Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, April 10, 2009

Survey: 100% of Teens Want an iPod; 0% of Teens Want Any Other Player [Dominance]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VZAZQrFEAB4/survey-100-of-teens-want-an-ipod-0-of-teens-want-any-other-player

News doesn't get much worse than this for the Zunes and Sansas of the world: a whopping 0% of surveyed teens planned on buying their devices, with 100% wanting an iPod in the coming year.

Piper Jaffray's biannual Teen Survey, in its eighth year, shows a serious drop off in interest for the Zune and Sansa. From last year's not-great 15% figure to this year's unfathomable 0%, it's just ugly.

But are these numbers accurate? For one, SanDisk had some decent numbers around 2007, but this survey says they peaked at 4%. It's certainly possible that SanDisk sold all of its products to adults and not teens, which would explain the discrepancy, but it still seems a bit fishy.

But in any case, Apple has just got to love seeing numbers like this. The age of iPod's total dominance over the PMP scene won't last forever, but with numbers like this it isn't ending anytime soon either. [Apple Insider via Crave]

Crunchpad: Photos of TechCrunch's Delicious Web Tablet [Techcrunch]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0rUh9qcIwWY/crunchpad-photos-of-techcrunchs-delicious-web-tablet

The web tablet TechCrunch is working on is apparently still alive, seeing as it just showed up in Michael Arrington's posterous. UPDATED

The photos are now down from his posterous and Arrington declined to give us any more details or specs.
From the techcrunch twitterfeed:

fyi on the crunchpad buzz, photos were removed. apologies, they weren't ready for publication yet. added to our posterous account in error

More from TechCrunch, which has come forward with more details:

What you see is a prototype, equipped with an Intel Atom processor and a 12″ capacitative touchscreen.

Check out the keyboard.

I love this thing. Techcrunch will have more details next week.

This Farm? Oh, At This Farm We Grow Fluorescent Bulbs [Image Of The Night]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/uvH4_FTCGuY/this-farm-oh-at-this-farm-we-grow-fluorescent-bulbs

Richard Box's art installation, called FIELD, is powered by the electrical fields from the power lines that run above the project. It's an eerie sight, to be sure. [io9]

Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/leaked-pics-of-the-crunchpad-make-it-look-dangerously-close-to-a/

Thanks to a slip of the fingers on Posterous (and Robert Scoble's serious Twitter addiction), new images of Michael Arrington's pet Internet-tablet project -- the CrunchPad -- have shown up looking very, very close to a finished product. As you can see in the gallery below, the (supposedly) $200, WiFi enabled pad has gotten dressed up in multiple colors and been shoved into some fairly handsome looking packaging. There's no telling if this means the device is any closer to a buy-able reality, but one thing is for sure: a microblog is no place for secrets.

Gallery: Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability

[Via Scoble's Twitterfeed, Arab Crunch]

Filed under: Handhelds

Leaked pics of the CrunchPad make it look dangerously close to availability originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vandals take down Internet, emergency, and voice services in California

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/vandals-take-down-internet-emergency-and-voice-services-in-cal/

Feeling vulnerable? Maybe you should. Apparently, taking down the Internet, ATMs, and landline and wireless phone services is as easy as crawling down a few strategically located manholes and hacking through some fiber optic cables. Police in California suspect exactly that after "vandals" cut a total of 10 fiber optic cables (each containing between 48 and 360 fibers) at 4 locations on Thursday morning. The AT&T and Sprint cables knocked "tens of thousands" of San Francisco, Bay Area residents off the grid including an additional 52,000 Verizon landline and wireless customers. San Jose spokesman, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez, says that Vandals somehow managed to thwart the safeguards securing this important element of the US infrastructure. "The manhole covers are heavy," he said, "and would take quite an effort to lift, perhaps even requiring a tool." Amazing. There's been plenty of speculation that disgruntled members of the Communication Workers of America union are to blame after its contract with AT&T expired amid "strike-threatened contract negotiations" over the weekend -- something CWA officials adamantly deny. And they should... everyone knows that kidnapping corporate bosses is the hot new trend for curing the gruntles. AT&T is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the vandals.

[Via SFGate]

Vandals take down Internet, emergency, and voice services in California originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Touch Diamond2 hitting Taiwan this month

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/htc-touch-diamond2-hitting-taiwan-this-month/

According to MobileTechReview the HTC Touch Diamond2 is due out this month in Taiwan. Local price is NT$21,900 (US$648.93) and it'll come with a 8GB memory card inside the box. Still no US release date, but with the UK version reportedly launching next week, we wouldn't be surprise if April was the lucky month for a stateside debut, as well.

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Touch Diamond2 hitting Taiwan this month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Radiopaq launches custom tuned earphones to single our your audio

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/radiopaq-launches-custom-tuned-earphones-to-single-our-your-audi/

There's a big difference between giving people choices and giving people a choice, and while Sleek Audio did the smart thing by doing the former, Radiopaq is carelessly banking on the latter to still go over well. Rather than producing a set of earbuds with customizable acoustics to fit whatever genre you find yourself into, Radiopaq's custom tuned earphones take that personalization away from the end-user. Oh sure, you could plop down for four different sets to handle your classical, jazz, pop and rock records, but that would easily go down as one of the most absurd decisions you've ever made. The company proclaims that each set actually can be used to enjoy other genres, noting that each pair is simply optimized for one specific style. Each package will go for £59 ($86), so make sure you choose carefully -- does your allegiance lie with The Cranberries or Taylor Swift?

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Radiopaq launches custom tuned earphones to single our your audio originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/resin-replaces-ito-in-latest-flexible-oled-prototype/

Make no mistake, wrapping your mind around the build of an OLED panel is mighty tough to do. Without getting you mired in technobabble, let's just say that indium tin oxide (ITO) has generally been a mainstay in every single OLED that was produced commercially. Now, a team of researchers from AGFA-Gevaert, IMEC, Holst Centre and Philips have prototyped a 12- x 12-centimeter flexible OLED lighting panel that swaps out the ITO for highly-conductive transparent resin electrodes. You see, it's been difficult for OLED builders to secure enough electrical conductivity of ITO in a low-temperature process, and this new methodology is perfectly suited for the coating method (which makes it ripe for printing). The resin itself is being dubbed Orgacon, and tests have shown it to have a 6x improvement over ITO in terms of electrical conductivity. Beyond that, the crews are keeping the secrets safe from the poachers of the world, but here's hoping this amounts to more than just jovial celebration in a far off laboratory.

[Via OLED-Display]

Filed under: Displays

Resin replaces ITO in latest flexible OLED prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/10/hybrid-technologies-becomes-evii-adds-two-electric-beasts-to-it/

Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Remember Hybrid Technologies, the company that offers to rip the motor out of a Mini and then charge you close to $60,000 for the privilege? They've gone and changed their name to EV Innovations Inc., or EVII (which looks like EVIL if you squint), and along the way came up with a pair of new electric options. First is the Wave (pictured above), with a 170 mile range, 80 mph top speed, $34,900 price tag, and a body that looks something like a 996 Porsche Carrera left out in the sun too long. The other is the Inizio, the sports car (after the break) with beefy pushrod suspension, racy sport seats, adequate 170 mph top speed, generous 200 mile range, and aggressive $139,000 price tag. The company hopes to start building both next year, but since it can't decide between three or four wheels on the Wave and doesn't yet have a body to show for the Inizio, that could prove to be a bit optimistic.

Continue reading Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable

Filed under: Transportation

Hybrid Technologies becomes EVII, adds two electric beasts to its conceptual stable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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wow, no one has tweeted that I'm stupid (yet) -- re: The ROI of Social Media is ZERO -- http://ping.fm/P0TE1 -- debate continues!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Microsoft Ordered To Pay $388M For Pirating Windows Activation Technology [Lawsuits]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4XxFz5tXTJo/microsoft-ordered-to-pay-388m-for-pirating-windows-activation-technology

A jury has ordered Microsoft to pay $388M to security software firm Uniloc, who alleged back in 2003 that Microsoft infringed on the firm's patents for Windows Activation, one of the most horrible features ever.

One way to look at this—the hasty, vindictive, techno-populist way—is to see this whole thing as some kind of cosmic rebalancing, in which Microsoft is finally paying a huge, literal price for years of subjecting us to broken product activation runarounds in virtually every major piece of software they've released in the last eight years. Their 30 days is up, their trial period (ha!) over, etc etc etc.

Another way: A gigantic company, who has produced loads of useful products despite succumbing to the temptations of overbearing antipiracy measures, has been forced to shovel an ungodly sum of money to a company that only produces overbearing antipiracy measures. So, hurray. [WSJ]

Intel Promises Two-Second Boot Times With Their Moblin Netbook Linux OS [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mSt1dNcS7FY/intel-promises-two+second-boot-times-with-their-moblin-netbook-linux-os

Imagine if your netbook went from completely powered off to fully booted and ready in two seconds. It would be an entirely different gadget in your life, wouldn't it? That's what Intel hopes.

We've already seen promising early builds of Moblin, their open-source project to create an Atom-optimized OS for netbooks on the platform. But speaking at a Linux summit in San Francisco recently, Intel's Imhad Sousou spelled out plans to make a two-second boot a reality.

It's ambitious, and it will require significant and deep fiddling, but that's the goal. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited for the next generation of netbooks that moves beyond traditional desktop operating systems. Again, it's software that counts. [Ars Technica via Gadget Mix]

Vandals Cut AT&T Fiber Optic Lines In San Jose Affecting Thousands [Crime]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BL6ECnltz28/vandals-cut-att-fiber-optic-lines-in-san-jose-affecting-thousands

Police in San Jose are investigating two incidents involving severed AT&T and Sprint fiber optic cable that knocked out landline, cellular and internet service to thousands of Silicon Valley residents.

"We're treating this as a crime scene," Lopez said.

Four AT&T fiber-optic cables were severed shortly before 1:30 a.m. along Monterey Highway north of Blossom Hill Road in south San Jose, police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said. Sprint's cable in San Carlos was cut about two hours later, a company official said. The exact location was not immediately known.

With all of the economic turmoil going on, who would be surprised to find out that this was the work of some disgruntled employee? I, for one, would not be. Hit up SFGate to check out video of the scene. [SFGate]

Nokia working on new MID for this year, wild QWERTY tech for next?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/nokia-working-on-new-mid-for-this-year-wild-qwerty-tech-for-nex/

Let's start this out with a word of warning: TheStreet.com's latest report allegedly from deep within Espoo's most secretive labs contradicts itself on a couple occasions -- and Nokia has a decent (though not stellar) track record of keeping most prized secrets under wraps -- so we're bringing this up with a good deal of caution, healthy skepticism, and cold, hard reality on our minds. That being said, some aspects of the report seem totally plausible, particularly a new bit about a fresh MID (likely to replace the aging N810) in the works with a sliding keyboard and 4.2-inch display targeted for release before the holidays this year; Maemo 5 development is well underway, so we'd actually be kinda surprised if this didn't happen. Odds are it wouldn't be that rumored Sparrow-powered device, though, since we'd heard 2011 for that one.

Here's where it starts to get a little strange -- next up, the report mentions a "Nautilus project" intending to create an ultra-thin touchscreen phone of some sort that uses a "sensor" (you know, a "sensor") to motorize the keyboard in and out of the body; what's more, the keys would rise up when deployed for better feel. This sounds unlikely at best, considering the added weight, complexity, bulk, and reliability concerns around that kind of a mechanism, not to mention the fact that it'd serve almost no practical purpose whatsoever. At first, TheStreet says this is a device, then later changes it! s mind a nd says "the first Nautilus phone isn't due out for another year" -- but whether it's a phone or an entire range of phones, we're just not seeing it; it'd be fun to play with, yes, but we think this is the kind of thing where the engineers would putz with it for a while and realize that it's a really, really bad idea.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Handhelds

Nokia working on new MID for this year, wild QWERTY tech for next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visa rolls out its first commercial NFC payment system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/visa-rolls-out-its-first-commercial-nfc-payment-system/

Nokia fulfilled its part of the bargain by rolling out its NFC-enabled 6212 cellphone last year, and it looks like Visa is now finally making the phone a good deal more useful -- in Malaysia, at least. That's where the company has launched its first commercial NFC (or Near Field Communications) payment service for point-of-sale transactions, which will let folks simply wave the phone in front of a reader to make a purchase instead of going to the hassle of swiping a card. What's more, it doesn't look like this is simply a limited trial, with 1,800 stores in the country ready to accept the magical payments out of the gate, and Maxis and Maybank on board to let folks easily access their credit account. Better still, Visa has also said that this move finally signals the shift from pilot programs to actual roll-outs, although it's unfortunately not being all that specific about the next few markets on tap just yet.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Visa rolls out its first commercial NFC payment system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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