third-party voicemail services come mid-November.

As it currently stands, call forwarding on Sprint currently costs $0.20 per minute. For example: if a user has their line set to forward to their Google Voice mailbox after a certain number of rings and the caller leaves a 5 minute message, that call would cost the user a buck. No longer, says Sprint; for any type of call forwarding required for the use of a third-party service (such as while the line is busy, or when calls go unanswered), the minutes will go uncounted.

In Sprint’s own words:

. Conditional call forwarding for busy calls or calls not answered using the customer’s wireless phone will be free, beginning mid-November. (Standard charges will continue to apply for immediate call forwarding.)3 This change will give Sprint customers the opportunity to access third-party voice services, including the new voicemail feature in Google VoiceTM.

Clarification: As pointed out by James B in the comments below, Sprint is the last of the major carriers to hop on board with free conditional call forwarding.

[Thanks for the heads-up, Mike!]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:22 pm

Double-Take Software 3Q profit slides on sales (AP)

AP - Double-Take Software Inc. on Tuesday reported a decline in third-quarter profit as revenue from software licenses declined.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:52 pm

Discovery of "Cancer-Proof" Rodent Cells

anglico sends news of research out of the University of Rochester that has identified a gene that "cancer-proofs" cells in rodents. "Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind — and now biologists at the University of Rochester think they know why. The findings, presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that the mole rat's cells express a gene called p16 that makes the cells 'claustrophobic,' stopping the cells' proliferation when too many of them crowd together, cutting off runaway growth before it can start. The effect of p16 is so pronounced that when researchers mutated the cells to induce a tumor, the cells' growth barely changed, whereas regular mouse cells became fully cancerous."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:48 pm

Los Angeles OKs plan to use Google Web services (AP)

AP - City Council members tentatively approved a multimillion-dollar proposal Tuesday to tap Google Inc. for government e-mail and other Internet services, a boon for the Web giant as it seeks to wrest market share for office software from rival Microsoft Corp.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:21 pm

Android 2.0 “Eclair” officially announced

Section: Business News, Communications, Smartphones

With the impending release of the Verizon Droid, we already know that Android 2.0 is on the way.  There have been some leaks regarding what’s going into the next version of the mobile OS, and now Google has made them official.  The new version will add a lot of interesting features that could lead to some interesting new devices, as well as better functionality.

Among those new features is support for a larger variety of screen sizes, which will allow for the Verizon Droid’s massive 845 x 480 pixel display.  The new screen sizes will allow all apps to work on all phones, but larger screens will obviously see more than smaller screens.  The biggest improvement aside from allowing for larger screens, which should make most users of stock Android rejoice is an improved virtual keyboard with multitouch support.  No more typing too fast for the keyboard by using two fingers, finally.  It would make sense for multitouch to also come to the now improved browser, but sadly Apple has the patents on that is seems.  Instead, the new browser will feature double-tap to zoom, as well as HTML 5 support and an improved UI.  Other improvements include a combined inbox, Quick Contact to easily select just how you want to contact someone, and a host of camera improvements among others.

Android 2.0 looks to be the Android version we’ve all been waiting for.  Sure, the platform, like all platforms, will never please anyone, but it’s certainly improving a lot.  The SDK was just released today and the consumer version should be ready by November by the looks of it.  It might not have the app selection or the brand that is associated with the iPhone, but for those who don’t want to be stuck with AT&T or Apple, Android is becoming a more viable option.  With 2.0 and the upcoming Droid, it might finally be Android’s time to show off what it can do.

Read [Android Developers]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:01 pm

The Hazards of Lab Work

Harvard Medical School is beefing up lab security after six researchers got sick off poisoned coffee back in August. The toxicology reports came in recently, according to Bloomberg, and the chemical culprit was sodium azide, which turns into a toxic gas when it's mixed into water. The good news is that none of the six died. The bad news: Nobody seems to know how this stuff got into the communal coffee pot to begin with.

And while a whodunnit poisoning mystery is not exactly what Wired had in mind when it listed "Grad Student" as #6 on its top 10 list of Best, Most Dangerous Science Jobs, this incident certainly does nothing to bump that job off the list. Not to mention the fact that, given the lab environment, you have to wonder whether the poisoning was even intentional at all...or whether somebody simply didn't wash their hands well enough before making a fresh pot.

From Wired:

Grad student

Even the most mundane job in science is hazardous if you don't know what you're doing. Grad students in labs around the world are in constant danger of, well, screwing up. In 2004, a Texas A&M student, for example, was cleaning up a laboratory when a jar of chemicals he was handling suddenly exploded, leaving him with severe lacerations and burns.

Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:55 pm

Microsoft Cancels Windows 7 Family Guy Deal - ChannelWeb

Telegraph.co.uk

Microsoft Cancels Windows 7 Family Guy Deal ChannelWeb Microsoft has decided that the subject matter in the Family Guy television show is too racy for its taste. On Monday, Microsoft said it's pulling out of its sponsorship of the upcoming "Family Guy" special on the grounds ... 'Family Guy' Special Loses Microsoft SponsorshipNew York Post Microsoft drops Family Guy special over content issuesApple Insider Microsoft drops Family Guy like a hot deaf guy jokeRegister The Associated Press -The Salem News all 435 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:53 pm

Taste Android 2.0 ‘Eclair’ From Your Own Computer

If you’d like to explore the latest version of Android, aka Eclair, you can wait until Verizon starts selling the Motorola Droid, which is scheduled to be unveiled Wednesday. Or you can download the free Android 2.0 software development kit, which includes a spiffy emulator.

Google made available its latest software development kit for Eclair on Tuesday and the emulator bundled inside allows anyone to explore the upcoming features of Android.

The emulator mimics the Android OS. Developers use it to test their applications so they don’t have to use a handset to see every single change. But you can use it to get an idea of what’s inside Eclair. (Hint: It’s not a creamy filling.)

Every phone is different, so the emulator is a general representation. You can explore the entire OS, from browsing the web to making a mock phone call.

There are also quite a few updates and added features found in Eclair, including:

• Microsoft Exchange support
• An inbox allowing multiple email accounts
• HTML5 support
• Double-tap zooming in the browser
• Digital zoom for the camera
• Improved dictionary for your keyboard (it learns words you frequently use and suggests contact names)
• Improved graphics architecture for better hardware acceleration

The nice folks at Android and Me have posted step-by-step directions on how to install the SDK on your computer and run the emulator.

Whether you’re interested in buying an Android or a curious iPhone diehard, you can taste a sample of Eclair from the comfort of your own computer.

[via Android and Me]

See Also:

• Verizon Attacks the iPhone, Hints at Upcoming Droid
• 12 Phones Strong, Android Army Mobilizes for Explosive Growth …
• Google Muscles Android Developer, Offers Olive Branch
• Verizon Promises Two New Android Phones This Year

Photo: Azh7/Wikimedia Commons, with Android logo added by Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:52 pm

Internet Phone Systems Become the Fraudster's Tool (PC World)

PC World - Cybercriminals have found a new launching pad for their scams: the phone systems of small and medium-sized businesses across the U.S.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:50 pm

Google makes Similar Images part of image search - CNET News

Telegraph.co.uk

Google makes Similar Images part of image search CNET News Google on Tuesday announced that its similar-images feature is now a standard part of the company's image search technology. The feature was originally launched in late April, alongside the visual-news timeline, as a way for users to ... Google Launches Social SearchInformationWeek Google Puts Some Search 'Skin' In The Wikipedia GameChannelWeb Google's Similar Images feature hits big timePC Pro Computerworld -TechNewsWorld -PC World all 201 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:30 pm

T-Mobile Equinox Makes the 'Dumb Phone' Fun Again (PC World)

PC World - T-Mobile is launching a new phone-- the Sony Ericsson Equinox. Unlike most headline-making mobile phones, the Equinox is not trying to be the next iPhone-killer. The Equinox isn't even trying to be a smart phone.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:30 pm

Machine Project Benefit at Mister Jalopy's personal 4000 square foot studio

I've written about Machine Project on Boing Boing many times before. It's a Los Angeles art/technology space that holds amazing events and workshops. (See the write ups of the Picklefest 2008 and Krautfest 2009 workshops I co-conducted there).

My friend Mister Jalopy is also an ardent supporter of Machine Project. On November 7th, he is hosting a lavish benefit for Machine Project at his awe-inspiring Silverlake studio, which is almost never open to the public.

From Dinosaurs and Robots:

On November 7th, Mister Jalopy's personal 4000 square foot studio will be host to the first Machine Project benefit.

Proceeds from this once-a-year event will enable Machine Project to continue welcoming any and all to free Machine public events in 2010. Tickets start at $75 for members, or $100 for non-members, with a Benefactor level ticket available for $250, which includes entry to a special pre-event reception and more. 90% of the cost of all tickets is tax deductible.

Have you been curious about the Los Angeles heroes that call themselves Machine Project? With over 20 participating artists, technologists and musicians, the 2009 Benefit will pack a month's worth of events into a single intimate evening. What to expect? Opportunities to steal art from a laser-protected, action movie-style set, wager on microscopic slime mold races, try your hand at gold panning to prospect for real gold nuggets, stay late to huddle around the firepit to make 'smores, partake from the amply stocked wine and beer bar, have a wood-fired pizza from an on-site brick pizza oven, enjoy music from four different acts, replace your old Getty Museum fake ID, participate in head-to-head speed soldering contests and eat noodles supplied by Kwong Dynasty Noodle Cart.

A rare opportunity to enter the secret workshop of Mister Jalopy. This is a very uncommon event.

Tickets can be purchased at Machine Project, in person at Machine Project or Coco's Variety at 2427 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. Alternatively, mail a check to Machine Project at 1200D North Alvarado, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Machine Project Benefit! Colab with Mister Jalopy x Machine Project


Source: Boing Boing | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:28 pm

Android 2.0: Your Complete Primer - PC World

TrustedReviews

Android 2.0: Your Complete Primer PC World Android Eclair adds a host of features into the open source OS (and, despite its mouth-watering name, appears to be fairly low-calorie if eaten). Here's a look at what's new. Android 2.0 includes a new "Quick Contact" feature that simplifies ... Droid Eris: Verizon's other Android phone?CNET News O'Brien: Why I was wrong about Google's AndroidSan Jose Mercury News Google releases an Android developers kitInquirer TrustedReviews -PC Magazine -Washington Post all 211 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:25 pm

Augmented Stupidity Lands on the iPhone

Whether you’re having a bad day at work or you’re stuck in traffic, the iPhone app Firepower will simulate your fantasy of unloading a gatling gun on your sources of frustration. It’s kind of like playing Doom on your iPhone with real life as your surroundings: You point your camera at your target and tap the “Fire” button to shoot bullets while painting the screen with virtual blood.

Software developer Magnificent Library is attempting to market Firepower as an augmented reality app, but we think given its intrinsically useless nature, it deserves a whole new software category: Augmented Stupidity. Congrats!

Firepower is $1 in the App Store. See a video of Firepower in action below.

Download Link [iTunes]

See Also:

• Augment Your Reality With Layar for iPhone
• Yelp Sneaks Augmented Reality Into iPhone App
• If You’re Not Seeing Data, You’re Not Seeing
• How it Works: Augmented Reality

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:11 pm

Netbooks That Are Easier on the Eye [The Mossberg Solution]

Like clockwork, retailers were ready for Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Windows 7 release last week with new desktops, laptops and netbooks, those inexpensive, smaller laptops that have become popular in the past year. Included in this selection of netbooks are some that improved the poor screen resolutions that have plagued these tiny PCs.

Screen resolution isn’t the same as the size of the screen itself. Rather, it is related to the number of pixels—or distinct dots—on a display, and an indication of how much material can be seen on the screen without scrolling. A higher-resolution screen allows you to see more of a Web page, spreadsheet or list of emails than a lower-resolution screen, even if both are the same physical size.

Because higher-resolution screens cost more, most netbooks come with low-resolution screens to keep prices down. But poor resolution combined with a small netbook screen results in frustrating visuals, like Web pages that display just a small portion of their contents, forcing you to scroll down or horizontally to see the rest of the page.

This week, I tested two Windows 7 netbooks with unusually high-res screens: Hewlett-Packard Co.’s (HPQ) HP Mini 311 with an 11.6-inch screen and a resolution of 1,366-by-768 pixels, and Nokia Corp.’s (NOK) Booklet 3G with a 10.1-inch screen and a resolution of 1,280-by-720-pixels. Both these small computers display the bulk of most Web pages without any scrolling necessary—a big relief on a netbook.

Though high-resolution screens make these netbooks easier on the eyes than others, I still had trouble adjusting to their shrunken features. I liked typing on the HP Mini’s generous keyboard, which H-P says is 92 percent of full size. But its touchpad buttons felt stiff and uncomfortably located at the edge of the computer. The Nokia Booklet had the opposite problem: Its touchpad and buttons worked fine, but its tiny keys made me feel like I was typing on a kiddie computer.

Nokia is a bit more of a newsmaker here, because when the Booklet 3G (nokiausa.com) comes out in mid-November, it will be the first foray by the Finnish mobile-device company into the laptop space. Best Buy (BBY) began taking advance orders for them this week. It costs $300 if purchased with AT&T Inc.’s (T) two-year Data Connect plan, which costs $60 a month for five gigabytes of data and allows users to toggle back and forth between two kinds of wireless connections, cellular 3G and Wi-Fi. If purchased without the AT&T plan, the Booklet 3G costs $600—a lot for a netbook—including only Windows 7 Starter, the low-end version of the new OS, and one gigabyte of memory.

The thing most people will notice right away about Nokia’s netbook is that it seems to take its design cues directly from Apple Inc. (AAPL) Like the MacBook Pro, the Nokia Booklet 3G is made from a single piece of aluminum, and its keyboard is made of black Chiclet-style keys. Its edges are rounded and smooth. I used one with a glossy black lid, but it will also come in shades of ice white or azure blue.

Nokia boasts that this netbook’s battery will last for 12 hours; after running it through a harsh test with its screen cranked up to the brightest setting, Wi-Fi on, music playing on a continuous loop and all power-saving features turned off, it ran for almost eight hours straight. This means that under normal circumstances, the battery might last for a remarkable 10 hours.

The Booklet 3G that I used differs from Nokia’s final release version in a few ways: Mine wasn’t loaded with AT&T’s Connection Manager software, which enables switching between Wi-Fi and 3G; it lacked the Nokia Social Hub software, which the company says allows users to track social-media feeds and text messages; and the GPS wasn’t yet connected to the U.S. map data server. My Booklet 3G included Ovi Suite, a Nokia-designed software program to bridge the connection between some Nokia smartphones and the Booklet 3G, like iTunes for the iPhone or BlackBerry’s Desktop Manager. But the software I had wasn’t the final version.

Unlike Nokia, H-P is no stranger to netbooks, having released nine of its Mini models in the past year. The HP Mini 311 (hp.com/go/mini) costs $400 when purchased with Windows XP and costs an additional $50 when loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. The Mini that I tested costs $474 because it also had two gigabytes of memory rather than one gigabyte.

The H-P model is a little bigger all around compared with the Nokia, with an inch-larger screen; it weighs 3.22 pounds compared with 2.76 pounds for the Nokia. Both felt relatively thin and light, and I carried them home together from my office with ease. The HP Mini 311 had H-P’s subtle Black Swirl pattern on its lid—a faint pattern of silver swirls noticeable only at certain angles. It also comes in White Swirl.

I ran the same battery test on the HP as I did with the Nokia, and it lasted four hours and 15 minutes, giving it roughly six hours of juice under normal circumstances. H-P estimates that the Mini 311’s battery will last for six hours and 25 minutes.

I didn’t run into any problems while installing and using several programs on each of these netbooks, including Windows Live Essentials, Mozilla’s Firefox browser, Picasa 3, TweetDeck, Adobe (ADBE) Reader and iTunes. The HP Mini felt more responsive and, in fact, loaded some programs a little faster, but it had twice the memory.

Both netbooks have slots for memory cards, HDMI ports for connecting to HD screens and three USB ports. And they come with built-in Web cams, a common feature on netbooks.

A cold start on both the Mini 311 and Booklet 3G required roughly the same amount of time: one minute and eight seconds for the H-P, and a minute and 12 seconds for the Nokia. But restarting was a different story. While playing a song in iTunes, running three Web pages in Firefox and using TweetDeck, I selected Restart. The HP Mini 311 took a minute and 20 seconds while the Nokia took nearly two minutes.

Even without the AT&T discount, the Nokia Booklet 3G’s extra-long battery life and sleek design will be worth the extra money for some people—just beware its tiny keyboard. The HP Mini 311 is a good all-around netbook with a comfortable keyboard for typing. No one will be disappointed by the terrific screen resolutions.

-Edited by Walter S. Mossberg

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:07 pm

In case you forgot: tomorrow is Droid Day

I don’t know how you could forget, considering we’ve been posting Droid updates just about every day, but according to our calculations, tomorrow is October 28th: the day Droid drops. Now, we don’t expect the Droid to set the mobile world on its head exactly, but we’re pretty sure that it’s going to be the premier Android device — until the next premier device comes out.

The combination of better hardware, better software, and a slim form factor gives it a leg up on pretty much every other Android device out there, unless you want the non-hardware keyboard, in which case the Hero is your best bet.

We expect something to go live at midnight, and then an announcement in the morning, probably of an actual release on November 6. We’ll have our hands on one in short order and post hands-on impressions ASAP. If you have any questions or concerns in particular (keyboard, screen brightness, that sort of thing) feel free to leave them in the comments here and we’ll address them. As for other speculation and the AT&T version, well, we’ll soon find out, I suppose!

[image: BGR]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

In Case You Forgot: Tomorrow Is Droid Day

I don't know how you could forget, considering we've been posting Droid updates just about every day, but according to our calculations, tomorrow is October 28th: the day Droid dropped. Now, we don't expect the Droid to set the mobile world on its head exactly, but we're pretty sure that it's going to be the premiere Android device — until the next premiere device comes out. The combination of better hardware, better software, and a slim form factor gives it a leg up on pretty much every other Android device out there, unless you want the non-hardware keyboard, in which case the Hero is your best bet.
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

In case you forgot: tomorrow is Droid Day

I don't know how you could forget, considering we've been posting Droid updates just about every day, but according to our calculations, tomorrow is October 28th: the day Droid drops. Now, we don't expect the Droid to set the mobile world on its head exactly, but we're pretty sure that it's going to be the premiere Android device — until the next premiere device comes out.

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

Oct. 28, 1793: Whitney's Cotton Gin Patent Not Worth Much

A young inventor sets out to mechanize cotton production and get rich. He gets it half right.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

Tool: Hot Shot Thermal Imager for Law Enforcement

Police can spot a person in complete darkness and find hidden objects in the light of day, thanks to the sensor on the TacSight handheld camera.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

Silence! The Last of the Giant Radio Telescopes Is Listening

Take a tour of the world's largest fully steerable telescope. The Great Big Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia may be the last of its kind ever built, as radio astronomy turns to arrays of smaller telescopes. This one is big enough to fit a football stadium in its dish.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm

Migrate to Windows 7 at Your Own Pace - Washington Post

PC World

Migrate to Windows 7 at Your Own Pace Washington Post You don't have to jump into Microsoft's new OS right away; here's how to make the switch gradually. Although I've been playing with Windows 7 for a couple months now, I'm not quite ready to dive in. I want to make gradual move, keeping my Vista-based ... Microsoft Targets smbs In Windows 7 Full-Court PressChannelWeb Results of the Windows 7 upgrade pollCNET News Libraries Give Vista Apps a ...InternetNews.com PC World -Ball State Daily News -All Africa ICT all 455 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:51 pm

Intelius Files To Go Public Again. Still A Huge Toxic Scam

Intelius is trying to dip its toes into the public market again. Last year we wrote about their business, which combined for-pay people search information with a post transaction marketing scam. After purchasing people information, users were encouraged to take a survey for $10 cash back. In reality, if users clicked yes the $10 was never mentioned again and they were signed up for a nearly impossible to cancel $20 monthly credit card charge.

The IPO never happened. But last week the company quietly filed a new registration statement with the SEC, indicating their attempt to try the markets once again.

Little has changed with their business. They are still selling people information that you can find on other sites like WhitePages.com for free. And during and immediately after the transaction, users are asked if they want $10 cash back. If they click yes, they are signed up for a $25/month credit card subscription.

Consumer complaints continue to flood the company. 1,159 consumer complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau in the last 36 months. There are another 214 complaints on RipoffReport. And they have had to deal with class action lawsuits in both Washington and California. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The company even acknowledges that complaints are getting worse. From the registration statement: “Over the past two years the number of customer complaints has risen more rapidly than the number of transactions.”

The company had revenues of $123 million in 2008 and $74 million in the first three quarters of 2009. Net income in 2008 was $12 million.

Without the post transaction marketing scam, the company wouldn’t be profitable. 2008 PTM revenue was $33 million, or about 27% of total revenue. And that percentage is increasing – For 2009 so far, PTM revenue is $22.6 million, or 31% of total revenue.

In my recent test searches I found that Intelius was charging even when there was no data (which you don’t see until you pay). And when the data is available, in all cases I was able to find it elsewhere for free.

Intelius is not a business. It’s a huge toxic scam from start to finish.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:45 pm

Flixster Crosses 8 Million Mobile Users, Celebrates With App Updates For Android And BlackBerry

Flixster, a social networking site for movie fans, is doing pretty well for itself in the mobile space. Name any smartphone platform, and there's a good chance that the Flixster app has spent some time on the top of it's download charts. iPhone? Yep. BlackBerry? Yep. Android and Palm webOS? Double yeps. Earlier today, the company shared with us the news that they'd crossed over a fairly monumental landmark, along with the details surrounding updates for their apps on both Android and BlackBerry OS.
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:45 pm

Neanderthals "Had Sex" With Modern Man

According to Professor Svante Paabo, director of genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Neanderthals and modern humans had sex across the species barrier. The professor has been using DNA retrieved from fossils to piece together the entire Neanderthal genome, and plans on publishing his findings soon. He recently told a conference that he was sure the two species had had sex, but still had questions as to how "productive" the relations had been. "What I'm really interested in is, did we have children back then and did those children contribute to our variation today?" he said. "I'm sure that they had sex, but did it give offspring that contributed to us? We will be able to answer quite rigorously with the new [Neanderthal genome] sequence." What remains a mystery is what Paleolithic brewery provided the catalyst for these stone age hook-ups.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:44 pm

Halloween Horrors: 5 Spooky TV Shows You Can Watch Online

From suspenseful classics and offal cook-offs to truly terrifying documentaries, the internet has you covered when it comes to scary stuff to assault your eyeballs.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:44 pm

Flixster crosses 8 million mobile users, celebrates with app updates for Android and BlackBerry

Flixster, a social networking site for movie fans, is doing pretty well for itself in the mobile space. Name any smartphone platform, and there’s a good chance that the Flixster app has spent some time on it’s top download charts. iPhone? Yep. BlackBerry? Yep. Android and Palm webOS? Double yeps.

Earlier today, the company shared with us the news that they’d crossed over a fairly monumental landmark, along with the details surrounding updates for their apps on both Android and BlackBerry OS.

The stats they shared:

• Earlier this week, Flixster crossed over 8 million users across their mobile app lineup.
• Their users are remarkably sticky; of that 8 million, over 75% have used the application in the past 90 days.
• In the mobile apps alone, users are currently rating one movie every 5 seconds, whilst watching approximately 140 trailers per minute, 24 hours a day.

Flixster is also releasing a new 2.0 release of their Android application today, available immediately in the Marketplace. Version 2.0 adds support for Facebook Connect, the Flixster news feed, and mobile access to your “Want-to-see” list.

Last but not least, Flixster also disclosed to us that they’ve just submitted version 1.0 of their BlackBerry application to the BlackBerry App World. A beta version has been available for some time now, but the new version is the first to run entirely in native code, and the first to support access to Flixster’s entire movie database, reviews (both user and critic), along with online ticket. V1.0 will be available in the BlAppWorld pending RIM’s approval.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:41 pm

Facebook challenges financial regulators: FINRA (Reuters)

Reuters - Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn raise "serious new challenges" for financial regulators, the head of the largest U.S. independent securities regulator said on Tuesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:31 pm

How can you beat $49 iPhone?  Android, Blackberry, Symbian?  Anyone?

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

Good grief.  Cruising over at the AT&T site and like some adult sites, you’re whisked away to refurb-phone-land looking at an 8GB 3G iPhone and asking yourself, why look at anything else?  Does an Android phone, a BlackBerry, webOS or WinMo phone even come close?  Chances were pretty good you’re considering getting a new iPod anyhow.

Palm will be launching their new Pixi, the cute candybar webOS sibling on Sprint next month at $99.  The phone, to its credit looks great, runs the fun webOS and even one-ups the Pre with a new Facebook app.  But can it stand a chance against the $49 iPhone?

AT&T and high monthly data plans might give the others a chance.  Carrier loyalty might do it as might the stigma of refurb (my iPhone is a refurb - shhhh).  Nah, none of this.  It is the in-store gotta-have-it-now crowd that will keep a refurbed $49 iPhone our secret.  And I am sure that works for them.

You’ve got to wonder what lower monthly data plans might do to iPhone sales.  Provide a GB limit of data transfer and make data a palatable $20 a month.  Now AT&T isn’t about to do that, they get a lot of income out of the hefty iPhone data fees, but we can dream about demand curves, right?

Over in refurb land, you can find the Pantech Matrix Nokia Surge, LG Vue and Samsung Rugby as well.

Product page: [AT&T Wireless]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:25 pm

Twitter user list favors Dems in Calif. gov race (AP)

AP - When people sign up for Twitter, the popular social-networking site presents a list of suggested users to follow, driving significant traffic to sports figures, celebrities, politicians and other prominent posters.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:16 pm

Canon 7D shots can carry over ghost image to next shot (fix imminent)

Even cameras with mechanical shutters, it seems, aren’t immune to sensor carryover issues. It seems that when you’re doing that famous 8FPS continuous shooting, it’s possible under certain circumstances that a ghost image will be present in the next image shot. Canon says it’s “barely noticeable,” but someone must have noticed anyway because they’re having to issue a fix. It doesn’t occur in single shots or movies; I’m guessing it’s just a timing issue where the sensor isn’t completely reset before the new exposure begins.

Here’s Canon’s statement:

In images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible. This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image.

A fix should be here soon, I’d guess within a day or two. In the meantime, those of you with 7Ds should try to replicate it! It sounds kinda cool. I get an effect like that when I’m doing a flash+long exposure and a second flash goes off in the background. It looks crazy as hell. The 7D bug should be nothing like that, but hey.

[via CameraTown]

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:10 pm

Virgin Mobile kills off all sign of Helio – and gets rid of the Ocean 2?

As any member of the Greg Kumparak Fan Club (Hey! It exists. They have T-shirts. And buttons.) should know, I was a bit of a Helio geek prior to jumping on board with the Crunch family. My interest weened pretty quickly once Helio got snatched up by Virgin Mobile, as it seemed like their efforts with the property would be few and far between. I wouldn’t have wagered, however, that they’d be taking steps backwards.

That’s exactly what they seem to be doing, however. We’re not sure exactly when this happened, but it was recently brought to our attention that the Helio Ocean 2 — which just launched back in February — no longer appears on Virgin Mobile’s list of available phones. If you want an Ocean, you’re stuck with the now ancient original.

That is, unless you speak Korean. Strangely, the Ocean 2 (and a bunch of other Helio phones long abandoned in the English market, like the Heat and Fin) is still available to Korean-market Virgin Mobile USA customers.

Additionally, it seems like the final steps are being taken to absorb the Helio brand entirely — that is, to kill it off. Helio.com now instead resolves to Virgin Mobile’s USA. For the final nail, all models are being referred to by their original manufacturer (Samsung Mysto rather than Helio Mysto, for example), though they still bear the Helio logo.

[Thanks David!]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:03 pm

First look: BFG Deimos gaming laptop

We just got a BFG Deimos in today, and it is big, shiny, and competing against Alienware’s M17x. So far, I can tell you that it’s a bit lighter then the Alienware, but (unscientifically speaking) about equal as far as speed. We’ll be doing a full review in the upcoming weeks, but I wanted to share some pictures and first impressions with you today.

BFG is new to the laptop world, and it kind of shows. The box was very basic, without all the pointless extras that some manufacturers include. I’m fine with that, I don’t particularly feel a need to have a BFG hat or mouse pad. I’m here for the gaming performance.

The machine looks good. And it’s not ridiculously heavy like certain other gaming laptops. It’s still huge, but not in an overwhelming way. More importantly, everything works. Sure, there’s isn’t any gimmicky “facial recognition,” but that hardly ever works right anyway. First impression is a solid machine with enough bling to keep me happy. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for blue LEDs.

So I’ve fired up my Steam account, I’m downloading some machine-melting games, and looking forward to putting this thing through its paces. As always, I’ll ask: any particular questions about the machine? Anything you’d like me to take a look at in particular in the full review? Also, if you like the look so far, keep in mind you can get 10% off the price if you pre-order by this Friday.

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm

New DoD Memo On Open Source Software

dwheeler writes "The US Department of Defense has just released a new official memo on open source software: 'Clarifying Guidance Regarding Open Source Software (OSS).' (The memo should be up shortly on this DoD site.) This memo is important for anyone who works with the DoD, including contractors, on software and systems that include software; it may influence many other organizations as well. The DoD had released a memo back in 2003, but 'misconceptions and misinterpretations... have hampered effective DoD use and development of OSS.' The new memo tries to counter those misconceptions and misinterpretations, and is very positive about OSS. In particular, it lists a number of potential advantages of OSS, and recommends that in certain cases the DoD release software as OSS."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:55 pm

Similar Images graduates from Google Labs

Today, we're happy to announce that Similar Images is graduating from Google Labs and becoming a permanent feature in Google Images. You can try it out by clicking on "Find similar images" below the most popular images in our search results. For example, if you search for jaguar, you can use the "Find similar images" link to find more pictures of the car or the animal. 

When we revamped Labs in April, we also launched Similar Images to highlight some of the innovative work our engineers have been working on. Google Labs gives us a way to get some of our new ideas in front of you early in the process, refine them based on your feedback and see what sticks. Your support has helped to make Similar Images the first major feature to graduate from Google Labs since its recent overhaul.

So, let's say you want to find images of Ancient Egypt. Google Images will provide you with a rich variety of results, including pyramids, maps, relics, drawings and other types of images. Instead of poring through hundreds of images, now you can simply click "Find similar images" to narrow down the results to the results to the type you want. (We're rolling this out gradually, so the links in the below examples may not work for you yet.)
Source: The Official Google Blog | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:34 pm

Video: Nokia N900 Razzles Us With Open Source Dazzle

The Nokia N900 internet tablet is packed with features like a flash-enabled Mozilla-based browser, a 5-MP camera and 32 GB of expandable memory.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:30 pm

Tesla Goes 313 Miles on Single Charge

Tesla may have set a new record by traveling 313 miles on one battery charge.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:18 pm

Nokia Unveils China 3G Phone [Voices]

By Loretta Chao, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Nokia Corp. (NOK) unveiled its first cell phone developed with China’s homegrown third-generation mobile technology Tuesday, saying it would aim to “democratize” the smart phone market by aiming to sell lower-priced handsets at higher volumes.

The phone and others like it in the company pipeline could help Nokia, which has struggled globally to keep pace with Apple Inc. (AAPL) in the fast-growing, higher-margin market for premium smart phones since Apple’s iPhone was released in 2007, to close some of the gap by capitalizing on its strength in developing markets. But its look–a slider-style with a mirror-like screen, isn’t much different than what consumers have seen before.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:17 pm

EFF Launches "Takedown Hall of Shame"

netbuzz writes "Recognizing that public shame is a potent weapon, the Electronic Frontier Foundation today launched a new Web site — its Takedown Hall of Shame — that will shine an unflattering spotlight on those corporations and individuals who abuse copyright claims to stifle free speech. Among the early inductees are NPR, NBC, CBS, and Diebold."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:03 pm

Rock music is dead, and all the Rock Band in the world won’t save it

In the interest of bringing Ron and Fez’s fantastic radio show topics to a more tech-minded audience, I propose the following: games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, while fun and, generally speaking, “good,” will not save rock music. Rock and roll, for all intents and purposes, is dead. Bear with me for a minute, I’ll make this relevant to CrunchGear.

So the topic on today’s show was: U2—you may have heard of them—recently released a new album, but it didn’t sell too well. This created the discussion: is rock dead? Someone brought up the idea that kids today just aren’t buying music anymore, that they’re playing video games instead; you have but so many entertainment dollars to spend, right? But even if kids (and by kids I mean the 30 and under crowd, a completely arbitrary cutoff point) are going out and buying these games left and right, does that mean they’re experiencing music in a new way, as proponents of the idea that Guitar Hero will save the music business would have you believe, or are they just killing time?

To paraphrase Ron Bennington, if the only thing these kids are doing is playing Simon with Pearl Jam in the background, Pearl Jam might as well be the Pac-Man theme song. The kids aren’t paying attention to the music, aren’t getting “into it,” per se, but are merely following along with whatever random melody is playing in the background.

(Incidentally, a caller tried to blame the decline of rock music on Pearl Jam’s anti-everything antics back in the 1990s and 2000s, driving kids into hip hop’s flashy embrace. Kids want to look up to Rock Stars, and the lifestyle they live, and not necessarily people who, while armed with guitars, are generally against the whole rock “scene.” That’s partially why rapping about money, women, and cars caught fire in the 1990s: it filled a void that rock had left behind. I sure as hell would rather listen to Jay-Z than, say, The Strokes, who, if I recall correctly, were once promoted as the saviors of rock and roll.)

The future?

What new (and I do mean brand new, and not merely new to you) rock music have you heard in one of these games that made you think, “Hey, this band is pretty good. I’m gonna buy their album from iTunes and buy a t-shirt from their Web site.”? You may well be able to play along just fine with a Weezer or Peter Frampton song, and you’ll have a good time doing so, but in doing so you’re not exactly discovering Bruce Springsteen back when he was just a local Jersey act. You’re not discovering new music, but rather pressing a fisher price fret along with the melody to a classic rock song. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not going to save rock music, now is it?

And by save I just mean to make it popular again. I’d love to see a sales comparison between rock music and hip hop over the past 10 years. I bet it’s pretty one-sided.

Now these games are great for bands like The Beatles that are trying to introduce their catalog to millions of new eyeballs, but you’re not necessarily creating any new talent. It’s sorta like WWE in that sense: I stopped watching regularly back in high school (2004ish), but I turn on Raw or Smackdown today and the very same guys are who were main-eventing then (Triple H, Undertaker, John Cena, etc) are main-eventing now; no new stars have been created in the past five years. That’s not good!

So yeah, sorta rambling, but you get my point: Rock Band & Co. may be great for the record labels looking to make a extra few dollars on licensing deals, and may be great for old bands looking to introduce new fans to their music, but you’re crazy if you think these games will make rock music the music of this generation’s young people; hip has already won that battle. No new rock talent is being cultivated with these games, and the relationship between the actual music and the player isn’t genuine: you’re playing a video game with your friends as part of an event or fun social gathering, and aren’t carefully digesting the melodies and lyrics of “Gouge Away” for the sake of the music itself.

That is all.

Flickr and Flickr

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:00 pm

BLOG: 'Unicorn Fly' Buzzed During Dinosaur Age

The "unicorn fly," a one-of-a-kind insect that lived among giants, had a horn with three eyes.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:00 pm

Giant Sea Monster Skull Unearthed in U.K.

Bones of a pliosaur, a predator that lived 150 million years ago, have been found.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:00 pm

Film Studios May Block DVD Rentals For One Month

Ponca City, We love you writes "The LA Times reports that in an effort to push consumers toward buying more movies, some major film studios are considering a new policy that would block DVDs from being offered for rental until several weeks after going on sale. Under the plan, new DVD releases would be available on a purchase-only basis for a few weeks, after which time companies such as Blockbuster and Netflix would be allowed to rent the DVDs to their customers. 'The studios are wrestling with declines in DVD sales while the DVD rental market has been modestly growing,' says Reed Hastings the CEO of Netflix. 'If we can agree on low-enough pricing, delayed rental could potentially increase profits for everyone.' Three studios have already tried to impose a no-rental period of about a month on Redbox, the operator of kiosks that rent movies for $1 per night, believing that Redbox's steeply discounted price undercuts DVD sales. Redbox has responded by suing the studios, seeking to force them to sell it DVDs simultaneously with competitors. Meanwhile, the company is stocking its kiosks with DVDs it can't otherwise obtain by buying them from retailers."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:12 pm

No Such Thing As A Break In A Curveball?

In award-winning demo, neuroscientists at USC and American University suggest curveballs do not breakThe answer to the question of whose curveball breaks harder -- that of the Yankees' A.J.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:11 pm

Peek goes Twitter and is now available at Blockbuster

Peek, the tiny non-smartphone smartphone dedicated to email and messaging, is now available at Blockbuster stores across the nation. Peek buyers will also receive one month free of Blockbuster Total Access, a Netflix-like service that lets you rent DVDs and BR disks by mail or in-store. You can also refer a friend and get a $15 Blockbuster gift card.

The Pronto costs $59.99 with $14.99/month service. The Classic costs $19.99.

In related news, it seems the company has created a new version of the hardware with dedicated Twitter access. We’ve seen images of the box, above, and we’re asking for more info right now.

[Thanks, Peter ]

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:09 pm

Scientists Use World's Fastest Supercomputer To Create The Largest HIV Evolutionary Tree

Mapping Darwinian evolutionary relationships results in an HIV family tree that may lead researchers to new vaccine focus areasSupporting Los Alamos National Laboratory's role in the international Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) consortium, researchers are using the Roadrunner supercomputer to analyze vast quantities of genetic sequences from HIV infected people in the hope of zeroing in on possible vaccine target areas.Physicist Tanmoy Bhattacharya and HIV researcher Bette Korber have used samples taken by CHAVI across the globe – from both chronic and acute HIV patients – and created an evolutionary genetic family tree, known as a phylogenetic tree, to look for similarities in the acute versus chronic sequences that may identify areas where vaccines would be most effective.In this study the evolutionary history of more than 10,000 sequences from more than 400 HIV-infected individuals was compared.The idea, according to Korber, is to identify common features of the transmitted virus, and attempt to create a vaccine that enables recognition the original transmitted virus before the body's immune response causes the virus to react and mutate."DNA Sequencing technology, however, is currently being revolutionized, and we are at the cusp of being able to obtain more than 100,000 viral sequences from a single person," said Korber.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:07 pm

Shields Up: BlackBerry spy apps

Section: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Security, Features, Originals, Columns

US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) has issued a warning about a new app that could allow someone to eavesdrop on a BlackBerry user’s phone conversation.  The app, called PhoneSnoop, is free and was released by an Indonesian man who said he just wanted to make a point that the BlackBerry platform isn’t infallible despite its strong security features.

“My intention was to raise awareness that even though the BlackBerry is one of the more secure platforms, there are still means where its users can be spied upon,” Gunasekera wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday. “I wanted to highlight that even with such technical security controls, the human element can be exploited through social engineering.”

The app doesn’t hide itself once installed, so a user should be able to easily figure out it’s there.  For those wondering what else may be lurking on their BlackBerry devices, another free app, called Kisses, will find and display all hidden apps on the device.

If you’re looking for something even stronger, there is a full fledged security suite available for the BlackBerry as well.  SMobile Security Shield offers two versions.  The Security and Anti-Theft version is $19.99 and offers malware protection and web based services including remote wipe, GPS tracking, locking and backup and restore.  The Parental Control version is $29.99 and allows parents to monitor their children’s BlackBerry use from a web based console.  They can monitor emails and text messages and be alerted when the child’s contact list is updated, track their location via GPS and monitor social networking apps like MySpace and Facebook.

Both apps are available for download from BlackBerry App World.  The US-CERT strongly recommends password protecting your device and being very careful of what you download onto it and who you let use it.

 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:01 pm

What’s missing from this press release?

Samsung has just announced a pair of LCD monitors with built-in TV features that promise to “eliminate the line between work productivity and HD entertainment,” according to the press release. And speaking of that press release, it appears that Samsung has also eliminated the most basic and important spec from the products’ list of features.

Price? Nope, that’s there — $250 for the 933HD+ and $330 for the 2333HD. Resolution? 1360×768 for the 933HD+ and 1920×1080 for the 2333HD. Response time, contrast ratio, that stuff is all there too.

It’s a little known fact that for every one person that writes about technology products, there are 50 public relations people. Maybe 100. It might even be 1000. I don’t know the exact number except to say that they’re everywhere and they all somehow have my phone number and they all somehow know where I live, so I certainly don’t want to brass anyone off but see if you can tell me what’s missing from this press release:

Samsung HDTV Monitors Eliminate Line between Work Productivity and HD Entertainment

Samsung’s 933HD+ and 2333HD LCD Monitors Offer Extensive Range of Entertainment Options

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, the number one worldwide brand of LCD display products, today announced the debut of its entertainment-centric monitors, the 933HD+ and 2333HD. At an estimated street price of $249.99 and $329.99, respectively, both monitors produce picture perfect HD quality in a sleek design and are now available from Samsung resellers and retailers.

“With more homes having multiple entertainment centers, the 933HD+ and 2333HD are the perfect companions for users who want integrated HDTV functionality from a desktop monitor. The added bonus is that both these monitors are self-contained and functional right out of the box, and can quickly connect to any entertainment device,” said Doug Albregts, vice president, Information Technology Division, Samsung Electronics America Inc.

COMPACT TV WITH CONNECTIVITY

The 933HD+ and 2333HD have all the benefits of a compact television including a digital TV tuner with an optional cable or satellite connection and up to two HDMI connections, depending on model, to connect digital devices such as a Blu-Ray player and gaming system. The integrated stereo sound system offers great sound and includes Dolby Digital (2333HD). The 933HD+ and 2333HD’s slick glossy black finish features a rounded bottom edge with matching crystal-like acrylic bar.

MULTI-PERFORMANCE

Whether watching movies, sports or a PowerPoint presentation, the 933HD+ and 2333HD offer Samsung’s quality performance with a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and 5 millisecond response rate. Movies can be fully appreciated in 16:9 widescreen formats without distortion or stretching and there is ample space to run multiple applications simultaneously. Settings, such as brightness, backlight and color effects, can be quickly customized with a touch of a key using the MagicColor, MagicBright, Color Effect and Image Size functions.

“With more users viewing HD broadcast, watching Blu-ray movies and playing video games on their monitors, the 933HD+ and 2333HD are space savers for those looking for a multi-purpose monitor to place in a tight space, like a studio apartment or dorm room,” said Young Bae, director, Information Technology Division, Samsung Electronics America Inc.

933HD+ and 2333HD

• 1360 x768 or 1920×1080 (2333HD only) resolution
• Dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• 5ms response time
• Remote control

Monitors are available through Samsung resellers and distribution channels, which can be located by calling 1-800-SAMSUNG or by visiting www.samsung.com. Samsung Power Partners receive special promotions, lead referrals, training and technical support, as well as collateral and marketing materials. Samsung also recycles all monitors through its RECYCLING DIRECT^SM Program. To find out more about becoming a Samsung Power Partner or the RECYCLING DIRECT^SM Program, visit www.samsungpartner.com.

Here’s the live copy, which will hopefully be updated by the time you read this (it’s been over two hours already, though).

UPDATE/SPOILER: Samsung e-mailed saying that the 933HD+ and 2333HD displays are 19 and 23 inches, respectively. So there you have it. Sweet, sweet closure.

Source: CrunchGear | 27 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

Use Your Own Number With Some Google Voice Features - PC World

Sporkings (blog)

Use Your Own Number With Some Google Voice Features PC World Google Voice users can now use their existing phone numbers with the service, which will come as good news to people who don't want to give out a new number to all of their existing contacts. But there are some catches. First off, this isn't quite the ... Google Voice 'Lite' — No New Number RequiredNew York Times Google Voice Get More Flexible For iPhone UsersBusinessWeek Google Voice now (kinda) works with your numberCNET News Reuters -USA Today -PC Magazine all 405 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:53 pm

In Industry First, Voting-Machine Company Will Publish Source Code

Sequoia Voting Systems announces it plans to publish source code for its new optical-scan voting system for public review. The company move toward transparency is a switch from its "trust us" attitude of the past.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:53 pm

New American Chemical Society Podcast: Tiny Sea Creature And A New Medical Adhesive

Scientists questing after a long-sought new medical adhesive describe copying the natural glue secreted by a tiny sea creature called the sandcastle worm in the latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning podcast series, "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions."Such an adhesive is needed to repair bones shattered in battlefield injuries, car crashes and other accidents.The traditional method of repairing shattered bones involves use of mechanical fasteners like pins and metal screws to support the bone during healing.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:30 pm

Megaquake Looms Over Seattle

The Cascadia thrust fault, one of the most powerful faults on Earth, has Seattle in its crosshairs.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:30 pm

TBI-Vision Loss Impacts Vets; Low-Vision Patients May Have Hallucinations

Oct. 27 scientific program highlights, AAO-PAAO 2009 MeetingToday's Scientific Program, 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting, includes a Veterans Administration study that indicates that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with vision loss from traumatic brain injury have significantly poorer quality of life than comparable civilian patients, and a Harvard doctor's insights on how to best evaluate and care for low-vision patients who experience vivid visual hallucinations due to Charles Bonnet syndrome.The AAO-PAAO meeting, the largest, most comprehensive ophthalmic education conference in the world, is in session October 24 through 27 at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.Quality of Life Worse for Veterans with TBI Vision Loss than for Comparable CiviliansMany young veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI) from exposure to combat explosions. A recent study of TBI's affect on visual function and quality of life in such veterans by Glenn C. Cockerham, MD, Stanford University, and colleagues at the Veterans Administration Palo Alto Department of Ophthalmology, found that most had severe vision problems and poorer quality of life than comparable civilian patients.Dr. Cockerham, Sonne Lemke, PhD, Catherine Glynn-Milley, CRNO, and Kimberly Cockerham, MD, assessed visual function and occult (not readily detectable) eye injuries in 42 young veterans with blast-related TBI, then evaluated them using two standard quality of life tests, the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25) and Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement (NOS). The veterans' VFQ-25 and NOS scores were compared with accepted norms for patients with similar visual disorders. On the VFQ-25, overall scores were significantly lower for veterans than the reference patient groups; for example, veterans scored lower than norms for patients with glaucoma, multiple sclerosis (MS) and diabetic eye disease. On the NOS the veterans' scores were significantly lower than norms for patients with MS and disease-free adults and were similar to norms for comparable neuro-ophthalmic patients.The eyes and related tissues are less protected than the head during explosions and are vulnerable to blast forces. A comprehensive eye exam and neuro-ophthalmic evaluation detect occult injuries that may include: structural damage that can lead to glaucoma, retinal and choroidal damage, optic nerve injury, double vision, visual field changes and other disorders."The young veterans in our study self-reported compromised visual function in many areas," Dr. Cockerham said. "We found the VFQ-25 and NOS were sensitive to vision loss issues in patients with blast-related TBI. Our future studies will correlate visual function with specific life challenges and determine how these change over time," he added. In September 2009, the Veterans Administration honored Dr. Cockerham and his colleague Greg Goodrich, PhD, with the Olin Teague Award for improving disabled veterans' quality of life.Who Parked that Double-Decker Bus in My Living Room?
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:25 pm

DIY Botox: Site Offers Injectable Drug Without Prescription (With How-To Video)

Give yourself a Botox treatment? Wired.com looks into a site that seems to offer clients the drugs and tutorials to do just that. Video how-to demos show how to inject the drug, derived from botulinum toxin, into one's own face.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:19 pm

Fighting Afghanistan's Dumbed-Down, Deadly Bombs

Afghanistan's low-tech bombs might be harder to stop than Iraq's comparatively sophisticated explosives. The Pentagon sinks almost a billion dollars into new tools to cope with the threat, like sensors to detect minute changes on the ground.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:14 pm

Endocrine Society Calls For Expanded Scope And Funding For Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. Current legislation and guidelines, however, continue to limit researchers' endeavors in unlocking the potential breakthroughs that stem cell research can provide.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:08 pm

Roll Your Own App — Learn to Compile Software From Source Code

There's plenty of free software available in the open source community. Problem is, you have to learn how to compile it from source code if you want to use it. We'll walk you through the steps.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Oct 2009 | 2:00 pm

Researcher Solves Problem Of Mixing Liquids In Tiny Volumes

Image Caption: Kyle Solis, a graduate student intern in Nanomaterials Sciences, prepares a sample for mixing using a new approach called vortex field mixing. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 1:51 pm

Track where US gov bailout trillions went with augmented reality mobile app

A new augmented reality app from Layar allows Android and iPhone 3GS users to view recovery.gov contract dollars at play work in the real world.

Image above: an example of what those happy blue bailout bubbles look like, bouncing about on the thoroughly bailed-out streets of Washington, DC. My only criticism so far (I haven't tried the apps): instead of blue circles as representational icons, the designers really should have chosen taxpayers' tears. Snip:

Layar is an application that overlays your view of the real world with waypoints representing your favorite coffee place, the movie theatre you're trying to find, or in this case, where some of that $787 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. If you have an iPhone 3GS or Android device you can install the Layar app for free and then search for "recovery" or "sunlight" within Layar to find this layer. The layer works best near large cities where you are most likely to find recovery contracts.

Recovery.gov Augmented Reality Mashup [Sunlight Labs, via Micah Sifry]

Layar Reality Browser [Layar]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Oct 2009 | 1:36 pm

The True North -- Strong When Salt Free

A move from a traditional diet to the sodium-laden Western diet is fuelling a spike in the blood pressure of the Inuit in Canada's North, Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 12:47 pm

Market watchers expect huge boost in PC sales as a result of Windows 7

Section: Computers, Hardware

According to the Wall Street Journal, PC sales are expected to see a huge boost in numbers as a result of the October 22 release of Windows 7.  Initial figures are showing that the operating system is performing better than expected and should lead to an upturn in PC sales throughout the year.  Windows 7 has already generated an estimated $1.5 billion in pre-orders for Microsoft. 

Analysts believe that the earnings from Windows 7 will extend beyond the consumer market and grow in the corporate world as well.  Since little excitement was generated from Windows Vista, it is expected that many small to medium sized businesses will make the upgrade to 7.  The timing of Windows 7 could not be better for the PC industry as well with the holidays just around the corner.

Although no official numbers have been release from Microsoft, reports surfaced last week that distributors could not keep up with the demand as stock dwindled from many retail locations.

Read: [Market Watch]
Image Source: Blogs DNA

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pm

Lifestyle Changes, Less Meat For Emission Cuts

For Americans, simple lifestyle changes could effectively add up to a massive cut in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to France’s entire annual emissions, according to a new study.Thomas Dietz of Michigan State University's department of sociology and environmental science and policy issued a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday that outlines 17 simple activities for Americans to reduce their carbon footprint.Activities include purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle, using a clothesline for drying clothing and monitoring the thermostat more closely.The activities have been grouped into five sectors: weatherization, switching to more efficient equipment, maintaining equipment, adjusting appliance settings, and modifying daily personal use.Taking part in such activities could lead to a reduction of 123 metric tons of carbon emissions each year by the 10th year, said Dietz."This amounts to...
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 12:35 pm

Human Speech Gene Found

An Australian family with a speaking disorder has helped scientists discover the speech gene.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 12:00 pm

UC Davis Researchers Identify Dominant Chemical That Attracts Mosquitoes To Humans

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have identified the dominant odor naturally produced in humans and birds that attracts the blood-feeding Culex mosquitoes, which transmit West Nile virus and other life-threatening diseases.The groundbreaking research, published this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains why mosquitoes shifted hosts from birds to humans and paves the way for key developments in mosquito and disease control.Entomology professor Walter Leal and postdoctoral researcher Zain Syed found that nonanal (sounds like NAWN-uh-nawl) is the powerful semiochemical that triggers the mosquitoes' keen sense of smell, directing them toward a blood meal.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:55 am

Researchers Discover Mechanism That Prevents 2 Species From Reproducing

Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.When two populations of a species become geographically isolated from each other, their genes diverge from one another over time.Eventually, when a male from one group mates with a female from the other group, the offspring will die or be born sterile, as crosses between horses and donkeys produce sterile mules.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:47 am

Google opens up Android 2.0 SDK to all developers

There we were ranting about Google selectively sharing Android 2.0 without making it available to developers en masse, and then they went ahead and did just that. Beginning immediately, Android 2.0 support is available in the Android SDK.

Don’t expect it to be available (at least not through any official means) on any device until the Motorola Droid launches, which all signs indicate will happen sometime in early November.

Here are the big, user-facing changes:

• Unified e-mail
• “Quick Contacts” – rather than requiring you to go to a second screen after tapping a contact in your address book, a small bar pops up with all available contact methods as touch icons
• Exchange support
• Search functionality now digs through SMS/MMS
• Photo Enhancements: White balance, Digital Zoom, color effects, macro focus support
• Improved keyboard (Multi-touch! Good news for fast typists.)
• Overhauled browser with improved HTML5 support, including offline applications
• Bluetooth 2.1, plus Object-push profiles (for sending images and business cards over Bluetooth) and PBAP (for sharing your phonebook with other devices, such as your in-car navigation

The full list of changes is available here; developers, dive on in.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:29 am

Apple Tablet Rumors Spread to Australia

Apple has reportedly met with major U.S. publishers, including The New York Times and Wired.com’s parent company Condé Nast, to discuss the future of digital media — perhaps floated by a touchscreen tablet. Now, even Australian media companies appear to be in talks with Apple, too.

Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday that Australian media companies have received specifications of Apple’s tablet. However, the Herald said none of its sources would go on the record (presumably because they are barred by a non-disclosure agreement.)

Corroborating previous Apple tablet rumors, The Herald claims the device is “tipped to be a larger version of the iPhone,” with a strong focus on e-reader capabilities.

The Herald’s report trails a video making rounds on the web yesterday, in which NYT editor Bill Keller alluded to an “impending Apple slate” during his keynote speech discussing digital strategies. Keller declined to comment when Wired.com requested clarification on the remark; he responded, “I ain’t sayin’” to All Things Digital.

Nevertheless, to date there’s a heap of independent reports citing anonymous sources who claim a media-centric Apple tablet is due out early 2010. To keep up with the news and rumors, read our previous round-up aggregating rumor reports about the Apple tablet.

See Also:

• In-App Sales and iTablet: The Killer Combo to Save Publishing …
• Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet
• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …

Illustration of an imaginary Apple tablet: Factoryjoe / Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:13 am

Introducing the Google Earth heroes project

Hundreds of millions of people use Google Earth every day to discover, explore and learn more about the world around them. We're especially proud that Google Earth has also been used as a tool to help people change the world. Today, to celebrate he individuals and organizations that have used Google Earth in their efforts to effect change, we announced the Google Earth heroes project.

In this first stage of the heroes project, we're highlighting the work of five groups — Project Kaisei, Save the Elephants, Borneo Orangutan Survival, Chief Almir and the Surui and Appalachian Voices — who have used Google Earth in a variety of ways to tell their stories. We'll be releasing videos showcasing other organizations' work in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

To learn more about these groups and view their videos, read our post on the Google Lat Long blog or visit http://earth.google.com/changetheworld.

Posted by Krating Poonpol, Product Marketing Manager, Google Earth and Tanya Keen, Program Manager, Google Earth Outreach
Source: The Official Google Blog | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:07 am

jetBook-Lite announced as cheapest eBook reader

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

Nobody seems to be content with Amazon owning most of the eBook reader space with the Kindle.  Sure, there are other alternatives both equally priced (Nook) and a bit cheaper (Sony Reader Pocket Edition).  None seem to have ability to completely own the market as they’re all fairly expensive for most consumers.  Enter ECTACO with its new jetBook-Lite.

The jetBook-Lite is actually ECACTO’s second eBook reader and according to the company, the cheapest reader out there now at $149.  On possibility for why the reader is so cheap is because rather than the standard built-in battery, the jetBook-Lite uses four replaceable AA batteries.  With the batteries, ECTACO is claiming 23 hours of continuous reading.  On the upside, the jetBook-Lite supports the Barnes & Noble eBook store, as well as a variety of file formats, so it should support just about anything you throw at it, even PDFs.

What the jetBook-Lite doesn’t offer, however, is the good looks of the Nook, or the wireless downloads of the Nook and Kindle.  It does support SD cards, so loading up books shouldn’t be too difficult for the average user, even if it’s not as convenient.  On the plus side, it come with the CIA World Factbook preloaded, which wouldn’t be useful for everyone, but could be good for random fact checking.  It might not be the best eBook reader, or the most attractive, but for the price, and for some the replaceable batteries and the cheap price could put it over the Nook, Kindle and Sony Reader.

Read [PR Newswire]
Read [ECTACO]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 11:05 am

BLOG: Smart Grid Gets Investment

Millions are allocated for smart grid infrastructure. Learn more about smart grids.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 10:35 am

Smule creates its own “evil twin” company, Smort. They’ve got Zombies in Bikinis. From space.

Pretend, for a moment, that you’re one of the creative minds at Smule; you and your team have had a series of back-to-back successes, and your audience has come to expect a certain things of you. They expect the utmost highest design quality, for it to be music-related, and — perhaps worst of all — some level of maturity. When expectations are high and narrow in focus, how are you supposed to unleash your creativity?

If you’re Smule, you go and establish a second company as your first company’s evil twin. Then you release an application involving zombies in bikinis.

The new company, Smort, is everything Smule isn’t. If Smule were Mario (or Bender, or Darkwing Duck), Smort would be Wario (or Flexo, or Negaduck). It’s the classic doppelganger mechanic – just… in the form of a company. The creative brains at Smule are jam-packed with absurd (but still great) ideas – and for those ideas, they have Smort.

Smule actually launched Smort a few months ago, completely off the radar, with “Frog Guitar” – an app in which you played a guitar made of.. well, frogs. Presumably because it was still music-related (whereas Smort is at least partially intended to let them flex their talents in other categories), they’ve since pulled that app.

This morning, Smort is making its return to the App Store with the launch of Attack Of The Zombie Bikini Babes From Outer Space. Yep. You read that right. Smule Smort looked at some of the common elements across popular App Store games, and came back with a list: Bikini Babes, Zombies, Bombs, and Bloodshed. Then they jammed it all together. It’s an outlandish (but still tongue-in-cheek) jab at the state of the App Store, but it just so happens to be a pretty damn fun game.

In this game you play Pappy, a farmer set out to protect his property from an onslaught of Zombie Bikini Babes. You’re armed with a pair of dual-wielded slingshots, which you fire in quick succession by drawing back the pouches with your thumbs. You’ll quickly move up from firing rocks to firing everything from live animals to explosives, with a few special weapons tucked in for good measure. In short, the game is absolutely insane – just as Smort intended. Oh, and to kick the absurdity up one more notch: the part of the zombie is played by Marina Orlova of HotForWords fame.

When asked about the matter on the record, Smule vehemently denies any relationship with Smort.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:59 am

Huge Meteorite Crater Deemed a Hoax

The large hole found in a Latvian field was made by spades, not a giant meteorite.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:45 am

Inside a Cellphone Radiation Testing Lab

Is radiation from cellphones dangerous or not? As consumers become increasingly glued to their phones, researchers, environmental organizations and cellphone industry groups debate this question.

So far, the answer is elusive. But you can find out how much radiation your head is absorbing from any given phone.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission sets the acceptable radiation standards for cellphones. As part of the device certification process, all handset makers have to offer a certificate from an independent lab that show how the device rates.

Cetecom is one of those labs. The company, based in Milpitas, California, performs radiation testing on devices like mobile phones, laptops, USB modems and sometimes even ankle monitors used by law enforcement. For each category of devices, the testing process is nearly identical.

Wired.com got a rare peek into the labs when we watched them test the iPhone with and without Pong, a new iPhone case that promises to reduce the amount of radiation hitting your brain by directing it up and away from your head.

The effects of the radiation depend on the rate at which energy is absorbed by a mass of tissue, like your head. It is called the specific absorption rate (SAR) and measured in watts per kilogram (W/kg).

Based on a recommendation from industry group IEEE, the FCC limits SAR levels for partial-body exposure (including the head) to up to 1.6 W/kg (watts/kilogram), and whole body exposure to up to 0.08 W/kg. For hands, wrists, feet and ankles, the limit is up to 4 W/kg, averaged over 10 grams of tissue.

In general, the lower the SAR, the better the chances your phone is not a potential health hazard. To test the SAR, a mold in the shape of a human head is filled with a fluid formulated to simulate the electrical properties of the human tissue. This fluid typically is made up of salt, sugar, water and a viscosity additive.

The model for the human head is called SAM (standard anthropomorphic model). The size of the head is based on on the 90th-percentile dimensions of the male head, as determined by a study of U.S. Army personnel in the late 1980s — in other words, it’s a big head. Overall ambient temperature and humidity of the testing chamber is also controlled. In this case, the ambient temperature was at 70.7 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity was 36.1 percent, approximating a beautiful fall day in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The first step in the testing process is to strap a phone (the iPhone in this case) to the head mold. The phone is taped to the mold in a way such that the antenna of the phone is positioned near the jaw. The testing system consists of a computer-controlled probe, a robotic arm, amplifier output that connects to a PC and a cable that connects to a universal radio communication tester.

“You can’t do a test with the phone dialing up AT&T because the signal strength would be all over the place,” says Albert Liu, vice-president of business development at Pong Research.

The iPhone is placed in a simulated call with the radio communication tester, which transmits a signal at full power. Now the robotic probe scans the head, measuring the radio frequency energy that is absorbed at each point. The probe finds the region of the highest RF field and tthe location with the highest absorption rate.

Because brain tissue isn’t flat, SAR measurement in terms of W/kg is averaged over 1 g of tissue.

The robotic probe takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to complete the process. According to the certificate filed with the FCC, Apple’s iPhone 3G S has a maximum SAR of 1.19 W/kg when it’s held at the ear. Our test showed the iPhone 3G to have an SAR of 1.18 W/kg, or just about the same as the official FCC number.

Next up, testing the iPhone with a Pong case. The process is repeated and about 20 minutes later, the results are spewed out at with SAR clocking in at 0.42 W/kg.

In other words, Pong’s claims seem to be legitimate: Its case reduces the amount of radiation going from the iPhone into your head to a third of what it would be without the case. Contrary to what we initially wrote on the Pong case, it does appear to work.

Another test that handset makers often run on their devices is the signal strength test. The test is conducted in a specially constructed chamber called an anechoic chamber. Cetecom has a radio-frequency anechoic chamber where the interior surfaces are covered with radiation-absorbent material.

In this case, the iPhone is strapped to the model with the phone facing the ground. The test measures the effective level of radiated power that the phone emits while in a transmit mode. The burst power or the channel power from the phone is measured. The result is a spherical radiation pattern that yields the Total Radiated Power.

The test takes about 45 minutes including setup and is almost completely automated. A lab technician only needs to position the phone right and make sure the computer spews out the results.

In case of the iPhone, the total radiated power was 12.54 dBm (decibels referenced to one milliwatt) and remained almost the same with the Pong case, indicating that the sleeve has no effect on signal strength of the phone.

If you’re not an iPhone user, you can learn more about how much cellphone radiation you’re getting from your phone.

See Also:

• Study Reveals How Much Cellphone Radiation You’re Getting
• Video: Cellphone Radiation Pops Popcorn
• Nothing to Fear From Wi-Fi Radiation
• Cellphones Get Radiation Labels

Photos: Priya Ganapati

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:44 am

Off-course pilots were laptopping-while-flying

Two pilots on a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis, MN flew past the airport in error last week, and federal investigators now report that this was caused by laptop distraction in the cockpit. Northwest has just gone through a merger, and the pilots were apparently kvetching to one another about the confusing new scheduling system imposed post-merger.

"Each pilot accessed and used his personal laptop computer while they discussed the airline crew flight scheduling procedure," the NTSB report said. More from the New York Times.

The pilots told the National Transportation Safety Board that they missed their destination because they had taken out their personal laptops in the cockpit, a violation of airline policy, so the first officer, Richard I. Cole, could tutor the captain, Timothy B. Cheney, in a new scheduling system put in place by Delta Air Lines, which acquired Northwest last fall.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:41 am

Ares Rocket Test Delayed by Weather

Cloudy weather has delayed a test launch of NASA's new rocket until at least Wednesday.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:40 am

Hands-On With the Fonera 2.0n, the People’s Router

The Fonera is the hippie of the router world. You hook it up and it shares your network with friends and strangers alike.

Owners who share their connections thusly, called “Foneros” in the company’s cutesy marketing-ese, get to use other Foneros’ networks when they travel. And because the router sets up two separate networks, one private (and secure) and one public, you never have to worry about having your bandwidth, or your data, sucked dry.

The new Fonera 2 does all this, and a whole lot more. I have been testing it over the last few weeks, and for the most part, it works. But it also has one big, big problem, which makes it almost useless, for me at least.

First, the Fonera 2 gets 802.11n networking, for faster speeds over a longer range. Hook it up to your network via ethernet (there is no way to join a network via Wi-Fi without hacking) and you have just added a second wireless network to your home.

The Fonera 2 then acts like a tiny computer on your network. You can plug a USB hard drive into the Fonera and access it from any other computer (this was a little janky, requiring a firmware update for my Mac’s Finder to see the disk). You can use the router as a standalone BitTorrent device which can download movies and TV shows while all other computers are switched off (the Fonera uses Transmission, which can be controlled through a nice web interface). You can even stick a 3-G USB dongle into the side and use it like a mains-powered MiFi, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot from the 3G cell signal.

In addition to this you can upload video to YouTube, photos to Flickr, and generally do a lot of what you might leave a computer running to do. This is the idea: to offload the long uploads and downloads to a device which is both always connected and always on.

And it works beautifully, for the most part, although you’ll have to be somewhat geeky to get the most out of it. Setup and control is all done through your web browser, and is slick, polished and easy. It sucks down torrents just fine, and streaming the resulting video files from the connected hard drive is easy and smooth, as it should be.

So what’s the problem? The Fonera has no modem inside. This means that you need to hook it up to an existing router, or the router/modem combo that your ISP provided you with. And if your cable or phone connection is in the hallway, that means you’ll be stacking up one extra box, and a hard drive, just where it can be seen by everyone who visits. Additional glitches: My iPod Touch wouldn’t connect to the Fonera, and my router/modem kept flaking out when the Fonera was also running.

All of these add up to make a gadget that is perfect for the geek who lives alone, but is all but useless when living with anyone who has aesthetic concerns.

It’s a shame. As we said when the router was announced back in April, “this collection of features is fantastic, and exactly what a router should be doing”. Sadly, it doesn’t quite make it as a “set and forget” home appliance just yet. $100.

Product page [Fon]

See Also:

• Fonera 2 Combines Wi-Fi Sharing, BitTorrent, Network Storage …
• FON Offers Free Routers to San Franciscans

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:17 am

Barnes & Noble Nook: Available for purchase, but not take home at retail stores

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

A little bit of surprising information has come in regards to the recently announced Barnes & Noble Nook ebook reader. It seems that the Nook will not be available for purchase and take home at every retail store, which considering Barnes & Noble has about 700 this could have been a huge advantage over other readers such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader.

Personally, it seems only logical that Barnes & Noble would have at least some Nook’s in stock and ready for those that want instant gratification. But that is not the case, instead it looks like only select locations will have them available to purchase and take home.

Instead the remaining retail locations will have a unit available for display that will allow those who are curious to check out the device. But assuming they want to make a purchase they will have to either go home and place and order or allow Barnes & Noble to place the order for you and have it shipped directly to your home.

Not that I think Barnes & Noble is listening to me, but I would imagine that I am not the only one that thinks it is strange that the Nook will not be available for purchase and take home at every retail location.

Read [paidContent]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:01 am

Algorithm Judges Musical Hit Potential

A new Web service based on an algorithm helps determine chart-topping hits.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

T-Mobile goes unlimited + no contract with ‘Even More Plus’ plans

T-Mobile jumps feet first into the no-contract, unlimited everything arena with its new “Even More Plus” plans, ranging from $30 per month for 500 voice minutes to $80 per month for unlimited voice minutes, text messages, and internet access. Family plans are also available for between $50 and $140 per month.

It appears that you can choose from just about any available phone, although going with this no-contract option means that none of the handsets are subsidized. Prices range from $550 for the HTC Touch Pro 2 down to $60 for the Nokia 2330.

T-Mobile is also offering unlimited plans with a two-year contract as part of its “Even More” package, with monthly fees ranging from $40 for 500 minutes to $60 for unlimited minutes. It’s important to note, though, that these plans are only for voice minutes – you’ll need to add texting and mobile web packages a la carte at $10 per month each (for most handsets).

T-Mobile Even More Plus Plans [T-Mobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

Stylish Italian Belts Fashioned from Bike Tires

We’re all about re-using bike inner tubes for DIY projects. They’re strong, easy to work with, they look great and if you can stand the first few days of rubber smell, they’re an almost ideal and free resource.

But what about the tires they live in? They, too, grow old, and it seems a wasteful shame to bury them when they die. Italian makers Jiro Belt take old rubber and turn it into, you guessed it, belts. Because the tires are used, all the belts are unique, from the scratches and tears to the logos and lettering.

They look to be a simple project for home-making, appearing as they do to be kept whole with only the beading - and the metal wire inside - removed. After that a few rivets and an awl should be all you need to fit the buckle and make some holes. As the price is just €30 ($45), though, it might be worth just buying one. After all, it’s not like it will ever break.

Product page [Jiro Belt via Pedal Consumption]

See Also:

• (Almost) 1001 Uses for Old Inner Tubes
• How To: Make an iPod Nano Case from a Bike Inner-tube
• Rubber Bags Made from Bike Inner Tubes
• Blow-Up Furniture from Recycled Inner Tubes

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:24 am

Mobile web usage sees another upswing (Opera)

Browser maker Opera has released its latest 'State of the Mobile Web' report this morning, claiming that there was a huge surge in mobile web usage past September. Last month, more than 35.6 million people used Opera Mini (which is now serving over 500 million pageviews per day on average on a wide range of mobile devices), up 11.5% compared to August 2009 and more than 150% compared to September 2008. The Norway software developer also claims more than 2 petabytes of data is now processed by its servers on a monthly basis. That'd be 2,000 terabytes.

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:17 am

Moon Tubes: Future Astronaut Homes?

Holes in the lunar surface may lead to hollow tubes where future astronauts could take refuge.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:00 am

Sesame Street comes to Google: Improving our education system at the Breakthrough Learning forum

If you could reinvent the American education system, what would you do? It's a question we think about a lot here at Google. This week we're exploring possibilities with Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age, a forum organized in cooperation with The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Common Sense Media, with the support of the MacArthur Foundation. This event will bring together 200 of the nation’s thought leaders in science and technology, informal and formal education, entertainment media, research, philanthropy and policy to design a strategy for scaling up effective models of teaching and learning for children, with an emphasis on technology. The forum will showcase new research, proven and promising education innovation models to challenge decision-makers to refresh and reboot American global leadership in education.

There's plenty of evidence that shows that the current educational system in the U.S. needs improvement. Twenty-five years ago, President Reagan's National Commission on Excellence in Education produced "A Nation at Risk," a report which first highlighted that our country's system wasn't meeting the national need for a competitive workforce in the day's global economy. Since then, our education system has gone through great upheaval, from the state-level standards reforms in the 1990s to 2002's No Child Left Behind, which is similarly based on the belief that setting high standards measurable goals will improve individual outcomes in education. Though the intention of these reforms was to close the global achievement gap, they left many teachers and students feeling restricted to teaching and learning "to the test." And we're still seeing disheartening results; the U.S. is currently ranked 25th of OECD countries in math scores and 24th in science scores according to the PISA 2006 Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World report. And according to McKinsey's Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools report, if the U.S. had in recent years closed the gap between its educational achievement levels and those of higher-performing nations, our GDP in 2008 could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher. That's 9 to 16 percent of GDP!

Fortunately, there are people today who are working to change these statistics. One is tonight's keynote speaker, Geoff Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's Zone combines educational, social and medical services with the goal of reaching all of the children in Harlem. Another organization addressing the issue is the MacArthur Foundation, which has created the Digital Media and Learning Project to explore the effects of digital media on young people and its implications for the future of learning and education. And we can't forget Sesame Workshop, which this year celebrates 40 years of educating children with Muppets and media.

There's great hope for American education, as long as we can work toward innovative solutions that not only allow students distinct educational experiences tailored to their interests and abilities, but also drive toward a common goal of assessable success. Students today are technologists too, and embracing that familiarity and bringing it into the classroom will help teachers and students better engage and work together to teach and learn. Most importantly, we need to support our teachers, principals and administrators — the true agents of change who tirelessly and passionately work to connect with each and every student that passes through their classrooms. The Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age forum is one step we're taking to address some of our most pressing national education system issues.

If you're interested in joining us at the forum, we'll be broadcasting live on the web both today and tomorrow. We welcome your questions and ideas to help us shape our discussions. Go to http://www.google.com/events/digitalage/ to participate and learn more.

Posted by Cristin Frodella, Product Marketing, Google Apps Education
Source: The Official Google Blog | 27 Oct 2009 | 8:00 am

The Cocks Machine

Spotted in an email in my spam folder, the juxtaposition of Persian script and the English URL "cocksmachine.com" proved irresistible. It should suffice to say that it isn't what you're thinking, even with the added threat of double cocks.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:42 am

3 attacks on Android; enough to stop a runaway success on Verizon?

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Features, Originals

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 28th is a big day for Google’s Android operating system.  The biggest carrier in the USA will launch its first Android-powered device.  You’ve read the reviews, you’ve seen the galleries, you’re ready to go.  But what do we really know about Android?  There are some downsides, right?

The Adware attack

That is the argument presented by RoughlyDrafted.  The site takes a long look at how Google will use Android to hunt you down like the depraved internet addict you are.  Android is reduced to nothing more than mobile adware:

Google is an adware vendor. You may decide that this is an acceptable tradeoff, but you can only do that if you actually stop and weigh the costs yourself. It’s completely delusional to blindly buy into Android as the free lunch with no strings.

This attack is a tough one to qualify for consumers.  Roughly Drafted presents it as a free lunch problem (you’re paying at some point, we just don’t know when).  Will it matter to consumers?  Tough to say, the problem with this line of thinking it, the experience is open-sourced so any forced ads are likely to be circumvented in short order.

The no good app attack

Robert Scoble makes an interesting case for why iPhone users are trapped in their world.  The reason?  100,000 apps.

“...now that Apple has apps the world has changed and challengers to the iPhone will find it very tough.  Here’s why: everyone is using a different set of 20 apps. Trillions of combinations. You can see this on Appsfire’s VIP list (my iPhone apps are listed there, along with a number of others). None of us have the same set of apps.

So, to get me off of the iPhone you are going to have to duplicate all my apps (and I’ve gotten several more since doing this list a couple of weeks ago).”

Scoble makes a very real and interesting point: if you’re hooked on the almost infinite variety of apps, moving off that platform gets very difficult to do.  For example, in the past week I’ve used RunKeeper (a program to track my exercising by GPS),  AT&T Navigator for turn by turn, Navionics for navigating by boat, 6 games, Geocaching and eBay.  Each iPhone could be as diverse in apps as their owners personality making replicating the experience on another phone almost impossible.  You’re trading down.

No good apps in the future attack

To fix Scoble’s app problem, Om Malik offers up some data.

“With a number of Google’s Android OS-based smartphones on the horizon, developers are devoting significant resources to the mobile platform, which will result in a boom in Android apps, according to reports from two Silicon Valley startups, Flurry and AdMob. Flurry, a San Francisco-based mobile metrics company, today said that it had seen an unprecedented 94 percent increase in the number of projects started by Android developers between September and October. “

More phones on more networks could work to get Android closer to the Apple App store. Om points out the disparity between earnings for developers between the iPhone and Android platform.  Om loosely suggests that the marketing muscle behind Android will help this cause as well.

Om does not come down on one side or another here, merely points out that we just don’t know.  There could be a boom, offering benefits to Android users and providing a serious threat to iPhone dominance.  The flip side is also possible, users don’t give a darn about what OS their phone is running as long as they can call, text and Facebook, the world is a good place.  What more do you need?

Summary

Android-haters have little tangible to hate.  We’ve seen the “in the bush” potential threat of Google doing evil things and turning your phone into mobile spyware.  We’ve seen the argument of being locked into an app environment and we’ve seen arguments that an Android app boom is looming. 

What does that mean for potential buyers of Verizon’s Android Droid phone(s)?  Personally, I think it means flux.  We don’t know quite what to make of Android yet.  Today it is a very usable OS that is about to get a lot of new users on multiple carriers on a variety of phones with multiple form factors.  Users coming from another other phone other than the iPhone are bound to get excited about the apps and open environment.  Chances are good you’ll like your phone more as time goes on as more apps build in and potentially bad as Google shows more of it’s hand.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 7:05 am

Google Voice Can Now Take Control Of Your Mobile Voicemail

Google Voice is a great way to manage phone hell by giving you a single phone number that automatically rings your mobile, home, work and other phones based on your choice of rules and settings (who’s calling, when, etc.). But people are still stuck with their legacy phone numbers, and moving completely away from them is difficult.

Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:59 am

Breaking: Non-Ugly USB Card Readers

Elecom’s new everything-in-one memory card reader is exactly the same as every other cheap memory card reader you can buy, with on exception: it is good-looking enough that you won’t want to hide it away in a drawer when you’re done transferring files.

To this end, the Japanese company has put a magnet inside it so you can stow the reader proudly anywhere there is metal in your home. Like, for instance, erm… the refrigerator?

It might sound frivolous, but it’s a fair complaint about many computer accessories: they’re just too ugly. Elecom’s new widgets might not last much longer than the usual junk card-readers we all buy, but at least we won’t be ashamed to use them during their short lives. Available now in black and white, along with what my mother would call “hot pink” and “lime green”. ¥2,520 or $27.

Product page [Elecom via Akihabara News]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:42 am

Drinking Water Wells Contaminated with Zinc

Zinc may be creeping into water supplies, which could have an affect on brain function.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am

Zero-Gravity Treadmill: Like Running in Space

Everyone knows you don’t need a treadmill in space, right? You just find a free section of the cylindrical wall of your spaceship and run around that, 2001-style.

But when you get back to Earth, you need to exercise your atrophied muscles and get the blood pumping again. But how do you stand up on those weak and skinny legs? An anti-gravity treadmill, that’s how. And it isn’t just astronauts that can’t bear their own weight: injured athletes and accident victims also need to regain strength slowly. The answer is the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill M310, a newer, cheaper version of the company’s $70,000 machines.

It works like this: The astronaut, or other user, slots themselves into a big plastic bag which inflates around their lower-half and supports up to 80% of their weight. This stops the joints from a-knocking while they exercise, much like doing aerobics in a swimming pool. The difference is that they are not in the water, and so movement is not inhibited, and you don’t feel like you’re running through treacle.

The M310 coast $24,500 and, like others in the range, will support runners of up to 400 pounds (it’s useful for weight loss, too). The base model goes up to 8mph, and the full-on, NASA-budget version will hit 18mph. That might sound fast, but one other neat side-effect of being squeezed inside a giant bubble is that you can’t fall off the back, however much you crank up the speed.

Product page
[AlterG. Thanks, Katherine!]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:27 am

Google brings Google Voice to your existing number, but it comes with a catch

Section: Communications, Web, Google

Google has just kind of, sort of followed up on an earlier promise and at the same time dealt another potential blow to some of the wireless carriers. That announcement, Google will now allow users to use their existing number with Google Voice.

Of course, like I mentioned in the title, this does come with a catch. To begin with, you will still need to be invited into the Voice service. That comes as expected, however the real catch comes in the form of a little tease.

Those users who choose to go with their existing number will not be getting a full Google Voice experience. Instead they will get voicemail, voicemail transcription, custom voicemail greetings and the ability to receive either email or SMS notifications of new email messages. See the pattern, if you choose to use Google Voice with your existing number its all about the voicemail. Well, the voicemail and also low-international calling rates.

As far as what you miss out on by going with your existing number. No SMS by email, no call screening or listening in. You also lose the call recording, conference calling and call blocking. Finally, and this is the one big feature you do not get—the ability to have your number ring multiple phones.

In other words, those who choose to use Google Voice with their existing number are going to really be getting a fancy voicemail setup. Still it is a nice setup, but for me the killer features of Google Voice are having it ring multiple phones and the ability to block calls.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, those who are not setup with Google Voice will still need an invitation. As for those that already have an account, you can, if you want add Google voicemail to any mobile phone that is already linked to your account. Personally I am not sure why regular Google Voice users would need that last bit, but I guess having the option is nice.

Read [Google Voice Blog]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 27 Oct 2009 | 5:17 am

Nook Will Be Sold (Almost) Only Online

UPDATE:

Mary Ellen Keating, Barnes & Noble spokesperson, emailed to tell us that Barnes & Noble is planning “to have Nook eBook readers in stock in the majority of its stores by the peak holiday season and plans to have Nook devices in stock in all of its stores by early next year.”

It looks like the online-only policy is simply a way to manage supply issues at the beginning of the Nook’s life.

In a curious case of inverting expectations, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are switching roles. Last week Amazon announced that it would begin same-day shipping in some large cities, in an effort to further marginalize brick and mortar stores. Now Barnes & Noble is squandering a major advantage over Amazon — its retail outlets — by only offering the new Nook e-reader online.

If you walk into all but the biggest of B&N’s emporia, you will be able to play with a demo unit but not actually buy one to take home. According to Staci D. Kramer of Paid Content, “the booksellers will order a device for in-store customers from the BN.com website to be shipped to their home.”

Given that the only reason to actually buy from a store is to get the goods right now, this seems rather foolish, especially as one of the Nook’s big features is that you can read e-books for free whilst in a B&N store.

We’re assuming that this isn’t policy but pragmatism: It’s likely that the Nook will only be available in limited numbers at launch, and spreading them thinly across retail outlets is probably worse than just shipping them. What’s funny, though, is that this shows up the inefficiency of the bricks and mortar model compared to Amazon’s rather slick online-only operation. There’s an irony in there somewhere.

Barnes & Noble Won’t Sell Nook To Go In All Stores [Paid Content]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:37 am

Giant Cassette Player Digitizes Old Tapes

What many of our younger readers may not realize is that Walkmans of old, and the cassette tapes that we used to play in them, were a lot bigger than is commonly thought. Take a look at the picture above to get an idea: barely larger than the tape within, this device is around two to three times bigger than a modern laptop computer. This is the reason why so many old people, who carried them as we carry iPods today, walk bent over in a shuffling stoop.

However, modern technology means that more can be packed in to these giant boxes, and this one not only manages to fit in a tape but will convert it to the much smaller MP3, a kind of cassette so tiny that millions can fit on the head of a pin.

The Ion Tape Express works fine as a “personal stereo”, running off AA batteries, but when hooked up via USB it converts the hissy tunes into digital ones and zeroes for the accompanying software to crunch into MP3s on the “computer” (like a pocket calculator, only with more pictures of naked people).

The Tape Express is on sale in England, where the iPod was recently launched to great acclaim, and the Queen’s subjects are frenziedly digitizing their music to keep up. The machine costs £50, or just over $80, and should be available in a “fortnight”.

Product page [I Want One of Those via Oh Gizmo]

See Also:

• Retro-Style Cassette Tape USB Hub
• Retro Cassette Deck Will Hook Up to Almost Everything
• Bye-Bye Cassette Tape: UK Chain Kills Romantic Format
• Cassette Tape Measure: Punniest Retro-Tool Ever?

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Oct 2009 | 4:13 am