Mobile Devices

It’s a different kind of web that has snared Indiana Jones in his latest cinematic adventure. In his first three films, he was always lurking through some spiderweb-draped cavern of one sort or another, and he managed to survive each one. But now (cue John Williams music)…will he live through the danger that is the World Wide Web?

Its US premiere is May 22nd, but “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is screened at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend and the high-speed lines will be on fire as soon as the last credit rolls on the screen at the Salle Lumiere Palais. It’s the latest example of media conglomerates vs. the 21st century as they find themselves once again at the mercy of anonymous bloggers and web-based critics. Already there have been several traditional-media stories about negative early reviews of “Indy 4” at Harry Knowles’ Ain’t It Cool News website - the pioneer in Internet influence on the media - and how those reviews may have influenced Paramount’s Cannes plans for its Steven Spielberg blockbuster.

A UK Telegraph story has this quote that encapsulates Hollywood’s frustration with this Internet thing:

Frank Marshall, a producer on all four films, said: “It has been insane. I’ve spent a great deal of time on this movie just trying to keep things off the internet. That’s totally new for us. There seems to be some kind of sport out there now to see who can put up a spoiler, which is not fair to the audience. We really tried to keep the lid on the story just for the audience’s sake.”

Sure, the audience for this film would like to experience all the special effects set-pieces and story revelations firsthand. But what Marshall is really venting about is a studio’s slowly-loosening grip on movie marketing and media management, thanks to the very same processor-based technology that allows Iron Man to fly, Prince Caspian to battle fantastic creatures…and Indiana Jones to cheat death. 

Read [Daily Mail] Read [Telegraph]

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Say it isn’t so.  Please.  Rumors are circulating that Best Buy is considering buying out Netflix according to AlleyInsider.  Feeding into the rumor pushed the stock up 6% in Friday trading.  Interesting.

It is easy to see why Best Buy might want to get a hold of the Netflix business: it is well position (or at least positioned) to make a play for the next advancement in the home entertainment.  Most see direct downloading via the internet as the next wave and Netflix is in the mix with some help from LG.

So why Best Buy?  Best Buy could sell content at the point consumers purchase a DVD player.  Best Buy could reduce customer acquisition costs for Netflix while improving their market position by selling a complete package.  It would be an impressive move, potentially.

But at what cost to Netflix?  Surely the ace customer service one gets at Best Buy (speaking from personal experience only here) would drag down the fun, red enveloped company I’ve come to enjoy and think of as “fun”.  Netflix has a good thing going, it would be a shame for the new big blue to bring them down.

What do you think?  Could Best Buy bring anything good to Netflix?

Read [AlleyInsider]

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The MacBook. A sleek, simple and beautifully easy to use notebook computer. The polycarbonate shell is tough yet light and attractive; the magnetic clip satisfyingly snappy and gently strong.

The Monk Bogballe (no, I didn’t make that up) Workstation: A stock MacBook crammed into a slim, over-fussy case. A huge black screen bezel increases its footprint while making the screen look smaller and a combination of leather and aluminum splits the box as schizophrenically as the differently sized halves. If you want an overpriced, pampered laptop with the form factor of a shrunken aircraft carrier, pull out your Amex black card now. To add further insult, this thing ships as a dual boot machine with Vista pre-installed (Microsoft Office 2008, too).

Your now irredeemably besmirched conscience can be assuaged by the donation of an XO laptop, included in the purchase price of the Workstation. This is the functional equivalent of tossing a half eaten Big Mac out of the window of your Bentley as you cruise down Skid Row.

Product page [(Super) Monk(ey) Bogballe via Ars Technica]

by Paul Miller, posted May 18th 2008 at 9:01AM
Man, Mr. Orange Beanie sure does have quite a bit of cash to be burning on subnotebooks. You earn that mowing lawns, kid? Ah, we get it, a little bit of modeling on the side, huh? Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Apparently ASUS and MSI have been caught red handed using the same photograph to peddle their wares. The best part of all is that neither shot is original — they both swiped a stock photo featuring our friend Orange here with a good ol’ MacBook. Don’t worry though, we’re sure he installed Linux on it first thing. Original pic is after the break.

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Filed under: Laptops

If Samsung is testing geek reaction to it’s sleek and extremely thin laptop slated to appear possibly in 2009 (or hopefully sooner) this picture does the trick. Wow!

At first glance this shiny black (accented with racy red) laptop elicits increased heart rates and drool. When composure returns however there are important questions that have to be asked. What is that 3rd piece leaning against that 12.1-inch gorgeous razor thin OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display? My guess – it is a protective cover that doubles as a support. How to you control the cursor? Is there room for a battery? This is a laptop – right?

The touch-sensitive keyboard continues the sleek appearance but some worry that the non-tactile feel will be a real let down. Let down maybe but probably not a deal breaker.

Numerous unanswered questions have not squelched anticipation. Samsung has turned up the heat a bit by mentioning a 15.4-inch model in 2009 as well. Does that mean we will see one of these beauties in the near(er) future?

Via [DVICE]

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Samsung reckons it will soon have the problems of manufacturing large AMOLED screens licked. What you see above is the beautiful result, which we believe is a real prototype, not a mock-up. The 12.1″ screen is a hybrid of OLED and TFT, and in the picture appears to be a little bigger than that keyboard. We’re not sure exactly what’s going on around the back, either. Our guess is that it is some kind of protective flap.

As a look into the future, thought, we like it, and the retro 1980s bachelor-pad styling is spot on. All it needs is a smoked glass and chrome desk and a shag-pile rug.

Product page [Samsung via Engadget]

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t eat all of the healthy foods that I should. I love my junk food and Mountain Dew, but I do try to eat a few things that aren’t terrible for my body. Fruit is something that I like, especially bananas. The only problem is that I don’t eat them often enough, and many times they go bad. Here’s an awesome gadget that’s supposed to keep your fruit around longer.

I don’t know much about how a light can kill bacteria, but this bowl named BLUE claims to use such a light to keep your fruit fit to eat. All you need to do is pile your fruit in this sleek looking bowl, turn on the soft blue light and go about your business. This gadget won’t keep your fruit fresh forever, but you should expect it to look good for even longer before you throw it out.

Source: GearFuse

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I always wondered just why people bother with a wired cellphone headset. You’ve seen them: one hand to hold the phone, one hand to cram the earpiece into their waxy canal and then the other hand to hold the microphone somewhere near the mouth. And all the while evil radiation goblins are racing up the wire, directly into the brain. Hands free? No way.

The handphone takes this madness a step further. Why have one simple, easy to use unit which can simply be held to the head when you can strap a mess of wires onto the back of your hand? Take a look at the picture. How would you dial it? And how would you do anything else while wearing it? Even the fixings are odd. Instead of a simple velcro strap (which seems good enough for both the microphone and speaker) you have two elastic straps. One to cut off the blood flow to your middle finger and one to do the same for your wrist.

The handphone is, of course, a concept design. And will remain so, forever.

Product page [Biodomotica via Gizmowatch ]

Here’s an image of the finished Treo 800w that ought to be coming out pretty soon. Some of the rumored specifications include :-

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• 400MHz processor
• 128MB RAM
• 256MB flash memory
• GPS navigation
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• EVDO Rev. A support
• microUSB connectivity

Will this turn things around for Palm? Hopefully the keyboard will still be a winner, as I find that to be one redeeming factor in most, if not all, Palm devices in the past.