Google making Changes to Android Market

Forbes is reporting that Google is unhappy with the Android Market. Apparently, people don’t like paying for Apps. (who knew?) Android’s Platform Manager said there will be changes in the future including Carrier billing and In-app payments. My guess is you are going to start to see a lot of cool little apps suddenly cost [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/01/27/google-making-changes-to-android-market/

Lisa Marie Lisa Snowdon Liz Phair Lokelani McMichael

PS3 firmware 3.56 hacked in less than a day, Sony's lawyers look confused (update)

Sony's taken some strong steps against PS3 cracking in the past week -- not only has it taken to the courts and won a temporary restraining order against Geohot and fail0verflow for cracking the console, but it also released firmware 3.56, which locked things down again. Unfortunately, that restraining order doesn't mean anyone else has to stop a-crackin', and wouldn't you know it: 3.56 was cracked open in less than a day by KaKaRoToKS, who was behind one of the first 3.55 custom firmwares. Now that the 3.56 signing keys are out, we'd guess updated custom firmware is soon to come -- and we'd bet Sony's lawsuit will just inspire an entirely new wave of people to jailbreak once those hit the scene. Way to put that genie back in the bottle, Sony.

Update: We're hearing that new custom firmware isn't on the table quite yet, because Sony changed most of the locks, and is reportedly actually storing the all-important ECDSA private key with random-number cryptography this time around. Be warned: if you upgrade to 3.56, there's no easy way back down. In related news, Github complied with a DMCA takedown notice to remove KaKaRoToKS's repositories, so you'll have to head on over to Gitorious (at our more coverage link) to get at the fail0verflow tools.

[Thanks, Tomi R]

PS3 firmware 3.56 hacked in less than a day, Sony's lawyers look confused (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/ps3-firmware-3-56-hacked-in-less-than-a-day-sonys-lawyers-look/

Julia Stiles Julianne Hough Julie Benz Julie Berry

Ubuntu's Warm and Fuzzy Qt Embrace

It seems fair to say that the Ubuntu community's collective head is already spinning at the very thought of all the changes coming down the pike for its favorite Linux distribution. After all, there's been Canonical's decision to adopt Unity as the next desktop Ubuntu's default interface, and there's been the equally shocking plan to switch away from X.org and onto Wayland as the distro's new graphics system.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/71735.html

Jordana Brewster Josie Maran Joss Stone Jules Asner

$91 Worth of Rubber Bands From One Recycled Inner-Tube

Let’s say that each of these Plattfuss Rubber Bands, made from old bike inner-tubes, is 2mm wide. You get around 70 in a pack, which requires 140mm (5.5-inches) of OG bike tube to make them. The sizes in the pack are assorted, from different tube sizes, but to keep things simple let’s assume they come [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/91-worth-of-rubber-bands-from-one-recycled-inner-tube/

Sofía Vergara Soft Cell Sophia Bush Stacy Keibler

This Car DVR Is Worth Ten Traffic Lawyers [Cars]

Planes have black boxes to record the vitals of an incident. About time cars had something similar, no? Enter the Car DVR, your fool-proof way to put the blame on the other guy. Assuming, you know, it's his fault. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/N2gKkdHx0UE/this-car-dvr-is-worth-ten-traffic-lawyers

Drew Barrymore Ehrinn Cummings Elena Lyons Elisabeth Röhm

Is It Even Possible to Dislike Lego-ized Ghostbusters Gear? [Lego]

Staring at this Lego-ized version of a Ghostbusters ghost trap brings back memories of being six-years-old and having the toy version. It was so awesome that it made me awesome by association. I'm pretty sure that's when I peaked. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DWtTyecjNW8/is-it-possible-to-dislike-lego+ized-ghostbusters-gear

Joanna Krupa Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock

Spikes Tend to Kill You is an super-fast retro platformer -- Time Waster

Spikes Tend to Kill You has got to be one of the nicest games I've played in a while. It's an old-school platformer, and it is very well made.

You're just a cube, and the graphics are retro. But the game is very fast and very responsive. Each level takes exactly one screen, and as you may have gathered from the name, touching spikes is not a good idea.

Other than avoiding spikes, you will have to avoid bullets. Those rounded protrusions you see sticking out from the walls in the screenshots are cannons, shooting out bullets at specific intervals. You can touch the cannon, but can't touch a bullet. So you need to time your movement just right, often taking into account more than just one cannon.

When you strike out, you immediately start the level again - no waiting, no limited lives. Very very addictive. Eventually you get familiar enough with a level to "choreograph" it - i.e, you know exactly when to jump, when to run, and when to wait. And then, of course, you move to the next level.

The only slight downside here is that the soundtrack is too 8-bit for me, but I guess that's a personal thing. A superb time-waster.

Spikes Tend to Kill You is an super-fast retro platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/18/spikes-tend-to-kill-you-is-an-super-fast-retro-platformer-time-waster/

K. D. Aubert Karen Carreno Karolína Kurková Kasey Chambers

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again

We'd all rather be flown to some exotic, Caribbean location for our next corporate get-together, but in these hard economic times sometimes a good 'ol audio bridge makes the most sense. Increasingly those concalls are happening via some sort of VOIP bridge, and Plantronics' latest are ready for it. First up is the Calisto 800 series "multi speakerphone" devices, which offer connectivity to an analog phone line, a mobile phone over Bluetooth, and even a PC over USB. This lets you easily dial in to just about anything and naturally offers a full duplex speakerphone with noise cancellation and an LCD with caller ID. There's even an optional wireless microphone that you can plunk down on the table so the lamentations of the entire QA team will be picked up loud and clear.

Also new is a revised version of the Voyager Pro UC, a rather more traditional Bluetooth headset with an extended boom for better voice pickup and the ability to pair to a mobile phone and a PC (via a tiny USB adapter) simultaneously. It'll even do A2DP so you hold music won't be the only tunes you hear. Both appear to be available now, and both start at $199.95, putting them out of reach for most non-corporate attendees.

Continue reading Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again

Plantronics Calisto 800 speakerphone and Voyager Pro UC headset make concalls cool again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/plantronics-calisto-800-speakerphone-and-voyager-pro-uc-headset/

Julie Benz Julie Berry K. D. Aubert Karen Carreno

Slow-Mo Monk Throws Needle Through Sheet of Glass [Video]

A swift lob of a Shaolin monk's sewing needle through a sheet of glass has been slooooowed down for your viewing pleasure, and you know what? After the build-up, I still couldn't help jumping slightly. [Reddit via GawkerTV] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XhjNxhJmByE/slow+mo-monk-throws-needle-through-sheet-of-glass

Jamie Lynn Sigler Janet Jackson January Jones Jennie Finch

Volkswagen's New XL1 Plug-In Hybrid Promises 260 MPG [Cars]

Volkswagen is showing off their new XL1 prototype at the Qatar Motor Show, and they're proud of the fact it gets 261 miles per gallon with the plug-in electric/gas hybrid engine. But they're also excited it will go into production. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/sbP1TOYRAx4/volkswagens-new-xl1-plug+in-hybrid-promises-260-mpg

Soft Cell Sophia Bush Stacy Keibler Summer Altice