California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon
June 16, 2011 No Comment
We’ve long known paper books are on the decline , but now we’re seeing the first death knell for the fattest of them all. California’s public utilities commission has ruled that it will no longer deliver doorstops residential phone books unless folks specifically ask for it — a move that’s expected to prevent 1,870 tons of material from entering the state’s waste stream. Californians, like everyone else, can search the White Pages online, but they’ll still be able to request a paper copy or CD-ROM if they’re feeling old-fashioned. For now, though, the state will continue to ship government White Pages and the Yellow Pages for local business listings (in a post-Yelp world, that seems antiquated). What’s especially fascinating about all this is that the pressure to cease automatic phone book deliveries came from none other than Verizon, which mounted a case back in October, citing the enormous human and natural resources requires to get updated phone books into people’s hands each year. Of course, the estimated 1,870 tons of averted waste is a fraction of the 660,000 tons BanthePhoneBook.org says these tomes create every year, but here’s hoping it’ll be enough to make other states take note. California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Internet Trolls Get Analyzed By a New Study, Though They’ll Probably Say It’s Wrong
June 16, 2011 No Comment
Have you ever been in an anonymous argument online? If so, then there is a chance you were trolled. “Troll” is a word that regularly gets thrown around online forums these days, but the term itself is actually difficult to rigorously define. A new study released Monday is seeking to rectify this dearth of scholarly
Continue reading …Don’t tell us where you’re going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video)
June 16, 2011 No Comment
That cute little bugger above certainly looks innocent enough, but it might have been spreading some pretty detailed gossip behind your back. Leaf-driver Casey Halverson was playing around with the RSS reader in his Carwings system when he discovered that it wasn’t just collecting feeds from RSS servers, it was also telling those servers his car’s current location, speed, heading and even the destination he’d set in the sat nav. Strangely, Halverson’s undercover tattletale appears to have halted its indiscretions after he posted the discovery on his blog, but we’re surmising there’s still hundreds of server logs up and down the country that prove it really happened, not to mention his video after the break. Cue Rockwell , fade to black. Continue reading Don’t tell us where you’re going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video) Don’t tell us where you’re going, Nissan Leaf driver, we already know (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PFU outs faster, quieter Type-S Happy Hacking Keyboard for overachieving typists
June 16, 2011 No Comment
It goes without saying that you have to be a pretty accomplished typist to use one of PFU’s letterless Happy Hacking Keyboards . But for the laser-focused overachievers out there, PFU just started selling the S-Type for “speed” and “silence.” This retooled version promises to keep up with faster typists — a mighty vague claim indeed — and pledges to make 30 percent less noise. Of course, as with other HHKBs, mere mortals prone to spelling errors can nab one with letters printed on the keys. It’s on sale now for
Continue reading …
Because they’re brutish and sweaty, most men don’t have a problem with their phone’s naturally metallic musk, but “20 to 40 year-old women with a well-developed sense of fashion” apparently do. That’s why Fujitsu has announced the F-022 — a glittery flip phone designed for females who demand slightly more from their handheld’s olfactory offerings. Developed in collaboration with Japanese accessory maker Folli Follie, this bejeweled little bauble comes with a “detachable fragrance chip” that allows users to mark their tech territory with the perfume of their choice. Just spray the chip with a dab of your scent, latch it on to the phone, and every conversation you have will end up smelling like roses. The F-022 goes on sale in China on June 24th, but for more information, just follow your nose to the PR, after the break. [Thanks, Jeff] Continue reading Fujitsu releases F-022 flip phone for women who like to smell good Fujitsu releases F-022 flip phone for women who like to smell good originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
We’ve been waiting for confirmation on yesterday’s rumor , about Microsoft’s motion-sensing Xbox 360 peripheral coming to PCs, and now we have it. MS has just now released a software development kit (SDK) for Windows that will allow .Net developers to write Kinecting apps in C++, C#, or VB. We spoke with some developer representatives from the company to get the full details, including just what you can and can’t do with this big bundle of libraries. Follow us after the break for all the info. Continue reading Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
When we first read about Deep Shot, we were admittedly dumbfounded, but equally impressed. The “technology” allows you to “capture” the current state of a website on your desktop and transfer it to a mobile device — taking a picture of a Google Map on your desktop with your smartphone camera will open the site in the same state on your phone, for example. Sounds like a pretty neat magic trick, huh? Well, it’s not. In order to use Deep Shot, you need to install an app on your mobile, computer, and any other device you plan to use it with — thus making it even less practical than Chrome to Phone . It currently works with Google Maps and Yelp , but could theoretically be used with any site that uses URIs, or those lengthy URLs that contain search details, such as the origin and destination addresses you sent to Google Maps. You could also “transfer” a site in its “current state” by emailing the URI, or by using an app to seamlessly share it over WiFi or Bluetooth with a “send to mobile” button — which is likely what Deep Shot is doing here anyway, just with an extra step thrown into the mix. Care to visit a land where you can swim with the Loch Ness Monster and ride a pink unicorn? Head past the break for Deep Shot’s coming out video, which curiously makes no mention of the required desktop software. Continue reading Deep Shot transfers open websites from desktop to mobile, sans wizardry Deep Shot transfers open websites from desktop to mobile, sans wizardry originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging
June 16, 2011 No Comment
Making friends is hard. Apple knows this. In fact, the company outlined such difficulty in a newly surfaced patent, highlighting the sort of “long and awkward conversation” sometimes required to discover common interests. The patent application, filed back in late-2009, describes a location-based social network that helps users discover people in their vicinity, based on common interests like books, movies, and, naturally, music. Of course, Cupertino already dipped its toes in the social networking waters with the iTunes-based Ping , which, in spite of initial excitement , failed to really capture the imagination of Apple’s dedicated base. And this isn’t the first time the company has flirted with the idea of location-based social networking either, as a patent that surfaced halfway through last year can attest. The company has clearly learned its lesson with this one, however, and that lesson is: more drawings of women winking and references to Springsteen songs in the application process. Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
New audio input capabilities are nothing new for JVC , but soon you’ll be able to show off your guitar chops alongside whatever bands you choose to idolize — so long as you’re kosher with rocking a boombox atop your left shoulder, of course. The company has announced that the 2011 offering from its Kaboom line will showcase a guitar / microphone input (1/4-inch) with mixing capabilities to allow for gigs to be played from anywhere you darn well please. The RV-NB70 will have all the key ingredients of previous models, including an iPod dock (updated to be both iPod and iPhone compatible), a USB host that enables use of a mass storage device, an audio input and CD / radio playback. True to the original’s design, this fellow features much of the same look while promising 40 watts of guitar soloing power. Your next box ‘o fury can be had right now for $299.95, and if you’re eager for an encore, the full presser (as well as a demo vid) is just past the break. Continue reading JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Men have struggled for millennia to find the most immediate visual signifiers for their wealth and status . Adafruit Industries has now added to their list of choices with a set of iCufflinks that disposes with the metaphors and speaks of power literally — by featuring a pair of power buttons . It’s not enough to merely cast some Mac-inspired On / Off switches out of aluminum, however; Adafruit has also inserted LED lights within the iCufflinks, which can be programmed to pulsate to your chosen rhythm. Because keeping it classy and LEDs go so well together . If you’ve got $128 to splash out on a pair of eminently prestigious shirt adornments, the source link is where you’ll want to head. And keep an eye out for the upcoming necklace version — it’ll be available to suave ladies and gents everywhere in the summer. Continue reading Adafruit’s iCufflinks pulsate with the power of your Mac love Adafruit’s iCufflinks pulsate with the power of your Mac love originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …