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Avatar to return to theaters August 27th

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 09:48 PM PDT


Avatar is coming back to theaters August 27, 2010 and will bring an extra eight minutes of “never before seen footage” I know, right? Unbelievable. It’s unbelievable that the 20th Century Fox or James Cameron or whoever are milking the film like this. This probably isn’t an unprecedented Hollywood move, but it’s certainly shady. Apparently a $749,614,235 profit isn’t enough for these d-bags.

Netgear ReadyNas Ultra to transform local storage, but it’s not cheap

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 09:17 PM PDT

New from Netgear, this networked storage isn't like your networked storage. While is does have all the standard features you'd imagine – redundant drives up to 12 terabytes – the ReadyNas Ultra also offers a multitude of ways to manage and store media files.

Partnering with TiVo, designers sought to allow TiVo owners the ability to store thousands of hours of TV right on the unit. Another partnership with Orb allows files to get the streaming treatment to a bunch of different mobile devices. Finally, an easy way to store and share files in your home or office – if it works well anyways.

Powering the storage device is Netgear's first-ever installed PC chip, the Intel Atom. This makes the ReadyNas super fast; up to three times faster than other storage devices, says Netgear. However, you can't just drop an Atom processor into a large storage device without moving higher up the price point.

Look to spend $899 for dual 2-terabytes drives, $1349 for six 1-terrabyte drives, and between $300 and $450 less for diskless storage devices. Arriving this month and look for a two-bay system in October.

Flood of netbook models to ebb as Asus and Acer clear out inventory

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 08:20 PM PDT

If you were waiting on buying a netbook because they keep putting out new ones with slightly tweaked specs, now might be a good time to buy. Acer and Asus, the two big netbook and ultraportable PC makers, are taking a breather as they evaluate new hardware options and try to sell all the netbooks stacked up in warehouses throughout the country.

The new Atom N550 dual-core netbooks should be showing up in August, so you’ve got a good month during which to relax, compare specs, and pick a color that matches your new drapes.

What do we recommend? To be honest, the most important thing for all these netbooks isn’t really the specs; they’re all very similar hardware-wise. Instead, your major choice is between SSD and HDD, and between form factors and finishes. Go to your local electronics store and see what they’ve got — feel the weight difference between this one and that one, and see whether you can deal with a slightly petite keyboard. Personally, I’d go with SSD, 2GB of RAM, Windows XP, and a 6-cell battery.

Apple TV rumored to get $.99 TV show rentals, but will the iPad and iPhone get the service too?

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 07:34 PM PDT


The Apple TV might suddenly be part of the next big thing from Apple. We’ve heard that there’s a major retooling underway and Apple shifted some of their best people on the project. Updated hardware is likely, but new services will likely be at the forefront of the relaunch.

The latest rumor states that Apple is in contract talks to bring TV show rentals to the platform. They would probably work like the movie rentals by giving users 30-days to start playing the show after downloading and then 24-hours after starting playback until it expires. Except there’s one big difference: the shows are said to be streamed. Combine that with the rumor that iOS will power the next-gen Apple TV for a cocktail of dreams and possibilities.

Streaming is the latest hot entertainment trend and in a way the Apple TV paved the way by showing that a small amount of local storage limits the capabilities. By have the content streamed, unlike downloading it to a drive as the Apple TV currently does, it makes for quicker playback and doesn’t require as much storage, freeing up the space for other tasks. But more importantly it pushes Apple’s content into the cloud where it can be served to other devices just as easily.

The iPad, and in short the iPhone/iPod, have been called the next step in TV viewing. What if — and it’s not that big of an if when you think about it — Apple’s plans are bigger than the Apple TV? What if this upcoming streaming service is for all the iTunes devices including the iPhone and iPad? What if you could rent TV show on a per-episode basis and watch it on your iPad or Apple TV whenever you want? Somewhere an Apple fanboy’s head just exploded as it all came together.

It’s actually silly to think that Apple would keep this service off iDevices and only on the Apple TV. The portable devices have more than enough horsepower to run such tasks and Apple rarely builds a powerful application for just one device. Apple builds platforms, not devices anymore.

Of course, the dream can continue by stating that the next Apple TV and your iPad could share accounts, allowing you to resume playback on either device. Since we’re in the cloud already, why not have the Apple TV link up to the iPhone for big screen viewing of pics and videos — even Facetime with a special camera. (Although logical steps, these items are just my thoughts and dreams, btw.)

Apple is in a different place than when they originally launched the Apple TV. They could get away with half-assing projects in 2007, but not in 2010. Everything they touch is expected to be gold and anything less would be considered a flop even if it eventually made the company money. The next Apple TV will be big — or at least it better be or Google TV will eat it as snack.

Garmin tries to scare EU users away from smartphone navigation options

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 07:30 PM PDT

Garmin is starting to feel the heat from smartphones with built in navigation, so they’d like you to know (at least if you live in Europe) that some phone plans will make using your phone expensive. Isn’t that thoughtful of them?

Garmin’s “study” showed that even a short trip could be expensive. Their example was from Calais to Paris, and Garmin suggested that trip could cost a phone user as much as $112 in data charges. Of course, it’ll depend on your phone, your plan, and Garmin is of course spinning it in their direction, but it is something to be aware of if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. I think they definitely see the change in the wind that PDA companies missed back in the day – their own extinction.

Self-cleaning road also purifies the air around it

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 07:00 PM PDT

I’d wait for the other shoe to drop before getting too excited about this, but this self-cleaning, air-filtering road surface is pretty cool no matter what. The material in question is being researched by the University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and deployment of it on a normal road resulted in a 25-to-45% decrease in NOx in the air — that’s a good thing.

The NOx gets gripped by Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) baked into the pavement, a photocatalytic material that uses sunlight to convert the NOx to nitrate, which is then washed away by rain. The road material also breaks down algae and dirt (don’t ask me how), so it stays clean.

Sounds like a winner, right? Well, there are probably lots of long-term tests to be done, and even then, it’s 50% more expensive than regular road materials. So entire highways of this stuff are probably out of the question. But for places like a high-traffic downtown area or a residential area that prides itself on cleanliness, it might be worth the investment.

[via ScienceDaily]

WiFi-enabled lock is a good idea, but the lock needs some work

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 06:10 PM PDT


As is the case with so many concepts we see here at CG, the design here hasn’t really caught up to the idea — like that other bike lock I just wrote up. Lock that alerts you via WiFi if it gets tampered with? Good. Lock that looks like you could cut through it with a pair of kiddie scissors? Not so good.

And why does it need an EyeFi card? Why not just transmit a pre-arranged signal via a tiny but high-powered transmitter on the WiFi spectrum? Also: joints = weak points. A real lock has none. So – I expect we’ll see something like this soon (if there isn’t one for sale already via SkyMall) but it won’t be this one.

Also, I don’t trust designers who don’t know their image formatting. You don’t downrez text and then save as a PNG!

[via NotCot]

New OLPC software to support multi-touch

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 05:30 PM PDT

Good news for OLPC users, the software engineering team announced today that they have built in multi-touch support into the next version of the OS. The new features are expected to appear on the XO-1.75 notebook.

The new XO-1.75 is part of the new tablet generation of the OLPC program, and will be one of the first to use the MeeGo virtual keyboard. The new XO-3 tablet (expected at CES 2011) is expected to use the MeeGo and multi-touch exclusively.

[via Electronista]

Good idea, bad idea: bendable bike locks itself to poles

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 04:00 PM PDT


Unorthodox ideas like this one by Brit Kevin Scott are often the germ for more advanced designs, but I think this one takes things a bit too far. A built-in lock utilizing the bike itself is a great idea, but messing with a key structural element like the frame bars is a dangerous move. Although the mechanism here is cool and convenient, I wouldn’t trust it (or the bike) after a few months of rattling along cracked streets and catching the occasional raindrop.

This guy’s clearly got a good noggin, though. Keep up the good work, chum.

[via Core77 and Make]

Flaming iPhone 4 alert (you’re burning it wrong)

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 03:30 PM PDT


Don’t worry, this doesn’t appear to be the kind of hissing explosion we saw happening on previous iPhone models. All signs point to a faulty USB port, which I think we can forgive a couple of when there are millions being made. But fiery iPhones are always worth reporting, so here you go.

Leica is not going to be happy about the Likea MPH

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 03:00 PM PDT


So you can’t afford to pop for a real Leica MP camera. Not a problem! Some enterprising bloke has a cheapskate alternative for you, the Likea MPH. Sure, it’s not the real thing, but it looks close and it’s $4,575 cheaper then an actual Leica.

Described as a “homage” to keep the lawyers away, this $20 wonder (with free shipping btw), is a pinhole camera. That means pretty much it’s as basic as you can get, even doing away with those little extras like a light meter, or mechanical shutter. The point is, if you want something that looks like an incredibly expensive high end camera, but has none of the actually functionality, here you go. Grab a Likea MPH. I mean, it’s only $20. I’d suggest you hurry though, because I suspect the site won’t be around for long.

[via Leica Rumors]

Telescopic lens implant for your eyeball gets FDA approval

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 03:00 PM PDT


We’ve seen a fair amount of in-eye machinery. From the Retinal Implant Program and Second Sight to the Eyeborg and that lady who just wants a webcam eye, there’s quite a lot going on in the field. This particular technology is actually much simpler than those electronic solutions, because it addresses a simpler problem. Degeneration of the retina around the macula can make central vision blurry or absent — so VisionCare has made a little telescope that makes the central object in your vision much larger.

Here, watch this video:

There are trade-offs, of course, and it’s a serious procedure to have the lens of your eye completely replaced, but I love that we are able to make these hardware changes in the body with confidence and precision. Love it!

[via SlashGear]

Remember, The Screen Savers had awkward moments just like Attack of the Show

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 02:29 PM PDT

Most of us have a special place in our hearts for The Screen Savers. It was a fantastic show that aired at exactly the right time in history. But over time the show died and was replaced by Attack of the Show — a fine show, but more of an geek soup show than a direct replacement for the Leo, Patrick, and Kevin show. The later being less scripted than The Screen Savers, which makes slip-ups less exciting and real. Except for the one above. It’s a doozy, but nothing compared to what happened to Kevin Rose during his time on The Screen Savers. Click through for the video and please use the comments to share your fav Screen Savers’ memory.

YouTube Leanback, Hulu Plus, and even Google TV will not break us away from traditional pay TV services

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Listen, I hate forking over $100 a month for my TV, too. I also wholeheartedly agree with The Consumerist picking Comcast as the worst company in America. But they still get my money every month and just like the vast majority of people who pay for their TV, that’s not going to change anytime soon. There simply isn’t anything that replicates the experience and is free or low-cost. No one, not even Google, Hulu or Netflix, will cause America to part ways with the subscription-based TV model.

The newest contender in the field is YouTube Leanback, which cleans up the interface and makes for a much more relaxed viewing experience. As the name implies, the interface is perfect for casual YouTube use, either from your couch or office chair. As Jason pointed out when the product launched yesterday, its aim is to increase the average YouTube viewing time. Currently it’s 15 minutes per day compared to the 5 hours netted by traditional TV.


It will probably do just that, seeing as Leanback is YouTube’s Google TV offering. The dozens of first adopters that jump on that ship right away will no doubt spend hours using the interface — until the novelty wears off.

YouTube obviously has a different draw than traditional TV programs. Most of the videos are short clips, designed for the short attention span of the average Internet user. Leanback is designed to counter this by auto-playing another video after one finishes playing.

Great, but do you think that YouTube content alone can sufficiently replace cable? Of course not. But even Hulu Plus or Netflix Streaming has the goods to do that and likely never will.

Hulu and Netflix have impressive libraries. I’m not going to debate that, but there are two huge things missing: the joy of channel surfing and most importantly, live TV. These two items, combined with the technical aspects of cable TV alternatives will keep the masses from making the switch away from cable and satellite companies for years.

Leanback has got one thing right: watching TV is a passive activity. Channel surfing is something that’s supposed to be done while your mind is on autopilot. That’s why videos are automatically selected and played. That’s not the case in Hulu or Netflix primarily because the content is different. Sure, Hulu Desktop autoplays something when its launched, but it’s mostly always an advertisement of some sort, not actually TV content. Users have to go out and actively decide what program to watch.

Netflix streaming is even worse for lazy people. On most streaming-capable devices, users actually have to pre-select content they want streamed on their PC. Do you really think your mother-in-law is going to do that?

Step one, fire up IE6 and wait 5 minutes for all the toolbars to load. Step two, call you because she forgot the web address. Step three, navigate to the Netflix website and log in (if she remembers her password) Step four, discover that the program she wants to watch isn’t available for streaming.

Cable and satellite companies aren’t going anywhere. It’s not even just the baby boomers and greatest generation keeping them around, as is the case with print media. Both Gen X and Gen Yers are cable subscribers too. Opting for these cable alternatives isn’t generational like reading the newspaper, it’s more about the demographics.

Actually, some people already canceled their cable and use sites like Hulu and Netflix exclusively (they are probably flaming me in the comments right now). They might have a Mac Mini or even full desktop sitting in their living rooms connected to their HDTV. But most of these people are in this certain demographic that spans multiple generations and are comfortable with technology. Those that try to follow the same path but aren’t computer savvy (like my in-laws) more often than not end up back paying for traditional TV.

You, me, and our geeky friends would probably be happy with the grand trifecta of streaming content from a Hulu-like site, live HDTV from over-the-air, and YouTube for shits and giggles. But my wife would kill me if I canceled our cable and replaced it with something like that — unless it worked flawlessly.

That’s the key, really. The device would have to work as well as TiVo, all of the time, for every program. It cannot be the Android of TV appliances. Users must be able to sit down and operate it with little or no effort. They must be able to hit a channel button and skip to another program immediately. Just like in radio, dead air would kill the device.

I know I’m painting a poor image of the average TV watcher. But it’s the truth. TV is now the great American pastime and people are passionate about it. I know I am. I once told someone that watching TV was my hobby and at the time it was. I later discovered woodworking, but that’s another post.

Pay TV isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it might become more popular before it declines as, ironically, cable companies improving their streaming libraries. Not even Google TV will make a dent in Comcast’s juicy bottom line. People are lazy, don’t like change, and simply do not want to give up silly luxuries. If the recession didn’t kill cable, nothing will anytime soon.

The Shanghai Apple store is giving away some sweet swag

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 01:30 PM PDT


The Shanghai Apple Store’s curtain dropped yesterday reveling its glass cylinder entrance. Apparently some of the first guests were greeted with these sweet t’s that showcase the new store’s soon-to-be iconic structure. I want one.

The Paywall: Get used to it

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 01:26 PM PDT

It can be argued that this has been the Decade of Piracy. Whereas media piracy existed as a scourge for millennia (Bach was totally pissed when PrisM posted the pre-release sheet music to the ‘Das Wohltemperirte Clavier’) the rise of the MP3 and other media compression formats – not to mention the release of the iPod in 2001 – brought piracy into the mainstream. I knew we were in trouble when, in 2002, a normally luddite professor of mine mentioned downloading lots of Bluegrass music from Napster.

It was also an unlucky coincidence that with the rise of piracy came a considerable contraction of the traditional distribution models for media and the Internet started eating everyone’s lunch. Users – and I mean all users and not just nerds – expected everything for free as in beer. While many will counter that users expect things to be free as in freedom, what they really want is free stuff and they want it all the time.

Case in point: you’re reading a free article on a free website paid for by the largesse of advertisers. If I told you guys to send me a nickel right now (my PayPal is john@bigwidelogic.com, incidentally, so hook it up), you’d tell me to micturate up a strong line. The Internet is free! Why should I pay good money for the ravings of a lunatic?

This is, however, no longer. For example, Time magazine is now behind a paywall and I suspect a number of other organizations will follow suit. An App Store model of content delivery is coming and it’s coming quickly. Another case-in-point: The Onion’s $1.99 funny Future News video, an excerpt which appears above.

The decade of piracy, at least on a large scale, is over.

Why? Because pirating has gotten harder than not pirating. While torrents and other services are simple to use, folks in control of the “release” scene have created walled gardens like the late Oink where they trade video with reckless abandon, locking out the rabble who usually ruin everything anyway. The rest of the schmucks on the outside have to suffer from intolerably slow download times and no guarantee of quality while the l33t hax0rs are forcing folks to actually pay for trackers and NZB services, albeit something like $10 a year.

But folks don’t have to pirate. Now that you can simply point your remote at the TV to watch a new movie on Netflix, why download the movie onto your laptop and then figure out some way to drag it to the TV? When you can go to the iTunes store or Amazon to download high quality MP3 singles, why get them from the Pirate Bay? And, when folks like Popular Mechanics offer an amazing iPad app that marries their content with an interactivity that boggles the imagination it means that almost anyone can do it and, with a bit of effort, do it well. And the best part is that it only costs $1.99.

In short, micropayments are here, they work, and they will make up the bulk of media revenues in the next decade. Say what you want about the power of piracy – the laziness of the average user matched with their desire for new content will drive a paid content revolution.

Beer image from AllPosters

Original Star Wars trilogy to be redone in 3D? God, I hope not

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 01:00 PM PDT


Those of you who read CrunchGear regularly might already know that I’m the resident optimist when it comes to 3D. I fended off Ebert’s attacks on it, and made a comprehensive guide for those who like reading lots of words. But I’m no drone. I’m not going to defend The Last Airbender, for instance.

So when I hear that there may be a full theatrical 2D-to-3D conversion of A New Hope actually in the works, you better believe the knives will come out.

Before anything else, let’s just admit that the basis for the rumor is pretty shaky, although the idea of a 3D Star Wars has been around for years. An interview with two Lucasfilm sound engineers revealed that a key sound effect (Obi-Wan’s scream to scare off the sand guy) has been redone again. So it’s for the Blu-ray release, right? No, apparently the HD remastering for that was finished in 2007. So this must be a new new version. And Lucas has stated his interest in 3D, even doing early work on a conversion of A New Hope. But this is the first we’ve seen of real production money going that way. Kind of thin, but it’s a good excuse as any to write a tirade against this nonsense.

I mean really, I don’t trust George Lucas to dress himself in the morning, much less oversee a complete overhaul of a beloved series. Oh, he already did that? That’s right, and what was the result? Yeah, Han Solo dodges a laser and the Sarlacc pit turned into Seymour. As far as I’m concerned, Lucas is a hack who got lucky and has been blowing it for more than 20 years straight now. Keep him away from my Star Wars.

2D-to-3D is also unsuitable for the effect style used in Star Wars. The miniatures and analog effects used to such incredible effect in the original trilogy do not lend themselves to conversion. The richness of the models demands a level of visual richness not achievable by painted-on layers or even more sophisticated 3D model layering. And think about the lightsabers. A technical nightmare for the artists having to rotoscope every frame. And the blown-out halos, how do you plan on reconciling the glow with the background visible through it? And a thousand other questions that arise because the whole movie was shot with an analog finality and is simply not reconcilable with 3D conversion. If you’re going to do a movie in 3D, do a movie in 3D. I can’t guarantee the new Mad Max is going to be any good, but at least they’re doing something right.

Besides all that, wouldn’t all this work be better applied elsewhere? The movies are great; leave them alone. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of man-hours here to do something that should never have been even contemplated. Why not try something new, for god’s sake?

I really, really hope this doesn’t happen, yet at the same time I know it will. Lucas has stated his purpose and it seems that the Lucasfilm machine is grinding away. Will it pervert even further the serendipitous power and purity of the original trilogy? Yes. But more importantly, will it make a shit ton of money? You better believe it. Case closed.

Battle of Hoth tower defense iPhone game promises an icy good time

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 12:49 PM PDT

Get it? Icy? Because Hoth is the ice planet. And like when you’re on that planet you’re so cold that you could die if you didn’t go into the belly of that fish cow thing that they put Han Solo into. Thoughts?

Anyway, this game, coming soon from THQ, is probably the coolest thing ever although the enemy sprites look a little childish. Thoughts?

It will be available on the 15th of July for $2.99, if you are so inclined.

via Toucharcade


OpenDNS wants to help you remind your boss about SysAdmin Appreciation Day

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 12:00 PM PDT

sysadmin cake by quinnums
System Administrator Appreciation Day is July 30. OpenDNS wants to make sure that you sysadmins get the recognition you deserve. That’s why they ran the SysAdmin of the Year contest. And now they want to remind your boss to say “thank you” to you on your special day.

Simply fill out their form with your name and email and your boss’s name and email, and OpenDNS will send an email to your boss a couple days ahead of time. They’ll get something like this, which was sent last year:

Obviously the date will be updated to reflect July 30, 2010.

And if you’re a boss reading this, please don’t wait for your sysadmins to send you this gentle reminder. Buy them lunch, or something.

Fortune Tech Reporter Jon Fortt Replaces Apple Fanboy Jim Goldman At CNBC

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 11:06 AM PDT

CNBC is getting a new technology correspondent and losing a controversial one. Jon Fortt, a senior writer at Fortune, will be joining CNBC on July 19th in its Silicon Valley bureau. CNBC's current tech reporter, Jim Goldman, will be leaving to pursue a career in PR. Some will find this an appropriate career shift for Goldman, who has often been criticized in the past as being a mouthpiece for Apple, a company he covers that helped make his career. To be fair, Goldman is also very good at what he does. Being on TV is harder than it looks. I spoke with Fortt today (disclosure: we used to work together at Business 2.0 magazine back in the day). He says he had no idea Goldman was leaving until today, and was "sad to hear that." I put Fortt on the spot and asked him if viewers can expect any change in Apple coverage from CNBC once he starts. His says he is going to call it like he sees it: "I covered Apple for a while, it was my first beat at the Mercury News. No journalist wants to be perceived as having undue bias. With Apple, you are perceived as either being a fanboy or a hater."


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