(by GEARFUSE)
(Kupy shows why girls should fall for designers)
(The Obamafy Photo Booth plug-in)
($0.10 for every 10 minutes of charging)
And of course… no more Lively.
Tags: flips off IBM, Steve Jobs
Original post by Rico
From the first time Steve Jobs demonstrated “the pinch″ — the two-finger gesture used to zoom in and out of photos and Web pages on the iPhone – some Apple observers assumed it was just a matter of time before a multitouch-enabled screen showed up on the Mac.
That hasn’t happened yet. But now Hewlett-Packard has beaten Apple to the punch, announcing the first multitouch-enabled notebook PC, the tx2.
We are all wondering — aren’t we — why Apple couldn’t get this out to market first?
The tҲ is a convertible notebook, meaning its screen can pivot 180 degrees to show someone else what’s on it or lie flat and act like a tablet PC.
The first convertible notebook aimed directly at consumers, the t×2 sports HP’s version of multitouch technology, which lets you use two fingers at once to manipulate images on the screen or make on-screen gestures that signify specific commands.
A pinch motion works just like it does on an iPhone or MacBook, for example, letting you rotate pictures or press and drag files around.
Pricing? $1,150 or only $151 more than the starter MacBook.
More at BusinessWeek.
Tags: apple, convertible notebook, hewlett-packard, hp, iphone, mac, macbook, steve jobs, tx2
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Original post by nafiz
In the what’s old is new again category …
IMOVIO has launched a smaller alternative to a subnotebook – much smaller. The new iKIT is about the size of a PDA from 10 years ago, but has a QWERTY keyboard and connects to the Internet at 3G speeds via your cell phone or Wi-Fi.
(Ah the Newton … Anybody still using that little gadget goodie from Apple?) 
The $175 Linux-based system has a built-in Webcam as well as a range of applications, such as Web browsing, e-mail and IM.
It can connect to the Internet using a standard Wi-Fi connection, or it can use your cell phone’s mobile broadband connection via Bluetooth.
Now are those chicklet keys easy on our big fingers? 
Get more at Computerworld.
Tags: apple, bluetooth, IMOVIO, newton, pda, subnotebook, wi-fi
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Original post by nafiz
Filed under: Laptops
Well the rumoratti has certainly been working overtime today when it comes to Apple, so we’ve decided to bundle all the news that’s currently doing the rounds into one tasty and nutritious post.
First up, there are new — and quite detailed — pictures out of what appears to be those MacBook and MacBook Pro casings we saw during the week. Again, we can’t 100 percent confirm that these are the real deal, but they certainly have that Air-meets-MacBook hybrid quality to them that would suggest we’re looking at the next iteration of the line.
Secondly, Apple has gone and published a support document for the “MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)” — which suggests (gasp!) that there might be some late 2008 refreshes in our future. Oh really? Weird.
Rounding out the excitement, AppleInsider “confirms” the rumor that the new MacBooks will jettison the integrated Intel graphics which previous models have used in favor of NVIDIA’s MCP79 platform. The new GPUs apparently use a new set of GeForce 9300 and 9400 chips that will make previous performance look archaic by comparison. Additionally, according to hotshot Mac rumor specialist Kevin Rose, the new systems will support Blu-ray drives, thus finally allowing you to watch season 4 of Lost the way the lord intended it.
As with all rumors, you can never really know which one of these is going to stick, but luckily we won’t have to wait very long to get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the various links below and soak in the sweet, sweet gossip.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Read - Leaked MacBook / MacBook Pro casing photos
Read - Apple Document Confirms MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Read - Apple dumping Intel chipsets for NVIDIA’s in new MacBooks
Read - Kevin Rose drops MacBook Blu-Ray Rumor at Live Diggnation event
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Original post by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Laptops
Oh Apple — release some new laptops so this madness can end. The forums at MacRumors are abuzz over a Taiwanese site that’s showing off pictures of what appears to be a very close cousin of that MacBook Pro-esque casing we saw earlier. This isn’t the same model, surely, but it does bear a striking similarity in both design and materials — and after lots of deliberation and comparisons, we’re fairly sure this isn’t the Air either (the hinge ends in a totally different spot in relation to the keys). That machined quality we noted in the earlier post is present, though as we said previously, the sides of these housings do look like separate pieces. Regardless, if any of this is even remotely true (and not another Photoshop from someone’s mother’s basement), Apple is indeed taking its laptops in an Air direction, which isn’t surprising — but signs of these being the end-result of new manufacturing process? The jury’s still way out. One more pic after the break of that controversial side piece.
[Via MacRumors]
Continue reading More pics of Apple’s supposed new laptops surface
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Original post by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Robots
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Original post by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Robots
Leaps and bounds have been made with Sylvain Calinon’s robotic portrait artist since we first caught a glimpse of this amazing AI being — and no, we′re not just referring to the stylish beret and mustache. Now dubbed “Salvador DaBot”, the portraitist has developed far more advanced conversation skills, along with a voice that sounds a lot less like Steven Hawking. We kinda miss that feather pen he was sporting before, but his movement’s a lot more natural now and his new marker seems to have helped his drawing style — similar to old-school comic art. See this awesome little guy in action after the break.
[Via Sylvain Calinon]
Continue reading Salvador DaBot: robot portraitist extraordinaire
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Original post by Stephanie Patterson
Filed under: Robots
Erector’s WiFi-enabled Spykee robot hasn’t even begun to ship to mere mortals just yet, but through some random acts of wizardry, Sven was able to grab hold of one and give it the ole unboxing / impressions treatment (on video, no less). It could be the novelty factor, but he seemed pretty stoked with the whole package, and the clip waiting in the read link gives some real hard-hitting insight as to whether or not this $300 character deserves a spot in your family. Give it a watch, won’t you?
[Via RobotsRule]
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Original post by Darren Murph
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
No surprises here, but AT&T is doing the right thing by getting official with its Total Home DVR — which we’ve been expecting for like, ever. A number of loyal U-verse users received word of the change last week, but now the provider is rolling the software out to the Bay Area at no additional charge; as for everyone else, expect to receive it before 2009 dawns. So, what’s so fresh about Total Home? Oh, just the ability to watch five HD programs simultaneously throughout the home, among other nice extras listed in bulleted fashion after the jump.
Continue reading AT&T gets official with U-verse Total Home DVR
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Original post by Darren Murph
Filed under: Cellphones
The tried-and-true Hamburger phone is still our fav (what, there a problem with that?), but Marc Schömann’s baton-styled concept phone is very worthy of a look. Laden with LEDs and ready to be turned, users can dial up friends and family in painstakingly long procedures that involve all sorts of inefficient rotating maneuvers. Still, we can’t help but adore the hat tip to yesteryear’s rotary phones, though we have no doubts that this will never, ever see a retail shelf. Please, someone, prove us wrong.
[Via PhoneMag]
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Original post by Darren Murph
And you thought Microsoft bringing back the SideWinder was gnarly. Announced today, AMD is resurrecting the long-standing AIW line with its first-ever high-definition variant: the $199 ATI All-in-Wonder HD. The PCI Express 2.0 card attempts to handle both PC gaming and HDTV duties by boasting specs like DirectX 10.1 support, a 725MHz engine clock, 600MHz memory clock and MPEˈ / VC-1 / H.264 video decoder acceleration. You’ll also find Vista and AMD LIVE! certification badges to go along with the dual-link DVI port, HDMI jack (which supports 5.1 Dolby Digital transmission) and optional component video connectivity. As expected, users can capture live programs (as well as pause / rewind) in SD or HD over-the-air, and there’s even support for ClearQAM. For those looking to take their clips elsewhere, the bundled Avivo software converts it for viewing on some of today’s most popular handhelds (yes, including the iPod). Look for models from Diamond Multimedia and VisionTek to hit retailers in North America late next month. Full release after the jump.
Continue reading AMD smells a comeback with ATI All-in-Wonder HD
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Original post by Darren Murph
Filed under: Cellphones
As the dust settles on the iPhone 3G / WWDC blowout, we′ve sifted through the debris and discovered a few eyebrow-raising tidbits you might be interested to know. The first of which is news that the next firmware update (2.0) could be headed to devices as early as June 27th, at least according to Apple’s Australian iPod touch features page, which touts the arrival of the app store later this month. Meanwhile, Apple’s cash cow won’t get those OTA iTunes music downloads that were being heavily speculated on in May. Word on the street is that record labels are — wait for it — still holding out for those upped premiums, or that AT&T wants a cut of the action, which Apple is reluctant to hand over. Of course, AT&T wanting their share of that revenue makes good sense when you realize that the telco is taking a major hit on the sale of these devices — a hit which will stall profits until 2010. Perhaps that explains the new rules about activation; according to a report from Reuters, the company will penalize customers who buy a phone but don’t activate within 30 days, which falls in line with their aggressive new push to lock users into a contract… which looks exactly like the old cellphone business model. On a lighter note, iLounge has some real-world spy shots of the device’s shell, which they claim smudges like it’s going out of style, though it may be joined by a Product (RED) variation later this year. Enjoy!
[Thanks, Dan and Danny]
Read - Australian iPod touch features page
Read - No Over-The-Air 3G Music Downloads For New iPhone; Labels Holding Out For Higher Price Per Track?
Read - iPhone to cut into AT&T earnings until 2010
Read - Real World Photos: Inside + Outside iPhone 3G’s New Shell
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Original post by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Cellphones
According to a churning rumor-mill, Apple desperately wants to make over-the-air downloads of iTunes content a reality on the 3G iPhone. Apparently, a record label executive “familiar with the discussions” states that the Cupertino gang is hoping for a “big launch in June” which includes OTA music downloads, ringtone sales, and ringback tones (the substitute music you hear instead of a ring when calling someone). There’s only one problem: the labels want a higher premium for those services than a typical MP3 download. Of course, Apple’s iTunes pricing has been a point of contention for some time, though its recent rule-bending for HBO could lead to upped charges for the new services. Something tells us Apple has the tenacity and bullheadedness to make this work — let’s just hope they can temper the labels’ greed with the end user’s economic realities.
[Via AppleInsider]
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Original post by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Storage
Although it’s been several years since the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, it looks like some of the data gathered during the orbiter’s final mission will be put to good use. A hard drive salvaged from the wreckage contains the results of an experiment to study the way xenon gas flows in microgravity, and the results will be published in April in a journal called Physical Review E. The 400MB Seagate drive was originally thought to be destroyed, but workers and engineers reconstructing the orbiter from the remaining debris found it during the process and sent it off for recovery, where 99 percent of the data was extracted. It then took several years for lead researcher Robert Berg and his team to analyze the findings, but they’re happy with the results — we only wish they hadn’t come at so dear a price.
[Thanks, Laura]
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Original post by Nilay Patel
While researching for my VoIP call screening post earlier today, I came across a patent for "call screening". Curious, I decided to check it out the filed patent and found it was filed by Nortel Networks in July 2004. Interestingly, the patent application agrees with me that hosted voicemail needs call screening and goes as far as to say service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when they don’t have call screening. The patent app reads as follows:
The present invention relates to telephony communications, and in particular to allowing a user to screen calls by listening to a voicemail message being left in a hosted voicemail system from a telephone device.
Background of the Invention [0002] Telephone users with personal telephone answering devices can listen to callers leaving messages thereon, and during the call, decide to take the call. This highly desirable technique for screening calls is unavailable in hosted voicemail systems, because the voicemail system is a separate entity in the telephone network and is not directly associated with any individual’s telephone device. In a hosted voicemail system, incoming calls that are not answered are forwarded to the voicemail system. Since many users, especially residential users, rely on the ability to screen calls, service providers with hosted voicemail systems are at a competitive disadvantage when trying to market hosted voicemail services to their subscribers.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide call screening for users subscribing to hosted voicemail services.
Yeah, no kidding ‘call screening’ is a desirable feature! What’s even more interesting is the patent diagram makes no mention of VoIP, as seen here:
The text of the patent itself makes no mention of VoIP, so this is strictly traditional PSTN hosted voicemail call screening. Earlier today I griped about the lack of real-time call screening in VoIP services, such as Vonage & Packet8. It’s not that hard, especially if using software. You should be able to easily setup a 3-way conference call via SIP to enable call screening. That is, one leg is the caller, the second leg is your phone, and the last leg is special call screening software running on your PC. You just send a SIP Invite to the PC, have the software auto-accept the SIP invite and connect legs #2 & #3. If the user accepts the call, simply connect/conference leg #1.
Now most people don’t want to perform call screening on their PC. Most would want to do it via the phone, especially since the PC may not be on or nearby. Well, that’s easy enough as well. First, you ring the user’s phone, then after X number of rings, the phone stops ringing and the hosted voicemail system prompts the caller to leave a message. Simultaneously, the hosted voicemail system calls the phone again (via another SIP Invite) and this time tells the phone to play a special ringtone to indicate a caller is leaving a message. Hearing the special ringtone, the user can pick up the phone, be conferenced into the voicemail message being left (with mic muted) and if the user presses a touch-tone they can instantly pull the caller out and their mic is unmuted. Simple!
Damn, between the "special" ringtone to indicate the opportunity to screen the caller and the "instant" ability to pull a caller out of a hosted VoIP voicemail system, I should patent these! The special ringtone can even work with analog phones connected to ATAs simply by varying the length of the ring voltage, i.e. two super-quick rings.
Now while I didn’t go crazy searching the patent database, I did look around and didn’t see a patent for "VoIP call screening". Hmmm. Very interesting… Ok you patent trolls, he’s an opportunity for you. File a patent for "VoIP call screening". In fact, file one for "hosted VoIP call screening" and another one for "customer premise VoIP call screening" that works on customer premise Voice over IP phone systems (IP-PBXs), such as Asterisk. Then when you rake in millions from patent extortion, just make sure you show me some lovin’. 
After all, I did give you the idea. If you don’t show me some lovin’ then may your guilty conscience eat you up. Oh wait, patent trolls with a guilty conscience? What in blazes am I thinking? 
Tags: call screening, hosted VoIP call screening, Nortel Networks, patent, patent troll, VoIP
Original post by nafiz
Developages - Development and Technology Blog
