Source: Gizmodo | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:31 pm

Kodak Rewards Creative Best Buy Video Touting Benefits of Inkjet Printers and Affordable Ink

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:30 pm

CES Hands On: eReader to change the business world: Plastic Logic Que

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks, Peripherals, Displays/Projectors, Printers / Scanners

Last night, we got some hands on with the Plastic Logic Que.  The device is impossibly thin, the size of a sheet of paper and has 3G, Bluetooth and WiFi radios.  The device is designed for executives and could make big inroads in the business world.

The device features a plastic un-shatterable screen that is extremely clear.  The device looks pro, weighs little and should have no issue fitting into any carry on laptop bag.  We were impressed with the device and believe you will be too.

The Que taps into Barnes and Noble’s eReader bookstore and will have a focus on business reading.  The Que is also designed to be a paperless breifcase - replacing reams of papers executives carry around.  The Que features annotating tools as well as editing right on the device.

If there are any downsides to the innovative device it would be performance seemed a little laggy.  Once the user tapped on a selection a few seconds seemed to go by before action was taken.  It’s a small gripe on a device that just looks gorgeous.

The Que is priced at $649 for a 4GBl with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, and $799 for an 8GB that adds 3G wireless service from AT&T.

Company site: [Plastic Logic]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:28 pm

Nicholas is interviewing Ron Jeremy in about 5 minutes

Watch above. End of Transmission.

EDIT: We apologize for getting everyone’s hopes up. Seems that the interview failed to take place.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:23 pm

Team William's "You Look Familiar" music video

The music video for Team William's "You Look Familiar" has animation with a Fleischer Bros' bounce. Some parts are NSFW. (Via Cartoon Brew)


Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:15 pm

FAQ: Ford's MyFord Touch Connected Car (PC World)

PC World - Ford is making waves at the Consumer Electronics Show with MyFord Touch, a re-envisioned dashboard for multimedia, navigation and connections to the Internet. But while it's nice to ogle the technology's features or panic about safety, there are plenty of practical questions to answer.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:15 pm

Live from Las Vegas: Google VP of Engineering Andy Rubin [Digital Daily]

Once an Apple (AAPL) engineer, Andy Rubin went on to co-found mobile computing outfits Danger Inc. and Android, Inc. He sold the former to Microsoft (MSFT) and the latter to Google (GOOG), where he is now now vice president of engineering. He’s also the guy quarterbacking development of the company’s Android mobile operating system and the Nexus One–the smartphone with which Google hopes to fundamentally change the way people buy cellphones.

In conversation with All Things Digital’s Walt Mossberg today, Rubin talked about the advent of a new breed of “superphones” and Google’s vision for the way phones should be bought and sold.

Walt starts off by asking Rubin about just how involved Google was in the development of Nexus One.

Rubin replies, “We threw out crazy ideas to our partners at HTC and they were pretty good about plucking the good ones out of the air and building them into the device.”

Walt asks about the new business model Google’s launched in concert with Nexus One. Was this something the company planned all along?

“This is the next phase of Android–taking the newest versions of the product, placing them online and allowing consumers to purchase them directly,” says Rubin. “What we’ve learned is that there are more efficient ways of connecting consumers with the phones they’d like to purchase…easier ways.” Purchasing a Nexus One through Google, says Rubin, is a casual process. “No one’s breathing down your neck,” he says. “No one’s trying to upsell you.”

Nexus One is aimed at consumers who love their Google services and live in the “Google world,” Walt notes. Yet, Google is encouraging developers to build new apps for Android and Nexus One. How do you reconcile that? Isn’t there something contradictory to saying “we’re an app platform, we’re open,” and then turning around and saying “we’re really a platform for people who love Google?”

Rubin obviously doesn’t think so. He stresses that an OS can’t be successful unless people are developing for it. “It reminds me of the accessory business,” he says. “The most successful phones have the most earbuds, car chargers, etc.”

Walt wonders if Rubin is at all surprised by the size of the apps revolution, by the fact that there are 100,000-plus apps in the iTunes Apps Store.

“I’m not surprised by it at all. This is what happens when you drop the barriers to entry,” he says, recalling how difficult it once was for developers to distribute their apps and how easy it is today.

This new purchasing model Google has created for the Nexus One puts the company at the center of the experience. People who purchase the Nexus One think of themselves as Google customers. Rubin says, “What we’ve done here is to offer a mobile platform where people don’t have to worry about the plumbing.”

In his interview with Kara Swisher earlier, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein–a former Apple engineer–said, “I don’t have an iPhone. I’ve never even used one.” In contrast, for those who may be wondering, Andy Rubin says he does use an iPhone. “What do you expect? I’m a gadget guy.”

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:06 pm

LG shows off latest phones with Surface-esque stations

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Trade Shows, CES

LG has a number of phones to show off here at CES including the LG Expo, the Choclate BL40 and Chocolate Touch.  They could have been boring, and just have stations for each phone like you’d find in any store.  However, LG found a better way, a dummy phone that can be placed on a Surface-esque screen to show off the phones features.

That’s not to say LG didn’t have stations of the phones set up to play with.  The Surface screens were showing off specific features of each phone, with sometimes difficult to use gestures using one or more fingers.  It was a bit frustrating at times, but still something more interesting that a tied down phone with nothing explaining how it works, or having to be walked through the phone by booth staff.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 8 Jan 2010 | 6:00 pm

E-reader makers seek bestseller but may end up duds

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Remember the Dell DJ MP3 player? Or Sony's Clie digital assistant? It's likely dozens of the electronic readers debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show may go the...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:56 pm

Microsoft Asks for Rehearing in Word Case - PC World

Financial Post

Microsoft Asks for Rehearing in Word Case PC World Microsoft asked an appeals court for a rehearing in the patent case that requires the software giant to pay US$290 million in damages and prevents it from selling the current version of Word starting on Monday. The suit charged Microsoft with using a ... Microsoft Appeals i4i Word Case (Again)PC Magazine Microsoft Asks Court To Reconsider Word RulingChannelWeb Microsoft Challenges I4i Patent Ruling on WordBusinessWeek Reuters -CNET -CNNMoney.com all 102 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:50 pm

Microsoft Asks for Rehearing in Word Case (PC World)

PC World - Microsoft asked an appeals court for a rehearing in the patent case that requires the software giant to pay US$290 million in damages and prevents it from selling the current version of Word starting on Monday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:50 pm

Google Faces Deluge of Nexus One Complaints

wkurzius writes "It seems Google is going through some growing pains as far as customer service is concerned. Since their new phone, the Nexus One, can be bought unlocked, many people are turning to Google themselves for help, but not getting what they're used to from traditional mobile carriers. T-Mobile and HTC are also getting hammered, with many customers being bounced back and forth between the two companies' service lines." It seems they're also taking flak from Android developers who are unhappy that no SDK has yet been released for Android 2.1, which runs on the Nexus One.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:48 pm

Live from Las Vegas: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings [Digital Daily]

The digital video revolution may be hastening the DVD to its end, but there’s quite a bit of life left in the old format–according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, anyway. During a wide-ranging onstage interview with All Things Digital’s Peter Kafka, Hastings discussed the future of the DVD, the deal Netflix cut with Warner Bros. earlier this week, which will delay rentals of the studio’s films until 28 days after their DVD release, and Comcast’s proposal to acquire a controlling stake of NBC Universal, a move that could affect Netflix’s (NFLX) “Watch Instantly” streaming service.

“When we first started years ago, we were literally going down to Best Buy and buying a bunch of DVDs and renting them,” Hastings says, reflecting on the Warner Bros. deal. He notes that Netflix is getting a better deal on DVD prices as a result of its pact with the studio.

“But what do the customers get out of the deal?” asks Peter. More streaming content, says Hastings.

“You’ve said before that you feel you’re evolving into a streaming business,” Peter says. How quickly is that transition progressing?

“Well, now we’re a DVD rental business that streams some movies,” Hastings replies. “Pretty soon we’re going to be a streaming business that rents some DVDs.”

When do you think you’ll get to the point where you’re no longer shipping DVDs to your customers? 2030, says Hastings, another 20 years.

Peter: Are you in the market for HBO or a premium channel?

Hastings: Not yet. We’re still growing our subscriber base, growing our content.

Any interest in getting into the sports business?

We’re movie-centric, with some TV. Other companies can focus on sports and news.

You’re on 100 devices. What’s the most popular?

Hastings: Videogame consoles, Blu-ray; we’d like to be on all of the videogame consoles.

How hard were you hit by the recession?

All of the subscription entertainment businesses were hit pretty hard. It’s coming back.

What number of subscribers are idiots like me and pay full price to watch two videos a month?

Not many, says Hastings.

What’s the comparison between, say, Blu-ray subscribers and streaming subscribers?

Streaming is a rocketship. Blu-ray is not, but it may get there.

You’ve put up a document called “How to run your company the Netflix way.” It says companies should offer unlimited vacation.

It’s written as an internal document for candidates. Other companies have definitely thought it’s dangerous. They can do what they want with it.

How much vacation do you take?

Hastings: Weeks and weeks.

Peter: Awesome.

Well, part of the time you’re on vacation you’re thinking about work. Some of our most productive people aren’t in the office that much. It’s about how much you get done.

Are you threatened by what Hulu or Comcast (CMCSA) might put together?

Any time a competitor doubles in size, that’s capitalism, but not good for us. We’re movie-centric, and commercial-free. We license a lot of content. As we get more subscribers, we can write bigger checks to license more content.

We’re about three things right now: Expanding the platform, expanding the content and expanding the user interface, making it better and better.

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:34 pm

Animal tries to gnaw through chicken scratch bin

What kind of nocturnal beast tried to chew its way into my plastic chicken feed bin? Close-ups after the jump.

Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:34 pm

UPDATE 2-Target takes on celebrity chef, buys Smith & Hawken

* Launching Giada De Laurentiis for Target cookware, food
Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:33 pm

Crap Hound vintage clip art magazine seeks funding via Kickstarter

Chloe Eudaly (proprietress of Reading Frenzy/Show & Tell Press) says:

Crap Hound is the sporadically published vintage line art zine my friend Sean Tejaratchi edits and I publish. We have 3 issues slated for publication this year and are using Kickstarter to raise funds to get the first one to press. Kickstarter is a newish site (that you probably already know about) to raise funds for creative ventures.

Our project is currently 17% funded with 35 days to go.

I have the original edition of Crap Hound #4 from 1996 and it's fantastic.

Crap Hound #4: Clowns, Devils & Bait!


Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:33 pm

Chairs placed on streets of NYC, then tracked with GPS

Jeremy Adam Smith says:

Blue Dot Studio put 25 of their chairs on the streets of Manhanttan, and then followed the chairs through a combination of GPS and video surveillance as people picked them up and took them home--which, by the way, the public could follow in real time on Twitter. Then they interviewed the chair-collectors. This is the film.

I love the friendly use of hacked mobile and surveillance technologies to enhance the shared nature of urban experience, and the exploration of how today's brick-and-mortar cities are fused with real-time electronic interactions. I love the way these people talk about how the chairs intersect with their lives, and the passionate way they speak of "curb-mining" and upcycling the things they find on the city streets.

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment


Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pm

Kodak Rewards Creative Best Buy Video Touting Benefits of Inkjet Printers and Affordable Ink

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) today awarded Best Buy Sales Associate Jason Kuntz for his creative rap video, "Sweet Sound of Ink Savings," submitted as part of KODAK's "Print & Prosper Playback Payback" video contest.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pm

Video: Open Source 3-D Printer Turns Designs Into Objects

Wired.com checks out MakerBot's Cupcake CNC 3-D Printer. This open source, $950 device allows the user to design and fabricate small objects of almost any shape.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pm

Video: Open Source 3-D Printer Turns Designs Into Objects

Wired.com checks out MakerBot's Cupcake CNC 3-D Printer. This open source, $950 device allows the user to design and fabricate small objects of almost any shape.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pm

This week in search 1/8/10

This is part of a regular series of posts on search experience updates that runs on Fridays. Look for the label This week in search and subscribe to the series. - Ed.


Posted by the Google Search Team
Source: The Official Google Blog | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:30 pm

Modernistic coffee table DIY from 1959

Make this swell modernistic coffee table from plywood and ceramic tile by following the instructions on page 186 of the January 1959 issue of Popular Science.


Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:28 pm

TechNet Hails Administration Announcement of $2.3 Billion in Recovery Act Funds to Spur Clean Tech Manufacturing Jobs

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:27 pm

Review: WristOffice mobile device holder

“I will wear the WristOffice all day today.” That was the promise I made to company president Walt Froloff. He was sitting behind Matt, Nicholas, and me in the Sahara’s coffee shop this morning and overheard that we were powerful, handsome, world-famous technology bloggers.

He started showing off his $80 WristOffice system, which was born out of an inline skating wristguard. A simple apparatus that you wear around your wrist, holding your phone in place via good old fashioned Velcro – Velcro making all cell phone accessories “universal” by default.

I told him that if he sent me one, I’d take a look at it. “Well I’m not going to just give one to you unless you use it,” said Froloff. “Well played,” I thought, “This guy means business. He’s hungry but not foolish. I like the cut of his jib.”

Hence, my promise to wear the WristOffice today. What better place to test it out than CES? After going into my pocket for my phone countless times yesterday, perhaps having it permanently affixed to my wrist will save time and energy.

Against my better judgment, I removed the Mophie protective case from my phone and – something I never thought I’d do in a million years – slapped a Velcro sticker onto the back of my fastidiously clean iPhone.

So without further hoopla, herein lies a running timeline of my day with the WristOffice.

8:30AM: Walt Froloff talks me into wearing the WristOffice all day. Velcro and stickers abound.

8:35AM: I initially have the WristOffice facing upwards the same way Walt wears his. After a few minutes, though, I get nervous and turn the apparatus around military-style. Walt says people do that until they get used to it.

9:03AM: I find that wearing this thing military-style makes typing a little awkward at first since my phone keeps bumping into the edge of my laptop. But the phone can be removed thanks to the magic of Velcro.

9:16AM: People walk up to talk to me and then point at my wrist until I explain to them what’s going on.

9:20AM: My left hand is a little cold for some reason. Chalking it up to WristOffice-induced circulation problems, I loosen the straps a bit.

9:45AM: I find that urinating with my cell phone six inches from my wee wee makes me nervous. Instead, I hold my left hand high above my head to avoid splashback and use my right hand to finesse the stream.

10:32AM: It’s starting to feel more natural. I can still tell it’s there but I’m getting used to it for sure. And it’s nice not having to dig into my pockets to try to find my phone.

11:12AM: Phone is on vibrate. Incoming calls feel weird but I haven’t missed a call due to the phone being in my pocket or bag.

2:00PM: Starting to feel a little chafe-y on my skin by now. I can tell it’ll feel like taking off ice skates at the end of the day. I doubt people would just wear this non-stop and I have been wearing it for 5+ hours without adjusting it or taking it off.

2:46PM: Curiosity about this thing is reaching a fever pitch. Everyone keeps asking what the hell’s on my wrist. Itchiness is also reaching a fever pitch.

4:23PM: I’ve now mentioned the WristOffice on CrunchGear’s live stream, Techland.com, and TechVi.

4:32PM: Can’t take it any more. This thing isn’t meant to be worn non-stop for this long. Gave it away live on the CrunchGear CES stream. The lucky winner is MartynMJ.

4:35PM: Ahhhhh… it is indeed just like taking off ice skates.

WristOffice [WristOffice.info]

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:25 pm

Hey, look, it’s Nicholas on TWiT with Leo Laporte

“CrunchGear. Always doing great stuff.”

And Jimin helped.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:20 pm

Monster adds Diddy Beats to their artist inspired line-up

Section: Audio, Headphones, Trade Shows, CES

Monster has been busy this CES with its headphone announcements.  There was the Miles Davis Tribute earphones, The Jamz line, and the new Turbine Pro Copper.  Today the company has made yet another announcement, this time to the Beats line.  Stepping away from the Lady Gaga excitement from yesterday, Monster’s new headphones are from artist Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The new earphones, the Diddy Beats, seem vaguely similar to the Beats Tour.  They have boosted (“club-level”) bass for those who prefer that sort of thing, and use Monster’s flat wire that’s said to be tangle-free.  What sets these apart from the Beats Tour is the design.  It’s a muted black and grey/silver combination as opposed to red and black.  The earbuds themselves are aluminum with leather wrapped around part of it.

The Diddy Beats will include a carrying case inspired by Diddy’s fashion line, Sean John.  They will retail for $180.

Read [Monster Press Release PDF]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:19 pm

Chicago transit barred from banning video game ads (AP)

AP - A federal judge has barred Chicago's mass transit system from banning ads for video games that contain graphic violence, saying the measure is "overboard, ineffectual and not narrowly tailored."
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:14 pm

Terre Thaemlitz's (DJ Sprinkles) deep house album

Bart Nagel photo

My dear pal and bOING bOING Digital contributor Terre Thaemlitz is a transgenre / transgender computer musician who makes challenging electroacoustic music, glitchy folktronica, and deep house. But even as it makes your ass shake, Terre's work tears into heavy issues like gender identity, the human/machine interface, consumer culture, and queer politics. Terre moved from San Francisco to Tokyo almost ten years ago, so I was especially thrilled when I opened up this week's San Francisco Bay Guardian and saw a long rave review of his recent album, Midtown 120 Blues. Released by Mule Music, Midtown 120 Blues is the first full length album from DJ Sprinkles, Terre's alias when he spun at New York City underground gay clubs in the 1980s. (You can get tastes of the tracks here.) From the SFBG:

The intellectual rigor of Thaemlitz's music doesn't compromise its pleasure. Most of Midtown 120 Blues' tracks hover around the 10-minute range, and none are vocal tracks. As a producer, Thaemlitz has explored as broad a range of styles as anyone, from ambient on the Instinct label (Tranquilizer, 1994, and Soil, 1995) to electroacoustic experiments on the Mille Plateaux label, but the dominating sound here is deep house. With sustained, liquid jazz chords stretching out over an unhurried 4/4 pulse and expertly manipulated flute samples, "Brenda's $20 Dilemma" is headphone music that, while not formally ambient, inspires reverie rather than dancing.

More stylistically consistent than any other release Thaemlitz has had a hand in so far, Midtown topped dance music Web zine Resident Advisor's 2009 album poll -- something one imagines Thaemlitz might not be too comfortable with. Thaemlitz doesn't offer political messages for listeners to parse, preferring to insert ambiguities in the process of production itself. His 2000 release Fagjazz (Comatonse) is, as he described in an interview with the Advocate, about "the illusion of an acoustic improvisational jazz moment," arrived at through careful sequencing and zero instrumental virtuosity. Deep house's debt to jazz suggests one of many routes connecting these otherwise distinct projects. In attempting to corral all of the different positions Thaemlitz has occupied as a producer and DJ, we come around to the recognition that his true project is pushing against naturalizing claims about origins.

"DJ Sprinkles finds some hyper-specific space for reverie in the house" (SFBG)

DJ Sprinkles - Midtown 120 Blues (Comatonse.com)

Source: Boing Boing | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:14 pm

Hands-On: New OtterBox Palm Pre Case

The Palm Pre doesn’t really have too many options for cases, but OtterBox is using that for their advantage. OtterBox today announced the new Tandem Series, which features a overmolded design, and also incorporates silicone into the polycarbonate shell for maximum protection.

The first shell attaches to the front of the smartphone and the second shell attaches to the back. Silicone then lines the outside edges of the case and combines with polycarbonate to offer more stability. Once the case is assembled, it allows for complete functionality, even when sliding the screen. I’ve noticed when playing around with the case that it makes it easier to slide the Pre up and down.

Check out the video below for a hands-on look at the Tandem Series.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:09 pm

Australian Aborigines Were Prime Impact Crater-Hunters

What do you get when you cross aboriginal wisdom with Google Maps? Newly discovered meteor impact craters, of course! Duane Hamacher studies aboriginal astronomy as MacQuarie University in Sydney; already a very cool job. But things got even better when ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:05 pm

LG’s 15-inch OLED TV Is a Petite Beauty

LAS VEGAS — Peeking out from under the 82-inch LCD TVs and the 55-inch 3-D display at LG’s booth is an attractively thin display that would be lost if it weren’t for its stunningly bright images.

Meet the 15-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) TV. The ultra-slim TV — it has a thickness of 0.1 inches, or 3.2 millimeters — was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show this week.

OLEDs are an attractive alternative to traditional LCDs because they consume less power, display colors better, and can be thinner and lighter. Most major display makers are looking to offer OLED screens, but few have brought large OLEDs to market. In 2007, Sony first introduced an OLED display, the Sony XEL-1, which cost a whopping $2,500 for a mere 11-inch display. Other companies such as Samsung are showing prototypes.

LG is among the first to start selling an OLED TV. LG’s 15-inch TV is water resistant so it can housed in high humidity areas including the bathroom, says the company.

The TV can be wall mounted or set on the countertop but that beauty still comes at a price: The 15-inch OLED TV will cost about $2,000.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:05 pm

Infradapt to Exhibit and Present at Digium Asterisk World at ITEXPO East

Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:00 pm

InColor electronic book… you know, for kids

Just in case you wanted to see another ebook reader, here’s a Chinese one for kids. It’s not available here and it’s more of a digital picture frame than anything else, but it was pretty.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:59 pm

Hands-On With the Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote

LAS VEGAS — A host of video services on the web enable you to watch your favorite TV programs and movies anytime you wish, and Boxee is an open platform striving to weave them all into one neat interface. To get the Boxee experience onto a TV, D-Link has launched a set-top box dedicated to the open video platform, along with a special remote.

The Boxee box is pretty simple. Video outputs through an HDMI connector. For audio, you can plug in through an optical digital audio-out jack or regular composite audio. An SD card slot and two USB ports allow you to expand storage. For internet connectivity, the box supports 802.11n Wi-Fi and ethernet.

Boxee was previously a piece of open source software that you’d download to view media on your computer. Most users would download Boxee onto their notebook, which they’d then hook up to a TV. The box eliminates that need, and it’s also compatible with a new remote that just launched at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The remote sports a full QWERTY keyboard for typing in search queries. On the back of it there are three buttons for hitting Enter, accessing the main Boxee menu and playing or pausing video.

We’ve been fans of Boxee for some time: The menu is beautiful and intuitive, and it’s really zippy with loading multimedia files with thumbnails. The remote does indeed make the experience more enjoyable. It’s sturdy, smooth and comfortable, and the keys feel high quality.

Boxee’s primary purpose was to streamline video entertainment, but since it’s an open platform, it can do a lot more. There’s a Boxee app store for downloading third-party apps provided by developers. The main menu has buttons to access music and photos, too. Think of the Boxee as a restriction-free Apple TV.

The Boxee box and remote are shipping the second quarter of 2010. Pricing has not been announced, but Boxee estimates $200.

For a detailed look at the Boxee platform, see Epicenter’s coverage of the Boxee box launch.

Product page [Boxee]

See Also:

• Boxee Unveils Public Beta, ‘Boxee Box’ Hardware
• Boxee Gets a Box, Made By D-Link
• Boxee Beta Is a Web Video Streamer’s Dream

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com; images courtesy of Boxee

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:53 pm

Hands-On With Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote

Wired.com gives its first impressions of the Boxee set-top box and remote.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:53 pm

Hands-On With Boxee Set-Top Box and Remote

Wired.com gives its first impressions of the Boxee set-top box and remote.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:53 pm

Acer Recalls 22,000 Notebooks Due To Burn Hazard

An anonymous reader writes "The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer, today announced a voluntary recall of 22,000 notebook computers. Acer has received three reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in slight melting of the external casing. No incidents occurred in the United States. No injuries have been reported."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:53 pm

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein: I’ve Never Used an iPhone [Digital Daily]

If CES 2009 marked Palm’s rise-from-the-ashes rebirth, CES 2010 may well be the beginning of its resurgence, the inflection point at which the company really begins to gain traction in a market that nearly left it behind just two years ago.

“I think we’ve done really well this past year,” Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein said during an interview with All Things Digital’s Kara Swisher at the Consumer Electronics Show.

“We told everyone what our plans were and we really executed on those,” he continued, adding, “We said we’d deliver the Pre in the first half and launched it in June. We said we’d add more carriers and we did that as well….Throughout the year we’ve delivered a lot of over-the-air updates, improving the product, and then we launched the Pixi….I look at the last two years as a transitional period and the year ahead as a transformational one.”

And what of the year ahead? Further improvements, says Rubinstein: “We’re really, really focused on the consumer experience–the simple user interface, multitasking, synergy, seamless messaging applications…the gesture-based interface; these are all things that make our products stronger.”

The conversation shifts to the mobile space and the competition in it. How does Palm (PALM) view Apple (AAPL)?

“We don’t pay that much attention to Apple….I know it sounds really strange,” says Rubinstein.

“Really?” Kara replies. “You don’t worry about the iPhone?”

“No, I really don’t,” Rubinstein answers.

“I don’t believe you,” says Kara, telegraphing a sentiment I imagine is widely held among the audience.

Rubinstein: “I don’t have an iPhone. I’ve never even used one.”

I think I just heard Palm’s entire PR team audibly groan. If only Kara had an iPhone in her pocket that she could offer Rubinstein – “Here, touch it …” No such luck, though.

Dead end, here. I think.

Kara circles back to the Apple issue, recalling the iTunes synch feature Palm debuted at the All Things D conference last year. At the time, Rubinstein claimed Apple wouldn’t care. But Apple clearly did care. “We don’t think what Apple did is good for their customers,” says Rubinstein. “But Apple’s going to do what Apple’s going to do.”

So why not do your own synching app? Rubinstein says he’d prefer such apps to be created by the developer community. Has Palm approached Apple about creating a joint solution? “I don’t really see the point,” he replies.

The conversation shifts to webOS and the developer community. Rubinstein says Palm sees strong interest in its development platform. “I think we have a very large potential developer pool for the product.”

Kara asks about the deal the company announced with Verizon (VZ) yesterday here in Las Vegas. How important is the deal to Palm? “We have high hopes for our partners,” Rubinstein says after a moment. “And we’re investing along with them.”

“What about that deal with AT&T?” Kara asks, noting that the carrier essentially announced it earlier this week

Rubinstein dodges: “We have nothing to announce at this time.”

Kara asks if Palm would like to do a deal with AT&T (T).

“More distribution is better,” says Rubinstein.

“Well, you might want to talk to AT&T, then,” quips Kara. “Sounds like they’re interested.”

One last question from Kara: Will Palm do a tablet?

“We’re a small company,” says Rubinstein. “But we designed webOS to scale and it could be used in different form factors.”

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:52 pm

CES Hands-On: LG’s Magic Motion Remote Control

Section: Video, HDTV, Trade Shows, CES

With everyone bringing out 3D TVs, it can be hard for a company to stand out among all the other sets.  LG has at least one interesting way of doing it: a point-and-click remote.

The point-and-click is actually more like a Wii remote in the way it feels.  Point the Magic Motion Remote at the TV and pressing the OK button brings up a menu that you can select with the on screen cursor.  It has the “standard” stuff like display options and an on screen remote, though there is a lot more as well.  You can access your media through the software on the TV, as well as some simple games, scheduling and Internet through Netcast.

One of the more interesting in terms of just standard TV though is the live channel preview and the channel guide.  The channel guide brings up an array of all the channels in neat rows.  There are tabs on top to view only your favorite channels or recently watched channels as well.  Each channel in both the full screen and the channel select overlay have a channel preview.  That way, instead of reading what’s on the channel through a standard box preview, you can actually see a still image of what is showing on each channel.  The only problem is that the feature right now does not work if you have a digital cable box, though that could be fixed with a firmware upgrade.

TVs with the Magic Motion Remote Control are still a few months off, and LG still hasn’t decided on which remote design to use (I was using the longer remote, which felt natural given that it felt like a longer, thinner Wii Remote).  The TVs will be compatible with Skype, 3D, Wireless HD and other options through add-ons that are purchased separately.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:51 pm

iHome Embraces the App Store, Kitchens (PC World)

PC World - It appears that iHome maker SDI Technologies has adopted Apple's philosophy of using software to sell hardware, with an iPhone app that's free to all and two speaker docks designed for it.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:37 pm

Google Chrome for Mac gets Extension support (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - Those of you who use Google Chrome for Mac to browse the Web, but still pine for the add-ons available for browsers like Firefox are in for a treat—that is, if you're willing to install the latest, possibly not-so-stable developer-channel build.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:14 pm

Air Canada Ordered To Provide Nut-Free Zone

JamJam writes "Air Canada has been told to create a special 'buffer zone' on flights for people who are allergic to nuts. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that passengers who have nut allergies should be considered disabled and accommodated by the airline. Air Canada has a month to come up with an appropriate section of seats where passengers with nut allergies would be seated. The ruling involved a complaint from Sophia Huyer, who has a severe nut allergy and travels frequently. Ms. Huyer once spent 40 minutes in the washroom during a flight while snacks were being served."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:09 pm

BlockChalk Is Location-Based Sidewalk Chalk For Your Mobile Device

With its new geolocation API, Twitter has the potential to delve into the realm of messages that are relevant based on location. But right now, most geotagged tweets are simply regular tweets that are being tagged with location, and really don’t have much specifically to do with it. Enter BlockChalk, a new service built around the idea of leaving simple messages directly tied to a specific location.

The service, created by Stephen Hood, the former product team lead for Delicious, and Dave Baggeroer of Stanford’s Institute of Design, works because they keep it simple. You load up the application on your mobile device, it locates you, and you leave a message. This can be whatever you want: A note about a good cafe, a tip of something in the neighborhood to watch out for, a request to borrow something that someone else may have in the neighborhood, etc. When other people also using the app come upon the area that you’ve pinned your “Chalk” (their word for message) to, they’ll see it on their screen in a stream of Chalks.

And you can do a bit more with these Chalks. With the service’s new iPhone app, if you use the syntax “[here],” BlockChalk will put in your exact location. You can also attach a link to a location on a map by inserting an actual address in those same brackets. If you don’t do either of these, BlockChalk will hide your exact location, and keep your message pinned to the general area instead.

Once you drill down to a specific Chalk, you can choose to “Chalkback” (respond publicly to a message), “Reply Privately” (respond just to the user who left the Chalk), “Bury,” or “Share,” the chalk.

While I noted the service’s new iPhone app (which you can find in the App Store here as a free download), it’s already available on a number of other platforms thanks to some more advanced web technology. For example, you can use it on Android phones (or the mobile web of the iPhone, for that matter) because the web-based version of BlockChalk uses HTML5 to access location through the browser, Hood tells us. Obviously, that’s a vital part of the app. There is also a webOS BlockChalk app already that will work on the Palm Pre or Pixi. Hood notes that they are currently working on native apps for Android and BlackBerry as we speak.

Thanks to this mobile web usage, BlockChalk is already available in some 93 countries, 6751 cities and 10910 neighborhoods. And while the obvious integration with Twitter’s new location feature is pretty loose right now, Hood tells us that in the next release, it will be much tighter.

The company is in the process of raising a seed round of funding. And while obviously they’ve declined to say how much they’re looking to raise, we hear Hood’s old Delicious counterpart Joshua Schachter is interested. That shouldn’t be surprising given his recent location-based investments.

Learn more in the video below:

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

Source: TechCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:03 pm

Palm Opens Dev Program, Offers $1M For Top App

CWmike writes "Palm opened up its webOS developer program to the public this week in a bid to close the gap with the number of iPhone and Android apps. Palm will also open up its application distribution channel to developers and Web sites, giving them access to detailed information about applications and statistics, such as the number of downloads. This will allow them to build their own application directories and application ranking mechanisms, Palm's Katie Mitic said. 'As an incentive to developers interested in building their own directories, Palm is offering $1 million to the developer with the most downloads of free and paid applications between February and May, Mitic said. Palm also announced a plug-in development kit for WebOS that allows developers to extend the OS's capabilities using code written in C and C++. Over time, these plug-ins will be incorporated into the software development kit, she said. The plug-in development kit will be released at the Game Developers Conference in March, but a handful of game developers have already put the kit to use. EA Mobile, Laminar Research, Gameloft and Glu all released games that were developed using plug-ins. Those games include 3D titles, such as EA Mobile Need for Speed Undercover, and are now available.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Infradapt to Exhibit and Present at Digium Asterisk World at ITEXPO East

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Infradapt, a leading provider of communications and network infrastructure solutions announces its participation in the 2010 Asterisk World at ITEXPO East Conference.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Video: Pilot This Hovering Quadricopter Toy Using Your iPhone

Wired.com plays with the AR.Drone by Parrot, a quadricopter you can pilot with an iPhone or iPod touch. Adults or kids can fly the toy in a real-world environment, see what the onboard camera picks up and simultaneously play a videogame when it's in multiplayer mode.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Hominids Went Out of Africa on Rafts

Hand axes excavated on Crete suggest hominids made sea crossings to travel beyond the dark continent.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Video: EyeController for iPhone/iPod touch + Marvell Plug Computer

By request from one of our readers (see, we listen!) I zipped over to Marvell’s booth to check out the Plug Computer and got the added bonus of a demonstration of EyeconTroller, an iPhone/iPod touch/computer app that manages media. You can drag and drop media files into various containers, which will play back those particular files on connected household devices – TVs, computers, consoles, etc. Pretty cool stuff.

Eyecon [Eyecontec.com]

Marvell Plug Computer [Marvell.com]

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Review: Breezy 'Simpsons' Special Revels in 20 Yellow Years

Director Morgan Spurlock crams a lot of fan love into his one-hour documentary about Homer, Marge and the rest of Springfield's animated citizens. The special, which airs Sunday, takes a fast-paced look at the show's lasting influence.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:55 pm

Online Gambling Boss Gets 33-Month Sentence

The boss of a Costa Rican internet gaming operation is being sentenced to 33 months in a U.S. prison Friday. The sentencing of David Carruthers comes as U.S. lawmakers consider removing the prohibition against online gaming.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:54 pm

Hands-On With the Alex: An Android-Powered, Dual-Screen Reader

LAS VEGAS — The Amazon Kindle’s E Ink screen is easy on the eyes for reading, but the software’s really laggy. The iPhone’s touchscreen is slick and fast, but you’ll wear your eyes out reading off it for several hours. What if you combined the benefits of both these products into one?

That’s the idea behind SpringDesign’s Alex e-book reader, which features a 6-inch E Ink display on top and a 3.5-inch touchscreen at the bottom. Most interestingly, the device is running Google’s Android OS, specially modified for e-book reading. Using the touchscreen you can select tools for creating annotations and highlights for a book, and you can also switch between books from your library. Two large physical arrow buttons on the sides of the device allow you to “flip” pages.

Tim White, chief systems architect of SpringDesign, said it was important for an e-book reader to run on an open platform such as Android.

“We’re trying to be an open reader,” White told Wired.com. “The world is an open place, and early manufacturers [such as Amazon] are controlling the environment. That’s not the way we’re used to reading and sharing information, especially in the age of the internet.”

Running the Google OS doesn’t mean Alex owners will be able to freely swap books. SpringDesign formed a partnership with Borders for e-book content, and of course, its e-books are DRM-protected — tied to one device each. Alex owners will, however, be able to exchange annotations and highlights, a feature designed for university students.

Also, only smartphones can be certified Android OS devices with access to Google’s Android Market app store. So, while the Alex has the core functions of Android — such as video playback, an e-mail app and access to a digital photo album — it won’t have the full powers (i.e. third-party apps) of an Android smartphone. However, SpringDesign is inviting Android developers to code apps and content for the Alex, which will be called the Alex Marketplace.

The design of the Alex is downright funky and not ideal, but I do like the idea. I had some hands-on time with the device, and I especially enjoyed being able to quickly access the Alex’s e-book library using the touchscreen. With dedicated e-book devices such as the Amazon Kindle, the process of switching between books has always been a major drag thanks to the sluggish refresh rate of E Ink screens; it was a lot easier selecting titles on the Alex.

However, the Alex’s Android OS was pretty rough around the edges. Some of the UI was hardly intuitive. The icons for making notes for annotations and highlights were signified by vague graphics of boxes, for example. It’ll take a bit of time to memorize what every button does in the Alex — a far cry from the iPhone experience.

SpringDesign does not disclose the processor used for the touchscreen, and it didn’t seem very fast. A video played on the device looked laggy compared to videos I’ve seen on other smartphones.

In short, my first impressions are the Alex has a lot of potential with its innovative design and independent app store, but it’ll face some challenges in the fiercely competitive reader market. Its price tag won’t help — $360, which costs $100 more than the Barnes & Noble Nook, which is also an Android-based device with a 3.5-inch touchscreen display. SpringDesign better hope it wins its lawsuit against Barnes.

See Also:

• ‘Alex’, An Android-Powered, Dual Screen E-Book Reader
• Ode to Books, or Why E-Book Readers Will Never Replace Them …
• Amazon Set to Rekindle Its E-Book Reader
• Barnes & Noble Unveils Kindle-Killing, Dual-Screen ‘Nook’ E-Reader …

Product Page [SpringDesign]

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:47 pm

Hands-On With Alex: An Android-Powered, Dual-Screen Reader

SpringDesign's e-book reader has a 6-inch E Ink display atop a 3.5-inch touchscreen, combining the best of the Kindle and the iPhone. It runs Google's Android OS, specially modified for e-book reading, and you can annotate what you're reading -- a handy feature for students.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:47 pm

Hands-On With Alex: An Android-Powered, Dual-Screen Reader

SpringDesign's e-book reader has a 6-inch E Ink display atop a 3.5-inch touchscreen, combining the best of the Kindle and the iPhone. It runs Google's Android OS, specially modified for e-book reading, and you can annotate what you're reading -- a handy feature for students.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:47 pm

2 new audio/video units from Rain Computers

All this CES coverage makes you just want to hear about a different event, doesn’t it? Well, if the more music tech inclined among you are looking forward to the NAMM trade show in one week’s time, keep an eye out for the Rain Computers booth. They will be showing off their new LiveBook Studio laptop and ION Studio rackmount unit, both geared for audio and video editing, and both with plenty of power under the hood.

Not a whole lot separates the LiveBook Studio from any other high end notebook. Different configurations are available, but all include some form of quad-core Intel i7 processor, nVidia GTS 250M video card, and DDR3 RAM. They run anywhere between $1799 and $2099.

The rackmounted ION Studio however, is a force to be reckoned with. The chassis takes up 4 standard audio rack spaces (each being 19″ across). Inside you’ll find the same Intel i7 processor, up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, whatever video card ocnfiguration you could possibly wish, and in a bit of an odd move, a Windows OS. Albeit, a Windows OS optimized by Rain for A/V work, but I’m not completely sure exactly what that means. Mac OS has long been the operating system of choice for “artsy” folk, but Rain seems to be making a push for Windows users.

The connectivity of this unit is absolutely ridiculous. 10 USB 2.0 ports, 5 FireWire ports, an eSATA port, and 5 PCIe slots. Ah yes, also 1 PCI-X slot. There won’t be a configuration of Pro Tools HD or UAD cards that this beast can’t handle. My current recording setup is a Presonus FireStudio running through a Glyph HDD into my MacBook Pro on a single FireWire 800 port. So if anyone at Rain wants to send me a test unit, I would be most obliged. You can find the ION starting at $2499.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:46 pm

How to See Past the CES 2010 Hype Machine - PC World

Sydney Morning Herald

How to See Past the CES 2010 Hype Machine PC World What's the most overhyped tech on display in Vegas this week? A look back at 2009 offers some clues. The 2010 Vegas Gadgetfest is winding down today, and I'm sure all the cabbies, blackjack dealers, and strippers are breathing a sigh of relief. ... CES: Slate-mania grips PC makersCNET MS at CES: In-Car Tech, Windows Phones, Zune, BingComputerworld Tablet? Slate? New devices emerge as Apple loomsReuters The Mac Observer -BetaNews -TG Daily all 1,336 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:45 pm

HootSuite Raises $1.9 Million For Social Media Dashboard

HootSuite, a social media dashboard, has raised $1.9 million in funding, according to an SEC filing. Vancouver-based HootSuite, which dubs itself as “the professional Twitter client,” lets users manage their Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Ping.fm accounts through one interface.

With HootSuite, users can manage multiple Twitter profiles with multiple editors on each, schedule tweets, track stats, RSS their content, and more. Launched in 2008, HootSuite also has an iPhone app and recently integrated the ability to publish to Wordpress blogs.

HootSuite faces competition from other all-in one social media dashboards including TweetDeck, PeopleBrowsr, and Seesmic (which just acquired Ping.fm)

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

Source: TechCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:44 pm

Friday News Feedbag Info for January 8th, 2010

If this is your first exposure to the Friday News Feedbag...we're glad to have you in the club. Welcome to Feedbag Nation, which stems from our weekly science news podcast that you can subscribe to here on iTunes and chat ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:25 pm

Ning SVP Engineering Lands At Facebook In Mystery Role

Former Ning exec Jay Parikh left that company in October 2009 after two years as SVP Engineering and Operations. By November he was working at Facebook.

Facebook confirms his employment, saying “We’re pleased that Jay Parikh has joined Facebook. Jay joined us in November, and will play an integral role in our engineering efforts.” What Facebook won’t say is what his title is, what he’s working on, or who he’s working for. Which is somewhat odd for such a senior executive. Parikh has yet to update his LinkedIn profile with any Facebook information either.

The giant sucking sound everyone hears in Palo Alto is Facebook hiring every competent engineer they can get their hands on, so it’s no wonder that Jay ended up at the fast growing company. What’s more interesting is why he left Ning. A few other high profile employees have moved on from Ning in recent months as well. But from what we hear they are being replaced by others, and total headcount is still growing.

Ning’s product continues to evolve, and it isn’t always smooth sailing. In November the company stripped out a cross-Ning Network activity feed for users because the product wasn’t being used. That project took up most of the dev team’s time for a nine month period, a former employee tells us. So it was a costly misstep.

Comscore shows worldwide unique visitors at Ning at nearly 19 million, roughly double the number of visitors from a year earlier. The site continues to grow. It’s just not clear that the users, or even Ning’s management, quite know what it will be when it grows up.

Update: Facebook says “Jay is a Director of Engineering working within Mike Schroepfer’s organization.”

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

Source: TechCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:23 pm

Comcast, FCC take net neutrality dispute to court (AP)

AP - The Federal Communications Commission ran into a potential setback Friday in its push to draft rules that would require Internet providers to give equal treatment to all data flowing over their networks.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:22 pm

Parrot’s iPhone-controllable AR.Drone will result in UFO sightings everywhere

The AR.Drone from Parrot is a remote-controlled flying machine that’s made of plastic and foam and is about the size of a pizza pan. It’s got two on-board cameras that stream video directly to your iPhone with translucent touch controls overlaid atop the video. So you literally see what the drone sees and can make it spin around and go up and down using the onscreen controls. Steering is handled by the iPhone’s accelerometer. It’s all very, very cool.

Parrot wouldn’t budge when it came to pricing and only said it’d be available “sometime this year.” We’ll post more info as we get it over the coming weeks and months. If you’ve been following our live video stream from CES, there’s video of the AR.Drone in action. More info at Parrot’s website, too.

AR.Drone [Parrot]

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm

CES 2010: Highlights So Far

Before I get to the highlights, allow me to point out that we have resumed the live stream. The guys are headed to the international booths, usually filled with quirky gadgets and eager exhibitors, and also known as USB Alley. But if that's not your thing, get ready to open up a few tabs with the best stuff we've seen so far. We've gone hands-on with the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, as well as Lenovo's impressive Lephone and Motorola's Backflip, a hot pants device that is descended from the Cliq. We also checked out some e-book readers: Plastic Logic's Que, the dual-screen Alex, and Samsung's E6. Kodak's got a nice new waterproof camcorder, Memorex has one with a sexy touchscreen, and Razer is showing off a motion control device that was actually quite impressive. We've also been all over the media: Matt was on TechVi, I was on CNN, and Nicholas was on TWiT.tv. And of course, all our live streams are available on demand in the player.

Source: TechCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:04 pm

Coming Up at 3:30 PM PT: Walt and Kara Live From Las Vegas [Digital Daily]

Later this afternoon we will be live-streaming a series of three interviews with tech luminaries Reed Hastings, CEO, president and chairman of Netflix (NFLX); Jon Rubinstein, chairman and CEO of Palm (PALM); and Google (GOOG) VP of Engineering Andy Rubin. Join us at 3:30 PM PT for streaming video and live coverage.

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pm

Prehistoric Jewelry Reveals Neanderthal Fashion Sense

Even Neanderthals knew how to accessorize.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Microsoft Word Injunction starts in 3 days - January 11, 2010

TORONTO, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ - Today, Microsoft filed a petition with the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to have the i4i vs. Microsoft case, regarding Microsoft Word, reheard by that Court.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Wavien, Inc. and Sysview Technology Inc. Introduce the DPR Long Life Lamp System with Consistent High Brightness Into Projection Products in China

VALENCIA, Calif., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavien, Inc. and Sysview Technology Inc. are planning to enter the projection market in China and elsewhere using the Wavien DPR reflector platform for 71"-101" RPTVs to be produced in Wuhan, China.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:48 pm

Foursquare Goes Global, Bringing New iPhone, Pre, BlackBerry, And Web Apps With It

Since getting its funding late last year, Foursquare has been spending much of its time rapidly expanding the list of cities the service is available in. But the reality was that it couldn’t expand this way fast enough. So it should be no surprise that they’re throwing that all away. Yes, as the service has officially announced today (as CNET scooped a few days ago), you can now use Foursquare anywhere in the world. And there’s a lot more they’ve been working on as well.

Of the new things, perhaps most notable is that the service is now on a wide variety of platforms. While it’s been out for the iPhone and Android for some time now, the Palm Pre finally has an app, as does BlackBerry, which will officially launch next week (5,000 people are currently testing it, including some TechCrunch staffers). Also of note is that Foursquare is completely redesigning both its website and its iPhone app. We’ve been using an early build of the newest version of the iPhone app (1.5) for a few weeks now, and it definitely looks nicer and seems to run more smoothly. This latest version, which should hit the App Store soon, will officially remove the city-based restrictions and improved the location-finding abilities of the app.

Alongside the move to a global game, Foursquare is expanding its badging capabilities. Badges are graphical items users earn for doing certain things in certain places. For example, if you check in at a gym a certain amount of times in a set period of time, you get a “Gym Rat” badge. While other gaming elements of Foursquare, such as the point system, seem to lose their luster over time, the badges remain something that users long for. And with some backend changes to the service, Foursquare finally hopes to be able to add more badges quickly (you can suggest new ones here).

With the move away from cities, you’ll no longer have duplicate badges for various things, such as “Newbie,” the first time you check-in to a city, but instead these will all be consolidated. That said, there will still be badges that you can only get in certain cities.

The aforementioned point system is also getting tweaked. Again, because of the move away from the idea of “cities,” Foursquare will now have a point leaderboard that is based around proximity rather than an entire city. For example, you may see that you’re among the point leaders in a 25 mile radius. And Foursquare hints that the entire point system is going to be overhauled at some point in the near future to make the game more interesting, and to curb cheating.

Another big change to the service is that you will no longer be required to use an address to create a new venue. This was the biggest barrier to entry in doing so, and Foursquare is making it option by tagging the place you are creating with your GPS coordinates. This is a bit risky since there will likely be a flood of fake or wrong venues now, but it’s obviously important for the global expansion. This method is similar to what rival Gowalla does when users add new venues. The problem with GPS tagging is that it doesn’t work well indoors, but the services are slowly getting better at using other means (WiFi triangulation) to get the location data too.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:42 pm

Blazingly Fast Wireless HD Hits the Mainstream

LAS VEGAS — Slim screens with thin black bezels can make HDTVs look like digital artwork. But hang one on the wall, and a problem quickly presents itself: What to do about the ugly black cords snaking out towards your set-top box, home theater PC or other TV appliances?

Wireless HD, a new wireless interface standard, could get rid of the wires connecting your TV to accessories such as Blu-ray players and portable music players. This week, several TV manufacturers, including Panasonic, LG and Vizio, announced plans to deliver Wireless HD-enabled sets in 2010.

In addition to eliminating cable clutter, Wireless HD can offer fast data transfers, enabling high-definition audio and video streaming at a rate of more than 10 Gigabits per second.

“It is becoming important to consumers to have a way to stream HD video content wirelessly,” says John Marshall, chairman of the Wireless HD consortium. “We can do that with Wireless HD and we can do it really fast.”

Panasonic’s and LG’s support lend the standard new credibility. And Vizio, which sells more HDTVs in the United States than any other manufacturer, will give Wireless HD a further push, as the company is expected to include it as a key feature in its products by the end of the year.

Today, connecting HDTVs to set-top boxes or Blu-ray players means consumers have to buy HDMI cables. You could try connecting TV devices via Wi-Fi, but 802.11n only offers 600 Mbps — not enough bandwidth to transfer HD video in an uncompressed format.

“An HDMI cable transfers content about 30 to 40 times faster than Wi-Fi,” says John Lemoncheck, CEO of SiBeam, a chipmaker that is supporting the Wireless HD standard in its products.

Even competing standards such as WHDI can only offer video data rates of up to 3 Gbps.

Wireless HD gives consumers flexibility, says Randy Lawson, an analyst with research firm iSuppli.

“A lot of people get ripped off by very expensive HDMI cables for their TVs,” he says. “Those $50 HDMI Monster cables, you don’t need that anymore if you get Wireless HD-ready TVs.”

And as HDTVs get thinner and thinner, the Wireless HD standard can set them free, he says.

“With those very thin TVs, you might want to hang it on a different wall than where you have the shelves with the Blu-ray player,” says Lawson. “You can’t do that with 4-foot-long cable.”

The Wireless HD consortium was formed in 2006 with support from all the major TV manufacturers. A year later the consortium released the first version of the wireless HD specification.  The idea was to offer a way to transfer audio and video wirelessly at low cost, with high reliability and little change in the viewing experience.

The latest generation of the standard supports 3-D TVs, 4K resolution (which is four times the current maximum HD resolution of 1080p), and data transfer speeds of about 1 Gbps for portable devices such as digital music players connected to HDTVs.

“The first generation was really about one consumer company, Sony, adopting it,” says Lawson. “But with generation two, we are seeing every TV company has it.”

The Wireless HD standard still has some challenges that could slow it down. Wireless HD is a point-to-point technology, which means it can offer a range of only about 32 feet. Compare that to the slower WHDI standard, which has a range of 100 feet, meaning TVs in multiple rooms can be networked together.

“If you want to create a video network for your entire house, you can’t do that now with Wireless HD,”  says Lawson.

Photo: Priya Ganapati

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:37 pm

Blazingly Fast Wireless HD Hits the Mainstream

A new wireless interface standard called Wireless HD that could get rid of the wires connecting your TV to accessories and offers hi-def video data transfer is going mainstream.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:37 pm

Blazingly Fast Wireless HD Hits the Mainstream

A new wireless interface standard called Wireless HD that could get rid of the wires connecting your TV to accessories and offers hi-def video data transfer is going mainstream.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:37 pm

Nexus One a test of Google's customer service - CNET

Reuters

Nexus One a test of Google's customer service CNET The launch of the Nexus One is giving Google's approach to customer service a workout. Problems with the Nexus One? Might be hard to get a hold of someone at Google. Days after Google started selling the Nexus One exclusively through its ... Google's 'Near Me Now' Search DebutsInformationWeek Crunchies: Google Voice is coming to the iPhone “one way or the other”VentureBeat Google Lets You Search for What's "Near Me Now"PC World ChannelWeb -eWeek -NetworkWorld.com all 4,371 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:30 pm

New Test May Help Address Costly Parasite In Sheep Industry

Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia have developed an improved, more efficient method to test for the most serious of the parasitic worms in sheep, a problem that causes hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year to the global sheep and wool industry.This technology is now available, and will allow a faster, easier and less expensive way to test for the presence and quantity of Haemonchus contortus, or “barber pole” worms, a species that is very pathogenic to sheep, goats and llamas.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:18 pm

Apple Slate to Feature Aluminum Chassis, Q2 Ship Date [Digital Daily]

Here’s another heaping pile of grist for the Apple rumor mill: The company’s Taiwanese manufacturing partners are said to be ramping up production of the touchscreen panels and aluminum chassis intended for the tablet/slate computer Apple (AAPL) is widely expected to uncrate at an as-of-yet unannounced special event Jan. 27. Which means the mysterious device is likely to arrive at market sometime in Q2.

“Production of the cases will begin in February, so everything points to a second-quarter launch right now,” an unnamed source told Reuters. “It doesn’t take that long for the company to assemble the PC together, but a second-quarter shipment date is what we’re looking at now.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such predictions. Last month, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Yair Reiner said his checks into Apple’s supply chain indicated that “the manufacturing cogs for the [device] were creaking into action” with an eye toward a spring launch.

Additionally, sources this week told The Wall Street Journal that Apple would ship a tablet device to customers in March.

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:17 pm

Study: Quantum Fluctuations Are Key In Superconductors

First direct evidence of quantum critical point in iron-based 'pnictides'New experiments on a recently discovered class of iron-based superconductors suggest that the ability of their electrons to conduct electricity without resistance is directly connected with the magnetic properties of those electrons.Results of the experiments appear in the Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:16 pm

What Came First In The Origin Of Life? A Study Contradicts The 'Metabolism First' Hypothesis

The study was carried out by 3 European researchers, 1 from Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaA research published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences rejects the theory that the origin of life stems from a system of self-catalytic molecules capable of experiencing Darwinian evolution without the need of RNA or DNA and their replication.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:09 pm

CES: The View From Here [Digital Daily]

It may seem like the whole AllThingsD.com crew is in Las Vegas reveling in the nightlife/nerdlife, but some of us actually stayed behind to take advantage of reliable connectivity, good coffee and natural daylight. Oh, and also to hold down the fort in case of an earthquake or other natural disaster. Now that’s some good thinking.

Walt, Katie, Swisher, Kafka and Paczkowski, reporting from the floor of the show and from D’s own mini-conference, have what seem to be the major themes of the show–tablets/e-readers, 3-D and Natural User Interface–all covered. But there are bound to be a few other interesting things going on. Based on the first day and a half of coverage, here’s a short list of gadgets and apps that would be welcome back at ATD HQ, just to take them for a spin:

The Parrot AR.Drone

These videos have been all over the web for the past day or so–and with good reason. This thing looks incredible, and a little creepy, too. It’s controlled via an iPhone app, and live video from the drone’s onboard camera streams directly to the controller’s screen. The device’s AR capabilities could make it a real contender in the (expensive) gaming space, but its potential for real-world shenanigans are obviously interesting as well. As long as you’re the one flying the drone.

Immerz KOR-fx

Sometimes it’s not enough to just play the game or watch the movie. That’s the premise for the KOR-fx from Immerz. It sits over your shoulders and sends vibrations into your chest cavity based on the sound from your audio output and new “acousto-haptic technology” to create an immersive experience. Supposedly, for gamers, this can provide a “seventh sense”–and the edge needed to prevail in competitive gaming situations. Or, it could cause a panic attack. Video courtesy of Immerz.

Shapeways Z printer 650

Shapeways, which makes “3-D” printers, has been around for a while, but this year the company announced the new full-color capability of its Z printer 650. You can send a digital 3-D model file to Shapeways and they’ll print it into a solid model made of the Full Color Sandstone that the printer puts out. Then they’ll ship it to you anywhere in the world within 10 days. Not everybody has 3-D modeling software lying around, so it’s mostly useful to product designers, architects and 3-D modelers of all stripes. But after watching this video (warning: takes a while to load) of the printer in action, I think there should be a Z printer 650 at AllThingsD headquarters.

Sanyo’s eneloop hybrid bike

It’s cooler than a moped, not as cool as motorcycle–but greener than both. Sanyo’s eneloop hybrid bicycle uses loop charging to charge its battery while you pedal, and two-wheel drive for a more stable ride. It’s not necessarily for those who ride a traditional bicycle regularly, but it offers a real option for folks who want to cut down on driving. Plus, it’s pretty nice-looking. Video interview courtesy of Treehugger.

Samsung’s transparent laptop

I don’t know what the appeal of Samsung’s 14-inch transparent laptop is, other than its obvious visual ties to the futuristic hardware shown in movies like Minority Report and Avatar. Must be hard to focus on your work, and who’d want to do their online banking using a transparent screen? What it needs is a two-way mirror screen. Then it might actually come in handy. Video courtesy of Engadget.

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:08 pm

Research Studies Consumer Satisfaction Within The Context Of The Car Industry

Measuring consumer satisfaction today is an important target for enterprises when evaluating economic results such as profits, response to investment, and so on.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 2:06 pm

The Ladies Love Samsung Camcorders

LAS VEGAS — Sixty percent of the camcorders that Samsung sells are bought by women. And not because they are painted a patronizing pink, either. According to Samsung VP of digital media, Seung Soo Park, moms buy most of the cameras because they’re not gear-heads and instead want something simple that just works.

Samsung’s latest lineup has been tweaked to fit this demographic. Take the SMX-C24, which is as simple as the Flip camcorders, and easier to use. Open the screen and it switches on — there’s no extra power button. The lens at the front is tilted up, so the body of the camera can be held at a more comfortable downward angle, and the software needed to transfer video to your computer runs direct from the camera itself, so there’s no software to install on a PC.

Better, once you give it your YouTube account login, video uploads are a matter of connecting it to a computer and hitting a button on the camera. Video is shot at 720×480 and stills at 2MP onto 16GB of internal memory, and that’s about it. Simple, and easy to just pick up and start shooting. Exactly what you want if you’re filming kids.

Mr. Park made another interesting comment. The average lifecycle of these mommy-cams is 2-3 years, so Samsung doesn’t design them to last much longer. What’s the point of a heavy-metal chassis if it’ll be tossed in the trash in a couple years? Instead of feeling cheap, though, the SMX-C24 feels solid and absurdly light. So light that I didn’t think it had the battery in it.

Expect these in February, price yet to be announced.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:47 pm

MP3 Player Matches Music to Your Heart Rate

LAS VEGAS — Getting on the treadmill usually means it’s time to plug in those headphones for some Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Now a digital music player from Philips, called Activa, promises to sort through your music library and sync it to your heart rate, playing music whose rhythms match those of your own body. It’s a pedometer combined with a music player.

The watch-like Activa can be worn on the wrist or strapped on an arm band. The device can store up to 4GB of music, or about 500 songs, and costs $130.

At the heart of Activa is TempoMusic, a proprietary software developed by Philips. It starts by analyzing the user’s music library and stores characteristics for each song, including several related to tempo. The software also asks users to identify a song that inspires them to work harder and one that reflects the type of music they like.

So by the time you near the peak of your workout, Activa can detect that you’re getting close to your limit — and then blare out Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” if that’s what you want.

Through the workout, the device also offers audio feedback such as the number of calories burnt, time and distance. But that cuts through the music and it can quickly get annoying. There’s also a website you can load that data and track your workouts.

But doesn’t everyone have an iPod by now? So are the Activa’s features compelling enough to make you swap your iPod for the Activa at the gym?

Photo: Activa/Priya Ganapati

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:38 pm

New Record In The Area Of Prime Number Decomposition Of Cryptographically Important Numbers

An international team of scientists from EPFL (Switzerland), INRIA (France), NTT (Japan), CWI (The Netherlands) and Bonn University (Germany), has obtained the prime factors of the RSA challenge number RSA-768, using the Number Field Sieve.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:37 pm

China A Rising Star In Regenerative Medicine Despite World Skepticism Of Stem Cell Therapies

Enforcing new Chinese rules for clinics may impact lucrative stem cell therapy tourism but improve international credibility, confidenceChinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients.According to a study by the Canadian-based McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health (MRC), published today by the UK journal Regenerative Medicine, China's government is pouring dollars generously into regenerative medicine (RM) research and aggressively recruiting high-calibre scientists trained abroad in pursuit of its ambition to become a world leader in the field.And its strategy is working: Chinese contributions to scientific journals on RM topics leapt from 37 in year 2000 to 1,116 in 2008, exceeded only by the contributions of experts in the USA, Germany, Japan and the UK.The accomplishment is all the more astonishing given that China's international credibility has been and still is severely hindered by global concerns surrounding Chinese clinics, where unproven therapies continue to be administered to thousands of patients.New rules to govern such treatments were recently instituted but need to be strictly enforced in order to repair China's global reputation, according to MRC authors Dominique S. McMahon, Halla Thorsteinsdóttir, Peter A. Singer and Abdallah S. Daar.They drew their conclusions after having gained unprecedented access to almost 50 Chinese researchers, policy makers, clinicians, company executives and regulators for interviews. The research was made possible by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research."When you look at the issue of stem cells in China, you see the Yin-Yang of a scientific powerhouse mixed with controversial clinical application of stem cell therapies," says Dr. Singer, MRC's Director. "The overall picture at the moment is ambiguous but in the future, given the measures that have been put in place, the science can be expected to rise and the controversy to fall."Regenerative medicine an interdisciplinary field of research and clinical applications focused on the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues or organs to restore impaired function resulting from any cause, including congenital defects, disease, trauma and aging. It uses a combination of several converging technological approaches, both existing and newly emerging, that moves it beyond traditional transplantation and replacement therapies. The approaches often stimulate and support the body's own self-healing capacity. These approaches may include the use of soluble molecules, gene therapy, stem cell transplants, tissue engineering, and the reprogramming of cell and tissue types.MRC researchers report that until May 2009 clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of stem cell therapies were not required. Now proof of safety and efficacy through clinical trials is required by China's Ministry of Health for all stem cell and gene therapies.The change was made after international experts, joined by top Chinese researchers, protested that treatment centers were acting "against commonly accepted principles of modern scientific research" and successfully called on China to regulate new treatments and ensure patient safety.Despite the new rules, however, stem cell treatments are still available at over 200 hospitals across China to patients of diseases such as ataxia, Lou Gehrig's disease, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, diabetes, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy, stroke, optic nerve hypoplasia and many others."To our knowledge, Chinese policy makers and ethicists are working out the regulation details,” says Ms. McMahon, the study's lead author. "Once that is accomplished, we still expect a delay, during which the therapies currently administered by clinics and hospitals will be evaluated individually to determine whether they meet the criteria of China's Ministry of Health.""It is hard to say what impact these new clinical regulations will have in China, although certainly they show the government's commitment to changing the way things are done," she adds.Beike Biotechnology Inc. (Shenzhen) is the largest of the Chinese therapy centers and claims to have treated over 5,000 patients to date, including more than 900 foreigners, offering stem cell injections into spinal fluid, for example.The Stem Cell Center affiliated with Tiantan Puhua Neuroscience Hospital in Beijing, meanwhile, claims to activate and multiply the body's own neural stem cells through oral and intravenous medications and rehabilitation. It also offers a lumbar puncture or brain injection of bone marrow stem cells, fetal neural stem cells, or other stem cell types to allegedly improve symptoms of stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal injury, Parkinson's disease or other neurological diseases.Controversial stem cell therapies provided at Beijing Xishan Institute for Neuroregeneration and Functional Recovery, involve injecting cells from aborted fetuses to treat spinal cord injury and a variety of central nervous system diseases. About 1,500 patients have received this treatment, including roughly 1,000 foreigners.MRC authors say this latter stem cell therapy is the only one discussed in high-impact peer-reviewed academic journals. One study documented a spinal cord injury patient's early motor and sensory improvement, another found no improvement in seven spinal cord injury patients. Another recent publication found the therapy improved some spinal cord injuries in animals but its effectiveness in humans "is not yet established."Despite the absence of randomized clinical trial evidence that these stem cell therapies work, an "increasingly popular but controversial" tourism industry has grown up around them."This is a matter of international importance, as increasing numbers of foreign patients travel to China to seek unproven stem cell therapies not available in their home countries," according to the MRC. "The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) strongly condemns the administration of unproven stem cell therapies … and has written a handbook to help doctors and patients make informed decisions about available stem cell therapies."As for advice to last-resort patients considering Chinese clinic stem cell treatments: "This is not a medical study," says Dr. Singer. "Instead we urge such patients to consult their own medical professionals. The International Society for Stem Cell Research has certainly made their stance clear.""These therapies are sought out by desperate, no-option patients seeking marginal improvements in their quality of life. People should get as much information as possible before committing to any procedures. Each clinic provides a different therapy for a variety of different ailments and there is no systematic evidence that these therapies work."Chinese firstsWhile unorthodox activities at Chinese clinics and controversial drug approvals have raised eyebrows both in and outside China, dedicated researchers in the country's labs have been making remarkable contributions to the field.Among the country's scientific firsts:    * By transferring the nucleus of a human skin cell into the immature ovum cell of a rabbit, researchers from a Shanghai hospital successfully produced embryonic human cells (a finding popular scientific journals held off publishing for two years due to skepticism and of mistrust Chinese scientific integrity).    * China to date has created at least 25 human embryonic stem cell lines (some estimate over 70 stem cell lines), four of which are of a specialized type that at that time only two other groups worldwide had managed to create.    * A Shanghai hospital cultivated and reintroduced human brain tissue in 2002 after taking a sample from the end of a chopstick implanted in a patient's frontal lobe following a disagreement at a restaurant.    * Several human tissue types created artificially include blood vessel, tendon, bone, cartilage, skin, cornea and muscle fiber.Notable research underwayCurrent research of note includes the efforts of ChinaSCINet, a consortium of 27 medical facilities, starting phase 2 clinical trials to test the efficacy and safety of using cord blood stem cells and oral lithium to treat about 40 patients with spinal cord injuries.Other clinical trials are underway on the use of stem cell therapies to treat patients of heart attacks, artery obstruction, and liver and neural diseases.Elsewhere in China, studies are underway on the potential use of stem cells to treat Type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, heart, liver and blood diseases, eye cataracts, and to combat aging.Liberal research rulesGuidelines governing Chinese research are liberal but common to other countries as well.Chinese regulations prohibit reproductive cloning, the use of human embryos past 14 days post-fertilization, the fusion of human and non-human gametes (cells that fuse during fertilization), or the implantation of research embryos into human or animal uterus.Researchers are required to obtain informed consent from subjects and institutes must have an ethics review board to approve research involving human embryonic stem cells.Chinese fertility clinics serve as a source of discarded embryonic stem cells for some research, and cord blood banks may serve as a source of stem cells for clinical applications.Therapeutic cloning is allowed, as is the use of surplus embryos or discarded fetal cells from abortions as well as embryos created with artificial help."What sets China apart from most of the rest of the world is that these regulations do not prohibit the fusion of human genetic material with nonhuman oocytes (cells from which an egg or ovum develops)," the MRC authors say.As well, the rules for embryonic stem cell research in China are criticized internationally as having limited authority over researchers because they are not legally binding. Adherence is enforced only for those who receive government funding, which applies to most researchers, but financially independent researchers or hospitals must simply answer to their own institution's ethical review board.MRC authors say that while there is no indication embryonic stem cell research rules are being broken, greater regulatory oversight would help ease international concerns.Interviewees agreed that regulation enforcement is a key concern. According to one, a lack of inspection capacity cast doubt on regulatory implementation.Huge Chinese investment in RMChinese data show the country now generates 400,000 graduates in science and medicine each year and recruits many high caliber scientists from abroad.China’s gross domestic expenditure on R&D in science and technology has grown from $5.9 billion in 1996 to $44 billion today. Stem cell research, tissue engineering and gene therapy are key areas receiving priority funding, largely centralized in the universities, hospitals and research institutes of China's main urban centers, especially Beijing and Shanghai.Approximately 78% of China's R&D funding in RM is reserved for product development, with an additional 16.8% for applied research. And China has developed large primate colonies for preclinical testing, and begun clinical trials for a number of therapies.According to the MRC, China's push for clinical applications, which has allowed it to produce new scientific knowledge quickly, has come at the expense of basic research aimed at, for example, overcoming technical challenges such as controlling how stem cells behave and differentiate.Only 5.2% of China's budget for research and development is allocated to basic research, compared with 13 to 19% in Japan, Korea and the USA. Even the funds allocated for basic research favor 'strategic basic research' designed to encourage application.China's recruitment policy a model for other developing countries
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:35 pm

NSFW: The Ola Vibrator: Squeeze it and it Vibrates

And you thought we were going to ignore the AVN. Here's some news from our upcoming AEE 2010 coverage. We present the Ola Vibrator. A totally new design in vibrator, the Ola Vibrator by Minna takes a different approach to pleasure. Hold the base and this squeezable vibrator responds to your grip by vibrating faster, harder, or in whatever pattern you just squeezed. That makes this vibrator amazing for couples use because instead of having one partner simply holding the vibrator, you can have one person squeezing this toy and seeing your reaction based on how hard they squeezed or the pattern in which they squeezed. If you get tired of squeezing, this vibrator incorporates “Rhythm Memory,” which records the pattern you just squeezed and replays it until you say stop. Click through for more potentially NSFW images.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:34 pm

UF Urologists Use Robot To Shave Time Off Vasectomy Reversal

University of Florida urologists have used robot-assisted surgery to cut about 20 minutes off average surgery time for conventional vasectomy reversal using a microscope.Sperm count after surgery is comparable over a year for the two procedures, but the robotic procedure appears to result in a quicker return of sperm count."For a couple that's trying to get pregnant, this is a big deal," said Sijo Parekattil, M.D., director of male infertility and microsurgery at UF, who led the study.The findings, now online and to appear in an upcoming print edition of the Journal of Endourology, represent the first head-to-head comparison of robot-assisted vasectomy reversal and the microscope procedure that is widely used.Many types of surgery are now being aided by robots, and surgeons continue to explore new areas in which they can be used."This is state-of-the-art stuff, it's cutting-edge, and a stepping stone to understanding whether or not we can use this technology on a more widespread basis," said Wayne Kuang, M.D., director of Male Reproductive Health at University of New Mexico, who was not involved in the study.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:28 pm

MSI Demos Three New PCs at CES

MSI has unveiled three new concept products at CES where the company is trying redefine the way consumers will interact with digital information in their homes.

The first product that was demoed was a 3D all in one PC. MSI has developed the world’s first 3D All-in-One PC which comes with wireless 3D glasses, where users can have the ultimate life-like gaming experience and 3D HD movie experience with the computer’s 24-inch display.

The second product is the Sliding Screen all in one PC with LED technology. MSI’s new concept PC allows the user to slide the screen up and store the keyboard behind it when not in use, to try to save space. The wireless mouse can also be used as a remote control, and can also be used as an IP-phone, which is pretty neat.

The third produced is a projector PC. The computer is combining a PC, plus a projector, so it is an ultimate two-in-one computer for meeting rooms and conference rooms. You can also attached the computer directly to a wall or screen by using it’s attachable stand, which allows the PC to be rotated 90 degrees to turn any ceiling into an alternative movie experience.

Source: CrunchGear | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pm

Will Blio Change the Game for E-Readers?

I'm at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show covering all things tech this week. I've seen dozens of awesome (and sometimes odd) gadgets. I've examined computers ranging from blisteringly fast desktop machines running state-of-the-art graphics cards and I've played with smartbooks ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:13 pm

Study: Batteries — and EVs — Won't Get Cheaper Anytime Soon

Still, it finds 6 percent of vehicles sold in 2020 will have a cord.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:09 pm

Nokia Details Call for Innovation Contest - PC Magazine

CNET

Nokia Details Call for Innovation Contest PC Magazine In his keynote speech at CES, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo provided details about the contest, as well as Nokia's work in developing nations. by Chloe Albanesius Las Vegas—Nokia on Friday announced plans for its third annual call for innovation ... CES: Nokia talks up business in the developing worldCNET Nokia CEO Calls for Greater Focus on Emerging MarketsPC World Nokia CEO says one-size-fits-all phones don't fit the worldVentureBeat Twice -Telegraph.co.uk -Seattle Times all 72 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:04 pm

Not a Rumor: LG launches the Sprint Rumor Touch at CES

It’s been a big week of sequels for LG at CES 2010; first they launch the LG Lotus’ slightly-upgraded sibling, the Lotus Elite, and now they’re following up the LG Rumor with the finger-centric Rumor Touch.

The LG Rumor Touch is a feature phone, but it’s probably about as fancy as feature phones come before you start wondering why the didn’t pack a bigger, badder operating system on it. It’s got a 3″ WQVGA touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, support for up to 32GB of storage via microSD, and support for Sprint 3G. In terms of availability, LG is only going as far as to say it’s coming “in the first quarter”, and they won’t say a word about pricing. The past 2 Rumors have launched at $49.99 – but considering the touchscreen upgrade and the $99 price tag on the similar Lotus Elite, I’d wager that this thing will come in somewhere between $100 and $150 at launch.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:02 pm

Court to FCC: You Have No Power to Enforce Net Neutrality

A federal appeals court suggests the Federal Communications Commission has no power to enforce net-neutrality rules by ordering Comcast to stop throttling BitTorrent traffic. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski signals the agency is preparing for defeat.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 1:00 pm

Edzani Staying Safely At Sea Spawning Super Swells

Image Caption: NASA's Aqua satellite's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured a visible image of the western half of Edzani's clouds on Jan. 8 at 0905 UTC (4:05 a.m. ET) as it flew overhead. Edzani's eye is still visible. The bright spot to the left of Edzani is sun glint off the ocean's surface. Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:56 pm

UCSD Nanoengineering Discovery Could Lead To Enhanced Electronics

Nanoscience  has the potential to play an enormous role in enhancing a range of products, including sensors, photovoltaics and consumer electronics.  Scientists in this field have created a multitude of nano scale materials, such as metal nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes and semiconducting nanowires.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:55 pm

The Fleeting Fickleness of IT. [Voices]

By Nitrozac and Snaggy

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:43 pm

Toshiba Launches Satellite Notebooks With Latest Intel Chips

LAS VEGAS — Toshiba this week introduced a high-end notebook powered by the newest Intel chips.

The Satellite A505 is a 16-inch notebook focused on home entertainment. Customers can choose between the Intel Core i3 (2.13GHz dual-core), Core i5 (2.2GHz dual-core) or Core i7 (1.6GHz quad-core) processors.

That’s a lot of numbers, right? What you mostly need to know is the Core i7 is Intel’s high-end mobile chip at the moment, and having a quad-core notebook will be pretty intense. Most premium notebooks last year shipped with dual-core processors, such as Intel’s Core 2 Duo, which is now the previous-generation Intel mobile chip.

The A505 features a high-definition widescreen display and “Resolution+” upconversion software that Toshiba claims will make even standard-definition DVD look more like high-definition. Configurations are available to add a Blu-ray player, an LED backlit keyboard and a slot-loading DVD drive.

The A505 is priced between $770 and $1,250 depending on the options you choose. More specs are as follows:

• Optional NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 1GB DDR3 discrete graphics memory
• Optional NVIDIA GeForce 310M with 512MB DDR3 discrete graphics memory
• 6GB DDR3 memory (max 8GB) memory configurations available
• Premium A/V components and upscale styling
• Two harman/kardon speakers
• Dolby Sound Room audio
• HDMI-CEC output

Photo: Toshiba

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:40 pm

Zebrafish Journal Publishes Cancer Biology Special Issue

The zebrafish, a translucent fish often used as a model of human development and disease, offers unique advantages for studying the cause, growth, and spread of tumors using strategies and methods presented in the current "Cancer Biology" special issue of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:35 pm

Google Apps highlights – 1/8/2010

This is part of a regular series of Google Apps updates that we post every couple of weeks. Look for the label "Google Apps highlights" and subscribe to the series. - Ed.

Over the holidays, clever elves left us some nice improvements to Google Apps for individuals, companies and schools using our web-based services.

Co-editor presence in presentations
When you're co-editing in real-time, knowing where collaborators are making changes helps you avoid stepping on each other's toes. We already have visual indicators for co-editor presence in documents and spreadsheets, and now presentations sports this feature, too. You can see which slides others are working on, and if you're editing the same slide together, colored indicators make it clear which text box, shape or other element they're modifying.


Easier duplicate contact merging
Over time, as friends and coworkers send you messages from different email addresses, your Gmail contact list can accumulate duplicate contacts. We recently made it easier to find and merge these duplicates. To get started, just just click the 'Find duplicates' button in the contact manager. Cleaning up your contact list is especially helpful if you sync your Gmail contacts with your phone.


Google Apps on Nexus One
Speaking of mobile phones, the new Nexus One Android device is a great way to take Google Apps with you everywhere. Nexus One not only syncs with multiple Gmail accounts, but it also syncs your contacts, with Google Calendar and with Picasa Web Albums. Nexus One lets you instant message using Google Talk and access voicemail — including handy message transcriptions — with the Google Voice app.


Automatic page translation in Google Sites
Building the same website in multiple languages is lots of work, even if you're multi-lingual. With automatic translation in Google Sites, sharing information with people who don't speak your language is much easier. Just create your site in your native language, and visitors can instantly translate your site into any one of 51 languages that they're more familiar with.


Who's gone Google?
MWV is famous the world 'round among students and parents for Five Star notebooks and Trapper Keepers, but they make a wide array of other products and packaging that you probably see every day. We're thrilled that they've migrated over 12,000 employees to Google Apps, unifying their globally distributed workforce on a single email solution to address the complexity and frustrations of running multiple instances of Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. You can find more on MWV's story on the Google Enterprise Blog.

We hope these updates help you get even more from Google Apps. For details and the latest news in this area, check out the Google Apps Blog.

Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:34 pm

ION’s iType full-sized iPhone keyboard could be great, if it weren’t for Apple.

We’re big fans of the idea of external keyboards for the iPhone around these parts, so I more than get where ION’s going with the nearly full-sized keyboard accessory they just launched. Unfortunately, decisions on Apple’s part keep the idea from really being worthwhile.

You see, limitations of the iPhone platform prevent accessories like this from being able to input keystrokes to any and all applications. As a result, ION’s new keyboard can only type into its own companion app, from which you can then take the text and push it into an email or copy it to your clipboard for use in any other app. It’s by no means the optimal execution, but it’s about as good as it gets until Apple gets around to supporting proper text-input.

No official word yet on pricing, but we’ve heard rumblings that they’re aiming for around $100 bucks.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:07 pm

Surfers Catch Record-Setting Wave?

In early December 2009, Super Typhoon Nida was dying in the North Pacific (that's her in her prime below). She was a real beaut - 175 mph winds, lots of energy. Some of that energy ended up in what could ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 12:04 pm

Next iPhone Could Include Flash (Not the Adobe Kind) [Digital Daily]

Google’s (GOOG) Nexus One, Palm’s (PALM) Pre, and Motorola’s (MOT) Droid all ship with an LED flash beside their cameras and the next iPhone may as well.

That’s the word from AppleInsider, which claims some insight into the next iteration of Apple’s (AAPL) iconic device.

“People familiar with Apple’s initiative” tell the publication that the company has been ordering “tens of millions” of LED camera flash components for delivery this year, presumably with the intention of building them into the next-generation iPhone and iPod touch.

I have no confirmation of this myself, but it certainly seems plausible, and given the lousy photos the iPhone takes in low-light situations, more likely an inevitability.

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:46 am

Sprint LG Lotus Elite announced

Remember that quirky little square LG phone from last year, the Lotus? Well, they’ve gone and made another one: the Lotus Elite. This ought to sound pretty familiar for anyone who’s been reading MobileCrunch for a while, as we scooped all the details on this handset (sans the name) way back in October.

All of the details coming out today, from the January launch date to the touchscreen face and 32GB microSD card support, are spot-on for what we wrote at the time. The rest of the specs stayed more-or-less the same; there’s a QWERTY keyboard hidden inside the clamshell, and they’ve kept the same 2.0 megapixel camera on the back. Available in red beginning January 10th, and black as of February 14th. Expect it to set you back $99 bucks after a 2-year contract and a $50 rebate.

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Source: MobileCrunch | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:38 am

Elvis Presley's Favorite Animal

Elvis Presley, who would have celebrated his 75th birthday today, famously sang about a hound dog. But his true animal passion was for horses, suggests Priscilla Presley and multiple other sources. You'll hear from Priscilla in a minute. (Image: Library ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:36 am

Ford To Add Twitter Connectivity To Vehicles

Ford Motor Co.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:35 am

Do Whales Need This War?

"We now have a real whale war on our hands," said Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd after a collision between his vessel, the Ady Gil, and the Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru No.2 tore the bow off the former and ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:25 am

CES: Mark Cuban on 3-D, HD, LSD [Voices]

By Lauren Goode, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban is in Las Vegas to take a look at all the technology that’s being showcased this week at CES. He sat down with The Journal to talk about which gadgets he’s looking forward to seeing, why he thinks 2-D-to-3-D video processors are a “cheat,” and what exactly he was thinking when he compared 3-D to LSD.

The Wall Street Journal: What are you looking forward to seeing at CES this year?

Mr. Cuban: Anything 3-D-related, anything cellphone-related, but I’m particularly interested in seeing what types of products are being made for interactive television. Also, I’m curious what companies’ plans are for DTV spectrum, what happens if the FCC takes it back, what if they don’t take it back, and what kind of opportunities that would present.

I always like to walk through the small booths, just to see if there’s something that surprises me. Maybe they couldn’t afford a big booth, but they have something really interesting. I won’t spend a ton of time going through the big ginormous companies other than to visit friends.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 11:03 am

Domainer Mardi Gras Will Partner With Moniker for Showcase Auction

NEW ORLEANS, Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 10:26 am

Astronomers on Verge of Finding Habitable Worlds

The discovery of an Earth-like, extrasolar planet could happen sooner than you think.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 10:01 am

Integrity Partners, Inc. Announces New Client: GRM Information Management Services

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Partners, Inc. has announced the addition of GRM Information Management Services to its already impressive client list. The deal, making Integrity Partners, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 10:00 am

Integrity Partners, Inc. Successfully Upgrades Microsoft Dynamics - GP Software for GRM Information Management Services

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrity Partners, Inc. has successfully completed a Microsoft Dynamics - GP upgrade for newly acquired client GRM Information Management Services.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 10:00 am

Campus Management Names New Director of Talisma - North America

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ Campus Management Corp.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 8 Jan 2010 | 9:42 am

The Flixster Dudes Talk About Rotten Tomatoes Deal and More! [BoomTown]

Last week, right after Flixster announced it had acquired Rotten Tomatoes from News Corp. (NWS) in exchange for a stake in the combined pair, BoomTown visited its HQ in San Francisco.

Bringing together the social movie site with one that provides premium movie reviews, said Flixster execs, will make the site a must for both consumers and advertisers.

At least that’s the hope.

Here’s my video interview with Flixster co-founder and CEO Joe Greenstein, co-founder and CTO Saran Chari and COO Steve Polsky in which they talk about the deal and where the companies are headed (mobile? television?):

Source: All Things Digital | 8 Jan 2010 | 9:30 am

Moorestown Platform Brings "Intel Inside" to Mobile Phones - PC World

Reuters

Moorestown Platform Brings "Intel Inside" to Mobile Phones PC World Intel chief executive officer Paul Ottelini demonstrated a mobile device from LG built on Intel's Moorestown architecture at CES 2010. The device brings "Intel Inside" from computers to mobile devices and follows the unspoken theme of ... RPT-CES-UPDATE 1-Intel unveils new microprocessorsReuters LG Mobile Handset Built on Intel's Moorestown Platform DemonstratedTopNews United States Moore's Law unnatural, proclaims Intel CEOTG Daily Mobile Burn -Twice -X-bit Labs all 225 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 8 Jan 2010 | 9:17 am

Samsung E-Books Let You Read and Write

Everybody has new e-readers at CES this year. With Samsung’s e-book, you can write on the pages.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 8 Jan 2010 | 7:18 am

How the Alexander Mosaic was Seen

Alexander The Great Wear patterns on one of the most celebrated mosaics of antiquity have allowed researchers to reconstruct exactly how ancient Romans viewed the artwork. Found during the 1831 excavations in the lava-buried town of Pompeii, the Alexander mosaic ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 7:07 am

Poison-Taster Ants Help Save Colonies

It turns out ants have group strategies for avoiding famine and poisoning that humans could borrow from.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 8 Jan 2010 | 5:12 am