Virgin Mobile today finished its acquisition of nerd fave Helio. The deal was finished today with US$38 stock transaction to EarthLink and SK Telecom. This means that Virgin is hands down the largest MVNO in America, and it also means it could expand even more sing it can now offer both pre-paid and post-paid plans as well as the high-end devices from Helio. But the question remains: Will it be able to make money? [Press Release]

Kevin Rose's Apple crystal ball has been wrong more often than not (he was sorta right about US$199 iPhone), but this time he's seen pictures people! ("It looks pretty cool.") He says that not only will the new iPod nano be tall and skinny and giant-screened like we've heard, he says it'll be rounded (like iPhone 3G's ass-side, but all the way around), and even provides this handy rendering. His other rumourage, like a huge iTunes update with for-real new features, is all way more reasonable than his past forecasting, so they're actually possible too!

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It's part bike and part skateboard and it looks all fun. It's the Freestyle Dirtsurfer and it's a new hybrid like toy for all of you X Games types who can't wait for winter to get here soon enough. One neat touch is a Razor-scooter-like brake on the back wheel so you don't end up in the ER the first time you try it on a downhill. And for US$450, you really don't want to crash it too much. [ExExEq via Like Cool]

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Apple might neglect the Mac mini more than apparently hipsters do showers in mid-August, but some people love it enough to lavish it with the attention no one else does. Hideo Takano is one of those people, transforming the little fetish block into other boxes people obsess over: an over-sized Lego block for Apple-loving manboys to dream of building a Mac minizord, and a cute little gas can for pyromaniacs. Or simply other Macs--like a Quadra or a Mac Pro. We really love the bright red gas can:

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Albatron has launched a new UMPC-like devices called the Tee PC that could be an interesting media tablet. It has a touchscreen and stylus for input, runs Windows CE 6, and comes with all kinds of connectivity including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and has a built-in swiveling webcam for on-the-go conferencing. It's not beefy specs-wise, running on a 400MHz ARM processor, but it should handle most Internet tasks just fine. [Hot Hardware]

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If you liked Johnny Chung Lee's Wii headtracking tricks you will love iHologram, a stunning iPhone app that makes the screen look like a window to a real, parallel dimension. While it seems like magic, it uses anamorphosis, a very simple painting technique that has been used by old masters since the 15th century, mixed with the technology in the JesusPhone.

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The mad scientist behind this hack was faced with a problem. His beloved Amazon Kindle had a shattered screen and was all but dead. Distraught, he thought to himself: "what if I could sacrifice a Sony reader and perform and unholy cross species screen transplant? Yeah, it just might work because the e-ink screens on both devices are nearly identical."

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Besides being a magnet for penis puns, this pen is absolutely bursting with functionality that will leave just about any tool junkie satisfied. At the most basic level you get a handsome stainless steel ballpoint pen, but it can also transform into "a hole puncher, a stainless steel file, a short cutting blade, a flat screwdriver, a wire sleeve remover/small nail remover, an ear pick, a long cutting blade, a tweezer, a Philips screwdriver, and a stainless steel fork and a saw." It could very well be the best US$15 you ever spend outside of a bordello my friend. [Firebox via SlipperyBrick via OhGizmo]

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Forget about that treehouse bedroom I wrote about yesterday, the new mark to beat comes from superdad Steve Norris who spent 15 months building his kids a treehouse so epic it became newsworthy in Canada. Suspended in a tree 4 metres up, the fort features electricity, cable TV, an intercom system, a makeshift urinal, smoke detectors and a trap door warning signal wired to the main house. He even set up an intruder alarm using old fire horns that sounds like an air raid siren when it goes off.

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We got our first look at the Folderix folder-shaped USB drive from Art Lebedev when it was in the concept phase. It took over a year to bring to market (that's Lebedev for you), but it appears that they took that time to subtly streamline the quirky little drive. You can pick up a 4GB now in yellow, blue or purple for US$55. [Art Lebedev via Electronista]

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The maker of the evil, wonky voting machines in Ohio that are going to be used for the election despite the fact they're broken has admitted that the machines do in fact lose votes (before, Premier, aka Diebold, said it was "user error"). It gets better! They can't be fixed before election day. Hey, it's not like anyone asked for your opinion anyway. Okay maybe they did, but that's beside the point, I think. [Columbus Dispatch via Slashdot]

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I've never really understood music subscription services. Despite the conveniences, to date I have never, ever felt the need to lease something that can get imprinted on your heart like only music really can. It needs to be mine. But this week rumours kicked up again regarding an iTunes all-you-can-eat subscription-based model coming as early as September--the same rumours we've heard time and time again. While this time around the whispers are shaky at best, this rumour just won't die, and it's not a complete impossibility that it someday may actually happen. A lifetime iTunes subscription may be the one thing that could change my subscription-hatin' ways (maybe). Is there anyone else with me? Who else doesn't really buy the whole subscription model, and if not, would an all-you-can-eat iTunes change your mind?

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If you have been toying with the idea of setting up a home theatre with a projector, the guys over at Home Entertainment Mag have put together a handy guide for beginners that can help you maximise performance. They say the key is to match your projector with the right screen--and that means knowing what kinds of screens are out there, what size and shape you need, what to look for in terms of screen gain, whether a perforated screen is the way to go and what the deal is with rear projection. The basics of these issues are covered, and they offer up plenty of suggestions for you to investigate. Hit the link to check out all the details along with some pretty pictures. [Home Entertainment Mag]

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This week in the App Store, we've got some great freebie apps. That's a good thing. Especially when you're a beleaguered Gulfstream GIV pilot getting hit hard by the soaring price of jet fuel. This week was also great for pilots in several other ways, but there's some stuff for the rest of us, too. Come along as we see what's been hitting millions of Springboards over the past seven days.

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Knowing that the government can keep us safe against evil dildos and penis pumpers, I don't really give much importance to the fact that a guy got into the U.S. Homeland Security Department phone system to make more than 400 calls to his buddies in friendly countries like Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. According to security consultant John Jackson, the hacking was very low-tech and old school, which probably would make Steve "Blue Box" Wozniak proud, but it was an embarrassment for the agency:

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Last May Pioneer told us that autumn would bring a "super duper" Blu-ray player—the most powerful Blu-ray player ever built. It makes up for the current crop, which are lower in price but are missing key features like BD-Live for internet-based content. Well, not a leaf has fallen off a tree, yet here it is already, the US$2,200 Elite BDP-09FD. Feature-wise, the best Blu-ray player on the market has been the PS3—turns out, an extra US$1,700 will buy you something that kills Sony's game console as far as Blu-ray and other media are concerned.

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Soulja Boy claims that he has the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX in the world, something that we believe him on, seeing as Danger is a huge fan of doing limited runs of designer Sidekicks for special people. Does it mean that Soulja Boy will have the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX forever? Tough to say, but we're hoping there's some kind of tie-in seeing as Microsoft and Danger are more than just BFF. In the meantime, head over to Gamertagradio to see him fiddle around with it on video while mumbling incoherently. [Gamertagradio via Engadgetmobile]

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Everyone loves a good panic button, and what bigger emergency is there than being condomless when you find a woman that actually wants to have sex with you? Relax, this condom dispensing "Don't Panic" button has your back. Well, it would if it actually existed. Unfortunately, it is currently in the concept phase. [Designspotter]

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It has been quite an Olympics hasn't it? From the spectacular opening ceremonies, to the amazing performances by Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt (not to mention all of the controversy stirred up by the Chinese government). In years past I can't say that I was all that excited about the Olympics--but I will be kind of sad to see this one go. The good news is that just because the games are over doesn't mean you can't carry the torch...literally. So, check out the following ten gadgets to learn how to play like an Olympian.

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It's a rumour, but it sure is a juicy one. According to an Xbox360Fanboy source close to Microsoft PR, the US$200 Xbox 360 Arcade (the SKU with no hard drive) will be sold in a bundle with a motion controller and a few motiony games during the coming holiday season. The possibility is certainly not all that crazy, as we've seen plenty of evidence supporting the Xbox 360 "Newton" motion controller, and everyone wants a piece of the Wii's big, hungry fanbase. Our guess is that if this rumour pans out we'll hear more around the Tokyo Game Show in October. [Xbox360Fanboy]

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I've always been a Windows user, which means I've always been subjected to the ridicule of holier-than-thou Apple fans. You know what I'm talking about: blue screen of death jokes, spelling Microsoft with a $us in place of the S, saying "it just works" with a smug, chubby-faced smirk. It's always been annoying, and it's always made me want to avoid using Apple products just so I wouldn't turn into one of those people. But then the iPhone came out, and I wanted it. But I being a Windows dude, I knew to wait a year for what I thought would be a more complete, less buggy version. It was Apple's opportunity to get me into the fold, to make me a member of the cult. And boy, did they blow it.

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For the world's cheapest man, we present the world's (supposedly) cheapest 64GB USB stick. It's assembled just for you out of the Netherlands, the place where quality (?) USB drives are made. You have the choice of brown or black, which makes perfect sense since this thing's made of leather, and nobody wants a purple leather USB drive. We're cheap, not animals. [Van Der Led]

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It's been in beta for the last few months, but for Windows Mobile users who'd rather not risk their phone to be a lab rat in a suit, AIM for Windows Mobile is now in final release form. If you are on your mobile now, just go to this link and hit "products" to make the download. If you are on a Windows Mobile device and you don't want AIM, then we are truly, truly sorry for wasting your time. Feel free to drop by Brian Lam's place for a personal apology via back rub any time. No, it won't be strange at all. [AOL via MobileBurn]

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I have yet to meet someone who is genuinely not creeped out by spiders, so I would imagine that you could get a lot of laughs out of a 91cm model that features four twitching legs illuminated by purple incandescent lights. It would be great as a Halloween decoration, or for placing next to your partner in bed. Nothing starts a morning right like watching a loved one pee their pants and let out and a shrill, girlish scream. Now, that's invigorating. Available for US$70. [Hammacher via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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Muffled by the cacophony of like a million netbooks and the wireless power that'll power our cyborg brains at the Intel Developer Forum was the low-key introduction of Intel's next-gen 45nm dual core chips for ultra-thin notebooks--i.e., the dwarven chips that made the MacBook Air possible. Now that everybody can snag them, expect a surge of similarly limber notebooks that can suck in their gut to fit into narrow pockets of ugly paper.

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If you want to build a skyscraper 2,275 feet (693 metres) tall, you will face engineering challenges comparable to those of the Space Shuttle just because its sheer size. One of them is communications. When the unbelievable Burj Dubai started to get really high, the construction workers discovered one problem that seems obvious now: their walkie-talkies stopped working as they climbed the structure.

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Mexico has a pretty serious kidnapping problem--so serious that there is now a market for a US$4,000 RFID implant procedure (plus a US$2,200 annual fee) that promises to help track victims down. The system uses an implanted capsule under the skin that talks to an external GPS transmitter that you'll need to be kidnapped with in order to beam your location to the folks at Xega, who are selling the service. Anyone else see a gigantic hole in this setup?

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