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CompUSA Throws in the Towel, Sells to a Liquidator

While the rumor has been floating around all week, the Wall Street Journal reports CompUSA has been sold to a liquidation firm, effectively putting the company out of business. The move is largely based on declining sales, with the company speculated to only do $1.5 billion in sales this year (compared to $4 billion last year). While it will be open through the holidays, the company is actively working to sell and/or close its 103 retail stores. Can you say clearance deals? [WSJ]

Newspaper Brick Maker Transforms Funnies into Yule Logs

The Newspaper Brick Maker is the perfect device to add a little eco friendly to your pyro transgressions. You fill the brick maker with wet pieces of newspaper. The brick maker (and a bit of your muscle, were sure) smashes out the liquid while smashing together the paper. Allow the brick to dry and, at long last, you have a decent excuse to watch Garfield pay for his cinematic sins. And for $29.98, it's a legitimately a neat gift and perfect for that neighbor who is always asking to take those fallen branches off your hands. I have a fire pit, too, asshole! And mine is copper. [product via dvice]

Darth Vader Wii, Please Don't Buy it Now for $15,000

The Star Wars Vader Edition Wii is pretty hot. While we could honestly do without the Star Wars theme in our living rooms (at least while company visits), the black finish and corresponding red LED gives us visions of just how good a touch of the dark side could be for the Nintendo Wii. Screw cute, family friendly pastels. We want coal, blood and steel. And we want it to spew raw meat for our ingestion. Oh, and it'd be nice if it didn't cost $15,000.

To be fair, that's just the "buy it now" price...which maybe for this one listing should be renamed "I think Star Wars fans are both geeky AND stupid and/or I wanted to get good publicity" price. But you could (and will) end up snagging it for far less since there's no reserve. It also includes Wii Play ($10 value) and they've gone through the trouble of painting not one but two Wiimotes and nunchuks "Vader" black ($14,740 value). Well in that case, here's my Paypal. [ebay via technabob]

TomTom ONE XL Will Get You To Grandmas in a Timely Manner this Year

In case you don't remember where your family lives this holiday season, you could ask for a TomTom ONE XL. This device has a gigantic 4.3-inch LCD screen. It also obviously includes TomTom's mapping software, that is a personal favorite of mine. Slap one of these on your windshield and you will be one heck of a hip and trendy driver and be able to find your way around, easily. It is available for $250. [Product Page]

New York, Rockefeller Christmas Tree, What A Sight

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is going "greener" -- with energy-saving lights replacing old-fashioned bulbs on the towering evergreen this year.

Via CNN

Celebrities & The Iphone, Upside Down?

I wonder, Is she telling him that the iPhone is upside down?

Hello Kitty New Phone And Headsets

The Nokia Eseries in Hello Kitty colors


And the all new Bluetooth headset, wrapped in a very fancy box even.

Turn Your Nokia N95 Into A Fully Functional Wii Remote Using Nokmote

Get your N95 looking like a Wiimote !

Available on December

More infos: Bysamir.fr

Rip Saw UGV Tank Fast as a Motorcycle, Yours For Only $200,000

First introduced in 2005, the Rip Saw is about to hit the market with a $200,000 price tag. The custom-built UGV can hit 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, go 80 mph, and can maneuver over any surface or terrain a tank can. And the video is pretty good; watch as it drives through a barn as if it were the cardboard boxen your handset came in.

The privately-funded Rip Saw was first built by the Howe brothers for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Though the Rip Saw didn't win, its video certainly turned some heads, enough to find funding to build more than one. I normally don't get too excited about military shit like this, but any machine that can obliterate an wood shack with ease and turn donuts on snow wins my heart. Check out the 2005 teaser vid to see what i mean. [Howe and Howe via Red Ferret via Geekologie]

Nokia N92 Unboxing

I'm just dreaming of unboxing the N95 8GB versions for myself.

Plane Crash Test, 800Km/h Into A Concrete Wall

How cool is that, the plane just turned to dust.

Sharing your Ipod with miShare

A brand new device for music sharing. It wouldn't be any surprise if we weren't talking about Ipod's. Apple is all about set to using only one library, only compatible with Itunes and all that, could this device change all of that? No info on the device is specified yet, just a mere price is listed on the home site $99.95. So if it's a rumor or not, and if it's useful or not, no idea, we'll just have to wait and see.

How To House-fully Charge your Ipod

Weird as it could seem but it looks like it's really possible to charge your Ipod with an onion stuffed up with Gatorade, I'm guessing some serious juice is in that drink, literally.

Source: HouseHoldHacker

Gas Stations And Google Maps

Google is slowly but surely taking over almost everything, Who would have guessed they would even be present in gas stations, free maps for the road, and other helpful solutions. I wonder where does the Google supremacy end? If I'm not mistaken in the states there's a law which says that no one can hold supremacy in one's field. That is the reason why Microsoft has been in and out of courts with the US Government for so many years, yet I haven't heard on any action being taken on Google.
Some of you might think that Yahoo is the alternative to Google, but let's be honest, when was the last time someone made a search on yahoo or stuff like that. Yahoo is just there because of the Messenger, and everybody is used to that and that alone.

P.s. (Rumor) When Microsoft continuously won the suits intended by the US government, the US started founding Apple to be able to be a competitor for them, because they said:

Ok, we're number one, so give us a competitor.

I wonder...

Dell's Multi-touch PC

One Vote Or An Ipod Touch?

By a recent study by the CultOfMac they concluded that 1 out of 5 New York University students would trade in their vote for a new Ipod Touch.

So what? Who else from Romania wouldn't trade in their vote for even the lousiest device, not for something that costs about three times a normal wage...

Samsung And The 128Gb Memory Card

So it seems that samsung has been on a roll lately with an announcement on November 10 concerning the launch of the 64Gb chip, and now they've pumped it up to a stunning 127Gb. The secret to such a capacious offering is a new manufacturing process dubbed self-aligned double patterning technology (SaDPT), which has enabled the firm to create the "world's first" 64Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chip using 30-nanometer process technology.

This is a lot of space for such a small device, especially for use with everyday applications, high definition movies, and other personal stuff.

Source: Cnet

Having some fun in space

glumbert - Space Playground

New Microsoft Zune 2 Ad

Android Demo

Bling! Gold Plated iPhone Hits UK

Regular readers will know how I feel about the frivolous decoration of gadgets, from junky fake jewels to Rain Forest killing tchotchkes. However, a few things redeem this gold plated iPhone from Britain. First, the supplier is called Goldstriker, a name worthy of a stuntman or pornstar. Second, it really doesn't look too bad. If gold plating could be understated, this would be it.

Wired: Continue reading "Bling! Gold Plated iPhone Hits UK" »

Pedal your way to a fully-charged laptop

As someone who sits at home in front of a computer all day every day, I can — like Richard to Tommy in Tommy Boy — actually hear myself getting fatter.

So the thought of sitting all day every day in an apparatus that forces me to expend energy in order to provide power to my lifeline to the outside world and device by which I earn money for food, shelter, and clothing is intriguing to me.

Such is the "pedal-powered laptop" being developed by a group of MIT students. I live near MIT and every time I’m over near the campus, I like to look at all the people and try to figure out who’s legitimately an insane homeless person and who’s a genius that’s been working on a project like this and hasn’t slept or showered in a week. If you’re one of the latter, nice work!

The students "predicted that a bicyclist should be able to produce up to 75 watts continuously–far more than the 30 watts needed to power the laptop."

Students get charge out of pedal power [MIT News]

Source: CrunchGear

Nokia Nseries Countdown?

Nokia's Nseries page just turned into a countdown, what is it for, and why did they chose this approach, I honestly don't have any idea. This could concern the new and highly anticipated N82 says Engadget or will it be something else, we'll just have to wait and see.

2 days and 9 h remaining... Stay tuned

New Zeiss Lenses Aim for Infrared

High-end lensmaker Carl Zeiss has introduced several new lenses optimized to grab light from the infrared end of the spectrum. The Planar T 85mm f/1.4 and Distagon 25mm f/2.8 ZF-IR lenses are intended for forensic and scientific applications.

But anyone who's done a little experimentation with infrared photography knows there's plenty of fun to be had if you drop that prejudice in favor of the visible part of the light spectrum

Zeiss announces infrared-optimized lenses [Adorama]

Source: Wired

Microsoft's Surface Delayed... Again

While the tech demos are always sure to draw a crowd, Microsoft's Surface is still having trouble making it past the prototype stage. Originally slated to show up in a few commercial venues this year, applications of the tech have been pushed back to next spring at the earliest. Microsoft has plans to build devices for Sheraton hotels, Harrah's casinos and T-Mobile retail spots, but CNET reports that all the custom software needed and a lack of a one-size-fits-all solution for customers has Microsoft struggling to ship anything just yet. That said, there's still plenty of interest in Surface -- Microsoft says it's received 2,000+ inquiries from companies around the world and in many industries -- and while initial versions of the tabletop device are going to range from $5,000 to $10,000, Microsoft hopes to have a consumer-affordable version in three to five years.

Read more: Cnet News
Source: Engadget

Melody Road, @ Japan

...the 'melody road', can be seen above and the grooves are between 6 and 12mm apart: the narrower the interval, the higher the pitch. these stretches of road, each playing a different tune, can currently be found in 3 places in japan - hokkaido, wakayama and gunma - with the optimum musical speed being a depressingly slow 28mph

They did it again, another out of reality invention to keep you entertained while driving. I guess if someone steals your cd/mp3 player you can still drive home listening to some "custom made" music.

Source: TecheBlog
Read more: Gizmodo

BlackBerry Sues Over Fruity Names

Gosh, nobody could have predicted this, given how rare intellectual property disputes have become lately: BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has sued LG Electronics, claiming that new phone models named Black Label, Strawberry and Black Cherry infringe on the BlackBerry name.

RIM earlier settled out of court with Samsung over similar charges relating to its BlackJack wireless thingie.

Motorola reportedly is reconsidering its plans for the new Red Currant and Tangelo models.

RIM sues LG over phone names [Globe and Mail]

Source: Wired

Nissan introduce noua vopsea.. "cameleon"

Anuntul celor de la Nissan a starnit interesul aproape tuturor automobilistilor. Acestia vor sa complice putin existenta politiei banuiesc eu, facand posibila schimbarea culorii vopselei masinii, cand aceasta primeste intensitatea potrivita. Oare cum ar fii sa stai seara sa te gandesti ce culoare sa ai maine la masina, sau sa poti sa-ti asortezi masina dupa hainele pe care le porti, sau doar dupa starea de spirit, desi pare prea SF, cei de la Nissan exact asta au reusit.

Inventia care pare ceva din filmele SF, foloseste polymeri si feroxizi care devin vizibili la o anumita intensitate. Fara un flux de intensitate, masina revine la culoarea de baza, adica alba. Cei de la Nissan spera ca aceasta tehnologie va fii disponibila pentru productia in masa pana in 2010.

Oare ce va urma in continuare? Night rider, si alte masini care faceau tot felul de chestii in filme se pare ca vor deveni din ce in ce mai reale. Eu unul astept cu nerabdare sa vad toate lucrurile care se vor putea inventa.

Read More: Nissan's Magical Electrical Paint Changes Colors On The Fly [Mobile Mag]
sursa: Wired

How to enable Time Machine on unsupported volumes

Although we've been mostly happy with Leopard, one of the features we were most looking forward to was the ability to set Time Machine to use a NAS volume like Airport Disk, thus making laptop backups wireless and sexy (well, sort of sexy) instead of wired and cumbersome. Sadly, Apple cut the feature at the last minute, but as with all things OS X, nirvana is usually just a defaults write command away, and Volker Weber has got it sorted for us. Just pop open a terminal window and enter:



defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

and you should be able to select NAS volumes in the Time Machine prefs. Of course, you should only re-enable this for giggles -- we don't know why Apple turned it off to begin with, and it could very well be full of bugs and hose your data. Considering some of the other glitches that have cropped up in Time Machine, we'd actually recommend staying well away from this one, but if you're desperate, by all means -- go for it and let us know how it works in comments!

More: Vove.net
Source: Engadget

EDGE Tech offers up 12-inch digital photo frame

We've got a strange feeling that digiframes are going to be relatively hot this holiday season, but maybe the sudden rash of offerings are just coincidentally launching weeks before Black Friday. Regardless of the reasons, EDGE Tech is hitting us up with a 12-inch version of its own, which features a decent 800 x 600 resolution, USB connectivity, support for AVI, BMP, JPEG, MPEG1/2/4, WAV and WMA files, and flash card inputs that play nice with SD, MMC, Memory Stick, MS Pro, CompactFlash and Microdrive. It shouldn't shock you to hear that this piece also handles automatic slideshows and can even sing back via the integrated stereo speakers, and while there's no option for WiFi here, it'll only run you $129.95 after rebate.

More: DigitalTechNews
Source: Engadget

Instructions posted for downgrading iPhone from 1.1.2 to 1.1.1

It looks like those having regrets about upgrading their iPhone to the 1.1.2 firmware now have a means of bringing their prized device back to the comforts of 1.1.1, although the process is apparently not without its faults. According to the instructions recently posted on the Hackintosh forums, you'll first need to snag a copy of the 1.1.1 ipsw firmware file, then you simply follow three relatively easy steps to dial things back to 1.1.1, after which you'll have to follow a couple of additional steps to re-activate the phone itself. On the downside, it appears that IPSF won't work on an iPhone downgraded using these measures, although an update to fix that particular problem certainly doesn't seem to be out of the question. Hit up the read link below for the complete step-by-step details.

Sorce: Engadget
Read more: Hackint0sh

Pentru momentele in care cineva vorbeste mult prea tare la mobil

Chiar ar fii cazul sa mai fie respectate si acele indicatoare care interzic folosirea telefoanelor mobile sau macar sa existe bunul simt in unele locuri publice unde lumea poate ar dori sa se bucure de putina liniste, sa poarte o conversatie, sa nu fie persoane care urla cat ii tin plamanii la telefon... Dar totusi codul bunelor maniere si al bunului simt e departe de noi...

AOTS builds "world's largest arcade machine"

We've never really watched much of Attack of the Show, but we hear it's hosted by some nerdy types that are somehow better looking than us -- which simply can't be correct. All that aside, those (debatably) sexy nerds have taken it upon themselves to build the world's largest arcade machine, and even invited over the Guinness Book of World Records folks to check it out on tonight's show. The arcade machine stands more than 13-feet tall, sports a 70-inch or so screen, and probably runs Doom. The show airs tonight at 7PM on G4, where hopefully they'll unveil the specs behind this bad boy.

More: G4Tv
source: Engadget

Gigabyte's Visuals: the USB gauge for your PSU

We don't want you to get your hopes all sky high for nothin', so we'll preface this by noting that Gigabyte's Visuals only operates with the firm's Odin GT-series of power supplies. For those still with us, this monitor-mountable gizmo enables users to keep a close eye on the temperature, power and fan speed of their PSU, and it gets all the juice / information it needs via USB. Granted, it's probably overkill for all but the most hardcore of overclockers, but no one here ever said that extravagance was necessarily a bad thing. Look for this one to land anytime for a currently undisclosed price, and hey, maybe next year Gigabyte will open up the compatibility list a bit, eh?

More: OhGizmo
Source: Engadget

Google Maps + N95's internal GPS

The coolest feature that I've found in the ten minutes I've been playing with it is the ability to save a search result directly to the Contacts application! It automatically fills in all the address fields correctly. I'm a huge fan of that.

You can get the install directly on your N95 by going to www.google.com/gmm in the phone's browser. I have no clue if this works on other devices, or if it works with a Bluetooth GPS unit. Anyone care to test and report back?

Watch this space, also, as I'll be doing a side-by-side comparison vs. Nokia Maps and should have that up next week sometime.

sursa: Symbian-Guru

Cantarul de calorii

Inca o inventie aproape total inutila, dar care poate totusi si-ar gasi locul in casele unora dintre voi, care urmeaza o dieta mai stricta, sau care doar vor sa aiba grija de silueta lor.

Totusi a castigat un premiu de argint pentru design la "Samsung Young Design awards" fiind si elegand si folositor.

sursa: Yanko

iPhone 1.1.2 va fii lansat maine pe piata mondiala...

Noua versiune 1.1.2 va fii lansata maine pe piata mondiala. Dar cred ca sunt putini cei care asteapta cu nerabdare aceasta versiune, tinand cont aceasta versiune e incompatibila cu celebrul jailbreak, care facea posibila rularea de diverse aplicatii pe telefon. Totusi vor fii ceva imbunatatiri minore care vor consta in voice memmos, si ceva functie de posibilitate de manangement al hdd-ului...

Oare cine ar renunta la posibilitatea de a avea mult mai multe programe pe telefon, jocuri, si alte chestii doar pentru asa ceva? Dar cum binenteles cei de la Apple nu sunt prea curiosi de ceea ce vrea lumea...

p.s. Oare ar putea sa stie cineva care e scopul mai nou al celor de la apple? Unii ar putea sa strige instant ceva de genu: "Cat mai multi bani!" afirmatie care ca prima vedere ar fii corecta si total adevarata pe piata capitalista, dar de ceva timp apple nu mai accepta plati cash pentru iphone-uri, alegand varianta cartilor de credit, pentru a limita vanzarea maxima a 2 bucati/ persoana... Totusi tinand cont ca din 1 mil de bucati vandute doar 250.000 sunt active pe AT&T furnizorul oficial, a fost cam o mica mare lovitura.

sursa: Pocket-lint

AMD announces FireStream 9170, first dedicated stream processor

The true computing geeks in the house are about to need adult diapers: AMD's launching a dedicated stream processor, the FireStream 9170, and an accompanying SDK today, which will be available in Q108. Granted, this 55nm "world's first Stream GPU with double-precision floating point technology" will run you two grand, but you'll be getting 500 GFLOPS at under 150 watts power draw, but you'll get all the insane math-crunching benefits of stream processing that your current number-crunching rig isn't seeing, despite the eight 8800s you've got jury-rigged into the thing. Press release after the break. Read more about stream processing here (because we're reall in no position to lecture on its benefits).

Continue reading AMD announces FireStream 9170, first dedicated stream processor

source: Engadget

Wind Shade Roof Keeps You Cool, Friendly With Al Gore

The Wind Shade Roof is basically a large roof (surprise) decked out with an arsenal of wind turbines that perform the combo power of providing shade and electricity to whatever's below or around it. Michael Jantzen's rendering of his concept shows it employed over a pool in the middle of the desert—where it's powering all of the lights, maintenance, etc.—making for all kinds of cool blues to make a neat idea look pretty sexy too. Also, check out his massive portfolio of future-y convention-busting designs.


[Michael Jantzen via Groovy Green via Sci-Fi Tech]

Automatic Dog Washer Looks Like Waterboarding for Pets

I don't understand a word of the video because I don't understand the language of surrender, but I don't need to in order to see that the dogs trapped inside of this $30,000 contraption for the four minutes of washing and drying aren't exactly experiencing jouissance. They're dogs, not designer jeans, people. And the guy that climbed inside to show it's safe is probably a plant who loves pain. [Key TV via Spluch]

source: Gizmodo

Is the HTC Omni the Google Android 'Dream' Phone?

The possible gPhone prototype we pointed out yesterday named the "Dream" might just be this HTC Omni communicator. The first reason is that HTC's actually seen and commented on the internal Google prototype, even going so far as to consider developing a real version of the reference design. Unwired View matches up the description of the device to the leaked specs of the HTC Omni, which mesh quite well in both size, shape and functionality. So is this the real "Google Phone" design? If so, it looks less like a phone and more like a fancy—and pants tearingly-large—communicator. We wouldn't have our Google Phone any other way. [Unwired View]

Sony Ericsson Updates Walkman Phone Line With W890 and W380

The two latest Walkman phones from Sony Ericsson, the W890 and W380, continues their music-focused approach by loading up Walkman Player 3.0, the newest release of their player software. The W890 has features we've seen before, such as FM radio, 3G HSDPA, SensMe tempo and mood detector, Stereo Bluetooth, a 3.2-megapixel camera and quad-band GSM. The W380 on the other hand has TrackID (which identifies songs), gesture control (think of a Wiimote), and music controls on the back of the phone. It looks like the W890 is a Europe and Asia-only affair for now, while the W380 is coming soon. Full gallery of these hotness phones after the jump.

source si mai mult: Gizmodo

Bookeen Cybook V3 Puts a Soundtrack to Your eBooks

The last time we talked about the Bookeen Cybook was in 2004, so we're keen on seeing what new features made it into their Gen3 device. In short, now their eReader can handle 8,000 page turns in a single charge (that's more than all the Harry Potters combined), an SD slot, RSS reading, and MP3 playback for listening to music while reading. It's $350, which isn't cheap compared to even Sony's reader, but Sony's doesn't let you jam out to The Hives while enjoying Dumbledore's latest wand adventure. [Bookeen via Techie Diva via Uber Review]

source: Gizmodo

ATM Hello Kitty pentru fetitele care deja incep sa aiba pasiune pentu banuti

Incet incet nu ma mai mira nimic, acuma a aparut un aparat pentru fetite, sper... ca sa poata sa invete si ele de mici cum sa scoti bani cat mai repede de la un bancomat? Totusi nu cred ca vor putea sa scoata bani pe credit, dar daca va introduce banuti ii vor putea scoate dupa ceva timp cu cardul inclus in pachet.

Totusi cred ca mai mult daca ai nevoie de ceva pinky in camera mai bine apelezi la putina vopsea.

sursa: Crave
original: KittyHell

Melodia din Mario cantata de 2 tesla-uri

Oare cat de dureros ar fii sa ajungi in mijlocul celor doua?

sursa: Gizmodo

Nokia's Haptikos Technology Makes Physical Keyboards Obsolete, Hopefully

Nokia has been working on a very promising technology, called Haptikos, and it is now coming to fruition after 10 years in the making. The new technology promises a true tactile response for touchscreen text input methods. Though basic vibration methods are currently in place to provide a form of haptic response, Nokia's efforts will literally relay the sensation and sound of a physical keyboard click—right beneath your finger. The Senior Program Manager at Nokia's research lab, Roope Takala, explained how the engineers were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible:

"The basic technology is not that difficult...we inserted two small piezo sensor pads under the screen and engineered in a 0.1mm movement in the screen itself. What's taken the time has been fine tuning the movement and response to mimic exactly the sensation of pressing a real key."

As mentioned, the new system needs fine tuning to get everything spot on, but the guys over at Red Ferret gave it a try as it stands currently. Here's what they said:

"...it was hard to remember that you were using a touchscreen keyboard."

That assertion makes our hairs stand on end. If true, the implications are seriously vast. The Nokia S60 shall be the first device to support the technology under its hood, but it is unknown when it shall be released. We wait patiently, with our legs crossed and our hearts longing. Oh Nokia, will thou teach the torches to burn bright? We hope so. [Red Ferret]

source: Gizmodo

Cigarette Machine to Teens: "Get Outta Here Ya Damn Kids!"

Listen up, Japanese teens: vending machine maker Fujitaka Co. is on to your sneaky cigarette-buying ways, and has created a machine that uses a camera and face recognition software to try and stop you. The machine takes your picture when you press the "Adult Recognition" button, and analyzes your face for wrinkles and sagging. If it thinks you aren't saggy enough, you must insert your license for age verification. In a test of 500 people, the machine spotted adults with 90% accuracy. Looks like the big kid with the crustache sitting at the back of your math class is about to be your new best friend; at least until you smoke enough to get wrinkled and buy cigarettes on your own. [Textually via The Raw Feed].

source: Gizmodo

Boy Pays Hitman to Off His Parents After Taking His Playstation Away

16-year-old Cory Ryder is awaiting trial for hiring a hitman to wack his parents because they took away his Playstation. But the man paid to do the job wasn't a hitman, but an undercover cop...hired by the kid's mother. Ryder caught a ride from his mom's friend to go meet the "hitman," and offered up his stepdad's pickup as payment. He was quickly taken into custody where he is being held for attempted murder. While I'm sure every "parents with too much free time" group will use this to pin all of society's problems on videogames, Ryder's commitment to his PlayStation cannot be questioned. [The Times UK via PS3 Forums]

source: Gizmodo

Apple iPad Touch Tablet Mock-Up Is Shiny, iPhone-y

Aesthetically, Factory Joe's "iPad Touch" tablet mockup doesn't wholly differ from the pretty slick one our own Jesus Diaz conjured with his magic Photoshop fingers, but it does ratchet up the iPhone design elements. Oh, and MacBook Touch is a much better, if less reflective, name in our book. Another shot after the jump or scope the rest over there. [Factory Joe via Gadget Lab]

source: Gizmodo

Microsoft says goodbye to the social

AdAge has a piece profiling the "180" Microsoft made in marketing the Zune; many have already seen this year's far less, shall we say, esoteric ads, but few (including us) realized the new hardware's marketing onslaught was the result of Microsoft's doubling -- even quadrupling -- its Zune ad budget, switching advertising firms (which resulted in those trippy Flash sites), and, oh yeah, killing off "the social". Sorry obsessive Zune guy, we hate to be the bearers of bad news but the truth can be hidden no longer. "You make it you" is officially confirmed as the new brand tagline and the ever-so-slightly-less-grammatically-correct "Welcome to the social" is deader than a WiFi-shared song after three plays. So now that we don't have to worry about the ever-lingering peer pressure to get social, does that mean we can loosen up a little and start to proudly love our still-virginal Zunes just as they are?

[Via PaidContent]

source: Engadget

Alianta Google fara Nokia pe telefonie mobila

de Vlad Matei | 05 Noiembrie 2007

Google stabili astazi strategia in sectorul telefoniei mobile, care include un software pentru telefoane si o alianta cu mai multi furnizori de servicii wireless si retaileri, au declarat surse apropiate situatiei, citate de Reuters.

Printre partenerii Google se numara Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile - divizia din Statele Unite a Deutsche Telekom, Motorola si Samsung Electronics, au adaugat sursele.
Telefoanele mobile ar putea fi lansate la jumatatea anului 2008.
"Google incearca sa castige competitia din sectorul telefoanelor mobile, pentru o audienta mai mare", au spus sursele, care au adaugat ca alianta, al carei obiectiv este extinderea navigarii pe Internet de pe telefoanele mobile, are peste 25 de membri.


Nokia, lider pe piata producatorilor de telefoane mobile, nu va face parte din aceasta alianta.
Google a recunoscut in repetate randuri ca utilizarea telefoanelor mobile pentru navigarea pe Internet reprezinta principala alternativa de crestere a companiei in perioada urmatoare, dar nu a reusit sa intre pe aceasta piata.
Spre deosebire de computerele personale, domeniu dominat de software-ul produs de Microsoft, telefoanele mobile functioneaza pe baza unor sisteme multiple, uneori incompatibile, companiile fiind nevoite sa adapteze software-ul propriu la fiecare dispozitiv.

Google a negociat cu Verizon Wireless, o companie mixta formata Verizon Communications si Vodafone Group, cu privire la dotarea telefoanelor pe care le comercializeaza, cu software-ul Google, au declarat, saptamana trecuta, surse apropiate situatiei.
Toate companiile implicate au refuzat sa comenteze subiectul.

Sursa: Hit.ro, Mediafax

"Reclama" de introducere pentru viitorul gPhone

Samsung announces 64GB SATA II drives in 2.5, 1.8-inch varieties

All familiar things: Samsung, SSD flash drives, SATA II, 2.5 and 1.8-inch sizes (read: laptop and portable media device sizes, respectively), 100MBps write / 120MBps read, up to 64GB (again). Not that they stated prices, but we're not even asking.

[Via Akihabara News]

source: Engadget

Charge your USB gadgets by breathing

USB devices do everything these days, including charge your gadgets with only the power provided by your breathing: specifically, the act of moving one's chest in and out. Just in case you thought this required sticking a gadget down your throat, see the image above and note that it's attached to the outside of the model's chest. The instructions for building your own breathing powered USB charger are over at instructables, and the kit only requires simple equipment like a spare CD drive, some elastic bands, and an electric circuit. You've got all that lying around, ain't ya? Well then, stick it all together and get breathing. Unfortunately, it only produces around 5 volts, so you'll have to breath a lot whole lot to get any meaningful charging time from this invention. And don't even think about attaching it to the cat.

[Via Gadgets-Weblog]

source: Engadget

LG's KS20 now available in Europe

Oi, say 'ello to 12.8-mm thin LG KS20, the 3.2Mbps HSDPA cuz to their KU990 touchscreen hottie. Although the KS20 shares much of the looks of the KU990, they've actually trimmed back the display to 2.8-inches (compared to 3-inches on the KU990) while acing that 5.1 megapixel shooter for a skimpy, business-minded 2 megapixeler all riding atop a Windows Mobile 6.0 OS. Expected Q4 in Europe running on some of that Vodafone carrier action, at least. We'll be sure to get up close and personal with it at IFA later in the week if that's ok with you. Thought so.

source: Engadget