The Sync Blocker cable is a USB to Micro USB cable with a small switch that allows you to choose whether you want to sync data or just charge your gadget. It goes for ten bucks which is about equal to regular cables which force syncing. [USB Fever via CrunchGear]

Did Apple Just Ban Sexual Content From The App Store?

Apple may have just made a major change to the App Store that could render many developers’ applications worthless. We’ve just heard from Jon Atherton, the developer behind Wobble iBoobs, who says that he just received an Email from Apple indicating that his application was being removed from the App Store because of a new policy change: Apple has apparently decided “to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store.” Here’s the letter Atherton says he received:

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review.

Sincerely,
iPhone App Review

From what I can tell, this isn’t an isolated incident. I’ve tried to download apps called “Exotic Positions” and “Sexy Women”, and both of them gave me errors indicating that the applications were no longer available. However, some applications with similar themes (“Beautiful Boobs”, “Sexy Girls Uncovered”, and “Sex Strip”) worked. All of these applications came with Apple’s “objectionable material” warning that requires you to affirm that you’re over the age of 17. This may be a case of Apple picking and choosing which apps are too sexual, or they may still be figuring out which apps to pull (or the changes may not have propagated to all of Apple’s servers). There are reports on Twitter of other developers having their applications pulled as well.

Of course, many of these “sexy” applications have been on the App Store for many months. Wobble, which lets you add “jiggle points” to any photo (use your imagination) hasn’t released a change in functionality for 6-8 months, and has been installed 970,000 times — none of these were flying under Apple’s radar.

We’ve reached out to Apple for more information.

Wobble iBoobs jiggles its way out of the Apple app store

It’s no surprise that Apple’s approval and rejection process for iPhone apps can be completely arbitrary and often asinine. Take Wobble iBoobs, for instance: the application has been on the market for several months and has even earned about $300,000 in sales, but after Apple “recently received numerous complaints” from customers, the app was pulled. The best part? This app didn’t even contain any questionable content — certainly not a first for an app store rejection.

What Wobble iBoobs did was simple: you take an image of your choice (say, a bikini-clad girl from Safari on iPhone), mark the boobs within the app, shake your phone and watch them bounce and wobble. That’s it. It didn’t contain any porn, there were no preloaded images and it was on the market long enough to make more than pocket change.

Naturally, the developer was ticked and sent us the official response from Apple:

Dear Glentwood pty ltd,

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review.

Sincerely,
iPhone App Review

So, the iPhone App Review team originally believed it was suitable for distribution, then changed its mind without first notifying the developer? Sounds about par for the course in iPhone dev land. Bye-bye application, tough luck developer.

What really irritates me is that these stories can fly all over the Internet, but ultimately Apple doesn’t budge or change its stance. Developers and customers alike are lambasting Apple’s proclivity for frivolous app rejections, but Apple just turns the other cheek. Do I think the process will change? Probably not. Can it change? Maybe if we get a large enough crowd with torches and pitchforks.

Origin’s Eon18 gaming laptop is not entirely origin-al

After Dell bought out Alienware, some of the executives left and formed a new company. That company, called Origin PC, sells high end computers and notebooks. Origin PC just announced their newest product, the Eon18 laptop. There’s only one problem. It looks suspiciously like another computer we looked at a few months ago.

No big deal, you think, Origin PC licensed the technology from BFG. Well, not exactly. If you do more research, you’d discover that BFG, Origin, and others have in fact licensed the technology from Sager, who’ll sell their notebook to anybody and let them slap a new lid on it. It’s not a bad thing really, it’s a good laptop. When we reviewed the BFG version we liked it. It just means you can shop around for a while, and find the best price/customer service option for your money.

Google makes nearly $500 million a year because of domain typos

Section: Web, Google

If you ever end up at Panodra.com instead of Pandora.com, you may be putting a few extra pennies into Google’s piggy bank. That’s because of typosquatting, the deliberate registration of a popular domain’s misspelling. Knowing that people often make typos when going to websites - like spelling “Panodra” when they’re looking for “Pandora” - enterprising schemers will register the typo version of a popular website and fill that page with links that pay money for impressions or clicks. The domain owner makes money and Google gets a piece of the action as well.

A Harvard University professor and research fellow have estimated that Google could make as much as $497 million dollars a year through typosquatting. The two men reached that conclusion by creating a list of possible typos for more than 3,000 popular websites, finding 280 possible misspellings for each site. They then found that 60 percent of typosquatters use Google’s advertising program to make money. Google is able to generate that money because more than 68 million people visit typo sites each day.

Typosquatting is a practice that is several years old but still controversial. Domain owners don’t like squatters taking advantage of their potential visitors, and advertisers worry that they will be paying to advertise to people who are confused or disinterested in their product. (Pandora is a music streaming site but ads on Panodra lead to shopping and dating sites).

Google says that it removes ads from typo domains if the original trademark holder files a complaint. The company is currently dealing with a lawsuit over its ads appearing on domain parkers. I wonder how much of their $23 billion advertising revenue goes toward legal fees.

Read [The New Scientist]

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

YouTube To Live Stream Tiger Woods Press Conference

Gossip mongers and sports fans alike are eagerly awaiting Tiger Woods’ press conference tomorrow morning, when he’ll confront the public and apologize for his string of affairs that tarnished both his image as a role model and his endorsement earnings. And, according to one source, you’ll be able to live stream it from the world’s most popular video portal: YouTube.

This is interesting for a few reasons. First, it’s going to get a lot of traffic, as many people will be at work and won’t be able to watch the conference from their TV sets. But it’s also another live video feed on YouTube, which historically has almost exclusively featured recorded content. Over the last year or so, YouTube has been experimenting more often with live feeds, with broadcasts including YouTube Live, numerous political debates and events including President Obama’s record-breaking inauguration, and more recently, earnings webcasts. But the Tiger Woods event, while certainly newsworthy, is a different beast. It’s related more to gossip and sports than it is to our nation’s future or Google news.

It could also be a sign of things to come.  YouTube doesn’t stream these events themselves (they’ve often relied on Akamai), but it’s apparent that they’re becoming more open to featuring live streams on the home page. And even though YouTube’s roots may lie in user-submitted videos, it seems foolish to push users to other video sites whenever they want to see a major event live.

The event starts at 8 AM PST. Other sites that will be streaming the event include Ustream and major news networks.

Update: It’s official, YouTube just announced it here.

Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Gets Go-Ahead From EU, US DoJ

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon routes Kindle books to BlackBerry smartphones

Gama-Go, lovers of wordplay and makers of the classy Keytars are behind the Pot holder. The kitchen product will set you back a mere $8—which has gotta be worth it for all the potential puns. [Gama-Go]

We'll do the Blu-ray and the standard def DVD April 22nd, that's our plan as of right now, and that'll be pretty much bare bones. And then we'll do a value-added DVD and a 3-D Blu-ray in I think November sometime.

Oh, and I hear that Jason Chen might even do one of his infamous movie liveblogs if there's a director's commentary version. [WSJ via Engadget]

Source: Gizmodo | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:58 pm

Foursquare Responds To Please Rob Me: Please Shut Up

The team behind the hot location-based service Foursquare took the time tonight to write a rare longer post about location privacy. Their basic stance: we take privacy very seriously and understand it. Also, that service Please Rob Me should shut up.

In fact, it seems the entire impetus behind Foursquare’s post was Please Rob Me, the mock service set up in an attempt to show the dangers of tweeting out Foursquare check-ins. We, along with several other sites, covered it yesterday. And while it’s hard to take that site itself seriously, it does raise some interesting points.

The point here is: does anyone really think Foursquare alone is going to lead to a rise in break-ins? No (I’m not saying that will never happen, but I don’t see it being an epidemic). The main point, as I saw it, is that tying a closed, symmetric network (Foursquare) to an open, asymmetric one (Twitter) is something that’s potentially troublesome for location-based services. But no one really seems to be talking about it.

What I mean by that is that on Foursquare, just like Facebook, you have to explicitly allow someone to follow you (and you follow them back in return). On Twitter, anyone can follow you without your permission (assuming you have an unlocked account). When you tweet out your Foursquare check-ins (some people even do this automatically), it essentially makes Foursquare an asymmetric network. And believe it or not, some people are doing that without really thinking about it. Or they’re doing it because it’s easier to gain friends/followers on an asymmetric network.

This is an issue that Facebook is undoubtedly thinking about right now as it considers how to enter the location playing field. As I said, right now, the network is largely symmetric, but recent changes are making it more asymmetric. And how they handle location information — with their 400 million+ users is going to be very interesting. And potentially, actually scary.

CrunchBase Information

Foursquare

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:50 pm

LG Arena coming to Best Buy, extremely late to the party

How excited can you get over a phone that was announced at last year’s Mobile World Congress and whose successor, the LG Arena Max, has already been spotted in the wild? Perhaps a $149.99 price point, a slick 3D UI, 5-megapixel camera and HSDPA 7.2Mbps? Yeah, I didn’t think so, either.

After seeing this slide, I got pretty excited thinking it might be the LG Arena Max with the 1GHz Snapdragon processor, but it doesn’t appear to be that way. The official announcement for the handset hasn’t even been made yet.

As of last summer, the LG Arena did so well worldwide that over 5 million units were sold and the device is still currently available everywhere but the U.S. it seems. If you don’t mind having last year’s product, you can pick one up at Best Buy soon for just $150 with a two-year contract with AT&T.

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:38 pm

Jobs: “Flash Would Murder the iPad.” Really Now, Let’s Be Realistic

I feel like I should come to Flash's defense, partially because I gave it one between the ribs last night, and partially because, in the words of Sherlock Holmes, "to see justice done is every man's business." Now here we have Steve Jobs saying in a WSJ interview that using Flash for video would reduce battery life from 10 hours to 1 hour, and suggests H.264 as an alternative. Let's just take a moment to evaluate these plainly inflammatory statements.

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:31 pm

Lowepro updates SlingShot line, adds tripod mount

Lowepro just updated their popular SlingShot line, adding more storage and the ability to attach a tripod to an already great bag system. The new version isn’t hugely different, but Lowepro did add a few interesting features to beef the bag up a bit.

The SlingShot has been around since 2005, and this is one of the first major updates. In addition to the “Hideaway Tripod Mount” system, Lowepro also increased the size of the top pocket, added a zippered “stash pocket” to the top to hold your filters, cell phone, or whatever. They also increased the padding in the main compartment, and updated the divider system to fit the current generation of DSLR cameras and lenses more effectively. Lowepro is going to be sending us one to review soon, so keep your eyes open for that in the coming weeks.

From the press release:

(Sebastopol, CA, February 18, 2010) – Lowepro, the leading brand of protective gear for photography equipment and portable electronics, today unveiled the next generation of its innovative SlingShot AW series. Designed to go from carry-mode to ready-mode in seconds, the award-winning sling bag rotates from back to front for fast and easy access to gear. Redesigned using customer input, the new and improved models of the SlingShot AW series add a Hideaway Tripod Mount™ system, compatibility with the latest popular prosumer and professional grade DSLR cameras, and a more efficient storage and workflow layout.

The latest SlingShot AW models offer increased volume in their upper compartment for personal items and include an elastic band for securing a camera manual or book. A zippered stash pocket placed at the top is the ideal spot to store a UV filter, cell phone or keys. In addition to its ergonomic and quick-rotating design, SlingShot AW features easy-glide zippers throughout its construction, providing smooth operation and fast access to all of the compartments.

Since its inception in 2005 the SlingShot AW series has been praised by photographers and editors from around the world. Most recently, the series received Editor’s Choice awards from PCPhoto (recently retitled Digital Photo), American Photo and Outdoor Photographer magazines. In this latest update, Lowepro sought to carefully improve some of the features regularly lauded by fans, including:

· A fully padded and customizable main camera compartment now includes an updated divider system to accommodate the most-popular models of DSLRs and their compatible lenses and accessories.

· A repositioned microfiber cleaning cloth is built into a convenient mesh pocket that is easy to access but out of way when not in use.

· New models now feature a Hideaway Tripod Mount™ system securing a compact tripod or monopod to the side of the sling via a foldout holder, quick-release buckle and strap.

As with the original series, the latest SlingShot AW models include Lowepro’s patented built-in All Weather AW Cover™ to protect gear from the elements during inclement weather. Additional features include: three SlipLock™ attachment loops to expand carrying capacity and two built-in memory card pockets located on the inside lid of the main compartment.

The new SlingShot AW editions are available in three sizes in Black/Grey and are priced as follows: SlingShot 102 AW $89.99, SlingShot 202 AW $109.99 and SlingShot 302 AW $129.99.

For more information on the series and other products, please visit http://www.lowepro.com.

Source: CrunchGear | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

Houston, we have periwinkle

This sweet pack of crayola rockets was created a while ago by John Coker for… a rocket enthusiast group. Years ago, in fact. How it escaped memedom I can’t say. Maybe it did, I don’t know, I just wanted to write that headline.

[via Neatorama]

Source: CrunchGear | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

The Race Card

Image: Mollena, with the Race Card she created to respond to the annoying expression of the same name. "Every once in a while some fooligan will roll to you talkin' some trash about how you discussing your racial background in a broader social context is a 'back-handed maneuver," she says. "They may even accuse you of 'playing the Race Card' because you mention that life is different for you because you are different. Next time that shit goes down, be prepared." (Incidentally, she's also Miss SF Leather 2009 / photo: Colm McCarthy.)

But to build one, they had to find the right pump. And the best one for their use, interestingly enough, is a breast pump.

If there's one consumer group that I can expect to be more picky than me when it comes to food safety it's new mothers, so these pumps— designed to move food grade fluids without contamination— aren't actually a crazy thing to consider. They are cleanable, don't use much power, and are inexpensive. Amazon sells a pair of these "Evenflo Comfort Select Performance" units for $45. (Try as I might, I could not find a three-pack anywhere.)

And if you know me, you'll know I like white russians, so I cannot wait to see how a breast pump-created white russian will taste like. You can go ahead and use actual breast milk too, I don't mind. [Evil Mad Scientist via MAKE]

Source: Gizmodo | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:20 pm

Popgun, Vol 4. release parties

Scott says:

"The much anticipated 4th volume of Image Comics' Harvey Award-winning anthology, POPGUN, hits stores next week, and features new work by an eclectic mix of artists sure to please both fanboys and Juxtapozers: Ben Templesmith, Erik Larsen, Jeffrey Brown, Mark Andrew Smith, Jeremy Tinder, Brian Winkeler, Jess Fink, D.J. Kirkbride, Jock, Thomas Scioli, Dave Curd and many more. To celebrate, Meltdown Comics in Hollywood and Jim Hanley's Universe in NYC are throwing release parties on February 24th! Drop by to meet the creators, eat, drink and and listen to groovy music."

Hollywood, NYC.

Pre-order Popgun, Vol 4. on Amazon


Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:13 pm

Google Reader Recommendations Swap Popularity For Personalization

Back in October of last year, Google Reader rolled out a nice little update that added a new “Popular items” feed to the “Explore” area of the service. In here, you would find items from around the web that were gaining popularity fast. Of course, one person’s gem of popular content is another person’s crappy video. So today, Google has rolled out another update to Reader, to recommend items more personally tailored to you.

The new “Recommended items” feed replaces the “Popular items” feed in the same Explore area. “With the latest round of improvements, we’ve started inserting items selected just for you inside the Recommended items section,” Google writes.

What’s not entirely clear from Google’s post is how they’re pulling together these recommendations for Reader users. I have to assume it’s the same way they’ve long recommended news feeds to you, which is by looking at your Reader Trends and web browsing history (if you have that turned on), and comparing it with other users.

A quick scan of my own new Recommended items area shows results that are pretty hit-or-miss. But maybe that’s because I’m a writer who has to scan hundreds of sites every day even if not all of them particularly interest me.

There’s another small new feature in Reader today too: related feeds. If you trigger the drop down menu on a certain feed, and hover over “More like this,” you’ll see a list of feeds for what Reader considers to be similar sites. Subscribing to them is then just a button click away.

Using Google Reader this past week has been interesting as Google Buzz has multiplied the number of users following the items I share several times over. This is of course because Buzz and Reader (and the other Google properties) share the same social graph now — the same highly controversial social graph which saw you automatically friending certain people you contact on Gmail or over IM. In fact, Google had to stop doing that.

I’m still not sure Reader, or Google as a whole, gets this whole social thing, but they’re certainly growing their graph quickly now.

CrunchBase Information

Google Reader

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:13 pm

enTourage eDGe e-reader gets a month delay and a slight price increase

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

Despite the fact that the enTourage eDGe was originally expected to be available this month, that release has been pushed back one month and will now happen in March. That alone is not all that much of an issue, but at the same time the eDGe ereader has also been given a little increase in price. The enTourage eDGe will now retail for $499, which is up just slightly from $490. Of course, these could still change again in the future.

And just to offer a quick recap, the enTourage eDGe is a dual-screen e-reader with a 10.1-inch LCD display and a 9.7-inch eInk display. Other features include 4GB of internal storage, an SD card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, speakers, internal microphone and a lithium-ion battery that can offer up to 16 hours of time on the eInk display and up to 6 hours using the LCD.

Finally, the enTourage eDGe is running a version of Android and has support for ePub and PDF file formats as well as a variety of audio and video file formats.

Read [enTourage eDGe] Via [E-Reader-info] and [Engadget]

[Patagonia (Although the neat jacket won't be out til Fall)]

Source: Gizmodo | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:02 pm

Motorola wants mobile phones and TV to share a stronger bond

You know what I was thinking the other day? “It would be so rad if I could get MOTOBLUR to work on my TV.” And now, Motorola is doing exactly that by working on a platform to get its cell phones to play nice with TV set-top boxes.

To get things kicked off, MOTOBLUR, the Android UI found on the CLIQ and Backflip, will be shared between TVs and handsets. Sadly, it might not be implemented until 2011 as Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha says he wishes he had more resources for research and development. Since Motorola’s handset and TV division were split and combined, perhaps he just might get his wish with this project.

Another tidbit from Mr. Jha is that Motorola may consider Windows on its handsets in the future. Even though it shifted all its efforts toward Android, Motorola used to produce a number of Windows Mobile phones. With Windows Phone 7 looking pretty hot, it’s no wonder Jha said he is “open to it.”

It could take a while, but I think it would be neat to see a common platform between cell phones and TVs since I spend 90% of my time between the two. My lazy life would be so much easier.

[via WSJ]

The story would seem to give new life to old rumors about a Microsoft phone, code-named project "Pink." Except…Scott Moritz stories headlined as"exclusives"–usually crediting Kumar for the scoop–have a crummy track record of exclusively revealing stuff that turns out to be true. When I see them, my instinctive response is skepticism, not bland acceptance of anything in the story as gospel.

Shall we recap?

The exclusive: Verizon, disgruntled over Palm Pre sales, decides not to sell the phone:

The upshot: At January's CES show, announced it would sell Palm's Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, starting later that month. (Of course, it's conceivable that Verizon changed its mind, and if you want to get really technical, you might contend that the Pre Plus isn't a Pre.)

The exclusive: Google plans to to sell an Android phone through retailers by the end of the year, bypassing wireless carriers, says Kumar:

The upshot: The Google phone is real , and it almost shipped in 2009. Moritz's story says it will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip (correct) and speculates that it might be built by HTC (ditto). But it's sold direct by Google, not at retail–and it's offered with a rather non-disruptive T-Mobile contract.

The exclusive:Kumar says that the much-anticipated Apple tablet will use a chip from Apple's own PA Semi division,not an Intel CPU:

The upshot: Bingo! (Of course, the real surprise would have been if the iPhone-like iPad did use an Intel processor.)

The exclusive: A new iPhone available on Verizon Wireless this summer wpack a Qualcomm wireless chip, Kumar says:

The upshot: We may not know for a few months if there's anything to this one.

The exclusive:: Kumar has learned that the Apple tablet will use Verizon Wireless for broadband–proven by its use of a Qualcomm chip:

The upshot: Less than a week later, Apple unveiled the iPad. Its 3G version will run on AT&T. I'm not sure if anyone who isn't involved with manufacturing of iPads knows for sure if there's any Qualcomm technology inside.

That's three exclusives that turned out to be completely or partially bogus, one that was correct, and two (counting the new Microsoft one) that may or may not amount to anything. Even if you assume that both the Qualcomm iPhone and Microsoft phone exclusives will pan out, chances would be fifty percent that Moritz was right, and fifty percent that he was wrong.

Anyone want to explain why Moritz keeps relaying Kumar's rumors as "exclusive" facts–and why TheStreet lets him do so?

Reprinted with permission from Technologizer.

Source: Gizmodo | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:40 pm

How To Play HD Video On a Netbook

Barence writes with some news to interest those with netbooks running Windows: "Netbooks aren't famed for their high-definition video playing prowess, but if you've got about $10 and a few minutes going spare, there is a way to enjoy high-definition trailers and videos on your Atom-powered portable. You need three things: a copy of Media Player Classic Home Cinema, CoreCodec's CoreAVC codec, and some HD videos encoded in AVC or h.264 formats. This blog takes you through the process."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:34 pm

Monster teams with Vivienne Tam to fill your ears with butterflies

FROM APPLETELL - Monster is continuing its move into headphone technology with the introduction of its new Butterfly high-performance in-ear headphones, designed in conjunction with Vivienne Tam.
MORE »

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:33 pm

WordPress.com Outage Takes Us And 10,199,999 Other Blogs Down

As you may have noticed, TechCrunch was down for an extended period of time this afternoon. In case you haven’t read about why yet, it’s because WordPress.com suffered through some 110 minutes of downtime, as WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has explained just now on the company’s blog.

TechCrunch is one of the millions of blogs hosted on WordPress.com (not to be confused with sites that run the WordPress software but are hosted elsewhere). All told, some 10.2 million blogs went down — wiping out some 5.5 million pageviews, WordPress estimates. This was their worst outage in 4 years.

So what happened?

Mullenweg says WordPress is still gathering details but their initial diagnosis is that “an unscheduled change to a core router by one of our datacenter providers messed up our network in a way we haven’t experienced before, and broke the site.” He notes that this also tripped up all the mechanisms to prevent a total failure, so that occurred. Luckily, no data was lost in the outage, it just simply could not be sent out.

Mullenweg ends with, “I hope it will be much longer than four years before we face a problem like this again.” So say we all.

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WordPress.com

TechCrunch

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Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:31 pm

Retro 1977 SLR kit looks like it might take interesting photos

You’d never get a kit like this on the market today. Too many tiny, delicious pieces. Kids these days all want to know what an objective mirror tastes like; it’s almost like that rarest of delicacies, unicorn flank. But I digress, and this isn’t a cryptoculinary blog. This kit, from way back in 1977, actually let you assemble a real SLR (slightly smaller than standard, but still 35mm), and not just an SLR-looking thing like so many cameras today (snort of derision).

I can only imagine how terrible the lens must be, but its freaky optical qualities would probably give create an interesting lo-fi effect, like that sought by Lomographers and people downloading annoying iPhone apps that make their pictures look, very unconvincingly, like old plate prints. Deep breath. It looks pretty fun, but it’s the kind of fun you have once and then wish you had something better, like a kit car that costs as much as a real one. Still, it’s fun to hearken back to the old days when kids not only knew what SLRs were, but had to build ‘em themselves.

Source: CrunchGear | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:30 pm

New Gorillapod uses rare earth magnets, sticks to your car

Gotta love Gorillapod. They’ve taken a concept, perfected it, and then ran with it in all kinds of ways that most people never expected. The most recent addition to the family is the Gorillapod Magnetic.

Based off of the original Gorillapod, the Magnetic is a variation on the basic theme: attach magnets to the feet, so people can stick them to things. Makes more sense to me then the suction cup version. Keep in mind the Magnetic is only for smaller cameras, not for your DSLR. The Gorillapod Magnetic is currently available on the Gorillapod website, and it’ll set you back $24.95.

Source: CrunchGear | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:20 pm

Alt Text: Google Knows You're Buzzing About Buzz - Wired News

Globe and Mail

Alt Text: Google Knows You're Buzzing About Buzz Wired News You can't say Google is resting on its globe-encircling laurels. Recently the massive search company created Google Wave, an innovative collaboration tool that brings people together so they can work to figure out what Google Wave is ... Google Buzz Draws Class-Action Suit From Harvard StudentABC News Class-Action Suit Filed Against Google, and BuzzPC Magazine Exclusive: Google's latest Buzz privacy changes enable possible new exploitBetaNews Computerworld -The Money Times -Mediapost.com all 334 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:10 pm

Apple may lower e-book prices

Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks

The publishing industry has been gushing over Apple and the upcoming iPad ever since Apple announced it would allow prices above $9.99, a price point the industry has been resenting ever since Amazon released its popular Kindle e-reader. Last month Steve Jobs announced that 5 major publishers, the Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan, the Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster, had agreed to a pricing model where they set the price and Apple would act solely as the agent and take 30%, leaving the rest to be split between publisher and author. This meant the price of ebooks would be jacked up from $9.99 to between $12.99 and $14.99. Now however it’s been revealed that Apple has a provision requiring them to discount best sellers. Apple and the publishers will still make money, but it’s quite possible that many books may not rise much in price at all.

How do you feel about increased prices? I am a happy Kindle owner and while I believe e-books shouldn’t cost more than their paperback equivalents, I have to say if I want a book bad enough I’ll pay more. Eventually publishers are going to have to get past their ignorance and greed and see that not only are e-books here to stay, but jacking the prices up won’t generate more profits for them. Why? Because most e-reader owners say if e-book prices get too high they’ll go back to getting paper books-at the library or used bookstore. Contrary to what publishers believe, they won’t be rushing to Barnes and Noble, Borders or even Amazon for the latest hardcovers and paperbacks.

Read [NYTimes]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:08 pm

YouTube: Queries For ‘Snickers’ Jumped 18,000% After Their Super Bowl Ad

It’s been nearly two weeks since the Super Bowl, but the stats behind one of the world’s biggest media spectacles keep pouring in. YouTube has just written about the impact some of the Super Bowl ads have had on its site, offering rare insight into just how much attention those million-dollar advertising spots will get you.

During the days following the Super Bowl, YouTube reported an 18,000% spike in queries for “Snickers” (no doubt spurred by their ad featuring Betty White and Abe Vigoda). YouTube also says that mobile queries for Doritos rose by 5,000% (note that the Snickers stat was for YouTube’s entire property but Doritios was for mobile only  — it’s a bit strange that they aren’t giving an apples to apples comparison).

YouTube ran a week-long contest beginning on Super Bowl Sunday that invited users to choose their favorite ad using a special site called YouTube Ad Blitz, during which 2.9 million votes were cast (Doritos took the top spot).

YouTube mentions one other interesting stat: clicks on the site’s Promoted Videos, which allow users and brands to advertise their videos on the site, doubled over Super Bowl weekend.

CrunchBase Information

YouTube

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:04 pm

Gallery: Solar Pumas, 3G Soccer Balls and Other Wireless Wonders

<< previous image | next image >>

Bizarre concept phones, USB-enabled soccer balls and a solar-powered phone named after a shoe company are some of the stranger things the mobile phone industry has up its sleeve for the coming year.

All those and more were on display at the Mobile World Congress, a big, annual cellphone tradeshow in Barcelona, Spain, that ended on Thursday. Windows Phone 7 Series and Google’s Android OS stole the headlines, but there was a lot more going on this week than just boring, sensible product launches.

As the booth babes danced their last humiliating dance and the suits squeezed off their last, unnecessary and job-justifying e-mails, we took a look at the best of the rest of the show.

The photo above shows the flags at the entrance to La Fira, the venue of the show, which is turned into a swirling hub of chaos for a week every year. Even the roads around the exhibit halls are fenced off to give more space to conference-goers and their gadgets.

The Puma Phone is a joint project between the sneaker company and Sagem, and it’s more about the fun than the phone. It’s solar-powered by a cell-covered back panel, and the menus are actually enjoyable to use: Dimming the screen involves using the touchscreen to push a cloud icon over a sun icon, for example.

But the best part is the pet Puma that lives inside, and pops up onscreen from time to time. Why do we like this? His name is Dylan, just like silky voiced Gadget Lab editor Dylan Tweney. (Editor’s note: I’m totally getting this phone.)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

Gallery: Solar Pumas, 3G Soccer Balls and Other Wireless Wonders

As the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, winds down, we take one last look at the most interesting — and oddball — things that cellphone companies are touting on the floor of this big wireless trade show.

The Stimmmopped, which might be more fun to say than it is to use, bombards your guitar's strings, one at a time, with two LEDs. The lights flash at the exact frequency at which the string should be vibrating, so if it's tuned too flat or too sharp the LEDs will appear to move. When the string's tuned correctly, the lights will look like they're perfectly still.

This is, of course, how all the rowdiest rock stars keep their guitars tuned just right. [Make]

Source: Gizmodo | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

Gallery: Solar Pumas, 3G Soccer Balls and Other Wireless Wonders

As the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, winds down, we take one last look at the most interesting — and oddball — things that cellphone companies are touting on the floor of this big wireless trade show.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

Alt Text: Google Knows You're Buzzing About Buzz

The all-seeing search company tweaks its overactive new social service to address privacy concerns. A little.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

StockTwits Evolves, Becomes Must Use Site For Traders

It was only a few months ago that StockTwits, a real time platform for stock traders to share information, broke away from Twitter and forged ahead on its own. Part of that separation was the creation of a desktop AIR application that created an entire investor ecosystem, including video, news and charts. Now those features are appearing on the StockTwits site itself, at beta.stocktwits.com. For now the company will run the old and new sites side by side and give users a period of time to get comfortable with the beta site.

Co-founder Howard Lindzon suggests five things that new StockTwits users will want to do on the new site: watch the suggested user stream, peruse charts shared by other users, check out specific filtered ticker pages (example), watch the 24-hour StockTwits TV stream, or contribute your own content.

Last month StockTwits acquired a financial news site and continues to bring in authoritative voices to share their trading strategies via blog posts and video.

StockTwits is like cocaine for hard core traders, They started long ago with just a filtered stream of Twitter messages that touched on stocks. But they’ve continued to add resources that traders want and need to their product suite. I won’t be surprised if more than a few of the big financial guys make a run for them this year. There’s so much concentrated activity flowing through StockTwits that any number of suitors will be eager to take control of this community.

CrunchBase Information

StockTwits

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:55 pm

Microsoft steps up search assault on Google (Reuters)

Reuters - Microsoft Corp's assault on search engine leader Google Inc took a major step forward on Thursday as U.S. and European regulators cleared the software company's search partnership with Yahoo Inc.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:31 pm

Yahoo-Microsoft deal set, taking aim at Google (AP)

AP - U.S. and European regulators have cleared the long-discussed Internet search partnership between Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., enabling the rivals to form a tag team as they try to mount a more serious challenge to Google Inc.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:17 pm

Q & A: Charles Burns and Gary Panter

Tim Lillis, a fantastic illustrator for MAKE, wrote to me about a neat project he's working on: "I'm speaking at SXSW Interactive on the subject of Indirect Collaboration and Collective Creativity. My fellow panelists and I have put together a blog where we're collecting lots of thoughts on the subject, and my esteemed colleague Joe Alterio has just posted a Q&A with Charles Burns and Gary Panter where they discuss their collaborations with each other."

CB: For me doing a collaboration is taking "time out" from my usual work. It's actually fun to do and I think part of the reason is there are different expectations and less control. It's like letting go of the tight control I always maintain on my writing and drawing and allowing myself to work on something with no "rules". For it to work there has to be a mutual respect, but you also need to be aggressive enough to alter (fuck-up?) the other persons drawing.

GP: Projects do need leaders or cheerleaders. Often one person will push the project harder. There is the danger of people getting too knitted together. We have to learn to easily move from isolated creative vision and consensual ideation and work. I am interested in the strength of little things and little things as prototypes for bigger things, so a team of one or two or three appeals to me. Vermeer would've done one t-shirt in his whole career and he would've known it was the best t-shirt Threadless ever had.

Q & A: Charles Burns and Gary Panter


Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:08 pm

Protect Your Business from Kneber-Style Botnets - PC World

AFP

Protect Your Business from Kneber-Style Botnets PC World A report from security research firm NetWitness about a malicious botnet dubbed Kneber has been the focus of a fair amount of media attention, but mostly sensationalism that misses the real point. Yes, the Kneber botnet consists of nearly 75000 ... Kneber is the Pseudo Name of Zeus TrojanTopNews United States Kneber just another botnet?Computerworld 74000 virus-infected computers foundSan Francisco Chronicle CNET -New York Times -InformationWeek all 448 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pm

Curling Strategy, by the Numbers

Curling statistics reveal strategic options, in a baseball-esque manner.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pm

Tenenbaum's Final Brief — $675K Award Too High

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The final brief (PDF) filed by the defendant Joel Tenenbaum in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum seems to put the final nail in the coffin on the RIAA's argument that 'statutory damages' up to $150,000 can be awarded where the record company's lost profit is in the neighborhood of 35 cents. Not only do Tenenbaum's lawyers accurately describe the applicable caselaw and scholarship, something neither the RIAA nor the Department of Justice did in their briefs, but they point out to the Court that the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit — the appeals court controlling this matter — has itself ruled that statutory damages awards are reviewable for due process considerations under the guidelines of State Farm v. Campbell and BMW v. Gore. The brief is consistent with the amicus curiae brief filed in the case last year by the Free Software Foundation."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:59 pm

Google Calendar gets some love from Google’s design team

Section: Web, Web Apps, Google

Google Calendar hasn’t exactly received much attention from the interface design team for quite some time now. Apart from the occasional new labs features, the interface has gone through a stagnant period until recently when screenshots of an upcoming UI face lift began to surface.

Most of the changes are really just cosmetic updates, but these minor updates make the entire app look much more modern. The navigational text links are now replaced with silver buttons, much like the ones used in other Google apps. Also, there’s a new worldwide clock feature added into the UI. While you could previously add this feature via labs, the worldwide clock now displays by default. The calendar itself received some minor changes, which resulted in a cleaner and sleeker look. From what I can see, Google’s new calendar UI cuts down on unnecessary screen real estate wastage.

The interface changes you see in the screenshots are just internal builds as of now, however, Google may roll out these updates very soon. Here’s a screenshot of the old Google Calendar interface (below) for you to compare with the new screenshot:

Read [TechCrunch]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:56 pm

'Gadget OK!' Showcases Oddball Japanese Devices

From bizarre musical contraptions to a hat that uses the threat of a pointy metal spike to encourage its wearer to smile, device-driven art makes noise in Southern California.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pm

Dell 4Q profit edges down 6 percent; stock falls (AP)

AP - Dell Inc. said Thursday its net income fell 6 percent in the last quarter despite early signs that businesses may be starting to buy new computers again.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:44 pm

CardPool Wants To Buy And Sell Your Unused Gift Cards

Gift cards can be a double edged sword. I recently got married and received a number of gift cards to stores where I never shop. But at the same time, I don’t want the value of the card to go to waste. There have been a number of auction-like marketplaces, such as Plastic Jungle and Rackup, that have popped up to allow users can buy and sell their gift cards to each other in an eBay like interface (you can also do this eBay itself). Y Combinator startup CardPool is entering the space but with a slightly different twist to its model. Card Pool allows users to both buy and sell gift cards.

CardPool buys people’s unwanted gift cards, and sells gift cards at large discounts. Though the idea isn’t new, Card Pool has an attractive and fair pricing model. They judge the buyback and selling amount by how desirable the cards are. For example, you can sell a BestBuy’s gift card, which is highly desirable, to CardPool for 90 percent of its value. And on CardPool’s site, you can find a Best Buy gift card for 5 percent off its original value. On the other hand, 1-800-Flowers’ gift cards, which are not as popular as Best Buy’s cards, are discounted by 30 percent on the site.

I’m a fan of the site for a few reasons. The plus about CardPool is that it allows returns for cards for up to 100 days, and many of its competitors don;t have an expansive of a return period. Also, CardPool won’t sell gift cards that have expirations or fees. CardPool makes money off the spread between buying and selling cards. The startup is lean, with its two co-founders running the site, keeping overhead low. The company is also looking into forging partnerships with retailers like Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and others to sell their gift cards at discounted prices from CardPool.

CardPool also has talent on its side. Co-founder Anson Tsai developed online music player Anywhere.com, which was acquired by Imeem in 2008.

CrunchBase Information

CardPool

Information provided by CrunchBase

Source: TechCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:42 pm

Apple Raises Over-The-Air App Cap [Digital Daily]

Here’s a bit of interesting news in light of the looming launch of Apple’s iPad: The company has doubled its over-the-air 3G download limit, raising it from 10MB to 20MB worldwide.

So it seems restrictions on iPhone-related bandwidth usage are easing a bit, although why this is happening isn’t yet clear. It could be that Apple (AAPL) has increased its file size limit to prepare for the iPad, whose new form factor and speedy A4 chip will undoubtedly inspire developers to write larger, more sophisticated applications.

Or it could simply be Apple is now confident that the data networks of its carrier partners are capable of supporting larger downloads. Either way, it’s good news for iPhone owners and for developers who’ve found it a challenge to keep their apps at 10MB and below.

Source: All Things Digital | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:37 pm

Aruba Networks' loss narrows and beats forecasts (AP)

AP - Aruba Networks Inc. said Thursday that its second-quarter loss narrowed as revenue at the equipment maker for wireless network providers jumped 31 percent from a year earlier.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:28 pm

IOC Claims Olympian Lindsey Vonn's Name As Intellectual Property

gehrehmee writes "As usual, the International Olympic Committee is coming down on hard on people mentioning things related to the Olympics without permission. This time it's UVEX sporting supplies, which sponsors Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn. Without explaination, their front page was today updated to include a tongue-in-cheek poem about UVEX's interaction with the IOC. Can the IOC really claim an Olypmian's name as their own intellectual property?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 4:12 pm

DirecTV profit beats, to buy back $3.5 billion shares (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. satellite television operator DirecTV Group Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit and announced a $3.5 billion share buyback, sending shares up more than 4 percent.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:58 pm

CBS: We'll Cut iTunes Prices for Some Shows [UPDATE] [MediaMemo]

Steve Jobs’s effort to cut prices on TV shows sold on iTunes has found at least partial backing from CBS. CEO Les Moonves says the broadcaster will mark down the price on some of its shows from $1.99 to 99 cents.

“There are certain shows that will be sold on Apple for 99 cents,” Moonves said today, adding, however, that details have not been worked out.

It’s possible that Moonves doesn’t plan to make any significant concessions on pricing–CBS, like other networks, already offers some older shows, or new shows it wants to promote, at discount prices. But the context of Moonves’s comments, which came during the company’s earnings call today, indicated that he is planning on changing his pricing structure on more than a one-off basis.

UPDATE: That metaphorical throat-clearing you might be hearing right now is the sound of people who are familiar with Moonves’s thinking. Said people are telling me that while CBS is open to talks with Apple, etc., the company has no imminent plans to change pricing and that Moonves didn’t really mean to imply that anything is afoot. But since said people won’t go on the record, we have to go with what Moonves actually said.

Any kind of price cut would represent a partial victory for Jobs and Apple (AAPL) content boss Eddy Cue, who have been trying to convince the networks to lower their prices. The Financial Times first reported on those efforts last month.

Video sales haven’t been robust at iTunes and aren’t a significant revenue source for the networks. But since the networks are still worried about cannibalizing existing revenue sources like syndication fees and DVD sales, they’ve been reluctant to chop prices further.

GE’s (GE) NBC Universal ended up yanking its shows off of iTunes in 2008 because it wanted the ability to raise prices, and it got at least some of what it wanted: Since that imbroglio, networks have been able to sell their HD shows for $2.99 a piece.

Source: All Things Digital | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:49 pm

Easily search your Evernote notes with Google Chrome

Section: Web, Web Apps, Web Browsers

Those who use Google Chrome and Evernote listen up for a minute because the the browser and digital brain service play very nicely together. First, for those unaware there is a nice Evernote Web Clipper extension available for Chrome. Of course that has been around for a little while now and many Evernote users likely already know about that tool.

But moving on, there is also a good way for Google Chrome users to search their Evernote account from the address bar. You just need to do a quick setup before you begin. To get started right click in the Chrome address bar and select “Edit Search Engines.” After that click the little “+” sign in the bottom left hand corner. Once you have done that just set up the search with the following parameters.

• Name: Evernote
• Keyword: Evernote.com
• URL: http://www.evernote.com/search?q=%s

After you have those fields entered, just click to save. That said, Evernote also has nice desktop versions of their software available for both Mac and PC’s which includes the ability to search. Personally I run the desktop software, but am in the browser more often than not so this little trick just seems to work better with my current flow.

Read [Evernote Blog] Via [Evernote on Facebook]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:46 pm

TelePacific Completes $395 Million Senior Credit Facility

LOS ANGELES, Feb.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:36 pm

Dell Tops Estimates, but Gross Margin Shrinks [Voices]

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

Dell (DELL) shares are trading lower after hours despite better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended January 29.

The PC maker posted revenue of $14.9 billion, up 11 percent from a year ago and 16 percent sequentially, and well ahead of the Street at $13.85 billion. Non-GAAP EPS of 28 cents a share beat the Street by a penny.

But the company reported gross margin the quarter of 16.6 percent, down from 17.3 percent in Q3, and 17.2 percent a year ago. The company said margins were pressured by seasonal strength in consumer demand, where the company generates lower margins than in the rest of its business.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:33 pm

T-Mobile getting some Palm webOS lovin’?

Palm’s webOS is certainly one of the more polished operating systems out there; the others being the iPhone OS and Android. It’s clean, simple to use and attractive. However, it was available only on Sprint’s network for the longest time until recently when it arrived at Verizon on the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus. Now it looks like another carrier will be picking up the new OS.

According to BGR’s sources, T-Mobile is going to get Palm webOS in the form of a Pixi-like device. According to the source, T-Mobile and Palm are in the final stages of getting a device set and ready for T-Mobile’s network. There isn’t much else in the way of this news, but T-Mobile customers who are getting a little bored with Android might have some nice options to look forward to.

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:33 pm

Gorillapod Magnetic conquers metal surfaces (Macworld.com)

Macworld.com - Joby had a hit product with the flexible Gorillapod tripod. Since then, Joby's come up with several variations, colors, types, and stands for all your camera posing needs. What could make a great product even better? Magnets, of course.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

Looking Back From the 1980s At Computers In Education

xzvf writes "As someone who went to high school in the '80s, this newsletter from 1980 (PDF) is a blast from the past. An interview with Microsoft talks up its BASIC language product and predicts voice control of computers in five years. Advertisements for Compute magazine, which was about to go monthly, and an article about a computer 'network' in Minnesota that connects some fax machine-looking terminal to a central computer over telephone lines. Lots of Atari, TI and RadioShack news too. It's a reminder from 30 years ago that we are still not using technology effectively in education."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

Hands On With the Slingbox 3G iPhone App: Ahhhhhhhhh ...

The Slingbox 3G iPhone app hits the iTunes store, and it rocks. How about on-demand access to live TV in your pocket and to whatever you've recorded on your DVR at home for no monthly fee? We know, it's been done on other handsets, but hey, this is big for some of us.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:22 pm

Olympic Tape Delays Roil Fans, But It's Good for NBC

Withholding online coverage to get people glued to the tube during prime time appears to be working for NBC, at least when the Americans win lots of medals. Olympics watchers are pissed, but the network seems to be grabbing the eyeballs.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:06 pm

Interview with David Byrne

David Byrne with ETHEL and Thomas Dolby at TED2010, Friday, February 12, 2010, in Long Beach, California. Credit: TED / James Duncan Davidson

I enjoyed David Byrne's presentation at TED2010. He spoke about the way artists create their music and other works to look and sound their best in the venue they appear in. After his presentation, I asked him about his research, his upcoming projects, R. Crumb's Illustrated Book of Genesis, and his run-in with the City of New York regarding the bike stands he designed.

Here's the 10-minute audio interview:

I'm sorry that the first part of the interview has some background chatter. The interview took place in the press room, and it was kind of noisy.

The audio file is available in other formats here at Archive.org and I gave it a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works Creative Commons license.

Previously:

• Highlights from TED 2010, Wednesday: "We can eat to starve cancer"
• Highlights from TED 2010, Thursday: "Shooting mosquitoes out of ...
• Highlights from TED 2010, Friday: "Using nuclear waste to power ...
• TED Talk: Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero Boing Boing
• TED: augmented-reality maps Boing Boing
• Jake Shimabukuro at TED2010 Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 3:01 pm

Lego Robot Solves Any Rubik's Cube In 12 Seconds

kkleiner writes "Cube Stormer is the latest creation from Mike Dobson, aka Robotics Solutions, and not only is it made entirely out of Legos, it can solve any 3x3 Rubik's cube in less than twelve seconds. Often it can finish in less than five! This thing looks bad-ass and is incredible to watch."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:42 pm

Police tape and element spectrum scarves

Over at our new Boing Boing Bazaar in the Makers Market, crafter Becky Stern is selling fun, hand-knitted machine-knit by hand police tape scarves for $75. She also makes custom "Emission Spectrum" scarves of any element, starting at $100 for basic spectra like oxygen. Above right is hardware hacker Limor Fried sporting a Silicon spectrum scarf. Sternlab at the Makers Market


Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:41 pm

Windows Mobile 6.5: Instant Classic [Digital Daily]

“Windows Mobile 6.5 isn’t just a letdown–it barely seems done….[It’s] an OS that hasn’t been fundamentally changed in years, and which bears a strong resemblance to Windows Mobile 6.1, and a startlingly not-weak resemblance to PocketPC.”

– Gizmodo’s John Herman in “Windows Mobile 6.5 Review: There’s No Excuse For This”

If “Windows Phone” is to be the new designation for Microsoft’s mobile OS, the company can’t afford to have four-month-old Windows Mobile 6.5 muddle its branding. So the company is renaming it. The rumored moniker: “Windows Phone Classic.”

An obvious choice, I suppose, if it is indeed a choice–Microsoft (MSFT) refused to confirm this, telling me it hasn’t yet made any “final branding decisions” on Windows Phones 6.x; my sources tell me differently. But it’s entirely ironic given that the definition of “classic” according to Merriam-Webster is variously “serving as a standard of excellence,” “of recognized value,” and “historically memorable.” Windows Mobile 6.5 is none of these; well, it might be “historically memorable,” but if it is, it’s for the wrong reasons.

In any event, the rebranding is a wise move. As widely disparaged as it has been, Windows Mobile 6.5 is still widely used, particularly in enterprise. A December 2009 survey by Aberdeen Group showed 63 percent of respondents using the operating system, second only to BlackBerry’s 74 percent. Given that and the enterprise world’s general aversion to early adoption, continued legacy support of WinMo 6.5 is essential.

Source: All Things Digital | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:41 pm

Apple and global carriers raise OTA iPhone app download limit to 20MB

One thing I really love about the iPhone is discovering a new app while I’m out on the town, ignoring friends and family for my phone. I’ll check out reviews, look at some screen shots and take the plunge. Then the unexpected happens: the app won’t download because the file size is too big.

For carriers who were looking to throttle data, like AT&T, this news comes as an unexpected surprise. Over-the-air (OTA) downloads via 3G networks were capped at 10MB; if you wanted to download a larger app, you had to wait until a Wi-Fi connection became available. Now Apple has raised the bar to allow 20MB apps to be downloaded over 3G networks. This should cover some of the bigger apps, like intricate games, without much fuss. It’s not just apps, though, as Apple has raised the 12MB iTunes Store limit to 20MB. Nice move, but you won’t be downloading any movies on your iPhone over the air any time soon.

[via 9-to-5 Mac]

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:40 pm

Shields Up!:Vista Internet Security 2010

Section: Computers, Security, Features, Originals, Columns

Late Sunday night my husband was working on his blog when he decided to check out one of his trackbacks. Bad idea. He was immediately redirected to a fake anti-virus site and even though he knows not to click on anything and shut the browser down via Task Manager, somehow the program, called Vista Internet Security 2010 installed itself anyway! He was immediately tormented by pop up after pop up with dire warnings like:

System warning!
Intercepting programs that may compromise your privacy and harm your system has been detected on your PC. It’s highly recommended you scan your PC right now.

and

System warning!
Continue working in unprotected mode is very dangerous. Virus can damage your confidential data and work on your computer. Click here to protect your computer.

All fake of course. A fake version of the Windows Security Center opened up as well, and it claimed that his anti-virus and firewall were nowhere to be found. The infection happened about 11pm and it took me until 8am to finally get him back to a clean system. This rogue anti-virus is particularly nasty and frightening too. Here’s why:

1. Our firewall didn’t stop it and neither AVG nor Malwarebytes detected it when I ran scans with each of them. They are both fully updated so this means either this rouge so new the anti-virus programs haven’t caught up with it yet, or it is able to avoid detection/disable anti-virus programs.
2. It completely disabled Windows Security Center. Even when I went to Control Panel and launched it there, it presented me with the fake one.
3. It dropped a nasty Trojan that inserts a browser hijack into every browser it finds installed on the system. The hijack throws up a fake warning that the site you are accessing is infected and keeps redirecting you to scam sites.
4. It also dropped a keylogger-not the fake one it claims Firefox is infected with, but a real one. For those not familiar with the term, a keylogger is a malicious program that records everything typed into a computer, saves that info, and sends it off to the hackers. So if you have a keylogger installed and log into say, Paypal or your bank, the hacker gets your login and password.

So how did I clean up the mess? Well since neither MalwareBytes or AVG was able to detect the malicious files, first I went to my computer and downloaded Malwarebytes to a flash drive and tried to run it on the infected system. No dice. I then opened the Windows Registry and tried to delete the files it had placed there but I was denied access. Finally I fought through the redirects, went to TrendMicro’s site and used their HouseCall scanner. I did two full scans and it found all the nasty files and deleted them. Once the system was clean I ran a Hijack This log to make sure no rogue files were lurking around plus another virus scan. Once I was confident the system had been cleared, I had my husband change the password to every site, service and forum he’s registered with.

If you find yourself redirected to a fake anti-virus site, shutting down the browser via Task Manager may not be enough. If it’s not the first thing to do is disconnect any other computers from your network, if you have one. This will keep all them from getting infected if the rouge anti-virus happens to be network aware. If your anti-virus software didn’t catch the infection, it’s probably been disabled or the variant is so new the anti-virus companies haven’t caught up yet. It is possible to manually delete some of these rouge anti-virus programs but if you get an access denied or you don’t feel comfortable messing with your registry (if you don’t know what you’re doing you can render your entire computer inoperable!) try using another computer to download an antivirus program to a flash drive or use an online scanner like HouseCall.

How do you prevent infections in the first place? Think before clicking on any link. If it’s got gibberish in it, came in an email from a stranger or from a friend but with no explanation, delete it. When dealing with URL shortened links like bit.ly, don’t click unless you know and trust the source completely. Never ever click on a banner ad or pop up that warns you your system is infected, and always keeps your anti-virus program updated and your firewall on. It’s not fool proof but following these steps will help significantly reduce your chances of getting infected.

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:36 pm

How to Mix Up Some Non-Toxic Cleaners for Your Home

Some of those cleaning products you can buy on supermarket shelves will leave your home more toxic than it was before you cleaned it. Learn to mix your own potent cleaners from safe materials, and contribute your own recipes.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pm

Microsoft Confirms Update-Linked BSODs Required Compromised Machines

Trailrunner7 writes "Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that the blue screen of death issues that affected a slew of users after the latest batch of Patch Tuesday updates is the result of an existing infection by the Alureon rootkit. There was widespread speculation after the patch release that simply installing the MS10-015 update was causing the BSOD condition on some Windows 32-bit machines. However, Microsoft said at the time this was not the case and started an investigation into the problem. In an advisory released Thursday, the company said that it now was confident that the restart problem is being caused by the Alureon rootkit." That seems a harsh way to find out that your Windows machine has been rooted.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Feb 2010 | 2:00 pm

Supply Chain Toolworks Unveils a New Software Category Platform for Operations Planning

Supply Chain Toolworks Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:58 pm

Feds Can Search, Seize P2P Files Without Warrant

A federal appeals court rules that files traded on peer-to-peer networks can be nabbed by the authorities without a court warrant. Those files may be used in a criminal prosecution.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:40 pm

Chevy Volt Put to Olympic Test

The Winter Olympics haven't just been a public test of Shaun White's hype, Lindsey Vonn's shin, and Johnny Weir's verve--they've also been a test-run for Chevy's plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Volt. GM got in on the very green games ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:32 pm

Comerica's Ralph Babb to join TI board of directors

DALLAS, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced that Ralph W. Babb, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Comerica Incorporated and Comerica Bank, has been elected to TI's board of directors, effective March 15.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:30 pm

FARO Invites You to Join Its Fourth Quarter 2009 Conference Call on the Web

LAKE MARY, Fla., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) announced that after the market closes on February 24, 2010 it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:30 pm

AT&T will sell Motorola Backflip for $99 beginning March 7

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

The Motorola Backflip will be the first Android phone on AT&T when it goes on sale early next month. According to reports from Reuters, the Backflip will sell for $99 with two-year agreement and $100 mail-in rebate beginning March 7.

Sporting a uniqe method for flipping the phone to expose the QWERTY keyboard, the Backflip is AT&T’s first Android phone. It is similar to the Motorola CLIQ in that both phones have identical faces and MOTOBLUR, though the Backflip has a different keyboard set-up.

AT&T will launch the BackFlip with the outdated Android 1.5 Cupcake build but it could be updated to 2.1 at some point this year. That would greatly improve on the 3.1 inch HVGA touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, and 1,500 mAh battery that’s packed into the phone.

Read [Reuters]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:26 pm

Apple Doubles iPhone’s 3G Download Cap

Apple has doubled the download cap for media downloaded on the iPhone over the 3G network.

Before, iPhone owners could not download apps or iTunes media surpassing 10MB in size over the 3G network. A message would appear instructing users to connect to Wi-Fi to perform the download. Now that limitation has been increased to 20MB, according to our testing and multiple independent reports.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the change. Some theorize the cap was increased in advance of the release of the iPad tablet, whose games will likely be considerably larger in file size. The iPad is due for release in late March.

See Also:

• Wondering Why You Can’t Pre-Order an iPad? It Isn’t Legal Yet …
• Analysis: Apple Bunts on iPad Gaming
• Ten Things Missing From the iPad
• Hands-On With the Apple iPad
• Apple iPad Raises the Stakes for E-Readers
• Can Apple’s iPad Save the Media After All?

Via iPhone Savior

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:20 pm

Docupace Launches P3 - The First Fully Integrated Paperless Processing Service for the Financial Services Industry

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Docupace Technologies and Topaz Systems announced today the integration of Topaz Systems' electronic signature software and hardware with the Docupace P3 service.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:17 pm

Is Apple Actually Pushing for the $10 iPad E-Book, After All?

We've lamented the death of the $10 e-book, the victim of a showdown between Amazon and publishers emboldened by the advent of the iPad. But a New York report says Apple's iBook pricing scheme would allow for a $10 e-bestseller and force the price down if a book becomes a bestseller.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:17 pm

KLA-Tencor Launches the PROLITH(TM) X3.1 Virtual Lithography Tool for Cost-Effective Investigation of EUV and Double Patterning Lithography Challenges

MILPITAS, Calif., Feb.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:15 pm

Food label designed by "neurological and bodily responses"

From the Wall Street Journal via Good: Campbell's Soup redesigns a label using "neuromarketing" techniques.

Campbell's New Neuromarketing


Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:13 pm

James Jean: limited edition print

The latest fine art edition from Pressure Printing is by painter and comix artist James Jean, who in 2008 also designed a stunning series of fabric prints for Prada (and incredible promotional animation too). The print above, titled "Dive," is Jean's second piece with Pressure Printing. A limited edition of 15, the print is $2,000. From the Pressure Printing blog:

James employed a technique he's got a unique mastery of here, working up a one-color "key" drawing by hand and then going back and adding tone and color in Photoshop. This technique just happens to lend itself perfectly to printmaking. After much color proofing and not a few sets of test plates, we decided upon printing the key drawing in a dark burgundy, with the tonal additions printed in a warm cyan.

The print is large, with an image size of 29" x 16", and a paper size of 36" x 23". It has been printed via an intaglio process, with the two plates cut to slightly different sizes giving the print its unique double-plate-embossed border.

"Dive" by James Jean

Previously:

• James Jean's sketchbooks - Boing Boing
• Artist James Jean for Prada - Boing Boing
• Prada animation by James Jean and CocoRosie - Boing Boing
• The art of James Jean - Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:08 pm

Controversy Arises Over King Tut Findings

Dr. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, unveiled new evidence for King Tut's lineage and cause of death at a packed press conference on Wednesday. Hawass confirmed the principal conclusions made in a paper published in ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pm

Ingram Micro Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2009 Financial Results

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ingram Micro Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pm

Salesforce.com Chairman and CEO to Keynote at Upcoming Investor Events

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced that Marc Benioff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at salesforce.com, will keynote at two upcoming investor events on Thursday, February 25, 2010.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pm

SuccessFactors Founder & CEO to Participate in a Fireside Chat at the 2010 Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference

SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 18 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pm

Pilot Crashes Plane Into IRS Building

The pilot, identified as Joseph Stack, had problems with the IRS and claimed violence "is the only answer" on his Web site.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:48 pm

Forage Plant Wards Off Ruminant Gastrointestinal Nematode

A common pasture plant could help foraging ruminants ward off damaging gastrointestinal nematodes that can cause illness and death, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.Animal scientist Joan Burke at the ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, Ark., along with colleagues at several universities, has patented formulations of Sericea lespedeza, commonly referred to as Chinese bush clover.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pm

Motorola Backflip Will Be the First Android Phone on AT&T

AT&T has its heart set on Motorola’s latest Android phone, the Backflip. Starting March 7, the Backflip will retail for $100 with a two-year contract and a $100 mail-in rebate.

The Backflip will be the first smartphone running the Google-designed open source Android operating system to be available on AT&T’s network.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, AT&T said it’s planning to offer five Android phones this year. These include devices from companies such as HTC, Dell and Motorola.

The Backflip from Motorola has an interesting hardware design — instead of sliding open forward, the device’s physical keyboard flips behind it so it can sit on a table like an alarm clock. The Backflip has a 3.1-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with flash. Motorola has not yet revealed detailed specifications of the device.

The phone also has a 1-inch touch-sensitive swatch on the back of the phone that supports gestures such as swipe and double-tap.  The Backflip will run MotoBlur, the Motorola-designed skin that first appeared on the Cliq last year. MotoBlur aggregates social networking feeds such as Twitter and Facebook and combines it with e-mail contacts and the phone’s address book. It also offers free online backup of the data on the device and a find-my-phone service for lost devices.

Check out our hands-on with the Motorola Backflip from CES.

Photo of the Motorola Backflip: writegirl/Flickr

See Also:

• Motorola’s First Android Phone Takes Aim at Social Networks
• MWC 2010: The Year of the Android
• AT&T Plans 5 Android Smartphones in 2010
• Android’s Rapid Growth Has Some Developers Worried

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pm

Motorola Backflip Will Be First Android Phone on AT&T

Motorola's Backflip will be the first Android phone to be available on AT&T's network next month.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:28 pm

Your Windows Mobile phone just became a Classic.  Windows Phone Classic

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

With the announcement from Microsoft of Windows Phone 7 Series, they created many questions about what will happen to the current iteration of Windows Mobile.  It seems Microsoft intends to rename Windows Mobile 6.5 into Windows Phone Classic.  The good bit of news here is Microsoft will continue to support the devices currently running the software.

Microsoft’s dual prong strategy involves having the two OS’ sell next to each other.  Yes, Microsoft will have Windows Phone 7 Series (whose name has been nominated for “Best comedic performance by an ensemble”) devices launching along side Windows Mobile 6.5x devices.  I can’t fathom why one would continue to support the old way of doing things, but then again, folks love styli.

According to istartedsomething, Microsoft will continue to aim the old Windows Mobile platform at enterprise, while the hot new sexy Windows Phone 7 Series will be tilted towards consumers.  Interesting.  While Blackberry,Android, webOS, and the iPhone OS all offer “one ring to rule them all” or one OS for both range of consumers, enterprise or not; Microsoft continues to treat the two markets as separate. 

It will be telling to see what MS has up it’s sleeve for the next version of Windows Phone Classic.  Can it be seen as anything but an old lumbering giant?

Read: [JK on the Run]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:12 pm

Big Plant Seeds Don't Always Beat Out Small Seeds

College of Biological Sciences researcher Helene Muller-Landau has developed a new theory explaining why some plant species produce a small number of large seeds while others produce a large number of small seeds.Using mathematical modeling, Muller-Landau demonstrated that plants having different size seeds can coexist when regeneration sites vary in stressfulness.  Species that produce large seeds (e.g., coconuts) have the advantage under stressful conditions -- such as drought or shade -- while plants that produce large numbers of small seeds (e.g., fig species) have the advantage in areas with adequate water and light.The research was published in the Early Online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during this week of Feb.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:07 pm

SUV-Sized Fish Were Earliest Filter-Feeders

Giant whales are known for filter feeding, but the technique was likely devised by humongous fish that lived during the Mesozoic.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Motorola Devour going for $150 at Best Buy

It’s the handset that Megan Fox used to make men crumble everywhere, and now it looks like the Motorola DEVOUR can be had at Best Buy pretty soon. At $149.99, it’s $50 less than the DROID, but of course, there are the bells and whistles.

If the grainy picture above is accurate, you’ll need to sign up for a two-year contract with Verizon and pick up a data plan that is at least $29.99 per month. That’s not too shabby considering all the data you’ll be gobbling up anyway with this phone. The best part of buying phones at Best Buy? No mail-in-rebate required.

[via Engadget]

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:51 am

Coming Without Warning

Since the recent discovery of abrupt climate change -- that big changes can come quickly -- researchers have been looking for "warning signs" to help us avert "regime shifts" that could suddenly alter things we take for granted, such as ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am

Ocean Geoengineering Scheme No Easy Fix For Global Warming

Image Caption: This map displays simulated additional surface warming (in Celsius) for the year 2100 caused by the temporary use of artificial upwelling in the green areas for the time period 2011-2060. Credit: IFM-GEOMAR
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:26 am

Monkeys Threatened By Forest Decline

Monkey populations in threatened forests are far more sensitive to damage to their habitat than previously thought, according to new research.An analysis of monkeys living in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains suggests that the impact of external factors, such as human activity, on species numbers is felt in forests as large as 40 square kilometers.Researchers also found that the health of monkey populations is closely related to the type of habitat found between forest fragments, rather than the distance that separates them.The findings have broader implications for conservationists as the number of monkeys and the variety of species is a visible indicator of the underlying health of their habitat.The research was conducted by Dr Andrew Marshall, from the Environment Department at the University of York and Director of Conservation at Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of York, the University of Copenhagen, the Tremto Museum of Natural History (Italy) and the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre (Tanzania).Dr Marshall said: “This study suggests that while small forest fragments need protecting we should intervene at an earlier stage to protect larger forest areas that are under threat.“It also supports the case for working with local communities on practical steps that will help forest species.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:21 am

Giant Panda Genome Reveals Insights Into Bamboo Diet

A Chinese-led team including international researchers with a scientist from Cardiff University, has shed new light on some of the giant panda's unusual biological traits, including its famously restricted diet.The team has successfully sequenced the panda genome for the first time and now, the genetic insights gleaned from the work may aid conservation efforts for the endangered species.Giant pandas are known for their bamboo diet but the researchers discovered that the animal actually lacks the genes necessary for compete digestion of this staple food source.Professor Mike Bruford, Cardiff School of Biosciences, worked on the study as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, funded by the Royal Society.He said: "The panda is a true bear and is a carnivore, so it possesses the genes necessary for being a meat-eater and yet its diet is almost exclusively herbivorous.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:17 am

Google Voice, explained

(Cross-posted from the Google Voice Blog)

Google Voice is about giving you more control over your communications, through dozens of features — ranging from call screening to voicemail transcription to the ability to send and receive SMS by email.

While we've heard from users that they love our growing list of features, we're conscious of the fact that Google Voice can seem overwhelming to people trying it for the first time.

So we've created a short video that gives an overview of what Google Voice can do.



In addition, we've created a set of short videos that dive into more detail about ten features of Google Voice:

1. Voicemail transcription
2. One number
3. Personalized greetings
4. International calling
5. SMS to email
6. Share voicemails
7. Block callers
8. Screen callers
9. Mobile app
10. Conference calls

The videos show why you might want to use each feature and basic instructions for getting started. And each video focuses on just one topic so you can learn about the features that matter to you.

Finally, we just launched our own YouTube channel at youtube.com/googlevoice. You can view all of the videos mentioned above in a custom video gadget we built for this channel, which will help you keep track of which videos you've already watched.

We hope these videos help you get the most out of Google Voice.

Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager

Source: The Official Google Blog | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:13 am

Meebo IM App Finally Lands on iPhone

You probably became acquainted with Meebo, a web-based instant-messaging tool, while using a public computer that didn’t allow you to run native IM clients. (College students who slack off in computer labs — I’m looking at you.) And now finally, the beloved IM service has its own iPhone app.

We caught a glimpse of the Meebo iPhone app almost a year ago at an Apple press event. It was the first IM client to demonstrate Apple’s push-notification service, which makes IMs pop up in the same way as text messages, even if your iPhone is asleep.

The Meebo app supports popular IM services including AOL Instant Messenger, Gchat and Facebook chat, as well as dozens of others. You start by setting up your accounts in a few easy steps, and immediately you’re ready to chat. The app is lightweight and fast. In addition to chatting with friends, you can view your chat histories and synchronize chat logs from your desktop.

I like the clean design of Meebo, but I personally prefer the more polished interface of BeeJive IM, which carries multimedia tools enabling you to send photos and voice notes. Meebo is, however, free, and BeeJive costs $7, so if all you want is a lightweight, straight-to-the-point IM app, go for Meebo. If you want a premium experience packed with features, go for BeeJive.

See Also:

• You’re Always Online With Push IM for iPhone
• An IM Infatuation Turned to Romance. Then the Truth Came Out.
• Instant Messaging Grows Up

Meebo Download Link [iTunes]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:10 am

Google grabs iPhone app - pulls it down

Section: Communications, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile

Remail was remarkable in a few ways. Remail figured out a way to compress emails and store them all on the iPhone. Having the email stored locally on the device allowed it's searches to be lightening fast. The iPhone's stock app connects to the server to search most of your inbox (assuming you, like Cselle have 30,000 emails hanging around). In fact, those 30,000 emails only took up 127mbs.

It seems Google's interest in quickly scanning email, not just Gmail is the endgame here. Google could be looking to one-up the iPhone by incorporating Remail into an Android app but that seems against the Google's value prop of everything in the cloud, everywhere. It will be interesting to see how Google uses Remail and if they'll use it as a weapon to compete with rival Apple.

The founder had one time worked at Google on Gmail before he was a co-founder in Outlook plug in Xobni. Here's Cselle on his Remail application.

Read: [Gabor hits send]
>

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:05 am

Orange Peels, Newspapers May Lead To Better Ethanol Fuel

Scientists may have just made the breakthrough of a lifetime, turning discarded fruit peels and other throwaways into cheap, clean fuel to power the world's vehicles.University of Central Florida professor Henry Daniell has developed a groundbreaking way to produce ethanol from waste products such as orange peels and newspapers.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:01 am

'Speed Gene' Helps Pick Pony's Perfect Race

Knowing a horse's genome could pay off big at the race track.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 11:01 am

Protein Found that Regulates Forgetting of Short-term Memories

Fruit fly experiments show inhibiting and elevating Rac activity slows and speeds erasureCold Spring Harbor, NY -- Memories that we have just acquired – a new phone number, or the name of a new acquaintance -- are more liable to be forgotten than memories we have held for some time.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:58 am

Cell Cargo Carrier Moves Like A Seesaw

Image Caption: A molecular motor gives up its secrets. Electron microscope images of kinesin, one of life's smallest molecular motors, have been used to derive new, highly detailed 3-D maps (transparent surface) of the motor frozen in action. By fitting atomic models (colored ribbons) into the 3-D maps, a detailed mechanism has been derived for how a single molecule of biological fuel, called ATP, initiates motor movement. (Image by Charles Sindelar, Brandeis University)
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:55 am

Biological Clocks Control Cell Division in Bacteria

A team of biologists has unraveled the biochemistry of how bacteria so precisely time cell division, a key element in understanding how all organisms from bacteria to humans use their biological clocks to control basic cellular functions.The discovery, detailed in the February 19 issue of the journal Cell, provides important clues to how the biological clocks of bacteria and other “prokaryotic” cells—which lack cell nuclei—evolved differently from that of “eukaryotic” cells with nuclei that comprise most other forms of life, from fungi to plants and animals.“A major question in biology is how the circadian clock machinery is different in bacteria than it is in plants, animals and fungi,” said Susan Golden, a professor of biology at UC Sana Diego, who headed the study.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:55 am

New Climate Change Breakthroughs in Polar Research

The latest findings from research on Antarctica's rich marine life are presented this week at the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceMarine Biologist Huw Griffiths from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is involved in a major international investigation into the distribution and abundance of Antarctica's vast marine biodiversity – the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML).Griffiths presents results from the census – which began in 2005 – and describes how the investigation provides the benchmark for future studies on how the extraordinary and diverse range of sea-floor creatures living in Antarctica's chilly waters will respond to predicted environmental change.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:53 am

Sony Ericsson turned down the Nexus One

A Swedish interview with Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg found the jolly head of SE’s floundering handset business reporting that he turned down making the Nexus One for Google because it would dilute the majestic Sony Ericsson brand.

Here’s the weirdly translated money shot:

But Google got turned down. Brand [Recital... awareness? "Varumärkesskäl vägde tyngre."] weighed heavier. Sony Ericsson will only produce phones under its own brand and not be subcontracted to others.

HTC made a huge name for itself by subcontracting for others and their work has won accolades, giving them a great stepping stone towards manufacturing their own goodies. SE could do well to take a page from their playbook but I fear it’s already too late.

via Eng

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:49 am

'Koala AIDS' Spreading at an Alarming Rate

At least 3.1 million people die of AIDS each year, reports Yale AIDS watch, and scientists have identified a comparable disease, dubbed "Koala AIDS" or "KIDS," which is spreading among the gentle, cuddly marsupials at an alarming rate, according to ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 10:22 am

Brits Release UFO Docs

Today, the British Ministry of Defence and the British National Archives released 24 files containing more than 6,000 pages of UFO-related information to the public. The material covers reports of sightings between 1994–2000 and includes eyewitness accounts and sketches... like ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 9:10 am

Shout for Android offers one-tap texting

Shout could save your life. It’s a voice-activated texting program for Android that listens to your message and recipient (“Text Joe ‘It’s herpes, it’s not transmittable right now’”) and Shout repeats the message and, after you press the big “Yes” button, sends the text message. I could definitely imagine using this in a car or on a high-wire strung between two buildings over Cincinnati.

You can download it here or take a picture of the QR code above. It seems to be offloading the voice recognition, which is pretty cool, and at the low, low price of free$2.99 (sorry), it’s worth a second look.

Product Page

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:46 am

Amazing Spokeless Bike Built as Student Project

A team of students at Yale decided to build a spokeless bike for their mechanical design class. One semester later, they had the machine you see here.

The students concentrated on the rear wheel, for reasons of both time and money. The back wheel is where all the work goes on anyway, so if it worked, then the front wheel would be easy.

The back wheel is machined in standard 26-inch size so a stock tire would fit, and inside it you see a belt drive, usually used to replace a chain. The weirdest aspect is that double-crank and double bottom bracket. This was used to get the gearing right: imagine connecting a single crank to that rear wheel and you’ll see why. You’d have the lowest granny-gear ever.

It’s a single-speed, and as is the law of single speed bikes, we have to discuss the gear ratios. The chainrings both have 53 teeth, and the cog has 13.

We dig the look of the bike, too, especially the low-tech, scrapyard aesthetic. The spokeless wheel offers extra space. Zhaolander, the team-member who posted these photos on Reddit, says that the gap could be used to fit a motor or, even better, a carrying basket that would be in the perfect place to balance its load. The only problem seems to be the handling. Zhaolander says that the big rim supports make things top-heavy.

Spokeless Bicycle [Reddit via Engadget]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 7:13 am

Slack-Off in Meetings With Kindle for Blackberry

Amazon’s Kindle reader is spreading to one more device: The BlackBerry. Like the iPhone version, you sign into your Amazon Kindle account and you can read any books you have bought for Kindle. The beta application will also talk to Amazon’s Whispersync service to keep your place across all your devices.

Kindle for BlackBerry (another awesome bit of naming, guys) joins Kindle for PC, iPhone and Kindle for Kindle, and the soon-to-appear Kindle for Mac. We like what Amazon is doing here: you buy a book once and you can read it on pretty much any device you have. And because many of these phones, iPod and computers can be loaded up with several other e-readers, you aren’t locked in to the Kindle store (unless, ironically, you actually bought a Kindle).

But the best thing about Kindle for BlackBerry is that you can now read erotic fiction in business meetings, and all the other suits will assume you’re just checking your email. Email that makes you flushed and flustered, but email nonetheless.

Kindle for BlackBerry [Amazon]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:38 am

sOccket: Soccer Ball by Day, Light by Night

Every great once in a while, you come across something that makes you slap your head and say, "That's...just...brilliant." No, I don't mean the soccer ball pictured here. Well, actually, I DO mean the soccer ball pictured here. Although, this ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Feb 2010 | 6:18 am

Motorola BACKFLIP first Android phone for AT&T, coming March 7

AT&T and Motorola this morning confirmed earlier rumors that the BACKFLIP with MOTOBLUR will be available in online and in AT&T stores across the nation, beginning March 7.

This is the first Android handset for the carrier.
The device will go for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.

More information, pictures etc. are available here.

Also check out our hands-on review of the phone.

Full press release:

AT&T Announces Availability of First Device on Android Platform With Motorola

HSPA 7.2-capable Motorola BACKFLIP Coming Soon to AT&T Stores Nationwide

DALLAS and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T* and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that the Motorola BACKFLIP™ with MOTOBLUR™ will be available in AT&T stores nationwide and online at www.wireless.att.com beginning March 7.

MOTOBLUR offers AT&T customers a new way to connect to their favorite people, content and applications, whether it’s work or personal email, messaging or social networking. Motorola’s exclusive Android™ experience syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter®, Gmail™, Picasa, work and personal e-mail, and Last.fm — and automatically delivers them to live widgets for immediate reply, right from the home screen. And, for customers who prefer multi-tasking, AT&T’s 3G network offers the added advantage of talking and surfing the Web and accessing applications at the same time.

BACKFLIP features a unique form-factor with an original reverse flip design, spacious keyboard and BACKTRACK™ touch panel, allowing the display to be hands-free while one’s fingers work behind the screen. BACKFLIP runs on the nation’s fastest 3G network and is powered by MOTOBLUR™, Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service created to make phones more personal and socially smart. Customers can see photos and learn more at www.att.com/backflip.

“Motorola BACKFLIP brings together the best of social networking with the nation’s fastest 3G network,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With the ability to ride on our newest and fastest 3G network, access to more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots, and the ability to talk and surf at the same time, BACKFLIP boasts a better 3G experience.”

MOTOBLUR™

MOTOBLUR keeps track of contacts so it’s easy to keep up. Users can flip through messages and updates on the BACKFLIP and respond in a flash, without having to log in and out of applications. MOTOBLUR helps consumers keep a pulse on what’s happening on their social and news networks. Only MOTOBLUR can sync Facebook, MySpace and Twitter with phone book and email contacts, while threading status updates and profile pics through calls, messages and address book. From the home screen, consumers can update their status to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at once.

Finally, MOTOBLUR provides users with simplicity and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and GPS can be used to locate them. One user name and password brings back a user’s contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and email providers.

“Motorola is proud to bring the first Android-powered device to AT&T’s 3G network,” said Mark Shockley, senior vice president, Motorola Mobile Devices. “AT&T customers will love the social media advantages MOTOBLUR offers as well as the innovative hardware design.”

BACKFLIP is the first Motorola device to feature the new and unique BACKTRACK™ feature which gives AT&T customers the ability to navigate quickly and easily through Web sites, menus and more with a touch panel located behind the screen when the device is folded open. BACKTRACK offers a new way to scroll through the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds without obscuring the home screen. Flip the keyboard backwards into table-top mode to listen to music, watch videos, view pictures with the digital picture frame or to turn BACKFLIP into a digital, bedside alarm clock.

BACKFLIP comes with a full HTML browser that can be viewed on the 3.1″ high-res, touch screen display and makes use of 7.2 HSPA 3G technology on the nation’s fastest 3G network. Android Market™ has access to more than 20,000 apps and widgets, in order to customize the device to fit each consumer’s personal style. Customers can easily shoot photos and video with the BACKFLIP’s 5 MP camera and flash, and upload them to their favorite photo sharing or social media site.

The Motorola BACKFLIP features Wi-Fi connectivity and AT&T customers receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots included as part of their unlimited data plan. AT&T’s has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.

Pricing and Availability

The Motorola BACKFLIP will be available March 7 at AT&T retail locations nationwide or at www.wireless.att.com for $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate. (Pay $199.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. Two-year agreement and smartphone data plan required.)

Source: MobileCrunch | 18 Feb 2010 | 5:15 am

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