Enterprise IT looks at the emergence of cloud computing with mixed emotions. On the one hand, financial tough times breed layoffs, consolidation, and outsourcing away from IT’s control. On the other, a new breed of cloud-aware managers look to rationalize the metrics, security, and regulation challenges a distributed model brings. In the middle are companies such as Sonoa Systems, who just… → Read More
Steve Jobs rubbished Blu-ray yesterday, calling format a “bag of hurt,” no doubt putting a tear in the eye of message boarders everywhere. (How much do you want to bet that he’ll call the next revision of the iMac “epic”?) But is that a big deal, that Apple, apparently, has no interest in incorporating Blu-ray into its computers, especially when plenty of other manufacturers have… → Read More
Older 3D screen from NEC (showcased last year) NEC today announced the development of a 12.1-inch LCD panel [JP] that allows viewers to see 3-D images without having to wear 3D glasses. NEC’s 3D screen uses smaller displays (sized at 2.5 inches) that were produced back in 2004 as a technical basis. The new amorpheus silicon TFT features SVGA resolution (800×600). → Read More
Mythbusters fan? You might want to check out Prototype This which premiers tonight on Discovery Channel. It sounds like a geek hacking dream team show. Tonight, the guys build a mind-controlled car and later create what sounds like a full-size, human movement-controlled rock-em sock-em robots. The video preview on the official site should provide a little more insight. So tonight at 10 est, you… → Read More
After Nokia announced their Ovi Suite for the PC, most Mac users felt left out in the cold. Sure, third-party solutions were available as alternatives on a function-by-function basis, but none challenged the simple one-stop, one-click syncing/media handling of Ovi. Looks like the Apple crowd might be getting the attention they’ve clamored for. On Monday, a “Macintosh Software… → Read More
If you happened to pre-order a T-Mobile G1, it might be on the way via UPS right now. Reportable, the Googlephone is coming via the 3-day shipping method meaning you might get it as early as this Friday, the 17th, a couple of days before the official launch. Sounds like Christmas might be coming early this year for some T-Mobile subscribers. phandroid via Giz → Read More
What gamer doesn’t have fond memories of the Sega Dreamcast? Apparently this guy wanted to relive those Jet Set Radio days while on the go – or in his cubical. This mod started as a Lazer Doodle toy and then after a bunch of cutting, epoxing, sanding, and dreaming, the whole thing plays 10-year old games. The whole thing is gigantic when compared to a modern handheld gaming device… → Read More
Remember that Nokia viral campaign we mentioned a few days ago? In that post, I said: The obvious bet would be something involving the phone shown in the countdown (the 7610 Supernova) – but that seems a bit anticlimactic, and makes the whole omniscient phone aspect kind of pointless. Turns out, it was pointless. The mystery product is the Nokia 7610, which was announced (with a launch event… → Read More
Wii owners will be happy to hear that Rock Band 2 will, yes WILL, contain downloadable content and online multiplayer features. IGN got a hands-on with the game and assures everyone that the Wii version of Rock Band 2 is NOT just a PS2 port but a full-fledged Wii version of the game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there will be a way to transfer Rock Band songs into Rock Band 2 on the Wii… → Read More
Here’s another phone that’s destined to be bought by dozens of people, the Pantech Slate. This AT&T-branded device, which is due for release later this month, comes with all the normal (for 2006) fixings: a 1.3-megapixel camera, e-mail, IM, yada yada. Supposedly it’s the thinnest QWERTY device out there. You really do wonder, though, as everything these days is thin to one… → Read More
Japanese toymaker Tomy Co unveiled Robo-Q, which is what they say the world’s smallest walking robot. The two-legged toy is just 3.4 centimeters high and weighs 12 grams. Robo-Q can detect obstacles and navigate through a maze using built-in infrared sensors. Users can also play games such as soccer with the battery-powered robot via a wireless controller. Charging the battery for 30 minutes is… → Read More
With hundreds of thousands of G1s already pre-ordered, it looks like T-Mobile may have decided to celebrate by opening the floodgates a few days early. A number of users have reported that their order status has been changed to “Shipped”, with a tentative delivery date of Friday, October 17th. That’s just two days short of a whole week early, granting new G1 owners the whole… → Read More
Dell is finally updating the Studio 15 notebook lineup to included the latest Centrino 2 mobile technology. The updated notebooks start at $999, but the Centrino brand means the laptop sports Intel’s hot Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, an Intel 802.11agn WiFi chipset, and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 GPU. Not to shabby for a 15.4-inch slim-line notebook. Shipping now to those not willing to pay the… → Read More
So you’re racing down the road in Burnout Paradise and you’re all, “Was that an Obama ad?” Yes, yes it was. EA has confirmed that the Obama campaign is running ads in several of its video games including Madden NFL 09, Need For Speed: Carbon and, as you see here, Burnout Paradise. The ads appear only after having connected to Xbox Live—it’s not like these ads are… → Read More
The financial crisis in world markets over the past few weeks has been a real eye-opener, but even those of us who have seen our stock portfolios decline by 30 percent or more don’t have much to complain about. It could be worse. It could be a lot worse. A third of the world’s population lives in poverty, and 20 percent lives in extreme poverty, meaning they are always hungry.
What can you… → Read More
San Francisco based Technorati has acquired AdEngage, a twelve person advertising network based in Los Angeles, in an all stock transaction. The AdEngage platform will remain a free standing, branded service, and Technorati will also launch a version of the platform under its new Technorati Media brand. The size of the transaction is not being disclosed.
This follows Technorati’s August … → Read More
Google, who’s stock is down 45% this year, announces third quarter financial results tomorrow, and Silicon Valley will be watching. Analysts expect revenues of a little over $4 billion and EPS of $4.79 – and most have price targets for the stock, which closed yesterday at $363, to bounce back up to the high 500′s.
For now, the big factors affecting Google are the strengthening dollar (half their… → Read More
Although the world market for e-learning is estimated to top $52 billion in 2010 (in 2007, revenues exceeded the $17-billion mark in the US alone), it’s still quite hard to find good resources for education and training in the Web 2.0 space. It seems that so far, the e-learning industry as a whole focuses on applications for enterprises and educational institutions.
But now there is a new… → Read More
Amie Street, the music store that sells songs on a sliding price scale based on how popular they are, has launched a totally revamped website and new features including a new music player and an enhanced recommendation system. We’ve been big fans since first hearing about them in 2006.
Despite Amie Street’s growing popularity, especially in the indie music scene, the site has long had a… → Read More
Federated Media (our advertising partner) has been experimenting with “conversational marketing” almost since their launch in 2005. Today they are launching a new marketing toolbox for advertisers which gives them tools to track all the ways users interact with these ads.
The goal, says Federated Media, isn’t just to track ad impressions and clicks, but also to look at a new set of metrics like… → Read More
The Karaoke Channel, a video on demand karaoke service that is available through cable in 30 million households, is launching its own online karaoke hub. The site offers a catalog of over 5000 popular karaoke songs, including songs available in a number of foreign languages.
To gain access to the site’s full catalog, users will have to become paid members. Membership fees run around $10 a… → Read More
There’s always money in helping Websites make more money. FatTail tries to do that with its ad optimization software that tells Web publishers which ads and ad networks, in what combination, will give them the most ad dollars. The Southern California company, started in 2001 by math geeks who previously built a financial derivatives exchange, has bootstrapped itself until now.
With more than… → Read More
New MacBooks announced Test your geekdom with these extreme Rubik’s Cube-ish V-CUBEs Dude, no way – blender uses wireless power Geek up your living room with these retro gaming decals Apple palette cleanser → Read More
That’s if you pre-ordered yours on or before September 8th, suckas. If you ordered beyond that date then don’t expect your juice pack to start shipping until the 30th of October. But be warned, consumers, for the juice pack for the iP3G is still awaiting its “Works for iPhone” Apple certification, which could effect shipping dates so maybe they should have held off, no? Either way… → Read More
Today in Japan, Sharp announced the AQUOS DX series of LCD TVs with built-in Blu-ray recorders across the 16-set line. The DX series also features a 1-bit digital amp, digital W tuner to enable users to record video while watching TV. Content is recorded in H.264/AVC, which records at 5x extended HD video or roughly 22 hours of video on a 50GB disc. The sets range from 26- to 52-inches (26- and… → Read More
Today, SanDisk announced the Sansa slotMusic player, which it claims is the easiest MP3 player for “loading and listening to music on the go.” The slotMusic microSD cards were announced in September and today we see a $20 music player to play said microSD cards. Most of us are carrying cell phones with microSD slots with some archaic MP3 player built-in, so the cards themselves seem to make… → Read More
So says the official PlayStation Twitter thing. Firmware v2.5 brings Bluetooth support, auto shutoff after downloads have completed, Flash 9 support and other goodies that we reported on yesterday. Fire up those BBQ grills! No word on firmware v5.0 for the PSP though. Just got the message on my PSP to update the firmware. Sweet. → Read More
When most people think of computer games, they think of escapist titles like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, or Super Mario. Even most games that label themselves as simulations, like the ever-popular Madden football series, are meant to more for fun than realistic training.
Development studio Intelligence Gaming is behind a different kind of game, dubbed “serious gaming” – games that are… → Read More
Some people have way too much time on their hands. via The Matt Hickey → Read More
Am I right? I’m okay with Rock Band and Guitar Hero as games, but this is too much. I’ve seen so many stories about how supposed “rock bands” are now making a living by touring and playing shows. It’s a f*cking game, people. Have some respect for the folks that really make music and take it seriously. You do not need smoke and lighting effects for your stupid little… → Read More
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