Hasta La Gadget!

It’s true, The Pirate Bay has agreed to being purchased by Global Gaming Factory (owner of a network of Internet cafes and gaming centers) for 60 million Swedish Krona or roughly $7.8 million. According to a press release, “GGF intends to launch new business models that allow compensation to the content providers and copyright owners.” In a post on TPB’s blog, the rogue file sharing site says that the project has been in the works for many years and should help evolve the site while trying to stay the same. Here’s how they put it:

If the new owners will screw around with the site, nobody will keep using it. That’s the biggest insurance one can have that the site will be run in the way that we all want to. And – you can now not only share files but shares with people. Everybody can indeed be the owner of The Pirate Bay now. That’s awesome and will take the heat of us.

We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out but it certainly smacks of a Napster v2 like situation at first blush. Assuming of course the deal closes by August as anticipated.

Update: As a hint, perhaps, of what’s to come, GGF also announced the purchase of Peerialism, a software company responsible for developing what GGF calls “P2P 2.0” file sharing technology.

[Thanks, JOKR Solutions]

Read — The Pirate Bay blog post
Read — Press Release

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Pirate Bay acquired by Global Gaming Factory, going legit like Napster originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been fans of Sanyo’s rechargeable Eneloop batteries since they first entered the market in the lazy NiMH and NiCd days of 2005. We remember this because we, like Eneloops, don’t suffer from the memory effect of our predecessors. Ok, ok, that date’s in the press release but that doesn’t change the fact that Eneloops will maintain their charge over time even when stored, ununsed in a drawer now does it? Anywho, Sanyo just announced its rechargeable Eneloop Lamp that serves to light your home when upright or your path when held like a flashlight — automatically, just as soon as it passes the 90-degree mark. It also features a healing function that waxes a cool blue light into the tragic abyss of your misery and despair. The internal AAs recharge in about 12-hours when set atop the included induction charger. Fully charged, you can expect between 3- and 45-hours of white light, 12- to 16-hours of the blue stuff, and about 6 hours in flashlight mode. No price was given but it’ll be on sale in Japan starting September 11th.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Household

Sanyo’s Eneloop lamp heals your ecological soul originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you dream of big plastic tennis-rackets and steering-wheel snap-ons for Sony’s upcoming motion controller? Yeah, then why not build them yourself? Sony Computer Entertainment has launched its Official Licensing Program that gives accessory and peripheral makers in Japan, Asia, North America, and Europe access to all the PS3, PSP, and PS2 tech documents and schematics required to qualify your product for an “Official Licensed Product” logo. Sure, you’ll likely have to hand over some cash for the privilege, but imagine the bank that awaits the person who converts the glowing orb atop Sony’s motion controller into the very first official PS3 lightsaber.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Sony seeks official PlayStation peripherals — offers logo, good time originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last few years have been a huge boom for toy cameras in Japan, tapping into both retro trends and the embedded camera culture of the country. Two companies are leading the charge: Lomography (the original reviver of plastic camera goodness) and Superheadz (the Japanese equivalent with its own offerings).

Last week was the 25th anniversary of the LOMO LC-A, the Russian model that started it all, with a surprisingly fun party at the Tokyo Lomography “Embassy”.

I was planning to go, but missed out on the party and am wishing I’d made it. As an avid user of my favorite Holga, Horizon, and Blackbird Fly cameras, it’s been great seeing this culture catch on among 20-somethings in Japan. Digital camera makers, by the way, could learn a lot from what’s going on here, especially from a fashion/design perspective.

What’s this? An as of yet unannounced Nikon D3000 camera has allegedly popped up in press photo format, flaunting itself as what appears to be a slimmed down entry level DSLR. The gang LensTip have analyzed the pic pretty thoroughly against the D5000 and have concluded it’s got a smaller body, no HDMI connector, no microphone (so much for a movie mode), and likely no articulating display. Additionally, we’ve got from Nikon Rumors what’s purported to be our first glimpse at the D300s body. Given the angle of the shot, the only difference we can spot is the inclusion of a microphone — then again, it could just be some subtle image manipulation trickery from a rabid fan. See it and decide for yourself after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Read – Nikon D3000 is coming
Read – Another Nikon D300s picture

Continue reading Nikon D3000, D300s images materialize

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D3000, D300s images materialize originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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