Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Bill Gates too rich for tax computer to handle

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the world's richest man, said the tax office in the US has to store his financial data on a special computer because his fortune is so vast.

- Poor Bill ^_^

read more | digg story

How to Fix a Dead Pixel on an LCD Monitor

Sometimes, if there is a dead pixel, it's usually stuck, as the liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) has not covered the whole screen. This can be easily fixed.

read more | digg story

Homebrew on all PSP firmware revisions

Fanjita has done it again with a new bit called eLoader-beta, which can run the vast majority of homebrew games, applications, and emulators on PSP firmware revisions 1.0 - 2.6

read more | digg story

Friday, January 27, 2006

News 01.28.2006

Technical Difficulties?
It seemed Blogger had some issues these last couple of days, causing a delay in some NET9 postings as well as the absence of the site. What is going on? Anyone have a clue?

- PS3: Have A Ball
The Playstation 3 "Ball Controller" concept from the Joystiq redesign contest is awesome. I just think the button layout should remain the same as the old controller. It really looks as if this would make for a very comfortable controller. Very natural and organic design. Plus it looks so damn cool!

- Rumors Of Yahoo Buying Digg Full Of Hot Air - For a moment there I thought that Kevin Rose had one too many beers.


Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Google Video Store Updated

Looks like the Google Video Store is trying new layout ideas.


E-Ink Cellphone Concept

This is cool. "The idea is that the user can customize the front face, phone pad, turn it into a QWERTY keyboard, MP3 player or whatever."


read more | digg story

Sunday, January 22, 2006

FireFox - The Hungry-Hungry Hippo?

Firefox! Please! I love you so much, please relenquish your iron grip on my resources, as you are rendering my computer useless.

read more | digg story

News 01.22.2006

Tech News
Good links today. Mostly mobile versions of great sites. Of course there's the awesome Bloglines for mobile, and a new PSP version of Digg, plus I just recently found the mobile version of Flickr as well. I would love it if Writely and Netvibes made a mobile version of their services. We need more Web 2.0 sites and services to have mobile options. I have no doubt that as mobile devices continue to become more powerful and web services continue to emulate and enhance desktop applications, we will see amazing new ideas bloom. It is strange how some have forgotten about including accessibility of the sites and services to the growing number of mobile device users.

So, If you know of a cool mobile site or Web 2.0 service that works on mobile devices, please let us know about it. And don't forget to check out more great mobile links from our Links section in the sidebar.

Internet Tablet Thoughts
I've started playing with the video capabilities of the Nokia 770 recently and have found a suitable encoding method for video files. I was surprised at how good video looks even at a low resolution (240x144). I'm using Mplayer's mencoder to do all the encoding, and I'm quite happy with the results. Video is clear and smooth (25fps) and sound is great (96kbps). Now all I need is a larger memory card to play full movies.

Links Of The Day
- Digg PSP
- Technoogle
- Pocket Digg
- Flickr Mobile
- Bloglines Mobile

Digg on PSP

I created this cool site that allows you to view digg stories on the psp check it out!

Good news for all you digg.com fans that are using PSPs.

read more | digg story

Friday, January 20, 2006

News 01.20.2006

Tech News
- 802.11n Proposal For Next-Gen Wi-Fi Approved - So, I'm guessing faster Internet speeds then?
- FAQ: What Does The Google Subpoena Mean? - If you haven't heard already, the Bush administration has asked a federal judge in San Jose, California to force Google to comply with a subpoena for search record information in order to defend a controversial Internet pornography law. Of course Google is not going to give this information up so easily... which leads me to my Google joke of the day: What is stronger than a 500 pound gorilla (Google)? A 10 ton (Republican) elephant. Yep, this could get real ugly real quick.

Internet Tablet Thoughts
It's funny how people react to new and different ideas. I've noticed a lot of news sites and blogs that talk about the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet are quick to jump all over the device's shortcomings and design flaws. From the hardware to the software, critics have found just about every flaw you can think of. Not enough memory, buttons don't feel right, operating system unstable, and on and on. Most of the bad reviews I've read have come from the PDA and mobile phone communities, and really don't understand the device and it's potential. Heck, I even forget that it's not a PDA at times. Sure, there's a lot that the device can't do, but it wasn't designed for many of the applications that people are expecting of it. I still think it is amazing what can be done with it and look forward to many more ideas to surface for the device.

PSP News
- PSP Outsells DS In US By 1 Million - Let the flaming begin...

Links Of The Day
- Google Mobilizer?
- Digg Cloud
- Damn Interesting

Saturday, January 14, 2006

News 01.14.2006

New Addition To The Mobile Family
I just got my Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, and I'm using it to post this news update. It's a real pleasure to work on. Physically, it's got more substance than I thought it would be. There are the navigation issues that have been stated by other users posted around the web, but it's not so bad considering the many avenues available to get around most of the design flaws.


Getting to the OS/software, the Debian-based OS runs really stable, and the interface is smooth and efficient. There's almost a Zen-like feel to the whole experience. As for it's networking capabilities, it does excellent at connecting to networks, and I was even able to connect remotely to my PCs using the VNC Viewer and X Terminal apps available from the Maemo site.

Using Gmail, I'm able to store files as well as get mail. Most sites I visit work flawlessly, while some of my favorites have issues with the browser. This is understandable, considering they're Web 2.0/AJAX intensive.


Battery life of the device is great and can be optimized further by tweaking the vast settings for the Tablet. The multimedia capabilities are excellent, other apps are fairly quick as well. Over-all, the system is intuitive and responsive.

Look for more of my thoughts and ideas about this awesome device as I use it more and explore the many great features as well as the rapidly growing number of Open Source applications that maximize it's potential.


Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Google Video Store Is Down!

I don't know what's going on, but it looks as if they are not selling videos at the moment.

read more | digg story

Heres a screenshot of what I see.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Google Video Adds Download Support

You can now download videos on google video in the Windows/Mac, Video iPod, or Sony PSP format.

read more | digg story

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Download Google Videos From a Firefox Extension!

Dowload all of your Google Videos Through a Firefox Extension. It also works on YouTube. (Pics Included)

read more | digg story

Saturday, January 07, 2006

1337 Diggs

I noticed this on digg.com today and thought it was hilarious. I wonder why no one else has noticed this before. Oh well, I guess I'm the first. (If there's anyone out there that has noticed it and has proof of a similar occurrence, please let me know.)

News 01.07.2006

Tech News
- DejaDesktop, Inc. has announced DejaPIM and DejaLink for the Nokia 770. No longer can anyone complain about the 770 not having a PIM suite. I do think Nokia should have bundled a suite of there own with the device, and It is not too late for them not to still do so. If the good people at Nokia are paying attention, they should include it in the Internet Tablet 2006 software update. Or maybe do something like Palm did with Documents To Go from DataViz, and bundle the DejaDesktop software with the Internet Tablet.
Internet Tablet Talk has some more info along with screenshots.

- Sony's Memory Stick Pro Duo pushing 8GB in 2006 - Find out more at the Memorystick.com 2006 International CES Memory Stick Corner.

Article
- "Googleus Maximus"

Thursday, January 05, 2006

News 01.05.2006

Tech News
- Nokia 770 Doing Surprisingly Well - Never underestimate the power in numbers of the Open Source community! It seems Nokia has hit the sweet spot that many Open Source fans have been waiting for. The combination of well designed hardware, the freedom of Linux and great software, and a price point only a geek could love is impeccable. Expect others to try and mirror it's success in the near future.

I suggest anyone interested in learning more about the Nokia 770 to check it out.
Also check out what users and fans of the device are saying about it at Internet Tablet Talk.

The Google Wire
- There have been many rumors swarming the web about what Google Co-Founder Larry Page will be announcing at his keynote tomorrow at the 2006 Interntational CES. From a Google PC to a Googel Pack (software bundle) to a pay-per-download video service. Then there's hints at the company is teaming with Apple, which is interesting because they have there own media download service with the iTunes Store. There hasn't been this many Google rumors since the hype around the deal they made to co-deliver the Google Toolbar along side Sun's Java Runtime Environment software. I don't know if any of the rumors are true, false, or off by some margin, but I do know that it must be big considering whatever is being announced is being announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Update:

- Motorola And Google Align For Mobile Search
- A Commercial Runs Through It - Article by Robert Cringely

Update:
- Google Announces Google Pack and Video Marketplace!

PSP News
- PSP To Connect In March
- Rockstar Working On Two New PSP Titles

Links Of The Day
- Netvibes
- 24eyes
- Google Video Downloader
- Neave
- ThoughtFix on the Nokia 770

CES 2006 Mobile Coverage

Motorola H5 Miniblue Bluetooth Headset (photo) is just very tiny. It features an in-ear speaker and microphone that picks up your voice through your ear canal. It weighs only 0.26 ounces and is measuring 33 x 41 millimeters in diameter. (From I4U News)


Netgear announced their new Skype WiFi phone that needs no PC. (From Engadget)

Verizon announced today that they'll be carrying the UTStarcom XV6700. (From Engadget)






Verizon announced availability of the first Windows Mobile-powered Treo. (From Engadget)



Echos From CES
- PSP Connect to launch in March for users to download full-length movies and new titles.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

News 01.04.2006

Internet News
- Intel Unveils New Brand Identity - I like it. It looks pretty futuristic, but the most important thing of all, "It's still inside". I also wonder if they have decided to change the Intel jingle you hear in commercials.

- Power Could Cost More Than Servers, Google Warns - I think the solution to this problem will be a tough one to come by, but it is needed as soon as possible. In my article "The Energy Problerm", I wrote about my theory of what could occur as a result of the ever increasing demand of electricity, and here we are at the point where large companies such as Google use it on the largest scale for data farms have begun to complain about the cost and environmental effects of future growth in power consumption. I think there will be good ideas to come about how to solve this problem in the near future, as well as new start up companies to combat the issue using some of those ideas. In the end, I think everything will be okay.

- AllPeers Is The FireFox "Killer App" - It sounds like a feature the Mozilla team should have put in Firefox version 1.5. I see this being a very popular addition to the already excellent web browser. I hope I get to beta test it soon for a early review segment for NET9.

Links Of The Day
- Tech Memorandum
- Geek.com
- YouTube

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

New Google Rumors

Many of you have probably heard by now the rumors of Google launching its own PC that will be announced as soon as Friday. Every source from The Register to The LA Times has something to say about it and is causing excitement all over the Net at a rapid pace. Now I don't know if this rumor is true or if it means Google will announce something different than what people are getting all hyped up for. I think Google will announce Google Calendar or some other new web/desktop application this Friday at CES, but a PC? We'll see...

New Mobile Tech 2006 - Part 1



Here's an interesting development: The parent company of iRIVER, Reigncom, has announced the G10 for CES 2006. A potential competitor to the PSP and Nintendo DS, it is a console that runs on Windows Mobile 5, and is slated to have between 4GB and 8GB of storage space.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Can You Still Build a PC for Less?

Conventional wisdom once stated that building your own PC was more than just a way to create your perfect computer - it was also a lot cheaper than buying a finished system.

read more | digg story

Sunday, January 01, 2006

News 01.01.2006

Internet News
- Hands on with the Sharp W-ZERO3 - Too big, screen is dark, looks cheaply built. I personally would not want to lug this thing around everywhere, but that's just me.

- What Plans Does Sony Have Planed For 2006? - It is always calm before the storm...

- PS3 Riddled With Issues, Delay Likely? - I'm not one to fall for rumors, but every so often technology runs into a brick wall. It can be seen coming miles (in this case months) away, and it isn't very pretty. Not pretty at all. We've seen the Xbox 360 get off to a shaky start and is somewhat expected of such complex technology, and the PS3 will be one of the most complex piece of kit seen in a long time. All previous game consoles had there issues at launch, but the winner of this generation will be determined by how well and quickly the corresponding console makers make the necessary rebound.

Links Of The Day
- Free Online File Storage/Sending
- PSPMagazines
- MIT OpenCourseWare
- TinyPic
- IT Conversations