BlackBerry Torch 9850 Officially Coming to Verizon September 8th for $200

After over a month of speculation and rumors, Verizon is ready to get the BlackBerry Torch 9850 into the hands of eager customers. At a cost $50 higher than its arch CDMA nemesis (not to mention a couple weeks behind), Big Red has jumped aboard to offer the touch-only smartphone for $200 with a two-year agreement. The devices will begin selling online September 8th, with units showing up in stores a week later. 

 

 

New Moon Landing Sites Photos Are So Sharp They Show Detailed Rover Tire Marks

NASA showed images of the lunar landing sites in 2009, punching all moronic conspiracy theorists a new stupid face, Buzz Aldrin style. Now they have released new higher resolution shots taken again by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

These images were taken with the low-altitude Narrow Angle Camera, according to Arizona State University researcher Mark Robinson, principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC):

You can also clearly see the Lunar Modules' descent stages. Now, if they can get it any closer, we would like photos of Aldrin's used underpants.

Nokia Wants You to Create its Next Iconic Ringtone

On the streets, in crowded restaurants, and even in movies, you've likely heard the same song ad nauseam for the last seventeen years: the rockin' default ringtone used on virtually every Nokia device since 1994. And while it's evolved over the years, Espoo's always taken upon itself to choose the next version of the iconic tune. For the next iteration, however, the company is leaving it up to you to be the creative genius, and is offering a reward of $10,000 for the best one.

Five submissions will be chosen as runner-ups, each getting their entry offered in the Ovi store as well as a smaller cash prize for their efforts. So if you've always wanted to hear your own creation blasting out of millions of phones each and every day, now's your chance -- you have until October 2nd to get that spark of musical innovation.

 

 

Geeky Multi-Tool Clips to Your Belt Loop

The Guppie is basically a streamlined, stainless steel multi-tool combined with a carabiner. Need to open a bottle? There's the Guppie, hanging from your belt loop. Need to do something besides drinking? The Guppie packs a 2-inch blade, an adjustable wrench, a high-intensity LED light, and a hex driver with storage space for four bits into a 4 ounce package that's very flat. Not for every task, but it's a smart little tool for $40. Get it here

 

 

Netflix Lands in Brazil, 43 Other Latin American Countries Within the Week

Netflix promised our friends in Central and South America would soon be able to enjoy the pleasures of Watch Instantly. Starting today with Brazil, and with 43 other Latin American countries to follow before September 12th, the pioneering streaming video service is making good on that promise.

 Customers in the land of Carnival can enjoy a free one-month trial, after which a subscription will run $14.99 a month in Brazilian dollars. The roll out will be staggered over the coming days, with most areas getting a price point equivalent to $7.99 in American currency and some having both English and Spanish language options.

ASUS G74SX-A1 Gaming Laptop

The 1982 Lockheed Sea Shadow may be rusting away in Suisun Bay, but its Commie-spooking contours haven't been forgotten. They apparently inspired the design of the Asus G74SX-A1, which just won a HotHardware recommendation for its cheese-eschewing looks as well as its performance, efficient cooling and realistic $1749 price tag.

For once, the Core i7-2360QM CPU coupled with a GeForce GTX 560M and generous 12GB dollop of DDR-1333 RAM actually conspired to surpass the manufacturer's 3DMark benchmark claims. It wasn't flawless though: overall computing performance was middling compared to rivals; the speakers were shoddy when it came to producing music rather than explosions; and the 17.3-inch Full HD display was slightly wasted on some games that only ran smoothly with high quality settings at 1280x720. 

 

 

Apple’s Already Hiring New Product Security Managers

Apple has opened up a series of corporate-level jobs, reports observe. These include positions for two "new product security" managers, to be based in Apple's home in Cupertino. The people will be responsible for "overseeing the protection of, and managing risks to, Apple’s unreleased products and related intellectual property," according to a description. The company is known to go to extreme lengths to keep products secret, even requiring veils over hardware in its own secure labs.

It is also hiring three new iOS software developers to work with the Maps team. "We want to take Maps to the next level and rethink how people use maps, location and geo information," Apple says in one listing. The page mentions that a successful candidate will be responsible for "implementing high-level user interfaces, new and innovative features, fixing problems and enhancing the performance of Maps."

Apple has been hiring new help for iOS Maps and geolocation technology for several months. The company may be hoping to come up with its own alternative to Maps Navigation, a Google app common on Android smartphones but which hasn't arrived on iOS as originally promised. Apple has said it will roll out a "crowd-sourced traffic" service within the next two years.

 

 

Inflatable Bicycle Helmet or Unused Prop from an Alien Movie?

I really can't tell if this model's beautiful life is about to be saved or snuffed out by some kind of bulbous brain sucker.

The description makes it sound like an inflatable bike helmet but that could be because the writer had one on his or her head as well, and it was controlling their actions, because that's what these bulbous brain suckers do.

I'll err on the side of sanity and say this is a bike helmet, and that it was one of five projects that won an award at INDEX this year. Called Hövding, the design is the work of Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, and apparently erupts from the scarf around your neck when "it senses abnormal movement."

Yeah, anyway, for some reason or another I have this little suspicion that this helmet could be an example of form over function. Just a tad.

Microsoft Confirms Media Center will be in Windows 8

Windows Media Center fans can finally breathe again. After seemingly endless will they / won't they speculation Steven Sinofsky, the President of the Windows Division has confirmed in a blog post thatMedia Center will return for yet another go 'round in Windows 8. There's no word on any possible changes, only that the company has "work to do" concerning the quality and compatibility of add-ins. Wondering why it hasn't been in some pre-release builds?

 Between the potential for multiple SKUs (no details until closer to release, but it seems like you'll be looking for an Ultimate pack or something similar again to get everything) and simple engineering decisions as features are added and removed that's just the way it is. Another factor is that WMC isn't exactly mass market, as he cites stats indicating only 6 percent of Windows 7 users launched the app in July, with over half of those sessions lasting less than a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, IE apparently pops up on 88 percent of Windows 7 desktops.

 

 

Facebook Is Getting a Translate Button for Your International Friends

According to Inside Facebook, Facebook is currently testing a translate button for international users to getting around the language barrier. Facebook will provide a button to translate users' comments on the fly.

Inside Facebook reports that only a few languages, including Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Chinese, are currently supported, but that's just the start. The benefit of such a feature is pretty obvious; the people you couldn't talk to because the spoke another language can now be brought into the conversation. Cool. You potentially have the opportunity to broaden your circle of friends. But what about the privacy issue? Supposing you don't want people to translate the conversation you have with family members in your mother tongue? No word on that just yet. Hopefully Facebook gets it right.

 

 

Audi Announces A2 Electric Concept car, Uses Lasers to Ensure Safety of Future Humans

Lasers make everything better, including (but not limited to): microphones, kidneys and Audi's electric A2 concept. This newest flight of fancy uses a laser diode as the rear fog lamp, which projects a red triangle onto the road to let other drivers know you're there. The German car-maker has tricked out the rest of the EV's lighting system as well by implementing matrix beam technology using LEDs and microreflectors -- giving it high resolution, non-glaring beams and intelligent tail lights that change in intensity based on weather conditions. Claiming other state-of-the-art features like gesture controls instead of keys, and brake lights that glow brighter the harder you press, it sounds like this would be a pretty sweet ride -- if it ever makes it to market.

 

 

Amazon tablet coming in November for $250?

Much ink has been spilled in the rumor mill about a coming Amazonian tablet, and now those rumors look to be confirmed. Amazon is making the last few software tweaks before it goes on sale this November. The tablet is running a heavily skinned version of Android that was developed without any help from the folks in Mountain View. It apparently has a Cover Flow-esque UI, and is deeply integrated with all of Amazon's services (Cloud Player, Instant Video Player, Appstore, and of course the Kindle app). Best of all, it will reportedly cost a scant $250 -- not quite TouchPad territory, but well underneath the iPad's $500 price. Let the next great tablet war begin.

 

 

Mobee Magic Numpad for Your Magic Trackpad

Is the act of crunching numbers a daily task for you, and do you use a Magic Trackpad? Well, if actual keys or a calculator / mouse hybrid just aren't magical enough for you, then Mobee's Magic Numpad may just be. Despite its name, the Numpad is a $29 set of films that allows you to morph your Trackpad into one of three numeric "keypad" layouts, with software for enabling an on-screen calculator and setting macros. Adding Splenda to the strawberries, you'll also get a cleaning kit and erasable marker to customize your films even further. The Magic Numpad is available for pre-order now and should ship come this October.

 

 

Sony's Golden 'Magical Edition' PlayStation 3 Heads for Japan

The edition available will boast a 160GB hard drive, a single Dual Shock controller and a glorious icon on the lower-left of the machine. It'll be available in Japan this November for ¥33,780 ($440), but only in "limited quantities." So much for magic that lasts forever, huh?

 

 

Toshiba’s Wireless SD Goes Both Ways

Wireless SD cards are a smart product for forgetful/lazy/busy people. Toshiba's new FlashAir card is the first which allows you to transfer data both to and from the card—an idea that's got a lot of potential.

Eye-Fi's wireless cards are awesome. They allow you to automatically beam photos to your computer over Wi-Fi, and in the absence of a wireless network, to blast them directly to any device that can connect to Wi-Fi. Toshiba's FlashAir card does the same, but can both send and receive data wirelessly. If the technology catches on and there are two compliant devices—cameras for example—in range, they'll be able to exchange data as well.

The FlashAir is a logical evolution of wireless SD. The question is what exactly would you use it for? Toshiba clearly envisions people sharing photos between cameras, but that's actually not the best idea. Pro photographers will tell you that shooting photos with multiple cameras on one card can lead to corrupt files. Wireless hard drives already exist. Perhaps these cards could be useful as more tablets with expandable memory are released. Get it here.

 

 

I Hope These Philips Headphones Sound as Good as They Look

Philips hasn't really been a high-end manufacturer of anything for awhile now, so who knows how good they'll actually sound. But the company says that their semi-open-back headphones will have 40mm drivers that were designed and calibrated by the Philips Golden Ears panel of specialists. 

But there's a bit of a conceptual issue with these things: the inline iPhone remote/mic suggests they're to be used outside of the house. But unless you enjoy the general public hearing everything spilling forth from your phone, who would use a semi-open headphone anywhere but the privacy of one's own home? Expected to retail in the UK soon for somewhere around £250.

 

 

Toshiba's Glasses free 3D TV Launches in Europe This December

If you've been waiting for someone to take the glasses part out of the current 3D TV viewing experience, Toshiba has finally put a launch date on its glasses-free 3D TV.

The world's first to be available to the public at the size, the ZL2 will take its place at the top of the company's range of sets when it launches this December in Germany complete with an LED-backlit QuadHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) LCD panel and Cell-processor basedCEVO engine technology within. The set will cost 7,999 euros when the 55-inch version launches. 

 

 

Facebook to Launch Music Service on September 22

CNBC is now confidently reporting that Facebook is set to launch a music service of some sort on September 22nd, which conveniently lines up with the company's F8 developer conference. Could that service also include a dash of Spotify? Maybe some Vibes?

 

 

The Sony Reader Wi-Fi

The Sony Reader isn't all that much presence in the States, where the market is largely dominated by Amazon, and, to a lesser extent, Barnes & Noble. The Sony Reader Wi-Fi does go a ways toward keeping up with the competition, offering up WiFi, an touchscreen, and the Pearl E-Ink display seen on past versions. 

The hardware is nice, though it doesn't feel quite as natural in the hand as the Nook or Kobo. The software also zips along quite nicely, and pinch to zoom functionality is certainly a welcome addition in the e-reader market. Unlike many other Sony Readers, the thing also does well for itself pricewise, at $149.

 

 

Samsung Launches YP-R2, YP-Z3, MP3 HD Compatible PMPs

Samsung has had its sights set on a PMP with MP3 HD support for some time now -- first announcing (and later killing) the IceTouch in 2010, and now launching the YP-R2 and YP-Z3 in markets including Russia and Korea. Claiming that the lossy/lossless HD MP3 sound is five times better than the standard variety, the company will put it to the test with access to Melon, Korea's largest 2.2 million song music store.

So far, Samsung has only confirmed the R2 has a 3-inch WQVGA full touch display, is .3-inches thick and weighs around 52 grams, while the Z3, on the other hand has a 1.8-inch display and measures in at 36 grams. The music players also support photo and text viewing, FM radio and 5.1-channel surround sound. 

The R2 comes in black and silver and costs 149,000 KRW ($140) for 4GB, and 169,000 KRW ($160) for 8GB. The Z3 comes in white, pink and blue and costs 89,000 KRW ($83) for 4GB, and 119,000 KRW for 8GB ($110).