Lead Stories: Saturday, May 12, 2007
Facebook offering free classifieds
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 10:16 PM by Robert Nelson
Section: Websites, Web
According to the NY Times, Facebook is going to begin offering free classified listings. Facebook Marketplace will be a free service for all 22 million users — this could be a lot of ads. The Marketplace will allow you to place an ad for everyone to see or to make it private using the privacy features built into Facebook. You can choose to limit your ad to a certain group of people or even a region or area, which could be nice for larger items that you are not able to ship.
“The advantage of having classifieds linked to a social network is that you know something about the seller,” said Charlene Li, an analyst at Forrester Research. “You are less likely to buy a lemon from someone who is a friend of yours.”
Facebook Marketplace is set to launch today and will allow users to place an ad in four categories. The four categories are housing, for sale, jobs and other.
Read [TechCrunch]
Gateway E-475M and E-265M for professionals
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 8:54 PM by Colbert Low
Section: Laptops, Computers
Gateway has launched two economical yet performance oriented notebooks for the professional market, aptly named the Gateway E-475M and E-265M.
The Gateway E-475M, comes with a $2,106 price tag that dishes out a 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, 2GB RAM, 100GB SATA HD, 8X SuperMulti DVD-R DL, 15.4 inches display, ATI Mobility Radeon X2300/256MB graphic chip, Wi-Fi, 7-in-1 card reader, and weighs 6.5 pounds. It is a good choice if you’re looking for a reasonably priced notebook that can handle most of your work and play functions.
The Gateway E-265M however, is designed for mobility and tight pc security, has a 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, 2GB RAM, 100GB SATA HD, 8X SuperMulti DVD-R DL, 14.1 inches display, ATI Mobility Radeon X2300/256MB graphic chip, Wi-Fi, 7-in-1 card reader, and comes in at 5.8 pounds.
read [PR Newswire]
55 in 1 Bluetooth card reader
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 7:20 PM by Robert Nelson
Section: Peripherals
This reader will not only let you transfer just about any media type you can think of but has a few other very cool features. it is a 55 in 1 Card Reader that is both Bluetooth enabled and also has a USB 2.0 hub that works with Macs and PCs. You can also convert a non-Bluetooth PC into a Bluetooth enabled PC, and then use it to make a wireless connections to Bluetooth enabled devices such as mobile phones and headsets.
Very cool for a $29.00 device.
Product [Brando] Via [CrunchGear]
Green technology roundup - today’s hot ideas
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 6:02 PM by JG Mason
Section: Cellphones, Transportation, Lifestyle, Gadgets / Other, Accessories, Green
Today, being green is easy and not just for Kermit the Frog. News today includes some interesting ideas by some big companies leading the way.
Take Ikea. One of my favorite spots to eat 50 cent hot dogs, Ikea recently instituted a pay-per-use bag charge, just 5 cents a bag. The they donate the 5 cents you paid to plant more trees. How great is that? Today, it seems they are going a step further and trying to influence Canadian consumers by make “green” parking spots. Yes, two prime spots will be reserved near the front of the store, reserved for low-emission vehicles.
Then there is Nokia, that introduced us to a new concept of your phone letting you know, “hey stupid, you left the charger in the wall and it is draining away precious resources.” According to the Nokia press release:
Kirsi Sormunen, Vice-President of Environmental Affairs at Nokia said, “Around two-thirds of the energy used by a mobile phone is lost when it is unplugged after charging but the charger itself is left in a live socket.”
I’ll close with something interesting coming out of Australia: road telematics. It seems the technology is here to alter cars speed along the highway to reduce (or eliminate) the start/stop that drains efficiency. The cars are outfitted with technology that allows the cars to look forward into traffic and predict speeds to keep moving at a steady pace. These “intelligent” cars would get better or equal gas mileage as compared to a hybrid, according the paper. Practical? Ha! Try to pry my foot of the gas, then brake, then gas…but interesting none the less.
We are in for a deluge of products aimed at reducing their waste and reminding us to reduce ours.
Read - Green Parking Spots [CBCnews] Read Nokia’s new Charger [Nokia] Intelligent Cars [Discovery Channel]
The first 16GB internal flash PMP!
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 4:37 PM by JG Mason
Section: Apple, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Lifestyle, Gadgets / Other, Audio / Video
Little known Chinese company, Teclast, is bringing forth the first in what is sure to be a wave of 16GB internal flash memory players. Could this be the first use of the Samsung 16 NAND memory?
Currently, the iPod Nano, Apple’s higher memory entry into flash based players tops out at 8GB. We can be sure that Apple will bring higher memory Nanos out but probably not till after the iPhone buzz settles down (I predict August).
Some of the benefits of the flash memory are lighter players, fewer shock-related issues (better for running), faster processing (on average) and lower prices.
If the specs are to be believed, this little bugger has :
- Capacity: 2, 4, 8, and 16GB
- 2.6″ touchscreen display (262k colors)
- Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, and FLAC
- Video: AVI, and WMV at 30fps
- FM Tuner and recorder
- Built-in Dictionary, and Games
- Battery life: 40 hours
- Dimensions: 81 x 47 x 11.5 mm
Yes the cool touchscreen is in Chinese, but is a harbinger of the future for hot PMPs. Almost makes me want to learn Chinese.
Read [GadgetRoad]
OtterBox protection for the antenna-less Treos
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 3:18 PM by Colbert Low
Section: Communications, Lifestyle, Gadgets / Other, Smartphones, Accessories, Mobile
Understanding the importance of data that stored inside every businessman’s Treo PDA, the new OtterBox 1921 casing is to provide maximum protection on your precious business information on the Treo 680, Treo …
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BDP-94HD Pioneer Blu-ray Player, adorable!
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 2:22 PM by Colbert Low
Section: Home A/V, HDTV, Audio / Video
The newly released Pioneer BDP-94HD Pioneer Blu-ray player can integrate into any home theater system via HDMI inputs and from now on, you only need one remote control for …
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Gadgetell Review: NewerTech’s USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 12:44 PM by PJ Hruschak
Section: Reviews, Features, Storage, Peripherals
Product: NewerTech’s USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter
Price: $24.95
Rating: 95/100
Pros: Easy to use with pretty much any type of drive you have lying around.
Cons: Down not include a power switch.
Overall: A straightforward set of …
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iTunes Store may soon have one Beatle
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 12:28 PM by Robert Nelson
Section: Apple, Audio / Video, Content
The new rumor involving the Beatles and the iTunes Store is proving to be a little more believable. Of course this time its not the iTunes Store getting an exclusive on the …
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Helio Ocean now available
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 11:37 AM by Robert Nelson
Section: Cellphones, Communications, Mobile
We have all lusted after those unboxing pictures and we thought it would not be available until May 21st, but for some good news we are happy to say that the Helio Ocean is …
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Mini Apple Stores coming to a Best Buy near you
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 10:08 AM by Robert Nelson
Section: Apple
Best Buy has recently (as of December 2006) begun selling Apple products again. For the most part the Macs have just taken up shelf space similar to any other …
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JVC gifts for grads and Dads: camcorders and TVs
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 8:45 AM by JG Mason
Section: Digital Cameras, Home A/V, HDTV, Camcorders, Audio / Video, Imaging
Do you know any Dad or Grad that wouldn’t appreciate a 30 GB camcorder or a 58″ HDTV? Me neither…
Hosting an onboard 30 GB hard drive for 7+ hours of recording …
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Alltel Wireless announces Jump Music
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 7:12 AM by Robert Nelson
Section: Wireless, Cellphones, Portable Audio, Communications, Audio / Video, Mobile, Cellular Providers
Alltel Wireless launches Jump Music, letting customers turn their phones into portable music players. Jump Music will allow customers to transfer compatible music from their computers to their phone with free and easy to use …
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The ambitious Pioneer flat-screen TVs
Posted May 11th, 2007 at 6:01 AM by Colbert Low
Section: Household, Home A/V, HDTV, Gadgets / Other
Judging from the brand name alone, it is not hard to find out that Pioneer is an aggressive company that keeps on challenging itself to outperform the market. This is …
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D’oh-box 360?
Posted May 10th, 2007 at 11:12 PM by Indraneel Purohit
Section: Gaming, Console
In homage to the upcoming Simpsons Movie, Microsoft will release a Homerized Xbox 360.
All glazed in yellow (mmm….yellow….), the Xbox 360 is the 20GB Pro model, instead of the new Elite …
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