Posts tagged Breaking news at Switched

Posts with tag breaking news

Apple Announces 'Notebook' Event on October 14th!

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 5:41PM

The rumors were true folks. Apple is staging an invitation-only Town Hall event in Cupertino next Tuesday, October 14th at 10AM PST. It's absolutely safe to say they'll be showing off new laptops... and you know we'll be there live! Will this be an unveiling of a whole new form factor? Will this "Brick" mystery be put to bed? Will they come in rainbow colors? Tune in to find out.

Audi Working on Pure Electric Car

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 5:29PM

With an electric MINI Cooper just around the bend, a Twin Drive hybrid Volkswagen landing in 2010 and Chevrolet's Volt rolling into showrooms in a matter of months, Audi's ten-year plan is looking a little awkward. Though we've yet to hear that it's actually speeding things up, Peter Schwarzenbauer, who sits on the management board at Ingolstadt, recently confirmed that the company would be offering "a pure electric car" sometime in the future. Additionally, rumors of it being based on the A1 were dashed, opening the door for speculation that it will instead be built around the VW Up! (Lupo) concept. Here's hoping we find our prior to 2018.

[Via Autoblog]

Best Buy's Blue Label Laptops Built According to Customer Feedback

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 2:28PM

Hey guys / gals, check this out. Best Buy is practically admitting that it is just now starting to "gather insights from customers and work with manufacturers to design products that address [consumers'] needs." In a rather odd release, the big box retailer is announcing two new laptops that'll be exclusive to its store: the 14.1-inch Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 and the 13.3-inch HP Pavilion dv3510nr. According to the release, these laptops were created and inspired by feedback from Best Buy customers

The Toshiba will feature a 1.2-inch thin frame, WXGA (1,280 x 800) panel, backlit keyboard, DVD burner, 5.5-hours of battery life and an $1,199 price tag. The HP (shown after the break) will include a LED-backlit WXGA display, up to 4-hours of battery life, inbuilt webcam and precisely the same retail price.

Eventually, Best Buy is hoping to expand the Blue Label series to other product lines, though there's no word on where to find these elusive input cards that it's supposedly using to pick and choose wares.

Continue reading Best Buy's Blue Label Laptops Built According to Customer Feedback

iPhone-Killing BlackBerry Storm Coming to Verizon Next Month

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 8th 2008 at 10:01AM

A storm's arrival typically isn't something to celebrate, but we're going to make a notable exception here seeing how the BlackBerry Storm is less of a destructive weather pattern and more of an incredibly hot smartphone -- arguably RIM's hottest to date. Fit to its business-savvy roots, the long-rumored handset comes equipped with the most comprehensive global roaming capabilities of virtually any wireless device you'll find anywhere, featuring EV-DO Rev. A, quadband EDGE, and 2100MHz HSPA for Europe.

Beyond that, the Storm becomes RIM's very first touchscreen phone, mounting a 3.26-inch 480 x 360 glass display on a unique clickable surface so that the entire thing can be pressed downwards -- just like a real button -- for tactile feedback when making selections.

The phone also includes a full HTML finger-navigable browser, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editing capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB of on-board storage with an 8GB microSD card bundled in the box, 3.5mm headphone jack, automatic orientation and ambient lighting sensors, and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam with dedicated flash, making it a legitimate jack-of-all-trades that seems likely to be able to handle even the most chaotic personal and professional lives users can throw its way.

It'll allegedly do 15 days of standby or 5.5 hours of talk time on either GSM or CDMA networks.

No word on pricing yet -- we're told all will be revealed "in the coming weeks" -- but it'll launch on both Verizon and Vodafone in November.

Ford MyKey Lets Parents Control Their Kids' Driving Habits

by Donald Melanson, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 3:41PM

There's not exactly a shortage of options out there for parents that want to keep watch on their kids' driving, but Ford looks to be taking things a bit further than most with its new MyKey system, and it's making it standard issue, no less. Set to debut in the 2010 Focus Coupe and plenty of other Ford vehicles shortly thereafter, the key-based system will let parents limit their car's top driving speed to 80 miles per hour, cut off the stereo's volume at just 44% of its max output, and set a persistent chime to go off if the seatbelts aren't being used (the stereo also gets muted until everyone buckles up). As if that wasn't enough, it'll also provide a low-fuel warning at 75 miles to empty, start issuing a surely annoying reminder as the driver inches up past the 45 mph mark, and make it impossible to disable some of the Focus' usual safety measures like Park Aid and Cross Traffic Alert. Also not able to be disabled: your kid's resentment.

Amazon's Kindle 2 Spotted in the Wild?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 10:51AM

So much for Amazon's attempts to quell Kindle 2 rumors, eh? Talk of a replacement (or a pair of replacements) for Amazon's popular -- but very oddly-styled -- e-reader has been in the mix seemingly since the first model started shipping, and Boy Genius Report has scored shots of something that certainly looks like it could be in the legitimate pipeline. The revised device appears to address complaints over the original's look head-on, rounding the corners and ditching the oddball angles; the scroll wheel has been replaced with a joystick, the SD slot is gone (don't worry, there's at least a gig and a half on-board), and around back, we have grills that seem to suggest integrated stereo speakers. The display is basically the same size -- no color here yet, sorry -- so unless the sharp edges on your first-gen piece are driving you batty, it looks like this could be safely skipped by current owners while roping in new buyers who wouldn't have considered it before. Thing is, was ditching the scroll wheel and that trick mirrored bar in favor of a joystick really the right way to go? [From: Boy Genius Report]

MySpace Music Streams a Billion Songs in 'A Few Days'

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 10:01AM

MySpace's Re-Launched Music Streams a Billion Songs in

It was just a week ago that MySpace re-launched its Music service in partnership with Amazon, enabling any of the site's millions of users to stream the full albums of thousands of artists. Now, MySpace is calling that re-launch a success, saying that a massive billion songs have been streamed since the launch, and that it's still counting.

The re-launch expands greatly on the previous service that usually had a track or three from a limited number of artists and depended on those artists to manually upload the tracks. It's unclear just how popular that older, more limited service was (we're betting quite), so exactly how big of a milestone this is remains to be seen. But, the true proof will be in its long-term success, and in measurements of just how many users clicked on over to Amazon to buy tracks outright -- usually at per-track prices $0.20 cheaper than iTunes. For those figures, we'll just have to wait. [From: TechCrunch]

'Punch-Out!' Comes to the Nintendo Wii

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 5:49PM

Of all the video game properties we're excited to see get resurrected, 'Punch-Out!' certainly has the most difficult pedigree to live up to. 'Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!' is one of the greatest games to ever grace a console, and 'Super Punch-Out!' was a worthy follow-up that featured fantastic cartoonish graphics (for a Super Nintendo game).

The Wii will be getting its own 'Punch-Out!' installment next year with slick looking cel-shaded animations. Classic characters, including the protagonist Little Mac, Glass Joe, and King Hippo, are back to reap some arm-flailing chaos on your television.

We just hope that the control scheme is more carefully developed than that of 'Wii Sports: Boxing' which, as far as we can tell, was developed with epileptic chimpanzees in mind. [From: BoingBoing]

'Hardy Boys' Video Game in the Works

by Evan Shamoon, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 10:01AM

What's that whooshing sound? That, young readers, is the sound of a yet another license being tapped for video games.

SEGA and Her Interactive yesterday announced that they're collaborating on a Hardy Boys game for Nintendo DS entitled The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks. The trip takes place upon the Royal Express and across the great capital cities of Europe, "in the hope of discovering the secret of a lost princess and a priceless treasure hidden from the world for nearly 100 years." Seems like it will suit video games just fine, no?

For those of you not keeping score at home, the Hardy Boys -- about a pair of teen brother detectives -- is the longest running book series of all-time. In its digital incarnation, gameplay will involve exploring the train cars and searching for hidden clues, interrogating passengers, and solving interactive puzzles as the player attempts to discover what's behind the century old secret of the Romanovs.

Look for the game next Spring. Word on the street is that Nancy Drew is pissed. [From: Her Interactive]

Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craigslist

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 2:38PM

The FBI and law enforcement officials in Monroe, Washington are searching for a man who robbed a bank and made a getaway down a nearby creek on an inner-tube. Seriously. Investigators believe the thief may have employed the help of decoys recruited on Craigslist.

The suspect is described as a white male about 25 years old and between 5' 7" and 5' 10." He was wearing a blue shirt and and a dust mask, which appears to have been essential to the heist. An ad placed on Craigslist searching for road workers is now at the center of the investigation. The ad asked more men to show up at a site near the bank just before the robbery took place. The respondents were asked to wear safety vests, goggles, blue shirts, and face masks, just like the suspect was wearing.

No one ever showed up to meet these hired 'road workers,' leading to the theory that the ad was posted by the thief to create a distraction for responders. The inner-tube used as the getaway vehicle was found along the banks of Wood creek near the Skykomish River.

Anyone who may have information that could aide investigators are asked to contact Monroe police at (360) 863-4600. [From: Seattle Times]

China Caught Snooping and Censoring Skype Messages

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 12:14PM

By now, you've surely heard of China's so-called Great Firewall, the country's continued efforts to restrict access to material that the government deems questionable. We've also covered how Skype is becoming a bit of a haven for those with questionable intents because of the difficulty of monitoring conversations there. China, however, has found a way to track at least some traffic, filtering and censoring text messages sent via Skype.

A service in China called Tom-Skype enables users to exchange text messages directly with Skype users from their phones. Privacy rights advocates at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto have discovered that eight Chinese servers intersect every message and process it against a list of censored words and topics, relating to things like the banned religious group Falun Gong and even references to the current controversy relating to tainted milk powder. Messages that match are often blocked and archived, along with the identity of the individual sending them.

Those servers were apparently not adequately protected, enabling the Citizen Lab members to access them and download millions of messages, as well as information about the senders. Scary? Yes, very much so, as it reveals more signs that Big Brother is most certainly watching in China. [From: The New York Times]

Nintendo Unveils Dual Camera DSi Portable

by Nilay Patel, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:10AM

As expected, Nintendo has announced the new DSi at its Fall presentation in Japan. The device features a ~~dual~~ touchscreen layout almost identical to the DS Lite, though the company is calling it a "third platform," which means it's complementing the existing system, not necessarily replacing it. Looks-wise there's not much different happening, but it's some 12 percent thinner -- partly because it omits the GBA cartridge slot. The displays are slightly larger, at 3.25 inches apiece, and there's an external three megapixel camera as well as a front-facing camera located on the inside hinge.

The DSi has an SD slot and internal storage -- we're not sure how much at the moment -- but photos can be taken directly to the Wii Photo Channel on the card. Nintendo's also launching an online "DSi Shop," which will sell content directly over WiFi, including a free browser app and "DS Ware" game -- and the company will offer free wireless connectivity at "Nintendo Zone" hotspots located in Japanese McDonalds. The shop will take the newly-renamed Nintendo Points (formerly Wii Points), 1000 of which will come free with the handheld until March 2010, and content will be priced in 200 / 500 / 800 point brackets. The DSi will come in white or black finishes, and will cost ¥18,900 ($178) when it launches in Japan on November 1st -- the rest of us will have to wait until next year.

Update: We've added the official Japanese DSi site link, check it out!

Update 2: We've also added a gallery (as you can see below).

Update 3: Our brothers at Joystiq have done a comprehensive spec-check of the DSi compared to the PSP-3000 and iPhone / iPod touch. Be sure and take a gander.

Update 4: You can now watch Nintendo's DSi demo video after the break, and trust us, it rules.

Update 5: Engadget Japanese tells us that only one display is touch-screen.

For more DSi goodies, check out the gallery at Engadget.

Continue reading Nintendo Unveils Dual Camera DSi Portable

Video-Conference Your Doodles Via Cell Phone With Tegakichat

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 5:16PM

Japan is drenched in arcades with female-only purikura (photo booth for you gaijin) corners in which aflutter girls take pictures, bless them with sparkly decorations, and print them to book cover friendly stickers for all to see, for better or worse, to the horror of their moms, to the delight of their potential boyfriends. Let's say Sharp was to take the purikura phenomenon and fuse it with to the teenage girl's number one obsession: the cell phone (keitai for our Japanese readers). That's exactly what it did with this concept phone and software, complete with a shared art space that can be collectively decorated over wireless networks. Scary? Perhaps. Cool enough to snap some video in awesome disbelief? Most definitely.

Don't miss the gallery at Engadget.

Continue reading Video-Conference Your Doodles Via Cell Phone With Tegakichat

Oasis Releases New Album on MySpace

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 1:01PM

Britpop pioneers Oasis will release their seventh studio LP, 'Dig Out Your Soul,' via MySpace today, Yahoo reports.

'Dig Out Your Soul' marks the Gallagher Brothers' first release since 2005's 'Don't Believe The Truth,' and is being released by Big Brother Records. For those who would rather hold an album than download one, the CD will be appearing on shelves next week. As far as the sound of the record goes, we're as anxious to listen to the whole thing as you are. Unfortunately, it's probably safe to assume that the band is continuing on their trajectory towards preciousness. Come on, blokes. Whatever happened to 'Cigarettes and Alcohol?'

According to the band's MySpace page, a European and North American tour is to follow the release. Assuming, of course, that Liam and Noel don't drunkenly strangle each other between now and then. [From: Yahoo]

Has Panasonic Reinvented the Remote Control?

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 11:23AM

Panasonic is looking to reinvent the remote control with its EZ Touch Remote prototype that it is showing off here at CEATEC. Rather than rely on a touch-screen interface that forces one to look down at a remote (and away from the object of one's entertainment), the concept puts the visual feedback where it belongs: on the screen.

The remote can sense left- or right-handed users and adjust the interface appropriately, moving important triggers around based on where one's thumb may (or may not) be. Dual touch pads allow for multitouch data entry and zoom manipulation, while gestures allow for quick scrolls, making this one of the most intuitive and drool-worthy remote controls we've seen in a while, or ever.

We're so into it that we've provided a full gallery and three videos after the break (and if you want to see more of what televisions are going to do in the coming years, check out our gallery of 7 Cool TVs From the Future).

Continue reading Has Panasonic Reinvented the Remote Control?

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