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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Sunday, February 1, 2009
We already know I'm a geek so I'm not going to pretend, I found a website called Moshi Monsters where you adopt your own little monster pet. And YEAH I adopted one! I named her Merka and she's sort of devilsh looking. Essentially you play puzzles to earn Rox which are Moshi money. Then you can buy food, clothing, decor and even gardening seeds for your Moshi Monsters house. I played for a bit last night and it was entertaining enough. Though I can say it's definitely more targeted for a young teen or middle schooler. I think Braeden will like it in a couple of years, right now it's a little too involved for him as he is only five years old.The challenge puzzles are simple and they gauge your quickness along with your logic which is great for kids. I for one take too long and so I only earn like 5 Rox at a time which is painfully little when some of the monster food costs 60 Rox. Even so it's fun and a time killer.
If you want to adopt a monster and you use thislink, my Merka will earn some Rox.
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Your Spotify is a pretty cool site, though the premise has been done before many times.
The About page says: "Do you remember back in the days when you made mixtapes on your tape recorder? You can now experience the feeling of sharing and listen to other peoples playlists again by using www.yourspotify.com. Simply make your playlist in spotify, copy the URI and paste it in the field under “share your spotify playlist"."
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And something not fun at all is the Valentine's Day virus.
PC World wants us to know it's out there. Spam trumpeting the power of love is nothing more than an old trick dressed up in new clothes, more evidence that the backers of the Waledec bot Trojan are the same bunch that hammered users in 2007 with Storm, security companies are warning.
So just make sure you continue to be careful with what you open and share.
Labels: apps, moshi monster, music, pcworld, spotify, virus
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
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