NFC embedded handle grips arriving at Tokyo subways

Is NFC technology catching on in a big way. That remains to be seen, but it seems that Japan tends to be at the forefront of technology most of the times, and this time around, we have seen Shunkosha introduce an FeliCa NFC enabled strap as part of the transit advertising medium. From May 21st onwards, ads from HIS (a travel agency) have started appearing at the Tokyo Ginza and Marunouchi subway lines. Touted as an integrated FeliCa reader for passengers, it will be able to let compatible phones to retrieve the embedded URL in a jiffy, leading them to an advertising-related site.

Ubergizmo, NFC embedded handle grips arriving at Tokyo subways

Apple updates App Store with dedicated section for 'Editor's Choice'

Last week, we said that Apple made some changes to its App Store by introducing “Editor's Choice” and the “Free App of the Week” program in hopes to help iOS users find better apps. Today, Apple has expanded the “Editor's Choice” banner into a dedicated section for apps. Essentially, the “Editor's Choice” now has two sections – one showing the new choices and the other for the past apps that have been featured. Apple explained that the said section is compiled by "recognizing the most innovative apps and the most entertaining games as Editor's Choice selections”.

Ubergizmo, Apple updates App Store with dedicated section for 'Editor's Choice'

Google's Sundar Pichai confirms that offline Google Drive 'coming in five weeks,' hints at ad-supported Chromebook

During the closing session here at D10 in California, Google's on Senior Vice President of Chrome & Apps Sundar Pichai was joined by Susan Wojcicki (SVP of Advertising at Google) at Walt Mossberg. Sundar was able to drive the majority of the conversation in the realm of Chrome and Chrome OS, and quite a few interesting nuggets were dropped. For one, he made an offhand comment that "offline Google Drive [is] coming in five weeks," a clue that it'll be revealed and launched in full at Google I/O next month.



Engadget, Google's Sundar Pichai confirms that offline Google Drive 'coming in five weeks,' hints at ad-supported Chromebook

New Acura ILX ads promote its mullet-like nature

It's business in the front, party in the back for this 2013 Acura ILX ad that premieres June 4. The dual personality commercials try to show you that this new compact luxury sports sedan fits into all of the aspects of a person's life or, at least two: Work and play. The pair of commercials – of course, there are two – walk you through two young executives' lives, showing how they aggressively make decisions, flirt with beautiful women and perfectly balance work with play.





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wareground, New Acura ILX ads promote its mullet-like nature

Cricket announces iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, becomes the first American pre-paid carrier to do that

Cricket Wireless will be the very first pre-paid (no contract) carrier to launch Apple's iPhone in the US. The carrier has just announced that it would sell the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models to its customers starting June 22. Both iPhones will be offered with Cricket's $55 monthly plan, which provides unlimited voice, data, and texts. Cricket will sell the iPhone 4S 16GB for $499.99, and the iPhone 4 8GB for $399.99.

Unwired View, Cricket announces iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, becomes the first American pre-paid carrier to do that

Ultimate Ears' Personal Reference Monitors are fully customizable in-ear monitors

As much as we'd like to believe that earphones will have no trouble fitting all ears, the sad fact is that it's not true. While earphones might be able to fit the majority, for some people it just doesn't work that way, either that or some are just really fussy to the point where they need custom-fitted earphones for their audiophile needs. Ultimate Ears has been known to offer custom-fitted earphones in the past, and it looks like they will be kicking it up a notch with the release of the Ultimate Ears Personal Reference Monitors.

Ubergizmo, Ultimate Ears' Personal Reference Monitors are fully customizable in-ear monitors

Tim Cook: 2.7 million Apple TVs sold already this year, TV is ‘area of intense interest'

Pontificating onstage at D10, Apple CEO Tim Cook was inevitably queried by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg about the ongoing Apple TV rumors, though for now he only referred to the company's existing set-top box. He revealed that Apple sold 2.8 million of the hockey pucks last year and has already moved 2.7 million in 2012. As Steve Jobs did repeatedly before him, he mentioned that TV is something “many people would say that this is an area of their life that they aren't pleased with” and explained Apple's key questions: Can we control the key technology.

2DayBlog.com, Tim Cook: 2.7 million Apple TVs sold already this year, TV is ‘area of intense interest'

Developer runs WebKit on Chumby-like device to bypass Flash

Things haven't been looking so good for Chumby recently - in April, the company stopped hardware sales, and that was pretty much its bread and butter. Though the device may be well past its prime, at least it has some worth to the hackers among us. Take Huan Troung, who decided to use the Chumby as the starting point for making a temperature logger. To be fair, he ended up using the Insignia Infocast, a Chumby copycat, and while the device was a good fit for his project, he wanted more freedom than the Flash framework allowed him. So Huan decided to run WebKit on the Chumby-like gadget.

Engadget, Developer runs WebKit on Chumby-like device to bypass Flash

Guitar Pee offers a new way to game

Playing video games at a men's urinal is not exactly new, but Guitar Pee, a custom urinal game that was commissioned by Billboard Music Brasil and installed in their office, will basically let you play a guitar tune with your urine stream, where you will be able to churn out your own masterpiece by actually aiming for and hitting the different strings with varying pressure. Once you are done, all zipped up with clean hands, go ahead and download your very own M-Pee-3 (now is this not a creative way of naming something traditional?) to share with the rest of the world.

Ubergizmo, Guitar Pee offers a new way to game

Chemical circuits for the body?

The human body can be considered to be a miracle by itself – just take any cell, and break it down to the minutest detail, and you would see the wonder of it all. Well, if you want to call the body a computer, then we might as well go along this line of thought just for this story. After all, our bodies do have their own chemical “highways” that send and receive information and instructions, and when you make parallel comparisons with an electrical circuit, you would realize that the two do have plenty of similarities.

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computerworld, Chemical circuits for the body?

CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GS III ball

If the arrival of the GS III has placed a dent in your “latest Galaxy” street-cred, help is at hand. Once again it's the fine folk at XDA-Developers who come up with the goods, in the form of a CM9 add-on pack for the apparently passé Galaxy Nexus. Included in the bundle are all the leaked goodies from Samsung's latest flagship so far (including a working S Voice), as well as a TouchWiz launcher for added authenticity, plus a few other treats for good measure. While designed for CM9, it's believed it may also work with other, similar ROMs.

2DayBlog.com, CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GS III ball

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray full specs revealed, arrives in October

We already got an early peek at the trailer, but Universal has finally issued a press release that breaks down everything that will be included in the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 30th Anniversary Blu-ray. The disc will include only the 1982 theatrical version of the movie, a Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound audio track and two brand-new featurettes. Those include an interview with the director Steven Spielberg and a behind the scenes look in The E.T. Journals. There's also support for the pocket BLU remote app, Ultraviolet and standard Digital Copy, and more.

Engadget, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray full specs revealed, arrives in October

Samsung Galaxy S III announced for Canada with 2GB of RAM, 1.5GHz dual-core processor

. The Canadian variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III will scrap the quad-core Exynos processor found in the European version and instead feature a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. The Canadian handset, like the Japanese model, will also receive a RAM boost from 1GB to 2GB. It has already been confirmed that the Galaxy S III would be equipped with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor on U.S. carriers with 4G LTE networks. It is unclear, however, if U.S. devices will also receive the RAM increase, although it does seem more likely now. The Samsung Galaxy S III will be available in Canada beginning June 20th.

Boy Genius Report, Samsung Galaxy S III announced for Canada with 2GB of RAM, 1.5GHz dual-core processor

ASUS K55DR-SX0A8 15.6-Inch Notebook

ASUS is preparing to release another 15.6-inch notebook into the market namely the K55DR-SX0A8. The system will feature a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 LCD display, a 1.90GHz AMD A8-4500M processor, an AMD A70M FCH chipset, a Radeon HD 7640G graphics card, a 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a webcam, a DVD Super Multi Drive, an SD card slot, WiFi and run on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (SP1) OS. The K55DR-SX0A8 will go on sale from June 2nd for 49,800 Yen (about $632).

TechFresh, ASUS K55DR-SX0A8 15.6-Inch Notebook

Google now selling accessories for Galaxy Nexus on Google Play

It was a month ago when the Galaxy Nexus popped out from the Google Play store, retailing for $399 without the hassle of getting locked into a two-year contract. Well, just a month after that, Google is now selling accessories for the device. Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners in the U.S. will now have the chance to wreathe the device with nifty accessories including the regular Desktop Dock, the HDMI Portrait Dock and the Vehicle Dock. But we'd like to point out that the three accessories will require the HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus, so you might want to take that into consideration before buying.

Ubergizmo, Google now selling accessories for Galaxy Nexus on Google Play

Who said the Google play Store would only sell devices? Galaxy Nexus accessories now available

Google’s just announced on Google+ that accessories for the Galaxy Nexus are now available for purchase on the Google Play Store. The official desktop dock, HD media dock, and a vehicle dock (yep, the one with the three-pin dock connector) are all available for purchase. Be warned that these accessories are only approved for use with the HSPA+ version of the device, such as the one Google is selling in the Play Store. Those on Verizon and Sprint aren’t officially supported, but you can take the chance if you want anyway. Get started here.

Android Phone, Who said the Google play Store would only sell devices? Galaxy Nexus accessories now available

Samsung Galaxy S III officially arrives in Canada on June 20 with 2GB of RAM, LTE (SGH-i747), or HSPA (SGH-T999)

Earlier today, we provided some details on the prices the Samsung Galaxy S III will have in Canada. Not long after that, Samsung has officially announced that the handset would be available in the country on June 20 - just as rumored. There will be two variants of the S III in Canada: SGH-i747 (featuring LTE and coming to Rogers, Bell, Telus, Virgin Mobile, and SaskTel), and SGH-T999 (bringing HSPA+ to Wind Mobile, Videotron, and Mobilicity).  Both variants will feature 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors, and 2GB of RAM.

Unwired View, Samsung Galaxy S III officially arrives in Canada on June 20 with 2GB of RAM, LTE (SGH-i747), or HSPA (SGH-T999)

Spotify director Sean Parker: Apple tried to keep Spotify out of the United States

Daniel Ek (co-founder of Spotify) and Sean Parker (Director at Spotify) just took the stage here at D10, with Walt Mossberg asking the two about the company's impact in America, negotiations with record labels and - perhaps surprisingly - its links with Apple. Outside of confirming that there's still around 10 million Spotify users in the States (with around three million of those being of the paid variety), the duo also confirmed that it's working daily to improve the catalog.

Engadget, Spotify director Sean Parker: Apple tried to keep Spotify out of the United States

Archos 7-inch Child Pad with ICS now on sale for $130, Aaaalvin squeaks in celebration

Oh, we know you've been waiting for this one. Earlier today, Archos announced its kid-friendly Child Pad tablet is finally up for grabs - which was bound to happen after having passed the FCC's meticulous inspection. In case your brain needs a quick refresh, those $129.99 get your little ones a 7-inch, 800 x 480 screen, Android 4.0, an unpretentious 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage (expandable by way of microSD).

Engadget, Archos 7-inch Child Pad with ICS now on sale for $130, Aaaalvin squeaks in celebration

Leaked iPhone 5 schematic seems to confirm a 4 inch display

While it may or may not be announced next month at WWDC 2012, one thing about Apple's next iPhone is clear: it has to be a major improvement over the previous model (iPhone 4S). One of the most expected enhancements is related to the handset's display. Many sources have pointed out that the iPhone 5 would have a display of at least 4 inches. Now, a leaked schematic that reportedly shows what the new Apple smartphone looks like suggests the display measures exactly 4 inches.

Unwired View, Leaked iPhone 5 schematic seems to confirm a 4 inch display

Nintendo Power “confirms” Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for the 3DS

Assuming the speculators have it right, Konami is set to unveil new Castlevania games tomorrow, although it looks like gaming magazine Nintendo Power might have let the cat out of the bag a bit earlier than intended. As pictured in the photograph above, a small blurb at the bottom has "confirmed" one of the games, the Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate which will be the full title for the upcoming 3DS release. This is not to be confused with the other speculated Castlevania game, Lords of Shadow 2 which is rumored to be arriving on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and presumably the Wii U.

Ubergizmo, Nintendo Power “confirms” Castlevania: Lords of Shadow â€" Mirror of Fate for the 3DS

FitFlop Wins Small Business Excellence Award For Technology Innovation

Awards highlight commitment to bringing The Power of We™ to customers to help drive faster collaboration, smarter decisions and better business results.FitFlop recognised for creative use of unified communications and a commitment to excellence.IAUG Global Conference 2012 - Boston, MA, May 30, 2012 - FitFlop (shoes) and its sister brand Soap & Glory (cosmetics) have been recognised for their technology innovation with a Small Business Excellence award by Avaya and the International Avaya User Group (IAUG) at the 2012 Avaya Customer Innovation Awards.FitFlop and Soap & Glory share an Avaya IP Office

Press Release Distribution, FitFlop Wins Small Business Excellence Award For Technology Innovation

SpaceX and Intelsat announce first commercial contract for Falcon Heavy rocket

SpaceX hit one pretty big milestone recently - to put it mildly - and it's now already back with another fairly significant one. It's announced today that satellite service provider Intelsat has signed the first commercial contract for its Falcon Heavy rocket, which is currently slated to undertake its first launch sometime in 2013.

Engadget, SpaceX and Intelsat announce first commercial contract for Falcon Heavy rocket

Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network to go offline next summer

. Sprint on Tuesday announced that it plans to cease service on its iDEN Nextel network as early as June 30th, 2013. The nation's third largest wireless provider is looking to migrate business and government customers from the old push-to-talk technology onto Sprint Direct Connect, which operates on the carrier's 3G CDMA network and offers improved in-building coverage, and increased voice and data capacity. Sprint will begin sending written notices to iDEN customers beginning June 1st, 2012. The dated Nextel spectrum will be reassigned for the carrier's upcoming LTE network.

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digitalarts, Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network to go offline next summer

RIM warns of loss for Q1, hires JP Morgan and RBC Capital Markets to help with strategic review

RIM announced last quarter that it would no longer be providing its traditional financial guidance for upcoming quarters, but CEO Thorsten Heins has nonetheless seen fit to deliver a "business update" today that offers some indication of what's in store for the company.

Engadget, RIM warns of loss for Q1, hires JP Morgan and RBC Capital Markets to help with strategic review

NuForce compresses a rechargeable speaker, USB DAC and headphone amp into a $119 Cube

For better or worse, your options are plentiful when it comes to palm-sized speakers aimed at improving the audio of your gizmos. While many simply tout Bluetooth or USB connectivity, NuForce is hoping to shake things up a bit with its new Cube. This micro-speaker isn't wireless, but it's got the unique ability to also function as a headphone amp and USB DAC - all in a footprint of 38.5 x 58.5 x 60.0mm (2.30 x 2.30 x 2.36 inches). Aside from giving you multiple ways to add more kickto your tunes, the Cube packs a rechargeable battery that'll last for up to eight hours.

Engadget, NuForce compresses a rechargeable speaker, USB DAC and headphone amp into a $119 Cube

“Tamron Lenses & How-To” app for Android and iOS platforms

If you are a huge fan of Tamron and all of its gear, then you might want to make a beeline for the “Tamron Lenses & How-To” app that will be released for both Android as well as iOS platforms. This particular app will function as a rather useful how-to and Tamron product reference guide wherever you go – just make sure that your smartphone has enough juice to keep on going after a particularly long and hard day of use. I guess sometimes, paper manuals come in handy since you need not worry about battery life (or rather, the lack of it), but the tradeoff would be the weight and bulk of it when you travel.

Ubergizmo, “Tamron Lenses & How-To” app for Android and iOS platforms

Android 4.0 ICS updates for Sony Xperia Arc and Neo rolling-out now

As promised last week, Sony has started rolling-out Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates for its Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo smartphones (launched back in 2011). Both handsets are being blessed with Android 4.0.4. Sony notes that the update is being released "in batches", so your Arc or Neo may not get it as of today. Luckily, Sony is detailing exactly which Arc and Neo models are receiving updated on its official blogs.

Unwired View, Android 4.0 ICS updates for Sony Xperia Arc and Neo rolling-out now

Apple announces WWDC keynote for June 11th at 10AM

. Apple has officially confirmed that the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote will be held at 10:00am on June 11th at Moscone West. Surprisingly, Apple has not confirmed who will in fact be delivering the keynote. Traditionally Apple's CEO has participated, with Steve Jobs famously speaking for many years, and Tim Cook filling in for him among other executives.

Boy Genius Report, Apple announces WWDC keynote for June 11th at 10AM

EXCLUSIVE: Why the Pebble Blue Galaxy S III is delayed

Today we received official confirmation that Samsung is delaying the Pebble Blue Galaxy S III units due to some manufacturing issues regarding the paintjob and the panels' material. The official statement went like this:.

GSM Arena, EXCLUSIVE: Why the Pebble Blue Galaxy S III is delayed

Mockup of Apple's rumored Maps app is reportedly based on actual screenshots

It has long been rumored and suggested that Apple is looking to replace Google Maps on iOS with a map application of their own. As usual with Apple's trademark secrecy, nothing has been confirmed although thanks to recent speculation and rumors, it seems like Apple's efforts at a map app of their own will come into fruition for iOS 6 which has been rumored for a reveal at WWDC later next month – 11th-15th of June. However thanks to the folks at BGR, they have reportedly managed to obtain several screenshots of what they're claiming belongs to Apple's map app.

Ubergizmo, Mockup of Apple's rumored Maps app is reportedly based on actual screenshots

ARCHOS Arnova 7d and 10b G3 Android 4.0 tablets now on sale, from £110

The Currys/Dixons/PC World electronics chain has started selling another pair of super-budget Android tablets, and these have a bit of brand name heritage attached to them. Released under the ARCHOS Arnova brand, the awkwardly-named Arnova 7d G3 tablet features a 7″ capacitive display running at 800×480 resolution, a 1GHz Cortex A8 chipset, 4GB of storage space and 1GB of RAM. Plus there's a 10″ model, the Arnova 10b G3. And they have quite an appealing design, too:

The 7″ model is yours for £110, the 10″ one for £150.

Eurodroid, ARCHOS Arnova 7d and 10b G3 Android 4.0 tablets now on sale, from £110

Orange Sponsored Testing Event Further Demonstrates Interoperable, Standards Based, End-To-End IPTV Solutions From Open IPTV Forum In Action

The Open IPTV Forum successfully completed their latest interoperability test event at the Orange Labs in Rennes, France, where members successfully demonstrated an OIPF-based IPTV solution. The scope and features demonstrated at this event were selected by Orange, and chosen as being representative of those which could constitute a viable commercial offering for a typical tier-one service provider.

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itnet, Orange Sponsored Testing Event Further Demonstrates Interoperable, Standards Based, End-To-End IPTV Solutions From Open IPTV Forum In Action

CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GSIII ball

If the arrival of the GS III has placed a dent in your "latest Galaxy" street-cred, help is at hand. Once again it's the fine folk at XDA-Developers who come up with the goods, in the form of a CM9 add-on pack for the apparently passé Galaxy Nexus. Included in the bundle are all the leaked goodies from Samsung's latest flagship so far (including a working S Voice), as well as a TouchWiz launcher for added authenticity, plus a few other treats for good measure. While designed for CM9, it's believed it may also work with other, similar ROMs.

Engadget, CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GSIII ball

Profitable cloud growth helps iomart Group plc post strong annual results

UK cloud and managed hosting provider reports 68% rise in profits & 33% revenue growth iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the UK cloud computing and managed hosting services provider, has today (29 May 2012) announced strong annual results for the year ended 31 March 2012, with profits up by 68% to £11.2m (2011: £6.6m).Revenue grew by 33% to £33.5m (2011: £25.3m), while pre-tax profits grew by 91% to £6.9m (2011: £3.6m) – all ahead of the record amounts achieved in the last financial year.

Press Release Distribution, Profitable cloud growth helps iomart Group plc post strong annual results

Nano vacuum tubes could give a second life to the guitarist's best friend

Pretty much the only place you see vacuum tubes any more is inside a quality audio amp. But, once upon a time, they were the primary ingredient in any piece of electronic equipment, including computers. The glass tubes have since been replaced with the smaller, less fragile and cheaper to manufacture silicon transistor. There are, however, disadvantages, to transistors. For one, electrons tend to move more slowly though the semiconductors, and two, they're highly susceptible to radiation. The second of those problems doesn't affect us much here on Earth, but for NASA it poses a major obstacle.

2DayBlog.com, Nano vacuum tubes could give a second life to the guitarist's best friend

Devon Tread 1 steampunk watch

Now here is a watch that you might be interested in picking up if steampunk and all of its genre is your cup of tea – the Devon Tread 1 steampunk watch. Hailing from sunny California, watch maker Devon has churned out the Tread 1, revealing it to be a modern looking electro-mechanical timepiece that has, for all intents and purposes, dazzle folks with its tread-based system in order to tell the current time. Definitely large and highly unorthodox if you were to consider this to be a high end timepiece, there is also a dash of zany to it all.

Ubergizmo, Devon Tread 1 steampunk watch

Smart bullet set to make Wanted a reality

Do you remember the movie Wanted. That particular show had the babelicious Angelina Jolie act as one of the world's deadliest assassins, who is capable of bending a bullet around an obstacle before hitting the target some distance away. Well, that fictional setting might end up being reality one of these days, as a new bullet being developed at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico (without Thor's Mjolnir hammer in the vicinity, I suppose) which will be able to travel anywhere between 1 to 2 kilometers while improving long distance marksmanship by approximately 98% – now is that impressive, or is that impressive.

Ubergizmo, Smart bullet set to make Wanted a reality

Editorial: Despite shaky 48 fps Hobbit preview, high frame rates will take off

Well actually, the Hobbit preview wasn't shaky, it was smooth - maybe too smooth - and that's the point. "It does take you a while to get used to," Peter Jackson has admitted, referring to the surprisingly fluid motion of his 48 fps movie footage. But is he right to think audiences will even give it a chance. The launch of high frame-rate (HFR) cinema is surrounded by publicity in the run-up to the Hobbit's debut on December 12th, but it equally has a lot going against it. For starters, the film's 48 fps preview wasn't exactly received warmly.



Engadget, Editorial: Despite shaky 48 fps Hobbit preview, high frame rates will take off

gTar: Learning How to Play Guitar with iPhone

The guitar is one of the most difficult instruments to learn, but add some bits of tech magic and an embedded iPhone and you can learn how to play it with utmost ease. Incident has introduced the gTar, a fully digital guitar that comes with an iPhone dock and a clever app that teaches the users the intricacies of the instrument. Once the iPhone is docked in the guitar's body and the app is loaded, the gTar's neck is lighted with a series of interactive LEDs along the fretboard. For starters, the LEDs light up in sequence with the teaching app during Easy mode, showing the novice player which string to play.

Gadget.com, gTar: Learning How to Play Guitar with iPhone

Dead Space iPhone App

There have been many video console games that have found their way into smartphones as game apps. They provide a new means to introduce certain games to the smartphone crowd that usually already have a sequel being introduced for consoles. The Dead Space game app for iPhones is one such game. Dead Space is an iPhone game app that initially started out as a title for game consoles. As a sequel is being introduced, the original Dead Space has been developed to work with iPhone and other iOS devices.

Gadget.com, Dead Space iPhone App

Report: FBI forming new cyber intelligence research unit, focus on digital surveillance

According to a report filed by technology site CNET, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is forming a new cyber intelligence and research unit dubbed the Domestic Communications Assistance Center (DCAC). The briefing states that the DCAC's purpose will be “to invent technology that will let police more readily eavesdrop on Internet and wireless communications” (initially focusing on VoIP services, social networks, and wireless communication mediums) .

2DayBlog.com, Report: FBI forming new cyber intelligence research unit, focus on digital surveillance

A sentimental goodbye to the last Ford Ranger

It's been more than five months since the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota went dark. The facility produced Ford vehicles for nearly 100 years before finally being closed as part of ongoing restructuring. The closure coincided with the production of the very last North American Ford Ranger.
As you may recall, that machine is currently in service with Orkin.



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bigcrunch, A sentimental goodbye to the last Ford Ranger

1Mpad is Malaysia's first branded tablet, delivers 7 inches of Gingerbread for $315

So you've decided that it's time to make a tablet part of your life, but a lack of star-spangled slabs has prompted you to defer the purchase. Malaysians now face no such dilemma, due in no small part to the 1Malasyia Pad - the country's first branded tab. The 1Mpad will reportedly soon be marketed to students (1.4 million of them, in fact), but 5,000 of the 7-inch Gingerbread devices are now being offered up to deep-pocketed locals, priced online at a rather-ambitious 999 Malaysian ringgits (about $315).

Engadget, 1Mpad is Malaysia's first branded tablet, delivers 7 inches of Gingerbread for $315