Monthly Archives: December 2009

Brits spend three days a month online. Is that all?

by andy
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Brits spend three days a month online. Is that all?

I do hope you’re enjoying the survey results we’ve discovered recently, because here’s another one for you concerning how much time Brits spend online. Now, either I spend way too much time online (read, just the right amount of time) or people are underestimating, because the figures from a survey by a price comparison website found that Brits spend just three days per month online. I spend three days a day online. (Yes I did mean to type that, it was supposed to be humorous.) UK peeps say they’d struggle to organise their lives without access to the Internet, and that they’d contact their friends and family far less without Read more »

Google got bored of real R&D and added fade-in effect to search

by andy
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Google got bored of real R&D and added fade-in effect to search

Notice anything different about the Google search front page today? You should, because Google wants you to notice. They’ve added some fancy fading in of everything but the search box and logo, so that header and footer menu items only appear if you move your mouse while on the home page. Fancy, huh? I know Google’s a pretty big company but I wonder how much R&D time was taken from other projects to sort this little gem out. Is Google running out of ideas? I love this section of today’s announcement, which sums up the numerous variations they tried out on test groups: …the variant of the homepage we are Read more »

Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers cut from ice (OK, glass)

by andy
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Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers cut from ice (OK, glass)

Audio speakers are either boring black cubes of plastic and wood surround, or else they’re in some kind of dock that you stick an iPod into, right? Maybe for you, but for those audiophiles who can afford high-end equipment (and are probably not listening to compressed MP3 files on their iPod) comes the likes of the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers. They’re not carved from ice (because they’d melt, duh) but they’re exquisitely formed from clear glass. My audiophilia isn’t advanced enough to explain the tech involved in these speakers, but I can tell it’s cutting edge. Here’s the lowdown as explained in the press release: The GLA-55 features many proprietary Read more »

This Electric Car is Named After a Girl

by J. Angelo Racoma
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This Electric Car is Named After a Girl

Toyota has its plug-in Prius. Tesla has its Roadster. Nissan, its Leaf. Renault, meanwhile, has recently announced its upcoming ZE (that’s Zero Emission) vehicle, dubbed Zoe, during the 2009 Frankfurt Auto show. The Zoe Z.E. is one of four concept electric vehicles that Renault is developing, and is planned to be out in the market by 2012. The Zoe ZE is certainly a looker. And Renault doesn’t scrimp on performance, either. It should accelerate from zero to 62 MPH in about 6.7 seconds. With a 100 mile range from a full charge, you surely could go places. But with all the great things attributed to being green and packing a Read more »

Star Wars Apparel goes even more mainstream with Adidas Originals

by Jayvee Fernandez
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Star Wars Apparel goes even more mainstream with Adidas Originals

When major labels take over a branch of science fiction, the end result can be described as an epiphany of sorts for the uninitiated. Geeks can now roam the earth more freely taking advantage of the fact that their little cult has been carved out and brought into the mainstream. Take Adidas. Out this 2010, Adidas Originals will feature a special Star Wars apparel collection highlighted by the Storm Trooper / Vader footwear for the guys and, well … Princess Leia rubber shoes highly inspired by the slave girl outfit. Manufacturers are fragmented to complete the whole picture. So you have Adidas for the boots, Marc Ecko for the hoodies Read more »

Clever little Choro Robo Q might get lost as stocking fillers

by andy
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Clever little Choro Robo Q might get lost as stocking fillers

Looking for something ultra-cute but with no cuddliness factor or furriness in sight? Give robot lovers this tiny Choro Robo Q. Though it’s not as advanced (and certainly not as big) as Loki or some of the other robots we’ve featured, its 3.4cm tall body still hides a powerhouse of versatility. Versatile, that is, so long as it can perform its task within five minutes — that’s how much use you get from a 20-minute charge. It comes with an infrared remote control unit, offering full directional control, or it can be put into auto mode where it runs (err, walks) around, chasing the supplied football or avoiding obstacles. It’s Read more »

Pacemaker rolling out as LetsMix.com

by andy
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Pacemaker rolling out as LetsMix.com

I’m quite a fan of the Pacemaker portable digital DJ system, though I haven’t got my hands on one yet, but it seems as if many people are just as much a fan of the web site where people can share their mixes as they are of the hardware. That’s why Pacemaker has decided to relaunch its website as LetsMix.com. An email to its fans says that most people who visit the site don’t own a Pacemaker, but they use the downloadable Pacemaker editor, create their own mixes, upload them to the website, and listen to other people’s creations. The new site is supposed to make finding and listening to Read more »

Poll: Most EPIC Modern Warfare 2 Scene

by Jayvee Fernandez
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Poll: Most EPIC Modern Warfare 2 Scene

Infinity Ward knows how to make games that resemble the best moments in military cinema. If you’ve finished the solo campaign for Modern Warfare 2 (What, you haven’t yet?! Grab a copy now!) you’ve probably either jumped out of your seat or wiped the sweat off your brow at more than one point into the game. Personally, the anticipation and tension with the “last stand” in the sandstorm gave me a slight asthma attack. Oh Infinity Ward, you guys rock. Cliffhanger endings, plot twists, and teeny bits of “OMG you really didn’t need to include that little part but when you did that became more EPIC” scenes (i.e. the astronaut Read more »

British IT workers seventh healthiest profession. Doesn't include gamers

by andy
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British IT workers seventh healthiest profession. Doesn't include gamers

A new survey for a British medical company has revealed the healthiest and unhealthiest professions to be in, and while chefs and farmers are the least healthy, it seems that IT workers are the seventh most healthy. Does that surprise you? Of course, “IT worker” isn’t particularly specific, and where there may be some highly paid techies who are eating salads, running to work and not boozing or smoking heavily, there are sure to be some others who are glued in front of their computer screen with only caffeinated drinks and fast food to keep them going. And exercise? We don’t even have the need to visit the mall now Read more »