Feb 11

Sennheiser PX 210 BT Cuts the Cords

Posted in: audio, bluetooth, headphones, headset, MP3, MP3 Digital Audio, Today's Chili

Sennheiser-PX_210_BT.jpgMarking one more step in our journey to a completely wireless world is the Sennheiser PX 210 BT (catchy name), a set of Bluetooth-enabled mini-headphones with a range of 33 feet. Roam where you want to and don’t worry about a cord bogging you down. If you’ve been disappointed with Bluetooth headphones in the past, you may want to give these a try: Sennheiser has equipped them with licensed Apt-X coding technology, which is designed to create flawless sound that’s free of interference.

Stow your music player in your bag when you use the PX 210 BT, since audio controls are right on the headphones. You can turn the Bluetooth on or off, change volume, and move back and forth in a playlist all from the included controls. The company promises 12 hours of continuous operation with the rechargeable lithium polymer battery. These headphones are available now for a list price of $299.95.

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 11

Two Important Updates to Gizmodo: #Broken and #Lifechanger

Posted in: Today's Chili, top

Gizmodo is a blog, yes, but it’s also become a more encompassing entity—one that’s dynamically enriched by its readership. And we can think of nothing more important for you to share than the real-world stories about your gadgets.

Our larger commenting guide can tell you more about the ins and outs of commenting on Gizmodo (for instance, you don’t even need to click on a story to comment, you can do so from the “Got a tip for us?” window in the Gizmodo title bar).

Today, I’m more focused on two particular tags that you can add to any comment on Gizmodo.

#Broken

For whenever a device hasn’t lived up to its promises or a company has just screwed you royally, tip the #broken tag. Not only will it allow you a place to vent (which helps, trust me); having all of these complaints in one place allows us to spot/legitimize trends. Plus, it’s my personal hope that particularly savvy companies will be smart enough to peruse the #broken tag to ensure that their customer base is happy.

You may recognize #broken as the same tag we’ve been using to follow the Faulty iMac Saga. That’s really just the start of what #broken can be—your participation will make it far more relevant and powerful.

#Lifechanger

But all gadgets don’t always suck (that’s why, ultimately, we’re all hanging out at Gizmodo). To laud the gadgets and everyday devices, from new to antiquated, from ordinary to extraordinary, that you just could not live without, use our #lifechanger tag.

We debuted #lifechanger with my ode to Pyrex Colors bowls. In an era when we covet everything new and shiny, the idea that something lacking logos and multi million dollar marketing campaigns can make our lives better is more important to acknowledge than ever before. (Though, if you just want to talk about your totally spectacular Nexus One, that’s fine too.)

Ultimately, it’s not any small group of technology editors writing for any publication who decide whether or not a product is relevant; it’s the masses, the people who buy the products and use them, rather than just “test” or “review” them, in their everyday lives.

You are the masses, so make these spaces your own, and allow Gizmodo to speak in a new, truer way.

No Comments
Feb 11

Todays Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch, In 140 Characters or Less

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili, twitter

tonysaturnvtwitpic.jpg

Tony Hoffman, our managing editor for printers, scanners,
and projectors, is braving the Florida
sunshine this week, as a Twitter correspondent for NASA’s launch of the Solar
Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Tony was one of 15 people picked by NASA to cover
the event in an official capacity via the microblogging service, and he’s got a
ton of cool TwitPics to show for it [like the one above].

Tony will be blogging more extensively about the launch
(which happened an hour or so ago), but in the meantime, his abbreviated
coverage certainly warrants a follow–and maybe a star or two. 

No Comments
Feb 11

Bill Gates Unimpressed with Apple iPad

Posted in: apple ipad, Microsoft, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for apple ipad.jpgLike much of the rest of the tech world, Bill Gates wasn’t won over by the iPad. Apple’s latest device is no iPhone, so far as the former Microsoft chief is concerned. Heck, it’s not even as good as a netbook, in Gates’s humble opinion.

Asked about Steve Jobs’s new baby, the CEO-turned-philanthropist was more than happy to share his opinion, stating:

You know, I’m a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard – in other words a netbook–will be the mainstream on that. So, it’s not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with iPhone where I say, ‘Oh my God, Microsoft didn’t aim high enough.’ It’s a nice reader, but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, ‘Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.’

No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 11

XP has 10 Days Left, kind of

Posted in: Microsoft, Software, Today's Chili, Windows, Windows Vista, Windows XP

This article was written on June 20, 2008 by CyberNet.

dell xp vista.jpgIn less than ten days Windows XP will no longer be an option when purchasing most computers, despite the fact that over 208,000 people requested that the XP deadline be extended even longer. It’s time to move on people, or is it?

After the deadline manufacturer’s will only be able to offer XP on machines that are taking advantage of Vista’s downgrade rights. That means the customer will have to purchase a machine with either Vista Business or Ultimate, and then they will get a copy of Windows XP Professional as well. You’ll likely have to pay a surcharge to get a copy of XP Pro from the manufacturer, and to comply with Microsoft’s regulations XP Home is not an option.

Dell has already begun preparing their line of business and consumer machines to offer the downgrade service as an option. Above is a screenshot of what you’ll see when selecting an operating system on your new Dell computer, but you may not see it if you’re hunting around for a consumer computer. For consumers Dell is limiting this option to their gaming machines only, which means it is only available on the XPS 630 and XPS 720 H2C desktops and the XPS M1730 laptop. The Vista/XP Pro bundle is free from Dell until July 7th.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the end, but we already know for sure that low-cost desktops and notebooks can continue to use XP for several more years. Looking around at the other manufacturers it looks as though most aren’t even offering XP anymore, which makes you wonder whether XP has truly reached the end of its life?

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags: ,
Feb 11

Ground-Based Telescope Reveals Stunning Orion Nebula Image

Posted in: science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

VISTA_Orion_Nebula.jpg

The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope isn’t the only way to get stunning images of distant objects.

This breathtaking photo of the Orion Nebula (M42), a stellar nursery about 1,350 light years from Earth, was taken by the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), the newest scope to grace the European Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, according to Space.com.

Orion is an easy target even for amateur astronomers using home-based telescopes. But VISTA’s image shows what those telescopes can’t: the large portion of Orion’s gas cloud that only reveals itself to detectors sensitive to longer, infrared wavelength radiation, the report said.

No Comments | Tags:
Feb 11

Google Puts More Oomph In Google Finance

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili

This article was written on December 12, 2006 by CyberNet.

Google Finance

I have been learning how to do more with the stock market lately and at first I forced myself to start using Google Finance. I say force because I really love Google’s services because the interfaces are so clean, but I think MSN and Yahoo both have financial sites that offer more information to users. The latest update to Google Finance does, however, present some information that will potentially be very useful:

  • A new homepage design which lets you see currency information, sector performance for the U.S. market, and a listing of top market movers along with the relevant and important news of the day.
  • A Top Movers section highlighting most active companies by price, market cap, volume, and popularity as determined by our own Google Trends.
  • More comprehensive charts, which now display up to 40 years of data for U.S. stocks.
  • Richer portfolio capabilities that let you import other online portfolios to Google Finance, use different views and add transactions to make it easier to track your investments.
  • A quick and easy way to add and view your Google Finance portfolios on the Google Personalized Homepage.

Now all of those things are great and one thing that I love to do with stocks is look at their history. The new “40 years of data” for certain stocks sounded appealing but there is just one thing that I cannot figure out for the life of me and that is how I can go back to a specific date. I realize that I can adjust the sliders but there has to be a way where I can enter in a date, or select it from a calendar, and have it tell me the numerical values for the stats on that particular day. Am I crazy or is there no easy way to do this?

I also find the “Top Movers” on the homepage to be extremely useful. I have found a few companies that look interesting and I’ll be tracking them to see how they progress. I’m not going to use the “Google Trends” portion of the Top Movers as a reliable source but it may uncover some hidden investment opportunities.

News Source: Official Google Blog

Thanks for the tip CoryC!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments
Feb 10

Meebo Launches File Transfer Feature!

Posted in: General, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on September 11, 2007 by CyberNet.

It’s true, Meebo has launched a file transfer feature! Meebo is known as one of the best web-based instant messaging services available whose users exchange over 100 million instant messages each day. When instant messaging came to the web, it was welcomed with open arms, yet it still hasn’t been capable of doing everything that desktop versions are able to do.  It’s amazing how far Meebo has come though, and how the differences between the web apps for instant messaging, and desktop versions are becoming fewer and fewer.

I tend to use the file transfer feature quite often in Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger, and it’s one of those things that have made using a desktop application for messaging necessary. With a file transfer feature here at last for an online service, I think a handful of people will be more willing to give it a try.  The Meebo team has said that the file transfer feature has been requested for quite some time and eventually made its way to the list of projects that interns were able to work on.  One of their interns this summer put together the file transfer feature, and now it’s ready to use.

The image below shows the icon you’ll be looking for. It looks like a piece of paper with a green arrow pointing to the right:

meebo file transfer

All you have to do is click the icon and a window will pop up so that you can select the file that you’d like to transfer. The person you’re transferring the file to will get a link to click on so that they can accept the transfer. It’s as simple as that! Cool, huh?

Give Meebo a try.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments
Feb 10

The Faulty iMac Saga, Chapter 5: The Moment of Truth

Posted in: Apple, imac, Today's Chili, top

The iMac’s notorious flickering problem has been solved through a firmware update. And after a few weeks’ hiatus, Apple has continued shipping 27-inch iMacs. This may be it.

Can You Safely Buy a New iMac Yet?

Nope, but you might be able to next week.

Why?

There are two noted problems with iMacs—the 27-inch models in particular. First is an issue where their screens flicker. Apple released a firmware update for the problem, but it didn’t seem to fix it. However, the second firmware update looks to have been more successful. How successful?

Combing through about 30 pages of this thread (thanks Kyle), dozens have found the second update successful—and similar threads have come to similar conclusions. A few outliers still exist, but the vast consensus seems to be that the issue is nullified when the update is properly installed.

So it looks like the flickering problem is fixed for most users. This is great news—a huge breakthrough in this whole saga. If your iMac is still flickering after the update, call up Apple and demand new hardware. It finally seems safe to say, you’re probably in the minority.

But the existing, huge question mark is regarding the yellow screens. Are these fixed yet? Apple halted production lines in what we assumed as an attempt to solve the yellow screen problems (among other iMac quirks). Now they’re shipping new 27-inch iMacs again.

Theoretically, the yellow screens could be behind us. But until customers actually receive and test these iMacs, we don’t know if Apple was able to solve whatever problems are going on.

Apple most certainly hasn’t made claims either way.

What Ever Happened With Those Apple Pay-outs

We received reports from the UK, and then the US, that Apple was essentially buying back faulty iMacs for 15% over the sticker price. It was until later, however, that we learned the catch. What once looked like a pretty great deal turned out, well, mediocre. The 15% was a flat payback rate that was meant to cover both tax and shipping. We assume it covered purchasing expenses, but a money hand-out it was not. It’s also worth mentioning that this deal was handed out sporadically, and I’m not sure it’s still being offered to customers at all.

Quote of the Week

“[Apple] said they can issue me a refund via check that’ll come 4-6 weeks. That’s nearly $2600 of my money they’re going to hold for over 2 months since the day I paid for this messed up computer.”

Apple Is All In

So this is it, the big moment of truth. Without official word, we are forced to interpret the delivery freezes as both a silent admission that there were problems with iMacs and an attempt to fix them. But who knows if Apple actually solved the yellow screens. Especially if the source of the issue is really in the LG panel itself—which some suspect given similar complaints with similar Dell monitors—it’s possible that Apple can’t cure the jaundice without raising hell down at the factory, or shopping for another supplier. (This problem shouldn’t be the consumer’s inconvenience, of course.) We won’t know until we see the latest iMacs in the wild.

We’ve got a lot of sources—retail/repair spies, plenty of tipsters who are on their third or fourth faulty iMac and, of course, all of you—just waiting to share their replacement experiences. Tip us at submissions@gizmodo.com and join in.

Apple, I hope we can put these problems behind us because neither of us wants to see how bad that apple on the table can rot.

No Comments | Tags:
Feb 10

Bad Valentine: On Finding Awkward, Geek Love

Posted in: Today's Chili, top

Love can be difficult. Throwing tech into the mix can complicate things even more.

We’ve got tech that can put us in touch with so many people at once, but can keep us from real intimacy with our closest few: Facebook friends don’t have to meet, tweets don’t require thoughtfulness, movie dates don’t require talking, and sexting obviates touching. But we still need to get down to brass tacks for love and fucking. Uh, so to speak.

The underlying game remains but it seems like we have a lot more interference to deal with.

Of course, it isn’t that one-sided. We’re meeting people we might have never met before, and we’re engaging with them, even superficially, across barriers and distances and with immediacy impossible even a few decades ago.

But my guess is that when we spend all this time at arms length or farther, engaging in little meaningless conversations with the crowd, it’s hard to imagine we’re all as good at the one-on-one time than we might been sometime in the last century. I might even suggest from my pop psychobabble arm chair that gadget geeks who prefer to fiddle with apps at a party instead of conversing with other human beings are at least slightly damaged romantic goods. I’d be speaking about myself. And so would my girlfriend:

When Brian first brought his iPhone home, it was like he’d taken a mistress. All day, all night, he fondled its touchscreen and gawked at its shiny face. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of it for more than five minutes at a time. Like a good Japanese girlfriend, I let him get the lust out of his system instead of trying to stop the inevitable. I pretended not to care while he lay in bed smoothing his finger across the unlock bar, and sat stoically at the other end of the dinner table as he and the iPhone whispered sweet nothings to each other.

Geek-on-geek love isn’t all bad. Nerds use the same websites and gadgets and develop, together, the same affinities and rules of right and wrong. The challenge is, along the worldwide spectrum from geek to non-geek, everyone gets comfortable with these modern tools at different paces. What’s left, and constant, then, is human nature.

For the next few days, counting down to Valentine’s day, we’re exploring love in modern times. Our resident love doctor, Dr. Debby Herbenick, will be sharing wisdom and data to help us understand the new challenges, and we’ll all be publishing various takes on this complicated subject, as well as sharing your experiences as well.

It’s not all bad, in fact, sometimes it’s beautiful, but let’s face it, love is messy enough and adding social networks and smartphones into the mix without any established rules for how or when to use them properly, things can only get messier.

This is where our theme—and our exploration of awkward geek love—begins.

You can read all our Bad Valentine stories here.

Bad Valentine is our own special take on the beauty—and awkwardness—of geek love.

No Comments