Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Earlier today we received the good word that the Nook would soon be available at Best Buy, and now it looks like the Amazon Kindle is also going to be moving in big-box retail territory. Not at Best Buy though, instead it looks like the Kindle is going to be going to Target. So far, and just like the nook, this is yet to be officially confirmed but did come along with an official looking screenshot. This one is showing off what appears to be an inventory system and shows that the Kindle will be available as of April 25. Price wise, expect to pay the same as direct with Amazon—$259.
Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous  Even money was I’d go blind using a laser. Everything I know about lasers was gleamed from movies like Real Genius so when Wicked Lasers called to suggest I play with one, visions of vaporizing humans from space popped into my mind and I said yes.
The first you thing I noticed with the Evolution Pro is this laser is more of a light saber than a laser pointer. To be clear, this is not a toy, this is an instantly impressive (and instantly scarry to non-laser types) beam of green light. From the moment I uttered, “laser on” women hid, kids ducked - except for my 7 year-old who instinctively wanted to wield the laser and I glanced around for cops rolling up. The beam is bright. So bright, in fact, a pair of red-tinted glasses is included with the laser. Without the glasses, the beam throws lots of light at close range targets - not just the beam end, but a good five foot circle (in the dark). I hit a colored bucket in the backyard and the lawn was illuminated. Cool. Quickly you wonder just how far away you can “target” things. The house next door, easy. End of the street? Piece of cake. Across fields and rivers? No problem. It took binoculars to find just how far you can hit, and the beam keeps going. There are cautions all over this thing, as you can imagine. Apparently the military and police forces will freak if they see a laser dot (as it is typically used for aiming weapons) so I opted not to test that one. Likewise, beaming up into the sky can blind pilots, so that is a bit of a non-starter too. In the manual is an impassioned plea for common sense so governments don’t take away lasers. It became clear quickly that this is more a weapon than tool. Popping balloons (dark colored ones) is fun, as is burning holes through plastic bags but the question soon becomes, what do you use this for? Making Swiss cheese is the answer given in Real Genius in jest while the sage “Laslow” says no, it’s a weapon. In the end, you get a sense of how powerful this laser is and keeping it in reasonable hands, not those of my insistent 7-year-old is the safe play. Sending the laser back to the company made me feel a bit better about keeping it out of harms way (at least in my house). The Evolution Pro starts at $117.95 and is available now. Product site: [Wicked Lasers] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Web, Google Way back in November of 2009 we watched as Google purchased Gizmo5, and at the time many had been speculating that the purchase would allow Google to roll out some increased functionality in Google Voice. Well, nothing has been officially announced, however chatter has recently begun suggesting that Google is testing a Voice desktop app on an internal basis. The news is coming by way of TechCrunch who have stated that they received confirmation that a Google Voice desktop app is being tested, and that the app will allow the user to both make and receive calls. Google Voice on the desktop, sounds good. As far as when, maybe soon, maybe as early as this week. Via [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile  CNBC suggested Lenovo has been overheard thinking about buying out struggling Palm. The news sent Palms lagging stock up as investors figured out how a takeover might play out. Many questions remain, including if this rumor is even credible, but the constant remains: webOS has tons of potential - most of it wasted on the Pre (et al).
In trading yesterday, Palm stock rose 20%. Lenovo, the Chinese PC maker is the latest in a round of rumors that have included the likes of HP, Dell, even Google and Apple get thrown into the mix. The theories behind such companies being interested is two fold: webOS and Palm’s longstanding patent record. Both have potential value to these suitors. Over at Monday Note, Jean-Louise Gassee summed up Palm’s precarious position with cash, debts and a lot of Pre and Pixi stock sitting on shelves. He foretells of Palms implosion and eventually just turning off the lights. It’s a decent history lesson in how Palm got to this place. Could Lenovo make a play for Palm? If so, would they retool the webOS for phone use? Tablet use? Or something we’ve not seen yet? Read: [CNBC] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Those that may be looking to pick up a Barnes & Noble nook will soon be able to do so at yet another retail location. It looks like April 18 will be the date of which Best Buy will begin carrying the nook. So far though nothing has come in the form of an official announcement, but still the screenshot that came along with seems to be legit enough. After all, why would someone take the trouble to fake a story that the nook was going to be available at Best Buy. Either way, if you were looking to purchase a nook, and can wait a little while, go ahead and mark your calendar, April 18, nook at Best Buy.
Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking, Websites  An Arkansas mother is defending herself from a harassment lawsuit filed by her son for allegedly hacking his Facebook account, changing his password and posting slanderous updates. The son is requesting a “no contact” order while the case is pending. The mother claims she was just keeping tabs on his life via Facebook.
From local TV station KATV, the mother says “you’re within your legal rights to monitor your child and to have a conversation with your child on Facebook whether it’s his account, or your account or whoever’s account. It’s crazy to me that we’re even having this interview.”
The son filing the suit is 16 years old and lives with his grandmother who has custodial rights. The mother insists the relationship she had with her son was going well. Arkansas harassment law is described as, “a person commits the offense if with purpose to harass, annoy or alarm another person without good cause, he engages in conduct or repeatedly commits acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person.” Something tells us this won’t be the last lawsuit of this nature as more and more parents figure the site out and engage their kids on the site. Read: [KATV] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Imaging, Camcorders It looks like a few more images of the Flip Slide HD camera have popped up, and these are a little more interesting to see in that they show off the specs of the camera. Basically, the Flip Slide HD appears like it will slide open from the side, but looking at the image (above) it almost looks to be more of a clamshell than a slider. Either way though, the specs are showing that the Slide HD will be available in white with silver trim and be packing 16GB of internal memory which will give you up to 4 hours of recording time. In terms of quality, expect HD 720p at 30 frames per second (1280 x 720, 16:9 widescreen). Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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