Monday, October 06, 2008

Chelsea Football Club Owner Building $400 Million Mega-Yacht with Submarine, Missile Defenses [What Bailout?]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/412308349/chelsea-football-club-owner-building-400-million-mega+yacht-with-submarine-missile-defenses

Russian billionaire and Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich is building a $400 million mega-yacht. Yawn, you say? You have two? OK, well, this yacht has its own submarine. And armor plating with bulletproof glass. And little boats that fit inside the bigger boat. And a frickin' missile defense system that will alert he and his crew of 70 former SAS soldiers that there be pirates in those waters. It should be noted that Abramovich's other yachts—the 377 ft. Pelorus, 282ft Ecstasea and 160ft Sussurro—all pale in comparison to the 550 ft. Eclipse, and do not include missile detection systems. You can never be too safe, right?

The Eclipse, so named because Abramovich desires that it overshadow all other boats at sea, also includes an escape submarine, just in case pirates or other rapscallions make it on board. The submarine seats two, so Abramovich and his gorgeous girlfriend Daria Zhukova, 26, can make a hasty flight to safer waters (or go down to 160 ft. deep) while his hired guns secure the decks.

Abramovich's Eclipse will also have room for 24 guests, a cinema, aquarium, disco and a hospital. But no weapons—under maritime law, private vessels are banned from carrying them. Hence, the yellow submarine action and missile defenses that border on paranoia. [The Daily Mail]


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MSI Wind U100 coming to "major retailer," Wind 2 coming this quarter

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/411694116/

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Slowly but surely, MSI is following in the laughable footsteps of ASUS. At first, the Wind was simply the Wind. Now, we've a smattering of variants to keep up with, and according to a recent interview with director of US sales Andy Tung, that trend isn't about to stop. Starting next week, the Wind U100 will be available at an undisclosed "large national retailer," with the 3-cell / WinXP version going for $399. Additionally, Tung gave us all a reason to hold off on making that very purchase by revealing that the business-minded Wind U120 (or Wind 2, as he called it) will be landing on US soil in late November or early December. Said machine will boast "a whole new look," new HDD / SSD options and inbuilt 3.5G WWAN connectivity for under $600. Also of note, MSI's internal research has found that Linux-infused netbooks get returned four times as often as units with Windows XP; we can't say we're shocked that people don't feel like learning a new OS, but we're deeply, deeply saddened that reading comprehension levels (particularly on specification labels) in this nation are so obviously low.
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Ainol's palatable V3000 PMP priced at $100

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/412036674/

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For obvious reasons, we don't get too excited about PMPs developed and produced entirely in China, but similar to Gemei's lot, Ainol looks to have a winner on its hands with the V3000. We've seen this display-dominated unit prancing around for awhile now, but we've just now learned how much the company plans on charging for it: 699 Chinese yuan, or around $102 before haggling. For that, you'll get 4GB of internal space, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, FM tuner, TV output and a rechargeable battery. Now, where to find one is the real challenge.

[Via PMPToday]
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RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530: details galore

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/412081214/

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RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530, which is more affectionately known 'round these parts as the Thunder, is definitely within striking distance. Still, just because you don't have too much longer to wait doesn't mean you aren't anxious to get your hands on as many details as possible beforehand, right? The Boy Genius has managed to procure a few mundane stacks of PowerPoint slides that just so happen to contain some pretty scrumptious information on the touchscreen-based BlackBerry, and while there aren't any mind-melting surprises in there (like, confirmation that it can indeed read and reply correctly to each e-mail automatically), it's not the kind of data any real RIM fan would want to overlook. Go on and hit the read link, what exactly are you waiting for?
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World's largest computing grid lives to go live

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/412497931/

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Contrary to popular belief, the world as we know it didn't implode after the Large Hadron Collider was flipped on. Sure -- someone, somewhere is growing a ninth arm and trying desperately to land a cameo on Fringe, but the planet at large is still humming along just fine. Now, the world's most ginormous computing grid (the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, or WLCG) has gone live, and the gurus behind it are celebrating the beginning of its momentous data challenge: to analyze and manage over 15 million gigabytes of data each year. The Grid combines the IT power of over 140 computer centers, 100,000 processors and the collaborative efforts of 33 countries. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the official WLCG-based Call of Duty 4 server will be green-lit for action, but we hear it's pretty high on the priorities list.

[Via China View]
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Mitsubishi unveils beastly FL6900U 1080p projector

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/412328923/

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There's nothing lightweight about Mitsubishi's latest beamer, as the burly FL6900U checks in with a man-sized 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 4,000 ANSI lumens, an RS-232 control port, automated zoom / focus and digital keystone correction, and a built-in motion-sensitive anti-theft alarm. It also packs a man-sized price, but hopefully that corporate card can handle another $9,995 when this thing lands later in the month.

[Via AboutProjectors]
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Toshiba's MacBook Pro-esque Satellite E105 arrives at Best Buy

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/412420648/

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The Toshiba E105 has been sneaking around the fringes for a few days now, but apparently it's not just announced -- it's available for purchase. That's right, the oddly familiar looking 14.1-incher can be had at Best Buy for the totally reasonable price of $1,199.99, packing a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, a 1280 x 800 TruBrite LCD display, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and an Intel 4500MHD integrated GPU. The Satellite also sports 802.11a/b/g/n, an HDMI out, Vista Home Premium, and that all-important fingerprint reader (just remember, this increases the odds of someone cutting off your finger). The laptop is available right now online, no word if it's on store shelves yet.

[Via LogicBUY]
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Friday, October 03, 2008

Netflix Watch Instantly Adds Movies from Starz [Movies]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/408506522/netflix-watch-instantly-adds-movies-from-starz

DVD rental service Netflix has added over 1,000 movies from premium movie network Starz to its Watch Instantly streaming service. That means movies like No Country for Old Men are now available to stream in your browser—and you've got even more incentive to turn your Xbox 360 into a streaming Netflix player. [via]


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"Windows Cloud" Operating System Release Within a Month [Windows]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/408649707/windows-cloud-operating-system-release-within-a-month

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces that within a month, MS will release a new operating system he described as "Windows Cloud"—for webapp developers working on "cloud computing" apps like Zoho Suite and, um, Gmail (except not those). Computerworld reports:

The operating system, which will likely have a different name, is intended for developers writing cloud-computing applications, said Ballmer, who spoke to an auditorium of IT managers at a Microsoft-sponsored conference in London.

The Windows Cloud OS is a separate project from the upcoming Windows 7. Sheesh, this fall is shaping up to be a real tech humdinger, what with Google making browsers and Microsoft making light operating systems especially for webapps. Would you be interested in running "Windows Cloud," or is a light XP (or, ahem, Linux) install with Firefox or Chrome good enough for you? Tell us what you think in the comments. Photo by allyaubry.


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Best Media Converters? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/408649706/best-media-converters

Virtually every gadget you own is now capable of playing back music and videos—from your computer and phone to your MP3 player and video game console—but the problem is compatibility. Popular format X may play perfectly well on your computer, but it won't think about playing back on your iPod. Not long ago you needed to hunt down obscure command line tools or purchase specialized converters to get your file in the correct format, but today there are countless free tools available that can convert just about any piece of media to whatever format you need. For this week's Hive Five, we want you to share your favorite media converter—whether it runs on the web, desktop, or command line. Keep reading for more details and to nominate your favorite digital media converter.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: Media Converter Goes Here. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get—"Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's Hive Five Best Sites to Stream TV.


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Dealzmodo: $600 720P Planar Projector [Deals]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/409415331/dealzmodo-600-720p-planar-projector

In case you've had your eye out for a cheap, quality projector, this Planar PD 7130 over on Woot is a pretty nice deal. It features 900 lumens of brightness and an impressive 4500:1 contrast ratio through TI DarkChip tech. Hi def inputs include two component and one DVI, and its internal lamp is rated for 3000 hours (depending on use, of course). If you've wanted to see whether or not you could handle the whole projector lifestyle, this Planar seems like an inexpensive way to test the waters. [Woot]


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Google's World-Saving Clean Energy Plan Costs $4.4 Trillion, Dramatically Shrinks Google's Power Bill [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/409455874/googles-world+saving-clean-energy-plan-costs-44-trillion-dramatically-shrinks-googles-power-bill

Google, who in aggregate, effectively knows everything, unsurprisingly has a solution for our energy problems. The plan, called Clean Energy 2030 will cost $4.4 trillion over its 22-year span, if we start on it right now. Google says it'll give us back a net of $1 trillion, like half of which will be savings on Google's massive power bill notes the former Fake Steve.

None of the key points are radical, except for asking for a $4.4 trillion investment—90 percent of new cars electric by 2030, 45mpg average fuel efficiency, efficient electricity use to cut demand 33 percent, replacing all coal with renewable electricity. I was hoping for something more innovative and exciting, like Google Power, which would be in beta for 22 years. Cause if Google can't save the world, who can? [Google via Alley Insider]


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