“The Wait is Over” is how T-Mobile is announcing the in-store launch of the G1 Android phone, after its first-sales yesterday in a special San Francisco event. If you want one, drop in to one of the “T-Mobile retail stores and select third-party stores in major cities where T-Mobile’s 3G service is currently available” this morning from 8AM, where you’ll find them in stock and G1 experts in-store. Stores not carrying the phone for immediate purchase will have a demo model, and will help you order one for later delivery. Press release below, including links to help you work out if you’re in one of those lucky areas.
Coinciding with the launch of the G1, mobile app seller MobiHand is putting up its own store dedicated specifically to Android apps, called OnlyAndroid.com. The company is touting it as the first store supporting both free and paid applications for the Android OS, which is a little funny considering that Google’s widely rumoured to be coming out with its own payment system AND at least one other third-party store’s already been announced.
The Chandrayaan-1, literally “Lunar Craft”, launched today from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, on the southeastern coast of India. The spacecraft will orbit the Moon for two years, charting its mineral composition, searching for ice, and helium-3, all three fundamental for the establishment of a lunar outpost. Or a call centre. It can go either way. Chandrayaan-1 is India’s first mission to our satellite, and it’s also NASA’s return to the moon after the Apollo missions:
Fans of classic speedboats can now reenact one of the most exiting races ever in their backyard pool with the remote controlled Ferrari Arno XI Hydroplane. The boat is a 1:10 replica of the Arno XI, which zoomed to a 1953 record-shattering 150.49mph (242.19kph). It’s almost a metre in length, weighs 7.3 kilos and can be controlled from up to 150 metres away for 30 minutes per two-hour charge. The price for playing with the dreamboat of the 1950s is $US2000. [Hammacher]
The final clue needed to crack the Quantum Code is rapidly approaching, with Constance Newlove herself delivering it on Friday. to get your hands on it, you’ll need to be at the Sony Centre on George Street, Sydney at midday on Friday October 24.
You’ll need to keep your wits about you if you have any intention of taking away the prize, as the final clue will need to be solved then and there. So it’s probably best to remember that you’ll need your mobile phone – and a pen and paper probably wouldn’t hurt either. And don’t forget to take the other six parts of the code with you as well – you’d be kicking yourself if you cracked the final digit, only to have left the previous ones at home.
And if you’re feeling a bit miffed at not being in Sydney on Friday, you’ve still got time to find a partner on the Quantum Central forums. Share your clues with a Sydney-based code-breaker and share the spoils! It’s too easy.
Microsoft seems to be throwing every wild touchscreen idea it can into research right now, first prototyping their weird SideSight mobile phone motion detector earlier this week, and now revealing SecondLight, a “magic lens” compatriot to their Surface multitouch table. SecondLight allows users to slide a type of transparent screen on top of the regular Surface display, and see extra info displayed on the screen. For instance, using SecondLife over an image of a car turns it into x-ray specs that show model’s wireframe underbelly.
I’m not a big fan of subtlety, so when I saw Monday’s noose lamp, I set out in search of something even more morbid. Lo and behold, the Colgao table lamp from enPieza! Studio in Spain, which really leaves nothing to the imagination. While the noose lamp could have been taken as an invitation to hang out, Colgao’s message is much more “I’m at the end of my rope.” These are dark times, my son, and if I’m going to be all gloom and doom, I want to be it all the way. [enPieza via crib candy]
My code-cracking skills must be lacking, because I completely missed the super-secret bonus mission. However, one clever individual has already completed it and will get the secret prize of a return trip to Sydney, including a night’s accommodation at the 5-star Sydney Hilton. Not a bad prize for cracking a code.
The bonus mission winner will be at the Sony Centre Store in Sydney at midday this Friday. And while they haven’t publicly revealed their identity yet, rumour has it that they’re going to be in for one hell of a challenge – as is everybody else. Something big is going to happen, so make sure you’re there.
In case the two-finger multitouch seen on the new Macbook Pro and Fujitsu’s upcoming notebook wasn’t enough for you, French tech company Stantum recently showed off a ten-finger technology that it’s calling “true multitouch.” On Stantum’s 15.4-inch screen, you can use as many points as you want to control the screen. Judging by the smears in the picture, a lot of people found that appealing and took advantage of their chance to feel the new technology up. [Electric Pig]
There are lots of ways to get the most out of your fuel tank without resorting to buying a new car–closing the windows when travelling over 80kph, using a car’s air flow system rather than the AC, and easing on the break being just a couple of examples. In case you need a little help implementing these methods, Fiat and Microsoft are releasing an optional Eco Drive software that will record your driving habits and give you suggestions on how to roll more efficiently.
