It’s no secret Japan is betting high on robots to tackle future health care problems in its rapidly graying society. But robots sitting in wheelchairs is an entirely new idea, as just demonstrated at ROBOTECH 2010 in Tokyo. → Read More
Our buddy Wille in Sweden sent us some thrilling video of the International Dia Del iPhone in Sweden where Swede, blonde, ruddy, and beautiful to a one, lined up to get them some Facetime-capable phones. UPDATE – Hold the phone: China gave out McDonald’s! → Read More
In January, we broke the news that prolific Silicon Valley angel investor Dave McClure was to set up its own venture capital fund.
Yesterday, the man filed for the fund with the SEC, providing us with more details (hat tip to FormDs.com). The name will be 500 Startups – McClure has long called himself the master of 500 hats – and the initial fund will amount to max. $30 million according to the … → Read More
Apple’s earnings and revenue growth in mobile have been awe-inspiring to witness. From zero presence three years ago, Apple is now the most profitable cell phone maker in the world.
Apple’s success in this compressed period has helped it become an enormous buyer of components. In fact iSuppli projects that next year Apple will become the second-largest semiconductor buyer worldwide and may… → Read More
Focus Media, one of China’s leading digital media groups, this morning announced that it is selling a 62% indirect equity ownership of its Internet division, Allyes, to US-based private investment firm Silver Lake.
Under the terms of the agreement, Silver Lake will pay $124 million to Focus Media, in exchange for the equity ownership of Allyes. Focus Media had acquired the internet advertising… → Read More
Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Android Market watcher AndroLib says there aren’t 100,000 applications available in the store – yet. There have, however, 100,000 apps been submitted to Android Market since its public debut, the site wagered this morning, up from approximately 5,000 in June 2009.
The Androlib directory covers multiple markets, including international ones, so not all apps… → Read More
Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Android Market watcher AndroLib says there aren’t 100,000 applications available in the store – yet. There have, however, 100,000 apps been submitted to Android Market since its public debut, the site wagered this morning, up from approximately 5,000 in June 2009.
The Androlib directory covers multiple markets, including international ones, so not all apps… → Read More
Bloomberg reports that Facebook is to – probably – put off an eventual IPO until at least 2012, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
Waiting at least another year (and a half, approximately, to be clear) would reportedly give CEO Mark Zuckerberg more time to follow through on his vision without too much public scrutiny and the implications thereof, attract more users and… → Read More
Ah, the good ol’ patent minefield.
According to Law360, a paywall-shielded newswire for lawyers, Apple yesterday settled a patent infringement lawsuit with patent troll Minerva Industries, whose website is apparently currently, ahem, ‘temporarily closed under repair’.
This morning, Apple was hit with another patent infringement suit, brought on by Israeli technology holding Emblaze, which… → Read More
The Goodbyn Lunch Box: You Know, For Kids I Love This Tool Box Save Packaging By Getting Your Amazon Deliveries Via Reusable Tote DIY: A Custom Android Gaming Mount Using Spare Wii Parts The Ewee-PT, A Budget German Segway → Read More
A few weeks ago, we were alerted to a new site currently in stealth mode called Voyurl. As the name implies, the idea behind it is to make it so you can see what other people are looking at on the web (and to make your clickstream seen). It sounds creepy as hell. It’s like Blippy but with more potential porn. I love it.
But when I tried to sign up for the service, they sent me a note back that it… → Read More
All this talk about the new Kindle reminded me that I still have some questions about Amazon’s e-reader specifically, and ebooks generally. Why do people persist in comparing the Kindle to the iPad (something I first asked months ago); what is the relationship between hardback book sales and ebook sales (ditto); if e-readers keep getting more accessible, is the end of the paper book nigh? → Read More
People movers. What would we do without them? Walk, I suppose. Unfortunately, that’s not the best solution for some, whom age, injury, or circumstance have rendered less than ambulatory. For them, the Segway (or its peanut-esque cousin, Honda’s U3-X) may be a bonanza. → Read More
If you’re like me, your MacBook Pro is “gently loved”, and the lid is a little scratched up. Or maybe you just want something that looks a little more custom then what the rest of the Mac users are packing around. Whatever the reason, Recover’s skins are made in my home town of Portland, Oregon from real wood veneer. Compared to the prices you see from some vinyl sticker… → Read More
Even if not everyone will admit it, everyone likes taking pictures of themselves. I suspect it’s the not-so-secret reason why users are addicted to DailyBooth — the service which asks you to take pictures of yourself (or something you care about) to document your life. With that in mind, it’s almost as if the iPhone 4, with its front-facing camera, was built for such a service. And now the two… → Read More
Not sure how much exactly this cost Firaxis, but the Governor of Maryland has named September 21st, 2010 to officially be Civilization 5 day. This date was not selected randomly, as that coincidentally happens to be the release date announced by 2K Games. To be fair, Firaxis and Sid Meyer are both from Maryland, and the Civilization series has been considered to be educational from a historical… → Read More
This is kind of a strange rumor, and if it ends up being true, the Peel will be a strange device. Essentially, Sprint is developing another variation on the wifi hotspot – which is good – but this particular product works directly with the iPod Touch. Now assuming you can control the wifi hotspot with the iPod, and that it provides a data connection for said iPod, I like it. The… → Read More
If your inner tree-hugger cringes every time you get a single book or knick-knack wrapped up in enough packing materials for ten, then this is for you. Oh, and you have to live in Seattle. Amazon has started a program in which you can get your packages delivered to the Seattle area in these cute reusable tote bags, which they seal with tape (and a kiss) and pick up the next time they come by. The… → Read More
Not content just to “kind of” look like Apple devices, QingTing AKA Dragonfly has basically ripped off Apple wholesale, stealing the design of three of its “flagship products” – shown here is the Q Pro – as well as their web design. Who says China can’t compete in the marketplace of stolen ideas? → Read More
I honestly laid in bed last night thinking about the Chevy Volt’s $41k price tag. Seriously. When I got the press release shortly before it crossed the wire yesterday, the price seemed about right for a first-gen Voltec vehicle. The $350 lease program looked even better. I was already totally sold on the Volt after driving an early mule over a year ago and the price tag didn’t even bother me one… → Read More
Sure, it doesn’t have nearly as many sizes of this and that as your regular suitcase-sized tool box, but it makes up for that in cuteness. I think you could still fit a few more in there, though. And a tape measure, too. Designed by Tim Oelker. [via NotCot] → Read More
Just recently, I decided to hop on the minimal shoe bandwagon and picked up a pair of FiveFingers by Vibram. It’s easy to see why these things are getting popular. Racing to keep up with consumer demands, many running shoe companies have decided to follow with the minimalist shoe design. → Read More
The Canon 60D is one of those ongoing gadget bugaboos that we have seen around for months, yet have no direct confirmation. This listing, found on image testers DxO Labs’ site, seems to indicate a 60D coming out soon. Previous rumors put it out in late August or early September, so this seems to coincide nicely with that. [via Canon Rumors] → Read More
Ah, Brookstone. Whenever I’m at the mall, I make a point of stopping by you and seeing all the things I will never buy. Weather-proof foot massager? Check. Combination laser pointer/tire gauge? Check. And now — iPhone-controlled quadcopter? Double check. → Read More
Silentale publicly launched its “Dropbox for communications” service only a few months ago. The Paris-based start-up is now announcing the release of its iPhone application, so users can have access to the personal CRM service on the go.
With Silentale’s solution, users have full access to their contacts and conversation history from all major social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin) in… → Read More
First thing I thought of when I saw these new watches from Breitling was “wow, these are pretty big.” They even wear larger than their ‘mere’ 45mm wide steel case would suggest. Probably because the case is on the flatter, broader side of things. This is Breitling’s newest watch to bear the ETA SuperQuartz COSC Chronometer certified movement – in the wonderful lineage of the Breitling Aerospace. → Read More
With the debut of Groupon personalization, I have little doubt that the daily deal site will double the number of deals (and double its revenue run rate) in just a few months.
According to CEO Andrew Mason, the service is churning out 75,000 transactions per day. Through personalization, Groupon will be able to offer 20, 30 or more deals per city per day. Assuming the current growth rate in… → Read More
Despite their clear commitment to the hardware version of the Kindle, Amazon continues to make the Kindle apps that run on the iPad and iPhone better. Today, version 2.2 of the app brings a full dictionary with it. This matches the functionality of Apple’s own iBooks app, but the Kindle implementation is even a little better.
Now in the Kindle app when you highlight a word, a definition will… → Read More
Just a couple hours ago, news broke of the $99 Copia Wave5 e-reader, or tablet, or whatever you want to call a 5″ LCD-based device focused on reading. That isn’t the extent of the lineup, however: Copia has two more LCD-based tablets coming out soon, as well as two E-ink-based readers with Kindle-esque designs. → Read More
Delicious Froyo will be hitting the huge and controversial EVO 4G starting in early August, according to Sprint. The update will begin its OTA rollout on August 3rd and they expect it to be done by “mid-August.” Once it goes public, I’m sure there will be a way to force it onto your handset if you don’t feel like waiting. We’ll detail that once it happens. The… → Read More
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