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.
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.”
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 to pave the way for more variety of data usage, VZW is dropping America’s Choice altogether. The new Nationwide plans will have Mobile Web included, without a $5 monthly charge. But here’s the thing: instead of charging airtime for web and other data use, you will get charged $1.99 per megabyte of use. There are some exceptions to this rule:
You won’t get charged for data use if you are downloading songs from V Cast Music Store, or sending and receiving picture or video messages, though they still cost 25 cents a piece. Ditto for 15-cent text messages. Subscribers to V Cast video service (starting at $15 per month) will get unlimited data use for Mobile Web, as you would hope.
New add-ons to Nationwide include $20 for unlimited text messages and $40 for the full meal deal: monthly subscriptions and unlimited megabyte usage for Mobile Web, Get It Now, V CAST Video, VZ Navigator and Mobile E-mail. That is one “I HEART Verizon” plan.
Word is, some of this will also apply to the new BlackBerry plans, but I don’t have details on that just yet, so stay tuned.
It’s not a whoo-hoo, thrilling plan revision meant to save you loads of money, but it does show that Verizon is no longer clinging to this antiquated concept of airtime in a data-based world. I have confirmed that if you do want to ditch your old America’s Choice plan and swap into a Nationwide one, you will be able do to so without renewing your contract, just like we told you. [Verizon Wireless]
newVideoPlayer("hbomb_gawker.flv", 475, 286);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!
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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]
I’ve decided to throw myself behind the great Movember movement, which means from the clean shaven face you see above I’ll be working on some kind of mo. Got any ideas?
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]
