What's new on SlashGear.com |
- Instructables Sends Out Free and Ad-Free Hackaday Edition E-Book
- Happy Holidays from Blizzard Entertainment
- When will Skype be Back Online Today?
- Activision Sues Former Infinity Ward Heads AND Electronic Arts (EA)
- Sony Buying Back Chip Plant from Toshiba
- Salvation Army Kettles Get Wireless Credit Card Terminals
- Google Shared Spaces Sneaks Out, Showcases Wave Technology
- iPad 3G Available Through AT&T Online Store in Time for Christmas
- Westone 4 Headphones Announced, Cost $449
- Cyberdyne HAL Exoskeleton to Be Shown Off at CES 2011
- HTC Media Link unboxing [Video]
- TalkTorque 2 Robot Will be Happy to Guide You Through a Museum [Video]
- The Late Adopter
- Mouse for Men Concept Design Features Flexible Touchscreen
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Gets New 1.05 Patch, Continues to Try and Fix Multiplayer
- Playbutton Puts Music on a Button, Going on Sale in Early 2011
- AUDEO PFE 022 + Mic Earbuds Unboxing and Hands-On
- DIY Exploding High-Five Glove makes hand-slapping geeky [Video]
- SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 22 2010
- Notion Ink Adam gets “Sniffer” file management demo [Video]
- Verizon WP7 apps appear in Marketplace; launch imminent?
- Motorola MOTOBLUR to get wireless sync & media streaming with ZumoCast acquisition
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread arrives on Nokia N900
- I won’t buy the Nexus S
- OpenBSD FBI backdoors probably planned admits founder, but unlikely to have survived
- Sony Music Unlimited offers custom radio & 6m track access on your BRAVIA or PS3
- GM using recycled oil booms used to clean Gulf oil spill in Volt
- Bacteria used to store data by Chinese researchers
- Aluratek Bump Boombox with Remote Wireless speaker makes me thirsty
- Motorola seeks trademark on Xoom name
| Instructables Sends Out Free and Ad-Free Hackaday Edition E-Book Posted: 22 Dec 2010 02:41 PM PST So it seems that the owner of Instructables, a totally awesome site that tells you how to basically do ANYTHING, has sent a letter to Hackaday, another awesome site that sometimes links to Instructables. In this letter was an EPUB, and inside this electronic booklet is a selection of the 24 most popular Instructables mentioned on Hackaday during the last quarter of 2010. Why is this extra awesome and super fun? Because it’s totally complete and totally ad-free!
The complete and ad-free thing is super neat because if you want to view an entire Instructables instruction page you’ve normally got to sign up and there’s an abundance of ads surrounding you, pummeling you in the face! This completely free publication is ready to go with only the essentials. This EPUB file (which you can download [here]), can be opened with a Mozilla Add on for your browser if you like, or you can download something like a NOOK app for any number of devices, or you can load it straight to the E-Reader of your choice. Now get to creating! [Via Hackaday]
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| Happy Holidays from Blizzard Entertainment Posted: 22 Dec 2010 02:19 PM PST Oh it’s nearly holiday time, or whatever you wanna say, and Blizzard Entertainment is definitely attaching itself to the Christmas with three heartily fancy cards that you can send to your friends, enemies, and Facebook. There’s one for World of Warcraft, there’s one for Starcraft II, and there’s one for – YES – Diablo III. You’ll find plenty of Santa inside, guns and death as well, and one gigantic barbarian that seems more intent on murdering you than giving you a positive present.
Take a peek at all three cards in their tinier state in the gallery below or head over to Blizzard to take a peek at slightly larger versions. That barbarian is totally absurd. I mean, look at all those extra horns and whatnot sticking up everywhere – he’d totally stab himself in the eye! And look! He’s crushing all the presents! All hell shall break loose upon the day of that Santas arrival.    [Via Blizzard Entertainment]
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| When will Skype be Back Online Today? Posted: 22 Dec 2010 02:09 PM PST So, all of you folks out there who use Skype on a daily basis, all the time for chatting and video chatting and calling and all that good stuff, you probably already know that Skype is suffering from a global service outage today. This outage started earlier today, and starting at 3:30 PM ET, the service was on its way back up, the return to full normalcy possibly several hours from now. Skype noted that service was already on its way back to full, but that indeed, several hours would be in play before the entire system was back online.
This outage is (was) affecting the United States, Asia, and Europe, Twitter being aflutter with complaints and crazy talk about how the world was ending today. The cause of this outage is still being investigated, and Google Voice, we must simply assume, is receiving a jump in visitors. Again that’s an assumption, but since they now also offer free calls across the USA through 2011, heck, what’s up? That’s what they’re saying. [Via Reuters]
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| Activision Sues Former Infinity Ward Heads AND Electronic Arts (EA) Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:54 PM PST Harsh! Looks like Activision is taking a lawsuit it’s filed with former Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West to another level by amending their complaint to include EA as well. This complaint amendment was written and sent out yesterday to the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, the original claim being filed way back in April. Activision alleges that these two former Infinity Ward fellows along with EA secretly discussed (way back into July 2009) the possibility of creating an independent game studio, and in doing so, would both end the Call of Duty line of warfare games and drain Activision of it’s talent.
In the amended statement sent out yesterday, Activision noted: “In this amended cross-complaint, Activision alleges that Electronic Arts conspired with two former senior Activision executives, West and Zampella, to derail Activision’s Call of Duty franchise, disrupt its Infinity Ward development studio, and inflict serious harm on the company. This pleading lays out an intentional and systematic pattern of deception by the former executives and Electronic Arts to hijack Activision assets for greed and corporate gain.” Harsh! Not only that, but Activision noted that around the time of their termination from the groups, both Zampella and West “refused to adhere to even the minimal standards of behavior required of any employee or executive.” Activision says these two fellow had a secret meeting with EA while they were still employed and talked with Creative Artists Agency’s Seamus Blackley at the word of EA CEO John Riccitiello. Blackley is alleged to have emailed Zampella several times, once even saying, in such a silly way, “JR cooks a mean BBQ. I think we could accomplish some interesting chaos” – JR apparently meaning John Riccitiello. [Via CNet]
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| Sony Buying Back Chip Plant from Toshiba Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:13 PM PST So waaay back before 2008, Sony had control of a chip plant in Nagasaki, a semiconductor plant to be more precise, a plant which that year they sold to Toshiba Corp. Sony now plans to buy BACK that plant from Toshiba so that it might strengthen it’s complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor business. All of this has been reported by the Nikkei business daily newspaper.
This acquisition will cost around 50 billion yen ($597.2 million USD) and will double Sony’s image sensor output capacity. This will make Sony’s output equivalent to about 40,000 silicon wafers a month. Nikkei mentions that with this move, Sony both boosts their output and lowers their production costs, putting them right up in the speedy lanes with Samsung and US groups in teh CMOS sensor market. [Via Reuters]
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| Salvation Army Kettles Get Wireless Credit Card Terminals Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:23 PM PST You’ve seen them before. The red stands, with a pot where money goes. Usually there’s a person standing there, ringing a bell, or simply trying to start up a conversation with a passer-by. The Salvation Army’s seasonal kettles are something of a mainstay, and street corners wouldn’t be the same without them. And just like everything else, they should be upgraded with the times. After all, not everyone has cash easily accessible. So after an initial trail run last year, the Salvation Army has given the green light for the widespread improvement of their kettles across the country.
That aforementioned trial run took place in Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. It went so well, that it’s gone national. The new kettles, which now feature a wireless debit/credit card terminal attached to them, are now positioned in their spots in 300 different locations, within 120 cities. And according to the Salvation Army, the difference is actually pretty substantial. With pocket change, the average person was giving roughly between $2 and $3. Now, though, thanks to the option of a card, people are giving all the way up to $15. The machines are safe, as they do not store any personal information about the cards, like numbers associated with them. And, if you’re someone who wants a printed receipt for tax purposes, they’ll be able to give you one of those, too. Have you seen one of these updated kettles yet? [via OhGizmo!]
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| Google Shared Spaces Sneaks Out, Showcases Wave Technology Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:48 AM PST
While announcing a product with a huge event is one way to go about things, sometimes you just want to release something in a small fashion. Quietly. That’s exactly what Google Labs has done with Google Shared Spaces. It’s open right now in a very non-public fashion, and it’s meant to showcase the technology that powered Wave, but in a far more creative way.
The Spaces are built around “gadgets,” of which there are currently 50 to choose from. These Spaces will then be able to be shared through pretty much any means you can think of, thanks to a simple link. Whether that’s from a tweet, an email, or a status on some other social networking, it will be easy for people to invite others to come and enjoy, and interact, with their Space. And, if you know JavaScript, you will be able to make your own gadgets, which people can then interact with. And while Google Wave may have not survived, it’s good to see that the technology, which promotes real-time collaboration, is still around. If Google Shared Spaces can take off, that could probably be considered a notch in the “win” column for Google, even if it took a bit longer to achieve. As for a date regarding a public opening, Google didn’t say. So it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer before we can all experience what Shared Spaces has to offer. [via Mashable]
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| iPad 3G Available Through AT&T Online Store in Time for Christmas Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:34 AM PST Apple opens up the doors for the iPad to be sold in other retailers every so often. We’ve seen it made available in Sam’s Clubs across the nation, and even within Target stores. And don’t forget about the fact you can pick an iPad up at a Verizon location near you, too. But, despite the fact the iPad launched with AT&T in tow, the 3G-enabled device hasn’t been made available through the wireless carrier’s online store. Until now.
The iPad 3G is now officially available for all of those who would like to get their tablet device through AT&T. However, despite making it just in time for any last minute shoppers out there, don’t expect to find any deals, or special pricing. The 16GB iPad 3G is still going for $629, while the 32GB and 64GB versions will cost you $729 and $829 respectively. You’ll have to go through the AT&T data portal on your new 3G iPad to make sure that you get all your Internet browsing, and application downloads covered. [via 9to5 Mac]
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| Westone 4 Headphones Announced, Cost $449 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:12 AM PST If you listen to music a lot, and you mainly do so with headphones in (or on) your ears, then you probably take your ‘phones pretty seriously. Because of that, you can generally justify spending quite a bit of money on your next pair, just as long as the feature list matches what you’re willing to shell out. If you’re looking for a pair of advanced in-ear buds, which feature the world’s first four-driver universal fit earphones, then hopefully you’re willing to look at them now, but wait until early 2011 to get them.
Westone Laboratories has just announced their latest and greatest in the headphone department. The Westone 4 are designed specifically for audiophiles, and anyone else who might call themselves an enthusiast when it comes to music. The Westone 4 feature an EPIC cable, four balanced armature drivers, and a three-way crossover. Westone Laboratories are planning on showing off their glowing achievement at CES 2011 in January. And if you think they’re nice enough to buy, the company says they should be ready to go by some time in the first quarter of 2011. Check out the full press release below for more information. Press Release
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| Cyberdyne HAL Exoskeleton to Be Shown Off at CES 2011 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:58 AM PST Way back in 2007, Cyberdyne was showing off their latest version of the Hybrid Assistive Limb exoskeleton, better known as HAL. They were even talking about how in 2008, people would be able to rent the exoskeleton for whatever purpose they needed. While the scientists, researchers, and designers at Cyberdyne originally promoted the exoskeleton for those with disabilities and the elderly, it’s looking more and more like HAL is all set to be shown off for everyone.
Cyberdyne has let it be known that they plan on making an appearance at CES 2011, in Las Vegas, and showing off the latest and greatest in their exoskeleton technology. The company’s exoskeleton is a bit different than others we’ve seen in the past, as the HAL suit is able to measure the nerves in your body, and actually react to them. The result is an exoskeleton that the user doesn’t have to move, but moves on its own, based on what you want it to do. That means you won’t have to actually pick up the exoskeleton’s leg to move, but that it will lift on its own, and step with you. As you may have already guessed, the HAL suit is supposed to give those who wear it extra strength, as well. As of right now, this particular version of the exoskeleton is able to go about two hour and 40 minutes of constant usage. We’ll be sure to stop off at the CES Robotics TechZone this year, to make sure that we get plenty of face time with the HAL suit. [via I4U; thanks, Robert]
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| HTC Media Link unboxing [Video] Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:41 AM PST It’s been a long time since we first caught sight of HTC’s Media Link, squeezed into an HTC Sense presentation back at the launch of the Desire HD and Desire Z. The two phones have launched and gone on sale, but it’s taken longer for the compact DLNA wireless streaming box to arrive. Patience has served us well, though, and now the Media Link is fresh on the SlashGear test bench.
Unboxing video after the cut
It’s an unassuming box, and smaller than we imagined it would be. Measuring 70 x 45 x 8 mm, the only ports are a microUSB for power and micro HDMI for hooking up a TV. On the front is a standby/power button with a status LED. HTC bundle an HDMI cable along with a USB cable and regular USB power adapter; we prefer that to a fixed adapter, since it means you can use the same charger for your phone with the Media Link. HTC Media Link Unboxing: The Media Link uses WiFi to stream content from a phone, tablet, laptop or other DLNA-compliant device, and it can either hook up wirelessly to your existing home network or create its own WiFi network to which devices can link directly. HTC also offers an app for their phones to turn them into a remote control, though you don’t necessarily need it. We’ll be putting the HTC Media Link through its paces in the best way we know how: boring friends and family with all the wireless media we can find from the various DLNA-compliant devices we insist on carrying around with us during the holidays. Will the Media Link’s appeal pale before our relatives scream for mercy? We’ll let you know in the full review.            
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| TalkTorque 2 Robot Will be Happy to Guide You Through a Museum [Video] Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:36 AM PST Robots. Most engineers and designers bring robots to life to do a certain set of tasks, or interact with humans in a whole new way. The technology therein is usually the main focus of the robot as a whole, but when you’ve got a robot that looks like the TalkTorque 2, even the fact that it doesn’t talk is creepy. The robot’s inability to talk is a design choice from those at Japan’s Tsukuba University, who believe that the TalkTorque 2 will be able to become a master at human communication without words, and just gestures.
The point behind TalkTorque 2, is to be able to interact with humans without any words being exchanged. The designers behind the robot believe that TalkTorque 2 would be a perfect guide within places like museums. Letting the human attendees follow the robot around, while it gestures with its head, hands, and hips towards important pieces. There are three cameras installed in the TalkTorque 2, along with a laser rangefinder. Thanks to the cameras, the robot will be able to recognize returning visitors. In the video below, you can watch the original TalkTorque as it is put through a few tests, all focusing on its gestures. [via Plastic Pals]  
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:35 AM PST I don’t remember exactly how my PlayStation 2 broke, but I do remember when it happened. It was in 2005, a couple months before God of War was released. I priced out repairs for my system, and I remember that they were prohibitively expensive (more than $100 was prohibitive on my meager budget). So, instead of repairing mine or buying a new PS2, I stuck with the systems I had: an Xbox and a Nintendo GameCube. Yup, I had all three major systems, plus a Sega Dreamcast I had never quite retired. I was an early adopter. I bought all the major systems, sometimes at launch, but usually either after the release of the first game I really wanted to own or the first price drop. But now I’m here to tell you that I have seen the error of my ways.
There is a common misperception in the technology world that gadgets get less interesting and capable as they age. Of course, some gadgets get updates and system upgrades that add features or streamline performance, but that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about a gadget that is old, past its update cycle, and made obsolete by new products on the market or just around the bend. Would you buy an original iPod today? Probably not. A VHS player? No chance. But in a way, there’s a benefit to these older products. I recently wrote a column advocating Blu-Ray as a fine holiday gift purchase. Well, this week I put my money where my mouth is and I bought a PlayStation 3. I had been holding off for a long while, longer than I’ve ever waited on buying a new console. In fact, I had pretty much decided I would never buy a PS3, that I would skip this generation altogether. But now, a few things came together. I wanted a Blu-Ray player for the best quality movies. I was tired of paying Microsoft yearly fees for online gaming, a feature that is built into the PS3′s cost. The price for a PS3 has finally dropped to truly competitive levels, and there are some great deals on bundles and packages. I bought the PS3, and the first game I purchased was the God of War collection. It comes with both of the PS2 God of War games and costs less than $30. The new God of War III? It’s 9 months old, and I got it for $30, which is about half its original launch price. I started at the beginning with the first game, a title that is 5 years old and a generation behind. How did it look? Awesome. High framerate. Textures and complicated effects aren’t on par with the best modern titles, but it still holds up as a fantastic looking game. Even better, it’s a blast to play. This got me thinking about being an early adopter. Is God of War any less fun for me to play because it’s 5 years old? Of course not. Though I might be behind on PlayStation titles, I’ve been buying the top tier Xbox games for the past 5 years, so I know how good games have gotten. But this game didn’t feel dated, the experience hadn’t diminished over time. The graphics felt dated, but it still looks modern and cool. Games are works of art. Art is an expression of the time and place in which it is created, for sure, but art should also transcend time. The best art is both a snapshot of a moment in history and completely timeless, all at once. After my experience with God of War, I might never buy a new title at launch again. There seems to be no need. If it’s a good game, it will be a good game in 9 months, or in 5 years. It will also be cheaper, perhaps packed with some extras, and with the bugs and kinks worked out. There are some problems this might cause. If you love multiplayer online gaming, I’m sure the crowd of competitors is largest around launch, then dwindles over time. This isn’t my cup of tea, I prefer playing with people sitting next to me, or playing solo in my down time. I also suspect that the best games will still draw a multiplayer crowd months, if not years later. Also, if Bungie launched a new Halo title (which will probably never happen), I would buy it in the first few days. But that’s not just because I’m a Halo fanboy. It’s because I’ve been playing those games for years, and I’ve already finished the last title in the series. Twice. On the hardest level. I’m ready for the next step. If I had waited and purchased the first Halo right now? I’d probably be just as happy with it. Then, for the next several months, I could slowly play through the five or six Halo titles available, buying them for half the price, and enjoying them no less. If only I had waited. I wonder how far I can take this philosophy. I wonder for what other products, especially in technology, I can move from being an early adopter to a late adopter. Cell phones seem to be the most obvious category. Phones are getting faster and more feature-packed with every new iteration, but if you’re just entering the smartphone world, you’ll probably be pleased with the lowest end product. When you’re stepping up from an LG enV or a Samsung Rant, even the most basic, inexpensive HTC phone, iPhone or Droid is going to feel like a new world. It’s only those of us who carry the latest and greatest who can really discern the difference between today’s best device and the ones coming out tomorrow. I think the same is true of computers, especially over the last few years. Computers have gotten more powerful, but I think we actually need less processing power than we did years ago. Hard core gaming interest on PCs is at an all-time low. Most people are happy simply using their computer’s Web browser and Microsoft Office, neither of which are power-hungry apps. My wife is using the MacBook Air I bought on the day that computer was launched, more than 3 years ago. When she heard about the new MacBook Airs that were recently launched, she asked if they would be worthwhile for her. No, they certainly would not be. If she needed a new computer today, I would be more likely to pick up an older computer for her rather than go for the latest and greatest. For myself, I regret giving up my older MacBook Pro for the newest model. I miss the old trackpad button, the removable battery. I haven’t seen significant improvement in performance, reliability or features. So, when the next big thing hits the market, my advice is to wait a while, or buy the outgoing last generation machine. When the new tablets with WiMAX and LTE support hit the market, wait a while. The operating systems need to mature, and there will be significant usability issues that will be fixed over time. The prices will drop, and the networks are not yet mature. WiMAX will probably get faster, with better coverage. Verizon may figure out an acceptable pricing model for LTE. In any case, I suspect early adopters are going to feel burned for buying in on day one. When a thinner, lighter iPad launches with a built-in camera up front, don’t buy it, especially if you’ve never owned a tablet before. Buy the old one instead. It’s great fun, and surprisingly useful. You won’t miss the lack of video chat. The feature is too new, both socially and technologically, to be useful yet on cellular networks or portable devices. In fact, if you’ve never owned an iPad, you won’t miss anything the new device has that the old one lacks. The need to own the newest and best product feeds itself. If you buy the latest device, you’re acutely aware of everything you now have that you didn’t before, and this is not a good thing. The products that are great today are going to be great in a few months, or even a few years, to people who never owned them. You don’t know what you’re missing, and most of the time it’s just better not knowing.
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| Mouse for Men Concept Design Features Flexible Touchscreen Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:21 AM PST There are a lot of different options out there for people who are looking for a particular mouse accessory for their computer. Touch controls are becoming popular, so here’s a concept design that not only has touch controls, but also a flexible touchscreen, and pressure sensitive controls to boot. Not only that, but the designers made sure that when you look at this Mouse for Men, you realize that a real mouse was used for the inspiration.
While the technology within the concept may be unique enough, there’s the fact that the “tail” of the Mouse for Men is actually detachable. It was conceived by designer Nitin Mane, the Mouse for Men is meant to be comfortable to use over long periods of time, thanks to its ergonomic design. The touch controls, along with the pressure sensitive design elements, are all meant to make sure that the user doesn’t have to exert any extra force to use the mouse. As for the touchscreen display? It’s an OLED. It’s also meant to inform the user as to what type of “mode” you are in, at any given moment. You can change from a standard mouse controls, or to a multimedia mode as well. The controls on the front of the mouse will change depending on what you need. The Mouse for Men was designed for the LG cube Competition 2010. [via The Design Blog]
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| Call of Duty: Black Ops Gets New 1.05 Patch, Continues to Try and Fix Multiplayer Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:05 AM PST The patches just keep on coming. Despite the fact that Treyarch has said in the past that it tends to take a month before patches can be issued to consoles, here’s patch 1.05 just one week after 1.04 landed on the PlayStation 3. Despite the hot fix that was also released earlier in the week, Treyarch seems to be at a constant race to try and make the multiplayer experience what they wanted it to be, right out of the gate. Unfortunately for PlayStation 3 owners especially, that just hasn’t been the case.
However, with this latest patch, Treyarch is positive that most of the glaring holes have been filled. Mainly, the 1.05 patch is meant to improve the party reliability, especially when you try and leave a game with your party. Other inclusions in the patch are the ability to mute players in the pre-game lobby, as well as kick certain players from private matches, and in parties. And yes, Treyarch has already said that more patches, and hot fixes, are coming. If you’ve managed to experience your game freezing from time to time, and you’ve noticed that it happens most often when two or more explosions happen in a concentrated area, you’ll be happy to know that it’s not your imagination. And Treyarch is working on it. So for now, as we wait for the golden multiplayer egg that we all hope can be hatched, how is the game now working for you PlayStation 3 owners out there? We suggest, if it’s still not working to your liking, that you sit back and watch this LEGO version of Black Ops. It’s worth it. [via Joystiq]
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| Playbutton Puts Music on a Button, Going on Sale in Early 2011 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 09:25 AM PST
If listening to music is something you like to do, but telling those around you (who ask) what you’re listening to isn’t, then the Playbutton could be the next MP3 player for you. Especially if you only want to listen to one album at a time, and show off to the world who you’re listening to. While most MP3 players are meant to let you have plenty of artists, or individual songs, ready to go at all times, the designer of the Playbutton believes that having one album, on an MP3 player as small as a button, may be the future of music.
At least, one part of the future of music. Designed by Nick Dangerfield and his cohorts at Playbutton, the aptly-named MP3 player is meant to not only let you listen to an album simply and easily, it’s also meant to show off who you’re listening to. In a world where pirating music is a real threat to the music industry, Playbutton wants to let those who buy their music show it off, so that everyone can see it. Dangerfield is planning on having the Playbutton released by February of 2011, and it’s going to be up to the artists who release the MP3 players to pick the price. As Dangerfield puts it, “If you say to people, ‘It’s an MP3 player and it’s $25,’ they say it’s cheap. But if you say, ‘It’s an MP3 player and it’s already got a good record inside,’ they think it’s expensive.” Dangerfield confirmed that there will be 8 different “smaller” bands that are featured at the Playbutton’s launch. Artists like Germany-based Oval, and New York-based “indietronica” band Javelin. As for the design, it’s as simple as it gets: an MP3 player that’s meant to look like a small bade, or button. Controlling the music is just as simple as the design. Three buttons on the back of the button: play/pause, skip back, and skip left. There’s no way to take the music off the badge, and there’s no way to put music onto it. You also can’t shuffle the music on the button, either. [via BBC UK]  
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| AUDEO PFE 022 + Mic Earbuds Unboxing and Hands-On Posted: 22 Dec 2010 09:17 AM PST Woo look what we got in the mail, a nice firey read green and white package from AUDEO containing some brand new PFE 022 + Mic earbuds. This is the set that they say are a perfect fit, have perfect bass, and perfect protection for maximum sound quality even at the lowest volumes! Take a peek as we open the package, the package inside the package, and the box and the taped up plastic container – these buds are seriously more protected from damage than most laptops.
Inside the UPS pack, inside the manilla envelope, aside the fact sheet, inside the box, and beyond the taped plastic package, THERE you will find your very own set of earbuds from AUDEO – the PFE 022 + Mic. Such a tiny little mini set of buds for such a ginormous set of packs. BUT take not that you’ll probably end up buying these in the store in which case the box is probably pretty much the minimum for such a nice pair of audio blasters. Aside from the buds, you’ll find a tiny zip plastic package with 6 rubber earbud covers (3 sets) – a set of these will need to be applied to the main earbuds before you jam them in your ears. You’ll see there’s three user guides, each one in a different language, and a single quick-start guide. And that’s about it! Look for a full review of these sassy little buds in about a week and a half (a little further out than normal because of the quickly approaching holidays.) Hooray!            
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| DIY Exploding High-Five Glove makes hand-slapping geeky [Video] Posted: 22 Dec 2010 09:02 AM PST As we all know, high-fiving went out of fashion because it wasn’t loud enough; kids experimented with gunpowder and methane gas, but it all proved far too unstable. Happily Eli Skipp has stepped in with her DIY “exploding high-five glove”: it doesn’t actually explode, just use an Arduino, a force-sensor and a loudspeaker to make explosion noises whenever you high-five someone.
Video demo after the cut
In fact, you can replace the explosion sound with anything you like, since it loads a sample from a 2GB memory card. That means you could have it shout “Go Team Victory!” or “Heck Yeah Says I!” if the mood so takes you. There’s even some code in there to make sure it doesn’t accidentally activate if you make a fist, pat someone on the back or slap the table in a 19-century bar manner. Brilliant stuff. [via Hack a Day]
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| SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 22 2010 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:38 AM PST Oh man! First thing in the morning Verizon WP7 apps appear in Marketplace – does this mean launch time aproacheth? Then Chris Davies columns about why [he] won't buy the Nexus S. Check out some Space tech that’ll allow you to check your heart rate on your iPhone, pick up a Google Nexus S at the UK drop today, see the VERY OBVIOUSLY engineered leak of the HTC Incredible HD, and check out the Mini iPad caught in the Wild. THEN check out the BRAND NEW Notion Ink Adam video demoing their Sniffer Application! All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
R3 Media Network Editor’s Choice Android Community SlashGear To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]
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| Notion Ink Adam gets “Sniffer” file management demo [Video] Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:17 AM PST Notion Ink has pushed out its latest video demonstrating the custom software it has put together for the Tegra 2 powered Adam tablet. The topic – the file browser app Sniffer – may not seem all that exciting, but if you’ve ever tried to use an iPad or Android-based tablet for more in-depth work than web browsing and email then you’ll likely know how important deep file management and control is.
Video demo after the cut
Given you can plug a keyboard and/or mouse into the Adam’s two USB ports, that potentially makes the tablet a decent platform for content creation rather than just consumption. Sniffer also integrates an app manager, allowing you to kill running apps or uninstall them. As we wrote yesterday, Notion ink’s custom software for the Adam is one of the reasons we’re most excited about the slate. Without those apps it’s just another Tegra 2 tablet – albeit one with a Pixel Qi display – but with them the start-up has made a real effort to bring Android up to slate speed before Google’s official Honeycomb is released.
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| Verizon WP7 apps appear in Marketplace; launch imminent? Posted: 22 Dec 2010 07:51 AM PST Verizon’s Windows Phone 7 launch is not so much a case of “if” but “when”, and judging by some fresh additions to the Windows Phone Marketplace we’re guessing that “when” will be pretty soon in January 2011. BGR spotted several Verizon Wireless branded titles for WP7 devices showing up in the Marketplace recently, suggesting that the handsets’ launch is imminent.
Last we heard, insiders were tipping January 2011 for Verizon – and Sprint – to begin offering devices running Microsoft’s new smartphone OS, but neither carrier has made anything official. Microsoft announced yesterday that they had sold 1.5m WP7 devices to carriers and retailers, though the general consensus is that it will take CDMA availability before significant market penetration takes place.
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| Motorola MOTOBLUR to get wireless sync & media streaming with ZumoCast acquisition Posted: 22 Dec 2010 07:29 AM PST Motorola has acquired Zecter, and plans to use its ZumoCast and ZumoDrive cloud-based media streaming and content sync technology to boost MOTOBLUR‘s digital entertainment credentials. Although the exact details of the new integration are yet to be announced, Motorola expects to add wireless syncing, desktop integration, video transcoding and thin-file retrieval technologies to both individual devices and its MOTOBLUR Android UI layer. Currently ZumoCast has only been available on iOS devices like the iPad, not on Android.
Existing ZumoCast users can continue to use the service and will get future updates as expected; however new sign-ups have been frozen. The acquisition won’t affect ZumoDrive, which is still available to new users. Motorola’s shift in MOTOBLUR development follows HTC’s evolution of its Sense system to support an online tracking and remote-access section; in a market where Android is on multiple devices, it’s a way to better differentiate your particular flavor of product. [via BGR] Press Release:
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| Android 2.3 Gingerbread arrives on Nokia N900 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 06:39 AM PST Nokia’s N900 continues to prove itself a firm favorite with the modding community, now managing to get an Android 2.3 Gingerbread port before Google has even managed the official release for the Nexus One. The handiwork of NITDroid team member Alexey Roslyakov – aka DrunkDebugger – the port isn’t 100-percent functional but does allow for cellular and WiFi data access, audio and more.
Roslyakov suggests that there’ll be a stable build of the Gingerbread N900 port available in time for the New Year celebrations – you do celebrate with your N900 in hand, don’t you? – though before then there’ll be a new, stable Android 2.2 Froyo release for the Nokia around Christmas time. If you’re interested in flashing your N900 with the latest public release, instructions are here. [via Android Community and via HDBlog]
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2010 06:19 AM PST Launching in the US last week, and finally making a tardy appearance in the UK today, we already know that the Google Nexus S is a decent phone. In fact, we even called it the best Android handset on the market today in our review, and considering the strength of the competition right now, that’s an admirable place to be. Yet, despite having been using a Nexus S review unit for some time now, and having gotten on with the Android 2.3 smartphone well, I won’t be picking one up today. Let me tell you why.
As with the Nexus One before it, the Nexus S maps out Google’s ambitions for where Android should be going next. This time around, the underlying story isn’t so much pure hardware but services; ironic, then, that the headline feature, NFC, isn’t much use outside of Google’s Hotpot NFC stickers in their fledgling trial in Portland, Oregon. Still, if you adopt early then you get used to prioritizing feature-promise over pure functionality, but the compromises with the Nexus S seem a little too much. I’ve been using the Nexus One since early last year as my everyday phone; I’ve also got a Samsung Galaxy S for when screen quality is more important. The Nexus S should be the summation of those devices – pure Android with the amazing Super AMOLED panel – but it manages to feel backward-looking rather than ambitious. Remember, when the Nexus One launched, new Android handsets with 528MHz processors were still common. The 1GHz Snapdragon was a game-changer, and it made Google’s hardware partners buck their ideas up and give Android the grunt it needed for the more graphically-intense, processor-demanding versions the search giant had in mind. The 1GHz Hummingbird chip – Samsung’s own version of Snapdragon – is a good, capable processor, but it was capable in the Galaxy S and capable in the Galaxy Tab. It’s the same chip as we reviewed, and praised, back in June, making a re-appearance in a flagship device at the tail-end of the year. Dual-core chips like NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 are just around the corner, with CES and MWC 2011 both expected to see a flood of new smartphones using next-gen processors for the North American and European markets. Now, I know I’ve just been saying that Tegra 2 – and dual-core processors in general – aren’t everything, but hear me out. My argument is that, in themselves, the new breed of dual-core CPUs aren’t sufficient to make devices great: it takes solid software to actually make proper use of the processing power on offer. In a tablet, if you’re going the Android route that currently presents the best alternative to iOS on the iPad, that means either waiting for Honeycomb or, like Samsung and Notion Ink have done, creating your own custom software to take advantage of the larger form-factor. In a smartphone, Android is already up to speed. Gingerbread is arguably the biggest draw of the Nexus S, making even more of Hummingbird’s capabilities, and the refinements over Froyo – though only moderate in most places – make for a tighter, more usable OS. Within the next few weeks, however, Android 2.3 will arrive as an official update for the Nexus One, and we’re expecting performance boosts and a similar polished experience on the metal-bodied original. As a Nexus One owner, while the Super AMOLED display and NFC chip of the Nexus S are tempting, opting for the new Googlephone would feel too much like a side-step rather than a true shift forward. Even if you don’t have a Nexus One yourself, it might still be sensible to hold back and wait for the next wave of handsets announced in Q1 2011. The new Samsung will undoubtedly pave the way for manufacturers fitting NFC into their smartphones, just as Google hopes, and I’m content to wait it out until I can get the short-range wireless paired with a more ambitious processor and camera. I’ll miss out on the slick curved fascia in the process, and I won’t have the newest device when friends are pulling out their phones, but sometimes patience is the best thing an early-adopter can, well, adopt.
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| OpenBSD FBI backdoors probably planned admits founder, but unlikely to have survived Posted: 22 Dec 2010 06:11 AM PST OpenBSD project chief Theo de Raadt has said that he accepts contracting firm NETSEC “was probably contracted to write backdoors” into the open-source platform, but believes none of the exploit code made it into the eventual tree. The comments come as early investigations are made into OpenBSD code following allegations by an ex-NETSEC programmer that the FBI paid to have backdoor access installed into the OS.
One of the coders named in the original allegations has since denied any involvement in working on covert exploits – which, it was suggested, were inserted to allow the FBI to monitor VPN traffic in systems running OpenBSD – though de Raadt does piece together a timeline which could at least partially involve his code. That involves a subsequent coder, Angelos Keromytis, putting together a crypto layer using government-backed security policies, later removed; de Raadt has said that he does ”not believe that either of two problems, or other problems not yet spotted, are a result of clear malice.” While the code audit is underway, it’s yet to gather any sort of directional momentum; instead, de Raadt is advocating each coder looking at different sections and working to flush out any bugs or inaccuracies they discover along the way. “We’ve proven that if we start nibbling at a source tree looking for small bugs or unclear things which need improvement,” he suggests, “the results always eventually pay off.” [via Slashdot and via ITWorld; image via Adriane Lee]
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| Sony Music Unlimited offers custom radio & 6m track access on your BRAVIA or PS3 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:47 AM PST Sony has launched the next step in its attempt to take on iTunes, in the shape of Music Unlimited. Using the same Qriocity cloud system as Sony’s previous Video On Demand service, Music Unlimited kicks things off with a 6m-strong catalog and support for network-enabled BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray players and home theater systems, your PS3 or your laptop; meanwhile, Android-based phones and tablets are next in line.
Functionally, the service sounds a lot like Pandora: the basic plan allows for unlimited forward skipping of tracks and uses a thumbs up/down system to rate them and improve future suggestions. A premium subscription allows access to each of the tracks in the catalog, playlists and Top 100 channel access. Music Unlimited can also create custom playlists from your mood, using SensMe. “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will initially be available in the UK and Ireland, with the Basic plan priced at £3.99/€3.99 and the Premium plan at £9.99/€9.99. The US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand launches will be announced in 2011. Press Release:
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| GM using recycled oil booms used to clean Gulf oil spill in Volt Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:29 AM PST The Chevrolet Volt is a green car that is just now starting to head to consumer driveways around the country. The car is cool and has already won numerous awards in the automotive journalism world. The Volt is more than green just for saving on gas, the car also uses recycled materials in its construction.
GM has announced that it is recycling the oil booms that were used to aid in the clean up of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The booms will be used along with a densification material, post consumer plastic, and recycled tires to make new components used in the construction of the Volt. GM will be recycling about 100 miles worth of used boom material. The 100 miles of recycled boom will be used to make up 25% of the plastic parts that deflect the air around the cars radiator and another 25% will be recycled tires that come from the GM Milford Proving Ground facility. Recycling the oil booms will keep 100,000 pounds of plastic from landfills. Via Gizmag
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| Bacteria used to store data by Chinese researchers Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:18 AM PST Computer viruses are a bad thing, but bacteria in your computer could be a good thing in the future. Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have demonstrated the ability to store data that is encrypted using bacteria. The team used a colony of E.coli for the demonstration.
The researchers were able to store enough data to put the Declaration of Independence inside 18 bacterial cells. When scaled up that would mean 1g of bacteria could store a whopping 90GB of data. The data can be encrypted by using site-specific genetic recombination. The technique is promising, but is far from ready to be used inside your computer. Data retrieval requires a sequencer and is described as tedious and expensive. Another fear is that the bacteria might mutate over time and destroy some of the data stored inside. Via BlueSci
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| Aluratek Bump Boombox with Remote Wireless speaker makes me thirsty Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:08 AM PST Aluratek has pulled the wraps off a new speaker line that can stream music wirelessly to remote speakers . The Bump media player supports up to six different wireless speakers and works with just about every media player out there that uses 3.5mm headphones. It looks a lot like a fountain drink cup cut in half to me.
The Bump Boombox section has a FM tuner and a SD card slot. Tracks can be played directly from the SD card slot and the thing has an internal Li-Ion Polymer battery. A USB port is integrated and the Bump has 3W of power for each channel. The wireless speaker uses 2.4GHz digital tech and has a wireless range of about 60-feet. Each of the speakers has its own volume control and 3.5mm input. The speaker has 2W of power per channel and a bass radiator. A kit with the Bump player and a single wireless speaker will cost you $99.99.   
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| Motorola seeks trademark on Xoom name Posted: 22 Dec 2010 04:55 AM PST Motorola is one of the companies that had made a big comeback and reached sales that it hadn't seen in years on the back of the Android operating system. The company makes some really popular Android smartphones. Motorola is at work on a new Android tablet that has been talked about a bit already and so far, we have few hard details on this tablet.
Motorola just filed for a trademark in just about all major markets around the world for the Xoom name reports Pocketnow. The trademark Motorola is seeking will be registered in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the US, and Canada. With the product being global in nature, it would make sense that we might be looking at the name of that Android tablet. We don't know for sure that the Xoom name will be the Honeycomb tablet, but it’s a good guess. The category that the trademark will cover the Xoom name in is for mobile computers and related accessories. [Via Android Community and via Engadget]
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