Somebody must have given Mr. Ballmer his Valium. After blasting Intel for forcing innovation on the industry (damn their eyes!), he used his inside voice to tell us a few secrets about the Zune software. Saying the Zune itself was just the beginning, he hinted that more Zune-ish integration is on the way, including with Windows Mobile. I think that’s a good thing; the Zune interface is good… → Read More
Wahoo! Lost amongst the shuffle yesterday with the Starz announcement was this tidbit of news from the Netflix Blog. Netflix will finally support streaming on Macs by year’s end. And, for all of you Mac users (of which I am one) we’ve been busy working getting a solution that will allow you to watch instantly on your Mac. So hang in there – we’ll have something for you by the end… → Read More
Looking for hot NBA action for your next-gen console? Seriously, does anyone even watch the NBA anymore? I think I stopped watching in the mid-90′s when the Trailblazers were contenders. They were decent in the early 90s, but they suck now. 2K Sports’ NBA 2K9 is hittin’ the street October 7th for Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2, but PC gamers won’t be able to get the game till the… → Read More
It’s fake. Don’t worry. via JWZ → Read More
Not to be outdone by Samsung, Lucky Goldstar just launched the LG Renoir, a touchscreen phone running a custom OS. The phone has an 8-megapixel camera with video recording. The phone, called the Renoir, is Asia-only right now and uses HSDPA and Wi-Fi for Internet connectivity. Incidentally, Renoir was considered a failure before his death. Read more… → Read More
Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, said to Reuters that Nokia is aiming it’s Finnish guns for the iPhone. Apple, said Kallasuvo, is now a major competitor on the world stage and has essentially done the industry a “favor.” Apple, in my opinion, has done everyone a favor. No longer will we consumers be satisfied with menu-driven phones with barnacle-like UI’s left over from the… → Read More
Steve Ballmer, in a move not exactly challenging Microsoft’s unfortunate reputation as a bloated, last-generation software developer paralyzed by inertia, criticized Intel for focusing on multiple cores — a strategy Ballmer says “mandates and necessitates ongoing OS innovation.” Oh, no! Oh good heavens! What will we do? Design our OS that reflects (or influences!) the… → Read More
Yahoo News has launched a beta version of its massively popular news site that reaches a reported 44 million unique visitors a month. The new site has introduced a number of basic aesthetic changes (the font is slightly larger and there’s more space between text) along with some new design changes that incorporate rich media and gear the site to better serve its diverse variety of readers.
Alan… → Read More
In an informative interview with Shack News, Bethesda developer Pete Hines talked about the hotly anticipated game, addressing piracy, platform differences, and so on. Most refreshingly, he said that Bethesda would not be party to the draconian DRM schemes others were trying out; there will be no install limit and probably just a traditional CD-key security system. They also say they’ve done… → Read More
The dream of a short — and I mean really short — boot cycle is getting closer to reality. As it stands, though, even these experienced IT guys had to chop quite a lot off from already lean systems in order to hit their goal of CPU and drives idle after only 5 seconds. And on an Eee PC, no less. I’m not the most informed guy on Linux boot processes, but it sounds like they really… → Read More
The problem with radio waves is that they just can’t seem to pass through things. That’s why I maintain a direct line of sight to my wireless router at all times — even when I’m not using it! And with this range extender for my Airport Express, now I can make my router higher up and more visible in the room — because that’s why I bought a wireless networking… → Read More
Not to be outdone by Samsung, Lucky Goldstar just launched the LG Renoir, a touchscreen phone running a custom OS. The phone has an 8-megapixel camera with video recording. The phone, called the Renoir, is Asia-only right now and uses HSDPA and Wi-Fi for Internet connectivity. Incidentally, Renoir was considered a failure before his death. → Read More
Here’s a little more info about Punch-Out!!, which Peter briefly touched upon earlier today. Those two exclamation points are part of the title, by the way – it’s Punch Out!!, which is exactly one exclamation point more exciting than search giant Yahoo!. Anyhoo, IGN is reporting that we can expect to see Little Mac and company in the early part of next year. The graphics also look sorta… → Read More
This hack available on jailbroken iPhones allows you to hold down the home button when you quit an app to have it continue running in the background. Considering this is homebrew software, it’s probably trivial for Apple to reproduce it but, as we all know, Apple does what Apple wants to do. You can even add some XML code to assign apps that run in the background by default, a handy little… → Read More
Drivers in Pennsylvania between the ages of 50 and 75 will get to test out a new program by Allstate that’ll attempt to determine whether playing video games makes for better drivers. The pilot program will be open to 100,000 people who will be asked to play at least ten hours of memory-type games aimed at improving alertness. These drivers will then be compared to other 50- to 75-year olds who… → Read More
I guess real food wasn’t 1337 enough. These pods are filled with what are billed as crumbless, non-greasy snacks of various flavors that enhance your performance, the package being designed around (I assume) pouring them directly into your mouth. Now, I’m as disgusted as the rest of you when I look down and find myself covered in crumbs, but is that disgust enough for a company to… → Read More
Qik has announced that its video streaming software will have a shortcut pre-installed on Nokia’s just-launched 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen phone – the first deal of its kind for the still-young startup. The deal marks a big win for Qik, as it will expose the company to a wide audience while removing its biggest barrier to entry (many mobile phone users are reluctant to seek out and download new… → Read More
Sling Media, the creators of a hardware device that lets users stream their home television signal to an Internet connected device anywhere (with a software download), is preparing to launch their new video portal, Sling.com. The company first mentioned the new portal earlier this year but has been quiet since then. Read more… → Read More
Fed up with the state of UMPCs? Remember UMPCs, even? Before netbooks, there were UMPCs – basically keyboard-less netbooks. Well one enterprising individual wanted a UMPC so badly that he cannibalized his Acer Aspire One netbook. The forum post is in Spanish but from the looks of it, the device is a dual-boot setup running a stripped-down version of Vista Ultimate and Ubuntu Netbook Remix with… → Read More
Google has posted some more information about how search has been integrated into the first Android-powered phone, the T-Mobile G1, which goes on sale October 22.
Not surprisingly, search functionality pervades Android with an array of ways to query (just start typing, tap one of UI’s many search buttons, or press the G1′s dedicated search key). Dropdown suggestions are readily available as well… → Read More
The looming – or is it already here? - economic crisis is going to hurt most CE companies this Christmas season. Sony is stating though that the company is on track with 30% better sales than originally thought and even with slow holiday sales, the PS3 will hit the expectations. That means the PS3 will sell 10 million units by March of ’09 with the PSP sales hitting the slightly… → Read More
The Copyright Royalty Board has set rates that companies like Apple and Amazon must pay music publishers for each digital track they sell. And the rates, drum roll please, . . are the same as they were before: 9 cents per song. So everyone can breathe easy. iTunes won’t shut down! (Not that it ever was going to shut down, but it was a good story).
Faced with an industry in transition, with new… → Read More
Here’s an interesting little device out of Hong Kong. It’s basically a memory card reader that hooks up to your HDTV, allowing you to see your own pores in glorious 1080p. However, it’s also got a built-in HDMI switching function so you can place it in between, say, your Blu-ray player and your TV and still just only lose one HDMI input. The HD-0310, as it’s called, handles most memory… → Read More
If your power supply was fraying and, potentially, burninating, have we got a lawsuit for you. Head over to the class-action website for a list of serial codes and, if your power supply matches, you’re eligible for a replacement. The deadline is May 31, 2009. My power supply actually frayed like this and Apple replaced it a few weeks ago for free. Your first step should probably be a trip to… → Read More
Future NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Mitnick was on WBAI’s Off the Hook radio show last night, and he explained his travel horror when going from Bogotá to Atlanta. An MP3 version of the show was just posted to 2600′s Web site, which you can find here. Mr. Mitnick explains (in excruciating detail) what happened to him while he was detained. Pretty interesting, especially if you’re… → Read More
The new 5800 doesn’t look much like a tube but it is quite svelte. It’s smaller than the iPhone and even most touchscreen phones we’ve seen in a while. It’s most like the Palm Treo Pro in terms of size but it’s quite light. → Read More
The excitement around the T-Mobile G1 is palpable (as is the skepticism), and HTC is planning on the Googlephone to contribute a huge amount to their bottom line. Over the next year, they’re hoping to ship $18 billion worth of the things, with a full $7 billion of that being in the rush and holiday season. That’s a lot of phones! They really could hit those targets, especially with… → Read More
Nokia announced their Comes With Music program last month, a media download offering with backing from Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, and Universal Music Group. The system, along with the Nokia Music Store, has about 5 million tracks currently available and Nokia has announced the Music PC client for easy downloads. You can drag CDs into the application for immediate ripping. Comes With Music… → Read More
As soon as this story hits Drudge be prepared for all sorts of Chicken Little-related doom and gloom predictions. This ominous photo illustrates the absolute terror we all face. ::cough:: A team of security researchers, an innocent-sounding catch-all description if there ever was one, have discovered a new type denial of service attack that not only does the usual damage, but it also appears to be… → Read More
As Lehman Brothers sells off its assets following its bankruptcy, there is still a big question as to what will happen to its venture arm and, more importantly, how any change in ownership will affect the companies in which Lehman Brothers Venture Partners holds a stake. Like many investment banks, Lehman got into venture investing in the mid-1990s to try to capture some of those venture returns. → Read More
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