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Globalfoundries announces aggressive expansion plans - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Jun 2010 | 4:05 am O2 UK gears up Dell Streak launch; will be free on contract - ZDNet (blog)
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:49 am Apple at the 2 million iPad mark: Rivals swamped by platform - ZDNet (blog)
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:31 am Radware Launches All-inclusive Security Solution to Protect Data Centers and Networks From New Hybrid Attacks: APSolute Attack PreventionSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:30 am IBM To Convene Business & Industry Leaders For HRH The Prince of Wales' Start InitiativeSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:30 am Swinburne and Suntech Launch Advanced Solar Facility in MelbourneSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:30 am Three tips for giving the boss feedback (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:27 am Two-Thirds of Americans Can't Name Any U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Says New FindLaw.com SurveySource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:20 am Magal S3 to Host First Quarter 2010 Earnings Results Conference Call on June 9, 2010Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 3:11 am Ceragon's New Energy-Efficient Long Haul Radio Solution Cuts Power Consumption by Up To 30%Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 2:59 am GCC Moving To Use C++ Instead of CAn anonymous reader writes "CodeSourcery's Mark Mitchell wrote to the GCC mailing list yesterday reporting that 'the GCC Steering Committee and the FSF have approved the use of C++ in GCC itself. Of course, there's no reason for us to use C++ features just because we can. The goal is a better compiler for users, not a C++ code base for its own sake.' Still undecided is what subset of C++ to use, as many contributors are experts in C, but novices in C++; there is a call for a volunteer to develop the C++ coding standards."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Jun 2010 | 2:58 am How phones ring a bell in your headThe instant you hear a cellphone ring, your brain reacts in a unique way - if the ringtone matches that of your own phone. New Scientist reports. Anja Roye of the University of Leipzig in Germany and...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 2:07 am Lancaster University Awards Viglen and Platform Computing First Class Honors for High Performance ComputingSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 2:00 am Look Voyages Boosts Customer Engagement and Drives up Conversion Rates With Autonomy OptimostSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 2:00 am D-Link DIR-457U: Wi-Fi+3G, A Better, Cost-Saving Way to Stay ConnectedSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:59 am Wish you Were Here...? Norway Postcard Models Wanted!Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:59 am Cellphone in New Role: Loyalty CardInstead of collecting paper cards and fumbling through wallets at the cash register, customers are increasingly using their cellphones to track their visits and purchases, and receive rewards. [via The...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:48 am Comedian Commencement Speakers - Jimmy Tingle Gives 2010 Harvard Commencement Speech (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Watch as Jimmy Tingle gives his Harvard commencement speech at his own graduation. He went back to school after wanting to attend Harvard since he was young. This has to be the greatest...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:48 am Unknown HTC Android phone appears, shrouded in mystery
As you’ll recall, in last week’s episode, we thought that the HTC Aria was the QWERTY phone spotted at the FCC some months ago. However, the phone here appears to be of the slate variety… so… where does this leave us? Confused for a start, but no more than usual after a long weekend. We do know that it’s running Android 2.1 with Sense UI, has a 5MP camera, and is topped off with a 3.5mm headphone jack. But, while it’s clear that this phone is no behemoth, the Android Guys say that their source called it “the smallest Android device” they’d seen, but that piece of card sitting next to the handset in the photo is apparently a business card. Now I just put a business card next to my HTC Hero, and the phone:card ratio looks about the same, so I don’t know what to trust. Will it have a 2.55″ screen like the XPERIA X10 Mini, or a 3.2″ screen like the HTC Wildfire? We just don’t know. But fear not, dear readers! The Mystery Of The HTC Aria will conclude on June 7th, after AT&T make their scheduled announcement (over the top of someone else)! Android Guys have a bunch more pics, too, so if you’re curious, be sure to check ‘em out. [via Android Central]
Source: MobileCrunch | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:41 am Sick Currency - Matthew Donaldson Offers Photographic Commentary on the Ailing Economy (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The state of the ailing economy is ample inspiration for London-based still-life photographer Matthew Donaldson. Donaldson's presidential series of money photos features Ulysses S...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:28 am Greenified Housing Exteriors - The 'Wave House' has a Green Roof and Walls for Sustainable Living (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The Wave House (aka 'La Maison-Vague' in French) was designed by French designer Patrick Nadeau and features an entire exterior made from grass and various green plantation. The Wave...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:08 am China's Nebulae Ranks as No. 2 Supercomputer - Converge Network Digest
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Jun 2010 | 1:07 am Shop It to Me Gets New Look, Back Engine and Soon Expands to New Categories
This is a site that execution-wise got everything right, which is why it has out-grown and out-lasted a few dozen companies that have had a near-identical approach. First off, it has great inventory—all the biggest designers and department stores. The site allows you to enter your size info on a brand-by-brand basis, recognizing that we all wear different sizes for different designers. The email newsletters contain all the information you want, you only click through if you have an intent to purchase. That means there’s no bait-and-switch or overly goosed click-through rates for retailers. You can even set how many times and what day you want to get the newsletters,and set whether you only way to see items that are, say 50% off or more. A lot of Web sites either don’t solve a big problem (ie, Plurk, Friendfeed in a post-Twitter world) or solve a problem in a far too complex, over-featured way. Shop It to Me fell into neither trap. It sought the simplest solution to solving the tricky problem of apparel discovery that the first generation comparison shopping sites like Shopping.com never came close to solving. It’s comparable to Kayak, only better because Kayak was replacing the pain of going to four or five sites to find the best deal—Shop It To Me replaces the need for going to hundreds of sites. The site has 3 million subscribers, which puts it the range of peers like DailyCandy, Groupon and others. It has only raised one round of funding and won’t say how much, but this is a lean company with less than 20 employees. It doesn’t hold any inventory or a large salesforce, which is one reason it has been so quiet—the only barriers to entry are size, scale and execution. I read it religiously twice a week and must have bought hundreds of items at huge discounts of the past two years. But while Groupon and Gilt have been getting loads of press for novel demand generation sites, Shop It To Me has been pretty quiet. Its product has been featured on the Today Show and InStyle but not so much on sites like TechCrunch, where let’s face it, the core audience isn’t exactly teaming with stylish women. That will start to change this week as the company rolls out the first of a series of changes that will take it from an in-the-know tool for stylistas to—it hopes—more of an ecommerce powerhouse ala Zappos. Today, it is launching a more modern and less-femme redesign, within six months a new back end will allow it to make better personal recommendations, and by the end of the year, it will be in at least one more new category—possibly housewares or even travel, says the founder Charlie Graham. The curation aspect will be tricky. What’s made Shop It To Me so great is that you say exactly what you want and you get it. The problem is too much of a good thing. The site offers up some two billion recommendations over email per month. During the recession the site got more stores on board and more sale inventory and users who loved the service, just didn’t have the time to go through the pretty lengthy emails. People need a five-minute solution, Graham says. There is a risk here the site veers off track by trying to be something more than it is now. Can the purchases of other women who also like Diane Von Furstenberg dresses and Tori Burch shoes really help inform what other brands I may like best? I’m dubious. But Graham says the site isn’t straying from the approach of individually personalizing each newsletter, and after all, it only makes money when we click or buy, depending on the contract. If the changes don’t result in more purchases, they won’t last. Whether you’ve heard of it before or not, this is a site big enough it has something to lose at this point. My biggest problem with the site is still unsolved. While Shop It To Me compresses demand generation into an easy, consolidated experience, buying items still require you to go to each individual site, each requiring its own separate checkout process, user names and passwords. That is a huge friction point. It’s a hard problem to solve since most retailers want to own the customer relationship, but Graham assures me they are working on a solution. The ideal would be some sort of one-click “ShopItToMe NOW!” purchase button, ala the Digg or ReTweet buttons. But nothing like that is in the offing anytime soon.      
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:59 am Replica Hoverboad Actually HoversHOVERBOARD – NILS GUADAGNIN from nils guadagnin on Vimeo. By Chris Scott Barr The year 2015 is slowly creeping up on us, which means there isn’t a lot of time for certain promises to be fulfilled...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:54 am Plebeian Fashion Icons - Karl Lagerfeld Shoots 'The 3 Suisses' Fall Catalog (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Recently shooting the 3 Suisses fall catalog of the French mail-order company, Karl Lagerfeld is just about everywhere. He's the face of limited-edition Coca Cola bottles, on road safety...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:53 am Exploding Paper Plane Art - Dawn NG'S 'I Fly like Paper' is an Incredible Piece of Artwork (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Dawn Ng's 'I Fly Like Paper' is an incredible art installation involving thousands of paper planes. Ng created this installation to symbolize the feeling of homesickness. The planes...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:33 am Crowdsourced Activism Logos - The Greenpeace BP Logo Redesign Campaign Asks You to Help Out (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The Greenpeace BP logo redesign campaign is in place, in which Greenpeace asks the general public to create a new logo to represent the oil company BP. The idea is to design a new logo...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:13 am Out Of The Box Instruction Manual Concept Puts The Smartphone Front And CenterBy Andrew Liszewski As devices like smartphones become more and more capable, the learning curve for all of those features becomes increasingly difficult for those who aren’t quite as obsessed with...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:07 am Report: Google moving away from Windows - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Jun 2010 | 12:00 am Panasonic makes the FX75 luxury point-and-shoot official
Here are the vitals:
It sounds like a pretty solid camera — the ability to select codec and AF points suggests this is a nice alternate camera for a DSLR user who likes customizing and short shutter lag. I’m suspicious of the “intelligent resolution” system, though:
So they look accurately detailed. Because they are squeezing a 14 megapixel image out of a 1/2.33″ sensor, they have to create details where they can’t resolve them. Those fuzzy edges and noisy areas are there because the sensor can’t handle it. At least Panasonic is tacitly acknowledging it by “fixing” it. No price or date yet, but I’d say this thing will cost… I’m going to just throw out $379.99 for kicks. Available… I’m going to say July 14th. These are purely guesses, you understand. What? More information, as always, at Panasonic’s Lumix site.
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 11:56 pm Mobile Game Trojan Calls the South PoleUgLyPuNk writes with an excerpt from Gamepron.com: "Freeware games can actually cost you more money than their pay-to-play cousins, as mobile gamers in the UK have learned. A 'booby-trapped' version of a popular Windows Mobile game has been sneakily spending their money while they sleep – by dialing phone numbers in the Antarctic behind their backs."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 11:42 pm Ford, Mazda recall more than 230,000 China cars (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 10:53 pm Synaptics Trackpad Accepts Four-Finger Gestures (PC World)PC World - As many of you know, the Mac trackpad is superior to many PC trackpads. Apple's pad has been in development for more than 16 years, since its Powerbook 500 series. This has given Apple quite the jump ahead of other developers. However, Synaptics is challenging the Mac's pad, starting today!Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 10:27 pm Intel PlanningThinnest Netbook, Dual-Core Netbook Atom - PC Magazine
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 May 2010 | 10:21 pm Vitrium Systems Releases Latest Update of Protectedpdf - The World's Easiest PDF Protection SolutionVANCOUVER, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitrium Systems, a leading technology vendor in smart document technology, has just announced the release of the latest version of protectedpdf - the world's easiest PDF protection solution.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 10:01 pm Pretec Releases World's 1st USB 3.0 Card Reader, 128GB CFast Hypersonic, Fastest 64GB SDXC, & Award-Winning Design Flash ProductsTAIPEI, Taiwan, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Pretec, the leader of the highest capacity (128GB) CF card, fastest CF card(667X), and first SDXC card in the world, offers a full series of innovative products of "Cool Memories, the Ultimate in Style & Speed," including CFast "Hypersonic," USB3.0 High-Speed Multi-Card Reader, 64GB video grade SDXC and many award-accredited USB flash products at Pretec booth at Computex Taipei 2010 (TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Lower Exhibition Hall booth J317a).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 10:01 pm 3-D PCs Will Make a Splash at Computex
After 3-D movies and 3-D TVs, it’s time for computers to go into the third dimension. Companies such as MSI and Asus will be showing 3-D PCs at Computex, a huge trade show for manufacturers of PCs and PC components held every year in Taipei, Taiwan. This year, Computex runs from June 1 to 5. MSI plans to introduce a 24-inch 3-D net-top: a desktop computer with its internals built into the display case, similar to an iMac. “We can run 3-D movies, games, photos and TV,” says Clifford Chun, product manager for all-in-ones and desktops at MSI, “and by just pressing a button you can switch between 2-D and 3-D modes.” MSI’s rival Asus will debut a 3-D laptop with a 15.6-inch display and desktop similar in screen size to that from MSI. The 3-D PCs are expected to be available in the third quarter of the year. “People may choose a 3-D PC because it is a less expensive way to get 3-D content,” says Rob Csongor, vice president of marketing for Nvidia, which makes graphics cards that power the 3-D PCs. “Companies are coming out with some beautiful devices that are going to be a higher-end product initially but they will be very attractive to consumers.”
With Hollywood’s success in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, the 3-D format has made a big comeback. And it’s not confined to just the big screen. The 3-D TV was one of the biggest stars of the Consumer Electronics Show this year. Almost every major TV maker, including Sony, LG, Panasonic and Mitsubishi, plans to offer big-screen 3-D TVs, while broadcasters such as ESPN and Discovery have promised 3-D channels by the end of the year or early next year. Meanwhile, amateur 3-D content is taking off as consumers use 3-D cameras or homemade 3-D rigs to shoot photos. In a sign that homemade 3-D videos could soon be ready to hit mainstream, YouTube has started offering a 3-D display option. Makers of 3-D PCs hope to step into this world. “3-D PCs are for consumers who see the 3-D stuff everywhere and wonder, ‘How can I get this home?’” says Csongor. Close to a million 3-D PCs will ship in 2010, predicts Jon Peddie Research, and annual sales could reach 75 million by 2014 as 3-D PCs become ubiquitous. With a powerful graphics card, most PCs are 3-D capable — in principle. But critical to the 3-D experience is a 120-Hz monitor and special glasses. PCs with 3-D have stereoscopic displays, which means their screens can present a rapidly alternating set of images for the right and the left eye so the brain can fuse them together into a single image that includes depth. MSI’s 3-D desktop, called ‘Ripple,’ has an Intel Core i7 860 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 5730 graphics chip, 4 GB of memory, a 1-terabyte disk drive, a Blu-ray player, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and Wi-Fi capability. The 24-inch multitouch display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz and will come with its own pair of active-shutter glasses. “With active-shutter glasses you don’t lose transparency or contrast as you do with the polarized versions,” says Chun. “We think its the best way to experience the 3-D feeling.” If you are wondering what you will use your 3-D PC for, there’s plenty of 3-D content already out there, assures Nvidia’s Csongor. Nvidia’s graphics chips, which are embedded in Asus machines, can support any of 400 3-D-enabled video games already on the market. Of course, they can also show 3-D photos, streaming video from sports such as golf tournaments, and Blu-ray 3-D movies. And if you get tired of all that 3-D, just switch the display back to the old-fashioned PC mode, suggest MSI’s Chun. “Since we can move between 2-D and 3-D, you can see clear images even if you don’t wear the glasses,” says Chun. “No blurring or fuzzy images in 2-D.” The 24-inch MSI desktop will cost $2,200 — not exactly cheap, but just a little more than what most users would pay for a high-end multimedia machine. For many, it will also be easier to buy a 3-D PC rather than a 3-D TV. “Not everyone wants a 3-D TV when they are ready to buy their next TV,” says Csongor. “But a 3-D PC for their next laptop or desktop is something that may be willing to go for.” See Also:
Photo: (bigchus/Flickr) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm Yahoo Expands Yahoo Updates, Tiptoes On Privacy
Here’s the product expansion in a nutshell – currently to see status updates for others in Yahoo Mail, you have to have a mutual follow, meaning both people have agreed to be “friends.” You can then see that user’s Yahoo status updates as well as updates on third party services that they have added to their Yahoo profile as well. In the new version there will no longer be a requirement for a mutual follow. So, like on Twitter, users can follow whomever they choose. This isn’t actually a dramatic change for Yahoo, since users can follow others in this way already on Yahoo Messenger. But Yahoo Senior Director of Project Management Cody Simms tells me that based on data that Yahoo has collected so far, they think they’ll see a massive increase in user adoption. Yahoo will also suggest that you auto follow some users up front based on an algorithm that looks at your behavior, who your friends’ friends are, etc. But Yahoo Chief Privacy Officer Anne Toth, who has been with Yahoo since 1998, says that there will be no privacy surprises for users, who can choose to turn sharing on, turn it off, or make more granular settings. One thing users will have to get comfortable with is the fact that most of this data is by definition public anyway. The privacy settings simply allow those users to decide whether others can follow you, and get notifications on new content you’ve created. It’s not clear to me that users would suddenly revolt based on the changes. AOL implemented a similar product, Lifestream, earlier this year and there wasn’t a peep in the press about privacy. But Yahoo is implementing Updates deeply into the Yahoo Mail inbox, which is what got Google in trouble with Buzz. One feature Yahoo left out is the ability to see who is following someone, and who you are following, which should ensure additional privacy, says Toth.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm Why Science Needs to Step Up Its PR GameClimate change and evolution are facts, yet the public still falls for half-truths. Researchers need to campaign for their causes and sell them to the people who don't have Ph.D.s.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm Gallery: Meet the Last Generation of Typewriter RepairmenWe take a peek inside three Bay Area shops dedicated to preserving the old-school devices.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm 3-D PCs Will Make a Splash at ComputexAfter 3-D TVs, it's time for 3-D PCs. Computer makers are set to introduce 3-D machines that can switch between 3-D and 2-D mode.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm June 1, 1495: King James Will Have a Scotch, Good SirThe King of Scots commissions a batch of Scotch whisky. However old the beverage itself, this is the first known record of its magnificent existence.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm 3-D PCs Will Make a Splash at ComputexAfter 3-D TVs, it's time for 3-D PCs. Computer makers are set to introduce 3-D machines that can switch between 3-D and 2-D mode.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm Geek Gardening: A Wired Guide to Domestic TerraformingEngineer your way to big yields, low waste and good eats -- whether you've got a second-floor balcony or a suburban backyard.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:00 pm Loopt Star Keeps It Simple: Check-Ins, Specials, And Facebook
Loopt Star is in some ways a simplified version of Loopt’s regular location-based service. Rather than being a service that is continually updating your location in the background, the focus here is only on the idea of the check-in. And naturally, those check-ins take place at specific venues — some of which Loopt has deals in place with to coincide with the launch of the new app. We’re talking big, national brands such as Gap, Burger King, and Universal Music. Loopt Star is sort of like a “virtual loyalty card,” is the way co-founder Sam Altman describes it. “As you go about the world and check-in, you get discounts and free stuff,” is the simplified way he puts it. The way Loopt pitched it to advertisers is interesting. Those guys are familiar with the “cost per impression” model of advertising, so Loopt described this as being a more valuable “cost per visit” model. This is basically the same idea that another location-based service, Whrrl, has been trying to sell to advertisers (pay-per-visit). It’s about “driving foot traffic,” Altman says. Along with foot traffic in stores, retailers get to brand themselves their way in the app, with their own logos. These can be used to reward Loopt Star users with special achievements — similar to the Foursquare “badge” model. Loopt Star will launch with four brands Altman says, but the service will add about two a week after that, so the company can put a special system in place to ensure there’s no fraud or gaming of this system. Obviously that’s a concern when these partners are giving away free and discounted goods. The most interesting aspect to all of this though may be the use of Facebook Connect. Altman says Loopt has used several features from the new Open Graph to build this app. And that the plan is to use Facebook’s social structure for all Loopt products going forward. The new ability for third-parties to cache data was the key to Loopt switching over, Altman says. While Facebook has clearly been working on its own check-in based solution, Altman expects it to be more of a basic feature, and believes the social network will be more interested in federating check-ins from all the other services already out there. If true, this should help Loopt and its competitors gain even more users. Loopt Star will be iPhone-only at first, but it will eventually roll out to all the other major mobile platforms.
Update: And below, find a video Robert Scoble took of Altman showing off Loopt Star.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 9:59 pm Who Needs Windows? Google Starts Putting Their Computers Where Their Mouth Is
A new report tonight in the Financial Times suggests that Google is steering its employees away from using Microsoft’s dominant operating system in the workplace. In fact, the reports says that, “New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system.” And it states that getting a computer running Windows may require permission as high up as Google’s CIO. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of this downplayed by Google over the next few days (the sources are all anonymous employees rather than spokespeople). But I also wouldn’t be surprised if it’s entirely true. Google does believe that it was vulnerabilities in Windows that lead to the infamous Chinese hacking incident earlier this year (which subsequently led them to pull out of China). They undoubtedly know that while they may have closed one hole, many others exist, and it’s only a matter of time until another incident happens again. That is, unless they switch to one of the OSes much less popular with both users and hackers alike (and generally thought to be more secure): OS X and Linux. So that’s apparently what they’re trying to do. Obviously, they’ll still have Windows machines around to test their services on. But what will be interesting to see is if Google continues their fairly standard PC-first, Mac/Linux-second roll-out strategy for new services (Chrome being one example). Google still needs their products to reach the most amount of eyeballs, and that still means Windows. Google has been taking aim at Microsoft for years now. Google Docs, Gmail, Chrome, are some of their most obvious shots at Microsoft products. But even Android was originally sort of a way to attack Windows (by way of attacking Windows Mobile, and ensuring Microsoft didn’t maintain a foothold in the mobile space). And then, of course, there’s the upcoming Chrome OS. Chrome OS will be Google’s most direct attack on Microsoft’s soul yet. It’s an operating system that you can run your computer off of without needing Windows at all. In Google’s mind, this is the future. Everything will be run through the browser, and besides a few locally stored things, everything will be in the cloud. There is no traditional software. Such a future isn’t feasible for most users yet, but as Macs continue to gain popularity, a move to OS X increasingly is. By embracing OS X (and Linux) for work, Google seems to be leading by example. The message is that the alternative OSes are the preferred hold-overs until the Chrome OS dream can be fully realized.      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 9:43 pm Massive Hydrogen Clouds Surround the Milky WayAstronomers have discovered the origin of mysterious hydrogen clouds that lie outside the Milky Way's disk.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 9:30 pm "Canadian DMCA" Rising From the Deadmandelbr0t writes "The Canadian Conservative government is preparing to reintroduce amended copyright legislation on Thursday (we discussed the rumor some weeks ago). Most sources say that the proposed legislation is very similar to Bill C-61, generally dubbed the 'Canadian DMCA.' It still includes definitions of 'technological protections' and criminalizes 'circumvention' of those protections. Bill C-61 died in the summer of 2008, facing massive opposition from the Canadian public. Once again, it's time for Canadians to get politically active; ORC ran a large campaign with the last attempt, and will likely be updated soon with the new proposed legislation." Read below for more of the submitter's thoughts on the coming battle.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 9:25 pm Foucault's Pendulum Snaps, Crashes Through Paris Museum FloorLeon Foucault's original 1851 pendulum has been irreparably damaged after the heavy brass bob's cable snapped, sending a piece of physics history crashing through the Musee des Arts et Metiers floor.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 8:59 pm Privacy worries inspire a new wave of startups - San Francisco Chronicle
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 May 2010 | 8:56 pm Microsoft Outlines Business Opportunities for Hardware Makers Across Windows PlatformTAIPEI, Taiwan, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- During a keynote address tomorrow at COMPUTEX TAIPEI, Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Division at Microsoft Corp., will outline how the company continues to deliver expanded partner opportunities to support rich and connected experiences.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 8:30 pm ViXS XCode(R) 4200 Family of Smart Network Media Processors Highlighted at Computex 2010TORONTO, May 31 /PRNewswire/ - ViXS Systems Inc., a leading provider of smart network multimedia processor solutions that enable a rich video entertainment experience, invites you to experience anywhere anytime entertainment by visiting its suite at Computex.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 8:11 pm Google Reportedly Ditching WindowsReader awyeah notes a Financial Times report that Google is ditching the use of Windows internally. Some blogs have picked up the FT piece but so far there isn't any other independent reporting of the claim, which is based on comments from anonymous Googlers. One indication of possibly hasty reporting is the note that Google "employs more than 10,000 workers internationally," whereas it's easy enough to find official word that the total exceeds 20,000. "The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google's Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google. ... 'We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort,' said one Google employee. ... New hires are now given the option of using Apple's Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. 'Linux is open source and we feel good about it,' said one employee. 'Microsoft we don't feel so good about.' ... Employees wanting to stay on Windows required clearance from 'quite senior levels,' one employee said. 'Getting a new Windows machine now requires CIO approval,' said another employee."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 7:09 pm Qualcomm to Highlight Snapdragon-Powered Smartphones, Tablets and Smartbook Devices at Computex Taipei 2010TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of wireless technologies, products and services, today announced the Company will showcase a variety of products based on its Snapdragon(TM) platform at the Computex Taipei 2010 conference in Taipei, Taiwan.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 7:00 pm Qualcomm Ships First Dual-CPU Snapdragon ChipsetTAIPEI, Taiwan, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of wireless technologies, products and services, today announced the Company has sampled its first dual-CPU Snapdragon(TM) chipsets.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 7:00 pm RIP, Jeanne Robinson
Sincere condolences to Spider Robinson and family on the passing of his wonderful, talented wife: the dancer, writer and choreographer Jeanne Robinson, after a long struggle with cancer. The human race has lost one of its finest members. Spider and Jeanne's family -- including their grandchild -- were able to be at her deathbed when she went, and by Spider's account, it was a sweet and gentle moment for them all.
(Image: Spider_and_Jeanne_Robinson.jpg, Wikimedia Commons/C. A. Bridges; Creative Commons ShareAlike)  Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 6:56 pm MDs ask patients to assign copyright in any web-posting that mentions their care, to simplify censorshipJason sez, "Doctors are being urged to give their patients a legal form that transfers a patient's copyright over web postings if they mention the doctor or practice online. The doctor can then send a DMCA takedown notice and have the criticism removed from the web without filing a lawsuit. As a fiction writer this worries me greatly, especially since the organization pushing this copyright transfer says it can also be used for fictional posts."Medical Justice, who came up with this ridiculous scheme, also seriously misrepresents Wikipedia's position on anonymous editing. When Online Gripes Are Met With a Lawsuit
Go to the doctor, lose the copyright to your writings
(Thanks, Jason!) MSI announces the WindPad lineupSection: Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks  At Computex this year, many companies were looking to release their very own iPad contenders into the tablet market. MSI is one of those. Earlier today, MSI announced two tablets under the “Windpad” name, the Windpad 100 and the Windpad 110. The Windpad 100 (picture above) is based on Windows 7 with a custom UI that MSI created called WindTouch. The Windpad 100 is made completely of plastic, which might feel a little cheap after using the aluminum-based iPad. It runs on a 1.66GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD where Windows 7 Home Premium is stored, and a 10” 1024x600 resolution capacitive touchscreen. Because this is merely a prototype at the moment, my guess is that we won’t see this device on shelves until late this year and is said to retail at $499, a very competitive price with the iPad.
 The Windpad 110 takes a cheaper approach, however, with a projected starting price of $399. The tablet also sports a brand new nVidia Tegra 2 processor that runs Android 2.1 on a 10” capactive touchscreen. What I believe will be interesting is if people choose Android over Windows. Apple’s own iPad is an application-based operating system much like Android and definitely has advantages in speed and ease-of-use over a full-fledged computer operating system like Windows 7. Android was made for a touchscreen interface like the Windpad 110 and should make the device shine as a whole. Read [Engadget] and [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 6:30 pm KatieCam: Welcome to D8 [D8 Conference]In her first KatieCam video, All Things Digital scribe Katherine Boehret welcomes you to the D8 conference at the beautiful Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. All this week, KatieCam will bring you exclusive, behind-the-scenes interviews and action from D8. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 31 May 2010 | 6:17 pm Turf Wars and Fandango among this week’s free iPhone apps (Appolicious)Appolicious - The best part of this week’s free iPhone apps list is that whether you want to get out of the house or stay in it, there’s something sure to please you. There are games that will challenge you to take over fictional lands (and a game that challenges you to take over your actual land), as well as apps to tell you what to expect from the great outdoors and that help you find entertainment.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 6:17 pm Marvell Introduces '3D by Marvell'TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Computex -- Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today introduced "3D by Marvell", support for 3D Blu-ray playback integrated in the ARMADA(TM) 1000 High Definition (HD) Media Processor System-on-a-Chip (SoC).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 6:00 pm Guatemala: First, volcanic eruption; then, devastating tropical storm Update, 2pm PT: HOW TO HELP, after the jump. Above, this photo just posted to the Guatemalan Government's Flickr feed shows a massive, spontaneous sinkhole ("hundimiento") that appeared today in Zone 2 of Guatemala City, after overwhelming saturation of rains from tropical storm Agatha. Not Photoshop, sadly: these happen from time to time during major storms in part because of unstable geology (and bad urban engineering—read more about it in the comments). There are rumors of similar sinkholes now forming nearby. See it on Google Maps. (News reports: Prensa Libre, and blogs)
Two days later on May 29, tropical storm "Agatha" struck, destroying homes, causing floods, and creating tens of thousands of internally displaced. Infrastructure in this country—where the majority live in poverty—is very poor, and ill-equipped to handle such a double blow. As of last night, official numbers on storm: about 30,000 "refugees," close to 120,000 evacuated, 93 dead and rising. Guatemala's one international airport has been has been closed for days, and just as it prepares to reopen today, there's word of new volcanic activity. The poor always suffer the most when events like this happen, and the two events together caused surreal conditions: knee-deep black sand mud, and "instant concrete" that forms when rain meets ash, clogging up drains and fragile sewage systems. Said a friend on Twitter, "Water and sand everywhere... it's like the beach, only a lot less fun." Today I learned that in the rural K'iche Maya pueblo where I volunteer with a non-profit, a local committee of community leaders is organizing to walk to other villages in the region, and check on damage, injuries, casualties. In rural areas, phones still aren't working, and many communities are only accessible by foot. Guatemala isn't the only Central American nation affected: at least 10 are dead in El Salvador, and Honduras has declared a state of emergency. Inset above, an image from the Guatemalan government's Flickr feed, of a child evacuated from a village near the volcano. Here are documents related to the disaster (in Spanish). Reading and photos, and a guide to Twitter accounts and hashtags: Antigua Daily News, "Stop, Agatha, Stop!" And here's an item by Juliana Rincón Parra in Global Voices.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Renata Avila of Global Voices in Guatemala says,
Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 5:56 pm Study Claims Cellphones Implicated In Bee Losskrou passes along word from Telegraph.co.uk that researchers from Chandigarh's Punjab University claim that they have proven mobile phones could explain Colony Collapse Disorder. "They set up a controlled experiment in Punjab earlier this year comparing the behavior and productivity of bees in two hives — one fitted with two mobile telephones which were powered on for two 15-minute sessions per day for three months. The other had dummy models installed. After three months the researchers recorded a dramatic decline in the size of the hive fitted with the mobile phone, a significant reduction in the number of eggs laid by the queen bee. The bees also stopped producing honey. The queen bee in the 'mobile' hive produced fewer than half of those created by her counterpart in the normal hive. They also found a dramatic decline in the number of worker bees returning to the hive after collecting pollen." We've talked about the honeybee problem before. Today's article quotes a British bee specialist who dismisses talk of cellphone radiation having anything to do with the problem.
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Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 5:56 pm Yahoo Display Ad Boss Bill Wise Lands at MediaBank [MediaMemo]
Wise is still technically a Yahoo employee, but says he’ll be at his new job “in weeks.” He replaces Brad Keywell, who also co-founded Groupon, the crazily hot online shopping/coupon startup. Wise joined Yahoo in 2007, when it bought Right Media, the ad exchange he was running. So it makes perfect sense for him to land at another ad tech play. The difference between MediaBank and other ad tech startups is that up until now it has specialized in analog media, not digital: It sells technology that helps buyers of TV, print and other media plan and track their purchases. That industry is dominated by Donovan Data Systems, and Wise’s first priority is try eating into his competitor’s marketshare. But MediaBank also works with digital media, though it’s a much smaller part of their business. The thinking behind Wise’s hire is that he can merge all of that together, and help create a sort of mega-media marketplace: Think of Google’s AdX (GOOG) exchange, but one that buys and sells Web display ads alongside TV spots, magazine pages, etc. Wise, who lives in New York City, will stay there and open up a MediaBank outpost. Source: All Things Digital | 31 May 2010 | 5:49 pm Broadway looks ahead, embraces YouTube and video (Reuters)Reuters - Old-fashioned Broadway is moving into the digital age.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 5:24 pm Asus ROG G53 3D gaming laptop specsFROM GAMERTELL - We run down the system specs of the Asus ROG G53 3D gaming laptop. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 5:00 pm Supermicro Starts New Technology Campus and Asia-Pacific Operations Center in TaiwanTAIPEI, Taiwan, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- COMPUTEX -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI), the global leader in server technology innovation and green computing, announced that it is expanding its Asia-Pacific operations center and new technology campus in Taiwan.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 5:00 pm The Life of a South Korean Pro Gamerchajath writes with this excerpt from a South Korean newspaper about the lives of professional StarCraft players: "Prospective gamers take tests based on the skills they have picked up in PC rooms, and passing scores allow them entry into 'clans,' or guilds. Those who aspire to become pro gamers pay move-in fees and go to live at group dormitories, where they practice playing games all day long. Following a 'courage match' for semi-pro certification, the hopefuls must take a test to become apprentices in a pro-gaming group. ... 'The standard in pro gaming groups is for people to live together 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no traveling to or from work, and for those ranked Group 2 or lower, their entire daily routine consists of eating, cleaning, laundry, and games,' said Kim Jeong-geun. 'Because of this structure of bringing in young people, developing them, and then replacing them when their lifespan is spent and they have been squeezed dry, it has earned the name of "the chicken coop."'"
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Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 4:47 pm Investors, Entrepreneurs Discuss NYC’s Rapidly Growing Seed Funding Community
The conversation touched on quite a few subjects, including what kind of companies tend to do best in New York. Betaworks CEO John Borthwick posited that many of the startups doing well in NYC — Tumblr for example — tend to focus largely on the UI and user experience. He says that many of the web’s building blocks (AWS, etc) are already in place, and many of the services that will do well are building off of those. Blip.tv CEO Mike Hudack agreed with this, saying that we no longer have to classify all web companies as “technology companies”. Rather, they can be media companies leveraging online content. Jalak Jobanputra, SVP at the New York City Investment Fund, says that while a lot of the infrastructure has been built, there is still much work to do in mobile. She also noted that many people were coming out of Wall Street to start their own ventures. Chris Dixon, who has blogged extensively on raising money and other topics, says he doesn’t like to think about investing in terms of NY vs Silicon Valley (though he does wish there were more startups instead of lawyers in NYC). Rather, he wants to bring an SV-like ecosystem to New York. He also said that the notion that finding real estate in NYC was an issue was a red herring (Hudack added that if you can’t handle the real estate, you shouldn’t be doing a startup). Regarding the trend of taking seeding funding from large VCs, most of the panelists seemed to think that it was a bad idea, namely because it could lead to issues down the road if your VC does not decide to follow on. For more, check out my live notes below and the video of the talk. Watch live streaming video from disrupt at livestream.com
Here are my notes from the talk: Chris Dixon, CEO, Hunch & Angel Investor Mike Hudack, Co-founder & CEO, Blip.tv Jalak Jobanputra, SVP, New York City Investment Fund Erick – Percentage of companies we’ve covered that were from NY increased in the last 18 months. JB: Betaworks is a holding company. We’re not a fund. We biuld stuff and we invest. Everything we’re doing is focused on the social, realtime web. This concept that there’s an emerging connected set of companies — we view it as a loosely coupled network of companies. We think a lot of the groundwork has been lain – AWS, etc. We think lightweight apps — they can be huge — where a lot of the emphasis is on front end, UI, initial experience. A lot related to media business, advertising business and the like. Why in New York? CD: I think if you look at the 90′s, the big heavy companies were actually in Boston. JB – We learn so much from the west coast. MH- To the point about building blocks being bulit… A lot of businesses that are interesting are media, publishing, and communications.You don’t need to think of every company as web as technology company. Blip doesn’t think of itself as a tech company, it’ s a media company. JJ-I think that with mobile, there is still a lot of infrastructure that needs to be built. I do think New York’s hard technology scene is still growing. Erick: What about recruiting, office space in NYC? What are the things you need to know about balding a startup in NYC? CD — I think the real estate thing is a red herring. Basically all these expenses are salaries for smart people. I think NY is similar to Silicon Valley in that almost nobody working there actually came from there. We recruit a lot of people MIT, CMU, Penn. MH- Real estate is relatively easy. We found our first office on Craigslist. JB – We went to a startup that had taken a space that was bigger than their existing capcaity and just rented some desks. If you can’t sort out real estate you shouldn’t be entrepreneur. JB – We’ve been inspirred by West coast investors who understand value of syndicates. The value of of bringing in great investors, people who will help you at different times, different stages. Erick – Is seed funding really challenging venture model? MH- I wouldn’t take that money.. Similar issues if you take a strategic investment and then aren’t acquired. People are asking what your strategic is doing. Let’s talk about what each of you guys are doing . JJ- I’m with the NYC investment fund. About a third of what we do is venture. I joined two years ago. We’ve set up our seed fund in response there being a dearth of seed money. We’d looking to help seed the entire ecosystem. CD- The Founder Collective is a $40ish million seed venture fund. There’s about $15 million from entreneurs in the local area. Our thesis is that we’d rather have entrepreneurs betting on entrepreneurs rather than bankers. The advantage is that they can probably see the value better. JB – Our model is a little different. We aren’t a fund, we’re a holding company. From investment standpoint, what we’re looking at has to be in beta — we want something we can look and feel and touch. I don’t like the abstraction of ideas, I like the real product. We love to see data, even if it’s from 50 users. What about the second, third tier areas? Say, Pittsburg with CMU. Do you invest in any startups in those cities? CD- Thing is, you need the critical mass. MH- When we started Blip people had the same complaint about NYC. They said we had to move to Sf. That was only a few years ago. I dont see any reason why can’t happen in any of these cities. but it does take time. JJ- I’m seeing a lot of entrepreneurs from secondary cities who actually are thinking of moving to NY, which does have critical mass. JB – There’s a lot of great stuff happening in NY. Great stuff in London, Asia, and even out in the Middle East. What is happening is the wave of innovation from the first 10/15 years of Internet, which is washing through the rest of the world. What do you think about if a VC will follow-on if they do participate in a seed round? CD – I’ve sat in VC meetings, listened to the LPs. We’re doing this to get options. MH-With the amount of money sunk in a seed round, your company is an option, but it isn’t a major sunk cost. They can drop you. CD- That said, if Fred Wilson does a lot of diligence and invests 500k i think he will want to follow on. It’s the VC who meets an entrepreneur for 5 min and gives 20k — that’s bad. Erick – If you have a first time entrepreneur, what are you looking for?      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 4:30 pm BUZZMEDIA Signs Up 6 Major Music Sites, Including The Hype Machine And RCRD LBL
The news was just released, but it looks like industry blog Hypebot.com jumped the gun, deeming the addition of the 6 sites an outright acquisition of the lot. After contacting BUZZMEDIA we’ve learned that in reality, the deals with The Hypemachine, RCRD LBL and PopMatters are advertising partnerships while the others are Digging a bit deeper, it looks like the acquisition of The Hype Machine for one had been rumored for a while, based on the mentioning of BUZZMEDIA in the site’s footer. But the site’s founder, Anthony Volodkin, responded to blog posts spreading that rumor in comments, saying they needed to be corrected because BUZZMEDIA does not in any way own but merely sells advertising on The Hype Machine. From what we can gather, there are similar arrangements in place with PopMatters and RCRD LBL, the site that was started as a joint venture between Downtown Music and Peter Rojas of Engadget, Gizmodo and GDGT Web fame. BUZZMEDIA’s current music properties include Lyrics.com, Stereogum, Buzznet, Idolator, Absolute Punk and the official websites for Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities such as Nicole Richie. Together, these Web publications are said to reach more than 50 million pop culture, music and celebrity enthusiasts worldwide on a monthly basis, according to BUZZMEDIA’s website. Here’s how they pitch the portfolio on there:
Reads like a “targeted content at large scale” play to me (think Glam for entertainment). BUZZMEDIA says the addition of the aforementioned music sites cements its Music division as the largest independent publisher of music content on the Web, as measured by comScore Media Metrix last month. The company provides a surprisingly low amount of details about its business on its corporate website, but from what we can gather they’ve raised over $35 million in four rounds, from investors like Focus Ventures, Anthem Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Redpoint Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures. Earlier this month, the company put out a press release announcing the recruitment of four sales & advertising people, all relatively notable people with backgrounds at Yahoo, MySpace, Fanscape, Time Inc. and other familiar names. Earlier press releases tout the appointments of former founding general manager of TMZ Alan Citron as President, Mike Porath, former AOL News Editor-in-Chief as SVP of Programming and Alex Blagg, founding editor of MSN Wonderwall and Best Week Ever as Executive Editor of portfolio site Celebuzz. This is a company steadily building a financial foundation while continuously adding experienced and savvy staff to its most important divisions as well as new sites to its publisher portfolio either through acquisition, joint-venture or advertising agreements. In other words, one to keep a close eye on. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 3:56 pm Toronto's main reference library hosts punk gig David sez, "I thought you might be interested in this fantastic article about Toronto punk darlings, Fucked Up, playing a free show at the Toronto Reference Library last night. I love the quote in the article, 'Fucked Up admit to getting most of their album artwork from the Reference library and give props to its "solid microfiche collection".'" When I was 14 years old, I "de-enrolled" myself from the high-school I'd started out at, stopped going to classes, and took the subway to Metro Ref every day, burying myself in a dozen subjects (and yes, seriously raiding the microfiche). It really warms my heart to see these pics.
Fucked Up Make Some Mosh at the Reference Library
(Thanks, David J!)
Chameleon-Like Behavior of Neutrino ConfirmedAnonymous Apcoheur writes "Scientists from CERN and INFN of the OPERA Collaboration have announced the first direct observation of a muon neutrino turning into a tau neutrino. 'The OPERA result follows seven years of preparation and over three years of beam provided by CERN. During that time, billions of billions of muon-neutrinos have been sent from CERN to Gran Sasso, taking just 2.4 milliseconds to make the trip. The rarity of neutrino oscillation, coupled with the fact that neutrinos interact very weakly with matter, makes this kind of experiment extremely subtle to conduct. ... While closing a chapter on understanding the nature of neutrinos, the observation of neutrino oscillations is strong evidence for new physics. The Standard Model of fundamental particles posits no mass for the neutrino. For them to be able to oscillate, however, they must have mass.'"
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Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 3:46 pm Yahoo’s Former Director Of Geo Lands At Nokia, Finds Yahoo Waiting
What’s interesting about this is that Yahoo just announced a deal a week ago that aligns them with Nokia in the mobile space — which will obviously include geolocation. Gale notes this coincidence, but says he’s been talking to Nokia long before Yahoo was. Regardless, even though Gale is leaving Yahoo, it appears he’ll be working closely with his old co-workers on some projects. Gale also used his post to say a few things about Yahoo. Having spent nearly 4 years at the company, Gale writes that “you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the media about working at Yahoo! It’s been an amazing experience and one I would willingly repeat if I had the opportunity to go back and do it all again.” Of course, he also notes some of the negative things about the experience — 3 of his “lows”:
The second point in particular seems to go along with our recent post wondering what exactly Yahoo is now? Judging from the various answers from the top over the years, it’s a very fluid thing. That also seems to show in the fact that Yahoo was one of the early players thinking about the now red-hot location space, but doesn’t have much to show for it (at least from a front-end user perspective). Following the news Gale was leaving Yahoo, another key player in Yahoo’s location plan, Tom Coates, announced he was leaving as well. Hopefully Gale won’t experience the same sort of top level confusion and frustration at Nokia — even working with Yahoo again. [photo: flickr/vicchi]      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 3:37 pm Asus announces iPad competitor, the Eee PadSection: Computers, Mobile Computers  Asus, not to be left behind if the netbook market disappears for tablets, has announced two new tablets at Computex Taipei. The tablets are called the Eee Pad EP121 and Eee Pad EP101TC. The former is a 12-inch tablet running Windows 7, while the latter is a 10-inch tablet running Windows Embedded Compact 7. The EP121, as mentioned, will run Windows 7, and will feature a Core 2 Duo processor. It will be essentially a fully function laptop, especially when docked in the keyboard attachment which transforms the tablet into a laptop. It will also have a virtual keyboard for taking it without the extra weight or bulk. No other specs are known yet. Asus is touting the EP121 as a “multimedia player, e-reader, and compact computing device,” that also multitasks and can be used for video conferencing. Asus claims the EP121 will have a 10 hour battery life. The EP101TC looks to be closer to a direct iPad competitor. It is a 10-inch screen with Windows Embedded Compact 7, presumably running on a Tegra 2 or similar. The UI looks to be a mash-up of some elements from Zune HD and Android, which could prove interesting. Asus looks to be billing this as an always connected device, giving you easy access to cloud services. It’s not clear if that means it will have a 3G radio in it, but it would make sense. There isn’t much else avaiable about the EP101TC. Hopefully these tablets don’t end up like the Eee Keyboard, delayed to the point where it gets tiresome. As of now, they are scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2011, with a price range of $399 to $499. Read [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 3:30 pm MobileCrunch Reviews The HTC EVO 4G From Sprint Let's clear the air right away: The Evo 4G isn't the second coming. It's not the iPhone slayer. It might not even be the best Android phone available to date. But it is a solid phone with amazing hardware running the consumer-friendly HTC Sense Android release. That's a good thing.
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 3:08 pm HTC EVO 4G for Sprint ReviewLet's clear the air right away: The Evo 4G isn't the second coming. It's not the iPhone slayer. It might not even be the best Android phone available to date. But it is a solid phone with amazing hardware running the consumer-friendly HTC Sense Android release. That's a good thing.
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 3:06 pm HTC EVO 4G for Sprint Review
Let’s clear the air right away: The Evo 4G isn’t the second coming. It’s not the iPhone slayer. It might not even be the best Android phone available to date. But it is a solid phone with amazing hardware running the consumer-friendly HTC Sense Android release. That’s a good thing. Features
Pros
Cons
Display I don’t think I ever want to go back to a so-called normal cell phone now. The EVO 4G ruined me. The 4.3-inch display offers so much real estate it’s almost overwhelming — but in a good way. The screen is bright, crisp and wonderful. I never felt that it was too large or cumbersome; in fact, I felt it was perfect. It’s a great balance between a standard 3.5-inch cell phone and a small Internet tablet. Saying that the EVO 4G’s screen is too big is like saying, “No thanks, I would rather ride in the back of a cab than in your limo. I like feeling cramped and restricted.” The bright screen counters sunlight well and it even has a great viewing angle. The touchscreen seems precise and responsive, although I’m sure some test will come out shortly showing that just how accurate, or not accurate, it really is. But simply put, the screen is great and there’s really nothing to complain about. Form factor
The EVO 4G and it’s slightly-older WinMo cousin, the HTC HD2, are the first of a new breed of “superphones.” These larger-screen options forgo the traditional 3.5-inch screen for something a bit more luxurious. The bigger screen can result in a thicker and therefore less portable device. But that’s not the EVO 4G. Don’t think for a minute that this larger-screen phone is any less pocketable than the iPhone or Droid. In fact I’ll argue that because the EVO 4G’s rear cover is rounded like the iPhone’s, it fits better in a pocket than the squared-off Droid.
However, it took some getting used to when holding it up to my ear. That’s when it feels bigger. Because, well, it is although it really isn’t all that wider or longer than the Droid. Build The EVO 4G feels good. It’s actually surprisingly light, but yet still feels solid. I like it a lot even thought it’s clearly a modern take on the iPhone with the convex rear panel, very clean lines, flush mounted screen and lack of buttons. Up top is the lock button and down the right side is a set of toggle buttons. That’s it for physical buttons. The front-facing buttons are touch-sensitive and flush-mounted on the panel.
Around back is the 8MP camera and is actually one of my only gripes about the design. It sticks out a lot. The phone actually rests on the front lip of the metal housing when placed on its back. So much so that I’m actually concerned that the camera will get damaged or the metal casing will harm something else. It made a nasty sound when I slid the phone across a glass tablet top yesterday. The kickstand is a nice touch, too. A few other early reviews talked about how it felt cheap and stated it will probably break. I don’t get that feeling. It feels solid to me. The kickstand itself is actually built into the phone itself rather than the back panel, as it looks to be in some pictures.
The back panel is held on with a bunch of little plastic clips built onto the rear panel itself. It feels a little cheap when you pry it off with your fingernail. There’s a real chance that one of the little plastic clips will break off if stressed enough, but the back panel is just a thin piece of plastic meaning replacements will probably be cheap. Oh, and the inside looks like a work of modern art. HTC knows how to make things classy. Camera The EVO 4G’s 8MP camera is one of the phone’s main selling points and while it does a fine job, it’s not going to replace your pocket shooter. The photos are a tad grainy, blurry and washed out — perfect for Twitpic or Facebook. The dual LED flash helps a bit and tends to fire even under good lighting conditions. Here’s some samples.
The camera actually does great job auto-focusing and firing right away. I don’t know if it’s iPhone-quick, but it’s definitely one of the quicker cell phone camera’s I’ve used, which is more important in my opinion than image quality on a mobile device. Android
A lot of people prefer a stock Android build, and for good reason, as it will likely be a while before the EVO 4G gets an official version of the latest Android release. It has to come right from HTC and the company has been slow releasing updates for its other handsets. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t do it yourself, though. A video showed up just yesterday showing an EVO 4G running the Android 2.2, although it kills Sense in the process, resulting in a stock Android look.
Some of these apps make the EVO 4G stand out. The phone ships with a dead-simple WiFi hotspot creator. Just run the app and it quickly creates a WiFi hotspot that can serve up the internet to 8 other devices. It’s too bad that Sprint is charging $30 a month for this feature, although it does come with unlimited data (or so they say). Don’t want to tether wirelessly? The phone can also share its Internet connection via USB. The video sharing app, Qik, is also pre-loaded on the phone. It’s a great way to utilize the front-facing camera.
The phone’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU really makes Android fly, too. The only time there is any lag or hesitation in the device is when the phone is installing an app. But otherwise, the EVO is snappy and responsive without any lag under normal circumstances. Battery Simply put, the battery sucks. It’s a deal breaker. I’m really sorry to say that, too. In fact it hurts me because I wanted this phone so bad, but the battery life is horrible. The phone will lose a third of its battery sitting overnight with the GPS, WiFi, and 4G turned off. Even with Advanced Task Killer set to aggressive and auto killing apps every hour, the most I can get out of the phone is about ten hours. Take yesterday: I pulled it off the charger at 9 am, checked my mail and ESPN a couple of times during church, used the GPS navigation for 13 miles, and then checked my mail a few times throughout the afternoon while I was at a family event. The phone died promptly at 6 pm. It’s that bad. I’ve tried a few different things like using a static background rather than a live background, turning off widget animation, disabling WiFi/4G/GPS, and setting Advanced Task Killer to aggressive. Nothing makes a significant difference. The phone just sucks the battery dry. So here’s the problem. Power users are the ones that can fully take advantage of the large screen, but the more they use their phone, the faster it dies. The only way I can see to counter this is to plug in the phone whenever possible. When you sit down at your desk, plug it in. Drive to the store, plug it in. Go to bed, plug it in. You might want to invest in one of those instant charge battery packs, too.
Conclusion The short battery life kills the EVO 4G’s appeal. Like I said, it’s a deal breaker for me. It’s changed my phone habits. I now think twice if I really need to use the phone, as I can’t guarantee that the battery will hold up throughout the day if I use it too much. I should be able to use my phone whenever I want without worrying about the outcome if I do. I keep telling myself that I still want this phone because of the awesome screen and the Froyo Android release will cause unicorns to dance on the phone and fix the battery problem. But it won’t. It’s a shame that EVO 4G has such a big deal breaker. I loved this phone. I wanted to marry it, take it to Hawaii and make lots of babies with it. But that’s not going to happen. Its really short battery life outweighs all the EVO 4G’s killer feature. It doesn’t matter how awesome it is to browse the Internet on a 4.3-inch screen or do front-facing video calls if the phone’s battery can’t make it through the day. Recommendation: Use caution. Must-have accessories and add-ons
Source: MobileCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 3:05 pm Publishers Campaign For Universal E-Book FormatAs the battle rages for control of the e-book market, publishers are starting to unite behind a common desire: a universal e-book format. David Shanks, chief executive at Penguin Group USA, said, "Our fondest wish is that all the devices become agnostic so that there isn’t proprietary formats and you can read wherever you want to read. First we have to get a standard that everybody embraces." The company's president, Susan Petersen Kennedy, explained that book publishers did not want to "make the same mistakes as the music industry, which had an epic struggle over electronic distribution and piracy and lost huge market share."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 2:59 pm AsusTek Unveils New Portable Tablet ComputerOn Monday, Taiwan's AsusTek Computer Inc. unveiled a portable tablet computer that runs on the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. AsusTek is among several Taiwanese computer makers to display tablet PCs at the five-day Computex Show in Taipei that opens Tuesday.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 2:45 pm Facebook Moving to Answer the Quora Question [MediaMemo]
I just clicked on an innocent-looking Facebook ad asking for beta testers. What followed was a page explaining how Facebook is launching a new product that involves getting users to ask and answer questions that will be published to Facebook as a whole. Note: I’ve copied and pasted the beta user offer from Facebook at the bottom of this post. Decide for yourself if I’m reading this right. For those with only a moderate level of tech obsession, the service I’m talking about is one in which users interact with one other, posing and answering questions that are available to all users. Sort of what user forums are for software. Google has tried it, Yahoo has tried it, and Quora, a tech darling of the moment–which just happens to be run by former Facebook CTO Adam D’Angelo, with guidance from original Facebooker Matt Cohler–is trying it. I’m a beta tester for Quora, and have used several ask-answer type services online. A weakness has always been the scale of the user community. We’ve all heard the “if Facebook were a country” statistics–or, if you haven’t, here’s a handy infographic, which is already two months old (click to enlarge).
I include the table above only to illustrate that if Facebook has anything, it has scale. Even considering the recent privacy hullabaloo, 80 percent of Facebook users who couldn’t care less still add up to a ferociously huge user population for an ask-answer service. Okay, okay. Yes. Google (GOOG) has scale. Yahoo (YHOO)–well, it once had scale. But both sites boast core services based on moving freely in and out of their pages. Nothing keeps users in like a walled garden. Additionally, there is something inherently social about asking questions that early ask-answer crowd seems to have missed. Yes, I want an expert to answer my question about how a catalytic converter works (or Wikipedia), but if I want to know how to throw the best dinner party, I am just as likely to take notes on an answer from a friend of mine who throws great parties as I am from Paula Dean. Maybe more so. Quora realizes this. It has built out a whole social networking component to its service, and encourages you to connect the other networks you are already a part of. But what’s harder? Getting people to know one another or getting wannabe pundits to pontificate about something they are interested in–on the Internet? I know I’m an easy sell on the latter. Just ask me Below is the copy and pasted text from Facebook’s “so you wanna be a beta tester” questionnaire. Decide for yourself what it’s up to.
Source: All Things Digital | 31 May 2010 | 2:42 pm Foxconn Workers Getting Raise With Apple Subsidieshackingbear writes "Workers at Taiwanese electronic outsourcing manufacturer Foxconn are getting a pay raise after a series of 13 suicides, including three in three consecutive days. According to an article by state-run newspaper China Daily, Apple concluded that the main cause of the suicides is low wages. (The media has also attributed the suicides to a variety of other factors — everything from the semi-military style of management, to long overtime, to China's one-child policy, and Foxconn paying too much compensation to the family of suicide workers, thereby encouraging copycat suicides.) Apple plans to subsidize raises using its own products (Google translation; Chinese original here) — the first one being the iPad. This would raise the outsourcing cost from 2.3% to 3% of the iPad's sales price. The article does not say the amount of the raise per worker, but it is rumored to be about 20%, according to other Chinese news sources."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 2:08 pm This NES game plays on PC, MacFROM GAMERTELL - Etsy has a NES game that can be played on Mac or PC via USB. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 2:00 pm Hey, History Channel, thanks for running a Pawn Stars marathon on Memorial Day
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 1:47 pm Nvidia Dreams of a Three-Dimensional Future for PCs - PC Magazine
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 May 2010 | 1:44 pm Asus Challenges Apple's iPad with Eee Pad - PC Magazine
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 May 2010 | 1:44 pm Why UJAM Didn’t Win TechCrunch DisruptSomething that I loved about TechCrunch Disrupt last week is that the top two startups that launched in the competition weren’t from the U.S. – winner Soluto is based in Israel, and runner up UJAM is a German startup. In our previous events we had lots of non-U.S. startups, too, but the winners have always been U.S. based teams. So to have startups from Israel and Germany win was a real treat for me personally. The judges selected Soluto, which is software to make your computer run better, as the clear winner. The company has a proven team, lots of funding and has been working on the product for two years, they say. We take audience voting into account as well, and we will also put in our vote. But at the end of the tallying there just wasn’t much of a discussion. You can never tell how a startup will do until it actually launches (see, for example, Cuil, which had massive funding and a killer team but flopped on launch), but everything we saw suggests that Soluto is likely to go on to do amazing things. And they have a terrific business model. They deserved to win the Disrupt Cup.
At one point judge Chris Sacca even got up and tried it himself, and the audience loved it. The judges also liked UJAM and there was some discussion about them winning. But the product is just so early, not even in public beta. And they haven’t quite nailed down their business model yet. There are lots of ways for UJAM to still blow it, however unlikely that is. The whole Soluto v. UJAM situation reminds me of our TechCrunch50 event in 2008. Yammer, which gives businesses a private twitter-like service within the company, took the top prize. And a startup called Swype, with launched a new way to do text input on tiny mobile touchscreens, took a runner-up spot. Yammer, like Soluto, isn’t a company that is all that exciting to talk about. But both startups provide a much needed service, and Yammer is ramping up their business nicely with revenue doubling every quarter. They’re likely to have a really nice liquidity event. And like UJAM, Swype stole everyone’s hearts. People wanted to try Swype themselves, and you can see all the judges getting up from their seats after the demo to try it themselves. People were jumping up and down in the audience. Etc. Watch it all here. Swype also had amazing founders, and since TechCrunch50 has gone on to do amazing things. Their software is now being built into tens of millions of mobile handsets a year, and they collect a fee for every install. But at the time they just weren’t far enough along to win the show. Their first big licensing deals were ahead of them, and the judges felt more comfortable with Yammer as the winner. And like UJAM, a lot of audience members were really angry that Swype didn’t win it all. The real frustration some people have at TechCrunch Disrupt is that there are startups with two years of development and $10 million in funding competing head to head with startups with no funding and less development time. Some people have asked that we limit the amount of funding or put in other rules to level the playing field. We’re not going to do that. The real win for companies is to simply launch at the event in front of so many people. TechCrunch Disrupt had 1,700 attendees in person, and another 100,000 people watched on the livestream. There’s just no other place in the world that can give a startup so much mainstream attention so fast. The fact is that people are watching, and all the press is there, because of the way we hold the event. They want to see hot startups that are well funded and a little more full baked. Take those away and fewer people are interesting. There are separate discussions with popular technology leaders and investors, for example, which draw in the crowds and press. They stay to watch the startups launch. If we mess with that formula too much, or add too many more filters to the types of companies that can launch there, that careful balancing act could be thrown off whack. So we do other things to help really young startups get going. Like holding the hack day before the event which lets people get stage time for their projects and get into the event for free. There were 300 engineers at the event that almost certainly wouldn’t have been there otherwise because of the Hack Day. And some of those engineers are going to be launching their startups in future TechCrunch Disrupt events. Also, the awards are more of an audience pleaser than anything else. The audience seems to be uncomfortable if you don’t name someone the winner, even if, really, it’s just too early to be calling any of these companies winners and losers. So we ask the judges to do their best, and make a call. Sometimes the company that got everyone out of their seats doesn’t win. But in the end, they really do.      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 1:35 pm Julian Assange profiled in New Yorker
Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks.org, a Web site that “collect[s] documents and imagery that governments and other institutions regard as confidential and publish[es] them.” He is profiled by Raffi Khatchadourian in the June 7, 2010 issue of The New Yorker. Assange is an international trafficker, of sorts. He and his colleagues collect documents and imagery that governments and other institutions regard as confidential and publish them on a Web site called WikiLeaks.org. Since it went online, three and a half years ago, the site has published an extensive catalogue of secret material, ranging from the Standard Operating Procedures at Camp Delta, in Guantánamo Bay, and the “Climategate” e-mails from the University of East Anglia, in England, to the contents of Sarah Palin’s private Yahoo account. The catalogue is especially remarkable because WikiLeaks is not quite an organization; it is better described as a media insurgency. It has no paid staff, no copiers, no desks, no office. Assange does not even have a home. He travels from country to country, staying with supporters, or friends of friends—as he once put it to me, “I’m living in airports these days.” He is the operation’s prime mover, and it is fair to say that WikiLeaks exists wherever he does. At the same time, hundreds of volunteers from around the world help maintain the Web site’s complicated infrastructure; many participate in small ways, and between three and five people dedicate themselves to it full time. Key members are known only by initials—M, for instance—even deep within WikiLeaks, where communications are conducted by encrypted online chat services. The secretiveness stems from the belief that a populist intelligence operation with virtually no resources, designed to publicize information that powerful institutions do not want public, will have serious adversaries.Julian Assange profiled in New Yorker Photo by New Media Days / Peter Erichsen licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 License.
Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 1:15 pm Pedestrian Follows Google Map, Gets Run Over, SuesHugh Pickens writes "The Toronto Star reports that a Utah woman is suing Google for more than $100,000 in damages, claiming its maps function gave her walking directions that led her onto a major highway, where she was struck by a car. Lauren Rosenberg sought directions between two addresses in Utah about 3 kilometers apart and the top result suggested that she follow a busy rural highway for several hundred meters. The highway did not have sidewalks or any other pedestrian-friendly amenities, and Rosenberg was struck by a car. Rosenberg filed suit against both the driver of the car that struck her and Google, claiming both carried responsibility in her injury. Her lawyers claim Google is liable because it did not warn her that the route would not offer a safe place for a pedestrian to walk. Google has pointed out that the directions Rosenberg sought come with a warning of caution for pedestrians, but Rosenberg claims that she accessed the Maps function on her Blackberry mobile device, where it did not include the warning."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 31 May 2010 | 1:15 pm My most used gadget: the P-38
The P-38 is almost amazingly bad at its core function. It’s hard to open canned goods with the thing. It’s time consuming, laborious, and frankly hardly worth the effort (at least in modern society: things might be different were I deployed in some remote war zone). It just barely ekes by as a can opener. And yet it remains an amazingly useful general purpose tool for me. I use the P-38 regularly to open packages. It slices through tape just fine. In a pinch, it can open the horrible plastic shells that encase many modern goods. It serves as a fine flat blade screwdriver, a small pry bar, and a straightedge. I think I’ve opened a total of four cans with it in my life, each time just to see or prove if it could, in fact, open a can. In this age of electronic marvels, I like to think about my P-38 every now and again. I know that a manually operated can opener hardly qualifies as a “gadget” alongside the things we normally write about, but it’s fun to think about the utility — intended and unintended — of the P-38 in the context of those other things: iPads, smart phones, computers, and more. There’s a Wikipedia page on the P-38 that delves into some more of the details. The P-38 was standard issue for the U.S. Army, which provides me the tenuous connection to this Memorial Day holiday we’re all celebrating today in the U.S!
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 1:00 pm MobileCrunch Memorial Day Weekend Roundup
Just because we’re taking a short break from the Internets to enjoy this fine three-day weekend doesn’t mean the news stopped. If you’re outside of the US, stuck at some job that doesn’t acknowledge today as a holiday, or just got a good ol’ fashion case of the boreds.. this one’s for you.
We’ll be back to our normally scheduled programming beginning tomorrow. Enjoy your long weekend if you’ve got one, folks!
Source: MobileCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 12:57 pm Lady follows Google Maps directions, is hit by car, sues Google
Mother of God. All I can say is that I hope justice will be served, and predatory legal maneuvers punished. I’d like to thank Laura for giving me a chance to use the above graphic again, though.
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 12:35 pm South Korea carrier KT to start selling Google Nexus OneSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Starting in late June, the Google Nexus One will be offered to the citizens of South Korea on the KT network. KT is also the sole distributor of the iPhone so it will be interesting to see these two smartphones compete on the same network. Since the iPhone has been around in South Korea since November 2009, it clearly has the upper hand and has already sold 732,000 units. But, the Google Nexus One is definitely a phone that can challenge the iPhone so it will be interesting to see how it fares in South Korea. Unfortunately, no word on pricing as of yet for the Google smartphone. In case you want to check out Froyo 2.2 in Korea, apparently Pantech’s Sirius IM-A600S will be receiving Android 2.2 shortly. Hopefully the numbers will be released about the Google Nexus One sales in South Korea. Via [Unwired View] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 12:30 pm Faulty Gene Stops Cell 'Antennae' From TransmittingAn international group of researchers has identified the genetic cause of an inherited condition that causes severe fetal abnormalities.The work, co-led by geneticists at the UCSD Institute for Genomic Medicine, together with colleagues from institutes and universities in Paris, Rome and England, should allow couples at risk of conceiving babies with the profoundly disabling Meckel-Gruber and Joubert syndromes to be identified beforehand through genetic screening.The researchers' findings – which show how the disease gene stops cells' finger-like antennae or 'cilia' from detecting and relaying information – may ultimately lead to treatments for more common related disorders, such as spina bifida, retinal blindness and polycystic kidney disease.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 12:13 pm The "flotilla video": Israeli troops storm boat with aid supplies bound for Gaza Strip
Analysis and reactions around the web: The Wikinews article is interesting, in part for the clash of perceptions from those who condemn and those who support the actions of Israel's military. This Jerusalem Post article touches on the resulting PR and media offensive out of Israel, and the government's rationalization for what it maintains was a justified and defensive event (and pointed to ties with Turkey and alleged "Islamist" groups). More reading: "Why the Gaza boat deaths are a huge deal," Blake Hounshell in Foreign Policy. Condemnation from South African Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. "A Lesson in Information Operations," Center for a New American Security. Ha'aretz: "Israel Lost at Sea." Top Israeli official when Gaza blockade was imposed several years ago: "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet." Liquid Method: Pure Graphene ProductionResearch could yield novel composites, touch-screen displaysIn a development that could lead to novel carbon composites and touch-screen displays, researchers from Rice University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology today unveiled a new method for producing bulk quantities of one-atom-thick sheets of carbon called graphene.The research is available online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.When stacked together, graphene sheets make graphite, which has been commonly used as pencil lead for hundreds of years.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 12:08 pm McRefugees in Shanghai find refuge in fast food joints
Shanghaiist points us to an interesting article (in Chinese) about McRefugees, residents of Shanghai who spend their nights sleeping in McDonalds because they don't have enough money to pay rent.
...[McDonald's] spokesperson Mr. Lu said the store "doesn't explicitly allow it, but doesn't explicitly disallow it." But for all the stores in the Tianyaoqiao Lu area, KFC has the most serious McRefugee problem. "Because there's sofas there, [McDonalds] only has hard stools. In the winter, people will even bring their blankets and bedrolls into the restaurant."A similar phenomenon exists in Japan's internet cafes and fast food joints, too. I once met an internet cafe refugee in Tokyo; he used to wait tables at a bar but was having trouble finding work and didn't want to go home to his parents', so he spent most of his evenings sleeping in internet cafe booths or riding around the Yamanote train line. Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 11:48 am EA brings NHL game to Wii (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 11:22 am D8 Photos: Getting Ready at Terranea [D8 Conference]We’re a day away from the start of the D8 conference here at the Terranea Resort in beautiful Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Here are a few photos to whet your appetites before tomorrow!
Source: All Things Digital | 31 May 2010 | 11:18 am Woman sues Google after being hit by a car while using walking directions A woman named Lauren Rosenberg is suing Google for $100,000 after she walked onto a highway and got hit by a car while following Google Maps directions on her Blackberry. She disregarded, or didn't see, the warning that says: "Walking directions are in beta. Use caution - This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths." She also apparently didn't use common sense. From Fortune: Defendant Google, through its "Google Maps" service provided Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg with walking directions that led her out onto Deer valley Drive, a.k.a. State Route 224, a rural highway with no sidewalks, and a roadway that exhibits motor vehicles traveling at high speeds, that is not reasonably safe for pedestrians.If Google told you to jump off a cliff, would you? [Fortune] Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 11:18 am Appletell reviews Packing Pro for iPhone, iPod touchFROM APPLETELL - Here’s the kind of app that can save a career. Or a marriage. Having the answer to, “Honey, did you remember to pack the…?” right at your fingertips makes it a steal at $2.99. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 11:00 am Woman, hit by car, sues Google for faulty directions - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 31 May 2010 | 11:00 am Sack Tapping: Parents’ Threat Du Jour"Sack tapping" is the latest supposed threat that parents should be worried about. But is the danger real or hyped?Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 10:37 am Apple: iPad sales top 2 million since launch (AP)AP - Apple Inc. said Monday that iPad sales have topped 2 million since its launch almost two months ago.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 10:34 am Skype 2.0 for iPhone enables free calls over 3G -- for now (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Several months after AT&T relaxed its restrictions on the ability of voice-over-IP apps to make calls over the companyâs 3G network, Skype has released version 2.0 of its client software for the iPhone.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 10:30 am China sets new rules banning confessions by tortureFollowing the reappearance of a supposedly murdered man in China a couple of weeks ago, the Chinese courts have announced new rules that will discount evidence gathered through torture and intimidation. If implemented right, this could be a big deal. From the NYTimes:Confessions gained through torture are thought to be common in China, though rights advocates and defense lawyers say such mistreatment gains public notice only when a defendant dies in custody. In some recent cases, jailhouse deaths have spurred protests and alarmed the authorities, who are eager to maintain social stability.Of course, the passing of such a law doesn't necessarily mean that the new rules will be properly implemented, but it's a start.
Chinese courts to bar confessions gained by torture [NY Times] Yoono Nows Plays Nice With YouTube, Chrome Extension On The Way
The new YouTube integration allows you to see all of your YouTube updates (new videos, comments) in your stream; access your Channels (subscriptions, playlists, favorites, uploads); search YouTube videos; playlists and channels directly from Yoono; and share, favorite, comment on and even download videos directly from either the plugin or desktop application. And Yoono now allows you to favorite tweets and reply all from the application. Via a crowdsourced translation project, Yoono now has versions in Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Swedish and Polish in addition to English and French. Yoono says that 22 additional languages are actively being worked on by the community. Yoono, which has seen 4.5 million downloads, has also launched an alpha version of Yoono for Google Chrome, and is expecting the beta version of the browser plugin to hit the Chrome extensions gallery very soon. Given the popularity of Yoono on Firefox (the plugin is the most downloaded social networking add-on for Firefox), the extension should be popular among Chrome users. Yoono says that the next step is entering the mobile market with iPhone, iPad and Android apps in the works. And the startup plans to add more services to its hub, including Google Buzz, Foursquare, and Yammer. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 10:19 am Microsoft opens Windows 7 restaurant in TaiwanMicrosoft just opened a restaurant in Taipei dedicated to Windows 7. It's called "77 Concept Store," and sells dishes like electronic beancurd for 77 Taiwanese dollars.Source: Boing Boing | 31 May 2010 | 10:09 am WeDo Technologies Celebrates Continued Growth in Revenue and Business Assurance at its 5th User Group MeetingLISBON, Portugal, May 31, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- WeDo Technologies, leading innovator in the Revenue and Business Assurance sector, announced its first quarter results at its fifth annual User Group conference held in Madeira last week. Comparing 1st quarter 2010 with 1st quarter 2009, orders grew by 12% to EUR11 million; revenues were up by 4% to EUR10.9 million and EBITDA increased by 1% to EUR1 million. Delivering the results to an audience of 140 attendees drawn from 40 of WeDo's more than 100 telecom service provider customers around the world, Rui Paiva, WeDo Technologies' CEO, also announced a number of significant milestones in the company's continued growth: - Customer base now includes seven out of ten of the world's top mobile service providers - More than 100 customers spread across 73 countries - Important new contract wins in the Latin American and Central and Eastern European markets - The opening of new offices in Panama, Chile, Singapore and Warsaw - The release of RAID 6.0, WeDo Technologies' eTOM-compliant Business Assurance platform - New business wins in the retail, utilities and finance sectors - A new revenue and risk sharing business model for the company's Praesidium consulting arm - Employee growth to nearly 400 people - drawn from 18 different nationalities - An active acquisition policy to complement the company's successful organic growth so far Centred around 15 case study presentations from customers, the User Group event also included presentations from industry analysts and consultants as well as a panel discussion on issues currently confronting revenue and business assurance and fraud specialists. About WeDo Technologies: WeDo Technologies is the leading supplier of Revenue Assurance solutions for the global telecoms industry.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 31 May 2010 | 9:31 am Pakistan lifts Facebook ban after page removed (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 9:07 am Amazon Vs. Apple Be Damned: Publishers Pine For A Universal E-Book FormatNEW YORK - Giants and upstarts of publishing gathered at the annual BookExpo America last week agreed e-books will transform the business but believe the big change will come when there is a standard format across which all e-books can be published and shared.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 8:35 am How has the exciting world of technology changed since the last World Cup? Let us count the ways!
A little birdie told me that the World Cup begins in just a few weeks, on June 11, 2010, in South Africa. Four years prior saw Italy lift the trophy in Germany (above), beating France on penalties. Zinedine Zidane also headbutted Marco Materazzi that day—an immense event in Internet history. A lot of things have changed since that day in Berlin, a lot of things that will shock and amaze you. For example, did you know that Facebook was still only open to college and high school students the moment Fabio Grosso smashed the ball past Fabien Barthez? So, what else has changed between then and now? • Probably the biggest difference between now and then is that we were living in a pre-iPhone world (to say nothing of a pre-iPad world). That’s right, when Italy won the World Cup in 2006 the iPhone still hadn’t made its public debut. It later did so in January, 2007, at MacWorld. Who can forget that day? • VoIP has matured. There’s going to be 365 cafés in South Africa where Vonage Mobile users can call their friends in the U.S. for free. • There was no PS3 or Wii. The two consoles didn’t debut until later that year, in the fall. The Xbox 360? Just sorta there, with no real killer app to its name. • People were just getting familiar with a new television technology in HDTV in 2006. Now, the deep-pocketed among us will be fooling around with another new television technology in 3D TV. And yes, the World Cup will be broadcast in 3D this year. Well, depending on where you live. • Twitter was not open to the public (but was being used internally) when the tournament began in June, 2006. • Sirius and XM were still separate companies back then. • There was no Amazon Kindle (and no nook, obviously). • Microsoft hadn’t yet released Windows Vista, which it did in January, 2007. • Pluto was still considered a planet, while now it’s merely a dwarf planet. Poor Pluto. • Famous BitTorrent site OiNK was still around. It wasn’t shut down by the man until October, 2007. ‘Twas a sad day in Internet history. • All songs on iTunes were still encumbered with DRM. We didn’t even have iTunes Plus yet! • The Microsoft Zune did not exist. In actuality, it didn’t really exist until the launch of the Zune HD last fall. The first versions of the Zune were decidedly “meh.” • We were in the middle of a format war in HD DVD vs Blu-ray. Blu-ray “won” in January, 2008. • Google Chrome didn’t exist, while now it looks to be taking over the world (along with Google itself). • The United States had a terrible broadband infrastructure, which, in a lot of ways, it still does. • Microsoft was “bigger” than Apple. • On a personal note, I hadn’t started playing World of Warcraft yet, something that didn’t happen until fall, 2006. • “The Cloud” wasn’t quite the buzzword it has since become. Pretty sure “Web 2.0″ was still on the tip of everyone’s tongues back then. • Netflix streaming also didn’t exist back then. Whoa. So as you can see, a lot has gone down over the past four years. Who’s to say what exciting new developments will await us when World Cup 2014 kicks off in Brazil? Will Facebook and Twitter still be around? Will we be playing PS4 or Xbox 360^2? Will companies still insist on using DRM for whatever silly reason? Or, was there anything that I missed? This list is by no means comprehensive, and was primarily put together while I was watching the USA vs. Turkey friendly on Saturday. Ladies and gentlemen: the future awaits!
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 8:30 am Hadron Collider Suffers Power OutageThe Large Hadron Collider's machine systems are now recovering from a recent general power cut. The organization that runs the LHC, CERN, said it had taken until Monday morning for the machine to fully recover.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 8:25 am How Nature's Colors Could Help Cut Bank FraudImage 1: The bright green wings of the P. blumei butterfly result from the mixing of the different colors of light that are reflected from different regions of the scales found on the wings of these butterflies. Credit: Mathias Kolle, University of CambridgeImage 2: This SEM image of concavities is covered by a conformal multilayer stack of 11 alternating layers of titania and alumina. Credit: Mathias Kolle, University of CambridgeImage 3: This scanning electron micrograph shows that the surface of a wing scale is covered with concavities. Credit: Mathias Kolle, University of CambridgeSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 8:05 am Appletell reviews CoPilot Live HD for iPad 3GFROM APPLETELL - An iPad 3G GPS guidance app was inevitable, someone just had to be first. With an iPad 3G and CoPilot Live HD you not only know where you are, but where you are going. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 31 May 2010 | 8:00 am The Ancient Chinese Secret Of Sticky Rice MortarImage Caption: Construction workers in ancient China used sticky rice to make a super-strong mortar for city walls and other structures that even withstood earthquakes. Chemists now have discovered the ingredient in sticky rice that made the mortar so strong. Credit: iStockSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 7:22 am Apple Sold 2 Million iPads In 59 Days Apple had announced that sales of its tablet computer iPad have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. That's a whole lot of iPads in two months, and the company only started shipping units in countries outside the United States last weekend.
The news comes almost a month after Apple announced that it had sold 1 million units.
As previously announced, the iPad will be available in nine more - but still unnamed - countries in July and additional countries later this year.
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 7:14 am Asus squirts out a Windows-powered EEE Pad
To be fair, this isn’t your granddaddy’s tablet. It has a front webcam, a Core 2 Duo chipset, and a nice bright screen. The rest is pure Comdex 2001 when Bill Gates popped up and got us all excited about tablets the first time. No pricing or availability, but these should be powerful enough to run a few strong desktop apps, something the iPad still can’t really do. via Giz via Techinstyle
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 7:03 am Stanford Graduates Release Pulse, A Must-Have News App For The iPad
Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta, two Stanford grads who signed up for the Launch Pad class at the University's Institute of Design (aka d.school), could have hardly chosen a better path to try their hands at startup life. The pair has gone from idea to a (very cool) digital news app for the iPad in just 5 weeks, and they're just getting started.
The application, called Pulse, is essentially a visually attractive RSS-based news aggregator. On sale for $3.99 (iTunes link), the app is aimed to please both hardcore RSS reader users and people who are willing to pay top dollars for single publication apps.
Source: CrunchGear | 31 May 2010 | 6:52 am MBARI AUV Studying Deepwater Horizon SpillImage Caption: An autonomous underwater vehicle from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) being launched from the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in the Gulf of Mexico Credit: Yanwu Zhang © 2010 MBARISource: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 6:50 am Two Months, Two Million iPads [MediaMemo]
No other details, of course–specific verbiage is that sales “topped 2 million in less than 60 days”–but we can safely assume that most of those sales were in the U.S., since the device didn’t go on sale internationally until last weekend. If you like statistics: That’s approximately 33,000 iPads per day, 1,388 iPads per hour and 23 iPads per minute. And if you want to hear about the iPad from the man himself: Apple CEO Steve Jobs kicks off the D8 conference on Tuesday. Press release excerpt:
Source: All Things Digital | 31 May 2010 | 6:42 am Intel Unveils New Server Chip With 32 Cores (PC World)PC World - Intel announced a new 32-core server chip based on a new high-performance computing server architecture that mixes general x86 cores with specialized cores for faster processing of highly parallel scientific and commercial applications.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 May 2010 | 6:10 am WinMo-6.5-powered LG Fathom launch date officially announced, world shrugs
We just got word that the LG Fathom will be released on June 3rd. For those not in the know, the Fathom is the last of its kind: a 1GHz Windows Mobile 6.5 powered handset. Other features include a dazzling 3.2MP autofocus camera (sans flash, it seems), QWERTY keypad, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.2″ screen of unknown resolution. While the specs are unlikely to blow anyone away, the most attractive feature of the phone is its price: $99.99 with a two year Verizon contract, $499.99 without one. Not much more to say, really. For the detail-hungry folks out there, I’ve included the press release, below:
Source: MobileCrunch | 31 May 2010 | 5:54 am BP Trying Out New Alternative To Stop SpillBP engineers got together on Sunday in order to try another high-risk plan to stop the Gulf oil spill. Hours after BP acknowledged the failure of its "top kill" project, company officials said it could take a week to implement the next bid.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 31 May 2010 | 5:10 am Acupuncture Releases Natural PainkillerWhen they get acupuncture, mice release a natural pain-relieving molecule that scientists have never linked with the treatment before.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 3:30 am Antimatter Matters: Fermilab Glimpses 'The Toe of God'Did you miss the big news from Fermilab last week? It seems that a bunch of proton-anti-proton collisions exhibit a slight asymmetry in the number of muons produced compared to anti-muons.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 May 2010 | 2:46 am
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I’ve 
Yahoo will soon be changing the way they handle status updates and social aggregation to make it easier for users to follow other people. But the PR fiascoes that have hit both Google (via their Buzz launch) and Facebook (via their most recent privacy changes) aren’t lost on Yahoo – they are taking particular care to explain exactly how changes will affect user privacy right up front, before the changes take effect.
Back in January, we noted that 
I’m not sure Google has ever come out and said that they hope the future of computing doesn’t involve Windows. But we all know they’re thinking it. However, while they may think that way, it’s been hard to take that too seriously since most of the computers they do their work on likely run Windows. In the near future though, that may not be the case.
Guatemala is in a state of crisis today after twin natural calamities struck: First, on May 27 the 
Entertainment media company 
Earlier this month, we reported that Yahoo’s Director of Geo Engineering, 
Facebook is beta-testing a product in the same space that so many giants have attacked and fallen short–a curated question-answer, which has stumped the biggest of bigs. Has it been about social scale all along?
But a lot of people watching from the audience and the livestream thought UJAM, which lets anyone create music, was much more exciting, and potentially very disruptive to the music creation process. If you haven’t seen their demo yet, which had a number of spontaneous breakouts of applause and yelling, you should. I’ve embedded it above. 
