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Latest Gear Live Videos
Gmail Now Offers Drunken E-mailing Protection
Posted by Patrick Phelps Categories: Google, PC / Laptop, Software,
First there was drunk dialing – with a virtual Rolodex of both personal and work-related contact information just a keystroke away, it was only a matter of time before Google Labs came up with an idea to combat the latest device of the cocktail-inspired composer: drunk e-mailing. Mail Goggles, a new Gmail feature offered only on weekends between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. was created with the intoxicated in mind. The program requires users who’ve enabled the function to perform five simple math problems within 60 seconds of clicking the send button, just to verify that you’re in the right state of mind – a designated driver on the so-called information superhighway.
Read More 
| The New York Times
Gallery: Gmail Now Offers Drunken E-mailing Protection
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Runtriz Hotel Evolution - Electronic Bellboy
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video, Software,
After some test runs, the software company Runtriz has released the Hotel Evolution. Check into a place that features them, like the Malibu Beach Inn, and the staff will load the application on your iPhone or iPod touch or lend you a unit for your stay. Your room number is the password. Get your suit dry cleaned, arrange for a wake-up call, order room service, or call for extra shampoo. You can also check on local attractions or set the gadget to “Do Not Disturb.” Runtriz also offers touchscreens for bars and restaurants.
Read More | Runtriz via Mobile Crunch
Gallery: Runtriz Hotel Evolution - Electronic Bellboy
Windows 7 officially named Windows 7
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, PC / Laptop, Software,
So, you know that follow-up to Windows Vista that Microsoft has been working on for the past couple of years? They’ve been calling it Windows 7 for a while now, but we just thought that was going to be its codename. As it turns out, Microsoft just announced a few hours ago that Windows 7 is the official name of the next version of their operating system. Why not go with another cutesy name like Windows ME, XP, or Vista? Well, they say this is the seventh release of Windows, and that it “just makes sense.” Well, we guess it does. If you’ll be at WinHEC or PDC, you can plan on getting Windows 7 pre-beta code from Microsoft to play with.
Read More | Windows Vista Team Blog
Gallery: Windows 7 officially named Windows 7
Solid Alliance USB Sushi Drives
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Design, Software,
For those who like their memories fresh, Solid Alliance has a new set of USB flash drives. Available in Salmon Roe, Tuna and Ebi Sushi, they are also offering a Firefly Squid designed by artist Tappei Maruyama to make it more realistic. Made of PVC, each is 1.5 x 2-inches in size and holds 2GB of memory. The first three will set you back $59.99 apiece, while the squid can be yours for $69.99.
Read More | Audio Cubes
Gallery: Solid Alliance USB Sushi Drives
RIM to Open BlackBerry Application Centers
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Software,
Not to be outdone by Apple and Google, RIM will be opening their BlackBerry Application Center. The online store will come out with their BlackBerry Storm software 4.7. The data will be stored on carriers’ locales and they are free to pick and choose their own applications. The main screen provides browsing while the application screen will provide a list. We expect this to be quite popular with owners of the smartphone, who can now save face when iPhone and Android owners brag about their new, cool apps.
Read More | CrackBerry
Gallery: RIM to Open BlackBerry Application Centers
iTunes 8.01 released, addresses App Store updates, HD TV downloads, Genius
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Software,
We thought we were the only ones with issues with some of these smaller iTunes 8 issues, but obviously enough people were complaining that Apple has pushed out a new version, iTunes 8.0.1, to address these things. We are happy that Genius is getting fixed, along with App Store update checking. Here’s the full list:
- Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
- Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
- Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
- Improves checking for updates from the App Store
- Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
- Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.
Let us know how it goes for you.
Read More | iTunes
Gallery: iTunes 8.01 released, addresses App Store updates, HD TV downloads, Genius
Man Uses Remote Access to Catch Thief
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, PC / Laptop, Software,
White Plains, NY resident Jose Caceres’ laptop was stolen last month when he left it on top of his car while carrying other things into his house. He then used a remote access program to watch it being used and told the police of its location, leading to the arrest of the suspect. Caceres says it took some time because the man utilized it frequently for porn. He eventually managed to catch a name and address when he registered on a site. Back in May, a woman from White Plains activated her stolen computer’s webcam with remote access to take pictures of the man who was using it.
Read More | CNN
Gallery: Man Uses Remote Access to Catch Thief
Nero Liquid TV - TiVo Your PC
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies, Software,
TiVo and Nero have teamed to make Liquid TV software. It includes the simple TiVo interface to watch and record TV shows and movies in HD and Standard formats on your TV or PC. Liquid TV has the ability to burn to DVD or hard drive, pause, export to PMP or iPod, and schedule recordings in the U.S. and Canada. The package includes TiVo’s Season Pass, WishList, and a 12 month subscription to the service, and comes with tuner for your PC and remote. All in all, this is a fine deal for $199.00 that will be out October 15. If you already have a tuner, Nero is offering the software separately for $99.00, TiVo subscription included.
Read More | Nero
Gallery: Nero Liquid TV - TiVo Your PC
Apple drops the iPhone NDA
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Software,
This morning, Apple finally answered the call of iPhone developers the world over when they finally put an end to the iPhone NDA nonsense. For those not in the know, the problem here was that developers couldn’t talk about the development process of their apps, even after they were released and publicly available in the App Store. This put an unnecessary burden on developers, many of whom thought that it was hindering the development of great apps, as developers couldn’t even talk to each other about the apps that they had released, techniques used, and lessons learned, without breaking the NDA. As of today, the NDA no longer stands on applications that have been released. The NDA still remains on software that is still unreleased, but still, this is a big win in the iPhone dev world.
You can check out the release from Apple after the break.
Click to continue reading Apple drops the iPhone NDA
Read More | iPhone NDA dropped
Gallery: Apple drops the iPhone NDA
Facebook version 2 for iPhone hits App Store
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Internet, Software,
If you’re into Facebook, and you own an iPhone, you’ll be pleased to know that Facebook version 2 for iPhone is now available on the App Store. The original Facebook app had been referred to as “Facebook Lite” by many a user, specifically because there were very few interactions with the service that you could do on the phone, when compared to the full web experience. Not one to sit on their laurels, the Facebook team got to work on this new version, and has packed in a plethora of new features:
- Address book lookup
- Facebook Chat
- People Search
- Message Search
- Message Attachments
- Notifications
- Photo Tags
- Faster photo uploads
- Friend Requests
Those are the ones that caught our eye, but there are even a few more than what we listed, including a new UI, and a bunch of bug fixes. Definitely some good stuff, other App Store developers might wanna take notice of a full-blown app done right by studying this release, seriously. Go hit the App Store to grab Facebook version 2, it’s free. Oh, and feel free to hit me up on Facebook.
Read More | Facebook iTunes Link
