Apple forces PhotoFast to abandon 256GB upgrade kit for MacBook Airs

Remember that peppy aftermarket 256GB SSD upgrade from PhotoFast that easily smoked (on paper anyway) the SSD found in Apple's latest MacBook Air? It's been halted upon Apple's request before it ever went on sale, similarly to those HyperMac batteries before it. 9to5Mac first reported the news based on a source close to the company and we just confirmed it directly with the PhotoFast GM2_SFV1_Air product manager. The risk of losing access to Apple's product licensing program was just too grave a threat to ignore. So, enjoy your 160MBps max SSD transfer rate and 128GB top-end capacity MBA 11 owners, you'll get your storage and 250MBps sequential read/write speed bumps only when Apple's good and ready to provide it themselves -- possibly sooner, we're told, if PhotoFast is given the green light to start sales after Toshiba's SSD modules (Apple's MBA partner) are available for purchase.

Apple forces PhotoFast to abandon 256GB upgrade kit for MacBook Airs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/apple-forces-photofast-to-abandon-256gb-upgrade-kit-for-macbook/

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Happy 25th birthday, Windows!

25 years ago today, Microsoft released the very first version of the operating system which now powers around 90% of the personal computers in the world. Even with the sweet analog clock to the word processing might of Write (and truly useful features like running multiple applications and a shared clipboard), Windows 1.0 failed to generate much excitement.

It would take five more years -- when version 3.0 launched -- for Windows to become a force to be reckoned with on the desktop. Sure, there have been bumps along the way like Windows ME and Vista, but Microsoft keeps on rolling. Most of our readers are now happily running Windows 7, Microsoft's customer satisfaction rate is at an all-time high, and things are generally looking good for the crew in Redmond.

This is actually the time of year when my family brought home our first Windows PC -- a sleek (for then) little unit from Magnavox complete with caveman overclocking. Oh turbo button, how I loved you...

Filed under: Microsoft

Happy 25th birthday, Windows! originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/20/happy-25th-birthday-windows/

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Panasonic welcoming crash test consumers to the handheld gaming Jungle

In an interesting move for a major console launch, Panasonic is reaching outside of the fold and looking to some select US consumers to test out its upcoming Jungle gaming handheld. No details on the testing program were given, and it's not much in the way of news, but it's the most we've heard out of Panasonic since it announced the online gaming-centric handheld in October -- we still don't know when the Jungle will land or how much it will cost. At least Panasonic isn't short on self-assessment: "We know other companies out there have traditional hand- held gaming covered... We're doing something very different." You can't argue with that, we'll just have to wait and see if Panasonic can pull it off.

Panasonic welcoming crash test consumers to the handheld gaming Jungle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/panasonic-welcoming-crash-test-consumers-to-the-handheld-gaming/

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Facebook Sued For Having Privacy Controls In Place. Yes, Seriously.

Last week Facebook was hit with yet another patent lawsuit, this time by Walker Digital, an "invention company" founded by Jay S. Walker, co-inventor of Priceline.com. And boy does this one come straight out of left field.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ing3BdWD7fE/

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I?m Making a List!

The Friday after Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, but my Christmas shopping is well underway ? and sometimes finished ? by that day.� I start thinking about good gift ideas for all my friends and family at the beginning of the new year, and I?ve found many [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/11/28/im-making-a-list/

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Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon)

We're here at Virgin's press event for Project magazine, which Sir Richard Branson just called the "first all-digital magazine." It's launching on iPad first, then on the iPhone, but we also snuck a peek at the app last night and noticed a line about Android tablet support coming soon. Branson says the content will change constantly -- there'll even be comments, and sharing features are said to be "coming soon." Mapping features will be introduced in the iPhone version, which the Project editor-in-chief describes only as "all the coolest places in the world mapped by our users." Pricing for the iPad version is set at $2.99 per month, with the app updating throughout the period with new content and features. When asked about Rupert Murdoch's The Daily, Branson responded that "this is not a battle, not a war, but the future of publishing," while his chief editor had this to say: "We're not similar ... they're a daily newspaper, we're a monthly style magazine ... we wish them nothing but luck."

Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/virgin-officially-announces-project-magazine-for-ipad-and-other/

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TuneCrank lets you listen to independent music and rank it

TuneCrank is another crack at a familiar problem: How do you make people listen to unfamiliar independent artists, and help the good stuff float to the top?

Uvumi tries to do this, and so does Bandcamp in a completely different take. TuneCrank is yet another attempt, with a stress on bare-bones simplicity and minimalism. It's basically just a player with "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" buttons, and a third button that looks like the ever popular "rock hands." There are no genre tags; the playlist at the front page has hip-hop, indie, elecronica, and more - it's a whole mush of styles. The most voted tracks float to the top.

I like the visual simplicity - it's reminiscent of Muxtape, but sadly, not as chic.

You can filter by artist, and the service appears to have around 150 artists or so. It's not the best online music experience by a long shot (not for the artist, nor for the listener), but who knows - you might find something you like right on the front page.

Filed under: Audio

TuneCrank lets you listen to independent music and rank it originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/23/tunecrank-lets-you-listen-to-independent-music-and-rank-it/

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This Wall-E Cake Is Pixar-Perfect [Cake]

This is how it was meant to be: Wall-E and Eve, hand in flipper, together in perpetual robot harmony. At least until I take a fork and knife to their delicious, cake-filled cores. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Oe_GnXIwjp4/this-wall+e-cake-is-pixar+perfect

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Silicone Steam Roaster is Almost Ridiculously Flexible

Right here in Barcelona, Spain, the Compeixalaigua design studio has come up with the ingenious and super-handy Steam Roaster, a silicone bowl which folds closed to become an oven-ready steamer. It’s not just oven-to-tableware: it does everything, from prep to eating.
The Steam Roaster starts off as a flexible bowl, into which you can measure and [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/silicone-steam-roaster-is-almost-ridiculously-flexible/

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Logitech Revue about to get a much-needed update to its Netflix app

One of the biggest disappointments when we first fired up the Logitech Revue was the Netflix app. You can watch anything in your Instant Queue, but that's it. Nothing else. Sad panda. But it looks like there's another update in the works that brings a fully functional Netflix to Google TV.

The new build -- KA1X-20101122.184803.user-b41730 -- is dated Nov. 22. The last update, dated Oct. 27, started rolling out around Nov. 2, so we should be seeing this one anytime now. We've got video of the Netflix update and a few more pics after the break, and you can find the whole shebang at the source link. [SatelliteGuys via Android Central Forums]

Logitech Revue about to get a much-needed update to its Netflix app posted originally by Android Central

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/hBzBcnaTmXw/logitech-revue-about-get-much-needed-update-its-netflix-app

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Play a Game of Billiards On This Incredible Kinetic Sculpture [Sculptures]

Made from colorful junk, Andrew Smith's sculptures all perform amazing kinetic feats. I like how this one in particular resembles a donkey, or some other four-legged creature which has billiard balls running up and down its length. [AndrewSmith via DesignBoom] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HRke5YITXoQ/play-a-game-of-billiards-on-this-incredible-kinetic-sculpture

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Zalman's SandForce-based N Series SSD drive gets reviewed, patted on the back

Zalman's making an SSD? You betcha, and it's embedding a SandForce SF-1222 controller in its N Series line. That controller has proven to be the go-to one for loads of solid state drives, but Zalman's joining the party a touch late. Unfortunately for it, the MSRPs affixed to the 64GB ($169) and 128GB ($289) versions aren't exactly class-leading, but the benchmarking gurus over at Legit Reviews took it upon themselves to test a 128GB model anyway. After running the gauntlet, the conclusions drawn were fairly predictable: scores were right in line with every other SandForce drive they had tested in recent months, with words like "speedy, resilient, and reliable" detailing the drive. Reviewers did point out that the pricing situation would likely hinder adoption rates, and it's still unclear if a company more closely associated with cooling accessories and cases can stake a claim in the storage realm. Hit the source link for the full skinny if you're edging closer to pulling the trigger.

Zalman's SandForce-based N Series SSD drive gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/A2FroNyI5-k/

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BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you're stuck using a BlackBerry

Rest easy, folks: we know it's pointy at the bottom, but we've been assured this isn't the BlackBerry 7100's true successor. Instead, the so-called Empathy is the bizarre outcome of of a RIM-sponsored design project at the Art Center College of Design that touts its ability to detect the emotions of its user and his or her contacts. It's not exactly clear how it'd do that, but one crucial element is the biometric feedback ring that communicates your frustration at the phone's inability to properly sync IMAP accounts in real time. All of this anger and joy is displayed on a social map -- colored rings indicate your contacts' previous and current emotional states -- which is presented on a full touchscreen that can become transparent when the phone's not in use. Prefer the Bold to the Storm, do you? Turn the phone around, and boom, you've got one of the scariest looking portrait QWERTY keyboards the world has ever seen. We don't really anticipate seeing this chiseled slab of bleeding-heart technology in RIM's lineup any time soon... but we can definitely see the benefit to knowing when your BBM contacts are ready to put a fist through a wall. Follow the break for video.

Continue reading BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you're stuck using a BlackBerry

BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you're stuck using a BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/29/blackberry-empathy-design-concept-feels-bad-that-youre-stuck-us/

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Microsoft announces 2.5 million Kinects sold in first 25 days

Points for style, Microsoft, crossing the 2.5 million Kinect sensors sold mark a convenient 25 days into your global sales of that ever-so-hackable / sometimes-cool-for-gaming item. This number factors in Black Friday sales from this past weekend, and has us really curious as to how well Sony has been doing of late -- Sony's been mum on Move numbers since it announced 1 million units shipped about a month ago. Microsoft says it's on pace to sell 5 million Kinect units through this holiday, which leads us to wonder: what sort of 3D video extravaganza could we pull off with 5 million Kinects in tandem?

Microsoft announces 2.5 million Kinects sold in first 25 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6b6Dqh43T3I/

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