Gadgets Mobile

OpenPeak has unveiled the OpenFrame platform that hopes to bring a semblance of the iphone OS to the home phone, an effort that is normally found on other cell phones without much success so far. The OpenFrame is a tiny tablet that resembles a digital picture frame, and will be accompanied by a traditional handset, where both are manufactured by OpenPeak and will be sold via telecommunications companies for $200 to $300. Developers are encouraged to come up with third-party programs including staples such as a calendar, local weather & news and Internet radio. Do you think the OpenFrame platform will catch on, considering similar online services are already available on the PC or laptop? I suppose it might be if the non-geek demographic were to pick it up.

I have to admit that I was late to the party when it came to doing things greener around the house. It wasn’t necessarily for living green per se, but for saving money on the electric bill like replacing most of the bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Now we are finding out that CFLs may not be the best green solution since they could pose a danger to people and the environment. Now a company in Seattle has come up with an even safer solution than CFLs that can still save you money each month.

A company called Vu1 has manufactured a new method of creating lighting that uses accelerated electrons to illuminate the inside of a light bulb. The new method is called Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) and it’s safer because it doesn’t use mercury whereas the compact fluorescents use energized vaporized mercury in order to glow, which if you remember your basic chemistry, mercury can be toxic to humans if the bulbs are broken.

Vu1 is expecting their ESL bulbs to go mainstream in the middle of 2009 and expect the cost to be more than regular light bulbs, but not as much as LED lighting.

Read more at DVICE.

Use a wonderful way to flaunt all your memorable photos on the new Next Base Photo M@il Digital Photo Frame. This frame displays photos at a high resolution of 800 x 600. Next Base Photo M@il Digital Photo Frame works efficiently with integrated Lithium batteries for up to 2 hours continuously.

Features

• 4:3 format
• 8” digital TFT screen
• 4-in-1-card-slot-in for SD, MMC, MS/MS-Pro/xD memory cards
• 2 GB internal storage space
• Individual design

Next Base Photo M@il Digital Photo Frame allows you to show content from the Internet even without using a PC. Wi-Fi, USB connection and different slide show effects are some other features of this innovative product. Next Base Photo M@il Digital Photo Frame supports various formats like JPEG, BMP, JPEG without surround and Motion. It also features a weather forecast function.

Price and Availability

Next Base Photo M@il Digital Photo Frame is available at a price of 199€.

Source: Next Base

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T-Mobile will be offering the Sony Ericsson TM506 3G handset to the masses, just in time for folks who live in areas where 3G service is available from T-Mobile. The TM506 might not be a high-end handset, but it already comes with an UMTS antenna along with the following specifications :-

• 2 megapixel camera
• Media Center
• Integrated aGPS
• TeleNav Navigator
• RSS Feeds
• MyFaves-enabled
• Audio Postcard
• Quicksend
• Mobile Backup (T-Mobile Address Book)
• Bluetooth 2.0/A2DP/Stereo streaming
• Tri-Band GSM (850/1800/1900)
• Dual-Band UMTS (1700/2100)
• GSM/GRPS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA

You can pick up the TM506 from early next month onwards, but there is no word on pricing yet.

When Electronic Arts decided that they needed a “global quality assurance center,” they had a pretty easy task. Find a place where lots of people play video games. So what did they do? Well, they found a nice, big state university and they’re setting up shop.

Today, EA and Louisiana State University announced the gaming giant’s commitment to create more than 200 jobs with an annual payroll of around US$6 million for kids to test new EA Sports titles. While only 20 of those jobs will be full-time, the government of Louisiana is hoping that this facility is just the first of many. Stephen Moret, Louisiana economic development secretary commented:

That’s kind of the dream —thinking of them as the anchor tenant of a new research-based complex cultivating the digital media industry

See, the state has been courting video game and digital arts companies looking to make Baton Rouge a new center for the industry (look out, Silicon Valley). The first step was the introduction of a video game design degree program at Baton Rouge Community College. That was started with help from game developer Nerjyzed Entertainment.

Since then, the city has been able to bait a few other little-known gaming companies, but now comes the big fish in the form of EA. If they keep this up, I think that I could actually be convinced to move back there.

Read more at the Electronic Arts press release, found via The Baton Rouge Advocate and Kotaku

FROM APPLETELL - Target, Argos, and many more ipod supply stores are saying that the current iPod line is marked “discontinued” in preparation for new models with a potential September Apple event.
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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 21st 2008 at 4:00AMUp until now, Wii-owning racers have been stuck with the Wii Wheel, Brando’s Wii Multi-Axis Racing System or something they cooked up in arts and crafts. Now, however, Logitech is providing a much better option for serious track stars. The Speed Force Wireless racing wheel is the first force-feedback wheel for Nintendo’s latest console, and while it was designed to work with Need For Speed Undercover, it’ll do just fine with future force-feedback racing titles as well. Disgustingly, you still have to plug a USB receiver into your Wii before this thing will work, but we guess that’s the breaks, huh? Look for this one to pop up in November (US and Europe) for $99.99. Full release after the break.

*LOGITECH INTRODUCES FIRST FORCE FEEDBACK WHEEL FOR WII

**Logitech Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel Works With EA’s Highly Anticipated Racing Game Need for Speed*™* Undercover *

*FREMONT, Calif. - Aug. 21, 2008* - To give you a more realistic driving experience on your Wii™, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today announced the Logitech® Speed Force Wireless™ racing wheel – the first force feedback wheel for the popular gaming platform. Licensed by Nintendo®, Logitech’s newest force feedback wheel works with Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed™ Undercover and paves the way for more force feedback racing titles on the Wii.

“We’re excited to team up with Nintendo and Electronic Arts to bring driving realism to the Wii and Need for Speed Undercover,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “Logitech has been at the forefront of force feedback technology for more than a decade, and we’re confident that our driving platform will be an indispensable part of the racing experience on Wii as more titles that support it become available.”

“As the world’s most popular racing franchise, Need for Speed is committed to delivering players superior racing experiences,” said Larry LaPierre, Vice President at Black Box, developer of Need for Speed. “This November, Wii gamers can fully experience the thrill of the chase in Need for Speed Undercover with Logitech’s force feedback realism.”

Easy to set up and store, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless features a one-piece design that is convenient to use whether you’re sitting on your couch, arm chair or living room floor. The built-in gas and brake controls are located on the wheel itself and the expandable lap rest is easily adjusted – allowing for comfortable game play without the need to use a table or a desk. Plus, familiar Wii controls make navigating game menus a snap.

To help you minimize clutter, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless eliminates the console cable. With Logitech’s 2.4 GHz wireless technology, you can enjoy lag-free racing from up to 30 feet away from the console. To start racing, just connect the USB receiver to the Wii, plug in the wheel’s power cord, put in Need for Speed: Undercover, adjust the lap rest to a comfortable position and wait for the race to begin. There’s no mounting or assembly involved. And when you’re ready to put it away, the USB receiver can be stowed in a convenient compartment on the bottom of the wheel.

*Logitech Force Feedback Technology*
Having introduced its first force feedback products in 1998, the company has designed 19 models of force feedback wheels. And more than 100 racing titles have supported Logitech force feedback technology on a variety of game platforms.

When you’re playing a racing game, standard controllers don’t let you feel all the excitement that makes racing with force feedback technology the closest you can get to the real thing. Force feedback, unlike vibration feedback or rumble technology, creates directionally precise, tactile feedback that accurately simulates forces experienced in the game. Through the use of advanced software and electronics, force feedback moves a steering wheel as if the device were subject to real external forces.

*About Need for Speed Undercover*

Need for Speed Undercover takes players back to the franchise’s roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases and spectacular highway battles. Players discover a world of high-stakes and high-speed action in some of the world’s hottest cars. The all-new Heroic Driving Engine propels the action forward as players experience the dramatic story through spectacular Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies.

*Pricing and Availability*
The Logitech Speed Force Wireless racing wheel is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in November for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (U.S.).

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

August 15th - August 21st Contents

1

Geek Thoughts

2

This Week on Geek

3

Geek.com Web Picks

4

Don’t Forget About This

1

Geek Thoughts — When it’s out of warranty In a previous newsletter I mentioned how everybody needs a geek friend. Well, that continues to be true and here’s what’s happened in the last week or so.

Desktop doesn’t turn on

A buddy has a computer that he has never backed up. It suddenly wouldn’t turn on. My bet is a bad power supply or motherboard but more importantly he needed the 2,000 or so pictures on it. He called a friend who works in IT who ended up hooking up a cable to his hard drive and plugging the other end of the cable into his laptop. He then made a copy of the contents of the drive from the old hard drive to a new external one. I would have done something similar but would have instead turned the existing hard drive into an external one–I’m going to try to find the cable his buddy used as I like his option better.

Laptop constantly reboots

This one came from a listener of my weekly appearance on the Tech Tuesday segment of Rover’s Morning Glory. His laptop was constantly rebooting and at boot would emit three tones. The symptoms reminded me of an overheating issue so I googled and it turns out that his laptop was actually on an HP recall list. He filled out a form and his 1.5 year old laptop is being repaired for free.

TomTom won’t fix out of warranty GPS

Another listener of Tech Tuesday emailed about an issue with her TomTom device. It won’t power on and is out of warranty. TomTom won’t service out of warranty devices and apparently can’t recommend anyone that can. I managed to locate a compatible battery at Radio Shack and advised the listener (via email) to buy one and try to replace it herself, since she can’t really do much else with the TomTom device at this stage.

I have many more stories like the ones above but the main thought that keeps popping into my head is what does someone do if they don’t have a geek to turn to? Can the Geek Squad at Best Buy or GeeksOnCall or DialAGeek or any of those other services offer assistance the way a traditional geek would? How much do they charge for doing so and what’s their track record for solving the issue? There are also services on the ‘net for free and some for a fee that offer to help, but how do you really know that you’re getting an experienced geek to assist? Also, what’s a fair price to charge and/or pay for such a service?

I know Google and Yahoo have both experimented with an Answers service in the past, but perhaps the timing is right for this type of service since just about everything we use daily has electronics in it that will inevitably have issues long after the warranty has expired.

Do you charge for your “geek” service? Email me at Joel@Geek.com

2

This Week on Geek — August 15th - August 21st
News
Sensacell makes walking fun with interactive LED floor

Shadow botnet creators caught

Facebook tops MySpace for social crown

Microsoft shows off updated Photosynth tech at SIGGRAPH

The Pirate Bay is more popular in Italy after ban

Netflix problems lead to shipping delays

Microsoft Office Labs lets you try pptPlex

Would you pick the girl or gadget?

Adobe Flash not playing nicely on Linux workstations

Is Seagate about to buy SanDisk?

Socialthing! grabbed by AOL

The internet: still second to television in delivering the news

Start saying goodbye to Microsoft product boxes: Microsoft Money first

Physicist takes on Batman

TinEye lets you search with images

RIAA pays out $107,951.03 in music piracy lawsuit

Linus warns new Linux kernel contributors should start small

Take 300,000 Lego bricks and build a replica of the Beijing Olympics

Yahoo! Buzz lets you submit stories now

Roads could be a new source of energy

Symantec acquires PC Tools

Digital photography used to enhance video footage

Video shows Star Wars invading San Francisco

Visa trials real-time transaction alerts via text and e-mail

Google invests in enhanced geothermal systems

MIT students have MBTA restraining order lifted

EA building game testing center in Louisiana

Microsoft bringing tablet PCs to Circuit City sales associates

eBay pushes ‘Buy It Now’ sales model with 70% fee reduction
Chips
Review of Acer Aspire One running Windows XP

New Intel tech to wake PC’s for VoIP calls and media access

Lenovo announces X301 notebook with Centrino 2, 128GB SSD

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 Notebook

Early News from IDF- MIDs, Intel SSDs, and more

Say hello to the Intel Nehalem processor series

Microsoft Licensing Changes Help Virtualization Projects
Mobile
Buy Ralph Lauren or Polo using your phone

Review: MWg Zinc II

New app reads barcodes on iPhone

Power USB and AA battery devices with the sun

More Google Android launch buzz: But will there be apps?

Google Android vs. Apple iPhone: Who wins?

Add push-to-talk to your iPhone

Verizon Wireless updates its Chaperone service

Palm’s Treo Pro unveiled?

Google testing ads on mobile YouTube site

Google wants to free the airwaves

AIM for Windows Mobile available for free

Palm launches Treo Pro smartphone

Google offers version 0.9 of Android SDK

American Airlines to offer Internet access on flights
Games
Review: Alone in the Dark for Xbox 360

Positech Games publish “Why do people pirate my games?” responses

Sony producing 1:1 sword-fighting game using Eyetoy

Lian Li releases alternative Xbox 360 case

EA Partners signs Epic and Grasshopper publishing deals

145 Fallout 3 screenshots find their way online

Final Fantasy XIII demo to be 2 hours long

Sony to strive to make PS3 music peripherals work across all games

Crytek predicts PS4/Xbox 720 as early as 2011

Street Fighter IV on consoles in time for 2009 film release

Resistance 2 gameplay trailer

PSP-3000 hits North America in October

Review: Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS

New tech makes facial animations scarily real

Xbox 360 is sold out in Japan
Apple
iphone 3G or not to 3G? Will it be fixed soon?
gadgets
Logitech V550 Nano mouse lets you Clip-and-Go

cell phone earphone masquerades as cigarettes

RoofRay.com calculates your roof’s solar energy potential

littleBits are like Legos for electrical hobbyists

Smart Pet Doorbell lets you know when they want in or out

Digital Textile Printing could help hide solar cells in clothing

Kensington first with wireless USB docking station

In 2010 holograms coming to handsets

Sony’s NWZ-E budget mp3 player range leaked

SUMO Paint lets you edit graphics on the web

TIE Fighter Webcam brings The Force to web conferencing

Zazzle gets into the shoe business

Toshiba releases almost-hd dvd player

ipod nano batteries causing fires in Japan?

First Look: Chumby gets chatty with Facebook and Twitter

Review: TAO Digital Photo Key Chain

Be like Bond with the Spy Micro Camera Watch

3

Geek.com Web Picks Submit your favorite sites, articles, software picks, diversions,etc., to Joel@geek.com (mail
subject: Good Sites). Here are a couple of my faves:

Watch the shuttle launch from the air

Just about everyone has watched the Space Shuttle launch on TV or the internet by now, but how about watching it from a plane flying overhead? Gizmodo has a great video of a guy who did just that and he constantly exclaims how fast the shuttle is actually traveling as he’s watching. It’s definitely worth the view since it’s something that hardly anyone has a chance to see, let alone video.
http://gizmodo.com/5036953/guy-films-space-shuttle-launch-from-passing-airliner

4

Don’t Forget About This Do you hate telemarketing calls or do you long for being able to dial up people by just using a three digit extension? Our resident hacker, John Rogers, has a tutorial on how to build and customize your own PBX using Asterisk. If you have an old machine lying around and want to control how phone calls are handled in and out of your house, give this feature a read.
http://www.geek.com/feature-how-to-build-and-customize-your-own-pbx-with-asterisk-20080812/ As always, thanks for reading!

Joel Evans

Joel@Geek.com

Chief Geek

Geek.com

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our records indicate that you are a current subscriber on our site. Click
here to unsubscribe.

In a bid to make using our credit cards as safe as possible Visa are trialling a new service that allows customers to receive information on account transactions in real-time.

The system works as follows. Visa, through relationships with different banks, will send data on any purchases made on a specific credit card to the owner of that card. The information will be delivered via text message or e-mail. The owner can limit when these alerts are sent, for example, don’t send a message if the purchase is under US$50.

By providing this service Visa are allowing customers to receive information of potential frauds very quickly. A phone call to their bank can then halt the card and limit the losses.

This initial trial of the system by Visa includes several banks including PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, US Bank, Wachovia and Wells Fargo for the U.S. In Canada participants include Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Financial Group and Vancity.

Read more at SecurityProPortal.com

Matthew’s Opinion
This sounds like a good idea to me if it is a free service. If you have to pay to receive the text messages then Visa will find it difficult to get people to use it. A freebie on the other hand will go down well and should make people feel more secure about their card/s.

I think I would leave my account set to report all transactions. At least then I know they have gone through and been accepted when I buy an item. It would also be good to have an e-mail transaction chain to compare to my statements just to make sure everything was right.

Is this a service you would welcome?

by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 21st 2008 at 1:18AM
Sure, we’re getting Fujitsu’s U2010 convertible UMPC Stateside pretty soon as the LifeBook U820, but we’re crazy jealous that our friends in Japan are getting this hot tokidoki version, labeled as the LOOX U / B50N. Same kit underneath, but we’d bet that exclusive limited-edition skin will command a premium — now if we only had pricing info, we’d know whether or not to get our clandestine grey-market importers on the case. Anytime, Fujitsu.

[Via Pocketables and tokidoki]

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