CrunchGear

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• HourTime Episode 7: Watches for the Holidays
• Bag Week: Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home
• Give it a Ponder: OK, LG, you win this round
• Israeli airport security shoots a defenseless MacBook
• RIBA picks up the ladies
• Operation Chokehold will blow up AT&T on Friday
• Better MultiMediaCards: Toshiba announces world’s first 64GB embedded NAND flash memory module
• Daily Crunch: Nook Haunting Edition
• Toyota plug-ins to arrive in limited fashion within a year
• New Enermax keyboards: very thin, otherwise unremarkable
• Hacknooks!
• GM, wtf is this Chevy Volt video?
• Bag Week: Booq Boa Squeeze
• Stargate Universe gets a second season
• Clink-Clink lets you clink your “drink”
• Lord of the Rings Blu-ray trilogy on track for April release, but don’t buy it
• Giveaway: ContourHD 1080p wearable HD cam
• Zink 2.0 inkless printers beginning to trickle out
• CrunchDeals: TomTom U.S. iPhone Apps now 30% off
• Video: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands: John Morrison jumps around, fights a sand monster

HourTime Episode 7: Watches for the Holidays Posted: 15 Dec 2009 05:30 AM PST I hope you guys are enjoying this podcast. We have a blast putting it together and this episode we talk about some great watches for you and yours along with some real junk. Enjoy! Listen in iTunes Download MP3 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Bag Week: Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home Posted: 15 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Finding a good multipurpose bag can be difficult. The Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home is a good example of a shoulder style camera bag with optional laptop storage. It works best as a camera bag; the laptop storage sleeve is added as an afterthought for a photographer that needs to download pictures in the field. Info: Water resistant shell, with soft padded lining Customizable compartments “stealth” velcro closures More pockets then something with many pockets $170 MSRP Pros Holds a ton of camera gear Stealth velcro closures make it ideal for nature photography Option to carry the bag with either the shoulder strap or carrying handle Cons Large. Not Crumplers largest bag, but it’s a big one A bit on the expensive side Crumpler originally started out as a company that specialized in messenger bags. For many years, people would buy one of these messenger style bags, and then customize them to their particular requirements (such as photography, or a diaper bag). As this caught on, Crumpler realized that they were missing out on an opportunity, and went into creating other styles of bags on their own. Enter the 8 Million Dollar Home. Based on a messenger bag, the 8MDH is a large bag, with a series of removable dividers that can be arranged based on your particular needs. I was able to fit a DSLR body, an 18-200 zoom lens, a 50mm lens, a 16-85mm lens, a BlackRapid strap, a flash, and a 14 inch laptop all in the main compartment. The front compartment held my filters, memory card adapter, GPS, notebook and pen, cell phone, and a battery charger. The cover flap has a mesh pocket with a zipper closure which could easily hold lighter items. The cover flap is held (very securely) with either two patches of velco, or with two buckles. One feature particular to the 8MDH is the “stealth” velcro covers. This allows you to fold two pieces of cloth over the hook and loop fasteners, which eliminates the noise caused by opening the bag. The cover can still be closed using the standard latch buckles, as the stealth covers disable the velcro. Because all of the padding is customizable, you can add or remove sections as needed. I found the inserts to be very durable, and well designed. Once you put an insert in place, it’s not going to move again unless you want it to. The should strap is a bit beefy, it’s quite wide and can be bulky at times. I’m over 6 feet tall though, and the strap was sufficiently long enough to fit properly over my rather large frame. I would recommend checking the fit in a store before you purchase this bag, as the strap is not removable. Wrap-up Crumpler makes great bags. The 8MDH might not be for everyone due to its large size, but it will hold a ton of camera gear as well as your laptop. Keep in mind this is also a shoulder style bag, so if you’re looking for a backpack, this bag isn’t for you. Crumpler bags also don’t look like a camera bag or laptop bag, which can help prevent theft. The $170 price tag is steep as well, but a bag like this is something you’re going to buy once and then not have to replace for 10 years. Don’t forget to check out the other bags we’re reviewing for Bag Week! Product Page

Give it a Ponder: OK, LG, you win this round Posted: 15 Dec 2009 04:38 AM PST LG is trying to get kids to think before they text. Instead of featuring a cartoon frog and his skateboarding friends, they’ve hired James Lipton and his beard to encourage kids to Give It A Ponder before they text. Well played, LG. Well played. The spots feature just about everything you could want in quirky advertising – a serious figure, a ridiculous scenario, an afterschool special message. The result? A fairly funny confluence of marketing that makes a sad old man like me think twice before spreading rumors about Matt. via Forbes

Israeli airport security shoots a defenseless MacBook Posted: 15 Dec 2009 04:08 AM PST Not sure why this suddenly came up and I’m not going to get into the politics of this, but Israeli security, in an apparent fit of pique, shot a young woman’s laptop at the airport. I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside. Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, "I'm sorry but we had to blow up your laptop. " What….all my client case notes and testimony, writing, pictures, music and applications. Years of work. NO!!!! What?? Are you insane?? What were you thinking? THAT'S ALL MY WORK!? After much yelling, crying and frantic phone dialing (don't be alarmed if I called you repeatedly this morning), he took me outside to see the wreckage. It turned out it hadn't been quite blown up, but rather shot through with three bullets. We were able to extract the hard drive, seemingly unscaved. Thank goodness Now I’m no bomb expert, but as far as I remember bombs are concentrations of explosives connected to some sort of detonation system. Safety first, and all, but this seems like someone didn’t quite want to waste an entire entire C4 charge on a wild goose chase and instead decided to play Rambo. Again, not to take sides but WTF, Israel? You have bomb robots for this sort of thing. This just rubs peoples’ noses in your extensive security apparatus.

RIBA picks up the ladies Posted: 15 Dec 2009 03:30 AM PST Newlaunches has some video of a freaky robot that lifts sick people off of their beds. Why the robot has a freaking bear head is unexplained but I’m assuming this is to keep kids from going nuts when a robot comes to take them away.

Operation Chokehold will blow up AT&T on Friday Posted: 15 Dec 2009 02:51 AM PST Fake Steve is rustling some feathers this week with his Operation Chokehold, a planned bit of corporate disobedience against AT&T. He’s telling iPhone users to go nuts with the data on Friday, December 18, just to show AT&T’s CEO De La Vega, the man who suggested education would encourage users not to use his network so much, what uneducated users really can do to his preciously twee airwaves. The call to action: Subject: Operation Chokehold On Friday, December 18, at noon Pacific time, we will attempt to overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees. The goal is to have every iPhone user (or as many as we can) turn on a data intensive app and run that app for one solid hour. Send the message to AT&T that we are sick of their substandard network and sick of their abusive comments. THe idea is we'll create a digital flash mob. We're calling it in Operation Chokehold. Join us and speak truth to power! I would do it, obviously, but I’m overseas right now and if I turned on data I could buy De La Vega a new yacht with the roaming charges. Now I’m all for a bit of fun, obviously, but isn’t it ironic that this is what passes for political action these days? Our forefathers went to union meetings, we use Pandora all day. Oh well. At least AT&T can’t hire the Pinkertons to bust our heads. Rage Against The Machine – The Ghost Of Tom Joad

Better MultiMediaCards: Toshiba announces world’s first 64GB embedded NAND flash memory module Posted: 15 Dec 2009 01:24 AM PST Toshiba has announced today the launch of the world’s first 64GB NAND chips that are fully compatible with the so-called e-MMC standard (embedded MultiMediaCard) established last year. The new modules were produced by combining 16 32Gbit NAND chips with Toshiba’s proprietary 32nm process technology and include a controller. The modules are just 30µm thick and can be used in smartphones, netbooks and digital cameras. You’ll be able to store 1,070 hours of music or 8.3 hours of full HD video on them. Toshiba says samples are already available and mass production (3 million units a month) will start next month. The company introduced 32GB NAND packages just in spring this year.

Daily Crunch: Nook Haunting Edition Posted: 15 Dec 2009 12:00 AM PST Here’s what you might have missed yesterday: Bag Week: Booq Boa Squeeze Giveaway: ContourHD 1080p wearable HD cam How best to solve the problem of Happy 2010 New Year's Eve glasses? Thanko rolls out not one but two spy cams Hacknooks!

Toyota plug-ins to arrive in limited fashion within a year Posted: 14 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST Want a plug-in car, but the Leaf and Volt aren’t doing it for you? Well, Toyota will be entering the market soon, though you should only count on it if you’re feeling lucky. First half of 2010 will only see 150 of these new plug-in Priuses (Prii?) on our shores, though they’re planning a full-size rollout for 2011. Now hang on a second… apparently these things only get 15 miles per battery charge. Are you kidding me? Sorry, but unless I’m mistaken, these things aren’t going to sell very well with that kind of range. The competition gets three or four times that, right? So it’s a more efficient hybrid, but… is there going to be a place for extra-efficient hybrids in a few years? Seems like buying into a transitional form.

New Enermax keyboards: very thin, otherwise unremarkable Posted: 14 Dec 2009 07:00 PM PST Remember that Enermax Caesar I reviewed? Decent keyboard. A friend of mine is still using it and she likes it just fine. It was a more fancy keyboard than this, what with the cool mesh styling and media keys, but it wasn’t nearly as slim. The new Acrylux keyboard, available in wired and wireless versions, has made thin its top priority. There’s not too much else to say; it’s a keyboard. This one isn’t a Euro layout, however, so you won’t be getting that fabulous “Alt Gr” button. Check out the rest of the specs and order yourself one of these things over at Enermax’s site.

Hacknooks! Posted: 14 Dec 2009 06:00 PM PST We knew the nook had some Android blood in it, but it’s been kept well-hidden, merely an underpinning for its custom UI. We expected some special apps or minor compatibility with existing stuff to be pushed out later on, but of course some people can’t wait until “later on.” nookDevs is a growing wiki for this stuff, and currently includes a teardown and some how-tos on getting the nook (the bottom half at least) to run vanilla Android 1.5. It’s still in the development stage and you will have to crack open your nook if you want to give it extra storage, but if you have the device this would be a good page to bookmark. Even if some people think it’s a non-starter, I think the nook is a great-looking device that has the right idea with a versatile, easily-hackable dual-screen setup. But yeah, I might just wait for the nook DX or whatever they’re going to call the inevitable upgrade. [via Electronista]

GM, wtf is this Chevy Volt video? Posted: 14 Dec 2009 05:42 PM PST Do not watch the video above. It will burn your eyes out and cut a few years off your life. Hopefully someone lost their job at GM over it because this is not how you sell the Chevy Volt. [GM-Volt via AutoblogGreen]

Bag Week: Booq Boa Squeeze Posted: 14 Dec 2009 04:57 PM PST Short version: Like lots of pockets in a laptop backpack? I count 27 on the Booq Boa Squeeze and wouldn’t be surprised if there are some hiding. Info: Water resistant Holds up to a 15-inch notebook Has at least 27 pockets Terralinq serial number $99 MSRP Pros Crapton of pockets Comfortable to wear Feels durable Cons The small, rounded bag looks funny on this guy This bag can be summed up in the amount of pockets it has: 27. That’s a lot, friends. But don’t expect to use all them at the same time. Most of the pockets are laid on top of each other, limiting their use. You could probably use all of them if all you wanted to carry was pocket-sized Moleskins, but each one won’t hold anything with significant volume. That’s fine with me though. The small bag is perfect for a netbook, ultra-portable, or 15-inch Mac. The main flap unzips in a somewhat strange manner, but it allows full access to the computer compartment and reveals even more pockets on the backside of the flap. The bag is attractive. Its outside shell is made out of black, water-repellent ballistic nylon, while the inside is lined with a soft, fleece-like material. Needless to say your gear is probably safe in this bag. But if you happen to lose it, Booq has you covered there too. The Booq Terraling serial number is engraved on a metal plaque attached to the inside of the main flap. This plaque has a website URL on it that will help good sameritains return your bag. Of course a GPS sensor and a remotely-activated ink pack would be more effective, but you can’t really expect that for under a hundred bucks. The only thing I don’t dig about the bag is how it looks on me. I’m not a big guy, but I think the small bag looks somewhat funny on my back. It’s almost too small. Maybe I’m just vain. I can find no real fault in this bag besides my little fashion thing. It’s solid, can hold a surprising amount of crap, and only costs $99. Recommended. Read other Bag Week reviews here. Product Page

Stargate Universe gets a second season Posted: 14 Dec 2009 04:15 PM PST Well my day just got better. SGU is currently on a mid-season break but at least the news broke that the show got picked up for another season. Now if I can only wait until April to see how Dr. Rush gets back on board the Destiny. I had my doubts about the show when it first started, but I’m really starting to get into it. It has the depth and mystery of Lost, but still maintains the Stargate charm and wit. Hopefully it beats-out Stargate Atlantis’s five year run although I doubt it will surpass SG-1’s epic ten seasons. One can hope, though.

Clink-Clink lets you clink your “drink” Posted: 14 Dec 2009 03:50 PM PST Even if you're staying away from the sauce this holiday season, it'd still be nice to be able to clink your glass with everyone else when the toasts go down. Sure, you could just have glass of water - but why do something practical and not absurd when there's an iPhone app?

Lord of the Rings Blu-ray trilogy on track for April release, but don’t buy it Posted: 14 Dec 2009 03:30 PM PST Too bad the upcoming $99 Blu-ray release is just the theatrical edition and not the extended-cut version. It’s not even worth the $69 price Amazon has it set at for pre-order as you know the other version will come out eventually anyway. New Line just wants fans to double dip. Fail. Amazon via High-Def Digest

Giveaway: ContourHD 1080p wearable HD cam Posted: 14 Dec 2009 03:00 PM PST Did you see my review of the ContourHD 1080p? Well, go check it out so you know whether or not you can make use of this sucker. It’s basically a compact HD camcorder stripped of everything but the lens, sensor, and storage, stuck inside a tiny, semi-rugged aluminum case. It’s for sticking to your helmet or bike frame and documenting all that extreme stuff you do. And we want to give one to you. All you’ve got to do is tell us something extreme you’ve done lately in the comments. It could be anything. TechCrunch readers, that could be flaming Mike, or being first to put an anti-iPhone comment on one of MG’s posts. CG readers, you might have soldered something lately, or talked to a girl. Personally, my most extreme event recently is very nearly slipping on some ice. That was close! Seriously though, just put something awesome in there, be it wingsuit-diving or a sweet headshot in Modern Warfare 2. I’ll pick a winner semi-randomly (non-extreme entries will be skipped) in three days and we’ll try to get it out to you before Christmas.

Zink 2.0 inkless printers beginning to trickle out Posted: 14 Dec 2009 02:30 PM PST Zink stands for "zero ink." It’s the name of a company that has created a new way of printing that uses, yes, zero ink. It’s all in the paper, hoss. The paper has three layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow crystals layered over each other. You roll the paper through Zink printers, which then heat specific areas of the sheet, creating an image. The first version of Zink’s technology was hobbled in that the paper was too big, only 2×3 inches. Version 2.0 is beginning to trickle out, but will appear more widely in the first quarter of 2010. Paper size goes all the way up to 4×6 inches, big enough for printouts of your photos (if you still print out photos!). More on this come CES, when we’re running around all day talking to 1 million people at the same time.

CrunchDeals: TomTom U.S. iPhone Apps now 30% off Posted: 14 Dec 2009 02:02 PM PST Either TomTom's startin' to feel the burn of the incredibly competitive (and arguably crumbling) navigation app market, or they're just feeling generous for the holidays. Either way, now's the time to buy if you were considering snatching up either of TomTom's U.S. apps.

Video: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands: John Morrison jumps around, fights a sand monster Posted: 14 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Ubisoft hasn’t given up on the Prince of Persia series just yet (despite the fact that Assassin’s Creed is essentially Persia of Persia with a different pair of shoes). There’s the movie with that guy, and the just-announced Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. It’s coming out in May of 2010 for all the usual suspects. There’s very little concrete information to share. The press release touts "amazing this" and "stupendous that." It does use the Anvil engine, if that means anything to the more hardcore gamers here. Pics or GTFO? Pics, then. (Concept art, though.) And am I the only one who thinks this version of the Prince looks exactly like WWE’s John Morison? I’m not even talking about the hair style, but the face is pretty much the same. I hope Morrison is getting paid.

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