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Spoiler Alert: Another iPhone 4G/HD appears

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:41 AM PDT

At this point in the game I’m pretty much bored with the whole iPhone HD leak meme. In a twisted way, the run up to Apple launches was a lot of fun. There was endless speculation but no real data and all of a sudden a guy in a turtleneck and jeans pops out and, like Mephisto, springs something new on the world. Let the rest of the CE manufacturers leak like sieves. I want my dance of the seven veils, damn it!

Anyway, another day, another Vietnamese site with pictures of the iPhone HD. Nothing much to see except for shots of the proto-OS running on the handheld which seems to be called Inferno and does nothing but boot into that screen we saw in the previous leak.

I’m spitballing here, but could Vietnam be picking up China’s manufacturing slack and, as a result be leaking gear to the world now? It’s a tantalizing thought: China has gotten so professional and held in so many leaks that they’re too expensive and the onus now falls on Vietnam to manufacture – and leak – iPhones HD. Thoughts?

via Nowhereelse

Don’t let taste stand in the way of buying a crystal iPhone stand

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:32 AM PDT


Are you the kind of person who has to have the best of everything? Two-ply toilet paper? Nice plastic plates? The best mixture of Alpo and brown gravy spread liberally onto your chest as a libido suppressant? Then you’re going to need the Calypso Crystal iPhone stands.

These stands, which range from $199 to $349 for the Aurora model, are made of leaded crystal and take “15 days to make” in Central Europe. The sad thing is that these are actually probably made in Poland where leaded crystal is actually quite popular (my mom collects it, incidentally, but I doubt she wants these.)

The difference between crystal and glass is that the former contains lead oxide, which adds magnificent optical effects, a special breaking of the light and certain softness. Crystal can be cut, polished and further processed, since it does not chip as easily as glass. Because of the added lead, crystal is surprisingly heavy, which gives it even more appeal. Cutting makes crystal beautiful, while polishing makes it shine even brighter – it is truly something special.

I mean God bless you if you need this. I’m just wondering if a broken bottle and an iPod cable couldn’t perform the same trick.

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Do you play video games? Are you agoraphobic? Have we got a job for you

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:24 AM PDT

A “market-leading gaming console company” hired a contact center provider, Alpine Access in Denver, to provide phone support. But they can’t find 200 or so video gamers who are willing to walk parents through how to pull a grilled cheese sandwich out of the optical drive near Denver so they’re going to that hotbed of excellent and stable talent: housebound Internet fans.

Their site, www.alpineaccess.com/superhero/, offers the opportunity to apply to a work-from-home job with benefits, competitive wages, and the opportunity to talk about video games.

Anyway, if you’re out of a job and you think about Bayonetta when you spend alone time, this may work. Give it a go.

Alpine Access Hiring 200 Video Gamers for Work From Home Jobs

Virtual Call Center Seeks to Fill Positions Immediately After Selection by Major Video Gaming Console Company
DENVER, May 17 /PRNewswire/ — Alpine Access, the premier provider of virtual contact center solutions and services, today launched an aggressive recruiting and hiring campaign seeking intermediate to experienced video game enthusiasts to provide inbound technical support to fellow gamers. Alpine Access was recently selected by a market-leading gaming console company to help customers resolve technical issues over the phone. All positions are available immediately and are performed from an employee’s home.
Ideal candidates are self-starters desiring home-based employment who enjoy playing video games on the latest gaming systems. In addition to being people-oriented and able to rapidly build rapport with fellow gamers, candidates must have strong technical aptitude, problem-solving skills and the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. To learn more about specific employment requirements or to apply for these home-based positions, please visit: www.alpineaccess.com/superhero/
As the founder of the at-home call center model, Alpine Access has the ability to locate, hire and train people from anywhere in the U.S. With no geographical barriers, the company can employ gamers from across the country and provide them with the unique advantages that come with working from home. For example, applicants can select from full or part-time shifts and have input on setting their schedules.
The virtual employment model was a main reason the client selected Alpine Access to provide technical support to the more than 40 million users of its gaming platform. With access to the largest talent pool in the nation, Alpine Access can find applicants that possess very specific, hard-to-find qualifications. This employee-match program has proven to have positive financial benefits with better results for one-call resolution, customer satisfaction and customer retention. In this case, the unique skills and experience of video gamers make them ideally suited to help fellow gamers and quickly resolve their issues.
“A typical contact center is limited to hiring within a 30 mile radius, making it nearly impossible to find 200 well-qualified video gamers in a single location,” said Christopher Carrington, Alpine Access CEO. “Alpine Access’ home-based positions provide employees with paid training, competitive wages, access to benefits, and the freedom and flexibility to work from the comfort of their own homes. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people who play and enjoy video games.”

Photo gallery: Japan’s KDDI shows summer cell phone line-up

Posted: 17 May 2010 01:32 AM PDT

Japan's second biggest mobile company KDDI today unveiled [JP] the 10 cell phones of their new line-up for this summer. The first of these models, the majority of which are waterproof (which seems to indicate a new trend in Japan's cell phone industry), will be rolled out in Japan as early as at the end of this month. Complete line-up over at MobileCrunch.


Robot “I-Fairy” leads nuptials at wedding in Japan (videos)

Posted: 17 May 2010 12:21 AM PDT


We all knew this day would come eventually, and that day was yesterday: a robot called “I-Fairy” conducted a wedding, an official one. Needless to say that the wedding took place in Tokyo and that the robotic wedding conductor is the brain child of a Japanese company, Kokoro.

The Tokyo-based firm says the wedding, which took place in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park in front of 50 guests, was the first of its kind. It’s weird, but this all makes a bit more sense when taking into account that bride Satoko Inoue (36) actually is a Kokoro employee and that husband Tomohiro Shibato (42) is a professor of robotics at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in central Japan.

I-Fairy stands 1.5m tall, actually gave instructions like “You can lift the bride’s veil now” and theatrically moved its arms during the ceremony (it has 18 joints in its arms alone), all remote-controlled by a human being (a friend of the newlyweds) in the background.

Kokoro actually sells the robot to anyone who is willing to pay $68,000 for it (there’s even an English-language sales brochure [PDF] for the I-Fairy). The company is well-known for making super-realistic humanoids.

Here’s a video shot by the Associated Press:

Here’s another video from Japanese robot news site Robonable:

Picture credit: Reuters

CrunchGear Week in Review: Satellite Buzz Edition

Posted: 17 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

DIY: The Microsoft Office car alarm prank

Posted: 16 May 2010 12:22 PM PDT


Microsoft Office Car Alarm Prank – Watch more Funny Videos

Just in case you missed it, and because it’s Sunday and a slow news day, here’s a little DIY project that some evil geniuses cooked up. Take one box from Microsoft Office, install a car alarm in it (with motion switches), set it out in public, and film the mayhem. Enjoy your moment of hilarity for this lazy day.
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