Hasta La Gadget!

Still the stuff of rumors, at the moment–speculation about speculation translated from a columnist on a Russia Mobile site. That said, the mere mention of Nokia and Microsoft in the same sentence seems to be enough to make even the most level-headed mobile enthusiasts shriek with joy.

Here’s what we do know: Mobile-Review’s (the aforementioned Russian mobile site) columnist Eldar Murtazin has reported that Microsoft and Nokia are “in talks.” What precisely they’re talking about, we don’t know.

Speculation has it that Nokia is looking to embrace Microsoft’s surprisingly slick new mobile OS, Windows Phone 7. The timing seems right. Nokia may still have a firm grasp on the global market, but the company’s market share is being chipped away by the competition–iPhone, Android, et al.

Also adding to speculation is the fact that Nokia is currently run by former Microsoft exec, Stephen Elop, who may actually be happy to embrace the output of his current company.

Several Blu-ray movies are available for less than $15, with some priced below $10. Which ones are worth picking up? Here’s our list.

Originally posted at Fully Equipped

Electronic flash isn’t just for when you don’t have enough light. Used outdoors, electronic flash fills in harsh shadows – thus the term fill flash – and even lets you use a slow shutter speed to convey motion in the background while freezing the subject, as in the picture above. Your DSLR probably has a pop-up electronic flash. You get more versatility with an external flash, and well you should when they cost $150-$500.

This portable, steel-clad shed might look like a render from your favorite post-apocalyptic first-person-shooter, but it is terrifyingly real. Designed and built by Dutch designer Joep van Lieshout, the Vostok Cabin is currently on show in Paris, at La Cité des Sciences.

The hut is as minimal as it is creepy. The only amenities are a light, a woodstove, a toilet and a couple of benches. The rusting, scarred walls are welded from steel plates reclaimed from dead ships, and while the zombies might make a terrible clanging racket as they slowly try to claw their way in, the human meal inside this tin-can will likely stay safe until his own food runs out.

What on earth was van Lieshout thinking when he designed this? Luckily, he tells us:

The changing climate, growing poverty, wars and more are only expanding. This movable nomadic dwelling unit provides shelter from this disconcerting situation.

That’s a dark future right there. You’d think that if you were building a shelter to help you outlast such apocalyptic times, you’d make it a little less depressing. C’mon, van Lieshout. What’s going on? You specced-out a beautifully symmetrical wooden handle for the stove-lid, but you couldn’t find time to add a lick of paint? Not to worry, though. The only thing left in existence after the nuclear winter (apart from cockroaches) will be the equally ubiquitous IKEA. You can always brighten the place up.

Vostok Cabin by Atelier Van Lieshout [Dezeen]

See Also:

• Mathematical Model for Surviving a Zombie Attack
• Hiding From Zombies in a Sandcastle in Minecraft
• Austin Road Signs Hacked, Warn of Nazi Zombies and World's End

This article was written on February 27, 2007 by CyberNet.

Vending machines can accept payments from cell phones, so why not McDonald’s? Back in September, Coca-Cola announced that it was going to equip all of their vending machines in Japan with the technology that would allow the machines to accept payment via mobile phones. They hope to have this done by the end of 2008.

With that, I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before cellphones became the newest way to make payments. It makes sense for a couple of reasons, but first because so many people have their mobile phones glued to their side! Secondly, it’s a way for companies like Coca-Cola to save money because they don’t have to worry about collecting coins from machines if they’re getting electronic payments.

According to BBC, this technology is being expanded in Japan to the McDonald’s Fast Food Chain. Together with NTT DoCoMo (a leading mobile phone operator), McDonald’s will offer customers the option to make a payment via their mobile phone. This also provides McDonalds with important information about their customers and their eating habits which they could use for marketing purposes.

This could definitely turn into a replacement for cash, much like the credit card.  It means one less thing you’ll have to carry around, and one less thing to worry about. As mentioned, using a mobile phone to make payments isn’t something new to Japan, but it has yet to reach the U.S. The U.S. mobile market is typically behind other countries anyways, but I think it’s definitely something that could take off here in the U.S. where you can find a McDonalds at nearly every corner.

Sources: Far East Gizmos, BBC

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

McDonalds Is Going To Use Windows XPGoogle Calendar for Mobile Phones Now AvailableGoogle Phone – I’m More Convinced it’s RealGmail Now On Your Cell Phone Or PDAAndroid Phone Launches in September?