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Apple
A Sad Fact: The iPod's Clickwheel Must Die
As tomorrow's Apple event looms, rumors of new iPods grow louder. And it's tough not to be at least a little excited. Ever since the original iPod was unveiled in 2001, Apple has wowed us time and time again by presenting the next piece of design evolution—an iPod that will be better than the last in every way—style, form and function. In a world when technological improvements can be hard for the naked eye to appreciate, Apple has given us the most simple metric of man's capabilities: A pocket music player.
But Apple has plateaued with the traditional iPod. In fact, each subsequent firmware update has added features that come with more confusing menus and extra clicks; meanwhile the iPhone and iPod touch seem to be able to take added features more easily in stride. And while every iPod has gotten a little bit bigger in storage and smaller in size, it has become a software-bulky device, an overweight ghost of its former understated brilliance. So whether or not we see the iPod touch nano tomorrow or not, it needs to happen soon.
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Use caution
iTunes 8 Release Candidate Is a Fake
The dude who claimed he downloaded an iTunes 8 release candidate from a mysterious button on Apple's iTunes site has decided to release it to the world after all. And it's a whole bunch of fake crap—it's a password-protected archive with a Zune setup file. Don't download it, this guy sucks and will burn in gadget hell. [RapidShare - Thanks Johannes!]
digital switchover
Digital TV Transition Starts Today in Wilmington, NC: Let's See Who Freaks Out
As most of you know, commercial analog TV in this country will become all but extinct on February 17th 2009. However, the digital revolution begins today in Wilmington NC. Basically, the town and its 197,760 TV-watching households will serve as guinea pigs for the nationwide rollout. The town has been bombarded with information about the switch, but the powers that be will be watching closely to see what unfolds. Will throngs of old people run screaming into the streets when Wheel of Fortune goes black? We will just have to wait and find out. [TVWeek]
Dealzmodo
Dealzmodo: Free $60 Gift Card With Xbox 360 Elite at Amazon
Following Microsoft's solid price cuts on the Xbox 360, this is a sweetass deal: At Amazon, if you buy an Xbox 360 Elite, you'll get a free $60 gift card. The only catch is that you have to buy the 360 from Amazon.com, and not one of their third-party merchants. It'll get emailed to you by Sept. 30 with the info about redeeming it. That's a free game or like half-way to a Gears of War 2 Lancer to faux grind your little brother into kibbles 'n' bits. [Amazon via Bargainist]
ssds
Intel 80GB Solid-State Drives Get Official (and High) Price Tag
Intel's slightly delayed leap into the SSD game is now official, with the company announcing a $595 pricetag for an 80GB SSD, which comes in 1.8-inch (X18-M) or 2.5-inch (X25-M) sizes for the same price, with 160GB versions coming later this year. While that's a considerably higher price-per-gigabyte ratio than what can be found on more generic SSDs, Intel will hopefully bring the performance standards so badly needed in the SSD world, where actual real-world performance can vary greatly from what's stated (take everyone upset about the MacBook Air's SSD, for instance). Intel's SATA drive is rated for 250MB/s reads and 70MB/s writes, with 85ms latency. Full details follow. More »
Giant spider
La Princesse, The 50-Foot Spider, Driven into the Abyss
We've been closely following the story of La Princesse, the 50-foot theatrical/mechanical spider that took over Liverpool, and in a tragic turn of events, we're sad to report that the spider did not go on a killing rampage and was instead pushed into a tunnel to disappear forever. The night included pyrotechnics and fountains, not done much justice by this handheld video, but quite remarkable all the same. Skip to 1:15 for the best footage to begin.
Review
The Gadget: A pair of yellow-tinted glasses you wear at the computer that claim to reduce "Digital Eye Fatigue" and "Computer Vision Syndrome." In other words, they get rid of eye strain and headaches related to eye strain. It also claims to give you "sharper, clearer vision," as well as improve your performance because "the eyes are relaxed." How? By "improving eye focus, reducing glare and blocking artificial light."
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Lightning Review: Gunnar Optiks Eye Strain-Reducing Computer Glasses
The Gadget: A pair of yellow-tinted glasses you wear at the computer that claim to reduce "Digital Eye Fatigue" and "Computer Vision Syndrome." In other words, they get rid of eye strain and headaches related to eye strain. It also claims to give you "sharper, clearer vision," as well as improve your performance because "the eyes are relaxed." How? By "improving eye focus, reducing glare and blocking artificial light."
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In Brief
The Power User's Guide to Google Chrome
FROM LIFEHACKER.COM: Now that you've been enjoying Google Chrome's headliner features and speed for almost a week now, it's time to dig into the less obvious functionality and options you don't already know about. More »
windows home server
Next Version of Windows Home Server May Include "Time Machine" Type of UI
Microsoft appears ready to whip the Mac faithful into a frenzy with their latest job posting for a Windows Home Server software development engineer. According to the posting, they are currently looking for someone to help deliver a "top notch UI for the next release." The posting goes on to say that a: "Time Machine compete (sp?) UI for backup and restore, Windows Media Center integration UI, Live Mesh integration UI" are the top priorities. While WHS already features backup functionality, it lacks a fancy-pants OS X Time Machine style UI—something that may be corrected in the next release if Microsoft finds the right person for the job. [Computer Jobs via istartedsomething]
Fun
It's a sad day in New York City history: Astroland, the amusement park at Coney Island, is officially closed for business forever. But New Yorkers' loss is your gain: now you have an opportunity to buy the famed Astroland's rides to recreate the dirty, dirty magic in your own back yard.
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Coney Island's Astroland Amusement Park Rides Now Available for Purchase
It's a sad day in New York City history: Astroland, the amusement park at Coney Island, is officially closed for business forever. But New Yorkers' loss is your gain: now you have an opportunity to buy the famed Astroland's rides to recreate the dirty, dirty magic in your own back yard.
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Nickelodeon, Updated
Giant Polaroid Flipbook Machine Holds 987 'Roids, Plays Your Short Film
Can it get any more adorably indie than a short film portrayed on 987 Polaroids that display flipbook-style on a giant drum inside a machine called the "Process Enacted Mutoscope"? I'm thinking no. The rig is pretty cool, though—letting you control the speed of playback frame-by-frame, as you can see in the video that follows. The obvious genre for films using the ol' Mutoscope, though, should be "Victorian Softcore." More »
Travel
Timbuk2 Travel Suitcases Feature Pockets for Ninjas (OK, Geeks)
Timbuk2, makers of free Gizmodo advertising/superb laptop messengers, are expanding their focus to a complete line of travel gear. And their new bags not only feature the infamous Timbuk2 panel styling, but "ninja pockets" for the guy who has to yank out all his electronics at checkpoints—namely you. Read on for the full three bag rundown. More »
Ambient sound
Kenwood Hibachi Speaker-Lighting Concept Sits Weirdly in Your Room Center
Kenwood's Hibachi is a strange creature: half-lighting system, half-wireless audio system, and designed to sit in your home and provide ambient lighting and to match your mood. Inside it's bowl-like form sits a three-speaker system, wireless receiver, lighting and battery: the lights also indicates the charge status of the battery, which should let the device run for a whole day. The wireless audio works 30m from the source, so presumably you could sit this baby in your garden on a sunny day as well as pop it somewhere inside. It's weird, but since it's a blend of sort-of traditional and vaguely-modern thinking, I like it. No word on whether it'll make it into a real product, but probablt not too hard to do a DIY. [KenwoodDesign via NewLaunches]
PS3
PlayStation Home Impressions (Verdict: Needs Content)
In case you're curious as to the progress of the PS3's upcoming PlayStation Home, the 3D Second Lifeish world in which you can interact with others, watch movie trailers, play games or just decorate a virtual apartment, one of our own readers was invited to participate in Sony's closed beta program and then kindly drafted up his experience for the world to read. His account confirms our skepticism while painting a pretty clear picture of exactly how Home works. And if you've got a second and a PS3, read on for his account. More »
Retromodo
For any med students who coveted the original BlackBerry pager back in '98 almost as much as they can't wait for the Bold to drop on AT&T, CRN's evolution of the BlackBerry will bring joy to your heart. Within which we realize that RIM actually hasn't evolved their drug-metaphor-laden email device all that much.
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BlackBerry Design Evolution: O How Far We've Come?
For any med students who coveted the original BlackBerry pager back in '98 almost as much as they can't wait for the Bold to drop on AT&T, CRN's evolution of the BlackBerry will bring joy to your heart. Within which we realize that RIM actually hasn't evolved their drug-metaphor-laden email device all that much.
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Hosedmodo
Amazon Cancels Orders for $40 Sharp Aquos HDTVs
Whether the Dealzmodo of the Century, a 52-inch Sharp Aquos HDTV for the eye-popping price of $38.42, was a cockup or just a scammy scam, Amazon is now actively canceling orders placed with affiliate myOfficeSource, whose Amazon storefront appears to be totally cleared out. So even if you did get your order in before Amazon stopped taking them, don't expect a giant TV to show up at your door. =( But at least you're not getting charged. =) Here's the full email: More »
Jobs
