socialrosiechen: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Fingerist turns your iPhone into an iKeytar, available now

Remember The Fingerist, the guitar headstock-themed speaker and case for your iPhone or iPod touch? You know, the one with the shoulder strap for public (and private) performances with all of your favorite music making apps? Well, it seems that it's finally available in the states. Indeed, there has been so little fanfare behind this announcement that the company responsible, Evenno, hasn't even acknowledged it on its site. But don't worry: we found this bad boy for $150 on Amazon. And if that's not enough, iLounge has done a series of hands-on photos (see the More Coverage link, below). Or, if you're like us, you can skip the thing altogether and groove to Rick Wakeman after the break. We do have one more thing to say about the Fingerist, however: at least it's not endorsed by this guy.

Continue reading The Fingerist turns your iPhone into an iKeytar, available now

The Fingerist turns your iPhone into an iKeytar, available now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/the-fingerist-turns-your-iphone-into-an-ikeytar-available-now/

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HTC job listing hints at an E Ink / 3D-filled future, new North Carolina facility

Months back, word on the street had it that HTC was looking to grab up emptied space in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park post-recession; huge outfits like Nortel bit the bullet in 2009, while Sony Ericsson shuttered its operations there and relocated to Atlanta. Naturally, the consolidation paved the way for other technology firms to slide in without overpaying for real estate. HTC has remained mum on the prospect of expansion, but it's fairly obvious what's in mind given the multiple job listings that have just emerged for a heretofore unannounced facility in RTP. Of particular importance is a plea for a Display and Camera Design Engineer -- HTC is asking that whoever applies for the role have some level of "familiarity with 3D display and imaging technologies," not to mention "familiarity with multiple display technologies (TFT-LCD, PMOLED, AMOLED, E-ink, etc.)." Of course, we've seen quite a few bullet points in our years that end up meaning nothing at all, but it definitely gets our gears turning. Could HTC be working on a reader / tablet that would at least partially rely on e-paper? Are we destined to see a 3D Android device from the outfit at Mobile World Congress 2011? Imaginations, here's the part where you run wild.

HTC job listing hints at an E Ink / 3D-filled future, new North Carolina facility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZbLru_XxPkw/

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iOS 4.2 supports new tech to reduce network congestion, Nokia Siemens says

One of the world's top suppliers of cellular infrastructure, Nokia Siemens, has dropped some juicy knowledge today that Apple's new iOS 4.2 update supports a technology called network-controlled fast dormancy that better optimizes how the phone connects to the network. The company touts that it's a win-win -- better battery life, less unnecessary network utilization -- and also points out that Nokia implemented the technique in all of its smartphones starting earlier this year. Since network-controlled fast dormancy is a feature that benefits the network itself as much as it benefits the individual user, knocking out two power players like Nokia and Apple (over half of new smartphone sales, NSN points out) should make a big dent.

Interestingly, NSN seems to have arrived at this discovery through "tests" it conducted, not by working with Apple on implementing it. Sure, we don't pretend to know all the interactions that occur between manufacturers, carriers, and suppliers during a phone's development, but it certainly seems to us that Apple would benefit by engaging infrastructure companies early and often as these baseband updates come together -- particularly as it seeks to keep a tight lid on the very congestion issues that network-controlled fast dormancy is designed to help eliminate. Either way, it's interesting to see how quick Nokia Siemens was to probe for the change this time around.

iOS 4.2 supports new tech to reduce network congestion, Nokia Siemens says originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/ios-4-2-supports-new-tech-to-reduce-network-congestion-nokia-si/

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A week with AOL's new Project Phoenix mail

As a someone who's been using Gmail since the invites actually meant something, I've become quite comfortable with my inbox. While it's not the most widely-used webmail app around, Gmail has set the bar for geeky features pretty high -- and those features are what keep me coming back. So how does AOL's newly revamped mail app (codenamed Project Phoenix) stack up? I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, AOL is Download Squad's parent company -- but that doesn't mean I'm going to automatically love every app they develop. Phoenix, however, is really good. It's got a few features that I wish Gmail offered -- like a tabbed interface, quick compose (more on this later), a look reminiscent of native desktop apps, and integrated social network updating via Lifestream. It's also dead simple to connect accounts from other services such as Gmail and Windows Live.

Continue reading A week with AOL's new Project Phoenix mail

A week with AOL's new Project Phoenix mail originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marisa Miller
Cat Power
Moon Bloodgood

Google branches out into machine-curated high-fashion with Boutiques.com

Representing its first chic service, Google has just launched Boutiques.com. In true Google style, Boutiques parses hundreds of thousands of products to produce a personalized shopping experience that's tailored just for you. Interestingly, there's no sign of an accompanying Android app -- only an iPad app [iTunes].

Boutiques uses 'fashion rules' garnered from high-fashion taste-makers -- designers, fashion bloggers, stylists and celebrities -- to produce a wardrobe of clothes just for you. Have a quick step through the Stylyzer to discover your favorite style of clothes -- or take a look at the wondrous array of dress styles that you can choose from.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to shoehorn you into buying merchandise. Once you're done filling in your loved (and hated) styles of dress, top, bottom and shoes, you're shown to your storefront, which is full of perfectly-picked items of clothing with all the right accessories. Take a look at my storefront, if you can't be bothered to sign up and click through each of the steps.

Sadly, Boutiques only offers female clothes at the moment -- and the products it lists are all from American stores. Still, it's early days -- I'm sure Google has lots more in store.

Filed under: Google, web 2.0

Google branches out into machine-curated high-fashion with Boutiques.com originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eliza Dushku
Adriana Lima

Cowon?s Pocket-Sized Media-Player: 1080p, Specs-Free 3D

The Cowon 3D is, as you may have worked out, a 3D-capable personal media player (PMP). But who cares? Much more interesting is that this palm-sized, 4.8-inch movie-player has full 1080p video-output via HDMI, making it a rather compelling device for the movie-buff.
Here are the rest of the specs: That little screen has a resolution [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/cowons-pocket-sized-media-player-1080p-specs-free-3d/

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How a Suspected Terrorist Led to the First Unlocked Phone DMCA Conviction [Dmca]

Click here to read How a Suspected Terrorist Led to the First Unlocked Phone DMCA Conviction

For the first time ever, someone's been convicted of violating the DMCA for unlocking cellphones. But don't freak out! Mohamad Majed was doing two things you aren't: unlocking thousands at a time, and allegedly funneling the profits to Hezbollah. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bi7-S5UR3jg/how-a-suspected-terrorist-led-to-the-first-unlocked-phone-dmca-violation

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The iPhone Apps Everyone Should Have (Updated) [IphoneApps]

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The end of the month is here, and that means it's time to do a little housekeeping on our list of the absolute best iPhone apps. Who will be inducted? Who will unceremoniously get the boot? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/57nQr_F5MUg/gizmodos-essential-iphone-apps-november-2010

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How a Suspected Terrorist Led to the First Unlocked Phone DMCA Violation [Dmca]

Click here to read How a Suspected Terrorist Led to the First Unlocked Phone DMCA Violation

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bi7-S5UR3jg/how-a-suspected-terrorist-led-to-the-first-unlocked-phone-dmca-violation

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RIM bans Kik messaging app from App World over contract breach

RIM bans Kik messaging app from App World over contract breach
kik blackberry messenger

Kik, the hot new messaging app that racked up a million users in a couple of weeks and then got called out for covertly harvesting users' contacts, has now been completely banned from RIM's BlackBerry App World. RIM announced it was booting Kik over "breached contractual obligations," and that it has terminated all agreements with Kik and stopped supporting the service.

As our sister site Engadget points out, RIM didn't provide much detail about what Kik did wrong. Either the contact harvesting violated a privacy agreement in the RIM/Kik contract, or Kik's app came too close to mimicking RIM's own BlackBerry Messenger service.

Kik hasn't explained much either, only confirming that they've been blocked from using the BlackBerry SDK and using push notifications on BlackBerry devices. That essentially cripples any further development of Kik on the BlackBerry platform.

RIM bans Kik messaging app from App World over contract breach originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bar Refaeli
Malin Akerman
Mila Kunis

Google now offers call recording in Gmail

Gmail's very useful voice calling service is even more useful now, with the addition of call recording. The call recording feature enables you to save your Google voice chats without using any additional software. For incoming Google Voice calls only, you'll see a button to start/stop recording right in your call window.

Call recording might be great for doing interviews, but it's not very useful for playing detective. When you hit record, Google Voice will play an audio message saying "this call is now being recorded," and when you stop recording, it will say "call recording off."

Recordings are saved in the "recordings" tab of your Google Voice account -- I looked for them in Gmail itself for a while, but I think opening Voice is the only way to get to them -- and you can download them as space-efficient low-quality mono MP3 files. If great recording quality is a primary concern, you're probably still better off with Skype and a third-party call recorder. For ease of use, though, you can't really beat Gmail's new built in one-click option.

[via Lifehacker]

Filed under: Web services, Google, VoIP

Google now offers call recording in Gmail originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olivia Wilde
Megan Fox

Dell Inspiron Duo review

When Dell first demoed the Inspiron Duo and its vertically rotating screen on stage at IDF in September, our mouths nearly hit the floor. It looked like a plain old netbook until its 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen did a magical backflip and folded down over its keyboard to morph into a tablet. It was like nothing we'd ever seen before. And we actually figured it would be the sort of system that would stay locked up in Dell's labs, but when its specs were revealed -- a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM, and Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator -- it became evident that the netbook / tablet hybrid was the real deal. Running Windows 7 Home Premium and Dell's new Stage interface, the $550 netvertible has the potential to successfully straddle both the netbook and tablet world. It also has a real shot at being the perfect device for those wavering between buying a netbook and a tablet. Indeed, the Duo is filled to the brim with potential, but what's the thing really like to use? We've spent the last few days with the Duo (and its Duo Audio Station) to find out, so hit the break for the official Engadget review!

Editor's note: The review unit Dell sent us was a hardware production unit, but we were told the software was about 95 percent done. We will update this review with our impressions of the final unit when we receive it.

Gallery: Dell Inspiron Duo review