It seems we only mention Google Calendar here on TechCrunch anymore when things inevitably go wrong – which means we get to cover the cloud-based calendaring service quite often, unfortunately.
We’ve been getting a ton of tips from people whose scheduled meetings and whatnot have apparently all been eaten by Google (as has The Next Web, which covered the issue of wiped out user calendars earlier this morning). → Read More
Contest: Want This Incredibly Awesome Android Pin? Drop A Comment To Enter. e-nuvo WHEEL-M: Japan Gets New Self-Balancing Robot (Video) Look out: That Windows Phone 7 Update Is Bricking Handsets Transformers 3D Glasses? No, Try Transformers 3D ‘Role Playing’ Masks Thodio iBox Is A Cute And Customizable iPod Dock DARPA’s Hummingbot UAV Now Looks Like A Hummingbird, Flies For 10 Minutes Contest: Element Case Debuts New Vapor Pro Case For iPhone 4, Drop A Comment To Enter → Read More
Fuel cells are still on their way into the mainstream, but we’re getting there, slowly. Case in point: the AF-M3000 [JP], a mini fuel cell that just requires users to add water to get it to work. What’s interesting is that Kyoto-based Aquafairy has developed the device specifically for use with smartphones. → Read More
It’s amazing, isn’t it, the Borders bankruptcy?
Not amazing in a fun way – although the idea of a typically perky Borders employee being handed their pink slip does lend itself to mean-spirited satire: “oh, pink slip, great choice, I’ve been meaning to read that one myself – did you find everything you need today? Fantastic! Do you have a Borders reward card?”
No, it’s amazing in a “woah, how the hell did that happen?” way. It seems like only yesterday that we were cursing Borders for driving local independent bookstores out of business. And yet, this time next month, America’s streets will still be littered with thousands of independent bookstores. Borders stores? Not so much. → Read More
I’ve been looking for an excuse to post a clip from the new sketch comedy show Portlandia, a dead-on parody of the Northwest and modern online life. I just found it. → Read More
Here’s a neat treat for those of you still up. Element Case is going to giveaway their new Vapor Pro case for iPhone. It doesn’t even come out until tomorrow (don’t you feel special). You can enter here by dropping a comment or retweeting this post (@crunchgear) before Thursday at 9am. Tell us why you want the case. → Read More
You’ve all seen it before: Apple products in movies. They’re everywhere, from the Mac that save the day in Independence Day to Sex and the City. According to the wiki on product placement, Apple does not pay for this, but also doesn’t say how they get in there. Last year, Apple products showed up in 30% of top movies; but the trend is decreasing — 2009 was 46%, 2008 at 50%. Many companies have learned this — go figure — from Apple and are now paying to get their products in there. → Read More
We futurists are still waiting for our roll-up TVs and cellphones. The concepts have looked pretty spectacular – who wouldn’t want to fold his laptop up like a napkin or roll her TV into a pen for their pocket protector? So… why don’t we have this ability yet? What advances in technology need to happen to make it happen? And, even so, will it happen within our lifetime? A recent study from a group of researchers in Australia sets out to make the dream a reality. → Read More
Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes. Some say no. Nobody knows. The frequencies and powers of the radiation used in them haven’t been in use long enough for us to get decent long-terms studies out of them. Sure, the FCC makes sure you’re not frying your cortex with clearly harmful emissions (talk radio doesn’t count), but it could be that after 30 or 40 years, we all get head cancer. Or we all get super powers. It could go either way.
A new study has shown that, at the very least, phones seem to have an effect on the brain. That’s not an insignificant finding. → Read More
If you’re in a business that handles sensitive information, or are just conscientious about your privacy, you might want to read this study on SSD erasure. As you know, there are ways of erasing traditional magnetic hard drives that are more or less totally irreversible. Writing all zeros, writing garbage, zeroing again, and so on. After a few cycles it’s fresh and clean.
SSDs are a different beast, though, and right now it looks like most SSDs aren’t really equipped to fully delete data. Why? It’s kind of complicated. → Read More
Because it seems like it’s Apple rumor day I’d thought I’d throw my (very small) hat in the ring. More than a year has passed since Final Cut Pro’s last release and we’ve seen two reported Steve Jobs emails talking up a product that many thought Apple had given up on (“Stay tuned and buckle up.” and “Next release will be awesome.”) but no product itself. This might change soon however, as we’re hearing that the highly anticipated revamped release of Final Cut Pro is imminent. → Read More
Bandwidth.com, a supplier of VoIP network services to Skype, Pinger, and others, has acquired Dash Carrier Services, a provider of emergency calling telephony services (i.e. 911 calling). Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed but we are told it is an all-cash deal.
Bandwidth.com provides millions of phone numbers annually and billions of minutes of calls for over 6,000 business customers in the U.S., including Skype, Pinger, Yext, and IfByPhone. For small and medium sized businesses, Bandwidth also provides integrated office phone systems, smartphones, as well as business-grade Internet connectivity. The company’s recently launched Google Voice competitor Phonebooth is a VoIP service for individuals and small businesses that provides users with a free local phone number that can be forwarded to any cell phone and landline. It also offers voicemail transcriptions, and an auto attendant feature that allows users to route callers to different employees. → Read More
Intel has released a statement saying it will be discussing “a new technology that is about to appear on the market” on Thursday, the day expected by some to bring updates to Apple’s MacBook Pro line. Coincidence? I think not. It’s almost certainly the roll-out for Intel’s big new interface, Light Peak, which was supposed to hit in 2010 but was delayed. → Read More
AppSense, which specializes in what it calls ‘user virtualization’ solutions, has raised $70 million in its very first round of funding. Interestingly, the entire investment comes from one backer, Goldman Sachs, whose managing director Pete Perrone will be joining the company’s board of directors.
AppSense says it will use the funds to “capitalize on its position as a market leader” in what it anticipates will turn out to become a $2 billion market in the next few years. → Read More
The iPad 2 nears! An iPad 3 is on the horizon! iPhone 5 is coming! Maybe an iPhone nano! New MacBook Pros! New iMacs! Maybe even an Apple television! Of all the Apple rumors out there right now, there’s a odd lack of talk about something we know is coming — and soon: OS X Lion.
Back in October of last year, Apple gave an official sneak peek of Lion and stated that it would launch in “summer 2011″. The first official day of summer is exactly 4 months away. And yet, Apple has been largely silent about the new OS since that preview four months ago. We now have the Mac App Store which we know will be a key ingredient, and likely points to some other things about the OS as well. But there has been no official update out of Apple about Lion. So where does it stand? → Read More
Okay, this is pretty amazing, but also pretty scary. The DARPA “Nano-UAV” project we’ve covered here before is entering the uncanny valley. The aim was to create a small, winged robot that could hover in one place, perhaps providing video or carrying some tiny payload. The previous versions were very robotic-looking and could barely stay in the air for more than a few seconds.
This new one? Looks just like a hummingbird, has an onboard camera, and flies for ten minutes. → Read More
With all the dashboard modding for the integrations of tablets going on, the future of in-car begins to look brighter. Most automakers force you to use their silly infotainment systems, but the company to first allow a smartphone or tablet to run the system will win in the long run. Take for example this video of a rooted NOOKcolor installed into a dashboard. It may not look fancy or do much now, but I believe in the modders out there, something cool is coming. Keep pressing. → Read More
Our little buddy @grg is working on his Atrix review as we speak but that didn’t stop the kids at iFixIt from tearing down the 4G model for us all. Inside they found what they call “microchips” and a “battery cell,” all of which combine to offer telephonic communication with outside parties. → Read More
This morning, French publication L’Express published an article stating that “Skype doesn’t respect French law and operates illegally.” Except that this is kind of yesterday’s news. Or news from 4 years ago, actually.
Back in 2007, ARCEP, the “French telecommunications police” (or the communications regulations authority, if you want to be politically correct about it) went after Skype for 3 reasons: it failed to allow the inception of calls for security reasons following a court ruling, the way that it routed emergency calls and for distributing mobile phone numbers (SkypeIn). In other words, Arcep considers Skype to be a telco whereas Skype…well, doesn’t. → Read More
You might be familiar with OnOne, an app used for controlling tethered Nikon and Canon DSLRs remotely. Well I just thought I’d let you shooters out there know that it’s been updated to support the iPad, which in my opinion makes it much more useful. The larger UI makes for error-free adjustments, and the higher-resolution viewing area means you can check focus and other details more easily. It’s not cheap: $50 for the iPad version and $20 for the iPhone version, but it looks like it might be worth the scratch. Check it out. → Read More
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