Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Intel updated its processor list with new Core 2 chips for Macbook Air-class laptops and a crush of Xeon processors for workstations and servers.The number of new processor models is 20 in all.
Intel has introduced new power-sipping low-voltage (LV) and ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor models for laptops such as the Apple MacBook Air and Dell Adamo.
The new LV and ULV processor models include the 17-watt SL9600 (2.13GHz, $316) and 10-watt SU9600 (1.6GHz, $289). More power-hungry Intel mainstream mobile processors are typically rated at 25 watts or 35 watts.
*~*~*
Two start-up companies are using new technology to resurrect old but crude strategies to combat hypertension, believing that they can achieve significant improvement in health without the side effects. The Wall Street Journal reports that the companies offered data at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology that indicated they were on to something big.
One of those companies, Ardian, developed an electrode that emits radio-frequency energy into the renal artery wall to kill nerves that play a role in hypertension, according to the Journal. And data from a 50-patient study indicated a significant improvement in average blood pressure rates. Minneapolis-based CVRx, meanwhile, created a device that is implanted and then emits electronic impulses that signal very high blood pressure, tricking the body to protect itself with all its natural abilities.
Both developers are now planning to mount larger studies to test the technologies.
*~*~*
Looking to scoop up a PlayStation 2? Starting tomorrow, April 1, Sony will cut the price of its gaming console to $100, down 25 percent from its current price of $130. Today's announcement is the third price cut for the PS2 since Sony's first discount in 2002.
Rumors had swirled in recent days that Sony was set to make a major PlayStation 3 announcement today. But that does not seem to be the truth and news updates are stating they have no ideas on lowering the PS3 price in the near future.
*~*~*
Ribbit, the VOIP platform that was bought by British Telecom last year, announced the winners of its $100,000 KillerApps challenge today. The contest was obviously meant to stimulate interest in Ribbit's APIs among developers, and judging from the line-up of winning applications, a lot of developers came up with highly creative ways of using Ribbit's platform in their apps.
Here are the winners of the five categories in Ribbit's KillerApps challenge:
Media, Advertising, Entertainment: Lucid Viewer
ribbit_lucid_small.pngLucitd Viewer is an authoring tool that allows developers to create interesting, immersive experiences. This demo here, for example, shows a 3D, Google StreetView-like view of a street in Rome, with the ability to call up stores directly from the Flash interface through Ribbit's service. Lucid Viewer also won the Grand Price in Ribbit's KillerApps contest.
Business: Sugared Frog
Similar to Ribbit's own integration with Salesforce, Sugared Frog integrates Ribbit with SugarCRM. With the help of Sugared Frog, users of SugarCRM's open source solution can use Sugared Frog to organize their voicemail, and dictate notes and memos right from their mobile phones.
Social Networking and Communication: Save A Life
Save a Life is an interesting Adobe AIR application that allows you to quickly reach a group of friends or community members by phone. Currently, the application focuses on blood donations (you can download the application here), though the program could be used for other donation campaigns or emergency services as well.
Breakthrough: CYHAA
CYHAA won Ribbit's free-form 'breakthrough' category. CYHAA, which stands for Control Your Home, Anytime, Anywhere allows users to control their smart home devices with their voice right from their phones.
*~*~*
Dell today introduced five new blade, rack and tower PowerEdge servers based on the new Intel Xeon 5500 Series processors. Dell designed its 11th generation of servers with input from IT professionals worldwide to help companies do more with less by simplifying data center operations, improving performance and energy efficiency, and lowering total cost of ownership.
The new Dell PowerEdge servers are available today starting at $1,599.
*~*~*
Apple is expected to begin production on a low-end 3G iPhone and a high-end version with 32GB of NAND flash memory beginning this spring, according to a research report released Tuesday by an analyst for Lazard Capital Markets.
Production is anticipated to begin in April, ramp up in May and the new phones could be announced in June, Daniel Amir, a Lazard Capital Markets analyst, said in his report.
Labels: Apple, apps, Dell, intel, iPhone, medical technology, ps2, ps3, ribbit, server, sony, video game
Saturday, March 21, 2009
It's true, I have a Facebook profile much like everyone else online these days. I like it. I like the different things you can send to people and it's nice to be able to see what everyone is up to. I don't like the cheesy apps where people send me tupperware, but what can you do. I also hope they don't allow people to start modifying the look of their pages like on MySpace. I hated that! I know people like to be unique, but Facebook is a profile about you, how much more unique do you need to be? Anyway. PC World has an article up today titled, "10 Facebook tips worth reading".
One of the tips is about the gmail add-on. It shows everyone you email who also has a Facebook account. I admit I do know about that and I do have it plugged into my e-mail account. It has helped me to see which publicists and artists also have Facebook profiles and in some cases I do add them as a friend. That way they can see if I have written about them and I can keep up with their news.
*~*~*
A company profile that was just submitted: Middlespot, another startup taking a crack at making the web search experience more visual, joining the likes of SearchMe and Viewzi.
Like its counterparts, Middlespot aims to enhance searching for websites, images, news, Amazon and even Twitter by returning screenshots of results rather than just text links.
Their mission... "We believe searching is an iterative activity of evaluation and interpretation that doesn't end with the presentation of a linear list of text only results. It's why we're building the tools to make the activity of search more effective."
*~*~*
Song.ly
Share & Discover Music on Twitter!
Type in a song title or mp3 link to tweet. Your followers will get a short link to a page allowing them to play the song right in the browser without having to download it first!
They have a button widget you can add to you blog posts which will allow people to tweet an mp3 if you have one embedded. But as far as I can tell it takes some manual work for the blogger in each post because you have to add the mp3 url to the button. Optional fields include the artist and title which of course would be quite helpful to a listener so I know I'd add them even though they are only optional. So I don't know, maybe I'll try added the tweet song.ly button to some posts in the future, but I doubt I'll add them every time.
*~*~*
In the same week that Samsung Mobile launched its own online movie and television entertainment service to challenge the likes of iTunes, Netflix and Xbox Live, Apple Inc. has moved to up the ante by announcing the wider availability of high-definition (HD) films through its popular iTunes Store.
Offered up for either full purchase or rental, Apple's new selection of 720p content will continue to grow alongside future studio releases and already includes relatively new movies such as comic book adaptations Punisher: War Zone and The Spirit along with action titles Transporter 3 and Bangkok Dangerous.
Prices for high-definition movies available through iTunes – on both PCs and Mac systems – are positioned at $19.99 USD for a full purchase, while high-definition rentals cost markedly less at $4.99 USD and older HD titles are priced at $3.99 USD.
But as I have been complaining about in the past. There is not easy way to put the movies you buy on iTunes onto a DVD to watch at home. You can only ever watch them on a computer. Yes, you could hook your computer up to your TV but that is annoying. I'd rather buy the DVD and be able to watch it wherever I want.
Labels: Apple, Facebook, hd, itunes, middlespot, search, song.ly, twitter
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The parent company of the Discovery Channel (Discovery Communications) has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com, claiming that the Internet retailer's Kindle e-book reader infringes Discovery's U.S. patent 7,298,851, titled "Electronic book security and copyright protection system".
It was filed in 1999 as a "continuation in part" from patent applications dating back to 1992. Among the prior-art disclosures listed are 52 U.S. patents or applications, 34 foreign patents or applications, and 15 nonpatent publications. It has 171 claims, three of which are independent. Those are all signs of a strong patent.
*~*~*
The Startup 2009 conference, which will take place in New York in June. The conference is co-hosted by Silicon Alley Insider, New York University's Stern School of Business, General Catalyst, SoftBank, and Venrock. Startup 2009 will showcase 10 top startups competing for bragging rights, buzz, and a $50,000 prize.
Startup 2009 will be a one-day conference featuring interviews with entrepreneurs, expert panels, networking, and a 10-company startup contest. Committed speakers include:
* Jason Calacanis, Founder/CEO Mahalo, founder Weblogs, former EIR at Sequoia.
* George Bell, partner General Catalyst; former CEO Excite, Excite@Home, and Upromise; board member Big Fish Games; Going; HubSpot; PhotoShelter; ShortTail Media and WonderHowTo.
* David Pakman, partner Venrock, former CEO eMusic.
* Kevin Ryan, CEO Alleycorp; former CEO Doubleclick; founder Gilt Groupe, Silicon Alley Insider, Shopwiki, Panther, 10gen.
*~*~*
Media regulator Ofcom will take over the regulation of video on demand services, but will delegate it to an industry-formulated co-regulator, the Government has said.
The Government has published details of how it will ensure that the UK complies with the European Union's Audio-Visual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, which extends regulation to television-like programmes regardless of the medium used to show them.
*~*~*
New iPhone uses
A host of companies took the stage at Apple headquarters in Cupertino on Tuesday to explain what their new applications can do on the much-vaunted personal communications device.
NBC Bay Area tech reporter Scott Budman tweeted all the updates as they occured.
Developers will gain access to thousands of new application "API's" because of the updates. The API's will allow developers to create and change the applications they want, Budman reported.
Designers unveiled new audio file and texting features for the iPhone. There is also a new voice memo feature built into the phone's home screen, as well as a more synchable calendar, Budman reported.
More information is available here >>
It was filed in 1999 as a "continuation in part" from patent applications dating back to 1992. Among the prior-art disclosures listed are 52 U.S. patents or applications, 34 foreign patents or applications, and 15 nonpatent publications. It has 171 claims, three of which are independent. Those are all signs of a strong patent.
*~*~*
The Startup 2009 conference, which will take place in New York in June. The conference is co-hosted by Silicon Alley Insider, New York University's Stern School of Business, General Catalyst, SoftBank, and Venrock. Startup 2009 will showcase 10 top startups competing for bragging rights, buzz, and a $50,000 prize.Startup 2009 will be a one-day conference featuring interviews with entrepreneurs, expert panels, networking, and a 10-company startup contest. Committed speakers include:
* Jason Calacanis, Founder/CEO Mahalo, founder Weblogs, former EIR at Sequoia.
* George Bell, partner General Catalyst; former CEO Excite, Excite@Home, and Upromise; board member Big Fish Games; Going; HubSpot; PhotoShelter; ShortTail Media and WonderHowTo.
* David Pakman, partner Venrock, former CEO eMusic.
* Kevin Ryan, CEO Alleycorp; former CEO Doubleclick; founder Gilt Groupe, Silicon Alley Insider, Shopwiki, Panther, 10gen.
*~*~*
Media regulator Ofcom will take over the regulation of video on demand services, but will delegate it to an industry-formulated co-regulator, the Government has said.
The Government has published details of how it will ensure that the UK complies with the European Union's Audio-Visual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, which extends regulation to television-like programmes regardless of the medium used to show them.
*~*~*
New iPhone uses
A host of companies took the stage at Apple headquarters in Cupertino on Tuesday to explain what their new applications can do on the much-vaunted personal communications device.
NBC Bay Area tech reporter Scott Budman tweeted all the updates as they occured.
Developers will gain access to thousands of new application "API's" because of the updates. The API's will allow developers to create and change the applications they want, Budman reported.
Designers unveiled new audio file and texting features for the iPhone. There is also a new voice memo feature built into the phone's home screen, as well as a more synchable calendar, Budman reported.
More information is available here >>
Labels: amazon, Apple, discovery channel, iPhone, kindle, ofcom, startup 2009, video
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Technology and restaurants have combined at the Imano Restaurant in London, as every table is essentially a computer display. These tables are not like the Microsoft Surface, but they are just as good.As you can see, there are projectors above the tables to obtain the virtual display, and there is a circular touchpad to allow for navigation. From the moment a customer sits down, the user can then select their "placemat" like selecting a wallpaper for Windows.
From there, the customer/user can look at the menu, which includes pictures of the appetizers, main courses, even drinks. Ordering is as simple as pointing and clicking, and a wait-person will deliver your meal to you.
While the customer is waiting, he or she has the option of watching their meal prepared through a camera in the kitchen. The customer also has the option of playing a game with his or her dining partner.
*~*~*
Expedia (EXPE) today unveiled an aggressive new promotion, which it calls "Free Nights and No Fee Flights," offering to pick up the tab for one night in a hotel for stays of three, four or five days at a group of more than 700 participating hotels, and also waiving booking fees for flights booked before the end of May. The hotel promotion currently is for bookings made by April 9 for travel through May 15; the company said additional deals will be posted for bookings beginning April 9 for travel through the end of May.
*~*~*
Apple's new iPod shuffle is interesting in a number of ways. The most interesting is of course the new VoiceOver feature which communicates the name of songs and playlists through speech. But perhaps even more interesting is that there is a different voice you hear based on if you're syncing your iPod shuffle with a Mac or a PC. And, not surprisingly, the Mac voice is much better.
Apple's new iPod Shuffle now comes with 4GB of storage, enough to hold 1000 songs in 128-Kbps AAC Format, it is charged via USB and can be fully charged from flat in just 3 hours.
*~*~*
Photobucket, the most popular photo sharing site in the U.S., just announced a number of new features that will give its users easier ways to share their photos and videos across multiple web services like MySpace, Facebook, or Blogger. Photobucket also introduced a new version of its mobile site, which features a streamlined interface, as well as easier ways to access comments, ratings, and subscriptions.
The new sharing feature is powered by widget distribution network gigya.
*~*~*
A Canadian filmmaker named Rob Spence has figured out a way to remove that "I'm-on-camera" factor in his documentaries, as his prosthetic eye has a concealed camera.
Spence plans to film many people, and the eye will transmit the footage wirelessly to a storage device nearby. Of course, he is required by law to tell his interviewees that they are on camera. Oddly enough, the subject of his documentary is about whether people are "sleepwalking into an Orwellian society". I'm sure he realizes that his film could be one step into a surveillance society.
The special prosthetic eye was developed by OmniVision of Santa Clara. Spence got the idea for the camera eye by watching The Six Million Dollar Man and noticing that the tiny cameras in cellular phones could easily be put in a prosthetic eye.
So now Spence can film anything he wants without worrying about his subjects being distracted by the camera.
Labels: Apple, expedia, eyeborg, iPod, online tools, photobucket, photos, social network, touchscreen, video
Monday, March 2, 2009
Apple is expected to unveil new Mac desktops soon. Rumors on World of Apple and My Apple Guide swirled over the weekend and continued Monday about updates to the Mac mini, the all-in-one iMac, and the Mac Pro.
Apple is expected to make the announcement of updates at a media event on March 24, similar to the event the Cupertino, Calif.-based company held last October to announce notebooks. Kodawarisan, a Japanese Web site, however, said the new Mac desktops will be announced Tuesday.
While updates for the Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro were expected at Macworld in January, Apple didn't deliver. An anticipated change for the Mac Pro features Intel Nehalem processors.
Along with new desktops and adding the latest Nvidia graphics cards, Apple is expected to pull a rabbit out of a hat with a "pleasant surprise," sources said.
*~*~*
This has to be the craziest PC we have seen here at geeky gadgets, built by the guys at Puget Systems in cost a massive $16,000 to build.
So what exactly does spending $16,000 on a custom PC get you? This crazy PC features four quad core Opteron processors, 32GB of RAM and eight hard drives in various RAID configurations.
As you can see from the photos, the $16,000 PC features a custom water cooling system, with a massive external radiator which features nine 120mm fans.
*~*~*
Pentax has just unveiled its newest camera, the X70 Megazoom. The camera has a 24x optical zoom which makes sense since it is called a "Megazoom." The camera looks like a DSLR but is supposed to be an in-between camera-not quite a DSLR and not quite a point and shoot. It has a SLR shape and shoots pics at 12 megapixels. The camera also has a 2.7-inch display.
The X70 has some advanced controls that you may not normally use on a point and shoot like aperture/shutter priority and "high speed continuous shooting at 11 FPS." The X70 also can shoot 720P video at 15 frames per second. That is a strange amount of frames per second for a video, so you won't be replacing your camcorder with this device.
*~*~*
Advanced Micro Devices has appointed a new chairman to replace former CEO and Chairman Hector Ruiz, as it closes the deal to spin off its manufacturing operations.
AMD on Monday announced that Bruce Claflin has been appointed chairman of its board of directors. Claflin replaces Ruiz, who retired from AMD's board. Ruiz is now chairman of the board of The Foundry Company--the chip manufacturing concern that was spun off officially on Monday.
Apple is expected to make the announcement of updates at a media event on March 24, similar to the event the Cupertino, Calif.-based company held last October to announce notebooks. Kodawarisan, a Japanese Web site, however, said the new Mac desktops will be announced Tuesday.
While updates for the Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro were expected at Macworld in January, Apple didn't deliver. An anticipated change for the Mac Pro features Intel Nehalem processors.
Along with new desktops and adding the latest Nvidia graphics cards, Apple is expected to pull a rabbit out of a hat with a "pleasant surprise," sources said.
*~*~*
This has to be the craziest PC we have seen here at geeky gadgets, built by the guys at Puget Systems in cost a massive $16,000 to build.So what exactly does spending $16,000 on a custom PC get you? This crazy PC features four quad core Opteron processors, 32GB of RAM and eight hard drives in various RAID configurations.
As you can see from the photos, the $16,000 PC features a custom water cooling system, with a massive external radiator which features nine 120mm fans.
*~*~*
Pentax has just unveiled its newest camera, the X70 Megazoom. The camera has a 24x optical zoom which makes sense since it is called a "Megazoom." The camera looks like a DSLR but is supposed to be an in-between camera-not quite a DSLR and not quite a point and shoot. It has a SLR shape and shoots pics at 12 megapixels. The camera also has a 2.7-inch display.
The X70 has some advanced controls that you may not normally use on a point and shoot like aperture/shutter priority and "high speed continuous shooting at 11 FPS." The X70 also can shoot 720P video at 15 frames per second. That is a strange amount of frames per second for a video, so you won't be replacing your camcorder with this device.
*~*~*
Advanced Micro Devices has appointed a new chairman to replace former CEO and Chairman Hector Ruiz, as it closes the deal to spin off its manufacturing operations.
AMD on Monday announced that Bruce Claflin has been appointed chairman of its board of directors. Claflin replaces Ruiz, who retired from AMD's board. Ruiz is now chairman of the board of The Foundry Company--the chip manufacturing concern that was spun off officially on Monday.
Labels: Apple, camera, pentax, puget
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hershey's has joined hands with Jazwares to develop a line of consumer electronics. They are rather interesting and unique. Check out the 1-4GB USB drives that resemble Hershey's chocolates. I hope they have a dark chocolate version. Besides this, there will be a range of digital cameras, earphones and speakers that will assume the shape of one of your favorite Hershey's candies too. I wonder if the earphones will look like Kisses? Expect the price of the products to vary between $15-$30.*~*~*
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos showed up at Jon Stewart's pad the other day to discuss the Kindle 2, and Jon seemed fairly unimpressed. They were just finally getting into a groove when Bezos dropped the price bomb, and then their fleeting segment was over. It's embedded after the break. Amazon VP Ian Freed has also been chatting up the device, but in a more technical nature. On designing the Kindle he reiterates the "invisibility" design ethic surrounding the device, about making it "disappear" for the user. They also improved the cellular modem for improved reception, and also fended off features like a color screen that would shorten battery life, up the price and cause the device to generate more heat and make its presence known. As far as text to speech goes, he thinks it's good for short stretches of reading, and notes that it covers the vast majority of titles that aren't available in an audio format.
*~*~*
Apple has failed in its bid to trademark the word "pod" in Australia, due to an objection from a guitar electronics company that produces a product by a similar name. Guitar accessories group Line 6, manufactures the "POD" device, blocked the trademark claim, arguing it has a pre-existing trademark in the same category related to musical devices. While Line 6 has sold far fewer units of its product than Apple's range of iPod devices, Australian Trade Marks Office hearing officer Iain Thompson declared that the POD device was still an established product.
*~*~*
NASA has announced the imminent debut of a promotional film entitled Return to the Moon, made for the radical new "spherical film-making" projection system.
What, you didn't know about spherical movies? Neither did we, to be honest. In essence, the idea is to project the images not onto a flat screen but onto a large sphere hanging suspended in the auditorium.
This is obviously ideal for movies such as Return to the Moon, which largely consists of imagery from various NASA lunar missions. According to the space agency:
"The LRO in particular will be looking to map the Moon very precisely, hoping to avoid bottom-puckering moments like that suffered by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 when they found their lander's autopilot taking them down into a crater bottom strewn with massive boulders. By the time they had manually maneuvered to a clear area for landing, they had less than 30 seconds' fuel left."
Labels: amazon, Apple, Gadgets, hershey, kindle 2, NASA
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse, available on store shelves this week, offers a best-in-class tracking engine with Microsoft BlueTrack Technology and wireless freedom built for lag-free play. The newest mouse to join the SideWinder line, the SideWinder X8 offers the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 dots per inch (dpi) to 4,000 dpi, giving gamers ultimate control and precision.The SideWinder X8 Mouse offers the following top features to deliver ultimate wireless gaming performance:
- BlueTrack Technology. The world's most advanced tracking technology for gaming, with image processing of 13,000 frames per second, 75g maximum acceleration and 120 inches per second maximum speed.
- 2.4GHz wireless. The device is built for lag-free play with virtually no latency.
- Play and charge. Get up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge, or use the play-and-charge cable for nonstop action. The winding cord management system offers easy charging - simply unwrap the cord from around the storage box and snap it onto the underside of the mouse.
*~*~*
Apple today announced the public beta of Safari 4, the world's fastest and most innovative web browser for Mac and Windows PCs. The Nitro engine in Safari 4 runs JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3.* Innovative new features that make browsing more intuitive and enjoyable include Top Sites, for a stunning visual preview of frequently visited pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; Cover Flow, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks; and Tabs on Top, to make tabbed browsing easier and more intuitive.
"Apple created Safari to bring innovation, speed and open standards back into web browsers, and today it takes another big step forward," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Safari 4 is the fastest and most efficient browser for Mac and Windows, with great integration of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards that enables the next generation of interactive web applications."
Safari 4 is built on the world's most advanced browser technologies including the new Nitro JavaScript engine that executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari quickly loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3.
*~*~*
Google denied its Google Earth ocean-floor mapping software had unearthed the mythical sunken island of Atlantis.
Walter Smith of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and David Sandwell of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, two scientists who helped gather some of the ocean-floor data in Google Earth, cleared it all up in a post on the company's official blog.
"Some have speculated that these are the plow marks of seafloor farming by aliens," the post said of the undersea grid pattern off the coast of northwest Africa that had sparked the speculation. "One theory that's gained more traction is that these marks might be the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. If that were the case, some of the city blocks would have to be over eight miles long--that's about fifty times the size of a city block in New York City."
"These marks are what we call 'ship tracks,'" it explained. "You see, it's actually quite hard to measure the depth of the ocean. Sunlight, lasers, and other electromagnetic radiation can travel less than 100 feet below the surface, yet the typical depth in the ocean is more than two and a half miles. Sound waves are more effective. By measuring the time it takes for sound to travel from a ship to the sea floor and back, you can get an idea of how far away the sea floor is. Since this process--known as echosounding--only maps a strip of the sea floor under the ship, the maps it produces often show the path the ship took, hence the 'ship tracks.'"
*~*~*
Taking the lessons learned from the development of hydrogen-powered cars and applying them on a larger scale, New Holland Agriculture has developed the impressive NH2, the world's first hydrogen-powered tractor.
The NH2 was developed as part of New Holland Agriculture's Energy Independent Farm concept, a framework for future agriculture in which farmers produce their own compressed hydrogen from water using electricity produced by wind farms, solar panels, or biomass and biogas processes situated on the farm.
Labels: Apple, browser, concept tractor, google, google earth, Microsoft, mouse, safari
Saturday, February 14, 2009
IBM has filed a patent (US 7484451) for Bionic Body Armor, that could essentially allow us to dodge bullets like Neo in The Matrix. Not to be confused with knight armor from medieval ages.Your science fiction fantasy may be coming a reality, if IBM has anything to say about it. The company was recently granted a patent for bionic body armor, originally filed last March, that's intended to bestow the wearer the power to dodge bullets. The device works by constantly emitting electromagnetic waves that bounce off any fast-moving projectiles, and it uses the data to calculate risky trajectories. If the object in question is determined to be a threat, muscle stimulators activate and cause the wearer's body to contort in such way to avoid being hit. It works under the idea that a sniper typically fires from a distance, given the armor time to detect the oncoming bullet and react accordingly.
*~*~*
As layoffs continued to pound the economy in January, one beneficiary was job networking site LinkedIn. According to the latest January data from comScore, the LinkedIn's U.S. unique visitors shot up 22 percent to 7.7 million, up from 6.3 million in December. Total minutes spent on the site doubled in January to 96.8 million, from 47.6 million in December.
*~*~*
Is Apple being sued?
You've probably never heard of Picsel Technologies, but the Scottish company claims that its technologies are in over 250m handsets worldwide from manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Samsung and Sony Ericsson -- and, if a lawsuit it filed today is to be believed, Apple. Picsel says the iPhone infringes on a patented method of accelerated screen updating, and as usual, the answer is probably going to be for Uncle Steve to open his $25 billion piggy bank and dole out some cash.
*~*~*
The latest version of the ever-evolving $789-billion economic stimulus bill contains some good news on the energy front. According to the Washington Post, it "includes more than $40 billion for energy-efficiency programs and new energy technologies, including $11 billion to upgrade the national electricity grid."
But there could be a problem with the agency that's supposed to hand out all that cash, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"The Energy Department has had limited experience pulling off big, transformative energy projects," the Journal notes. "Most of the department's $25 billion budget goes toward maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile, cleaning up former weapons plants, and doing basic scientific research...
Hmm, I hope someone closer to the heart of energy efficiency oversees this spending.
*~*~*
New York Fashion Week and Silicon Valley may not appear to have much in common, but a growing number of tech companies have been collaborating with clothing designers and the garment industry over the past few seasons.
Hewlett-Packard, Google and Microsoft are among the companies that have been sponsoring or partnering with various designers, and other sponsors, giving tech a decidedly stylish presence during the twice-a-year event, which started Friday in Manhattan and continues through next Friday.
San Jose-based eBay, whose own style director, Constance White, is among the front-row seat regulars at the shows, announced Thursday that it is expanding its role by sponsoring designer Yigal Azrouël for his runway show. The online auction site also will host a charity sale featuring the designer's spring collection beginning June 4. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Labels: Apple, bionic armor, IBM, linkedin, matric, social network, stimulus
Saturday, February 7, 2009
In December 2008, an Iraqi reporter decided it would be a good idea to throw his shoes at George W. Bush.
Apparently Apple doesn't think the incident was nearly as funny. According to Mashable, a developer based in Pakistan submitted an application called MyShoe. MyShoe is a simple accelerometer based application that allows users to virtually throw a shoe at the former president. Apple denied the application placement at the App Store and responded to the developer stating:
"We cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains content that ridicules public figures."
The creator refuted and said this discriminates against popular public opinion. Hahahahaha.
*~*~*
Would you like to read a February 5, 2009 press briefing on the stimulus package?
With joblessness rising and the U.S. economic recession deepening, Democratic senators and a handful of moderate Republicans reached a compromise late Friday on a scaled-back $780-billion economic stimulus plan.
The deal, slashed by more than $100 billion from earlier estimates to win a few Republican votes.
"We are pleased the process is moving forward and we are closer to getting Americans a plan to create millions of jobs and get people back to work," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
"Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we're equal to the task before us," the President says in this morning's Weekly Address. "Let's show them that we are."
With the United States in the grip of the worst economic crisis in more than 70 years -- a report on Friday showed nearly 600,000 jobs were lost in January -- Obama has demanded that a bill be put on his desk by February 16.
*~*~*
ESPN.com has launched many new college football widgets that offer scores, stats, and news.
Visit the ESPN Widget Center.
*~*~*
Google Latitude is a feature in Google Maps for mobile and iGoogle that allows you to share your location with your friends and family. While not pinpointing your exact location, it gives you a good idea of where your friends are at a given time.
Using your Google account, you can opt into the feature, and then invite friends and family to join Google Latitude. Once they accept, you will see their profile picture appear on a map through your mobile device or your desktop PC. Google will also give you directions to their location on the map.
Apparently Apple doesn't think the incident was nearly as funny. According to Mashable, a developer based in Pakistan submitted an application called MyShoe. MyShoe is a simple accelerometer based application that allows users to virtually throw a shoe at the former president. Apple denied the application placement at the App Store and responded to the developer stating:
"We cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains content that ridicules public figures."
The creator refuted and said this discriminates against popular public opinion. Hahahahaha.
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Would you like to read a February 5, 2009 press briefing on the stimulus package?
With joblessness rising and the U.S. economic recession deepening, Democratic senators and a handful of moderate Republicans reached a compromise late Friday on a scaled-back $780-billion economic stimulus plan.
The deal, slashed by more than $100 billion from earlier estimates to win a few Republican votes.
"We are pleased the process is moving forward and we are closer to getting Americans a plan to create millions of jobs and get people back to work," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
"Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we're equal to the task before us," the President says in this morning's Weekly Address. "Let's show them that we are."
With the United States in the grip of the worst economic crisis in more than 70 years -- a report on Friday showed nearly 600,000 jobs were lost in January -- Obama has demanded that a bill be put on his desk by February 16.
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ESPN.com has launched many new college football widgets that offer scores, stats, and news.
Visit the ESPN Widget Center.
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Google Latitude is a feature in Google Maps for mobile and iGoogle that allows you to share your location with your friends and family. While not pinpointing your exact location, it gives you a good idea of where your friends are at a given time.
Using your Google account, you can opt into the feature, and then invite friends and family to join Google Latitude. Once they accept, you will see their profile picture appear on a map through your mobile device or your desktop PC. Google will also give you directions to their location on the map.
Labels: Apple, economy, google, google latitude, iPhone, iphone app, president barack obama, stimulus, widgets
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Bleck. Double bleck. Just ew!But as vile as the Nopopo (which stands for no pollution power) batteries sound, you don't just point and shoot/aim and go all over the batteries to recharge them. Instead, there is a pipette. Though, how you pee into it without getting it all over your hands, shoes and the floor is a mystery. But if you're not the peeing into pipettes type, you can also use beer, saliva, apple juice or coco-cola.
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Rental chain Blockbuster has announced a plan to bring streaming films and videos to computers, set-top TV boxes, portable devices, and other unspecified screens. Pay-per-view at first, but unlimited plans may follow.
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CastTV is a wide-reaching video aggregator that can save you some time when searching out a missed episode of your favorite show or looking for a copy of the latest must-see viral video.
CastTV searches dozens of sites including: YouTube, Hulu, MySpaceTV, Comedy Central, CNN, ESPN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and MTV.
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Just under two years ago Google launched Google Apps for businesses, offering a set of of products that enable secure and cost-effective applications in the cloud. Fast-forward to today and our expanded Google Apps suite is used by more than 1 million businesses, with 3,000 new companies signing up each day.
They have adapted this program to complement resellers' current business models. Authorized Resellers have the flexibility to combine their existing services with Google Apps. With cloud-based Google Apps there is no new hardware or software to maintain. The Authorized Reseller program benefits include:
* owning the customer relationship and billing structure
* providing consulting, service management and end-user support
* receiving a recurring discount on the annual Google Apps licensing fee
* receiving marketing, sales and technical training from Google
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In the weeks after the App Store submission process went live, a number of developers got a big smack in the face from Cupertino. After spending hundreds of hours developing their wares, they were turned away for offering features too similar to Apple’s own offerings, or “duplicate functionality”. The outcry was instantaneous and deafening; it’s one thing to have pride in your work, but to essentially ban competition is ridiculous.
Over the past 24 hours, it appears that a shift in this policy may have occurred. With Apple offering their own Mobile Safari browser on the iPhone, most expected that alternative browsers would never see the light of day. At the time of writing, at least 4 such browsers have suddenly been given the greenlight.
Ranging from free to $1.99, the now-approved browsers are: Edge Browser (Free), Incognito ($1.99), Webmate ($0.99), and Shaking Web .
Labels: Apple, apps, batteries, iphone app, streaming video. google, tv
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Apple will soon be releasing their new iPhone and with all new releases the rumors and speculations are spreading like wildfire. There are screenshots floating around the web of what the product supposedly looks like.If you were to go to Engadget they will tell you the screenshots are fake. However, TechCrunch is claiming the very same photo is most likely real. Who knows the truth? Probably only Apple and you know they are having a field day with all this free publicity.
I have no clue what it will really look like, but I do know some of the specs.
Apple recently applied for a patent that lists new features that include built-in instant-messaging, video-chat capabilities, support for voice-activated commands and a GPS module.
The new phone is also expected to be 22 percent thinner than the current version with more memory and longer-lasting batteries.
So what do you think? Any idea what it will look like? Or better yet, why all the hype?
Friday, June 29, 2007
Have you guys heard about this new gadget coming out called the iPhone? You can't miss it, everyone is talking about it. The hype for this iPhone is so huge its palpable. Some lines started days ago outside the Apple and AT&T stores. I cannot deny the beauty of this device. For the most part, this is something we have not seen before. However, the more I see and read about it, the less I lust for it. I'm willing to bet many people don't even know why they want the phone in the first place. The marketing campaign for this thing was amazing- good enough to make you say "I want that" as if you were some brainwashed Apple fanboy. Are you really going to pay $600 for a phone? We have smart phones out today that cost $200 which can already browse the internet, play MP3's and store your personal data. I'm generally not an Apple fan. And I already pay for an unlimited data plan for my phone so my lack of enthusiasm does not stem from an inability to afford this device. I suddenly find myself unimpressed with the features of the iPhone. To me it's nothing entirely new, just a fancy package for many things we already do on our current smart phones. I will say that the official page for the iPhone is plenty cool. They have a video tutorial/tour of the iPhone and even show you how to activate it. I wish other manufactures would take the time to do those things. Apple is starting to make some nifty gadgets these days, but I don't think they make the best ones. Good for Mr. Jobs - he's making a killing, but I'm feeling at this moment that while initially the iPhone sales will probably do great, they will soon die down - leaving us looking back realizing the device was over-hyped. Who knows?
www.apple.com/iphone
AT&T iPhone
www.apple.com/iphone
AT&T iPhone
Labels: Apple, Gadgets, iPhone, technology
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I'll be honest. I don't like Macs. There, I said it. Needless to say, I laughed when I read today that Apple had ported Safari to the Windows platform. When it comes to internet browsers I do mainly use Firefox. But I didn't switch to Firefox until about a year ago. Even on a Mac I use Firefox. Why? Because I don't like Safari. Safari always seemed to be lacking something. It was slow, you couldn't import and export bookmarks, and it doesn't load all websites correctly. So today when I read the Safari news, I said "Ok Mr. Jobs, I'll bite." I downloaded Safari for Windows. It was great to see an import and export bookmarks in the file menu, but other than that I found nothing special, and I would not use Safari over Firefox. For you Mac/Safari users, I'm sure you'd give a yawn to this news. For you Windows/IE/FireFox users, this may look quite different at first, but I'd say you will switch back to your previous browser after a while. I already uninstalled Safari.
I'm sure the purpose of this software release was not to make the world switch to Safari, but rather to give people more access to Apple products, to give them a taste of the Mac world. "Like what you see? Come join us, and together we can usher in a new era of computing - an era where Macintosh reigns over all things PC." If you want to use a Mac, don't fake it by using Safari, just go out and buy one. But anyway, forget about how I feel - try it yourself. The link is below.
Download Safari for Windows here!
Labels: Apple, Macintosh, software
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