It’ll linger for a week: Japanese security system sprays stinky smell on thieves
Does anyone remember the Japanese anti-burglar mat for stores and restaurants I blogged a few months ago? Well, there’s another security system from Japan and it clearly raises the bar: It’s a new mechanism, dubbed Capture, for these places and it sprays stinky agent on thieves who won’t be able to get rid of the stench for a week.
Psystar, Apple reach settlement: No more PCs pre-loaded with Mac OS X (but Rebel EFI may be safe)
Some more Psystar news for y’all. You’ll recall that the renegade company was more or less shut down last week, slapped with an injunction and expected to pay Apple an awful lot of money. Put all of that aside for a minute, for there’s new news: Apple and Psystar have struck a deal ! The deal, which ends a 17-month-long legal battle, means Psystar will stop selling computers pre-loaded with Mac OS X.
LG announces GW820 ‘eXpo’ smartphone w/ 1GHz processor and optional projector
LG has announced a new Windows Mobile 6.5-based smartphone, the eXpo . But unlike other 6.5 smarties on the market, the newest member of the LG family is packing just about everything but the kitchen sink including a 1GHz processor, a built-in fingerprint sensor, and an optional Pico Projector. Maybe they should have named it the LG SwissArmy Knife Phone
Elastra Cloud Server Hooks Into Microsoft Azure, Amazon EC2
Infrastructure automation company Elastra has announced the second version of Elastra Cloud Server Enterprise Edition, which hooks into Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services EC2 platforms, according to TechWeb . Elastra lets developers configure apps via point-and-click for cloud deployment. The company has added Oracle database, Oracle Biologic application server, and other apps with the move to version 2.0, the report said, and can export apps to either Amazon EC2 or Windows Azure
Real time, real discussion, real reporting: choose two
As you likely know, Tiger Woods was in an accident under apparently mysterious circumstances early Friday morning. Predictably, the reports and reactions thereto pertaining varied somewhat in quality and timeliness, and predictably, this has led to paroxysms of futurist glee in some and sullen condemnation by others. Now that the smoke has cleared, we can examine the event, which is certainly worth a little inspection despite its obvious triviality, with a little perspective.
Buffalo announces world’s first 12x Blu-ray burner (and it’s USB 3.0, too)
USB 3.0 is just around the corner (kind of), and the first computer hardware manufacturers are getting ready to deliver products supporting the new standard (even though there were some backlashes along the way). Last month, Asus announced the world’s first USB 3.0 + SATA 6.0 PCI-E card . In May, NEC said they’re going to release the first USB 3.0 host controller
Winter is coming; modify your gloves to work with your phone’s touchscreen!
Unless your gloves are made of human flesh, in which case oh my god , then you probably have to take them off when you need to make a call or launch an app on your fancy iPhone or myTouch. I tend to use my nose when it’s too cold to take off my gloves, but only when no one’s around. I suppose I could just sew in a couple strands of conductive thread, as described in this little project, but then… oh, wait
You wouldn’t think quieter cars would be a problem, but then again, you’re probably not blind. Hybrids and electrics make so little noise that they pose a serious risk to blind people, who often use the sound of a car passing to determine whether it’s safe to cross the road. Nissan’s Leaf, it was announced , will make a “beautiful and futuristic” noise at low speeds so that unaware pedestrians won’t get run down.
Study: Nobody pays attention to video game scores (especially Metacritic ones)
I’ve never hidden my disdain for Metacritic (and GameRankings, but mostly Metacritic), the Web site that aggregates review scores for video games (and movies and so forth). It’s an insane concept: let’s round up all of these ostensibly separate opinions, throw ‘em in a blender, and come up with a single, solitary number that conveys a game’s entire worth
CrunchGear/HourTime secret contest: Win a Swatch Right Track
I wanted to offer HourTime listeners a bit of a head start but there’s a secret contest going on inside my latest podcast with Ariel Adams . Feel free to fast forward to about 20 minutes in to figure out what’s going on but rest assured you can win the Right Track from Swatch , Swatch’s latest automatic chrono running a beautiful Lemania-inspired automatic chrono movement. This beast has a leather strap and a cool plastic case.
Contest: 10 free codes for Pet Acoustics Pet Jingles app
If you got excited reading about the Pet Acoustics app for pets , but were dismayed by the whopping $2 price tag, here’s some holiday cheer that might help your heart grow three sizes larger: we have ten codes for the Pet Jingles holiday app from Pet Acoustics! And just like Santa, we’re going to make a list, and check it twice. How do you get on that list? I’m glad you asked! To enter our little contest, just send an email to contest@crunchgear.com with the subject “PET JINGLES”, and include a picture or video of you and your pet sharing some holiday cheer.
Canon Pixma MX860 Printer 123InkCartridges.ca Canon Pixma MX860 ALL-IN-One Inkjet Printer On Sale at BestBuy (Sale Ends:11/26/2009). While other stores still sell this printer for the regular price $249.99, BestBay is selling at $199.99 . Canon Pixma MX860 All-In-One Inkjet Printer can print, copy, scan andfax with the convenience of a compact wireless, this is a great deal! With the Canon Pixma MX860, you’ll be able to print wirelessly from any Wi-Fi enabled computer and from any room in your home.
Datel files lawsuit against Microsoft to ‘restore competition’ re: memory cards
Another Xbox 360 lawsuit? Oh, yes! Datel, which makes all sorts of video game accessories, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft because it “has taken steps to render inoperable the competing Datel memory card for no visible purpose other than to have that market entirely to themselves.” The lawsuit is intended to “restore competition.” Microsoft hasn’t responded to Datel’s legal eagles. I can think of a few ways to end this post
Today the new compastible black toner cartridges Brother TN-620/650 new compatible black toner cartridge (High Yield) is arrived in our warehouse. The yield of our new compatible Brother TN-620/650 toner cartridges are 8000 pages and the price is on sale for only $59.99 . Brother TN-620/650 New Compatible Black Toner Cartridge (High Yield) If you have the brother compatible printer models as follow: DCP-8080DN, DCP-8085DN, HL-5340D, HL-5350DN, HL-5370DW, HL-5370DWT, MFC-8480DN, and MFC-8890DW, you’ll be able to use our Brother TN-620/650 Black Toner Cartridges , which offer fantastic value for money and long print life and this toner cartrodiges were carefull manufactured according to OEM standards. If you need a workhorse that can keep up with your small business or team within a larger organization, Brother TN-620/650 new compatible Black Toner Cartridges (High Yield) is an obvious choice
Does there need to be an app for that? Pet Acoustics, the music app for pets
It stands to reason that a general purpose mobile computing platform, like the iPhone or iPod Touch, will engender a host of special purpose niche applications. Pet Acoustics is one such application: “Pet Acoustics music has been specifically designed for the hearing sensitivities of your pet, both in frequency, volume and rhythm to calm and soothe your pet anytime, anywhere.” This $1.99 app includes music for dogs, cats, and horses, and includes a timer feature for scheduled playback
Here’s the latest HourTime podcast, my little side project with Ariel Adams . Note, there’s a special surprise near the middle of the show so take a listen
Italian Surface-esque museum display combines Cover Flow with a huge touchscreen
This is certainly something all museums should attempt; not only does it allow for easy browsing of the museum’s pieces, as you see here, but if correctly done it could have maps, lectures, and all sorts of other stuff going on as well. It’s pretty easy to get lost in a labyrinth like the Louvre or V&A, but a system like this could both put people where they want to go and get them to buy more prints and mugs
World of Warcraft turns 5-years-old today. Back on November 23, 2004, a year before the current generation of video game systems even began (with the launch of the Xbox 360), Blizzard released the massively multi-player online game at a time when massively multi-player online games were still largely the haunt of hardcore gamers, people with fast Internet connections who were willing to pay $15 per month for access to a game that they already bought. Who can forget the message board threads: Why do I have to pay for a game that I already paid for at the store?
Brother Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer (MFC-255CW) On Sale at BestBuy (Sale ends:11/26/2006). While other stores still sell this printer for the regular price $119.99, BestBay is selling at $59.99 . Brother Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer (MFC-255CW) can print, copy, scan andfax with the convenience of a compact wireless, this is a great deal! Brother Wireless all-in-one printer MFC-255CW This Brother all-in-one printer(MFC-255CW) has it all. It’s par for the course to find a personal office printer in the hundered-dollar range. Anything any home business professional needs is in this compact, versatile, easy to use machine. Throw in advanced features and secure Wi-Fi connectivity, and you’re most definitely soaring with the eagles
Microsoft defends decision to ban modded Xbox 360s (but says it didn’t ban 1 million of them)
You’ll recall that Microsoft recently banned a bunch of people from Xbox Live because they had modded their 360s. Modding is against the rules, don’t you know? Microsoft told VentureBeat not to believe the numbers being thrown around—the number most relayed is 1 million banned 360s—because it never releases numbers to anyone