Topicfire Creates Solid Breaking News Twitter Feeds For All Topics

A lot of people use Twitter as a primary way of getting information quickly these days. Accounts such as BreakingNews are hugely popular because they offer up stories to their 1.6 million followers (and even more through retweets) instantaneously[...]A lot of people use Twitter as a primary way of getting information quickly these days. Accounts such as BreakingNews are hugely popular because they offer up stories to their 1.6 million followers (and even more through retweets) instantaneously. Topicfire , a realtime news aggregator we covered in December is now trying to extend that concept to all different topics. While there are no shortage of services attempting to leverage Twitter to distill information for different topics, Topicfire’s streams seem pretty solid thanks to the use of their HeatRank technology, which is the same thing that powers Topicfire itself.

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

The iPad And Chrome OS Netbooks Are On A Collision Course

"We don’t know how to build a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk." "Netbooks aren’t better at anything." Those two quotes are both from Apple CEO Steve Jobs[...]"We don’t know how to build a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk." "Netbooks aren’t better at anything." Those two quotes are both from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The first was during an earnings call in late 2008 when Jobs fielded a question about why Apple wasn’t cutting prices amid the rising success of netbooks. The second came on Wednesday as Jobs was unveiling the iPad. Apple has made it clear all along that they had no plans to build a netbook

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

How the iPad Helps Mobile Ad Firms — and Hurts Traditonal Online Advertisers

Mobile marketers are wasting no time trying to cash in on the iPad hype. Jumptap this morning crowed that it was the first to offer a mobile ad solution for Apple’s new tablet[...]Mobile marketers are wasting no time trying to cash in on the iPad hype. Jumptap this morning crowed that it was the first to offer a mobile ad solution for Apple’s new tablet, and Motally is extending its analytics offering to support the gadget. The early moves indicate that the iPad will be a battleground between the pure-play mobile advertisers and traditional Internet ad firms. And the lack of Flash support on the iPad tilts the field heavily in favor of the mobile guys. It’s an easy move for mobile advertising firms to embrace the iPad

The full post can be found on GigaOm

Gateway’s DVD-playin’ EC14D netbook spotted in the wild

Gateway isn’t daring to call its ED14D a netbook — probably because of that built-in DVD optical drive but there’s nothing outside of that to prove that it’s anything more[...]Gateway isn’t daring to call its ED14D a netbook — probably because of that built-in DVD optical drive but there’s nothing outside of that to prove that it’s anything more. That said, it’s easily one of the most intriguing 11.6-inch machines out there, and while it’s not slated to ship for a few more days still, the crew over at Notebook Italia has managed to get their hands on one. Hit up the Source link if you’ve never seen a netbook with an optical drive before, and then hit this link while asking yourself where you were in January of 2009.

The full post can be found on Engadget

More Bad News For Intelius: Cofounder Charged With Lying About Sex With Stripper

Intelius , a site that helps users find information about others, continues to have more bad news around its senior execs[...]Intelius , a site that helps users find information about others, continues to have more bad news around its senior execs. John Arnold , a cofounder and EVP, has been indicted on a charge of lying to a grand jury about having sex with a dancer. The company has been trying to go public despite hundreds of scam complaints, and the atrocious legal record of CEO Naveen Jain . We covered many of the issues back in 2008

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Ustream launches desktop app for more professional live video

If you’re looking to take your live video broadcasts to the next level, Ustream announced today the launch of its Ustream Producer , giving users a way to create more professional looking high quality live video[...]If you’re looking to take your live video broadcasts to the next level, Ustream announced today the launch of its Ustream Producer , giving users a way to create more professional looking high quality live video. The Ustream Producer desktop application will work on both PC and Mac computers. A basic free package will let you stream from one camera, import movies and audio, execute three transitions, support picture in picture, screen capture feature and H262 video. If you’re looking for even more features, then the company has Ustream Producer Pro

The full post can be found on VentureBeat

Microsoft reports $6.66b Q1 net profit, Windows 7 ‘fastest selling OS in history’

Microsoft ’s gotta be pretty happy with its second quarter results, especially after two previous quarters of somewhat downtrodden reports[...]Microsoft ’s gotta be pretty happy with its second quarter results, especially after two previous quarters of somewhat downtrodden reports. The company’s posting a record $19.02 billion in revenue, a 14 percent increase year-over-year. Net income / profit was $6.66 billion.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Will you be getting an iPad?

Okay guys and gals, After (in some cases) years of speculation, the Apple tablet iPad is finally here. What we want to know is, based on what you’ve seen of it so far, will you be getting one? Is it everything you’ve always dreamed of?[...]Okay guys and gals, After (in some cases) years of speculation, the Apple tablet iPad is finally here. What we want to know is, based on what you’ve seen of it so far, will you be getting one? Is it everything you’ve always dreamed of?

The full post can be found on TAUW

Razer’s dual-sided Vespula mousepad: for smooth, seductive mood-swingers

Not that we haven’t seen multifaceted mousepads before, but there’s something quite delectable about Razer ’s latest[...]Not that we haven’t seen multifaceted mousepads before, but there’s something quite delectable about Razer ’s latest. The craftily-named Vespula is the company’s first dual-sided gaming surface, complete with speed and control sides that supposedly give you the best of both worlds when switching from one genre to the next. Essentially, the speed side is as smooth as a baby’s bottom, while the control side adds a textured layer to pick up on the finest wrist twists. There’s also a bundled gel-filled wrist rest to keep the ergonomists happy, and if you’re interested, you can get yours right now for $34.99 (or €34.99 elsewhere).

The full post can be found on Engadget

Dell ‘Mini 5′ tablet prototype shows up as M01M in Shenzhen black market

Who’s got some love for prototype gadgets, eh? Apparently someone does in Shenzhen (surprise of the day?). PC Online managed to cuddle up with a black Dell Streak/Mini 5 prototype[...]Who’s got some love for prototype gadgets, eh? Apparently someone does in Shenzhen (surprise of the day?). PC Online managed to cuddle up with a black Dell Streak/Mini 5 prototype, which has "Model M01M" marked under the battery cover something not seen in the earlier teardown , and is probably the most official name to date. Spec-wise the M01M sums up what’s been speculated all along 5inch 800×480 touchscreen, Android 1.6, 1GHz CPU (presumably Snapdragon , as revealed by the teardown), WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G of some sort, 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, front-facing camera, and the same 1530mAh battery as the one in the teardown.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Android dual-boot could make Nokia N900 jack of two trades

Maemo’s already pretty open as open platforms go, but what’s better than a single open platform on your open phone? Two open platforms, of course, creating a vortex of pure, unadulterated openness the likes of which the world has never seen[...]Maemo’s already pretty open as open platforms go, but what’s better than a single open platform on your open phone? Two open platforms, of course, creating a vortex of pure, unadulterated openness the likes of which the world has never seen. Hacking is par for the course with Nokia’s N900 , so it comes as no surprise to see that a motivated individual has managed to get his unit set up in a trick dual-boot configuration with Maemo on internal storage and Android on a separate partition loaded from the microSD card.

The full post can be found on Engadget

MSI X-Slim X620 keeps its ULV processor and ATI graphics, adds an optical drive

Just a few days after revealing its X-Slim X420 , MSI is back at it again with another Intel ULV-powered laptop — but this time the redesigned 15.6-inch version of its X series has made room[...]Just a few days after revealing its X-Slim X420 , MSI is back at it again with another Intel ULV-powered laptop — but this time the redesigned 15.6-inch version of its X series has made room for an optical drive that, as expected, adds a bit of heft to the 1.4-inch thick / 5-pound. Other than that the Windows 7 Home Premium portable packs an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 GPU and will support up to 4GB of RAM, 500GB of storage. No details on pricing or availability, but we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Bell’s Palm Pre now free — in exchange for three years of your life

How long does it take for a smartphone to go from two hundred bucks on contract all the way down to a big, fat goose egg? If you’re Bell — and the phone is the Palm Pre — the answer is right around five months, apparently[...]How long does it take for a smartphone to go from two hundred bucks on contract all the way down to a big, fat goose egg? If you’re Bell — and the phone is the Palm Pre — the answer is right around five months, apparently. Following its August release and a couple of mid-course pricing corrections , Bell’s now making Palm’s first webOS-based device available for free just as long as you’re willing to commit to three years at a minimum spend of CAD $50 (about $47) a month. The move likely comes on the announcement of the Pre Plus , perhaps as a preemptive strike against any of its competitors planning on carrying it — and if we were Sprint right now, we’d be paying very, very close attention to these guys

The full post can be found on Engadget

Sungworld’s Android MID fights the future

We don’t think we’re over-reaching when we say that this device, Sungworld’s just-unveiled 7-inch, Android touchscreen MID looks a bit… well, Apple-ish, and we hear that the UI (which we haven’t yet seen in action) will take cues from the company as well[...]We don’t think we’re over-reaching when we say that this device, Sungworld’s just-unveiled 7-inch, Android touchscreen MID looks a bit… well, Apple-ish, and we hear that the UI (which we haven’t yet seen in action) will take cues from the company as well. Regardless, this thickish-looking puppy will boast an ARM926 CPU, 128MB of memory, 2GB of storage, and two USB ports. It’s also supposedly going to be available in pink, blue, green, purple and black, and though we don’t know pricing yet, we assume that if that tablet we’ve heard so much about in recent weeks fails to materialize next Wednesday, well… okay, this won’t be a great stand-in.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Crank Up the Juice on a Cheap Laser Pointer

If you’re looking to have a little weekend science-lab fun with lasers it turns out that in the heart of every cheap laser point is a fire-starting, balloon-popping, monster[...]If you’re looking to have a little weekend science-lab fun with lasers it turns out that in the heart of every cheap laser point is a fire-starting, balloon-popping, monster. What’s the secret to upgrading your cheap laser from a boring presentation tool to a goggles-on-for-safety experiment? Over at Wired’s How-To wiki they detail how to take apart a cheap laser pointer and find the adjustable variable-resistor on the circuit board inside. Tweak that resister with a small jeweler’s screw driver and you can crank the juice up on your laser pointer—not too far or you’ll burn it out! Visit the wiki at the link below for full instructions. Inspired by the potential burnination of your cheap laser?

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

1Password alpha version available for Chrome(ium)

Browsers 1Password is finally available for Chrome . Sort of. 1Password is a favorite password manager among Mac users, with a passionate fan base — and that fan base has been clamoring for a version of 1Password that included Chrome[...]Browsers 1Password is finally available for Chrome . Sort of. 1Password is a favorite password manager among Mac users, with a passionate fan base — and that fan base has been clamoring for a version of 1Password that included Chrome compatibility ever since Chrome was released for the Mac! Well, the time has come, and an alpha version of 1Password has been released that does indeed support Chromium (the developer version of Chrome). Chromium is necessary because the current version of Chrome for Mac does not support extensions.

The full post can be found on Download Squad

PayPal Freezes the Assets of Wikileaks.org

matsh sends word that PayPal has frozen the assets of wikileaks.org. From their Web site: “Paypal has as of 23rd of January 2010 frozen WikiLeaks assets[...]matsh sends word that PayPal has frozen the assets of wikileaks.org. From their Web site: “Paypal has as of 23rd of January 2010 frozen WikiLeaks assets. This is the second time that this happens. The last time we struggled for more than half a year to resolve this issue.

The full post can be found on SlashDot

Apple posts articles to help protect MobileMe members against ‘phishing’ schemes

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we warned you that there were a bunch of phony Apple emails being sent to MobileMe subscribers designed to trick them into giving up their credit card info[...]It was just a couple of weeks ago that we warned you that there were a bunch of phony Apple emails being sent to MobileMe subscribers designed to trick them into giving up their credit card info. Now, Apple has published a couple of Knowledge Base articles designed to help you if you get some mail that might not really be from Apple. The first posting helps you to renew your account, update your credit card information, and to deal with messages MobileMe may send you about your storage limits. It also has an additional older specific link to help you identify fraudulent emails that look like they are from Apple but aren’t.

The full story can be found on TAUW

Facebook Snatches User’s Vanity URL And Sells It To Harman International

This looks really, really bad. An avid Facebook user named Harman Bajwa says that his Facebook vanity Url – Facebook.com/Harman – was unceremoniously revoked yesterday for violating Facebook’s policies[...]This looks really, really bad. An avid Facebook user named Harman Bajwa says that his Facebook vanity Url – Facebook.com/Harman – was unceremoniously revoked yesterday for violating Facebook’s policies. His new Facebook URL is the much less memorable facebook.com/profile.php?id=538612932 . The notice from Facebook (also in image at bottom of post): Please Read This! Warning The username you selected was removed for violating Facebook’s policies. A Facebook username should have a clear connection to one’s identity

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

University of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros

I’ve always been jealous of the folks who get free laptops from their work or school (back when I was in school, I used a paper notebook and a pen and liked it!), but I’m especially jealous[...]I’ve always been jealous of the folks who get free laptops from their work or school (back when I was in school, I used a paper notebook and a pen and liked it!), but I’m especially jealous of the folks from the University of Oregon’s Center for Student Athletes, who not only get some sweet MacBook Pros to use courtesy of Apple and Nike , but have each one laser engraved with the school’s symbolic O. The engraving isn’t just aesthetic; it’s useful, too. In addition to the school branding, each laptop has a specific number engraved on the bottom of it, which helps prevent theft and helps the school track down wayward laptops. Cult of Mac has a great little interview with the engraver , with some fun insider info about how this is all done (he’s even engraved fingernails, which sounds a little gross)

The full post can be found on TAUW

Google Voice Extension For Chrome Adds Click To Call And Other Killer Features

I’ve just changed my default browser from Safari to Chrome. The reason – the official Chrome Google Voice extension , which was updated on Friday[...]I’ve just changed my default browser from Safari to Chrome. The reason – the official Chrome Google Voice extension , which was updated on Friday. If you’re a Google Voice user (I’m possibly the most rabid one around, I even ported my phone number to Google ) you’ll probably make the change, too. The extension adds click to call functionality to web pages. So if there is a phone number on a web page, like a Yelp page or your online address book, it will now have a hyperlink

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

China Slams Clinton’s Call For Internet Freedom

CWmike writes “China on Friday slammed remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promoting Internet freedom worldwide, saying her words harmed US-China relations[...]CWmike writes “China on Friday slammed remarks made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promoting Internet freedom worldwide, saying her words harmed US-China relations. Clinton’s speech and China’s response both come after Google last week said it planned to reverse its long-standing position in China by ending censorship of its Chinese search engine. Google cited increasingly tough censorship and recent cyberattacks on the Gmail accounts of human rights activists for its decision, which it said might force it to close its offices in China altogether. On Thursday in Washington, DC, Clinton unveiled US initiatives to help people living under repressive governments access the Internet for purposes such as reporting corruption. The US will support circumvention tools for dissidents whose Internet connections are blocked, she said.

The full post can be found on SlashDot

PS3 finally properly hacked?

In a post titled “Hello hypervisor, I’m geohot,” hacker George Hotz (already known in the iPhone community) has made a strong claim: that he has cracked the PS3[...]In a post titled “Hello hypervisor, I’m geohot,” hacker George Hotz (already known in the iPhone community) has made a strong claim: that he has cracked the PS3. The system has remained (mostly) uncompromised for over three years now, with a few exceptions here and there . But, this one pledges full read/write access to the entire system memory and complete control over the processor — all without a mod chip. Has he really done it, if so how, and what comes next

The full post can be found on Engadget

NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Grinds "Cool" Rock

coondoggie writes “While its sister rover Spirit has garnered most of the attention lately, NASA’s other Mars traveler, Opportunity is chewing up Martian dirt and unearthing the mineral and chemical makeup of the red planet[...]coondoggie writes “While its sister rover Spirit has garnered most of the attention lately, NASA’s other Mars traveler, Opportunity is chewing up Martian dirt and unearthing the mineral and chemical makeup of the red planet. NASA scientists said this week the rover uncovered “one of the coolest things Opportunity has found in a very long time:” a dark, basketball-sized rock known as ‘Marquette Island.’ According to NASA, the Marquette Island rock is a coarse-grained rock that indicates it cooled slowly from molten rock, allowing crystals time to grow. Such composition suggests it originated deep in the crust, not at the surface where it would cool quicker and have finer-grained texture, NASA stated.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The full post can be found on SlashDot

Sobees Launches Realtime Social Media Discovery Platform

There’s no shortage of real-time search engines that are tracking the web and social media sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for results[...]There’s no shortage of real-time search engines that are tracking the web and social media sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for results. Collecta, OneRiot, Microsoft’s Bing and Google all offer compelling search engines to tap into the real-time stream. Today, social media client Sobees is jumping into the stream with its real-time search discovery platform.

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to cooperate with private browsing modes

There have been more than a few blog posts lately talking about how websites can use Flash cookies to keep tabs on you even if you’re visiting their site using your browser’s private browsing mode[...]There have been more than a few blog posts lately talking about how websites can use Flash cookies to keep tabs on you even if you’re visiting their site using your browser’s private browsing mode. It would appear, however, that the crew at Adobe thinks this is something which should change. According to a post on NeoWin , Adobe is working to make sure that Flash 10.1 will play nice with the private browsing offered in most current browsers. Once you close your session, Flash Player will automatically clear the pertinent locally cached files. Visited a site with a Flash-powered login system

The full post can be found on Download Squad

Facebook gets made into a real book

"Feisbuk" comes in hardback An artist called Laura Balboa has taken the Facebook concept full-circle, and turned the website into a hardback book[...]"Feisbuk" comes in hardback An artist called Laura Balboa has taken the Facebook concept full-circle, and turned the website into a hardback book. The website was originally named “Facebook” after the books that some American universities would hand out at the start of the year to help students get to know each other better. ?Founder Mark Zuckerberg studied at Harvard, and built a site that allowed students to share information and photos of themselves.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

UK Amazon MP3 for Android officially announced

Download music on your handset So we knew this was coming, thanks to early leaks of the contents of Google’s Nexus One, and we showed you how to get the app early on your phone, but now it’s official[...]Download music on your handset So we knew this was coming, thanks to early leaks of the contents of Google’s Nexus One, and we showed you how to get the app early on your phone, but now it’s official . Unlike the early edition of the app, it now works on Android 1.5 devices. In fact there seem to be two different versions of the app – one for 1.5 devices, and one for 1.6+ devices.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

New Nokia phone to be launched on 26 January

What would you like to see from the Finns? Pocket-lint can reveal that Nokia is to unveil a new mobile phone on Tuesday 26 January[...]What would you like to see from the Finns? Pocket-lint can reveal that Nokia is to unveil a new mobile phone on Tuesday 26 January – just a day ahead of Apple’s media event which promises a tablet device and possible iPhone news. The launch has been confirmed to Pocket-lint by Nokia’s UK boss Mark Loughran at the press event that saw the announcement of free Ovi Maps navigation for Nokia smartphones . Although we can reveal news of the launch, Nokia’s public relations staff stepped in to stop Loughran from unveiling any more details about the new phone. So, what would you like to see from Nokia with this new launch

The full post can be found on PocketLint

Study shows that better gamers have bigger brains, are better learners

While we can’t say for sure that videogames, as your grandmother insists, do indeed rot your brain, thanks to research conducted at a variety of Universities around the States we know that better gamers[...]While we can’t say for sure that videogames, as your grandmother insists, do indeed rot your brain, thanks to research conducted at a variety of Universities around the States we know that better gamers tend to have more gray matter than others — at least in certain areas. Kirk Erickson, Ann Graybiel, Arthur Kramer, and Walter Boot worked together to form a study in which 39 participants’ brains were scanned before those subjects were asked to play a game called Space Fortress (which looks a little like an Atari-era Geometry Wars ). Players with larger nucleus accumbens did better learning the game early on, while those with larger caudate nucleus and putamen did better at playing with distractions. There was no sign that playing games actually increased the size of those areas of the brains, meaning some people are just born with a Power Glove on — and that it’s only a matter of time before MRIs replace aptitude tests.

The full post can be found on Engadget

OPPO Enjoy looks like just another Android e-reader

Another day, another Android e-reader. We apologize for not sounding overly enthusiastic about this one[...]Another day, another Android e-reader. We apologize for not sounding overly enthusiastic about this one, but going off of the picture of the OPPO Enjoy we don’t anticipate the 6-inch e-ink reader to be the next Kindle or Nook killer. The rest of the specs are unknown, though it looks like the main controls are the trackball on the right edge and touch navigation keys on the left. You know what, maybe we’re being too pessimistic

The full story can be found on Engadget

YouTube Begins to Support HTML5

YouTube just announced that it will begin supporting HTML5 video players this evening across many of the videos on the site[...]YouTube just announced that it will begin supporting HTML5 video players this evening across many of the videos on the site. The feature isn’t live yet but is expected to be within the next hour or two. If this test goes live site-wide, it will be a good thing for the web. An HTML5 video player will allow videos to be viewed without Adobe’s Flashplayer plug-in, videos will load faster and developers will be able to build all kinds of other intriguing features into a media delivery scheme based on the next version of HTML. For now users will need to sign-up the HTML5 preview on Test Tube and they’ll need to be using either Chrome, Safari or the Chrome frame in IE.

The full story can be found on ReadWriteWeb

The iPhone app showdown

This was an intriguing experiment undertaken over at Minimal Mac: Patrick decided to play a little Homescreen Survivor with his iPhone app icons — he cleared everything off his homescreen[...]This was an intriguing experiment undertaken over at Minimal Mac: Patrick decided to play a little Homescreen Survivor with his iPhone app icons — he cleared everything off his homescreen, and then only let those apps back on which he used more than once throughout the course of a week. The result? You can see here which ones made it back on. Contacts, Calendar, Camera all showed up, not surprisingly. Photos did as well I don’t use that one much, but I can see why

The full post can be found on TAUW

Hands On With Palm’s Mobile HotSpot For Pre Plus and Pixi Plus

By the time Palm announced the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus at CES earlier this month, there wasn’t a whole lot left to reveal[...]By the time Palm announced the Pixi Plus and Pre Plus at CES earlier this month, there wasn’t a whole lot left to reveal. From the names, to the specs, all the way down to the carrier the handsets would launch on — just about everything had made it into the realm of public knowledge by way of the rumor mill. However, there was at least one feature that Palm managed to keep hidden up their sleeve: Mobile HotSpot.

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

THX Caught With Pants Down Over Lexicon Blu-ray Player

SchlimpyChicken writes “Lexicon and THX apparently attempted to pull a fast one on the consumer electronics industry, but got caught this week when a couple websites exposed the fact that the high-end electronics[...]SchlimpyChicken writes “Lexicon and THX apparently attempted to pull a fast one on the consumer electronics industry, but got caught this week when a couple websites exposed the fact that the high-end electronics company put a nearly-unmodified $500 Oppo Blu-ray player into a new Lexicon chassis and was selling it for $3500. AV Rant broke the story first on its home theater podcast with some pics of the two players’ internals. Audioholics.com then posted a full suite of pics and tested the players with an Audio Precision analyzer. Both showed identical analogue audio performance and both failed a couple of basic THX specifications. Audioholics also posted commentary from THX on the matter and noted that both companies appear to be in a mad scramble to hide the fact that the player was ever deemed THX certified.” Read more of this story at Slashdot

The full post can be found on SlashDot

Averatec’s Lookie is medium power in a small package

Right now it’s Korea-only, but it’s Averatec ’s Lookie laptop stuffs some decent power into its tiny chassis. Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250GB HDD, Windows 7, HDMI port, and six hours of battery life[...]Right now it’s Korea-only, but it’s Averatec ’s Lookie laptop stuffs some decent power into its tiny chassis. Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250GB HDD, Windows 7, HDMI port, and six hours of battery life. We’re a little bit light on the other details, but we’re assuming they fall in line with other thin-and-lights. At a touted 0.5 centimeters, this sucker’s thin — beat that, Adamo XPS — and pretty light at 1.4kg (just over 3lbs). The catch to all this — and of course there’s bound to be one — is the 799,000KRW price, which translates to about $711 locally

The full post can be found on Engadget

Bluebird Pidion BIP-6000 ready to beat Android into you

SDG’s Bluebird Pidion line is nothing new nor is its ultra-rugged BIP-6000 handheld computer but what is new is Android compatibility[...]SDG’s Bluebird Pidion line is nothing new nor is its ultra-rugged BIP-6000 handheld computer but what is new is Android compatibility. Previously equipped with Windows Mobile 6.1, the beastly machine rolls on a Marvell PXA320 at 806MHz with GSM / HSDPA voice and data, a 3 megapixel cam, barcode scanner, 3.5-inch VGA display, full QWERTY keyboard, and you guessed it mil-spec 810F compliance for resistance to just about any reasonable thing you could throw at it. Needless to say, this isn’t the kind of phone you buy for your pre-teen, your grandmother, or yourself for that matter but if you’ve got a fleet of mobile dudes and gals that need to scan stuff, drop their phones without a care in the world, download Market apps on the go, and hate on their Trimble Nomad -toting competition, this could very well be your lucky day. It’s on Android 1.5 at the moment, but the company anticipates a “2.x” upgrade (we’re guessing this’ll be 2.1) either this quarter or next, so start socking away cash and dreaming up the most creative way to put that moisture resistance to the test while you’re at it.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Install PHProxy in Your Web Space to Access Blocked Sites

Got some web space you rent for a personal site? Good, then you can likely get around any restrictions your employer, school, or other eye-shielding authority have wrongly put in your way with a quick PHProxy installation[...]Got some web space you rent for a personal site? Good, then you can likely get around any restrictions your employer, school, or other eye-shielding authority have wrongly put in your way with a quick PHProxy installation. There are, of course, plenty of newer and more tech-savvy—and likely more private and secure—means of working your way around a web filter that seems unfair. PHProxy just happens to be one that is darned easy to install on any web space that can run PHP scripts, which these days is most of them. Grab the ZIP download from SourceForge, extract the folder inside, then copy it into a folder on YourPersonalSite.com, filling in your actual site name.

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

1.93 million iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose unveiled

Australian gold miners outdo previous effort by ?10,000 The Australian gold mining crowd clearly has more money than sense, as it’s been revealed the iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose[...]Australian gold miners outdo previous effort by ?10,000 The Australian gold mining crowd clearly has more money than sense, as it’s been revealed the iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose – a snip at ?1.93 million – has been commissioned from the Goldstriker team. This version beats the previously commissioned iPhone 3GS Supreme in the cost stakes by ?10,000. With another rare 7.5 carat single cut diamond centring the design, the new world’s-most-expensive-phone also gets a platinum bezel, some 18 carat rose gold, a further sprinkling of diamonds and four 2.5 carat pink baguette diamonds rounding off the package.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

HP now shipping select Envy 15 models with USB 3.0

Welcome to the most recent benchmark we’ve been referring to as “the future.” HP has become what appears to be the first company to actually ship a laptop featuring USB 3.0[...]Welcome to the most recent benchmark we’ve been referring to as “the future.” HP has become what appears to be the first company to actually ship a laptop featuring USB 3.0. According to a rep speaking with CNET , if you order an Envy 15 with a Core i7 processor and an ATI 5830 GPU, the new ports come along for the ride. Feeling patient?

The full post can be found on Engadget

Nokia Story Play concept lets you read to your child without risk of human contact

We doubt that Nokia and Sesame Street were actually going for that cold, emotionless, post-apocalyptic feeling of sterility portrayed so dramatically[...]We doubt that Nokia and Sesame Street were actually going for that cold, emotionless, post-apocalyptic feeling of sterility portrayed so dramatically in Demolition Man when they teamed up to create the Story Play device concept but if you do happen to be in the market for a product that helps you physically distance yourself from your toddler, watch this space. Nokia’s Palo Alto-based research center is responsible for Story Play’s development, consisting of a wooden frame with a book and two handheld devices (N810s, we think) one that displays a character from the book synchronized to act based on the page you’re reading, and another with a live video call. The idea is that you could remotely read along with another Story Play-equipped family member a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, what have you and alerts signal the other reader when it’s time to turn the page. We can see how it’d be great for relatives living far away who want to keep tabs on their loved ones but seriously, don’t forget to hop on a plane from time to time, alright

The full post can be found on Engadget

Report: iPhone, Android, Blackberry users use the same apps

I’m not sure if this is a fascinating peek at the way we’re wired or an obvious conclusion based on reason, but I’ll let you decide[...]I’m not sure if this is a fascinating peek at the way we’re wired or an obvious conclusion based on reason, but I’ll let you decide. Despite the fact that they seem to be polar opposites on Internet forums and comment sections, Android, Blackberry, and iPhone users all end up using mostly the same apps . That’s according to an “app discovery service” over on Facebook called Mplayit, which tracked 42,000 visitors and the apps they preferred for a set of “genres.” Turns out that for the various categories, the same cross-platform apps tended to be the most popular on the different platforms. Evernote topped the charts for Lists and Notes, Shazam and Pandora were on all three lists for music, and apps like Yelp and Facebook sat high on the chart for multiple platforms.

The full post can be found on TAUW

MoVoxx Launches ‘GeoSense’ Location-Based Ads For SMS And Mobile Apps

When it comes to mobile advertising, smartphone ads seem to be getting the most attention (see our coverage earlier today for a good example)[...]When it comes to mobile advertising, smartphone ads seem to be getting the most attention (see our coverage earlier today for a good example). But there’s also a huge amount of advertising going on through SMS messages. MoVoxx is one company that’s tapping into both channels, and now it’s leveraging its inventory of 700 million monthly impressions to tackle the holy grail of advertising: real-time, location based ads. To do that, the company recently launched a new pilot with Citysearch , which it’s using in combination with MoVoxx’s directory of phone numbers and associated user details to target their GeoSense ads. MoVoxx CEO Alec Andronikov says that plenty of other companies have tried to perfect location based, real time advertising, but that they’re usually lacking one of three elements he says are required for success: a wide reach, a way to determine where the user is to serve the local ad, and a way to monetize

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Google v. Baidu: It’s Not Just about China

Most publications, including us, noted yesterday that if Google has to lose its $600 million in revenues from China by pulling out of the country[...]Most publications, including us, noted yesterday that if Google has to lose its $600 million in revenues from China by pulling out of the country, then at the very least it’s won a lot in brand and integrity points by the public, English-language and scorched-earth way they did it. Google’s halo is so bright that even now Valley thought leaders are aghast at the idea that a publicly-traded, for-profit company could have had more than just an ethical motive at play. Today, as the story has unfolded, Chinese residents have openly "mourned" the loss of Google by putting flowers and candles out at the company’s Beijing headquarters. (Picture above was taken by Junyu Wang .) That’s striking for two reasons. First, it shows the Chinese government’s grasp on censorship has already measurably slipped

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Google Docs To Host Any File Type

ezabi writes “According to a post on the official Google blog, in the coming weeks Google Docs will offer to host all file types with a limit of 250 MB[...]ezabi writes “According to a post on the official Google blog, in the coming weeks Google Docs will offer to host all file types with a limit of 250 MB, which as they say is larger than the current limit for email attachements. This will have its consequences: paid file sharing will die, more shared pirated material, newer vulnerabilities and malware distribution channels…” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The full post can be found on SlashDot

Google finally enters the online storage arena with a free 1GB

People have been waiting for Google to enter the online storage market with its rumoured game-changing Gdrive, but instead it has decided to start small[...]People have been waiting for Google to enter the online storage market with its rumoured game-changing Gdrive, but instead it has decided to start small…. The Official Google Blog and the Official Google Docs Blog have announced 1GB of free online storage for files that you are not obliged to convert it into one of the not-quite-Office-compatible Google Docs formats (ie Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations). This is a miserly amount of space — it’s what Gmail offered at launch, and pathetic compared to the 25GB that Microsoft has been offering with its Windows Live SkyDrive — but Google says “you can buy additional storage for $0.25 per GB per year”, or $3.50 per GB per year for premium users. Google’s offering lacks either the capacity or the features of the DropBox service, which provides 2GB of space plus synchronisation, and there are plenty of alternatives such as Mozy, Sugarsync and Wuala

Follow this link to view the full post on The Guardian

Google to Shut Down in China?

According to information just released from Google, its Chinese web portal, Google.cn, may be biting the dust shortly[...]According to information just released from Google, its Chinese web portal, Google.cn, may be biting the dust shortly. In the wake of a string of cyberattacks, certain surveillance activities and long-standing censorship policies, Google SVP David Drummond writes, “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn… We should review the feasibility of our business operations in China.” Sponsor Last month, Google noticed a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” on their infrastructure that allowed for the theft of Google IP. The attack came from China and targeted at least twenty other major corporations involved in technology, finance, media and chemicals

The full post can be found on ReadWriteWeb

Ski resorts busted by iPhone app

Want to see past a ski resort’s lies? There’s an app for that. The iPhone’s ability to track snowfall at ski resorts has been well publicized[...]Want to see past a ski resort’s lies? There’s an app for that. The iPhone’s ability to track snowfall at ski resorts has been well publicized (it even showed up in an official Apple commercial ), but apparently there’s been an unintended consequence: ski resorts are actually losing money. The UK’s Globe and Mail reports that before iPhones existed , people would just call up to the slopes to ask them if there was snow on the trails — and the ski resorts would more often than not reply that there was, in order to pull in some more weekend customers.

The full post can be found on TAUW

GVXMPP Brings Google Voice SMS to Your IM Client [Google Voice]

We’ve featured one or two Google Voice clients before, but why install another client when you can use one you already have?[...]We’ve featured one or two Google Voice clients before, but why install another client when you can use one you already have? Free service GVXMPP brings Google Voice support to your IM client of choice, adding SMS-sending power to your desktop. GVXMPP works by forwarding SMS messages to an XMPP account for you, allowing you to send and receive SMS messages from your favorite IM program, such as Pidgin, Adium, or even Beejive on your smartphone. All you need to do is set up a quick GVXMPP account and set your Google Voice to forward SMS messages to your email.

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

Google Defends Against Large Scale Chinese Cyber Attack: May Cease Chinese Operations

Google is releasing information about a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on their corporate infrastructure that occurred last month[...]Google is releasing information about a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on their corporate infrastructure that occurred last month. The attack originated in China and resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. In light of the attack Google is making sweeping changes to its Chinese operations. Google is releasing some information about these attacks to the public. The company says that a minimal amount of user information was compromised, but has come to the alarming discovery that the attacks were targeting the information of Chinese human rights activists

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Creative EP-3NC Earphone - Earphone with Noise Canceling Technology

The Creative has just release a EP-3NC noise-canceling earphones that can reducing 90% significant background noise[...]The Creative has just release a EP-3NC noise-canceling earphones that can reducing 90% significant background noise. Creative EP-3NC earphones comes with an ergonomic in-ear design with soft silicone ear-tips and supports a frequency response of 6Hz – 23kHz, an impedance of 33 Ohms (ANC on) and 16 Ohms (ANC off), and a sensitivity at 1kHz of 104dB/mW (ANC on) and 102dB/mW (ANC off). Creative EP-3NC earphones has Weighing 27 grams and comes equipped with a 1.3 meter Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) cable.


The Creative EP-3NC noise-canceling earphones is use a single AAA Alkaline battery and can supports for 100 hours.

The Creative EP-3NC earphones are currently available at Creative’s online store in Singapore with cost around $107.

Tags:

creative earphones, Creative EP-3NC, Creative headphones, Creative in-ear earphones, Noise-Canceling Earphones

Why Your Nexus One Won’t Work on AT&T 3G

Google’s Nexus One phone is a heap of fun to play with, but so far in the U.S. the only 3G network you can access it on is that of T-Mobile[...]Google’s Nexus One phone is a heap of fun to play with, but so far in the U.S. the only 3G network you can access it on is that of T-Mobile. There are two issues at play here : the underlying technology a cell-phone network runs on, such as HSPA for 3G or EDGE for 2G, and the frequency the radios in the device use to communicate. In the case of the Nexus One, it uses the 900MHz, 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequency bands for 3G data and the GSM 850MHz, 900Mhz, 1800MHz and 1900MHz bands for 2G. Because the T-Mobile 3G network in the U.S.

The full post can be found on GigaOm

Foobar2000 1.0 Released with Nicer Layout, Support for Windows Media, and More

Windows only: Freeware audio player foobar2000 has a big new 1.0 release under its belt, sporting a bunch of new features and improvements[...]Windows only: Freeware audio player foobar2000 has a big new 1.0 release under its belt, sporting a bunch of new features and improvements. If you’re looking for a lightweight media player that’s highly customizable, then foobar2000 deserves a look. (Click the image above for a closer look.) Foobar2000 has always gotten high marks from us, making our list of the top apps we’re most thankful for as well as the garnering reader approval in our Hive Five best desktop media players . We like it because it’s fast, portable, and has loads of plug-ins and customizations that let us do everything from show album art to connect an iPod

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

Review: Sprint Overdrive offers 3G/4G speeds in an compact package

Short Version: The Sprint Overdrive is a small, compact portable 3G/4G cellular data network to WiFi dongle designed for use by up to five people simultaneously[...]Short Version: The Sprint Overdrive is a small, compact portable 3G/4G cellular data network to WiFi dongle designed for use by up to five people simultaneously. The best part is the ease of use and the worst part is the dearth of 4G networking outside of a few major cities.

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

ASUS UL80JT spotted with automatic switchable graphics, brags 12 hour battery life

How we missed this at the ASUS booth is beyond us, but leave it to the eagle-eyes at Ars to hone in on the ASUS UL80JT with an overclockable Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce 310 graphics[...]How we missed this at the ASUS booth is beyond us, but leave it to the eagle-eyes at Ars to hone in on the ASUS UL80JT with an overclockable Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce 310 graphics. So it’s just a run-of-the-mill gaming rig, right? Wrong. The 14-inch laptop has switchable graphics like we have never seen before; the laptop automatically switches, “second-by-second” between the NVIDIA card and the integrated Intel one, instead of the “standard” switchable graphics we’ve seen on laptops like the MacBook Pro 15 or ASUS UL80Vt which require users to switch manually. The major foreseeable benefit of this is longer battery life even when the system is using the discrete card, and ASUS touts 12 hours with the automatic solution turned on.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Mobile TV chip maker Siano raises $24M

Israeli startup Siano, which makes tiny digital TV receiver chips for mobile devices, announced a $24 fourth round of funding from Siano’s existing investors[...]Israeli startup Siano, which makes tiny digital TV receiver chips for mobile devices, announced a $24 fourth round of funding from Siano’s existing investors: JVP, DFJ-Tamir-Fishman, Star Ventures, Walden Israel, and Bessemer Venture Partners. The same investors had participated in a $17.5 million round in August 2008. The new round brings Siano’s total fundraising to around $76 million. Siano chairman Erel Margalit said in a prepared statement that “Coming out of the global financial crisis around mid 2009, it was clear that the mobile DTV market has shifted gear.” Demand for mobile TV, he added, has been strong in the emerging BRIC market Brazil, Russian, India and China

The full post can be found on VentureBeat

Aluratek Cinepal Portable Media Player with 8.9-inch Display

Aluratek has released a new portable media player at the CES 2010. They namely Cinepal portable media player[...]Aluratek has released a new portable media player at the CES 2010. They namely Cinepal portable media player. Aluratek Cinepal is a 8.9-inch portable media player that has built-in with 4GB memory and SD/SDHC card slot. The player comes with lithium ion rechargeable battery that can use for up to six hours of continuous use. You can also add memory to the player because it's has a USB port for external storage.


The Aluratek Cinepal portable media player is support almost all media files like MP3, WMA audio, DivX, AVI, VOB, DAT, MPG, MPEG, H.264, MKV and RM/RMVB video as as well JPEG image files.

Aluratek Cinepal 8.9-inch PMP will be available in US market next month and the price is just $179.

Tags:

8.9-inch PMP, Aluratek, Aluratek Brick, Aluratek Cinepal, Aluratek PMP, Aluratek Wi-Fi Internet Radio, Cinepal, Portable Media Player, RMVB PMP, Wi-Fi Internet Radio

‘3-point’ USB 3.0 hub is self-referential fun and functionality

Admittedly, at first we didn’t get it the hub (with actually helpful, twisting ports) was about 90 degrees counterclockwise from the pictured position and we couldn’t get past[...]Admittedly, at first we didn’t get it the hub (with actually helpful, twisting ports) was about 90 degrees counterclockwise from the pictured position and we couldn’t get past the aesthetic similarities to the Dodge Ram logo. That’s when the friendly overseer of the Dun Cheng Technology Corp. booth in the CES International Hall twisted both our minds and the hub itself to reveal an intentionally meta moment — “3-point,” as in USB 3.0. Needless to say, we were very amused.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Manually schedule Software Update ‘the OS X way’ with launchd

In response to a Macworld article , TidBits’ Chris Pepper elaborated on ways to run Software Update, Apple’s means of delivering updates and patches, on your own schedule[...]In response to a Macworld article , TidBits’ Chris Pepper elaborated on ways to run Software Update, Apple’s means of delivering updates and patches, on your own schedule. Beginning with the fact that Software Update schedules its next update based on the time it’s currently being run, setting the time for the next update is as easy as running it manually at the time you want it to be scheduled for in the future. Later, Pepper delves into the command line method of updating, using the softwareupdate tool (which we’ve talked about on TUAW , too) to run it from Terminal. Taking that a step further, it’s suggested that you run the command from cron , a UNIX command for scheduling tasks, to automate the command-line updates. However, while it still works fine and is perfectly capable of the task, cron has technically been deprecated in OS X since Tiger

The full post can be found on TAUW

The Glass Desk Loft [Featured Workspace]

Pulling off a glass desk is tricky, especially when that desk is prominently featured in your main living space. Today’s workspace features a glass desk[...]Pulling off a glass desk is tricky, especially when that desk is prominently featured in your main living space. Today’s workspace features a glass desk that avoids becoming an eyesore with the help of excellent cable management. Lifehacker reader Mike Buzzsaw has managed, through careful cable management, to have a wrap around L-shaped glass desk in the living room of his loft apartment without creating a very visible, tangled mess. The floor is free from cables, the desk has the cables managed almost entirely inside wire loom tubing to create a sleek outline instead of a jumble of cables, and the desk itself is clear and neat—clutter on a glass desk is often more disorienting than that on a regular desk since it seems to float there.

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

Dear Apple: What we want to see for iPhone 4.0, part 1

A week ago we asked you , the TUAW reader, to help us tell Apple what you want in the next iPhone: the OS, the apps, the hardware[...]A week ago we asked you , the TUAW reader, to help us tell Apple what you want in the next iPhone: the OS, the apps, the hardware. Within two hours, I had over two hundred emails in my inbox. Within four days, the email total topped 1,100. As I was shifting and sorting through all your suggestions, one thing became clear: you love the iPhone, but you want to see it better, more intuitive, and more versatile – and you know how the iPhone can accomplish those goals. This is the first of a series of letters to Apple on your behalf, telling the gang in Cupertino what would make their wonder-phone even more wondrous.

The full post can be found on TAUW

Take Dramatic Photos with a DIY Drinking-Straw Snoot

If you’ve ever looked a photo with dramatic lighting in the style of old detective movies, you’re likely seeing the effect of a snoot—a flash-modifier that directs light in a tight pattern[..]If you’ve ever looked a photo with dramatic lighting in the style of old detective movies, you’re likely seeing the effect of a snoot—a flash-modifier that directs light in a tight pattern. You can mimic the effect with straws. The appropriately named blog LightingMods has a tutorial for turning a box of drinking straws, cardboard, and tape into a snoot for your camera flash.

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

Apple Seizes 16 Domain Names From A Guy In One Fell Swoop

When you own domain names associated with the trademarks of a large company, more often than not, they’re going to file a complaint with the ICANN UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy)[...]When you own domain names associated with the trademarks of a large company, more often than not, they’re going to file a complaint with the ICANN UDRP (Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy). And more often than not, they’re going to win control of the name. Such was the case yesterday with 16 names related to Apple that one man happened to own. Specifically, Daniel Bijan , a Los Angeles-based “mega producer, singer, and entrepreneur,” owned 16 domains that Apple wanted

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

The Switch From iPhone To Android, And Why Your First Impression Is Wrong

Earlier this week we saw the launch of the Google Nexus One, the second very high profile Android launch in as many months[...]Earlier this week we saw the launch of the Google Nexus One, the second very high profile Android launch in as many months. And, as should be expected, the phone is drawing numerous comparisons to the iPhone — it seems you can’t find a related review, blog post, or tweet that isn’t gauging the device based on how it compares to Apple’s juggernaut. That’s as it should be. But for anyone considering making the jump to Android, you need to keep one thing in mind: many of these early adopters have been using their iPhones non-stop for years

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

Samsung’s new netbook line goes hands-on, Moblin makes a cameo

We don’t know what it is, but there’s just something a bit too "netbook" about Samsung’s netbooks. We took a look at the new N210, NB30 and N150 models that Samsung is showing here at CES[...]We don’t know what it is, but there’s just something a bit too "netbook" about Samsung’s netbooks. We took a look at the new N210, NB30 and N150 models that Samsung is showing here at CES, and while there’s nothing precisely wrong with any of them, they just felt a little uninspired. Like almost everybody these days, Samsung has moved to chiclet keys, which would be alright if they were as quality as previous generations of Sammy’s netbook keyboards, but they just felt a little plastic and shallow. At least the NB30 has an excuse, with its water-resistant keyboard tray, and to the lineup’s credit, there was very little flex to any of the keyboards a common netbook problem. The durable, ridged plastic that encases the NB30 is also pretty nice, but nothing to make our heart aflutter.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Jabra EXTREME Bluetooth Headset with Noise Blackout EXTREME

GN Netcom’s Jabra has just released the EXTREME Bluetooth headset at the CES 2010. The New Jabra EXTREME Bluetooth headset comes with noise reduction technology[...]GN Netcom’s Jabra has just released the EXTREME Bluetooth headset at the CES 2010. The New Jabra EXTREME Bluetooth headset comes with noise reduction technology, that they called Noise Blackout EXTREME. Noise Blackout EXTREME is noise reduction technology that uses two microphones combined with Digital Sound Processing/DSP and automatic volume control to dramatically enhances call quality. Noise Blackout EXTREME technology can provides twice as much background noise reduction (24dB) as previous Noise Blackout technology (12dB).


Jabra EXTREME Bluetooth headset comes with two different sized rotatable ear hooks they named Ultimate-fit Eargels and includes Acoustic Shock Protection. EXTREME Bluetooth headset also offers 5.5 hours of talk time and 10.5 days standby.

Jabra EXTREME Bluetooth headset has available in the market today and you can buy it with cost $79.99.

Tags:

bluetooth-headset, eXtreme, Jabra, Jabra Bluetooth headset, Jabra EXTREME, Jabra headset, Noise Blackout Extreme, Noise Blackout Extreme headset, Wireless Headset, Ultimate-fit Eargels, Acoustic Shock Protection

NEWS: evoMouse launches Pet and Cube mouse controllers

Project a keyboard or mousepad onto a surface We’ve seen keyboards projected onto tables before, but at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a company called evoMouse has taken the concept[...]Project a keyboard or mousepad onto a surface We’ve seen keyboards projected onto tables before, but at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a company called evoMouse has taken the concept a step further – adding mouse and multitouch support. The evoMouse Pet is a small, fourlegged animal-shaped device with two infrared sensors. It lets you use your finger on a table as a mouse pointer, tracking your movements and translating them to the screen. You can click, double-click, right-click and drag with particular gestures, as well as offering support for Windows 7’s pinch-to-zoom and rotate functionality. There’s also the evoMouse Cube, which contains similar sensors and can also project a laser keyboard onto a surface that can cope with 400 characters per minute – about 7 per second.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

Firefox 3.6 Release Candidate 1 Officially Available for Download

Windows/Mac/Linux: Mozilla just pushed out the first release candidate for the upcoming Firefox 3.6. Early adopters, start your downloads[...]Windows/Mac/Linux: Mozilla just pushed out the first release candidate for the upcoming Firefox 3.6. Early adopters, start your downloads. Firefox 3.6 has been a much-delayed release, but the release candidate means that the final release is just around the corner. The Firefox 3.6 release comes packed with Personas built-in (the no-restart theming functionality), better tools to keep plug-ins up to date, improved performance, and improvements for HTML5.

The full post can be found on LifeHacker

How the Cathedral and the Bazaar Is Shaping the Future of Comics

Today’s startups, entrepreneurs and investors live and die by what seem like a series of holy proverbs. “Release early, release often”[...]Today’s startups, entrepreneurs and investors live and die by what seem like a series of holy proverbs. “Release early, release often” is perhaps one of the most poignant phrases when considering product launch and feature scope. On this cold Saturday, we’re paying homage to the origins of the concept by recognizing one of the seminal works in programming philosophy, and looking at a recent startup that’s taken it to heart. Sponsor In the late nineties Eric S. Raymond presented The Cathedral and the Bazaar convincing Netscape to publish open source code

The full post can be found on ReadWriteWeb

Razer hits the Xbox 360 with Onza controller and Chimaera headset, we go hands-on (video)

Razer’s come from nowhere over the past few years to establish itself as a serious player in the PC gaming peripheral market[...]Razer’s come from nowhere over the past few years to establish itself as a serious player in the PC gaming peripheral market. Now it’s hitting the consoles, starting with the Xbox 360, and the first iteration of offerings are already looking solid. They were announced yesterday and we got some time with both, starting with the Onza contoller, described in detail in the video after the break. Each stick’s resistance can be individually tweaked, there are additional shoulder buttons that can be assigned to replicate any other button on the controller (no more stick-clicking), and what’s pledged to be a d-pad that’s far superior to the generally junk one on the stock controller

The full post can be found on Engadget

DropBox, Foursquare, Facebook Winners at The Crunchies

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Connect Vitamin Water Bottle Facebook and Zynga were among the winners at the Crunchies 2009 awards, held last evening in San Francisco’s Herbst Theater[...]Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Connect Vitamin Water Bottle Facebook and Zynga were among the winners at the Crunchies 2009 awards, held last evening in San Francisco’s Herbst Theater. The third annual award ceremony that is co-hosted by TechCrunch, VentureBeat & GigaOM, saw a mix of new and old technology companies share limelight in front of a sold out audience. Faisal Galaria of Spotify Dropbox and Foursquare , two of my favorite applications won the Best Internet Application and Best Mobile Application awards respectively. Spotify was named the best International start-up

The full post can be found on GigaOm

FaceVsion announces TouchCam N1 Skype HD webcam

In Store Solutions might have been the first to announce the first Skype HD webcam, but it looks like FaceVsion (yes, it’s really spelled that way) isn’t about to let it get off that easy[...]In Store Solutions might have been the first to announce the first Skype HD webcam, but it looks like FaceVsion (yes, it’s really spelled that way) isn’t about to let it get off that easy, with it now introducing its own first Skype HD-ready TouchCam N1 webcam. As with In Store Solutions’ cams, this one packs an embedded H.264 video compression chip to help out with 720p video streaming, and it includes dual unidirectional mics to ensure that the video isn’t let down by sub par audio. Look for this one to be available sometime next month for $99 — or just $69 if you want one without a mic.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Samsung’s CL80 compact camera

CL65 upgrade comes rammed with features Amidst a whole pile of other announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas[...]CL65 upgrade comes rammed with features Amidst a whole pile of other announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung has updated its popular CL65 point-and-shoot compact camera. Enter the CL80. The device is packing a whopping great big pile of features – Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DLNA, an address book, a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen display and even an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. As Wired’s Gadget Lab points out , from that spec list it sounds more like a phone than a camera.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

Altec Lansing debuts new range of portable, not-so-portable audio products

Altec Lansing has been keeping itself fairly busy since introducing its brand new look a little over a year ago, and it’s now back at CES with a new batch of audio products[...]Altec Lansing has been keeping itself fairly busy since introducing its brand new look a little over a year ago, and it’s now back at CES with a new batch of audio products to keep things rolling. Leading things off is the inMotion Compact (iMT320) iPod speaker system, which is a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper followup to the company’s inMotion Classic speaker system, and includes some nifty features like a folding leather-like cover that also doubles as a speaker stand — look for it to be available in February for $80. That’s complemented by the Octane Plus 2.1 Speaker System (pictured after the break), which will also run $80, and three new headphones in the company’s MUZX DNA line that’ll cost just $20 apiece but still promise “a full ranged, balanced sound.”

The full post can be found on Engadget

NIST Investigating Mass Flash Drive Vulnerability

Lucas123 writes with a followup to news we discussed earlier this week that the encryption on NIST-certified flash drives was cracked[...]Lucas123 writes with a followup to news we discussed earlier this week that the encryption on NIST-certified flash drives was cracked. "A number of leading manufacturers of encrypted flash drives have warned their customers of a security flaw uncovered by a German company. The devices in question use the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm and have been certified using the FIPS 140-2, but the flaw appears to circumvent the certification process by uncovering the password authentication code on host systems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology said it’s investigating whether it needs to modify its standards to include password authentication software on host systems. Security specialist Bruce Schneier was blunt in his characterization of the flaw: ‘It’s a stupid crypto mistake and they screwed up and they should be rightfully embarrassed for making it.’"

The full post can be found on SlashDot

Lexi e-book reader probably won’t ever be called sexy

We swung by the Audiovox / RCA booth in search of the new Lexi e-reader but sadly were met with a non-working version that was effectively useless[...]We swung by the Audiovox / RCA booth in search of the new Lexi e-reader but sadly were met with a non-working version that was effectively useless. We’ve heard about the specs but were lacking in the image department, so it was good to at least see what the thing will look like when it hits the increasingly crowded e-reader space. The design is basic, and from the signage in the booth, so is the UI on the handheld itself. There’s not much else to say here, and the PR reps weren’t the most helpful, but we managed to snag a bunch of shots anyway so check them out below. Lexi e-reader hands-on

The full post can be found on Engadget

Android powered microwave brings cooking to Google OS

CES 2010: I’ll have an app with that popcorn While you’ll expect to find Android in the latest smartphone or Internet tablet, one place that you wouldn’t expect it is in a Microwave[...]CES 2010: I’ll have an app with that popcorn While you’ll expect to find Android in the latest smartphone or Internet tablet, one place that you wouldn’t expect it is in a Microwave. Welcome to CES 2010. A company called Touch Revolution has done the unthinkable and kitted out not only a microwave, but washer dryer with the Google OS.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

inPulse smartwatch for BlackBerry wrist-on

We managed to track down the guys from Canada’s Allerta and got to spend some time with a couple dummy models of the soon-to-be-released inPulse smartwatch for BlackBerry[...]We managed to track down the guys from Canada’s Allerta and got to spend some time with a couple dummy models of the soon-to-be-released inPulse smartwatch for BlackBerry. Design-wise, it’s very attractive, with a brushed metal body and a leather band. As a bonus to early orderers, the first 1,000 sold will be custom-milled on a CNC router ironically, it’ll actually be more cost-effective for them to do it that way while they build up production volume.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Lenovo ThinkPad T410s, T510 and W510 now sniffing for your wallets

Lenovo ’s just reminded us that’s there’s still a world outside CES their recently-announced ThinkPad T410s, T510 and W510 are now available for on-line ordering[...]Lenovo ’s just reminded us that’s there’s still a world outside CES their recently-announced ThinkPad T410s, T510 and W510 are now available for on-line ordering. If you’re up for some of that Core i5 / i7 action, prices start from $1,389, $999 and $1,599 respectively, but hey, save some money for the rest of 2010, OK? Your dog needs it.

The full post can be found on Engadget

Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein: I’ve Never Used an iPhone

If CES 2009 was Palm’s rise-from-the-ashes rebirth , CES 2010 may well be the beginning of its resurgence, the inflection point at which the company really begins[...]If CES 2009 was Palm’s rise-from-the-ashes rebirth , CES 2010 may well be the beginning of its resurgence, the inflection point at which the company really begins to gain traction in a market that nearly left it behind just two years ago. "I think we’ve done really well this past year", Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein said during an interview with All Things Digital ’s Kara Swisher at the Consumer Electronics Show. "We told everyone what our plans were and we really executed on those," he continued, adding, "We said we’d deliver the Pre in the first half and launched it in June. We said we’d add more carriers and we did that as well…. Throughout the year we’ve delivered a lot of over-the-air updates, improving the product, and then we launched the Pixi….I look at the last two years as a transitional period and the year ahead as a transformational one." And what of the year ahead? Further improvements, says Rubinstein: "We’re really, really focused on the consumer experience–the simple user interface, multitasking, synergy, seamless messaging applications…the gesture-based interface; these are all things that make our products stronger." The conversation shifts to the mobile space and the competition in it.

The full post can be found on Digital Daily

Acer Recalls 22,000 Notebooks Due To Burn Hazard

An anonymous reader writes "The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer, today announced a voluntary recall of 22,000 notebook computers[...]An anonymous reader writes "The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Acer, today announced a voluntary recall of 22,000 notebook computers. Acer has received three reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in slight melting of the external casing. No incidents occurred in the United States. No injuries have been reported." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The full post can be found on SlashDot

You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shared on video

Surely you remember the You Rock Guitar from earlier this week. How could you forget, right? Well here on the CES show floor, we had the opportunity to rock out[...]Surely you remember the You Rock Guitar from earlier this week. How could you forget, right? Well here on the CES show floor, we had the opportunity to rock out (gently, of course) with the lightweight, multitouch Guitar Hero / Rock Band controller which just so happens to be platform agnostic. It’s got a plethora of settings and buttons, but it can actually double as a semi-legitimate guitar when plugged into an amp

The full post can be found on Engadget

2 Million Downloads and Counting: Why Such Loyalty for Microsoft Office?

In the past seven weeks, more than 2 million people have downloaded the beta for Microsoft Office 2010. That’s a whopping 40,000 downloads per day[...]In the past seven weeks, more than 2 million people have downloaded the beta for Microsoft Office 2010. That’s a whopping 40,000 downloads per day. It’s a record breaking pace, surpassing the beta release for Microsoft Office 2007. It begs the question: In the face of so many free options, why are people so loyal to Microsoft Office?

The full post can be found on ReadWriteWeb

Let’s Just Skip To The Super-Duper-Phone

Google introduced the term “superphone” to the world yesterday when they unveiled the Nexus One Google phone . Right from the beginning of the hour+ presentation[...]Google introduced the term “superphone” to the world yesterday when they unveiled the Nexus One Google phone . Right from the beginning of the hour+ presentation, Google execs were referring to the Nexus One as the first “superphone,” a term not previously widely used (of note – GigaOm has a reference to the term last summer). So what’s a superphone? It’s a marketing term and nothing else

The full post can be found on TechCrunch

HDHomeRun developing a dual CableCARD network tuner for $249

We had a feeling that after Microsoft removed the draconian OEM requirement from Windows 7 Media Center that we’d see more CableCARD tuners and we’re glad to say we were right[...]We had a feeling that after Microsoft removed the draconian OEM requirement from Windows 7 Media Center that we’d see more CableCARD tuners and we’re glad to say we were right. The original ATSC/QAM HDHomeRun was love at first sight for us three years ago, so we were very pleased to learn that the crew over at Silicon Dust was working on a network based CableCARD tuner. The dual tuner model in development will require just one CableCARD and one coax input, but will allow you to record two HD shows at once, and all for $249 — less than the single ATI CableCARD tuner sells for today. The nice thing about the networked tuner approach that has made the HDHomeRun so popular, is that even if you have your heart set on a small form factor PC like the Dell Zino HD , you can still have access to premium content even without any empty PCI-E slots

The full post can be found on Engadget

DeLorme PN-60w with Spot connectivity gets official, can track your friends, too

As it turns out yesterday’s news from Delorme about the PN-60w wasn’t exactly from DeLorme. Now the official news from the source has dropped[...]As it turns out yesterday’s news from Delorme about the PN-60w wasn’t exactly from DeLorme. Now the official news from the source has dropped, and it includes a few tidbits not revealed yesterday. We’ll start with the bad news first: the social networking functionality here is outgoing only, meaning you can brag to your friends about making it to the top of Half Dome without plummeting to your death, but you won’t be able to receive their jealous responses. For the good news, you will not only be able to send tweets and the like but can also log geocache locations directly from wherever you find them, and interestingly the device can create a sort of local area network, able to display the location of everyone within range and even easily exchange waypoints.

The full post can be found on Engadget

SnapTax allows you to do your taxes on your iPhone

It’s a new year, which means that in a few months, taxes will come due yet again. So why not get a head start on them with your iPhone there is, it turns out, an app for that[...]It’s a new year, which means that in a few months, taxes will come due yet again. So why not get a head start on them with your iPhone there is, it turns out, an app for that. TurboTax has an app coming out called SnapTax that promises to make taxes easy. All you do is take a picture of your W2 form with the camera, and then the software automatically reads the form, extracts the necessary information, and then uploads it into TurboTax’s software and processes your return. Pretty amazing.

The full post can be found on TAUW

PHOTOS: Sony Vaio W series "Eco Edition" mini notebook

CES 2010: Green claims for new netbook As part of wider Vaio launches at CES, Sony has unveiled what it is angling as an eco opton for those that want to compute on the go[...]CES 2010: Green claims for new netbook As part of wider Vaio launches at CES, Sony has unveiled what it is angling as an eco opton for those that want to compute on the go. As well as being a bit of a mouthful, the 10.1-inch Sony Vaio W series “Eco Edition” mini notebook claims a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions during production compared with previous W Series models. This is achieved, Sony says, through use of recycled plastics during manufacture. In addition Sony highlights the paper-saving e-manual, the energy efficient Atom processor (the N450), the LED backlight display and the fact the netbook is shipped in a carry bag, rather than cardboard. Specs include Windows 7 Starter Edition, Bluetooth, webcam, Wi-Fi, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard disk drive, up to 8.5 hours battery life.

The full post can be found on PocketLint

Skylight Smartbook - New Lenovo Skylight Smartbook

Skylight is a brand new product from Lenovo. Skylight is Lenovo’s first smartbook and actually also the first smartbook based on Qualcomm SnapDragon chipset platform[...]Skylight is a brand new product from Lenovo. Skylight is Lenovo’s first smartbook and actually also the first smartbook based on Qualcomm SnapDragon chipset platform and runs on a customized version of Linux OS.


Lenovo Skylight Smartbook comes with a 10.1-inch HD display with maximum resolution of 1280×720 pixels and has dimensions 10 × 7.9 × 0.7 inches and weighs 2.0 kilograms.

The Lenovo Skylight Smartbook has a 20GB of standard flash, a 2GB of cloud storage, two USB ports and a 1.3 megapixel camera. And for connectivity, Lenovo Skylight Smartbook is supports WiFi and 3G. You can use Skylight Smartbook with its battery and allows up to 10 hours of use on a full charge.


The Lenovo Skylight Smartbook will be available in US market on April 2010 and followed by China and Europe later this year. You can buy Lenovo Skylight Smartbook through www.lenovo.com, www.att.com and AT&T retail stores with a price starting at $499 at full retail, while AT&T will offers with lower price with 2-year contract agreement.

Tags:

10-inch smartbook, 3G smartbook, Lenovo, Lenovo Skylight, Lenovo smartbook, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Skylight, Snapdragon, Snapdragon smartbook

Cheap Digital Camera : Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera

If you want to buy a cheap digital camera, Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera is probably the right digital camera for you[...]If you want to buy a cheap digital camera, Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera is probably the right digital camera for you. Because Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera is one of the cheapest digital cameras that i know.

Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera comes with a 3-inch LCD display, 10.2-megapixel resolution also integrated 32 MB internal memory with SD/SDHC card expansion slot. The Camera digital has 5X optical and digital zoom which can make object more closer.


The ultimate features of Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera is Smart Capture and Blur Reduction, so it will automatically adjusts camera settings to deliver beautiful photos. Another features is PictBridge compatible, multimedia slideshow preview and face detection. Also bundled with EasyShare software and rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Here is specification of Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera :
* 10.2-megapixel resolution for stunning prints up to 30 x 40 inches
* Kodak 5x Retinar Aspheric Lens (35 mm equivalent: 38-190 mm)
* Capture beautiful HD pictures in 16:9 format; view in high definition on an HDTV or other HD device
* 3.0-inch LCD screen; Smart Capture, Blur Reduction features
* Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

You can buy Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera + 2GB Accessory Kit at Amazon.Com with cost $159.99. With all that specification, I think Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP Digital Camera is still in reasonable price.

Tags:

digital camera, cheap digital camera, kodak digital camera, Kodak EasyShare, Kodak EasyShare M380 10MP