Skype expands Skype for SIP beta program - About Skype

Businesses can now use SIP-based PBX & Unified Communications systems to make voice calls via Skype

Skype is opening up the Skype for SIP beta program to allow businesses of all sizes to utilize Skype for SIP with their existing SIP-based PBX or Unified Communications (UC) systems. By using Skype for SIP, companies can save money on calls around the world, while also changing how customers globally reach them.

A company's IT administrator just creates and registers a Skype Business Control Panel (BCP) for the organization and then follows the instructions to configure Skype for SIP to work with its existing SIP-enabled communications system. This Web-based tool allows a company to control its Skype usage from a single point and enables centralized billing, easy allocation of Skype Credit, subscriptions and online numbers to users, as well as reporting about both usage and spending. Furthermore, it gives companies the ability to manage internal employee accounts, including who uses Skype and who doesn't and what features they can use.

"We have received applications from nearly ten thousand businesses and service providers around the world about using Skype for SIP to seamlessly connect their existing communications systems with Skype," said Stefan Oberg, VP and General Manager of Skype for Business. "Now that we are opening up the beta program, the companies on the waiting list and any new applicants can set up Skype for SIP and experience how it can help them save money on outgoing calls, as well as accept free incoming Skype calls from the more than 520 million registered Skype users around the world."

One company that has started testing Skype for SIP is Maxim Integrated Products, a Fortune 1000 company that designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance semiconductor products used in the industrial, communications, consumer, and computing markets.

To date, Maxim has deployed Skype's desktop software to more than 2,000 employees in 70 locations around the world, a move that supplemented its existing PBX systems and has already saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars on long distance calling. This enabled Maxim to avoid a costly multi-million dollar upgrade of its aging legacy PBX systems. Maxim has now rolled out a trial of Skype for SIP using a ShoreTel PBX in its Dallas office, which is configured to use 22 concurrent channels for domestic calling.

"Our Skype deployment has already turned Maxim into more of a real-time organization where we get our work done better, faster and cheaper," said Walter Curd, CIO of Maxim Integrated Products. "With Skype for SIP, our ShoreTel PBX will now enable calls from desktop phones to go out via Skype. This will allow us to capture more calling traffic via Skype and save even more money, while making it invisible to our employees."

Key Features

Skype for SIP beta enables businesses with interoperable PBXs to:

• Place calls to landlines and mobile phones worldwide from any device connected to a SIP-enabled PBX or UC systems via Skype;
• Receive and manage inbound calls from Skype users worldwide on SIP-enabled PBXs by either connecting the company Web site to the PBX via Skype click-to-call buttons or purchasing online Skype numbers; and
• Manage Skype calls using existing PBX or UC system features, such as call routing, conferencing, phone menus and voicemail; no additional downloads or training required.

"Businesses are looking for ways to better organize their communications across mobile devices and their PBX, while also saving money," said Rebecca Swensen, analyst at IDC covering IP Communications Services. "SIP interoperability is the key to delivering this type of service; vendors looking to stay competitive in the business market need to offer it as a fundamental component of their communications platform."

Pricing and Availability

Companies using Skype for SIP must purchase a monthly channel subscription from Skype based on the number of concurrent calls being made or received. Each channel allows for one inbound or one outbound call at any given time. Incoming Skype calls to the SIP-enabled PBX or UC system are free of charge to the Skype user. Calls to landlines and mobiles made using Skype for SIP are billed at Skype's standard per-minute calling rates (a connection fee may apply).

As part of the Skype for SIP open beta program, Skype has created a low introductory price for the monthly channel subscription of just €4.95 / $6.95 per channel.

For more information or to sign up for the Skype for SIP beta, visit www.skypeforsip.com.

Source: Skype

Acer Plans To Be The First To Launch Chrome OS Netbook In 2010

Digitimes today reported that Acer plans to launch a Chrome OS based netbook in 2H10.According to the report Acer chairman JT Wang expressed confidence that Acer will be the first vendor to officially launch Chrome-based netbook to the end user market.

Acer has been well known to be an early adopter as they were first first-tier vendor to launch a Google Android-based netbook in the market.

Acer might have some competition in being the first company to launch a Chrome OS based unit as a group of Dell employees have already created a build that is compatible with the Dell Mini 10. Dell hasn't officially said they are working on build however it is reasonable to assume that given enough support they would be interested in taking up the project.

Google's Chromium OS source code was released to the public late late month with Google pormising that new devices would be ready by this time next year.

Ticktetmaster.com Finally Adds Interactive Seating Map

One of the biggest gripes of buying tickets online via Ticketmaster was the lack of seating selections. Generally you were limited to sorting tickets via price or level and then you were given the option to buy what the system chose as the best available. Often times even those these seats were a row lower, or a section over from other available they weren't the "best" option out there.

Gone are the days of that hassle! Recently the ticket giant introduced an interactive seating map. The new map is full of great features that will help you look through all the available seating so you can find the perfect seat for your next concert or sporting events.

click to enlarge

This useful interactive guide will show you exactly how it all works, but the key benefits are that it allows you to view available seats in each section row by row seat by seat. No longer do you have to guess as to how far away from the aisle you are, or wonder if there are seats one row back closer to the middle of the Arena.

click to enlarge

The seating map is still listed as being in beta so its not going to be available for all events but it was available for several of the sporting events I browsed. Ticketmaster hasn't officially announced the new feature, in fact it looks like it just went live today. So don't be surprised if your event doesn't have an interactive map. I'll try to get more details on future roll outs ASAP.

My thoughts

I'll definitely give Ticketmaster kudos for this one. I've complained for years about the poor seat selection process through their website. I can't wait to see if they do a full rollout on this and expand it to include all their events and venues. Now if we could just get them to drop some of their processing fees I'd be a full on supported!

New Ransomware Blocks Internet Access, Demands Money

Ransomware is nothing new, we've all seen Windows trojans resorting to a little blackmail, and locking up a users PC waiting for them to spend money on fake anti-virus that turns out to be more malicious than the original infect. Today however has to be the first I've ever heard of a piece of Ransomware that blocks a users internet access flat out demanding a ransom before it will return control.

Computer Associates' Internet Security Business Unit, first discovered the new trojan bundled with software named uFast Download Manager. Once downloaded the software was installed along side the uFast download manager without informing the user. The trojan then goes to work blocking internet access until the user enters an activation code. This activation code is obtained by sending an SMS containing a particular number to an expensive premium rate phone number – CA does not mention the sum involved.

The malware, dubbed 'Win32/RansomSMS.AH', appears to be Russian in nature, as it uses a Russian language GUI. The ransom page translates to state:

Internet access is blocked due to violation of the
license agreement schedules of uFast Download Manager
You must activate your copy

Get a registration code by sending an SMS with the following
code fw0004199 to number ****

In response you will receive an activation message.

Enter the activation message received from the SMS response ________

CA withheld the details of the amount involved in sending the SMS to the premium rate phone service however past ransomware programs demanded upwards of $50-60 for removal. This time around CA ISBU found a way to circumvent the activation scheme and created an activation code generator for this particular ransomware. As of yet there has been no word on actual removal tools. It is suggested that you keep your AV, anti-malware and anti-spyware update to possibly stave off infection.

Source: CA Security Advisor Research Blog

AT&T Offers Voicemail To Text Service

AT&T has finally stepped up and has begun offering a new voicemail to text service, the cost? A whopping $10/mo!! Yes I said $10/mo!

AT&T's Voicemail to Text lets you:

• Receive your voicemail messages as text messages, emails, or both
• Respond how you want – call back, send a text, or reply by email
• Forward your voicemail messages to others by text message or email
• Save your messages in your phone or on your computer for as long as you want

In addition, the service lets you archive the messages forever, instead of deleting them in 21 or 30 days. You can also read or listen to them in any order whenever you want.

I applaud AT&T for stepping up and finally offering the service, but $10/mo come one. I've been testing Google Voice and Ribbit Mobile and both of those are currently free. I haven't tried the new service, nor do I plan to. However I've seen a few of the early reviews and most people say the transcription service isn't all that great.

For the most part most basic voicemail-to-text services aren't going to be 100% accurate, but if I'm spending an extra $10 I want a top notch service. According to Appscout's Sascha Segan the service has has "serious trouble with proper names. It never gets my wife's name right - she's Leontine, and she's become Ilene, Jane, and Nancy when processed through Nuance's system. Union Square has become Indian Square. My own name has become Natasha."

The one intriguing feature that Sascha mentioned in his review was the forwarding of a wav file along with the text transcription. The feature isn't listed on the AT&T Voicemail To Text site but that would be one feature that could be handy.

ZiiLABS Announces The New TRINITY Smart/Media Phone

Zii TRINITY Smart Phone Platforms Capable of Supporting 3.5G/4G Devices in Super High Definition Video and 3D Graphics

ZiLABS, a cutting-edge media processor and platforms company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd., today announced Zii TRINITY, a complete 3.5G/4G Smart Phone and development platform supporting the Optimized Android and native Linux-based Plaszma operating systems. The Zii TRINITY delivers superior High Definition 1080p video output and accelerated 3D graphics to enable OEMs and ODMs to quickly and cost effectively bring differentiated Android and Plaszma based solutions to market.


Superior multi-format media processing is enabled by ZiiLABS' StemCell Computing array which lies at the heart of ZiiLABS' ZMS-05 and ZMS-08 media-rich applications processors, offloading the ARM® CPU to deliver the low-power, high performance media-rich processing required of next-generation mobile devices. Accelerated OpenGL ES 3D graphics enable developers to create rich 3D experiences in the form of enhanced user interfaces, games and pedestrian navigation.

"The growth in Smart Phone use to incorporate multimedia features is driving the demand for manufacturers and operators to deliver differentiated products and services faster than ever before," said Hock Leow, President of ZiiLABS. "The Zii TRINITY is a proven media-rich platform that offers our partners a complete market-ready solution with the built-in flexibility for customization. We are showcasing an exciting 3.5G concept phone at the Zii Summit 2009."

Features of the Zii TRINITY 3.5G Concept Phone

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band WCDMA, HSDPA Cat 8 at 7.2mbps
• Full featured platform featuring ZMS-05 StemCell Processor
• Linux-based Zii Optimized Android and Plaszma Support
• Accelerated OpenGL ES 3D Graphics, Video and Imaging
• 3.1" 480x800 16M colour Active Matrix OLED with capacitive multi-touch
• Mini HDMI port for 1080p video output
• Xtreme Fidelity#8482 X-Fi audio technology
• 5M pixel rear facing, auto-focus camera
• VGA forward facing camera for video conferencing
• USB 2.0 Micro port for connectivity and charging
• MicroSD storage expansion and SIM card slots
• 256MB low-power DDR memory
• Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and Hardware GPS
• Composite Video output
• 1130mAH lithium polymer battery

The Zii TRINITY Platform can be supplied to potential cellphone manufacturers as a complete design package including schematics, Gerbers, mechanical drawings, Board Support Package, middleware and OS.
A Zii Development Kit '3G Phone Edition' provides a modular development platform that enables developers the flexibility to innovate around the Zii TRINITY platform to create product solutions based on their own preference of hardware components. The Zii Development Kit supports both the ZMS-05 and the recently announced ZMS-08 processors.

Future versions of the Zii Development Kit Phone Edition will be made available for 4G networks such as WiMAX or LTE.

Source: ZiiLabs

AV-Comparatives List Top Antimalware Software

AV-Comparatives is an Austrian based Non-Profit-Organization, which provides independent Anti-Virus software tests free to the public. During the course of the year the company has tested 16 of the most commonly used Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware programs out there.

The following products are tested in the current main comparatives:

avast! Professional Edition 4.8 AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 AVIRA AntiVir Premium 9 BitDefender Antivirus 2010 eScan Anti-Virus 10 ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus 4.0 F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 G DATA AntiVirus 2010

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 Kingsoft Antivirus 2009 McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 Microsoft Live OneCare 2.5 Norman Antivirus & Anti-Spyware 7.10 Sophos Anti-Virus 7.6 Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010 TrustPort Antivirus 2009

During the most recent test the AV-Comparatives used two sets of malware: Set A, which contains malware signatures found from December 2007 to December 2008 (of which most products could detect over 97 percent), and Set B, which contains malware from the last seven months (1.6 million samples). The set included the following categories of malware: Trojans (69.5 percent), Backdoors/Bots (20.7 percent), Worms (6.1 percent), other malware (1.5 percent), and Windows viruses (0.4 percent).

This test focused on how well each piece of software detected the malware proactively, without it being executed, using complex generic signatures, behavior analysis, heuristics, and so on. The basic idea is to see how well new malware can be caught without having to be updated or having to download new signatures.

In the basic summary results Avira won out hands down, however the software listed 21 false positives, dropping its overall ranking.

1. AVIRA AntiVir Premium 9.0.0.446: 74 percent
2. G DATA Antivirus 20.0.4.9: 66 percent
3. Kaspersky AntiVirus 9.0.0.463: 64 percent
4. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4.0.437.0: 60 percent
5. F-Secure Antivirus 10.00.246: 56 percent
6. Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 beta: 56 percent
7. Avast Professional Edition 4.8.1348: 53 percent
8. BitDefender Antivirus 13.0.13.254: 53 percent
9. eScan AntiVirus 10.0.997.491: 53 percent
10. AVG Antivirus 8.5.406: 49 percent
11. Trustport Antivirus 2.8.0.3017: 49 percent
12. McAfee VirusScan Plus 13.11.102: 47 percent
13. Symantec Norton Antivirus 17.0.0.136: 36 percent
14. Sophos Antivirus 7.6.10: 34 percent
15. Norman Antivirus & AntiSpyware 7.10.02: 32 percent
16. Kingsoft Antivirus 2009.08.05.16: 32 percent

In the overall rankings AV-Comparatives gives the nod to G DATA, Kaspersky, ESET, F-Secure, Microsoft, Avast, BitDefender and eScan. All of which earned their 3 stars "advanced plus" ranking. AVIRA (based mainly on false pos), AVG and Symantec all earned 2 stars for an "advanced" rating. While standard (one star) rating went to McAfee, TrustPort, Sophos, Norman and Kingsoft.

It should be noted during the AV-Comparatives Malware removal tests from Oct 2009 none of the 16 software packaged tested actually tested "very good". eScan, Microsoft and Symantec were the only three to achieve "good" ranking at both removal of Malware and removal of leftovers (reg entires, executables ect).

For more details checkout AV-Comparatives.org.

Woot Builds A Community Based Deals Site

Leave it to the crazy folks that brought us the Woot Off to jump headlong into a community based deals site. That's right the bargain site Woot.com is creating a new user-generated site apply names Deals.Woot

Deals.Woot is a social bookmarking/forum version of Woot that, much like our other favorite deals sites, lets users post, vote and discuss deals.

The site itself was launched just before the holiday shopping season, and features a familiar Woot(esq) feel. The top of the site currently features a frame with five "Sponsored Deals." The deals aren't chosen by the users (in this case, money does talk), but the community can still comment.



The bottom of the site features the more familiar thread look with user generated deals and discussion. Deals can be listed via freshness or popularity with either being broken down a little further according to other parameters such as most votes, most comments ect. Popular deals are broken down according to days, weeks ect and according to Deals.Woot are listed not by actual user popularity but popularity based on their "fancy algorithm". I take that to mean most discussion and most clickthroughs.

In My opinion (IMO)

Just browsing the site I don't are for the layout much. I personally prefer the forum structure of SlickDeals or FatWallet. The search function worked well enough, however I had to tinker with it to get more relevant posts.

I checked a few deals that I found interesting and found several bad or dead links and what looks like several spam posts. When I say spam posts I mean several members that only posted deals from a single site and none of the sites where sites I've heard of.

Given a bit more moderation and a bit more structure the site might not be that bad. After all it is from the same guys that gave us Woot, Sellout.Woot and Wine.Woot.

'Black Friday', Not So Black After All

Black Friday is meant to be the one day a year that most retailers can finally get their number into the "black", however it appears as though this year might not have been as profitable as most had hoped.

The early numbers indicate sales increased slightly over last year but the numbers weren't as good as most companies wished for. According to the National Retail Federation roughly 195 million consumers waded through heavy traffic to shop in stores and online over the Black Friday weekend. Those numbers are nearly 23million from the 172 million last year. But in a reversal average spending dropped to $343.31 per person from $372.57 a year ago.

The increase in traffic did however lead to an overall increase in sales, just not as much as most had expected. ShopperTrak, which measures traffic and sales in 500,000 locations across the country, said it estimated Black Friday in-store sales at $10.66 billion, versus $10.606 billion on Black Friday 2008, an increase of just 0.5 percent.

Overall sales for the four-day weekend totaled $41.2 billion, up marginally from $41 billion last year, the NRF estimated. The trade group bases its figures on a survey, conducted Thursday through Saturday, of roughly 5,000 consumers and includes a projection for Sunday.

“Shoppers proved this weekend that they were willing to open their wallets for a bargain, heading out to take advantage of great deals on less expensive items like toys, small appliances and winter clothes,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF President and CEO. “While retailers are encouraged by the number of Americans who shopped over Black Friday weekend, they know they have their work cut out for them to keep people coming back through Christmas. Shoppers can continue to expect retailers to focus on low prices and bargains through the end of December.”

The lower than expect spending levels showed that most consumers in this tight economy are being more bargain conscious leaving the high ticket items on the shelves and reach for more discretionary items.

According to the survey, nearly one-third (32.2%) of shoppers purchased toys, an increase of 12.9 percent from last year. Additionally, more people purchased sporting goods (12.6% vs. 11.4% last year), personal care or beauty items (22.4% vs. 19.0%) and gift cards (21.2% vs. 18.7%).

In a surprising reversal of trends this year more shopper chose to visit retail stores or department stores over online shopping. The favorite amongst shoppers being department stores, with nearly half (49.4%) of holiday shoppers visiting at least one, a 12.9% increase from last year. Experian Hitwise reported that compared to a year ago traffic to retail web sites was down 9%, though traffic to Black Friday-themed web sites was up 9% compared to last year.

ComScore reported Black Friday saw $595 million in online sales, making it the second heaviest online spending day to date in 2009 and representing an 11-percent increase versus Black Friday 2008.

For the second straight year Amazon.com was the most visited Web site on Black Friday receiving 13.55% of top retail traffic in the U.S., followed by Wal-Mart with 11.18%, Target with 5.65%, Best Buy with 4.62%, and Sears with 2.95%.

As for Black Friday themed sites, comScore studied eight Black Friday deal sites for the five days ending Black Friday (Nov. 23-27) compared to the corresponding days last year, finding that BFads.net led the pack with 3.9 million unique visitors, up 4 percent versus last year. BlackFriday.info followed with 3.5 million visitors, while Black-Friday.net (up 136 percent to 2.3 million visitors) showed the fastest growth.

With the weekend nearly over, and most of the BF deals behind us its time to look towards Cyber Monday.

According to a BIGresearch survey funded by the NRF, 96.5 million Americans plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, up from 85 million in 2008. About 87.1 percent of retailers plan to hold special Cyber Monday sales, an increase from 83.7 percent last year.

Several sites including, BestBuy.com, Newegg.com and Walmart.com posted their Cyber Monday deals early. With several other sites starting the sales as early as midnight on Sunday. A few great place to track the best Cyber Monday deals include Cybermonday.com, Cybermonday.fm and Dealighted.com.

Chromium OS Early Benchmarks - The Results Don't Look Good

Google's Chromium OS hasn't been officially released yet however developers have been working with the recently released source code to compile testbed version of the new OS and so far things look fairly disappointing.

Phoronix took their preview build of the Chromium OS and tested it against Moblin, Fedora 12, openSUSE 11.2 and Ubuntu on a Samsung NC10 and well Chromium's initial numbers just don't look good.

Phronix's tests included H.264 video playback, OpenArena, LZMA compression, 7-Zip compression, IOzone, PostMark, dcraw, OGG Encoding, FFmpeg and x264 video encoding. They also tested for CPU use battery life with Chromium coming in dead last in every single area. Phoronix did admit that some of the test results might be skewed because of various issues.

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology does not appear to be functioning appropriately under Chromium. Then there is the use of the EXT3 file-system by default in Intel's Moblin and Google's Chromium OS which caused them to suffer in some of the tests compared to the others running with EXT4.

In their conclusion Phoronix said, "It is far too early to say how Google's Chromium OS will perform in the end considering that it is roughly a year out from shipping with any netbooks or other devices. Our first benchmarks of Chromium OS show that its system performance is nothing too spectacular at this time, but we will certainly be looking at its performance again as this Google distribution matures."

I personally have yet to play around with Chromium, personally I don't care much for the Chrome interface which the OS is built largely around. Nor do I care for the "cloud" design that requires applications to be utilized online. That said these early numbers really aren't that surprising. Chrome is very much in the alpha state therefore it hasn't been optimized and tweaked as much as any of the other OS's tested. Then there is also the fact that a lot of the benchmarking done really can't effectively test what a cloud-based operating system is meant to do.

So for now at least I'm going to take these early tests with a grain of salt and remain open to giving it a chance. I say say give it a year, at least let it hit beta and then we can see how it performs. If the numbers are still well below the competition then we can talk.

Second Generation PogoPlug Released

Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities



Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

“The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well.” said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. “We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today.”

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.


NEW FEATURES

Automatically Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to “set it and forget it” and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user’s link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer’s browser.



Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user’s friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user’s previous shares - even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added "global" search support across all of a user’s Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user’s favorite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $129, with no additional service fees.


ABOUT THE POGOPLUG
The Pogoplug is a device that connects up to 4 external hard drives to the Internet. It is designed for consumers who have an external hard drive and have high speed Internet. Consumers can securely access and share all of their content [Files, Photos, and Video] from any Web browser or enabled mobile device with no additional monthly fees. Free your inner drive.


Source: PogoPlug Press Release

CyberPower Rolls Out Exclusive "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" Gaming Rigs

CyberPower Inc. www.cyberpowerpc.com, a manufacturer of custom gaming machines, has rolled out a trio of new AMD and Intel-powered gaming systems for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers that will turn any would-be "Grinch" into a holiday hero.

From now through the end of the Thanksgiving weekend CyberPower will make available three custom-built PCs with special promotions, extra mail-in rebates, and a 10% discount off the entire order whether the customer chooses the base model or customizes their gaming rig through CyberPower's "configurator."

CyberPower brings the latest platforms and technology to these Black Friday Gaming Rigs. CyberPower customers can choose between the Gamer Ultra 7500 featuring AMD's Athlon II X2 245 processor, the Gamer Xtreme 2200 powered by the latest Core i5-750 processor, or the Gamer Infinity 9000 with the highly overclockable Intel Core i7-920 processor. For work and/or game, CyberPower has you covered with the power and performance each system brings.

For price conscientious shoppers, the Gamer Ultra 7500 combines the perfect balance of price and performance. The system includes AMD's Athlon II X2 245 CPU and 4GBs of DDR3 memory; NVIDIA GT220 graphics card, 24X CDRW, and a 500GB hard drive. The Gamer Ultra 7500 starts at $590 before any discounts and savings.

The Gamer Xtreme 2200 delivers smart and efficient performance at an unbeatable price. Powered by the latest Intel P55 platform and the i5-750 processor with turbo-boost, users can be sure they'll have the performance needed to accomplish any task speedily. The system also includes 4GB of DDR3 memory; GT220 graphics card; 1-terabyte hard drive; 24X DVDRW; all starting at $805.

For those extra special people on your gift list, CyberPower offers its Gamer Infinity 9000. For those who want uncompromising power, the Gamer Infinity 9000 includes the overclocking friendly Intel Core i7-920 processor on Intel's X58 chipset. 6GBs of tri-channel memory is included for maximum performance and decrease load times. ATI's DX11 ready 5750 graphics card is included for smooth, detailed game play. A 1-terabyte hard drive and DVDRW is included for the starting price of $1,099.

All models come pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) and will be discounted an additional 10%. The series can be ordered direct from CyberPower and customized with a number of components, memory and drive options from the company web site. All CyberPower computer systems come with a 3-year limited warranty and free lifetime labor and phone support.

On top of all the holiday promotions and discounts, CyberPower extends a special thanks to all its fans and supporters by giving back this holiday. CyberPower warms up your holiday season with its holiday facebook giveaway featuring tons of goodies and prizes including a LAN Mini gaming system!

Offical Walmart Black Friday 2009 Ads Now Online

The speculation is over and no longer do you need to look through ads scans or unofficial leaks. Walmart has officially posted their Black Friday Ads online for your viewing pleasure you can find you local circular by entering your zip code on this page.

Listed below are some of the hotter deals I've found at my local Walmart, not all items will be available at all stores and quantities will be limited so make sure you get out there early!

Walmart Local Ad

Doorbusters from 5am -11am 11/27 include

• Sony Bravia KDL46S504 46" LCD TV $798
• Emerson PL-P42W-10A 42" Plasma 720p HDTV $448
• Sansui HDLCD1909 19" LCD HDTV $128
• Magnavox NB500MG1F Blu-ray Disc Player $78
• Nintendo DS Lite $98
• Kodak CD82 Digital Camera $68
• Samsung MX20 Red Camcorder $149

Laptops and PCs

eMachines eME627 Laptop Computer $198

• AMD Athlon 64 Processor TF-20
  Offers 1.6GHz speed, a 667MHz system bus, and 512KB L2 cache
• 2GB of PC2 @667MHz DDR2 Memory, expandable to 4GB
  Handles multimedia and multitasking
• 160GB SATA hard drive, rated at 5400rpm speed
  Stores up to 45,000 photos, or up to 39,000 songs, or up to 19 hours of HD video and more
• SuperMulti Double-Layer DVD burner
  Plays and creates CDs and DVDs in a variety of different formats
• 15.6" HD Widescreen WXGA High-Brightness Display
  1366x768 resolution; 16:9 aspect ratio
  ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics with up to 1919MB of HyperMemory supporting Shader Model 4.0, Microsoft DirectX 10
• Wireless WiFI & Wired 10/100 Ethernet port
  Connects to a broadband modem (cable or DSL) or a network
  802.11 b/g wireless LAN, connects wirelessly to a network, hotpost or broadband router.

HP G60-519wm Laptop Computer $298

• Intel Celeron Processor 900
  Provides 2.2GHz speed, an 800MB frontside bus, and 1MB L2 cache
• 3GB of DDR2 system memory
  Furnishes enough memory for today's demanding applications and can be expanded to 4GB
• 250GB SATA hard drive, 5200 rpm
  Stores up to 71,000 photos, or up to 62,000 songs, or up to 30 hours of HD video, and more
• LightScribe SuperMulti DVD optical drive with double-layer support
  Plays and creates CDs and DVDs with support for 11 different formats
  LightScribe technology etches custom labels right onto LightScribe-ready discs
• Wireless Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet
  Connect to a broadband modem (cable or DSL) wirelessly or using the wired 10/100 Ethernet port
  Also wirelessly connects to a Wi-Fi signal/hotspot with 802.11b/g wireless LAN
• 15.6" diagonal BrightView widescreen display
  Presents 1366 x 768 resolution (WXGA)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M (shared) with up to 1309MB of total available graphics memory

HP G71-329wm Laptop Computer $398

• Intel Celeron Processor 900
  Provides 2.2GHz speed, an 800MB frontside bus, and 1MB L2 cache
• 4GB of DDR2 system memory
  Furnishes enough memory for today's demanding applications and can be expanded to 4GB
• 320GB SATA hard drive, 5400 rpm
  Stores up to 90,000 photos, or up to 79,000songs, or up to 38 hours of HD video, and more
• LightScribe SuperMulti DVD optical drive with double-layer support
  Plays and creates CDs and DVDs with support for 11 different formats
• LightScribe technology etches custom labels right onto LightScribe-ready discs
• 17.3" diagonal BrightView widescreen display
  Presents 1600 x 900 resolution (WXGA)
  Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M (shared) with up to 1695MB of total available graphics memory
• Wireless Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet
  Connect to a broadband modem (cable or DSL) wirelessly or using the wired 10/100 Ethernet port
  Also wirelessly connects to a Wi-Fi signal/hotspot with 802.11b/g wireless LAN

Gaming
X Rocker Turbo Sound Gaming Chair, Black and Silver $35

• Backlit speakers in headrest
• Subwoofer for rich bass and vibration
• Input for MP3 player
• Units folds in half
• Side control panel, vloume, base, power, input/output jacks, headphone jack
• Connection capability - Xbox, Playstations, Wii, Gameboy, MP3/Ipod/CD/DVD, Home Theatre

Rock Band Special Edition for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 $50

Features Include:

• Rock out your way! Players can beat on drums, sing along, groove as a bassist and shred riffs as guitarists (using a licensed replica of the legendary Fender™ Stratocaster™) - either in single player career mode leading a band, in multiplayer as part of the band, or against each other - in person or online!
• Unrivaled song library! Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists ? from punk, metal and alternative to classic and southern rock of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
• Fully customizable! Form your own band, create and customize your own rocker, and then travel on a fast rise to fame around the world in a quest for rock `n? roll glory!
• Rock `n Roll Never Dies! Supports downloadable content for never-ending challenges.

Xbox 360 Arcade Console with Bonus $199

Xbox 360 Bundle includes:

• Xbox 360 Arcade Console w/ Wireless Controller
• Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa game for Xbox 360
• Madagascar DVD
• Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa DVD

120 GB PlayStation 3 Console with Bonus $299

PlayStation 3 bundle includes:

• PlayStation 3 120GB Console
• inFAMOUS game for PS3
• Batman Arkham Asylum game for PS3
• Dark Knight Blu-ray disc movie

Cameras

Sony Cyber-shot DSCS930 Silver Digital Camera $79

• 10.1 Megapixels
• 3x Optical zoom
• 2.4" LCD screen
• Face detection and Steadyshot Image Stabilization
• Includes carrying case

Nikon CoolPix S230 Black Digital Camera $139

• 10 Megapixels
• 3x Optical zoom
• 3" LCD touch screen
• High-resolution touchscreen LCD
• Automatic Scene Selector Mode; Smart Portrait System

GPS Systems

TomTom One 125-SE GPS $59

• 3.5" color touchscreen
• Maps of the U.S. and Puerto Rico
• Spoken directions and street names

TomTom XL325-SE GPS $89

• 4.3" color touchscreen
• Maps of the U.S. and Puerto Rico
• Spoken directions and street names

New Malicious iPhone Worm Acts Like Botnet

F-Secure research director Mikko Hypponen posted a warning Sunday night via the F-secure blog warning that there is a new potential threat facing jailbroken iPhones.

Mikko writes "We've received a sample of a malicious iPhone worm with botnet functionality. Like the Ikee worm, it only affects Jailbroken iPhones which have SSH installed and have not changed the default password. This one connects to a web-based command & control center running at 92.61.38.16 in Lithuania. The worm is not widespread, but it is much more serious than the first iPhone worm as it seems to try to steal information from the devices. We're working on full analysis and should have it available later."

The report was orginally broken by the BBC News which reported the new malicious worm is specifically targeting people in the Netherlands who are using their iPhones for internet banking with Dutch online bank ING Direct.

Hypponen confirmed the reports stating, "It's fairly isolated and specific to Netherlands but it is capable of spreading." Adding although the number of infected phones was thought to be in the hundreds rather than thousands, the worm could jump from phone to phone among owners using the same wi-fi hotspot.

According to the BBC a spokesperson for ING Direct said that a warning was going to be put on the bank's official website.

"We are also briefing call center personnel," she added. "It's important to remember that the worm only affects jail-broken phones and it is only aimed at customers in the Netherlands."

Utilizing a fake ING Direct login page, the hackers in control of the "worm" can collect your online banking credentials and, presumably, all the cash within your accounts.

*Update*
For users infected with the worm their root password will have been changed. According to Paul Ducklin, Sophos's Head of Technology, the original password was 'alpine' but with the worm taking control of your infected phone it has now been changed to 'ohshit'. If you try this log-in and actually get in, you are almost certainly infected with the virus. More details can be found via Ducklin's blog at Sophos.

Best Buy Black Friday 2009 DoorBusters

Best Buy has officially posted their door buster deals for Black Friday 2009. Some of these are pretty darn good deals, one of which is an HP laptop for under $200!! All door buster deals will require a ticket which means you will more than likely have to stand in line and I almost guarantee that means getting there very early!

Below is a list of a few of the deals Best Buy is offering for Black Friday 2009, a full list can be found by clicking here and you can view the full weekly add by clicking here.

Samsung LN46B640 46" LCD HDTV - $999 this is currently on-sale for $1199 so at $999 you are saving well over $200

HP G60-507DX Laptop with Intel Celeron 900 Processor - $197 they list it at $549 but the specs are almost identical to the $249 Acer they sold two weeks ago. This comes with a Celly 900, 2gigs of DDR2, a 160GB HDD and Windows 7.

Sony VAIO VGN-NW235F/W Laptop $399 - the details aren't listed on the Best Buy site but the specs listed from Sony are as follows, Intel Pentium T4300 (2.10GHz) Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 15.5" widescreen LCD, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, DVD burning, webcam


Dynex DX-L321-10A 32" LCD HDTV - $299 - this product is already listed on BestBuy.com and on-sale at that price but you have to pay shipping. IMO that's a fair trade-off for not standing inline, so I'd buy it online if you are planning on getting it.


Samsung UN46B6000VF 46" LED-LCD HDTV - $1,599 - this isn't a bad deal but its only $150 below current cost at several online retailers and can be had cheaper at Abe's Of Maine -$1588.18


Garmin nüvi 205W - $99.99 - they list it at $199, however most sites like Newegg have it for $135

Here are a few highlights of items available on via the Black Friday Ad:

Acer X203H 20" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor for $79.99
features include a 1600 x 900 maximum resolution at 60Hz, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, HDCP DVI ports and VGA ports

Epson Stylus NX110 Multifunction Printer/ Copier/ Scanner for $29.99
Features include 48-bit color, scan resolution up to 600 x 1200 dpi (9600 x 9600 dpi interpolated), Prints up to 28 ppm in black, up to 14 ppm in color

Compaq Mini 110c-1100DX Netbook for $179.99
features - 10.1" WSVGA antiglare LED widescreen display, N270 Intel Atom processor, 1GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950

Magellan SE4 GPS for $89.99
features - 4.3" color, backlit touch-screen display, Text-to-speech and turn-by-turn voice prompts, Preloaded NAVTEQ maps

What you need to know before heading down there and waiting in line forever!!

Doorbuster FAQs

What are the store hours?

• BestBuy.com is open 24/7/365.
• All retail stores will be closed for Thanksgiving.
• Stores will open at 5 a.m. on Friday, November 27, and close at 10 p.m.
• Stores will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, and close at 10 p.m.
• Additional store hours can be found in our Store Locator.

What time will tickets be handed out to customers?

• Each store will decide when to hand out tickets in the two hours before store opening. Stores base their decisions on multiple factors, including the length of the line, the weather, and store personnel levels.
• Tickets will be handed out until they are gone. Lines tend to form early, and Best Buy is unable to guarantee that all customers will receive a ticket.

How will tickets be provided prior to store opening?

• A line of customers will form outside of Best Buy stores and tickets will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• In most cases tickets will be handed out by store personnel prior to store opening.
• Best Buy reserves the right to refuse service or to provide a ticket to anyone it deems necessary. Best Buy will cancel ticketing and line formation if customer participation is deemed unlawful by local law enforcement agencies.

How many tickets can a single customer get?

• Each customer is eligible to receive one ticket per applicable item. If a customer wants to purchase 10 different items, then he or she is eligible to receive one ticket (if applicable) for each of those 10 items.
• All customers in line are eligible to receive a ticket based on ticket availability. Customers are not required to be an adult (age 18 or older) in order to receive a ticket.

By what time does a customer have to redeem the ticket?

• Each ticket includes a time deadline for when it must be redeemed.

Why is it necessary to have a ticket to purchase select products?

• Ticketing will help to ensure the safety of both Best Buy customers and employees when the stores open. Tickets also help to ensure that those customers who arrive first can purchase the products they want.

What are doorbusters?

• Doorbuster products are front-cover limited-quantity items on the Thanksgiving Day advertisement in your local newspaper. If you do not receive a copy of the advertisement, it can viewed in the Weekly Ad section of BestBuy.com.

What products require tickets?

• Select front-cover and other limited-quantity items from our Thanksgiving Day advertisement will require tickets.
• The ticket will grant the customer the ability to buy the item for a limited time.

What if I previously purchased a product at Best Buy and the price is now lower in your Friday advertisement, TV ads or on BestBuy.com? What if I find a lower price available at a Best Buy competitor on Friday?

• The Best Buy Retail Store Price Guarantee and BestBuy.com Price Guarantee will not be in effect for items purchased on November 27 and 28.

What is Best Buy's holiday gift return and exchange policy?

• For your convenience, we offer an extended gift return and exchange policy during the holiday season.

Are there any errors in the Thanksgiving day ad?

• Yes. On page 12 of the November 27th - 28th ad insert we advertised our store hours as open from 9am to 11pm on Saturday, November 28th. Our store hours are 9am to 10pm on Saturday, November 28th. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

Newegg Pre-Black Friday Sale

Newegg's Pre-Black Friday Sale started tonight at midnight! (12:01AM PST)

Below is a full list of their early Black Friday deals, since I'm posting this well after midnight all the prices should be in affect.

List:

• TomTom XL340 GPS orig. $119.99 - now $97.99 w/Free Shipping
• GARMIN nüvi 1200 orig. $169.99 - now $29.99 w/Free Shipping
• Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower orig. $69.95 - now $49.95 w/Free Shipping
• Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W 80 PLUS Power Supply orig. $54.99 - now $44.99 w/Free Shipping
• ViewSonic VFD810-50 8" 800x600 Digital Photo Frame orig. $69.99 - now $49.99 w/$1.99 Shipping
• Polaroid DVF-130 Titanium 1.3 MP 2.0" LCD Digital Video Camera orig. $59.99 - now $49 w/$1.99 Shipping
• Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive ST320005EXA101-RK orig. $179.99 - now $149.99 w/Free Shipping
• SAMSUNG S2 640GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive HX-MU064DA/G22 orig. $119.99 - now $99.99 w/Free Shipping
• Black & Decker CMD3400MB Coffeemaker orig. $34.99 - now $29.99 w/Free Shipping
• Rosewill - HDMI Switch box 3-in-1 w/ Remote (RME-002) orig. $44.99 - now $24.99 w/Free Shipping
• Monster - High Speed HDMI cable - 16 FEET orig - now $29.99 w/Free Shipping
• LG Network Blu-ray Disc Player BD370 orig. $199.95 - now $129.95 w/Free Shipping
• Logitech RX1500 Black 3 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Mouse orig. $27.99 now - $12.99 w/Free Shipping
• Creative Fatal1ty Gaming USB Headset orig. $69.99- now $34.99 w/Free Shipping
• Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II 2.0 Speakers orig. $149.99 - now $69.99 w/Free Shipping
• Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard orig. $63.99 - now $43.99 w/Free Shipping
• CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS orig. $149.95 - now $94.95 w/Free Shipping
• Microsoft SideWinder X5 Mouse orig. $49.99 - now $24.99 w/Free Shipping
• ZOTAC IONITX-B-E Intel Atom N230 1.6GHz NVIDIA ION Mini ITX ION Platform Motherboard/CPU Combo orig. $135.99 now $115.99 w/Free Shipping (or $85.99 AMIR's)
• Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-E NAS Server orig. $219.99 - now $149.99 w/Free Shipping
• HP MediaSmart Server LX195 640GB orig $299.99 - now $199.99 w/Free Shipping
• HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB orig. $79.99 - now $64.99 w/Free Shipping
• SPARKLE SFPX84GS512U2HF GeForce 8400 GS 512MB orig. $32.99 - now $19.99 w/Free Shipping
• Kodak EasyShare Z915 Black 10.0 MP Digital Camera orig. $169.99 - now $149.99
• Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case orig. $64.99 - now $39.99 w.Free Shipping After $25 MIR
  

Find Free iPhone, iPod, iMac And Mac Mini Repair Guides At iFixit

DIY'ers are all the same we all love to tear into broken gadgets and try to fix them ourselves and with most devices you can. Sometimes though you'll find you need a disassembly guide or perhaps even some troubleshooting techniques. Well if you're an Apple product owner (iPhone, iPod, iMac or Mac Mini) then the fine folks at iFixit.com have just what you want.

iFixit has just released over 240 repair guides, complete with in-depth disassembly guides, troubleshooting techniques, and even photos. These handy guides are super easy to follow, give detailed step by step techniques and provide tons of information. Each guide is very user friendly and very well written, in not too technical or geeky jargon.

Along with the step by step guide there is a list of tools need that also features a color coded guide as to which tool is need for which part. At the bottom of each guide there's a nice section for notes that can be added by other users providing some first hand experience.

The site is indeed very useful for anyone that might have an Apple Gadget that is no longer covered under warranty or for that Geek that just likes tearing things apart.

Google Chrome OS Makes It's Debut

Within hours of Google announcing they'd be releasing the Google Chrome source code to the public engineers went to work compiling said code into a workable OS, well sort of.

After reading the announcement GDGT engineer Jon Ursenbach got to work compiling the code, trying to see if he could get an instance of Chromium OS running in a virtual machine. Its not a stand alone version of the OS but it is a workable version that is great for fooling around and it does show of the potential for the new operating environment.

If you want to test it out and see what the hype is all about you can download a copy of the virtual machine to use in VMware, VirtualBox, and on a USB drive here (300MB compressed / 700MB uncompressed): http://gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/download/.

There is a second option for downloading and running the OS which involves getting the files via torrent. This option however can be a bit risky and getting things working can be tricky. Fortunately TechCrunch has posted a fairly easy walk-through that should help. Just make sure you check the torrent, and make sure you can the files with an AV. There have been reports of many fake builds showing up on torrent sites.


Everything You Need To Know About Chrome OS

Since Google's initial announcement that they'd be building an OS there was a lot of hype and speculation as to what it would and how it would look and run. Well here are a few brief answers to what it is. Keep in mind the OS itself has not officially been released, Google has said that won't happen until some time next year. Right now we just have access to the source code, so some things might change and builders of course will build upon what's there so we will see several different variations.

• It's an operating environment not a system: Essentially Chrome is not a traditional operating system its more of a browser than anything. Meaning that it'll be based around preexisting Web services like Gmail, Google Docs, and so on. There are going to be no conventional applications, just Web applications—nothing gets installed, updated, or loaded locally in any way. Therefore what you have is an operating environment not a system
• It only runs Web apps: It's going to integrate Web apps into the operating system deeper than we've ever seen before, meaning that a) they'll seem more like native apps than Web apps and b) they'll be able to tap into local resources more than a typical Web app in Firefox, for example. They're Web apps in name, but they'll have native powers.
• How, exactly?: With HTML 5. This is the next version of HTML, which gives the browser more access to local resources like location info, offline storage—the kinds of things you'd normally associate with native apps.
• Chrome is Chrome: The user's experience with Chrome OS will basically be synonymous with their experience on Chrome Browser. Technically speaking, Chrome OS is a Linux-based OS, but you won't be installing Linux binaries like you might on Ubuntu or some other Linux distribution. Any "apps" you have will be used within the browser. Chrome OS is effectively a new version of Chrome, that you can't leave.
• It's super-light. It starts up in a matter of seconds, Google has said 7 seconds or less, which is viable since you have no applications to load. You'll boot straight into the Chrome browser which is apparently very, very optimized for Chrome OS, so it should be faster than we've ever seen it.
• It won't support hard drives, just solid state storage and I assume that means USB storage as well. This is going to be a bold move I mean SSD drives are becoming cheaper but they still aren't mainstream and who is going to want to boost the cost of a cheap netbook by adding an SSD just to run Google Chrome?
  
• You'll have to buy a Chrome OS device: Hardware support sounds like it might be pretty slim. Chance are you'll be able to hack this thing onto your current machine, but you won't just be able to install it to replace Windows, or opt for it on your next laptop, for example. You'll have to buy hardware that Google approved, either component by component, or in a whole package. They're already working on reference designs.
• For now, it's for netbooks. It's not intended for desktops, to the point that Google is saying that the first generation of Chrome hardware will be secondary machines.

When will Google Chrome be released and what will it run on?

For now, at least this is all speculation because Google hasn't set an official release date nor have they given specifics on any upcoming devices. From the details given on the Chromium Blog and the Official Google Blog we do know that the release of the code comes "almost a year before Google Chrome OS will be ready for users" and they mentioned that the Chrome OS will be ready for consumers this time next year. So we can speculate that they will have it ready for "beta" by late spring possibly even early summer.

As for actual device that will be running the new OS Google has said it will launch Chrome OS netbooks in the holiday season 2010; tablets and laptops running Chrome OS will launch at a later date. Chrome's demo at the presentation was running on an Eee PC, so that seems one likely target.

As mentioned, the upcoming hardware will feature SSDs only so that puts a lot of limits on what devices will and won't be released with the OS. So netbooks, MID devices and possible some other handhelds are likely. Google's vice president of product management, Sundar Pichai, said the reasoning behind going SSD only is because "We want Google Chrome OS to be blazingly fast. From the time you press boot, you want it to be like a TV. In addition to making the boot time fast, we want the end-to-end experience to be fast."

My thoughts and opinion

In my personal opinion Google Chrome doesn't sound like anything I'd be interested in. I've ran some of the insta-boot linux environments that offer limited functionality and I really wasn't impressed. Sure you can get online in a flash but that doesn't offer me much. I spend more time logging onto the web based sites to get my work than I would if I just booted into Windows where it was saved.

Web based applications are nice to have and do make life a little easier especially since I don't have to buy some of the software that is available. But what happens when I'm offline and in a pinch? What do I do then? If files or apps aren't stored locally I guess I'll be SOL.

I enjoy fast boot times, and I enjoy a fast OS, but I'm not willing to give up the conveniences that go with having a fully functional OS. At least not at this time. Sure the devices the Chrome OS is meant for are meant more or less for basic usage (web, email ect) but that's probably also the reason why I don't own those devices. I'm not a basic user and I want my devices to be able to handle my demands.

Casio Introduces Tough New EX-G1

Just in time for the holidays Casio introduces a hot new waterproof camera for us to drool over, the new Casio Exlim EX-G1. Measuring a petite 103.5 x 64.2 x 19.9mm, that's less than an inch think for those who don't do metric, and featuring full waterproof and shockproof capabilities this ultra thin ultra portable camera can go just about anywhere.

The EX-G1 offers swimmers, skiers or the outdoor enthusiast up to 3 meters (10 feet) of waterproofing and has been drop tested to withstand falls of up 2.13 meters (7 feet). All this means this little camera is going to be tough and ready for just about any outdoor situation, whether it be lounging around on the beach, that backwoods hike or just having fun in the sun.

I haven't got a chance to get me hands on one yet, but I know I'd love to see one in my stocking this Christmas!

CASIO RELEASES WORLD’S SLIMMEST SHOCK-RESISTANT DIGITAL CAMERA
EXILIM G – Waterproof and Dustproof, in a .78-inch, Smart Design


Casio America, Inc. and its parent company, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced today the release of the EX-G1 shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera—the first in the company’s new EXILIM G brand of digital cameras. With its smart design featuring functional beauty, the EX-G1 embodies Casio’s endurance-minded features and specifications in a sleek 0.78-inch low-profile camera.

Casio first introduced the shock-resistant G-SHOCK timepiece to the world in 1983. The G-SHOCK brand remains extremely popular among consumers and adventure enthusiasts around the globe thanks to its distinctive, unique design, rugged toughness and practicality, even under severe environmental conditions. In 2000, Casio launched the G’zOne, a durable, water-resistant mobile phone.

Casio is positioning the EXILIM G brand in an “endurance” category, which demonstrates its determination to create digital cameras suitable for top athletes and adventurers. The endurance category caters to those who never quit challenging both extreme conditions and their own limits. The new model was developed to embody this brand concept, using Casio’s years of experience creating technologies for shock resistance, waterproofing and slim-line design.

The EX-G1 is designed with shock-resistant elements throughout the camera, both inside and out, creating a smart look in a slim-line camera with functional beauty. In addition to capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images, the EX-G1 also features modes such as interval shooting and multi-image capture which utilize the camera’s endurance qualities. The interval shooting function can automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals, enabling users to capture great shots while engaged in active sports such as snowboarding or cycling.

“Whether it is the lifestyle that you have chosen or your career path that requires you to carry a camera tough enough to endure life’s elements, the EXILIM G EX-G1 offers an endurance level that will withstand the demands of your daily routine,” says Toshi Iguchi, senior general manager of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division. “The EX-G1, Casio’s toughest camera to date, is a prime example of Casio’s constant devotion to creating cameras to accommodate all levels of photographers.”

Through rigorous testing, the EX-G1 has been designed and created with a shock-resistant shell which passes drop tests including multiple falls from seven feet. Featuring a two-layer construction with a stainless steel outer-casing, the EX-G1 inner body withstands shock and water damage. The camera’s intelligent design is constructed with a resin cover to protect the body side near the shutter and a resin lens ring to protect the lens.

The technologically-advanced design features waterproof performance and corresponds to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing. The EX-G1 can be used at depths at 10 feet for 60 continuous minutes. Water will not penetrate the camera even when directly sprayed with jets of water from every direction corresponding to Protection Class 6 (IPX6). Capable of withstanding temperatures as low as 14°F*6, Casio’s EX-G1 boldly captures images where any adventurer goes.

The EX-G1 will hit shelves in December 2009 with an MSRP of $299.99 and will be available in black and red.

Features

Slim-line Design with Toughness Construction

• Shock Resistance
  The EXILIM G EX-G1 offers the world’s thinnest profile* of .78 inch (excluding protruding parts) in a shock-resistant digital camera. The camera passed multiple drop tests of seven feet based on Casio’s own standard**.
• Waterproof/Dustproof
  The EX-G1 offers waterproof performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 8 (IPX8) waterproofing, and can be used for 60 continuous minutes at a water depth of 10 feet***. It also withstands water jets corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IPX6” waterproofing, and can be directly rinsed under running water. The EX-G1 is also impervious to dust, with performance corresponding to IEC/JIS Protection Class 6 “IP6X” dustproofing.
• Freezeproof
  Withstanding ever the coldest of temperatures, the EX-G1 endures through temperatures as low as 14 °F.

Shock resistant/waterproof construction and design

• Exterior
  The outer body of the EX-G1 is made from stainless steel to withstand external shocks while a polycarbonate cover absorbs shocks to the body side near the shutter. The camera’s wrist-strap holder is made of die-cast zinc to withstand drops while a rotating lock secures the external memory slot cover. For additional protection, the EX-G1 comes with two types of detachable protectors to absorb shocks.
• Internal construction
  The waterproof inner body of the camera is made from polycarbonate reinforced with fiberglass while a buckle-lock construction is added to absorb impact, using fewer screws to secure the inner body. Additionally, the camera’s frame comes equipped with speaker and microphone filters to prevent water from penetrating the camera.
• Lens
  To prevent damage to the camera’s lens, a resin ring as been added around the glass casing to ease shocks to the lens area. With the addition of a reinforced, glass lens cover, the EX-G1 is tooled with a multi coating that is water-repellent and prevents light reflection from ruining pictures. To further protect the camera from impact, high-performance damping material has been added to protect the lens unit from external shocks.
• LCD panel
  The acrylic plate to protect the LCD from water pressure and shocks is 1.5 times thicker than conventional point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD panel features a resin mount to ease shocks to the LCD panel area.

BEST SHOT functions befitting a waterproof, shock-resistant camera

• Interval shooting
  The interval shooting function allows users to automatically take still photos or movies at fixed intervals while engaged in action sports such as cycling, snowboarding, and wind surfing*5. With the EX-G1, users can take powerful photos from inside the action, the kind which are usually almost impossible to capture. The shooting interval can be set at 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes, and the capture time for movies may be set at 3, 10, 20, or 30 minutes
• Great for a variety of outdoor photography scenes
  The BEST SHOT function enables users to take beautiful photos just by selecting the desired subject scene. The EX-G1 includes additional BEST SHOT settings suitable for various outdoor situations, such as “snow” and “beach” scene settings, which automatically adjust to prevent subject underexposure due to the brightness of snow or sun. There is also an “underwater” setting to control the tendency of underwater photos to come out looking too blue.

12.1 effective megapixels
This thin stylish model features a large 2.5-inch monitor with 230,400 dots of high resolution and a non-extending 3X zoom lens ranging from 38-114mm (35 mm film camera equivalent).

Intelligent AF
When the camera is pointed at a desired shot, the Intelligent AF function automatically detects the photo subject even if it is not a human face and determines the focus and exposure area accordingly.

Advanced Dynamic Photo function
Casio’s original Dynamic Photo function, which creates composite moving images using the camera’s own high-speed image processing technology, now does even more. When a moving subject is cut out of a number of images and combined with a different still shot that forms the background, the size of the subject can be changed to suit the background image. Additionally, the Dynamic Photo video can easily be converted in-camera into a motion JPEG movie file. Moving graphics such as hearts and bouquets of flowers are included so that users can have fun decorating their still images using the Dynamic Photo function. Casio not only allows users to have fun taking and viewing photos, but also provides innovative new ways for them to create original images, right on the camera.

Wide Screen Movies
The camera also features a wide format (16:9) Movie function. Just press the dedicated Movie button to take beautiful movies at 848x480 pixels.

For more details on the Exilim EX-G1 checkout Casio's Exilim G site.

Source: CASIO

Intel Wants You To Tweet Your Best Haiku

Write a Haiku, Themed "Why I want a Home Server And Be Entered For Your Chance To Win a Home Server from Intel, Microsoft

Gadget-philes that need an excuse to flex their artistic muscle are encouraged to submit an entry to the Intel and Microsoft Home Server Haiku Challenge. The challenge, which asks participants to express how a home server could bring peace of mind to their daily digital lives, will be accepting submissions until December 11. All entries are eligible to win one-of-three home servers that will arrive in time for the holidays to stream and share photos, videos and music with family and friends. For more information on winning a home server featuring the Intel architecture and Microsoft Windows Home Server software, visit winahomeserver.com.

Prizes:

Three first prize winners will win a Home Server powered by Intel Inside and Microsoft Windows Home Server software, ten second prize winners will win a Microsoft Zune HD 16 GB digital audio player, and ten third prize winners will win a 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Green Hard Drive.

Contest Details:

• The contest begins Nov. 16th, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. and ends Dec. 11th, 2009 at 11:59 p.m.
• One entry per e-mail address
• You must have a Twitter account to enter
• 100 entries will be randomly drawn at the end of the contest
• 23 of the 100 random entries will be judged and selected as winners
• Winners will be notified by telephone within 10 days after the end of the contest and winning Haikus will be posted on www.intel.com/go/storage
• Intel and Microsoft may post Haiku entries online and will assume ownership of them
• Please see complete contest rules