Devices Site

Posted Mar 30th 2008 5:31PM by Ryan Block
Filed under: cellphones
Looks like Apple’s been passing around a new working version of the iPhone 2.0 beta firmware — not too many changes since the last release we saw, though. So far, from what we can tell the build is now officially 2.0 (before it was registered as 1.2), the Cisco VPN settings got some tweaks, and the root-level mail / ActiveSync settings have been reshuffled a bit. We’ll let you know if anything else pops up.

Gallery: Apple seeds updated iphone 2.0 beta, not many changes

The Solar Keyring Torch ensures you no longer have to fumble at the door whenever arrive home after a late night date, as it provides ample light from a trio of LEDs to keep your keyhole illuminated. Since it is solar-powered, there is no need to worry about dead batteries as well.

The best things in life are free, and sunlight is pretty well at the top of the list. The only trouble is of course, that the sun has a regular habit of shuffling off to the other side of the world leaving everything a little dark round here. Fortunately this little gizmo ensures that the sun leaves a little light behind that you can carry around with you on a key ring. It’s integral mini solar panel stores up energy from the sun and via it’s three super-bright LEDs becomes a blazing and very useful little torch when night falls. Many of these sorts of solar powered lights can have a tendency to be a tad lame, but this one is not only astonishingly bright, it also lasts for an absurdly long period of time, so long in fact that we don’t know how long it is - we got bored waiting for it to run out of power. It comes in a shock resistant rubber casing, and naturally requires no batteries, ever. Free light for life.

I Want One of Those is selling the Solar Keyring Torch for £7.99.

… Gets you Best Buy’s 404 Not Found.

Said to replace the Treo 700wx is the new Treo 800w. No official word yet from Sprint as this is a mere speculation as only a release chart has already been leaked.

July is reportedly the release date of the long awaited Treo 800w, but let’s hope Sprint releases it as soon as possible. Rumored features include EvDO Rev A, Wi-Fi, Windows Mobile 6.0 and A-GPS among others. Camera and non-camera versions of the Treo are expected to become available.

Looks like the Treo 800w will the dethrone the 700w as Treo’s flagship Pocket PC with Windows Mobile Professional. Still only a rumor, there is a big chance that this could be true as Palm’s Ed Colligan recently stated that the company will be releasing their new smartphone line up before the end of summer.

Via [gadgets on the go]

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Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho of Hawaii seem to have been smoking too much stuff lately. I’m saying this because on March 21, they filed a lawsuit in a district court in Honolulu, Hawaii against the European Center for Nuclear Research or CERN. This lawsuit seeks to place a temporary restraining order on CERN’s latest and greatest project ever: the Large Hadron Collider. And what is it that the L. H. C. does, you ask? Oh, nothing. It just recreates the Big Bang. You know, that awesome explosion that started the Universe?

For those that don’t know (or haven’t read Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons), a large hadron collider has the ability to supercharge protons up to seven trillion electron volts and then afterwards let them collide to recreate the energies and conditions resulting from a “Big Bang.” CERN aims to further understand these forces and presumably apply them for the good of mankind, but the two concerned complainants are worried about something else occurring in the aftermath: black holes that could quite possibly eat up the earth, and even the whole universe. What?

CERN says it has done a lot of previous testing and can attest to the L. H. C.’s complete harmlessness. And the Safety Assessment Group was even set up to do another anonymous review of the said project last year. But still, Wagner and Sancho won’t give up easily, even though the party they are trying to shut down is at least a few thousand miles away, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Now I know most people would have mixed views regarding this matter, but judging from the popularity of Sci-Fi pop culture movies and the like, I think more people would agree with the complainant’s arguments, at least at first. And from what most of us were taught back when we first learned of it, isn’t a Big Bang supposed to naturally cause a black hole to appear anyway? I’m no Physics major, but judging from the facts, I think it’s quite safe to say that there really will be a black hole after the blast. But then again, people at CERN say that there should be absolutely no cause for panic, as the large hadron collider is tested to be problem-free (both by in-house physicists and trusted third-party experts). But for now, no one can say for sure what the effects will be after this projects is initiated. Will a black hole grow and eat earth, or worse, the universe? Will the colliding particles release so much energy that will it tap the inner core and send all volcanoes across the world exploding? No one really knows. Maybe it will just turn out the lights.

Read [NY Times] Image [Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times]

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To get the most out of podcasting, I needed to replace the over-sensitive, low-quality mic built-in to my computer. I asked some friends, conducted a little research, knocked up a list of acceptable models, then hit town.

It took a while find somewhere which sold anything good: Guitar Center, in Robinson, a suburb of Pittsburgh. When I walked in, it was nice to finally see some options, unlike the garbage at Best Buy and Circuit City. But it was not nice to be bamboozled by the staffer there, who told me three fibs.

1. That all the mics on my list were dynamic microphones, not condenser models. This was the opening gambit, but I was sure my list included condenser mics. I felt the cold chill of my bullshit detector spinning up.

2. That I won’t get a good non-USB condenser mic for less than $200.

3. That I wouldn’t be able to find a decent mic at all for less than $100. Ciao, Guitar Center.

Bear in mind that I was forward with my requirements — basic, entry-level podcasting, and nothing fancy or close to top quality. Some of the models on the list were nothing special — like the Behringer C-1 Studio Condenser — but I’m not going on tour, guys. I just need to record a friggin’ podcast.

And it’s the only nearby music store in the ‘burg open on Sunday. I’m tempted to go back and just get one of the models I wanted to begin with, but why should I reward it for trying to swindle me? Bah.

My shortlist follows (Please feel free to offer improved suggestions.)

Behringer C-1 Studio Condenser 

Stageworks CC12 (Condenser)

Samson C01U (Condenser)

Plantronics DSP 500 (Dynamic)

Shure SM-57 (Dynamic)

The Dsus DS-400GB rear view camera is truly a thing of wonder - it looks like a standard rear view camera, but offers way much more functionality compared to the standard rear view mirror you get in your vehicle. Hailing all the way from the East (China), don’t be misled by the Dsus DS-400GB name given to the device. It is not an offshoot of Asus, and neither does it feature 400GB worth of storage space.

The Dsus DS-400GB itself comes with a video input that allows you to hook up a rear-mounted camera. This camera will kick in the moment the vehicle is put into reverse, switching from whatever current GPS information display to a live view of whatever’s located right behind your car. At last, you no longer need to rely on those reverse sensors when attempting to park and you will be able to park even in extremely tight spots without worrying about giving your car insurance agent a call due to a miscalculation.

Some of the specifications found on the Dsus DS-400GB include the following :-

• Samsung S3C2440A 400MHz processor
• Windows CE 4.2 operating system
• 4″ touch screen display at 480 x 272 resolution
• Rear view camera to prevent untoward accidents
• Bluetooth connectivity for hands free calling when driving
• Integrated speakers (a pair with each having 1 watt amplifiers)
• Audio and video playback
• SD memory card slot for expansion option
• SiRF Star III GPS chipset for navigation purposes

There is no word on how much RAM the Dsus DS-400GB comes with, and neither do we have any idea on just how much flash memory is available for your use before you augment it with an SD memory card. There is no word on pricing either, but I would say that this is a pretty handy device to have if you tend to back up into garbage bins and puppies. Just kidding about the latter

Source: Windows for Devices

USB hubs are always welcome in my home, especially with the vast amount of USB gadgets in the market these days. Some USB hubs come with a poorly-designed exterior, where the ports are placed too close together that you can’t make use of all of them whenever you’re faced with USB products that have rather fat connectors. The USB Rotatable 4-Port Hub offers the convenience of utilizing all four USB ports available, since it can be rotated accordingly. No harm in dropping $12 for a gadget like this IMHO, as it will definitely come in handy on your travels.

How long does it take you to earn $10,000? For Charlie Miller, of Independent Security Evaluators and former NSA employee, it takes him about two minutes. Last Thursday, Miller won the PWN 2 OWN competition at the 2008 CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, by successfully hacking a macbook air. In fact, Miller isn’t a newcomer. He is well-known as the first to successfully hack the iphone back a year ago.

The PWN 2 OWN contest involved a Sony Vaio, Fujitsu U810, and a MacBook Air that were up for grabs to the first person able to hack into one of the machines and read the contents of a file. On the first day of the contest, no one was able hack any of the computers when they were strictly limited to an over-the-network “0day” attack, which is a method of exploiting an unknown or undocumented software vulnerability. However, on the second day, the organizers relaxed the rules a bit and allowed the contestants to trick the “judges” into visiting a malicious website or open an email attachment. In about the time it takes you to microwave a Hot Pocket, Miller was able to successfully execute his code and seize control of the MacBook when the “target” visited his booby trapped website. With 20 onlookers cheering him on, he took home the prized $10,000 and the first of three laptop computers.

Unfortunately, a condition of the contest rules was that all winners be under an nondisclosure agreement until the contest sponsor, TippingPoint, has notified the vendors. So, Mr. Miller isn’t talking about how he did it, yet. However, TippingPoint has revealed the 0day attack used to control the MacBook Air was a Safari exploit; Apple has already began work on a patch.

Read [New York Times]

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AT&T has introduced their new mobile TV service called the AT&T Mobile TV with FLO. The new service from the two companies will according to the press release, feature high quality live programming. MediaFLO, still yet to be launched, is expected to be available in May. AT&T Mobile TV will also be featuring two channels exclusive for this mobile service, aside from the top channels like Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, NBC 2GO, CBS Mobile, Nickelodeon and NBC News2Go.

The only phones launched that will support MediaFLO will be the Samsung Access and LG Vu, both providing a clearer view of the TV as compared to other phones. This joint venture by FLO and AT&T plans on expanding the FLO TV service not only to AT&T subscribers but also to consumers in the US.

AT&T’s wireless unit’s vice president of Consumer Data, Mark Collins said in a statement:

“AT&T Mobile TV is a powerful new mobile entertainment offering, which will give our customers a formidable lineup of sports, news and primetime shows, including two channels exclusive available to AT&T customers.We are thrilled to team with MediaFLO USA to offer our customers an unmatched mobile entertainment experience that is changing the way we all look at TV.”

As of now, only the LG and Samsung phones support the new service but I am certain that it won’t be long until mobile TV becomes available to other phones and be included to their mobile TV line up.

Read [AT&T]

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