http://www.thetechlounge.com Recent News: Electronics en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:40:28 -0600 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:40:28 -0600 Electronics news Copyright 2009, TheTechLounge, Inc. 60 http://www.thetechlounge.com/templates/thetechlounge/images/88x31_ttl.png http://www.thetechlounge.com 88 31 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13968/GPS-Apps-Get-Immigrants-Across-Borders/ "Over the past two decades, Ricardo Dominguez has been utilizing electronics and the internet to piss off just about every high-level administrative authority in the US. In the late 90s, his performance-art-cum-activist organization the Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT) set up a participatory website-jamming network called the FloodNet system, which allowed anyone with an internet connection to gum up the official sites of the US Border Patrol, White House, G8, Mexican embassy, and others, rendering them inaccessible. The Department of Justice retaliated with an electronic attack o...]]> Recent News: Electronics Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:17:07 -0600 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13968/GPS-Apps-Get-Immigrants-Across-Borders/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13962/App-Records-Everything-Just-In-Case-Youre-Funny/ "Careful what you say — that iPhone over there could be a live microphone. Which is to say there’s a new, free iPhone app called Soundbiter designed to monitor the world’s audio and upload it to Twitter and Facebook with the push of a button. When running, the Soundbiter app is constantly recording, keeping an audio buffer of a minute or so. Then when you hear a good joke, a fine guitar riff or a politician’s slip-of-the-tongue, you hit the apps’s only button, which saves the last 60 seconds of sound. From there, it’s a cinch to edit, upload, title and publish the sonic snippet ...]]> Recent News: Electronics Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:56:36 -0600 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13962/App-Records-Everything-Just-In-Case-Youre-Funny/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13951/Experts-Touch-the-Droid-Aroused/ "The good news is that this feature-rich handset, running version 2.0 of Google’s Android OS, compares very favorably to the Goliath of the smartphone world as a utility mobile-computing device — and, oh yeah, a phone. The bad news is that there may be too many good things going on to make using this device the quick, intuitive, out-of-the-box experience it should be. That’s a problem, given that the iPhone has set the usability bar so high." @ PC World "Especially snappy is the Droid's Web browser, which loads images quickly thanks to the powerful 550MHz pro...]]> Recent News: Electronics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:19:24 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13951/Experts-Touch-the-Droid-Aroused/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13929/Flash-Memory-for-Taking-Photos/ "HOW can image sensors - the most complicated and expensive part of a digital camera - be made cheaper and less complex? Easy: take the lid off a memory chip and use that instead. As simple as it sounds, that pretty much sums up a device being developed by a team led by Edoardo Charbon, of the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands. In a paper presented at an imaging conference in Kyoto, Japan, this week, the team say that their so-called "gigavision" sensor will pave the way for cellphones and other inexpensive gadgets that take richer, more pleasing pictures than today...]]> Recent News: Electronics Fri, 9 Oct 2009 23:34:06 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13929/Flash-Memory-for-Taking-Photos/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13927/Its-Still-an-iPhone/ "With the release of "2012," the iPhone app tied to the forthcoming Sony Pictures film of the same name, a group of developers may have kicked off the future of games on the hit smartphone. While the game itself is fairly simple and lasts just minutes, it incorporates features that may never have been tried before, and as such, could be among the small number of titles that are showcasing what will soon be considered par for the course. In the minds of many industry observers, thanks to its integration of a functional operating system, an accelerometer, GPS and a camera, and the...]]> Recent News: Electronics Fri, 9 Oct 2009 22:40:46 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13927/Its-Still-an-iPhone/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13922/Shock-Sony-Jacking-Go-Game-Prices-Up/ "As of last week the Playstation Store is the only place PSPgo owners can go to pick up their games. Just how do the prices of the Sony-operated online store compare to the prices of the same games sold as used at retailers? We checked with four online retailers and online shopping services to see how their prices compared to the ones found in the online Playstation Store. The results? A little surprising." No, a surprise would be if Sony bundled a 16GB flash card with every PSP. A surprise would be if that flash card was SDHC. Hell, a surprise would be if they actually fol...]]> Recent News: Electronics Tue, 6 Oct 2009 23:34:20 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13922/Shock-Sony-Jacking-Go-Game-Prices-Up/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13916/Turn-a-50-Texter-into-a-Computer/ "From Stock Z2 to Fully Flashed with Audio, Fluxbox, Mouse, Aliosa27’s Latest Userland Here is a video Mark and I made of the complete flashing and installation process, and a tour of the new userland features. For those following along at home, the required setup artifacts are below. You will need * Your zipit z2 * A linux computer with an internet connection (to download the packages below) and gparted installed * A microSD card" Check it out, this guy has HULU running, DOSBox, even Debian. This is stupid cool fun for $50, I might just have to try this ...]]> Recent News: Electronics Fri, 2 Oct 2009 16:09:10 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13916/Turn-a-50-Texter-into-a-Computer/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13913/Science-Meat-Cultivator/ "A controversial cooker that 'grows' meat and fish by heating animal cells in your kitchen claimed first prize in the Electrolux design competition tonight. The invention, called Cocoon, could develop food with the make-up and nutrients of real meat. Mr Hederstierna, 27, said: 'This will create 100 per cent pure meat without the need for animals to be killed and with no risk of contamination. It will change everything.'" Wait, why is this controversial? I'm no vegelesbian, but if I had a meat appliance that turned powder into satisfaction (vegeles...]]> Recent News: Electronics Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:59:06 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13913/Science-Meat-Cultivator/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13909/Sony-Installs-Rootkits-in-Eyeballs/ "The way consumers will get the three free games is this: (1) Purchase a new PSPgo and connect it to the PlayStation Network (2) Load up a UMD in the older PSP unit and then connect it to the PSN as well, registering the UMD (3) Download a new PSPgo theme and wait for the UMD voucher offering 3 free games. Read that again: you must still have the old PSP model to retrieve the free games. That certainly blows any kind of trade-in for the PSPgo out of the water. According to the press release, the required UMD doesn't seem to be locked in to any particular title, however...]]> Recent News: Electronics Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:40:33 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13909/Sony-Installs-Rootkits-in-Eyeballs/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13905/Xbox-360-Elite-20-Off/ "$50 Rebate on Xbox 360 Elite Console Purchase! You can get a $50 rebate on the purchase of a new Xbox 360® Elite Console from September 22 to October 5, 2009. Not only does Xbox 360 play the best games and provide quality entertainment, but now you can sign up for a mail-in rebate for even greater savings. If you’ve purchased a new console and want to claim your $50 rebate, follow all of the steps below: 1. Visit the Xbox 360 Elite Console rebate site. 2. Enter 49710555 as your password. 3. Be sure that you meet all the requirements as defined in the Mail-in Rebate f...]]> Recent News: Electronics Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:57:58 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13905/Xbox-360-Elite-20-Off/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13904/Apple-and-Battery-Lies/ "Will leaving your notebook constantly plugged-in kill your battery faster? Gina Trapani is exploring the issue after a friend's battery wouldn't charge after only two years. Though HP and Dell support pages weren't quite definitive, Apple clearly cautions against it: On a page dedicated to maximizing your MacBook's battery life and lifespan, Apple says: "Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month. Need a reminder? Add an event to your desktop's iCa...]]> Recent News: Electronics Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:50:10 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13904/Apple-and-Battery-Lies/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13893/Zune-HD-Interviewed/ "The big question: Can the Zune HD compete with the iPod Touch? I get the sense that Microsoft isn't trying to, exactly. While the Touch and its apps are a multi use pocket computer, the Zune HD is an evolution of the PMP—not a devolution of some smartphone model. Every new feature it has is used to expand the way you absorb media, from the HD video output to the HD radio to the redesigned UI. The Zune HD is not a simple curved rectangle with a screen, like the iPod Touch, but a resolutely industrial, luxurious, angular and slim design. From the angled back to the visible s...]]> Recent News: Electronics Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:50:06 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13893/Zune-HD-Interviewed/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13891/Zune-HD-Hearts-iPod/ "We're standing on the cusp of a new chapter in video game history: the era of microgames, where titles $10 and under take on a starring role, and attach rates (that is, games sold per console) skyrocket. The charge is being led by Apple with its iPhone and iPod Touch, two devices without gaming as their stated purpose, both of which have found unmatched success in the downloadable gaming industry. The other video game consoles have their own "app stores," where games can be downloaded directly to the system, but none have reached the heights that the iTunes App Store has...ye...]]> Recent News: Electronics Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:54:41 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13891/Zune-HD-Hearts-iPod/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13880/Septembers-Gonna-Cost-You/ "The Zune as we know it is going the way of the dodo, and its replacement is of course the Zune HD. "As you know, the new Zune HD device—featuring a touch OLED screen, HD Radio, HD video out capabilities, Internet browser and more—is available for preorder now and will be available at retail on September 15," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Additional flash Zune devices (Zune 4GB, 8GB and 16GB) and hard drive devices (80GB and 120GB) will continue to be available at retail until sold out, though we will not continue to manufacture those devices." The spokesperson also touted Mi...]]> Recent News: Electronics Wed, 2 Sep 2009 23:43:56 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13880/Septembers-Gonna-Cost-You/ http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13867/PS3-Slim-wont-run-PS2-discs/ "Well, few PS3 owners have many PS2 discs laying around but the news of PS3 Slim not supporting them is still a bit strange. Furthermore, the „new and improved“ console lacks Linux support, as Sony is trying to „standardize“ their OS. SCEA's director of marketing John Koller said how the company is three years „into the lifecycle of the PS3“ and that there as much as 80 or 90 percent of users who buy their PS3 for the PS3 disc-based games. He added how the rest of the users are mostly those who haven't used their PS2 for a little while and who are now ready for the PS3...]]> Recent News: Electronics Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:34:09 -0500 http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13867/PS3-Slim-wont-run-PS2-discs/