January 27, 2008

Entertainment

Amazon MP3 Service Going Global; Epic iTunes Battle on the Horizon

Posted by Haroon Malik at 11:15 PM on January 27, 2008

Amazon_Crashing_On_iTunes%20GI.jpgAmazon's digital music catalogue is all set to go global, and although a launch date has not yet been settled, it shall hit sometime this year. Given Amazon MP3 offers DRM-free tracks, which are generally cheaper than iTunes limited, equivalent offerings, we cannot help but think an epic battle between the big As is all set to take off.


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Random Stuff

Old Websites Sure Are Funny

Posted by Mark Wilson at 3:59 PM on January 27, 2008

apple1997.jpgDigging through websites cached from the 90s is akin to seeing a celebrity's high school yearbook pictures—during the early, awkward years of the web, brave companies made a stab at winning consumer hearts through 15" CRTs and 14.4k dial up modems. Inspired by this MSU page, we decided to take a gander through the Internet Archive's Wayback machine (a service that started saving pages in 1996). Needless to say, we found some funny stuff.

toyota1996.jpgcbs1996.jpgdell1996.jpgfox1996.jpggoogle1998_1.jpggoogle1998_2.jpghp1996.jpgnintendo1996.jpgnokia1996.jpgreebok1996.jpgsamsung1996.jpgbestbuy1996.jpgcircuitcity1997.jpgplayboy1996.jpgsony1996.jpgyahoo1996.jpgnapster1999.jpglego1996.jpgcompusa1996.jpgabc1997.jpgnbc1996.jpgmicrosoft1996.jpgibm1996.jpghonda1997.jpgchevrolet1997.jpg


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Entertainment

Circuit City Clearing Out HD DVD Players For Cheap, For Ever

Posted by Matt Buchanan at 2:00 PM on January 27, 2008

waitplz.jpgA Circuit City employee writes on the High-Def Digest forum that Big Red is taking Toshiba's already deep HD DVD price cuts a step bloodier: They've tagged the cheap HD-A3 and higher-end HD-A30 as clearance items, moving them out the door for US$100 and US$150, respectively. Placing HD DVD on clearance effectively means Circuit City is quitting the format, at least on the hardware side. Someone ring the bell, please. [High-Def Digest via Max Console]


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Peripherals

Nex-Sys Corner V1 Desk is Comfy, Costly

Posted by Haroon Malik at 12:40 PM on January 27, 2008

Corner%20V1%20GI.jpgWhen you spend more time at your computer than Big Bird spends in Sesame Street, you're going to need to be comfortable. The Nex-Sys Corner V1 Desk tries to address the issue. You may mistake the luxury sit-up for another rock band peripheral kit, but don't be fooled. The Corner V1 has support for 2.1 speakers, height adjustable flat screen monitor and comes with a custom car seat to suit your disposition on the day you spend 1700-freaking-US-dollars on a desk and chair.


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Gadgets

Sony Mylo 2 Now Available

Posted by Haroon Malik at 11:40 AM on January 27, 2008

mylo%202%20sony%20center%20gi.jpgSony's portable web surfing device, the Mylo 2, which has full flash support, a touchscreen and Wi-Fi connectivity is now officially available for sale. The first shipments will take place on Monday, but you can go ahead and orders yours now. Check out out our complete Mylo 2 strip down, and groping session to make up your mind whether it is worth the US$299.99 asking price.

AU: I remember when the first Mylo was launched, I innocently asked whether or not we'd see it down here. The response: "Hahahahahaha!" (Okay, not really, but they did say no). My point is, if you want one of these, you'll probably have to import.
[Sony Center]


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Vehicles

Tesla Roadster Gets Street Legal Status, Crushed into a Pulp

Posted by Haroon Malik at 9:30 AM on January 27, 2008

Tesla%20Roadster%20Crash%20Test%20GI.jpgThe Tesla Roadster just had an appointment with the crash test dummies and a solid concrete wall. Good news—it got smashed up beyond recognition and is now street legal. The road to legality involved front and rear crash testing; windshield and rear view mirror visibility tests, as well as standard fittings compliance on vehicle parts. The automobile annihilation can be viewed in the gallery below.

crash1.jpgblog79_rear.jpgblog79_rear_crash.jpg


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Peripherals

Silex WUSB Device Server Gives You Pseudo Wireless USB

Posted by Haroon Malik at 8:20 AM on January 27, 2008

Silex%20WUSB%20GI.jpgThe Silex SX-2000WG USB Device Server is a nifty little gadget with a ridiculously long title. The WUSB will allow you to network your USB dependent peripherals wirelessly, they can then be reached via any computer on your WLAN. It is both Windows and Mac compatible, and works by utilising software that emulates a direct USB connection. The WUSB supports transfer speeds of 12Mbps, it can stream low resolution music and video and even sync your iPod. Wired free living will set you back to the tune of US$149. [Everything USB]


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Random Stuff

The Truth About Google

Posted by Mark Wilson at 6:20 AM on January 27, 2008

card1258.JPGFrom Indexed, one of my favourite sites on the web. It's funny because it's true. [indexed]


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Gadgets

Apple Patents Show Shuffle-Esque Remote Control, Other Goodies

Posted by Haroon Malik at 6:20 AM on January 27, 2008

Apple%20Patent%20GI.jpgApple has just walked home with six new patents, one of which details an iPod shuffle-like remote control. The image may not tell us much, but a reverse side clip is clearly visible, as is some form of circular control, which could be a scroll wheel or four way control pad. The iPhone comes with a basic in-line remote; could this be a more sophisticated offering? The other four patents described the following. Update: These products do not seem to be bringing anything new. The lanyard looks to be an iPod nano peripheral; both iPod shuffle iterations indicate the current model, and the remote has a striking similarity to the current iPod remote control, with integrated FM radio. The image technology may still be a note worthy patent acquisition.


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Software

Jailbroken 1.1.3 iPhone Having Faux-GPS Problems? Here's the Fix

Posted by Jason Chen at 6:19 AM on January 27, 2008

fix-gps.pngIf you've been having trouble getting the location service in Google Maps to work in your jailbroken iPhone, Lifehacker's figured out a fix to get you going again. [Lifehacker]


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Networks

Verizon, AT&T Respect Your SMS Privacy

Posted by Haroon Malik at 5:20 AM on January 27, 2008

TextMessageSecurity.jpgVerizon and AT&T have both gone on record saying they do not record SMS communications. The privacy debate is one that, understandably, gets emotions stirred, but you can all rest a little easy knowing the official stances of two of the major cellular networks.

AU: Sure, it's the US networks mentioned here, but this is an issue we should be carefully considering in our own backyard too.


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Gadgets

Steampunk NERF Weaponry

Posted by Mark Wilson at 3:26 AM on January 27, 2008

1426108901_dd1c6d8a53.jpgFact: NERF glocks are way cooler than their gunpowder-based alternatives. And steampunk (like certain varieties of sharp orange cheese) makes everything better. That's why we're flipping out over these customised steampunk NERF guns by Chris Furniss (even though you may have seen them before). It doesn't appear that Furniss fabricated anything, and instead scraped off the toy logos and painted the pistols to looks like an aged mixture of metals.


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Software

Qtrax Promises Legal P2P Music Sharing Service, the Impossible

Posted by Haroon Malik at 2:30 AM on January 27, 2008

Qtrax%20Music%20Free%20GI.jpg
We have long thought the acronym P2P was the very antonym of the word legal, but Qtrax, a new P2P music sharing service, has plans to rewrite the geek dictionary. Here's the skinny: The service is free, completely. Qtrax offers an unlimited service. It is supported by the four major labels, as well as smaller, niche music groups, and that means it will have a start-up music library of over 25 million songs. That is about four times bigger than iTunes, and about 100% cheaper. We know what you are thinking; is this all smoke without fire? Short answer; we're not sure, but Qtrax is hitting soon. Very, very soon.


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Software

Video Footage of Windows 7 Ultimate Leaked?

Posted by Haroon Malik at 12:25 AM on January 27, 2008


We already heard news about the next-gen Windows OS, Windows 7 Ultimate. Well, the fellows at Think Next are offering up a video, which they claim shows the "Milestone 1 code drop," all in shaky video glory. Check it out by hitting the video above.


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Phones

Retro Woodgrain Phone Invokes Synthesizers of Old

Posted by Adrian Covert at 12:02 AM on January 27, 2008

cul_art.jpgThe idea behind this phone concept is that it brings ideas together from past and present with its wood styling and smartphone functionality. The designer says the wood and rock casing is supposed bring together nature and technology, but it just looks like a piece of 70s tech to me (see the bluetooth headset with analog knobs). [Yanko Design]


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