In the late 1980s, Apple appeared to be in the middle of a resurgence. John Sculley had forced out the volatile Steve Jobs in 1985, and a cadre of older, more experienced executives focused on building the Apple and Macintosh brands. The company was beginning to grow complacent, working to protect Macintosh revenues at the cost of interoperability and new technology.

John Sculley, Apple's CEO, had toyed with the idea of creating a Macintosh-killer in 1986. He commissioned two high budget video mockups of a product he called Knowledge Navigator. Knowledge Navigator was going to be a tablet the size of an opened magazine, and it would have very sophisticated artificial intelligence. The machine would anticipate your needs and act on them.

One video showed a college professor working with the device to effortlessly prepare a lecture while the computer created the graphics and simulated different models. Sculley believed that such a device would be the next big thing in the computer industry, and he desperately wanted Apple to be the company to develop it.

Handwriting Recognition

Steve Sakoman was especially cognizant of Apple's dependence on the Macintosh. While Sakoman was at HP, he worked with alternative input devices centered around different configurations of keypads. He hoped that eventually keyboards would be rendered obsolete and people would use touchscreens to interact with computers equipped with handwriting recognition software.

HP was uninterested in handwriting recognition, and Sakoman was assigned to help design the HP Portable, one of the earliest laptops.

Steve Jobs hired Sakoman in 1984 to help work on a laptop version of the Macintosh after the successful release of the HP Portable. When Jobs left Apple, these laptop plans were scrapped, and Sakoman helped lead the teams creating the Mac Plus, Mac SE, and Mac II.

He found the work uninteresting, however. He wanted to leave Apple to work on handheld computers, and he recruited Jean Louis Gassée to lead a brand new company that would be bankrolled by Lotus founder, Mitch Kapor. The plan fell through, since it appeared that Apple would probably sue the nascent company.

The Newton Project

To keep the talented Sakoman from defecting, Gassée proposed creating a skunk works project to create an Apple handheld computer. Gassée got permission to start the project from Sculley (without telling him what was being researched), and Sakoman set to work.

The first thing he did was select a name for the project. Because Apple's original logo had a rendering of Isaac Newton sitting beneath an Apple tree, Sakoman decided to name the project Newton.

Sakoman gathered a team of engineers (including Finder coauthor, Steve Capps) and moved into an abandoned warehouse on Bubb Road in Cupertino, in the same vein of the Macintosh team almost a decade before.

The Newton researchers started work on a specification for a tablet computer.

Sakoman's end goal for Newton was to create a tablet computer priced about the same as a desktop computer. It would be the size of a folded A4 sheet of paper and would have cursive handwriting recognition and a special user interface.

To run the enormously demanding handwriting recognition software, the tablet would have three AT&T Hobbit processors. Sakoman and Capps feared that the project would balloon in scope and ultimately create something so expensive that it would flop.

The worst of Sakoman's fears came true. The engineers had no restrictions on size or cost, so they started piling features onto the product. The first Newton would be an A4 sized slate with a hard drive, an active matrix LCD, and infrared for high speed, long distance networking. Named Figaro, the product would cost well over $6,000 and wouldn't be released until 1992.

Debugging Software

For two years, the Newton researchers had toiled away, creating mockups and sample software. Several prototype tablets had been assembled and were running very buggy software.

The major hanging point was handwriting recognition. It was incredibly difficult to create handwriting recognition software that was able to adapt to different writing styles. Fate intervened in a bizarre way: One night while Apple VP of board relations, Al Eisenstat, was in Moscow, he heard frantic knocking on his door. When he answered, he saw a nervous programmer scanning the hallway to see if he was being followed. The programmer handed Eisenstat a floppy disk containing handwriting recognition software, then quickly left.

When Eisenstat returned to the States, he gave the code to Gassée, who in turn gave the code to the Newton team. The recognition was remarkably accurate, and it actually adapted to learn different letter shapes, so it learned how to read each user's handwriting.

Financial Problems

By the end of 1989, there was a sense of foreboding around Apple as growth slowed markedly. Between 1987 and 1989, Apple's sales had grown by over $2 billion, but in 1990, sales barely grew (by just $10 million). Apple's strategy of releasing high-end products with incredibly profit margins (30% higher than most other PC manufacturers) was beginning to fail, and Sculley knew it.

Gassée had long defended the practice, as most of the profits were pushed into his division. He actually took steps to prevent Apple from losing the high profit margins by entering the low end. Claris had started a project, called Drama, to create another brand to sell low-end Macs. Drama got as far as contracting with Nissan Design to create the enclosures before Gassée killed the project. He reasoned that consumers would be willing to pay much more for the Macintosh experience.

After the release of the enormously successful Macintosh Classic (Apple's cheapest Mac until the iMac hit US$999 in 2000) and the meteoric growth of Compaq, Gateway, and Dell, Gassée's strategy started developing cracks. It was long assumed that Gassée would succeed Sculley as CEO; instead he became the scapegoat for Apple's stunted growth.

When Michael Spindler was named COO (years after the enormously popular Del Yocam was forced out by Gassée), Gassée felt snubbed, and on March 2, 1990, he resigned. Gassée took Sakoman with him to found Be Inc., where he would help design the BeBox.

More Trouble for Newton

After Sakoman left, Newton was in trouble. In the Advanced Technologies Group (a think tank inside Apple), a former Gassée fief, a product similar to Figaro was being developed. Marc Porat had created a number of documents describing a concept called "agents", small programs that would travel around a network gathering information, then present it to the user or even act on it without intervention. Apple would provide the software (called Paradigm, for the paradigm shift it would predicate) and hardware (Pocket Crystal), while outside companies would provide the wireless networks and content.

Pocket Crystal appeared to pose a significant threat to the Newton project. Two Mac heavyweights were working on the project, Andy Hertzfeld and Bill Atkinson. Sculley sent Larry Tesler to assess the Newton project and see if there was anything that could be used in Pocket Crystal. Tesler had been a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), but he left shortly after Jobs toured the labs. At Apple, he helped design the Lisa interface and was named an Apple Fellow.

Tesler was impressed with the Newton project. By that time, Figaro had three processors, a battery that ran nonstop for weeks at a time, and it weighed eight pounds. He was a little uneasy with the $8,000 price - as much as a Unix workstation. The Newton engineers responded to his incredulity by making the case that there could be no compromises if Figaro was to succeed.

Capps had created a mock up of the Newton software using HyperCard and showed it to Tesler, who was immediately impressed. He threw his support behind the Newton and quickly took control of the group. To insure Newton's continued survival, Sakoman had the team create a more detailed demonstration to show Sculley and the rest of the board, along with a marketing plan from Michael Tchao, the marketing manager who had joined the Newton project weeks before Sakoman left, containing specifications and prices of possible Newton products.

Sculley was enamored with Newton, especially Newton Intelligence, which allowed the software to anticipate the behavior of the user and act on those assumptions. For example, Newton would filter an AppleLink email, hyperlink all of the names to the address book, search the email for dates and times, and ask the user if it should schedule an event.

Pocket Crystal fell out of favor with Sculley and was quickly spun out as General Magic. The company enjoyed some early success, until it languished and eventually sold most of its intellectual property to Microsoft in 1998.

From Research Project to Marketable Product

Sculley set a ship date for Newton, ending its status as a research project. A Newton handheld that cost less than $1,500 would have to be ready by April 2, 1992.

Tchao came up with three Newton models. The first one to be released was a larger version of the Figaro tablet, renamed Senior. Senior would by 9" x 12" and cost around $5,000. A year after the Senior debuted, two smaller Newtons would be released. A midsize model, which was quickly killed, would measure 6" x 9" and cost less than $2,000. The smallest model was Junior, which would be 4.5" x 7" and cost around $500.

Most of the engineering and marketing staff favored Junior, but Tesler pushed Senior. He believed that an underpowered device would set a negative precedent for future Newton products. But Tchao believed that the expensive Senior would relegate Newton to early adopters and vertical markets, not the consumers that Apple had the most sway over.

The two factions were at each other's throats. Tesler favored Senior, since it included a lot more advanced features. His favorite was Senior's ability to connect to five other units simultaneously via infrared.

To the Junior engineer's great amusement (and derision), the feature would not work in a room with fluorescent lighting. Most offices would have to turn off their overhead lights to network their Newtons!

Tchao believed that the infrared was a prime example of how Senior was wrong for Newton. It was focused on bringing new technologies to consumers, not creating a viable product.

The conflict simmered for months until Tchao found an ally in Sculley. The two were sharing a ride on Mike Markkula's private jet. Tchao launched into an impassioned speech making the case for Junior and how Senior would actually harm Newton. Sculley concurred and instructed Tesler to shelve Senior and work to release Junior.

Focus on 'Junior'

Engineers pushed ahead with the software. They worked with the same fervor the Mac team had under Steve Jobs. Not only would Junior change Apple, it would change the world. Beyond that, Apple engineers were often the recipients of huge bonuses if they stayed ahead of schedule (the engineers working on Star Trek were given a free vacation to a resort in Mexico for successfully demonstrating their project). It was not unusual for the engineers to be working between fifteen and twenty hours every day.

Operating system and language development was farmed out to another group in ATG. Based out of Cambridge and led by Ike Nassi, the team worked on a language inspired by the ease of use of the Smalltalk language and the power of C++. Named Ralph, for author Ralph Ellison, the language would be licensed to other software developers and would be used as the primary language for Pink, Apple's planned operating system.

Good-bye Hobbit, Hello ARM

Development began to bog down as it became clear that the language would not run efficiently on the Hobbit processor that Sakoman had selected three years before.

The Hobbit was being developed by AT&T as a low power RISC processor meant to be used in switching relays and embedded applications. The early specifications that Sakoman had created used three Hobbit processors. To cut costs and improve battery life, that had been reduced to one, but the processor was not powerful enough to run the demanding software.

Besides that, AT&T asked that Apple invest $1 million in the completion of the product. Tesler backed out of the deal and went to a small British company named ARM along with Ford, Hobbit's other major customer.

ARM had been started by Acorn, the computer manufacturer. Acorn had made a number of phenomenally popular personal computers in Britain during the early 80s. It reached the apex of its success when it released the BBC Microcomputer, the official computer for the popular program, The Computer Programme. The machine was based on the 6502 processor, which was fine for home applications, but it was reaching its limits with the advent of computer graphics.

Acorn had hoped to move to the new Intel 80286, but Intel refused to give Acorn the samples necessary to design a new computer. Outraged, Acorn started a project led by Roger Wilson to create a RISC processor to power its new line of Archimedes computers running RISC OS.

In 1985, the team had completed its first machine. The ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) CPU had performance comparable to the Motorola 68000 used in early Macs, but with half as many transistors, which meant it consumed less power and generated less heat.

Apple "discovered" ARM, and on September 8, 1990, the company bought a 43% stake in ARM, which was split off from Acorn and subsequently renamed Advanced RISC Machines. Apple would use the ARM6 chip in the Newton. Tesler was named to ARM's board of directors as Apple's representative. (ARM is now the most popular processor in the world, with 1.5 billion chips sold a year.)

The new processor was not only faster than Hobbit, it was also more efficient. An ARM equipped Junior could be much smaller, since it required less cooling space.

Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough to run the taxing Ralph language. The language was stripped down to run on the ARM and renamed Dylan. Apple quickly ran into trademark trouble because of the new name, which officially stood for Dynamic Language. Bob Dylan threatened to sue Apple for using his name without permission. Apple and Dylan eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

A Broad Base

Apple didn't want to take the Newton plunge alone and started looking for a partner. Ideally there would be several different Newton devices available at launch from different manufacturers. Beyond that, Apple had little experience building consumer devices, so it would be much less expensive to contract manufacturing to an outside company.

After contacting Matsushita and Sony, Apple settled on Sharp. Sharp already had a presence in the organizer market with its Wizard, so the company knew how to sell such devices. Besides that, Sharp was the largest LCD manufacturer in the world. Sharp would build Apple's Junior (which was named MessagePad for release) and its own version, called ExpertPad.

Apple also reached agreements with Motorola and Siemens to produce their own versions. (shortly after Motorola released the Newton-powered Marco, the company would jump ship to General Magic and its Magic Cap operating system.)

John Sculley, Evangelist

Sculley was losing interest in day to day operations at Apple. By 1991, he was only actively involved in Newton and Pink. That year Sculley campaigned hard for Bill Clinton (Sculley had been a lifelong Republican until then) and sat next to Hillary Clinton during his first State of the Union speech.

Because of his campaigning, Sculley became the de facto spokesman for the computer industry (like Steve Jobs in 1981), and he granted frequent interviews.

Sculley decided to espouse the value of the Newton during his keynote speech at the CES in Las Vegas on January 7, 1992. Sculley never mentioned the Newton by name, but he made the case that "personal digital assistants" (PDAs) would one day become commonplace.

The larger theme of the speech was digital convergence, and he predicted that the market for devices and content would reach $3 trillion by the end of the decade.

Delays

Sculley was painfully shy (he often ate lunch alone table because he disliked making small talk), but he was an excellent public speaker. The press ate up his words, and he planned to announce the Newton during CES Chicago that summer along with a demonstration of early versions of the MessagePad, which was not even close to being ready for the April 2 deadline Sculley had set.

This was the first of several ship date changes for MessagePad.

Steve Capps began a massive campaign to identify and squash bugs so the MessagePad could be demonstrated at CES Chicago. The engineers put in longer days and worked on fixing thousands of bugs. The software was quickly declared to be in alpha status, which meant that no new features could be added to the software; it would only be fixed and optimized.

Despite their efforts, MessagePad was still very unreliable. The team was forced to drop Ralph altogether because of the slow progress being made on the language. Lots of the software had to be totally rewritten. Tesler practically lived in the office, spending 18 hour days planted in front of his computer hacking away on code.

Preparations for the CES demonstration in Chicago were underway, and the engineers dove even deeper into their work. Capps, who owned a large home outside Cupertino, had a high speed ISDN connection installed at his home so he could work remotely. He was so productive that two other Newton engineers joined him there.

There were an incredible number of bugs to fix. Oftentimes units became too hot to handle because of faulty power managers. The software was not very reliable either. As the team practiced demonstrations of key features like faxing and beaming information via infrared, the MessagePad failed more often than it succeeded.

The Demo

Luckily the demonstration went well.

Apple rented space to show off the MessagePad in Chicago. All of the MessagePads were tethered to Macs - they were too unreliable to run independently. The engineers demonstrated some shape recognition and showed off the user interface, which was based on a notebook paradigm, not the desktop of the Mac's Finder.

All of the demonstrations went very well with no hitches. But Newton was still not in the clear.

The result was a flood of positive press for the MessagePad. The entire computer industry was rushing to bring similar products to the market. General Magic gave its first public demonstrations of Magic Cap weeks after the Newton introduction, and companies such as Microsoft and Amstrad announced that they would release similar products.

Apple's Consumer Electronics Division

Sculley had expected to stay at Apple for only five years, but Apple was growing so rapidly during 1989 that Sculley stayed on (though his wife soon returned to Connecticut).

Michael Spindler had become President and COO and called most of the shots. He engineered a major reorganization shortly after he was promoted. Sculley had created two major divisions when he wrested control from Jobs in 1985, research and development and marketing. Spindler broke Apple into more than half a dozen smaller pieces that focused on specific markets. Newton was rolled into the Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) division that contained all of Apple's consumer electronics.

The division was headed by former Phillips executive Gaston Bastiaens. His crowning achievement at Phillips was to release the CD Interactive (CD-I) console. CD-I was essentially a video game console that used CD-ROMs. The package cost well over $1,000 and never became popular. Eventually, the standard was relegated to interactive kiosks in European department stores.

CD-I demonstrated Bastiaens' major flaw - he was willing to release pricey products with poorly defined markets. PIE would soon release a line of digital cameras, scanners, speakers, and even a portable CD player. Most of the products were priced well above the competition, and they all failed to gain a foothold.

Bastiaens was enthusiastic about Newton. He gave the team a new deadline to finish the MessagePad - July 29, 1993. Bastiaens made the decision not to release the date to the press, which was quickly labeling the MessagePad as vaporware.

Newton Untethered

Another CES was coming up in Las Vegas on January 8, 1993, and the team was working as hard as ever to get ready. This time the MessagePads would not be tethered to Macs; they would have to work on their own. The stress was getting to some of the engineers. Relationships strained as people spent over 16 hours every day at work. It was too much for one software engineer, Ko Isono, who took his life on December 12, 1992, three weeks before the scheduled CES demonstration.

Apple poured resources into Newton. The company hired psychologists to make sure that everybody on the team was mentally healthy and even started a "buddy program" for engineers who were on the verge of burning out.

New employees were being hired all the time. Tchao now had a staff of almost a dozen people preparing press packets stuffed with news releases, photographs, and a cardboard mock up of a MessagePad.

The engineering staff had doubled several times over. All of the engineers who were working on the Senior tablet moved to MessagePad, and Apple was constantly adding people to the team.

In some ways, this actually made the engineers less productive, since they had to explain the inner workings of the enormously complex MessagePad to every new person on the team. Still, with an estimated 750,000 lines of code, the team needed as much help as it could get.

The CES show went well. Apple had reserved a Las Vegas ballroom for the demonstration, which was to include handwriting recognition, faxing, shape recognition, and infrared beaming (something totally unprecedented in the computer world).

Most of the team arrived a day before the demonstration, and the prospects looked bleak. The MessagePads failed sporadically and without warning during their practices. The power manager was still not totally functional, so the MessagePads would eat batteries constantly. Michael Tchao was dejected by the chances of a successful show.

The demonstration went flawlessly until the very end. The climax of the demonstration was supposed to be two Newtons beaming notes between each other, but they failed. Tchao panicked and rushed into the crowd with Capps to show the gathered reporters the beam function immediately after the engineers left the stage.

It worked this time.

Some reporters grumbled about the changing ship date, but most were impressed, and the coverage was resoundingly positive. Nonetheless, the morale of the Newton team was terrible. Tesler, who had championed the project since 1987, left Newton to become Chief Scientist at ATG.

Spring 1993 was a time of transition for the Newton. It had outgrown its beloved offices at Bubb Road (especially since the Pink project occupied half of it), so Newton moved to the brand new research and development headquarters on 1 Infinite Loop. Not only did they have to contend with a move to new offices, but the team had to give a demonstration at the largest technology expo in the world, CeBit, which is held annually in Hanover.

Over 500,000 people flood into the mid-sized city, forcing event organizers to turn the autobahn leading to the convention center into a one way road to get people to and from the show.

Amstrad Pen-Pad

This event was important not only to show the press that progress was being made, but to prove to Sharp that Apple was serious about finishing Newton. As Tchao and his assistant walked past a beer garden in Hanover, they spied a flyer with the heading "First to Market?" Inside they found a description of a product physically very similar to the MessagePad. It was called the Amstrad Pen-Pad 600, and it cost £299 (about US$450) - $350 less than the MessagePad (although the price was not yet public knowledge).

Amstrad was started Essex, a small city in England. The company had released a number of very popular home computers during the early 80s. As IBM PCs (and even Macs) became more and more popular in Britain, Amstrad lost market share. By the early 90s, Amstrad was making the bulk of its money off consumer electronics like satellite receivers and stereo systems.

The Pen-Pad project was started as a way for Amstrad to break into a promising new market, but the product was so flawed that it was discontinued months later. Still, nobody knew that at CeBit, and the Newton team was dejected.

Tchao was somewhat heartened by the news, though. The birth of PDAs meant that other companies felt the market had potential, too. Sculley had tipped his hand almost two years before the MessagePad would be ready, so Tchao wasn't terribly surprised that other companies had been able to catch up - especially when their products were not nearly as good as the MessagePad was going to be.

The biggest announcement from Apple at CeBit was the addition of the enormous Siemens as a Newton licensee. Siemens was going to produce a desktop phone based on the Newton. Apple also announced that Motorola would release a wireless-enabled MessagePad called the Marco, and that Random House would be developing custom content for the MessagePad.

The demonstration of the MessagePad fell apart. The handwriting recognition refused to recognize the phrase "Ring Dietrich". But when the presenter pulled another MessagePad from the dais, the problems were solved. Moments later, the MessagePad sent a fax to the German celebrity, Dietrich, who was about to perform after the Apple show.

Michael Tchao opened up for questions and was immediately hit with questions about the Pen-Pad. An audience member asked how much the MessagePad would cost, and when Tchao responded "under $1,000", another asked, "Will it below £299" in reference to the Pen-Pad.

The questioner kept hassling Tchao, and Bastiaens challenged the man to a bet. If the MessagePad did not ship before the end of summer, he would give up his entire wine cellar, which was worth many thousands of dollars.

Then Michael Spindler took the floor and handled questions about Apple's fluxing management.

Alpha to Beta

When the Newton team returned to California, they were shocked to hear that Newton's software was now in beta, which meant that it should no longer crash. That was far from the case, and it pushed the Newton team even harder. Few engineers respected the change, especially Steve Capps. Everybody was adding bug fixes to the still unstable code.

One of the software managers was flummoxed to find that Capps kept adding features, even after alpha and now during beta. Capps eventually relented and set to work. The real deadline for the software was May 26, which was when Sharp needed the software to burn in the MessagePads on the assembly line.

On the first day of May, there were of 3,700 bugs in the Newton software. As each day went by, more and more of them were squashed until May 26, when it was clear the software was still too buggy to ship. There were over a thousand documented bugs that had yet to be squashed.

Apple implemented creative incentives to get people to fix as many bugs as they could (like gift certificates to Tower Records), but it was no use. Apple had changed the deadline three times now, and Bastiaens knew that the straight laced Japanese would be furious if Apple caused the manufacturing schedule to fall apart.

Bastiaens decided to make the gamble of producing 4,000 MessagePads with beta quality software, not the Gold Master, which was the stage ready for consumers. Those MessagePads that had beta software would not go to consumers; instead they would be used in point of purchase displays at retailers.

Sculley Out, Spindler at the Top

Just as the Newton team was getting ready to release their first product, their greatest champion was forced out. On June 7, 1993, Sculley resigned at the urging of the board after Apple lost $183.5 million during the third quarter. Sculley was immediately replaced by Michael Spindler. Like Jobs before him, Sculley retained the title of chairman, but he had little to do. A few weeks later he moved to Connecticut to join his wife.

Despite setbacks, the Newton team continued to prepare for its final demonstration before the launch at CES Chicago. Apple rented a nightclub to show off the device, which would be vying for attention from consumer electronics giants Casio and Tandy, which released the Palm Computing-developed Zoomer PDA during the show.

The presenters were going through the same demonstrations they had given at CeBit. As reporters crowded into the club, Apple reps spotted several people holding PenPoint tablets, which had been developed by AT&T and released earlier in the year.

The incredulous crowd watched as the Newton team went through the motions and clapped politely. It was clear, however, that Newton's thunder had been stolen, and no amount of money could buy it back.

"You want to know something really depressing?" Capps asked another engineer, "Joey [a young software engineer] was still in high school when we started this project."

After nonstop programming through the rest of June, Gold Master was reached and manufacturing began.

Newton in Production

The Newton team was not home free yet. Several problems cropped up. The first (and most disheartening) was a flaw with the Getting Started card bundled with every MessagePad. One of the games included on the card to help train the handwriting recognition software failed to work. A patch was quickly put together, but it had to be applied by hand. Over two thousand MessagePads had to have their PCMCIA cards replaced (they shipped inside the MessagePad) before they could be shipped to the States.

Another flaw was discovered only when the MessagePads arrived in an Apple warehouse in Sacramento. The rubber pads on the bottom of the units were not attached correctly and would fall off. Vikki Pachera, who helped with manufacturing, drove to Sacramento with a team of friends and spent an entire day gluing 800 "nipples" on the bottom of MessagePads.

Sculley and Tchao were getting ready for a battery of demonstrations just prior to launch, culminating in a demonstration for Good Morning America on July 30. Tchao was terrified, since he would have to demonstrate the fax feature by sending a fax to Des Moines, Iowa, a part of the country prone to phone line failures. To top that, the area was experiencing serious flooding. All attempts to connect to the area before the show were unsuccessful, so it was up in the air whether Tchao would be able to connect period, much less send the fax.

When the show began, Tchao gave the standard demo of the MessagePad's features, and then he started the fax. Spencer Christian was on assignment in Des Moines reporting on the flooding. Christian's fax machine whirred up and then printed out the fax from Tchao. In front of 16 million viewers, the MessagePad had performed perfectly.

Three days later, on August 2, 1993, Macworld Boston began. Thousands of show goers streamed out of Logan International Airport and got into cabs with Apple ads on the top featuring a photograph of the MessagePad and the text "NOW TAKING ORDERS".

The debut had a campy feel, based on Paul Revere's ride. A brief promotional video was put together (one of the last ever produced by the AppleTV division in Cupertino) that featured the line "Newton is coming! Newton is coming!"

A line of dignitaries gave brief speeches - even Tom Selleck and Tom Clancy appeared to talk about how the MessagePad would affect their Kyle Foundation, a charity for ill children.

As showgoers left the auditorium, they walked past the point of purchase displays that were by now in stores across America, each one with a real Newton inside (running beta software) with demo software finalized by Capps the night before.

Newton's launch was successful, and it was up to the rest of the world to decide whether it was a technological breakthrough or dud.

Originally published on Low End Mac, reprinted with permission from Tom Hormby.

Source: Gizmodo | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:20 pm

Most Modern European Males Descend From Farmers Who Migrated From The Near East

Study led by University of Leicester published in PLoS BiologyA new study from the University of Leicester has found that most men in Europe descend from the first farmers who migrated from the Near East 10,000 years ago.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:11 pm

Scientists Identify Ecuador's Yasuní National Park As One Of The Most Biodiverse Places On Earth

Yasuní National Park, located in the core of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shatters a range of world biodiversity records—from trees to amphibians to insects to mammals and an array of other plant and animal groups—new research from U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:09 pm

CBS Refuses To Preserve Jack Benny Footage

goosman writes "The president of the International Jack Benny Fan Club had the opportunity to review some holdings of the CBS vaults while assisting them with some transfers. In the vaults she found 25 shows on film that were unreleased, but in the public domain. The IJBFC offered to pay for the digitization and preservation of these shows; they got a letter of enthusiastic support from the Benny estate. CBS has so far refused to allow this preservation to happen." BoingBoing and TechDirt have both covered this act of cultural destruction.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:07 pm

Tevatron Sees Haiti Earthquake

The massive earthquake that hit Haiti last week has devastated the region, and captured the world's attention as relief efforts continue underway. Via Symmetry Breaking, I learned that the Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab actually detected the quake, despite being 2500 ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:06 pm

Those Less Motivated To Achieve Will Excel On Tasks Seen As Fun

Those who value excellence and hard work generally do better than others on specific tasks when they are reminded of those values.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:05 pm

SlideScreen for Android Borders On Information Overload (In A Good Way)

Let me start off by saying this: I really rather like the default Android homescreen. It’s simple, it’s functional, and above all, it’s endlessly customizable. Thanks to Google’s “do anything” approach to handling app development, end users have countless tools to trick out their phones anyway they want. That, as anyone who’s ever used MySpace knows, is a double-edged sword: the end results are usually range from the rare and wonderful to the terribly tacky.

The guys over at Larva Labs have taken a different, almost Facebookian approach. Instead of allowing users to directly get their hands dirty, they completely stripped down the Android into a sparse, information-oriented design they call SlideScreen, which looks something like a mashup between WinMo 6.5 today screen and HTC’s minimalist TouchFLO style. I was given the chance to play with a nearly final build of the app, which is slated for general release within the next few days, and for you info junkies out there, this may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Read the rest of this post at MobileCrunch >>

Source: TechCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:05 pm

Google delays release of Chinese Android devices

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Google

With Google and China dancing on thin ice concerning censorship along with a slew of other problems, it is no surprise that Google has now decided to postpone the release of two mobile phones running Android. These two phones, planned to be released on January 20th with China Unicom, were made in partnership with Samsung and Motorola and were planned to be packed with features similar to that of the DROID here in the States.

A person close to the Google/China situation has been quoted saying that considering the situation surrounding China, it would be “irresponsible” to release phones at this time.

Now with mobile revenue at stake along with their search revenue, Google might be doing the right thing, but it’s going to hurt. A country of well over a billion people is a huge market to take advantage, or disadvantage, of.

Read [WSJ]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:49 pm

Wearing your beats on your wrist drum machine

I suspect this would have been the watch that Herbie Hancock wore when he made his famous “Rockit” video. Back in the early 1980’s, Seiko was trying to put everything from TV’s to radio’s into watches, and along with those ill advised choices, they also made the drum machine watch. Ugly and over priced, the watch never caught on with the public.

Now, to be fair, the technology was pretty advanced. You’ve got a little drum machine with a built in speaker, six drum patterns, and a metronome mode. It could even tell the time and had a built in alarm!

We never saw them in the US, but you can find them on Ebay now. Just expect to spend some serious cash for a bit of nostalgia.

[via Retrothing]

Source: CrunchGear | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:30 pm

Today’s lesson: Know your opponent

I’m a big believer in open source development. The bazaar development model allows quality ideas to float to the top, albeit in sometimes contentious ways. The Linux kernel, the Apache httpd web server, and the PHP programming language are all developed in the open, and anyone is allowed to participate in their development. Filing bug reports is as important as writing the actual code. It helps, though, to have some sense of understanding of who you might be dealing with when you engage in a pissing match in a bug report.

PHP bug #50696 seems fairly straightforward: some PHP internals were changed, which changed the way the number_format function works. The person who submitted the bug report raises some legitimate concern about this behavior change. What follows is a rather funny exchange between the original bug reporter and the PHP developer who took on the bug. In this case, it was Rasmus Lerdorf, the guy who invented PHP to begin with.

Oh how I wish I had someone to escalate to.

Hopefully you’ve had a better day than either of these two!

Source: CrunchGear | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:00 pm

Show Off Your Photos Without Boring Your Friends

It's easier than ever to share your photos online, but that doesn't mean you should put every last holiday snap up on Facebook or Flickr. Here are some tips for choosing which photos to share and which ones to ditch.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:00 pm

The Decision Tree: How Smarter Choices Lead to Better Health

Wired executive editor Thomas Goetz explores how the data revolution — from genetic testing to iPhone apps — will alter the future of American medicine. Read this exclusive excerpt from his new book, The Decision Tree.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:00 pm

It Looks Like Loic Is Getting Ready To Launch Seesmic Look

Seesmic is going to announce a new product on Thursday. Earlier today, I received an email invitation to attend a “private event” in New York City on Thursday “at which Seesmic and several of its partners will announce a new application that has the potential change the way consumers and brand marketers experience Twitter.” What is it? The email didn’t say, but Seesmic CEO Loic Le Meur left a clue on Twitter when he broadcasted that he was “taking a look at a cool new app.” The message was sent from “from Seesmic Look.” (He left a clue like this before when he bought Ping.fm).

Twitter identifies not just the person, but also the application from where a message originates. When you click on Seesmic Look it takes you to a landing page for an upcoming product launch on Thursday.

So what exactly is Seesmic Look? Well, we know that it will involve “brand marketers” and thus may be the first time Seesmic brings some form of advertising to its product, which is one of the more popular Twitter clients across the desktop, the Web, a native client for Windows7, and mobile platforms (Android and Blackberry).  But all of these clients so far are aimed at Twitter power users.  Seesmic Look sounds more like a women’s magazine.  Could this be a new, simplified product which tries to appeal to the masses? Bringing Twitter to more mainstream consumers is certainly the type of application which would appeal to brand marketers.

Now maybe I’m reading too much into things, but Loic left another clue to that effect last year when he put up a YouTube video with “30 Predictions for Twitter.”  I’ve embedded it below, but you can just jump to the 1:12 mark where he points out that mainstream users “won’t use the same tools as we do.  The current tools, including ours are really, really aiming at the power users, the very first Twitter users.”  He says that there will be a “dramatic change” in the Twitter tools and apps to make then “much easier to use” and “more accessible to the public.”  He then slips and says, “You will see, I think, at least we will make it.”

Ever since I first saw that video, I’ve been wondering when we’ll see Seesmic’s Twitter app for the masses.  Maybe we’ll finally get a look at it on Thursday.

Source: TechCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:44 pm

Aliph announces Jawbone Icon with MyTalk

FROM APPLETELL - You know Aliph for their amazing line of Jawbone bluetooth headsets.  Well, they’re at it again with the Icon, and it’s quite a special headset.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:36 pm

Microsoft Charting New Course For Windows Mobile? - ChannelWeb

Techie Buzz

Microsoft Charting New Course For Windows Mobile? ChannelWeb As next month's Mobile World Congress looms, Microsoft is believed to be preparing some bold and risky moves in an effort to climb back to a meaningful position in the mobile market. In a Tuesday note to clients, ... Microsoft's Zune Phone in April?Techtree.com Running down the latest Zune Phone rumorsCNET Windows Mobile 7 to Get Two Versions, Report SaysPC World BetaNews -Christian Science Monitor -Times of India all 204 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:35 pm

New Visible Light Photocatalyst Kills Bacteria, Even After Light Turned Off

In the battle against bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a powerful new weapon – an enhanced photocatalytic disinfection process that uses visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark.Based upon a new catalyst, the disinfection process can be used to purify drinking water, sanitize surgical instruments and remove unwanted fingerprints from delicate electrical and optical components."The new catalyst also has a unique catalytic memory effect that continues to kill deadly pathogens for up to 24 hours after the light is turned off," said Jian Ku Shang, a professor of materials science and engineering at the U.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:34 pm

Program Uses Art To Engage At-Risk Kids

Identifying the public health and safety needs of children from low-income communities may be best accomplished through art, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in the current online issue of Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education and Action.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:31 pm

IBM raises outlook but investors wary after rally (Reuters)

Reuters - IBM raised its 2010 profit target and reported a stronger-than-expected, 9 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings, as cost cuts and a shift to more profitable contracts helped it weather a slump in corporate spending.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:25 pm

Connecting With Your Inner Earpiece [The Mossberg Solution]

Apps are hot. These are the small programs that can be installed on a digital gadget to get it to do more than what it did when you bought it. Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and iPod Touch are the best app platforms right now thanks to the company’s App Store, which offers an estimated 125,000 apps. Research in Motion (RIMM), Android, and Palm (PALM) devices also work with apps.

But why should smart phones have all the fun? Yahoo (YHOO) Connected TVs from Samsung, LG (LG), Sony (SNE), and Vizio allow people to load app-like “widgets”—including Facebook, Twitter, weather and stock quotes—onto their big-screen TVs. And GPS navigation devices take advantage of apps for information on fuel prices and traffic.

This week, I tested a Bluetooth earpiece that also can be made smarter with apps: Aliph’s $100 Jawbone Icon (http://us.jawbone.com). Like many other wireless earpieces, it connects to your Bluetooth-enabled phone so you can talk, hands-free. Unlike other Bluetooth earpieces, the Jawbone Icon can be plugged into a computer and loaded with different settings and apps. This works using Aliph’s Web-based software platform called MyTalk (http://mytalk.jawbone.com) and some apps enable more than hands-free talking.

For now, there are only two apps that truly expand the functionality of the earpiece, in my opinion. But MyTalk is a good start in making this tiny Bluetooth device more sophisticated and encouraging more hands-free productivity.

The idea of connecting an earpiece to a PC is helpful in two respects. First, it turns the Jawbone into a dynamic product that can be updated and enhanced over time, rather than never changing from the day you buy it. Second, it lets users more easily adjust the settings of a device that’s too tiny to have its own screen, thus eliminating the need for more confusing buttons on the device. Over time, these earpieces could become even simpler and smaller as more of their settings are adjusted on the computer.

Since the Jawbone Icon and its MyTalk software platform launched this week, only five “dial apps” and 10 “audio apps” are available for synching to the earpiece. The former are apps that perform functions by dialing out on your phone, like hands-free text messaging; the latter are settings to adjust the voice making announcements in your ear, like telling you that the battery needs charging. As of now, only one of each app category can be synched onto the Jawbone Icon at any given time. Aliph plans to make the Icon capable of simultaneously running multiple apps sometime this year.

If you ever used one of the earlier Jawbone models and thought you weren’t hip enough to remember how its hidden earpiece buttons worked, the Jawbone Icon’s refreshingly simple design will bring a sigh of relief. It uses two easily detected controls. One is an obvious button on the top of the earpiece that controls the earpiece’s functions. The other is a tiny on/off switch on the inside surface that couldn’t be easier to use.

The Icon comes in six models with catchy names that match the “persona” of the audio apps: The Hero, The Rogue, The Ace, The Catch, The Thinker and The Bombshell—each literally has its own distinct voice. Each device weighs less and has a wider and shorter design than previous Jawbones. The Icons come in shades of black, silver, white, red and gold, depending on the model’s persona, and resemble handsome jewelry.

Each earpiece has a short, gray bendable USB connector that allows for easy access to a PC’s USB port. This is used for synching and charging the earpiece, though a separate wall charger also comes in the box.

I tested my Jawbone Icon by plugging it into both an Apple MacBook Pro and a Dell (DELL) running Windows 7. I logged onto http://mytalk.jawbone.com and requested an invitation to use the MyTalk software by sending Aliph my email since it’s still in a “private beta” or experimental phase. You’ll have to do the same until MyTalk comes out of its private beta stage sometime in the next few months.

After setting up an account using my email and a password, I followed on-screen instructions to get started with synching apps to my earpiece.

MyTalk’s dial apps include five programs that help you do more with your voice, so you don’t need to look down to type on a mobile device. Once synched with your Jawbone Icon, the app will activate as soon as you press and hold the earpiece button.

For now, only two of the five dial apps are really helpful for the headset: Jott and Dial2Do. Both let people use their voice to send themselves reminders, send tweets on Twitter, and send text messages—assuming the programs correctly interpret what is dictated. I had pretty good luck with this, though one test of the text-messaging function thought I said “needle” when I really said “noodle” and another interpreted “blinds” as “blind.”

Of the two, I found Dial2Do a little easier to use. Its Basic Account is free but is limited to sending yourself reminders, while a Pro Account costs $40 a year or $3.99 a month, and offers social-networking, emailing and text-messaging, among other things. Jott can only be used free for one week, but requires a credit-card number for signing up and will charge $2.95 a month after the trial week is over.

MyTalk’s remaining three dial apps aren’t too exciting: “Directory Assistance 411″ and “Voice Dial,” a feature that only works if your phone has built-in voice-dial capability, which most do now. Another app called 1-800-FREE411 lets users get 411 information without being charged carrier fees.

MyTalk’s audio apps include six playful voices, three in different languages (German, Spanish and French) and one plain, unaccented English voice. Each of the playful voices has a coinciding photo and name when you’re picking settings on the Web site. One called “The Bombshell” is represented by an attractive, blonde woman who speaks in a sexy voice. A voice called “The Rogue” says, “I am ready for my assignment,” when the earpiece is turned on. During most of my testing, I kept my Jawbone Icon set on “The Ace,” represented by a woman with a smart British accent who said, “They can wait,” when I declined calls.

The chosen audio app voice speaks every so often, like when the device is turned on, when you query the headset’s remaining battery life (an indicator light also tells you the remaining charge), when an incoming call is received or when you turn the headset off. But the Voice Dial app uses the standard voice that comes with your device’s voice-dialing capability—not the fun audio app voice you’ve chosen.

Another downside to the headset is that it isn’t yet able to tell you the name of whoever is calling even if you have them as a contact in your phone; instead, it only reads the phone number aloud. If you’re like me, you don’t know have many numbers memorized anymore, so this isn’t helpful. Instead, it forced me to look at my phone for the caller ID, defeating the purpose of a hands-free earpiece. Aliph hopes to fix this problem within a year.

The Jawbone Icon is the first earpiece to use a software platform for adding apps, and MyTalk makes synching easy. Although Aliph plans to offer more apps and software updates for the Jawbone Icon (and subsequent devices), there will likely always be some activities that are simply too difficult to perform using voice alone. But MyTalk is a good first step toward making the Bluetooth earpiece more useful.

Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Source: All Things Digital | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:17 pm

Hiding From Google

penguinrecorder writes "Google offers Web users a simple trade-off: Let the search giant track a substantial portion of your comings and goings around the Web, and it will offer you a free, superior online experience. Now independent security researcher Moxie Marlinspike is making Web users a counter-offer: take Google's giveaways and keep your privacy too. On Tuesday, Marlinspike launched a service he calls GoogleSharing, a plug-in for Firefox designed to give users access to Google's online offerings while cloaking their identity from the company's data collection tools. By hosting a proxy server with a collection of Google 'identities,' the privacy software will allow users temporarily to route their traffic through another computer that masks their identity by mixing their online actions with those of other users. The system is totally transparent, with no special 'alternative' websites to visit. Your normal work flow should be exactly the same." GoogleSharing only works for those services not requiring a Google login; for the latter, no proxying is done.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:11 pm

Mobile Giving for Haiti Earthquake Relief Surges Past $27 Million in Donations

SEATTLE, Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:04 pm

Small Sounds, Big Deals: How Do Number Sounds Influence Consumers?

Consumers remember the sounds of numbers in prices and associate certain sounds with value, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.Authors Keith S. Coulter (Clark University) and Robin A.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:01 pm

Global Business and Environmental Challenges Drive Demand for Video Communication

LONDON, January 20 /PRNewswire/ -- - Regus Launches the World's Largest Public Access Video Communication Network Regus, the leading global provider of innovative workspace solutions, today announces the launch of the world's largest public access video communication (VC) network.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:01 pm

How quaint, a review of Sony’s very first CD player

This is great. Original reviews of classic gadgets and computers are fun because you can marvel at the things that were new and mysterious then, but beyond commonplace now. In this review of Sony’s CDP-101, it is noted that there are many buttons, but no knobs. How things have changed, and now we value knobs as high-end and disparage buttons as peasant interfaces.

This one is lower and wider, has a horizontal drawer that slides out to accept the disc, and has much more flexibility of control. Audiophiles will however be dismayed to note that there is nothing on it to adjust; there isn’t even a knob to diddle. But there are plenty of buttons.

After the unit is turned on, a touch of a button opens the loading drawer. The disc goes in label-side up, playing-side down. To close the drawer, you can push the same button again or simply select a band for playing.

They also remind you of how far we’ve come. The digital encoding of music may have lost something in the early days (some would argue has never been recovered), but the medium made possible a perfect replicability and precision that some would say vinyl lacks.

The most immediately noticeable characteristics of the CD sound are its awesome lack of background noise and its almost unbelievable freedom from strain during the loudest passages. After a while one starts to notice other things. For example, the low end seems to have no bottom limit. In fact I am willing to bet I was hearing stuff at the extreme bottom that the record producers hadn’t heard, because some of it was soft but obviously extraneous infrasonic noise—occasional thuds that were totally unrelated to the music.

I mean, when was the last time you thought, “Ahh, what a refreshing lack of background noise!”

Definitely an interesting read for anyone interested in the history of technology.

[via Retro Thing]

Source: CrunchGear | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 pm

Our Memory Of Time Is Shortened When We Believe Products And Events Are Related

When we believe two events are connected—such as drinking caffeine and getting a burst of energy—we tend to compress time, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research."People sometimes feel the effect of product consumption almost instantaneously—within an unrealistically short time after consumption," writes author David Faro (London Business School).
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 pm

Cable Cutters: Cheap Alternatives to TV, DSL, and Cell Service (PC World)

PC World - I don't like service providers. Cable TV, landline phone and fax, mobile phone, ISP, and even satellite radio companies have so little real competition that they know they don't have to impress me very much to get my business. I either pay the full fees and become connected to them by their cord (physical or wireless), or I don't get any service. Until lately.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 pm

Microsoft Enters Into Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement With Funai

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. has signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Funai Electric Co.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 pm

Too Many Choices? New Study Says More Is Usually Better

Are we overloaded and paralyzed by too many choices, or is it good to have so many options? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says the jury is still out on so-called "choice overload."Authors Benjamin Scheibehenne (University of Basel, Switzerland), Rainer Greifeneder (University of Mannheim, Germany), and Peter M.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:58 pm

Want To Convince? Use Abstract Rather Than Concrete Language

When consumers talk to each other about products, they generally respond more favorably to abstract language than concrete descriptions, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research."In a series of experiments, we explored when and why consumers use abstract language in word-of-mouth messages, and how these differences in language use affect the receiver," write authors Gaby A.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:56 pm

Bill Gates Rejoins Facebook, Gives Twitter A Try Too

Last summer, Microsoft founder Bill Gates made the somewhat surprising announcement that he was quitting Facebook after being inundated with friend requests, explaining “It was just way too much trouble so I gave it up”. Today, it looks like he’s decided to give it another go. A few hours ago, Gates launched both a new Facebook Page and a Twitter account (@BillGates).

Gates’ first updates on Twitter, which were first noticed by TheNextWeb are mostly related to the crisis in Haiti, which may well have spurred his decision to join. President Obama recently sent his first tweet from an aid center in Haiti, and plenty of other celebrities have used the platform to help encourage donations. The new Twitter account has been verified by Twitter as the real deal.

We’re still waiting to hear back from Facebook to confirm that the Facebook.com/BillGates page is legitimate, but it seems to be. Update: Facebook has confirmed that the account is real. The account appears to have been created last month, but didn’t have any updates posted until a few hours ago, and both accounts use the same profile photo. His first update was a link to his charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His second shared item? A link to Microsoft.com, which isn’t going to win him any creativity points. Other shared items include photo albums of his trips to Africa and India, and a link to the homepage of the prep school he attended.

As some of our commenters have pointed out, Gates won’t have to deal with the countless friend requests he used to get on Facebook, because both Twitter and his Facebook Page use one sided connections — anyone can follow him without any action required on his part.

Source: TechCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:56 pm

QOTD [Digital Daily]

QOTD [Digital Daily]

“Ashley Tisdale, Carnegie Foundation, Rania Al Abdullah, Vinod Khosla, Malaria No More, Ryan Seacrest, ashton kutcher, Kara Swisher, Pierre Omidyar, Steven Levy”

– A random selection of the 39 people and foundations Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is following on Twitter

Source: All Things Digital | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:47 pm

Will the Apple Tablet Be Called iPad?

Bloggers can’t stop banging the rumor drum with an Apple press event scheduled for next week, presumably devoted to its anticipated tablet device. MacRumors’ Arnold Kim found evidence suggesting Apple filed for the trademark iPad, which could be another potential name for the rumored Apple tablet, in addition to iSlate and iGuide.

Based solely on the 2006 Mad TV sketch below the jump (warning: mildly NSFW), I wholeheartedly hope Apple does not brand its tablet “iPad.”

Personally I’m into the name “iSlate.” It sounds like what you would call the iPhone’s bigger sibling. Plus, there’s firm evidence that Apple filed for the iSlate trademark and owns the iSlate.com domain. (Apple does not own the iGuide.com or iPad.com domains.)

Some other Apple heads are predicting the resurrection of iBook, the name of Apple’s older notebooks prior to the MacBook rebranding, for the tablet. I’d bet against that, since Apple will likely push its tablet as a general-purpose device and stray away from it being construed a pricey e-book reader or “Kindle killer.” Plus, I have doubt Apple would wish to recycle an old product name for what we’re all hoping will be a revolutionary new product. It just wouldn’t seem right.

Whatever the name is, I’m willing to bet the “i” prefix is here to stay. Assuming the tablet is running some form of the iPhone OS, it would be inconsistent to slap the “Mac” prefix into the name.

Of course, anyone’s guess is as good as mine, and we’ll all find out Jan. 27. What do you think an Apple tablet should be called? Vote in the poll below, or add your own suggestions in the comments section.

See Also:

• Apple Invitation Confirms Special Product Event for Jan. 27 …
• Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet
• Approaching January, Apple Tablet Rumors Run Wild
• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
• Predict Our Apple Tablet Coverage, Win an Apple Tablet

Photo illustration of an Apple “iTab”: Gluepet

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:38 pm

Small Donations Make Big Impact through mGive: Mobile Phone Subscribers Pledge More than $24 million for Red Cross to Help Haitian Earthquake Victims

DENVER, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 2.5 million people have texted $10 pledges for Haitian relief to the American Red Cross in seven days, the largest number ever to take action for a mobile giving campaign.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:36 pm

Apple updates Boot Camp, drivers for Windows 7 (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - Remember when Apple promised that Boot Camp would be updated to officially support Windows 7 in late 2009? It turns out that promise was a few weeks off, but the company has finally delivered, only one week after Microsoft's beloved Patch Tuesday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:30 pm

Fatal Frame IV’s fan translation patch is complete and lets all regions enjoy the game

FROM GAMERTELL - Devoted Fatal Frame fans have created a patch for Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse that allows any Wii to run the game, in English, without installing the homebrew channel. Just install a simple patch from an SD card and you’re all set.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:29 pm

Samsung Settles With Rambus In Patent Dispute

Tackhead writes "After almost a decade of legal wrangling, Samsung has settled with Rambus over the antitrust case, regarding allegations of price-fixing for DDR and SDRAM memory, that was scheduled to proceed this month. (Here is a half-decade-old summary of the twists and turns of the case.) As part of the settlement, Samsung agrees to purchase $200M in Rambus stock, pays $200M in cash to Rambus, plus $25M per quarter for the next 5 years in licensing fees. No immediate word on the implications for Micron or Hynix."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:28 pm

SlideScreen for Android borders on information overload (but the good kind)

Let me start off by saying this: I really rather like the default Android homescreen. It’s simple, it’s functional, and above all, it’s endlessly customizable. Thanks to Google’s “do anything” approach to handling app development, end users have countless tools to trick out their phones anyway they want. That, as anyone who’s ever used MySpace knows, is a double-edged sword: the end results are usually range from the rare and wonderful to the terribly tacky.

The guys over at Larva Labs have taken a different, almost Facebookian approach. Instead of allowing users to directly get their hands dirty, they completely stripped down the Android into a sparse, information-oriented design they call SlideScreen, which looks something like a mashup between WinMo 6.5 today screen and HTC’s minimalist TouchFLO style. I was given the chance to play with a nearly final build of the app, which is slated for general release within the next few days, and for you info junkies out there, this may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

What was immediately apparent was the level of work that went into it: the whole shebang runs very smoothly, and at times seemed more responsive than the normal homescreen ever was. Each category is color-coded, and dragging the status bar up and down allows you to cycle through new tweets, stock updates, unread Google Reader items, new text messages, emails, and calendar entries. A quick tap on the corresponding icon opens up the associated app, while a long press lets you create a new entry. Without the traditional homescreen, the menu key is now in charge of bringing up the app drawer, along with a shortcut bar along the top for quick access to the apps that were normally out front.

The text, while small, is totally readable, especially on a high resolution screen like the Droid’s. Full disclosure: I’ve been wearing glasses since the fourth grade, so you may want to take any vision-related judgments I make with a grain of salt, but SlideScreen was just as legible on the G1 and Cliq I tested it with. Granted, the experience wasn’t quite as smooth, but considering the underpowered hardware involved, I still came away impressed by the whole affair. SlideScreen also can be run as a separate application instead of a homescreen replacement, just in case people want a one-stop shop for their personal and public information without having to give up pretty wallpapers and such.

It goes without saying that SlideScreen isn’t going to be ideal for everyone. As much as I like its style and organization, it’s certainly more information in one place than some users will feel comfortable with. Still, for those tired of looking at a stock Android install whenever they fire up their phone, SlideScreen is a solid, stylish homescreen replacement that may do them some good.

UPDATE: SlideScreen has just hit the Android Market in two forms, an ad-supported free version and the unfettered Pro version going for $6.99.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:26 pm

Toyota Sees Robotic Nurses in Your Lonely Final Years

Before Toyota made cars, it made robots. It’s making them again, and wants to use them in a most unusual place.

When it was founded in 1926, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works (as it was then known) manufactured automatic fabric looms that could detect problems and shut down automatically. It marketed these revolutionary devices as having “autonomation” — automation with human intelligence.

Now Toyota, looking ahead at the second half of this century, sees a mounting health care crisis and aging population coming to Japan. It sees a future where manufacturing robotic workers is the hot new industry and “autonomation” takes on a whole new meaning.

And the first place we might see these robots is in hospitals.

Japan’s aging population and low birthrate point to a looming shortage of workers, and Japan’s elder care facilities and hospitals are already competing for nurses. This fact has not escaped Toyota, which runs Toyota Memorial Hospital in Toyota City, Japan. Taking a lead from Honda, Toyota in 2004 announced plans to build “Toyota Partner Robots” and begin selling them in 2010 after extensive field trials at Toyota Memorial.

Toyota doesn’t see these machines serving only as nurses. They’re also being designed to provide help around the house and do work at the factory. But it’s the idea of robotic nurses that drew support when Japan’s Machine Industry Memorial Foundation estimated Japan could save 2.1 trillion yen (about $21 billion) in health care costs each year using robots to monitor the nation’s elderly.

This is more than some futuristic fantasy. The government is drafting safety regulations for service robots, which would include nursing droids. A new agency, the Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, has launched a five-year project to improve safety standards for the machines. The South Korean Government has even drawn up a code of ethics for how robots should treat humans and, perhaps ironically, how humans should treat robots.

“As aging of the population is a common problem for developed countries, Japan wants to become an advanced country in the area of addressing the aging society with the use of robots,” Motoki Korenaga, a ministry of trade and industry official, told Agence France-Presse.

It isn’t so far-fetched. Japan leads the world in building robots, and the bots show remarkable skill. Honda’s famous android, Asimo, has served tea, conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and freaked-out James May of the BBC program Top Gear. Toyota’s robots have even played the violin and the trumpet.

Of course, there’s a huge difference between waving a conductor’s baton and providing aid and comfort to grandma. But Japan’s biggest automakers are determined to make this work. Honda has spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing its human-like robots, and Toyota has 200 people working on the project full-time. To put that in perspective, it might assign 500 engineers to developing a new car platform. Toyota also is working with at least 10 corporate suppliers and 11 universities.

Toyota’s experience building cars, particularly hybrids, will be invaluable. It makes all of its own motors, batteries and power electronics, and it has worked with electronics giant NEC to develop specialized computer vision processors. All are critical components for robots. And like Honda, Toyota’s robot and autonomous vehicle programs are sharing sensing, mapping and navigation technologies. And the automotive giant has the added advantage of running a hospital where it can test its robo-nurses. Toyota says the first of them could be in service next year, and their descendants could be working on the moon by 2020. Seriously.

Toyota and Honda aren’t going to stop building cars, but both see a big market for robots. Toyota is so bullish on bots, it sees them becoming a core business by 2020 (.pdf). Some may see these machines as a threat to our jobs, if not our safety — particularly if they’re serving as nurses. The last thing people want is T-100 checking their IV drip. But the Japanese seem to be thinking of bots like Astroboy — loyal creations willing to sacrifice themselves to save their humans friends.

Either way, Japan’s biggest automakers are doing what they can to make robots a reality.

Photos: Toyota

See Also:

• Robots Perform Shakespeare
• Surgical Robots Operate With Precision
• Robo-Ethicists Want to Revamp Asimov’s 3 Laws
• Humanoid Robots Share Their First Kiss

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Undersea Internet Cables Could Detect Tsunamis

Tsunamis could be detected by the electrical fields they produce.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Toyota Sees Robotic Nurses in Your Lonely Final Years

Toyota has started building robots. One of the major applications the carmaker has planned for its androids? Providing comfort and care to the elderly.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Toyota Sees Robotic Nurses in Your Lonely Final Years

Toyota has started building robots. One of the major applications the carmaker has planned for its androids? Providing comfort and care to the elderly.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

Video: Ericsson gets fancy with 3D maps on an Xperia X10

As someone who makes a living babbling about cell phones all day, I can’t complain too much about my job. With that said, the dudes over at the Ericsson Labs don’t have it too bad either. Their job, as I see it:

1. Make something really cool
2. Release the source code for aforementioned really cool thing
3. Start making something else that is really cool

The latest cool thing to come out of Ericsson Labs is “3d Landscape”, a set of APIs for pushing 3D maps to web services and Android applications. It’s still super early in development — maps are only available for Stockholm, for example — but Ericsson’s engineers promise that more locations are on the way. Should we expect 3d map goodness to hit all of our favorite location-based Android apps? Probably not just yet – but if this project keeps progressing, we wouldn’t mind it one bit.

Check out the video after the jump.

[Via Android Community]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:56 pm

Teradata Announces 2009 Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Date

DAYTON, Ohio, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) today announced that it will release its 2009 fourth quarter financial results before the market opens on February 11, 2010. Teradata will host a conference call and live web broadcast at 8:30 a.m.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:43 pm

2-D Avatar To Be Pulled From Theaters In China

SimonTheSoundMan notes that Avatar is being pulled from screens in China for being too successful, and too provocative in its anti-authoritarian message. (The 3-D and IMAX versions will remain.) "The communist nation's state-run movie distributor China Film Group is unexpectedly yanking the James Cameron-directed blockbuster Avatar from 1,628 2-D screens this week in favor of a biography of the ancient philosopher Confucius starring Chow-Yun Fat. ... According to a report in the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, the move was made at the urging of propaganda officials who are concerned that Avatar is taking too much market share from Chinese films and drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue of forced evictions."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:43 pm

HP Plans Line of (Relatively) Affordable 3-D Printers

Printers equipped for 3-D are poised to go mainstream, now that Hewlett-Packard plans to start selling them. The company’s inkjet and laser printers are staples in offices and homes.

The devices, which can crank out three-dimensional plastic models through a process similar to printing text on sheets of paper, have until recently been available only to high-end industrial designers. HP’s devices will be targeted at a broader market of mechanical-design professionals, and will probably cost less than $15,000.

“This is the boldest step we have seen so far in 3-D printing,” says Scott Summit, chief technology officer for Bespoke Innovations, a company that creates 3-D artifacts for medical use. “A lot of people want to do 3-D printing but it is a mysterious world. With HP embracing it, it is likely to demystify the idea to many consumers.”

HP’s printers will be manufactured by Stratasys, a company that specializes in 3-D printers.

The printers have long been used by designers and architects in computer aided design (CAD) to create prototypes before finalizing on the design for large-scale production. But these printers cost many thousands of dollars and have been popular with only a select group of specialists.

Over the last three years, hobbyists have found a way to make inexpensive 3-D printers, bringing the technology to do-it-yourselfers. The Makerbot, a 3-D printer that started shipping last April, costs $750 for a basic kit that includes, among other things, three NEMA 17 motors to drive the machine; nuts, bolts, bearings, belts and pulleys to assemble it; an electronics motherboard; and a pinch-wheel extruder to shape objects. A premium version of the Makerbot printer costs $950.

The HP-Stratasys line of printers are likely to be much more expensive than the Makerbot, since they are targeted at users in automotive and aerospace industries. HP and Stratasys declined to mention pricing for the upcoming line of 3-D printers. But last year, Stratasys offered an office-friendly 3-D desktop printer for around $15,000.

“There are millions of 3-D designers using 2-D printers,” says Santiago Morera, vice president and general manager of HP’s large format printing business, in a statement. “Stratasys’ technology is the ideal platform for HP to enter the market and begin to capitalize on this untapped opportunity.”

HP’s line of 3-D printers could straddle the world between hobbyists and small design businesses such as Summit’s that are looking to create individualized objects for consumers.

For instance, Summit’s firm has created  a backpack for firefighters that is molded individually to each user’s body. The backpack also doubles as a suit of armor, he says.

Another application for 3-D printers could be prosthetic limbs, because they could be customized for every individual.

Summit says, “3-D printers were not used in the production stage. But it is no longer just a prototyping tool, it’s become a manufacturing tool.”

The availability of inexpensive computer aided design (CAD) programs has helped make 3-D printers accessible to more users, says Summit.

“Five years ago you had to pay quite a bit of money to get a program that would let you export your design file in the STL format that can be sent to the 3-D printer,” he says. “Designers had to know Solidworks or Maya. But now you have Blender and Sketchup and other inexpensive 3-D-design programs.”

See Also:

• 3-D Printers Make Manufacturing Accessible
• 3-D Printing’s Great Leap Forward
• Desktop Factory: (Almost) Affordable 3D Printer

Photo: 3-D printer (metacheetr/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:42 pm

HP Plans Line of Affordable 3-D Printers

With the news that Hewlett-Packard plans to start selling 3-D printers that small design firms can afford, the formerly specialist technology seems poised to hit the mainstream.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:42 pm

HP Plans Line of Affordable 3-D Printers

With the news that Hewlett-Packard plans to start selling 3-D printers that small design firms can afford, the formerly specialist technology seems poised to hit the mainstream.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:42 pm

CIA Contractor Now Flying Spy Drone Over Haiti

A controversial CIA contractor finds fresh work flying drones on disaster-recovery duty. Evergreen International Aviation won't say who its client is.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:15 pm

Samsung HZ35W features an AMOLED display and geotagging

Section: Imaging, Digital Cameras

Although the Samsung HZ36W is not the first of its kind to feature geotagging, it is certainly good to see that more consumer-level digital cameras are adopting geotagging. It features a 12-megapixel sensor and a whopping 15x optical zoom. One of its main features is the large 3.0” AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic light emitting diode) display. AMOLED displays are superior to traditional TFT displays in terms of color, resolution, reading angle and readability under sunlight. This means that outdoor photographers will benefit a lot from this screen, along with its geotagging feature, tagging photos with coordinates of where the picture was taken.

Via [OLED-Display]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:10 pm

Blackboard Launches Custom Toolbar for Web Browsers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:07 pm

FBI Broke Law Spying on Americans Phone Records, Post Reports

FBI agents got thousands of Americans' phone records with phony emergency letters to telecoms, a pending report finds. That, despite top officials learning about the work-around. No prosecutions are expected.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Microsoft To Delete Bing IP Data After 6 Months

adeelarshad82 writes "Bowing to pressure from the EU, Microsoft said it would discard all data collected via its Bing search engine after six months. (Microsoft's announcement contains a timeline for what data gets anonymized or deleted when.) Until now, the software giant has retained the data for 18 months. Over the past two years, however, Internet companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google have made efforts to reduce the amount of time that information is stored. Microsoft's policies will remain the same, but now, the company will delete the IP address and other info after six months. Back in December 2008, Microsoft said it would reduce its retention time to six months, but only if its rivals followed suit. At the time, Yahoo anonymized its data after 13 months, and Google did the same after 9 months. A week later, Yahoo cut that time down to three months, but Google said its decisions are not conditioned on what competitors do."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 2:55 pm

Win a Copy of 'The Physics of Superheroes'

Author and professor James Kakalios uses Iron Man, Superman and other costumed crime-fighters to school the world on science. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Kakalios' recently updated book.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 2:46 pm

Yelp Takes On Foursquare in Latest iPhone App Upgrade

Yelp adds a "check-in" feature to its latest iPhone app upgrade. It's a direct challenge to Foursquare, whose core function is letting others know where you go and when you're there.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 2:40 pm

Why "Running IT As a Business" Is a Bad Idea

snydeq sends along a provocative piece from Infoworld, arguing that the conventional wisdom on how IT should be run is all wrong. "Bob Lewis dispels the familiar litany that 'IT should be run as a business,' instead offering insights into what he is calling a 'guerilla movement' to reject conventional 'IT wisdom' and industry punditry in favor of what experience tells you will work in real organizations. 'When IT is a business, selling to its "internal customers," its principal product is software that "meets requirements." This all but ensures a less-than-optimal solution, lack of business ownership, and poor acceptance of the results,' Lewis writes. 'The alternatives begin with a radically different model of the relationship between IT and the rest of the business — that IT must be integrated into the heart of the enterprise, and everyone in IT must collaborate as a peer with those in the business who need what they do.' To do otherwise is a sure sign of numbered days for IT, according to Lewis. After all, the standard 'run IT as a business' model had its origins in the IT outsourcing industry, 'which has a vested interest in encouraging internal IT to eliminate everything that makes it more attractive than outside service providers.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 19 Jan 2010 | 2:12 pm

Speculation of other possible Apple announcements January 27th

FROM APPLETELL - Additional iPhone carriers? New iPhone/Mac hardware? Steve Jobs’ retirement? What announcements beyond the Apple tablet should we expect on January 27th?
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 2:02 pm

Temple to Cat Goddess Discovered in Egypt

A limestone statue of the cat goddess Bastet discovered in Alexandria, Egypt. Photo: courtesy of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The remains of a 2,200-year-old temple dedicated to an ancient Egyptian cat goddess have been discovered by archaeologists near Alexandria's ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 1:56 pm

Mobile Apps Business is Booming...for Apple - PC World

Telegraph.co.uk

Mobile Apps Business is Booming...for Apple PC World Mobile apps had a banner year in 2009--with more than 2.5 billion apps downloaded and revenue of more than $4.2 billion. There are a number of newcomers to the app store arena, but app store pioneer Apple has a virtual monopoly right ... Mobile apps projected to earn $6.2B in 2010; Wintek riot captured on filmApple Insider Apple Owns Over 99 Percent of Mobile App DollarsPC Magazine Mobile app scoring big for The ScoreVancouver Sun Hot Hardware -Ars Technica -InformationWeek all 322 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 19 Jan 2010 | 1:13 pm

Unboxing: The Jawbone Icon

We knew it was coming, and we knew when it came – what we didn’t know, however, was that one was going to show up on our doorstep today.

I’ll be giving Aliph’s latest-and-greatest headset Bluetooth headset a runthrough over the next few days, so expect a full review within the week. In the mean time, feel free to peruse our quick little gallery of the deboxing process after the jump.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 1:06 pm

Google postpones phone launch in China amid recent quarrel

Looks like there won't be a "Google phone" in China, not for a while at least. Well, an official phone; I'm pretty sure the gray market will take care of that. And yes, it has to do with the ongoing Google-China troubles. The deal is that the phone, presumably the Nexus One, was supposed to launch on Wednesday. Google has postponed the launch because it says the applications on it won't work as well as they're designed to because of the restrictions China places on Google. Google it trying to get China to ease up on its restrictions, lest it pull out of the country altogether.

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 1:00 pm

Helping computers understand language

An irony of computer science is that tasks humans struggle with can be performed easily by computer programs, but tasks humans can perform effortlessly remain difficult for computers. We can write a computer program to beat the very best human chess players, but we can't write a program to identify objects in a photo or understand a sentence with anywhere near the precision of even a child.

Enabling computers to understand language remains one of the hardest problems in artificial intelligence. The goal of a search engine is to return the best results for your search, and understanding language is crucial to returning the best results. A key part of this is our system for understanding synonyms.

What is a synonym? An obvious example is that "pictures" and "photos" mean the same thing in most circumstances. If you search for [pictures developed with coffee] to see how to develop photographs using coffee grinds as a developing agent, Google must understand that even if a page says "photos" and not "pictures," it's still relevant to the search. While even a small child can identify synonyms like pictures/photos, getting a computer program to understand synonyms is enormously difficult, and we're very proud of the system we've developed at Google.

Our synonyms system is the result of more than five years of research within our web search ranking team. We constantly monitor the quality of the system, but recently we made a special effort to analyze synonyms impact and quality. Most of the time, you probably don't notice when your search involves synonyms, because it happens behind the scenes. However, our measurements show that synonyms affect 70 percent of user searches across the more than 100 languages Google supports. We took a set of these queries and analyzed how precise the synonyms were, and were happy with the results: For every 50 queries where synonyms significantly improved the search results, we had only one truly bad synonym.

An example of a bad synonym from this analysis is in the search [dell system speaker driver precision 360], where Google thinks "pc" is a synonym for precision. Note that you can still see that on Google today, because while we know it's a bad synonym, we don't typically fix bad synonyms by hand. Instead, we try to discover general improvements to our algorithms to fix the problems. We hope it will be fixed automatically in some future changes.

We also recently made a change to how our synonyms are displayed. In our search result snippets, we bold the terms of your search. Historically, we have bolded synonyms such as stemming variants — like the word "picture" for a search with the word "pictures." Now, we've extended this to words that our algorithms very confidently think mean the same thing, even if they are spelled nothing like the original term. This helps you to understand why that result is shown, especially if it doesn't contain your original search term. In our [pictures developed with coffee] example, you can see that the first result has the word "photos" bolded in the title:


(Note that because our synonyms depend on the other words in your search and use many signals, you won't necessarily always see the word "photos" bolded for "pictures", only when our algorithms think it is useful and important to bold.)

We use many techniques to extract synonyms, that we've blogged about before. Our systems analyze petabytes of web documents and historical search data to build an intricate understanding of what words can mean in different contexts. In the above example "photos" was an obvious synonym for "pictures," but it's not always a good synonym. For example, it's important for us to recognize that in a search like [history of motion pictures], "motion pictures" means something special (movies), and "motion photos" doesn't make any sense. Another example is the term "GM." Most people know the most prominent meaning: "General Motors." For the search [gm cars], you can see that Google bolds the phrase "General Motors" in the search results. This is an indication that for that search we thought "General Motors" meant the same thing as "GM." Are there any other meanings? Many people can think of the second meaning, "genetically modified," which is bolded when GM is used in queries about crops and food, like in the search results for [gm wheat]. It turns out that there are more than 20 other possible meanings of the term "GM" that our synonyms system knows something about. GM can mean George Mason in [gm university], gamemaster in [gm screen star wars], Gangadhar Meher in [gm college], general manager in [nba gm] and even gunners mate in [navy gm].

Here are screenshots of those disambiguations of GM in action:
Source: The Official Google Blog | 19 Jan 2010 | 12:51 pm

Target announces pricey HDTV installation service

Section: Video, HDTV

Target has announced a new HDTV installation service that will ship and install your new HDTV, and nickel and dime you if you let it. The new Zip Express Installation service will deliver and set up your TV for $99. Want it wall mounted? That starts at $199. Need your Xbox or Wii connected to it? That’s another $99. Want the TV connected to your PC or home network? Another $99.  Want them to take the old TV with them for recycling? $50. This service can end up being quite steep once you’re done.

While there are some instances when paying for delivery and installation makes sense, say if you buy a 60+ inch model and want it wall mounted, but otherwise doing it yourself makes more sense. My husband and I set up our Samsung and it was relatively painless. Just make sure you have all the HDMI and other cables you’ll need before you begin, and keep in mind that if HDTV is new to you, you may have to get a new cable box from your provider to really enjoy it.

Read [PCWorld]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 12:50 pm

Poe Painting Presents Poet in New Light

Take a closer look at a painting of Edgar Allen Poe that shows the author's softer side.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 12:05 pm

Monkey Rivals Human at Nut-Cracking

Wild bearded capuchins in Brazil have been observed cracking tough palm nuts using hammer stones, with one particularly skillful monkey surpassing all others, according to a new study. (Illustration of (a) an adult female and (b) an adult male bearded ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:57 am

Underwater Treadmill: Immediate Payoff for Spinal Cord Victims

Sandra Stevens, a physical therapist at Middle Tennessee State University, is using an underwater treadmill to improve the lives of spinal cord patients. Some of them were only able to walk for a few minutes in their daily life, before ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:43 am

AT&T corrects Mobile Facebook login problems

Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Mobile, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking

Just before last weekend started, it was discovered that some people were able to login to others Facebook accounts due to some “routing problem” with AT&T. It seems that at least some users were able to login and view the Facebook account of total strangers. According to AT&T;

“In a limited number of instances, a server software connectivity error resulted in some AT&T wireless customers being logged in to the wrong Facebook account when they accessed Facebook through their mobile phones.”

Kind of scary to think that you could just bring up Facebook.com and be given another persons information, or more accurately, that someone else could have been given your information. All of your listed information including photos, telephone numbers and maybe even an address. Kind of makes you think.

Anyway, as per the fix, it seems that AT&T has added some new security measures to prevent further cases of this happening. According to AT&T, they worked with Facebook to “disable subscriber identification information as an option for automatic log-on, Coe said. The subscriber identification is the session identification number that gets added to the URL”

Via [Gizmodo] and [Yahoo! News]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:41 am

Rumor: Apple Event to Highlight iPhone OS 4.0 in Addition to Tablet

In addition to a tablet device, Apple is expected to introduce the next major upgrade for its iPhone operating system in a press event next week, according to reports.

Fox News cites an unnamed Apple employee who claims iPhone OS 4.0 will be a major topic of the Jan. 27 press event along with the fabled Apple tablet. The source did not disclose any details about the software upgrade, but in a separate report The Boy Genius Report cites one of its “trusty Apple connects” who stated the following:

• There will be multitouch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
• “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
• Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient.
• The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
• The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

“We’re not commenting on rumors,” an Apple spokesman told Wired.com.

Wired.com polled a few iPhone app developers who said it was realistic to expect iPhone OS 4.0 to be demonstrated next week. Last year, Apple held a press event previewing iPhone OS 3.0 in March and released the upgrade during May’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple could feasibly demonstrate iPhone OS 4.0 next week (assuming it’s ready) to give developers time to prepare their apps for the update prior to releasing it at WWDC.

Phillip Ryu, a partner at iPhone development house Tap Tap Tap, said his impression was iPhone OS 4.0 should be ready for announcement because Apple will presumably announce the tablet’s software development kit, which would most likely contain some elements of iPhone OS 4.0.

Fox News’ source added that Apple will launch iLife 2010 during next week’s event. That could indeed be true, because Apple has released most of its previous iLife software suites during January Macworld Expo conferences in years past.

We’ll find out soon enough. Stay tuned here on Gadget Lab, where we’ll provide live blogging and news coverage of Apple’s press event next week.

See Also:

• Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet
• Approaching January, Apple Tablet Rumors Run Wild

Photo of an iPhone 3GS: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:36 am

4 Things That Could Keep 3-D TV Out of Your Living Room

Big screen LCDs and plasma TVs are so 2009. If TV manufacturers are to be believed, the hottest consumer electronics product of the next few years is likely to be a 3-D TV.

Almost every major TV maker including Sony, LG, Panasonic and Mitsubishi showed big screen 3-D TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. Even content providers such as ESPN, DirecTV and Discovery have promised 3-D channels that will begin broadcasting in 2011.

But before you start saving to buy a 3-D TV, consider the downsides. It’s not for everyone and it may not be as much fun as you think. Here are four reasons that could keep 3-D TVs out of your living room.

Watching 3-D content can be exhausting

Remember when you mother told you that watching too much TV is bad for your eyes? In case of 3-D TVs, she’s probably right.

3-D TVs are likely to aggravate eyestrain in many people who have minor eye problems, say optical experts. And because they are such a new sensory experience, many viewers could end up with a headache, Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmology professor at Northwestern University told Reuters.

About 20 percent of people who saw a 3-D movie did not like it because of the eyestrain, according to a survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. About 5 percent of people are also “stereoblind,” which means they cannot see depth by combining and comparing images from both eyes, says the firm.

And unlike regular TVs, 3-D TVs are best experienced with dim lights at all times. So the classic Superbowl scenario — a group of friends eating chips and dips and getting up a few times to get some beer — won’t work, says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research.

“It’s not going to work for any social viewing,” he says. “It’s going to be like, ‘let’s sit down and watch this movie,’ with the eyes focused on the screen all the time.”

That also means no flipping through magazines during commercials or watching 3-D TV while making dinner. 3-D TV demands utter and complete concentration. So sit down and focus.

And with all that sensory overload, you are more likely to feel fatigued after a few hours of 3-D immersion.

3-D Glasses are a drag

Watching a clip of Monsters vs. Aliens or Avatar on a 3-D TV can be fun. But first you have to need to put on a pair of compatible glasses — either specially polarized ones, or active shutter glasses that contain electronics synchronized with the images on the screen to deliver a 3-D effect to your eyes.

Wearing glasses for a three-hour movie like Avatar is one thing. But doing it every day, day after day, can quickly become annoying.

Though active shutter or polarized 3-D glasses are getting more lightweight and sleeker, there’s no escaping that they are still a pair of glasses you’ll have to wear every time you want to watch 3-D video on your TV.

What’s also not clear is how 3-D glasses will work for those who already wear prescription eyeglasses. For now, you just have to put them on over your regular glasses — hardly an elegant solution.

The glasses will also cost extra. Consumers who spend $3,000 for a 3-D TV will have to shell out more to get a pair of glasses. Active shutter glasses can cost $50 a pop or more and for a big family, the cost can add up. Also, buyers need to factor in losses, because glasses can be misplaced easily.

TV makers will likely offer bundled deals where a pair or two of glasses are included with purchase of a TV set, but so far there have been no clear announcements.

And if you’re having friends over to watch a movie or a game, you’ll have to remind them to bring their own glasses. If they forget, they are out of luck.

Some companies, such as LG, Samsung and Mitsubishi, are showing prototypes of 3-D TVs that require no glasses. But in that case, the TV can be a very limiting experience. 3-D TVs without glasses have a very specific viewing range — four feet in some cases — and have very specific viewing angles, so they’re not well-suited to screenings with more than a small number of viewers.

Expensive for consumers and producers

For consumers, 3-D is likely to work best for gaming and sports. Forrester’s McQuivey estimates the total hours a week a viewer might want to watch 3-D content could be two to five hours. That’s just 10 percent to 20 percent of the average person’s total viewing time.

And for that bit of viewing pleasure, be prepared to shell out a few thousand bucks. Currently, 3-D is only an option on relatively high end TVs costing $2,000 to $3,000 or more, and it adds about $300 to the sticker price of a 2-D TV. You’ll also need to buy new peripherals, such as Blu-ray players, that conform to the 3-D spec.

Creating 3-D content will be an expensive process, as well. The production costs of a 3-D movie are between 5 to 10 percent higher for computer-generated animation movies and 10 to 15 percent higher for live-action movies, estimates Pricewaterhouse Coopers in a research report. “Only a minority of films will be able to justify those costs, even in 10 years,” says David Wertheimer, CEO of USC Entertainment Center in the report.

Different formats cause confusion

LCD or Plasma? How big — 30 or 50 inches? Consumer decision-making around HDTVs has been simplified enough for anyone to walk into a Costco store and pick out a TV.

Buying a 3-D TV will be more challenging. Glasses or no glasses? Active shutter glasses or polarized filter glasses?

Then there are differences in how the 3-D effect is produced. Companies like Sony use alternate frame sequencing along with active shutter glasses for the 3-D effect.

Meanwhile, LG and others are using different technologies to create the autosterescopy effect to create 3-D TVs that require no glasses. (Read Wired.com’s explainer on how different 3-D TV technologies work.)

The average consumer may find it all extremely confusing and will have to learn new terms and technologies to cope with it.

For the coming year at least, most people will choose to stay with their regular, two-dimensional HDTVs.

See Also:

• Gallery: The TVs That Will Suck Hollywood Into the 3rd Dimension
• Sony Flaunts 3-D TVs, Taylor Swift to Regain Its Cool
• Samsung’s Impossibly Thin 3D TV Tempts Hollywood Producer
• Wired Explains: How 3-D Movie Projection Works
• Wired Explains: How 3-D Television Works
• James Cameron’s New 3-D Epic Could Change Film Forever

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:31 am

4 Things That Could Keep 3-D TV Out of Your Living Room

The future of TV may be 3-D but before you start saving to buy one, consider the downsides. The tech isn't for everyone and it may not be as much fun as you think.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

Leaked: Alleged screenshot and details of iPhone OS 4.0

I could really write this post in all of about eleven words, and it would still have the same effect. It’d go something like this “Apple, leak, new iPhone OS, screenshots, multitasking, banshees, multi-touch gestures”. However, I’m from the Internet, and we’re paid by the word* around these parts.

To make a short story long, one of Boy Genius’ “connects” (a word which he’s trying his damnedest to make trendy) came through with an alleged screenshot of iPhone OS 4.0 and some details. The screenshot is just trivial enough to seem a bit shaky, though BG says the source is trusted.

What the source had to say:

• Multi-touch gestures are being incorporated throughout the OS
• There will be a “few new ways” to run applications in the background.
• Plenty of UI changes were put in place to make using the OS more efficient.
• Sadly, the rumor indicates iPhone OS 4.0 will be iPhone 3G/3GS only. iPhone 1 owners, it’s time to retire your piece.
• “Brand new syncing” capabilities for the calendar/contacts system.

As with almost every Apple rumor in the history of ever, the details are just vague enough — but also just enticing enough — to pique everyone’s interest without revealing a damn thing. Churn on, rumor mill – churn on.

* Not really.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:06 am

Lessons from Google's Underwhelming Nexus One Show - BusinessWeek

Times Online

Lessons from Google's Underwhelming Nexus One Show BusinessWeek By most accounts, Google's (GOOG) Nexus One smartphone isn't lighting the mobile phone world on fire. PC Magazine reports lackluster sales and says the branded device lacks the "wow factor." Although much criticism seems centered ... Google Risks Losing Focus Amid ExpansionReuters Biz back to usual for Google ChinaZDNet Asia Nexus 1 Death Possible – After the 3G screen problems on the Nexus OneNews Trends Creative Mac -PC World -CNET all 234 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 19 Jan 2010 | 11:04 am

Women's Earning Power Shifts Economics of Marriage

In a trend that bucks antiquated gender roles, more men are apparently marrying into money.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 10:50 am

NEC unveils the Pine Trail equipped LaVie Light netbook

Section: Computers, Netbooks

NEC have recently updated their line of netbooks, and as you may have guessed that update will mean they are now going to be sporting Pine Trail processors. The newly updated netbooks are in the Lavie Light series, but aside from the internal updates the exterior is going to remain largely the same.

This particular netbook series includes a few models such as the BL530/WH6B and the lower end BR340/WA both of which will have an Intel Atom N450 processor and GMA 3150 for graphics.

The higher end BL530 is also going to have a 10.1-inch display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, 2GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and will be running Windows 7 Home Premium. The lower end BR340 will feature the more typical netbook specs with 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, 10.1-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution and Windows 7 Starter.

Unfortunately, like many other tech goodies, these will not be available outside of Japan.

Read [PC Watch] Via [Netbooked]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 10:38 am

T-Mobile loosens SIM unlock policies, travelers rejoice

Traveling overseas can be such a pain – there’s just so much to remember. Did you board the dogs? Did you turn the oven off? Did you remind your fight club buddies that your basement would be unavailable that week? Did you remember to get your handset unlocked by T-mobile so you could use a different SIM card overseas?

Gettin’ ol magenta to hand over the unlock codes has always been a bit of a pain; while it’s totally within your rights (according to your contract, at least), you’ll more often than not get an operator who needs to be convinced that you fit the criteria. Well, that just got a wee bit easier.

Starting this Thursday, T-mobile will be relaxing their unlock guidelines. Whereas you once had to be a T-Mobile customer for 90 days before you could request an unlock, FlexPay and PostPaid customers can both now call in for a code at just 40 days. Folks on prepaid plans will have to wait 60 days and will need to have at least 10 bucks in their account (though as long as you’ve refilled within the past 30 days, you should be set).

Have you tried to unlock your T-mobile phone before? Let us know how it went in the comments below.

[Via TmoNews]

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Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 10:18 am

NASA Builds Greenest Gov Building Ever

A green building called the Sustainability Base is being constructed at NASA’s Ames in Mountain View, Calif., and will serve as a testbed for intelligent systems that monitor and manage indoor conditions. The technology -- mostly software -- for the ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 10:07 am

Strong Green Reconstruction for Haiti

The overwhelming destruction in Haiti reminds one engineer of the shoddy buildings that collapsed during the massive 2008 quake in Sichuan, China. For him, it's not too early to think about sustainable reconstruction. Civil and environmental professor Yan Xiao at ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 19 Jan 2010 | 10:04 am

Verizon doubles FiOS ETFs, adds option for 35 Mbps speeds

Section: Video, HDTV, Video Providers, Web

It looks like Verizon Wireless isn’t the only section of Verizon looking to impose some changes.  As of Sunday, Verizon has doubled the early termination fee on FiOS from $180 to $360.  Today, to go along with the ups in the ETF, Verizon has added more options including faster Internet connection.

Normally an upgrade in speeds isn’t too much of a big deal.  The new FiOS offerings, however, are offering symmetrical 35 Mbps speeds.  That’s 35 Mbps up and down, which could prove useful for those who like to stream or download HD content.  The only issue looks to be that the new speeds are only available with the new Ultimate HD package.  The Ultimate HD package also includes phone and TV, with a number of “premium” HD channels like Showtime and NFL RedZone.  The plan will run you $140 a month for the next two years of the contract, unless you want to pay $360 to get out of it.

The new ETFs paired with the high prices of the services definitely makes it seem like somewhat of a bad deal.  The exception of a few live events like sports, it almost seems to me that being locked in a two year contract that involved TV might be a bad move.  It’d be just as easy to buy a Boxee Box, or any other box to stream content from your computer or the Internet rather than pay for TV service.  That symmetrical 35 Mbps is quite tempting, though.

Read [PR Newswire]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 9:23 am

Apple's Coy "Latest Creation" Press Event Set For Monday

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jan 2010 | 8:31 am

Who’s radio is in the Apple Tablet?  AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile?

Section: Apple, Audio, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Netbooks

According to the big league media, Apple is really doing the tablet this time.  After many rumored announcements, the swell behind this unannounced announcement is impressive.  If the tablet is real, as virtually everyone would have us believe, the bigger question quickly becomes, “who’s radio will it have?”

Apple’s tablet would need to be connected.  An always-on connection to the internet is a prerequisite for most netbooks, laptops and of course, smartphones.  An Apple tablet that relies only on WiFi isn’t nearly as interesting.

Apple’s relationship with AT&T has been tight since the launch of the iPhone and Apple has gone to bat for AT&T over the 3G bruhaha, so maybe the love affair would continue.  However, the analysts point to Verizon.  From PHONE+

Analysts are saying that Verizon Wireless will be a 3G carrier for the device. Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall is saying that unnamed sources have told him that it’s a “certainty” that Verizon will support the tablet. However, so will other carriers, he said – it will be a non-exclusive

. 

The non-exclusive route seems to make the most sense.  Apple would be able to point to Tablet sales with a Verizon radio to provide the carrot to carry the iPhone at a premium (the stick).  PC/laptop/netbook are typically non-exclusives with limited subsidies - very different than the smartphone market.

What if Apple has coaxed AT&T to allow tethering on the iPhone for the event?  By tethering to the iPhone, iPhone customer could avoid another mobile data bill each month simply by using the same connection they currently pay for.  It would be an interesting alignment to get AT&T to step into the promised tethering world for the iPhone.

Will we see one tablet version with multiple radios or a customized tablet for each vendor?  Will the vendor subsidize the tablet?  How quickly will the price fall?

Assuming they are not just showing us the iPod touch with a camera, this is going to be an interesting event.

Read [Appletell]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 19 Jan 2010 | 8:11 am

LED Of The Rings: The $60 Macro ‘Flash’

Brando’s LED ring-light for SLR cameras is a genuinely clever take on the ring flash. And at just $58, it is also just about the cheapest solution we have ever seen.

The Circular Macro Half/Full LED Light Source fits onto the front of most lenses (adapters for common filter-thread sized are supplied) and offers the on-axis, shadowless lighting of a ring flash. But because it uses LEDs, the lighting is continuos instead of coming in a split-second burst. This has a few advantages: You can use the camera in full auto without any fancy iTTL hookups, as the camera’s meter can see the light and work out exposure normally.

It is also small, with the light itself barely larger than the front of the lens, and requires just a couple of AA batteries to power the 48 LEDs (or 24 LEDs, should you decide to use just one side or the other). The unit also comes with a mains power adapter (which doesn’t charge the batteries).

There are some disadvantages, too. The effective maximum distance is given as just 1 meter (3.3 feet), a pathetic number even when compared to the weakest flash found in a cheap point’n’shoot. For macro shooting, though, that should be all you’ll need. And did we mention that it’s cheap?

Circular Macro Half/Full LED Light Source [Brando via the Giz]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 7:09 am

Grand Theft Auto Cruises Onto The iPhone

Grand Theft Auto, the pedestrian-punching, car-stealing, ho-beating video game, has arrived - cursing and swearing like a dock-worker with Tourette’s - on the iPhone.

The GTA franchise is best known, perhaps, for scandal and controversy. The infamous “Hot Coffee Mod”, for instance, saw the game enter a rather adult realm. But behind the whines of the do-gooder public moralists hides an excellent set of games, and at first look, GTA Chinatown Wars lives up to the reputation.

Chinatown Wars is pretty much a straight port of the Nintendo DS Lite version and, despite having had to pass the prudish App Store censors, survives with all of its gameplay (and f-bombs) intact. I had a quick play with it in bed this morning and I love it (and I’m no gamer). The controls consist of an on-screen virtual joystick, which works by moving a thumb around in the bottom left corner. The buttons for kick, punch and so on are also virtual, and while the joystick works great, the “buttons” are easier to miss in a panic. The DS’ mini-games also make it in, as the consoles share a touch-screen. You can break into a car by hitting the screen and start it by twisting a screwdriver in the ignition. Neat.

The animation is incredible, especially considering it is happening on an iPod. For those who haven’t seen the DS version, Chinatown Wars is a hybrid of the original top-down GTA and the full 3D environments of the console games: a camera flies above you and swoops around to follow the action. Ignore the jagged lines on the screenshot - you don’t see those in the game.

Chinatown Wars is $10. That’s a lot by App Store standards, but half the price of the DS cart. Watch out Nintendo.

GTA Chinatown Wars [iTunes]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:57 am

No Gadgets For Haiti: Postpone a Purchase and Donate

The name is a little confusing, but the cause is a good one. No Gadgets for Haiti is a site on which you can take the cash you were going to waste on yet another shiny plastic gee-gaw and send to to do some good in Haiti, where things seem to be getting still worse.

Unlike the rather sickening PR pitches that came our way on the back of the earthquake and seeking to profit from disaster, this site is merely a clever reframing of donations. We’re reluctant to donate small sums for a good cause, but happy to drop hundreds on an “essential” replacement for a gadget we already own. No Gadgets for Haiti twists this around, making €69 (the price of a Magic Mouse) seem like a cheap donation.

Lest you worry about the morals of the people behind the scheme, don’t. The small group of nerds and programmers from the Netherlands, headed up by Bart Veldhuizen (the renouncer of the Magic Mouse), doesn’t have anything to do with the money. Instead, you donate via the Red Cross or other respected agency and simply fill out your name, item and its price. It’s kind of a league-table for generous nerds, and best of all, you can always go ahead and buy the widget next week.

In fact, this project dovetails nicely with Last Year’s Model, a site that argues you should keep your old gadgets rather than upgrading to the latest shiny tonys.

The top item on No Gadgets for Haiti so far is the $183 Aiptek T-20 USB Mini Pico Projector, turned down by Joris. The sheer accuracy of that listing is quite wonderful on its own, and sums up exactly why geeks are such great people.

No Gadgets for Haiti [No Gadgets for Haiti] Thanks, Joris

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:56 am

Motoroi: Motorola to release another Android phone in March (video)

Motorola held a press conference in Seoul yesterday to announce a partnership with SK Telecom, a major Korean telecommunications company. The occasion: SK Telecom will be the first company to distribute an Android phone in that country, the so-called Motorola Motoroi.

It’s not a rebranded Droid, but a completely new phone (in Europe, the Droid was named “Milestone” but remained largely unchanged technically). SK Telecom customers will be able to lay their hands on the Motoroi in early February.

But Motorola Korea and SK Telekom representatives are quoted as saying that Motorola is ready to roll out the Motoroi in the US in March, too. And apparently it will be available in a number of other countries as well.

Here are the main specs:

• 3.7-inch WVGA 16:9 touch screen (480 x 854 resolution)
• 8 MP camera with Xenon flash
• HD video recording (720p)
• HDMI interface
• TV tuner (T-DMB)
• 8GB internal memory (microSD card support up to 32GB)
• Android 2.0 OS

In Korea, the Motoroi will be sold for $800. Pricing and other details for the US and other territories haven’t been officially announced yet.

Here’s a Motoroi video pulled from the phone’s Korean website. The clip is in Korean but enough to get a good first impression of the basic functions.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 19 Jan 2010 | 6:17 am

NAMM: Big Tones Come From Tiny, ‘Lunchbox’ Amps

ANAHEIM, California — Want tasty tones in a small, affordable package? Pack a lunchbox.

Guitar-amp manufacturers are responding to the practical and economic wishes of musicians by rolling out a slew of “lunchbox” style amplifiers, so called because they’re about the size of a school lunchbox, complete with handle.

Lunchboxes are compact vacuum-tube amps, usually carrying between two and six tubes inside. They run at low power, usually between 5 and 15 watts. Priced between $400 and $800, they are far less expensive than most tube amps. Just plug one into a speaker cabinet (or two, or four) and you’ve got a full guitar rig capable of producing a wide variety of sounds and tones.

The amp credited with kicking off the lunchbox craze is the Tiny Terror, a 15-watt amp made by British manufacturer Orange that debuted about two years ago.

The sparks generated by the Tiny Terror have grown into a raging brush fire. The expo floor at NAMM, the musician’s trade show which took place here this past weekend, was packed with more lunchboxes than a grade-school cafeteria.

Dozens of manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon. Big names like Mesa, Vox and Blackheart have put out their own models, as have smaller companies like Hayden and VHT and boutique manufacturers like Burriss.

Lunchboxes produce a sparkling, lively tone even when cranked up. Dialing in some dirtier sounds give things a menacing and hugely satisfying edge.

“It sounds awesome,” says Derek Mather, a 14-year-old phenom from the Santa Cruz, California, band Almost Chaos who was picking some guitar licks (.mp3) on a Tiny Terror at the Orange booth (pictured at top). “It has a really amazing sound for such a small amp — way better than my big Mesa Boogie.”

The best way to get the warm, beefy tone of players like Hendrix, Slash or Clapton is by pushing an amp to its limits. But playing big, fancy amps cranked all the way up is hardly a practical solution for the bedroom.

Low-powered amplifiers reach their limits at much lower volumes, and when they get loud (and make no mistake, these things can get loud enough to cause genuine pain) they maintain the rich and full sound of a much more powerful — and more expensive — amp.

The lunchbox is perfect for the player who wants to be able to sound like AC/DC or Hound Dog Taylor or anyone in between at any volume — all with one low-priced amp.

“In most situations, all you really need is a 15- or 30-Watt amp,” says David Jenkins of True Tone Music, a vintage guitar store in Santa Monica, California. It’s especially true in bars or smaller venues where most musicians play, or even in bigger places where the amps are properly miked, he says.

One of the best-sounding lunchboxes of the dozen we played is being made by Bob Burriss of Lexington, Kentucky. His company, Burriss Amps, makes two models, both around $1,000. The Dirty Red is made for crunchy, distorted lead sounds, and the Royal Bluesman produces glassy, warm blues tones.

Burriss’s amps are hand-wired, meaning all the interior connections are soldered by hand. It’s what the famous British amp companies of the 1960s did, and among amp connoisseurs, its a term synonymous with superior workmanship. Most of the lunchboxes we played at NAMM are hand-wired.

Hand-wiring is more expensive than using machine-printed circuit boards, but factories in China and Korea have been quickly training their workers to hand-wire. As a result, companies have been able to turn out Asian-built hand-wired lunchboxes at the cost of last year’s machine-built amp. VHT, which manufactures its amps in a factory near Shanghai, sells its two-tube, 6-watt lunchbox for only $260.

VHT recognized the trend building midyear and brought its own lunchbox from design to production in only three months.

Lunchboxes do have some drawbacks. For one, they are just the head unit — the speakers are separate. Touring musicians sometimes just carry heads and arrange to have speaker cabinets supplied by the venue, and some prefer to use different speakers for different song styles. Still, that’s not very helpful for guitarists stuck in the basement.

But if you want a low-powered amp with a speaker built in, talk to amp designer Steve Carr of Carr Amplifiers in Pittsboro, North Carolina. A dealer first approached him about building a small, low-powered amp in 2002.

“I originally thought it was a bad idea,” he says.

But he went ahead with it, debuting the Carr Mercury in 2003. It was one of the first amps that came with a built-in attenuator, so you could switch between four settings — 8 watts, 2 watts, one-half and one-tenth of a watt — as you moved from the rowdy gig to your apartment with the baby sleeping in the next room.

The Mercury, which costs $2,100, has since become his biggest seller. He now also makes the 3-watt Raleigh.

He has no plans to build a lunchbox, but he maintains a positive attitude about the craze he helped ignite.

“They’re versatile, reliable and they give you a wide range of sounds,” he says. “Those little guys are great.”

See also:

• NAMM: A Mad Professor of the Stompbox Goes Open Source
• NAMM: Korg’s Wavedrum Adds a New Beat to Your Next Hippie Jam
• NAMM: This Ain’t Your Brother’s Portastudio
• Class D Amplifiers Are Shrinking and Greening Your Electronics

Photos: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:30 am

Big Tones Come From Tiny, 'Lunchbox' Amps

Tiny, 'lunchbox' guitar amps are all the rage, as seen by a half-dozen new models on display at NAMM, a music gear conference.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jan 2010 | 5:30 am