April 2008 Archives

Integration missteps at AOL led to first flat ad quarter

"NEW YORK - AOL made key mistakes that pushed down display-advertising sales and resulted in the Time Warner Inc. unit's first quarter of flat ad revenue since it began staking its future on the boom in online ads, executives said Wednesday. AOL's troubles integrating $1 billion worth of corporate acquisitions into a single "Platform-A" should serve as a warning for Microsoft Corp. as it pursues an unsolicited bid for Yahoo Inc. now worth more than $40 billion. "If Microsoft does buy Yahoo, a much larger company to digest (than the ones AOL has acquired), it will be many quarters" before the units operate tightly, said David Hallerman, a senior analyst with the research group eMarketer. "It's so hard to make that kind of change, to really integrate, when there have been all these silos." Overall, AOL revenues fell 23 percent in the three months ending March 31, compared with the same period in 2007, according to Time Warner. With advertising making up only half of AOL's revenue, the 1 percent growth in advertising was not enough to offset the 38 percent plunge in subscriptions. The 1 percent increase at AOL also was low compared with its rivals. During the first quarter, Google Inc. saw a 40 percent increase in online ads, Microsoft a 39 percent jump and Yahoo 7 percent."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:50 PM | Permalink

Report: Microsoft board met Wednesday

"Microsoft's board of directors met Wednesday to evaluate options in its attempt to acquire Yahoo, The Wall Street Journal reported. An announcement of the board's conclusions could come after the meeting, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation. Microsoft is evaluating an offer of as much as $32 to $33 per share, well over the present $29.12 value of Microsoft's offer, but "major Yahoo shareholders" are angling for $35 to $37 per share, the paper reported."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:48 PM | Permalink

Belkin On Collaboration and Solutions

"As noted in our sixth edition of iDesign, Apple rarely partners with other companies to develop new products, but when it does, there's a reason. Harman Kardon, for instance, used its audio expertise to develop crystalline globe speakers for Apple's G4 Cube and iMac computers, while sporting giant Nike was picked to broaden the iPod nano's athletic appeal with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and related apparel. But iPod accessory collaborations have been few and far between, and only one other company is known to have worked so closely with Apple: Belkin, creator of the iPod's first Voice Recorder and Media Reader accessories, as well as their sequels and many, many other iPod and iPhone add-ons."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:46 PM | Permalink

Traveler-ER USB Drive Secures Medical Data

"The Traveler-ER USB drive is designed to give travelers a secure way to carry their medical records, emergency contact info, and other sensitive data. advertising Anyone who's travelled outside their native country--or even within their native country--has probably had this thought cross their mind: in the event of an illness or accident, will doctors or emergency medical personnel be able to get medical information they need? Details like allergies, medications, insurance information, and emergency contact details? Sure, travelers can carry this information with them in a notebook or other using other conventional means, but that increases exposure to identity theft or other mis-use of the information."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:31 PM | Permalink

London congestion charge did not improve air quality

"The charge levied at drivers wanting to drive through London may have cleared roads, but the £8 toll has done little for the air. A new study has found that levels of pollution in the city's congestion charging zone changed little before and after the city implemented the toll. Some pollutants even rose. But expanding controls to the rest of London should cut back on smog, says Frank Kelly, a researcher at King's College in London, who presented the analysis this week at a Health Effects Institute conference in Philadelphia. "If one enlarged that area, then you would be able to have a small but important impact on air quality and presumably health," he says. Something still in the air In 2003, London began hitting drivers with a £5 toll to enter a 21 square kilometre patch of the city centre. The toll has since increased to £8. By 2006, the number of cars on the road had fallen by a fifth, while the number of public buses - exempted from the toll - jumped by 25%. "The scheme never really had air quality or people's health in mind," says Kelly. But to gauge whether the fee might improve the air, his team collected air quality measurements over two years before and after London began levying the charge. Kelly's team noticed little change in pollutants such as smog, diesel soot, and carbon monoxide. Levels of nitrogen oxides increased slightly - Kelly thinks this was because of filters on diesel buses that trap soot, yet spew out the gases."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:13 PM | Permalink

Gene discoveries could crack bone disease

"Gene mutations linked with osteoporosis have been identified independently by teams in the UK and Iceland. Earlier unsubstantiated reports have linked genes to the bone-weakening disease but the new studies are the first to conclusively identify the mutations. Both teams found the mutations by screening for hundreds of thousands of random mutations - called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs - in DNA samples from thousands of women, both with and without osteoporosis. The two mutations reported by the British team are so common they might be worth screening for. "They're both present in more than one in five white people, suggesting a potential role in screening," says Tim Spector of King's College London, and principal investigator in the study. "In theory we could start screening right away." Having both mutations raises the risk of osteoporosis by up to 50%, and of bone fractures by up to 30%. Spector said that screening women over 60 could help identify those needing treatment to avoid fractures. Screening teenagers could identify girls who could avoid future disease through lifestyle changes, such as drinking more milk and exercising more."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:11 PM | Permalink

Dolby Volume: Solving the Problem of Annoyingly Loud TV Content

"Toshiba TVs (in Japan) will be the first to feature good old Dubbly's newest technology, Dolby Volume, a smart system aimed at leveling off eardrum-shattering sources and content--hopefully eradicating the twin evils of loud-ass TV commercials and poorly-mastered MP3s. Here's how it works: The system "continually monitors (or 'listens' to) the audio at all times and performs content-dependent processing...[on] all types of audio." The processing isn't just straight-up compression, it's more of a smart EQ that takes dialogue and music into concern, and adjusts many frequency bands. This has the benefit of keeping funky artifacts out of the process, but it does of course take more horsepower to do, hence the slow roll-out. The first TVs to have it will be Toshiba's REGZA ZH500 and ZV500 series LCD HDTVs, which will be out in Japan next month. No word yet on the US arrival."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 4:03 PM | Permalink

France's Le Pen selling bullet-proof car on eBay

"PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is looking to make a bit of extra cash by putting his old bullet-proof car up for sale on eBay. Le Pen, who stunned France in the 2002 presidential election when he finished second, put his party headquarters up for sale earlier this year after humiliating defeats in presidential and legislative elections last year left his group deep in the red. Another drain on Le Pen's finances was the 10,000 euro ($15,580) fine he incurred in February when a court found him guilty of "contesting crimes against humanity" for saying the Nazi occupation of France was "not particularly inhumane". Asked why the car was up for sale, a National Front spokesman said: "Money, money, glorious money." With a little more than nine days left before the eBay auction (www.ebay.fr) finishes, the 1991 Peugeot that has ferried Le Pen around during his campaigns has been bid up from the one euro starting price to 3,510 euros. "Following its replacement, we are putting up for sale Jean-Marie Le Pen's armored Peugeot 605, used daily by him, including during his last presidential campaign," the posting on the eBay site (ebay.fr) said. "To be considered as a collector's item, no jokers.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:48 PM | Permalink

Proposed new piracy penalties advance in House

"A congressional proposal designed to stiffen penalties and enforcement against pirates and counterfeiters moved a step closer to becoming law on Wednesday. As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a copyright holder-backed enforcement proposal known as the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property, or Pro-IP, Act, which is chiefly sponsored by the committee's chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the committee's ranking member, said the U.S. Department of Justice is filing more intellectual-property cases than ever--217 in 2007--but suggested that's still not enough. The bill's passage shows "there is a bipartisan commitment to ensure the next president and succeeding administrations have the resources, organizations, and strategies that are required to protect our vital national and economic interests," he said in a statement."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:45 PM | Permalink

Wikimedia Foundation restructures its board

"The Wikimedia Foundation has instituted a restructuring of its board of trustees, in the process adding two "chapter" board seats and formalizing Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales' position as the "community founder" board member. Valleywag on Wednesday first noted the changes. First, according to Jan-Bart de Vreede, the board of trustees' vice chairman, the board is expanding from its current 8 seats to a total of 10. The big change, de Vreede wrote, is the expansion of the board through what he termed "chapter-selected" seats. "This has been under consideration for a long time, and we are glad to finally be implementing it, de Vreede wrote. "We want to acknowledge that the chapters are an important player in the fulfillment of the Wikimedia Foundation's mission and that they therefore deserve a voice in the governance of the Foundation. Please note that the two chapter-selected seats are not intended to represent the interests of the chapters vis-a-vis the foundation. The chapters are being asked to pick trustees who they feel will represent the interests of the Wikimedia Foundation and help it fulfill its mission as well as it possibly can.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:43 PM | Permalink

First Solar aiming at $1 billion in revenue this year

"First Solar exceeded expectations once again in its most recent quarter and told investors that revenue for 2008 would likely come in at $975 million to $1.05 billion, higher than the $900 million to $950 million range provided earlier. The company--which specializes in cadmium telluride solar cells--reported revenue of $196.9 million for the first three months of the year, more than double the $66.9 million in revenue garnered in the first quarter of 2007. Net income went to $46.6 million, or 57 cents a share, well above the $5 million for the first quarter of 2007. Production for the year will also climb to between 420 megawatts and 460 megawatts, higher than the earlier estimates of 400 to 430 megawatts. The increase in production is being facilitated by new factories going up around the world. The company's stock this morning is trading at $294 a share. The company went public for $20 a share in November 2006. A year ago, we dubbed First Solar the Google of solar because of its rapid, yet steady growth. The term prompted self-described financial experts to whine and ring their hands. The stock was at $200 at the time. Instead, First Solar weathered the stock market downturn and is now 50 percent higher than it was then. Revenue and profits have continued to climb quarterly on year-to-year comparisons. Granted, it's trading at a high price-to-earnings ratio, but the price is what it is."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:42 PM | Permalink

Study: Our friends are the best product reviewers

"It should come as no surprise that a vast majority of us trust our friends' recommendations about products or services, but according to a study, a strong majority also trust the product reviews of anonymous online commenters. These are some of the findings of a study from the book Groundswell, by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, highlighted in a post on the book's blog this week. According to their study, 83 percent of respondents believe in friends' recommendations, a number higher than those who put stock in newspaper, magazine, or TV reviews (75 percent). More surprising, perhaps, is that 60 percent of the respondents said they trust online reviews left by complete strangers on retailers' sites. And why do people take the word of those they've never met? "They don't--not as individuals," Bernoff wrote. "But they do in groups. Strangers are assumed not to have an ax to grind. If 100 people on eBags say a laptop bag is great, then it is great. If they say it's inferior, then it is inferior.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:41 PM | Permalink

Memristor found: HP Labs proves fourth integrated circuit element

"esearchers at HP Labs have solved a decades-old mystery by proving the existence of a fourth basic element in integrated circuits that could make it possible to develop computers that turn on and off like an electric light. The memristor -- short for memory resistor - could make it possible to develop far more energy-efficient computing systems with memories that retain information even after the power is off, so there's no wait for the system to boot up after turning the computer on. It may even be possible to create systems with some of the pattern-matching abilities of the human brain. A mathematical model and a physical example that prove the memristor's existence appear in a paper published in the April 30 issue of the journal Nature. "To find something new and yet so fundamental in the very mature field of electrical engineering is a big surprise," said R. Stanley Williams, an HP Senior Fellow and director of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab (IQSL)."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:23 PM | Permalink

Blu-ray player sales down despite end of format war

"Looks like it wasn't the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle that was keeping potential customers away from high-definition video players after all. The NPD Group released some of its retail sales tracking data Wednesday that showed sales of Blu-ray standalone players (not a PlayStation 3, combo player, or PC with Blu-ray drive) had mostly decreased since the beginning of the year. Standalone Blu-ray player unit sales in the U.S. decreased 40 percent from January to February and saw a very slight increase (2 percent) between February and March, according to NPD. HD DVD players fared even worse--player unit sales dropped 13 percent from January to February, and 65 percent from February to March--which was expected. Toshiba stopped production of HD DVD units in February, and the format's promotional group disbanded in March."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 3:16 PM | Permalink

Super Mario is a plumber and we have proof

"The real Mario was scary and so is this UK based company's resemblance to the gaming mascot. SuperMario Plumbing & Heating have cleverly avoided notices from Nintendo's lawyers by removing the space from the name. So does the plumber come dressed in a red shirt with an assistant wearing a white shirt. Well you have to be in Edinburgh to find this out."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:58 PM | Permalink

Micro Orb eyeball spy camera

"For some reason, this Micro Orb spy camera makes me think of Columbo-star Peter Falk. Perhaps if the TV detective had been fitted with a 1.5-inch sphere capturing 30fps MPEG-4 video (with sound), gathering evidence might've been even easier. On sale in mid-May, the video camera has a three hour rechargeable battery and can record up to six hours of footage onto a 2GB microSD card."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:51 PM | Permalink

Opera wireless iPod earbuds

"You may remember Kleer, the wireless technology that boasts better specs than Bluetooth, at least as far as audio quality is concerned. It's only appeared in a few products (most notably RCA's JetStream player), but today Kleer's catalog adds one more: a pair of earbuds called Opera. Made by Korean "company" DigiFi, the Opera is a headset that wraps around the back of your head -- the 'buds are still tethered together, but there's no cord going from your ears to your iPod. Instead, you plug a Kleer wireless transmitter into your player's headphone jack and you're good to go. In fact, up to four people, each with Kleer earbuds, can tune into the same transmitter. The price of all this cable-free rocking: $98 for one kit (earbuds and transmitter). That's still a tad higher than I suspect most people will pay for headphones, but this could be just what Kleer needs: An reasonably affordable way for people to make their iPods wireless -- as opposed to some kind of wireless iPod alternative or a pair of high-end 'buds. If you hate headphone cords and care about sound quality, look for the Opera when it's released worldwide in June."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:30 PM | Permalink

Cirrus 'The-Jet' mockup tours the world

"Got an extra million dollars hanging around? Put down a $100K deposit on the upcoming Cirrus "The-Jet," a tiny single-engine aircraft that doesn't exist yet. Full-sized models are now touring the world, and when it does fly, the personal jet will go 345 mph, up to 25,000 feet, and have a range of 1000 miles. Like all Cirrus airplanes, The-Jet will have a parachute in its nose, giving you extra assurance that you won't be included in the ranks of "doctor-killer" aircraft casualties. Cirrus has reportedly leased a hangar in Minnesota to begin building the 7-seat (if three passengers are babies) jets, and plans to manufacture the small planes out of lightweight carbon fiber."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:28 PM | Permalink

ASUS LS201 20" LCD Monitor

"Earlier this year we stumbled upon a widely circulated You Tube video (at least in tech circles), in which a man is seen ruthlessly abusing a poor LCD monitor. The protagonist starts by letting a child draw on the screen with a black permanent marker. Taking matters into his own hands, the man then proceeds to take a pen-knife to the surface of the screen, followed by multiple strikes with a hammer. The abuse of a perfectly good LCD monitor isn't what struck us about this particular video, however. The unique element that caught our eye and set it apart from similar videos is that the LCD monitor survived the episode completely unscathed. The monitor was ASUS' LS201. After seeing the video, we had to test this screen for ourselves."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:16 PM | Permalink

VIA Technologies Launches Beta Linux Portal

"Linux is finally starting to make inroads into mainstream computing, as evidenced by the Eee PC and the HP Mini-Note ultraportable laptops. It should come as no surprise that vendors are starting to embrace Linux with open arms, due to its low-cost of entry. VIA Technologies is the latest Linux lover with its launch of the VIA Linux Portal beta Website, intended to provide support to the open source community for development of Linux drivers for VIA-based platforms. A VIA press release stated: "The VIA Linux Portal will initially offer graphics drivers for the VIA CN896 digital media IGP chipset for the new Ubuntu 8.04 LTS distribution. Documentation and source code for these drivers will be released over the coming weeks, with official forums and bug tracking scheduled for implementation later this year. The VIA Linux Portal will also adhere to a regular release schedule that is aligned with kernel changes and the release of major Linux distributions.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 2:05 PM | Permalink

Over 10,000 McDonalds now have Wi-Fi

"Wayport, a corporate Wi-Fi provider, announced today that it is now providing Wi-Fi in over 10,000 McDonalds restaurants in the United States--of which, 9,300 are available for access by customers (for a fee, of course). Wayport starting providing Wi-Fi for McDonalds restaurants in 2004."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 1:15 PM | Permalink

Razer Death Adder - a gaming mouse for Macs

"Mac users have long been left out in the cold when it comes to awesome gaming peripherals from the likes of Razer; not any more. Razer has announced a Mac version of their popular Death Adder gaming mouse. Essentially it is the same mouse with Mac versions of the drivers and software, both necessary to enjoy the full functionality of the device. We are starting to see a lot more gaming hardware come out for the Mac of late, which might mean that the gaming set start to take the platform a little more seriously. The price of the Death Adder is $60.00."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 1:13 PM | Permalink

OCZ Special Ops Edition DDR3 Series for Gamers

"OCZ Technology today announced the Special Ops Edition DDR3 Series, available in both PC3-8500 and PC3-10666 kits featuring the high densities and stability gamers demand. These DDR3 kits are ideal for users advancing to the next generation of memory platforms, offering the speeds, density, and reliability required for the latest DirectX 10 PC titles. Featuring a unique camouflage motif heatspreader design, the DDR3 Special Ops Edition Series was designed for gaming systems in need of a reliable upgrade as well as some extra style."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:49 PM | Permalink

Leaked photos of the Nokia 6025

"There was a time when mobile phone makers could just calmly sit back after a hard day's work, not worrying that a random stranger might introduce their newest and top secret products to the curious public. Sadly for them, that time is over. For now we have another round of those old "Leaked!" story headlines, and this time it's a Nokia, which is not surprising at all. In this story, it was a Howard Forums user who was calm and collected as he introduced some product shots of a still unannounced handset, the Nokia 6025 to other users. According to him, it will be released by June, with an exclusive contract with Verizon."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:33 PM | Permalink

Robotic wheelchair with lasers

"A laser-guided robot wheelchair that automatically docks with the user's vehicle and loads itself into the back could give disabled drivers more freedom. Using the new system, the user opens the door of their van and presses a button to lower the front seat so they can climb in. A remote control is then used to drive the chair round to the back of the van. From here on, a computer inside the vehicle takes over. Using radio signals and laser guidance, it positions the chair onto the forks of a lift that hauls the wheelchair on board, and closes the door. The process is reversed once the driver reaches their destination."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:14 PM | Permalink

Monster black hole found escaping home galaxy

"A mammoth black hole has been discovered fleeing its host galaxy at high speed, according to a controversial new study. The galactic eviction may be the result of a violent merger between two black holes. Most galaxies the size of our own Milky Way or larger are thought to harbour a supermassive black hole, weighing millions or billions of times as much as the Sun, at their centres. When galaxies merge, these black holes may spiral in towards one another and collide. The mergers severely disturb the surrounding space, sending out ripples in the fabric of space called gravitational waves, according to Einstein's general theory of relativity. Computer simulations show these waves tend to be emitted more in some directions than in others. This causes the resulting larger black hole to recoil in the opposite direction from the waves, with speeds of up to 4000 kilometres per second. In some cases, that may be enough to kick the black hole right out of the merged galaxy."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:13 PM | Permalink

Mirrors on the Moon to signal aliens

"Mounting mirrors on the Moon and using them to signal across space could let ET know we Earthlings are here. Ever since radio broadcasts began we've been trumpeting our presence to nearby parts of the galaxy, so far without reply. To improve the chances of being found, Shawn Domagal-Goldman and Jacob Haqq-Misra of Pennsylvania State University in State College reckon we should cover half of the Moon with mirrors. When angled to catch the Sun's rays, the mirrors would increase the amount of light the Earth-moon system reflects by 20%, they say, more than enough to catch the eye of a vigilant alien astronomer. Domagal-Goldman proposes using a code of prime number flashes - just as aliens used to get in touch in Carl Sagan's book Contact. This will ensure the flashes aren't mistaken for natural variations in brightness. As a bonus, the underside of the mirrors could be covered with photovoltaic cells. When the mirrors aren't busy flashing they could be flipped to allow the cells to make electricity, which would be beamed by microwaves back to Earth. "You could help solve the climate crisis, too," says Domagal-Goldman, who presented his idea last week at the 2008 Astrobiology Science Conference in Santa Clara, California, US."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:12 PM | Permalink

Brits vote for useless gadgets

"a list of punters' most useless gadgets has been compiled. The inventory was made after Reevoo.com questioned 4500 British shoppers about which gadgets they thought were the most pointless. Electric nail-files led the poll and, although no reasons were given, many people could be put off by the gadget's ability to file your nails away to mere stumps at the flick of the switch. Laser-guided scissors and electric candles fell into second and third place, respectively. The humble Soda Stream - a 1970s attempt at making fizzy drinks a ridiculously laborious process - fell into fourth place."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:10 PM | Permalink

Nokia confident free music downloads will profit

"HELSINKI (Reuters) - Offering unlimited music downloads to phone buyers will make money for Nokia as well as record labels, the handset maker said, dismissing talk the move would come at the expense of profits. "We expect to make money both from our traditional device sales, as well as from the 'Comes With Music' service," said Liz Schimel, head of Nokia's music business. "I can assure you that we are looking out for everyone's interests in creating these new business models, including our own." The new music offering from Nokia, the first cellphone maker to push heavily into content, would differ from any other package on the market as users can keep all the music they have downloaded during the 12 months. Last week Nokia struck a deal with Sony BMG to offer the label's tracks in its "Comes with Music" service, adding to last December's deal with top record label Universal. Having the world's two largest labels on board looks set to help Nokia attract smaller music companies and challenge the dominant pay-per-track sales model for digital music. "This new model is innovative and creates a positive situation for all stakeholders, but it does require a different way of thinking for our content partners," Schimel said, but declined to go into details. Reports on different Internet media have suggested the world's biggest handset maker was paying $35 to Universal alone for each sold handset; and some reports suggest Nokia would be paying an extra fee for each downloaded song after the first 35 songs, potentially eroding its close to 40 percent gross margins in cellphone operations. "Recent articles that I've seen have fundamentally misunderstood the concept behind the Comes With Music model," Schimel said."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:08 PM | Permalink

Samsung launches charging hubs at two US airports

"Samsung on Wednesday announced the launch of charging stations for mobile devices in terminals at LaGuardia and Orlando International Airports. The Samsung Mobile Charging Stations allow travelers to plug in their phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets without any associated fees. The company's latest move expands on similar charging stations already in use at the Los Angeles, JFK and Dallas / Forth Worth International airports. LaGuardia's Terminal C features 12 charging stations spread out between gates A and D, with four outlets in each of the 8.5-foot tall poles. Orlando International hosts 18 such stations on Level Two in Airsides terminals one through four. The stations will recharge any 120V device, and feature shelves to hold portable electronics. At JFK International, Samsung has 54 charging stations, with 51 doing duty in Los Angeles, and eight operating at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport. "

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:05 PM | Permalink

Microsoft to move on Yahoo today, use proxy?

"Microsoft could be ready to take action on its ultimatum to Yahoo as early as today, say alleged sources in touch with the Wall Street Journal. With Microsoft having remained silent since the passing of its deadline for Yahoo to accept a takeover offer, the Windows developer is now reportedly set to announce its next plan of action and has been considering multiple strategies. One of these is to fight a slightly less aggressive proxy war, the paper claims. Rather than bypassing Yahoo's board entirely, Microsoft may nominate a set of 10 board members (with three alternatives) it deems friendly to the $31 per share takeover bid and gauge the response from shareholders. The move would increase pressure on Yahoo to accept any offers but would allow Microsoft to avoid any immediately hostile effort, which many argue could trigger employee defections and reduce the impact of the deal. Nothing is said to be definite, according to the report. However, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has commented last week that his company may walk away from the deal if Yahoo resistance continues to create significant delays."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 12:04 PM | Permalink

iPhone Bike Mount

"I can understand wanting some tunes while riding your bike. But watching movies while you pedal away is probably not a great idea. The up side is, you'll have something to do while the EMTs are trying to untangle your legs from your bike spokes. Obviously, the iPhone Bike Mount is not going to improve your life. All it can really do is foreshadow your asphalt demise as your eyes are always drawn to your beautiful gadget. This particular form of assisted suicide will only cost you $14.99. And when you reach those pearly gates and they ask you what the last thing you saw was, you can tell them it was Desperate Housewives. It's so pathetic that you might actually get a second chance. Maybe."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 11:29 AM | Permalink

Telecoms spending will be flat in 2008

"The global telecoms market is facing a chilly 2008 if Alcatel-Lucent's latest financial forecast proves to be on the mark. Alcatel-Lucent forecast the telecoms and related services market this year will be "flat versus the company's previous forecast of flat to slightly up". Alcatel-Lucent's own full year revenues, at constant currency rates, will be down in the low to mid single digits, mainly because of the declining dollar and spending collywobbles at a few big customers. The glum outlook came as it revealed revenues down 0.5 per cent for the first quarter ending 31 March to €3.9bn. It made a net loss of €181m compared to a loss of €95m a year ago."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 11:04 AM | Permalink

Slashdot slashdotted?

"Linux lovers' favourite website Slashdot.org has been unavailable all morning. Sister sites SourceForge and Freshmeat are also down. Attempts to visit the site are met with a "taking too long to respond" message. Slashdot was formerly famous for the "Slashdot effect" or slashdotting - when links from the site to smaller websites caused them to crash because of the unexpected huge number of visitors. A spokesman for Pingdom which monitors website uptime said: "They've been unavailable since 09:38 Central European Time (it's 13:23 now, so that's close to 4 hours)." He added that neither servers in the US or Europe were able to access the site, suggesting their network is down."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 11:02 AM | Permalink

Judge deals a blow to RIAA's 'making available' argument

"A US federal judge has shot down one of the Recording Industry Ass. of America's key arguments in its brave pursuit of students, idiots and grandmothers it accuses of sharing music over peer-to-peer networks. In an order in the case of the Atlantic vs Howell in Arizona yesterday, Judge Neil Wake said that the RIAA's claim that making copyright sound recordings available to download counts as distribution was wrong. It means the major labels' bid to score a summary judgement victory has been denied, and the case will proceed to trial. The RIAA will have to come up with a new argument. Pamela and Jeffrey Howell were sued by the RIAA in 2006 after the lobby group's net copyright mercenary, MediaSentry, detected their computer participating in the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. At first Judge Wake sided with the RIAA's "making available" argument, and awarded damages of more than $40,000 in a summary judgement last August."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:58 AM | Permalink

460 people a day arrested in the UK for using cellphones

"More than 168,000 people were fined for using a mobile phone when driving in 2006, a rise of 30 per cent on the previous year. The figures were released today by the UK Justice Department, according to The Telegraph, and show that despite the fact it's been illegal to use a mobile phone while driving without a hands-free kit since 2003, it's taking a long time for drivers to get used to the idea. Tory Party spokesman for roads Robert Goodwill told The Telegraph: "This is a damning indictment of Labour's failure to clamp down on drivers who repeatedly flout the law... Labour's heavy reliance on speed cameras as a cash cow instead of actually properly policing the roads is being exposed.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:39 AM | Permalink

Grand Theft Auto 4 queue man stabbed in head

"A hooded male stabbed another man in the head and neck yesterday as they both queued to buy copies of Grand Theft Auto IV from a Croydon Gamestation store. Onlookers witnessed the Niko-style stabbing, which some bystanders have said they initially thought was a stunt pulled to whip-up yet more excitement for the eagerly anticipated title. Unfortunately, the stabbing was anything but virtual. Police have yet to confirm the motive for the assault, but it's thought that the two men were just rude to one another. The victim managed to survive the ordeal - and stumbled home to grab a knife for a revenge attack. However, he collapsed in the street on his way back to the store."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:33 AM | Permalink

Graphics chip market shows first Q1 growth for six years

"More graphics chips were sold in the first quarter of 2008 than in the final three months of 2007 - the first time the business has seen sequential grow between the quarters spanning the New Year since 2002. So said market watcher Jon Peddie Research (JPR) today - before highlighting how AMD managed to lose the much of the market share it picked up in the previous quarter."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:17 AM | Permalink

Anti-Israel hackers deface central bank site

"The Bank of Israel website has been restored after it was knocked off the internet last weekend in an attack blamed on anti-Israel hackers. The hackers defaced the bank's website on Thursday with anti-Israeli graffiti, written in Arabic. Normally the site of Israel's central bank carries currency exchange and interest rate information. The timing of the hack coincided with Israel's Passover holiday, delaying a response."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:15 AM | Permalink

US Department of Justice banned from Wikipedia

"Wikipedia has temporarily blocked edits from the US Department of Justice after someone inside the government agency tried to erase references to a particularly-controversial Wiki-scandal. Early last week, the Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) was accused of organizing a secret campaign to influence certain articles on the "free encyclopedia anyone can edit". Just days later, the DoJ's IP range was used to edit the site's entry on the Pro-Israel "media-monitoring group," lifting a new section that detailed the controversy. The DoJ did not respond to our requests for comment. But odds are, the edits were made by a single individual acting independently. Wikipedia's ban on the department's IP is due to be lifted today."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 10:11 AM | Permalink

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Firmware Update 1.1.2s

"Canon has released a new firmware update, v1.1.2, for the 1Ds Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements: 1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware. - Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9. - Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3. 2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 9:44 AM | Permalink

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Version 1.2.3 Firmware Update

"Canon has released a new firmware update, version 1.2.3, for the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements: 1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware. - Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9. - Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3. - With the camera's External Speedlite control menu, Flash function settings can be used to set the Wireless setting and Zoom. 2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 9:32 AM | Permalink

Solwise HomePlug AV Mains Pass Through

"However, just because you can't or don't want to have wireless, it doesn't mean you have to start tearing up all your carpets to wire up your house with Ethernet cable. Instead there is a truly marvellous technology that you can use. Generically known variably as, Ethernet over Power (EoP), Powerline Networking (PLN), and mains communication, said technology uses your building's existing mains power cables to transmit network data signals. So, as long as there's a plug socket, every room in your house can be connected to your network. Moreover, because the network is contained within your house, it is inherently more secure than even an encrypted wireless network."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 30, 2008 8:47 AM | Permalink

Google map directions get Street View

"Google has built its Street View into Google Maps' ability to provide driving directions, the company said Tuesday. With the feature, a small camera icon appears next to the intersections in the turn-by-turn directions. Clicking on the icon brings up a view of the intersection so people can see the area in question. Google Street View is available in 44 areas of the United States, and there are strong signs Google is bringing Street View to Europe. Street View is available through the Google Maps programming interface so that those using Google Maps can add Street View abilities to their Web sites."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 4:42 PM | Permalink

ICANN Takes a Step Toward Ending Domain Tasting

"For years, domain squatters have exploited an ICANN loophole: whenever a domain name is registered, ICANN collects a 20-cent fee from the registrar. To allow for non-paying customers, the registrar can return it five days later for a full refund. The loophole has let unscrupulous registrars constantly create and refund domain-squatting websites, selling 'what you need when you need it' advertising. The problem has grown so bad that every month the world's top three domain squatters, all located in Miami with the same address and represented by the same lawyer, recycle 11 million domain names."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 4:39 PM | Permalink

MySpace Karaoke Lets You Cringe at Home

"Amateur Simon Cowells, prepare your keyboards . As if YouTube hadn't lured enough talentless hacks out of their parents' basements with promises of Internet fandom, MySpace is now inviting the pain as well, with MySpace Karaoke. The social networking site announced its latest feature on Tuesday. MySpace Karaoke allows users to perform, record and share any of the hundreds of licensed tracks MySpace offers. The all-in-one application the company uses, powered by Ksolo, delivers sing-along lyrics on screen, music, and recording capability."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 4:37 PM | Permalink

Barbegrill merges dual functions

"Thanks to a variable infra-red heat control system, this neat stainless steel grill is capable of cooking food to perfection without cremating it. It can even toast bread and simmer soup (assuming the soup is in a saucepan, of course). Amazing! Fueled by mini A4 Butane Battery gas cartridges (available from all good camping/outdoor stores, and quite a few mediocre ones) the Barbegrill is ideal for campers, festival fans and barbecue buffs. You can even use it indoors, as long as you're in a well-ventilated space. Built to last and easy to clean, this brilliant cooking companion is also incredibly safe as it features a pressure-activated gas cut-off device."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 4:35 PM | Permalink

Side by side shots of the Eee PC, Cloudbook, and Mini-Note

"And here I thought my house was starting to fill up with little computers. While I've got an Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-Note, Flickr user Robert Nelson has me beat. He's got both of those computers, plus an Everex Cloudbook. So if you've ever wanted to see how the three computer stack up against one another in size, shape, and glossy finish, check out Nelson's complete Flickr photoset."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 4:03 PM | Permalink

Microsoft cuts Xbox prices in four Asian markets

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it is cutting prices on the Xbox 360 in four Asian regions by as much as 20 percent in an effort to expand the audience for the video game console. The reductions will take effect this week in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, Microsoft said. "This price drop is part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to bring Xbox's high-definition gaming and entertainment experience to an even wider user base," Microsoft said in a statement. The price of the main Xbox 360 Premium model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive was cut nearly 20 percent in Singapore, 17 percent in Taiwan, nearly 11 percent in Hong Kong, and 5 percent in South Korea. The Xbox 360 competes against Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii consoles. Last month, Microsoft slashed prices on the Xbox 360 in some European countries by up to 28 percent, in an effort to spur sales in a key battleground for the video-game industry."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 3:50 PM | Permalink

Cheap diamonds are a biologist's best friend

"A cheaper way to make tiny fragments of diamond clears the way for them to be used to reveal the movement of cells around the body, or even delivering genes, say researchers. Fragments of flawed diamond similar in size to the smallest viruses, just tens of nanometres across, are known as fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs). When hit with a laser they can fluoresce for hours afterwards, thanks to defects in the diamond that absorb the laser energy and emit light of their own at a different wavelength. The stability and non-toxic nature of diamond makes it an attractive material for use inside the body."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 3:46 PM | Permalink

AMD says post-Phenom CPUs will be "completely different," 100 laptops to launch with Puma

"Although most of the attention in the increasingly-competitive CPU market has been focused on Intel and newcomer NVIDIA lately, AMD's still in it to win it, and it looks like it's taking some bold moves. First up, the company says over 100 laptop designs based on the new Puma mobile platform are being developed for delivery in June, over twice as many as it's had in the past. AMD's touting Puma's Hybrid Graphics mode that allows the system to intelligently switch between a Radeon HD3400 and integrated graphics for max power-savings, so it'll be interesting to see how the system stacks up against Intel's Atom and VIA's Isaiah -- like NVIDIA, AMD seems to be betting that consumers care more about graphics than raw horsepower."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 3:42 PM | Permalink

Apple iMac 3.06GHz unboxing, hands-on, and benchmarking

"Look what arrived on our doorstep today! That's right -- the shiny, expensive new iMac that's now equipped with that funky custom and / or overclocked 3.06GHz CPU. Take a look at us wildly unboxing and handling the behemoth in the gallery below, and get a load of its fairly impressive Xbench scores after the break."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 3:38 PM | Permalink

SIRIUS Radio now available on Logitech Squeezebox Duet

"SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced today an agreement to deliver more than 80 channels of its music, talk and entertainment programming via Logitech's Squeezebox Duet, Logitech Squeezebox, and Logitech Transporter network music player. The Logitech network music players will connect directly to SIRIUS Internet Radio (SIR), providing a seamless and easy set-up. Utilizing a home broadband connection via Wi-Fi or a wired network connection, listeners can stream SIRIUS. "

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 2:33 PM | Permalink

Industry Leaders join push for Home Media Networks

"FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Chip and electronics makers Intel , Infineon , Texas Instruments and Panasonic have formed an alliance to promote home networks for movies, music and pictures using domestic wiring. The four leading chip and electronics makers will help market and test a standard to wire together computers, TVs and entertainment systems using electricity, phone and coaxial cable lines that already exist in most homes, they said on Tuesday. They hope the first products using the new standard will be on the market in about a year."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 2:24 PM | Permalink

Critics slam 'GTA IV' without test drive

"To many in the video game industry, the two words "Jack" and "Thompson" engender horror and disgust. Thompson, a self-appointed uber-critic of the industry, has spent the last few years railing away at games he deems too full of sex or violence. Never was he out in more force than during 2005's so-called "Hot Coffee" scandal, in which the monster hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was discovered to have hidden, but easily uncoverable, animations that mimicked sexual activity. In the lead-up to the midnight Tuesday release of Rockstar Games' follow-up game, Grand Theft Auto IV, Thompson was at it again."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 2:16 PM | Permalink

Chernobyl reactor to get a new steel coffin

"Twenty-two years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, work is under way on a colossal new shelter to cover the ruins and deadly radioactive contents of the exploded Soviet-era power plant. For years, the original iron and concrete shelter that was hastily constructed over the reactor has been leaking radiation, cracking and threatening to collapse. The new one, an arch of steel, would be big enough to contain the Statue of Liberty. Once completed, Chernobyl will be safe, said Vince Novak, nuclear safety director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development which manages the $505 million project."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 1:55 PM | Permalink

DSLR Remote Pro v1.7 and PSRemote 1.6

"DSLR Remote Pro v1.7 for controlling Canon EOS cameras and PSRemote v1.6 for controlling Canon PowerShot cameras are now available. Both applications feature Photo booth mode, which allows sitters to see themselves pose in front of the camera. Support for the Canon EOS 450D/Rebel XSi, including remote live view display with auto-focus, has been added to DSLR Remote Pro v1.7. DSLR Remote Pro costs US $95 and costs PSRemote 1.6 costs US $49."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 1:53 PM | Permalink

Remote-controlled whiteboard hack

"A remotely-controlled whiteboard is one of those hacks that seem vaguely pointless at first but, as you think about them, you start coming up with plenty of uses. Leaving messages or reminders for people at home or in other offices, perhaps, or teleworking with distant colleagues. After watching Jeroen Domburg's video of his hacked whiteboard in action - that uses a webcam and the mangled entrails of an old scanner to accomplish remote sight and local control, respectively - I've decided that my life isn't complete without one."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 1:10 PM | Permalink

Quanta Sees Rise In Global Laptop Demand.

"Never heard of Quanta Computer? Can't blame you. They don't put their own nameplate on the laptop computers they build in Taiwan. They manufacture units for most all major computer vendors, so if you've got a Dell or an HP in your lap, for instance, the chances are pretty good that Quanta made it, or one just like it. They even make the One Laptop Per Child Foundation's laptop. Since they serve so many masters, their sales outlook is useful in gauging worldwide demand for laptops in general. "

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 1:02 PM | Permalink

LinkedIn Prepares for Lucrative Push Into Europe

"LinkedIn is building up its European operations in order to carve out a larger piece of the social-networking pie. The professional social-networking site is stretching outside the U.S., building its targeted advertising program as well as selling its recently launched product for job recruiters, said Kevin Eyres, LinkedIn's managing director for Europe. LinkedIn is playing a bit of catch up. It recently secured the http://linkedin.co.uk domain after a dispute, just hired an advertising sales head for its London office and only offers the site in English, although plans call for more languages eventually."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 12:57 PM | Permalink

Nokia to bring real time traffic updates to phones

"Finland-based cell phone-maker Nokia on Tuesday announced it will team up with ARC Transistance, the European automobile club network, to provide users of its phones with Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI). The service will be offered as an option with a subscription fee in Nokia Maps 2.0 and any newer Nokia software. Thanks to RTTI, drivers will benefit from shorter commutes as their phone's navigation systems will now be able to inform them of any timely congestion, construction or crashes in their way and re-route as required."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 12:46 PM | Permalink

Dell swings axe at five per cent of EMEA staff

"Computer giant Dell is axing up to five per cent of its 17,500-strong EMEA workforce in a cost-cutting exercise. The firm told staff today that it has been forced to scale back its operations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to ensure its "future success and competitiveness". Earlier this month it announced a massive ten per cent slim-down of its global workforce to reduce expenses by at least $3bn annually by 2011."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 12:39 PM | Permalink

MySpace stripped of myspace.co.uk domain victory

"An independent appeals panel has overturned a heavily-criticised decision to hand control of the myspace.co.uk domain to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Interactive Media. Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), had ruled in favour of MySpace in January, despite the domain having been registered by a small British ISP six years before the US social network was founded. Barring any possible further High Court action by MySpace accusing TWS of "passing off", the judgement, released on Thursday last week and passed to The Register today, means control of the address remains with Stockport's Total Web Solutions (TWS)."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 12:37 PM | Permalink

Portal was rejected from Xbox Live

"Portal is one of those games that just kind of came out of nowhere. It was included in the Orange Box and just seemed like an extra bonus game. However, once you started playing it, you realized that the game was actually compiled of pure awesome. There were only two issues that I had with the game, one was that it ended, and the other was that you could not purchase it without getting the entire Orange Box. Valve corrected this a short time later for PC gamers, however, Xbox 360 owners aren't going to be as lucky."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 12:29 PM | Permalink

JVC HD-65DS8DDJ 65in Rear Projection TV

"With everyone's attentions turning inexorably towards exceptional slimness in the TV world right now, JVC's HD-65DS8DDJ is about as untrendy as it's possible to get. For not only is this 65in monster not one of JVC's new 'Super Slim' flat TVs, it's not even a flat TV! Rather, it belongs to that nearly extinct breed of TV known as 'the rear projector'... While this fact inevitably makes the 65DS8DDJ fatter than any slim TV around, you might be surprised to find how little fatter it is, if you see what I mean. For in fact its butt-end only sticks out 29.5cm - a measurement that's really not as far as you'd expect from the 10-14cm depths most 'normal' flat TVs still employ. To reinforce this point, JVC actually does a wall mount kit for the 65DS8DDJ! All you need is a bunch of very willing mates to help, and the small matter of a wall able to handle the TV's substantial 66kg weight. Easy."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 9:47 AM | Permalink

Successful test of a parachute based on sketches made by Leonardo da Vinci in 1485

"A Swiss daredevil Olivier Vietti-Teppa jumped at the weekend using a parachute based on sketches made by genius Leonardo da Vinci in 1485. Vietti-Teppa had been wearing a modern reserve parachute in case da Vinci's design - made out of four triangles of fabric and with a pointed top - had failed to open. Vietti-Teppa is the first person to have made it safely to the ground with the da Vinci model. In 2000, Briton Adrian Nicholas tried it but had to use a back-up parachute to complete his descent. Vietti-Teppa's parachute was made using modern fabric along lines imagined by da Vinci. The specifications were found in a manuscript dating from 1485."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 9:34 AM | Permalink

Homeland Security takes pity on terror list Ted Kennedys

"The Department of Homeland Security has finally taken pity on all those people who share a name with someone on the FBI's "terror watch list." Today, as reported by the watch list-obsessed USA Today, the DHS told US airlines they can go a little easier on people who suffer from the so-called "Ted Kennedy problem." Senator Kennedy was temporarily barred from boarding several flights in 2004 because his name resembled the alias of a suspected terrorist. If it wants, an airline can now clear up cases of mistaken identity simply by recording passenger birth dates. Previously, namesakes couldn't avoid heavy duty screening unless they petitioned the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for redress, and TSA isn't exactly quick with its responses."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 9:05 AM | Permalink

Western Digital's VelociRaptor primes data center charge

"Number two hard drive supplier Western Digital, not currently an enterprise drive supplier, appears to be readying itself to ship 2.5-inch enterprise SAS drives. Western Digital does not compete with Seagate for high-performance enterprise disk drives. But with the emergence of serial-attached SCSI (SAS) it has a way to do this and aims, judging by its third quarter results earnings call transcript, to do so with 2.5-inch drives. The company has just announced a high-performance 2.5-inch drive, the VelociRaptor, which is shipped inside a 3.5-inch chassis and which is targeted at high-performance (gaming) PC and workstation applications."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 9:02 AM | Permalink

Reaper aerial killbots enlist mobile phones against owners

"American Predator and Reaper unmanned flying hunter-killer robots will soon be equipped to track and listen in on mobile phones. The move is sure to be greeted with fear among tinfoil-clad bunker residents, but could also lead to calls for a no-nonsense enforcement campaign against noisy cellphone users in public places. Northrop Grumman was pleased to announce last week that it had won a $54.9m contract from the US Air Force to fit the so-called Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) aboard the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aerial wardroids. A version of ASIP already flies aboard the U-2 long range high-altitude spy plane, and aboard the similarly large high-flying Global Hawk surveillance drone."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 8:56 AM | Permalink

Rogers confirms Canadian iPhone this year

"Canadian telecoms provider Rogers today issued a brief note confirming that it has negotiated a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to the country, ending uncertainty that has persisted since the American announcement last year. The company is providing few details at this time but expects a launch before the end of 2008, according to a statement by company chief and founder Ted Rogers."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 8:38 AM | Permalink

Free music may cripple Nokia financially

"Nokia's "Comes With Music" program, offering those who purchase Nokia phones nearly unlimited free access to a large music database, could cost the company more than it would make. The Register writes that Nokia would be responsible for footing the bill for downloads that exceed the estimated limit of 35 songs per user, charged wholesale per unit. The move reportedly pressured Ed Averdieck, former Managing Director of Nokia Music, to leave his position."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 8:37 AM | Permalink

Glass chip spins silk just like a spider

"It can't rival Spider-Man yet, but a new micromachine that works like a spider's silk duct might finally lead the way to producing industrial quantities of high-quality artificial spider silk. Spider silk is super-light, super-strong and elastic too. Existing human materials lack its useful combination of properties, and proposed uses span everything from bulletproof vests to optic fibres. Researchers have struggled for years to find an industrial process to make spider silk, and have tried everything from making it in a lab dish to creating silk-secreting goats. Now German researchers have demonstrated a new method of production - an artificial version of the ducts spiders use to "spin" the silk."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:50 AM | Permalink

Simple brain exercise can boost IQ

"Can mental training improve your intelligence? No video game or mental puzzle has convincingly been shown to work. But now a group of neuropsychologists claims it has found a task that can add points to a person's IQ - and the harder you train, they say, the more you gain. So-called "fluid intelligence", or Gf, is the ability to reason, solve new problems and think in the abstract. It correlates with professional and educational success and it appears to be largely genetic. Past attempts to boost Gf have suggested that, although by training you can achieve great gains on the specific training task itself, those gains don't transfer to other tasks. Now Susanne Jaeggi at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, US, and her colleagues say that is not true."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:49 AM | Permalink

Cosmic time warp revealed in slow-motion supernovae

"Once upon a time, time was different. Supernova explosions in the early universe appear to age more slowly than today's supernovae, as if time itself was running slower back then, according to a recent series of astronomical observations. This cosmic time warp is exactly what should be produced by the expansion of the universe, confirming conventional big bang theory. In that mainstream picture, the fabric of space is expanding everywhere - an idea predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity and tested by observation."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:48 AM | Permalink

HTC confirms Diamond launch next month

"We already knew it was coming, now HTC has seemingly confirmed that its Diamond handset will be announced next month presumably at the May 6th event. Unfortunately, the wording of the Taipei Times article (which we assume was translated from Chinese) leaves HTC's comments open to interpretation. Speaking to a group of investors, HTC's financial executive Cheng Hui-ming, said that revenues will grow by 20% this year thanks to the launch of a new Touch phone next month."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:46 AM | Permalink

Brain pacemaker could treat depression and OCD

"Sending electrical shocks into the brain via a "brain pacemaker" has already led to dramatic breakthroughs like the revival of a man trapped in a vegetative state for six years, but new research may mean that the technique is soon a common treatment for disorders like depression and OCD."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:34 AM | Permalink

FCC's broadband over power lines expansion hits major snag

"If you're waiting for broadband over power lines (BPL) as an alternative to cable or DSL in your area, it may be time to finally give in to one of the big companies. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) -- a group of amateur radio enthusiasts -- has sued the FCC over its plan to speed up BPL's expansion, citing concerns that the service's radio emissions provide too many interference risks to the hobby / ham spectrum."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 7:13 AM | Permalink

Hans Tan's LED clock spells out time in text

"Those tried-and-true hands definitely get the job done, but glancing over to find out what time of the day it is should be an adventure. Singaporean Hans Tan has crafted quite the atypical timepiece with his Idea of a Clock (revision 2), which utilizes a LED bulletin board to spell out the time in text rather than using symbols, numbers or long sticks."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 6:50 AM | Permalink

Festo AirJelly electric helium flying jellyfish

"We'd explain this thing, but we're really having trouble taking our eyes off of it long enough to string some full sentences together. Suffice it to say Festo's AirJelly is powered by some magical jelly fish properties, a lithium-ion battery, an electric motor and a bit of helium."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 29, 2008 6:28 AM | Permalink

iRobot, Corporate Sabotage, Stolen Plans and Destroyed Evidence

"Noah Shachtman over at Wired has a very interesting look at iRobot's six year battle with Robotic FX, a company started by a former employee who allegedly (and probably) stole schematics and plans in order to build a competitor. There's too much detail to work into a short summary, but Jameel Ahed, the former employee, was caught by a private investigator deleting documents and shredding CDs containing data that belonged to iRobot."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 5:33 PM | Permalink

Sprint discontinuing Voice Command on July 1st

"Sprint's not going out of its way to make a big fuss about it, but its long-standing Voice Command service will soon be no more. The service, which allowed Sprint-Nextel phones to dial two buttons and then give voice commands to place calls, will be discontinued on July 1st, 2008, meaning that all your server-based contacts will soon be inaccessible. Aside from removing the VC fee from your monthly bill, Sprint's advising users to download and print their contact lists, and better still, it's encouraging users to rely on handset-based voice-activated dialing (or pick up a new phone if their current one can't pass muster). So long, Voice Command -- we can't imagine too many folks actually missing you."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 4:29 PM | Permalink

The HP Pavilion dv3000 (Intel Santa Rosa) Review

"It's not hard to love HP these days. As the top PC retailer you might figure they would be resting on their collective laurels but instead, they been delivering products that continue to impress while making computers more personal that appeal to both business and casual users alike. The HP Pavilion dv3000 notebook is no exception to this rule and it's not hard to see why, with its glossy "iron mesh" surface thanks to HP's Imprint technology and its reflective silver interior. Though the dv3000 is not just all looks and no substance as it comes packed with sufficient hardware to compete with most desktops."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 4:17 PM | Permalink

Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI Motherboard Review

"Asus is also known to be one of the first to market with new boards that are based on new chipsets. With all that in mind, we do have a motherboard that is targeted to the budget and HTPC crowd. The Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI is based on the 780G/SB700 chipsets and is a socket AM2+ board, so it supports (in theory) AMD's Phenom line of processors. This is not the first AMD 780G motherboard that Legit Reviews has gotten to look as we have already taken a look at the ECS A780GM-A and Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H motherboards. "

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 4:16 PM | Permalink

SIM Recovery Pro - retrieve, restore and program data on your SIM cards

"SIM Recovery Pro. This clever little doohickey not only retrieves deleted SMS, address book and history data from your mobile phone SIM card, but can also be used to program the SIM to call selected numbers only. Which is pretty useful for controlling the outgoing spend caused by your grandmother's riotous social life. You can use it to backup all your SIM data too and apparently there's no technical skill required. Goody! £59.95/$107.91. The SIM Recovery Pro is an advanced SIM card reader and software program combined which quickly and effectively retrieves text messages, purposely or accidentally, deleted from SIM cards that would otherwise never be found and presenting the information in an easy to read format. In addition to SMS message retrieval, the device serves many other very useful functions including SIM card data backup, edit and restore, print out of SIM card information and allows you to set a list of fixed dial numbers."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 4:13 PM | Permalink

Military's unmanned aircraft go to the Smithsonian

"The National Air and Space Museum this week opened an exhibit that celebrates unmanned flight technology. Six aircraft representing a variety of unmanned aircraft are being featured in the "Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" exhibition. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used by all four military branches for missions ranging from reconnaissance and surveillance to attack and each branch is represented in this exhibit: Predator, DarkStar, X-45A (Air Force); Shadow 200 (Army); Dragon Eye (Marine Corps); and Pioneer (Navy), according to a release."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 4:02 PM | Permalink

Photoshop guru leaves Adobe for Microsoft

"Mark Hamburg, a programmer who worked on Photoshop since version 2.0 and helped lead development of the newer Photoshop Lightroom, has left Adobe Systems for a new job at Microsoft. Martin Evening, a Lightroom expert and author, reported Hamburg's new job on his blog Friday, saying Hamburg will be involved in user experience work. A Microsoft representative confirmed the new hire but didn't share further details."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:53 PM | Permalink

Condom Bungee Cord

"Why the hell would someone do a bungee jump with a cord he made out of condoms you ask? If you thought he was attempting to make a statement about safe sex, you're wrong. Apparently the only real motivation Carl Dionisio had for the attempt was his own lunacy--he was hoping to re-create the "virgin buzz" he had with his first jump. Over the course of 4 months he and a friend constructed the rope using 18,500 condoms and a tried-and-true mathematical formula. Despite being 99% sure it would work, Dionisio admitted that his stomach was "in a knot for a month before the jump.""

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:50 PM | Permalink

Simple 'superlens' sharpens focusing power

"A simple-to-make "superlens" can focus 10 times more sharply than a conventional lens. It could shrink the size of features on computer chips, or help power gadgets without wires. No matter how powerful a conventional lens, it cannot focus light down to more than about half its wavelength, the "diffraction limit". This limits the amount of data that can be stored on a CD, and the size of features on computer chips. Researchers have devised ways to beat the diffraction limit before, using bizarre "metamaterials" that are hard to make, and which are also the basis of prototype "invisibility cloaks"."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:46 PM | Permalink

Megaquake set to strike within a decade

"Sometime in the next 10 years we can expect an earthquake of a similar magnitude to the 2004 Sumatra quake that triggered the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. So say Vladimir Kossobokov of the International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics in Moscow, Russia, and colleagues, who have developed an algorithm to predict where and when such megaquakes will occur. The team claims a global pattern emerges in the years before earthquakes of magnitude 9.0 or more. For example, the number of quakes caused by crustal movements between 300 and 700 kilometres below the surface rises, as does the incidence of those with a magnitude of 8.0 or more. Kossobokov points out that the four largest earthquakes of the 20th century happened within just 12 years, starting with the Kamchatka Peninsula quake in Russia in 1952, and culminating in the magnitude 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska"

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:44 PM | Permalink

Gene therapy success 'reverses' blindness

"Experimental gene therapy trials have improved the vision of four people who suffer from hereditary blindness. The preliminary results of two independent studies suggest that "repair" genes delivered to the eye might one day cure Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a rare disease that strikes about 1 in 80,000 people in the UK, and 2,000 Americans in total. Equally important, say researchers, the treatments proved safe in the six patients who received the genes - delivered by a disabled virus - via eye surgery."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:43 PM | Permalink

US outlaws genetic discrimination

""It's the first civil rights bill of the new century of life sciences," said veteran Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts last week, after the US Senate finally passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). After more than a decade of political debate, GINA bans health insurers from setting premiums or denying coverage based on the results of genetic tests, as long as customers have no pre-existing disease symptoms. It is also aimed to prevent discrimination in employment decisions. GINA is expected to be approved this week by the House of Representatives, which backed a slightly different version of the act last year, and will then be signed into law by President George W Bush."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:38 PM | Permalink

The geekiest pants ever

"Designer Erik De Nijs, has stitched together this eye catching pair of "Beauty and the Geek" jeans. These "modern shaped trousers which are often worn by youngsters.." are the perfect solution for Googling quick exits while running from the fashion police. Built into the knees are a pair of crotch rocking speakers, around the back you have the added convenience of a back pocket for your "mouse", and for you gamers, there is a joystick controller located just behind the front zipper."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Permalink

Washington D.C. to Install Cams On Sweepers

"I told you October 20 that Chicago considered the installation of hi-rez surveillance cams on street sweeping trucks. Now the Washington D.C. Council has unanimously passed a new law that will result in cameras that can SCAN LICENSE PLATES and ticket illegally parked vehicles."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:34 PM | Permalink

Portable ACARD Raid 1 Backup Solution

"ARS-2212 Mirror Smart Mini is the Digital Treasure Stor. which could protect important data by data redundancy.It adopts 2.5″ SATA hard disk drive that is the first slim style Mirror device in the world. User will find it is user-friendly and easy to use through the USB interface. It could plug and play immediately loads ARS-2212 Mirror Smart Mini in the computer without rebooting. It is suitable for general consumer such as personal, student or office worker who is at home or in office or on the run. In particular, ARS-2212 is the best storage solution for Notebook users, so we call it "Notebook Mate". The user can store important data into this external RAID1-protected storage.Once a single hard disk drive is crushed, the redundant feature of Mirror will keep the full set of data intact in the other disk. ARS-2212 Mirror Smart Mini support major 2.5" SATA HDD's in the market. Because of the high compatibility and reliability, ARS-2212 is highly reliable in data backup and greatly smooth in operation. ARS-2212 Mirror Smart Mini is designed so simple and brightness. It could match any style of Notebook in the market. ARS-2212 Mirror Smart Mini with the shape of simplicity design, let you not only become public focus, but also be the storage master with charming style."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:24 PM | Permalink

Gigabyte low-cost PC revealed

"Gigabyte Technology will launch its contender for the low-cost PC market, the M912 with a 8.9-inch panel and Intel Atom processor, at the beginning of June, according to sources in the channel. The M912 will support either Linux or Windows XP, while the company is also considering including Bluetooth, added the sources. The Gigabyte M912 is being designed in-house by the company in order to enable it to control the development schedule, specification and quality, the sources noted, highlighting that this will allow the company to remain flexible based on market feedback."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:22 PM | Permalink

UPS employees stealing Grand Theft Auto IV

"If you're taking a sick day tomorrow in order to properly spend the Grand Theft Auto IV launch in an orgiastic reverie of virtual crime, you may not want to bank on your pre-order being delivered on-time... or at all. According to Ars Technica, three UPS drivers have been fired in the last 24 hours for stealing copies of GTAIV from customers... with a number of interviews of other drivers that will likely take place today and are also expected to end in termination."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:18 PM | Permalink

Record companies sue Project Playlist on copyright

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nine major record labels filed suit against an online music provider on Monday, accusing Project Playlist Inc of a "massive infringement" of their copyrights to the songs of artists such as U2 and Gwen Stefani. Project Playlist (http;//www.projectplaylist.com) enables its users to easily find, play and share music with others for free, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The website compiles a vast index of songs on the Internet and users can "quickly and easily search the index for recordings by their favorite artists. At the click of a mouse, Project Playlist instantly streams a digital performance of the selected recording to the user, who can listen to it on his or her computer or mobile device," the lawsuit said. "Project Playlist also has begun optimizing its site for use on iPhones and iPods," the record companies said in the suit. The Beverly Hills, California-based company, an affiliate of KR Capital Partners LLC, also allows its users to embed their personalized playlists on social network sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Blogger, the lawsuit said. The record companies said projectplaylist.com gets more than 600,000 daily users, nearly 9.5 million average page views per day. "In short (Project Playlist's) entire business amounts to nothing more than a massive infringement" of the record companies' copyrights, the record companies said. They are seeking to enjoin Project Playlist from continuing to offer its customers free music and are also seeking unspecified damages. Attempts to reach Project Playlist for comment were unsuccessful. The nine record labels are: Warner Music Group Corp's Atlantic Recording Corp, Elektra Entertainment Group Inc and Warner Bros. Records Inc; EMI Group Plc's Capitol Records LLC, Priority Records LLC and Virgin Records America Inc; and the Interscope Records, Motown Record Co LP and UMG Recordings Inc labels of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group. (Reporting by Leslie Gevirtz; editing by Gerald E. McCormick)"

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:02 PM | Permalink

Cray picks Intel for supercomputers

"Intel Corp. is ratcheting up the competition with smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. by teaming up with supercomputer maker Cray Inc., which for the past six years has used only AMD chips in its high-performance machines. The multiyear deal Santa Clara-based Intel announced Monday bolsters its server business -- a major source of its revenue -- and snaps an exclusive arrangement that kept its chips out of some of the world's most powerful machines."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:01 PM | Permalink

Gadget Tracks a Good Nights' Shuteye

"Ironically, Lee Loree loses sleep over his invention, the Sleeptracker. Loree, 35, gave up a career as a stockbroker in Atlanta about eight years ago to work on the device-- a wristwatch and software system designed to record a person's sleep pattern. The idea came from someone else's dream. Loree remembers staying up late one night with a penlight reading an analyst's report for his job when his wife started a lucid, friendly chat. When Loree later woke her just a few minutes later, her tone had changed."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 3:00 PM | Permalink

Bassett, Gruber 3D Anatomical Atlas Going Online

"Working closely with William Gruber, the inventor of the View-Master, the three-dimensional viewing system that GAF Corporation popularized as a toy in the 1960s, Dr. Bassett created the 25-volume "Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy" in 1962. It included some 1,500 pairs of slides, along with line drawings that made the details more discernible. The paired slides could be examined with a View-Master, making the chest cavity look cavernous, and making details of structure and tissue stand out unforgettably. The atlas was an immediate success and the images became an important resource for medical students, even more so as schools have de-emphasized gross anatomy and cadaver work. But the atlas eventually went out of publication in the 1960s."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:54 PM | Permalink

Near Infrared Diffuse Spectroscopy for Coronary Artery Disease

"InfraReDx, Inc, a privately held startup based in Burlington, Mass., said on Friday that its angiography laser scanner, intended to characterize fatty deposits in coronary vessel walls, has been approved by the FDA, according to the New York Times."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:53 PM | Permalink

Score Cheap Philips Flat Panel Refurbs

"Maybe it has something to do with them exiting the US market, but Philips has some excellent deals on refurbished LCDs. All of them are 1080p and 60Hz, featuring sweet 3 HDMI ports and dynamic contrasts up to 8000:1, it's not the latest and greatest LCD tech on the market, but a 42-incher will run you just $650."

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:46 PM | Permalink

Foxconn Building 3G iPhone, Prepping June Launch?

"The China-based Commercial Times has reported that Foxconn, the company behind the first iPhone, is prepping a 3G model for late May. With Apple's anticipated announcement expected at WWDC in early June, Foxconn is preparing for shipments of three million 3G iPhones during that month. And through the product's lifespan, the manufacturer anticipates shipping 24-25 million 3G iPhones."

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:40 PM | Permalink

Crazy promises solution to all world ills by June 20th

"See that scary man? That there is Archer Quinn, self-proclaimed savior of mankind. He's prepping a free energy device that he plans to unveil on June 20th of this year, on which date he predicts "the oil reign and those who governed by their money and crushed the people by the taxes and control of the most basic of needs shall be put down for all time." "

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By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:29 PM | Permalink

Wii fit is selling out in Europe

"Nobody really expected Wii Fit to be a flop, and obviously the rampant success in Japan should've tipped us off, but it looks like the little exercise-centric peripheral is really doing alright for itself over in Europe. Dixons.co.uk says it sold a Wii Fit every four seconds on Friday, and Amazon.co.uk says they sold out within 24 hours."

Link: Link to full article

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:25 PM | Permalink

Data Center In a Shoe Box

"How would you like to have a data center that uses just 14.5 watts and weighs 255g? It's also only as big as a shoe box! The Register looks at a few solutions to network area storage that make buying a dedicated data server on a rack look like a relic of the past. Yes, it runs Linux."

Link: Link to full article

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:18 PM | Permalink

FASTSAT - NASA's tiny satellite program

The Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) is 39.5 inches in diameter - not much larger than an exercise ball. It is hexagonally shaped and clocks in at a little less than 200 Lbs. It can carry a payload up to 110 Lbs. NASA in the past has worked to develop a volleyball-sized Miniature Autonomous Extravehicular Robotic Camera (Mini AERCam). The Mini AERCam is designed to help astronauts and ground crews see outside the spacecraft during a mission. During ground-based testing, the device was able to work with the docking system that serves as an exterior home base for housing and refueling the nanosatellite.

Link: Link to full article

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Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:16 PM | Permalink

Virtual Console 60 Port USB Flash Drive Duplicator

t might not immediately seem clear why someone would need a device that's capable of copying data to 60 flash drives at once. But just think of all the promotional flash drives you've been given over the years that feature PR material or demo software and you'll get the idea.

Link: Link to full article

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:15 PM | Permalink

RC Jump Jet Plane For Vertical Take Offs And Crashes

I'm really enjoying this trend of lightweight, easy-to-fly RC planes and helicopters. Not only can they be enjoyed indoors where you don't have to deal with the wind, but they can easily survive those inevitable crashes that happen every few minutes. The latest addition to the fleet is this RC 'Jump Jet' which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but also fly around the room like a plane. Think of it as a slightly cheaper, quieter and easier to fly version of the Harrier Jump Jet.

Link: Link to full article

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:14 PM | Permalink

Touchscreen 40GB Eee hack on eBay for crazy $3,200

Could you ever bring yourself to spend more on a ASUS Eee than the price of a new MacBook Air, Lenovo X300 or Sony VAIO TZ? Currently up on eBay for a whopping $3,200 (or open to bids from $2,800), this uber-Eee takes an innocent new 8GB model and adds a built-in 32GB Patriot XT drive, a touchscreen and updated WiFi card supporting A/B/G/N. There's even an FM transmitter, to play audio through a car radio, and the overclocked ultraportable is running Windows XP SP3 with 2GB of RAM.

Link: Link to full article

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:13 PM | Permalink

We7 launched, offers 500,000 DRM-free MP3s at no cost

The free download service We7 is finally here, and claimed to offers 500,000 tracks of music from Sony BMG label and independent artists. These tracks are available to users for free and not protected by any kind of DRM, however it comes with pre-roll advertising that starts before the music track begins and lasts only several seconds.

Link: Link to full article

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:10 PM | Permalink

TomTom Profits Plummet 83%

Try as it might to upgrade and improve its devices by increasingly ingenious methods even GPS market leader TomTom can't halt the sector's slide. Announced late last week, the company's Q3 financial results were nothing short of disastrous with profits crashing from €57m in the year ago quarter to just €9m this time around. During this period TomTom did manage to ship an impressive 2m units but with their average price falling to just €117 - as margin is squeezed from this established (and declining) market - sales actually fell for the first time in its history from €296m to €264m.

Link: http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/news/2008/04/28/TomTom-Profits-Plummet-83-/p1

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 2:01 PM | Permalink

Security By Obscurity Doesn't Work Anymore

Case in point: We have no IE bugs to report this month, but both Firefox and Safari have been hit hard. So forget the idea that just because you've switched to a new browser, you're magically safer. You may be for a time, but to stay safe with any software, you need to keep current with fixes. In a somewhat dubious recognition of Firefox's growing popularity, hackers have focused their attention on it, leading to a rash of newly discovered holes. The folks at Mozilla recently released two Firefox updates in less than six weeks, fixing a total of five critical security vulnerabilities. All five can be exploited by planting a poisoned JavaScript file in a Web site and waiting for you to stumble across it.

Link: http://www.hothardware.com/News/Security%5FBy%5FObscurity%5FDoesnt%5FWork%5FAnymore/

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 1:34 PM | Permalink

Google Tries Focusing On Image Search

The research paper, "PageRank for Product Image Search," is focused on a subset of the images that the giant search engine has cataloged because of the tremendous computing costs required to analyze and compare digital images. To do this for all of the images indexed by the search engine would be impractical, the researchers said. Google does not disclose how many images it has cataloged, but it asserts that its Google Image Search is the "most comprehensive image search on the Web." The company said that in its research it had concentrated on the 2000 most popular product queries on Google's product search, words such as iPod, Xbox and Zune. It then sorted the top 10 images both from its ranking system and the standard Google Image Search results. With a team of 150 Google employees, it created a scoring system for image "relevance." The researchers said the retrieval returned 83 percent less irrelevant images.

Link: http://www.hothardware.com/News/Google%5FTries%5FFocusing%5FOn%5FImage%5FSearch/

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 1:21 PM | Permalink

Old Bailey trials go online for first time

LONDON (Reuters) - The transcript from Oscar Wilde's trial for gross indecency at London's Old Bailey Court went online for the first time on Monday alongside a raft of murder, robbery and abduction cases. Up for free examination are 110,000 pages of transcripts -- including Wilde's trial and the notorious story of Dr Crippen and the murder of his wife. Lurid tales of murder and rape, stories of pickpocketing and robbery -- every type of crime was paraded before the London court, which is topped by a statue of Justice with a sword in one hand and scales in the other.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080428/wr_nm/britain_court_dc

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 1:20 PM | Permalink

Matsushita profit surges on sales of cell phones, TVs

Japanese electronics maker Matsushita's profit more than doubled in the January-March quarter, buoyed by strong sales of cell phones, flat-panel TVs and DVD players, the company said Monday. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the maker of the Panasonic brand, said it earned 61.6 billion yen ($589.47 million) from 23.4 billion yen the same period the previous year. Quarterly sales dipped 4 percent to 2.199 trillion yen ($21.04 billion) from 2.282 trillion a year earlier, the company said.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080428/ap_on_bi_ge/earns_japan_panasonic

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 1:19 PM | Permalink

`GTA IV' expected to sell 9 million copies at launch

There's no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure. The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history -- and one that many people may not even know about.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080428/ap_on_hi_te/games_gta_iv_launch

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 1:16 PM | Permalink

Space Invaders cutting board on Etsy

Etsy craftsman l337motif uses "pixels" of walnut and hard maple to create wooden cutting board with vintage gaming motifs for $125 each. The Legend of Zelda Tri-Force Cutting Board is the only one currently available, and as gaming references in your kitchenware are concerned, it's pretty subtle.

Link: http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/04/28/space-invaders-cutti.html

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:47 PM | Permalink

Tunbridge Wells Ushers In The World's First LED Spa - Born Rich

Health and fitness spas have now ushered in the use of LEDs as an effective spa capsule tool. The Med Spa Clinic at Tunbridge Wells marks the world's first usage of LEDs in a whole body spa capsule. The Oxy-LED Light Spa Capsule will give you a comprehensive body treatment to mainly help you lose weight. For this, you will be subjected to LED light of wavelengths ranging from 625 to 980 nm that will cause intense physical stimulation.

Link: http://www.bornrich.org/entry/tunbridge-wells-ushers-in-the-worlds-first-led-spa/

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:46 PM | Permalink

Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones - Yahoo! News

Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices. It's called "urban mining," scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/japan_metals_recycling_dc;_ylt=AhxAm.uVAq4.n0NdxKmIuHADW7oF

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:44 PM | Permalink

TextCu.be brings social networking to your keychain - SlipperyBrick

How attached are you to the messages you get from social networking sites? Enough so you would pony up around $100 for a dedicated wireless text messaging device? The developers of the new TextCu.be hope so, as they plan to launch such a product this July.

Link: http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/04/textcube-brings-social-networking-to-your-keychain/

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:22 PM | Permalink

India sets world record, launches 10 satellites at one go

Setting a world record, India's Polar rocket on Monday successfully placed ten satellites, including the country's remote sensing satellite, into orbit in a single mission. The ten pack launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) saw the 230-tonne Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) carry the heaviest luggage--824 kgs--and put into orbit an Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites besides the Cartosat-2A remote sensing satellite.

Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2989685.cms

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:13 PM | Permalink

First superheavy element found in nature

The hunt for superheavy elements has focused banging various heavy nuclei together and hoping they'll stick. In this way, physicists have extended the periodic table by manufacturing elements 111, 112, 114, 116 and 118, albeit for vanishingly small instants. Although none of these elements is particularly long lived, they don't have progressively shorter lives and this is taken as evidence that islands of nuclear stability exist out there and that someday we'll find stable superheavy elements. But if these superheavy nuclei are stable, why don't we find them already on Earth? Turns out we do; they've been here all along.

Link: http://arxivblog.com/?p=385

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:12 PM | Permalink

Blake's 7 Remake In the Works

Remember the BBC's Blake's 7? Looks like the classic space adventure series is being reworked by Sky One. If they get it right (like the recent Battlestar Galactica revamp), this one has massive potential.

Link: http://entertainment.slashdot.org/entertainment/08/04/27/1316232.shtml

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:10 PM | Permalink

Ofcom: BBC not accountable for 'Web meltdown'

The BBC should not be forced to pay for upgrading the U.K.'s broadband network to cater for the growing number of video downloads, telecommunication watchdog Ofcom has said. Recent reports have highlighted that services such as the BBC's iPlayer and Google's YouTube have created increased demand for online video content, which may send the web into meltdown. With this in mind, U.K. ISPs have been demanding that the BBC should contribute towards the estimated £830 million (US$16.6 billion) it will cost to provide the extra capacity needed to deliver video online.

Link: http://thestandard.com/news/2008/04/28/ofcom-bbc-not-accountable-web-meltdown

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:08 PM | Permalink

The real problem with Google's Blogger service

I've been using Blogger since 2004. As a basic blogging platform, it works. But when I read yet another account of spammers taking over the service, it made my blood boil. The problem isn't just that Google has failed to put all of the security and anti-spam pieces together. No, what really bothers me is Google has neglected Blogger for years, while concentrating its efforts on newer acquisitions and higher-profile services, such as Google Maps.

Link: http://thestandard.com/news/2008/04/25/real-problem-googles-blogger-service-neglect

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 12:07 PM | Permalink

Photowatch: Strap-On Digital Picture Frame and Wristwatch

A half-way house between a digital watch and those crazy do-it-all multimedia watches, the digital photo frame watch may actually appeal to more people. The built-in memory can store 60 photos and it can superimpose the time in analog or digital format over the top.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384577/photowatch-strap+on-digital-picture-frame-and-wristwatch

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Exclusive Video: Psystar in the Wild

It's alive. Reader Patrick (Whiskeyfrown) is lucky enough to be using one of the few Psystar Open Computing machines that have made it into the wild, and he was generous enough to make a video showing the machine (including the connections in the back to the monitor to show that it's legit).

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384526/exclusive-video-psystar-in-the-wild

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

News: Nintendo Not Slashing Console Prices

Bad news, bargain hunters; Nintendo has gone on record saying there are no imminent price cuts for the Nintendo Wii or DS.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384521/nintendo-not-slashing-console-prices

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Piezing: Piezing Dress Concept Generates Electricity as She Walks

Oasis were right, she is electric, or at least she would be with the Piezing dress concept, designed by Amanda Parkes. The concept was shown off at the 2nd Skin: Imaginative Designs in Digital & Analog Clothing event in San Francisco, and it uses piezoelectric material around the joints to generate electricity when motion is detected.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384452/piezing-dress-concept-generates-electricity-as-she-walks

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bathtubs: Teuco Sorgente Bathtub Is a Bathroom Accident Waiting To Happen

When Teuco isn't creating ludicrously expensive cromoexperience showers for Adam Frucci, they're inventing jaw-dropping Sorgente bathtubs that straddle the line between extravagant cleanliness and modern art. That is, if by modern art you mean a dangerous, gaping hole in the floor of your bathroom.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384469/teuco-sorgente-bathtub-is-a-bathroom-accident-waiting-to-happen

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deals: Wiis Today at Toys R Us!

If you still haven't gotten a Wii for yourself, Toys "R" Us has truckloads of them in stores today for Mario Kart fever.

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384470/wiis-today-at-toys-r-us

Continue reading Deals: Wiis Today at Toys R Us!.

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Prius Plug-in: Hymotion Prius Plug-in Conversion Kit Gives 100+ MPG For Short Distances

Like the previously released EDrive kit, this Hymotion Prius conversion package lets you convert your stock Prius into one that can be plugged in for charging. After a 4.5-hour charge time, your Prius will be able to use more battery power over about 30-40 miles in order achieve that mileage. The kit isn't cheap--it's $9995

Link: http://gizmodo.com/384457/hymotion-prius-plug+in-conversion-kit-gives-100%252B-mpg-for-short-distances

By

Mark Mitford (Editor)

on April 28, 2008 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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