Dixero - Technology channel

DEMOFall 08: completion of the selection process

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:57:28 EDT

. For those who read us regularly, you already know that we cover DEMO, the emerging technology conference. This time, we are a media partner so we got a special price for our readers who are interested to attend this leading technology event, in September in San Diego. Click here to register for DEMOFall 08 and save up to $600. DEMO has been around for 18 years and is recognized as one of the best conference for its high quality of start up selection and the great organization. This year more than 70 new products have been selected to launch in a series of six minutes demonstrations. During the selection, a few trends have emerged, here are the themes that we be presented at DEMOFall 08:. Television Meet the Web; Web Meet Television : new ways for Hollywood and consumers to deliver and view content. Protecting Your Digital Property : from photos to music and film, new products for keeping what's yours. A Smarter Web Finally Within Our Reach : new ways to search and use the web. Its Easy Being Green : products that make it easier to go green in the enterprise and at home. Getting Embedded with Social Networks : useful ways to network and share on the Web. Y our Mobile, Your Life : from CRM systems to transport networks, there isn't anything you can't do on a cell phone. Enterprise Meets Web 2. 0 : the future of collaboration, content and delivery. Source article | Add a comment .

Ten alternative hybrid car engine noises

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Working off of the post from earlier today concerning Lotus adding artificial engine noise to hybrid cars in the name of safety, we thought we might see how a few alternative engine sound effects might work instead of the boring artificial car engine sound.

SecondBrain Adds FriendFeed, Facebook Support and More

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:03:39 +0000

SecondBrain , the online content aggregator that launched a few weeks back, has added support for ten more services, including FriendFeed , Facebook , Diigo, Reddit, Mixx, Tumblr, Qik, Goodreads and Behance . While many consider SecondBrain a FriendFeed clone of sorts, there's more to SecondBrain's platform than lifestreaming. It takes your aggregated content and places it in an organized, searchable context. As you can see just by looking at the list of newly supported sites, SecondBrain supports a wide array of social bookmarking and media-sharing sites, most of which are good for individual marketing purposes once widespread redistribution gets going. A primary focus for SecondBrain is to better organize your lifestreaming content and make it easier to share this aggregated content accordingly. That means that there are things like collections, which are tailored to your preferences and have privacy setting options and more. One of the best things about this particular format for sharing lifestreaming content is that you can still aggregate certain content into various collections and share each collection with a specific audience, depending on your needs. What this does is increase the amount of content you can share, as you won't have to worry about any ill-gotten overlap for other catchall lifestreaming services that don't offer such privacy options with such organization. From there, SecondBrain is also among those that are making aggregated Web content more searchable and easy to find, hence making it easier for aggregated content to be useful in more ways than just having been shared amongst a group of friends. It's been quite interesting to see the types of services that do this, from SecondBrain to social search engine Delver , and surely more will come in order to tackle the very specific task of turning aggregated lifestreams into more useful things, from recommendations to marketing fodder. ---. Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:. Secondbrain Announces Macbook Air Winners . Mashable Announces SecondBrain Beta Launch: Win a MacBook Air . SecondBrain Official Launch: Q&A with Founder Lars Teigen . Windows Live Messenger Malware Forces Upgrade for Users . How To Lose Your Users and Kill Your Web 2. 0 Company: Zoto . 37Signals Releases Backpack Update . Upgrade Time: 16 Services So Cheap it's a Shame Not to Pay .

Contact Lenses Believe In Quick Action

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:57:09 EDT

This is one pair of smart contact lenses - it is capable to performing a quick check on your eyes to make sure that everything's working in tip top condition, and is smart enough to dispense medication automatically as and when required. Perfect to treat those who are beginning to develop glaucoma, as it is capable of detecting raised pressure in the eye by warning you by sending data to a computer wirelessly. No idea on just when such a nifty invention will make it to the mainstream market, but it definitely beats going to the eye doctor for an annual checkup eh?. Source article | Add a comment .

LaCie Air Vents Speakers

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:57:07 EDT

LaCie does its level best to introduce both form and functionality into its creations, and the latest pair of portable USB speakers are known as Air Vents. Taking the minimalist route, this two-piece speakers will look pretty much like air ventilation outlets that sit atop most modern skyscrapers, featuring 2" drivers and a rubber ring at the bottom to prevent these speakers from slipping away. It also comes in business-like colors of black and white, making it suitable for either the office or at home. It is USB powered, so there is no need to lug around an additional power adapter on your travels although you would stand to benefit by carrying a USB hub around. The LaCie Air Vents speakers will retail for $59. 99 while the FireWire version goes for a much more expensive $99. 99. Source article | Add a comment .

Use Twitter for Work With Twellow

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:48:44 -0800

Did you know that there are more than 100 people who work in the Oil and Gas industries who use Twitter? There are more than 400 people on Twitter who say they work in a field related to accounting, 115 professional language translators, 75 people who sew or are tailors and 33 people in the Air Force. How well is your industry represented on Twitter? Wouldn't you like to find those people to connect with them?. Twellow is an automatically generated directory of Twitter users, organized by occupation. It offers to help users quickly ramp up productive use of the popular microblogging service by finding people with common interests. New features were unveiled on the service today that will make it even more useful. How Does It Work?. Do you or would you like to talk about work on Twitter? . ( surveys ) A service of news organization WebProNews , Twellow grabs publicly available Twitter messages, then looks at the bio fields of the users who published them. Those bios are analyzed for a variety of keywords that are then used to categorize the users by occupation or interest. Twellow says it is actively developing ways to search for users on other social network by occupational category as well. What's New?. Today Twellow rolled out an easy way to log-in to their service and associate your profile there with your accounts on other services. For example, nonprofit consultant Ian Wilker (see below) has associated his Twitter account with his accounts on places like Delicious, FriendFeed and LInked in via Twellow. That's useful for context, richer communication and forming further connections. We think this kind of simple keyword parsing for categorization has a lot of potential. Twitter in particular is a great way to communicate quickly with groups of people, but it's particularly valuable if you can add people with common interests to your network. Twellow is an important service that's worth spending a few minutes with and keeping track of for the future.

Aigo P8860 MID surfaces in Windows XP colors

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:29:03 EDT

Filed under: Handhelds . We've seen Aigo's flagship MID from just about any angle you could imagine, but now that the P8860 has started to ship, we're starting to see it freed from its Linux trappings and dressed up in a little bit of Windows XP. Video of just such harmony (or atrocity, if that's the way you see it) is after the break. Continue reading Aigo P8860 MID surfaces in Windows XP colors . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

diNovo Edge Mac vs. diNovo PC

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:28:42 EDT

Filed under: Peripherals . Unless you've got a couple thou to shell out for an Optimus Maximus , Logitech's diNovo Edge is about as slick a keyboard as anyone makes right now. We just cracked open the forthcoming diNovo Edge for Mac -- comparison shots are below, but the differences aren't too stunning. Mac keys, and lots of 'em. Not just command, option/alt, etc. , they've got the full complement, including Dashboard, Spaces, Quick Look, Front Row, iTunes (plus media controls), brightness up/down, and so on. Unfortunately, unlike its PC counterpart, those media and shortcut buttons are not hidden behind the black mirror finish until lit up. The keyboard font's changed to something a little thinner and larger. Definitely easier to see, but we'd still like a backlight. There's no Bluetooth connect button anymore -- it's smart enough to automatically go into discoverable mode if it's not paired. The Mac keyboard stack makes all those shortcuts configurable if you're using the function keys as, well, function keys. Is it worth $159? We definitely like the way the keys feel (both in shape and in resistance / tactility) much more than Apple's latest boards. No qualms here if you're looking for a recommendation -- whether you've got a PC or a Mac, the Edge is a damn fine piece of kit for getting your type on. %Gallery-29289. Permalink | Email this | Comments .

GrandDialer Brings GrandCentral to Your iPhone [Featured IPhone Download]

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:00:00 PDT

iPhone/iPod touch only: Free application GrandDialer integrates with previously mentioned GrandCentral —Google's phone-consolidation service—so you can seamlessly call contacts from your iPhone using your GrandCentral number. The beauty of GrandDialer is that the call you place will display your GrandCentral number instead of your AT&T number, so contacts will call back on the right number (assuming you use your GrandCentral account as your main number). The app integrates with your contacts, so dialing is just as easy as dialing with the default phone application. If you're an iPod touch user, you can still use GrandDialer to place calls as long as you've got a Wi-Fi connection—you'd just set it to call a phone you have nearby. GrandDialer is freeware, iPhone and iPod touch only, requires iPhone 2. 0 software. GrandDialer [iTunes Store via TUAW ].

Nikon D90 Image Leak?

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:56:51 EDT

Here's a possible image of the Nikon D90 that has no shortage of rumors . Do you think this is a Photoshopped image, or is it the real deal? My instinct says that this is fake, since it does not come with the customary blur effect that most spyshots tend to have. If this is real, then I must say the penalties at Nikon for leaking images ought to be much less lenient compared to 40 lashes on the bottom. Source article | Add a comment .

Fujitsu LifeBook U820 Specifications

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:56:50 EDT

. The Fujitsu LifeBook U820 , also known as the U2010 in Asia Pacific, now has its specifications ready for all and sundry to look at. In addition to the Intel Centrino Atom 1. 6GHz processor, this UMPC will also come with the following :- . Ocean Black, Pink Gold, Cool Silver, Fuschia Red and Luminous Blue color options. Wireless music on-demand technology . 64GB SSD option . 300-nit screen brightness . 1. 3 megapixel camera . 4-cell extended battery . It will be able to run up to 8 hours before requiring a trip to the nearest power outlet. Source article | Add a comment .

Dell Could Announce Netbooks Next Week

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:56:46 EDT

. Dell will be holding a press event sometime next week, and this is the platform that could see new products being announced, including the much talked-about Inspiron Mini . Instead of letting you scour all over the Internet and find out just what the Inspiron Mini is all about, here's a quick recap. Prices will start from $299 upwards, and you will get pretty much the same specs as other netbooks including :- . 8. 9" display at 1,024 x 600 resolution 512MB RAM 4GB SSD Intel Atom 1. 6GHz processor Do you think this is the press conference where the Inspiron Mini will be revealed? . Source article | Add a comment .

iBUYPOWER Video PC Line

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:56:41 EDT

iBUYPOWER has just launched its new line of Video PCs that target the growing amateur videographer market which has strong drivers such as YouTube to keep the community abuzz with new material daily. Known as the Video Bot, this NZXT Appollo cased computer will come with the following specifications :- . Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor. nVidia 9800GT graphics card. 4GB RAM. There are Pro and Extreme models available, boasting much more RAM, superior processors and a meaner-looking case, no doubt capable of keeping things inside running cooler as well. All of them will come with integrated 8-channel surround sound, Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition, and a 12-in-1 memory card reader. Source article | Add a comment .

Sirius XM’s Mel Karmazin says interoperable radios here in less than 9 months

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:36:39 +0000

Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin said yesterday that he expects interoperable radios (that is, radio that can receive both Sirius and XM, full-on) in less than nine months. (The FCC gave the combined company nine months to come out with such radios. ) Whether or not that's in time for the Holiday shopping season…. Now, radios that work with the a la carte service—you have XM but want one or two of Sirius' music channels—should be here before the Holidays. The best news is that the new radios, in all their glory, will be at next year's CES. I may actually head out to Vegas just to see ‘em.

System of Proof: Record your friends and loved ones… without their permission!

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:26:08 +0000

For $9. 99 a month you can call a special number and automatically record calls you make to others. While you've got to have a Nixon-sized sense of paranoia to require a monthly service for recording your calls, this could be valuable for journalists and other perverts who may not want to bother with, say, a $100 voice recorder and a microphone. HOUSTON —(Business Wire)— Aug. 8, 2008 System of Proof, Inc. (systemofproof. com) has delivered the ultimate in recording any conversation that so many people wished they had recorded, i. e. , sexual harassment, police profiling, business deals gone wrong, class room lectures and many more. The System of Proof technology simply turns your cell or land phone into a microphone. There is NO software installation requirement and NO other equipment, "Just the Phone You Have!". How It Works:. This technology can be used with any cell phone, land line, VOIP at home or at your office. It's as simple as dialing a phone number. The user dials a number that is assigned to them upon subscribing to the service (they can use speed-dial or voice activation) that automatically activates recording. The recording gets stored on a mainframe computer at the company. When the recording is completed, a voice email is automatically generated to the user's email address that user assigned when subscribing. This email file can be archived to the subscriber's hard drive, to a CD, iPod, mp3 or any other data storing device to be retrieved at a later date. There is no log-in process to retrieve your recording—it comes directly to you! No time limit to your recording!. Uses for the System of Proof Technology:. — Deter profiling of an individual whether it be race, sex or religion. — Provide proof in the case of harassment, civil rights abuses on the job or in other public settings. — Capture evidence of spousal abuse whether it be physical, verbal or mental that can now be admissible to law enforcement. — Record your lectures to make sure you don't miss pertinent exam notes. — Provide a recording device in board and business meetings to avoid miscommunications. — Do 3-way calling recording of threatening bill collectors or other disgruntled callers. — Record your spouse or your significant other. Plans & Cost of Service:. Silver Plan: 1,000 minutes for $4. 95 per month*. Gold Plan: 1,500 minutes for $6. 95 per month*. Platinum: Unlimited recording for $9. 95 per month. *here is a $0. 15 per minute surcharge for additional minutes. via Giz .

When Technology Becomes Art: Photography of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies [Olympics Pictures]

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EDT

While we're waiting until tonight to see NBC's delayed rebroadcast of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, we can show you some of the most beautiful images from the event. An incredible full-field scroll, projection sphere and LED suits transcend to create what looks to have been one of the, if not the , most stunning mass displays of lighting technology in history. Read on for the full jaw-dropping gallery. Make sure to set that DVR for later. All photos provided by Getty Images.

Wii MotionPlus Technology Is Not Exclusive To Nintendo, So Expect Similar Controllers Soon [Wii MotionPlus]

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:14:00 EDT

Invensense, one of the two companies that sold their technology to Nintendo for their Wii MotionPlus Wiimote add-on, has just announced that they're NOT exclusive to Nintendo and are fielding offers from other companies. One person with the company says, "I can't get into details about other folks that are interested in this technology, but as you might imagine of course there is more interest out there. " The other company is AiLive , which hasn't said anything about licensing their tech to anyone else. What's the upshot to this? One, the non-exclusivity leaves room for Microsoft or Sony to license the same technology and come out with something as good as the MotionPlus accessory. However since Nintendo had two companies collaborate on this, knockoffs might not be exactly the same. [ Eurogamer via Reg Hardware ].

Encore Rockin Music Lamp

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:25 EDT

It goes without saying that the best way to get a message across is using multimedia, where both audio and video combine to make an explosive message. Enter the Encore Rockin Music Lamp courtesy of ASC Lighting and Design. This nifty lamp comes with an integrated MP3 docking station, featuring a couple of internal speakers, a 40-watt appliance bulb and volume controls (as any self-respecting speaker would). If you want to light up your home in a multi-colored hue, this is the way to go as it comes with rainbow party lights that pulsate according to the music's beat at that point in time. You can pick up the Encore Rockin Music Lamp for $37. 99 . Source article | Add a comment .

BenQ LCD Monitors Help Save Power

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:24 EDT

. BenQ has a couple of High Definition LCD monitors for the masses - the E900HD and G900HD that aim to make the world a greener place. Both models will come with 16:9 widescreen format display and a special 2-lamp design that throws out a brightness of 300 nits which is the equivalent of 4-lamp models. The use of two lamps helps save power in the long run, which is good if you're sitting in front of the computer all day long. BenQ claims that the 18. 5" models also comes with a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1 despite sipping 30W of power in total, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 25% while mercury is cut to 50%. Source article | Add a comment .

Proton AC Unit Concept

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:19 EDT

. Michael Laut has dreamt up of this conceptual AC unit that not only works quietly to help keep you asleep like a baby at night, it is also environmentally friendly just like its color. This wall-mounted device will induce air via ionization, eliminating the normally loud buzz of the AC unit that hangs outside of your home. It will also make use of condensation produced by the compressor to water any plants or vegetation under it, giving you a legitimate excuse to turn on the AC even when it isn't too hot outside. Too bad this is but a concept as I would love to see this hit the market. Source article | Add a comment .

ECS G10IL Is Curvy

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:56:11 EDT

The ECS G10IL netbook comes with less curves than a Formula 1 track, but it has more than enough to keep everyone happy with its appearance. It will be powered by an Intel Atom 1. 6GHz processor, 1GB RAM and comes with a 10" display. You won't find any SSD inside though, as it will use a 120GB hard drive instead. The ECS G10IL has been attractively priced at approximately $499, making it more than a worthy opponent to the Asus Eee PC 1000H. Source article | Add a comment .

Pink Curve and Pearl Join Verizon

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:55:57 EDT

Verizon Wireless is offering a couple of BlackBerries that will come in pink - the Curve 8330 and Pearl 8130. This adds to the silver color that was the only choice before, and I'm betting my bottom dollar that there will be more females than males carrying this new BlackBerry color in the coming summer. Both smartphones pretty much share the same hardware, including a 2 megapixel camera, 3G connectivity and 3. 5mm headphone jacks. You will be able to pick up the Pearl for $80 with a 2-year contract and a rebate, while the Curve will cost you another $20 more with the same terms and conditions. Source article | Add a comment .

Homemade PSP Phone

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:55:55 EDT

. You know the saying - if you want something done, you've gotta do it yourself. The same rings true for this person who has long waited for a PSP Phone but to his disappointment, rumors of this wonder device never came true. Necessity being the mother of all invention, he sacrificed the UMD drive on the PSP to stick in a Haier handset complete with a touch screen display right behind. Well, I guess you might not be able to watch Spiderman 2 anymore on UMD format (games can still be played the unofficial way using ISOs though), but this is definitely worth the sacrifice. Source article | Add a comment .

ASUS Eee Box available Stateside, yours for $350

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:28:00 EDT

Filed under: Desktops . There are cheaper computers out there, and even smaller computers out there, but the ASUS Eee Box seems to strike a similar chord to that of its laptop counterpart -- solid minimalism, just a dash of design sense, and a lovable price point. J&R has started selling a $350 version the computer in the States, complete with Windows XP, a 1. 6GHz Atom processor, WiFi, memory card reader, 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. We're especially into the prospect of quick-boot Express Gate Linux tomfoolery, with a seven second boot time all that's keeping us from web browsing, Skype and IM -- oh, and buying one. Black and white versions are available now. [Thanks, Mike]. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

Kohjinsha SX3 gets reviewed on video

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:27:51 EDT

Filed under: Laptops , Tablet PCs . The WOW-POW folks gave us our first taste of the Kohjinsha SC3 on video , and now they're back with the SX3KP06MA convertible "UMPC" (SX3 for short) in a full video review. We'll let you watch the 10 minute review at your leisure, but in summary they found the computer faster than its SC3 sibling, despite identical Atom chipsets, and are of course general fans of the DVD-RW drive, 1280 x 768 glossy screen and pretty much all things Kohjinsha . Video is. wait for it. after the break. [Thanks, Larry]. Continue reading Kohjinsha SX3 gets reviewed on video . Permalink | Email this | Comments .

How To Hack Your PSP Slim For Homebrew Apps [How To]

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:06:09 EDT

One of the topics discussed at our roundtable with Sony at E3 (besides their dislike for paying for features and their 20/20 hindsight as to what went wrong with the PS3's development ) was piracy. Piracy was half the reason SCEA's Jack Tretton gave to why the PSP is not living up to its promise as a powerhouse portable console, with the other half being the straight-shooting admission that PSP owners didn't want to pay for ports of PS2 games. So what can you loyal fans do when developers aren't putting out the type of content worth playing? Homebrew, the magical world of quasi-legal third-party PSP software including web apps, radio apps, Super Nintendo/NES emulators and ripped PS1 games. I'm going to show you how to get your PSP to do all this and more. There are dozens of guides online that show you how to get custom firmware onto your PSP in as many different ways. This is the method I found to be the easiest, combining tips from sites like PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard . Note that this is customized for the PSP Slim, which is the only PSP you can go out to stores and buy, but most of these steps will be the same for the older PSP. I started the process with a PSP running 3. 71 firmware, but it should much the same on other versions. 1) Buy a PSP MAX Power TOOL SLIM battery . Trust me. Unless you have a friend who already hacked their PSP and has a service mode battery of their own, this is the easiest solution. There are ways of modifying your current battery to enable service mode on your PSP, but the time spent doing that is much better spent doing ANYTHING else. Buy this for $25 and wait for it to come in the mail. Update : Reader Wrocky found this $10 version that supposedly does the same thing. Buy it here at Dealextreme . We haven't personally tested it, but if it works, it works! The only downside is that it's made for the original PSP so will stick out of your battery case if you have a PSP Slim. Since you'll only be using this once, that's not a big deal. 2) Make sure you have at least a 256MB Memory Stick and a USB to miniUSB cable to connect your PSP to your computer running a version of Windows XP. I tried this on Vista but it kept erroring out on various parts of the process. 3) Charge your current (normal) battery as well as the MAX Power to full. 4) Download this file here , as linked to from this guide here . Extract the file to your desktop (remember, Windows XP machine). 5) Connect your PSP to your computer via the USB cable and setting it in "USB mode". Use the standard battery for this. If you have any important files on your memory card, back that up to a folder on your computer first. 6) Run the "START. exe" file from the package you extracted. Follow the instructions there. Once this is done, you'll have what's called a "Magic Memory Card", which is used to replace the standard firmware with a customized one. You'll have to pop your memory card in and out as the program tells you during the process. Follow the instructions until it tells you that you're done, then disconnect your PSP and turn it off. 7) Take out your normal battery, but don't put in your MAX Power battery just yet. Hold the L button (the left shoulder button) while inserting in the MAX Power battery. Make sure it's secure and won't fall out fall out while you're putting the battery cover back on. 8) Once the PSP is on (you might have to flip the power toggle) you may see a black screen with white text, or you may see nothing at all—I saw a completely blank screen for some reason. Either way, the power light on your PSP should be green to show that the unit's powered on. To install the firmware, press the X button. You should see the Memory Stick light on the left of your PSP flash with activity. When this is done, the PSP will shut itself off. Congrats! Now you have version 3. 71 m33. But you're not done. 9) To upgrade this to version 4. 01 (the latest hacked release as of this writing), download these files. First, the official 4. 01 firmware . Then, the hacked 4. 01 m33 and also 4. 01 m33-2 . That not a typo, by the way: Those file names are actually backwards and m33 is actually m33-2. Keep this in mind. 10) Extract all 3 files into their own directories. The 401-m332 folder (which should actually be the m33 update and not the m33-2 update) should have a folder called UPDATE under it. The Now, place the 401. PBP file (the official 4. 01 firmware file) into the 401-m33 UPDATE. All this is going on on your PC's hard drive, not the PSP. 11) Then connect your PSP to your PC again (put the normal battery back), enable USB mode and copy the entire UPDATE folder from your PC onto /PSP/GAME/ onto your PSP's memory card. 12) On your PSP, exit USB mode, go to the Game and then Memory Stick , and run the PSP Update. Follow the instructions on screen, and you should have a PSP running 4. 01 m33. 13) Now, connect your PSP to your computer using USB mode, delete the UPDATE folder under /PSP/GAME from your PSP, and copy over the UPDATE folder that belongs to the 401m33-2 file from your PC onto the PSP. Then go to the Game section and run this update on your PSP. You don't need the official 4. 01 firmware in your UPDATE folder for this. Woohoo, you're finished. Are you ready to get some homebrew going? Hit up PSP Hacks for a big list of applications you can run, including web apps, radio apps, Sudoku and even emulators. For obvious reasons, we're not going to link you to actual ROMs to run on an SNES emulator, but you can find those in the usual places you get ROMs. There are several SNES emulators to choose from, but this SNES emulator runs particularly well on the PSP, lending itself to old school gaming on the go. Although a side effect of homebrew is that you can run pirated PSP games on your PSP, that's being pretty naughty and isn't something we encourage. The fact that a lot of people are doing this is contributing to (according to Sony) the lack of good games for the platform, which hurts everybody. Try not do to this. What you can do is rip your old PS1 games and play THOSE on your PSP without waiting for an official release and having to pay Sony again for something you already own. Another idea when you're going on vacation is to get a 16GB Memory Stick and load all the PSP games you own onto it so you don't have to carry around so many UMDs. In order to rip PS1 games, you'll need a program like ISOBuster (there are others as well) that can take your disc and create an "image" of it on your hard drive, which is just a file representing the contents of the CD. You then plug those files into a program called PSX eBoot Creator to make it suitable for your PSP. The file and instructions on how to use it can be found here . You don't need a separate emulator once you have the eBoot file, but you do need plenty of space on your Memory Stick (1GB is probably only enough to hold a couple small games or one large one). Thanks : We wanted to thank all the hard work that the PSP community—which includes PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard which we got much help installing this from. Did you like this How To tutorial? The point was to give you the easiest path from start to finish, even if it required you to spend money on purchasing something. Your time is valuable, which means you don't want to spend hours solving something yourself when it can easily be bypassed with a few dollars. What do you want to see a How To on? Drop us a note at tips@gizmodo. com with the subject "How To Suggestion".

Hybrid Vehicles: It’s quiet out there, a little too quiet

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000

We've all heard the whispers and murmurs regarding adding artificial noise to hybrid cars so that pedestrians don't get hit and it appears that we're heading in that direction for real. Lotus is working on artificial engine noise and there's apparently even a $300 module you can add to your Toyota Prius to give it that throaty vroom-vroom sound it's been missing. This all begs the question: why engine noise? If we're going to add artificial noise to hybrid cars, why can't it be something that sounds less annoying than a car engine? I'm thinking something along the lines of a low hum or maybe the sound that all the space cars on the Jetsons made. There'd be a whole secondary market for personalized engine noise, kind of like ringtones for your car. If you had a hybrid car and could add your own engine sound, what would it be?. [ Techdirt via BBG ].

Ubisoft sues North Carolina disc replicator

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Ubisoft is not amused about the 700,000-some copies of Assassin's Creed that spread like wildfire around the web six weeks before the game was available at retail stores. Ubisoft has tracked the initial leak back to Optical Experts Manufacturing, the company in charge of producing copies of the game for sale. It was found that an employee of the company had taken the game home and leaked it out onto the internet, which Ubisoft called "an extraordinary breach of trust and gross negligence. ". What's interesting is that, not only is Ubisoft suing the company lost sales, it's also suing the company for irreparable harm to Ubisoft's reputation. Why? Because in order to prevent piracy, Ubisoft had planted a bug in the game up until the final version that purposely caused it to crash halfway through. As it turns out, a fair amount of video game reviewers had been reviewing pirated copies of the game and gave it lower scores because of the apparent instability. The final legal tally adds up to copyright infringement, breach of contract, and negligence, plus a recuperation of legal fees for all three claims, plus at least $10 million each in damages for the negligence and breach of contract claims.

Google Translate Now iPhone-Friendly [IPhone]

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:22:55 PDT

The Google service that's super handy when you're traveling internationally (or just headed to multi-lingual city), Google Translate, is now available for the iPhone . Just hit up translate. google. com in mobile Safari; check the screenshot to see it in action.

CrunchGirl’s Guide to Gadgets for Your Girl

info@dixero.com (Dixero) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:33 +0000

So here's the scenario: you finally find yourself regularly spending time with a lovely girl who seems to really like you, and even puts up with (bonus: appreciates) your nerdy ways and gadget affinities. First of all, WOW, congratulations! Now, down to business…How to get her on board with your love for gadgetry? The simple answer to this, and essentially any persuasion quandary, is always: duh, buy her something. Obviously there is a cadre of girly-pink technology purchases you could make, but we know you're probably too busy pondering your own personal electronic purchases. CrunchGirl will make it easier for you with this handy cheat sheet, based on the type of lady you've scored. PartyGirl : Sunday days are the new Thursday nights, I'm told, but your new GF wants to go out for both. Also, Monday. She also rolls with an entourage of friends so deep you can smell the cloud of perfume coming for miles. How many photos have you seen of her where one of the subjects is also the photographer? Essentially, there's a lot of this. The perfect gadget for PartyGirl is a Nikon COOLPIX S60 , and with all sorts of "touch controls" she can continue taking multitudinous drunken shots of her crew and hopefully think of you with every touch. Extra points that CG hottie Devin gives his endorsement . TravelGirl : You can't fault a girl who loves to get out and see the world. While she may leave you lonely from time to time, lucky for you that sense of adventure isn't limited to visiting unpronounceable countries. Reward her intrepidness (and encourage her timely return) with a lovely gift of a travel toy like the VIOlight , that uses UV light to keep her toothbrush uncontaminated on the road. GirlyGirl : What girl doesn't like a little decoration? It's generally why we give thanks everyday not to be one of your kind. That, and lip gloss. So if you've got a girl who rocks a ton of hair bows, puffy skirts or really, pink anything, you've probably got a girl who would love a little something to doll up her iPhone and make it stand out in the crowd. Something like this . Yeah, yeah it's a little spendy. Get over it. EcoGirl : If the object of your affection hails from the Pacific Northwest, spearheads her neighborhood recycling program, or stood in line for one of these last summer chances are she loves her some green-living and eco-chic. And the fact is no girl can resist a Mimobot USB Flash Drive. Good news for you, thoughtful gift-giver, they recently launched the socially responsible Greenbot Recycling Campaign . Not gonna lie, cute + eco = probably going to be a good night. PoshGirl : Well, hello big spender. So you got yourself a Gossip Girl. If she sets aside hours to pour over new issues of Vogue and W on the exact day they arrive, and her browser home page is Glam. com, you'll probably have to get used to shelling out the cash. Start it off right buy investing in the Prada phone by LG . Oh, and be a lamb and get me one, too. To close (and to momentarily counteract this week's materialistic theme), I'd like to clarify that true love is not all about consumerism. But we all know a little well thought out product placement can certainly keep your stock on the rise. So make her laugh, keep her surprised, and be sure to stay informed about what girls really want by keeping up with CrunchGirl every week. You know you love me, xoxo.