The Chumby is an ambient consumer electronics product, which provides Internet and LAN access via a Wi-Fi connection, has a small clock radio and touch screen. Its software is open source, running on Linux.
Two years after the first Chumby, a new version is coming most probably in November. The Chumby ‘One’ has a more serious look without the old model’s squeezable shell. It has a speedier 454 MHz core and there are over 1500 Chumby widgets for all sort of things, like Google Calendar, Facebook and Pandora Radio. Chumby’s 3.5 inch touch screen remains same, like the other aspects of the gadget. Chumby was awarded by Wired as one of the top devices of the year 2008. Chumby One’s price rumored $100 when it hits next month.
The Palm WebOS 1.2 Update is now available although it is being reported that it contains some serious ‘Exchange Sync’ problems. It’s supposed to improve calendar syncing and e-mail capabilities but fails severely.
There are many people from different forums having Exchange Activesync problems after installing the web O.S 1.2 update. Palm is aware of the issue and they are working on it but unfortunately they haven’t found even a temporary quick fix. You can check their forums from time to time to stay updated. Plus we will share all the news on this subject with you. Don’t forget to check our forum, too!!
We believe that Palm will need a strong patch for webOS 1.2.1 to fix this syncing issue. If you haven’t yet updated to WebOS 1.2, we advise against doing so for the time being.
If you are also experiencing this problem breaking Exchange EAS on your Palm Pre, please share your thoughts with us!
Samsung announces the world’s first (what else?) phone, model SCH-W880, with a 12 megapixel camera.
The phone operates on WCDMA (2100 MHz), GSM(900), DCS(1800 ) and PCS(1900) roaming. The camera has 3x optical zoom, LED flash and touch autofocus. Video capture at 720p HD video at 30fps.
We’ve been hearing that Acer’s Android-based A1 smartphone would be hitting the stores this month, and online retailer Expansys is now offering the Android powered Acer A1 for pre-order (in Germany and France).
Expansys lists the specs of the A1 as including a 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen display, a sharp 800×480 (WVGA) resolution, 850/1900/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA connectivity (would work on AT&T), quad-band GSM/EDGE 7.2Mbps HSPA support, and built-in GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi.
There’s no release date or information for the US but the pre-order price is 390 Euros (about $570).
Once upon a time, print ruled the world, journalists were information gatekeepers, and we had to dial to get internet. Days have changed and this free flow of communication has rendered PR initiatives a daunting task. Communicating today means reaching out to entire online communities, as opposed to the handful of journalists one would contact in the past.
My boss, Celal, and I were discussing a strategy for creating a branded video that could spread virally throughout the online world. I must admit, I was distracted by the smell of my burnt Colombian coffee, secretly shaking my fist at Mark, our VP of Technology. He was taunting the office by enjoying a specially imported organic Brazilian, which he received that morning with great enthusiasm.
Celal continued, snapping me out of my coffee-trance, explaining that there’s no equation for a successful online viral campaign, but it must be interesting, easy to share and humorous in order to spread like wild fire.
He continued bysuggesting a creative agency, with a professional demeanor, boasting years’ experience and proven results; All I could think was that it lacked imagination. Maybe it’s because I’m the kind of girl who loves American Psycho and The Game, but I’d prefer something with a little more edge and enthusiasm, controversy and creativity – something out-of-the-box and boundary pushing.
Apple is known for loading its software with handy shortcuts and tricks to make your life easier. There are some hidden short cuts in iPhone too. You might have noticed some of them accidently, but there are more shortcuts then you know. Let’s begin with button shortcuts for the headset. Check them out:
While not in a call, you can press the button once to activate iPod and playback your music.
When a call is ringing:
1. Press once to pick-up the call
2. Press twice to send the call to voicemail.
3. Press and hold center button for about two seconds to decline the call. You’ll also hear two low beeps that confirm you the call is declined.
While in a call, press once to end the call.
While you’re in a call and there is a second incoming call:
1. Press once to switch the calls and hold the previous call.
2. Press and hold the button for two seconds to ignore the new call.
The HP DreamScreen moves digital photo frames to a whole new level and adds a brand new dimension to sharing your digital content, besides it sleek and stylish!
You can update your Facebook status, listen to Pandora Internet Radio or even watch videos. The HP DreamScreen has two different display sizes 10.2 inches and 13.3 inches.
Both units have built-in 6-in-2 card readers that accept CF and SD cards. It has 2 GB of built-in memory, black flush glass display, touch-enabled controls, Wi-Fi and social media hub and integrated speakers to listen to music.
The DreamScreen can support MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4 and H.264 for video extensions and MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV for music. HP DreamScreen can be easily connected to your PC. DreamScreen 100 is available today for $250, while the DreamScreen 130 is expected to be available on October 11.
SoftCom is holding its first video contest with Grand Prizes of $1,000 and paid contracts up for grabs.
The Challenge: My boss wants a creative agency; I’m convinced more talent exists in university students and through the creative people within my social media circles. He and I now have a wager on which will rein glorious ruler over the viral video world.
The objective: To present our company or products/services (Softcom Inc., mail2web.com and/or myhosting.com) in a unique and innovative fashion.
Videos will be featured on our site, and possibly youtube, digg, etc.
Creativity Is King: Documentaries and mockumentaries; commercials and faux-mercials; serious or hilarious; any new, out-of-the-box way to present our company, services, and products. Even the ridiculous, like Blentec’s “will it blend” videos, will be appreciated.
Gizmodo has the scoop on the design of a new tablet PC from Microsoft, dubbed Courier. The Courier has two 7 inch displays, folds like a book along a hinge and supports multi-touch and stylus input…not unlike the Asus Eee Book we previewed a while back. More deets/pics/video at the Giz.
In view of the redesigned Zune HD and this nice Courier Tablet, one might be tempted to assume that software companies can do hardware after all.
The contest has been ongoing for almost 3 years. The objective was to improve Netflick’s current movie recommendation system, called Cinematch, by at least 10%. BellKor’s Pragmatic Chaos team did so, and the 7 team members were awarded the $1,000,000 Netflix Prize today.
So, how did BPC do it? We’re not sure, but here’s their explanation, and also here … their approach seems to involve improvements to Collaborative Filtering via Neighborhood Models and Latent Factor Models.
Anyway, their maps look interesting – they have zoomable interactive affinity maps for music, movies, books and TV shows. The map for movies, for example, shows that if you liked the original Terminator, you’re also likely to want to rent The Fly, whereas fans of Terminator 2 would go for Lord of the Rings instead.
Recommender systems are software applications that aim to support users in their decision-making while interacting with large information spaces. They recommend items of interest to users based on preferences they have expressed, either explicitly or implicitly. The ever-expanding volume and increasing complexity of information on the Web has therefore made such systems essential tools for users in a variety of information seeking or e-commerce activities. Recommender systems help overcome the information overload problem by exposing users to the most interesting items, and by offering novelty, surprise, and relevance. Recommender technology is hence the central piece of the information seeking puzzle. Major e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Yahoo are using recommendation technology in ubiquitous ways. Many new comers are on their way and entrepreneurs are competing in order to find the right approach to use this technology effectively.
Plus it’s a great way to keep customers and build business and ward off competition as per the following interview with Netflix exec Reed Hastings:
