Livescribe Launches Pulse Smartpen App Store

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It hasn't been very long and now a gadget without an App store is inconceivable. Livescribe just announced the beta launch of its online Application Store, providing consumers with the ability to download more than 30 paid and free applications, which extend the functionality of the Pulse smartpen beyond its core feature of recording and linking audio to handwriting.

What would a Smartpen App do? Can it fart in 100 variations or blow out candles like iPhone apps can do?
There are actually already quite useful Pulse apps. For example, consumers can now read and hear a translated phrase in Spanish, French, German, Japanese or even Korean, access fun facts on a variety of topics from past World Series winners to U.S. Presidents; get help studying geometry, organic chemistry, or Hebrew chanting; play more than a dozen games like Blackjack, Video Poker or Hangman; listen to classical music pieces or even play a guitar – right from the 'pentip' of their Pulse smartpen.
Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:33:46 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Saturday Night Live Opening Shot in 1080p With Canon Eos

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When you're a camera company, it's easy to get free publicity. Every time a professional uses your product to do something cool, boom! You get what amounts to a free celebrity endorsement. Take this latest Canon press release. Apparently the opening to this new season of Saturday Night Life was shot entirely in 1080p video. In order to attract less attention and shoot in tight areas, the Canon Eos 5D Mark II and Eos 7D Digital SLR cameras were used.

The intro features a variety of shots from around the city of New York. The director didn't want to have to set up a large shoot and disrupt the reality of any of these shots. By using these portable Canon cameras, they were able to get 1080p footage without having to be too disruptive. This is just another piece of evidence for how incredible portable video shooting technology has gotten these days.

Posted on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:16:13 CST | by Robert Evans

Analyst Says: 100,000 Droids Solid Opening Weekend

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If you'd asked me six months ago, I'd have said Motorola was on the fast train to bankruptcy-town. After the astonishing success of the Razr, the company fell into a sharp decline and saw their market share drop like a stone. Now, though, it appears as if it was far too early to count Moto down. They've come back swinging with the new Droid. And, so far, their Android flagship seems poised to bring the company back to solvency.

Bloomberg reports that an analyst has estimated that 100,000 Droids sold over the first weekend of sales. That's far, far below the type of opening-weekend sales we've seen for the iPhones, but for any other smartphone its extremely good. The Droid isn't going to become the sort of worldwide phenomena that the iPhone is, but that doesn't mean it won't be extremely successful.

Posted on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:45:35 CST | by Robert Evans

Olympus PEN E-P2 Available For Pre-Order

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The new Olympus PEN E-P2 is the world's smallest 12.3MP interchangeable lens system with In-body Image Stabilization.
The Olympus PEN E-P2 delivers high-quality still images and HD video, stereo linear PCM audio recording, and in-camera creativity, all inside an ultra-portable body with classic looks.

The Olympus PEN E-P2 is a Micro Four Thirds camera. Micro Four Thirds technology bridges the gap between digital SLR and point-and-shoot camera technology. Read more

Posted on Sun, 8 Nov 2009 10:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Verizon Stores: Open At 6 AM For Droid Launch

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Big Red has really high hopes for the imminent launch of the new Droid handset. I have to say, if you're going to bet millions on a smartphone, you could do a lot worse than the Droid. As a way of encouraging more sales (and in order to build-up hype) it looks like VZW will be opening their doors early on November 6th. Boy Genius reports that one of their contacts has informed them that Verizon stores will open at 6 AM on Droid launch day.

Of course, Moto's masterpiece isn't the only smartphone that's going to launch that day. Verizon will also start selling the $99 Droid Eris on the 6th. Is it just me, or does all this seem eerily familiar?

Posted on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:38:30 CDT | by Robert Evans

Antec Skeleton Open Air Computer Case Review

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Tweaknews published a Antec Skeleton Open Air Computer Case review.
Quote from the review: "Antec's Skeleton case is a real work of art that also brings top-notch cooling and innovative design elements to the table. Read more

Posted on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Pentax K-x Review

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Pentax unveiled the Pentax K-x DSLR camera in September. The Pentax K-x comes in several colors and is on sale on Amazon.com.

PhotographyBlog has tested the Pentax K-x and published this review.
Quote from the review: "Pentax have been producing excellent DSLR cameras for some time now, and their latest model, the K-x model, is certainly no exception. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Analyst: End Of AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Means Expensive iPhones

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After more than three years together, it's time for Apple and AT&T's exclusive relationship to end. While the arrangement still works out well for AT&T, it's only holding Apple and the iPhone back. That's why analyst Brian Marshall's prediction of an AT&T/Apple break-up isn't being viewed as a particularly bold one.

What makes his prediction (via AppleInsider) interesting is that he looks at an angle that most of us have overlooked. Tech bloggers have been writing about the likelihood of an end to exclusivity for a while, but you seldom hear anyone mention what that will do to the $450 subsidy AT&T pays for each iPhone.

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:12:12 CDT | by Robert Evans

The New 27-inch Core i7 Apple iMac Is Expensive But I Am In Love

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Apple unveiled yesterday the new line of Apple iMac All-In-One computers.
I mentioned several times in my iMac rumors coverage over the last weeks that a Core i7 iMac would give me weak knees and get my credit card number typed into the Apple Store checkout page at light speed.
Now Apple did announce a new iMac that can be had with Core i7, the fastest CPU Intel currently offers. The problem that stands between me and the 27-inch Core i7 iMac besides the November shipping date is the price.

Some say that 27-inch is too big, but I know it is just a matter of getting used to and then you are hooked. I currently work with a 26-inch Monitor and have a 19-inch as 2nd display next to it. The first 2 days I got seasick looking at the 26-inch screen, but now I can not work on smaller screens anymore. Therfore 27-inch just sounds very right to me.
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Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New 4GB Livescribe Pulse Smartpen And Pro–Pack Bundle Unveiled

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Livescribe announced today new versions of its Pulse Smartpen. You can now get a 4GB and 2GB Pulse smartpen in titanium color.

The new 4GB Livescribe Pulse Smartpen sells for $199.95 and the 2GB version sells for $169.95.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

iTunes LP Opening Up To Additional Labels

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Right now, the iTunes LP format has only been opened to a few major labels. That's why there is such a small selection of LPs available currently on iTunes. Due to a Gizmodo report, this was currently rumored to be due to a $10,000 production fee charged by Apple. With such a fee in place, the LP format would only be available to labels with major resources.

However, as MacRumors.com reports those rumors are incorrect. Apple has denied that there is any production fee. They've also stated their plans to open up the LP format to all labels. This will allow them to expand their LP offerings and bring greater success to the format as a whole.

Posted on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:20:23 CDT | by Robert Evans

WikiReader Gadget By OpenMoko Is On Sale

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Openmoko announced today the availability of WikiReader. The WikiReader is an offline handheld gadget that offers the more than three million English language articles of Wikipedia anywhere you go.
The WikiReader eReader for Wikipedia runs on two AAA batteries and features a monochrome touchscreen.

Articles are scrolled with a stroke of the finger and hyperlinks selected with a simple tap. Three buttons, Search, History and Random, offer the convenience of reading specific topics or the serendipitous pleasure of discovering something by chance within Wikipedia's rich array of articles ranging from Freud to Final Fantasy. Read more

Posted on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:40:12 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Opening Zune Services To Apple Users?

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Zune isn't just a brand of media player, it's also a subscription-based music and video service that exists outside of any one set of devices. At least, that's the way Microsoft is increasingly starting to view the Zune service in light of disappointing media player sales. While the HD has been a fairly successful device, it's become increasingly clear to all observers that it isn't going to 'kill' the iPod. That's why, according to ZDNet, Microsoft is looking into providing the Zune subscription service to Apple users.

Apparently Redmond's thinking is, "If you can't beat 'em, sell them a $15/month subscription service and get their money that way." Jose Pinero, a Director of Communications at Microsoft, told ZDNet that his company was looking into making their Zune services available on a wider variety of platforms, including the iPod/iPhone.

Posted on Thu, 8 Oct 2009 09:49:18 CDT | by Robert Evans

Flash Player 10.1 Brings Open Screen Project To All Smartphones besides iPhone

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Adobe made an important announcement today about bringing Flash to smartphones today. Adobe unveiled Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices under the Open Screen Project.
A public developer beta of the browser-based runtime is expected to be available for Windows Mobile, Palm webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year.

Public betas for Google Android and Symbian OS are expected to be available in early 2010.
In addition, Adobe and RIM announced a joint collaboration to bring Flash Player to Blackberry smartphones, and Google joined close to 50 other industry players in the Open Screen Project initiative. Read more

Posted on Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:53:20 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sharp Opens World's First 10th-Generation LCD Panel Plant

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Sharp Corporation started the operations at the new LCD panel plant in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
The new Sharp LCD panel plant is the first facility in the world to adopt 10th-generation glass substrates. Using Sharp's proprietary UV2A photo-alignment technology, the plant is capable of producing high-contrast, energy-efficient panels of 40 inches and larger, marking a new era in large displays. Read more

Posted on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Dell Latitude Z600 Is Thin, Beautiful And Expensive Like A Super Model

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Dell unveiled the new ultra-thin Dell Latitude Z 16-inch laptop. The Dell Latitude Z600 is according to Dell the thinnest, lightest 16-inch notebook in the world. The thin design (0.57 inch is not the only advanced feature as Dell introduced several industry firsts such as wireless docking and inductive charging with the Dell Latitude Z series.

Also new is Latitude ON. Latitude ON, a hardware-based feature that according to Dell allows you to have the full power of your laptop with the flexibility of your smartphone. Read more

Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:31:25 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Is Stopping Piracy More Expensive Than Ignoring It?

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Numbers lie all the time. Let's get that out of the way at the onset. Whenever anyone offers up some enormous number to "estimate" the probable loss or gain of a course of action it's probably close to total B.S. Take the UK music industry's claim that expect to lose as much as £200 in 2009 (thanks Ars Technica) as a result of piracy. There's no way to actually calculate that number, because it's impossible for us to know what people would have purchased legally if they didn't have access to it illegally.

Sure, Ted the Income tax adjuster probably would have bought that DvD of "Coupling" if he hadn't had access to Bittorrent. But I doubt that Jimmy the 9th grader or Bob the College Student would've spent over £20,000 each on movies, music, and software if 'legal' was the only option. Just because someone pirates a lot of media doesn't mean they would have bought it legally if the free option wasn't available.

Posted on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:23:04 CDT | by Robert Evans

Pentax Unveils K-x DSLR Camera

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Pentax has unveiled a new DSLR camera called the K-x that packs lots of features into one of the coolest looking and most colorful DSLR cameras I have ever seen. The K-x will be offered in black and white colors and a limited edition of the camera will be offered in navy and red colors. The red camera is the coolest looking DSLR I have seen in a long time.

The cam will sell for $649.95 for the body and a DA L 18-55mm lens and the kit is aimed at first time DSLR buyers. The cam has a 12.4MP CMOS sensor and sensor-shift shake reduction. The rear LCD is a 2.7-inch unit with Live View and Face Detection. Pentax also crammed in HD video recording capability at 720p and 24 frames per second with any lens. The cam gets its power from plain old AA lithium batteries, which is a bonus in some minds. Read more

Posted on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Mitek Mobile Receipt App Makes Expense Tracing Easy

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Keeping track of receipts for mobile workers who need to turn in expense reports can be a huge pain. If you are particularly busy and do a lot of things in one day, there can be a large number of receipts to keep track of.

A new app for the iPhone called Mobile Receipt from Mitek has been unveiled. The app uses the camera of the iPhone to take pictures of receipts that can be automatically inserted into the expense reports of the person for reimbursement. Read more

Posted on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Tesla Motors Munich Store Opening Event Featured Organic Beer And Cars

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As reported California based electric car pioneer Tesla Motors opened its first continental Europe Dealership yesterday evening in Munich, Germany. I was at the fun opening and was able to at least sit in a Tesla Roadster Sport. It feels perfect. Tesla offered test drives in the passenger seat, but there were too many people that wanted to experience the silent super fast "zip, zip" acceleration.

Many guests were just having fun watching the test Tesla cars charging silently into traffic - including me. Read more

Posted on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:10:54 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Logitech's New Wii/360/PS3 Drums/Guitar Expensive, Fancy

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Do you hate your bank account and love Guitar Hero? If so, Logitech is here to help. They've just released a new set of high-end Guitar Hero instruments for the Nintendo Wii. According to Gizmodo their new guitar has a maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and metal frets. The new drums are absolutely gorgeous; they come with three pads and two cymbals, all fully adjustable, with a recessed rim around the pads to help avoid rim shots. The kick petal is made of stainless steel.

Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? And, to make things even better, the exact same instruments are already out for the PS3 and Xbox 360. What's the catch? The Price. Logitech is charging $200 for the guitar, and $230 for the drums. That's more than excessive, but if you absolutely must have the best these instruments are it.

Posted on Wed, 9 Sep 2009 11:11:04 CDT | by Robert Evans