Comedian Stephen Colbert is hosting the Grammys, and to mark the occasion of “Song of the Year” (Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)), he pulled out his shiny new iPad.

Notable because it’s one of the first out in the open (is he “the first?”). Also notable: No iPads in those obscene celebrity gift baskets people get for attending these things (Jay-Z didn’t even get one, Colbert mocked).

And yes, this looked to be the real deal, as you could see the screen changing from portrait to landscape as the moved the iPad around.

Update: Now with video.

Portland, Oregon is so into the green movement that they’re going to cover their federal building from floor to ceiling with a 200-ft. wall made from living, breathing vegetation.

The living wall is more than just a pretty facade, however, as city officials claim it will lead to savings of about $280,000 per year in energy costs. Add in some solar panels (also part of the overall $133 million plan), and the building will use about 60-65% less energy than a similar-sized office.

And, being a plant, the multi-fin wall is seasonal. Designers say that in the summer its foliage will provide cooling shade; in the winter months the wall will thin, providing light when the weather cooperates.

One issue yet to be tackled by architects is irrigation. Rainwater from the roof is one suggestion, while water recycled from the building’s plumbing is another.

Another issue is cost. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma have both criticized the project for being a complete waste of economic stimulus money (see also: The Bridge to Nowhere). Even so, the project is on track for completion in 2013. [New York Times]

Portland, Oregon is so into the green movement that they’re going to cover their federal building from floor to ceiling with a 200-ft. wall made from living, breathing vegetation.

The living wall is more than just a pretty facade, however, as city officials claim it will lead to savings of about $280,000 per year in energy costs. Add in some solar panels (also part of the overall $133 million plan), and the building will use about 60-65% less energy than a similar-sized office.

And, being a plant, the multi-fin wall is seasonal. Designers say that in the summer its foliage will provide cooling shade; in the winter months the wall will thin, providing light when the weather cooperates.

One issue yet to be tackled by architects is irrigation. Rainwater from the roof is one suggestion, while water recycled from the building’s plumbing is another.

Another issue is cost. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma have both criticized the project for being a complete waste of economic stimulus money (see also: The Bridge to Nowhere). Even so, the project is on track for completion in 2013. [New York Times]

In this case the burning sensation is “delicious,” not “first degree and could result in your death.” And apparently it really works too, although the advertised “time to awaken” period seems a bit too long for my taste.

Effective over an area of 50 feet, the Wasabi alarm can typically wake people up within two-and-a-half minutes. Update: This is a non-traditional fire alarm, for the deaf community. With that in mind, this could certainly save lives.

Two years ago this alarm was but a concept. Now it’s a $560 (?!?!) reality. [CNET via Technabob]

Amazon has given in to Macmillan, and will switch to a pricing model that sees eBook versions of bestseller and new hardcover releases offered to customers at $12.99 to $14.99. The official statement is as follows:

Dear Customers:

Macmillan, one of the “big six” publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.

We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it’s reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don’t believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.

Kindle is a business for Amazon, and it is also a mission. We never expected it to be easy!

Thank you for being a customer.

Well, that was quick. [Kindle Community]

Um, okay? Just days after Apple introduced its exceedingly underwhelming iPad while simultaneously attempting to convince that masses that said product was the portable gaming device they had been waiting their whole lives for, Sony’s own hardware marketing honcho has come forward and extolled Cupertino’s decision to finally make the gaming leap. In a recent interview, John stated the following:

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

While we can’t seem to shake the suspicion that Mr. Koller is drawing links that probably don’t exist (at least fully) in reality, research firm NPD does show that sales of the PSP have “nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007.” Of course, it’s not like the PSP has gained functionality, become the home of more than a few killer titles and spawned a UMD-less sibling since the heydays of ‘07, but hey — who are we to question the suit?

Sony’s John Koller: Apple’s entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The comparisons to another recently revealed tablet are unavoidable, but believe you me the similarities end with the aesthetics. Inside there’s Windows 7, flash support and multitouch. In fact, the more apt comparison is probably “netbook,” as you can see:

There’s the Atom N270 processor, running at 1.6Ghz, for example. And then there’s the 2GB of memory and solid state 32GB drive. Lastly, the replaceable battery on this 8.9-in. multitouch tablet is clocked at a mere four hours, which doesn’t seem that great (saving grace being that is replaceable).

Pricing is set at $599 when it launches in March. Impatient types can buy a non-multitouch prototype for $780 right now. [ExoPC via Engadget]

According to a report in Wired (and a source whom the publication says “could not be named”), Steve Jobs spoke to an audience of Apple employees at a town hall in Cupertino and… pulled zero punches. If you believe what you read, Jobs tackled a handful of major issues that have been buzzing the company lately, namely its run-ins with Google on a number of topics, and the lack of Flash support in its mobile devices (most notably in the upcoming iPad). On Google, Jobs had this to say: “We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them.” According to the attendee, another topic was brought up but Steve wouldn’t let the Google issue go, stating his thoughts on the company’s famous ‘Don’t be evil’ line. In Steve’s words? “It’s bullshit.”

Furthermore Jobs had a handful of choice words for Adobe, calling the company “lazy” and claiming that “Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5.” Of course, these amazing nuggets of wisdom come from a source which Engadget cannot verify, so it’s possible there are misquotes or items taken out of context, though from the sounds of things, this kind of talk falls right in line with what we’d expect from the man who said Microsoft “had no taste” and makes “really third-rate products.” We eagerly await Eric Schmidt’s response.

CE-Oh no he didn’t? Part LXVII: Steve Jobs lashes out at Google, calls Adobe ‘lazy’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like the market certainly is getting flooded with tablet computers. Next up is the ExoPC Slate, which looks rather similar to Apple’s recently announced iPad. Since the ExoPC Slate is powered by Windows 7, you’ll be able to do more than a few things that the iPad can’t do, such as multitasking. This 8.9-inch multitouch tablet is priced at $599, which should put it on par with the 32GB iPad, in terms of price point anyways. Specifications of the ExoPC Slate include:

• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
• Powered by Windows 7
• 2GB of DDR2 memory
• 32GB SSD with SD card expansion.
• 4 hour battery life with the included user-replaceable battery.

Permalink: ExoPC Slate Looks Vaguely Like The Apple iPad from Ubergizmo | Hot: Nexus One Review

There’s nothing new coming your way in terms of aesthetics from MSI’s line of “C” laptops, but under the hood we’ve got Core i Series processors. One of these fellas even sports an ATI Radeon HD5470 graphics card.

The full laptop line includes the CX420, CR420 and CR720. The CX420 sports the aforementioned graphics card. Beyond the chipset and the one graphics-card-sporting laptop, this line isn’t all that exciting (e.g. ho-hum 1366 x 768 14-inch display). That said, this is a budget line, and MSI could very well surprise with some competitive pricing (pricing and release date were not made available in the PR). [MSI via Engadget]