I’m not so sure what to make of this, but a MacDailyNews reader came across a placeholder page in the iLife guided tour section specific to the iPhone. Now there isn’t any real substantiating evidence to spark any wild and erroneous rumors, but it’s all in the URL and a QuickTime video is evident although it’s missing for now. Am I going to have to take back every terrible thing I’ve said about the iPhone in the last few weeks? Probably not. Does anyone care?
A new HTC device dubbed Phoebus has breezed by the FCC and surprisingly it looks a lot like the HTC Juno, which we broke a few weeks ago. Some of the features on the Phoebus are strikingly similar to that of the Juno and I’m inclined to believe that’s what it is. Specs reveal it to be a GSM 850/1900 handset with a 2-megapixel camera. There isn’t a whole lot more to be gleaned from the filing and no pictures of its façade were anywhere.
Update: The Phoebus is the Juno, which is the T-Mobile Shadow. A few more details after the jump.
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The University of Portsmouth has just unveiled a $13,000 system to help protect your crappy bike. Obviously, a bike is hard enough to replace to warrant such an extravagant security measure. The system requires a special bike rack and a motion sensor on the vehicle itself. It is then engaged via a text message to the security office. Once motion is detected the system sets off a silent alarm and directs campus CCTV cameras towards the site of the crime. Security cameras never have anything interesting to capture anyway.
Of course, $15 snake lock is out of the question when it comes to bike security. Hopefully the system will migrate to things that actually need some sort of protection. You know. Like cars?
High-tech bike lock turns cameras on thieves [24dash.com]
If you haven’t already realized this I loves me some comic bookish TV shows and movies. My previous Transformers and Iron Man coverage should make that quite apparent. Although, I didn’t post the Iron Man trailer because everyone else at CG thought it was lame, but here’s the link in case you missed it. Man, this coffee is making me all sorts of antsy (Note to self: no more coffee). Back to the task at hand.
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Umm…yeah. The SonyDrive site has a big secret, but I have no clue what it is. I don’t even have any witty guesses as to what it could be. What the f*ck is it?! Whoa. Sorry, folks. Coffee tends to make me fly off the handle. I have to stop looking at this or I’m liable to go crazy. Any guesses?
Novatel went ahead and released a new USB EV-DO dongle on Verizon and Sprint. The Ovation U727 is the world’s smallest dongle and features an integrated microSD slot. Those are pretty much all the details you really need. Road warriors will probably appreciate this more than most because they know how much real estate previous dongles take up near the ports. My AirCard 595U is one obese chunky monkey and using the USB extender is a pain in the ass.
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It’s common knowledge round these parts that Verizon probably has the best coverage, but their devices have been so-so. Oh, who am I kidding? The phones available on that network are about as atrocious as their customer service and rate plans. But their device lineup is certainly shaping up to take on the likes of T-Mobile. Well, actually, every major service provider is getting a boatload of cool phones in the coming months, so Verizon just needs to work on not being so shady, but I digress.
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Comments are the greasy oil that keeps the blog machine running. Here are three great (and 100% unedited) comments recently posted by your fellow readers.
Paul G
I wonder if it will transform into a good movie.
The VAIO SZ6 series is a relatively new addition to Sony’s notebook line. I picked up the VGN-SZ650N/C model, which features a 13.3" screen, carbon fiber casing, long battery life, dual graphics cards, and a hybrid hard drive with 256mb of built-in flash memory. Looks good so far, but how does it perform?
There are a couple of wacky, wacky guys out in Atlanta who put on a health and fitness show every Thursday evening. After weeks of missed connections, I finally got to sit in on one of the tapings and even got to say a few words on gadgets I used on the road to finishing my marathon. Take a listen. They guys are hilarious and I even mention Yoda. It sounds like I’ll be on every other week or so, so if you’re online or in Georgia, have a listen.
I came across this particular post on BoingBoing today and got kind of pissed off. A lot of DIYers are defending the 19-year-old MIT student, Star Simpson, who last week, walked into Boston’s Logan International Airport with this odd homemade electronic device on her sweatshirt. Understandable, but there’s something called social responsibility that applies to us humans.
I’m not sure where I heard this rumor, but if you’re a Transformers fan and you’re set up for the whole HD DVD experience then take heed for this may pique your interest. So ya know how the menu bar pops up from the bottom or you could throw it up on the side? It’s not as customizable as it should be, right? Well, this random rumor that I seriously don’t know where I picked up on states that you’ll be able to customize said menu depending on whether you’re an Autobot or Decepticon.
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When the first one was released a few months back everyone went crazy for the small form factor, innovative touch interface, and slow as hell processor. The new Touch Slide improves on the non-slide model by adding a BlackBerry Pearl-like sliding QWERTY keyboard, 3G data, and the industry standard 400mhz Qualcomm processor.
The device is slightly thicker now but the keyboard and faster processor make it a worthy sacrifice. There are no details as of yet regarding which carrier will get this first or when but we’re assuming it is going to be AT&T some time in October.
Hit the jump for more shots.
Looks like everyone with a Gmail account has something new to worry about. The unreleased, proof of concept vulnerability discovered by some security specialist can set filters on your inbox to block and/or automatically forward any email you receive. Weak.
Although the threat is labeled as serious at the moment, don’t worry. Google patches up vital holes pretty efficiently and there are no documented accounts of anyone actually falling prey to this. I’d say just check your filters every now and then.
Serious cross-site request forgery vulnerability found in Gmail [Arstechnica]
Hey, guys. I’ll be in Tokyo for CEATEC next week. If you’d like to meet up for some sake and iPhone fondling and/or Web 2.0 talk, please drop me a line at john @ crunchgear.com. My schedule is still kind of up in the air but I hope to have an evening free for karaoke. See you soon!
Rumor has it that GameStop—a small chain of mom and pop video game stores—will no longer stock Core Xbox 360s once the current supply dries out. Further still, managers have been told by Mr. and Mrs. GameStop to remove any and all signage relating to the Core. There was a rumor floating around during the summertime suggesting that MDOLLARSIGN was planning to scrap the Core altogether, so maybe this is some sort of confirmation. I mean, no, it’s not a confirmation at all, but it does perpetuate the rumor’s “meh, it-might-be-true”-ness.
There’s still supposed to be an entry level Xbox 360, but this time it’ll include a wireless controller and a 256MB memory card. And here I thought everyone who already wanted a 360, especially now that Halo 3 is available, already had one.
Xbox 360 Discontinued [Kotaku]
I like to keep things “real,” so let’s get it out of the way right now: this kid is probably smoking cannabis out of a Nintendo 64 controller. Don’t give me that, “it could be tobacco” nonsense, either. He doesn’t look a day over 14, and smoking tobacco out of a pipe (especially a pipe that looks like a cheap St. Marks bowl) doesn’t enter into a man’s conscious until he’s signed his first mortgage papers. What’s not shown is the after-the-smoking-session photos. I guarantee he’s watching “Wheel of Fortune” while trying to spell words in his bowl of cheerios.
The Controller Bong [Aeropose via Boing Boing]
Want to know why I don’t got to the movies anymore? Because consistently and without fail all the times I’ve gone in the past two years I’ve sat behind or in front of — always very near — people talking on the phone. Seriously. So in leiu of throwing Junior Mints at them, I suspect I’ll just get this portable phone jammer for $166 and cut them off at the source.
Found via Phillyist, here’s a video of some kid chilling in his bedroom playing the Mega Man 3 intro on guitar. Sounds very 1980s, but it’s still boss. Really has that shred/arena rock feel to it.
Now that I think about it, isn’t every damn Nintendo game made to sound like the 1980s? Go listen to tracks from games like Contra, F-Zero, Darius Twin and pretty much any Mega Man title. You’ll see what I mean.
Today’s most strum-it-yourself video: Mega Man 3 intro on guitar [Joystiq via Phillyist]
