AT&T is getting all the hot phone love this summer, from the Curve to the iPhone. The question remains though: To which brand does the carrier’s loyalties lie? We ourselves find it hard to care. The Curve has a large AT&T marketing budget behind it, but reports are surfacing that it pales next to the inevitable onslaught of iPhone pain we’re about to experience. Boy Genius has it that AT&T retail stores (you know, the ones that used to be AT&T, then were Cingular, but now aren’t) are ramping up corner and end-cap displays the likes of which we mere mortals have ne’er seen before. The stands measure 7×3-feet wide, have their own power supplies, and are Internet (or at least network) connected. That’s a little more than the clamp and phone charger the Sync gets. We’re guessing there will be huge, insane flat-panel displays around the unit, elves that help you “slide to unlock” and bikini girls just to make sure nothing’s left out. When these guys hit, you know we’ll be the first to show you how gaudy shiny they turn out to be. Apple iPhone Display Hitting Your Local AT&T Soon! [Boy Genius] → Read More
If you’re the “outdoorsy” type, then you’re probably not very bright. The idea of abandoning thousands of years of technology, industry, social evolution and hygiene to “get back in touch with nature” is insulting to us entrenched city folk. But some of you keep it up. Whatever. Have some granola. At least with help from the Sun, you can pretend to get clean. Solar Showers are black plastic bags containing 20 liters (“litres”) of fresh water. Put it in direct sun light for, I dunno, 3 hours or so, then hang it from a tree, and presto: instant lukewarm shower, including an adjustable nozzle. And at only $10 or so each, you can afford to pick up four or five, which you’ll need to get that patchouli stench out of your dreads, you bloody, woodsy hippy. Via Nerd Approved → Read More
How much joy can a few guys with toys and a good camera give the world? OMG like SOOOO much. This special airs June 17. → Read More
In case you were wondering about the Blackberry Curve and where you can get it, because I’m sure you have been, I’ve got you covered. The Curve will be available on AT&T’s network first, which isn’t much of a surprise, ’cause they’re always down with the latest Blackberrys first. No official word on the launch date, but expect it sometime this Spring. All the others will surely get the Curve soon after. I guess you’ll have to find a buyer for your 8800. Press Release → Read More
We at CG as technology “experts” are often approached by friends and family for solutions to life’s technological problems. Por ejemplo, a friend noticed an increase in his Blackberry spam. He didn’t mind all the porn so much, but was concerned about potential viruses. And I said “You can’t get STDs from e-mail,” and he said “no dude, viruses on my B’berry, yo.” I simply replied, “You need SMobile.” SMobile Systems has personal and network solutions for mobile security on Palm, Symbian, WinMo, Linux, Java and RIM devices. Its VirusGuard product protects you against malware delivered through e-mail, SMS, MMS, direct download, Bluetooth or infrared transmission. Don’t think you need virus protection on your mobile device? The company predicts more than 80 percent of mobile malware will be aimed at exploiting weaknesses in communication interfaces like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and MMS. SMobile Systems [company site] → Read More
I bet that you, me, and even Dupree all use Google for our web search. But when it comes to mobile phone-based searching, it’s really anyone’s game. Know why? Because I’m trying to make a call or send 300 texts within the next hour and I really don’t have time to use my phone for searching. In fact, chances are, if I actually have a WAP or Internet plan for my phone, I probably already have a wireless device that can render full HTML websites in all their glory. → Read More
Samung’s new TV line comes in sizes that range from 37- to 52 inches and can play back 1080p video at full resolution, a feat that was once only available – at least at a price that humans could comprehend – to DLPs. The TVs, the M87, R87, and Q97 will be about $3000 when and if they hit these shores. That said, it’s currently UK-only and just now shipping, so get on a tramp steamer if you intend to pick one up. Samsung unveils ultimate HDTVs [T3] → Read More
http://www.tubearoo.com/player/spiked_player.swf?file=http://www.tubearoo.com/videocodes/84608/data.xml&auto_play=false Tubearoo.com, a popular(?) video-sharing site, shot out a press release today with an interesting statistic about the growing number of people viewing streaming video that I took extreme liberties with when I wrote the headline. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the number of U.S. basic cable subscribers was 65.6 million in December 2006; while comScore Video Metrix reported the number of unique U.S. Internet video streamers at nearly 123 million in January 2007. Tubearoo.com President and CEO Paul Medvedev sees this stat as “amazing” since, if you take it at face value, the number of people streaming videos is nearly double that of basic cable TV subscribers. But by “basic cable” do they mean people who just get the most basic package? And WTF qualifies you as a “streamer?” I mean, I like watching the occasional 30-second clip of some guy getting racked in the junk by his kid, but I’m not dropping my cable subscription for it. So what’s the point of this statistic other than to fool people into believing that crappy Internet video clips on yet another video-streaming/social-networking site is relevant? Oh, I just answered my own question. Though where else am I going to get my fill of violent, homo-erotic clips like the one above? → Read More
LG must hate America because not only has it still not released the Shine here yet, but it’s already going to launch an updated version with 3G (HSDPA) capabilities this month. The extra bandwidth can be used for video calls thanks to the built-in VGA camera. Otherwise, the Shine, she remains the same: 2-megapixel camera, MP3 playback and shine like you’ve never before seen. Now where’s ours? Press Release [LG via Digital Chosunilbo] → Read More
Been itching to take full advantage of that hi-def TV you recently purchased? If there ever was a time to buy a Blu-Ray player, it’s now. Pioneer recently announced it would be bringing its BDC-2202 Blu-Ray player to the United States in June. It can read BD-R discs at up to 5x and dual-layer discs at 2x speeds and looks like a pretty decent player overall. But why so great? What makes this Pioneer player so special compared to say, a PS3? It’s $299. Yes, you read that correctly. Pioneer is willing to sell you a Blu-Ray player for under three-hundred dollars. The war is over. People considering HD-DVD have yet to see a $299 standalone player hit the market. Keep your eye out at your local Circuit City, Target, or consumer electronics store soon, cause these are bound to go fast. Press Release [via Bungatech] → Read More
As Halo 3 gets closer and closer to its release, related merchandise has already started trickling out. Above are the four coolest Halo 3 figurines you’ll see this year. Made by Kubrick, these awesome little Spartan figurines comes in red, blue, green, and friggin’ active camo! Each figure stands at 2.5-inches tall and are imported from Japan, so they’ve got to be expensive, right? Nadda! $18 nabs you the set of four and street cred from your fellow neighbors who own a 360. They’re available for pre-order now, so get that Visa out and start charging. Halo 3 Kubrick figures up for pre-order [Ubergizmo] → Read More
Fred von Lohmann at the EFF posted a very interesting article on why you can’t just go around posting “09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0″ on every public website in the world and hold “09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0″ parties in your home, office, or school. Essentially, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act states that you cannot publish public keys or parts of keys to copy protected content without previous permission and “09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0″ is clearly a key and is clearly a violation of the DMCA. → Read More
Sure, ripples touched the Linuxverse earlier today when reports surfaced on the Internets that Dell would likely be pre-installing Ubuntu Linux on consumer desktops and laptops later this year. The idea of desktop Linux is one shared by most Linux fans, and this is exactly the type of movement it’ll need to take hold. In addition to Dell, Motorola is laying the groundwork for a hard-working smartphone version of Linux set to hit later this year, as well. → Read More
John Davidson over at 1Up was woken up by his kids early one morning. The brats wanted to play some Xbox 360 and being a good father, he kindly obliged. So the two children set off to the living room, where inside an entertainment unit, lay an Xbox 360 and a Playstation 3. Now allow me to go off on a tangent for a second: → Read More
The Creative Zen Stone, which looks a hell of a lot like the iPod shuffle, will soon be available in these six colors. Yes, this is truly earth-shattering news, because you’ll be able to “rock in [color].” Go ahead, rock in blue, rock in red, or, if you’re certifiably insane, rock in black. How you’ll be able to “rock” with only 1GB of storage space isn’t quite clear. At least it works with Audible, so you can finish the Great American Novel while at the gym or in the bowels of the subway. Product Page [Creative] → Read More
Do you use Skype? Do you SMS people with Skype? No? Didn’t think so. Well, now there’s a bit more reason to give it a go. From May 2 to May 8 — which is the week of Saint Erasmus, the martyred patron saint of digital communications popular in Asia and Europe but not so popular in the United States — SMSes through Skype will be 50% off. What does that translate into big people money? That all depends on your location and target recipient, but rest assured that if you want to Skype people in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand or the US, Skype will let you do it for 50 percent off. Product Page → Read More
Nokia has brought out the big guns, well, I guess in this case it’s the small guns for the emerging market that is…India?! First up is the clamshell 2660 with dual screens. The 2660 features GPRS, Bluetooth, FM radio, MP3 ring tones, an integrated hands free speaker and a 500-entry phonebook. This, too, can all be yours for a mere $115 Q2. There is a lot more so keep going! → Read More
Wow, OK, don’t mess with nerds (’cause they’re real brave as long as they’re behind their keyboards, you see.) This whole HD DVD encryption thing has now jumped the shark, with respected newspapers now reporting on the so-called Digg riots of 2007. In celebration of this shark jumping, here’s a sampling of some of the more creative ways that folks have implemented the line of hex. Because, really, they’re fighting for civil rights just as Rosa Parks did. → Read More
For those of you unfamiliar with Pandora, it’s pretty much the best Internet radio service out there next to iTunes. It helps you find artists similar to those you currently listen to and it does a pretty darn-good job of doing it. But there is bad news for those of you who use Pandora and don’t live in the United States. As of today, you’re now banned from listening to Pandora. Upset? Don’t blame Pandora. It’s a small company and they only have limited resources for the absurd licensing fees they must pay for each track. Pandora will continue to try to push for its service to be available in other countries, but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen for quite awhile. I feel a bit saddened — wait no I don’t. I live in the US. I’m going to go rock out to some Van Halen. Pandora to block international listeners from May 3rd [Photos & Ponderings] → Read More
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