Holla is an open-source Campfire alternative you can run on your own server

Filed under: Open Source, Social Software, Web
Campfire is a slick way for teams to communicate, collaborate, and share via the Web -- but if you're searching for a simple, free alternative, a new project called Holla is worth a look.

Holla is an open-source chat and file sharing Web app. While it lacks Campfire's more advanced features, like transcripts and voice calling, Holla still provides an elegantly simple way to assemble a group for keyboard-powered brainstorming sessions or socializing.

One of its best features is Gmail-style drag-and-drop uploading. As you can see, images that you upload are automatically displayed inline. Files of any type can be dropped in, and members of your chat can simply click to download.

Holla scales well to handheld devices, too. It felt every bit as snappy on my iPod touch as it did in my desktop browser (image after the break).

You can take developer Alex MacCaw's demo for a spin or download the code from GitHub and run it on your own server.

[via Hacker News]
Holla is an open-source Campfire alternative you can run on your own server originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Ootini! 4 Year Old's Jawa Costume Is Adorable [Video]

Here's another contender for kid costume of the year: a homemade Jawa costume for a 4 year old complete with brown hoodie and glowing yellow eyes. It's so cute, yet so "real". More »

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The Linux distro timeline is an extensive family tree of all things Linux

Filed under: Linux, Education
Most commercial products run a fairly set course; you get Microsoft Office 1.5, then 1.6, 3.0, 4.0, all the way up to office 2010 (For Windows, at least). It's a fairly orderly progression, with version numbers rising over time - pretty easy to follow.
Open-source projects are a different beast, however. When enough developers don't like the direction a project is going, they sometimes just create a fork and go on developing their own product. Sometimes projects have to fork for legal reasons, and sometimes it's a business decision, too.
The bottom line is that if you could plot the Linux timeline, it would look more like a crazy family tree than like an orderly progression of versions. And what do you know, one Donjan Rodic has gone and done just that, in the form of the GNU/Linux distro timeline.
Since this is an SVG file, it's not just a static image, and is capable of all sorts of aweosme: you can use Ctrl-F to search for a specific distro, and when you click a distro's name, you are transported to its home page.
Of course, since is this such a nerdy project, it wasn't produced entirely by hand. Donjan created an application just for creating the map, and then went ahead and open-sourced it. So... who wants to use it to create a timeline of all Web browsers?The Linux distro timeline is an extensive family tree of all things Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Daily Crunch: Paper Trail Edition

Hands-On With the Blackberry Style Italy Orders Google To Clearly Label Street View Cars, Advertise Routes Is Cloud OS Maker Jolicloud Preparing To Sell A Netbook Of Its Own? A Week In The Technology-Packed 2011 Ford Edge Sport PaperBecause: A Paper Industry Astroturf Defending Paper

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A Typography Geek's Dream Bookshelf [Shelf]

The Aakkoset bookshelf from Kayiwa might not be the most efficient way to store your things, but the alphabet shelf sure would get a typographer excited. Look at how useful a well constructed 'W' can be! More »

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Fortune: Verizon iPhone Debuts Early 2011

The elusive Verizon iPhone is going to become a reality early next year, according to a chorus of mainstream publications.
Following The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Bloomberg, now Fortune claims that a Verizon iPhone is “fait accompli” (i.e., a done deal).
Repeating past rumors, Fortune says the new iPhone will be compatible with Verizon’s [...]

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HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!

By now you've probably read our Desire HD review and you've seen how HTC's latest Android flagship stacks up against its Windows Phone 7 sibling, the HD7. But how does it fare against the original Android giant, Sprint's EVO 4G? The devices share common displays (4.3-inch WVGA) and cameras (8 megapixel with dual LED flash) -- but they use different radios (HSPA+ versus CDMA / WiMAX) and processors (first-generation Snapdragon in the EVO, second-gen in the Desire). In fact, the two phones actually have very different personalities when you consider the Desire HD's aluminum unibody case and the EVO 4G's HDMI output and kickstand. Take a look at these mighty beasts side-by-side in our gallery -- along with a video after the break!

Note: In the video we mention that the Desire HD features a front facing camera. This is incorrect.
Gallery: HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
Continue reading HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!

By now you've probably read our Desire HD review and you've seen how HTC's latest Android flagship stacks up against its Windows Phone 7 sibling, the HD7. But how does it fare against the original Android giant, Sprint's EVO 4G? The devices share common displays (4.3-inch WVGA) and cameras (8 megapixel with dual LED flash) -- but they use different radios (HSPA+ versus CDMA / WiMAX) and processors (first-generation Snapdragon in the EVO, second-gen in the Desire). In fact, the two phones actually have very different personalities when you consider the Desire HD's aluminum unibody case and the EVO 4G's HDMI output and kickstand. Take a look at these mighty beasts side-by-side in our gallery -- along with a video after the break!

Note: In the video we mention that the Desire HD features a front facing camera. This is incorrect.
Gallery: HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
Continue reading HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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Energizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wild

It's taken quite awhile to go from christening to shipping, but Qi looks just about ready to make its mark on the public. And on Powermat's bottom line. We've known all along that Energizer was a huge proponent of the protocol, and now we're finding that review units are making their way out to the media. YouTube user akaTRENT seems to have gotten his earlier than most, and he's been so kind as to offer up an unboxing of the inductive charging station as well as a sleeve for the iPhone 4. We're planning on giving this same setup a whirl in due time, but if you're interested to see how this guy looks in the flesh, there's a play button with your name on it just beyond the break.Continue reading Energizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wildEnergizer Qi wireless charging base station spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  YouTube (akaTRENT)  | Email this | Comments

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Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand

Well, wouldn't you know it? Seems that tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign may actually be working. Way back in April of this year, Sprint decided it would begin offering its own iPad case, despite the fact that even today the iPad isn't sold in Sprint stores. The reason? It's the perfect opportunity to push the Overdrive, a 4G mobile hotspot that's able to take the iPad (and any other WiFi-enabled device) to 4G speeds where available. In a recent interview with GigaOM, the carrier's CEO (Dan Hesse) confirmed that most iPads being sold are of the WiFi variety, and due to that, "the company has seen an uptick in demand for its Overdrive (3G/4G) wireless-hotspot device, as people use it to connect their iPads to the Internet when on the go." He failed to exaggerate on actual numbers, but it's obvious he's in favor of Apple's darling tablet selling like hotcakes -- after all, how else are you going to get an iDevice into 4G territory?Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Apple Insider  |  GigaOM  | Email this | Comments

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After A Five Month Stay (And $750M Acquisition), AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui Leaves Google

Last November, Google announced that it had acquired leading mobile ad network AdMob for a whopping $750 million. Today, less than a year after the deal closed, AdMob founder and CEO Omar Hamoui is leaving Google, we've confirmed with the company. Google says Hamoui is leaving for personal reasons.

It sounds like Google is getting the short end of the stick here ?�Hamoui has actually only been able to work at the search giant for five months, because the AdMob/Google acquisition was held up by an endless federal investigation that stretched on from November 2009 through the end of May 2010 ?�an eternity in this highly�competitive�space.

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Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine

Filed under: Internet, Features, Mozilla, BrowsersGood afternoon! Firefox Friday has been decidedly absent from the luridly green pages of Download Squad over the last few weeks, but it returns today with vengeance.

A lot has been happening at Mozilla, with developments emerging on all fronts. As always we've covered the most important bits, but there's still a lot more to tell you about.

Let's crack on with the first and perhaps most telling titbit:

Mozilla has a new CEO: Gary Kovacs
John Lilly, after almost three years at the top, has stepped aside for newcomer Gary Kovacs. Kovacs has a ton of experience in product management (10 years at IBM), and also significant knowledge of rich media and the mobile Web (5 years at Macromedia, then Adobe). For further reading, Lilly has a great blog post introducing Kovacs.

With this appointment it's clear that Mozilla is fully invested in making Firefox the best browser, both on the desktop and on mobile devices. If you thought the difference between Firefox 3.6 and 4.0 was a big leap, you can only begin to imagine what 5.0 will bring with Kovacs at the helm.

Game On 2010: the judges are announced, and the first fruits of the competition begin to trickle in

The new Game On competition always struck me as rather unMozilla. When I picture the average Mozillan, many kind adjectives pop into my mind but gamer isn't one of them. Still, if you had any doubts, take a look at the list of judges. There are 30 of them, and while they're not all A-listers, there are some big names from Zynga, Facebook, Palm, and more. Almost everyone that's anyone in the JavaScript community is on the list!

If you want to get in on the action, there are already tons of resources on the Game On website. You should probably subscribe read the Game On blog, too.

Also worth noting, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, is that the next Mozilla Labs Night (October 28) will be a 'Gaming Special'. I'm not quite sure what it will entail, but the Labs Nights are usually a lot of fun... so sign up and head on down to Mountain View! [I wish I lived in San Francisco...]



Mozilla finally plays its next hand in the Apps War: Open Web Applications

Earlier this year, at the Mozilla Summit, attendees were asked what would make the perfect Web App Store. A lot of heated discussion ensued, but ultimately the summit ended and radio silence descended. This week Mozilla Labs broke that silence with the release of the Open Web Applications Technology Overview and the new apps.mozillalabs.com website.

The concept is brilliant, and there's a demo App Store and Directory that you can play with today. The most important part, however, is that Open Web App developers will have the option of self-publishing their software. This is in stark contrast to the Google-centralised Chrome offering -- and light years ahead of the Mac App Store.

We're not quite at the stage where HTML, JavaScript, CSS and SVG are ready to replace every desktop app, but the Open Web App specification has come just at the right time. Mozilla may just have secured the future platform for all installed apps.



Build your own browser with Mozilla Labs Chromeless

Have you ever looked at the Firefox UI, at that big orange button, and thought to yourself 'hmm... I could do it better'? Well, now's your chance! Using HTML, CSS and JavaScript you can now create your own browser interface.

Chromeless is a pre-alpha prototype at the moment (grab the code here), but the team has grand plans to make browser UI design as 'easy as designing a Web page'. It's an interesting concept that, like all forms of crowdsourcing, might turn up some fantastic new designs.



Last, but by no means least, Firefox JavaScript performance pulls ahead of Chrome and Safari


Launched by the JavaScript team at Mozilla, ARE WE FAST YET? details the reassuringly steady improvement of Firefox's JavaScript engine. Up until yesterday the site featured a huge 'NO' at the bottom of the page -- today... well, you can see for yourself!

Basically -- and you have to admit this is pretty darn impressive -- it has only taken three months for Mozilla to reach Chrome and Safari's level of JavaScript performance. This is only the result of one synthetic benchmark, so the results are hardly authoritative -- but then again, Firefox still leads the 'real world' Kraken benchmark, too.

* * *
Not a bad week for Mozilla, then! Open Web Apps, Open Web Games and even an Open User Interface -- and they're all powered by the fastest JavaScript engine in the world.Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Acer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UI

After seeing quite a few leaks, Acer just made its Liquid Metal handset official. The 3.6-inch slate runs Android 2.2 Froyo atop an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor. Inside all that molten metal you'll find 802.11n WiFi, support for 14.4Mbps HSDPA, DLNA/UPnP streaming support, Dolby Surround technology, and an image stabilized 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash capable of recording video at 720p (30fps). Acer's new handset also features a new Breeze UI and SocialJogger app that aggregates Twitter and Facebook feeds. Look for it to land in brown in the UK starting mid November for £299. A silver version should arrive in early December. Still no word on that AT&T compatible jobbie that passed through the FCC. One more image and the full press release after the break.Continue reading Acer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UIAcer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UI originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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Sports Camera Mount for Extreme Cylindrical Action

Have you ever needed to attach “your digital camera to cylindrical objects in extreme conditions”? Perhaps you find yourself cold and shivering in a torrential downpour, Thermos in one hand and umbrella in the other, yet desperate to snap a picture whilst you sip your hot beverage?
With the Flymount, you can do it all, and [...]

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Unicorns, the Nexus Two, Continuum and HTC Merge [From the forums]

Where do we talk about gnomes, unicorns and Android phones that might or might not exist? In the Android Forums at Android Central, of course! Here's what's going on as we head into the weekend:The Nexus Two/Nexus S if on everybody's mind this week, and everybody has their own source on what it is, and when it's coming out. Discuss the Nexus Two rumors here.The Samsung Continuum is expected to be announced on Nov. 8. We've already had our hands on it. Have a question? Ask it here!(Oh, and there might be free stuff involved.)Then there's the HTC Merge, coming to Verizon. It's just a question of when, folks. Discuss the HTC Merge here.And of course there's the Wifi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Is it coming? When is it coming, and how much is it going to cost? We're talkin' Tab here.Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Will Resolution Independent Interfaces Ever Come to the Mac?

Resolution independence, or the lack of it, is one of those nagging problems most users don’t even realize have a name. But the concept is simple: user-interface elements like icons, buttons and window borders on the same OS should be the same physical size no matter what screen you’re using.
From the 1980s until just a [...]

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CrunchGear Week in Review: From Another Dimension Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: A Camera For Every Budget Contest: For You, My Friend, An Epson WorkForce 635 Swedish Chamelon DSLR Rig Looks Sexy As Hell Chumby Grows Workable Legs, Next Step Is Clearly Human Enslavement Capcom?s Okamiden: The Friendly Game That Has Nothing To Do With Fragging Each [...]

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Will Resolution Independent Interfaces Ever Come to the Mac?

Resolution independence, or the lack of it, is one of those nagging problems most users don’t even realize have a name. But the concept is simple: user-interface elements like icons, buttons and window borders on the same OS should be the same physical size no matter what screen you’re using.
From the 1980s until just a [...]

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Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar

Earnings calls aren't usually that interesting, and that's doubly true when trying to listen via official translators. Still, we couldn't help but give an ear to Sony's fiscals, and sure enough, someone asked about our (still real) PlayStation Phone leak. We're not sure who answered since it's through interpreter, either Executive VP / CFO Masaru Kato or Senior General Manager of Investor Relations Division Gen Tsuchikawa (we're assuming the former).

Citing the aforementioned device, the curious party asked if such a product would come out of Sony or of Sony Ericsson, and no, it wasn't a complete denial. Instead, we're told just how such a device would happen, that a gaming phone would be planned and prototyped under the (recently restructured) Network Services umbrella. We're also told how SCE's move to Sony City headquarters now puts them closer to the planning and engineering group, meaning the company "can better incorporate all these capabilities better... so when the timing is right we can probably announce to you the new product we have." Ericsson is later cited as a resource "on smartphone and for the games devices," although this might be something peculiar with translation. Again, that's far from a confirmation, but they're certainly entertaining the notion in a very, very detailed response.

But that's not all; there's also apparently a tablet brewing in the background, one that would obviously fall somewhere in between PC and Sony Ericsson's efforts. There isn't much else said, but if you're up for psychoanalyzing executive commentary, we've transcribed and placed the full quote after the break.Continue reading Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radarSony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Sony Global  | Email this | Comments

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Get Ready to Kiss IPv4 Goodbye: Q&A With ICSA Labs' Guy Snyder, Part 2

The drive to IPv6, the newer Internet communications protocol, appears to be driven by major networking vendors. Their contention is that we're running out of IPv4 network addresses. They've got the Obama administration behind them, and the White House is pushing to have all federal departments and agencies enable the use of native IPv6 by the end of 2012.

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Apple's Thinking About Making Your Gadgets Extra Scratch-Resistant And Durable [Apple]

Based on an Apple patent application, it seems that the company is contemplating ways to make gadgets more scratch-resistant and durable with cheap nitride coatings on top of stainless steel exteriors. More »

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iPhone live podcast 123: Team Jailbreak

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We’re talking iPhone passing BlackBerry, AT&T vs Verizon, white iPhone delayed… again, greenpois0n vs. limera1n vs. pwnage tool, and the week in apps. It’s team Pure vs. team Jailbreak folks and this is iPhone Live!



Credits

Thanks to the TiPb [...]iPhone live podcast 123: Team Jailbreak is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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WiFi-only Galaxy Tab stops by the FCC for tea

$599 is a bit pricey for a seven-inch tablet, and while you can get $200 off that at some places by signing your life away to a data contract, that really isn't any fun either. Thankfully Samsung appears to have another option with what looks to be the $499, WiFi-only model that showed up in a Best Buy flier earlier this week. That version has now been cleared by the FCC, indeed with only tests for 802.11 and Bluetooth wireless. The absence of 3G looks like it will save you $100 and obviously make the device a little less flexible than its bar-bearing brethren, but whether that modified cost:inconvenience ratio works out in your favor depends largely on the value of your income:restlessness factor.WiFi-only Galaxy Tab stops by the FCC for tea originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink SlashGear  |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

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China Beats U.S. For the World?s Fastest Supercomputer Title

Add the ‘made in China’ tag to yet another gadget: the world’s fastest supercomputer. China says it has the most powerful computing system — a machine called Tianhe-1A.
The supercomputer uses 7,168 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs (graphics processing units) and 14,336 Intel Xeon CPUs and is capable of clocking 2.507 petaflops or 2,507 trillion [...]

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Nearing Profitability, YouTube Hits 500 Million Promoted Video Views

YouTube has just announced that it has served its 500 millionth promoted video view. The video ad format, which the company launched a few years ago, essentially allows advertisers pay to promote videos in search results and on the YouTube home page.

The product is similar to an AdWords for YouTube. So advertisers buy a keyword, and when someone did a search for that term, the advertiser's video will show up as a promoted result. Last year, YouTube also started to place Promoted Videos on the ?Watch? pages, where videos are actually shown alongside comments and related other content, replicating AdSense in some ways.

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IE9 Developer Preview 6 launched, and new Test Drive site now live

To celebrate the opening of the Professional Developer Conference 2010, the Internet Explorer team has just flipped the switch on a very sexy new version of the Internet Explorer Test Drive site.

Not only is Developer Preview 6 now available (don't get too excited, non-developers; this is another UI-less build), but there's also a ton of new demos that you can try out. A few of you might recognise SVG Helicopter, and Flickr Postcards is quite possibly the cutest application of HTML5 and CSS3 that I've ever seen.

For more info on Preview 6, check the full release notes.

As you can see in the screenshot above, there's a rather cute easter egg for Chrome 8 users, too!IE9 Developer Preview 6 launched, and new Test Drive site now live originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Daily Crunch: Caught Edition

Rumor: Barnes & Noble To Show Color Nook Next Week Review: Fantasma Web Runner Remote Control Spider Video: Super-Cute Dancing Hello Kitty Speaker Hands-On With The HP Slate 500, A Windows 7 Business Tablet Ask CG: Do You Need A Computer To Use An E-Reader?

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FTC Ends Street View Feud With Google After Winning Privacy Concessions

After much hullabaloo, Google and the Federal Trade Commission have kissed and made up. This, only a few days after Google admitted to ?accidentally? collecting people's private data with its Street View cars. Google had promised, in so many words, that it would never do that (collect people's private data) again, a promise that satisfied the FTC. And, scene.

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Samsung Innovates Again With New Galexy Tab

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Samsung’s new Galexy Tab, the company’s first attempt at a tablet device which is scheduled for launch this month in Europe. Many people have been wondering what companies would be the first to rival the already famous Apple iPad which was launched back in April and the Galexy Tab [...]

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Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Robot Wants Ice Cream does not actually have ice cream. At least not as far as I was able to tell.
What it does have is a robot. Well, to be exact, it has a robot, a dog, a ton of bad guys, 8-bit music, and bosses that you have to beat. You can tell when you're facing a boss because it's huge, and the music gets all "Bowser" when one of them shows up. There are also bonuses that make you jump higher, shoot faster, and generally become a more awesome, ice cream-loving robot.
Most importantly, there are lots and lots of save points, and if you die, you instantly reincarnate. You don't even lose your bonuses!
As far as time-wasters go, this isn't a quick one. It leans more towards the "addictive" side of the scale. If you have any sort of affinity for 8-bit graphics, robots, and cute puppies, you really should give it a spin.Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Caught on Video: 2 Tools for Linux Screen-Session Recording

Do you ever marvel at those step-by-step how-to product demos of software apps that end-users post on places like YouTube? It is often easy to spot these demo videos shot with cellphone cams or PC eye cams placed over the user's shoulder. But two cool Linux apps give you a the ability to record directly to a file whatever's being shown on your computer's monitor.

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RIM Employees Are Growing Mustaches For Charity and Sport [Facial Hair]

In Canada, they have no use for Octobeard. Instead, Ontario-based RIM is encouraging employees to cultivate mustaches along with smartphones in Movember. But to what (finely waxed) end? More »

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There's Still Time To Win A Zombified Portrait Of Yourself! [Promotion]

You seemed to enjoy our first Facebook illustration contest, so we decided to put Gizmodo's contributing illustrator Sam Spratt to work again. This time, he'll make one of you a Halloween portrait. Here's how you can be the lucky zombie/vampire/ghoul/random-creature-of-the-night: More »

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Shooting Challenge: Freelensing [Photography]

It sounds so badass, doesn't it? Freelensing. Like Tom Petty is microwaving your $3,000 DSLR just to get high off the fumes or something. Well, truth be told, freelensing is a little badass, as far as photography techniques go. More »

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Adobe offers device-agnostic HTML5 + Flash hybrid video player widget

Filed under: Video, Adobe
There are plenty of people who just assumed Adobe and HTML5 would mix like oil and water -- thanks to the whole Flash Player thing. In truth, however, Adobe has been delivering Web development tools like Dreamweaver for quite some time -- so it stands to reason that they'd offer HTML5 goodies at some point.

Illustrator and Dreamweaver already received add-ons which bring HTML5 kung fu, and now Adobe has announced a widget which will cause some to think that they've lost their marbles.

It's a hybrid HTML5/Flash video widget. Says Adobe, "the limited browser support for the HTML5 <video> tag has forced web designers to scramble for a solution that would work across platforms as well as browsers." The new player switches seamlessly from HTML5 to Flash if the <video> tag isn't supported and works on any compatible browser -- desktop, mobile, TV, refrigerator -- you get the idea.

The release isn't really a surprise. After all, Adobe is a founding member of the Open Screen Project. To be truly "open screen," that means extending the olive branch to devices which don't run Adobe Flash in order to preserve a code-once-display-everywhere experience.

[via TechCrunch]Adobe offers device-agnostic HTML5 + Flash hybrid video player widget originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Amex?s Ad Agency Asks Us To Remove Post, Threatens Future Business

An advertising agency that represents American Express took issue with my post yesterday complaining about my failed efforts to get a simple credit card. In the post, titled Damnit Amex, Give Me A Credit Card, I complained about the difficulty of someone in my particular demographic to get credit, and noted the usefulness of Credit Karma, a startup that gives people immediate access to their credit report.

Some users actually saw an ad for the Amex ZYNC card next to the post.

In an email to our sales team, the agency said "We found this on your site today, obviously not a good thing for AMEX or for ZYNC branding."

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Daily Crunch: Night Experiment Edition

Astrophotography: A Primer Video: Turkish Iron Man SURALP Review: Potato Chip Science Capcom?s Okamiden: The Friendly Game That Has Nothing To Do With Fragging Each Other Researchers Looking Into How Hard Robots Should Be Punching You

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The Back to the Mac Event in 104 Incredible, Remarkable, Amazing Seconds [Video]

Last week's Back to the Mac event carried on for an hour or two, but only about two minutes of it was really important. Here's the entire event, stripped of everything boring, ordinary, and unmagical. Everyone loves koalas. [TechCrunch] More »

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Miro 3.5 now ready to download, manage, play, and convert all your videos

Filed under: Video, Open Source
Miro is an excellent do-it-all video program. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and it can do just about everything video-related you could ask one program to do. Miro will download torrents, organize your movies, play them back (with subtitles), and as of the just-released version 3.5 it will even convert your videos for a variety of devices.

Conversions are fast and painless, and everything from the iPhone and iPad to PSP and Nexus One is supported. Miro is a great app to recommend to your less-than-technical friends -- who may not be interested in running a separate torrent download, video player, and video conversion app.


Download Miro 3.5Miro 3.5 now ready to download, manage, play, and convert all your videos originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Comment Blocker for Google Chrome mutes the trolls (and everyone else)

Filed under: Google, Browsers
So you just hunkered down to read a glorious thousand-word epic about why the Web loves cats -- only to find yourself staring at hundreds of comments which ruined your reading experience with their harshness. If only you'd had some sort of filter for your browser which could hide those sections so you could read in peace!

There's shutup.css, which automatically blocks comments on every site it supports -- but for Chrome users, Comment Blocker is a much more flexible option. It not only blocks comment sections on most sites, but it also allows you to whitelist or blacklist URLs -- either individually, using the black and white buttons above, or by creating filter patterns in the Comment Blocker options.

And that's not where the configuration ends -- not by a long shot! You can set up a personalized hotkey to activate and deactivate the blocker, hide, collapse, or replace comments with a predefined phrase like "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Comment Blocker also automatically remembers which sites you've blocked during the current session and keeps them blocked until you restart your browser.

Really, Comment Blocker is a lot like AdBlock for comments, and it's every bit as effective and flexible. It's a must-have Chrome extension for users who enjoy Web-based reading with minimal interference.Comment Blocker for Google Chrome mutes the trolls (and everyone else) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sun Visor Grid-It! Organizer from Cocoon

We’ve posted several news�items and reviews of Grid-It! products from Cocoon.� I’m sure you’re familiar with the “rubberized woven elastic object retention system for gadget organization” by now.� We’ve seen the Grid-It! organizers as stand-alone panels you can add to your own bags and as integrated panels in bags from Cocoon.� This time, Cocoon has [...] Filed in categories: Car Gear, NewsTagged: Car organizer, Grid-It! organizer for carSun Visor Grid-It! Organizer from Cocoon originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2010 at 9:30 am.

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Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Robot Wants Ice Cream does not actually have ice cream. At least not as far as I was able to tell.
What it does have is a robot. Well, to be exact, it has a robot, a dog, a ton of bad guys, 8-bit music, and bosses that you have to beat. You can tell when you're facing a boss because it's huge, and the music gets all "Bowser" when one of them shows up. There are also bonuses that make you jump higher, shoot faster, and generally become a more awesome, ice cream-loving robot.
Most importantly, there are lots and lots of save points, and if you die, you instantly reincarnate. You don't even lose your bonuses!
As far as time-wasters go, this isn't a quick one. It leans more towards the "addictive" side of the scale. If you have any sort of affinity for 8-bit graphics, robots, and cute puppies, you really should give it a spin.Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt

Considering that you're an avid viewer of The Ben Heck Show, we're assuming this is old news to you and yours. On the off-chance that you missed the last episode, we're here to rope you back into reality. Embedded past the break is a video filled with love, laughter and legitimate instructions on building your very own Portal t-shirt. According to Benjamin, the system consists of a front-mounted LCD, pocket-mounted battery pack and rear-mounted camera, and naturally, it's being released just prior to Halloween. You now know exactly what you have to do.Continue reading Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal ShirtLatest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Ben Heck, Element 14  | Email this | Comments

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Why Apps Are Better on Windows Phone 7

While late to the game, Windows Phone 7 came out of the gate as a formidable and serious contender to iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. The Windows Phone is more enterprise-ready than the iPhone has ever been, without compromising on consumer friendliness. Windows Phone 7 is designed to bridge personal and professional lives.

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Verizon's Galaxy Tab won't have Skype, NFL Mobile, or V Cast video apps at launch

Looks like that plan to bring NFL content Verizon tablets is on hold, at least for now -- we just got Big Red's employee training materials for the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and they explicitly say that Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, and V Cast Video won't be available on the seven-inch tablet at launch. That's disappointing for a variety of reasons -- particularly the loss of Skype, which would have made up for the lack of voice calling ability -- but we're hoping the holdup is mostly due to app-compatibility issues and not corporate politics. We'll find out, we suppose. Hit the gallery for the rest of the training docs.Gallery: Verizon Galaxy Tab training docsVerizon's Galaxy Tab won't have Skype, NFL Mobile, or V Cast video apps at launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics

Filed under: Fun, Utilities, Education
Show World (actually written with an inexplicable (R) mark in the middle) is a world map with a twist: you choose a metric, and the Flash-based map twists and morphs to reflect it.
The screenshot above shows a world map, as you've probably recognized. But the reason the map looks so weird is that the size of each country reflects the amount of poultry that it raises. When you mouse over a country, you can see an exact number, and now we all know that Brazil houses 6.5 percent of the world's chicken population.
This is not the first time that I've posted about such a tool; I think it's actually the third or fourth such tool that I've covered. And as with most of said tools, Show World purports to display a slew of statistics, like causes of death, cell phone penetration, and a whole bunch of other metrics. As always, it's interesting and fun to watch, but the data must be taken with a large, crunchy grain of salt. Ironically, their page listing all data providers is the least polished part of the site, and it even broke mid-way on my browser (stopped at FIFA). Still, the providers that it did display seemed reputable enough.
All in all, it's an interesting, visual way to learn a few new tidbits about this world we live in. Just try not to get too morbid.Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Netflix Completely Dominates the Internet in Canada [NetFlix]

You thought that 20% American figure was impressive? The same Sandvine traffic report says Netflix media streaming accounts for 95% of all bandwidth in Canada during peak evening hours. What is the other five percent? People signing up for Netflix? More »

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OnTheFly Is a Fast and User Friendly Airfare Search Tool for Smart Phones [Downloads]

Android/iOS: OnTheFly is a speedy airfare search engine designed to help you drill down through thousands of airfare listings from the comfort of your smart phone. More »

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Dept. Of Advertising: Check Into Cheryl Cole Billboards With Facebook Places

When Facebook launched Places in August, it encouraged advertisers to list their businesses in the Places directory. But now an advertiser is taking it one step further and asking passersby to check into a billboard using Facebook Places.

In a new outdoor campaign across the UK for British singer Cheryl Cole, who has a new album coming out and a concert tour, fans who check into the billboard will be taken to her Facebook page and get a chance to win two free tickets (plus travel and hotel) to one of her X Factor shows. The campaign was designed by Mediacom and Polydor Records.

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Adobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 is coming to BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and more

We've already known that Adobe would be bringing Flash Player 10.1 to Windows Phone 7, but the company has just now made that fully official at its currently-happening MAX conference (alongside its Air 2.5 announcement), and it's also confirmed exactly which other mobile platforms the plug-in will be headed to. That includes WebOS 2.0, which we've already seen first hand, along with BlackBerry OS, Symbian, MeeGo and, last but not least, the LiMo platform -- those will all of course join Android 2.2, which already supports the plug-in. Unfortunately, there's still no timeline for a release on each platform, with Adobe only saying that that Flash 10.1 is "expected" to hit each mobile OS. Head on past the break for the relevant snippet from Adobe's press release.Continue reading Adobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 is coming to BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and moreAdobe confirms Flash Player 10.1 is coming to BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Brighthand  | Email this | Comments

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Deal of the Day ? Dell XPS 15 15.6? Laptop: Core i5 for $849, Core i5 with Blu-ray $1,099, or Core i7 with Blu-ray for $1,309

The LogicBUY Deal for today is the newly released 15.6? Dell XPS 15 with an anodized aluminum display back and brushed aluminum palmrest.� This customizable laptop is equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M 1GB graphics, 4GB DDR3, 500GB 7200rpm hard drive, 720p WLED LCD, and Skype-certified 720p HD webcam.� Optional features include backlit keyboard, integrated [...] Filed in categories: NewsTagged: Deal of the DayDeal of the Day – Dell XPS 15 15.6? Laptop: Core i5 for $849, Core i5 with Blu-ray $1,099, or Core i7 with Blu-ray for $1,309 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2010 at 6:30 am.

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Pioneer and Buffalo announce first 128GB BDXL optical disc burners for PCs

The dream of burning 128GB of PC data onto a single optical disc just took a step closer to reality with the announcement of this BDXL burner (model BDR-206MBK) from Pioneer. Buffalo will ship it as both an external USB 2.0 model (BRXL-6U2) and internal SATA model (BRXL-6FBS-BK). The drive handles new 4-layer (128GB) and 3-layer (100GB) BD-R XL at 4x speeds in addition to 3-layer BD-RE XL and older BD-R/BD-R DL and BD-RE/BD-RE DL Blu-ray disc media. Pioneer will begin shipping the drive in November for an undisclosed price -- no word on pricing from Buffalo or when it'll have its act together to ship product.Continue reading Pioneer and Buffalo announce first 128GB BDXL optical disc burners for PCsPioneer and Buffalo announce first 128GB BDXL optical disc burners for PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Akihabara News  |  Buffalo [translated], Pioneer [translated]  | Email this | Comments

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Augmented Reality Graffiti Hits FourSquare in ARstreets iPhone App [Video]

The idea behind this app is that instead of tagging actual buildings, you're tagging virtual buildings. Whether this will reduce crime (or actually encourage it) is undecided, but the app has a neat augmented reality Foursquare tie-in. More »

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Microsoft publishes creepy Halloween theme pack for Windows 7

Filed under: Fun, Windows
Dubbed with the disgustingly politically correct name "Eerie Autumn," you can now enjoy a ton of creepy wallpapers and sounds for the entirety of this hallowed season.

The wallpaper images vary in quality -- some of them look like amateur attempts with point-and-click cameras -- but with 15 images to select from, there should be more than enough to sate your ghoulish urges.

This is also the first theme I've used with customized sounds. All of your major Windows sounds are replaced with spine-tingling horror film-esque counterparts. A blast from a church organ accompanies the connecting and disconnecting of USB devices, while some kind of violin-and-ghost combo will give you the willies when you receive a new email.

I just wish someone had told me about the new sound set. That's the last time I keep my volume turned up, I assure you...

[Direct link to the theme pack]Microsoft publishes creepy Halloween theme pack for Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The Engadget Show: live with Microsoft's Aaron Woodman, Windows Phone 7, Google TV, and costume contest!

Good news, we worked out our streaming issue! So keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 6:30 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Microsoft's Aaron Woodman, Windows Phone 7 devices, Google TV, and more! Josh and Nilay on hand, plus we'll have music from Kris Keyser with visuals from noteNdo and much, much, more. You seriously don't want to miss it. Check out the live stream after the break!


Continue reading The Engadget Show: live with Microsoft's Aaron Woodman, Windows Phone 7, Google TV, and costume contest!The Engadget Show: live with Microsoft's Aaron Woodman, Windows Phone 7, Google TV, and costume contest! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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Matt Richardson MacGuyvers a Google Reader pedal out of just these items, zero duct tape (video)

The definition of a good friend is someone who, if you say to them "Gee, I'd really like a foot pedal to advance my overflowing Google Reader feeds," turns around and builds you one. From scratch. In this way we know that modder Matt Richardson is a good friend, as that's what he crafted out of a little electric pedal and a disused keyboard (of the Dell variety). It's not the most complex hack we've ever seen, but it is a good one, and he's happy to show you exactly how to do it in the video below. Oh, and the friend's response? You can see it for yourself at the end of the embed.Continue reading Matt Richardson MacGuyvers a Google Reader pedal out of just these items, zero duct tape (video)Matt Richardson MacGuyvers a Google Reader pedal out of just these items, zero duct tape (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Flickr  | Email this | Comments

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Pantone's CAPSURE tells you what color anything is, easily separates salmon from rose

For web designers, tools that give instant color codes from anywhere on their display are invaluable. How much, then, would a tool that can do that in the real world be worth? Hopefully you said $649, because that's what Pantone is charging for its new CAPSURE. It's the latest in a long line of tools and utilities designed to help graphics-minded people get accurate color information, a sort of handheld scanner -- just place it on anything and it'll ID your hue in CMYK and good 'ol RGB. Think of it as a physical eye dropper that won't get your subjects wet, a device that just about anyone who's ever created a webpage would love to have. Sadly, at that price, it's bound for only the most well appointed of utility belts.Continue reading Pantone's CAPSURE tells you what color anything is, easily separates salmon from rosePantone's CAPSURE tells you what color anything is, easily separates salmon from rose originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Crave  |   | Email this | Comments

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Samsung Galaxy S2 -- I want to believe

The Samsung Galaxy S2 rumor has been floating around the internet for several months now.  It's been discussed by Android enthusiasts at various blogs, and in our own forums as well, and generally written off as an Android phone-geeks dream.  Have a look at it's supposed specs:4.3-inch SAMOLED2 display at 1280x720 and 340 dpi2 GHz CPU1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM, 32 GB storage with microSD slot for cards up to 32 GB8 MP camera with full HD video recordingBluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, A-GPSAccelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and all the other Android standardsRunning Android 3.0Its supposed release date is Q1 2011.  Why are we revisiting this now?  We've seen HTC's new hardware in the Desire HD and Desire Z/Vision, and Motorola has shown us the Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global, but Samsung has been quiet about their future plans for a high end phone. I'm sure they have something in the works, and Samsung likes to go big in the hardware department.  I'm pretty certain that this isn't really the next Samsung Android phone, but I have to wonder how close they can get.  I'd buy it, and I'm sure more than a handful of you guys would, too.  [itrans (Russian) via UnwiredView]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Google Chrome to add option for custom DNS servers

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Google Chrome's (and Chromium's) about:flags page is becoming quite the playground for intrepid feature testers. In a recent Chromium snapshot build, another handy new feature has appeared: user-specified DNS servers.

Being able to specify custom servers right in the browser might not be a big deal on other operating systems -- where you can already do that in your network settings. On Chrome OS, however, it could provide an easy way for parents to lock their child's netbook in to the OpenDNS FamilyShield to block inappropriate content (for example).

I'm sure there are other applications for this as well -- testing, for example. Want to run GoogleDNS in Canary against your ISP's servers in Chromium to see how they perform side-by-side? Go for it!

...Or maybe your favorite site won't load, or an outdated copy of a page you're working on keeps loading when you refresh (I'm looking at you, MTS). If it's your DNS servers at fault, you could quickly pop a new server into Chrome, reload, and off you go.

Sure, you could achieve the same result using a proxy server, but why bother if the functionality is built right into your browser?Google Chrome to add option for custom DNS servers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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HP Serves Up Windows on a Slate

HP on Friday launched the HP Slate 500, a tablet PC aimed at the enterprise. Priced at $799, the Slate has a 3MP still camera and a VGA webcam and can Windows 7 Professional 32. The HP Slate 500 is based in a 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Processor and weighs 1.5 pounds in the basic configuration. HP's new tablet has an Intel Atom Z540 processor with a 512 KB L2 cache and a 533 MHz front-side bus.

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Scriptish add-on brings legacy-free Greasemonkey to Firefox 4

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers
I depend upon certain Greasemonkey scripts. They're not just for prettying up the Web or making it less distracting; I even have some home-brewed scripts that I use right here in Download Squad as part of my writing process. Not having access to these scripts is one of the key things that's kept me from making the switch to Firefox 4.
Enter Scriptish. According to its author, Erik Vold, Scriptish removes a lot of the legacy code that's been holding Greasemonkey back, and it utilizes everything that Firefox 4 has to offer.
Scriptish is not compatible with anything older than Firefox 4. Vold says he created the add-on due to the slow pace in which Greasemonkey development has been moving and some of the decisions taken by its developers:
"The trouble I found while trying to contribute to GM is that the maintainers don't really want to alter the code base, they're actually seem [sic] to be fine with doing the minimum necessary and bug fixing for the rest of the future, at least that is how it seemed to me after writing quite a few patches which were rejected, either outright, or by degradation (meaning I would have to basically redo everything, on crappy architecture, because they've sat on their hands for so long)."
So, there are definitely some politics at work here. When I tried using my home-brewed script with Scriptish, I couldn't get it to work. Maintaining a Greasemonkey fork is a big responsibility, so here's hoping that Vold is up to the job. Better yet, here's hoping that he gets some help from the community (and that my script starts working!).Scriptish add-on brings legacy-free Greasemonkey to Firefox 4 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Mark Cuban Enters Daily Deals Space With JungleCents Investment

Gift card affiliate startup JungleCents announces today the closing of a seed round of financing in which billionaire Mark Cuban is the only investor. Along with Cuban as an advisor, the JungleCents board also includes Hollywood producer Peter Safran, Guy Kawasaki and Bill Reichert from Garage Ventures.

And while JungleCents would not disclose the amount of funding received, this looks like it was at most a $1.5 million seed round.

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Android Fans Rejoice: The Gingerbread Man Just Landed At Google HQ

Yes, the rumors were true: the newest version of Android, codenamed Gingerbread, is imminent. How do we know? Because there's a new, massive treat that just arrived at Google headquarters: the Gingerbread Man.

Google hasn't said anything about the release of the new version of the OS, but they've posted a video to the Android developer YouTube channel that shows the arrival of this much-anticipated treat. He joins a variety of other gigantic sweets, including an eclair, a cupcake, and a bowl of frozen yogurt.

Each of these desserts represents one of the code names of Android OS, and they've historically been positioned in front of the Android building on Google's campus a few weeks before the company releases the source of the latest version of Android. In other words, expect some big Android news soon.

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Amazon Will Soon Allow Kindle Users To Lend E-Books

According to this announcement from Amazon, the Kindle will soon be updated to allow users to lend books to friends and family. Lending for Kindle will allow you to loan your Kindle books to other Kindle device or Kindle app users for a loan period of 14 days.

The lender will not be able read the book during the loan period. And not all e-books in the Kindle Store will be lendable; this will be decided by the publisher or the rights holder to the work. Interestingly, Barnes and Noble's e-reader, the Nook, has been allowing lending for some time now. Like Amazon's upcoming lending feature, LendMe also allows users to lend books for a 14 day period.

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Google Chrome Canary update finally brings password sync

Filed under: Google, Browsers

If you're like me, you may have tried to force Google Chrome's password into action already. It's been possible to add passwords to sync for quite some time via a command line switch, though I found that Chrome would simply spin its wheels once you tried to log in to your account after adding the switch.

As of this revision on October 21, password sync was officially enabled by default -- though it didn't work for me in Chromium yesterday. Tonight, however, an update was pushed to Chrome Canary (8.0.561.0) and password sync now appears to be fully functional.

Those of you running Canary, head to your wrench menu and check your Personal Stuff tab. You should see passwords listed among the sync data choices -- and it should already be checked if you have everything set to sync.
Google Chrome Canary update finally brings password sync originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Nikon Coolpix S80 gets reviewed: loads of style, short on substance

Nikon's Coolpix S80 sure seemed like a worthy successor to the S70 on paper, but Photography Blog's latest review sheds light on a couple of underlying issues that hinder it from being a runaway hit. The critics pretty much adored the sexy styling, but they noted that the all-touchscreen operations were a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Furthermore, the large OLED on the rear tended to inaccurately show how images were turning out, making it exceedingly difficult to know whether a shot was truly under or overexposed. The extra megapixels didn't really help either, with reviewers calling the image quality "so-so" and pointing out that low-light shooting was far from being in this unit's wheelhouse. That said, the camera was still recommended with a laundry list of caveats, so we'd give the source link a peek before aimlessly pulling the trigger.Nikon Coolpix S80 gets reviewed: loads of style, short on substance originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 04:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Photography Blog  | Email this | Comments

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This Week's Best Web Video [TV]

Another week, another awesome line-up for Web TV. From Two Swedes Sweding to Control TV, we doubt you'll walk away from this list empty-handed: More »

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Report: Twenty percent of peak downstream Internet used for Netflix?

If you're anything like us, you're both smart and incredibly good looking. Also, you're sarcastic. And in addition to all that, you spend much of your downtime enjoying streaming media on your computer, or your Internet-enabled TV, or perhaps even your fancy-pants cellphone. And it looks like, indeed, much of the country is "anything like us" -- at least according to Sandvine, Inc., of Waterloo, Ontario. The network hardware manufacturer has released a report that concludes that over twenty percent of stateside peak time downstream Internet traffic is gobbled up by Netflix streams, with the heaviest use going down in the primetime hours between 8 to 10 pm. We're sure that this is no surprise to Netflix itself, whose CEO recently stated that the company is primarily a streaming company that just happens to mail out DVDs to some customers; but still, the figure is pretty staggering. You can draw your own conclusions, but we're just happy to no longer live in a place where the only thing to watch on a Thursday night is The World According To Jim.Report: Twenty percent of peak downstream Internet used for Netflix? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Slashgear  |  Multichannel News  | Email this | Comments

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Cloudy With a Chance of Gigantic Penis [Video]

OK, as far as inadvertent weather forecast genitalia goes, it really doesn't get much better than this. Does this guy realize it? Do the producers realize it? We'll never know for sure. In any event, good work, Texas/Mexico border. [BuzzFeed] More »

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Arctic Sound S111 Portable Speakers for Laptops Review

I?ve used laptops exclusively for the past few years, and their speakers aren?t the best for listening to music.� But what can you expect from speakers the size of almonds, right?� My current laptop has the best speakers I?ve had in a laptop, but even they are weak and tinny.� They are okay for announcing [...] Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Laptop Gear, ReviewsTagged: Portable speakers, USB devicesArctic Sound S111 Portable Speakers for Laptops Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 19, 2010 at 10:04 am.

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JAVOedge Charcoal Flip Case for Kindle 3

If you love fine suiting materials or if autumn makes you want to cuddle up in wools, you’ll like the new JAVOedge Charcoal Flip Case for Kindle 3 with 3G and WiFi.� These fabric cases are sophisticated and tailored;� they will look equally at home with your business suits or your jeans.� The Charcoal Flip [...] Filed in categories: News, eBook Readers and GearTagged: Case for Kindle 3, Stand for Kindle 3JAVOedge Charcoal Flip Case for Kindle 3 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 22, 2010 at 1:30 pm.

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How would you change Amazon's Kindle DX Graphite?

We both know you didn't need a Kindle with a 9.7-inch display, but you went and did the deed anyway. Now that you're a proud owner of Amazon's Kindle DX Graphite, you're obligated to tell the world what exactly you'd change about it if given the ability to do so. We noted back in our review that the revised display was indeed a lovely extra, but is it enough to justify the lofty premium over the standard 6-inch model? Would you have changed up the keyboard? What about the enclosure? Thrown in a kickstand? Added a helmet mount? Go on and tell us how you'd make the Kindle DX Graphite an ideal device down in comments below. We're all ears, you know.How would you change Amazon's Kindle DX Graphite? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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Apple: All New Macs Will Ship Without Flash [Apple]

Turns out Apple shipping the MacBook Air without Flash pre-installed wasn't just a one-time thing. From here on out, every Mac that's sold will be Flashless. That makes more of a statement than a Steve Jobs open letter ever could. More »

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Chrome Web Store launch may be imminent

Filed under: Google, Browsers
If you spend any amount of time over at the Google Chrome Extension Gallery, you may have spotted a subtle change on some of the listings: the addition of a price tag.

The Google OS blog was lucky enough to nab a screenshot of the Most Popular page complete with "Free" tags, though when I checked the site, only the spotlight extension at the top showed prices.

There have been other indications recently that Google is gathering steam for the Web Store launch. Not long ago, I received an odd 500 error indicating that the Web Store was not available. Google has also been busy educating extension and Web app developers about accepting payments.

There's also the fact that today's stable channel update brought with it the ability to install apps, though that wasn't mentioned in Google's release post.

While no launch date has been revealed yet, stay tuned -- the Web Store Launch surely can't be far off now.Chrome Web Store launch may be imminent originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Motorola Droid X and Droid 2 Overclocked from 1GHz to Whopping 2GHz [Android]

Seriously, that's got to hurt. Two forum-posters calling themselves Team DeFuse are claiming they successfully managed to overclock both the Droid 2 and Droid X, taking them from a decent 1.0GHz to spectacular 2.0GHz. We'd be concerned for their safety, if we hadn't seen they survived the task at least long enough to upload video proof of it. [Droid-Life via BGR] More »

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Watch This Voting Machine Change Someone's Vote [Video]

When programmer Don Relyea tried to choose one candidate on his voting machine, the computer chose a different candidate—plus four other candidates from the same, incorrect party—right in front of him. He captured the whole thing on video. More »

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Facelette -- yet another Chatroulette clone, but for Apple FaceTime

Filed under: Fun, Video, Apple
Yes, it might sound like a handy towel for cleaning and refreshing your tired face, but it's not: Facelette is Chatroulette for FaceTime. Just enter your phone number or email address, hit 'FaceTime Me!' and before you know it, you're faced with a white, shiny, Apple-toting penis.

Released to the world only 10 hours ago on Hacker News, the developer admits that the 'entire app is as dumb as hell' -- but that it only took him about an hour to develop. Sadly I don't have a Mac or an iPhone so I can't try the service out, but from what I've heard -- from my richer and snobbier friends -- is that it works exactly as advertised.

Obviously, think twice before giving up your phone number to a complete stranger. You can also change your FaceTime email address in File > Preferences -- please do it before you try Facelette.Facelette -- yet another Chatroulette clone, but for Apple FaceTime originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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