Ah, acronyms. The downfall of society. It started with “lol” and now this backpack for Geniuses, Artists, and Innovators is continuing the tradition. OK, so it’s really the Booq Boa, a bag which has won multiple awards for being totally awesome but that’s beside the point. I mean is this thing gai or what? It has a whole lot of James Bond-y features like a rain proof… → Read More
Transferring numbers from your old cell phone to your new one can be a royal pain and I’m sure most of you have experienced this at some point. Sometimes you forget to backup your contact list onto your SIM before it gets tossed, which will certainly make you want to kick yourself for such a grievous mistake. Well, the Backup Pal takes all the worry out because it backs up everything on the… → Read More
We’ve told you about the Armani phone a few times in the past but this weeks launch of the device revealed some sweet details. The phone sports an innovative “help, I’m being taken against my will!” alarm which sends a text message to five preprogrammed numbers after the volume control is rapidly pressed four times. We suggest you choose wisely though as your room mate… → Read More
I’m not so sure what to make of this, but a MacDailyNews reader came across a placeholder page in the iLife guided tour section specific to the iPhone. Now there isn’t any real substantiating evidence to spark any wild and erroneous rumors, but it’s all in the URL and a QuickTime video is evident although it’s missing for now. Am I going to have to take back every terrible thing I’ve… → Read More
A new HTC device dubbed Phoebus has breezed by the FCC and surprisingly it looks a lot like the HTC Juno, which we broke a few weeks ago. Some of the features on the Phoebus are strikingly similar to that of the Juno and I’m inclined to believe that’s what it is. Specs reveal it to be a GSM 850/1900 handset with a 2-megapixel camera. There isn’t a whole lot more to be gleaned from the filing… → Read More
The University of Portsmouth has just unveiled a $13,000 system to help protect your crappy bike. Obviously, a bike is hard enough to replace to warrant such an extravagant security measure. The system requires a special bike rack and a motion sensor on the vehicle itself. It is then engaged via a text message to the security office. Once motion is detected the system sets off a silent alarm and… → Read More
If you haven’t already realized this I loves me some comic bookish TV shows and movies. My previous Transformers and Iron Man coverage should make that quite apparent. Although, I didn’t post the Iron Man trailer because everyone else at CG thought it was lame, but here’s the link in case you missed it. Man, this coffee is making me all sorts of antsy (Note to self: no more coffee). Back to… → Read More
Umm…yeah. The SonyDrive site has a big secret, but I have no clue what it is. I don’t even have any witty guesses as to what it could be. What the f*ck is it?! Whoa. Sorry, folks. Coffee tends to make me fly off the handle. I have to stop looking at this or I’m liable to go crazy. Any guesses? SonyDrive Japan → Read More
Novatel went ahead and released a new USB EV-DO dongle on Verizon and Sprint. The Ovation U727 is the world’s smallest dongle and features an integrated microSD slot. Those are pretty much all the details you really need. Road warriors will probably appreciate this more than most because they know how much real estate previous dongles take up near the ports. My AirCard 595U is one obese chunky… → Read More
It’s common knowledge round these parts that Verizon probably has the best coverage, but their devices have been so-so. Oh, who am I kidding? The phones available on that network are about as atrocious as their customer service and rate plans. But their device lineup is certainly shaping up to take on the likes of T-Mobile. Well, actually, every major service provider is getting a boatload of… → Read More
Destroy all phones: Portable GSM phone jammer DIY Jacobs Ladder is a shockingly fun time Messy Cable Madness The DIY community needs to get a clue and wake up Visa Micro Tag Keychain → Read More
Comments are the greasy oil that keeps the blog machine running. Here are three great (and 100% unedited) comments recently posted by your fellow readers. CrunchRumor: HD DVD version of Transformers will be transformable, whatever that means Paul G I wonder if it will transform into a good movie. → Read More
School of Everything, designed to connect anyone who can teach with anyone who wants to learn, has quietly launched an early public alpha version of its site. The site is set up to serve the thousands of people in the UK who now work as independent, self-employed teachers. Co-founder Mary Harrington told me via email: “We’ve tested it out with some teachers and learners; we’re… → Read More
The VAIO SZ6 series is a relatively new addition to Sony’s notebook line. I picked up the VGN-SZ650N/C model, which features a 13.3" screen, carbon fiber casing, long battery life, dual graphics cards, and a hybrid hard drive with 256mb of built-in flash memory. Looks good so far, but how does it perform? → Read More
There are a couple of wacky, wacky guys out in Atlanta who put on a health and fitness show every Thursday evening. After weeks of missed connections, I finally got to sit in on one of the tapings and even got to say a few words on gadgets I used on the road to finishing my marathon. Take a listen. They guys are hilarious and I even mention Yoda. It sounds like I’ll be on every other week or… → Read More
I came across this particular post on BoingBoing today and got kind of pissed off. A lot of DIYers are defending the 19-year-old MIT student, Star Simpson, who last week, walked into Boston’s Logan International Airport with this odd homemade electronic device on her sweatshirt. Understandable, but there’s something called social responsibility that applies to us humans. → Read More
I’m not sure where I heard this rumor, but if you’re a Transformers fan and you’re set up for the whole HD DVD experience then take heed for this may pique your interest. So ya know how the menu bar pops up from the bottom or you could throw it up on the side? It’s not as customizable as it should be, right? Well, this random rumor that I seriously don’t know where I picked up on states… → Read More
When the first one was released a few months back everyone went crazy for the small form factor, innovative touch interface, and slow as hell processor. The new Touch Slide improves on the non-slide model by adding a BlackBerry Pearl-like sliding QWERTY keyboard, 3G data, and the industry standard 400mhz Qualcomm processor. The device is slightly thicker now but the keyboard and faster processor… → Read More
Looks like everyone with a Gmail account has something new to worry about. The unreleased, proof of concept vulnerability discovered by some security specialist can set filters on your inbox to block and/or automatically forward any email you receive. Weak. Although the threat is labeled as serious at the moment, don’t worry. Google patches up vital holes pretty efficiently and there are no… → Read More
Hey, guys. I’ll be in Tokyo for CEATEC next week. If you’d like to meet up for some sake and iPhone fondling and/or Web 2.0 talk, please drop me a line at john @ crunchgear.com. My schedule is still kind of up in the air but I hope to have an evening free for karaoke. See you soon! → Read More
Rumor has it that GameStop—a small chain of mom and pop video game stores—will no longer stock Core Xbox 360s once the current supply dries out. Further still, managers have been told by Mr. and Mrs. GameStop to remove any and all signage relating to the Core. There was a rumor floating around during the summertime suggesting that MDOLLARSIGN was planning to scrap the Core altogether… → Read More
International payments processor Xoom has raised $20.29 million Series E in a round led by DAG Ventures and joined by previous investors Fidelity Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and Sequoia Capital. Xoom’s international payments platform allows users to transfer money to overseas accounts; think Western Union without the excessive fees, and you can use funds in your PayPal account for… → Read More
I like to keep things “real,” so let’s get it out of the way right now: this kid is probably smoking cannabis out of a Nintendo 64 controller. Don’t give me that, “it could be tobacco” nonsense, either. He doesn’t look a day over 14, and smoking tobacco out of a pipe (especially a pipe that looks like a cheap St. Marks bowl) doesn’t enter into a… → Read More
As we all know by now, the latest software update to the iPhone may in some cases turn it into a useless brick—if you happen to have put hacked software on it or unlocked it (ahem, John) in order to make it work on a non-AT&T carrier (such as T-Mobile, in the U.S.). Apple, of course, is free to try to lock in customers to its partner AT&T and to control what software will work on the… → Read More
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman said that “Real Estate is by far the most screwed up industry in America.” That may or may not be true, but one thing is certain: a lot of people have had negative experiences with realtors and wish there was a better way to buy and sell houses. And whenever we write about how screwed up that industry is, the realtors come out and start… → Read More
Want to know why I don’t got to the movies anymore? Because consistently and without fail all the times I’ve gone in the past two years I’ve sat behind or in front of — always very near — people talking on the phone. Seriously. So in leiu of throwing Junior Mints at them, I suspect I’ll just get this portable phone jammer for $166 and cut them off at the source. → Read More
http://embed.break.com/MzY3NTk4Mega Man 3 Intro Guitar – Watch more free videos Found via Phillyist, here’s a video of some kid chilling in his bedroom playing the Mega Man 3 intro on guitar. Sounds very 1980s, but it’s still boss. Really has that shred/arena rock feel to it. Now that I think about it, isn’t every damn Nintendo game made to sound like the 1980s? Go listen… → Read More
Hey, guys. I, John Biggs (not Mike) will be in Tokyo for CEATEC next week. If you’d like to meet up for some sake and iPhone fondling and/or Web 2.0 talk, please drop me a line at john @ crunchgear.com. My schedule is still kind of up in the air but I hope to have an evening free for karaoke. See you soon! → Read More
Two big private equity deals today. Shareholders finally approved the $8.2 billion buyout of Avaya by Silver Lake Partners and the Texas Pacific Group (not bad for an IP phone company that once was part of Lucent). And 3Com, the perpetually money-losing maker of computer networking equipment and competitor of Cisco Systems, has agreed to be acquired by Bain Capital and Chinese networking company… → Read More
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