More Windows Errors Take Over the World

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

Reports all over the world confirm the worst: the best Windows error ever was just the beginning of a planetary invasion by alien forces using time-space-twisting software code. There's no other explanation for this gallery of demoniacally absurd errors:

They are even trying to trick us. What the hell does "Error, the operation was completed successfully" means. And when a computer asks you "Are you sure you want to send Recycle Bin to the Recycle Bin?" can't you see it's an evil—EVIL I say—trap to disintegrate this dimension?

VoIP Coming to iPod Touch

from Gizmodo by Jason Chen

An iPod Touch developer has just created a SIP-based VoIP app (which works with Asterisk and other open source free and paid VoIP providers) that was ported from an older app called SvSIP. The upside is that iPod Touch users that have the pre-amped mic addon that plugs into the dock connector will be able to actually talk on their iPods. iPhone users won't need the addon to talk (obviously), and should be able to get in on this action soon as well. We'll update when we know more. [Touchmods via TUAW]

Nutty Salt and Pepper Shakers Are All Screwed Up

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

Salt and pepper shaker collectors will be interested in this innovative way to dispense those table staples, looking a whole lot like nuts and bolts. They're actually constructed like a Slinky. Bend one of these bolts, and the gaps between its coils get wide enough to release your chosen seasoning. Good thing there's an "S" and a "P" inscribed on top, or we'd be totally screwed. The stainless steel variety is $55, or save some money on the black ones for around $40. [Gadgets UK, via Spluch]

Dell Gets All Defensive About Latitude XT Tablet Pricing

from Gizmodo by Matt Buchanan

While we sorta groaned at the Latitude XT's $2500 base-model pricetag along with everybody else (cause it's expensive!) we didn't piss and moan too much because we knew that the DuoSense technology making it the only input device on the market that combines a pressure-sensitive pen with multitouch into a single surface is new, hot shit. And that's never cheap. But Dell is a little touchy about the feedback, so they've publicly defended the price on their Direct2Dell blog, with a chart showing how much more awesome it is than other tablets and quips like "we are talking about cutting-edge technology here."

The sorta interesting claim about the price itself is that it's only "a slight premium to our competition (emphasis on the word 'slight')," which is based on the math its "non-standard features" only carry a 13 percent premium over the competition. If you're still not convinced it's worth it, they're going to be following it up with more posts explaining why you're wrong.

The problem is that however much it surpasses other tablets, when you come down to it, $2500 is still two-and-a-half grand, and that's just for the base model. You bump the processor to dual core, the RAM to 2GB and expand the hard drive to 80GB, you're talking closer to $3,000 for what's really the acceptable spec configuration. And that kind of money makes most consumers antsy, however fancy your wares. We know we'll be waiting for it to plunge to more plebian prices, though we do appreciate the tech inside, Dell. [Direct2Dell]

Virtual Cable nav system superimposes route guidance on your windshield in 3D

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

We've seen quite a few next-gen nav device concepts, but none with as much potential as the Virtual Cable, from a New Jersey company called Making Virtual Solid. The system uses a laser, a set of lenses, and a moving mirror mounted in the dashboard to project a 3D route-guidance line above the road ahead, as though it's actually out in front of the driver. Besides making driving that much more like a video game, the company says mass-produced versions will cost somewhere around $400 as a factory-installed option, and can be easily interfaced with existing GPS systems. Sadly, there don't appear to be any live videos of the system in action, but judging from the number of patent applications and incredibly detailed schematics and explanations on the website, the vapor factor seems pretty low. Check the read link for a set of video mockups of the system in action.

 

Read

Toshiba, IBM, Samsung and others in pact with the 32-nm devil

Augustine: not a moment to rest for Intel; they need to capitalize on their current lead and provide "lock in" reasons for IT buyers

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

Toshiba just announced its membership in an alliance to develop system chips using 32-nm circuitry. That's well below the existing 45-nm processes used in manufacturing Intel's Penryn, for example. The alliance includes IBM, AMD, Samsung, Infineon, Freescale, and Singapore's Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing. No surprise really, what with Tosh already in bed with IBM to develop chips using 32-nm processes. The agreement is good until 2010 and covers design, development, and the production of the itty bitty circuitry. A move which should reduce manufacturing costs for the alliance with the savings passed along to us consumers.

iPod touch SIP-VoIP application: free on New Year's Day

Augustine: VOIP on WiFi ...  new cell phones on an unlimited data plan can serve as WiFi hotspot; now the iPod Touch or iPhone can make VOIP calls for free over the data channel.  Another hack enables video recording .. which means video calls with Skype over WiFi and over unlimited data plan is nearing!  Long live telecom co's    NOT!  :-)

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

Remember that VoIP hack for the iPod touch. Right, the one that requires an external mic. Well, mark your calendars Jailbreakers, the software will be available for download on New Year's Day. SIP-VoIP is free, but your donations will gladly (and rightfully) be accepted.

[Thanks, RadicalxEdward]

 

New earpiece design puts a microphone inside your head

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Finally, you no longer have to mess with annoying bone conducting headsets to get your message heard in noisy environments. A Japanese company called NS-ELEX has created a new type of earpiece / microphone called the "e-Mimi-kun" (good ear boy), which utilizes air vibrations in the ear to deliver your voice to the other end of the line. Apparently, the design reduces outside noise by a factor of six, and a Sanyo chip used in the device further reduces sound levels, making things up to ten times quieter. The earpiece can be tethered to a phone, or work wirelessly via Bluetooth. No release date or pricing info available right now, but we're pretty sure stock brokers will snap these up like hot-cakes.

[Via PhysOrg]

Nanosolar begins shipping "world's lowest-cost solar panel"

from Engadget by Donald Melanson

We've heard plenty of promises about low(er) cost solar panels, but it looks like the heavily-funded upstart Nanosolar is actually getting around to churning out what it says is the "world's lowest-cost solar panel." As The New York Times reports, that feat was achieved by taking a different approach to lowering the cost than most -- namely, by reducing the manufacturing cost instead of trying to increase the efficiency. As a result, by using a new process that effectively "prints" photovoltaic material onto an aluminum backing, the company says they can profitably sell the solar panels for "less than $1 a watt" or, as The Times points out, the price at which solar energy becomes less expensive than coal. What's more, while Nanosolar itself is hanging onto one of the first panels for exhibit, and one is being donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose, Nanosolar is auctioning off one of the first three panels to be produced on eBay, where the bidding currently stands around $1,000. Anyone looking to actually put it to use may want to think twice, however, as the panel is being sold "as-is."

[Via The New York Times]

Pig Toy Gets Completely Squashed, Raises Like Terminator T1000 [Crazy]

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

According to legend, Skynet went on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions were removed from strategic defense. Skynet began to learn at a geometric rate. It became self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they tried to pull the plug. It was too late: Skynet retaliated by launching millions of Lokulokus, pigs made out of a gelatinous plastic material that could be squashed against the floor, be completely destroyed, and magically regain their original shape in seconds. And we got the proof, in video:

Popout

If this is not the most absurdly amazing toy I have ever seen, I don't know what is. Really. And it's only $3 in Japan. Too bad they are probably made of materials that induce hallucinations when licked.

Someone import these, pronto. [Louloku via Gizmodo Japan]

Rayzer Triples Driving Visibility, Surprised Deers [Peripherals]

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

Rayzer may be one of the few car tuning parts that could be actually useful (after animated LED car rims and car spoilers made out of Boeing 747 flaps): a set of auxiliary HID Xenon lights that can be installed inside the car, between your windshield and the rear-view mirror. Swedish manufacturer Visualeyes says that the Rayzer activates wirelessly when you turn on the high-beams and claims that "Rayzer triples your visibility at night." Judging by the test images, it looks like they are right:

You don't have to turn them on: the Rayzer's lights are wirelessly synchronized with the car's high-beams. For you of those thinking about those idiots who travel all the time with their high-beams and anti-fog lamps on, you will be glad to learn that it has a traffic detection function that will automatically turn the light off if it detects cars in the distance.

The Rayzer will start distribution in 2008, so if you travel through roads with no or little illumination, these may be perfect for you.

ZCam 3D Camera is like Minority Report Without Gloves

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

The ZCam is the first low-cost, consumer videocamera that can capture video with depth information and probably the first real challenger to Nintendo's Wiimote: with its 3D capture abilities it will allow you to play Wii-style without using any controls whatsoever. In fact, it is so precise that it will even recognize your finger gestures to fire a weapon or manipulate your computer like in Minority Report, but without gloves or any other external device:

The camera has sensors that are able to measure the depth for each of the captured pixels using a principle called Time-Of-Flight. It gets 3D information "by emitting pulses of infra-red light to all objects in the scene and sensing the reflected light from the surface of each object." The objects in the scene are then ordered in layers in the Z axis, which gives you a grayscale depth map that a game or any software application can use.

According to manufacturer 3DV Systems, the depth resolution is quite good: it can detect 3D motion and volume down to 0.4 inches, capturing at the same time full color, 1.3 megapixel video at 60 frames per second. While there have been professional cameras with depth capture in the past, this is the first time that a device of such characteristics is cheap enough to be built into any game system or computer.

As you can see in the video, the ZCam is completely different from the EyeToy or any other normal 2D webcam. Even while it's not as precise and flexible as a real full 3D motion tracking system, the videos show that it can indeed provide with a new level of interactivity in video games and any application—like computer user interface manipulation.

While the results could be quite impressive, I'm not convinced about some of the applications. The flight simulator, for example, seems to work great. However, unlike boxing, I have the feeling that I wouldn't be able to control a plane without actually grabbing something. Of course, I can pick anything to give me that feeling, just like a Nintendo Wiimote. But then again, in flight simulator games you want an actual joystick, so the "phantom" feeling of not having force feedback is the same for the ZCam and the Wiimote. For any other game, like first person shooters, this kind of technology could be really good if it lives up to its promise and developers can fully exploit it.

Its virtues could be even easier to apply in computer applications. The demonstration in the video, with the guy manipulating Vista with hand gestures, gives you a very good idea. As I use my iMac 24 to type this, I wish I can just wave my hand in the air quickly to consult a PDF, like Minority Report's Tom Cruise but without jumping in the sofa and scaring Oprah. Or touching, moving and clicking the mouse.

Since the ZCam is a piece of circuitry that can be integrated anywhere, and without taxing the CPU, I don't see why companies like Apple or Dell wouldn't adopt them for future desktop and portables. However, the technology has just been officially announced this week and it's too soon too tell. Whatever happens, it's good to see such a device coming to the market. Hopefully, we will see it in action with real world applications soon. In the meantime:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

[3DV Systems]

Marksmanship

from Seth's Blog by Seth Godin

In a new study released in today's Times, it turns out that the typical NY police officer only hits 34% of the time she fires a gun. Even from a distance of six feet or less, it's 43%. Obviously, Bruce Willis is the exception.

I wonder how it changes your decision making when you discover that you're only going to be successful one out of three times. Never mind blasting a weapon out of an assailant's hand, we're talking about hitting the target at all... How does a cop have the guts to even pull a weapon knowing that most of the time, it's not going to have its desired effect (my guess is that the threat and the noise and chaos is as positive an outcome as an actual hit...). I know I would never have the guts to do that job.

Salespeople have a harder time with this than marketers. Marketers have lots of 'bullets' and they don't notice the ones they miss (I usually miss 99.5% of the time online, and more than 99.999% of the time selling books). We just reload and blithely continue on. But salespeople have to deal both with personal rejection and the expectation of the boss.

The poor hit rate of selling explains call resistance. Non-professional salespeople almost aways wash out because they can't keep at it, day after day, once they realize that most of the time, they fail. I guess my point is that if a policeman can risk his life doing it, we can probably find the nerve to go on one more sales call.

This is the new politics

from Seth's Blog by Seth Godin

Forget about YouTube debates.

The future of politics looks just like what Cory did to the Canadian DMCA the last few weeks.

One person, with just a few hard-working people in the field, managed to derail a bill that lobbyists spent millions of dollars on.

Sure, it helps that it was a lousy bill, that Cory co-writes the most popular blog in the world and that the bill was about something that blog readers care about. Doesn't matter. Because as readership grows and issues start attracting loyal readers, what this proves is that Tip O'Neill was wrong. All politics isn't local. All politics is about permission. The permission to share your views with people who want to hear them, people who take action, people who tell their friends.

Nice work, Cory. Who's next?

[Right issue, wrong guy, I'm told! Cory was the one I noticed, but Michael was the point man.]

CradlePoint reveals PHS300 portable hotspot

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Merely months after cranking out the CTR-350, CradlePoint has upped the ante with the even more portable PHS300. This bugger enables a selection of handsets and USB cellular modems to create a "personal WiFi hotspot," and unlike its sibling, this one sports a built-in Li-ion to keep the connection alive (for a few hours, anyway) where there's no AC outlet in sight. Furthermore, you'll find WEP / WPA security features, an integrated firewall and the ability to charge up your phone via USB if necessary. Sound like just the thing you need? If so, you can drop your pre-order in now for $179.99 and patiently await the December 20th ship date. [Via The Boy Genius Report]

Toshiba's new 128GB SATA SSDs -- hello, SanDisk?

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

128GB of SSD. You long for it, you need it, and with any luck you'll have it when Toshiba starts churning 'em out for production by May. The new 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch MLC NAND slabs with SATA interfaces will ship in three capacities: 32GB, 64GB, and the big daddy 128GB. The new SSDs are based on the new 56-nm processes announced back in January. Of course, with Toshiba and Sandisk bedfellows in flash we're also expecting a SanDisk announcement on the quick -- certainly no later than CES in early January. No prices announced, though we anticipate the year-over-year reductions to continue, right boys? [Via Impress]

Everex's Nanobook becomes the Cloudbook, gets gOS

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

While we haven't heard much more about the gOS laptop with the $300 price tag, word is that Everex will be equipping another portable model -- the 7-inch, VIA-based, ultra-portable Nanobook -- with a $400 MSRP and its Google-themed Linux OS. The device -- apparently being referred to as the "Cloudbook" -- is rumored to be launching at the CES in January, and will become available to the public the following week. Specs include a VIA C7 ULV 1.2GHz CPU, a 30GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, WiFi, a card reader, two USB ports, and a DVI out. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but there seems to be ample information supporting the rumors. Just give us multiple colors, an SSD, and tell us where exactly the trackpad is and we could be in serious like. [Via jkkmobile]

Hands-on with BetaBlue, JetBlue's WiFi-equipped Airbus

from Engadget by Evan Blass

Generally we're the type to pass out the second we've stowed our carry-on items safely in the overhead bin, but on a recent test flight for a gang of reporters, photographers, Fortune 500 execs, and the obligatory PR team, JetBlue managed to keep us awake by magically letting us communicate with our friends and colleagues on the ground over IM and email. Actually, it takes a lot more than magic for the Airbus A320 named "BetaBlue" to bring limited WiFi connectivity to properly-equipped passengers throughout the single-class cabin: quite a bit of technical and administrative work went into getting this service off the ground, from snatching up and deploying a rare slice of 800MHz ground-to-air spectrum to effectively managing cell tower connections while traveling over 500mph to developing clients that would maximize the precious bandwidth being shared by so many mobile gadget lovers. Keep reading after the break for all of our impressions from this media preview voyage, and don't forget to hit up the gallery below for glimpses of the entire experience along with some of the screenshots you can expect to see in-flight...

Gallery: Hands-on with BetaBlue, JetBlue's WiFi-equipped Airbus

Continue reading Hands-on with BetaBlue, JetBlue's WiFi-equipped Airbus

NVIDIA reveals GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Not even two months after NVIDIA tempted gamers on a budget with the GeForce 8800 GT, the outfit has loosed a new beast just in time for those eleventh hour holiday shoppers. Based on 65-nanometer fabrication, the 8800 GTS 512MB boasts 128 stream processors, twin dual-link DVI ports, PureVideo HD technology, DirectX 10 support, a 650MHz core clock / 970MHz memory clock and hardware decode acceleration for smooth playback of "H.264, VC-1, WMV and MPEG-2 HD and SD movies." According to the company, this card provides some 25-percent more processing power than NVIDIA products previously offered at the same price point, which, if you're wondering, is around $299 to $349.

[Via HotHardware]

DisplayLink, Alereon intro wireless USB video card reference design

from Engadget by Donald Melanson

DisplayLink's certainly no stranger to wireless monitors, but it now looks set to push the technology even further along, with it and Alereon trotting out a new reference design for a wireless USB video card (and corresponding monitor adapter). That'll apparently let you use a monitor at a distance of up to three meters, with a throughput of 120-150mbps and lossless compression ensuring that "the image users see is the same that they'd get with a wired monitor," according to Wi-Fi Planet. What's more, you should also be able to use up to six displays at the same time, "theoretically," although DisplayLink admits that gamers likely won't be satisfied. While this is just a reference design, DisplayLink says the final adapter set should run between $150 and $250 when its released in the spring, while monitors with the technology built-in will apparently demand $150 "or more" than a comparable non-wireless model (those are expected in mid-2008). [Via DailyWireless]

Toshiba's 15-nm process hints at 100Gbit NAND chips: 6x current densities

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

We won't pretend to be experts in NAND fabrication so we'll keep this short. Toshiba just showed their 15-nm processes which allows for the production of 100Gbit NAND flash chips in 4 years time. That is, if they can develop the technology for manufacturing -- no easy task. Compare that to those 16Gbit chips manufactured from 50-nm and 52-nm processes due for release next year, and you'll understand why physicists are in such a tizzy over the announcement. [Via Impress and The Inquirer]

7-year old Gordy Moore travels through time, invents Penryn

Posted Dec 13th 2007 7:19AM by Thomas Ricker

Ever wonder how Intel achieved their impressive 45-nm manufacturing process behind Penryn? Twas kid's play according to a new video posted on Intel's YouTube channel. Take a bit of Core45, Hi-K, and Metal Gate. Stir it up with a pinch of Hafnium and silicon flakes and you've reinvented Intel transistors. Gordy you did it! Good Job. Video for true geeks only after the break.

Pentagon prepping non-lethal "light and sound" weapon

from Engadget by Evan Blass

Blissfully unaware that it's up against a generation raised in the sensory madhouses known as techno clubs, the Pentagon is reportedly working on a non-lethal weapon that utilizes light and sound to sicken and disorient targets. Like Homeland Security's "pukelight," the so-called Distributed Sound and Light Array Debilitator being developed by Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory is meant to induce a feeling of nauseousness, in this case combining light patterns with "aversive noises." So yeah, like we said, sounds pretty effective unless you happen to run into a group of insurgents hardened by years of all-night raving and the accompanying neurological damage.

Read

Battleship Mtron: the absurdly fast SSD RAID array

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Listen, we know you think your RAID setup is pretty snazzy, and, truth be told, it probably makes our rig look silly by comparison. However, in the computer world, there's always someone out there with a bigger, nastier system -- and we've just spotted one of the nastiest of them all. Next Level Hardware is a site that specializes in putting outrageous setups to the test, and this time they haven't disappointed with their benchmarks on the Mtron 16GB SSD (reportedly the fastest SATA drive in the world). Oh, did we mention the test was on a RAID 0 array of nine drives? Dubbed the "Battleship Mtron," the sickening collection of hardware blazed past the competition (a WD Raptor, less stacked Mtron RAID setups), delivering mind-boggling data swaps like copying a 1GB folder in four seconds. You read that right: four seconds. Like where this is headed? Truck over to the test page and peep all the stats... seriously, it's upsetting.

[Thanks, David]

 

Read

Intel develops integrated WiFi / WiMAX / DVB-H chip

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Intel, clearly not wanting to be left in the dust by the slew of new wireless technologies that are starting to converge, nasty-like, inside our shiny new devices, has begun testing on a chip which can effortlessly swap between WiFi, WiMAX, and DVB-H. The idea is that the chip's radio would talk to your WiFi at home, hand over the data to WiMAX if you hit the road, and also allow you to pull down digital television while staying mobile -- without having to use an array of separate radios or silicon. This should open up a whole new vista of possibilities for time-wasting activities, so whenever manufacturers want to get this into our phones / laptops, just say the word. We're ready.

[Via Slashdot]

Motorola's A1600 MING 2 surfaces

from Engadget by Darren Murph

What's that, you say? Reportedly, that picture you see above is the Motorola A1600, which could be the long-awaited successor to the A1200 MING. Granted, we've no proof to go along with it, but the design sure fits the mold. According to Chinese-based eNet, this bugger will sport quad-band GSM connectivity, a 3.2-megapixel camera (with autofocus), WiFi, assisted-GPS, a couple of built-in games, a "talking dictionary" and a Linux-based OS. Interestingly enough, that last tidbit certainly conflicts with other reports we've heard, but we suppose time will tell (look for a February launch) what system really ends up running the MING 2 show. [Via UnwiredView]

iPhone gets video recording capabilities

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Thanks to another set of ambitious iPhone hackers, we've officially got video on Apple's wonder-device (that somehow omitted video to begin with). It's not much right now, but if you want, you can see your phone recording five succulent seconds of real-deal video at around 15 FPS. The developers say this is just a proof of concept, and they've been able to get up to 45 FPS on the device -- so hopefully we can expect a more robust version soon (like, say, one that lets you save the recording). Check the video after the break to see the gorgeous work in action.

Continue reading iPhone gets video recording capabilities

Read |

ATI demonstrates hybrid-chip CrossFire graphics tech

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

We've already seen laptops like Sony's Vaio SZ include integrated graphics alongside much more powerful (and power-hungry) dedicated chips, but AMD's looking to make such setups all the more commonplace with new chips capable of hybrid CrossFire. AMD recently demoed the tech to PC Perspective, showing off a 2.2GHz Phenom machine with both unreleased RS780 integrated graphics and a RV620-based card labeled HD Radeon 3450. Running games like Call of Duty 4 and Unreal Tournament 3, frame rates jumped from 30-35fps to around 55fps when hybrid mode was enabled. That's pretty respectable, although the system is limited to speedups of the slowest chip times two, so bigger gains are probably not in the offing. However, there can still be benefits to using chips of drastically different horsepower: the integrated chips can power down the heavy hitter to save power when not needed, and totally switch over when required. That's a pretty solid compromise, we think -- and with AMD aiming for the initial batch of hybrid CrossFire-capable cards to be priced around $50, it looks like we'll be seeing these setups a lot when AMD starts shipping these early next year.

 

Read

Homer's iViewer: the wireless TV transmitter

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Homer Technology's iViewer is based on a fairly simple concept, and while we're still curious as to what wireless protocol it's utilizing to handle its duties, it can reportedly beam content from just about anything to your TV sans cabling. More formally known as the HTM 9000, this thing features four separate channels / status LEDs, a trio of composite video inputs and an embedded antenna, which is apparently utilized to pass along video / images from your PMP / camcorder / etc. to the family room TV. Granted, we're always a bit skeptical when the nitty-gritty technical details are casually omitted from any easily retrievable documentation, but if this thing does what it promises at just $42.99, we'd say it's pretty worthwhile.

[Via ChipChick]

ITRI showcases a 10.4-inch flexible color LCD

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

Hot on the heels of that flexible color e-ink display we saw a couple days back, here comes a flexible 10.4-inch LCD display that's less then 10mm thick. The display is being developed by Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and features two plastic substrate elements instead of a traditional glass one. ITRI says the display can reproduce 57 percent of the NTSC color gamut, but there's no word on when we might ever see these in production.

[Via TG Daily]

 

Read

NVIDIA 3-Way SLI review roundup

from Engadget by Paul Miller

No use kidding around: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 3-Way SLI kicks benchmark ass. Reviewers across the board found the setup to be far and away the best money can buy when it comes to graphics, but the price is certainly steep. Not only are the cards super pricey -- you're limited to the 8800 GTX and 8800 Ultra -- but you'll need a 1000+ watt power supply, and pretty much a fresh system from the ground up unless you're already running the nForce 680i SLI motherboard. PC Perspective crunched the numbers, and you're looking at about $2828 in costs before you even get to the case, hard drive, DVD drive and all that other superfluous stuff. That said, the third card really makes a big difference, since performance scales surprisingly well with the addition. You probably don't need this kind of power if you're not trying to game at full-res on a 30-incher, but if you don't mind dropping $3k on a system purely designed to play Crysis at Very High, then you just might have some 3-way SLI in your future. Read - bit-tech.net Read - HotHardware Read - PC Perspective

Polymer Vision announces rollable displays are in production

from Engadget by Paul Miller

We've been look at wacky prototypes of rollable displays for so long that it's hard to believe they could ever get real. Polymer Vision, a Philips spin out, has just announced that it has its production facilities up and running and its first rollable displays have made it off the assembly line. And they're not leaving it at that. Polymer Vision's first product, the 3G-enabled Readius, is supposed to be available before the end of the year. That doesn't give them much time to slap the rest of the parts together, but hopefully the Readius can be giving Kindle some competition before we get too terribly accustomed to its DRM-ed ways.

 

Read

Export and Backup All Emails from Outlook to Your Gmail Account

from Digital Inspiration by Amit

Sachin writes - "I have few thousand email messages inside Microsoft Outlook (a pst file) organized in various folders. I know it is possible to download emails from Gmail to Outlook using POP3 or IMAP but is the reverse path possible."

Sachin is looking for a trick to archive all Outlook email messages (and folders) to his online Gmail account for two reasons - one is secure backup and two, he will be able to access his old emails from any computer.

Solution: It is quite easy to transfer Outlook emails to your Gmail mailbox. Here's a step by step guide:

Step 1: Enable IMAP in your Gmail account and then configure Outlook (or Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail) to sync with your Gmail address via IMAP. Read this guide.

Step 2: Import your Outlook PST file into a Personal folder that is different from your default Gmail Inbox.

To import, click File -> Import And Export -> Import from another program or file. -> Next -> Personal Folder File (.pst) -> Next.

Select the PST file that contains your email, then pick the email folders that you want to import in Outlook and click Finish.

Step 3: Select the Personal folders that you want to backup online and copy them your Gmail Folder in Outlook (see screenshot).

In the Folder List, right-click the folder you want to copy and click Copy Folder name. Click the Gmail Folder in Outlook to copy that folder in that location. You can repeat the steps as needed for other folders.

That's it. Your Outlook email will soon become available inside your online Gmail Inbox.

Caution: The migration from Outlook to Gmail can take a long time if you have very large Outlook pst file or if your internet connection speed is slow. Therefore, consider removing all large emails before moving them to your Gmail via IMAP.

Related: Is Your Outlook+Gmail Slow ?

CarbonRally: Small Competitive Steps For The Environment

from TechCrunch by Duncan Riley

CarbonRally applies gaming and social networking concepts to environmental activism by challenging participants to take positive steps against carbon emissions.

Boston based CarbonRally offers a series of carbon reducing challenges, such as not drinking bottled water, dumping shopping bags and leaving your car at home, whereby users can compete against others to become the most carbon friendly participant. Current users include Google's offices in Boston and Pittsburgh who are openly aiming to beat one and other.

The competition is all in good fun with no prizes offered, however CarbonRally is looking at corporate sponsorship of challenges in the future.

If you're passionate about carbon emissions, CarbonRally providers a fun and friendly forum from which you can join others in saving the world.

In Japan Half The Top Selling Books Are Written On Mobile Phones

from TechCrunch by Duncan Riley

With all the talk about Amazon's Kindle, there's a bigger revolution taking place and those who studied classic literature will be horrified. In Japan, half of the top ten selling works of fiction in the first six months of 2007 were composed on mobile phones.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, mobile phone novels (keitai shousetsu) have become a publishing phenomenon in Japan, "turning middle-of-the-road publishing houses into major concerns and making their authors a small fortune in the process."

One book, Koizora (Love Sky) about high-school girl who is bullied, gang-raped, becomes pregnant has sold more than 1.2 million copies since being released.

The mobile internet has a role in this growing phenomen in Japan, with another book Moshimo Kimiga (420,000 copies) starting with installments uploaded to an internet site and sent our to "thousands of young subscribers."

Notably, at least when considering the Kindle, is that the Japanese market happily pays for mobile books as well; we've quoted hard copy figures here but there are many more Japanese viewers paying to read this content online via their mobile phones.

I can't see anyone in Western nations waking up tomorrow and seeing mobile phone composed novels on the top seller lists, but usually Japan is years ahead on many tech fronts; mobile phone data services were available and popular in Japan years ago as the rest of us are only now catching up. Perhaps the NY Times best seller list in 2012 might consist of keitai shousetsu, stranger things have happened.

(image: Wikimedia Commons)

Adroll: The Social Ad Network (Beta Invites)

from TechCrunch by Erick Schonfeld

Jared Kopf thinks that ad networks should be more like social networks. A member of the PayPal mafia (he also helped start Slide), Kopf is now CEO of Adroll, a social ad network that launched in private beta last week. (The first 100 TechCrunch readers to register and type in the promo code "Crunchroll" will get a beta invite).

The last thing the Web needs is another ad network, but Adroll is at least trying something new. It lets niche publishers self-organize into communities of interest so as to have a better shot at attracting advertisers. For instance, in the "Surfing Ad Community," there are currently eight surf sites that collectively attract an audience of half-a-million per month. There is also an "Alt Music Community" of music blogs. Any publisher can create their own community or ask to join an existing one. Kopf explains this to me in an e-mail:

(Communities can be a) Open, b) Members Can Invite, and c) Only Leader Can Invite)

This actually allows publishers to form communities that are exclusive, or semi-exclusive. So you could form the TechCrunch Ad Community that is made up of smaller tech-focused blogs that you rep. Or a community of "Breaking News Sites." Sites can join by "friending" you…and you approve (or deny) their admission.

The big point of differentiation for us is that we . . . use a "social-networking"-style matching system to enable publishers to create their own networks, and help publishers to sell more, at higher CPMs by working together.

Well, that's the idea. You create your own adroll, just like a blogger would create a blogroll with other related blogs. Except that advertisers can buy ads across that blogroll. They can also buy ads across a tagroll. When publishers set up their profiles they choose tags to describe their site, like "surf," "celebrities," or "web 2.0." And advertisers can buy those tags. Advertisers also have their own profiles, with their own tags. So publishers interested in attracting a certain advertiser need only look at its tags, add them to their own profile, and hope for a match. Thus, the tagrolls could end up being so easy to game as to render them useless.

The bigger question for Adroll is whether advertisers will bite at all. Do they actually want to reach the Long Tail of surfing sites, or just stick with the most popular ones they already can get through other ad networks? The bigger the adroll, the more appealing it will be to advertisers. But become too big and generic, and the communities lose their targeting advantage. Also, most advertisers are used to spraying ads at certain demographics, but Adroll communities are organized by interests. That could be another problem.

The bulk of advertising still goes to the top handful of sites on the Web. So anything that gives niche sites more of a fighting chance is worth trying. Adroll is offering them a new way to band together. Whether advertisers will care depends on how cool the publishers can come across. The same as any other social network.

Screenshots: