2. 13 October 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com
ENGADGET
BFG’s 18.4-inch Deimos X-10
gaming laptop packs twin GPUs,
$1,859 starting tag
OCT 13, 2009 02:16A.M.
BFG Technologies, which could admittedly move laptops based on
company name alone, has decided to actually toss in some unnecessary
legwork with its latest beast. The 18.4-inch Deimos X-10 (likely a
rebranded Clevo M980NU) is undoubtedly one of the larger desktop
replacements on the market today, boasting Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad and
Extreme CPU options, twin 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, a
1,920 x 1,080 resolution display, three HDD bays for up to 1.5TB of
storage, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a Blu-ray optical drive. There’s
also a built-in subwoofer, four USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI / DVI ports, 7-in-
1 card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 2 megapixel webcam and a
bundled backpack — because, you know, it’s physically impossible to lug
this behemoth around any other way. It’ll ship with Windows 7 and start Continue reading BFG’s 18.4-inch Deimos X-10 gaming laptop packs
at just under two large, though you can save 10 percent if you get your twin GPUs, $1,859 starting tag
order in prior to October 30th.
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops
Gallery: BFG’s 18.4-inch Deimos X-10 gaming laptop packs
twin GPUs, $1,859 starting tag BFG’s 18.4-inch Deimos X-10 gaming laptop packs twin GPUs, $1,859
starting tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009
01:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
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3. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET
Compaq CQ61 does 15.6-inch
screen and “real” processor for
$399, wonders what all that
netbook fuss was about
OCT 13, 2009 01:45A.M.
It doesn’t usually take much to identify the type of person that’s suited
for a netbook and the type of person that’s suited for a budget laptop, but
Gallery: Compaq CQ61 press shots
unfortunately not all of them can self select — we’re pretty sure a lot of
folks who picked the former option would be pretty pleased to trade up
for this here Compaq CQ61 right about now, the followup to the well-
received Walmart-destroying CQ60. Compaq is becoming HP’s “value”
brand in the US, and we’d say the CQ61 is a pretty nice way to flex those
wallet-friendly credentials for a wider audience than the Walmart set. It’s
built on a 2GHz AMD Sempron M100 processor, ATI Radeon HD 4200
graphics, 2GB of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium, with a WXGA
15.6-inch screen, 160GB HDD and DVD burner to boot. HP was a bit
cagey on what sort of battery life to expect out of the included 6-cell (our
guess is not much), and of course the laptop won’t be winning any beauty
pageants, but it’s a pretty nice score for the truly cash-strapped student
or anyone else who needs a full-fledged laptop on the cheap without all
the netbook compromises. Still too rich for your blood? Compaq’s
CQ4010 slim desktop weighs in with relatively similar specs and a $319
pricetag.
Gallery: Compaq CQ61 hands-on
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4. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
a goal for battery life and set the specs to match. The corporate end of
that is an IT app that lets a business actually set its own power
consumption goals and constrain user laptops to match — we don’t know
how well that would play out in practice, but the delicious string-pulling
it entails is enticing. Prices start at $799, and there are naturally
configurations as far as the eye can see. Check out a video of the spill-
proof-ness in action after the break.
Filed under: Laptops
Gallery: HP’s ProBook 6x45b line hands-on
Compaq CQ61 does 15.6-inch screen and “real” processor for $399,
wonders what all that netbook fuss was about originally appeared on
Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for
use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
ENGADGET
HP’s ProBook 6x45b line
handles a spill with aplomb (on
video!)
OCT 13, 2009 01:20A.M.
While we don’t normally find ourselves terribly jealous of laptops
designed for massive rollouts at medium and large businesses, the new
ProBook and 6545b (15.6-inch) and 6445b (14-inch) almost have us
ready to reassess that assumption. They’re pretty boring AMD-powered
workhorses on the surface, but HP has reworked the keyboard tray so Gallery: HP’s ProBook 6x45b line press shots
that it automatically drains spills through the laptop and out through the
bottom — without running past any of the vitals. It’s not foolproof, but
it’s a great first stab at making us all a little safer from accidents — and
hopefully finds its way into consumer lines sooner rather than later.
We’re similarly jealous of the new energy management software that HP
has packed on here, which has a configuration panel that provides
battery-squeezing estimates based on various settings, letting a user pick
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5. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET
HP TouchSmart 300 and 600
bump the software to the next
level, tx2 comes along for the
ride
OCT 13, 2009 01:01A.M.
While the hardware on the outside looks to hardly be a departure from
the norm for HP’s TouchSmart line, there’s some exciting stuff going on
under the hood. Of course, multitouch is the big buzz this season with
Continue reading HP’s ProBook 6x45b line handles a spill with aplomb Windows 7 onboard and those fancy Surface apps are fine to play with,
(on video!) but more important is what HP is doing with its own TouchSmart
application. It’s added panes for Hulu, Netflix, Twitter and an HP Music
Filed under: Laptops Store powered by Rhapsody, which work in nicely with the rest of the
touch-friendly apps onboard and a bit of underlying Microsoft
HP’s ProBook 6x45b line handles a spill with aplomb (on video!) technology keeping things humming — like a nice big handwriting pane
originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:20:00 EST. for quick Rhapsody searches. There’s also a voice controlled recipe app
Please see our terms for use of feeds. that can capture recipes from popular recipe sites and read them out
loud to you, and the photo app can hook up with a phone over Bluetooth
Permalink | Email this | Comments and pull off photos. The other big new touch is the addition of HDMI and
composite inputs, specifically for use with gaming consoles on the
colorful 20-inch (300) and 23-inch (600) screens. What we would’ve
really liked to see at this point would be a bit of that stylus-friendly
capacitive Wacom tech, since a computer like this is dying to be turned
into an easel, but this infrared camera-based stuff will have to do for
now. HP had to hit these friendly $899 and $1,049 respective
pricepoints somehow. Specs are nothing too special, but TV tuners,
discrete graphics and Blu-ray are all in the offing. Meanwhile, HP’s
tossing all that fancy new software onto the TouchSmart tx2 convertible
multitouch tablet, which starts at $800, and the dv3 is also getting a
touchscreen as rumored — thought details are slim there. The tx2 and
600 launch on October 22, while the 300 lands November 1.
Gallery: HP TouchSmart 300 and 600 hands-on
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6. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
Filed under: Desktops, Tablet PCs
HP TouchSmart 300 and 600 bump the software to the next level, tx2
comes along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct
2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
ENGADGET
The daily roundup: here’s what
you might’ve missed
Gallery: HP TouchSmart 300 and 600 press shots OCT 13, 2009 12:59A.M.
Snow Leopard ‘Guest Account’ bug deleting user files,
terrorizing children?
Think your Snow Leopard woes are finally over? Don’t go logging into
5
7. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
that Guest account, then. T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive online & FiOS launch October 30
branch, $100
• Nokia N900 unboxed, and no, you can’t unbox your own (yet)
• Sprint HTC Hero now on sale to everyone
The daily roundup: here’s what you might’ve missed originally appeared
on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms
If we’d just been shafted like this, we’re not sure we’d want to buy even for use of feeds.
more stuff from Team Magenta
Some HTC Hero units shipping sans EV-DO Rev. A on Sprint? Permalink | Email this | Comments
Update: the message that Sprint Hero users are seeing is merely a
mislabeling, apparently. Other news of import
• NVIDIA Ion 2 still on track for this year ENGADGET
• Engadget reader meetup in Tokyo!
QNAP brightens up its NAS
• New Adamo XPS image takes a stand
offerings with new TS-210
model
OCT 13, 2009 12:03A.M.
What’s this? A QNAP NAS that doesn’t stick to the company’s traditional
VUDU goes live on the LG BD390
dark industrial look? Amazing but true, and yet another sign that the
company is increasingly looking to bring the NAS out of the office and
into the home — a move that could only be further bolstered by a certain
celebrity endorsement. Effectively replacing the company’s previous TS-
209 model, this one sticks to the same two-bay setup (for up to 4TB of
storage), but steps things up to an 800MHz Marvell processor, along
with 256MB of DDR2 memory, 3 USB ports, and all the usual UPnP /
Internet streaming on your flat panel is a go!
DLNA support you’d expect. No word on a price just yet, but we’d
Achtung, T-Mobile: if Project Dark is $50 unlimited, you’re in
presume it’ll be less than the $449 QNAP is asking for its four-bay TS-
trouble
410 model.
Never forget Boost Mobile.
[Via Electronista]
• Blu-ray releases on October 13th 2009
Filed under: Storage, Networking
• Epix HD queues up Iron Man, Madonna and Eddie Izzard for
6
8. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
QNAP brightens up its NAS offerings with new TS-210 model originally
appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
SLATE MAGAZINE ENGADGET
Why do Italians keep voting for B&W’s $400 Zeppelin Mini
Silvio Berlusconi? iPod sound system up for pre-
OCT 13, 2009 12:02A.M.
order, ships next month
Silvio Berlusconi has been accused of bribery, tax evasion, corruption, OCT 12, 2009 11:02P.M.
and subversion of the press. His wife has left him on the grounds that he
consorts with prostitutes and holds orgies at his villa in Sardinia. He
makes embarrassing jokes (and then repeats them, as he did with the
one about President Barack Obama’s “suntan”) and periodically
disappears to undergo more plastic surgery. He is at war with the Italian
legal establishment, with almost all the journalists who don’t work for
him, and with the Catholic Church. Last week, the Italian constitutional
court lifted his immunity from prosecution, which means Italians can
look forward to a whole new series of law suits and scandals.
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - - Bowers & Wilkins has never been one to play the bargain game, and the
$399.95 price tag on its new Zeppelin Mini is evidence of that very fact.
The somewhat miniaturized iPod sound system is up for pre-order as we
speak on Amazon, and we’ve heard directly from the company that it’ll
be shipping out to US-based consumers in “early November.” So, is a
flashy design, a pair of 3-inch drivers, 3.5 millimeter auxiliary input jack,
USB 2.0 port and a promise of a better tomorrow enough to pry those
SLATE MAGAZINE four Benjamins out of your hand?
What are the risks of having Continue reading B&W’s $400 Zeppelin Mini iPod sound system up for
twins? pre-order, ships next month
OCT 12, 2009 11:05P.M. Filed under: Home Entertainment
A New York Times article published Saturday notes that a reduction in B&W’s $400 Zeppelin Mini iPod sound system up for pre-order, ships
the number of twins born from fertility treatment could save the health next month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009
care system $500 million. That’s because twins are born prematurely 60 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
percent of the time and land in the costly neonatal intensive care unit
more often than singletons. The article also mentions that these babies
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
are more susceptible to mental retardation and learning disabilities. Just
how grave are the risks facing twin babies?
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
7
9. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
SLATE MAGAZINE ENGADGET
Freaky Fortnight: The T-Mobile offers Sidekick users
stereotype of the jangled new olive branch, $100
OCT 12, 2009 10:13P.M.
mother.
OCT 12, 2009 11:01P.M.
The weekend started with Beer Friday at the Slate offices. Everyone
gathered around a table that held six-packs and an opener. Someone
handed me a Brooklyn Lager—it must have been pulled from the back of
the bodega refrigerator, because it was nice and cold—and I leaned
against a desk. I was chatting with three women, all of whom I presumed
to be in their 20s, and at some point I realized, I am an old person to
them.
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
We’d heard T-Mo was thinking about doing more for Sidekick customers
who’ve had their data wiped by Microsoft / Danger / Hitachi’s botched
server upgrade, and we just got a statement confirming that any affected
SLATE MAGAZINE customers will be getting a $100 gift card for their troubles in addition to
Why the far left and the far right that free month of service. T-Mobile also says that recovery of “some”
lost content may be possible, but we’re not holding out hope — and if
both oppose swine flu we’d just been shafted like this, we’re not sure we’d want to buy even
more stuff from Team Magenta. Full statement after the break.
vaccinations. Continue reading T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100
OCT 12, 2009 10:54P.M.
Filed under: Cellphones
Swine flu may have an unexpected side effect: political unity. The far left
and far right agree that they’re sure as heck not getting vaccinated T-Mobile offers Sidekick users olive branch, $100 originally appeared on
against swine flu. Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for
use of feeds.
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
Permalink | Email this | Comments
8
10. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET ENGADGET
Apple aware of Snow Leopard Green laser for microprojectors
accounts bug that kills data, is developed, microraves soon to
working on a fix follow
OCT 12, 2009 10:06P.M. OCT 12, 2009 09:40P.M.
Apple just made a statement about that nasty Snow Leopard Guest
Japanese company QD Laser has apparently developed a green laser
Account bug that deletes user data — it’s not much, but at least the
which could up the ante in the HD pico projector market. The laser —
people in charge are working on things.
which is just 5.6mm in diameter and outputs a 532 nanometer, pure
green light — was shown off as a working prototype at CEATEC. QD says
We are aware of the issue, which occurs only in extremely
their green laser (the hardest type to make) will be well-suited to gadgets
rare cases, and we are working on a fix.
like cellphones and laptops because of its low power consumption and
wide operating temperature. Mass production is seemingly planned for
Peachy — now if Apple would just figure out how to fix all those broken
next year, with the hopes that each little laser will run $10, cheaper than
Time Capsules holding the backups, we’d be all set.
the one currently available, which is manufactured by Corning. You
know what we always say: rave on.
Filed under: Software
Filed under: Displays
Apple aware of Snow Leopard accounts bug that kills data, is working on
a fix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:06:00
Green laser for microprojectors developed, microraves soon to follow
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST.
Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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11. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET SLATE MAGAZINE
Blaze announces ‘Wii style’ Conservatives claim the
Motion Freedom 3D controller stimulus has already failed. But
for PS3, really it has barely started.
OCT 12, 2009 08:50P.M. OCT 12, 2009 08:10P.M.
From the moment it passed, the $787 billion American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act—the stimulus bill—has been the subject of
controversy. Many critics have deemed it a debacle, since unemployment
has continued to rise in the months since its passage. The Republican
Party declared the bill a failure over the summer, and House Minority
Leader John Boehner recently deemed it a waste: “You can’t spend $800
billion of taxpayer money and not create jobs when you say that’s what
the goal was.” At a dinner several weeks ago, I heard a cable news
reporter, one whose job is to report numbers accurately, declare that
“we’ve already spent $800 billion and it was a waste.” I suppose it’s too
much to ask political hacks and TV reporters to get the size and timing of
the stimulus package right. But I expect better from my colleagues at the
Washington Post editorial page, which on Sunday argued against further
stimulus measures because they would add to the scary national debt
and because “the government still hasn’t run through half of the $787
billion in tax cuts and spending increases enacted this year.”
We were fairly impressed by Blaze’s knack for impressive but
questionably useful gadgets when it introduced a three-cart contraption [more ...]
for the DSi last month, but it looks like it’s truly outdone itself with its Sponsored Topics: - - - -
latest peripheral. While it’s possible that it’s the result of some
miscommunication or a bet taken to its limits, it does appear that the
company is indeed set to release a controller that can only be described
as a Wiimote for the PlayStation 3. Of course, it’s still a bit light on
specifics, but Blaze says its so-called Motion Freedom 3D Controller will
open up “unthinkable gaming possibilities,” and let you “become one”
with games like Sega Tennis and Tiger Woods Golf. It’s even been ENGADGET
“ergonomically designed from the ground up.” How can you possibly go
wrong? Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the
Filed under: Gaming overpriced bladeless fan you
Blaze announces ‘Wii style’ Motion Freedom 3D controller for PS3, really never asked for
originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:50:00 EST. OCT 12, 2009 08:01P.M.
Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
10
12. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
We can’t fault Dyson for chutzpah. After putting the company’s spin on
vacuum cleaners and then hand dryers, we probably should’ve guessed
that a revolution in table fan engineering was next up. When we first
saw an image of the Dyson Air Multiplier “bladeless fan” a few spurious
theories popped into our heads as to how it works, but it didn’t take long
to figure it out: it has blades in it. It’s just that these blades are inside the
lower canister, rather similar to, dare we say it, how a vacuum cleaner is Continue reading Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan
set up, with the air then routed through the ring up top. The benefits of you never asked for
this tech are that there are no nasty blades to get fingers caught up in,
but also that there’s no “buffeting” — that on-off gush of air caused by Filed under: Household
fan blades unceremoniously chopping up the air into inelegant segments.
Unfortunately, the downside of the Dyson method is that you can’t make Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for
Darth Vader voices through the backside of the fan, and the whole originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:01:00 EST.
assembly is closer in noise pollution to that of an actual vacuum cleaner Please see our terms for use of feeds.
than a regular table fan. And then there’s the matter of price: $300 for
the 10-inch model, $330 for the 12-inch, and neither of them offer nearly Permalink | Email this | Comments
as much wind as a regular fan this size — quite a steep entry fee for the
gentle breezes that emanate out of this plastic wind tunnel. Full PR is
after the break. LIFEHACKER
Gallery: Dyson’s Air Multiplier Do You Take a Proper Lunch
Break at Work? [Reader Poll]
OCT 12, 2009 08:00P.M.
11
13. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
LIFEHACKER
Google Adds Shared Folders to
Docs [File Sharing]
OCT 12, 2009 07:45P.M.
Whether an out-of-control workload or the down economy is keeping Good news for people using Google Docs to share or collaborate on
you at your desk during your lunch hour, weblog Web Worker Daily documents: Google today has added folder sharing and multiple
points out that 45 percent of U.S. workers are taking fewer and shorter document uploading to its popular suite of web-based document and
lunch breaks than last year. spreadsheet apps.
Photo by chanchan222. There’s not much to getting up and going with shared folders. Either
right-click a folder and select Share or go to a folder and select the Share
We’ve suggested a few tips for maximizing your lunch hour in the past, this folder drop-down to invite people. They’ve also improved their file
but the folks at Web Worker Daily emphasize that skipping your lunch upload tool to support uploading multiple documents at one
break altogether is not something you should make a habit of. The post time—provided you’re sharing documents within their supported types.
offers some suggestions for making sure you squeeze in time for a proper Images, Word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint
lunch break: presentations work like a charm; I tried uploading a plain text
Greasemonkey script, for example, and it was rejected, so while Docs has
Ditch your desk: Wolfing down a cereal bar with one hand almost opened the doors for regular old file hosting and sharing, it’s still
while emailing a colleague with the other does not qualify as a got its limitations.
lunch break. Even if you only have a few minutes and can’t
leave the building or your home office, walk away from your Shared folders and more in Google Docs [Official Google Docs Blog]
work area or go into your kitchen to grab a bite.
We’ve suggested ways to make your brown bag lunch more appealing so ENGADGET
you can save money at work, but it’s just as important that you take time
out to enjoy it. We know you’re busy, but we’re curious: New Adamo XPS image takes a
Let’s hear more specifics of your lunchtime routine in the comments. stand
OCT 12, 2009 07:27P.M.
Productivity Superstar: Is Your Brain Starving For a Lunch Break? [Web
Worker Daily]
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SLATE MAGAZINE
The cast of Seinfeld on Twitter.
OCT 12, 2009 07:11P.M.
The cast of Seinfeld expounds on the latest Internet phenomenon.
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
ENGADGET
Remember that wild hinge we saw on the Adamo XPS at Dell’s
characteristically all-too-brief showing last week? The company’s gone Engadget reader meetup in
ahead with yet another side pic, this time showing how the hinge pops
out. Of course, showing what is actually on both panels would be too Tokyo!
much for the company, so we’re left only to guess. A display? A OCT 12, 2009 07:06P.M.
keyboard? Some kind of holographic projector? A hot key for making
lolcat pictures? Listen Dell, we get it, you like the slow trickle of teasers,
but can we just see the whole body now and move on the part where we
wait for scraps of info on the specs?
Gallery: New Dell Adamo XPS image takes a stand
If you’re in the vicinity of Tokyo, Japan on October 15th, you’re going to
want to read this. Our compatriots at Engadget Japanese are having a
reader meetup! There will be music (with a performance by Mawya
Denki) and free food, plus you’ll get to hang with the way cool editors of
our Japanese site. Believe us, you want to attend. There will also be live
Filed under: Laptops
product demos by Microsoft, Sony, Acer, Sanyo, Nikon and an
interactive Q&A featuring a Korg DS-10. Here are the details:
New Adamo XPS image takes a stand originally appeared on Engadget
on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Date: October 15, 2009
Location: Super-Deluxe (map)
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Address: B1F 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Time: Doors open at 19:00, event begins at 19:30
The venue holds about 300 peeps so get there early!
Head here for full information.
Filed under: Announcements
13
15. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
Engadget reader meetup in Tokyo! originally appeared on Engadget on • Google responds to AT&T’s claim that Google Voice is unfairly
Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. blocking calls to numbers the telecom giant is FCC-required to
accept. [Google Public Policy Blog]
Permalink | Email this | Comments
SLATE MAGAZINE
LIFEHACKER
Dear Prudence answers readers’
Remains of the Day: Wi-Fi Sees
questions live at
Through Walls Edition [For
Washingtonpost.com.
What It’s Worth] OCT 12, 2009 06:47P.M.
OCT 12, 2009 07:00P.M.
Emily Yoffe, aka Dear Prudence, is on Washingtonpost.com weekly to
Here’s a quick look at the news that hit our radar that didn’t quite make chat with readers about their romantic, family, financial, and workplace
the front page today. problems. Prudie is taking next week off, so the next chat will take place
Monday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. (Read Prudie’s Slate columns here.)
• Why Email No Longer Rules…
• People love to declare the end of things, and the Wall Street [more ...]
Journal is calling it a day for email. We all still use it all the time, Sponsored Topics: - - - -
of course, and sensational or not, email at the very least has more
healthy alternatives than ever. [WSJ]
• Google Wave And The Dawn Of Passive-Aggressive
Communication
• Written in response to the above article about the end of email,
TechCrunch suggests that Google Wave is making a lot of ENGADGET
headway addressing some of the problems with email.
[TechCrunch] Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime
• Wireless Network Signals Produce See-Through Walls says the PSP Go has a
• A couple of electrical engineering researchers see through walls
with the help of a wireless network grid. [Wired] ‘fundamental concept problem’
OCT 12, 2009 06:33P.M.
• T-Mobile Lets Furious Sidekick Users Ditch Their Contracts for
Free
• This weekend T-Mobile acknowledged that they’d lost a whole lot
of their user’s data for good, and today they’re allowing anyone to
leave their contract for free to make amends. [Gizmodo]
• New in Google Squared: quality improvements, sorting and
exporting
• Google’s Wolfram Alpha-alike, the so-far less useful Google
Squared, has rolled out a lot of improvements, including more
data and the ability to export data. [Official Google Blog]
• External GPS for iPod and iPhone
• You’ll need to be adventurous and willing to shell out for a
Bluetooth GPS module to get it going, but if you really want to
add GPS functionality to your iPod touch—it looks like you can do
just that. [Hack a Day] Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime has been known to take a few shots at the
competition in the past and, while he’s not exactly verging into CE-oh no
• Sex, conference calls, and outdated FCC rules
14
16. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
he didn’t territory this time around, it seems that he just couldn’t help LIFEHACKER
himself from offering a few thoughts on Sony’s latest handheld. Speaking
with The Washington Post, Reggie says that the PSP Go has a How to Clean Your Debit and
“fundamental concept problem in terms of ‘Who’s it for?’ and ‘What’s the
benefit?” — adding that he always has the “utmost respect for all our Credit Cards [Cleaning]
competitors, but that it’s “interesting to try and answer the consumer OCT 12, 2009 06:00P.M.
question of ‘What’s in it for me?’ in that product.” Of course, Sony does
have a few answers to those questions for its part, sort of.
[Via Joystiq]
Filed under: Gaming
Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime says the PSP Go has a ‘fundamental concept
problem’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:33:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There’s a certain list of things we routinely clean, but your debit and
credit cards probably aren’t on that list—but they should be! It’s easy and
can greatly extend the life of your card.
SLATE MAGAZINE
Photo by ohadweb.
Dear Prudence: A Preacher’s Pet
You might be wondering why you should bother, but if you’ve gone
Peeve cardless for a few days while waiting on a replacement, the extra step of
OCT 12, 2009 06:16P.M. cleaning your cards can go a long way toward preventing such a hiccup.
A daily video from Slate V. All you need is an eraser and a damp towel. Wipe the card clean with the
towel to remove any grimey build up deposited onto your card from your
[more ...] wallets or card reader machines. It’s not something that gets extra dirty,
Sponsored Topics: - - - - but the small particles when compacted with continuous swiping/use can
rub off the magnetic strip holding your card’s information.
Next take the eraser (we prefer Pink Pearl erasers, but the one on the end
of a pencil will do just fine) and gently erase/rub the magnetic strip on
the back. It will remove any gunk that’s built up over time. This trick also
works with old school cartridge based gaming systems, just in case you
really have the urge to play some NES Duck Hunt.
Got your own methods for successfully cleaning off your grimy credit
card and getting more mileage out of it—at least while you’re waiting for
a replacement? Sound off in the comments.
15
17. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET SLATE MAGAZINE
Unlocked, contract-free HTC Saving Face: A chick-lit novel
HD2 will be available November written in real time. With your
11 for a lot of money help.
OCT 12, 2009 05:47P.M. OCT 12, 2009 05:44P.M.
Chapter 17: You’ll never guess who Marina and Erica run into at the mall.
[more ...]
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SLATE MAGAZINE
Sydney’s spectacular dust
storms remind Australians of
We know the HD2 is hitting O2 later this month and Vodafone is getting their history.
the handset in Spain in December, but now it looks like the unlocked OCT 12, 2009 05:37P.M.
version isn’t too far off either: UK retailer Clove says it’ll be out on
November 11 for £469, about $740 US. Importing will soon follow, to be SYDNEY, Australia—This wondrous city awoke last month to find that it
sure, but though the phone is unlocked and sim-free we’ll be limited to was experiencing any metaphor you like, from “darkness at dawn” to
EDGE in the States until that US-specific version hits our shores next “red dawn.” A gigantic cloud of dust had blown in from the interior,
year. The question is: will we be strong enough to wait? shrouding the capital of New South Wales in a sinister and choking mist
of particles. A completely sane friend and editor of mine said that he
[Via SlashGear] thought for a few moments that the North Koreans had finally
succumbed to a death wish and decided to obliterate Down Under as a
Filed under: Cellphones dress rehearsal. A taxi driver hailing from Serbia was more phlegmatic,
telling me that for once he was glad of the lack of rain, because if it had
Unlocked, contract-free HTC HD2 will be available November 11 for a lot come down while the air was full of this matter, the whole place would
of money originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 have been waist deep in mud. But the wind brought it, and the wind bore
16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. it away—dumping some dust as far away as New Zealand—and the
experience would have been fairly easily forgotten if not for the nagging
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments fact that no meteorologist or climatologist had come anywhere close to
predicting what, in retrospect, had evidently been brewing for some
time.
[more ...]
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18. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
SLATE MAGAZINE ENGADGET
Is it smart to put your CEO in T-Mobile ‘considering
your ad campaign? additional measures’ to
OCT 12, 2009 05:08P.M.
compensate Sidekick owners
The Spot: A man is standing on the spiral ramp of the Guggenheim OCT 12, 2009 04:58P.M.
Museum. On-screen text identifies him as “Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint.”
He tells us about a new wireless plan that allows Sprint mobile
customers to call any other mobile phone at no charge. “It’s a free
country,” says Hesse. “Knock yourself out.”
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
LIFEHACKER
Snow Leopard Bug Deleting
Entire User Accounts [Data The official line is still that T-Mobile customers affected by Sidekick
amnesia will be given a months’ credit on their data plan, but that may
Loss] not be the end of it (and considering the magnitude of the issue for
OCT 12, 2009 05:00P.M. affected folks, we’d certainly hope not). At this point, they’re leaving the
door open to more by saying that they’re “considering additional
Tech news site ITWire reports that a reproducible bug related to guest measures” to help soothe the souls of those who lost contacts, notes,
accounts in Snow Leopard is deleting entire user account data. That’s a schedules, apps, and everything else, but exactly what those “measures”
very bad thing. From ITWire, here’s what’s happening: are remains to be seen. Free phones? Free service? A gift certificate to a
day spa? The full (albeit brief) remarks can be found after the break.
According to multiple topics on the Apple Support discussion
boards, the problem can occur when a user logs into their Continue reading T-Mobile ‘considering additional measures’ to
Mac’s Guest account — whether by accident or on purpose — compensate Sidekick owners
and then tries to log back into their regular account.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
In some cases, users have reported finding their regular
account empty of data, as though it were a brand new T-Mobile ‘considering additional measures’ to compensate Sidekick
account. owners originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00
EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The current workaround: disable the Guest account. Apple isn’t offering
any response to this yet, and details are slim, but just to be safe, you may Permalink | Email this | Comments
want to at the very least steer clear of your guest account for the time
being. [ITWire via Neowin]
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19. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET
5-inch BeBook Mini now
shipping in the US for $199
(hands-on)
OCT 12, 2009 04:34P.M.
We’d heard back in May that Endless Ideas’ smallest e-reader yet would
begin shipping (presumably in Europe) during the summertime, but it
just recently started to make its way onto US doorsteps. Thankfully, our
doorstep was among those greeted by the 5-inch reader, which boasts the
same specifications as the original BeBook save for the smaller display.
Priced at $199, it seemed a lot more competitive before Amazon hacked Filed under: Displays, Handhelds
the price of its Kindle to $259, and given the dearth of WiFi / 3G
WWAN, it’ll only appeal to those content with hitting up their PC via 5-inch BeBook Mini now shipping in the US for $199 (hands-on)
USB to get new content loaded on. Upon unboxing this cutie, we were originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:34:00 EST.
struck at just how light and compact the whole unit is, though even with Please see our terms for use of feeds.
the font at its default size, we had no issues reading the crystal clear e-
ink display. Screen refreshes were satisfactorily quick, and menu Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
navigation was a breeze. As an e-reader (and MP3 player, if you wish),
it’s hard to bang on the pocket-friendly BeBook Mini, but with the
Kindle’s recent price drop and Sony’s $199 Reader Pocket Edition,
competition is fierce.
Gallery: 5-inch BeBook Mini now shipping in the US for $199
(hands-on)
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20. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
ENGADGET LIFEHACKER
Nokia N900 unboxed, and no, The Best Way to Search for an
you can’t unbox your own (yet) Old Post on Lifehacker [Reader
OCT 12, 2009 04:01P.M.
Guide To Lifehacker]
OCT 12, 2009 04:00P.M.
We frequently get emails from readers having trouble finding an old post
on Lifehacker. They’ve tried the site’s search box but still aren’t having
any luck. It’s not you, it’s us. There’s a better way.
Unfortunately Lifehacker’s search doesn’t always do the job of turning up
content as well as it should, so when you’re having trouble finding what
you’re looking for, turn your query over to the people who do search best.
So it seems like the new thing for manufacturers is to gather a bunch of
That’s right, Google. I’ve been writing for Lifehacker since 2005, and I
platform champions (read: developers and bloggers) in a room, wax
never use our internal search. Instead, I use Google’s site: search
poetic for an hour or two about strategy, and — here’s where it gets
operator to get Google to do the searching for me. Just take the query
awesome — give out or loan hot, new devices to everyone in attendance.
you were planning to use with Lifehacker’s search, paste it in the Google
Google’s done it, Palm’s done it, and now Nokia’s getting in the game by
search box, and add site:lifehacker.com to your terms. Google will limit
handing out pre-production N900s on extended loans at its Maemo
its results to only Lifehacker, and the results are almost always better
Summit event last week, and that inevitably means that we’re going to be
than Lifehacker’s default search engine’s results.
seeing a ton of unboxings and reviews over the coming days. This
particular unboxing comes to us courtesy of Slashgear, which notes that
In fact, I use Google site: searches for almost every web site, so it’s not
the devices are currently running non-final firmware even though the
just Lifehacker. I even use a bookmarklet to quickly perform site:
hardware is the same stuff we’ll be seeing on shelves in the next few
searches for any site I’m visiting.
weeks. It’s looking great so far — but then again, so did the N97 in its
muted black box prior to release, so we’ll withhold final judgment until
this one’s been thoroughly vetted for awesomeness. I’d love it if Lifehacker’s search turned up better results on its own, but
it’s a lot more important to us that you can find what you’re looking for,
so rather than use our search engine, using Google with the site: search
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
operator is your best bet.
Nokia N900 unboxed, and no, you can’t unbox your own (yet) originally
appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
19
21. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
SLATE MAGAZINE
Freaky Fortnight: The joy of a
really crummy zoo.
OCT 12, 2009 03:51P.M.
Needless to say, the weekend wasn’t relaxing. OK, there were a few
relaxing moments—in the morning, when we let our older son watch
“TV.” I put TV in quotes because Nick only knows television as
downloaded shows on iTunes that he watches on a computer. Whenever
he’s in front of an old-school television playing live, he gets confused and
asks me why I can’t start the shows at the beginning.
[more ...]
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
ENGADGET
Canon PowerShot SD980 IS
SLATE MAGAZINE
unboxing and impressions
Advertisement: National OCT 12, 2009 03:37P.M.
Geographic Channel
OCT 12, 2009 03:51P.M.
New Series Follows Alaska State
Troopers
They’re the first line of defense in the last frontier. Alaska
State Troopers, a new series, premieres Wednesday at 10P
Canon held off about as long as it could, but it finally caved to the
e/p on Nat Geo. Learn more at
pressures of adding a pressure-sensitive screen to one of its Digital
www.natgeotv.com/alaskastatetroopers ELPHs. The SD980 IS goes down as the first-ever touchscreen
PowerShot, offering a better-than-average set of specifications, a few
color options, an attractive size and a 720p movie mode that helps to set
Ads by Pheedo it apart from some of its VGA-quality contemporaries. We took the cam
for a quick spin just to see how Canon’s adaptation of the touchscreen
felt in real-world use, and we’ve posted up our impressions — along with
a few sample galleries and a raw 720p video clip — just beyond the break.
Gallery: Canon PowerShot SD980 IS unboxing
20
22. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
LIFEHACKER
How to Build a DIY Digital
Camera Scanner [DIY]
OCT 12, 2009 03:30P.M.
Instructables user DHagen was sick of feeding coins into a public copy
machine, wanted quality copies, but didn’t want to spend much cash to
get his own photocopier or scanner, so he did what any DIYer with a
digital camera would do:
He built his own DIY copy machine/scanner using less than $20 of
material (mostly plexiglass and a few various nuts and bolts). After
building the camera mount apparatus, DHagen details how he snaps,
crops, and converts the picture to PDF, but we’d recommend skipping
that hassle altogether and using a previously mentioned photo-to-
document tool like Qipit, Snapter, or scanR to accomplish similar results
with less work on your part.
Continue reading Canon PowerShot SD980 IS unboxing and If you’ve gone the DIY scanner route in the past, let’s hear how happy
impressions you’ve been with the results in the comments.
Filed under: Digital Cameras Portable, Paperless, Digital Copy Machine [Instructables]
Canon PowerShot SD980 IS unboxing and impressions originally
appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:37:00 EST. Please see
our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
21
23. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
SLATE MAGAZINE Vioguard’s self-sanitizing keyboard means maybe we don’t all have to die
this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:09:00
The life story of a skunk. EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
OCT 12, 2009 03:23P.M.
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More revolting creatures: the snapping turtle, vulture, the tick, the
jellyfish, and the slug.
[more ...] LIFEHACKER
Sponsored Topics: - - - -
CrimeReports Maps Out Local
Crimes [Crime]
OCT 12, 2009 03:00P.M.
ENGADGET
Vioguard’s self-sanitizing
keyboard means maybe we
don’t all have to die this year
OCT 12, 2009 03:09P.M.
If you want to check out a neighborhood you’re planning on moving too
or just want to see how things are looking in your corner of Sunnyvale,
CrimeReports mashes up local police reports with map of the area.
CrimeReports will display, when data is available, a variety of crimes
including homicide, breaking and entering, robbery, theft, theft of/from
a vehichle, assault, and sexual offenses by default. You can also add in
other crimes like kidnapping, arson, alarm responses, and proactive
police activity like community policing and vehicles stops.
If there’s one thing scarier than going to the hospital for some potentially
harmful harmfulness, it’s getting sicker due to some minor slip-up in the All of the above have color coded flags that can be easily read on the
carefully-observed hygiene practices of your own personal Zach Braff map. The flags are identified in the left hand column or by mouse
M.D. That’s where Vioguard’s newly shipping UVKB50 self-sanitizing click—both give you the type of crime and the location. You can also
keyboard comes in, with a proximity detector to let a set of freshly adjust the range of dates displayed to the last few days, last week, two
sanitized keys slide out for use by a health care professional, which slide weeks, month, or a custom date range via calendar. CrimeReports is a
back once they’re not in use to get re-sterilized with anti-bacterial free service and requires no login.
ultraviolet light. The $899 pricetag isn’t too bad given the application,
but it probably won’t be making our own cubicles safer any time soon. CrimeReports [via Mashable]
Video of the keyboard in action is after the break.
Continue reading Vioguard’s self-sanitizing keyboard means maybe we
don’t all have to die this year
Filed under: Peripherals
22
24. Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR info@arcagility.com 13 October 2009
SLATE MAGAZINE
Mad Men: Don’s strange
response to “I Have a Dream.”
OCT 12, 2009 02:56P.M.
I couldn’t agree more about these two affairs, Julia. I was really hoping
you were right when you predicted last week that we’d seen the last of
Henry Francis. And I didn’t think it possible, but Miss Farrell makes me
miss Joy from Season 2. I preferred her straightforward sensuality and
carefully designed topless swimsuits to Miss Farrell’s cocky idealism and
Bowdoin T-shirt. “You think they can understand it?” Don asks Miss
Farrell when she proclaims she’s going to play the “I Have a Dream”
speech to her class. “I think they already know it,” she replies. I’m pretty
sure I’ve rolled my eyes every time this woman has been on-screen this
season.
[more ...]
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