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Microsoft Hotmail Overhaul Aims to Unclutter Your E-mail, Lands This Summer

by Ross Miller on May 18, 2010 at 12:01 AM

Hotmail redesign
Microsoft veteran Chris Jones couldn't have been much more direct: while Hotmail is still a major player -- the top worldwide, in fact -- the mail client is underperforming in the U.S. and is "just behind on a bunch of features" compared to its competition. And so began our briefing today on a completely revamped Hotmail, the rollout of which hits around July or August this year. What we saw was incredibly encouraging, but it's not without some nagging issues. Let's break it down by Microsoft's own self-proclaimed pillars of the revamp -- follow us after the break for impressions!

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Netflix Expanding Out to Other Gaming Platforms?

by Ross Miller on April 14, 2009 at 01:08 PM



We've heard whispers of Netflix heading to other, non-Xbox 360 game consoles before, and now adding to the susurrous is a job listing from the company for Engineering Lead - Gaming Platforms. The description calls for someone familiar with the technical hurdles of current-gen consoles for building a small team to "rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms." Whether or not this means we'll be seeing PlayStation 3 or Wii services in the near (or even distant) future is anyone's guess, but with Microsoft's version so far a streaming success, we wouldn't be surprised if the company took a few steps to increase the probability that 3 billionth delivered flick is digital.

[Via Joystiq]
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Remote Controlled Lawnmower Steered with a Wii Mote

by Ross Miller on April 9, 2009 at 01:47 PM


Most of the times we see a Wii remote controlling something tangible, it's for something entertaining -- like an airsoft gun or Rovio. The Casmobot lawnmower, however, developed by scientists from the University of Southern Denmark, is actually quite useful if you loathe outdoor chores. You can steer it into grass-cutting action simply by tilting the Wii-mote, which is synced to the mower with Bluetooth. Alternatively, you can take the Casmobot for a lap around the border of the yard and then set it to autopilot in order to mow inside the designated zone. We wouldn't run in front of this thing while it's in motion, though; it's probably not as forgiving of interruption as a Roomba. Researcher Kjeld Jensen also suggested applying the same technology to your grandmother's wheelchair, but we really don't think she'd appreciate that. See it for yourself in the video after the break.

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GM and Segway Partner on Crazy P.U.M.A. Vehicle

by Ross Miller on April 7, 2009 at 09:46 AM


GM and Segway's joint venture is probably best described as a rickshaw without all the charm. The self-balancing Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (P.U.M.A.) can reach top speeds of 35 MPH, has a lithium battery that lasts up to 35 miles with a single charge, and features vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication for potentially reducing the number of accidents. No word on when or if this'll actually go into production but it's expected to be priced at just 25-percent that of a regular automobile. Hit up the read link for more pics, including a concept model that's just a teensy bit more reasonable. We'll be at the launch event today to see it for ourselves and make sure it's not all some bizarre dream.
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Japan Sending Biped Robots to Conquer Moon by 2020

by Ross Miller on April 6, 2009 at 09:30 AM


Remember back in 2006 when we told you about Japan's goal to colonize the moon with robots? Some dreams don't seem to die, and the country's Strategic Headquarters for Space Development said recently that they expect a two-legged droid traversing the satellite's surface by 2020. Should that prove successful, it'll be followed later by a joint mission with humans -- that is, if the robots don't find a way to take over before then and deny the spacemen their planetary visas.
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Ritz Camera Closing 300 Retail Stores, Liquidation Sales Start Saturday

by Ross Miller on April 4, 2009 at 04:01 PM

As part of its newfound bankruptcy status, Ritz Camera's gearing up to close more than 300 of its around 700 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, or about 43 percent of its retail presence. Starting April 4th, the affect stores will begin liquidation sales that'll go on until -- in the words of the press release -- "everything is sold to the bare walls." Forget DSLRs, if you were needing any fancy, brick-and-mortal shelving units, now might be your chance! Hit up the read link for a PDF listing all the closing stores.
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European Parkinson's Patients Receive Implants to Help Alleviate Symptoms

by Ross Miller on April 2, 2009 at 04:19 PM

St. Jude Medical's announced that patients from Austria, Germany, and Greece are among the first to be implanted with Libra Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) devices to alleviate the symptoms of advanced Parkinson's Disease. Specifically, it's able to reduce akinesia, rigidity, tremor, and motor complications associated with taking levodopa.The company's touting Libra and LibraXP as having the longest-lasting battery of any DBS in their class, meaning potentially less surgical procedures needed for for when they gotta be replaced. No word on when they'll be expanding use of the device, but we're sure it's coming.

[Via Medgadget]
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BlackBerry App World Now Live

by Ross Miller on April 1, 2009 at 09:02 AM


As expected, the BlackBerry App World has launched early this morning for US, Canada and the UK. If your software's updated to 4.2 and you've got a trackball / touch screen and PayPal account, head on over to RIM's Web site to download. Tell us, is it everything you thought it would be?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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Skype for iPhone Now Live in US

by Ross Miller on March 31, 2009 at 08:35 AM


It's finally here, and even a few minutes early. Skype for iPhone is now available in the US iTunes store, free of charge. We've heard great thing from the folks in Japan who've been fiddling with it for the last twelve hours, and so far it's sounding pretty good for us, too, with only minor hiccups. Not sure if it's a glitch, but despite what we heard earlier, we seem to be able to dial out while on 3G and not over Wi-Fi (at least running OS 3.0 beta). Hit up the read link for quickest route to the app store page, and let us know what you think. Betcha wish you could ditch that AT&T voice plan now, huh?

Update: We're getting reports the app is crashing for jailbroken iPhones -- and possibly non-jailbroken ones as well. We just got our first denial when dialing out over 3G via a popup notification, but it only happened once and we were back to old habits one call later. We did experience a brief period where no sound was coming through, but that might have something to do with using OS 3.0 and was remedied by restarting the phone.

Update 2: So far, it looks like dialing over 3G's only working for those with OS 3.0 beta, but unfortunately all of us in that situation are now suffering from frequent crashes and loss of audio. Things seem to be going smoothly for those running the latest non-beta firmware, but the calls only work over WiFi. That said, when using the app as intended (non-beta firmware over Wi-Fi), audio quality was surprisingly good, far better than any third party apps we've used.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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Tesla Model S Now Official

by Ross Miller on March 28, 2009 at 03:51 PM


After a brief period of unofficial officialness yesterday morning, Tesla has rolled out the Model S to a sea of eager photographers. The company's also revealed specs for the EV: this seven-seater can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.6 seconds, boasts a top speed of 120 MPH, features a dashboard display and a 17-inch main touchscreen monitor. It's fully 3G capable, sports HD and satellite radio, uses LED and neon exterior lights, smart-key power, and push button gear selector. While that $49,900 base price will get you a battery that's good for 160 miles per charge, 230-mile and 300-mile range packs will be available. On a 220V outlet, the company says it'll charge in four hours with a 45 minute "QuickCharge" option, and you should be able to swap batteries if necessary in under 8 minutes. Excited? Find a way to control yourself, this baby isn't going into production in Q3 2011. Check out a brief glimpse of the interior after the break.

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Windows 7 Coming Next Year, Says Ballmer

by Ross Miller on February 25, 2009 at 11:53 AM

Sure, we're still anticipating -- but not necessarily merrily -- the release of Windows Mobile 6.5, but for those who wish to look even farther into the future, Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer said in a conference call this week that WinMo 7 will be out sometime next year. That jibes pretty well with what we've heard from Motorola and ZDNet before, although there's probably a dozen or so ... Read more »
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Man Charged $28K to Watch Football Game Via Slingbox

by Ross Miller on February 24, 2009 at 11:04 AM

While waiting for a Caribbean cruise liner to set sail from the Port of Miami last November, a Chicago native with an AT&T wireless card and Slingbox decided to catch the Bears vs. Lions football game on his laptop. The end result? A $28,067.31 bill from for international data charges, despite the ship never leaving the harbor. Apparently the card was picking up a signal it shouldn't have, ... Read more »
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Sidekick 2009 Caught in the Wild

by Ross Miller on February 18, 2009 at 01:18 PM

We still don't know whether to call it the Sidekick 2009 or the Sidekick Blade, but either way, T-Mobile's upcoming hiptop has finally been caught on camera, looking just as it did in a survey from last month and later via render. Unfortunately, we can't glean any specs from the image, but the aforementioned questionnaire listed 3G, a 3.2-inch WVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card ... Read more »
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Canon Launches 10 New Cameras

by Ross Miller on February 18, 2009 at 11:56 AM

Not to be outdone by Sony, Samsung, or FujiFilm, Canon has unveiled nearly a dozen digital cameras bound for the US ahead of March's PMA. Of the ten, the big guy is that 10 megapixel SX1 IS we originally heard about last September, which sports 1080p Full HD movie mode and a built-in HDMI connector. Not too far off is the SX200, SD970 and the already-leaked SD960 / SD780, which all record 720p ... Read more »
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Samsung 'Beat DJ' Mobile Phone Lets You Remix Tracks on the Go

by Ross Miller on February 16, 2009 at 02:02 PM

As if a giant billboard wasn't enough of an unveiling, Samsung has released some official shots of its M7600 "Beat DJ" touchscreen handset. Like we knew already, the Quadband GSM / HSDPA music phone sports a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, GPS, 3 megapixel camera, and Bang & Olufsen amplifier. It's also got codec support for DivX and XviD, microSDHC card slot for up to 16GB, Bluetooth ... Read more »
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