Those are 3500 steps, spread over 13 stories, with one vertigo inducing view. At 100 feet deep, Chand Baori in Abhaneri, India is the world's deepest stepwell. No railings and a 100 foot plunge into water? Sign me up! [Smoont]
According to a Facebook executive, the target of today's DDOS attacks on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, YouTube and other social media sites was one pro-Georgian blogger going by the username of "Cyxym." No word as to who was behind the attack.
Earlier today several competing social networks banded together to fight the DDOS attacks on their respective properties. Google and Facebook were able to keep the effects minimal while Twitter and others suffered periodic outages and severe slowness through out the day.
Max Kelly, chief security officer at Facebook, explained that the attack specifically targeted Cyxym, and was directed toward websites which he frequented or on which he held accounts, including his LiveJournal, where we find the first suggestion that there was a big target painted on his virtual back:
Cyxymu's LiveJournal page wasn't accessible, but a cached version showed that it was updated on Thursday with a message about the denial of service (DOS) attacks on his accounts on the US-based sites. "Now it's obvious it's a special attack against me and Georgians," the message in Russian said.
There is no word on exactly who was behind this attack and Kelly declined to speculate. But we wonder: Did Cyxym have a Gizmodo commenter account too or was the DDOS attack on Gawker Media an entirely unrelated coincidence? [CNET]
$1,000,000 gets you: a complete original Transformers boxed collection, a speedy car or...one. single. speaker. At a mil per channel, these speakers are almost as big as Transformers, but I'd still rather have Soundwave in my living room.
Made by Transmission Audio, this handmade speaker system has 12 separate, open-baffle dipole panels, each nearly seven feet high. Those panels are arranged to create a 37 foot wide speaker wall, and combined they weigh just a little over four tons. So, all you really need to enjoy the best sound possible is deep pockets, high ceilings, and one very reinforced floor. [Ultimate AV Mag via CNET]
Who hasn't accidentally left a phone, camera or MP3 player in a swimsuit pocket and gone swimming? It's a harrowing experience, but there's hope: Dunking the gadget in rice is a somewhat surprising yet very effective drying method.
We've all soaked a not-so-waterproof gadget or two, and we know that lots of them can come back to life after a few days of drying, albeit sometimes with some unfortunate damage. But dunking a wet gadget in a container of rice (provided the surrounding environment is humidity-free) can absorb excess moisture and reduce the possibility of damage, which can come in handy in these glorious summer months that are so fraught with danger for our beloved gadgetry. Not that we're suggesting you take your iPhone along with you for a surf, but if you do, this (and more suggestions at Lifehacker) might save your gadget's life. [Lifehacker]
GadgetTrak, an anti-theft tracking system, claimed its first victory, and we're pretty impressed. An iMac was stolen two weeks ago, and the thief wasn't clever enough to reformat. Big mistake: GadgetTrak managed to find his location and took his photo.
After two weeks, the thief made the mistake of connecting to the internet, and GadgetTrak collected tons of info. It triangulated his longitude and latitude via WiFi (and provided a link to the location on Google Maps!), his IP address, WiFi networks in range, and the username, and even took a photo of him with the iMac's built-in webcam. The iMac and two other stolen laptops were traced to a tattoo parlor in Brooklyn and recovered.
Of course, the system only works if the thief neglects to reformat the hard drive and connects to the internet, but we'd be willing to bet that that's not as uncommon as you'd think. It's a pretty great system, as long as thieves don't figure out how to work around it. [GadgetTrak]
When Jay Leno replaced car parts, he could only print plastic molds in 3D. Life's easier now, because mold's are unnecessary in the creation of custom desk kitsch and car parts as 3D printing got a stainless steel upgrade.
21 days and $10 per cubic centimeter is all you need after you send a CAD design to Shapeways, a company who began offering 3D resin and plastic printing quite some time ago. There are specific size and detail guidelines to keep in mind due to models being printed in layers, but based on the moebius strip complete with moving parts, those guidelines can't be all that limiting. What's going to be your first 3D steel print? [Shapeways via PopSci via CrunchGear]
The Gadget: It's cheap, it's ball-less, it's the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Oh, and it's the first BlackBerry carrying the trackpad that's probably gonna wind up on every BlackBerry eventually.
The Price: $130 w/ 2-year contract and rebate from T-Mobile, or $48.88 with the same strings attached from Walmart
The Verdict: Was this co-designed by Fisher Price?
It's not that it's poorly built—the construction is plenty sturdy, like all good Fisher Price toys. But it's like RIM took the excellent Curve 8900 (which is also on T-Mobile for $30 more) and re-designed it for a very sophisticated 6-year-old.
You can feel and see the corners cut—well, more like rounded—to get to this budget BlackBerry all over the place. The lower resolution (320x240) screen is flat-out depressing compared to every other BlackBerry display in the last year (just look). Instead of the great latch mechanism for the battery door from the Tour, Storm and 8900, it's a plain slab of plastic you pop out with a fingernail. It's also lacking GPS (though Google Maps will triangulate your position via cell towers), and the camera's only 2 megapixels. Bizarrely, T-Mobile isn't shipping it with BlackBerry App World—which got better with the recent 1.1 update—you've gotta go download it yourself.
Hey, it's got the future of BlackBerry stuck in the middle of its face: The trackpad. Swipe your finger over it, and the cursor moves. It's about 90 percent as good. The missing 10 percent is that on the occasions the phone lags, the lack of tactile feedback somehow makes it more jarring when the phone fails to respond. But otherwise, it pretty tightly approximates the control of the trackball, so you won't miss it, especially when you realize pocket lint is no longer your phone's mortal enemy. Also new are a triplet of media keys on top of the phone, but I kinda prefer a dedicated long button.
Even though the BlackBerry platform is starting to feel a little creaky compared to Android, iPhone and webOS, it's still fairly usable, and while the 8520 might have shaved off some hardware features, RIM didn't gimp anything that would cramp performance, so it felt about the same in that regard as the 8900.
Overall, I don't think you should pay more than $100 for the Curve 8520. For $50 at solid deal, it's a solid deal, but if you can spare the extra $50 bucks, the screen alone on the 8900 is worth it.
A BlackBerry for $50, if you buy it at the right spot
Trackpad just as good as trackball (almost)
Keyboard is great (if you like peppy keyboards)
Every new BlackBerry makes BlackBerry OS feel a bit more tired
Feels kinda cheap, like a $50 faux smartphone
Worst BlackBerry screen in a long time—dim, text looks bad
Young Alan here would like to show you how his OpenChord V1 guitar—an actual, string-having guitar—can be used to control everyone's favorite rhythm game. Warning: If you ever want to play Guitar Hero again, don't watch this video.
I'll grant this: it's pretty neat what the OpenChord does, plugging into the Wiimote and convincing the console that it's a controller, and converting your finger presses into button inputs. It's a funny concept, and it's executed well. But somewhere around 40 seconds in, something happens that vindicates every feeling of unease and confusion anyone has every had about concept of rhythm gaming. For perhaps the first time ever, we hear what these games' mechanical fret-bashing translates too, in real musical terms.
To be fair to the OpenChord crew, who sell V1 kits so you can reenact this whole wretched scene in your own basement, they regret leaving the guitar plugged into an amp:
If you unplug the guitar, you don't really hear it, and if the slight sound is still too much, you can just tap the pick against the strings instead of a full strum...Yeah, what an embarrassing mistake!
Too late guys, the damage is done. Activision: SHUT IT DOWN. [OpenChord via Joystiq]
A Philadelphia jogger was killed yesterday by a falling tree when she failed to hear the warning signs of the impending crash over the music from her iPod. But let's not be hasty and blame the iPod.
What's especially chilling, and damning if you're the type to blame the inanimate gadget, is that the iPod was still playing music when the woman was discovered. It's an awful accident, but one we should take as a warning: Listening to music while jogging is essential (at least for someone who hates jogging as much as I do), but noise-cancelling or blocking headphones are a bad idea, since they eliminate ambient noises like traffic and, well, falling trees. And as much as that hot new Beyonce song sounds great when cranked super loud, volume moderation is probably warranted. Run safe, people. Run safe. [Philadelphia Inquirer via Cult of Mac]
I really thought—hoped, really—this sliver of black plastic was the Japanese PS3 Slim. It's not.
It's a wireless router from Logitec—not Logitech, which is known as Logicool in Japan—that's 7mm thin at its skinniest point, ballooning out to 24mm at its fattest. Except for its uncanny Sony style, it seems fairly unexceptional, but man, it got me good for a second. [Akihabara News]
If you look like Snow White or a dead fish after a chemical spill in all your photos, don't worry: Now you can tan in no time, no risks involved, without leaving the comforting light of your monitor.
I mean, who needs to spend any time frolicking half-naked on the beach, drinking cocktails and smoothies with funny umbrellas on top, while a buxom Swedish blonde applies suntanning cream over every. single. inch. of your body? Who would like to do that when you can spend all your time in front of the computer reading Gizmodo, pointing out mistakes, and screaming "PHOTOSHOPPED!" every other post?
Well, this time you can scream Photoshop all you want, and you will be right, so go ahead. Now, please excuse me while I fuck off to the beach. [Metacafe]
Remember the Sex Offender Locator in the App Store? Because America kind of sucks sometimes, it was one of Apple's top 10 paid apps for a while. Until Apple yanked it, that is.
The makers are apparently planning on suing Apple over this, but I don't think they have a leg to stand on: it's illegal to sell someone's personal information in California, kidtoucher or no. And since this was a paid app, they really don't have much to say about it, now do they?
I guess now it's back to finding out whether or not your neighbor is going to molest you the old fashioned way: via judgement of their appearance. [TechCrunch]
It's a bit surprising that even with the worldwide prevalence of text messaging, the first 911 call center to support SMS just opened yesterday in Iowa. Unfortunately, the system is still fairly imperfect.
You see, only subscribers to i wireless, a local T-Mobile affiliate, can text message 911. And it only works within Black Hawk County since just one call center has received the upgrade.
But it gets even worse. Because a text message lacks location information, your 911 text is greeted by an automated text request for your zipcode. If your zip is within Black Hawk County, your message will find a recipient. If not, you'll receive a text message advising you to call 911.
I can imagine a scenario in which, crouched in an alley to avoid an angry batch of Apple fanboys following a negative iPhone review, I might want to silently summon a few SWAT teams. But until text messaging rolls out to every carrier in every location, it's pretty much useless. [USA TodayThanks Sharnaff!]
With the kickoff of Summermodo today, I got to thinking about the stereotype of a pasty nerd spending beautiful summer days indoors with his gadgets. Is it true?
There's plenty of laptop love in today's available gadgets. Maingear has a new powerful rig in a portable form factor, and Newertech has a battery charger for anyone looking to keep multiple MacBook batteries topped off.
• Maingear introduced the eX-L 15 today, the little brother to the monster eX-L 18. The eX-L 15 may not feature all of the eX-L 18's goodies, but the little(r) guy's Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX260m still pack a punch. There is one area where the 15" version absolutely beats its 18" counterpart: cost. The eX-L 15 starts at $1,899, a full $1,100 off the the eX-L 18's starting price. [Maingear via Electronista]
• Newertech's Intelligent Battery Charging Stations for unibody 13" MacBooks and 15" MacBook Pros ship today. The stations feature two charging bays. The first simply charges while the second both "charges and conditions." Newertech claims this conditioning voodoo will extend the life of the battery by maintaining its health over time, but the real draw here is being able to conveniently juice up two batteries at once. Keep in mind this station is only compatible with 13" and 15" MacBooks shipped prior to June 2009. Newer models without user-replaceable batteries are (obviously) incompatible. Available now for $150. [Newertech via MacNN]
Have you ever considered a backup plan for your GPS if it happens to fail in a city you're not familiar with? If you said "another GPS", you get a gold star. But what if you're not rich?
Those who don't have money for two GPSes in the same car will need a map. Yes, a map. The kind you get from AAA for free (if you're a member). Jalopnik's got a set of instructions to teach (or refresh) your map reading skills so you can get back on the road like a pro. Like a boss. [Jalopnik]
Remember this? When Steve Jobs had Bill Gates appear like the Wizard of Oz in a MacWorld keynote? Bill appeared to assure the world that Microsoft was going to keep developing Office for the Mac.
It happened back on August 6, 1997. The video is pretty amazing to watch when we've got more recent and triumphant Apple keynotes to compare it to. When was the last time the crowd seemed ready to jump on stage and beat Steve up? [9 to 5 Mac via CrunchGear]
The sound is calm. There's not a person in sight. I'm straddling the most advanced jetski in the world, a $16,500, 255hp supercharged beast. And I gun it.
The front end roars to life, bucking a bit. And then the world blurs. Within about 3 seconds, I've reached somewhere around 70 miles per hour on open water (honestly, the feeling is too intense to check the speedometer). Wind jiggles my eyes around in their sockets as I seemingly float, no, fly over the surface. The Sea-Doo GTX Limited iS 255 features full, "intelligent" suspension with a seat that is separate from the hull, making the water feel as smooth as road.
I remember that just the day before, two Summermodo attendees Richard Blakeley and Joel Johnson had flipped off the Sea-Doo at top speed. Neither sustained a major injury, and now, watching whitecaps fly by with rapidity beyond my comprehension, I shudder at how horribly that accident must have hurt.
My feet grinding into the hull, it takes all of my focus to prevent my body from becoming a kite in the wind—yet I feel like a god of the water. A voice inside my head says to stop, but another says to keep going. In some perverse way, it seems less safe to slow down than just maintain as long as I can.
But finally, the voice of reason wins out and I hit the brakes. Yes, the Sea-Doo is the first jetski to have reverse propulsion braking. It's not a sudden jerk but a smooth, computer-assisted deceleration punctuated by a giant wall of water rising in front of the vehicle. I look back at the shore. It seems so far away...because it is so far away.
I want to go for another speed trial, but I can't fathom driving the Sea-Doo at max power again.
Yet somehow, starting just moments later, I find myself jamming on the gas from zero over and over, just to recapture the thrill. (Someone else is driving here, fyi.)
Cruising a stock Yamaha around the same waters, outrunning a thunderstorm the next day, Pop Sci editor/Gizmodo alum John Mahoney rides shotgun as I hit 3-foot waves like ramps. But it's not the same. The Yamaha feels cheap, unstable and underpowered. After just a few outings on the Sea-Doo GTX, I was already a less-confident snob on anything less.
But this is just one small taste of the 2009 Sea-Doo GTX Limited iS 255. Read what Seth Porges had to say about his ride over at Pop Mech. [Sea-Doo]
Video shot on a mounted GoPro Hero Wide by Joel Johnson. Edited by Quinton Ma.
Explore the history of photography by examining the 85 vintage photo ads hand-plucked from the Popular Photography archives. Is that a side boob on the 1937 premier issue? Now that's how you launch a magazine. Scandalous! [PopPhoto]
One would think that the Cold War ended a long time ago, but ask the Pentagon officials who are very concerned about the two Russian nuclear-powered Akula-class attack submarines now patrolling the US East Coast. One ping only, Vasily.
Akulas—the NATO designation for the Project 971 Shchuka-B Soviet Submarine—are some of the deadliest sea weapons in existence. Not deadly to people on land, as the Russian Typhoons are—the largest submarines ever built, equipped with 20 RSM-52 nuclear ballistic missiles—but to other submarines and ships. Equipped with four 533mm internal torpedo tubes plus six external 533mm, and an extra four 650mm tubes, the Akulas were designed to hunt other vessels, subaquatic or on the surface. And they, according to US intelligence reports, they can do that mighty well. They are the counterpart to the US Los Angeles-class SSN 751 nuclear subs.
These things can launch up to forty torpedoes, mines, and missiles—the later using a separate tube for surface launch. It's equipped with a sophisticated sound reduction system, which was perfected in the 80s with the help of Toshiba, who sold them precision milling systems for that task. At least, according to the US Navy.
Seriously, why do this now? Couldn't the Russians park the subs at home, and have a picnic to enjoy the summer? [NYT and Wikipedia]
Push. It's not just a verb that sends people careening down a flight of stairs. It's also not just for guys in suits diddling on BlackBerrys. You hear it featured on new iPhone apps every week. So, what is it?
Well, push describes a lot of things. Push is simply an action. Versus, say, pulling. Maybe that's horribly abstract, so try this: If information shows up on your phone or neural implant or messaging program without you (or your wares) asking for it—that's push. The info is pushed to you, versus you pulling it from the source. There are tons of ways push can be (and is) used.
Email's a pretty good starting point for grasping the difference between push and the other stuff. You probably know good ol' POP3—you log into your mail server and pull down new messages. Maybe it's on a frequent schedule, so it feels automatic, even instant, but you're still reaching out to the mail server every time to check and see if there's new mail to download.
IMAP is a little fancier than POP, where all of your folders and email are the same on all of your computers, phones and other gadgets, and any change you make on one shows up on the other, since it's all happening on a remote server somewhere. But with the standard setup, it's still the same deal—your mail program has to log in, see what's new, and pull it down. IMAP does have a pretty neat trick though, an optional feature called IMAP IDLE, that does push pretty well—it's what the Palm Pre uses for Gmail, for instance. Essentially, with IMAP IDLE, the mail server can tell whatever mail app that you've got new messages waiting, without you (or your app) hammering the refresh button over and over. When the app knows there's new messages, it connects and pulls them down, so it gives you just about the speed of push, without matching the precise mechanism.
While different systems do things differently (obvs), what true push services have in common is that they generally insert a middleman between you and the information source.
RIM's setup for the BlackBerry is probably the most sophisticated. When your BlackBerry registers with the carrier (which has to support BlackBerry), the details are handed to RIM's network operating center, so the NOC knows where to send your mail. The NOC watches your mail server, keeps tabs on the phone's location, and pushes email through to your phone whenever you get new stuff.
What makes it push is that your phone's not actually polling a server for new messages to pull—it only receives them when they hit your inbox, and are then pushed to your phone by RIM's servers. This means you save a lot of battery life that'd be wasted by making the phone constantly hit the servers for updates. The flipside is that when RIM's servers blow up, you don't get email, since it's all routed through their system—hence the other panic that grips dudes in suits once every few months lately.
The other biggie is Microsoft, who has Direct Push, part of Exchange's ActiveSync. It's architected a little bit differently, so it doesn't need the precise kind of data about where your phone is that RIM's NOCs do: The phone or whatever you've got sends an HTTPS with a long lifespan to the Exchange server—if new mail arrives before it dies, the Exchange tells your device there's new stuff, so it should start a sync. After it syncs, the device sends out another long HTTPS request, starting it all over again.
Apple's weak-sauce substitute for multitasking works pretty similarly: The developer has something its wants to send an iPhone, when its application isn't actually running, like an IM. It sends the notification to Apple's push servers, which send the notification to the phone through a "persistent IP connection" the phone maintains with the servers. This connection, which is only maintained when push notifications are turned on, is needed to locate the phone, but still doesn't draw as much power as constantly pinging the mail server.
Of course, those aren't the only push systems around, and it's only getting more and more important as stuff gets shifted to the cloud. We haven't mentioned Android and Google Chrome, but both utilize push (or will) in different ways. Suffice it to say, Google Sync will soon be a major player in this game. But basically, all kinds of different data can be pushed—calendars, contacts, browser data, hell, even IM is a kind of push—and they all work more or less the same broad way. Just don't ask us why there isn't push Gmail on the iPhone yet.
Still something you wanna know? Send questions about pushing, shoving and pancake massacres to tips@gizmodo.com, with "Giz Explains" in the subject line.
Not sure how this whole Windows 7 upgrade thing will work for you? Well, this official Microsoft chart probably won't help one damn bit.
Many of the upgrade paths here are illogical and unlikely to come into play (Vista Starter 64 to anything for example) but to simplify things a bit, if your upgrade path falls in a green box, congratulations—your upgrade process will be easier and will preserve your current files, settings and programs. If you fall in the sea of blue there, that means you will have to perform a "Custom Install" which falls somewhere in between an upgrade and a fresh install. If you are still confused, head on over to ZDNet and check out a simplifed version of the chart. [Mossblog via ZDNet]
We've got some pretty keen deals today on desktops and monitors. Be sure to look at the Shark Week Great Bites Collection on Blu-Ray so you can experience the magic of Shark Week any time your heart desires.
The $100,000 tool bag plunged toward Earth and burned up as it re-entered the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Air Force's Joint Space Operations Center tracking it and more than 19,000 other pieces of space junk in orbit today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
"Based on its size and composition, we expect the object to completely burn up before hitting the Earth," center officials said in a statement.
So, if you happened to be in Mexico on Monday and wished upon a shooting star—I regret to inform you that grease guns and trash bags probably won't grant your request. [Space via Gearlog]
The Panasonic Lumix GF1 Micro Four Thirds has a similar size to the Olympus EP1, as you can see in this comparison thought. Just a bit smaller. Looking at the hardware, it may also include a flash, and a special movie record button to capture 720p video in AVCHD format. Sweet. [Xitek and V-Angle via DPreview forums via Electronista]
Get $300 off this $999 (or higher, depending on your configuration) HP notebook. Nearly 1/3 off is pretty damn good, no matter what laptop it is. [Gear Live]
According to two surveys, one by Tellme and one by buzzd, cellphone users are doing some pretty atrocious stuff and thinking it's alright. The worst? Talking in a movie theater.
Here's what the tellme survey shows:
• 77% say they'd talk on their phones in a theater or a concert • 71% say they'd use their phones in a restaurant
The rest, running errands (88%), waiting at an appointment (80%), walking (78%), visiting friends (68%) aren't so bad, but three out of four people would talk in a theater? Really? I don't want to be old man Chen, but kids these days! *shakes fist*
The buzzd one also says that 60% of cellphone users have drunk dialed, and 68% have drunk texted. I'd say drunk dialing is a much better offense than talking at a theater. A drunken hookup hurts at most two, maybe three people, depending on the circumstances. A cellphone conversation during Iron Man 2 affects everyone.
It's only a prototype at the moment, but the pressure-sensitive keyboard Microsoft has cooking up promises to make your typing far more efficient.
For example, font size could be changed based on how much pressure you apply to a key and typos could be reduced by gauging the pressure applied to simultaneously pressed keys in order to determine intent. And, of course, varied pressure on a key could make gaming controls more interesting.
Microsoft will be showing off the technology at the User Interface Software and Technology conference taking place in Canada this October. At the conference, students will be given a sample keyboard and asked to compete with one another in an effort to find applications for the technology that are useful, well implemented or creative. Each one of these categories comes with a $2000 prize and special consideration for a spot at SIGGRAPH 2010's Emerging Technology (E-Tech) demos. [UIST 2009 via CNET]
Ninjawords was a victim of unfortunate timing, originally submitting their app in May, before iPhone 3.0's parental controls went into effect, and rather than wait for the controls to arrive at a then-unknown date, they tried to scrub the bad words to hit the store as soon as possible. Which wasn't enough to get in without a rating, and by the time everything was resolved, their scrubbed app was in the store with the 17+ rating suggested by the reviewer. Apple, Schiller says, simply wanted the app to carry a 17+ rating, with the entirety of its Wiktionary-powered language content—clean, dirty, downright disgusting—intact.
It's worth reading the whole letter from Schiller over at Daring Fireball, though the best part might simply be the fact Apple is listening, and they recognize that the App Store approval process has to improve. Of course, whether or not it actually does is another story. [Daring Fireball]
If you're one of the TechNet or MSDN users, you can go ahead and download Windows 7 RTM for yourself. And yes, as our review says, it's really safe to upgrade. Though, if you're a TechNet or MSDN subscriber, you've probably been playing with the RC for a while. [TechNet and MSDN via Geeksmack]
This goes out to people who bought or want an entry-level DSLR, and wonder what's the deal with interchangeable lenses. You really gonna buy that extra glass? It's a beginner's guide to growing as a photographer, preferably without going broke.
It doesn't matter what brand of camera you bought—if it's an entry-level DSLR, it was offered to you with an 18-55mm kit lens. I hope you took them up on that offer because no matter what you bought, that kit lens comes cheap, and is well worth it. Yes, of the five lenses covered here, that kit lens is numero uno.
KIT LENS Like most bundle pricing, it's cheaper than buying the camera body and lens separately, and most experts agree that an 18-55mm is actually the perfect lens for most immediate photographic needs, with both a decent wide angle plus the ability to zoom in on far away objects. In fact, if you take a look at the four shots below—all taken by me with kit lenses on basic DSLRs—you can see a foreshadowing of the four other lenses in this briefing—telephoto, wide-angle, portrait and macro:
But if you read Gizmodo enough, you know that we've made the case that lenses, and not the cameras themselves, account most for great pictures. Photography is an optics game first and foremost, and there's a point at which that kit lens can't achieve shots that your heart and soul tell you are achievable. There's nothing wrong with your camera—seriously, there's nothing wrong with it. You just need to get some more lenses.
In order to run this story I called some experts at Canon, Nikon and Sigma, which makes discounted lenses for most DSLRs. I could have called experts at [insert your favorite non-Canon or Nikon camera brand here] but early on, the advice was consistent and clear: Anyone who is really taking an interest in their camera should invest in a telephoto zoom next, followed by a fast "normal" lens, which you might call a portrait lens.
LENS LABELING In the interest of speed, I can't talk about lens anatomy, but there are some key attributes you need to know to read all lens retail listings: focal length and aperture.
In most cases, the lens categories here differ by the focal length, that is, how close a subject appears, indicated in millimeters. The human-eye equivalent is between 30mm and 50mm. A telephoto lens, which gets up close to things that are far away, can be as long as 500mm. A wide-angle lens, which makes close-up objects appear farther away, can be 10mm—still less if you want the bulbous fisheye look. A "zoom" lens simply means that it has a variable focal length—for instance, your kit lens, which can hit any length from 18mm to 55mm.
Because entry-level cameras have smaller (APS-C) sensors than professional (APS) cameras , everybody makes two sets of lenses. Typically all lenses work on beginner cameras, but beginner lenses don't work on pro cameras. If you stick with beginner lenses (denoted Nikon DX, Canon EF-S, Sony DT, Pentax DA, Sigma DC and Tamron Di II), you won't have to stress, but if you want to buy a pro lens, or have some lying around, bear in mind that you need to multiply the focal length by 1.5 or so to get the equivalent focal length for your camera. A 50mm pro lens is really a 75mm lens on your beginner's model. Why am I telling you this? Because there are new and used pro-level lenses out there for really good prices.
In one case below, what sets the lens apart is its large aperture. The aperture is the hole that lets in the light, and it's measured by the f-stop. A wider aperture means more light comes in, and you have a better chance of getting nice shots indoors, in dimmer settings. A narrower aperture lets in less light. The trade-off is that a wide aperture can't focus on as many things that are at different distances—it is said to have a "shallow depth of field." Your main subject is clear, but the background is blurry—artistic in many cases, annoying in some. When you narrow the aperture, you can crisply resolve more elements, but only if there's enough light. The wide aperture of a "fast" lens can always be narrowed, but there's no way for a "slow" lens with a narrower aperture to bring in more light.
As if that wasn't tricky, check this out: The f-stop is a fraction, and the number you refer to is on the bottom, so if it's low (f/1.4), the aperture is wide, and if it's high (f/6.0), the aperture is narrow. Got it? Zoom lenses at beginner prices tend to have variable f-stops, apertures that get narrower, and in need of more light, as you zoom in.
TELEPHOTO ZOOM Lenses in many ways are about reach, about bringing faraway subjects closer to your camera's sensor. "The low-end customer, who may take out their DSLR only occasionally, says, 'I want to shoot a picture of the moon, or animals at the zoo, or kids playing soccer,'" says Dave Metz, a lens specialist at Sigma. Even when that kit lens is cranked to the max, it's only giving you a 55mm focal length, which is why most DSLR makers have a very well-priced 55-200mm lens waiting at the ready. Prices range from $120 to $250, and it's usually the easiest purchase to make.
Credits: Lindsay Silverman - Nikon; me with Nikon; Robert O'Toole - Sigma; Stephen Lang - Sigma
Another telephoto zoom lens you'll see is the 18-200mm, which can cost anywhere from $350 to $600. That's a hefty premium to pay just so you don't have to schlep around two lenses, and generally speaking, the broader the focal length range, the more corners are being cut in performance. That lens is a pass.
If you are feeling particularly far out, both Metz and Nikon's camera marketing guru Steve Heiner suggest a 70-300mm lens. Sigma's model sells for under $200, Nikon's most recent model, with built-in image stabilizing, is just over $500, and there are 70-300mm lenses for everyone else ranging from $130 to $850, all with variable f-stops of either f/4.0-5.6 or f/4.5-5.6. Better yet, these lenses are spec'd for pro-grade APS cameras, so they're exceptionally zoomy on your beginner's camera, more like 105-450mm. Hey, don't think about it too much, just enjoy it.
NORMAL (AKA PORTRAIT) As much traction as you'll get from a zoom lens, it doesn't really teach you much, except maybe how to compose without cropping. I personally learned a hell of a lot more about photography when I started playing with f/1.8 50mm lenses. This is called a "normal" lens because, says Heiner, "It was all you could get on a camera in the '50s and '60s." In fact, he jokes that even though younger people are snapping up this relatively cheap lens ($100 to $150), he and his ilk "couldn't wait to get away from it" when zoom lenses started hitting the market.
What does it do? As a "fast" lens, it can shoot really well in low light. Keep the aperture wide, get up in your subject's grill, and start clicking. You'll see parts of their face sharply resolved while other parts are softly blurred. Tighten the aperture a tad, and your subject's whole head is clear while the backdrop is soft and peaceful, even if it's a Manhattan street corner at rush hour. What doesn't it do? It doesn't zoom, and because it's usually rated for pro cameras, it's about the equivalent of 75mm on an entry-level DSLR—which is roughly the preferred focal length for portrait shooting—so you often have to step back to get a decent shot.
Credits: Me with Canon; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma; Lindsay Silverman - Nikon
Alternatives to the cheap f/1.8 lens are an even faster one, f/1.4 ($300 to $500), or a 30mm or 35mm that gives entry-level cameras more of a "normal"—what your eye can see—perspective.
At this point, in addition to the original cost of your camera, you've spent less than $500, and you've added immeasurable functionality and artistic wiggle room. You can stop here, and you won't be judged. But, if you like, I can tell you about two more lenses that might rock your casbah.
ULTRA-WIDE ANGLE ZOOM That kit lens brings you down to 18mm, which is enough for you to stand in a corner of a room and shoot pretty much anything going on in that room. But what if you're not in the corner? The same twist of fate that makes pro-level telephoto lenses even more zoomy on your entry-level DSLR makes wide angles trickier—or at least more expensive—to attain.
Why is this? Film is flat, so light can come in at any angle, and the film will mostly record it. But camera sensor pixels are concave, and don't do well with light coming in from the side. Think of the pixels as little water glasses, says Sigma's Dave Metz. "You can fill them up with water by pouring it in from above, but try shooting it in from the side with a garden hose, and it's going to go all over the place." A telephoto by definition is pulling in light from directly in front of it, whereas a wide angle by definition is bringing in light from the sides, too. Hence the trouble, and the added expense.
But if you have the means, it's the consensus of my experts that you should pick yourself up an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens (10-24mm, 10-22mm or 10-20mm). Just be very careful that it's one built specifically for entry-level DSLRs, with the arcane designations I mentioned in the "Lens Labeling" section. Discounted on Amazon, Nikon's is selling for $809 while Canon's is around $730. Tamron and Sigma make them for Canon and Nikon for just under $500.
Credits: Stephen Lang - Sigma; David FitzSimmons - Sigma; Carol Polich - Sigma; Joe DiMaggio - Sigma
And the aesthetic pay off? As Metz tells it, "I am sure you've seen a beautiful mountain scene; in the foreground there's beautiful little flowers. Because they're so close, they appear out of perspective. You effectively enlarge the flowers." It's also, as he points out, the best way to make sure that all the uncles and aunts are included in the family portrait you take at the Christmas dinner table.
MACRO The final stop on our survey of lens-topia is the macro—or big hairy bug—lens. "When I try to show people about macro photography, they say 'What is that?'" says Lisette Ranga, a Canon camera marketing specialist, "but when they look through the viewfinder, and see how close you can get, they get it." While I don't understand why people like taking pictures of bugs and flowers so much, I am a victim of the chronic urge to do so. Though some are 50mm or thereabouts, many macros are telephoto lenses. The ideal, it seems, is to shoot stuff up close that you wouldn't even want to get near—he who snaps the most snakes and scorpions wins.
So what do you look for? Typically, macro lenses have a fixed aperture of f/2.8 (sometimes f/2.5). Sigma has five lenses, ranging from 50mm ($300) to 180mm ($900), all fixed, plus a few zooms such as the one I personally want to try out, the 24-70mm ($570, compared to well over $1,000 for the equivalent Canon or Nikon). What's cool is that when you're not photographing scorpions (or stamps or coins or documents), you can use these for portraits and other "normal" shooting, but with such sharp resolve that some even recommend a bit of digital softening.
So you see, adding those final two lenses more than doubles your investment, and for a diminished payoff. That's what you would buy next, but for most of you, it's not what you should be buying.
IMAGE STABILIZATION, LENS MOUNTS AND YOUR DADDY'S LENS COLLECTION Though some readers probably gave up on this story a long time ago, I have made every attempt to keep it clear and moving. In doing so, I skipped over lots of hot topics, including image stabilization and lens compatibility.
Canon and Nikon currently promote the hell out of image stabilizing lenses, in large part because their cameras do not have in-camera image stabilization like Sony, Pentax and Olympus. While image stabilization does tend to matter, its location doesn't seem to matter as much. The consensus on the internet is that it's a drag to have to buy IS in lenses over and over, and from what I've seen, there is a clear added cost when buying lenses a la carte. Nevertheless, there's a premium for buying Nikon and Canon because they are consistently the best reviewed and the biggest sellers, so there's no right or wrong. It's just something to look for when buying lenses, and to discuss with your favorite camera nerds.
The main reason Canon and Nikon don't have IS in their cameras is that the camera technologies pre-date the digital revolution, and it was harder to do with film. The flipside is this: Older film-based lenses from Canon and Nikon work on newer Canon and Nikon digital cameras. For Canon, it's the EF standard, which dates back to 1987. If the lens says EF on it, it will work. If it says EF-S, it was specifically made for entry-level DSLRs, and won't work on pricier pro models. If you put an EF lens on a camera that typically takes EF-S lenses, remember to multiply by 1.6 to figure out the real focal length.
For Nikon, it's a tad weirder: Any F-mount lens dating back to 1959 will fit on the thing, but only the lenses labeled AF-S will definitely work with D40/D60/D90/D3000/D5000 class of entry-level DSLRs. If the lens doesn't say "DX" on it, multiply the focal length by 1.5 to see what it really is. If your dad hands you a bag of Nikon lenses, accept them graciously, and try them all out, but be ready for weird results, or at the very least, a sudden lack of autofocus and auto metering.
LENS QUALITY I want to leave you with one final bone of contention—the quality of the lenses. I recognize that I have made many suggestions that seem like go-out-and-buy-'em recommendations. I do think that shopping for new lenses on a tight budget is a good way to expand as a photographer, but this is not a "buyer's guide."
Many photography enthusiasts believe buying a cheap lens to attach to your camera would be like buying a used prophylactic to... well, I'll spare you the imagery. But the point is, there is surely a reason why third-party ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses cost half as much as big name versions, just as there is surely a reason why Canon's 50mm f/1.4 costs nearly four times as much as its 50mm f/1.8. There are real differences in lenses, and I'm happy to invite you to discuss them below.
I would get into the ring with a rosy-cheeked 2-year old Rocky (and beat him senseless). I'd commit a crime right in front of baby RoboCop. And yeah, nobody is running from a diaper-wearing Predator.
That's right, Strapya has reimagined iconic Hollywood characters as cute, baby cellphone straps. It's actually kind of amusing—and each character is only going to set you back about $8. [Strapya via Waylou]
It looks like iRex, leading makers of giant, feature-packed ebook readers for real-life P.G. Wodehouse protagonists, is casting a monocled eye on the mainstream market. Crave's got details on a forthcoming 8.1-inch touchscreen reader, with wireless, rumored at under $400.
The device's total size will fall somewhere between the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, and touchscreen controls come by means of a stylus, as was the case with the company's previous Wacom-infused e-ink displays. Crave's information is coming straight from iRex, who left plenty of blanks for us to fill, and precious few clues. iRex's wireless carrier choice is unknown but probably not that important, but their choice of online ebook store—with "one of the large online e-book sellers," apparently—is going to be crucial. Is this what Bezos meant about giving the Kindle some competition? Will iRex poop all over Plastic Logic's party? We'll find out before Fall, when this this is due to ship. [Crave]
TUAW says they've heard Apple is blocking all new ebook app submissions to the App Store because they're often used for "infringing upon third party rights" and "have chosen to not publish this type of application." Hmm.
It's definitely possible—Apple just kicked the third-largest developer in the App Store out for intellectual property violations—as part of a new crusade against intellectual property violations. Which, there's totally nothing wrong with making sure content isn't stolen.
Though it does seem a little strange to to slam the door on ebook apps carte blanche to keep developers from publishing—and people from reading, as one developer was supposedly—copyright-infringing books. And another developer told TUAW that an app for a "national content syndicate" was rejected, even though the syndicate obviously owns the rights to their own content.
For what it's worth the Kindle and Eucalyptus ebook apps are still sitting pretty in the App Store, so maybe, hopefully, it's just a handful of weird, isolated cases, with vocal developers, not something more alarming, like censoring a dictionary. [TUAW via MacRumors, Image via quinn.anyaFlickr]
Laptop magazine went through the painstaking process of calling the tech support of every major notebook manufacturer. And they timed their waits before asking one of two very basic questions. The results may not surprise you.
Apple scored the highest with an A overall (that's a combined score of online and phone tech support). HP, Acer and Dell tied for lowest with C- each.
The good news: Most techs were able to answer basic usage questions after hold times within 5 minutes...with the exception of Dell, who maxed out at 19 minutes before connecting Laptop to a line that was "full of static and hissing" only to be transferred through one of those seemingly infinite tech support loops.
The bad news: While some problems across manufacturers varied, like Acer claiming that a computer was beyond its warranty date (despite not having even been manufactured by its alleged expiration), others were fairly common, like the low call quality from overseas lines.
Of course, we're just skimming the surface of Laptop's results, so hit them up and read the whole story on the current state of online and call-in technical support. [Laptop][Image, it's actually a 911 call center in NY]
Unlike Silicon Valley's, San Francisco's summer is fake, cold and foggy. Every year that goes by away from my beloved New Jersey, I forget what the season is really about: Fun away from the PC. And sweaty pants.
For most of my adult life, I lived up to the modern stereotype of a geek by staying connected and staying inside and equally pale year round. And I regret it. I don't know why we live like this, when the gadgets are inherently meant to be used outside, capturing photos and videos of the best memories not in front of your xbox, and wireless speeds and smartphones are so good at keeping us in touch with work and loved ones while we're traveling. There's no excuse, if you love life.
My excuse is San Francisco. Because of the consistent climate, I just always tend to forget about any seasonal change. June hits and we have all these Apple keynotes and whatnot, and then July starts and finishes within something like, oh, 30 days and August will inevitably does the same. Then September happens, which is the spiritual death of Summer for everyone, student or not. I thought to myself, here you go again, taking things for granted. So I sought out the sun. Lisa plotted a vacation, to Kauai and Oahu. Hawaii was personal time. I was doing nothing but camping on the beach, jumping into lava formed tide pools and did not check my email or phone for 4 days. The world did not end. I surfed a little and visited friends like Philippe resting after his big race. I brought minimal technology along the way. I can't say it was good. Apparently, when I ditch the internet, I start binge eating to replace the stimulation of twitter and blogs and email. Once, I ate three meals in a row with major ingredients being SPAM (the meat) before 4pm one day. There was a second, non SPAM dinner after that. And two working days later, 4400 new messages. Christ alive.
I got back last Wednesday and immediately took off with some Gizmodo writers and friends to REAL Kiteboarding at Hatteras North Carolina, to learn how to kiteboard, surf, drink a lot of sponsored beers (Heineken, thanks for the trip) and ultimately, test beach and water gadgets. And in the proper context of being outside, we realized that half of the gadgets we thought were cool were dumb, and half of the ones we thought were useless were totally impressive. You can't really test out waterproof cameras without spending time with them on the beach or in the ocean. Nor can you do the same with Jetskis or metal detecting sandals. It's more subtle than that, but I'll save it all for the reviews, which will come.
We invited Joel Johnson of Gizmodo/BoingBoingGadgets fame, John Mahoney from Giz and Pop Sci and Seth Porges from Popular Mechanics, and invited them to bring as much gear as they could haul down. And Hatteras was an incredible place. Basically, the area is a mecca for kiteboarding and surfing, with the outer banks being exposed to a shallow body of water to the west, almost 30 miles wide in some parts, calm but windy for kiteboarding, and the biggest surf breaks on the atlantic coast on the otherside of the island, which was walking distance away. When it came time to kiteboard, we got slaughtered. It's basically like wakeboarding on a boat while remote controlling a kite that's pulling you. And really, we're not the most athletic crowd, so that didn't help much. Also, it rained a whole bunch. One day, we only got into the water by borrowing some demo skimboards and surfboards from REAL and heading towards the atlantic. The current was strong, but it was just so satisfying to finally swim in the Atlantic, after all these years. It's a little darker, but because of the gulfstream a lot warmer. can't say I missed my wetsuit all that much.
It was muggy, and the summer showers as relentless as the mosquitos, things that I wouldnt' have to deal with in the monotone climate of SF, but nothing compares to the lift of spirits I get spending time with the people who write for this site, eating bbq and testing tech. We all work remotely and generally only see each other when there's a, like, super-serious liveblog or CES show to cover. And I remembered not only how much I love this feeling of...well, summer, but how much different tech is in the context of the heat, the moisture and really the distraction of the real world.
Til school starts we'll be running more stories about tech and summer. Sometimes involving the ocean sometimes the beach, sometimes just the most tangential of connections. It's already August, but I'll be satisfied if we can celebrate what's left of the most glorious time of the year and what it means to all of the tech nerds here.
Many moons ago, MoGo mice nested in PCMCIA slots, and lived out their lives in peace and seclusion. But their offspring, native habitat threatened by the dreaded "netbook," needed to adapt. Hence, the Mogo Mouse: parasite netbook edition .
Launching just days behind the similarly-designed piggybacking headset for BlackBerry, the Mogo mouse for netbooks brings its own slot, in the form of a mountable charging holster. The 5mm-thick mouse connects via Bluetooth, and will do your hand's bidding for around 10 hours on a 30-minute charge.
Mogo for netbooks is available as part of a $100 kit, which includes one (1) tiny mouse, a docking connector and a charging cable. [Mogo via Slippery Brick]
Harry McCracken over at Technologizer has put together a fun collection of weird and wonderful mouse patents, most of which fell off the conveyer belt somewhere between the drawing board and better judgment.
Original 1967 mouse patent? Check. Crazy virtual reality input methods? Ditto. In addition to abandoned pyramid-shaped and Timex clock mice, highlights include a mouse that has a telephone built into it, and another that's built-into a telephone. [Technologizer]
"But Opera's already on Android," you protest. That's Opera Mini, the Opera browser that serves up pages pre-crunched for crappy phones by Opera's servers. Opera Mobile is their full-fledged, feature-packed browser that promises Flash and Google Gears support.
The latest build was missing Flash and Gears, but Opera Turbo—speedier page loading with some help from Opera's servers was there. Hopefully it'll have the other two in place by the time it hits Android, which is in the works, confirms Opera's CEO, where it should provide some decent competition to the default WebKit browser, which is already pretty damn good. [App Scout]
I will tell you: This is the place where Humanity reached one of its lowest points in history. The place where 64 years of fear started. The place where the most terrible discovery humankind has ever made finally took shape.
Today marks 64 years of the culmination of Project Manhattan—one of the most complex, expensive, and deadly endeavours ever accomplished by science, the creation of the first nuclear bomb. That August 6, a B-29 Superfortress bomber called "Enola Gay" dropped this 8900 pound bomb called "Little Boy" from 31,000 feet above this exact point, instantly killing 70,000 people, killing 70,000 more years after the event, and affecting the lives of thousands more forever. Actually, the life of everyone in the planet, which still can destroy itself hundreds of times over.
Yes. It's not a good day for science, gadgets, and all of us. So remember it, and enjoy life today, for it is a precious thing that doesn't last forever. [Big Picture]
How do you know that wireless charging isn't quite ready for primetime yet? When you need to plug something into your gadget in order to get it to charge "wirelessly."
The WildCharge PowerDisc plugs into a gadget that doesn't have a WildCharge "skin" available for it and lets it charge without plugging it into the wall. But it seems to make charging less convenient than the traditional method. I mean, you can either have a cable on your desk that you plug your Kindle into to charge, or you can have a big flat surface and then a dongle that you need to find whenever you charge it.
Until this is built into gadgets, like the Pre, I can't imagine spending the money on it. [WildCharge via SlashGear]
All of the news pretty much leaked anyway, but in case you needed iRiver to announce their E200 to believe it actually exists, they've taken that leap...with no mention of price or release date.
Featuring a 2.8-inch screen, the iRiver E200 will come in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities (plus whatever you add through MicroDS) while supporting FM radio, FLAC, RMVB and Xvid. Otherwise, there's not much else to know that we didn't already know. [iRiver via PMP Today]
So here's what you're supposed to do: Nestle your Cybershot point-and-shoot atop the Party Shot motorized monopod, set a few parameters, and party hard. In theory, when you wake up, you'll have a memory card full of semi-candid, Facebook-ready pictures.
In theory! In practice, it's hard to see how well this would work. Although its facial-recognition, focus, flash control and intelligent rotation represent distinct advantages over a drunk dude with a camera, the fact that it's stranded wherever you put it seems like it would sort of kill the possibility of truly candid shots, and make your photo albums a mite repetitive. Also, it's a little creepy, as you can see in this video. I don't even know what I'd think of that wasted.
The Party Shot will also shoot panoramas, though sadly just regular wide ones, not world-enveloping mega-mosaics like the Gigapan system produces. AA batteries keep the Party Shot untethered from power outlets, and are said to last around 11 hours. No word on price or availability yet. Ok, a few words: It'll be release in Japan in early September for around $160. Still no idea about wide release, but it should make its way stateside eventually. [Sony]
You thought that you had to choose between your pirated gameshomebrew and Facebook? Nope, the DSi already appears to have been cracked again.
While the latest DSi firmware 1.4 tempted users with social networking on Facebook, it also blocked infamous R4 cartridges, a popular way to load pirated software on the DS/DSi. But according to this clip, Nintendo's efforts were again futile, as pirates have already circumvented new security measures.
The moral of the story: The DSi, even with its aggressive PSP-style updates, has no more chance of preventing piracy than the DS. [Kotaku]
We've been waiting for the supposed Summer launch of TomTom's turn-by-turn iPhone app and car kit ever since we saw it at WWDC. Now one UK retailer looks to be taking pre-orders for £113.85 (about $195).
I wouldn't take Handtec's pricing as gospel—they seem to have jumped the gun after all—but it does give some insight into what we might expect.
The listed price is a little higher than a basic stand alone device costs, but includes the iPhone app itself, along with the GPS-boosting car accessory—complete with windscreen mount, in-car charger, speakers, and hands-free rig. And as we've mentioned in the past, it's not inconceivable that the kit will also support the iPod Touch.
Of course, it still remains to be seen if TomTom will bleed users dry with an AT&T TeleNav-style monthly subscription, or go the one off charge route that CoPilot Live took in the UK. [Handtec via Daniweb via Techmeme]
Choosing which aspect of the SamsungSprint Reclaim is most important will depend heavily on your worldview. Is it that the handset is made from environmentally-friendly bioplastics? That it's Sprint's first 3G QWERTY phone to touch $50 on contract?
Take your pick, ruthless capitalist/unpleasant hippie! On the green front, 80% of its building materials are corn-fed and recyclable (the other 20% presumably vaporize baby pandas on contact), it doesn't come with a paper manual, and its recyclable packaging uses soy-based ink. (!) It's also painted green or blue, just in case the phone's "deal" wasn't already clear to you and your friends, and each purchase nets a land conservation charity a few bucks.
On the phone front, this is a slide-out-QWERTY-equipped dumphone, with Sprint's in-house OS and the One Click social-networking-oriented user interface. A 2MP camera, GPS and expandable storage and Bluetooth 2.0 round the specs out. It's nothing spectacular, but this Pre-like phone (wannaPre?) is also just $50 with a two-year contract on Sprint, after a small stack of rebates. Available from August 16th; full press release below. [Sprint]
Sprint Expands Environmental Leadership with New Initiatives and Debut of Eco-Friendly Samsung Reclaim
Available for less than $50, Samsung Reclaim is the most full-featured eco-friendly phone in the U.S.; Purchases of Samsung Reclaim benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program
Sprint retail stores to feature green products and services section; Sustainable design blueprint announced for future Sprint-owned store builds and refurbishments
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & DALLAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sprint (NYSE:S) is making it easier than ever for customers to "go green" with new eco-friendly products, services and programs and expanding its commitment as a leader in sustainability. Available on Aug. 16, Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the #1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, today announced Samsung Reclaim™ as the first phone in the U.S. constructed from eco-friendly bio-plastic materials. Made from 80 percent recyclable materials, Samsung Reclaim is a feature-rich messaging phone that offers environmentally conscious customers a perfect blend of responsibility without sacrificing the latest in network speeds and must-have features.
Reclaim is the most full-featured QWERTY phone launched by Sprint at less than $50. It will be available on August 16 in all Sprint retail channels, including Best Buy, Radio Shack, Web (www.sprint.com) and telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) for just $49.99 with a two-year service agreement after a $30 instant rebate and a $50 mail-in rebate (taxes and service charges excluded). It will be available at Wal-Mart in early September.
When customers purchase Samsung Reclaim from Sprint, $2 of the proceeds will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world's most beautiful and important natural habitats.
"This generous donation from Sprint will help us protect and restore some of America's most beautiful and ecologically-important landscapes for future generations to enjoy," said Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. "We applaud Sprint's sustainability efforts, as innovation and new technology are crucial to the future of conservation."
Sprint is also launching several new environmental initiatives in an effort to support its aggressive long-term environmental goals:
* Sprint is the first U.S. wireless carrier to establish a set of environmental design criteria for future devices and accessories. * Sprint is implementing a series of new environmentally-responsible retail initiatives including adding a dedicated display area in stores that highlights Sprint's commitment to eco-friendly products and accessories. * Sprint is committing to reduce paper usage by 30 percent during the next five years.
"Sprint is widely recognized as a leader among telecommunications companies in environmentally-responsible initiatives, and today we are proud to announce an even stronger commitment to sustainability with new eco-friendly products and programs," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "Samsung Reclaim enables customers to go green while getting the latest in wireless technology. When customers walk into a Sprint retail store, they will be greeted by the information they need to make earth-friendly wireless choices, coupled with Ready Now to learn about the rich functionality of this device."
DEFINING GREEN WITH SAMSUNG RECLAIM An eco-friendly overachiever, Samsung Reclaim from Sprint is designed with environmentally-responsible components and fully recyclable packaging, making it the perfect wireless phone for the eco-conscious consumer.
* Its bio-plastic material, made from corn, makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim's outer casing. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR): three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines. * The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink. * The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access at www.sprint.com/reclaimsupport. * The charger is Energy Star approved for meeting the highest energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption and is equipped with a visible notification to alert the user to unplug the handset once it's fully charged.
"Samsung Reclaim is more than just an eco-friendly device, it's also a powerful and stylish phone that's easy-to-use," said Omar Khan, senior vice president of Strategy and Product Management for Samsung Mobile. "When you combine the Reclaim's impressive feature set with its bio-plastic hardware and eco-friendly packaging, you're using a phone that is good for you and the environment."
Operating on America's most dependable 3G network2, Samsung Reclaim boasts One Click, Sprint's award-winning customizable user interface with quick access to such social networks as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube. A new green One Click tile makes its debut on Reclaim providing the gateway to several green applications including:
* Five Simple Steps from Discovery Channel provides five simple changes you can make to be more eco-friendly, from how you commute to what you eat for dinner; * Green Guides from Discovery Channel offers handy guides to help you green your lives with ease, and understand why; * Green Glossary from Discovery Channel provides words and explanations about the Earth and Climate Change; and * All Things Green, a Sprint Web category contains dynamic green headline and links to downloadable content.
Customers don't have to sacrifice the latest in technology to be environmentally-friendly with Reclaim. The stylish, full-featured phone offers:
* a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard making it easy to access personal or corporate email as well as text and multimedia messaging; * Sprint Navigation with Search, providing easy access to directory information and GPS-enabled directions; * 2 megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom and camcorder; * advanced stereo Bluetooth® 2.0; * expandable memory storage up to 32GB; * an integrated Web browser; and * two color options - Earth Green and Ocean Blue.
Sprint currently offers more eco-friendly accessories than any other U.S. telecommunications company. In May, Sprint announced the availability of new eco-friendly accessories, including the SOLIO Mono solar-powered charger and two new cell phone carrying cases made from 100 percent recycled plastic water bottles.
Sprint's green-themed website, www.sprint.com/green, details Sprint's green mobile applications and helps customers learn about Sprint's sustainability initiatives, including online bill pay, wireless recycling programs and acquiring green tips, such as using mobile GPS to calculate the quickest route to save gas. Customers can receive Sprint updates on specific company-wide environmentally-responsible initiatives on Twitter via @SprintGreenNews and can visit www.sprint.com/green for additional green tips.
GREENING SPRINT RETAIL STORES AND PRODUCTS Beginning in September, all Sprint-owned retail locations will feature a new dedicated environmentally-responsible section that highlights eco-friendly products and accessories such as the SOLIO Solar Charger and carrying cases made from recycled materials. Sprint also will implement a new sustainable design blueprint for all future Sprint-owned retail store builds and refurbishments.
New and refurbished stores will implement numerous sustainable design elements consistent with LEED design standards, and will include energy-efficient lighting, low water usage plumbing fixtures and low VOC paint and carpet. The roll out of these energy efficiency upgrades is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of each store by about 19,000 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents.
Sprint's Environmental Product Design Criteria Vision Statement applies to all products sold in Sprint channels. Sprint will work with its device and accessory suppliers to design and provide products that:
* Reduce the use of potentially hazardous materials, * Are energy efficient, * Include standardized audio and charging interfaces, * Are more recyclable, and * Have more sustainable packaging including standardized sizes, reduced weight, increased recyclability rate, and increased recycled content.
Sprint also will work with its suppliers to measure and report on the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes.
Who hasn't accidentally left a phone, camera or MP3 player in a swimsuit pocket and gone swimming? It's a harrowing experience, but there's hope: Dunking the gadget in rice is a somewhat surprising yet very effective drying method.
A BlackBerry for $50, if you buy it at the right spot
Trackpad just as good as trackball (almost)
Every new BlackBerry makes BlackBerry OS feel a bit more tired
Feels kinda cheap, like a $50 faux smartphone
Worst BlackBerry screen in a long time—dim, text looks bad
A Philadelphia jogger was killed yesterday by a 
I really thought—hoped, really—this sliver of black plastic was the Japanese PS3 Slim. It's not.
If you look like Snow White or a dead fish after a chemical spill in all your photos, don't worry: Now you can tan in no time, no risks involved, without leaving the comforting light of your monitor.
Remember the 
It's a bit surprising that even with the worldwide prevalence of 
Get $300 off this $999 (or higher, depending on your configuration) HP notebook. Nearly 1/3 off is pretty damn good, no matter what laptop it is. [
I would get into the ring with a rosy-cheeked 2-year old Rocky (and beat him senseless). I'd commit a crime right in front of baby RoboCop. And yeah, nobody is running from a diaper-wearing Predator.
It looks like iRex, leading makers of 
"That's no moon… that's a guy standing by himself in the corner at a party." [
Laptop magazine went through the painstaking process of calling the tech support of every major notebook manufacturer. And they timed their waits before asking one of two very basic questions. The results may not surprise you.
Choosing which aspect of the 
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