31
Jul
>The iPhone Dev Team keeps closing up on their total unlocking target: they just announced that they have reverse-engineered the software which controls the iPhone’s radio communications. The team has now a new way to search for the key to make the JesusPhone work with other carriers. Jump for all the naughty bits.
Here is how this works: the iPhone’s radio communications are handled by the Infineon S-Gold2, an ARM-based chip which also controls the JesusPhone’s multimedia abilities. Its low-level functions are handled by the Nucleus Real Time Operating System which, according to iPhone Dev rebel forces, is one of the fronts that could give them a chance to try to “access or disable the lock from within the system.” By reverse engineering and documenting Nucleus, hackers have reached another milestone towards freeing the phone from the AT&T network. From here, one of their objectives is to be able to manipulate the baseband’s memory, so they can also change communication parameters.
Unlocking the iPhone is still not going to be an easy task, however. This work also shows that the iPhone has two layers now that need to be explored to achieve the total unlocking. First, the one running in the main CPU, the main operating system (Mac OS X). Second, Nucleus running on a secondary chip controlling the access to the baseband’s memory. In other words: two doors, two locks, but also one more front to crack this Pandora’s Box open.
The iPhone Dev Team is saying that total unlocking is the priority Número Uno for most of its members and they are all working around the clock to achieve it. We still don’t know how the new iPhone firmware update will affect them, but their determination seems unlimited.
If you are an expert, enlist in the Rebel Forces using their IRC Channel.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Many of the hype-fuelled municipal WiFi plans made by various cities across the country involved free services supported by advertising. The party line was that businesses would love the chance to advertise to users in their immediate vicinity, while users would eat up the free services. Unsurprisingly, like muni WiFi in general, the actual deployments attempts at generating ad revenues have failed to live up to the inflated expectations. One of the biggest problems was that advertisers would have to do deals with individual networks, making it much more difficult to get make a wide ad buy than with other media like traditional web ads. That’s starting to change, as a handful of companies are sprouting up to set up nationwide ad networks, allowing marketers to make purchases across multiple muni WiFi networks. That’s a good step, but it’s not a complete solution. Many networks have had teething problems that that have generated bad press and hardly encouraged usage, while the idea that businesses will pay a premium to advertise to local users may be oft-repeated, but remains unproven. One area where WiFi networks are seeing strong ad sales? Airports and hotels, where the attraction for marketers is a high number of business travelers. The different demographics of free municipal networks may not dictate the same level of demand.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
Andrew Koyfman writes “Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories is falling apart. Top researchers and scientists are being poached by the competitors, including BAE, Adobe, and others. The lab was responsible for much breakthrough research in the areas of computer vision, computer graphics, AI, and machine learning. They were the first group to develop the Diamond Touch table, an early precursor to Microsoft’s Surface Computing. Now it looks like the famous lab will be no more, at least not in their original glory.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
This piece of art is a huge, wall-mounted electronic spectrum analyzer that displays sound from ambient noise. It looks to be made up of an array of red LEDs set up in a pattern of 8 to 32 bands. The entire device runs on batteries for 4 hours, or AC power, and is turned on by a switch behind the plate glass face. $8200 for 8-bands. I don’t even want to know how much this would cost for 32-bands, but I’d bet you an NYU ITP 3rd year student could pull this off for the cost of materials and beer money. Nevermind the guy with no shirt; this thing was made in Europe.
[On via MusicThing]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
As Steve Levitt explains in Freakonomics, the primary power held by real estate agents is their control over information. Bizarrely, he compares them to the Ku Klux Klan (because they also derived their power from information), which is an absurd overstatement that seems mainly aimed at hitting readers on an emotional level. Nonetheless, the point is valid, which is why real estate agents fear the potential for the web to circumvent their control on real estate information. Recently, real estate site Zillow introduced a new offering to provide prospective buyers more information about their communities, while another site, StreetAdvisors, is introducing more tools to deliver the same thing. These have the potential to be significant, since real estate agents are limited legally in what they can say about a neighborhood. Seeing as this is crucial stuff for prospective buyers or renters, knowing that this information is available on the web but not through their agent will only hasten the industry’s shift towards the web.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Rock out in style with Skullcandy‘s slick DJ style G.I. headphones. They come in a variety of styles from Desert Camo to Rasta, including a couple of military-inspired designs with bullets on the leather band. The speakers on these bad boys are also made of soft leather and swivel a full 90 degrees. $69.95 may sound like a bit much for fashion-focused headphones, but Skullcandy tosses in an extra pair of earpads and a travel bag for the price. [Skullcandy G.I. via Lussorian]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
The Webguy writes “Apple has released the first update for the iPhone. Updated components in the v1.0.1 update include Safari, the WebCore, and the WebKit. Quoting from the Apple Knowledge Base, the ‘update is only available through iTunes, and will not appear in your computer’s Software Update application, or on the Apple Support Downloads site.’” One source speculated that Apple wanted to get fixes in users’ hands ahead of the Black Hat conference where details of early iPhone vulnerabilities could be revealed.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
For years, people have been pointing out that the MPAA’s fears over movie downloading are overblown. After all, the experience of watching a movie that you download is quite different from actually going to the theaters and enjoying a social night out. Yet, the folks in the movie industry continue to misunderstand this simple fact. They insist that movie piracy is destroying the business at the same time that they continually make the movie going experience worse, not better. However, the point is driven home week after week when top movies continue to do amazingly well at the box office, despite being available online. We noticed this years ago when the latest installment of Star Wars did quite well despite tons of downloads. More recently, despite entertainment industry worries that the film Sicko was available prior to release, that film also succeeded at the box office. The latest is The Simpsons’ Movie, where unauthorized downloading was such a worry that the opening sequence features Bart’s famous chalkboard punishment saying “I Will Not Download This Movie Illegally.” Yet, not surprisingly, the movie was both widely available and widely downloaded this past weekend… and did amazingly well at the box office. So, at what point will those in the movie industry finally admit that unauthorized downloads aren’t the problem they want them to be?
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
coondoggie writes “Today IBM will announce it is consolidating nearly 4,000 small computer servers in six locations onto about 30 refrigerator-sized mainframes running Linux, saving $250 million in the process. The 4,000 replaced servers will be recycled by IBM Global Asset Recovery Services. The six data centers currently take up over 8 million square feet, or the size of nearly 140 football fields.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
We’ve had plenty of folks submitting to us the story that Eminem’s publisher is suing Apple over Eminem songs available on iTunes. It’s getting some play around the tech news and tech blog world, but everyone seems to be missing the key point. Eminem’s publisher is suing the wrong party. No one denies that Universal Music Group, who distributes Eminem’s music, gave Apple permission to sell his songs on iTunes. What’s in dispute is if Universal had that right in the first place. In other words, it’s a contractual issue between Eminem’s publisher, Eight Mile Style, and Universal. Suing Apple seems to just be for the publicity of it. However, what this does demonstrate is how ridiculous it is whenever anyone presents the RIAA’s views as “the music industry’s views.” The RIAA represents the labels, and not the musicians and not the music publishers in many cases — all of whom have different goals. And, clearly, the label often does things that the other components of the music industry just don’t like. However, it’s a bit sad that Eminem’s publisher has decided to sue Apple rather than the publisher with whom it has a distribution contract. In fact, the complaint is nearly identical to one that a bunch of bands filed last year. It’s just that those bands (such as the Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick) had their lawyers actually sue the record label (in that case, Sony Music), rather than Apple.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
It’s better to be safe than sorry: Baby Alert‘s Child Minder system (baby not included) replaces the generic strap on your kid’s car seat, causing a keychain alarm to sound every time you move more than ten feet from the buckled fastener that ties your tot down. $64.95 for peace of mind. [The Child Minder System via Sci Fi Tech]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
An anonymous reader writes “Michael Geist reports that the Supreme Court of Canada has just issued a new online contracting decision that removes the ability for consumers to challenge mandatory arbitration clauses found in e-commerce contracts. (Decision is here.) The case involved a lawsuit against Dell Computer, which refused to sell hundreds of mistakenly priced computers purchased on their website. Dell tried to sidetrack a class action by claiming that all consumers were required to enter arbitration due to a clause buried in its contract via a hyperlink. Geist explains why the ruling may not be as unfavorable for Canadian consumers as it seems at first, in part because some provinces have already passed laws banning e-commerce sites from blocking class-action suits.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
Next Tuesday, August 7th, at 10am PDT, Apple‘s holding an event which will be focused on the Mac. It’ll take place at Apple’s Cupertino HQ in the Town Hall. Guess those iPod nano rumors were wrong. My best guess is that it’s for new iMacs that Kasper at Appleinsider has been speculating on for awhile. But we’ll all find out for sure next Tuesday when we liveblog it. for those curious, the Town Hall looks like this:


Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
NASA has declared the iPhone not ready for business use by their employees. Instead, they’re planning on supporting the Blackberry 8800 or Palm Treo 750. [InformationWeek]
Image via Wired

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Philippe Khan, of Borland and Camera Phone fame, won the Transpac sailing race in the double-handed class, with and without handicap factored in. Congrats to team Pegasus. [Pegasus via Giz]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Nokia is planning to launch a worldwide music store on August 29th. Fortune compares it to iTunes, and somehow works iPhone into the headline. Two things I notice: a) This isn’t an application, it’s a website. b) This is like iTunes in that you can’t buy songs over the wire; you have to download them to a PC and transfer songs to a phone. What’s the point of Nokia getting into this game if they’re not going to allow downloads directly to handsets by WiFi or 3G? [CNN]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
This concept washing machine by Reed Crawford saves water from one of the cleaner, later rinse cycles for use in a future wash. Smart, but only if there is an override that I can activate when washing soiled underwear. I mean, hypothetically.
[Yanko]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Some confusion from the Apple analyst community today. Apple shares down nearly 7% to 131.76, based on a circular sourcing loop (infinite) that Apple would cut its iPhone production in half, according to a misread quote from Miller Tabak analyst Peter Boockvar, misreported by TheStreet.com. Boockvar had merely said that he’d heard rumors, too. How very bloggish of you all. [CNBC]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
For many years, various luxury brands have had problems with people selling counterfeit goods on eBay — leading to a variety of lawsuits. Of course, most of these lawsuits are incorrectly targeted. They’re usually filed against eBay, rather than the seller of the goods. eBay doesn’t inspect the goods or make any claim to the authenticity of them. That should be up to the buyer and seller to work out. However, a few months ago, it appears that a German court felt differently, and told eBay that it may be liable for fake Rolexes being sold on the site, even if eBay has no real way of knowing what’s real and what’s fake. The court seemed to indicate that eBay should be able to tell from the price, but that’s not necessarily true. In the meantime, it’s not clear why this isn’t a problem that the market will start to work out by itself. For many, many years you’ve been able to buy fake Rolexes on the streets of New York City, but Rolex doesn’t sue the New York City government for letting this happen. It recognizes that most people know that the Rolex you buy from a street vendor probably isn’t real. Along those very lines, Rolex has introduced programs to designate legitimate Rolexes on eBay already — so this seems like the type of “problem” that could work itself out without making eBay liable, but apparently it’s too late for that.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
ubermiester writes “ArsTechnica reports that AT&T has inked a deal with eMusic, a direct competitor to Apple’s iTunes music store. eMusic specializes in independent artists and offers DRM-free content for direct download. For a monthly fee (the number of tracks one can download per month depends on the package) the site’s catalog will be available to AT&T customers using Samsung and Nokia handsets, but not the iPhone.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
Solar cells just got a boost in efficiency thanks to a couple of scientists at the University of Delaware. The news cells can convert 42.8% of the light that strikes them into electricity, which is a step up from the previous record of 40.7%.
The cells do this by splitting light into high energy, low energy, and medium energy chunks. The light is then directed to different materials depending on what type it is, eeking electrons out of it. DARPA is pushing for a goal of 50% efficiency, which would go a long way towards making solar power a more practical alternative energy source. [CNET]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
TopSpin writes “Early this year the meme circulated that Blu-ray might be going the way of Betamax, and for the exact same reason: Sony’s unfriendliness to the porn industry. But at Japan’s recent euphemistically named Adult Treasure Expo 2007, adult filmmakers said Sony has begun offering technical support, and this was later confirmed by Sony PR. The company stated that Sony would offer support to any filmmaker working on the format, no matter their industry. Apparently, Blu-ray is now the preferred medium for Japanese adult films.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
>>>>People are making the NES controller into optical mice and voice recorders, so why not make it into an MP3 player? Better yet, why not take an actual NES cartridge and make that into speakers and get a horrible, yet awesome NES speaker system going? The only thing better than this would be if the set played all Minibosses, all the time. [Hacked Gadgets via Geekologie]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Ryan at Engadget has a great post about Bug Labs, a company planning to release DIY gadget hardware in the form of modular screens, QWERTY, GPS, Wifi/Bluetooth radios (sorry, no cellular radios). This could be the beginning of a gadget world that could be as open, and sometimes messy, as the PC one. [Bug Labs via Engadget]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Iomega‘s StorCenter NAS devices are shipping in sizes from 500GB to 1TB with 7200 RPM SATA-II drives. The 1GB uses two drives, so can work in RAID 0, 1, or JBOD (one large drive). Each has Gigabit, but no WiFi, and has Active directory support and UPnP server ability. Interestingly, you can tether drives to this one via the two USB ports. $269 for 500GB, $389 for 1TB. [PR Newswire]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Windows Mobile owners who own Macs will be familiar with Missing Sync, the app that lets you sync your smartphone to OS X‘s Calendar and iCal (among other things). The latest version is available, and brings support for newer phones and phones running Windows Mobile 6. Other new features are a video plug-in for video importing and call log/SMS log importing to grab the call list/SMS list from your phone onto your computer. If you’ve got a WM phone and a Mac, you need to get this. [MarkSpace via MacWorld]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Do the record labels really not realize how much they’ve pissed off their best customers for the last decade? It would appear so, because they’re now hoping that the kids they’ve alienated for all these years will become shills for them on MySpace and other social networks, pushing all their friends to buy music as well. That might have worked years ago, but these days it seems like plenty of kids have been so turned off by buying music from record labels that treat them like criminals first, that it seems like an uphill road to convince them to not just start buying music, but shilling for the record labels as well. Especially as reports are coming out that legal purchases have stagnated as unauthorized downloads have continued to grow — it’s hard to believe that the record labels are suddenly going to get everyone over to their side this easily.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
Amp’d customers left with dead handsets after the company’s death can take their handsets over at Prexar Mobile. GOOD IDEA: move from one relatively unstable carrier to an even more unknown one. At least they won’t make you sign another contract. Lame Bonus: You get 100 text messages for free for the first month. [Prexar via IW]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
The FCC has set rules for the upcoming auction of 700-MHz spectrum and they went halfway on the four open access principles that Google and others had called for. The agency said yes to “open devices” and “open applications,” thus requiring the auction winner to permit consumers to use any device or application on the network. But the FCC turned down “open services” and “open networks,” so the winners will not be obligated to let others buy access at wholesale prices in order to offer network services. This vote would seem to mean that Google won’t bid in the spectrum auction. Ars has a more in-depth look at the outcome.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
The gadget: Speedfreek, an add-on from Kontrolfreek for the Xbox 360‘s left analog stick to make racing games easier to play by making the cars more precise to control.
The verdict: Pretty comfortable for racing games, because it allows you to use just the sides of your thumb to gently nudge the car left or right.
The catch:
It’s not great for anything but racing games, because the plastic attachment on the bottom makes pressing down hard on the stick slightly more uncomfortable. Kontrolfreek is working on an adapter for other genres.
The performance: Good. I don’t know if it made me any better at PGR, but it did make turns more comfortable since the grooved sides fit my thumb quite nicely.
The price: Pack of 2 for $9.95, or pack of 4 for $17.50.
The recommendation: If you’re a racing fan who doesn’t want to pony up for a racing wheel, this is a very cheap alternative.
[kontrolfreek]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Greg Joswiak, Apple‘s VP of iPod Product Marketing, tells a bunch of analysts that the first iPhone software update will be coming soon. Analysts then went on to speculate that the update could bring:
new widgets, peer-to-peer applications (chat, picture messaging, social networking), location-based services, MMS support, home networking, and possibly some integration with Mac OS X Leopard.
Of course, all of that is unconfirmed since it came from analysts, not Apple. These analysts also claimed that both lower priced ($349-$399) and higher priced (something more than $599) iPhone models are coming, differentiated not by features, but on storage. The one thing we do know: the software update is coming soon. [Apple Insider via Wired]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
In Japan, riding the train in a skirt is still an invitation to have your ass grabbed or photographed by some random perv. These days, there’s a more advanced threat: cameraphones with IR night vision can be tweaked to see through clothes. Cramer Japan made these nylon and polyurethane panties that block IR, hampering the photographs. The name of the undies? ShotGuard Inner Shorts. The company is planning bras made from the same material. [Wired, thanks Mark]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
The M500 GSM Watch from Australia isn’t your only cellphone watch option now with the Cect Mobile watch from China. It’s got a semi-decently large LCD, six hardware buttons, GSM support, Bluetooth, MP3, MP4, FM radio and a headset jack. No pricing yet, but it does come in all sorts of colors. [Phone Daily via Slashphone]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
onehitwonder writes “Well-known CIO John Halamka has rigorously tested six different operating systems over the course of a year in an effort to find a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows on his laptop and his company’s computers. Here is CIO.com’s initial writeup on Halamka’s experiences; we discussed their followup article on SUSE. Now CIO is running a writeup on Halamka’s take on Ubuntu and how it stacks up against Novell SUSE 10, RHEL, Fedora, XP, and Mac OS X, in a life-and-death business environment.” For the impatient, here’s Halamka’s conclusion: “A balanced approach of Windows for the niche business application user, Macs for the graphic artists/researchers, SUSE for enterprise kiosks/thin clients, and Ubuntu for power users seems like the sweet spot for 2008.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
The FCC today announced its plans for the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. It failed to adopt Google’s proposed ideas but did support at least two kinds of open access.
Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica
31
Jul
OXO‘s kitchen gadget for taking corn off the cob combines a mouse-shaped handle with a blade and measuring cup. The only other way to get corn off the cob is with a huge knife (fun but not safe) or manually with your chompers. (Which is not a good idea if you’re meaning to spit it back into a communal salad bowl.) [OXO via SciFiTech]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Bad news, office drones: That laser printer sitting in your cubicle might be doing some serious damage to your health. It turns out that one third of all laser printers emit tiny particles of toner that, when inhaled, have similar effects as secondhand smoke. Awesome!
The printers are more dangerous when they’re used a lot, especially for graphic and photo heavy prints that require a lot of toner. In an open office setting, tests revealed that particle levels in the air increased five-fold during the working day due to printer use. That’s such fun news, isn’t it? And here you were eating salads, jogging and not smoking, and it’s going to be your laser printer that does you in. Life sure is hilarious sometimes. [BBC]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
For obvious reasons, Microsoft is extremely reluctant to touch the business model of its money-spinning Office suite, despite the fact that competition from free, web-based services is increasing. Not only is Microsoft unlikely to introduce a web-based Office anytime soon, the official line from the company is that software-as-a-service isn’t what customers want, but that software+services is the ideal model. Of course, nobody else in the industry seems quite as excited about software+services as Microsoft is, which probably has something to do with the fact that such a model would leave the company’s overall business model intact. That being said, the company has apparently released a new ad-supported version of its Microsoft Works suite, the company’s low-end productivity suite. However, the company still isn’t delivering it over the internet. This is sort of an odd compromise. For one thing, consumers won’t be particularly enthused by ad-supported desktop software. Faced with a choice between this and Google’s productivity offerings, they’ll likely choose the latter. If Microsoft were to make Works the backbone of a web-based offering, it’d be a different story. The fact that the company isn’t doing this sort of makes you wonder whether Microsoft is really fearful, to use an old cliche, of validating the market. Perhaps it believes that by releasing an on-demand Works, it would draw attention to this whole area, thus benefiting the competition. If so, this strategy can’t work for long. It’s only a matter of time before consumers learn more about the options available to them, and it’s up to Microsoft whether it wants to follow the direction its customers are likely to go.
Originally Syndicated via RSS from Techdirt
31
Jul
An upcoming study reveals that the office laser printer may be a major factor in determining office air quality.
Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica
31
Jul
Akiba blog is reporting that the Nintendo Wii is showing up in Japanese retailers in “semi-normal” numbers, meaning that the incredible demand may have finally faded enough to match the supply. If this holds true for the US, people may be able to get Wiis without stomping and punching each other in the face in stores. Probably not, though. [Akiba Blog via Kotaku]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
- Java Programmer – Simulex, West Lafayette, IN
- Webmaster – The Week Magazine, New York, NY
- Account Manager – Cisco Commercial Accounts – SoCal – Global CTI Group, Irvine, CA (LA, OC, SD, IE)
- Senior Development Engineer – Permabit, Cambridge, MA
- Creative Display Technology Architect ‘Rock Star’ – Confidential, New York, NY
- Front End Developer – BrightPages, New York, NY
- …and more
For only $25 your job could be here. Submit yours today. Post a job on Gizmodo Jobs it goes on Lifehacker Jobs for free.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
An anonymous reader writes “The Software Freedom Law Center has given legal clearance to OpenHAL, a wireless component for Linux, based on their pro-bono review of the code. This announcement dispels allegations of infringement on Atheros’ proprietary HAL software. ‘We believe that this outcome will clear the way for eventual acceptance of a new wireless driver into the Linux kernel,’ said John Linville, the Linux kernel maintainer for wireless networking.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Slashdot
31
Jul
New information on the Xbox 360 price drop detailed in the Toys ‘R Us and Wal-Mart ads this weekend. Circuit City is bringing out a full two-page layout with price cuts of $50 for the Premium, $30 for the Elite, and $20 for the Core. Yes, this means all those rumors of the Core getting canned are probably false. So you’re looking at a final price lineup of $279, $349 and $449 if you pick up an Xbox 360 starting August 12. [Joystiq]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
Similar to the way Zunes were discounted, Amazon is offering up $20 discounts on the 30GB iPod and $28 discounts on the 80GB iPod. We doubt it’s related to the new iPods that may be coming, but it’s a good deal if you’ve been waiting for some reason to jump into the iPod pool. [Amazon via Engadget]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
The US Department of Justice has until mid-September to decide whether it wants to help the RIAA defend the constitutionality of its claim that it is owed damages of $750 for each copyrighted song infringed.
Read More…

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica
31
Jul
Every once in a while the so-called Boy Genius actually nails a rumor or two, so we couldn’t help but pass this one along: He’s soothsaying now that the Motorola RAZR 2 V9 and Motorola Q9 will be rolling out on AT&T on August 24. He also has a bit of (possible) intelligence about some other phones, too.
Boy Genius also hears that the Pantech C810 will debut on September 9, while the Blackberry 8820 might be seen on August 13 or 14. He’s also pegging the AT&T-branded SMT5700 QWERTY smartphone as seeing the light of day on either August 24 or August 28. Of course, these dates are all unconfirmed, speculative, rumor-esque, scuttlebutt. [Boy Genius Report]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo
31
Jul
TiVo must be wanting to clear out its back stock of Series 2 machines, because we haven’t see many of these free after rebate deals for a while. From now until September 8 (when the rebate expires), you can your own 80-hour Series 2 for $0 after mail-in rebate. Your service has to be activated by October 8, or else everything gets thrown out the window. [Bargainist]

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Gizmodo