Looking back on it now, the first time I truly felt the need for a note-taking app was when I started researching note-taking apps. I was just looking for a simple tool to save ideas about upcoming articles or jot down an occasional to-do list. More »
Thanks to online tools like Google Translate we’re now able to communicate with people in nearly any language — maybe not perfectly, but well enough to get the general idea across, and livened up by the occasional humorous mistranslation. Now DARPA wants that done wholesale and with military precision, launching the BOLT initiative. That stands for Boundless Operational Language Translation, and DARPA is giving interested parties until May 19th of this year to submit proposals for how they’ll manage to achieve the department’s lofty goals, which include written and spoken translation into English of “multiple languages.” If you’re thinking of competing you can find all the details at the source link, though curiously you won’t find a single Vorgon dialect mentioned.
DARPA BOLT initiative wants real-time spoken translation, Douglas Adams’ ghost says it’s about time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This article was written on October 16, 2007 by CyberNet.
When Halo 3 broke the record in the video game industry by selling over 1 million pre-orders, we knew September was going to be a huge month for Microsoft. Not only did they sell millions of dollars worth of Halo 3 games, they also sold millions of dollars worth of Xbox 360 consoles. The official numbers that detail how many Xbox 360 consoles actually sold won’t be released until Thursday (October 18th), but we’ve got a pretty good idea at just how great of a month it was thanks to Wedbush Morgan Analyst, Michael Pachter.
According to Pachter, Halo 3 helped sell 450,000 Xbox 360s in the month of September. The number he’s given means that the Xbox 360 outsold the Wii by 25,000 units. That doesn’t mean that the coming months will be all downhill for Microsoft though. Pachter went on to say “Although we think that sales of Halo 3 accounted for virtually all of the growth during the month, we think that the game drove hardware sales and positions the industry for even greater sales in November and December, when many Halo players will be ready for a new challenge. We are optimistic about software sales through the end of the year.”
Here’s the breakdown of the predicted sales for the month of September:
Another factor that probably helped the Xbox take the #1 spot is that conveniently timed price cut. Back in early August Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox 360 console by 50 dollars. Considering Halo 3 costs a little over $50 for the standard edition, consumers were able to get the console plus the game for what the system originally cost. Not a bad deal!
In general, software sales are expected to reach $655 million this year which is 47% higher than in 2006. With both the PS3 and the Wii launched late last year, it’s no surprise that 2007 will have been so successful. Pachter also predicts that a PS2 price cut is possible before the end of the year, and his guess is that it will be priced at $99! If that’s true, I imagine we’ll see software sales increase even further thanks to those who just can’t pass up a good deal on a console!
Source: CrunchGear
Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com
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Researchers are claiming that a proposed fix for climate change, which would see clouds whitened after being sprayed with seawater, could actually warm the planet, instead of cooling it down.
The fix, which is currently an unproven theory, involves spraying clouds with seawater causing salt crystals to thicken the clouds, making them whiter. This could potentially reduce the amount of solar radiation that reaches the planet’s surface. Problem is, if the water droplets used aren’t large enough, it may actually make things worse.
“If the particles are too small, they will not brighten the clouds — instead they will influence particles that are already there, and there will be competition between them,” researcher Kari Alterskjaer told BBC News.
“Obviously the particle size is of crucial importance, not only for whether you get a positive or negative effect, but also whether particles can actually reach the clouds — if they’re too large, they just fall to the sea.”
According to computer simulations, if cloud whitening were to be done, the best places would be the west of North and South America and to the west of Africa.
T-Mobile might launch a more affordable Even More Plus plan for its no-contract customers.
Originally posted at Dialed In
The Bubble Boy gets released from quarantine and joins us back on today’s episode of The 404, where we’re chatting about Dish Network grabbing Blockbuster for $228 million; a Canadian service that could mean the end of missed packages; a girl who can’t close her mouth; and the end of one of our favorite TV shows: “30 Rock.”
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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
Dell has announced that it’s going to begin testing a new type of packaging, making it the first company in the world to use mushroom-based packages.
The mushroom-material will be used inside the boxes that Dell products are shipped in, providing cushioning to protect the electronics inside. Dell has said that it’s already been tested significantly internally, and now the company is going to start using it commercially.
“The process works like this,” explained Dell’s Oliver Campbell, “Waste product like cotton hulls are placed in a mold which is then inoculated with mushroom spawn. Our cushions take five to 10 days to grow as the spawn, which become the root structure — or by the scientific name, mycelium — of the mushroom.
“All the energy needed to form the cushion is supplied by the carbohydrates and sugars in the ag waste. There’s no need for energy based on carbon or nuclear fuels.”
Through initiatives like this Dell is hoping to eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging waste by 2012. This includes increasing the amount of sustainable materials used by 40 percent and making 75 percent of all packing materials recyclable.
If you’ve been waiting for Sandy Bridge to land on Acer’s Timeline X laptops, then today’s your day. Well, it depends, as these new machines are only available in Taiwan for the time being. Just a few hours ago, the lucky folks over at Engadget Chinese managed to get up close and personal with these bad boys: we have a couple of 13.3-inch 3830TGs (pictured after the break), a 14-inch 4830TG, and a 15.6-inch 5830TG (pictured above). With the exception of Core i3-2310M on one of the 3830TGs, these laptops all come with Core i5-2410M, NVIDIA GT540M (with 2GB DDR3 RAM), 640GB hard drive, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and USB 3.0 ports. As for multimedia, sitting below the 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCDs are Dolby Home Theater speakers by Kenwood, and additionally, the two larger models also pack a DVD Super Multi DL drive.
Compared to the previous-gen Timeline X range, the most notable difference here is the new chiclet keyboard brought over from the Ethos range, which should trap a lot less dirt thanks to the tighter gaps. You’ll see that the new Timeline X ID has gone for a more tranquil look — the touchpad no longer has a silver trim around it, and likewise, the edges around the body are no longer tapered. Also gone is the removable battery underneath, but given the impressive portability (4.12 pounds, 4.67 pounds, and 5.49 pounds, respectively), we won’t miss this feature too much. On the contrary, there’s now an extra mouse button, presumably for offering better left and right-clicking. So far so good, and if you’re digging these laptops as well, then they can be yours for between NT$32,900 (US$1,133) and NT39,900 (US$1,374). Head over to Engadget Chinese for the whole stash of hands-on photos.
Acer releases third-gen Aspire Timeline X laptops with Sandy Bridge, but only in Taiwan for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you want a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 tablet with 1.5GHz and dual cameras, you want an HTC Flyer. If, however, you want that with WiMAX data and a talk show name, you’ll want Sprint’s special flavor, the EVO View 4G. At CTIA we were told that it was, of course, Android, but now Sprint’s confirming that it’ll come right out the door with Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. That’s the tablet taste that makes everybody come a runnin’, and that this sucker will have it at launch (sometime “this summer”) might just be good news for those pining for the WiFi-only Flyer, which as of last report would not be getting its own sweet taste until sometime after launch.
[Thanks, Leo Z]
Update: Well, that didn’t last long. Sprint has now tweaked the page to simply read the “latest version of Android,” and a spokesman tells Android Central that while the “plan is to offer Honeycomb,” it’s still “too early to determine whether or not Honeycomb will be available at launch.”
Sprint EVO View 4G tablet to launch with Honeycomb, Flyer can’t be far behind (update: maybe not) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Spring is here, and you know what that means?! It’s time to end that messy winter hibernating and get your home ready for a busy spring and summer. Here are eight handy, dandy cleaning gadgets that will help save you time: More »
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