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Cartier Astroregulateur Watch Will Make you Dizzy

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:09 AM PST

2011 might be the "Astro" year for Cartier. Last year's Cartier Rotonde Astrotourbillon was such a hit that 2011 will have at least two new "Astro" watches. One will be the Calibre Astrotourbillon (with the Rotonde's existing movement), while this one is something totally different. The "Astroregulateur" (Astroregulator) has an escapement that is connected to the automatic rotor - that is mounted on the front of the dial.


Sony Plans To Invest $1.2 Billion In Image Sensor Production

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 04:23 AM PST

Sony is making a big bet on smartphones and digital cameras: the company yesterday confirmed earlier reports that it plans to double image sensor production in the near future. Through March 2012, big S is ready to invest a whopping $1.2 billion to expand production facilities for CMOS sensors in Japan.

That sum, which includes the $600 million Sony is paying Toshiba for a plant located in Nagasaki, is aimed at doubling the total output capacity for image sensors to 50,000 wafers monthly by March 2012. The company will also try to fund part of the new investment by applying for a government subsidy plan for companies investing in environmentally friendly businesses.

Sony currently controls about 70% of the world market for image sensors used in digital cameras.

Report: Playstation Phone Is Based On the PSPgo, Will Go On Sale This Spring

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 03:02 AM PST

We've spent quite a few posts on Sony's Playstation Phone in the last few months, and today the Asahi Shimbun (one of Japan's biggest newspapers) is reporting [JP] that the device will be released in spring next year. Not a big surprise, but what's interesting is that it will hit Europe and the US first, if the report is to be believed. Read the rest on MobileCrunch.


How A Programmer Rocks The Wee Ones

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 03:00 PM PST

Shhhh… baby is learning Haskell.

via ShortForm


Indiana Jones Would Rock This Canvas Lunch Bag

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 01:42 PM PST

This thing makes me want to go loot some ancient temple, then stop and have a panini on the way out. Of course, I’m a sucker for waxed canvas, but you have to admit this Artifact lunch sack handsome object. It costs $45, which is a bit much for giving to a young’un with a habit of losing things, but it’s a great option for reducing your own brown paper bag usage.

You still want to have a few bags around for taking 40s to the park, but for actual lunching, this is a good bet.

[via Uncrate and A Continuous Lean]

LG’s New 72-Inch Local-Dimming LED TV Looks Like Money

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 01:32 PM PST


Although the specs on this LG HDTV pretty much put it at the head of its class (72 inches, 3D-ready, local-dimming LEDs, 400Hz (barf), in-TV access to local and remote content), I just don’t like the look. Am I crazy? I just think it’s kind of gaudy-looking. I think I’m more of a thin-bezel wall-mount kind of guy. That little crystal base isn’t doing it for me.

They’ll be showing off the LZ9700 at CES, though, so we’ll get a better look then at what they’re claiming is the word’s biggest something or other. Every device out there now is the world’s somethingest these days.

In 2011 Be On The Lookout For Traitorware

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 01:00 PM PST

If there's any justice in this world then "traitorware" will become the phrase of 2011. It describes any technology, be it hardware or software, that betrays its users. Remember the Sony rootkit fiasco from a few years back? You pop a CD into your computer expecting to listen to some rubbish band, and then you've got a nice rootkit on your system, sorta like a bonus feature of the album. "INCLUDES THE HIT SINGLE 'BABY YOU FINE' ALONG WITH MALICIOUS SOFTWARE THAT YOU COULDN'T UNINSTALL IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!" You'd need a pretty big sticker to fit that, though.

What are other forms of traitorware, theoretically at least?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, your friend and mine, warns of an Apple patent where"your iPhone may record your voice, take a picture of your location, record your heartbeat, and send that information back to the mothership." That sounds like fun.

Or perhaps there's the printer that embeds some sort of unique identifier into every sheet of paper, so if you print something along the lines of "airport security is an oxymoron," then hand it out in Union Square Big Sis could have no problem tracking you down. Yay!

What about something less "big brother/Drudge headline"-y? How about a camera that embeds GPS coordinates with every photo? Say you bought a new car, and take a photo to show it off on Facebook? Upload that photo and now everyone knows exactly where you live. All you need to do is then tweet "going on vacation, will be in key west for 2 weeks!" for an evildoer to know that A) you're out of town and B) you live at X-degrees north latitude and Y-degrees west longitude.

Traitorware, you've done it again.

I guess the point of this, besides helping you kill two minutes of your day (my primary goal, of course) is to keep you vigilant. Maybe you want to disable the GPS embed when taking photos of your "cool new apartment," or maybe you don't want to advertise for the whole world to see that you're going to be out of town, leaving your property completely unguarded.

Lead Writer For Assassin’s Creed Reveals Movie Inspirations

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 12:00 PM PST


MyDVDInsider has an interesting interview with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem. Yohalem describes his inspirations in the filmic arts and includes titles like Avatar and There Will Be Blood (!!!) but how’s this for a surprise inspiration?

Up in the Air
While developing the story for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and dialogue for the game's protagonist
Ezio, I took inspiration from Ryan Bingham, the corporate assassin played by George Clooney in Up in the Air — the loneliness and missed opportunities he experiences, and the way he hides his real emotions.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

How Leicas Are Born

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 11:03 AM PST

It’s not every day you see how the sausage is made. This is how Leica puts together their famous M9 camera – by hand, all done by men in white lab coats. It’s an impressive bit of engineering to be sure and pricing aside, this is an incredible camera.

Click through for one more walk-through video.


via ACL


Samsung Announces Galaxy Player In Time For CES

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:45 AM PST

It begins: the first Android media player worth a hoot is coming from Samsung around CES time. The 4-inch device has front and rear cameras and – get this – a removable battery. It will run Android 2.2 and includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a MicroSD slot.

This looks totally like a hackers dream. I’d buy one just to mess around with it. A few more specs after the jump.

The 9.9mm thick Galaxy Player (YP-GB1) runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS and features a 1GHz CPU, 4-inch Super Clear LCD screen supporting up to WVGA resolution (800×480), T-DMB, SoundAlive audio enhancing technology, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.2MP rear camera with front facing camera for video calling, GPS, HD video playback, microSD card slot, Android Market and Samsung Apps access and a 1200mAh removable battery.

Apple, Please Hurry Up And Ship Those iPhones To Verizon Already

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:35 AM PST

Like many people, I've been holding out for the iPhone to arrive on Verizon before upgrading. It's been a long wait, and now that my wife has an iPhone 4 she got for Christmas (on AT&T), my iPhone 3GS is really starting to look dated. Fortunately, it looks like Apple's component suppliers in Taiwan are gearing up to ship 5 million to 6 million CDMA iPhones to Verizon in the first quarter, according to DigiTimes. Verizon has a CDMA mobile network, as opposed to AT&T's GSM-based network. So if you know the components, you know which networks the phones will work on. We first reported last August that Apple was developing a CDMA iPhone set for a January ship-date. The DigiTimes report is the latest piece of evidence that this will indeed happen.


LVX: Your Lights Are Talking To You(r Computer)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:15 AM PST

Visible Light Communication is a data trasmission protocol that uses visible light to send data at 3 Mbps using LEDs and special models. The system works by modulating the LED lighting in your home or office.

Visible Light with Embedded Communication is comprised of light photons and can be seen by the human eye. Its related equipment is what looks like a standard lamp that generates its light from LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes or solid state lighting) rather than hot filaments or hot gasses like those used in today's lamps. The difference is that the solid state LEDs "modulate" so fast, that though the human eye can't see this modulation, data information can be carried within this modulated signal, all while lighting your occupied area as traditional lights always have.

The best part is that the system apparently allows for two-way transmission although I’m not sure how all of the modems can reply to the lights without completely blinding the office. Three office buildings in Minnesota are about to enable the system on a trial basis.

via giz


Simple BIOS Flash Turns AMD Radeon HD 6950 Into A 6970!

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 09:00 AM PST

Again, this font doesn’t have an apostrophe.

Did Santa give you an AMD Radeon HD 6950 this year? Good news: he actually gave you a 6970! It turns out that with a few clicks of your mouse you can unlock your 6950 so that it runs at 6970 speeds. Nice!

This "mod" (I guess you can call it a mod, but you’re merely re-flashing the card’s BIOS) seems to work on all 6950 models out there. That is, cards from AMD itself, from Asus, from Sapphire, from XFX, etc. You don’t need to go out of your way to find an esoteric brand—they all work!

So how does this work, hmm?

Again, it’s just a simple BIOS re-flash, and techPowerUp has put together a few scripts to make the process even easier than it already is.

The Radeon HD 6970, which is currently AMD’s top-of-the-line single-GPU card (the dual-GPU 5970 is faster), can currently be had on Newegg for right around $360-$370. That’s already an insane deal when you consider how much power you’re buying, but the 6950 is currently around $300.

In other words, you can have the power of a $370 card for the price of a $300 card.

Just for comparison’s sake, Nvidia’s top-of-the-line single-GPU card, the GTX 580, is currently around $530 on Newegg. Considering the 6970 (or, apparently, a properly unlocked 6950!) is just as powerful, if not slightly more powerful, well, there’s never been a better day to build a gaming PC.

Now if AMD would just pump out proper drivers every once in a while everything would be super!

Xi: NTT Docomo Rolls Out Japan’s First LTE Service

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:04 AM PST

In August, we reported that NTT Docomo, Japan's biggest mobile carrier, is ready to invest a whopping $3.4 billion through 2012 in an LTE service the company has named "Xi" (which is read Crossy). And over the weekend (and as announced previously), the company finally rolled out said service [press release in English]. Read the rest on MobileCrunch.


Apple Patent Reveals ‘Pseudo-Holographic’ Display

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Hopefully it’s not as rubbish as this was

It’s bare bones Monday, amigos. Most normal people have taken this week off, and snow has crippled the entire north-east of the U.S. It’s chaos! So let’s transition to an Apple story. Jobs’ mighty company has recently filed for a patent for a device that would display images holographically and without the need for glasses. This could be good, or it could be just one of the 8 zillion patents big companies like Apple file for all the time.

The patent thinks highly of itself:

An exceptional aspect of the invention is that it can produce viewing experiences that are virtually indistinguishable from viewing a true hologram. Such a “pseudo-holographic” image is a direct result of the ability to track and respond to observer movements. By tracking movements of the eye locations of the observer, the left and right 3D sub-images are adjusted in response to the tracked eye movements to produce images that mimic a real hologram. The invention can accordingly continuously project a 3D image to the observer that recreates the actual viewing experience that the observer would have when moving in space around and in the vicinity of various virtual objects displayed therein. This is the same experiential viewing effect that is afforded by a hologram.

Well that sounds exciting!

So I guess it’s not "merely" something like the 3DS‘ screen, but a little more.

But again: companies file for patents all the time, and just because Apple has filed for this doesn’t necessarily mean Jonathan Ive & Co. are trying to designed a sleek plastic shell to surround the display. It could just be Apple’s engineers "thinking out loud," as it were. Remember: just because a company files for a patent doesn’t mean the things actual works as described.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Lead The Way In Interactive iPhone Check-In Social Rewards

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 07:49 AM PST

Although I would rather die in a pit, bitten by rats and my flesh taken by necrosis than eat at Hardee’s or Carl’s Jr, you have to admit that they do have a compelling social media marketing plan. CKE Restaurants, owners of Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s and famous for making food that is less popular than McDonalds, have created a location-based “coupon game” that allows you to spin a wheel to win valuable food prizes and potentially life-saving antibiotics for after the meal.

Here’s what Brad Haley, marketing head of CKE, has to say:

"In a nutshell, what we're doing is dragging the antiquated punch-card type of loyalty programs into the 21st century," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. "We are not only offering a GPS-driven check-in app to keep track of customer visits digitally, but we are offering guaranteed rewards, a restaurant locator, a social media interface, streaming videos, menus, nutritional information and more."

Considering the closest Burger King ever got to a digital plan was Subservient Chicken, this is pretty heady stuff for the fast food industry.

The app works on iOS and Android and features GPS-based check-ins. When you check in four times you get to spin the Wheel of Awesome and win prizes including discounted and free menu items. As customers return again and again to CKE’s trough of sadness they are able to digitally record each visit (for the coroner’s report) and the restaurants get interesting marketing data and are able to push mobile advertisements (for lap band installations and cut-rate cremations, for example). Don’t live near a Carl’s Jr or Hardee’s? Don’t worry! You can spam your Facebook with the Wheel of Awesome!

While I’m being a bit facetious here (I honestly wouldn’t eat at these places if you paid me, app or no) the company has been making great headway in the social/viral space, depending on the kindness of irony-lovers and “influencers” to face-down the fast food Big Four. Whatever the outcome, it’s a bold move in the right direction, at least where online marketing is concerned.

Happy Star Rewards, a combined location- and rewards-based check-in app, ensures every user is a winner

12.27.2010– CARPINTERIA, Calif. – December 27, 2010 – CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr.® and Hardee's® restaurants, announced the launch of Happy Star Rewards™, a GPS-enabled loyalty program that rewards users for checking in at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations across the U.S. The application, available for iPhone and Android smart phones, combines location-based check-in technology with rewards, making it the first of its kind for the fast food industry.

"In a nutshell, what we're doing is dragging the antiquated punch-card type of loyalty programs into the 21st century," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. "We are not only offering a GPS-driven check-in app to keep track of customer visits digitally, but we are offering guaranteed rewards, a restaurant locator, a social media interface, streaming videos, menus, nutritional information and more. So, unwrap those new shiny phones you just got for the holidays, download the free Happy Star Rewards app from iTunes or the Android Market, and start earning free stuff today."

Users who download the app, available on the iTunes App Store or Android Market, can visit any Carl's Jr. or Hardee's location and check in to start earning rewards immediately. To use the app, a guest simply visits a Carl's Jr. or Hardee's restaurant and checks in. The first check-in and every subsequent fourth check-in earns the user a spin on The Wheel of Awesome™, a unique Carl's Jr. and Hardee's rewards application already present on both brands' Facebook pages. Once the wheel has been activated, users spin it with their finger for a chance to win discounted and free menu items, branded gift cards, prizes and merchandise from participating partners.

Partner prizes currently include Sony electronics and movie tickets to the upcoming film The Green Hornet™. These partners and prizes will be updated throughout the year. When a user checks in but has not earned a wheel spin, they can receive a coupon for a currently featured item, such as $1 off Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™. Reward offers increase in value with the frequency of use. The more a user checks in using the app, the higher value offers they will be able to receive on The Wheel of Awesome.

After a user has received a coupon, they have the option to save the coupon for seven days, or redeem the coupon immediately either in-store or at the drive-thru. If the user selects the "redeem" button, they have 30 minutes to present the coupon displayed on the screen to a cashier. After presenting the coupon, users press "done" to complete the process. Then they have the option to share the experience with friends by posting on Facebook and Twitter. For non-coupon prizes, the user is prompted to enter additional information in order to set up delivery of the prize. Check-ins are limited to a maximum of three per day and are also limited to one per daypart (breakfast 5:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., lunch 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and dinner/late night 5 p.m. – 5:30 a.m.). Additionally, fans now have the option to transfer coupons from The Wheel of Awesome app on Facebook directly to their mobile phone to redeem.

Happy Star Rewards also integrates with all existing Carl's Jr. and Hardee's digital communities — offering the same look and feel of the brands' Facebook pages, streaming YouTube videos, and providing a real-time content feed from Facebook and Twitter streams. Users can also cross-post their location check-in on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare all from the application.

"The app builds on CKE Restaurant's community approach to social media," said Glenn Cole, chief creative officer at 72andSunny, CKE's digital agency of record and the creator of the app. "We've seen great growth in the community, and now boast a combined 1 million fans on Facebook. Whether a user is on their smart phone, or sitting at their home computer, their interaction with the Carl's Jr. or Hardee's brand remains accessible wherever and whenever they want."

Los Angeles-based 72andSunny worked with CKE Restaurants to conceive, develop and execute the app completely in-house, allowing for an industry-first advantage in the highly competitive category of fast food apps. This allows for customized tailoring as needed moving forward.

For the most up-to-date information about Happy Star Rewards, download the application to your iPhone or Android phone at www.happystarrewards.com. Stay tuned to the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/carlsjr and www.facebook.com/hardees) and Twitter feeds (www.twitter.com/carlsjr and www.twitter/hardees) for announcements.


Japanese iPhone Gets E-Wallet Functionality (Kind Of)

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 07:00 AM PST

As we reported multiple times over the past months, the iPhone is a hit in Japan. When compared to other Japanese phones, however, it lacks a few key features such as digital TV tuners or an e-wallet function. Provider SoftBank introduced a hardware solution for the former problem in 2008, and now there's one for the latter, too. Read the rest on MobileCrunch.


Kindle 3 Beats Harry Potter Book As Bestselling Product In Amazon’s History

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 06:55 AM PST

This isn't a big surprise. Amazon has just released a statement reporting that the new, third-generation Kindle has now surpassed 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' as the best-selling product in Amazon's history. Of course, Amazon doesn't reveal the total number of Kindles sold (Bloomberg recently reported that 8 million Kindles will be sold this year compared to 2.4 million units sold in 2009). On Christmas Day, Amazon says that more people turned on new Kindles for the first time, downloaded more Kindle Buy Once, Read Everywhere apps, and purchased more Kindle books than on any other day in history. And Amazon's worldwide fulfillment network shipped over 9 million units across all product categories.


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