Puneet's Blog

550,000 More Chinese Toys Recalled for Lead

2007-09-27T09:36:00.001-04:00

A random testing of more than 50 plastic toys found high lead content in 11 of them, according to a consumer advocacy group.

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PlaySpan Takes $6.5m Series A, Founder In Grade 6

2007-09-20T11:35:00.001-04:00

PlaySpan Takes $6.5m Series A, Founder In Grade 6

Virtual world goods seller PlaySpan has received $6.5 million Series A in a round led by Easton Capital, Menlo Ventures, STIC and Novel TMT Ventures.

PlaySpan hasn’t launched yet, but is promising a product that will attempt to be an official commerce provider for multiple MMOGs. According to PlaySpan, the company has already signed up seven MMOG partners

The interesting side of PlaySpan is with the background story: PlaySpan was founded by Arjun Mehta (pictured) , a 6th grader from Silicon Valley who founded the company from money earned selling online game items won from quests he fought while attending 5th grade at Challenger School in San Jose.

No word on when PlaySpan will be launching.

(via Metaversed)

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Apple sells 100 millionth iPod, deems experiment a success

2007-04-09T15:22:00.001-04:00

Apple sells 100 millionth iPod, deems experiment a success

Filed under: Portable Audio

Has it really only been five and a half years since the first iPod rolled off the assembly line and into the initially-skeptical arms of music-loving consumers worldwide? Well since that time we've seen an entire ecosystem of third-party and DIY accessories sprout up around Apple's ubiquitous little jukebox -- from the pretty handy to the just plain weird -- along with endless humorous anecdotes, an infinite number of knockoffs, serious political, legal, and environmental movements, and of course, an almost daily barrage of wild rumors the likes of which the world has never known. So it's with mixed emotion that we welcome the 100 millionth iPod into the world (enough for almost every man, woman, and child in Mexico): on the one hand, it gives us warm fuzzies to see perennial underdog Apple come out on top for a change, but we also hope that the company employs its leadership position responsibly, such as being a little less quick to sic the lawyers on anyone who dares use the "Pod" name in vain. And as for the next 100 million iPods? Is PC-less downloading just over the horizon? When will we finally see the move to an all flash lineup? Will Apple finally take the leap and merge its prize pig with -- gasp! -- a cellular telephone? As always, only time -- and Uncle Steve -- will tell.

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Top Twenty Sites: Most Downtime

2007-04-04T11:03:00.001-04:00

Top Twenty Sites: Most Downtime

Pingdom just published a report measuring total 2007 downtime to date for the top 20 sites on the web as ranked by Alexa. Leading the list is Yahoo with zero downtime. Google’s YouTube and Blogger.com are the worst performers, with over 4 hours of downtime each (although Google.com is very reliable).

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Zillow Relaunch - Adds Its Own Q&A Service.

2007-04-04T10:57:00.001-04:00

Zillow Relaunch - Adds Its Own Q&A Service.

Zillow has been down this afternoon as the popular real estate site adds a number of new features.

They may have been taking a look at the runaway success of Yahoo Answers - Among the changes is a new product called Home Q&A, which allows users to ask and answer questions about any of the 70 million U.S. homes in the Zillow database. Answers are rated by other Zillow users.

Every home in the Zillow database has its own dedicated page. Any user can now also add photos and information about any home and its neighborhood to the site. Users can also indicate if a home is for sale, and the asking price, as well as additional information. This is an expansion on user-generated content features added last September. Previously only the 600,000 registered users who claimed their homes or over 150,000 real estate agents could list a home for sale or post photos of the home. Now any registered user can list a home for sale and post an unlimited number of photos for the home, although the prime real estate on the listing is still reserved for a certified owner or agent. Bad photos and information can be flagged by other users.

Zillow is moving beyond the general site wide advertising they got from brokerages and home improvement stores, enabling registered users to carry out targeted advertising campaigns for their home listing. The new ad units are called “EZ Ads”. Users will be able to target their campaign by zip codes and specify the number of view or bank roll their ad will run for. The effective CPM for these ads will be a penny per impression.

Zillow claims 4.1 million unique visitors came to the site in March (Comscore (U.S.) says 1.8 million, down from 2.3 million a year ago, and 33 million monthly page views). They say that 90% of visitors own a home, and 54% play to buy or sell in the next two years. The company has raised $57 million in venture capital.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Mozilla To Build Social Networking Into Firefox: Bad News For Flock

2007-04-04T10:24:00.001-04:00

Mozilla To Build Social Networking Into Firefox: Bad News For Flock

Mozilla has released details on The Coop, a new product that will incorporate social networking features directly into the Firefox browser. This is not good news for the privately-backed social browser Flock (also built on Mozilla), which is yet to release a 1.0 version of its browser. Many of the proposed features and some of the mockups created by Mike Beltzner (see above) suggest a significant overlap in the two products.

In fact, Coop even has an example screen shot of Flock on the wiki page describing the product, along with the description “The design will likely resemble [formerly of Flock] Chris Messina’s mockup for “People in the Browser”, with a horizontal bar containing avatars for a user’s friends, and icons overlaid on those avatars to indicate the presence of new content.”

The Coop product will allow Firefox users to “subscribe” to friends in the browser, bringing those friends into a sidebar. Those friends can share content and web pages with you (receive content from you, and send content to you).

Adding a friend will mean getting access to a broad array of their published web content. Content will be pulled from that person’s Flickr photo feed, del.icio.us tag feed, MySpace status , YouTube favorites, etc. When you want to share content with that user, you simply drag it into their avatar (see mockups below).

As Larry Dignan notes, The Coop could also have an impact on social networks that depend on constant user page refreshes to maintain pageview growth. Having status information on your friends directly in the browser could significantly lessen the need to visit those sites directly.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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PC World’s 50 Best Tech Products Of All Time

2007-04-04T10:23:00.001-04:00

PC World’s 50 Best Tech Products Of All Time

Incredibly awesome magazine PC World has come out with a Top 50 Best Tech Products of All Time list and boy is it full of nostalgia. Classics include 3dfx Voodoo3 at #16, the Motorola StarTAC at #8, Tetris at #10, and Napster at #4. The most recent item on the list is Blizzard’s World of Warcraft at #27, followed by the Canon EOS Digital Rebel at #44.

So who took the #1 spot? Was it Mac OS X? Perhaps the Nintendo Game Boy? Far from both, it’s actually Netscape Navigator. Yeah, that’s right. The 1994-browser you used back in school to visit LexisNexis reigns king over all gadgets and software. True, Netscape was the first mainstream browser to do it all, but the #1 spot on the 50 Best Tech Products of All Time? Psh. Way to blow it PC World.

50 Best Tech Products Of All Time [PC World]

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Annual H-1B Visa Cap Met In One Day

2007-04-04T10:21:00.001-04:00

Annual H-1B Visa Cap Met In One Day

CNet is reporting that the door has closed on the H1-B visa application process for this year, one day after it began. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said that it had received 150,000 applications as of yesterday afternoon. 65,000 H1-B visas can be issued for foreigners with bachelor's degrees. The USCIS will choose randomly from the applications to determine the winners.

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New coating may lead to fog- and dirt-free windshields

2007-04-04T10:20:00.003-04:00

New coating may lead to fog- and dirt-free windshields

Filed under: Transportation

If you're like us and haven't washed your car since, like, ever, you're probably used to the windshield getting all fogged up (not in the good, make out point way, however) and habitually swiping at the glass with your sleeve while swerving between lanes and praying that your airbag still works. Well thanks to a new coating developed by researchers at Purdue University, your dangerous driving habits may soon be a thing of the past (well, except for those occasions when you're texting your buddies while eating a cheeseburger and fiddling with the radio), as this material has the unique ability to both prevent the formation of water droplets (no more fog!) as well as cause oil-based substances to bead up for easy cleaning (no more road grime!). The science behind this breakthrough is a little boring (i.e. we don't really understand it), but it seems that by covalently bonding a DuPont substance known as Zonyl FSN-100 to ordinary glass, the component polymers are able to change shape and react differently depending on the chemicals they come into contact with. After figuring out a way to apply the coating cheaply through spray or roll-on techniques, the next step for the Boilermakers will be to coax the material into repelling other nasty substances, making it suitable for use on the gadgets and glasses we geeks hold so dear.

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MIT gurus developing bionic feet / ankles

2007-04-04T10:20:00.001-04:00

MIT gurus developing bionic feet / ankles

Filed under: Robots

Leave it to the brilliant minds at MIT's Biomechatronics Lab to crank out yet another bionic limb, as a newfangled mechanical foot / ankle combo is apparently on the minds of more than a few of its researchers. In a recent patent application, the team describes an "artificial foot and ankle joint" consisting of a "leaf spring foot member," flexible elastic ankle, and an actuator motor that applies force to the ankle. Aside from sporting a fairly intelligent system to improving one's gait, it also boasts a built-in safety feature that prevents foot rotation beyond a specified angle, and the internal sensors can also activate the motors at different intervals depending on the surface in which one is walking. The prosthetic feet join a horde of other bionic limbs and appendages meant to make life as an amputee a fair bit easier, and as terrific as this here invention sounds, we're betting the Olympic committee dashes your hopes of illegally obliterating a few running records by barring these from basic competitions.

[Via NewScientistTech]

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French train breaks rail speed record

2007-04-04T10:19:00.001-04:00

French train breaks rail speed record

Filed under: Transportation

While the majority of world speed records we cover involve things like transistors, data transmission, and even the occasional text messaging attempt, we're not ones to pass up a good old fashion land speed record, which France's Alstom Technologies thankfully provided today. After months of working up to it, the company finally sent its V150 passenger train screaming through the French countryside, ultimately topping out at a breakneck speed of 574.8 kilometers per hour, or about 357 mph, easily besting the previous rail speed record of 320 mph. While it'll no doubt only make you jealous of not being on board (or at least nearby), you can check out a video of the record-setting attempt at the link below.

[Thanks, Antoine G]

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How Open Source Is Changing Education

2007-03-06T10:25:00.001-05:00

How Open Source Is Changing Education

ftblguy writes "MIT's Open CourseWare program provides a great example of how the open source movement is impacting education. The Online Education Database also lists Project Gutenberg, Wikipedia, Linux, Firefox, and Google (?) as some of the other open source in education success stories. Open source and open access resources have changed how colleges, organizations, instructors, and prospective students use software, operating systems, and online documents for educational purposes. Each success story has served as a springboard to create more open source successes."

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Pretty creative, there. [shifty eyes]

2007-02-26T16:57:00.001-05:00

Pretty creative, there. [shifty eyes]

I can't believe this puppy stooped so low as to COPY the late, great Kumanoko hamster. (Scroll down to see third 'under blankie' photo)

OMGPlagarizms!

Still, not bad, Mark C. ;)

You do get extra points for the tiny ear flips.

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Mother may lose custody of obese boy (AP)

2007-02-26T16:53:00.001-05:00

Mother may lose custody of obese boy (AP)

AP - Authorities are considering taking an 8-year-old boy who weighs 218 pounds into protective custody unless his mother improves his diet, officials said Monday.

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Crashing an In-Flight Entertainment System

2007-02-21T11:48:00.001-05:00

Crashing an In-Flight Entertainment System

rabblerouzer writes "Hugh Thompson, who was interviewed by Slashdot on the dangers of e-voting, now has a cool blog entry on how he was able to bring down the gaming/movie console on an airplane. He calls it one of the most interesting examples of a software 'abuse case' he has ever seen." Fortunately the IFE system is totally disjoint from the avionics.

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JetBlue details customer bill of rights (AP)

2007-02-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

JetBlue details customer bill of rights (AP)

AP - JetBlue Airways rolled out a customer bill of rights Tuesday that promises vouchers to fliers who experience delays in a move it hopes will win back passengers after an operational meltdown damaged its brand and stock price.

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Baby as small as pen when born to go home

2007-02-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

Baby as small as pen when born to go home (Reuters)

Reuters - A premature baby only slightly longer than a ballpoint pen at birth was due to be sent home in the coming days from a Florida hospital after four months of neonatal intensive care, the hospital said on Tuesday.

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Who Pays For Credit Card Breaches?

2007-02-21T09:42:00.000-05:00

Who Pays For Credit Card Breaches?

PetManimal writes "A scheme to steal customers' credit and debit card information at a New England supermarket chain highlights a little-understood fact about credit card security: Customers still think that the credit-card companies have to eat fraudulent charges, but since the PCI DSS standards were adopted, it's actually the merchant banks and merchants who have to pay up. And, according to the blogger writing in the latter article, it's a good thing." "The main reason PCI exists is that there are tens of thousands of merchants who don't understand the basics of information security and weren't even taking the very minimum steps to secure their networks and the credit card information they stored... PCI pushes that burden downstream and forces merchants to... put in a properly configured firewall, encrypt sensitive information and maintain a minimum security stance or be fined by their merchant banks... [T]he credit card companies have taken the bulk of the financial burden off of themselves and placed it on the merchants, which is where much of it belongs...'"

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Best & Worst Decisions Starting Companies

2007-02-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Best & Worst Decisions Starting Companies

markfletcher writes "Today I launched a new site, Startupping, dedicated to helping Internet entrepreneurs. For the launch I asked several successful entrepreneurs about lessons they learned starting and running Internet companies. The first set of replies includes responses from Paul Graham, John Battelle, Chris Pirillo, Ross Mayfield, and Dick Costolo."

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Vista Security — Too Little Too Late

2007-02-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

Vista Security — Too Little Too Late

Thomas Greene of The Register has a fairly comprehensive review of Vista and IE7 user security measures. The verdict is: better but not adequate, and mostly an attempt to shift blame onto the user when things go wrong. From the review: "[Vista is] a slightly more secure version than XP SP2. There are good features, and there are good ideas, but they've been implemented badly. The old problems never go away: too many networking services enabled by default; too many owners running their boxes as admins and downloading every bit of malware they can get their hands on."

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Wal-Mart to Open Hundreds of Stores in India

2006-11-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wal-Mart is set to open hundreds of stores in INDIA. According to the article,

The deal would be the first large-scale entry into the booming Indian market by a major foreign retailer. Companies like Wal-Mart and Carrefour, the French retailer, have long been stymied by government rules that critics call protectionist.

VISTA's shutdown menu

2006-11-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

There is very nice article on why VISTA took so long. According to the article, "The fact that you have to choose between nine different ways of turning off your computer every time just on the start menu, not to mention the choice of hitting the physical on/off button or closing the laptop lid, produces just a little bit of unhappiness every time."

Time to Rename the Cell Phone?

2006-11-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

BusinessWeek is running an article by Cliff Edwards about Cell Phones. According to the article "Once upon a time, the now-eponymous portable derived its name from the small sections (deemed "cells") into which a city was divided in order to keep voice calls smooth and uninterrupted. Today, it almost seems that voice calls are the least-used function of most phones, while Wi-Fi and WiMax use ever-growing amounts of network bandwidth. Both make the "cellular" moniker obsolete. Is it time for a new name, or is a rose by any other name still as sweet?"

P Sainath: Three weddings and a funeral

2006-05-24T08:28:00.000-04:00

P Sainath: Three weddings and a funeral: "As farm suicides in Vidarbha cross the 500-mark in under a year, families are holding funerals and weddings at the same time. Sometimes, on the same day. In moving shows of solidarity, very poor villagers are pitching in to help conduct the marriages and funerals of down-and-out neighbours, writes P Sainath."

Neglect of the mentally ill

2006-05-22T13:39:00.000-04:00

Neglect of the mentally ill: "Mental patients are being systematically and continuously ignored and denied the social rights they deserve. Therefore, along with a change in mindset, there is a desperate need for reform in the treatment of the mentally ill in our country, writes Debabrata Kanjilal."

Network Management Outsourced to India

2006-05-19T08:31:00.000-04:00

Network Management Outsourced to India: "Carl Bialik from WSJ writes 'The latest wrinkle for outsourcing companies in India is long-distance monitoring of corporate computer networks in U.S. and Europe -- services that could be worth tens of billions of dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: 'Growth is expected as factories become more computerized and remote services expand to include controlling plant temperatures from afar and even monitoring who enters and exits the premises. 'Theoretically,' says Azim Premji, chairman and founder of India outsourcing company Wipro Ltd., 'anything on a network can be managed remotely from India.'' "

Pune invites citizens to walk on the road, legally

2006-05-18T17:23:00.000-04:00

Pune invites citizens to walk on the road, legally: "With the decision to turn an important commercial road in the city into a walking plaza on weekends, Pune is reaping a healthier urban environment as well as a popular public space. Vinita Deshmukh reports that the early opposition from some quarters has given way, as more people take to the street."

Test Drive Your Dream Job

2006-05-01T09:47:00.000-04:00

Test Drive Your Dream Job: "ches_grin writes ''Vocation Vacations' has a simple concept--allow folks to try out a new career before leaving their current job. Participants get paired with mentors in their chosen field and then spend 2-3 days fully immersed in life as a brewer, dog-trainer, sword-maker, or whatever their fantasy gig is. People are willing to pay to do someone else's job.' From the article: 'The idea is relatively simple. Participants pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand (transportation, lodging, etc., aren't included) to experience life as, say, a chocolatier, a fashion designer, or a race-car driver. The time spent immersed in their fantasy job allows them to get a 360-degree perspective without the risk of quitting their own jobs or investing heavily in a new career. ' "

Moving newspapers to e-ink has already begun

2006-04-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

Moving newspapers to e-ink has already begun: "Filed under: Handhelds

William Gibson was certainly right when he said 'The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.' But not for long. The New York Times has a very interesting piece on newspapers going e-paper -- and we aren't talking Internet editions. Besides the obvious discussion of dynamic ads, how much e-papers will cost, and the when, where, and how, we're presented with something interesting: De Tijd, a Belgian financial newspaper, has already put their paper on iLiad e-ink eBook readers; Les Echos in Paris, the IFRA group in Germany, The New York Times, as well as the International Herald Tribune are all in discussions to roll out e-newspaper subscriptions for devices like Sony's Reader later this year. Sure, for now it's still in monochrome, but that won't be for long; besides, it was Earth Day this weekend, people, time to make some sacrifices. Think of the trees, won't you?

Lexon's new On-Off alarm clock literally rocks

2006-04-25T09:47:00.000-04:00

Lexon's new On-Off alarm clock literally rocks: "Filed under: Household
If all of those new fangled 'buttons' that they put on them thar alarm clocks these day are getting you down, you might be interested in the new On-Off clock from Lexon. Designed by Nina Tolstrup, the On-Off LCD alarm clock can have its alarm activated by tilting it into the on position, and the alarm can be turned off by (you guessed it) tilting the clock to the off position. While we're sure this will result in some exciting and violent early morning clock tilting action, we're not so sure how snooze functionality factors in. In any case, the clock should be available May 15th in numerous colors, and for the quite reasonable price of $36.50.

Nokia N72 launched

2006-04-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

Nokia N72 launched: "Filed under: Cellphones

Along with the N93 and N73, Nokia just launched their new N72 multimedia tri-band GSM/EDGE cellphone. This Symbian S60 handset features a 2.1-inch, 176 x 208, 262k color display, Bluetooth 2.0, and 20MB internal memory expandable via SD memory cards. Media support includes a digital music player with dedicated music keys supporting MP3 and AAC playback, an FM Radio with Visual Radio support, and throws in a swivel-activated 2 megapixel shooter with integrated flash capable of CIF video capture at 15fps. Nokia is positioning this pup as a 'multimedia computer' which is a bit of a stretch, but we'll play a long, for now. Expected in Pearl Pink or Gloss Black sometime in June 2006. More pics on the flip.

Use Thunderbird like a pro

2006-04-24T16:26:00.001-04:00

Use Thunderbird like a pro: "Even if you use Thunderbird on a daily basis, you probably don't know it inside out. There are still quite a few 'hidden' features not covered in the online help that can significantly improve your emailing habits. And since Thunderbird's functionality can be expanded via extensions, you can add some clever features to it too."

Review: NeoOffice 1.2

2006-04-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

Review: NeoOffice 1.2: "Developers Patrick Luby and Edward Peterlin released NeoOffice 1.2, a port of OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 to Mac OS X, in early February. I decided to kick the tires a bit and see how well it performs. NeoOffice isn't perfect, but it's a great alternative for Mac users who don't want to shell out big bucks for Microsoft Office, and want a suite that's more full-featured than Apple's iWork."

Texas Community College Bans MySpace.com (AP)

2006-04-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Texas Community College Bans MySpace.com (AP): "AP - Del Mar College students now have to use computers outside the school's system if they want to visit the popular Web site MySpace.com. The community college has blocked the site in response to complaints about sluggish Internet speed on campus computers."

It's Earth Day -- so don't just toss your old computer!

2006-04-24T16:22:00.000-04:00

It's Earth Day -- so don't just toss your old computer!: "It's Earth Day today, and the consumer electronics industry isn't above a little shameless self-promotion to show off their green cred. And, we have to admit, recycling your old gear is a lot better than just tossing it into the basement -- or worse, a landfill. So follow the examples of these companies, and make your gear green! Apple Computer will pay for shipping and environmentally friendly disposal of any old computer with the purchase of a new Mac from the company's retail or online stores. So, if you're a switcher, you can now let Apple deal with getting rid of that old Windows box, and if you're upgrading, Apple will give that old Quadra a proper send-off. Sprint Nextel will spring for shipping and recycling or disposal of any brand of cellphone -- and you don't even need to buy anything. Just grab a prepaid mailing label from Sprint's web site, stuff your phone in an envelope and send it off. So forget about the sentimental valu"

Implant to cure blindness?

2006-04-24T16:21:00.000-04:00

Implant to cure blindness?: "Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets We've run a few of these before, but if you think we're into otherwise unnecessary implantables, don't even get us started on implantables that enhance sensory perception, or restore senses where there were once none. The New Scientist has a writeup of a new kind of solar powered 1.5 millimeter x 15 micrometer retinal implant that could start restoring vision to the blind by using solar cells to trigger lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric actuators that stimulate optical neurotransmitters. Yeah, we slapped our foreheads too, it was so simple. You'll have Laxman Saggere of the University of Illinois at Chicago to thank when his invention is complete, though; we can't wait to give Stevie a peek -- the man wrote Songs in the Key of Life, can't he just get a peek?

Apple unveils 17-inch MacBook Pro

2006-04-24T16:20:00.000-04:00

Apple unveils 17-inch MacBook Pro: "Filed under: Laptops As expected, Apple has unveiled the new flagship of the MacBook Pro line, a 17-inch, 1680x1050, 2.16GHz Core Duo model. The new model comes standard with 1GB of RAM, an 8X dual-layer burner and a 120GB 5400 RPM hard drive, along with a FireWire 800 port, for $2,799. Maximum RAM is 2GB, and Apple also offers a 100GB 7200 RPM drive as an option. At the same time, Apple has removed the 17-inch PowerBook G4 from its lineup, leaving the 12-incher as the sole remaining option for customers willing to settle for last year's model (or who want a smaller-footprint portable). The pricing on the 17-incher actually matches that of the 2.16GHz 15-inch model, which makes this one a relative bargain -- especially given its larger hard drive, FireWire 800 and dual-layer burner. As previously noted, the launch was timed to coincide with the opening of the National Association of Broadcasters conference, which begins today.

Wikipedia Reaches 1,000,000 Articles

2006-03-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia Reaches 1,000,000 Articles: "AndrewRUK writes 'At 23:09 UTC, the one-millionth article was created in the English-language Wikipedia. The milestone was reached with the creation of an article about Jordanhill railway station in Scotland. Congratulations to all the Wikipedians, especially Nach0king who wrote the millionth article and Mészáros András who in November 2004 correctly predicted that it would be created today.'"

Microsoft Claims Worlds Best Search Engine Soon

2006-03-02T16:11:00.001-05:00

Microsoft Claims Worlds Best Search Engine Soon: "kw writes 'Microsoft will introduce a search engine better than Google in six months in the United States and Britain followed by Europe, its European president said on Wednesday. 'What we're saying is that in six months' time we'll be more relevant in the U.S. market place than Google,' said Neil Holloway, Microsoft president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. That timing would presumably coincide more or less with the launch of Vista.'"

The Financial Future of Space Travel

2006-03-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

The Financial Future of Space Travel: "gurps_npc writes ' This CNNMoney story discusses the financial future of space travel. In particular it gives some nice names and numbers, such as Bezos, Musk and 3554 Amun. 3554 Amun is an small metalic asteroid that crosses Earth's pass (not on collission course) and contains over 20 trillion US dollars worth of precious metal. It is a great fact to know when trying to explain to flat-earth types that don't understand why we waste money on space travel.'"

India Tops Target List For Spam

2006-03-02T16:10:00.000-05:00

India Tops Target List For Spam: "Ant wrote to mention a ZDNet news report on the realities of spam traffic. The U.S. is still the number one producer/distributor of spam in the world. However, with their quick adoption of technology over the last few years, Indian users are now top targets for spam. From the article: 'India's rapid adoption of new technology has left its PC users struggling to cope with very high levels of spam, according to a report released Wednesday. Ninety-one percent of email traffic sent to Indian PC users is spam, according to email security company MessageLabs, which warned that the rate of technological advancement has outstripped growth in security awareness. 'There is booming technology in India, but it has been suggested there is little thought for security, which creates a market to exploit that,' said Paul Wood, security analyst at MessageLabs.'"

PayPal vs Google(Buy)

2006-02-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

PayPal vs Google(Buy): "pc-facile.com writes 'While Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt confirmed in press accounts that the company was building a payment service, Mr. Schmidt also denied it would directly compete with PayPal. Mr. Schmidt said Google didn't intend to offer a 'person-to-person, stored-value payments system,' which many people consider a description of PayPal's service. Mr. Jordan (PayPal chief) says he and his team immediately 'dissected the wording' of Google's statements. He says he doesn't believe Mr. Schmidt...' There's also a more in depth WSJ article about the service."

Google working on alternate Internet, sez insider

2006-02-05T16:45:00.000-05:00

Google working on alternate Internet, sez insider: "Filed under: Desktops, Wireless
So it seems that Google may actually have a plan for world domination after all, involving cheap PCs that connect exclusively to a private 'Googlenet.' The London Times is reporting that 'a leading content provider' has been quoted as saying 'We are in discussions with Google to provide content for their alternative Internet service, to be distributed through their Google Cube product. As far as I'm aware they have been conducting negotiations with a number of other players in our marketplace to provide quality content to their users.' Whoa. If this information turns out to be accurate, it would help explain Google's MO in buying up so much 'dark fiber,' and may also jibe with the L.A. Times' January prediction (denied by the G) of a Wal-Mart-bound Google PC. We'll continue to bring you updates on this juicy story as it develops -- unless we jump ship and head over to Googlenet, in which case please visit us at www.engadget.goog.

Google deals with Sony, Motorola, and city councils as it works for free WiFi

2006-02-05T16:44:00.001-05:00

Google deals with Sony, Motorola, and city councils as it works for free WiFi: "Filed under: Wireless
IDG has some interesting details on just how Google plans to work this whole free WiFi thing, including their efforts at interoperability with device makers such as Sony, Motorola, Nintendo, Siemens, and Philips. Apparently, a few development groups are even coming to Google 'behind [their] CEO's back' in instances of potential voice applications for the proposed San Francisco network, and the current one in Google's hometown of Mountain View. Along with the challenges of getting the PSP and other devices online, Google is looking at ways to monetize their network, which looks to involve a bandwidth capped free version, along with a premium version that could be resold. They're also working on location based advertising, allowing merchants to ping you with ads when you enter their area, making targeting more effective. Sounds like they have quite a bit to work through, especially with getting through all the bureaucracy involved in San Francisco, but hopefully it won't be long until they're busting out this free, VoIP-loving good stuff all over.

VW nav prototype incorporates Google sat imagery

2006-02-05T16:44:00.000-05:00

VW nav prototype incorporates Google sat imagery: "Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Volkswagen's been hanging out with Google lately (well who wouldn't?) and they're trying to set up a match between VW in-vehicle nav and Google satellite imagery. The two services would seem to be a perfect match, but they need a little extra help from chipmaker/third-wheel Nvidia in order to handle the intense 3D imagery that results from their courtship. The project is being spearheaded by Volkswagen's Palo Alto-based Electronics Research Laboratory, and aims to provide drivers with Google Earth-like birds-eye views of upcoming terrain. Suits at VW say there are no definite plans to commercialize this technology in production vehicles, but we bet that we'll be seeing some uber-cutesy Googlers Wanted commercials sooner rather than later.

Electronic door opener hack brings laziness to new heights

2006-02-05T16:43:00.001-05:00

Electronic door opener hack brings laziness to new heights: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
There are some crazy theorists out there who conjecture that we spend more time and work on creating time saving devices than it would ever take to perform the task in the first place, but as we said, those guys are crazy -- either that, or they're just jealous of Alexandre Novello and his l33t hax0r skills. It seems Alexandre grew tired of walking across the room to open the door for people, so he wrote himself some software and hooked up to the door's electronic opener via a hardware switch and a parallel port. Sounds like a nice calorie saving scheme he's got going, keep on slacking hard Alex!

Dell discontinues hard drive audio players

2006-02-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

Dell discontinues hard drive audio players: "Filed under: Portable Audio
We've long since noticed Dell's lineup of hard drive-based portable audio players have vanished from their site, but this they officially commented on the death of the drive-based segment of their Dell Pocket DJ (Digital Jukebox) line and made it official that those devices were phased out over the last two months. Apparently the DJ Ditty is doing just fine though, and they hinted at being a flash player-only shop from here on in. Can't says as we're surprised, but we're still always disappointed to see another iPod competitor drop off the map.

Apple kills 17-inch G5 iMac

2006-02-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

Apple kills 17-inch G5 iMac: "Filed under: Desktops Just days after slashing the price of the 20-inch G5 iMac by $200, Apple has apparently killed off the 17-inch version of the computer. The 17-inch G5 no longer appears in any of Apple's online stores, though it is still available from some resellers, which have begun slashing prices to clear inventory. At last check, MacMall was offering the 17-inch G5 for as little as $1,194 after a rebate, or about $100 less than the Intel-based version. We have to give Apple some credit here; they apparently managed to sell off all of their stock of 17-inch G5s without having to cut prices -- though it looks like resellers won't be quite as lucky.

More PlayStation 3 info leaked?

2006-02-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

More PlayStation 3 info leaked?: "Filed under: Gaming Ok, now we have to admit that we're getting a little skeptical about that PlayStation Magazine Xbox Live-killer article leak a couple of days go. A second page appears to have made its way onto the PlayStation forums and has some very interesting details -- if a little disparate, unlikely, and even downright dubious. For example, besides a really obvious misspelling of 'Blue-Ray Disc' in a headline, the article says making the PlayStation 3 a DVR with media PC-like functionality is a 'top priority for Sony' -- even though right now we understand it's only slated to have an optional external hard drive attachment and doesn't appear to have video inputs. Also, you'll supposedly be able to control your PS3-DVR with your PSP, send files home to it remotely from your Memory Stick, and that the final hardware kits released to developers in January were even more powerful than originally anticipated. Wait, there's more: the PS3 will also have Location Free support and media streaming capabilities to counter the Xbox 360's Media Extender feature, and that unlike the 360 it'll be able to play back 'all major audio and video formats,' including media downloaded from an online service 'like the iTunes Music Store.'

PayPal to rival TextPayMe for SMS payments?

2006-02-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

PayPal to rival TextPayMe for SMS payments?: "Filed under: Cellphones We ran TextPayMe by you last year, a service that allows you to make PayPal-like payments over SMS. Well now it looks like PayPal is hoping to make those SMS payments a little more PayPal-like, since they're advertising for a business manager and senior product manager for their 'PayPal Mobile' group, 'a new mobile payments 'start-up' unit' in the company. So it looks like we might have some friendly competition in the mobile payment space sooner rather than later, which sounds fine by us.

New Mercedes S-Class rocks Night View Assist

2006-02-03T09:18:00.001-05:00

New Mercedes S-Class rocks Night View Assist: "Filed under: Displays, Transportation

It’s not too often that we hit up advances in car technology over here but this is just a bit too tasty to pass up. Now in addition to a PCMCIA slot, Mercedes-Benz is premiering their “Night view assist” system on their new, 2007 S-Class series which is said to increase nighttime visibility by up to 125 percent -- without blinding on-coming motorists. It uses infrared light to cast a broad beam ahead of the vehicle and then displays the 8-inch grayscale image on the dashboard LCD. Yeah, we know, what’s the big deal, other cage manufactures have offered these options in the past. But check out the vid over at AutoSpies though, we think it's worth your while.

Watch Super Bowl commercials on your cellphone, computer or TV

2006-02-03T09:18:00.000-05:00

Watch Super Bowl commercials on your cellphone, computer or TV: "Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment
If you need to take a break during the best part of the Super Bowl -- and, of course, we're talking about those multimillion dollar commercials -- don't worry. The NFL will be rebroadcasting all of the game's commercials next Monday and Tuesday, via the web, the football league's cable channel and Sprint's cellphone network. So there you go; you now have no excuse to miss this year's GoDaddy (or '1984') moment. Miss a key play or a halftime 'wardrobe malfunction,' on the other hand, and you're on your own.

Apple's patented the Tablet Mac (part II)

2006-02-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

Apple's patented the Tablet Mac (part II): "Filed under: Tablet PCs

Well, what do you know? Yet another Apple tablet PC patent's shown up on the USPTO site, this one also with none other than Jonny Ive's Handcock on it (last time around it was both Jobs and Ive on the patent, though). Today's filing mainly pertains to touch-input user interface methods with multiple fingers, gestures, and motions, as well as methods for visually displaying and manipulating aspects of the UI -- exciting stuff, we know. But the point is that ok, we get it already Apple, you're working on a tablet PC. Now how about releasing it so you guys can focus those man-hours on a proper DVR / media Mac for us, eh?

Microsoft said to issue specs for "ultramobile lifestyle PCs"

2006-02-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

Microsoft said to issue specs for "ultramobile lifestyle PCs": "Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Word is trickling out that Microsoft has treated attendees at its Mobile Platform Division partner briefing to its vision of the next generation of 'ultraportable lifestyle PCs.' According to at least one report, Bill Mitchell, Corporate Vice President of the Mobile Platform Division, showed a slide that outlined specs for the new PC category, including that it be wearable, always on, no larger than 10-inches, connected through 3G networks, pen-based, and have a suggested retail price of $500 or less. Sounds like something of a cross between Windows Mobile smartphones and tablet PCs (sort of like the Ruby concept PC, pictured) -- or a rehash of the long-forgotten Windows CE-based 'Jupiter' laptop platform, which didn't exactly take the world by storm. One notable spec that could differentiate this one: Microsoft is apparently insisting that this run the full version of Windows. If the company really succeeds in that endeavor, this could be a hit; if not, we'll get one to keep in the basement, next to our Clio.

Esther Dyson's perspective

2006-02-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Esther Dyson's perspective: "Esther Dyson has had a ringside seat for the development of the Internet. She was Interim Chairperson of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) when it was a fledging organization whose goal was to help move the burgeoning Internet's administration out of the US Department of Commerce. Dyson is credited with trying to make ICANN an open and transparent body, but she concedes that she was not completely successful. Today, Dyson is still involved with IT development around the world. She is also editor of Release 1.0, a quarterly report that outlines the opportunities and issues produced by the converging worlds of technology, communications, and the Internet, as well as organizer of the 25-year-old PC Forum conference. We asked Dyson for her perspective on today's IT world."

Phone-equipped pigeons take to the skies to monitor pollution

2006-02-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

Phone-equipped pigeons take to the skies to monitor pollution: "Filed under: Cellphones
Some researchers at the University of California are giving 20 pigeons the mobile phone hookup to monitor pollution over San Jose. Not only will the pigeons carry air pollution sensors, GPS tracking, and phone communication in their little pigeon backpacks, but they'll also carry a camera to snap pics, which will be sent along with air quality text messages to their pigeon blog. We're just happy to know that with all the ways the US lags in phone tech, we'll at least have the most moblogging pigeons this coming August.

Analog TV shutdown all but set for 2009

2006-02-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Analog TV shutdown all but set for 2009: "Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Mark your calendar for February 17, 2009. That's the date set by Congress, as part of a sweeping budget-cutting bill, that broadcasters will be mandated to shut down their analog broadcasts (both the Senate and broadcasters had previously agreed to the date, so the bill now only awaits the President's signature to become law). However, if you can't bear to part with that old Philco or Admiral, you won't have to toss it. The government will be setting aside $1.5 billion in subsidies to help consumers get converters to allow older analog sets to receive digital broadcasts. And, no, you can't request a piece of that to pick up a 60-inch plasma, so don't even think about it.

Imagining the Google Future

2006-02-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

Imagining the Google Future: "'What kind of company will Google become in the coming decades? Will it succumb to hubris and flame out like so many of its predecessors? Or will it grow into an omnipresent, omnipotent force -- not just on Wall Street or the Web, but in society? We put the question to scientists, consultants, former Google employees, and tech visionaries like Ray Kurzweil and Stephen Wolfram. They responded with well-argued, richly detailed, and sometimes scary visions of a Google future.

'On the following pages, we've compiled four very different scenarios for the company. Each details an extreme, but plausible, outcome. In three of them, Google attains monopolistic power, lording over the media, the Internet, and scientific development itself. In the fourth, Google withers and dies. That may seem unthinkable now, but nobody is immune to arrogant missteps. Not even the smartest business minds of 2005.' From BUSINESS 2.0 "

The Optimus Mini Keyboard

2006-02-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

The Optimus Mini Keyboard: "Zugok writes 'We all remember the Optimus Keyboard from last year. Now Art Lebedev and his team have designed the Optimus Mini Three keyboard. The 'Mini Three' builds on the idea of those extraneous keys on modern Logitech and Microsoft Keyboards but like the Optimus Keyboard utilises OLED technology for visual customisation of keys. This is not vapourware, pre-orders are being take now with a cut price until April 2nd. This is just a step closer to the Optimus Keyboard. They also have a mailing list for those who want to keep up with developments of the Optimus Keyboard. Happy salivating!' This is a far cry from the full keyboard, but it's still pretty nifty. Assuming it actually does ship."

"Select customers" to trial RFID NYC subway pass

2006-02-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

"Select customers" to trial RFID NYC subway pass: "Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

We were a bit weary when we first got an offer for an RFID credit card, but we're defintely gonna fight tooth-and-nail to become the few, the proud, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority 'selected customers' who will be involved in a six-month trial for contactless NYC subway payment/entry. The MTA is teaming up with Citigroup and Mastercard to implement a version of MasterCard's PayPass system, which in a lucky coincidence for MasterCard, will also allow people to use their new passes at McDonald's, 7-11, and other such profitable locations. And to save our foreign readers precious commenting time, we already know that you all have had systems like this for 25 years now and compared to Europe/Asia/Canada the US is still in the technological Stone Age.

Disk usage analysis and cleanup tools

2006-02-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

Disk usage analysis and cleanup tools: "Most of us use our hard disks like closets, stuffing in files and then forgetting about them. But no matter how big a disk you have, it's going to run out of free space one day, and running out of disk space during an OpenOffice.org install or a system update could hurt you badly. Keeping an eye on disk usage doesn't take much time or effort. Here are some tips and tools."

StarOffice Enterprise Tools are flawed but helpful

2006-01-31T18:30:00.000-05:00

StarOffice Enterprise Tools are flawed but helpful: "If you're investigating Sun's StarOffice as a replacement for Microsoft Office, you'll need to address the conversion question. While StarOffice can read Microsoft Office documents pretty well, the two products' macro languages are incompatible. Sun's StarOffice Enterprise Tools aim to help. The Professional Analysis Wizard and the Macro Migration Wizard are bundled at no extra charge as part of an enterprise license of SO (though you can't download them from the Web). Whether they can help you depends on how many Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations you need to convert -- and don't expect miracles."

Google Working on Desktop Linux

2006-01-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

Google Working on Desktop Linux: "paulmac84 writes 'The Register reports that Google is working on a version of Ubuntu, known internally as Goobuntu. Google has confirmed it is working on a desktop linux project, but declined to supply further details, including what the project is for. Is Google about to release this as an alternative to Windows?'"

Napster To Be Acquired by Google?

2006-01-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

Napster To Be Acquired by Google?: "YesSir writes 'The New York Post claims that Google is considering an alliance or possibly an acquisition of Napster. Rather then starting their own, Google could jump start their music service with the help of Napster. Napster's share price soared more than 30 percent as a result of the report that they are in discussions with Google.' From the article: ' The company in January told Reuters that it was not on the block. 'The company is not looking to be sold, the management is not looking to step out. It's simply not true,' a Napster spokesman said on Jan. 23. Last week, Napster, founded by college student Shawn Fanning and was once synonymous with the pirating of music, laid off 10 managers.' More information available from C|Net."

Google to acquire Napster?

2006-01-31T14:39:00.000-05:00

Google to acquire Napster?: "Filed under: Portable Audio

The New York Post (read: one of our very best sources for tech news) is claiming to have the exclusive scoop on Google’s anticipated foray into digital music. Citing “sources within the music industry,” the Post says that Google is “considering an extensive alliance” with the possibility of an “outright acquisition” of once-renegade Napster. Not that this would come as a surprise given the recent launch of Google’s Video download service and Napster’s struggle to turn a profit off its 500k or so subscribers. One thing’s for sure, Napster stands a better chance of success snuggled up to the likes of Google than they ever did with those mad CD burnin' folks over at Roxio… that was just like, so Y2K.

Google Toolbar v.4

2006-01-31T12:57:00.000-05:00

Google Toolbar v.4: "SpecialSauce writes 'Google's gone and released v.4 Beta of their toolbar. Updates include: customizable buttons, smart search box, a bookmark feature that's tied to the users google.com account, and a send to SMS/Blogger/gmail button.' Doesn't look like the mac version is updated yet, although the shared bookmarks thing creates unholy lust in my heart. Now if only it would allow you to search multiple search engines like Firefox's built in search."

Honda Accord ADAS auto-pilot system takes the reins

2006-01-31T08:27:00.001-05:00

Honda Accord ADAS auto-pilot system takes the reins: "Filed under: Transportation
We've heard of radar assisted cruise control, that has certain luxury cars running at set speeds on the highway, but slows them down or speeds them up when they get too close to a car in front or behind. Well now Honda UK is taking it to another level with their Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) that not only regulates your speed, but manages the turning, allowing you a full auto-pilot system for your Accord when you're out on the freeway. The Adaptive Cruise Control is your regular radar variety, but the Lane Keep Assist System keeps you headed in the right direction by using a camera on the rear-view mirror to watch the white lines and turn accordingly. Honda was quick to point out that their system isn't exactly set up for you to take a nap, since the ADAS system will beep every 10 seconds to make sure you're paying attention, requiring you to touch the steering wheel to inform the car you're still in charge, but we're sure someone is going manage an accident and an ensuing lawsuit or three out of this 'convenience'.

Australian lifeguards may get swimmer-detecting cams

2006-01-31T08:27:00.000-05:00

Australian lifeguards may get swimmer-detecting cams: "Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets
Researchers at Australia's Griffith University are working to modify low-resolution webcams to detect swimmers and notify lifeguards of potentially dangerous situations. Right now, the black-and-white cameras are able to detect people with 85% accuracy, according to the developer. The next step is to improve that accuracy through enhanced pattern recognition and to add motion detection so that the cameras can track swimmers who stray into unsafe areas. The developer hopes to have a beach-ready version within two years and insists that, despite the fact that the cams will be aimed at crowds of scantily clad beachgoers, there are no privacy issues, as the resolution will be too low to identify individuals.

Verizon rolls out VZ Navigator service (on one phone)

2006-01-31T08:26:00.000-05:00

Verizon rolls out VZ Navigator service (on one phone): "Filed under: Cellphones, GPS
Verizon has finally joined CDMA rival SprintNextel in offering a cell-based navigation service, albeit on only one phone. VZ Navigator is a $9.99-per-month/$2.99-a-day audible turn-by-turn direction service, map generator, and points-of-interest 'database' that was rolled out concurrently with the new Motorola V325 clamshell, currently the only model that is VZ-enabled. Now it seems that Cingular and our old favorite T-Mobile are the only wireless carriers not even offering a token GPS service- not that it really matters to us, as we only sport Bluetooth-enabled smartphones that can add BT or SDIO receivers on a whim.

How to dual-boot XP on an Intel Mac (in theory)

2006-01-30T16:56:00.001-05:00

How to dual-boot XP on an Intel Mac (in theory): "Filed under: Desktops
The method for dual-booting XP on an Intel Mac posted to Neosmart isn't exactly the most straightforward means we've ever seen of getting an operating system on a machine, but then again neither was shoehorning those OS X dev builds on a PC. Does it work? We can't yet say ourselves, but if anyone wants to go give it a shot and holla back, we'd love to hear if this will get XP running on that new Core Duo iMac of yours.

With MRI lie detectors your brain gives you away

2006-01-30T16:56:00.000-05:00

With MRI lie detectors your brain gives you away: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Being able to act calm and collected when telling a whopper of a lie may not be enough to get defendants off in the near future, if a number of entrepreneurs have their way. Several developers are now exploring the use of brain scans using MRI machines as lie detectors. And unlike polygraphs, which rely on emotional indicators that can be masked, the MRI hones in on the source of the lie, in the brain itself. The machine can track the flow of blood into certain areas of the brain, indicating increased activity consistent with lying. One company, Cephos Corp., is being advised by former O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro, who says, 'I'd use it tomorrow in virtually every criminal and civil case on my desk.' So far, however, the reliability of the tests has yet to be proven, and they haven't been used in any court proceeding. And bioethicists worry about the potential of the new technology to 'change ... our ability ... to invade what has been the last untouchable sanctuary, the contents of your own mind,' in the words of Hank Greely of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences. That's okay with us; we've got nothing to hide. But, just the same, let's test the machines on someone else's head, first. Okay?

Bill Gates Defends Google's Censorship In China

2006-01-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

Bill Gates Defends Google's Censorship In China: "worb writes 'At the World Economic Forum today, Bill Gates defended Google's actions in China and told delegates that the internet 'is contributing to Chinese political engagement' as 'access to the outside world is preventing more censorship'. There was no reason for technology companies not to do business in China, he argued.'"

Best Buy Working Towards Ending Mail-in Rebates

2006-01-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Best Buy Working Towards Ending Mail-in Rebates: "chibbie writes 'Best Buy is finally working towards ending mail-in rebates by 2007. Rebates will still be around, but you will be able to file them online, and receive your check much quicker. I guess this means Best Buy doesn't hate their customers after all.'"

Steve Jobs: Redefining The CEO

2006-01-29T09:33:00.001-05:00

Steve Jobs: Redefining The CEO: "conq writes 'BusinessWeek has a nice piece on how Steve Jobs is redefining the job of being a CEO. From the story: 'Just over a decade ago, Steve Jobs was considered washed-up, a has-been whose singular achievement was co-founding Apple Computer back in the 1970s. Now, given the astounding success of Apple and Pixar, he's setting a new bar for how to manage a Digital Age corporation.''"

The Future of Speech Technologies

2006-01-29T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Future of Speech Technologies: "prostoalex writes 'PC Magazine is running an interview with two of the research leaders in IBM's speech recognition group, Dr. David Nahamoo, manager of Human Language Technologies, and Dr. Roberto Sicconi, manager of Multimodal Conversational Solutions. They mainly discuss the status quo of speech technologies, which prototypes exist in IBM Labs today, and where the industry is headed.' From the article: 'There has to be a good reason to use speech, maybe you're hands are full [like in the case of driving a car]. ... Speech has to be important enough to justify the adoption. I'd like to go back to one of your original questions. You were saying, 'What's wrong with speech recognition today?' One of the things I see missing is feedback. In most cases, conversations are one-way. When you talk to a device, it's like talking to a 1 or 2 year old child. He can't tell you what's wrong, and you just wait for the time when he can tell you what he wants or what he needs.'"

Court Rules Burning Porn = Making Porn

2006-01-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

Court Rules Burning Porn = Making Porn: "An anonymous reader writes 'An appeals court has upheld the prosecution of a Michigan man who was charged with production of child pornography after downloading and burning pornographic pictures from the Internet. The pictures were created by a Russian website that the man was not affiliated with in any form. From the court decision (PDF): 'After reviewing the dictionary definition of the word make, the circuit court stated that the bottom line was that, following the mechanical and technical act of burning images onto the CD-Rs, something new was created or made that did not previously exist.' Is this simply a court's overreaction to a scumbag pedophile? And how does this affect the lawsuits by the BSA, RIAA, and MPAA?'"

Challenger Tragedy - In Depth, and Deeply Felt

2006-01-29T09:31:00.000-05:00

Challenger Tragedy - In Depth, and Deeply Felt: "Patchw0rk F0g writes 'On this, the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, Jay Barbree has a moving and in-depth piece on this international disaster.' From the article: 'During several earlier shuttle missions, disaster did everything it could to crawl into the shuttle launch system and turn it into tumbling flaming wreckage. The primary O-rings on those flights suffered severe erosion from superheated gases, sometimes accompanied by lesser erosion. And the erosion had occurred after launch temperatures much higher than on this freezing Florida day -- 53 degrees was the lowest launch-time temperature up to that time. The booster engineers felt helpless. For months, they had been studying the O-ring seal problem. They knew a disaster was coming, but no one stepped forward and said, 'Stop this train until it's fixed.''"

Trade in your worn-out gun for a shiny new computer

2006-01-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

Trade in your worn-out gun for a shiny new computer: Filed under: Desktops, Laptops This is the sweetest deal we've seen in a long time: authorities in one of Mexico City's sixteen districts are putting a new twist on the old guns-for-cash program by offering one of 150 new computers to people who trade in any type of firearm. The computers were donated to the city by a charitable foundation, which probably didn't know that there are better ways of acquiring guns than this transparent laundering scheme. There were several humorous outros that we could have used for this post (something involving Internet hunting, perhaps), but lets go with: It's super that there will be 150 less guns in Mexico City (out of 200? 2000? 2,000,000?), but we're not looking forward to the first reports out of Mexico of someone tragically killed while trying to fend off an attacker with his/her Dell.[Via PhysOrg Weblog]

Amazon.com bringing video downloads in April?

2006-01-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

Amazon.com bringing video downloads in April?: Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video
It looks like Amazon.com is getting ready to jump into the video download biz, but with their own 'sell more stuff' flair. The word is that they're after those plentiful DVD dollars, hoping to nab some impulse buyers with a few possible scenarios, including a free stream of a movie with a hard copy purchase, or a try before you buy option for a one time stream that acts as a credit towards a DVD purchase. However they do it, they've got a bit of heft to throw around, and they're already rumored to have two major studios signed up as content partners, with a projected launch of April. Doesn't sound like Amazon.com plans to step on Apple's TV offerings -- except, of course, for shows made available on DVD -- and they're steering clear of Google's Charlie Rose/MacGyver market domination, but hopefully they'll clear a path for those and other providers to get us more of the DVD good stuff in a timely fashion.

Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers let you set up lines in Western Europe

2006-01-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers let you set up lines in Western Europe: Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless
Look out world, because our foreign coverage is about to get slightly better thanks to Vonage's new Virtual Vonage Phone Numbers, which will allow our peeps in Western Europe to holla at us for the price of a local call. You heard that right, if we used Vonage we would be able to set up 1.888.ENGADGET-style numbers in Austria, France, Ireland, Italy, and Spain (what, no Germany? Netherlands? Luxembourg?) and get more tips and also add some more flavor to the voicemail podcasts. Sadly, we use Skype, landlines and cellular telephones (also with Skype) and not Vonage, so it seems that for now our overseas coverage will have to remain just heavy-to-annoying. Virtual Vonage, available in the US, Canada, and the UK, costs ten bucks-a-month in addition to regular Vonage fees.

Lenovo to produce Olympic ThinkPads

2006-01-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

Lenovo to produce Olympic ThinkPads: Filed under: Laptops

We're not sure how many people are so into the Olympics that they're going to rush out and buy a commemorative laptop that features the Olympic logo on the case, but we assume there are at least 500, since that's how may Olympic laptops Lenovo is making. Available starting January 31 in limited editions of 250 each, the Olympic versions of the Z60M and Z60T will have features that are basically the same as their non-Olympic versions, other than those rings on the case. Pricing is set at under $2,000, so we suspect they'll have no trouble selling these, and we'll see at least a few on eBay before the Games are even over. We'd like to think that IBM never would have sullied the ThinkPad brand with cheesy tie-ins like this, but given the company's 40-year relationship with the Games, we suspect that Big Blue would be perfectly fine with the new ThinkPads. (And, of course, it's the perfect companion for the Kodak Olympic camera.)

NJIT implements SmartCampus people-tracking program

2006-01-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

NJIT implements SmartCampus people-tracking program: After our kids finish their super-safe education in the Freehold Borough School District, we think we'll keep them in New Jersey where we'll still be able to keep an unhealthy eye on them thanks to the New Jersey Institute of Technology's pilot program for tracking students and faculty on campus. Limited initially to only 100 participants, the ultimate goal of the SmartCampus project is to eventually allow everyone to see exactly where everyone else is at any given time (hmm, can't really forsee any socially awkward situations arising out of this omnipotence). The NJIT system, organized and run by Dr. Constantine Manikopoulos and other members of the campus community from various disciplines, requires users to carry around tracking devices, as opposed to a similar system at MIT which seems to rely on users' laptops for locating them (but maybe not- can anyone from these two schools clear this up?). Luckily the SmartCampus gear allows users to turn 'invisible' whenever they want, so would-be stalkers will have to leave their notebooks at home and continue trailing their victims the old-fashioned way.

Microsoft's on track to portable gaming and media hardware?

2006-01-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Microsoft's on track to portable gaming and media hardware?: Filed under: Gaming

Just about everyone and their mother (including Jobs) has called it or called for it by now: Microsoft. MP3 player. Portable gaming device. When's it gonna happen? Well, BusinessWeek apparently has it on authority that Microsoft's sick of all the supposed 'iPod killers' that are failing in their assassination attempts, and that they're matters into their own hands. So how would theirs theoretically differentiate from the rest of the pack? Says Peter Moore, 'It can't just be our version of the iPod,' and BizWeek states that 'in addition to playing music and videos, a Microsoft device would include games.' We'll cede the possibility that Microsoft may be working on Gizmondo-like portable gaming and media device -- vague though it may be -- but honestly, what would a story like this be without the grandiloquent Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative, making his standard-issue self-aggrandizing statement? Says Hoo, were Microsoft to build their own hardware in addition to their own portable software platform, their hardware partners would branch off and 'what [they were] trying to build will collapse.' Uh, yeah.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony killed AIBO and QRIO?

2006-01-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

Sony killed AIBO and QRIO?: Filed under: Robots

Well wouldn't you know it, not even a day after receiving what's possibly the biggest validation of robotic companions since Petster saved little Timmy from a burning barn back in '86, it looks like news is surfacing that in Sony's Q305 fiscal reports they have intentions and supposedly already ceased developing AIBO and QRIO, Engadget's most beloved of all canine and humanoid robots, respectively. At the risk of sounding terribly insensitive, somehow the prospect of AIBO and QRIO dying actually makes us more heartsick than the news of the 10,000 some-odd jobs Stringer cut reorganizing the electronics giant. Sony, say it ain't so, say it ain't so!

P.S. -When Sony America wakes up this morning we'll be placing some calls.

IBM Strives For 'Superhuman' Speech Tech

2006-01-25T08:59:00.000-05:00

IBM Strives For 'Superhuman' Speech Tech: "robyn217 writes 'IBM unveiled new speech recognition technology today that can comprehend the nuances of spoken English, translate it on the fly, and even create on-the-fly subtitles for foreign-language television programs. One of the projects perpetually monitors Arabic television stations, dynamically transcribing and translating any words spoken into English subtitles. Videos can then be viewed via a web browser, with all transcriptions indexed and searchable.' "

California residents must recycle dead gadgets

2006-01-24T19:52:00.000-05:00

California residents must recycle dead gadgets: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
If you live in California, don't even think of tossing that obsolete cellphone, dead laptop or archaic printer into the trash. New state laws that go into effect next month require that all electronic waste be recycled, rather than dumped in the trash and shipped to landfills. (Of course, you can always do what we do, and preserve every gadget you've ever owned in a personal museum in the basement.) In 2003, according to the state, 515,000 tons of electronics were dumped into California landfills; 44% of the waste (by volume) consisted of CRTs and TV sets; the rest, we assume, consisted of first generation iPods with dead batteries. California's laws are designed to stem the spread of mercury and other toxins; the environmental rules have been in effect for businesses for four years, but are now being extended to consumers as well."

Disney to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion

2006-01-24T19:51:00.001-05:00

Disney to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion: "The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it is buying longtime partner Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in a deal that could restore Disney’s clout in animation while vaulting Pixar CEO Steve Jobs into a powerful role at the media conglomerate."

Netflix 4Q Profit Exceeds Expectations (AP)

2006-01-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Netflix 4Q Profit Exceeds Expectations (AP): "AP - Netflix Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit rose by nearly sevenfold as the rapidly growing online DVD rental service continued to sign up thousands of new subscribers won over by the convenience of having movies delivered to their homes for a flat fee."

iPod May Become Next Fair-Use Battleground

2006-01-24T19:50:00.002-05:00

iPod May Become Next Fair-Use Battleground: "jaredmauch writes 'USA Today is reporting on a trend of selling iPods on eBay which are preloaded with music and movies. This raises interesting questions about the legality of the files, including those that offer seemingly legitimate services of transcoding DVDs for the iPod video (while selling you the DVD disc as well).' An example from the article: 'A 60-gigabyte video iPod loaded with 11,800 songs, with a starting bid of $799. The iPod alone would cost about $400. 'I don't see how it's different than selling a used CD,' seller Steve Brinn, a Cincinnati pediatrician, wrote in an e-mail to USA TODAY. 'If the music industry asked me not to do it, I just wouldn't do it.''"

Dell Strikes Deal For High-Speed Wireless

2006-01-24T19:50:00.001-05:00

Dell Strikes Deal For High-Speed Wireless: "Jason Jardine wrote to mention a C|Net article describing a new Dell deal with Vodafone to provide high-speed wireless access. From the article: 'Dell said Tuesday that it plans to embed Vodafone's High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology into laptops built to order and sold in Europe. The technology will be backwards compatible with earlier 3G, or third-generation, wireless technologies including UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), the company said.'"

Google Execs Happy With $1 Salaries

2006-01-24T19:50:00.000-05:00

Google Execs Happy With $1 Salaries: "DarkClown writes 'ZDNet is on the one hand reporting that Google execs will keep their $1 salaries again this year, and on the other hand is reporting that the executives cashed in more than $160 million worth of stock last month.' From the stock article: 'Since the search giant went public in August 2004, Brin has sold about 6.5 million shares at a market value of $1.68 billion. Page has sold about 5.8 million shares at a market value of $1.4 billion, according to calculations from Thomson Financial. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, who was brought in to run the company before it went public, has sold more than 2.1 million shares, worth more than $502 million.' They could be getting a multi-million dollar salary *and* the stock money. Good faith efforts go a long way in my book. "

Starbucks asks: coffee, tea or MP3?

2006-01-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

Starbucks asks: coffee, tea or MP3?: "Filed under: Portable Audio

In the near future, if all goes according to plan, you may be able to load your MP3 player while waiting in line for a double half-caf soy latte. Starbucks, which already sells CDs in most of its stores, and which has experimented with CD-burning kiosks, plans to set up what the company calls 'device fill-up' terminals in its stores. The company says it is in discussions with several companies about developing the service. While it's too early to speculate about whose software or DRM the service will use, it's worth noting that the Starbucks CD-burning kiosks are powered by HP hardware and Microsoft software, and the two companies (which happen to be neighbors of a sort) have also collaborated on wireless services in the past."

Swissbit bumps their knives to 2GB

2006-01-24T17:11:00.000-05:00

Swissbit bumps their knives to 2GB: "Filed under: Peripherals

We've run these Swissbit Swiss Army Knife drives by you before, along with their snazzed up 'Prestige' counterparts and s.beat MP3 playing friends, but Swissbit is bumping their original version up to 2GB, and the geek factor on these units is still alive and well. They're including the usual scissors, knife, nail file, and screw driver on the rubyRED and retroALOX versions, while the rubyRED version -- which is looking a tad chubby these days -- also adds a ballpoint pen and an LED light for extra geek cred. You can even pop out the drive part for flying, since the TSA isn't so hot on knives these days, or just make a run for it at the security gate and see how far you get."

Ameriquest to pay $325 mln in lending settlement (Reuters)

2006-01-24T17:10:00.000-05:00

Ameriquest to pay $325 mln in lending settlement (Reuters): "Reuters - Ameriquest Mortgage Co. said on Monday it agreed to pay $325 million in the second largest U.S. consumer lending settlement to clear up claims that its lending practices abused customers in 49 U.S. states."

34 Design Flaws in 20 Days of Intel Core Duo

2006-01-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

34 Design Flaws in 20 Days of Intel Core Duo: "Pray_4_Mojo writes 'Geek.com is reporting that Intel's errata (bug) documentation shows that the Intel Core Duo chip has 34 known issues found in the 20 days since the launch of the iMac Core Duo. (you can read the list) with only plans to fix one of them. While bugs in hardware is nothing new (the P4 has 64 known issues, at this time Intel does not plan to fix a single one) this marks one of the first times that Intel released a processor with known bugs, and some of the bugs are of higher severity than in the past. Also alarming is the rate the flaws have been found, at one and half per day since the launch of the iMac Core Duo.'"

When Data Goes Missing Will You Even Know?

2006-01-24T09:04:00.001-05:00

When Data Goes Missing Will You Even Know?: "Lam1969 writes 'Jack Gold says IT shops may have a huge problem on their hands, and probably don't know even know about it. The problem is USB flash drives, which he predicts will probably reach 10 GB in capacity in three years, and the lack of policies to guide use of them by employees. From the article: 'With more and more employees using flash drives, smart phones with Secure Digital memory cards, portable hard drives, etc., the likelihood of companies actually knowing about all instances of data loss is declining rapidly. And as a result, the possibility of companies breaking laws, whether for data-loss disclosure or regulatory compliance, is growing dramatically.' Gold predicts 'at least one publicized major case of unencrypted data loss from a portable device' in the next year, which will result in many companies banning these kinds of devices.' "

How to Do What You Love

2006-01-24T09:04:00.000-05:00

How to Do What You Love: "fnord_ix writes 'Paul Graham has another interesting essay talking about How to Do What You Love. He talks about the lies that adults tell kids about what work is, and how work is equal to pain.' From the article: 'I'm not saying we should let little kids do whatever they want. They may have to be made to work on certain things. But if we make kids work on dull stuff, it might be wise to tell them that tediousness is not the defining quality of work, and indeed that the reason they have to work on dull stuff now is so they can work on more interesting stuff later. '"

My desktop OS: Fedora Core 3

2006-01-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

My desktop OS: Fedora Core 3: "Half a year ago, I was in a point in my professional life where I wanted to start over with a completely different developer environment. My Windows XP-based PC simply worked too slowly. Antivirus software, disk fragmentation, network settings, and an ever-growing registry were eating up the performance. As a Java developer, I had about a million small files installed on my computer, and the antivirus software had a hard time. I decided to install Linux on my brand new ThinkPad T43P laptop. Having been a Red Hat fan for many years, the obvious free alternative was Fedora, so I installed Fedora Core 3. Today, with Linux, I have more control over my development environment than I did with Microsoft Windows."

DNA frees prisoner after 24 years

2006-01-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

DNA frees prisoner after 24 years: "Alan Crotzer stepped into the warm sunlight outside the courthouse Monday and raised his arms to the sky, celebrating his freedom after more than 24 years behind bars for crimes he didn’t commit. “Thank God for this day,” he said."

How to undervolt your laptop for longer, cooler performance

2006-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

How to undervolt your laptop for longer, cooler performance: "Filed under: Laptops
Most of the PC hacks that you come across are usually in the realm of overclocking or case modding, so it's nice to find an easily-implemented, software-based performance tweak once in awhile that delivers some real results. Well NordicHardware has an article that describes just such a procedure, where Fredrik Andersson steps you through the process of undervolting your laptop. Although as Andresson points out, the terminology is not an accurate reflection of the adjustment being performed, undervolting refers to stepping down the voltage that your CPU requires by several fractions of a volt. The end result of the tweaks that NH guides you through is up to ten minutes more running time and several degrees less heat dispersion, all without effecting the notebook's performance. As with all of the helpful hints that we pass along, this modification is done at your own risk (i.e. don't come crying to us if you break your lappie)."