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Sprint officially kicks off sales of the HTC EVO 4G
“History will be made across the nation as anxious customers get their hands on America’s first 3G/4G wireless phone, HTC EVO 4G, packed with industry-leading features.” A little over the top right there, but anyway: you can now purchase the HTC EVO 4G at Sprint.com, Sprint retail stores, at RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart. The device sells for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new line activation or upgrade. Sales of the Android-powered dual-mode 3G/4G handset with 1GHz Snapdragon, a 4.3-inch display, 8 megapixel camera and personal WiFi hotspot feature commence now, but they are limited to five per customer. With the battery life on this thing, we recommend you get five of them, though. We kid, we kid. But still: check out Matt’s MobileCrunch review and MG Siegler’s TechCrunch review.
Source: MobileCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 4:11 am You don't know tech: The InfoWorld news quiz (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - They're heeeeeere. Several would-be Apple iPad killers showed up this week at trade shows in Taiwan and hoighty-toighty confabs in Silicon Valley.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Jun 2010 | 4:00 am Google to Share Intercepted Data - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:56 am Context-Aware Infrastructure Startup SoGeo Raises €1 Million
[Amsterdam] SoGeo, provider of a context aware platform for mobile and Web, this morning announced that it has secured €1 million (roughly $1.2 million) in funding from investor group BlueBubbleLab.
SoGeo is in the midst of building a location-aware information sharing platform and API with social and community features, including a suite of mobile and web apps that interface with it.
SoGeo is targeting businesses interested in the platform, essentially a set of technologies that collects, analyzes and stores location data, photos and videos, user accounts and attention data, to engage with their customers.
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:56 am Coming to Toronto tonight!Hey, Toronto! I'm coming home tonight for the Canadian launch of For the Win! I'll see you at 6:30PM at the Merril Collection on the lower level of the Lillian H. Smith Building, 239 College Street, just east of Spadina. Source: Boing Boing | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:33 am Stormtrooper action figure portraits Flickr user Stéfan shot 365 near-daily portraits of his Star Wars Stormtrooper dollies undertaking humorous and dramatic tasks, and has put the (really wonderful) results on Flickr. Stormtroopers 365 (Thanks, Ronny!)
Source: Boing Boing | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:28 am Google Pays $75 In Gift Checks To Test New Blogger Features On Windows PCs
At least 18 years old? Own a Windows PC? Have 60 minutes to spare? Google wants you to test usability of its Blogger service on your own computer, and is prepared to give you $75 in American Express gift checks if you participate in a screen sharing session and a phone call with some of their people. Also, you must allow them to record audio or video of said session. We think you can keep your clothes on, but have been unable to confirm. On the sign-up page, Google explains that you can register to participate in a usability study and provide feedback on “something that’s currently in development”. It’s unclear what those new developments entail, and participants are required to accept the company’s Usability Non-Disclosure Agreement. Google only says the study will “help the Blogger team better understand your needs in order to incorporate them into future product enhancements”. It’s anyone’s guess what those are, but considering the fact that they’re specifically asking for users who have computers running Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000, we daresay it concerns a desktop client of some sort.      
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:18 am SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ready for first launch - BBC News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 4 Jun 2010 | 3:09 am The Mythical Sheryl Sandberg Wink And Smile (Starring Al Pacino)
Calacanis has long been over the top critical of Facebook, even recently referring to Zuckerberg as “an amoral, Asperger’s-like entrepreneur” and says “Zuckerberg is clearly the worst thing that’s happened to our industry since, well, spam.” So it’s not surprising that he got in Mark’s face again in person. According to Jason, he first asked Mark to play poker with him, and then made comments to Mark as they both watched Steve Jobs on stage:
So that’s a pretty serious allegation – that Sheryl Sandberg, the COO and clear no. 2 at Facebook, secretly enjoys seeing Mark criticized over Facebook’s privacy missteps. Is it true? I asked Sandberg flat out via email. Her response: “absurd.” Plus a few other off the record comments that suggested it was really absurd. Why the repeated Serpico references (really – he says “I am Serpico.”)? He’s getting pressure from “influential people,” he says, to fall into line and support Facebook. But he’s not going to stand for it:
The thing is, though, that this is good for business. Jason is the master at creating controversy. And controversy is fun, up to a point. But trying to disrupt a management team by suggesting that there’s strife when there really isn’t is crossing a line. I’ve written recently that media and blogging attacks on Facebook are getting out of hand. We love to tear apart the people and companies that are trying to do big things. And nothing is bigger in tech right now than what Facebook is trying to accomplish – a restructuring of the Internet around a social architecture. It may be time for us all to step back and realize that we’re witnessing the creation of a massive company, one that touches the lives of half a billion people a month, on the fly. We’re seeing sausage being made, never a pleasant experience, by a company that is inventing the sausage as they go.      
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:55 am May Employment: All Industries GreenThe folks at Indeed have out their May jobs report -- tracking growth in positions listed across multiple sites by industry group -- and the for the first time since they began tracking this (in March...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:53 am Premature leak of the day: Sony Ericsson 5-inch Android QWERTY phone
However, 5 inches does make it a bit of a beast, moving the device squarely into too-big-to-be-a-phone-too-small-to-be-a-tablet territory… but look at that keyboard! It looks totally typeable! The sleuthy photographer (translated link) says that it is running Android 2.1, with no current plans for Froyo, but, as it’s a very early prototype, both the software and the body may very well change. Obviously, there is no news on release dates (let alone pricing), but you can rest assured that as more leaks surface, we’ll be typin’ em up, just for you. [via Engadget]
Source: MobileCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:51 am Wired UK Crowns Foursquare King, But The Local Peasants Revolt This month's Wired UK magazine has pulled out the stops and put Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley on the cover. In spades. Crowley is pictured wearing a crown and is dubbed "The New King of Social Media". The subhead is "Why Google, Yahoo and Facebook want to unlock his world."
That's a pretty big accolade and, indeed, Crowley has written a long explanation about how the cover story and shoot came about. He says "not to nerd out, but this is the stuff that Little Denny College dreamed big about back in 1997 (for real)... so I'm pretty happy with it :)"
As you can see, the photographer made him wear some makeup "but I think my luscious lips and forearms are photoshopped," says Crowley.
Not everyone is happy with Wired's angle, but more of that parade-raining later. Meantime, here's Crowley's take:
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:49 am Readings: Oil. Japan, Data, Sinkholes, Sovereigns, etc.Getting caught up after a few days of travel: Production Costs Climb for Canadian Oil Sands, Companies Say (Source) AT&T Sparks IPhone User Backlash With End to Unlimited Plans (Source) Japan May Spark...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:39 am Amazing Mechanical Musical Clock In Shibuya, TokyoBy Andrew Liszewski I’m afraid I don’t know much about this amazing mechanical clock which is apparently located outside the C.C. Lemon Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, except that I would probably...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:06 am easyJet unveils plans to fit ash detectorsEuropean low-cost airline easyJet PLC unveiled plans on Friday to fit its planes with radar to detect volcanic ash. easyJet said the devices _ designed to be placed on the tail fin and...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 2:00 am Foursquare Blocked In China, Possibly Related To Tiananmen Square Check-Ins
Looks like Foursquare is experiencing the questionable honor of getting the attention of the Chinese government. Authorities appear to have blocked the service, at least in mainland China, according to many a tweet from Chinese location sharers. While this obviously can’t easily be confirmed, it appears as though the block is a result of Foursquare users checking in to another kind of square: Tian’anmen Square, the infamous plaza in China’s capital of Beijing (Peking). The Chinese government is likely keeping a tight lock on which Internet services it allows its citizens to use today because of the sensitivity of the date. Background: the protests of 1989 at Tian’anmen Square, which resulted in the massacre of Chinese protesters, occurred on the night of June 3 and the early morning of June 4. It remains to be seen if Foursquare will remain blocked for the foreseeable future or if this is just a temporary ban. (Thanks @christinelu)
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:57 am Stanford Students Reveal Intimate Connection With Mobile PhonesIn a Stanford University graduate course, Tanya Luhrmann teaches anthropological research methods. A recent project included observation, focus groups, and interviews around on-campus mobile phone use;...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:46 am Viral Soccer Tributes - The World Cup 2010 'Wavin Flag' Fan Video Will Give You Goosebumps (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Everyone and their mother is gearing up for the highly anticipated soccer matches, and if you weren't already pumped, the YouTube World Cup 2010 'Wavin Flag' fan video will surely get...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:30 am Social Music Service from Skype and Kazaa Founders Opens to New Round of Users (PC World)PC World - Rdio is opening up its social music service to a new round of users, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:30 am Foxconn: latest employee death not work related (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:24 am D8 Video: Richard Rosenblatt Reveals (Some Of) Demand Media's Mysterious Business Plan [D8 Conference]Is Demand Media really a content farm? Or just a domain harvester? Both, of course. But CEO Richard Rosenblatt walked through some of the details onstage at D8. Presumably we’ll be able to verify all of this for ourselves later this year, if Demand follows through on its expected IPO. Or will we? Note how the voluble Rosenblatt clammed up when Kara Swisher asked him about the reported offering. Does that mean it’s off? Or have his SEC compliance guys told him he needs to clam up before the filings come out. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:15 am Sprint EVO 4G will ship with storage bug
Reports are floating around the net that some users who received their EVOs at Google I/O the other week are unable to save files to the MicroSD card. Instead, they get a permission error. Now, we of the TechCrunch family have done two separate reviews of the device, and have not been affected by the bug, but there are around 20 or so users on the Android Forums complaining of the bug. So, if you’ve pre-ordered the device and are eagerly awaiting its arrival tomorrow (or are reading this while you’re camped out the front of your local Sprint store), you may be lucky enough to avoid the bug entirely, but if you are affected by the bug, a reboot will temporarily fix the errors. Some users are reporting that switching to a new MicroSD card has fixed the issue, but HTC spokesperson Keith Nowak has informed Wired that it is an identified software issue, and that they “are testing a solution and expect to have a software solution available very shortly that will be automatically pushed to phones over the air.” We’ll let you know when it becomes available, but in the mean time, let us know in the comments if your latest toy is affected.
Source: MobileCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:15 am Social networking heats up on browsing phonesAccessing social networks is the fastest growing activity for smartphones and other Web-browsing phones, according to a new ComScore study, reports News.com. The study also found that accessing bank accounts...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:14 am Foxconn: latest employee death not work relatedTaiwan's Foxconn Technology Group, which has been shaken by a spate of worker suicides in China this year, said Friday another employee had died but denied it was work-related. The makerSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:03 am Daily Crunch: Morning News Edition
Here are some of yesterday’s stories: The Nikon Camera Lens coffee mug is finally here
Source: CrunchGear | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Knee-Length Wedding Dresses - The Marchesa Spring 2010 Bridal Line is Short and Sweet (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The Marchesa Spring 2010 Bridal line puts a bit of spring in your step. Aside from the classic long, flowy dresses, the collection also consists of a few shorter cocktail dress pieces...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Never Mind the Valley: Here's FinlandFinland is quite a paradox. One would not think that a country with only 5 million people, plunged into darkness for a greater part of the year, would be the inventor of Linux, SSH, IRC, Nokia, F-Secure...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am The Future Of Netflix’s Business Laid Bare — By Netflix
When it comes to slideshow presentations, few do them as well as Netflix. Last year, they released one that was sent around internally about their culture. If you read it, you probably wished you worked for Netflix afterwards. And now they’ve released one about the future of their business — it’s also fascinating. The 40-slide presentation is great because it gives direct insight into Netflix’s view of its competition, and why they think they’ll succeed in the end. Long story short, they’re transforming the company from a DVD-by-mail service to a streaming video service. Anyone who has followed the company over the past year or so will know this, but it’s pretty interesting to read about just how much they’ve thought the transition through. For example, they know there’s a demand for new release DVDs, but they’re giving up that market to competitors so that they can focus on building the biggest back catalog of movies available for streaming. They know that DVD-by-mail will continue to grow for a few more years (they think 2014), but after that, it will decline just as rapidly as it grew as streaming takes over. Netflix doesn’t want to be the end-all source for all video content, they just want to focus on the catalog streaming ability, and exist as a supplemental service to other video services such as pay-per-view. The key to this is to make the service ubiquitous (which is why they’re focused on signing device deals) and cheap (they’re targeting around $10 per user). Once DVD-by-mail starts going away, most of their costs will be related to paying the studios to get access to their back catalog films. So what are Netflix’s biggest concerns going forward? Hulu and piracy. Hulu, with it’s forthcoming subscription model “could be significant competitive threat for us,” notes one slide. Piracy could also be a major problem as it may become just as bad for video as it was for music, another slide notes. I’d argue that Netflix isn’t helping that by giving up on new release rentals, but it’s hard to argue with their logic about carving out a very specific, catalog-based streaming niche for themselves. Find the full presentation below: Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 12:52 am The Ghostbusters Backpack, Because Bustin' Makes Me Feel GoodBy Chris Scott Barr How many of you wanted to grow up to be a Ghostbuster? I can say that I spent many a day wandering around with a plastic proton pack, looking for ghosts to bust. As an adult I still...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Jun 2010 | 12:51 am Yelp Stats Show iPhone App Usage Staggeringly Deeper Than Website
Yelp says their website had over 32 million unique visitors in May from all sources (Comscore says 11.2 million in April, the most recent month they track, but they do tend to undercount). Yelp’s iPhone app has had 1.4 million uniques in the last thirty days, they say. That’s a small percentage of total traffic to the service, but the amount of activity and interaction from those users is significantly more than on the normal website:
Yelp will also be releasing a new version of the iPhone app shortly, their fifth iteration. Users will be able to earn badges to help show off where they are checking in. Says CEO Jeremy Stoppelman: “For example, if a yelper loves to get their nigiri on at sushi restaurants, they can earn the “Sushi Sensei” badge. The Sensei badge is only one of many badges you can unlock — it’s up to our users to figure out how. Once earned, badges can be shared with friends both via the Yelp iPhone app, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.” So get ready, all you competitive types. It’s no longer enough to just be the mayor of your local cafe on Foursquare. The real men and women want to be the King or Queen of San Francisco on Yelp. Or wherever. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 12:13 am Android 2.1 rollout for GSM Heroes starts Friday!
Oh man, I’m excited. My previously-crippled Android 1.5 phone, the GSM HTC Hero will finally (pending alignment of the stars), receive the bump to Android 2.1 as of Friday, June 4th. The update was promised as early as February, and us GSM Hero users have been disappointed time and time again (much like our CDMA brethren), but official Taiwanese ROMs have already started making their way across the ‘net, so it seems that this is the one I’ve been waiting for. If all goes well, I will soon be Gogglin’, Earthin’, Sticky Bittin’, (officially) Twitterin’, and all those other things that have been just out of my reach for so many months now. Word broke from HTC Taiwan’s official Plurk account today, so forgive the rough translation:
Android and Me warn that the rollout may not include the European variety HTC Hero (the announcement was directed at Asian markets), but it’s a pretty safe bet that it won’t be far behind (and even less time before the community ROMs start rolling out). Of course, the sheen of 2.1 has been all but removed since the announcement of 2.2, but I’m still happy to have the upgrade. Thanks, guys: you’ve made my weekend :) [image and info via Android and Me]
Source: MobileCrunch | 4 Jun 2010 | 12:07 am Google Relents, Will Hand Over European Wi-Fi Dataitwbennett writes "Having previously denied demands from Germany that the company turn over hard drives with data it secretly collected from open wireless networks over the past three years, Google has reversed course. A Google representative said that it will hand over the data to German, French and Spanish authorities within a matter of days, according to the Financial Times, which first reported this latest development on Wednesday. 'We screwed up. Let's be very clear about that,' Google CEO Eric Schmidt told the newspaper."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 4 Jun 2010 | 12:04 am Short Thoughts, At D, On Apple SearchThanks to Andy at Beet for asking. My post earlier here goes into far more detail. I do look rather querulous, do I not? It must have been the sun....Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:52 pm Would You Like to Star in Steven Spielberg's New Dinosaur Drama Series?Steven Spielberg's team is looking for actors and extras for a new dinosaur-themed series. Find out how to submit your photo and resume.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:39 pm Hitachi LG Develops Blu-ray Drive With Built-in SSD (PC World)PC World - Hitachi LG Data Storage Korea is presenting a first-of-its-kind product at Computex this week, an Blu-ray Disc optical drive that combines a solid-state drive.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:20 pm Video Shows Brown Pelican 'Choking to Death on Oil'New video footage shows a brown pelican 'choking to death on oil' near the site of the Gulf spill.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:09 pm Apple Unveils A New HTML5/Web Standards Showcase — Safari Required
Apple’s new HTML5 page on its site is a showcase for what you can do with the technology. There are seven impressive examples of things you can do using only HTML5: Video, Typography, Gallery, Transitions, Audio, 360, and VR. “Standards aren’t add-ons to the web. They are the web,” Apple writes. But what’s a bit odd is that you can only view the examples using Apple’s Safari web browser. Other HTML5-compliant browsers — like Google Chrome — are blocked. If you try to load the examples, Apple pops up a message that you need to download Safari to view the demo. “This demo was designed with the latest web standards supported by Safari,” the message reads. This site serves another purpose for Apple too. While it shows some commitment to the web (alongside its commitment to WebKit, the render engine which Apple helped make into the dominant force it is today — as Apple likes to remind everyone), it also shows a commitment to web standards. In fact, the page is actually called ”HTML5 and web standards.” Why? Undoubtedly because Adobe Flash is not a web standard. The first demo on the page shows the cool things you can do with HTML5 video. All of these demos point to a “Safari Demos” page on the Apple Developer site — a page which can’t be found yet. It’s likely Apple is going to say more about this at its WWDC event starting on Monday. Update: The Safari Demos link is now working, and you can find a few other HTML5 demos there. And interestingly enough, you can use the demos there without Safari (I just got them to work using Chrome). [via Daring Fireball]
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:05 pm Study Finds That "Extreme Gamers" Play 48 Hours a WeekAn anonymous reader writes "Think you're a big gamer? According to a new study from market research firm NPD Group, to be considered among the real hardcore you'll need to play an average of 48.5 hours a week — nearly seven hours a day. This group of gamers is, on average, '29 years old, and — perhaps surprisingly — one-third of them are female. They're more likely to play on consoles than on the PC, and on average they've purchased 24 titles in the past three months — a bill that could easily run over a thousand dollars. But dedicated though they may be, the Extreme Gamers are just a small minority: a mere 4% of the US's 174-million-strong gaming public. '"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:57 pm Chunghwa Telecom wants iPad and next-gen iPhone in TaiwanTAIPEI (Reuters) - Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest telecoms operator, is in talks to sell Apple's iPad and future versions of the iPhone on the island, its chairman said on Friday as it...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:46 pm Android Tablets on Show by Foxconn, Hardkernel (PC World)PC World - Two 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet designs that run Google's mobile Android software are on display at the Computex electronics show in Taipei, one from Foxconn Technology and the other by Hardkernel.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:40 pm Screenshot Hints At YouTube “Live Stream” Option
YouTube has been dabbling with its own live streams for almost two years now. It’s live streamed presidential speeches, healthcare debates, cricket matches, and a U2 concert. But so far it’s stayed away from opening up live streaming to the general YouTube populace. The copyright liability would be insane. Nevertheless, the shadow of YouTube hangs over the budding live video streaming industry, where startups like Livestream, Justin.tv, and Ustream are making their mark. Rumors persist that YouTube is planning to enter live streaming in a bigger way than it has so far. The screenshot above hints at what that might look like. I grabbed it from this YouTube help page for Google Moderator on YouTube. It shows the channel settings for a YouTube content producer (in this case, obviously someone who works for YouTube). The last button, which I’ve circled above, is for “Live Stream.” Max Haot, the CEO of Livestream, believes the screenshot provides”strong evidence that Youtube is about to launch a live streaming feature,” despite the fact that it looks like the “Live Stream” button is only enabled right now for YouTube employees. “We are not sure about their choice of name,” he adds. The simple explanation here is that the screenshot, which was put up to illustrate a different feature (the Moderator module), comes from a YouTube employee with producer access to CitizenTube, the YouTube political channel that often shows live streams. Inside YouTube, that is the button they use when they want to run a live stream. But the button is there, and if YouTube wanted to it could roll it out as a feature to trusted partners such as brands or politicians. In fact, YouTube is actively courting political candidates and their advertising dollars with all sorts of campaign tools. It would make sense to add live video to the mix. Live virtual town hall meetings could be very popular. Officially, however, YouTube says it has no immediate plans to do so.
     
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:16 pm Jupiter hit by another impactor Thursday; video inside - Ars Technica
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:08 pm Zombie Workout: Get Fit Enough to Fight the UndeadIf losing that spare tire isn't motivation enough to exercise, maybe the fear of Z-Day is. One fitness class in Illinois is playing out the scenario in a foam rubber mock-up of an urban environment.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm June 4, 1977: VHS Comes to AmericaA new home-video format debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show. Home recording of TV shows, and watching movies at home, is no longer restricted to the rich and techie.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Food: How Iron Chef America Engineers a Visual FeastThe latest in cooking and camera wizardry combine to translate a personal sensory experience into a spectator sport.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Graffiti: "Talk nerdy."
Another entry in my occasional series of geek graffiti photos, this shot from the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio: "Talk nerdy. I like it alot."Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:33 pm How do you solve a problem like denialism?From evolution and climate change, to conspiracy theories about swine flu, why denialism happens (even among otherwise intelligent people) and what can be done to counteract it. Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:26 pm Watch the tongue at workthe diva and the emcee from Krishna Nayak on Vimeo. Researchers got an opera singer and a beatbox emcee to do their thing inside an MRI machine. The results are seriously fascinating to watch. (Via Ferris Jabr) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:20 pm Scientists begin 520-day Mars mission simulation - The Associated Press
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:19 pm Jumbo Dual-Screen "Kno" Tablet Debuts At D8itwbennett writes "The Microsoft Courier may be a dead project, but that doesn't mean you can't still have a dual-touchscreen e-reader. And a super-sized one at that, says blogger Peter Smith. The Kno, which debuted at All Things Digital's D8 conference yesterday has 'two 14.1 inch (1440 x 900) capacitive touch screens. Each screen has its own battery, giving the Kno 8-hours of battery life, but a hefty weight of 5.5 lbs. ... If Kno (the company) has its way, students will be carrying around a Kno (the device) rather than a stack of textbooks. That's the reason for the huge screens; most textbook pages can be shown 'full size' on a 14" screen.' Engadget, who got some hands-on time with the device, says 'the entire experience is essentially a WebKit instance.' Price is still up in the air but Ina Fried at CNET says the company is aiming for a price well under $1000."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:02 pm See Tungurahua's Fire, Hear It RoarEcuador's Tungurahua has been the scene of one heck of a volcanic show.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:55 pm Boing Boing Bazaar: Keyboard and Ouija board wallets
Portland's Mona Kate plays roller derby and makes excellent vegan vinyl wallets that are just $14 in the Boing Boing Bazaar/Makers Market. I'm fond of the bold Keyboard and Ouija designs, but there are more than two dozen other options including robots, kittens, fixie bikes, circuit boards, pin-ups, skull and cross bones, and, of course, several rollerskate graphics. Kitten Camaro wallets Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:42 pm ClearOne Announces Newly Formed StreamNet Ready Partner ProgramSALT LAKE CITY, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ClearOne (http://www.clearone.com) (Nasdaq: CLRO), a global communications solutions company that develops and sells conferencing, collaboration, streaming media, and connectivity systems and other related products for audio, video and web applications, today announced the formation of its StreamNet® Ready Partner Program.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:31 pm HTC Profile On The Rise As Smartphones Enjoy Flagship Status - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:02 pm Sponsor Me Hawaii Introduces the World's First Live Action Sports IP Backhaul HD Broadcast with Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation, Sony, and Time Warner Oceanic Cable. Broadcast to Debut at the Sponsor Me Ala Moana Bowls Contest in Hawaii June 14-26, 2010ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than two weeks before the big event, Sponsor Me, in connection with Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation, Sony, Time-Warner Oceanic Cable, and Transworld is in its final preparation for the Ala Moana Bowls contest and the debut of the world's first live action sports IP backhaul HD broadcast in Hawaii. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100603/LA15711) Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation and Sony are broadcasting the Sponsor Me Ala Moana Bowls contest live in HD by utilizing a live IP backhaul.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:56 pm UPDATE 1-NAB in talks to sell AXA Asia retail platform* Begins talks to sell AXA platform to meet regulatory concernSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:45 pm BREAKING: Impact Observed in Jupiter's AtmosphereOn the day Hubble releases further analysis of the impact that scarred Jupiter in 2009, the same discoverer, Anthony Wesley, witnesses a second impact fireball in the Jovian atmosphere.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:43 pm Blackstone looks to offload Center Parcs property- FTLONDON, June 4 (Reuters) - U.S private equity firm Blackstone is in talks with British fund manager M&G to dispose of the majority of its UK property assets in holiday business Centre Parcs, the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:39 pm Innoversal Lattice Tablet gets its Pixel Qi touchedPixel Qi. If you haven’t heard of them, you will. Everyone will want one of their screens. They offer both a full color LCD screen and an E-Ink screen in one. From what I have seen so far, the technology appears to be very promising. Other companies seem to think so as well, and are lining up to use Pixel Qi screens in their devices. Take the new Innoversal Lattice tablet, for example. It’s a full 10-inch, 1024 x 600 touchscreen Windows tablet with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor. It also features SSD storage up to 64GB, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and a 6-cell battery. The Lattice runs either Windows or Linux and will soon run Chrome OS. The great thing about the “transflective” screen is that it uses less battery when the backlight is off. Not only that, when the backlight is off, it is way easier to see outdoor than normal LCDs. Take that, iPad. Considering that we’re still waiting on the release of the Adam, I doubt we’ll see the Lattice any time real soon, but if Notion Ink doesn’t get its rear in gear, it could be beaten to the punch by other, similar devices. Although don’t expect Android or the power-sipping Tegra 2 — and I could do without the glossy screen.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:32 pm Creative Commons raising $100K granting pool for worthy projectsJane from Creative Commons sez, "We are investing up to $100,000 in people and organizations working to make knowledge easily, freely, and legally available to everyone. Catalyst Grants will empower innovators, educators and researchers around the globe."They're looking for donors to chip in -- once they hit $100K, they'll disburse it in grants for CC-oriented projects. Catalyst Grants will make it possible for individuals and organizations to harness the power of Creative Commons. A grant might enable a group in a developing country to research how Open Educational Resources can positively impact its community. Another could support a study of entrepreneurs using Creative Commons licenses to create a new class of socially responsible businesses.The Catalyst Campaign: Donate Now to Help Fund CC's Catalyst Grants (Thanks, Jane!) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:24 pm International Game Technology Prices $300 Million of Its 5.50% Notes Due 2020LAS VEGAS, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) today announced that it has priced a registered underwritten public offering of $300 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.50% notes due 2020.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:21 pm It's time for universal data plans - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:15 pm Traffic-Flow Algorithm Can Reduce Fuel Consumptionthecarchik writes "New projects from German automakers Audi and BMW promise to ease congestion simply by looking at traffic signals and driving style, in an effort to smooth the flow of traffic. Through a test course in Munich, vehicles were able to post phenomenal fuel efficiency gains simply by adjusting the timing of traffic lights depending on traffic volume — to whatever speed provides a so-called 'green wave' of four or more synchronized signals."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:06 pm Fine art "pie-packed" Mike sez, "Mario Klingemann is analyzing colors within famous artwork, and then recreating the artwork with the data from the original image." Shown here, Starry Night. Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:02 pm Vote iQ Launches Political Social Networking SiteSEATTLE, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Vote iQ, the nation's first major political social networking site, launched a sneak preview of its online platform at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York today.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:00 pm Mad 3D maze-city of Kowloon Salim sez, "Photoblogger Dark Roasted Blend has found some excellent footage (Cantonese with English Subtitles) of the (now bulldozed) 'Walled City of Kowloon'. You might remember, that this was a quirk of history - a small region of land which for political reasons could not be policed by the British when they managed Hong Kong. It proliferated for years without any building regulation or law-enforcement. It became a vast chaotic 3D maze." Battleship Island & Other Ruined Urban High-Density Sites (Thanks, Sal!) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:59 pm CIMC wins bidding for Australia's Loscam-sourcesHONG KONG, June 4 (Reuters Basis Point ) - China's CIMC, the world's largest shipping container maker, has won the bidding to buy Australian pallet maker Loscam Ltd, according to two banking sources. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:58 pm Realms of Fantasy Magazine threatened by lack of subscribersDouglas sez, "Realms of Fantasy is a pro magazine that publishes some of the best material out there when it comes to fantasy literature in the shorter form. It is bimonthly with gloss and color illustrations, and it has been an important part of the speculative community for almost sixteen years. Its future is currently threatened by a lack of subscriptions. We're letting the speculative community know about our situation, so that if they'd like to see the magazine stick around, they can choose to do something about it."Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:55 pm Bike-Powered Device Recharges PhonePedaling at 10 miles per hour for 20 minutes provides an hour of talk time.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:31 pm Dueling “Life” Blu-ray discs: Attenborough vs. Winfrey
Yeah, the Attenborough version costs a couple bucks more, but what do you expect? It’s a superior product! If you haven’t watched “Life” yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. And actually buy it, for two reasons: 1. Supporting nature documentaries and the organizations that fund them like the Beeb So head on over to Amazon. Sure, it’s $50, but you’ll be glad you did it. [via Crave]
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:30 pm Bit.ly Links Now At 4.7 Billion Clicks A Month As Yahoo, MySpace And Others Go Pro
Today, the service is announcing some of the huge names across the web have signed up to use Bit.ly Pro. Yahoo, MySpace, The Huffington Post, Politico, Pepsi, NPR, Scribd, Toys”R”Us, CSPAN, Dailymotion, IMDB, the New York Times, Bravo, Mozilla and Amazon have all joined in recent months. We started using the service shortly after it launched in December — those tcrn.ch you see all run through Bit.ly Pro. There are now over 12,500 publishers and brands using the Pro version of the service, Bit.ly says — that’s more than double the number they released just two months ago. All told, there are over 1.7 billion monthly uniques for these Bit.ly Pro users. Overall, Bit.ly hit 4.7 billion decodes (their term for clicks) in May. That’s nearly double what it was just this past February. The service is now the 76th most visited site on the web, according to DoubleClick. Bit.ly is also announcing a new partnership today with Webtrends. Later this Summer, Webtrends will start incorporating Bit.ly data into its analytics packages. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:24 pm Yelp to allow restaurant reservations through siteSocial review site Yelp is letting its U.S.-based users make reservations at restaurants right on its site through an affiliation with OpenTable. Yelp said Thursday that users who are...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:02 pm 12th Internet Problem Solving Contest, This Sundaymisof writes "Roughly a thousand teams from all around the globe have already registered for IPSC 2010, which takes place on Sunday, June 6. $3,000 in prize money (courtesy of Facebook, Inc.) is waiting for the best few of them. Participation is free and the contest is open to everybody. IPSC is what you could call a programming contest with a twist. Over the years, the problems always push the boundary and go beyond the usual stuff you see in a programming contest. For example, in past few years the contestants have had to understand how arithmetic in computers differs from that in mathematics, produce a sequence of cache requests that generates many page faults, solve a logic puzzle given as a Flash game, and recognize images to evaluate a rock-paper-scissors game."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:59 pm New Netflix interface for Roku is now live
Boom.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:50 pm Vale to buy out Aquila in Australia coal projectSYDNEY, June 4 (Reuters) - Brazilian mining giant Vale will exercise its option to buy a 24.5 percent stake in an Australian hard coking coal project from mining firm Aquila , lifting its stake to 100...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:48 pm Full-body exoskeleton game controller to be shown at E3
The controller technology was actually developed in the medical field, for rehabilitation and physical therapy purposes. The servos in the controller (feels wrong to call it a controller when it totally envelops your arms and torso) will activate and stop or resist movement when, say, you punch someone in the game. Sounds kind of cool, and I don’t doubt their power, since the Falcon and other force-feedback devices really give you a pounding.
Unfortunately, the whole Power Loader outfit won’t be ready at E3 — Forcetek is just showing the arm controller, with “shoulder, back and lower body attachments” on the way.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:31 pm Thank you papa Sony for the HDMI
Worry no more, at least for a limited time, for Sony has decided that during Father’s Day they would be kind to daddy and include an HDMI cable for free. While it’s not the most extravagant thing Sony has done, if you’ve been waiting to get a PS3, now might be the time. [via SlashGear]
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:30 pm iExplore Re-Launches Website, Guides Travelers From Researching Experiences to the Flight HomeCHICAGO, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Everyone has a travel dream, whether it be cruising down the Nile River in Egypt or visiting Emperor penguins in Antarctica.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:30 pm Alt Text: Ending the Oil Spill, Blockbuster-StyleMovie makers could step in and script the solution to the Big Oil mess in the Gulf. Several possible treatments could work -- really! From blowing it up to hacking it to talking it down, the possibilities are, if not endless, at least showy.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:30 pm Case Manufacturer Mails 4G iPhone Cases to Wired.com
The company, Gumdrop Cases, said it based the case design on a combination of specifications provided by inside sources in the plastics industry, as well as features seen in the prototypes leaked to Gizmodo and a Vietnamese blog. The company, which has offices in California, the U.K. and Hong Kong, said it did not receive the specifications from Apple. “It’s supposed to be announced on Monday is what we’re being told, so we wanted to make sure we had cases available,” a Gumdrop spokeswoman told Wired.com. The third-party accessories industry has historically been a leaky boat for Apple, according to Leander Kahney, Cult of Mac writer and former news editor of Wired.com. In the past, we’ve seen a number of case manufacturers begin selling protective cases for Apple products ahead of release. However, those leaks usually occur in China, and this is the first time Wired.com has actually received a case for a next-gen Apple product before it was released. The characteristics of the two cases line up with the prototypes of the next-gen iPhone revealed in video and photos. Its overall form factor is slightly more square than the current iPhone. The case also fits awkwardly around the current iPhone: The holes for the audio/silent switch, volume button, power button and microphone jack don’t line up. The camera hole is slightly too large, giving enough room for a camera flash — a feature that Gizmodo and the Vietnamese blog saw on their prototypes of the next-gen iPhone. A Gumdrop representative admitted the company deliberately mailed the cases, labeled “iPhone 4G Case” on a press flier, in order to gain attention prior to Apple’s official announcement of the product — you could call it a publicity stunt. We have to get a next-gen iPhone to see if these will really fit, but the story about overseas insiders in the plastics industry is intriguing. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday, where Steve Jobs is expected to announce Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone during a keynote speech.
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:17 pm Case Manufacturer Mails 4G iPhone Cases to Wired.comA case manufacturers sends us cases for the next-gen iPhone, even though Apple hasn't announced it yet. The case's characteristics line up with the prototypes leaked by Gizmodo and a Vietnamese blog.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:17 pm Case Manufacturer Mails 4G iPhone Cases to Wired.comA case manufacturers sends us cases for the next-gen iPhone, even though Apple hasn't announced it yet. The case's characteristics line up with the prototypes leaked by Gizmodo and a Vietnamese blog.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:17 pm Lawyers Claim Google Wi-Fi Sniffing 'Is Not an Accident'Lawyers suing Google over its Wi-Fi–sniffing practices point to evidence that Google knew it was siphoning Americans' unsecured Wi-Fi data, despite its claims of a coding error in the Street View project.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:14 pm Exxon delays well due to drilling moratoriumHOUSTON, June 3 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp is delaying plans to drill a development well in a long-producing oilfield in the Gulf of Mexico in response to a U.S. moratorium on deepwater drilling, a...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:13 pm Clashing Scores In the HTML5 Compatibility Test WarsAndreas(R) writes "Microsoft has published a set of HTML5 tests comparing Internet Explorer 9 to other web browsers. In Microsoft's own tests, IE9 performs 100% on all tests. However, the Internet Explorer 9 HTML5 Canvas Campaign has published results that show that Internet Explorer gets 0% on all their tests." The results reported here are selected with tongue in cheek: "Therefore, we'll also present shameless results from tests which have been carefully selected to give the results that the PR department has demanded."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:12 pm UPDATE 2-Financier LeBow named Borders Group CEONEW YORK, June 3 (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc said on Thursday financier Bennett LeBow, the bookseller's chairman and largest shareholder, was named chief executive of the company, while interim CEO...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:07 pm Steve Ballmer: General-Purpose PC Isn't Going Away - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:01 pm A thinner Kindle in the works? (Christopher Null)Christopher Null - Now in a bit of a rough spot as it fends off attackers ranging from the 2-million-units-sold Apple iPad to the Barnes & Noble Nook, Amazon is said to be preparing another update to its Kindle e-book reader hardware for release in August.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:57 pm Video: Facebook's Zuckerberg sweats under the lights at D8 confab (Ben Patterson)Ben Patterson - Never let 'em see you sweat — that's what they say, right? Well, if you want to watch Facebook's chief executive suffer an attack of flop sweat under questioning by D8 moderators Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, look no further. Also: secrets about Mark Zuckerberg's trademark hoodie, revealed at last.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:44 pm Review: Kobo eReader
Pros:
Cons:
Full review: I wrote about the Kobo a little while back; a $150 e-reader, I thought, could reasonably be sold in bulk to universities and such for a truly reasonable price. This in turn would drive demand for e-books, which would drive demand for readers, and so on. But now, a few months later, with new devices on the horizon, that $150 price point is looking less and less attractive. After all, how cheap will a basic e-reader be in a few months when the new Kindle is announced, or the first relatively affordable color e-readers come out? But all this is by the by, and what matters right this moment is the quality and value of this device today.
To begin with, let’s have no illusions: this is an e-reader and nothing more. While Kobo’s included software means you’ll have plenty of books to choose from, there is no way at all to do anything on this device but read books. There is no keyboard, no book store, no calculator, no nothing. If you want that stuff, may as well stop reading now. Go ahead, hit that back button! Still with me? Okay. So once you get past the idea that the Kobo is essentially just a big stack of e-books behind a screen, it’s actually quite a decent little guy. Navigation is simple: you have your library, your currently reading books, and your documents. These are accessible at any time via the “menu” button. “Display” brings up the usual options: serif or sans-serif, five font sizes, and a choice (which I appreciate) of landscape or portrait. Moving between menu items (accomplished by the rubberized D-pad, which sticks out a bit) is about as responsive as you can expect from an e-ink screen, and while it ain’t quick, it’s competitive with other devices. Loading up three medium-sized ePub books from Gutenberg and two smallish PDFs took perhaps 30 seconds once it detected the SD card. It then added them to my “reading” list, which is nice. Be aware, though, that if you put in several large documents at once it will likely take several minutes to process them. I occasionally saw the “processing new content” randomly, but never for longer than a few seconds. Books can be sorted in several ways, but the lack of a search did chafe me a few times as I plodded through the letters to get to “N” or some such. The screen is about as good as any other e-reader I’ve seen; the usual e-ink ghosting and artifacts are present. PDFs look fine; the 8-level screen means you’ll see more dithering and banding than you do on a Kindle, but remember that a Kindle costs twice as much. Sure, a 16-level screen would be nice, but e-readers really aren’t the venue for art. I found text and graphics both in PDFs to be plenty sharp and contrast was good. An important thing, I think, is that the Kobo has one of the higher screen-to-bezel ratios out there — i.e. more screen and less controls, like a book.
The device itself is quite nice: it’s thicker than the Kindle 2 by a millimeter, but has a significantly smaller footprint. It’s about the size of a trade paperback, and happens to be one of the lightest e-readers on the market as well. The back side has a pleasant “quilted” texture which feels natural under your fingers, though I wouldn’t say it really aids grip at all. Switching between the Kobo, the Kindle, and the Alex, I felt that the Kobo was the most comfortable to hold. The lack of a keyboard or touchscreen helps focus you on the text, and you’re not afraid you’re going to accidentally grip a function button. Build quality was solid, and the compact size makes it feel especially well-constructed. Kobobooks.com can be browsed by anyone, but to get books on your Kobo you’ll need its little Desktop app (or just load stuff onto your SD card). It’s a straightforward, rather plain app (and bookstore) but again, that’s pretty much the point. Descriptions are limited to star ratings and synopses; the web bookstore is a bit more robust, but if you’re looking for in-depth reviews, excerpts, and other extra stuff, you’re better off at Amazon. The formats supported are ePub and PDF only – the Kobo is also Adobe DRM-friendly. It seems like support for plain text files wouldn’t have been too hard to implement, but as it is you’ll have to use a converter tool if you want to load any of those suckers on there.
When you buy a Kobo, it comes pre-loaded with a bunch of classic books — 100, to be precise. A lot of my favorites are in there, but you might not like 19th century literature quite as much as I do. But it’s a nice gesture and the books themselves are well-chosen and well-presented. There are a ton more available for free in the store. Conclusion Although the market is rapidly advancing, the Kobo is a perfectly good little device right now if you know what you’re getting into. One commenter compared it to a Flip for e-books, which is a remarkably apt comparison. $150 is a reasonable price for a way to read the thousands of books out there, but if you feel you need touchscreens, utilities, on-device search and so on, this is absolutely not for you. I actually do see it as a great option for educational establishments; there’s little that can be done with it other than read, which makes it less of a risk to give to a bunch of students. Until the Kobo is out-featured at its own price point, this would be my choice for best e-reader value on the market.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:30 pm Shawn Mackenzi Agency Launches First Beverly Hills Firm Specializing in Helping Multicultural Singles Find Their Ideal MatchBEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's ever changing digital age, the opportunity to date and have a personal life is difficult to fit into our schedules due to tight time schedules, traveling, texting, and all the things that we as Americans face in our daily work schedules. With all the advanced technology we enjoy, we now face over 40% of Americans searching via online dating services; now they too can get help with finding their ideal match. The Shawn Mackenzi Agency has launched an exclusive, discreet, upscale matchmaking agency that specializes in matching affluent individuals looking for their long term mate.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:30 pm Facebook CEO: Doing 'Reasonable Job' Protecting User Privacy - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:28 pm Man Emails AT&T's CEO, Gets Threatened With C&D OrderAn anonymous reader writes "After its recent bait and switch, AT&T went ahead and threatened someone emailing the company CEO about customer service concerns, namely with a query about tethering and eligibility rates. The email author also put up a voicemail recording of the company's response and how he managed to contact the CEO in the first place — through The Consumerist." As Engadget notes (as does the complaining customer's updated page), AT&T did at least offer an apology for the threat of legal action, which the company says was unauthorized.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:27 pm AT&T Data Caps, Customer Threats -- What Next? - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:18 pm Storage Bug Hits HTC Evo 4G Phone Just Before Launch
The timing couldn’t be worse: As Sprint’s highly-anticipated 4G smartphone gets ready to go on sale, a glitch involving the phone’s storage media has cropped up. A problem with the 8-GB MicroSD card that ships with the HTC Evo has left some early users frustrated. Some people who tried to take photos using the phone’s camera got error messages saying the device cannot save files to the SD card “due to insufficient file permissions.” Others found that the gadget could not access the SD card at all. Gadget Lab experienced it when testing the phone’s otherwise impressive camera. The Android-based HTC Evo is the first 4G smartphone to hit the market. Google gave about 5,000 of the devices to attendees at its developer conference two weeks ago. “It seems to be fairly widespread among those who received the phones,” says Andy Y, an Evo user who has been in touch with Google and HTC tech support over his faulty Evo SD card. “It’s a troubling trend.” He has posted extensively on an online Android forum about his experience, where he says about 20 people have complained of similar problems. HTC spokesperson Keith Nowak acknowledged the issue. “We have seen this crop up intermittently in some of the Evo 4G devices,” Nowak told Wired.com. “We have identified the cause, are testing a solution and expect to have a software solution available very shortly that will be automatically pushed to phones over the air. “Many users are finding that a power cycle or switching the card out seems to rectify the issue, in most cases,” he says. A Sprint spokeswoman says Sprint is aware of the issue but it is “impacting few of the devices.” The HTC Evo phones distributed at the Google conference are from the same shipment that Sprint will be selling in the next few weeks, says the spokeswoman. It’s a troubling complication for HTC and Sprint as thousands of Evo phones will go on sale this weekend. HTC and Sprint unveiled the Evo in May. The feature-packed gadget has a huge 4.3-inch touchscreen, 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video conferencing and an 8-megapixel camera cam for shooting photos and videos. (Evo’s MicroSD card has been manufactured by SanDisk.) Evo runs the 2.1 version of the Android operating system, and costs $200 with a two-year contract. Despite poor battery life, the phone has gathered positive reviews. Neil Lund, one of the attendees at the conference and editor of droidninja.com, says he faced the camera problem the day he started using his Evo phone. “Some photos I had taken came up blank,” he says. “I attempted to use the Astro file manager app to read from the SD card and it wasn’t able to recognize it.” Lund reformatted the SD card and still came up with errors. He says a separate 2-GB MicroSD card filled with music that Google handed out to attendees worked fine on the phone. “My hunch is that a bad lot of SD cards went out,” says Andy Y, who uses the name “Bek” on the Android forum where he posts. He says he hasn’t seen the card-related errors since he installed a new SD card on his phone Wednesday night. Sprint exchanged Lund’s SD card from his Evo phone “free of charge and with no hassle,” he says. However, HTC’s Nowak insists its a software glitch. “All I know for sure is it is a software issue, which is why we can easily make the necessary tweaks with an OTA (over the air) update,” he says. Nowak could not confirm when that update would be available. See Also:
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:18 pm Storage Bug Hits HTC Evo 4G Phone Just Before LaunchGoogle generously hands out the HTC Evo 4G phone to all attendees at its developer conference. But some users now complain of a problem with the SD card that won't store photos or files to the device.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:18 pm Storage Bug Hits HTC Evo 4G Phone Just Before LaunchGoogle generously hands out the HTC Evo 4G phone to all attendees at its developer conference. But some users now complain of a problem with the SD card that won't store photos or files to the device.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:18 pm Drug Substitutes For Training In Rats, Inducing A Memory Of SafetyFinding suggests possibilities for future treatment of anxiety disordersResearchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:15 pm Single-Particle Resonances In A Deformed Relativistic PotentialA variety of structural phenomena in exotic short-lived nuclei far from stability, especially in systems close to the particle drip lines, challenge model descriptions based on the self-consistent mean-field approximation.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:11 pm Tips and tricks to extending the HTC EVO 4G and Incredible’s battery life (and what this says about Android) MG and I came at our EVO 4G reviews from different backgrounds. Even though I'm married to a BlackBerry with a little Droid action on the side and he's a self-proclaimed iPhone fanboy, we both came to the same conclusion: the battery life on the EVO 4G sucks. Sorry, it does. But that's the state of high-powered Android phones at the moment. Both the EVO 4G and Incredible are in the same boat. The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU makes the phones a joy to use, but drains the battery in no time. It's not entirely the snappy dragon's fault either. Android users have been putting up with these type of shenanigans since the G1 debuted in late 2008. It's really sad that the battery life issue still exists and users have to work around it just to use the latest and greatest hardware.
I read every single comment on my EVO 4G review with the hope that I was wrong about the phone's battery issue and was simply doing something wrong. But none of the suggestions significantly improved my EVO 4G's battery life. However, by doing a bunch of little things, I extended it's idle life from about 12 hours to 14:30 -- this is the phone's battery life with everything turned off besides 3G and it just sits. All the tweaks are easy to do, but you're going to have to forgo some of the more fun things about Android. It's a shame, really, that a user has to give up fun widgets, advance wireless connections, and auto setting just to squeeze a few more hours from their phone.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Lighting&Sound America and InfoComm Announce Winners of 2010 Staged Events AwardsLighting&Sound America magazine and InfoComm International are pleased to announce the winners of the InfoComm/LSA Staged Events Awards 2010.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Jobs Rewrites History About Apple Ban on SatireSteve Jobs explains away its ban on a satire app from Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Fiore. Trouble is, his account doesn't make sense and the rules don't seem to have changed at all.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm C&D Technologies Introduces Two New Models to the C&D TRUE FRONT ACCESS(TM) Battery Family to Address Global Telecommunications MarketBLUE BELL, Pa., June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- C&D Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: CHP), a leading global producer and marketer of complete, integrated standby power systems, today announced the release of two new models to the C&D TRUE FRONT ACCESS(TM) series of batteries.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:51 pm Comedy supplants news as most popular online video: Pew (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:50 pm Guess My Speed and Give Me a Ticket, In Ohioquall writes "The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that police may estimate your car's speed and issue a ticket if they believe you were speeding. The hearing threw out a radar gun as evidence because the officer was not qualified to use it, but apparently his guess was good enough. If you make your way into Ohio, I suggest driving 5mph under the speed limit because this leaves little room to dispute your ticket in court. The only chance you have is if the issuing officer decides to skip your hearing." I wonder whether the court would also accept a driver's own GPS log as exculpatory evidence.
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Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:40 pm Tips and tricks to extending the HTC EVO 4G and Incredible’s battery life (and what this says about Android)
MG and I came at our EVO 4G reviews from different backgrounds. Even though I’m married to a BlackBerry with a little Droid action on the side and he’s a self-proclaimed iPhone fanboy, we both came to the same conclusion: the battery life on the EVO 4G sucks. Sorry, it does. But that’s the state of high-powered Android phones at the moment. Both the EVO 4G and Incredible are in the same boat. The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU makes the phones a joy to use, but drains the battery in no time. It’s not entirely the snappy dragon’s fault either. Android users have been putting up with these type of shenanigans since the G1 debuted in late 2008. It’s really sad that the battery life issue still exists and users have to work around it just to use the latest and greatest hardware. I read every single comment on my EVO 4G review with the hope that I was wrong about the phone’s battery issue and was simply doing something wrong. But none of the suggestions significantly improved my EVO 4G’s battery life. However, by doing a bunch of little things, I extended it’s idle life from about 12 hours to 14:30 — this is the phone’s battery life with everything turned off besides 3G and it just sits. All the tweaks are easy to do, but you’re going to have to forgo some of the more fun things about Android. It’s a shame, really, that a user has to give up fun widgets, advance wireless connections, and auto setting just to squeeze a few more hours from their phone. Phone settings
Apps Advanced Task Killer
SetCPU
Light tweaking Switch the default from GSM to CDMA I’m not entirely sure about this tweak. It seemed to work for me but a few of my buddies didn’t notice any difference. Apparently Android tells the phone to look for a GSM signal by default even though there isn’t a GSM radio in the phone and so you can save a few cycles by selecting CDMA only — or something like that. Give it a go. It’s easy to do and switch back if you notice any detrimental side effects. Use caution with 3rd party batteries We’ve covered this before but it’s worth noting again. Some 3rd party and even “official” batteries aren’t exactly living up to their claims. Where OEM batteries constantly live up to their mAh ratings, many from other vendors fall short. Use caution, or better yet, wait until a few members of your favorite forum sites report back positive results. Please, use the comments section for your own proven Android tips and tricks. Let’s keep the flames well-tended and the comments considerate.
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:37 pm Mongooses Pass Traditions On To Their Young TooFor the passing on of traditions, it appears that an especially big brain isn't required.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:37 pm Full-color 13-inch e-paper “e-Magazine” looks-promising
You can tell it’s not coming to the US because it’s in the shape of an A4 sheet of paper, not our weird 8.5×11 style. But I wouldn’t rule out a differently-sized US version, since we love our periodicals here so very much. Supposedly it’ll come with WiFi or 3G, and, as it uses a passive display technology, counts its battery life in page turns (6000) rather than hours. I think it looks pretty nice — a much more practical device than that monstrous Kno we saw yesterday.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:30 pm Microsoft Cloud Service Deployed by Kentucky Schools (PC World)PC World - The Kentucky Department of Education is replacing its e-mail servers with a free cloud-based offering from Microsoft, one that will supply 700,000 students, faculty and staff with e-mail and other information-sharing tools.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:20 pm Contest: Win the final laptop from HP and Dolby
We had huge response yesterday and I’m pleased to report that it was a rousing success. Today is the final contest and it’s a big one. It’s open to entrants worldwide, so even if you live in Brussels or Burkina Faso, feel free to enter. The details, again: HP and Dolby would like to give you one of three HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition laptops complete with Blu-Ray player and Dolby Advanced Audio. Here are the details:
What do you do to win? It’s so simple even a child to could do it.
First, however, congratulate Tom Woolf, our second winner. Now, on to how to win. Answer this question of the day: What type of entertainment will you consume most on the Pavilion? Music, movies, TV or games? Answer in comments and leave your real email address (Facebook logins don’t really work). Enter once and only once from one IP address. We will pick one winner at random tomorrow at 5pm Eastern. This contest is worldwide.
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:20 pm Facebook malware continuing its march (Christopher Null)Christopher Null - Facebook users are being pounded by “clickjacking” attacks that have been affecting the site at unusually heavy levels for weeks.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:18 pm Gadgetell Reviews the Picture Porter 35 Digital Photo ManagerSection: Audio, Portable Audio, Gadgets / Other, Reviews, Features, Originals
Product: Digital Foci Picture Porter 35 Digital Photo Manager To put it simply, the Picture Porter 35 Digital Photo Manager is a portable harddrive with a screen and speaker. It allows you to not only store your files but it some cases, view them as well. The device comes with a USB cord, a wall charger, some headphones, and a video-out cord. On the photo manager itself is a USB, AC, and headphone jack. It has ports for SD, MMC, miniSD, MS, MS duo, xD, and CF cards to expand or transfer files.
In the end, the Picture Porter 35 Digital Photo Manager might be a few years behind. The size, the quality, and the idea are a bit outdated. Unfortunately, a 32GB iPod Touch and a 250GB portable hard drive will cost less and do more for you than this. I give it 2 1/2 stars out of 5 only because someone might have a need for a device such as this without the increased complexity of an iPod Touch. Images via [Digital Foci] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:15 pm AT&T Responds to Customer E-Mail With Legal Threat
If you e-mail Apple’s CEO, there’s a chance you’ll get a personal reply from Steve Jobs himself. But what happens if you write AT&T’s CEO? One inquiring customer received a legal threat. “I want to first thank you for the feedback,” said a member of AT&T’s executive response team, in a voicemail recording posted on the recipient’s blog. “Going forward I want to warn you that if you continue sending e-mails to Randall Stephenson a cease-and-desist letter will be sent to you.” The voicemail was in response to an e-mail that customer Giorgio Galante sent to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. In his letter (the second sent in two weeks), Galante accused AT&T of squeezing more money out of its customers with its new tiered data structure, which killed off the unlimited data plan. “I don’t think even Steve Jobs can spin 2 GB for $25/month as a good thing for the consumer,” Galante wrote. AT&T’s notoriety has increased in conjunction with the growing popularity of the iPhone. Ever since the launch of the iPhone 3G in 2008, many customers have quibbled about the carrier’s network performance, listing complaints about dropped calls, spotty coverage and other issues. The latest complaint is related to AT&T’s new data pricing structure, offering customers a choice between a 2-GB plan for $25 per month or 200 MB for $15 per month. The previous all-you-can-eat, unlimited data plan has been removed, though current AT&T customers can continue with that plan. An AT&T spokesman on Thursday said the company was apologizing to Galante. “We are apologizing to our customer,” the spokesman said in a statement. “We’re working with him today to address his questions and concerns. This is not the way we want to treat customers. From Facebook to significant customer service channels, AT&T strives to provide our customers with easy ways to have their questions addressed.” “I can say that because of this incident, we are reviewing our entire process to ensure a situation like this does not happen again,” the spokesman said. Stephenson’s executive response team did not immediately respond to an e-mail inquiry from Wired.com, nor did Stephenson himself. As of this writing, Wired.com has not received any cease-and-desist letters from AT&T, either. Photo: Jason-Morrison/Flickr 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:02 pm AT&T Responds to Customer E-Mail With Legal ThreatAT&T sends a legal threat in response to a customer's e-mail.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:00 pm AT&T Responds to Customer E-Mail With Legal ThreatAT&T sends a legal threat in response to a customer's e-mail.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:00 pm HomeAway Announces Passing of Chief Operating Officer, Andrew HarrisAUSTIN, Texas, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway®, Inc. regrets to announce Andrew Harris, the company's chief operating officer (COO), passed away at his home in Austin on June 2, 2010, after a long and valiant battle with cancer.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:58 pm How To Get Rejected From the App Storesnydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister catalogs 12 sure-fire ways to get your app rejected from Apple's notoriously fickle App Store. From executing interpreted code, to using Apple's APIs without permission, to designing your UI, each transgression has been abstracted from real-life rejections — for the most part because Apple seems to be making up the rules as it goes along. 'It'd be nice for Apple to make conditions for rejection clear,' McAllister writes. 'Apple has been tinkering with the language of its iPhone SDK license agreement lately, but that hasn't done much to clarify the rules — unless you're Adobe. For everyone else, the App Store's requirements seem as vague and capricious as ever.'"
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Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:54 pm D8 Video: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Google [D8 Conference]During his D8 interview today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer referred to Google (GOOG) as a “behemoth,” a word that’s long been used to describe Microsoft (MSFT). In the videos below, Ballmer talks about Microsoft’s rivalry with Google in search, the cloud and mobile–and in the second one, offers them a bit of antitrust advice as well. [ See post to watch video ] [ See post to watch video ] More coverage of Steve Ballmer at D8 » Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:50 pm Technology Veteran Joins Sunturn Austin OfficeAUSTIN, Texas, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunturn, one of the nation's largest private service providers for voice, video, and unified communications solutions, today announced that technology veteran Chris Lake has joined the Company as a systems engineer. Lake will be located Sunturn's Austin office, helping build its growing presence in Texas. "Chris is a great addition to the Sunturn team with his significant technology and telecommunications experience," said Kyle Wewe, general manager of Sunturn.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:46 pm AT&T apologizes to the guy they threatened to C&D for e-mailing their CEO
If you spend any more than a few minutes a day on the Internet, you’ve probably already heard the story of Giorgio G.: Upset with AT&T about his iPhone eligibility dates, he e-mails the company’s CEO. A few days later, he e-mails again for a different (albeit related) matter. Within a few days, AT&T responds… with a threat to send him a formal cease & desist letter unless he stops e-mailing the CEO. ‘Twas the voicemail heard around the blogosphere. Within a few hours, just about every gadget-oriented blog and news network had mentioned it, none of them too happy. Undoubtedly looking to save a bit of face in the situation, AT&T has publicly apologized to Giorgio. AT&T’s official statement on the matter:
What say you, oh fair reader? A proper move given that the action was that of a single employee, or too little too late? Update: Giorgio has confirmed that a Senior VP at AT&T just called, took full responsibility for the mistake, and “sincerely apologized”. After (unsuccessfully) working to squeeze some details on the iPhone 4 out of the caller, Giorgio accepted the apology — but he’s still dropping AT&T for Sprint and the EVO 4G. (Hey Sprint, this is where you send Giorgio a free handset.)
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:44 pm 6 Mashups of Music and Artificial IntelligenceMusic's math-like properties enable computers to interface with it in a number of amusing ways, from giving extra "swing" to any of your MP3s to helping you make music by accompanying your voice, creating a shareable song in minutes.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:40 pm The Knee At Cosmic Ray Spectra Is Explained Due To Interactions At The SourcesIn the paper the authors from the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing proposed a new model trying to explain the knee at cosmic ray spectra. The knee kept as a puzzle in cosmic ray physics for nearly half a century.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:22 pm Rumor: HTC Scorpion and all of its 1.5 Ghz, Android 2.2 goodness headed for Verizon?
Waaay back in February, we told you guys a tale of the HTC Scorpion, a mighty beast of a phone. Packing Android 2.2 and a 1.5 Ghz (!) processor, it could very well be the phone that everyone lusts over after their love for the current king, the EVO 4G, tapers. Take it as you will for now, but we just got a heads up from a generally well-informed source that the Scorpion is headed for…. [insert drumroll here] Verizon! Here’s the weird part: when we initially heard about the Scorpion, we were lead to believe that it’d tout support for WiMax — which, for those who don’t obsess over gadgets and doodad’s, is Sprint’s fourth generation. Verizon is basing their 4G network on LTE, instead. The news comes by way of the growingly infamous ROM hacker, conflipper. He seems pretty confident in the idea that the Scorpion is Verizon-bound — so what’s going on here? Might the Scorpion come in two flavors — or was the original leaked Scorpion profile just taken too literally?
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:17 pm Frank Zappa's Influence On Linux and FOSS DevelopmentRoblimo writes "Zappa's 'Dinah-Moe Hummm' is totally about Linux, at least in spirit, while the song 'Montana,' with its talk of zirconium-encrusted tweezers and dental floss, 'is obviously about Mac users.' Not only that: In the early '70s Zappa wrote a song called 'Penguin in Bondage,' an obvious foretelling of the anti-Linux lawsuits and threats from SCO, Microsoft, and other evildoers. Zappa was also a heavy user of the Synclavier, an electronic music machine that was a precursor to today's 'studio on a computer' recording and sound editing software. According to an article on DevX, today Zappa would no doubt be using Linux and Ardour for most of his recording and composition."
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Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:11 pm Target To Sell Kindle Nationwide Starting Sunday - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:58 pm ARS Scientists Seek Blight-Resistant SpudsPotatoes offering elevated levels of phytonutrients thought to promote health could add a new dimension to the consumer diet.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:48 pm Your Brain Could Control This RobotAnother breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology allows a person's brain to directly control the actions of a robot.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:31 pm Ford CEO Alan Mulally Live at D8 [D8 Conference]
Ford (F) recently released SYNC, a voice-activation package on some models that integrates the content and functionality of mobile devices with the car itself. SYNC also adds apps to the car, though it’s not clear what these features will mean for the future of American automakers.
LiveblogMullaly appears onstage wearing a very bright red vest. Vibrant! At Walt’s request, Mulally shows off a piece of paper with handwritten notes that purport to explain Ford’s interest in all things digital. Lots of computers are involved in the creation of your Taurus. 12:30 pm: Kara wants to know why cars have been basically digitally ignorant for a long time. Walt: You open the door to you car and it’s 1957 again. Why is that? For the record, Mulally doesn’t think you should text and drive. He also wants you to keep your hands on the wheels and eyes on the road. So there’s lots of digital stuff being built into dashboard and console. Like the SYNC iPod/phone, etc., manager. Ford is playing around with features like allowing drivers to have their text messages read to them. But safety is paramount. All of our data says your safest operation is when you have your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. But right now, we feel that listening to email and text is a good first step. But we don’t want you sending email and text via voice, at least for now. 12:35 pm: Kara–Why is this taking so long? [i.e., "where is my jetpack?"] Walt: Yeah! Even fancy German and Japanese cars don’t do it well. It’s pathetic! Mulally: Don’t blame me! I just got here. Part of the problem is that car development is much slower than consumer electronics R&D cycle. For instance, a lot of competitors have embedded a phone in the car. We’re avoiding that and focusing on interface, so as consumers exchange and swap devices, they can do that. 12:38 pm: A pitch for “My Ford Touch,” which seems to have lots of bells and whistles, but sounds confusing to this frequent walker and subway-taker. 12:39 pm: Walt tries explaining it. “The instrument cluster, which has been on steering wheels forever, is now going to be a on a screen.” Mulally: Right. We want to make it intuitive. Etc. 12:40 pm: Still trying to explain it. Screen goes on steering wheel and allows customizable controls for operating car, as well as extras. 12:41 pm: Kara–what is that people want to do, anyway? Mulally: Good question. We watch what people do in cars and try to help them do it, because they’re going to do it anyway. For instance, we’re building in Pandora to our cars. You’ll get the music via the Web, from your cellphone, but you’ll operate it on our panel. Also Stitcher, Open Beak, etc. A lot of people here are using apps. You’ll get to use them in the car. 12:43 pm: Walt–Will you need a special Ford version of these apps? Mulally: Yep. You use our API 12:44 pm: Kara wants better navigation services. She doesn’t want to hear a mean German lady giving her directions though. Walt: Yeah! All of your GPS systems are lousy! The ones on phones are better! Mulally: We’re with you. That’s why we want to rely on developers to build the good stuff, via our API.
12:47 pm: Let’s talk about the car industry, period. You just got here. You were in aerospace, before. Also, the whole oil spill thing does change the way we look at cars, right? Mulally: Before I left Boeing (BA), I thought about where the car industry was going. What I decided was that the industry is the soul of Manufacturing–“big M”–all around the world. Lots of stuff goes into this, no matter what country or region. It’s also part of the solution to economic growth, energy independence and environmental sustainability. On that note: Clearly, the internal combustion engine is going to be around for a while. But we can make them operate more efficiently, etc. Take a v6 and make it run like a v8m, etc. Meanwhile hybrids are tough because you have two different systems: Batteries and internal combustion. Then in the future, we need to move to all-electric. We have a great road map for all of this. First all-electric cars launch this year. Hydrogen is farther out, don’t have the tech for it yet. 12:52 pm: Mulally describes challenges of electric car–need to figure out how and where to get the juice to cars. 12:53 pm: Kara–What about health of business? Mulally: I like being here much better than testifying in front of Congress. Kara: How did you get here? Mulally: I flew! That’s why we have airplanes. For long-distance travel. 12:53 pm: A Zuckerberg hoodie joke. 12:54 pm: Mulally–Time goes fast. Last year, I was testifying on behalf my competitors, who were bankrupt. Now I’m a capitalist. But if GM and Chrysler went away, they’d take the supply base along with them, and they’d probably have put the U.S. into a bona fide depression. I was asking for temporary help. I didn’t think all of us would end up owning our competitors. 12:57 pm: Mulally–Recovery is coming, by the way. We’ll have 3.5 percent expansion of GDP this year. And Ford is doing well. We’ll have market-share increases. Kara: What kind of car do you drive? Mulally: A different one every night.
Q&A[I hope someone asks about the New York Times series that said that anything you do in your car besides driving is a safety risk. Anyone?] Q: Please talk about the Mercury situation. A: We had too many brands. Ford, Mercury and Lincoln. Mercury was supposed to be a gap-bridger between Ford and Lincoln. But the Ford line expanded, so we didn’t need Mercury. “Everybody’s got great options in Ford.” It’s also good news for Lincoln–because we don’t have other premium brands anymore, we’ll refocus on Lincoln for luxury. Q: Proud Tesla owner Jason Calacanis wants to know why electric isn’t everywhere already. A: We can make electric cars, but as you know, we can improve them, like battery life. Calacanis: No. It’s not a problem. Batteries are great at Tesla. Mulally: Nope. Most of them are too big, too heavy. There’s a lot of room to improve the batteries. Other point is that the infrastructure has to get there. You need charging stations for people in apartments, in rural areas, etc. When we get there, Ford will be there. Kara, and Walt want Jason to tell us how much his Tesla cost. Astonishingly, he goes mute. Q: Did you really say you don’t intend to get a revenue stream from connectivity of cars to data? You don’t want a piece of money made by Yelp, Garmin, etc.? A: You heard me correctly. We’re laser-focused on safe and efficient transportation. So there’s no conflict of interest. Q: Walt wants to if these electronics actually sell cars. A: I demoed this stuff for you, and you’re a tough critic, and you said “whoa!” This technology is absolutely a differentiator. Q: You’re talking about innovation in cars. Does dealer network have to change too? A: Absolutely. We’ve been right-sizing the dealer network to match demand for five years. Once you do that, throughput goes up, profitability goes up, interest in improving facilities goes up, etc. Then we can improve consumer experience. Walt: Because it’s terrible right now. Mulally agrees without saying so. Q: China is pushing hard for electric cars. What does that mean for you? A: I think China is going to continue to take a real leadership position on this. Big population, and they have a chance to really make a difference and maybe leapfrog the past. Q: There’s that great Ford quote about not listening to his customers, because if he did he’d be in the horse business. So how you do innovate? A: Stay closet to innovation. And have a point of view about how the industry is going to progress. Q: Ah! Someone asked about focusing while you drive. A: Eighty percent of accidents involve taking your eyes off the road. So we’re convinced that the mind has the cognitive ability to do other things while driving as long as you continue to watch the road. So we minimize anything that’s a distraction: Keyboard, certain confusing apps, etc. We are definitely going to be a gatekeeper with regard to apps, because it’s crucial that you not be distracted. We’re done! Thanks for sticking around. See you in a year! A note about our coverage: This liveblog is not an official transcript of the conversation that occurred onstage. Rather, it is a compilation of quotes, paraphrased statements and ad-lib observations written and posted to the Web as quickly as possible. It is not intended as a transcript and should not be interpreted as one. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:27 pm D8 Video: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on the iPad [D8 Conference]Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs says the iPad is an entirely new category of device. But to Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer, it’s just another PC. Below, video of his comments on Apple’s latest device, the tablet form factor and the evolution of the PC, [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:25 pm Carnegie Mellon's Soccer-Playing Robots Get Creative With Physics-Based PlanningRobot soccer players from Carnegie Mellon University competing in this month's RoboCup 2010 world championship in Singapore should be able to out-dribble their opponents, thanks to a new algorithm that helps them to predict the ball's behavior based on physics principles.That means that the CMDragons, the Carnegie Mellon team that competes in RoboCup's fast-paced Small-Size League, likely will be able to out-maneuver their opponents and find creative solutions to game situations that could even surprise their programmers.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:21 pm Social Factors, 'Super Users' And Urban Emergency DepartmentsDifficulties with shelter, transportation, insurance, and health care costs are linked with heavier emergency department usage by so-called "super-user" patients in urban areas, according to research at Henry Ford Hospital.The conclusions were drawn in the first of two studies on frequent users in inner-city emergency departments."A 'super user' is defined as a person who has visited the emergency department nine or more times in 18 months," explains Emily Brauer, M.D., co-author of the study on social factors.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:10 pm Slacker Radio releases 2.0 with offline functionalitySection: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Mobile, Web, Online Music/Video  Here at Gagdetell we have been long time supporters of the folks over at Slacker Radio and were excited to discover the Slacker 2.0 update is now live in the Apple app store. Don’t worry, they have retained all previous functionality on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad. With the latest installment you now have the ability to cache your favorite stations so listening availability is now everywhere sans network coverage or WiFi. Finally a win in the streaming music department for you iPod Touch and non-3G iPad users. The full extent of the back-cache has yet to be tested on our end but would love for some feedback from those chronic Slacker radio’ers out there who have updated with 2.0 The update could not have been timed any better with the today’s AT&T announcement rolling out updated data charges. Use your data when you need it, disconnect when you don’t. We presume this step one of many to assist users in avoiding data overages. End user 1, AT&T 0. Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:08 pm Simple 'SQUID' Solution Could Contain OilThis idea is so simple and seemingly workable that surely anyone at BP who knows about it must be having a "DUH" moment.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:03 pm Pride, Prejudice And The 'Darcin Effect'The pheromone that attracts female mice to the odour of a particular male has been identified.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:55 pm HTC CEO Peter Chou Live at D8 [D8 Conference]
But that same bet has gotten HTC into trouble as well, most notably a high-profile lawsuit from Apple alleging that a number of HTC’s Android devices infringe patents related to the iPhone’s graphical user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.
Liveblog11:55 am: How many of you have an Android phone, asks Walt, directing his question to the audience. If you do, it’s likely to have been made by HTC. And with that, Walt welcomes Chou to the stage. 11:56 am: Walt notes that when he first encountered HTC it was an OEM. How did you get from there, he asks Chou, to where you are now, where your brand is actually on the phone? Chou: It was a great journey for us. We started with a vision of mobile convergence and how smartphones would change people’s lives. That vision excited us, so we focused on innovations in technology and tried to deliver on that vision. Over the years, we began partnering with companies like Microsoft, Google. Then we shipped the world’s first Windows phone, the world’s first Android phone, and this week, we introduced the world’s first 4G phone, the Sprint (S) EVO. So we’ve been in this industry for a while. But we needed a brand identity. Without that, it was difficult to communicate our vision to the market. 11:59 am: Walt–Other than 4G, what’s innovative about the EVO? Chou: It has a breakthrough display, it’s much bigger, it’s clearer. It has an eight-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera as well. It’s the first device in the U.S. that people can use to make a video call. It’s also a hotspot; you can use it to create a Wi-Fi network. 12:01 pm:: Walt likes the device’s kickstand. It turns it into a sort of mini-TV. He draws a comparison with the Dell (DELL) tablet we saw yesterday and notes that that device’s screen size is not much larger than the EVO’s.
12:02 pm: Walt–So this is an Android device. You’re still making Windows phones, but are you making more Android phones now? Chou: We’re committed to both platforms. We want to design great products for both. Different people like different things, so what we try to do is get a good mix of technology and design. And Android and Windows cater to different users. Windows users tend to like Windows. They are loyalists. Windows has a lot of value. Walt: What about Android? Chou: Android provides a different Internet experience. It caters to people who are interested in things like social networking, he says. 12:05 pm: Walt wonders why, if HTC is committed to both platforms, it doesn’t differentiate its handset design. The company’s Windows phones look a lot like Android phones. There’s an HTC layer on them–HTC Sense. Chou: Well, what we do is try to add value on top of Android and Windows. HTC Sense focuses on things like the social networking experience. Our philosophy is that we don’t force the customer to take what we offer; they have the freedom to personalize their devices. Walt: So you can take HTC software off these phones? Chou: Yes. 12:07 pm: Walt–Is there a consumer awareness of your brand? When customers buy a Nexus One, do they know it’s made by HTC? Chou says they do. Since last year, the company has been working on brand positioning, and that has bolstered consumer awareness of its offerings. 12:08 pm: Chou offers an anecdote about meeting a guy at an airport and comparing HTC devices with him. “I think the HTC name is getting more awareness.” 12:09 pm: Walt–Do you think it’s confusing to customers that there are now three brands involved in a phone: The carrier, the manufacturer of the phone and then the operating system? Can you have too many brands on a device? Chou: This is an ecosystem. We have a lot of stakeholders. We’re trying to minimize that a little bit, by putting some of those logos on the back.
12:12 pm: Walt–Talk a bit about this concept of a lower-tier of smartphone device. Chou: Our vision is to bring the smartphone to the mass market…We believe the smartphone is improving people’s lives, so we’re trying to offer it to more consumers, but sometimes, smartphone prices are too high, even with carrier subsidies. And mass-market consumers sometimes perceive smartphones as overly complex devices, so we’re trying to bring prices down and simplify devices at the same time. We’re doing this with the HTC smart. This is a $150 phone [as opposed to the typical $400 smartphone]. Walt: Is HTC Smart an Android phone? Chou: No. It uses Qualcomm (QCOM) BREW. Walt: Does it have a different Web browser? Is it as good as WebKit? Chou says it’s not–at least not yet. He says the device has been relatively well received though. He also notes that given the low price, it can be offered by carriers at very low prices. 12:17 pm: Walt–Is there fragmentation in Android? Some app developers tell me Android’s landscape is too cluttered. Is HTC Sense making this worse? Chou: HTC Sense is not causing the problem here. We try not to fragment. All apps can run on HTC Sense. There’s no fragmentation, though there may be confusion there. The operating system itself may cause a bit of a problem. But it’s a small one…and it occurs more with older devices. We try to be careful to do good porting on our devices … Q&AQ: What are you doing to improve battery life in these new devices? [Walt notes that the EVO's battery runs down "alarmingly fast"] A: We understand that if your a heavy mobile user, the battery is a concern. The EVO’s battery is removable–not like the iPhone. [I think he's suggesting that users carry an extra one.] We are trying to innovate here. We’re aware of the problem. I hope someday this won’t be an issue. Q: Any other phones in your pockets? A: Chou chuckles. Q: Can you talk about HTC’s plans to expand into other areas of electronics–tablets for example. A: We’re very focused on smartphones today. We’re focusing our business on mobile operators. However, as an innovator, one of our defining characteristics is to create new technologies. So in our labs, we’re developing new devices like the HTC Shift [a tablet, I think]. Q: What’s your take on the Foxconn suicides? A: I don’t know details about this. What I know is from the news. But this is a very well-equipped factory. There must be something there beyond manufacturing or salary issues, something cultural maybe. Times change, China changes and the value system may have also changed, and working long hours under very strict management may be very tough for some people. I’m not in a position to speak about this though, because we own a factory as well. We value our employees, we treat them well, we treat them as an asset. It’s really difficult for me to comment on Foxconn. Q: Will you list your stock in the U.S.? A: We’ve thought about it. But we need to think more about timing. These days, I’m spending most of my time thinking about products. Perhaps with some investment bank help, we can do that. And that’s a wrap. A note about our coverage: This liveblog is not an official transcript of the conversation that occurred onstage. Rather, it is a compilation of quotes, paraphrased statements and ad-lib observations written and posted to the Web as quickly as possible. It is not intended as a transcript and should not be interpreted as one. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:54 pm Computers See Oil Spreading Far and FastA new computer simulation shows that currents could whip oil out of the Gulf of Mexico and up the east coast of the US within weeks.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:48 pm D8 Tech Demo: Wordnik [D8 Conference]
McKean will demo Smartwords, an open standard for sharing information about words. She has partnered with several major media organizations in hopes that Smartwords can expand and enhance users’ experiences with e‐books, digital content and e‐readers.
LiveblogWordnik is up to tell us a little more about Smartwords. 11:45 am: Walt takes the stage and introduces Erin McKean of Wordnik. 11:47 am: McKean wanted to be a lexicographer, thanks to an article in The Wall Street Journal, she says. She says that words need to be converted from “dumb strings” to “smart things.” She brings out an iPad and opens an app that automatically generates a glossary for Scientific American. 11:49 am: She says journalists make very user-friendly definitions of words–much better than dictionaries. She opens an e-reader app and shows a pop-up that gives an explanation of the word as a concept, in context. She says it is based in HTML5. 11:51 am: Inside the pop-up, there are options to buy things that are related to words that are explained. Options are there to purchase books on searched concepts or subscribe to newspapers that are partners to supply definitions. Walt asks if she will take a cut of the book sales or subscription fees. McKean says she’s not the monetization person. 11:54 am: McKean now shows a study tool that forces kids to learn new words in books they want to read. The page won’t turn until you answer a question about an SAT-level word on the page. 11:55 am: McKean thanks Walt and Kara and bounds off stage. Demo over. A note about our coverage: This liveblog is not an official transcript of the conversation that occurred onstage. Rather, it is a compilation of quotes, paraphrased statements and ad-lib observations written and posted to the Web as quickly as possible. It is not intended as a transcript and should not be interpreted as one. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:45 pm Coral Atolls Holding On Despite Rising Sea LevelsImage Caption: A beach at Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu, on a sunny day. Credit: Stefan Lins (Wikipedia)Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:32 pm D8 Video: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Windows Phone and Mobile Leadership [D8 Conference]A few years back, Microsoft (MSFT) was ahead of the game in the mobile space. Today, it’s seriously lagging. How did this happen and what’s the company doing to change it? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer answers these questions in the video below. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:26 pm EVO 4G Root released
We’d already seen proof that the oh-so-lovely hacking community had managed to root (read: gain full, unrestricted administrative privileges for) the unreleased Sprint EVO 4G — but outside of a very select bunch, the process was kept on lock down. Fear not! Now you, too, can get all up on some handset hacking debauchery. Well, you can if you have an EVO — which for the vast majority of would-be owners, won’t happen until tomorrow’s launch. As is par for the course with all this hacking stuff, this isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s not hardcore Zero Cool type stuff, but there’s still some room for error — and errors when you’re tinkering with a multi-hundred dollar handset = bad news. If you’re ready to dive in, you can find a full walkthrough over at AndroidCentral
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:26 pm Rare Bonobo Birth Celebrated at Great Ape TrustGreat Ape Trust is celebrating the rare birth of a baby bonobo.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:15 pm Scientist Uses iPad To Communicate With DolphinThe iPad might offer a new solution for scientists wishing to communicate with dolphins.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:15 pm BlackBerry now gets Google Maps biking directions, search and shareSection: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Google
As the temps perk up across the nation, it’s time to pocket the BlackBerry and jump on your bike - armed with directions from Google. The fresh Google Maps 4.2 for BlackBerry adds biking directions, a redesigned search offering images and ratings as well as a new “share this place” aiming to make it easy to share where you’ll be power-lunching. The update comes on the heels of an update for Google’s own Android app that offered similar features. Also in the update, Google has fixed some installation issues. Trouble with permissions and BlackBerry Enterprise Server plagued some users when installing previous versions. Google Maps 4.2 should allow users a much better experience. Ready to go? To download point your BlackBerry browser to get Google Maps 4.2 here. Read: [Google Mobile Blog] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:52 am Are Alien Artifacts in Our Solar System?On the hypothesis that we might have been visited long ago, could there be alien artifacts left behind, perhaps abandoned in solar orbit?Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:51 am AOL CEO Tim Armstrong Live at D8 [D8 Conference]
Good news for AOL CEO Tim Armstrong: His predecessor, AOL founder Steve Case, thinks the Google veteran has a chance to turn around the company. The bad news: He has a very long way to go.
Liveblog11:14 am: Apologies, technical difficulties–joining late. 11:15 am: Armstrong is traveling back in time, discussing AOL (AOL) prior to his arrival. The company was managed based on gross revenue and page views, and that may work for some, but those metrics didn’t make sense to me. Kara: Such as? Armstrong: The Bebo acquisition looked successful, because page views were shooting up, but unique visitors were dropping down. Photo galleries with 80 photos into it. That sort of stuff. We’re pulling back on that stuff. Kara: You’ve been pulling back on a lot of stuff. Revenue is down, too. Not a bad idea to go to zero so you can build back up. Armstrong: Hopefully we don’t go to zero. But (former Gap CEO) Mickey Drexler gave me good advice. He told me I’d be under a lot of pressure to move the numbers up and that I should resist it. 11:17 am: Kara–anyone from Google (GOOG) you didn’t hire? Armstrong: We need people who are passionate, but also willing to play on a team. The analogy I use is “when I got to AOL, there were a lot of people playing golf.” We need people on an orchestra or a football team. 11:18 am: Kara–I’ve called this the best management team to run a digital lemonade stand. You have a big team and a small business. Armstrong: Compared to Time Warner (TWX), it’s a small business. But it’s still a large business: 100 million unique users in the U.S., etc. Bigger point: We have the largest opportunity on the Internet. But I tell investors that they shouldn’t be expecting quarter-after-quarter results. That’s not what we’re doing. 11:19 am: Kara–Okay, so what’s the opportunity? Armstrong: It’s melding technology and journalism. Local efforts via patch. “We believe the local marketplace for journalism is important, and the local marketplace for services online is important.” 11:22 am: Armstrong–Beyond local, there are other areas that we can move into to fill unmet needs. Like religion–big opportunity there. Kara: So how are matching tech with journalism? Armstrong: We’re marrying demand algorithms with… Kara: Like Demand Media? Armstrong: They’re more search-based. We’re trying something else. But also giving editorial people better data. When I was at Google, I used to go to meetings at publishers where sales people had reams of data, and the journalists had none. There’s a lot of fear that some journalists have about technology and data, but they can use them as tools. But “the fear is where the opportunity is….There’s no reason why technology can’t fuel opportunity.” 11:26 am: Kara–So how do you sell all this stuff? Armstrong: We service a lot of large audiences, but have technology that lets you delineate that audience and just serve who you want. And we also have models that let brands get next to the appropriate content. Kara: You mean putting brands in the story? Armstrong: No. Church and state is important. Brands next to stories, getting brands in front of the appropriate audiences. 11:28 am: Kara–You’re selling off Bebo. Will anyone buy it? Armstrong: We’ve said we will sell it or shut it down. We’ve had interest from people who are interested in buying it. We’ll see how that turns out. Kara: What about other stuff you might sell? Armstrong: We’re keeping stuff that’s valuable. Mail and communications are important to us. Kara: Social networking, given that you’re selling Bebo? Armstrong: Very valuable. But it will be a joint strategy. Being a principal in a social network is something that we’re clearly not focused on.
11:29 am: Kara–What about search? You helped sign that big Google deal. Armstrong: Last week, we kicked off the process of the search deal. We are meeting with multiple partners. Kara: So you’re not re-upping with Google? Armstrong: Google has been a great partner for 10 years. There’s a disadvantage in that we know what works and doesn’t work, and so do they. So now we need to compare both our needs, with Google and others. Kara: There are only two partners, right? Armstrong: There are probably more than two that we’ll talk to [like who?]. We’re valuable to search partners because the AOL audience performs very well for search. We perform more strongly than our market share implies. Kara: Will you want a guarantee like the original deal? Armstrong: We have a rev-share deal. There may be upfront payments, there may not be. But either way, those upfront payments are usually about market. They’re not core to the arrangement. 11:33 am::Kara–How do you look at Google and what they’re doing? Armstrong: One of the things that Google has done a really good job with is taking risks, and you know, push, push, push. Like a lot of successful companies. On the outside, as a partner, you appreciate that innovation. On the partnership side, you have to realize that you’re one partner out of a lot of partners that they have. And that’s the piece of it where personal relationships really matter. With them or other partners. 11:34 am: Kara–What about risks they face? Armstrong: Risk for any company that size is how do you keep innovating? When Mark Zuckerberg was up here and you guys were hammering him, that can make you want to retreat. And you have to keep innovating.
11:35 am: Kara–AOL used to be innovative and important. The brand is tarnished now. Can you revive it? Armstrong: Two different brands. By the way, before I officially left Google, I had a lot of people telling me to kill off the brand. But then I traveled around. And I found that there’s the brand that media people know about, and the merger, etc. And then there’s the brand that everyone else knows, and they have warm fuzzy feelings about it. 11:37 am::Who are your competitors? What do you think of Yahoo (YHOO), etc. Armstrong: We have partnerships with Yahoo; we compete with them for users and advertisers. But AOL is not in a situation where we need to give advice or comment to people about what they ought to be doing. Yahoo is a big, strong company, though their strategy is much more focused on what we’re doing now, which is great. Q&AQ: Are you doing anything about the Gulf oil spill? Are you doing anything with your local journalism to help people with that? (seriously). A: We’re covering it nationally. But we actually are working with someone locally, where there’s a girl in a town, where she’s raising money for the Gulf, and it’s not a town on the Gulf, but we’re trying to help her. Q: Can you talk about AOL culture and how it’s changed since you got there? A: At Google, I was managing 2,500 people. Now I’m managing 4,700. So I’ve learned that cultures are okay when they’re moving–up or down–and everyone knows what the plan is. They don’t work when there’s no plan. So people who don’t want to stay and don’t like the plan need an opportunity to leave. This is “Full Metal Jacket.” Turning this company around is not going to be easy. It’s not going to be eight-hour days.
Q from Kara: Management style? A: I’m collegial. But at the end of the day, sometimes I need to execute and get it done. Like when I came aboard, there was a $400 million check I had to sign for a distribution deal. And then I asked people at a meeting to speak up about it and tell me what they said. There have been many cases where I’ve had to make decisions without a collegial environment. But the culture is getting better and collegial. Q&A over. A note about our coverage: This liveblog is not an official transcript of the conversation that occurred onstage. Rather, it is a compilation of quotes, paraphrased statements and ad-lib observations written and posted to the Web as quickly as possible. It is not intended as a transcript and should not be interpreted as one. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:45 am AdMob’s AdWhirl adds AdSense ads
What do you call alliteration when every word in the sentence starts with the same two letters, as in the headline above? Is there a word for it? If not, I propose ultralliteration. Anyway, this one’s for the developers out there: AdWhirl (which allows devs to serve ads from multiple ad networks while only requiring them to implement one ad unit) has just added support for Google’s Adsense for Mobile. AdSense hops on board as AdWhirl’s seventh supported ad network, amongst AdMob, iAd, Jumptap, MdotM, Millennial Media, and Quattro Wireless.
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:40 am D8 Video: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie on Cloud Computing [D8 Conference]Is the current shift toward Web-based applications and cloud computing a threat to Microsoft (MSFT)? Or is it an opportunity? During their D8 appearance today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie argue that the company can move into the cloud and still protect its legacy software businesses. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:40 am PSA Part 2: Samsung Wave now said to be virus free
Yesterday morning, we wrote a quick blurp letting you guys know to be wary of the just-launched Samsung Wave, given that it purportedly shipped with a nasty little auto-executing virus. For all those keeping up with this little mini-debacle (and for those about to ride the Wave themselves), we’ve got good news: according to Samsung, it’s all cleared up. The statement we received from a Samsung rep:
So, there we have it. Be it that Samsung really did manage to ensure every product that went out the door in the German market got tested, we can consider this virus Norton’d.
Source: MobileCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:17 am D8 Tech Demo: OnLive [D8 Conference]
Built on more than 100 patents or patents-pending, OnLive plans to deliver games either to the browser via plug-ins or to the TV through a micro set-top box.
LiveblogCloud game service OnLive take the stage to demo its pre-release game-delivery system. 10:16 am: Walt joins Kara onstage to talk about the power of cloud computing and to introduce OnLive. 10:17 am: Steve Perlman, CEO and founder of OnLive, comes on and says in two weeks, users will be able to log on and start cloud gaming. Perlman says gaming is the first offering from OnLive, and that this is the hardest thing to do in the cloud. Walt reminds the audience that Perlman worked on QuickTime at the young Apple Computer (AAPL) and the early Microsoft (MSFT), among others. 10:19 am: Perlman shows the Web interface for playing and watching games. He shows that the games play on the computer, even though the full games would not run on the hardware he’s using if it were local. 10:20 am: Perlman says that as long as you are within 1,000 miles of OnLive’s data center, there is no perceptible latency thanks to new, proprietary compression technology. 10:21 am: Perlman shows how OnLive can create and serve huge volumes of 3-D video “brag clips” just as fast as the games. The whole interface is a movable wall of individual videos. 10:23 am: Now Perlman brings out his “micro-console” to demo on a TV. He says it’s very inexpensive and that depending on the business model OnLive adopts, he could even offer it for free to users who sign up for the service. According to Perlman, “The electronics inside cost less than the case and connectors.” 10:25 am: Perlman restarts the little black box, which is the size of a large deck of cards. The interface on the TV micro-console is the same as the Web version. Walt asks how many users can be online. Perlman says it is scalable to millions of users. 10:27 am: Walt asks what the price is. Perlman says it will be less than $15 a month, but also hints that access to individual games will add additional costs. 10:28 am: Now Perlman starts an “unauthorized” demo of OnLive on the iPad. No Flash here. He says the interface OnLive designed is also great for the iPad. He sends a message to his “friend” who is playing another game, then begins playing a game called Borderlands on the iPad itself. 10:31 am: Perlman says that the game he’s playing wouldn’t play on any hardware in the room (only very high-end gaming consoles and computers). 10:32 am: Now Perlman opens the version for the iPhone–this one doesn’t work quite right, but Perlman says it’s prototype software and should work because to the iPhone, it’s just streaming media. Walt asks for examples of what else he can deliver besides games. Perlman answers by saying that the data center OnLive will be using may be the largest supercomputer in the world when it turns on in two weeks. He says delivering video would be easy. He says OnLive’s microbox can run software that is too complex to run on any computer currently using Microsoft software. Now he plays a Harry Potter movie on the iPad: No lag in play. Now Perlman shows something new: A photo-realistic face generated with the same technology that was used to alter Brad Pitt’s face in “Benjamin Button.” 10:37 am: Perlman could keep going, but Walt and Kara bring the demo to a close. D8 is on a short coffee break–back in a few with Tim Armstrong of AOL (AOL) A note about our coverage: This liveblog is not an official transcript of the conversation that occurred onstage. Rather, it is a compilation of quotes, paraphrased statements and ad-lib observations written and posted to the Web as quickly as possible. It is not intended as a transcript and should not be interpreted as one. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 11:16 am Asus Eee Tablet/eReader caught on videoSection: Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other, ebooks  In addition to the recent Eee Pad announcement from Asus, we have also heard about the Eee Tablet. The Eee Tablet is an ereader device and expected to have a monochrome LCD display, offer a 10 hour battery life and come sporting a $200 price tag. That all sounds good in theory, but it would still depend on how well it actually performs in the real world. Well, thankfully we now have a hands on video (courtesy of HotHardware) of the device in action. And at the risk of offering a spoiler—it looks pretty sweet. Read [HotHardware] Via [CrunchGear] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 10:48 am Inform, engage and mobilize voters with YouTube and Google Campaign Toolkits(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)It’s no secret that any successful 21st century political campaign must have a robust online strategy to succeed. But elected officials and candidates need more than just a website and a YouTube channel to engage voters: from President Obama’s YouTube interview to Senator Scott Brown’s campaign team’s use of Google Docs to Congressman Scott Murphy’s “Google blast” ad strategy, we’re seeing politicians use more and more of our products and platforms to interact with voters, share information and keep their campaigns organized. We want to do our part to make sure candidates and campaigns have the tools to stay close to voters, who now expect to hear and see much more from their elected officials than ever before. So today, we’re launching YouTube’s You Choose 2010 Campaign Toolkit and a new and improved Google Campaign Toolkit. Both help candidates make their organizations more effective and deliver their messages more directly. On YouTube, campaigns will have access to features like a Politician channel (which allows campaigns to brand their channel and upload longer videos), Google Moderator, our free analytics tool YouTube Insight, and information about running paid advertising campaigns—using formats like in-stream ads and Promoted Videos—to reach viewers with political ads, just like on TV. And our Google toolkit demonstrates how Google Apps can keep staff and volunteers connected, how search ads can grow your email list and provides other helpful tools. We hope campaigns in both national and local contests will use these toolkits to engage and inform voters on important issues in 2010. As access to information online is increasingly important in elections, we’re pleased to continue developing useful tools for voters and candidates. Posted by Ginny Hunt, head of public sector programs    
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 3 Jun 2010 | 9:01 am IPad Camera Connection Kit Sells for $187.50 on Ebay
Desperate to get ahold of the back-ordered iPad Camera Connection Kit (current waiting time 3-4 weeks)? Willing to spend almost $200 to have one sooner? Nah, of course not, but you’re a smart Gadget Lab reader. Not a bit like the dunce who bought the “autentic” two-piece USB kit on Ebay for $187.50, (winning bid pictured above). That high price is an exceptional one, but the kit, which lets you connect cameras and SD cards to the iPad (as well as some keyboards and sound devices) is going for around $70 on the auction site, and they seem to be selling. I have mine on pre-order from Apple, and I’m happy to wait. I might have paid a fortune to get my iPad shipped in from the US a couple of weeks early, but even I’m not dumb enough to drop the price of a point and shoot camera on a simple card reader. But hey, if you really need one, at least that $187.50 comes with free shipping. New iPad Camera Connection Kit [Ebay via Engadget] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:23 am Amazon Kindle to be available in Target beginning June 6thSection: Gadgets / Other, ebooks
Amazon began rolling the Kindle into Target locations back on April 25th, though at the time the availability was limited to one store in Minneapolis and 102 in South Florida. Well, in a little bit of good news for anyone that is planning to hit up a Target and check out the Kindle in person—you can now do so as of this Sunday. The news is coming by way of the New York Times who are reporting that the Kindle will be available “beginning on Sunday.” Sunday as in June 6th 2010. As for pricing, nothing will be changing there and you can expect to pay the same $259 that you would direct with Amazon. Of course, the obvious perk is there in that you can actually touch the reader before you make a purchase. Well, touch it maybe, that is assuming Target is not storing these behind some glass. Anyway, Amazon Kindle this Sunday at Target for $259. Read [New York Times] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:21 am Announcing our European Scholarship for Students with Disabilities awardeesCreating products, applications and services which benefit millions of users means looking at the world from a variety of perspectives. Envisioning and realizing the next generation of technology requires a diverse pool of creative and motivated engineers from all backgrounds. To that end, we're very pleased to announce the winners of our first annual European Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. This scholarship recognizes outstanding scientific contributions from students with disabilities who are pursuing university degrees in the field of computer science at a university in the European Union, Switzerland or Israel.Scholarships will be granted for the 2010–2011 academic year, and recipients will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid retreat at the Googleplex in Zurich in June 2010. Congratulations to our scholars! Andrei George Petraru, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Romania Conrad Hochberg, Technische Universität München, Germany Dave Todd, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland Fabio De Dominicis, University of Naples Federico II, Italy Igor Gonopolskiy, Ben Gurion University, Israel Jordi Sanchez-Riera, INRIA Grenoble Rhône-Alpes, France Wanda Diaz-Merced, University of Glasgow, Scotland For complete details, see www.google.com/studentswithdisabilities-europe. To learn more about scholarships, grants and other opportunities for students in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, visit www.google.com/university/emea. Posted by Eleanor Mulligan, Diversity & Inclusion Programs Manager   
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 3 Jun 2010 | 8:00 am ‘Cut My Sim’ Automates Tedious SIM-Trimming
If hand-cutting your own microSIM is a little bit too folksy for you, or if you own a back-street cellphone store and find yourself chopping up other people’s SIMs to fit into their iPads, then Henk van Ess’s Cut My Sim might be just the thing. Instead of scissors or a straight-edge and an X-Acto knife, you just slip your SIM into what looks like a cross between a stapler and a hole-punch and push the lever. The stainless steel jaws clamp shut and strip away the excess plastic surrounding the chip, spitting out a perfectly iPad-ready microSIM. This may be a little redundant now that carriers in all the countries where the iPad is officially available will just give or sell you the proper card, but that doesn’t make this any less useful for those wishing to hijack a non-iPad data plan or just use a non-supported telco. At the very least you’ll have a nice, retro-style paperweight for your desk. The Cut My Sim costs $25 and will ship at the end of June. That price includes a plastic tray, called Back to Normal which will let you return it to its former size. Shipping later this month. Cut Your Own MicroSIM! [Cut My Sim via Core77] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:59 am Paging Ed Begley, Jr: Pedal To Charge Your PhoneAs gadget chargers go, this one is pretty low-tech. But as it is made by Nokia, and aimed at developing countries, it is also likely that it will last forever: A bike charger that relies on the well tested and durable bottle-dynamo to convert your pedaling into power.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:41 am Nokia Announces Bike-Powered Phone Charger
As gadget chargers go, this one is pretty low-tech. But as it is made by Nokia, and aimed at developing countries, it is also likely that it will last forever. The bike charger relies on the well-tested and durable bottle-dynamo to convert your pedaling into power, and the phone is held to the handlebars with a big rubber-band. In between is a box of circuitry to give a nice smooth current to any device equipped with a 2mm jack. The charger will first be available in Kenya for around 15 euro ($18) and will go on sale worldwide by the end of this year. So how much power can our legs produce? Quite a lot, surprisingly: Pedal at 6 mph for just 10 minutes, and you’ll get almost half an hour of talk time or a stunning 37 hours of standby. The minimum speed required to charge a phone is 4 mph, or walking speed, so even a modestly jaunty commute should be enough to keep your cell going for a whole day. We like the simplicity of Nokia’s gadget. Other solutions tend towards the complicated, with magnets or hub dynamos providing the juice. With bikes, though, simple is almost always best. Dynamo power to recharge handsets [BBC] See Also: 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:27 am Verizon Droid Incredible shipping—now delayed until June 24thSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  If you were considering the purchase of a Droid Incredible from Verizon you are going to be disappointed as the shipping date has once again been pushed back. As of now its a few weeks time and currently showing as June 24th. Yup, you can order the Droid Incredible but will have to wait until June 24th before it will ship. Unfortunately other than the date, this is nothing new. After all, this date has been sliding further and further into the future since the phone was originally released and at this point I am just wondering when Verizon is going to say enough and stop sales—at least temporarily. Product [Verizon Wireless] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 7:16 am Hands On with the Pantech Pursuit -AT&T’s brand new touchscreen quick messaging phoneSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Features
Announced this morning, the Pantech Pursuit will be on AT&T shelves starting June 6 and will cost $49.99 with contract. The Pursuit is Pantech’s first touchscreen device with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. The device, like most quick messaging phones, is geared for quick texting and social media. Pantech sent over the 3G Pursuit in Blue and it’s a good looking device. Pantech spent some time making this phone look good, from the textured no-slip back to the homescreen and rotating lock screens, it’s a very good looking piece of kit. The phone is also offered in green. Using the phone is very intuitive. After dropping the SIM card in and using AT&T’s cloud-based contact sync for contacts, the device is easily navigated through. The menus are very clear and good looking. Everything you’d expect is here. There are even somethings I didn’t expect. Things like Drawing Commander - a snazzy feature that can dial a contact or open an app simply by tracing a finger on the screen. Users can also set Shake to initiate an action. Some very neat customization can go on with this phone. The keyboard received mixed quick look ratings. While I found the keys problematic - a very short click, not raised enough to get a good typing feel, and my fingers bumped into the phone’s top section when typing on the top row; the teen in my house found it easy to use. Go figure. I was impressed that touchscreen typing is available should you not want to slide the keyboard out. The home screen itself is interesting. Like Android, users can swipe left or right to access shortcuts to their most popular apps - pretty neat. Likewise, when the keyboard slides open, a specific menu for texting, Facebook, and emails pop up as Pantech figures there is a reason you slide the keyboard out. I wasn’t as impressed with the web browser and scrolling through contacts wasn’t as smooth as say on the iPhone. It wasn’t horrible but a lag was noticeable. Maybe it will improve in time. A full review will be up early next week, so check it out as so far, I am overall impressed with the Pursuit. Product Page: [AT&T] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:30 am Chrome OS to be released fourth quarterSection: Computers, Software / Applications, Web, Google  Google has officially announced that the release for their Chrome OS is set for a fourth quarter release. The operating system will be targeted towards laptops initially.
It seems as this recent announcement debunks the previous claims of a a third-quarter launch for Chrome. The Chrome Web Store is expected to open at the same time allowing users to download web applications for the OS. According to Pichai, the Chrome OS was designed for devices with touchpads, keyboards and screens between 10 inches and 12 inches across. The trend seems to be pointing at a more powerful, yet lighter, OS stuck inside of a smaller devices. On the downside, the Chrome OS will limit certain customizations but will allow them later on in the future. Don’t ask me what the point of this little tease is because I can’t give you a rational answer. The trend is reaching for an operating system as powerful as Windows 7 Ultimate on a device as small as your cell phone. This seems to be just another step in the right direction for consumers as we won’t be needing all of that RAM much longer. Via [NetworkWorld] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 3 Jun 2010 | 6:07 am Bike Portraits: a Fascinating Gallery of South African Cyclists
Warning: Do not follow the link below unless you have a half-hour or so to spare. Bicycle Portraits will be a hardback book of photographs and transcribed conversations with cyclists in South Africa. Right now it exists as a fascinating web gallery that will swallow your entire coffee break. There’s something about seeing a person with their bike that shows a lot more than a straight portrait. It’s like seeing the contents of their bag, or peeking into their kitchen cupboards, only less voyeuristic and – for bike nerds at least – way more interesting. Combine that with a few words about how, why and where they ride, and a Google map of where the photo was taken and you can see exactly why this site will suck you in:
The book is by Stan Engelbrecht and his “friend and fellow bicycle enthusiast” Nic Grobler, and will be completed as they ride their bikes around South Africa to meet and photograph people. The project is funded by KickStarter, which lets regular Joes like you and me pledge money to cool projects like this. The guys are looking for $16,000 to complete Bicycle Portraits. If you contribute, you’ll get a copy of the book when it is published. And even if you don’t, go make yourself a cup of coffee and click the link below. Bicycle Portraits [Day One Publications. Thanks, Stan!] Photo: Nic Grobler 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:51 am DoubleTwist for Android Brings iTunes-Like Syncing
DoubleTwist, the iTunes-replacing app that will sync your music to your media player, has gotten its own Android app. DoubleTwist for Android pairs up with the desktop client and lets you easily synchronize apps, playlists, podcasts and videos. DoubleTwist is the iTunes for everyone else. Slicker, prettier and less bloated than iTunes, the Windows and OS X software will work with pretty much every media-playing device out there, including the Kindle and, if you’re on Windows, the iPhone and iPod Touch. It will read in your existing iTunes library and even lets you shop in the Android Marketplace, just like shopping in the iTunes Store for apps. I don’t have an Android machine for testing, but from the screenshots this looks more than a match for Apple’s iPod player on the iPhone. Early reviews say its worth using, especially as the stock Android music player is widely regarded as junk. One problem: there’s no widget for controlling from the home screen, although it is promised “soon”. The app is “free for a limited time”. Available in the Android Marketplace now. DoubleTwist Player [Android Marketplace via Phandroid] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 5:00 am Media Keyboard Has Configurable Touch-Screen Side-Panel
Mad Catz’s new wireless Litetouch keyboard is most obviously aimed at couch-bound media-center owners, but it could also be great for notebook users who “graduate” to a desktop. The Litetouch combines mouse and keyboard into one, with two mouse buttons flanking a nubbin-like trackball under the numeric keypad. That keypad is the big gimmick here. It is a touch-enabled LCD screen (don’t worry, the QWERTY side is all real-life scissor-sprung buttons) which can switch between three modes: a standard number-pad, a set of media control keys and a custom “MyEclipse” mode, which lets you assign your own shortcuts. Because the keyboard is backlit, it does suck batteries: the li-ion battery will give you just 20 hours between charges. As we said, it’s perfect for browsing and watching movies on the big screen. But that built-in mouse and the switchable number-pad also makes a great compact all-in-one for those of us who like to use a desktop machine, but hate to use a mouse. I’m one of them. The day somebody makes an Apple Bluetooth style keyboard with a trackpad built in, I’ll be in line to buy it. Until then, this will probably have to do. Available now, $130. Litetouch keyboard [Eclipse Touch. Thanks, Alex!] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:32 am
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In an an email newsletter yesterday 
Under fire for its App Store not being more open, recently, Apple’s response has been that there is a portion of its devices that is totally open: 
There are over 
On startup, the Picture Porter takes about 15 seconds to boot up on the 250GB model. Once booted, you come to a basic homescreen with icons depicting each task you can perform. Navigation occurs through the a clicker-wheel on the side of the device. To click on an icon, you must push down on the clicker wheel which can be confusing at first. If you ever want to get out of any of the icons, an ESC button on the side is the universal back button. Unfortunately, that is really the only button that you know what it does no matter where you are. Otherwise, there is a nice learning curve with your Picture Porter. Pushing the clicker wheel when focused on a single file really does nothing. The box to the left of the file will be checked but that doesn’t do much. You would think that since pushing the wheel allows opens up tasks on the homescreen that pushing it when focused on a picture would open the picture. After playing around, it seems that it adds it to a playlist of sorts that you can view by hitting the “MENU” button on the side. Once you hit that button, an array of actions will pop up, one of them being “Play Slideshow” which will either play only the files you checked, or all of them. 
Quality-wise, the screen isn’t bad but it isn’t amazing and the same goes for that speaker. You definitely aren’t going to be using this as your main Mp3 player one for the not-so-good quality and two for the overall size of the device. I’m honestly not quite sure what to compare the size of this device to because there aren’t many devices this big anymore. But the best way I can describe it, which might be hard to see if you aren’t as big of a Reeses fan as I, is if you take two of the King Size Reeses BigCup packages and put them side by side. Confusing, I know, but just think about it; 2, King Size Reeses BigCup packages. Its big. Another note on the look of the device, the icons are a bit… similar to ones you would find on your Mac. It’s obvious where the inspiration was from. 
Ford CEO Alan Mulally has come to D8 to take the hot seat, a position he should be used to after steering Ford through the recent financial crisis. Ford shunned the bailout money that carried GM through a restructuring and sustained Chrysler through its sale to Italian automaker Fiat. 
HTC, a company that once built devices for other brands, is today a powerful brand itself. And CEO Peter Chou is largely responsible for that. Over the past few years, Chou has transformed HTC from a contract handset manufacturer into a smartphone powerhouse, a company that ranks behind only Nokia (NOK), Research in Motion (RIMM) and Apple (AAPL) in global smartphone shipments. That’s quite an achievement and one attributable to the very early, savvy bet Chou made on Google’s (GOOG) Android mobile operating system.
