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Intel and FTC in Antitrust Settlement Talks [Digital Daily]
And so, between now and July 22, the case will be on hold as Intel (INTC) and the FTC review and discuss a proposed consent order, the terms of which are currently confidential. An interesting change of tack for Intel, which has vehemently denied FTC allegations that it used threats and rebate schemes to encourage exclusive deals and unfairly manipulate the chip market. If the company manages to reach an agreement with the agency, it will avoid the September trial toward which it seemed to inevitably be heading. Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 4:00 am Flash 10.1 now available for mobile partners (read: not you… yet)
Of course, you already know that this latest version is targeted at bringing the full version of flash to the mobile Web. While Flash lite has existed for years now (I used to rock it on my old Nokia N95), it was always just that: Lite. This new version of Flash hopes to be so much more than what Flash Lite ever was, giving you access to Flash games, full-screen video, and several mobile-specific enhancements, including accelerometer support, and smart rendering (to help ease the CPU/battery load on your poor phone). You also no doubt already know that this release will happily run on Android 2.2, and — in fact — a great many Nexus One owners are already using (and reviewing) it. So, what other devices can I expect to get Flash in the future? Well, on top of any Android 2.2 device, it will soon appear on BlackBerry OS, webOS, Windows Phone 7 Series, Symbian OS, LiMo, and MeeGo. All up, 35 partners now have their grubby mitts on it, so it won’t be long now until it appears on your favourite mobile device. Check the press release for the full details and hyperbole. [via Slashgear] [thanks to 80s Tees for the image <3] Press release:
Source: MobileCrunch | 22 Jun 2010 | 3:45 am Beautifully Hypnotic Video Details Canon Macro Lens HackThis video is eight and a half minutes long. It is also a beautifully shot, hypnotic look inside a DSLR lens, which is easily worth your time. Oh, and it’s a follow-along hack, too, if you have the guts. Y’all probably know how to turn any SLR lens into a super-close-up macro lens: you just pop it off the camera and flip it around, pointing the rather delicate rear element at your subject. There are even reversing rings available which make an interface betwixt camera bayonet and lens filter-ring so you don’t need both hands all the time. But this amazing how-to from Lozzless goes way beyond, using a drill, a hacksaw, lots of epoxy glue and even some soldering to make a permanent macro-lens from a Canon 18-55mm kit zoom. Out come the autofocus controller, out come the electronics, and in comes a ribbon cable and a whole lot of work to join the computronical parts back together. The result, apart from the beautifully shot video (we’re guessing it was made on a Canon 5D MkII due to the short depth-of-field, so shallow even a spider couldn’t drown in it), is a lens which snaps snugly to the front of a Canon SLR and still gives it full electronic control over the aperture. It also looks like some amazing Gibsionian hack. Good job, Lozzless. And nice music choice, too (it appears the Yo-Yo Ma and Philip Glass “collabo” is actually allowed by YouTube). How to create SuperMacro lens [Lozzless / YouTube via Photography Bay] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 Jun 2010 | 3:42 am Microsoft prices Kinect at $149 - GameSpot
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 22 Jun 2010 | 3:31 am UShip Acquires UK Courier Marketplace Boxby uShip, the Austin-based transport marketplace, has acquired the UK's boxby, which offers a similar but also complementary service by connecting couriers and transporters with customers in need of delivery.
The deal, of which terms are undisclosed, will "support the global growth" of uShip, which already offers localized versions of its reverse auction site for couriers and shippers in the US, Australia, Canada, UK, Germany and other parts of the EU, with further international roll outs planned this year. The boxby site and brand will remain with the "incorporation of key uShip processes and functionality", while boxby co-founder Sandra Patterson will stay on in a consulting capacity only.
Source: TechCrunch | 22 Jun 2010 | 3:22 am Apple Wants To Share Your Location With OthersFarhood sends in this snip from the LA Times: "In an updated version of its privacy policy, the company added a paragraph noting that once users agree, Apple and unspecified 'partners and licensees' may collect and store user location data. When users attempt to download apps or media from the iTunes store, they are prompted to agree to the new terms and conditions. Until they agree, they cannot download anything through the store. The company says the data is anonymous and does not personally identify users. Analysts have shown, however, that large, specific data sets can be used to identify people based on behavior patterns." Mashable and The Consumerist have picked up on this collection and sharing of "precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 22 Jun 2010 | 3:17 am UPDATE 2-Bureau Veritas buys UK inspection firm from 3iPARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - French certification company Bureau Veritas is to buy British commodities testing and inspection firm Inspectorate for 450 million pounds ($667 million) in a deal it said would...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 2:34 am Pop Art Decals - The Blik Keith Haring Collection Has Prints You Can Stick on Your Walls (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) With the creation of the Blik Keith Haring collection of wall decals, now even the most penniless fans of Haring's pop art graffiti graphics can own some of the fun. The Blik Keith...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 2:11 am UPDATE 1-Persian Gold to buy HyEx in reverse takeoverJune 22 (Reuters) - Ireland-based explorer Persian Gold Plc said it agreed to buy Hydrocarbon Exploration Plc (HyEx) in a reverse takeover that values HyEx at about 4.3 million pounds ($6.4 million),...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 2:08 am Preserving Virtual WorldsThe Opposable Thumbs blog has an interview with Jerome McDonough of the University of Illinois, who is involved with the Preserving Virtual Worlds project. The goal of the project is to recognize video games as cultural artifacts and to make sure they're accessible by future generations. Here McDonough talks about some of the technical difficulties in doing so: "Take, for example, Star Raiders on the Atari 2600. If you're going to preserve this, you've got a couple of problems. The first is that it is on a cartridge that is designed to work on a particular system that is no longer manufactured. And as long as you've got a hardware dependency there, you're really not going to be able to preserve this material very long. What we have been looking at is how feasible is it for things that fundamentally all have some level of hardware dependency there — even Doom has dependencies on DLLs with an operating system, and on particular chipsets and architectures for playing. How do you take that and turn it into something that isn't as dependent on a particular physical piece of hardware. And to do that, you need information about that platform. You need technical specifications that allow you to basically reproduce a virtualization that may enable you to run the software in its original form in the future. So what we're trying to do is preserve not only the games, but preserve the knowledge that you would need to create a virtualization platform to play the game."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 22 Jun 2010 | 2:04 am Text messages become a growing weapon in dating violenceThe Washington Post on "textual harassment," a growing aspect of dating violence at a time when cellphones and unlimited texting plans are ubiquitous among the young. It can be insidious, because messages...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:53 am Adobe Starts Shipping Flash Player 10.1 for Mobile – Let The Real Testing Begin
Adobe unveiled a beta version of Flash Player for Android about a month ago, but has been dabbling with bringing Flash to mobile devices – including Android handsets – for much, much longer. Make no mistake about it: Adobe really needs to get this completely right. They need to, considering the harsh criticism it has been given for the shipment delays and claims regarding its stability, security, resource usage and whatnot, the majority of the deriding notably coming from Apple chief Steve Jobs. Adobe can prove Apple’s decision to bar Flash from running on some of the world’s most popular and capable smartphones and the iPad wrong, but only by doing what it is doing now: by actually shipping Flash for Mobile and showing that it knows how to make it an integral part of the mobile experience, without slowing things down. Running a bunch of ads, pre-approved demos and canned ‘industry feedback’ won’t cut it. If Adobe thinks Apple is wrong for blocking Flash from their mobile devices and referring to it as a technology only fit for “PCs and mice”, let them prove it where it really matters: in the hands of phone users all across the globe. Flash Player 10.1 for Mobile should be available for download today on devices using the latest iteration of Android, version 2.2 aka Froyo (no surprise there). As Adobe writes, devices supporting Android 2.2 and Flash Player 10.1 are expected to include the Dell Streak, Google Nexus One (that one actually already does), HTC Evo, HTC Desire, HTC Incredible, Motorola DROID, Motorola Milestone, Samsung Galaxy S and others. Once upgraded, smartphones, tablets and other devices can be updated with Flash Player 10.1 over-the-air in a variety of ways, including content triggered downloads, system software updates and on-device app catalogs such as Android Market, Adobe Labs and others. Adobe says it has shipped also Flash Player to its other device partners, readying its roll-out on BlackBerry, Palm webOS, Windows Phone 7, LiMo, MeeGo, and Symbian phones. All eyes are now on Adobe. Soon, the real testing will commence and it will continue for a couple more years as Flash Player makes its way to mobile platforms other than Android 2.2. By 2012, Adobe plans to have Flash 10.1 on more than half of all smartphones shipped – assuming no major market share changes. If Adobe manages to deliver a great product, consumers will be better off and Steve Jobs will become pretty much the only person who continues to badmouth Flash for being a technology of the past rather than the future. If it doesn’t, Adobe stands to lose credibility, and face. That may not sound like much, but it makes a world of difference in the software industry.      
Source: TechCrunch | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:52 am UPDATE 2-Malaysia EON Capital delays EGM on Hong Leong buyout* Hong Leong stock underperforms (Updates with outlook, company comment)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:51 am Purple Ostrich Booties - The Eugene Riconneaus Fall 2010 Shoe Collection is Outlandish (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) There is no denying the wow-factor that comes with the Eugene Riconneaus Fall 2010 collection. This French, self-taught designer is an absolute must for any fashionista -- I mean, there's...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:51 am Peter Greenaway, Acclaimed Filmmaker & Second Life User, Joins Protest Over Anti-Nudity Policies at SL Anniversary in Statement on Importance of Second Life as an Art MediumSL7B protest photo by Marmaduke Arado This week Second Life celebrates its seventh year of commercial operation, and as in previous years, world owner Linden Lab is holding an official anniversary party,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:48 am UPDATE 2-Aegon says may sell Transamerica Reinsurance* Reinsurance unit sale to focus on life insurance, pensionsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:36 am Bloody-Nosed PSAs - Off-Road Studios Anti-Drug Ads Make You Think Twice About Taking a Hit (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Off-Road Studios' anti-drug ads prove that drugs are not cool with their creative images and approach. Would you smoke a cigarette if you knew that you could be chained to tobacco forever?...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:21 am Seasonality Of Child Abuse A MythA new study of homicides of 797 children younger than age five has found that these deaths occur uniformly throughout the year, dispelling the widely held anecdotal notion that the winter months, and especially winter holidays, are a time of increased child abuse."The seasonality of child abuse is clearly a myth," said Antoinette Laskey, M.D., M.P.H, associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, who led the study."We looked at the statistics of fatalities related to child abuse in geographically disparate states to see whether or not there were any patterns and there were none.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:16 am Viral Video: Harry Potter Takes a High-Tech Leap Into Reality [BoomTown]
Apparently, it’s lumos time. Universal Orlando’s “Wizarding World Of Harry Potter” theme park opened this weekend to record crowds, all eager to experience the real-life and decidedly high-tech version of the popular book and movie series. Along with reproductions of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there is also a Hogwarts Express train, rides and more in the 20-acre park in central Florida. Also ladled generously over all the innovation: A whole lot of commercial overkill. Here’s a video of the proceedings making the rounds online, including stars of the film and also author J.K. Rowling: Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:06 am Portal Predicament: No One Hangs Around Anymore [Voices]By Dylan Stableford, Reporter, TheWrap Before the Internet could finish off newspapers, the pillars of the digital age are already suffering their own slide. Portals Yahoo (YHOO), MSN and AOL (AOL)–for years the largest source of traffic on the Web–are seeing recent dropoffs in visitors, page views and, most dramatically, time spent by users. But unlike slow-to-change print companies, the portals saw this coming–and are already trying to do something about it by focusing on content creation and its associated “stickiness.” Read the rest of this post on the original site » Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Upcycled Car Robots - 'The Transformer' Made by Studio-Re-Creation was Once a Car (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) 'The Transformer,' by Studio-Re-Creation may look like a legit robot, but I bet you never guessed that this robot was once a real car. Why throw out your car at the dump when you can...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am On iTunes, Sex Doesn't Sell? [Voices]By Lucia Moses, Reporter, Mediaweek After a winter purge in which it rid its iTunes store of apps with sexual or other material deemed racy, is Apple lightening up? Given Apple’s supposed nudity ban, some were surprised to see the June iPhone/iPad version of GQ ($4.99 per issue) with cover model Miranda Kerr dressed down to her stockings and a deep tan. Cosmopolitan has a saucy Sex Position of the Day ($1.99), with step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations. Apple (AAPL) also is cool with Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit app, updated in May, with little more than videos of its models. Yet Apple has rejected other relationship service, gay culture and political content, fueling charges that it’s applying a double standard to its app offerings. Read the rest of this post on the original site » Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Google Plans Music Service Tied to Search Engine [Voices]By Scott Morrison, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Google Inc. (GOOG) is preparing to roll out a music download service tied to its search engine later this year, followed by an online subscription service in 2011, according to people familiar with the Internet giant’s discussions with the music industry. Google’s proposals are still vague, say these people, and it’s unclear whether it has struck any deals with record labels so far. But Google has been stepping up conversations about offering new music services tied to phones running its Android operating system along with the broader Web, said people who have been briefed on the talks. The launch of Google’s download music store is still months away, these people said. The discussions come as Google has been pushing deeper into music. Last year, as a first step, the company began linking to partner websites like iLike and Pandora through its search engine, allowing people to stream songs with one click from its search page. Now, the company is looking to tie its own service to its search engine, too. The discussions come as the Mountain View, Calif.-based search company has been ramping up on entertainment content. Google is also moving to add professional content on its YouTube video site, and is planning to roll out a digital bookstore this year. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Why Amazon’s Kindle Will Eventually Win the E-Book Wars [Voices]By Om Malik, Founder and Senior Writer, GigaOm Barnes & Noble (BKS) started the week off by cutting prices on its Nook e-book reader to $199 from $259, while also introducing a new, $149 Wi-Fi model. Not to be left behind, Amazon, which helped jump-start the e-book reader craze, decided to cut the price on its entry-level Kindle model to $189 from $259. The punch and counterpunch has prompted more than one watcher of the space to declare that an e-book price war is about to break out. Others are musing about Amazon’s fate. All this hand-wringing is old hat for our community, because Kindle hardware or not, Amazon (AMZN) is expected to make a billion dollars from its digital book-related business this year. From where I stand, Amazon has nothing to worry about, as long as it pays attention to a few details. (And no, that doesn’t mean sharing a bigger cut of revenues with publishers.) Regardless, there are three technological reasons why the online retail giant can and will win the e-book war. Read the rest of this post on the original site » Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Eat Your Broccoli: The Guys at Longform.org Want You to Read Better [Voices]By Amanda Cormier, Reporter, The New York Observer With all the young dudes feeling so anxious about how much they have to read, the Luddites who are still reading long articles should seem to have it pretty good. Don’t they just, like, plop on the couch and read The New Yorker through their bifocals until falling into blissful, old-person sleep? I talked to Max Linsky and Aaron Lammer last week about Longform.org, the website they started a few months ago that aggregates the “greatest hits” of long-form journalism. (They’re not old.) The site is already popular with the nerdy, older journalist types who have always kept track of this stuff (Jack Shafer), but also appeals to those who ride bikes and live in Brooklyn and rarely read long-form journalism before the advent of iPhones and iPads. Read the rest of this post on the original site » Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Voices]By Natalie Ram and Michael Seringhaus, Contributors, Slate The U.S. forensic DNA database has expanded rapidly in recent years. While it was originally authorized to store the DNA profiles of only convicted violent felons, the FBI Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) now includes all federal offenders–including arrestees not yet convicted of any crime–as well as convicts from all 50 states and arrestees from many. Such expansions of the database are troubling, but at least they are explicit. More worrisome is the effective inclusion of many innocent individuals in the database, via novel and almost completely unregulated search techniques called “partial matching” and “familial searching.” By adopting one or both of these search techniques, some states are quietly expanding database coverage to “virtually” include the innocent relatives of profiled offenders–nearly always without any legislative oversight. Read the rest of this post on the original site » Source: All Things Digital | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Daily Crunch: Ride the Lightning Edition
Chocri brings you CreateMyChocolate.com
Source: CrunchGear | 22 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am RosettaStone Tablet Carries On Your Legacy Forever, Or At Least Until Current Technologies Are OutdatedBy Andrew Liszewski Since an engraved tombstone can only say so much, those who believe the world will really miss them once they’re gone can opt for a slightly more advanced memorial with this RosettaStone...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:54 am Noise Reduction In Motor Boat Cockpits And Cabins PossibleBoat manufacturers and VTT are working to develop quieter boatsBoaters increasingly require convenience and quieter boats. Boating is unpleasant for the skipper and passengers if it is difficult to hear normal conversation in the cockpit.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:51 am Hollywood faces new piracy threat (Reuters)Reuters - Movie fans downloading free pirated films are no longer Hollywood's worst nightmare, but that's only because of a newer menace: cheap, and equally illegal, subscription services.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:50 am Front & Back Clock Is Powered By 2 AA Batteries, And Isn't Ashamed Of ItBy Andrew Liszewski No, it’s not powered by the sun, or wind, or water or even urine. The Front & Back clock, created by the The Wrong Objects, is powered by a good ol’ set of AA’s...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:49 am UPDATE 1-BA strikes pension deal to keep merger on trackLONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - British Airways said it had agreed a recovery plan for its 3.7 billion pound ($5.5 billion) pension deficit, potentially removing a final obstacle to its planned merger with...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:45 am CORRECTED - CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Malaysia EON Capital delays EGM on Hong Leong* Hong Leong says may walk away if no decision by Aug 15Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:41 am Pinball Projections - The Sony 3D Projection is Themed "Imagine Football in 3D" (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Fresh on the coattails of the Samsung 3D projection, the Sony 3D projection follows up with a lively projection that spanned two buildings in Madrid, Spain. The most innovative part...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:41 am UPDATE 1-Sanofi signs up to $750 mln drug deal with Regulus* Regulus gets $25 mln upfront plus $10 equity investment * Regulus is jointly owned by Alnylam and IsisSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:30 am Europe To Import Sahara Solar Power Within 5 YearsAn anonymous reader writes "If just 1% of the Sahara Desert were covered in concentrating solar panels it would create enough energy to power the entire world. That's a powerful number, and the European Union has decided to jump on its proximity to the Sahara in order to reap some benefits from the untapped solar energy beaming down on Northern Africa. Yesterday, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger announced that Europe will start importing solar energy from the Sahara within the next five years. It is estimated that the initiative will cost €400 billion ($495 billion). It's part of an EU goal to derive 20% of its power from renewable sources by 2020. From the article: 'The EU is backing the construction of new electricity cables, known as inter-connectors, under the Mediterranean Sea to carry this renewable energy from North Africa to Europe. Some environmental groups have warned these cables could be used instead to import non-renewable electricity from coal- and gas-fired power stations in north Africa.' To this the energy minister replied, essentially, 'Good question, we'll get back to you on that.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:27 am Rucker's WARE books back in print -- and free to download!!!11!ONE!Rudy Rucker's seminal Ware cyberpunk novels (Software, Wetware, Freeware, and Realware) have been collected in a single volume from Prime Books, with an introduction by William Gibson. To celebrate, Rudy...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:19 am Rucker's WARE books back in print -- and free to download!!!11!ONE!Rudy Rucker's seminal Ware cyberpunk novels (Software, Wetware, Freeware, and Realware) have been collected in a single volume from Prime Books, with an introduction by William Gibson. To celebrate, Rudy and Prime have released the full text of the book as a free Creative Commons BY-NC-ND download!These are four of my all-time favorite sf novels; to have them back in print is cause for celebration -- a CC release on top of that? HEAVEN. (Insert "zero-day warez" joke here) Download The Ware Tetralogy (PDF) The Ware Tetralogy (RudyRucker.com)
 Source: Boing Boing | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:19 am UPDATE 1-Reliance to pay $1.35 bln for Pioneer field stake-FT* To pay $1.35 bln for 45 pct of Eagle Ford field - reportSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 22 Jun 2010 | 12:09 am South African Markets - Factors to watch on June 22JOHANNESBURG, June 22 (Reuters) - The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect South African markets on Tuesday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:59 pm Indonesian rock star surrenders over web sex clips (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:59 pm UPDATE 1-NORDIC STOCKS - Factors to watch on June 22HELSINKI, June 22 (Reuters) - The following stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Tuesday:Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:57 pm Why digital license plates are a great idea - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:44 pm Apple Telling Customers To Expect iPhone 4 A Day Early, June 23
It’s not unusual for FedEx to show screwy delivery dates in the online tracking information when a company (like Apple) has a hold on a product’s delivery until a certain date. FedEx’s systems often simply reflect how much time it would normally take to deliver the product. But what’s odd here is that Apple is emailing customers telling them to be sure they’re around on the 23rd to accept their new iPhones. And that’s not all. They also acknowledge that the tracking information may have a “later date,” but still say the 23rd will be the day. We’ve gotten about four of these tips so far — all of whom received the email below. Twitter is also abuzz with these confirmations. So could it be that FedEx will actually deliver the iPhone 4 a day early to those who pre-ordered it? I wouldn’t hold my breath, but who knows, even if Apple puts out the word at the last minute not to deliver these until the 24th, maybe some of the FedEx offices will screw up and deliver early.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:39 pm Powerful and cool ways to use Google Command LineLifehacker's Adam Pash has five really sweet little tips for getting the most out of Google new Command Line tool, which allows you to manage a wide variety of Google services from the command line.Five Really Handy Google Command Line Tricks Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:32 pm Surprise! Some pre-ordered iPhones will arrive on June 23rd
Back on Saturday, we did a quick post letting iPhone 4 pre-orderers know to check their inbox, as their iPhones had likely just hit the delivery truck. We warned, however, that just because they were on their way didn’t mean that they’d be getting them early, citing Apple’s tendency “to have tricks up their sleeves to keep these things locked down until the big day”. Well, we were wrong. We just got a flurry of tips to our inbox, all indicating the same thing: a whole bunch of folks will be getting their iPhone 4s bright and early on June 23rd, one whole day before the rest of the world. Check after the jump for the full text of the e-mail.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:32 pm New Apple terms allow them to collect and share your "precise, real-time location"iPhone/iPad users: the new version of iTunes showing up on your computer right about now has new, non-negotiable terms of service. If you install it, you "agree" to allow Apple to collect precise information about your location in real time and use it, sell it, or give it away. Apple promises that its location data is "collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you." Of course, AOL thought that the search data it released was anonymous and didn't personally identify people, either. They were wrong.Privacy Change: Apple Knows Where Your Phone Is And Is Telling People
Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:28 pm Kids' book inspired by an old BB post: "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda"
Back in 2005, Tom Angleberger read a post I put up here about Fukiami Kawahata's origami Yoda pattern. The post sparked an idea for a kid's book: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, which Lucas greenlit and Angleberger published with Amulet Books, to stellar reviews. Tom adds: "The book's about a kid who folds his own Origami Yoda and takes it to school to give other kids advice. The kid is clueless, but Origami Yoda speaks with great wisdom. (Yes, believe it or not, Lucasfilm gave us permission for all of this and even allowed Star Wars doodles in the book.)"
The Boing Boing post that inspired "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda." (Thanks, Tom!)
Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:22 pm SlingPlayer for Android now available for $30
Got a Slingbox? Got an Android phone? Time to put’em together and have some good ol’ fashion place-shifting, remote-television-viewing fun! After a good solid year’s worth of work and a few months of private beta, the Slingbox application for Android just went live in the Market for their standard price of $30 a pop. Like all Slingbox apps that come before it, this one’ll let you view and control your home TV/DVR — and for all of you sporting Sprint EVOs, this one should work just fine over a 4G connection. I just moved into a new house and my Slingbox is unfortunately in any one of many dozens of unlabeled, faceless brown boxes — so be sure to let me know how this one works, you hear?
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:15 pm Google, Twitter go to bat for Theflyonthewall (Reuters)Reuters - Google Inc and Twitter Inc have asked an appeals court to overturn a lower court's decision to bar Theflyonthewall.com from issuing immediate news on analyst research from several Wall Street banks, court documents showed.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:15 pm UBM TechInsights Releases Web Version of Patent Portfolio Management ToolOTTAWA, Ontario, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM TechInsights announced the release of the web version of PatentVista® Enterprise at the IP Business Congress (IPBC) today.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:11 pm Students create video-chat program for deaf kids Students at the Rochester Institute of Technology created an open, free video chat program for deaf students to use with their One Laptop Per Child computer: "A paper on OVC's development will be presented to an audience of representatives from all around the world. OVC is also being demonstrated at a conference table throughout the event." Open Video Chat Unveiled at NTID Technology Symposium (Thanks, Stephen!)
Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:06 pm Dyson’s new air multipliers blow (in a good way)
The original “air multiplier” was intended to be placed on your desk, and came in two sizes (either 10 inch or 12 inch). The new product line includes a tower style, and a pedestal style. Both of the new fans move 9 gallons of air per minute, come with remotes, and will be retailing for for $429.99.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:00 pm Sony, Nintendo push 3-D gaming - MiamiHerald.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:00 pm KPN Group Belgium Upgrades to Acision Open Internet Proxy to Improve Network Performance and Mobile Data ControlREADING, England, June 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- - Acision Broadband Mobility Suite to Enhance Mobile Data Experience for KPN Belgium's Customers Acision, a world leader in mobile data, today announced that KPN Group Belgium, a subsidiary of Netherlands' Koninklijke KPN, one of the most advanced telecom operators in Europe, is deploying the Acision Open Internet Proxy (OIP) to intelligently manage its mobile data traffic flow and improve network performance.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:59 pm Best Places To Work In IT 2010CWmike writes "These top-rated IT workplaces combine choice benefits with hot technologies and on-target training. Computerworld's 17th annual report highlights the employers firing on all cylinders. The Employer Scorecard ranks IT firms based on best benefits, retention, training, diversity, and career development. Also read what IT staffs have to say about job satisfaction. How's your workplace, IT folk?" Read below for a quick look at the top 10 IT workplaces according to this survey.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:58 pm Playdom Pulls Down $33 Million More In Funding – Disney’s Steamboat Ventures Gets In On The Action
But the march of the social gaming giants continues. Zynga raised another $150 million earlier this month. And now Playdom is set to announce an additional $33 million in funding – bringing their total to $76 million. This new money was added in a second closing of the Series A round at that same $260 million pre-money valuation, the company tells me. Steamboat Ventures, Disney’s venture arm, is part of this round, and they generally only make investments of strategic interest to the parent company. Bessemer Venture Partners and New World Ventures also invested. Playdom remains the largest social gaming network on MySpace (by number of installs), and continues to grow on Facebook and internationally. Lots more news coming from Playdom in the near future, we hear. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:57 pm White House guts bill that would rein in CEO salaries; you can stop themAaron Swartz has the news of how the White House is trying to gut a piece of legislation (passed by the House and the Senate) that would be key to reining in CEO compensation in large corporations:Follow the link below for the whole story and a petition to the White House. Brought to You by the Letter S (Image: on Flickr - Photo Sharing!, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from meesterdickey's photostream)
Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:53 pm 10 Apps Already Updated for iOS 4.0 - PC Magazine
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:40 pm Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 Sent to Phone Makers - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:23 pm Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 Sent to Phone Makers (PC World)PC World - Adobe Systems plans to release the final version of Flash Player 10.1 for smartphones on Tuesday, but very few people will be able to use it right away.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:20 pm Burning Question: Why Do We Still Have Power Cords?Radio waves, lasers, magnetic induction: There are plenty of ways to beam volts through the air. Sadly, none are as cheap, efficient, convenient or safe as a cord.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Burning Question: Why Do We Still Have Power Cords?Radio waves, lasers, magnetic induction: There are plenty of ways to beam volts through the air. Sadly, none are as cheap, efficient, convenient or safe as a cord.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm June 22, 1783: Icelandic Volcano Disrupts Europe's EconomyAsh from the eruption of Laki does a lot more than disrupt travel. It kills scores of thousands.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Living Machines: Verdant Art-Tech Contraption Descends Upon FranceStreet theater company La Machine introduces the newest massive member of its mechanical menagerie to Europe -- this time it's a "flying greenhouse" in France.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Altec Lansing’s Octiv Mini iPod dock actually looks quite cool
I like the look; I had to request some extra angles from AL to confirm that it actually does have that sort of weird swept-back angle. Doesn’t it look kind of fake in that picture on the right? But no, it’s an honest-to-god distinguishing look, and I for one like it. It also includes a free app for your iPhone or iPod Touch, “Alarm Rock,” which (predictably) acts as an alarm clock and lets you wake or sleep to whatever songs you like. There are probably a hundred free apps that do it just as well, but it’s a nice addition. The Octiv Mini M102 will set you back $60, which seems reasonable.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:58 pm Connecticut Leads Google Probe - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:49 pm New Fossil Sheds Light On Lucy's Family TreeI_am_sci_guy writes "A new fossil of an older, and presumably male, specimen of the same species as the famed Lucy indicates that A. afarensis may have walked and moved more like humans than was currently believed. The features of the unusually complete skeleton 'denote a nearly humanlike gait and ground-based lifestyle,' according to anthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie and his team, who found the specimen they call 'Big Man' and published preliminary results online today at PNAS (abstract; full text requires subscription). The article includes plenty of viewpoints dissenting from the conclusion that A. afarensis walked, and possibly ran, like modern humans do."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:36 pm Wikinvest Already Tracking $1 Billion In Portfolio Assets
Sometimes a startup rolls out a new feature, and it just hits the sweet spot of what consumers are craving. It looks like Wikinvest has a hit on its hands with its new realtime portfolio tracker. Less than three weeks after its launch, Wikinvest is tracking $1 billion worth of real investments tied to the real brokerage accounts of about 10,000 members. The Wikinvest portfolio tracker lets anyone link up their real brokerage accounts to Wikinvest so they can keep tabs on their actual holdings, which are updated automatically every time you make a trade. That way you don’t have to manually update your portfolio (which is what most finance sites make you do). Getting to $1 billion worth of tracked assets in such a short time suggests there is a real need for such a service. Social investing sites like Covestor and KaChing also let you track your real brokerage accounts, and even invest alongside other users—Covestor recently passed $100 million in tracked trades managed through its service. The difference is that Wikinvest’s portfolio tracker is purely an information product. Wikinvest doesn’t hold or direct any of these assets. They are all in Etrade, Schwab, Ameritrade, Fidleity, and other brokers. But Wikinvest ingests the data and gives people one place to research and track all of their investments. Co-founder Mike Sha says the “vast vast majority of the adoption was from new users.” One of the biggest requests for the product has been to add brokers who manage 401(k)s. Sha describes the pain financial consumers are feeling: “A lot of these financial institutions are really old school, whose wealth management products were centered around communicating with clients via phone calls and monthly/quarterly reports by mail. Times have changed and they’ve fallen way behind on their web-based self-service tools.”      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:03 pm NeoMagic(R) Corporation Announces Agreement with WorldGateSAN JOSE, Calif., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NeoMagic Corporation (Pink Sheets: NMGC), a pioneer in developing mobile multimedia solutions and WorldGate (OTC Bulletin Board: WGAT) a leading provider of innovative, IP multimedia telephony services, today announced the signing of an agreement for NeoMagic to sell WorldGate digital phone and video service, including WorldGate's "Ojo® Vision" video phone.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 8:22 pm Ansel Adams print sells for $722K at NYC auction (AP)AP - A mural-size photograph by Ansel Adams of Yosemite National Park has sold for more than $722,000 at auction in New York City.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 8:19 pm Every Year, Nearly 200,000 Women Are Victims Of Gender Violence In Madrid (Spain)The idea for this study arose some five years ago, when the lack of information regarding gender violence in the Autonomous Community of Madrid and its impact on the health of the women who were victims was confirmed.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:53 pm Apple’s Small Problem: iOS 4 And iPhone 4 One-Up The iPad
I’ve been using developer builds of iOS 4 (then called iPhone OS 4) for weeks now. I’ve grown very used to using things such as the new app switcher and folders. In fact, I’ve grown so used to using them that when I switch back over to the iPad now (running iPhone OS 3.2), I can’t help but feel that it in some ways seems antiquated. Yes, I know that’s ridiculous for a device that’s not even three months old yet. But the feeling lingers. I keep double-clicking the home button to bring up the app drawer, and nothing happens. And I’ve grown weary of navigating through pages and pages of apps when on my iPhone now, thanks to folders, I only have 3 pages (holding many more apps than I have on my iPad). Obviously, this is a temporary problem, since iOS 4 is coming to the iPad. But it’s one many of us are going to have to deal with for months, since iOS 4 isn’t due on the iPad until the Fall (and there isn’t even a developer release available yet). In some ways, this is reminiscent of the problem the Android platform has been having with regard to fragmentation. Some Android-powered phones can run the latest version of the Android software. Some can’t just yet (and some won’t be able to ever). I’ve had Android 2.2 on my Nexus One for weeks, but the EVO 4G still doesn’t have it. At least partially as a result, I find myself using the Nexus One a lot more. It’s just a better device, thanks in no small part to the better software. There is some of this fragmentation in the iPhone line itself. For example, iOS 4 will not run on the original iPhone. But that device is also three years old. Most iPhones and iPod touches will be able to update to iOS 4 if the user chooses to do so. That’s not the case right now with the iPad — which again, is a little odd because it’s less than three months old. It seems almost as if Apple just decided to suck it up and launch the iPad knowing it would be upstaged by this new OS it can’t yet run, just a few months later. But the problem is deeper. As I said, iOS 4 will eventually make its way to the iPad. But something launching on Thursday could be a bigger factor in making your new iPad feel a bit old: iPhone 4. The new hardware from Apple comes with two big new features your existing iPad is simply never going to get: double the RAM and a screen that is much sharper with a much higher pixel density.
As I noted after I got a chance to play with the iPhone 4 for about 20 minutes following the WWDC keynote, the new device kind of makes the iPhone 3GS feel like a toy. What I didn’t mention was how it makes the iPad feel. There’s no denying the hardware build quality of the iPad is great (much better than the iPhone 3GS and its plastic back, for example). But the screen of the iPhone 4 completely blows away the screen of the iPad. It’s even more noticeable than the difference between the iPhone 3GS screen because the iPad screen is so much bigger. I would not be surprised if using the iPhone 4 and the iPad side-by-side on a daily basis is pretty jarring — in the same way that it’s jarring to switch from my MacBook Pro with the new high resolution screen to one of the older models without it. It’s not that the iPad has a bad screen — it doesn’t at all. It’s just that it’s a fairly major downgrade from the iPhone 4′s screen. And that again, makes the iPad seem a bit dated in comparison. I didn’t use the iPhone 4 long enough to get a sense of how much the RAM will matter. But the fact that the iPhone 4 has 512 MB versus 256 MB for the iPad, should make a world of difference in things such as multitasking (again, when it eventually works on the iPad). And it should be fairly easy to tell the difference since both devices are running the same 1 GHz A4 chip. Again, I suspect this could make the iPad feel old when compared to the new iPhone. Here’s why this really matters for Apple: the iPhone 4 likely points to the updates coming to the iPad in the not-too-distant future. Are there any doubts that the Retina Display and twice the RAM will make its way to that device? So why would you buy the iPad now if the device might get these updates in say, January? The proof will be right in front of your eyes on Thursday. Sure, most average consumers may look past that. But I’d argue that it’s largely the more savvy consumers who have been buying iPads so far. Of course, in some ways, this is just an extension of the same problem Apple users have faced for years now. You know a better version of the product is coming, so you have to decide if the time is right to buy now. The difference here is that the products lines haven’t been this fragmented in the past, with major upgrades so clearly pointing out deficiencies in another major product. Apple could resolve half of this problem this Fall with a unification of iOS 4 for both iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad. But the hardware bifurcation between the lines may linger. I suspect Apple may try to ship new iPads in the January timeframe in the future, while it continues to ship new iPhones in the June timeframe to create a greater time gap between this split.      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:50 pm Schools, Filtering Companies Blocking Google SSLAn anonymous reader in the UK writes "Over the past several weeks we've discussed the rolling out of Google SSL search. Now an obstacle to the rollout has arisen, much to the frustration of school students and teachers alike. Content filter vendors have decided to block all Google SSL traffic — which also blocks access to Google Apps for Education. Google is working to appease these vendors. The questions at the heart of this situation are: Does a company (school, government) have a right to restrict SSL traffic so it can snoop your data, or does an individual have a right to encrypted Internet facilities? And, is the search data you create your data, or is it your employer's (school's)? IANAL but blocking SSL search seems at odds with the UK Data Protection Act, because some local governments here may be using the very same filtering service for their employees. It would also seem to go against the spirit of FIPS in the US (though I appreciate that federal standards are separate from schools in the States)."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:49 pm Study Sheds Light On Reducing Energy CostsNew research examines benefits of importing and exporting electricityA new research project at the University of Leicester is examining the problem of high electricity prices around the world.Kwanruetai Boonyasana, a PhD student in the Department of Economics, University of Leicester, is currently writing a thesis on "World Electricity Co-operation".She is examining how such co-operation may play a major role in redressing the problem of high electricity prices around the world.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:48 pm ARS And New Mexico Scientists Take A Long Look At Livestock And LocoweedKeeping livestock away from poisonous locoweed during seasons when it's a forage favorite is one way ranchers can protect their animals and their profits, according to a 20-year collaboration by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their university partners.The ARS researchers teamed up with New Mexico State University (NMSU) scientists to study locoweed poisoning in U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:45 pm Young Children Are Skilled NegotiatorsPurpose of negotiationsChildren use different strategies to agree during play. Through their choices, they learn how they can change what has been agreed for play.The study looked at children aged two and three. In their negotiations they demonstrated invention, creativity, enthusiasm, industry, involvement, activity and problem-solving strategies.The results show that children's negotiations form part of their play, and that these negotiations have a clear purpose: to agree on both how they can be together in their play and the content of their play.Do not intervene"A pedagogical consequence of the results is that adults shouldn't intervene too early in children's negotiations," says Alvestad. "Just give the children time! Negotiations fit in well with the curriculum's talk of children's participation. The fact that children work towards the best solution also ties in well with the idea of democracy in preschool."What's more, adults shouldn't intervene thinking that there's a conflict between the children, as it is frequently a negotiation that's happening, which requires a different approach."Agreement or disagreementSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:38 pm Language Competition In Rwanda And UgandaDespite the fact that the African languages in Rwanda and Uganda are marginalised in most formal domains in society, they are used far more extensively than commonly believed.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:37 pm Both Fixed And Varying Gender Patterns In Children's Everyday ActivitiesExercising responsibilityIn her study, the role of sub-teacher involves a positive exercising of responsibility in more teacher-oriented work, and is a role that is assumed by both boys and girls.The function of maintaining order as shock absorbers and the responsibility for mixing up groups is, however, something that is given only to girls. The primary role of shock absorbers is to calm down rowdy boys."It's based on an idea of girls' expected maturity, which in turn builds on traditional patterns and cements stereotypical expectations," says Odenbring.Boys physically closeSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:36 pm Pre-Stored Phrases Make It Easier To Be Part Of A ConversationResearchers at the University of Gothenburg have now developed a system where pre-stored phrases are used in addition to writing, with a view to making communication faster and more easy-going for people with serious speech disorders.In her doctoral thesis on general linguistics at the University of Gothenburg, speech and language therapist Bitte Rydeman has studied how these communication aids can be made more user-friendly.She worked with recorded conversations from various activities and investigated the activity structures and communicative acts that were used in the conversations.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:33 pm Rabbinic Dreams During Late AntiquityDreams have always held significance for human beings through the ages, and dreaming has been associated with a multitude of different notions. The idea of dreams functioning as a link between humans and the divine has been particularly common.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:31 pm Square Enix considering adding Move support to Final Fantasy XIV
In a recent interview on the Playstation Blog, Hiromichi Tanaka discussed the possibility of adding Move support to the MMORPG. He admitted that they haven’t had a chance to try out the Move, and while there are currently no “official plans” to add Move support, they are interested in the new device. With both the MMO and the Move coming out this year, I think it’s safe to expect an official announcement in the near future. [via 1UP]
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:30 pm Apple: Here's How to Opt Out of Our Targeted Ads (But Not Our Location Tracking) [MediaMemo]
In the case of Apple (AAPL), that means reading the new 45-page privacy policy that comes with the iOS 4 update and finding the section about cookies. Actually, you don’t have to do that–iLounge already highlighted it for us:
So that’s pretty much the same tack that Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO) and others big Web ad players (not Facebook, though) have taken to ad targeting and privacy–if you don’t want to see targeted ads, you don’t have to see targeted ads. But you’re still going to see ads. And figuring out how to opt out of targeting will take a little bit of doing (here are the opt-out pages for Google and Yahoo, which they describe as ad “managers”). Note that this deals only with Apple’s home-grown ad network, not third-party outfits like Medialets or Millenial Media. Then again, Apple isn’t giving the biggest mobile ad network, Google’s AdMob, access to targeting data at all. As others have noted, Apple’s same privacy policy doesn’t give iPhone users any choice when it comes to location data on their phones–it is tracking their location, and reserves the right to share it with “partners and licensees.” Whether or not that creeps you out likely depends on your attitude toward services like Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter: If you spend your time broadcasting your status to the world, it’s hard to get riled up about Apple keeping tabs on you, too. But if you’re a private soul, Apple offers this promise: “This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services.” Feel better? OK, how about this–Steve Jobs at D8, promising to protect users’ privacy:
That’s a pretty straightforward, simple proposition–much more so than Apple’s confusing legalese. If Apple really wants to appease privacy worriers, it ought to update its policy with words that sound like the ones Jobs spoke earlier this month. Source: All Things Digital | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:30 pm Some may get iPhone 4 on Wednesday, a day early - USA Today
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:23 pm Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics
I'm so happy that lots of old comic book stories that otherwise would have been forgotten are being reprinted in fat, inexpensive anthologies like this one: The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics, edited by Craig Yoe.
My 7-year-old daughter and I are having a wonderful time reading these funny and deeply weird children's comic book stories from the 1940s and 1950s, featuring art by some of the tops names in the field: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Carl Barks, Walt Kelly, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, and other cartoon giants. At 304 pages, we'll get many nights of entertainment out of this collection. The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:07 pm Zuckerberg Says Location Features “Soon”, Admits To Using Spotify In The U.S. Facebook has been wooing the UK developer and media community over the weekend and today in London. It's hard to believe that three months ago the social network was being pilloried in the media here for being perceived to have played some part in a brutal murder.
But at the first official Facebook developer day to be held outside California, Mark Zuckerberg and his European team pulled off a flawless event at London's vast Barbican Centre, while throwing out a few hints about the future.
The most interesting was Zuckerberg's hint that location based features were coming to the platform. To a packed audience he said: "We are finishing designing our application soon and hope to offer it soon." Whether that means integrating location data from the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla was not elaborated on.
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:45 pm Quora’s Highly Praised Q&A Service Launches To The Public (And The Real Test Begins)
Quora was attracting plenty of attention since the day it launched its private beta, but things really picked up in March, when we heard that the service raised around $11 million from Benchmark Capital at a whopping $86 million valuation (the WSJ says it eventually raised $14 million at a $87.5 million valuation, so there’s some discrepancy here that may be due to additional investors other than Benchmark). At the time, we sat down with Benchmark’s Matt Cohler and Quora cofounders Adam D’Angelo and Charlie Cheever, who outlined their goals with Quora and how they would face looming hurdles. Their biggest challenge is about to begin. Quora has generated attention not just because of its slick interface, but because of the extremely high quality of its answers up until this point — it isn’t unusual for someone to ask a question and have it answered by a top expert in the field within a matter of hours (or less). Likewise, questions about various Internet companies often attract answers from longtime employees. The big question now is whether or not Quora will be able to maintain that quality as it deals with an influx of new users. When we asked about this during our interview, here’s what they said:
In other words, the site is going to help users filter out questions and answers by signing them up for the topics they’re interested in (something the site seems to be quite good at now, but may prove more difficult as the number of questions and topics increases quickly). However, if quality begins to suffer, the site will clamp down once again on new signups. Quora founder (and former Facebook CTO) Adam D’Angelo shared some more details on this launch in an answer on his own site:
Quora faces plenty of competition from incumbents like Yahoo’s hugely popular Answers service, though the answer quality there tends to be poor. Even more threatening is Facebook Questions, the Q&A service that Facebook is currently testing in private beta and could be a new Facebook “killer app”. That said, one user we spoke to said that the service felt different from Quora because it “seems to be more intimate/fun/terse than intellectual/useful/detailed”, which is where Quora’s strength has been so far.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:09 pm Prices Slashed For Nook, Kindle E-Readersb0bby sends in a report from ZDNet about the sudden outbreak of a price war in e-reader devices. "On Monday, Barnes & Noble cut the price of the 3G Nook to $199. It also launched a $149 Wi-Fi version. Just hours later, Amazon responded by cutting the price of the Kindle to $189. At $259, the price of the Kindle and Nook just 24 hours ago, an e-reader purchase competed with an Apple iPad, which started at $499 for a Wi-Fi version. Below $200, a dedicated e-reader purchase makes a lot more sense." Sony dropped prices for its readers three months ago, but the move didn't kick off a price war at that time. Some believe that dedicated e-readers are doomed in the long run to lose out to general-purpose devices such as the iPad — and its coming imitators, many of which will be based on Google Android.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:02 pm Amazon, Barnes & Noble slash e-reader prices (Reuters)Reuters - Amazon.com Inc and Barnes & Noble Inc reduced prices of their electronic readers on Monday, responding to the threat from Apple Inc's iPad tablet computer.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:01 pm Gallery: Behind the Scenes at American Museum of Natural HistoryFilled with dinosaur skulls, frozen DNA and meteorites, the backrooms, basement and closets of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City are just as -- if not more -- interesting than the museum itself.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm More thoughts on iOS 4 for iPhone (Christopher Null)Christopher Null - If you’re wondering why no work is getting done around your office today, it’s because everyone is hunkered down exploring the new features of the new iOS 4 for iPhone.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:42 pm Photo of a tuberculosis isolation tent in Haiti
Here's another photo taken by my ER nurse friend Jenny last week in Port au Prince. Tuberculosis is airborne and patients need to be in complete isolation, but given limited resources this is the best they can do.
Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:38 pm Racing to Fill Gaps Left by Google [Voices]By Jessica E. Vascellaro, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal The race to build a successor to Web search is heating up as a number of young companies seek to fill gaps they see with Google Inc. (GOOG). One of the hopefuls, Quora Inc., launched to the public Monday evening after months of private testing. The Palo Alto, Calif., company, co-founded by two early Facebook Inc. engineers, wants to collect and organize information people have in their heads but that may not be available online, such as background on the inner workings of a company and advice on how to get a reservation at an exclusive restaurant. The service allows people to pose and answer questions–working behind the scenes to route questions to the users who can best answer them. People must use their real name on the site, and register by connecting their Quora accounts with a Facebook or Twitter account, which helps Quora connect them to people they know using the service. “It really seems like a big opportunity to get all this stuff that isn’t on the Web onto the Web,” said Quora co-founder Charlie Cheever, who started the company with partner Adam D’Angelo in April 2009. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:35 pm E-Readers Race To The Bottom As Tablet Market Solidifies
What can you expect from the e-readers? Well, first of all they can and must cut the hell out of the price, and that’s what we’re seeing now.      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:31 pm E-readers race to the bottom as tablet market solidifies
And Kobo, as a newer entry (but still with Borders backing), has even less to spend, not to mention the fact that they have introduced themselves as a less feature-packed device. Just an e-reader, not that there’s anything wrong with that. They’ll have to respond, though; your average consumer, seeing a Kobo and a Nook at the same price, will likely go with the Nook every time, and will be right to do so. They’ve made a good show of putting their e-reader app on as many platforms as possible and their hardware was custom OEM, so maybe they’re going to take the French leave from the hardware game? It’s hard to say.
In addition to being a loss leader, putting your product out there makes a wedge, as well. A customer who has one of your devices and enjoys it is more likely to upgrade when the next one comes out — and if the positioning is right, the price won’t matter nearly as much as the first one. After all, you’re selling a new version of something they already enjoy — you don’t have to sell the entire experience. Your consumer base will have self-selected, or at least that’s a reasonable hope. The elephant in the room is iPad &co., of course. It’s unquestionably a more versatile device, but it’s unquestionably more expensive as well. This will be the case with all tablets for the time being. It’s the e-reader sellers’ job to make the e-reader a completely separate purchase from a tablet. If there’s feature overlap, play it down. Play up the low cost, the better screen for reading, the battery life, and of course the simplicity. The Kobo was nothing more than a pile of books. That’s what a lot of people want! The hard part is convincing them to pay for it whether they’re buying an iPad or not.
Here’s what I expect: the first mass-market reader (this means no random devices with extremely limited availability) to get below $100 will experience major sales; $100 is a magic number for impulse purchases, and the funny thing is that at that point, features don’t really matter. The main feature is e-book reading. They’ve all got that. Features like annotation and on-device browsing are a bonus people can do without, since it’s easy enough to sync and SD cards will hold hundreds of books. Exclusive book deals and that sort of thing will seem like cheap tricks to consumers, and they can always buy a paperback for almost the same price if they really want it. The premium e-readers will go down in price but unless they’re prepared to lose more money than the next guy (who has a cheaper device to begin with), they’re going to lose their shirts to single-serving devices that don’t try to do more than they need to. That’s my fantasy, anyway. In reality, we’ve got the education market still waiting to choose sides, and new devices almost certainly on the horizon which may tip the balance of power. There’s one thing you can count on, though: e-reader makers will recognize the drive to beat tablets on features as quixotic, and will focus instead on value and usability. Not a bad choice if you ask me.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:30 pm ThinkGeek's Best Ever Cease-and-Desist LetterThinkGeek, sister company to Slashdot, received a meticulously researched (except on one point) 12-page cease-and-desist letter from the National Pork Board. What had the meat lobbyists up in arms was an April Fools product from the TG catalog: Radiant Farms Canned Unicorn Meat, whose copy included the line "the new white meat." The NPB figured this was confusingly similar to their trademarked "the other white meat" (an advertising slogan the pork industry is considering retiring anyway). Geeknet, parent company of Thinkgeek and Slashdot, issued a press release apologizing for any confusion; you can read it on ThinkGeek's site (PDF), because the newswires refused to distribute it for some reason. Oh, and ThinkGeek has no intention of taking down the protected parody.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:17 pm Amazon cuts Kindle price to $189 after Nook move (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:14 pm Confirmed: Kinect Bundles and a New $199 Xbox
At a Microsoft internal marketing Q&A session, representative proffer a little more details regarding the new slim Xbox. Announced last week at E3, the new slim design Xbox, comes with both WiFi and a 250 GB hard drive all for $299. Right now Microsoft has reduced their price of the elite and arcade models to $249 and $149 respectively. As far as a new lower priced slim model similar to the arcade, Microsoft simply commented, “We will offer a $199 Xbox 360 this fall.” Also mentioned are the new Kinect bundles. If you can wait for the new Xbox to come bundled with Kinect, you will save $50 off the standalone price of $150 for Kinect. Expect a Kinect bundle with the 250 GB Xbox to go for $399, and of course when that “arcade” model gets announced, look to spend $299 to see it bundled with Kinect.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:13 pm Arbitron Acquires Technology, Assets, and Intellectual Property of Integrated Media Measurement, Inc.COLUMBIA, Md., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) announced today it has acquired the technology portfolio, patents, and trade name from Integrated Media Measurement, Inc. (IMMI), now known as Audience Measurement Technologies, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:03 pm Eight hazards faced by attendees of E3 2010FROM GAMERTELL - E3 isn’t all fun and games. It can be hazardous to your health. Check out eight risks you face if you decide to attend E3… Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:01 pm Dyson Fans Evolve From the Desk to the FloorNEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- As the majority of the U.S. heads into the summer months, Dyson has the answer for sweltering temperatures with the latest Dyson Air Multiplier(TM) fans: the AM02 Tower and the AM03 Pedestal.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:01 pm Spansion Moves to New York Stock ExchangeSUNNYVALE, Calif., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spansion Inc. (NYSE Amex: CODE), a leading provider of Flash memory solutions, announced today that it has received authorization to list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:54 pm Verizon Signals the End of the Unlimited Data Plan
The unlimited data plan party could end soon. Verizon Wireless has hinted it is likely to follow AT&T and restrict the amount of data consumers can suck in through their phones. “We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate,” Verizon’s chief financial officer John Killian told Bloomberg. For nearly 90 percent of smartphone users, new pricing plans are unlikely to make a big difference in how they use their phones, says Chetan Sharma, who runs a consulting firm focusing on telecom issues. But for super-users, this could signal a change in how smartphones and apps are designed. It could force developers and entrepreneurs to take a second look at how data is delivered and optimized. “So far, the ecosystem hasn’t paid attention to delivery efficiency,” says Sharma. “Content developers rarely care how much data is being transferred over their app. Now there’s room for technology that can help change that.” Wireless service providers’ decision to do away with unlimited data plans plans runs orthogonal to what smartphones makers are doing. Smartphones today are in a race to offer more storage, along with the ability to shoot high-definition videos and photos. And they encourage you to share, uploading those files to YouTube and Flickr. Add to that video chat capability, especially over cellular networks, and there’s more stress than ever on the network. “It was unsustainable,” says Sharma. “It couldn’t have gone on forever.” After Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, it unlocked a world where users spend more time surfing on the phones, playing with apps and watching YouTube clips than talking on their phone. A Consumer Reports study found that the average iPhone user consumes 273 MB of data per month. About 4 percent users in that study gobbled an average of 1 GB per month. Sharma estimates an average iPhone consumer uses about 600 MB a month, while a smartphone user who’s not on the iPhone or using an Android device takes in about 300 MB of data monthly. Unless, something changes, that data consumption will only go up, especially with the introduction of more powerful smartphones, straining the network’s capacity, he says. With the iPhone, AT&T has been the first to feel the pain. In response, earlier this month, AT&T introduced a tiered pricing structure for data. Instead of a flat monthly fee of about $30 for unlimited data, AT&T users will now pay $15 a month for 200 MB, or $25 a month for $2GB. (See what AT&T’s limited data plans mean for you.) Verizon is not changing the status quo just yet. The company has hinted it will introduce tiered data pricing plans as it opens up its LTE or 4G network. 4G data cards on the Verizon’s network could be launched later this year, followed by the first 4G smartphone next year, estimates Sharma. A Verizon spokesperson declined to comment on when the company plans to introduce new data pricing plans. “Unlimited pricing works well when you are trying to create demand,” says Sharma. “But now carriers are facing the reality that while their data revenue is fixed, their costs keep going up.” Last year, approximately 70 percent of data traffic on wireless networks came from data cards. This year, smartphones will pretty much account for all data requests, says Sharma. “The iPhone has catapulted the whole data issue to the forefront.” See Also:
Photo: (DJOtaku/Flickr) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:50 pm Remote-Control 'Tron Legacy' Light Cycle Defies GravityNew toys, videogames and hardware drummed up by Disney take their design cues from the popular sci-fi franchise.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:50 pm California license plates may go digital, turn into billboards
Currently, the plates would only display ads while the vehicles are stopped, and the license number would be displayed (admittedly smaller) on the plates at all times, but this still sounds like a terrible idea to me. Light up advertising on a license plate? This just seems like an incredibly annoying idea that should die in the California legislature. [via Boston.com]
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:45 pm SimpleGeo Becomes iOS 4-Aware. Geofencing And Background Tracking Ready To Roll
The location infrastructure startup is today adding to its array of options, iOS 4 location support. With it, companies will be able to implement background location services for iOS 4 with a few simple code tweaks. How easy is it to implement with SimpleGeo? Geofencing, the ability to track when a user crosses a certain location-based plane, will take about six lines of code, co-founder Joe Stump tells us. Background Tracking will take about 30 lines of code. From what I hear, this is much, much simpler than trying to write this stuff yourself. And this is all done in SimpleGeo’s cloud. As an example, Stump tells us, “So you basically just say, ‘Track parislemon’ and we handle that in our API along with record history.’” “I can then come back and say, ‘Show me the last 10 places parislemon was‘,” Stump continues. Creepy? Sort of. Powerful and easy? Yes. Another example is that when you switch neighborhoods with a location service, it could alert you that someone you know is around you (similar to something Loopt 3.0 offers). Or SimpleGeo’s data could offer you the ability to do something as easy as automatically know when you enter a new state and give you a message like: “Welcome to the Sunshine State.“ SimpleGeo hasn’t yet determined full pricing for this option, but Stump notes that the first million calls will be free. He gives a full technical overview of how exactly this all works in his post on the matter.      
Source: TechCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:39 pm Technologent Qualified to Resell and Implement Vblock Infrastructure PackagesLAKE FOREST, Calif., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Technologent, a nationwide Solutions Integrator, announced today it has joined the Vblock partner ecosystem, a community of partners that are qualified to design and deliver Vblock(TM) Infrastructure Packages.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:37 pm First RIAA File Sharing Trial Morphs Into Groundhog DayThe nation's first file sharing trial is morphing into a legal Groundhog Day of sorts. The judge presiding over the Jammie Thomas-Rasset case is ordering mediation with the Recording Industry Association of America -- for the third time -- and neither side is budging. A third trial is on its way.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:33 pm States Launch Joint Probe of Google Wi-Fi SnoopingCWmike writes "As many as 30 states could join an investigation into Google's collection of personal information from unprotected wireless networks, Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal announced today. Google's response was similar to what it said earlier this month: 'It was a mistake for us to include code in our software that collected payload data, but we believe we didn't break any US laws. We're working with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns.' Google already faces investigations by privacy authorities in several European countries, including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. In the US, Google faces multiple civil lawsuits, and the company has been asked for more information from several congressmen as a preliminary step to a legislative hearing. Google has asked that the lawsuits be consolidated and moved to a California federal court's jurisdiction."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:32 pm Toshiba Libretto W100 Looks Promising for Mobile Workers (PC World)PC World - The new Toshiba Libretto W100 looks like an impressive system that will appeal to companies with workers in the field and on the road. It's a handy little device (7.95 x 4.84 x 1.2 inches weighing in at 1.8 pounds) that could easily replace many organizations' proprietary, custom-designed, hand-held systems.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:31 pm Manute Bol's legacy: did he invent the phrase 'my bad'? Manute Bol, a former NBA player and human rights activist from Sudan, died this past Saturday at age 47. Most of us remember him as once being the tallest guy in the NBA (he was 7'7") and for his uncanny ability to block and shoot three-pointers really well (most basketball players of that stature don't shoot three-pointers that often). Bol was known for some things other than basketball, too. Most importantly, he used a majority of his earnings from his basketball career to raise money for Sudanese refugees and youth. He is also the only known NBA player who once killed a lion with a spear. He was once fined $25K for missing two exhibition games because he was busy with peace talks with Sudanese rebel leaders in Washington DC. Some also speculate that he may have invented — or at least popularized — the phrase "my bad." In 2005, a UPenn language blog (found via the Washington Post) concluded that: [a friend] emailed me to say that he heard the phrase was first used by the Sudanese immigrant basketball player Manute Bol, believed to have been a native speaker of Dinka (a very interesting and thoroughly un-Indo-Europeanlike language of the Nilo-Saharan superfamily). Says Arneson, "I first heard the phrase here in the Bay Area when Bol joined the Golden State Warriors in 1988, when several Warriors players started using the phrase." And Ben Zimmer's rummaging in the newspaper files down in the basement of Language Log Plaza produced a couple of early 1989 quotes that confirm this convincingly:Although I am somewhat hesitant to believe that such a widely used phrase could be attributed to the language mishaps of one person, I think it's totally possible and likely that Bol had a huge part to play in its wide use in sports. RIP Manute Bol. Your presence on the court will never be forgotten. (Thanks Matt Flannery for the tip!) Hands-on with iOS 4 update for iPhone, iPod Touch (Ben Patterson)Ben Patterson - At last, the latest major update for the iPhone and iPod Touch is available for download via iTunes, bringing with it such long-awaited features as multitasking, a unified e-mail inbox and home-screen app folders. Should you upgrade? Well, yeah, but don't expect all your apps to start working in the background just yet.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:12 pm Nintendo 3DS graphics chipset revealed
The DMP PICA200 (PICA200, I choose you!) appears to be quite capable to be honest, it’s a 200mhz chip that will put out 15.3 million polygons per second, 800 million pixels, and full screen anti-aliasing. All in all, a most capable graphic chip powering the next generation of portable gaming. Of course, we don’t have much other information about the 3DS (like the CPU), but overall it’s looking positive and should meet expectations. [via Joystiq]
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Special Master Appointed In Jammie Thomas CaseNewYorkCountryLawyer writes "There has been another odd development in the Jammie Thomas-Rassett case. You may recall that after the judge reduced the RIAA's verdict from $1.92 million to $54,000 on the grounds that $54,000 was the maximum amount a jury could reasonably award, the RIAA opted for a third trial instead of allowing judgment to be entered. Its reasoning in making that call has never been clear, since there seemed little point in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trial which could produce no more than a judgment for $54,000 or less. Apparently the court thinks taxpayers' money could be better spent, and has appointed a 'Special Master' to bring about 'meaningful settlement discussions,' with the Master's $400-per-hour fee to be paid by the RIAA. One commentator suggests the RIAA should at this juncture just say, 'Thanks Jammie, we've had all we can get out of you and caused you enough grief — pay us $1 and we'll forget about it.' Actually doing that would be a lot less costly and more reasonable that what they appear to have in mind."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:47 pm In Price War, E-Readers Go Below $200 - New York Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:44 pm Fact-checking the oil spill (or, at least, what politicians have to say about it)Politifact has dug into the reality behind some of the top political talking points surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Check their Truth-o-Meter for one-glance debunking, or read in-depth detail. (Via Erin Biba) Source: Boing Boing | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:37 pm Barnes & Noble updates Nook to version 1.4Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Barnes & Noble isn’t content with merely announcing a new WiFi-only Nook and cutting the price of the original Nook. The book store has decided to bring out a new firmware version for both Nooks. The Nook 1.4 update doesn’t seem to add as many big updates as version 1.3. The biggest addition to 1.4 seems to be the finally added “go to page” feature so you no longer have to find a page by going to the chapter than flipping through screens. The update also brings an extra large font size for those who have trouble seeing the existing fonts. The final update is adding AT&T hotspot capabilities, so every time you stumble across an AT&T hotspot with a Nook, it’ll be free to use. As always with Barnes & Noble updates to the Nook, you can download it to a computer now and manually update the ebook reader. Automatic updates will come over WiFi only within the next week. The update may not be that substantial, but does add some needed features. If nothing else, Barnes & Noble has been quick to release it’s updates for the Nook. This is the fourth update since the reader was released less than seven months ago at the end of November, which is fairly impressive. That paired with the new lower price might just make the Nook an even more worthy opponent to the Kindle, even if both might be fighting against the iPad instead of each other. Read [Barnes & Noble] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:21 pm Lucy's Ancestor, 'Big Man,' RevealedThe discovery could reshape what scientists know about Lucy and her species.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:15 pm Teradata Aggregate Designer Optimizes Performance of Analytic Applications for Smarter Business DecisionsSAN DIEGO, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) today introduced the Teradata Aggregate Designer software, which will optimize Online Analytic Processing (OLAP) implementations providing faster in-database processing and richer data for analytics.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:15 pm S&P Equity Research Picks Apple Inc. Focus Stock of the WeekNEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Apple Inc. (AAPL: $274) has been picked by Standard & Poor's Equity Research as its Focus Stock of the Week. AAPL carries S&P's highest investment recommendation of 5-STARS, or Strong Buy.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:13 pm Location Labs Launches Location-as-a-Service PlatformSAN FRANCISCO, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Location Labs Inc. announces the launch of its Location-as-a-Service Platform today, providing location APIs for developers to build next-generation location features in their applications.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 Jun 2010 | 3:12 pm Cartoon Characters Influence What Kids EatAny parent who has ever gone to the grocery store with a young child knows the horrors of what happens when they see their favorite junk food. Their eyes grow wide, their bottom lip quivers and their sweet little voices ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:48 pm E3 2010: Sony E3 2010 press conference photo gallery (with Killzone 3 video)FROM GAMERTELL - Gamertell gathered several snaps from Sony’s press event. Click through to get digital glimpses of all the gaming goodness that was revealed and happened on stage… Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:46 pm Pepper Mouth sits on your desk, sprays noxious fumes whenever you swear online
The Pepper Mouth sits on your desk, monitoring your input to the computer. When a bad word is typed (for shame!), it lights up for a moment, allowing you to retract the cuss, but if you won’t (or can’t), it releases the fumes. The inventor doesn’t really say what it smells like, but I can tell you this: it ain’t roses. Charlie at Dvice suggests that this little guy be keyed not to swear words, but to writing cliches. Man, I agree. If they set up this thing to a reliable grammar check and it puffed up a stank-cloud every time you used the passive voice or failed to address a dangling participle, I would buy one for everyone on the team.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:45 pm Cassini Skims Through Titan's Upper AtmosphereCassini makes its closest-ever approach to Titan Sunday, dipping within 547 miles of Saturn's most Earthlike moon to get a taste of its magnetic fields.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:39 pm Amazon Cuts Price of the Kindle
The e-reader price wars is on. Amazon has cut the price of its Kindle e-book reader to $190 from $260 earlier. Amazon’s move comes in response to Barnes & Noble’s price cut on the Nook earlier Monday. The Kindle will still be slightly more expensive than the basic version of the Nook. A Wi-Fi only version of the Nook is now available for $150, while a 3G model will cost $200. With the latest round of price wars, the distinction between e-readers and tablets is also becoming clear. Tablets and E Ink-based reading devices are likely to co-exist by targeting different groups of consumers based on their purchasing power, the extent of interactivity they need and their reading patterns. That means two sets of products: Tablets with color displays and lots of features that cost $400 or more, and inexpensive black-and-white E Ink-powered e-readers that will soon be available for $150 or less. Despite the launch of tablets such as Apple’s iPad, e-book readers continue to be popular among consumers. About seven million e-readers will be sold this year, estimates Forrester. A recent poll by consumer electronics search website Retrevo showed 45 percent of casual readers–those who read one book every few months–say they plan to buy an iPad now instead of an e-reader. But among avid readers–those who read more than five books a month–only 14 percent say they will go for an iPad over an e-reader. “In other words Apple will still attract many e-reader buyers but Kindle owners might buy more books,” says Retrevo in its blog post. The web site polled 1000 people through an independent panel. That’s good news for Amazon and Barnes & Noble who are betting on sales of more digital books. E-readers such as Kindle and Nook will help them in that goal. See Also:
Photo: Kindle (Brian Vallelunga/Flickr) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:37 pm Amazon lowers Kindle pricing down to $189Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks
Product [Amazon] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:11 pm Jaws - You Weren't Always ScaryHappy Birthday Jaws! You showed up in theaters 35 years ago today and have pwned beachgoers ever since. Since the summer of 1975, you've made swimmers, divers, boaters and small-town police chiefs think twice about going in the ocean. You ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:08 pm Verizon posts DroidX teaser, complete with all sorts of hidden details
Oh, you thought Verizon was done dumping mad money into advertising their Droid line after the launch of the first one? Yeah, nope. They’ve just posted a crazy flashy teaser video for the Droid X — a handset that isn’t even officially announced yet — complete with hidden easter eggs for the detail obsessed. Join us after the break for the frame-by-frame. 0:01 - The eyeball above sets the ultra-creepy, Clockwork-Orange-esque mood right away.
0:02 – DroidLanding? A quick google search lead to this Twitter account. Its been around for about an hour, and already has as many Twitter followers as I do. That’s either a success on Verizon’s part, or a failure on mine.
0:03 – We already knew the Droid X had a 4.3″ display, but this positively confirms that it’s a WVGA (854×480) resolution screen, and not the slightly-higher-res screen that late rumors had indicated might slip into the shipping units.
0:06 – HDMI Output
0:07 – 8 Megapixel camera
0:09 – There’s nothing hidden here — it’s just damned cool to look at.
0:14 – 07.2010. Through the user of advanced mathematics, science, and witchcraft, we were able to deduce that this translates to the month of July 2010. In other words: while Verizon will announce the Droid X on June 23rd, it probably won’t ship until July. That’s probably a good idea, given that the iPhone 4 launches on the 24th; for a case study on what happens when you launch a device right before a new iPhone comes out, see the Palm Pre. Yeah, yeah — we already knew just about all of the details that were tucked into this video. Still, you’ve gotta appreciate that someone at Verizon is throwing in little bits for those obsessive enough to notice them. The full video is embedded below. Spot anything else in it? Let us know in the comments.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 2:00 pm Rise of the Undead SeaPlans are afoot to divert waters from the Red Sea into the Dead Sea, but preliminary experiments in mixing the waters yielding strange results.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:59 pm Targeted Ads Will Let You Spy on Them for a ChangeLater this summer, the targeted advertisements you encounter online will include easy access to information about why they were targeted to you -- and allow you to opt out of receiving such ads -- thanks to the FTC's pressure on advertisers.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:48 pm Video: OnLive cloud gaming serviceFROM GAMERTELL - Check out our video demonstrating OnLive running on a normal laptop. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:30 pm Dance Dance Revolution: 20 Robots Think They Can Dance
When 20 robots wave their mechanical hands and bend their knees in harmony to French composer Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece Bolero, it is a sight worth seeing. A troupe of Nao fully programmable robots developed by a French company are doing an impressive song-and-dance routine at the ongoing Shanghai World Expo. On Monday, which is the France Pavilion Day at the Expo, the robots put on a 10-minute performance to a three-part music compilation. It’s awesome and a little cute to see the robots move together in sync to the music and the choreography. Priced at about 10,000 Euros each, that’s almost $250,000 worth of dancing robots there. Check out this 8-minute long YouTube video for a look at the robots grooving to the music: The Nao robot developed by Aldebaran Robotics weighs about 9.5 lbs and is about 23 inches tall. The robot comes with x86 AMD Geocode 500 Mhz CPU, 2 GB flash memory, two speakers, vision processing capabilities, Wi-fi connectivity and ethernet port. It has 25 degrees of freedom, which means it can do a lot more than just tilt is head, look right, left and take a few steps –which is the ability being showcased with the dancing. The Nao robots are also playing at Robocup, the annual humanoid robots soccer game, that will be held in Singapore later this week. Hopefully, they will do better than France’s national team at the World Cup. The robots are currently available only to universities though a general release is expected later this year. See more photos of the Nao robots at work on their dance routine:
See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:28 pm Video: How Leaping Fish Species Left the Water -- For GoodHigh-speed video reveals how a little-studied land-going fish gets around, by leaping from rock to rock -- and even up vertical surfaces.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:28 pm Kindle gets major price drop, now $189 (down from $259)
Could this indicate that a new Kindle is on the way? Obviously! Or… it’s about that nook thing.
Source: CrunchGear | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:26 pm Dell Hops On Google Chrome OS Bandwagon - ChannelWeb
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:26 pm Apple Launches iOS 4 for iPhone, iPod Touch
Apple on Monday quietly rolled out the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 4 (formerly named iPhone OS 4). The upgrade introduces several key features such as multitasking, a unified inbox for e-mail and the ability to group apps into folders. The new elements of iOS 4 have been covered thoroughly by Apple and here at Wired.com, so there isn’t much to add. (If you want a nice deep dive, check out Jacqui Cheng’s review of iOS 4 at ArsTechnica.) But we can tell you the new update runs considerably smoother and faster than iPhone OS 3, and overall it’s a fantastic free update. Will it work on your iDevice? Here’s what you need to know: iPhone owners
iPod Touch owners
iPad owners
Ready to go? Here’s how to install the update: 1. Upgrade your iTunes version to 9.2. 2. We recommend you back up your data before running the install, so plug in your iOS device via USB and hit Sync. 3. When you’re done syncing, click Check for Update. 4. Download iOS 4, then follow the on-screen instructions to install. And you’re done! Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:03 pm Apple Launches iOS 4 for iPhone, iPod TouchApple just released iOS 4, a major software upgrade for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Here's what you need to know.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:00 pm Apple Launches iOS 4 for iPhone, iPod TouchApple just released iOS 4, a major software upgrade for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Here's what you need to know.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 1:00 pm Microsoft gets around to launching a Windows Live Messenger app for iPhone  Two years. Thats how long the iPhone App Store has been around. That’s also how long it’s taken for Microsoft to launch their Windows Live Messenger application for the iPhone, available today. In those same two years, dozens upon dozens of all-in-one IM service aggregation apps (Some of which, like Meebo, are free while others, like BeeJive, are not) have launched with Live Messenger support. If none of these previously existing apps satiate your hardcore Live Messenger needs, you can find Microsoft’s official offering here.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 12:51 pm Appletell reviews Ultrasone Zino S-Logic HeadphonesFROM APPLETELL - Distinctive Ultrasone technology means the Zino S-Logic headphones deliver a sound that is close to being there in person, while still being offered in a small package at a reasonable price. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 12:28 pm Oh, by the way: iOS 4 is now available.
In the off chance that you’re not already running the leaked iOS 4 gold master and haven’t been pounding the iTunes update button all morning, we figured you’d probably like to know: iOS 4 is now available for iPhones and iPod Touches. I could blather on about the new features, like multi-tasking, folders, wallpapers, digital zoom in the camera, and more — but you’ve probably already heard it all already. Want some tips and tricks? Find ours here.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 12:21 pm iPhone App Helps Report Oiled Wildlife in GulfThe free app allows the user to photograph an oiled animal, pinpoint its location using GPS and transmit the information to an animal rescue network.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 12:16 pm AppMakr now supports GeoRSS tagging
GeoRSS is the latest addition to the product and allows content providers to stick a little XML code into their feed to mark posts with GPS coordinates. You can then use the iOS’s native map-handling to view these posts on Google Maps or within the app itself. We wrote about AppMakr when they first launched and many found that their apps were rejected for what amounted to over-simplicity. By adding a few new features, the folks at AppMakr hope to make it easier for developers to submit their apps and get them accepted immediately. AppMakr has also added the App Quality Index, which ensures that apps have a minimum of functionality before they’re submitted. Jeremy Caverly, an AppMakr spokesperson, told us that “We’re seeing a lot of success since we’ve started having people publish under their own license as the default. Lots of people are getting their apps accepted immediately and that has a lot to do with the added functionality.” The current pricing scheme at AppMakr is $999 for a full-service, authored app and, for a limited, free for developers who want to handle the submission process themselves.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 12:00 pm Gadgetell sponsored tweetup tonight at the Katwalk Bar & Lounge in NYC [Reminder Post]Section: Gadgets / Other, Features, Gadgetell Announcements
To register and see more information about the tweetup please go to: http://twtvite.com/lineshowstweetup/1 Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:55 am Who Invented the Toilet?Flush what you've heard; it wasn't Thomas Crapper.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:20 am Toshiba Dual Screen PC Folds Like a Book
Toshiba has announced a hybrid PC that’s not really a notebook but not exactly a tablet either. Toshiba’s Libretto W100 has two 7-inch multi-touch displays, an Intel Pentium 1.2 GHz processor, a 62 GB solid state drive, a 1-megapixel camera and 2 GB of memory. It runs Windows 7 and weighs about 1.8 lbs — just a tad more than the Apple iPad’s 1.6 lbs. The device is an “ultra-mobile concept PC,” says Toshiba, though it comes with a price tag of $1,100. That’s a lot of dough to spend for a concept. Perhaps most interesting: Toshiba is promising to deliver e-reader software that will make the Libretto into an e-book reader, capable of showing full two-page spreads with one page on the left and one on the right — much like those paper books you might still have lying around. Toshiba’s bet on a hybrid device comes at an unusual time, since the idea has so far failed to catch on with consumers. In March, Entourage released the eDGE, a quirky device with a 10-inch LCD screen on the right and a slightly smaller E Ink display on the left. The $500 machine didn’t bring out the best in either display. Earlier this month, California-based startup Kno promised a dual-screen tablet that would be designed for the optimal textbook reading experience. The Kno tablet is expected to launch later this year. What the Libretto does have going for it is its extremely compact design and two gorgeous screens (1024 x 600 resolution on each one). The Libretto is among the smallest devices in its category. It measures 4.84 inches by 7.95 inches so you can slip it into a jacket pocket or a small purse. The multitouch screens can work independently or together, so users can surf the Web on one screen while checking e-mail on the other, or view a web page across both screens. The lower screen can display a virtual keyboard (in any of several different layouts). There’s a single USB port. And the built-in accelerometer means the device automatically switches into portrait or landscape modes when rotated. The Libretto W100 is expected to ship in August in Japan. See more photos of the Libretto below:
See Also:
Photos: Toshiba 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:08 am Toshiba Dual Screen PC Folds Like a BookToshiba has announced a dual-display tablet that folds like a book. The company says it's a "concept PC," but it will be on sale in limited quantities and is priced at $1,100.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:08 am What Do Thousands of Barrels of Oil Look Like?Using a violent video game to simulate what 25,000 barrels of oil would look like stacked three miles high brings home the scale of the disaster in the Gulf.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 11:01 am Revellers gather at Stonehenge to celebrate Summer Solstice - BBC News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:55 am Motorola Droid 2 makes a video appearance, confirms its a powerful Android offering [Video]Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  Verizon is preparing to make an announcement on Wednesday June 23, and hopefully that will include the Droid 2 (as well as the Motorola Droid X). Anyway, while we wait it looks like we have some additional Droid 2 information to drool over. The latest comes in the form of images and video and confirms a few things. But perhaps most important is that the video makes it look like the Droid 2 seems worth waiting for. Otherwise, the details include an improved keyboard (over the original Droid) that offers arrow keys as opposed to the navigation pad. Other new features found in the Droid 2 include a 1GHz TI OMAP3630 processor and 512MB RAM, which is a nice doubling over the previous 500MHz OMAP3 processor. And then, some features such as the 3.7 inch display and 5 megapixel camera remain the same as the original Droid. Anyway, while we are waiting for the June 23rd announcement—check out the video below and then hit the ‘via’ link below to see quite a few more hands-on images. Via [Android and Me] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:44 am Oldest Baby Mammoth Headed to ParisThe prehistoric monster will be analyzed, treated for germs and eventually placed on display.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:30 am Chimps Engage in 'War' for TurfChimps, like humans, sometimes kill their neighbors for the spoils of land, improved security, extra food and and better access to females.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 10:00 am App Review: Reeder May Be the Best iPad RSS Reader Yet Pinch to open a stack of feeds in Reeder For a device so perfectly suited to reading, whether news, magazines of the web, its surprising that the iPad hasn’t yet gotten a really first-class RSS newsreader. Reeder, a quirky RSS reader for the iPhone, was recently updated for the iPad and might be the best reader yet, although you’ll have to re-learn a few things and be prepared for some quirks, and maybe a few crashes. E-books, magazines and even PDFs can be browsed elegantly on the iPad. RSS fans have a wide choice but nothing that stands out. NetNewsWire, cousin of the venerable Mac app, is fast (at least for the first week before it mysteriously turns to molasses) but feature-light: you cannot subscribe to feeds from within, for example. NewsRack is fully-featured, but can also grow sluggish and takes an age to refresh your feeds. Reeder strikes a balance, and adds a unique UI to the mix. Here’s how I would use it when I start work in the morning. I launch Reeder and hit the refresh button. Reeder is a Google Reader client, so it stays in sync with your web and desktop clients. A refresh takes mere seconds: 13 in a quick test. By contrast, NetNewsWire on my desktop took 35 seconds to do the same thing, and doesn’t even pull in your social feeds. Reeder is, compared to anything else, almost unbelievably fast.
Once these have expanded, you’ll see the number of articles on an icon for each feed. You can either repeat the pinch-out to see a preview of the headlines, or just tap to get a more familiar list. It’s a little odd to begin with, but soon it becomes clear that this is a much better way to navigate lots of data than incessant scrolling. Two other nice touches: if you pull an article up or down on the page, the next (or previous) one slides into view. And you can slide an article sideways to reveal the list beneath. There are further confusions, though. The navigation bar on the left has three parts, and these all change depending on context. Some of these icons are self-evident (the back-arrow, for instance), but other take a while to figure out. You can sort within the stacks-view or list view, showing unread, starred or all items using the top section. Depending on which of those you pick, you can then sub-sort by time, or by feed, unless you are in a single feed in which case these disappear. It is hugely confusing to begin with but with some practice is very elegant and streamlined. The designers have clearly put a lot of thought into making an app specifically for the iPad, and have thrown out many familiar desktop metaphors to do do it. You cannot yet subscribe to more feeds from within Reeder, a pain for a power user, but one that can be overcome by opening the site in Safari and subscribing in Google Reader. When it comes to getting info out, though, there’s an embarrassment of options. You can send a story to Instapaper, Read It Later, Delicious (remember that?) Pinboard, Google Reader’s notes, Twitter, Safari and even choose one of two mobilizing options to make the pages friendlier for the small(ish) screen. There is one big downside. Reeder is crashy, for me at least. It may go for days without a problem but every once in a while it just quits on me, often a few times in an hour. Sure, loading back up is fast, and as the feeds are cached, you don’t even need to even spend the 13 seconds to refresh your feeds, but its a pain. It may, to be very clear, be a rare problem. The App Store reviews are almost unanimously positive, and crashes are a lot easier to fix than bad UI and feature design, two things that Reeder has dead right. You might have to put in a little work to learn its quirks, but once you have, you’ll find that Reeder is not just a great Google Reader client, it’s one of the most iPad-like third-party apps we’ve seen of any kind. $5. Reeder [iTunes] See Also: 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:49 am Javan Rhino Deaths Raise Extinction FearsWith the discovery of three dead Javan rhinos in recent weeks – two in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon park, one in Vietnam – conservationists are stepping up efforts to save one of the most endangered mammals on the planet, the Associated ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:46 am Asus Eee PC 1201PN now available with Amazon, priced at $484Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks  Another day and we have another Eee PC netbook come available. The latest model is now listed on Amazon.com and is the Eee PC 1201PN. Granted, this may be another Eee, but common name aside, given the NVIDIA Ion graphics support it should be a slightly more welcomed addition. Other features, aside from the NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics include a 12 inch WXGA (1366 x 768) display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, chiclet style keyboard and Windows 7 Home Premium. Of course, the standard array of ports and connectivity still apply including a memory card reader, VGA out, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet and a 03. megapixel webcam. Additionally, the Eee PC 1201PN also has an HDMI out. In terms of overall size and weight, the 1201PN measures in at 11.6 x 8.2 x 1.3 and weighs 3.2 pounds. Lastly, the Eee PC 1201PN is available (and currently shipping) with Amazon where you can expect to pay $484. Plus, you can choose to order one in black, silver or red. Product [Amazon]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:38 am GoMobi tries to make it easy for SMBs to jump on the mobile web
The only registrar currently offering a GoMobi option is name.com. Other registrars are listed as “coming soon”. The name.com mobile hosting plan is $50 a year, or $6 per month (if for some reason you only want six months worth of mobile site hosting). Here’s the full press release:
I think this is a good idea, in general, and I’m sure they’ll get some business, but I think they’re introducing a little too much confusion into the domain name space by using different URLs for the desktop and mobile destinations for this effort. If a business is required to use a different URL for their mobile site, things might get even worse if a business chooses not to use m.business.com or mobile.business.com.
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 9:30 am AT&T branded HTC Aria Android smartphone now available, priced at $129.99 on-contractSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  As Shawn mentioned back on June 14th, the HTC Aria was officially announced for AT&T. Well, serving as a little reminder post—the Aria is now available for purchase. The handset, as expected, is priced at $129.99 which comes with a two-year agreement. The nice part here is that there is not any mail-in-rebates to mess with, its all instant. In other words, plan and expect to pay $129.99, well plus tax. That said, we could not call ourselves good tech bloggers if we did not at least offer a reminder that AT&T will also be releasing another Android phone soon, its called the Samsung Captivate and looks to be much more powerful and equipped than the Aria. Of course, we are still waiting on a final price and release date for that model. Bottom line—the HTC Aria is available as of now and at a fair price, but if you can wait a bit before making a purchase I would suggest doing just that. Product [HTC Aria with AT&T]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 21 Jun 2010 | 8:22 am Five things to know about iOS 4.0
I kid, I kid. Why spend the money if you don’t need to and besides, we’ve been playing with iOS 4.0 for a few weeks now and here are our initial comments. 1. Multi-tasking is still in its infancy – Apple gave developers very little time to really go full-bore on the problem of multi-tasking. As a result, you’re basically dealing with a form of proto-multi-tasking that may or may not do what you want it to do. MG wrote about this last weekend:
So you’re not going to go all Minority Report on your apps. You’ll be able to switch out of one app – a game, say – to hit a GPS program, but there is no definitive guarantee that you’ll be able to swap back into the game where you left off. In fact, Backgrounder, a jailbroken app for background activity, works better than multi-tasking in iOS 4.0 right now. PRO TIP – Slide the icons to the left to reveal iPod controls.
2. Be careful with wallpaper – All you budding iOS interior decorators take note: with great power comes great responsibility. Using a photo of your cat as your home screen background makes things look horrible. I’d recommend using the pre-set wallpapers. That said, you can probably make some cool wallpapers using the camera’s new zoom function. The zoom, in fact, is amazingly smooth and impressive. 3. Apple is taking over some third-party services – When you used to fire up video games on the iPhone you were once presented with “networking” solutions that allowed you to share your scores and play against friends. Those are being replaced by Game Center. This service allows matchmaking, achievement unlocks, and score sharing. Sadly, it’s not that exciting right now because most games don’t support it yet. Game Center, like iAds and the iBook reader, is making a lot of poor start-ups tremble in their boots right now. 4. It can be jailbroken – Still not enough for you? Still antsy? Well, you can jailbreak your iPhone runnin iOS 4.0 using RedSn0w. What does that let you do? Not much, but you can add little apps that Apple hasn’t approved. Do not, however, expect to carrier unlock the iPhone 4 when it comes out. This is not yet supported. 5. Visuallly it’s more pleasing, especially with folders and the new sliding An important point to note: if you have a 3GS, all of the features we mentioned here will work. You don’t absolutely have to upgrade your hardware to iPhone 4 right now to try iOS 4.0. In fact, if you have a 3GS all of these features work fine. Break the cycle. Stop the madness (says the guy who is going to go into the city at 6am on Thursday to pick up his iPhone 4). As The Oatmeal puts it:
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 8:19 am Best Buy iPhone inventory details leak
The skinny of it is that most stores are receiving anywhere between 20 and 70 phones. I guess a good idea would be to find a store that is small enough to be less popular, but has enough stock to give you a fighting chance. I’ll leave that equation up to the mathematicians in the audience. It’s not yet clear if any white iPhones will be available on June 24th (they weren’t able to be pre-ordered), but it seems here that stores have placed orders for them. Time will tell, but don’t count on it. [via iClarified]
Source: MobileCrunch | 21 Jun 2010 | 7:08 am Shimano STEPS Up with E-Bike Component Set
Shimano thinks that an electric bike “has to be a bicycle.” To this end, a new component set is designed to integrate with an existing bike to convert it into a full-on e-bike, but still let it work as a regular bicycle. The system is called STEPS, which stands for Shimano Total Electric Power System. In the full set you’ll get a 250-watt front hub motor (geared), a torque-sensing bottom-bracket, a rotation-sensing crankset, a rack-mounted battery with integrated rear lamp, a pair of brake levers with switches to control everything, a front lamp and a bar-mounted computer so you know what it is all doing. Finally, at the back you have one of Shimano’s 8-speed Nexus hubs which has electronic shifting. The STEPS system has all the modern features you’d expect, from regenerative-braking (switched on when you hit the brakes), a Li-Ion battery (a one-hour charge gives 25 or 37 miles range depending on power-mode) and a decent-enough top speed of 15 mph. You can mix and match parts, swapping in V-brakes and the like, although having the powered-hub without the battery would be rather pointless. The price has not yet been announced, as the STEPS system will launch at Eurobike in September. And while you’ll surely be able to grab the parts yourself, you’re more likely to see STEPS showing up as an option on ready-made bikes. E-Bikes are certainly getting popular, and if they get more people cycling that’s got to be a good thing, right?. What do you think? Are electric bikes a good or a bad thing? Shimano Launches Components Range for Electric Bikes [Bike Europe via Bicycle Design and Bike Radar] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:53 am Panasonic Details Micro Four Thirds Camcorder
Panasonic has released more details of its upcoming Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) camcorder, the mysterious AG-AF100, which was originally announced back in April. And while we have no price or firm launch date (we’re still looking at the end of the year), there is a lot for videographers to get excited about. Most important, the camcorder will work with all of Panasonic’s G-series lenses, those made for the existing M4/3 stills cameras. This, by extension, means that you’ll also be able to use the available adapters to put just about any 35mm lens on the front. Then come details of the shooting formats. The AF100 will shoot AVCHD video in 1080 and 720-line sizes, at frame rates of 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25 or 23.9p (this last mimics the frame rate of traditional film cameras). Up to 12-hours of footage can be captured to the twin SDXC card slots, and the camera will talk to microphones and other video hardware via standard XLR and HD-SDI sockets. For a (presumably) budget-friendly price, a large-sensor camcorder with access to thousands of great lenses is a sweet prospect. It might not have the flexibility of video-shooting DSLRs like the Canon 5D MkII, but neither will you need to bolt on so many accessories that it ends up looking like a Borg. The (PDF) link to the product details is dead right now, but in the meantime you can read a little more at the intermediary DP Review page. AG-AF100 details (PDF) [Panasonic via DP Review] See Also: 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 6:05 am Wi-Fi Only Nook for $150 in Best Buy
Barnes and Noble has just taken the e-book market a notch further towards the mainstream with a new Wi-Fi-only Nook for $150: $50 less than Wi-Fi+3G model, and $110 less than you’d pay in a Barnes & Noble store for the original version [UPDATE: B&N will also drop the price of the 3G Nook to $200]. The new Nook is available from Best Buy right now, and apart from the lack of a 3G radio it is almost exactly the same as its big brother: 2GB on-board memory supplemented by a microSD slot, a 6-inch e-ink display along with the vestigial color touch-screen, a ten-day battery life and support for most popular picture and e-book file formats, including the EPUB format eschewed by Amazon for the rival Kindle. The only visual difference is the change of the back cover from gray to white. This is great news, and a very sensible decision from B&N. Who, after all, needs to be able to buy a book at any time, in any place? Just stock up with a few titles and wait until you find the next Wi-Fi hotspot (or pop into Starbucks where the internet is now free). And if you really do need that 3G connection, well, you can just pay a little extra (and just $50 extra, too, not the $130 premium Apple loads onto the 3G iPad). The trend is clear. Basic grayscale e-book readers are set to become a commodity device, probably occupying a large but cheap specialty niche between tablets and cellphones. We wouldn’t be too surprised if the Nook also lost that novelty touch-screen and dropped below $100. Wi-Fi-only Nook eReader [Best Buy] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 Jun 2010 | 5:30 am
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Intel and the Federal Trade Commission may end up settling their differences out of court. In a statement issued late Monday, the chip maker said the two parties have filed a joint motion to suspend administrative trial proceedings while they negotiate a settlement of the FTC’s suit which accused Intel of a 
About 7 months after the 
It starts with Software, where rebel robots bring immortality to their human creator by eating his brain. Software won the first Philip K. Dick Award.
So this is a little weird. iPhone 4 launch day is this Thursday, June 24. You know it, I know it, presumably, FedEx knows it. And of course, Apple knows it. And yet, they’re still telling customers that their new iPhones will be delivered on June 23.
Back in October, John 
Late last year we 
The current financial regulation bill -- in a provision passed by both the House and Senate -- would change that by allowing shareholders with 5% of the stock to come together and propose additional names for the ballot. But the White House is trying to gut this proposal at the last minute, and they've done it in an incredibly sneaky way -- they removed the letter s from the end of the word shareholders.
The tech world is 
When 
Just when you think that there’s no way you could have any more distractions while driving, California comes up with yet another way to put billboards on the highways and streets. Of course, the state’s budget crisis is well known, and lawmakers are currently discussing the possibility of changing to digital license plates, and then allowing companies to buy advertising time on cars.
As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, iOS 4 is out and spreading across iPhones like wildfire. With it, comes the ability for third-party apps to run certain tasks in the background. One of those tasks is background location — an awesome feature which we previewed in our 
While Nintendo is normally very closed-mouthed about the actual hardware used in their systems, there has been some news recently about the graphics chipset used in the 
Earlier this morning we saw 
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Hot off the presses: the venerable Kindle 2, which made its debut at 
Just offering a quick reminder, Gadgetell is sponsoring a Tweetup tonight which will kick off CEA Line Shows event in New York City. That said, anyone and everyone is invited to attend.
Next, things get confusing for the beginner. Instead of the familiar mail-like list on the left side with articles on the right, you have little thumbnails representing each folder of feeds. Touch one and it opens up to show a list of everything in the folder, which isn’t ideal. If you pinch-out instead, the stack expands to show you more thumbnails of the sites in the list, just like pinching photo albums in the Photos app. 
Small businesses often have trouble developing and maintaining traditional websites, so it should be no surprise that adding a mobile-friendly website is a cost that many SMBs simply won’t be able to justify. The folks behind the .mobi domain are trying to remedy that with their new 
