Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Nokia's Down With Making A High-End Open Source Phone, Just Not With Android [Cellphones]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/R5ASCqY2G8k/nokias-down-with-making-a-high+end-open-source-phone-just-not-with-android

When Nokia first showed me their Maemo Linux-powered N800 Internet Tablet, I told them it was cool but that, ideally, I wanted this exact product, smaller, and as a phone. Seems like two years later, this might finally be the way things are headed.

"In the longer perspective, Linux will become a serious alternative for our high-end phones," Ukko Lappalainen, vice president at Nokia's markets unit, told Reuters.

"I don't see anything in Android which would make it better than Linux maemo," Lappalainen said."

These statements aren't necessarily a surprise, because with any mention of Linux, Nokians tend to shout Maemo like a reflex action.

One thing that came to mind when playing with the new N97 is that it is pretty close to the Internet Tablet Phone I wanted—the desktop widgets heralded as a grounbreaking way for users to customize their phones are incredibly similar to what Maemo has had since the beginning, and the hardware is very similar to the current top-end tablet, the N810. The only difference is Symbian, of course—Nokia's prize horse that they won't be giving up on any time soon.

So it makes sense they would dis Android. Nokia (or, at least, certain teams within Nokia) has been huge proponents of open source software long before Android was a twinkle in Larry and Sergey's eye. But where's the Maemophone? [Reuters]


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Move Along, No Triple-Decker Fold-Up Grill To See Here [Cooking]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RT32cFrImiY/move-along-no-triple+decker-fold+up-grill-to-see-here

When it's not being used, the multi-surfaced Hampton Grill folds up into a triple-decker moisture vaporator look-a-like for your patio. Ah, the luxe Hamptoms life—especially luxe if it auto-folds, as this video seems to suggest.

For $4,000, it better. It's available, apparently, in early 2009. [Hampton Grill via Born Rich]


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Buffalo unveils 16GB and 32GB SSDs for Inspiron Mini 9

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/03/buffalo-unveils-16gb-and-32gb-ssds-for-inspiron-mini-9/


It looks like the kids at Buffalo are hard at work making sure that all of you netbook-lovin' Engadget readers aren't stuck with the minimal storage that has plagued early adopters of the solid state drive. In addition to their recent Eee PC-compatible SSDs, the company is now offering 16GB and 32GB drives for Dell's Inspiron Mini 9. Due out sometime this month, the 16GB should set you back ¥5,300 ($57), or you can shell out ¥9,400 ($101) for the 32GB.

[Via Slashgear]

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Buffalo unveils 16GB and 32GB SSDs for Inspiron Mini 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adtec announces two adorable, tiny projectors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/03/adtec-announces-two-adorable-tiny-projectors/


With nearly every company (seriously, basically all of them) rolling out a tiny projector, it's getting pretty hard to stand out from the crowd -- and Adtec's two new MP15A Series projectors don't look like they're going to push the envelope in any way. Specwise, they're going to be nearly identical to the rest of the bunch, with 15 ANSI lumens, a 200:1 contrast ratio, and VGA 640 x 480 resolution, and they'll boast an LED lamp with about a 20,000 hour life. The two models -- the 15AW is white, 15AB is black -- will be available in December and January, respectively, but only in Japan. No word on a possible release in other, pico-starved areas of the globe yet.

[Via About Projectors]

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Adtec announces two adorable, tiny projectors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At Gizmodo Gallery: Tiny Projectors That Fit In Your Hand Or Mouth! [Gizmodo Gallery]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_FOd4u5I1IM/at-gizmodo-gallery-tiny-projectors-that-fit-in-your-hand-or-mouth

Our Toys for Tots fundraiser and all mega gadget exhibition, Gizmodo Gallery starts this Thursday in NYC. And among the ~40 devices we'll have more than just a huge TV; we'll have one of the world's tiniest projector, like the Aiptek PocketCinema Wilson reviewed last week.

I'd like to imagine that one day all cellphones have such components built in, but until then this is the best way to put a picture on your wall with hardware the size of a remote control.

What should we play on it? What should we aim it at? I don't know, but if you've got the time, please stop by and try it out.

[Thanks to REED ANNEX and thanks to our benefactor gizmine.com]

Gizmodo Gallery

Reed Annex

151 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

Gizmodo Gallery Reader Meetup

The reader meetup takes place across the street from the Gallery, at a place called The Annex (not to be confused with REED ANNEX where the gallery is hosted.) The address is 152 Orchard Street and we'll be there at 9 PM SHARP on Friday December 5th.

Gallery Dates:

December 4th-7th

Times:

12/4 Thursday

12-8

12/5 Friday

12-8

12/6 Saturday

11-8

12/7 Sunday

11-4

[Read more about our Gizmodo Gallery here and see what else we'll be playing with at the event.]


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Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software [Face]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/yuJ0lgqcauY/enhanced-photos-can-bypass-any-face+recognition-software

BKIS, a Vietnamese security center, recently demonstrated that face-recognition security programs found in Toshiba, Asus and Lenovo laptops can be bypassed with a special photo.

To enroll in the face recognition software, the built-in webcam on the laptop scans the face for prime areas, such as the eyes or more conspicuous facial features. The special photo, which does not have to be of high quality, is processed so that the key areas are enhanced and the contrast levels are adjusted to the expectations of the software.



Dong Ngo of CNET recently underwent a Skype demonstration with a BKIS technician. The technican captured a photo of Ngo's face, and produced a special "unflattering" photo five minutes later using a special algorithm. Ngo was able to use the photo to log in to his Lenovo Y430. The technician later then demonstrated this procedure on similar Asus and Toshiba notebooks.



In lieu of fingerprint scanners and the traditonal username/password combination, face recognition software may not be the most secure way to protect data. Until then, I'll just use my own "specially" produced photos (courtesy of Photoshop) to tweak that, uh, zit, maybe even change my eye color—ooh instant nose surgery—to log me in. But only after I post that photo of "myself" on my Facebook profile. Hah! [CNET Crave]


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A Lesson in Gadget Product Placement, Courtesy of Scooter Smiff [Product Placement]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/m48ROnDKFv0/a-lesson-in-gadget-product-placement-courtesy-of-scooter-smiff

Moderately musical little person Scooter Smiff has helpfully demonstrated, point by point, how not to endorse gadgets in your music video.

1. Get a company's flagship phone
I understand that Scooter Smiff's audience is probably as young as he is and doesn't buy many massive smartphones, but if you've got to shill for a BlackBerry, hope it's not the Pearl Flip. Matt—notably a gadget blogger, not a rapper—said it was kind of uncool, looked inconsistent, and even called it a "fatass". Next time beg for a Storm, or at least a Bold.

2. Don't include an incredibly boring product
So imagine you're a tween, just browsing YouTube, and you notice Scooter Smiff's teacher grading (UPDATE: fabricating, more like. Scandal!) his paper on an HP Touchsmart PC, with her fingers. This is the least exciting thing you've ever seen. It doesn't even make sense in context—it's like HP just edited a few seconds of their press materials into the video. Same goes for the inexplicable printer cameo.

3. Refrain from using devices that make you look even more like a child
Riding a miniaturized Cadillac Escalade will not help you look older, and will probably make those few people who actually have a toy like that return it as fast as they can drive it back to Sotheby's. See also: catcalling obviously older girls.

This song might not be as embarrassing as the iPhone's prominent r! ole in a certain inauspiciously-named (and NSFW) track from earlier this year, but a different difference here, and an important one, is that HP and BlackBerry actually wished this on themselves. [CrackBerry]


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Eee Box Upgraded With HDMI and Discrete Graphics [Eee Box]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/NeFSVWIgYwY/eee-box-upgraded-with-hdmi-and-discrete-graphics

There was nothing wrong with the Eee Box, a PC not so dissimilar to the Wii, except that it lacked any real reason for existence with processing no more powerful than a netbook.

The new Eee Box B204 and B206 look to beef up the line's capabilities into something worthy of HTPC application. While still running light 1.6GHz Atom processors with 1GB of RAM, the systems now feature ATI Radeon HD 3400 series discrete graphics with 256MB of DDR2 memory along with HDMI output to play back high def video on an HDTV. And when you account for the Wireless-N networking and 160GB SATA hard drive, you realize that the the Eee Box could be a contender in the low end home theater PC market.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but the original Eee Box ran a palatable $300. [Asus]

Note: Image is of the original Eee Box.


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Amazon iPhone App Lets You Buy Anything You Take a Picture Of [IPhone Apps]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/i5iNbv6nAiQ/amazon-iphone-app-lets-you-buy-anything-you-take-a-picture-of

Tomorrow, Amazon's launching an iPhone app that'll exist solely to make buying crap easier. Its killer, buy-more-crap feature? Take a picture of anything, and Amazon'll shoot you the product page to waste money on it.

So how does this economy-stoking magic app work? A complex, supremely intelligent algorithm that can analyze pixels and determine just what it is you want to buy? Gremlins? Google? Actually, if you guessed gremlins, you almost on the money.

When you upload a photo, Amazon's living, breathing Mechanical Turk workers (so-named for one of the first "robots") try to match the photo up to products for sale on Amazon.com. You'll get results back in 5 minutes to 24 hours. The giant kink, obviously, is the potential for human error—how will they tell one giant black HDTV from another, for instance, especially with the iPhone's crappy camera?

Normally, it'd be the perfect time to launch this kind of app—the holiday season—but with the financiapocalypse, I sorta wonder how many George Bush bobbleheads this thing is gonna sell. [Bits]


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NewerTech intros quad-interface SATA HDD dock of its own

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/02/newertech-intros-quad-interface-sata-hdd-dock-of-its-own/


It's amazing, really, that this meme has lasted this long. When we first noticed Brando's SATA HDD Dock, we figured it was destined to become a cute, one-off gift that only the hardest of hardcore storage freaks would bother with. Over a year later, we're having trouble counting the iterations available. Now, we've got storage mainstay NewerTech diving in with one of its own, as it has just revealed the quad-interface Voyager SATA hard drive docking station. As you'd expect, the unit turns any 2.5- or 3.5-inch SATA I / II hard drive (up to 2TB) into an external drive, and with FireWire 400 / 800, USB 2.0 and eSATA sockets, you shouldn't have any issue hooking it up. It's available now for stocking stuffing at $99.95.

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NewerTech intros quad-interface SATA HDD dock of its own originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer's K10 pocket projector announced, projected for January

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/02/acers-k10-pocket-projector-announced-projected-for-january/


Tiny projectors are pretty much a dime a dozen these days, so we'll be honest, the Acer K10 kind of looks like more of the same. Sure, it's small -- just 1.2 pounds -- but that's not nearly as small as some (and certainly not small enough to be impressive). It's an SVGA projector with an 800 x 600 resolution, and it's got an LED backlight with about 20,000 estimated life hours, delivering 100 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The K10 also boasts both S-video and VGA connections. It's a little hard to say, but this might be what we've been searching for to project our tiny kitten photo collection upon our walls. It's supposed to be ready for a January release and it'll go for about $443.

[Via About Projectors]

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Acer's K10 pocket projector announced, projected for January originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi goes live commercially on Virgin America

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/02/aircells-gogo-in-flight-wifi-goes-live-commercially-on-virgin-a/


The time has come, internet mavens... to comment on this post from 35,000 feet up, of course. After launching to a select handful of lucky souls last week, Virgin America has gone live with its Aircell-engineered Gogo internet service on select flights. As of now, an undisclosed amount of VA flights will offer guests unlimited use (with certain restrictions around VoIP, we hear) while in the air for $12.95 on flights longer than three hours and $9.95 for flights under three hours. The airline's entire fleet should be WiFi-ready by Q1 2009, but for now, why not kill some time tracking planes with live internet access? Fun, right?

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Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi goes live commercially on Virgin America originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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