MICROSOFT BUYS 3D GESTURE CONTROL COMPANY CANESTA

Canesta, a company specializing in motion-sensing and 3D gesture controls, have just announced that they are being acquired by Microsoft; a deal that is expected to be finalized by the end of 2010. Canesta was founded in 1999 and they specialize in “NUI’s” or natural user interfaces. Their technology allows users to do away with the traditional mouse and keyboard combo for most of their computing needs. They are also experts in 3D tracking; a very useful purchase for the future development of the Kinect platform. The Silicon Valley company holds 44 patents with regard to 3D sensing technologies, which will protect Microsoft in any patent litigation they may find themselves in. The acquisition could usher in a new revolutionary GUI/NUI for Windows 8. Minority Report computing might be around sooner than you think. Check out the video below for a peek at what Canesta technology does. [BGR]

PAYPAL UPDATES iPHONE APP

Tucked away in an annoucement for a slew of other things like a new micropayments product and an apps platform for business, Paypal had an interesting nugget. A new version of its popular iPhone app that allows users to find businesses near their immediate location that accept PayPal as a form of payment. Launching in San Francisco initially, the feature encourages merchants to attract nearby customers to their stores by posting deals and promotions to the app as an incentive for customers to visit their businesses.

Customers can search by category and location, and find and select stores, services, or special offers. Users can pick up the goods or services in person, but pay the merchant using their PayPal app. Users can also use tags from Bling Nation, a startup that has partnered with PayPal to use the startup’s mobile payment chips to deduct funds from a PayPal account.

One of the big selling points around using PayPal for merchants is the ability to offer deals as an incentive to drive buyers to a store or restaurant. Whether it be Groupon-like daily deals or just ordinary coupons, there’s no doubt that deals do help drive online to offline sales. [TechCrunch]

MICROSOFT HANDS OUT 90,000 WINDOWS PHONE 7 DEVICES

Network World has confirmed that Microsoft will give each and every employee a free Windows Phone 7 (WP7) device.  That is around 89,000 employees.  When you combine that with the 1,000 attendees of Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference that will receive WP7 devices the total comes to 90,000.  This is expected to cost Microsoft roughly $20 million of the $500 million they are expected to spend to promote WP7. [BGR]

ENERGIZER Qi CHARGING MAT UNBOXED - WITH VIDEO

Even though the Engergizer Qi (pronounced 'chee') hasn't hit retail yet, a review gives us an overview and unbox of the device.  The Qi is a mat that will charge your mobile device.  Currently, you will need to place a sleeve on the mobile to allow it charge, but if Energizer can sell enough of these, eventually the sleeve portion will be built into the mobile device.

The Qi charging mat will retail for $89 and the sleeves, currently only for the iPhone 3G and up and the Blackberry Curve 8900, will sell for about $35. [Engadget]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMAIL

Email turns 41 today.  The world's first computer-to-computer message sent via the internet in 1969.  Two scientist were suppose to send the word "log", however the connection was dropped before they were able to complete the word, leaving the 'g' off making the first email 'lo'.

RUMOR: FACEBOOK ANNOUNCING FACEBOOK PHONE ON WEDNESDAY

Facebook is holding a media event on Wednesday November 3rd.  It is rumored the much talked about (but not as much as the Verizon iPhone) Facebook Phone will be announced.  Other speculation is that the long awaited Facebook app for the iPad will finally debut as well as a Deals type of service through Places. [TechCrunch]

SPRINT CEO THANKS iPAD FOR OVERDRIVE DEMAND

Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse, in an interview with GigaOm, confirmed that most iPads sold are WiFi variety.  He thinks this, along with their decision to sell an iPad case despite the fact Sprint doesn't sell the iPad, has led to an uptick in OverDrive subscriptions.  OverDrive is Sprint's 3G/4G MiFi or personal WiFi hotspot device.  The OverDrive allows users of any WiFi device to connect to the Sprint network at either 3G or 4G speeds depending on location.  Hesse didn't mention any specific numbers regarding how much OverDrive has been affected by the iPad, but it is fairly evident he is a big proponent of Apple's iPad. [Engadget]

REDBOX ANNOUNCES STREAMING PLANS

Coinstar, the parent company of Redbox, CEO Paul Davis stated on the recent earnings call that Redbox is in "detailed negotiations with a number of highly interested parties" to launch a "Redbox-branded" streaming service sometime next year. While Davis was light on details, his statement leads many to believe Redbox will partner with an already established streaming service rather than trying to roll their own from scratch. Makes sense to us. It will be interesting to see how they fair against the NetFlix juggernaut. [Engadget]

TEH GAY GEEK REDESIGNED

We have made some design changes to Teh Gay Geek...let us know what you think in the comments section.

AOL LAUNCHING NEW UPDATED HOMEPAGE

AOL will be launching a new updated homepage at AOL.com next week. Up until now this was a very strong rumor with no screenshots. Now we have a screenshot of the new page.

There are some noticeable updates like going from 2 to 3 columns. Instead of a single main column with rotating features at the top and news sections below, now the whole middle column will become featured items with bigger photos. The search box at the top is also more prominent, with tabs for web, image, video, maps, and news search.

The directory to other AOL sites in the left sidebar is pushed down to make more room for the featured items. The first columns is still news, with latest headlines first, but the second spot now goes to “Local News” and neighborhood picks.

The new, right-hand column is more focussed on discovery, with trending topics and most-shared stories. If you log in with AOL Lifestream, you can see the links and stories your friends are sharing across several social networks including Facebook,Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube. At least, that’s what it looks like from the screenshot. [TechCrunch]

New AOL homepage (Click to Enlarge)

Current AOL homepage (Click to Enlarge)

RUMOR: FACEBOOK TO LAUNCH NEW GAME PORTAL

Facebook is just weeks away from launching a new redesigned game portal according to numerous sources.  Details are a bit sparse at this point, but it is known that the portal will present a new, more feature rich way to both find and play games within the social network.  Sources state Facebook will launch the new portal with a number of game publishers as partners. [TechCrunch]

ADOBE DEMOS TOOL TO CONVERT FLASH TO HTML5

Although Adobe will deny it, Flash is in trouble. After Steve Jobs notably declared Flash a dying technology, Flash usage on the web is on the decline: a study released this week shows that since the beginning of the year, Flash video on the web has gone from being almost ubiquitous to having less than 50% share compared to HTML5. HTML5 is also continuing to gain momentum in other forms of interactive web content where Flash used to be favored.

For Adobe to remain current, then, the company needs to somehow embrace HTML5 by encouraging Flash developers to transition to the new standard while continuing to purchase Adobe products. Unsurprisingly, then, Adobe has just unveiled at the MAX conference this week a new tool that converts Flash animations to HTML5.

It’s just a demo, of course, and it may never become a real product… but clearly at least sections of Adobe are seeing the writing on the wall for Flash. It’s true that Adobe is making a strong push to bring Flash 10.1 to pretty much every platform under the sun, but this week’s announcements show they are no longer willing to put all of their eggs in the Flash basked: Adobe’s Air platform, for example, is now slated to run on everything from tablets to televisions, and this tool — should Flash finally be declared D.O.A. — could at least squeeze some last drops of revenue out of the dying standard by allowing developers to translate their old, complicated Flash animations to the new de facto web standard. [Geek]








33% Price Drop: Samsung HW-C500 AV Receiver Home Theater System - HW-C560S

STUNNING 3D BUILDING PROJECTION VIDEO

With a building, a powerful projector, a computer and a ton of imagination you can make buildings come to life.  The amazing video below was shot a few months ago in Kharkov, Ukraine during a festival celebrating the Independence Day of Ukraine. The building used for the show was the Kharkiv Regional Institute of Public Administration Building. [Geek]

NANOTECH TO HELP EXTEND BATTERY LIFE

Adrian Ionescu of The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne recently spoke of their ambitious plan, which uses nanoscience and nanowires to "close" up leaky transistors, ultimately extending battery life. He further stated their "vision is to share this research to enable manufacturers to build the holy grail in electronics, a computer that utilizes negligible energy when it's in sleep mode, which we call the zero-watt PC."

According the US Department of Energy, the US spends around $4 billion each year on lost electricity. By adopting the forthcoming technology from Ionescu, we can drastically reduce this to almost zero. [Gizmodo]

REAL HACKER FACT CHECKS 'THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS NEST'

Vanity Fair has an interview with a reformed hacker Kevin Poulsen, specifically about the hacking Lisbeth Salander does in the blockbuster best selling books by Stieg Larsson The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. 


Poulsen, a former "black hat" hacker who's now the editor of Wired.com's Threat Level, says that as far as fictionalized hacking goes, Lisbeth Salander's cyber conquests are pretty realistic, even if the way she goes about doing them are a bit fuzzy:

Michael Hogan: Is there anything that Lisbeth Salander did that struck you as implausible?
Kevin Poulsen: The interesting thing is, everything that she does is completely plausible-it's the way she does it that is for the most part completely nonsensical as a technical matter.
MH: Can you explain?
KP: Well, she uses a device given to her by her other hacker buddy-she puts it over the co-ax cable of the corrupt financier, Hans-Erik Wennerström. The entire description of how that works and how she uses it to get control of his computer is just a fabrication. She describes taking his computer and basically setting it up so that when this guy thinks he's logged in using his computer, he's actually using her server-and she's able to monitor everything.
MH: Right.
KP: That isn't how it would be done. But you certainly are seeing these days attacking somebody's P.C. instead of attacking their server, and logging their key strokes and all of that. This is exactly what the hackers are doing right now. That's what they are doing in financial crimes in particular. When you get down to the technical details, it's all very fictional. But the actual capabilities are all completely real.

Interesting...I'm now going to run my anti-virus, scanners and any other security software I can find! [Gizmodo] [Vanity Fair]

MOUNT EVEREST WIRED FOR INTERNET

TeliaSonera subsidiary Ncell has erected a 3G base tower at 5,200 meter (17,000 feet) mark on Mount Everest.  The signal will reach the 8,848 meter (29,029 feet) peak of the tallest mountain allowing climbers internet access and 3G video calls.  While this is not the first time a cell tower has been erected, Motorola erected a temporary one in a publicity stunt, on Mount Everest, it is the first permanent installation. [Engadget]

APPLE MOVES PAST RIM TO BECOME FOURTH LARGEST MOBILE PHONE VENDOR

When Apple launched the first iPhone way back when and announced they planned on selling 10 million per year, everyone scoffed at the idea.  Now they are shipping 14.1 million handsets every three months according to the latest IDC report.  These number moves Apple from fifth to fourth place worldwide, overtaking RIM.  Nokia, Samsung and LG round out the top three vendors.  [Engadget]

DRIVERLESS VAN GOES 8,000 MILES FROM ITALY TO CHINA

The Visilab team left Italy back in July with an EV autonomous orange van.  They have arrived in China after going through places like Moscow and the Gobi Desert.  The EV van used an array of laser scanners, cameras and GPS to navigate with minimal human intervention.  Since the vehicles are EV they made the trip without having to stop for fuel, but the range was limited to four hours before they had to stop to recharge.  The trip was 8,078 miles (13,000km).  Pretty impressive! [Engadget]

MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES RECORD FIRST QUARTER PROFITS

Microsoft just beat analyst expectations, announcing $16.20 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, with $5.41 billion in profit. Microsoft cites Office 2010, the sustained "PC refresh cycle," and 38 percent growth in the Xbox 360 biz for its good news, with overall revenue up 25 percent over the same quarter last year and a 51 percent gain in profit. [Engadget]

AMAZON BRINING KINDLE TO WINDOWS PHONE 7

Amazon isn't satisfied with having its own ereader or just having apps on a few devices, they aim to take over the ebook/ereader world.  Amazon has just announced they will make their Kindle app available for Windows Phone 7 devices "in the coming months".  This brings the worlds largest ebook retailer onto the new Microsoft platform. [Engadget]

Kindle for Windows Phone 7

NINTENDO LOSES MONEY FOR FIRST TIME IN SEVEN YEARS

Due to poor sales of its flagship products, the DS and the Wii, Nintendo has post a loss for the first half of the year.  This is the first loss in over seven years for Nintendo.  The DS slid from 11.7 million units last year to 6.69 million this year.  This is to be expected since the DS has been around for almost six years and the 3DS will be launching soon.

What is unexpected is that Wii sales have fallen off as well.  Last year 5.75 million Wii's were sold compared to 4.97 million this year.  This could be explained by the increased interest of the Microsoft Kinect and Sony Move for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 respectively.

Also contributing to the loss is the big slip in the value of the Yen.  Combining all these factors mean Nintendo's net income was down 33.7% over the same time last year and operating income was down 48% for the same period. [Gizmodo] [Kotaku]

ADOBE WARNS OF A CRITICAL VULNERABILITY IN READER AND FLASH

Adobe has released a security bulletin warning of a critical, zero-day vulnerability affecting their Reader and Flash player.  Adobe states in the bulletin and unpatched system could "crash [your system] and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.”  According to Adobe the vulnerability affects the following systems:

• Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems
• Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier for Android
• Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX
• Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh
• Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable. Adobe Reader for Android is not affected by this issue.

Adobe has promised a fix for this issue by November 9th.  Read below for mitigation instructions for your system.

MITIGATIONS: 

Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x - Windows
Deleting, renaming, or removing access to the authplay.dll file that ships with Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x mitigates the threat for those products, but users will experience a non-exploitable crash or error message when opening a PDF file that contains Flash (SWF) content.

The authplay.dll that ships with Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x for Windows is typically located at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\authplay.dll for Adobe Reader or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\authplay.dll for Acrobat.

Adobe Reader 9.x - Macintosh
1) Go to the Applications->Adobe Reader 9 folder.
2) Right Click on Adobe Reader.
3) Select Show Package Contents.
4) Go to the Contents->Frameworks folder.
5) Delete or move the AuthPlayLib.bundle file.

Acrobat Pro 9.x - Macintosh
1) Go to the Applications->Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro folder.
2) Right Click on Adobe Acrobat Pro.
3) Select Show Package Contents.
4) Go to the Contents->Frameworks folder.
5) Delete or move the AuthPlayLib.bundle file.

Adobe Reader 9.x - UNIX
1) Go to installation location of Reader (typically a folder named Adobe).
2) Within it browse to Reader9/Reader/intellinux/lib/ (for Linux) or Reader9/Reader/intelsolaris/lib/ (for Solaris).
3) Remove the library named "libauthplay.so.0.0.0."
[Adobe]

RUMOR: GOOGLE NEXUS TWO COMING

Rumors are flying about the Samsung event on November 8th.  One of the most rumored items is Samsung will be announcing the Google Nexus Two.  Unlike the Nexus One, which was manufactured by HTC, the Nexus Two is expected to be sold through various outlets and not just online.  [Geek]

NEXT GENERATION DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY - VIDEO

Liquavista has released a video showing off their latest electrowhetting technology.  This new technology offers full color, high refresh rates, visibility in all lighting conditions and low power consumption.  This newest version is now flexible and Liquavista claims it is "unbreakable".  See video below for this up and coming technology.  The bad news is the earliest we can expect to see this technology in the real world is the second half of 2011. [Engadget]

FTC LETS GOOGLE OFF THE HOOK FOR ILLEGAL DATA COLLECTION

The Federal Trade Commission has concluded their investigation into Google's illegal collection of emails and passwords through Wi-Fi via its Street View vehicles. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection wrote Google a formal letter today noting "concerns about the internal policies and procedures that gave rise to this data collection," but satisfaction that the company's agreed to change all that and appoint a director of privacy. "Because of these commitments, we are ending our inquiry into this matter at this time," the document reads. [Engadget]

VERIZON PUSHING OUT DROID 2 UPDATE

Verizon is slowly pushing out an OTA software update to the Motorola Droid 2 device.  The update, version 2.3.20, has a number of enhancements and improvements including better battery life, faster transitions between Wi-Fi and 3G connections and quicker location tracking when using the GPS.  Other enhancements include:

• New ability to add pictures from your Gallery to a contact.
• Export all your contacts to the SD card.
• View details of Social Networking contacts.
• VZ Navigator is now preloaded on device.

The full list of improvements is below.

• Improved battery life.
• Heightened proximity sensor accuracy to enable faster screen response.
• View the Weather widget in both landscape and portrait orientation.
• Simpler setup, improved user interactions, and better notifications for Visual Voice Mail.
• Background Email Sync during display inactivity for better user experience.
• Support for email domain suffixes containing more than three characters.
• Keep text messages organized with chronological in-box screen.
• Edit text messages after you've inserted a video file.
• Improved audio sound during recorded video playbacks.
• Stream Guided Tour videos on device in Help Center application with ease.
• Faster location tracking during GPS navigation.
• Faster transitions between Wi-Fi and 3G in data connection.

[Engadget]

FIREFOX 4 RC DELAYED UNTIL 2011

Mozilla announced yesterday that due to delays in getting beta versions of Firefox 4 out, the release candidates (RC) will be pushed back into 2011.

"Development on Firefox 4 has not slowed down and strong progress is being made daily, Mike Beltzner, the director of Firefox, wrote in a note to the mozilla.dev.planning mailing list. "However, based on the delays in completing the 'feature complete' Beta 7 milestone against which our Add-on developers and third-party software developers can develop, as well as considering the amount of work remaining to prepare Firefox 4 for final release, we have revised our beta and release candidate schedule."

The beta 7 release has been pushed to early November, according to the beta schedule. Beta 8 and 9 are scheduled for November, with beta 10 slated for early December, although the schedule could still change. [PC Magazine]

RUMOR: APPLE CANCELLING WHITE iPHONE4

Hot on the heels of the rumor the long delayed white iPhone 4 would launch in Spring of 2011 comes a rumor that the product has been cancelled.  Sources are remaining quite mum on the whole affair.  Could it be that the white iPhone 4 has been delayed so long Apple has decided to cancel it and make a white iPhone 5? [BGR]

WALGREENS OFFERING ANDROID TABLET FOR $100 WITH VIDEO

Kmart was the first to offer a cheap Android powered tablet.  Now, Walgreens is jumping on the bandwagon by launching the Maylong M-150 in their stores for a single US Benjamin.   The Maylong runs Android and is similar to an iPad in design and interface.  It has a 7-inch resistive touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, a 400MHz VIA VM8505+ processor, built-in WiFi, an unspecified amount of built-in flash memory, and a microSD card slot or expansion.  In addition it has Internet Explorer built in for web browsing and access to the App Market. Video of the Maylong M-150 is below [Engadget]

MYSPACE GETS A MAKEOVER

Myspace recently revealed a new logo, My[____], but the News Corp. owned social networking site didn't stop there.  They have launched a redesign of the aging site.  The new design features a new homepage and a renewed focus as an entertainment portal.  [Engadget]

LEAKED: US LOST CONTROL OF OVER 50 NUCLEAR MISSLES

President Barack Obama has been informed that the US AIr Force lost complete command and control of one-ninth of their ICBM arsenal last Saturday. Administration officials stressed that the problem was only temporary, but that doesn't mean it wasn't big.

In fact, according to The Atlantic, a military officer briefed on the matter said that they have never experienced something so big: "[w]e can deal with maybe 5, 6, or 7 at a time, but we've never lost complete command and control and functionality of 50 ICBMs."

The US Air Force has declared that there was no danger to the population, while administration officials said that "at no time did the President's ability [to use the nuclear weapons] decrease." Taking one-ninth of the ICBM arsenal off line certainly decreases the President's ability to fully control the US nuclear arsenal.

The ICBM squadron went to "LF Down"—Launch Facilities Down—status, which means that nobody could communicate with the missiles and several security measures—like intrusion and warhead separation alarms—were offline. That seems to contradict the USAF statement about the public not being in danger. If there's the possibility of unauthorized personnel accessing the missiles—no matter if the base was in high alert—there was the possibility of something going wrong, as remote as it could be.

The cause of the failure remains unknown.

Missiles from the 70s
The Minutemen III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles that suffered the problem are stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, home of the 90th Missile Wing. The LGM-30G Minuteman III—which entered service in 1970— is the bread and butter of the US nuclear attack stockpile. The 78,000-pound ICBM can reach any place in the world at 15,000 miles per hour, delivering up to three 335-kiloton nuclear warheads on its target.

Currently, 450 of these missiles are distributed across Wyoming, North Dakota (Minot Air Force Base, 91st Missile Wing) and Montana (Malmstrom Air Force Base, 341st Missile Wing). The US Air Force plans to keep the missiles up and running until 2040, and have been retrofitted with new features—like new guidance systems—since their initial deployment. [The Atlantic]

LEAKED: PLAYSTATION PHONE

There have been rumors swirling around for quite awhile now about a Playstation Phone or a PSP Phone.  Well, the fine folks at Engadget have gotten their hands a photograph of this mysterious device.

It supposedly has a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 chip, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and support for microSD cards. It's speculated that it will run Android 3.0 and offer a custom Sony Marketplace.  Not much else is known at this time. [Gizmodo]

SPRINT LOSES $911 MILLION IN Q3

Sprint released its Q3 report yesterday.  Sprint is the #3 mobile provider in the US behind Verizon and AT&T.  Sprint has reported gaining 644,000 new subscribers, the second best quarter in the company's history for subscriber growth.  Of the 644,000 new subscribers, 354,000 were post-paid (on contract).  Churn also dropped for them from 2.17% Q3 2009 to 1.93%.

But it is not all rosy for the Now Network.  Even with the rosy numbers they posted, Sprint still managed to lose $911 million for the quarter. “Driven by record customer satisfaction, and the performance of iconic devices like the EVO and Epic, Sprint’s momentum continued this quarter,” quipped Dan Hesse, the company’s CEO. Sprint is hoping to capitalize on their first-to-market 4G network and strong handset lineup to have a strong holiday season and propel the company to higher metrics in Q4. [BGR]

APPLE CONFIRMS WHITE iPHONE

Yesterday we reported about a rumor surrounding the elusive white iPhone 4.  Now, Apple has confirmed the device and it will be released "Spring of next year".  Apple has had numerous delays of the white iPhone due to the inability to match the color across the supply line.  Could Apple be timing the release to coincide with the rumored Verizon iPhone?  Why release it in Spring if a new iPhone will launch in June/July?  Tell us your thoughts in the comments. [BGR]

UBUNTU LINUX DROPS GNOME SHELL

Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder, announced Ubuntu will drop the Gnome shell and replace it with Unity starting with the 11.04 release.  Unity can be found in the 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" netbook release currently available.

Shuttleworth described desktop adoption of Unity as the "most significant change ever" for Ubuntu. He also acknowledged that it is a "risky step" and that much work remains to be done to prepare for the transition. The move reflects Ubuntu's growing divergence from the standard upstream GNOME configuration and effort to differentiate itself with a distinctive user experience.

Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, has accumulated a team of professional designers with considerable expertise over the past few years. They want to set their own direction and create a user experience that meets the needs of their audience. [Ars Technica]

RUMOR: APPLE AND SPOTIFY IN ACQUISITION TALKS

A tip from an anonymous source over at TechCrunch says that Apple is talks to acquire music service Spotify.  Spotify is an online music service and has created a lightweight software application that allows instant listening to specific tracks or albums, with virtually no buffering delay. users will simply download and then log onto their service enabling on demand streaming of music.  Currently Spotify is only available in Europe where they are quite profitable due to excellent licensing terms from the European music labels.

It was also rumored that Google tried to acquire Spotify around the same time Apple acquired LaLa, for almost $1 billion, but the deal fell apart because Google wanted to grandfather in the music rights.  This means Google wanted the terms of the licensing agreements Spotify has with European music labels to continue.  Unfortunately, in most of the agreements there is a clause that if the company gets bought or acquired the agreements must be renegotiated, making most music services unbuyable. [TechCrunch]

LIMEWIRE FINALLY GIVES IN

Limewire, the P2P service, has finally given in to the record and movie industry and will join Napster, Kazaa and all the rest.  It will begin abiding by a court injunction today and begin to disable the file-sharing and music-searching features of its P2P software.

LimeCompany, the owners of Limewire, will continue to live on however, as a music store or legal music streaming service.  [TechCrunch]

BARNES AND NOBLE NOOK COLOR MAKES DEBUT

We have had a few days of rumor surrounding the launch of Barnes and Noble's (B&N) Nook Color.  Today they officially announced the device and it was pretty much what had been expected.

The new device is Android powered with a 7-inch color LCD display.  Because of the Android OS running it, it is more than an ereader, but less than a tablet.  B&N has added access to social networks like Twitter and Facebook.  B&N wants users to share quotes and even books with their friends across social networks in what they are calling Nook Friends.

Besides the social aspects the new Nook Color also has an array of other apps including Pandora, games, access to Google and Wikipedia, a contact manager and more. There’s even a full-featured magazine reader that will probably be highly advertised.

On the hardware side the Nook Color is devoid of any buttons, instead opting for a 7-inch LCD touchscreen.  The screen is laminated to reduce the glare LCD screens are notorious for (looking at you iPad!).  It also comes with a MicroSD slot and Wi-Fi.  The Nook Color is only 0.48 inches thick and weighs in at 15.6 oz, that is just 0.12 inches thicker and 5.4 oz heavier than the category leading Amazon Kindle.

B&N is pricing the device at $249, right where the rumors pegged it.  This is half the price of the iPad and only $100 more than the Wi-Fi only Kindle.  Tell us what you think of the new Nook Color in the comments. [Crunchgear]

OFFICE 2011 FOR MAC ARRIVES

Microsoft announced this morning that Office 2011 for Mac is now available.  The software suite features a number of enhancements including the return of Visual Basic scripting.

In addition to Word, Excel and Powerpoint, which are pretty much the standards for company word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, the suite also includes a new version of Outlook.  Outlook is a combination email, calendar and contact management application.  This new version of Outlook for Mac can now connect to Microsoft Exchange enterprise email servers, allowing corporate Mac users the same abilities as Windows users and help cut down on the number of email software supported by IT departments.

Additionally, Office 2011 supports Microsoft's online collaboration tools such as Windows Live SkyDrive, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft Office Web Apps. Office 2011 users and Office 2010 users on Windows can simultaneously edit documents from any location with an Internet connection. The return of VBA scripting means complex documents with special forms, macros, and other features from Windows colleagues will be completely accessible. And, new photo editing and layout tools also make it easier to create visually rich documents without having to rely on other apps.

General manager for the Office for Mac team, Eric Wilfrid, noted that about three-quarters of all Mac users install and use Office. "Some people choose Windows, and some people choose Mac. That conflict tends to get a lot of attention, but I deal in the reality that there are customers who love their Macs and also love using Office," he said. "The vast majority of Mac customers [are] counting on Microsoft for a critical piece of their computing needs."

Office 2011 for Mac comes in three editions: Home & Student, Home & Business, and Academic. The Home & Student edition includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and includes license keys for up to three computers. Home & Business also includes the new Mac version of Outlook. The Academic version includes all four suite applications for a discounted price with a limited academic license.

Office 2011 for Mac is available to purchase today from Apple, Amazon, Best Buy, MacMall, or directly from Microsoft. Home & Business has a suggested retail price of $149.99, Home & Business is $279.95, and the Academic bundle is $99.95 (though some schools have arranged for special pricing from Microsoft). [Geek]

BORDERS HAVING AN EREADER SALE

Borders is putting its Kobo ereader on sale along with all the others they sell as well.  The sale includes:

Velocity Micro Cruz Reader – $169.99
7″ Color Touch Screen
Adjustable Font Sizes
Music, Video & Wi–Fi Browsing
Includes Docking Station

Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet – $299.99 which includes a free $25 gift card for tablet preorders
7″ Color Touch Screen
Powerful Android OS for Browsing
Packed with Multimedia Features
Award–Winning U.S. Tech Support

Kobo eReader – $99.99 which includes double Borders Bucks credit toward next $5 reward
E Ink Technology
Adjustable Font Sizes
Includes Borders Desktop App
Incredible Price

Aluratek Libre – $99.99
Easy–to–Read LCD Monitor
Built–in MP3 Player
Amazingly Affordable
Comes with 100 Free eBooks

2009 Sony Touch Reader – $129.99 (Closeout, In store only)
2009 Sony Pocket Reader – $109.00 (Closeout, In store only)


If these prices aren't enough to entice you, Borders also has ereader accessories on sale for 20% off with purchase of an ereader. [Geek]

CONSPIRACY: TIME TRAVELER SPOTTED

Sharp eyed viewer George Clarke has spotted what appears to be a person using a cell phone in the 1928 Charlie Chaplin film The Circus.  Clarke states:

"This short film is about a piece of footage I (George Clarke) found behind the scenes in Charlie Chaplins film 'The Circus'. Attending the premiere at Manns Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA - the scene shows a large woman dressed in black with a hat hiding most of her face, with what can only be described as a mobile phone device - talking as she walks alone.
I have studied this film for over a year now - showing it to over 100 people and at a film festival, yet no-one can give any explanation as to what she is doing.
My only theory - as well as many others - is simple... a time traveler on a mobile phone. See for yourself and feel free to leave a comment on your own explanation or thoughts about it."


Watch George's video below and tell us what you think.  What is the person doing? [Gawker]

LEAKED: WHITE iPHONE SHOWS UP IN APPLE STORE APP UPDATE

Has Apple finally gotten the color issues resolved with the white iPhone that was promised back in June?  It appears so if the update to the Apple Store app is to be believed.  Version 1.1 of the Apple Store app has the elusive white iPhone listed under the 'Reserve Products' screen.  Users can't actually reserve one yet, but this could be further evidence the much sought after iPhone is finally on its way. [Engadget]

iOS FLAW FOUND IN iPHONES

A flaw in the design of iOS 4.1 allows someone to bypass the passcode entry lock on the iPhone.  On a locked iPhone input a random number in the emergency call field, press call and promptly hit the hardware lock button.  This will take you to the Phone app granting access to the call history, voicemail and address book.  This hack works on iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4.

Additionally, selecting "shared contact" and the camera icon will grant access to the photo album.  If you hold down the menu button you will have access to any music stored on the device as well.  While these aren't major bugs, it could be used to exploit various areas of the device. [Engadget]

ANDROID MARKET SURPASSES 100,000 APPS

Google has confirmed via Twitter the Android Market has surpassed 100,000 apps available.  It has only taken seven months to go from 30,000 to 100,000+ and three months to get there from 70,000.  Apple of course is still the king with over 300,000, but at this rate Android is hot on Apple's heels. [Engadget]

GOOGLE INSTANT SEARCH TRICKLING OUT TO ANDROID HANDSETS

Google has started to deliver its Instant Search service to select Android mobile phones.  The owners of Droid, Droid X or Droid Incredible may already be seeing the beta version of this service.  Google had promised the launch of mobile instant search soon after the web iteration hit.  If the beta goes well all users may start to see instant search popping up on their handsets. [Gizmodo]

LEAKED: BARNES AND NOBLE NOOK COLOR

Barnes and Noble is suppose to officially debut the Nook Color tomorrow, but a sharp-eyed CNET tipster has possibly uncovered the new reader.  The tipster was poking around Barnes and Noble website and found a "Nook Color Screen film" with a mock-up of a device that is believed to be very similar to what the Nook Color will actually be.  No other details were given. [CNET]

SPIELBERG TO DIRECT 'ROBOPOCALYPSE'

Dreamworks has confirmed Steven Spielberg will direct the sci-fi movie 'Robopocalypse'.  The movie is an adaption by Daniel H. Wilson about human survival during an uprising of robots...sounds like Terminator doesn't it?

“'Robopocalypse' embodies an imaginative story of a robot rebellion unleashed against the human race,” said Mark Mourian, a producer on the project. “This is a project we immediately sparked to and with Steven directing it we knew it was in the best possible hands to bring it to worldwide audiences.” [Latino Review]

LOGMEIN TAKES ON GOTOMEETING AND WEBEX

Microsoft, I.B.M., Cisco Systems and Citrix have some new, plucky competition when it comes to Web meeting software.

LogMeIn, a small company I profiled earlier this month, has released its own online meeting and collaboration tool, join.me. As usual, LogMeIn has tried to undercut its much larger rivals by dishing out a free service that requires less configuration set-up. Both home and office users can conduct meetings with up to 250 people — free.

To use the software, you go to the join.me Web site, click to share your computer and then get a code. You can send that code to anyone you like and off you go. People receive a phone number for holding conference calls, can send instant messages during presentations and can share control of a screen.

Cisco charges $49 per host, per month for its popular WebEx software. Citrix also charges $49 per month for GoToMeeting.

LogMeIn charges $29 per month for a “pro” version of join.me that has meeting schedulers, personalized access codes, and some others bits and bobs around account management.

It may seem nuts for LogMeIn to give away this type of software, particularly since it has to spend money managing data centers that set up and hold connections between people.

But the company has worked the free approach to its advantage before.

LogMeIn’s most popular products allow people to tap into their home or office computers while on the road. With such remote access software, people can use a laptop or a smartphone to browse their computers, finding important presentations, e-mail and photos.

LogMeIn feeds up 100,000 downloads a day of its remote access wares and about 95 percent of those downloads are for the free software. The company makes its money by selling a more sophisticated version of its software to businesses, which tend to use the product for remote support of their customers. [Republished from the New York Times]

RUMOR: NEW STAR WARS SEQUEL

IESB.net is reporting that George Lucas will begin work on a new Star Wars sequal trilogy once the existing 6 films have been released in 3D.  IESB.net reports:

George Lucas is plotting to create new Star Wars movies at the ultra top-secret Skywalker Ranch. This is deja vu of the mid '90s when Uncle George start[ed] tweaking the Holy Trilogy to gear up for the Special Editions. [...] These new film will have nothing to do with the live action television series currently in development. That show already has over 50 scripts ready to go and plenty of pre-production time and money has been spent on artwork and storyboards. Once that show goes into production, Lucasfilm hopes to be able to produce at least 100 episodes since that is the threshold for syndication in the United States [...Fans] can expect the new trilogy after the entire saga is released in 3D which is expected to be complete around 2015 or 2016.


The movie could possibly "occur as far as 100 years or 1,000 years in the Star Wars universe future." IESB further states.  Also, it will not focus on the Skywalker clan opening up the possibility of new characters to be introduced into the Star Wars universe. [Gizmodo]

OVERCLOCK YOUR DROID X OR DROID 2

Finding that your Motorola Droid X or Droid 2 just isn't fast enough?  Now you can overclock that 1Ghz processor to make it run faster, very easy with DX/D2 Overclocker.   This app condensenses everything down to a simple menu with a few presets.  Just open it up, tap what you want and apply the settings.  The app even comes with a stress tester to make sure your device can handle the extra voltage without any issues.  DX/D2 Overclocker can be purchased in the Android Market for $0.99.  You do have to have your Droid rooted beforehand though to use this app. [Gizmodo]

LEAKED: HOW TO UNLOCK WORLDS IN ANGRY BIRDS

You can unlock the different worlds of Angry Birds without having to beat each level by following a few easy steps, see below.  The player will still need to beat each level to advance in the world but with this method you can start new worlds without finishing the old ones.  This has only been reported to work with the Android version so far. [Android Community]

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to a World Select Screen
2. Center a locked world on your screen
3. Hit the back button on your Android phone until you exit Angry Birds
4. Load Angry Birds back up
5. When you see the 'Play' button, tap the button repeatedly
6. You're now inside a locked world

FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACEPORT RUNWAY CHRISTENED - VIDEO

Yesterday, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson cut the ribbon on a nearly 2-mile long runway.  This isn't just any runway though, it will be used as part of the still under construction spaceport.  Branson estimates that while the 42-inch thick (that's 3 1/2 feet)  runway is complete, sub-orbital space flight is still nine to eighteen months away.   See the WhiteKnightTwo mothership come in for a landing on the new runway below. [Engadget]



PRESS RELEASE

Spaceport Runway Dedication Includes Sir Richard Branson and NM Governor Richardson

UPHAM, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) today dedicated the nearly twomile long "Governor Bill RIchardson Spaceway" at Spaceport America, representing significant progress toward launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson, Sir Richard Branson and approximately 30 of more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts attended the event along with guests from around the world and watched a flyover and landing by Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo, in a captive carry with SpaceShipTwo.

"We are celebrating the world's first spaceway at the world's first purpose?built, commercial spaceport," said Governor Richardson. "New Mexico is not only helping to launch the commercial spaceflight industry, but we are launching new jobs and opportunities for the people of southern New Mexico. Today marks a significant milestone on our historic and exciting journey."

The nearly two-mile long runway was officially named the "Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway" at the event, and Governor Richardson joined Sir Richard in placing their handprints in clay as a permanent commemoration of the historic day. NMSA Chairman Ben Woods said the board of the NMSA had met early today to formally and unanimously approve the name of the spaceway.

Sir Richard Branson commented, "It is incredible to be here today with Governor Richardson and be part of the runway dedication at Spaceport America. To see for myself how far the construction has come from when I last visited New Mexico is truly inspiring – I for one can't wait for the grand opening – today has brought it one step closer to reality for me. The last few weeks have been some of the most exciting in Virgin Galactic's development. Our spaceship is flying beautifully and will soon be making powered flights, propelled by our new hybrid rocket motor, which is also making excellent progress in its own test program. The investment deal with our new partners Aabar has successfully closed, securing funding for the remainder of the development program and we are seeing unprecedented numbers of people coming forward to secure their own reservations for this incredible experience. To be here in New Mexico to witness this historic moment is the perfect end to a great month."

Governor Richardson, Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Galactic future astronauts and the guests were all invited to tour the terminal hangar facility, which is nearing completion. The iconic building, meeting Gold LEED standards, will serve as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgin's astronaut preparation facilities and mission control. Held immediately following the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS), the Spaceport America Runway Dedication marked the culmination of "Space Week" in New Mexico, and was made possible in part thanks to premier event sponsors Summit West Construction, Gerald Martin Construction Management, AECOM, Molzen-Corbin, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, of Albuquerque, NM, and the New Mexico Tourism Department. Other speakers at the event included: Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator of NASA; George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic; Patricia Hynes, Executive Director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium; and Rick Homans, Executive Director of the NMSA.

Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator of NASA, said, "With the recent signing of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 by President Obama, it is clear that our nation's future space efforts will be working even more closely than with the growing commercial space transportation industry," She added, "Innovative approaches that foster this new commercial industry will bring more competition and opportunities that will lower the costs of spaceflight and payload services for America's aerospace programs, and introduce new human space transportation systems."

The 42-inch thick spaceway is designed to support nearly every type of aircraft in the world today. It is made up of 24 inches of prepared sub-grade, followed by four inches of asphalt, and finished with a 14-inch layer of concrete. The spaceway will accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles. Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with their anchor tenant Virgin Galactic and other leading aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, Armadillo Aerospace, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

WATCH THIS UNWOUND CASSETTE TAPE BECOME A BOOM BOX

Brasspup has done it again.  The master of optical illusion has created a new video transforming an unwound cassette tape into a boom box.  Simply amazing! [YouTube]

NETFLIX ACCOUNTS FOR 20% OF PEAK DOWNSTREAM TRAFFIC IN US

Netflix, who started out as a DVD by mail service, has recently made a big push in the streaming world.  Its streaming traffic now accounts for 20% of peak downstream as more and more people take advantage of the quick access.  Not only are people's usage increasing, but the number of devices Netflix has streaming capabilities on has increased.  From the major gaming consoles, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii to having the service embedded in the television Netflix appears to be everywhere, which is exactly what founder and CEO Reed Hastings wants.  Hastings recently stated Netflix is "“primarily a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail.”  Netflix is expected to offer a streaming only tier in US, like Canada currently has, in 2011. [Geek]

BALLMER CALLS WINDOWS 8 "RISKIEST PRODUCT YET"

Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, has called the upcoming Windows 8, the"riskiest product yet" by Microsoft.  We aren't sure why he stated that as leaked documents have highlighted some of what will be in the release.  Ballmer surely knows more than has been released though, so there may be some new outstanding features that he feels are a departure from the norm, hence the risk.

Windows 8, due in 2012, according to leaked documents will have facial recognition sign in abilities as well as being able to recognize when you get up and leave and puts itself into sleep mode.  It will also have support for USB 3 and Bluetooth 3.0 as well as being able to sense ambient light and adjust screen brightness.  The boot time has been shortened as well.  [Gizmodo]

GOOGLE'S GINGERBREAD IMMINENT RELEASE?

Google has officially recognized what everyone has known for awhile, Gingerbread is the next official release of its Android mobile OS.  Google placed the Gingerbread statue on its campus lawn yesterday, joining previous release statues donut, eclair and frozen yogurt (froyo) along with a big green robot.  Generally, Google does not place the statue until the release has hit a major milestone and release usually follows soon after. So, will we see a Gingerbread release next month?  Hopefully so.  We will be scrouring the internet for rumors and leaks as always so check back often as things may develop and release quickly. [Engadget]

GOOGLE'S WIFI SNOOPING WORSE THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT

Google announced late today, Friday October 22, that the "inadvertent" Wi-Fi snooping its Street View cars engaged in is worse than we thought.  Apparently they captured entire emails, urls and passwords.   Google did find this on their own however.   External regulators combing through the data that Google illicitly collected discovered the true impact.  According to Google executive Alan Eustace "It's clear from those inspections that while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords. We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and I would like to apologize again for the fact that we collected it in the first place."

In the wake of the illegal data collection Google appointed a new director of privacy for engineering and product management, announced that they're going to enhance "core training" for employees privy to private data, and tightened their compliance standards. [Gizmodo]

AMAZON ANNOUNCES 14-DAY LENDING OF KINDLE MEDIA

Amazon has announced that books, newspapers and magazines for the Kindle will be able to be shared.  The new feature, which Barnes and Noble Nook users already have, allows users to lend their media to other Kindle users for 14 days.  During the 14 day period the lender will not be able to access the lent media, so make sure you have finished it or don't want to read it during the lending period.

Amazon is leaving it up to individual publishers to decide if they want to participate in the lending feature.   The lending feature will launch "later this year". [Engadget]