Video: Verizon Droid calls iPhone ‘digitally clueless’ in latest ad

The word “droid” is short for “android.” When you think of androids you think of robots. “Robot” is a Czech word that means “drudgery.” “Drudgery” is defined as “dull, irksome, and fatiguing work.” And let me tell you: it is dull, irksome, and fatiguing to sit through this latest Verizon Droid commercial…CrunchGear

Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on

Thanks to a very generous anonymous tipster, we’ve gotten a number of hands-on pics of Barnes & Noble’s soon to be released (for some) Nook e-reader. The impressions we’ve been given, however, weave a tale of a laggy Android interface, which sounds like what we noticed with the first introduction video. Other fun facts include in-store WiFi browsing coming in 2010, and an important clarification that cover-to-cover book browsing over BN’s network only works for an hour at a time, not unlimited…Engadget

HP Envy 13 makes those cheap netbooks envious

We liked the HP Envy 13 laptop when we it was first announced a couple of months ago, but now that we’ve gotten our hands on one, we like it even more. This 13.1-incher is chiseled out of aluminum on top and magnesium on the bottom, as if it were created by a master sculptor. It gives new meaning to the words thin and light, where its 0.8 inch thickness and 3.74-pound weight make it easy to fit into even the most cramped carry-on…Dvice

AP source: Apple in talks to buy Lala.com

Apple Inc. is in advanced talks to buy online music retailer Lala.com, a Silicon Valley startup that has threatened “the end of the MP3″ with its fast song-streaming application.

A person familiar with the matter confirmed the talks with The Associated Press but was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity…BusinessWeek

Exploding iPhones Start Popping Up Again, This Time In The Middle Of A Party

A while ago, here on ZiggyTek, we talked about exploding iPhones and how they were popping up all over the world. Well, it had seemed to stop for a while, until today when a iPhone mysteriously blew up. The iPhone was being used as a music source at a party when it suddenly exploded, filling the room with smoke…Ziggytek

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Why the CrunchPad mattered

There’s already been quite a bit of ink spilled over the demise of the CrunchPad but I thought I’d add a few drops. My opinion is this: the CrunchPad was a testament to the power of online media and a fascinating study in the ability of new media to enact real changes on the real world. While the product faltered, it’s fascinating that the project went as far as it did given the forces arrayed against it….CrunchGear

Nokia asks own blog readers what their favorite part of the X6 is, gets funny answer

It’s odd, because we were under the impression that Nokia was doing just fine shunning capacitive touch all these years, but apparently one in three readers of Nokia Conversations find the capacitive touchscreen to be the number one feature of the new X6 handset. Sure, Nokia uses some of the greatest resistive screens in the business, but we’ve always maintained that capacitive is simply the best when it comes to a finger-based touchscreen interface, and hopefully the Nokia X6 can usher in a new era of peace, understanding and higher-than-average WPM scores for all mankind. Oh, and perhaps some proper it’s / its differentiation….Engadget

Sony optimistic on 3-D TVs, in-house display

A third to a half of the Sony Corp. TV sets sold annually will be packed with 3-D features by the year ending March 2013, a senior executive said Thursday.

But Sony Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka acknowledged that what Sony may really need for its money-losing TV business is its own display technology and the ability to make its own TV displays…BusinessWeek

5 classic sci-fi gadgets guaranteed to please your geekiest beloved

Let’s face it: if there’s a sci-fi geek in your life that means a lot to you, then you know how this time of year can be a real headache when it comes to finding unique geeky gifts. Sure, there are plenty of sci-fi pop culture goodies out there in stores, but our beloved nerds deserve better than yet another light saber, even if it is a different color.

We at DVICE know your pain so we’ve assembled a list of classic sci-fi geek gadgets that are sure to knock some nerd socks off, let alone inspire that singular nostalgia us nerdy folk crave. Click Continue to get this party started…Dvice

Top 6 Beauty Gadgets: Using Technology As The Frontier For Beauty

Beauty and Gadgets are two very different things but among these differences are a few similarities that put the two topics together. So, because we’re having a Beauty/Gadget run here at ZiggyTek with the launch of our new site, FlauntMe, we’ve compiled a list of gadgets related to beauty that help you look the best that you possibly can, ranging from dental care to hair care gadgets. Are you ready? Let’s Go…ZiggyTek

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Schiller’s spin on App Store issues ignores real complaints

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, has made another attempt to address numerous complaints about the precarious iPhone App Store approval process that have circulated in the media recently. Schiller’s point of view is that the approval process is valuable to developers and consumers, and that Apple is trying to “learn and improve” upon the process. That’s more or less what Schiller said in when he addressed these issues over four months ago, though we have no evidence that any significant improvements have actually been implemented…Arstechnica

Stats show Motorola Droid is the new elephant in the Android room

Remember back in the day when the West was still wild, the gold rush was still in full effect, you owned whatever land you could manage to fence off, and tycoons were being made and broken on a daily basis? No? Well, some of you whippersnappers might be too young to recall it, but trust us, it happened — and it seems like that’s the kind of frontier mentality we’re getting again today in the nascent Android landscape. Just a couple weeks after launching, mobile ad clearinghouse AdMob reports that the Motorola Droid is already accounting for a whopping 24 percent of all its Android-based traffic — no small feat, considering that the then-unreleased device didn’t even move the needle in their October report (pictured in the left graph)…Engadget

Best of the Rest: Gadgets of the Decade, Carl Sagan Auto-Tuned v.3

There’s a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can’t cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web…Switched

A storm is brewing at Best Buy

Here it comes: Best Buy ran a national Black Friday ad inviting the world to celebrate Thanksgiving and Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice. Fair enough, right? Happy Eid! Well, take a gander at the ad up there and brace yourself.

Look closely. You’ll probably miss the good will and wishes, they’re so innocuous…CrunchGear

Apple Fires Back At Verizon For “iDon’t” Ads With Two Of Their Own

Well, well, well, looks like Apple is jumping in on the war against Verizon as well. Apple will be releasing two new ads starting tonight, that show off its ability to browse the web and talk at the same time, something that’s not allowed on almost every Verizon phone. This is a response to the “iDon’t” ads released by Verizon for the Droid, highlighting the things the iPhone is incapable of doing. With Apple firing back, Verizon is getting attacked from two sides, with AT&T doing its own thing to fight Verizon’s latest “there’s a map for that” ad…ZiggyTek

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Nasa’s moon bombing is a huge dud, along with the boring video

Some of us expected something out of a sci-fi movie, with a NASA room full of computers, people running in and out, followed by a huge eplosion on the moon and cheers coming from everywhere. Instead, we got what looks like college freshman, sitting in front of old Dell computers, in a converted lunchroom with a $10 banner that reads NASA…Gizmodo

Apple charging $10,000 for iTunes LP production, ripping out Indie labels

Apple has decided to begin charging a hefty production fee of $10,000 to major record labels for iTunes LP packeages, while Indie labels are completely cut out of the loop…Engadget

Miley Cyrus Leaving Twitter in the Dust

Miey Cyrus’ departure from Twitter creates an uproar of perplexed fans, causing every major news network to cover this rather dull event which comes as a surprise to many. Who knew she had such a huge follow?…FastCompany

Adobe Photoshop Arrives on the iPhone

The iPhone has quite an amount of photo editing applications but none of these can match up to the new Adobe Photoshop app which arrived to the app store today. The app is limited in terms of features but it’s for free, so it can’t be that bad….Dvice

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Verizon: No Pre for us, thank you

In a rather surprising move considering Verizon’s lack of compelling handsets, the nation’s biggest wireless carrier has decided it’s going to pass on the Palm Pre, if reports are to be believed. This is a serious blow to Palm’s aspirations, and their stock took a 5% hit as if to rubber-stamp it. Although the team here is divided over Palm’s new efforts (and advertising strategy), I think we were all secretly rooting for Palm just a bit. After all, WebOS is impressive and the Pre and Pixi are solid little devices — but Verizon doesn’t think so, or at least not anymore….MobileCrunch

Entelligence: Have we demonized DRM?

There was a lot of discussion when Steve Jobs wrote his famous letter about DRM a few years ago. I think the letter and the timing were brilliant back in the day and it put the issue of DRM squarely where it belongs, with the content companies and not companies such as Apple or Microsoft. I agree with the overall assertion that companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Real will sell more songs without DRM. But there’s more to the story, and asking consumers about DRM is a loaded question. The analogy best given to me by one of my non-digerati friends is asking, “would you rather get 3 slices of pizza for $5, or all you can eat at a buffet for $5?” The vast majority will likely opt for the latter, even though that same vast majority will still only eat three slices….Engadget

Unnamed, unpriced PS3 motion controller arrives next spring

At the Tokyo Game Show Sony went to great pains to make its upcoming motion control more “real,” showing off tech demos and announcing specific games that will make use of the technology. When will consumers be able to play with the motion controller themselves? In Spring, 2010. Unfortunately, the questions still seem to outnumber the answers…ArsTechnica

I’m Tired Of Twitter and Facebook Widgets On Every Gadget, What’s Next, Toasters?

Facebook and Twitter have hit all time highs in terms of usage and popularity with Twitter recently hitting the $1 billion value. Both companies have been propelled by the advent of smartphone apps and widgets across other sites. What’s annoyed me most about many of these widgets is the devices they can now be found in, photo frames and televisions…Ziggytek

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Microsoft Courier: the Apple tablet just got bumped into second place

Well, that’s it, I guess. The CrunchPad and Apple Tablet had a good run (in their mysterious ways), but Microsoft has come out of left field to deliver what appears to be the coolest tablet-like computer we’ve ever seen. Those lucky ducks over at Gizmodo appear to have a pretty solid exclusive on it, though, but I’m burning through my little black book of Microsoft guys to get more info…CrunchGear

South Korea clears iPhone for sale

What, you didn’t know you couldn’t buy the iPhone from at least one carrier in all 193 widely-recognized sovereign nations of the world? It’s true; one need look no further than South Korea, one of the most technologically-advanced wireless societies, where much of the growth over the past several years has occurred in a self-imposed bubble thanks to the existence of policies requiring the presence of a custom software layer for connecting to data services — a layer that gave local players like Samsung and LG an almost impenetrable advantage over foreign competition…Engadget

Skype Founders Pull Out the Stops

At the end of August, Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis submitted an 11th-hour bid for the Internet-calling business, BusinessWeek.com has learned. The pair, who had sold Skype to eBay (EBAY) in 2005, offered to buy it back for $2.1 billion, according to three people familiar with the situation. The offer was made in conjunction with private equity firm Elevation Partners, one of the people says.

Friis and Zennström were trumped, of course, by a rival bid that valued Skype at $2.75 billion, but their efforts show how far the pair are willing to go to retain control of what makes Skype valuable…BusinessWeek

Get push for Gmail on iPhone, WinMo via Google Sync

The Google Mobile team has announced a new enhancement that fills in a major gap in its Google Sync feature that enabled over-the-air, push syncing of contacts and calendars to mobile devices earlier this year. It now supports push e-mail for both iPhone OS and Windows Mobile-based devices…ArsTechnica

Netflix Says iPhone App Will Be Coming, It Should Come Out ASAP

Last week, I was hoping and tweeting, there should be a Hulu app for the iPhone so I can watch all the shows returning for the fall, when I’m not near my computer. Of course, there’s rumors floating of a possible Hulu iPhone app but today there was some good news for some iPhone fans, Netflix will be releasing an iPhone, just not right away…Ziggytek

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Palm announces first quarter results: $164.5m net loss, 823k phones sold

Palm just announced its first quarter results — the first to really include numbers from the Pre — and they’re positive (well, depending on how you look at things), with a $2.8m gross profit on $68m in revenue. Actually, that’s a little low, since Palm uses the same sort of subscription accounting for the Pre as Apple does for the iPhone, so the unofficial numbers are higher: $100.6m gross profit on $360.7m in revenue…Engadget

The GoGoStand fits in your wallet, transforms to hold your phone

This should be quick. The $5 GoGoStand is a plastic card that can be rigged to hold your phone and then just like it doesn’t care, collapsed down for easy wallet storage. Watch the video after the break if you still don’t get it…CrunchGear

Apps Trump Tunes at Apple

Right after unveiling new iPods and iTunes software at an event on Sept. 9, Apple (AAPL) Chief Executive Steve Jobs invited singer Norah Jones on stage to perform for the assembled tech and media pundits. “Like you, we love music,” he told the crowd. “That’s probably the primary reason we do this.”…BusinessWeek

Is This a Joke? eBay and Verizon Win Privacy Award

In a surprise announcement, eBay, and Verizon have been awarded the top titles of “Most Trusted Companies for Privacy” by the Ponemon Institute and TRUSTe. According to a recent survey, these companies were shown to offer clear privacy statements, customer-friendly notices, great access to information, solid cookie management and sound data sharing practices. While the companies may excel on paper, it’s hard to believe these are the top privacy-related companies based on public sentiment alone…NY Times

SHIFT: How Sprint’s $69 deal is good for everyone (except Sprint)

It was big news when Sprint announced last week that it would offer a $69 package on cellphone service, including unlimited calling to any other cellphone, unlimited texting, some fun bells and whistles like GPS navigation, and most important: unlimited data. Lots of people were celebrating the move, with writers and readers pondering switching providers to Sprint. As a former Sprint customer, I’m not in any hurry to get back to the company with the worst customer support I’ve ever encountered (in any industry). But then I look at my iPhone plan with AT&T, which squeezes an extra $20 out of me for unlimited text messaging, and I wonder…Dvice

Can Sony Compete Against Apple With New Walkman Series?

Sony introduced new music players yesterday to help gain some traction on Apple’s iPod line, but does it really have a chance even though it looks like an amazing music device? Sony is hoping the recent news that their Walkman line outsold the iPod in Japan, for the first time in four years, can propel them ahead to sell even more Walkman music players. Their latest devices have offer some pretty neat features…Ziggytek

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Archos 5 Android tablet gets felt up all over the internet

Remember that hot new Archos tablet we mentioned a little while back? Five inch touchscreen? Runs Android? Right. Well it’s not just PR shots and specs now; it’s been handled by just about everyone on the internet, and the consensus is: solid, but maybe wait for the first update, which will add full HTML browsing by default and perhaps Flash support. At any rate, the pricing is confirmed and they’re available now… and damn has Amazon got a sweet deal on the 60GB version!…CrunchGear

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 bundle has a 250GB HDD, $400 price tag

While the Forza 3 set is still an unconfirmed listing, there’s no denying the Xbox 360 has just upped its storage capacity options with a 250GB HDD bundle clad in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 emblems. Asking price is $399.99 and that includes the game and two black wireless controllers. Our friends at Joystiq have conjured up some images of the packaging as well as some shakycam footage of the debut from a LA press event, seen after the break….Engadget

“Updated” 8GB iPod touch has lower price, not better gaming

Apple spent a lot of time during the September iPod event talking about how the iPod touch was a great gaming device. However, in an effort to bring down the price on the 8GB model, Apple left it saddled with last year’s graphics capabilities. Plenty of holiday shoppers might not know or care about the differences, but it does create additional splintering of Apple’s mobile platform at a time when the uniformity of the platform is seen as one of its biggest assets….ArsTechnica

Microsoft’s New Zune: A Good Gaming Device?

For the past three years, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Zune has chased Apple’s (AAPL) iPod. It has been a hopeless race in which the Zune, despite an attractive design, aggressive pricing, and a decent music service, has never won more than a minuscule share of the market. Microsoft, nothing if not persistent, is hoping to change the game with its newest Zune by exploiting links to the one big success story from its Mobile & Entertainment Devices group: the Xbox…Businessweek

Analyst: iMac and MacBook Updates Coming Within Weeks?

Tech Trader Daily reports on a note to clients from research firm Wedge Partners predicting the release of updated iMac and MacBook models within the next several weeks. The refresh is expected to bring a significant redesign to the iMac, while the MacBook is likely to see only limited enhancements on the design front….Macrumors

4 Good Things About The Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile Deal & 3 Bad Things

Last week London Telegraph reported that Deutsche Telekom was considering making a bid for Sprint Nextel. Sprint’s value has dwindled over the past few years with subscribers leaving in the thousands but a deal with Deutsch could bring together T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel to create the second biggest wireless carrier in the United States behind Verizon Wireless and ahead of AT&T wireless. There are some benefits if T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel were to combine but there are also some negative things to the deal as well….Ziggytek

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MIT students build $150 space camera

If I had $150 dollars (I don’t), I would probably buy a new hard drive. But I’m not MIT quaility. You see, two MIT students decided to spend $150 “to see what the world looked like from the sky.” And apparently they didn’t want to use this thing called the Internet. So they assembled a contraption made up of a weather balloon, helium, Styrofoam cooler, hand warmers, a cell phone, and a camera. Short story: it worked…CrunchGear

Palm Pixi processor, chipset specs get detailed at last

Palm may have divulged most of the details about its new Pixi phone when it got official with it last week (and let us get our hands on it), but it was unfortunately staying mum about a few key specs, including the mystery processor at the heart of the device. Thankfully, Qualcomm has now come out and clarified that situation so Palm doesn’t have to, and detailed the complete specs for the MSM7627 chipset that powers the Pixi…Engadget

Zune HD promo videos posted early, 3D gaming is a go

The Zune HD release is two days away, and yet there are still final details trickling in. Over the weekend, Buy TV posted six Zune HD promotional videos and a Zune HD commercial. The videos have already been taken down, likely at Microsoft’s request, but not before they were grabbed and reuploaded at various sites like YouTube…ArsTechnica

Google, Zoho Challenge Microsoft Abroad, Too

In India and China, upstarts aim to erode Microsoft’s dominance by delivering business productivity software that’s cheaper and more accessible…Businessweek

Does Bing Visual Search Actually Work?

Microsoft dropped a major new Bing feature today: “visual search.” It does what it sounds like, instead of giving you a list of links with thumbnails, Bing gives you a bunch of images you can sort through. But does this actually…FastCompany

Facebook Introduces New “Tag” Feature, Wants To Be More Like Twitter

This past week Facebook released a new feature, very similar to Twitter’s tagging service, where you can attach @ with a user’s name and they’ll be notified of the tag. This obviously begs the question, is Facebook trying to be more like Twitter? Many will argue and say yes they are but it won’t happen…Ziggytek

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Apple’s Time Capsules croak after 18 months?

Ideally, your backup storage solution, whatever it is, should be the most reliable part of your system. After all, who wants to back up a backup? I’ve never had a drive fail on me, but that hasn’t stopped me from having multiple copies of my music, photos, and miscellaneous junk spread over several external drives…CrunchGear

3rd gen iPod touch gets torn down, 802.11n and possible camera slot found

There’s no denying that Apple let the entire world (yes, even the native Easter Islanders) down by not shoving a camera of some sort into its iPod touch, but if a delicate teardown completed by the screwdriver-wielding fiends over at iFixit is any indication, a seasoned modder could certainly add one…Engadget

How to Make the Best Damn Facebook Notifier for Mac

Facebook just released their first experimental desktop app. It’s a menu-bar add on for Mac OS X called “desktop notifications,” but once it’s installed, it does more than notify–but not much more. You can update your status, as well …Fast Company

DoJ decides that Microsoft-Yahoo deal deserves more scrutiny

As expected, the Justice Department has demanded more information about the Microsoft-Yahoo search deal. Yahoo has less reason to worry than it did when it was courting Google, but at the very least, it will be a while before the deal is approved…Arstechnica

AT&T Likely to Keep iPhone Exclusivity Says Analyst, Verizon May Get Subsidized Tablet?

Looks like the AT&T and Apple marriage might not end in a divorce. According to consultant iSuppli, AT&T will continue to be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone after their contract expires sometime in mid-2010. This news comes from a new report by iSuppli claiming that AT&T is working non-stop to make improvements on their network. While AT&T does their part to keep the iPhone on their network, Apple may be working with other carriers to introduce new products…Ziggytek

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‘It’s Only Rock And Roll’ Banner and Last Minute iPod Production Problems?

iPhone Savior points to this photo of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts that Apple has decorated in anticipation of the “It’s Only Rock and Roll” media event.

The lead up to the event has generated some speculation about what Apple might be announcing. Apple is, of course, expected to update the majority of their iPod line as they have done for the past several years during their September media events…Macrumors

A simple how-to on connecting a Wiimote to your Mac or PC

Now before you say something along the lines of “Uh, but why would I want to use a Wiimote when I’ve got a mouse” — no, I’ve changed my mind, go ahead and say it. … … WELL! I will tell you! Recall that your Wiimore and Nunchuk also sport buttons and a very functional analog stick. N64 emulator, anyone?…CrunchGear

Palm Pre rumored to be dropping to $150 on September 8th

We’ve already seen the Palm Pre dip below its $199 list price during a few limited, occasionally inadvertent sales, but it looks like it could soon be dropping well under the $200 mark for a slightly longer period of time — at least if a purportedly legit leaked document is to be believed. According to PreCentral, the doc comes from someone working at a Sprint “indirect partner retail dealer,” and quite clearly indicates that “indirect partners” will be able to sell the Pre for $149.99 (after a mail-in rebate) between September 8th and October 31st, 2009…Engadget

Gutted Classic Game Boy Made Into 80GB Hard Drive

I generally weep when modders take classic video game consoles like this Game Boy here and gut it to produce something less important, like a hard drive…Gizmodo

Android Market: 10,000+ Applications Strong Today

In the mobile OS world, Google’s Android is still a challenger but with the amount of devices that will be running the system that are due to come out in the coming months alone in combination with its open approach it is definitely a contestant to watch closely…TechCrunch

Choices For Age Appropriate Phones And Plans

The NY Times recently had a great piece about phones for kids. With increasing concerns about children online and texting too much, they came up with a few phone solutions that will help parents monitor how much time they spend on the phone along with the times they’re allowed to talk and text. There are three categories, each with recommended phones and software for choosing age appropriate phones…Ziggytek

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Sega sez: Natal and PS3 motion controller games in “early 2010″

When a company says they’d like to think they might make an announcement about some games four or five months from now, you know you’re in trouble. We were all hoping (against all rational thought) that we might at least get an idea of what’s coming for these new motion controllers by Christmas, but no. I guess that although Sega is one of the first to announce that they’ll be making an announcement, it doesn’t mean they’ll be the first with games out. So there’s still hope…CrunchGear

AT&T yanks BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update

Hope you Bold owners out there managed to snag AT&T’s BlackBerry Bold visual voicemail software update while it lasted, because an internal memo leaked to BGR says it’s been pulled due to compatibility problems with “network enhancements being deployed.” That sounds to us like there’s an issue with either those 850MHz 3G rollouts or whatever black magic Ma Bell’s doing to get iPhone MMS up and running, but either way, it’s one more fire for AT&T’s engineers to put out while its customers sit around waiting…Engadget

AT&T and Apple’s iPhone Need an Open Marriage

AT&T is throwing iPhone users a bone by offering MMS as of September 25, but is that enough to quiet a growing chorus of angry customers upset by what they see as shoddy service? Even though many people are pouring on the hate for AT&T, the still love the iPhone, according to reports. So if the cellular network is the problem, here’s a suggestion for Apple that’s guaranteed to keep at least some U.S. customers happy: Cancel iPhone exclusivity with AT&T….PC World

Boston Prep School Destroys Library, Replaces “Outdated Technology” With 18 eReaders

We currently in a digital age but one school is taking it to the next level. Cushing Academy, a Boston prep school, is redesigning their entire library, and turning it digital to keep up with the times. The school is updating its library by getting rid of all the books and replacing it with three flat screen televisions, a coffee bar, eighteen eReaders, and laptops. According to James Tracy, the headmaster, books are “outdated technology.”…Ziggytek

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The Hurt Keeps Coming: Dish And EchoStar Ordered To Pay TiVo Another $200 Million

The battle between Dish and TiVo rages on. As reported by Bloomberg, a judge has ruled that Dish and EchoStar must pay TiVo around $200 million for continuing to provide DVR service to its customers after being told to stop because it was violating TiVo’s patents. Dish and EchoStar plan to appeal the ruling…CrunchGear

Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

While Nokia wouldn’t invite us to Nokia World this year, we were fortunate enough to discover a pair of its new X6 handsets on the IFA floor here in Berlin. On hand were two engineering prototypes, one of which was peeling away from its plastic shell while the other seemed less responsive to our finger-taps than the other. Still, it’s clear that the capacitive touchscreen is far more responsive to human touch than the resistive screens found on its N97, or the 5800 XpressMusic especially…Engadget

Is Windows Mobile 7 in beta already?

What if Windows Mobile 7.0 wasn’t as far off as some would expect? What if the operating system was already in early beta testing phase somewhere deep inside the caverns of Redmond? What if Windows Mobile 7.0 devices arrived less than a year after the first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices? Microsoft might just stand a chance then. It’s a long stretch, but Hand Huang’s LinkedIn profile, which says he’s a Chinese Senior Engineer at Motorola, puts the words “Windows Mobile 7.0″ and “Beta” right beside each other: - Arstechnica

Will Windows 7 Reboot PC Sales?

For the first time in years, the PC market is starting to draw serious attention from Wall Street. Dell (DELL) shares surged after the company beat earnings expectations for the second quarter. The next day chip giant Intel (INTC) gave the sector another lift by raising its forecast for PC processor sales. Hopes are building among investors that the industry will see a revival in growth as Microsoft (MSFT) unveils its new operating system, Windows 7, on Oct. 22 to replace its troubled Windows Vista. “I think the uplift is going to be significant,” says Brian Blair, an analyst with equity research firm Wedge Partners…Businessweek

Augmented Contact Lenses May Be The Future For The Latest Information

Contact lenses are quickly covering the tracks of glasses as they become a part of the past, but these contact lenses won’t be making onto eyes anytime soon. Just the thought of your eyes providing you with analytical information can flabbergast anyone.

‘Augmented Lenses’ is quickly becoming the newest vision correcting technology as trial and error tests are being conducted and the machinery in itself is on its way. In the lenses, there is a prototype that allows the user to see single crystal silicon components, compound semiconductor components, radio chips, minuscule antennae, and an LED…Ziggytek

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Reinventing the bookmark: not necessary, but cool

If, like me, you tend to find yourself in the middle of several books, a six-pack of these things might not be a bad idea. You could just as easily use a piece of paper, or a string with a knot in in it, but then you wouldn’t be able to say you paid money for a bizarre rubber bookmark!…CrunchGear

Giz Explains: Why Tech Standards Are Vital For Apple (And You)

Tech standards are important. They’re, well, standards. They shape the way the world works, ideally. So if you wanna influence your little world, you probably wanna shape (or maybe even create) standards. Take Apple, for example…Gizmodo

Video: Sony confirms it’s ‘bringing home 3D’ starting in 2010

As it turns out, yesterday’s report was spot-on. Sony today announced that it is bringing the experience of looking absolutely ridiculous in 3D glasses home to the living room. The initiative is “starting in 2010″ and will expand through BRAVIA LCD HDTVs, VAIO machines, PlayStation 3, and Blu-ray discs… and not in the press release, but we clearly see a CyberShot digital camera in the promotional video (look out, Fujifilm). It’s hard to say from the wording if all the listed product lines will go 3D next year, but from what we gather there’ll at least be BRAVIA sets in time for that Christmas. Curious see the zaniest video this side of the second dimension? Well, we don’t have that, but you can giggle your way through Sony’s promo after the break…Engadget

The Zune as we know it is gone; long live the Zune HD

The Zune as we know it is going the way of the dodo, and its replacement is of course the Zune HD. “As you know, the new Zune HD device—featuring a touch OLED screen, HD Radio, HD video out capabilities, Internet browser and more—is available for preorder now and will be available at retail on September 15,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. “Additional flash Zune devices (Zune 4GB, 8GB and 16GB) and hard drive devices (80GB and 120GB) will continue to be available at retail until sold out, though we will not continue to manufacture those devices.”…ArsTechnica

Consumers to Spend Big on TVs, Smartphones

Even a global recession can’t come between Americans and the high-tech gadgets they love. Consumers of all ages and family situations are purchasing high-definition TVs, network gear, and smartphones at a breakneck pace, according to a study released on Sept. 2….Businessweek

YouTube To Delve Into Online Movie Rentals

Google may finally have a plan to make some money from YouTube. YouTube Execs are planning to offer a $3.95 charge to rent a movie, which is the same price Apple charges for movies and very close to video-on-demand prices. If Google can get movie studios on board, they’d be competing in a very crowded field. Apple, Netflix, and Amazon all offer movie rental services but YouTube is the most popular video site, so it may become a decent competitor. It’s just a question of whether or not users are willing to switch from their current rental services to go with YouTube….Ziggytek

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Creative unveils Vado HD pocket camcorder, OS X-compatible Vado Central

If we recall, the previous Vado HD could at one point hold its own against pocket camcorders, but times have changed and new challengers have entered the competition. So how does Creative’s second generation Vado HD keep up? We actually don’t know — the press release is sparse on details, except to say the 4GB / 60-minute white-and-green model will cost $180 and the 8GB / 120-minute black-and-red one is $200. Also on the horizon early this month is Vado Central software for OS X machines….Engadget

EBay’s Skype Sale Looks Like a Win-Win

EBay Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe says there’s no downside to his company’s plan to sell most of its Skype division. “EBay was able to have its cake and eat it, too,” he says.

So far, he’s not getting much argument. In a deal announced Sept. 1, eBay (EBAY) will sell a controlling share of the Internet-calling service to a group of investors led by private equity firm Silver Lake for $1.9 billion in cash and $125 million in short-term debt. The sale values Skype at $2.75 billion, not far below the price eBay paid for the business in 2005, and higher than the value recently placed on Skype by some Wall Street analysts…Businessweek

iPhone not exclusive in China, talks with China Mobile go on

Apple has confirmed that its agreement to sell iPhones via China Unicom, which lasts for three years, isn’t exclusive. China Mobile says it is still in talks with Apple to carry the iPhone, though Apple hasn’t said what Chinese carriers it is in talks with. And while that company—China’s largest mobile carrier by a wide margin—cited control issues with how the App Store is run, there may be further legal hurdles to cross before Apple can offer apps via the App Store to Chinese users…ArsTechnica

Original Zunes go towards the light

I think we all knew it was coming. After all, the new interface, while aesthetically similar to the old Zune UI, is totally incompatible with the old hardware. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, unfortunately — though I would add, that doesn’t mean you have to throw away the dog…CrunchGear

8 Cases Of Exploding iPhones and iPods In The Papers

These past few months have not been good for Apple at all. Not only are they being investigated by the FCC for rejecting the Google App but yesterday there were reports that the SEC was now investigating insider trading of Apple stocks. This is all on top of recent cases of exploding iPhones and iPod Touches floating around in the news…Ziggytek

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