Want to get media onto your TV using some of that fancy DLNA standard hardware? You still might be at a loss for which media center software is right for you, but now there's a handy chart.
It looks like there's always going to be a tradeoff when choosing software to move media from your PC to a PS3, Xbox 360 or any of the other DLNA-compatible hardware that plugs into your TV. PlayOn, for example, has built-in support for Hulu, ESPN, CNN, Netflix, and CBS—but it costs $40 and can't handle RSS, audio or photo streaming. For our money, we'd go with TVersity, mostly because there's no money involved. [TubeCentric]
Sony, which we've blasted in the past for an insistence on proprietary formats, will support the open standard ePub format for its ebook readers. Open, of course, doesn't mean "free of DRM": This is really a jab at Amazon.
ePub, a format created by Random House and a network of other publishers, is designed to stop the kind of monopoly on ebooks that Apple enjoys over legal digital music sales. As one of the biggest names to officially jump into the ebook game, Sony throws a lot of weight behind ePub, which is currently supported by Plastic Logic as well. Of course, if Apple gets into the game, all bets are off, but if ePub can get a substantial share in the extremely young ebook market, it could mean a much more interesting future for ebook readers. [New York Times]
iPhone Playing Cards Coulda Fooled Me...A Topographical Map for Your Beloved...300 GI Joes To Take Kansas City By Parachute...Ms. Pac-Man Becomes Ms. Mac-Man...
Since we all spend our days looking at 2D representations of 3D gadgets, it's only natural to be totally thrown off by these iPhone playing cards. They look incredible, and from the vantage point of your computer screen, you'd have a hard time telling them from real iPhones. Ultimately, though, they are flippin' playing cards, so like shut up and deal. [Engadget]
For originality, I give this a 10: You browse a map, select a geographical location on earth, and the service reads the topography of that location and turns it into a solid silver brooch. All for just over $300. But you know, cost notwithstanding, I'm just not sure what reaction I'd get if I turned to my beloved and said, "You know how I always say you remind me of the Himalayas?" [CrunchGear]
When I was a lad I loved my G.I. Joe action figures more than life itself, which is why a) I absolutely refuse to see that POS movie that just came out, and b) I was totally let down after reading the exciting Kansas City Star headline "Invasion: 300 G.I. Joes will parachute downtown." See, they're not talking about Snake Eyes and Roadblock and Scarlett. They're talking about those huge GI Joe dolls that nobody under the age of 50 even remembers. Screw that—I want to see 3000 of my old buddies parachuting down. Who will lead the charge? Rip Cord, baby. The real Rip Cord. [KC Star]
Though, like some other mods I could mention, this one ain't exactly beautiful, it represents one of the better puns in modding history. How do you bring a Ms. Pac-Man up to date? By giving her a Mac, of course. In this case, it's a Mac Mini. There's a lot of other tweaking going on, but the best touch is that, in the end, you can still play Ms. Pac-Man whenever you want. You just have to use the X-Arcade controller. Oh, and when you're using the computer portion, you still have to stand. So, like I said, Ms. Mac-Man is not exactly Heck-worthy. [Pixelated Geek]
With all the technological advances, it's easy to forget how devilishly beautiful bikes are. Designer Sean Denham and Renovo Bikes hope to change that perception with their new wooden frames.
JFK had it right, "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride." [Core77]
PreThinking compared brand-new Palm Pres with Pres from the original launch, and found a few nice hardware improvements. The tweaks address some of the Pre's minor problems, including a tendency to shut down when closed and the dreaded "Oreo effect."
A quick list of differences: On an Pre, a vigorous closing of the slider would sometimes result in the phone resetting due to a momentary gap between the connectors. The newer Pres have a little piece of foam in there to stop it from happening. The newer Pre models also have a different model of battery (no word on whether there's any performance difference), a different finish on the center button (pearl-colored to silver), and the Palm logo is now embossed on the included carrying pouch.
Whether Palm has addressed the hardware problems is much more difficult to discern. After surveying 20 users of the new Pres, PreThinking noted that none have complained of the Oreo effect (where the two halves of the phone rotate in an unnatural and heartbreaking way) or the tiny spidery cracks that appeared in the screen. On the other hand, these are new owners, unlikely to have encountered these problems anyway. So we're not really sure if the new phones are substantially more reliable, but it's good to see how fast Palm can adjust and alter Pre shipments. [PreThinking]
The 10A432 build of Snow Leopard is now being seeded, and like we said before, it's probably the final version of Snow Leopard that's going to be shipping.
The change from this version is that you have to install it from a fresh DVD/partition, so you can't just Software Update your old install like you could before. [Gear Live]
If you're a grass-is-always-greener type, you might have trouble settling on one type of chair: Arm or rocking. This Fotel chair is actually both, and manages to look pretty slick at the same time.
It looks like you can just rotate the non-seat part of the chair (carbon-fiber armrests and legs) while keeping the seat steady to transform it from a rocking chair to a standard armchair, which is such a simple idea we can't believe we haven't seen it before. The seat itself is made of stretchy elastic like in some office chairs and we can assume the whole chair is very light—but not inexpensive. We're not sure if the chair actually exists to be bought anywhere, but an idea this simple probably won't stay conceptual for long. [Yanko Design via Boing Boing Gadgets]
I thought female urinals were like an urban legend or something, you know, like a pizza joint that sells Chinese food and sushi and bagels, and everything is absolutely delicious. [Hate the Future via Buzzfeed]
Compiling data from corporate reports and Bernstein estimates, iSmashphone produced this eye-popping chart showing how much profit the iPhone generates compared to the rest of the industry. A previous estimate was a little more conservative (though still crazy). [iSmashphone]
A 17-inch notebook with a $350 MSRP? That's Walmart's Toshiba Satellite L355, which comes with 3GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive. Surprisingly, it's not garbage according to Laptop Mag, offering better specs than notebooks that cost $250 more. [Laptop]
There's a lot of speculation about the Apple tablet, but coming November, this is how my desk is going to look. Or at least, this is what I want. Check it in super high definition after the jump.
Click on the image to enlarge. Yes, this makes me wet.
That, my friends, is what I think we are getting.
The Apple tablet I want will run the same basic hardware as the iPhone, with extended video and system RAM to accommodate larger computing needs, perhaps with some limited multitasking for some applications. System RAM is a big system bottleneck right now, and it won't cost much to add enough to make things flow smoother. The video RAM will be necessary for the higher res of the 10 inch screen. The current iPhone CPU and graphic processor can handle all this well as they are. No need for changes. It will also be very thin. As thin as the iPod touch. Since its guts will be the same, but it will be a device with a larger surface, you also have more space for a larger battery.
Why do I think it will be this way? I believe the hardware will be dictated by economies of scale, which has been the norm since Jobs returned to Apple: Reusable components across each product family to keep costs down. In this case, the product family—which Jobs already alluded to in the past—is the iPhone OS-based product family. Right now, there are two products, as you know: iPhone and iPod touch. My wish is that iTablet or whatever it's called will be the third. That way, Apple would be able to build this cheaper—and keep the cost of the iPhone and iPod touch down if the tablet is successful.
Logically, the iTablet I want will run exactly the same OS as the rest of the product family. The OS will have the same kernel, the same classes, the same subsystems, the same database organization and the same file system. It will also have some new extra apps, and perhaps a few new gestures—which will trickle down the product line—but that's about it.
It will run the same applications, changed to accommodate more information thanks to the higher resolution in the screen. Some Apple and third-party ones will be tailored to the higher res, distributed in a package that will have both iPod-sized and tablet-sized graphic assets. Others—like Safari or games—will just enjoy the instant boost in resolution.
And that will be the beauty of it.
First, people who are afraid of computers—probably not you, the typical Giz reader, but most consumers out there—will love this device as much as they love their iPhones or iPod touches. Apple will keep mining the gold, and offering consumers this extremely easy-to-use interface that doesn't require any mental abstraction. Just click, touch and access the information, media or games you want, mixed with the occasional short mail or chat.
For developers, it's also a win-win situation. Same code, just add new assets. Same store, same distribution, more development opportunities.
The way I see it, the tablet will open the way to a new kind of computing, after the ages of computing for hobbyist, the age of the command line, and the age of the desktop user interface metaphor.
To me, this is where Star Trek starts, and War Games ends.
Electronic musician/producer Calvin Harris recreated his newest single, "Ready for the Weekend," by using conductive ink painted on the hands of 15 girls in bikinis. We, of course, post it in the interest of sharing this cool ink technology.
Basically, the ladies stand on conductive pads on the floor, and paint their (and Harris's) hands with the conductive skin-safe ink called Bare Conductive. When Harris slaps his hands against those of the ladies, a small current travels through their bodies and onto the pads on the floor, which triggers a sound, all without the girls feeling a thing. He uses eight models to play the main accompaniment, and the others perform a tightly-choreographed routine to create the rhythm. I trust all comments will be about this interesting ink. [Creative Review via Metafilter]
Palm has a problem with the Pre theme that has been floating around for Android phones. I could go on about copyright infringement, lawyers and other shenanigans, but the bottom line is that the skin is now discontinued.
It also appears that the iPhone version, Palm Prefection has also been nixed by Palm. Of course, Apple played the same card on several developers lifting the iPhone theme for WinMo and Palm phones a couple of years ago, so it looks as though you are going to have to stick with the phone you originally bought. I mean, if you are skinning your Android phone to look like a Pre, you should probably, you know, get a Pre. [EngadgetMobile via MobileCrunch]
The Pentax W80 is their latest in a long line of waterproof cams that take decent shots, but have always been my favorite because of their compact size. This one is a bit bigger, but gains ruggedization and depth.
The Price: $300
The Photos and Video: In sample shots on our kiteboarding trip and at the local beach, the W80 was not the best but sill surprisingly good. Compared to periscoped lens setups, the traditional internal 5x zoom lens made the 12mp shots look sharper than most other waterproof cameras. The 28mm equivalent lens was sharp edge to edge. Color was good, too.
But I noticed the lens was a little too slow to capture sharp motion underwater where light is rarer than on the surface. (The first sample shot I took in dim light triggered the flash where other models didn't need one.) Colors and exposure was fine, but the grunge resisting lens and lcd were only marginally helpful in combating substances like suntan lotion, grime and surfboard wax. Video is captured at up to 720p, but it didn't look so great. Face detection locked on pretty quickly, and there are several shake reduction capabilities, including digital and movie modes.
The Design: The casing is still one of the smallest and is by far the most pocketable ruggedized model around, but its only good for drops up to 3.3 feet. Models by Lumix and Olympus are far more rugged, although more Hummer-esque, too. Pentax's various scene modes are amongst the most useful around, and there's an simple button to switch between them, but that button and menu is also the only way to easily switch between video and still mode. Quite a chore.
The camera could use a design refresh, in all honesty, and more metal. But it's also good for winter sports, rated to function down to 14 degrees. I liked Pentax's optional floating wrist strap, too.
The Waterproofness: Good down to 16 feet, up from 13 feet in the last generation. Good enough for light to medium beach duty.
The Recommendation: My favorite rugged-ish waterproof camera when size is a consideration.
Compact considering its quasi-rugged chassis.
Decent shot quality.
There are tougher cams out there that take better photos, but only slightly so in all regards.
Could use a redesign, since the W60, W40 and W20 had similar cases.
Today's available gadgets covers everything from speakers to smartphones. iHome's high-end iPod and iPhone dock is up for grabs, along with a new laptop from Lenovo. The HTC Touch Pro2 is out as well, but watch out for the price.
• iHome's iP1 iPod and iPhone speaker dock we saw back in May started shipping yesterday, and it's certainly a far cry from the clock radio docks that the company is known for. The iP1 is iHome's first to use Bongiovi Acoustics' Digital Power Station audio enhancement, although the feature can be switched off if you wish. The speakers have a total output of 100w from two 4" woofers and 1" tweeters. On the video side, the dock sports both composite and component outputs. The iP1's lucite panel looks great, and the specs make it seem like a solid performer on paper. As with any speaker system, though, it's best to try before you buy. Available now for $299. [iHome via iPod NN]
• Lenovo's IdeaPad U450p is up for order as of today. The light-but-not-quite-ultralight 14" laptop packs an anti-glare LED-backlit LCD and an Intel ULV processor into a swanky brushed metallic body. The computer is available today starting at $799, but don't expect it to be waiting on your doorstep next week. Lenovo's pegged the estimated shipping date for mid-September. [Lenovo via Engadget]
• We posted about this earlier today, but for anyone that missed the notice, here's a reminder that the HTC Touch Pro2 is now available on T-Mobile. John's review goes over all the details, and it's definitely worth a read if you're thinking about grabbing one. Just be sure that HTC's latest has what you need, because the $349 asking price isn't easy to swallow. [T-Mobile]
Granted, this Street Fighter IV joystick cellphone strap is awesome, but it might have an adverse effect on your social life. You see, different joystick / button combinations produce voice clips from the game.
Needless to say, no one could resist peppering their cellphone conversations with the occasional "Hadouken!" It never stops being funny, so you end up doing it more and more—cycling through the voice commands throughout your conversation. After a while, your friends stop calling and you eventually die a sad and lonely death. It's a slippery slope. A limited edition of 1000 pieces are selling for around $13 a pop. [Game Watch via Joystiq]
This week Lifehacker's got a good way to manage your porn, back up your online accounts, make your own disgusting sports drinks and make good playlists.
For all the interesting hardware crammed into any given eBook reader, they can't really do that much. That is, unless they've got a "Sony" badge on their foreheads, and you've got a little bit of spare time.
Sony's PRS readers run a stripped down variant of Linux, which apparently makes loading homebrew code fairly straightforward. Some users have found ways to change fonts, icons and graphics, as well as to remap keys, and even add rudimentary applications, like dictionaries and and basic games. (Hey, Sudoku!) The Register has a simple guide to the process—it doesn't involve much more than cooking up a special SD card—which, at least at the moment, won't net you a huge amount of new functionality. But the promise is there, and the floodgates seem to have opened, so why not?
There's no way to know if these kinds of hacks will work on the latest batch of PRS readers, because while they're also Linux-based, but Sony hasn't been terribly accommodating to homebrewers in the past. Let's just say it's conceivable that they've done a little code-caulking here and there. We'll have to see, but PRS-505 users, go forth! [The Register via BBG]
So you can't afford a full-sized Batman Tumbler from The Dark Knight. But maybe you can afford a go kart sized one! That's something, right?
Well, it's not for sale, but the plans for it are. Yes, you can build your own sad little Tumblr for $30 and an existing go kart. Then you can drive up to Christopher Nolan's house and pitch yourself as Robin in the next movie. I don't see how you can go wrong! [eBay via Jalopnik]
Palm Pre's webOS, besides juggling your life or whatever that creepy girl says, sends information back to the mothership periodically, like what apps you've installed and how much you've used 'em. And location data. Wait. What? Updated.
That's right, part of the data package it delivers to Palm includes your GPS location, according to Joey Hess, on top of ever webOS app you use, and how long you use it:
The first thing sent is intended to be my GPS location. It's the same location I get if I open the map app on the Pre. Not very accurate in this case, but I've seen it be accurate enough to find my house before.
Pre Central makes the most out of the info, breaking down their privacy policy and who they're allowed to share it with.
Palm will most definitely be attempting to "clear up" this bit of information, but in the meantime, what's apparent is that the Pre uploads your GPS location to Palm to the best of its ability, and that's just feels a little creepy, even if we're all totally used to broadcasting our location all the time anyway.
Update: As expected, Palm comes through with a clarification, via PhoneScoop:
"Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off. Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience. For instance, when location based services are used, we collect their information to give them relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust." [emphasis ours]
As Eric notes, they don't exactly mention how to opt out, though. But yes, ordinary enough. [Joey Hess, Pre Central]
The_Foxman:Here is the theater that I built in my basement. Front projection with 100 inch screen. 7.1 surround sound. Base shakers in the theater seating. Lots of fun. By the way - the house is for sale in the northwest suburbs of Chicago :) kev50027:61" HD Plasma with 5.1 surround sound, PS3 and Xbox 360 rtkane: 104" Carada Criterion Screen w/ brilliant white screen material Panasonic projector (don't remember model). Onkyo stereo/speakers/sub Boston Acoustics center channel PS3 XBox w/ HD-DVD Vudu Tivo HD w/ Digital Cable sbcale:1080p LCD Projector, 110" Diagonal screen, 7.1 Surround Sound, 8 Berkline 090 Theater Seats, Xbox 360, PS3, HD DVR, OPPO DV-981HD 1080p High Definition Up-Converting DVD Player, Biometric Figerprint Door Lock.
Did all the work myself, minus the paint and carpet TonySwank:Epson 6100 Projector DIY 117" Screen Onkyo 805 Polk Speakers PS3 360 Media Center through custom built desktop ds10484: Pioneer Elite PRO-151FD 60-inch Kuro Plasma Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH AV Receiver Panamax M5400-PM Line Conditioner Definitive Technology Speakers: - 2x Mythos ST - 1x Mythos Ten - 2x Mythos Gem XL with Gem Stands Sony PS3 (Original 60GB with a swapped 500GB 7200RPM HDD) Nintendo Wii Motorola PVR Logitech Harmony One ShyamlataCynortas:Here is a project we did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGhJNuSkGxE Venomuss: Egyptian Tomb Home Theater. Screen size 8'X14'. ara23: 110'' Projection with the Panasonic AE2000U selianth: Our home theater was just written up in Electronic House, actually. Panasonic PT-AE3000 Projector, SmX Cinema Solutions 129-inch ProLine Screen (2.37:1) Monitor Audio RS6 Front Speakers (2), Monitor Audio RSFX Rear Speakers (4), Monitor Audio RSLCR Center-Channel Speaker, SVSound PC-13 Ultra Subwoofer AuraSound Aura Pro Bass Shakers (6), BASH Subwoofer Amplifier, Berkline 13175 Home Theater Seats (6) Comcast HD DVR, Denon 3808ci Receiver, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 Logitech Harmony 680 Universal Remote, Logitech Harmony PS3 IR Adapter, X10 Powermid IR Repeater Thecus N5200 1.5TB RAID5 NAS, Home Theater PC
Some guy has posted this video, saying it's the Apple tablet in action. I'd go crazy here for a minute, and say that this is as fake as the iPhone 3G images with 99.9% certainty. And this is why:
First, if it finally materializes, I personally don't think the Apple tablet will be modal. That means one application open at a time taking the whole screen, not multiple windows. And certainly, not multiple windows each with its own stupid mini-keyboard attached. That would not only be illogical. It would be absolutely stupid. Let me explain.
The fact is that Apple has discovered a gold mine with the iPhone and the iPod touch. People who usually are not into computers—who actively hate computers—love the iPhone OS because it's so simple. Its modal nature transforms the device in different tools depending on the application that loads, all following the same basic UI conventions. It's a different mentality that some computer users don't understand, but the zillions of consumers out there love it. That's why the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the application store is such a success.
Apple knows this, and that's why I think their tablet—if it exists—will follow exactly the same user interface model. Otherwise, it's bound to be an inelegant failure, an awkward transvestite of a device. And we know what el Señor Steve thinks about that.
Also, the screen here is not glass, but a regular old LCD.
The logical explanation to this cleverly done video? I think it's just multiple instances of a disguised iPhone emulator. If that. In any case, hopefully everything will be clear in September. Until then, I think this video calls for the:
Laird Hamilton is as tech savvy as surfers get. Here he looks at the shapes and materials that make boards great—what's changed over the years, and what hasn't:
With the advent of foam and fiberglass and now carbon fiber, surfboard design and technology have come a long way in the last 30 years. Some of the sports that benefited from that technology were obviously wind surfing and tow surfing.
For tow surfing, we changed the design of the boards. Normally in conventional prone surfing, to ride a giant wave you need a huge board. What we did was because we already had power, and were already at speed, we just figured out how to make a little board act big. So we changed the shape of the board and made it act big by making it able to turn at speed better. That design fed into kiting as well.
Surfboards originally influenced wakeboarding, before they had double under-wake boards and bindings and the whole set up. We used to free board when we were kids, and now they call it wake boarding, but it was free boarding. You towed a surfboard behind a boat. A lot of that board design has fed into the industry.
I describe it a little like snowboarding and skiing, where skiing already had skis and ski technology and ski materials, and so when snowboarding came along, it made huge leaps and bounds. You've got all that infrastructure already in existence—besides ski resorts and chair lifts, you had all the R&D and ski design that had been going on for years and years. Snowboarding could just benefit immediately from it. If you look at it now, actually, the snowboard gave back to skiing, with the side cut. It's weird how one will take from it and grow because it's already at a certain point, and then the other takes back and grows. It's interesting to watch how design and materials affect each discipline.
As far as the comeback of wood, in surfing, I'll just say right now all of my best boards for big wave riding are wood and they've always been wood. When you're out there risking your life and the surf is 80 or 100 or however big, however many feet you want to call it, once I rode wood I couldn't ride anything else.
The thing is that wood has a damping and an absorption ability that really no other manmade material does. That's the reason why they make wood violins and wood baseball bats, because wood itself has a structure that man has yet to duplicate in its dampening of vibration and a couple other key elements. That really makes it play into these activities that we do, whether it's baseball or surfing or even skiing: Skis have wood cores, snowboards have wood cores. Anybody that really demands at the highest level, that's where you go.
I think that certain new materials help us. Obviously carbon fiber is an enormous improvement on aluminum and wood when it comes to paddles and stuff like that. It can be extremely light. Bicycle and windsurfers can get away with being really rigid. But when you look the art of wood and making stuff with wood, a lot is lost. A lot of knowledge of how to treat wood and what to do with wood to make it be stronger and lighter and all that stuff. For as much as we know, there's probably as much we don't know.
Technology and modern materials allow us something more immediate to grasp hold of. It's maybe a little more available in the sense that we can mass produce it—people can put it together. If you get a handmade violin by someone who has been doing it their whole life, it's a piece of art. But it's a problem if you can't produce thousands of them, and not everybody can get one.
Laird Hamilton has been a surfing hero since the 1980s, solidifying his reputation as the king of big wave surfing when he conquered Tahiti's Teahupo'o Reef at its most perilous in August 2000. As an innovator, he pioneered many new activities including kitesurfing, tow-in surfing and hydrofoil boarding. He's on the board of directors at H2O Audio, makers of pro-level waterproof iPhone and iPod cases, and has his own signature line of Surge waterproof earphones, proceeds of which are donated to the Beautiful Son foundation for autism education.
Can't tell you the specs or price on this thing, but I can show you the back of the Inspiron Zino HD, which should tell you almost everything you want to know about it.
Now, I doubt it'd have an HDMI port and be called the Zino HD if it didn't output HD video. It's a little bit taller than the Mac Mini, but not by much. Not too shabby at all.
Can't tell you much about the Inspiron Z series, either, except that like Studio Z, it's the "thin and light" take on Dell's budget Inspiron line using Intel ULV chips.
The 14z and 15z seem a lot like Acer's Timeline series, actually. The 11z, as you can tell by the way it's designed, looks more like a follow-up to Dell's Inspiron Mini netbooks, on the other hand. Gotta love that super-wide trackpad on it.
If photographer Markku Lahdesmaki's vision is correct, humanoid robots of the future are going to be Bender-esque scumbags.
I mean, on one hand they enjoy bike rides and do their laundry like everyone else—but in their spare time they get loaded, loiter, and pick up robo-hookers. The good news is that you can buy these little slices of life for prices that range from $900 to $4800. [Markku Lahdesmaki via Robot Snob via Botropolis via DVICE]
When we asked Rogers about the 8GB iPhone 3GSsemi-featured on their website, they said this: "There is no 8GB 3GS iPhone." Case closed! Except this rumor is back, with evidence. Someone at Rogers is either confused, lying, or both.
The latest piece of info allegedly comes from a Rogers employee, who snapped us a shot of their Hardware Upgrade Sales Flow system, shown above. Here's what he had to say about it:
It clearly shows that an 8GB 3GS has been added to our stock list and is the same price as the 3G coming in at 99$...
The first listing is showing 74.00$ (promo price with data plan and minus customers 25$ discount)
The second listing shows the phone if the customer does not choose a data plan, which is normall 299$ minus said $25 discount, so 274$
I think that when 3G stock runs out they are going to build 99$ 3GSs since those are the parts they are ordering, might as well keep the parts list minimal...
Here's what's especially weird: When a company gets caught out like this, they usually have two main options. Either they just admit that the leak is true, or they issue a giveaway non-denial, which effectively accomplishes the same thing. Of course, there's the third, last-ditch option, which is to just straight lie. Rogers' denial was flat and unequivocal, but it's totally within the realm of possibility that, if the alternative is blowing a big announcement for the notoriously vindictive Apple, a company might be willing to say just about anything.
So is this really happening? On their own, none of these incidents are very convincing. But three unconnected leaks? That's a little too much to ignore, even for a skeptic.—Thanks, Mr Rogers!
We never knew what angels wore before we first laid eyes on the original Marc Ecko's Boba Fett hoodie. Now, the label is offering six new Star Wars branded pieces of apparel.
It's hard to pick a favorite from the new collection, but the $150 X-Wing fighter jacket is ever so tempting, while the $98 BDSM Vader hoodie is probably a pass. I mean, it's all a pass. I can't actually wear this shit outside! But when I'm referring to window shopping online, I'd go for the X-Wing jacket. [Ecko via CrunchGear]
We have great deals on televisions and games today. Be sure to take a look at Duke Nukem 3D for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the introductory price won't last long.
It was only a matter of time before this happened, but the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G has been rooted, i.e. cracked wide open, meaning that it's ready for all kinds of customization that the stock Android installation keeps out of reach, including cooked ROMs.
In real terms, this means you'll be able to port the Hero's fantastic Sense UI to your MyTouch, as people have been doing on the G1 and the virtually identical HTC Magic for months. Mandatory disclaimer: this could brick your phone, so tread carefully. [HTCPedia via Crunchgear]
These Digidudes keychains aren't just cute little robots/monsters. They also open up into tiny tripods, letting you set up your camera anywhere.
Sure, $20 is pretty steep for a keychain, but if you want to be able to pop your camera down easily anywhere without carrying an extra tripod around, this looks like a pretty great solution. [Quirky]
The Big Picture takes a look at robots today, and the series of photos shows a clear line between humanoid robots and, well, useful robots.
There are clearly two directions robot builders can take: trying to create a realistically humanoid robot that looks and moves like a person, and robots that are built to perform specific tasks. The robots used by the military, for example, are completely utilitarian. But they would look really stupid in a wedding dress.
Eventually, maybe these two schools will come together. But I can't help but think that trying so hard to make robots that look like people is a foolish endeavor. Who cares what they look like? Why not just focus on making these robots as useful as possible rather than just pumping out creepy bots that are essentially expensive mannequins. [The Big Picture]
You've got to love a home theater profile that starts with this line: "Unlike many recent rock bands, Papa Roach has staying power." Hoooeee!
Papa Roach guitar player Jerry Horton's home theater is actually a pretty classy affair, complete with a 73-inch HDTV and fancy B&W speakers. There's nothing too extravagant or over-the-top, and it seems like the kind of setup my dad would install if he had a few extra grand. But hey, if you were ever super-curious about what Papa Roach's guitarist watches Horton Hears a Who on, consider your curiosity sated. [CE Pro]
Apple's (AAPL) iPhone App Store is most popular for its free and cheap apps. As a result, most apps and casual games are available for 99 cents or less.
But there are plenty of expensive apps in the App Store, too, and people do buy them.
The most expensive app in the U.S. App Store today is called iRa Pro: It's a dashboard to access and control live feeds of video surveillance cameras, and it costs $900.
The company that makes it — Lextech Labs, outside of Chicago — won't say how many copies it has sold. But Lextech president and CEO Alex Bratton says it's more than the five people who have reviewed the latest edition on iTunes. He's "pretty happy with the number."
Why charge so much? Because for the people who are buying the app, it's actually a relatively small cost.
Bratton says his target customers are monitoring security systems for corporations, government organizations, universities, etc., that can run more than half a million dollars. For them, a $900 app is just part of the cost of doing business. Especially when the alternative — getting a custom piece of hardware developed, instead of using off-the-shelf iPhones and iPod touches — costs thousands per gadget.
According to CNET, Android multitouch is on the way and should arrive by the end of the year. You know, if you haven't hacked it.
Backing up for a second, It's easy to think that Android supports multitouch, since Android phones like the HTC Hero use special builds of the software that include the feature. But your average Android phone is stuck in the single-touch world, which is just sinful when compared to the multitouch iPhone or Pre.
CNET believes that upcoming Android variant "Eclair" will feature multitouch, and they believe Eclair will first make its arrival on a Motorola phone this holiday season.
Until then, just try to forget that Android lacks multitouch. [CNET]
This here is the Jalou, Sony Ericsson's newest ladyphone. On the surface, it's a boldly-styled, reasonably-specced feature phone. But it she is so much more than that!
But before we jump into the marketing spiel, the phone: Despite chunky-looking contours, the Jalou is surprisingly compact, at about 2.7 inches long, closed. Specs are healthy for a flip-phone, with 3G, a 3.2-megapixel camera, video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS, a monochrome external display, MicroSD expansion and a full Google mobile software suite, including a YouTube app. Feature phones tend to blur together on the technology front, so styling and form factor are bigger factors than RAM or processor speed—on this front, the Jalou is bold, but possibly divisive. I like it, at least.
Now can we talk about the pitch? Because it's pretty great.
Sony Ericsson apparently did mounds of research into "art, architecture and furniture trends" while "delving deep into the couture and fashion world," just to make sure that the Jalou FELT THE PULSE—all this according to a designer named Charles. So what did ole' Chuck discover? Lots of things! Like, women hate being fat! And they love mirrors, and makeup! And pseudoscience!
The two inch screen's clever design means that at the touch of a button the screen becomes a mirror, offering a discreet way to make sure you look as good as your mobile phone. It is also the first Sony Ericsson to feature Walk Mate step counter, to help you stay in shape wherever you go. It also has an exclusive fashion interface which automatically updates with zodiac signs and special events throughout the year.
Where's recipe book, because women love to cook, amirite fellas? At any rate, the Jalou, which, being a machine, doesn't actually harbor specific views about gender politics, is coming sometime in Q4, price TBD. [Sony Ericsson]
I know of a few people who've encountered weird Wi-Fi problems since the OS 10.5.8 update. Now Apple has released a Macbook/Macbook Pro patch for the networking issues claimed to occur under low battery power. Hopefully things will be all better now. [Apple via Ars]
The good news is that upgrading to OS X Snow Leopard is going to be pretty cheap for people who wisely sprung cash for Leopard. But before you buy, you better check your situation and plan the right move, money-wise.
You may have a few questions: Am I eligible for a cheap upgrade? How about a "free" upgrade? What's this about family packs? Should I be shopping for a new Mac? Not to worry, Prof. Dealzmodo will help clear things up.
As you can see from this handy chart,, the process of upgrading to a new OS is a little more straightforward for Mac users than it is with Windows. Again, everything starts with meeting the minimum system requirements, which in this case means bye-bye, Power PC—you gotta have an Intel chipset:
• Mac with an Intel Processor • 1GB of memory • 5GB of disk space • DVD drive (though MacBook Airs can "Remote Install" from another computer)
Snow Leopard Pricing Upgrading from Leopard is the easiest: $29. If you own multiple Macs, a Family pack is just $20 more: $49 for 5 users. Keep in mind, though, that Snow Leopard does not have any activation restrictions, so buying a Family Pack for two or three computers is kind of a waste of money (though using a single-Mac disc on multiple machines is technically illegal). Just remember, if you need tech support on any of your multiple machines during the 90 days that you are covered after buying the OS, you'll have to have a legit software license.
If you bought a Mac anytime after June 8, you get Snow Leopard even cheaper with the "Up-To-Date" program: $10. Sure, it's not "free" like Windows 7, but Apple sends you the install disc, and says that the $10 mostly goes to shipping and handling.
The Tiger Catch Apple has said it themselves:
For Tiger users with an Intel-based Mac, the Mac Box Set includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09 and will be available for a suggested price of $169 (US) and a Family Pack is available for a suggested price of $229 (US).
And retailers are doing a good job of making sure people know:
If you are an Intel Mac user running OS X 10.5 or above (Leopard), then there is no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of such an inexpensive upgrade to Snow Leopard. However, OS X 10.4 (Tiger) users will be forced to pick up one of the much pricier boxed sets that bundle Snow Leopard, iLife and iWork if they want to make the jump. iWork '09 is about $55 on Amazon, so you're getting something for your money, but it may not be what you want.
If you fall into this latter category, I would say it might be time to start looking into a new Mac with Snow Leopard and iLife '09 pre-installed, rather than putting an additional $169 into a dated machine. This is especially true if you are are still running a PowerPC, which can't be upgraded at all.
From time to time, Apple abandons users of dated machines and OSes—the rationale is that it keeps them from having the heavily layered code that Windows is always criticized for. Still, if you're the guy running Tiger on an old PPC machine, you're definitely feeling like a second-rate citizen in the Apple-verse. It's time to move up... or move on.
Of course, dropping over $1000 on a MacBook might not be in the cards for everyone right now (although a Mac Mini is a relatively affordable way to get your foot in the door at $600), but it is important to consider that Apple's Up-To-Date Program offers a Snow Leopard upgrade for $10 on purchases that include qualified refurbished systems. I've said it before and I'll say it again—buying refurbished is the smarter move.
Amidst extreme security, yesterday Apple filmed a new ad at Jax at the Tracks, a hip 1940's style diner in Truckee, California. Filming on location is a very interesting departure from the usual Apple TV commercials, which are studio based.
Speaking to the Sierra Sun, the owner Bud Hally said Apple wanted a "cool spot for the 20-something crowd."
Some people think this means an ad for a new iPod, but the fact is that nobody has a clue about what this new unreleased secret product really is. Certainly, the security won't be that high for a new variation of an existing model, but you never know with Apple.
Whatever this mystery product is, one thing is sure: If true, this is quite a change in Apple's usual advertising rationale. Instead of filming in a controlled studio environment, which results in very sleek ads in which the object of desire takes center stage against a faceless background, Apple has picked a real location. Except for the Mac vs PC ads—which are not product oriented, but a branding effort designed to shift the minds of potential switchers—this is certainly not their traditional modus operandi since Steve Jobs came back to the company in 1996. It was back then when he hired again his friends at TBWA\Chiat\Day for Apple's advertising, resulting in the highly stylized TV commercials everyone is familiar with.
My Spidey sense/wishful thinking says that it may be an ad for tablet. The timing is right. Ad will get into post-pro and editing, and will be ready for September and the potential tablet announcement. More importantly, the change of advertising strategy for this commercial may signal a completely new product, that requires a completely different kind of storytelling.
We will discover it soon. I don't know about you, but I get curioser and curioser every day. [Sierra Sun via 9to5—Photo by Chow]
• Blu-ray integration to go with Blu-ray support in upcoming Macs—iTunes 8.2 sorta kinda pointed to Blu-ray, if you recall • Ability to re-arrange your iPhone/iPod touch apps in various ways (the one feature I actually want) • Social networking integration: This seems like it'll start out slightly more involved than say, iPhoto's Facebook integration (though hopefully less crappy), but grow deeper as it hooks into a "Social" application Apple will release in the future that'll consolidate all of your social networking services into a single app. At launch, iTunes 9's social networking component—which'll tap Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm—will do stuff like broadcast the music you're listening to, share music with people in your networks (remote streaming?), and update all of your various statuses. • Cocktail—Apple's plan to revive the album, with "a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting" according to the Financial Times.
Let's look at the odds. Blu-ray seems possible, though iffy, given what we saw in 8.2 earlier. Re-arranging your growing library of apps is a useful and logical addition. The Cocktail rumor comes from the respectable Financial Times, and is backed up by word the labels are working on their own competing digital album format after Apple rejected their original proposal.
The social networking components, like Last.fm integration, also make some sense: People are streaming more music than ever, slightly shifting away from downloads. So while Pocket Lint has torn apart supposedly leaked images of the Last.fm part, it still seems more than possible. Basic integration with Facebook and Twitter makes sense—iPhoto already taps into Facebook, for instance (though not very well, admittedly).
The Apple "Social" app, that will supposedly bring together all of your social networks in a single interface, we'll have to wait and see. It'd be new ground for Apple, for sure. Interestingly, Apple "resisted" integrating social networking with Facebook into the OS, though Apple poo-pooing something is by no means an indication they won't ever go there. Like Cocktail, actually.
Hey Microsoft, this isn't 1965. Computers don't take up entire rooms anymore. And hard drives are cheap.
With the Elite looking to get a $100 price cut, you'll be able to purchase a 120GB Xbox 360 console for $299. Yet the retail price on the 360's 120GB drive is still more than half that ($160).
Even though most retailers shave the price down to about $135, the idea that we should be paying anything approaching a dollar per gig is ludicrous.
Both Sony and Nintendo—two companies not necessarily renown for open hardware platforms—have both addressed and solved the issue of rapidly dropping storage prices on their current consoles by handing the reins to their users. The Wii has always been equipped with an SD slot that now even accepts stock 32GB SDHC cards—normal, consumer-grade tech that you can price-compare anywhere. And the PS3 has supported users who wanted to install their own hard drives (or even Linux!) since day freaking one.
Yet Microsoft, who has put forth so much effort in securing deals like Netflix and offering us a New Xbox Experience, is stuck in a proprietary hard drive pricing pattern so old that it probably doesn't know women can vote, Man's walked on the moon or we have 0-calorie sweeteners.
I know what you're thinking: Microsoft charges a lot for their drive because it's some special, expensive to produce tech. It's not. Inside that plastic shell is a stock, boring-as-hell 2.5-inch laptop drive. And you can find such a drive with 500GB of storage for $90 right now.
Keep in mind that Microsoft is buying in bulk.
Oh, and then there's the point that Microsoft is really, really, really, really stupid for not just subsidizing hard drives to begin with. How many of us with 20GB HDDs have gone to download demos only to find our drives full? How many of us are daunted by DLC because we know an extra few maps will necessitate deleting content? And while I know Microsoft doesn't take the 360's video store seriously, how could they ever expect any of us to have the free space to download I Love You Man?
But everything I listed above—that's not the worst of it. It's one final kick in the nuts that Microsoft has sent to those of us willing to do some modding ourselves that rubs me the wrong way.
While I could just pop open my 360 hard drive case and toss in a new drive myself (of course, I get to feel like a criminal while doing so as the process requires a separate PC and various unauthorized firmware files), Microsoft has limited the 360 to only supporting hard drives in their designated 20GB, 60GB and 120GB sizes.
So in other words, even though I can technically go through the trouble of installing a sweet, 500GB of storage capable of holding my entire game collection, Microsoft has taken the time specifically to thwart me in that endeavor. Doing my own installation is no longer a treat, like sticking a turbocharger on an engine. Instead it becomes a home repair I do myself to save a few bucks, like negotiating a new drain line to my dishwasher.
I never thought I'd see a day when Microsoft was more willing to give away software than hardware. But in a great irony, their latest dashboard update is once again free. The dinky hard drive to store it on? That'll still cost ya...more than even a new copy of Windows 7 Home Premium.
Netflix's last foray into research bribery, a million dollar prize for anyone who could improve the company's recommendation algorithm by 10%, was a success, both as a programming project and a spectator sport. Naturally, they're doing it again.
Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix, dropped this on the Netflix forum:
The advances spurred by the Netflix Prize have so impressed us that we're planning Netflix Prize 2, a new big money contest with some new twists.
Here's one: three years was a long time to compete in Prize 1, so the next contest will be a shorter time limited race, with grand prizes for the best results at 6 and 18 months. While the first contest has been remarkable, we think Netflix Prize 2 will be more challenging, more fun, and even more useful to the field.
He doesn't give any meaningful clues as to what the second challenge will be about, but CNET, having either talked to Hunt or simply just made a bunch of stuff up, seems to think it could be all manner of objectives, from "creating an algorithm to suggest other users to befriend" to "helping the company better determine which movies to purchase to meet demand." But hey, why not just do this for everything? It'd be like having an endless army of unusually eager, underpaid employees, except without all those pesky "labor laws" and "benefits."
Details of the second contest should come on September 1st, when the company will also announce who's getting the cash from the first contest, after that more-fun-than-it-had-any-right-to-be nailbiter of a finish. [AP via CNET]
This will probably be settled or appealed until it reaches the Supreme Court, but Judge Leonard Davis—of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas—has ordered a permanent injunction against Microsoft Word. According to plaintiff's attorneys:
The injunction prohibits Microsoft from selling or importing to the United States any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML
This comes after a federal jury declared that Microsoft Word 2003 and Word 2007 custom XML tagging infringed on the plaintiff's—Toronto-based developer i4i—patents, ordering Microsoft to pay $200 million in damages.
This injunction—to be executed within 60 days—orders the payment of another $40 million for "willful infringment," and prohibits any sales, testing, and demonstration of any Word version containing the custom XML tagging feature. [Cnet]
A new administration means revamped lobbying operations from Verizon, AT&T and other carriers. Last year, Verizon spent $9.3 million on lobbying, while AT&T spent $8.2 million. The WSJ says they're already on track to spend more this year as they beef up their operations—and you gotta figure the way the new chairman Julius Genachowski jumped on the Google Voice iPhone rejection, he officially scares the unholy pee out of them, so they're likely gonna spend even more to try to keep him off their slimy backs. [WSJ]
Steven didn't republish Phil's letter, but he says it was a "courteous, polite, and reassuring email," the gist of which was "we hear you." Lovely.
It's great that Apple hears the grumbling—now they just need to actually do something about it. Admittedly, that's no small task, since the entire App Store model is on the verge of shattering completely anyway. [Steven F via Mac Rumors]
Like the 8Bitone synthesizer app, NESynth lets you create 80s-style music with 8-bit sounds. But the coolest part: You can control it all with an on-screen NES-style gamepad. Watch the rockin' video after the jump to see what I mean.
Also fun is the $2 app's use of the iPhone's accelerometer to pitch-bend sounds, and its ability to let you jam along with a friend—and hear what they're playing on your phone.
As you'll hear in the video below, NESynth has built-in classic sound effects (jump, fire, laser, etc), and an arpeggiator to help build up melodies using the on-screen piano keyboard.
(For the synth geeks out there: sound generation comes from 3 pulse waveforms, a triangle waveform, and white noise.) [NESynth | iTunes Store]
When it comes to making personal copies, U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel left that totally gray—that is, she chose not to rock the boat on whether or not making personal copies actually falls under the "fair use" doctrine of the DMCA. Lots of "mays" and "whiles" in there:
"So while it may well be fair use for an individual consumer to store a backup copy of a personally owned DVD on that individual's computer, a federal law has nonetheless made it illegal to manufacture or traffic in a device or tool that permits a consumer to make such copies."
So DVD ripping is kind of like laws about pot in some places: It's sorta legal to possess in certain circumstances, but not kosher to sell it. Thanks for clearing that up, judge.
Nintendo's decision to eschew a standalone Wii hard drive for the support of SDHC was a good one, as users can buy tiny and cheap 32GB SDHC cards to expand storage. But what just you could store was in question.
For instance, you could certainly store small, downloadable Virtual Console games and stream them from from the card. But what about full-game expansions, gigs of data? Traditionally, these couldn't just load from SD as you'd expect.
According to IGN, Nintendo has opened SDHC storage to developers for DLC that can boot naturally with the game, straight from SDHC with no hard drive middle ground.
The reason you'll want a new SD card is pretty simple; SD streaming will kick off with GH5. All the tricks used for both Guitar Hero and Rock Band in the past – leaving internal memory open– is gone. Instead, straight-up booting off the SD card is available, and that means easier downloads, larger expansions, and quicker loads when bringing in song data from the SD card into GH5.
It's good to see that Nintendo is making SDHC a real solution for the system. [IGN via Kotaku]
Logitech's new wireless desktop keyboard/mouse set, the MK700, is a nice-looking, if standard, Logitech offering. It's got a little LCD, shiny black finish and efficient batteries. But it's also packing Logitech's new "Incurve" concave keys to sensuously caress your fingers.
Logitech promises that its new "Incurve" concave keys and wrist-rest properly cradle your fingers in a way we suppose flat keys can't. We haven't gotten a change to use it, but it sounds interesting to have a little gully for fingertips. The MK700 also has improved battery efficiency that yields some impressive results: The keyboard will last about three years, and the mouse about 12 months. Otherwise, it's a pretty standard set, clocking in at $100 when it ships later this month. [Logitech]
Unlike Pangao's Magic Massage Bra, these bizarre little inserts support (cough) almost any bra to "quickly improve, firm and increase your bust." Apparently, "just a half hour per day" is all that's required to see results.
$10.69 (plus $5.49 shipping) gets you two battery-powered inserts.
Features from the site:
* Quickly improve, firm and increase your bust. * Electronic Breast Enhancer Enlargement Massager Vibration. * Inserts Breast Massager into your bra and gently massage your breasts to against age and gravity to help your breasts healthy. * Most women wear Electronic Breast Enhancer at home, initially, just a half hour per day and then as required by seeing the results. * The soft vibration was enjoyable for the women who have trailed the bra insert, which is have a small battery powered device built into it. ( each piece only powered by a AG13 cell ) * Dimensions: 9.3 x 4 x 0.4cm * Color: picture show * Weight: 119.9g
Sony, which we've blasted in the past for an insistence on proprietary formats, will support the open standard ePub format for its ebook readers. Open, of course, doesn't mean "free of DRM": This is really a jab at Amazon.
I thought female urinals were like an urban legend or something, you know, like a pizza joint that sells Chinese food and sushi and bagels, and everything is absolutely delicious. [
Compact considering its quasi-rugged chassis.
There are tougher cams out there that take better photos, but only slightly so in all regards.
For all the interesting hardware crammed into any given eBook reader, they can't really do that much. That is, unless they've got a "Sony" badge on their foreheads, and you've got a 
Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 
The most expensive app in the U.S. App Store today is called 
Ruling against the RealNetworks in 
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