CrunchGear

CrunchGear

Link to CrunchGear

Video: KDDI’s iida INFOBAR Android Handset Boasts Unique Design, UI

Posted: 17 May 2011 04:02 AM PDT

Japan's second largest mobile carrier KDDI au unveiled its summer line-up of cell phones today, and one of the 15 new models is particularly interesting: the so-called INFOBAR A01 [JP], which is part of KDDI's designer sub-brand iida. The biggest selling points are the Android phone's pretty unique design and UI. Read the rest on MobileCrunch.


Daily Crunch: Adrift Edition

Posted: 17 May 2011 12:00 AM PDT

ioSafe Releases 3TB Everythingproof Drive

Posted: 16 May 2011 05:28 PM PDT

ioSafe makes water, fire, and bomb-proof hard drives and they’ve just upgraded their SoloPRO device to support up to 3 terabytes of storage – enough for just about everything you could ever want to store. The drive is $499.99 and includes 12 months of data recovery service as well as eSATA and USB 3.0 connections.

The drive can withstand 1550° F for 30 minutes and live underwater at 10 feet for three days. My neighbor Carmine took a blowtorch to one of these things so you know it’s going to survive.

The 3TB drive is available now.

AUBURN, Calif., May 4, 2011 — ioSafe today announced the availability of a 3TB version of the fireproof and waterproof SoloPRO external hard drive. The 3TB SoloPRO enables users to store up to 1,500 hours of DVD-quality video, 45,000 hours of digital music or more than 500,000 digital photos.1

SoloPRO features include:

A choice of eSATA and USB 3.0 connections providing fast transfer speeds up to 3 to 4 times faster than USB 2.0.
Rugged disaster proof design. Both the USB 3.0 and eSATA versions of the SoloPRO protect against data loss at temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes per ASTM E119 or being submerged to a depth of 10 feet for up to 3 days.
12 months Data Recovery Service Standard. Up to $2,500 towards the cost of third-party forensic data recovery, one time, for any reason including accidental deletion, hard drive failure, fires, floods, etc. Upgradeable to 3 or 5 years for $49 or $99 respectively.
Available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and now 3TB.

Product Page


Fake USB Cable? Check. Hilarity? Guaranteed!

Posted: 16 May 2011 04:55 PM PDT

This $5 fake USB cable connects to almost anything (bananas included) and lets you pretend you have some of the coolest gadgets in the office. Want to make a Bananaputer? It’s only a click away.

Stick-on USB cable makes anything USB-compatible
Not really, but it’s fun for jokes and pranks!
Invented and designed by ThinkGeek.

Product Page


HEX iPod Watch Band Is The Last Gasp For The iPod Watch Band

Posted: 16 May 2011 03:40 PM PDT


While, arguably, HEX was first to market with their rubber sports band for the iPod Nano, they are now inexplicably creating more iPod watch bands for the millions of people out there who want to reduce the overall functionality of both their watch and their iPod in one fell swoop. The bands come in metal and leather and top out at $69 for a stainless-steel model.

I do believe it’s important to note, however, that Snoop Dogg thinks these things are “off tha chain” and he also believes that they are “goinn hard Uhearme,” a ringing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one. If Mr. Broadus thinks these things are legit (barring the obvious money he got for the endorsement) who are we to argue?

Product Page


Harman Announces Partnership With Luxoft For Next-Gen In-Vehicle Infotainment Systems

Posted: 16 May 2011 02:32 PM PDT

The automotive industry is the final frontier for many consumer A/V companies and Harman — you know, H/K, JBL, Mark Levinson — just made public the ongoing realationship that’s producing some leading infotainment systems. Luxoft and Harman employs more than 300 “development experts” mainly in a Ukraine dev center where they conjurer up systems at least in part for BMW and Daimler. It’s this now official 4-year old partnership that brought forth current leading infotainment systems over the last few years. Expect more from the team-up in the near future as well.

Luxoft Helps Harman International Develop Sophisticated Infotainment Systems for the Automotive Industry

Moscow, New York, May 16, 2011 – Luxoft, a leading global provider of advanced application and product development services, today announced that it is working with Harman International to conceive of, design and develop sophisticated infotainment systems for the automotive industry.

For more than four years, Luxoft has been involved in the maintenance of Harman's current products, as well as the development of future products and platforms that are critical to meeting evolving consumer demands, such as the "Internet of Things." Luxoft has dedicated more than 300 development experts, based mainly in its Ukraine Development Center, to work with Harman to meet its aggressive infotainment development goals.

“Consumer demand in the automotive sector is evolving rapidly, as drivers today are in search of sleek, sophisticated options that not only give them access to vehicle performance data, but also high-end infotainment options,” said Dinesh Paliwal, CEO, Harman International. “To meet that need, Luxoft has proven to be an invaluable partner over the past several years due to its industry expertise, ability to innovate and exceptional product and service delivery."

Currently, Luxoft is working with Harman on several automotive projects, including embedded real-time operating systems, advanced navigation systems, in-vehicle Internet capabilities and the integration of social networks into the driving experience. Many automotive manufacturers such as BMW and Daimler are currently using infotainment technologies that have resulted from this partnership.

"Over the years, we've seen our relationship with Harman grow into the strategic relationship that it is today," said Luxoft President and CEO, Dmitry Loschinin. "They look to us as a trusted partner, and we look forward to future opportunities to innovate as we're only scratching the surface of what we can accomplish together."

"In any such partnership, the most important thing is reliability and accountability for the time critical milestones," said Paliwal. "Luxoft's leadership and project teams have been incredibly responsive and attentive to our needs, and as a result, we have started treating Luxoft as our extended organization. We look forward to furthering our relationship with Luxoft and are excited to see what new automotive technologies are possible as a result.”

Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Hands-On

Posted: 16 May 2011 02:00 PM PDT

Despite the fact that some specs have already been leaked, we got a chance to get hands-on with the latest Think product from Lenovo and thought it was only fair that you get the complete story, too. Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 was officially announced today, and if you've seen the "Perfect Marriage of Form and Function" commercial, I can honestly tell you that it's no exaggeration of the truth. This is Lenovo's thinnest laptop to date, and possibly its most rugged.

In terms of specs, the 13-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 comes in two processor models: 2.5 GHz second-generation Intel Core i5-2520M and 2.1 GHz second-generation Intel Core i3-2310M, and according to Lenovo's release, the i7 will become an option soon, too. The laptop will run Windows 7 OS, and offer a choice between the Home Premium and Professional versions with 32-bit and 64-bit options. The ThinkPad X1 measures in at 13.3 inches across, 9.1 inches in length, and from front to back, .65 inches to .84 inches thin, weighing just 3.76 pounds. Along the side, the laptop offers support for HDMI output, USB 3.0 and 2.0, a 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack, and a 4-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, SDHC, SDXC).

And those are just the basics. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 can basically stand up to anything you put it through, within reason of course. Built from magnesium alloy with an interior roll cage, the ThinkPad X1 employs Corning Gorilla Glass, which was tested at the product launch event thrown by Lenovo. Think Product Group VP Dilip Bhatia whipped out his key chain and dragged a key across the laptop's display, with no harm caused.

The ThinkPad X1's keyboard is also pretty impressive. Not only did Lenovo improve the overall look and feel of this keyboard with the addition of an LED back-light, but the company also equipped it with some much-needed ruggedness. The redesigned keyboard sports a water-shedding design that keeps spills from frying the guts of your new laptop. Lenovo also got rid of the SysRq button in favor of dedicated multimedia and voice calling controls.

Lenovo has worked hard to make the ThinkPad X1 a more universal model than previous enterprise-focused products, and has done so with the addition of Dolby Home Theater v4 and a superbright high-def display. Entertainment may not be an integral part of a businessman's day, but as Mr. Bahtia pointed out at the event, a movie always comes in handy on those long business trips.

The battery life on this bad boy isn't all that special, offering just under 5 1/2 hours without the battery slice accessory. After popping in the slice, battery life extends to about 10 hours. But even though battery life may not be everything you've dreamed of, Lenovo is one step ahead, as the ThinkPad X1 features RapidCharge technology. This means that after just 30 minutes of charging, the laptop battery is charged up to 80 percent, and the user can get back to business.

All in all, this rugged little laptop will start out at $1,399, and go on sale tomorrow through Lenovo business partners or on Lenovo's website.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Lenovo ThinkPad X1


WD Launches 3 TB Hard Drive Despite PC’s 2.19-TB Barrier

Posted: 16 May 2011 08:58 AM PDT

WD today announced the launch of its 2.5 TB and 3 TB AV-GP SATA hard drives, targeted towards AV professionals and hobbyists alike, and set to ship immediately. The 3.5-inch hard drives offer low power consumption and more storage than you'll find on any other hard drive, which could come in handy for you AV geeks who use hard drives for storage-intensive purposes like the use of video recorders, video surveillance, single-drive media servers, and external multimedia storage.

As of now, these SATA hard drives from WD are actually too big for most computers, as drives larger than 2.19 TB are not supported by systems running Windows XP. Computers running 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, on the other hand, categorize drives larger than 2.19 TB as secondary drives. Therefore, it's pretty important that you engage in a little due diligence and check out WD's whitepaper before making any purchases, just to confirm that the WD AV-GP drives will work with your system.

Just to add a little perspective, the 3 TB model can hold up to approximately 600,000 photos, 230 hours of video, and 750,000 songs, according to WD’s specs page. The 2.5 and 3TB WD drives are available now for $159.99 and $179.99 respectively, and come with a three-year limited warranty.


The USB Scalaupe Checker, Everyone

Posted: 16 May 2011 08:40 AM PDT


Yep, it’s a USB camera specifically designed and marketed as a scalp checker with handy Twitter sharing tool! Because, you know, Twitter is the foremost site for sharing pics of your dandruff. $84 at USBFever.

Anti-Virus Vendors: Fight! AV Software Maker Sues Rival For Forcing Software Uninstalls

Posted: 16 May 2011 08:27 AM PDT


This is kind of goofy but interesting. A company called Kingsoft sued a company called 360 WebShield for forcing users to uninstall Kingsoft’s software on installing their own software. A small window would pop up to warn the user and they’d click a button to automatically run the install. Needless to say no one needs two anti-virus programs running at once, but Kingsoft saw it as an unfair practice.

According to a Kingsoft release, “The court ordered 360 to immediately stop all acts of unfair competition, give a public explanation to remove the effects and pay an indemnity of 300,000 yuan.” However, the release devolves into a mess of trash-talking near the end.

At the end of 2009, 360 launched 360 WebShield after the fashion of Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service, but so far it is still technically behind Kingsoft. Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service 360 loomed threateningly behind Security Guard by maintaining a high growth momentum. In May 2010 when the number of Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service users approached 100 million, 360 mobilized 360 Security Guard that had 300 million users to launch a smear campaign based on incompatibility arguments and induce users to force uninstall Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service.

360 Security Guard deliberately set up an obstacle in its software to force uninstall Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service in May last year and thereafter published a series of fictitious articles on its official website under the title Explanations Concerning Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service Interfering With the Running of 360 Security Guard, in which it defamed Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service by alleging that it obstructs the normal running of 360 Security Guard, fabricated stories to smear Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service by saying that it contains loopholes and distorted the facts by claiming that Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service is inferior to 360 Security Guard in an attempt to scare consumers away from using Kingsoft Antivirus WebShield Service and inflict further damage on Kingsoft security software.

Looks like these guys don’t mess around when it comes to shutting each other down. At this point there’s no telling who is winning this battle as 360 has surpassed 300 million downloads and is seemingly Asia-only.

Initial Thoughts On The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook

Posted: 16 May 2011 07:47 AM PDT

Google has finally made good on their promise to deliver Chrome OS to the world this summer. Or they will, on June 15 when the first Chromebooks are available. Considering that I’m potentially the perfect type of user for such a machine — that is, nearly everything I do these days is in the browser — I’ve been very interested in the OS/product development. Last week, I got my hands on one of the first models for a bit, and I thought I’d post some initial thoughts.

Following the formal unveiling on day two of Google I/O, Samsung and Google held a joint event to further show off the hardware to a group of journalists and give us some hands-on time with one of the first Chromebooks, the Samsung Series 5. I got to play with one for about 20 minutes. And while this is far from a full review, my initial impression is that it’s good. Really good. Especially for a first crack at a product.

Read more…


B&N Serves Up 1 Million Nook App Downloads

Posted: 16 May 2011 07:20 AM PDT

Barnes & Noble just announced that Nook Color users have downloaded over 1 millon apps so far, including Angry Birds, Drawing Pad, and Pulse. Obviously 1 million apps in comparison to the numbers downloaded (notice they didn’t say “sold”) is fairly paltry but it’s a great start.

This bit of news confirms what we’ve been saying for a while: the Nook is kind of a stealth Android device and, barring problems with processer power and general usability, it’s a fine entry-level tablet.

Barnes & Noble launched its App Store on April 25 and 1 million downloads in about a month isn’t too shabby. The only thing holding the store back is probably the pricing.

Barnes & Noble Quickly Hits 1 Million
NOOK Apps™ Downloads by NOOK Color™ Customers

Milestone Reached Just One Week After NOOK App Shopping Made Available to All NOOK Color Customers

Angry Birds, Drawing Pad, Fliq Calendar and Pulse Among Most Popular Apps

New York, New York – May 16, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, announced a major new milestone for its recently updated award-winning NOOK Color Reader's Tablet™. Just one week after the company made its free software update featuring popular NOOK Apps available over the air for all NOOK Color customers, customers have made more than one million apps downloads. NOOK Color customers are enjoying access to a variety of popular NOOK Apps and downloading a selection of both paid and free apps that get even more out of their Reader's Tablet, and have given the top 10 paid and free NOOK Apps the highest 4 or 5 star rating.

All NOOK Apps are optimized for NOOK Color's stunning 7-inch color touchscreen. The top five paid NOOK Apps are Angry Birds, Drawing Pad, Solitaire, Aces Jewel Hunt and Astraware Mahjong. Among the top five free NOOK Apps are Fliq Calendar, Fliq Notes, Pulse, NOOK Word of the Day™ and Fliq Tasks, which help keep customers organized and informed on the highly portable NOOK Color. With the recent v1.2 software update, Barnes & Noble brought the most-requested tablet features to its bestselling NOOK Color, which, in addition to NOOK Apps, includes full-featured built-in email, enhanced Web experience and more exciting content for adults and children. The device, which had already been acclaimed as the best reading device on the market, is now the best tablet value on the market at just $249.

"Our recent software update to NOOK Color delivered the most requested tablet features by our customers, including the ability to shop for and download high-quality apps. Reaching over a million app downloads in just a week since the launch of NOOK App shopping for all NOOK Color customers exceeded expectations, and is an exciting milestone for our developers, publishing partners, and most importantly for our rapidly growing NOOK Color user base," said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. "Our stores and booksellers have been a key part of educating our large NOOK customer base on the terrific applications available for them. We're building on the early success of our NOOK Apps offering by scaling our collection of popular apps with the thousands of developers who've approached us, while ensuring we continue to deliver the high-quality experience NOOK Color is known for.

Barnes & Noble continues to bring NOOK Color customers new applications from leading third-party developers and content providers for the whole family to enjoy. In the past weeks, Barnes & Noble has added new NOOK Apps including QuickOffice Pro, FriendCaster for Facebook, UrbanDaddy, more games from Concrete Software including Aces Traffic Pack, Aces Cribbage and PBA Bowling 2, FlightView Elite, RepliGo Reader, and 3001 Wisdom quotes. Recently added NOOK Apps for children include Bloki, My First Alphabet Sights & Sounds and CardDroid Math flash cards. Through the Shop area on the device, NOOK Color customers can easily explore NOOK Apps, available in categories including Play, Organize, Learn, Explore, Lifestyle, News and Kids. Approximately half of the collection available for $2.99 or less and the vast majority priced at $5.99 or less.

CrunchBase Information
nook
Information provided by CrunchBase

CrunchDeals: A $80 7-inch Android Tablet

Posted: 16 May 2011 07:07 AM PDT


The Velocity Micro Cruz 7-inch tablet is no iPad killer, but it’s only $80 on Woot today. The 7-inch 4:3 screen should display all the wonders of Android 2.0 wonderfully. Sure, there isn’t a lot to love about this little tab, but once again, it’s only $80. It doesn’t have access to Android Market and doesn’t come with Google Apps. You know it’s only $80, right? The 4GB internal storage isn’t anything to brag to your buddies, but, as I’ve said a few times now, it’s only $80 so it’s not like you’re buying an $800 Xoom.


The Space Shuttle Endeavour Lifts Off For The Last Time Today, Here’s How You Can Follow The Action

Posted: 16 May 2011 06:53 AM PDT


The Space Shuttle has been called the pickup truck of space. Well, for the Endeavour, today is the last time it will make the journey to its awesome work site. Like any truck it just wants to get the job done and blasted off minutes ago for one last trip to the ISS.

This last trip into space isn’t a joy ride for the Endeavour. It’s set to deploy the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), which Wikipedia tells me is a particle physics experiment that’s designed to study dark matter, antimatter, and the formation of the universe. Along with the new ISS module, the Endeaveour is carrying spare parts, a gas tank and a new communication antenna.

NASA makes it easy for everyone to follow along though. The space agency is well versed in the fine art of communicating through social networks. Actually, someone from NASA should probably send a PowerPoint to the rest of the US’ agencies, showing them the joys of livestreaming and Twitter.

Live broadcast


Streaming live video by Ustream

NASA TV is tasked with broadcasting the mission. Either watch the Ustream embed above or you could click through to NASA’s internal site. There are even iOS and Android streams.

Google Earth

You can follow the shuttle’s trajectory and flight path using Google Earth. First, download Google Earth and then this file to enable the tracking.

Twitter


RT @bnjacobs: Go Endeavour! Godspeed STS-134 crew… http://yfrog.com/h8suxjfjless than a minute ago via CoTweet Favorite Retweet ReplyNASA
NASA

NASA is a pro on Twitter. Follow @NASA_Astronauts for, well, the NASA Astrounauts, @NASA_Johnson is the space center, but it seems the most active today is @NASA.

RIM Issues Statement On Recall Of About 900 Playbooks

Posted: 16 May 2011 06:03 AM PDT

If you own a Playbook, you’d best check your serial number. There is a very minor issue in some Playbooks that cause it to freeze or fail during an initial software update.

RIM determined that approximately one thousand BlackBerry PlayBook tablets (16 GB) were shipped with an OS build that may result in the devices being unable to properly load software upon initial set-up.

The majority of the affected devices are still in the distribution channel and haven’t reached customers. RIM is working to replace the affected devices.

In the small number of cases where a customer received a PlayBook that is unable to properly load software upon initial set-up, they can contact RIM for assistance.

You can find the full list of serial numbers at Engadget and, if you find your Playbook acting up, contact RIM for a fix.

via Crackberry


Clerc Hydroscaph GMT Futuristic Dive Watch Review

Posted: 16 May 2011 05:52 AM PDT

According two Gerald Clerc, the founder of Clerc watches, there are two types of watch brands: those that sell watches due to large marketing and lifestyle campaigns, and those that sell watches due to originality and quality. Clerc is one of those latter brands. I have admired their work from afar since I learned about them a few years ago, and was happy to do this hands-on review of their Hydroscaph GMT. Clerc watches are mostly futuristic dive style watches with a functional twist, and I discovered that they are also pretty ergonomic and functional.

Read the rest here…

Netflix Closes Deal To Stream Miramax Films Starting Next Month

Posted: 16 May 2011 05:45 AM PDT

Netflix and its customers saw a big win today, as movies like Clerks, Cold Mountain, and Good Will Hunting will soon enough make their way into Netflix's Watch Instantly portfolio. The movie streaming service is jumping into bed with Miramax, and it seems to be getting pretty serious, as the couple signed a multi-year agreement allowing the streaming of movies from Miramax's library of films.

Hundreds of Miramax films will join Netflix's Watch Instantly catalog on a rotating basis, starting next month. Word of the deal originally surfaced in March, with a $100 million price tag and a five-year term seeming like the lucky numbers to complete the transaction. Now that it’s official, neither party has disclosed just how much Netflix spent. Whatever the cost, I'd suggest brushing up on your Kill Bill catchphrases to prepare for the wonder that is Miramax on Netflix.

Lenovo X1 Appears In All Its Swanky Glory On A Lenovo Notebook Comparison Chart

Posted: 16 May 2011 05:37 AM PDT


Let’s just say it: The Lenovo X1 is real, m’kay? It’s not even a leak anymore. A full-fledge stream of info has been pouring out of Lenovo about the upcoming notebook. Last week it was an X1 ad spot on the official Lenovo YouTube channel and now the notebook appeared — along with most of its stats — on a Lenovo notebook comparison screen. The damn thing is even listed on Amazon.

The only thing left at this point is for Lenovo to come out and say, “HEY GUYS! Heard about the X1? Yes? Hear about its IPS screen that’s covered with Gorilla Glass? Oh really? How about the standard USB 3.0 ports or optional fingerprint reader? You have? How about the US price and release date? No? GREAT!”
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)