News from Official

Microsoft plugs Facebook and Windows Live into Outlook

Two new add-ins enable you to collect your social feeds from Facebook and Windows Live right inside Outlook, in addition to LinkedIn and MySpace add-ins available since last winter. The Outlook Social Connector, a free Outlook add-in that makes it easy to connect your inbox with social networks, has been udated to version 1.1 yesterday. The new version [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Micro SIM Cutter turns your standard SIM card into a micro-SIM

Some folks who plan on buying an iPad or an iPhone 4 complain that their carrier hasn’t yet made a jump to the future and is still offering standard-sized SIM cards. The problem is, both iPad and iPhone 4 sport a miniature tray that only accepts so-called micro-SIM, a miniaturized version of the standard 25mm [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Quick Review: Verizon Droid X (which goes on sale tomorrow!)

If you are in the market for a new mobile phone and you want one that very well might be the best available today (well, tomorrow) then you might want to look into Verizon’s Droid X. Designed by Motorola, the Droid X is the Android superphone flavor-of-the-week, something that can compete head-on with the Sprint [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

LaCie XtremKey: industrial-strength protection for your USB stick

LaCie has decided to offer a USB stick for anyone who works in a hostile environment where water, heat, and cold are a big problem. The XtremKey is a a typical USB storage device encased in a 2mm metal pipe casing. Water resistant screws and a rubber O-ring coupled with the case make this a very [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Play classic SNES games on your iPad with a Wii Remote

Been getting the urge to play some classic video games and you have an iPad and a Wii Remote lying around? That’s no problem if you don’t mind taking a small risk with your Apple tablet. In the example below, you could be playing Nintendo SNES games in no time if you follow the DIY [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Microsoft: iPhone 4 might be Apple

Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner has been giving a keynote speech at the Worldwide Partner Conference this week, and has taken the opportunity to have a dig at Apple over the iPhone 4. But this isn’t him stating the smartphone isn’t as good as Windows 7 phones, or that it’s just a blip and Microsoft will [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Powerful 7-inch BlackBerry tablet with 1GHz CPU and Flash due in Q4?

Tablet fans from the BlackBerry camp needn’t worry because a tablet project on Research In Motion’s drawing board should materialize by the end of this year. Sources close to RIM are describing the yet unnamed device as a seven-inch tablet powered by a 1GHz processor. It’ll also feature hardware-accelerated support for Adobe Flash. The story published [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Poly9 exposed as Apple

Is Apple building a Google Maps killer? A new report claims Apple most likely added Canadian mapping service Poly9 to its portfolio, the second mapping-related acquisition for Apple over the past twelve months. The news came via Cyberpresse.ca which reported Wednesday that Apple snapped up the Québec-based web mapping company. Although neither Apple nor Poly9’s president and [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Connecticut firm seeks $3.8 billion in damages from eBay

Ebay and its affiliates PayPal, Bill Me Later, Shopping.com and StubHub have been sued by Connecticut based XPRT Ventures over violations of six patents. The patents include technologies used by payment systems such as PayPal. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, seeks $3.8 billion in monetary damages in addition to punitive and other damages based off of the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Scott Forstall

Who the heck is Scott Forstall, you ask? He is the brains behind Mac OS X and the head honcho responsible for leading the development of iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system. This executive  has apparently created a Twitter profile, seemingly in spite of Apple’s rigorous anti-social (networking) policies. Cult of Mac first spotted Forstall’s profile on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Web publishing firm Squarespace raises $38.5 million

Publishing platform Squarespace has received a hefty investment of $35.8 million in a funding round led by Accel Partners and Index Ventures. Squarespace offer fully hosted web publishing services for bloggers and businesses, helping them build professional quality websites without requiring in-depth web development skills. Notable customers include designer Marc Ecko and ABC News Radio. Started in [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

China pushing for real name use on the Internet

The Chinese government is already renowned for the censorship it continues to push regarding any and all information that flows through the country. That includes attempting to control the Internet, and no target is too big as Google found out earlier this year. Many will think that China has already gone too far with its attempt [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-14 more

ESRB accidentally reveals email addresses of Real ID complaintants

In an ironic twist of fate, the ESRB has accidentally revealed the entire list of email addresses belonging to people who sent complaints concerning Blizzard's brief Real ID implementation. Originally a massive community communication system, Real ID allows players to communicate across various games and forums. However, recently, Blizzard announced that Starcraft II and WoW forum users would also have to display their Real ID names. In other words, users would have to show their real names rather than their account IDs. The system was soon retracted, but not before nearly 1,000 users appealed the issue to the ESA's rating group.
Publication date: 2010-07-14 more

Ark Hippo case adds some cushion to your iPhone

When you are at home the iPhone’s slim form-factor is isn’t the advantage that it is when you are out and about. The phone is hard to use hands-free (between your head and shoulder) and it doesn’t balance in an angled position that’s right for watching a video or gaming without holding it. With the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-14 more

Microsoft relents: Windows XP downgrades now available until 2020

Microsoft has surprised everyone by extending the option to downgrade from Windows 7 to Windows XP until 2020. Originally Windows XP downgrades from Microsoft’s latest operating system were going to be cut off in April this year, but that was later extended to April 2011. This latest decision is a major shift away from that. Business users [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Apple and AT&T to face the music over monopoly iPhone practices

Add another litigation to the list of class action lawsuits looming over Apple and its exclusive US carrier partner AT&T. ZDNet reported Monday that sales practices by the two firms will be challenged in court because a federal judge in California has greenlighted several class action lawsuits filed against Apple and AT&T since 2007. Those [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Students get Amazon Prime free for a year

If you are a student with a lot of textbooks to buy, then Amazon’s got you covered. Not only can you get discounted prices as usual, but the e-tailer’s two-day shipping service is now free for a year. Amazon is combining free, fast shipping with a chance to bombard students with promotional offers. Sign up to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Review: Magellan Toughcase iPhone case

One of the best things about today’s smartphones is how good they are getting at consolidating all the gadgets we tend to carry around with us. A smartphone is also a camera, watch, a book, and a handheld GPS. The problem is that while while phones can do all of these they tend to excel [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Facebook faces another lawsuit from man claiming 84% ownership of company

Along comes a successful business and it’s amazing how many people pop-up out of the woodwork to try to get a piece of the pie. That must be how Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg feels after receiving news of yet another lawsuit from someone who claims to have a stake in the website [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Nemoptic demo fast refresh, video-capable, e-paper display

While most people will know of companies like E-Ink and Pixel Qi, they are not the only players in the low-power and e-paper display markets. Nemoptic is a French company producing its own e-paper technology. Until now it has focused on producing very small and cheap displays to be used instead of paper labels in stores, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Pakistan hacker forum Pakbugs busted

A prominent Pakistan-based cybercrime forum known as Pakbugs has been shut down after the arrest of 5 suspects. Several other subjects are still wanted by the Pakistanti authorities, including the alleged founder of Pakbugs, Jawad Eshan (a.k.a. ZombiE_Ksa), who is believed to be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Pakbugs site was a popular forum for those involved [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

What antenna issue? Apple deletes Consumer Reports forum topics

Consumer Reports’ revised iPhone 4 advisory published Monday seems to have gotten Apple extremely agitated. The company is in visible panic mode, deleting every thread on its support forums that references that report. TUAW and numerous other publications have noticed that the entire threads have disappeared from Apple’s support forums literally overnight. Apple has been known to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

OCZ introduce 2133MHz 4GB DDR3 RAM modules

OCZ Technology has this today unveiled the world’s fastest 4GB DDR3 memory modules clocked at a frequency of 2133MHz and voltage of 1.65V. The new 4GB modules are being made available across three of OCZ’s four memory lines including Platinum, Reaper HPC and Flex EX. Depending on whether you want value, performance, or overclocking memory OCZ [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Understanding Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports’ revised iPhone 4 advisory is bound to make all of the nightly newscasts as Apple staffers are scrambling to delete user comments referencing the report. How could a well-respected product evaluation agency advise against buying Apple’s baby and at the same time rate iPhone 4 as the best smartphone on the planet? You could [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Etrian Odyssey III: Live and die by your map-making

Here in the US we still have a few months before Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City’s September 21st release date, but fans of the series are already getting excited. And why not? This should be an interesting refresh of Atlus’ dungeon crawler. As pointed out in the image above Drowned City will not support automatic [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Awesome Mario and Luigi papercraft models

This is some of the best Super Smash Bros. papercraft I have ever seen. The Mario model stands 40cm tall, while Luigi is slightly taller at 50cm. They are both the creation of Dan Hilse a.k.a TouchFuzzyGetDizzy on deviantArt with the feedback from the community there being overwhelmingly positive. Dan used models designed by Ignatius on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

BMW and MINI vehicles to support iOS 4 iPod Out

Last week, BMW announced that they would begin to support a feature within iOS 4, Apple’s new operating system for iPods and iPhones, called iPod Out. The technology allows for the infotainment systems within BMW Group vehicles to display and control the music playback feature in iPhone and iPod touch devices. Access to custom playlists [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Lenovo giving up on the ThinkPad X301, replacing with T series?

Trading Markets just posted what could be some major news for ThinkPad users. The site claims that Lenovo is in the process of discontinuing its flagship ThinkPad, the X300 series, and replacing it with the T410s. While the X300 never has been a big seller for Lenovo is was a hugely important release for the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

iPhone 4 is officially unlocked!

iPhone 4 hasn’t proved an impossible nut to crack after all. Less than a month after it went on sale, Apple’s new smartphone has been unlocked by the iPhoneDevTeam, the same people that brought you the “ultrasn0w” tool for older iPhone models. Redmond Pie pointed to a recent tweet by iPhoneDevTeam’s MuscleNerd who tweeted about [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Walmart Kinect bundles offers peripheral, launch title and $30 gift certificate

If you don't mind spending the presumed $150 price point on a hands-free motion controller, Walmart has a tasty deal just for you. For $199.99, shoppers who pre-order the Microsoft Kinect will also receive a Kinect launch title in addition to a $30 Walmart eGift card. Launch titles include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, Dance Central, Joy Ride, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures.
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Facebook and UK

Back in March, the BBC reported that Facebook had turned down a request to install a “panic button” on its main pages at the request of the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection center (CEOP). The idea behind the button was that it could be used to report suspected pedophiles, but Facebook stated it would [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Microsoft offers up Windows Azure appliance, eBay giving it a try

Microsoft announced on Monday, during their Worldwide Partner Conference, the introduction of their Windows Azure platform appliance. Windows Azure is a cloud services operating system, launched in January, that has previously been offered as a hosted solution by Microsoft. The appliance brings much of the same abilities that Microsoft offers through their cloud service to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Google releases Open Spot, a crowdsourced parking spot app for Android

Google released Open Spot this past Friday, an experimental free Android app that enables drivers to locate and share free parking spots in their vicinity. It’s built on Google App Engine and relies on crowdsourced data. In other words, Open Spot users are expected to mark free parking spots rather than Google. Don’t worry, parking data is [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Google Maps gets stunning isometric view

Is Google Maps’ flat imagery in Satellite mode ticking you off? Ever wanted to examine a location from a different angle? Don’t get me wrong, I like Google Maps but its lack of isometric perspective like that in Bing Maps has been a major drawback for me. Not anymore, as Google releases awesome 45-degree aerial [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Google release App Inventor for Android

If you own a smartphone chances are it’s got a growing number of apps on it either paid-for or free. Using apps is great, but producing them has a number of barriers to overcome. On iPhone there’s a $100 developer license, learning to program in Objective-C or using one of a handful of packages that [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

New houses in Japan now come with a rechargeable battery

It was going to happen sooner rather than later, and Japan looks to be first to try moving away from relying solely on power off the grid. New houses being built and sold by the Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd., called Sma x Eco houses, will be equipped with a rechargeable battery and photovoltaic (PV) [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Spotify Premium now available for Linux

Until now Spotify, the streaming music service, has only been available to Windows and Mac users. But today Spotify is announcing support for Linux. Linux support has been added based on community feedback, but also through Spotify developers taking the time to push it out during hack days and their spare time after normal working hours. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Mimo release 10.1

Last year Mimo Monitors impressed us with the launch of a 7″ display powered by a USB cable. It made for a very lightweight, and highly portable second display to use with a laptop. A year later and Mimo is improving on the formula with a new 10.1″ screen. The iMo Mini-Monster Touch 10.1″ display still [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Pegatron Technologies retrieves its lost MacBook orders, sources claim

Pegatron Technologies may have landed manufacturing orders for desktop Macs from Apple, Taiwanese trade publication Digitimes reported. If true, the deal should be viewed as a major win for Pegatron in the light of a revenue drop reported for their second quarter due to declining orders from Asustek. Pegatron assembled 1.5-1.6 million motherboards and desktops [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Pre-order Sonic Colors, get a go-faster Sonic hat

If you’re a big fan of Sonic games, and live in the U.S., then it might be worth pre-ordering the forthcoming Sonic Colors from GameStop. The new game will be available on both Wii and DS, but if you pre-order either there’s a blue Sonic hat up for grabs. We suspect wearing it will make your [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Review: Crackdown 2 for Xbox 360

If you are the type of person who loves Grand Theft Auto simply because it allows you to run around a large, open world, explore, find collectables, blow things up, and create general mayhem then Crackdown 2 is the game for you. Playing as a super cop that evolves over the course of the game [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Ballmer says Win 7 tablets on on the way, landing this year

In his Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made something clear: Windows 7 tablets would be arriving this year. Microsoft is “hardcore” into tablet computing and will be competing in this space before the year is out (and presumably before Apple has completely taken over with its iPad). Current partners for the Win 7 tablet [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Apple recalls faulty 2008 Time Capsules

If your Time Capsule died on you, consider yourself lucky – Apple will definitely replace the faulty wireless appliance free of charge, even if you’ve already paid for a repair or replacement. According to an updated knowledge base document published on Apple’s site, the affected Time Capsules they’re recalling include the units sold between February [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Google courts game developer Zynga with $100 million investment

Google is looking to get into gaming. Well, at least social gaming according to a report by GigaOM. The article states that Google has been courting game developer Zynga which has resulted in a $100 million investment, or more, by Google into the company. You may not recognize the name Zynga, but you probably are [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Consumer Reports changes mind, slams iPhone 4

Consumer Reports said Monday it cannot recommend Apple’s iPhone 4 due to the widely reported antenna issue stemming from the phone’s faulty design. It’s a startling change from their earlier report which concluded there was no reason not to buy the handset in regard to the antenna gripes. Why did the organization change its stance? According [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Google countering iAds with interactive video adverts on the web

Seeing Apple’s iAds popping up in iOS apps, Google reckoned it should take a more aggressive stance in order to protect its not-so-dominant share of display adverts on the web. According to The Wall Street Journal, the search firm is hailing new interactive video adverts that pair rich media with interactive features. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Secure your BlackBerry with BlackBerry Protect

Research In Motion (RIM), maker of BlackBerry handhelds and software, has kicked off the week with the introduction of a new consumer security application. The security app, called BlackBerry Protect helps users to keep their handheld data backed up and secure while also providing assistance with securing a BlackBerry handheld if its lost or stolen. Features [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

RIM offers more video of BlackBerry 6

Research In Motion (RIM), is offering yet another sneak peek to their upcoming BlackBerry 6 operating system which is expected to be launched by the end of the summer. RIM offered their first look at BlackBerry 6 during the WES 2010 show earlier this year. Now it seems that RIM is looking to pull back [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

PopCap teases Plants vs Zombies sequel

Plants vs. Zombies 2 may be on the way to the iPhone. PopCap sent an email this morning, inviting journalists to an event in San Francisco on August 2. The teaser image, pictured to the right, features a zombie hand from the popular game for the iPhone.
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

Blizzard listens to gamers, Battle.net forums won

Ealrier this week Blizzard caused a bit of a storm with gamers by announcing the Battle.net forums would require the use of real names. Blizzard explained the introduction of real names was to “contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations.” No anonymity was seen as a way of stopping flame wars and [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-10 more

Conan the Barbarian shows off his singing ability

When you think of movie icon Conan the Barbarian as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, several words come to mind like; buff, brutal, savage, thief, and great communicator. Okay – maybe Arnold’s version of the powerful Cimmerian isn’t well known for his speaking ability, but surprisingly although Conan is sometimes hard to understand when he speaks, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-10 more

New telescopic eye implant gets FDA approval

This is not a story about how people will soon be able to purchase a device that will give them vision like Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man. What it is, however, is an amazing new device that will let senior citizens suffering from an eye disease help them see more of the world [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-10 more

New road surface helps cut pollution, cleans itself

While we look to electric cars, renewable energy, and a general move away from using the earth’s raw materials to provide power, some researchers are looking into how we can cut pollution right now, without waiting for new tech to become mainstream. One such piece of research, carried out at the Eindehoven University of Technology, has [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Gmail now supports rich text signatures

Users have asked for it and Google has finally delivered. Gmail now supports rich text signatures. This means users will no longer be forced to use boring plain text to end their emails. Now signatures can be different colors and font sizes and can even include images or links. To set your rich text signature you [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Yoda records his voice for TomTom Navigation Devices

Back in May, TomTom announced that some classic Star Wars characters would be lending their voices as a purchasable downloads for their navigation devices. First available was none other than the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader. And if you happened to catch the video of Darth Vader recording his voice for TomTom, you probably remember [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Facebook to close virtual gift shop

If you want to buy a totally useless virtual puppy on Facebook, you’d better do it quick. Facebook has announced that it will close its Gift Shop – the online store that allows people to buy virtual goods to send to friends – on August 1st. Users who have received gifts purchased in the store will [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

YouTube Pro: Google

Google joked in a blog post Friday that it was releasing YouTube Pro, a new subscription offering designed specifically for Warren Buffett. It comes with an appropriate $100 million a year price tag. The “news” came after the American billionaire investor confessed during a Huffington Post/Yahoo! News interview at the Allen & Company conference in Sun [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Watchdog group claims Google Wi-Spy has national security implications

The Consumer Watchdog organization has put a spotlight on Google for its Wi-Spy activities. Google initially received some heat after it was discovered that some of the company’s Street View cars not only captured pictures of streets, but also scanned and retained information from open wireless networks in the area. Now it has been pointed [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

YouTube now supports 4K video

Google has announced during VidCon 2010 that YouTube now supports video shot in 4096 x 3072, also known as 4K. 4K is huge. Google states that the perfect screen for 4K video is 25 feet, and that IMAX uses two 2K projectors as a comparison. On YouTube, 4K video will be classed as “Original” on the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

A miniature Apple display leaks and gives birth to a silly iWatch rumor

The Taiwanese site Apple.pro has leaked a series of images of a tiny display that only measures 3×3 centimeters. The branding suggests it could be something of Apple origin or at least, as images show, what appears to be a display with the word “Apple” printed on the back of the connection cable. The publication wasn’t [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Facebook acquires travel guide website Nextstop

Facebook has acquired the two-year old website Nextstop. The website fostered a community where users could share things to do with one another around the globe. The acquisition by Facebook was announced in an open letter on Nextstop’s website. As part of Facebook’s purchase, Nextstop will close down its website on September 1st. It is believed [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Review: Seagate GoFlex TV media player

Seagate has phased out its FreeAgent Theater line and is replacing it with the new GoFlex TV 1080p HD media player. The GoFlex TV maintains a consistent branding with Seagate’s new GoFlex series of external storage products, which, as you probably guessed, has replaced the old FreeAgent series. [Just to get some confusion out of the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Fashion shoot on an iPhone 3GS

Believe it or not, the model in this image was photographed with a three-megapixel camera on the iPhone 3GS. More precisely, pro fashion photographer Lee Morris, a team of hairstylists and make up artists, expensive lighting, and a studio set were all required to produce a series of great-looking, cover-style images of model Olivia Price. In [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Four DLC packs for Red Dead Redemption to hit PSN and XBLA in coming months

Rockstar will be releasing four packs of DLC over the next few months, beginning this August. The upcoming downloadable content to be available on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live includes...
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

China renews Google

Google, and users of Google’s services in China, can sigh with relief today as the Chinese authorities decided to renew the search giant’s Internet Content Provider license. A Google spokeswoman confirmed the renewal, saying: China has renewed our license. We are very pleased that the government has renewed our ICP license and we look forward to continuing [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Goodbye Flash: YouTube mobile goes HTML5 on iPhone and Android

Google has re-written the mobile YouTube site entirely in HTML5, allowing smartphone owners to browse and search the videos, access the features of their account and yes – stream video without the Adobe Flash plugin. There’s no doubt that the owners of iPhone or iPod touch will like the new site that launched Wednesday morning [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

The next Apple TV to stream TV shows for 99 cents per episode

Persistent rumors regarding retooling of the Apple TV set-top box are intensifying with the latest evidence pointing at a companion iTunes rental service that will apparently stream TV shows to your living room. Sources told NewTeeVee that Apple is in talks with major broadcasters about streaming individual TV episodes via the iTunes cloud for 99 [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

This is how to film a shootout using Lego

Warning: The video above, although shot using Lego, does contain violence including fake blood, plastic bone breaking, and Lego character death We’ve all got our favorite movie gun fights. Whether it be the Neo and Trinity bullet-time epic in The Matrix, or the final street scene in Heat, they are both memorable masterpieces. The video you see [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Borderlands GOTY edition expected September 7

As with all games that get multiple DLC packs after release, the chances of a Game of the Year (GOTY) edition appearing to boost sales are high. Borderlands is no exception, and although publisher 2K has not announced anything yet, a strategy guide listing looks to have broken the news. GameStop has a new strategy guide [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

EpicWin: a todo list combined with an RPG for your iPhone

We all have chores and work we need to do, but never feel like actually doing it. There’s also the problem of remembering to do everything you need to. Many people turn to writing a todo list which acts as both a reminder and planner for what needs to be done that day, week, or [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Dead Space prequel available for download this Fall

Only hours prior to the events of Dead Space 2, a Necromorph infestation breaks loose. Now, EA studio Visceral Games is prepared to show gamers just how that outbreak occurred in Dead Space Ignition. Available for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this Fall, this game challenges players to survive the initial Necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl.
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Death Star Cookie brings the dark side to snack time

Here is a tasty treat that is sure to be loved by all those serving in the Imperial Forces. Taken from a recipe straight out of a 1979 paperback, the Star Wars: Darth Vader’s Activity Book, it is a cookie the size of a small moon known as the Death Star Cookie. Now granted, this cookie [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Uk retailer says new iPod touch in September, 5MP camera, FaceTime calls over WiFi

Although as consumers we may be enjoying the summer months, retailers are already preparing for Christmas and the holiday rush. One such retailer is John Lewis in the UK, and as part of its preparations it has revealed a new iPod touch feature line-up. During a Christmas preview event held in London this week, John Lewis [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

New white iPhone 4 images appear

Late last month Apple released a short statement explaining that if you wanted a white iPhone 4 then be prepared to wait. Apparently manufacturing the white version has proved difficult so stock would not become available until the second half of July. Stock must be available though, as someone in Japan managed to get a hold [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Hacker in AT&T iPad case breaks gagging order

An alleged hacker has broken the terms of a gagging order to speak out about his arrest and prosecution in an extraordinary rant on his group’s website. Last month, hackers exposed an embarrassing security flaw affecting iPad customers on AT&T, causing red faces all round at the telecoms provider. Shortly after the highly-publicized security breach, the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Game Informer August issue has 10-page Dragon Age 2 reveal

The August cover of GameInformer magazine has just been revealed, and it’s all about Dragon Age 2. Fans already knew that BioWare is working on a sequel, but the magazine looks set to be the first to get solid details of what to expect. With 10-pages of coverage we’re sure to get a good mix of [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Playing StarCraft competitively requires 300 actions per minute

Have you ever considered playing a game professionally? Maybe you top the charts in multiplayer games of Modern Warfare 2, or beat all your friends in Street Fighter IV. Achieving such feats may mean your future lies in tournaments, but if your game of choice is StarCraft it takes more than just skill to win, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Adidas Han Solo Sneakers Shoot First

The quintessential Star Wars rogue, bounder and badass is Han Solo. He doesn’t hold with all that fancy Midichlorian and laser sword jazz: just give him a blaster and the fastest ship in the galaxy and he’ll get along just fine, thank you very much. He always gets the girl; his best friend is a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

PAX East moves to bigger convention center in Boston for the next three years

PAX East will officially return to Boston. The Penny Arcade team has signed a three-year agreement with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the organizers behind PAX East, committing the expo to return to Boston for at least the next three years.
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Mistwalker

Japanese developer Mistwalker has already shown its talent for producing solid RPGs with the release of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. But its latest game in development is also the most intriguing. The Last Story is an RPG for the Nintendo Wii. It has been delayed from an original late 2009 release, and sports a logo [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Futurama lampoons iPhone 4 in the eyePhone episode

The long lines witnessed at the iPhone 4 launch became an inspiration for a hilarious Futurama episode (Season 6, Episode 3) entitled “Attack of the Killer App.” The episode starts with an Apple commercial spoof advertising the eyePhone from Mom, the device that lets you “stalk your ex” and “download porn on a crowded bus.” It [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

3G Coming To Nintendo 3DS

3G connectivity is becoming ubiquitous in our gadgets. Most notebooks and netbooks now come at least with the option to slide in a SIM card and get online while mobile. E-readers like Amazon’s Kindle comes with 3G WhisperNet built into the price of the device; the iPad will accept a 3G microSIM if you agree [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Graphite Amazon Kindle DX Now Available

Speaking frankly, we’re not quite sure how many of you are still interested in boring old monochrome e-readers now that e-book reading tablet alternatives like the iPad are out there, but if you’re still interested in these quaint, soon-to-be-antiques of transitional gadgetdom, it’s an exciting time. Price drops all over the place and war on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Xbox 360 Kinect will support seated gamers

One of the less obvious problems with the Microsoft’s belated answer to Nintendo’s motion-sensing Wii is that while all of the demonstrations of the Kinect at E3 involved the player standing up, jumping around the room, screaming and wildly gesticulating… well, it doesn’t really look like you can just sit down, balance a beer on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Microsoft files to patent virtual page turning

Microsoft has filed for a patent to cover something that Apple’s iBook application does very well–simulating the turning page of a book while reading. According to a TechCrunch article, Microsoft filed the patent application back in 2009 when it was looking at offering a tablet like the iPad called the Courier. It seems Microsoft had [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Motorola announces T-Mobile exclusive Charm, a QWERTY Android

We’ve seen it leaked on plenty of occasions before now, but now it’s official: Motorola has just announced their latest Android smartphone, the Motorola CHARM. Due out this summer on T-Mobile USA, the CHARM is a 2.8-inch Gorilla Glass enforced touchscreen with an adorable, Blackberry-esque full QWERTY keyboard underneath, running Android 2.1 and the latest version [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Sony announces first 3D Cyber-shot cameras

With 3D-ready televisions and Blu-ray players making it to market it was only a matter of time before we would start seeing 3D digital cameras. So it should come as no surprise that Sony has announced its first 3D Cyber-shot cameras. The 12.2 megapixel cameras, which include the WX5 and TX9, achieve their 3D images using [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Review: HP EliteBook 2540p notebook

The EliteBook 2540p is HP’s flagship business ultraportable. This successor to the acclaimed 2530p brings a slight refresh to HP’s 12-inch enterprise laptop and is designed to give Lenovo’s ThinkPad X201 a run for its money. The real changes from the 2530p took place with the internal components, specifically the processor. The 2540p now has the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Apple previews the Shanghai glass store with the largest Genius Bar ever

A high-rank executive on the spot, cameras and journalists swarming the place, a homemade Steve Jobs flag, early camp-outs… It could only mean one thing – Apple is about to open a shiny new retail store. As we reported yesterday, Cupertino is stepping up its retail efforts in China by opening one of the three [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Nokia asks Russian authorities for assistance in returning N8 prototype

Apple isn’t the only company that has a problem keeping a grip on its prototypes. Now Nokia is experiencing the same pains as Apple did with the N8 prototype. Somehow a Russian blogger by the name of Eldar Murtazin got his hands on a Nokia N8 prototype which he proceeded to blast in a Russian posting on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

United States Cyber Command Seal contains a secret code

While the debate over aliens and moon landings rage on with conspiracy theorists, what I have to show you readers today is a real and true governmental cover-up. Don’t worry. You won’t need to meet anyone in an isolated parking garage standing in the shadows wearing a trench-coat. All you need to do to see it for [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Borders launches own e-book store and reader app

After being left in the dust by the e-book initiatives launched by Amazon and Barnes & Noble it sounds like Borders is starting to get serious about getting into the game. Yes, that’s right, the company has finally launched its own e-books store. Rather than offer its own e-reader like Amazon’s Kindle or B&N’s Nook, Borders [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-08 more

Expect small job cuts from Microsoft

Back in January of last year, Microsoft announced plans to trim its workforce by 5000 jobs. The latest report, by Wall Street Journal, is that it seems Microsoft isn’t done yet. Though no specific number is mentioned it is believed a small number of employees are expected to lose their jobs with some being as [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-08 more

Map Pack 4 now available for Battlefield: Bad Company 2

For players who bought the game new and registered their VIP Codes, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is offering two new-ish maps for free. The fourth pack includes Atacama Desert for Rush Mode and Port Valdez for Conquest Mode.
Publication date: 2010-07-08 more

McAfee adds antivirus to two-thirds of secure USB drives

If you are in the market for a new USB drive with an emphasis on security features, chances are McAfee software will be pre-installed on it. The security company has announced that Kingston Digital Inc, MXI, Rocky Mountain Ram, SanDisk, SPYRUS, Hagiwara, and Yoggie Security Systems have all agreed to include McAfee antivirus technology on new [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Blizzard switching to real names on Battle.net forums

Blizzard has recently revamped the Battle.net service ready for the launch of a new games including StarCraft II and Diablo 3. Part of the update is the introduction of Real ID that keeps a player connected across all of Battle.net as well as introducing new social gaming features. Those features include real names for friends, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

App proves iPhone 4 reception problem won

June 25 was when the problems with the iPhone 4 signal started to surface. What is now commonly being referred to as the iPhone 4 Death Grip, is a “feature” of Apple’s latest phone where by holding the device degrades the signal to the point where making a call is no longer possible. Apple responded to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Review: Astro Gaming A30 surround sound gaming headset

Sound is generally the most overlooked aspect of gaming. We really undervalue how much it adds to the experience just as we overlook how much it can add to our performance while playing. Today’s games take advantage of surround sound, but if you don’t have the right equipment you are missing out on the directional [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Xbox Live Destination Arcade: a new way to browse content

Microsoft has announced a new way to browse content on Xbox Live Arcade called Destination Arcade. The new visual browser is meant to make it much easier to find games you want to play from the growing Arcade line-up. The total game count has gone past 250 titles, meaning something needed to happen to make browsing [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Cydle planning worldwide release of 7

Korean manufacturer Cydle has announced it intends to make its new M7 Mini Pad Android tablet available worldwide, adding another device to the growing list of Android tablets about to hit the market. The spec of the M7 is as follows: ARM 11 800MHz processor Android OS (version unspecified) 8GB or 16GB flash memory 256MB DDR2 RAM 7″ Samsung touchscreen with [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Apple: Test-drivers needed for all-new MobileMe Calendar Beta

Apple has invited MobileMe subscribers to test-drive a beta of next-gen MobileMe Calendar. Billed as a whole new calendar experience, the web app has been optimized for speed and includes a new web interface with calendar sharing and event invitations. MobileMe Calendar Beta sports redesigned day, week, and month views on the web and features a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

How to geotag your photos the easy way

Most cameras don’t have built-in GPS. It’s a sad fact, and it won’t be true in a few years, but it’s the case right now. This article will explain how to geo-tag (or geocode) your photographs. We’ll be focusing on tagging as the pictures in batches, not manually. Before we get started, some people will be [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

AT&T: Software defect slowing upload speeds

We’ve finally heard back from AT&T regarding yesterday’s post on slow upload speeds from 3G phones. A company representative had this to say: AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect — triggered under certain conditions
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Orientation support is coming to a web browser near you

Your browser might soon be able to tell web apps how you’re holding your computer, much like high-end smartphones with an accelerometer sensor feed orientation information to mobile software. CNET pointed to a Chrome issue tracker that references something called “device orientation plumbing,” a new feature that will let your browser determine which way is [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Visit the Apple Friend Bar, chat on the Friend Line, create your own iStore

New Apple Friend Bar Gives Customers Someone To Talk At About Mac Products The Onion is at it again. This time Apple is the target of their humor, and we are introduced to three new services that I’m sure some Apple fans would actually love to use. The first is the Friend Bar, a slant on the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Twitter throttles API calls to improve server uptime

Applications that integrate with Twitter via the API are facing tougher restrictions on the amount of times they can poll the service, causing some of them to fall over. Back in June, Twitter told developers that applications would only be allowed to request data from its servers 175 times per hour, down from 350. Developers are [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Android 2.2 outperforms iOS 4 in JavaScript tests

Apple may have tried to turn the tide against Android with iOS 4, released in conjunction with the iPhone 4, but tests by Ars Technica show that Android 2.2, the latest Android OS, demolishes iOS 4 in JavaScript benchmark tests. Ars Technica used two JavaScript benchmark tools including SunSpider and V8. One important difference between [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Hands on Firefox 4 Beta

Mozilla posted the first public beta of Firefox 4, the next major release of the Firefox browser. Early impressions are encouraging: Firefox 4 looks fresh, feels a lot snappier, and is certainly less crash-prone than its predecesor. In addition, it comes with lots of perks and little things that make a difference. For starters, Mozilla has [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Summer of Arcade line-up revealed, plus a hands-on look at Limbo and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

PlayDead's Limbo will head Xbox Live's Summer of Arcade on July 21, PlayDead CEO and co-founder Dino Patti announced via e-mail today. The haunting platformer follows a little boy as he searches for his sister in a black-and-white gradient world.
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Bungie Day video reveals Blood Gulch remake for Halo: Reach

The 7th day of the 7th month is Bungie Day, the day Bungie uses to rejoice and give thanks to its awesome fan community, according to Bungie.net. In celebration, Bungie has posted a PSA created by Rooster Teeth's Red vs. Blue, the team behind the infamous internet TV series.
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

Driver: San Francisco Collector Pack includes 1970 Dodge Challenger

If you are tired of collector’s editions coming with artbooks and exclusive DLC then Driver: San Francisco is about to offer up a nice alternative. The Collector Pack limited edition of the new Driver game includes a model of a yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger. There’s other extras to be found in the Pack, but as yet [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

The Internet is

Pack it up folks. Shut down your computers, close your laptops and put away your smart phones forever because “The Purple One” has declared that the Internet is a thing of the past. And here I thought the Internet was in its prime. The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, who is now known again as Prince spoke [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-07 more

iPad orders in July skyrocket past two million

The iPad seems to be a pretty popular purchase, if you base that assumption off of orders from Apple to Taiwanese manufacturers. According to Digitimes, Apple outsourced an estimated 2.3-2.35 million iPads to Taiwanese companies in July. Of that amount, 58-60% is believed to be for the 3G-enabled iPad model which also offers Wi-Fi. A [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Wi-Fi on flights may not be taking off

USA Today is reporting that when it comes to the new Wi-Fi service available on about a third of U.S. planes only 10% of fliers are actually using it. Even that number is believed to be inflated since it doesn’t take into account introductory or promotional periods where the Wi-Fi service was free or when [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

How to fix laggy proximity sensor on your iPhone

The iPhone 4 has been hit with just about every imaginable issue since its launch last month. Compared to the widely reported Retina Display discoloration and the so-called death grip that stole the headlines, a problem with the device’s proximity sensor has seen little air time. Since this issue appears to plague all iPhone models that [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Apple: Your credit card issuer will cover fraudulent iTunes purchases

Apple has confirmed an organized fraud that took place on the iTunes Store during the Independence Day weekend, resulting in unauthorized App Store purchases being made on behalf of some users. If you’re a victim of this scam, the company said, credit card companies will sort out the mess. As Geek reported yesterday, an organized group [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

iPad does street magic

When Apple pitched the iPad with the “magical and revolutionary product at an unbelievable price” tagline, I bet even Apple die-hards thought that the marketing department in Cupertino has lost touch with reality. Three months later no-one’s laughing. What’s changed is that we’ve come to appreciate tremendous breadth and inventiveness of the software written specifically for the device. But [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Netflix signs exclusive deal to get streaming movies months after DVD release

Netflix is offering movie companies a new way to distribute feature films instead of traditional paths including premium pay channels like HBO, Showtime, STARZ or On-Demand. Relativity Media and Netflix has signed a long-term and exclusive deal which will have films owned by Relativity available for streaming through the Netflix Instant Movie service. Movies will [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Twitter looks to make money off of the Early Bird

Twitter has come up with yet another way to make money off of tweets. ReadWriteWeb reports the creation of an account called @EarlyBird that is expected to be used to publish special deals in the same way Dell has used their Twitter account. Using Twitter, Dell has reportedly been able to rack up $6.5 million [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Artist shows there is such a thing as GPS overload

Are you the type of driver that hates having someone tell you how to get somewhere? If so, then chances are you wouldn’t ever want to own a GPS device. But even for avid GPS owners out there, there are times when the little voice on an electronic navigator can get on a driver’s nerves. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

JFE make electric cars more viable with new 3 minute charger

There are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of fully-electric cars becoming popular. The limited distance it’s possible to travel on a single charge is the first, but that’s made a much bigger problem by the fact there aren’t many recharge stations along our highways. Even worse, recharging your car’s battery could [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Massachusetts bans texting while driving and GPS on phones

If you live in Massachusetts, then be prepared to stop using your phone in your car for anything other than hands-free voice calls, not even using it as a GPS navigation aid is allowed. Governor Deval L. Patrick has signed a new bill that bans texting while driving. That breaks down as a ban for the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Chrome 6: Early peek under the hood

Google has managed to churn out five major releases of the Chrome browser since its December 11, 2008 debut. Despite advances, however, there’s still some plumbing left to do. The search firm is currently testing several new Chrome 6 features with its web developers. Even though the latest builds are too rough around the edges [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Thoughts: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Since its recent release I’ve been putting some time into Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. It, as you probably already know, is the most recent release in the MGS series and it’s on the PSP. The game is a big release for fans because it’s considered canon, basically part of the storyline of the series. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Sony ad emphasizes how Wii-like Move really is

After learning a bit about Sony’s Move people immediately compared it to the Wii’s motion control system. The setup is similar, the controls are similar, the motions look to be about the same, and now it seems that Sony isn’t even attempting to play down the how Wii-like the Move. The commercial above features all the things [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Classic White PlayStation 3 arrives in Japan July 29 and 320GB model revealed

While Microsoft is busy pushing the Xbox 360 slim console, Sony has moved on to introducing color variations and bigger hard drives for its Slim machine. Today Sony has unveiled a new Classic White PlayStation 3 console which, for the moment, looks to be exclusive to Japan. It will be available on July 29 at a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Greater proportion of free apps on Android than iPhone

A new report from mobile analytics outfit Distimo shows that the Android Market has a much larger percentage of free applications available than Apple’s App Store. 57% of applications available for download on Google Android Market are free of charge, versus 28% of iPhone and 23% of iPad apps. Of the apps available on RIM’s Blackberry App World, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

AT&T capping mobile upload speeds?

Bad news coming from AT&T doesn’t come as a surprise any more, even so, this one really hurts. According to a MacRumors forum post the carrier is capping mobile upload speeds at fraction of what high-end devices like the iPhone 4 were capable of a week ago. Upload capping has is a pretty standard practice with [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Sony cuts the price of all Reader editions

Sony has three main e-reader devices on the market, and this week it looks like all three models have had their price cut in response to recent cuts made by Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The Reader Touch Edition now has a new RRP of $169.99, down for $199.99. The cheaper Pocket Edition is now $149.99, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

EA releases Skate 3 Danny Way

Today EA has made a new DLC pack available for Skate 3. It’s meant to be “Danny Way’s vision of the perfect skatepark” and includes the following new features: A Megaramp fun track 2 huge new street parks New skate.Park objects New Danny Way clothes New Danny Way character The pack is entitled Danny Way’s Hawaiian Dream and it’s available from [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Hackers target Justin Bieber, redirect his fans to porn

If you thought those unauthorized credit card charges on the iTunes Store were a mess, imagine the horror when the legions of teenage girls flocked to watch YouTube videos belonging to a certain Canadian singing sensation and instead found themselves redirected to explicit content, such as porn sites or fake messages stating that Justin Bieber [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Standard power supply for notebooks backed by Taiwanese companies

Taiwanese notebook manufacturers are joining forces to back an initiative to standardize power supply units (PSU). Since the invention of the notebook, consumers have had to deal with replacing or buying proprietary power supplies leading to PSU’s being thrown out as new notebooks are purchased. An initiative by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

LG to launch an Android powered tablet before the end of the year

Considering the current fever over tablets, it’s no wonder why more and more manufacturers continue to announce new tablet offerings. LG, for example, displayed a new Windows 7 powered tablet called the UX10 at Computex last month. Now, Engadget is reporting that another tablet is in the works and this one is powered by the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Icy Dock offers up USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure for $40

Buying a USB 3.0 compatible external hard drive comes at a premium price. That’s mainly because manufacturers know they can charge a premium for the extra connection speed. But Icy Dock has decided to save you some cash by offering up a USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure for just $40. The Icy Dock MB668Y3-1SB is a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Intel planning new processors and lower prices for third quarter

Digitimes has been talking to motherboard manufacturers and has compiled a list of updates and price cuts Intel is bringing to its processor line-up. The good news for anyone wanting to buy or build a new PC later this year is there will be some new processors to choose from. The processor updates will arrive [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Amiga 1000 celebrates 25th birthday, gets dismantled

July 24, 1985. That’s the date the Amiga 1000 was first introduced, and to celebrate its 25th anniversary Benj Edwards of Vintage Computing and Gaming has taken a peek inside the machine for PC World. Depending on your age the Amiga 1000 may hold fond memories for you. The machine’s base configuration included: Motorola 68000 at 7.16MHz 256KB [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

RetroN 3 combines several classic video game platforms into one device

Are you a retro gamer but dread the amount of space your old gaming consoles take up on your entertainment center in your living room? Or maybe you discovered a box of old gaming cartridges in the attic or at a local garage sale? In either case, here is a gaming console that lets you [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

BioShock 2 The Protector Trials single-player DLC announced

2K Games has announced a new single-player DLC pack for BioShock 2. The video above formed part of the release and offers a look at what to expect. The new DLC is called The Protector Trials and offers 6 new maps based around the harvesting sections of the main game. New achievements and trophies will be [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

DIY Turtle Cam gives us a turtle

Thanks to advances in technology, the average person has the opportunity to see what goes on during the daily lives of their pets. For example, there are devices available that can let dog and cat owners capture images of what their animal sees in their day with small cameras that attach to a collar. But [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Apple axes fraudulent iTunes Store publisher, investigates unauthorized App Store charges

After an alleged cybergang used stolen iTunes Store credentials to place unauthorized App Store purchases – ranging from a couple of dollars to a few hundred bucks – Apple has banned a Vietnamese publisher, the likely accomplice, from the system, and is now investigating the case. A bunch of users have noticed suspicious iTunes Store charges [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Opera 10.6 tops performance test, but comes up short with Javascript

DailyTech has taking the latest version of the Opera browser, Opera 10.6, for a test drive to validate its claims as being the fastest browser. The website compared the Norwegian-based browser against other popular browsers including Chrome, Firefox and Safari. In addition to Internet Explorer 8, the trial build of Internet Explorer 9 was also [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

A rainbow of colors may be solution to extend Nexus One battery life

What may look like a rainbow of Nexus One colors is actually an attempt by Android engineer Jeff Sharkey to improve battery life by turning off unnecessary sub-pixel LEDs. Sharkey’s efforts were reported by Engadget and also demonstrated in a video on YouTube. A number of different color combinations were tried by Sharkey to see how [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

iPad used to create a fantastic painted portrait

There is no doubt the iPad has been shown to do amazing things with its apps but unfortunately not much has been said about the Apple tablets artistic capabilities. Sure we know that the iPad has a Brushes app that can make pictures, but until now most of us assumed we can only make basic [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Frash: Flash 10.1 ported to iPad

Apple and Steve Jobs have made it very clear that Flash will never be an option on devices like the iPhone and iPad. But making that decision is like showing a red rag to a bull–tell people they can’t have something and they’ll surely want it more. The inevitable has therefore happened, and Flash has been [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Nike + iPod users experience issues after iOS 4 update

Back in 2006, we reported about a new product called Nike+iPod that Nike offered allowing an iPod nano to be teamed up with a sensor placed in a shoe. In so doing workouts could be enhanced by collecting data on time, distance, calories burned, and overall pace. Since then the solution has expanded to incorporate [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

Microsoft to answer Magic Mouse with Arc Touch?

Microsoft looks like it might be aiming to get into Apple’s own game of multi-touch mice with the successor to their attractive and popular Arc mouse, the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse. There’s scant details confirming the plans… nothing much besides a scant product listing with the product code number of RVF-00003, which will apparently cost around [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

HP confirms webOS tablets and netbooks

Hewlett-Packard announced the successful completion of its Palm acquisition and confirmed plans to build netbooks and tablets powered by Palm’s webOS mobile operating system. According to the official statement released Thursday, HP purchased Palm common stock in cash for $5.70 per share. Palm
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

What if Star Wars AT-ATs could act like pets?

Who would have ever thought those large juggernauts of Imperial walking destruction could also make a lovable pet? Sure, they may be capable to taking down a Rebel Alliance Base on the ice planet of Hoth, but apparently an AT-AT can also be just like man’s best friend. Thanks to a little creative stop-motion film-making with a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

iAds make an appearance on iOS 4

Earlier this year, Apple announced a new mobile advertising platform called iAd. The platform powers ads within iPhone apps allowing developers to collect a 60% share of advertising revenue. iAds are enabled with iOS 4 and have begun to appear in the wild according to a report by AppleInsider. One advantage behind an iAd compared to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

Sex.com is up for sale

Sex.com, thought to be one of the most valuable domain names there is, has gone up for sale again. Last time it sold was in 2006 when U.S. company Escom paid $12 million. Sedo has secured the rights to broker the sale. Kathy Nielson, director of sales at Sedo said: It is an extremely rare opportunity that [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Ten One Design demo pressure sensitive input on iPad

The iPad is a perfect drawing surface, but it does have a limitation in so far as it isn’t pressure sensitive. Adding such a feature would allow for much more detailed drawings to be created. Ten One Design is putting forward the case for adding pressure sensitivity as a feature by actually demonstrating it as working [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Adjust your fans in style with the NZXT touchscreen Sentry LXE

If you have a gaming rig setup at home then chances are you have multiple fans to control depending on whether you are playing games or surfing the web. Fan controllers come in a number of forms including both software and hardware solutions. None look as professional or slick as the NZXT Sentry LXE though. Forget [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Highborn for iOS 4 drops down to 99 cents for the weekend

Jet Set Game’s turn-based strategy Highborn got a nice price reduction for the July 4th weekend, putting it at just 99 cents. This is down from a standard price of $2.99. iPhone app sales generally don’t make for big news, but this one looks to be worth picking up as it’s been getting really strong reviews: iTunes App [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Google acquires flight search firm

Google has purchased ITA Software, a firm specializing in software that compares flight schedules and prices, for $700 million in cash. Google hopes that the acquisition will provide benefits to the consumers by making it easier to find flights online. The firm believes that the acquisition of ITA will pave the way for significant improvements in [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Google Voice Desktop software leaks to Techcrunch

A version of Google’s own Skype-killer, the Google Voice Desktop, has leaked. As the title suggests, it’s a desktop version of their online Google Voice service based on the Gizmo5 technology that Google acquired in November of 2009. It looks great, and TechCrunch has managed to get a series of screenshots and video walkthroughs of [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Firefox Home for iPhone awaiting Apple

Mozilla has submitted Firefox Home, its first iOS app, to the App Store. Although Apple shouldn’t have any objections to it, nothing is certain until the software appears on the App Store. Firefox Home is a simple app that syncs your personal history, bookmarks, and open tabs from the Firefox browser on your desktop. Once you [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Intel has shut down Project Offset

Project Offset. Does that name ring a bell? It’s a game that made the headlines back in 2006 for promising so much with its engine, character modeling, and very small dedicated team of developers. It looked so good in fact, that Intel decided to buy the company and people behind it in 2008. Things went quiet [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

T-Mobile Kills The Sidekick

Just a few days after the Kin was killed off, the grandaddy of all teenager feature phones, the venerable Sidekick range, is now getting one in the forehead as well. Confirming reports that they would be purging the Sidekick LX and Sidekick 2008 from their lineup, T-Mobile USA issued a statement today saying that while [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

iPhone 4 sent a thousand feet high, takes aerial footage of downtown LA, gets safely home

Who in their right mind would put the hottest smartphone on the planet in aerial peril? A bunch of enthusiasts from Los Angeles, that’s who. Deciding they’ve seen enough still shots and 720p kitten videos taken with the iPhone 4’s five-megapixel camera, they paired the phone with big helium balloons and released it on a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Apple says Steve Jobs iPhone 4 email exchange is fake

Yesterday it was widely reported that Steve Jobs took part in a rather unusual e-mail exchange with a customer over the iPhone 4 aerial issues. Boy Genius Report broke the news which was then picked up by other news sites and spread across the web. In the exchange Jobs gave some surprising responses with the final [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Best Buy suspends employee for making funny iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo video

Brian Maupin, a 25-year-old employee of Best Buy, has been suspended from his job because of a video he made about the iPhone 4 and HTC Evo. The video was produced using Xtra Normal which couples text with characters that animate while the text is read out as speech. The video produced by Maupin is very [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

HDBaseT: HD video, audio, network, power, and USB in one cable

Cables. We all use them, and all get frustrated when they get tangled, gather dust, or just look a mess behind the back of a desk. Wireless has improved things, but there’s still a lot of cabling required for a PC or home theater setup. A new cable specification may solve the problem, however. It’s called [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Apple: cause of iPhone 4 reception problems is both simple and surprising

Apple has just released a letter on its website regarding the iPhone 4 and the reception problems being experienced by some users. The issue is apparently nothing to do with the actual antenna, it’s positioning, or the strength of the signal changing dramatically. Instead, it’s just a simple case of Apple calculating signal strength wrong. Here’s the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Serious about iPhone gaming, Disney snaps up premium developer Tapulous

The creators of the high-grossing Tap Tap rhythm games for iPhone have reportedly been acquired by the powerful animation studio for an undisclosed sum. TechCrunch reported that Tapulous’ founder Bart Decrem and chief operating officer Andrew Lacy will both join Disney as vice presidents. The move represents the next logical step for the entertainment behemoth which [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Google to equalize tax between heterosexual and same-sex couples

In addition to the innovation Google has offered to society through the introduction of Google Search, Gmail, Android and Google Maps, the company has also pushed an environmental agenda which has included initiatives around “green” and renewable energy resources. Now the company is putting its mark on a social agenda which includes a new benefit [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Hope you don

IGN AU is reporting that Sony’s Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida noted in a recent interview that the PlayStation 3 console is now a profitable product. Previously the console itself was known to be selling for a loss, with the hopes that profit could later be derived from Sony’s software sales, downloadable content, and (as we [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Motorola

While Verizon Wireless is holding on the promise to refrain itself from attacking Apple in their new nationwide campaign, the bashing continues nonetheless thanks to the carrier’s best buddy Motorola. The disastrous manner in which Apple and its boss Steve Jobs have been handling the so-called iPhone 4 death grip has presented rivals with lots of [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

How to use your HD DSLR

Lifehacker, doing what they do best, just put up a great post showing people how to use their HD DSLR (aka HDSLR). If you have a Canon 5D MKII or something along those lines you surely know that it can record amazing HD video, but getting it to do so can be tough. Unlike the typical [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Verizon shows off their network with high-tech tower commercial

The latest advert from Verizon Wireless is without any doubt way cooler than anything we’ve seen from AT&T lately. Aptly named “Towers”, it glorifies Verizon’s signal that the carrier says is “there to ensure the most powerful transmitter is you.” It’s released on Verizon’s official YouTube channel as an ice-breaker that has kickstarted the summer advertising [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Steve Jobs caught in a new email exchange about iPhone 4 antenna gripes

“It’s just a phone,” Apple’s CEO allegedly wrote. Steve Jobs has apparently been caught in another email exchange with a fan inquiring about the iPhone 4 reception issue caused when touching the two antennas found inside the phone’s stainless steel band with your hand. According to an exclusive Boy Genius Report (who claims to have verified the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

HP Photosmart D110a has own e-mail address, doesn

I think everyone was happy when printers transitioned to USB connections, and even happier when manufacturers started making them wireless. But HP is going a stage further with its latest printer and removing the need to have a PC communicating with a printer at all. The e-All-in-One D110a printer is different as printing is done via [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Porn sites safer to browse than normal ones according to Avast

Not sure if this will fly as an excuse for browsing porn sites at work, but AVAST Software, developer of avast! antivirus, says that porn sites are safer to browse than normal, non-porn ones. The statement is based on a report which found that for every infected adult domain identified the company was able to [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Users take Apple to court over iPhone 4 woes

Although barely a week on the market, iPhone 4 has already earned Apple three class-action lawsuits and more are possible to come. As you might imagine, users are taking the company to court overt the antenna issue accentuated in media reports. The first one was filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Spyder III Arctic Laser draws unwanted legal attention from Lucafilms

Not to long ago, we posted an article about a crazy laser product that was being offered by Wicked Lasers called the Spyder III Arctic Laser. The reason why I call this item “crazy” is that the laser is so powerful that it could easily blind people or burn skin thanks to its blue laser [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Google produces grandmother

Google’s Jason Toff was recently setting up Google video chat for his grandmother Evelyn and realized there needed to be a simpler way for people to get hooked up with such a service. So Google set about producing the video you see above along with a printable guide. To encourage people to download and help set [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Cloud iTunes and wireless iPhone syncing

Apple fans kept their fingers crossed for some sort of cloud iTunes info at WWDC 2010, but veteran watchers knew better – Apple’s music-themed event traditionally pinned for September is a much better fit for iTunes and iPod announcements. Boy Genius Report has it on good authority that a web-based iTunes version will be unveiled pretty [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Thank Microsoft for never inserting a battery wrong again

There is nothing more annoying then replacing batteries in a device only to figure out you put them in the wrong way. A new Microsoft technology called InstaLoad hopes to make that problem a thing of the past. InstaLoad allows a device to receive power from a battery regardless of the way it is inserted. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

Man talking on phone gets smashed in face by baseball

Do you know someone that spends way too much time on their cell phone and does not pay attention to their surroundings? No, I’m not going to harp on the dangers of texting and driving. In general, that practice is just plain dumb and if you do it, it will eventually get yourself and someone [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-02 more

iLuminate lets performers dance with light

As technology advances, entertainment advances along with it. Take movies for example. What once originated with silent, black and white moving pictures, we now have cinema features with stunning CGI in realistic 3D. Live entertainment as well has also benefited with modern technology. Where performers relied on make-up and fancy costumes to draw attention, now dancers and [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

YouTube to allow pre-roll video ads to be skipped

YouTube is set to introduce a new feature that will allow users to skip any pre-roll advertising run at the start of a video. If those ads are skipped the advertiser doesn’t get charged by Google. Although it may sound like a quick way to lose a lot of advertising revenue, Google says it will benefit [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Quick Review: Panasonic Lumix ZR3 digital camera

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-ZR3 (also known as the DMC-ZX3) is a compact digital camera that is designed to be a consumer-friendly mix between size, price, and performance. With a street price of about $225 and Panasonic’s great build quality, right from the start it seems like a good pickup compared to the more commonplace competition from Canon, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Fujitsu quietly rolls out LifeBook TH700 Tablet/Laptop

If you’re in two minds about whether to buy a tablet or a laptop then Fujitsu may have you covered. The company has just released the LifeBook TH700 Tablet with a multitouch 12.1″ display. But it’s mounted on a bi-directional hinge with a keyboard sitting underneath allowing a choice between laptop and tablet in one [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Amazon down for over 3 hours yesterday

If you were on Amazon’s website yesterday attempting to buy a Kindle or another product you may have had some technical issues. It turns out you weren’t alone according to an article by the Washington Post. The issues were confirmed by Amazon.com, but a cause for the issue has yet to be reported. Those visiting the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Clever spies embedded secret code in web images

According to the FBI, Russian spies were found to be communicating over the web using codes embedded in images. In what appeared to be a normal image a spy could hide a message that could not be deciphered but, more importantly, people would have never thought to investigate it in the first place. All digital images on [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Final Fantasy XIV lands on PC September 22, PS3 version arrives March 2011

The release of the next Final Fantasy MMO is going to hit PC first, but the date you actually get to play it depends on the version you buy. Final Fantasy XIV will be available to PC gamers on September 22 if they buy the Collector’s Edition. Opting for the standard edition means waiting an extra [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Who cares about the World Cup? Germany has already won the RoboCup

While Germany is still in contention for the World Cup, the robot version of the team has already brought home a soccer championship based on a report by CrunchGear. A team from Germany has officially won RoboCup 2010, a six-day event which concluded on June 25th. The event consisted of 500 international and local teams [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Magellan ToughCase ruggedizes the iPhone while improving GPS accuracy

The iPhone works pretty well as a handheld GPS receiver, but it has some serious flaws, namely toughness, battery life, and accuracy. Magellan is aiming to fix each of these with their $199 ToughCase, effectively turning the iPhone into a competitive GPS unit, not unlike Magellan’s Explorist GC or Garmin’s Oregon series. The Toughcase protect the [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

AT&T pays $622 for every iPhone 4, says Sony Ericsson

Although Apple has never disclosed how much it sells the iPhone for to mobile operators like AT&T, Sony Ericsson has been doing some calculations and believes it has worked out the price. Hiroaki Kobayashi, marketing director of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has done some calculations based on number of phones shipped, number of sales, and Apple’s [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Apple to hire antenna/wireless experts to help with iPhone and iPad

Last week, we covered the major antenna issue some users were experiencing with the iPhone 4, you know, the whole “iPhone death grip” thing. The issue occurs when a new iPhone is held a particular way (see above) that results in a blocked signal leading to a drop in connectivity. Now, TechCrunch reports that Apple [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Microsoft axes Kin phones for teens, says Windows Phone is the future

Microsoft’s Kin phones for the socially inclined teenagers and college kids are no more. According to Boy Genius Report, the software giant has axed both Kin phones in the US and confirmed it won’t be selling them in Europe. A company spokesperson attributed the decision on the need to focus on Windows Phone 7, their [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Onkyo

Onkyo has just revealed their latest pair of networked audio/visual receivers, the TX-NR5008 and TX-NR3008, and they look like a pair of beauts, replete with eight HDMI 1.4a inputs, THX Ultra2 Plus certification, network audio streaming, multi-room and 3D support, and 1080p HD upscaling. Think the list of specs ends there? Think again: supporting DolbyTrueHD [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Woot.com sells itself to Amazon

When Woot is mentioned in the news, it’s usually because a rotating yellow light on their front page is signaling another of those orgies of tech consumerism, a Woot Off. Unfortunately, though, there’s no Woot Off today… at least not for us shoppers. For the Woot guys, though, there’s plenty being sold: their entire weird, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Amazon announces browser previews for Kindle books

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could sample Kindle books right inside your web browser rather than browse them using one of Amazon’s dedicated desktop or mobile apps? Well, soon you’ll be able to, and this information comes from the highest authority, the Amazon team itself. Formally announcing the feature on their official forum, Amazon wrote [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Amazon cuts Kindle DX price by $110, now $379

The price war in the e-reader market started a couple of weeks ago when Barnes & Noble reduced the price of the Nook. It also introduced a new WiFi only model priced at just $149. Amazon responded the same day by cutting the price of Kindle to $189. Even Borders had to react with a [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Crucial RealSSD C300: 64GB, 355MB/s read speeds, $149.99

We’ve seen budget SSD drives starting to appear for a few months now, but while the price was cheap the performance was less than great. Now Crucial is changing that with the introduction of the 2.5″ RealSSD C300 range. Available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models, it’s the 64GB that really shines as the best value. [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Nokia demos MeeGo running on a phone

Last week Nokia announced that future N-series phones would not use the Symbian operating system. While Symbian will still be used for lower-end smartphones Nokia is moving to MeeGo for high-end devices. A week later and a video has appeared of MeeGo 1.1 running on a prototype Intel Aava phone and Nokia N900. This is just [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Future iPad expected to come with gyroscope

One of the new features offered in the iPhone 4 is the inclusion of a gyroscope which allows for the detection of more detailed movements by a user compared to the traditional accelerometer included in previous iPhone models. Gyroscopes have begun to enhance previous accelerometer technology as demonstrated not only by the iPhone 4’s release, but [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Portal 2 gameplay video round-up

Valve is busy teasing us with video footage of Portal 2, and it’s doing nothing other than making us want to play the game more. The thermal discouragement beam, pneumatic diversity vents, meeting Wheatley, and puzzles that are frustratingly hard until your realize how simple they are to figure out. Watch the teaser trailers below, enjoy them, [...]
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Matt Smith helps perform Doctor Who Theme at Glastonbury

If you were in attendance for the 2010 Glastonbury Festival and happened to be a fan of long time running science-fiction series Doctor Who, you were given a real treat towards the end of the concert. Suddenly appearing on stage to re-welcome the electronic dance music duo Orbital was none other than the current incarnation (or rather regeneration) [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Seagate announce 3TB FreeAgent GoFlex Desk

Seagate has today unveiled the first ever 3 terabyte external desktop hard drive. It’s called the 3TB FreeAgent GoFlex Desk and adds 50% more storage over the previous largest drives on offer in the GoFlex range. With 3TB of storage it’s possible to store 120 HD movies, 1,500 video games, and more photos and music than [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

EMILY the Robot floats out to save swimmers in trouble

Imagine a day when you visit the beach and you had a little too much to eat or drink before you hit the surf. Instead of enjoying the water and the waves, however, you suddenly find yourself being pulled out to sea by a strong undercurrent and realize you are in deep trouble. Suddenly you see [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

ICANN approves Chinese character domain names

When the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Board (ICANN) met last Friday in Brussels, Belgium and approved the “XXX” top level domain name for pornographic material, another decision was also made that affected over 1 billion Chinese speaking people across the globe. For the first time in history, the ICANN Board is set to approve [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

New iPhones force users to upgrade from legacy Macs

If you’re in the market for a new iPhone and still run Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on a legacy Mac, you must either buy a brand new Intel-based Mac or upgrade your operating system to Mac OS X Leopard. That’s because the iPhone 3GS and the latest iPhone 4 both require Mac OS X [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Microsoft Kin prices slashed by Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless seems to be downplaying the move, but Bloomberg is reporting that the wireless carrier is cutting the price of its Microsoft Kin smartphones soon after their May release.The Kin One and Kin Two were Microsoft’s attempt to take advantage of the social networking craze in order to regain lost mobile market share against [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

APB will have advertising on voice chat service unless you pay

Realtime World’s forthcoming MMO All Points Bulletin (APB) is certainly thinking differently when it comes to paying to play the game. Instead of a set monthly subscription charge we’ve already heard how the system will revolve around paying for game time. So when you buy a copy at launch it will come with 50 hours [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Microsoft to bring visual login, desktop app store, idiot-proof system restore, and more to Windows 8

A bunch of top-secret slides allegedly leaked from an internal meeting reveal a host of goodies that Microsoft has in the works for the next major Windows release dubbed Windows 8. Early features include visual login, cloud user profiles, one-button system restore, Internet Explorer 9, the App Store for Windows software, and other perks. Thanks to [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Dance Central DLC will cost more than Rock Band, not be released weekly

Dance Central, a fully-featured rhythm game for Microsoft Kinect, will have costlier DLC than its musical companion, Rock Band. According to Harmonix, the developer of both titles, the dance game's downloadable content will cost $2 more than the typical Rock Band tune.
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

PS3 firmware 3.40 released, adds PlayStation Plus and better Facebook integration

Sony has today released firmware v3.40 for PlayStation 3 owners. There’s several new features, but the main one has to be the introduction of PlayStation Plus. Plus is a paid-for subscription service officially announced earlier this month by Sony. It lives on top of PSN which will remain free with all the features it currently has. [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Fujitsu self-erasing USB drive is available in Japan

Back in April Fujitsu posted a release about a new type of secure USB drive that used self-erasing operations in order to protect the data on board. The idea of a self-destructing USB drive (or any storage device for that matter) is a great one, but it looked like Fujitsu was finally taking things a [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

A look back at 30 years of Apple in just 2 minutes

It’s hard to appreciate how far Apple has come with the design of their laptops and desktops until you’ve seen one of their previous models. Now a YouTube user by the name of “Frensleven” makes that possible in a video that shows 30 years of Apple in just two minutes. The video not only displays the [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Hulu Plus revealed: $9.99 a month, works with Apple devices

The Hulu Plus service was just officially unveiled, and you might be surprised by what it offers. The premium online video service will go for $9.99 and from day one it will work with Apple’s iOS 4 devices (iPhone 4, 3GS, and current generation iPod touch), the iPad, as well as some Samsung televisions and [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Review: HP Mini 210 HD netbook

With the Mini 210 HP took their popular netbook formula and updated it once again, this time focusing even more on HP’s target buyers. Netbook buyers want good looks, light weight, and a low entry price, and HP was able to deliver, though with some sacrifices compared to HP’s higher end Mini 5102. Note: If you go [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

PSP firmware 3.60 suggests TurboGrafx-16 and NeoGeo games for US/Europe soon

All the focus may be on the PS3 3.40 firmware introducing PlayStation Plus, but the PSP also got a firmware update today. Version 6.30 has been released which adds Plus support and allows grouping of games based on format. Not much to talk about, right? Well, there is something else that has been added which may excite [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Google may lose China license

Google has created a new China-based landing page for its Google.cn site in a last-ditch attempt at a compromise with Chinese authorities. When Google uncovered Chinese attempts to hack its GMail servers in an attempt to reveal the identities of dissidents, the company swiftly announced that it would review and possibly shutter its Chinese operations on [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Blurry images of Apple

A pair of screenshots that surfaced on the web suggest Apple might be putting finishing touches to a scaled-down version of its Office replacement suite for the iPhone and iPod touch. As we reported earlier this month, an image that briefly appeared on Apple’s site before being replaced with another one indicated that Keynote presentation [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

PayPal Guest Payments: pay online without a PayPal account

PayPal has seen a lot of success as the number one online payment service. This can be put down to the fact it shields consumers from having to use a credit or debit card directly online, but also because it is pushed very hard as the payment system to use on eBay. Although it may be [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Dell computer troubles revealed in lawsuit

Dell’s attempt to rebuild its business has taking a stumble after a blistering New York Times article that outlined the company’s trouble problems with bad capacitors from a company call Nichicon. The capacitors were prone to pop and leak fluid causing the company’s Optiplex computers to fail. The issue could also cause the computers to [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Unencrypted FaceTime video calls could be a security risk

Before having a sexy videochat with your significant other using the iPhone 4’s FaceTime, consider this: someone at Apple might be watching. According to ZDNet, audio and video data in a FaceTime call isn’t encrypted while it’s travelling between your iPhone 4 and Apple’s servers, making eavesdropping a theoretical possibility. ZDNet pointed to a blog post [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-30 more

Survey: Corporate America likes iPhone 4 and iOS 4

According to a new survey, American workforce is paying notice to the new iPhone 4 and iOS 4, citing deeper enterprise integration and new features such as multitasking, which was the biggest feature by a landslide. Mobile software company Sybase, recently acquired by German business software giant SAP, and polling company Zogby International surveyed 2,100 employees [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-29 more

Google Apps for Education wins over Iowa and Colorado

Google Apps for Education, a version of Google’s web-based application and productivity suite tailored for educational institutions, has won the endorsement of the states of Iowa and Colorado. The states will offer Google Apps, (GMail, Google Sites,  Calendar, Groups, Video and Docs), as well as associated training and support, to schools and other public educational institutions. [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-29 more

Pokemon Black and White gets Japan release date, new trailer

Japanese gamers will be jumping for joy this week as they now know how long they have to wait to get their hand on Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. The official release date is set as September 18. In the west we will be waiting until Spring next year for the game unless you don’t mind [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Sapphire runs game in 3D across 3 screens with one graphics card

Talk of 3D entering our homes through new TVs and games ir growing. The fear for consumers is the amount of money they will have to invest in order to partake in this 3D revolution so soon after HD displays became affordable. For gamers though, there may be some relief. Graphics card manufacturer Sapphire has demonstrated [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Check out the Droid X promo reel

You may not be able to see this cool promotional video anywhere except at Verizon’s retail stores. As you know, Verizon Wireless unveiled a Droid successor dubbed the Droid X at a New York event last Thursday, the day before the iPhone 4 launch. The press conference was pretty much smooth sailing except for the Verizon [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

iPhone 4 parts cost Apple $187.51

Bloomberg is reporting that an iPhone 4 consists of parts which add up to $187.51 according to an analysis of the parts and their subsequent costs by market research firm iSuppli. For the analysis, iSuppli used the 16GB version of the iPhone 4. The $187.51 price point does not take into account costs stemming from [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Black Hat conference: This is how to make ATMs dispense all their cash

Banks are getting worried about Juy 28-29. The reason? The Black Hat USA 2010 conference is set to reveal a range of ATM security flaws that make removing all cash from them a simple task. The details of the flaws are being made available by Barnaby Jack, director of research at IOActive Labs. Although revealing such [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

iPhone 4 FaceTime spurs video sex chat services

Apple may be attempting to keep its devices squeaky clean by banning any kind of sexual content in the App Store, but the FaceTime feature on iPhone 4 is about to start a whole new adult market on the device. The new video chat feature is perfect for chatting with friends and family while seeing their [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

eMachines introduce Mini-e Home Entertainment Center

eMachines are attempting to shake up the design of nettops with the introduction of the Mini-e Home Entertainment Center. Positioned on a stand so as to look like a diamond, the Mini-e certainly catches the eye while being a typically very small form factor. It measures just 7.1 x 1.2 x 7.1 inches and weighs 9 [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Verizon: We rule the air and don

Verizon’s top brass reportedly met with employees on Saturday in order to fill them in on the new initiatives, including a massive advertising campaign and the upcoming Droid 2 launch. They also definitely decided not to carry Apple’s iPhone. The news arrived on the heels of the Droid X introduction last week, the iPhone 4 launch, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Google puts the Android kill switch into effect, but why?

Google has exercised its discretionary right to disable misbehaving Android apps by remotely zapping two programs off users’ devices, although they were not used maliciously and their developer voluntarily removed them from Android Market. The move came amid the concerns of a growing number of spyware and malware on Android Market. Any app that violates its [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

The Solar Camera Strap

Here’s a great idea for powering your digital camera using the power of the sun. Designer Weng Jie has come up with what he calls the Solar Camera Strap. As the name implies, what makes this camera strap different is the introduction of solar panels across the width of the strap. In addition to the [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

T-Mobile getting Charm from Motorola

T-Mobile is getting some “Charm” and I don’t mean an improvement to their customer service. Engadget has received a tip which includes images of training materials which gives proof that T-Mobile is getting the Motorola Charm. Based on the information from the photos, the smartphone will include Android 2.1 and enhancements to Motorblur, Motorola’s social [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Google rumored to have Facebook killer in works

Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com, dropped a rumor bomb that has spread to a number of media sites. The rumor is that Google is ramping up to compete with Facebook through a platform called Google Me. Rose tweeted the following on Saturday: Ok, umm, huge rumor: Google to launch facebook competitor very soon “Google Me”, very [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Sharp develops world

Sharp has this week unveiled the world’s smallest, most compact digital TV tuner yet. Although on it’s own that might not be ground breaking news, it does offer up a couple of benefits consumers will appreciate. The most obvious of these benefits is the small size allowing for thinner TVs. A digital tuner is now an [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Apple: What antenna gripes? We sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s

Apple announced sales of 1.7 million iPhone 4 units which, according to the official statement, files in Apple’s book as the most successful product launch in its history. Those units have been sold between the June 24 launch through Saturday, June 26, Apple confirmed. The gadget maker thought the achievement deserved a press release and the [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Red Faction downloadable prequel will hit XBLA and PSN months before Armageddon

A downloadable prequel to the upcoming Red Faction: Armageddon will hit Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, THQ VP Danny Bilson told CVG.
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Software fix for the iPhone

The widely reported signal loss occurring when you hold an iPhone 4 in a certain way – dubbed the Death Grip – could be fixed with a firmware update. The problem is said to stem from the iOS 4 tune-ups that enable the phone to utilize the least congested network band, regardless of the actual signal strength. Wall [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Fan-made King

The Silver Lining, a fan-made sequel of the old adventures series King's Quest, will finally be available for free on July 10, thanks to a non-commercial license from Activision.
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Mozilla fixes Flash crashes with Firefox 3.6.6

Responding to frequent Flash plugin crashes reported across the web, Mozilla updated its Firefox browser ahead of schedule, merely a week after it posted Firefox 3.6.4. Mozilla is urging all users to update to Firefox 3.6.6 in order to fix performance slowdowns and problems with the most recent Adobe Flash plugin version 10.1.63.54, installed as [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

New Crysis 2 trailer builds on impressive E3 showing

The Crysis 2 trailer shown off during E3 was nothing short of impressive. A gritty, rundown New York makes for a nice change to the first game, and the game engine has clearly improved leaps and bounds. This follow-up trailer attempts to build on that, but at the very least reinforces the fact this game [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Verizon says you can

Verizon’s unveiling of the Droid X last Wednesday would have gone down as a routine media event had it not been for an unusual hiccup by their PR staff. When a Silicon Alley Insider journalist attending the press conference pulled out his iPhone 4 for a size comparison with the Droid X, an overzealous PR lady [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Amazon adds Kindle books with audio and video to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Amazon has added rich media to several Kindle books readable on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad using its free app. So far, only select Kindle books found on a dedicated page on Amazon’s site have received a multimedia makeover that includes audio and video goodies. Kindle books with audio and video include Rick Steves’ London [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

iPhone 4 meets end via blender, sniper fire, and microwave

With the introduction of a new iPhone you knew it was only a matter of time before Blendtec would get its hands on it. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, Blendtec, a manufacturer of blending machines, produces a series of videos on YouTube called, “Will it blend?” In addition to blending an iPhone 3G [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Russian President visits Apple and tweets about iPhone 4 before meeting with Obama

It doesn’t get any crazier than this. The Russian leader visits Apple and tweets an image of Steve Jobs giving him a private iPhone 4 demo and then goes on to meet with Barack Obama in Washington. According to media reports, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin’s former Chief of Presidential Staff and now himself the Russian President, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

iPhone 4 has major antenna flaw, Apple is in denial

With the launch of the iPhone 4 yesterday I don’t think anyone expected it to fail. The queues outside Apple stores and the 600,000 pre-orders demonstrated how much people wanted this new handset. But Apple looks to have shipped the device with a major problem–holding the iPhone 4, as you would normally hold any cellphone, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Canadian fan invades Steve Jobs

What would you do if you spotted Steve Jobs at the Apple campus, also known as the Mothership? Resisting the urge to ask Apple’s charismatic head honcho for a photo-op, like any other self-respecting fan would do, a stoked Canadian did what only the most obsessed die-hards would do. He approached the CEO of Apple from [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

VidMe attempts to be YouTube with strong privacy controls

When a video is uploaded to a service like YouTube there is a way to restrict access to a few people, but the main aim of the site is for video to be shared. Therefore privacy controls are quite basic. The team behind VidMe has realized this and decided to create an alternative video sharing [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

HP buys Melodeo for $30-$35 million

HP has pulled out its checkbook again to buy mobile music streaming company Melodeo for $30 to $35 million. Melodeo’s flagship service, nuTsie, offers what it calls “personalized” Internet radio since the music it offers is served up in terms of playlists. Subscribers can import their iTunes library’s playlists into the service to have those same [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Guitarist Brian May sparks Guitar Hero: Queen rumor

According to rumors, the classic rock band Queen may soon join the ranks of Metallica, Van Halen and Aerosmith with Guitar Hero: Queen. Guitarist Brian May revealed the news during an interview with Swedish website DN.se earlier this week. While the interview mainly focused on the arrival of the Queen musical "We Will Rock You" in Sweden this fall, Brian May also mentioned that his band will be launching a new version of Guitar Hero next year. After letting the rumor slip, he then said he couldn't reveal more information at the time as it was "a secret."
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Java 4-ever trailer starring Scala Johansson and William Windows

(There is one short scene in this video that is NSFW) JavaZone is a conference held in Scandinavia for developers to meet up, listen to presentations, and interact with the development community. But the group behind JavaZone have also proved themselves to be pretty good filmmakers, or at least trailer makers. The trailer you see above is [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Adult sites to get .xxx domain

ICANN, the organization that oversees the administration of the Internet’s domain name system, has approved the hotly-debated .xxx top level domain for adult sites. ICANN’s board of directors approved the creation of the .xxx domain when the organization met on Friday in Brussels. The move comes ten years after the domain was first proposed, making the [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

iPhone 4, iOS 4, and everything in between

Phew, what a week! Even though Apple put its marketing machinery into overdrive, iPhone 4 and iOS 4 launches will go down in history as a mixed bag of the behind-the-curtain social engineering and innovative PR spoiled with early teething problems and corporate fine print. Here’s our selection of the finest and ugliest moments, spiced up [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Intel to release Android x86 for netbooks this summer

For the moment, Android is popular on smartphones running ARM-based chips. A few tablets are starting to appear with Android as an OS, but expect that to grow significantly now due to the work of Intel. The chip-giant has been working to port Android so that it runs with x86 processors. What that means is we [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Steam Perils of Summer Sale now on

Valve has decided to kick off a massive game sale on Steam. It’s themed around the perils of summer with the introduction stating: Each year millions of people are lured outdoors by the long, sun-drenched days of summer. With so many people spending the bulk of their time outside, it dramatically raises their risk of getting [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Glowing Tron controllers for the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360

Classic Tron fans have been waiting patiently for the sequel to the 1982 film starring Jeff Bridges, who is a programmer named Kevin Flynn that gets transported inside the world of a computer. This December, the wait will be over as we return to the digital frontier in order to rescue Flynn in the film [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Cybersecurity bill clears Senate committee and heads to the floor

Earlier this month, we reported that Joe Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut, was pushing a bill which would define emergency cyber powers for the President of the United States including the ability to shut down parts of the Internet in the event of a national emergency such as a massive, coordinated cyber attack. An [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Future Nokia N-series phones to run MeeGo

Nokia has decided that future phones in its N-series will no longer use the Symbian operating system. Instead, the mobile phone manufacturer is moving to use the Linux OS MeeGo. MeeGo is the result of combining Nokia’s Maemo and Intel’s Moblin platforms to create one new operating system capable of being deployed to multiple devices. Although [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

When it

Apple is playing down the antenna issue on iPhone 4, insisting that any cellphone exhibits reception problems when held wrong. Meanwhile, reviewers have confirmed that iPhone 4 in fact drops fewer calls, despite the antenna issue. Apple praised iPhone 4 as the first handset to integrate the antennas (UMTS, GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth) into its [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Kinect now available for preview at Microsoft stores

Microsoft's Twitter revealed Thursday that the public can now visit Microsoft stores to try out its new hands-free motion controller, Kinect. While the Twitter account states that Microsoft stores "nationwide" will carry the Kinect demo, there happen to only be four such stores in the entire country. So, if you're lucky enough to live near Scottsdale, Arizona, southern California, or Lone Tree, Colorado, feel free to head down to your nearest Microsoft store, try out the new product, and tell us what you think. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until the product ships this November. The Twitter account also mentions that the stores will be previewing Kinectimals this weekend.
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Test Facetime for iPhone 4 through toll free number

So you got your iPhone 4. Congratulations! Now you are probably wanting to use one of the coolest apps of the phone called Facetime. Facetime drives the new video conferencing that’s enabled through the latest generation of the iPhone. Of course, what do you do if you don’t have any friends with an iPhone 4? [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Original Star Trek video parties with Ke$ha

Being a child of the 70’s I grew up watching the original Star Trek series, so naturally I think that Star Trek series stands out as the best. You can have your Star Trek TNG, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and don’t even get me started on what was wrong with Star Trek Enterprise. Little did [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Halo: Reach to feature increased difficulty for co-op, space flight and gender choice

Bungie has a few new changes in store for its final Halo title, Halo: Reach, set to release this September. According to Kotaku's Stephen Totilo, who recently got a hands-on preview of the upcoming game, Halo: Reach will have a wider range of difficulty. For Halo 3 and last year's Halo 3: ODST, enemies carried the same level of difficulty for one player as it did for four. In other words, players who faced the Covenant on Normal difficulty by themselves would take on the exact same type of Covenant if they chose to play four player co-op instead. However in Reach, enemies will toughen when facing a greater number of players, exhibiting more damage resistance and more intelligence, Bungie's Brian Jarrard explained to Kotaku.
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Nike lets you send personal message to World Cup players

You can make your mark on the World Cup through a new Nike marketing initiative announced this week. Nike Football has installed the largest interactive LED installation in Africa on the 30 story, 128 meter-high Life Center building in Johannesburg. The display is operational between 6pm and 6am daily, supports 12 languages including Chinese, English, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-26 more

Tips for keeping your iPhone 4 from shattering and scratching

What, you thought iPhone 4 was indestructible just because its stainless steel alloy is sandwiched between two pieces of chemically strengthened alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass thirty times harder than plastic? As Apple launches iPhone 4 simultaneously in the US, UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy, customers are advised to take extra care to keep their shiny purchase [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

DC Comics releases iPad app for digital comic viewing

There are some things that just work on a tablet device, and reading comics seems to be one of them. Marvel has already proved that with its own app: DC Comics has now decided to get on iPad too, and the company has used ComiXology, as did Marvel, to create the app. If you liked Marvel’s [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

McAfee offers online protection for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

With the invention of Internet-capable devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, there is a need to provide the same level of web content filtering and online protection offered to PC users. Especially as many of these devices are used by children and teenagers. McAfee originally answered this need for PC users through the introduction of [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Flickr revamps site with bigger images, geo-location maps, keyboard shortcuts and more

The big daddy of all web 2.0 photo sites, Flickr, has just rolled out a big and beautiful revamp that re-envisions existing photo pages to feature larger images, maps and a much cleaner and more intuitive interface. Here’s what’s changed. For one, the primary image is now much larger, with the longest edge of the image [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Facebook founder confident of reaching 1 billion users

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, is confident that the social network will eventually reach the 1 billion user mark. Although Zuckerberg admits there is no chance of hitting 1 billion users this year, he believes that the figure is attainable if Facebook is able to achieve market dominance in four key countries:  China, Russia, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Vortex Cannon fires ring of air at 200MPH

All geeks love the Stephen Spielberg film Minority Report, mostly for its sexy but plausible imagining of future technology like holographic multitouch displays. Another bit of tech on display in the Philip K. Dick adaptation was a vortex cannon, which Tom Cruise deploys against some sci-fi precog perbs merely by twirling it around. The cannon [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

420 copies of Windows 7 are sold every minute

25,200 copies an hour, 420 copies a minute, or 7 copies every second. That’s how fast Windows 7 is flying off the shelves. In total Microsoft has managed to sell 150 million copies of Windows 7 since its October launch last year. Microsoft can now boast that Windows 7 is the fastest selling operating system in [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

iPhone 4 hits stores, but can it keep the buzz alive?

Folks renting their tents, zombies camping out on streets for hours, professional line sitters giving interviews to big media, Steve Wozniak hanging out with fans… It could only mean one thing - Apple is launching an exciting new product. As promised, Apple began selling iPhone 4 on Thursday at 9 a.m.. For the first time ever, the [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Widely reported iPhone 4 display yellowing should go away after a day or two, says source

The early reports coming in from new iPhone 4 owners have prevalently mentioned a problem with yellowing Retina Displays. The problem appears to be bad. Earlier today, in a reader poll, Engadget found that over 8,000 of their readers had noticed yellow banding or blotching on their new iPhone 4s. That was 38% of their polled [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Virgin Mobile to offer MiFi router next week

Virgin Mobile plans to offer a Novatel MiFi router next week. Gearlog uncovered plans for the router after it was revealed during a Best Buy summer preview event. If the MiFi router looks a bit familiar, it should, as it’s similar to the models offered by Verizon Wireless and Sprint (which isn’t surprising since Virgin [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Twitter updates Facebook & LinkedIn apps, letting you follow all your contacts with one click

Twitter has just announced their intention to launch some new tools that will make it easy to add your Facebook friends and your LinkedIn connections to the list of people you follow in your timeline… that is, if Facebook will let them. Theoretically, the way it works is this: if your friends from Facebook or LinkedIn [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Intel: GPUs are only 14x faster than CPUs, not 100x

You might not be aware of it, but there’s a war going on between traditional CPU manufacturers like Intel and GPU makers like NVIDIA, with GPUs increasingly taking over more and more processes on a PC or laptop traditionally delegated to the CPU. The war probably starts back when NVIDIA first showed off CUDA, turning [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Mercedes brings Kleer wireless audio to E- and S-Class autos

Kleer has been boasting about their patented technology for awhile now, promising that they
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Level 5 and Studio Ghibli release first Ni no Kuni gameplay trailer

Developer Level 5 already has a reputation for producing some of the best RPGs in the world. You only have to mention the name Dragon Quest to turn the heads of millions of fans. And if you thought a new game from Level 5 could not be bettered by outside influence, you’d be wrong. The [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

You

If you’re wiring your house for data in this day and age, you’re probably wiring it up for CAT5 or CAT6, but the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) has an alternative: they want you to network your home using existing coaxial cable in the 1GHz band. They’re already doing fine work, selling boxes that allow [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

YouTube adds Vuvuzela option to all videos

If you’re watching the World Cup this year, whether you realize it or not, you know what a Vuvuzela is… at least by its loud, blaring tuneless droning. An inane audio irritant that drowns out the sound of cheers and singing, the Vuvuzela is a plastic trumpet that, when tooted by several thousand World Cup goers, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Swype courting Apple for inclusion in iOS?

Here at Geek, we’ve long been interested in Swype, a fascinating virtual input alternative to hunt-and-pecking on touchscreen smartphones invented by Cliff Kushler, the inventor of the T9 predictive input method. Here’s how Swype works. Eschewing the idea of individually tapping on each and every letter in a word, Swype instead embraces the concept of swiping, [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

SD Association announces new symbols for high-speed devices capable of real-time video recording

Although most of us don’t think too carefully about the secure digital cards we slot into our netbooks and our cameras, there’s actually a lot more going on with them than just their physical storage and the diminutive size. Speed matters: an SD card meant primarily for reading documents or recording photos is not going [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Android project allows slot cars to be controlled via phone

Old school entertainment – meet the new school. Back in the day, kids (like yours truly) didn’t have super sweet gaming consoles and smartphones like we have today. So one method of entertainment for children back then was to race electric slot cars – most of the time launching them across the room with the trigger-style [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Pac-Man creator shows off graph paper with original game design

Since it’s still the world’s most well-known video game, we know a lot about the origins and development of Pac-Man. We know that Namco employee T
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Nexus One users start seeing Android 2.2 over-the-air updates

Back in May, we reported that Android 2.2 (Froyo) became official and we even provided a list of handsets which were expected to receive the latest Android OS as an update. Those phones included: Motorola Droid Google Nexus One Droid Incredible HTC Desire HTC Evo 4G myTouch Slide The Android 2.2 party really ramped up this week with the introduction of Droid [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

New Wii system update kills homebrew channels

No company is particularly happy about piracy of their software, and that is doubly true when it comes to consoles. Nintendo, in particular, have had a problem this generation with piracy thanks to the widespread availability of flash cards for the DS and the ease of hacking the Nintendo Wii to run Homebrew. In a new [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Netflix and Amazon disagree on the elimination of Saturday mail deliveries

Yesterday, the subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security held a hearing around the future of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) with one of the key topics being the elimination of Saturday deliveries to decrease costs. A number of witnesses appeared to speak on the issue including Paul Misener, Vice [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

SanDisk WORM SD card stores data for up to 100 years

SanDisk is offering the ultimate mobile solution to store and protect images as well as data. The 1GB SanDisk SD “write once read many” (WORM) cards have two major differences compared to a normal SD card. First, once data is written it is unalterable and secure. Second, any images or data written to the card [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

Google staff do community service

Working for Google isn’t all about free food and stock options. Each year, a growing number of staff at Google are taking time out from their cubicles and giving something back to their communities. The ‘GoogleServe’ idea is a simple one; participating Google staff (a.k.a ‘Googlers’) get time off from their day jobs to participate in [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

E3: Hands-on preview of Super Scribblenauts

When 5th Cell's Scribblenauts launched last September, gamers were ecstatic. We grabbed our copies of the game, giddily typed
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

Linux.com T-Shirt Design Contest has a winner

Back in March The Linux Foundation launched a new store for Linux enthusiasts to buy t-shirts, mugs, hats, stickers etc., carrying designs to support the Linux cause. At the same time a promotion was started called the Linux.com T-Shirt Design Contest. The contest drew over 100 submissions which were whittled down to 6 finalists, and [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

Borders enters e-reader price war with Kobo $20 gift card offer

Earlier this week the e-reader price war began. Barnes & Noble launched the first salvo by announcing it was dropping its traditional Nook model from $259 to $199 in addition to offering a Wi-Fi only model for just $149. Amazon quickly responded the same day by dropping the standard Kindle model from $259 to just [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

iPhone 4 is slower than iPad, benchmarks indicate

Several benchmarks put iPhone 4 in almost the same league as its bigger brother iPad. While the fourth-generation iPhone emerged 31 percent faster in typical processing tasks and CPU computations over the iPhone 3GS, it came in slightly behind iPad. This is a brief summary of the benchmarks conducted directly on the devices using the $5 [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Gateway

Gateway
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Free Just Cause 2 DLC offers players gun-toting Tuk Tuk

The Tuk Tuk is a three-wheeled car seen in Asian countries and open-world video games where bumbling around 20mph is never quite ideal. Bumbling around 20mph with a giant cannon mounted on top, however, is quite another matter.
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Motion Computing offers up the J3500 rugged tablet PC

Motion Computing has announced the launch of their latest rugged tablet PC. The J3500 Tablet PC comes with a 12.1″ LED backlit widescreen display made using Gorilla glass coupled with an anti-smear coating for visibility. Touchscreen input is catered for through a capacitive dual touch system allowing for digitizer or touch input as well as [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

EA sale reduces 17 iPhone games to $0.99 for the rest of today

EA is having a sale on its iPhone games with the price of each being dropped to just $0.99. The full list of games in the offer includes: COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT (was $6.99) FIFA 10 (was $4.99) MADDEN NFL 10 (was $6.99) Need for Speed Shift (was $6.99) Need For Speed Undercover (was $4.99) SimCity (was $2.99) Dragon
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

26% of iPhones break within two years

With most mobile networks pushing us into having 24 month contracts you’d expect the handset that comes with such a contract to last the full two years. If that phone happens to be an iPhone there’s a good chance it won’t. SquareTrade Inc. which provides extended warranties for iPhone, has stated that the failure rate of [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Halo: Reach prequel to become graphic novel

Master Chief's indoctrination into the Spartan leagues will be captured in comic book form this September, Marvel announced Tuesday. Marvel Comics and Halo brand watchers 343 Industries will adapt Eric Nylund's bestselling novel, Halo: Fall of Reach, into a graphic fiction.
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Nintendo hasn

About a year ago, Nintendo unveiled the Vitality Sensor, an accessory for the Wii that brought a gamer’s own pulse into the game by ensconcing their finger like a splint. Everybody expected that Nintendo would have released it by now, but E3 2010 came and went, and the Vitality Sensor was nowhere in sight. Had [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

iPhone 4 teardown: Easy battery replacement and less dropped calls

iPhone 4 is the simplest iPhone to replace the battery in, while its intelligent chips and steel frames doubling as antennas should result in less dropped calls. The iFixIt team is once again the first out of the blocks with their iPhone 4 teardown analysis that confirms pretty much everything Steve Jobs said during his WWDC [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Iwata: Nintendo 3DS could do 3D video chat

If a stray comment by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is anything to go by, Nintendo doesn’t just see their upcoming handheld gaming console the 3DS as a competitor to Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices… they also intend to use it to compete with Apple’s own videochat format, FaceTime. Talking to Forbes magazine, Iwata said: [...]
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more