Bling Bling

Floyd Mayweather and his $50,000 diamond-encrusted, solid platinum iPod Classic:

Cell Phones > Boyfriends(?)

How women love their mobile phones... more than their boyfriends


Women treasure their mobile phones more than their boyfriends, research revealed today.

The poll of 4,000 women showed that four in 10 said they would be 'devastated' if they lost their phones, while a third admitted they could happily live without a man in their lives. Mothers came top in the list of women's most treasured possessions, followed by photographs and best friends.

The study, by online pawnbroker Borro.com, saw boyfriends come fifth in the list, placing above diamond rings, pets, laptops and hair straighteners. One in five would consider pawning their valuable items to raise much needed cash, and the majority would even dump their boyfriend or husband in exchange for £700,000.

Borro.com CEO Paul Aitken said: "The list certainly threw up some surprises with boyfriends featuring below photos and mobile phones. It's understandable why mums come out top though - they are there to lend an ear, offer support and a best friend to many girls. Photos hold fun and significant memories which could be devastating to lose and a mobile phone keeps women connected and it's always by their side."

The survey found that treasured possessions helped raise a smile at least five times a day for three quarters of those polled. Other items among the top 20 included a favourite pair of shoes, Vaseline, concealer and mascara. The research also revealed that the average woman will spend £624 a year on treats - such as lipstick or jewellery - to boost her mood.

Mr Aitken added: "Diamond rings represent 70 per cent of the loans we give to women so we are not surprised to see them right at the top of the list alongside mothers and boyfriends, that have a high emotional value but zero material value."

THE TOP 20: WOMEN'S MOST TREASURED POSSESSIONS
1. Mother
2. Photographs
3. Mobile phone
4. Best friend
5. Boyfriend
6. Diamond ring
7. Pet
8. Laptop
9. Hair straighteners
10. Handbag
11. Purse (wait, isn't this the same as #10?)
12. Car
13. iPod (soon to be replaced with iPad?)
14. Favourite shoes
15. Tweezers
16. Mascara
17. Cuddly toy
18. Old love letters
19. Diamond earrings
20. Slippers

(I would like to know: (A) How old these "women" are. (B) Whether or not they were all British.)


(Hmm...)

You Said It, Not Me

“When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war,” General McChrystal:


“PowerPoint makes us stupid.” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander

iPad (should be "iTab")

Apple Reveals the iPad Tablet

The half-inch thick, 1.5 pound device will feature a 9.7-inch multi-touch screen and is powered by a customized Apple microchip, which it has dubbed A4. The iPad will have the same operating system as the iPhone and access to its 140,000 applications.

The price of the device will start at $499 for the most basic model, with a Wi-Fi wireless connection. More expensive models will be offered with more memory and with 3G wireless access from ATT, which will charge up to $30 for an unlimited monthly data plan.

Wi-Fi-only versions of the device will be available in March, Apple said, with the more expensive 3G models coming 30 days after that.

The most expensive models, with 64-gigabytes of memory and 3G connectivity will cost $829.

However, the device lacks a camera, the ability to make phone calls and does not work with the ubiquitous Flash software that runs many Web sites. Apple is selling accessories such as a stand and a keyboard.

Mr. Jobs positioned the iPad as a device that sits between the laptop and the smart phone – and which does certain things better than both of them, like browsing the Web, reading e-books and playing video.

The iPad “is so much more intimate than a laptop and its so much more capable than a smartphone with its gorgeous screen,” Mr. Jobs crowed. “It’s phenomenal to hold the Internet in your hands.”

(I think most people already hold the internet in their hands everyday, but what do I know. Also, how it is "much more capable than a smartphone" when it is not even capable of a smartphone's most basic function?)

Nexus One

The Nexus One smartphone has arrived and is on sale at Google.com/phone.



Specs
3D Tour

Nexus One Phone: $529.00 unsubsidized

- T-Mobile: $179.00 (w/ a 2-year contract)
- Verizon Wireless: Spring 2010
- Vodafone: Spring 2010

Also:
* You can only purchase a total of 5 Nexus One phones per Google account
* Family plans, Flexpay, SmartAccess and KidConnect subscribers must buy the phone unlocked and unsubsidized for $530
* Language in the TOS implies shipping availability outside of the U.S.

[http://gizmodo.com/5436673/leaked-nexus-one-documents-530-unlocked-180-with-t+mobile]

Mouse - Wires/Surface = The Loop

On Monday, Hillcrest Labs introduced a production version of its radically rethought PC mouse.

The company is pushing its Loop mouse (which it prefers to call a pointer) as the perfect device to use when you’re watching video Web sites to which you’ve gained access on your computer and transferred to your TV. Instead of pushing your finger around a track pad, you simply wave the Loop pointer to move the cursor on screen (movements are picked up by a USB device connected to the PC). And because the pointer uses radio rather than infrared waves, you don’t need to aim it at the PC; in fact, the computer can even be put inside a cabinet.

[http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/a-wireless-mouse-thats-surfaceless-too/]
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/technology/personaltech/10basics.html?em]

Need a Battery? Just Print One!

A new battery, small and thin, weighs almost nothing and can be printed in a process similar to silk-screening shirts.

Ultrathin electronic devices can be built using a special inkjet printer that squirts fine layers of complex compounds instead of ink. When the compounds dry, they leave behind sheer metallic films, which in the right combination could act as thermometers, light sensors, even computer chips.

"Our goal is to be able to mass produce the batteries at a price of single digit cent range each," said Andreas Willert, of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, where Reinhard Baumann led the battery's development.

The battery weighs less than 1 gram and is less than 1 millimeter thick. It runs at 1.5 volts. Placing several in a row can produce up to 6 volts.

A standard AAA battery weighs about 11.5 grams and also runs at 1.5 volts.

The list of possible applications is endless — from bandages that release medication when they sense an increase in body temperature to wallpaper that changes color at the flick of a switch.

[http://current.com/items/90326254_tiny-printable-battery.htm]

[http://www.nytimes.com/projects/magazine/ideas/2009/#p-1]

TwitterPuke

John Biggs
TechCrunch.com
Tuesday, November 3, 2009; 12:33 PM

I just got my hands on the the Twitter Peek aka the Tweek and I'm trying to figure out who, specifically, this is for.

First, consider this my review: this device is not very good if you're a Twitter "power user" like myself or anyone else with maybe 100+ followers and a few hundred folks you follow. To be clear, this isn't quite Peek's fault as they're clearly not interested in pleasing folks like you and me. They're looking for folks from a different aviary, presumably new Twitter users who haven't quite gotten hooked but are interested in the service enough to stick with it and have $199 burning a hole in their pockets absolutely right now and don't really follow very many people. If you know any of those people, please send them to Amazon to pick this up. For the rest of us, this thing is pretty rough.

I follow 2104 people and so this thing was buzzing and Tweeting all afternoon until I finally turned it off. Weird batches of tweets would come in, all from one person, for example, or weird messages like "Oh Hey, you're Tweeting so much! We're going to try to catch up" or something to that effect.

It's also really slow. You have to click twice to read a Tweet - once to bring up the menu and once to read the Tweet - and scrolling is really bad. And it makes a buzzing and a tweeting noise when tweets come in - which is all the time. And it's $99 with 6 months free or $199 for life. And it only does Twitter. No email. No texting.

I'm really selling this thing, aren't I?

[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110302919.html]

Update: Twitter Pronto offers email and texting. (But it is only offered in Charcoal Gray, and is just as dumb as the Classic.)

U3-X > Segway(?)

It may look a little precarious and uncomfortable to ride, but Honda believe their new "personal mobility" device could one day be zipping up and down our streets.

The vehicle looks like a very modern unicycle and to ride it you simply lean your weight in the direction you want to go, whether that's forward, backwards or even sideways. It maintains its own balance traveling up to 3.7MPH.

The U3-X, which was given a test-run by reporters in Japan today, was designed to be small, safe and unobtrusive enough to mingle with pedestrians or use indoors, according to Honda Motors.

The single wheel on the U3-X is made up of many tiny motor-controlled wheels, packed inside the bigger wheel, allowing the device to swerve in any direction.

Unfortunately Honda President Takanobu Ito said the machine was still "a proposal", and the company has no sales plans, pricing or firm ideas on where or how it will be used.

The U3-X weighs just under 22 pounds, runs on a full charge for an hour, and has a lithium-ion battery. It is best suited to those over 5ft.

Although Honda said the machine is meant for the elderly, it's unclear whether they would be coordinated enough to control the device.

Honda makes the Asimo walking child-shaped robot and the U3-X uses some of the same technology.

Last year, Honda also unveiled a gadget that can support a wearer's bodyweight, made of mechanical frames attached to a pair of shoes.

Japanese rival Toyota Motors has shown machines that help people get around, including the Winglet, similar to the Segway, a scooter-like device that people ride standing up.

Japan is one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world, and concerns are growing about helping the elderly get around.

"Honda engineers are always thinking about people's dreams and wishes about mobility. We will continue to work hard to be a leader in that area," Mr Ito said.



[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1215741/Honda-unveils-Segway-style-unicycle-travels-direction-want.html]

BlackBerry Watch

Just to be clear as I've seen some confusion in the commments, but as far as we know at this time the inPulse watch is not being made by/for BlackBerry (it won't feature a BlackBerry logo), but is being made for use with BlackBerry Smartphones. However, this is in fact "the BlackBerry watch" that has been referred to previously in articles dating back to WES in May. There isn't another RIM-built BlackBerry watch out there.

Key features we've been told so far about the BlackBerry-connected smartwatch by our source:

* it has been designed specifically for use with BlackBerry Smartphones from the ground up - developed by a new BlackBerry-dedicated accessory company
* it features an OLED screen that we hear is "big, bright and beautiful" and optimized for displaying text clearly, and thanks to OLED has solid battery life
* it's designed to show you notifications and previews of messages arriving on your BlackBerry
* judging by the filename of the photos as they were sent in to us, we're thinking it's going to be branded the inPulse smartwatch

The intent of the watch isn't to replace using your BlackBerry to view messages. Rather, it's for those occasions when your BlackBerry is tucked away - while in a meeting, while driving, or while you're out for a bike ride and you feel it vibrating in your camelback. When you get that impulse to stop what you're doing and pull out your BlackBerry, now you can quickly glance over at your inPulse and decide if you need to pull out your BlackBerry to address that message now or if it can wait fifteen minutes you're free.

Definitely a cool accessory. And because this smartwatch is desiged specifically for BlackBerry, we're thinking hoping that at somepoint the watch APIs will become available to BlackBerry app developers so even notifications from third party apps could be displayed. CrackBerry heaven! We'll bring you the official details on this when they emerge soon.

[http://crackberry.com/first-images-blackberry-watch-real]

Microsoft's Courier (New)

Texting Toddlers

The Text and Learn from Leapfrog(leapfrog.com) for $22. Learning programs for 3-6 year olds. Cannot actually text, but does have an LCD screen.



The LG Rumor from Kajeet (kajeet.com) for $180 (plus monthly calling plan). A fully-functional cell phone, which includes texting and GPS.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/technology/personaltech/27basics.html?_r=1&hp]