Livestrong.com Announces Calorie Tracking iPhone App

Topic:

Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation has announced the launch of its first iPhone App called Livestrong.com Calorie Tracker. The tracker works with the iPhone and the iPod touch and is available now from the App Store.

The application allows users to track their calorie intake and monitor their weight to help achieve better fitness and track exercise. The tracker has a search function that allows users to track what they eat during the day and tallies their caloric intake automatically. The database has 450,000 food items and 2,000 fitness activities. Read more

Posted on Thu, 6 Nov 2008 07:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Gemalto Announces World's First Wallet-size Optical Reader

Topic:

Gemalto introduced the world's first optical reader for online banking that can fit into a wallet. The product is called the Ezio Optical Reader that fits into the wallet along with a banking card to provide security for online services. An optical sensor built into the reader captures data typically entered by a user to perform online transactions.

Capturing of the data eliminates typing and saves time for the user. The device is compliant with MasterCard CAP, Visa DAP, and German Sm@rt TAN. Users present the reader in front of the screen and the data needed for authentication and signature generation is instantly read. Read more

Posted on Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Panasonic Announces Toughbook H1 for Health Care

Topic:

Health care settings require computers with special features like the ability to take rough handling and withstand cleanings. Panasonic announced a new Toughbook called the H1 that is specifically made for the clinical industry. The H1 is the first rugged PC aimed at health care workers that uses the Intel Atom CPU.

Features of the computer include dual hot-swappable batteries, daylight viewable LCD, Gobi technology and a package that is easy to sanitize. The system runs on Windows Vista Business and uses the Atom Z540 CPU. 1GB of RAM is standard and storage is to an 80GB HDD. The screen is 10.4-inches and is dual touch sensitive. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are built into the machine along with a webcam. The machine starts at $2999. Read more

Posted on Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

EA Announces Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box

Topic:

EA has announced a new edition of Burnout Paradise called Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box. The new special edition includes the original game and the two DLC packs known as the Paradise Cagney and bikes content packs.

In addition to the download content, the game also adds an all-new mode called Burnout Paradise Party that will be sold as a separate download for those who already own the game. the party mode allows players to trade the controller to play competitively. The game will also add a restart option for races. That last bit is an important update since you can be miles from the start of a race when you fail making getting back to the start a pain. Read more

Posted on Mon, 3 Nov 2008 13:17:37 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Sprint Announces Better Early Termination Policies

Topic:

One of the worst things about most mobile phone providers for customers who aren’t happy with the service is that early termination policies are usually not good. Sprint has announced modifications to its early termination policies that make them more consumer friendly.

Sprint will pro-rate its early termination fees effective as of November 2, 2008. The $200 early termination fee that Sprint assesses will be reduced by $10 per month each month after the sixth month of a new service agreement or a renewed agreement by an existing customer. The changes do not apply to contracts made prior to November 2, 2008. Sprint says it will continue to offer 30-day trial periods for users. Read more

Posted on Mon, 3 Nov 2008 09:15:48 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Sanyo head agrees to Panasonic Takeover: Sources

Topic:

By Kentaro Hamada and Noriyuki Hirata

TOKYO (Reuters) - The heads of Panasonic Corp and Sanyo Electric Co Ltd have agreed in principle to a deal that would see Panasonic take over Sanyo to create Japan's largest electronics maker, three people familiar with the matter said.

Panasonic, the world's largest plasma TV maker, and Sanyo, the No.1 supplier of rechargeable batteries, will likely make an announcement on the agreement soon, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the deal is not yet public.
Read more

Posted on Sun, 2 Nov 2008 09:42:49 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Panasonic in Talks to buy Sanyo Electric: Sources

Topic:

By Taro Fuse and Kentaro Hamada
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics maker Panasonic Corp is in talks with Goldman Sachs and two other major shareholders of Sanyo Electric Co Ltd to buy a controlling stake in its smaller rival, company and financial sources said on Saturday.
Talks with Daiwa Securities SMBC, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and Goldman are at a preliminary stage and the firms have not entered into price negotiations, the sources said.
Read more

Posted on Sat, 1 Nov 2008 01:47:39 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Google may scrap Yahoo Deal: Sources

Topic:

By Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google Inc may decide to scrap its proposed partnership with Yahoo Inc rather than accept government-imposed antitrust restrictions on it, according to two sources familiar with the companies' discussions.
"Are they more serious about walking away? Yes. Have they decided? I'm not sure," one source told Reuters on Friday.
Read more

Posted on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:41:11 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Lycos Announces Top Halloween Films with Web Searchers

Topic:

Halloween is upon us and for those too old to Trick-or-Treat a spooky night watching scary movies may be just the ticket. Lycos has announced the top horror films that web users are searching for this month. The top ten Halloween movies for the week ending October 25th are as follows.

These films are in order from most popular to least; Halloween, Alien, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Night of the Living Dead, and Nosferatu. I have seen most of these and I think the first Nightmare on Elm Street was the scariest of all of them. Read more

Posted on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Circuit City Announces Wish Upon a Star Holiday Program

Topic:

Circuit City is having a very hard time maintaining profitability in the tough economic climate we are facing right now. Despite that the electronics giant is set to start its holiday program called Wish Upon a Star.

The service will be available starting on November 2nd and has two functions. A guest to the site can generate a holiday wish list with the help of celebrities to contact friends and relatives with a customized reminder. Guests can also send a celebrity message asking other people to create a wish list. Read more

Posted on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

WunderWorks Announces Free Version of TeamPlayer Software

Topic:

WunderWorks has released a free downloadable version of its TeamPlayer software that allows multiple users to work together, simultaneously on a single normal Windows PC. The software works with multiple mice and keyboards as well as other input devices in all existing software.

WunderWorks says the software is perfect for educational situations, meetings, and creative gatherings. New features will be added to the software monthly including a user whiteboard, and a sandbox to create your own applications. Read more

Posted on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:30:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Dell Announces New Line of Commercial Desktops

Topic:

Dell announced a new line of computers for enterprise users in the OptiPlex brand. The new systems include the OptiPlex 960, 760, 360, and FX160. The FX160 is Dell's first thin client product with support for embedded or streamed operating systems for virtual desktop environments starting at $399.

The 960 is the top-of-the-line OptiPlex and offers power saving features that allow for up to 43% less power consumption over previous OptiPlex systems. The 960 runs Vista Business and uses a 80GB HDD on base models and can be had in mini tower, Desktop or SFF form factors. The machine can be had with Intel Core 2 dual-core or quad-core processors and up to 8GB of RAM. The 760 is a mainstream machine with security and power saving features. The 360 is a business essential system starting at $476. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:00:34 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

The most important Kindle Accessory

Topic:

Sometimes when I look at the Amazon Electronics bestseller list I see a harmless looking book light on the number two spot (right now it just disappeared again). The top spot has been reserved for the Amazon Kindle for a very long time.

Apparently the Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light is the most bought Kindle accessory. Kindle does not have a backlit screen, but paper books do not have one either. I never use a book light for reading, but Kindle owners do. I guess most Kindle owners read in bed with their partner sleeping next to them. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Princes William, Harry to attend James Bond launch

Topic:

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - Princes William and Harry are expected on the red carpet on Wednesday at the royal world premiere of the latest James Bond movie "Quantum of Solace," which sees Daniel Craig reprise the role of super spy 007.

The film is released in British cinemas on October 31 and hits theatres in the key U.S. market two weeks later on November 14.

After 40-year-old Craig wowed critics and audiences with his Bond debut in "Casino Royale" two years ago, "Quantum of Solace" is expected to eclipse its global box office take of $594 million.

Early reaction has been generally positive, although Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli may have been less than pleased to read one senior British critic, the Sunday Times's Cosmo Landesman, conclude his review:
Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:15:30 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Netflix Announces Second Gen Media Player for PC and Mac

Topic:

Netflix has announced an updated media player for instant streaming of movies online to a PC or Mac. The new media player is based on Microsoft Silverlight. This marks the first time that Intel-based Mac owners could instantly stream Netflix content to their PCs.

Netflix says that this is a first step that will only affect a small portion of its users. However, Netflix says that this is a first step to the roll out of a totally new platform by the end of 2008. Among the enhancements is a new timeline navigator that improves fast-forward and rewind, The player uses PlayReady DRM to play protected content. Read more

Posted on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Onkyo Announces New THX Certified Home Theater Package

Topic:

Onkyo has announced a new THX certified home theater in a box bundle called the Onkyo HT-S9100THX. The system combines a powerful Onkyo receiver with a 7.1 channel speaker system. The receiver has many features including HDMI 1.3 inputs, Faroudja DCDi video upscaling and more.

The receiver will decode the latest HD formats including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The receiver has 130 watts per channel and the subwoofer included is self-powered with a 290-watt amp. The complete system carries the bargain price of only $1099. Read more

Posted on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

GM, Chrysler request $10 billion in Aid: Sources

Topic:

By Jui Chakravorty Das and Kevin Krolicki
NEW YORK/DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp and Cerberus Capital Management have asked the U.S. government for roughly $10 billion in an unprecedented rescue package to support a merger between GM and Chrysler LLC, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said on Monday.
The government funding would include roughly $3 billion in exchange for preferred stock in the merged automaker, according to one of the sources, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Read more

Posted on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:07:24 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

ABI Research Says Consumer Navigation Still Faces many Challenges

Topic:

ABI Research says that consumer navigation devices still face many challenges on the road to mass adoption. ABI says that the industry needs to focus on new features like 3D maps, multimedia, connectivity, local search, convergence, and business models. These are needed before navigation devices will exceed the current 20% penetration rate.

ABI says that the removal of barriers to the GPS industry will take time. These barriers include the cost and lack of 3G coverage in many parts of the country, lack of interoperability, and user education. In my experience, the biggest improvement many GPS devices need is maps. Several I have tried simply have horrible map coverage in areas that are more rural. Read more

Posted on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:19:06 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Fed to slash Rates as Recession Looms

Topic:

By Ros Krasny

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut lending rates at a two-day policy meeting this week in response to unprecedented turmoil in financial markets and the threat of a global recession.
Read more

Posted on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:20:39 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

NEC Announces New P221W LCD

Topic:

NEC has announced a new LCD for PC users called the P221W. The display has a 22-inch screen and is designed for professionals working in color-critical environments. People like web designers and graphic designers are the target market for the display.

The screen has a native 1680 x 1050 resolution and achieves 96% coverage of AdobeRGB color gamut. Other features include an internal programmable 10-bit lookup table, AmbiBright automatic brightness adjustment, 1000:1 contrast ration, 16ms response time and a brightness of 300 cd/m2. Also shipping with the display is an optimized color calibration sensor. The P221W will ship in December for $636.90. Read more

Posted on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:25:35 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Genius Announces MetalStrike PC Joystick

Topic:

Genius has announced a new line of PC joysticks aimed at the flight simulation fan. The line is called MetalStrike and each of the three models feature a turbo function. The MetalStrike FF and Pro joysticks feature force feedback that causes vibrations when the player bumps, crashes, or shoots something in game.

The sticks have 13 programmable buttons and an 8-way POV hat switch. The sticks have a four-axis design and offer rudder control. Also featured is an air control system to keep hands cool while playing. The MetalStrike 3D retails for $26.99, the MetalStrike Pro with vibration is $39.99 and the MetalStrike FF with force feedback is $69.99. Read more

Posted on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:47:46 CDT | by Shane McGlaun