Oct 13

Bose’s OE2 and OE2i on-ear headphones pack brand recognition, little else

Posted in: Apple, headphones, iPhone, Today's Chili
Bose may be best known for its active noise-cancelling headphones, but that doesn’t mean it’s a stranger to the plain ol’ passive types. Take for instance its latest duo of supra-aurals, the $150 OE2 and the $180 OE2i (which merely adds an iDevice compatible inline remote / mic for those extra Hamiltons). Put simply, these cans are an evolutionary update to the company’s TriPort OEs, promising a more comfortable fit from memory foam padding, and improved sound quality. As you’d expect, there’s absolutely no mention of specs, but frequent travelers will be joyed to know that the headphones can fold up for storage inside an included carrying case. The OE2s are currently available for purchase from Bose in a choice of black or white colorways — a perfect match for that en route iPhone of yours. Full PR past the break.

Continue reading Bose’s OE2 and OE2i on-ear headphones pack brand recognition, little else

Bose’s OE2 and OE2i on-ear headphones pack brand recognition, little else originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Amazon Rolling Out Robotic Delivery Lockers

Posted in: amazon, Today's Chili, Transportation

An Amazon delivery locker in Bellevue College, Seattle. Photo Todd Bishop

If you’re a gadget blogger who works from home, the hardest part of receiving deliveries from Amazon is dragging on your pants before you answer the door to the delivery guy. But for regular people with proper jobs, taking time off to wait for UPS isn’t practical. Which is why Amazon is trialling deliveries to public lockers.

The tests are ongoing in Seattle and parts of New York, in Rite Aid and 7-Eleven stores, among others.

Todd Bishop, a writer for GeekWire, found an option in his Amazon address book to “search for a locker location” and add it as a destination. When he placed his order, Amazon also sent him a six-digit code, and when he reached the locker machine he entered that code on a touch screen. The screen then displayed a diagram showing which locker would open. He touched the screen again, a door clicked open and there was his package.

I like this idea for a couple of reasons. First is that it makes Amazon ordering so easy: Place an order with Prime and pick it up on the way home from work the next day. Presumably a delivery confirmation will let you know that it is waiting for you, but if you chose a store in your neighborhood for delivery, it’s not really very inconvenient just to go check.

Second is the environmental and practical advantage. The delivery guy needs to visit one destination, not many. This uses less gas, puts the van on the road for less time and may even reduce shipping costs to you, the customer.

The tests seem to be rolling out rather fast in the Seattle area. Have any readers seen these in their hometowns? Let us know in the comments.

Exclusive: Hands-on with Amazon Locker, now working [GeekWire via the Giz]

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Oct 13

You Can Now Download Books From Google

Posted in: Google, Today's Chili

This article was written on August 30, 2006 by CyberNet.

Google Book Search Logo So the word is out that Google is now letting users download books for free from the Google Books site. I went ahead and decided to try it because I wanted to see how they would prevent other sites from downloading the PDF and redistributing it themselves.

I found Aesop’s “Fables” and downloaded the 308 page book. The first thing that I was greeted with after downloading the PDF was a “Guidelines” page. It went over the usual “non-commercial use” and “keep it legal” stuff that we would expect it to have. That was just the first page though…you know that isn’t all they would do.

They also mention that they added a “Digitized by Google” watermark to each page. Interesting enough they say “please do not remove it” but they don’t say that you can’t remove it. I would have thought that the watermark served some sort of legal purpose but they say it is there to inform people about the project and to help them find additional materials.

The watermark is very light and can hardly be seen though. Would I read an entire book this way? It’s hard to say but I think they need to come out with their own book reader so that it can resize the window to eliminate the margins that are around their scanned images. If you read the book online they have a nice layout to it but most people wouldn’t want to read the whole thing on a Web site.

Whatever you do make sure you return the book on time! You don’t want to get a fine!

Update:
The Official Google Blog has finally made the announcement and they list several books that you can download for free.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Oct 13

Apple TV Update Adds Photo Stream, AirPlay Mirroring and… Hockey?

Posted in: airplay, Apple, apple tv, Home Audio and Video, ios 5, Software, Today's Chili

With iCloud, you can now watch angst-ridden but sexy vampires on any iDevice, anywhere

Amidst the deluge of software launches from Apple yesterday, it was easy to miss an update to the company’s “hobby,” the Apple TV. Version 4.4 of the set-top box’s OS is rather conservatively named, as it comes with many iOS 5 features.

AirPlay Mirroring

Before, you could stream video and audio content to the Apple TV from an iOS device via AirPlay. Now, with the iPad 2, the Apple TV supports AirPlay Mirroring, which lets you mirror the entire screen of the iPad 2 on the TV connected to the Apple TV.

Photo Stream

The Apple TV now acts like any other iOS device, and any photos added to your Photo Stream on an iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac or PC will be pushed to the Apple TV. Smart, as a big screen is a great place to share photos. The Apple TV will keep only the latest 1,000 snaps you have taken.

Trailers

You can now browse and watch movie trailers, just like you could do in Front Row all those months ago. Tip: if you don’t have an Apple TV, and use the U.S App Store, you can grab the free Trailers app for your iOS device.

Hockey

What’s to say? Live streaming of mullets and fights joins baseball and basketball on the big screen.

WSJ Live

Watch the streaming WSJ Live channel on the big screen, just as if you were watching regular TV.

There are also bug fixes and small additions (extra slideshow transitions), but the big thing is probably the integration of iCloud. The Apple TV already lets you stream previously-bought content. Now it has Photo Stream, and when iTunes Match launches later this year, the promise of no longer needing a computer at all will come a little bit closer.

Apple TV product page [Apple]

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Oct 13

Test Your Hard Drive Speed

Posted in: Freeware, performance, Software, Today's Chili, usb, Windows

This article was written on April 08, 2010 by CyberNet.

hard drive speed test.pngarrow Windows Windows only arrow
Hard drive performance is something a lot of people never think twice about. What would your response be if you were asked what the read/write speed of your hard drive was?

You can get the answer to that question pretty easily. A free and portable utility called HD_Speed will test the transfer speed of a hard drive, CD/DVD drive, USB drive, memory card, and just about anything else that shows up as a drive letter on your PC. You can also have it measure either sustained or data burst rates.

The nice thing is that this app is simple, but still includes all of the features you really need. You can choose whether you want to test read, write, read/write, or read/write/verify speeds. You can also put in a specific duration that you want the test to run for, which makes it easier to get an accurate average speed.

It’s not a ground-breaking program, but it is easy to keep stored on a USB drive since it consists of a single 92KB executable. Go ahead and grab it if you’re wondering just how well one of your drives performs.

HD_Speed Homepage (Windows only; Freeware)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Oct 13

Panasonic, Tesla rekindle romance, strike supply agreement for Model S batteries

Posted in: car, deal, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, money, Panasonic, tesla, Today's Chili
Panasonic and Tesla renewed their corporate wedding vows yesterday, with a new supply agreement on lithium-ion batteries. Under the accord, Panasonic will provide Tesla with cells for some 80,000 cars over the next four years, effectively ensuring that the manufacturer will meet its ramped-up production targets for 2012 — including more than 6,000 orders for its Model S EV. As for the batteries themselves, they’ll be made using Panasonic’s nickel-type cathode technology, which, according to the company, will offer the highest energy density known. Of course, we’re still awaiting for the Model S to actually enter full production, but you can whet your electric appetite with Panasonic’s full press release, available after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic, Tesla rekindle romance, strike supply agreement for Model S batteries

Panasonic, Tesla rekindle romance, strike supply agreement for Model S batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Vista Computers Save about $75 per Year in Energy

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

This article was written on October 15, 2007 by CyberNet.

Vista Power Plan When Microsoft created Vista they realized that they had to do a better job with conserving batteries and energy. Laptops are getting to the point where they last as little as an hour when they are brand new, and that not only reduces productivity but it also means they consume more electricity.

In Vista you’ll see a completely revamped power management screen in the Control Panel, and with it you can choose between several different “states” you want your computer to run in. The best part, however, is that you can completely customize your own power plan, and that’s what I’ve done. In my power plan I have cut back my processor speed, screen brightness, wireless performance, and more when my computer switches into battery mode. Not only does that save my battery life, but it also reduces my PC’s CO2 Emissions.

Out-of-the-box Vista PC’s run in a “Balanced” mode that gives your computer the performance it needs when you’re doing intensive tasks, but reduces it when you’re doing simple tasks like word processing. This is a feature that Microsoft never put in XP, and it can make a real difference on the environment.

Below is a table that shows you what the cost and emissions are on computers running Windows XP and Vista (just the computer, no monitors). The results come straight from Microsoft, and I’m sure there is a little exaggeration but their tests are well documented (PDF). They tested three computers for all of their results, but I took the liberty of averaging them together and converting them into U.S. dollars:

 Windows XPWindows VistaVista Savings
(1) Computer Annual Cost$110.17$36.44$73.73
(200) Computers Annual Cost$22,033.37$7,287.59$14,745.78
(1) Computer CO2 Emissions259 kg85.33 kg173.67 kg
(200) Computers CO2 Emissions57.13 tons18.89 tons38.24 tons

As you can see there is a big benefit for corporations who run Windows to make the upgrade to Vista, in terms of energy savings and emissions produced. ;)

This article was written in part for Blog Action Day.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Oct 13

Microsoft responds to disgruntled users, unveils changes to Windows 8 UI

Posted in: app, application, desktop, developer, enterprise, Microsoft, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Today's Chili, ui, Windows, windows 7, windows 8, Windows7, Windows8

You can unpack your suitcase and drop that custody suit, because Microsoft has heard your Windows 8 complaints, and it’s willing to change its ways. Yesterday, in a lengthy post on its Building Windows 8 blog, the company acknowledged that it’s received plenty of feedback since unleashing a developer preview of the OS last month, and pledged to respond with a number changes. For starters, apps displayed within the Windows 8 App Screen can now be organized into groups, rather than alphabetical arrangements (see image above). Apps will also be displayed at a higher density, thereby cramming more content within the same space. Enterprise users, meanwhile, will be able to customize their companies’ Start screens and unify them across networks, though there’s still no word on whether administrators will be able to opt out of the software’s tiled interface in favor of the more Windows 7-esque Desktop app — one of the most highly requested features. These are just two of many, relatively granular changes that Microsoft is implementing to help users maximize the efficiency of its new Start screen, and they likely won’t be the last. To dig into the nitty gritty, check out the full post, at the source link below.

Microsoft responds to disgruntled users, unveils changes to Windows 8 UI originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Special Edition Sigma SD1 Dipped In Wood

Posted in: Today's Chili

‘Wood,’ ‘root,’ ‘grinding.’ The jokes write themselves

If there’s one name in the camera business that is synonymous with endless special edition hardware in ever more exotic materials, its Sigma. Wait. What?

Yes, Sigma is pulling a Leica with this special edition SD1, only its doing it without Leica’s typically understated taste. In short, if you have any of your lottery winnings left over after buying a yellow Lamborghini, then the Wood Edition SD1 is for you.

The camera comes with a special wooden casing fashioned from Amboyna Burl, the deformed wood of the Southeast Asian Padauk tree. Burl — or burr in British English — is the weird knobbly pattern that appears in trees that are damaged or stressed.

According to Sigma, this casing is the outcome of “over 60 hours of milling, sawing, grinding [and] polishing.” The result is something that looks as if it were partially dipped in chocolate.

Inside, the camera still sports Sigma’s triple-layer, 46 megapixel Foveon sensor.

The price for this limited edition (10 will be made) bling-fest is an astonishing €10,000, or $13,750. That compares to the regular asking price of $6,900 over at B&H Photo.

Sigma SD1 Wood Edition [Photo Scala]

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Oct 13

iTunes 99 Cent Movie Rental Special

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

This article was written on February 22, 2008 by CyberNet.

It’s Friday night and your wallet is empty. You’re broke but you don’t know what to do. No worries, you don’t have to sit home bored without anything to do because Apple has come to rescue you! Starting every Thursday, the iTunes store will put up a movie to rent for just 99 cents. This is going to be a weekly deal. Every Thursday through Monday, the movie will be available for the low price of 99 cents and once you rent it, you still have the typical 30 days to watch it.

iTunes movie rental

This could really give a boost to iTunes rentals because at 99 cents, people might be more inclined to give it a try. While it’s only one select movie per week, it’s something to do on the weekend if you’re a little low on cash or you’re simply bored. Apple’s selection this week is a movie from Paramount Pictures titled The Hours. It came out back in 2002, so it appears as though the deal each week won’t be for something more recent. They do provide a link to view the trailer and the plot summary though, so that helps give you an idea if the movie is something you’ll like.  Either way, whether you like it or not, it’s just 99 cents so you won’t feel like you’ve lost money.

Sounds like a great move by Apple…

Source: TUAW

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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