Source: Gizmodo | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:20 pm

EU objects to Oracle's takeover of Sun (AP)

AP - European antitrust regulators have formally objected to Sun Microsystems Inc.'s planned $7.4 billion sale to Oracle Corp., escalating a battle over a deal that has already been cleared in the U.S.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:18 pm

Glittergeddon!

Channel 4's documentary-style drama, The Execution of Gary Glitter, imagines an alternative Britain that reintroduces the death penalty. Celebrity sex offender Paul Gadd—AKA glam rock star Gary Glitter—is re-tried for his crimes and hanged. It's a story about the moral quandary of capital punishment, generously garnished with the British media's obsession with pedophilia.

The real Gadd was disgraced by a child porn bust and his subsequent residency in sex tourist hotspots. After 18 months in a Vietnamese jail on a conviction for child molestation, he was released in 2008 and flown back to the U.K. The tabloids now stalk him and run stories like "Gary Glitter changes the style of his beard."

Execution depicts a different outcome. Arrested hours after landing, he's put on trial to test new legislation that allows capital punishment for crimes committed abroad. He sneers, argues, and wheedles. Talking heads, politicians and members of the public pop up in news-style interviews. Then he is put to death. Channel 4's Hamish Mykura says that "this drama confronts the public with what many say they want."

The documentary style is clever, and Hilton McRae does an excellent job as Glitter. He is alternatively smug, sordid, humane and pathetic. But then there's that whole weird thing about portraying an act of rationalized mob justice on someone who is very much alive and free.

Among the rationales offered is that the movie confronts us with a difficult truth; namely, that Britain needs to see Gary Glitter executed if it is to come to terms with its own moral indecisiveness over capital punishment. But the movie's concept isn't really "Imagine if we made new laws that dealt severely with sex offenders." It is "Imagine if we made new laws that would make Gary Glitter the center of national attention again." His presence is a gimmick. Without him, it would be a dry exploitation flick about no-one in particular—but one that might at least make sense.

The film's legal devices exist only to bring the celebrity to the rope. Hangings within a month of conviction, without any right to a court appeal? The EU not enforcing the Convention of Human Rights just to keep Britain happy? Get real, little Englanders. Besides, Britain has an ample supply of bona-fide child murderers competing for eligibility: I guess Ian Huntley just doesn't look enough like Fu Manchu.

Moreover, if the filmmakers cared about depicting the reality of capital punishment, they could have at least cooked up a more convincing doom. Western executions, where they play, follow years of legal wrangling. They are usually dehumanized clinical events, not pathos-filled remixes of Saddam's last gasp.

In any case, the dramatics fade before the loopyness of the Glitter premise. How did Britain's fixation on sexual stranger danger get this baroque? I'm stumped, frankly. I'm ready to be told the whole thing was some kind of deadpan black comedy. But a few ideas do spring to mind.

My countrymen often complain of the nanny state, but that modern taste for risk-peddling seems an international phenomenon. Throw pedophiles in the mix, however, and the outcomes start getting really weird.

Take, for example, the recent actions of Watford local council, which banned parents from being with their own children in a public play area. Then there's the 82-year-old woman accused of being a possible pedophile after taking photos of a swimming pool. And so on. This suggests confusion over the proper areas of association between kids and adults.

Then there's concern over youngsters' wellbeing in general. Britain's children are supposedly the unhappiest in Europe. Those responsible for their happiness were given a scathing review by UNICEF, which suggested British families are the least nurturing this side of the former Warsaw Pact. Though Britian's schools remain among the world's best, the rankings fell sharply over the last decade, and reports of its state childcare system make for grim reading.

There's also a broader anxiety over childrens' place in society at large. That younger kids are given few of the freedoms and pleasures older generations enjoyed is another problem hardly isolated to the U.K. But our fear of older youths is manifested in the press as a distinctively British moral panic. Tabloids seem to treat the nation's offspring either as hapless victims of predatory adults, or as dangerous, vaguely subhuman livestock.

Perhaps this sort of thing lets us forget that most childrens' problems are the result of familial and institutional neglect, not the likes of Gary Glitter.

Finally, there's the case of the bleeding obvious: media the world over sexualizes children, but Britain's is particularly ready to project its hypocrisy at deserving targets--or anyone who addresses the subject matter without the required solemnity.

Satirist Chris Morris produced the original "Paedogeddon" mockumetary in 2001, ridiculing the media's voyeuristic obsession with the subject. He got pols and celebs to repeat nonsensical urban legends, making fools of the lot. Condemnation of the show was nearly universal, but reinforced his point over and over again. One Daily Star article slamming the show ran next to an item praising a 15-year old singer's breasts. The Daily Mail described Morris as "unspeakably sick"--even as it ran a photo of the bikini-clad royal busts of princesses Beatrice, 13, and Eugenie, 11.

In one of the final scenes of The Execution, the condemned man says "they're not going to execute Paul Gadd." This makes a point about celebrity, about how it trades in mediated personas. The "thought-provoking" question is clear enough--is something other than a man being destroyed?--but it's a thought buried under the batshittedness of Glittergeddon.

If The Execution of Gary Glitter sounds barbaric, rest assured that it was merely inane. He isn't some metempsychotic vessel for the nation's unease over child abuse or the death penalty, after all. He's just a dirty old man, and he gets what he deserves.


Source: Boing Boing | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:17 pm

New BlackBerry Developer Tools Will Benefit Users - PC World

Techtree.com

New BlackBerry Developer Tools Will Benefit Users PC World At Research in Motion's BlackBerry Developer Conference Monday, the company made a slew of announcements that aim to boost the platform's appeal to developers. But more APIs, a better advertisement service and new Adobe and Eclipse toolsets don't seem ... New blackberry software will make your phone coolerCNET News Research In Motion Woos BlackBerry DevelopersWired News RIM, Adobe Team For blackberry DevelopmentInformationWeek San Francisco Chronicle -The Associated Press -PC Magazine all 312 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm

Nokia's Charger Recall Just the Latest Tech Do-Over - PC World

Rediff

Nokia's Charger Recall Just the Latest Tech Do-Over PC World * HP recalls 70000 laptop batteries: HP recalled Lithium-Ion batteries used in some of its laptops, as they pose a fire hazard, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in May. The recall covers about 70000 batteries used in the company's ... Nokia recalls 14 million chargersCNET News Nokia to Replace Malfunctioning Phone ChargersWall Street Journal Nokia Recalls 14 Million AC AdaptersPC Magazine DailyTech -BBC News -ZDNet all 579 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:05 pm

Six hot ‘n fresh DisplayPorts on one video card, coming right up

When I first saw Eyefinity demoed, I thought “that’s pretty awesome, but aren’t you going to have to pull some shenanigans to get that many monitors hooked up? I mean, daisy-chaining monitors isn’t science of the rockets or anything, but it does mean certain restrictions need to be observed, and certain accessories bought. But what if your graphics card had as many outputs as you had monitors? Or, say, a lot more?

That’s what this particular ATI Radeon 5870 is doing. Can you say six (mini) DisplayPorts?

Apart from the extra ports, this model doesn’t differ too much from the reference 5870, though it does sport a slightly different PCI interface and, of course, it has 2GB of GDDR5. It’s got HDMI and two DVIs, plus… I don’t recognize that one on the left, am I losing it? (yes, I am, it’s a standard DisplayPort)

No pricing or availability information at the moment, but it’s good to know it’s out there if I ever happen to buy five more monitors and need to rock that Eyefinity.

[via Tom's Hardware]

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:00 pm

NY, Texas settle with Tagged.com over e-mails (Reuters)

Reuters - The operator of Tagged.com will pay $750,000 and overhaul its practices to resolve charges that the social networking site tricked members into providing personal details to lure new members and send out tens of millions of spam emails.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:57 pm

Motorola Droid: Updates Coming Soon? (PC World)

PC World - Well, that didn't take long: Just three days after the Droid dropped, and we already have our first leaked-document-style rumor. What is this, the iPhone or something?
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:50 pm

Dulin’s Books announces two new e-book readers

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

Another day, and yet another e-book reader or two.  The newest announcement comes from a company that doesn’t actually manufacture anything, but rather is rebranding other devices.  Today we have two new readers from Dulin’s Books.

The devices are the PocketBook 301 and PocketBook 360.  Both come equipped with 400 MHz Samsung processors, 512MB flash storage (expandable via microSD), support for six languages and a myriad games selection including Sudoku, chess and solitaire.  The 360 features a 5-inch display, an accelerometer for changing orientation of the page, and an included cover.  The 301 has a 6-inch screen, and has MP3 support with a built-in speaker.  The each support EPUB, PDF, DOC and TXT files among others, so compatibility won’t be too much of an issue with most stores.

Having a large selection of e-book readers is certainly a great idea.  However, with the 301 and 360 coming in at $275 and $240, respectively, there doesn’t seem any reason to get these over say, a Nook.  There will always be those who want lesser-known products and not be stuck with one particular store (or any store for those pirates out there), but we’re seeing the Nook experiencing delays in the second round of pre-orders.  There’s no sign that the juggernauts, Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and arguably Sony) are slowing down, so it’ll be tough for these smaller companies to get noticed.  Plus, who really wants to be the person stuck with a rebranded device that you need to side-load books onto when everyone else is busy playing with their 3G-enabled Nooks and Kindles?

Read [Electronista]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:30 pm

Obama willing to go to Copenhagen for climate deal - The Associated Press

Reuters AlertNet

Obama willing to go to Copenhagen for climate deal The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday that he'd be willing to attend an international climate summit in Copenhagen next month if it appears a deal is in the offing and his presence there would help clinch it. Nations are preparing to meet in ... Is the us News Media Failing to Do Its Job on Climate Change?Reuters Divisions Remain Ahead of Climate Change Conference in DenmarkFOXNews Barack Obama says he will go to Copenhagen climate change conferenceTelegraph.co.uk TIME -guardian.co.uk -Forbes all 528 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:21 pm

The Spider Awards: Wired.com's Arachnid Hall of Fame

Wired.com rounds up the biggest, baddest, weirdest, fiercest, cutest and cuddliest spiders in the world. With excellent photos.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pm

Fifty states of Street View

In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state admitted to the union. Today, 50 years later, we're including Hawaii as the 50th state in Street View on Google Maps. With our imagery of Oahu and Maui, you can now take a virtual vacation to white sandy beaches, revisit special places from your honeymoon, or plan your next getaway. We've worked with the Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau to create collections in our new Street View Gallery featuring Hawaii's best beaches and hometown favorites of President Obama.

Being born and raised on Oahu, I like to think we saved the best for last. I'll get you started with a tour around some of my favorite places from home.
One of the great things about Street View is that it lets you virtually wander the streets of a diverse range of cities around the world, whether you want to gaze up at the Tokyo Tower in Japan or explore ancient Roman ruins in Italy. In addition to expanding our coverage in the U.S., today we're also adding imagery from Mexico for the first time, covering Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel:
As we keep working to bring Street View to new countries and cities across the globe, we want to hear directly from you about the places that you want to see featured in Street View next. A few weeks ago, we asked you to submit your nominations for places that you want our Street View trike to visit. We combed through more than 25,000 submissions and today we're unveiling the finalists. You can read more about the competition and the finalists on the Lat Long blog, and head to www.google.com/trike to cast your votes for the special locations we should add to Google Maps next.

Posted by Laura Melahn, Product Marketing Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:10 pm

GamersGate has a virtual currency I might actually want to earn

Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of virtual currencies. They certainly have their place, but usually they’re just an obstacle between you and the object you want. Why do I have to buy points if points are just your version of dollars? There are exceptions: here in Seattle there are a couple alternate currencies being traded for goods and services which work on a different level from dollars — and GamersGate, the direct-download games site, appears to have something of a good deal in their blue coins.

Unlike in Mario 64 and other games, you can’t get an extra life by collecting 10 blue coins. That would be impossible. No, these are used for buying games, just like regular money, but it appears that you can earn them just by participating in the site. Writing reviews for games, answering questions in the “Game Tutor” program, and doing other stuff nets you a load of coins. They’re not worth a lot individually, but once you buy or review a few games (may I recommend X-COM?) and lurk on the forums for a bit, you should have enough to make a bargain purchase or two.

If you keep an eye on the offers page, you can also find games that give you lots of bonus coins, too — so if it’s between buying it there or on Steam or whatever, you might as well get the extra buck or two off.

Anyway, if you’re going to lurk on a gaming community, you might as well get paid for it, right? I couldn’t find a complete guide to how to get coins so I’ve put what they sent me here:

And no, I’m not on the payroll there! Just seems like a good deal.

Source: CrunchGear | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Taser Wars: The Real Dangers of Loose Triggers

The controversy surrounding the use of Tasers by law enforcement grows with each death or seemingly abusive use. And while doctors are concerned about potentially lethal effect Tasers can have on the heart and brain, the company argues that Tasers are relatively safe, and less lethal than alternative weapons such as guns and batons.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Esquire Launches First Augmented Reality Magazine

An anonymous reader writes "We've seen augmented reality applications for years (and seen the GE windmill replicated in PopSci), but now Esquire Magazine seems to be trying to show off the undying value of print by launching its 'AR issue' — which, from the demo video, looks pretty cool. Applications include a 3D cover with Robert Downey Jr., a weather-changing fashion portfolio with The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner, a time-sensitive Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman with Community's Gillian Jacobs, plus a song, a photo slideshow, and a face-recognition ad from Lexus. From the behind-the-scenes geekery: 'Advancements to further involve the user were happening even as we produced this issue, and while motion-sensor recognition already exists, so-called "natural-feature tracking" technology could soon put you inside AR without any googly-looking [note: not in the Google sense] boxes at all.'" Enjoying Esquire's AR issue requires downloading software — Windows and Mac only.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:48 pm

Live Nation Sees Ticketmaster Deal Closing in Q1 [Voices]

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

Live Nation (LYV) today said it expects the acquisition of the company by Ticketmaster (TKTM) to close in the first quarter of next year. Meanwhile, both companies today posted solid results for the third quarter.

Live Nation posted Q3 revenue of $1.81 billion, up from $1.59 billion a year ago, and ahead of the Street consensus at $1.62 billion. The company said the 14 percent increase in revenue was driven by a 12 percent increase in event attendance. Adjusted operating income of 160.8 million was up sharply from $109.5 million; free cash flow of $123.2 million was nearly double the $64.4 million reported for the year-ago quarter.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:34 pm

Ten Apps All New Android Users Should Check Out

While the tech-loving world continues to debate the merits of the Droid following its launch on Friday, it’s pretty safe to say that the Android platform has seen a pretty hefty influx of users as of late. In the past two weeks alone, we’ve seen the aforementioned Droid, it’s cheaper, younger sibling, the Droid Eris, and the Sprint Moment all hit the shelves; if any of them sold even reasonably well, there’s a lot of new folk cracking open the Android Market for the first time right now.

Whether you’re an iPhone convert, an ex-Nokian, or just a stranger to smartphones as a whole, the Android Market can be a pretty daunting place. While Android might not have quite as many apps as the leading competition, it still has a bit over 10,000 – and that’s a hell of a lot for any newcomer to weed through.

For the sake of these nascent newbies, we’ve thrown together a list of a handful of apps we think are worth checking out right off the bat. Got a favorite of your own? Throw it into the comments below.

In no particular order:

Twidroid
What is it?: Twitter Client
Price: Free; “Pro” version available for around €3.39 (around $5)
Description: We’re seeing more and more Twitter clients hit the Android Market as of late, but Twidroid still seems to be the crowd favorite. The free version offers up all the basics (Tweeting, mentions, DM, search, image uploading, etc.), while the Pro version adds video, multi-accounts, and theming support.

Qik/Ustream/Bambuser/etc.
What is it? Video Streaming
Price: Free
Description: The plethora of video streaming applications on Android serves as a fantastic example of the strengths of Android’s open market. While such video streaming clients have been floating around in Apple’s moderation queue for over a year now (and are still only available on jailbroken iPhones), they were made available on Android almost immediately after launch. There are a ton of options available here – I’d recommend starting with Qik or Ustream.

Flyscreen
What is it? Lockscreen replacement
Price: Free
Description: You see that lockscreen each and every time you pull your phone out of your pocket – might as well put it to use, right? Flyscreen replaces the default lockscreen with a user-customizable canvas for widgets, with everything from Twitter to TMZ. It’s a wee bit buggy on the Droid, primarily because of its high resolution – but the Flyscreen guys have already confirmed that an update is on the way.



Nesoid
What is it? NES emulator
Price: $1.99, Lite version available
Description: It’s an NES emulator, and it works damn well – do we really need to say anything else? For obvious legal reasons, you’ll need to provide your own ROMs – but once that’s out of the way, it’ll handle just about any popular NES game you can throw at it. We’ve heard mixed reports as to how well this (primarily the Lite version) is working on Android 2.0, but I’m not seeing any issues with the paid version. You can read our full review on CrunchGear here.

Meridian
What is it? Media player
Price: Free
Description: As we mentioned in our Smartphone Showdown, media playback (especially video) on the Android platform is rather lacking. We’ve yet to find any third-party applications that really pull it off well, but the Meridian player is about the best we’ve seen so far. It’ll play back MP3, OGG, MP4, and 3GPP files, and offers up basic playlist and gesture support. It’s pretty dang ugly, but it gets the job done.

Flixster:
What is it? Movie times/trailers/DVD info aggregator
Price: Free
Description: Flixster does one thing, and it does it well: Movies. It keeps you up to date on everything new in the movie world, be it for the box office or the rental store, complete with movie times (by way of GPS), community-driven user reviews, and trailers. Flixster is one of the most well-designed applications I’ve seen on the Android platform, and is one of very few I find myself using regularly.

Barcode Reader:
What is it? Its.. a barcode reader.
Price: Free
Description: Barcode reader is pretty much an Android must-have at this point. Lets say you’re perusing a book store and stumble across a book you’re interested in reading – but is it really worth what the nearest big chain book store wants for it? Scan the tag on the back into Barcode Reader, which will pass the details into Google Product Search for a price comparison. At worst, you’ll find out that you’re getting a deal; at best, you’ll save a ton. I’ve saved a few hundred bucks overall by way of Barcode-based comparison shopping.

TED
What is it? Tons of amazing content, crammed into one app.
Price: Free
Description: This one serves as our reader’s choice app, so to speak. I reached out to my Twitter posse for some insight on their favorite apps, and the TED application was a resoundingly popular result. The Android TED application brings together a huge number of lectures from the annual Technology, Entertainment, Design conference, with talks from the likes of Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Larry Page, and more. Next time you’ve got 10-15 minutes free, why not spend it gettin’ some smarts?

3Banana
What is it? Notes syncing
Price: Free
Description: Sign up for a free account, then punch your credentials into both the Android client and your browser. Bam, note syncing! It’s not a substitute for a full-fledged file syncing service like Dropbox, but 3banana is a drop-dead easy way to keep your notes/images synced between your Android handset and your computer.

Power Manager
What is it? Battery life assistant
Price: $0.99, Lite version available
Description: While it’s getting better over time, the Android platform isn’t exactly known for its killer battery efficiency. Android allows users to run apps in the background – and a running application gobbles up battery, whether it’s visible or not. Power manager helps to improve your device’s battery life through profiles. Running on the battery? Dim the screen. Battery down below 30%? Kill the WiFi and the Bluetooth. The free version comes with 4 profiles (Battery powered, low battery, A/C powered, USB powered), while the 99 cent pro version allows you to build you own.

Know any apps that Android users ought to check out on day one? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:24 pm

ITC^DeltaCom Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ITC^DeltaCom, Inc. (OTC: ITCD.OB), a leading provider of integrated communications services to customers in the southeastern United States, today announced its operating and financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:21 pm

Computer-to-computer calling coming to Google Voice?

Section: Communications, VoIP, Mobile, Web, Google

In an announcement that came earlier this morning, Google has purchased Gizmo5. Now for those unfamiliar, Gizmo5 is a VoIP provider similar to Skype. Of course, you may be thinking, Google already has Google Voice, and that is a good point. However, that may only be one piece of the puzzle because while Google Voice allows you to make calls, even calls that can be initiated from your computer—you cannot make computer-to-computer calls. A combination of Google Voice and Gizmo5 could make for a nice all around calling solution, and one that could potentially rival Skype, which is something that Gizmo5 was never really able to accomplish on its own thus far.

With that though, it is important to point out that this is just speculation because while Google has confirmed the purchase of Gizmo5 they have yet to clue anyone else into what their plans for the service are. But when you think about it, that is par for the course. I also would not expect anything to happen quick. After all, look how long it took from the time Google purchased GrandCentral until they rolled out Google Voice. Just as a refresher, Google purchased GrandCentral in July of 2007 and did not roll out Google Voice (in limited beta form) until March of 2009.

Bottom line, while this Gizmo5 purchase is indeed interesting, it is important to keep the past in mind. It likely will be a long time before we see anything come from this purchase.

Read [TechCrunch]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:11 pm

CALL OF DUTY(R): MODERN WARFARE(R) 2, MICROSOFT AND GAMESTOP TAKE OVER UNION SQUARE

NEW YORK YANKEES/PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GAME FOR FAME MATCH AND LIVE PERFORMANCES BY DJ'S JAZZY JEFF AND QUESTLOVE It's time to gear up for all-out, high-speed action and epic combat, as the most anticipated game of the year, developer Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be available at retail stores everywhere as of midnight, November 10th.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

NASA Reproduces a Building Block of Life In the Lab

xp65 writes "NASA scientists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of our hereditary material, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidine exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions produces this essential ingredient of life. 'We have demonstrated for the first time that we can make uracil, a component of RNA, non-biologically in a laboratory under conditions found in space,' said Michel Nuevo, research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 'We are showing that these laboratory processes, which simulate occurrences in outer space, can make a fundamental building block used by living organisms on Earth.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:58 pm

Black Friday 2009: Kohl’s video game sales

FROM GAMERTELL - Kohl’s 2009 Black Friday ad has been leaked onto the internet. All DS and Wii games will be 20-30% off and all video game accessories will be 20-50% off during the sale period. Also, for every $50 you spend, you’ll get $10 in Kohl’s Cash.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:45 pm

New Management Change at SMIC

SHANGHAI, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Board of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC" or "the Group"; NYSE: SMI and SEHK: 0981.HK), today announced the appointment of Dr. David N.K.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:42 pm

Microsoft's Top 3 advances in Exchange Server 2010 - BetaNews

Gadget Venue (blog)

Microsoft's Top 3 advances in Exchange Server 2010 BetaNews The biggest change to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 was supposed to have been the introduction of something called Unified Communications -- the introduction of a singular console for the ... Microsoft Drops The Curtain On Exchange 2010ChannelWeb Microsoft launches Forefront Protection 2010CNET News Microsoft Pushes UC With Latest Exchange ReleaseTechNewsWorld Register -NetworkWorld.com -eWeek all 211 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:23 pm

Brazilian Blackout Traced to Sooty Insulators, Not Hackers

The CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes breaks the remarkable news that a massive 2007 electrical blackout in Brazil was caused by computer hackers. But the electric utility involved denies a hack attack. It should know -- it was fined over $3 million for failing to maintain the high-voltage insulators that actually caused the blackout.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:15 pm

Google Gets Till Friday for Digital Library Settlement

Google wins a few more days to create a settlement over book scanning that will make the DOJ and the nation's authors and publishers happy. The library of the future is at stake.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:11 pm

Murdoch To Explore Blocking Google Searches

In another move sure to continue the certain doom looming over classic publications, Rupert Murdoch has elaborated on the direction he would take in an effort to monetize the content that his websites deliver by attempting to block much of Google's ability to scan and index his news sites. "Murdoch believes that search engines cannot legally use headlines and paragraphs of news stories as search results. 'There's a doctrine called "fair use," which we believe to be challenged in the courts and would bar it altogether,' Mr Murdoch told the TV channel. 'But we'll take that slowly.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:08 pm

Nokia recalling millions of phone chargers

Section: Communications, Accessories, Cellphones

Nokia has announced a recall of up to 14 million phone chargers after a routine inspection revealed a design flaw.  The plastic casing surrounding the charger could separate, posing an electrical shock hazard.  The recall involves three separate chargers with model numbers AC-3E, AC-3U and AC-4U.  Model numbers AC-3E and AC-3U were manufactured between June 15 and August 9th of this year and model number AC-4U was manufactured between April 13th and October 25th of this year.

To check your charger, look at the label where the voltage is printed.  If you have one of the affected chargers, record the manufacturer’s name and the long string of numbers at the bottom of the label and visit Nokia’s recall site here.  Enter the information and you will be walked through the steps to exchange it.  Affected consumers can also call 1-888-Nokia2U.

This is the second time in recent years Nokia has discovered quality issues with its phones.  In 2007 the company issued an advisory about faulty batteries made by one of its suppliers.  The batteries had the potential to overheat and the company offered to replace up to 46 million although they never issued a formal recall.

So far no injuries or incidents have been reported as a result of the faulty chargers.

Read [PCWorld]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:05 pm

Intalio Opens Cloud Computing Center of Excellence in Singapore

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

Why America Is Finally Ready for Doctor Who

Call the BBC series chintzy, cheesy, an acquired taste — columnist Scott Brown doesn't care. In fact, he's proud to turn to the fussy and neurotic doctor for his sci-fi fix.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

Snow Leopard Update Fixes Deletion Bug

Apple on Monday released a software update for the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system. The free update addresses some major issues, including a bug that erased large amounts of a user’s data.

A small number of Snow Leopard customers in October reported that their primary user folder was replaced with an empty folder after logging in with a Guest account. For some, that resulted in the loss of documents, pictures, music, downloads and other types of files.

“My home folder had been replaced with a ’straight out of the box’ home folder,” wrote user “dubaidan” in a Sept. 3 forum post. “Standard desktop, standard dock, nothing in my documents folder, standard library. My entire home folder is gone.”

Shortly after the issue gained media attention, Apple issued a statement acknowledging the issue and said a fix was in progress. The fix is available in the latest Snow Leopard update, version 10.6.2, according to Apple.

Snow Leopard 10.6.2 also addresses issues with printer compatibility, fonts, the MobileMe internet service and others. Users can download the update by clicking on the Apple icon in the upper-left corner and selecting “Software Update.”

See Also:

• Snow Leopard Update Will Not Kill Hackintoshes
• Faster, Bigger, Longer: How Snow Leopard Will Improve Your …
• Apple on Snow Leopard Bug: Help Is on the Way!
• Apple’s Snow Leopard Is Less Secure Than Windows, But Safer …
• Apple OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Photo: Captain Chickenpants/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:54 pm

EU Objects to Oracle-Sun Deal [Digital Daily]

The European Commission today issued a so-called Statement of Objections over Oracle’s (ORCL) proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems (JAVA). Disclosed in a regulatory filing by Sun, the document gives formal voice to the EC’s concerns over the fate of Sun’s open-source MySQL database. From Sun’s filing:

On November 9, 2009, the European Commission issued a statement of objections relating to the acquisition of Sun by Oracle Corporation. The Statement of Objections sets out the Commission’s preliminary assessment regarding, and is limited to, the combination of Sun’s open source MySQL database product with Oracle’s enterprise database products and its potential negative effects on competition in the market for database products. The issuing of a Statement of Objections allows addressees to present arguments in response to the Commission’s preliminary assessment of the competitive effects of a notified transaction. A Statement of Objections is a preparatory document that does not prejudge the European Commission’s final decision. Any final decision by the European Commission is subject to appeal to the European Court of First Instance.

Indignant that the EC would dare to bring the $7 billion deal into question, Oracle vowed to take it to the mat in a harshly worded rebuttal:

Oracle’s acquisition of Sun is essential for competition in the high end server market, for revitalizing Sparc and Solaris and for strengthening the Java development platform. The transaction does not threaten to reduce competition in the slightest, including in the database market. The Commission’s Statement of Objections reveals a profound misunderstanding of both database competition and open source dynamics. It is well understood by those knowledgeable about open source software that because MySQL is open source, it cannot be controlled by anyone. That is the whole point of open source.

The database market is intensely competitive with at least eight strong players, including IBM, Microsoft, Sybase and three distinct open source vendors. Oracle and MySQL are very different database products. There is no basis in European law for objecting to a merger of two among eight firms selling differentiated products. Mergers like this occur regularly and have not been prohibited by United States or European regulators in decades.

The U.S. Department of Justice carefully reviewed the proposed acquisition during the normal Hart-Scott-Rodino review and considered it again when the European Commission initiated a second phase review. On both occasions the Justice Department came to the conclusion that there is nothing anticompetitive about the deal, including specifically Oracle’s acquisition of the MySQL database product. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the acquisition without conditions and terminated the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act on August 20, 2009.

Sun’s customers universally support this merger and do not benefit from the continued uncertainty and delay. Oracle plans to vigorously oppose the Commission’s Statement of Objections as the evidence against the Commission’s position is overwhelming. Given the lack of any credible theory or evidence of competitive harm, we are confident we will ultimately obtain unconditional clearance of the transaction.

And Oracle will evidently pursue its case with help from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, which also issued a statement on the EC’s move today:

After conducting a careful investigation of the proposed transaction between Oracle and Sun, the Department’s Antitrust Division concluded that the merger is unlikely to be anticompetitive. This conclusion was based on the particular facts of the transaction and the Division’s prior investigations in the relevant industries. The investigation included gathering statements from a variety of industry participants and a review of the parties’ internal business documents. At this point in its process, it appears that the EC holds a different view. We remain hopeful that the parties and the EC will reach a speedy resolution that benefits consumers in the Commission’s jurisdiction.

Several factors led the Division to conclude that the proposed transaction is unlikely to be anticompetitive. There are many open-source and proprietary database competitors. The Division concluded, based on the specific facts at issue in the transaction, that consumer harm is unlikely because customers would continue to have choices from a variety of well established and widely accepted database products. The Department also concluded that there is a large community of developers and users of Sun’s open source database with significant expertise in maintaining and improving the software, and who could support a derivative version of it.

The Department and the European Commission have a strong and positive relationship on competition policy matters. The two competition authorities have enjoyed close and cooperative relations. The Antitrust Division will continue to work constructively with the EC and competition authorities in other jurisdictions to preserve sound antitrust enforcement policies that benefit consumers around the world.

Source: All Things Digital | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:43 pm

AT&T now offering “with Canda” wireless calling plans

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile

AT&T has just announced a few more available calling plans, or more specifically two more calling plans—each of which will be beneficial to those who are calling Canada on a regular basis.

The new plans are denoted as “with Canada” and include the Nation with Canada and FamilyTalk with Canada plans. In short, either of these plans will allow the user to call Canada and not have to worry about paying high fees.

The plans include;

• No international long distance charges on wireless calls between the United States and Canada
• Anytime and 1,000 Nights and Weekend Minutes for use in the United States and Canada
• Ability to save unused Anytime Minutes with Rollover

As far as pricing, that depends on the number of anytime minutes you choose. The Nation wide Canada plans range from as low as 450 minutes and go up to 6000 minutes ranging in price from $59.99 up to $219.99 a month. The FamilyTalk with Canada plans range from 500 minutes up to 6000 minutes and begin at $89.99 a month.

Read [AT&T]

 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:31 pm

Research In Motion Woos BlackBerry Developers

SAN FRANCISCO — BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has been losing developers’ hearts to newer, sexier platforms like the Apple iPhone and Google-backed Android operating system. Now RIM is trying to win them back with a host of enhancements to the BlackBerry services platform and new ways for developers to make money.

RIM will allow in-app transactions, create a new payment service, build a better browser and offer higher quality mobile gaming support, Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research In Motion promised developers at the company’s second developer conference today. RIM will also support Adobe Flash for BlackBerry phones and allow developers to create Flash-based content for the smartphones.

The announcements probably aren’t enough to help RIM steal developers away from rival operating systems but could put the BlackBerry on a more equal footing, experts contacted by Wired.com say.

“All these things are just a matter of getting to parity,” says Steve Howard, president and CEO of MobiHand, an operator of app stores for smartphones. “They are not dramatically leapfrogging anyone else on the platform side but they are creating a more creative environment for BlackBerry developers.”

RIM has about about 56 percent share of the U.S smartphone market and sold more than 65 million phones, landing the company in Fortune magazine’s recent list of fastest growing firms. But it faces stiff competition from rivals such as Apple’s iPhone and the new army of smartphones running Google’s Android operating system. RIM launched its app store, the BlackBerry App World, in April but it hasn’t attracted the same number of developers to its platform as the iPhone or Android. The App World store has just about 2,000 apps available for download, compared to the iPhone App Store’s 100,000 apps or Android’s 12,000.

RIM isn’t giving up, though.

“We heard you,” Balsillie told developers. “We know you want much more native APIs, access to app data and deep rich integration.”

Here are some of the announcements that RIM hopes will stir developers.

Monetization of Apps: RIM plans to present a new BlackBerry Payment Service that will allow developers to make more money off their apps by selling digital content, upgrades or subscriptions. In-app transactions are already popular with developers on Apple’s App store. With BlackBerry apps, users will be able to use either PayPal or RIM’s payment service to pay for the transactions. RIM will also partner with telecom carriers to offer billing through the wireless service providers. The payment service and SDK are expected to be available in mid-2010.

RIM will also offer a BlackBerry Advertising Service to allow developers to integrate rich media ads into their apps. For instance, a user can initiate a call from an ad, add a calendar entry or contact entry from an ad and directly link to an application in BlackBerry App World store from an ad. Developers will alos have access to advanced analytics from the ads.

Adobe Flash Support: Support for Adobe’s Flash technology has been one of the most asked-for features in smartphones and it is coming to the BlackBerry. RIM and Adobe have partnered to allow application developers to use Flash platform technology and other Adobe tools such as PhotoShop to create apps for BlackBerries. Apple has yet to offer Flash on the iPhones, although Adobe recently began offering a way for developers to turn Flash apps into iPhone apps.

The move could attract a huge number of Flash developers who currently create Flash-based content for websites.

“It’s a competitive blast at Apple,” says MobiHand’s Howard. “There are a huge number of developers qualified to develop in Flash and tightly integrating Flash with the BlackBerry environment injects energy into the BlackBerry platform.”

Richer Browser: BlackBerry’s browser has been a sore point for consumers and developers. But RIM is working to fix that. A new enhanced browser capable of full HTML rendering will be available early next year, says Balsillie. The BlackBerry Browser 5.0 will be a result of the September acquisition of Torch Mobile, a company that makes the Webkit-based Iris browser. Webkit is the layout engine that is also used by the iPhone, Android and Symbian mobile operating systems.

“We have made significant strides with our 5.0 Browser,” says David Yach, chief technology officer, software development for RIM. An updated version of the browser is expected to have Javascript enabled by default–something that the iPhone or the Palm Pre browser already offers.

Better Mobile Gaming: Games and the BlackBerry don’t really go together. But as the lines between consumer and enterprise users blur, mobile gaming is becoming an increasingly juicy area for handset makers and developers. Apple’s iPhone, for instance, has become a major platform for mobile games, and some of the most successful apps in the company’s App store are games.

Now RIM is trying to catch up. The BlackBerry maker says it will support OpenGL ES, a 3-D graphics API for devices such as smartphones and video game consoles. The move will allow Java developers to build 3-D games and graphics for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 and higher.

“It takes gaming to a whole new level,” says Balsillie.

The OpenGL ES support will become available through an update of the BlackBerry Java SDK.

See Also:

• Research In Motion Announces BlackBerry Storm 2
• Reviled by Reviewers, BlackBerry’s Storm Rages On
• 5 Things RIM Needs to Fix in its BlackBerries
• BlackBerry App Store Gets a Name

Photo: (malyousif/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:16 pm

Research In Motion Woos BlackBerry Developers

BlackBerry wooed developers at its second developer conference with promised enhancements to its platform and new ways to make money off applications.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:16 pm

Research In Motion Woos BlackBerry Developers

BlackBerry wooed developers at its second developer conference with promised enhancements to its platform and new ways to make money off applications.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:16 pm

What Computer Science Can Teach Economics

eldavojohn writes "A new award-winning thesis from an MIT computer science assistant professor showed that the Nash equilibrium of complex games (like the economy or poker) belong to problems with non-deterministic polynomial (NP) complexity (more specifically PPAD complexity, a subset of TFNP problems which is a subset of FNP problems which is a subset of NP problems). More importantly there should be a single solution for one problem that can be adapted to fit all the other problems. Meaning if you can generalize the solution to poker, you have the ability to discover the Nash equilibrium of the economy. Some computer scientists are calling this the biggest development in game theory in a decade."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:12 pm

Children With Autism More Likely To Have Handwriting Problems

Children with autism may have lower quality handwriting and trouble forming letters compared to children without autism, according to a study published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.The study included 28 children between the ages of eight and 13.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 3:03 pm

Back Pain Permanently Sidelines Soldiers At War

Few rejoin units in Iraq or Afghanistan, regardless of treatmentMilitary personnel evacuated out of Iraq and Afghanistan because of back pain are unlikely to return to the line of duty regardless of the treatment they receive, according to research led by a Johns Hopkins pain management specialist.In a study published in the Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:58 pm

How Do You Evaluate a Data Center?

mpapet writes to ask about the ins and outs of datacenter evaluation. Beyond the simpler questions of physical access control, connectivity, and power redundancy/capacity and SLA review, what other questions are important to ask when evaluating a data center? What data centers have people been happy with? What horror stories have people lived through with those that didn't make the cut?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:27 pm

Stop Fiddling With Your Instrument and Learn to Read Music

Fiddle around with your instrument all you want, but until you can read music, you're just fooling around. If you want to navigate your way around sheet music, best start with this key.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:25 pm

BBC's outrageous plan to put DRM on TV broadcasts shot down in flames -- thanks to you!

Remember the BBC's daft plan to put DRM on high-definition broadcasts even though it's illegal for the BBC to put DRM on its broadcasts? Remember when people rose up and sent angry letters to Ofcom, the UK regulator that oversees the BBC's broadcasting activity?

It worked. Ofcom told the BBC to forget about it. Score one for the good guys. Give yourselves several pats on the back.

Meanwhile: the Beeb should be ashamed of itself. Especially for this disingenuous smear-job they published after I wrote about this ridiculous plan in the Guardian.

Ofcom received a large number of responses to this consultation, in particular from consumers and consumer groups, who raised a number of potentially significant consumer 'fair use' and competition issues that were not addressed in our original consultation. In view of these responses we have decided not to approve a multiplex licence change without giving these issues further consideration. We remain keen to support the successful introduction of HD services on the DTT platform and are willing to consider a further round of consultation on the licence amendment if you could provide more information and evidence in the following three areas:

1. The anticipated benefits to citizens and consumers, and to the DTT platform, of the proposed approach;

2. How you propose to address the potential disadvantages to citizens and consumers associated with the impact on the receiver market under the proposed approach;

3. An explanation of potential alternative approaches that would impact less on the receiver market, and the extent to which those alternatives would be able to deliver similar outcomes and benefits for citizens and consumers.

We are keen to provide early clarity on the licence amendment to all stakeholders affected by the DVB-T2, MPEG 4, HDTV upgrade on the DTT platform and would welcome your early response on these three issues. Until we reach a final decision on the licence amendment the HD service information broadcast on Multiplex B should be provided in a free to air format. If Huffman compression is used then the related tables should be made available to receiver manufacturers without the need for a licence for Huffman look-up tables from the BBC.

HD on DTT content management proposals (PDF)

(Thanks, Glyn!)

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pm

National Academy Report Cites Ames Laboratory's Strength In New Materials Research

Report on new materials calls for renewed efforts to regain US leadership in fieldAccording to a recent report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States, once the world leader in the discovery and growth of crystalline materials, is now falling behind other nations.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:20 pm

Firefox flaws account for 44% of all browser bugs - Computerworld

TG Daily

Firefox flaws account for 44% of all browser bugs Computerworld Computerworld - Firefox accounted for almost half of all browser vulnerabilities in the first six months of 2009, a Web security company claimed today. According to California-based Cenzic, Mozilla's browser had the largest percentage ... The State of Open Source on Firefox's Fifth BirthdayPC Magazine Firefox at 5: the Google Cold WarRegister Firefox turns five: Thanks for giving us a choiceBetaNews TopNews United States -CNET News -Ars Technica all 136 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:17 pm

Appletell reviews iStoragePro’s Pocket HDD

FROM APPLETELL - iStoragePro’s Pocket hard drives replicate the look and feel of the G-Technology line of Mac inspired portable hard drives, but are they as good?
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:17 pm

Engineers Image Nanostructure Of A Solid Acid Catalyst And Boost Its Catalytic Activity

A new view of an old problemThe Lehigh-Rice team attributes much of its success to the use, for the first time on tungstated zirconia catalysts, of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and its integration with three optical spectroscopic techniques—Raman, infrared and ultraviolet-visible. Only by combining the microscopy and spectroscopy studies, says Wachs, was it possible to obtain the insights at the molecular level that are required to pinpoint the origin of the acidity of the tungstated zirconia.Lehigh four years ago became the first university in the world to acquire two aberration-corrected STEM instruments. The VG HB 603 STEM can map the chemical composition of nanoparticles, while the JEOL 2200 FS STEM has unparalleled imaging capabilities. The researchers employed a microscopy technique called high-angle annular dark-field imaging (HAADF), which uses a focused beam of electrons only 1 angstrom (0.1 nm) wide, to obtain clear images of the supported tungsten oxide species."HAADF imaging of tungstated zirconia catalysts in an aberration-corrected STEM allows, for the first time, direct imaging of the various [catalytic] species present," the researchers wrote in Nature Chemistry.Wachs, who is internationally renowned for his work in catalysis and his expertise in Raman and other spectroscopy techniques, especially under reaction conditions, said the aberration-corrected STEMs has opened an unprecedented window on the structure and size of the catalytic species."This new generation of aberration-corrected STEMs enables us finally to see the dimensions of the species we're studying," says Wachs. "We can see monomers, dimers and trimers, as well as larger clusters of tungsten oxide."The researchers used information gleaned from the aberration-corrected STEM studies in concert with data obtained from Raman, IR and UV-visible spectroscopy, and from controlled catalyst testing studies, to molecularly engineer a better catalyst, says Wachs. The spectroscopy experiments were performed in situ as catalysis was occurring over the tungstated zirconia.Wachs' Operando Molecular Spectroscopy and Catalysis Laboratory is home to the most advanced optical spectroscopic instrumentation in catalysis in America. The high resolution-Raman spectrometer (Horiba Scientific LabRaman-HR) is integrated with IR and UV-visible spectroscopy in one system to enable the contemporaneous collection of multiple spectroscopic information from the same catalyst spot. The optical techniques also function under reaction conditions (gas-solid and aqueous-solid) and the effluent reaction products from the catalytic reactor cell are simultaneously monitored with mass spectrometry. All information is collected in real time (nanosecond to second range)."The combination of these imaging and spectroscopy techniques enabled us to make a an active catalytic site, deposit it on a catalyst with low activity, and show a 100-fold improvement in catalytic activity," says Wachs. "In short, we've been able to design, on demand, the active catalytic sites by molecularly engineering the catalyst."These imaging and specstroscopy techniques are very complementary. They are like multiple pairs of eyes that help us see what is going on at the atomic and molecular scale during the catalytic reaction."Clearing up a mystery
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:16 pm

Advance Growing Animal Penile Erectile Tissue In Lab May Benefit Patients

In an advance that could one day enable surgeons to reconstruct and restore function to damaged or diseased penile tissue in humans, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine have used tissue engineering techniques to completely replace penile erectile tissue in animals.In the online early edition (Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:11 pm

Words, Gestures Are Translated By Same Brain Regions, Says New Research

Findings may further our understanding of how language evolvedYour ability to make sense of Groucho's words and Harpo's pantomimes in an old Marx Brothers movie takes place in the same regions of your brain, says new research funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health.In a study published in this week's Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:07 pm

Now Hear This: Mouse Study Sheds Light On Hearing Loss In Older Adults

Becoming "hard of hearing" is a standard but unfortunate part of aging: A syndrome called age-related hearing loss affects about 40 percent of people over 65 in the United States, and will afflict an estimated 28 million Americans by 2030."Age-related hearing loss is a very common symptom of aging in humans, and also is universal among mammal species, and it's one of the earliest detectable sensory changes in aging," says Tomas Prolla, a professor of genetics and medical genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Prolla is senior author of a paper in today's (Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

FDA-Approved Drugs Eliminate, Prevent Cervical Cancer In Mice

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have eliminated cervical cancer in mice with two FDA-approved drugs currently used to treat breast cancer and osteoporosis.Published in this week's (Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pm

Scientists Successfully Reprogram Blood Cells

Researchers have transplanted genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells into mice so that their developing red blood cells produce a critical lysosomal enzyme –preventing or reducing organ and central nervous system damage from the often-fatal genetic disorder Hurler's syndrome.The research team from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reports its preclinical laboratory results this week in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The study suggests a new approach to molecular gene therapy and a much-needed improved treatment option for children with Hurler's syndrome, said Dao Pan, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Hematology/Cancer Biology at Cincinnati Children's and the study's principal author.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:54 pm

Theory About Long And Short-Term Memory Questioned By UCL Scientists

The long-held theory that our brains use different mechanisms for forming long-term and short-term memories has been challenged by new research from UCL, published today in PNAS.Neuroscientists formed this theory based on observation of patients with amnesia, a condition that severely disrupts the ability to form long-lasting memories.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:50 pm

Video: Chinese iPhone clone looks like Apple, smells like Android

You’re stuck in quite the conundrum. You want the chic elegance of the iPhone – but you want unbridled flexibility that comes with the Android platform. Whatever are you supposed to do?

If you’re able to read Chinese and are absolutely insane, there’s a solution: the APhone A6. Straight out of a Chinese handset cloning workshop, the APhone A6 is built to walk the walk of Apple’s finest, but talk the talk of Google’s. Sure, the hardware looks a wee bit chunky around the edges – but it does rock a 3.5″ multi-touch display, Bluetooth, WiFi, and an ultra funky iPhone interface overhaul. Sure, it’s unlikely to ever reach US soil. Sure, it’ll probably only work for a month. It’s Android.. on an iPhone. Sort of.

[Via Shenzai]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm

NASA's Scrubbed Escape Pod Glides to New Home

NASA's cute, wingless escape pod for the International Space Station, which was in development until 2002, finally has a home. Sadly, it's not in space, but in Ashland, Nebraska at the Strategic Air and Space Museum.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm

App Listens and Records All, Waiting for Twitterable Moment

A new app for the iPhone constantly records the last 60 seconds of audio, so you can hit the button to save that funny thing your congressman or toddler just said. Potentially creepy or cool, depending on who's in charge.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:22 pm

Is Sony legally required to make its games accessible to disabled people?

On his Big Questions blog, Steven Landsburg (author of a new book called The Big Questions) discusses a partially blind gamer's lawsuit against Sony. The gamer wants Sony to makes its games more accessible for partially blind people.

Here's the first part of Landsburg's thoughts on the issue:

This raises the question: Exactly what does Sony owe to Alexander Stern (and others like him)?

A similar issue comes up in Chapter 20 of The Big Questions, where Mary the landlord won’t rent to, say, Albanians. Ought we force her to?

In The Big Questions, I make two separate (but closely related) arguments on Mary’s behalf. I was about to write a blog post offering the same arguments on behalf of Sony when I realized that only one of them applies. So I am forced to conclude that I should be a little less sympathetic to Sony than I am to Mary. My first argument is that Mary never had any moral obligation to rent to anyone in the first place—and if she has no general obligation to rent to anyone, then she can have no specific obligation to rent to Albanians. Likewise, Sony has no moral obligation to provide anyone with video games—and if there is no moral obligation to provide me with a video game then there is no obligation to provide one to Alexander Stern. Fine so far.

But my second argument is that Mary, appearances to the contrary, is actually doing some good for Albanian apartment seekers. By renting rooms to non-Albanians, she takes a little pressure off the housing market, driving down rents and making it easier for Albanians to find apartments elsewhere. Sure, she could be doing even more for them, but she’s already doing more for them than I am, since I don’t rent apartments to anyone at all. How can she be at fault for doing small amounts of good when I’m given a free pass to do no good at all?

Read the rest at his blog.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 9 Nov 2009 | 1:04 pm

Nokia Recalls 14 Million Faulty Mobile Phone Chargers

Nokia has recalled millions of its mobile phone chargers that pose the risk of shocking users.

During a “routine quality control process,” Nokia said it found that the plastic covers of the defective chargers could come loose and expose the charger’s internal components. That poses an electrical shock hazard when plugged into a live socket.

About 14 million chargers may be replaced for free under the program, says a Nokia spokesperson quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

Nokia chargers of the type AC-3E, AC-3U (manufactured between June 15, 2009 and August 9, 2009) and AC-4U (manufactured between April 13, 2009 and October 25, 2009) will be exchanged for free, says the company. The phone chargers being recalled are all manufactured by a single third-party supplier,  China’s Huizhou BYD Electronics. The Chinese supplier is expected to absorb the costs related to the recall.

Nokia said, so far, it is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to these chargers.

Photo: (svanes/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm

Palm Ring-P: new phone or new carrier?

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

An interesting new bit of info popped up courtesy of a listing filed by a Senior Compliance Engineer for Palm on the Bluetooth SIG site.  The listing identifies a “Ring-P” device coming this January.  Could this be a new device or a new carrier?

The Pixi is set to launch November 15 at $100, roughly the same price as the Palm Pre at this point, so we can rule out this is for the Pixi.  The Pixi is a smaller, thinner candy-bar styled webOS phone.  The phones matches up to a smarter Centro replacement; the Centro was a hit for Palm (big unit seller). That leaves either a new device or a new carrier.

My money is on new carrier.  January marks the expiration of six months from the date of Pre’s launch on Sprint.  Many of us believe the exclusive agreement with Sprint was 6 months.  Verizon has said time and time again that the Pre will be on it’s network and after the positive attention of the Motorola Droid launching on the Verizon network, this would continue the intro of some decent smartphones.  Finally.

A new device seems a bit wishful to me.  Certainly the Palm team is working on something, but it is a relatively small group and brewing an OS coupled with two phone launches has probably sucked up most available resources at this point.  I just don’t see it.

Read: [PalmwebOS]

 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm

New DROID ads released, actually show off a bit of Android

It took them a while to get past all the “iDon’t” nonsense, then they followed up with that mysterious space-phone campaign, but it looks like Verizon’s finally using their commercials to actually tell people what the Droid is.

Three new ad spots hit the interwebs today. The first shows off Google Navigation. The second walks you through the browsing experience. The third says that the Droid can crush rocks and punch holes through walls or something – I don’t know, that one got kind of weird. Check out the videos after the jump.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 11:56 am

China Gets Android-Based iPhone Clone

The release of the Motorola Droid last week is going to create a tough dilemma for many consumers. Should you embrace Android, an open-source OS running on a phone carried by Verizon? Or should you go with the state-of-the-art iPhone, whose platform is tightly controlled by Apple, but nonetheless still has the greatest versatility to date with 100,000 apps and counting?

What if you could have both?

Demonstrated in the video above is an Android-powered iPhone knockoff produced by counterfeiters in China. It’s appropriately (and hilariously) named the “Aphone.” Running Android 1.5, the Aphone features a 2-megapixel camera, a scroll wheel replacing the iPhone’s Home button, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen that appears to be extremely sluggish with responding to gestures.

The person demonstrating the Aphone describes it as “really not bad,” though he admits startup is very slow. To us, compared to the real thing, it looks like a plastic piece of garbage (similar to the shoddy HiPhone we bought a while ago) that does neither Apple nor Google justice. But we’re tickled by the idea: What if someone hacked the legitimate iPhone to run the Google OS? That sounds like a tremendous amount of work, but hackers always pull off the seemingly impossible.

Via 9 to 5 Mac

See Also:

• Say Hello to Wired.com’s Fake Chinese iPhone — the HiPhone …
• Chinese iPhone Knockoffs Described With Hilarious Engrish
• ‘iPhone 4G’ Part Probably Meant for Pirates, Not Apple
• Why I’m Not Getting a Droid Today
• First Look: Motorola’s Droid Is Memorable, But Won’t Make You …
• Review: The Motorola Droid

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 11:47 am

Google Acquires AdMob For $750 Million

Google has just announced that it has acquired AdMob, the mobile ad platform that has been especially popular on the iPhone, for $750 million. This is a big win for the company’s early investors, which include Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners (this is a huge day for Accel — they were also investors in Playfish, which was just acquired by EA). More recent investors include DFJ and Northgate Capital.

AdMob founder Omar Hamoui sent the following letter to customers:

Today we announced that AdMob has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google for $750 million. We are extremely excited about this new partnership and what it means for our advertiser, developer and publisher partners.

AdMob’s people, products and tools will continue to work to deliver successful campaigns for you and to effectively monetize your mobile traffic – no interruptions. Our product and engineering teams will keep building great products for our customers. Our sales team will keep working with our thousands of advertisers to deliver successful campaigns. Our business development team will keep working to maximize ad revenue for the more than 15,000 mobile Web sites and applications that make up AdMob’s publisher network.

After our deal closes, AdMob will work with Google to accelerate the pace of innovation in mobile and do an even better job for you. We believe this deal will benefit our advertisers, developers and publishers by:

*Increasing our investment in building innovative and engaging ad units across platforms and to further improve targeting and tracking.

*Building even more powerful relevance and optimization capabilities, and more powerful technology and tools to monetize mobile traffic.

*Increasing the effectiveness of display advertising on mobile devices by leveraging Google sales team, infrastructure and relationships.

*Improving the already high level of service and support we deliver to our advertisers, developers and publishers.

Google has written its own blog post announcing the deal, pointing out the dramatic increase they’ve seen in mobile search and app usage:

iPhone and Android users browse the Internet more often than anyone else [Morgan Stanley], contributing to Google’s 5x mobile search growth over the past two years
And a quarter of these same iPhone and Android users spend nearly 90 minutes per day using applications on their devices [AdMob]

Google has set up a website to explain the benefits of the AdMob acquisition, detailing the rapidly growing (and still very nascent) mobile advertising space. Google also created the graphic below to highlight the differences between its own mobile search ads, and the display ads AdMob shows in applications on the iPhone and other platforms.

This has been a big day for acquisitions. Earlier today we broke the story that Google is acquiring VoIP startup Gizmo5 for around $30 million in cash.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 11:04 am

Investing in a mobile future with AdMob

We're happy to announce today that we have signed an agreement to acquire AdMob, a mobile display advertising company based in San Mateo, CA. AdMob is a great Silicon Valley story — founded in 2006 by Omar Hamoui when he couldn't find good ways to generate traffic for his mobile site. Over the past few years, Omar and his talented team have built a thriving company with great mobile advertising products, and we are looking forward to having them join the Google team and work with us on the future of mobile advertising.

We've written in the past about how mobile phones are becoming an increasingly indispensable part of our daily lives, and we continue to see how great devices with full Internet browsers and vibrant app marketplaces are driving an explosion of usage. In fact:

• iPhone and Android users browse the Internet more often than anyone else [Morgan Stanley], contributing to Google's 5x mobile search growth over the past two years
• And a quarter of these same iPhone and Android users spend nearly 90 minutes per day using applications on their devices [AdMob]

Despite the tremendous growth in mobile usage and the substantial investment by many businesses in the space, the mobile web is still in its early stages. We believe that great mobile advertising products can encourage even more growth in the mobile ecosystem. That's what has us excited about this deal.

For publishers of mobile websites and applications, this deal will mean better products and tools and more effective monetization of their content — allowing them to focus more on their users and less on how to generate revenue.

For advertisers who want to reach users when they are engaged with mobile content, this deal will bring better, more relevant ads and greater reach. It will also mean more interesting, engaging ad formats.

Last, but certainly not least, we believe users will benefit from this deal — through more mobile content and through better mobile ads that deliver useful information. And that's good for all of us. For more information, check out this site that we've set up about the deal.

Posted by Susan Wojcicki, Vice President, Product Management and Vic Gundotra, Vice President, Engineering
Source: The Official Google Blog | 9 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am

Nokia recalls several mobile phone chargers over shock hazard

Nokia has recalled several mobile phone chargers, manufactured by third-parties for the company, because of the chance of electrical shock. There’s been no reports of any injuries, so consider this a precaution.

The model numbers are AC-3E, AC-3U, and AC-4U. They were manufactured between June 15 and August 9 of this year.

You can hit up Nokia for a free replacement if you own one of the models in question.

That is all.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

First week Windows 7 sales beat Vista sales by 234%

Section: Computers, Software / Applications

Windows 7 saw a pretty good amount of coverage coming from the tech blogs, after all I would say that a fair amount of tech bloggers were using it on a regular, if not daily basis since the public beta was released back in January of 2009. That said, I often wonder just how much of the tech crowd excitement makes it out into the world of the regular users.

Well in the case of Windows 7 it seems to have been well received. According to Microsoft, the first week sales of Windows 7 have topped the first week Windows Vista sales by 234%. And in addition to that, Windows 7 has also topped Windows Vista in terms of revenue, in this instance the revenue was up 83%.

Personally, I really like Windows 7, but at the same time also believe that Vista grew into its own with time. And with that I did make my contribution to those above stats by purchasing my own copy of Windows 7. But have also talked a few people, all Vista users out of upgrading for the simple fact that they have not had any trouble with Vista.

Read [HotHardware]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 9:05 am

Cellufun takes on Zynga and Playdom by providing social games on “non-smart” mobile devices

In case you didn’t notice, social gaming is taking off. And despite mounting criticism, the market is continuing to grow and doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. But so far, most of the major players are either on the major social networks (i.e., Facebook, MySpace) or on the major smartphone platforms (i.e., iPhone, Android). But here’s an interesting thought: millions of people are still on regular mobile phones, and they want to play social games, too, right? That’s exactly the thought that came to Cellufun’s founding team, which has quietly built a business aiming to provide social games to the hundreds of millions of people who aren’t on Smartphones (but have access to the mobile web). How? They partner with carriers such as Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, and Rogers Communications and provide Cellufun through their mobile website (m.cellufun.com).

I talked to Cellufun CEO Neil Edwards, former CEO of dotMobi, who gave me the breakdown on what they’ve been doing. He thinks that they’re about ready to “hockey stick” with their social gaming platform on mobile devices. Essentially, Cellufun’s 19 employees have worked to build a platform for social gaming – every user who wants to play a Cellufun game first creates an account with Cellufun and builds a full-body avatar. 2.7 million users have registered with Cellufun (resulting in 220 million page views), and the number is growing fast. That’s small compared to the other gaming companies such as Zynga and Playfish, which have tens of millions playing each of their games (Zynga claims to have 130 million social gamers). However, Cellufun’s relationship with wireless carriers and their ability to push content to a large number of phones provides them with strong growth potential (their revenues are up 400% from last year) and a defensible product. Thus far, Cellufun has raised $7 Million from Longworth Venture Partners and is currently raising an equally sized Series B.

Cellufun started out providing one-off games on mobile devices such as Hellofun, a Halloween game, and “The Mobile Ring,” a pre-election game where you could punch Presidential hopefuls in the face. Since hiring Neil in February of this year, they’ve focused their development on the virtual goods platform, which launched 3 months ago. This platform has since done 2.5 million transactions, where users buy anything from a “flirt” (like Facebook’s poke) to a new bathing suit for their full-body avatar. Now, 40% percent of their transactions come from offers provided to customers such as filling a marketing survey or “non-subscription-oriented special offers”, which have received criticism of late, most notably from TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington. I’m not going to criticize these offers here (though I agree with Mike completely), and Neil was adamant that they do not allow offers to charge the customer’s phone bill. The rest of their revenue came from advertising (30%) and paid transactions (30%). They are generating a $1.31 average revenue per user.

Cellufun is quietly (albeit slowly) creeping up on social gaming companies like Playdom by taking a “bottom-up” approach to users: they start at the simplest of data-enabled mobile devices and will soon be introducing iPhone and Android versions as well. Users can access Cellufun either through a phone’s web browser (m.cellufun.com) or through their carrier. Cellufun also differ slightly from the major gaming companies because they treat their product as a platform, meaning that users always go to Cellufun before going to the game they want to play. Instead, Zynga and Playfish usually don’t have an over-arching platform that relates the different games they offer. Cellufun actually gets a lot of revenue from users before they actually play a game. The full-body avatar each user creates can be “upgraded” by purchasing virtual clothing and accessories. In this way, Cellufun isn’t just a competitor to the social gaming companies, but it’s also similar to Second Life on mobile devices.

Keep your eye on Cellufun as their social gaming platform and virtual world continue to take off on mobile devices. CEO Neil Edwards was clear: they’ve got huge potential and can ship product onto 7,000+ phone models and hundreds of millions of mobile devices in a matter of days. That’s power that few companies have and the pending move into iPhone and Android will only build on those numbers. Also, because of the “me-too” attitude of social gaming companies, where one person creates a great game and everyone else just copies it, Cellufun’s unique market means that it can copy games without competing with existing companies.

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Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am

The island of misfit phones

So AT&T has a problem: even after early and vociferous defections by bloggers, they’ve been getting creamed for sub-par service everywhere, especially left and right coast cities that rhyme with Blue Pork and Fan Fanfisco.

Verizon is stepping into that breech by releasing these clever commercials touting its network over AT&Ts. But, as Mr. Fireball notes, Verizon is talking about the invisible stuff here and ignoring its top-rated Droid. It seems that they’ve been on the “coverage” kick for so long that they can’t get off it it, resulting in comparisons that, at least for early adopters, are usually ignored.

Verizon has a great phone right now. They should play to that strength. Here are two more clever commercials for your viewing pleasure.

via AOL

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Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Nov 2009 | 8:28 am

Carrier Will Unlock iPhones for Use On Rival Networks

In Britain, carrier O2 will unlock out-of-contract iPhones for use on other networks. The news came direct from Telefónica chairman and CEO Matthew Key in an interview with the Times:

Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks, we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honor any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator.

The key is the availability on the iPhone on these other networks. Since the iPhone’s UK launch, Telefónica-owned O2 has been the exclusive carrier. This is set to change early next year when rivals Orange and Vodafone start selling the iPhone. Clearly, it would be rather stupid to keep phones locked at the end of the contract period, and O2 could benefit as much as the Orange and Vodafone in the future if they can tempt existing owners back from the other side.

The unlocking of handsets at the end of a contract is the usual way of things in the UK, and this is just an extension of that. O2 will also release non-contract, Pay & Go customers, too, after just a year of service. They’ll have to pay a £15 ($25) fee. Given the rather excellent data terms (unlimited and free for the first year) offered by O2 and it’s hard to see many taking this option.

The story here isn’t the fact that O2 will unlock the iPhone, but that it is doing it because there is some competition at long last. And this is in a country with very good value for cellphone customers. If Verizon in the US were to carry the iPhone, current exclusive supplier AT&T would have to compete on customer service and network quality alone. No wonder it is so desperate to hang on to the exclusive.

The hidden truth here is that iPhone buyers go to whichever carrier will supply it. The scary prospect for the telcos is that of the iPhone being on every network. This, along with the its vertiginous adoption rate and iPod-like popularity, would reduce the telcos to mere dumb pipes. That would, at least, be a step up from just “dumb”.

Ask the Boss: Matthew Key, head of O2, answers your questions [Times via Pocket Lint]

[Photo](http://www.flickr.com/photos/edans/1526393678/ “

iPhone transparent screen en Flickr: ¡Intercambio de fotos!

“): edans/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 7:38 am

Car stereo built for iPhone

Section: Audio, Car Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones

Integrating your phone into your car isn’t clean.  For most of us, power cords, FM transmitters and dashboard holders are all involved to get the job done, only to have to futz with the FM station during lengthy drives.  Thankfully, a new stereo is on the market that is smart enough for us to take notice: the Parrot RKi8400.

This Parrot stereo looks brilliant and a smart match to the iPhone.  Packed with smart features like, upon first-time connection, the stereo copies your contacts to memory allowing users to add a feature that Apple left off the 3G iPhone: voice dialing.  Simply by speaking to the included microphone, users can dial from their iPhone contacts without fumbling.  The unit will store up to 8,000 contacts and pair with up to 10 phones.

Created for specific integration with the iPhone, the stereo displays cover art accessed through the phone for a nice touch.  Controls look to be a simple tuner and one handed operation looks to be a design hallmark.

The Parrot connects to the iPhone’s dock allowing the phone to be charged or the phone can connect via Bluetooth for A2DP streaming.  The faceplate of the stereo removes to reveal a storage spot for your phone or player.  The stereo also accepts SD cards, USB flash drives or other MP3 players.

The unit is available now and sells for $399 on the company’s site.

Product page: [Parrot] via [Slashphone]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:35 am

Hands-On With the Lightscoop Flash Modifier

We liked the look of the Lightscoop flash modifier we covered a couple of weeks back, so we tested one out. And while the camera-mounted mirror isn’t quite as easy to use as we’d hoped, it gives results way better than you’ll get from even the best built-in flash when used bare.

The Lightscoop slides into the hot-shoe of your camera, making it only suitable for DSLRs which have a) a hot-shoe and b) a flash that is in the middle of the camera. The black plastic body places a mirror in front of the strobe at around 60-degrees from the horizontal, and this reflects the light up at the ceiling (don’t bother if you are outside) and lights that up, creating a big, bright overhead light-source.

This leads to a soft, flattering light, similar to what you’d get outside on an overcast day. And while it won’t light up a big room, the mirror means more light makes it up to the ceiling than would get there with a plain white paper or plastic reflector.

Fitting

First, you need to get the Lightscoop onto your camera. This will vary with model, but on the Nikon D700 you’ll need to flip the flash up first. If you don’t the scoop won’t let it open. This means that (unless you monkey with custom settings) you need to remove the scoop to switch off the flash, even for just one shot.

Taking it off is a little more dangerous. The Lightscoop has a good, snug fit, and if you push a little too hard and the unit suddenly pops free, you could shove it straight into the delicate strobe unit and damage it. I did slam it into mine, but no harm was done.

Setup

I ignored the instructions and fired a few frames off in auto-mode. I got a little more light than the room was supplying on its own, and the picture was exposed properly. But apart from a slightly less orange color-cast, it looked the same as a flash-less picture (this may be because the D700 does fine with no flash, though.)

After taking a better look at the one-page manual, I did what I was told and set the camera to manual, dialed in a shutter speed of around 1/200 sec, an ISO of 800 (somewhat high for a flash picture) and left the aperture wide open (around ƒ4 in this case). The guide says to set the flash exposure compensation to +1, but I found I needed to drop the output power a little.

This will vary from camera to camera, but thankfully once you have your settings they should stay the same for a given ceiling height. If you can’t adjust flash output, you should tweak the aperture (the shutter speed will do nothing for the flash, but it will control how much of the existing room light is allowed in to the picture).

One note: The instructions say you have to set Nikon cameras to spot-metering mode. This is somewhat inexplicable, as you are in manual and not actually using the meter at all.

Result

You won’t get results anything like those you’d achieve with external flashes and some creative know-how, but the difference between using your pop-up with and without the scoop is like (forgive me) night and day. Where the bare-bulb picture (left) is harsh and full of sharp-edged shadows, the ‘scooped version is soft and shadow-free. Both of these pictures are untouched from the camera aside from a little sharpening for the screen and a crop. In short, if you have to use the built-in flash at all, it should have something like the Lightscoop over it.

I say “something like” because there are alternatives. A piece of paper over the flash, a compact makeup mirror or a purpose built soft-box will all do the trick. But I’m surprised how much I like the Lightscoop, despite its potential to trash my flash. It’s small, easy to use and, most of all, fun. It costs $35 and comes in standard or warm versions. If you buy one, get the standard: you can always throw a warming gel on there.

Product page [LightScoop. Thanks, Betsy!]

See Also:

• LightScoop Rescues Horrible Built-In Flashes
• Strobist

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am

Gifts for the Gadget Lover on Your List

It's not too early to start thinking about holiday shopping. This list will help you get started, with 24 suggestions for gadget-loving geeks.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am

New Barnes & Noble Nook pre-orders now receiving later shipping date

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

We saw the report about the Nook gaining some popularity in terms of pre-orders, well Barnes & Noble has taken that one step further and confirmed that any newly placed pre-orders will be getting a later shipping date.

According to a spokesperson from Barnes & Noble that new shipping date is December 11. Basically, this is about a two week jump from the previous shipping date of November 30. All things considered that is not all that bad, especially considering those who ordered will still have a before holiday delivery, just in case the Nook was purchased as a gift.

That said, that same spokesperson also went on to state that they (Barnes & Noble) “are working hard to meet demand for the holidays.” Still, one more delay of about two weeks could jeopardize a holiday delivery. In other words, I would suggest that if you are looking to give the Nook as a gift this holiday season you may want to think about getting an order in.

The one piece of information that I am curious to read are some stats in terms of units sold. But as you would expect, there was not any comment given there, other than saying that Barnes & Noble “had high expectations for the Nook and couldn’t be happier.”

Read [CNET]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:31 am

Toss The Crutches: Freedom Leg Gives Both Arms Back

The “Freedom Leg” is an “off-loading prosthetic” which lets you ditch the crutches and keep on walking, even with a broken leg. This takes a rather painful injury and makes it a little bit less inconvenient, and could even speed your recovery time.

The newly launched Freedom Leg is a stilt-like, leg mounted crutch. It straps to your thigh and the angled composite bars replace the rest of your leg, taking your weight and letting everything from the knee down dangle. Not only does this let you use both hands as you walk (or, more correctly, hobble) to carry things and steady yourself when, say, on the stairs, it exercises your thigh muscle, meaning less rehabilitation of a withered leg when your bones are healed.

The leg weighs 2.5 pounds and costs $350. That’s more than a pair of crutches but it’s most likely that your hospital or doctor would supply it to you temporarily and charge you (US) or just lend you the thing for free (rest of the world).

FWD Mobility, the company behind the Freedom Leg also has a seated, one-legged scooter (pictured) for getting around even faster. This looks like a cross between a Brompton bike and a wheelchair — it lacks style, but would ease frustration and be way more fun than a wheelchair. See the Freedom Leg in action in the video below, and keep your fingers crossed that you never need it.

Product page [FWD via Crave]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 5:26 am

Photoshop for Android Phones Now Available

Photoshop.com, the mini photo-editing application from Adobe, is now available for Android phones. The app has been available to U.S. iPhone owners for about a month, but now Google-phoners can grab it from the Android Marketplace.

The free app offers almost the exact same functionality as the iPhone version, with auto-rotate, many editing effects and the ability to send (and view) photos stored online at your Photoshop.com page. And while some features are a little clunkier than on the iPhone (no pinch to twist and straighten photos — instead you need to access this via a “menu” item), in some ways it is slicker — the Android phone’s photo library is displayed from within the app, for example, instead of having to press the “select photo” button to see it as you do on the iPhone.

You can also run a slideshow of the pictures on your phone, something I can’t seem to do on my iPod Touch.

Photoshop.com Mobile for Android looks to be a fine, free download and you should grab it now. It isn’t as powerful as some mobile image-editors, but what it does it does just fine, and with a very slick interface.

Product page [Photoshop]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:31 am

18-Button Open Office Mouse Makes A Keyboard Look Minimal

One button. One button. One button. So goes the mantra at Apple, chanted before and after the compulsory morning yoga sessions, watched over by Steve Jobs in his cube-shaped glass office as he meditates on the minimal over steepled fingers.

Over on the free-software side of the world, things are a little different. If the phrase “design by committee” ever sent an icy pang of fear into your heart, then look away now. The Open Office organization, behind the splendid free MS Word alternative of the same name, have come up with a mouse with not one button, but 18, all of which can be double clicked, if you can actually contort your fingers to reach them.

And of course, all these buttons can be configured, tweaked and customized as you’d expect from an open-source design. Here, in it’s confusing glory, is the (not even full) run down:

18 programmable mouse buttons with double-click functionality

Three different button modes: Key, Keypress, and Macro

Analog Xbox 360-style joystick with optional 4, 8, and 16-key command modes

Clickable scroll wheel

512k of flash memory

63 on-mouse application profiles with hardware, software, and autoswitching capability

1024-character macro support.

Open source support software for creating, managing, and customizing application profiles

Import and export of custom profiles in XML format

Optional audio notification of profile switching with customizable wave files

PDF export of profile button assignments

Adjustable resolution from 400 to 1,600 CPI

20 default profiles for popular games and applications, including OpenOffice.org
3.1, Adobe Photoshop, the Gnu Image Manipulation Program, World of Warcraft, and the Call of Duty series.

One of those stands out: “PDF export of profile button assignments”. A mouse so complicated that you need a cheat-sheet to use it. What’s more, it is butt-ugly. looking like somebody cut holes in a generic dime-store mouse and inserted the plastic leftovers of pill-bottle lids.

The saving feature, if indeed this thing can be saved, is the analog control stick, very similar to the Nintendo 64 controller’s mushroom stick. Unlike the nodule on the mighty mouse or the tipping, clicking scroll wheels of any other mouse, the stick is on the side, under your thumb. This strikes us a dead handy.

The pictures you see are either mockups or prototypes, and the actual mouse should be available in February for $75. It’ll work with Windows, OS X and of course, Linux.

Product page [Open Office Mouse]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Nov 2009 | 4:06 am