Etiqueta: Slashgear.com

Ballmer’s bonus slashed due to Kin failure

Ballmer saw his nice, fat bonus slashed in the wake of the failure of the Kin and the Microsoft tablet efforts. The bonus was cut despite the fact that Microsoft had its biggest year ever. Reuters report that the bonus Ballmer received was $670,000, equal to his salary.


By Shane McGlaun | http://www.slashgear.com/ballmers-bonus-slashed-due-to-kin-failure-01105548/

The failure of the Microsoft Kin phone was swift and epic. I haven’t seen a phone fail that fast before. You can bet the failure was felt around Microsoft and CEO Steve Ballmer may have felt the failure in his heart, but it hit is wallet too according to Reuters.ballmer sg

Ballmer saw his nice, fat bonus slashed in the wake of the failure of the Kin and the Microsoft tablet efforts. The bonus was cut despite the fact that Microsoft had its biggest year ever. Reuters report that the bonus Ballmer received was $670,000, equal to his salary. Leer más “Ballmer’s bonus slashed due to Kin failure”

Nike files patent app for self-lacing shoes, Doc Brown not listed as an inventor

The patent app was filed on February 11, 2009 and is listed as a continuation in part of application filed on May 2, 2008. All I know is it’s about time some of the cool tech from the movies of my childhood finally came to be. All of the electronics needed for the shoe is in the sole. The design looks much better than that DIY hack I mentioned for self-lacing Nike’s a while back.


I really wanted three things from the movie Back to the Future II. I wanted that DeLorean, the hover board, and those Nike shoes that laced themselves. Decades later, I still have none of the three. Nike has filed a patent app that may finally put those sweet shoes on my feet.

nikepatent sg

Apparently, some of the people from the Nike Innovative Kitchen have filed a patent app for a self-lacing shoes like that pair from the flick. The shoe in the patent app even appears to have the same design. Along with the “automatic fastening system”, the shoes also have a lighting system. Leer más “Nike files patent app for self-lacing shoes, Doc Brown not listed as an inventor”

Nokia N9 Rumored to Feature 4-Inch OLED Screen and 1GHz Processor

Late last week, Nokia’s N9 broke cover with plenty of leaked images. While the photoshoot was great, and it showed off plenty of the device’s physical attributes, there still wasn’t enough information to get people excited. Now though, it’s time to spend some time in the rumor mill, and reveal to you, the curious onlooker, what exactly is going to make the Nokia N9 so prominent in the smartphone market some time in the near future.

Nokia N91 540×405

According to a tipster named Lee, who provided these “tips” to site NokNok, the N9 is certainly going to be a formidable device. Despite not being named specifically in the tip, we’re still hearing that the handset is going to be running MeeGo when it launches (whenever it launches). That’s underneath a 4-inch OLED display, and powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. As for memory, that’s somewhere in the ballpark of 512MB of RAM, 1GB of system storage, and a whopping 64GB of internal memory.

It’s following suit with the whole “HD video recording” thing, as the N9 will be able to record full 720p HD video.


Late last week, Nokia’s N9 broke cover with plenty of leaked images. While the photoshoot was great, and it showed off plenty of the device’s physical attributes, there still wasn’t enough information to get people excited. Now though, it’s time to spend some time in the rumor mill, and reveal to you, the curious onlooker, what exactly is going to make the Nokia N9 so prominent in the smartphone market some time in the near future.

Nokia N91 540x405

According to a tipster named Lee, who provided these “tips” to site NokNok, the N9 is certainly going to be a formidable device. Despite not being named specifically in the tip, we’re still hearing that the handset is going to be running MeeGo when it launches (whenever it launches). That’s underneath a 4-inch OLED display, and powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. As for memory, that’s somewhere in the ballpark of 512MB of RAM, 1GB of system storage, and a whopping 64GB of internal memory.

It’s following suit with the whole “HD video recording” thing, as the N9 will be able to record full 720p HD video. Leer más “Nokia N9 Rumored to Feature 4-Inch OLED Screen and 1GHz Processor”

Universal Translator is More Science-Fiction Than Reality

In most situations, when you look at a design concept, you’re supposed to get the sense that some day, at some point in the (perhaps distant) future, you’ll be able to get your hands on this. Just like we saw with Sony’s design for their Eclipse media management device. This one, though. Well, we can safely say that it’s really a concept. Not that it’s not cool — because it’s a great idea, but we’re just wondering if the designer had one too many drinks while they were watching their favorite Sci-Fi flick.

Universal Translator 540×381

As you look at the image above, you’ll have to realize that that’s the whole thing. There’s no other peripherals hiding out of view. What you’re looking at, is a thin slice of glass, that’s meant to do a whole lot of things. For example, it’s a universal translator. That’s right. Somewhere in there, there’s all the languages in the world, used on a daily basis we imagine, and all you have to do is hold it, and get instant translations. You could just take the universal translator, and throw yourself right into the middle of some unknown country and be all right. That’s a relief, for sure.


In most situations, when you look at a design concept, you’re supposed to get the sense that some day, at some point in the (perhaps distant) future, you’ll be able to get your hands on this. Just like we saw with Sony’s design for their Eclipse media management device. This one, though. Well, we can safely say that it’s really a concept. Not that it’s not cool — because it’s a great idea, but we’re just wondering if the designer had one too many drinks while they were watching their favorite Sci-Fi flick.

Universal Translator 540x381

As you look at the image above, you’ll have to realize that that’s the whole thing. There’s no other peripherals hiding out of view. What you’re looking at, is a thin slice of glass, that’s meant to do a whole lot of things. For example, it’s a universal translator. That’s right. Somewhere in there, there’s all the languages in the world, used on a daily basis we imagine, and all you have to do is hold it, and get instant translations. You could just take the universal translator, and throw yourself right into the middle of some unknown country and be all right. That’s a relief, for sure. Leer más “Universal Translator is More Science-Fiction Than Reality”

iMac Core i7 Review (Mid 2010)

By Vincent Nguyen
http://www.slashgear.com

Apple’s recent refresh of the all-in-one iMac range may not have concurred with all of the preceding rumors, but the main expectation was certainly met: faster processors than ever before. Fresh to the SlashGear test bench is the 27-inch iMac, with the flagship quadcore Intel CPU. Pairing a 2.93GHz Core i7 processor with 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 256GB SSD, it certainly promises high performance; it also makes for an expensive buy, $2,799 to specify the same spec as our review unit. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

Apple iMac mid 2010 1 540×472

As well as the processor, memory and solid-state storage, there’s an ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU with 1GB of its own GDDR5 memory and an 8x SuperDrive DVD burner. Still no Blu-ray option, of course, and no USB 3.0 ports either; instead Apple gives you four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, audio in/out (each combining analog and digital), gigabit ethernet and a Mini DisplayPort that, on this larger iMac, also functions as an input for hooking up your MacBook Pro. On the side, as well as the slot-loading optical drive there’s an SDXC memory card reader (backward compatible with SD/SDHC cards, naturally) while inside there’s WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The latter is used with the bundled Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; the Magic Trackpad launched alongside the new iMacs is an optional extra.

Apple iMac mid 2010 25 540×303

While all-in-ones may not be particularly known for their upgrade potential, Apple has made great use of the 27-inch iMac’s internal space. The SSD is an option, but so is pairing a regular hard-drive with a solid-state counterpart, each occupying its own internal bay. The 27-inch model comes with a 1TB, 7,200rpm HDD as standard: you can upgrade that to 2TB or swap it for the 256GB SSD, or combine either HDD with the SSD. That could be useful for digital media pros looking for the system speed an SSD brings together with the relatively cost-effective storage a traditional HDD delivers. At this stage, you can’t combine two SSDs, however.


Apple’s recent refresh of the all-in-one iMac range may not have concurred with all of the preceding rumors, but the main expectation was certainly met: faster processors than ever before. Fresh to the SlashGear test bench is the 27-inch iMac, with the flagship quadcore Intel CPU. Pairing a 2.93GHz Core i7 processor with 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 256GB SSD, it certainly promises high performance; it also makes for an expensive buy, $2,799 to specify the same spec as our review unit. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

Apple iMac mid 2010 1 540x472

As well as the processor, memory and solid-state storage, there’s an ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU with 1GB of its own GDDR5 memory and an 8x SuperDrive DVD burner. Still no Blu-ray option, of course, and no USB 3.0 ports either; instead Apple gives you four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, audio in/out (each combining analog and digital), gigabit ethernet and a Mini DisplayPort that, on this larger iMac, also functions as an input for hooking up your MacBook Pro. On the side, as well as the slot-loading optical drive there’s an SDXC memory card reader (backward compatible with SD/SDHC cards, naturally) while inside there’s WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The latter is used with the bundled Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; the Magic Trackpad launched alongside the new iMacs is an optional extra.

Apple iMac mid 2010 25 540x303

While all-in-ones may not be particularly known for their upgrade potential, Apple has made great use of the 27-inch iMac’s internal space. The SSD is an option, but so is pairing a regular hard-drive with a solid-state counterpart, each occupying its own internal bay. The 27-inch model comes with a 1TB, 7,200rpm HDD as standard: you can upgrade that to 2TB or swap it for the 256GB SSD, or combine either HDD with the SSD. That could be useful for digital media pros looking for the system speed an SSD brings together with the relatively cost-effective storage a traditional HDD delivers. At this stage, you can’t combine two SSDs, however. Leer más “iMac Core i7 Review (Mid 2010)”

iPad dock looks like an old TV

The iPad dock is made from wood and looks like an early CRT TV. I had one similar to this style in my room as a kid. The old TV effect is carried on with a background for the iPad that looks like snow you used to get when a broadcast ended.

There aren’t many shots of the dock overall, but it appears that the sync and charge cable runs out of the back of the faux TV. That would allow you to use the dock and charge the iPad. This would be great when you are streaming Hulu or YouTube videos.


We have seen our share of kooky iPad docks around these parts and they just keep coming. The latest DIY iPad dock comes from designer Jonas Damon. Damon is the creative director at the New York Frog Design office.

ipadtv sg

The iPad dock is made from wood and looks like an early CRT TV. I had one similar to this style in my room as a kid. The old TV effect is carried on with a background for the iPad that looks like snow you used to get when a broadcast ended.

There aren’t many shots of the dock overall, but it appears that the sync and charge cable runs out of the back of the faux TV. That would allow you to use the dock and charge the iPad. This would be great when you are streaming Hulu or YouTube videos.

[http://www.slashgear.com/ipad-dock-looks-like-an-old-tv-1097109]

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Dream Machine is like Build-a-Bear for adults

Any parent who lives near a mall with a Build-a-Bear Workshop will recognize the Dream Machine as looking almost just like the rig that stuffs bears, dogs, and all manner of animals for kids. Those overprices stuffed animals are crammed with fluff that spins around in a big red machine very similar to the Dream Machine.


Any parent who lives near a mall with a Build-a-Bear Workshop will recognize the Dream Machine as looking almost just like the rig that stuffs bears, dogs, and all manner of animals for kids. Those overprices stuffed animals are crammed with fluff that spins around in a big red machine very similar to the Dream Machine.

Leer más “Dream Machine is like Build-a-Bear for adults”

Sharpie evolves pencil tech

Sharpie has evolved pencil tech with a new liquid graphite pencil that takes tech from pencils and pens and mashes it together for an entirely new animal. The Liquid Pencil looks like a pen more than a pencil, but it is erasable.

According to Sharpie it writes as smoothly as a pen, can be erased like pencil lead, and is permanent after three days on a page. This is cool, I wonder if the liquid graphite is number two equivalent. You can reportedly get a pair of them and six erasers for $5.


Back when I was a kid and used pencils a lot there were the normal number two pencils, the fat pencils, and a few mechanical pencils. They all used hard pieces of lead than always seemed to break during a test.

sharpieliquidpencil sg 454x500

Sharpie has evolved pencil tech with a new liquid graphite pencil that takes tech from pencils and pens and mashes it together for an entirely new animal. The Liquid Pencil looks like a pen more than a pencil, but it is erasable.

According to Sharpie it writes as smoothly as a pen, can be erased like pencil lead, and is permanent after three days on a page. This is cool, I wonder if the liquid graphite is number two equivalent. You can reportedly get a pair of them and six erasers for $5.

[http://www.slashgear.com]

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Consumer Watchdog wants to know what the FBI and DEA are using Google Earth for

By Shane McGlaun

Consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog claims that the FBI and the DEA are making extensive use of Google Earth according to federal spending records. What those spending records don’t say is exactly what the agencies are using Google Earth for.

According to the records, the FBI spent over $600,000 on Google Earth while the DEA has spent $67,000 on the application.


Google Earth
Image via Wikipedia

By Shane McGlaun

Consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog claims that the FBI and the DEA are making extensive use of Google Earth according to federal spending records. What those spending records don’t say is exactly what the agencies are using Google Earth for.

According to the records, the FBI spent over $600,000 on Google Earth while the DEA has spent $67,000 on the application. Leer más “Consumer Watchdog wants to know what the FBI and DEA are using Google Earth for”

SlashGear Week in Review – Week 30 2010

Welcome to this week’s better late than never edition of the Week in Review! Monday we learned that HTC was planning to move from the hard to get Super AMOLED screen for its Desire and Nexus One smartphones to a Super LCD. The catch is that both screens will be used and apparently, there will be no way for the buyer to tell what screen they are getting.

HTC Desire Review SlashGear 16 540×499

Acer’s Stream smartphone has been graced with an official launch date for the UK. The Stream will launch on August 9 and pack a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a 5MP camera. The handset will cost the equivalent of $615 in the UK. A sweet new camera app was unveiled Monday that takes photos people shoot at the same angle as historical photos and superimposes the historical photos over the top. The software was invented at MIT.

LG announced this week that it can’t meet the demand from Apple for screens of the iPad and iPhone. Despite that fact, LG is apparently thinking about making production cutbacks and says meeting demand won’t happen until 2011. The DMCA was updated early in the week and ruled that jailbreaking and unlocking of smartphones like the iPhone was legal under fair use. This may bring the unlocking firms that are underground into the limelight.


By Shane McGlaun

Welcome to this week’s better late than never edition of the Week in Review! Monday we learned that HTC was planning to move from the hard to get Super AMOLED screen for its Desire and Nexus One smartphones to a Super LCD. The catch is that both screens will be used and apparently, there will be no way for the buyer to tell what screen they are getting.

HTC Desire Review SlashGear 16 540x499

Acer’s Stream smartphone has been graced with an official launch date for the UK. The Stream will launch on August 9 and pack a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a 5MP camera. The handset will cost the equivalent of $615 in the UK. A sweet new camera app was unveiled Monday that takes photos people shoot at the same angle as historical photos and superimposes the historical photos over the top. The software was invented at MIT.

LG announced this week that it can’t meet the demand from Apple for screens of the iPad and iPhone. Despite that fact, LG is apparently thinking about making production cutbacks and says meeting demand won’t happen until 2011. The DMCA was updated early in the week and ruled that jailbreaking and unlocking of smartphones like the iPhone was legal under fair use. This may bring the unlocking firms that are underground into the limelight. Leer más “SlashGear Week in Review – Week 30 2010”

Motorola Droid Upgrading to Android 2.2 Next Week

We had actually heard rumors that the original Droid would be updated to Froyo at the end of July, so this isn’t all that far from the case. And, while the HTC EVO 4G is getting updated to the same version number on August 3rd, we expect the roll out for the original Droid to happen right around the same time. There’s no exact date, but considering the competition, we wouldn’t be surprised.

So, we’ve got confirmation from HTC, Samsung, and now Motorola that existing devices in the market right now are getting updated to 2.2. This is great news for all the Android fans out there, especially those who have been waiting patiently for their official upgrade. Now, the Motorola Droid X is next on the list — so hopefully that happens before the end of the month of August. Any word on that, Motorola?


We’ll just go ahead and say it: Android 2.2 is just about to be on everything. And it looks like, unlike the previous updates to the Android version, every major carrier and manufacturer out there is taking the update to Android 2.2, or Froyo, very seriously. And that’s perfectly fine with us. This time around, we’ve got official word from Verizon that the Motorola Droid is getting updated to Android 2.2 next week.

Motorola Droid

Moto Droid 2.2 update 1 379x500 Leer más “Motorola Droid Upgrading to Android 2.2 Next Week”