Sunday, April 27, 2008

Mobile

Eric’s Huge iPhone is Large, Probably Doesn’t Make Calls

11:15PM April 27, 2008 | Haroon Malik

The picture is all we have to go on, so what we can tell is this; it looks like an iPhone, but that probably isn’t a real touchscreen. Sadly, we doubt it will be making any calls either. You know what they say; if it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck, chances are it is a duck. Well, in light of that information, we can rule out the possibility that it is a duck. I think we can slowly eliminate stuff it isn’t in this fashion, eventually we’ll get our answer. Alternatively, Eric, if you’re reading, drop us a line and let us know what the hell’s going on, buddy. [Flickr via Unplugged via winandmac]

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Mobile

RIM Engineers Call Touchscreen Blackberry “Apple Killer”

5:09PM April 27, 2008 | Matt Buchanan

A New York Times story about the iPhone’s assault on Blackberry-maker RIM has a couple of interesting bits in it, notably that RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis isn’t a fan of touchscreens (“I couldn’t type on it and I still can’t type on it, and a lot of my friends can’t type on it”) but RIM’s hard at work on the long-rumoured touchscreen Blackberry anyway, which RIM engineers have privately dubbed “the A.K.—for ‘Apple Killer.’”

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Entertainment

Apple i Keynote Parody is Spot On

1:45PM April 27, 2008 | Haroon Malik

College Humor is running a parody of Steve in Keynote mode, we know it isn’t the first or won’t be the last, but it has some of the Steve’s actions, crowd reactions and the overall atmosphere pretty much down to perfection. On top of all that, it does a good job at making us laugh—just look at the damn product description! The sketch even includes a commercial demonstration, and the whole clip is quality through and through. Hit the link for the video and then let us know if you’d be first in line to purchase the i. We definitely would—hey, it’s chromy, glassy and shiny. [College Humor]

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Azoo Eco-Desk Puts a Self-Cleaning Aquarium in Your Desk

12:30PM April 27, 2008 | Haroon Malik

I’m pretty sure Missy Elliot had something similar to Azoo’s Eco-Desk, which has a self-cleaning tropical fish aquarium contained within a glass and aluminium body. Alas, hers was made by Lamborghini, so this is the poor man’s / international female hip-hop star’s iteration, but it’s still a bit of cool for your apartment. The glass top rests on a hinged support, which can be pulled open to allow Nemo to escape back home, or better yet, add some company to the captives inside. The aquarium contains Azoo’s solution for biological, water and temperature control, meaning you don’t have to worry about anything other than why your Coi Carp look so damn uncomfortable.

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Science

Europe Kicks Off Saturday Night With A Rocket Launch

11:30AM April 27, 2008 | Gizmodo US Edition

Europeans sure know how to celebrate a Saturday night! While I spent the good part of Happy Hour knocking back shots, our cousins from across the ocean shot a satellite up into space. The Giove-B satellite, a demonstrator that will test key technologies needed in satellite navigation systems, ascended to the heavens at 22:16 GMT.

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Bioplastics: Environmentally Unfriendly, Contributing To The Food Crisis

10:00AM April 27, 2008 | Gizmodo US Edition

About those bioplastic bags – you know, the ones you’ve been using to assuage your eco-conscious guilt – turns out not only are they not as green as you think, they could also be partially responsible for the global food crisis. A worldwide effort by bag-heavy industries to replace petroleum-based plastics with plant-based plastics could actually lead to more environmental problems, according to a study by the Guardian UK.

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Mobile

Haptic Feedback Implementation Coming to iPhone Courtesy of Immersion Corp?

9:00AM April 27, 2008 | Haroon Malik

If a Palluxo.com source is to be believed, Apple is currently in talks with Immersion Corp. regarding haptic technology implementation for the iPhone. Immersion Corp. solutions have been implemented in Samsung handsets in the past and it now looks like Apple want in on the action. The conjecture gathers weight thanks to Clent Richardson, a former Apple executive that has just been appointed as Immersion Corporation’s CEO.

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Gaming

EMOPORT Tries To Make That Time Of The Month Fun, Fails Miserably

8:00AM April 27, 2008 | Gizmodo US Edition

You know how us girls have these nasty things called “periods” we need to deal with that turn us into moody, erratic, cramping monsters? The EMOPORT “software/games” device promises to magically make our menstruation nightmare go away — through the healing powers of hand-held video games.

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Single Mother Gets RIAA Suit Dismissed, Sues Them Right Back

7:00AM April 27, 2008 | Adam Frucci

Now here’s something we love to see: Tanya Andersen, a 45-year-old single mother, is taking on the RIAA for their sleazy tactics and appears to be winning. After being sued for piracy and having the case dismissed, she decided to go ahead and sue the RIAA for conspiracy. She argues that the way the RIAA snoops around looking for people to sue is in violation of the law, as is the way they try to extort settlements out of people without going to trial. BusinessWeek has a whole profile of Andersen and her battle against the RIAA, and it’s well worth the read. Go check it out; it’s not like you’ve got other stuff to do. [BusinessWeek via CrunchGear]

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Gadgets

Solar Water Heater Provides Free Hot Showers

6:00AM April 27, 2008 | Adam Frucci

The SolarStore is essentially a hot water heater that uses the sun as its energy source. Inflatable from a backpack, this guy will hold up to three full tanks of water and make it nice and toasty for your showering needs. It’s a great, cheap alternative to hot water heaters, what with it costing a mere US$200, but it’ll be pretty much useless to anyone who lives in a climate that gets really cold in the wintertime. But for those in developing nations with the proper conditions, it could be a great choice. [Environmental Graffiti via New Launches]

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