Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Find a Less Evil Bank with Fewer Fees and Better Returns [Saving Money]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5743879/find-a-less-evil-bank-with-fewer-fees-and-better-returns

CNN Money rounds up what they call the eight least-evil banks on the block, helping steer those of us with high-fee, low-interest bank accounts to greener pastures.

Photo remixed from an original by Elliot Brown

The reasons most banks made the list included a combination of free checking, no ATM fees (and reimbursements for ATMs that do charge fees), and relatively high interest rates on checking accounts. The eight least-evil banks, according to their list (which is unfortunately a rather annoying gallery), include:

Ally Bank (ATM fee reimbursement and a 1.05% checking APY)
ING Direct (1.2% on balances over $50,000)
USAA (10 ATM reimbursements a month, free checking, no minimum balance)
Capital One (no monthly fees or minimum balance)
Alliant Credit Union (1.1% APY on checking, no monthly fees)
PNC (no minimum balance or monthly fees, ATM reimbursements)
The Incredible Bank (1.35% APY, free checking, ATM reimbursement)
Charles Schwab (no fees, no minimum balance, ATM reimbursements)

Hit up their full post for more details on each bank. The post also offers more general advice when it seems like your current bank has introduced new fees or dropped interest rates:

...when shopping around, remember that a great yield and zero fees don't always come hand in hand, so you first have to figure out what is more important to you.

If you have a large amount of money to deposit — say, over $10,000 — you should typically look for a bank with a high interest rate rather than focus on the monthly fees, Barrington recommended.

That's because the interest you make would likely offset the fees.

If you're anything like us, you're probably also keeping an eye on the up-and-coming (as in, still not available, but looks very promising) BankSimple.

Got a bank you'd nominate for sainthood? Let's hear about what makes it so great in the comments.

The 8 least-evil banks [CNN Money]

Listening Room Lets You Share Music in Real-Time Across the Web [Music Sharing]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5742031/listening-room-lets-you-share-music-in-real+time-across-the-web

If you're trying to decide on a background track, wedding reception picks, or other crucial tunes, you don't have to be in-person to get instant reactions. Listening Room lets anyone upload tracks for playing in real time to anyone with the link.

One person heads to Listening Room, creates a room with a name, then sends the link, or just the name, to anyone else they want to be listening. Click the record player, pick an MP3 from your system, and it starts playing as it uploads. Everyone else "in the room" hears the same track, too, at roughly the same time. You can chat about the track in the right-hand with your name attached, or post the link publicly and let folks jump in and heard you DJ. It's a bit safer from the usual label/lawyer/licensing issues, too, as nobody can download the tracks, or even adjust their playback.

Listening Room is a free service. On an outside guess, it's also a passion project, so it might get overwhelmed by traffic at first, so give it some time if it doesn't respond.

Listening Room [via Red Ferret Journal]

LibreOffice 3.3 Final Gives the OpenOffice.org Suite a Fresh Start [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5742664/libreoffice-33-final-gives-the-openofficeorg-suite-a-fresh-start

Windows/Mac/Linux: The first finalized release of the OpenOffice.org spin-off, LibreOffice, has hit the web at version 3.3. It's got a few unique features, an ever-so-slightly tweaked look, and the ability to export to Microsoft's DOCX format by default.

You can read up on the new features and fixes and general release notes, but know that, in general, this is an OpenOffice.org package released under a different banner, for a multitude of reasons.

LibreOffice is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Note the "Download with BitTorrent" checkbox when you're downloading, and use it if you can—my download was quite slow this morning.

175 Photos of Day Taken at Night [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5742383/175-photos-of-day-taken-at-night

The 175 photos that follow look like they might have been taken during the day. But it's not day. It's night. The photos are lying, thanks to long exposures that soak in the colorful nightlife.

Lead Shot - Lifeguard

I was camping with my son at San Elijo State Beach in San Diego, CA when I took this photo of a lifeguard stand in the middle of the night on Jan. 23rd, 2011. Since I did not have a tripod, I just leaned my camera against the staircase. When I was editing I noticed you cans see the constellation Orion in the clouds at left. Nikon D3 17mm, f2.8, 6 seconds, ASA 4000
-K.C. Alfred

Snow Day

I live in the midwest and it just so happens that, on the night of the full moon, January 20, we received a very heavy snow storm(9in where I live). The most unfortunate part about this snow storm was that you could not see the full moon at all and it really didn't help that the wind chill was 0 degrees, there was snow flying all over the place, and my equipment was getting all wet. So I decided to take this shot from my back door, I had my lens hood on and that was filled with snow even from inside the house. Overall it was a terrible night(based on the complaining I did in the previous sentences) and this was the best that I could get while being snowed in and having limited resources. Canon EOS 20D, Canon 28-70L, ISO 200, 55mm, 25.0s, f/6.3.
-George Westlake

Haystack Rock

This is Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon. The shot was taken about 3 hours after sunset and the moon had just risen. As I was finishing another project and packing up to leave I looked behind me one last time and saw this... And knew I had to take this picture. Nothing special was done in post production other than some simple RAW adjustments. Canon 1D Mark IV, 35mm 1.4, 8 second exposure, 200 ISO.
-Paul Seeber

Cliffs at Sunrise

With school engulfing much of my time on top of tragically having to sell my Nikon D200 to afford a car, I haven't had a chance to shoot anything digital recently. My boyfriend and our other friend wanted to go have a stab at this challenge, and I decided to tag along with my Mamiya RB 67 for fun. The 120 back to my camera was malfunctioning, but I managed to steal my boyfriend's Canon 5D mk II away and shot this: my first day for night exposure. The exposure was 30 seconds long using a Canon 15mm at ISO 800, f6.3, and was taken around midnight on the rocky sea cliffs of Santa Cruz. I was happy with the simplicity of it.
- Jennifer Kehl

Laguna Beach

My friend told me about this contest so we both went down to Laguna Beach to shoot photos. I had never done a full moon shot like this before. Not the darkest place in the world but we didn't want to travel very far. Shot this from a stairs that lead down to the beach. I liked the lights in the background because they still showed it was night even though it looks like late afternoon. This was really fun. Canon 20D, 70-200mm @ 70mm, F8 @ 90 seconds, ISO 400
-Zach Hunter

When the Coyotes Started Circling

This is one of my favorite New Mexico back roads, and this tree has always been my favorite feature. It stands all by itself, out in the middle of the desert. I've wanted to shoot it for quite a while, but I've never been able to envision the right scene in my head. So, every time I take this road, I just drive past and smile at it, thinking that someday I'll get that shot.

And then there was this shooting challenge. I knew what I had to do.

I started shooting around 11:30 at night. The moon, about 2 days past full, gave me a nice side light. I used my old manual Vivitar 19mm f/3.8 wide open on my Nikon D300, daylight white balance, ISO 1600, and a 20 second exposure. This let me snap off one or two before having to move the camera and tripod out of the middle of the road for traffic. However, none of those middle of the road shots came out as nice as this from-the-shoulder one did. When the coyotes started circling, I decided to pack up and call it a night.
-Adam Wolf

Spark at Dawn

I was out for a Moonlight climbing trip and stopped when I saw my friends coming up the path to me. I waited for them to enter frame and let the camera do its thing. The lights are headlamps. We were on our way out of Hueco Tanks State Park in Texas. F8 30 seconds, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor lense, D3 on Tripod.
-Craig Copelin

Sunrise?

Took this shot with a Canon Rebel T1i using a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens. I carefully placed the camera on my bedpost and pointed it out the window, balancing the camera basically on the lens. It was also on top of a couple hats, so I didn't feel worried about it falling too much. Used a remote shutter to pull off the 8 minute exposure at F8 using ISO 100. Reminds me how Sunrise looks from the same spot, because the window faces East, so the sunrise is almost the same spot. The light source is actually a street lamp by an intersection.

Was going to try something else, but last night was -2F, which was far too cold for me!
-James Grabow

Curu Wildlife Refuge

Photo was taken at the Curu Wildlife Refuge, Peninusla of Nicoya in Costa Rica. Curu it's close to the public after hours unless staying in one of the cabin's they have for rent; this night my wife and I were the only ones on the park so we had an entire private beach to ourselves. The light in the distance is from the port of Puntarenas.
-Pablo N. Piedra

Gordan MacFarlane

This is my first submission, after many many months of weekly keeping up with the challenges, this one seamed very Interesting. The example shot seamed impossible that it was done at night and really wanted to try it out for my-self. I went out on 2 nights to take some pictures, Wed was the full moon and it finally cleared up much later at night. I got some photo's I was happy with but I realized that they did not really capture the spirit of this challenge so I went out Thursday night and decided to head to the cemetery. Sadly I could only see the moon threw some thick cloud so I had to shoot with the available light pollution that my great city was offering me. It was still night and it took a lot of experimentation to get the settings just right. I think what turned out was a great shot. ISO:200, f/11, 121s exposure, 50mm on my 18-200mm nikkor lens. Taken at around 11pm. Shot with my Nikon D70s.
-Paul MackKenzie

Water Under the Bridge

So I finally decided to take part in a shooting challenge. Why this one? Well about a year and a half ago, I shot a photo at midnight of a cow in a pasture. What made it so special was that the photo looked like it was taken on a sunny day. When I showed the picture to friends, they often could not understand what was so special about the photo. I would tell them; "what if I told you that wasn't the sun." They would think about it..... then, OMG how did you do that?. Long exposure and a cow that stood very still. I included that photo, but not as my submission for the shooting challenge. The photo for the shooting challenge was a bit different. About 40 degrees different. Saturday night my buddy and I drove out of the city to get away from all of the light pollution. After about an hour of driving, we drove across a bridge that spanned the Haw river on the outskirts of Pittsboro, North Carolina. I had fished below the bridge in the past, and I knew that it could make for an interesting photo. Over the years, frequent visitors of the area have cleared out a make shift parking area in the woods and a trail down to the rocky river. Knowing we would be there a while, the first task was getting a fire going. After thawing my hands out, it was time to get down to business. I found a flat area along the bank to set up my tripod. Took some test shots, cranking my ISO to 1600 so I wouldn't be waiting as long for my results. After finding my desired framing, I dropped the ISO down to 400, calculated my new shutter duration (5 minutes) and went for it. As you can see in the photograph, the sky moves quite a bit in just 5 minutes. You can also see the red glow of our fire, on the underside of the tree branches hanging over the river. The photo was taken Sunday Jan. 23 @ about 1:30 A.M. I had a blast with this challenge, so expect more entries from me in the future!! Canon 30D, Canon 24-70L 2.8 @ 25mm, f/ 5.6! , ISO: 4 00, Shutter Speed: 5 minutes (I used an intervalometer)

p.s. The timing of this challenge worked out well for digital SLR photographers. Shooting in low temperatures helps keep long exposure heat noise down.

Also, I attached a cool photo of the fire nestled in the rocks that kept us warm.
-Danny Boemermann

Winner - Moonlight Tan

So I live in Puerto Rico, where there is beach everywhere. I was at a friends house and i explained the challenge to them they liked it so bad that we all went to the beach to take some pics, I Had my Canon T2i, with a 24-70 F2.8, and a Slik Tripod, the settings were Iso 400, F 8, Shutter 302 secs. and at 24mm. I did several pictures of 8 guys playing soccer, standing there for 5 mins!! but this one was the more sharp! It was really Fun.
-Juan Lizarzaburo

There were so many surreal, haunting and beautiful shots. This challenge was a whole lot of fun, no? Granted, some of you stood out in zero-degree weather, but for the rest of us, SO MUCH FUN! As always, full-size shots are at flickr, and we have the entire collection of galleries below.

Gallery One

Gallery Two

Gallery Three

Join me at Philanthroper, my new site that promotes a $1 donation to a new nonprofit every day. A little helps a lot.

Leaked T-Mobile Memo Shows Dates for LG's Honeycomb-Having G-Slate and Others [Leaks]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5743232/leaked-t+mobile-memo-shows-dates-for-lgs-honeycomb+having-g+slate-and-others

A leaked T-Mo memo offers up some potential release dates for the Dell Streak 7 (February 2), Samsung Galaxy S 4G (February 23), and LG G-Slate (March 23). A true Android tablet! Here before its warm outside! [TMoNews]

That Verizon iPhone Hotspot Will Cost An Extra $20 Per Month [IPhone]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5743252/that-verizon-iphone-4-hotspot-will-cost-an-extra-20-per-month

Remember when it was so exciting that the Verizon iPhone 4 would also act as a hotspot? Well, here comes that cold shower: the carrier confirmed that the feature will cost $20 per month, on top of your data plan.

It's really not all that surprising; it's the same rate that you pay for hotspot privileges on any other Verizon smartphone. The hotspot feature comes with its own 2GB data pool that covers any of the up to five devices that have hopped on your phone's 3G connection. Every gigabyte over that will cost you an additional $20.

So the cost is expected but still somehow disappointing. We have to pay for the things we want! How rude. [Macworld]

Photoshop's iOS App Now Supports Retina Display [IPhone Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5743646/photoshops-ios-app-now-supports-retina-display

Believe us, you'll be wanting to edit photos on the iPhone 4's super-crisp retina display. The latest version of the free Photoshop Express lets you take photos right in the app, and also supports multitasking for iOS 4.2. [iTunes]

LG prepping Optimus 3D for February announcement?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/lg-prepping-optimus-3d-for-february-announcement/

Talk of 3D features in LG's upcoming G-Slate are becoming less and less implausible-sounding by the day, capped off this week with a couple of doozies: first off, Carphone Warehouse's Dutch outpost -- called simply The Phone House there -- briefly posted a teaser for an upcoming "Optimus 3D" Android smartphone, though the page has since been removed. Secondly, the world's tech media (us included) just received an invite to LG's shindig at Mobile World Congress next month where it teases a new Optimus model that takes us "into the new dimension." Pretty strong foreshadowing there, wouldn't you say? This should all work itself out in the next couple weeks -- but we're warning you right now, LG: if any of this stuff isn't glasses-free, we're expecting you to buy us all Guccis (fortunately, odds are good they're using that 4.3-inch glasses-free unit demoed at CES this month).

LG prepping Optimus 3D for February announcement? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Flyer spec sheet leaks with Android 2.3, stylus and 7-inch screen?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/htc-flyer-spec-sheet-leaks-with-android-2-3-stylus-and-7-inch-s/

Wondering what sort of goodies might be inside HTC's upcoming tablets? Norwegian tech site Amobil isn't -- they claim to have a pair of inside sources spoon-feeding them all the pertinent details. For the rumored HTC Flyer -- which may or may not be pictured at right -- that includes the same 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip you'll find in several high-end handsets, 1GB of RAM, as well as a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and a rear 5 megapixel imager, and a piddling 4GB of flash storage to hold all your apps (which sounds a little fishy to us). There's also allegedly 3G for data and Skype calls, an HDMI port, DLNA support and a bonafide stylus to write with, though it's not clear whether we're rumoring a fancy N-Trig display or simply a pack-in capacitive pen.

Though Amobil's sources say the tablet will be sadly limited to Android 2.3 out of the gate, it will allegedly have a brand-new tablet version of HTC's Sense UI designed to provide a "desktop feel," which might be a nice pairing for the "HTC Sensation" trademark presently floating about the internet. If so, don't expect that UI to be limited to a single slate, though -- the last part of this oh-so-juicy rumor is that HTC's also supposedly got a 10-inch LTE tablet (perhaps the Scribe?) arriving in the second half of the year.

HTC Flyer spec sheet leaks with Android 2.3, stylus and 7-inch screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon ramps up trade-in, upgrade programs in advance of iPhone 4 launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/verizon-ramps-up-trade-in-upgrade-programs-in-advance-of-iphone/

Not exactly a huge surprise here, but it looks like Verizon will be doing everything it can to pair folks with a new iPhone 4 when it launches on the carrier next month, even if they've just purchased a new phone on Verizon or another carrier. During an investor meeting this week, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo revealed that the carrier will be using its existing trade-in program (which launched in October) to lure would-be customers, with a Verizon rep further detailing that it will be "more actively" promoting the plan in the lead up to the iPhone 4 launch -- under that program, a 16GB iPhone 4 from AT&T will net you a $212 credit. In addition to that, Verizon is also rolling out a new "Special Upgrade Offer" that will let existing customers trade in a phone they've recently purchased for a Visa debit card ($200 for a smartphone trade-in, or $75 for a feature phone). Only those that have purchased a phone between November 26th, 2010 and January 10th, 2011 will be eligible, though, and you won't exactly get that cash right away -- you'll first have to first buy and activate your iPhone 4 at the full retail price, send in your trade-in phone within 30 days of activation, and then wait four to six weeks to receive the debit card.

Verizon ramps up trade-in, upgrade programs in advance of iPhone 4 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/razer-debuts-ferox-portable-gaming-speakers/

Well, it's not exactly the announcement we were hoping for following Razer's impressive showing at CES earlier this month, but the company has just gotten official with another product that will soon be available: its new Ferox portable gaming speakers. Described as a "sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers," the speakers promise to deliver some "room-filling," 360 degree omni-directional sound, 12 hours of battery life from the built-in rechargeable batteries and, of course, full compatibility with anything sporting a 3.5mm jack. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look, and look for the speakers to be available by the end of the month for $60.

Gallery: Razer Ferox speakers

Continue reading Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers

Razer debuts Ferox portable gaming speakers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's 4G LTE dongles get Mac support in February

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/verizons-4g-lte-dongles-get-mac-support-in-february/

Verizon's LG VL600 LTE modem received a software update today, but there's no need to wake your MacBook from its peaceful slumber -- there still aren't any drivers for Apple computers, over a month after we were promised a relatively imminent update. That said, Verizon told PhoneScoop today that the carrier's LTE dongles will indeed support Apple at some point next month, which is itself only days away. Pantech UML290 owners can bide their time with a workaround, but we LG users will take what we can get, eh?

Verizon's 4G LTE dongles get Mac support in February originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/soundfreaqs-sfq-01r-sound-platform-goes-red-and-black-for-valen/

Remember that SFQ-01 Bluetooth audio system you were swooning over late last year? If you twiddled your thumbs on buying one, here's a shot at redemption: Soundfreaq has just pushed out a limited edition red and black version just in time for Valentine's Day, and outside of the color change, everything else remains the same. It's up for pre-order now at Amazon for a penny under $200, and trust us, your significant other will love it. Even if said SO is... you.

Continue reading Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day

Soundfreaq's SFQ-01R Sound Platform goes red and black for Valentine's Day originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/volkswagens-xl1-concept-plug-in-diesel-hybrid-has-313mpg-fuel-e/

Steaming down the autobahn could be about to get a whole lot more efficient. Volkswagen has carted out its newly updated Super Efficient Vehicle concept, now dubbed the XL1, which -- after a great deal of fuzzy math, we're sure -- is rated at a 313MPG fuel efficiency and produces only 24g of CO2 per kilometer traveled. There's an electric motor and a TDI diesel engine making all the buzzing and roaring noises inside, while the overall body design is focused on making the car as light and as aerodynamic as possible. Volkswagen has achieved a 795kg curb weight by using carbon fiber, magnesium, ceramics, and aluminum to shave down any excess portliness from the XL1, while wind-tunnel testing and optimizations have resulted in a rather exemplary 0.186 drag coefficient. It's rare to see such attributes on anything outside the supercar realm, but then there's a reason why this PHEV is still only a concept. FOF.

Continue reading Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics

Volkswagen's XL1 concept plug-in diesel hybrid has 313MPG fuel efficiency, questionable aesthetics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/25/compulab-makes-a-tiny-tegra-2-computer-for-the-lilliputian-commu/

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that you can fit a Tegra 2 in your pocket -- how else could we have these phones? -- but it's still impressive to see the dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and GeForce ULP chip find its way into a bona fide fanless nettop that sips just three watts under load. This Compulab Trim Slice isn't nearly as powerful as the AMD Fusion model we saw last week, but it sure is svelte, with a die-cast metal case just six-tenths of an inch thick despite cramming in a SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM and most every I/O port you could want. You're looking at four USB 2.0 sockets, SD and microSD slots, HDMI, DVI, RS-232, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks and S/PDIF out for sound, not to mention JTAG, UART and SPI interfaces for extending the system on your own terms -- and analog video-in, for crying out loud. Look for it in April, priced "higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet." Sound about right? Find another picture and the full PR after the break, while you make up your mind.

Continue reading Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community

Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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