Hasta La Gadget!

CNET editor Nicole Lee gets a hands-on with one of the fastest smartphones on the market.

Originally posted at CES 2011

Pandora founder and chief strategy officer Tim Westergren just rolled up to our CES trailer in the new Mini Cooper Countryman with Mini Connected, which features integration with Pandora’s iOS app when an IPhone is plugged in. Once you plug the phone in and switch to the app, Connected takes over and you navigate and control Pandora using the Mini’s rotary jog dial — BMW doesn’t want you to mess with the phone while driving, so the iPhone essentially serves as a 3G modem. The Connected interface is quite clean — it’s definitely more user-friendly than the BMW iDrive system from whence it sprang — and we were jamming along to 32Kbps Pandora streams in no time. That’s a little better than FM quality, and the Pandora app does a little buffering so any gaps or blips in signal are smoothed over. Phone calls are handled by the Mini’s Bluetooth system, so Pandora fades out when a call comes in, and fades back in when you hang up. It’s definitely slick — and Pandora is actually just the first Connected app to launch, with more iOS apps from Mini’s partners due to come in the future. Video and PR after the break.

Continue reading Mini Cooper Connected with Pandora drive-on

Mini Cooper Connected with Pandora drive-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on August 07, 2007 by CyberNet.

Both Yahoo and Google in the past have decided it was best to censor their search results to appease the demands of China. Yes, they were put in a tough spot: either they had to limit the information available to Chinese Internet users, or they didn’t which meant they would be banned all together. Now Wikipedia is finding themselves in the same spot with China currently blocking the encyclopedia. The difference between Wikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, and Yahoo and Google is that he says he refuses to censor the content of his site for China.

With millions of web users in China, some might see the benefits of having Wikipedia accessible, even if it’s partial content. When Google was faced with the same dilemma, their thought was that “while removing search results is inconsistent with Google’s mission, providing no information (or a heavily degraded user experience that amounts to no information) is more inconsistent with our mission.” Wales says he plans on traveling to China in September so he can discuss the Wikipedia ban with officials there.

Will Jimmy Wales come out of China successful? I’m extremely doubtful, particularly because China employs thousands of people who are responsible for controlling the content on the Internet. China has no problem blocking thousands of sites already, so it’s hard to imagine that they’ll care about what Wales has to say. The only other issue to deal with is the fact that the most popular search engine in China, Baidu, is using content (copying word for word) from Wikipedia and not citing the source. If they’re going to use it, at least give credit where credit is due.

It’s issues like this that turn into good reminders of why I’m thankful to live in a country that doesn’t censor the content that I’m able to view on the Internet. I can’t even begin to imagine if every government around the World hired thousands of people to filter out content and took away online freedom for their citizens. I think Wales deserves credit for his efforts, even if he’s unsuccessful in China, for standing up and saying that it’s time for change.

Source: CEO Smack (Thanks for the tip Curtiss)

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Google MP3 Search Available in ChinaHelpful Tip: Wikipedia RSS FeedsWikipedia Publishes Its Millionth Article…WOW!Maxthon Gains Popularity In ChinaWhich is More Accurate: Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica?

We brought you the official details earlier in the week and now we have images of the Recon next-gen GPS goggles in its broken-down self. Users will be able to choose from an assortment of Recon frames and lenses, in collaboration with the integrated LCD, allowing for customized appeal. Recon is bringing in a revised platform based on Android, which allows users to shred some powder while using apps, music and track their GPS locations as well as locations of others that share the must-have for apps-in-your-goggles fetish. The Android platform allows for full integration with your Bluetooth-enabled phone with real-time alerts and notifications straight onto the built-in LCD. With the Recon next-gen GPS goggles, you can look like a tech-savvy hipster while flying down your favorite trails.

Recon next-gen GPS goggles eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CNET editor Nicole Lee gets a hands-on with the LG Optimus Black.

Originally posted at CES 2011