"Dude, I just spent $100,000 on the most kick arse home theatre."

"Seriously??"

"Yeah, you've gotta come over for the game this Monday."

"I'm so there! What's it got?"

"Well, the four 42" plasmas are sweet. But the centerpiece has to be this awesome 144-inch Draper screen with a gorgeous 720p Sanyo projector."

"Whoa! Wait...did you say, 720p?"

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Starting November 9th, it'll be Germany's turn to embrace or reject Apple's iPhone, and T-Mobile will be the provider. Contrary to hopes of a 3G iPhone in Europe, just like here in U.S., the phones will start out using the EDGE network for data, and Wi-Fi will speed things up if there are any hotspots in the vicinity. Hit the jump for pricing details.

Germans will pay €399 ($575) for the 8GB iPhone, along with a €25 ($36) activation fee, and these prices are in effect with a two-year contract. Calling plans will start at €49 ($71) per month, and except for that higher pricing, are similar to those in the U.S. [Apple Germany]

Ever thought of getting yourself a permanent pair of Star Trek Vulcan ears? A day trip to the plastic surgeon can get that done for you. This body modification is said to enhance the music listening experience, but then, you have to go around looking like Spock to enjoy that questionable benefit.

Done under local anesthesia, the plastic surgeon uses existing ear cartilage and skin to extend the top of the ear, and after three to four weeks, it's healed up enough for you to convincingly start telling people to live long and prosper. But what if your new ears make music sound worse? There's no word on how difficult it is to reverse the surgery. Maybe there's a way to test out the effect before you take the plunge. Hey, all the hepcats in New York are doing it, so it must be cool. [Plasmetic]

Apparently at least some of the Leopard security vulnerabilities have already been exploited, but only through the aid of stupid hornball Mac users. Was that childish of us to call porn-craved Mac users "hornballs" and imply that some of them are stupid? Maybe. And the image of of Justin Long doing the dirty certainly won't fit nicely in our next Mac fantasy, but we're just doing our job here.

Security company Intego discovered that the OSX.RSPlug.A Trojan horse malware is infecting users on certain porn sites who agree to upgrade their video codec. Oh, and it's not a simple button press, either. Users need to agree, download the file, mount the .dmg and install it on their dic- disk. When the malware is setup properly, a computer's DNS settings will change, redirecting browsers to phishing sites and ads for porn.

Cry me a river. This isn't some dangerous Trogan horse, it's pornographic Darwinism. [cnet]

Here's a better way to pay for stuff. By just touching your fingertip to this Pay by Touch biometric system, you can pay for anything in the ten Chicago Shell stations that are now testing the tech. So this means there's no need to reach for that credit card or even your wallet; all you have to do is touch a certain spot on the pump or in the store, and your online credit or debit card account pays for your gas. Add this tech to Shell's multimedia pumps currently deployed in 300 gas stations across the U.S., showing NBC programming (and advertising) as well as news, weather and sports (also with ads) from Fuel Media International, and people might start hanging out at the high-tech gas pumps for the afternoon. But so far, uptake is slow.

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Japan is going to start tracking their defence officials through hi-tech, James Bondish means—GPS-enabled phones. After a retired defence official admitted to playing hundreds of free rounds of golf (bought by a defence contractor) while on the job, officials of the officials have gotten upset, and decided that members of the defence ministry need to be accounted. For now, the compromise is that defence officials will carry special phones in times of emergency only, which seems like a fair compromise. But that's not stopping those crying over spilt golf.

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Guess those rumours were true about impending MacBook updates. Apple didn't make a big deal about it, but right under everyone's noses the company's upgraded its popular MacBook laptops, finally goosing them up to the Santa Rosa architecture with GMA X3100 integrated video, giving those graphics a sprightly new lease on life. Santa Rosa gives the MacBook a welcome speed bump, raising the front-side bus speed to 800MHz from 667MHz. Both the white and black MacBooks get the new chipset, and the MacBook Pro, already totin' Santa Rosa, was also annointed with a new chip and drive choice. Let's drill down for the details.

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Remember that early Wal-Mart Black Friday we told you about? It just got blacker. Wal-Mart tells us that it will be selling Toshiba's HD-A2 for $99 over the weekend only, starting Friday. Yes, at long last, the HD DVD player that was hovering in the mid $200s will break the (definitely profit-free) $100 barrier, at least temporarily. But our source says that this is not definitive proof that HD DVD will win: Wal-Mart will have an unspecified Blu-ray deal or two as well, so keep an eye out. [Wal-Mart]

Approximately 100k iPhone users, and what I'd guess as about 5-7% of all iPhone users, browsed to jailbreakme.com to put apps back on their 1.1.1 iPhones. That's not far from the 9% owner base that Apple brags picked up 2 million Leopard copies over the first two days of sales. That's a lot of iPhone hacking. [iPhone Atlas via Crave's Krazit]

AU: I used this to unlock an iPod touch, so I think they might be forgetting there could be a large count on that side of things too. -SB

Not a lot needs to be said for these speakers, since combining them with picture frames is such a strange idea to begin with. But MIRAEPLASMA's creation has some cool technology under the surface. Utilizing a "plasma technology" within its film speaker, the speakers have a comparatively thin form factor and are said to offer sound quality akin to a conventional PC speaker. Selling for $33 when they hit Korean stores, these might do well if they were came over to North America. More photos over at Aving. [Aving via Oh Gizmo!]

Thanks to the "enormous demand" Asus heard was out in the market for the Eee PC (we'll pretend our narky rant post had something to do with it), they have trashed their original "special tender only" plans and will be launching the ultra mobile computer into the market in December at $499.

No word on exactly who will be stocking the computer, with Asus stating they are "in the process of selecting its partner(s) of choice."

For those who haven't paid attention to date because of the original plans, the Eee PC is running off flash storage, no HDD, and the operating system will be Linux, while offering the option to opt for Windows Vista. Full specs have been previously described here.

Famed maker of awesome Takara Tomy's latest bundle of cool is a super cute air filter for babies. It's outfitted with an antibacterial filter and Sharp's "decontamination ion" purification tech (my AC in Japan actually had this too) so your offspring don't inhale all the nasty, germ-y stuff floating around your house. It's about $150 (17,640 yen), so it's kind of pricey, but it's smaller (115x80x140mm) and definitely packs in more cute per square inch than most air filters. [Fuji Sankei via Tokyo Mango]

In case you were unawares, the contract between Hollywood producers and the Writers Guild of America was supposed to expire a few hours ago, leading to a possible strike, meaning bad things could happen. One of the major issues is digital content and distribution—after getting screwed over by the terms of how they were paid from video and DVD, set many moons ago, they're leery of losing out on tons of cash yet again. Since a multitude of content is going online in an infinitude of formats—web-exclusive content, full episode replays, ARG, etc. on network websites, iTunes and the works—the terms are inevitably just as complicated. Right now, writers only get coin if a viewer pays to see the goods, making ad-supported Hulu, for instance, a black hole for them no matter how many users tune in.

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Comcast ain't so happy about the FCC's vote to ban exclusive apartment contracts for cable providers. Says Sena Fitzmaurice, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Government Relations:

"Consumers in apartment buildings and condos across the nation received a blow today from the action taken by the FCC. The result of this decision is likely to be higher prices for services and years of litigation and uncertainty for consumers. The significant concessions building owners have been able to bargain for on behalf of their residents will be lost."

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If you've made the switch from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs in order to be more energy/money efficient, one issue possibly plaguing your otherwise greener conscience is where to recycle it after it goes cold in about seven years, since it can't be recycled with glass bottles, thanks to its mercury content. IKEA to the rescue! They'll take old CFLs off of your hands for free recycling, which is useful given the big push CFL bulbs are getting from everyone from Wal-Mart to governments. Of course, the snag is that's only helpful if you have an IKEA somewhere in your general vicinity, but them's the breaks. [IKEA via Consumerist, Flickr]

Up until now, Verizon Wireless has charged people with any America's Choice plan $5 per month extra to use the Mobile Web for any reason, and has charged airtime minutes while you use it. In a transition that is intended... Read More »

Rip Curl wetsuits may keep surfers warm in general, but nobody recommended hitting the waves in 20 degree weather, with wind chill factor bringing it down to -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Not until the arrival of the H-Bomb power-heated wetsuit, that is. All we know about this unreleased product is that it uses "fibre-heating elements, which conduct electricity that generate heat and warm the blood." This video was shot last winter, when Floridian Adam Wickwire and Hawaiian Elise Garrigue went product testing in the "icy, unexplored oceans of the Arctic Circle." [Rip Curl] Thanks, Matt!

No. Peter Semmelhack explains why his open source gadget hardware will never be as lean and mean of an email chucking machine as the Blackberry. The BB's about doing a few things particularly well, while his hardware is meant to stimulate the brain and live up to your imaginative hacking plans. Like legos, they're bricky and you can build stuff from them, but don't expect something slim in the pocket. [Bug Labs on Giz]

You can join the Gizmodo Australia Movember team, too. If you're the kind of person who doesn't give a crap about men's health issues like prostate cancer (18,700 diagnosed and 2,900 die each year) or depression (1 in 6 men are depressed, most don't seek help), just skip to the next post.

If you do give a damn, there are a few things you can do this month to help. One is throw a few sponsorship dollars at me and the team. The other is to join the team, grow your own mo, and help find even more sponsors. Money raised goes into funding research and increasing support networks for men who suffer from both these issues. Mo Sistas are welcome too, for the girls who would like to get involved - I don't think you have to refrain from any shaving, just us guys. Every person that raises $100 or more gets a free ticket to the gala event in the capital of your choice.

The details? Hit the Movember site and join the group. My rego is 126828 and email is seamus@ (you know the domain). Let's make the Giz AU Mo Team one of the best teams in the game! I'll update my face over the coming weeks to show progress on the mo...

If you have been eagerly anticipating the release of the LG VX10000 "Voyager" from Verizon, you will be happy to know that a full spec sheet has leaked onto the web. A recent hands on revealed some interesting details like an external touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, and an HTML browser —but the spec sheet elaborates with features like: internal and external displays with 400 x 240 resolution, 240 minutes of talk time and 480 hours of standby, QVGA video resolution, and more. There is even a list of available accessories —but still no word on pricing. For the full details on the Voyager specs, hit the following PDF link. [Spec Sheet PDF via Phone News]

It's far from destructive, but the indoor tornado set up at the Mercedes-Benz museum is cool nonetheless. Using the museum's 144 air intake nozzles, they set up a smoke machine on the ground below, had air blowing in from the sides causing a swirling effect and let the nozzles suck up the smoke. The Guiness Book of World Records officially declared it the largest indoor tornado. I think want one of these in my house. [Pop Sci]

Intel and Microsoft have shipped 150,000 of their "Classmate PCs" to the Libyan government, beating the OLPC to the market there. OLPC is expected to ship 1.2 million of their laptops to Libya, but that may prove difficult given the recent news regarding production problems. [BetaNews]

That first edition version of Mobile Foxtel was one of the biggest jokes ever to hit a network that often makes jokes at the expense of its customers. That so-called Foxtel was looped, and stale, content, and the terms of use said you couldn't use more than 15 minutes at a time or they'd bump you. You know, half way through that episode of a show you were just watching? It was okay, though, because you'd seen it a year ago...

Now Telstra has stepped up to deliver a far more substantial Foxtel package for your mobile. And at its WORST, we're talking about $18 per month for 30-some channels of streaming TV. Plus Foxtel iQ owners will be able to set their box to record from their mobile. If you really want to bitch about that, then I'm afraid I'll have to call you a whiney little bitch.

No, I'd rather bitch about something else.

THEY ARE STILL TALKING 15 MINUTE PER SESSION, 200 MINUTE PER MONTH LIMITS!

I've got more where that came from. Read on, dear friend, read on.

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If you're not exactly down with the state of e-voting in the US (and you really shouldn't be), the Election Assistance Committee (a federal oversight committee that now has reign over certifying e-voting machines) wants to hear about it and... Read More »

Last week we mentioned a rumour that a variant of the Samsung F700 could make its way on the Verizon network sometime in the near future. Today, another rumour from Phone Arena has determined that the variant is actually the Samsung SCH-U940, and it is set to make its official debut sometime in the next few months. Details are scarce but word on the street is that the U940 will feature a 440x240 pixel touch screen, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and a 2 MP camera downgrade from the 3MP version found on the F700. Again, keep in mind that no official announcement has been made. [Phone Arena]

Whether you tune in for Keynote liveblogs, or despise Applemodo, Options by Fake Steve Jobs will be an effortless read. The opening:

It is Tuesday afternoon. I am barefoot, sitting on a cushion in the lotus position, gazing at a circuit board. This board, no bigger than a playing card, has taken years to create. It is the heart of the of the iPhone, the most important object my engineers have ever assembled. And it is wrong. I do not know why, exactly. But it is wrong. By this i do not mean that the board does not function correctly. It functions perfectly. But it lacks beauty. My engineers argue that a circuit board need not be beautiful, since no one will ever see it.

"Yes," I say, "but I will know it is there. And I will know that it is not beautiful."

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Ever heard of Kogan? Neither had we. But this new Aussie upstart in the business of consumer electronics — from TVs to GPS to digital photo frames — has decided he's had enough of the traditions of getting fleeced on local pricing and decided to go direct to China for a better deal. Now you can buy Kogan brand gear either through their eBay store or through the new Kogan Express online store.

Kogan claims to be using Samsung panels in their screens, though no idea what generation they are talking about. In a story in the SMH, Samsung Australia were asked about this and they said they are looking into it with their plants — I'd imagine they'd be keen to kick his butt if he was lying, but this story ran back in March, so it seems he may have come away from that encounter okay.

More specifics after the bump that show why this could be a great, and low risk, option for a cheap TV.

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If you kept up with our Mac OSX Leopard Liveblog, you might have heard that Apple pulled wireless Time Machine back-ups with AirPort disks at the last minute. If you were irritated by this development, good news may be on the horizon. According to an Appleinsider source, Apple is classifying the AirPort disk issue as a known issue. So if the rumours are true, engineers are looking into it and an upcoming maintenance update resolving the problem may be well on its way. [Appleinsider]

Game|Life has gotten their box of Rock Band goodness and it looks like there's more cardboard and assembly instructions involved than a desktop from Dell. After tearing through the tree's worth of post-consumer recycled packaging and freeing various appendages from twist ties, you then have to put the whole damn thing together, which apparently requires a small novella for the drum kit. Check a couple more shots after the jump, or just head over to Game|Life to see all of the pulling, snapping excitement. [Unboxing, Drum Kit Assembly]

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Brian and I have been debating the merits of the Leopard feature called Spaces. Using CTRL keys, you can shift up, down, left and right, to different sets of open apps and windows, while the desktop itself remains stationary wherever you go. I have jumped in with glee, but Blam is not as sold: he thinks it does pretty much what Exposé does for him already. Here's how the debate went, but we're curious as to what you thought.

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We've heard plenty about the UK launch of the Skypephone recently, and now the very same phone is available here on the local 3 network. While Skype to Skype calling has been available already through X-Series plans, this new handset makes Skype available to anyone else on 3.

The handset is free on a $29 cap over 24 months, or $179 pre-paid. The deal includes 4,000 minutes of free Skype to Skype and 10,000 free Skype chat messages. That's more than 2 hours per day of Skype calling. Nice if you can get your family and friends to get Skype'd up. The handset itself offers all the usual features: net, Bluetooth, MP3, microSD expansion, and a 2.0Mp camera (though I don't see a front camera, so you're SOL on 3 video calling).

The main colour doing the rounds is blue, though they mention pink trim is available for the laydeez. Available 'before Christmas'. [3 Skypephone]

Everyone needs a gas mask to go with their tinfoil hat, but the problem is that they tend to cost too damn much. Unless you construct one from scrap parts from your last PC. With a paper bag base, CD case visor and a filter fashioned from a keyboard box, cleaning disk, CPU fan and a WC paper tube, it's probably not going to shield you from Resident Evil or Planet Terror-esque biohazardous tomfoolery, but the listed specs do promise protection from acid rain, your mother-in-law and +10 to haxx0r skills. [Sorgonet via Makezine]

Tough couple of days around these parts, with a mix of personal and technical issues holding up the AU end of postage. Thanks for not getting too rowdy in your complaints -- here's the best of last night as a reward! 100 California households get to test drive plug-in Prius
Fantastic step forward in the quest for clean cars. Next stop, clean power to feed them... Fastest Windows Vista notebook? A MacBook Pro
Fanboys, time for a high noon face-off. Winner takes all. 12 best jack-o'-lanterns in the world
Halloween may not be big here, but everyone can appreciate 1337 carving skillz. Initial D takes arcade driving sims to next level
Real WRXs, RX-7s, and Tofus all hooked up in a racing sim. Full functioning nanotube radio
A single carbon nanotube doing everything it needs to be a radio. Modern science is so damn confusing... Gphone hype drives Google stock past $700
This is insane. That's 823% growth on IPO in just over three years.

If you can believe it, the Do Hit Chair is a a $6020, 0.04" thick steel cube that the user smashes to resemble something approaching a chair. This "customizable" seating solution was designed by Marijn van der Poll and one can only assume that the absurd price tag on this thing is some sort of art-based premium. Honestly, charging this much for something so damn stupid because it is technically a "work of art" is infuriating. In fact, it makes me want to grab a sledgehammer and break some shit. Maybe that was the point in the first place. [Product Page via Productdose via Geekologie]

Saitek continues on the path of insane 3200dpi laser gaming mice, though its latest, the Cyborg, seems to take a cue from Logitech's G9 design-wise with a boatload of customisation options—unless you're a leftie (ha!). Besides being similarly ugly, you can adjust the grip by sliding the front section forward or backward, rather than pop the outer shell off entirely. Its four-way scroll wheel also has adjustable speed settings, which Saitek says is unique for a gaming mouse. Finally, two of its buttons are apparently "freely programmable" in addition to built-in media controls. Oh, and like any high-end gaming mouse of late—a useless trend if ever there was—it has swappable weights. No official street date or price, though Amazon UK pegs it as Jan. 11 for £40 ($83). [Electronista]

Other than these quick and dirty snapshots smuggled out a presentation somewhere, not much is known about the new UIQ interface. Although, many Sony Ericsson users will undoubtedly be excited about getting a closer look at what appears to be a much improved UI. [Gearfuse]

Whatever Google might announce in two weeks, they're certainly reaping the benefits already: Hype over their mobile plans has shoved their stock price to over $700 a share, an eightfold increase since its IPO three years ago. The $20 its stock has shot up in the last couple of days has pushed its market value to $217 billion, according to Henry Blodget of Slate and Silicon Valley Insider, making it the fifth most valuable company in the country. That means it trails only Exxon Mobil, GE, Microsoft and AT&T, stomping out Proctor & Gamble, Bank of American and Citigroup. Bits nicely packages what's so compelling about the whole thing:

What has been amazing to watch is that investors keep bidding up the share price and the company responds by earning so much money as to bring each new dream back into the not-preposterous range.

[Yahoo!/Infoworld, Bits, Flickr]