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Samsung: Yep, we’re working on a Chrome OS netbook

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:55 PM PST


In not-too-surprising, yet good-to-know-for-sure news, it seems that Samsung is indeed working on a netbook designed around Chrome OS. Now, what exactly that comprises I can’t tell you — my guess is they’re really just getting a cheap netbook ready to go with whatever Google announces when Chrome OS hits prime time. Or maybe they’ll use one of those neat (useless) transparent ones?

The specs are nothing crazy: 3G, 2GB of RAM to start, 64GB or more of SSD storage, probably a 10.1″ screen, and a nice long battery life. The chipset and processor weren’t disclosed, but the source is suggesting a 1.5GHz Snapdragon. I wonder about that — I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some curveballs in there. Dual Snapdragons, for instance, or a dedicated GPU like the iPad. It’s actually very similar to this speculative post here, except without a price, which makes it much easier to swallow.

Guess we’ll find out… not soon. It’s not clear when they’ll be making the real announcement, and at any rate we’ll probably hear from Google first.

[via Tom's Hardware]

Artist creates horse-drawn Hummer H2 (it’s a statement)

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 04:02 PM PST


Most artist’s statements are pretentious garbage — much like their art. But this deconstructed Hummer project makes a statement that’s as straightforward as it is true: “Keep it up and you’ll be driving one of these.”

Unfortunately, the statement about over-consumption is somewhat compromised by the fact that he’s leaving the GPS, DVD player, and so on intact. So it’ll be a carriage and four, but you can still watch Lost in the back and sip Mimosas.

[via Treehugger]

So, so awesome: tactical laser takes down ballistic missile (video)

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 03:00 PM PST

Do you see what I’m seeing? That big ol’ column in the first shot is a LASER. A huge, sustained, sci-fi style laser. It’s blasting a missile in midair during a test. And that second shot? Talk about C-beams off the shoulder of Orion.

It reminds me of the bit in The Stars My Destination where the albino girl can see the battle in space when no one else can. Man, maybe I’ll read that book again.

Danger Room has a better write-up than I care to attempt here, so read about the facts and circumstances over there. Or just watch this awesome video over and over again.

Hunter S. Thompson calling for tech support: We were somewhere outside of Barstow when the JVC soundsystem stopped working

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:30 PM PST

Do did not cross Mr. Duke. He knew that you screwed up his soundsystem – made a maze of his cables, in fact – and was totally willing to write about your service. If he doesn’t get some support right now he’s was going to… never mind what he was going to do. Just get up here.

via Giz

Ham Dogger: No post title in the world could possibly do this product justice

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

Love the shape of hot dogs but hate the way they taste? Hate the shape of burgers but love the way they taste? You're screwe—NO! WAIT! Pick up the Ham Dogger. It's eight bucks. Bonus! Use promo code TYLRGIFT to get 15% off.

Pitched as an "ideal way to put extra hot dog buns to use" you can also "stuff the 'ham dog' with any number of delicious fillings." If hamburger's your thing, though, this apparatus shapes a full quarter-pounder into something that much more closely resembles an actual tube steak than the tube steaks they sell in Canada.

I was in college the first time I had a Canadian tube steak. I was like, "Tube steak?! Sounds delicious! Steak formed into a tube and eaten like a hot dog?!" Turns out it was just a hot dog. A delicious hot dog. I think the fact that it was called "tube steak" made it taste better somehow. Also, it was like 3AM and I was drunk. For all I know, the street vendor selling tube steaks could have actually been a grizzly bear selling me pine cones. Delicious pine cones.

HAM DOGGER [Taylor Gifts via dealspl.us]

Samsung’s new CMOS, HD-capable sensors could be picture perfect

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 01:45 PM PST

Camera phone pictures could get a whole lot prettier with Samsung’s newest image sensors. The Korean manufacturer has just announced two new CMOS sensors for mobile phones with improved image quality over greater depth of field ranges and HD video. Does it sound a little too good to be true?

Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch>>

Kensington Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter lives up to its name

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 01:30 PM PST

Short Version: A tiny-but-mighty universal adapter that can power most full-sized laptops.

Review:

The incredible shrinking notebook adapter is a welcome trend. For a while there, portable computers kept getting thinner and lighter while still shipping with massive power bricks. And while notebook adapters will continue to get even smaller over coming years, Kensington's off to a good start with a universal adapter that's roughly the length and width of an iPhone at 4.5″ (L) x 2.2″ (W) x 0.8″ (H) yet is capable of replacing a 90-watt adapter.

There are two versions of the adapter available, a $120 MSRP version that includes wall and airplane cords and a $100 MSRP version that's just for use with wall outlets (you can find them both for cheaper online). The standard version should suffice for most people given that I haven't seen a live proprietary charging port on an airplane in years. If anything, planes will have standard outlets if they have anything at all. So you're paying $20 extra for a cable.

And while $100 might be $20 to $30 more expensive than other universal adapters on the market, you're paying for the shrunken down size (Kensington claims it's 43% smaller and 32% lighter than standard 90-watt power adapters), a built-in USB charging port, and an almost mind-boggling array of cables and tips.

All in all, you get the adapter, a standard-length wall cord, a handy 7-inch wall cord (no tangling!), a retractable mini-USB cable with micro-USB converter, voltage adjuster (to switch between 14-17 volts and 17-21 volts depending on your computer), and nine tips compatible with machines made by HP/Compaq, Dell, Acer/Gateway, Toshiba, Lenovo, Sony, and Asus.

There's also a carrying case and, if you buy the Wall/Air combo kit, the airplane cord.

Here's the section of every universal adapter review where I point out that the fact that there's no Apple tip isn't Kensington's (or any other universal adapter manufacturer's) fault since Apple's got a patent on its MagSafe connectors and won't license it out.

As far as portability's concerned, that little 7-inch wall cable makes a world of difference. I found myself actually removing it when I needed to stow the adapter and using the included Velcro strap on the notebook connector cable to keep everything together.

Conclusion:

Despite the adapter's small size, it still puts out enough juice to power most larger laptops. In that sense, the selectable voltage, USB charging port, and included connection options make it a good choice if you travel with a standard notebook or you switch off between, say, a notebook and a netbook. If you're looking purely for a netbook charger, Kensington sells a $50 adapter that's even smaller than this one. That's a good option.

Another super tiny option that still puts out a decent amount of power is Innergie's mCube Mini. That thing measures just 2.4" (L) by 1" (W) by 0.7" (H) and costs $70 (MSRP). It doesn't put out as many watts as the Kensington adapter featured here (90 watts versus 65 watts) but it should suffice for smaller notebooks and netbooks.

Product Pages:

Wall Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter [Kensington]

Wall/Air Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter [Kensington]

Windows update causes Windows XP to freak out

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 01:00 PM PST

Microsoft makes it so hard to like Windows. The company released an update on Tuesday that seems to have borked a number of Windows XP installations. There’s a number of message board threads wherein people are complaining that, since the update, their computers boot right to a blue screen of death. Sigh.

Microsoft has issued a band-aid, which consists of booting from your Windows installation disc—yeah, because the average person knows where that thing is—and running a number of commands from the console.

Needless to say, unless you’re computer savvy, you’re pretty much doomed. Then again, if you’re savvy enough to go on a Microsoft support forum and QQ (with justification, mind), then you can probably figure all that out.

This is a problem I have with Windows in general: all these damn updates. I installed Windows 7 right around Christmastime, and I feel like every week there’s new updates waiting to be installed. How do I know these updates aren’t to totally screw up my installation, the product of several hours of tinkering and tweaking? I eventually just turned the updates off altogether. I’d rather surf the Web (isn’t that even a phrase anymore, “surf the Web?”) at my own risk than have to deal with the constant “THERE ARE UPDATES READY TO BE INSTALLED!”

So yeah, let’s all move to Linux. Someone tell Scott.


Review: Netgear Stora

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:30 PM PST

Short Version: Hard drives that claim to do it all are a dime-a-dozen. Finally, however, I’ve found one that delivers on those claims.



Features:

  • Mac/Windows/Linux compatability
  • Built-in Windows Networking, UPnP features
  • Web accessible sharing
  • Two SATA/SATA II compatible slots
  • USB 2.0 port supports USB HDD or printers

Pros:

  • Small size
  • Expandable
  • Seamless Windows Networking

Cons:

  • Front panel is flimsy
  • Some web UI issues
  • Obtrusive app loads at login

Review:

We’ve seen a lot of hard drives at CG so far. Some of them, like the the IoMega Home Media Network Hard Drive seemed to deliver what they advertised, namely a centralized server for media in the home. However, in my experience I’ve always come away slightly disappointed with the web-based sharing systems many of these hard drives had to offer.

When I opened the Netgear Stora I was expecting the same “meh” reaction. After all, I’ve seen UPnP compatible drives before. However, on hooking up the Stora I was pleased to discovered that things worked as advertised.

First, the drive appears on your computer as a Windows Share, DLNA, and UPnP-compatible storage location. It is literally as plug and play as you get. If you want to get fancy, however, you need to create a login. This will then place the drive on the Internet, allowing you to browse and share files with anyone in the world. For example, you can stick your collection of photos on the drive to share with your family or you can stick on important files that you can then play or download remotely. The Stora has a built-in web interface that is quite robust and useful and, more importantly, it’s quite fast. The software comes from HipServ, a company that has produced web solutions for other hard drive OEMs including Iomega.

The version I tested, a 1TB drive, came clad in a black plastic case and was completely silent. The biggest issue I found was that the front panel, designed to hide the drives inside, popped off far too easily for my liking. If this drive is designed to sit quietly in a corner, that’s fine. However, if you have nosy kids around they could put a sandwich into the open drive slot.

That leads us to the second drive bay. The $229 version comes with 1TB drive already installed. You can add a second SATA or SATA II drive and the drive supports RAID 1 mirroring.

Some problems: the Stora application, which is essentially a launcher, starts itself automatically when you turn on your computer. This is bad. The web portion also includes a 30-day trial of the premium Stora services which include Flickr and RSS support. You don’t really need this, but I suppose it’s nice to have. I also ran into some problems with Flash playback of videos. This is minor, however, as you can easily download the file to view it.

Bottom Line
The Stora just works. It’s not too expensive for a NAS and mirroring makes it a bit better as a back-up solution. The included software and web-based management system will seal the deal for most home users.

Product Page: Netgear Stora MS2110 Product Page

CrunchDeals: Samsung Blu-ray player with Netflix for only $100

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:30 PM PST

Isn’t it grand that Blu-ray players keep dropping in price. Like this Samsung BD-P1590. First off, it’s a refurb, but you still get a 3-month warrenty on a player that offers so much for the money. I would buy it.

This isn’t a stripped-down model. Oh no, this player is equipped with everything from BD-Live playback to Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, and Pandora support. Plus it has the usual HDMI outputs and all the rest. Totally worth it for only $100. [TigerDirect via DealNews]

Thanko’s Spy Flashlight records video in HD (video)

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:20 PM PST

It looks like Tokyo-based acessory maker Thanko is trying to carve out a new niche for themselves, spy gadgets (apart from insane USB gadgets). The newest addition to their spy equipment lineup is the LED Spy Light HD [JP], an LED flashlight that records video in HD. Needless to say, the device lets you shoot photos, too.

To be more specific, the device has a built-in mini camera that lets you shoot video in 1,280×960 at 30fps and pictures in 1,600×1,200. And because it’s a flashlight, you can (supposedly) do that in the dark – just like a spy, as Thanko says. There’s no internal memory, but you can use SD/SDHC cards to store your material.

The device can also be used as a voice recorder, according to Thanko. All material can later be transferred to your PC (Windows XP, Vista and 7 only) via USB 2.0.

Geek Stuff 4 U is already listing the LED Spy Light HD for the international market (price: $106.01 plus shipping).

Here’s a sample video taken with the flashlight:

Via Akihabara News

Flattr your idols with many monies

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 12:00 PM PST

You help found The Pirate Bay, then take off. What to do with your time? Maybe, say, found another site, this time with a Web 2.0-friendly name, complete with missing vowel for no apparent reason? Sounds like a plan. Let’s call it Flattr, and let’s look to launch it next month.

What’s our business plan? Well, the idea behind the site is to have people donate a small amount of money per month (like less than $3) to the site, then at the end of the month we, the site, take that money and give it to our favorite people. Bands, artists, writers, you name it.

That’s what Peter Sunde is doing now. The name sounds familiar because last year we had The Pirate Bay stories seemingly every day, and Peter Sunde was often mentioned.

So that’s what he’s up to now: a site to help artists and whatnot get paid. (The site takes a small commission for every donation.) Irony says hi.


Outrage: Those airport full-body scanners violate Islamic law

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 11:30 AM PST

Another day, another airport full-body scanner story. It has emerged that the scanners are in violation of Islamic law. Now, before you get all flip and retort, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they didn’t have microwave millimeter scanners back in the days of Muhammad,” let’s listen to what the people have to say.

The Fiqh Council of North America—obviously you’ve heard of them—has issued a fatwa vis-à-vis the full-body scanners. Here we go!

It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women. Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts.

Fair enough.

Now, there’s a few things that could solve this little problem. Muslim passengers could elect to be patted down by a TSA dude. That way their nude body isn’t seen by anyone else.

The TSA responded to this kerfluffle with:

TSA’s mission is to keep the traveling public safe. Advanced imaging technologies are an important tool in a multi-layered security system to detect evolving threats such as improvised explosive devices. TSA’s use of these technologies includes strong protections in place to safeguard passenger privacy. Screening images are automatically deleted, and the officer viewing the image will never see the passenger. [People who don't want to be full-body scanned] will receive equivalent screening that may include a physical pat-down, hand-wanding, and other technologies. Physical pat-downs are performed by Transportation Security Officers of the same sex as the passenger in a private screening area, if the passenger requests.

We all know that security is pretty much a joke to begin with—how many times do you hear of people who make it through security with a huge knife in their pocket by mistake?—but at the very least the TSA has provided a pretty reasonable alternative to being full-body scanned.

Keep in mind: these scans are optional. You’ll just have to let Mr. Big Security Guard pat you down. I don’t understand the hubbub—we’re all people, it’s not like there’s any surprises as to what’s going on down there—but I’ll defer to people’s own opinions here.

Wi-Fi school bus keeps kids quiet

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

A school district in Arizona has outfitted one of its school buses with a $200 mobile 3G Wi-Fi router and $60-per-month access. And guess what? Instead of punching each other and yelling all the way to school, the kids quietly tap, tap, tap away on their laptops.

If you've ever been on a JetBlue flight, you can imagine that's a similar kind of blissful silence. JetBlue's planes are all outfitted with DirecTV, which placates the drooling masses like me on the three hour flights between Boston and Fort Myers.

The same principle applies on the internet-enabled school bus in Vail, Arizona. Granted, this school district's particular bus ride is over an hour but according to the New York Times, "Wi-Fi access has transformed what was often a boisterous bus ride into a rolling study hall, and behavioral problems have virtually disappeared."

Wi-Fi Turns Arizona Bus Ride Into a Rolling Study Hall [New York Times]

A Guide To Following The 2010 Winter Olympics Online

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 10:30 AM PST

The 2010 Winter Olympics kick off in Vancouver tonight, and for those of you who can't be tied to your TV every night to watch the opening and closing ceremonies and competitions, here's a compilation of sites where you can not only watch video highlights of the events but also see pictures, scores, medal counts and news from the Olympics:


Final Fantasy for iPhone: First trailer and new screenshots

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 10:20 AM PST

In case you haven’t heard already, Final Fantasy I and II are heading for the iPhone. Originally released in Japan in 1987 and 1988, respectively, for the NES, it took a while for the now legendary RPGs to go America, but they did (on various platforms). And now Square Enix is planning special versions for the iPhone/iPod touch, both in Japanese and English.

The company just published the first trailer for the iPhone installments on its Japanese YouTube channel, and it looks great. The new screenshots above show gameplay scenes from Final Fantasy II.

And here’s a new screenshot for Final Fantasy I. Square Enix says the circle button on the bottom right will be used to make your characters dash:

It’s unknown at this point when exactly the games will be available for download (the trailer just says “soon”), but you can follow Square Enix’ official Twitter account (in English) to be always up-to-date. Too bad their dedicated “Final Fantasy for iPhone” site is pretty dull currently.

Here’s the first trailer:

Microsoft gearing up to announce Windows Mobile 7 on February 15, project Pink moves forward

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 09:55 AM PST

It’s finally happening. Maybe. According to sources close to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is going to make a pretty big announcement at Mobile World Congress on February 15. After acknowledging that Windows Mobile isn’t exactly where it should be in terms of development and platform progression, Microsoft appears to be ready to announce and unveil Windows Mobile 7. But what happened to WinMo 6.5.3?

Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch>>

The inventor of the Frisbee has died

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 09:30 AM PST

Truly sad news, sports fans. The inventor of the Frisbee, Walter Frederick Morrison, has died at the age of 90 at his home in Utah. Aside from a plain ol’ ball, has there ever been a more universal toy?

The Frisbee, which is technically a brand name, was originally called the Pluto Putter, and was first released in 1948. Morrison sold the rights to the disc in 1957 to Wham-O.

If blogs were around back then, you’d be seeing stories like: “Say goodbye to your free time: Hands-On With Wham-O’s new Frisbee toy.”

As always, necessity is the mother of invention (a claim I dispute, but it fits so well here): Morrison was trying to devise ways to better throw cake pans on a California beach. Thus resulted the Frisbee.

Morrison seems to have lived a pretty fulfilling life, too. He was a pilot in the Air Force in the Second World War, which is certsinly more than I can say; I play WoW when not doing CG.

And what’s with the name, Frisbee? Turns out that what college kids were calling the Pluto Putter, naming it after a local New England pie shop.


Sagem Orga outs SIMFi, a SIM card/WiFi router hybrid

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 09:00 AM PST

Sagem's SIMFi is one of those ideas that you wish you had come up with yourself. The concept is pretty straightforward: they've created a SIM card with an embedded WiFi radio, so provided you have a suitable data plan, the card itself puts out a WiFi signal instead of relying on the phone. For anyone who's ever needed internet access on a laptop, with no other tools besides the phone in their pocket, this is a potential godsend. Tethering a handset to a computer for internet access used to occur on a strictly phone-by-phone basis. Have a BlackBerry? Read a few tutorials and you're pretty much set. Ditto for the iPhone, and most Android and Windows Mobile devices. But where does that leave you if all you've got in your pocket is a phone with a cigarette lighter built into it?


Olympus to address E-P1 manually focusing issues with upcoming firmware

Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:30 AM PST

The Olympus E-P1 is a funny device. Everyone was stoked when Olympus first announced the retro camera, but then people actually got it in their hands. There were some issues with the first-gen camera. Some have been addressed in previous update, but now the manual focus is getting some attention with the upcoming 1.3 firmware update.

Occasionally the camera would freeze when in the manual focusing mode, no doubt causing many to loose their shot. But keep on eye on your email inbox and also the support site for the E-P1. Hopefully soon Firmware 1.3 will pop-up. [DPReview]
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