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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Boku Lets You Purchase Virtual Goods via Cell Phone [Cell Phones]
Boku Lets You Purchase Virtual Goods via Cell Phone [Cell Phones]
We've previously covered services like TextPayMe (since bought by Amazon) and PayPalMobile that let you make purchases using your cell phone. Today we see another called Boku, a mobile payment service designed to make getting your virtual goods easy.
Admittedly, the market for virtual goods is larger abroad than here in the United States (though that may change in the future, see Mafia Wars), but the service—available in over 50 countries—is useful for those looking to buy virtual goods on Facebook, hi5, and other social sites.
To use it, click the "Pay by Mobile" button that's listed on the web site, punch in in your cell phone number, and reply "Y" to the text message confirmation. The purchase will then be added to your cell phone bill. No credit card information or registration is required, and the service works for both monthly cell phone and pre-paid subscribers.
The Boku site lists compatible carriers for each country (in the U.S, for example, the service works with Alltel
AT&T, Cellular One, Sprint/Nextel/Boost, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Virgin), though you should make sure to ask what, if any, additional charges your carrier may apply for using the service.
Check out the above demo for a rundown or browse the Boku site for more information.
Game Over for Sun's "Game Changing" 16-Core Rock CPU [Sun]
Game Over for Sun's "Game Changing" 16-Core Rock CPU [Sun]
In the wake of their buyout by Oracle, Sun Microsystems has canned their 16-core Rock chip project—once touted by the company as a "game changer," and their answer to IBM's latest Power CPUs—after five years of development. This represents the second major chip offering from Sun to be shelved in recent years. [NYT]
20,500-Gallon Firefighting Boeing 747 Supertanker In Action [Airplanes]
20,500-Gallon Firefighting Boeing 747 Supertanker In Action [Airplanes]
Rob Cockerham at PopSci got to see it in action, and took a few photographs of this mighty—and extremely useful—sploshing megalomaniac dream machine. [Popsci]
TweetDeck Now Available On The iPhone [Apps]
TweetDeck Now Available On The iPhone [Apps]
UPDATE: The app has been released—and it's free. [iTunes and Kevin Rose via Digg]
You Too Can Wear the Head of Optimus Prime (in Augmented Reality, Of Course) [Transformers]
You Too Can Wear the Head of Optimus Prime (in Augmented Reality, Of Course) [Transformers]
So here's how this works: the Active X applet hijacks your webcam and uses face/eye detection to figure out where to plaster Prime's face. Once it figures that out, it renders a 3D head around your own mug, allowing you live vicariously through the leader of the autobots. But if you get too zealous in trying to save the world, the helmet will disappear—vigorous head movement angers the Autobot gods, and they will steal the head of Prime from you (along with the Matrix of Leadership).
The best part about this taking place in augmented reality is that you don't have to figure out a way to behead a 30-foot robot. Plus, you won't get motor oil (not to mention any other fluids and lubricants he has running through his system) all over your shit. [We Are Autobots]
Cortex A9: ARM's Multi-Core Mobile CPUs [CPUs]
Cortex A9: ARM's Multi-Core Mobile CPUs [CPUs]
Multicore processors in mobile devices are only a matter of time, and that time appears to be coming closer for ARM, as their Cortex A9 chips will ship in phones in 2010. Arm chips are found in various handsets, including all three generations of the iPhone. [CNET]
Hands On Samsung's Galaxy i7500 Android Haptic Smartphone [First Look]
Hands On Samsung's Galaxy i7500 Android Haptic Smartphone [First Look]
Samsung's Galaxy is a 11.9 millimeter-slim handset that features a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera, and also comes equipped with GPS, Wi-Fi and and WCDMA support. Even more, the phone calls attention to the haptic feedback on its virtual keyboard, which is a first for a major touchscreen smartphone.
Because the AMOLED screen reportedly draws less power than the iPhone's TFT-LCD screens do, the Galaxy apparently has a longer battery life, making this—coupled with the haptic feedback—more mainstream-consumer friendly for those who have yet to purchase a smartphone. Although pricing and release dates are not finalized, the Galaxy will supposedly be available in Europe by the end of this month, and the rest of the world in the second half of 2009. [PC World via Talk Android]
RF Cochlea Is a Super-Powered Signal Processor Modeled After the Inner Ear [Future Tech]
RF Cochlea Is a Super-Powered Signal Processor Modeled After the Inner Ear [Future Tech]
The inner ear is able to take in all the noise in a surrounding area, and adapt how it processes the sound accordingly. Gizmag says that in a similar fashion, the RF Cochlea is able to analyze a wide range of frequencies, and maximize how it routes data for maximum bandwidth and minimal power consumption. In testing, these designs have been faster than anything they've ever seen before.
What this means for the rest of us is the development of faster, smarter radios for signals such as television channels, cellphones, wi-fi, etc... These "smart radios" could not only take unused bandwidth from one application and put it to work in another, but they could also learn to avoid certain frequencies based on the radio waves in their current location. The end result would be stronger, clearer wireless signals.
The researchers also think it would be possible to commercialize this technology within a couple of years, if someone was so motivated. I like that. [Gizmag]
Zune HD Packs Nvidia Tegra: Better Video and Better Battery Life [Zune Hd]
Zune HD Packs Nvidia Tegra: Better Video and Better Battery Life [Zune Hd]
As we explained in our Giz Explains: Low-Power Chipsets, Nvidia's Tegra proc is designed to handle high-def video and Flash with buttery smoothness in small packages, just like the Zune HD. So while this is as yet still unconfirmed, given that we haven't had confirmation from Microsoft, it makes a lot of sense and would actually be a very smart move—and the sources reporting the rumor seem very certain that it's true. With a Tegra processor, the Zune HD would certainly be able to decode videos with far less necessary power than with any other chipset, which means better battery life combined with better video quality. What else could you want from a next-gen PMP? [PC Perspective]
Toshiba NB205 Netbook Gets 8 and a Half Hours of Real-Time Battery Life [NetBooks]
Toshiba NB205 Netbook Gets 8 and a Half Hours of Real-Time Battery Life [NetBooks]
Laptop Mag took a gander at Toshiba's NB205 netbook and found an awful lot to be happy about. The netbook, which boasts the same specs as every other 10-inch netbook out there (1.66GHz Atom, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Windows XP) seems to really bring it in the non-component hardware department, with a stellar keyboard and thankfully normal-human-sized trackpad along with an LED-backlit display and, of course, that crazy 6-cell battery. They managed to eke out 8 hours and 33 minutes of real time battery life, which means continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi. That's far and away the best battery life we've seen on this category of netbook, and with its above-average performance, it definitely looks like a mini-laptop worth your attention if you're in the market for a 10-incher. [Laptop Mag]
VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers
VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers
Continue reading VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers
Filed under: Home Entertainment
VuNow's internet video-to-TV streamer finds a home in Sherwood receivers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsDisney and ASUS announce Netpal netbook for kids
Disney and ASUS announce Netpal netbook for kids
Past Disney gadgets may have been heavier on the Disney than the gadget, but we're guessing there'll be at least a few parents out there a little envious of ASUS's new Disney-branded Netpal netbook for kids, which will be available in your choice of "Princess Pink" or "Magic Blue" colors (the latter replete with tiny Mickey Mouse icons). In addition to that eye-catching exterior, each netbook also packs a custom, kid-friendly Disney interface, along with a range of built-in parental controls, and some customizable themes based on Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Wall-E, and other Disney properties. As you might expect, however, the netbook itself is just a standard 8.9-inch Eee PC, but it is at least available with either a 16GB SSD drive or a standard 160GB hard drive. No word on a release date just yet, but it looks like this one will set you back $350.
[Via GadgetMix.com]
[Via GadgetMix.com]
Filed under: Laptops
Disney and ASUS announce Netpal netbook for kids originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSwitched On: When netbooks suffer from 'Droid rage
Switched On: When netbooks suffer from 'Droid rage
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Despite powering only a handful of handsets available on the market, Android has already had a significant impact on the competitive landscape in smartphones. Looking at its primary rivals that run on a variety of hardware from multiple manufacturers, Android has provided a free and highly customizable licensed challenge to Windows Mobile, And competition with the Google-developed mobile operating system may have also provided the final push of Symbian into the world of open source.
Just because Android has turned the tables, though, does not mean it should be used on devices that rest on them. Recently, the infatuation with Android has led to much speculation and supplication regarding the operating system as an alternative on netbooks and less proven "gaptops" that live between the smartphone and the notebook. But while blazing benchmarks may erase any speed records set by netbooks running Windows, they can't erase what amounts to a weak case for Android on these devices.
Recent history shows that the overwhelming majority of consumers want Windows on their netbooks. This has become especially true as the market has shifted from the quasi-appliance like original Asus Eee, with its suboptimal 7" screen, to most netbooks running 10" and now even larger screens and vendors such as Dell and HP that are pillars of the Windows hardware world have grabbed market share. Even these manufacturers have more to gain by going with their own twist on Linux. HP, for example, has created a unique and differentiated experience with its Linux environment for netbooks. It will take some time before various Android implementations are so unique. It's unclear why an Android-based netbook would fare much better than Linux-based netbooks have.
Continue reading Switched On: When netbooks suffer from 'Droid rage
Filed under: Laptops
Switched On: When netbooks suffer from 'Droid rage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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