Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been six long years since we first got wind of the Pentagon’s Active Denial System, and four since it was slated to control riots in Iraq, but though we’ve seen reporters zapped by the device once or twice, it seems the Air Force-approved pain gun is only now entering service in Afghanistan. The BBC reports the device — which generates a targeted burning sensation in humans — is now deployed with US troops, though a military spokesman is assuring publications that it “has not been used operationally,” and that the armed forces have yet to decide whether to actually use it. Wired reports the unit was plagued by technical and safety issues for years, not to mention political concerns, but as to that last we have to imagine even a semi-damaging heat ray beats the pants off lead-based alternatives.

Raytheon’s pain gun finally gets deployed in Afghanistan originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They prompted some public outcry from competitors and a preliminary antitrust investigation from the US government, but it looks like Apple isn’t even enforcing those new rules on outside ad networks — at least not yet. That’s according to none other than AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui himself, who said at the MobileBeat conference this week that “they haven’t been enforcing” the new regulations yet, and that he’s “very appreciative of that.” If enforced, those regulations would prevent companies like AdMob from collecting some analytic data on ads placed in iOS applications — data that Apple itself could collect with its iAd platform. Of course, it’s not clear when or if Apple will start enforcing the rules, but Hamoui seems to be content with the current situation, and even went out of his way to praise Apple’s own advertising efforts, saying that “anybody getting advertisers interested in mobile is a good thing. It’s not at all a zero-sum game.”

AdMob CEO says Apple isn’t enforcing mobile advertising restrictions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hoping to trade in your expensive cable or satellite plan for a nice, juicy melon ball of cottage cheese-like… we mean, a portable Hulu Plus subscription at $10 a month? Not so fast, my fine fingered friend, because Hulu CEO Jason Kilar has revealed that killing cable is not a part of the company’s evil plan, and he’s not entertaining any ideas to the contrary. Kilar told AllThingsD that the service is “broadcast-focused” and “complementary to your cable and satellite service” by design, which is a nice way of saying the incestuous relationships between cable companies, content providers and Hulu itself keep it from offering premium programming — at least, not at this sort of price.

Speaking of getting what you pay for, you may be surprised to hear Hulu Plus displays advertising even if you slap down currency every month, but the CEO said lengthy consumer research found that users were more willing to pay if the service were partially subsidized by ads. Think of them as tiny little brain tenderizers, and we’re sure you’ll be just fine.

Continue reading Hulu CEO: we’re ‘complementary’ to cable

Hulu CEO: we’re ‘complementary’ to cable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP and Yahoo team up to deliver targeted ads… to printers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has hired American Beauty director Sam Mendes to shoot TV ads for the next-generation iPhone, according to a rumor posted by tech blog Engadget.

At least one spot will show a mother and daughter using the iPhone’s front-facing camera for a video-conferencing call, a tipster told Engadget. (Jetsons, anyone?) Most of us already expected this was a feature, because we saw the new camera on the prototype iPhone leaked by Gizmodo (right). Gizmodo’s publication of the device led to a police seizure, and two weeks ago the unsealed affidavit revealed that Apple legal confirmed the device was a prototype of the fourth-generation iPhone.

Corroborating its rumor, Engadget found statements on Twitter from actors claiming they were auditioning for an Apple ad, though that’s not substantial evidence to “confirm” that Mendes is shooting fourth-gen iPhone ads, as the blog suggests.

Nonetheless, many expect Apple to introduce its next-generation iPhone soon at the Worldwide Developers Conference kicking off June 7. At the same venue, Apple debuted the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS in years past.

See Also:

• Gizmodo Gets Hands On New 4G iPhone
• Gizmodo Dissects Unreleased Apple iPhone
• iPhone Finder Regrets His ‘Mistake’
• Roommate’s Tip Led Cops to iPhone Finder

Photo: Gizmodo