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Meridian For iPhone: In-store, turn-by-turn maps to merchandise

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:20 AM PDT

Before you download Meridian for iPhone, you should know that it probably isn't going to work in your town just yet, unless of course the town you live in is Portland OR. However, I still recommend trying out this new-fangled search app  for a few reasons:

1. It's free.

2. They've set up one of their store locations to work even if you are not in Portland so you can get the hang of the concept.

3. I think once you try it your going to wish it worked in your town.

4. They have many partnerships in progress and it actually could be in your town soon.

 

So how does it work? Meridian, developed by Spotlight Mobile, is a new kind of indoor navigation and discovery app that can be extremely granular. Basically, within partnered locations, Meridian can draw an in-store map directly to a piece of merchandise you are looking for or can draw a map directly to a sub-location inside of a larger location–like a bathroom in a football stadium. That’s the concept anyway. I spoke with Spotlight Mobile’s CEO Kiyo Kubo and told me that Meridian is unique in its mix of location-based navigation and branded content experiences, and differentiates itself from mall mapping companies like Micello and Fastmall through a deeper partnership with the locations that use their service. He thinks that will be the key to a lasting experience and consumer value.

Functional in two locations in Portland at today’s launch–Powell's Books and the Portland Art Museum—Meridian aims to offer a great user experience for finding things, even inside buildings or in GPS inaccessible locations. On the technical side, this is accomplished through multiple, optional routines that use GPS, WiFi triangulation or self selected location. For example when the app is trying to build a map from your location to the merchandise's location, it will first try to use GPS. If that doesn't work, it switches to WiFi triangulation (if the location has a cooperating WiFi network) and if that fails it resorts to self selection which plots from general spots in the location.

Strategically, Spotlight Mobile is hoping to provide a service that both brands and consumers want, while eliminating a cycle of custom development for merchandisers and property owners. In this way, they plan to make integration with existing branded mobile apps and websites seamless. They are also planning to launch the app on multiple mobile operating systems soon.

Locations interested in signing up can contact Spotlight Mobile at info@meridian-apps.com, however it sounds like they already have many partnerships well underway.

The lazy part of me loves this concept. While I think grocery stores would resist playing ball with a service like this, I can't tell you how happy it would make me if one day I could create a shopping list and have a map created to find each product. I imagine grocery stores would initially feel the same way about Meridian as TV ad agencies felt about DVRs, but really, they'll have to get on board eventually because there are just too many advertising opportunities baked into the concept. There are just too many ways for businesses to capitalize on the prescience of in-store purchases. And that surely is part of Spotlight Mobile’s master strategy since Meridian keeps a history of the things you search for and all the maps you access. This kind of targeted information could be far more powerful for a store than merely keeping shoppers randomly in the location longer.

I say we keep an eye on this app. What are your thoughts?

Daily Crunch: Focus Edition

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 12:00 AM PDT

LG G-Slate For T-Mobile Gets Priced

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 08:59 PM PDT

The T-Mobile G-Slate is one of the first tablets to offer Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). It has an 8.9-inch, 3D-capable, multi-touchscreen and the ability to record 3D and full HD video, those the 3D will not be 1080p. The slate also uses T-Mobile’s version of 4G (HSPA). And, as of today it gets a price.

The T-Mobile G-Slate will cost $529.99 after $100 mail-in-rebate after a two-year agreement. Is it just me, or are you not excited to pay this much for a tablet with a two-year plan?

Leaked: Samsung’s New Galaxy Tab 8.9 Info And Pics

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 06:22 PM PDT

Looks like Samsung let someone wonder around the show floor a bit early at CTIA. to Sneaked pics of the Galaxy Tab 8.9, albeit of the signage, are out for your perusal. Many sources have pointed to Samsung’s big event tomorrow at CTIA for the new Galaxy Tab 8.9 release, and these photos certainly appear confirm the rumors.

According to the pictures, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will have the Live Panel homescreen, a customizable homescreen with widgets like email, weather, news, agenda, and stocks. The new Tab will have a 1280 x 800 WXGA touchscreen and a 1 GHz dual core processor. Weight comes in at svelte 470 grams (1 lb).

After not much luck selling the original GalTab, Samsung has upped the ante with their newest tablet. It’s designed to have much better — almost PC-like — performance. This should help it better compete against the iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom. We’ll know more tomorrow; Greg is on the case.

[via Slashgear]

Fils-Aime: Nintendo Not Interested In “Garage Developers”

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 06:00 PM PDT

In stark contrast to the Apple Store’s bottom-up model for mobilizing games and apps, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime has said that his company isn’t really interested in that kind of model right now. In an interview with Gamasutra discussing indie game development, Fils-Aime said:

I would separate out the true independent developer vs. the hobbyist. We are absolutely reaching out to the independent developer. Where we’ve drawn the line is we are not looking to do business today with the garage developer. In our view, that's not a business we want to pursue.

Although I’m a big fan of so-called “garage developers” (love the indie gaming scene), I can’t say I disagree with Nintendo here. The Wii in particular has been marred by “shovelware,” reducing the perceived value of a game on the system. They want to avoid that, and part of that is establishing certain standards for production values.

Setting the bar high means they won’t be a platform for new, experimental games that may find distribution on XBLA or PC, but it also means they maintain a high level of control and their platform will be seen as one where you can trust every release. At least that’s the idea. I’m not sure it works in practice, considering the amount of crapware on the Wii. But maybe he was just speaking hypothetically.

Among other things, Fils-Aime also addressed rumors of a Wii successor; we’ve heard from a few sources (none inside) that this E3 may see Nintendo breaking out its next-generation console, but Reggie dealt with that in a professional and non-coy manner: “The Wii has a long life in front of it. We’re still sitting at $199.” Yes you are, Reggie. But your sales aren’t sitting — they’re lying down.

[via Kotaku]

Local E-Bike Start-Up Clean Republic Makes Good In Seattle

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:28 PM PDT

We cover electric bikes every now and then at CrunchGear, but while millions are sold in Asia and Europe, they remain a rarity here in the US, even on the mean cycling streets of Seattle. Certainly the convenience of cars and our highway-orientated infrastructure is partially to blame for the lack of interest in these extremely effective transportation tools, but I also think that accessibility has been an issue. The Eneloop bike I rode last year at CES, for instance, I have never seen nor heard of since, and the major conversion kits and full bikes seem like too great of an investment for the chary, green-curious consumer.

Clean Republic, a local Seattle start-up literally run out of a garage, seems to be of the opinion that what matters is simplicity, modesty in design, and of course low cost. In 2010 they’ve gone from prototype to 1,000 kits shipped and although they’re not bucking to be a billion-dollar company, they are building a sustainable business and could be trading in millions pretty soon.

Michael Shope is the CEO, a local and a fellow graduate of mine from Garfield High School here in Seattle. He came into the scene with the simple intention of building a better electric bike for the American market. Part of the issue is commitment: many bike makers are selling models with motors and battery integrated, with 500 watts or more of power. At between $1000 and $3000, they tend to be almost as much of a consumer commitment as a motorcyle or scooter. I considered one myself when I was driving two miles to work back in 2006, since really I just needed a hand on the hills here in Seattle, which anyone will tell you are murder (especially with the rain and the drivers here). But $2000 was rent money, and I already had a car and a regular bike. Shope was counting on people like me, who would love to quit petrol but didn’t want to buy a whole electric bike platform.

The Hill Topper is an original design on an established e-bike principle: the front wheel of your bike is replaced by one with a hub-mounted motor, the battery clips to your frame, and there’s a single button remote for spinning it up. Like other electric bikes, it’ll maintain your speed, boost your pedaling, or propel the bike itself if you need to take a break. Unlike other electric bikes, it can be installed in a couple minutes with no expertise at all, and the whole setup only weighs six pounds. It costs ~$750 for the light, Li-ion 20-mile battery and $400 for a heavier, 10-mile battery.

They’ve sold over a thousand kits to date and are selling them as fast as the co-founder can put them together in North Dakota. Who would have thought Americans would want something cheap and easy? Shope notes: “You already have a bike that you like and is perfectly adjusted and measured for you, just how you like it, and is made of much higher quality components that the expensive full electric bikes are. It just doesn’t make sense to spend $2k on an e-bike when you can just pop our wheel on your own.”

That said, they face tough competition; major bike companies like Trek and Giant, as well as electronics and battery players like Sanyo, are already established and have sold millions in other markets. The pricing is volatile and new battery tech will probably be adopted or developed by the big guys first. However, the ability to turn your ten-year-old junker into a viable commuter vehicle is a serious draw, and although they’re not the only ones offering this type of device, they’re doing it their own way with their own design and that’s worth acknowledgment.

You can order your own online, or if you’re in Seattle, drop by Electric Bikes Northwest to pick one up in person. If you’re feeling extra-green, try picking up some plant-based grease as well.

[image credit: Capitol Hill Seattle]

Wenger Titanium Tool Is Titanium

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PDT


We had a nice little multi-tool roundup over the holidays, but there are way more than we could ever review, not to mention new ones coming out all the time. This one stands out for two reasons: it’s designed to the spec of mountaineer Ueli Steck, and it’s made of lightweight titanium. Who can say no to a titanium steck-knife?

It’s not the most original piece of all time, but it looks like a practical quick-grab tool for snipping, tightening, or adjusting this and that on short notice. The blades are all 50% thicker than normal steel blades, which doesn’t amount to much as far as millimeters and what not go, but probably contributes significantly to the stiffness.

Solid-looking little knife — a bit expensive at $200, though of course you don’t want to skimp on tools like this, and Titanium is naturally expensive (as is the endorsement of a famous mountaineer). There are cheaper versions with less doodads for a bit less if you don’t need the accessories.

[via Uncrate]

More Patent Trolling, This Time Against Every Major Mobile Manufacturer

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 04:30 PM PDT

We just heard about a legal action by Microsoft against Barnes & Noble (to be fair, not quite trolling, but bordering on it), and now I’m reading about a new one, directed at pretty much every major manufacturer of mobile hardware. The patents allegedly infringed upon are related to the cameras used in the phones. And yes, it’s sketchy.

The company suing is one “Imperium Holdings,” based in the Cayman Islands. Yeah, that sounds legitimate! The patents are perfectly legitimate engineering implementations within image sensors, and are certainly not at fault. One, for instance, describes a simple and specific system for saving power by turning off unnecessary analog-to-digital converters when using low framerates. So why are they suing Apple and Kyocera instead of Omnivision or Kodak, creators and sellers of image sensors used in such phones?

After all, these phone makers just bought products that were being sold legally, and which Imperium Holdings did not object to directly. If someone made a knockoff Tabasco sauce, and hot dog vendors started carrying it, would Tabasco go around suing hot dog carts one by one? No, they would sue the knockoff company. I sincerely doubt that all, if any, of these companies was responsible for designing or manufacturing the imagers used in their products.

Sounds to me like a money grab. Somehow I doubt we’ll be hearing about this particular lawsuit again.

Porsche’s Plug-in Hybrid 918 Spyder Goes On Sale, Priced Near $1 Million

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 03:30 PM PDT

Porsche has decided to begin taking orders for their highly-received 918 Spyder Plug-in Hybrid. Dealers have been given the go-ahead to begin taking orders for the limited (918 units) $845,000 car. The 918 Spyder is powered by a 500-plus horsepower V8 gas engine which gets assistance from two electric motors producing an addition 218 horsepower. 0-60 times are estimated to be near 3 seconds.

With all the power, one would expect terrible mileage; but the 918 Spyder is said to have a claimed 78 mpg consumption rating on the European cycle (which is always higher than EPA). After a full charge from a regular home outlet, the 918 Spyder will be able to go 16 miles on all electric, before requiring the gas engine. Charging time for the fully-depleted lithium-ion battery is 7 hours on 110V.

Production is expected to begin in Germany starting September of 2013.

Porsche 918 Spyder ghost Hybrid_918_Spyder_2 Hybrid_918_Spyder_3 Porsche-918-Spyder-5


Press Release

Porsche's Plug-In Hybrid 918 Spyder Goes from Dream to Reality 

Now available for ordering, the 918 Spyder will feature cutting-edge plug-in hybrid technology and stunning performance, forever changing the future of the super sports car

ATLANTA – March 21, 2011 — After outstanding customer response to the concept car first shown at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche today announced that dealers around the world will begin taking 918 Spyder customer orders. This is a significant step toward actual production of the company's next super sports car, a Porsche that marries unique plug-in hybrid technology and outstanding performance in a visually stunning and purely Porsche package.

The 918 Spyder will feature a high revving 500-plus horsepower V8 engine assisted by two electric motors with a total of at least 218 horsepower, yet Porsche estimates it will consume only 3.0 L/100 km based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Official EPA fuel economy figures or estimates will be announced just before the first customer cars begin arriving in the United States near the end of 2013.

To ensure the 918 Spyder's worldwide exclusivity, Porsche will produce no more than 918 examples. Start of production at Porsche's famed factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is planned for Sept. 18, 2013 (9/18), and the U.S. base manufacturer's suggested retail price is $845,000 (excluding destination and handling charges).

With its design inspired by past Porsches like the Carrera GT super sports car and the legendary 917 and highly successful RS Spyder race cars, the 918 Spyder remains faithful to the 2010 concept car. Unlike the concept car, the two-seat production version, based on a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque, will feature a manual roof system with removable panels that can be stored in the front luggage compartment.

Super high performance with very low fuel consumption and emissions
The 918 Spyder will be powered by a unique plug-in hybrid system that will include a high-revving, mid-mounted V8 engine with capacity of more than 4.0 liters and producing at least 500 horsepower. The engine will be based on the Porsche RS Spyder racing engine that demonstrated its impressive performance and efficiency through multiple Michelin Green X Challenge victories in the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Power will be transferred to the rear wheels via Porsche's compact, seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch gearbox.

Two electric motors – one each on the front and rear axles – together will provide approximately 218 additional horsepower. This configuration also will offer an innovative, variable all-wheel drive system with independent control of the drive forces on both axles. Electrical energy will be stored in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from a standard household outlet. Electric-only driving range is expected to be more than 16 miles on the NEDC. Recharge time will depend on each country's electrical power network, but charging is expected to take about seven hours at 110V/10A in the United States. A quick-charge option is being evaluated to further reduce charging times.

With anticipated combined fuel consumption of just 3.0 L/100 km on the NEDC, this equates to CO2 emissions of only 70 g/km or 112 g/mile. On the other hand, the Porsche 918 Spyder will deliver super sports car performance. It is estimated that the final production version will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about 3.1 seconds on its way to an estimated top track speed of 199 mph. It should also tackle Germany's famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds, two seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT. Under the right conditions, the 918 Spyder will be able to drive on electric power alone at speeds up to 94 mph for limited distances.

Customers who order the 918 Spyder also have the opportunity to acquire a special-edition 911 Turbo S Coupe or Cabriolet. Also limited to no more than 918 units, the 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder will have exterior and interior design elements echoing the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder supercar's styling. It features similar exterior colors, carbon-fiber elements inside and out, enhanced leather equipment and numerous acid-green accents on items such as the brake calipers, illuminated sill plates, interior stitching and instrument cluster needles. A limited-edition badge on the glove compartment door will feature the same production number as the customer's 918 Spyder.

Worldwide 918 Spyder customers can begin ordering this special edition 911 Turbo S sports car today, and customer deliveries will start later in 2011. The U.S. base manufacturer's suggested retail prices for the Coupe and Cabriolet versions are the same as the standard 911 Turbo S models, $160,700 and $172,100 respectively, excluding destination.

About Porsche Cars North America
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga., is the exclusive importer of Porsche vehicles in the United States. It is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for some 195 dealers. From its inception in 1948, Porsche has been a leader in advancing vehicle performance, improving automotive safety and developing ever more fuel efficient technologies in its high-performance models. At the core of this success is Porsche's proud racing heritage that dates back to its beginnings. Today, with some 30,000 motorsport wins, Porsche is recognized as the most successful marquee in sports car racing. PCNA, which imports the iconic 911 series, the Boxster and Cayman sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera Gran Turismo strives to maintain a standard of excellence, commitment and distinction synonymous with this historic brand.

Follow us: www.twitter.com/Porsche and www.facebook.com/Porsche

Prism-Lens Microscope Captures Nine Images At Once For Multi-Angle Stereoscopic Viewing

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 03:28 PM PDT


So you’re thinking of getting a 3DS, huh? Or maybe that G-Slate, or the Optimus 3D? That’s cool. Oh wait, no it’s not. Because the two-lens thing is so over. Ever since researchers at Ohio State invented this sweet 9-facet lens for taking stereoscopic pictures, I can’t even think about regular-style stereoscopy.

Yes: tired of the necessity of using expensive, cumbersome tools to get 3D perspectives on tiny objects like medical probes and micrometer-level tools, Allen Yi and some grad students at Ohio decided to take matters into their own precision-mill calipers. They created this lens, which has the appearance of a sort of rough brilliant gem cut, but in fact is precision milled down to a 10-nanometer level, letting each facet provide a slightly different, optimized view.

It’s made out of polymethyl methacrylate, and once mated properly to a normal microscope, provides an excellent way to get a relatively precise 3D image quickly and easily. And this 9-facet version isn’t the only one; they’ve tested versions with as many as 1000 facets. They hope to develop the idea further and sell it among the medical tech community, where something like this may prove to be an invaluable tool.

It’ll probably be a while before it trickles down to iPhone camera accessories, though.

[via Medgadget; images: J. Kevin Fitzsimons for Ohio State]

Is Your 2011 MacBook Pro Freezing Up? You’re Not The Only One

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 02:54 PM PDT


Update: Looks like Apple was telling the truth! Just a short time after I posted this, it was reported by people with the issue that the 10.6.7 update fixes everything. Good work, Apple.

It appears that the new MacBook Pros (introduced in February) aren’t quite fully baked. Or rather, they’re a bit overdone: there seems to be a pervasive overheating issue related to the new discrete Radeon GPUs.

The crash occurring during times of high heat and CPU load, when the GPU is switched on to handle graphics that are just too much for the CPU alone. The computers are freezing up quite completely, and a hard reboot seems the only universal cure. One person suffering from this issue even reproduced it in every susceptible model on the floor at an Apple store, baffling (and hopefully disillusioning) one of the “geniuses.”

Apple has noted the issue and claims it is a software problem, fixable via updated drivers. Of course, they say that about everything, and of course if you severely limit use of the GPU and blast the fan at all times, technically that is a software solution. But iFixit pointed out in their teardown that the thermal situation of the processing units isn’t exactly the neatest (above), and suggested this sloppy slathering might cause issues down the road. It’s too early to tell whether that’s the case, but it’ll sure be embarrassing if it is.

[via MacRumors]

Who Says Tablets Are Useless? This One’s Running A Minecraft Server

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 01:52 PM PDT


Now, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff, but it does really demonstrate the fact that all tablets (especially the more recent and hackable ones) are just small computers. Anything’s possible — convenient, perhaps not, but if you’re looking to take full advantage of the hardware you’ve just bought, there are definitely ways to go about doing that.

In this case, you’ve got Ubuntu running in a virtual machine, and the Minecraft server software running inside it. I know, it’s kind of cheating, but that’s the point, isn’t it? You can cheat.

Tracking the world is a bit buggy (player tracking also, I’m guessing), perhaps due to the caching of the worldstate in the VM and serving up outdated block data, but that’s, you know, just an engineering problem. It’d be nice to be able to carry around a little Minecraft world with you, especially if you could set it up in an ad-hoc network with a few friends at a park. Wait, why wouldn’t you just throw a frisbee around or something?

Microsoft Alleges Patent Infringement On Barnes & Noble E-Reader Devices

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 01:16 PM PDT


Microsoft has filed suit against Barnes & Noble, creators of the Nook and Nook Color e-readers, as well as the manufacturers of those devices. The companies allegedly infringe on a number of patents filed between 1998 and 2005, generally applying to UI elements associated with browsing and downloading information. Like many patents from that period (for example those cited by Paul Allen in last year’s omnibus suit) these are quite broad in their specificity, claiming methods that seem now to be no-brainer approaches to the task described. The larger question is, as before, is whether these patents are legitimately unique intellectual property — but as before, the larger question is being deferred for now, and in the mean time, we’re suing each other over the placement of download status bars.

Microsoft’s line is that Barnes & Noble, unlike game HTC, Amazon, and others, has failed to license these methods (yet uses them anyway, bold as brass), and now faces stern reprimand.

For your convenience, I’ve collected the patents here:

Interestingly, Microsoft isn’t just suing Barnes & Noble, captain of the great ship Nook, but also Foxconn and Inventec, which comprise the engine room — and have as little to do with UI optimization as a engine stoker does with the captain’s table (and with that, the nautical metaphor overstays its welcome). It may be just to make those huge manufacturing entities aware of who they are dealing with, and make sure they are working to, legally speaking, a high standard.

I’m not going to bother taking a close look at the patents; I’m not a lawyer, for one thing, but also, the patent world isn’t really something navigable by common sense alone. Like copyright, privacy, and every other area being reinvented by the internet, it has long become a playground for lawyers, who build strange labyrinths for themselves, as oblivious to users as users are to them.

It’s doubtful that the Nook devices will be pulled from shelves any time soon, if at all; Microsoft has a lot of explaining to do before any judge (excepting the disturbingly permissive one in charge of Sony’s case against Geohot) will grant a major step like that. Let’s hope those Nook Colors have been selling as well as some have said, because whether B&N fights it or not, this looks like it could get expensive.

Microsoft’s statement on the matter can be found here, and there’s additional commentary by their CVP and Deputy General Counsel here.

Update: Google, who is threatened indirectly by these patents, has this to say regarding the action: “Sweeping software patent claims like Microsoft’s threaten innovation. While we are not a party to this lawsuit, we stand behind the Android platform and the partners who have helped us to develop it.”

Brits Believe They’ll Soon Be On The Moon

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 01:10 PM PDT

One in ten Englishmen and Women believe that one day Brits will routinely vacation on the moon, bringing their Carling beers and jolly demeanors to the verdant plains of that satellites’ firmament by at least 2020. 40% of them believe, also, that there will be a tunnel between the US and the UK.

And they say that ecstasy doesn’t damage the brain.

The percentages, gathered by a UK vacation firm, point to a glorious future for Mother England and a pressing need to open more chip shops along the Atlantic coast for the hordes of Britons who will soon saunter over on foot.

via TGDaily


UK’s Digital Economy Act Delayed Until 2012 As ISPs Vow Courtroom Battle

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 12:45 PM PDT

Flickr’d

The UK’s Digital Economy Act, designed to, among other things, stomp out Internet piracy once and for all, has run up against the High Court. Two of the country’s ISPs, BT and TalkTalk, will argue on Wednesday that the law is basically an unenforceable load of nonsense, and that it should be torn up and completely forgotten about. We’ll see.

The law, which was initially passed last year, had already been delayed by various hiccups (including the fact the legislation didn’t quite gel with certain EU requirements), but this courtroom battle will be a more direct challenge on the law itself. Expect the ISPs to argue, once again, that the law simply won’t work from a practical point of view.

In any event, the UK Government now says that it will probably be spring, 2012 at the earliest before the law goes into effect, and that’s assuming everything goes its way at the High Court.

You’ll recall that the law would require ISPs to monitor all traffic traveling over their pipes, and any example of copyright infringement would have to be followed up with a strongly worded letter. The ISP has to identify IP addresses to subscribers, then send these subscribers the letter.

One of the problems is that constantly patrolling their connections for infringing content would require quite a bit of effort, and a bit of money, too. (Of course the counter-argument to that is that ISPs make money off subscriber fees from people who infringe copyright all day long.) There’s also the small but about people’s privacy rights being trampled all over.

When Wednesday comes, then.

CrunchGear: “Gadget-Talk” With Marc Friedman From THE SLIP

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 12:04 PM PDT

Bar/None recording artists The Slip (as well as their many side projects) frequently travel nationally and internationally. Therefore Marc Friedman, the band’s multi-instrumentalist with whom I shared an airplane row for the flight out of SXSW, was the perfect musician-on-the-go to investigate for possible “gadget addictions”. An admitted “late bloomer” to the world of mobile devices, Marc seems to have his habit under control, with the exception of a fondness for playing the Blackberry version of Katamari Damacy. Check out our conversation in the video below.

iPad 2 Hitting Canadian Best Buy Stores This Friday

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:30 AM PDT


The iPad 2 is hitting various international markets on Friday, March 25th. This includes Canada where the boys in blue will be hawking the iPad 2 at a first come, first serve basis. (read: no pre-orders) The word comes by way of 9to5mac. Apparently the retailer expects lines and much like how many stores handled the iPad 2 launch in the US, customers in line will be given tickets that signifies their place in line. The word on the street is that the iPad 2′s supply is limited because of the Japan quake so you better call into work and camp out your local store if you really must have the iPad 2 on launch day. The second round might be weeks out.

The MapBag: Know Where You Are Through The Power Of Vibration

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PDT

Every few weeks I pop up out of the New York subway and forget where I am. I’ll start heading east when I wanted to west and north when I wanted to go south. East and west are the worst because it’s a long block before I usually realize I’m going the wrong way and, regardless of all of the potentially cues around me (street numbers, landmarks) I will invariably have to turn around a few times.

Well this bag, really a DIY project, aims to assist us in our travels. The device is sewn into a messenger bag and uses an Arduino board, a GPS chipset, and eight tiny motors. You set a direction or a waypoint and start moving. As you traverse the streetscape, the motors vibrate to tell you where you’re headed, like a sensory compass. After a few days, the creator, Josh, found it became second nature to depend on the vibrations to sense his position in the city.

The microcontroller constantly evaluates the wearer's current heading and the location of magnetic North, or the relative location of a user-defined waypoint (such as home). The microcontroller informs the wearer of compass information through the vibration motors, basically allowing you to read a compass with your body.

Regardless, I would totally build this thing if I weren’t afraid I’d mess it up and have it lead me into the East River.

Project Page via Make


AutoTech: 2012 Acura TL Quick Look (Video)

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:48 AM PDT

Whenever a new car comes out, it's always exciting to see new tech antiquating the old, a breath of fresh air, if you will. The 2012 Acura TL has been refreshed for the model year, with a host of upgrades and further refinements. Unfortunately, few of them were tech.

Acura has long been known for many industry firsts: VTEC, Drive-By-Wire, and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive. And for the most part many in-car technology firsts: in-dash navigation, satellite-linked real-time traffic and weather, and XM and Bluetooth as standard equipment. Now, all this stuff is pretty much standard fare.

After the refresh of the TL, it's apparent that Acura engineers took a more conservative approach to the car (unlike the older one), smoothing out bodylines and fixing the bold shape, as if performing rhinoplasty to Ashlee Simpson (she looked good before!). This is slightly unfortunate because I liked the bold and futuristic look. What nerdy futurist doesn't like a car that looks like a spaceship from years forward?

The TL's tech was pretty well equipped when the older, more rhino looking TL, launched in 2008. The features in the infotainment system were pretty good. For it's year, having live traffic and weather makes for pretty appealing tech. When we drove the new 2012 TL, we were confronted with an accident ahead. The TL knew this ahead of time and took us off the expressway onto a road that ran parallel. We could see all the cars backed up for miles as we drove uninhibited along the road to our destination.

Another great feature is Bluetooth streaming. This along with intelligent keys satisfies our demand to keep both key and mobile in pocket at all times. The updated TL gets AVRCP 1.3 support to control Bluetooth-enabled devices. This means that the car is able to seek between songs and grab metadata from Bluetooth devices (the older system could only play/stop/pause). But, Bluetooth streaming isn't good enough without the ability to access playlists and menus as if plugged into USB. That, however, won't happen until AVRCP 1.4.

The sound system in the car is one of the best we’ve ever heard, provided you listen to DVD-Audio exclusively. The channel separation and sound staging is near perfect in 5.1. That's right, near perfect, and a huge departure from two channel sound from USB, Bluetooth audio, or XM satellite. I still wish that SACD and DVD-Audio caught on. I'm glad to see Acura engineers include this feature in the TL.

Whenever traveling around and looking for places to go eat, dance or drink, the Acura system proves useful. It can call up a huge list of places, and even shows reviews from Zagat. Now, I could go into a huge rant about Zagat and how Yelp powered by a smartphone would be better. But I won't. For those without such smartphones, they’ll be content using this.

One thing I just couldn’t figure out was the voice recognition. When I did get it to work, it wanted to me to dial a number by saying them one-by-one. Also, if I wanted to say it by someone’s name, that would require setting up and recording voice tags first. Also, the new TL voice command offers the ability to call up music by artist, album, song, etc but it must have not liked my mid-western accent because it didn’t get a single one right. Luckily the USB connection was insanely fast — song scrolling was the fastest I’ve seen, ever.

So, the TL got a refresh but the infotainment didn't. And personally, it didn't need it just yet. When the car debuted in 2008 the technology was pretty robust. Considering the starting price for the technology equipped TL being $39,155, it's not that bad at all. The technology on the TL can hang with the best at this price. I will say that this should be the last time Acura puts this system in the TL. By time the next generation is due to come out, in-car infotainment systems will be light years ahead. Plus, I want to see Acura do something big next, another "first", if you will. Oh, and give Nuance a call, they can help with that voice recognition thing.

Crunching The Numbers Tech Report
Base Price: $35,605 No. Of Buttons: 61
Price As Tested: $45,085 No. Of Speakers: 10
New Stuff: LED-backlit display Coolest Feature: DVD-Audio
iPod Song Selection Speed: 10/10 Hella Fast Worst Feature: Voice recognition
Stated Gas Mileage:: 20 City, 29 Hwy Observed mpg: 19 average

Photos

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Lawsuits Allege Netflix Violates Privacy Rights All Over The Place

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Flickr’d

Netflix, the Internet darling, has come under fire from various privacy advocates. The company has been the subject of five (!) separate lawsuits in the past two months, all of which center on some of its privacy policies. The lawsuit alleges that Netflix holds onto customer data like rental habits and credit card numbers long after people had cancelled their membership.

One lawsuit, filed last Friday, alleges Netflix is in the business of "collecting, storing and maintaining for an indefinite period of time, the video rental histories of every customer that has ever rented a DVD from Netflix."

Another lawsuit called Netflix "Big Brother," saying that the company regularly "tramples" over the privacy rights of its customers.

In a fun little coincidence, all the lawsuits have been filed in the same district court in northern California that Sony has been fighting George "GeoHot" Hotz tooth-and-nail. (Did you hear the one about the guy who turned down a job at Sony because of its treatment of GeoHot?)

Netflix hasn’t commented on the lawsuits yet.

Remember: there’s nothing stopping you (yet) from buying your DVDs the old fashioned way, with cash and at a physical store.
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