Best Buy announced today that they are going to start selling Smartphone software applications from their in-store “Mobile Genie” system. They also announced that Handango’s In-Hand client will be custom branded for Best Buy, and automatically downloaded into each device so customers can continue to purchase apps with Handango and Best Buy after they leave the store.
In addition, some Best Buy outlets will be selling “Mobile App Packs” featuring games pre-loaded onto Micro SD cards, eliminating the need for over the air downloads.
If you’ve been worried about getting too much electromagnetic radiation from your cell phone, you can finally take off that tinfoil hat! A Belgian firm has announced that they have finally created a gadget that blocks your phone’s harmful rays, or “signal.”
Supposedly, their little dime-sized sticker will emit “a quantum physical information wave” to counter your phone’s lethal radiation. The firm responsible hasn’t released any other information about the product as of yet, or else it’s in a language I can’t read. Whatever, it’s all science, am I right?
So if you believe that this product may do you some good, and you live in Belgium, you can pick up the “E-Waves Phone Chip” tomorrow for 40 Euros, or about $50.
Fresh out of Japan, is the new SNUG iT PRO from Delkin. Now, you might have seen other, similar silicone camera cases from other companies, but what makes this one slightly more exciting is that it’s one of the first brands to support the Nikon D90 and Canon 50D. It’s scheduled to be released into the wilds of Japan on December 19th, however there is no word as of yet about the U.S. release. Currently priced at 50 Euros, which is about $65 once it gets here, it’s a reasonably clever product.
So the rumors were true: Leica has announced that they will be producing the limited edition Leica D-Lux 4 Titanium. This very exclusive camera is expected to ship on January 9th, 2009, and will be limited to a run of 500.
The price is expected to be $995, assuming you can find one of course.
Looking for a good camera to buy for the parents this year? Well, from the current batch of ultra-slim products coming out, it looks like you can’t top the Canon Powershot SD790. While it’s a little heftier then the other brand offerings, you can’t beat it on performance.
Combining 10 megapixels with some nifty new image stabilization technology, if you’re shopping for a non-DSLR camera the Canon looks to be the way to go.
Axiotron announced yesterday that they are releasing an updated version of their tablet Mac solution, the Modbook. While the update mainly consists of some minor hardware changes, the really juicy bit is that you can now crack the thing open and void your warranty. Modders take note.
And, in typical Mac fashion, they are priced almost twice as much as a tablet PC.
After having seen the above video you will undoubtedly make direct comparisons to what was seen in Minority Report, and that’s no coincidence. John Underkoffler, one of Oblong’s co-founders, was the science advisor on the film and built much of what we saw in the movie from what he was working on at MIT.
The hottest news on the interwebs right now is the official release date and price of the BlackBerry Storm – Nov 21 @ $199, btw. It is getting nearly as much press as the iPhone and even though it’s a hot handheld, are you planning on buying the latest CrackBerry now or in the near future?
Just in case you’re wondering if your local Circuit City store is going to be open this holiday season, Circuit City just announced the list of the 155 stores closing ASAP. [PDF link] These stores will be shut down quickly, with Firedog employees and Roadshop installers allegedly getting cut today and the inventory transfered to other locations. Do not expect liquidation or blow-out sales as part of the reason for the closures is that the company needs the extra inventory.
On a personal note, I’m glad to see the store [3631] that I called home for 6 long years is not closing – yet.
IPEVO has lots of experience at making hardware for Skype and they’ve been there from the start. Over the years they’ve slowly branched out into other venues to satisfy the masses with POV web cams (review above), VoIP handsets and products specific to the Mac (Not yet announced, but available in Apple stores, pictured below), which have also been well received and readily available. Beginning next year we can expect them to branch out even further and take gadgets that are already available now and tweak them to be more unique. We’ve got the inside scoop so read on, dear friends. Read More
Nokia announced their Comes With Music program last month, a media download offering with backing from Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, and Universal Music Group.
The system, along with the Nokia Music Store, has about 5 million tracks currently available and Nokia has announced the Music PC client for easy downloads. You can drag CDs into the application for immediate ripping. Comes With Music streamlines that process by offering unlimited over-the-air downloads your first year of phone ownership – provided you own a CWM handset – and the music remains in your possession after your contract is up. The contract lasts from 12 to 18 months and you enable the service by entering a code that will come with your new phone.
Comes With Music is a bold move for a company traditionally stuck in the low- to mid-range feature phone market. The previous XpressMusic phones were Nokia’s first “media phones” aimed at folks who specifically wanted to listen to music on their phones. Traditionally, Nokia’s lines tend to skew to developing markets with their candy bar and slider phones and the high end with their Symbian S60 phones.
All right, another day and another MacBook Pro rumor. This one comes via a French website and from what we can tell, the alleged MacBook Pro is getting some styling tips from the Air with curved corners along with Apples newer front lock. The key feature, at least according to this pic and translated text, is a touchscreen with a live, direct access to the Dock.
Again, the new designs were described as a cross between the 13-inch MacBook Air introduced this January and the aluminum iMacs that made their debut during the summer of 2007. In its April report, AppleInsider noted this would include a trimming — or tapering — around the edges and instances of black material to contrast the largely aluminum motif of the new notebooks.
Gals and pals, we don’t know about you, but we’re not one to bite into the juicy rumors so we’re staying away from this one. A dock within a touchpad just doesn’t seem within the evolutionary path of the MacBook Pros. We will proclaim that there is a 100% chance that multi-touch technology will play a huge role in the next MacBook Pro though and this dock-enabled touchpad can stay within the dreams of fanboys. Thoughts?
Drivers in the great state of California will no longer be able to TXT while driving starting this January. This includes sending, reading and writing, folks. Those found conducting the soon to be illegal action will face a $20 fine the first time and a $50 for each recurring violation.
“Banning electronic text messaging while driving will keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, making our roadways a safer place for all Californians,” said Schwarzenegger.
There you have it surfer dudes, no more TXT UR BFF while driving.
Check it out! The latest commercial has Bill, but no Jerry. It actually drives home that a lot of people use a PC and not everyone looks like Apple’s PC character. Well done.
Yesterday, we told you that the Seinfeld ads were being axed and we were 80 percent right. Microsoft will roll out the next phase of their marketing campaign sans Seinfeld. However, this doesn’t mean that Seinfeld is out for good. In fact, there are multiple spots remaining, but it’s unknown at the moment when they will roll.
There’s obvious confusion going around with some saying the ads were being pulled because they made no sense or because they sucked, but the reality is that this was planned the whole time. The naysayers will argue that it’s just a PR move to say that it was planned, but, trust us, it was. We were just never supposed to know about it. As always, more as we get it.
Looks as if those rumors of a Samsung buyout were true after all. The board of directors at SanDisk were sent the following proposal to swoop the memory manufacturer at $26 per share, cash. The letter states that SanDisk investors would see a 93 percent premium based on the surge SanDisk’s stock saw when it was first reported that Samsung was interested. And it basically goes on from there.
UPDATE – On the wires right now: Sandisk rejects Samsung’s “unsolicited offer.” More as we get it. Read More
There it is, folks. Isn’t she a beautiful? We’ve known for some time what the exterior of the Volt looks like but not much has been seen of the interior. The chaps at Autoblog compare it to something that Apple may have designed. Chevy has thrown out the traditional cluster gauge in favor of a 7-inch LCD with another one located in the middle of the dash. Both displays can be figured whichever way you choose and an additional driver can configure it the way he/she likes. 2011 can’t come soon enough.
Hit the jump for a video tour of the interior and gallery. Read More
Why is America so freakin’ sue-happy. The latest comes from Orinda Intellectual Properties USA as they claim that the Sony Playstation 3 infringes on patent #5,438,560. Said patent depicts the methods by which you record and reproduce information on an optical disc. Sounds absurd, right?
What a bunch of jackasses. Seriously, they want a jury trial and the immediate injunction on manufacturing, sales and distribution of the gaming/blu-ray console on top of a “reasonable royalty”, says Edge.
“Orinda has been and will continue to be damaged as a result of Defendants’ infringing conduct,” the company said in the filing. “Defendants’ infringing conduct will continue unless permanently enjoined by this court.”
I find myself on AA flight #3 headed to LAX from NY’s JFK. Today marks the first day of Aircell’s Gogo inflight service going live for the masses. It will be available on flights from NYC to LA, Miami and San Francisco. The 8AM flight to Miami from JFK is not a 767-200, so those going south won’t be privy to Aircell’s Gogo service.
The flight is full from what I’m told and Aircell had plenty of people on hand at the gate to promote the service. Exactly how many folks will utilize the service is unknown at this point. I’ll be using my MacBook Pro, iPhone 3G and T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve along with one other smartphone that’s Wi-Fi enabled. I’m in economy so it’s going to be a tight squeeze. Hopefully the lady sitting in front of me won’t lean her seat back, but that’s doubtful. I’ve already got my laptop on my lap as is and it’s not pleasant. I wish one of the manufacturers who I requested a sub-notebook/netbook from had gotten back to me. I’m looking at you Lenovo, HP, Asus, MSI and Dell.
The service unavailable splash screen reveals that Gogo won’t work below 10,000 feet and is only available within the continental U.S. I will individually test all my devices and then simultaneously to see what sort of bandwidth I’m getting.
We’ve covered this topic on multiple occasions and, well, today the service is going live for the masses on AA. The Boeing 767-200 aircrafts in AA’s fleet flying from NYC to LA, Miami and San Francisco will have the service flipped on and we’ll be on a flight from JFK to LAX today. Pricing will be $12.95 for flights with a duration of over three hours. Check back at noon EDT for a live blog/review of the service. Read More
Best Buy announced today that they are going to start selling Smartphone software applications from their in-store “Mobile Genie” system. They also announced that Handango’s In-Hand client will be custom branded for Best Buy, and automatically downloaded into each device so customers can continue to purchase apps with Handango and Best Buy after they leave the store.
