Jun 21

California considers electronic ads on license plates, we consider never moving there

Posted in: ads, advertising, Cars, Law, Today's Chili, Transportation

Driving in California could get a little more annoying in the coming days. The Legislature of the state that brought you Brody Jenner and Spencer Pratt is now considering a bill which would allow the beginning of research into electronic license plates for vehicles. The new-fangled plates would look just like regular ones when a vehicle was in motion, but would flash awesome advertisements and other messages when stopped for more than four seconds. One San Francisco based startup, Smart Plate, is already hard at work on developing just such a device, but they’re not in production yet. The measure is seen largely as a money making scheme for California, which — like nearly everywhere else in the world — is heavily in debt after several years of hard partying and irresponsible shopping trips. Parties interested in advertising on the plates would apparently contact the California DMV directly (then wait in line for 12 to 14 hours before submitting their preliminary application for ad space). If approved, the DMV will be required to submit its research and findings to the Legislature by January of 2013. Here’s to the future!

California considers electronic ads on license plates, we consider never moving there originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Switched  |  sourceMercury News  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Jun 21

Poll: is iOS 4 causing you grief?

Posted in: Today's Chili

To say our tip box has been inundated with reports of iOS 4 issues today would be something of an understatement. So far, those on staff seem to be running cool (with the exception of some slow down on our gold build downloads), but obviously you’re a larger sample size with so far widely disparate reports. So tell us, is iOS 4 causing you grief? If so, how? (Note: if you’re having multiple problems, pick what you’d consider most troublesome.)

View Poll

Poll: is iOS 4 causing you grief? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jun 21

Windows Live Messenger debuts on iPhone (hands-on)

Posted in: Today's Chili

Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger app for iPhone gives social chatters multiple ways to check into their communication hubs. However, a problem with our account underscores that this app might not yet be all it can be. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20008351-233.html” class=”origPostedBlog”iPhone Atlas/a/p

No Comments
Jun 21

Best Greasemonkey Scripts: Gmail Full Width

Posted in: Freeware, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on January 31, 2008 by CyberNet.

Gmail Ad Remove

When reading emails in Gmail there are typically some ads and other things located alongside the email for quick access. There are plenty of scripts and tools available to remove those ads, but many don’t make use of the unusually large empty space that despairingly sits there.

The Gmail Sidebar Remover script for Greasemonkey is the perfect solution. Once enabled it will completely remove the sidebar, and the relevant buttons will be placed along the left-hand side of the screen. Don’t worry, these buttons do not show up when you’re viewing your Inbox.

One thing that would really be cool is if this script also grabbed other information that is displayed near the ads, such as package tracking or address mapping. This information only shows up when specific information is detected in emails, and it would be handy to still have it available.

Gmail Sidebar Remover will only work in Firefox with Greasemonkey installed, and is compatible with both the new and old versions of Gmail (and also Google Apps). An alternate script is the Gmail Full Width, but I prefer how Gmail Sidebar Remover moves the buttons to the left sidebar occupying very little extra space.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:


No Comments | Tags:
Jun 21

Dell Streak gets cozy with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, suddenly looks small (video)

Posted in: Android, bluetooth, hands-on, keyboard, mobile phone, MobilePhone, mouse, phone, smartphone, streak, Today's Chili, video

Look what we have here? The Dell Streak sure keeps bringing us more and more surprises — unlike most Android devices that lack the Bluetooth HID profile, here it is paired up with our wireless keyboard and mouse (Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, specifically) without any driver hacks. Streak Smart, who made this discovery, had the same experience as us with its iGo Stowaway keyboard and an unknown mouse — typing was as smooth as cutting butter with a hot knife, but the mouse couldn’t do much due to the lack of pointer and scrolling support. If you insist, the forthcoming Nokia N8 is confirmed to support both devices natively, but it shouldn’t be long before we see a mouse hack for the green bot. Hands-on video after the break, and do also head over to the source link if you need more convincing.

P.S. — Since commenter dudeville was asking, here’s how to pair the Apple keyboard with the Streak: type a four-digit PIN on the phone when prompted, then type the same number on the keyboard and press the enter key. Good luck!

Continue reading Dell Streak gets cozy with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, suddenly looks small (video)

Dell Streak gets cozy with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, suddenly looks small (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceStreak Smart  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Jun 21

The 411: Prepaid phones

Posted in: Today's Chili

Every two weeks, Nicole Lee answers your questions about cell phones and their accessories. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-20008390-85.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Dialed In/a/p

No Comments
Jun 21

SlingPlayer Mobile for Android ready to entertain you for $30 starting tomorrow

Posted in: Android, Google, Today's Chili

After a public beta spanning a couple months, Sling is rolling out the latest piece of its expanding SlingPlayer Mobile portfolio this week — this time for Android, plugging the biggest coverage gap it currently has. This is the same app we recently had an opportunity to check out, but since that preview, we’re happy to report that it’s been massaged into a more stable, more usable setup — gone are the disconnect crashes we’d had before. Furthermore, Sling claims they’ve specifically worked to improve load and response times with this version, and we have to say that the effort is noticeable — this definitely feels like the fastest SlingPlayer Mobile we’ve used to date. It’s officially available starting tomorrow from the Market in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US for $29.99. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading SlingPlayer Mobile for Android ready to entertain you for $30 starting tomorrow

SlingPlayer Mobile for Android ready to entertain you for $30 starting tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jun 21

Apple iOS 4 review

Posted in: Today's Chili

Though Thursday’s release of the iPhone 4 is getting the most fervent attention, Apple’s iOS 4 is just as significant. CNET takes a look at the biggest offerings in this initial review. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20008259-233.html” class=”origPostedBlog”iPhone Atlas/a/p

No Comments
Jun 21

Digital City 86: Unboxing the Xbox 360 Slim, plus E3 swag giveaway

Posted in: Today's Chili

a rel=”enclosure” href=”http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/1pcast.digicity/http://podcast-files.cnet.com/podcast/cnet_DIGITALCITY_062110.mp3″/a

p
script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/html/js/video/hammerhead/CnetUniversalVideoPlayer.js”/scriptscript type=”text/javascript”loadUniversalPlayer({playerType: ‘ces2010-small’,lumiereQueryType: ‘id’,lumiereQueryValue: ‘50089311’,useCurrentPageUrl: true,relatedVideo: false,preRollAd: true,hideLeftTab:true,wrapperFloat:’right’});/script/pp

The new Xbox 360 Slim (our unofficial name for it) is here, and we’ve got one. Watch us unbox it on the air, going over what’s included in the retail package, as well as some new add-ons and accessories, with the help of our special guest, a href=”http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/”Russ Frushtick of MTV’s
Multiplayer video game blog/a.
/pp
This week’s video game giveaway gets super-sized. We’ve got several copies of DodoGo for DSi, plus promo T-shirts up for grabs.
/pp
Even cooler (well, that’s debatable)…if you missed last week’s a href=”http://e3.cnet.com”E3 video game trade show/a, we’ve got a box of swag from the show to give away–it includes actual VIP wristbands from media events; notepads; all-access passes; and more. Great for convincing your friends you’re a video game insider.
/pp
If you’re lazy, you can fast-forward to the end of the show for details on how to get hooked up with our prizes, or even drop by our a href=”http://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-City-Podcast-CNET/42492794545″Digital City Facebook fan page/a.
/pp
Bonus: See Dan live in San Francisco for a rare one-night-only appearance. It’ll be Thursday, June 24, at the CNET Showcase Live event, which covers tablets and Netbooks. a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-31750_1-20008233-272.html”Get info on tickets here. /a
/pp
Related links:br

gt;gt;a title=”Costumes, creatures, and more from the E3 2010 show floor — Friday, Jun 18, 2010″ href=”http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-21539_7-20008130-10391702.html” Sights and scenes from E3 2010/abr
gt;gt; a href=”http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/ipad_thieves_hit_side_apple_store_Aa9f40lBA3OyHgccZKl9PO”iPad Bandit Terrorizes Gotham! /abr
gt;gt; a title=”A look at iPhone cash and exchange deals — Monday, Jun 21, 2010″ href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20008110-260.html”Sell your own iPhone to fund an iPhone 4/a
br

/p
p
gt;gt; a href=”http://cnet.com/live/digitalcity”Watch the Digital City live every bMonday at 3 p.m. EST/b on CNET Live!/abr
gt;gt; a href=”http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=317469333″Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes/abr
gt;gt; a href=”http://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-City-Podcast-CNET/42492794545″Join the Digital City Facebook fan page/abr

Need more? a href=”http://twitter.com/digitalcitycnet”Follow the show on Twitter/a. Also check out a href=”http://twitter.com/danackerman”Dan on Twitter/a, and a href=”http://twitter.com/jetscott”Scott!/abr

/p

p/p

b style=”margin: 10px 0; display: inline; float: left;”Listen now:/b
object style=”margin: 0 10px; display: inline; float: left;”
type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”
data=”http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/av/n/emff.swf?src=http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/1pcast.digicity/http://podcast-files.cnet.com/podcast/cnet_DIGITALCITY_062110.mp3″
width=”150″ height=”40″
param name=”movie” value=”http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/av/n/emff.swf?src=http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/1pcast.digicity/http://podcast-files.cnet.com/podcast/cnet_DIGITALCITY_062110.mp3″ /
param name=”quality” value=”high” /
/object
a style=”position: relative; top: 10px; width: 200px; height: 200px” href=”http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/1pcast.digicity/http://podcast-files.cnet.com/podcast/cnet_DIGITALCITY_062110.mp3″Download today’s podcast/a
br clear=”all”

bSubscribe now: /ba href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=292674315″ iTunes (audio)/a | a href=”http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=317469333″iTunes (video)/a | a href=”http://digitalcitypodcast.cnet.com/” RSS (audio)/a | a href=”http://digitalcityvideopodcast.cnettv.com” RSS (video)/a br
br clear=”all”

hr pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-18603_1-20008382-73.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Digital City Podcast/a/p

No Comments
Jun 21

iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking)

Posted in: Apple, ios, iPhone, iphone 3g, Iphone3g, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili

While iOS 4 is delivering on every promise for the iPhone 3GS users out there, as we were all told up front, the iPhone 3G would be missing some of those touted new features. Granted, we knew such disparities would exist but were never given the finer details. Now that the final build is percolating through the internet, we decided to take a look at what features are and aren’t working on the earlier year’s model.

What’s there

  • Folders
  • Threaded mail
  • iTunes playlist creation / editing
  • 5x digital zoom: just tap on the display near the capture button, but be warned, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture
  • iBooks: we were having issues with the earlier build, but it seems to be running fine after today’s official download — PDFs work, too.
  • Photos: you can now sort by albums, events, faces, and places
  • Game Center: the icon is present, but as of this writing we’re unable to connect to the servers. (Update: a number of readers saying it didn’t come with today’s download. We nabbed ours as a gold build, which might explain the discrepancy despite still being considered “up to date” by iTunes.)
  • Spell check has been updated
  • Spotlight search: you can search the web and Wikipedia from the home screen search bar. That said, not all our queries — “Engadget,” for example — weren’t offering the option. [Thanks, jkane08]

What isn’t

  • Multitasking: this is the big one. Double-tapping the home button doesn’t give you the handy menu, there’s no fast app switching, and background use is missing in action.
  • Screen lock: normally in the multitasking menu (which isn’t available on 3G), it’s nowhere to be found, even under Settings. Bummer.
  • Home screen wallpaper: you’d think this simple addition would make the cut, but sadly no. The dock has been given a visual upgrade, though.
  • Bluetooth Keyboard support: we haven’t tried this ourselves, but an influx of reports from Twitter suggest this is also a no-go.

We’ll keep testing, but be sure to let us know your own discoveries below!

iPhone 3G, iOS 4, and you — what’s missing (spoiler: multitasking) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,