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mini-notebooks
MSI Wind Gets 9-Cell Battery, Unofficially
If you're willing to buy from a third party vendor, the MSI Wind now has an impressive 7800mAh, 9-cell battery available for preorder. Priced at $180, it's not an inexpensive upgrade and it weighs a whole pound. Then again, it'll give you roughly 6 hours of run time according to my real-world calculations. Lion Battery has some even bigger batteries for systems like the Eee, but alas, nothing for the top-cheapo-dog Acer Aspire One. (Note: if you're making the purchase, checkout with 'MSIWIND.NET' to save $20.) [Lion Battery]
LEGO
460,000-Brick Lego Tower Breaks World Record
At 96.73 feet (29.485 meters) this Lego tower built in the Rathaus Platz in Vienna has broken the world record for the tallest Lego construction in the world. It took nearly 460,000 bricks and it was built over four days. The views from the top are quite stunning.
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Furniture
The Recycled Plastic Bag Chair is Anything but Trashy
Anyone who's read about the sickening, Great Pacific Garbage Patch will know that plastic is a danger to the environment. But this plastic bag chair will make it all OK for the next few minutes as the reality of man destroying the planet melts away to cute furniture. Designed by Ryan Frank, the seat is constructed from recycled aluminum coated in plastic shopping bags. And it not only looks fashionable—it looks comfortable (though the reality is probably more akin to sitting on cold metal once your butt sinks through the plastic). Frank didn't come up with the idea entirely on his own, however. This piece inspired him first: More »
Asus
While I thought the Asus S101 (or generic Macbook Air, as I'm pretty much insisting on inaccurately calling it from now to eternity) looked great in its CG mockup, these new, real photos reveal the truth: The Asus S101 won't quite fool anyone into thinking you're using a some $2,000 computer, but at .7 inches thick, it's definitely svelte enough to keep things interesting:
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Asus S101 Looks Thin and Pretty In Real Life, Too
While I thought the Asus S101 (or generic Macbook Air, as I'm pretty much insisting on inaccurately calling it from now to eternity) looked great in its CG mockup, these new, real photos reveal the truth: The Asus S101 won't quite fool anyone into thinking you're using a some $2,000 computer, but at .7 inches thick, it's definitely svelte enough to keep things interesting:
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Gaming
Guitar Hero: World Tour Gets Deluxe $240 Version, Rips You Off
If you're looking to pick up Guitar Hero: World tour when it comes out on October 26th, you'll have a choice between the wussy regular edition and the awesome deluxe edition. While yes, we may be headed for an economic depression, you'll still want to spend the extra $50 on the deluxe edition. It comes with a keychain! More »
Rumor
BlackBerry Storm Official Announcement to Hit Tomorrow?
So says Time.com, in their roundup of BlackBerry Storm blogosphere rumors posted today:
RIM declined TIME's request for comment on the leaked information about the Storm. But with a formal announcement expected by Wednesday, the Web buzz that began this spring about the hot new BlackBerry has turned into a roar.
So if you were about to buy a new BlackBerry today, I'd suggest maybe giving it another 24 hours. We'll keep an eye out for you. [Time.com]
Vista
Steve Ballmer Says That Vista Capable Debacle Totally Not His Fault
Bailing on his court appearance in the class-action lawsuit over the fact that "Vista Capable" computers were utter pieces of crap packed with sucky chips that were "capable" of running Vista in only the thinnest, most literal interpretation of term, Steve Ballmer delivered a written deposition that excused himself of all responsibility."I was not involved in any of the operational decisions about the Windows Vista Capable program. I was not involved in establishing the requirements computers must satisfy to qualify for the Windows Vista Capable program."More »
Amd
AMD Breaks Up
As a former AMD fanboy, this is kind of sad news. AMD will be splitting up into two companies—one that designs chips, and another that makes 'em. The constant need to build expensive new chip plants was a big drag on AMD, which lags behind Intel on multiple fronts. Intel is now the only company left that designs and makes its own chips, a fact that will likely increase its advantage over AMD. More »
Blu-Ray
This Week in Blu-ray: Sleeping Beauty of Death Edition
Giz Pick of the Week: Sleeping Beauty
Yes, Blu-ray is a high definition gimmick to make you repurchase old movies. But in the case of Sleeping Beauty, Disney claims that the original 70mm print has never been viewed with less image cropping than on BD—even in theaters. Presented in super wide 2.55:1, if the image alone isn't enough to convince you, then enjoy the four original songs that were cut from the film, a 3D walkthrough of Sleeping Beauty Castle and the ability to watch the film with friends while text chatting over Disney's BD Live network...along with a bunch of other legitimately good looking documentary content. Other releases:
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Apple
In an surprisingly frank and fresh exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, Steve Wozniak has left us some new gems of wisdom regarding the past, present, and future of Apple. Among his thoughts on Apple's fanboyism, stock overvaluation, upcoming products, and the iPhone limitations, the most surprising is his prediction that the iPod success will die soon, just like the Walkman and transistor radio did:
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Woz: iPod to Die Soon
In an surprisingly frank and fresh exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, Steve Wozniak has left us some new gems of wisdom regarding the past, present, and future of Apple. Among his thoughts on Apple's fanboyism, stock overvaluation, upcoming products, and the iPhone limitations, the most surprising is his prediction that the iPod success will die soon, just like the Walkman and transistor radio did:
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Surface
Microsoft Surface SDK Coming This Month
Do you want to develop niche multitouch applications for a platform that most people will never get their hands on for the foreseeable future? You're in luck. Later this month, Microsoft will be releasing its Surface SDK beyond the few companies that have been privy to it since launch to attendees of its Professional Developer Conference. I am curious to see what kind of multitouch gaming could come out of more developers having access to the kit, but the fact that you can't just go out and buy one for your living room undoubtedly puts a damper on development fever for the platform. [Cnet]
iPod
Retro iPod Shuffle Case Proclaims Old School Fandom
What better way to celebrate your new iPod shuffle than sticking it to Apple's marketing/branding department and sliding the sleek device into the original Apple logo? Available from an Etsy seller, the $12 classic case features a rear opening that allows the shuffle's clip to slip through so you can wear it like a broach or button. But if giant lizards are more your thing and you've got a new iPod nano, the seller has something else you may be interested in: More »
brilliant
Official Gmail Goggles Add-On Prevents Shameful Drunken Emailing
My new favorite Googler Jon Perlow has used his 20% time (that portion of it he doesn't spend hammered, apparently) to write Gmail Goggles, an official Labs add-on that makes sure you really want to send that 3AM email to your ex-girlfriend. Goggles employs five arithmetic problems that appear after pressing send (you choose the difficulty level!) that must be answered correctly in a limited time before your overly passionate and typo-ridden message can be on its way. It can also be scheduled to be active only on your party nights. Thanks big G! [Official Gmail Blog]
Solar
52-inch Sharp TV Runs on Solar Power
There's so much wrong with the application of this technology that we won't even get started on it, but this Sharp television runs off the juice of a single attached solar panel. That's because the 52" LCD is illuminated by LEDs which coincidentally reduces its power draw to 220kWh, or the same amount as that solar panel sitting on the floor. More »
Science
Sneaky LED Bulbs Will Double As Wireless Access Points
Researchers at Boston University (whose football mascot, incidentally, is a giant light-emitting germanium diode) think they'll be able to combine LED bulbs with wireless networking technology, allowing for nearly complete ubiquity of wireless access points. The technology will be able to communicate data with visible light at up to 10Mbps, and can be adapted to existing power lines. More »
Nope!
No amount of oohing, aahing or drooling can convince HTC to bring this 480x800 monster to American shores, according to the Taiwanese company. That's a shame, because it was looking pretty good. The company passed the news on through Twitter, which is the corporate equivalent of breaking up with your girlfriend with a text message:
HTC Touch HD Pretty Much Never Coming to the US
No amount of oohing, aahing or drooling can convince HTC to bring this 480x800 monster to American shores, according to the Taiwanese company. That's a shame, because it was looking pretty good. The company passed the news on through Twitter, which is the corporate equivalent of breaking up with your girlfriend with a text message:Sad news, US. we looked into it- by the time we could bring Touch HD to the States, it would be old news. We do have other cool stuff coming.More »
Wearable Computers
