Technologypublic

Twitter shows off the "@Anywhere" platform

2010-03-16T10:34:00.003+08:00

A brief demo of @Anywhere showed off "hovercards" that bring up Twitter information with a mouse-over, let readers or users connect with their Twitter accounts much like Facebook Connect, or explore more specific possibilities, like instantly following a newspaper columnist's Twitter account by clicking on his or her byline.

"Discovery is one of the hardest challenges," Williams said. "It's putting these in context where you're already aware of them...Twitter is a very easy way to keep in touch." The company has 13 launch partners, including Digg, The New York Times, MSNBC.com, eBay, Amazon, and Bing. As Williams describes it, "it's not an ad platform, it's an '@' platform," referring to the syntax of using the '@' symbol to denote communication between individual Twitter users.

Full Story here...

Mac sales up 39 percent in January and Febuary as iPod sales rebound

2010-03-16T10:22:00.002+08:00

Engadget:

Well, it looks like it's not just iPad pre-orders that are possibly be >beating a few expectations -- according to NPD, sales of Macs and iPods were also up over some estimates in January and February. More specifically, NPD's Gene Munster says that sales of Macs were up 39% year over year for the two months (ahead of estimates of 22%), which should translate to sales of between 2.8 to 2.9 million Macs for the full quarter, while iPod sales were

Full Story here...

Google: Gmail to get more powerful search

2010-03-15T23:40:00.000+08:00

Gmail users will have noticed that the search in mail is nowhere near as powerful as Google's web search, but that's set to change with a large project that Google is currently working on.

In an exclusive interview with TechRadar at South by South West Interactive, Todd Jackson, Product Manager for Gmail and Google Buzz, said improvements to Gmail search are coming.

"Gmail works on pretty much exact string matching," says Jackson. "There's an incredible amount of knowledge that's baked into Google web search and we're trying to incorporate more and more of that into Gmail.

"So you will see improvement in that area in the future. It's one of the bigger back-end projects that we're working on right now."

Does this mean that we'll see suggestions such as 'did you mean?'

"Similar. You have to make it make sense in a mail context," Jackson explains. "We refer to this as 'stemming' – certain terms that are the stem of a longer term. It's a basic property of web search. And things like synonyms and bigrams and anagrams – all that stuff we want to work well in Gmail. It doesn't work yet, but it's something we are working on."

Jackson refused to be drawn on a launch date, saying that Google tries not to be too forward-looking with what it announces.

"This is because of the fits and starts that projects often have. Projects happen organically at Google and they are very engineering driven, and sometimes they start and stop and resume later. And we also don't like to tease users – we want to announce it to users at the moment that it's ready for them to use it."

Gmail: we are focussing on features not user numbers

2010-03-15T23:37:00.000+08:00

Since launch, Gmail has grown to become the third largest web mail service in the US, and while Google wants to see usage grow, it is more focussed on bringing new features to existing users.

In an exclusive interview with TechRadar at South by South West Interactive, Todd Jackson, Product Manager for Gmail and Google Buzz, explained why.

"We hope that more and more people will use Gmail – and not just that more people will use it but that people will use it more often," he said.

"This is something that Larry and Sergey, the founders, tell us – focus on usage not users, because the people who are using your product the most, the most active demanding users, are the ones who are going to be helping inform you about what the future is.

"The leading edge users are where everyone else is going to be two to three years later. So they are the ones that can help push your product to where it needs to be for the future, so we're really focussed on innovation."

Labels vs folders

But could such a focus on Gmail's power users mean that features that could attract new users across from Hotmail are being ignored? The lack of folders, for instance, might be a deal-breaker for many webmail switchers.

"We worked on this recently with our project where we improved labels," replies Jackson. "We wanted them to be accessible for people who are familiar with folders.

"We believe that the label model is a good model because it allows something to be in multiple labels. If I receive an email that's from my family but it's about a vacation I want it to be both in the 'family' and the 'vacation' label."

Jackson admits that many people just didn't understand labels. "All our research showed this. And so we did this big project to improve them. While still keeping them as labels we wanted to make them familiar to people who use folders, so you can drag and drop, you can 'move to' – which is essentially moving something out of one label and into another label. So we made them, sort of, still implemented as labels under the covers but look and feel and behave like folders so that users who are familiar with folders could use it."

The change was a success, claims Jackson: "After we launched this we saw the usage of labels go way up and we saw the number of people doing the traditional label commands go down a little and the amount of people doing the 'move to' and the folder-like commands go way up."

World's first diamond iPad tries to deliver that magical experience

2010-03-15T23:34:00.000+08:00

Get ready for some buyer's remorse if you're one of the thousands who pre-ordered an iPad last Friday: your soon-to-be new toy already pales in comparison to the $19,999 diamond-coated iPad from Mervis Diamond Importers.

What you have here is a stock unit of undisclosed specifications that's been coated with 11.43 carats of G/H color diamonds rated VS2/SI1 for clarity -- not exactly top-shelf stuff but chances are you'll be so transfixed with the amazingly beautiful user experience you won't notice the flaws. This poor iPad is just the latest in a long line of ridiculously expensive gadgets made more luxurious (many of an Apple persuasion) and is every bit as tasteless as the rest.

MSI announces GE700 gaming laptop for those who like to be entertained

2010-03-15T23:30:00.001+08:00

You can't go more than a few days without MSI dropping another new laptop, and today's is the GE700.

It's not only 100 more than the GE600 from a few weeks ago, but a little bit bigger, sporting a 17.3-inch LCD with an unspecified resolution, up to a nine cell battery, and room for dual hard disks of up to 500GB apiece. Graphics are again handled by an ATI Radeon HD5730, processing again done by an Intel Core i5 chip, and there's a 720p webcam for live-streaming your every blemish. No word on price for this 3.2kg (7lb) machine, but MSI doesn't tend to waste much time in getting these things to retail.

iPad pre-orders estimated at over 150,000 -- possibly ahead of iPhone rate

2010-03-15T23:24:00.000+08:00

Let's get this out of the way right up front: the estimated number of iPads sold in the first 72 hours is nowhere near official.

And if the numbers hadn't been scraped together by a well known amateur Apple analyst who regularly trumps the pros then we'd be skipping the fruits of his black magic algorithms altogether. Nevertheless, Daniel Tello (aka, Deagol), has applied his proven approach of extrapolating Apple web order numbers to come up with a 120,000 total for first day iPad sales that slowed to 152,000 after 72 hours (not including iPads reserved for pick-up). Tello told Fortune, "My best guess, although very tentative given the early stage and few data we have so far, would be that they hit the 1 million unit milestone by the second week after it ships." For those keeping track, it took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million. Quite an accomplishment if these numbers pan out (and that's a big if!) considering that only 3 to 4 million tablets are sold globally each year.

NVIDIA's 3DTV Play finally solves the HDMI 1.4 gap for 3D Vision

2010-03-15T23:21:00.000+08:00

In case you hadn't noticed, there was some trouble brewing in the NVIDIA camp. After ages of reigning atop the land of stereoscopic 3D playback on the PC, NVIDIA is finally being confronted with a real, bona fide standard for 3D, with zero GPUs capable of meeting it.

The current NVIDIA 3D Vision-compatible cards pump out the necessary pixels over DisplayPort or dual DVI plugs, while the official spec for 3D TVs is an HDMI 1.4 plug that accepts data from both frames at once. We were in doubt there for a moment, but it turns out NVIDIA's cards upgrade to 1.4 just fine, and all 3D Vision customers will be getting this as a free upgrade later this spring. NVIDIA will also be offering this 3DTV Play software in a standalone version for $40 to folks who don't want to bother with NVIDIA's 3D Vision stuff at all (with HDMI 1.4 you can just use the stereoscopic glasses that come with your fancy new 3D TV, no need for NVIDIA's setup). NVIDIA is naturally hitting all the high points of the 1.4 spec, with 1080p24, 720p60 (the official gaming spec), and 720p50. The cards will also support 3D Blu-ray. So, just about time to splurge big on that home theater PC? We don't know... is it just us, or does that guy and his couch look a little lonely?

How to power up your Apple Magic Mouse

2010-03-14T12:00:00.001+08:00

Apple's Magic Mouse can recognise four points of contact on its touch-sensitive surface, but only two-fingered gestures are catered for by default.

Don't take this personally though, because there's a great application that helps you get the most out of your Magic Mouse by adding new gestures, three-and four-fingered taps and clicks.

MagicPrefs is a free download, which can be found here. Once you've run it for the first time, it appears as a System Preferences pane or you can manage it through an optional menu bar icon too.

From the new preferences window, your Magic Mouse can be configured to do far more than is possible using the standard System Preferences pane for mouse input.

At the top of the MagicPrefs window sits two slider bars. The Tracking Speed slider performs the same task as the Tracking slider in System Preferences, but increases the maximum available speed by 200%.

According to the program's website, the Tap Sensitivity bar 'implements an advanced algorithm that impacts a number of factors used to determine taps.' The Clicks & Taps panel offers pulldown options that you can activate using your single-or multiple fingered gestures.

A click involves pressing the mouse button with the required number of fingers touching the surface of the device. A tap has you touching the device without pressing the button.

You don't have to enable them all, of course – if a specific gesture is getting in the way by being activated accidentally, simply uncheck it.

The really exciting news is that the very latest version of MagicPrefs adds support for swipe gestures, as well as two-and three fingered pinches, both inwards and outwards. It's incredibly comprehensive, and easy to set up.

When you've configured the mouse to your requirements, you can save your settings as a preset, enabling you to store different custom settings for different tasks.

Digg design director talks up crowdsourcing

2010-03-14T11:56:00.000+08:00

Jeffrey Kalmikoff, director of design and user experience at Digg, was on a panel today at South by South West where he and Scott Belsky from crowdsourced design organisation Behance talked about how businesses could understand and utilise crowdsourcing.

Before Digg, Kalmikoff worked at one of the most high-profile crowdsourced businesses - threadless.com - where user-submitted designs are turned into T-shirts.

"The majority of my career has been based on crowdsourcing," says Kalmikoff. "My interest is that I love ideas and I love sharing ideas – I love the notion that you can have an idea and work with a group of like-minded people to make the idea better."

Crowdsourcing – a term coined in June 2006, is really an umbrella term, describing multiple ways that you can source ideas, explains Kalmikoff, and despite a common misconception that crowdsourcing simply means free labour, this isn't necessarily the case.

Wisdom and labour

Belsky and Kalmikoff went on to explain how there are to avenues a business can use for crowdsourcing – wisdom and labour. The wisdom avenue – used by Wikipedia, for example - takes the view that what any single person thinks isn't as important as the collective, consensual view of a group of people.

Labour includes services such as Mechanical Turk, which Kalmikoff describes as "a spectacular use of crowdsourced labour". In talking about labour, "we are really defining it as an open call to complete or fulfil a specific task or need," he adds.

"When it comes to crowdsourcing, what excites me the most are businesses that harness both sides of crowdsourcing – wisdom and labour," says Kalmikoff, citing Digg and Threadless as examples.

On Digg, explains Kalmikoff, "the labour side would be 'I want to get a story promoted to the home page of Digg, so I'm going to scour the internet for something that is cool, hope that it hasn't been submitted before and I'm going to make the effort to submit it'. From that point on, crowdsourced wisdom decides whether or not it should be promoted [to the front page]."

Crowdsourcing on Digg doesn't stop there, though. "Going further into Digg it's not just those particular things," says Kalmikoff. "We use crowdsourcing in different ways all over the site – you can digg up and digg down comments… It really is fully involving the community, and leveraging the crowdsourcing in a way that keeps the community active."

One of the most exciting things about crowdsourcing is the idea of the level playing field, says Kalmikoff. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from – what matters is whether you produce the best work.

Kalmikoff goes on to give an example of "an incredibly famous graphic designer" who submitted a design to Threadless. "And his design, not only did it not get printed, but it was declined for poor design."

The crowdsourced nature of the way Threadless designs are chosen showed that this designer "didn't have his finger on the pulse of what people were looking for," says Kalmikoff.

"And that's the beauty of it, that's the beauty of Digg… it's a level playing field and everyone has an equal chance of hitting the front page."

PlayStation Move requires only 2MB of RAM, developers breathe sigh of relief

2010-03-14T11:50:00.000+08:00

While it's a crying shame that Sony's PlayStation Move won't have full four-player support, at least the technology is efficient; our buddies at Joystiq are reporting that the camera-and-wand based motion control game system will only minimally impact game performance.

Quizzing Sony's David Coombes, they found out that the advanced image processing required to make sense of your wild, flailing movements will take only 1-2 MB of RAM. Of course, when you consider that the PS3 has only 256MB of fast XDR memory to begin with, that 2MB isn't as "insignificant" as Sony would have you believe, but coupled with the company's claim that the whole shebang takes "under a frame" of the Cell CPU's processing time, we're inclined to think it won't be much of an issue for the end user. Assuming they fix that nasty lag, of course. Check out our full PlayStation Move guide for more details.

Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99

2010-03-14T11:46:00.000+08:00

Whoa, Nelly! Isn't this something? Apple has just posted details on its iPad battery replacement service, which is really not a battery replacement service at all.
Check out the company's opening line:

"If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee."

Now, let's compare that to the verbiage found in the iPhone's battery replacement program details:

"If your iPhone requires service only because the battery's ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will service your iPhone for a service fee."

We can see the puzzled look on your face from here, and we're sharing in the same disbelief. Apple is actually saying that it won't bother cracking open your withered iPad, replacing the battery and sending it back your way; instead, you'll pay $105.95 (including shipping) for a completely different iPad, which certainly has its pros and cons. On one hand, you're getting a new (or potentially refurbished, actually) iPad in around "one week," but on the other, you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in -- unless you backup beforehand, of course. Here's Apple's take on answering "will the data on my iPad be preserved?"

"No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad."

Lovely, don'tcha think? Head on past the break for the full text.

[Thanks, David]

Battery Replacement Service - iPad: Frequently Asked Questions

What is iPad Battery Replacement Service?
If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee.

Note: Your iPad is not eligible for Battery Replacement Service if the product has been damaged, for example, as result of an accident, liquid contact, disassembly, unauthorized service or unauthorized modifications, or if the product is not operating correctly as a result of a component failure. Please review Apple's Repair Terms and Conditions for further details.

How much does it cost?
The service costs $99, plus $6.95 shipping. The total cost is $105.95 per unit.
All fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to local tax.

How do I arrange iPad Battery Replacement Service?
Battery replacement service may be arranged via your local Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or you can contact Apple Technical Support. Please do not send any accessories with your iPad.

Will the data on my iPad be preserved?
No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad.

How long will it take to receive my replacement iPad?
If you arrange service by calling Apple Technical Support, you can expect service to be completed within approximately one week from the time you send your iPad to Apple.

Dell introduces $339 G2410H 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor, we go hands-on

2010-03-14T11:36:00.000+08:00

Just over a year ago, Dell pushed out its latest and greatest 24-incher, the energy-sipping G2410.
Today, the Round Rock powerhouse has introduced that very unit's successor (complete with a height adjustable stand), the G2410H.

Still sized at 24-inches, this 1080p LCD monitor sports a variety of eco-modes, 5 millisecond response time, 160-degree (horizontal) / 170-degree (vertical) viewing angles, a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, ambient light sensor, 250 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and DVI / VGA inputs. We've had one in-house for around a week now, and for $339, it's not a bad replacement to that 21-inch CRT that's still weighing heavily on your desk. It's not as sharp and brilliant as the (admittedly more expensive) UltraSharp U2711, but it was certainly clear enough for the average home user. It's shipping now if you just can't resist.

China warns Google to obey or 'pay the consequences'

2010-03-13T10:11:00.000+08:00

Google has been warned by China that it must follow the country's censorship rules or "pay the consequences".

The chilling message was given by Li Yizhong, Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, who was speaking at China's legislation session.

Giving the reasons why China needs strict censoring laws, he explained: "We need to preserve our nation's interest, our people's interest, we cannot be relaxed with any information that will cause harm to the stability of our society, to our system, and to the health of our under-age young people."

Abide and respect

When it comes to Google, Yizhong said that whether the company disband from China was "up to them" but if it did continue, then the country's laws must be obeyed.

"I hope that Google will abide and respect the Chinese government's laws and regulations," he noted.

"But, if you betray Chinese laws and regulations... it means that you are unfriendly, irresponsible, and you will have to pay the consequences."

It was back in January that Google announced its unease with China's censorship laws and that it was considering pulling out of the country all together.

Since then, companies like Microsoft have come out saying that they will continue to work in China under its rules, regardless of the outcome between the company and Google.

iPhone 4.0 to finally offer multi-tasking

2010-03-12T22:08:00.000+08:00

Good news for those frustrated by the single track mind of the iPhone - it seems multi-tasking is finally on its way.

According to Apple Insider, "people with a proven track record in predicting Apple's technological advances" have managed to dig out this little nugget about the next iPhone 4.0 update.

The sources state that Apple has managed to tweak things to the point where it can manage battery life and memory resources, meaning no substantial loss in performance.

Not ready yet

However, the firmware update is not ready as yet, as it apparently has a 'long way to go' before it's ready to be shot out to all the iPhones.

The debate over why Apple is unable to put features in its phones that every other manufacturer has managed with aplomb for yonks is an old one - it seems likely that Jobs is just looking to keep things back to make new iPhones seem even swishier.

Going on the usual release dates, we'd imagine we'll see the new iPhone 4.0 firmware release date in the next couple of months - with the next iPhone (which probably won't be called the iPhone 4G, although that's the codename doing the rounds) announced in June.

Google to stop censoring Chinese search results 'soon,' China warns of consequences

2010-03-12T22:05:00.000+08:00

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is making headway with its plans to stop filtering search results in China. Quoting Eric Schmidt as saying that "something will happen soon,"

the latest report is that Google is engaged in negotiations with multiple government agencies in China, and the likeliest scenario at this point is that the search giant will remain in the People's Republic, though it may be in a slightly altered state. "There will be a way for Google to not pull out 100%" says a source familiar with the ongoing discussions, who expects that El Goog will find a patchwork arrangement by which it'll be able to maintain some parts of its business running while no longer adhering to China's censorship fiat. For its part, China is keeping up its tough posturing, with the latest statement from its IT ministry describing Google's plans as "unfriendly and irresponsible" and warning that the company will have to bear the consequences of its actions. What appears certain at this point, however, is that there'll be no going back to censored Google search results, which is a win in our books whatever the final outcome.

Vodafone's Wayfinder is first victim of free smartphone navigation services

2010-03-12T22:00:00.001+08:00

Back in January 2009, as Vodafone was preparing to close a £20 million ($30 million) deal to buy Swedish mapmaker Wayfinder, it was seen as a bold move from a carrier intent on entering the apparently lucrative market for location based services.

Fast forward to the present day -- past the bit where free Google Maps Navigation destroyed TomTom and Garmin share prices, and past the introduction of free turn-by-turn navigation to Nokia's Ovi Maps -- and you'll find Wayfinder gently sobbing into a handkerchief as it permanently closes up its doors. Vodafone's Anna Cloke gives us the reason for it with devastating concision:

"We could not charge for something that others gave away for free."

So there we have it, the paid navigation services deathwatch has its first fatality, and it's the unfortunate nature of the beast that plenty of others will be following suit, unable to resist the destructive effects of the free and ubiquitous services now on offer.

PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support

2010-03-12T21:52:00.001+08:00

So you do your research, you read up on everything important about the PS3's new Move controller, and you consider yourself well prepared for a future of wild merrymaking and multiplayer gaming parties. And then you find out you can't use four full sets of controllers with your console.

As it turns out, the PS3's Bluetooth module is only fit to address up to seven wireless devices at a time, which poses something of a puzzler when you consider that you need a pair of Move controllers (or a Move plus a sub-controller) to get your money's worth and four times two is, well, a number greater than seven. Perturbed by this, Gizmodo contacted Sony for an official response and the news gets even worse:

"Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers)."

That basically means you can have the full Move experience with only one friend, or you can share out the wands and have that tiny bit less fun with a quartet. Not a problem for the misanthropes out there -- or most people really -- but an important limitation to be aware of, nonetheless.

NPD: Xbox 360 wins US sales war in a downbeat February

2010-03-12T21:48:00.000+08:00

The cosmos must clearly have approved of Microsoft's actions over this past month, as today we're hearing the Xbox 360 broke out of its competitive sales funk to claim the title of "month's best-selling console" ... for the first time in two years.

Redmond's own Aaron Greenberg describes it as the best February in the console's history, with 422,000 units sold outshining the consistently popular Wii (397,900) and the resurgent PS3 (360,100 consoles shifted, which was a 30 percent improvement year-on-year). In spite of the happy campers in Redmond and Tokyo, the overall numbers for the games industry were down 15 percent on 2009's revenues, indicating our collective gaming appetite is starting to dry up. Good thing we've got all those motion-sensing accessories coming up to reignite our fire.

Sony announces 3D glasses and emitter price

2010-03-10T09:56:00.000+08:00

Sony has unveiled the prices of its 3D glasses and emitter package – an add-on which will make the latest batch of Sony Bravias 3D Ready.

Sony's latest Bravia TVs will be 3D compatible but only one of these will be 3D Ready, and that is the LX900.

The LX900 is Sony's flagship model of the company's Monolithic range, one which will have an emitter inside. The television will also come with two Sony active-shutter glasses.

The active shutter glasses can also be bought separately, although this is currently available in Japan.

3D add-ons

Each pair of glasses will set you back 12,000 Yen, which is around £90. Even though this is around about the price that we thought for the specs, it does mean that a family of four will have to fork out an extra £180 when buying a 3D TV.

As for the emitter, this will cost 5,000 Yen, which is £33. The emitter can be added to Sony's NX900, HX700, HX800 and HX900 to make the 3D-capable TVs 3D compatible.

Sony hasn't officially announced when its 3D TVs will be coming to the UK market. But, with Samsung and Panasonic's launching this month, we can only assume that a launch is imminent.

Dell insists that Adamo XPS is 'still available'

2010-03-10T09:52:00.000+08:00

Dell has explained to TechRadar why its Adamo XPS laptop is increasingly difficult to get hold off, insisting that the 'engineering marvel' should be considered a special edition.

According to the company, reports that the XPS had been axed just three months after launch are not entirely accurate, with Dell insisting that the high-end laptop should not have been considered a normal piece of stock, but a limited release.

Dell also confirmed that most of the supply of the laptop 'has been accounted for' and people still keen to buy one will need to look hard.

Selected stores

"In the UK, Adamo XPS will continue to be offered through select John Lewis stores and on johnlewis.com," said Dell's statement.

"The Adamo XPS is an engineering marvel and a decisive proof point to Dell's design and engineer capabilities.

"As such it is similar to a limited edition product, and most of the supply has been accounted for.

"The original Adamo is still available on adamobydell.co.uk with a starting price point of £1,099."

The US will also be able to get hold of the Adamo XPS with the statement confirming that it is "still available in the US at select Best Buy Stores and on bestbuy.com."

Of course, you can read into this what you will - spin or truth - but XPS lovers had better start raiding their piggy banks to buy one because special or not, this laptop is now a limited edition.

Elgato rolls out smaller, Windows 7-supporting EyeTV Hybrid

2010-03-10T09:48:00.000+08:00

Elgato's original EyeTV Hybrid USB tuner wasn't exactly oversized, but the company has nonetheless managed shrink things down a bit for the device's latest revision, and it's added some Windows 7 support for good measure.

Most of the size reduction comes from ditching the analog connector found on the previous model (you'll still get an adapter), and you'll also now get a sturdier aluminum enclosure that stays in line with the company's Mac-only roots. Otherwise, you'll get the same support for over-the-air HD broadcasts as before, along with Elgato's EyeTV 3 software, and an included remote control -- all for the same $150 that the original model cost.

Is Amazon hiring devs to build a robust web browser for Kindle?

2010-03-10T09:44:00.000+08:00

Are you a software dev with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, familiarity with current Web standards, and experience with browser engines, Linux on embedded devices, and Java? If so, do we have the job for you. Lab126, the group at Amazon responsible for the Kindle, wants you to help "conceive, design, and bring to market" a new embedded browser on a Linux device.

Might this be a sign that the company is ready to start taking web browsing on the e-reader seriously? We don't know, but it sure sparked some interesting discussion over at All Things Digital. As Peter Kafka points out, a decent browser for the thing is pretty much a no-brainer in light of the Apple iPad. On the other hand, the idea of a robust browser on the Kindle has its own complications. What about subscription content like the New York Times -- why would anyone pay for something that's available for free on the web, if you're using the same device to view both? And what about all that new data traffic? Surely AT&T will have something to say about that. Of course, we've been hearing enough scuttlebutt about a mysterious next-gen device being developed at Amazon that perhaps this has nothing to do with the Kindle whatsoever. Who knows? These are all questions that will have to be answered sooner or later, but in the meantime we can say with some certainty that E ink is definitely not the best way to troll 4chan.

Samsung SHW-M120S to be first Android phone with Bluetooth 3.0?

2010-03-10T09:37:00.000+08:00

Samsung's all about records: firsts, biggests, smallests, thinnests, you get the idea. Indeed, it was just a few weeks ago that the company managed to slip the very first Bluetooth 3.0 certified handset through -- but these guys never rest, and it looks like they're already prepping to follow up that feat by throwing Android into the mix.

The Bluetooth SIG is showing certification for an SHW-M120S model that apparently features a 3.3-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 5 megapixel autofocus primary cam plus VGA secondary, WiFi, GPS, HSDPA, and -- yes, you guessed it -- a Bluetooth Core Version of 3.0, meaning you'll likely be able to fling files around to your house full of Bluetooth 3.0-capable devices with the greatest of ease. The presence of a T-DMB tuner means this sucker is targeted squarely at the South Korean market, but we've no doubt Sammy plans on taking 3.0 global so that it can... you know, have the world's most Bluetooth 3.0 devices. PuntoCellulare seems to have a pretty good shot of it, and it looks pretty much how you'd expect any self-respecting Samsung smartphone to look in 2010 -- in other words, there's nothing that screams "I can wirelessly transfer data short distances at heretofore-unknown speeds" just by looking at it, and that's totally fine by us. Rumor is we'll see this launch "in the next few weeks."

Rumour: Sony set to reveal PS3 Arc's Nunchuk controller

2010-03-08T20:06:00.000+08:00

Sony is rumoured to be launching a Nunchuck style add-on to its so-called 'Arc' motion control device for the PS3, with the possibility of a reveal at this week's Games Developer's Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

The latest PlayStation Arc rumours started, as many gaming tech scuttlebutt does, over on GAF, with a forum poster claiming to have seen recent "pictures" of "Wand/Nunchuk".

Big button on the Arc

The user, "ichinisan", says the add-on has an analog stick and X and O buttons and that the L1 and L2 shoulder buttons are underneath the D-Pad.

He also says that the wand contains "one very big button on top"; with Sony's trademark facebuttons of X, O, Triangle and Square added on; and a trigger marked "T".

If it is to be revealed, then we will no doubt hear lots more from Sony's GDC press event on Wednesday.