Computer Information - myOddPc
Sharper Image selling self-branded cellphones
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Many of us know The Sharper Image best as a purveyor of massaging lounge chairs (which makes their stores a must-stop location in the mall), a chronic pusher of
ozone generators, and as a perennial favorite in SkyMall catalogs as we bide our time on the redeye. What we
don't know The Sharper Image for, though, is its broad selection of no-name phones procured from Chinese manufacturers. We just happened to be flipping through TSI's latest catalog today and came across these four little gems, three with "The Sharper Image" proudly emblazoned across their faces. The pack includes a touchscreen equipped
Chocolate knockoff (very 2006, but still quite strapping), a branded version of the
AMOI N810 Windows Mobile 6 Professional device, a black slider that looks like death incarnated, and an ultra-generic silver clamshell that looks straight out of the early part of this decade. The good news is that they're all unlocked and range from a very reasonable $169.95 to $499.95; the bad news, however, is that you may have to keep your thumb over the TSI logo to keep the public mockery to a minimum.
Read - Sharper Image 101TSI
Read - Sharper Image 008TSI
Read - Sharper Image 007TSI
Read - Sharper Image 005TSI
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Texting delays a given on New Years, celebrate accordingly
Filed under: Cellphones
It probably doesn't come as much of a shock to you that
plenty of texting goes down midnight-ish tonight, and naturally the carriers are gearing up for just such an onslaught. Palm isn't so optimistic about the proceedings: according to a study it commissioned in the UK with lpsos MORI, 70% of people who send messages at midnight experience a delay in delivery, with places like London experience 77% delays, and 23% of Britons waiting over six hours for their text messages to arrive. Palm suggests an IM or email might be in order, and smartphone users will have better luck getting their messages delivered over the comparably unclogged data networks. Verizon seems more excited about the prospect, expecting the 284 million text messages sent last year on its network between 12pm New Years Eve and 4am New Years Day to rise to 300 million. Telstra expects to process more than 53 million messages across Australia, and will have a "small army" of techs on hand to monitor network performance. Canadians are expected to send 50 million texts this year, according to Virgin Mobile Canada, with the average canadian sending two text messages each -- double that of last year. However and wherever you party, stay safe out there -- friends don't let friends drink and text their estranged exes.
Read - Palm study warns of delays
Read - Verizon predicts 300 million
Read - Canada doubles in texts
Read - Telstra's small army in Australia
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Canon said to be developing own tech for SED TV production
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
After being hampered by habitual delays both
legal and
technical, it looks like the
long-awaited über-tech of the display world may finally be on the cusp of reaching market, as Canon is reportedly developing a way to build surface-conduction electron-emitter display (
SED) TVs without using contentious IP. Specifically, Japanese newspaper Asahi is reporting -- without citing sources -- that Canon is working on a "non-carbon" method of producing the sets that bypasses the
Nano-Proprietary patents at the heart of that lawsuit. Still no hint on when we'll actually be able to install one of these models in our home theater, but the
promise of unrivaled black levels, brightness, and contrast could well have us drinking the SED Kool-Aid for years to come.
[Via
Bloomberg, thanks Dr. MORO]
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Halo celeb victim of repeated account hacks, Xbox Live "customer support"
Filed under: Gaming
We know customer support reps have a lot on their plates -- especially those responsible for answer the queries of 13-year-old Halo mavens protesting supposed hackers stealing all their kills -- but it looks like the
Xbox Live support staff is dropping the ball on this particular issue. Pro gamer Skyllus vBi, a member of pro gaming group Team vBi, was awarded some super-rare "Recon Armor" by Bungie staff a few months ago for his entertaining method of suicide depicted in a popular online video. Naturally, his account became an immediate target for hackers, and they didn't have much trouble swiping his info. Turns out there's a bit of a flaw in the phone support system that allows a hacker to use social engineering to sweet talk account details out of a customer support rep without much hassle. Skyllus has had this particular attack performed on his account three times so far, and is having a bear of a time working it out with Xbox Live support staff. Not only is his precious armor in jeopardy from attacks like this, but all the credit card info and other personal details stored on a Xbox Live / Windows Live account. Stir in some of the
login and account retrieval woes that many users have been experience of late and you've got a recipe for some much-needed intervention over in Redmond.
[Via
Joystiq; thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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BlackBerry 9000 series spy shot revealed?
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
An image surfaced on the BlackBerryForums this morning that purports to be of the upcoming BlackBerry 9000 series. The forum member with the scoop claims that the device has no touchscreen, and that rumors are raging even within RIM as to whether
touchscreen devices are in the works. What can supposedly be confirmed is that the device in the picture is part of the 9000 series, 3G is being tested on multiple devices, and that HTML email is in the works for the BlackBerry service, possibly in conjunction with the launch of the 9xxx devices.
Update: Turns out this picture was
swiped from an eBay auction, and while that doesn't necessarily mean it's not an upcoming BlackBerry device, it does call into question the accompanying commentary from the forum user who posted the image, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Update 2: Those auctioneers added a new pic with some spicy innards and a view of the back. Check it out after the break.
[Via
Pocket-lint; thanks Cellenin]
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Scots lose sight of early release offenders due to faulty electronic tags
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
We haven't yet heard of any problems with the RFID tags increasingly
being used to
monitor inmates in prisons, but it looks like the electronic tags used to keep watch on early release offenders are decidedly less reliable, at least according to a recent investigation into the matter in Scotland. As The Scotsman reports, out of a total of 987 tagging orders issued, there were 285 incidents where the tags failed, with dead batteries the biggest culprit. That rather obvious problem accounted for 185 of the cases, with damage to the unit by the offender, problems with the black box in the offender's home, and a weak signal rounding out the technical difficulties. That, as you might have guessed, has lead some to question the Scottish government's practice of relying on electronic tags to monitor early release offenders, but the government seems to be sticking to its guns, with a spokesman saying that "a breach does not necessarily equate to reoffending," although, as the Scotsman reports, it did recently scrap a plan to tag suspects who were allowed out on bail.
[Photo courtesy of
The Daily Mail]
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Researchers using nano-imprint lithography to make LEDs brighter
Filed under: Household
Considering that there are quite a few nations out there
aiming to
ditch incandescent bulbs in the not-too-distant future, it follows logic that we should start making LEDs more suitable for in-home use. Of course, we've already seen a
couple of
advancements in the area, but scientists at Glasgow University -- along with the Institute of Photonics at the University of Strathclyde -- have reportedly found a way to make traditional LEDs a fair bit brighter. The process, dubbed nano-imprint lithography, involves "making microscopic holes in the surface of LEDs to increase the level of light they give off." Unfortunately, said process is still quite time consuming and expensive, but you can rest assured they're working to make the process quicker, simpler and cheaper for the good of mankind.
[Via
FarEastGizmos]
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Is this a full-screen, touch-sensitive Creative PMP? Update: probably not.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
As is our way sometimes, we happened to stumble upon a pair of photos (read: a source sent us some pictures) claiming to be an unannounced, widescreen PMP from Creative. Kinda like a
Zen or
Vision W, but without the asymmetrical controls on the side. And yep, the
full-screen player looks to be touch-sensitive, and may or may not sport WiFi, which has been a winning combo for
several other devices that we know and love. Check out the other shot after the break.
Update: Certainly does look a lot like a
Cowon Q5 all photoshopped up, innit? Thanks Connor.
Continue reading Is this a full-screen, touch-sensitive Creative PMP? Update: probably not.
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Deal of the day: $50 Sirius gift card for $55
Filed under: Portable Audio
So we're starting to realize how Best Buy is
pulling in record profits while the rest of the industry
crashes and burns: it's the little things, you see. For instance, the ubiquitous big box retailer is offering a $50 pre-paid Sirius gift card on its online site for the bargain price of only $55; a $5 markup for a little voucher whose "holiday version" can be purchased three lines below for the normal price -- that is, if it wasn't somehow sold out online. (How hard is it to print up a new batch of those things, anyway?) The distraught customer
could head to Best Buy's XM section, where $55 gift cards only cost $55, or he or she could simply click over to rival Circuit City, where not only does the same $50 card actually cost $50, it's available immediately and not backordered one to two weeks.
Update: Looks like the price has changed to $50, which is certainly good for you, the consumer, but perhaps not so good for you, the Best Buy shareholder, who will now surely be a victim of plunging profits this quarter.
[Via
Orbitcast]
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Taiwanese solar car may not appeal to the fashion conscious
Filed under: Transportation
Anyone can claim to be a friend of the environment while proudly jaunting about in a sporty
Tesla, so what really separates the hardcore greens from the Hollywood posers is the willingness to shell out nearly twenty-five grand for a no-frills, no hype (and no doors?) solar-powered runabout. It must be this dedicated demographic that a team of builders and racers from Taiwan's National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences are targeting with the vehicle you see above, which is based on their successful design that ranked second of fifty cars in the latest Australian World Solar Challenge. Unlike their single-passenger, 145kph (90mph) race car, however, the multi-seat commercial ride is speculated to max out at around 70kph (43mph); fine for short city commutes, but not really practical for road trips (and with the three-hour battery, forget about cruising around much at night). Still, those ready to fork over an estimated 800,000 New Taiwanese Dollars ($24,617) for a vehicle that only a short-sighted mother could love should be able to order one as early as next year -- probably not tomorrow, though.
[Via
The Raw Feed]
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