Archive for the 'RSS Feeds' Category

Let Me Google That For You Teaches You How To Google [Google]

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Let Me Google That For You is a tutorial search engine for those whose assistance is constantly needed by the technologically impaired or those clueless friends you have who are just too lazy to search for answers themselves. Follow the jump to find out how it works.

Upon reaching the Let Me Google That For You page, type in your friend’s question into the search bar and click any button. The Web site will then provide you with a link to pass on to your friend, which will direct him to a page that will show your friend, step by step, exactly how to Google that specific question. The tutorial ends with an backhanded remark, “was that so hard?” before listing the question’s search results. Hopefully your and the tutorial’s impertinence will finally push your Google-incapable friends into braving the search engine waters on their own. [Lifehacker]


Source: Let Me Google That For You Teaches You How To Google [Google]

Call for Ridiculous Packaging Photos for Hall of Shame [Packaging]

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We’ve covered a few before, but since you guys keep uncovering examples of companies supplying you with gizmos in ridiculously voluminous packaging, we’re building a new Hall of Shame to give these things a home, and embarrass the perpetrators.

Oh, and in the spirit of Amazon’s “frustration-free wrapping promise,” and the vicious gash I got in my hand last week when unwrapping a simple flashdrive, let’s bundle overly-protective gadget wrapping in there too. You know— those “plastic-wrapped in seven different bullet-proof layers” blister packages, in a box, in a cellophane wrapper that even a chainsaw can’t free-up inside of half an hour.

We need your photos, chaps.

Simply email me with the subject line “packaging hall of shame” at keaton@gizmodo.com with your pics and a few words to describe your packaging woes.

[BTW. I now how dumb it is to cut yourself on packaging. I've used enough scalpels and high-power lasers in my career to be careful with stuff. But you know, I swear that plastic they use is 50% unobtanium, 20% indestructiblium, and 30% scalpelbladeslippium. I swear. —Ed.]


Source: Call for Ridiculous Packaging Photos for Hall of Shame [Packaging]

Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever

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var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/MS_revamps_Zune_Pass_Keep_10_tracks_a_month_forever’; There’s just nothing like the holiday season, folks. That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when spending your last dollar on a gift for someone you aren’t even that fond of — really, what else can compare? On second thought, maybe this can. Microsoft has just announced that, beginning today, Zune Pass users will be able to select ten tracks per month to keep forever (and ever, and ever), and the $14.99 monthly subscription rate isn’t headed up. Agreements have been miraculously nailed down between Microsoft and EMI Music, Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, not to mention a number of independent distributors. We must say, we certainly appreciate the gesture here, but is it enough to make fencesitters buy in? What say you?

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Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever

The Tech Specs of HD Netflix Streaming [Streaming]

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Hats off to Netflix. Without really being prompted, they’ve released their HD encoding/streaming specifications for the world to see. The company revealed that they originally considered a WMV3 (Windows Media Player 9) codec running at 4000kbps and 5500kbps, but opted instead for a similar Microsoft codec, the VC1AP running between 2600kbps and 3800kbps—which should provide a better experience for those of us with lower bandwidths.

While Netflix offers 24fps movies in their native frames per second, their other content peaks at 30fps. The company researched the 60fps content found on Blu-ray discs, they realized that they’d be better off reserving that sort of quality for another era. Good call.

While it’s a bit unfair to compare bitrates across codecs, Vudu’s premium HDX material is still the top dog in streaming, supplying encoded rates ranging between 9Mbps and 20Mbps. Then again, most of us can’t watch that footage in real time. [Netflix via CNET]

Source: The Tech Specs of HD Netflix Streaming [Streaming]

ASUS 15.6-inch touchscreen Eee Tops launching tomorrow — $499?

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Can you feel it? That dull sense of ennui isn’t the result of the diminished hours of daylight, oh no, it’s the sensation of the Eee Top’s imminent launch in Taipei. ASUS has a news conference scheduled for Thursday to out the ET1602 and ET1603 XP PCs into the wonderfully erect world of all-in-ones. Something we’ve been expecting since January of this year when we first heard about ASUS’ Eee branding promiscuity. We’re still looking at 15.6-inches of touchscreen LCD, a 160GB hard disk, 802.11n WiFi, a pair of 4-watt speakers, and 1.3 megapixel webcam all propped up by a tepid 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor — a CPU that ASUS knows a thing or two about. The ET1603 packs a better ATI HD3450 graphics card and battery for 4.4-kilograms (9.7-pounds) of luggable PC. We’ll have to wait for the pricing and country details but we can speculate that it’ll arrive in the US pronto after seeing its wireless (EK-C2) keyboard slip through the FCC yesterday. Could be a holiday winner if it hits for the $499 price rumored way back when.

Read — Eee Top launch tomorrow
Read — Eee Top keyboard FCC

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ASUS 15.6-inch touchscreen Eee Tops launching tomorrow — $499? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:ASUS 15.6-inch touchscreen Eee Tops launching tomorrow — $499?

Aluminum MacBook X-Ray Makes Perfect Desktop Background [Apple]

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I’ve seen a lot of disassembled MacBooks already, but this is the first time I’ve seen one under x-rays. The image was taken by Jason De Villa because he wonder how would it look like. I’ve to agree on his curiosity: Like other gadget x-rays we have featured in the past, there’s something about radiographed technology that satisfies my most intimate geek peeping tom and Dr. House-wannabe desires at the same time. And no, I’m not talking about the cellphones-up-your-buttocks x-rays. [The AfterMac via Cult of Mac]


Source: Aluminum MacBook X-Ray Makes Perfect Desktop Background [Apple]

Zune Pass Subscription Service Adds Ten Free Keeper Tracks a Month [Zune Pass]

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Microsoft’s $15 Zune Pass subscription service—a pretty sweet deal already—has just porked up their offer by giving you 10 free songs that you can keep every month. We’ve talked about Zune Pass in our Zune reviews before, but it’s basically access to all of the Zune Marketplace for only the price of a CD a month. Since most of their catalog (90% or so, including all the majors and a few indie labels) is already in MP3 format, you can load these free songs on any kind of device you want, like your iPhone or Android phone or PS3 or Wii.

They’re also announcing the addition of Universal Music Group and Sony BMG to the MP3 DRM-less format (DRM-less as long as you buy the music), the last bits to complete their “majors” MP3 collection. We think the deal is hotness as long as you’re OK with the fact that you’re renting, not buying; well, you’re now “buying” those ten tracks a month, in essence. [Zune]


Source: Zune Pass Subscription Service Adds Ten Free Keeper Tracks a Month [Zune Pass]

NASA's interplanetary Internet tests a success, Vint Cerf triumphs again

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NASA is reporting the first successful tests of its Deep Space Network modeled after Earth’s own Internet. Instead of using TCP/IP, however, the interplanetary communication network relies upon DTN (Disruption-Tolerant Networking) co-developed by none other than Google’s Vinton Cerf. As such, NASA’s network does not assume a continuous end-to-end connection — if a link is lost due to solar storms or a planetary eclipse, the communication node will store the information until the connection is re-established. So, what’s the big deal you rightly ask, after all, we’ve been (purposely) transmitting data to and from space for a half-century. As Leigh Torgerson, manager of NASA’s DTN Experiment Operations Center explains it:

“In space today, an operations team must manually schedule each link and generate all the commands to specify which data to send, when to send it, and where to send it. With standardized DTN, this can all be done automatically.”

Testing of the Deep Space Network began in October with twice-weekly communications between NASA’s Epoxi spacecraft (on a mission to rendezvous with Comet Hartley 2) and nine ground-based nodes meant to simulate Mars landers, orbiters, and operation centers. The International Space Station is scheduled to join the testing next summer. Although the nature of the data transmitted wasn’t specified, we can only presume that it was laced with Google ads for Mr. Lee’s Greater Hong Kong.

NASA’s interplanetary Internet tests a success, Vint Cerf triumphs again originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:NASA's interplanetary Internet tests a success, Vint Cerf triumphs again

Dealzmodo: 15 Cheap Blu-ray Players as Low as $200 [Dealzmodo]

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digg_skin = ‘compact’; digg_bgcolor = ‘#f1f8fa’; digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/15_Blu_ray_Players_Under_300_And_Some_as_Low_as_200′;

There’s no question that Blu-ray is still not as inexpensive as DVD, whether you’re talking about the players or the discs themselves. But prices have come down in time for the holidays, especially if you’re willing to settle for an early generation model or a refurb.

In fact, we have a list of 15 Blu-ray players that don’t go for $300 or under just on Black Friday; they go for that little every day if you’re willing to do a quick online search. Here are all 15 models, many with links to decent deals if you’re too exasperated to search yourself.

Magnavox (NB500MG9)
MSRP: $298
AVG $220

Panasonic (DMP-BD30)
MSRP: $499.95
AVG $250
What We Said

Panasonic (DMP-BD35)
MSRP: $299.95
AVG $200
What We Said

Philips (BDP7200)
MSRP: $399.99
AVG $240
What We Said

Samsung BD-P1000
MSRP: $999
AVG $200 at low end
What We Said

Samsung BD-P1200
MSRP: $799
AVG $200 at low end
What We Said

Samsung BD-P1500
MSRP: $399
AVG $250
What We Said

Sharp BD-HP2OU
MSRP:$399
AVG $250
What We Said

Sharp BDHP21U
MSRP: $349.99
AVG $250

Sony BDP-BX1
MSRP: $499
AVG $290

Sony BDP-S300
MSRP: $499
AVG $250
What We Said

Sony BDP-S301
MSRP:$499
AVG $230

Sony BDP-S350
MSRP: $399
AVG $250
What We Said

Sylvania NB500SL9
MSRP: $349.00
AVG $200

Sylvania NB501SL9
MSRP: $289.99
AVG $220


Source: Dealzmodo: 15 Cheap Blu-ray Players as Low as $200 [Dealzmodo]

Houdini Pro Emergency Rescue Tool Busts You Out Of a Wrecked Or Drowning Car [Emergency Car Kit]

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The Houdini and Houdini Pro are two emergency car tools that improve your chances of not dying when faced with a crashed or sinking car. It’s much like the seatbelt cutters and window shatterers that have been on the market for a while, but also comes with a safety whistle and LED light. The Pro upgrades the seat belt cutter to the big boy status that can get you out of automotive messes that leave you upside down. They’re $25 and $40 respectively. Until the days when your kung fu training enables you to punch out a window with your fist and clip your seatbelt with “scissor fingers”, we’d go with these. [Houdini Tool via Gear Diary]


Source: Houdini Pro Emergency Rescue Tool Busts You Out Of a Wrecked Or Drowning Car [Emergency Car Kit]



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