Proxlet Chrome Browser Extension For Twitter

Proxlet is a browser extension (for Chrome) that allows you to mute users temporarily and filter tags on Twitter. The best part about it is that you can use it temporarily — say, if you want to mute somebody just during a Twitter party or something. There are also versions for TweetDeck Desktop, and mobile versions for Seesmic for Android.

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Toshiba teases Android 3.0 tablet that launches “this spring”

Everyone’s at the tablet business, including Toshiba – which has set up the web site The Toshiba Tablet in order to promote a forthcoming 10.1″ Android tablet it claims is “coming this spring”.

The “Toshiba Tablet” will come in five colours, with Flash support, an HDMI out and the very latest tablet-specific version of Android onboard. Here it is:

Click on that “Specifications” tab to the right of the image and Toshiba lists “Android Honeycomb” as the tablet’s OS, says the screen resolution is a 16:10 aspect ratio 1280×800, plus there are dual 5megapixel rear and 2megapixel front-facing cameras.

And it’s another Tegra 2 powered model. Nvidia is on fire.

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Active Media Products Debuts 22-Caliber Silver Bullet Shaped USB Flash Drive

Active Media Products, a leading manufacturer of SSDs, DOMs and USB drives, today launched a 22-caliber silver bullet shaped USB 2.0 flash drive. "The Bullet-2 drive is the ultimate USB drive because it is rugged, reliable, waterproof, dustproof, small enough to comfortably fit on your keychain, and is a classical icon of form", stated Active Media Products VP of Sales, Jerry Thomson.

The Bullet-2 is AMP's second style of bullet shaped USB drive. Both Bullet-1 and Bullet-2 models are encased in air tight aluminum enclosures that protect all data from harsh environments such as water, snow, sand and dust. Bullet-1, in gold color, is shaped like a 50-caliber bullet, while the silver-colored Bullet-2 is in the form of a 22-caliber shell.

The bullet includes a strong steel keychain and clip for attaching the drive to a backpack or keyring. This new bullet drive is available now through Amazon, at approximately $14 for the 4GB model and $21 for the 8GB drive. For more information, visit the product page.

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Transcend StoreJet 35T3 USB 3.0 external hard drive

The newest external hard hard drive by Transcend measures 172.4 x 152.4 × 44.8mm,  packs 3.5 -inch SATA Hard Disk with 7200 RPM and 32MB buffer and offers USB 3.0 interface.

The StoreJet 35T3 has sleek black casing and supports data transfer rates up to 130MB/s. It also feature One Touch auto-backup button for instantly backup and synchronize data with your  computer,  it automatically goes into power-saving sleep mode after ten minutes of inactivity, which allowing energy-savings of nearly 70%. It is backed by three-year warranty and comes bundled with the StoreJet Elite software that offers advanced 256-bit AES file and folder encryption, intelligent backup scheduling, Internet tools and advanced security features.

The Transcend StoreJet 35T3 is now available in 2TB capacity for €124.

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Free E-Reader Blio Announces September 28th Launch Date

The battle of the e-readers is about to get a new contestant. K-NFB just announced that their anticipated Blio e-reading program will launch on September 28th for Windows. Android and iOS systems (iPhone, iPad, etc) will follow soon thereafter. Blio has several key selling points. Downloading the reader itself is free, and K-NFB has promised that there will be a million free titles available at the time of launch. Blio is a full color reader and can fully preserve a book’s layout and format, allowing you to read it the same way it was printed or to restructure it for easier access on mobile devices. The e-reader supports note-taking, embedded multimedia, and allows you to freely move your titles from one device to another via a virtual library. It will feature text to speech technology from Nuance, the makers of the Dragon Dictation App we loved. Ray Kurzweil, founder of K-NFB, is wagering that Blio’s advantages will propel it into a fiercely competitive market that is already packed with e-readers.

As we’ve seen in our previous reviews of the technology (here and here), Blio certainly has enough bells and whistles to make it a success. Full color pages that turn in 3D and textbooks with embedded videos are both pretty impressive. However, in the battle of digital reading Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iBooks, and the Sony Reader have all been successful and are all (generally) based on their own hardware. Blio doesn’t have a dedicated hardware platform, and it’s unclear whether that will ultimately help or hinder it.

K-NFB has worked hard to secure support on the publishing side of their enterprise. They are partnered with Baker & Taylor, the world’s largest book distributor, and have secured more than 100 publishers to add titles to their library. Publishers include all the biggest names: Hachette, Harper Collins, Penguin, MacMillan, Random House, and Simon & Schuster. Yet the same names regularly make their titles available through the other e-readers as well. It will be interesting to see if publishers prefer the Blio platform because it can preserve their original formatting. No word yet on pricing agreements, which would be the other, and larger, consideration for securing publisher support.

Singularity Hub could be seen as biased towards Ray Kurzweil and his work, so I’m trying hard to come up with some fair and balanced criticisms for Blio. Certainly its late arrival to the e-reader race could be a negative, as could its lack of dedicated hardware. Textbooks won’t be available at first, and there is already strong competition there too, as we’ve recently seen.

But all of these are business considerations. When it comes to the platform itself I’m mostly positive. Blio is free, there will be a large library of free titles (Baker & Taylor have promised another 10,000 sometime after launch), and you can move your titles from device to device without paying. To me that means investing in the new reader when it comes out will be very low-risk. I still have questions about loading speeds, pricing & availability for pay-to-read titles, and usability. There’s no guarantee that Blio will be the next big e-reader…but I am very likely to try it out, especially once they make it available for iPhones.

[image credits: K-NFB]

[source: Blio Press Release via BusinessWire, Blio Twitter Feed]

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Wortmann announces Windows 7-powered 10-inch tablet PC

Wortmann is jumping onto the tablet train too and will later this month be releasing the Terra Pad 1050, a 850 grams tablet PC based on Intel's Pine Trail platform which runs Windows 7 Home Premium.

The mobile device has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) multi-touch screen, a 1.66 GHz Atom N455 processor, GMA 3150 integrated graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB solid state drive, a webcam, WiFi (3G is optional), and two USB ports.

The Terra Pad 1050 has a base price tag of €529 and will be backed by a two-year warranty.

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Clickfree Wireless backup drive up for grabs in the US

Clickfree's latest backup solution, which is claimed to be the "world's first backup product that backs up every PC and Mac without having to be plugged into the computers," has become available in the US and can be purchased from its maker's site for $180.

The Clickfree Wireless packs a 500GB hard drive, has a USB 2.0 interface and utilizes the BackupLink technology to automatically backup data from multiple systems (Windows or Mac OS-based) that are connected to a specific router. This device does not require any software installation on the backed-up PCs so even less technical users can have it set up quickly and easily. 

Those interested can get the Clickfree Wireless via this page .

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Buffalo coming out with more hardware encryption-boasting flash drives

Buffalo Technology is currently readying the release of the RUF2-HSC-T Series of flash drives which enable enhanced data protection thanks to their built-in AES 256-bit hardware encryption system.

Set for a late November debut, the drives measure 55 x 8 x 20 mm, weight just 10 grams, have a slide-out USB (2.0) connector, are backed by a one-year warranty and will come in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, priced from $154 to $694.

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LG “Honeycomb” Tablet Release in 2011

Want some news about LG's new Android tablet powerhouse?

Last we heard from the Korean tech giant LG, it was scrapping plans for Froyo and looking forward to a more suitable version of Android for their tablets, which a senior official at the company has today clarified to mean Honeycomb, describing it as the "tablet PC-version" of the OS.

LG plans right now are to release the 8.9-inch LG Pad in the first quarter of 2011, boasting that it'll come with a dual-core Tegra 2 chip inside -- the release window is said to be for both domestic and overseas markets.

LG has not given any official statement about the devices.  Which is interesting.

It seems whoever the cited official in this piece, he was dishing details that LG doesn't want the world to know yet. LG's PR team has also pulled a tweet about this story, with no statement as to why.

We also know of the other LG Optimus Android Tablets/Slates, the Optimus One and the Optimus Chic .  Both of them feature the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, and probably will reach worldwide. The Optimus Chic is targeted at young customers, but the Optimus One is an entry-level device.

The  LG Optimus One has a 600MHz cpu plus a 3.2 inch wide HVGA screen sporting a long life battery to provide up to 450 minutes of talk time and of course a touch screen. The Optimus one also has a 3Mp camera and micro sd slot (up 32GB)

If LG is waiting for the newest version of the Android OS for their premium tablet and it's not Android 2.2 aka "froyo". So it is possible that Honeycomb may launch during the 1st/2nd quarter of next year.

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VIEWSONIC VIEWPAD 7 AND VIEWPAD 10 GET OFFICIAL US RELEASE

ViewSonic has announced US availability and pricing for the ViewPad 7 and ViewPad 10 Android tablets, a week after the 7- and 10-inch slates made their UK debut.  The ViewPad 7 runs Android 2.2 Froyo, while the ViewPad 10 gets Android 1.6 and Windows 7.

The ViewPad 7 will be available in late Q4 2010 priced at $479, while the dual-booting ViewPad 10 will drop in Q1 2011 at $629.

ViewPad 7 demo:

ViewPad 10 demo:

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Samsung Nexus Two With Android 2.3

It seems that Samsung will release a new smartphone,Samsung Nexus Two which will have Android 2.3 operating system.I think that Samsung Nexus Two will have at least the same succes as Samsung Galaxy S.The November 8 want to make a surprise perhaps is not so. The Samsung Nexus Two sticks his paw under the door, and it has done in the form of a mobile phone very similar to Samsung Galaxy S. However, the interest of this new edition of the official Google Mobile does not reside only in the cacharrete but, as said in Beauty and the Beast, beauty is also inside.I like this new Samsung Nexus Two.

We refer to the operating system. The essence of a Google Phone. In this case, the version of Android. Speak of the edition 2.3, known by the name Gingerbread. Despite Froy Android 2.2 has not yet been established in the market, Google have decided to throw more coal on the locomotive, anticipating its advanced edition operating system to their advantage to get more and more open competition.I am sure that Samsung Nexus Two will have a big succes.

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FlexUPD – 6-inch Flexible Color AMOLED developed by ITRI

Using FlexUPD technology, Taiwan’s’ ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) has created a new 6-inch flexible color AMOLED.

The 1mm thick AMOLED display can show images even when folded and will feature a 5cm folding radius, accompanied by 150 units of brightness as well as “unbreakable” construction.

According to ITRO, their FlexUPD technology is the most convenient and cost effective way to produce the item for mass production.

The FlexUPD will be commercialized soon, and AUO plans to use it for flexible e-reader products “very soon”.

Just think about what this kind of technology can be used for?

ITRI is finished yet, as they are also talking up its switchable 2D/3D display, able to display both types of content simultaneously and do so without the use of those ridiculous glasses.

That tech is called i2/3DW and is set to “revitalize the [display] industry by revolutionizing the concept of 3D viewing.

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Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Now Available

Monday, July 12, 2010, Microsoft unveiled the public beta of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 beta. Available on TechNet, the beta isn’t truly a “public” beta, it’s more of a release to developers. In order to download, you must either select “Developer” or an “IT Professional” job.

You can get the service pack in two ways: either through Windows Update you can download the x86 or x64 edition, or you can download the entire stand-alone ISO update. The beta service pack includes a plethora of updates that make your productivity better. There is even word of performance improvements, which Windows 7 is in no dire need of, but it’s nice to know.

In April we brought you the exclusive first look at the first leaked beta of SP1, in May, we brought you another build that was farther along in build numbers, and in June we brought you what we’re sure is this same build (we’re not entirely sure yet, waiting for confirmation).

The service pack launched today is a compilation of updates released until now. Coming in at a whopping 1.2GB.

Download the Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Service Pack Here

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Ubuntu 11.04 will use Unity as the default desktop

In his keynote address at the Ubuntu Developer Summit Mark Shuttleworth has announced that Ubuntu 11.04 will use a new desktop version of Unity for the default desktop environment.

‘Desktop Unity’ will be installed as the default desktop for users whose hardware support it. Improved work on the hardware front will ensure as many users are able to benefit from the unified interface as possible.

Further work on improving window management and performance along with better accessibility will be key aims for Unity development during the Natty cycle.

A focus will be placed on file-management in particular with Shuttleworth feeling the old way of managing files & folder ‘is broken’. As such work this cycle will aim to ‘correct the broken bits’, missing features and UI issues many Netbook users have found irksome in the Unit file-management dash.

Developers will be able to create extra ‘places’ for users to add to the ‘Dash’ and multi-touch functionality to the shell as a whole will be introduced using the uTouch framework.

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Lumigon T1 Android Phone

Denmark-based Lumigon has presented his unique T1 Android phone. What sets him apart from the rest of the inclusion of an FM transmitter (not receiver) HDMI Dock to double Bang & Olufsen ICEpower’s audio amplifier and the ability as a universal remote control for your various AV devices. The phone as well as BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 AT&T Phone is expected by the end of this year, so that there are about two months to arrive to make everything right. Specifications include the Lumigon T1:

• 800MHz Freescale chip i.MX515
• Qualcomm HSDPA Modem
• 3.5-inch 480 x 800 pixel capacitive touch-screen display
• 5-megapixel camera with autofocus
• A-GPS
• Bluetooth
• FM Radio
• B & O ICEpower audio amplifier
• FM Transmitter
• HDMI Dock

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Apple brings FaceTime to Mac OS X

As expected, Apple has announced that FaceTime will be coming to Mac OS X. The video chat utility was first introduced in iOS for the iPhone and later extended to the iPod touch. During the company's Back to the Mac event, executive Phil Schiller claimed FaceTime has been added to 19 million devices in the first four months of availability.

The Mac variant automatically rotates the video to landscape or portrait mode, depending on the orientation of the iPhone or iPod touch. Users can also choose to view the video in a small window or fullscreen.

FaceTime for Mac will be available today as a free public beta.

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HP Slate 500 running Windows 7 re-emerges

The Hewlett Packard slate PC has been listed on the company's website, with the company also applying to trademark the term "PalmPad" – fuelling speculation about the company's plans to introduce what many were referring to earlier this year as a potential 'iPad killer' tablet PC.

The latest details on the HP Slate, from a listing on the HP website, claims that it will feature an 8.9-inch screen, two cameras and run on Windows 7.
Win 7 or Palm WebOS?
HP, the world's largest PC maker, originally announced its plans to release the HP Slate running on Windows 7 OS earlier in 2010.
Since that time, HP has acquired Palm, and is looking to develop Palm's WebOS mobile operating system for a range of new devices, including tablet PCs.
HP has listed the one model of the HP Slate 500 on its website. The device includes an 8.9-inch touchscreen and runs on Windows 7 Premium. The device also has two cameras -- one video and one still -- for users to do "web conferencing," according to the listing.
The HP Slate 500 is described as follows:
"No matter where you are or what kind of fun you're in the mood for, the HP Slate 500 is all you need. Exclusive HP software gives you access to photos, videos and everything on the Internet with just a touch, while Windows 7 Premium gives you the power to do what you want.
"The unique design and 22.6 cm (8.9") screen put the full Internet in your hands, while two cameras (video and still) let you capture life as it happens or participate in web conferencing.
Adjust the screen orientation to fit your content and use the pen to write or draw as if on a piece of paper. Whatever you want to do, the HP Slate 500 helps you do it – and makes it more fun too."

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BlackBerry Style (9670) is a clamshell QWERTY flip phone

Research in Motion is really starting to dabble into other “unconventional” form factors for the BlackBerry line. The Storm was the first touchscreen. The Torch the first slider. And the Style could be the first QWERTY flip phone.

You may have already seen the BlackBerry 9670, mostly as rumor and hearsay, but it seems that the model number is no longer enough. That’s why we hear about Pearls, Curves, Bolds, and so on. We fully expected a “name” to go with the BlackBerry 9670, but Style? Well, that’s the word that’s currently making its way around the Internet today. This isn’t the first time that RIM has had a flip phone — you might remember thePearl Flip — but the BlackBerry Style will be the first flip with full QWERTY. Maybe Curve Flip may have been more appropriate.

In any case, the BlackBerry 9670 Style will be a CDMA device and it appears to be running BB OS 6 right out of the box.

BlackBerry 9670 clamshell to be branded the BlackBerry Style [Crackberry]

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Opera 11 will have Extensions

Good news, everybody! Today, at Up North Web, Opera Extensions was confirmed to be a feature of Opera 11.

What are Opera Extensions?

Extensions in Opera is a way for you to easily add new functionality to your Opera browser experience. Developers can easily create extensions using open standards (HTML5, CSS, JavaScript) and supported APIs.

Extensions will be based on the W3C Widget specifications and this is being considered for an Open Standard effort.

Will Opera Extensions be similar to extensions in other browsers?

Yes, Opera Extensions will be similar in some ways and we have tried to make it easy to port extensions from certain browsers.

We are committed to open web standards and this is an important part of our strategy, so if you find us deviating from other solutions out there, this might be why.

What does an extension look like?

Some extensions have user interface elements, but not all. An extension can for example add a button next to the Google Search field with a popup menu when you click on it. Other extensions don't have user interfaces at all, but run in the background.

How will I install Opera Extensions?

Once you have Opera 11 installed you can click on an extension and a small Install-window will appear. Click 'Install' and you're done. You can also drag and drop an extension onto Opera Desktop if you have an extension stored on your computer.

What kind of APIs will you support?

With the first iteration of Opera Extensions we are focusing on open web standards and 'getting it right'. Our alpha release supports injectable JavaScript, callouts, certain UI items and a basic Tabs and Windows API.

How can I get Opera Extensions?

Opera Extensions is not available yet. Once Opera 11 is out, you will be able to fully enjoy and use Opera Extensions.

Where can I find developer information on extensions?

Once Opera 11 Alpha is out, you will be able to find all the information you need to develop and publish extensions on our developer site Dev Opera.

Where can I find Opera 11?

Opera 11 Alpha will be made available soon at http://www.opera.com/browser/next/.

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Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Release Candidate now available for download

The release candidate of Ubuntu 10.10 is now available for users to download.

Preceding the final release, due in 10 days time on October 10th, the release can be downloaded @ releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ or using the direct links below.


Pro tip: If you’re already using Ubuntu Maverick Beta, you don’t need to download the RC – just use Update Manager to grab the latest updates and you’re all set!

What’s new

New feature, updates and changes from the Beta release last month include: -

• A new new default wallpaper
• New photo wallpapers
• The new Ubuntu font
• Sound Applet now respects theme
• New-look installer and new behaviour
• Ubuntu Software Centre now handles .deb installations
• Fresh example content
• ‘Paid’ application(s) available to purchase in the Software Centre
• Support for multi-touch including the Apple Magic Trackpad
• Unity Netbook Interface for Netbook Edition

Downloads

Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop
These are the links for the LiveCD .iso. Where possible try to use BitTorrent for downloading as not only will you get it faster – so will everyone else!

• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-desktop-i386.iso
• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-desktop-amd64.iso
• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-desktop-i386.iso.torrent
• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent

Ubuntu Netbook Edition
The netbook .iso can be installed to a USB for drive-less installation using the USB Startup tool Ubuntu ships with.

• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-netbook-i386.iso
• http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.10/ubuntu-10.10-rc-netbook-i386.iso.torrent

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