Truly Sexy Nerdy
Sexy is in SessionGoogle Is Leapfrogging Apple (via Gizmodo)
Posted on May 21, 2010
Check this article over at Gizmodo. I just recently bought the HTC incredible and I love the Android OS. I have been more excited by Google’s announcements than Apples, but see for yourself. Yesterday when I heard about Google TV I jumped for joy in a nerdy fashion. I hope the software comes to the PS3 so I dont have to buy another set top box! Check the article here
Introducting GoogleTV!
Posted on May 21, 2010Google Preparing it’s own Tablet PC (Beware Ipad!)
Posted on April 12, 2010
According to the New York Times, Schmidt (CEO of Google) told friends about the new tablet at a recent party in Los Angeles. NYT’s sources point out that Google has already been talking with publishers about delivering content for the platform. Surprisingly, Schmidt said it will not run Chrome OS—as recently shown by a Chrome OS engineer—but Android, making it the true big phone Schmidt was mocking. It makes sense to build on Android, since it already has applications.
HP’s Windows 7 Slate Device Revealed by Steve Ballmer
Posted on January 07, 2010Nexus One vs iPhone 3GS vs Droid vs Pre
Posted on January 07, 2010
Sony Going After The Kindle Market
Posted on August 25, 2009
Here’s Sony’s Press Release. I was thinking of getting a kindle. The Sony reader can handle .epub files which means I can get free books from Google Books. hmmmm anybody have any thoughts?
EXTRA, EXTRA: SONY’S DAILY EDITION ROUNDS OUT NEW LINE OF DIGITAL READERS
Wireless 3G Reader Extends Sony’s Commitment to Bring
Open Digital Reading to Mass AudienceNEW YORK, August 25, 2009 ¾ Delivering on its promise to give consumers a variety of choices, Sony today announced the third member of its new Reader family – the Reader Daily Edition™, a highly-anticipated wireless model with 3G connectivity. The Daily Edition caps its new line of Reader products, joining the Reader Pocket Edition™ and the Reader Touch Edition™ which were announced earlier this month.
The Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition are available immediately, and the Reader Daily Edition will be available this December in time for the holidays at SonyStyle stores and SonyStyle.com.
“We firmly believe consumers should have choice in every aspect of their digital reading experience,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “Today, we take another large stride to deliver on that promise. We now have the most affordable devices on the market, the greatest access to free and affordable eBooks through The eBook Store from Sony and our affiliated ecosystem, and now round out our Reader offering with a wireless device that lets consumer purchase and download content on the go.”
A Family of Three Readers
The Reader Pocket Edition sports a five-inch electronic paper display packaged in a stylish chassis and is available in a variety of colors, including navy blue, rose and silver. It is available for the ground-breaking price of $199, making it the most affordable dedicated reading device on the market.
The Reader Touch Edition features a responsive, menu-driven six-inch touch screen panel that enables quick, intuitive navigation, page turning, highlighting and note taking with the swipe of a finger or by using the included stylus pen. It comes in red, black or silver and retails for about $299.
The Reader Daily Edition gives consumers wireless access via AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband network to Sony’s eBook store from just about anywhere in the U.S. Book lovers will be able to browse, purchase and download books as well as select newspapers and magazines when and where they want. There are no monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity and users still have the option to side load personal documents or content from other compatible sites via USB.
The seven-inch wide, touch screen display provides for intuitive navigation and comfortable layout of content, including newspapers and magazines, whether you’re reading in portrait or landscape orientation. In portrait mode, about 30-35 lines of text are visible, making the experience very similar to that of a printed paperback book. A high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale ensures that text and images are crisp and easy to read. The Daily Edition also boasts an attractive aluminum body with an integrated cover for durability. It has enough internal memory to hold more than one thousand standard eBooks and expansion slots for memory cards to hold even more. It will sell for about $399.
All three models feature Sony’s award-winning industrial design and an E Ink® Vizplex™ electronic paper display that emulates the look of ink on paper. Sony’s eBook Library software 3.0, which now includes support for many Apple® Macintosh® computers as well as PCs, makes it easy to transfer and read any Adobe® PDF (with reflow capability), EPUB, Microsoft® Word®, BBeB® files, or other text file formats on the Reader.
Access to Even More Content at the eBook Store by Sony
In addition to announcing a new family of Readers, Sony has also made several changes and improvements to its eBook Store to provide better access to an even greater variety of ebooks. Earlier this summer Sony announced the availability of more than one million free public domain books from Google, and the company made new releases and New York Times bestseller titles available for $9.99.
Today also marks the launch of Sony’s Library Finder application. Sony, working with OverDrive (www.overdrive.com), the leading global digital distributor of eBooks and to libraries, will now offer visitors to the eBook Store by Sony easy access to their local library’s collection of eBooks. Thousands of libraries in the OverDrive network offer eBooks optimized for the Sony Reader, and visitors can now find these libraries by typing their zip code into the Library Finder. Through the selected library’s download website, visitors can check out eBooks with a valid library card, download them to a PC and transfer to their Reader. At the end of the library’s lending period, eBooks simply expire, so there are never any late fees.
The Reader Pocket and Touch Editions, as well as available accessories such as AC adaptors, cases and covers with reading lights, are available now at SonyStyle.com and SonyStyle stores. Book lovers interested in trying out a Reader in person will also be able to find them for sale at Best Buy, BJs, Borders, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target, Toys”R”Us, Wal-Mart and other authorized retailers nationwide.
DIGITAL READING ECOSYSTEM EXPANDS FOR SONY’S READER
NEW YORK, August 25, 2009 ¾ Further evidence of the broad support for its open approach to digital reading, Sony today announced relationships with a variety of traditional and digital publishers who provide content in industry standard formats to create a universe of reading material compatible with the Reader.
All of these sites will offer content in the EPUB format, the International Digital Publishing Forum’s (IDPF) XML-based standard format for reflowable digital books and publications. EPUB has gained acceptance among major trade book publishers with dozens of publishers already producing the majority of their eBooks using the standard. Sony recently announced that the company is transitioning its entire content library to the EPUB format, giving consumers the freedom to purchase or download free eBooks from the eBook Store by Sony and read them on any EPUB-compatible device.
“From the beginning, we have said that an open format means more choice for consumers,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “Now, working with other industry leaders, we can provide a device that is compatible with the widest selection of content available. Readers can shop around for what interests them rather than be locked into one store.”
Sony’s eBook Store already provides access to more than one million public domain Google Books in EPUB format and, starting today, Sony’s Library Finder application will go live. Library Finder offers visitors to the eBook Store by Sony easy access to their local library’s collection of eBooks. Thousands of libraries offer eBooks optimized for the Sony Reader, and visitors can now find these libraries by typing their zip code into the Library Finder. Through the selected library’s download website, visitors can check out eBooks with a valid library card, download them to a PC and transfer to their Reader.
Other sites offering EPUB content include:
* Independent Bookstores – More than 200 participating members of the American Booksellers Association-including stores such as Tattered Cover (Denver, CO) and Vroman’s Bookstore (Pasadena, CA)-will have the ability to sell e-content to consumers beginning this fall. The stores using ABA’s IndieCommerce platform will offer content in the EPUB format and protected by Adobe’s Content Server 4 (ACS4) digital rights management, which is compatible with Sony e-Reader products. In addition, plans are underway to make Sony’s e-Reader devices available for purchase from independent bookstores in time for this holiday season. ABA is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members – independently owned bookstores with storefront locations – through education, information dissemination, business products and services, and advocacy.
· BooksOnBoard – BooksOnBoard, the largest independent eBook bookseller and member of both the ABA and IDPF, has been a staunch supporter of the EPUB standard through its founder Bob Livolsi. BooksOnBoard was the first eBook site to offer the EPUB standard to its burgeoning customer base and has sold more EPUB formatted books than any other online bookstore. BooksOnBoard believes that the EPUB standard significantly benefits the publisher, authors and most importantly the consumer.
· NetGalley – NetGalley is an innovative and easy-to-use online service and connection point for book publishers, reviewers, media, librarians, booksellers, bloggers and educators. NetGalley delivers digital galleys and promotional materials to professional readers and helps promote new and upcoming titles. Starting today, NetGalley will support the Reader with the ability to download a protected PDF file and this fall the company will offer digital galleys in EPUB format.
* Powell’s Books and Powells.com – Powell’s Books is the largest independent bookseller in the world. Innovative since its inception in 1971, it was one of the first booksellers online (beginning in 1994), and one of the first to sell eBooks for reading devices (the Rocket eBook) in 1999. Powell’s offers EPUB content for a wide range of compatible devices, including the Sony line. Powell’s is an important player in the open access world of eBooks, where titles are provided by a wide range of publishers in a competitive retail environment, read on a range of devices, and downloaded and owned by millions of people around the world.
Updated Mac laptops unveiled at WWDC 2009
Posted on June 08, 2009
The 15″ and 13″ MacBook Pros now feature an SD card slot to be replacing the ExpressCard slot of yore. Personally, I have never found a use for the ExpressCard slot but I imagine those with mobile data packages will be less than stunned. For the Firewire crowd there’s some good news, the 13″ MacBook Pro now has FireWire (again) so we can all put our pitchforks down.
The 15″ MacBook Pro now starts at $1,699US featuring the 2.53GHZ Core 2 Duo and GeForce 9400 graphics only. Step-up models priced at $1,999 and $2,299 feature the 9400M and 9600M GT combo.
* $1,699US: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDD
* $1,999US: 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 320GB
* $2,299US: 2.80GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 500GB HDDThe 13″ MacBook Pro is essentially a re-badged unibody MacBook but now featuring an SD card slot, Firewire, and the 7-hour battery hotness The new 13″ MBP can be had with hard drives up to 500GB in capacity and RAM sizes up to 8GB. It didn’t take long for the aluminum 13-incher to best its white sibling.
* $1,199US: 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 160GB HDD
* $1,499US: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDDThe MacBook Air has also received a little love in terms of specs increase and price decrease:
* $1,499US: 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 120GB HDD
* $1,799US: 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 128GB SSD
iPhone 3GS Complete Feature Guide
Posted on June 08, 2009
Speed
• Faster than the previous generation: Launching messages is 2.1 faster, load the NY Times in Safari: 2.9 times faster.
Camera
• New camera, with auto focus, auto exposure, and auto white balance.
• You can also tap to focus, changing white balance in the process. That is neat.
• Special macro and low light modes.
• It supports video, 30 frames per second VGA with auto focus, auto white balance, and auto exposure.
• Can trim video with a tap of the finger, and share it with MMS, email, MobileMe and YouTube.
Connectivity
• It supports the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA standard.
Graphics
• Includes hardware to support the OpenGL|ES standard.
Design
• Same design as before.
• Greener materials: Arsenic-free glass, BDF-free, Mercury-free LCD.
Special features
• It has a compass application, which works with the included magnetometer. It’s integrated into the new maps, showing orientation, alongside longitude and latitude.
• Voice control. You can now talk with your iPhone, Enterprise-style. You can instruct it to play similar songs to the one you are playing, or call people.
• Nike + support built in.
• Supports accessibility features, like zooming on text, inverting video, and voice over when you touch whatever text is on screen.
Battery life
• Increased battery life.
Price and availability
• $199 for 16GB version.
• $299 for 32GB version.
• Available in June 19th.
PlayStation Motion Controller
Posted on June 02, 2009
From Gizmodo
And here it comes: After Xbox 360’s Project Natal, Sony is also adding their own motion controller to the PS3, aptly named The PlayStation Motion Controller. It’s the best motion control demo that we have ever seen, but it may be arriving a little too late.
The sampling of the motion is 1 to 1 and extremely accurate and smooth, very tight, and moving at 60 frames per second.
Like the Wiimote, the new controller is a stick. However, instead of using gyroscopes and electronics, the , the PlayStation Motion Control is much simpler and elegant—and apparently way more effective. It uses a technique similar to Hollywood-style motion capture, with the PS Eye camera tracking a purple ball on the stick. There can be two sticks stick, which also has a trigger for first person shooters. The actual effect on screen is amazing, and seems to even kill the Wii Plus. The only bad news: The PlayStation Motion Controller will be launched in Spring 2010.
The only question is: Would it be able to compete with the stick-less Project Natal?
PSP Go!
Posted on June 02, 2009
echnical features
• 3.8-inch LCD screen.
• Sliding control pad.
• 16GB internal flash storage.
• Wi-Fi.
• Bluetooth.
• M2 Memory Stick Micro port.
• No second analog joystick.
• No UMD drive.
• Sense Me application will allow you to playback music based on moods.
• Available in black and white models.
Physical features
• 50% smaller than the original PSP.
• 40% lighter than the original PSP.
Game and media distribution
• All PSP titles going forward will be digitally distributed through the PlayStation Store, but also on UMD for the regular PSP.
• The video delivery service will offer more than 9400 TV shows—Showtime, Anime Network, Manga, UFC, HDNet, E!, G4, Magnolia…—and 1900 movies.
• On the PC there will be an application called Media Go, which will access the PS Store—I guess this will be the equivalent of the iTunes Store.
Availability and pricing
• The PSP Go! will be available for $249 and 249 euros
• Launch date: October 1st in Europe and North America. November 1st in Japan.
• PSP toolkits will be reduced 80% in price for developers.
Microsoft Unvelis The ‘Project Natal’!
Posted on June 02, 2009APPLE TO BUY TWITTER?
Posted on May 05, 2009
Could Apple Buy Twitter?
By Owen ThomasFacebook tried to buy Twitter. Google and Microsoft have been giving the red-hot Internet-messaging startup the eye. But we hear it’s Apple that’s closest to sealing a deal, possibly for as much as $700 million.
A source who’s plugged into the Valley’s deal scene and has been recruited by Apple for a senior position says Apple and Twitter are in serious negotiations, with the goal of unveiling a deal by June 8, when Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference launches in San Jose.
Twitter turned down a $500 million offer in cash and stock from Facebook, in part because Twitter’s investors couldn’t agree on whether Facebook’s stock was worth as much as Facebook said it was. But Apple could easily pay cash. A source familiar with the thinking of Twitter’s board says the company would be hard-pressed to refuse an all-cash offer in the range of $700 million. (Is Twitter really worth that? Since it’s business is nothing but a fantasy at this point, any valuation, high or low, is a matter of make-believe.)
What does Twitter, an adorable but unprofitable startup, have to do with a hardware company like Apple? The iPhone is the obvious driver of the deal: The many iPhone apps like Tweetie that people use to post Twitter messages are hot sellers for Apple. But Apple gets the benefit of Twitter-addicted iPhone users whether or not it owns Twitter. And it seems like an odd cultural fit, since Apple’s hardly known for its Web prowess.
That’s where the deal makes a certain amount of sense, if you understand the particular culture of those who work on the Web. While Apple might have its pick of hardware designers and software engineers, Web developers are a breed apart — and they have balked at working at a company like Apple, which may look innovative to the world at large, but seems fusty and hidebound to the Mission hipsters who build websites. You’ll hear the complaints: Apple’s secretive and paranoid, resistant to the wide-open ways of the Web.
Twitter , of course, is open in both nature and spirit. Users overshare every last detail of their lives, while Twitter makes these updates available on its website, via RSS, and through third-party applications. Apple is surely realizing it needs to play in this world, and needs someone to show it the way. Is it coincidence that Apple has put Twitter executives on stage so frequently, or that it profiled Twitter as a “business” recently?
If Apple buys Twitter, it won’t be about making money. It will be about making a statement. In 140 characters or less.
(Photoillustration via Virality)
BusinessWeek: Apple Rumored to Bring Tablet and iPhone Lite to Verizon Soon
Posted on April 28, 2009
BusinessWeek cites two sources reporting that Verizon might get an iPhone “lite” and a connected touchscreen Apple tablet as early as this summer.
We’ve heard talk like this for a long time, but BusinessWeek isn’t going to stick its neck out for rumors that aren’t at least well sourced, and on top of that, the reporters, Arik Hesseldahl and Spencer Ante, say that Verizon boss Lowell McAdam himself told them that he’d spoken with Steve Jobs in the past six months about a deal.
There aren’t many details, except that the phone and the tablet would be different from the iPhone that AT&T sells, presumably so that it wouldn’t interfere with the exclusivity deal currently in place. Much of the piece deals with the hedges, that is, why this whole thing may not go down in the end. Here’s the bulk of it:
It’s possible both sides may disagree over financial terms, such as how big a subsidy Verizon Wireless might pay for each device or whether to share monthly service revenue with Apple. Another deal breaker could be disagreements over distribution of wireless software applications. Apple is the exclusive provider and distributor of apps for the AT&T iPhone. If Apple requests a similar deal on newer devices, Verizon Wireless may balk.
For what it’s worth, I think the buzz is getting too loud to ignore totally. This clearly smells like Apple’s next move, and for Verizon’s sake, I hope it’s true, and not just a ploy by Apple to get a nicer exclusivity contract with AT&T.
Source: Gizmodo
BakerTweet
Posted on April 03, 2009
BakerTweet from BakerTweet on Vimeo.
BakerTweet is made up of a bunch of Arduino hardware and a Wi-Fi adapter encased in a “bakery-proof” box with a simple knob to twist to select what just came out of the oven. BakerTweet then sends the blurb out over Twitter, where anyone can see.
BlackBerry App World officially comes to life
Posted on April 02, 2009
Ladies and gentlemen, the highly anticipated and long-awaited BlackBerry App World is out and ready to roll. Now you can officially wonder where your emails, SMS and call history went once you jam pack your memory with apps galore. For those who were feeling a little iPhone envy, you can now enjoy tons of your own apps for the BlackBerry with many being developed by the same folks who produced some of the iPhone apps. All you have to do is download BlackBerry App World and grab some premium or free apps for your enjoyment. For now, a PayPal account is required to purchase apps but RIM is working on getting other forms of payment in the works soon. Some of the apps include Shazam, Bloomberg and a fun little game called Brain Challenge 2. We all know this is just a start as developers are still cranking away with their apps, so there is still a lot more to look forward to!
WiiSpray
Posted on April 02, 2009
The WiiSpray Project is essentially a platform developed to create “virtual graffiti” through the use of Wii technology. Originally developed in the Spring of 2007 by students Martin Lihs and Frank Matuse, the WiiSpray has quickly emerged as a legitimate creation allowing one or more people to interact creatively independent of space and time. What makes the WiiSpray even more unique is its ability to create works that could be saved on a server, independent of particular platforms. Further detailed information regarding this innovative project can be found at WiiSpray.com.
Pacemaker Portable DJ System
Posted on April 02, 2009We give you a look at the latest Pacemaker video commercial. The portable DJ system has turned quite some heads since its release last year. In May Pacemaker will be releasing their new model No. 666, with more feature, more memory and probably also other upgrades. More on that soon, until then check out the video!
Yankee Stadium’s New HDTV
Posted on March 26, 2009
This is pic is taken by a local CBS affiliate in New York, the pics show early tests of the 103-by-58-foot, 1080p HD Mitsubishi Diamond Vision LED display, which is six times larger than the screen at old Yankee Stadium. According to Mitsubishi, the display is embedded with 8,601,600 LED lamps (covering a total of 5,925 square feet), and can put up to four simultaneous images, with picture-in-picture capabilities.
Read more here
Blockbuster Coming to TiVo
Posted on March 26, 2009
That Blockbuster plans to bring its On Demand service to TiVo is news enough — the Netflix rival certainly needs to shift its streaming movie service onto more devices than the proprietary MediaPoint player you currently need in order to use it.
In fact, this news should tickle TiVo owners, whose box is fast becoming the best single way to watch movies instantly via the internet. But the news that is catching everybody’s attention is a small fact that Blockbuster senior VP Kevin Lewis let slip when talking to Reuters — Blockbuster will stream content to “Apple devices”. Sadly, Reuters didn’t quote directly, so we don’t know which devices exactly, only that they will be “the normal places that consumers want to watch movies.”
This could just mean a Mac client, something it took Netflix a while to get around to. Or it could mean iPhone or Apple TV. Or it could mean absolutely nothing. Remember Adobe’s increasingly desperate bleats that it is bringing Flash to the iPhone, and that “Apple and Adobe are collaborating”? This “collaboration” was in fact wishful thinking on the part of Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayan.
Could it be that this is merely a Freudian Slip on the part of Lewis? That his desire to be on the iWagon is so great that it bubbled up from Blockbuster’s collective unconscious and spilled out all over the TiVo announcement? We don’t know, but if company philosophy is any indicator, we’d put money on a Netflix/AppleTV double-team instead.
What we do know is the the whole TiVo lineup will be able to use the Blockbuster service in the second half of the year. There will be 10,000 titles to choose from. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but they are likely to be similar to today’s Blockbuster.com prices, at $2-$4 for rentals and $10+ for purchases. The biggest shock, though is this quote from Lewis: “You have to think about what the consumer wants.” Yes, he really said that.
via Wired
Found Footage: Kevin Rose on iPhone 3.0 features
Posted on March 16, 2009Here’s a short video from SXSW with DiggNation hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose, where Rose goes through a laundry list of iPhone 3.0 features that will allegedly be announced tomorrow during the Apple Press Event.
