Thursday, September 30, 2010

AT&T Chief Isn't Worried About Losing iPhone Exclusivity

, Apple's on track to deliver the iPhone on U.S. carriers other than AT&T early next year, the latest reports claim -- meanwhile AT&T isn't worried at losing up to 1.5 million users to another network, because it has its users "trapped" into long-term deals.

iPhone for Verizon?

Apple will build its first 3 million Verizon-compatible CDMA iPhones in December 2010, one analyst said this morning citing contacts inside Apple's maufacturing supply chain. (I wonder if these used a new production process, or not?)

Susquehanna Financial Group (and ex-Merril Lynch) analyst, Jeffrey Fidacaro, gave us the numbers with promise of an early 2011 launch. The three million units made increase iPhone production in calendar Q4 to around 22 million.

[This story is from Computerworld's Apple Holic blog. Follow on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson isn't so concerned, telling investors that despite the potential loss of the exclusive deal to sell iPhones in the United States that the market for integrated devices has plenty of upside.

More specifically, Stephenson notes that most iPhone customers are locked into long-term contracts.

"If you look at the iPhone base, about 80 per cent is either on a family-talk plan or in a business relationship with us," Stephenson added. Those customers tend to be very sticky. They don't churn very frequently."

Customers will desert AT&T

Analysts are split on just how many customers AT&T will lose if and when the iPhone is made available on other U.S. networks.

Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin thinks the carrier will lose 23 percent of its iPhone users -- around 1.4 million subscribers.

A previous Pali Research forecast last year predicted more danger, "We estimate that nearly a third of AT&T's post-paid customers are being retained by AT&T primarily because of the iPhone exclusivity," the researchers said.

And an August Morspace survey said that 34 percent of AT&T iPhone users were waiting to upgrade their device until another carrier could offer the device. One more big deal: 47 percent were pondering a shift to Verizon.

Ain't so bright for iWhite

Returning to Fidacaro, there's some potential bad news for those of us waiting in line for a white iPhone.

Apple has previously explained that unexpected manufacturing challenges have delayed launch of white models, but Fidacaro thinks it may slip further, saying,

"Our checks show that Apple is still struggling with yields on the mass production of the white iPhone 4."

Overall, Fidacaro estimates Apple will sell 11.6 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year (that ends this month). This is a new record showing a 39 percent year-on-year increase in sales.

iPhone growth slowing down?

That sounds nice, but it isn't. A 39 percent growth quarter would actually equate to the second-lowest growth quarter the iPhone has ever seen.

This suggests the analyst has revised expectations downward, likely reflecting the double impact of Android and potential slow sales in response to the widely-reported 'Antenna-gate' fiasco.

Asymco's Horace Dediu responds to this,
calling the 39 percent figure "hard to believe because every launch quarter has usually been breaking records for growth."

The numbers: "The 3G launch saw 516 per cent growth and the 3GS saw 644 percent. To see 39 percent for the iPhone 4 makes me wonder especially as the comparable year ago quarter was not a launch quarter so growth should be off a low base," that analyst writes.

News on the iPad:

Stephenson says around half a million iPad owners use AT&T's 3G network to get their devices online. The company is currently the only network to offer mobile broadband network access for the iPad in the U.S.

The AT&T boss expects a thriving market for connected devices will emerge in the coming years, pointing out that as an industry this one is in a very early stage of development.

Fidacaro says suppliers will build 7 million iPads to meet demand in the the current quarter.

However, then it gets a little odd with the analyst adding that he expects Apple to ship 4.75 million units in the current quarter, (up 45 percent from last quarter), for an estimated total of 13.4 million unit sales in calendar 2010.

I must admit, Fidacaro's iPad figures sound low for a product that had already seen 3.27 million sales as of June 26, 2010 and which has only just hit some key new markets, including China.

Magical? Maybe

I'd also note the overwhelming thumbs-up received by the iPad in a recent American Consumer Satisfaction Index survey, which describes the iPad as the highest-scoring product in terms of consumer satisfaction that ACSI has ever tracked.

Let that remark sink in. Of all the products ACSI has collected consumer satisfaction information on across the last 14 years, the iPad is the product that most customers have most liked.

Naturally, this doesn't mean everyone is happy. Computerworld's very own Scott Finnie isn't entirely satisfied, he loves it but thinks it could be much, much better at content creation.

I've had similar recent feedback from one friend, bed-ridden after a hit-and-run accident, who gets frustrated at the relative difficulty of invoking cut and paste and the infuriating nature of unwanted auto-complete when trying to write complex industry-specific technical terms.

You can expect Apple to improve these things in its usual incremental way. Particularly as the company plots the future direction of its device, explores new technologies and moves towards making iPhones the wallets and car keys of the future.

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NVIDIA reaches settlement in class action suit affecting Apple, Dell, HP laptops

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Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones

BEATS? BY DR. DRE? AND MONSTER� INTRODUCE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOUND

Beats? by Dr. Dre? and Monster� announced today five new products that redefine the music experience and present exciting new listening opportunities. The new additions to the Beats family include: Beatbox?, the brand's first digital sound system with iPod docking station that expands the Beats experience from individual enjoyment of high-end audio quality to a social experience; Powerbeats?, a ground breaking new sports performance headphone inspired by 2009 and 2010 NBA MVP Lebron James; Beats Pro?, a breakthrough studio-quality headphone for professionals and prosumers; iBeats?, affordably priced in-ear headphone ideal for use with the Apple iPad?, iPod?, iPhone� and all portable music players; and JustBeats?, a collaboration with pop music phenomenon Justin Bieber and the first headphones specially aimed at "opening the ears" of young music fans to the richer listening experience that comes with high quality sound. The new Beats? by Dr. Dre? products from Monster will be available at leading U.S. retailers in coming weeks, in addition to the UK, France and Germany.

Reaffirming the Beats? by Dr. Dre? Commitment to Great Performance and Style

Beats? by Dr. Dre? was co-founded by legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. All of the Beats? by Dr. Dre? products are engineered to the most demanding specifications in order to reproduce the full sound of todays digitally produced, sonically demanding R&B, rock, and hip-hop music styles, while giving users the opportunity to express their personal style.

Dr. Dre noted: "What you're seeing today is what me and Jimmy set out to do with Beats. It's not just about headphones it's about changing the whole game in terms of the listening experience. And it's still just the beginning..."

Head Monster Noel Lee noted: "Beats? by Dr. Dre? headphones from Monster have become incredibly popular because they offer a dramatically enhanced, more powerful and more emotionally engaging music listening experience. With the debut of these five new products, we're vastly expanding the Beats family and giving people brand new opportunities for enjoying the 'Beats Sound' in a wide range of environments, style choices and price points. Each new product incorporates advanced sonic technologies derived from the renowned Beats headphone lineup, including the proprietary bass drivers in Beatbox?, the ambient noise-isolation capabilities of Beats Pro? and the high-end audio refinements of iBeats? and Just Beats? ? the result is unprecedented audio quality and dynamics with total flexibility and listening luxury."

Beatbox?: "Bring the Party Home"

The Beatbox? is a "game-changing" digital sound system and iPod dock that expands the Beats experience from individual enjoyment of high-end audio quality to a social experience ? one that lets users literally "bring the party home," unleashing the driving bass, lush midrange, and soaring highs of a multi-speaker club system in one amazing compact and portable box. Beatbox is the first non-headphone product from the Beats? by Dr. Dre? line of products.

"A party in a box", the Beatbox?, brings iPod? and iPhone� music to life in an astounding new way. The product features innovative digital amplification circuitry for jaw dropping performance, with proprietary dual 5.25-inch long throw bass drivers for superior bass reproduction and two optimized 2-inch concave high frequency drivers for precise soundstaging. The Beatbox? plays all styles of music effortlessly, and is engineered to handle the most demanding sonic challenges, including hip-hop.

To create the uniquely stylish Beatbox?, the Beats? by Dr. Dre? team continued its long term development collaboration with renowned San Francisco-based industrial design firm Ammunition and its founder Robert Brunner. The result is a product that offers the ultimate in aesthetic form-meets-function. With its sleek black trapezoidal shape, the simple yet elegant Beatbox? is designed to be the center of the party. The iconic shape even lets users place the Beatbox? in a corner and still enjoy room-filling sound, with incredibly powerful bass. The cabinet features a rugged ABS housing in a subtle black-on-black color scheme with an easy to carry ergonomically designed handle for easy, comfortable portability. The top surface has a soft touch finish and the speaker grill is made of steel with a semi-gloss black finish. The Beatbox? also features tactile silicone rubber for the power button, volume knob, and feet. The BeatBox? presents a stunning minimalist aesthetic combined with superior audio performance to truly set the design benchmark in portable audio

"In my opinion, the Beatbox isn't here a minute too soon! Dre and I have been looking for something portable that could fill a room. This product allows you to feel the bass and yet hear every dynamic of the song. It literally is a party in a box," said Iovine.

Powerbeats?: "The Power of Sound"

Beats? by Dr. Dre? and Monster have teamed with 2009 and 2010 NBA MVP LeBron James of the Miami Heat to develop a groundbreaking new performance sports headphone ? Powerbeats?. The stylish, ultra durable headphones, which will be available in black, red and white styles, combine the unprecedented sound quality made possible by Monster engineering with innovative new design elements that make them ideal for use by sports enthusiasts, athletes and anyone who wants to bring a superior music listening experience to his or her active lifestyle.

"Dre and LeBron work out all the time and have been looking for an earbud that has the power but stays on and delivers the inspiration of music consistently. Powerbeats is the answer. It's a combination of in and on ear with two drivers that delivers the power and keeps you moving in the toughest of workouts," Iovine added.

To ensure optimum sound quality, Powerbeats? feature an exclusive new dual driver design that features two unique speakers, with a built-in subwoofer that pumps out massive bass, and a midrange tweeter that reproduces ultra smooth vocals and clear, crisp highs. Users enjoy the legendary Beats sound with clarity and power at any volume. Additionally, the non-noise occluding headphone eartip is ported so listeners can enjoy their music while still being aware of peripheral sounds that deserve their attention, such as the sirens of emergency vehicles, phone calls or other audio cues. Among the new active lifestyle-friendly design elements in Powerbeats? is an adjustable/bendable ear hook with a flexible arm that runs around the outside of the ear to keep the headphones securely in place during vigorous activities such as exercising, jogging, biking, or even competitive basketball.

Beats Pro?: "Hear it like the Pros"

The state-of-the-art, over-ear Beats Pro? headphones are the flagship product in the Beats headphone line? a reference headphone designed by audio professionals for audio professionals. They combine sophisticated construction and advanced sonic technologies to deliver the power, extra durability and sound isolation that until now has been lacking in professional headphones. Ideal for in-studio production and ultimate quality music listening, Beats Pro? headphones are tailored for use by discriminating music lovers, producers, engineers and musicians.

To recreate the quietness of an isolated recording studio listening experience, Beats Pro? headphones feature a variety of ambient noise-isolation capabilities, allowing users to hear the music clearly, even in the noisiest environments. And notably, to create a headphone capable of standing up to the rigors of rough and repeated professional use, every aspect of Beats Pro? headphones was designed for rock-solid durability. Built from strong yet lightweight aluminum for rugged use on-the-go, Beats Pro's flip up ear cups let DJs monitor the room without taking the headphones off. Dual input/output cable ports even enable users to share mixes by daisy-chaining headphones. Most importantly, in addition to their all-metal body construction, Beats Pro? feature tough all-metal hinges, often a "weak point" in conventional headphones with plastic hinges.

iBeats?: "Hear What the Artist Intended"

With the introduction of iBeats? in-ear headphones, the breakthrough Beats listening experience is now more affordable than ever before. Specially engineered to reproduce high-resolution sound from the iPad?, iPod?, iPhone� and all portable music devices, iBeats? feature a new sealed in-ear design that literally reduces external noise for a better music experience. Monster's exclusive driver design pumps out deep bass, soaring highs and ultra-clear midrange response. The solid metal iBeats? construction provides durability and eliminates vibrations for incredibly clear, rock-solid sound. The ultra lightweight iBeats? are ideal for exercising and active lifestyles, and Monster's super-convenient Monster ControlTalk? headphone cable can be used with iPhone? and iPod? for music playback control as well as to take hands-free calls with iPhone� and many smartphones. Notably, the specially designed iBeats? cables make tangles a thing of the past, and for total user comfort and flexibility, three custom-fit eartip sizes ensure secure fit every time.

"We live in a time when most young people experience music for the first time from a terribly compressed file to an inadequate earbud. Most earbuds are made very poorly and don't come close to reproducing the music in your iPod. Beats has come up with an affordable comfortable solution to buy for your iPod. It makes no sense to have an iPod and then have an earbud that doesn't deliver half the sound and emotion," said Iovine.

JustBeats?: "Sound is the Emotion Between Us"

Available in both in-ear and stylish on-ear versions, JustBeats? by Dr. Dre? are the first high quality Beats? headphone specifically aimed at "opening the ears" of young music listeners. Most young music fans are used to listening to their favorite songs on standard earbuds and computers, having never been exposed to high-quality sound. JustBeats? deliver the richer Beats? by Dr. Dre? listening experience, in a stylishly hip on-ear headphone featuring an eye-catching matte purple finish, Justin's favorite color, and an in-ear version featuring a purple and chrome finish. The introduction of JustBeats? is a major step forward in brining a new level of sound quality and the enhanced audio experience of Beats? by Dr. Dre? to younger audiences. JustBeats will be exclusively available at Best Buy for this holiday season.

"We asked Justin Bieber to help us with the message of sound really matters. Young people today are being introduced to music through inferior technology in the form of ripped mp3's, ill designed laptops and crippled earbuds and headphones. When they listen to music because of the inferior quality of earbuds the only recourse they have is volume, which isn't going to do anything but damage their ears. Justin is a great musician that puts a lot of care into his music -- who better qualified to take this message to the kids," said Iovine.

Pricing for the new Beats? by Dr. Dre? products are as follows:

Beatbox? by Dr. Dre? (SRP: $399.95)
Powerbeats? In-ear Headphones by Dr. Dre? (SRP: $169.95)
Beats Pro? by Dr. Dre? (SRP: $449.95)
iBeats? by Dr. Dre? (SRP: $119.95)
JustBeats? by Dr. Dre? (SRP: $199.95 for on-ear version, $119.95 for in-ear version)

* The ControlTalk remote and mic are supported by iPod nano (4th and 5th generation), iPod classic (120GB), iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPhone 3GS and newer, but not all, Blackberry models. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires software version 1.0.3 for iPod nano (4th or 5th generation), 2.0.1 for iPod classic (120GB), and 2.2 or later for iPod touch (2nd generation). Support for Blackberry varies by model. Subject to change.

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Spirit Jailbreak download: iPhone 3.1.3, iPod touch 3.1.3, and iPad 3.2!

Spirit Jailbreak downloadThe Spirit Jailbreak download is now available. The Spirit Jailbreak sofware is a userland jailbreak created by iPhone hacker comex, with the help of CHPWN. It is the first iPad jailbreak in existence, and it?s pretty easy to use. All you do is just click ?Jailbreak?. It works with iPhone 3.1.3 firmware and iPod touch 3.1.3 firmware as well.

The Spirit Jailbreak download is really tempting to try, but I don?t want to download it yet because I just got my iPad and I?m not sure if it?s worth it to jailbreak iPad yet. I?ll wait until all the bugs are ironed out. What about you?

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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

DRM Library From Microsoft Opens Your Computer to Attacks

Microsoft has been a proponent of DRM (digital rights management) for some time now, and has built in a number of protections to every level of its operating system.

The msnetobj.dll library, an ActiveX Network Object, is no exception: according to BoingBoing, msnetobj.dll ?is intended to prevent the owner of a computer from saving or viewing certain files except under limited circumstances, and to prevent the computer's owner from disabling? the library.

Aside from mandating what sort of files you can and can?t open on your computer, msnetobj.dll is susceptible to three different types of attacks: denial of service, buffer overflow, and integer overflow. Exploit Database notes that ?this issue is triggered when an attacker convinces a victim user to visit a malicious website? and that a hacker could then exploit these holes to run malicious code on your system.

What?s a user to do? Make sure your virus and anti-spyware software is up to date and that you?re scanning your computer frequently.

[Via BoingBoing]

More security nerdery from GeekTech...

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BlackBerry PlayBook Touts Impressive Specs

Research in Motion has just announced the BlackBerry PlayBook, a tablet device designed to compete with Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab. Slated for release in the Spring of 2011, the device will feature multi-tasking, Flash 10.1 support, front and rear-facing HD video cameras, and a slew of other high-end features.

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Denon RCD-N7 loves a wireless party, AirPlay too after $49 update

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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Verizon CEO Seidenberg on iPhone, cord cutting, tiered pricing

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg on Thursday held court on multiple topics. In a nutshell, Seidenberg isn?t in a rush to get Apple?s iPhone, says cable companies are delusional on cord cutting and hinted that tiered pricing is around the corner.

The comments from this morning from a Goldman Sachs investment conference were notable on many fronts and raised a bit of a ruckus. Let?s roll the transcript.

Also: Apple?s iPhone going to Sprint?

On his desire to land the iPhone for Verizon:

This is like the Knicks getting Carmelo Anthony, you know. Like it would be really good if the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony but they have to play the game to get him. Right? So here is kind of like the way I would look at that. We have worked hard to make our network a destination for all the suppliers to develop devices and equipment. Because we think we have the best value proposition to attract customers. So that is our view.

So the iPhone, AT&T has done a wonderful job with it, Apple obviously has done a wonderful job with it. We were not in the game because it was GSM-based, it was global standard, really not there. We have worked hard at building a franchise out of Droid which proves that if there is an alternative, an acceptable alternative to the iPhone, and a great network and a great distribution channel, the market will go that direction.

I?m hoping that the success we have had with the Droid will lead us to the place where Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Huawei even, will want to build 4G devices and accelerate the ecosystem development so that the number of devices that will be available on 4G will be extraordinary. And our view would be we would want to carry them all.

I can?t speak for Apple but my view is there is a lot of momentum in the industry for people to move on the 4G issues quicker. Now there was a fear that we build a network and that the devices wouldn?t be there. Well, we are going to have a tablet. We have already announced one. There will be other tablets coming out. We have got a device lineup that would include some 4G capability starting in the first quarter.

We don?t feel like we have an iPhone deficit. We would love to carry it when we get there but we have to earn it. And I think what we need to do is show all the suppliers that we have equal treatment and we have the best network for people to put all their equipment on. So the answer to your question is I am believing that 4G will accelerate the process and any other decisions that Apple makes would be fine with us and I think we are running our business to make ourselves the destination for all of the key tablets and devices and hopefully at some point, Apple will get with the program.

On cable cord cutting, something Comcast pooh poohed on Wednesday, Seidenberg said:

Listen, they (cable companies) are doing well and they have to play their cards. My only comment is they don?t know what they don?t know. And I think I have all of the bruises of sort of playing out the same strength. We never thought anybody would cut the cord on telco, right? We have got 30% of our customers cutting the cord. Young people are pretty smart. They?re not going to pay for something they don?t have to pay for. So you?ve got to watch the market, over the top there is going to be a pretty big issue for cable.

And on tiered pricing and 4G, Seidenberg said:

When we layer in 4G, the experience is going to be very good. When you think about 4G, if I may make a comment about it, we think about it this way. So we have actually had the 4G network in the 30 markets or so we are going to introduce. It has been up and running since around the middle of June. So some of you may be running around on your devices actually have been experiencing the 4G speed and you will probably say what happened? But it is probably not that noticeable because you don?t think about it.

So we have been tweaking, tuning, trying to get everything all lined up. So when we cut over on our network, we will have cut over about 30 markets and about 50 airports and all the airports are in the same market as the 30. So the issue is you will get a
pretty good nationwide experience right from the get-go?

Getting back to your question on pricing, I think we are going to feather in our pricing over the next couple of months as we introduce new services, new products and try to get that value proposition to fit the added excitement and added capabilities that we are going to offer into the marketplace. So I don?t think we want to match our pricing to what we think is going on today because we think we are not sure it is the right experience nor is it the right value proposition.

But we do agree with tier pricing and we do think we have to monetize the investments we make and you will us do that over the next four to six months.

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Banks open up to iPhone, Android as IT consumerization continues

In the battle over the consumerization of IT ? employees using their own devices and applications for work tasks ? there has often been what were considered a few safe havens: Government, financial services, and health care. The security and compliance risks were simply too great in those industries to allow consumerization to gain much of a foothold.

However, a new report suggests that two big banks are not only letting Apple iPhones and Android devices in the door in place of the standard-issue BlackBerrys, but are also looking at supporting employee-owned devices.

According to Bloomberg, the IT departments at both JP Morgan Chase and UBS are doing serious tests to prepare for the possibility of allowing bankers to use an iPhone or an Android device rather than a BlackBerry. The Bloomberg report stated:

?JPMorgan is testing for security in batches of a few hundred devices with a decision expected later this year, one of the people familiar with the matter said. JPMorgan would not buy iPhones or Android phones for employees, as it now does with BlackBerrys. Rather, the bank would allow employees to use the devices to send and receive corporate e-mail if they make the purchase themselves, the other person said.?

JPMorgan Chase has 220,000 employees worldwide. Meanwhile, Switzerland-based UBS, which as 63,000 employees, is in the same boat, according to Bloomberg:

?UBS doesn?t plan to replace the BlackBerrys it issues with iPhones anytime soon, spokesman Jean-Raphael Fontannaz said by telephone from Zurich. Rather, UBS is testing the possibility of allowing employees to use an iPhone or other smartphone to connect to UBS?s e-mail system without restricting the private use of the device, he said.?

The move to iPhone would not be unprecedented in the financial services industry. In May, Standard Chartered Bank announced that it was migrating 15,000 of its employees from BlackBerry to iPhone.

And, this summer Apple stated that 80% of the Fortune 100 companies had either officially sanctioned the iPhone or were conducting tests.

With these two large banks on the verge of opening up to consumer-owned iPhone and Android handsets, it could mark another milestone in the growing prevalence of IT consumerization. If banks like Chase and UBS are satisfied with the security and compliance of user-owned devices then virtually most organizations could warm up to the idea, other than those that deal with the most sensitive trade secrets or classified information dealing with national security.

This article was originally published on TechRepublic.

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Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Tablet Laptop Delayed to 2011

Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 -- a hybrid PC that can function as both a laptop and a tablet -- will be launched in China early next year, pushing back its release date from this past June.

The Chinese PC maker delayed the product because it did not meet company standards, according to comments made by Lenovo's Chief Marketing Officer David Roman to The Wall Street Journal. The company later confirmed the statement. Roman also said the computer could be redesigned before launch.

Lenovo announced the IdeaPad U1 this January, calling it "the industry's first hybrid PC for consumers." The device debuted as a Windows laptop with a detachable touchscreen that can be used as a separate tablet PC.

The computer featured an 11.6-inch screen and weighed 3.8 pounds (1.7kgs). It ran on Windows 7, but when detached the device operated on Linux with a reported 16GB of flash memory. Once detached, the tablet can connect to the Internet through a 3G connection.

The retail price of the device was estimated at the time to be US$999. But after the device was announced, Lenovo stalled on its release date.

Instead, the company later announced in July that it was planning on releasing its own tablet PC called the "LePad", which will use the Android mobile operating system. The company has said the LePad will be released at the end of this year.

Roman said Lenovo has yet to decide if the IdeaPad U1 will be sold as a hybrid PC or whether it will sell the tablet portion of the computer as a stand-alone device.

Lenovo will release the tablet computers amid growing competition in China. Last week Apple officially began selling its iPad to the mainland market. Other Chinese companies have also begun developing their own devices as well.

ZTE, one of China's largest phone and network suppliers, said earlier this month it was developing a tablet computer to be named the SmartPad V9. The tablet will run on the Android 2.1 operating system and features a 7-inch touch screen. The device will be launched later this year in Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

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Sept. 14, 1716: Boston Harbor Gets Navigation

1716: Boston Light, the first lighthouse in the New World, starts guiding ships into Boston Harbor.

As early as the late 17th century, settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony guided ships into Boston Harbor with bonfires. Seeking a more permanent solution for navigation, the colonial government authorized the construction of a lighthouse on Little Brewster Island at a cost of 2,400 pounds sterling (about $300,000 in today?s money). When completed in 1716, Boston Light was one of only 70 lighthouses in the world.

Standing witness to two wars and numerous drownings, the lighthouse was the scene of tragedy and misfortune over the next 50 years. Its first casualty was the New World?s first lighthouse keeper, George Worthylake, who drowned along with a slave, his wife and one of his two daughters while returning from Boston after collecting his annual pay of 50 pounds ($6,400 these days). His other daughter, helpless, watched the events unfold from the shore.

A preteen Benjamin Franklin managed to profit from Worthylake?s death, roving the streets of Boston hawking copies of a poem he?d written, called ?The Lighthouse Tragedy.? Franklin never wrote a sequel even though the second keeper, Robert Sanders, drowned only a few days after taking over from Worthylake.

Perhaps due to the fates of his predecessors, John Hayes got a hefty 40 percent pay raise when he took over as the third lighthouse keeper in 1718. Hayes also installed ?a great Gun? on the island ?to answer Ships in a Fogg.? That ?great Gun? (a cannon) is still on display on the island, though it was replaced by a bell in 1851 and more recently by a siren that sends out warnings in foggy weather.

The Revolutionary War was a particularly bad era for Boston Light. After the Boston Tea Party, British troops blockaded the harbor and commandeered the lighthouse. In response, American troops burned it down. When British troops started reconstruction work, the Americans burned it down again.

The Brits finally finished the job in 1776, but it wouldn?t last. When American troops forced the British fleet out of Boston Harbor, the fleeing Redcoats set fire to Boston Light just so the Americans couldn?t use it.

Little Brewster Island remained without a lighthouse until 1783, when the Massachusetts Legislature spent 1,450 pounds ($135,000 in today?s cash) to build a new lighthouse which still stands to this day. It was transferred to the new federal government in 1790.

During the War of 1812, the waters near Boston Light saw the famous battle between the USS Chesapeake and the HMS Shannon, during which the Chesapeake?s mortally wounded Capt. James Lawrence gave the order, ?Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship. Fight her ?till she sinks!? That command became the American rallying cry for the remainder of the war, appearing on battle flags as ?Don?t give up the ship!?

During the 19th and early 20th century, keepers upgraded Boston Light with the latest methods of illumination. The lighthouse witnessed several shipwrecks and even hosted MIT researchers who tested foghorns on the island. As security against enemy ships, the Coast Guard extinguished the lighthouse during World War II.

The lighthouse was electrified in 1948, and in 1998 the first lighthouse in the New World became the last lighthouse in America to receive full automation. Boston Light is now the only staffed lighthouse in America, with a keeper who also functions as a guide for tour groups.

Today, the lighthouse remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Boston. Its second-order Fresnel lens puts out a beam that can be seen from a distance of 26 nautical miles, welcoming ships ? as well as jets landing at nearby Logan Airport.

Source: Various

Photo: Boston Light, with Graves Light in background.
Flickr/nantaskart!

See Also:

SES SHAW COMMUNICATIONS SIEMENS TOSHIBA

Monday, September 27, 2010

Lumiotec's OLED lighting panel gets video reviewed, throws down vs a bright group of competitors

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Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.

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Boxee Box Now Available for Pre-order

Maybe you looked at Apple's new Apple TV and decided against it because it didn't support third-party content outside of Netflix. Maybe you weren't a fan of its lack of 1080p video support. Heck, maybe you thought, "It's just too square for my liking." The forthcoming Boxee Box could address all of those counts, and it's now available for pre-order in several countries, and with a couple of new tweaks.

A set-top box that handles a variety of content, including video, music, and photos, the D-Link-built Boxee Box runs the popular media software of the same name. An HDMI port lets you connect the device to your HDTV, while ethernet and Wi-Fi allow you to retrieve content from the Internet and your home computers. The device will also include a remote control with a full QWERTY keypad for navigating your media.

Boxee announced on Monday that it had replaced some of the guts of the box, switching from Nvidia's Tegra 2 platform to an Intel Atom processor that Boxee says will provide better support for HD playback of high-profile H.264 files. The device can play HD content at a resolution of 1080p, higher than the Apple TV's 720p (whether or not you can tell such a difference depends on your TV set and your eyes, of course).

In addition, Boxee said that when the box launches in November, it will be available in several countries including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and more than two dozen European nations including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and others.

Currently available for pre-order from Amazon, the Boxee Box costs for $200. Those pre-ordering in the U.S. will receive their devices prior to it going on sale anywhere else, though Boxee hasn't provided an exact ship date.

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Dork Tower Monday


Dork Tower #874 by John Kovalic
Read all the Dork Towers that have run on GeekDad.
Find the Dork Tower webcomic archives, DT printed collections, more cool comics, awesome games and a whole lot more at the Dork Tower Website.

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Android App Uses Cellphone Camera to Measure Air Pollution



If you think there?s something in the air, you could know for sure by just pointing your Android phone at it.
An Android app called Visibility, developed by researchers at University of Southern California, lets users take a photo of the sky and get data on the air quality.
The free app is currently available for phones running Android 2.1 version of the operating system.
?Airborne particulate matter is a serious threat to both our health and the environment,? say the researchers on their blog. ?We are working towards an optical technique to measure air visibility, and hence an estimate of some kinds of air pollution, using cameras and other sensors available on smartphones.?
It?s a neat idea and it?s interesting to see how smartphones are giving rise to the trend of citizen science and crowdsourced data.
As smartphones become ubiquitous and increasingly powerful, researchers are increasingly using the devices to do complex computations and use it for crowdsourced data gathering. For instance, as part of a project called ?Common Sense? Intel?s research labs developed sensors that could be attached to GPS-enabled phones and measure air quality.� The data gathered from these sensors would be brought back and processed to help researchers understand pollution levels.
The Visibility Android app hopes to offer something similar but make the process more user friendly.
With the Visibility app, each user photo of the sky is tagged with location, orientation and time. The data is transferred to a server where the calculations take place. The level of air quality is estimated by calibrating the images sent and comparing their intensity against an existing model of luminance in the sky, say the researchers.
The result is sent back to the user and the data is also used to create pollution maps for the region. An iPhone version of the app is in the works.
See Also:
Social Networking Meets Apps in New Android App Store
Independent App Stores Take On Google?s Android Market
Hands-On: Android App ?Layar? Brings Reality?s Unique Snowflakes
Indie Coder Proves Android Apps Can Make Money, Too
Photo: Mobile Sensing/USC Robotics
[via TreeHugger and Gizmag]

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Android App Uses Cellphone Camera to Measure Air Pollution



If you think there?s something in the air, you could know for sure by just pointing your Android phone at it.
An Android app called Visibility, developed by researchers at University of Southern California, lets users take a photo of the sky and get data on the air quality.
The free app is currently available for phones running Android 2.1 version of the operating system.
?Airborne particulate matter is a serious threat to both our health and the environment,? say the researchers on their blog. ?We are working towards an optical technique to measure air visibility, and hence an estimate of some kinds of air pollution, using cameras and other sensors available on smartphones.?
It?s a neat idea and it?s interesting to see how smartphones are giving rise to the trend of citizen science and crowdsourced data.
As smartphones become ubiquitous and increasingly powerful, researchers are increasingly using the devices to do complex computations and use it for crowdsourced data gathering. For instance, as part of a project called ?Common Sense? Intel?s research labs developed sensors that could be attached to GPS-enabled phones and measure air quality.� The data gathered from these sensors would be brought back and processed to help researchers understand pollution levels.
The Visibility Android app hopes to offer something similar but make the process more user friendly.
With the Visibility app, each user photo of the sky is tagged with location, orientation and time. The data is transferred to a server where the calculations take place. The level of air quality is estimated by calibrating the images sent and comparing their intensity against an existing model of luminance in the sky, say the researchers.
The result is sent back to the user and the data is also used to create pollution maps for the region. An iPhone version of the app is in the works.
See Also:
Social Networking Meets Apps in New Android App Store
Independent App Stores Take On Google?s Android Market
Hands-On: Android App ?Layar? Brings Reality?s Unique Snowflakes
Indie Coder Proves Android Apps Can Make Money, Too
Photo: Mobile Sensing/USC Robotics
[via TreeHugger and Gizmag]

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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Gadget Lab Podcast: Facebook Phone, Pod Wars and Athletic Robots


In this week?s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew speculates about the rumored Facebook phone, aka Mark Zuckerberg?s plan for world domination. Adding to the rumors, yours truly blurts out a tip from a source about Facebook developing an all-in-one virtual identity that you?ll use not just to connect with friends, but maybe even buy things. How awesome would that be?

Speaking of money: People who have a lot of it tend to get nasty with lawyers. That?s the case for Daniel Kokin, who?s going to trial with Apple to fight over the word ?Pod.? Kokin?s startup Sector Labs is trying to brand a video projector ?VideoPod,? and Apple?s claiming that Kokin?s usage of that magical three-letter word could get people confused about the famous iPod player.
Wrapping up the podcast, Priya Ganapati tells a story about a robot taking on the challenge of walking 300 miles from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Like the show? You can also get the�Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don?t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the�Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab�video or�audio podcast feeds
Or listen to the audio here:
Gadget Lab audio podcast #90

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Scrabble Is First Paid Game App for Kindle


Screenshot of My Kindle, Getting Beat By the Computer - Image: Tim Carmody
This might be the happiest chapter in Scrabble?s short digital history: Electronic Arts has released an official version of Scrabble for Kindle. This is the first paid game ? or application of any kind ? available for the e-reader.
Scrabble fits in well with Amazon?s existing game offerings, as it?s a word-based game that requires simple, five-directional navigation. It shows up in a Kindle user?s home screen, right next to existing games and books. (It?s easy to make a ?Games? collection/folder if you like to keep your entertainment media organized/segregated.)
The game is, if I may say so, well put together; you use the controller to navigate to particular spaces, and once you?ve chosen a direction, you can just type out words. There are also smartly-chosen menu options, including a very useful list of two-letter words.
It?s fast and responsive, and I predict it will be a big hit. Scrabble has a huge built-in fan base that overlaps well with book- and word-loving Kindle owners, and Scrabulous (later rechristened Lexulous) has been a tremendous casual gaming hit on Facebook. In fact, Scrabble-makers Hasbro and Mattel had to fight with Facebook and Scrabulous when the game broke out faster than they were ready with an official version. Words With Friends is the similar unbranded iOS application.
Major drawback: Unlike Facebook?s or other online iterations of the Scrabble game, there is no social dimension. You can?t play with another Kindle user online; the best you can do is set up a two-player game where you pass the Kindle back and forth.
Electronic Arts? Scrabble costs $4.99 and is available for purchase and download today.
The First Kindle Paid App Is Out ? It?s Scrabble [iReader Review]
See Also:
How to Do (Almost) Everything With a Kindle 3
How to Do Everything on Your Kindle, Pt. 2: Jailbreak Edition ?
Games, Chat, ePub: Imagining the Future of Apps for Kindle ?
Tablet Wars: Amazon Adds Apps to Kindle
Confessions of an Online Scrabble Cheat
Scrabble Flash Is a B-L-A-S-T

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Friday, September 24, 2010

Concept Phone Both Amazing and Unbelievable



I really want to like Billy May?s ambitious concept for a browser-centric, open-web-standards-based phone
But it?s hopelessly unfettered from what?s actually buildable, usable or marketable.
Mozilla Labs has highlighted the phone, which May called Project Seabird, in its ?Concept Series,? a showcase for community-created visions of the web?s future.
May, who is a talented industrial designer, has crammed a lot of interesting ideas into his two-and-a-half-minute video:
a pop-out Bluetooth headset that doubles as an infrared pointer
dual pico projectors that can project both a full-size display as well as a virtual keyboard
wireless charging
a standard mini USB connector
a 3.5mm audio jack
enough processing power to render 3-D spacescapes in real time or display YouTube videos at full resolution.
Because there are two pico projectors, May imagines that one could be used to display a keyboard while the other displays a larger screen. Or, you could place the phone on your desk and have one projector display the left half of an ergonomic split keyboard, while the other projector displays the right half.
Based on the icons May?s painted into his impressive video, it?s running some version of Windows and the browser is Firefox, of course.
The trouble is that current pico projectors fall short in both brightness and clarity: You need to use them in a darkened room, like the one May?s rendering takes place in. Virtual keyboards of the type shown in the video are difficult if not impossible to use. And if netbook processors like the Intel Atom series can barely handle Windows, just imagine how sluggish it will be running on an ARM-based cellphone CPU.
One thing?s for sure: The open-source browser community is going to love this phone.
Those of us in the reality-based community, however, are shaking our heads in disbelief.


Image credit: Billy May
See Also:
Beautiful Concept Phone for HTC Should Be Built
Windows Phone 7 Series Tablet Concept
Concept Phone Mashup: Blackberry vs Optimus Maximus
Squeeze, Grip and Tilt to Control Synaptics? Concept Phone ?
Concept Specs Add 50� to Your Angle of View
Hat tip: Webmonkey

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Cyclists? Backpack Shows LED Turn Signals



If you can?t ride your bike safely with one hand, you probably shouldn?t be on the road. Poor control skills, though, are the excuse for the Seil bag, a bikers? backpack with flexible LEDs and circuitry applied to the back which lets you make turn signals with both hands on the bars.
The Seil, by Lee Myung Su Design Lab, comes with a removable, bar-mounted wireless controller. Flick a lever on the side and arrows blink on your back to show where you plan to go. When not being used to warn other road users of your intentions, the LED display flashes with cute little symbols: space-invaders, hearts and the like, guaranteed to either distract or infuriate drivers.
Indicators on bikes keep popping up, either as concepts or as actual products, but never catch on. This is likely because anyone experienced and responsible enough will be comfortable with giving good, clear hand signals and would therefore never pay for extra blinking lights. These things are a novelty, and sticking them on a backpack is even worse. What if it stops working and you lurch across traffic thinking without signaling? Or if you don?t have your pack with you one day and (gasp) are forced to use boring old arms to signal?
Happily, the Seil remains a concept, not an actual product.
Seil bag [Lee Myung Su Design Lab]
See Also:
Ultra-Bright Bike Tail-Light Resembles Star Wars Spaceship ?
Spooklight: Accelerometer Brake Light for Bikes
Hands-On: Spaceship Bike Light Blinds Puny Humans
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Nintendo 3DS Specs Leaked: Dual ARM Processors



You know those ?persons familiar with the [something]? who seems to know an awful lot about corporate secrets? Well, they?ve blabbed again, this time to game site IGN?s UK colony. The secret? The internal specs of Nintendo?s 3DS.
According to the fact-spilling source, the 3DS will have a pair of 266MHz ARM11 CPUs (yes, two of them), a 133MHz GPU with 4MB of dedicated VRAM, 64MB of regular RAM and 1.5GB flash storage.
It?s those dual ARM processors that have us excited, and they kind of make sense on a machine with two screens, one of which sends images to two eyes (the screen works by using prisms to send images out in different directions, which you adjust with a sliding switch until the aim is just right).
We still don?t know when the 3DS ? described by Wired.com?s Chris Kohler as ?stunning technology? ? will be in stores. Rumors point to a November release in Japan, so our guess is on sometime next year. 3D Mario Kart? I can?t wait.
New Nintendo 3DS Hardware Info [IGN]
Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
See Also:
Live Blog: Nintendo 3DS Debuts at E3 Conference
Alt Text: How Will Nintendo 3DS Work? 5 Eye-Popping 3-D Theories ?
Hands On: A Few Stolen Moments With Nintendo's Stunning 3DS ?
Nintendo 3DS Details Appear on Chinese Blog
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Writer for iPad Aims For Focus, Beauty, Simplicity


Image from InformationArchitects.jp
In design and intent, the iPad is a focus-producing machine. Nearly the entire device is a screen, and every application consumes the entire screen. Information Architects? new Writer app brings that same hyperfocused aesthetic to word-processing.
Writer is not, like Pages, a desktop publishing application. It?s not really even a textual editor, in the sense that it supports easy correction or rearrangement of already-typed text. When you put the application in ?Focus Mode,? it doesn?t even have spellcheck or cut-and-paste. Instead, it?s all about textual production ? writing this phrase, this sentence, this word at this moment. As the creators note, ?the idea is to activate it when you get stuck, blinding out everything else.?
It?s not particularly customizable, but again, that?s the point. Don?t screw around picking out margins or a font. We?ve picked it for you ? and it?s already optimized for your screen. There are a few smart additions, like Dropbox integration and a ?reading time? feature that estimates how long it will take a reader to make their way through your text.
More features and tweaks are (naturally) promised for future versions, as is a desktop app. According to iA, it would actually have been easier to release the desktop application first, but the iPad offered something unique: ?In spite of its passive character, the awkward keyboard, the stubborn iOS and its many other faults, the iPad has the power to drag you in and make you forget about the world around you.?
Version 1.0 dropped today and is available in the Apple Store for $4.99. With the iPad getting printing with iOS 4.2, there?s a good chance we may see an explosion of document production apps for iOS, each offering something distinctive.
H/T to Liz Danzico/Bobulate.
See Also:
IPad Gets The University Treatment This Fall
Documents To Go: Finally, an Office Suite for the iPad
Could Microsoft Office Go Multi-Platform For Mobile?
15 iPad Apps You Should Download Today
iOS 4.2 First Look: iPad Gets Multitasking, Printing

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Sigma SD1 Crams 46 Million Pixels onto Crop-Frame Chip



Sigma?s new flagship SD1 SLR stands out from the flood of camera announcements at the Photokina show. Why? It is a monster, a crop-sensor camera with 46 megapixels crammed onto its imaging chip.
The trick here is that the sensor uses Sigma?s Foveon tech. This stacks red, green and blue-sensitive pixels on top of each other, allowing accurate color-capture at each pixel-site. Compare this with conventional sensors which pull color information from adjoining pixels and averaging it to work out the actual colors. Sigma?s method should give better color accuracy and sharper images.
Because of this stacking, though, Sigma?s pixel-counts are effectively one third of the claimed figure if you count actual dots on the photos. In the past, this has made Sigma?s specs look rather pathetic, with the claimed 15MP of its SD15 coming closer to 5MP. With this new 46MP behemoth Sigma is saying a big ?screw you? to everyone else. Even 15MP sensor is great these days.
Elsewhere, the specs are fairly pedestrian. There are just 11 autofocus points and the 3-inch LCD has only 460,000 dots compared the the 900,000 found in any other flagship camera (including compacts). This is a pre-release, so many of the numbers are not yet available. Just what will the maximum ISO be, for example, or the price?
I?m pretty excited about getting my hands on one, though. If this thing has the ISO part licked, then those could be some sweet, sweet images it pumps out.
SD1 product page [Sigma. Warning: Flash]
See Also:
Lens Maker Sigma Buys Imaging Chip Maker Foveon
Another shot for Foveon camera chip
Canon's 8�8-Inch CMOS Sensor Sees in the Dark
Canon Creates 120-Megapixel Camera Sensor
Inside the Nobel Prize: How a CCD Works
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Apple Approves VLC Video Player for iPad



Well, color us surprised (and delighted). Apple has approved VLC Media Player for iPad, an app that plays a multitude of movie formats unsupported by the tablet?s built-in video player.
VLC has been a popular open-source app on the desktop, capable of playing a wide range of media formats at high resolutions, making Apple?s standard iTunes video player�(which primarily plays .H264-encoded MPEG-4 videos) pale by comparison.
Wired.com?s Charlie Sorrel got an early sneak peek at VLC for iPad about two weeks ago and said it was one of the most polished video players he?d seen, despite a few bugs.
Why is this such an interesting decision? A lot of consumers get movies and TV shows through (cough) alternative means, and before if they wanted to load their videos on the iPad, they?d have to go through the trouble of converting files to be iTunes-compatible. Approving VLC eliminates such headaches and opens the door for some serious competition with iTunes video rentals.�I?m personally more interested in what it means for the new iOS-based Apple TV, if it turns out that third-party apps can indeed use AirPlay, a new feature that enables iOS devices to wirelessly stream content to the Apple TV.
VLC Media Player is a free download in the iPad?s App Store.
See Also:
Why iOS Could Make Apple TV Succeed
Apple TV Runs iOS, Opening Door to Apps, Jailbreaking
Apple Redefines Remote Control ? Now, It?s Your Cellphone
15 iPad Apps You Should Download Today

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Clash of the Geeks: The Stories of the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten Emerge!


Art by Jeff Zugale
You may remember back in June, when the first known painting of a unicorn pegasus kitten was revealed to the world in all its glory. If you do, you probably recall that the two geek icons (and geek dads both) pictured therein�? John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton ? announced a contest related to the painting, challenging entrants to write short stories explaining the seemingly inexplicable scene.
The contest ended back on June 30, and now the resultant chapbook, titled Clash of the Geeks, has been released! The chapbook includes the winning piece, as well as stories by Scalzi and Wheaton and several others. It?s available in several popular formats, including PDF and RTF among others, online. You will not be charged to download it; however, Scalzi and Wheaton do ask that, if you can spare at least $5, you make a donation. All proceeds will go to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America. It?s a good cause, so if you can give, please do.
We should note that excellent geek musician and GeekDad contributor John Anealio had his song about the painting printed in the book. You can listen to it (for free) on his blog. Congratulations, John!

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Dork Tower Monday


Dork Tower #401 by John Kovalic
Read all the Dork Towers that have run on GeekDad.
Find the Dork Tower webcomic archives, DT printed collections, more cool comics, awesome games and a whole lot more at the Dork Tower Website.

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Espresso and GPS Enliven Our European Road Tour


Playing the Eigenharp, while driving around the world in a Ford Fiesta.
Editor?s note: Wired.com contributor Jeremy Hart is making a 60-day, 15,000-mile drive around the world with a few mates in a pair of Ford Fiestas. He?s filing occasional reports from the road.
Another week, another continent. As I write this (on my trusty iPad) we are blasting across Europe. The Fiesta World Tour 2010 has left The New World behind and is heading deep into the Old World. The Middle East is on the horizon and Asia is not far off.
The last week in the U.S. and Canada was nothing but gadget hassle. The once-wonderful Virgin MiFi became a liability for all of us when it refused to do the one job it was designed to do and had, up to then, been doing brilliantly: Be a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in our Ford Fiesta.
Sleep is a luxury on a global drive so I did not enjoy wasting an hour to the useless Virgin Mobile help desk, only to be told their server was down. The advice from the same desk the next morning was to reboot the device using a paperclip. Not easy at 70mph on I-95.
But for the last day of the U.S. leg the MiFi finally started working and found me (via my iPad) a great place for breakfast between Boston and NYC: the Cosmic Omelet in Manchester CT. Then it helped guide us (when the TomTom and in-car satellite navigation system did not) to the spot I had found on GoogleEarth from which to film our arrival in The Big Apple.

The SPOT tracker uses GPS and satellite signals to let you track our location wherever we go.
The second technical hiccup came when I gave up trying to ignite my Spot Satellite Messenger for you guys to follow our progress. I called FindMeSpot?s 800 number, only to be told the one I had bought from BestBuy in LA was a recalled unit. The Spot public relations people FedExed one to me in time for me to get it going for the last few miles of the U.S. trip. It is now well up and running and you can see where we have been at. But I will turn it off when we are in more sensitive areas.
Leg 2 started in Ireland, on the far side of The Pond, at the Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival. (Don?t ask.) I?d hoped for a Guinness gadget of some kind from Dublin but only when we got across to Wales did the gadgets start ramping up.
Welsh is a revived language, and it?s thriving so well that there is even a Welsh version of Scrabble. There are no Z?s, but you get maximum points if you can use the A. We played it on the railway station of the town with what I believe is the longest URL the world.
In England we stopped by our headquarters in the Inc office where gadgets galore were stacked for our next leg.
Iridium satellite phone
Camping Gaz car cool box
Eigenharp computer instrument
Handpresso pump action espresso maker
Car kettle (a hand espresso machine needs hot water)
European TomTom app for the iPhone
Apple wireless keyboard for the iPad
2 Lifeventure first aid kits
Pages: 1 2 3 View All

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Apple?s 27-inch LED Display Now on Sale



Apple?s big-ass, expensive cinema display went on sale this morning in the Apple Store.
The 27-inch LED cinema display sports a 2,560 by 1,440 resolution, LED backlighting and a 178-degree viewing angle, according to Apple.
It also includes a MagSafe connector to charge MacBooks and a Mini DisplayPort to connect to Macs, three USB ports, a built-in webcam (iSight), microphone and 48-watt speaker system. So basically it?s a $1,000 display that turns your MacBook, Mac Pro or Mac Mini into a pseudo 27-inch iMac (or your 27-inch iMac into a really, really big iMac).
The 27-inch display replaces the 30-inch Apple cinema display, which cost $1,800 and did not include LED backlighting.
The display ships in one to two weeks, according to Apple?s online store.
See Also:
OLED Shortage Forces HTC to Switch Displays
Beyond the iPad: Massive MultiTouch Displays Have Big Social ?
New iMacs Add IPS Displays, Core 'i' Processors Across the Range ?

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Apple?s 27-inch LED Display Now on Sale



Apple?s big-ass, expensive cinema display went on sale this morning in the Apple Store.
The 27-inch LED cinema display sports a 2,560 by 1,440 resolution, LED backlighting and a 178-degree viewing angle, according to Apple.
It also includes a MagSafe connector to charge MacBooks and a Mini DisplayPort to connect to Macs, three USB ports, a built-in webcam (iSight), microphone and 48-watt speaker system. So basically it?s a $1,000 display that turns your MacBook, Mac Pro or Mac Mini into a pseudo 27-inch iMac (or your 27-inch iMac into a really, really big iMac).
The 27-inch display replaces the 30-inch Apple cinema display, which cost $1,800 and did not include LED backlighting.
The display ships in one to two weeks, according to Apple?s online store.
See Also:
OLED Shortage Forces HTC to Switch Displays
Beyond the iPad: Massive MultiTouch Displays Have Big Social ?
New iMacs Add IPS Displays, Core 'i' Processors Across the Range ?

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Atlantis Treasure Lego Board Game


Atlantis Treasure (image: lego.com)
I?ve been impressed by how close to proper board games the Lego games like Save a Sheep have been. In fact we have a growing collection of these games now, with the family eager to try out each new addition in the Lego Games line.
I was therefore more than a little excited to try out Lego Atlantis Treasure. Not only because of the popularity of these games with my kids, but also because my eldest has just finished a project on Atlantis at school. Here?s what we made of it.
Lego Atlantis Treasure is a new game in the Lego collection. These are board games that you build, play, and change. Atlantis Treasure offers more of a challenge than other games in the series and probably suites slightly older children of around nine years and over.
Lego Atlantis Treasure is one of the more complex games in the Lego series. Because of this it takes a little longer to build and is quite fiddly to construct. But the extra effort results in a more engaging game for slightly older players.
Like the other games in the Lego Games series, Atlantis Treasure comes in pieces, ready to build. We set our nine year old the task of building the game from the instructions and came back 30 minutes later to find it all setup.
Lego Atlantis Treasure tasks the players with navigating their own submarines through an underwater maze to find sunken treasure. Unlike Shave the Sheep, Atlantis Treasure offers the players a much more skill oriented challenge. You need to decide how and when to move as well as firing at obstacles in your path, or blocking other explorers.
The game uses the now familiar customizable Lego dice, but adds to this a range of Lego counters that are used during play. The game supports up to four players and took us around 40 minutes to complete�? a little longer than the 30 minutes states on the box, maybe because we have slightly younger children.
Because of the complexity here, it is a little more difficult to customize the game play. But it does come with instructions for a couple of variants and seemed to inspire a whole resurgence of Atlantis themed Lego constructions from our kids. Atlantis Treasure is strong addition to the Lego games range, particularly if you want a more involved experience.
I liked it so much that I?ve set up a competition for you. Head over to Game People before 30th September to take a shot at winning Harry Potter Hogwarts, Atlantis Treasure, Orient Bazaar and still our favorite Shave a Sheep.

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Your Restaurant?s Next Menu Is An iPad


SmartCellar Menu Application, from Incentient.com
One promise of tablets and e-readers is that everything we read that can be held in our hands, not just books and web pages, could end up moving from static paper to a dynamic screen. Some restaurants are already taking the plunge, handing out iPads instead of menus.
The New York Times recently profiled a number of these future-thinking restaurants, from London bistros to Atlanta steakhouses. They report that customers love them, sales are up, and that so far, no one has stolen or spilled their drinks on the tablets. Hijacking them for playing video games and checking-in on Foursquare have likewise been minimal.
Traditionally, restaurants touting their extensive wine, beer, or liquor collections have consecrated that authority with large tomes bound in deluxe leather. (?Here is the Bible,? a waitress whispered to a reporter for the Economist at a French restaurant in London?s Covent Garden.)
But these books aren?t terribly functional for search. Customers have grown used to finding beverage information on their smartphones; software-based tablets are a natural way for restaurants to meet their clientele halfway, keeping them (and their stewards) in on the action. And as the devices have quickly accrued some of the same prestige as the old codex menus.
For the customer, digital menus are interactive, searchable, and can easily incorporate text with images. For the restaurant, digital menus can be edited on the fly, reflecting new items, prices, specials, and availability (or lack thereof) without having to launch an entire reprinting. They can also augment the catalog with reviews, suggestions about food pairings, even multimedia. Master sommelier Fred Dame told the Times, ?when I saw this thing and saw the applications, I said, ?Oh, man, that?s the end of the print shop.??
I can imagine a future where customers have a restaurant?s interactive menu on their own devices, logging in, and reserving a bottle of wine (and even a particular table) before they step out the door.
Don?t expect to fiddle with a high-end touchscreen menu at your neighborhood family restaurant anytime soon; the cost-benefit curve just doesn?t turn sharply enough yet. But we can expect them to continue changing the look and feel of the fine dining experience.
See Also:
Single-Serve Takeaway Wine Glasses Intoxicate Britain
Wine Snobs Geek Out on ?Systems Oenology?
How to Use Your iPhone to Drink More (and Better) Wine
Wired 9.11: The Grapes of Math
London Restaurant Uses Touchpads for Orders, Projectors for Mood ?

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Neil Gaiman Gets Animated on Arthur



Image: �2010 WGBH / Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.
Geek parents of Arthur-watchers, set your DVRs for ?Squee!,? because Neil Gaiman?s visit to Elwood City is set for October 11.
Yes, that Neil Gaiman. The creator of Coraline, author of The Graveyard Book ? which added The Carnegie Medal to its list of awards this summer ? and new contributor to Doctor Who will make a guest appearance as himself on the animated PBS series.
From the press release: ?This season, we?re hoping to empower our young viewers to go after their goals and dreams. Whether that means becoming a wheelchair basketball champion, or expressing yourself through writing, drawing, and making movies, Arthur and his friends show kids that determination and hard work really pay off,? said Executive Producer Jacqui Deegan. ?Both Lydia and Neil serve as great role models, and we?re excited to have them to reinforce these important lessons for our audiences.?
Image: �2010 WGBH / Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.
Gaiman?s role comes in an episode called ?Falafelosophy,? inspiring one of the kids who?s trying her hand at writing and illustrating a graphic novel. It?s paired with what sounds like a suitable companion story, ?Tales of the Grotesquely Grim Bunny,? about changes on the shelves at the local comic shop.
In the realm of geeky kids? TV crossovers, this may even rival R2-D2 and C-3PO landing on Sesame Street.
Related: Neil Gaiman And Ten Other Reasons Arthur Is A Geeklet Icon.

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