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One Click Root / Unroot Comes to the Droid X

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:33:07 GMT

The Motorola Droid X was rooted a few days ago, but that required users to follow a long and somewhat confusing set of instructions. This method is far easier: download the file, unzip, and unroot. Rooting an Android device is sort of along the same lines as jailbreaking on an iPhone. It allows you to run apps that require root access, and on some devices allows the installation of custom ROMs. The new, easier, rooting procedure comes via the same forum that gave users the "long method," AllDroid. The poster

T-Mobile G1 Is No Longer For Sale: An Android Legend Passes On

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:19:20 GMT

It's the end of an era, but honestly, it's not an end that we're going to be tearing up about. T-Mobile's G1 has just left the building, which is somewhat sad to hardcore Android lovers, but it's a great sign of forward progress for everyone else. The HTC-built G1 is largely remembered as the world's first Android phone, and the design at the time was something of a novelty. Today, hundreds of Android phones exist, but none were as old, sluggish and limited as the G1. At the time of its birth, the G1 was a huge

Apple Adds Extensions To Safari 5: Finally Ready To Match Firefox?

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:34:14 GMT

One of our primary problems with Safari when we took an in-depth look at it last year was this: no wide-ranging plug-in support as there is with Firefox. For power users who love to browse the Web their own way, using third-party plug-ins to enhance their experience, Safari just never has lived up to Firefox. It's fast, passes the ACID test without issue and is available for both Mac and PC, but the inability to install extensions kept it from becoming one of the best browsers out. This week, Apple has finally

Redbox Goes Blu: Blu-ray Discs For $1.50 Per Night Now Available

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:33:40 GMT

Redbox. Just saying the name brings a smile to most faces, particularly those movie lovers with a box or two nearby. We have heard in the past that the company is planning to compete with Netflix and is still in a "beta phase" when it comes to pricing, but now we're learning that Redbox is going Blue. Or, we should say "Blu." The company made famous for putting $1/night DVD kiosks into grocery stores, Walmart stores and just about any other retail location where they were allowed has just expanded their services

Shoot and Upload with Samsung's Wi-Fi Enabled ST80 Digital Camera

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:40:00 GMT

Samsung's ST80 digital camera might be just the cure for social networking nuts who get the shakes when unplugging from cyberspace for too long. That's because the ST80 is Samsung's latest in a line of Wi-Fi enabled point-and-shoots, meaning Little Miss Molly MySpace and Freddy Facebook can fling those Kodak Samsung moments online from any hotspot instead of having to rush home to fire up their PC. "We want to let people share their favorite pictures quickly while they’re on the move, and the ST80 does

NZXT Unveils Phantom Enthusiast Full Tower Chassis

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:39:05 GMT

NZXT Unveils Phantom Enthusiast Full Tower Chassis Flagship enclosure offers exhilarating design with unrivaled combination of high performance cooling advantages, extensive expandability, and innovative screwless installation El Monte, CA – July 28, 2010 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce Phantom, the company’s most elegant and intelligent chassis design to date. Phantom exudes sophistication with pristine contours and a robust menu

Toshiba Intros CELL-Equipped REGZA 3D HDTVs

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:50:36 GMT

With Sony leading the 3D push in the home, you shouldn't be surprised that Sony already has a couple of 3D HDTV models headed to market. But when a market leader like Sony makes a move, it only takes a small amount of time for the "other guys" to catch up and do likewise. That's exactly what has happened here, with Toshiba adding some much needed competition to the 3D HDTV market. Currently, these sets are all rather expensive and few size/model options exist. We still aren't convinced that 3D has a place in

Best Buy Offering Free Antennagate Solution

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:01:00 GMT

Best Buy is offering the aptly named invisibleSHIELD 4fix, free, to certain iPhone 4 customers. Based on the image above, this invisibleSHIELD, unlike others, only covers the sides of the device, which would make it perfect as a cover-up to "Antennagate." invisibleSHIELD has marketed its products for various devices in the past, and they are supposedly scratch-proof and cover the front and / or back of the device. The offer applies to those who purchased their iPhone 4 from Best Buy or for Best Buy Reward Zone

Will RIM's Revamped BlackBerry Take On The iPhone?

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:34:06 GMT

RIM is expected to reveal a new touchscreen BlackBerry next week. The BlackBerry 9800 is expected to feature a new operating system, a revamped web browser, and a full slide-out keyboard. With these features, many are hoping the new phone will better compete against the likes of the Apple iPhone and other popular smartphones on the market today. The launch of the BlackBerry 9800 is expected at a joint event between RIM and AT&T next Tuesday, and AT&T is expected to get exclusive rights to sell the device.

Amazon Replaces Kindle With Revised Kindle: Faster, Slimmer, Sharper

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:46:49 GMT

Well, that explains that, doesn't it? 24 hours after Amazon's Kindle mysteriously appeared as being "out of stock" from Amazon themselves, the company has just revealed the latest generation of Kindle. The name isn't changing (it's still called "Kindle"), but the form factor has been tweaked, a new color has been added and it's faster in use. The new Kindle will be available in both graphite and white, the former being first introduced by the new Kindle DX a few weeks ago. According to the company, the device

Asus Ion 2-Powered Eee PC 1201PN - HH Review

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:39:28 GMT

Around seven months ago, we were able to review one of the more advanced netbooks out at the time, the Eee PC 1201N. It was one of the first netbooks to integrate a graphics chip known as the NVIDIA Ion. The Eee PC 1201PN retains many of the same features and nearly the exact same form factor as the original, but it utilizes the next-generation of Ion (we'll call it Ion 2 throughout), which is based on a discrete NVIDIA GeForce 210M GPU. But have the minor hardware upgrades and the Ion 2 chip made this

Internet Explorer 9 Beta Due Slated for September

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:55:25 GMT

Most of us here behind the scenes roll through the Web with Firefox or Chrome, but for those of you still clinging to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, you'll have a new browser to play with in September. That's when the Redmond software juggernaut will push out the first fully fledged beta (as opposed to that highly limited Preview release floating around) of its next-gen browser, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said during a financial keynote. We have little reason to doubt Turner's time frame

Google Implementing Licensing Server To Protect Android Apps From Piracy

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:51:44 GMT

If you're an Android app developer, and you have been troubled in the past by ill-willed people stealing your apps and then hosting them online for others to download, it's evident that Google is listening to your squealing. Apple's App Store has been seen as relatively secure when it comes to copy protection on apps; while it's theoretically possible to jailbreak your iPhone and then download/install illicit applications without paying, it's definitely an arduous process that many don't care to even get involved

HH and CyberPower Independence Day Sweepstakes!

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:45:00 GMT

To commemorate the July 4th Idependance Day holiday, in conjunction with our good friends at CyberPower, Intel, Kingston, and CoolerMaster, we're giving away yet another full, quad-core powered system! This time around, you could win a full Intel Core i7-875K-based system, complete with a GeForce GTS 250 1GB graphics card, an Intel SSD and 4GB of Kingston RAM! The complete parts list and breakdown is listed below! As we've done with previous sweepstakes, we’ll be giving away this rig away to a randomly

Commission Affirms NVIDIA Violated Rambus Patents

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:07:20 GMT

The International Trade Commission has announced its findings in the NVIDIA/Rambus patent infringement lawsuit and it's not the sort of ruling Team Green would've preferred. The commission found NVIDIA to be in violation of three Rambus patents. The trade panel also granted an injunction Rambus had requested, which theoretically prevents NVIDIA and the various companies attached to the lawsuit (Asus, HP, Palit, and MSI among others) from selling products that contain the infringing IP. This last bit sounds more

NVIDIA's Latest Verde Drivers Enhance Optimus Customizations

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:12:36 GMT

NVIDIA has made themselves known as a hardware company, and more recently, an innovation company. The company used to battle with ATI in the GPU department, but now they compete with ARM, Intel and Qualcomm in the microprocessor market. But that's not all. NVIDIA is also one of the pioneers in 3D for PCs, and now that they have a solid footing in the graphics market, they're looking to really pull ahead with software innovations. You may wonder what software has to do with improved GPUs, but there's actually

Blu-ray Reaches 100GB Capacity

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:38:42 GMT

Thanks to high definition video, pictures, and other digital files, we need increased amounts of storage. Soon, the storage capacity of Blu-ray discs could double. In fact, companies such as Sharp, TDK, and Verbatim are already making plans to launch new discs that can store up to 100GB of data. According to a statement, Sharp will start selling a Blu-ray disc with a capacity of 100GB in Japan starting today. The VR-100BR1 disc conforms to the BDXL format specification announced in April by the Blu-ray Disc

AVADirect Introduces Two New 3D Gaming Notebooks

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:37:07 GMT

AVADirect Introduces Two New 3D Gaming Notebooks Twinsburg, OH – July 28, 2010 - AVADirect, a recognized leader in the computer industry, introduces two innovative 3D notebooks to its lineup of mobile platforms. Just like the latest movies and televisions, notebooks are evolving from 2D to 3D. Powered by revolutionary NVIDIA 3D Vision technology, hundreds of games, photos, movies, and websites can now be experienced in 3D today! Both the Clevo W860CU 3D and the ASUS G51JX-3D have all of the components

Origin PC Now Offering OCZ Vertex 2 SSDs In Custom PCs

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:17:54 GMT

It's not easy out there for pre-fab PC makers. You're competing against giants like Dell, HP and Lenovo, and you're trying to sway consumers to purchase your brand even though you aren't running TV ads every half-hour. But when you look at a company like Alienware, you know it's still possible to hold an edge if you carve out your own niche. Origin PC is one of the newest pre-fab PC builders on the market, still looking to gain significant market share and attempting to offer unique components that the other

Panasonic Debuts World's First 3D Consumer Camcorder: HDC-SDT750

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:57:20 GMT

It had to occur sooner or later, and at the rate that the 3D bandwagon is exploding, it was a safe bet to assume "sooner." In Japan today, Panasonic revealed what they are calling the "world's first 3D consumer camcorder." As you've seen based on the amount of 3D movies available in cinemas, this obviously is not the world's first 3D camcorder, but it's the first to be sold and marketed towards consumers. It's a bold move by Panasonic to be first at this, particularly since consumers have been slow to adopt

Gimme That Old-Time (Apple) Religion: Researchers

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:02:02 GMT

Apple's fans are so devoted that they have been called a "cult." A pair of researchers at Texas A&M have gone still further. The professors, Heidi A. Campbell and Antonio C. La Pastina have written a paper that says the sheer adoration and lack of fault-finding by Apple fans isn't a cult, but a religion. The iPhone, after all, has been nicknamed the "Jesus Phone," and long before the researchers used that term in their own paper. According to the researchers, it's this devotion to the church of Apple that

Hacker Figures Out How To Make ATM Spew Cash, Tells The World About It

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:09:29 GMT

In need of extra cash? Who isn't, right? If you're a smart hacker, you may be able to make a small fortune by simply tricking an ATM or two into spitting out money for you. We know that sounds crazy, and it certainly is, but it's true nonetheless. At the annual Black Hat conference -- where hackers and security experts gather to make public certain loopholes in order to encourage companies to fix them -- Barnaby Jack was able to demonstrate how he could trick an ATM into spitting out all of its cash, and more.

AT&T Will Be Premier Vendor For Windows Phone 7

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:25:12 GMT

The jury is still out as to whether or not Microsoft's upcoming mobile OS, Windows Phone 7, will succeed but if AT&T has any influence in the matter, things are looking good for the Redmond-based software manufacturer. Via email, an AT&T spokeswoman said, "We'll be the premier carrier for Windows Phone 7." She continued saying, "We haven't given guidance on timing." Last week, well-known Altimeter Group analyst Michael Gartenberg sent out a tweet that claimed AT&T had signed up to purchase 8 million

DoJ Sends Chi Mei Exec to the Slammer for LCD Price Fixing

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:02:00 GMT

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha you gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when the U.S. Department of Justice slaps you silly for conspiring to fix prices of LCD panels on a global scale? So maybe the actual theme song goes a little differently than that, but we have an answer to the question nonetheless. When the DoJ lobs a legal backhand your way for bending the public over and kicking them in the wallet, you're going to serve time in jail. That's the self-imposed plight Wen-Hung "Amigo" Huang, a former executive from Chi

Bose Flies High with New A20 Aviation Headset

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:15:00 GMT

If you think PC gamers have an expensive hobby, well, you're right, but holy moly do those $150 headphones feel like Blue Light specials compared to the new Bose A20 Aviation Headset, the latest pair of earbuds aimed at pilots. These things run $1,095, or $995 without the the Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity feature thrown into the mix. So what does this have to do with PCs? Nothing really, but we're suckers for technology, and the A20s have that in spades. And if we're to believe Bose, the A20 is the "most