Source: Gizmodo | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:30 pm

Templates now available in Google Sites

I'm pleased to announce we just added a stocked gallery of site templates in Google Sites. Anyone can browse the public template gallery, and businesses using Google Apps each have a private area where employees can share site templates with coworkers.

The rate that businesses are adopting Google Sites has surpassed our expectations, and templates will make Sites even more useful by dramatically reducing the time it takes to set up collaborative workspaces like employee intranets, project tracking sites, team sites and employee profile pages. Templates let you quickly start a new site with pre-built content, embedded gadgets, page layouts, navigation links, theming and more.


You can find more about what's new and read stories from customers about why they switched to Google Sites from on-premises collaboration solutions on the Google Enterprise Blog.

And because many of you are managing personal projects with Google Sites, we also added templates for family sites, weddings, neighborhood associations, clubs, charitable causes and more to the public gallery. Check out the Google Docs Blog for other examples and details, and if you have a personal site that others could use as a template, please submit your work to the public gallery!


Posted by Scott Johnston, Product Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:30 pm

Arrr, This be pleasin' to me uterus

It is old news that Facebook has a language option for Pirate English. But the mundane and bemusing juxtapositions it creates in the ad column never grow old. [Thanks, Heather!]


Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:20 pm

YouTube launches channel for citizen journalists (Reuters)

Reuters - Celebrities beware: YouTube is making it even easier for anyone with a camera phone to turn your behavior -- be it mundane or sensational -- into news.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:17 pm

Xobni Updates Its UI, Gains Monetizable Extensions

Tonight, Xobni is selectively allowing users to download a new version of its client with a number of UI enhancements. This launch coincides with Xobni’s new Salesforce extension. This is notable because it marks the launch of premium extensions for the first time, that give the company a new potential revenue stream.

Here are a few of the bigger UI changes: As you can see in the screenshot, there’s a new set of horizontal tabs to better filter content. Xobni is also now surfacing links exchanged between contacts for the first time — previously, there was just a way to do this for files exchanged. Also new, the Twitter extension element now includes a direct message (DM) option. LinkedIn support has been improved, as has some of the analytics.

There are a half dozen or so other enhancements to the client such as extensions now being resizable, and better drag and drop support. There’s also finally a way for users to easily open a folder that emails reside in. Basically, if you’re addicted to Xobni, there’s a lot of little tweaks (and some bigger ones) to try out.

But again, the big news is that Xobni is opening premium extensions to users — and not just business users, all Xobni users. If Xobni is able to effectively convince users to buy these (as well as get more beyond just Salesforce), it could be a decent new revenue stream for the company. Back in July, the company introduced ‘Xobni Plus’, the premium version of their product. Revenue streams can be addicting when turned on, it seems.

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

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

Nov. 17, 1790: A Rather One-Sided Affair

It's the birthday of August Ferdinand Möbius, a pioneer in topology and putative inventor of the Möbius strip.

Source: Gizmodo | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

Google Sites Become Prettier With Templates

Google Sites, which launched a little under two years ago, have given businesses and consumers a way to quickly build their own websites with no HTML knowledge required, making it relatively easy for anyone without a technical background to build a simple website. Now, Google is making it infinitely easier for anyone to create sleek, attractive websites with new feature Templates.

For those that aren’t familiar with this product, Sites is the reincarnation of Jotspot, which Google acquired back in 2006 (though the two products look totally different). The product is Google’s easy-to-use website and wiki builder that’s widely used by businesses, though there’s a consumer option available.

Google Sites now has a fully stocked gallery of public templates that can be used by both consumers and businesses. Google has also created templates that are targeted for business use. Templates let you quickly start a new site with pre-built content, embedded gadgets, page payouts, navigation links, theming and more. And Businesses using Google Apps will also have a private area where employees can share proprietary site templates, which can be made via Sites’ recently launched API, with coworkers. This is actually useful to organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, which wants to share templates for chapters over the nation to launch as their platform.

Sites will be free for all Google Apps customers (both paid and free) as well as for consumers. While Sites’ templates can be easily used for collaborative workspaces like employee intranets, project tracking sites, team sites and employee profile pages.

Though templates isn’t a monumental additions to Google Sites, it is a complimentary, easy-to-use and free feature that’s included in Google Apps. The tie-in between the two only reinforces the strategy Google has of continuing to make Google Apps more appealing to businesses to perhaps take a significant bite out of Microsoft’s market share.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 9:56 pm

Karen Armstrong's TED Prize: Charter for Compassion

Bonnoe says: "The folks at the TED Prize have been working with partners around the world to fulfill the wish of best-selling author and former nun, Karen Armstrong – the Charter for Compassion. The Charter is a document collaboratively written with contributions from thousands of people from more than 100 countries. With a sense of urgency, the Charter is a call to action for all of us to live more compassionately with each other in the hopes of ending global suffering. People from every corner of the world – including Oslo, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Tehran, Capetown, Sydney, San Francisco, Mumbai and more - have embraced the Charter’s inclusive message by affirming the Charter at the Charter for Compassion website and posting the official widget on their blogs in a show of solidarity (see below). It’s a powerful message and one that we wanted to share."

Charter for Compassion

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 7:00 pm

Internet is Officially Worldwide

Unlike the World Series, which is inhabited largely by American (and one Canadian) baseball teams, the World Wide Web, is actually inhabited by people from lots of different countries. But since the Internet came online, it's domain name suffixes (.com, ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pm

Leopard seal teaches photographer how to catch penguins

Brian Lam showed me this amazing short video yesterday. It chronicles an encounter that National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen had with a giant leopard seal in Antarctica who, over the course of four days, fed penguins to his camera and tried to teach him how to catch prey.


Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:31 pm

Word of the Year: an unreliable yet fascinating barometer of tech

The New Oxford English Dictionary has announced that 2009’s Word of the Year is unfriend. While it is perhaps not used as broadly as the newly-verbed friend, the latter is already in the dictionary, so they can’t very well call it new. The best they can do is run with unfriend, which implies and extends the other. A worthy choice, I think, with “currency and potential longevity,” as Oxford’s Senior Lexicographer puts it. It set me thinking, though: how prescient have Word of the Year choices been? Have they infallibly documented the rise of tech in mainstream language and culture? —or are they a dusty collection of buzzwords, a history of folly and haste? And really, which of those is the truer depiction of the world of technology?

I examined Oxford’s Word of the Year lists going back as far as their blog documents them, and consulted a few other word-tracking sources. Unsurprisingly, the popularity and continued pertinence of new words have been as unpredictable as the technologies they describe. Still, the world from a dictionary’s perspective makes for a unique retrospective.

Take hypermiling, for instance. 2008’s word, relevant and rich at the time, seems positively archaic now; as electrics and more efficient hybrids populate our roads more and more, the idea of hypermiling seems to be no longer a cool technique employed by savvy drivers, but a weird fuel-based cult obsessed with aging technology. It brings to mind a sentimental geek zealously maintaining a Windows 3.1 box. Webster’s 2008 word, more farsighted to be sure, was oversharing, certainly a symptom of the personal-broadcasting era that we’ve all observed. Hypermiling was chosen for its immediacy, which does not correlate well with longevity.

Yet podcasting, chosen in 2005, is going stronger than ever. A blog or website these days is incomplete without a podcast, though some question the practicality of adding yet another modality to the increasingly multi-tiered stream of information assaulting every webgoer. Still, no one would dispute that it is a meaningful and useful term, and one not likely to be replaced any time soon. Runners-up that year included rootkit, a surprisingly technical entry that has stayed with us, and lifehack, which, while being an interesting blog, is a pretentious failure as a word.

2007 was a bit of a misfire for Oxford; although it was a big year for Apple and Facebook, their tech nominations were red herrings like bacn, an abortive attempt to brand “desired spam,” and cloudware, which at the time was (if you’ll forgive the expression) too hazy a concept to really get much traction among casual users. Locavore hasn’t gained much ground in the popularity contest, probably because people who use it tend to be selling it. It’s still a good app, though. Unfriend would have been a real win here, since the new politics of online relationships were being written by users at large. Cloud has remained but I think perhaps the term which may best have represented 2007 was iTouch. This common misnomer evokes both the rapid expansion of personal media devices and widespread mystification at its terminology and function. Unfortunately, those who use the word are by definition nearly incapable of propagating it as a meme.

The ‘97-’98-’99 series of WAP, to Google, and blogger have an almost causal connection, as if each must have necessarily followed the other. While WAP was never a term laypeople used, and Wi-Fi would have been a better choice, its import was clear. Increasingly secure, convenient, and popular, the internet began getting personal in 1997, and that wave gathered energy with Googling over the next year, finally crashing on the shores of the collective idiom as blogging. Laptop plus coffee shop plus being able to explore the internet efficiently was a sort of tech trifecta, and blogs started sprouting like weeds (sorry about that).

But back to this year’s words. Unfriend is, I think, one for the ages. But the others are groaners: intexticated? Funemployed? Sexting maybe, but we can’t nominate every clever portmanteau. If that were the case, half the words in the dictionary would be creations of my own (I have a talent for them). Better to collect them in a little bundle, as they’ve done with what I called the infernal bird-based jargon of Twitter: Tweeps, Tweetup, Twitt, Twitterati, Twitterature, Twitterverse/sphere, Retweet, Twibe, Sweeple, Tweepish, Tweetaholic, Twittermob, and Twitterhea (Twitterhead?).

These word clusters provide an interesting cross-section of the culture around a certain word (the other one they note is Obama) and its emergent phenomena — Twitterati is a good example of this, and a good word to keep around. The others I consign to the pit.

The level to which this invented jargon, or even something like the more practical unfriend, is actually used is unclear. I’m sure we’ve all seen freemium, and it has worth, but will it end up as widely used as paywall? It’s impossible to say, given the malleability of both new words and the people who use them. The environment for creating words is becoming more democratic, for better or for worse. Personally, I find my new words in old books, but even this cursory look at the new word market shows that those terms we may dismiss as fleeting or overly specific may be the most signal of the era.

Lastly, as many of you readers are specialists in tech, feel free to submit some of your more interesting or useful terms. For example, I like tentacular but rarely get to use it. Not really jargon, or a word even, but when it works, it works. Let’s populate this post with submissions for next year’s list; maybe someone from Oxford will find something they like.

[image: first recorded tweet; chemheritage's Flickr]

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:30 pm

MAKERS US launch at Harvard Bookstore tonight, 7PM

Hey, Bostonites! I'll see you tonight at the Harvard Bookstore (1256 Mass Ave) at 7PM for the US launch of my new novel, Makers! (New Yorkers, and Philadelphians -- see you later this week!)

US/Canada tour



Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm

The Future of Linux is Google (PC World)

PC World - I used to think Ubuntu was destined to lead Linux into the mainstream, but now it's looking much more like Google--not Canonical--will be the first Linux vendor to truly challenge Microsoft.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:20 pm

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 banned in Russia - CNET News

Times Online

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 banned in Russia CNET News Sometimes, one's biases can balance out very nicely. So please let me lay mine out in all their militant glory. Bias No. 1: I do not play many video games, and Call of Duty does not impact in any way upon my emotional or personal ... Russia Threatens Modern Warfare 2 Ban, Game Yanked From ShelvesPC World Russian Federation Boots Out Modern Warfare 2ITProPortal Modern Warfare 2 censored in Russia?GameSpot TG Daily -Telegraph.co.uk -CVG Online all 286 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pm

US teens report 'frightening' levels of texting while driving - Washington Post

TopNews United States

US teens report 'frightening' levels of texting while driving Washington Post A graphic British public service video that portrays a fatal accident caused by a texting teenage driver has been the talk of Facebook and other places where young Americans congregate, but a study suggests that it hasn't done much ... Texting while drivingBinghamton University Pipe Dream A third of teens say they've texted while drivingmsnbc.com Half of teens say they've used cellphone while drivingUSA Today Pioneer Press -TopNews United States -Pew Research Center all 57 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:02 pm

Text Message Reminders May Encourage Sunscreen Use

Daily text-message reminders appear to increase sunscreen use over a six-week period, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.Skin cancer accounts for one in three cancer cases worldwide and more than 1 million new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to background information in the article.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Video: Crazy kid goes crazy because he’s not very good at Modern Warfare 2

So we’re in agreement: this kid is crazy, right? He’s ranting about losing in Modern Warfare 2, then proceeds to freak out. I damn near started chanting “EC DUB! EC DUB!” when he attempted to reverse fireman’s carry the wall. That makes no sense, no. Warning: he uses salty language to describe his displeasure with the game.

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Android’s Rapid Growth Has Some Developers Worried

A year after its release, Google’s open source Android operating system has become a sensation. After a slow start, it is now available on at least 12 phones, with more devices waiting in the wings.

Good news for Android fans, right? Not really, say some developers. A slew of problems have made managing Android apps a “nightmare,” they say, including three versions of the OS (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0), custom firmware on many phones, and hardware differences between different models.

For users, it means apps in the store could be buggy, might not work well depending on their handsets, and could deliver a frustrating experience. Unaware of the increasing back-end complexity, they would then be more likely to leave bad reviews for those apps — a potentially lethal blow for small businesses, say developers.

“Instead of working on updates to our apps, we find we are trying to make each app work for multiple versions of the OS and different hardware capabilities,” says Chris Fagan, co-founder at Froogloid, an Android focused application development company. “We are not complaining about all the growth, but if you are a small or a new Android developer coming in and trying to learn I could see your head exploding. It would be overwhelming,” he says.

The problem echoes similar concerns over Java in the 1990s. Originally touted as a way for developers to build apps that would run on any computer (”write once, run anywhere”), developers found that wide variations in Java virtual machines as well as available hardware meant that Java’s promise was really “write once, debug everywhere.” While Java is still used — particularly in the mobile space, where it powers games and other apps written for Java-capable cellphones — it is not nearly the cross-platform panacea it was originally conceived as.

Fagan’s concerns about the fragmentation of Android is being echoed by other developers, says Sean Galligan, vice president of business development at Flurry, an mobile app analytics company.

“There’s no question that we are starting to hear developers express concern,” says Galligan. “Android is growing very fast and there’s a lot of excitement for it but it’s also a lot for work, especially for medium and small developers.”

Since the launch of the first HTC T-Mobile G1 phone running Android OS, a number of handset makers have jumped on the bandwagon. HTC alone has five Android handsets available, while others like Motorola have shifted completely to the Android platform. In the past two months, Motorola released two new Android-based handsets, the Cliq and Droid. And in a bid to differentiate themselves, handset makers are creating custom user interfaces like the HTC Sense, the Motorola Blur and the Rachael UI from Sony Ericsson.

Android phones vary significantly in the hardware, too — phones with and without camera flash, some have physical keyboards, others don’t.

“You may build an app that works perfectly with all three firmwares, but then when you run it on carriers’ ROMs it completely blows up,” says Fagan. “So we find ourselves having to create apps that are compatible with multiple firmwares, multiple ROMs and multiple devices with different hardware.”

It’s in sharp contrast to the iPhone platform. Apple has tightly controlled the introduction of new iPhones and updates to its operating system. It has just three iPhone models available since it first introduced the phone in 2007. And all iPhone users are prompted to update their phones to be on the same version of the operating system.

While Apple pioneered the app store idea with the iPhone, Android, too, offers Market, a store for distribution of third-party programs. Unlike with the Apple app store, Android developers do not have to go through an approval process to get their apps on the Android Market.Currently, the Android market has about 10,000 apps compared to the 100,000 in Apple’s app store.

For developers, Apple’s autocratic ways may be frustrating, but they can pay off.

“Apple maintains an iron grip on what they do and there’s an advantage to that,” says Kelly Schrock, owner of Fognl, which has three apps on the Android market. “IPhone developers don’t have to worry about fragmentation and creating apps for the iPhone is much easier.”

Android Versions Create Confusion

Founded about the same time as the first Android phone hit the market, Froogloid today has more than 100,000 users across its three apps: a2b, Key Ring and CowPotato. But with Android’s growth, managing these apps is becoming quite a challenge, says Fagan.

The diversity of devices running Android OS has led to some unexpected results, says Fagan.

For instance, the Sprint HTC Hero was launched without its GPS setting turned on. When run, the a2b application could trigger it — but Froogloid soon found that the standard commands they used reacted differently on the Hero than on other Android devices. Instead of launching the GPS settings, it set off the “screen unlock pattern” settings, says Chris Pick, requiring Froogloid to write custom code in their app for that particular device.

Google says it has emulators available that allows developers to test their application running on simulated devices so they can see how it behaves.

But it doesn’t always work, says Fagan. “In a sense, we are shooting blind with the emulators because we have no idea how it is really working on the device.”

For instance, explains Pick, the graphics for their 3D game app, Cowpotato worked fine on the emulator but crashed when run on Motorola’s Droid phone. Pick suspects a bug in the graphics driver on the Droid. Writing for a fix for it took care of the problem but its not the best solution, he says.

“When we have to start writing rules based on the phone model in our code, it adds more code to our code base, creates more work for us and makes the app heavier,” says Pick.

Different versions of the OS also means new functionality is added or some removed. Understanding these changes and making software backward compatible takes time, say Schrock. “It’s a multiplication of work to support all of them.”

A bigger problem is the customization of firmware or custom ROMs. For instance, Google offers a basic homescreen with the Android code. But device manufacturers or network carriers can always modify it. Sometimes the changes are simple, such as replacing all white color with grey, or red with yellow. That allows handset makers and carriers to tailor Android better for their customers, something that Google says it supports “strongly.”

“That isn’t a big deal,” says Fagan. “However, when they start changing fundamentally how certain activities are controlled, such as user settings and screen orientation, it creates issues for developers that have built their apps on an out of the box version of the firmware/SDK.”

Custom ROMs are always available for developers to look through, points out Froogloid.

“Google has mandated that every one base their releases on the standard versions,” says Pick.”But this slips under the radar.”

Ultimately, developers will have to start making tough decisions on who they want to target and versions of the operating system they want to support, says Galligan.

“Developers have to identify which devices and carriers appeal to the market they are creating an app for and develop just for it,” he says.

A one-man band, Schrock says without any employees he can’t maintain four different app versions.

“It’s getting a lot riskier on the Android. It’s not 4x increase in the cost but it will be a lot more work.” And while Schrock says the apps are not his meal ticket, he doesn’t want to make choices that could cut off some Android users from his apps.

“I will have to decide then how much return I am getting and if it is worth it.”

See Also:

• To Play With Giants, App Devs Risk Getting Squashed
• Android Army Pumped for All-Out Attack on iPhone
• Now, a $100 Android Smartphone in the HTC Droid Eris
• 12 Phones Strong, Android Army Mobilizes for Explosive Growth
• Google Muscles Android Developer, Offers Olive Branch

Photo: (marketingfacts/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Do Speedy Math in Your Head

Math wizard Arthur Benjamin shares three secrets to how to multiply big numbers — without a calculator and faster than even if you had one.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

Black Friday 2009: Meijer sale ad has been leaked

FROM GAMERTELL - Meijer’s Black Friday 2009 ad has been leaked. If you need a DSi, iPod Touch, PS3, Wii or Xbox 360, then you may want to check out their doorbusters. Also, all games priced $19.99 and under will be half off.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm

First Near-Total Face And Upper-Jaw Transplant Appears Successful

More than a year and a half following the first near-total face and upper jaw transplant, the donor tissue appears successfully integrated, according to a report in the November/December issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm

Windows Marketplace Reveals Fragmentation (PC World)

PC World - Microsoft is making its Windows Marketplace for Mobile available to phones running older versions of its mobile software, although not all of the apps may be available to all Windows Mobile users.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:50 pm

Silly udder pitcher

I got all the enjoyment I can get from this picther by looking at the photo. No need to spend $22, as the milk I buy already comes in a carton. Heffer pitcher


Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pm

Avid posts final 3Q results, corrects errors (AP)

AP - Multimedia software developer Avid Technology Inc. on Monday reported final, corrected third-quarter results that show its revenue was slightly lower than what it had originally reported in October.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:37 pm

Apple posts Snow Leopard printer driver updates (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - If printer drivers for Snow Leopard set your heart a-racing, then Christmas arrived a month ahead of schedule. Apple posted printer updates for Canon, Brother, HP, and Lexmark on its Support Downloads site Monday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pm

Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning

GringoChapin writes in with coverage from Space.com on the Leonid meteor shower, adding "Folks from the United States will want to start watching at 0100 Pacific, 0400 Eastern, and those in Europe from 0100 local time until dawn." "One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive. The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting." Sky and Telescope's coverage is excellent as usual, and they also have tips for beginning and advanced meteor observers.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:09 pm

Pictured: Magellan’s new iPhone car cradle

Hey, you! I know you. You're the one that gets all hot around the collar over shots of unreleased iPhone accessories, aren't you? Boy, oh boy - are you gonna love this..

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:08 pm

ComScore's October 2009 Search Data: Google and Microsoft Up, Yahoo Down [Digital Daily]

ComScore’s October search market analysis is in and it’s good news for two of the Big Three search engines. Google and Microsoft both posted gains for the month, while Yahoo suffered a decline.

Google (GOOG) claimed 65.4 percent of the domestic search market in October, up from 64.9 percent in September, according to comScore. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s (MSFT) share rose to 9.9 percent from 9.4 percent in September. A modest bit of growth for the month, but quite impressive year over year. Search volume was up 30.8 percent from October 2008.

And Yahoo (YHOO)? Well, the company’s search market share slipped to 18 percent in October from 18.8 percent in September. Below, a table showing comScore’s (SCOR) search volume and market share data, via JP Morgan analyst Imran Khan (click to enlarge):

Source: All Things Digital | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:06 pm

AOL to Spin Off Dec. 9, Begin Trading Dec. 10 (Plus Full Press Release) [BoomTown]

AOL will officially be spun off from Time Warner on Dec. 9, with trading to begin the next day.

Shareholders of record at 5 pm ET on Nov. 27 will get one share of AOL for every 11 shares of Time Warner (TWX) on the day of the long-expected spinoff of the Internet service.

At Time Warner’s current market cap of $38 billion, that gives AOL an implied value of $3.2 billion–a fraction of Google’s (GOOG) $20 billion valuation of the portal in 2005, when it invested $1 billion in the property. And it’s even lower than the $5.5 billion valuation Google gave the company last January, when it wrote down its investment.

AOL will trade on the New York Stock Exchange as “AOL.”

Ironically, before it merged with Time Warner at the dawn of the new century, AOL previously traded on the NYSE.

AOL went public on Nasdaq on March 19, 1992, under the ticker “AMER,” and moved to the NYSE on Sept. 16, 1996 trading as “AOL.”

(Fun fact: BoomTown actually attended both the fancy dinner the night before AOL moved to the NYSE from Nasdaq and the AOL party on Wall Street the next day.)

If you want to get really technical, AOL common stock will begin trading on a “when-issued” basis–you really don’t want to know the confusing regulatory details of why–on the NYSE under the symbol “AOL WI” beginning on Nov. 24, 2009.

On Dec. 10, when-issued trading of AOL common stock will end and “regular-way” trading under the symbol “AOL” will begin.

After that, it will be up to CEO Tim Armstrong to make the long-suffering AOL into the little Internet company that could.

The separation of AOL and Time Warner is also symbolic, dismantling the most potent symbol of Web 1.0, when AOL essentially got control of the media giant, only to see the merger crash in disaster.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Here’s the full Time Warner press release on the transaction:

Time Warner Declares Spin-off Dividend of AOL Shares

Record and Distribution Dates and Final Distribution Ratio Announced

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 16, 2009–Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) and AOL Inc. today announced the timing and details regarding the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner.

The Time Warner board of directors has approved the final distribution ratio and declared a pro rata dividend of the shares of AOL common stock owned by Time Warner that will result in the complete legal and structural separation of the two companies.

On the distribution date of December 9, 2009, Time Warner stockholders of record as of 5 p.m. on November 27, 2009, the record date for the distribution, will receive one share of AOL common stock for every eleven shares of Time Warner common stock they hold.

Fractional shares of AOL common stock will not be distributed to Time Warner stockholders. Instead, the fractional shares of AOL common stock will be aggregated and sold in the open market, with the net proceeds distributed pro rata in the form of cash payments to Time Warner stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share of AOL common stock.

No action or payment is required by Time Warner stockholders to receive the shares of AOL common stock. Stockholders who hold Time Warner common stock on the record date will receive a book-entry account statement reflecting their ownership of AOL common stock or their brokerage account will be credited with the AOL shares. An Information Statement containing details regarding the distribution of the AOL common stock and AOL’s business and management following the AOL spin-off will be mailed to Time Warner stockholders prior to the distribution date.

The AOL spin-off has been structured to qualify as a tax-free dividend to Time Warner stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Cash received in lieu of fractional shares, however, will be taxable. Time Warner stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the AOL spin-off.

Shares of Time Warner common stock will continue to trade “regular way” on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “TWX” through the distribution date of December 9, 2009, and thereafter. Any holders of shares of Time Warner common stock who sell Time Warner shares regular way on or before December 9, 2009, will also be selling their right to receive shares of AOL common stock. Investors are encouraged to consult with their financial advisers regarding the specific implications of buying or selling Time Warner common stock on or before the distribution date.

AOL common stock will begin trading on a “when-issued” basis on the NYSE under the symbol “AOL WI” beginning on November 24, 2009. On December 10, 2009, when-issued trading of AOL common stock will end and “regular-way” trading under the symbol “AOL” will begin. The CUSIP number for the AOL common stock will be 00184X 105 when regular-way trading begins.

Time Warner and AOL have entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and several other agreements related to the AOL spin-off. The completion of the AOL spin-off is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including the Registration Statement on Form 10 for the AOL common stock being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the AOL common stock being authorized for listing on the NYSE and certain other conditions described in the Information Statement included in the Form 10 and in the agreements filed as exhibits to the Form 10. The condition relating to the authorization of the AOL common stock for listing on the NYSE has been satisfied, and today AOL sent a letter to the SEC requesting that the Form 10 be declared effective. Time Warner and AOL expect all other conditions to the AOL spin-off to be satisfied on or before the distribution date.

Source: All Things Digital | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:01 pm

Sprint Nextel settles Minn. lawsuit over contracts (AP)

AP - Minnesota customers of Sprint Nextel Corp. who think their cell phone contracts were extended without their say-so can file for refunds of early termination fees under a legal settlement announced Monday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

New stealth jumpjet starting hover trials

The Harrier jumpjet is one of the most famous aircraft in the world. Ideal for carrier take off and landings, the jumpjet has been part of the US military arsenal for many years. The problem is that it isn’t very fast. Now the next generation of jumpjet is entering testing to see if it measures up.

The new Harrier, known as the F-35B, combines stealth and supersonic speed. Currently there is only one other aircraft in the world that does this: the F-22 Raptor. The problem with the Raptor is it requires a standard runway to take-off and land, and is also extremely expensive ($361 Million per aircraft). The new Harrier, on the other hand, is both cheap (comparatively so, at $83 million each) and doesn’t require a full-length runway to operate. Assuming the F-35B passes testing, the U.S. is expected to invest in a large number of the new aircraft.

Source: CrunchGear | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

GSMA Shines Spotlight on Asian Mobile Industry at 2009 Mobile Asia Congress

HONG KONG, November 17 /PRNewswire/ -- - 2009 Will Be a Landmark Year for Asia Pacific as It Exceeds Two Billion Connections On the eve of the 2009 Mobile Asia Congress, the GSMA, the body that represents the worldwide mobile communications industry, issued key findings that underscore the strength and success of the Asia Pacific mobile industry. The GSMA today released its Asia Pacific Mobile Observatory Report, which shows that since 2003, the Asia Pacific market has more than tripled in size, adding over a billion connections and growing at 26% CAGR(1) to reach 1.7 billion connections in 2008.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

Learn to Hack Barcodes With Your Brain

Whiz kid Jonathan Washington showed he could read a barcode in about 15 seconds. Want to learn how? Break the mystery of barcodes by learning what those straight black lines mean, and then learn some practical ways to use them.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

Pictured: Magellan’s new iPhone car cradle

Hey, you! I know you. You’re the one that gets all hot around the collar over shots of unreleased iPhone accessories, aren’t you? Boy, oh boy – are you gonna love this..

Sure, it’s not much – but here’s the world’s first look at the just announced, GPS-boosting, speakerphone-touting iPhone car cradle from Magellan. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey! That looks a lot like the TomTom iPhone car cradle!”, don’t worry — you’re not crazy. The Magellan cradle looks a bit smoother around the edges (is that a mixture of matte and glossy plastic we see?), but the similarities are striking enough that we’re starting to wonder if these are both manufactured in the same house. One more shot after the jump.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:49 pm

The decline of civilization symbolized in a modern light socket

Recently I was replacing an old socket in a recessed ceiling fixture in our kitchen. The insulation on the wire was very old. Here's what the old socket looked like:

It was coated with gradoo, so I went to the local hardware store and bought a spanking new socket:

When I got home, I discovered that the wires on the socket weren't long enough to make it to the junction box. I couldn't replace the short wires with longer ones because they were riveted to the socket. This is a crappy, user-hostile design. When the wires go bad, you have to throw the entire thing away.

Fortunately, I still had the old light socket, and I had some extra wire, so I was able to rewire the old light socket. Hurray for repairable stuff of yesteryear!

Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:31 pm

SSL Renegotiation Attack Becomes Real

rastos1 and several other readers noted that the SSL vulnerability we discussed a couple of weeks back, which some researchers had claimed was too theoretical to worry about, has now been demonstrated by exploit. The attack description is available on securegoose.org. "A Turkish grad student has devised a serious, real-world attack on Twitter that targeted a recently discovered vulnerability in the SSL protocol. The exploit by Anil Kurmus is significant because it successfully targeted the so-called SSL renegotiation bug to steal Twitter login credentials that passed through encrypted data streams. All in all, a man in the middle is able to steal the credentials of a user authenticating himself through HTTPS to a trusted website."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:30 pm

And the Google Code Jam 2009 champion is...

Last week, we hosted the the final round of Google Code Jam 2009, the sixth iteration of our annual global programming competition. From almost 23,000 registrants in the beginning, we winnowed down the contestants to the fastest and most fervent coders. On Friday, we brought the top 23 competitors to our Mountain View headquarters for four concentrated hours of thinking, testing and trouble-shooting. The competition platform, built as a 20% project by a group of Google engineers, was powered by Google App Engine and allowed the contestants to use the programming language of their choice. These diverse finalists represented 15 different countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The contestants were confronted by six puzzles. In one, they had to take on the role of a telecommunications company upgrading some of its equipment. The company wants to upgrade its most profitable cell towers; however, doing so might force them to upgrade less profitable towers as well — at a high cost. The contestants were charged with figuring out which towers to upgrade, to maximize gains and minimize costs. The competitors used their coding skills to figure out the most efficient solution as quickly as possible.

Last year's champion, Tiancheng Lou of China, code-named ACRush, once again took top honors and the $5,000 grand prize. Qi Zichao of China won second place, and Iwata Yoichi of Japan came in third.

For a glimpse into this year's Code Jam take look at the video below, courtesy of NBC. And to all the coders out there, we hope to see you next year — start practicing now!



Posted by Bartholomew Furrow, 20% Tech Lead for Google Code Jam
Source: The Official Google Blog | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:18 pm

Pioneer files suit against Garmin over GPS technology

Section: Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation

Japanese electronics giant Pioneer has filed suit against Garmin claiming the company is infringing on some of its patents that cover in car navigation technology.  Pioneer has asked the International Trade Commission to block Garmin from importing the products that use the allegedly infringing technology.

“Pioneer has been negotiating in good faith also with Garmin for a license to Pioneer’s navigation patent portfolio,” it said in a statement issued on Monday. “However, since the value of the portfolio has not been fairly evaluated by Garmin, Pioneer determined that litigation is necessary in order to protect its intellectual property in the navigation product field.”

This is the second complaint Pioneer has filed against Garmin.  In October they filed a lawsuit in Germany over the contested patents, which involve various aspects of in car navigation systems.  Pioneer said it feels it has no choice after talks with Garmin broke down.

If you’ve got a GPS system on your Christmas list, don’t worry.  Should U.S. imports of Garmin systems be blocked there will still be plenty to chose from from rivals Magellan and Tom Tom, and lots of deals to be had.  Check out our Black Friday ad coverage for the scoop!

Read [PCWorld]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:17 pm

Scooby Doo Apocalypse tee

Travis Pitts's awesome Scooby Doo/Zombie mashup design is now a (limited time) Threadless tee!

We've Got Some Work To Do Now by Travis Pitts


Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:08 pm

Google Submits New Proposal for Library of Future

Google hopes that it can find a creative legal solution that lets it create the library of tomorrow by scanning millions of books. Late Friday, it submitted a new proposal for paying authors, but is it enough to keep the feds from seeing a monopoly in the offing?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:07 pm

Jury Renders Verdict in Favor of GameTech International, Inc. in Lawsuit Against Trend Gaming Systems, LLC

RENO, Nev., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On November 12, 2009, a jury rendered a verdict in favor of GameTech International, Inc. and against Trend Gaming Systems, LLC, in a case tried before the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:06 pm

Black Friday 2009: Toys R Us video game sales

FROM GAMERTELL - The 2009 Toys R Us Black Friday has been leaked onto the internet. There are a number of great video game deals, including the cheapest DS bundles yet, an iPod Touch with $50 gift card and lots of $9.99 games.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

Makeshift N.Y. Museum Shows Off Mario Oddities

Vintage collectibles showcase the peppy plumber through the ages, as commemorated on lunch boxes, tape players and other colorful items. It's all part of a New York City launch party for New Super Mario Bros. Wii that draws the Nintendo faithful.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:57 pm

Microsoft Open Sources .NET Micro Framework

An anonymous reader writes "Back in July, Microsoft announced it was making .NET available under its Community Promise, which in theory allowed free software developers to use the technology without fear of patent lawsuits. Not surprisingly, many free software geeks were unconvinced by the promise (after all, what's a promise compared to an actual open licence?), but now Microsoft has taken things to the next level by releasing the .NET Micro Framework under the Apache 2.0 licence. Yes, you read that correctly: a sizeable chunk of .NET is about to go open source."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:42 pm

TelePacific Communications Named to the 2009 Los Angeles Business Journal's List of 'Fastest Growing Private Companies'

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- TelePacific Communications, a leading provider of business telecommunications network solutions serving customers in Nevada and California, today announced it has been named to the "Fastest Growing Private Companies in Los Angeles" list.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pm

How to make an electric bass guitar from a 2X4

This 1961 issue of Science & Mechanics features instructions for building an electric bass out of a 2 x 4 (left). Lot of other homemade instrument plans are available at Cigar Box Nation.

Fun with a 2 x 4 electric bass


Source: Boing Boing | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pm

How to Upgrade a Supercomputer, 37,376 Chips at a Time

The most powerful supercomputer in the world, the Cray XT5 — aka ‘Jaguar’ — is a computing monster with the ability to clock 1.759 petaflops (1,759 trillion) calculations per second.

So just what exactly is inside this machine?

About 37,376 AMD processors, to begin with. The Jaguar has 255,584 processing cores and is built using AMD six-core Istanbul Opteron chips running at 2.6 gigahertz.

That’s a step up from the four-core AMD chips that the computer used to have.

“The most interesting thing about the Jaguar is that they have actually upgraded an existing supercomputer,” says John Fruehe, director of Opteron product marketing for AMD. “And they have managed to double its speed.”

Engineers replaced quad-core AMD processors with six-core chips (see below for a video showing the upgrade process). The nearly $20 million upgrade has created a high-performance computing system that is now deployed by the Department of Energy and housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Jaguar beat IBM’s “Roadrunner” supercomputer to the top list, according to a ranking of the top 500 supercomputers in the world that will be unveiled Tuesday at a conference.

The Jaguar has a system memory of 362 terabytes, which is almost three times that of the second largest system. It can read and write files at 284 gigabytes per second and uses a 10-petabyte shared file system. Most of those components remain unchanged from the earlier versions of Jaguar.

“That’s the beauty of Cray’s architecture,” says Fruehe. “Nothing else needs to be replaced.”

Upgrading the 37,376 processors inside the Jaguar took just about a week, explains Fruehe. Eight chips are housed on a board along with heat sinks. Once the heat sinks are removed, the processors are unclipped and the upgraded chips are fit in.

“It takes about five minutes to upgrade each board,” says Fruehe of the 4670 boards that the system has. “The boards are mounted in individual cabinets and they take sections offline to upgrade them.”

AMD shipped out the first batch of six-core processors in June.

To see the process up, close and personal, check out a video that shows a Cray technician upgrading the Kraken, another Cray XT5 system. The Kraken currently ranks third on the top 500 supercomputers list.

AMD says it will offer the first eight-core and 12-core x86 processors for high performance computers early next year.

See Also:

• Civilian Supercomputer Shatters Nuke Simulator’s Speed Record
• Record Amount of Supercomputer Time Means New Science
• Water-Cooled Supercomputer Doubles as Dorm Space Heater
• Personal Supercomputers Promise Teraflops on Your Desk
• I See Your Petaflop and Raise You 19 More

Photo courtesy of the National Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm

Simple Yet Impressive SpyderCube Does Color Balancing for You

Datacolor's simple and inexpensive multisided SpyderCube improves upon the gray-card concept by light-years, solving one of the most frustrating picture-taking problems: color balancing.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm

Simple Yet Impressive SpyderCube Does Color Balancing for You

Datacolor's simple and inexpensive multisided SpyderCube improves upon the gray-card concept by light-years, solving one of the most frustrating picture-taking problems: color balancing.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm

Study Links Genetic Variation To Individual Empathy, Stress Levels

Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that may contribute to how empathetic a human is, and how that person reacts to stress.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:13 pm

Burntsand Signs $340,000US Contract for Microsoft SharePoint Implementation Services

TORONTO, ON, November 16, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Burntsand Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:10 pm

BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available with T-Mobile

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

As of this morning, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is now available with T-Mobile. Price wise, the Bold 9700 will set you back $199.99 on a two-year agreement. Of course, T-Mobile also has the new Even More Plus plans which let you go contract free, but that means you will be paying retail for the handset, which in this case means $449.99.

For the price, you will get the first 3G-capable BlackBerry on the T-Mobile network. But you will also have a device that offers Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera and an optical trackpad.

Interestingly enough, this release has come in ahead of the AT&T release.

Read [T-Mobile]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:06 pm

UCI Researchers Create Compound That Boosts Anti-Inflammatory Fat Levels

Discovery could lead to new immune-response drugs for allergies, illnesses and injuriesUC Irvine pharmacology researchers have discovered a way to boost levels of a natural body fat that helps decrease inflammation, pointing to possible new treatments for allergies, illnesses and injuries related to the immune system.For decades, it has been known that this fat, called palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), is a potent anti-inflammatory substance that reduces both allergic symptoms and occurrences of rheumatic fever, but researchers understood little about how PEA works.In a study appearing online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences at UCI, and colleagues found that levels of PEA are tightly regulated by immune system cells.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:03 pm

From Taiwan, Via Eyes China's Tech Sector [Voices]

By Matthew Rivera, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

President Barack Obama has been spending considerable time on East-West trade agreements while in Asia, but for one chip maker, the negotiations between China and Taiwan are even more important.

The two countries are slowly moving toward a formalized trade agreement, called the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, or ECFA, that will address how their economies relate to each another. Its first iteration isn’t expected until early 2010, but Taiwan-based tech companies are already hoping to gain entry to China’s massive consumer market.

That’s especially true for Via Technologies, a chip maker running a distant third behind industry heavyweights Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The company, founded in 1987, made a name for itself working on an underdeveloped part of the market: small, low-power chips.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm

Optical Mice Used To Detect Counterfeit Coins

JimXugle writes "El Mundo reports that Spanish researchers at The University of Lleida have used a modified optical mouse to detect counterfeit €2 coins (Original article, in Spanish) with a success rate comparable to that of an expert trained to do so. Details are to be published freely in the journal Sensors."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm

Magellan Gets Into The iPhone GPS Game, Car Cradle Incoming

Google might be in the middle of turning the navigation market on its head with hints that their free turn-by-turn service might make its way to the iPhone, but that’s not scaring the big players away. TomTom and Telenav have both been on the platform for months and show no sign of turning tail, and now another big-name has jumped into the mix: Magellan.

Just minutes ago, Magellan announced that their first application, Roadmate, has hit the App Store at an “introductory price” (which, more often than not, tends to be the final price pitched as “introductory” for the sake of pumping launch sales) of $79.99.

The big features here, says Magellan, are Highway Lane Assistance (which suggests when you’ll need to switch lanes to make an exit), In-App music control, Pedestrian mode (for when you’re hoofin’ it), “Find Your Car” (parking location bookmarking), address book integration, 3d landmarks, and their signature OneTouch favorites menu.

Much like the competition, Magellan has also announced that they will be offering a vehicle-mounting cradle in December. Magellan’s cradle will be a feature-for-feature match with TomTom’s, with a built-in GPS receiver for improved accuracy, an amplified speaker, and a charging dock. At $129, Magellan’s kit will be roughly $9 more than TomTom’s – but their application is $20 cheaper, so it all works out in the end, right?

Magellan Roadmate 2010 North America on iTunes

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pm

Introducing the Most Technologically Advanced Hot Tub Control

IRVINE, Calif., Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:58 pm

Nanoparticles Used In Common Household Items Caused Genetic Damage In Mice

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.The TiO2 nanoparticles induced single- and double-strand DNA breaks and also caused chromosomal damage as well as inflammation, all of which increase the risk for cancer.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm

Plants Prefer Their Kin, But Crowd Out Competition When Sharing A Pot With Strangers

Plants don't mind sharing space with their kin but when they're potted with strangers of the same species they start invigorating their leaves, a study by McMaster University reveals.The research, which appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Botany, suggests non-kin plants will not only compete underground for soil nutrients, but will attempt to muscle out the competition above ground in the ongoing struggle for light.It follows previous research from McMaster University which found that plants can recognize their kin through root systems and will compete more strongly for soil nutrients and water with non-sibling plants."This is the first study that shows plants are responding to kin at the above ground level," explains Guillermo Murphy, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Department of Biology at McMaster University.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:55 pm

ZIM Corporation reports second quarter 2010 financial results

OTTAWA, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - ZIM Corporation (OTCBB: ZIMCF), a provider of software products and services for the database and mobile markets: today announced its financial results for its second quarter ended September 30, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:48 pm

The Straight Dope: Studies Suggest Parental Monitoring Can Help Decrease Adolescent Marijuana Use

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:46 pm

Antitrust concerns linger in Google Books deal - CNET News

New Zealand Herald

Antitrust concerns linger in Google Books deal CNET News The revised Google Books settlement agreement may quiet international opponents, but it still gives Google a monopoly on commercializing out-of-print books where the copyrights are unclaimed and fails to protect consumer privacy, ... Concerns Remain Over Google Books SettlementChannelWeb Google book settlement revised, criticizedArs Technica Google Books deal: Don't expect a library Utopia, but bring it onTimes Online DailyTech -Digital Media Wire -Wired News all 695 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pm

Recovering With Four-Legged Friends Requires Less Pain Medication

Loyola nurses train dogs to healAdults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:41 pm

K-State Researchers Studying Link Between Climate Change And Cattle Nutritional Stress

Kansas State University's Joseph Craine, research assistant professor in the Division of Biology, and KC Olson, associate professor in animal sciences and industry, have teamed up with some other scientists from across the United States to look into the possible effects of climate change on cattle nutrition.Comparing grasslands and pastureland in different regions in the U.S., the study, published in Global Change Biology, discusses data from more than 21,000 different fecal samples collected during a 14-year period and analyzed at the Texas A&M University Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab for nutritional content."Owing to the complex interactions among climate, plants, cattle grazing and land management practices, the impacts of climate change on cattle have been hard to predict," said Craine, principal investigator for the project.The lab measured the amount of crude protein and digestible organic matter retained by cattle in the different regions.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:38 pm

NBPCA Statement Regarding Federal Reserve Board's Proposed Rules for Gift Cards

MONTVALE, N.J., Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:37 pm

Overstock.com Files Unreviewed Form 10-Q for Q3 2009

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK) today filed an unreviewed Form 10-Q for the period ending September 30, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:35 pm

Sleep Deprivation Negatively Affects Split-Second Decision Making, Study Shows

Sleep deprivation adversely affects automatic, accurate responses and can lead to potentially devastating errors, a finding of particular concern among firefighters, police officers, soldiers and others who work in a sleep-deprived state, University of Texas at Austin researchers say.Psychology professors Todd Maddox and David Schnyer found moderate sleep deprivation causes some people to shift from a faster and more accurate process of information categorization (information-integration) to a more controlled, explicit process (rule-based), resulting in negative effects on performance.The researchers examined sleep deprivation effects on information-integration, a cognitive operation that relies heavily on implicit split-second, gut-feeling decisions."It's important to understand this domain of procedural learning because information-integration – the fast and accurate strategy – is critical in situations when solders need to make split-second decisions about whether a potential target is an enemy soldier, a civilian or one of their own," Maddox said.The study examined information-integration tasks performed by 49 cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point over the course of two days.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:34 pm

Appletell reviews Konnet’s iCrado iDevice cradle

FROM APPLETELL - What exactly is Konnet’s iCrado? It’s an iPod cradle. Nothing more, nothing less. It holds your iPod and little else. Thankfully, it does this with a touch of style.
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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:30 pm

Are There Affordable Low-DPI Large-Screen LCD Monitors?

jtownatpunk.net writes "As time goes by, I find myself supporting a greater number of users moving through their 40s and into their 50s (and beyond!). I notice more and more of them are lowering the resolution of their displays in order to 'make it bigger.' That was fine in the CRT days but, quite frankly, LCDs look like crap when they're not displaying their native resolution. My solution at home is to hook my computer up to a big, honkin' 1080p HDTV but that's a bit of a political risk in an office environment. 'Why does Bill get a freaki'n big screen TV?!' Plus, it's a waste to be paying for the extra inputs (component, s-video, composite), remote, tuner, etc. that will never be used. And a 37-47" display is a bit large for a desk. So here's my question: Is there a source for 24-27" monitors running at 1366x768 that are affordable and don't have all of the 'TV' stuff? Or is my only choice to just buy 27" HDTVs and admonish the users not to watch TV? (And, no, just giving them big CRTs is not an option. Most people would rather stare at a fuzzy LCD than 'go back' to a CRT.)"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:18 pm

Civilian Supercomputer Shatters Nuke Simulator's Speed Record

Jaguar, a Department of Energy machine devoted to civilian research, jumps to the top of the world's most powerful supercomputer list. It's more than 69 percent faster than the second computer on the list, the IBM Roadrunner. Unlike previous DOE list-toppers, Jaguar will be devoted to climate and energy science, not nuclear weapons modeling.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:14 pm

Longtop Financial Technologies Limited Announces Follow-on Public Offering of 3,700,000 American Depositary Shares

HONG KONG, Nov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm

Playing with Fire: A new MVNO, Simple Mobile, has entered the arena

What do you mean, US MVNOs are generally doomed from the start? Sure, Helio went under. Yeah yeah, so did Disney Mobile. And Mobile ESPN. And Amp’d, Voce, and Sonopia. Thats only what, a billion dollars or so thrown down the drain? Don’t be such a naysayer.

The MVNO game is one hell of a risky business, but it seems like no one told the folks at Simple Mobile that. Earlier this morning, this fledgling MVNO opened its doors to all major US markets, plus Puerto Rico.

Their pitch: you bring your own GSM phone, and they’ll provide the service. Their no-contract, no-credit check plans range from $40-$55 bucks a month. $40 gets you unlimited nationwide talk, $45 gets you talk/text, and $50 gets you all of the above with a somewhat paltry 20MB data allotment for web and picture messaging.

With their biggest data plan capping out at 40 MB, it’s certainly not a carrier for the data-hungry – but if you don’t use much data, have a GSM phone laying around, and are within their coverage zones, it might be worth checking out. Just don’t get too attached.

[Via Phonescoop]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm

But wait, there’s more: AT&T also adds LG Shine II to lineup

Extra, extra! Read all about it. AT&T becomes exclusive carrier for the LG Shine II. Well, that was fun, wasn’t it – making a big deal about yet another handset being launched on AT&T? Yes. Yes it was. All jokes aside, LG is launching its next-gen Shine, the LG Shine II, on AT&T whether you like it or not.

LG Shine II offers the latest in mobile innovation and form factor in one luminous device. Featuring polished round edges and an elegant slider design, LG Shine II brings sophistication into the palm of your hand with its stainless steel construction and streamlined shape.

I’m not sure the Shine II “offers the latest in mobile innovation,” but the Shine II does offer a 2.2” wide mirror LCD, Java 2.0 support, a “sleek” music player with customizable equalizer, music recognition and ringtone creator, and direct-to-device music download capabilities.

It also features built-in stereo Bluetooth, is enabled for AT&T Navigator, a 2MP camera with flash and video recording (plus an image editor that “allows users to resize, crop, rotate, color adjust photos, insert fun frames and produce mirror effects”), and access to our nation’s fastest 3G network.

The LG Shine II will be available at AT&T retail stores and online on November 22, 2009 for $119.99 (after mail-in rebate; $169.99 after two year agreement minus $50 AT&T Promotion Card = $119.99).

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm

AT&T adds BlackBerry Curve 8520 to its smartphone lineup

Ah, BlackBerry Curve 8520. We’ve got pretty fond memories of your exclusive days over on T-Mobile. So what gives? Why the jump to AT&T all of a sudden? Oh right…increasing market share and giving consumers what they want – an inexpensive and relatively capable smartphone. Nice.

Known as one of the nicer “value” smartphones out there, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 features RIM’s famous QWERTY keyboard and its mostly loved touch-sensitive trackpad (as opposed to the older scrolling nav ball). It also has built-in Wi-Fi (a must, these days), an advanced media player with dedicated media keys (along the top of the handset), and it also provides global connectivity via phone, email, text, IM, picture messaging and social networking (with Facebook and MySpace apps coming preloaded).

The “value” BlackBerry also sports a 320×240 display, 512 MHz processor, 256 MB of Flash memory, and a 2MP camera with video recording capabilities. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be available soon (i.e. in the coming weeks) for $99.99 after mail-in rebate ($199.99 minus $100 AT&T Promotion Card = $99.99; 2-year agreement on a min. $69.99 plan required).

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pm

Apple patents Ad technology that freezes device

FROM APPLETELL - The New York Times is reporting that Apple has filed a patent for a new advertising technology that will make commercials impossible to ignore by freezing the user’s device.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm

Shuttle Atlantis lifts off, loaded with spare parts - Computerworld

ABC News

Shuttle Atlantis lifts off, loaded with spare parts Computerworld Computerworld - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida today loaded with critical spare parts for the International Space Station. The shuttle, with its six-man crew, launched as scheduled at ... U.S. shuttle lifts off on mission to space stationReuters NASA Hails Fifth Shuttle Launch of 2009Space.com Local students get glimpse of space travelRichmond County Daily Journal News-Journal.com -Houston Chronicle -The Herald | HeraldOnline.com all 2,752 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:12 pm

Droid Users Ask: Can You Hear Me Now?

Verizon Wireless’ vaunted network may not be paying off for some users of the Droid, who are complaining about problems with call quality on their smartphones.

“There’s a problem with echo on the phone, so when someone calls you, to them it sounds like they are having a conversation with themselves,” says Heath Brashier, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, software developer who bought his Droid, which is manufactured by Motorola, just about a week ago. “It’s happened to me twice so far.”

Similar complaints have been posted on Motorola’s support forum, where people have posted dozens of comments saying that their voice sounds ‘tinny’ and ‘clipped.’ Some subscribers have found a quick DIY fix to the problem: Quickly turning the speaker phone on the device on and off makes the echo go away, they say. Others suggest rebooting the phone.

The problem is not widespread enough for Verizon to have launched an investigation yet, says a Verizon spokesperson. “We stand behind our products,” says the spokesperson. “Customers have a 30-day return-and-exchange policy if they are not happy with their phone.”

Motorola and Verizon launched the $200 Droid (with a two-year contract) Nov. 6 to excellent reviews. Droid has a crisp screen, zippy Android 2.0 operating system, 5-megapixel camera and maps with free turn-by-turn navigation.

The phone has proved a good seller for Verizon, so far. Flurry, a mobile-analytics company, estimates Verizon sold 250,000 Droid phones in the first week since the product’s launch. That compares to about 60,000 T-Mobile HTC MyTouch phones sold during that device’s first week, but falls far short of the estimated 1.6 million Apple 3G S iPhones that customers bought during a similar period.

The gripes about Droid’s call quality, however, have dampened the enthusiasm of some users. “It is irritating,” says Brashier.

Verizon may not be ready to officially acknowledge the problem, but it is likely aware of it. A leaked technical bulletin from the company suggests it is planning an over-the-air software update Dec. 11 to fix it. It will also include a patch for problems such as lack of availability of 3-way calling in some areas and inability of some users to transfer contacts by Bluetooth.

Seperately, a Wired.com reader said in an e-mail note that Droid’s Wi-Fi connectivity can be unreliable. While the phone connects to a Wi-Fi network, it doesn’t always connect to the internet from there. It’s not clear if that’s a problem with just a few phones or a more widespread issue among Droid devices.

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See Also:

• Why I’m Not Getting a Droid Today
• Review: Motorola Droid
• Droid Weekend Sales Top 100000, Says Analyst
• Verizon to Offer Tethering For Motorola Droid
• Verizon Won’t Offer Free Tethering, but Droid Hackers Might

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:06 pm

Pentax will give you $100 to buy a lense for DSLR K-7 Camera

Section: Imaging, Accessories, Digital Cameras

If you are spec’ing out a serious camera this holiday season, it is worth looking at the weather sealed, magnesium/steel alloy Pentax K-7.  The camera looks to have serious chops but it’s the deal on the lenses that will get you excited.  From now until January 15th, Pentax will reward lens purchasers with $100 Visa gift cards good for anything where Visa is accepted.

The gift cards are awarded only when purchased at the same time as the K-7, sorry existing owners!  For new buyers, there are over 20 lenses to choose from.  From the release: “The PENTAX K-7 features 14.6 megapixels, widescreen HD Movie Capture, and a weather, dust, and cold resistant magnesium alloy body. More information about the K-7 and PENTAX lenses is available here: www.pentaximaging.com. ”  Up to five rebates may be claimed per household provided they are all on the same receipt as the K7

Interestingly, purchases from Best Buy do not qualify for this promotion.

You can find the rebate form here: [Pentax]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 1:01 pm

Will It Break? HTC HD2 gets dropped. You know you like these videos

As much as we rag on Windows Mobile (and that’s a lot), I have to say that the HD2 is a handsome phone and I’d be proud to sport it. That’s what gives the short video above some of its tension. You could drop a CLIQ and I wouldn’t flinch — in fact, I encourage you to drop your CLIQ. But this HD2 is a pretty little object and I don’t want it to come to any harm. Watchy the video and see if it does.

[via WMPowerUser]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pm

Windows Marketplace now available for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1

Long before Windows Marketplace launched on Windows Mobile 6.5 as Microsoft’s answer to the App-Store-Craze, we knew it would be extended down into Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 – the only question was “When?” The answer, it seems, is today.

Microsoft has just announced that the Marketplace is available to 6.0 and 6.1 users beginning immediately. To get the download started, WinMo users need only to visit: http://mp.windowsphone.com/.

As it currently stands, the Windows Marketplace offers up just over 800 apps – 90% of which ought to play friend with Windows 6.0/6.1, says Microsoft. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the numbers the competition is touting, but considering that its grown by about 300% since the Marketplace launched right around a month ago, it certainly seems like there’s some momentum there.

A bit less exciting, but perhaps worth mentioning: Microsoft has announced that it has plans to go on the offensive, with a “multi-faceted online marketing campaign” built to ensure the people of the Internets “are aware of all the high quality applications that our developers have made available”. I can only hope that this means there will be more ridiculous themed parties.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:54 pm

Bringing Order to Solar's Wild West

Solar power has been around for decades so I was surprised to discover that the industry lacks some standards. If the solar industry is still a Wild West, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory might just be the straight-shooting sheriff. NREL, ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm

Samsung announces 3G-equipped ‘Go’ netbook for AT&T

The nation's "fastest" (and often most frustrating) 3G network (i.e. AT&T) is adding another netbook to its lineup of 3G portable devices, the Samsung Go. So what exactly is said Go? Well, according to Sammy, it's "a compact and lightweight netbook with instant access to broadband speeds powered by the nation’s fastest 3G network and the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition operating system."

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:13 pm

Video: Sony Xperia X10 Gets Hands-On’d Again

Oh, you don’t have a Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 yet? Yeah, neither do we. But the guys over at HDBlog somehow managed to scrounge up two of the devices, and they appear to be running a newer software build than anything we’ve seen before.

On the upside, much of the lag we’ve seen in past videos seems to have been worked out of the system. On the downside, we still don’t have one.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm

Mac Cloner Psystar Guilty of Violating Apple’s Copyright

Apple has won an important round of its legal battle against Psystar, a Florida-based startup that has been selling Mac clones for over a year.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled late last Friday that by selling PCs hacked to run Mac OS X, Psystar has violated Apple’s copyrights. Alsup also ruled that Psystar violated anti-circumvention provisions in the Digital Millenium Copyright act.

Psystar in April 2008 opened its business selling non-Apple PCs hacked to run Mac OS X. Its first offering was a desktop system called the “OpenMac,” which cost $400 — about $2,400 cheaper than Apple’s Mac Pro. Apple filed suit in July 2008, alleging that Psystar was committing copyright, trademark and shrink-wrap license infringement.

“Psystar’s use of Mac OS X has been in excess and has violated Apple’s copyrights,” the judge wrote in his 16-page order.

Apple’s end-user agreement for Mac OS X reads, “You agree not to install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-labeled computer, or to enable others to do so.” In his Friday, Alsup noted that Psystar did not modify Mac OS X, but instead installed the software used to circumvent settings on non-Apple PCs to install Mac OS X. Alsup said this action constituted “facilitation of circumvention” and was a violation of Section 1201(a)(2) of the DMCA, which states the following:

(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that -

(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title;
(B) has only limited commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title; or
(C) is marketed by that person or another acting in concert with that person with that person’s knowledge for use in circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.

Though Apple has won this portion of the case so far, the Cupertino, California company still has a long road ahead if it wishes to destroy the entire “Hackintosh” industry. In an article summarizing Apple’s battle with Psystar, ArsTechnica’s Jacqui Cheng cites Fred von Lohmann of Electronic Frontier Foundation, who said there are plenty of workarounds still available to hack OS X, which are not repeating Psystar’s offenses.

“While the ruling is a serious setback for Psystar, I don’t see it having much impact beyond the facts of that case,” von Lohmann told Ars. “On a number of important points, the outcome was driven by Psystar-specific factors, such as Psystar forfeiting one of their strongest defenses by failing to plead it in time. Moreover, my understanding is that the commercial ‘hackintosh’ industry has moved on to selling software that enables the user to bring their own PC and OS X DVD, rather than selling a pre-installed solution like the one at issue in the ruling.”

An example of a Hackintosh solution is a dongle with the Mac OS loaded, which ships with PCs, effectively turning them into sort-of Mac clones, which Wired.com reported in November. A lawyer told Wired.com such a device would face legality issues with regard to copyright, because the device would copy the Mac BIOS and put it in a chip. However, it would likely require another long legal battle with Apple, since the circumstances are different.

Meanwhile, plenty of open-source DIY solutions for consumers to install Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware are still available on the web. Thus, it’s unlikely Apple will put an end to the Hackintosh era anytime soon.

Apple and Psystar are scheduled for a final briefing on Dec. 14 to declare any monetary relief Apple may receive as a result of the hearing.

See Also:

• Psystar ‘Rebel EFI’ Patch Installs Snow Leopard on Any PC
• Psystar Marches Forward With Beefy Mac Clone
• Apple, Psystar File to Protect Secrets Before Battling in Court …
• Judge Dismisses Mac Cloner Psystar’s Bankruptcy
• Mac Copycat Psystar Gets Ammo to Countersue Apple
• Psystar: Blu-Ray Hackintosh for Sale; MacBook Clones on the Way …
• Psystar: Apple Is Paranoid for Alleging Conspiracy

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:11 pm

Handy Chart Tracks Proposed Amendments to Patriot Act

A handy chart shows side-by-side comparisons of amendments being proposed in the House and Senate to change the Patriot Act. The chart shows proposed changes addressing National Security Letters and the "lone wolf" provisions of the Act.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pm

Warning: Barnes & Noble gift cards cannot be used towards ebook purchases [UPDATED]

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

We know that the Barnes & Noble Nook will be shipping pretty soon, and for some it may be an early holiday gift. But with that comes a little warning about an item that may have seemed like a perfect side gift for the Nook—gift cards.

Sure, that sounds like a perfect match, you have the Nook and now you have something to purchase a few ebooks with. Think again, according to the fine price on the Barnes & Noble website;

“Gift Cards can be redeemed for any product sold at Barnes & Noble.com, except for the purchase of eBooks.”

Of course, this is in no way a bad reflection of the Nook, it still looks like a nice choice for an ebook reader. It is just a little disappointing that you cannot use a gift card to make an ebook purchase. But in reality I am just upset because I was planning to give a gift card to a friend as a Christmas gift because they pre-ordered a Nook and now I will have to rethink that idea.

Read [Barnes & Noble] Via [Consumerist]

[UPDATE]: It looks like Barnes & Noble has responded to this issue and have stated that;

More good news on the eBook front: We’ll soon accept Barnes & Noble gift cards as payment in our eBook store.

This change — effective in mid-December — will allow customers to use physical gift cards and online gift certificates to purchase eBooks through our site, through nook, and through other devices using the B&N eReader software.

We’ll have full details (including the specific launch date) in mid-December.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm

Titanic Thirty Meter Telescope Will See Deep Space More Clearly

A gigantic telescope with a 100-foot mirror is scheduled to be seeing further and better than any previous telescope. From atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the Thirty Meter Telescope will give us an unprecedented view of the universe and allow astronomers to see exoplanets like never before.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm

Birth of a New Species Witnessed by Scientists

Scientists in the Galapagos Islands have the incredible luck to witness the birth of a new species of finch with a unique song and physical characteristics.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

The message from Moaning Cavern

Melting Arctic sea ice isn't just about polar bears: If temperatures continue to warm over the far north, a new study suggests, California could be in for a long dry spell. A new profile of the climate at the end ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:13 am

Technology to render your signature dead?  MasterCard says SMS is far more trusty

Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Web, Websites

The signature as a means to identify transactions is going the way of the Dodo bird.  Presented with difficult identity confirmation brought about by online purchasing, credit card companies are scrambling for a solution to the fraud the new world presents.  MasterCard Europe believes they’ve a nifty solution.

Actually, MasterCard has two solutions.  By harnessing the power of the ubiquitous mobile phone, MasterCard will SMS customers an authentication password for a card-not-present transaction.  These are the transactions where you are not face to face with the merchant and you are simply entering in your credit card number.  This password will be unique to the purchase at hand, your next intended purchase would yield another SMS and another password.

The other solution is an app that resides on smartphones or java based phones.  The app would generate the password for authentication purposes after the customers PIN is entered.  By self serving themselves, customers would be able to control the experience a bit more instead of relying on a response.

The solutions do come with some concerns.  The first is SMS delivery needs to be speedy.  Those of us in the US know that sometimes, SMS messages take a while to filter through the system and get to us.  Perhaps it is different in Europe.  The second solution is a bit more involved as MasterCard would have to develop apps for different OS and connectivity issues.

Either way, these look to advance identity theft prevention.  Just don’t keep your wallet and and phone in the same purse, huh?

Read: [VirtualPressOffice]

Image credit: Morganhill Review

 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:07 am

Kings of Leonid

Tuesday is shaping into a big night for star gazers, since that's when the 2009 Leonid meteor shower will peak, giving those in Asia in particular something of a spectacular light show. The fireworks will be further helped by the ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 11:06 am

Animal Shelters Send Pets to Research Facilities

As a former animal shelter worker, I was horrified to learn that five U.S. states require shelters to send animals that aren't adopted to research facilities. The states are: Iowa* Minnesota Ohio* Oklahoma Utah *If a research facility makes a ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am

Samsung announces new Android-powered Galaxy Spica (i5700)

Attention Battlestar Galactica Android OS fans, Samsung has just taken the wraps off its newest Android-powered smartphone, the Galaxy Spica. By the sound of that name, it appears the Cylons have taken control of Samsung’s mobile division.

The newest soldier in the ever-growing ‘droid army features a 800MHz processor (just like its Moment sibling) and is the first Android smartphone to include native DivX support (so you won’t have to convert your downloaded collection of BSG to watch on the go!). Along with the improved codec support, the Galaxy Spica (GS) also touts other improved multimedia-centric features like the inclusion of DNSe 2.0 for “better sound quality” and 3.5 mm jack for use with your favorite headphones.

All that media jazz aside, the 13.2mm thick Galaxy Spica includes 3.2″ 320 x 480 touch screen display, 3MP camera with autofocus, microSD slot (up to 32GB), 1500mAh battery, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Wi-Fi, GPS, and quad-band GSM/EDGE with support for the 900/2100MHz bands. Disappointingly, Sammy’s new ‘droid is shipping with the now antiquated Android v1.5 (not even 1.6, what gives?!). No matter, the Galaxy Spica is available now in select Asian and European markets as of today (with no mention of any future US launch).

[via InformationWeek]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am

Lost Scotch Whiskey Cache Buried in Antarctica

A team of thirsty polar explorers will drill beneath the ice to reach Scotch whiskey 100 years old.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:49 am

Appletell reviews FourSquare for iPhone, iPod touch

FROM APPLETELL - FourSquare—available for iPhone/iPod touch, Blackberry, and Google Android— is designed to bring people together in the real world, using geolocation and other social media apps.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am

Tiny Insect Brains Solve Big Problems

Insects have scientists re-thinking an age-old question: Are bigger brains better?
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

Dino D-Day Features Nazi Dinosaurs

Nazis and dinosaurs come together in "Dino D-Day," a recently announced video game from Digital Ranch Interactive. meets (Images: Library of Congress) Players take on the character of Sgt. Jack Hardgrave, a fictitious paleontologist who thought he put his career ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 9:33 am

Space Shuttle Atlantis Takes Flight

The final shuttle flight of the year took off today en route to the International Space Station.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 16 Nov 2009 | 9:10 am

Filthy Secrets: A Gallery of Cruddy Computers

If you ever open up your computers, you’ll know that inside, along with the chips and fans and other electronics that are supposed to be there, you’ll find something rather less welcome. We’re talking about dirt, the filthy cruft that somehow migrates from the atmosphere into the deep recesses of the average computer.

I have serviced many, and it is always the laptops that disgust me the most. Unlike a desktop machine, whose interior fills up with not much more than dust and leaving the real grot for the keyboard, a notebook goes everywhere, from bar to kitchen table to late-night “movie watching” sessions in bed, and it’s interior detritus reflects this.

The Register has collected together six pages filled with the gummed-up, skanky innards of neglected machines. The most disgusting is the food-crusted keyboard above, but there is one rather cute picture of a Dell desktop that has become a home to spiders, and one (literally) shocking image of two mice which tried to hook up inside a power supply.

Until I saw this gallery, I had thought that a friend’s 12-inch PowerBook was the most neglected machine I had peeked inside, filled as it was with crumbs, hair, a gray cotton-candy of dust and even a a sprinkling of coins. Now it seems almost clean, but I am getting increasingly worried about the source of the squeaking coming from the Lady’s MacBook.

Dirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide [The Register]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 8:33 am

Samsung Intros Galaxy Spica Android Phone, No US Launch Date - PC World

TrustedReviews

Samsung Intros Galaxy Spica Android Phone, No US Launch Date PC World Samsung on Monday announced the availability of its newest Google Android-powered smartphone, the Galaxy Spica (I5700). Featuring solid specs and a powerful processor, the Galaxy Spica is now headed to Europe, with no US launch in sight yet. ... Samsung Intros Galaxy Spica Android Smartphone, But US Must WaitChannelWeb Samsung launches Google Android-powered Galaxy Spica i5700ZDNet (blog) Samsung Launches Galaxy Spica Android PhonePC Magazine TechNewsWorld -The Money Times -IntoMobile (blog) all 94 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 16 Nov 2009 | 7:22 am

Schizophrenic Bag Carries Computer and Hand-Tools

Veto’s LT-XL Portable Office is possibly the ultimate carrying bag — if you can manage to lift it.

The LT-XL is designed for on-the-road engineers who need to carry both hand tools and a computer. On one side, you slip in a notebook, hard drives, cables and all the other things you might ever need to carry. On the other, there is space for over 75 hand tools. The zip-open, roll-down coverings get out of the way and make this a bag you can work out of easily.

The full run-down: two sides, one for business, the other for pleasure, 42 tiered pockets, five zippered pockets, two magnetic pouches, two padded slots (for a laptop or books) and a magnetic shoulder strap which sticks to the carrying handle to keep it out of the way when not in use.

This bag is probably perfect for somebody out there. That somebody, though, is not me. My weak and frail writer’s body has trouble lifting a fully-loaded lunch-box, let alone a fully loaded laptop bag. This is a product clearly aimed at a much manlier kind of geek.

Product page [Veto via Core77]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am

MAKERS US launch at Harvard Bookstore tonight, 7PM

Hey, Bostonites! I'll see you tonight at the Harvard Bookstore (1256 Mass Ave) at 7PM for the US launch of my new novel, Makers! (New Yorkers, and Philadelphians -- see you later this week!)

US/Canada tour

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:47 am

DiamondDisc: Stone DVDs Will Last 1,000 Years

Cast your mind back, if you will, to the birth of the CD, then still called the compact disk. The CD was so tough, we were promised, that you could spread jelly on it, clean it off again and the music would still play perfectly. A miracle after easy-to-scratch vinyl. Of course, the intervening years have taught us that this was, if not a lie, then at least untrue: The CD attracts scratches like a Star Trek convention attracts single men.

The story was repeated with the DVD, where a single blemish can render an entire movie unwatchable (more than once I have rented a DVD and been forced to BitTorrent that same movie just to watch it that night). Now, again, things will be different.

The Cranberry DiamonDisc will, the claims go, last for 1000 years. Contrary to the name, and the repeated use of the word “diamond” on the site, the disk is not made of this tough crystalline material. It is instead hewn from “synthetic stone”, although it magically remains transparent. Data is burned directly into this super-hard plate, which will withstand temperatures up to 170ºF (80ºC). Because the disk has no adhesive, gold, or other layers, the reasoning goes that it will last a lot longer.

This is good, and I’ll let you know how it works in 1,000 year’s time, when my head has been defrosted and attached to a fresh new body, and I shall of course still be able to buy a DVD player to read the files. In the meantime, you’ll be wondering how you might author such an indestructible disk. The answer is that you don’t. Instead, you upload your precious files (up to 4.7GB per disk) to Cranberry’s servers, whereupon “Cranberry etches your files onto the DiamonDisc and mails it to your home or office”.

That’s right. The disk is mailed to you. If you’re going to go through the pain of a 5GB upload, then why not just use an online backup service? The files will be safe, and multiple copies will be maintained by the service, and - better - you can encrypt the files for security. Or perhaps you could print your files and photos onto paper and your movies onto celluloid. DiamondDiscs will cost $35. Each. And if you really need to carve your own, there is a burner available for just $5,000

Product page [Cranberry via Earth Times]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:41 am

Sound-copying technology and countermeasures, 1890-1978

Ed sez, "Here's an article from 1985 in the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal about record piracy in the 19th century. Includes illustrations of three duplicators from the 19th century."

Record Piracy: The Attempts of the Sound Recording Industry to Protect Itself against Unauthorized Copying, 1890-1978 (PDF)

(Thanks, Ed!)

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 16 Nov 2009 | 6:40 am

Tiny Clip-On Timepieces Turn Anything Into a Watch

Tempo Tags are tiny clip-on clocks that turn almost anything into a watch. Tempo Thermo Tags are the same, only instead of reading out the time, they tell you the temperature.

There’s a theory that the pocket watch has returned, almost entirely replacing the irksome, vulgar upstart wrist-watch, which had itself pushed the pocket-watch into obscurity. In fact, you’re probably carrying one right now — it’s your cellphone. Wristwatches are, these days, worn as jewelry rather that as practical timepieces, hence the proliferation of Danny Dumas-approved, unreadable Tokyo Flash watches.

These little tag-timepieces are cute, though, clipping onto cuff, tie, pocket-hem or even sneaker-tongue. I imagine my eccentric old school dinner-lady, who always wore three watches on her left wrist, covering her entire wardrobe with a plate-mail of these little chronometers, unable ever to know the real time because they all tick to a slightly different rhythm. $15 for two.

Product page [Vessel via Oh Gizmo!]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:36 am

Danger: Bike Pedal Straps with Metal Spikes

Say what you like about fixed-gear freestyle (actually, I will: buy a frickin’ BMX), it has certainly made for some cool-looking bike products. Here is a spectacularly misguided but still awesome foot-strap design, a custom build from the Japanese bike bag makers Crank.

We suppose it was inevitable that, in a world of cycling gloves with the words “love” and “hate” printed on the fingers, we’d eventually see some punky, studded black vinyl bikewear. What next? Serrated brake levers? Price and availability unannounced.

FIXIKA × CRANK [Flickr]
Crank Store [Crank]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 5:04 am

Pocket Radar Measures Speed, Fits in Pocket

The Pocket Radar is a cellphone-sized doppler radar which promises to revolutionize the measuring of speeds. If by “revolutionize” you mean “make smaller”.

The obvious use case for a tiny, battery powered “radar-gun” is for cops to catch speeding motorists, only without the bulky handset. But the Pocket Radar publicity pitch also suggests taking it to the car races, or bike races, or, well, anything races. You can even use it to measure the speed of a baseball pitch. A pair of AAA batteries will power the device for up to 10,000 readings, and those readings are accurate to plus or minus one mile per hour.

I’m having some trouble working out why you’d want one, though, unless you were a really hardcore sports fan. The concept is undoubtedly very intriguing, and if the price is right at the Pocket Radar’s spring 2010 launch, this could be a must-have add-on for many enthusiast hacking projects, rigging one up outside your home for example, to read-out passing driver’s speeds on a big LED screen and shaming them into slowing down. Like the Roomba before it, the Pocket Radar could become a maker’s favorite. So do us a favor, Pocket Radar folks: make this easy to hook up to a computer, and give us some open software.

Product page [Pocket Radar]
Press release [BusinessWire]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 16 Nov 2009 | 4:39 am

A new look for Google Translate

Today, we've launched three new features as well as a new look and feel for Google Translate — a service that helps people access information throughout the world by enabling them to automatically translate text and and web pages into their own language. Google Translate offers 51 languages, representing over 98% of Internet users today.

Along with our shiny new layout, these new features should make it faster and easier for you to translate text between our 2550 language pairs:

• Translate instantly: Say goodbye to the old "Translate" button. Google Translate now translates your text right as you type.

• Read and write any language: Want to say "Today is a good day" in Chinese, but can't read Han characters? Click "Show romanization" to read the text written phonetically in English. Right now, this works for all non-Roman languages except for Hebrew, Arabic and Persian.

We also have a new input transliteration feature for Arabic, Persian or Hindi. If you want to translate from one of these languages, but can't type the script on your keyboard, our input transliteration feature will allow you to type words as they sound and convert them to native script.

--->

• Text-to-speech: When translating into English, you can now also hear translations in spoken form by clicking the Speaker Icon.

Watch Josh, an engineer on our team, give a quick demo of the new Google Translate:




We hope these improvements will make reading, learning and communicating in foreign languages easier and more fun. As we continue to improve the precision of our automatic translation system, we're also always looking for ways to evolve and improve our interface. Let us know if you have any feedback on these changes in our discussion group.

Posted by Awaneesh Verma, Product Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 16 Nov 2009 | 3:07 am