Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Ars reports that about 800 retail store employees that were fired for collecting $100 store credit rebates. On iPhones Apple gave ’em for free. If true, it’s a pretty tasteless thing to do after receiving a gift. [Ars]
Well, maybe not “easy” steps—after all, it took designer Zachary Paisley 80 days, some serious manual labor, $1586 in total build costs, and a whole lot of math to put together the world’s first Rubik’s Cube-shaped 15-inch Direct-Servo Subwoofer. I think you will agree that the results were worth the effort. Naturally, when something this…
Okay, guys, here’s the deal, you take this little survey (it’s only 6 questions) and then you’ll be entered to win an Amazon gift card worth $100, courtesy of the Giz.
As we foreshadowed earlier, the Linux-based Nokia N810 internet tablet is now official. The little PC that’s scarcely larger than the palm of your hand hooks up to the internet via Wi-Fi, and also can snag a Bluetooth connection with your cellphone. With its highly desirable slide-out keyboard, looks like some tough competition for the…
Click to viewThe Steve has listened to our incessant whining and now he’s writing something I’ve been waiting to read for many months: “Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February.” That’s the lead-in from his letter…
Winos are going to love the Silhouette, the wine glass that lets you bury your nose in that heady aroma of the vine. After all, a large percentage of the oenophile’s pleasure is in the “nose” of the stuff, which means “the smell factor” to the rest of us rotgut drinkers. So go ahead, get…
About the only time we use pen and paper around here is to take phone messages, and this Memo Pad Phone accommodates that situation with aplomb. At first we thought this design concept involved some kind of fancy electronic paper, but no, it has a special memo pad that’s cut out to fit around the…
The huggable Chumby Wi-Fi widget box is on sale for $180 in latte, black or pearl. But it’s still just for the hardest core: “The Chumby Store is currently only accessible to customers by invitation only.” [Chumby] https://gizmodo.com/chumby-unboxing-video-looks-chumbalicious-288568
Part 2 of this unnamed Pacific Bell concept video has a visual voicemail feature (or in this case, audible voicemail) that iPhone users may find familiar. See also:Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 1, 1991)
My last stop in Osaka before leaving for Kyoto was the Umeda Sky Building, which is actually two 40-story skyscrapers that just happen to be connected by the world’s highest escalators. Two of them, in fact, which cross between the two buildings over 550 feet of clear space. Initially, there were supposed to be four…
Bragging about a quiet gaming PC may be seen as the techie equivalent of revving the engine of a Corvette that’s not running, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless. Tomarni is a company previewing what may be the world’s first near-silent gaming PC. Featuring dual and quad core processors, and a full gamut of high…
A piece by Lee Gomes in the WSJ argues that Linux has a long way to go. Proof of this, he says, is the fact that even back in the open-source mother country, Finland, Linus Torvalds‘ father and sister use Windows, not Linux. (His mother, however, apparently does use Linux.) Regardless of what Torvalds’ dad…
After word that Apple and Facebook may be teaming up for advanced services and distribution, now we hear that MySpace is partnering with Sony BMG. The agreement will include Sony sharing their IP like music videos, audio and other miscellaneous content with MySpace users through artists’ MySpace pages. In return, MySpace will share advertising revenue…
Ladies, what on earth are you going to do with that cellphone when all you’re wearing is a dainty pair of unmentionables? How will you carry it around and still have both hands free? Here’s the solution: the Call Me panty, a dual-purpose garment that adds new meaning to the phrase “eagerly awaiting your call.”…
We told you yesterday that Orange would be the exclusive iPhone provider in France, but that’s only half the story. The other half is that since French law prohibits the exclusive sale of phones locked to a provider, Orange will be selling both a locked and an unlocked version of the iPhone as a compromise.…
Sprint launched its version of the HTC Touch today, aimed not at business users (that most of the Windows Mobile platform devices target) but at consumers. The hope is that the flip-happy TouchFlo skin over the more familiar WM6 interface will draw in people with iPhone envy. The Touch will cost $250 with a two-year…
AT&T first US carrier to start selling the Blackberry Curve 8310 with GPS [Electronista]
In Philadelphia, a woman was pulled out of her car by Randy-Jay Adolphos Jones (mugshot guy), fondled and robbed of her purse containing her cellphone. During her police report, authorities asked her to call her phone while they GPS tracked the location. The robber/fondler’s story? He wanted $185,000 for that phone. So where did he…
In case you only believe things once they are in press release form, you’ll be happy to hear that Apple’s official statement re-confirms what we already confirmed yesterday: iTunes Plus DRM-free tracks will now cost 99-cents across the board. Like some of you commenters have already pointed out, competition is a sweet thing indeed. UPDATE:…
Samsung’s cute Juke swivel music phone is available in red, teal and navy blue starting Friday at Verizon Wireless. It’ll cost $100 after $50 mail-in rebate and new 2-year contract. [VZW] https://gizmodo.com/hands-on-with-verizons-cute-lil-samsung-juke-306349