Great news for anyone who’s ever dreamed of their boring desk lamp coming to life as their lovable sidekick. Inspired by the animated Luxo lamp that greets moviegoers at the start of every Pixar film, Adam Ben-Dror, Shanshan Zhou, and Joss Doggett created the Pinokio lamp which moves and reacts to its environment with what appears to be genuine emotions. More »
There are definitely a lot of Xbox 360 gamers out there who haven’t sprung for a Xbox Live Gold membership, and Microsoft knows it. To get more gamers to try out the service, Microsoft is hosting a free weekend of Xbox Love Gold, meaning that gamers will have a full weekend of access to the $59.99/year membership at no cost.
The free weekend runs from November 29 (yesterday) through Sunday, December 2, so if you’re any kind of dedicated Xbox 360 gamer, you’ve probably already been fragging with your friends sometime in the last 24 hours or so, but for those who are just hearing about this, no worries, since you still have today and the rest of the weekend to take advantage of the free offer.
It’s also essential to note that the offer is only applicable in a select number of countries. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States are the only countries who can take advantage of the free weekend (sorry, Europe!).
All Xbox 360 owners in these countries, regardless of their current subscription, will have access to all of the Xbox Live’s features, including online multiplayer gaming, Internet Explorer, Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Video Kinect, and tons of other entertainment apps that you can download and use at your leisure this weekend.
Xbox Live Gold is free this weekend is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apple wants to ensure that customer experience with its iPhone 5 lives up to what the company is promising, and it will take strong measures to do so, including telling carriers when they can and can’t make the phone’s LTE capabilities available to subscribers. Generally speaking, carriers test to ensure devices meet their own network standards, but Apple seems to be in a strong enough position to be able to reverse that relationship.
A new report from Telecoms.com says that a spokesperson for operator Swisscom had confirmed earlier claims that Apple only flips on 4G LTE access on the iPhone 5 once the network has passed a number of stringent live tests. Swisscom launched its LTE network this week, but wasn’t able to make the iPhone 5 an LTE device right away, since Apple still has to test and then issue a carrier update setting. This report was backed up by an earlier claim from NorthStream founder and CEO Bengt Nordstrom, who had heard about the same policy separately, according to Telecoms.com.
Devices typically undergo carrier testing, to ensure it meets their standards. RIM is a good recent example; the smartphone maker has recently been promoting the fact that its BB10 devices are in the process of being carrier-tested at the moment. But Apple has a special relationship with carriers, once it has built carefully over the years, beginning with the exclusivity contract it arranged with AT&T at the iPhone’s original launch, which saw the device come to the network without any carrier branding, and without any pre-loaded carrier software.
Apple has effectively changed the balance of power when it comes to carrier/OEM relationships, and this is just another example of how much influence it wields. And for good reason: no other device manufacturer, with the exception now maybe of Samsung, exerts as much influence on a carrier’s fortunes. That’s why Sprint accepted a deal that meant it wouldn’t turn a profit on iPhone until 2015, according to CEO Dan Hesse, for instance.
In the end, this policy has a net benefit effect for Apple’s brand and for consumers, since it ensures a more consistent experience across iPhone 5 users, regardless of network choice. It might not be something that sits well with carriers, but for the foreseeable future, it’s an arrangement that Apple likely has sufficient influence to keep in place.
One of the really cool things about our Gift Picker is it shows us what gadgets and gizmos people are most interested in. Top of the list at the moment (not really surprising as it’s so cool) is the Cube Laser Virtual Keyboard. It wasn’t long ago that this would of been a conceptual gadget, now it’s a reality, so what more can we tell you about it…
The laser keyboard wirelessly connects to your tablet, phone, laptop (or any other compatible gadget that could benefit from a keyboard) via bluetooth. It then projects a full size 63 key QWERTY keyboard onto any flat service which you can then tap on like a regular keyboard. It has a detection rate of 400 characters per minute which will be more than adequate for the majority of us. It can also be used as a mouse replacement, in this mode you swipe your finger on the virtual mouse pad, kind of like touch screen. You charge the virtual keyboard via USB, a full charge will give you 150 minutes typing charge.
The laser virtualkeyboard is currently on sale at ThinkGeek for $149.99.
[ HOT GIFT ALERT: Laser Virtual Keyboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Well friends, the week’s end brings with it an issue of our tablet mag that’s hot off the digital presses. PC gaming nabs the cover story this time out as we take a look at the task of insuring compatibility across a set of devices that adds customized models constantly. If full-length gadget reviews are what you’re after, we put the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist, Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G LTE and Nintendo Wii U through their paces. Will.i.am’s latest venture hits Hands-On, Oakley’s high-tech eyewear occupies Eyes-On and Weekly Stat tracks holidays on Instagram. Visit your preferred reading repository to grab a copy before settling in for some weekend R&R.
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile
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We learned just a few days ago that they would be arriving today, and sure enough, Apple has opened the gates to their new iMac. The 21.5-inch is set to ship in “1-3 business days,” while the 27-inch model has a longer delay of “2-3 weeks.” However, both models are available now to purchase starting at $1,299.
Apple’s new iMacs are much thinner, with a 5mm edge all the way around, and on the inside, the new iMac adds a brand new Fusion Drive that combines flash storage and a traditional hard drive to maximize both speed and capacity. The new machines also come with a new display that reduces reflection by 75% compared to the last-gen displays, and they’re also a lot thinner thanks to the fusing of the LCD panel with the protective cover glass.
The entry-level 21.5-inch iMac comes with an Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 2.7GHz, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512MB graphics card. For $1,499, you can bump up to a 2.9GHz Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 512MB graphics card.
The 27-inch iMac starts at $1,799. For the entry-level 27-inch model, you’ll get a Core i5 processor clocked at 2.9GHz, 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive storage, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 512MB graphics card. For $1,999, you can get the 27-inch model with a faster Core i5 processor clocked at 3.2GHz, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB card.
In related news, a Japanese blogger ended up tearing apart the new iMac right after getting it. The website is in Japanese and Google’s translation is poorly done, but there are plenty of pictures to go by, and we finally get to see how Apple made their new iMac so incredibly thin at the edges. It turns out that most of the components are towards the center of the machine where it teardrops into a larger compartment, but we have to say that we’re still impressed. Hopefully, we’ll see even thinner all-in-ones in the future.
Apple’s new iMac now available, already gets torn down is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It’s official. Apple has just announced the availability of its latest iDevices in China. The news today comes after the official approval of the iPhone 5 in the country. Apple says that the iPhone 5 will be available on the 14th of December, Friday, in China. Local pricing has yet to be confirmed. On the other hand, the Wi-Fi version of the iPad mini, as well as the iPad 4, will be launching earlier in the country on December 7, also a Friday. Local pricing has yet to be confirmed. Check out Apple’s official statement after the break.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Requiring Carriers To Pass LTE Test For The iPhone 5, Apple & Starbucks Donating Gift Card Proceeds To AIDS Research,
Nestle Japan will be releasing a limited edition Star Wars version of its Gold Blend coffee maker next week. But it has to be one of the laziest tie-ins ever to cash in on the Star Wars name. Available in two versions, it looks like Nestle’s just slapped a sticker on the side of each one with a random quote and called it a day. More »
Most foods deteriorate over time, but bread’s a major culprit, often going stale after just a couple of days. Now, though, a US research company claims to be able to make your loaf stay fresh for up to 60 whole days. More »
A girl can never have too many clothes. That is, if she has unlimited funds and unlimited closet space. Unfortunately, that happens to be false (on both counts) for regular working girls like you and me.
But fortunately, innovations in fashion like Affectation exist. Or at least, they’re trying to, since this design is currently up for funding on Kickstarter.
It’s a magnetic fashion line that emphasizes the interchangeability of clothes with a few quick and easy snaps of the magnet. Articles of clothing available include ties, scarves, skirts, jackets, vests, and dress shirts.
Interested? You can head on over to the Affectation project page to check it out and view your options. A minimum pledge of $50(USD) will get women their very own multi-way magnetic scarf, while the men will receive a tie with an extra, interchangeable tail.
[via CNET]
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