Mens Plaza

Most women (including yours truly) spend thousands of dollars a year on hair care. Shampoos, conditioners, serums, waxes, pastes, gels, mousses and hairsprays used to clean, soften and style. We spend countless hours drying and straightening and curling and fluffing up our hair. We spend upwards of $50 for just a haircut - and don’t get me started about the cost of a foil! We buy trinkets and baubles to put in our hair after spending those thousands - clips, barrettes, pins and so on.

However, there’s one thing that I’ve never spent a dime on…hair extensions. Sure, most women have had some sort of fake hair extension at one time or another, whether it be a permanent weave or just a temporary clip in type, but there’s never been a niche market for fake hair extension braids that light up. Seriously, it’s never come up.

Well, somebody thought that there was a need in the marketplace for some light-up hair braids, so they designed some. Called the Flashing Hair Braid…it’s basically a clip with some very unrealistic looking hair braided together with some flashing lights. It doesn’t make weird sounds, it doesn’t hide a bottle opener or anything like that. Just a hair braid with some flashy lights.

I’m not sure the practical usage of this particular item other than perhaps at Halloween or at a rave.

[CTO International via Techie Diva]

Belkin’s USB Laptop Alarm is questionable and funny looking. It costs $25. Basically you attach the base to a sturdy object and plug the USB cable into your computer. If someone disconnects the laptop without first inserting the magic key then an alarm sounds. If someone (you) loses the key then you have to steal your own laptop from yourself while everyone watches and you scream “I swear it’s mine! I just lost the key to this stupid alarm!” Which is pretty much the technique I use to steal laptops. Except I wear pantyhose over my head for good measure.

Keep your laptop safe with a USB alarm [coolestgadgets]

Filed under: Cellphones

We’re not really certain why anyone’s surprised by the iPhone libtiff exploit at this point — it’s the entire basis of the 1.1.1 jailbreak, after all — but apparently Fast Company didn’t get the memo, because it just posted up this video of “self-employed security consultant” Rik Farrow using the ’sploit to surreptitiously install a voice recorder on an unpatched 1.1.1 iPhone. That would have been huge news when the iPhone first came out, obviously (and look at that — it was) but FC and Rik are a little late, here: the libtiff exploit has already been patched, first by the Jailbreakme 1.1.1 web-jailbreak and then by Apple in the 1.1.2 update. There’s no doubt that it’s a serious vulnerability — and Rik’s confidently paranoid tone in this video makes it a must-watch — but it’s funny to see people get all worked up over a patched security hole hackers have been exploiting on a variety of devices for some time now.

Continue reading Debunk: Yes, Virginia, the iPhone libtiff exploit can also be used for mischief

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

We don’t care about the Ford Sync car this commercial’s trying to sell you, but we find its depiction of balky voice-activated devices all too realistic. Knowingly chuckle along with us as these tools/fools who think they’ve mastered voice commands get their comeuppance. If this Ford Sync is like our Honda Civic Hybrid, its voice activation might still suck. It’s just too noisy in a car environment to work well. Anyway, the idea of telling machines what to do and actually having them carry out your orders is compelling, but we’ve noticed far more situations where those systems don’t want to do what you say. Maybe someday. Open the pod bay doors, Hal. [bb Gadgets]

Not much needs be said about the Matias Folding Keyboard: it folds. It is not wireless, but USB. It will cost $60 when released next month. It weighs just under a pound.

It actually seems like a good time for another folding keyboard to show up, although it’s funny that folding full-sized keyboards are now being sold as accessories for tiny laptops, which have taken the role once filled by PDAs.

Product Page [Matias.ca via Crave.CNET.com]

I saw this commercial for the Ford Sync in-car computer system last night and thought it was pretty humorous. The way the actors so confidently command their environment really sells it. It’s like one of those paleo-future “Imagine the Future” pieces from ten years back, only gone all pear shaped.

The Shocks Car Key ($51), from Bim Bam Banana, is a key fob that looks like it will unlock your car. Except it won’t, it will just shock you. How in the hell you’re supposed to find someone dumb enough to push the big red button on the side that says “SHOCK” is a mystery to me. Seems like a serious design flaw. I guess you’re supposed to scratch it out and write something clever on it like “PUSH ME”. And hopefully the person will also ignore the metal electrodes. But if you do find someone to push the button, oh the laughs that will be had! Your friend gets shocked, then kicks out all your lights and breaks the car windows. They’ll follow up that hilarity by rubbing your face on the pavement, taking your real keys and backing over you with your own car. What a funny prank!

Product Site [bimbambanana]

Thanks to Stevie, a man who knows how to have a good time, for the tip

To fully grasp the complexity of the poster for Made of Honor, there are a few things you’re going to have to understand.

First, the plot: Are you familiar with the constant, one-sided longing for marriage that exists in all mixed-gender best friendships, and only materializes itself when one of the friends is getting married? Or have you seen My Best Friend’s Wedding? Well, it’s happened again! Dempsey’s got to stop his best friend Michelle Monaghan from marrying someone less McDreamy. But in an exceptionally progressive move, Dempsey also must handle maid of honor duties, and smug grinning duties.
Second, the title: Patrick Dempsey is either a heroic firefighter or literally constructed of pure honor atoms harvested from heroic firefighters. That’s the only way I can figure the clever play-on-words of Made of Honor makes any sense. I get the “maid of honor” reference, but how is he “made of honor”?

The tagline(s): Rather than admit that this is basically My Best Friend’s Wedding, they’re focusing on how funny it is that a man would be a bridesmaid. Forget all the progressive stuff I said earlier; it turns out that’s the big joke. As for the “unbridaled” bit, we’ll have to just pray that kind of witty wordplay is so pervasive in the script.

The man: Patrick Dempsey. He’s over 40, has a thick wave of hair, a smile that lets you know he’s screwing your girlfriend, and a desirability among women that rises parallel to their age/loneliness. Oh, and he’s nicknamed McDreamy. What else do you need to know?

There you have it. Now you know why this is the single greatest movie poster ever created. I can’t wait until the trailer, when we’ll see how this arrogant hunk is somehow the one we’re meant to root for. The only way he could be the underdog is if she’s marrying half the cast of Ocean’s Eleven.

‘Made of Honor’ Poster Premiere [Cinematical]

Filed under: GPS, Handhelds, Laptops, Tablet PCs

All we have is this picture for now and the promise of more around CES in January, but that’s Asus’ R50A right there. It’s listed as a UMPC and said to “redefine mobile” with full PC and GPS functionality. Funny, we thought that’s what those gen one UMPCs were supposed to do 1.5 years ago. Anyway, this looks to be the R3 we’ve already peeped sporting a 4.8-inch display with abiggie1024 x 600 resolution.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

For the last few years, it has been thought that the only way to effectively communicate that your movie is a comedy is with a white poster and giant, goofy red lettering (like this one). The white emptiness suggests you are in a void where anything could happen (such as hilarity) and the rules of Earth do not apply (granting the ability for one actor may play multiple parts, with fat suits). There is nothing to remind you of the woes of this world, only the comedy ahead, in the white vacuum of laughter.

That’s why it’s even funnier when we see the wacky red letters! Where did those come from?! That bold type and close kerning just screams comedy, nearly as much as the Comic Sans I always use in my community newsletters. If the scarlet letter from The Scarlet Letter looked anything like this, I bet adultery was hilarious.

But now a new contender is rising: subjects over a disgusting green with a diffused spotlight. First seen in Knocked Up, the solid nothingness of the background takes our mind straight to the comedy abyss, while the spotlight says, “Hey! Look here! Look at these funny faces! Ignore that this appears to be an ’80s teen comedy, and has the Mac hipster everyone hates! Be blinded by the harsh light of forced humor!”

Strang Wilderness Poster [Yahoo!]

Today’s most popular headlines are New Mac Ads; Same Gags, Still Funny (25,916 views today), First 6 Takes on Zune 80 (Verdict: Better Than iPod Classic?) (15,418) and Android UI Video Demo Shows off Multitouch, Google Maps, Quake (13,533). Today’s most discussed stories are New Mac Ads; Same Gags, Still Funny (98 comments), New Bill Would Deny Schools’ Funding if They Don’t Comply with the RIAA (62) and First 6 Takes on Zune 80 (Verdict: Better Than iPod Classic?) (53).

Apple has just dropped three new commercials in the Get a Mac series. The adverts have the same old Mac Vs. PC theme, but they are still funny. Plus, no one has shouted us down for being fanboys for at least four posts straight. That, quite frankly, is unacceptable. So, here we are showing some Apple love and giving their new shoots some space. Truth be told, Mac and PC are both such douches, we don’t really want to own either, but hell, they do make us chuckle. Jump in for two more.

We see what is so appealing about Ubuntu; it lives the trouble free life. We just can’t stand this rivalry, it makes our hearts hurt. Who are we kidding? We love it. “Ask not what Vista can do for you, ask what you can buy for Vista.” Classic.

The tipster who filled us in on the real story behind the hacked iPhone that appeared on Saturday Night Live also linked us to this video which never aired that night, cut for another sketch that ran long. In fact, it may be the last in the series ever produced given the recent writers strike. And it’s a shame, because while it’s certainly funny, the clip is also educational, tutoring us geeks in advanced punch ‘n run techniques. Do we smell a new chapter in Jason Chen’s iPhone book? We certainly hope so.

Last weekend we pointed out that a Saturday Night Live iPhone sketch (that we thought was hilarious, btw) was using a hacked iPhone. We wondered if this was a writer decision, a production necessity or a corporate low blow. Since then a connected tipster filled us in, saying that the phone was indeed a production decision because it was the only way one can show all the phone’s features with the “no service” icon displayed (as to avoid promoting a carrier, we assume). Here’s their short correspondence (that pretty much says what we’ve already told you):

…the hacked phone was never an nbc or writer decision. it was done out of convenience since that was the only way to shoot a phone with all of its features. if u look closely, in both spots you can see “NO SERVICE” in the upper left corner of the phone.

So much for conspiracy theories that NBC was sticking it to Apple after a disagreement. We still think it’s great that a hacked iPhone made it on national television during a mock iPhone commercial, even if the subtext wasn’t completely intentional. Conspiracy or not, that part’s still funny.

To Judd Apatow: I’m not sure how involved you are with the promotion of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, but this needs to stop. When your title already contains two dick jokes, it is completely excessive, and definitely not funny, to cram a third in.

Also, the name Cox is not, in itself, that funny. It may have once been funny; probably when either the first person was named Cox or the first time “cocks” was used to describe plural penises (whichever came last). But, as anyone with the Cox surname will surely tell you, it’s gotten a bit tired. And as far as phallic names are concerned, NASCAR’s Dick Trickle has an infinitely funnier name than Dewey Cox, mostly because it’s somehow real.

Please discontinue this line of ads, lest I may be forced to reconsider your god-like comedy status.

Judd’s ‘Walk Hard’ Gives Oscar the Finger [Deadline Hollywood]

Here’s a funny Steve Jobs Bobblehead app by Spiffy Tech’s Sean Haber. Every couple of moments, Jobs spits out a “Boom!” giving fanboys the comforting feeling of new Apple product dropping at keynotes. Use jailbreakme.com to get this on your iPhone, but note some caveats…[Here]

Most of the time, you want your watch to tell time and not much else. But sometimes, you want your watch to help you choke a dude to death. That’s where the Defenseband comes in handy. Basically, it has a Velcro strap on it that’s specially designed to help you choke the living crap out of anyone who looks at you funny. Now that’s a multifunction gadget! I want something like this on the next version of the iPhone. [Product Page via Watchismo Times]

Filling in one of the final pieces to the Star Trek casting puzzle that JJ Abrams has kept hidden like a Lost plot point, the role of Christopher Pike has been given to Bruce Greenwood.

Now, of course you know who Christopher Pike is, since everyone has watched the unaired pilot of Star Trek and the two-part episode entitled “The Menagerie,” which features the return of the Enterprise’s first captain, but do you know Bruce Greenwood?

You could easily look at his filmography to see what he’s done (most recently he’s starred with a semi-sentient dog in a firehouse), but really, no filmography can capture the complex and varied abilities of Bruce Greenwood like the above graphic from brucegreenwood.com.

Using the simple format of a commemorative graduation frame, they’ve precisely identified how Bruce Greenwood can play such diverse roles as (counter-clockwise from upper left): a light beard, David Cassidy-style aging teen idol, funny mustache guy, coy MacGyver, gay senior picture, concerned father, concerned politician, old-fashioney, and thoughtful JFK.

Truly, Bruce Greenwood is not just perfect for Pike, he is perfect for every middle-aged, non-distinct, caucasian male role. Ever.

Greenwood shipshape in new ‘Trek’ [Hollywood Reporter]

Angelina Jolie’s character in Beowulf apparently shows a little more skin than the actress expected. She didn’t expect to “come out as much” and was a “little shy” after seeing the final product, according to Fox News:

“I didn’t expect it to feel as real and so, especially because of the type of character I play, it was funny at first and then there were certain moments where I felt actually shy and called home and just explained the kind of fun movie I had done that was digital animation was, in fact, a little different than I think they were expecting.

While millions of fanboys are drooling over the chance to see a nude CGI Angelina Jolie, who got totally duped by Robert Zemeckis (nice one!), they are not alone. John Malkovich is stoked as well:

“It’s PG-13, so at least I’m told there are things and adult themes on the Internet that may push the envelope quite a bit further than a PG-13, but we’ll see; I haven’t seen it yet,” he told FOX at Monday’s star-studded premiere. “Of course, I’m excited to see Angelina on-screen … she’s …she’s talented.”

Way to not give off a creepy vibe, John Malkovich. There’s nothing your female costars love more than when you talk in freaking ellipsis while suggesting you want to see their… their… “talents.” No, no, that’s not creepy. Women love it. Oh, hey, you getting naked in this movie? Can’t wait to see it. With my eyes. Then remember it - forever. Yeah, chicks dig that. No, really. When they pepper spray you in the mouth, that’s their way of saying “Thanks.” Ha ha, dames. Such kidders.

A new international trailer for Iron Man has been released that, though shorter, shows off more of the relationship between Tony Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts. The only logical reason for the inclusion of a larger female role for international audiences is, unfortunately, that Marvel Studios thinks America is gay.

How did you get this idea, Marvel? Was it the insane popularity of the Broadway version of The Producers? It’s funny and entertaining, all right? It doesn’t mean anything. Is it the number of Express Men permeating our nation’s malls? Come on, everyone needs a dress shirt sometime. Don’t judge. Canada is just a close friend, nothing more. Haven’t you seen how much we love sports and beer? Granted, we have no excuse for the continued popularity of Madonna, but at least point the finger at France first. Have you seen these guys?

Also, the inclusion of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man in only the U.S. Trailer implies Marvel thinks America want the most literal interpretation of heavy metal we can get.

‘Iron Man’ International Trailer [YouTube]

Last week I posted a very professional Fridge/Kegerator Combo, and now I’m ramping it up a notch. Introducing the Gamerator! It’s is an arcade game cabinet with a chilled kegerator in the rear that holds a 1/4 keg. It comes preloaded with 187 classic games, and even has built in cupholders. They’re on sale via ebay, and the bidding starts at $2,000. My only complaint with the unit is the capacity of the silver overflow collector. You know, because I’m going to be peeing in it a lot.

UPDATE: In reference to the title, I can now officially state the system has given me a full fledged (3 1/4″) boner.

One more picture after the jump.

We just told you about the hacked iPhone we spotted on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. You can spot the proof around 20 second in. The sketch is actually incredibly funny—some of the most edgy material we’ve seen on SNL for a while. We may even have to start watching regularly again, you know, if they are supporting iPhone freedom and everything. [youtube]

If you are yet to take the plunge to Leopard OS X, perhaps Micro Center’s excellent $40 rebate on all Leopard OS X purchases shall convince you?

That’s right, until 11/11 all qualifying purchasers will be able to claim a $40 mail-in rebate, the application form is available for download on Micro Center’s website. Hit the link to save yourself some bills on your next big cat. [Micro Center via Zats Not Funny]

For those of us who desire a universal remote that could control our universe, like Adam Sandler in Click, then you are probably in the wrong reality. However, Baron Bob has remotes that will Control Your Man or Control Your Woman. Again, you will have to be in another reality to get them to work, but you have to give Baron Bob credit for trying.

At least these remotes can talk, and say a lot of funny phrases. For example, the Control Your Man says things like: “Time to listen!”, “What about my needs?”, and “Whoa, ever hear of foreplay?” while the Control Your Woman speaks of things like “Feed me!”, “Hand over the credit cards”, and “Yeah baby, do that again”.

Clearly, nothing will reinforce gender stereotyping more than this product. If you aren’t disturbed by some of the settings on this remote, then you should probably try to be offended. For example, the Control Your Man remote has increase and decrease settings for Communication, Appearance, and Romance, while the Control Your Woman has corresponding settings of Cleaning, Spending, and, of course, Sex.

The Control Your Man and Control Your Woman faux-remotes are available individually for $17.95, or you can get both for $29.95 at the Baron Bob site. I think there are customers out there who would pay ten times that amount if these remotes actually worked, but it might be fun if the other partner pretends that it works. It might make for some interesting evenings.

Via Nerd Approved

We’ve had our share of cool water bottles make their way through the site. Now we get BevyTech’s Gadget Bottle, which is just sad. Not only does this seem like a broken cellphone/MP3 player/pill bottle(!?) waiting to happen, but what practical reason is there for affixing a gadget to a water bottle? Granted the knife-bottle option does look extra grimy, but it’d be cooler if they built it into the bottle. I’ll spend my $8.25 elsewhere, thanks. [Gadget Bottle]

How to write a National Treasure movie, as demonstrated in this new trailer to National Treasure: Book of Secrets:

1. Go by a screenwriting name that sounds like a PBS cartoon family. Book of Secrets is written by The Wibberleys, but something like The Flutentoots is fine too. Just make sure that saying it evokes the image of goofy animated morality tales and bright colors.

2. Get a 7th grade history textbook and, starting from a paragraph of your choice, create the craziest “what if” scenario you can think of. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of your imagination into the realm of deeply insane or unfathomably stupid. That’s actually encouraged.

3. Using the same textbook, flip to a random page and create another crazy scenario loosely based on a fact or term you find. If you’re having trouble, look for something bolded.

4. Combine the two ideas. At this point, you should probably have something along the lines of “What if Batman read in the diary of John Wilkes Booth that his great-grandfather helped assassinate Lincoln, and what if a giant robot had to kidnap a U.S. president to get a book of every secret ever from him?

5. Like a bologna and cheese sandwich, when layered, these ideas will still look distinct and mismatched. Merge the crazy notions by replacing non-historical figures with Nicolas Cage. (Batman and a giant robot are just as viable options, but cost more than Nicolas Cage.)

6. Stretch your tissue thin idea into a two-hour screenplay. Pepper it with the pseudo-humor used by annoying uncles. Things like thinking it’s funny to pretend you’re hurt for a second, or pulling a book of secrets from behind someone’s ear.

7. Well, you’re done. If it hurts you to read, you probably did it right. And don’t worry about any holes in the logic. Once Jerry Bruckheimer gets a hold of your masterpiece, he’ll make it such a daze of explosions and car chases that no one will ever notice.

Thanks to Kyle for the tip.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets [Yahoo!]

I don’t have anything useful to say about this “B1″ UMPC from Wibrain, except to point and say, “Look at the funny-looking thinger.”

It’s the Atari Lynx of UMPCs. That right-corner touchpad might work pretty well, though.

1st UMPC from PMP manufacturer in Korea [Asia.CNET.com via Engadget]

A spy for Star magazine spotted Jessica Simpson and Owen Wilson out together over the weekend. The two met on the set of a Willie Nelson video a few weeks ago and seem to be hitting it off, according to NY Daily News:

The two dined Sunday at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica before retiring to his Malibu home.
“He couldn’t keep his hands off her,” a witness tells the mag.

Don’t you dare break his heart, Jessica. That man’s been through a lot. What he needs right now is someone to make him appreciate the good things in life. Why, yes, your breasts would be one of those good things. I mean, I wasn’t going to bring them up unless you did. Your dad does it all the time? Ha, that is funny. You are funny. Say, you want to get a drink? Oh, don’t worry about Owen. He’ll be fine. He does great with rejection.

So these two guys dressed up as iPhones for some Halloween party, complete with LCD displays.

LOL People on digg think we stole these displays from apple LOL. But we didn’t it’s just an LCD tv hooked into a video ipod. We edited the display video and cut out all the zoom out shots. We don’t work for apple or anything. I’m a DJ and Bobby is in a rock band. That’s part of the ponytail thing LOL.

Damn that guy finds everything funny doesn’t he, with all his LOLing. You might think I called them dorks in the headline because I’m jealous I don’t have an LCD screen lying around to incorporate into a f’ing Halloween costume. Well you’re wrong. I called them dorks because they can’t dance worth shit. Notice how they don’t have any candy? That’s because they suck.

iPhone sez Happy Halloween [core77]

After hearing Robert Goulet died yesterday of pulmonary fibrosis, it’s hard to know what to say of someone my generation probably knows best through a mocking (yet hilarious) caricature on SNL. Am I still allowed to laugh as I watch Will Ferrell, mustached and bespectacled, sing a Goulet version of “The Thong Song”? Is it funny or tragic that, as doctors inserted breathing tubes, the baritone crooner said, “Just watch my vocal cords”? I would definitely think it was funny a couple days ago, but now I’m not so sure.

These are questions to ponder as you prepare your hilarious Zombie Goulet costume tonight.

Entertainer Robert Goulet dies at 73 [CNN]

The Pitch We’ve seen this approach before, eh? Looks like one of those AT&T commercials in which a dropped call leads to an awkward situation—a mother spontaneously revealing her sexually licentious past, for example, or Roger Clemens pushing it one season too far. But this schlubby hubby’s problem isn’t poor reception. Rather, it’s the fact that he’s just lost $5,800 playing blackjack in Vegas—a revelation he conveniently buries midway through the conversation. His disgruntled, potato-peeling wife doesn’t explode, but points out (correctly) that dear hubby seems to be a bloomin’ idiot. Good thing the unhappy couple is taking advantage of AT&T’s Rollover minutes—a promotion inherited from Cingular—or the call would be sinking them even further into debt. Why has AT&T forsaken its long-running “fewest dropped calls” pitch in favor of stressing its trademarked Rollover deal?

Rip-Off Of This is a rare instance in which a company is, uh, basically ripping off itself. I can’t recall another instance in which the basic premise of a previous campaign’s TV spots was retained, but the pitch details were altered so significantly. Almost makes me wonder if AT&T’s ad agency originally set this up as yet another dropped-calls commercial, then was handed different marching orders at the last moment.

The Spin With its high-end wireless business humming thanks to the iPhone, AT&T is now going after low-end customers by flaunting its value options. Playing up those Rollover minutes is just one piece of the puzzle—the company is also revamping its contracts to make them less draconian, as well as offering a new buy-one-get-on-free Nokia deal. AT&T obviously smells blood in the water, as Sprint continues to hemorrhage dissatisfied customers. True, AT&T is still near the bottom of the brand-loyalty tables, and its customer churn lags behind that of Verizon. But things can change awfully rapidly in the wireless biz.

Counterspin Perhaps the AT&T bigwigs merely decided that their “fewest dropped calls” slogan had run its course. But I’ve got to think that outside pressure played a major role—no question that the company was playing fast and loose with the truth, especially in light of the latest J.D. Power survey. AT&T could have stuck to its guns by trumpeting its $2.5 billion effort to buy licenses in the 700-MHz frequency. But that plan isn’t going to bear fruit for some time—and even when it does, expect the iPhone-lovin’ crowd to benefit first, rather than the budget-conscious masses.

Takeaway Ad gurus have blasted AT&T for dropping the Cingular brand, which took billions of dollars to build. The latest quarterly results are a point in the Ma Bell progeny’s favor, though—aside from making bank off the iPhone, AT&T is effectively reducing its customer churn. This ad should help, as Rollover can be a good deal (despite some fine-print drawbacks, such as the fact that minutes don’t start carrying ’til your second billing period). The spot may lack novelty, but it’s mildly funny and to-the-point: It’ll definitely catch the attention of a lot of aggrieved cellphone customers, especially those who’ve suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous overages. Like Alltel, AT&T seems to have realized that low-end customers are resigned to the ineradicability of spotty service, and merely want to pay as little as possible.

Hype-O-Meter 7.5 (out of 10). The trademarked Rollover promo may turn out to be Cingular’s most valuable legacy. Also, gotta love the way the degenerate gambler nervously glances around after revealing his loss; almost looks like he expects to get smacked upside the head, despite his wife being hundreds or thousands of miles away. Guess we know who wears the pants in that relationship.

Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired, a columnist for Slate, and author of the forthcoming Now the Hell Will Start. His Hype Sheet column appears every Thursday on Gizmodo.

Read more Hype Sheet

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Portable Video

Funny huh? We knew something was a tad too familiar with those Sony DSC-T2 Cyber-shot cameras announced yesterday. Now, Engadget Japanese reveals why. Those pictures are official, un-doctored press shots from both Apple and Sony. The former (and we mean former) comes courtesy of archive.org since it’s been supplanted by Apple’s new nano. Of course, Apple’s no saint in these matters either. Flattery at its finest, eh? Sony, like.no.other.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Read — Sony press shot
Read — Apple press shot

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Google have recently released a native version of Google Maps, for Symbian.

Compared to the older Java version of the program, this has lots of advantages, the most obvious being start-up speed and runtime speed. Every animation is smooth, loading times are blazing if you have a good connection.

An added feature would be the GPS support. This is really cool, and as long as you have a always-on connection, especially when on foot. It’s got all of the search features you know from the online version of Google maps.

Read on for some hands-on reports and screenshots.

I first tried the speed, searching and switching between display modes (important for the E70). It performed really well. There was no crash, the speed was constant, and the searches were relevant and filled with useful infos. More on that below.

Afterwards, I took my GPS module and the phone with me and went out for a stroll (and to buy some beer). I was very curious about what results the imperfect precision of GPS would have on a precise map display. The results were as expected: there are some funny situations where your location is displayed as on top of a building block or in the middle of the street. Of course, there’s a precision indicator on the bottom of the screen, which works best as a disclaimer. The best precision I got was 9 meters.

Since pictures are worth way more than words, the review will continue in the form of captioned images. It’s better, simpler, more relevant.

This image’s sole purpose is for showing off. It’s the minimum zoom level. The whole world is on display, and you can click the navigation key/joystick to zoom. There’s a tad of delay between your action and the zoom-in, allowing you to zoom even closer or move the selection rectangle around. In this particular case (Nokia E70), the image is displayed in landscape mode on a 2,1 inch screen, so it’s very very sharp, even if not so big.

Now, to ‘visit’ London.. I did a quick search for ‘cafe’ while London was on screen, and I instantly got results for the particular area the map was zoomed on. Pressing a button as indicated at the bottom of the screen cycles you through the search results. The map will move quickly but smoothly to the destination point. Much smoother than on the iPhone for instance. Pressing the key allocated to the search result you are centered on brings you to the next screen…

…which is the info screen. Here’ you’ll get whatever details Google have about the current location. The ‘Directions’ options may be well known from the online version, but this time, if combined with a GPS receiver, you’ll have real navigation, live and with traffic infos. “more results” will give you the full list of results. Then, without opening any item in the list, there are some interesting options:

Most of what you see here can be found in the info page for each result, but it’s more practical to use this view if you don’t need to see the location on the map. Note the excellent integration with the operating system: you can save the information as a contact, and open the web address in its browser.

In the end, here’s a screenshot taken during the stroll. This time, it’s in portrait mode, too. I was actually 2-3 meters away from the little location dot. This is a definite recommendation, it really is an excellent program.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline attended their first Parenting Without Conflict course today. It’s the first time the two have been in the same building since meeting with attorneys back in September. TMZ reports:

The class will last a couple of hours. They will meet with a parenting coach, who will give them advice on how a divorced couple should raise their children.
The kids are not present.
Sources say Britney is actually looking forward to discussing parenting with her ex — however, after arriving at the location, Brit was distraught and bawling like a baby in the bathroom.

What could Britney be so upset about? Unless she still has feelings for Kevin. Could you imagine if these two got back together? No, wait, that’s not even funny. Somebody’s gotta stop this. Snarf, bring me the Sword of Omens! Thunder. Thunder! THUNDERCATS! HOOOOOOOOO! *looks around* Dude, go upstairs and tell Grandma I need 4 C batteries for this thing. Dude, it’s important. I have to stop Britney and Kevin. Jesus, we’ll play Halo later. Fine. Stop crying. We’ll do what you want to do. Again. I hope they name their third kid after you.

Update: Yeah, you got me, my comments above sucks. It’s impossible to even suggest that I live in my mom’s basement. Every knows I reside in a private castle where I eat raw steaks, bathe in gold and hunt wild boars - with a grenade launcher.

Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are taking their relationship public after months of rumors. After promoting their new film “Rendition,” Jake and Reese took off to Rome for a romantic getaway. The two were spotted holding hands and “canoodling” with each other. The Daily Mail reports:

Witherspoon, 31, whose divorce from former husband Ryan Phillippe was finalised this month, had previously denied a romance with the Brokeback Mountain star.
The pair first began dating around March this year, although they were careful to avoid being photographed together. However, Reese, who has two children Ava, 8, and Deacon, 3, called the romance off in June, according to reports.
Now it’s clear their love affair is most definitely back on.

I don’t want to say this is the least interesting post I’ve ever written, but I’m currently in a coma. I’m dictating my thoughts by blinking in Morse code to a chimp with a typewriter. Dash. Dash. What the hell is canoodling? Dash. Dot. At least Jake’s not dating Kirsten Dunst. Dot. Dot. Dash. She’s a freaking vampire. Dash. Although Reese Witherspoon’s chin could cleave a watermelon. Dot. Dot. Dot. Make this funny. Dash. Dash. Dot. Talk about bananas and I’ll sell you to NASA. Dot. Dot. No, wait, don’t type that. Dot. These people will go all Ellen DeGeneres on me. Dash. Dash. Dash. Are you typing all this? Dot. Dot. Dammit.

When most of you think of Donald Trump, particularly if you’re Rosie O’Donnell, you think of a rich, loud-mouthed asshole who has no right to be televised outside of documenting the progression of his funny hair. But what this narrow viewpoint fails to take into account are the ways in which his being rich and having funny hair give him unique and powerful mediation and counseling skills, so much so that he should have his own daytime talk show where he charitably mends the disputes of the poor.

Luckily, always willing to recognize his personal gifts, Trump has begun work on a new show which is being described as a “unique hybrid” that mixes Dr. Phil and Judge Judy.

You mean I can finally get the loud, obnoxious opinions of Dr. Phil, plus the even louder, screamed opinions of Judge Judy, all served up on a plate of monotone shouting with a side of goofy coif? If my TV’s speakers can handle it, I’m in for the time of my life.

Trump gets a day job in syndication [Hollywood Reporter]

Last week on SNL, there was a hilarious digital short where cast members did impressions of various actors doing impressions of Bob Dylan in a movie. Like that old skit about now-famous actors trying out for a role in Star Wars, it was very funny.

Funny, that is, until I realized this was not SNL displaying actual humor for once, but a real movie in which Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and others do impressions of Bob Dylan, apparently meant to be taken seriously.

See the new trailer under the cut, and see why Darrell Hammond is furious about his exclusion.

Filed under: Features, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Portable Video, Storage

Ok, our new TakeTV arrived, and this time it works perfectly. (The first one we got was a pre-production unit with a bum remote.) Here are a few more things we noticed about the TakeTV and its accompanying Fanfare video download service:

• The TakeTV interface still has a very unpolished, raw look and feel to it. It’s also just the bare essentials, with only a few options for video settings (just aspect ratio, NTSC / PAL, and which video type you prefer: letterbox, pan and scan, fill, etc.).
• On the upshot, being flash-based and light weight, the system boots near instantly and videos take just a couple of seconds to load.
• It properly recognized our XviD and DivX files, but didn’t like AVC1 encoded movies, and surprisingly enough, didn’t like our standard encoded MPEG-4 Handbrake-ripped DVD. (It’s supposed to play back MPEG-4 files, maybe we did something funny, who knows.)
• On the other hand Fanfare looks very slick, but the interface — done in Flash — is way too busy, making it sometimes difficult to tell what’s going on. It’s definitely in need of some simplification and polish.
• Downloaded DRMed videos are, surprisingly enough, in XviD. But they’re wrapped SanDisk’s proprietary TrustedFlash rights protection. Files are .smbt.
• Downloaded videos are about 350MB per 30 minutes. That’s 1.6Mbps (200KBps); given that high a bitrate you’d think these videos would look friggin’ great, but the sad fact is they look more like 600-800Kbps, tops, so don’t be too disappointed when your Fanfare downloads don’t look all that amazing.

So our day one thoughts on TakeTV + Fanfare? Well, $99 or $150 for a device that plays all our favorite video formats is kind of a no brainer, especially considering the cost of entry for a lot of other devices in the same category is significantly higher (the $300 / $400 Apple TV comes to mind). We’re not sure this whole system is ready for prime time just yet — but neither is SanDisk, which is why Fanfare is launching in “beta”. Maybe with the right hardware and software tweaks this could be a very compelling cheap-or-free download service paired with a very easy to use hardware solution, but for right now we think there are quite a few kinks to iron out.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Maybe being stuck with Comcast isn’t so bad if you can get TiVo without paying $299 for the lowest-priced TiVo HD hardware. That’s because Comcast is using Motorola hardware that it’s already deploying, and loading it up with TiVo software it’s rolling out to its New England customers first. Plus, you get that beloved bone-shaped TiVo remote in the deal. And the best news is, all you’ll pay is a monthly fee (could be as low as $3) without that huge upfront TiVo cost. Take a look at the gallery for a few crude in-the-field shots of the Motorola TiVo and its cherished interface, coming soon to a home theater near you. Then follow the link to our buddy Dave Zatz’s site where he’ll fill you in on the latest TiVousity. [Zatz Not Funny]

Some scientists claim that they have invented a tool that will correct the strange behavior or nano-wires, effectively allowing the creation of “supercomputers the size of a matchbox.” Previously this was not possible because, according to University of Edinburgh’s school of engineering and electronics Dr Michael Zaiser, as they reduced wires they “started to behave in a very funny way.” Zaiser failed to disclose if cables were Groucho Marx-funny or Will Ferrell-funny, but declared that “holding a supercomputer in the palm of your hand will one day be possible—and we are going to make sure all the wires are in the right place.” [BBC News]

Over the weekend, Buy.com blabbed on SanDisk’s Sansa TakeTV, formerly previewed as USB TV. Now available, the TakeTV mobile video player will cost $100 for 4GB and $150 for 8GB. Buy.com also mentioned the Fanfare video service, now in beta. It just so happens we got to play around with both, shoot some galleries and formulate some early opinions:

It’s a funny little system, consisting of a video-capable USB flash drive, a dock with S-video, AV composite connectors and a power cord, and a remote that the flash drive can hug when not in use. You dock the USB drive to a Windows PC to load videos from the Fanfare service, but you can also dock it in any computer, Mac or PC, and load DivX, xVid and MPEG-4 videos onto it as a mass storage drive.Fanfare setup is extremely straightforward: you sign up for a free Fanfare account, download the Windows-only client software, browse the collections from CBS, Showtime and others (slated for heavy growth in the content-partner area, says SanDisk), and click the “plus” sign when you see something you like. If the TakeTV is plugged in, the video will begin loading. If not, you will be prompted to insert it.At the moment you can’t download to hard drive, and need a TakeTV. In the future, SanDisk promises that other flash devices using the TrustedFlash DRM technology would be compatible with Fanfare downloads.

Downloads are encoded in DivX, and an hour of programming takes up just under 1GB of memory. Download time can be slow if your connection isn’t up to it, but the experience wasn’t unusually sluggish. A 4GB TakeTV can hold up to 5 hours of 720×480 programming.

Once your TakeTV is filled with good stuff—for now, most of it is free—you take it to your TV (like the name implies) and place it in the dock, which you connect to your TV via S-Video or composite, plus stereo audio.Immediately a rudimentary menu pops up, and shows you your content:You select a video and after a potentially long “loading…” period, it starts to play. I’m not going to lie, the video doesn’t look great on a big 1080p TV. I know that’s being harsh, since it’s just 480i, but the Vudu box with 480p upscaled content looked damn fine, and SanDisk’s Fanfare content is nowhere near that quality. Shows look blurry (as you can plainly see in the shot below), though the sound (128 Kbps) is just fine.
I had a bit of trouble with a few of the videos downloaded, but let me say that since this is a beta, I’m willing to let that slide. Of course the content on the site was sparse, and I’m willing to let that go for now, too, because I fully expect SanDisk to keep its promise of expanding options.

The beef I have now is with the hardware: the remote sucked—it was non-responsive and not terribly intuitive, and fastforwarding and rewinding were exercises in frustration. While I like the simple USB-drive technique for loading video, either with Fanfare or on your own, I think that the collection of pieces is a bit of a mess: despite the fact that the drive fits snugly in both the dock and the remote, there’s no real clear way to hold all of it together in a tidy package. And if you lose the remote or leave the dock at home when you’re at a friend’s, you are screwed.

I branded this with a “wait and see” verdict because there’s so much promise, but not enough delivered yet for a full-on gavel-banging judgment. My advice to you is to join Fanfare as a lurker, before you buy the TakeTV. If you start seeing content you want, you may consider TakeTV as it is currently the only way to make use of Fanfare video. Also, if you have loads of DivX vids and are constantly yearning for a way to shuttle them to your living room, here’s your chance. But my early sense is, you’ll have to put up with some growing pains before TakeTV is a mature, worthwhile product. [SanDisk’s TakeTV Site]

I met the head of a faceless corporation today, a little company known as AT&T. You may or may not recognize the name Randall Stephenson. I didn’t know it before a few months ago. He’s the CEO. When a PR rep for AT&T offered me a few minutes with the guy, about 10 or 15 of them, to be exact, I decided to spend the time finding out more about the man than his corporate policies, obviously rehearsed and bottled and available with any sort of lit search. What kind of man does it take to run the Death Star? [image courtesy of the WSJ]

On the way to the meeting, my iPhone dropped four calls, and when I got Fletch on the line, the PR person for AT&T that day, he sounded like his mouth was full of marbles. Damn AT&T reception. I said to myself that I would ask the CEO why this was the case when every other carrier’s quality and reception was usually much better. Opening the door to the Palace Hotel’s Napa room, Randall Stephenson stood up in the stuffy board room and came around the table to shake my hand. He was flanked by high level PR, Marketing and Communications people. He was tall. Older. With weathered skin and all his teeth lined up and white. He introduced himself as Randall, and he had a Southern-ish gentlemanly draw. His face gave away no sense of fast twitch thinking you’d detect in most people who work in fast businesses like media, telecom or journalism. I’d planned on asking him where his office was in the Death Star, as an opening question, but this man didn’t deserve that, I could already tell. This time, I’d only have time to meet the man; next time, I’d ask more pressing questions.

We sat down, and he noted my raincoat and asked if it was raining outside. A bit, I responded. Then I jumped into introducing myself and Gizmodo. I had to assume that old school VPs and CEOs wouldn’t have a clue about us, and what we do, so I explained my history at Wired and now, this blog. He nodded, and said that blogs were an important medium these days, but admitted that he didn’t know much about them. I smiled, and then asked him what the biggest thing is that keeps him up at night; the first thing that pops into his head in the morning when he wakes up. I decided that the head of an ultra complicated machine like AT&T had to have priorities, and I wanted to know them.

“Wireless Spectrum.”

He was talking about the 700Mhz spectrum. AT&T needed it. It made sense. Despite all this talk about the new AT&T, and whatever internal changes (or lack of changes) would occur there, they still needed pipes, and today, the pipes are through the air. Like real estate, there is only so much of this for use. It’s gold. He then told me a bit of the backstory behind the $2.5 billion deal with Aloha partners, who they are licensing some bandwidth from before the FCC auction for the 700MHz. Turns out he met one of the owners of Aloha on some non-related business (golf) and first discovering he was a fellow alum of the same university. After Randall realized he had some spectrum, they started negotiating. It’s funny to think that $2.5 billion dollar deal can go down accidentally and coincidentally, but it goes to show that it’s a very small world out there when it comes to dealmaking. (And you and I have no money.)

I had only one more question for Randall. Where was he before being CEO?

“I’ve been at AT&T for 25 years.” And before that?
“I was in school, and needed a job.” How did you start?
“I started the old fashioned way. I got a job through my brother, who was doing installations. I started in the computer room.” Aha, a technical start is always a good history for a CEO. Being in touch with the technical roots of a technical company is never a drawback. “My brother is still an installer. They tried to promote him but he still likes what he does. Sometimes he comes in and says ‘You son of a bitch, what are you guys doing up there?!’” The Marketing exec next to him said, “He’s the only one in the company who can get away with saying that about Randall…” It must be useful to have that kind of ground level internal feedback mechanism from someone who has no reason to lie to you, an older brother, working at the company as a line technician. And now AT&T is taking blog interviews.

Randall then started asking me the question of how Gizmodo worked as a business. We sell banner ads, just like the NY Times does, I told him. I glanced at the fact that it could be a high margin business, with a few talented writers and little overhead. But that it was hard work, because we had to be a combination of speed and accuracy for hours at a time. He nodded. I’d read in Fortune that he’s keen on TV, owning a 10