Developages - Development and Technology Blog

ri𘒚 writes “With the release of the Mozilla Foundation’s 2007 financial report, questions have been raised by the IRS who are due to perform an audit on the non-profit organization behind the massively popular Firefox browser. Last year the Foundation received $66 million of its total $75 million revenue (88 percent) from search engine maestro’s Google, so the IRS are looking for blood over the organizations tax exempt status. Back in 2006, Mozilla got $59.5 million from Google — around 85 percent of the organizations revenue. Google and Mozilla are part of a ‘you scratch my back, I’ll pay your bills’ sort of agreement with the Google search bar firmly placed in the toolbar, and on the default homepage. Things were a bit rocky a couple of months back when Google unveiled the Beta-run of its Chrome browser, but Mozilla and Google hugged it out and sealed a deal that will last for a further three years. That deal will expire in November 2011.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by CmdrTaco

Filed under: Cellphones

Given that both the iPAQ Data Messenger and Voice Messenger were spotted on HP′s website last night, we didn’t exactly need a press release to affirm their ascent into officialdom, but hey, we′ll take it. The two WinMo 6.1-powered handsets will soon be loosed on Vodafone in Europe, and starting next month, prospective consumers can buy in for £399 ($677) / £333 ($565) off-contract; as for the subsidized rates, you’ll have to hold your horses for those. If you’re just interested in the hands-on video, however, you can mosey on beyond the break and mash play.

Continue reading HP’s iPAQ Data Messenger / Voice Messenger get official on Vodafone, hands-on treatment

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Looks like that rumor was mostly spot on, as two new consumer-minded iPAQ handhelds have emerged on HP’s website. Without much fanfare, the Windows Mobile 6.1-powered iPAQ Data Messenger and Voice Messenger have been granted dedicated sites, complete with imagery, specifications and recommended accessories. Starting with the touchscreen-heavy Data Messenger (seen above), you′ll find a 2.81-inch LED-backlit display (320 x 240), a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR / WiFi, HSDPA, quad-band GSM support, aGPS, a 3.1-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. As for the Voice Messenger (pictured after the break), it’s packing a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 LED-backlit screen, a 20-key “keyboard” and most everything else already mentioned on its big bro. There’s nary a clue on pricing or a release date, but we imagine both of those snippets will reveal themselves shortly.

[Via WMPowerUser]

Read - HP iPAQ Voice Messenger
Read - HP iPAQ Data Messenger

Continue reading HP iPAQ Data Messenger / Voice Messenger handhelds emerge

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Original post by Darren Murph

If you watched Tuesday night’s “Town Hall Presidential Debate” you might have heard Senator McCain chastise Senator Obama over earmarks–especially an exorbitant earmark for an overhead projector.

“”While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he (Senator
Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel earmark projects. Including $3 million for
an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend
that kind of money?”"

Surprise! That wasn’t exactly the full story. What we’re really talking about is the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and that overhead projector is not something you place transparencies on in a classroom.

Adler Planetarium Press Release: “The Adler’s Zeiss Mark VI projector - not an overhead projector - is the instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the quintessential planetarium experience. The Adler’s projector is nearly 40 years old and is no longer supported with parts or service by the manufacturer. It is only the second planetarium
projector in the Adler’s 78 years of operation.”

Whoops. I remember as a kid going to the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and marveling at the nighttime sky. As a city dweller it was something nearly impossible to appreciate without that “overhead projector.” The Adler Planetarium predates New York’s and was actually the first “Sky Theater” in the Western Hemisphere.

Well intentioned people might disagree whether this kind of project is a worthy use of taxpayer dollars. However, it’s tough to even begin the discussion when the opening salvo is not quite the whole truth.

By the way, the earmark was not approved. My friends, Adler Planetarium did not receive that money.

Original post by Geoff Fox

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

You already witnessed our unboxing and hands-on with Sling Media’s Slingbox PRO-HD, and if you’re anxious to know when you can grab one of your own, how’s about right now? Sling has revealed that its $299.99 high-def box can be purchased this very instant from its website and other B&M retailers, and for Canadians feeling a touch left out, take heart — you all will be able to purchase the unit “in the coming weeks” for $329.99.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We were told that Sling Media was getting ready to ship the Slingbox PRO-HD, and looky here — one just showed up, looking just slightly less imposing than in the press photos. The $400 box isn’t a huge departure from previous Sling gear apart from the inclusion of component and coax digital audio inputs and outputs, but combined with the just-released Windows SlingPlayer 2.0 software, it’s the first Slingbox that can stream HD video. Setup with our TiVo HD was painless, and after some quick configuration we were watching pretty nice-looking 1080i video on our desktop, complete with the new ability to pause and rewind up to 60 minutes back. We did notice that the audio and video had some sync problems — and when we tried connecting the older Mac SlingPlayer client the video looked great for SD but the audio sync made it almost unwatchable. Given how rock-solid our other Slingboxes have been, we’re certain Sling will sort this out eventually, but it’s something to keep in mind before you drop four bills right off the bat.

Apart from that, there’s only so much left to say about the Sling experience that’s particularly new: the integrated program guide is extremely nice and much appreciated but not earth-shattering, and the new Sling Accounts single-sign-on system is handy but probably should have been implemented from the start. We’re not harshing the product, mind you, it’s just that the Sling system is so solid at this point (or will be, if the audio issues are resolved soon) that there’s simply not much to say — if you’re in the market and have the cash, this is the box to buy. We’ll save the detailed blowout for the SlingCatcher — we’ll be honest, we’re dying to get our hands on that thing.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

After a few false starts, the OS X-installing EFi-X dongle is finally shipping to consumers. Currently, two versions are up for grabs: the USB V1 for the average joe / jane and the USB V2 Developers Unit for, well, developers. In short, plugging this gem into your PC will enable select systems to install OS X, but we′d take a hard look at the fine print (and certified systems) before blindly plunking down $155 and hoping for the best.

[Via MacRumors, thanks Joseph]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

While some may have rightly questioned whether the OS X-installing EFIX device would ever actually see the light of day, it looks like the Apple irritant is very much real, and now in the hands of at least at two adventuresome InsanelyMac forum members, one of whom thankfully took time time to snap a few unboxing pictures. The other member, “np_,” went one step further and tested the device with an Asus motherboard and found that it worked “perfectly,” despite the fact that EFIX only officially supports Gigabyte boards. Hit up the link below for a few more pics and impressions.

[Thanks, Rich]

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Home Entertainment

D-Link’s $230 DSM-330 media streamer has always been among the most flexible set-top boxes out there, and it’s just gotten even better, with the latest DivX Connected server software bringing Flash video support to the device. It’s not quite browse-and-play — every site requires a specific plug-in — but Hulu, College Humor, YouTube, ABC News, and Vimeo are already working, and there are more on the way. That’s pretty tempting for two bills, but we’ll stick to rocking PlayOn with our 360 and PS3.

[Via eHomeUpgrade and Zatz Not Funny!]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

So the good news here is that Best Buy’s getting ready to open its arms to yet another HTC product that’s impossible to find by wandering into the brick-and-mortar store of the US wireless carrier of your choice the bad news, though, is that it doesn’t seem to be the version we wanted. The Touch Diamond now has a Coming Soon page all its own on Best Buy’s site, which is just fantastic considering that neither AT&T nor T-Mobile have yet bothered to pick it up — but the problem is that the specifications make no mention of US 3G despite the fact that we know there’s just such a version floating around. Our hope is that we′ve just caught the big box with its pants down (wouldn’t be the first time) and they’ll look into carrying the real deal by the time “coming soon” switches to “in stock,” especially since they’ve given the Touch Dual the same courtesy.

[Thanks, Mark]

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

First comes smoke, then comes flames a-blazin’. Shortly after hearing that Apple was gearing up to unveil a new iPod nano (at the very least) on September 9th, in flies a curious Best Buy ad that could be evidence of a tweaked iPod touch. According to our tipster, the image in the ad and the image on Best Buy’s website are ever-so-slightly different, and while we’d typically pass this off as the result of a fading ink cartridge, we’ve been expecting new touches for months now. Just a few days left until we figure out what’s really going on here.

[Thanks, Samm]

Update: As a few folks pointed out, it seems the image is a touch on the ancient side. Still, we know new iPod touches are coming in our hearts — we can just feel it.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

While it seems to be all but a sure thing that all three Xbox 360 SKUs will be getting a price cut on September 7th, if you need a bit more reassurance, you can now take comfort in this apparently authentic Best Buy ad provided by a helpful tipster, which should be making an appearance in paper form just in time for the big day. Just like Radio Shack’s, this one lists the Arcade, Pro and Elite for $199, $299, and $399, respectively, and, unsurprisingly, there’s no mention of a motion controller with any of ‘em.

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Gaming

Last we heard, it was still up in the air somewhat as to whether upcoming PlayStation 3 consoles would house the elusive 65-nanometer RSX graphics processor. According to a curious buyer of Sony’s newest 80GB unit, there is a smidgen of data that hints at a 65nm chip actually being under the hood. By using the oh-so-scientific Kill-A-Watt, he discovered that his older 40GB PS3 sucked down 125.8-watts when idle, while the fresh 80GB edition ate up just 111.9-watts. The findings were similar when looking at power draw during DVD playback and while spinning Metal Gear Solid 4. Unfortunately, this mighty fine fellow is planning to return the new unit after being disappointed by the minimal energy savings, so he’s not apt to rip the thing open and prove once and for all what kind of GPU is in there. Meanwhile, we heartily suggest that someone do just that and put this question to bed.

[Thanks, Khattab]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We’ve heard for some time that Samsung planned to have two Blu-ray players in its lineup, but it’s been well over a year since there’s even been a peep about the BD-P2400, now out of nowhere the BD-P2550 shows up at Best Buy stores all over the country for the premium price of $499. According to Best Buy’s website, the new model has many of the missing features from Sammy’s latest BD-P1500, like 7.1 analog outputs and the sought after Silicon Optix HQV video processing. What does appear to be missing though, is the elusive BD-Live, but with the included network connection and USB port, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine that either Best Buy failed to mention it, or it’s coming in a firmware update. Although $500 Blu-ray players aren’t for everyone, it’s good to see Blu-ray manufacturers offering multiple models for those in need of premium features.

[Via Format War Central]

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Original post by Ben Drawbaugh

Filed under: Gaming

Lookie, lookie, an 80GB PS3 snapped up for $399 from a local Best Buy. Although not officially due until September, reports are trickling in from around these United States of Gaming of an early release. Not too much of a surprise, we guess, what with European retailers all showing a Friday retail launch. One interesting thing to note is the SKU: at least one of these early rigs reads CECHK01, not CECHL01 as seen in the FCC… hmmm. SKU pictured after the break.

[Thanks, Mr. Abulia]

Read — early 80GB Core PlayStation 3
Read — CECHK01 SKU [Warning: sub req’d]
Read — Europe release on Friday

Continue reading 80GB PlayStation 3 arrives early at Best Buy, Friday in Europe

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Original post by Thomas Ricker