WIN: +1
Google receives 1 skill point for reinventing the wheel as they roll out their Facebook “like”-esque feature called “+1”, which allows users to share content they enjoy with others. To use +1 you need a public Google profile; your name will be displayed along with your vote. The feature isn’t fully implemented yet but Google users are invited to participate in an experimental phase via Google Labs. Because of Google’s tremendous popularity this may well be a sure-fire win amidst Google’s long string of social media fails.

FAIL: Just Plain Panic
This week’s hysteria over the story that Samsung shipped machines with a keylogger installed was, it turns out, completely unnecessary. After further investigation it was revealed the keylogger was a false alarm created by an antimalware program. The false positive was triggered by multi-language support in Windows. Now, why did a simple story about an alleged keylogger under investigation by Samsung and security companies cause such wholesale panic? Somewhere along the line a supervisor at Samsung who spoke to Mohammed Hassan of Network World on the phone confirmed that a keylogger was indeed installed by Samsung in order to monitor the way their machines were being used. Samsung has yet to comment on what exactly the supervisor was smoking at the time.

FAIL: Copyright Infringement
Or at least Boston College’s definition thereof. A “helpful” university document intended to instruct students what activities constitute copyright infringement contained all the usual suspects, but one addition that you’d not expect to find. Boston College considered the use of WiFi to be an intellectual property no-no. That’s right – using a wireless router leads to copyright infringement, according to a leading university. Puzzled? Me too. It’s worth noting that the college has removed the reference to WiFi violating copyright since the story broke yesterday – hence my usage of the past tense throughout this paragraph.

WIN: Privacy
It’s not often these days that privacy enjoys a good old fashioned win, but following the Google Buzz privacy fiasco last year, the FTC and Google have reached an agreement that gives security a shot in the arm. Google must now submit, and by all accounts will do so willingly, to independent privacy audits on a regular basis for the next 20 years. Also included in the settlement between the FTC and Google are stipulations that Google must develop and uphold a stringent privacy program, and must get users’ consent before sharing their information with third parties.

WIN: Robots
Yet again, robots are winning. This time the US is sending special robots to Fukushima to help gather data about radiation levels in areas of the plants too unsafe for humans to enter. The robots will need handlers, who are accompanying them to Japan, and it’s unsaid how near to the robots they will have to be. Presumably a safe enough distance, however, or these would be very pointless robots indeed.

WIN: Pioneering TV
The significantly popular show Pioneer One‘s third episode debuted online on Monday – and in fact, online is the only place you’ll find it. You can stream episodes on blip.tv or download the .torrent files from VODO’s web site. Pioneer One is an entirely web-based “television” program. Regular readers might recall an in-depth review I wrote about Pioneer One‘s first two episodes some time ago. Expect a review of episode three next week. Meanwhile, tune in and enjoy!

But not everyone is willing to spend that amount of money each year and not everyone is an Apple fan no matter what. If the price starts to get too steep, these people will be willing to drop the iPhone and will look for another brand. If you are an iPhone user, and you haven’t taken a look lately at other phones out there, it’s time that you did.

After reading about the experiences of some people who have switched from the iPhone, I have narrowed the alternative options down to two Google Android phones: the Samsung Galaxy S and the HTC Desire. Spec-wise, all three phones have a touch screen, camera, video, simple design, and they all have the same speed as well.

Google is making huge progress with Android which makes it a serious contender to iOS 4. Samsung even uses the same processor as the iPhone 4 for their Galaxy S and you can upgrade the storage with a microSD card. Being able to upgrade the storage with microSD cards is a huge advantage over the iPhone, especially now with HD video recording.

Apple does take the lead with design, with the iPhone being made of hardened glass and feeling a lot sturdier than the Galaxy S and the Desire.  Both the Galaxy S and Desire have a simple design, but I like Galaxy’s design more because it has minimal buttons.

I believe that if it weren’t for sheep mentality and the fact that Apple is a fashion statement (let’s be honest – a lot of people buy an iPhone to be seen with one), we would see a lot more Google Android phones. Case in point: there were a lot of complaints about the antenna gate, but did the users return the iPhone and exchange it for another brand?

As long as Apple keeps maintaining their strategy to allow only one provider to sell the iPhone, Google Android will slowly control the market.

I have tested Android on friends’ phones and I’m still hoping to own one, alongside the phones that I already own. Now that I have a Blackberry Bold 9700 together with my iPhone, I can really see the pros and cons of each phone, but for me, Blackberry smartphones are an entirely different species – incomparable to the iPhones and Androids. 

What kind of phone do you own or would like to get in the future?

Samsung Galaxy S product page and HTC Desire product page

Mattel is not about to give up on its tech campaign, though. Recently, Samsung launched a notebook that screams Barbie all over the place. You can’t miss it. The Samsung X-series Barbie Special Edition has a pink cover with a silhouette of Barbie in the lower right. It has another “flavor” – black cover with a pink silhouette of Barbie.

Physically speaking, the laptop isn’t really much to look at. Sure, it’s pink and it exalts Barbie, but that’s about it. It’s supposed to be sleek and light, but the guys at Engadget say that it’s “one of the least attractive and chubbiest thin-and-light devices” they’ve ever seen. That’s gotta suck for Barbie!

Specs-wise, the Barbie Special Edition laptop is not that bad. The processor is Core 2 Duo and it has 4GB of RAM and 500GB HDD. Definitely not specs for a little girl, I think. And, for Barbie fans, the notebook comes preinstalled with all sorts of Barbie goodies – logos, themes, etc.

Then again, I can’t help but think: “Is that it?”

I couldn’t put my finger on what I found disturbing at first: the Samsung Corby Pro is a sure winner for 2010. It has filled the niche for an el-cheapo phone that comes with QWERTY keypad layout and WiFi … all this for about USD $200.00. SO why was I so averse to it when I took the phone home?

A fashion disaster. OMG. Just look at the back. This reminds of a story where I once went out with a friend and she told me, halfway into dinner that I’ve been wearing a fashion no-no: apparently stripes on stripes isn’t supposed to be a good thing. I had a nice striped top on with very minute pinstriped pants. So from afar it looked like I was wearing gray, but upon further inspection, I turned out to be a “fashion disaster” (and this is according to her .. I could care less). But it was when I took the Corby home that I finally knew what she meant.

Just look at it. Black on white is acceptable, but the swirly bits PLUS the back of front piece is colored RED?!? It’s too much. Just too much for the eyes. Unacceptable. Who could have let this slip?!

DESIGNERS!!!!

Samsung raised the bar for innovation this CES 2010, bringing us one step closer to the floating digital interface we see in Avatar and Minority Report. So it’s baby steps with transparent screens. If you think about it though factors like sunlight glare and privacy will easily compromise usability. Here are five uses for the see-thru screen portable.

1. Team Based LAN Gaming
Voice chat is a staple in today’s gaming industry. But sometimes your team wants to have a look at your screen’s killcam to know where exactly that n00b tuber is chucking out grenades. Rather than give your neck a bad strain, just look forward.

2. Call Centers and Peon-Level Cubicles
Finally, a way for floor managers to tell if the staff is idling away on Farmville, Mafia Wars, or downloading porn.

3. Decor
Picture several of these 14 inchers platformed on a ramp with a full screen slideshow or movie playing simultaneously. Or ambient decor in a restaurant. It makes the perfect MP3 player side by side those transparent JBL speakers you always wanted.

4. Public Computer Kiosk
These things make for the best public computer kiosks in airports and coffee shops. If you ever want to find a way for your customers to limit their Internet time, have a few of these in very public places so that they stick to doing only the essentials and leave.

5. Below the Line Transparency Campaign
You know what this country needs? A little bit more transparency. Here’s a pitch to you, Samsung. How about having this as a front desk cubicle computer so that everyone can see your bosses’ real schedule? How about having this as the POS or reference computer at the cashier so that you don’t have to hide the dealer’s price from your customers? Put this in front of the restaurant so you know if your table is really “reserved.”

[photo c/o Techie via Gizmodo]

That’s a self portrait above from Nonja, an ape raised by a stock broker in 1976 and now resides in the Schönbrunn Zoo. Her daily routine is pretty much the same as any orangutan: eating, sleeping, gallyvanting, playing with the kids (sometimes spitting water at them from the cage), and updating her Facebook wall with photos of her latest escapades including movie night with the girls, shopping sprees, and drunken stupors.

Nonja is part of Samsung’s latest viral campaign. There’s not much to it really. All they did was give her a Samsung ST1000, a point and shoot camera with WiFi connectivity. All she really does is click down on the shutter. The Facebook account is operated by the zoo, as a step forward into Web 2.0 and raising the awareness of animal life into the social.

[Nonja's Facebook account]

Take it away Dr. Dagmar Schratter, Schönbrunn Zoo CEO:

“Diversified stimulus of our animals is very important to us: We achieve this on one hand with special toys and on the other hand by hiding their food, so that the animals are encouraged to find and obtain it, just like in their natural environment. And Orang-utans are especially intelligent and also very curious. As such it is only natural for them to have accepted the cameras so well.

If you want to see Nonja in action, you can also check out her YouTube page for various videos on ape life in captivity.

It has been told that the Papyrus has office applications like the calculator, scheduler, and contacts… it’s a mini-PDA isn’t it? Oh yes it is! It will launch as a touchscreen device too, now that’s awesome. The Papyrus is an A5-size e-ink device (it’s 5.8 inches by 8.3 inches while the entire Kindle 2 measures 5.3 inches by 8 inches with a 6-inch screen). It’s set to finally launch first in Korea by June this year. It will be available in several basic colors (white, black and green).

There are guesses that it will sell for about US$299… cheaper than the Kindle and Sony’s e-reader.

An exact working replica of the Samsung Messenger, it stands 15 feet long, 13 feet high and 3 feet deep, and is on its side to give access to the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Residents have been able to come and make free phone calls and send text messages on the device. Perhaps this is a new way of keeping fit while communicating with people. At least no-one can complain that this phone’s keyboard is too fiddly to use for their fat fingers.

There will be a range of special events including a texting challenge and a video booth. An adjudicator from Guinness World Records confirmed that the phone would be making it into the next book.

In a world of miniaturisation, it’s funny to see such a huge working phone on display. Bit rich calling it a mobile phone though.

Anyone from Chicago been down to Pioneer Court and given it a go? It’s around until March 15.

It might say on the box that it plays MP3s, but it sure does a lot more than that. The Samsung YP-P3 is as you can see an attractive player and is arriving in the UK later this month. There’s a wonderfully high resolution display that has haptic (touch screen) to acknowledge your finger presses. It’s worth mentioning that the 3 inch screen is WQVGA – which produces an extremely clear image.

Also of benefit is the ability to use various EmoDio widgets on the YP-P3 – a throwback from the Tocco interface – and these widgets are (apart from being handy) quite interesting little things. Don’t expect google maps but do expect a few little games and similar.

Media support is very extensive, with coverage for MP3, WMA, OGG and many, many more. Video playback (yes, it does video and pictures) is inclusive of the usual formats you’d expect for something of this size, though I didn’t find anything to support DIVX. Other features include an FM radio, built in microphone and an internal speaker.

There are a few different versions of the player that will be available, from 4 to 32GB – meaning that there should be one for just about every budget. If like me you prefer your products non-Apple, then you can do worse than this Samsung player, though I’d still argue that Creative offer probably the best MP3 players on the market.

You’ve heard the line “don’t leave your electronics out in the sun, specially in your car on a bright sunny day… otherwise, it’ll just “fry” up”.  With the recent announcement of Samsung‘s “Blue Earth” the line is now “make sure you leave your phone in the sun to charge up! :)

It’s not a flip or fold-up phone… though it does look like it right? What’s great is that it’s a full touch phone… yup, following the bandwagon, but with the beautiful twist of “green” through and through.  

Samsung reinforced its commitment to protect the environment through the design of eco-friendly products and a programme of activities for its customers. It will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2009 for the first time.

Designed to symbolize a flat and well rounded shiny pebble, Blue Earth is the first solar powered full-touch screen phone. By charging with the solar panel located on the back of the phone, users can generate enough electronic power to call anytime anywhere.

UK Store Expansys has made the Samsung C6625 available for pre-order at £249.99 without contract. This could mean that the phone comes free with a contract. No release date has been specified.

The Samsung C6625 is a smartphone with QWERTY keyboard, 2 mega-pixel camera, push email, GPS and 3G connectivity running on Windows 6.1

Featuring a high resolution 2.6″ wide-screen display (non-touch), the phone is ideal for Office usage and compatible with most MS Office applications, also Microsoft Exchange. The Samsung C6625 has 100MB internal memory and a microSDHC card slot and the 2MP camera can record short video clips.

More specifications.

• 2.6 inch non-touchscreen display with 320 x 240 pixels
• Tri-band GSM connectivity (900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz connectivity)
• HSDPA 2100 MHz connectivity
• A-GPS
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Stereo Bluetooth
• 2MP camera with video recording
• 100MB of on-board memory
• MicroSDHC card support
• Talk time: up to 420 minutes
• Standby time: up to 300 hours
• 113.6 x 63 x 11.6 mm
• 107.7 grams

First images and specifications of this hot phone by Samsung have been leaked.

The picture displays an very stylish phone with sleek case, similar to the Samsung Omnia.

Rumours say the phone will come with a hot 8MP camera, Wi-Fi, GPRS, HDMI and offer HD recording. It will be available in 8GB and 16GB versions. This all is very similar to the Samsung Omnia when one thinks about it, so we will have to wait until Samsung the official specs publishes. Still, this looks like one more very desirable phone from Samsung and that not alone for it’s design, but also for the camera alone makes it desirable. HD recording in my pocket, w00t!

[via Gaj-IT]

Oh no… I hope my uncle’s not reading this today because I’m sure he’d head on over to the nearest Office Depot to get this wireless printer! I’m not too sure what’s he got with printers that he always need to get the latest ones. I’ve been helping him out all week last week to install 2 fax/printer/copy/scanners by Canon. The first one on a wireless printer server via Net Gear and the other one taking an ethernet cable to his Dell True Mobile router.

He’s still to ask me to connect 2 laser printers for him next week, now this new printer comes out. I’m very sure once he get a sniff of it, he’ll get one and call on poor old me… again!

The new wireless printers are the CLX-3175FW, ML-1630W and SCX-4500W. All of them will come equipped with integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, and they’ll also feature smart design that won’t take up much space wherever it is placed.

The Samsung CLX-3175FW, ML-1630W and SCX-4500W will retail for $642.99, $285.99 and $428.99, respectively, and are readily available for purchase if you’re thinking of upgrading that printer of yours.

You can get one right here.