Warning: simplexml_load_file(http://www.geek.com/category/archive/hardware/feed/) [function.simplexml-load-file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /var/www/clients/client2/web42/web/inc/rss2base.php on line 20
Warning: simplexml_load_file() [function.simplexml-load-file]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "http://www.geek.com/category/archive/hardware/feed/" in /var/www/clients/client2/web42/web/inc/rss2base.php on line 20 Interactive World News » All News
The roll out of Steam for Mac earlier this month was made all the sweeter because Valve decided to make Portal free to download for a couple of weeks. With that promotion over Mac gamers have another game to start enjoying.
Today, May 26, will see the release of Half-Life 2 on Steam for Max OS [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
Motorola Droid Shadow left in Verizon corporate gym
Considering how much drama and coverage surrounded the prototype iPhone leak, which was lost in a bar, you would think that insiders would be a little more careful with unreleased models they are carrying around. According to Gizmodo, apparently not. It seems the unreleased Motorola Droid Shadow was left in a corporate Verizon gym in [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
Sony demonstrates rollable OLED
Flexible displays are something we would all like to have due to their space saving qualities, but we have yet to see a working example that provides the same quality display as those used in high-end smartphones and TVs.
Sony has come one step closer to offering such a display with the rollable OLED demonstrated in [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
LaCie Rugged Safe is the
If the security of data on your mobile hard drive is a top priority then LaCie has just released a new drive that may suit your needs. It’s called the Rugged Safe, and LaCie tout it as the safest mobile hard drive on the market.
The 500GB capacity, bus-powered USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 drive sports [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
CyberCom gets new 4-star general as boss
The new U.S. Cyber Command, CyberCom for short, has a new boss. CNet is reporting that Army General Keith Alexander will lead the new division as a four-star general after his promotion on Friday. The division will be based at Fort Meade, Maryland and will initially consist of 1,000 people.
CyberCom is a subdivision of U.S. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
British scientist infects himself with computer virus
A British scientist has infected a chip implanted in his hand in an attempt to demonstrate some of the threats we face in the future as technology becomes an integral part of our bodies.
Dr. Mark Gasson of Reading University implanted a RFID chip under his skin last year. It is used to allow him secure [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
Ping.fm integrated with Google Buzz and Seesmic on the iPhone and web
Ping.fm, a free service that makes it easy to update all your social statuses and microblogs in one go, has been updated with Google Buzz support, allowing your posts to appear as buzzes as well. In addition, the service has been integrated with the Seesmic for iPhone app and Seesmic web app.
It’s a natural progression [...] Publication date: 2010-05-26more
Twitter to charge publishers
Twitter has announced that it will no longer allow third parties to pollute the Twitter stream with messages advertising products and services. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Google Pac-Man doodle 'cost economy $120m'
Animated Google logo designed to mark Pac-Man's 30th birthday caused millions of dollars in lost productivity, according to one analyst. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Game on: Thriller in need of a wake-up call
First unveiled five years ago, Alan Wake's protracted gestation hasn't augured well. Deadlines meant nothing and the original plan for a free-roaming world was jettisoned for the tightly scripted, strictly linear trek of the finished product. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Digital Life: Add a new dimension to your TV
The stampede toward 3D TV is gathering pace as all the big manufacturers race to bring an extra dimension to your sitting room. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Dell Streak
Computer giant Dell today sought to steal a march on Apple’s iPad launch by announcing the release of its Google Android-based Streak tablet in the UK. It will be available on O2 from early June, and then later in the month via Dell.co.uk. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Eircom targets illegal music-sharing
THOUSANDS of Eircom broadband users caught illegally sharing music will be targeted each week as part of a major clampdown. Publication date: 2010-05-25more
Facebook chief makes privacy change pledge
Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook sometimes moves ‘too fast’ but is working to fix mistakes made on privacy Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Soda machine modified to dispense using iPhone app
Vending machines may be getting more futuristic with the introduction of touchscreens and gender-sensing camera systems, but when it comes to choosing and paying for an item there still needs to be interaction with the machine and money inserted. However, one MIT students has changed that with the creation of an iPhone app that can [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Last day to get Portal for free
On May 12 Valve made a surprising, but very welcome announcement. To celebrate the launch of Steam for Mac Portal is free to download for a limited period.
That free period ends today, so if you haven’t taken advantage of Valve’s generous offer head on over to the promotional page and get downloading before it’s too [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Google betas encrypted Google search
Privacy is largely a luxury that all of us have sacrificed in order to be online, as the recent Facebook privacy lapse makes abundantly clear. Still, as bad as social networks and other web sites can be about your privacy, you’re usually most vulnerable on your home network… which is why it’s always somehow [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Amazon and Asus team up to preload Kindle for PC software on netbooks
Asus and Amazon’s latest deal seems like a good one for both companies: the netbook manufacturer and the world’s largest e-book store are teaming up to deliver Kinddle for PC software on all Asus Eee PC netbooks.
On Amazon’s part, they are simply following their strategy of countering Apple’s iPad and iBooks through ubiquity: the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Alienware M11x getting processor refresh next month
Dell clearly weren’t happy with already having the most powerful 11″ laptop on the market courtesy of the Alienware M11x, so they are upgrading it.
Confirmed at the Digital Consumer Channel MEA 2010 by Dell’s Pearce Clune in the video you see above, the M11x will receive a processor refresh in June. Better yet, you’ll be [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
HTC Vision: HTC Desire with a QWERTY keyboard
The image you see above is of the already-available HTC Touch Pro2 sporting a QWERTY keyboard, but HTC may have a new phone with keyboard attached in line for a release. It’s called the HTC Vision and clips a QWERTY keyboard on to the back of the HTC Desire.
With the Desire already having such a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Review: Skate 3 on Xbox 360
When EA Black Box released Skate for the Xbox 360 and PS3 back in 2007 it was a both a surprise and a reset for what a skateboarding game could be. Provide the player with a big open world to skate around, couple that with a solid set on controls and a simple trick system [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
Zynga to promote at 7-Eleven, get ready for the Farmville Big Gulp
Social gaming company Zynga is set to expand its presence in the real-world through a new promotional deal with 7-Eleven.
Across some 7,000 stores we can expect to see Farmville, Mafia Wars, and YoVille getting heavily promoted with consumers able to claim virtual Zynga goods through certain purchases and redemption codes. Products such as the Big [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
A few thoughts on SSL Search
I’m incredibly happy that Google has added the option to search over SSL by going to https://www.google.com/ — note the “s” in “https.” I’m writing this blog post in a hotel right now because I’m in Europe for a week doing a series of tech talks, but I could just as easily be working down [...] Publication date: 2010-05-24more
MSI SketchBook laptop flips keyboard to reveal graphics tablet
If you are someone who uses your laptop for producing artwork then there’s probably a graphics tablet sitting in your bag. But that may not be the case for much longer if MSI’s SketchBook concept makes it to market.
The SketchBook looks just like a normal laptop, but it has a hidden feature. Flip the keyboard [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Watch a live feed of the BP oil spill
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’re probably well aware of the BP oil spill disaster in the gulf as a result of an oil rig explosion on April 20th. That initial explosion led to a fire and a secondary explosion which resulted in the sinking of the platform on April 22nd. Two leaks [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Google: Apple is Big Brother now
Remember how Apple compared IBM to Big Brother in their famed “1984″ Macintosh advert? Google says Apple is Big Brother now. How times change…
Speaking in front of developers at their annual conference in San Francisco earlier this week, Vic Gundotra, Google’s vice president of engineering, compared the Californian consumer electronic powerhouse to Big Brother, throwing [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Facebook account data could be used to predict dating
It’s no secret that Facebook sorts through millions of user accounts in order to determine patterns inside user data that could be used for targeted advertising and other future streams of income. But what may not be well known is that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also experimented in examining user data from time to time, looking [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Tissot helps you choose a new watch with augmented reality software
Watch maker Tissot has a futuristic way for customers to see how a watch looks on them using 3D augmented reality. Using software called Tissot Reality customers will be able to view how the Tissot Touch collection looks on their own wrist. The software works with a webcam and is compatible with Windows and Mac [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
AT&T increasing early termination fee to $325
Considering a new smartphone contract and new phone with AT&T? Well, don’t even think about trying to end your contract early as the Early Termination Fee (ETF) is about to sky rocket.
Currently AT&T charge $175 for ETF, but from June 1 it is being increased to $325 for smartphones regardless of whether you are a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Prima Strategy Guides get Steam powered
Back in the old SNES days when I was just an earnest gamer sprogling, I would never walk away from the local Electronics Boutique without both a new game and the accompanying strategy guide. Over the years, I ended up with quite a library of them, but eventually, those dog-eared paperbacks seemed like relics of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Huge breakthrough in quantum teleportation beams data ten miles
Although shows like Star Trek and movies like The Fly have indoctrinated us to think of teleportation as deconstructing matter in one location and then magically recorporealizing it in another, there’s another type of teleportation that rarely gets talked about: quantum teleportation. And it’s already here.
In quantum teleportation, the quantum state of atoms, ions and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Adobe Photoshop crashes on quit, fills with rage
Over an ManiacalRage there are some funny CS4 Crash Report messages. Adobe opens the door with that text input area and people step right in, sending in the sort of sarcasm that only the software that people use all day long could generate. The one posted above is definitely the best of the bunch though.
I’m [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
HP uses new flexible display technology for US Military watchphones
Watch phones continue to be rather absurd affairs, but HP’s latest conceptual project for the United States Military looks to up the ante on watchphones into the awesome.
Internally called their “Dick Tracy Watch,” HP’s new watch phone actually seems more similar to the PIP-Boy 2000 from the Fallout series of games. Their next-generation watch is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Expect Android 2.2 update if you have one of these phones
Deciding to go on a two year contract with an Android smartphone certainly gives you a more open OS on which to communicate and use apps than the iPhone does, but the question always remains as to whether your phone will get the latest version of Android as an upgrade in a timely manner?
Android 2.2 [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Tesla Motors and Toyota partner to create electric vehicles
When it comes to developing electric vehicles it seems that Toyota and Tesla Motors won’t be competitors. The companies have announced a partnership to jointly develop electric vehicles and parts. As part of the agreement Toyota will purchase $50 million shares of Tesla’s common stock subsequent to the launch of Tesla’s initial public offering.
Elon Musk, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Introducing the Machine, a homemade contraption made from scavenged car horns
If you’ve been following American contemporary art, you’ve must have stumbled upon the works of Llyn Foulkes. If not, what better way of familiarizing yourself with the artist’s opus than the Machine, a new kind of a homemade musical instrument that only a twisted mind like Foulkes’ could think of.
A Los Angeles artist and musician, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
GameCrazy begins its going-out-of-business sale, reducing prices by 20 percent
GameCrazy is officially liquidating its outlets across the US, reducing the price of the remaining inventory by 20 percent. Publication date: 2010-05-22more
The government gives Google
The stars are definitely aligning for Google. With a huge Android 2.2 splash, Google TV announcement, and a bunch of new stuff that came out of Google’s developers conference now behind us, the news has just reached us that regulators have greenlit the search firm’s $750 million acquisition of AdMob, the leading mobile advertising network. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
iCushion allows you to take your iPhone to bed
It’s been a long day. You go to put down your iPhone to go to bed and are torn with the notion it won’t be in your hands again until the morning. What you really want to do is snuggle up with it before you go to sleep. Well, now you can.
Freshome.com reports that the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Eclectic Method Music Video shows that robots have rhythm
Eclectic Method is a London group comprised of three music video artists that are well known for their AV sampling/remixing style that often gets them invited to perform to live audiences across the globe. Today -it looks like the group has set their musical sights on one of our favorite geek subjects and that is robots.
The [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Fable III Collector
Lionhead Studios announced Friday that Fable III not only be released on the Xbox 360, but will also be available for the PC later this year. Those who purchase the PC version will get a $10 discount, knocking the price down to $49.99. However, the full-fledged Collector's Edition will only be available for the Xbox 360 for $79.99. Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Seesmic for iPhone launches
Seesmic has finally launched an iPhone version of its popular social networking application. Using the app, iPhone owners will be able to keep track of multiple social network accounts including those from MySpace, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Flickr, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and Ping.fm. One of the most powerful features of the application is the ability to post [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
cnectd offers alternative to SMS/MMS and IM
If you are looking for an alternative to SMS/MMS and instant messaging cnectd may be your solution. The application, which supports iPhone, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry operates independently of instant and text messaging solutions to allow a user to chat with multiple contacts, share images and location. The solution will even allow you to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-22more
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has said that people do not want complete privacy online, in a new interview. Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Void (empty) elements and self-closing start tags in HTML
The syntax for void elements and self-closing tags is something most web authors get right. However, there are two types of mistakes that I see every now and then: using end tags on void elements and using self-closing start tags on elements that can have content.Read full postPosted in (X)HTML, HTML 5, Quick Tips.
Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Apple changes policy, wants your cash now
Earlier this week we learned that Apple store weren’t accepting cash payments for some purchases, specifically for the iPad. This restriction has been overturned though, thanks to the efforts of Diane Campbell, and ABC local news team, and some good, old fashioned public outcry.
The iPad currently has a purchase limit on it (two per customer) [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Intel considering allowing displays greater than 10.2-inches with Atom N-Series
During the recession, Intel was very cagy about allowing their Atom platform of cheap, low-power-sipping CPUs from cannibalizing sales of their bread-and-butter processors like the Core 2 Duo and Core iX line of CPUs.
One of the way they’ve done this is by imposing an arbitrary limitation on the screen display size that manufacturers [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Publish your own ebook with Barnes & Noble PubIt! service
Barnes & Noble is opening up its website and eBookstore to independent publishers and self-publishers. The platform, called PubIt!, will offer books through the widely adopted ePub format which is compatible with a number of readers including Barnes & Noble’s NOOK and BN eReader software which is available for the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Make it: DIY iPad stylus
Personally I’d be happy to never use a stylus again but some people just won’t let them die, even with today’s high-end capacitive touchscreens. To be fair a stylus can be useful if you draw or insist on taking notes by hand, but those are both things I’d just as well avoid.
If you want a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
MacBook teardown reveals a ten-hour battery identical in shape and size to the previous model
Those crazy teardown experts over at iFixit took apart the brand new MacBook that Apple released Tuesday. Peeking inside its white polycarbonate shell, they took a closer look at the new hardware, namely the Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics and a longer-lasting battery. For starters, iFixit noted that the new MacBook has the same model number [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Samsung Becomes Guinness Record Holders for World
Samsung may not have the best smartphone, or television, or stereo, or laptop on the market. But that doesn’t make them losers: far from it. While the iPhone may reign as king, and while Sony might rule the HDTV roost, that’s all just so much finely chopped liver compared to Samsung’s real accomplishment: they are [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Sega to release new Virtual On game for Xbox 360
Sega decided to re-release its Virtual On Oratorio Tangram (VOOT) mecha fighting game on Xbox Live last year. It proved popular, so popular in fact that fans can expect a follow-up game.
This time round Sega has decided to forego the digital download route and instead will release a boxed game. This new game will be [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Google sued for collecting private WiFi data
A couple of days ago, Google came out and admitted that their fleet of Street View cars had been accidentally collecting personal WiFi data. It was the good guy thing to do, and Google immediately set about trying to make amends, not just by immediately going about purging the data but by prompting a third-party [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Moshi Voice Control Alarm Clock allows you to hit snooze with a snore
Gadget bloggers see lots of novelty alarm clocks. Alarm clocks that roll off the bedside table, screaming, until you hunt them down and turn them off. Helicopter alarm clocks that physically fly around the room until you bat them down with a broom.
What’s most amazing about these alarm clocks is how extreme the methods they [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Google I/O Day 2
Yesterday we posted some initial coverage of Google’s I/O developer conference, but it turns out that today, day two of the event, was by far the more exciting part. Here is a brief overview of what we’ve seen so far…
Android 2.2 (Froyo) is official and impressive
This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Wiimote with integrated MotionPlus hitting the FCC?
It’s been over a year since Nintendo first unveiled its Wii MotionPlus technology, a snap-on accessory that gives the Wiimote greatly improved accuracy and sensitivity. It’s a worthwhile add-on, but at this point, you’d really expect it to be baked into the Wiimote proper.
Up until now, though, there’s been no word. An FCC filing [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
EU fines nine chip makers for DRAM price fixing
Nine of ten chip makers have received substantial fines from the European Unions over four years of DRAM price fixing.
The companies involved include Micron, Samsung, Hynix, Infineon, NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Elpida, and Naya. Micron is the only company not to be fined because it was the one to step forward and tell the authorities [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Quick look: Sony W Series water-resistant Walkman
Sony’s NWZ-W252 water-resistant Walkman was not immediately a product that made sense to me. In fact it looked like something an elderly person would wear while taking an early morning walk around a mall. Its headphone-free design cuts down on loose parts, but loses major style points along the way. It holds about 400 songs [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Google Storage for Developers beta aims to take on Amazon S3
It’s not the long rumored GDrive, but Google’s recently announced Storage for Developers looks like fitting competition for Amazon S3, offering developers a cheap, scalable way to store data online.
Currently an experimental Google Labs project, Google Storage for Developers is currently available by invitation to U.S. developers. Go to the free sign up page, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
IPRED anti-piracy law is a failure, needs another law passed to work
When Sweden passed the iPRED law last year it was hailed as a turning point by copyright holders who would now be able to track down pirates much more easily online. However, what those same copyright holders didn’t expect was ISPs to start deleting IP address log data in order to protect their customers from [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Star Wars Fallen AT-AT Wedding Cake makes Imperial defeat taste delicious
For those of you who remember the Dead Tuantaun Wedding Cake, thankfully I have another Star Wars Wedding Cake to show you this week that won’t necessarily creep you out. It may make you feel a little sad though – that is if you are a fan of the Empire.
This fallen Star Wars AT-AT Wedding [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
3FN is shut down by FTC
You’ve probably heard of a rogue person or agent, but how about a rogue ISP? Believe it or not, such an ISP existed and it went by the name 3FN. While most Internet service providers concentrate on providing hosting and connectivity solutions to customers, 3FN had a niche market. They worked with the underbelly of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
This is what Google TV looks like
We learned all about Google I/O day 2 and Google TV this morning, but details are still coming out about Google’s television solution. We do know that they are working with companies like Sony, Intel, and Logitech on the project though. Logitech just put out some more information, including the picture above of the Logitech [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Pirate Bay makes U.S. Congressional caucus piracy watch list
The Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus has created what it calls its 2010 International Piracy Watch List. The list contains countries that the caucus believe have “serious problems” when it comes to copyright piracy. This includes the countries of China, Russia, Spain and Mexico, but the caucus didn’t stop there.
In addition to naming countries, the caucus [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Apple rolls out iPad App Store internationally
Good news for our overseas friends who purchased their iPad from US friends: Apple has rolled out the iPad mobile bazaar to a bunch of international markets. As a result, international iPad buyers who lack a US iTunes Store account can now purchase and download apps for the device from their localized iPad App Store, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-21more
Google in sexism row amid claims it 'censored cougar dating site adverts'
Google has become embroiled in a sexism row after reportedly censoring advertisements for a so-called "cougar" dating websites for women despite taking no action against similar sites for men. Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Bricks-and-mortar retailers cannot ignore web presence
Indigenous Irish company Buy4Now Technology Group is set to create 20 new jobs over the next two years in a major R&D and export programme, with support from Enterprise Ireland. Michael Veale is CEO Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Broadband wars
THIS autumn, broadband providers are set to compete aggressively for the hearts and pockets of Irish businesses and consumers, offering speeds that would have been undreamt of even three years ago. Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Dell on a mission to evolve from pure-play PC maker to global services giant
IT’S almost a year and a half since Limerick was struck with the harsh news that computer-manufacturing giant Dell was pulling out of the city, with the loss of 1,900 jobs, and transferring manufacturing to Poland. Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Is it possible to have online privacy?
There’s a storm brewing in cyberspace. Internet users who, until now, have been perfectly happy to share their most intimate thoughts online, are questioning whether things have gone too far. Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Live-buzzing Day 2 of the Google I/O keynote
Okay, today I’m going to try something different again. I’m going to try live-buzzing the keynote of Day 2 of Google I/O. You can follow the live-buzz right here.
I’m going to update the buzz as news comes out; if you’re following on the web instead of on Buzz, you might need to hit reload to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Facebook block over Mohammed caricature competition
FACEBOOK was sucked into a growing row over Islam and freedom of speech yesterday after a Pakistani court ordered the site to be blocked over a page advertising a contest to draw cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Publication date: 2010-05-20more
Live-blogging (okay live-waving) Day 1 of Google I/O Keynote
Okay, I’m going to try live-blogging the keynote of Google I/O, but I’m doing it with a twist. I’m going to try live-blogging in Google Wave with some other folks.
Watch the live-stream video at http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleDevelopers by the way.
Lots of folks will be live-blogging or waving. Here is a different live wave with Gina Trapani, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Hewlett-Packard lifted by corporate demand
Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest personal-computer maker, reported second-quarter profit and sales that beat estimates after corporate buyers replaced aging server computers and consumers took home new PCs. Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Google plays down privacy fears
Google has played down concerns about user privacy, arguing that pictures and personal information shared on social networking sites could be more damaging than the data it collects through its search engine. Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Microsoft gives Hotmail a makeover
Microsoft is updating Hotmail, its free email service, in a bid to retain and grow market share over its major rivals: Google’s Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Gold Vending Machine premiers in Abu Dhabi
When people are thirsty, they often visit a soda vending machine. When they get hungry and there are no shops around, sometimes a snack vending machine will do in a pinch. But what is a wealthy person to do when they get a hankering to hold some new precious metal in their hand and the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Cash isn
According to an ABC story by Michael Finney, Apple is refusing to accept your hard-earned cash in exchange for an iPad. The last time I checked, paper money was a valid payment method in this country, even though the law doesn’t require retailers to accept dead presidents.
The ABC piece describes the case of Diane Campbell, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Crystal Dynamics release Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light gameplay trailer
Back in March developer Crystal Dynamics announced that a new Lara Croft game was in development called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Unlike other games in the series this one drops the Tomb Raider name and will be download only.
This week a gameplay trailer has been released giving us a good idea of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Palm webOS phones arrive at AT&T
As we were told in January, Palm webOS phones have finally arrived on the nation’s #2 wireless network. Beginning yesterday, Palm fans can walk into an AT&T store or visit their online store and pick a Palm Pre Plus. The Palm Pixi Plus, however, will be available from June 6, the carrier said.
AT&T is advertising [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Nvidia puts Tesla GPUs inside IBM
IBM has struck an important deal with the graphics giant Nvidia that has resulted in the creation of a GPGPU-enabled IBM datacenter. This major milestone helps IBM customers that crunch lots of numbers take advantage of a tremendous horsepower provided by the Nvidia Tesla supercomputing processors.
Dubbed the iDataPlex DX360 M3, this new IBM datacenter server [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Seagate 3.1TB HDD first of many drives to require new BIOS
We’ve known the day was coming for a while now, but with Seagate’s announcement today of the world’s first three terabyte hard drive, the day has finally come when modern hard drives will no longer support DOS or Windows XP.
Known as the Constellation ES, the drive will not only offer the largest storage platter out [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Microsoft previews the new Hotmail experience
Microsoft has revealed a number of new details about its forthcoming update to the Hotmail e-mail service. And this is no small update with Microsoft seeming to rebuild Hotmail from the ground up.
Here’s a list of the major new features touched upon in the video and Windows Blog post:
Sweeps
Microsoft’s answer to the virtual broom. With [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Up next for Kindle: Color e-ink, multitouch, games, apps
According to a Monday piece by the New York Times, Amazon is on a hiring spree, acquiring engineers left and right as it preps the next Kindle. The online retailer appears adamant to get a piece of the iPad action as it’s believed to be adding greater functionality to its e-reader, namely a color screen [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Hulu Plus $10 subscription service delayed
Last month, we reported that Hulu was about to test a $9.95 a month subscription service possibly as soon as May 24th. The new subscription service is expected to offer greater access to Hulu’s catalog while non-paying members will be limited. For example, non-paying members will only be able to access the last five episodes [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Original Disney Parks
It’s a sad day for would-be Rebel X-Wing pilots. Disney Parks fantastic Star Wars themed Star Tours ride is being overhauled this year, and that means that the best ride in all of Disneyland will close its doors on July 27th, with Walt Disney World soon to follow on September 8th.
If you’ve never been on [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
The Pirate Party is now the ISP for the Pirate Bay
Not that any of our honest readers noticed, but yesterday, the world famous Pirate Bay website and torrent tracker went down without notice after a German injunction knocked out their ISP.
It wasn’t a big deal — this has happened to the Pirate Bay countless times — and sure enough, they were back up and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Nintendo developer says next Zelda game will be
In an interview with German gaming site Gaming Media, Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed the early stages of development for the new Zelda game. According to Miyamoto, Nintendo is "creating a new way to play the game," one that differs from the typical pattern we've come to expect from the Zelda franchise. Publication date: 2010-05-19more
NTT DoCoMo app generates e-mail from three words on your mobile
Japanses mobile company NTT DoCoMo has developed a new automatic e-mail generation feature for its latest mobile handsets. The system is meant to make it very simple to send e-mail to others by only requiring the user input 1-3 key words or phrases.
So, for example, the user can select the word “late” and phrase “ten [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
EFF: 8 in 10 browsers have unique, trackable signatures
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has discovered that regardless of what measures are taken to protect your privacy online your web browser could allow you to be tracked.
The EFF carried out an experiment which anonymously logged the configuration and version information of users navigating to the panopticlick.eff.org website. Every configuration is different and the EFF [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Quick review: Jabra Extreme Bluetooth headset
The Jabra Extreme is a tiny Bluetooth headset that offers up some of Jabra’s best technology. Selling for about $55 it will be competing with products like the Jawbone Prime and Jabra’s own Stone.
The Extreme isn’t just another tiny Bluetooth headset, it has some nice selling point as well. These include A2DP, MultiUse support for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Rumor: Sony PlayStation Network to go Premium, offer free games and streaming music service
Although Microsoft’s Xbox Live is a fantastic online service, it does have at least one obvious disadvantage over Sony’s competing PlayStation Network: it costs money to use, and without signing up for a subscription, you can’t even use your Xbox 360 to do basic online stuff like multiplayer gaming. The PlayStation Network, at least, doesn’t [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Google goes real-time with Feed API v2 push updates
Google has offered up video detailing the latest version of its Feed API. Version 2.0 will support real-time PubSubHubbub feeds which will allow new content to appear on a web page without the need for a visitor to reload the site. As shown in the video, an example would be a new blog entry that [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Panasonic Skype Camera available now for Viera HDTVs in the United States
First appearing at this year’s CES in Las Vegas and premiering in Japan a couple months ago, Panasonic’s Skype camera for the company’s Viera line of HDTVs has finally made its way to the United States.
The Skype camera will work on Viera cast enabled Panasonic 2010 HDTVs (namely the Viera VT25, VT20, G25 and G20 [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Tweetie pulled from the App Store ahead of Twitter
Tweetie disappeared from the App Store late yesterday, leading some to suspect that this popular Twitter client for the iPhone has fallen prey of yet another app rejection. However, considering Twitter recently acquired Tweetie’s developer and the app itself, the move most likely signals the imminent release of Twitter’s official client for the iPhone, simply [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
Best Buy gets into video on-demand with CinemaNow
Back in November of last year, we reported that Best Buy had teamed up with Sonic Solutions to offer on-demand video content to web-connected televisions, portable media players, PCs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes and mobile phones. Now it seems the partnership between Sonic and Best Buy is ready to bear fruit with the launch of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-19more
YouTube hits two billion views a day
YouTube has exceeded two billions views a day as it celebrates the fifth anniversary since first launching in beta in 2005. Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Internet Explorer market share now below 60 percent
INQUIRIES by German data officials led to the inadvertent discovery that Irish people's private online information had been collected by internet search giant Google. Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Digital Life: They shoot, they score
FIFA World Cup South Africa: Is there any game that is more doomed to obsolescence than FWCSA? Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Digital Life: Re-charging just got easier
Imagine the delicious scenario: you stop off for a cuppa at your favourite coffee shop, put your phone down on the counter and 20 minutes later it's charged up without ever plugging it in. Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Gamers, this is not the
Any World of Warcraft player worth their accumulated subscription fees has, at one time or another, dreamt of a smartphone capable of playing WoW. Heck, I’ve wished for one myself: maybe a limited iPhone app that doesn’t let me raid, necessarily, but at least allows me to access my in-game mail, chat and the auction [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Facebook privacy spurs movement to quit and funding of alternatives
While grumblings over Facebook’s privacy standards continue one website is asking users to take a definitive step to protest. The goal of the website? To get you to quit Facebook on May 31st.
The website, appropriately named Quit Facebook Day, asks for people to add their name with others who plan to quit the social network. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Source leaks info on Sony
Online rumors speculate Sony will announce a paid-for-premium PlayStation Network service at E3. According to VG247, an inside source revealed Sony will announce a large-scale monetizing scheme for PSN at the LA expo this June. For "less than Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Winner of best illusion contest seems to defy laws of gravity
The Best Illusion of the Year Contest is sponsored by the Neural Correlate Society which promotes research into the neural correlates of sensory perception, awareness, and cognitive experience. This year’s contest was narrowed down to the top 10 submissions with the first prize being awarded to an illusion which seems to violate the laws of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
AT&T doubling 3G data speed to 14.4MBps for 250 million Americans by the year
AT&T is stepping up efforts to bring its high-speed data network to as many Americans as possible, announcing plans to deploy a HSPA+ data network upgrade to more than 250 million US customers by the year’s end. Although AT&T – which recently tweaked its branding in an effort to re-position itself as a lifestyle company – [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Iron Man 2
It’s pretty safe to assume that if a summer blockbuster was pushing the envelope in any field it would be that of computer graphics. This would be doubly true if the movie was about a man in an indestructible flying robot suit.
It turns out that Iron Man 2’s most impressive feat of technology is not its computer [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Busted: AT&T doesn
Believe it or not, but Apple’s exclusive US carrier doesn’t know that the App Store is carrying well over 200,000 apps on its virtual store shelves. Worse, they’re advertising the iPhone as having a hundred thousand apps despite the mobile bazaar having crossed that particular milestone well over six months ago. Think I’m making this [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
A new patent reveals insanely great Facebook integration in iPhone OS 4
Apple has fixed an issue with data exchange between incompatible devices and solved the problems related to social sharing between different platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
According to the ideas outlined in Apple’s patent application titled “Device-to-device workflows,” iPhone OS 4 could let you perform common actions, including various social networking requests, with a touch of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-18more
Adjectives introduced in 5th Cell
Prepare to dawn that thinking cap once more. Super Scribblenauts, the sequel to 5th Cell's revolutionary Nintendo DS game, is set to release in autumn 2010, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced Monday. Publication date: 2010-05-18more
LEGO Keyboard Decals won
As a sentient biomass of pure geekdom, the Internet shows no signs of abating its love for the dimpled, brightly colored plastic bricks of its collective youth: LEGOs. The LEGO company has gleefully taken advantage of our fanaticism even in the realm of consumer electronics: there have been LEGO digicams, even.
But even LEGO hasn’t ever [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
New Ford Fiesta will now tweet your terrible driving
Twitter’s always been full of too much superfluous information, from a middle-aged office manager’s musings on what kind of sandwich she’ll have to lunch to a too-lurid description of a mysterious pustule found upon the backside of a seventeen year old.
Gadgets haven’t helped any: there’s gadgets out there now that will tweet your plant [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Project Natal Might Cost $150 In The United States
In order to compete with the Nintendo Wii in the casual market, Microsoft’s been working on their long-touted Project Natal motion-sensing accessory for years now, but the big concern has always been price: while the Wii costs just a couple hundred dollars, Project Natal is an additional expense on top of an already expensive Xbox [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Google grounds Street View fleet after they inadvertently record privacy-breaching public WiFi data
Google’s corporate philosophy is simple: “Don’t be evil.” Last week, though, Google got caught doing something very evil indeed: using their fleet of cars that make the pedestrian-style view in Google Maps possible, Google was probing unprotect WiFi networks that they passed and recording which websites were looking at.
Pretty evil, huh? It sure is. So [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
More iPhone 4G videos leak
Back in the day it was pretty hard to get your hands on an iPhone prototype, just about impossible. Well, something went seriously off the rails with Apple security with this release because another next generation iPhone has hit YouTube. This time the leaks is from Vietnam, just like what we saw last week.
Not a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Sylvania MusicLite LED bulbs turns any lamp or light fixture into a wireless speaker
There’s a lot of ways to get your music wirelessly piped into the room of your choice, from expensive, high-end systems like Sonos’ offerings to affordable, Mac-friendly solutions like Apple’s own Airtunes.
One of the wireless music solutions I like best though is the Lightspeaker system Klipsch announced earlier this year, which combined LED bulbs and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Royal Companion Arcade Stick turns a typewriter into a joystick
Like many writers, I’ve always been romantically and nostalgically drawn to the venerable typewriter, which, like a bicycle, is pretty much the definition of the perfect analogue gadget, and as both a writer and a gadget lover, I’ve always wanted an old Underwood.
Unfortunately, I’ve always known I would never actually use one: while I [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Apple vs. media: Steve Jobs and Gawker
To cut a long story short, a Gawker blogger lured Apple’s boss into an email flame war over iPad, the company’s walled garden approach, and recent business decisions. The conversation quickly takes a turn for the worse and a blogger eventually got what was coming to him.
It all started rather benignly, when a Gawker author [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
iPhone HD: E-reading display, iBooks, June launch, 24 million units in 2010
Digitimes reported Monday that Apple’s component suppliers and manufacturing partners are now receiving big iPhone HD orders, the strongest indication to date that the official launch is weeks away.
The publication’s senior analysts Ming-Chi Kuo interviewed sources close to Asian component makers who believe Apple commissioned its favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn to build 24 million iPhone [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
IBM Model M keyboard simulator
Stuck on a crappy rubber membrane keyboard? Forget what it even feels like to type on IBM’s Model M, the king of clickiness? This keyboard simulator will get you half way there.
Basically you type on your keyboard and the site makes the sounds that the Model M would make. So you get the auditory feedback [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Quick Review: Picross 3D for Nintendo DS
Summary: Picross 3D is Minesweeper for the 21st century. A 3D shape is hidden within a block of cubes. Some of those cubes have numbers on them telling you which blocks need to stay and which need to go. Using the available information you need to reveal the object within as quickly as possible.
Verdict: [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
White MacBooks with faster processor and graphics en route
According to a credible new leak, the white MacBook will receive a minor upgrade to better align Apple’s entry-level notebook offering with the recently refreshed 2010 MacBook Pros.
According to a post, the new MacBook retains the same white polycarbonate plastic enclosure and a 13-inch widescreen display at 1280×800 pixel from the previous upgrade, with a little [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
NVIDIA wants Tegra 2 equipped Android devices to compete with Apple
Apple’s A4 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are some of the snappiest CPUs in the mobile market, but NVIDIA is now looking to take both of them on, with CEO Jen-Hsun Huang saying that the GPU company is looking to position the second generation Tegra chipset as a multimedia and performance-focused alternative for high-end mobile devices.
Publication date: 2010-05-17more
i-Fairy Robot Marries Japanese Couple, Each Working in Robotics
After a lifetime of indoctrination through sci-fi cinema, I usually spend my time worrying about robots ripping humanity apart with their steel, servo-controlled pinching claws, so it generally warms my heart to see that at least one robot out there is capable of bringing two people together… in matrimony that is.
The story comes from Japan [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Details leading up to Gizmodo iPhone search warrant released
Unless you have been living under a rock you probably know all about the drama surrounding the lost iPhone prototype that an Apple engineer by the name of Gray Powell lost in a bar that was later found by Brian Hogan (pictured above) who then sold the prototype to Gizmodo. Those series of events led [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Stallman: Any non-free program is wrong
Mashable was able to line up free software advocate (and geek legend) Richard Stallman for an video interview recently. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a watch. This is just one part though, more are on the way.
Stallman is, as usually, all about free and open source software. But what does “free” mean? [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Co-founder of Wikipedia giving up his editing rights
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, found himself in a public relations hurricane after Fox News reported that Wales had sent an email to the FBI in April with concerns over content posted in two categories of the Wikimedia Commons archive including one on pedophilia and another for Japenese lolicon comics. Wales [...] Publication date: 2010-05-17more
New 'secret iPhone 4G prototype' discovered in Vietnam
A second 4G iPhone next-generation prototype has reportedly been discovered, this time surfacing in Vietnam and apparently without permission from Apple. Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Using laptops or iPads just before bed 'increases risk of insomnia'
Computer users should turn their laptop or Apple iPad off at least two hours before going to bed if they want a good night’s sleep, scientists say. Publication date: 2010-05-17more
Bandai to offer Gundam replica that stands 5 feet tall
If you are a big fan of Gundam anime you may want to add this latest replica by Bandai on to your holiday wish list. The replica stands five feet tall and is a 1/12 scale of the RX-78-2 Gundam. It will ship with a beam rifle, beam saber and a shield.
Each replica, which will [...] Publication date: 2010-05-16more
Got $190,000 laying around? Then grab a Solid Gold iPad
If you are one of the people out there that think the iPad is more costly than practical, just wait until you get a load at this Richie Rich style modded iPad.
Created by the luxury design folks over at Stuart Hughes, this iPad has been tricked out with 53 flawless diamonds in the Apple logo, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-16more
Student? Text folks for free and read voicemail transcriptions while in class with Google Voice
Google Voice may still be an invite-only affair limited to a few hundred thousand lucky users, but if you’re a US student you can get a Google Voice invite within 24 hours and join the party. All you have to do is visit google.com/voice/students and enter an email address that ends in .edu.
Jason Toff, an [...] Publication date: 2010-05-16more
AdMob serves up its 200 billionth mobile ad
AdMob announced that it has now served up its 200 billionth (that’s with a b) mobile ad. AdMob is one of the world’s largest mobile ad networks and was first founded back in 2006. Incredibly, the company reached the 100 billionth ad milestone only nine months ago back in August 2009.
Chances are you’ve probably seen [...] Publication date: 2010-05-16more
Google to pull down Nexus One from web store and sell it exclusively through carriers
Google will stop offering its iPhone-killer Nexus One through the web store because that didn’t work out for them. Instead, the search firm said today, Nexus One will be exclusively sold by the carriers around the world, just like any other handset.
Calling the Nexus One “a beacon of innovation among Android handsets,” Google’s mobility chief [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
The iPhone HD to launch June 21, AT&T may have inadvertently slipped
AT&T, Apple’s exclusive carrier in the US, is allegedly changing upgrade eligibility dates in the system to reflect a rumored June 21 iPhone HD launch. At least one reader informed MobileCrunch of a sudden change in upgrade eligibility date on his AT&T account.
According to the publication, AT&T has moved upgrade eligibility date for this individual five [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Google vanity lands copywriter a new job
Ever googled your name to see what kind of results they receive? While the task may seem a bit on the narcissistic side, the practice of vanity googling ended up helping a copywriter who was bored with his current gig find a brand new job.
Alec Brownstein, a man determined to elevate himself on the corporate ladder, used the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Want to see what your coworkers are doing? Raise a cubicle periscope.
You ever get that sensation when working in a cubicle that you feel a little isolated – cut off from the rest of the world or at least the office? Apparently so did flickr account user Ian. To remedy this feeling of dread, though, he took it upon himself to successfully fashion a cubicle periscope [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
GMail cutting into Yahoo
Google may be beating Yahoo when it comes to search engine market share, but Yahoo is still tops when it comes to email according to Silicon Alley Insider (SAI). The website’s chart of the day shows the U.S. unique visitors to each service’s webmail sites. While first impressions of the chart would leave you to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Submit video questions for May 2010
It’s that time! On Monday morning I’ll record some new videos. I created a Google Moderator page where you can post questions or suggestions and vote topics up and down. I won’t be able to answer every single question, but I’ll tackle several popular ones plus a few of the more interesting questions. Please submit [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
The next iPhone could auto-add local business apps to your homescreen
Picture this: You’re travelling on a vacation and the minute you land at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, France your iPhone offers an app highlighting the must-see landmarks. Or, you walk in that fancy restaurant that a friend was telling you about the other day and up pops a virtual menu automagically disappears [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
A barcode scanning app RedLaser is big on the iPhone
What do you reckon files as a stellar achievement for an iPhone app? A hundred thousand downloads? A million? How about two million downloads of RedLaser, a barcode reader that costs a buck?
Wait, that’s not all. Besides being featured in an iPhone TV commercial, the RedLaser app has maintained nearly a million active users who [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
MONKEYmedia sues Apple for patent infringement using Apple
You’d be forgiven for mistaking MONKEYmedia’s patent infringement lawsuit against Apple for the Mac maker’s legal claim against the handset vendor HTC as the user interface studio’s complaint represents a blatant rip-off of Apple’s argument against HTC. If you ask me, that’s a really bad way to claim an intellectual property theft.
The lawsuit that MONKEYmedia [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Dell Mini 5 aka
Dell’s long imminent first tablet, the Dell Mini 5 aka “Streak,” is getting closer to release: according to CEO Michael Dell, the Streak will debut in the United States on AT&T in late summer.
The Streak isn’t really iPad-like. Instead, it has more in common in size and form factor with various MIDs, or a larger [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Quick Thoughts: Adobe Creative Suite 5
By: Josh Korwin and Sal Cangeloso
Right on schedule Adobe has released the newest edition of their industry-standard Creative Suite software package. Creative Suite 5 brings some big changes to the suite, more than users might expect if they were using CS4 as a benchmark. Interestingly (and finally) these changes weren’t just on the features/UI side. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Schmidt says Android OS will be
There’s been a lot of back and forth lately about whose on top in the smartphone wars between Apple and Google. The NPD group recently claimed that Android was the biggest smartphone operating system in the United States… a claim loudly contested by Apple, who pointed out that the mobile operating system ecosystem as a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Apple Support Will Be Almost Entirely Offline For The Weekend
If you have a problem with your Mac, iPhone or iPod, this is not the weekend to call Apple support: according to an internal Apple memo, all of Apple’s support servers will be offline this weekend, limiting customer support to basic troubleshooting. Don’t expect an Apple Store to even consider fixing your product if you [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
i-Got-Control turns your iPhone or iPad into a universal remote
We all know that besides his dog, another one of man’s best friends is his remote control. But if you happen to own several audio or video devices, keeping track of all their separate remotes can sometimes be a little daunting. What if you could use a device you already carry with you from day to day [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
LimeWire found liable for copyright infringement
LimeWire got some bad news this week. PC Pro reports that Judge Kimba Wood announced her decision in the lawsuit brought against the company by the RIAA back in 2006. The decision found that LimeWire’s parent company as well as its founder, Mark Gorton, were liable for copyright infringement.
LimeWire offers file sharing software which allows [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
MW2 Resurgence DLC screenshots released
We already know that the Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence DLC is landing on the Xbox 360 on June 3, 2010, but how about some pictures? Oh yeah, and some details would be nice too…
There will be 5 maps and Shacknews is reporting that the DLC will sell for $15 (1200 MS points), the same price [...] Publication date: 2010-05-15more
Upcoming Mass Effect 2 DLC pits Shepard against a rogue human-robot hybrid
Five new level areas and two new Achievements will be available in the upcoming "Overlord" DLC for Mass Effect 2. First revealed at Electronic Arts' European Showcase even in London on Wednesday, the DLC has now been detailed and priced on the official Mass Effect 2 website. Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Smartphones to blame for shrinking voice call margins
With smartphones and data plans getting cheaper by the month and with the rise of alternative ways like Twitter, email, and Facebook to communicate on your phone without touching your minutes, it’s no surprise that the length of the average cell phone call in America is at an all-time low. What is surprising, though, is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
NPD: Nintendo DS will overtake PlayStation 2 as best-selling console of all time
The PlayStation 2 is the king of all video game consoles. It has sold more units than any other console ever, a deserved distinction: the PS2 was host to some of the best video games ever, and while it wasn’t the most advanced console of the last generation, it was certainly the machine most synonymous [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
1 in 4 U.S. households only have a wireless phone
The National Center for Health Statistics has released the result of a survey which found that 24.5% or 1 in 4 U.S. households only have wireless phones. The stats, from the last half of 2009, show an increase of 1.8% when compared to the first half of 2009. Even more interesting, another 14.9% did have [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Boeing
We usually think of Boeing’s supersonic stealth fighters are enormous mechanical manta rays skating through the stratosphere. Boeing’s latest Phantom Ray aircraft immediately surprises, then, by its small size: it’s only thirty-six feet long from wing to wing. It’s small for a reason, though… there’s no room for a pilot. The Phantom Ray is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
John Cleese displays British wit in new Fable III documentary
Designer Peter Molyneux and actor John Cleese discuss the upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Fable III in the latest installment of the "Inside Lionhead" video documentary series. Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Apple eying contactless payments, exploring e-wallet app
Apple is exploring software and hardware technologies that could turn the next iPhone into a payment processing machine, several patents indicate. The latest patent that Apple filed with the US Patent & Trademark Office points to a software program called Transactions designed to handle mobile payments on the handset in conjunction with either a near-field [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Subscribe to publications without leaving Facebook
Facebook users will soon be able to subscribe to their favorite publications without leaving the Facebook website. That’s the goal behind a new partnership between Synapse (part of Time Inc.) and Alvenda, which has built Facebook e-commerce apps for companies including Hallmark and 1-800-Flowers.
The system would allow Facebook users to fully expand blurbs of magazine [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
India looks to jails to help fill outsourcing needs
Many U.S.-based companies have looked to India to outsource IT functions in efforts to find savings. Now it seems Radiant Info Systems has found a way to increase these savings by securing employees from a new source: jails.
The BBC is reporting that Radiant has joined a public-private partnership with the Indian department of jails. The [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Android 2.2 to support tethering and turn your phone into a mobile WiFi hotspot
Whenever Googlers drop an enormous dessert sculpture on their lawn, you can bet a new Android version is about to be released. And while it’s been quiet in the Android camp lately, a frozen yogurt delivered outside Google’s Mountain View headquarters yesterday signaled that the change is coming.
Android 2.2, code-named Froyo, will update Google’s mobile operating [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Apple yanks wireless syncing app out of the App Store
Yet another app rejection, but this one matters.
Apple has red-flagged a cool iPhone app that lets you wirelessly sync your device with iTunes on the grounds that the software collides with App Store boundaries. Meanwhile, Greg Huges, the brains behind the Wi-Fi Sync app, has gone underground and is now selling the program for jailbroken [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
God of War writer to pen Shank for XBLA, PSN
Writer Marianne Krawczyk, best known for her BAFTA award-winning work on the God of War franchise, will be penning the 2D action brawler Shank, Klei Entertainment announced Thursday. Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Hulu: Forget about the iPad
Hulu, one of the internet’s large premium video sites, has announced a new video player and said it has no immediate plans to switch to HTML5-embedded videos that play inside web pages without requiring a browser plugin. According to the company’s blog post, ditching Flash video in favor of HTML5 is easier said than done [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Review: Lost Planet 2 on Xbox 360
Your level of anticipation for finally getting to play Lost Planet 2 will probably come down to how much you enjoyed the first game. However, regardless of your like or dislike for the original, you will be in for a surprise.
Lost Planet 2 may loosely follow the general mechanics of the first title, but it [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Landscape formatting features added to iWork for iPad
Apple has fixed the iWork suite for iPad, the first update since this multitouch Office replacement launched alongside the iPad. All three apps in the suite – Pages, Keynote, and Numbers – addressed several reported issues, including the lack of landscape formatting toolbar in the word processing app Pages. All iWork apps are now fully localized to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
DC Comics to produce comic series for Kane & Lynch
Kane & Lynch are getting their own comic book series courtesy of DC Comics.
Developer IO Interactive has done a deal with DC’s Wildstorm imprint to create a series based on the past of both characters, which is typically bloody and crime-ridden. They will be written by Ian Eddington (Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Star Wars, Star Trek), [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Enterprise wars: Business software giant SAP snaps up Sybase for $5.25 billion
Business software provider SAP has upped the ante in enterprise wars by acquiring database maker Sybase for $5.25 billion, the New York Times reported. As a result, SAP now has Oracle, but also IBM and Motorola, in its sight. The company will swallow Sybase’s $400 million debt and pay $65 a share for Sybase, a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Who needs Flash? Asteroids clone in HTML 5
While Adobe continues to put forward arguments as to the reason Flash is still relevant on the Internet and desktop, an enterprising few are starting to experiment with what is widely thought of as the successor to interactive and rich-media content on the web: HTML 5.
One such example has been put together by Doug McInnes, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Evidence suggests Rockstar used no-CD crack for Max Payne 2 on Steam
When Valve’s digital games service Steam got popular publishers and developers were quick to jump on board. That involved updating older games which had seen a retail disc release so that they were compatible with digital download distribution.
Rockstar was one developer who had a number of games to update, and it now looks as though [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Apple invites you to test-drive a beta of next-gen MobileMe Mail
Apple is inviting people to try out the beta of a retooled MobileMe webmail that sports greater security and better performance, in addition to several new interesting features. According to Apple’s post, the updated MobileMe Mail is a significant upgrade that enables several new capabilities commonly found in rival webmail services.
For instance, the new web [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
German court rules that private unsecured WiFi owners can be fined
Do you have an unsecured WiFi connection in your home? Not only is that a terribly bad idea since your neighbors could be stealing your Internet bandwidth, if you lived in Germany, you could be facing a potential fine.
A recent German court ruling states that if someone downloads illegal movies, music, or other media using [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Google shows off Quake-clone running in Native Client
Google might already be impressing us all with the performance of the Chrome browser, but the search giant is only just getting started with the functionality of its web browser.
Another project that has been slowly gathering pace is called Native Client. In the video above Henry Bridge, product manager for Native Client, sums up the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
iPad arriving at Walmart in 2010
Later this year, you’ll be able to pick up a brand-new iPad while shopping for groceries at Walmart. Putting the multitoch computer on the shelves of the world’s biggest retailers is bound to give Apple’s device a major boost in sales.
According to Bloomberg, select Walmart stores in the US could offer Apple’s multitouch computer later [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
A new iPad commercial copies Apple
Apple aired a new iPad commercial titled “What is iPad” that tells us again how “magical,” “powerful,” and “beautiful” the 9.7-multitouch gizmo really is. It’s yet another highly polished Apple advert that’s a pleasure to watch if you disregard the fact that it takes more than a few cues from the company’s own commercial for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Boxee secures Vindicia as payment provider
Boxee has announced that it is one step closer toward allowing content providers to offer premium content via pay-per-view or subscription models. One big missing piece of the puzzle has been coming up with a way for providers to receive payment for such content. Boxee has begun to solve that problem by announcing it has [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack arrives June 3rd
Activision and Infinity Ward have today revealed details of the next Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer map pack.
The full title of the new pack is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack and you don’t have to wait long to get it as it will be available on June 3rd through Xbox Live.
The Resurgence Pack [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Hands-on: HTC Evo 4G handset from Sprint
Last night at a Sprint launch event I got some hands-on time with the HTC Evo 4G. This is Sprint’s newest handset as well as the first 4G phone that’s going to be available in the US. It’s a Android-powered superphone that has a 4.3-inch display and will be available for $199 on June 4th [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
New iPhone HD images leak on the web
This time around, a French publication BeGeek discovered a bunch of new images of another iPhone HD prototype. The device looks like an exact replica of the phone that Gizmodo broke to the world.
BeGeek was able to trace those shots back to a Vietnamese forum that recently tore apart an iPhone HD prototype allegedly belonging [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Apple //e and iPad make beautiful music together in video
You have got to love it when old and new technology merge. That’s the theme behind a video on the Panic Blog website. The video involves an old Apple //e, an iPad and source code which was behind a music video for the song Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground) by the band Grandaddy.
What spurred the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
iPhone OS 4 to play nice with Facebook?
According to a “plugged-in source in the mobile industry,” iPhone OS 4 will integrate with Facebook on the system level, with Apple believed to be formally announcing this feature at the upcoming developers conference kicking off June 7.
Furthermore, Apple could also include support for Facebook Connect in the iPhone OS 4 SDK so that developers [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
First Alan Wake DLC lands in July
Alan Wake just arrived this week (check out Geek.com’s review) but you know that DLC is already on everyone’s mind. It was just revealed on Twitter that the first Alan Wake downloadable content will be released on July 28, 2010. This is coming from Daniel Maher, an Xbox Live editor for EMEA.
As for the token [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Philips develops LED bulb to replace your incandescents
CFL bulbs have been making some great progress but the next step in lighting technology is the LED. These have been making rapid advancements in design and color temperature control while seeing price drops. Philips just delivered the bulb that is the next step in LED lighting–a true replacement to the incandescents and CFLs.
This bulb had to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Acer Chrome OS devices at Computex on June 1st
VentureBeat has heard from several sources that Acer intends to unveil its first Google Chrome OS devices at the Computex Taipai show running June 1-5.
Google has stated that Chrome OS is intended for netbooks, so we have to assume Acer will have either a new model, or even a whole new line of netbooks to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Air Force supercomputer in jeopardy due to Sony PS3 update
Back in November of last year we reported that the U.S. Air Force planned to buy 2200 (in actuality it turned out to be only 1700) PlayStation 3 consoles in an effort to connect them into a supercomputer. The consoles were updated to run the Linux operating system which would support such a daisy chain [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
Slots.com domain sells for $5.5 million
The Slots.com domain name has sold for a staggering $5.5 million. That’s the most expensive domain name of 2010, and in the top 10 all-time list according to Domain Name Wire.
The auction for the domain was handled by Snapnames, but the sale wasn’t straight forward. At the end of the auction the reserve hadn’t been [...] Publication date: 2010-05-14more
A combined effort is needed to
Irish Internet Association (IIA) CEO Joan Mulvihill is on a mission – to digitise the nation. She believes the opportunities the digital age heralds for citizens and businesses alike must be grasped. Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Facebook: can it open the web to business?
It is not easy reading when you discover that in some large towns 40pc of retailers have closed because of the recession. At the same time, the internet as we know it has sped up in terms of size and complexity. Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Start-up promises to get small firms paid on time
Billfaster.com offers an easy-to-use online invoicing and cash-management system, helping businesses create and send invoices and manage payments in just three clicks. Rod Condell is co-founder Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Adobe founders criticise Apple
Adobe's founders, Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, have written an open letter defending the freedom of the internet and criticising Apple's "walled garden" approach. Publication date: 2010-05-13more
4-Player Co-Op DLC announced for Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is expanding its multiplayer experience with a 4-player co-operative mode called "Onslaught," DICE announced Wednesday.
Onslaught mode takes up to four players across four multiplayer maps - Valparaiso, Atacama Desert, Isla Inocentes, and Nelson Bay - redesigned with new lighting, time of day, and other effects in addition to added vehicles. Each map has a dedicated gameplay focus. For instance, Atacama Desert requires vehicle warfare while Nelson Bay focuses on infantry assault. Players can compete in squads and check individual progress via the Onslaught leaderboards. Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Mozilla expands Plugin Check to include other browsers
Ensuring you have the latest web browser is not only a matter of preference, but is a security concern as well. Browsers are patched and updated to ensure any identified security holes have been closed. Unfortunately, a browser’s plugins are sometimes missed in the equation.
To help ensure users have the latest plugins the team at [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Cool villa in Thailand comes complete with a 256-foot water slide built-in
Have you ever heard the term, if you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly? Well, if I ever hit one of those mega lotteries dishing out hundreds of millions of dollars, I’m telling you folks right now I’m going eccentric. Not just a little bit strange mind you, but like a Howard [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
HP Labs offers Gloe as geo-tagging experiment
HP Labs has introduced what it calls a “geo-tagging experiment”. The experiment, which has been dubbed Gloe, has the goal of tying web content to a person’s location. HP is showcasing the platform through an app hosted on the Gloe website.
The app, available through a computer or mobile phone browser, will determine a user’s location by [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
New downloadable maps and game mode now available for Bioshock 2
The second installment of post-launch DLC for Bioshock 2 is now available on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, 2K Games announced Wednesday. For 800 MS Points or Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Site review for Google I/O attendees
If you’re attending Google I/O next week then you might enjoy the SEO site review session that we’ll be doing. If you’ll be attending Google I/O, you can now submit your website for review. I’ll also include the form below:
Loading…
By the way, if you’re attending Google I/O you’ll probably want to install the very spiff [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Another seven-inch Android tablet from Asia shames iPad with HD video
If anything, Apple’s iPad has inspired dozens of knock-offs and lookalikes that are being developed by Chinese manufacturers who are falling over each other to profit on the hype surrounding Apple’s device.
One of the promising-looking tablets heading our way is an Android-based Moonse E7001, a tablet-focused publication Shanzai.com reported Wednesday. As you can see from the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Yesterday Panasonic launched their newest fully-rugged mobile computer, the Toughbook 31. In celebratrion of the launch they did some extra testing on the system, under slightly more demanding conditions than normal. Standard Mil-Spec 810G shock testing calls for dropping a system 26 times at heights up to 72 inches. It’s a tough test, but the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Gameloft turns 10, gives away free iPhone games
French games publisher Gameloft is celebrating its tenth year in the business and they’re marking the occasion by giving away ten iPhone games to everyone between May 10 through next Friday, May 21. No sign-ups, entry forms, or lottery schemes apply here, just track Gameloft’s daily tweets and download a free game each day within [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Marvell to produce 40nm ARM server chips
Intel may already be facing strong competition from ARM in mobile gadgets sector, but it looks like soon the server market could be another battleground for the chip giant.
Marvell Technology Group has announced that it will start shipping multicore 40nm ARM processors for the server market before the end of 2010. The chips are expected [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Facebook enters arbitration to gain
If you own a domain name with the word “facebook” in it, you can expect that domain will gain the attention of a certain social networking company, right? You bet. In addition – one can equally assume they are going to want that domain name for themselves, correct? Yes, that is also very true.
Take the latest example [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
HTC sues Apple to protect its intellectual property
Back in March Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC for patent infringements relating to iPhone hardware and software. HTC responded by saying it would take Apple head-on as it disagreed with Apple’s actions and would fully defend itself.
Now Apple is getting a taste of its own medicine as HTC has filed a complaint with the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Valve updates Counter-Strike: Source Beta with new features
Valve has announced a major update to the Counter-Strike: Source Beta. If you play the game and aren’t in the beta this should still be of interest as these are the features that will be rolled out to everyone for free very soon.
Here’s the list of new features and updates in this beta release:
144 achievements [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Garminfone to launch in June on T-Mobile for $199
Back in April, we reported that T-Mobile USA announced that it will be the exclusive carrier of the first Android-powered smartphone by Garmin. Unfortunately, few details were available at the time around price and any specific date for launch. Now it looks like our friends at Engadget have not only gotten their hands on the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Portal is free to download until May 24th
Valve has decided to be very generous and started offering its popular game Portal for free.
Until May 24th you can download Portal from Steam for absolutely nothing on both PC and Mac. Visit the promotional page and click the “Get Portal Now” button to be taken to the Steam Store to download.
The message from Valve [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Amazon releases awesome iPad app for shopaholics
Amazon has posted an awesome shopping app for iPad people that lets them explore and shop any item, including products sold by other retailers. It’s the shopaholics’ dream come true.
Optimized specifically for iPad, the app takes advantage of the “generous display size” to show off products in their full glory, including awesome image galleries, detailed [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Google adds unlisted video feature to YouTube
Something strange happened a little over two hours ago when Google blogged about a new feature that lets you unlist YouTube videos. A bit later the company took down the post and the original link now leads nowhere. Furthermore, the advertised feature was missing when we checked it out and sites like CNET that reported on it [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Google suggests upgrading to Google Docs instead of Office 2010
Google, quite obviously, would prefer it if you didn’t upgrade to the just out of beta Microsoft Office 2010. Instead, enterprise customers are encouraged to carry out an upgrade to Google Docs.
In order to show the benefits of why a move to Google services is the right choice the search giant posted the following table [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Gmail now supports drag-and-drop for images
If you’re a Gmail user I am happy to report that inserting photos into email just got a lot easier. Google has introduced a new feature which will allow users to simply drag-and-drop an image from their computer into a message. Once inserted you will even be able to resize the image before it is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Original Star Wars Saga retold in a Lego movie
One of my kids favorite video games right now on the Wii is Lego Star Wars. Oddly enough, when asked if she would like to see the Star Wars movies so she can see what the video game is based on, she says that she wants to finish the game first. That’s okay though. I [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Sony launch waterproof headset Walkman W
Sony has launched a new Walkman W in Japan carrying the name NWD-W253. What differentiates this Walkman from other W models is the fact it is waterproof.
By adding a moisture barrier Sony hopes the W253 will better suit those users interested in listening to music while participating in sports activities. It can handle sweat, the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-13more
Mega-preview: Chillingo to unleash four zombie killers on the iPhone
It’s that time of year, again, when the allure of zombies is just too strong to resist, at least when it comes to upcoming iPhone games. Today, we take a look at four zombie killers by the UK-based publisher Chillingo, headed straight for the App Store – you better cover up your brains.
Chillingo recently told [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Farmville developer Zynga losing members, may leave Facebook
Two weeks ago, Farmville creators Zynga lost 3.1 million monthly active users across it's Facebook gaming empire. Just last week, that number grew to 4.2 million. But even with losses in the millions, Zynga still stands as the leading social game developer with more than 244 million monthly active users total. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
More stages, new monsters, costumes and
New DLC for the recently released Nier is expected to be available for download Wednesday, May 12 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The DLC features a time-traveling scenario, adding 15 new stages and different forms of Shades as well as new costumes for Nier's vulgar female companion Kaine, the cursed boy Emil, and Nier himself. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
The ultimate geek coffee mug
Do you have a geek/nerd that you need to find a simple gift for? Boing Boing, which offers up a fantastic mug that gives little doubt to those seeing it that the owner is pretty geeky.
The mug sports the words “Science Gangster” next to a picture of an old gangster-style machine gun with something that [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Accept credit card payments on your iPhone: Square app hits the App Store
Back in January we reported on a new start-up called Square which is expected to revolutionize the way merchants take payments. The company, which was founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey back in February 2009, allows merchants to use their mobile phone to process credit card payments.
In addition to software for your mobile phone, the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Super Mario Bros. beaten using a DDR dance pad
Finishing Super Mario Bros. in under six minutes is already impressive. Beating the game with just your feet is another matter altogether. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Review: Alan Wake for Xbox 360
Alan Wake is a writer, a sort of aging-hipster-meets-Stephen-King characters who goes on an ill-fated vacation to the scariest place imaginable–Cauldron Lake. He has writer’s block, which is only a problem until his life becomes a hellish nightmare where a mysterious force known as the “Darkness” wants him dead. He is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Adobe demos Flash working with touchscreen input
Adobe may have given up on Flash for iPhone/iPad, but it certainly hasn’t given up on touchscreen mobile platforms altogether. One concern over using Flash on such devices is how well it works with touch input.
Lee Brimelow, Platform Evangelist at Adobe, has posted the video you see above to clear things up for doubters. In [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
New teardown images and video prove that the iPhone HD runs Apple
We’ve been kind of expecting the fourth-generation iPhone to run an Apple-made system-on-a-chip dubbed A4, but no-one has produced any hard evidence to date to substantiate this popular notion. However, that changed today.
A new set of teardown photos published by a Vietnamese site Taoviet.vn corroborated the claim that the iPhone HD runs an Apple-built processor. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Best Buy launching own gaming magazine in June
The print industry may be slowly dying with the growing popularity of digital content, but that doesn’t stop new paper publications being planned and launched. This latest magazine announcement came as a bit of a surprise, though. Best Buy has decided to launch its own videogame magazine.
The mag will be called @Gamer and is being [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
HyperMac Battery Pack holds enough juice to keep your iPad running for over four days
Road warriors are no strangers to HyperMac’s famed external batteries that hold enough juice to power your MacBook continuously for more than a day or recharge your iPhone 52 times. If the ten-hour battery on the iPad doesn’t cut it for you, HyperMac has made their external battery lineup compatible with Apple’s couch computer. Available in [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Amazon starts storing and sharing Kindle e-book user highlights
Depending on your feelings about online privacy this bit of news might make you a little angry. Amazon is introducing the logging of all highlights users make to passages in their e-books on a Kindle.
The highlighted sections will be sent back to an Amazon server and combined with information from other users to find out [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Google 'working on' iPad rival
Internet giant Google is working on a tablet computer to rival Apple's iPad, according to reports. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Microsoft and LG bring 3D gaming to Xbox
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console will soon be able to play 3D games, after the company signed a deal with LG. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
How celebs reacted
Tweets from Twittergeddon -- How the big names took the news. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
It's Twitterpocalypse!
The love affair between A-list celebs and Twitter may be about to end thanks to the chaos caused by a hi-tech hacker. Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Panasonic launches Toughbook 31, the ultimate rugged notebook
Panasonic has refreshed its rugged clamshell notebook series at a media event onboard the USS Intrepid in New York City, adding a new 13.1-inch touchscreen design to the mix. The Toughbook 31 represents the sixth generation design that pairs the latest and greatest Intel processors and ATI graphics with a remarkable display and longer-lasting battery, all [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
What to know about Wikipedia
Believe it or not, knowledgeable people who by definition should be brighter than us mere mortals are having trouble finding their way around Wikipedia. That’s reason enough for the web-based encyclopedia to freshen up its look a little bit.
The user interface will see several changes, including a simplified navigation and the more prominently positioned search [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Mac gaming disrupted: Steam launches tomorrow
Beginning tomorrow, Mac users will be able to download and play the same meaty games – not the crappy ports – like their Windows counterparts. After a years-long wait and a few weeks filled with anticipation and rumor-mongering, Valve has finally posted Steam for Mac launch details.
According to the official statement, Steam will launch on [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Cybercriminals using deceptive Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor e-mail to conceal trojan
BitDefender has spotted a new deceptive e-mail that is making the rounds infecting users with a trojan.
The e-mail is seeing a healthy infection success rate as it purports to be a Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It even uses the same text as the real compatibility checking tool, but in this case the user downloads malware [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Take a trip to 1985 with Radio Shack Outgoing Messages
Here is a blast from the past. WFMU has posted on their blog the audio and the image of an old Radio Shack tape with telephone answering machine outgoing messages from 1985. This may make you hark back to the good ol’ days where people not only owned telephone answering machines, but ones which ran [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
Panasonic launches Toughbook 31, the ultimate rugged notebook for real men
Panasonic has refreshed its rugged clamshell notebook series at a media event onboard the USS Intrepid in New York City, adding a new 13.1-inch touchscreen model to the mix. The Toughbook 31 represents the sixth generation design that pairs the latest and greatest Intel processors and ATI graphics with a remarkable display and longer-lasting battery, all [...] Publication date: 2010-05-12more
One-woman-symphony plays Star Wars on an Electone
Ever hear of a one-man-band? Sure you have. But I suspect you have never heard of a one-woman-symphony before have you? Well if you haven’t, you will certainly know what that phrase means once you view the video above.
YouTube contributor atokun111kyusyu demonstrates some awesome keyboard skills by using her Electone to perform several pieces from the musical [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Apple could pocket $40 million a year on its Office killer on iPad
Apple’s Office replacement suite tailored specifically for iPad could already be worth $40 million annually, with the potential to rake in hundreds of millions when hardware sales reach eight-digit figures. A derivative of the fully-blown iWork suite for the Mac desktop, iWork on iPad packs in multitouch-tailored Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps that let you [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
EA to charge gamers $10 for playing used games online
Gamers like used games as they are cheaper than buying new. Retailers like used games as they are additional revenue for selling the same game multiple times. Publishers and game developers don’t like used games as they see no revenue from these additional sales of their titles.
The first publisher to react to the used games [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Project Natal to launch globally in October
Whether intentional or not, Microsoft has confirmed the launch window for Project Natal is October. The news comes from Microsoft Saudi marketing manager Syed Bilal Tariq who let the details slip when speaking on GamertagRadio.
Syed’s exact words when asked about Project Natal coming to Saudi Arabia were:
I do have great news to share with everybody, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
NZXT Vulcan Micro-ATX gaming case available May 20th
NZXT is about to release a new PC case for gamers who wants to remain portable. It’s called the Vulcan, and manages to pack a surprising number of enthusiast-friendly features into a Micro-ATX size chassis.
Here’s a rundown of the features included in the Vulcan:
Durable Non-slip finished top handle for portability
Black Interior
Dual 5.25″ slots and four [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Apple could make MobileMe free, paid subscribers are scratching their heads
If you’ve been a paid MobileMe subscriber, you’re not going to like this – Apple is apparently considering making its $99 a year online services suite totally free. According to a tip from an unknown tipster that MacDailyNews guarantees has “at least an air of credibility about it,” the Cupertino firm is seriously thinking of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
China has blocked Dropbox
If you are a Dropbox user in China chances are you are waking up today to find your files inaccessible. Multiple users on the Dropbox forum are reporting that China has decided to block the service.
As with other services like Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. we will probably never know why this block been implemented, or [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Use Wiimote to play games on your Android smartphone
If you own a Wii you also own the solution to making it easier and more enjoyable to play games on your Android smartphone. All you need is to download the Wii Controller IME from the Android Market. Currently, the app retails for $3.99.
Using the application, you will be able to use the Bluetooth connection [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Business users can now verify their Twitter accounts and accept tweets from everyone
The microblogging startup is testing out several new features with select businesses and organizations, a part of Twitter’s effort to charge companies for advanced tweeting capabilities that are off-limits to individual users like you and me.
Those new features that Twitter calls the Twitter Business Center are currently limited to a private group of select business [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Watch Flash 10.1 running on Android 2.2 using a Nexus One
If we put aside arguments for and against Flash for a moment we have to point out that Flash content looks pretty slick in the video above.
It’s the new Flash player 10.1, but running on the yet to be released Android 2.2 (Froyo). The hardware the above demo is running on is a Nexus One. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Near-final screenshots of Windows Phone 7: Elegant, crisp interface will show Apple who
Don’t write off Microsoft’s mobile operating system yet! Putting aside for a moment the fact that Windows Mobile has not done very well, to say the least, Microsoft might have finally found the right recipe to keep its mobile platform in the game while differentiating itself from the iPhones, Blackberries, and Androids of this world.
The [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Apple spins Android figures: Forget the US, the iPhone outsells Android worldwide
Apple doesn’t believe NPD’s survey showing Android’s US lead over the iPhone in the first quarter of 2010. Judging by a recent comment made by a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm, the company is rejecting NPD’s survey and instead insisting on the iPhone’s global lead over Android.
It all begun when NPD posted the latest smartphone [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Fallout: New Vegas Collector
Bethesda has announced details of the expected Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition contents, which will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC gamers.
The box will include:
“Lucky 7″ poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
A 7-inch iPad lookalike that does 1080p video output could cost just $120
It’s no secret that Apple’s iPad has paved the way for an influx of mobile devices from brand-name manufacturers, like the HP Slate, or a bunch of iPad knock-offs and unknown vendors seeking to grab their spot under the tablet sun. The latest gizmo to join the tablet craze comes from a yet unidentified manufacturer [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Android phones outsell iPhone
Mobile phones running Google's Android operating system have outsold Apple's iPhone in the US for the first time, according to an industry report. Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Digital Life: Angry monsters and giant spiders
Returning, appropriately enough, to the frozen planet EDN III of the first game, LP2 is a shooter itself stuck in time. Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Digital Life: At last, a phone even granny can use!
New ideas emerge at lightning speed in gadget-land and too many of us get caught up obsessing about megapixel-this, WiFi-that or GPS the other. Call it the "ooh shiny" effect -- like magpies we always have an eye on the next thing. Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Google U.K. office makes logo out of 884 4×6 photos
Clay Bavor, who writes a blog and works at Google’s London office, wrote about an ambitious project he undertook with his fellow Googlers to create what he calls a “real” photomosaic. As he puts it, instead of a photomosaic using “tiny, postage-stamp-sized images” he wanted to use high-resolution 4×6 photographs for tiles. The result of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Steve Jobs: Educate yourselves, do your math, and blame your governments for pricey iPads
Steve Jobs is on a roll again, this time defending international iPad pricing end explaining why overseas customers will pay more for the gadget than their US counterparts. Apple announced this past Friday that its iPad is coming to nine new countries on May 28, with pre-orders beginning today, May 10. The price list that [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
AMD CPUs will ship on 109 notebooks this summer
It’s been years since it could even be charitably said that AMD was keeping pace with Intel, at least in the desktop and notebook markets. While AMD keeps its head above water when it comes to servers, AMD isn’t even licking the shoes of Intel when it comes to the success of their other chips. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Sony redesigns Vaio P, adds acceleromter and PS3 Remote Play
Sony has announced details of its second-generation update to the Vaio P range of smartbooks/netbooks. You may remember the Vaio P as the device Sony said was pocket friendly even though it was way too big to fit in most pockets. This time round Sony say they are “easy to carry”.
The update sees a number [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
WiGig Alliance announces new 60Ghz wireless standard
It’s been a few years since we got a fresh WiFi standard, so good news: here comes the WiGig Alliance to bring faster wireless transfer rates to everyone.
WiGig — or the Wireless Gigabit Alliance — are heavily pushing a new standard that incorporates backwards compatibility with the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used by 802.11 [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Case Mod turns vintage NES into ION 2 Packing HTPC
As computers continue to decrease in size, the home theater PC becomes less of an imposing contribution to the entertainment center… and the case modding possibilities become exponentially more enticing.
Take, for example, this little two-toned gray box. You might recognize it by its bright red letters on the cartridge lid, or by the big springy [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
HTC file patents to turn cellphone case into speaker
HTC has filed for two hardware patents that may allow for even thinner smartphones in the future.
Today’s phones rely upon a small speaker unit sitting inside the phone with a grill allowing for the audio to be heard umuffled through the phone casing. The two patents HTC have applied for would replace such a unit [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Canonical Unveils Ubuntu Light and Unity
Ubuntu’s a fantastic operating system, but no matter how good it is, it’s Linux, and that makes getting WIndows users to switch over to it a huge challenge. One of the ways in which Canonical has been clever and spry, though, is identifying emerging opportunities to introduce Ubuntu to a new audience.
During a keynote [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
How to prevent new page links in your Facebook profile from damaging your online identity
The social networking giant has rolled out a new feature that automagically links your profile entries to matching Facebook pages. Both useful and dangerous, this feature could damage your online credibility if you don’t use it with cautious. Although Facebook made no official mention of this at press time, the site put up a dialog [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
FCC approves SOC, gives Hollywood control of your TV
Like most consumers, you probably think there’s enough DRM protection built into your gadgets, but that’s not going to stop Hollywood from putting more and more controls on our living room devices.
The latest measure they’ve successfully pushed through? The FCC has just given the Motion Picture Association of America the ability to utilize Selectable Output [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Apple to refresh MacBook Air tomorrow?
The MacBook Air, once heralded as the world’s thinnest and lightest notebook, has grown old in the tooth. That being said, road warriors better keep their eyes open because Apple could launch refreshed models in the next 24 hours.
According to the Australia-based Macworld magazine, Apple could update its thin MacBook Air notebook tomorrow, Tuesday, May [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Cloud-focused Peppermint Linux OS now available
Last month we reported that a new Linux distribution was about to be released that had a major focus on cloud computing. That distribution was called Peppermint, and today it went live.
Peppermint combines the base Linux operating system with a number of cloud-based applications and services. The result is a lightweight distribution, but with integrated [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
HP Slate is dead, webOS-based HP
HP’s ill-fated Slate looked promising, but then became a sitting duck once we read first impressions. If the rumors are true, HP is working on a new killer tablet that will run Palm’s resource-savvy webOS software. With a hands-on describing the HP Slate as yet another “slow netbook” due to its reliance on Windows 7, it’s no [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
The line starts here: International iPad pricing, data plans, and more
While US folks have been enjoying their iPads for weeks, buyers in nine international markets can finally pre-order both WiFi and WiFi+3G version of the 9.7-inch multitouch gizmo beginning today. International iPad pricing may shock those expecting to buy the device at US price points.
As promised, Apple has begun taking pre-orders for both WiFi and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Olympus TV commercial about the PEN camera was shot with a PEN
Olympus’ new advertising campaign for the company’s PEN E-PL1 digital camera was shot with–you guessed it–an E-PL1. Talk about eating your own dog food! This is a clever marketing move from Olympus that has yielded a pretty solid commercial.
Of course, the significance of this technical feat will probably be lost on most consumers. People familiar with video made [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Capcom plans new franchises and faster development
After what Capcom called "sluggish" sales in 2009, the company has released a strategy report that says it hopes to "create games faster by using a hybrid approach combining internal and outsourced development." Publication date: 2010-05-11more
3D television to launch on terrestrial television broadcasts
3D television is making its way to terrestrial television broadcasts for the first time. Unfortunately, it isn’t happening in the U.S. The Korea Times has reported that the four major television networks in South Korea, KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS, have plans for trial services. The area where the 3D terrestrial broadcasts will be available [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Steve Jobs reportedly claims printing
With all the positive reviews that users are giving their iPads, their hot portable still falls short on two fronts and that is printing and multitasking. Now while the multitasking issue might not be resolved for some time until the end of the summer, the printing problem could be fixed sooner rather than later.
As reported by [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Halo: Reach Beta week one wrap-up
It's week two of the Halo: Reach Beta, and more than one million players have already joined the fun. Hopefully, you've had the chance to test out the multiplayer for yourself. But if you're shy of a Xbox Live Gold Membership or Halo 3: ODST disc, here's a run down of what we've seen up to this point. Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Despite being wicked fast, new multi-gigabit WiGig wireless networking won
The Wireless Gigabit Alliance has teamed up with the Wi-Fi Alliance on the next-generation wireless connectivity standard aptly named Wi-Gig that will put both the Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n WiFi specifications to shame with transfer rates up to 7Gbps. For comparison, 802.11n WiFi peaks at the theoretical maximum of 600Mbps.
According to a statement released earlier [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
Husqvarna
It might look like a stealth bomber landed on your lawn, but what you’re seeing here is a solar-powered Batmobile-styled lawnmower that will make your neighbor’s old-school, manually operated piece of junk look like relic from a bygone era.
Husqvarna’s droid, dubbed the Automower Solar Hybrid, packs in a bunch of technologies that strike a chord [...] Publication date: 2010-05-11more
The Web is a web of content, not an application framework
Nokia has filed a lawsuit against Apple in the United States, claiming that Apple’s iPhone and iPad 3G infringe on several of its patents. Publication date: 2010-05-10more
This is how Microsoft advertises Windows 7 in Japan
In the West, Microsoft advertises Windows using real people talking about how “I’m a PC“, how they helped develop Windows with their own ideas, as well as putting cute kids on the TV managing to edit together video and photos with ease. In Japan, advertising is a little bit different.
As you may expect, the Japanese [...] Publication date: 2010-05-10more
7 minutes of Sonic 4 footage appears on YouTube
Sega must have some seriously big holes in the security surrounding its Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 development. We’ve already seen footage of Splash Hill Zone Act 1 leak in April, but Sega promptly had it removed from YouTube. Now another seven minutes of footage has appeared, this time from Mad Gear Zone Act [...] Publication date: 2010-05-09more
Volvo car collision warning system goes wrong during press demo
Car manufacturers are always striving to make their cars safer, and stringent safety checks are constantly updated to ensure that new car you buy is safer than the one you are currently driving.
One of the latest pieces of safety tech currently being tested is collision warning systems. If a car is fitted with one [...] Publication date: 2010-05-08more
Make your digital camera look more like a camcorder
Check this accessory out for a MicroFourThirds camera (in this case the Olympus PEN)! The new video kit includes an ST grip and a shading hood with the goal of turning your camera into a full blown camcorder. Considering most digital cameras have the ability to take high quality video this new accessory by Japan-based [...] Publication date: 2010-05-08more
Opinion: Steve Jobs was right, Flash video is an old hat
Let’s talk about web video for a moment. You’d be forgiven for dismissing it as a smokescreen in Apple’s crusade against Adobe Flash, but this doesn’t change the fact that HTML5 video is gaining ground. It’s only a matter of time before YouTube switches default video format to HTML5 and when that happens, rival video [...] Publication date: 2010-05-08more
Japanese PSN gets Final Fantasy IX May 20
The next Final Fantasy re-release via PSN may not be too far off in the West. Sony and Square Enix have announced that Final Fantasy IX will be available on PSN in Japan on May 20th.
With language conversions already done for the original release we can therefore hope U.S. and European gamers will not have [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Border
Kobo and Border’s have just announced that the Kobo e-reader, once described by Wired as a “Kindle killer,” is now available for pre-order, to beging shipping on June 17th.
The Kobo e-reader will cost $149.99, but eschew other reader’s WiFi or 3G in favor of Bluetooth, which is an interesting choice, although understandable if they are [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
WePad becomes WeTab, pricing and release date announced
Last month, our own resident Apple Geek, Christian Ziberg, posited that Neofonie’s actually-quite-impressive-looking WePad tablet was playing a game of chicken with Cupertino in their choice of brand name.
Steve Jobs, after all, has claimed that Apple owns the “Pad” trademark. They don’t (at all!) but they’d still have a successful lawsuit on their hands: the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Trillian coming to the BlackBerry
Trillian is a powerful instant messaging client that allows someone to utilize a single application to stay connected with their Facebook, Windows Live, Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP and MySpaceIM networks. A mobile version of the app has been available for the iPhone, but now a closed beta version has finally made its way to [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Netbooks will have banner year in 2010
A recent survey suggested that Apple’s iPad was cannibalizing netbook sales, but that may not be the real truth: research firm iSuppli Corp believes that netbooks and Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage, or CULV, notebooks are looking at a banner year in 2010.
According to their report, notebook PC shipments will increase overall by 25.5% this year, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Viewsonic VX2739wm: 27
ViewSonic has announced its latest entry into the large-screen LCD monitor market with the VX2739wm 27″ display.
A 16:9 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 WUXGA) screen coupled with a 1ms response time and a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (1200:1 typical) make the VX2739wm the “first and only 27 Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Toshiba looking to release the lightest notebook thanks to Super Charged Ion Battery
Laptops keep on getting thinner and lighter, but Toshiba — a company that’s been known for years for their line of thin, light laptops, even before the rest of the industry caught up — looks ready to deliver one of the most ethereal notebooks yet, according to vozExpress, who have an exclusive leak of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Review: Sin and Punishment: Star Successor on Wii
Depending on where you live in the world the first Sin and Punishment game on the Nintendo 64 may have passed you by. Not because it got no marketing or lacked stock at launch, but because it probably was never released in your region (it was an Asia-exclusive). That did nothing but increase demand for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Amazing hand crafted UFO abduction lamps
Every geek loves a great UFO gadget, and while we are personally skeptical that if aliens managed to conquer space-time and travel thousands of light years to visit us they’d spend their time gravitationally sucking rednecks and cows up into the mothership, we still can’t help but be gobsmacked by the laborious attention to detail [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Palm Pre Plus reported to launch on AT&T May 16th
Engadget has broken the news that the Palm Pre Plus will finally be available to AT&T subscribers beginning May 16th. AT&T has been hinting about the availability of the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus on their website and have also been allowing those interested to sign-up to be alerted when they are available. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
German scientists test the killing limits of robots
While we’re all on board with slavish robot servants, I doubt I’m alone in experiencing some trepidation in allowing robots into my home (and access to my cutlery and power tools) before Asimov’s Five Laws of Robotics are finalized… or at least something that prevents these servo-controlled golems from outright murderizing me.
Three German scientists were [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
NEC creates pirated film detection algorithm with 96% success rate
The war between media content providers and pirates is generally a losing battle, but Japanese IT company NEC thinks they might have a weapon that will nuke infringing content off of YouTube once and for all: a video content identification technology that detects illegal copies of video content uploaded to the Internet in a matter [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Yahoo uses traffic to determine the typical iPad owner
So who is typical iPad user? That’s what Yahoo wanted to find out so they took a look at the kind of traffic that was coming from the iPad while on the Yahoo network. Yahoo began its analysis of iPad users just a week after its launch by Apple.
One fact that’s apparent is that the early iPad adopters [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Street Fighter fan film from one of the makers of
Historically, Hollywood has been terribly cheesy about adapting gaming’s beloved Street Fighter franchise to the silver screen. That may, actually, be appropriate: the Street Fighter franchise is pretty cheesy, story-wise. That said, no one deserved Van Damme’s Street Fighter… and don’t get us started on The Legend of Chun Li.
After decades of waiting, though, fighter [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Amazon Kindle 2.5 Update Brings Password Protection, Collections and Social Networking to E-Reading
Amazon needs their soon-to-be-released Kindle 2.5 update to be firing on all cylinders. Weakened by the iPad and competing e-readers, Amazon needs a significant software update to stop the tide of users from fleeing the system. Ars Technica managed to get their hands on an early version of the firmware, and while it might not [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
All CBS.com videos to be iPad-ready by this Fall
It looks like content owners are realizing that open video embedded via HTML5 is gaining ground, driven in part by the fact that Apple’s iPad recently zoomed past the (psychologically important) one million unit barrier. According to a CBS Interactive senior vice president and general manager Anthony Soohoo, the broadcaster will achieve content parity by the start [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
New Dropbox API allows iPhone App Developers to integrate cloud document saving and syncing
As we mentioned earlier this week, the free, web-based file backup service Dropbox has a lot of tricks up its sleeves in the coming months, but the most exciting is the new API that gives developers a way to access, edit and save any file in a user’s Dropbox account… even if they are on [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Couple announces wife
Couples expecting a baby have often come up with amusing ways to announce their joyous news to the rest of the family. But if the couple happens to be huge Star Wars geeks, then are we completely surprised if they add a little Force to the announcement to make the baby message even more fun? [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Clamcase turns your iPad into a netbook with a physical keyboard
People who thought Apple’s iPad would file as a decent netbook replacement have no doubt grown displeased by the fact that the tablet forgoes a physical keyboard and a netbook form factor in favor of a simplified design focused on its large touchscreen. If you’re among those folks, you should look no further than the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
SanDisk licensed Xbox 360 USB flash drive now available
We’ve known for over a month now that Microsoft has decided to allow USB flash storage to be used with the Xbox 360. You can use a USB stick to store save games, profiles, demos, and even DLC. The only limit iss a storage cap of 16GB, much less than the hard drives offer.
The official [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Microsoft shows off HTML5 support and GPU-accelerated browsing IE9 Platform Preview
This week Microsoft has released the second Platform preview edition of Internet Explorer 9 along with the video you see above. The focus with this release is performance improvements and the all-important HTML5 support.
Through the IE Test Center Microsoft are claiming through a series of tables that IE9 is by far the best browser in [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
The iPhone HD to support 720p HD video recording?
The iPhone HD, a significant upgrade to Apple’s popular smartphone slated for this summer, could be capable of recording high-definition video clips in 720p, a major improvement over the iPhone 3GS’s video recording feature limited to VGA-quality clips in 640×480 pixels. The basis for this rumor is MacRumors’ finding of two HD recording presets in [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Motorola thought to have acquired mobile OS company Azingo
Motorola may have just acquired itself a mobile Linux OS company called Azingo.
The hint comes in the form of a profile update on LinkedIn for Azingo’s senior software engineer Yogish Kulkami. His profile now has the same position but listed as working for “Motorola Pvt Ltd. (by acquisition)”. If that is not a mistake (and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Dishwasher dev announces upgrade to non-indie XBLA status for Charlie Murder
Ska Studio's Charlie Murder will now debut on Xbox Live Arcade in 2012, not as an indie game but as a full-fledged XBLA title. After appearing at PAX East 2010, the punk-rock beat 'em up was pulled from the the indie lineup and thrust into the Arcade limelight. Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Carriers beware: International Skype calls are now just one cent a minute
Skype announced Wednesday a bunch of new monthly calling plan subscriptions that let users call landline and cellphone numbers in more than 170 countries for up to 60 percent cheaper than their standard Pay As You Go rates. Previously, Skype subscriptions had been limited to around 40 countries.
The basic subscription starts at just $1.09 a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Casini Studio
Who says MP3 players have to look boring? Well don’t tell that to the product design experts at Casini Studio.
Their idea for a sporty MP3 player contains a single body design that looks like a pendant, where the removable case make it appear that the headphone cables flow together into the player interface, so the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Dropbox is going places: Android and iPad apps, mobile API
A popular online storage startup Dropbox has posted Android and iPad apps and announced a new mobile API to allow third-party developers to integrate Dropbox functionality into mobile software.
Apologizing for “being so secretive”, a Dropbox engineer Jon Ying announced in a blog post that a new Dropbox mobile API lets participating developers add Dropbox features [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
DS beats Game Boy lifetime sales while Wii goes past 70 million
The latest sales figures released by Nintendo show that the DS has managed to beat the Game Boy’s lifetime sales.
Introduced in 1989, the Game Boy managed to sell a staggering 118.69 million units over its lifetime. But now Nintendo has a new front runner as DS sales reach 128.89 million taking the crown as the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
GameCrazy and other affiliated stores officially closing
GameCrazy, Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery are shutting their doors. An internal memorandum obtained by Joystiq confirms that Movie Gallery Inc, the owner of these three entertainment franchises, will be closing its remaining 2,415 outlets across the U.S. and liquidating its remaining stocks over the coming weeks. Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Did Apple just greenlight online gambling on the App Store?
You can’t have boobs, skin, and sex on the App Store, but you’re sure free to bet your money and possibly gamble away your future, so to speak, using your iPhone. Either this particular submission managed to slip under the Apple censors’ radar or the company relaxed its policies in order to allow new software [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Visa payWave contactless payments iPhone case in development
Contactless payment using a credit card is becoming more common, but why get your card out when another, more readily available device can be used?
In Japan using your mobile phone as a device for payment is already becoming common. Now Visa is set to bring that same functionality to the iPhone with the help of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Review: Topre Realforce 87U keyboard
When it comes to a keyboard enthusiast’s dream keyboard, a Realforce is often at the top of the list. These keyboards are expensive and available in relatively limited quantities, but their impressive build quality and capacitive switches have been able to win people over. And yes, that’s right, electrostatic capacitive switches, not mechanical, which is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Over 1M books online for those visually or learning impaired
Efforts to digitize books and put them online have either run into legal hurdles or don’t include some of the most popular works. When they do get online many books are not in formats that are accessible by those who are visually impaired or dyslexic. A new initiative by the Internet Archive plans to change that.
The intiative [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
iPad seen as a netbook replacement, survey says
Apple’s iPad is killing netbooks, but also cannibalizing sales of Apple’s mobile products, namely the iPod touch. According to a survey, a whooping 44 percent of respondents would choose an iPad over a netbook and 41 percent would pass on an iPod touch and opt for the tablet instea d.However, of the 44 respondents who’d [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Interested in dual-booting your HTC Hero?
You’ve probably heard about setting a dual boot on your computer. It’s when you are able to select between two operating systems to load when you boot up your computer. What you may not have heard of is being able to do the same thing with your smartphone.
Pocket-lint is reporting that one hacker figured out [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Roku media players to get Netflix channel update
Roku currently offers three media players that allow consumers to connect their television to a number of online video and music services. In addition to free channels such as Pandora, Flickr and Facebook Photos there are also premium channels including Amazon Video On Demand, MLB.com and Netflix. Netflix, in addition to DVDs by mail, offers [...] Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Guinness World Records Gamer
The votes for the Top 50 Videogame Series are in. After receiving more than 13,000 votes, the Guinness World Records has created an official list of the best all-around franchises, including all titles and spin-offs, to be featured in the Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition. Publication date: 2010-05-07more
Monopoly Streets heading to consoles this fall
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Hasbro's Monopoly Brand, a multi-platform of release of the upcoming 3D Monopoly Streets is scheduled to launch this fall, EA Play Label announced Thursday. Publication date: 2010-05-07more
3D will go mainstream this summer
I think we are finally tiring of this era of on-demand, and often, free entertainment; the instant satisfaction of having entire albums on your iPod literally minutes after they are released or, in the case of pirated content on the web, having movies before they are actually released. But worry not, 3D has come to save the day. Publication date: 2010-05-06more
With 100Mbps broadband, how fast is fast? Seriously?
UPC reveals that 100Mbps broadband will be available to over 500,000 Irish homes by late summer, enabling consumers to download an entire iTunes album in five seconds. Mark Coan is sales and marketing manager at UPC Publication date: 2010-05-06more
New iPhone could include HD video
The next generation of the Apple iPhone looks more likely than ever to include HD video. In the developers’ kit for the new device, there is now the option to record at a higher resolution, 1280 x 720, which is otherwise known as 720p. Publication date: 2010-05-06more
A gripping story but not the last chapter for traditional book shops
It's a cruel irony that tales of our economic woes were among the best sellers last year in Irish book shops, including the now defunct Hughes and Hughes. Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Adobe: Apple wants to turn the web into a walled garden
Kevin Lynch, Adobe’s chief technology officer, has accused Apple of creating a "walled garden" on the web and preventing competition, in the latest round of the battle between the two technology giants. Publication date: 2010-05-06more
How to turn your iPad into a skateboard
Wow, the iPad is truly versatile. You can read books on it, play games, browse the web and access email. Yet, the one thing you can do with it that really puts it over the top for me is that you can skateboard on it.
Ok, you got me. You do have to make some modifications [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Mocca Pearl Espresso Maker makes a Barista out of Bunyan
Espresso makers come in many forms, from the venerable moka pot to the manual piston driven to the programmable Nescafe automaton, and they all make a pretty good cup of joe. What do you do when you want a small cup when you’re camping though?
Don’t scoff: even the most rugged outdoorsman covered in leaves and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Graphing calculators go touchscreen with the TI-Nspire
Touchscreens and multitouch are pretty du jour right now, especially in the wake of the Apple iPad, but consumers should always beware when they see an old device suddenly boast some fancy touch action.
The question you always need to ask yourself is what is the software like: has it been built from the ground-up [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Microsoft KIN phones available from Verizon online store tomorrow
While the KIN ONE and the KIN TWO handsets will be available from Verizon Wireless stores on May 13th, the company has announced that consumers will be able purchase them from Verizon’s online store tomorrow, May 6th.
Pricing will be as follows: KIN ONE, $49.99; KIN TWO, $99.99; both after a $100 mail-in rebate with a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Facebook security fail: live chats accessible with a few mouse clicks
If all your friends are bugging you to get a Facebook account, and you need another excuse to say no, here’s a big Facebook fail you can point them to.
With just a few clicks of your mouse you can, or at least could, circumvent Facebook security and view the live chats and pending friend requests [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Intel Unveils Atom Z6XX CPUs for Smartphones
Three years after Intel first announced the Moorestown Atom platform aimed at cell phones and mobile devices, promising a reduction of existing Atom chips’ energy consumption by a factor of twenty, Intel claims they’ve done it with the new Z6XX series.
The problem, as Engadget correctly notes, is that while three years ago, that sounded great, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Blizzard to integrate Facebook with Battle.net for StarCraft II launch
Blizzard has today announced that Facebook and Battle.net are to be integrated. The game developer intends to do this in time for the launch of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment, said:
We’re pleased to be working with Facebook to integrate their platform with Battle.net to enhance the social-entertainment experience [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Microsoft advertises for Flight Sim LIVE software engineer
Is Microsoft about to start development on a new game in the Flight Simulator series?
A job posting on the Microsoft Talent Network certainly points to it happening. A new position is listed with the title, “Software Development Engineer in Test – MGS – Flight Sim LIVE Job”. The description is as follows:
Microsoft Games Studios is [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Droid Incredible disassembled
The DROID Incredible, an Android 2.1 powered smartphone offered by Verizon Wireless, seems to have garnered a lot of attention leading many to want a closer look. TechRestore seems happy to not only oblige, but they take the ideal of a “closer look” to the next level by offering a video showing the complete disassembly [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Survey says AT&T dropping more calls despite network improvements
According to a recent ChangeWave Research report wireless carrier AT&T is dropping more calls than ever. The network has been derided for its inability to successfully handle voice calls, but it dealt with those claims in January when the company stated that major network upgrades were on the way.
In a poll of about 4000 people [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
A bunch of new features surface with iPhone OS 4 Beta 3
Apple seeded its developers with the third beta of iPhone OS 4 yesterday. The release sports a few previously unknown features, including file sharing between the supported iPhone apps and desktop iTunes, a better way to kill running tasks, a brand new orientation lock feature, and more.
iPhone OS 4 is coming along pretty well. According [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Android Multi-Touch Tablet featured in Adobe booth at Web 2.0 Expo
While Apple has decided to take a stance against putting Adobe Flash and Air on their iPad and iPhone it seems the industry has moved on without them. Zedomax.com is reporting that Adobe was all too happy to display smartphones including the Nexus One, Droid and Palm Pre running Adobe technology in their booth during [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
University of California ends Gmail pilot due to privacy concerns
The migration to Gmail by companies and institutions seems to be happening at a break-neck pace, but Google isn’t immune to suffering the odd setback. One such failure has happened at the University of California, Davis which has just ended its Gmail pilot.
The pilot was used to see if Gmail was the right solution for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
New Grace Solo internet radio turns iPhone into remote
One internet radio that caught our eye is the Solo (GDI-IRA500) which was released by Grace Digital Audio last month. The Solo is a Wi-Fi radio and media streamer which allows you to access your digital music collection or online music services including Pandora, Live365, and SIRIUS. All you need to do is connect up [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Toshiba Qosmio X505 hands-on video
Click through for 720p version.
Geek.com’s coverage of the Toshiba Qosmio X505 gaming/media laptop was posted a little while ago, but the hands-on video finally got uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Long story short: The X505 has great components, but corners were cut on the chassis.
Laptop geek faux pas: There is only one X505, and that’s from [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
A 1995 Apple TV predecessor proves Apple
An old Apple prototype that the blogosphere tentatively named an Apple TV predecessor appeared on eBay, priced and sold for just $46. The unit bears little resemblance to the actual Apple TV, sans the TV functionality.
AppleInsider exposed the gadget as a prototype Apple Interactive Television Box that had been engineered over fifteen years ago, back [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Canabalt
The simple platformer Canabalt won the hearts of browser-based game lovers and iPhone gamers alike last year, and its newest mode adds yet another creative twist to its PC version: A typing tutor mode. If you select the keyboard option from the free-to-play PC game’s main menu, it changes the game’s input controls from mouse [...] Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Red Dead Redemption to receive free downloadable co-op missions this June
Co-op multiplayer is coming to Red Dead Redemption this June via a free downloadable Mission Pack titled "Outlaws to the End," Rockstar Games announced Wednesday. Available through Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, the DLC features six all-new multiplayer missions for 2 to 4 players, XP rewards, and unlockable Achievements and Trophies. Publication date: 2010-05-06more
Call for spam reports in five languages
I recently returned from a vacation to Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. It was a ton of fun and I hope to blog about it at some point — each country was of course unique and each offered different, wonderful experiences. From the cherry blossoms and the kindness shown to me by my colleagues at [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Xbox 360
Pitfall! and Super Breakout will be ready for download as part of the Xbox 360's Game Room, a Krome Studios representative announced. Last week, an Xbox Europe rep tweeted that the content would be "delayed until further notice." Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Nintendo exec says the Wii is still going strong
In this calendar year alone, consumers have bought more than five million Wiis, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told CNBC. In an interview detailing the launch of the new black version of the Nintendo Wii console, the executive revealed Nintendo's skyrocketing sales for both the Wii and DS. Publication date: 2010-05-05more
The White Castle Candle has a smell that will slider right into your heart
Living in the Midwest, I am all too familiar with White Castle and their delicious little gut-bombing burgers, also known as “sliders”. Unfortunately, there are those that truly despise these tiny onion-grilled burgers, but then, there are some who absolutely go bonkers at the thought of the taste and smell of a White Castle burger. For those people who [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Alpha Protocol is done, seriously, for real, finally
Obsidian Entertainment’s longtime-coming espionage role-playing game, Alpha Protocol, is finally complete; the game went gold today, which means it will hit retailers on June 1 in North America, and May 28 in Europe, fully a year later than expected. Rumors of troubled development, despite incredible ideas, is the most likely culprit for the wait.
Set for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
PSP gets God of War: Ghost of Sparta in 2010
With God of War III excitement just starting to die down, Sony today announced that Ready at Dawn, the team behind the incredible PSP action game, God of War: Chains of Olympus, is working on yet another Kratos-centric portable title. Ghost of Sparta, set to release later this year, fills the gap between the first [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Batman 3 release date announced
Batman 3, the follow up to 2008’s The Dark Knight, has gotten a release date. Warner Bros. tells us that the movie will be released on July 20th 2012.
Details on the film are still extremely limited but IMDB does have a page up on the 2012 Untitled Batman Project. We do know that Christopher Nolan will [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Embed tweets via HTML using Blackbird Pie
If you have ever wanted to insert a tweet into an article or a blog you’ve had two choices. The first has been to simply copy the tweet text, while the second has been to do a screen grab of it on the Twitter website. Of course, the nice thing about the screen grab method [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Seagate announces GoFlex modular external hard drives
Today Seagate announced their new line of external storage products, the FreeAgent GoFlex series. This line will replace the current FreeAgent brand consumer-focused storage and connectivity products. All the FreeAgent products will be phased out and replaced with new GoFlex models, so it’s a huge shift in Seagate’s retail presence and marketing strategy.
The big news with [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
More Dragon Age DLC on the way this month
BioWare is doing its best to ensure your Dragon Age: Origins experience never ends, apparently: May 18, that’s less then two weeks away, sees the release of yet another downloadable expansion pack, this one called Darkspawn Chronicles. What the five dollar — 400 Microsoft Points — download contains is still a mystery; the reveal itself [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Build your own Iron Man arc reactor
With Iron Man 2 getting ready to hit movie theatersyou are probably wondering how you can get your hands on an arc reactor like the one used by Iron Man to power his suit. Luckily, you don’t have to be Tony Stark to build one. Now there are instructions on the web to build one [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
HP announces new 14 and 17-inch Envy notebooks
HP’s new 14 and 17 inch Envy laptops have been a poorly kept secret, so it might have seemed a bit anti-climactic to see them officially announced if not for the fact that HP was ultimately so successful in keeping the more interesting details to themselves.
Here’s what we’re looking at. Externally, the Envy line has [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Star Wars Character Voices arriving at TomTom
In more GPS navigation news today, we are hearing that Star Wars has officially made an appearance at TomTom.
Starting this month, TomTom owners can download one of four official Star Wars voice packs to install into their TomTom GPS units to spice up their GPS travels. Up first this month is the Dark Lord of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
HP
HP’s opened up its embargoed coffers on a whole slew of new notebooks this morning, and rounding out their newly refreshed models comes a rejiggering of their ProBook line of business laptops.
Like the last run of ProBooks, the HP ProBook 4325S, 4425S and 4525 are brushed aluminum notebooks, but instead of Intel CPUs, the new [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
iPad clone features Android OS 2.1, 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8
Some say impersonation is simply another form of flattery. Not sure if Apple would feel the same way about an iPad clone being reported by the blog Cloned In China. What makes this clone stand out is that it is powered by the Android 2.1 OS and features a 1GHZ ARM Cortex-A8 processor.
Other specs include [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Intel Atom-Z runs Quake 3 at 100 fps on a cellphone
It may be a game that was released some 11 years ago, but it still counts as a benchmark people recognize. If Quake 3 runs like lightning on your latest device, then you know you are on to a winner. So it’s with little surprise that Intel is using it to show off their Atom-Z [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Ellen apologizes after joke iPhone ad upsets Apple
In what seems like a case of Apple taking things a little too seriously Ellen DeGeneres has apologized on her show for a joke commercial she made about the iPhone.
The commercial saw Ellen attempting to use an iPhone and ended up getting a bit confused, sending a text message accidentally, and getting lost on a [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
OCZ Enyo external USB 3.0 SSD expected before end of May
Freecom may claim to have the smallest 2.5″ external hard drive measuring just 109.87 x 79.5 x 13.5 mm, but OCZ may be about to take that crown away from them while adding a significant speed boost.
The OCZ Enyo external drive uses SSD, a USB 3.0 interface, and measures 56mm x 120mm x 10mm beating [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
46% of TV to ship with Net connection by 2013
With the importance of an Internet connection in the home continuing to grow it may come as no surprise TV manufacturers are reacting. By 2013 ABI Research claims nearly half of all new TVs shipped will have the ability to connect to the web. Be that through wireless or Ethernet.
This year the figure stands at [...] Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Google to start selling digital books this summer
Google has announced its plans to turn Google Editions into a gateway for consumers to buy digital books. Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Apple may face competition probe over Flash defiance
Technology giant Apple is on the verge of becoming embroiled in a US investigation amid allegations it has attempted to stifle competition. Publication date: 2010-05-05more
Clean up extra url parameters when searching Google
You know when you do a Google search and get all those extra url parameters that crowd things up? “ie” and “hl” and so on? I hate that, because I often copy and email Google urls, and I try to clean up the url by removing all those extra params each time.
You can fix this [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Bits and bytes
Google Earth brings you on a spectacular virtual tour of the world from the air but until now it required loading up a special program on your computer. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Critics panned its lack of camera and "ugly touch-screen keyboard" but it is proving a winner with consumers. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Millions of homes to receive treble broadband speed
International cable operator UPC is to more than treble the speed of its broadband capability, it was announced today. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Zettabytes overtake petabytes as largest unit of digital measurement
The size of the "digital universe" will swell so rapidly this year that a new unit – the zettabyte – has been invented to measure it. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Digital Life: My, what a big lens you've got
Always watch the quiet ones -- hidden depths, you see. Pick up the Nikon Coolpix S8000 and it appears a fairly bog-standard compact camera -- small, light, pocketable, yet relatively anonymous. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
So, Mr Wayne, how does it feel to lose
There must be mornings when Ronald Wayne wakes up feeling an urge to weep until his tear ducts run dry. Wouldn't you be the same if you had passed up the chance to remain an investor in a little start-up company called Apple in the 1970s, subsequently missing out on a Publication date: 2010-05-04more
World of Warcraft running on iPad via Gaikai
Services like OnLive and Gaikai are currently promising games on every platform without the high-end hardware required to run the latest titles. All you will need is a solid broadband connection to stream a game to your desktop.
But Dave Perry of Gaikai has shown the true potential of the streaming game service by posting the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Google acquires BumpTop, is Chrome OS going 3D?
BumpTop is a company that started getting noticed when founder Anand Agarawala appeared as a speaker at TED. His company’s software replaced the standard 2D desktop on Windows and Mac with a 3D environment. The video below offers a good demonstration as to what BumpTop can do.
With multitouch support BumpTop was always going to work [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Spirit: untethered iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch jailbreak now available
George Hotz may have been the first to demonstrate an untethered iPhone jailbreak, but he looks to have been beaten to an actual release by Spirit.
Spirit is an untethered jailbreak for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and is available to download right now for Windows and Mac users. It does not include a carrier unlock, [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
iPad beats the original iPhone, crosses the one million mark in just four weeks
Apple has just announced that it sold its one millionth iPad on Friday, April 30, the same day when they launched the 3G model. As you know, WiFi iPad launched on April 3, but Apple begun accepting pre-orders on March 12. This means that it took just 28 days to sell one million iPads, considerably [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Nvidia GeForce 480M Fermi mobile graphics chip solution listing spotted
Looks like a laptop manufacturer has stolen Nvidia’s thunder in announcing a successor to the 280M mobile graphics chip. Eurocom has started listing a GeForce GTX 480M Fermi chip that ships with a lot of memory and a big power draw.
The new 40nm Nvidia chip was spotted as a configuration option on Eurocom’s X8100 Leopard [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries free to download and play
Following in the footsteps of EA, which started releasing old Command & Conquer games for free, Microsoft has green-lit the free download of a full-copy of MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries.
Originally released in 2002, MW4:M was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published by Microsoft. It was a standalone expansion for MechWarrior 4 and received generally good reviews.
If [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
3G iPad teardown: Five antennas, unlocked 3G, and more
The teardown experts at iFixIt have peeked inside 3G iPad, which carries a model number A1337. As you know, 3G iPad is basically the same device as the WiFi-only model, sans an added 3G circuitry and GPS sensor. Surprisingly, iFixIt noted, 3G iPad is unlocked and works on any cellular network, not just AT&T’s.
The only [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
RayStorm HD available May 5th on Xbox Live and PSN
Shmup fans will be pleased to hear that Taito’s RayStorm update, entitled RayStorm HD, finally has a release date. You’ll be able to get it on May 5th for both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. It’s not cheap though, and will cost either 1200 points or $15 depending on your format of choice.
The first [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Star Trek Online Free Trial Weekend and Demo coming May 7th
Cryptic Studios is about to roll out a number of new promotions for Star Trek Online. Regardless of whether you have played the game before, or have yet to purchase a copy, Cryptic is going to offer you a free way to play the game.
For former players a “Welcome Back Weekend” promotion is being run [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Everything you want to know about the iPad
Over at TidBITS Glenn Fleishman has a thorough post up on the iPad’s 3G service. As you probably know, the recently released iPad Wi-Fi+3G has unique no-contract data plans available from AT&T. The article breaks down how to connect, how to setup your plan, the importance of the Cellular Data switch (like the Airplane button, but [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
The government is thinking different about Apple
Apple could be just days away from becoming the subject of an unpleasant antitrust inquiry into a recent decision to restrict software development on the iPhone and iPad. Nevermind Apple’s moral policing which always ignites the heated debate among our readers, this is a much more serious issue than app rejections, the one with potentially [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Similar pages arrive to Google search
If you’ve spotted sporadic occurrences of similar pages on the search results page in the past, you’ll be delighted to learn that Google is now rolling out this feature broadly to help everyone discover web content similar to that they like. According to the Mountain View, California-based search monster, similar pages help raise visibility of [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
webOS update arrives early June
Palm has emailed its developers to announce the pending update to its webOS software development kit (SDK). The operating system powering Pre and Pixi smartphones will also be updated. Although Palm cited a “limited scope of the changes,” it demands developers test their apps against the release candidate, especially the software ported from other platforms. [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
How to hook up your iPad to T-Mobile
Seriously tempted by the recently launched 3G iPad, but the very thought of connecting to AT&T’s mobile data sends shivers down your spine? As you know, Apple is selling 3G iPad unlocked (yes, it’s hard to believe).
As a result, users aren’t required to use it with a specific carrier, like with the iPhone. This paves [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
PURE launches three connected radios on July 1st
PURE, a manufacturer of digital and internet-connected radios, has announced the launch of three products in North America beginning July 1st through the PURE website and other online channels. The products were first shown during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and include the EVOKE Flow, the Oasis Flow and the Siesta Flow.
The EVOKE [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
New Wii bundle to include Wii Sports Resort, MotionPlus, and optional black color-scheme
When the black Nintendo Wii console hits stores May 9, buyers will get much more than just the system. Like the standard system purchase now available, the new Wii package will include a Wiimote, Nunchuck, and Wii Sports. However, the upcoming bundle will also include Wii Sports Resort and the control-enhancing Wii MotionPlus accessory. Publication date: 2010-05-04more
School offers green careers in ecotech
If you have an interest in ecotech now you have the opportunity to make a career out of it. The Education Corporation of American announced the opening of the new Ecotech Institute. The institute, which will be the first of its kind to prepare graduates for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design fields, will [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Robot creates ice models using 3D printing
Ice sculpture artist may be the next career on the chopping block, due to a breakthrough in technology. Two professors, Pieter Sijpkes and Jorge Angeles, at McGill University based in Montreal, Quebec have figured out a way to print small-scale 3D ice models using what they call the FAB@HOME robot.
Their preliminary work has led to a $173,000 grant [...] Publication date: 2010-05-04more
Authentic Jobs 50% promo this week
Right now is a great time to post a job listing on Authentic Jobs. From today until this coming Friday (May 7), you get a 50% discount by entering the promo code 50RJ when you order.
The offer is valid for all job listing types (full-time, freelance, or contract), and of course the 100% money-back guarantee still applies.Read full postPosted in Job openings.
Publication date: 2010-05-03more
39 Android Apps that I love
Here are the Android Apps that I currently love. It’s not a complete list, but it’s a pretty good start.
Music and sound apps
Subsonic: stream music from your home computer to your phone
Listen: save and play podcasts like This Week in Google
Tuner – gStrings: a great guitar tuner
Pandora Radio: stream customized music based on artists you [...] Publication date: 2010-05-03more
Biomechanical Mike Stand looks as if the Terminator became a roadie
I’m sorry to disappoint you readers, but this sweet looking microphone stand wasn’t ripped out of the shoulder socket of a T-101, nor was it stolen from the research vaults over at Cyberdyne Systems. This Biomechanical Mic Stand was created by modern sculpture artist Chris Conte.
Adam Gontier, the lead singer for the group Three Days [...] Publication date: 2010-05-03more
Visualization of European airspace as volcanic ash threat ends
Regardless of where you are in the world it was hard to miss the news about the active volcano in Iceland spewing out tons of volcanic ash a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately for Europe the wind was blowing in its direction, which resulted in most of European airspace being closed for several days.
It’s hard [...] Publication date: 2010-05-03more
No Doubt
The entire No Doubt album, Tragic Kingdom, will be available on Rock Band next week, on top of singles from Orianthi and Picture Me Broken, Harmonix and MTV Games announced Friday. Publication date: 2010-05-01more
The Motz Tiny Wooden Speaker for iPod and MP3 Players
Sometimes big things often come in small packages. Take for example this tiny organic looking speaker gadget offered by Korea-based company, Pyramid Distribution.
It may not seem like very much. After all, the device only weighs about 15 grams. But this small wooden external speaker for the iPod and other MP3 Players is big on charm. It not only [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Packard Bell announces EasyNote TM Core i3 notebook
Packard Bell has announced The EasyNote TM as the latest addition to their line of laptops. The laptop features a 15.6-inch, 16:9 widescreen display and is powered by an Intel Core i3 processor with up to 8GB of memory. Consumers can choose from models including an ATI or NVIDIA graphics card.
Besides its computing power the [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Hydrophobia to be released as timed-exclusive on XBLA with later releases on PSN, PC and retail
Dark Energy Digital's Hydrophobia will only be exclusively available on the Xbox Live Arcade for an unspecified period of time. However, the survival adventure will later be released on the PlayStation Network, PC, and Xbox 360 as boxed, retail code. There will be no PlayStation 3 version. Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Oh no, Apple is trademarking the iPhone app icons
Apple is seeking to legally protect the familiar iPhone app icons. If the company has it their way, those yummy iChocolates, app fridge magnets, and other TWLTOs (Toys We’de Like To Own) inspired by iPhone apps could become a thing of the past.
According to Patently Apple, the US Patent & Trademark Office has published yesterday [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Green or just cheap? iPad 3G+WiFi ships in stickered WiFi box!
With less than an hour before 3G iPad arrives on store shelves, the first batch of unboxings show 3G iPads arriving in the same boxes as the WiFi counterpart, down to a big WiFi iPad image on the box front. Surprising sloppiness on the part of a company that likes to pride itself for their rocking unboxing [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Californian beats Bejeweled 2
A dedicated individual has beaten Bejeweled 2, an addictive casual game that, until now, has never been recorded as game that could be beaten. But, after three years of playing a single round of the web-based game, a California steel contractor named Mike Leyde has performed the impossible. Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Google Docs: Freehand image resizing and affixing
Google has added a small but useful tweak to the document editor that’s part of the free Google Docs online office suite – the ability to freely re-size an image right inside your document, just using your mouse. Previously, you would right-click on an image to choose among preset sizes or enter custom width and [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Legacy Games giving away autographed House, M.D. swag
In anticipation of the upcoming PC release of House, M.D., Legacy Games is giving away autographed DVDs, posters, T-shirts, an autographed script, hats and more. Fans must enter their e-mail addresses to be entered into the drawing and receive information regarding the game's release. Publication date: 2010-05-01more
EA Canada to put names of fans in Crysis 2 as in-game graffiti
EA is giving 50 people the opportunity to have their names, Xbox Gamertags or PSN IDs immortalized in Crysis 2 as graffiti. The contest is open to residents of Canada, the U.S., United Kingdom, and Germany. Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Robot performs a perfect balancing act on a ball
This week in addition to a device that balances a ball on a moving platform, we now hear of a robot that can move around and remain upright, all while balancing itself on a single ball. Created by Dr. Masaaki Kumagai and Takaya Ochiai from Tohoku Gakuin University in Japan, this ball balancing robot gives circus performers a run for [...] Publication date: 2010-05-01more
Google search gets virtual keyboard
You may have already noticed a tiny keyboard icon next to the search box on the main Google homepage that lets you enter special symbols and international characters using your mouse rather than a physical keyboard. It’s a natural extension of Google’s API that lets developers put up a virtual keyboard in text fields on [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) now available to download
Canonical has announced the availability of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) in server, desktop, and netbook editions.
As well as sporting Linux kernel 2.6.32 Lucid Lynx includes the following new features and improvements:
Boot speed: Noticeably quicker on almost any machine and super-fast on SSD-based machines such as netbooks, which means users can speed straight to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Adobe previews Flash Player 10.1 for Macs with accelerated H.264 video decoding in hardware
Steve Jobs may have a handful of valid arguments to explain Apple’s dislike of Flash, but Adobe is as adamant as ever to push the upcoming Flash Player 10.1 to all systems, including the Macs. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 “Gala” preview release enables hardware-accelerated H.264 video decoding on Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X Snow Leopard [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
All Points Bulletin release date and pricing revealed
An updated version of the FAQ on the All Points Bulletin (APB) website has revealed both launch dates and pricing for the online game.
Developer Realtime Worlds is aiming for a June 29th release in the US, and July 2nd launch across Europe.
We’ve known for a while that APB would have an unconventional subscription model, but [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
DROID Incredible now available with mobile broadband connect option
On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless announced the availability of the DROID Incredible by HTC. The cousin of the popular Motorola Droid is the first Verizon Wireless phone to feature an 8 megapixel camera and the superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Owners can choose from a number of interactive widgets which can be placed on a seven-panel home screen. The [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
You can now post Picasa images to Twitter, Blogger, and Buzz
Google has added new sharing options to Picasa Web Albums, its free online photo editing and sharing service that syncs images with the Picasa desktop app. Although you’ve been able to share individual photos and entire albums via email in the past, you couldn’t post to popular social networks.
Starting today, Picasa Web Albums has a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Apple patents the
With touch screen devices becoming all the rage, one might think that the days of physical buttons are numbered. It could very well be the case. At least, that is indeed Apple’s direction in regards to their devices, and that initiative doesn’t seem to be wavering as shown in their latest patent application for something called, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Microsoft: Yes, the Courier did exist
Microsoft has officially confirmed existence of the Courier project only to say that such a device will never hit the market. Contrary to the popular belief, the Courier wasn’t vaporware, it’s just that Micosoft decided against pursuing this project. Engadget quoted Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s vice president of corporate communications, who explained the reasoning behind such [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
James Cameron to bring
3D auteur and science fiction visionary James Cameron isn’t content with taking film goers to his living extra-terrestrial world, Avatar’s Pandora. Now he wants to take them to Mars. Apparently, the Oscar-winning director is helping NASA to build a high resolution 3D camera to be fit on the next generation Mars rover.
This isn’t the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Field Test: Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB wireless SD card
The Eye-Fi line of wireless memory cards has been around for some time now and they’ve filled a useful niche. You can drop one into any camera that has an SD (or SDHC for that matter) slot and have your images and video automatically uploaded to the web. This means easy syncing to Picasa or [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Adobe responds: Apple is a lock-in, blame Mac OS X for Mac crashes
The Apple vs. Adobe brawl has grown ugly with both companies’ CEOs criticizing each other’s corporate culture. And at the center of it all lies Flash and a huge ecosystem of connected technologies, partners, and developers. Apple’s Steve Jobs posted a public whining titled “Thoughs on Flash” that painted Flash as being insecure, resource-hungry, closed, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Cupcake cannon is as amazing as it sounds
Pro tip: Protective eyewear is mandatory when cupcakes are being shot at you using a 120 psi cannon.
A 700 frames-per-second, $120,000 Phantom HD Gold video camera is not necessary, but it sure helps if you want to make an awesome slow-motion video like this one. As for how to stay as calm as some of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Amazon goes to war with Penguin over e-book pricing, all Penguin hardcovers now cost $9.99
When the iPad and Apple’s iBooks service was first introduced, publishers used the sudden competition in the e-book space to push Amazon into a corner, breaking the online retailer’s strict $9.99 e-book pricing lock seemingly for good.
But Amazon’s striking back. Their contract with Penguin ran out on April 1st, which means that Amazon can’t [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Apple shuts down Lala
In December of last year we reported that Apple acquired music startup Lala. Lala offered ad-free, streaming based music subscriptions and individual song purchases. Use of the past tense “offered” is no mistake. Apple has shut Lala down.
Visitors to the website are presented with a simple graphic stating that the site is no longer accepting new users and will be [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
NVIDIA: Moore
Moore’s Law states that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuited will double every two years, and it’s been the backbone of industry projections for the last twenty years.
But is Moore’s Law at an end? According to NVIDIA’s chief scientist and vice president Bill Dally writing for Forbes on [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Video: Nokia demonstrates the N8 browser
Nokia’s recently unveiled N8 smartphone is being much maligned in some early previews, but Nokia wants to know that’s poppycock, and to prove it they’ve been releasing a number of video demos to entice customers. Their latest shows off how their new Symbian3 operating system handles web-browsing. Pretty well, actually!
The new video, embedded above, not [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Apple launches 3G iPad today at 5:00pm
Are you feeling the launch atmosphere yet? 3G iPad launches today. While the initial hype and novelty of a new Apple device wore off earlier this month with WiFi iPad launch, today is another big day for Apple that marks the arrival of a beefier iPad version officially called WiFi+3G iPad.
While 3G iPads will first [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Opera acquires FastMail.fm
Opera Software, known for their Opera desktop and Opera Mini mobile browser, has announced the acquisition of email provider FastMail.fm. FastMail.fm was first founded 10 years ago and provides secure email services via WebMail, IMAP, POP and SMTP. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
FastMail.fm’s reasons for selling were detailed in the company’s blog and [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
The Secret of Monkey Island now on a website near you
Who can forget the classic LucasArts’ game Secret of Monkey Island. InstantAction, an online game distribution company, has figured out a way to embed a special edition of the game into a web page. The web version is a 20 minute free trial that allows the player to purchase the full version of the Windows [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Review: HP Mini 5102 netbook
HP’s Mini 5102 is the company’s current business netbook. It’s a slight refresh of the Mini 5101 that we reviewed last year. In addition to the new Intel Pine Trail processor the 5102 got a number of interesting upgrade options, including a fold-out handle and a touchscreen. The 5102 is largely unchanged from the previous [...] Publication date: 2010-04-30more
Why iPhones, iPods and iPads are Flash-free
Apple does not allow Flash on their iPhones, iPods and iPads. Some complain about this, others think it Publication date: 2010-04-30more
New downloadable gameplay modes available for Dead to Rights: Retribution in late May, early June
A new DLC pack for Dead to Rights: Retribution will be available on May 26 in the PAL region and June 1 for North America. Titled the "GAC Pack", the downloadable content adds two new gameplay modes for the Xbox 360 and PS3: Assault on the 87th Precinct and Riot Control. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Apple may have ditched OmniVision for LG Innotek for the next iPhone
A new report claims Apple switched the CMOS image sensor supplier for its iPhone HD last minute. According to the Chosun Ilbo, Apple’s rumored phone upgrade will feature a five-megapixel camera and LG Innotek will provide CMOS image sensors for the device. Industry sources told the Asian publication that it’s a done deal:
The electronics component [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
AOL sells ICQ to Russian company for $187.5MM
Flash back fourteen years and you would have found me, a teenager, rushing to my Windows 95 machine in response to the queue of a high-pitched “Uh oh!” WAV, synonymous to this day in my mind with the sound of an incoming instant message. The program was ICQ, one of the first internet IM applications, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Ben-Q
Ben-Q’s not exactly the best known of electronics manufacturers, but that’s not the way it should be: they’ve actually released many excellent budget products, particularly their line of HDTVs.
Their new point-and-shoot digicam, the Ben-Q E1260 HDR, looks to conform to that mould: it boasts a 12-megapixel CMOS, a 28mm optical wide angle zoom lens capable [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Daily App Store submissions grew 15 percent following the iPad and iPhone OS 4 unveiling
It’s been a while since Apple shared an App Store milestone. The news that Apple’s mobile bazaar now sports over 200,000 items came in Steve Jobs’ thoughts on Flash posted on Apple’s website early morning.A part of Jobs’ rambling about why Apple won’t support Flash is an App Store update, tucked away as a side-note:
The [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Japan to send a humanoid robot to the moon by 2015
Japan’s pathological love for humanoid robots goes back to the days of Tezuka, but as the country “grays” and the young find themselves vastly outnumbered by the old, robots have shifted from fantastic mechanical golems to Japan’s best hope for supplementing its rapidly dwindling workforce..
That hope extends as far as outer space. Last year, the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Hotmail to gain push email support, Facebook integration and more
Hotmail has become increasingly obsolete under the pressure of Google’s webmail onslaught and quick feature roll out. One particular advantage GMail has over Hotmail is push email, and in an increasingly mobile era, Hotmail’s lack of that sole feature is enough to cause an exodus of users to Google’s service. Belatedly, Microsoft intends to staunch [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Polaroid
Polaroid pretty much built its empire on instant cameras… but then digital cameras happened. Polaroid struggled to keep up, releasing a few eminently forgettable little point-and-shoots along the way, but it never could quite seem to get its bearings once photography stopped being analogue: they even went as far as to make the misguided move [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Apple wants to charge a premium to show iAds inside iPhone apps
Apple is shopping their new mobile advertising platform called iAd around Madison Avenue ahead of the June launch, demanding marketeres pay a premium for the privilege of having their next-generation ads appear inside iPhone apps. According to several ad executives who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will charge $1 million to inject a campaign inside third-party [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Following Samsung
You only have to look at the evolution of televisions over the last couple of years to realize that the future of sets is to make them into computers. Televisions have gone from analogue sets to plasmas with resolutions measured in pixels; from coaxial affairs to displays indistinguishable but for tuner and size from the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Skyfire 2.0 brings Flash to Android handsets
Steve Jobs isn’t a big fan of Flash, and is openly skeptical about its place on the mobile web. He may be right going forward, but for right now, the web is flash handy, and a lot of people want a way to view that content on their devices.
Irony of ironies, on the same [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Halo: Reach beta will feature five rotating playlists, earns players free Avatar hoodie
The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta is almost here. Just four days from kick off, the beta is scheduled to run from May 3 through May 19. Players can access the beta via the Halo 3: ODST game disc, however an Xbox Live Gold membership and internet connection is also required. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Motorola wants to release their own tablet running Android or Windows Phone 7
Motorola isn’t having a very good last couple of years. The once prominent handset manufacturer has turned in a miniscule profit of a little over $100 million this year, following a similarly poor showing last year. Like other companies that have been slow to embrace smartphones, the company’s devices have floundered even as Android handsets [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Gmail imploding for you too? UPDATED
Users (this one included) are having some serious problems with Gmail and other Google services right now. Twitter is being swarmed with messages about Gmail being down and the App Status dashboard seems to be inaccessible.
Is this an isolated incident or a major outage?
3:26p – Wow, seems like a false alarm (or I just got [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Apple patents a bunch of new multitouch gestures
Just when handset makers have finally gotten the guts to implement the iPhone’s trademark pinch-zoom, Apple has patented a new selection of complex multitouch gestures that will presumably find its way into the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone, future iPads, and possibly even the Macs.
According to the patent titled “System and method for packing multitouch gestures onto [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Upcoming Kindle update includes Facebook and Twitter connectivity
We recently mentioned some of the significant updates that the NOOK has received, including the addition of a web browser and games. Now it seems that Amazon is looking to beef up the connectivity of its Kindle as well with the Version 2.5 update scheduled for late May. In addition to a number of enhancements the update gives users the ability [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Bridgestone creates flexible color touchscreen e-paper
You may only know Bridgestone as a tire company, but the Japanese firm is very serious about the future of e-paper.
In fact, last year, Bridgestone announced that they’d invented the world’s first flexible e-book reader. That’s a big deal; while devices like the Kindle and iPad are showing there’s a mass market for e-readers, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Penny Arcade writers make Time Magazine Top 100
Penny Arcade writers Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, better known as their alter-egos Gabe and Tycho, have made Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People for the year 2010, joining the ranks of Barack Obama, Conan O'Brien, Oprah Winfrey and others. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Apple iPhone 4G could go on sale in early June
Apple set to unveil new iPhone at Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on June 7. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Apple acquires Siri: the 'virtual personal assistant'
Apple has acquired Siri, a mobile application which acts as a virtual personal assistant, doing everything from booking taxis to locating the nearest restaurant. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Yahoo secures rights to show Premier League highlights online
Yahoo has landed a deal to show Premier League highlights over the internet, following a competitive auction in which it outbid current rights holder Virgin Media. Publication date: 2010-04-29more
Google moves to block Groggle over 'similar trademark'
Internet search giant Google has threatened an Australian businessman with legal action if he tries to register his company Groggle as a trademark. Publication date: 2010-04-28more
US senators demand Facebook privacy changes
Let users decide which websites their personal information is shared with, demand Democrats. Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Live-action Halo: Reach short launches April 27 with extended version to come April 28 via Xbox Live
The Halo: Reach live-action short launches this week on the internet, TV and silver screen. Titled "Birth of a Spartan," the one-minute film depicts the transformation of Carter 259, the future leader of Noble Team in the upcoming Xbox 360 release Halo: Reach, from an ordinary man to a Spartan warrior. Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Quick Review: Toshiba Qosmio X505 gaming laptop
Toshiba’s Qosmio X505 is a high-end notebook at a not-so-high-end price. The system has a monster 18.4-inch display and packs an Intel Core i7 processor, but those two are just the start of the fun–it also comes with a 64GB SSD and Nvidia’s GeForce GTS 360M graphics. With a current MSRP of $1900 the system [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Supreme Court to determine legality of selling violent video games to minors
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether California, Illinois, and five other states can make it illegal to rent out or sell violent video games to minors. Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Super Street Fighter IV footage stolen during Capcom Fight Club party
On Friday, April 23rd, Capcom held its latest Super Street Fighter IV Fight Club in Los Angeles. It was open to the public and fans queued around the block waiting to get in. 2,000 turned up, most got in the warehouse where the event was being held.
Everything was going well until the end of the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Did Apple incite lost iPhone investigation? UPDATED
Apple may have been instrumental in a raid of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s house over leaking Apple’s lost iPhone HD prototype that the publication’s parent company Gawker Media publicly admitted to have bought for $5,000.
Yahoo! News offered a compelling argument that Apple might have influenced the investigation:
The raid that San Mateo area cops conducted last [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
PS3 3.30 firmware allows Remote Play on VAIO laptops
The big news about the PS3 3.30 firmware update was the introduction of 3D stereoscopic game support. But there was another feature added that you may find a lot more useful.
Sony has introduced the ability to use Remote Play with Sony VAIO laptops. This will allow you to stream media to future VAIO laptops, with [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
50% off Rockstar Collection on Steam this week only
Steam is running another promotion. This one lasts a week and offers you the Rockstar Collection for 50% off.
For $42.49 you get the following 13 games as part of the package:
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, finds happiness with a lap dancer
For many, the Sincalir name will always be associated with that most popular of 8-bit home computers the ZX Spectrum. Sir Clive Sinclair, owner of Sinclair Research Ltd., released the ZX Spectrum in 1982. He may have found happiness in his earlier days geeking out with computer hardware, but now as a 69-year-old millionaire he [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
New photos of Motorola 3D phone leaked
AndroidandMe is reporting that new images may have leaked giving consumers a peak into what is reported to be Motorola’s first 3D Android phone. Other images of what is believed to be a prototype were leaked earlier this month.
As the report details, the Motorola 3D phone supposedly works by taking the 2D images of the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
NVIDIA to unify notebook and desktop driver releases
NVIDIA has announced a change in the way it releases video drivers for notebooks. Historically, the company has released drivers for notebooks and desktops separately, but that will no longer be the case moving forward for drivers on to Windows Vista and Windows 7. According to the company’s blog, each time a desktop driver is released an [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
WePad appears three more times, 36 minutes of video posted
After posting about the WePad recently we realized just how much interested there is in this German iPad competitor. It’s a serious underdog compared to the Cupertino super slate, but between the Linux-based OS, USB slots, and cool grid UI it might be able to carve out a niche for itself.
Engadget dug up three videos [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
RIM pitches BlackBerry 6 with a rocking video
Research in Motion is promoting BlackBerry 6, the next major release of its mobile operating system, with a sneak peak video that will knock your socks off. Judging by the look of it, BlackBerry 6 will be as flashy and snappy as iPhone OS or Android.
The mobile operating system has been announced at the WES [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
TomTom focuses on connectivity with GO LIVE 1000
On Tuesday, TomTom announced the first in the next generation of navigation devices by the company. At the heart of the new TomTom GO LIVE 1000 is the ability to be connected to the latest information and updates. This means that content and downloadable applications, including third party apps, can be delivered to the GO [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Google acquires Labpixies
Google has just received a big boost to its iGoogle efforts. iGoogle, as some users will certainly know, is a personalized Google start page that allows a user to create their own web desktop using gadgets for things like email, weather, games, RSS feeds and video. When iGoogle was launched in 2005 it created a new [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Opera 10.52 for Mac: Multi-touch, 10x speed bump, and more
The newest Opera release for the Mac packs in a number of under-the-hood optimizations that led to a significant speed increase. It also supports multi-touch gestures on trackpads, HTML5 web videos, Growl notifications, and more.
Opera 10.52 for Mac is a native Cocoa application that the developer claims runs ten times faster than the previous Mac version, Opera 10.10.
It [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Woman in the UK photographed 43 times by Google Street View car
Wendy Southgate, a 52-year old resident of Suffolk in the United Kingdom probably never thought walking her dog would gain her international notice. But thanks to a Google Street View Car, she can probably claim to be one of the most photographed persons on Google Street View in the world.
You see as Wendy was strolling [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Architect in Hong Kong converts small apartment into 24 rooms
We can all take a lesson from this guy when it comes to maximizing the use of small spaces. Gary Chang, an architect living in a small Hong Kong apartment, has come up with a ingenious way to make great use of such small living quarters.
Implementing the idea of sliding walls, Chang is able to convert his [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
Activision sued by 38 Infinity Ward employees for unpaid royalties
If facing a lawsuit from the former Infinity Ward management team, and a continuing exodus of staff wasn’t enough for Activision to deal with, yesterday 38 Infinity Ward employees banded together and sued the publisher over unpaid royalties.
Bruce Isaacs, attorney at Wyman & Isaacs LLP, and representative for the employee group known as Infinity Ward [...] Publication date: 2010-04-28more
iPad users targeted by hackers
Security experts have warned that Apple iPad users are being targeted by cyber criminals. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Police raid Gizmodo editor's home over iPhone leak
A technology blogger who edits the Gizmodo website which last week showed off a prototype of Apple's new generation iPhone has had his home raided by police. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Star Wars: The Clone Wars hits PlayStation Network in HD
Cartoon Network’s wildly popular Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars, hit the PlayStation Network yesterday. The series’ episodes are available for download at the cost of $2.99 apiece in high definition, and $1.99 in standard. According to StarWars.com, and after double checking ourselves, you can access individual episodes of both the entire first season [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
New mobile phone input takes the touch out of touchscreen
We often take for granted the touchscreen interface and how it revolutionized mobile phones as we know them. Now the Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory at the University of Tokyo is developing the next generation of mobile phone interfaces, but instead of a touchscreen the new interface is touchless.
The technology works through a high frame rate camera [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Digital Life: Rebooted, but definitely not reborn
The Prince of Darkness has stepped into the light for the long-delayed return of the Splinter Cell super-spy series. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Digital Life: Play it safe with phone security apps
Pity the poor Apple employee who lost his phone in a bar last week. Except it wasn't just any mobile -- it was a super-secret prototype of the next iPhone that won't be out for months. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Japanese mobile firms collaborate to create new mobile app platform
In a bid to cut costs Japanese mobile phone manufacturers are set to collaborate on a new mobile apps platform. NTT DoCoMo, Renesas, Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic, and Sharp are all involved.
The aim is to produce a new mobile app platform that works with both Symbian and Linux-based operating systems. It will then be used across [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
American college students show drug-like addiction to gadgets and media
The Internet and social media may be the equivalent of class A drugs for some. A new research study out of the University of Maryland has shown that students at least, suffer similar withdrawal symptoms to drug addicts.
Although small, the experiment carried out at Maryland was quite telling. 200 students agreed to give up all [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Ubisoft DRM system hacked rendering always-connected check useless
If you are one of the many gamers frustrated by the problems playing your paid-for copy of Assassin’s Creed II, then this news may bring a smile to your face. A hacker group going by the name of Skid Row has announced a crack for Ubisoft’s system allowing gamers to circumvent the always-connected DRM.
Skid Row [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Ubisoft delays R.U.S.E. until September
Publisher Ubisoft, and developer Eugen Systems, have decided to delay the release of RTS title R.U.S.E until September. Gamers interested in playing R.U.S.E have every right to be frustrated as this is the fourth time the game has been delayed.
Posting on Facebook the R.U.S.E team explained that the delay was due to the massive amount [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
iPad use before naptime messes up your sleep cycle, experts say
You should think twice before picking up your iPad when tucked in bed. Experts advise against staring at smallish LCD screens before naptime in order to avoid messing up your sleep cycle.
With its snazzy multitouch user interface and music, movies, e-books, and apps all at your fingertips, putting away your iPad before naptime can be quite [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Google pulls Nexus One from Verizon last minute, get the Droid Incredible instead
If you have been counting down the remaining days to the Nexus One launch on the Verizon network, hold your horses – Google has pulled the handset last minute from Big Red. Their suggestion? Pre-order HTC’s Droid Incredible instead.
The surprising revelation came as a side-note in a post on the official Nexus One blog:
If you Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Corsair aluminum flash drive can survive at 650 feet underwater
There are rugged mobile phones and laptops, so it makes perfect sense there should also be rugged flash drives to match. That is the thinking behind the new Flash Survivor GTR USB flash drives. The drives offer what you would expect in flash drive storage (including read speeds of up to 34MB/sec and write speeds [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Cops confiscate editor
Gizmodo may have gone too far with its lost iPhone story. The piece sure did set everyone’s tongue wagging, but looks like it also drew attention of the computer crime task force of the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office which dispatched cops to seize a bunch of machines belonging to Jason Chen, Gizmodo’s editor [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Capcom apologizes for not including DRM notification with Final Fight: Double Impact
Capcom has issued an apology for neglecting to notify PlayStation owners that Final Fight: Double Impact requires a constant internet connection. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Samsung USB 3.0 external drive offers 10x the speed of USB 2.0
If you are looking for an ultra fast external hard drive then you may want to take a peek at the latest addition to Samsung’s STORY Station product line. The first thing that will stand out is the new 3.5-inch hard drive, the Samsung STORY Station 3.0, uses the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. This means the drive [...] Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Fans continue to play Halo 2 online after Microsoft officially cuts off Xbox Live support
A small group of unfathomably loyal fans are squeezing the last bit of online fun out of Halo 2 even though Microsoft officially ended support for all original Xbox titles April 15. Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Built-in or bolt-on accessibility in HTML5? How about a bit of both?
While following the development of HTML5 I Publication date: 2010-04-27more
Steve Wozniak spills the beans on Apple
Showing an unreleased product to a fellow Apple employee mere hours before its scheduled launch can still cost you a job.
We’re not kidding. Steve Wozniak told Gizmodo that Apple fired an employee over briefly showing a 3G iPad to him on April 3, the morning of the iPad launch. The fact that Wozniak is also [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
iPad camera connection kit supports USB cameras and keyboards (video)
Apple’s accessory that lets you transfer photos and videos on your iPad supports USB keyboards, microphones, and headsets as well.
The iPad camera connection kit consists of two attachments that hook up to the iPad’s 30-pin dock connector: The first has an SD card slot on the other end and the other sports a USB port.
Although [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Skate 3 Urban Playground Trailer
If you’re eagerly awaiting the release of Skate 3 then you’ve no doubt downloaded the demo from PSN or Xbox Live. But EA is continuing to market the game in the run-up to release.
The latest promo is a new trailer entitled, “Skate 3 Urban Playground”. The core of the video is not about skateboarding, but [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Tweets with a cool 8-bit vibe seen on an Apple IIe
Retro fans and long-time Apple enthusiasts will like this one. Apparently a guy has breathed new life into his Apple IIe by transforming it into a Twitter-wall machine that renders tweets in cool 8-bit retro graphics.
According to a post at Make Magazine, a Twitter user “yergacheffe,” who also maintains a tech blog at atomsandelectrons.com, has [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
New PS3 with 45nm RSX GPU is more reliable, uses 15% less power
If you have been holding off buying a PS3 Slim console then it may be worth waiting a little bit longer. Sony, as usual, has been updating the internal hardware of its console and is about to release a new model. The good news is it comes with both power savings and improved reliability.
The major [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Nearly 30 years on, Sony to stop making 3.5
You may have stopped using them many years ago, but the 3.5″ floppy disc has continued to survive next to the superior USB storage devices now commonplace in our bags, on our key-rings, and available from most stores.
Sony has announced that it is finally going to shut down production of its floppy disc manufacturing in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
iPad theft costs victim his finger
Getting your just-out-the-Apple-store iPad stolen in a shopping mall is bad enough, but what about losing your finger in the process?
That’s what happened to 59-year-old William Jordan at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver on April 15th. He had his iPad in a white Apple bag with the handle cord wrapped around his little [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Two prototype iPod touch devices with cameras surface on eBay
Someone put two prototype iPod touch devices with a built-in camera on eBay this past Saturday. Hours later, the listing was taken down. The fact that those units apparently belonged to the Apple development team may have had something to do with the removal.
According to 9to5Mac, two “semi-working” iPod touch devices on eBay sport a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Steve Jobs says
Fear not, looks like Mac OS X 10.7, the next major revision to the Macintosh operating system, will let us run any app we want after all, those pesky Apple bans be damned.
According to 9to5Mac, Steve Jobs has dismissed a Mac App Store in 10.7 that some folks believed would force us to install and [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Apple signs a gaming editor to handpick App Store games
Matt Casamassina was quite content with his games editor role at the gaming site IGN before Apple offered him a position at club Cupertino to cherry-pick the iPhone games on the App Store.
The new gig at Apple includes the fancy title of Global Editorial Games Manger for the App Store, AppleInsider reported. Casamassina is scheduled [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Investing in Apple instead of buying their gear would have made you rich
Here’s the thing: If you had taken the $5,700 spent on Apple’s PowerBook G3 in 1997 and invested that cash in Apple stock instead, you’d have had over $330,000 worth of shares today. Not bad, huh? Wait, there’s more…
According to a very intriguing blog post by Kyle Conroy, the same goes for any Apple gadget. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
AMD Phenom II X6 6-core 2.8GHz processor shipping for $222.29
Have you been eyeing up the first Intel 6-core chip and wondering how on earth you are going to save the $1,049.99 asking price? At 3.33GHz, and with 6-cores, the Core i7 980X sure is a desirable chip to have at the heart of your machine.
But Intel may have a problem in the form of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-26more
Web addiction: can this man survive two days without the internet?
This month's award for stating the bloody obvious goes to researchers in Leeds who have discovered a link between internet use and stress. The longer you spend online, they found, the higher your stress levels. Publication date: 2010-04-26more
The
IT ranks among the worst business moves ever. In 1976 Ronald Wayne decided to pull out of his friends' computer company after two weeks, fearing he could be saddled with debts if it failed. Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Hulu said to test $9.95 subscription service
There have been rumors that Hulu might be moving to a subscription service and according to the Los Angeles Times they’ll be dipping their toes in that water soon. The report states that Hulu has plans to test a $9.95 a month subscription service beginning May 24th according to sources. Since Hulu was founded back in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Live-action Alan Wake series on Xbox Live premieres April 25
The first episode in a six-part live-action Alan Wake miniseries will launch on Xbox Live April 25. Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Could Android 2.2 be around the corner?
Those eager to see the next version of Android, codenamed Froyo, will be happy to hear that some are reporting already seeing it in the wild. According to Engadget, Android and Me reported seeing Android 2.2 devices accessing its site while another site, MobiFlip.de, actually has pictures of a HTC Magic which shows that it is running 2.2.
There’s [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Enjoy 7 minutes of the StarCraft 2 single-player campaign
The video above is seven minutes of gameplay footage from StarCraft II. Be sure to watch it in 720p if you machine can handle it.
The video was recorded during a press demonstration given on April 19th. You get to see an in-game mission briefing, multiple objectives, and unique single-player campaign units.
Although StarCraft II has an [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
iTunes and Netflix beware, Google rolls out YouTube video rentals
Google has quietly unveiled a long-rumored rental service on YouTube, allowing you to rent movies and TV shows for 48 hours. Rental fees are processed through the Checkout payment gateway that’s also used in a number of Google’s web properties.
According to ReadWriteWeb, the initial selection includes independent movies and documentaries, in addition to the Bollywood [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Woman wears Stormtrooper costume during college graduation
Ever hear the story about the woman who wore her Star Trek uniform to jury duty? Interestingly enough, I have another story to tell along that same lines, but with a different genre.
Manja Peters, who is a 36 year old woman, and a student from Canterbury University in the United Kingdom, decided she wanted to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Outlook for Mac 2011 reportedly dumber than the Windows version
Boy Genius Reports has posted an extensive screenshot gallery of the second beta of Office for Mac 2011, giving us a thorough overview of some of the new features of this big office productivity update.
Besides a handful of nice-to-haves and a revamped user interface based on Ribbons, it looks like the Mac version of Outlook still requires [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Saints Row 2 apparel for Xbox Live Avatars now available
The Saints Row 2 Avatar pack is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, THQ announced Thursday. Now you can trick out your Avatar with t-shirts and pimp canes ranging from 80 to 400 MS points. Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Warner delays Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 until 2011?
Fans of the Batman: Arkham Asylum games, of which there were many, may have been looking forward to the sequel coming out later this year. But it looks as though the game won’t be arriving until 2011 now.
CVG has been speaking to a senior retail source in the UK who has informed the site that [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Lufthansa offers to fly the lost iPhone dude to Munich
Gray Powell – Apple’s engineer who lost an iPhone HD prototype that Gizmodo bought and leaked to the whole world – has become an overnight sensation and something of a web celebrity.
Suddenly, everybody and their mom knows Powell by name is and wants to friend him on Facebook. The fact that the lost iPhone story involves a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
23andMe drops DNA tests from $499 to $99 for DNA Day
Back in May of 2009 I reviewed a website called GeneTree which is a bit like a version of Facebook, but you link up with people based on how close they match your DNA according to tests offered by the website. Links can then be used to help expand and create your family tree. Another website called 23andMe [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Quick Play: Beat Hazard for PC
Beat Hazard is sort of like playing Asteroids while someone shoots fireworks into your face.
It takes the idea of a twin-stick shooter and then goes completely over-the-top with the particle effects. The result is an extended explosion on your monitor, while you destroy asteroids and avoid bullet-hell. There are upgrades you can gather, an experience [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Father creates Speaks4Me allowing autistic son to communicate
Steven Lodge is a father of a severely autistic 11-year-old son called Callum. Callum is non-verbal, but his family wanted to find away for him to communicate easily and effectively. So Steven set to work developing a system that would allow for communication through a device Callum could interact with using his hands. The result [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Review: After Burner Climax on Xbox 360
My last experience of playing After Burner was when I used to go to the local arcade as a teenager. After Burner stood out due to the cabinet it used, and was always more expensive to play than the other, standard cabinet games.
After Burner Climax was developed for the arcade by Sega’s AM-2 team in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
iPhone OS 4 lets you swipe to archive Gmail messages
Even though the iPhone’s built-in Mail app is pretty effective, it has a few notable shortcomings, like the lack of universal inbox or support for Gmail’s archive feature. While Apple told us that iPhone OS 4 will fix the former, we didn’t know that the software supports the Gmail Archive feature as well.
According to the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
iFixit turns website into wiki for repair manuals
Back in December, we reported that iFixit announced that it was offering its repair manuals under the Creative Commons license. The Creative Commons license will allow people to share and adapt the repair guides for their own use. To make the repair guides even easier to find, the iFixit website has been redesigned into a wiki for repair [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Just Cause 2 packs extra heat this spring with two new DLC packs
Two new add-on packs for Just Cause 2 will be available April 29 and May 25, Square Enix London Studios announced Friday. Publication date: 2010-04-24more
App rejections coming to your desktop with a rumored Mac app bazaar in OS X 10.7
All the criticism of Apple’s moral policing and app rejections could pale in comparison to a rumored Mac software bazaar that a developer believes will make an appearance in Mac OS X 10.7, the next major revision of the Macintosh operating system.
Before you scroll down to the comment section, let me point out that other [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Games and a web browser come to NOOK with latest update
NOOK owners will get some significant new features and abilities thanks to the latest software update. Version 1.3 improves the performance of the device including faster e-book opening and page turns, but significant enhancements include new in-store capabilities, improved Wi-Fi functionality, a beta web browser and the ability to access games. These new abilities can [...] Publication date: 2010-04-24more
Text of secret ACTA talks released
A full text of the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) has been released for the first time, although information on specific country’s positions on the previously secret text is still not known. Publication date: 2010-04-23more
iPhone captures 72pc of Japan smartphone market
Apple’s iPhone shipments to Japan more than doubled in the past year, capturing 72pc of the country’s smartphone market, a research firm said. Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Apple hits back at Adobe in Flash row
It's the latest exchange in an increasingly bitter war of words between the two companies, which have been at loggerheads over Apple's perceived efforts to undermine the supremacy of Adobe's Flash technology. Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Microsoft tops list of most social network usage by employees
Which companies have the top social network usage by employees? That’s the question NetProspex, a business contact management company, tried to answer with its Social Report. The report includes a ranking of companies based on overall social network and Twitter usage. The report also identifies the percentage of social network membership among employees with a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
T-Mobile USA to carry first Android-powered Garmin smartphone
T-Mobile USA has announced that it will be the exclusive carrier of the first Android-powered smartphone by Garmin. Garmin, whose well known for producing GPS devices, first announced its entry into the mobile phone market back in 2008 with the introduction of the nüvifone. The new smartphone called Garminfone is marketed as being an Android-powered [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Latest Google Chrome ad focuses on extensions
Google has released a new advert on YouTube for its Chrome browser. This time the focus is on the new extensions system and the additional functionality on offer.
The search giant has seen fit to focus on what it must believe are some of the most popular extension requests. We see references to receiving Twitter updates [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Nokia sales chief says digital cameras to become obsolete
(Image courtesy of cellanr on Flickr)
When choosing a device to capture images with there are three distinct categories: use the camera on your phone, buy a cheap point-and-shoot camera, or spend a little (or a lot) more and get a professional grade camera.
Although they might be the choices at the moment, Nokia’s sales chief says [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Artist creates self-portrait of herself from Cat 5 cables
I’m not an art critic, nor do I pretend to be one. But when it comes to imaginative uses of computer technology for the sake of art, I often take notice.
Take for example this provocative piece of modern art created by Kasey McMahon. Called “Connected,” it is apparently a self-portrait sculpture of the artist using steel as the underlying frame, which [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Next James Bond film faces indefinite hold
Secret Agent James Bond has faced many deadly challenges in his career as a Double-O working for MI6. From Goldfinger and Odd Job to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and Blofeld, James has survived them all, and with a bit of style in the process. But could the demise of James Bond come from an assassin that even he [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Google starts taking photographs in store for Google Places
This week Google has launched Google Places, which allows businesses to manage their presence on Google. To supplement the newly named service Google is also taking its cameras inside public venues.
Soon, as well as being able to see the street and the front of the store you want to go to, Google will be offering [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
ARM chief responds to Apple acquisition rumors
Earlier today we reported about speculation among stock traders that Apple was pursuing an acquisition of chip design company ARM. The news sent ARM’s stock price sky high, but there was little evidence to back it up.
Now ARM chief executive Warren East has weighed in with his view. And as far as he’s concerned there [...] Publication date: 2010-04-23more
Steampunk fantasy title
German studio Spellbound Entertainment AG has officially announced its new fantasy title Ravensdale, a fast paced action game in a unique "steam powered" setting. The company hopes to release Ravensdale in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Publication date: 2010-04-23more
W3C Mobile Web Best Practices course, May-July 2010
Looking to learn more about developing for the Mobile Web? How about giving W3C Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Apple considering ARM acquisition?
ARM, the chip designer that has its processors in the majority of mobile devices currently on the market, may be about to become an Apple hardware exclusive.
Traders in London’s financial sector were speculating yesterday on news that Apple was pursuing a buyout of the company. In so doing, ARM’s low power, performance chip designs would [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Hacker gets Android running on iPhone
David Wong, also known by his hacker name planetbeing, has managed to hack the iPhone allowing the smartphone to run Android.
The video above shows you the whole process from dual-booting the iPhone using OpeniBoot right through to launching and using the Android OS.
Although Wong admits a number of Android-specific drivers are missing, he demonstrates [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Microsoft rumored to be in talks regarding new Xbox Live television channel
Microsoft might be planning to launch a new television channel on Xbox Live, Edge reports. If the rumor is true, Microsoft has been in discussions with former News Corporation president Peter Chernin about the possibility. Publication date: 2010-04-22more
McAfee update cripples Windows XP machines worldwide
McAfee is having to deal with the fallout today as an antivirus definition update it released has managed to cripple Windows XP SP3 machines of both consumer and corporate users.
So how did McAfee manage to take down Windows XP with a single update? By re-classifying Svchost.exe as a malicious file known as the virus W32/Wercorl.a. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Steam running on a Mac (video)
Last month Valve confirmed the rumors that it was developing a version of the Steam client for Mac gamers. Along with it will come Mac versions of popular games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series. Portal 2 is also promised a simultaneous release on PC and Mac.
Valve [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Halo: Reach to come in Standard, Limited, and Legendary editions
You may have already made your mind up to buy Halo: Reach when it is released on Xbox 360 later this year. But you also have another decision to make: which edition do you buy?
Bungie and Microsoft have decided to offer 3 editions of the game carrying the names Standard, Limited, and Legendary. Details of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Olympus E-PL1 tilt-shifting video samples
We’ve covered the Olympus E-PL1 a few times here at Geek.com. I’ve mentioned how it shoots 720p video and how it has filter effects, including one for tilt-shifting. You probably didn’t guess that the two can be combined. That’s right, the $599 E-PL1 consumer camera can mimic the effect of a much more expensive camera [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Robot challenges human to a Place Kicking Contest
Robots are better than humans in just about any endeavor. But don’t tell that to San Francisco 49er kicker, Joe Nedney.
Nedney was recently invited to put his foot against the might of a robot named Ziggy in order to commemorate the upcoming international robot event, Robogames, in San Mateo, California. The challenge was to see [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Facebook teams up with Microsoft Docs
Facebook Docs, a collaboration between the social-networking site and Microsoft, will allow Facebook users to create Microsoft Office documents online and share them across the web via Facebook. Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Adobe admits defeat in Apple row
Adobe said it will 'no longer be investing' in technology designed to bring Flash-based applications to the iPhone. Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Facebook
Facebook has replaced its Facebook Connect platform with a new set of social plugins which will dramatically expand its presence across the web. Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Reviewed: Amazon Kindle
As an unabashed bookworm I have to admit I was initially dismissive of e-book readers, from the Amazon Kindle to the Sony Reader. A library full of books says something about the man, or so I thought. Well, (a) I hardly ever read the same book twice and (b) books can create a lot of clutter. And since most of us search for the information we want these days, surely reading off a screen is not a big deal? Publication date: 2010-04-22more
The future of search is destined to be in the eye of the beholder
Web pioneer: new media will help save traditional media
As Ireland's first ISP with Ireland Online and the first online advertiser in 1996, Colm Grealy of Digital Reach Group believes the onset of the iPad and quick response codes herald a strong future for traditional media Publication date: 2010-04-22more
'There are three billion new capitalists - the world's economy has changed forever'
Ex-Intel CEO Craig Barrett says Ireland needs to invest in skills and infrastructure to have a future Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Warner Bros. acquires online gaming studio Turbine
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has this week acquired the largest privately-owned online gaming company Turbine.
Turbine has a rich history of creating MMO games and technology since the company was formed in 1994. Games it has created include Asheron’s Call, Lord of the Rings Online, and Dungeons & Dragons Online. The company also has an [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Google aiming for 100% water recycling at data centers
Google is pushing ahead with making its data centers more efficient and less reliant on external sources such as power from the grid. As well as researching and funding the development of renewable energy sources, Google is now starting to push for 100% recycled water at its data centers.
Data center cooling systems can require a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Introducing Docs: Microsoft Office meets Facebook
Adamant to preserve its Office empire, Microsoft has teamed up with Facebook on a new social productivity tool that takes the online office concept to the next level. Put simply, the new collaboration suite lets you create, edit, and share documents with your Facebook friends. Google should be worried, indeed.
The service is available at the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
WD Photos lets you remotely access photos on your Western Digital NAS
Western Digital has a cool new app for the iPhone and iPod touch that lets you remotely access photos on your My Book World Edition or WD ShareSpace network storage.
Aptly named WD Photos, this app allows you to log in to your remote drive on your iPhone or iPod touch and effortlessly browse up to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Apple approves app from Pulitzer Prize artist after rejecting it
It’s not everyday that Apple asks the owner of an app to resubmit it after rejecting it for inclusion in the app store. Yet, that’s exactly what Apple did with Mark Fiore’s iPhone cartoon application.
Apple reconsidered its stance on the app after Fiore won the Pulitzer Prize for his work and news of his apps [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Winscape virtual windows let you change the outside view from inside your home
Want a cool way to enjoy many different outdoor views from your home without having to move around the country? There is a DIY project out there called Winscape that can give homeowners a virtual way to look at the world around them. The trick? Making a couple plasma screen televisions appear to look like [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Check out LandingPad, an eye-candy showcase of beautiful iPad app design
Ever since Apple first unveiled the iPad in January, we have been constantly drooling over its eye-candy interface that stems from five times the iPhone’s pixel count and a bigger screen.
While we marvelled at Apple’s own iBooks app with its high-quality wooden bookshelf graphics and other apps that Apple specifically designed for the iPad, third-party [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Valve announces April 22 release for Left 4 Dead 2 DLC
The first add-on to Valve's co-op zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead 2, will be released April 22, exclusively for the Xbox 360 and PC. Dubbed "The Passing," the DLC will cost 560 MS Points for the Xbox 360 and be free to download on the PC. Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Square Enix releases Chaos Rings RPG on iPhone
Square Enix has released the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad exclusive RPG Chaos Rings on the App Store.
Described as an RPG with a “classic game system” while taking full advantage of the touchscreen interface on the Apple handsets. This is a fully-3D game consisting of four gameplay scenarios, and four story arcs the player must complete to reveal [...] Publication date: 2010-04-22more
Two new iPhone adverts air: Backpack and Doglover
Apple has posted two new iPhone commercials that follow a well-known template designed around a cherry-picked selection of the App Store software accompanied by a catchy tune. The first commercial, dubbed Doglover, shows off a couple of apps that help you find a pet and take it with you to the nearby parks.
The accompanying female [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Capcom announces Okami sequel, Okamiden, for the Nintendo DS
Capcom has officially announced a DS sequel to the critically-acclaimed Wii game Okami. Titled Okamiden, the picturesque action-adventure will be available in North America sometime in 2011. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Hewlett Packard now offers 3D Desktop Printing
Hewlett-Packard Printers has now moved into the realm of 3D and thankfully you won’t need special glasses to use their new product. This is because I’m referring to the new HP Designjet 3D, which is a desktop printer, however unlike most printers that come to mind, this one is capable of creating small three dimensional [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
The Yeti is the world
Let’s say, for example, you are a Podcaster, YouTube submitter, or Internet DJ and you are wanting to get serious about the audio quality of your hobby. Basically, you are wanting a really good USB computer microphone, so your golden voice doesn’t sound horrible, like you are talking into a tin can with string.
If that [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Penny Arcade accepting scholarship applications until May 30
Current students with over a 3.3 GPA at accredited U.S. colleges or universities have the opportunity to apply for a $10,000 scholarship from Penny Arcade. Applications will be accepted until the end of the month. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Quick Review: Rooms: The Main Building for Nintendo DS
If you’ve played with a sliding puzzle toy before, then you have a pretty good idea what Rooms: The Main Building is all about. This game takes that simple mechanic and adds some videogame-y elements to it, making for a simple puzzle game. The end result is something along the lines of Professor Layton, less [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Bionic Commando Rearmed creators launch new studio, Might & Delight
The developers behind Bionic Commando Rearmed have formed their own studio called Might & Delight after departing from now-closed Swedish company Grin. The Bionic Commando remake for XBLA and PSN sold more than 130,000 copies during its first week. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Gizmodo exposes the iPhone HD
Having bought a prototype iPhone HD, apparently lost in a Redwood City bar, for an alleged $5,000 and exposing Apple’s closely-kept secret to the world, and then returning the stolen property to its rightful owner, Gizmodo made a huge splash. The net result – nearly five million page views on a single article and big headlines [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Google offers greater transparency into government requests for content removal
Google has taken a step toward greater transparency when it comes to the requests it receives from governments to remove content or provide user data.
As Google points out in its blog, many of these requests are legitimate including those which ask for the removal of child pornography related content and user data for people who [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Adobe throws in the towel on Flash for iPhone
Mike Chambers, Principal Product Manager for developer relations for the Flash Platform at Adobe, has confirmed that development of Flash for iPhone is dead.
In a posting on his personal blog Mike refers to the now infamous 3.3.1 iPhone developer program license clause and said:
Essentially, this has the effect of restricting applications built with a number [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
The new Facebook app for Palm webOS 1.2 is now live
Palm has beaten its self-imposed schedule and brought the updated Facebook app to webOS ahead of the original schedule.
As Geek reported yesterday, the new Facebook app for webOS-powered devices – like the Pre and Pixi- is enhanced with webOS notifications, a new operating system capability allowing third-party apps to notify you of important events, no matter what you [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
YouTube live-streaming IPL cricket semi-finals
From time to time YouTube live streams important events. Today–right now in fact–they are streaming the Indian Premier League cricket semi-finals. It’s the Mumbai Indians against the Bangalore Royal Challengers… and you can watch it live. The page has gathered about 110,000 comments, so you can bet you won’t be the only person watching.
Up until [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Blizzard bans 320,000 Warcraft III and Diablo II accounts
Blizzard has announced that 320,000 Warcraft III and Diablo II accounts have recently been banned. The reason is down to violations of the Battle.net Terms of Use.
Posting on the Battle.net forums Blizzard did not state specifically what caused so many bans, but did remind players what not to do:
We would like all players to remember [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Ford SYNC equipped vehicles to control mobile apps through AppLink
Ford has announced that it will soon offer downloadable software for use with its SYNC-equipped vehicles which will allow Android and BlackBerry users to control smartphone apps with voice and vehicle controls. The program called SYNC AppLink will first be available for use on the 2011 Fiesta. The first applications to be compatible with SYNC AppLink will include [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
50 free TuneUp Gold accounts up for grabs today
TuneUp is today announcing the launch of TuneUp for Windows Media Player as well as updating the iTunes version to allow for automatic posting of top 5 songs, albums, and artists to Facebook and Twitter.
As well as the new versions, TuneUp is launching Tuniver.se. It’s a new portal where music lovers can get detailed artist [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Peppermint: a mobile, cloud-focused Linux distro
While most newcomers to Linux will choose a distribution like Ubuntu, Suse, or Fedora, there’s a host of other distros out there to choose from. One thing most have in common is quite a large download package if you choose the ISO solution (which most newcomers will). A CD ISO comes in at over 600MB [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Just what are those
Apple said yesterday that new “extraordinary” products are coming in 2010, giving us all a tasty food for thought. Steve Jobs himself dropped a vague hint in a statement accompanying Apple’s second fiscal quarter earnings. Here’s that quote:
We’ve launched our revolutionary new iPad and users are loving it, and we have several more extraordinary products [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Microsoft offers to fix your PC
Microsoft has launched a new self-repair service for computers. Called Fix It the new product is based on similar features online and in Windows 7, but extends them to all machines from Windows XP upwards. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Facebook shuts Lite site
Facebook has closed down Facebook Lite, the site designed to make it easier for people with poor internet access to use the social networking site Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Apple profits soar on sales of iPhone
Profits at Apple jumped 69pc in the first three months of the year as consumers across the world continue to fall in love with the iPhone. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Google and YouTube to open their own pop-culture blog
There’s already dozens if not hundreds if not thousands of blogs dedicated to sorting through the millions of cat videos on YouTube and highlighting the best, but if a rumor reported by Valleywag is anything to go by, Google feels like they are the best qualified to help good YouTube videos go viral: YouTube is [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Windows Phone 7 Series to accommodate low-cost handsets in the emerging market
One of the big ways that Microsoft has changed its mobile operating system strategy in the wake of the successes of iPhone and Android devices is by taking more rigid control of exactly what sort of devices will be allowed to run Windows Phone 7 Series. No longer will any device manufacturer be able [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Nintendo 3DS launch expected in October
Gaming website CVG has it on good authority that the Nintendo 3DS is going to launch in October this year.
The official launch announcement is expected at E3 giving Nintendo ample time to build up some market buzz before October rolls around.
The news has come as a bit of a surprise to a number of publishers [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Nook to get software update after some consumers report freezing
When consumers go out to purchase an electronic product like an e-reader, jubilant joy can sometimes turn into crushing sadness and furious anger if that device experiences glitches right out of the box. Sadly, for some customers that purchased the Barnes and Noble (B&N) Nook e-reader, they experienced this kind of heartache when the screen on [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Synaptics brings multitouch support to Linux netbook touchpads
If you want multitouch on your netbook, up until now, you needed to use Windows 7 if you have a Synaptics touchpad. That’s just changed, though: Synaptics has just introduced the Synaptics Gesture Suite Linux, a driver suite that gives multitouch support to a large number of Linux distros including Fedora, Millos Linpus, Red Flag, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
HP Slate:
A tech site that has apparently gotten hold of HP’s hyped up tablet isn’t impressed at all, claiming that the HP Slate is just a Windows 7 netbook that looks like a tablet.
According to a Spanish site Conecti.ca, HP Slate may not be an iPad killer you’ve been clamoring for. The publication put the device, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Jetyo HDV-T900 camcorder features dual banks of solar panels
We’re always interested in seeing gadgets go greener. It’s not just out of environmental consciousness, although anything that can reduce emissions and waste in consumer electronics will get a big thumbs up from me: it also has to do with sheer efficiency. We’re constantly bumping up at the limits of battery tech with our gadgets. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Eric Schmidt says Google Chrome OS netbooks will cost the same as regular netbooks
Google CEO and Steve Jobs coffee buddy Eric Schmidt has just revealed new details about Chrome OS and Chrome OS running netbooks: in particular, the price tags you should expect to be slapped on the hardware,
Don’t expect the prices for Chrome OS netbooks to be wildly out of whack with the equivalent hardware running Windows [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Steve Jobs: Want porn? Go Android!
According to TechCrunch, Apple fan and customer Matthew Browing sent a message to Steve Jobs’ public email address last week to express a “philosophical issue” he was starting to have with Apple and their moral policing.
He specifically mentioned Apple’s removal of Mark Fiore’s comic software on the grounds of being political satire and the lack [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Panasonic announces release date for new Viera Skype webcams
High-definition television manufacturers leap at the chance to add new features to the same old displays in the hopes that customers will be tempted to upgrade over a trifle (3D, anyone?) but one of the things I really liked coming out of CES this year was the volume of display manufacturers talking about integrating Skype [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Pokemon Batteries
It may seem like this is happening about a decade too late, but Pokemon is now heading to batteries courtesy of Maxell.
Four and eight packs of the zinc-alloy anti-leak batteries sporting images of Thunder Pokémon Raikou and Pocket Monster Electivire will be gracing store counters from May 25th. There’s no word on pricing, but we [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Facebook shuts down Facebook Lite, its would-be Twitter killer
Facebook has killed Facebook Lite, its barebone web interface designed for the people plagued with slow Internet connections. The unfortunate announcement came in a brief post on the company’s own Facebook fan page:
Thanks to everyone who tried out Facebook Lite. We’re no longer supporting it, but learned a lot from the test of a slimmed-down [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Lucasfilm says a Blu-ray Star Wars Set is coming
There is good news from the Lucasfilm camp if you have been waiting to take your Blu-ray Player to a place, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.”
At the recent C2E2 Comic Convention in Chicago, a discussion panel that included Lucasfilm’s Director of Content Management and Chief of Fan Relations, Steve Sansweet, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Lego robot plays Tetris unaided
National Robotics Week 2010 has just ended, and one of the robots finished in time to celebrate it had just one purpose: to play Tetris.
It’s called the Tetris-Bot and was created by Branislov Kisacanin using NXT Lego, a TI DSP board running AI and vision algorithms, and a webcam. The robot is made out of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
AAPL earnings: Apple stuns again, sells more iPhones than in the holiday quarter
Apple posted financial results at the end of trading today for its second fiscal quarter ended March 27, 2010. The Californian firm reported $13.50 billion in quarterly revenues, a 48.67 percent annual increase over the $9.08 billion in revenues reported in the year-ago quarter. The result, however, didn’t top the previous quarter that saw Apple rake in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Socie announces sPad A11 development platform for tablet manufacturers
Despite the fact that Apple’s tablet was strongly rumored for months before its January 27th unveiling, it seems like almost every manufacturer was caught with their pants down by the iPad. The only companies out there which have tablets on the horizon are HP with the Slate, Dell with the Mini 7 and Mini 10, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Kraken Goggles will bring steampunk to your IMAX 3D experience
In many ways, paying a few bucks extra to sit in a gigantic IMAX theater and watch a 3D movie while wearing a pair of cheap and ridiculously gauche Buddy Holly glasses seems like paying a couple bucks extra to look stupid in the dark.
If 3Ds going to become the next big thing in the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Thrifty Watch Phone is cheap enough to let you play Dick Tracy
The Dick Tracy watch has been the dream of gadget lovers since the days of Chester Gould and pwesprint. Part radio, part television, part mobile phone, gadget companies have even tried to give us what they want, but the results are decidedly lackluster: ugly pieces with SIM cards in their guts that can barely handle [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Frozenbyte offers free Trine DLC plus temporary 75% price cut on the complete game, exclusively on Steam
A new DLC level is now available on Steam for Frozenbyte's action-platformer Trine. Titled "Path to New Dawn," the DLC is free for download on Steam and will be released for other PC distributions soon. To celebrate the release of the free level, users can purchase Trine for 75% its original sale price on Steam through April 26. Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Palm webOS gets a new Facebook app with notifications next week
Palm wrote on its Facebook page that owners of webOS-powered devices, like the Palm Pre and Pixi, can download the new Facebook app next week.
The company boasted plenty of “great enhancements.” Unfortunately, in a post on the app’s Facebook fan page the team has shared little details about possible new features beyond stating the following:
Facebook [...] Publication date: 2010-04-21more
Digital Life: Up in the air with Rico and the mile-high lapdancing club...
Abandoning the jet you hijacked on the ground earlier, you plunge out the door and skydive toward the beautiful tropical paradise 2,000 feet below. Half-way down you spot a pair of floating zeppelins and launch your grappling hook to reel yourself on board. Incredibly, it turns out to be an airborne lapdancing club. Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Digital life: Competition time
Grizzled superspy Sam Fisher is back with a bang in Splinter Cell Conviction on Xbox 360 and PC and we have prizes to give away to celebrate. Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Digital Life: The 3D tweet-lover's phone
Scientists might call it separation anxiety -- the cold sweat that breaks out when you realise you've left your mobile behind. Maybe you're the sort who can't bear to be out of touch with your friends, who brings the phone into the toilet . . . y'know, just in case. Publication date: 2010-04-20more
My shock when my friend gave up Facebook
An email arrived from my friend Lisa the other day. It was short and to the point. "Hello everyone," it read. "I am giving Facebook a break for a while and have deleted my account. See you all in the real world." Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Google hackers were after password system
The attack on Google servers that provoked the company’s withdrawal from China was a concerted attempt to hack into the system upon which Google bases all its passwords, the New York Times has reported. Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Apple orders Gizmodo return iPhone 4G
The technology website paid $5,000 for the device, which was dropped by Gray Powell, an Apple software engineer, in a bar in Redwood, California, near Apple's Cupertino headquarters. Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Hong Kong gets 1 Gbps broadband service for $26 a month
Last month we reported on the FCC’s “ambitious” national broadband plan which includes the goal of providing 100 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload speeds to 100 million U.S. homes. Sounds like a lofty goal doesn’t it? Not when you consider what the folks living in Hong Kong have today. Residents there now have access to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Microsoft launches Fix it Windows diagnostic tool
Microsoft has launched a new, free diagnostic tool to help Windows users more easily fix some of the most common problems faced through updating, or adding new hardware and software. It is called Fix it and is available as a download from Microsoft Fix it Center Online.
Fix it is meant to offer users a mix [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
RunKeeper is now available on Android
Classified as a lifestyle and fitness app, RunKeeper for Android lets you track the time, distance, speed, pace, calories, and path on a map – great for both the active types and occasional joggers.
The app plots your route and logs your progress by utilizing the GPS sensor on your device. RunKeeper, LLC, the developer behind [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Apple says it
If you’re in the market for a 3G version of the iPad, you’re be delighted to learn that Apple is apparently gearing up to begin shipping the device in the US on Friday, May 7. According to ZDNet, this pretty credible piece of information has come directly from Apple whose online store now reports the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Marusys
The iPhone’s a pretty content rich device as it is, open to all sorts of streaming media apps as well as sucking in content from your iTunes library, but you can just never have enough stuff to watch, can you?
Not according to Marusys, you can’t. They’ve just added two new set-top boxes to their [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Ping concept garment automatically Tweets and Facebooks when you put it on
It’s hard to imagine something that could make Foursquare more obnoxious. If you’re anything like me, after all, your Twitter and Facebook accounts are positively congested with Foursquare check-in updates,
But imagine if you never had to pull your phone out of your pocket to check-in on Foursqure. Imagine if your clothes checked-in for you. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Electro-wetting technology will bring color and video to e-readers
E-ink panels are really good for reading and battery life, but the trade-offs are slow refresh rate and color support that maxes out at monochrome. It’s sad: a Kindle might go for weeks without a charge and be easiest on the eyes, but it’s just never going to compete with the iPad in the eyes [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
NEC announces 3D all-in-one PC for the Japanese market
Ever since James Cameron unleashed a bunch of blue-skinned, cat-like Native Americans on IMAX screens across the country, 3D’s been everywhere, and no one’s embraced it more than Japanese electronic manufacturers, who see 3D as the carrot to entice consumers to upgrade their dearest gadgets at a hefty premium.
Wishful thinking, perhaps, but NEC seems to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Vision Research
In film, there’s good slow motion and bad slow motion.
Bad slow motion is probably the more ubiquitous: you see it all the time on television. Essentially, it’s done by frame doubling a normally shot loop of video. In other words, if something was shot at thirty frames per second, each frame is shown twice so [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Indie game Frozen Synapse pre-orders available today
In case you haven’t heard of it, Frozen Synapse is a indie game from a small UK-based team. It’s a tactical game, sort of what I’d imagine a 2D, overhead, turn-based version of Counter-Strike to be like. If you have having problems picturing that, check this out:
If you are interested (I know I am) the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Sharp updates NetWalker to be Linux tablet
In August last year Sharp introduced a new device it referred to as an ultra-compact netbook. It was named the NetWalker, and went to market in September.
The spec of the NetWalker included a 5-inch display, Freescale 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, and Ubuntu Linux OS. Weighing in at 409 grams and rated at 10 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Starcraft II will be an adults-only game in South Korea
For the last twelve years, one game and one game only has dominated the gaming charts in South Korea: Starcraft. Blizzard’s 1998 RTS isn’t just popular: it’s a phenomenon that has launched several professional gaming leagues, at least two gaming channels and the celebrity of several of the country’s best zerg rushers… most of whom [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Panasonic prices their Lumix G2 and G10 Micro Four Third digicams
After a month of anticipation and head scratching, Panasonic has finally announced the pricing for their recently unveiled Lumix G2 and G10 digital cameras. But first… the specs!
Like the G1 before it, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 is a Micro Four Thirds camera, but unlike the G1, it features a flip-out, articulated touchscreen preview display. This [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Facebook to share more of your data with web sites, are you concerned?
The 400+ million people-strong social networking leader is thought to be developing new ways to allow greater interactivity between its members on sites around the web that use Facebook’s services. The move should increase Facebook’s presence, but is also expected to raise valid privacy concerns.
It’s unclear at this stage what kind of controls, if any, users [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
JOBO brings two new geotaggers to your DSLR
If you’ve got an older camera that isn’t equipped with a GPS unit, you could do worse than shoving JOBO’s new GPS geotaggers into your camera hot-shoe: the photoGPS2 and photoGPS 4 will comfortably tag all of your snaps with the exact coordinates they were taken, allowing you to browse photos by location in software [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Ireland adopts
It’s been in vogue lately for special interests group to push for a “three strikes and you’re out” rule when it comes to broadband users being caught pirating media over the internet. ACTA, for example, strongly endorses such a step, and the French government tried to push exactly those measures through last year.
Now Ireland [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Sprint has a case that makes your iPad 4G
Those of you withholding your iPad purchase until the 3G version is out in May–have you thought about the issues with AT&T’s 3G coverage that so many iPhone users have complained about? There’s also the question of sluggish data speeds in congested metropolitan markets like the New York City and the Bay area.
That’s why AT&T [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Google considers dropping HTTP requirement in Chrome for URLs
OSNews is reporting that Google recently made a change to the developer’s version of Chrome, their desktop browser, that many developers aren’t on board with due to reported bugs. Google has decided to omit the “http://” you see at the beginning of a URL in the address bar in an attempt to make browsing easier [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
ThinkPad L series arrives, right in time for Earth Day
If you didn’t already feel that Lenovo’s ThinkPad lineup was muddled enough, get ready for an all new line: the L series. The new L412 and L512 are “designed for business, government, and education customers” and in addition to affordable pricing they will be some of the greenest computers available today.
Details from the release:
Choices of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-20more
Web Inspector adds Timeline and Audits panels
The latest set of improved and new features to the WebKit Web Inspector are really great. I mean really great as in Publication date: 2010-04-19more
Facebook denies new button can track web history
Facebook is denying claims that its new content-sharing button will allow it to serve advertising based on its users’ web history. Publication date: 2010-04-19more
'For me, online gaming is a healthy, fun pastime'
Online journalist Cian O'Sullivan (27) from Waterford is an avid gamer and active member of the Irish Gaming Association. And despite hysteria over addiction, he argues online gaming is healthy -- not harmful. Publication date: 2010-04-19more
Are you a virtual addict?
If you identify with any of the following five scenarios, it could be time to log off and look for help, says addiction expert Colin O'Driscoll of Forest Rehabilitation Centre. Publication date: 2010-04-19more
Caught in the web
We use it for such innocuous everyday things as paying bills and chatting with friends, but an Irish expert has warned that the internet can be as addictive as crack. And more of us could be virtual junkies than we think. Publication date: 2010-04-19more
Apple considering a move to AMD processors?
Apple Insider is reporting that Apple is currently in “advanced discussions” with chip-maker AMD, who could possibly be Apple’s next CPU provider. This would be a major coup for AMD and a huge change for Apple, who has been using Intel processors in their desktops, workstations, and notebooks since shifting away from the PowerPC.
Apple Insider [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
GCal gets integrated with GMail
Google has just made it much easier to organize events over GMail. Google Calendar, or GCal, has now been integrated into GMail’s compose email screen.
Here’s what you do. Underneath the Subject header, next to where you have the “Attach a file” prompt is a new option: “Insert: Invitation.” Just click that, fill out the form, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
New line of LCD and LED HDTVs are endorsed by your favorite superheroes
The television you see above isn’t just the HDTV installed in Avengers mansion, it’s the HDTV I would have gnawed an arm off for as a pimply, comic obsessed teenager. I can only weep at my own lack of arrested development now as I see it: I could never buy something this outlandish, but boy, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Sony rejects calls for PS3 refunds over removal of
In a recent update, Sony removed the Install Other OS feature from the PlayStation 3 Fat, pretty much in a knee-jerk response to recent successes by the hacking community in getting pirated games to run on the PS3 through the feature.
It was a bad move, screwing over many scientists and researchers who use daisy [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Dell Streak 7 and 10-Inch Tablets Unveiled
Even when it was first announced before the iPad’s unveiling, the Dell Streak seemed like an awfully small little tablet. In fact, at only 5-inches, it seemed more like an overgrown Android smartphone without a cellular modem than anything else.
That said, it was always unlikely that Dell would sit on its laurels and not [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Amazon to begin charging sales tax on Kindle books
When Apple announced the iPad and its iBooks e-reading platform, Amazon almost overnight lost the war in establishing a set price for e-books on the Kindle marketplace. Overnight, the price of many books rose several dollars from the traditional $9.99.
But it’s not going to end there: Kindle books are about to get a bit [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Sony Vaio laptop design to be outsourced to external design shops
For years, Sony’s Vaio series of laptops were the most well designed notebooks out there. Apple’s stolen a bit of their thunder, and other competitors have caught up, but if you want an attractive laptop with an amazing design, the upper-tier Vaios are some of the best looking and most solid notebooks to this day.
That [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Octopus steals recording camera, becomes director then star
Above is a simply fantastic video shot off the coast of New Zealand. A crafty (and rather large) octopus grabed a diver’s camera while it was recording and swam away with it. The result was the first octopus-directed video that I’ve seen on YouTube, though there was editing in post that comes in the way [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
G-Mate Gun Overload Magnetic Gaming Gun promises realistic Modern Warfare 2 rifle
If you’ve played a game like Modern Warfare 2, Far Cry 2 or Bad Company 2, you’ve probably imagined what it would be like to play the game with a sophisticated and realistic machine gun controller.
Well, here it is, or so the developers claim: the G-Mate Gun Overload, a magnetic, dynamic shooting gun that [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
The GSM BodyTrace is the world
The Withings Body Scale is an interesting update on one of the more reluctantly owned and passively loathed gadgets residing in our bathrooms: every time you step on it, it uploads your current weight to Twitter. Depending on how much you like peer pressure and transparency as applied to your obesity, it’s Twitter functionality is [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Nikon rumored to be preparing three new DSLRs, including possible D3000 and D90 replacements
We love a good camera rumor here at Geek, and the latest scuttlebutt is a doozy: according to Nikon Rumors, Nikon is planing on imminently launching a trifecta of sexy new DSLRs.
Here’s what we no: though details on the new cameras are scarce, it sounds like one of the cameras will be a new entry-level [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Latest BenQ monitors promise ridiculous 12,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
Whenever a display manufacturer comes along boasting about a ridiculous static contrast ratio, we get suspicious.
Contrast ratio is important, just like megapixels are, but just like megapixels, companies exaggerate their importance… especially when we’re talking dynamic contrast ratio.
Higher contrast ratio doesn Publication date: 2010-04-17more
GameStation EULA collects 7,500 souls from unsuspecting customers
Like all of us, you probably click through EULAs without reading them. It’s understandable: no one’s going to read twenty pages of purposely obtuse legalese just to install iTunes.
But if an April Fool’s Day joke plays by British retailer GameStation is anything to go by, maybe you should read the fine print more carefully: [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
The Doxie portable scanner tries to make scanning sexy again
No matter who you are, you probably have a scanner collecting dust somewhere. They are one of the least sexy and most ignored of office gadgets. But Doxie, a really cute, lightweight and portable paper scanner might just bring the sex appeal back into boring old document scanning.
Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Apple reconsiders rejection of Pulitzer prize winning artist
If you are a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist it seems you may carry some weight when it comes to getting an iPhone app through Apple’s App Store. Wired is reporting that when political cartoonist Mark Fiore initially submitted his iPhone application (and he yet to win the Pulitzer) Apple rejected his app. Their reason? The [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
A-DATA NH01 is first USB 3.0 2.5
With the USB 3.0 standard starting to promulgate in earnest, we’re starting to see the first accessories begin to trickle out, but what we have yet to see is a USB 3.0 capable 2.5 inch portable hard drive. We need them: after all, USB 3.0’s 3.2GBps transfer rate is most useful when copying files from [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
AT&T blocks vacations confirming an iPhone launch in June
A few days ago we reported on a rumor that an announcement regarding a new iPhone is believed to be scheduled to occur on June 22nd. Some believe the announcement may include an iPhone 4.0 model compatible with the Verizon Wireless network. Based on a report by Boy Genius, there seems to be some substantiation to the fact that one [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Grace App digitizes picture books for autistic children
When you think of an iPhone app it’s easy to think of games or business tools, but one mother of an autistic child thought of another kind of app which would help her daughter communicate. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Lisa Domican created an iPhone app to help her 10-year old daughter Grace Domican [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Google finally adds social sharing to its browser toolbar
Some folks think that Google has been neglecting its toolbar extension for Firefox and Internet Explorer lately, arguing that the software lacks a comprehensive sharing feature.
Sure thing, Google Toolbar has been able to send URLs to Gmail from its inception, but you were never able to send a link directly to popular social networks like [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Purr: Kitten plays a virtual piano on iPad
If YouTube is any indication, there’s definitely something about cats and geeks. Simply put, people are crazy about sharing their kitten videos online. And just as you think you’ve seen it all, another adorable video comes along that will make you feel better the instant you see it.
If you’re in the market for an iPad [...] Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Microsoft in 'sexting' row over Kin advert
A video for new 'social' handsets shows teenagers exchanging 'explicit' pictures through their mobile phones. Publication date: 2010-04-17more
Google SEO Report Card, SMX West, plus new features
(I’m traveling, but lots of good stuff from the recent SMX West search conference is now live — plus some new stuff — so I wanted to talk about it.)
At the SMX West search conference I did an Ignite talk about Google’s SEO audit that it did on itself. This was part of a global [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Sony to launch 3DTV in June
Sony 3D TVs will be available in the UK and Ireland from June, the company has announced. Pre-orders are being taken now, and Sony is also offering blu-ray players and 3D movies and videogames. Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Google misses some estimates on costs of new markets
Google, owner of the world’s most popular Internet search engine, reported profit that missed some analysts’ estimates, underscoring the cost of pursuing growth in new markets. Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Microsoft studies claims of child labour abuse at Chinese supplier
The computing giant Microsoft is investigating claims that Chinese factory staff are working in sweatshop conditions to make its products. Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Next-gen iPad 'to feature camera'
Apple is hiring an iPad camera engineer, sparking rumours that future models could feature an integrated camera Publication date: 2010-04-16more
FLO TV to offer mobile DVR feature
FLO TV has made its mark by providing mobile television across the company’s own nationwide multicast network. The service, which is available via mobile handsets and the FLO TV Personal Television, has announced new enhancements to its service that will allow viewers to do more than just watch live television. Now subscribers will be able to interact [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Direct2Drive Spring Sale Week 1 up to 88% off games
This week digital download gaming service Direct2Drive has kicked off a Spring Sale promotion. Each week for the next four weeks a selection of games will be offered at vastly reduced prices.
We are in Week 1, and these are the games you can get for as much as 88% off the normal asking price:
DiRT 2 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Microsoft will not patch Windows XP if rootkit is present
Microsoft has taken a pretty controversial decision with its latest round of security patches. Windows XP users who have a system infected with a rootkit will not be able to install the update.
It may be controversial, but Microsoft has made the decision with good reason. In February a similar kernel patch release caused some Windows [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Intel demo MeeGo 1.0 at IDF 2010
Intel has used the Intel Developer Forum currently being held in Beijing to show of MeeGo 1.0. As you may or may not know, MeeGo is a collaboration between Nokia and Intel to create a new open-source, Linux operating system aimed at netbooks, smartphones, and other connected devices.
Intel was originally developing its own OS [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
HP offices raided in Moscow due to bribe allegations
PC manufacturer HP has had its offices in Moscow raided by government officials.
The reason for the raid is allegations that HP executives have been offering bribes in return for securing lucrative government IT contracts. The scale of the bribes is thought to be in the region of $11 million.
The allegations are actually 7 years [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Capture some mind-blowing 3D images with the Holga 120 camera
When it comes to choosing a camera the features you look at usually include megapixel rating, how portable and light it is, whether you want a point-and-shoot, or something a bit more professional, and of course the price. But there is a new feature for you to consider now too: 3D.
If taking 3D images interests [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
FSF attends iPad launch with warning sign
Warning: You are entering the Apple Restricted Zone. Please leave your free software, urge to share, and right to control your software at the door.
This sign was put up at the iPad launch earlier this month by the FSF, who apparently takes issue with Apple’s walled-garden approach. There are no reports on how many people [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Trend Micro offers Titanium Internet Security for netbooks
Running a standard desktop security suite on a netbook computer can have a detrimental effect on the performance of the hardware. These portable devices just don’t have the power to run such software like a desktop PC can.
Some security vendors have realized this and released netbook-specific security suites. The latest is Trend Micro which has [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Fireball lights up the Midwestern sky
CNN is reporting that a giant fireball was visible in the night sky across a number of states in the Midwest yesterday. It was moving from west to east and visible for about 15 minutes the news organization reports. It ultimately broke up and disappeared, but not before people reported hearing sonic booms in the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
TVLogic LUM-560W LCD is 2160p Behemoth
High definition goes above 1080p, Virginia. While Blu-Ray offers pixel perfect clarity and amazing crispness on top of the line sets hooked up to Blu-Ray players, it’s hardly the upper spectrum of visual fidelity.
Ask the RED guys, who offer cameras that film in glorious 4K x 2K, or 2160p. Wait a decade and that’s [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
SA7 earbuds can withstand 14,000Gs
You know how it is: you’re making your patrol in the Afghani combat zone, listening to “War Pigs” when all of a sudden you feel a bullet in your ear. How annoying. Or you’re strapped into the space shuttle, zooming up into the sky, when all of a sudden your ear buds are crushed in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Will Apple hunt down German WePad tablet over the
The news that Apple asked several developers to refrain from using the “Pad” term in their apps’ names because they own that trademark had quite a lot of our readers crying foul and arguing that no company should be allowed to trademark such a generic term. That said, we wonder if Apple’s legal sharks are [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Microsoft Research experiments with finger and pen touch interface
Touchscreen devices are becoming the norm for gadgets like smartphones, and the iPad is just the start of a consumer fascination with touch tablets. But each device currently makes a choice as to what touch input method to favor: finger or pen. Microsoft Research is experimenting with combining both to increase functionality and improve user [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
RIAA and MPAA want spyware on every computer, border searches of iPods
Think the RIAA can’t get nuttier than suing grannies for tens of thousands of dollars for Beyonce songs they never downloaded? Think again.
The RIAA and MPAA have just submitted a plan to the Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement, describing a few minor little things they want the government to start mandating. What are they?
First, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
5,500 hentai pirates afflicted by blackmailing malware
If you’re a nefarious otaku who likes to download Hentai games, or anime, from Japanese file sharing sites, better make sure that Norton’s running: a new type of malware is targeting Japanese file sharing service Winni which published the infected’s net history on a public web site, then blackmails users for the details’ removal.
The virus [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Silverlight 4 update now available for download
Silverlight 4 has arrived. The announcement came as part of the global unveiling of Microsoft’s latest and greatest development tools earlier this week, including Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4. After five months of development, the Redmond giant said, Silverlight 4 is now available for broad consumption.
Billed as the software to “light up the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
HTC thinking about its own mobile OS
If the mobile operating system market wasn’t crowded enough with Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Phone, RIM’s BlackBerry, Symbian and Palm’s WebOS, now another company is considering jumping in. Ironically, the company in question already produces smartphones which run on Android and Windows Mobile. Bloomberg is reporting that HTC is now studying whether it should have [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Google launches new tweet archive and Twitter Follow Finder
Google first announced a deal with Twitter to integrate tweets into search results back in October. These tweets became accessible in December through Google’s real-time search results which include a dynamic stream of real-time content not only from Twitter, but from FriendFeed, MySpace and Buzz. This week Google announced another way to explore archived [...] Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Designing with Progressive Enhancement (Book review)
Whenever I hold workshops or lectures on web development, I talk a lot about Progressive enhancement. To me it is the obvious and only sensible way of building websites and web applications.
With that said, you can bet I was very pleased to learn that Designing with Progressive Enhancement was being worked on. A whole book covering the subject was very promising, and the previews and code examples on the Designing with Progressive Enhancement book site raised my expectations.Read full postPosted in Accessibility, Reviews, Web Standards.
Publication date: 2010-04-16more
Twitter launching 'official' Android app
Twitter has confirmed that it will be launching an 'official' Twitter application for Google Android devices. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Steve Jobs is entrepreneur teenagers most admire
Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple, is the entrepreneur most admired by teenagers, according to a new survey. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Appointing a Government CIO or internet tsar would help deliver the digital economy
ANYONE can see how the internet economy is going to dominate the future of commerce. In many ways, it already does. Many of us cannot conceive of any other way of buying plane tickets, renewing car tax or booking a hotel room. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Digital healthcare could deliver economic stimulus
Why would you urge nations like Ireland - known for its healthcare bottlenecks - to target an emerging market for digital healthcare opportunities? Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Reviewed: the Apple iPad
I'VE read scores of reviews, rants and love poems about the Apple iPad, but believe me, all of your initial preconceptions dissolve once you get to hold the device in your hands. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Can the Apple iTunes business model ever be emulated?
CONSUMERS wanting a one-stop shop for digital entertainment need look no further than iTunes. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
A healthy start for Aviva's iPhone app
THE Irish wing of insurance company Aviva has taken the plunge into the iPhone app market, launching "Health Mate" to support their health insurance division. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Nintendo wins appeal against Anascape, saving itself from pending sales ban on controllers
Nintendo has just won the appeal against Anascape, overturning the verdict the Eastern Texas District Court declared in 2008. Had the appeal not succeeded, Nintendo would have been forced to cease sales of the Gamecube controller, wireless Wavebird controller, and the Classic Controller due to patent infringement. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
EA launches free-to-play Lord of Ultima next week
The Ultima franchise has returned as a free-to-play online game. Created by German studio EA Phenomic, the browser-based MMORTS Lord of Ultima is set to launch on April 20, EA announced earlier this week. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
The $0.69 iPad stand from Office Depot
The iPad may be seen as cheap at $499, but if you want to add a keyboard dock ($69), basic stand ($29), and case ($39), the costs soon mount up.
Andrew DeVigal was looking for an iPad stand solution, but didn’t want to pay the high prices official solutions cost. So he started looking around. His [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
International iPad launch pushed back a month due to U.S. demand
If you don’t live in the U.S. and want an iPad, you probably watched the first launch with envy. Other markets were expecting to see the iPad become available at the end of April, but that is no longer the case.
Apple has released the following advisory on its website:
Although we have delivered more than 500,000 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
OCZ introduce 1TB SSD for $4,000
OCZ seem to be blazing their own path in the SSD market at the moment. Only a few days ago the company announced two new performance SSDs carrying the names Vertex 2 and Agility 2. With storage of up to 200GB and read/write speeds of 285/275MB/s, both drives would be a great solution if you [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Intel planning dual-core Atom update for netbooks
Intel’s Atom processor is no powerhouse, but inside a netbook with a 10″ screen it can handle web surfing, general office-like duties, and give you 5-8 hours of productivity between charges.
The single-core version of the chip seen in most netbooks does struggle if you want to do anything more than basic everyday tasks, though. A [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
EU to Telecoms companies: Try charging Google and we
Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Digital Agenda
Earlier this week it was reported that three European telecoms companies were about to put pressure on Google to start paying to use their networks. The rationale was that because Google services use up so much bandwidth it was only fair they help pay to maintain and upgrade the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Reviews not great for Google
Google has just updated its mobile app with iPad support, but users are already complaining, claiming that the rushed-out software lacks polish and is full of bugs and user interface issues.
The updated app surfaced on the App Store late Monday. Google Mobile App version 0.5.0.3644 is now a universal binary, meaning that a single 4.2MB [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Wideload Games
Wideload Games' Disney Guilty Party for the Wii is scheduled to release in North America on July 27. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Yu-Gi-Oh! scheduled for spring release on XBLA
The ever-popular dueling card game, Yu-Gi-Oh!, is making its Xbox debut on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, Konami announced Tuesday. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
X-COM game in development at 2K Games
2K Games has confirmed that it is developing a new game in the classic X-COM series. Better yet, development is being handled by 2K Marin which is best known for developing the Bioshock games.
The original X-COM game was released in 1994 under the name X-COM: UFO Defense in the U.S., and was the first of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Apple releases patch for graphics issues on your new MacBook Pro
If you have been waiting patiently for Apple to upgrade the aging hardware on its Pro notebooks, you are no doubt delighted with the all-new Core i5/Core i7 MacBook Pro lineup. However, some fans who’ve purchased a shiny new MacBook Pro almost suffered a cardiac arrest discovering that the latest and greatest hardware runs their [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Another Verizon iPhone rumor: Could be announced June 22nd
Hopefully Verizon Wireless will be getting a version of the iPhone soon. After all, the notion of a Verizon iPhone has been getting lots of free publicity lately thanks to rumors and speculation. Now MacDaily News is reporting on a rumor that a next-generation iPhone for Verizon may be announced on June 22nd.
Some evidence suggesting the rumor [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Collaboration between NASA and GM to send human-like robot to ISS
There is no doubt that robots have been a big help with humans in regards to solo space exploration. Just take for example the twin Martian robotic rovers, Discovery and Opportunity that have provided Earth with tons of data regarding the red planet. Soon, though, a robot will be enlisted that is hoped will eventually [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Look cool while going up or down stairs with LED Stair Lights
Want to save a little energy while looking awesome going up and down the stairs in your home? Then considering installing some LED Stair Lights like those demonstrated in the following video.
As you can see, the LEDs on the stairs are activated whenever someone activates a sensor at the top or the bottom of the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Dual-core netbook CPUs on the way from Intel
Despite recent advances today’s netbooks are still underpowered. Sure, they are fine if you don’t do anything more than browse the web, but if you want to multi-task while playing some music or you need to do something like a basic file conversion, things can grind to a painful halt. While Intel’s Atom has had dual-core offerings [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
MacBook Pro
We noted yesterday that Apple’s new Core i5/Core i7 MacBook Pro notebooks featured Nvidia GeForce 330M graphics as well as on-the-fly switchable graphics technology. The logical assumption to take from that was that Apple was utilizing Nvidia’s Optimus, a smart switchable graphics solution that the company has been working on. As it turns out, that’s [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Facebook Fans bring $3.60 of value each to advertisers
Many companies have latched on to the idea of using social networks for marketing. One method of marketing on Facebook is to create pages based on a product, brand or company in order to solicit fans. The only question has been what is the value of each fan? Vitrue, a social media management company, has attempted [...] Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Capcom classics Final Fight and Magic Sword available on XBLA and PSN
A pair of remastered Capcom classics has just landed on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network. Dubbed Final Fight: Double Impact, the full package includes the beat'em up Final Fight and side-scroller Magic Sword. Publication date: 2010-04-15more
Twitter to launch 'promoted tweets' in a bid to make money
Twitter is launching "promoted tweets" this evening, which will eventually see branded messages appear in user’s feeds from the likes of Virgin and Starbucks and marks the first official commercialisation of the site. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Adobe 'to sue Apple' over Flash row
Adobe is allegedly set to sue Apple over changes in its iPhone software development kit, as the row over the lack of Flash support on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad escalates. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
iPad worldwide launch delayed by a month
Apple has delayed the international launch of the iPad by a month because of "surprisingly strong US demand" for the touch screen device. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Facebook under fire over 'panic button'
FACEBOOK has come under attack from top police officers for refusing to adopt a "panic button", which would allow victims of online sexual grooming to report their concerns directly to the authorities. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Intel beats forecasts for Q2 with sales of $10.2bn
INTEL, the world's biggest chipmaker with a major plant in Leixlip, forecast second-quarter sales that topped analysts' predictions, indicating that demand for personal computers remains strong. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Zynga confirms work on newest social game, FrontierVille
The masters behind the famed Facebook applications FarmVille and Mafia Wars has confirmed production on yet another social game. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Intel Core i5 and i7 MacBook Pros now available
They’ve certainly been a long time coming (supposedly due an industry-wide Arrendale CPU shortage), but Core i5 and Core i7 MacBook Pros have finally made their way to the Apple Store… along with a couple refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pros.
The new 13-inchers are respectable non-Arrendale updates, packing Core 2 Duo processors running at 2.4 and 2.66GHz, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Seagate and Paramount ship 21 movies with FreeAgent Go drives
Paramount Digital Entertainment and Seagate have teamed up to start offering movies with new portable hard drives.
The collaboration will see 500GB FreeAgent Go portable hard drives ship with 21 DVD-quality movies preloaded on the disk taking up 50GB of drive space. One of those films, Star Trek (2009) will be unlocked and available to watch [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Lionhead steams up Fable III co-operative play with
Lionhead Studios plans to spice up Fable III's cooperative multiplayer mode with a new steamy feature: the ability to get "intimate" online. Publication date: 2010-04-14more
NSFW: Happy Finish Net Hate video
We have to make it very clear that this video is not safe to watch anywhere profanity is frowned upon. If you have headphones put them on and get ready for some heavy swearing.
If you’ve ever wondered where all these offensive comments come from on videos, forums, and blog posts, don’t look to individual site [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
BitTorrent users beware: copyright malware targeting you
A new piece of malware is targeting BitTorrent users in an attempt to extract money from them under the guise of a copyright infringement settlement.
Machines are being infected with the malware which searches a user’s system to see if they have any .torrent files present. A copyright violation alert is then loaded and the computer [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Axon Logic teases Apple with a $500 Hackintosh slate that runs Mac apps
If that iPad modification on the MSI Wind U100 got your juices flowing and you’re a bit of a Hackintosh fan, Axon Logic’s new tablet will have you covered.
With Intel’s fully-fledged Core 2 Duo processor, three USB ports, and a webcam, this $500 slate beats the iPad in terms of pure horse power. As if [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Lenovo delaying Skylight launch to better compete with iPad
Digitimes is reporting that Lenovo has decided to delay the launch of its Snapdragon-powered netbook/smartbook called Skylight by 3 months. The reason? Lenovo has realized it needs to update the feature set of the Skylight now the iPad is a known quantity.
As you may remember, details about the Skylight surfaced in January. It looks to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Review: Alienware M11x notebook
Alienware very successfully refreshed their notebook lineup in 2009 with the M17x and the M15x. These systems performed well, had an interesting look to them, and were a hit with gamers. Reviews were positive across the board. Then earlier this year Alienware threw gamers a serious surprise–a small, almost netbook-sized gaming computer. This was not [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Alienware M11x photo and video gallery
If you haven’t gotten a chance to use Alienware’s M11x 11-inch gaming notebook, then here is you chance to become acquainted with the system. Above there is image of the system and below are a few select videos from the coverage of the M11x on our YouTube channel.
Don’t miss our full M11x review.
Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Steve Jobs: Apps cannot have
Wrote an app for the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? Great, just make sure you don’t use the “Pad” term in its name before submitting to Apple because you’ll be shown the door. According to 9to5Mac, many developers are finding out the hard way that Apple trademarked the “Pad” term. Jesse Waites, the brains behind the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
iPad raises questions about laptop display options
Over the past few years we’ve seen the laptop industry go completely widescreen. At one time the industry was 4:3 but then, after a quick stop at 16:10, manufacturers moved on to the now-standard 16:9 size. Consumers tend to prefer the widescreen layout–it makes computers shorter, give room for full-sized keyboards, and it makes screens [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Star Wars never smelled so good with the Bacon AT-AT
Mmm. Who ever thought that the great evil Galactic Empire could smell so delicious? That would be so true if they had rebel crushing walking vehicles covered in salty, smoky, pork goodness. Unfortunately, Emperor Palpatine opted for heavy armor instead of bacon during the design meetings, so I guess we will never know. Or will we?
This bacon [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
John McCain is back with a new mock campaign advert from his opponent J.D. Hayworth
The “Maverick” John McCain, who ran for the President during 2008 election, has a new tongue-in-cheek ad on YouTube that he hopes will help him win the US Senate seat in the Arizona GOP primary.
A mock campaign advertisement appeared on Senator McCain’s official YouTube channel. The commercial takes aim at McCain’s opponent J.D.Hayworth, ridiculing his poorly-worded [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Intel reports Android running on Atom powered smartphones
ComputerWorld reports that Intel has a goal of enabling all mobile operating systems for use with Atom microprocessor-based phones. The latest OS to benefit is Android. The article states that Renee James, a general manager of Intel’s software and services group, stated during the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing that the company has Android running [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Facebook redesigns Safety Center
Safety has become a focus for Facebook after reports of sex offenders and criminals using the social network. To that end, the company announced a new redesigned Safety Center which it says will offer resources for parents, educators, teens and even members of law enforcement.
The Safety Center was redesigned with feedback from Facebook’s Safety Advisory [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
SlideHD offers widescreen viewing to Flip Video line
The Flip Video product line has a new addition that puts video into sharper focus with a new form factor to boot. The Flip SlideHD, allows consumers to capture up to 4 hours of HD video or view up to 12 hours of content, including photos, thanks to the device’s 16GB of memory. Watching video [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Splinter Cell: Conviction has a freezing problem on 360
If you have already picked up your copy of Splinter Cell: Conviction, and opted for the Xbox 360 version, be warned that there is a bug. When you get to the second level the game can freeze requiring a reboot.
The freezing seems to be linked to being connected to Xbox Live, and getting the SC:Conviction [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Adobe preparing to sue Apple over Flash blocking?
Although the iPad has been topping the news charts for the past couple of weeks, so has the debacle with Adobe over a lack of Flash on Apple devices.
With the iPhone it was a case of Flash being too slow and buggy. With the iPad the same case was pleaded, but Apple went one step [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
If Star Wars Characters were Feudal Japanese Art
Imagine if the mythic saga of Star Wars took place a little closer to our home and only a few hundred years ago rather than proclaimed setting in the films, ” Long ago in a galaxy far, far away.”
What do I mean by that?
Let’s say, for example, the epic battle between the light and dark [...] Publication date: 2010-04-14more
Microsoft launches Kin social phones
Kin makes it easy to share photos and messages within social network. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Google Apps take on Microsoft Office
With just a couple of months to go before Microsoft launches its Office 2010 suite of business applications, Google has updated its own Apps suite. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Twitter's clever strategy
Trouble, it seems, is brewing in the Twitterverse. The microblogging site has ruffled the feathers of a developer community that has done so much to ensure its success. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Digital Life: The world
We meet in an anonymous office block amid a mazy industrial park. My contact slides the package across the desk and quietly leaves the room. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Digital Life: Apple give us a taste of what
Apple previewed the next generation of its iPhone software last week — at last delivering full multitasking, better email handling and the iBooks e-reader app first seen in the iPad. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
A PlayStation 3 owner has received a rebate from Amazon after a software update from Sony prevented users from installing other operating systems on the console. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Irish entrepreneur sells phone art venture to work for giant Google
A TECHNOLOGY company co-founded by a young Irish graduate has been snapped up by internet giant Google as it continues to expand its repertoire of services for consumers. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Faulty USB drives means Splinter Cell: Conviction CE now only $69.99
If you decided to buy the Collector’s Edition of Splinter Cell: Conviction then you probably expected to pay $79.99 on release. That price has now been dropped to $69.99 due to a fault with the included USB drive.
One of the additional items exclusive to the Collector’s Edition of the game is a USB stick containing [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Ex-IW execs form Respawn Entertainment
It seems we’ll finally see some sort of closure about the Infinity Ward/Activision mess: Ex-Infinity Ward leads Jason West and Vince Zampella, who recently signed with Creative Artists Agency, have partnered with Electronic Arts to form Respawn Entertainment.
EA and Respawn have yet to announce any titles or development platforms since it’s so early in the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Adobe Creative Suite 5 officially unveiled
Today Adobe’s Creative Suite 5 was officially uncloaked, with all its details available and some deeper coverage going live as well. We already heard a bit about CS5 previously, such as it’s incredible content-aware fill, but today designers around the world learned everything else they want to know.
PC Pro seems to be the first out [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Open media player Songbird drops Linux support
Songbird is an open media player for Windows, Linux, Mac, and mobile platforms. But that is about to change as the development team has decided to take the difficult decision of dropping Linux support.
In a post on the Songbird blog developer Georges Auberger explained:
After careful consideration, we Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Microsoft to launch two phones today dubbed Kin One and Kin Two
The rumor mill is abuzz about two Microsoft phones expected to launch later today on the Verizon network. Formerly known as the project “Pink,” the two Microsoft devices are expected to be marketed under the “Kin” umbrella brand.
According to phoneArena.com, Verizon’s sales system reveals two new Microsoft devices, the MSONE and MSTWO. A closer inspection of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Visual search startup Plink acquired by Google
Google has acquired UK-based “visual search” company Plink, just four months after the company’s public launch.
Plink’s free mobile application, PlinkArt, allows users to identify a work of art simply by taking a snapshot with their phone camera (a similar concept to the mobile music-identification service Shazam, but with images instead of audio).
Plink’s founders, Mark Cummins [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Conan O
Since his departure from The Tonight Show on NBC, Conan O’Brien has been using the Internet to stay in touch with fans via his Twitter account. O’Brien, nicknamed “CoCo” after an appearance by Tom Hanks on The Tonight Show, used the Twitter account to share thoughts and provide updates about his live performance tour called the Legally Prohibited from [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Palm is looking for a savior
A sharp drop in sales and terrible loss of mindshare both took a serious toll on Palm’s fortunes, prompting the leadership to find a buyer, Bloomberg reported Monday. The credible publication quoted “three people familiar with the situation” who claim that:
Palm, Inc., creator of the Pre smartphone, is seeking bids for the company as early [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Google previews an all-new Docs version
Google is previewing a revamped Google Docs version that promises snappier performance, redesigned document and spreadsheet editors with real-time collaborative editing, and a new standalone drawings editor that supports real-time collaboration.
Those advancements are a result of the rebuilt Docs infrastructure that lets Google develop and launch new features at a more rapid pace. Jonathan Rochelle, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Steam welcomes new version of 2K
The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom is ready to puzzle players once more with the announcement of its re-release for Windows PC through Steam, 2K Play stated in a press release on Thursday. Initially released for the Xbox LIVE Arcade in August 2009, the Steam version will be available on April 20. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
iBatt: iPhone case, charger, and cradle all-in-one
If you are a heavy user of your iPhone then it’s safe to assume you have a case for protection, and some form of portable charger. Japanese manufacturer Hanwha has decided to cater for such users by combining a case and a secondary battery, but also add in a cradle too.
The result is called the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Proof that old people get the iPad
Apple’s legendary ease of use married to touch simplicity is bound to be a hit with our senior citizens who lack the patience necessary to deal with the geekiness of Mac or Windows.
When Steve Jobs showed up last week in front of the journalists invited to Apple’s Town Hall campus in Cupertino to preview iPhone [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Best Buy confirms NOOK coming to stores April 18th
Last week we reported that Engadget had a rumor that Best Buy would soon offer Barnes & Noble’s e-reader, NOOK, for sale. Best Buy has now confirmed they will offer the NOOK beginning April 18th. As Best Buy put it, the date is “just in time for Mother Publication date: 2010-04-13more
MacBook Pro supplies dry up, new models land Tuesday?
All findings indicate that Cupertino is gearing up to launch the new MacBook Pro hardware tomorrow, re-engineered around Intel’s latest notebook chips.
AppleInsider has learned that the Mac maker has put MacBook Pro orders in its retail stores on hold. The notebook stock is apparently running “dangerously low.” Eleven stores at press time were allegedly unable [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Opera
We’ve reported a lot about Opera Software’s success with their Opera Mini mobile browser. What hasn’t been in the news recently is the growth in Opera’s browser for Windows, Mac and Linux computers. The browser-maker states that it now has the same number of mobile users as desktop users according to current metrics.
Opera currently boasts [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Google rumored to go after Apple
While the iPad basks in the spotlight, Apple’s ex-pal Google could spoil the party with a tablet of its own, rumored to run a variant of the Android software normally found in smartphones.
According to a Sunday report by the New York Times, Google will once more step on Apple’s toe with a rumored e-reader “designed to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
BlackBerrys to integrate with car systems thanks to QNX acquisition
Back in March we reported that Nokia and Alpine had teamed up to enable Nokia phones to seamlessly integrate with car infotainment systems. Now Research In Motion (RIM) has taking steps to ensure its BlackBerry smartphones will have the same ability. RIM has announced its intention to acquire QNX Software Systems from Harman International. QNX [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
iPhone OS 4 supports linked contacts
iPhone OS 4.0, the next major update to the iPhone operating system, due this summer, will sport a new feature that will let users link multiple contacts under a unified contact pane.
AppleInsider first reported on this finding, discovered by developers who had the opportunity to test a build of iPhone OS 4.0 released after the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Unbelievable: Apple approves Opera Mini for the iPhone!
We can’t believe it either, but it’s official – the Opera Mini app will be live on the App Store in the next 24 hours. If you doubt our reporting, check out what Opera Software wrote in a press release:
Opera today announced its popular mobile browser, Opera Mini has been approved for iPhone and iPod [...] Publication date: 2010-04-13more
South Korea launches online curfew to help put end to video game addiction among youth
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism implemented a pair of policies on Sunday, blocking under-aged access to online computer games after midnight in an attempt to fight video game addiction among minors. Publication date: 2010-04-13more
HTML5 input types
It is a rare day at work when I don Publication date: 2010-04-13more
Palm 'for sale'
Palm, maker of the Pre range of smartphones, is seeking bids for the company, according to reports Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Bono set for multi-million pound Palm windfall
U2’s Bono looks set to collect a multi-million pound windfall from the sale of Palm, the beleagured smartphone maker. Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Music to the ears of audiophiles
The London Symphony Orchestra's decision to release lossless recordings of classical concerts underlines the desire for better-quality digital music Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Apple to blossom into 3D with glasses patent
WHEN patent number 20100079356 was published on the US Patent and Trademark Office website at the beginning of this month, it was assumed that it was an April Fool joke. Publication date: 2010-04-12more
iPhone OS 4.0 won
Apple has removed the “Rate on Delete” feature from iPhone OS 4.0 following developer complaints that the system unfairly skews the ratings downwards.
Apple’s recently previewed iPhone OS 4.0 will not require users to rate apps before deleting them, MacRumors has learned. Although Apple made no mention of the change at the iPhone OS 4.0 unveiling [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Google ups the number of Picasa albums tenfold
Heavy Picasa users will love that they can now store up to 10,000 albums per account, a tenfold increase over the previous maximum of 1,000 albums. Evan Tsang and Tammy McLeod, Google’s software engineers, explained in a company blog post that the increase came as a result of heavy photo sharing and posting on the Buzz [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Apple removes Google and Yahoo! branding from iPhone OS 4.0 search
Pundits suspect this subtle change is part of a broader effort on Apple’s part to gradually remove Google branding from all parts of the iPhone OS 4.0 software. In reality, though, it’s a simple cosmetic tweak for the sake of user friendliness.
You may never notice it, but you’ll be hitting the “Search” key to submit [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Apple could launch new hardware and software at NAB 2010
Apple will be showing off some new products at the NAB show this coming week. According to an Apple page at Eventbrite, Apple will be introducing both hardware and software updates at the show. Here’s what the invitations says:
Please join Apple for an update on their latest hardware and software products. Lunch will be provided [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
Gmail gets nested labels and message sneak peek
Google has added two new experimental Gmai features this past Thursday that let you organize labels in a folder-like fashion and sneak peek inside messages without opening them. Nested labels allow users to better organize a bunch of labels attached to their message. Manu Cornet, Google’s software engineer explained how the nested labels feature works in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
RIM building an 8.9-inch BlackBerry tablet for your car?
A new report has alleged that Research in Motion is building an 8.9-inch tablet-like “niche” product in limited quantities, expected for sale before Christmas.
We should warn you that the authenticity of this report cannot be established. According to a RIM fan site called CrackBerry, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., also known as Foxconn, has [...] Publication date: 2010-04-12more
You can now route Google Voice calls straight to voicemail
Although many people like Google Voice for its efficiency, simplicity, and the ability to link a bunch of cellphone and landline numbers to a single Google Voice number, this smart telephony service can be a real pain if you’re in a middle of something and would like to deal with those pesky incoming calls at [...] Publication date: 2010-04-11more
iPad-ready sites all but ready
The sites on Apple’s “iPad-ready” list are all but ready for the device. While CNN, NYT, People, and others do play Flash-less videos inline the iPad’s Safari browser, just a layer deeper ugly cracks show up.
When Geek reported on a list of iPad-ready sites, we thought Apple’s boss Steve Jobs somehow persuaded the biggest names on [...] Publication date: 2010-04-11more
Firefox Lorentz beta is out, resistant to plugin crashes
Mozilla fans can download and sample a future Firefox release, currently in beta, that keeps the browser stable when a plugin crashes or freezes.
Mozilla has announced plans to update its rendering platform called Gecko with the ability to run plugins separately of the main browser process.
The open-source organization has invited fans to preview a beta [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Sword & Sworcery EP iPhone game is looking super cool
The gaming scene has had a fair bit of buzz about the upcoming release of the iPhone adventure game, Sword & Sworcery EP. The game is from the SuperBrothers (Craig Adams) who have been detailing the release extensively, as well as Jim Guthrie and Capybara Games (who made Clash of Heroes for the DS). From what I [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Man creates street legal Battlestar Galactica Viper
Holy frak Starbuck! Just take a look at this sweet Earth-bound ride.
Dean Shorey, a master ride mechanic for Seabreeze Amusement Park in New York, is such a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica series that he decided to take his metalwork and auto restoration skills to create this street legal Viper from an old Postal Jeep.
Now [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Ubisoft: always-connected DRM will improve and be on all future PC games
Ubisoft is adamant that its new always-connected DRM is the way forward. Despite anger from gamers who couldn’t play Assassin’s Creed II, the publisher/developer is set to continue using such DRM on all its future PC game releases.
A spokesperson for the company said:
Most forthcoming Ubisoft PC titles will use our online services platform. As with [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter confirmed for XBLA and available for pre-order on Steam
Majesco has finally confirmed that Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, a remake of Croteam’s first-person shooter of the same name sans “HD,” will hit the Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PC later this year.
In addition to a new graphics engine, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter includes an all-new survival mode for single and [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Google Suggest for search comes to mobile
Google has once again kicked their mobile search up a notch. This time, the company has announced the inclusion of Google Suggest in mobile search. Google Suggest is where the search engine tries to figure out what you are looking for while you are typing. This allows information to be displayed without having to wait [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Viewsonic launch VEB620 and VEB625 e-book readers
Viewsonic has used The Gadget Show Live 2010 currently running in the UK to launch two new e-book readers on the market. Both the VEB620 and VEB625 are monochrome e-readers sporting a 6-inch E-Ink display, font size control, and zooming.
The VEB625 is the more feature-rich model and includes WiFi and touchscreen capabilities. Both models have [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Modern Warfare: Frozen Crossing fan-fiction video is worth a watch
This fan-made video inspired by Modern Warfare 2 has already racked up over 500K views, so you know it’s pretty good. I have no idea how it was done for a reported $209.42, but the results are impressive.
The YouTube notes:
An unofficial tribute to one of our favorite game franchises of all time: Call of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Warhammer Online subscribers accidentally charged 22 times in one month
Mythic is more than a little bit embarrassed and sorry today. The Warhammer Online forums have been set alight with angry players who found multiple subscription charges pulled from their bank accounts. In the worst cases some 22 payments were taken, with one household having 27 payments logged across two accounts.
Seeing between $500 and $700 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
New DISH Network DVR is SlingLoaded
Back in September 2007 we reported that Echostar, now operating as DISH Network Corporation, purchased Sling Media. Sling Media manufactures the Slingbox which allows consumers to connect a video and audio source to an Internet-connected box to enable the ability to watch television while online via a computer or handheld device. Considering DISH Network provides television set boxes [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Video calling discovered in iPhone OS 4.0
The updated iPhone OS 4.0 software hides a new processes sitting in the background and awaiting video calls, a source alleged.
According to a tip sent to the Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), the just-announced iPhone OS 4.0 sports a suspicious new process suggesting that the software is prepared to handle video calling:
Close TUAW reader AW sent us [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
A photographer
Josh Root over at our sister site Photo.net has put up what he classes as a “short-term hands on” review of the iPad. But it actually turns out to be a quite in-depth look at Apple’s tablet.
As well as looking at the good and bad stuff, he also covers what the iPad is, and what [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
AT&T re-positioning itself as a lifestyle company
The carrier wants to be perceived as a consumer and lifestyle company rather than a telecom firm. A nationwide re-branding campaign has kicked off today, with AT&T’s rollover minutes being part of the makeover, too.
The initiative is being described with the “Rethink Possible” slogan, presumably to indicate the carrier’s readiness to let go any aspect [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Google incorporating site speed in search rankings
(I’m in the middle of traveling, but I know that a lot of people will be interested in the news that Google is incorporating site speed as one of the over 200 signals that we use in determining search rankings. I wanted to jot down some quick thoughts.)
The main thing I want to get across [...] Publication date: 2010-04-10more
Google Earth leads professor to rare hominid ancestor
Well, Google can put another feather in its cap. That’s because Google Earth is being credited with helping to find a rare hominid fossil in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa.The discovery includes two partial hominid skeletons which are said to be in “remarkable condition”. The skeletons are dated to be [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Amazon pays partial refund for PS3 sale due to OtherOS feature removal
When Sony removed the OtherOS feature from the PS3 Fat users were angry, but some pointed out that the machine was no longer fit for purpose. As a feature the PS3 originally shipped with had now been removed, Sony may actually be breaking some consumer laws.
One PS3 owner decided to put that to the test [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
30 million cellphones to be disconnected across Mexico this weekend
In a bid to cut crime and drug trafficking the government of Mexico is about to take drastic action with regards to cellphones.
This weekend any cellphone that has not been registered to an individual will be disconnected and rendered useless. The only problem is, despite repeated calls from the government for people to register [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Firefox 3.6.4 to bring stability boost with out-of-process plug-ins
If you are a regular Firefox user one of the annoyances you have to put up with is a crash taking down your entire browser.
Whether you have two or twenty tabs open, if something crashes in one of those tabs Firefox shuts down completely. Mozilla manages crashes quite well, however, and a restart usually restores [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Apple is now selling an average 1.4 iPads per store each hour
Steve Jobs said Apple sold nearly half a million iPads in five days, amounting to an average hourly rate of 1.4 iPad units per each of the nearly 900 retail spots that are currently carrying the device.
The sales update came during the iPhone OS 4.0 event held Thursday, April 8, at Apple’s Town Hall campus [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
B&N
Our friends at Engadget have confidential informants that law enforcement officials would be impressed with. We reported yesterday that Engadget had proof that Amazon’s Kindle was coming to Target in an effort to get the reader in brick-and-mortar stores. I inferred that the move was probably Amazon’s attempt to level the playing field against Barnes & [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
12 year old spends nearly $1400 on Farmville
One of Facebook’s more popular gaming apps is called FarmVille. This free farming simulation game allows users to build and tend their own virtual farm with provided tools or with the investment of real cash. Players can buy Farmville Cash or Coins to purchase additional items for their farm.
While on the surface FarmVille is pretty harmless [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
2010 World Expo
The 2010 World Expo is next month in Shanghai and it’s looking like it’s going to be home to some legitimately awesome structures. The Seed Cathedral, which is part of the UK Pavilion is looking especially interesting, thanks in no part to its incredible intricacy.
The 6,000 square meter pavilion is covered with 60,000 clear acrylic [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Alienware M11x refresh already on the way?
If a certain forum posting it to be believed then Alienware’s new M11x portable gaming computer already has its first update pending. Poster “Darkhan” on NotebookReview’s forums said that the system will be getting new Intel processors and Nvidia’s Optimus graphics switching technology in a future release.
The new release is tentatively being called the M11x [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
iPhone OS 4.0 boasts digital zoom, in-recording focus
When the iPhone OS 4.0 is released this summer, users will finally get camera features that have been a norm on other cellphones for years, like digital zoom. Steve Jobs briefly mentioned capabilities of the new Camera app when talking up a bunch of other nice-to-haves provided in iPhone OS 4.0:
We’ve added a 5x digital [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Super Talent offer Value SSD range from $65
If you want proof that the cost of solid state drives is coming down look no further than Super Talent. The storage specialist has just introduced a new range of Value SSD drives with prices starting at $65.
The Value SSD is capable of read speeds up to 152MB/sec, and write speeds of 97MB/sec for the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
iPhone OS 4.0 steals Faces and Places from the iPad
The Photos app in iPhone OS 4.0 has been enhanced with the ability to group photos by date, people, and places, just like on the iPad.
As we’re scavenging through little bits and pieces of information that came at the iPhone OS 4.0 event that took place at Apple’s Town Hall campus on Thursday, April 8, we’re [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
OCZ launches super fast Vertex 2 and Agility 2 SSD
While Super Talent may be aiming for the lower end of the market with its Value SSD range, OCZ is going in completely the opposite direction with its latest 2.5″ performance drives.
Announcing the OCZ Vertex 2 and Agility 2 SSD. While we are used to seeing performance SSD achieve 250MB/s reads and 170MB/s writes, these [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Your iPhone can
Multitasking, the killer feature of iPhone OS 4.0, is only supported on the iPad, iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch. Is Apple leveraging this feature to force those with older iPhones to upgrade?
As you know, iPhone OS 4.0 has finally enabled multitasking in third-party apps, a major advancement that has erased Android’s biggest advantage over [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Apple unveils new iPhone operating system
Apple will add multi-tasking, mobile advertising and an ebook reader to its hugely successful iPhone when it releases the fourth version of the phone's operating system later this year. Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Digitimes: 5 to 7-inch iPad expected in early 2011
With the iPad launch still fresh in our memories Digitimes is reporting that Apple already has plans to release a smaller version of the tablet device early next year.
According to Digitimes Research senior analyst Mingchi Kuo component manufacturers are already preparing for the device. It will sport a display of between 5 and 7 inches, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Transformers: War for Cybertron multiplayer details
High Moon Studios’ June release of Transformers: War for Cybertron has Transformers nerds giddy for its pre-G1 series storyline, but the release of a new multiplayer trailer proves that the Activision-published shooter has far more to offer than fiction for fans. The trailer shows off its goods at a rapid fire pace, but here’s what [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Smart Devices unveil R7 7-inch color e-book reader
The iPad may be the new gadget on the block with e-reader capabilities, but that hasn’t stopped other manufacturers announcing new products. If all you want is a device that acts as an e-book reader, then you are going to have an increasing number of gadgets to choose from over the next year as manufacturers [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
High-resolution Halo Reach renders should be looked at
If you’re antsy for the upcoming Halo Reach beta (and let’s face it: you are) then you’ll probably find Bungie’s new set of high-resolution renders, cribbed straight from the same beta we’ll all be playing in a month, rather tantalizing. The collection of still images cover everything from characters and weapons to vehicles and assassination [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Palm stock rises on Lenovo buyout rumors
We’ve all read about Palm’s troubles and dropping stock prices. That’s probably what makes the rumor reported by Electronista believable. According to the article, hedge fund investors have speculated that Lenovo may be looking to acquire mobile handset maker Palm. That speculation sent Palm stock prices soaring to a 20% gain yesterday.
Lenovo has recently made an investment in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
When classic video games attack New York gets destroyed
PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
We’ve all played the classics. Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Tetris, and Donkey Kong. You take the on-screen destruction for granted, but what if it really happened?
The above video gives us some idea of what to expect if it happened in New York. Disappearing tube stations, cabs turning into blocks, and barrels raining down [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
New York gets first look at Crysis 2 trailer
Earlier Tuesday, Crytek announced on Twitter that New Yorkers would get the first look at the upcoming Crysis 2. Publication date: 2010-04-09more
iPhone OS 4.0: What to expect
Apple is due to preview iPhone OS 4.0 at 10am Pacific time and Geek is joining the rumors game with our own wish list. The Cupertino firm said on the heels of the iPad launch that it’ll be hosting a media event Thursday, April 8, to preview iPhone OS 4.0, the next major iteration of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
iPhone OS 4.0 live coverage
Within mintues, select journos attending Apple’s private briefing are being given a sneak peek inside iPhone OS 4.0. Geek is bringing you a remote coverage of key announcements, as they happen.
On Monday Apple scheduled an iPhone OS 4.0 media briefing for April 8th, at at its Town Hall campus in Cupertino at 9am Pacific time. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
World Golf Tour
In response to the recent announcement of EA Sport’s free-to-play Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, World Golf Tour CEO YuChiang Cheng has a few choice words to say about the differences between PGA Tour Online and WGT.
If you Publication date: 2010-04-09more
More iPads leave Chinese docks, arriving in the US soon
If you didn’t pre-ordered your iPad for the April 3 launch and missed purchasing the device at Apple’s or Best Buy’s retail stores, you will have to wait patiently until this coming Monday when another batch is apparently due to arrive at the US shores.
According to a Mac enthusiast site 9to5Mac, some customers have received [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Could Target be getting Amazon
Nobody can deny the success that Amazon has had with their Kindle e-reader. Of course, a disadvantage that Amazon has is that they have no brick-and-mortar stores to show off the capabilities of the device. That’s a fact that Barnes and Noble has taken advantage of with their stores and the launch of their e-reader called the nook. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Foursquare cracks down on false mayors
Foursquare is a social networking site that utilizes GPS-based mobile phone software to allow users to “check-in” at places around town. Doing so can lead to badges and mayorships to those who visit a place more than anyone else. The only problem has been that some people could claim mayorships from their couch.
Foursquare’s latest blog [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Google Maps for BlackBerry version 4 launched
Google has announced its latest update for Google Maps for the BlackBerry and as they put it “it’s a big one”. New features within version 4 include the addition of voice search, Google Buzz, personalized search suggestions and access to Google Labs to try out experimental features. Some of these features have been available in the Android version [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Starcraft II Collector
If you were excited for Starcraft II’s upcoming release, prepare to become slightly more excited. A collector’s edition has been announced at $99 (instead of $59) that will get fans:
a 176-page art book, a USB thumb drive loaded with the original StarCraft and its expansion pack Brood War, a behind-the-scenes DVD, a CD soundtrack, a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Mother charged with harassment after hacking into son
Parents know the importance of keeping an eye on their kids, especially when they are online, but it seems one kid believes his mother has gone too far. Arkansas-based KATV news is reporting that Denise New is charged with harassment after her 16 year old son accused her of hacking into his Facebook account, changing his password [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Verizon Wireless offers phone recycling for Earth Day
April 22nd of this year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Verizon Wireless with CWG, a recycler of mobile devices, have teamed up to give mobile users an easy way to make a small impact when it comes to helping the environment and providing support to those victims of domestic violence.
Those with old mobile [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Today
Apple made a bit of news today with the unveiling of the iPhone 4.0 OS. We covered it extensively, as did about a million other sites, but if you want to see the presentation by the one-and-only Steve Jobs, you now can. It’s just under 60 minutes long.
Just hop over to Apple.com and you can [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Pokemon Black & Pokemon White in development for Nintendo DS
As is usually the case with Pokemon games, and in fact most Nintendo products, we get them in the West several months after Japan. So while Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver (read our review) are sitting in the charts at retail over here, Japan is getting ready to receive the next Pokemon installments.
Very little is known [...] Publication date: 2010-04-09more
Games consoles 'under threat', says Kojima
Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, says video games of the future will not be confined to consoles. Publication date: 2010-04-09more
The modern workplace is optimised for interruptions
I recently came across an interview with Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals, where he among other things talks about why you can Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Twitter 'could build its own client'
One of the biggest investors in microblogging service Twitter has hinted that the company might release its own mobile and desktop clients, a move that could impact third-party developers. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Crystal Swing and the viral web
I'm not going to lie to you: showband-era music gives me the creeps. I dislike the cheese: the pseudo-American crooning, the tacky outfits and the incongruity of a form of music that tries to marry the appeal of swinging jazz bands of the Fifties with rural Ireland several years after big bands have fallen out of fashion in the first place. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
From butcher to chef, to entrepreneur and blogger
Blogger of the Year at the Irish Blog Awards, Pat Phelan began his working life as a butcher, then a chef. Now an entrepreneur, his company Cubic Telecom is active in 230 countries worldwide. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
'The old style of learning by rote will not suit the smart workforce of tomorrow'
THERE are few Irish adults today who don't feel a shudder run up their spine or who don't have nightmares of turning up at exams with the dreaded fear they hadn't done the study. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Does the answer to globalised healthcare lie on the internet?
SILICON Valley entrepreneur James Currier is as immersed in the online space as you can get. He was one of the first people to harness the power of user-generated content when he co-founded Tickle.com (which was later acquired by Monster.com) in 1998, and is on the board of directors for Linden Lab's virtual world, Second Life. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Why I'd prefer to be poked on Facebook than blog on Bebo
OMG! Just two years after it was sold for close to $1bn, social networking site Bebo looks set to log off for good following a catastrophic collapse in its membership in the face of competition from its more zeitgeisty rivals Facebook and Twitter. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
How Ed Roberts' Altair 8800 revolutionised home computing
Ed Roberts, co-founder of Micro Information and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and designer of the Altair 8800, has died at the age of 68. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
How Wikileaks shone light on world's darkest secrets
When the UK's Ministry of Defence first came across Wikileaks, staffers were stunned. "There are thousands of things on here, I literally mean thousands," one of them wrote in an internal email in November 2008. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Google Books faces fresh lawsuit from photographers
Google's plan to create an online library of the world's books faces new delays after photographers and illustrators filed a class-action lawsuit against the project. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Apple 4.0 update 'to introduce mobile advertising platform'
Apple could unveil its own mobile advertising platform later today, a move that would put it in direct competition with Google. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Google, we want the iPad
The new Gmail web app for tablets mimics a two-pane interface of the iPad’s native Mail app. Simply put, it’s a remarkable display of what can be done with the power of web and HTML5.
Just like with its iPhone, Apple has taken a great deal of device-specific capabilities into consideration when creating an iPad version [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Rhapsody emerges as new company and drops subscription to $9.99
In February we reported that Rhapsody was going to be spun off as an independent company from parent companies MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, and RealNetworks. According to a RealNetworks SEC filing, the spinoff was completed on March 31st which created the new company Rhapsody International. The new company has now emerged with an aggressive drop in its previous subscription [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
DeathSpank creator Ron Gilbert leaves Hothead
Soon after signing a high-profile publishing contract with EA to distribute DeathSpank for the XBLA and PSN, Hothead's Ron Gilbert is taking leave of the company. As Deathspank's creator, Gilbert will continue to work closely with EA and Hothead on the indie game's PR, according to his personal blog. Publication date: 2010-04-08more
AOL considers sale or shutdown of Bebo
Back in March 2008, AOL made a bold attempt to enter the social networking landscape through its acquisition of Bebo.com. Just as bold was the $850 million they paid the co-founders for it. Now the New York Times is reporting that AOL wants to sell or close the website after only two years of ownership.
The news came [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
THQ plans $40M video game for Project Natal
THQ has a $40 million video game in store for Project Natal, says THQ’s core games VP, Danny Bilson.
Bilson detailed his grand scheme as well as his doubts to CVG on Friday:
I have some concepts and some ideas that use Natal in a core game in a really, really cool way… But to your other question [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Foursquare possible target of Yahoo! acquisition
Foursquare is a location-based social networking service that works with a mobile app to allow users to “check-in” as they make their way to different locations throughout their day.
Using the service friends can find other friends and ordinary people can become a mayor which indicates those individuals who have visited a location more than anyone [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Open source, security-focused Qubes OS hits alpha
The number of high-profile operating systems is expanding. Windows, Mac OS, and Linux are the main three everyone knows about, but iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, and Android are all vying for our attention. If you look to the future then the other operating system people are interested in is Google’s Chrome OS. But there is [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Star Trek Online for consoles canceled
When Cryptic first announced it was taking over development of Star Trek Online the developer listed it as a PC and console game. The PC game has subsequently been finished and released, but there was no sign of the console versions.
Last week Cryptic announced that Champions Online would not be getting a release on consoles, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Windows 7 achieves 10% market share in 5 months (Vista took 16)
If you want proof that Windows 7 greatly improves upon the disaster that was Windows Vista, look no further than the rate of uptake. The latest figures show that Windows 7 has achieved 10% market share in just 5 months. Vista did not achieve the same level of uptake for 16 months — over three-times [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Turn your iPad into a bookend with the iBookend
With all that the iPad can do, and all the e-books that the Apple tablet device can potentially hold, who would have thought that the iPad could be used as a device to hold real books up? A silly as it sounds, that is what a concept designer has actually invented.
Imagined by Dominic Wilcox, his [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Vodafone chooses Opera Mini for developing markets
In the West we are spoilt for choice when it comes to accessing the web on the go. Netbooks, smartphones, WiFi hotspots, and relatively fast 3G networks, make web access simple and fast. In developing countries, however, where 2G is the norm, running a web browser on a handset is either a painfully slow experience [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Market research firm iSuppli has put an estimated $259.60 price tag on the components found inside Apple’s $499 WiFi iPad.
As always, this figure represents just the components excluding the costs associated with research and development, marketing, packaging, distribution, sales, software licences, and more. According to their preliminary analysis, the iPad’s priciest component is by far a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Review: Olympus E-PL1 Micro Four-Thirds digital camera
We’ve already covered the new Olympus E-PL1 in a preview and a demo of the Live Guide automatic shooting, so this review is going to wrap things up into a neat little package.
In case you didn’t read our previous coverage, the E-PL1 is the newest camera in Olympus’ PEN series. Previously we’ve seen the E-P1 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Swedish-made Google TV debuts in August with killer maps, apps, and more
Google TV, an Android-based solution to a set-top box and TV media integration, is coming along nicely. The first company to announce a fully featured Google TV set is a Swedish startup called People of Lava.
The company will be releasing its Scandinavia TV lineup around September, available in 42″, 47″, and 55″ flavors and beginning [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Video evidence of the iPhone 4.0
The iPhone 4.0 / HD – a fourth iteration of Apple’s handset that Steve Jobs allegedly called an “A+ upgrade” – could carry a front-facing camera for iChat-style videoconferencing on the go.
Expected this summer in time for Apple’s annual developers conference due around June, the fourth-generation iPhone has already generated quite a lot buzz around the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Everything you
Over at Digital Home Thoughts there is an impressively in-depth review of different photo-book printing services. In this day of digital printing, it’s pretty easy to have your own book made, but it’s not that cheap and it does require a fair bit of work. Additionally, it’s difficult to differentiate between different printers as most [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Printing support reportedly coming to iPhone OS 4.0
Apple may have inadvertently slipped that the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 could add direct printing support to the iPad, perhaps even the iPhone and iPod touch.
The basis for this speculation is a new Apple support document alluding that printing support could be in the works, at least for Apple’s iPad-optimized iWork productivity suite. Apple wrote the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
Apple suggests only the iPhone can fingerprint songs
A new iPhone commercial fools viewers into thinking that song recognition can only be done on the iPhone. In reality, the software featured in the advert exists for a number of platforms.
Apple’s new commercial shows off the $5 Shazam Encore, an iPhone app that can upload a song snippet to the cloud in order to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-08more
AOL prepares to shut down Bebo
Bebo, formerly one of the largest online social networks, is to be shut down or sold by AOL, just two years after it was purchased for close to $1bn. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Murdoch: publishers must stand up to Google
Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp, said newspaper publishers should prevent search engines like Google and Microsoft’s Bing from displaying full articles for free. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Apple to announce iPhone 4 OS
Apple’s iPhone 4.0 software will be unveiled at an event in California on Thursday, 8 April. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Apple acknowledges iPad Wi-Fi problems
Apple has admitted that some iPad users are experiencing difficulties getting online. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Toshiba Camileo S20, H30 and X100 1080p camcorders hit the States
While they’ve been available in Europe for awhile, Toshiba has finally seen fit to grace us Yanks with their excellent Camileo range of low-cost camcorders.
It’s about time. The Camileo range was announced way back at IFA 2009, and we’ve been waiting ever since. Here’s what you’ll be seeing on big box shelves soon enough.
The [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Google tweaks more Buzz privacy settings
Google Buzz, the search giant’s ill-fated Facebook killer, has been plagued with various privacy related issues since it debuted three months ago. Realizing that Buzz is going nowhere, Google announced Tuesday new defaults regarding automatic following.
Todd Jackson, a product manager with Google’s Gmail team, announced the latest Buzz privacy tweaks in a company blog post:
Rather than [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Allegro Portable Wireless Radio and Streamer makes internet radio portable
Internet radio’s a fantastic thing. Instead of listening to the local zoo crew or rap station in staticky FM, you can pipe in crystal clear, high-quality audio in any genre you want from thousands of Internet radio stations.
The only problem is, if you want to listen to internet radio, you’ve got to be sitting at [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
ARRI
ARRI is a legendary maker of film cameras, one of the most respected companies in the business, but even they’ve got to keep up with the times: they’ve just announced their Alexa supercamera, and while its cost of $60,000 is going to put it firmly beyond most of our budgets, it’s worth drooling over all [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
LG Mini GD880 is Flash and Webkit capable feature phone
We don’t tend to write much about feature phones here at Geek, mostly because the likes of the Blackberry, the Pre, the iPhone and the Android operating system are the most interesting phones to talk about.
That said, even we’re interested in LG’s latest feature-phone, the LG Mini GD880. It was announced back in February, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Did Rockstar get Australian gaming journalist fired?
According to news.com.au, Toby McCasker — the former deputy entertainment editor for Australian lads mag Zoo Weekly — has been let go from his position after making public an email from Rockstar, asking for more favorable coverage of Red Dead Redemption.
The email in question was posted to McCasker’s Facebook account, and read:
This is the biggest [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
NCSoft trademarks City of Heroes 2 name, MMO sequel in the works?
NCSoft, or to be more precise, Cryptic made a big splash when it released the original City of Heroes. An MMO where you could create your own super hero was clearly going to be popular, and NCSoft made sure it remained that way by making it a decent MMO too.
More recently, Champions Online has been [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Apple confirms iPad WiFi issue, offers solution
Soon after the launch of the iPad at the weekend users started complaining about poor WiFi connections. At the time it was thought the problem may be down to the positioning of the antenna on the back of the device, which would usually be covered up by a surface or your legs.
Apple has now confirmed [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Muvi Atom is a voice controlled camcorder smaller than your finger
I’ve always been a fan of Muvi’s cute and clever little camcorders… particularly in just how much functionality they manage to cram into devices smaller than your housekeys.
Their previous model, the Micro DV, was the smallest camcorder available, but still wasn’t a bad little cam. The DV looks positively gargantuan compared to Muvi’s latest [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Lenovo Ideapad S10-3s slims netbooks down
Lenovo’s a favorite brand for PC laptops, and they’ve really done a great job transitioning their design expertise from notebooks to netbooks with the Lenovo S10 and S12. They’ve now announced their latest update to the already lovely S10, the S10-3S, and guess what? The “S” stands for slim. Well, the second one does… I [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Lenovo C200 all-in-one packs NVIDIA Ion 2
Lenovo’s been busy announcing some cheap, attractive machines with Intel Atom guts this morning. Hot off the heels of their press release for the Lenovo Ideapad S10-3S netbook, this comes sliding through the mail slot: the Lenovo C200, a gorgeous, low-cost, NVIDIA Ion 2 toting all-in-one.
What’s important here is the NVIDIA Ion 2 chipset, which [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Panasonic plans to push 20MP in its digital cameras by 2012
Back when digital cameras first came out, it wasn’t obvious to consumers whether a $400 Canon camera was better than a $200 Kodak one. In response to this, camera companies came up with the idea of megapixels: buy a camera with more megapixels and you’ll always be taking better images!
It actually wasn’t all that disingenuous [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
EA launches free-to-play Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online
EA has officially launched Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, a free-to-play golf video game accessible through a web browser. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Things to do in Japan and Thailand?
Sometime in the next few weeks, my wife and I are going to take a trip to Japan and Thailand. Our tenth wedding anniversary flew by in January 2010, and now we’re taking the chance to celebrate and explore some new places.
I’m really excited because I’ve never been to Asia before (!). We’ve got our [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Apple iPad recruits Frogger and Solid Snake for the App Store
Frogger and Solid Snake might not seem like the most likely duo, but they both need your gentle touch to guide them to victory. Metal Gear Solid Touch and Frogger Pad are now available from the App Store for the Apple iPad, Konami announced in a press release Monday. Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Google I/O attendees to receive free Nexus One or Droid
If you are pre-registered and paid to go to the Google I/O conference in May expect a package through your door soon. Google has decided that you will be receiving either a Motorola Droid or Nexus One smartphone for free.
Google is shipping the free smartphones before the conference because it wants everyone there to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Infinity Ward loses two more long-serving staff members
The fallout at Infinity Ward continues as two more key staff members have left the studio. Todd Alderman, an eight year veteran of the studio, and lead designer, is thought to have resigned his post. Lead software engineer, and seven year veteran Francesco Gigliotti has also joined Alderman in leaving.
No official announcement has been made [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
The iPad takes on
If you are already an iPad fan, then watching the article with an iPad taking a ruthless beating with a baseball bat probably made you cringe a little. If that is the case, then the video in this article is definitely going to make your gut wrench. So just be warned.
On the latest edition of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
WD doubles capacity of VelociRaptor performance hard drive
Western Digital has announced the arrival of new VelociRaptor hard drives. The drives will be available in 450GB and 600GB capacities and will feature 6Gb/s SATA connections.
For the last few years Western Digital has held the performance crown in for SATA hard drives. Their 10,000RPM Raptor drives and then the VelociRaptor (which was still 10K [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Sharp unveils new LCD technology to be used in Nintendo 3DS
A couple of weeks ago, Nintendo made a surprise announcement: the successor to their popular DS handheld would be called the 3DS and use an innovative new technique to display 3D touchscreen graphics without any glasses.
At the time, there was a lot of confusion about how Nintendo might go about doing this, since 3D and [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Drobo FS is part NAS, part RAID
It’s been a long time coming, but Data Robotics has finally delivered with a networked version of its popular line of redundant storage hard drive bays. Meet the Drobo FS.
The Drobo FS is a RAID-like storage device aimed at the less tech savvy. It operates similarly to RAID: you push a couple hard drives in, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Econogo debuts the Yogo, the world
Although electric vehicles are the dream, it’s a sad fact that lithium-ion batteries just don’t have the capacity to really do the job just yet. Cars, after all, are power-hungry beasts, and until someone figures out how to greatly increase both the capacity and recharge times of beefy lithium-ion packs, hybrid vehicles are the best [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Fresh Duke Nukem Forever footage appears on YouTube
Since 3D Realms finally closed its doors we’ve seen more footage from Duke Nukem Forever than in the previous decade. And the footage keeps coming with a new four minute video being uploaded to YouTube over the Easter break.
Just like in previous videos, the footage shows a game that was very advanced and could have [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Fujitsu integrate power monitoring into power strips
Monitoring the power consumption of your different electronic gadgets can be done with a simple plug-in monitoring device. But if you have an office full of PCs, or just a busy desk at home, it’s a bit tedious and time consuming to monitor each device individually and figure out where power is being wasted. Fujitsu [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
iPad gets installed into the dash of a truck
With the iPad recently hitting store shelves, it was only a matter of time before people thought of other applications for the new Apple portable than just using it as a tablet device.
Take for example the guys over at Sound Man Car Audio that decided the iPad would look great mounted in the dashboard of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Full multitasking is the killer feature of iPhone OS 4.0, sources claim
The upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 should finally fix – and in a big way, too – the lack of multitasking as the most glaring omission of Apple’s mobile platform.
This news came via a note that Kaufman Bros. released to investors earlier today. Shaw Wu, the analyst with Kaufman Bros., wrote in a note that his “checks [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Enter the Hall of Meat with April 15
Both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live will see a Skate 3 demo on the same day next week, with the skateboarding sequel set to release on April 15. The demo is set to be far more substantial than expected, especially after the brevity and compact nature of the Skate 2 sampler last year.
The demo [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
High-end CPUs compared: Nehalem EX vs Magny Cours
The Inquirer has a great post up that compares some of today’s highest performance CPUs. These are CPUs for enterprise servers and other high-end applications, but the article packs in a ton of interesting information about the latest efforts by Intel and AMD.
From the article:
The Nehalem EX has higher raw memory bandwidth, with four serial [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
SNES emulator landing on the iPad
You are probably all tired of hearing about the iPad, but this will get your attention. It’s true, someone is working on a SNES emulator for Apple’s super slate.
As you surely know, the SNES is just about the greatest console of all time. Combine that with the wonder pad and you could have a lot [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
The iPad says it needs to cool down under too much sunlight
Early complaints from iPad users mostly focus on reported reception issues with wireless routers. On top of that, however, we’re hearing stories of other problems plaguing Apple’s inaugural multitouch tablet.
Apparently, some iPads are malfunctioning when users expose them to too much direct sunlight. According to ZDNet, some overheated iPads refuse to work, greeting their users with [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
The iPad
The iFixit teardown wizards teamed up with the Ottawa, Ontario-based reverse engineering company Chipworks to cross-section the A4 system-on-a-chip that powers the iPad.
According to both parties, the A4’s CPU die is basically a single-core ARM Cortex-A8 design. While dual-core Cortex-A8 designs based on ARM’s CPU blueprint can be found in other mobile platforms, Apple probably opted [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Facebook Connect coming to iTunes?
A new rumor alleging that Facebook Connect is coming to iTunes “quite soon” could mean whole new possibilities. By authorizing iTunes to access your Facebook account, you could share iTunes Store purchases with your friends more easily and securely than before. According to TechCrunch:
We’re hearing that iTunes will be implementing Facebook Connect support in the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Will network hogs run on 3G iPads?
With 3G iPad upon us, the question looms whether Apple and AT&T will cripple software like Skype and SlingPlayer that wants to carry voice and stream video over 3G cellular networks. Am I freaking out? Hardly.
Skype has just updated its app with iPad support and guess what – it still lacks 3G VoIP calling. Is it [...] Publication date: 2010-04-07more
Microsoft apologizes to day-one Stimulus Package buyers
If you're one of the "lucky ones" who purchased the Stimulus Package map pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day of its release, Microsoft is sending you a consolation gift as an apology for the broken DLC. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
UK Police to be issued the e-Glove to help fight crime
Police in the UK are getting a new handheld gadget in order to help fight crime and it is called the e-Glove.
This new police tool, which runs around $153, is worn on the hand and is used when suspects are being detained and searched. The e-Glove device acts as a metal detector when suspects are [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Mystery flash drives and Baconian cipher hint at new Bethesda game
Late last week, a number of video game news outlets received mysterious USB flash drives in the mail. No company was identified as the sender, which is weird enough in the PR business. Even weirder: the USB flash drives were almost entirely devoid of media. Can anyone smell a viral marketing campaign yet?
Of course, there’s [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Blu-Ray Discs Will Now Support 128GB of Storage
Blu-Ray discs are already pretty dense: it takes a lot of space to cram an uncompressed 1080p movie on a disc. That’s not to say they can’t get denser, though. The Blu-Ray Disc Association has just announced their approval of two new specs for the Blu-Ray format: BDXL and IH-BD.
The new BDXL specification applies to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Hitachi announces new li-ion battery tech that could double capacity, lifetime
It seems like we hear about another revolutionary battery technology every other day, only to be quickly forgotten by the very companies that promote them. It’s frustrating, because our gadgeting future depends on significantly improving the capacity of the batteries that drive our electronics. We need some sort of revolutionary, or at least evolutionary, bump.
Hopefully, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Hori
All you have to do is look at the rabid fan community around console modder Ben Heck to realize there is a sizable fascination with taking clunky gaming consoles and turning them into portables, if not quite handhelds. Unfortunately, the process is often expensive, time consuming and not for the faint of heart.
What if you [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
ICD announces would-be iPad killer, the Android driven Gemini tablet
The iPad is going to be the tablet to beat for the foreseeable future, but there may be a dark horse in the running for ultimate tablet supremacy, if ICD’s latest announcement is anything to go by: the company has just announced the ICD Gemini, and it looks like a bonafide iPad challenger.
The Gemini uses [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
The Ultimate Steampunk Office makes everything analog, right down to the USB Stick
The difference between good steampunk and bad steampunk is that good steampunk re-imagines contemporary electronics as a retro-futuristic device, plausibly constructed of the technology of the late 19th century. Bad steampunk just covers it in brass and cogs. I’d qualify the Victorian Organ Command Desk by Bruce and Melanie Rosenbaum as the former: this [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Unofficial HP Slate spec and pricing revealed
Over the weekend the iPad was launched and managed to sell 300,000 by midnight on Saturday. After what can only be seen as a very successful launch it’s now up to the competition to produce something on a par, or better than the iPad.
The first to jump is HP with its Slate tablet. Although nothing [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Digital Life: Get first bite of Twilight novella
Calling all Twilight fans. A new novella from Stephenie Meyer, author of the hit vampire series, is incoming -- but you can read it first online for free. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Digital Life: Great atmosphere let down by the gunplay
Metro 2033, X360/PC: It must be something about the hostile weather in the former Soviet Union that begets the gloomy fiction on which Metro 2033 hangs its hat. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Digital Life: Legend has it, but so does iPhone
Apple's iPhone has remained king of the smart-phone hill for almost three years, easily repelling limp challenges from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, among others. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iPad sales on target as Apple shifts over 300,000
Apple has reported sales of more than 300,000 iPads on the tablet computer's first day in stores, surpassing some forecasts, but leaving questions about whether the product can be its next big hit. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iPad destroyed with a baseball bat
As the reviews, first looks, and feature breakdowns of the iPad appear on the web, one thing you probably don’t expect to be tested is how durable the $500+ device is. But one owner with more money than sense decided to see just how hard wearing his brand new iPad was with the aid of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iPad design flaw? WiFi not working/very weak
The iPad may be wowing people with how sleek and shiny it is, but once that initial awe-struck stare has gone users are beginning to complain. The problem is, WiFi doesn’t seem to be working very well, if at all.
Many users are complaining that the iPad cannot find a signal, or the signal never gets [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Ralph Baer, the creator of Pong and the first game console, becomes part of the Inventors Hall of Fame
Pong developer Ralph Baer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame during a ceremony held at the United States Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Seiko unveil new
Seiko is already known for embracing new technology in the design of its wristwatches, and that was demonstrated back in 2005 when it released the world’s first E-Ink display wristwatch. Jump forward five years and Seiko has updated its E-Ink watch as part of the ‘Future Now’ project.
The original 2005 E-Ink watch boasted a 180-degree [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Chillingo to bring Monster Madness to the iPhone
Chillingo has announced plans to bring Monster Madness to the iPhone and iPod touch. The red-hot UK-publisher has teamed up with developer Taplay to bring their castle defense game to Apple’s platform.
Very little information has been presented about Monster Madness at press time beyond this teasing blurb:
In a full moon night, some thing will be [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Switchfoot, Skillet and others set for Rock Band stage
Six singles from alternative rockers Skillet, Switchfoot and others will be added to the Rock Band Music Store next week, Harmonix and MTV Games announced in a press release on Friday. Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Geminoid F: The realistic female robot
Back in 2008 Japanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro created a robot in his own image with the aid of robot manufacturing company Kokoro. The result was called Geminoid, and looked very realistic, but not perfect. It could display facial emotion and be controlled remotely.
Nearly two years on and that robot design has been updated, but this [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iPad launch day gives Apple 300k sales
It’s safe to say that lines of people and crowded Apple stores across the country were a good indicator that Apple was going to sell more than a few of the iPads which were officially launched over the weekend. What many people have been wondering is exactly how many did Apple sell? Well, Apple has [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Man
Could you imagine not being able to use a computer in today’s society? In some respects, computer use has become mandatory to find a job and is part of most job responsibilities. According to an Associated Press article, one convicted sex offender, Mark Wayne Russell, faced the reality of such a restriction after a sentence [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iPad gets 6 Intellivision games for $2.99
In a classic case of combining the very new with the very old, iPad owners can now pick up six Intellivision games to play on their shiny new Apple device.
The six games are being offered in one package for $2.99. The titles included are:
Astrosmash
Chip Shot Super Pro Golf
Night Stalker
Skiing
Thin Ice
Thunder Castle
The announcement of the iPad [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Red Sox Edition Beats by Dr. Dre headphones announced for superfans
Monster Cables’ popular sub-brand Beats by Dr. Dre just announced their first ever sport-themed product. The Red Sox Edition headphones takes the standard Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones and slap a fresh coat of paint on them, along with some logos, so no one will be confused about what baseball team you are rooting for [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Steve Jobs and Jon Ive caught on camera during an iPad recon mission at Apple stores
Friday iPad frenzy didn’t just draw techies, early adopters, and Apple fans, but Apple’s top celebrities as well. Apple’s boss, chief designer, and famed engineer gave pumped up store employees goose bumps by showing up out of the blue for hands-on inspection.
iPad shoppers who lined up outside Apple’s University Avenue store in Palo Alto sighted [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Apple to preview iPhone OS 4.0 on Thursday, April 8
Apple is definitely on a roll. On the heels of the iPad launch that saw the company ship 300,000 iPads in just 24 hours comes the news that the company invited select members of the press to get a taste of iPhone OS 4.0, the next major iteration of the software powering Apple’s mobile devices.
Gizmodo [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Engadget demos $1000 game of Scrabble using iPad
If you’re a fan of Scrabble, Engadget suggests a cool new way to play the popular board game. Of course, this version will cost you around $1000, but you can’t deny it’s an updated way to play the game. As far as hardware you’ll need an iPad, which becomes the game board, and two iPhones or iPod touch handhelds which [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Spare hard drive becomes a bench sander
There seems to be no end to the things people do with spare hard drives (clock, chop saws, etc.) but this is one of the most clever. By simply removing a few parts from a spare (but still working) hard drive and adding in some sand paper you can have yourself a pretty nice bench [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
NES super fan mods car engine
You know you are a super fan when you start seeing things you love in everyday items. Take for example this fan of the original Nintendo Entertainment System. One day this person must have opened up the hood of their Toyota and saw a NES controller just waiting to be realized. With a little modding and [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Google adds special result for suicide search listings
Considering the fact that Google’s search engine is a frequent stop by many Internet users it makes sense that every once in awhile someone does a search for some troubling keywords. One of those is “suicide”. Last week, Google took steps to handle keywords related to suicide differently to ensure those in need had a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Review: Filco Majestouch FKB104M/EB keyboard
If you thought that the mechanical keyboard died with the IBM Model M, then you’ve been missing out. These keyboards are still alive and well, though they’ve been relegated to niche markets such as PC gamers, typing purists, and the ergonomically inclined. The size of the market has decreased as an [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Olympus E-PL1
In my preview of the Olympus E-PL1, the new $599 consumer-focused Micro 4/3rds camera, I mentioned its unique iAuto Live Guide feature:
There is also a new UI feature called the Live Guide. This gives users a simple way to get the photo they want, regardless of their understanding of photography or the shooting conditions. Rather [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
iTiki debuts, an exotic case that transforms your iPhone into a tiki
A new case brand goes on sale tomorrow. Designed to look like traditional Polynesian tikis, the iTiki case wraps your iPhone in a sexy, vivid skin that’ll be the perfect iPhone companion for your summer Hawaiian getaway.
A new venture of Information Appliance Associates (IAA), a San Diego, California-based company known for its syncing software, the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-06more
Using the lang attribute makes a difference
About a year ago I posted a Quick Tip titled Specify each HTML document Publication date: 2010-04-05more
Eager buyers get first bite of Apple iPad
EAGER customers intent on being among the first owners of Apple's new iPad stood in long queues across the US at the weekend. Publication date: 2010-04-05more
Up next for the iPad: A millionth sale
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware that the iPad arrived at Apple’s and Best Buy’s retail stores yesterday. While analysts are busy figuring out the iPad’s sales performance thus far, Apple is meanwhile racing to cross the one million mark as soon as possible.
According to All Things Digital’s John Paczkowski, Piper Jaffray’s resident [...] Publication date: 2010-04-05more
CPU showdown: The iPad versus the iPhone 3GS
Even both the iPad and iPhone 3GS share a nearly identical CPU/GPU combo, Apple’s tablet crunches numbers roughly twice as fast as its cellphone counterpart.
According to a simple benchmark by Craig Hockenberry, the A4 chip ticking inside the iPad runs a test Cocoa Touch app about twice as fast as the iPhone 3GS. Pitting the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-05more
Mini-review of the iPad
I played with an iPad yesterday. Here’s my mini-review. The screen is bright and the touch sensitivity is fantastic. Given that it reminds me the most of an iPhone, it’s surprisingly heavy. It feels dense with potential.
On the childlike-sense-of-wonder-scale (as fake Steve Jobs would say), the iPad is better than the Macbook Air but not [...] Publication date: 2010-04-05more
Teardown time: A closer look at the iPad
Thanks to the iFixit team that tore their iPad apart, we now know more about its dual battery pack, Apple’s speedy A4 processor, a hole where a camera was supposed to be, and more.
iFixit usually beats everyone else with timely teardowns but this time FCC caught them on the wrong foot by exposing the iPad’s guts [...] Publication date: 2010-04-04more
The iPad launch: The blogosphere has reached its verdict
After over eight years of development that saw several prototypes killed last minute by its creator, Apple chief Steve Jobs, after endless rounds of speculation that have set the tech world on fire and tremendous amount of hype preceding the formal January unveiling, Apple has officially launched its latest creation earlier this morning at 9am [...] Publication date: 2010-04-04more
iPad unboxings take over the web
You wouldn’t have guess it, but people are posting unboxing videos of the iPad. Imagine that! Here are some for you to watch, possibly while wishing you had pre-ordered one or while driving to the Apple store to bask in one’s reflected glory.
For added fun count how many times you hear the word “elegant” or [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
10 Xbox Live Arcade titles on sale until April 7th
If you are looking for a new game to play over the Easter weekend Microsoft has you covered.
The price of 10 games on Xbox Live Arcade has been cut, giving you a chance to catch up with some great titles you may have overlooked at the higher price.
Here’s the list with the old price in [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Droid 2.1 Android update is killing 2D performance
If you own a Motorola Droid, and enjoy playing 2D games on your smartphone, you may want to hold off getting the Android 2.1 update.
Developer Tesuji Games has been developing an app for the Android platform and got a bit of a shock when the 2.1 update was applied. The 2D performance of their app [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
MPAA, RIAA receive condoms from Vertor torrent site
The torrent website Vertor has carried out what many may think is an April Fool, but they have assured people definitely is not. On April 1st the torrent site shipped packages to the offices of the MPAA, RIAA, IFPI, BREIN, BPI, and BSA. Within each was a pack of condoms and a postcard that simply [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Chillingo launches 14 apps for Apple
Downloadable game publisher, Chillingo, announced that it has made 14 new apps for the iPad available today on the App Store. The apps include a few of Chillingo's successful games as well as some brand new titles. Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Free Realms hits 10 million users, gives out
Just short of its first birthday, free-to-play MMO Free Realms reaches 10 million players. In celebration, Sony Online Entertainment has doubled Station Cash purchases for the weekend. Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Facebook acquires and shutsdown Divvyshot
I don’t think I am going out on a limb by saying that Facebook has become a popular place to share photos with friends and family. In fact, you’d have to believe that the amount of photo sharing on Facebook offers some serious competition to websites dedicated to that purpose including Flickr and Picasa. It [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Big media bends over to Apple
Apple and Adobe are stepping up their silent Flash battle ahead of the iPad launch tomorrow. Determined to have its iPad show Flash videos right inside web pages, Apple has been working behind the scenes with the biggest sites on the web. As a result, a number of sites that serve Flash videos now cater [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Guinness World Records has an iPad app
The official Guinness World Records app puts “record-breaking facts at a touch” while spoiling you with an eye-candy layout and a clever use of multitouch user interface on the iPad’s big screen.
Dubbed Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips, the software is optimized for the iPad’s 9.7-inch multitouch display and a speedy A4 processor. In fact, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Google grabs online video platform provider Episodic
Google has made yet another move to galvanize its dominance of online video with the acquisition of Episodic.
The search giant has attempted to grab significant market share when it comes to online video through their creation of Google Video and their later purchase of online video powerhouse YouTube. Now it seems that Google is ready [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Nintendo puts stop to fan-made Pokémon MMO, Pokénet
Nintendo issued a cease-and-desist notice to the creators of an open source Pokémon MMO. The notice required that the developers take down their website and surrender the pokedev.org domain name used for the game. Publication date: 2010-04-03more
HP Labs researchers use Twitter to predict opening box office sales
If movie studios want to predict how well a movie is going to do during the first couple of weekends of its release they may want to look to a new source for those predictions. Fast Company is reporting that two HP Labs researchers discovered by monitoring tweets they could accurately predict the success of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
FCC inadvertently exposes the iPad
The only thing setting the iPad apart from a regular tablet is Apple’s custom silicon. The remaining components are all off-the-shelf parts they use to make desktops, notebooks, and smartphones.
Forget iFixit, this is the ultimate teardown done the FCC way. A bunch of images showing internal components belonging to a prototype WiFi iPad (#A1219) have [...] Publication date: 2010-04-03more
Cisco taps Flip team for family-friendly Valet routers
Cisco has tapped the talent in the team that gave us the Flip handheld video recorder to create a very simple, family-friendly new line of home routers.
The new product line is called Valet, and aims to completely remove the complexity associated with setting up a wireless home network. In fact, with Valet, Cisco are promising [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Quake 2 now runs in your browser with port to HTML 5
Ever since Apple confirmed that Flash wasn’t coming to the iPad the pros and cons of using Adobe’s platform in a web browser have been debated. The alternative to Flash that keeps being mentioned is HTML 5, which allows for similar functionality directly in a compatible browser without a plug-in.
HTML 5 may well do what [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Adobe
The iPad does not run Flash. Not because it can’t, but because Steve Jobs and Apple decided they didn’t want it to.
Adobe’s response to this is clear. On the weekend the iPad launches it releases the video you see above showing Flash running on six different mobile devices.
The gadgets on show include:
Palm Pre
Nexus One
Dell Mid
Moto [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Hands-on: Alienware M11x gaming notebook
Alienware’s 11.6-inch, 4.5 pound, sub-$1000 gaming laptop has landed at the Geek.com offices.
The M11x is one most portable gaming systems ever, and one of the only one that can double as a rather nice thin-and-light laptop. It packs game-ready NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics along with a Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor (U7300) for [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Flickr user Dippold offers print-out-and-make pinhole camera
A Flickr user by the name of Dippold has uploaded a new image that is actually a template for creating a pinhole camera. A separate image then offers up instructions on how to fold yourself a camera using the template.
As well as the template you will need the following components:
An elastic band
Two rolls of film, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Geometry Wars: Touch coming to iPad
If you are buying an iPad this weekend in the hope of using it to do some gaming, there’s a very popular Xbox title on the horizon.
Geometry Wars already appears on the App Store as Geometry Wars: Touch for iPad. The game is listed as releasing yesterday, so we can only assume it is going [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Flickr co-founder raises $5 million for new game startup
Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield landed $5 million for his new game company, Tiny Speck. Earlier this year, Tiny Speck announced its first product, a Flash-based game titled Glitch. Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Field test: Zeiss ZE lenses (50mm F1.4, 50mm F2.0 macro, 18mm F3.5)
Digital photography is just about the perfect fusion of technology and craftsmanship. The combination of a camera body packed with complex algorithms and hundreds of settings with a lens that is painstakingly configured down to the thousandth of an inch should be enough to get any geek excited, whether they are into the art of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
The Wall Street Journal on iPad is $17.29 per month
The Wall Street Journal has finally revealed how much it intends to charge for its iPad app, and WSJ readers aren’t going to be happy. The official price is $3.99 a week, or $17.29 per month.
If you currently subscribe to the print and online version of the WSJ you only pay around $11.67 per month, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Forget the regular iPad, a huge iPad L is coming
As you know, Apple’s multitouch couch computer will go on sale in about 36 hours from now. While we’ve been drooling over it since the January introduction, the rest of the industry is closing the gap fast. Already a few iPad killers are lining up, hoping to turn the spotlight away from Apple’s launch.
For example, [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Field test: Nikon D3x digital camera
Recently I got some hands-on time with one of Nikon’s flagship digital camera bodies, the D3x. This is a pro-grade DSLR that shoots at 24.5 megapixels and is designed specifically for shooting landscapes and for use in the studio. It has live-view, dual CF slots, a huge battery, and all sorts of other features that [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Greg Packer beats Steve Wozniak, gets first in the line for an iPad
You can call him a professional line sitter and a man on the street, but you cannot deny that Greg Packer has did it again by turning up first outside the Manhattan Apple Store for an iPad.
Although we’re still some 36 hours away from the official iPad launch on Saturday, the line is forming slowly outside [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Darksiders coming to the PC this June
Vigil Games' Darksiders will be coming to the PC this June, THQ announced in a press release Thursday. The action-adventure title was originally released earlier this year for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Publication date: 2010-04-02more
The reviews are in: What do the brightest journos think of the iPad?
You know the drill – Apple pitches the next big thing and then treats a select group of journalists with an early access to the device ahead of the launch. The resulting noise builds into a deafening media crescendo, just what Apple needs to sell the first million.
Embargoed, NDA’ed, and under the watchful eye of [...] Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Whenever you use :hover, also use :focus
Probably one of the most common accessibility oversights is neglecting to apply CSS to the :focus state of links whenever you style the :hover state. How much of a problem this oversight leads to for non-mouse users depends on what CSS is applied to the :hover state.Read full postPosted in Accessibility, CSS, Quick Tips.
Publication date: 2010-04-02more
Hundreds of iPad apps approved ahead of launch
New iPad owners will be able to choose from more than 700 apps when the Apple tablet-style computer goes on sale in the US on Saturday Publication date: 2010-04-02more
ThinkGeek selling Canned Unicorn Meat
One of the better April Fool creations we have seen today, ThinkGeek has started selling Canned Unicorn Meat.
An excellent source of sparkles, this rarest of meats has been canned by Radiant Farms where “The Sisters” nurse Unicorns through their final days on this earth by massaging them with Guinness and feeding them candy corn.
If you’ve [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Flowchart your way through that iPad buying decision
Still not 100 percent certain about buying an iPad this Saturday? No worries, there’s a wicked little flowchart for that.
Not all of us geeks necessarily are adept at coding, but most folks know their way through a flowchart. I bet the vast majority of you possess the ability to break down any complex problem into [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Back in February, we reported that Facebook had a bit of a security breach which caused Facebook emails to be sent to the wrong recipients. Only a few weeks later it seems that Facebook has had yet another embarrassing security gaff. Gawker is reporting that on late Tuesday email addresses of users were made public for 30 minutes.
During [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Report: Mobile video to cause 40x increase in data usage by 2015
A new report has predicted a 40-fold rise in U.S. mobile data traffic, stimulated largely by mobile video traffic. There are no prizes for guessing who is expected to pick up the bill.
UK research outfit Coda Research Consultancy believe that carriers will be forced to adopt tiered data plans as a result of the massive [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Wii game And Kensaku uses Google search data
Nintendo is releasing a new family-oriented quiz game for the Wii in Japan that potentially has a never ending selection of data to draw upon.
The game is called And Kensaku, and gets players to guess which search terms are most popular. To make it a little more interesting, the guessing is wrapped up in different [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
WolframAlpha drops iPhone search app price from $49.99 to $1.99
WolframAlpha launched its fact-based search engine in May last year. It offered something different over traditional search engines, and attempted to present real answers when presented with a query rather than the more typical list of links.
Part of the release also included the eventual mobile application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The one problem [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Super Mario Galaxy 2 new gameplay trailer
A new gameplay trailer has been released for Super Mario Galaxy 2, and with the hands-on time IGN got with the game we now know a few more details about what to expect.
Here’s the rundown of what we know:
SMG2 retains the Galaxy/Planet navigation system seen in the first game
The observatory has been replaced with a [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Panasonic: Google TV too expensive to use
Last month Google announced new partnerships with Intel, Sony, and Logitech to create Google TV: an Android-based solution to a set-top box and TV media integration. Although it has Sony on-board for a TV solution, it looks like other manufacturers will be steering clear of Google’s OS.
Panasonic is the second TV manufacturer to come out [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
MW2: Booster Justice
This one is a little bit old, but I just stumbled on it. It’s probably the best Call of Duty video that I’ve ever seen.
We’ve talked about boosting before, but my time spent playing the recently released map pack has reminded me of just how painful it can be. It’s especially jarring after having played [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Netflix streaming coming to iPad with free app
App Advice posted this news at 9:46pm PST yesterday, and the author assures us in comments that this is no April Fool. But you never can tell on this most annoying of days for news coverage.
Apparently Netflix is set to release a free app for the iPad that will allow you to stream content to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Sonic 4 Splash Hill Zone Act 1 gameplay video leaked
If you are eagerly awaiting the release of Sonic 4 to see if Sega has managed to recapture what made Sonic games great, then you are in for an early surprise. Some sneaky individual managed to record footage of Splash Hill Zone Act 1 being played through.
The video started appearing on YouTube, and then promptly [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Geotag your life
IMAGINE a world where almost anybody could trace your steps: knowing what area you live in, where you like to stop by for your morning coffee or when you head to the local for a few pints Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Cisco unveils new easy-to-setup routers for networking beginners, Linksys E-Series for the advanced
Believe it or not, setting up a router is beyond most people’s grasp. Actually, I can believe it: even as a tech nerd, the sheer number of arcane options and acronyms on display in the average router’s setup pane are enough to confuse me sometimes.
Cisco’s latest line of routers, the Valet series, is aimed at [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
WordPress introduces backup service called VaultPress
When creating a website you have the option to make one from scratch or go with a pre-built content management system. One of the most popular solutions out there is the free-to-use WordPress. You can create a free WordPress blog, use the system on your own server as a complete website solution, or pay for [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Jury says Novell owns Unix copyright
We may finally have a winner in the case of copyright ownership for Unix. SCO and Novell have been locked in battle for years over who the rightful owners were. SCO had claimed ownership based on an agreement with Novell which they used in an agressive campaign going all the way back to 2004 to [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Google identifies massive cyberattack campaign against Vietnamese protesters
The recent, highly-publicized conflict between China and Google based upon the former’s alleged attacks on the GMail accounts of political dissidents might have made the Chinese government temporarily bashful to hack Google directly, but that doesn’t mean other countries aren’t trying the search giant has just announced that they have identified cyber-attacks aimed at silencing [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Introducing Prefab, GUI design that disregards the rules
Anyone developing a new application to run on Windows or Mac OS has to follow some very clear rules. A window will look a certain way with specific controls, buttons have to conform to the look defined by Microsoft and Apple, and functionality is limited to what those companies deem as “legal” within their operating [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Review: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 portable scanner
April is, if nothing else, a month of paperwork. Tax season means a lot of forms and receipts cluttering up our otherwise digital world. A perfect solution for this is to scan your documents, thus giving you a secure backup copy and potentially more room. This idea might put off some people though because most [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Attack of the clones: Counterfeit iPads with clickwheel hit China on April 3
Chinese citizens can pre-order counterfeit iPads for half the original price and pick them on the same day as their US fellows. Naturally, the cloned product doesn’t run iPhone OS or third-party software, but it features the iPod’s unmistakable feature – the clickwheel.
Korea IT Times reports that counterfeit iPads are scheduled to begin carpeting the [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Zune HD 64GB officially drops, all other models get price cuts
Well, here we go: just a couple days after the Zune HD 4.5 software update dropped, Microsoft has unveiled, as expected, a brand spanking new slab of digital-media-playing aluminum and glass. Its the 64GB Zune HD, and it Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Green Man Gaming signs up for SecuROM DRM on digital games
Green Man Gaming (GMG) is set to launch its digital game distribution service next month. When first announced back in January GMG got a lot of interest for one reason: it is going to be the first service to offer digital game trade-ins.
Through such a system you can buy a game, play it as much [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
14MP Kodak Slice point-and-shoot digicam now available
Back in January, Kodak announced their latest point-and-shot digital camera, and a little more than two and a half months later, the Kodak Slice is up for sale.
The Slice is a 14 megapixel compact dealie which features an internal optical zoom with up to five levels of magnification, built in image stabilization and a 3.5 [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Quick Review: Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver for Nintendo DS
Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver are remakes of Gold and Silver, which were released in1999 (in Japan, 2000 in the USA) for the Game Boy Color. Gold and Silver were two of the best games from the series (or so I have read), so it makes sense that Nintendo chose to bring back them back. [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
US District Judge orders torrent site IsoHunt to shut down
All the big pirates just keep on toppling. Just a few months after famed torrent site Mininova pulled all illegal torrents and the Pirate Bay lost a landmark case, the founder of popular BitTorrent site IsoHunt, Gary Fung, has been ordered to remove the .torrent files of all infringing content. It could and probably will [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Activision announces Noir Spider-Man Game with Shattered Memories
Great superhero games have been pretty rare lately, but last year, Rocksteady Studios Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Home world of Pac-Man found
Who can forget the iconic video game character Pac-Man from the 80’s? Better yet, how about the Saturday morning cartoon that was based on the ghost eating hero that showed Pac-Man and his adventures in his home town of Pac-Land? Well, if you’ve ever wondered what planet or moon Pac-Man lived on it seems NASA [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Lost Planet 2 demo contains unlockable gun usable in retail version
Capcom's upcoming third-person shooter, Lost Planet 2, contains a weapon that players can only unlock by trying out the game's multiplayer demo, the Osaka-based company confirmed. Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Goozex game trading service expands to include retro titles
Goozex, the leading online video game and movie trading community, announced Wednesday that the site now allows users to trade retro games for any of the following systems... Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Captain
I’ve been telling people all along that the iPad is like a better version of the Star Trek PADD (Personal Access Display Device).
As any Trekkie could tell you, the PADD is best described as a handheld from the future that the Enterprise crew use for a variety of tasks, including area scanning, checking various starship [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
Atom-powered MacBook knockoff hits China mainland
Chinese manufacturers clone everything, especially the Apple gear. They first did the original iPhone and now they’re eying the iPad and Mac unibody notebooks, too. As you know, MacBooks aren’t as cutting-edge as they’ve used to be.
Ans example is a company from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, the home to Chinese clone makers, that took a page [...] Publication date: 2010-04-01more
What your web browser says about you
Soon after Google released its Chrome web browser in 2008, the company's marketing team took a video camera to the streets of Manhattan to ask passers-by what they thought a browser actually was. Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Apple updates iTunes for iPad launch
Apple has released the latest version of iTunes in preparation for the US launch of the iPad on Saturday. Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Sony disables PlayStation 3 OS function
Sony has said that from April 1 it will disable a function on its PlayStation 3 console which allows users to install alternative operating systems. Publication date: 2010-03-31more
FirstPlay PSN interactive show available April 8th in UK
Back in February Future Publishing announced a new interactive show it had put together with Sony exclusively for PlayStation Network Europe. The show would be called FirstPlay, cost 99p (US$1.50) to watch, and includes six premium advertising slots of up to 30 seconds each.
Originally scheduled to begin in March, Future has now said the first [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Xbox Live Director Major Nelson
It’s certainly a nice job, to be the face of Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, but setting yourself up as the big man means you set yourself up as a target. That’s just what Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, discovered this weekend when his “Major Nelson” Xbox Live account was hacked.
The hack was [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Panasonic announces six new Viera D2 LCD HDTVs
Panasonic loves their plasma televisions, but if today’s announcements are anything to go by, they haven’t yet turned their back on the venerable LCD HDTV: they have just announced a total of six new LCDs today as part of the new Viera D2 series.
The TH-L42D2 (42 inches, $2,400), the TH-L37D2 (37 inches, $2000) and the [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
The Conduit 2 confirmed in development
The Conduit was billed as the ultimate FPS for the Wii, but when it saw a release last June the reviews put it’s average score just below 70%. An enjoyable, yet flawed experience then.
After such a response it’s never clear if a second game will follow, but in the case of The Conduit there will [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
WD Scorpio Blue HDD crams 750GB into standard 2.5 inch notebook drive
Western Digital, or WD, make some of the best hard drives on the market, and their latest Scorpio drive is sure to impress: they’ve managed to stuff a full 750GB of hard drive space into a 2.5 inch notebook drive without creeping into the 12.5 mm form factor. That’s the highest density hard drive to [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Atomic Games
Game conventions like E3 and PAX are known for their swag, but one gamer got a little greedy during last weekend’s PAX East event in Boston: he tried to steal the code of Atomic Games’ Breach.
According to Joystiq, the gamer simply walked up to the Breach booth and plugged his laptop into an open [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
The iPhone
Remarkably, Apple has managed to patent even the iPhone’s trademark stainless steel bezel. The patent, filed on July 10, 2008, was granted Tuesday morning by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).
Apple fans can breath a collective sigh of relief knowing that the shiny bezel will remain an Apple exclusive. The patent titled “Cold worked [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Greenpeace turns its attention to datacenters not using renewable energy
Cloud computing and the online population continue to grow, and as companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple gain bigger audiences they also need larger datacenters. Greenpeace is concerned about this because of the energy required to power these enormous buildings full of servers, and is asking the big technology companies to focus on using renewable [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Chinese users report Google search results failing
The chess match between Google and the Chinese authorities has taken another turn and clearly at this point the Chinese have the advantage. As we reported last week, Google began forwarding traffic to their servers in Hong Kong in attempt to avoid mandatory filtering of search results on the mainland. Now the UK’s Telegraph [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Major iPad OS upgrades will cost money
Minor updates and the next big iPad software release will be free downloads. Beyond that, you’ll need to spend money to stay up-to-date. A revised iPad licensing agreement that appeared on Apple’s servers offered a detailed overview of Apple’s software upgrade policy for the device. MacRumors analyzed the new document and spotted the following paragraph [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
YouTube
The United States might have freedom of speech… but that doesn’t mean you won’t get arrested if you threaten to gut someone. YouTube’s the same way: a big mouth and a brain full of crazy are certain to get you in trouble. Just ask Norman Leboon, a psychotically disturbed Philadelphia man who was arrested by [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Sling Media to debut hi-res television streaming for the iPad
Sling Media is developing a service that will stream high-definition TV programming directly to the iPad, over the air, although the iPad doesn’t run Adobe’s Flash that powers over three quarters of online videos.
Sling Media told Zatz Not Funny! that the upcoming player will take advantage of the iPad’s high-resolution display and stream high-quality videos [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Concept: Google Maps envelopes maps out your snail mail
It’s really staggering to sit back and think about how much Google Maps has changed the way we go about getting our directions. There was a time not too long ago when the only way to get turn-by-turn driving instructions was to lay out significant bank for a GPS Unit and TomTom subscription… and it [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Disney/Pixar
LittleBigPlanet will get some new heroes in town April 8, according to PlayStation's official blog. The Incredibles costume kit, inspired by the Disney/Pixar animated feature, allows players to dress up their Sackboys and Sackgirls as not only the five butt-kicking family members (including a Publication date: 2010-03-31more
iTunes 9.1 is out: iPad syncing, e-books, customizable Genius Mixes
Apple has updated its free jukebox software for Mac and Windows late afternoon, just in time for the official iPad launch this Saturday. The new version has brought a rumored support for e-books and iPad syncing.
Apple says iTunes 9.1 lets you organize and sync books downloaded from the iBooks app on the iPad or manually [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
MapQuest 4 Mobile for iPhone gets a voice
Software and hardware providers of paid navigation solutions continue to get pressure from free offerings which offer some of the same features. Probably the first application to offer some serious competition was Google Maps Navigation which included voice directions. Now MapQuest has thrown their hat into the ring with the introduction of basic voice guidance [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
U.S. does not approve of Internet filtering for Aussies
The Associated Press has reported that the U.S. is expressing concern over the introduction of legislation in Australia, first announced in December, that would mandate the filtering of Internet content in the country. A U.S. State Department spokesman is quoted in the article as saying:
Our main message of course is that we remain committed to [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Steve Wozniak breaks Apple
Apple’s legendary co-founder and engineer Steve Wozniak will cut into the line this Saturday to purchase not one, not two, but three iPads – Apple’s two-per-customer limit be damned. Like some folks overseas who asked their US friends to buy an iPad on their behalf, the benevolent gadget lover will be buying one iPad for [...] Publication date: 2010-03-31more
Chinese censors disable Google searches
Chinese censors have disabled all Google searches on the mainland, blocking the US company's Hong Kong servers from delivering results. Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Apple could sell as many as 10 million of its new iPads this year, a leading technology analyst has forecast, doubling previous expectations and pushing the technology giant's shares to new highs. Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Digital Life: Wireless broadband- the new frontier
When Eircom introduced broadband to Ireland in 2002, it charged Publication date: 2010-03-30more
PS3 Fat loses Linux support next month
If your first PS3 was of the Slim variety, then this news has no impact on you. But if you bought a PS3 Fat, you may have taken the option to install a Linux OS on your console turning it into a PC as well as a games machine.
Although the majority of gamers would never [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
The $208k MacBook Air
As many of you might have read in a previous feature I wrote, I’m the owner of a new MacBook Pro, but perhaps I should have first considered the new customized MacBook Air being offered by Stuart Hughes. They dub the laptop the MacBook Air Supreme Ice Edition and may I just say the word [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Square Enix hints at PSN version of Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX may hit the PlayStation Network soon, according to Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto. After the PSN releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, it only makes sense for the next title in the series to follow suit. Publication date: 2010-03-30more
PAX East 2010 Hydrophobia video shows off water effects
Hydrophobia is putting a new twist on survival games by placing a big emphasis on the use of water. Usually such games rely on you defending against an enemy with an ever-limited supply of ammo. In Hydrophobia your worst enemy is water.
Thankfully, developer Dark Energy Digital has managed to create some of the best water [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Warner Bros. now hiring Anti-Piracy Interns
Warner Bros. believes it has found the answer to dealing with the piracy of its content on the Internet: students.
The media company has started advertising for a tech-savvy student it can take under its wing for a 12-month internship. During that time, the student will be tasked with infiltrating BitTorrent networks, gathering evidence, and thwarting [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
All Points Bulletin MMO is all about customization in a GTA-like world
Whenever you talk about future games in the GTA series someone always mentions how great it would be to have an MMO based on the GTA world. That may never happen as Rockstar continue to develop console versions of the game, but there is an alternative planned for release in the third quarter of this [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Nokia acquires mobile browser maker Novarra
When Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, decided to enhance the BlackBerry Browser they decided to spend rather than reinvent the wheel. That led to RIM’s purchase of Torch Mobile back in August and the announcement that RIM would soon update their browser to one that is WebKit-based, much like Torch Mobile’s flagship product, [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Take a peek inside the iPad App Store
Wondering what the iPad section of the App Store will look like? A bunch of genuine-looking screenshots hit the web, showing exactly what we’ve been promised – a special section inside the App Store that’s dedicated only to iPad apps.
A store-within-the-store concept doesn’t break away from the way the regular App Store is organized. As [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
The iPhone 4.0 might sport a 3.7-inch screen, a video hints
A very questionable video has appeared online, depicting what looks like to be a display part belonging to the fourth-generation iPhone, due this summer. The video, included below, was sent to 9to5Mac by an anonymous tipster and the publication has been unable to determine its authenticity so proceed with caution.
On the other hand, as 9to5Mac noted, [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Multitasking web widgets up next for the iPad?
Hey Apple, the below video is your clue to a controlled multitasking experience on the iPad. Really, why not bring along Mac OS X’s Dashboard and web widgets onto the iPad?
A Carnegie Mellon student Rich Hong has built a widget dashboard application for the iPad and just like the Dashboard app in Mac OS X, [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Global tech report ranks U.S. #5
The World Economic Forum released their Global Information Technology Report for 2009-2010 which ranks the most networked economies. The new rankings didn’t come with good news for the U.S. since it dropped two positions to fifth place. The countries which beat out the U.S. in order of ranking include Sweden, Singapore, Denmark and Switzerland. Denmark has [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Adobe embraces collaboration with Acrobat.com Online Workspaces
Although Acrobat may be the standard for PDF document creation, it has always been an offline task. Adobe has attempted to change that with Acrobat.com allowing for work to be carried out online and shared with others.
While in beta it was free to use, but then in June last year it exited beta and became [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Opera says Opera Mini means money to carriers
In Opera Software’s latest State of the Mobile Web Report the developer of the Opera Mini mobile browser makes the case that the browser makes wireless carriers money. In fact, they put the gain in revenue around $1.25 billion per year with the U.S. contributing more than $146 per user, per year. The report also [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
66% say they don
Apple has been doing a great job when it comes to getting the word out about the iPad. According to a NPD Group report, the demographics with the highest percentage of awareness about the device include current Apple owners (82%), those with $100k or higher incomes (80%) and 18-34 year olds (78 %). Though awareness [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
BlackBerry maker buys Viigo
RIM, the Canadian-based company which manufactures BlackBerry devices, has reached into their pockets again to buy another developer of mobile solutions. This time RIM’s target was Viigo who is primarily known for their popular Viigo for BlackBerry software. Viigo for BlackBerry is an RSS reader that consolidates a number of informative feeds into one easy to [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Barron
It really should be no surprise that Steve Jobs made Barron’s list of the 30 Most Respected CEOs. Few would deny Jobs has been vital to the success of Apple. Really the main question is how vital is Jobs to Apple? According to MacNN, Barron’s report actually puts a number on it.
That number comes from [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
The Outlook for Mac 2011 interface leaks on the web
Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit told us over two months ago that the Office for Mac 2011 suite will bring, for the first time, true Outlook app to the Mac platform. So far, all Office for Mac versions sported Entourage, an Outlook replacement that gets the job done but falls short in the features department.
Thanks to [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
11 shiny iPad tours go live, Apple
Apple has posted a bunch of new iPad videos that guide you through key aspects of the device. The videos are a sight for sore eyes and we mean literally – the quality, crispness, and shininess of the footage is outstanding, quite possibly Apple’s best promotional stuff yet.
The videos will wet your appetite while providing [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
Apple posts the third Snow Leopard update
Apple has posted the third maintenance update for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on Monday morning. The operating system upgrade offers a bunch of fixes, in addition to Security Update 2010-002 that has been released for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard as well. More precisely, Mac OS X 10.6.3 has addressed over several hundred [...] Publication date: 2010-03-30more
A selection of VoiceOver keyboard commands
One of the many great things about using a Mac as your development machine is VoiceOver, the screen reader that ships with every copy of Mac OS X. Testing your work in a screen reader is only a small part of building accessible websites, but it helps you understand the need for many accessibility guidelines.
To test your sites in VoiceOver you obviously need to know how to use it to navigate the Web. There are many, many keyboard shortcuts that can be used to control VoiceOver Publication date: 2010-03-29more
DSi XL released today, are you getting one?
Nintendo has finally released the DSi XL today, and with it the final version of the DS with 2D graphics. We all know what’s coming next as Nintendo has already started revealing details of the 3DS.
Will news of a 3D-enabled DS impact sales of the XL over the coming months? You tell us below.
Is [...] Publication date: 2010-03-28more
Star Wars Lightsaber Bookends lead us to believe Darth Vader is a book hater
With all these e-readers coming out recently, it makes one wonder if we are reaching the time when real books will become obsolete. If you ask me, I don’t think so. I suspect books will be around for many more years to come. There is just something substantial about reading a real book and flipping [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
iPad trademark now actually owned by Apple
When Apple launched their smartphone and branded it the iPhone there was just one problem. The iPhone was already trademarked by Cisco which led to a lawsuit and an eventual settlement of the trademark back in 2007.
Earlier this year Apple announced their breakthrough tablet called the iPad. Again, there was just one problem. As we [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Is Microsoft squaring-up for a tablet battle?
Rumours have been building for months that Microsoft plans to challenge Apple’s iPad with a tablet computer of their own. Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Warhammer Online game now free to download, just requires a subscription
Most paid-for MMOs have a set revenue model. They get released at retail and cost you the same as a full-price game, but include a 30-day free trial. After that there’s a monthly subscription charge. As the game gets older the price of the software falls to budget levels while the subscription price stays the [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
30,000 free e-books heading for the iPad
Itching to test drive Apple’s iBooks app but are reluctant to fork out between $10 and $15 on an e-book? How about 30,000 free literature classic downloads? If a news story by AppAdvice is true, Apple will surprise us with over 30,000 free e-books from the public domain, courtesy of Project Gutenberg.
Thanks to thousands of [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Lost Planet 2 releasing a week early, new demo in April
If you are eagerly awaiting the release of Lost Planet 2 then there’s multiple sets of good news appearing about the game today.
First up is the fact you aren’t going to have to wait as long as you thought to play the full game. Capcom has decided to bring the release date forward a week [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Samsung uses processing powerhouse in Galaxy S1, puts 1GHz Snapdragon to shame
Samsung recently unveiled its Galaxy S1 Android smartphone at the CTIA 2010 show, but forgot to mention that it’s by far the most powerful Android phone ever released. In fact, it puts the 1GHz Snapdragon to shame with its processing power.
Android and Me took the time to look at the spec sheet of the Galaxy [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Moorestown-powered OpenTablet 7 debuts
If you’re in the market for a cutting-edge tablet that dusts the iPad and then does even more, OpenPeak’s upcoming slate built around Intel’s Moorestown platform is for you.
OpenPeak has debuted the OpenTablet 7 Wednesday, a new touchscreen slate with a 7-inch TFT LCD with LED backlighting. It runs a variant of Linux rather than [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
The iPad to launch in over half the Best Buy stores
With the iPad scheduled to launch in the US next Saturday, April 3, Best Buy has begun launch preparations and is reportedly gearing up for the big event. According to MacRumors, the consumer electronics retailer will initially limit Apple’s latest creation to a dedicated Apple section found inside over half of its 1,000+ brick-and-mortar stores [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Coby
The recent trend of low-cost, attractively minimalist portable media players continues. Following the third-generation iPod Shuffle and the Samsung Pebble, Coby has unveiled their latest micro MP3 beetle, christened the MP M570.
The looks are really the thing here, in particularly the scarab-like outer shell, so attractively minimalist, like a polished stone. Other than [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Hunch provides some important information about Geek.com readers
Hunch.com is a website that helps its users make important life decisions by taking advantage of collective intelligence. It will help you do anything from choose the best garbage bin to finding the best Sans Serif typeface for a billboard with under a 100 words on it.
Helping people make decisions can’t be done without learning [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Asus
The iPad comes out next week, which means that all the companies that have been teasing their own tablets over the past few months are in a race against time to release their own products so as not to look like also-rans.
The Asus Eee PC T101MT, long teased, will probably fare pretty well. It’s no [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Microsoft officially announces USB storage coming to Xbox 360
Last week, Internet scuttlebutt insisted that the Xbox 360 would finally be adding support of mass storage devices like USB flash keys and hard drives in order to store demos, profiles, saved games, DLC and more. Now Microsoft’s confirmed it: the update will arrive on April 6th.
On one hand, this is a welcome addition: Sony’s [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Google enticing wireless carriers to Android with mobile advertising revenue cut
Google’s Android smartphone operating system is going over like gangbusters amongst handset manufacturers, but it might not only be about good programming: according to a report from mocoNews, Andrew’s success in being adopted on a wide scale may well be a series of revenue-sharing agreements Google has signed with carriers and even manufacturers.
According to mocoNews’ [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
HTC Nexus One display has one-third less sub-pixels than it appears
When the HTC Nexus One, aka the Googlephone, first came out, people kept on talking about how absolutely gorgeous and beautiful the screen was… but appearances can be deceiving. Ars Technica has just posted an amazing breakdown of the Nexus One’s display and reveals that the PenTile subpixel arrangement of the display actually has a [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Add some pink bling to your computer with KaBLING Cables
Sometimes aesthetics are just as important as performance when it comes to some computer geeks. That is why over the past few years, custom PC cases and lighting kits have hit the scene and made powerful computers look even more awesome.
But what if the neon CCFL look wasn’t your thing? Or you already have a great looking [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
10 Kalyspo strategy games 50% off this weekend on GOG.com
If you are intro strategy games then GOG.com is worth a look this weekend. It is offering 30% off all Kalypso strategy games, or 50% off if you buy them all.
The games on offer include:
Commandos Ammo Pack
Commandos 2+3
Patrician 1+2
Imperial Glory
Port Royale
Praetorians
Tropico Reloaded
The total cost of buying them all is $24.93, with a [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Prepare yourself for first contact
Everyone is probably starting to get a bit tired of these giant infographics and witty charts, but this one is really quite good. It’s a useless and surprisingly well thought out guide for what to do it you are the person who happens to make first contact with an alien race.
It’s probably not how you [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Luxa2
Forget Apple’s delayed keyboard dock and iPad case and imagine, if you will, a robotic arm that holds your shiny couch computer suspended mid-air and turns it into a stylish photo frame or even a miniature home theater.
Luxa2, a division of Thermaltake dedicated to the home media, computer, and mobile accessories, has done what Apple [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Wintek lands additional iPad touch panel orders as rival TPK fails to deliver
As the iPad launch draws nearer, the pressure on Apple’s component suppliers is increasing with each passing day. According to a Taiwanese trade paper Digitimes, Apple is reportedly asking Wintek to ramp up the production of capacitive touch panels faced with delayed shipments from TPK Touch Solutions.
Apple is believed to have commissioned Wintek and TPK [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more
Skype mobile now available on Verizon phones, download it for free
As promised at the Mobile World Congress in January, Skype mobile is now available on the select Verizon Wireless smartphones with a data plan. The software is a free download from Verizon’s site and allows you to talk and IM on your phone while in the US and abroad. Verizon pitched Skype mobile as an [...] Publication date: 2010-03-27more