The case against enterprise micro-blogging
Twitter and its clones seem like a good idea for the enterprise-until you realize that the short message format is just no good for business.
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Limited edition Lego Mindstorms NXT brings back a decade of memories
We'll just go ahead and warn you -- don't even think of giving the read link any attention if you're both a) a Lego freak and b) strapped for cash. Otherwise, you'll definitely be $169.99 further away from paying the light bill next month, as the limited edition Mindstorms Black NXT Brick is simply a must-have item for even amateur collectors. The device, which was created to celebrate ten years of Mindstorms, boasts four input ports, a trio of output ports for motors, a large dot-matrix display, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, a 32-bit microprocessor and a digital wire interface for third-party developments. We'd get in line now if you want to be assured of a piece come March 3rd, but that's totally your call.
[Via GoRobotics]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Limited edition Lego Mindstorms NXT brings back a decade of memories originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sudo robot begrudgingly makes sandwiches on command
Not that we haven't seen cooking robots before, but there's just something distinctly awesome about one that whips up a sandwich. Particularly one that kvetches first, and then gives in and makes a sandwich. Bre Pettis' Sudo robot isn't exactly sophisticated -- anything more than a simple grilled cheese is asking a bit much -- but even that should be plenty for the average college student. Check the read link to see it in action, and don't be surprised to see Subway pick this up and tweak it for use with multiple toppings and condiments.
[Via Digg]
Filed under: Robots
Sudo robot begrudgingly makes sandwiches on command originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon Caves to Snippy Authors: Kindle’s Text-to-Voice Feature Now Optional [Kindle 2]
We reported the Author's Guild's litigious anger about the Kindle 2's text-to-voice feature, claiming it violates audio book copyrights. It's an arguable position, but Amazon has gone ahead and caved to the literate man.
Amazon has backed down for the Guild's comfort rather than for any legal motivation, since it's pretty clear that a robotic reading isn't the same as an audio book. "We strongly believe many rights holders will be more comfortable with the text-to-speech feature if they are in the driver's seat," Amazon said.
But instead of removing the feature, Amazon has simply made it optional, so publishers can decide for themselves what's best for their property. That means it's unlikely the much-advertised (though not necessarily much-loved) feature is going to be too useful for Kindle 2 owners. We're not thrilled, since the Guild has no real legal leg to stand on and seems to need Amazon more than Amazon needs them, but then again, we're not fancy-pants authors. [CNET]
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Data on Obama’s helicopter breached via P2P?
Security company Tiversa says the country has obtained engineering and communications information about Marine One, likely via a compromised file swap on a peer-to-peer service.
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Suddenly, Twitter’s the rage with D.C. politicos
Missouri's U.S. senator becomes the latest to make waves with the microblogging site--this time suggesting when Obama would announce his choice for Health and Human Services head.
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Mozilla Bespin: Cloud code editing via browser
Mozilla Labs is pushing into the cloud with an experiment called Bespin, a browser-based editor. While still a Mozilla Labs project, Bespin looks like an excellent "cloud editor."
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Hearst developing e-reader, charging for e-news
Company behind about 16 daily and 49 weekly newspapers, as well as hundreds of magazines, says it's going to launch its own e-reader and start charging for some online content.
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Asus P835 Touchscreen Phone Packs WVGA Display [Asus]
Asus' out-of-nowhere P835 smartphone is packing some pretty decent specs, from an 800x480 touchscreen to HSPA support for lightning-fast downloads, but it's still packing Windows Mobile 6.1. Still, it's worth a look.
Here's the rundown:
?｢どｨｬ｢ HSPA (DL: 7.2Mbps, UL: 2Mbps), UMTS 900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Class 12
?｢どｨｬ｢ Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
?｢どｨｬ｢ 3.5" WVGA (800x480), no word on resistive or capacitive
?｢どｨｬ｢ 4 GB internal storage plus MicroSDHC slot
?｢どｨｬ｢ WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0
?｢どｨｬ｢ Push email is supported
?｢どｨｬ｢ 5 MP camera
?｢どｨｬ｢ Looks like it's packing Flash support
?｢どｨｬ｢ 1100mAh battery, which sounds a little underpowered
It's a pretty nice-looking piece of kit, and there's no word on a US carrier or price yet, but we'll keep an eye on it. [Wireless and Mobile News]
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The Japanese Turn Up Their Noses at Your Precious iPhone [Japanese Dealzmodo]
Apparently our beloved national institution, the iPhone, isn't such a big hit in Japan. It's doing so poorly that Softbank, its Japanese carrier, is offering the 8GB iPhone free with a contract. Update:
Wired points to the iPhone's high monthly plan, lack of multimedia messaging support, and dependence on a computer for syncing as the main obstacles to popularity in Japan. Many in Japan use a cell phone as the primary computing device and have foregone a full-sized computer, so the iPhone's requirement is a dealbreaker. Western companies historically have had trouble cracking the Japanese market (Microsoft and Nokia could attest), so it's not necessarily a shocker that Softbank is reduced to giving the suckers away.
Update: Nobi, one of the leading iPhone proponents in Japan, seems to have been misquoted or at least misunderstood in the Wired article. He explains, at length, that he thinks the iPhone isn't a failure in Japan, considering it's sold anywhere from 300,000 to 400,000 units to date. He acknowledges that it's not necessarily the perfect phone for Japanese users, due to its lack of TV, emoji (Japanese emoticons), and Osaifu-Keitai (an automated scanning/payment system), but that it's still quite hip and not "lame" like the Wired article alleges. The problem mostly seems to be a matter of perception: Japanese newspapers have printed stories about the iPhone's failure, even though that's a bit misleading. But certainly the iPhone is not a huge, game-changing hit in Japan as it is here in the States. [Wired]
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