Monthly Archives: September 2011

Just recently, the Opera 11.10 release candidate was made available for download. It brought a handful of important feature additions — like HTML5 File API support and IMAP enhancements — and loads of bugfixes. Nestled in amongst the other details in the Opera team’s announcement is one more interesting tidbit: Opera 11.10 offers improved battery optimizations.

The timing here is certainly interesting, what with Microsoft’s recent report on how much power the top five Web browsers consume. In its findings, Opera 11 was fairly low in the standings. While we’ve not seen any new benchmarks yet, we’re curious to know whether the Opera 11.10 RC offers any significant gains.

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla’s increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs’ current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change — some URLs might change, but that’s it — and presumably Messaging’s F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

Guess what’s officially on its way to US Cellular in October? The headline probably gave you a pretty good clue — it’s the HTC Hero S. And it’s not coming alone: apparently the new device is big enough to warrant its very own entourage. Its brethren, the Wildfire S and Flyer, will both waltz into stores at roughly the same time. The Gingerbread-running Hero S will offer a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 CPU, 4-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, a 1,520mAh battery and a 5MP CMOS rear camera accompanied by a 1.3MP front-facing cam. Add it to the lineup next to the Motorola Electrify, and we’d say the carrier’s got some good options for the getting. The Hero S will be available sometime next month for $200 after $100 mail-in rebate, while the Wildfire S (which will come in grey and purple) will go for $80 after rebate and the Flyer can be yours for $400 — once again, after rebate. Head below to find the full press release.

Continue reading HTC Hero S coming to US Cellular next month alongside Wildfire S and Flyer

If you’re bored with LEGO, how about checking out Playable Metal building sets. Playable Metal sets are made of an aluminum alloy and come in different colors and allow you to build 3 dimensional structures. The parts are connected together with special screws. YoYo.com offers a variety of sets that range in price from $34.95 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/25/lego-too-ho-hum-how-about-playable-metal/

PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM OSI SYSTEMS ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS

Like the Droid Bionic of the guitar world, the Firebird X was announced almost a year ago, packed with piles of impressive technology, and delayed so many times that practically everyone forgot it existed. Well, on September 30th the Firebird X will finally start filtering into retail channels for the rather excessive price of $5,570, in your choice of either Redolution of Bluevolution finishes. On board are a boatload of effects as well as an automated tuner, which we’ve come to expect from the so-called “robot guitar” series. The Pure-Analog sound processing engine is also open to developers, allowing owners to add on new effects and sounds down the road. But, enough with our ramblings. You know the drill, gallery below and PR after the break.

Microsoft has shared some news about the state of its most and least loved Web browsers — Internet Explorer 9 and 6, respectively. Even with IE9 only recently exiting beta, Microsoft reports that 3.6% of Windows 7 users are now running the new browser (no mention of Vista… what’s with that?). The post also reveals that the adoption rate is almost five times what IE8 garnered in the early going.

It’s also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9′s Windows 7 integration features — like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.

Burrito Bison is a pretty simple game, but if you’re into gummy bears you might find it addictive.

As you may have guessed from the name, you’re a bison (not a burrito, though). In the course of your day-to-day grocery shopping, you’re abducted into a bag of gummy bears, and must now fend for yourself.

At the beginning of each round you launch yourself onto the marching gummy (gummi?) bears, while you’re being watched by a huge crowd of even more gummy bears. Your goal is to keep bouncing on the bears and earn more and more money while you do it. Every time you hit a gummy bear, you lose some momentum. If you hit the floor, you basically lose all of it.

It’s pronounced “twerp,” but don’t mistake TeamWin’s Recovery Project for a run-of-the-mill chump. The software is intended as a touchscreen replacement for ROM managers such as TWRP 1.0 and ClockworkMod Recovery. In addition to the all-important backup, restore and install functions, the utility now provides a full GUI for touch input that’s fully customizable with XML themes. As a particular boon, developers will have the option to design custom installation processes unique to their particular ROMs, which is a lovely (though very metaphorical) cherry on top. As you’d expect, the software supports both phones and tabs, and if you’re interested to see more, just check the full demo video after the break. According to the developer, the utility still needs some work before it’s ready for prime time, but it’s rather nice to see the group stay productive as it matures.

As if a $199 Kindle Fire wasn’t enough, Amazon’s also launching a Kindle e-reader that’ll dip below triple-digits for the first time. You heard right — a $79 Kindle. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the company’s Kindle line will “start” at the aforesaid price as of today, a marked decrease from the $114 being charged for its lowest end unit earlier in the week. If anything, that’s a huge blow for Barnes & Noble, and we’re surmising that a reactionary drop will be coming soon in the Nook family if it hopes to keep pace. We’ve also learned that this guy has ads built right in — not a shocker given the price, but notable for those who aren’t keen on buying a device that continually serves up commercials to justify the lower up-front tally. If you’re looking to avoid the hassle, the non-ads variant is priced at $109.

What would you say if I told you that the scooter you see above will soon be shooting around your town or city, nipping in and out of bike lanes, piloted by untrained, unlicensed drivers? If it makes you angry, prepare to get angrier still, because what I just told you is the truth.
The scooter, [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/full-sized-electric-scooter-legal-in-bike-lanes/

SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL