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Tech NewsThe DIY Quick-Draw Camera Strap That Puts All Other Straps to Shame
SLR Camera straps haven’t changed much over the last, oh, century or so, which is surprising considering how awkward most of them are. Then came the R-Strap, a $44 strap that uses the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera instead of the rings on the sides, allowing for a comfortable over-the-shoulder sling paired … Continued
By John Mahoney -
Tech NewsPresenting the Latest in ATM Scam Gear: The SMS-Sending Card Skimmer
NYC is full of ATMs. It’s one of the great things about living in this city—you’re never more than a block or two away from cash. But a large, large percentage of NYC’s ATMs are cut-rate bodega models that look like your card could catch something nasty from them once dipped. Helping spread the nasty … Continued
By John Mahoney -
Tech NewsXbox Slim: The Console Microsoft Didn’t Slow Down to Make
After Microsoft launched the Xbox, they didn’t have any intention of releasing an Xbox Lite or Xbox Slim. Instead, they went straight for the next generation with the 360. Meanwhile, one modder, caught in retro Xbox fandom, had to create a fantastic Xbox Slim of his own. Reduced by almost 2 inches in length, width … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
Sound Wave: The Vinyl Strikes Back
Did you think that records would stand idly by while MP3s took over the music industry? Sure, they turned a blind eye to 8-track and cassettes. Then CDs got a pass, too. But those were physical mediums, brothers-from-another-mothers. And if compact discs don’t have the cojones to stand up to the digital music revolution, vinyl … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
PlayStation 3 Controllers Plug Into Walls Now
I know I’m not the only one who’s left on my PS3, justified it through Folding@Home, but really just wanted to recharge the USB controllers. I know I’m not the only one because today Sony has announced their solution. They are releasing a two-port USB AC adapter that will allow gamers to recharge controllers from … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
Chinese Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Won’t Have 3G, Wi-Fi, Reason To Exist
Just like the iPhone, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic ‘Tube’ won’t have 3G or Wi-Fi enabled when it makes its way to China, which pretty much negates any reasons that customers might have to want one. The 3G exclusion can at least be blamed on China’s lack of coverage, but disabling Wi-Fi on every new phone just … Continued
By John Herrman -
Tech News
Leaked HTC T8290 Has Touch HD Resolution, WiMax, Sharp Corners
These images of a new HTC handset from Nedge2k reveal a surprising addition to the Taiwanese company’s line: a half Touch HD, half Touch Diamond handset for which WiMax — of all things — is the most salient feature. Such a product might not make sense in most places, but Russia already has more than … Continued
By John Herrman -
Tech News
Verizon Charging $0.03 to Text Its Customers, Could Murder SMS-Based Services
Verizon has decided to start asking for $0.03 per message from anyone who wants to send mobile-terminated messages to its customers, possible strangling SMS-based services like Google SMS, Yahoo! oneSearch. The move will also penalize any other company that uses text message notifications for its customers (though the change won’t affect rates for mobile-to-mobile messaging.) … Continued
By John Herrman -
Tech News
Mitsubishi’s $7000, 65-Inch LaserVue HDTV Reviewed: (Verdict: Lasers Are Awesome)
With a history of giving great impressions reaching back to CES, expectations for Mitsubishi’s 65in LaserVue TV are high. It’s the first laser-powered TV, with completely new rear-projection technology that makes for richer, more accurate colors and significantly lower power consumption. Josh Quittner of Time Magazine got to take one home for a while to … Continued
By John Herrman -
Tech News
Toy Modder Extraordinaire Steampunks Return of the Jedi
Some of you may be suffering from Steampunk fatigue, but I still get giddy when I see it done up right. Master toy modder Sillof, whose work we’ve covered a couple times before, has tickled my fancy with an update to his original Steam Wars action figure line. This time you’ve got even more detailed … Continued
By Elaine Chow -
Tech News
Walmart Changes Mind on DRM, Keeps Servers Running
When Walmart made a special effort to remind us why DRM’d music should always be avoided by shutting down their authentication servers, the response must have been deafening. The world’s largest retailer has decided to maintain its digital rights management servers for the present time “based on feedback from [its] customers,” otherwise known as “the … Continued
By Elaine Chow -
Tech News
Numbers Behind the War on Piracy Could Be Completely Bogus
Ars Technica did an in-depth investigation into the numbers behind the war against piracy and found that Congress might as well be telling people counterfeit goods cost the economy eleventy billion zillion, for all the truth behind its figures. The oft invoked $250 billion and 750,000 jobs lost because of intellectual property theft have been … Continued
By Elaine Chow -
Tech News
New Laser Alarm Clock Features Normal, Hard Modes
Apparently the laser alarm clock idea, where you stop your clock’s incessant ringing by shooting a bullseye with a laser gun, was popular enough to warrant a second coming. Bandai will be releasing its new version, titled Gun O’ Clock, on November 15th in Japan. Gun O’Clock lacks the little man from the original, but … Continued
By Elaine Chow -
Tech News
Blackberry Gets Its First Live Video Streaming Client
Next2Friends has released the first live video streaming client for newer Blackberry phones, like the Curve and the Pearl. Similar to Qik or Justin TV, you download the Next2Friends client to your phone, and it streams to the internet whatever your camera records. Qik has been around on the N95 for so long now that … Continued
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Tech News
Howard Stringer Says Sony’s So Big, It Makes Same Gadgets Twice
In perhaps the most spirited and cheery interview I’ve ever seen given by Sony chair Howard Stringer, the knight of the realm tells Charlie Rose that after several years in the driver’s seat, he’s still trying to integrate all of the electronics divisions of Sony. “We’re so big that we’re making the same thing twice … Continued
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Tech News
Dealzmodo: Xbox 360 Elite at $300 and Xbox Arcade Bundle at $179 Plus Free Shipping
It’s time to thank your moms if they taught you the habit of clipping coupons, because when you enter these coupon codes at Dell, you can have your very own 120GB Xbox 360 Elite (5Z051006DSW7DJ) for only $300, and the Xbox 360 Arcade Console, bundled with Madden NFL ’09, (GNZ5SVNKLJ8924) for just $179 … all … Continued
By Andi Wang -
Tech NewsBlackBerry Curve 8900 (Javelin) Video Hands On and Comparison
Following up their review of the pre-release BlackBerry Curve 8900 (aka Javelin), the CrackBerry guys decided to shoot a video of it, including both a feature walkthrough and a comparison with the older Curve and the new Bold. It’s helpful, since the Javelin really is a combination of the two. Anyway, have a look—thankfully the … Continued
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Tech News
USB Mice Wheel Spins As Fast As You Can Type
I know the concepts of typing speed and words per minute are mindblowingly difficult ones. And if they’re too much for you to wrap your head around, perhaps you should consider this USB Mice Wheel (no, that’s not my grammatical error) that measures your words per minute in revolutions per minute. So when you’re typing … Continued
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Tech News
Beautification Engine Turns Cultural Bias Into Pretty Pictures
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—68 different beholders in the case of Tommer Leyvand’s new “beautification engine.” The software, featured in a story in the New York Times, takes preferences from a poll of 68 men and women from Israel and Germany who looked at pictures and chose the most beautiful subjects. Measuring … Continued
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Tech News
Google Maps’ New Ads Appear Even In Embarassing Searches
Google just rolled out a new set of ads, making the total number of ad-based revenue streams roughly equal to the number of petabytes they search daily. This one appears at the bottom of the map when you search for a fairly generic topic. After I saw it written up on CNet, I gave it … Continued