Automated Driving

At UC Berkeley, PATH research engineer Wei-Bin Zhang describes his vision for an automated vehicle infrastructure. His team is developing technologies that allow cars, buses and trucks to connect with the roadway using sensors placed on vehicles and magnets drilled into the cement. Zhang believes the technology could prevent accidents and reduce pollution in the atmosphere with less human interaction in the driving process.

http://www.smartplanet.com/people/video/clearing-the-path-for-hands-free-automated-driving/369209/?tag=col1;video-load-river

[Reader Article] 7 Dependable Free Software To Protect Laptops

7 Dependable Free Software To Protect Laptops

Good security does not necessarily cost you money. Here are 7 easy to use, dependable and free software that will help keep your laptop and its contents safe.

1. Encryption. TrueCrypt is a trustworthy encryption program. www.truecrypt.org

2. Backup. Cobin Backup is reliable backup software. www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm. A more user friendly alternative is Mozy, which is an online based backup software. www.mozy.com

3. Antivirus. AVG free edition provides protection againt viruses, spyware and other malware.free.avg.com/ww-en/download-free. A light weight alternative is Avira free edition.

4. Firewall. Windows firewall (built-in) is easy to use and does decent job.

5. Tracking. Prey is open source laptop tracking software designed to track stolen laptops.www.preyproject.com

6. Alarm. LAlarm is like a car alarm for your laptop. Also it can recover and destroy data in case of laptop theft and more. www.lalarm.com

7. File shredder. Eraser deletes files irrecoverably. It is useful for regular cleanup as well as occasional cleanup before taking your laptop to an airport or a repair shop, and selling it to others. eraser.heidi.ie

This month's reader submitted article was submitted by: Eric L.

It’s surprising that this nifty little utility for Windows PCs (sorry, Mac users) has avoided our attention for so long, but not anymore. In case we weren’t the last ones that hadn’t heard about this, iPhone Folders by Bozhenov Artem is a great way to access the files on your iPod touch and iPhone from Windows. Because it hooks in as a Windows Explorer extension, there is no software to run once it’s installed: it just works. The iPhone or iPod touch just shows up like any other hard-drive, and the extension even includes support for displaying application icons for .app folders in thumbnail mode. It’s very slick, almost as if it was functionality that Apple forgot to ship.

Google Chrome OS Detailed Launch

Google on Thursday will give a technical update on its Chrome OS.

The company is holding an event at its Mountain View campus. The event will be “a technical announcement,” but Google will be showing a few demos as well as detailing its launch plans for next year.

The Chrome OS is in its infancy, but there has been a lot of buzz around a potential launch. At the event, Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management, and Matthew Papakipos, Engineering Director for Google Chrome OS, will be talking up reporters.

Garett Rogers has wondered if launching a bare bones preview of the Chrome OS is a concern. He noted:

The initial release of Chrome OS will likely be very bare-bones, bordering on useless — but depending on what kind of feedback they get, it may grow rapidly. The “release early and often” mantra adopted by many software companies that use agile practices can be extremely dangerous, however.

Eco plastic "Greenware"

You’ve heard of silverware and plasticware, but greenware or bioware?

That’s another story.

Green algae, the photosynthetic organism used as a biofuel, has now been put to use as sustainable bioplastic.

Sustainable plastic manufacturer Cereplast announced that it can turn algae into a sustainable bioplastic resin, to be put to use in water bottles, plasticware and other applications.

The company, which already manufactures plastic from corn, potatoes, tapioca and wheat, says algae-based plastic could replace up to 50 percent of petroleum content found in traditional plastic resin. That’s a big deal, since more than 15 billion pounds of plastic film are manufactured each year in the U.S. alone, a $12 billion industry.

The problem with all that plastic: it’s not biodegradeable and fills landfills, it relies on increasingly-depleted fossil fuels, it uses energy and increases greenhouse gas emissions. If a big company like ConAgra were to make the switch, the impact would be felt across the economy.

But algae must still be sourced. Cereplast plans to get it from companies that use algae to minimize carbon dioxide emissions from polluting smokestacks. In this case, the algae serves as a biopolymer on the opposite end of the manufacturing pipeline — instead of reducing pollution from the creation of traditional plastic, it’s helping create less-polluting plastic from the get-go.

“Based on our own efforts, as well as recent commitments by major players in the algae field, we believe that algae has the potential to become one of the most important “green” feedstocks for biofuels, as well as bioplastics,” said Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, in a statement. “However, for our algae-based resins to be successful, we require the production of substantial quantities of algae feedstock.”

Cereplast’s algae-based bioplastic is still under development, but the company expects to make commercial algae bioplastic resin available by the end of next year. If a major company were to adopt the new material — which hopefully is at a cost that is competitive with traditional materials — you might find your beverages delivered in green, not clear, bottles.

[via] Pictured: Samsung’s E200Eco mobile phone, which is partially made of corn-based bioplastic.

Neat Flash Game

Here is an unsung game that we here at Computer Junkies love:
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Panasa/orb-blaster

Microsoft's Project Natal

The rumor mill has been buzzing with a potential release date and price tag for Microsoft’s mysterious new gaming console: Project Natal. Announced at E3 this past summer, there haven’t been many definite details announced so far, but we think there is potential for natural interaction gaming systems. You won’t be able to see it on shelves until the next holiday season, but based on a report from UK games mag MCV, everyone’s pointing towards a November 2010 release date.

There’s a debate over the price, however, as several outlets (MTV, CNET, Stage Select) are reporting that it could sell for as low as $50 (sounds too good to be true, but maybe Microsoft will get desperate) whereas others (Gadget Reviet, PC World) predict it might be somewhere closer to $80. Think you might pick one of these up once they’re finally available?

Nvidia CEO Reveals new tablet device & Love for Apple

In an interview yesterday, Nvidia CEO revealed two things: First, their sleek tablet prototype, which looks just like my wet dream Apple Tablet concept: Simple, thin, and omgIwantone. Then, he declared his enraptured love for all things Apple:

"[In my home we are] all Apple. Apple uses the best technology for their [computers]. Apple says to their customers: if you buy a computer from us you can be sure we have selected the best technology inside for you. That is their promise to consumers. Their promise to consumers isn't we've selected the best technology for you with the exception of what Intel allows us to use. That's not their promise. And that's why Apple uses the best technology where they want whenever they want. And that's why I'm all Apple! At home it's just Macs everywhere. It's Nvidia's technology in all of them but I use Macs. My son has two Macs, my daughter has a Mac, there's an extra Mac just in case and my wife has a Mac. It's just Mac, Mac, Mac! Because I know it's got the best stuff inside."

Updated Apple Store

Apple has brought back the store, and with it, they bring some new, unannounced additions:

• White plastic MacBook. Redesigned, starting at $999
• iMac with an incredible new display
• Mac Mini with more memory and a faster processor
• Magic Mouse – “The world’s first multi-touch mouse”

Pictures and link are after the break.

UPDATE: There is also a new redesigned Apple Remote, and updated Time Capsule and Airport Extreme stations. (As predicted – Also after the break!)

Click the images for a link to the website.

Macbook:

iMac:

Mac Mini:

Magic Mouse:

New Apple Remote:

Links for:

Updated Time Capsule (Faster Auto backup, and simultaneous Dual Band)

Updated Airport Extreme

Metallica Revenge Released

Tapulous has recently released a new special edition Tap Tap Revenge, this tapulous is showing its metal side. Metallica Revenge has an added tapper bar, making up 4 tapper bars in regular play, in extreme mode and boss levels you rotate the device sideways for 5 tapper bars.

iTunes link HERE

iTunes 9.0.2 Released

iTunes 9.0.2 was released several days ago, it included several changes and updates. One of them is an option to change the background color to black, for those of us who can't stand the bright white.

iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements, including:

• An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more.

• iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.

• iTunes LP and iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more – available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store.

• Home Sharing helps you manage your family’s iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want.

• Genius Mixes are created for you by iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together.

• iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes.

• iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library.

• Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).

• iTunes 9 also includes many other improvements, such as HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, simpler organization of your media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.

[Reader Article] Cool Use For an Old Flash Drive

Co Cool Use For Old Flash Drives

Don't throw your old USB flash drive away. Instead, you can use an old flash drive to prevent your laptop from being stolen. Here is how.

1. Install free software on your laptop. www.lalarm.com/LaptopAlarm. (free for personal use)
2. Fasten a neck strap to your old USB flash drive.
3. Fasten the other end of the strap to a table.
4. Plug in the USB flash drive into a USB port of a laptop.
5. Lock the laptop by pressing the Windows logo key and L key together.

When a thief removes the laptop from the table, the USB flash drive will be disconnected from the laptop and then a loud siren sound will be emitted. (See photos: www.lalarm.com/arm2) In addition to sounding an alarm, the software sends an alert to your mobile phone. This tip is also useful if you worry about identity theft. The free software destroys data in case of laptop theft.

This was a reader submitted article by James Lee

Apple Tablet: Two hand multi touch

Talk today is of the latest patent application made by Apple for a ‘multi-touch contact motion extraction‘ system where two hands and ten fingers can be used on screen simultaneously to type and make gestures.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

It’s suggested the Apple Tablet won’t appear until ‘early 2010′. So start saving now as I doubt it will come cheap!

Via: AppleInsider

New Macs on October 9th?

Here comes another rumour from the mill of fun. TUAW is reporting that they have received tips from site users that new iMac’s and Mac Minis are due for a hardware refresh as early as October 9th.

This follows the report from AppleInsider a few days ago which they stated that Mac supplies were short in retail shops.

TUAW says:

A tipster ordered a mini on September 18th, received shipping information but today… they received an email saying that their Mac mini order will ship on October 9th.

Will these latest rumours amount to anything decent? Hopefully not a minor speed bump and a SD card slot. But hopefully a new feature such as Blu-ray.

No doubt more rumours will come any day now saying the same thing. Could there be a apple event in the works?

Source: TUAW

Dell unveils the Latitude Z

It’s the first Latitude with attitude.

Dell on Tuesday pulled back the curtain on the rumored Latitude Z thin-and-light laptop, a 16-inch slab of angular portability packed with an array of business-centric features.

First mentioned just 10 days ago as a high-horsepower executive power system, the Latitude Z makes quite an impression in person. I had a chance to take a sneak peek and manhandle the laptop last week, and it’s an impressive piece of kit.

Dell reps said that the Latitude Z is intended to be an executive laptop to be coveted and bragged about — “executive bling,” they said — somewhere in the same space that the MacBook Air or Sony Vaio Z currently occupies.

Clearly, the Latitude Z is certainly unlike anything on the market right now.

[Image Gallery: Dell Latitude Z]

[Image Gallery: Hands-on with Dell Latitude Z]

As you can see in the images, Dell continues to distinguish its offerings on the basis of style. The Latitude Z has been designed to evoke a strong reaction, but backs the visual claim up with a bevy of business features that the other laptops don’t offer.

First, the outside: with hard angles all around and a demure black cherry “soft-touch” finish that appears black from certain angles, the Z is the world’s thinnest and lightest 16-inch laptop: it’s just over an inch thick and weights 4.5 lbs. — the same specs as my 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Open the Latitude Z up and you’ll notice a redesigned Dell-style backlit keyboard (slightly scalloped, but with isolated keys) and a bigger, gesture-enabled touchpad. The interior of the clamshell is trimmed in a real aluminum border, and you’ll notice a fingerprint reader and a contactless RFID card scanner (yes, that’s right: security via your company ID) where your palms rest.

The 16-inch HD (1600×900) LCD WLED backlit matte display is topped off with an optional 2-megapixel autofocus webcam and microphone for videoconferencing. In a nod to business types, the Latitude Z comes with Dell Capture Business Card Reader and Document Scanner software, which allows you to hold up a business card or document to the built-in webcam and it will literally pull the information off the photographed document and put it in usable text form, no extra equipment needed.

(I tried this myself in person, and while it takes a little practice lining up a business card appropriately with a “target” that appears on the screen, it’s pretty neat to have someone’s business card info completely typed up and organized, ready to go.)

The built-in webcam also works with Dell FaceAware, which locks out others when you step away from the system.

The other real news is Dell EdgeTouch, an almost-hidden capacitive strip along the right side of the display’s bezel that’s activated by a finger touch on a small outlined sensor at the bottom-right corner. When activated, a taskbar-like touch menu appears on the right edge of the display, allowing for shortcut access to useful items.

Around the edge, you’ll find two USB 2.0 ports (one doubles as an eSATA port), 1 DisplayPort and an audio in/out port. All of these ports are on the right side — the left edge is purely for ventilation. On the 45-degree zinc hinges that flank the color-matched battery, you’ll find an RJ-45 Ethernet port and Dell’s barrel-shaped power port.

Speaking of that battery, by the way: in typical Dell fashion, the Latitude Z comes with a 4-cell (four hour) battery that sits flush with the hinges; an 8-cell (eight hour) version adds a bumper-like hump to the system.

The final new business feature is Dell’s Always ON technology, an instant-on, no-boot miniature operating system that allows for Web browsing, e-mail, calendar and contact access. (Dell reps said they’re working on incorporating instant messages into the environment; for now, no dice.) Believe it or not, this environment uses an entirely different, secondary mini ARM processor that sits beneath your palms, saving battery life.

Inside you’ll find a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo processors: the 1.4GHz SU9400 or the 1.6GHz SU9600, which come with 2GB and 4GB of dual-channel 1066MHz DDR3 memory, respectively. (This doesn’t include the mini CPU for the Always ON environment.)

Storage is solid-state only, and supports up to two drives in your choice of 64GB non-encrypted, 128GB encrypted or 256GB encrypted capacities apiece.

Graphics are provided by Intel’s GMA 4500MHD, and connectivity comes by way of Bluetooth, mobile broadband (EVDO; HSUPA) and WLAN 802.11a/g/n. (WiMax is an option.)

For the green-minded, the system is Energy Star 5.0 compliant, achieves an EPEAT Gold rating, and is made from mercury- and arsenic-free glass and halogen-free components.

The power adapter is a slim, redesigned model that might eventually replace current options on the rest of the Latitude line.

Not content with all this, Dell’s also got a Latitude Z-specific wireless charging station in the pipeline that doubles as a monitor stand, as well as a small wireless dock station (DVI, USB). Both can be seen in the image gallery.

The Dell Latitude Z600 is available today in the U.S., Canada and select countries in Europe and Asia, starting at $1,999. The wireless charging stand and the dock will be available in late October.

My impression: After seeing and playing with the Latitude Z in person, it’s a formidable machine. I don’t think the style is for everyone, but the array of business-friendly features means it’s not just eye candy. Above all, the Z is an immensely useful system that means business. I wonder, though, if users would really drag a 16-inch machine around, despite the light weight and thin profile. (If you’re worried about flex on such a thin, large system, fear not — it felt pretty sturdy when I held it by one hand.) I also wonder about the decision to release the system ahead of the Windows 7 launch.

More impressions from around the web:

• Engadget: “A pretty tight design from Dell, and oozes quality.”
• Gizmodo: “Chock-full of some kick ass tech.”
• LAPTOP: “A premium business machine that’s worth the splurge.”
• Ars Technica: “Not every aspect of the Z600 is an obvious win, but it represents a step in the right direction.”
• Computerworld: “The question is whether corporations have lifted themselves enough out of the recession doldrums to purchase what is, in essence, a luxury item.”

Love it or hate it? Tell me what you think of Dell’s new Latitude Z in TalkBack.

(Taken from blogs.zdnet.com)

Wii Price Cut

Nintendo is slashing the price of its Wii game console in Japan and the US by 20%, part of a global strategy to spur sales ahead of the crucial Christmas shopping season.

In Japan, the Wii's price will be cut to 220 dollars on October 1, the company has said.

In the US the day before, Nintendo said the console's price will be lowered by 50 dollars on Sunday to 200 dollars. The company gave no details on possible UK cuts.

The reductions follows similar moves by rivals Sony and Microsoft. Console price cuts are customary for the video game industry after the systems have celebrated a birthday or two, because they help lure in mass audiences.

Sony said in August it would cut the price in Japan for its popular PlayStation 3. Microsoft said last month it was cutting the Japanese price for its Xbox 360 game console by 25%.

Nintendo had earlier said it had no plan to slash the price for the Wii. But a company spokesman said it hoped to "spur sales" with cheaper Wii consoles.

"With the price cuts both in Japan and the US, we want to spur sales during the upcoming year-end shopping seasons," he said.

The global recession has made price cuts important, especially as game companies gear up for the Christmas shopping season, when the video game industry makes most of its money. Without the price cuts, it would be difficult to entice budget-conscious shoppers to buy the machines.

The Wii, whose game control senses motions without having to rely solely on buttons and levers, is the top selling console worldwide. Launched in 2006, Nintendo's Wii hit 50 million unit sales worldwide in March 2009 - the fastest sales pace of any video game machine ever.

3.1 Software Features

I know I'm a tad bit late, but here is the list of things that apple has updated in 3.1

iPhone OS 3.1 includes these features and updates:

• Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos¹
• iTunes U content organization
• Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
• Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
• Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
• Option to "Save as new clip" when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on

• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
• Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
• Paste phone numbers into the keypad
• Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
• Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
• Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
• Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly

iTunes 9.0.1 Released today

iTunes 9.0.1 was released today, it fixed some major bugs and security holes. Read the full features list here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL927

Promo Code

iTunes App Store Promo Code for GlossyTouch: PYRR46MT3M3J
First come first serve!

iTunes Security Flaw

Apple has shipped iTunes 9.0.1to fix a critical security hole that puts Mac and Windows users at risk of computer takeover attacks.

The vulnerability could be used by hackers to launch code execution attacks via booby-trapped “.pls” files, Apple warned in an advisory.

• Impact: Opening a maliciously crafted .pls file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
• Description: A buffer overflow exists in the handling of .pls files. Opening a maliciously crafted .pls file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking.

The update is available for Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11 or later, Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

T-Mobile's new myTouch 3G

You’ve probably seen the latest commercial for T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G smartphone, where comedian Whoopi Goldberg, NBA coach Phil Jackson and motorcycle builder Jesse James pass the handset to each other.

But did you ever wonder if the thing was any good?

I spent the better part of a month with the myTouch 3G to find out.

The appeal of the myTouch 3G is apparent from the beginning: it’s the first fully touchscreen handset (no QWERTY keyboard here) powered by the Google Android operating system, and by extension, it’s been positioned as the kind of smartphone that you can feel safe giving to both your parents and kids.

The surprisingly light myTouch 3G is sold to be “100% you,” satisfied by three colors (black, white, burgundy) and an array of customized backplates, skins and apps from the T-Mobile myTouch Studio. It also comes, in a nice touch for users, with headphones, a screen protector, a soft drawstring phone case, a charger that mimics the shape of the phone itself and a cushioned, branded soft-hard case to pack it all inside.

But the aspect of customization also refers to the Android OS that powers the handset. With it, you can program widgets to sit on the three screen-wide home screen, download apps through Android Market and generally do whatever you want with the device — work, play, whatever.

To challenge this proposition, I used the phone for the better part of a workday, syncing my work and personal lives to the device. The phone supports Microsoft Exchange out of the box, and offers a separate icon for the purpose.

I had no problem syncing my corporate mail account to the device, and naturally didn’t have any problem syncing my personal Gmail account, either (Android offers a third option if you have another e-mail provider).

I set up Yahoo! Messenger (work) and Google Chat and AIM (personal) and was effectively on my way.

As is expected, the myTouch integrates perfectly with all Google services. That’s a great thing for those of us who use Google services regularly; if you don’t, this phone will still suffice, but you’ll be missing out on key integration opportunities.

Android uses a notification system that alerts you at the top of the screen of an incoming message. The feature becomes useful if you’re in one connection tool and get messaged with another, but the alert is a bit hard to read.

In this sense, the Android flavor of the myTouch 3G (Cupcake) is still fairly basic, and you need to duck in and out of connection apps to keep abreast of your potential avenues of contact. (It’s the same limitation iPhone users face.)

Other vendors have already begun addressing this problem, including Palm with its webOS for the Pre and Pixi and Motorola with its Motoblur RSS-based widget architecture for the CLIQ. But unless you’re using this device as a hardcore business communication tool, it’s not truly essential to navigate three different IM clients at once.

That said, the myTouch can be quite effective if you’re a user who prefers a touch interface. It improves on the somewhat-maligned T-Mobile G1, made by the same manufacturer, HTC. In losing the G1’s heavy slider keyboard, the myTouch 3G is remarkably lighter, thinner and more pleasurable to use.

(Strangely, I had a difficult time conditioning myself to not confuse the home and power/off buttons.)

The 3.2-inch, 262,000-color, 480×320 pixel resolution screen is as impressive.

The myTouch 3G offers a rollerball that can serve as an alternate navigation method; in practice, I found that the touch-rollerball combo was versatile, intuitive and effective in addressing different situations. (For example, I found myself using the rollerball to navigate menu options; I preferred using my finger for navigating media, such as photos.)

But business-minded users will note the myTouch 3G’s lack of Outlook calendar and contacts sync, as well as a missing file manager. And the virtual keyboard was just a bit scrunched for my big thumbs.

Curiously, despite being “about you,” there aren’t any options to edit photos, or for that matter, a flash for the camera. Furthermore, the handset lacks a standard 3.5mm jack, so you’re limited to using the earbuds that come with the phone.

Storage comes in the form of an included 4GB microSD card — smaller than the iPhone’s storage.

In use, I found the myTouch 3G to be mostly smooth in navigation and loading content, but occasionally Android would hiccup for unexplained reason, a moment’s snag before the interface would catch up (such as when using the sliding main menu on the home screen).

Integration with Google Maps was great, but I found that about 50 percent of the time it was inaccurate. In New York City, it occasionally mapped me 30 blocks from where I was standing; driving down I-95 in New Jersey, it occasionally pinned me in a field adjacent to the highway, rather than on the road itself.

The Android Market for apps is fine enough, but it’s still lacking in surfacing key offerings, such as an official Facebook app. As the Android platform grows in popularity (and it will), this will become a non-issue.

The battery life on the myTouch 3G is much improved over the G1. It’s rated at 7 hours and 30 minutes of talk time and 420 hours standby, and I browsed and messaged and e-mailed on 3G for most of the day without a problem.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Currently, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G is the most versatile Android smartphone on the market. It’s fairly easy for people of all ages to use, and it can be configured to suit a person’s needs rather easily.

The little accessory touches that T-Mobile packages with the device make the purchase price ($199 with a two-year contract) a little easier to swallow.

The mytouch 3G is also a good choice for someone who wants iPhone-like features without buying into Apple’s product ecosystem.

With that said, the market for Android phones is about to expand dramatically, and the reign of the myTouch as the best Android phone out there will be short-lived. Motorola, Samsung and HTC have more Android-based handsets in the pipeline, and several (HTC’s Hero, on Sprint, and Motorola’s CLIQ, on T-Mobile) have shown themselves to be equal to or superior than the myTouch 3G.

Still, when those handsets arrive to market (October), they will command higher prices, and the myTouch 3G will likely be reduced in price. When that occurs, the myTouch 3G will still be able to reinforce its value as the easiest way to transition to a 3G smartphone — no whiz-bang required.

(Review By: Andrew Nusca, ZDNet)

Microsoft's New Tablet PC Pics!

Microsoft's new tablet PC pictures have been released, not much on features yet. We know for sure about a 3MP Camera w/ flash & a touch screen (obviously).
More coming soon.

(Pictures from Gizmodo.com)

Halo 3: ODST Contest

Kongregate.com is holding a contest where 20 lucky winners will receive a copy of Halo 3: ODST, and one lucky grand prize winner will receive a 60" Flat Screen LCD TV, XBox 360 Elite, and a copy of Halo 3: ODST. (Registration Required)

http://www.kongregate.com/pages/halo-odst-sweepstakes

Gifting iPhone apps?

iTunes has previously allowed giving albums as a gift, rumors say they may be doing the same with all iPhone apps in the next update.
Let's wait and see

Get Windows 7 Free

Get Windows 7 Ultimate for free... by throwing a party

Dying to throw a party where everyone goes home alone? Microsoft's got you covered. Redmond's looking for Windows 7 fans to throw launch parties from October 22-29, and if you're chosen, you'll get a free "Signature Edition" of Windows 7 Ultimate, free party favors, and a chance to win a PC valued at $750. Sure, you'll have to suck up your pride and invite your friends to a party with a theme like "setting up with ease" or "family friendly fun," but if you're willing to throw a party where everyone is apparently supposed to sit around a laptop and then go out and buy something, well, we're guessing you don't have too much pride to begin with.

Info: http://houseparty.com/windows7

Notice

The changes have been made. Please comment and let us know how you like it.

Sincerely,
~HckrSvn

Notice

Notice: The Computer Junkies blog will be undergoing maintenance, we apologize if the blog acts slow during our upgrading.

Sincerely,
~HckrSvn

New iPod Touch 3g Features

Now that the rest of the world has stopped crying about the new iPod Touch not having a camera, there is some good news:

• The third generation iPod Touch has a better screen. When you play videos or surf the Internet, you will notice that the colors are crisper and the screen doesn't wash out as much.
  
• The 3rd gen iPod Touch has a faster processor, 50% faster than the previous 1st & 2nd generation processors to be exact.
  
• iPod Touches are now cheaper, the 8gb model is only $199, 32gb is $299, and 64gb is $399. It seems that Apple has decided to drop the 16gb model. (I don't understand why, I personally would have dropped the 8gb model myself)

Not much in the new iPod Touch, but still an upgrade

How to Make a Stylus for your iPod Touch

Here is how you can build a cheap, effective stylus for your iPod touch (Bonus: It won't scratch the screen!)

Materials:

• Pencil
• Aluminum Foil
• Electrical Tape
• Something to shorten the pencil with (I used a grindstone)

What to do:

1: Shorten the pencil to about 5 1/2"
2: Wrap the entire pencil with aluminum foil (Make sure to cover the tapping end completely)
3: Wrap both ends with electrical tape (Make sure to completely cover the tapping end, so you won't scratch your screen)
4: Enjoy!

Apple 3.1 iPod Touch Software

iPod Touch 3.1 software update is out!
iTunes 9 is out too!

Apple rock n' roll

http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/2009/09/09/ipod-touch-fans-live-rock-and-roll-event-meta-liveblog/

Jolicloud

Jolicloud is a new Linux OS for your netbook. It is designed for social networking, media, and other. Find out more here: http://www.jolicloud.com/

I will post a review shortly

iPhone 3.0 software review

The new 3.0 iPhone OS is a very nice upgrade, well worth the $10 for iPod touch users. It has updated push capabilities, enabling apps to display notofications on your iPod. I have found that this feature is very nice. I really like the new feel of the 3.0 OS, it's landscape email & notes makes it much more bearable to type on the iPod. The updated tilting sensitivity is also nice for some of the apps that require you to tilt your device. Video recording and editing has been added for iPhones only, video has surprisingly good quality for a cell phone, and editing couldn't be any easier. Voice memos have also been added for both iPod & iPhone, but is somewhat useless for the older iPods since thier headphones don't have mics built in, if you want a mic headset for voice memos it will cost you another $25, slightly annoying, but useful nonetheless. Spotlight search has also been added as well, spotlight is useful because it allows you to search your entire ipod/iphone. You can search for apps, notes, emails, songs, videos, and other. Apple has also enabled bluetooth in all iPod touches, cool but slightly annoying as well because that means that iPods were bluetooth capable the entire time but we just had to pay more to activate it.

These are just some of the many features that Apple has included, along with many bug fixes.

Pros - Landscape email & notes, updated tilt, better push notifications, Bluetooth, video recording/editing (iPhone only), voice memos, updated music player, spotlight search, compass (iPhone only), MMS (iPhone only), wireless syncing

Cons - can't doubletap the home button and have the iPod turn on with volume controls

[Posted from my iPod]

iPhone OS 3.0 Live coverage

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/17/live-from-apples-iphone-os-3-0-preview-event/

iPhone 3.0 OS Software

Today at 10AM Pacific time, apple will be showcasing their new iPhone OS, 3.0. We all have our wishes on what we want in the new OS, but none of know.... Yet.

Please note that Apple will not be releasing the OS today... They will just be showing it off.

How to make a "Terrorist Bomb" WiFi USB heatsink

As you all know, I built a heatsink for my modded Nintendo WiFi USB Connector (Want to make one? Go HERE) I got a few emails after posting that asking me for the instructions on how to build one. So for those of you that were interested, here you go:

(Original Article)

Materials Needed:
---------------------
A 2" 3-Pin 12v CPU fan
Duct Tape
A 9v battery
Modded Nintendo WiFi USB Connector (Make one HERE)
USB cable (Preferably the one that came with the USB connector)
An empty 7.06oz tetramin fish-food can
Drill Press (Or some other tool for making holes in the fish-food can)
---------------------
How to make it:
--------------------
1: Take all the labels off of the fish-food can
2. Punch a hole in the bottom of the fish-food can (Make sure that you can fit the USB calbe through it)
3. Drill holes around the bottom part of the can (There is no size/quantity limit)
4. Run the USB cable up through the bottom of the can, plug the WiFi USB Connector into it
5. Take the white cable off of the CPU fan
6. Tape the fan to the top of the fish-food can (So that the air blows down into the can)
7. Tape the 9v battery to the side of the can
8. Run the red wire to the negative contact & the black wire to the positive contact
9. Tape the excess wires down so they don't get in the way
10. Enjoy!

Make sure that you taped the wires down so they can be un-taped when not in use, otherwise you will run your battery dry.

DIY: Nintendo Wifi USB connector heatsink

So, after I modded my Nintendo Wifi USB connector (Do it HERE) I found that it gets really hot. So I took matter into my own hands and made this "Terrorist-Bomb" heatsink for it.

Nintendo Wifi USB Hack

I found this tutorial on how your nintendo USB wifi connector into a softap (wifi router) and have had great success with it in creating a wifi network for internet connection sharing, printer and file sharing etc.

To do this you need to have this rar file:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S4VLBP9A
or you can get it from here:
RapidShare: Easy Filehosting

Then follow these steps:

1)
Unplug the usb connector and uninstall all the nintendo software then restart.

2)
Plug the usb connector and when asked for the drivers navigate to the where you unrared the downloaded files and inside the Drivers folder you will find modified Buffalo drivers. Install these drivers for the USB Connector. Then install the ASUS software (also in RAR file(eng_2371.zip)). When it prompts you to restart, select No. I have found that there is no need to.

3)
Now in the ASUS EXEs folder of the RAR file, extract the six EXE files in the into the ASUS folder (C:\Program Files\ASUS\WLAN Card Utilities). Make sure you overwrite the existing files.

4)Then run ASUS WLAN Control Center. You will get a dialog asking if you want to use the Windows configuration utility or the ASUS one, select the option that uses ASUS one and disables the Windows one. Then there will be a wizard. Click Cancel to close the wizard.

5)
Now copy the file (C:\Program Files\ASUS\WLAN Card Utilities\Driver\WinXP\AP\rt2500usb.sys) to (C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers). Make sure you overwrite the existing file.

6)
Right-click on the ASUS software icon in the System Tray (bottom-right corner of screen) and select Wireless Settings. When the settings dialog opens, on the left select Config, then go to the SoftAP tab, and select Soft AP Mode. Then un-tick the Enable ICS checkbox. Then on the left click Apply. You will get a message box asking if you really want to change to SoftAP mode, click Yes. A message will come up saying something like "add the adapter to the network bridge", just ignore it and click OK. If all has gone well, there will be no error messages. Now close the ASUS Wireless Config utility or it will start conflicting when we manually set ICS.

7) Now go to Control Panel -> Network Connections. Right-click on the Network Adapter you are currently accessing your Internet through (or your internet connection icon) and open the properties for that connection. Go to the Advanced tab, and click "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection". Then click OK. If you get an error message saying the IP address is already in use, disable the Network adapter you are trying to share then try again - be sure to enable it again afterwards. It can take a long time for ICS to be enabled so wait patiently.

8)
Now right-click on the Wireless Network Connection and click Properties. In the middle of the dialog there will be some protocols, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then open the properties for that. Windows would have assigned a static IP address if ICS was successfully enabled, check to make sure this IP address does not conflict with other IP addresses on your network. Also, it should be on a different subnet to the Local Area Connection (for example, my computer's IP address is 192.168.0.2, I assigned the wireless network connection the IP address of 192.168.1.1 - which is on a different subnet). If it is on the same subnet, ICS will not work correctly.

9)*****
With that done, open the ASUS Wireless Config utility again. On the left select Config, in the Basic tab set a SSID. In the encryption tab, select Shared for Network Authentication and WEP for Data Encryption. Now enter a WEP key. Go back to the Basic tab, and at the bottom click on Advanced, change the 54g Mode setting to 802.11b only. Click Apply on the left to save the settings.

10)
Now turn on your wii or ds, go to the Nintendo WFC Settings, and select Manual Setup. Enter the SSID and WEP Key (both of these are case-sensitive) you entered to the ASUS Config utility before. Select No to Auto-obtain IP Address. Now give your wii an IP Address (this must be on the same subnet as the USB connector, I gave my wii the IP address: 192.168.1.2). For subnet mask enter 255.255.255.0. For gateway and primary DNS, enter the IP address of the USB connector. Now try and test connection, and if all has gone well the connection should be successful!

11) Optional 

Now with the ASUS Wireless Config utility, hide your SSID, and use MAC Address filtering to improve the security of your wireless access point.

12)
You now have an Official Nintendo Wifi USB Connector that can connect online with any other devices.

You can now search for an access point on other devices such as laptops, iTouch's and psp's or just enter the ssid and wep(if used) of your access point.

this tutorial was made originally by kcajblue of the afterdawn forums

WebDesign.org

Hey guys, check this site out! www.webdesign.org It has just about everything concerning web design & photoshop editing. I use it all the time, it's great.

ilsystemwiper

ilsystemwiper is an awesome free utility. What it does is it clears all your data on shutdown. For instance, I have ilsystemwiper clean out my temp files, recycle bin, cookies, IE history, & tons of other stuff. That way, my computer doesn't get bogged down with all this stuff.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/systemwiper.html

Windows 7 Beta

Microsoft has released Windows 7 beta to the public!
Download: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

Great free blogging app

Here is a great free blogging app for the iPhone/Touch, it is called iBlogger. (I am actually using iBlogger right now) iBlogger supports a multitude of different blogging services. (Blogger, Typepad, & wordpress; just to name a few.)

[Posted from my iPod Touch]

Mac vs. PC Transformers

Awesome video, Mac vs. PC Transformers

iPod Touch HotFix

Here is my iPod Touch hotfix:

Problem - iPod boots you out of apps, freezes, and is sluggish
Solved! - Reboot the iPod touch.

(Hold the power button until the red slider appears, you can figure out the rest) ;)

Ipod Touch 2g Review

I have had a 16gb iPod Touch (2nd Generation) for several months now. The new design is amazing, the way the back is shaped makes it fit perfectly in your hand. It is a fingerprint magnet, though. But the fingerprints clean up really easy & don't hinder your view of the screen at all when they are there.

The battery life is amazing..... Unless you are playing games. If you are playing games you get about one and a half hours worth of battery life, instead of 36 hrs music & 6 hrs video. The battery charges very fast, a full charge takes about 45 min. The only bad thing that I can think of about the battery is the fact that you have to send it in to Apple to get it replaced.

The built-in speakers are a great idea. While the speakers aren't really fit for music, they are perfect for the iPod sound effects & games. The earbud sound quality is crystal-clear, and they are small & lightweight on top of that. I really like the volume controls built into the left side of the iPod. It completely eliminates the need to turn your iPod on to adjust the volume.

I haven't personally used the iPod+Nike, but I have heard that it is a nice feature.

The UI (User Interface) is really nice, all of the animations are smooth & complete. The on-screen keyboard, while the keys are small, is highly effective. Though it does take a few minutes to get used to. (If you haven't texted on a QWERTY keyboard before)

While the wi-fi isn't G3, it is surprisingly faster than you would think. The web browser is really fun to use. While you wouldn't want to use it to log into accounts, (ex. Yahoo! email) it is great for anything else.

In my opinion, the iPod Touch is a handheld Mac.