Razer Tron Mouse leaves light trails in our hearts (video)

We don't really expect that the actual Tron movie will be any good, but boy, its officially endorsed accessories aren't looking half bad. The $100 laser mouse from Razer has snuck out for a quick pre-release video demo where we get to see it tracking gloriously on an accompanying "precision" mousepad. There's hardly much to be learnt about the mouse's ergonomics or 5600dpi accuracy, but it does glow with that mighty inviting shade of blue (cyan?) and the mousepad reacts to the laser's illumination by leaving dreamy light trails after your movements. It's cyber-poetry in motion, available after the break.Continue reading Razer Tron Mouse leaves light trails in our hearts (video)Razer Tron Mouse leaves light trails in our hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Razer (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments



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Clear WiMAX router passes the FCC without a scratch

The world is not suffering from a dearth of WiMAX routers, but Clear has just a bit of room in their stable: while they offer 4G modems that plug into your computer over USB or Ethernet, along with battery-powered WiFi hotspots, they don't offer any home routers that do the WiFi thing, router thing, and WiMAX thing all-in-one. If this sounds like soft spot in their lineup to you, you'll be happy to know that an honest to goodness plug-it-into-a-wall 802.11n router with WiMAX, Clear branding, and possibly even a VoIP plug has just passed through the FCC. Will it change everything? Maybe.Clear WiMAX router passes the FCC without a scratch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink SlashGear  |  FCC  | Email this | Commentsipad android wire

MetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas

Look out, WiMAX -- LTE is blazing a path, and it's one that leads directly to the market you're aiming for. Shortly after launching its first commercial LTE market in Sin City, MetroPCS has just lit up its second in the Dallas / Fort Worth area of Texas. Monthly plans start at $55 per month (including all taxes and fees), and as with customers in Vegas, DFW users will also be looking at the dual-mode Samsung Craft ($299 in contract-free form) in order to take advantage. The carrier has reiterated that it hopes to launch even more LTE markets "later this year and in early 2011," which means that your 3G phone is getting more antediluvian by the minute.Continue reading MetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, TexasMetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  MetroPCS  | Email this | Commentsfirefox google chrome bing

Apple Remote app 2.0 adds support for new Apple TV, iPad

No surprises here, but Apple's just released version 2.0 of the Remote app for iPhone and iPad, which adds in support for the new iOS-based Apple TV in addition to iTunes on OS X. The interface is mostly the same -- a trackpad-like screen for ATV remote control and an iPod-like interface for more direct media playback -- but it's now optimized for the Retina display on the iPhone 4 and the larger screen size of the iPad. Since the new Apple TV is streaming-only, Remote also now has better support for controlling shared music libraries, making remote control of iTunes on your HTPC slightly easier as well. It's available now and it's free, so go grab it.Apple Remote app 2.0 adds support for new Apple TV, iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  App Store  | Email this | Comments



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Franklin Roadie modular music system needs a table to boom

We've seen speaker systems that use flat surfaces as a diaphragm before, but Franklin's Roadie might be the first modular to splash down in the new millennium. It's a three part system (if you want it to be), consisting of the EVS-2000, EVS-3000 and EVS-4000. In order of mention, you've got a base model that accepts sources via a 3.5mm input jack, a rechargeable battery with SD card slot, and a bonus tweeter / equalizer. It ain't much good in your hand, but slap it on a table (or any other flat surface, like a floor) and the tunes start to boom. Or become marginally more audible, anyway. The trio should go on sale soon for $99.99 as a bundle, while the 2000 and 3000 can be picked up by themselves for $49.99 / $79.99, respectively.Continue reading Franklin Roadie modular music system needs a table to boomFranklin Roadie modular music system needs a table to boom originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Franklin  | Email this | Commentsfacebook follower blog

Print Edit for Firefox lets you easily format Web pages for printing

Filed under: Mozilla, Browser Tips
Some Web pages are easier to print than others. Some provide printer-friendly versions, or printer-friendly CSS, but what do you do when you need to print out a page that isn't so friendly? What if a Web page, printed as-is, would use up a ton of toner or would spread across multiple pages in a confusing hodgepodge of menu items, superfluous banners, and useless navigation links?
Well, Print Edit is one option. This Firefox add-on hooks into the Print Preview mode, and it adds an Edit button. Once you click Edit, you're returned to Firefox (i.e., it seems like you've exited Print Preview mode), but now, a red frame appears around any page element that your mouse hovers over.
You click all of the elements that you wish to hide or delete, and then you click Hide or Delete. You can also choose to Undo, Hide All Except, or Delete All Except.
The difference between "deleting" and "hiding" is that hiding does not affect page layout. You basically get a blank spot where the element used to be. Deleting an element does impact page layout - so if you delete a banner ad, you could make the rest of the page use that space for text (and thus require less paper for printing).
Once you're done formatting the page, click Preview to see the result. If you're happy with it, print away. If not, you can always click Edit again and continue tweaking it.
The fastest way to use this add-on is to just select the content area you want to keep and click Delete All Except. I tried this with its own add-on page at addons.mozilla.org, and I could get just the add-on's description - with no images, menu items, or anything else. It was very clean and useful.Print Edit for Firefox lets you easily format Web pages for printing originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsfirefox google chrome bing

DLS review: System Ninja complements CCleaner, doesn't replace it

Filed under: Utilities, Windows
Using the word "ninja" in the name of an application is a good way to grab a geek's attention. Enter System Ninja, a CCleaner-like cleaning and tune-up utility for Windows. After reading about System Ninja this morning on Freeware Genius, I decided to give it a go.

In addition to performing file clean-ups, System Ninja includes a handful of other utilities. However, I don't need to use a startup manager or process manager very often, and the included tools aren't really an improvement over those that are already a part of your Windows install, like MSConfig and Task Manager. To me, it's really all about cleaning up the digital junk I leave scattered about my hard drive -- and CCleaner located almost 50 times more than System Ninja. That's a pretty substantial difference.

I'm also not keen on "borrowing" icons from successful apps -- and System Ninja does just that (image after the break).

Does that folder junk cleaner icon look familiar to anyone else? Moving on...

The Folder Junk Cleaner is somewhat interesting, however, in that it looks everywhere for certain types of files that might not be needed. CCleaner, on the other hand, only checks pre-defined locations out-of-the-box. That means System Ninja could theoretically find and remove more cruft -- except that you can add custom folders and file types to CCleaner (which is what I'd recommend doing).

System Ninja can also download and run MalRun Destroyer, a malware and spyware tool. Upon downloading the tool and running a scan, however, I found that the MalRun .INI file currently only sports 93 known processes -- not quite the comprehensive coverage I'm looking for in a malware cleanup tool. It could, however, prove useful for taking care of certain common, easy-to-remove malware.

Need to check a file's MD5 or SHA checksum? I've never really had the need, but System Ninja has the built-in ability to do so. There's also a boot log generator, but again -- you can do this quite simply using MSConfig.

The Good:

Portable
Lightweight and fast
Finds some files that CCleaner won't without customization
Decent assortment of system tools

The Bad:

Didn't find anywhere near as much junk as CCleaner in my testing
Process and startup manager aren't really an improvement over Windows' built-in tools
No option to customize file types to search for



Bottom Line: It never hurts to give a new clean-up application a try, and System Ninja may work better for you than it did for me. If not, all you've got to do is delete the files and move on -- there's really nothing to lose except for a few minutes of your time. System Ninja definitely has potential and will be worth keeping an eye on.
DLS review: System Ninja complements CCleaner, doesn't replace it originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentstwitter social firefox

Zune Pass expanding to U.K. and Europe, more nations get movie rentals and purchases

Filed under: Audio, Video, MicrosoftMicrosoft has announced a new expansion for Zune services. The news is a touch bittersweet for me, since it didn't involve the arrival of Zune Pass in Canada. Maybe next time...

Those of you who live in the U.K., France, Italy, and Spain, however, can now enjoy the Zune Pass music subscription service for £8.99 or 9.99 Euros per month. That's only a tad pricier than the $14.99 U.S. residents pay for all-you-can-eat music via Zune. The "keep 10 MP3s per month" option remains U.S. only, unfortunately.

Those four countries -- along with Germany -- can also now buy music via Zune, and movie rentals and purchases have been extended to even more countries. Here's how the video expansion breaks down:

Rentals: U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand


Purchase: U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

This is great news for anyone who owns an Xbox 360 or plans on purchasing a Windows Phone 7 device -- but it's also good news for Windows users in general. There's plenty of good content to be had on Zune, and it never hurts to have one more option for purchasing downloadable music and video content.

Hit up the official Microsoft press release for full details.Zune Pass expanding to U.K. and Europe, more nations get movie rentals and purchases originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsfollower blog twitter

Apple?s iPad Heading to a Target Near You

While you’re stocking up on toilet paper and sweat pants at Target, you’ll be able to stroll to the electronics section to grab an iPad.
Target will begin carrying Apple’s iPad on Oct. 3, according to an Associated Press report, at its normal retail price starting at $500. Shoppers with Target credit cards will be eligible [...]google chrome bing windows

Stealth Y Combinator Opzi Gets Serious Angel Attention

Palo Alto based Opzi, a stealth Y Combinator startup that will debut at TechCrunch Disrupt next week, has closed an impressive first round of financing - nearly $1 million from SV Angel, First Round Capital, Naval Ravikant, Jeff Clavier's SoftTech VC, Hadi Partovi, Ali Partovi, Paul Buchheit, Fritz Lanman and Raymond Tonsing.

That's quite a syndicate. And equally impressive is founder Euwyn Poon. Poon graduated from Cornell University at the age of 18 and subsequently received a J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2007. He then practiced law for two years. Now, all of 25 years old, he's founded one of the hot startups of the year.social firefox google chrome

Salesforce Buys Enterprise Chat Startup Activa Live

It appears that Salesforce has just acquired enterprise chat startup Activa Live. We've confirmed the acquisition with Salesforce.

Activa Live develops Activa Live Chat, an enterprise, on-demand live chat software for customer service, support and online proactive sales interactions. The software allows companies to monitor, identify and engage with online visitors in real-time, helping increase sales and customer satisfaction.gadget ipad android

LG E900 stars in epic 20-minute hands-on video, referred to as Optimus 7

We knew Windows Phone 7 leaks would increase as we got closer to launch, but this is just ridiculous. LG's E900, or what we knew as the E900 until now, has been subjected to an exhaustingly detailed hands-on overview, courtesy of some intrepid Czech investigators. Alas, the video is voiced over in that language too, so good luck with your Eastern European phonetics. But hey, at least the visuals are universal. Oh, and before we forget, the MobilMania guys are calling this the LG Optimus 7, presumably that'll be the retail name for this handset. Follow the break to see it.

[Thanks, Manu]Continue reading LG E900 stars in epic 20-minute hands-on video, referred to as Optimus 7LG E900 stars in epic 20-minute hands-on video, referred to as Optimus 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink MobileTechWorld  |  MobilMania.cz  | Email this | Comments



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Amazon Kindle gets its first premium app: Scrabble

It's still a long way from a full-fledged app store, but the Amazon Kindle has just taken one step in that direction with its very first premium app: Electronic Arts' Scrabble. That's available right now for $4.99, and it'll work on both the second and third generation Kindle, and both Kindle DX models. It also looks like it's already off to a strong start in terms of sales -- it's currently sitting at number four on the Kindle bestseller list, right behind two Stieg Larsson novels and the latest Oprah book club pick.
Amazon Kindle gets its first premium app: Scrabble originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Amazon  | Email this | Comments



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Epson rolls out new 3LCD projectors for budgets big and medium

Since it's CEDIA time, Epson has seen fit to unveil several new 1080p projectors, ranging from price brackets in the (reasonable for this crowd) sub-$7,000 category with the new Pro Cinema 6100 to the Home Cinema 8350 which comes in at less than $1,300. The Pro Cinema 6100 (above) debuts the company's new 3LCD Reflective and UltraBlack tech courtesy of a dual-layered auto iris that is its first to reach dynamic contrast ratios of up to 1,000,000:1, while the Pro Cinema 31000 and Home Cinema 21000 beamers feature similar lens technology with appropriately lower-end chipsets, stats and prices when all of them ship in December. The next jump down is the Home Cinema 8350 and 8700UB models that eschew the new HDMI 1.4 ports and more exotic lens technology of the higher end models while still bringing improved specs over last year's lineup to retailer shelves when they ship later this month. Detailed specs follow after the break if you're wondering just how far an extra dollar or two will go.Continue reading Epson rolls out new 3LCD projectors for budgets big and mediumEpson rolls out new 3LCD projectors for budgets big and medium originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Epson 1, 2  | Email this | Commentsblog twitter social

Should the Command Line Be Deep-Sixed?

In what's surely a testament to Linux's increasingly mainstream-ready graphical user interfaces, it seems to be par for the course that every once in a while someone will suggest that there's no longer any need for the command line. Last week, it happened again. "Is it finally time to do away with the command line?" TuxRadar asked in a recent podcast.keyboard facebook follower

Samsung Tab priced at $999 in Australian money, ships November

It seems that though just about everybody's getting the Samsung Galaxy Tab, few know how much it costs, but Australian customers can expect to pay AUD $999 if they're buying off-contract. Several Australian media organizations are reporting that's what the seven-inch, 16GB Android 2.2 tablet will cost, when it arrives at the country's three major phone carriers for a slated November release. Smarthouse points out that the price reveal surprised Australian executives as a comparable iPad 3G 16GB costs just $799, though a Samsung VP told the publication, "we believe this is a fair price." We'll just let the market decide on that one, okay?Samsung Tab priced at $999 in Australian money, ships November originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Smarthouse, News.com.au, Sydney Morning Herald  | Email this | Commentsgoogle chrome bing windows

Xbox Live Update Preview Program sign-up sheet now accepting gamertags

Want an early glimpse of ESPN for Xbox Live? How about an upgraded Netflix, Zune music, or some shiny new visuals? Just like last year, Microsoft's resident Xbox 360 spokesman Major Nelson has made the call for sign-ups in the Update Preview Progam, which as the name suggests will get you on the list for potentially some early playtime with the upcoming Dashboard update. Just follow the instructions to get in the virtual queue, and sorry, this isn't gonna get you any closer to Kinect. Productivity notwithstanding, what do you have to lose?Xbox Live Update Preview Program sign-up sheet now accepting gamertags originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Joystiq  |  Major Nelson, Sign up  | Email this | Commentsblog twitter social

Three words: Boba. Fett. Backpack.

Okay, five words: Boba. Fett. Plush. Rocket. Backpack.
ThinkGeek has already sold you a pair of Lightsaber chopsticks, and you bought the adorable Tauntaun sleeping bag for your kid. But think ahead now, to when your son first goes off to school. Where will a geek’s offspring carry his lunch? How will he wear his (father’s) [...]facebook follower blog

Gmail for Android updated, becomes Market app

We've always said the native Gmail app is one of the best parts of Android, and it just got even better: it now supports Priority Inbox, has a "show quoted text" button, and features a floating message actions toolbar like the browser-based mobile Gmail webapp. The bigger news, though, is that Google's releasing Gmail directly to Android Market, where it'll be a separate download that can be revved with new features independently of Android itself. That's a pretty great move, as anyone still waiting for a carrier-approved Froyo build can attest, but there's irony afoot: the new Gmail won't run on anything less than 2.2. Wah-wah.Gmail for Android updated, becomes Market app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Google  | Email this | Commentsgadget ipad android

Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

We're back from the weekend with some excellent #dealz on a Quad Core i7 HP Laptop, some Ultimate Ears Noise Isolating Earphones, and a free 5 Track Sampler from the soundtrack of the upcoming movie, The Social Network. More »






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Pentax Optio RZ10 point-and-shoot offers 10x optical zoom, plenty of color options

This one slipped by us when it was introduced alongside the RS1000, but Pentax is once again highlighting the Optio RZ10 point and shoot here at Photokina. This cutesy compact touts a 14 megapixel sensor, a 10x optical zoomer, an upgraded Auto Picture mode (you know, for the newbies), a CCD-shift-type shake reduction mechanism, 720p HD movie mode, face detection, a pet mode for snagging better pictures of Fido and a 2.7-inch rear LCD. There's also nine-point auto focus, an ISO range of 80 to 6400, inbuilt flash, 82.7MB of integrated storage, an SD / SDHC expansion slot and a rechargeable battery good for around 260 shots on a full charge. Pentax still isn't talking dollars and cents, only noting that you'll need to contact a dealer for more. At least you don't need a liaison to decide on a favorite color below, right? Gallery: Pentax Optio RZ10 press imagesContinue reading Pentax Optio RZ10 point-and-shoot offers 10x optical zoom, plenty of color optionsPentax Optio RZ10 point-and-shoot offers 10x optical zoom, plenty of color options originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  Pentax  | Email this | Comments



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Is Facebook working on a phone? (update: No.)

A report from TechCrunch today claims that Facebook may be working on a phone of its own to compete in the ever-warming smartphone race. According to a "source who has knowledge of the project," the social networking site has put two high level employees to the task of creating a smartphone which will allow deep integration with Facebook contacts. Apparently, says the source, Facebook has been concerned that Apple and Google represent some kind of threat as competitors, though there is rather deep Facebook integration in the Android platform, and even the iPhone app allows for contact merging. Additionally, the site speculates that the device could be targeted at the low end of the market ($50 or less), which would not place it as a direct competitor to anything but featurephones. The article goes as far to suggest that Facebook and Spotify investor Li Ka-Shing (who apparently had a hand in the Spotify featurephone with INQ) may have started putting those efforts and relationships into the Facebook handset. But, INQ's been down this road with Facebook already -- take a look at the INQ1.

Still, TechCrunch says that Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos are "secretly working on the project," which is being kept tightly under wraps; even Facebook employees are in the dark about the plan. Hewitt and Papakipos have certainly both worked in this space: the former created the Facebook iPhone app, and the latter was head of Google's Chrome OS team until June. But the article strangely leaves out what could be the most telling piece of the puzzle -- the departure of Android's lead project manager, Erick Tseng. After leaving the company in May, he went directly to Facebook to take on the job of head of mobile products. Keep in mind, Erick was high-up enough at Android to act as a spokesperson for the brand -- even appearing on the Engadget Show to talk about the platform.

But does this make for a Facebook Phone in our future? That's not so clear -- the idea that the company would see an opportunity in an already overcrowded smartphone marketplace is questionable, and if it's truly worried about the major players, it wouldn't be targeting a low end handset. We also may be giving the company a little too much credit to think that it can pull off being a heavy hitter in the social networking space (platform and all), and make a dent in the hardware and services game (remember, the competition is Microsoft, Apple, Google, RIM, and Nokia). Like all rumor and speculation in the gadget world, take it with a grain of salt, but you can be sure we'll be putting our feelers out to get a concrete answer on this one.

Update: Facebook wasted no time today shooting the idea down: "The story, which originated in Techcrunch, is not accurate," a spokesperson told Mashable. "Facebook is not building a phone." The company told the publication that it's focusing on "deep integration" with existing mobile platforms, but that "building phones is just not what we do."Is Facebook working on a phone? (update: No.) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  TechCrunch, Mashable  | Email this | Comments



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Denmark's Wave Building Is the Camel's Humps [Architecture]

The architects of this "Wave" building in Denmark describe it as resembling waves during the day, and mountains in the evenings. Me? I think it looks like a camel caught in quick-sand, with only its two humps poking through. More »






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Memorex intros Mirror for Photos external HDD, dares you to skip a backup

Taking a note from Clickfree, are we Memorex? The company that continually attempts to blow everyone away is back with its latest gust, Mirror for Photos. It's an odd name for an external hard drive, particularly when you realize that it functions nothing like bona fide photo backup drives that are designed to tether to your DSLR. At any rate, this here drive ships with software (PC and Mac compatible, in case you're curious) that instructs the HDD to backup to a host machine as soon as it's plugged in. Sounds great in theory, but we've always found it superbly annoying to try and halt those automated processes when you're just trying to drag and drop a critical meeting file while darting out the door. The unit itself measures in at 3- x 5- x 0.5-inches and gets all the power it needs from a USB connection; it's on sale today at Toys R Us (yeah, seriously) for $79.99 (320GB) / $99.99 (500GB) / $119.99 (640GB).Continue reading Memorex intros Mirror for Photos external HDD, dares you to skip a backupMemorex intros Mirror for Photos external HDD, dares you to skip a backup originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Memorex  | Email this | Commentsphone gadget ipad

Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthritics

We really thought we'd seen it all when it comes to handheld video game controllers, but this upcoming "Ctrl+S" model from UNIQ brings a surprising quantity of new ideas. The most basic innovation is the weird "UNIQ wing" that sticks out from the rear edges of the controller, allowing you to passively support the controller with the insides of your index fingers instead of having to "grip" the controller to hold it up. Yeah, that sounds lazy, but the idea is to reduce muscle stress and cramps, which makes sense for people who game a few hours a day. The relaxed posture is also supposed to help improve thumb mobility, though we'll have to test it out with a game to see if that's actually the case. Around back are some nicely oversized and easily worked analog triggers, along with a grid of repositioned "face buttons."

The feel of the prototype we were playing with felt just a little too light and a little too "cheap," but that's typical for prototypes, and the promises of improved ergonomics and optimized control placements are certainly compelling. The best news is that the controller will be highly customizable, with tweaks available for the analog sticks, "wings," and even the force feedback motors. We'll see how well this impacts gameplay when the controller hits the market in December for $69.99. Check it out on video after the break. Gallery: Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthriticsContinue reading Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthriticsCtrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthritics originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



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Stalk Us On Twitter And We Won't Even File A Restraining Order [Community]

Did you know that we have a Twitter account? It's all verified and was even named as one of the top ten most influential media Twitter accounts. It's worth following for some great links and the occasional chuckle. More »






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CrunchGear Week in Review: Diving Bell Edition

Here are some of last week’s stories on CrunchGear: The Woogie: Why, God, Why? Egg-Bot Machine Threatens To Put The Bunny Out Of Business NES Coffee Table Is Both An NES And A Coffee Table Fact: CD Spindle Cases Make Excellent Bagel Sandwich Holders A Massive War Is Approaching As The Tablet Market Cannot Sustain [...]bike keyboard facebook

Tired, thirsty man murders Mii with PlayStation Move controller

You can't find Sony's name anywhere on this bit of video; it's a "viral" from Wolfbreeder, an LA ad firm that Sony can no-doubt distance itself from if it gets in trouble. But we won't tattle: the video above, which has been described for you succinctly in the headline above, the video which you've no doubt already watched and forwarded to that one friend of yours who still plays Wii regularly, is frankly badass.

[Thanks, Bilbo]Tired, thirsty man murders Mii with PlayStation Move controller originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



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Apple prepping subscription plan for newspapers?

Apple may be preparing a subscription plan for newspapers says the Mercury News. When iBooks was announced alongside iPad, but no similar offering for magazines and newspapers, it was curious. When friction resulted from magazines trying to roll their own subscriptions, it was noteworthy. Now, however, a solution might just be in place:

What makes this [...]Apple prepping subscription plan for newspapers? 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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22 [tu: tu:] The ?Sickest Tube Amp You?ve Ever Seen?

Koichi Futatsumata?s Elekit tube amplifier first showed up on Gadget Lab in October last year. The monolithic block was like a prevision of the newest Mac Mini, hewn from aluminum with a minimal set of controls and ports. Now, it has gotten a name change and is finally ready to go on sale.
The Elekit is [...]wire bike keyboard

Quid Emerges From Stealth To Map The World?s Technologies

YouNoodle founder Bob Goodson is debuting his newest venture Quid this week, which has been in in stealth for the past two years. Quid's data platform aims to map the world's technologies, allowing companies to gain more insight on specific sectors and to allow government entities to figure out which emerging technologies can better serve their infrastructure. Backed by The Founders Fund, Quid is now in private beta.

Goodson tells me that after seeing how both emerging and modern countries depend on technology produced by private companies, he saw a gap in how this data about these companies and their products are being served to governments. And this data, Goodsen says, can also be used by companies to gain insight on new technologies emerging, determine possible acquisition targets or to evaluate a competitive landscape.ipad android wire

SmallringFX DARKBlue is a slick, dark Firefox 3.6 theme

Filed under: Design, Mozilla, Browsers
Just because we're all agog over the new Firefox 4.0, that doesn't mean there's a lack of action on the 3.6 front. In fact, SmallringFX DARKBlue is a dark, sexy theme that was updated just yesterday.
Personally, I like my Firefox as "chromeless" as possible (see what I did there?). But seriously, I hide the menu bar, the bookmarks toolbar, and any other toolbars that I happen to have lurking around. However, if you like your toolbars, SmallringFX DARKBlue is a very nice, comprehensive theme. I tested it with the Delicious and Diigo toolbars, and the icons looked just fine on the dark background.
One slight problem is that some of the status bar icons look pretty bad. For instance, Video DownloadHelper looks awful on a dark background, but that's not the theme's fault. (Video DownloadHelper guys, are you listening?) Another small glitch is that, on my system, the context menus appear to be gray on gray -- so all of the entries seem as though they're disabled. I'm not sure if it's just me or a general issue (I think it may be Windows-related).
Read It Later's sidebar, on the other hand, looks wonderful with this theme. Another thing I like is how tall the status bar is; it's really nice and roomy. If you like dark themes, don't miss out on this one!SmallringFX DARKBlue is a slick, dark Firefox 3.6 theme originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsblog twitter social

Does Linux Offer Too Much Choice?

User choice is one of the hallmarks of the Linux world, and most seem to agree that it's a good thing. One might even go so far as to say it's a big part of the reason so many of us embrace Linux. Every once in a while, however, a naysayer pipes up with concern that the choice is too much, and that's just what happened earlier this month.android wire bike

7CONIFIER lets you quickly alter icon sets in Windows 7

Filed under: Design, Windows
DeviantArt has a fairly active community of people tweaking and customizing Windows 7. One of their favorite tricks is to replace a whole bunch of system and software icons with desaturated or monochrome variants. This "unifies" the system visually, and the whole thing feels like one "package" instead of a bunch of disparate applications.
Usually, this is a manual process, and it's fairly laborious and error-prone. Not all icon sets supply icons for the same applications, and changing the files around can get old quite fast.
7CONIFIER is a slick application that makes this process as painless as possible. You feed it with an icon set, click Apply, and you're done. It's even responsible enough to propose creating a "default set" containing your current "vanilla" icons when you first fire it up.
To be honest, I'm not 100% sure it worked on my system. I mean, I see a different icon for Opera, but I don't see a different one for Notepad or for Explorer. So, I guess it's partially successful (at least on my rig). That's par for the course with this sort of thing - customization is tricky business!7CONIFIER lets you quickly alter icon sets in Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsbike keyboard facebook

Future Los Angeles: A Fake City Made of Metal and Smoke, Literally [Architecture]

This is future Los Angeles, as created in 1982 by Douglas Trumbull's team for Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Back then, they didn't have computers to create synthetic 3D landscapes, so they used some truly amazing visual tricks. More »






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New Zero-Day Attack Riddles Adobe Reader

Adobe has acknowledged its widely used programs for creating and reading PDF files currently are under attack by hackers, but it has offered little information about how it plans to thwart the assault. All versions of its Acrobat and Reader programs have been exposed to a "critical vulnerability that could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system," the company said.keyboard facebook follower

Free app lets you add and remove entries from your Send To menu

Filed under: Utilities, Windows
The Windows Send To menu can be incredibly useful. I most often use it to zap files to a USB flash drive, but it's also handy for emailing files and quickly burning files to CD (say, when I'm helping the RCMP retrieve video footage from surveillance DVRs).

Still, it could be more useful if I was able to remove a few items and add some additional folder locations. Send To Toys is up to the task. Once installed, you can configure entries via the STT's control panel applet. Use it to add additional folder locations, remove unwanted entries (Fax recipient? Gone!), and configure folder and clipboard Send To options.

Send To Toys can also handle a default email recipient (and CC and BCC) and prefill both the subject and message body.

Be sure to pay attention during the install process -- by default, STT adds a number of entries to the Send To menu. You can, of course, always remove them later using the app itself!Free app lets you add and remove entries from your Send To menu originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsfacebook follower blog

Sony launches anti-Kinect attack website, yaybuttons.com

Sony's typically the equal-opportunity offender, poking fun at everything from Wii to iPhone, but the company's latest marketing campaign is unmistakably aimed at Microsoft's motion-sensing peripheral. Head on over to www.yaybuttons.com to interact with a two-dimensional PlayStation Move, which will pop out a series of quotes from Kevin Butler -- Sony's fictional VP of Realistic Movements -- explaining Sony's tactile advantages over Microsoft's Kinect. While members of the Sony Defense Force will surely eat this up in spades, the rest of us will simply enjoy this latest tussle, and go back to waiting for both companies to put their money by their oral socket and make more games worth playing.Sony launches anti-Kinect attack website, yaybuttons.com originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Joystiq  |  yaybuttons.com  | Email this | Commentsandroid wire bike

Google: Android 2.2 'not designed' for the tablet form factor

Hello, obvious! Anyone who has actually used an Android-based tablet for any length of time would probably tell you that the experience is far from optimal. It works, sure, but it doesn't take a CSC major to understand that Google's existing builds of Android were crafted for smartphones and nothing more. Thankfully for those who are tired of arguing the point, Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google, is stepping up to the plate and giving you some backing. Quoted over at Tech Radar, Hugo noted that "Android is an open platform, and we saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it's already running on tablets; but the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on devices that don't allow applications to run correctly." He followed up by proclaiming that "Froyo is not optimized for use on tablets," and while he wouldn't go so far as to affirm that Gingerbread would be built for use on the aforementioned form factor, he did say that the company's working "to ensure our users have [the] right experience." How's that strike you, Galaxy Tab?Google: Android 2.2 'not designed' for the tablet form factor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Tech Radar  | Email this | Commentsfollower blog twitter

Gadget Lab Podcast: Tweeting From Jail, Ping and the Ugly iTunes Icon

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In this episode of the Gadget Lab podcast, Dylan Tweney and yours truly gawk over the amazing story of an abducted Japanese journalist who tricked his captors into allowing him to tweet from a soldier’s Nokia cellphone. Clever stuff.
In less impressive news, [...]facebook follower blog

Text-Free Computers Find Work for India?s Unlettered

Much to newspapers’ chagrin, these days everyone advertises and looks for work online. But how do you find work if you can’t read? Here, the new generation of touchscreen computers is light-years ahead of newsprint.
That’s the premise of Indian jobs site Babajob.com, with help from Microsoft Research’s ethnographic UI expert Indrani Medhi.
Besides the informal [...]firefox google chrome bing

Intel's Latest Processor Has Graphics Capabilities Built In, Probably Still Won't Frighten Competition [Intel]

Intel will be showing off a new chip design dubbed "Sandy Bridge" next week. This clever little part will be Intel's "first chip design that has graphics capabilities built into the processor" and is supposed to frighten AMD and Nvidia. More »






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FileKiller is a tiny, portable utility which can securely delete files

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Productivity
I've previously covered Eraser for deleting files securely. Eraser stayed installed on my system for a while, and I must say that, eventually, I found it annoying. It autostarted on boot and despite my attempts to keep it from doing so, it persisted.
Just the other day, I finally uninstalled Eraser -- and today, I found FileKiller. It's a tiny (27KB), open source, portable GUI utility for doing the same thing.
FileKiller is a single window. It doesn't support drag-and-drop and won't add any context menu entries, but it gets the job done. You add files using the Select Files button, and then you click the red-captioned KILL Files on Grid button (way to go on the drama there). The application then BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERS all of those files by overwriting them with random data, blank characters, or specific ASCII characters for however many times you wish (default is five iterations).
I wish I could drag files onto the list or the program's icon (to add them to the list), but besides this minor irritation, FileKiller seems like a low friction way to securely remove unwanted files.FileKiller is a tiny, portable utility which can securely delete files originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsfacebook follower blog

August browser stats show Android, Chrome on the rise

Filed under: Browsers
It's the beginning of the month again, and that means it's time for the big analytics guns to release their browsing snapshots once again. While there's not a lot of movement to report on for August of 2010, Google is no doubt pleased with the way things played out.

Android made a fairly major jump last month, climbing more than a full point -- from 7.91 to 9.22%. That gain came mostly at the expense of iOS and Symbian, both of which slid about half a point. Blackberry OS also continued to rise, finishing August up .5%.

On the desktop, Google surged ahead almost a full point to finish at 10.76%. That's nearly three times Chrome's user base from this time last year, and it's the first time Chrome has crossed the 10% mark.

And yes, Internet Explorer slipped yet again. IE is still dominant, yet it's also now dangerously close to slipping below 50% share for the first time ever. Perhaps the IE9 beta will help stem the tide -- it's due to arrive in less than two weeks.
Share TweetAugust browser stats show Android, Chrome on the rise originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsandroid wire bike

Verizon sweetens Samsung Fascinate deal with Buy One Get One Free offer

Yes, that fateful day is upon us, the Samsung Fascinate has made its debut on Verizon's online store pages, and it's arrived with a quite unusual (for a top tier handset) sweetener. When buying one Fascinate, you're given the option to obtain a second one for free. Well, the hardware would be free, you'd need two-year commitments on both phones with a minimum monthly data plan of $29.99 a piece, but it's still the nicest thing Verizon's done for us since it started throwing out free Pixi Pluses with purchases of Palm's webOS handsets. You should also bear in mind your initial outlay here is a quite lofty $400, with two separate $100 mail-in rebates bringing the cost down. So it's free in pecuniary terms, but probably not free of headaches.

[Thanks, Mike]Verizon sweetens Samsung Fascinate deal with Buy One Get One Free offer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Verizon  | Email this | Comments



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Nikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreen

In addition to the intriguing new Coolpix P7000, Nikon also announced the Coolpix S8100 (pictured above) and S80 tonight -- sure, they're not the dramatic new models, but they're certainly respectable updates to the S8000 and S70. The S8100 actually learned one trick from the P7000: it's dropped the megapixel count to 12.1 from the S8000's 14.2 in order to improve light sensitivity -- it can now hit ISO 3200 natively, which isn't bad for a tiny cam with a 10x zoom. It's also got a new 1080p movie mode and a faster 10fps burst mode -- although we're told it can only burst five frames at a time, so that's not nearly as interesting. It'll hit later this month in a few colors for $299.

The S80 goes the other way, boosting the megapixel count to 14.1 from the S70's 12.1, and upping the 3.5-inch touchscreen to OLED. The touchscreen enables all the same snazzy tricks as on the new S1100pj, including the ability to draw right on your pictures, and and the 720p movie mode and 5x optical zoom are unchanged. It'll hit this fall in all sorts of colors for $329. Honestly, we're still not entirely sold on touchscreen controls for cameras to begin with, and on top of that we're definitely concerned that OLED will make a touchscreen camera virtually useless in daylight, but we'll wait to see this thing in person before we rain too hard on this parade. Check a pic of the S80 along with both press releases after the break.Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreenNikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



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Exclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild

Well, thar she blows -- we just got this shot of the HP's seven-inch Zeen Android tablet that's shipping with the leaked PhotoSmart eStation C510 printer system just straight chilling in the wilds of China. Apparently this unit is a little bit closer to final than the one our other tipsters have been playing with -- and unfortunately, the stock Android homescreen has been totally removed in favor of the TouchSmart UI. As we'd guessed, there's also no Gmail app or Market access, although there is a homegrown email client and a fair bit of integration with Yahoo services like Mail and Messenger. Facebook is also preloaded, and the screenshot shows apps for 60 Minutes, MSNBC, and Dreamworks, so it looks like there'll be some video action going on -- and that Barnes & Noble logo all but confirms the Nook compatibility our previous tipsters had mentioned. There's also a printing app and that Coupons app, which we're guessing... prints coupons, but maybe HP's trying to surprise us.

We're told the software is better than on earlier Zeen units and that the previously-bad touchscreen has been improved, but that there's still work to be done before the projected late September launch. Don't get your hopes up about snagging this one without a printer, though -- we're told the solo SKU has been canceled, and only the $399 bundle with the Zeus printer will be available. Makes sense -- we're guessing it's all webOS for HP from here on out. One more pic after the break.Continue reading Exclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wildExclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Commentsblog twitter social

Carl Zeiss Cinemizer 3D Plus glasses get OLED infusion, still no attention

Carl Zeiss keeps on making minor improvements to its Cinemizer head-mounted display, announced way back in 2008 and intended to be the most amazing way to watch stuff on your iPod. They didn't exactly catch on then, and two years later we're not entirely sure that the latest revision will either. The tiny screens that sit a fraction of an inch from your eyeballs have been upgraded to OLED, which should make them bright and lovely as they pummel your rods and cones, but sadly they're still stuck in VGA land -- 640 x 480 is not a lot of pixels these days. This version also pledges greater compatibility with non-Apple devices, a welcome change, and even more welcome is the new visual styling, which makes you look a little less walleyed than the last model. Despite this the price hasn't changed much, estimated to be around €400 ($515), but that's still a lot to pay just to have the coolest Frozone costume ever.Carl Zeiss Cinemizer 3D Plus glasses get OLED infusion, still no attention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Engadget Spanish  | Email this | Comments



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CrunchGear Week in Review: Death Drives A Stick Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: New Display Tech Could Have Eight Times The Pixel Density As Retina Display Immortality Via Valve?s Team Fortress 2 Hat-Describing Contest Now You Wily Terrorists Will Be Subject To Long-Range Skeleton Analysis I?d Live In It. Bufalino Camper Combines Car, Bedroom, Office Science! Viral Batteries [...]firefox google chrome bing

Google Wave Lives On (in a Box) [Google Wave]

Google has announced that despite Wave's demise as a Google App, its open source code will continue to be developed into a fully-functional application available to anyone with the desire to host it. More »






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CrunchGear Week in Review: Interrupting Animals Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: Test Drive: Nissan Leaf CERAMICA: Japanese Designer Mini Speakers You Will Be Punched With An Alligator Halo 2600: Halo Redone For the Atari 2600 In Which The Parlour Cannon?s Adventures Continue Contest: Win a Ghostbusters Proton Pack*google chrome bing windows

Daily Crunch: Hazy Visions Edition

Dino-lamps For Your Home Or Office Immortality Via Valve?s Team Fortress 2 Hat-Describing Contest Matrix Key System Lets You Lose As Many Keys As You Want It Turns Out The Shapes On Playstation Buttons Aren?t Arbitrary After All LightCap Is A Combo Lantern And Water Bottleipad android wire

Engadget's back to school guide: Printers

Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got printers in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides.


Even if your textbooks, your movies, your music, and the photographic evidence of your quasi-legal sorority hazing exists purely in the digital domain, you'll have to print out things like term papers and court documents sooner or later. (Thought we forgot about that hazing, didn't you?) We know that's money tight, so we've found something to suit every budget. Now, on to the printers...Continue reading Engadget's back to school guide: PrintersEngadget's back to school guide: Printers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Commentssocial firefox google chrome

Freak Out Your Coworkers With Google Docs Konami Code [EasterEggs]

The Konami Code (if you don't know it, then shame on you!) has long been part of geek lore. But now it can be part of your work day too: Google has added a new, pranktastic easter egg to Docs. More »






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Travelling Around the World in a Gadget-Filled Ford Fiesta

Last weekend Jeremy Hart — Wired.com contributor and a global traveller with 120 countries under his belt — left Los Angeles for a 60 day, 21 country, 15,000 mile drive around the world — in a Ford Fiesta.
Jeremy will be filing occasional updates here and on our sister blog Autopia. Here, he’ll be [...]twitter social firefox

YoxView JavaScript lightbox 2.0 is now out! Skinning, Flash video, and more

Filed under: Open Source, web 2.0
YoxView is one of my favorite lightbox implementations. I've used it in the past to show you how to add an awesome Picasa or Flickr slideshow to your website. YoxView's development has progressed by leaps and bounds since then, and version 2.0 brings some interesting improvements to the table, including:

Skinning support: I think this one's pretty unique. There's not much chrome to skin on a lightbox, but still, it's nice to be able to brand the lightbox and package it nicely for future use (or for use by other developers).
Inline Flash content: You just need to specify an FLV/F4V/SWF file in the link, and YoxView will display it. You can set width, height, and Flash variables.
Inline content: You can now display a ton of other inline content (for example, PDFs). I don't remember seeing a lightbox that can display a PDF file - that's a neat one, for sure.

There have been lots of other changes, and as per usual with new software releases, a whole bunch of bugs have been squashed.
And of course, YoxView's core strength remains; it can very easily pull images from Picasa, Flicker, and other online sources and display them right in your site. So, if you ever think of adding a video/image/document gallery to your site, YoxView is one worthy option to check out.
Share TweetYoxView JavaScript lightbox 2.0 is now out! Skinning, Flash video, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentswindows iphone phone

When Geeks Attack, Shanghai Edition (TCTV)

For some in Silicon Valley, Asia remains an alluring black box. A promising world with pockets of hyper growth, obscured by a tangled web of unfamiliar languages, customs, regulations and native ecosystems. Although the walls are coming down fast, the road to Asia's markets remains an intimidating one for many.

Enter Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups (a recently launched $30M super angel fund) and Geeks On A Plane, a program that takes tech entrepreneurs and investors to emerging markets. In its own small way, Geeks On A Plane is attempting to bridge that gap between the Valley and the rest of the world. Earlier this year, roughly 55 "Geeks" traveled to several key hot spots in Asia, including Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul and Beijing, to connect with the region's top entrepreneurs, to mingle with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and to sample local tech conferences like Shanghai World Expo and CHINICT.

During the journey, Ben Henretig, founder of Micro-Documentaries, followed the group and made four short videos on the trip's highlights. Jump ahead for our video interview with McClure and the official debut of episode one, Shanghai.
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Exclusive: HTC F8181 is AT&T's Brew MP-equipped dumbphone

We'll admit, we'd kinda figured that HTC's venture into the seedy underworld of dumbphones with the introduction of the Smart earlier this year was a non-starter and that it'd quietly fade into the night before 2010 was out, but apparently not -- at least, not if you ask AT&T. We've been slid a couple shots of a new handset from HTC for Ma Bell going by the model number F8181 (it'll have a fancy name like "Bacon," "Double Rainbow," or "Nilay Patel" by the time it launches, obviously) that runs the Brew MP platform Qualcomm has been pushing this year for the sub-smartphone category; of course, it seems to us that smartphone hardware is getting cheap enough to push through nearly every price segment, but if we can expect this to be free on contract, we suppose there might be a market here. No word on dollars or dates just yet, but naturally, we'll keep you in the loop.
Gallery: Exclusive: HTC F8181 is AT&T's BrewMP-equipped dumbphoneExclusive: HTC F8181 is AT&T's Brew MP-equipped dumbphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



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Google Chrome to get Gmail Labs-like experimental features

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Many of our readers have been frustrated by having to add command line switches to Google Chrome in order to try out a new feature. In truth, it's really not a difficult procedure (though Windows and Linux users have it far easier than those on Mac) -- but wouldn't it be cool if you could just click something to turn them on?

Starting soon, you just might be able to do that. Google OS spotted a new addition to the Chromium browser: an about:labs page. Load it up, and you'll see experimental browser features which you can enable -- like side tabs on Windows and tab expose on Mac.

At least, very soon you'll be able to turn the features on via this page. Right now, it's not functional. Clicking enable on tabs on the left didn't actually activate the feature for me -- I still had to add the --enable-vertical-tabs switch to my shortcut.

The addition of about:labs is a nice touch, and will allow more users to kick the tires on cutting-edge features. That, of course, is a good thing for Google. A larger group of testers should allow them to tackle bugs more quickly and push features from the dev and canary builds to the beta and stable channels even more quickly.Google Chrome to get Gmail Labs-like experimental features originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Commentsfollower blog twitter

Google Docs begins integrating Etherpad's collaboration kung fu

Filed under: Office, Google
Google's acquisition of Etherpad came at a time when Wave was still being talked about by the cool kids. Its collaboration chops seemed well-suited to Wave's real-time environment. As you well know, Wave ended up being a bit of a wash-out -- but it turns out Etherpad was slated for integration elsewhere.

That "elsewhere?" Google Docs, of course! As of today, Docs will show you which blocks of text other contributors are currently modifying when you've got a document open. It's an incredibly useful change if you have multiple authors working on Docs files -- no more stumbling over each other or accidentally fighting over the same block of text at the same time.

This is probably just the beginning, of course. With Etherpad in tow, Google Docs will probably see many more collaboration-oriented additions in the near future.

[via Google Docs blog]Google Docs begins integrating Etherpad's collaboration kung fu originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Commentsfirefox google chrome bing