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Updated: Samsung Plan On Giving Away Foxtel iQ2 Set-Top Boxes
Posted by Nick Broughall at 11:46 AM on June 28, 2008
UPDATE: One of our tipsters has sent through this image of an upcoming catalogue proving the Samsung giveaway is legit. Of course, what's interesting to note (that wasn't mentioned in either the Australian or CNet articles, is that customers have a choice between the Foxtel iQ2 box or a new Samsung BDP-1500 Blu-ray player. This would make sense - not everyone can get Foxtel, and not everyone would want to subscribe to the Foxtel service either.
We'll obviously keep you posted on any official announcement from Samsung, but seeing as how this catalogue is due to go out this week (and the promotion due to start on July 1, we expect to have official word for you very soon.
Since the advent of plasma TVs and their subsequent rise to power (alongside LCDs, of course); TV manufacturers have seen huge sales boosts just before major sporting events. And seeing as how this year is an Olympic year, it's no surprise that we're seeing some really awesome promotions come out of the woodwork in the lead up to Beijing.
Earlier this week we told you about the Sony Bravia promotion, which will see 35,000 Bravia customers receive a free PS3, but now the Australian (and CNet AU) are reporting that next week we'll be hearing about a Samsung promotion which includes a Foxtel iQ2 box for HD entertainment.
The rumours state that Samsung will be forking over the $200 upgrade fee that Foxtel is charging subscribers to install the iQ2 when they buy a new Samsung TV. There hasn't been any official confirmation from either Samsung or Foxtel yet, so we don't know which TVs will include the Foxtel box in the price, but it will obviously cater to their premium lineup of HD displays.
So it looks like July is going to be the month that many of us buy TVs. But which promotion is more appealing?
Well, the time has come. It's 6 p.m., and according to the Bill Gates' retirement video, this is the exact moment Bill is leaving from his last day of work. With this monumental occasion, we thought it was only fitting we send him off with an 
I thought I had seen the last of the 
These are dangerous times we live in--which is why I am sure that some of America's greatest minds are out there toiling away on new gadgets we can use to protect ourselves in the war against terrorism. Unfortunately, the people who patented these 10 anti-terrorism gadgets are not among these brilliant thinkers. Sure they are creative, but an aeroplane sleeping gas system and an explosion containment umbrella? Would a doggie earphone that helps you remotely contact your dog to give verbal instructions make you feel safer? Seriously, if this is the best we can come up with, this country is in serious trouble. Hit the link for the full list. [
Sam Redfield of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group has designed a bucket-based hydroelectric generator that can be made with easily obtainable, affordable parts. The "pico generator" is intended to provide a modest power supply suitable for home lighting and small appliances to remote destinations. They've already tested the bucket at La Florida in Guatemala, where it demonstrated the ability to power five retro Motorola handsets from hustle'n flow of a small stream.
After Nvidia picked up PhysX, it was obvious ATI would probably get left out of 
Google Media Server is a Google Desktop add-on that provides a way to get PC media content onto your TV. With the help of a UPnP device, Google Media Server collects all the relevant media files from your PC and makes them available over a local host. While it doesn't seem as direct as a device like SlingCatcher, it's probably a whole lot cheaper. Google Media Server is available for download 
Is Bill's last day in the office going just like 
In order to survey the impact of massive solar power plants on the environment and wildlife, the federal government is freezing new solar projects on public land for about two years. The alternative energy industry is reacting as if the world's tofu supply has been exhausted, since this effectively nukes new solar power development for the time being (because buying private land is way more expensive for startups than leasing public land).
Don't you hate it when your perfect heist is foiled by some hidden camera that serves your head to the police on a platter? Well some deviant genius posted a video on Metacafe showing you how to create a pair of LED shades that hides your face on CCTV. All you need are a couple of LEDs, some wire, tiny batteries and a bit of skill. But if committing felonies aren't quite your thing, maybe you'll appreciate the fact these also make you look like some possessed spawn of Satan on camera. [
ICANN has just made a decision that goes beyond allowing .xxx to be a top level domain; they're allowing all words to be top level domains. That means you're going to see domains like fuck.shit, shit.shit, shit.fuck, whatisthisshit.fuck, and so forth. What's not allowed is domains that conflict with trademarks (.pepsi was the example), too similar to current top level domains, or names associated with countries or governments (juicy.turkey). Companies will also register their products and services, leading to really annoying domains like pleaseplayyour.ps3pleaseplease, or dontyouwantanother.ipod. Nice one, ICANN. Nice one. [
The main problem with being tech savvy is that everyone looks to you to solve their gadget-related issues. I mean, I'm happy to help but sometimes I just want to say "go and Google it dammit!" This is especially true with anything computer related. You know what I'm talking about--that frantic call from a friend who says their computer isn't working, so you go over there and find it unplugged. Seriously, I don't know how IT people can stand it. So, my question is: are you one of those people that gets stuck fixing everyone's gadget problems?
Microsoft gets more crap than any other company in tech. That's partly because it's given us garbage like Clippy, Microsoft BOB and Windows Vista. And it's partly because it's arguably the most important company in personal computing. Sure, Apple gets all the fawning press for designing pretty, easy-to-use gadgets. But Microsoft is rarely credited for being why mainstream tech has come this far--
The 8 Lane Scalextric track from the Events House is being touted as one of the best on the planet--and I don't doubt it. The track is computer controlled and it will keep records of lap times, race winners and championship points. Unfortunately, it is only available to rent for events like team building, promotions, and parties (you couldn't afford it anyway), and you need to live in the UK (wah-wah-waaaaah).
There are few things in this world that are more infuriating than getting into a car accident--but one of those things would definitely be getting into an accident where the blame is being disputed. For the innocent party, a Roadscan Drive Recorder could be indispensable. The device mounts easily on your windshield or rearview mirror, and will continuously record graphical 3D-G accelerations data. If you happen to get into an accident, it will save the digital video starting 14 seconds before the incident and 6 seconds after--so you would be armed with all of the data you need to dispute a ticket. Or totally incriminate yourself. 
What would you wear every day if you could wear anything? We're talking no limits, not from bank accounts or corporate wardrobe requirements, not those snarky writers from US Weekly or the sexy lady judging the size of your 401k by the validity of your Rolex.
The hacking and account stealing has gotten so bad on World of Warcraft that Blizzard has decided to release a hardware authenticator to make sure when you log in, you're actually not some dude in China who looks like me. (Unless you are.) The authenticator costs US$6.50, and will spit out a six-digit code--much like the 
Despite our shameless, snot-filled pleading, today is Addy's last day here at Gizmodo. Somehow she got the idea in her head that she wanted me to be the one to write her goodbye post. Coming from the best writer (by far) on Giz, that's quite a compliment. Seriously, the top five list looks something like 1) Addy 2) 3) 4) 5), which is only part of the reason why we'll miss her so.
The guys over at 
Every other week it seems that the bar for 
Dudes in the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials in Tohoku University just developed a 42GB DVD that's backwards compatible with nothing. The new tech uses a V shape in the pits—current pits are just pits—which allows nine times more information to be held on the same sized disc. The downside is that current CD and DVD drives cant' read it, so you'll have to purchase all new tech in order to use this. It's also not capable of being adapted to Blu-ray drives, so there's little to no incentive for the industry to add this in to this generation either. But nice work (in theory), Japanese researchers! [
Were you thinking of building your own 
Bill Gates puts up with us, having granted us three interviews in the past three and a half years. It's an intense experience: Bill isn't always fond of making eye contact, and is known to snap at reporters who ask dumb questions. After all, he's not just the Andrew Carnegie--or Emperor Palpatine--of his time. He's also a guy who gets interviewed a hell of a lot, and doesn't stand for bush-league Q&A. But we have always enjoyed the guys company and even have had the opportunity to make him laugh a few times. Here's a quick look back at our three Bill interviews, in a Retromodo re-run fashion:
Don't worry, folks: Our trusted representatives in government just saw the movie Armageddon, and they aren't going to take the threat posed by this mediocre 1998 action movie lying down. They're going to pass laws to make sure we're prepared to face any asteroid-related threat without having to send a bunch of oil drillers into space.
We've all seen wires coming out of potatoes to power lightbulbs, but the design has always been a crude science experiment, not something with the polish of a real product. This Lemon Light is just an artist's work, but it's a brilliant design all the same. Simply cut off one end of the lemon and replace it with this lemon-shaped bulb. The result is a light that mimics nature while it glows only dimly, reminding us of the value of energy...and making us really want to buy one of these neat Lemon Lights. [
Wall-E might be the most sympathetic, lovable robot ever created on film. While R2-D2