Archive for: July 19, 2009

No surprise that engineers smoke. And with that thought, it is no surprise that mobile phone engineers integrated a cig lighter similar to the ones we see inside cars. Obviously, fire and gadgets aren’t each others best friends so you might wonder how the hell this came to be. It sure does drain the battery life if you think about it, and I can’t even begin to comprehend what type of degradation lighting this up regularly can do to the insides of your phone. Of course, there is an alternative … it’s called a “lighter” and it costs less than a dollar and it pocket-portable. Sooner or later we WILL be seeing the kitchen sink integrated into a mobile phone. [photo via textually ] Post from: Cellphone9

Read the rest here: 
Cellphone doubles as cigarette lighter

Saving money is tough work, even when you’re working towards something you really want, like a new car or a vacation. First, there’s the business of actually finding someone to write you a paycheck each month, and then you have to look at that pile of cash sitting in your bank account, just begging to be spent on the latest DVD, book, or gadget that suits your fancy. And there’s always the predictable but expensive costs like rent and insurance that keep eating away at those savings, not to mention the issues you can’t plan for. PocketSmith is a new startup that’s looking to help. The site offers a range of tools for managing your financials both now and in the future, hopefully helping you reach your financial goals in the process. This week it’s leaving beta, and is offering the first 50 TechCrunch readers to Email contact@pocketsmith.com a free premium account for six months. There are a number of well known financial services already on the web, including Wesabe and Mint , which won the to prize at 2007’s TechCrunch 40 conference. But whereas Mint is really about looking at your spending habits and figuring out ways to save, PocketSmith is more of a calendar for finances that lets you set financial goals and track your progress over time. The other big difference from Mint is that you don’t directly connect your bank accounts to the service. Instead, you can download your transaction history from your bank’s website and upload it, or you can manually enter your transactions. If you’re used these other services and are okay with allowing a startup to access your banking data, this is a bit of an inconvenience, but the upload method really only takes a minute. The site iself is very well ...

Now even mainstream journalists are picking up the no handshake banner and running with it. Neil Swidey, writing for the Boston Globe, says “Last month, swine flu officially became a pandemic. Public health officials have said so-called “social distancing” strategies — sharply reducing contact with others — have proved most effective in slowing the spread of previous outbreaks, such as the 1918 flu pandemic. And they told us to cut down on our handshakes as much as we could. Northeastern University heeded the advice, asking its graduates not to shake hands when receiving their diplomas during the school’s commencement ceremony in May.” Swidley also points to Brad Feld’s promise earlier this year to end handshakes, and asked Feld how that was going. Feld said “My campaign was a total failure. I found that I was having the same conversation over and over, explaining why I wasn’t shaking hands. I got tired of it and decided it was easier to just shake everyone’s hands and then wash mine a bunch throughout the day.” I obviously agree that handshakes need to go. My first post on handshakes was in May, and alter I noted that some startups and venture capitalists were trying to end the barbaric practice at board meetings . I piped up again on National Handshake Day . Like Feld, I too have mostly given up on this. People just get pissed when you don’t shake their hand. But 30% or so of people I meet with know how I feel about it and offer a friendly fist bump. The best moments I have are when people say how much they love TechCrunch and read it every day, and then stick out their sweaty palm to shake hands. They obviously were just being polite about reading this blog. I ...

When Om Malik of GigaOM said he was breaking up with his iPhone 5 months ago because of the failures of AT&T, I must admit, I thought he was overreacting. I was wrong. Since I switched to AT&T from Verizon just over 2 years ago to get the iPhone (which, of course, AT&T has exclusively in the U.S.), there have been no shortage of shortcomings by AT&T. But as of late, I’ve been noticing things getting much, much worse. And I’m hardly the only one . And so it’s time to call out AT&T on those failures. And plead with Apple not to renew its exclusive contract with AT&T when it expires next year. In my mind, the most recent AT&T failure is completely inexcusable. Its visual voicemail system — which is the only way to be notified of voicemails on the iPhone — has been down for many users for days, if not weeks . And AT&T apparently didn’t bother to tell anyone. What does this mean? Thousands, or hundreds of thousands or maybe even millions of missed connections, that could be vital for personal lives, business and a host of other things. I’m simply dumbfounded by the failure. Here’s how I found out about it. While I was coming home from the office yesterday, I all of a sudden got bombarded by visual voicemails. It was only then that I realized that I had not received one in a while. How long? Since sometime before July 3, apparently. Yes, 2 weeks without a single voicemail. Even better is that not only did I get bombarded by these weeks old voicemails at once, but I still cannot listen to them. It has been over a day since the notifications finally came in, and visual voicemail is still down. ...

Episode 41 of the Digital City, where we discuss Apple’s falling market share, Scott’s love affair with the Game Boy Micro, and whether Alienware’s $5K laptop means the death of … Originally posted at Digital City Podcast

Original post:
Digital City No. 41: Apple’s falling market share vs. the Game Boy Micro vs. the death of gaming PCs

A music-oriented home theater speaker system from Dynaudio. (Credit: Dynaudio) First thing, determine your system’s priorities. Will you watch movies or listen to music? Most folks do one or the other. Since more home theater speaker buyers watch movies than listen to music, I’ll start there. It’s hardly an overstatement to claim movie-oriented home theater systems succeed or fail based on their center channel’s performance and sound quality. The center speaker delivers virtually all the dialog and it can, depending on the mix, convey upward of 80 percent of a movie’s soundtrack. The center speaker has a big job. So invest 30 percent of your 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 system budget on the center speaker, the Center Centric HT approach. As always, when it comes to sound quality, size matters. Bigger centers tend to sound better than small ones. The subwoofer is the next most important player in a home theater sound system. Invest the next 30 percent of your dollars on the sub. The sub is largely responsible for home theater impact and power. … Originally posted at The Audiophiliac

See the original post here:
Home theater speaker buying tips

By Andrew Liszewski A few years ago we brought you news that Marc Ecko was producing a limited edition hoodie that basically made you look like bounty hunter Boba Fett from the Star Wars films. (Give or take.) Unfortunately since they were a ‘limited edition’ the hoodies were very popular and particularly hard to come by. But not being ones to let a profitable idea slip by it seems that Lucas & co. has given the go ahead for a whole line of Marc Ecko Star Wars hoodies. While they won’t actually be available until November of this year, the hoodies are available for pre-order from the StarWarsShop.com and include such designs as an X-Wing Pilot ($149.99) Darth Vader and Darth Maul ($98) and a redesigned Boba Fett hoodie now known as the ‘ Fett for Real .’ ($98) And yes, they’re all available in sizes from small to 3XL to accommodate the entire spectrum of Star Wars fanboys. [ StarWarsShop.com - Fett for Real , X-Wing Pilot , Darth Vader & Darth Maul Hoodies ]

Read the original post:
Marc Ecko To Expand Their Star Wars Hoodie Line

By Andrew Liszewski Grocery shopping is usually a disaster if I don’t come prepared with a list of what I need, which is why I like this grocery list organizer that remembers everything you’ve told it you’ve run out of throughout the week. The voice recognition system can interpret words as specific as swordfish or trash bags, and the 2,500 item database includes food, health and hygiene items and even office products. But you can expand that database with your own additions up to a maximum of 5,000 items. The device can also maintain two different lists simultaneously, but it’s not only limited to items you need to buy. You can also keep track of things you need to do like going to the bank or taking your pup to the vet. And when it’s time to restock the pantry or deal with your ever-growing to-do list the organizer will print out a convenient pocket-sized list so you don’t forget anything. $99.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer . [ Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer ]

Here is the original post:
Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer

Not entirely unexpected, but still weird to see it confirmed and acknowledged: the federal tax administration in Belgium, my home country, is keeping tabs on citizens (article in Dutch) via their Facebook and Netlog profiles and their activities on eBay and other social networking sites. Accountants are quick to point out the watchdogs can’t actually use any of the public status updates, photos and videos from users as proof in case of a dispute, but apparently your lifestyle as you depict it online can prompt an investigation when it doesn’t seem to add up to what your official income is. The local version of the IRS, the BBI, has already admitted that it actively tracks activity from citizens online to sniff out tax avoiders. To quote director Karel Anthonissen: “It’s technically possible, it’s legal, and it’s happening.” Just in case they read blogs too: I’m getting paid to write this article and I will make sure to report the income, mr. Anthonissen! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to jump in my Maserati and drive to our second house on the coast. Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

View original post here:
Belgian Tax Watchdogs Tracking Facebook, Netlog Updates