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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Samsung NC10 netbook touchscreen hack caught on film

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/05/samsung-nc10-netbook-touchscreen-mod-how-to/

Of all the DIY touchscreen projects we've come across lately, this is certainly one of them. The kids over at Netbook Mag have got their hands on the stately Samsung NC10 and were kind enough to put together a full blown, step-by-step guide to replacing its tired, non-touch responsive display with an exciting, new fashioned touchscreen. And if that weren't enough, there's a video of the software drivers being installed -- with a cool, vintage 1994 Euro-rave soundtrack. How great is that? Check it after the break.

Continue reading Samsung NC10 netbook touchscreen hack caught on film

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Samsung NC10 netbook touchscreen hack caught on film originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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stats, recall, no hope for reversing the decline in display ad revenues

Despite improving click through rates (which they will definitely achieve by reducing the number of ads on the page), it will not lead to improving revenues. CPMs are being depressed by competition, not just oversupply. Click rates are a function of users' hatred of banner ads and conditioning to ignore the top and right of the web page. And even with better targeting, which commands premium CPMs, the total buys are smaller. All of these lead to continuously declining advertising revenues from display ads, whether or not they are able to improve click rates from nearly zero to something slightly higher.

U.S. Internet users saw 4.5 trillion banners last year, according to ComScore. That's 2,000 per user a month, 24,000 for the year.

informal survey of twitter followers about recall and clicks on banners by @bmorrissey

Candlelight Be Damned, LED Forks Are Here

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/hYR7hx_FrBQ/

It's the Valentine month, and love is in the air. Planning out gifts, romantic dinners, cards…awesome fun! Care to sparkle the evening a bit? Dine in elegance in exquisite settings with gourmet food, candlelights and good old charm! Perhaps lightWARE cutlery will illuminate the ambience; after all it's a heady combination of silver, crystal and LED lights.

With a silver head and engraved crystal body, the least you expect from a cutlery is to emit soft colorful lighting. At the tip is a removable silver cap that hosts the LED and a watch size battery. Giving the adage "Silver Spoon" a totally luminous meaning, I reckon this will be a hit during the dating season!

Designer: David Veldkamp

D-FileMU Renames Your Files on the Go [File Management]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/tcF7t3RuaMw/d+filemu-renames-your-files-on-the-go

Windows only: D-FileMU is an ultra-compact and portable file renaming application that sports a spartan, but effective, user interface and up to seventeen ways to organize your files.

If the enormous command-center-style dashboard interface of previously reviewed Bulk Rename Utility is overwhelming and way more than you need, D-FileMU provides a simple—and soothingly blue—alternative to all that extra chrome. All the basic file renaming tools are present in D-FileMU, but laid out in a step by step way that allows you to selectively activate them. After choosing the actions you want to perform—completely replacing the name, appending it, removing select characters, etc.—you can choose the files to act on one-by-one, or by file extension. In a basic test where one thousand image files were completely renamed, D-FileMU performed the task in a matter of seconds, keeping it on par with other, bulkier renaming tools I use. D-FileMU is freeware, Windows only.

D-FileMU [via MakeUseOf]

Roll Your Own LogMeIn Pro with Free Apps [Remote Desktop]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/XBwDPPMLDGI/roll-your-own-logmein-pro-with-free-apps

LogMeIn Pro offers fans of the well-liked remote desktop software some key features over the free version, including file syncing and remote printing. With some free apps, you can cover most of the difference.

The Daily Cup of Tech blog recommends a few free apps that boost a free LogMeIn connection to nearly pro-level features. Key among them is the use of Dropbox, the free, multi-platform, password-syncing, Hive-Five-winning app. The basic idea is that if you need to manipulate a file you've got locally with another remote computer, simply drop your file into your Dropbox bin, and it'll arrive there in a few moments.

For printing from one computer to another, Tim Fehlman suggests using a Windows PDF printing solution, like the http://lifehacker.com/software//create-a-pdf-from-any-document-032880.phpCutePDF Writer and doPDF options we've written about before. Another good pick is the previously mentioned Yuuguu for screen sharing, as its a very simple connection (PIN and username) and works with both Macs and PCs.

The only no-go with Cup of Tech's free substition plan is remote audio streaming—something that only a fraction of the user base would likel! y want, but still a nifty feature. Any suggestions from our remote-savvy readers on getting all your remote system's audio through your local speakers?

Expanding Your LogMeIn Free's Abilities [Daily Cup of Tech]

Skype 4.0 Finalizes Video Chat, Bandwidth Improvements [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/gmCwr1zmYs8/skype-40-finalizes-video-chat-bandwidth-improvements

Windows only: Skype 4.0 is officially out, and it features all the really big video windows and Outlook and problem-reporting tools from last year's betas. It also beefs up Skype's handling of bandwidth.

The biggest jump noticeable, at least for users of the official 3.8 version, is the window real estate given to video chat and IM chats, and the general overhaul given to the app's skin and look. Skype's standard two-pane video chat has been traded in for a picture-in-picture layout, but that can be changed by dragging out your own video thumbnail.

Skype also touts a new audio engine and network manager, Silk, that uses half the bandwidth to provide audio and tries to save it from stuttering when Skype notices your connection slowing down in the background. The video engine purportedly does the same type of save-the-call moves when your bandwidth drops off.

Skype 4.0 is a free download for Windows systems only. Skype hounds, are you noticing better audio quality and fewer glitch-outs? Liking the new look of video chat? Tell us in the comments. Screenshot from Skype.

Skype 4.0 for Windows [via Download.com]

Make Homemade Vanilla Extract [Cooking]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ixqF5Uo2LeM/make-homemade-vanilla-extract

Making your homemade vanilla extract might seem like overkill—why not just shell out the small ransom for a tiny bottle? But brewing your own is surprisingly simple, and yields customized, better-tasting results.

Photo by Bill HR.

Over at the culinary blog Chocolate and Zucchini, they have a detailed but simple guide to making your own extract. It's not more complicated than putting sliced vanilla beans into a jar with a high-proof alcohol like vodka or rum.

Using a sharp knife, slice the beans open lengthwise to expose the seeds. Tuck the beans in the jar and fill with liquor. Close the jar, shake it a few times, and place it in a cool, dark cabinet; you may have to whisper a few words of reassurance if the jar is, understandably, a little frightened.Let the jar rest in there for 8 weeks, shaking it again once or twice a week, or whenever you remember to. The mixture will get darker and darker over time.

The best part about the entire process is, so long as you throw a few more beans in occasionally and top off the alcohol as needed, you've got a perpetual source of rich and fresh vanilla extract. For a more extensive take on customizing the brew and getting the best results, check out VanillaReview.com's picture-packed guide.

Homemade Vanilla Extract [Chocolate and Zucchini]

PhotoPerfect Tweaks Your Pictures with Presets [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/OeYL-NuPMMU/photoperfect-tweaks-your-pictures-with-presets

Windows only: PhotoPerfect Express is a free, powerful image optimization tool that covers a wide range of photo enhancement scenarios, and can provide casual photographers with great results.

While nothing can compare to getting your hands dirty with a detailed photo editing application like Photoshop, the majority of casual digi-cam shooters won't need or want to invest that kind of time into snazzing up their snap shots. PhotoPerfect Express comes bundled with five pre-set photo enhancement methods—each of which can be further fine-tuned if you desire. There's batch processing options, especially handy if you realize after tweaking the first few photos in a series that you're seeing the same issues throughout the set. If you're having trouble deciding which optimization is yielding the most pleasing result, press the A key while tweaking to display the original next to all five optimization algorithms for easy comparison—a nice fix for those with photo-fixing self-doubt. PhotoPerfect Express is freeware, Windows only.

PhotoPerfect Express [via Life Rocks 2.0]

GCalTasks Gadget Tracks Time in Google Calendar [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/jk76eZIEDJU/gcaltasks-gadget-tracks-time-in-google-calendar

Windows 7/Vista only: Sidebar gadget gCalTasks tracks your time with a couldn't-be-easier start/stop timer that saves your current task directly to Google Calendar.

Installing the gadget is easy—just double-click on the downloaded file to add it to your sidebar, and use the wrench icon to add in your Google account details (works with Apps too). Once you've authenticated you can choose which calendar you want to send your time tracking data too. (It's probably best to create a new one to keep from cluttering your regular schedule.) At this point you can start tracking your time by simply typing what you are working on and clicking Start; when you're done, hit Stop to save your data up to Google. At the end of the day you can check the Agenda view in Google Calendar to see a nice list of everything you worked on throughout the day.

The gadget has a few issues—most noticeably it's too wide to fit in the sidebar so you really have to use it on the desktop, but the bigger problem is the lack of automatic sync, requiring you to remember to use the Stop button to save. The benefits of being able to easily track what you are working on and save to the accessible-everywhere Google Calendar outweigh the problems—and make this worth a look for anybody looking to keep better tabs on their time.

gCalTasks is a free download for Windows 7 or Vista users. If you are looking for a hands-off, completely automated solution, take a look at previously mentioned Productivity Meter or Slife instead. Do you have a preferred solution for tracking your time? Share it i! n the co mments.

gCalTasks [via Download Squad]

Free Disk Analyzer Finds the Largest Space-Wasting Files [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/mM2ZmhpoGCU/free-disk-analyzer-finds-the-largest-space+wasting-files

Windows only: File space usage application Free Disk Analyzer quickly and easily finds the largest files that are wasting space on your drive.

Once installed, you can locate the largest files by selecting a drive on the left-hand side, and then choosing the Largest Files tab on the bottom, which sorts by file size regardless of the directory they are located so you can quickly identify files for deletion. The Largest Folders tab shows you a view that resembles the previously mentioned Windirstat (another app that's a whiz at visualizing your hard drive usage), with the option to drill down into folders. Hidden behind the options panel you will find some even better settings—the ability to filter by file type, or only analyze files larger than a specified size, making this a great utility for cleaning up your drive.

Free Disk Analyzer is a free download for Windows users only. For a similar utility with more eye-candy, take a look at previously mentioned DriveSpacio.

Free Disk Analyzer [via Freewaregenius]

Windows 7 Gets Customized [Featured Desktop]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/w9HdmKtT5XA/windows-7-gets-customized

We've featured a desktop that makes XP look like Windows 7, but today we get a look at our first Windows 7 desktop customized to the hilt courtesy of reader SJRNWT.

The setup behind this tweaked Windows 7 desktop features a lot of familiar faces, including Rocketdock, Rainmeter, and some of the latest Enigma customizations. Ultimately the results of this customization don't actually look all that different from an XP or Vista transformation, but that's probably a good thing—it means that customization lovers won't need to expect many problems moving their favorite tweaks over to Windows 7.

Windows 7- N.W.T. [Flickr]

Foxmarks Bookmark Syncing Available for Internet Explorer, Safari [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KTMSx5vosGw/foxmarks-bookmark-syncing-available-for-internet-explorer-safari

Windows/Mac: Foxmarks, our favorite way to keep Firefox bookmarks synced across computers, is now offered for Internet Explorer and Safari, giving anyone with multiple computers or browsers a pain-free way to keep it all together.

Foxmarks offers basically the same type of background bookmark-syncing awesomeness for IE and Safari as it does for Firefox, with a few key exceptions:

No password syncing: A tough break, but not too hard to overcome by using Dropbox as a cross-platform password syncer.
No syncing bookmarks to your own server: Probably not a deal-breaker for most users, but we hope it makes a showing some day soon.
iPhone sync only for Mac Safari: Actually, this isn't a feature Foxmarks even offers for Firefox, so it's kind of a bonus.

If you're still down to try out Foxmarks in its newest forms, head to the Foxmarks downloads page and grab your appropriate installer. I lack a Mac system, so I'll be stepping through an Internet Explorer setup below.

Double-click the installer, accept all the standard "Do you want ..." and "Allow ..." prompts, and you'll be asked to either create a Foxmarks account or sign in with the one you've got. After verification, you'll end up at this simple screen, familiar to Foxmarks veterans:

The default action, if you simply hit "Synchronize," is for Foxmarks to merge any favorites you've got on your system with anything backed up in your Foxmarks cloud. That's fine for newcomers, but I generally like to get rid of all of the pre-loaded MSN, Windows Live, and similar bookmarks, so let's hit "Change sync settings" and switch it up:

After that, Foxmarks gets going. Instead of installing an icon in Internet Explorer's bottom status bar, Foxmarks plants itself in your system tray. You'll see it pop up a notification when it's done grabbing or placing bookmarks to/from the servers. Right-clicking this icon gives you access to your Foxmarks settings, can open up your web-based bookmarks browser, and close down the Foxmarks process. It seems to run whether or not you've got IE up and running, which is somewhat memory insensitive, but also convenient for those who open and close their browser regularly.

The Foxmarks options are similar to what Firefox users have been used to: a quick-sync button, choices on how and when Foxmarks synchronizes, and, best of all, the same kind of computer-by-computer selective bookmark syncing, or "profiles."

And here's the advanced options, where you can change your encryption demands, force a server- or computer-wiping sync, and turn off that Foxmarks tray icon. Turning off the icon still lets you at the Foxmarks options from IE's "Tools" menu:

Here's a video tour of Foxmarks features, composed by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal/All Things Digital. It's somewhat introductory-level, but covers a lot of ground (and here's his full, positive review of Foxmarks' functionality.

Safari users, be sure to tell us how Foxmarks is working for you. Does tri-browser Foxmarks open up a new realm of synchronized browsing? Waiting for just one more platform (noting that mobile access is, of course, already covered)? Give us your reviews in the comments.

Bill Gates Just Unleashed a Swarm Of Live Mosquitoes On A Room Full of Geniuses [Whoa]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xGOTAQF-cS0/bill-gates-just-unleashed-a-swarm-of-live-mosquitoes-on-a-room-full-of-geniuses

In what is probably the coolest conference-talk attention grab I've ever heard of, Bill Gates apparently just released a swarm of mosquitoes into the crowd at TED, the geniuses-only mind meld. Holy shit.

"Not only poor people should experience this," the Tweetosphere has Gates saying as he released the swarm into the audience. Malaria is a cause that Bill and Melinda have been hitting hard with their philanthropy, and this is certainly a way to drive that point home.

No word yet on the size of said swarm, or confirmation that they weren't actually infected with malaria for that matter, but as far as stunts go, this is prit-tay fucking awesome. We would know.

Bravo Bill—your sense of humor does geeks proud. [Valleywag, Twitter, Photo: jurvetson/flickr]

Art: Tetris Bricks Falling in an Alley [Found]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Fduj-NNkkDU/art-tetris-bricks-falling-in-an-alley

Tetris is my favoritest game ever. In fact, I would commit my life to being a bum, living off hobomodos, just for an excuse to sleep under these Tetris stars every night. [Flickr]

Samsung 8MP Touchscreen Memoir Cellphone Is the US's First [Samsung Memoir]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Eroi59dolqo/samsung-8mp-touchscreen-memoir-cellphone-is-the-uss-first

The Samsung Memoir could easily be mistaken for a real camera. On one side is a full touch-screen, and on the other is an 8-megapixel camera, 16x digital zoom, and Xenon flash.

The phone, which we first saw hints of in December, will run on T-Mobile's 3G network. Besides the 8-megapixel camera, it also has a full-touch virtual QWERTY keypad, a music and video player, built in GPS, and Bluetooth.

SAMSUNG MOBILE AND T-MOBILE USA INTRODUCE BEST-IN-CLASS
8-MEGAPIXEL CAMERA PHONE

Samsung Memoir™ Captures and Shares High-Quality Images
With Advanced Features and Touch Screen

DALLAS, and BELLEVUE, WASH. — Feb. 5, 2009 — Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) and T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Memoir™, a full touch-screen mobile phone equipped with an 8-megapixel camera and premium multimedia features, placing it among the highest quality imaging phones available in the U.S.

The Memoir, available exclusively from T-Mobile, is designed to look and feel like a customer's current point-and-shoot digital camera. The built-in 8-megapixel camera with Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom and five shooting modes empower customers to capture exceptional photos and videos from their phone — whether they're on the go, on a vacation or just hanging out around the house.

The touch-screen phone, enabled by Samsung's Touc! hWiz™ user interface and powered by T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, makes sharing photos easy. Samsung's new photo widget allows customers to post images taken with the Memoir directly to their favorite online photo sharing source, such as flickr®, Kodak® Gallery, Photobucket and Snapfish.

"With the 8-megapixel Samsung Memoir, T-Mobile customers can capture and share little slices of life in all their vibrant brilliance," said Denny Marie Post, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. "With the ability to share photos at your fingertips, the Memoir helps make those connections more meaningful by their immediacy."

The Memoir's full-touch virtual QWERTY keypad and multiple messaging capabilities, including text, multimedia messaging, instant messaging and e-mail, make staying connected quick and easy while on the go. The Memoir is complete with a music and video player and built-in Assisted GPS navigation, which allows customers to utilize location-based services including turn-by-turn directions. For hands-free use, the Memoir features stereo Bluetooth® technology, speakerphone and voice-activated dialing.

"This is the camera phone that will make people want to leave their digital camera at home," said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile. "When you combine the Memoir's imaging capabilities, customizable menus and music player, not only is it a great phone, but the entertainment possibilities are unlimited."

T-Mobile's 3G coverage available in select markets. Samsung Memoir also works on T-Mobile's 2G network. See coverage maps at T-Mobile.com

Model number: SGH-t929

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