GBTV #0370 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

Pandora has an AIR app that give you the option to see what's playing, pause and radio station buttons.

Finally, Starbucks is offering free WiFi for two hours. I think it's about time.

A new study tells us the PS3 and Plasma TVs use more power than a refrigerator over the course of a year.

Canned Bacon. Uh...okay.

Small Worlds is a new site in beta. What do you think?

I'm on the skeptical side of the Remote Control Finder.

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German Customs raids over 50 booths at IFA looking for patent infringements

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We've got our crack team of Engadget ninjas at IFA working to figure out exactly what's going on, but early word is that over 220 German Customs agents have raided the show looking for patent infringements. It's not clear how many booths have had visits from The Man, but it's somewhere over 50 -- we've been hearing a number in the 70s -- and spokespeople for Customs says inspections will continue until tonight. Sounds like a repeat of what's happened at CeBIT for the past few years, where German firm Sisvel has had several companies' booths shut down and products seized over claimed MPEG patent infringements -- you might remember last year's kerfuffle with Meizu and the wrongful seizure of SanDisk DAPs in 2006. There are rumors that Asian companies, including MSI, are being targeted, and that the Taiwan Image Hall in particular was hit hard, but nothing's been substantiated and German authorities say they're looking at all companies equally. We'll let you know what's going down as soon as we find out more.

[Thanks, Adam]

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Hands-on iriver's confusing P20 PMP

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

As good as the SPINN is, we can't rave about iriver's newest PMP, the P20 launching today at IFA. Looks like our early excitement about the product back at CES was misplaced. First off, it's big -- a true brick by today's PMP standards. Also, we're not sold on the implementation of the SPINN interface here. The P20 uses a combination of vertical and horizontally placed thumb wheels, an "ok" button (why not just press in the thumbwheel like on the SPINN?), and touchscreen AMOLED -- a heap of overly-complex overkill based on our admittedly, limited time with the device. The touchscreen was also rendered unusable by menus only accessible by the thumbwheels as well as an incredibly high bezel framing the display thus inhibiting screen touches along the edges. As to the specs, it's everything we heard: 4.1-inch 480 x 272 pixel display, FM tuner, TV-out, voice recording, and integrated DMB TV option, 80GB or 120GB hard disk, and Li-Polymer battery for 12-hours of audio, 9-hours of video, or 8-hours of DMB in a 130 x 97 x 20.5-mm slab. Expected to launch in Korea next month at an undetermined price -- rest of world to be determined.

Gallery: Hands-on iriver's confusing P20 PMP

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VAIO UX gets hot-rodded with Core 2 Duo mod

VAIO UX gets hot-rodded with Core 2 Duo mod

Filed under: Handhelds

Sony's VAIO UX UMPC is definitely one of the sexier handheld PCs out there, but it's never been accused of being a rocket -- even the latest models only offer a lonely single-core 1.2GHz Core 2 Solo for your $2500, and since the chip is soldered onto the board, swapping it out for a Core 2 Duo isn't exactly easy, requiring an infrared soldering station and plenty of experience swapping chips. Nevertheless, it can be done, and Anh Nguyen from the Micro PC Talk forums pulled it off, upgrading his unit to a 1.2GHz U7600 Core 2 Duo with no ill effects or excess heat -- just some better benchmarks and hardcore modder bragging rights. Check out benchmarks after the break, and hit the read link for more.

[Thanks, Logan]

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RSS 2 PDF for Flickr Users

RSS 2 PDF for Flickr Users

Needing to convert RSS to PDF? Then I may have one good option for you. Check out RSS 2 PDF.
(more…)

Needing to convert RSS to PDF? Then I may have one good option for you. Check out RSS 2 PDF.
(more…)

GBTV #0371 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

QIK.com, the camera streaming service announce support for two Windows Mobile phones.

Sanyo upgraded the Xacti to include a 300fps Slow-motion feature.

The HDD Stage Rack now supports two SATA drives and connects via eSATA or USB 2.0.

LocatePC phones home when a PC is stolen.

Superlame is a free Web app that lets you add cartoon balloons to your photos.

I'll be live with Woopra President, John P. Saturday, June 7th at 12 PM Pacific time on CaliLIVE.tv. Read More

RSS? Security Deadline

We have a deadline on our hands, folks. There are vulnerabilities that simply must be addressed before the unthinkable happens.
(more…)

We have a deadline on our hands, folks. There are vulnerabilities that simply must be addressed before the unthinkable happens.
(more…)

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Technophobe writing Facebook: The Movie

When Mark Zuckerberg's social networking website Facebook became a global phenomenon, he famously remarked that his journey from dishevelled Harvard undergraduate to billionaire media mogul would make a good Hollywood movie. That... Read More

Panasonic's new 103-inch plasma found hidden in display jungle

Panasonic's new 103-inch plasma found hidden in display jungle

Filed under: Displays, HDTV

While Panny's 150-inch plasma from CES gets its very own room at the Panasonic booth, the new "budget-friendly" TH-103PZ800 103-inch plasma was relegated to a bit part in the back row of an artsy, rock garden-planted collection of displays. We don't have much to say about the actual display, and we're sure that anyone planning to drop $50k on one will be doing a bit more than taking our word for it anyways, but trust us when we tell you that the 150-incher makes the 103 look like a tiny pretend television for tiny pretend people.

Update: According to the card identifying all these displays, we were looking at the TH-103PF10, not the new 103PZ800, contrary to what we were told. Maybe Panny got the card wrong, but we're gonna have a long talk with some Panasonic reps if we every make it back by the booth.

Gallery: Panasonic's new 103-inch plasma found hidden in display jungle

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Harman Kardon intros pair of speaker systems at IFA

Harman Kardon intros pair of speaker systems at IFA
Harman Kardon revealed a pair of new products on Friday, at the opening day of the IFA show in Berlin. Predominantly meant for Mac and iPod users, the GLA-55 speaker system does include a 3.5mm audio jack. It is powered by a 100 watt digital amplifier and sports a DSP equalizer. The audio set-up's name undoubtedly comes from its original plastic casing, which shows off the speakers' magnets and wi...

Ask Engadget: Best "desktop replacement" laptop?

Ask Engadget: Best "desktop replacement" laptop?

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Gaming, Laptops

Although netbooks seem to be all the rage right now, there's still a lot of demand out there for laptops that are only able to be labeled as such due to their design. Take a look at Paul's question as he attempts to locate the best desktop replacement on the market today.

"I am currently looking to replace my desktop PC with a high spec laptop. Portability isn't a concern as it will spend most of its life on a desk. Here are a couple of things I am looking for: biggest screen possible, plenty of HDD space, plenty of RAM, and plenty of GHzs. Cheaper is better, but my budget is up to around $3,000."

This fellow didn't specifically mention gaming as a concern, but we'll go ahead and assume he's not buying a 9+ pound laptop to tinker on Minesweeper all day. So, what's the preferred laptop that weighs more than some mini-towers? And what's a question that's been on your mind? Send it in to ask at engadget dawt com.

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MacBreak 126: Macworld 2008: Verte Chair

MacBreak 126: Macworld 2008: Verte Chair
Dr. Kiki Sanford takes Anthro Technology's "Verte Chair" for a spin.

Studios back Sony multi-DRM content format

Studios back Sony multi-DRM content format
A Tuesday report has the majority of the big movie studios and distributors supporting a plan put forth by Sony Pictures that would decrease the restrictions Digital Rights Management (DRM) imposes on users' ability to enjoy their purchased videos and movies. Last year, Sony Pictures proposed a set of policies and software and service framework it called Open Market that would allow larger flexibi...

Marware releases Sidewider Deluxe iPhone case

Marware has announced the Sidewinder Deluxe, a new carrying case for the iPhone 3G. The case consists of a slim, scratch-resistant shell, and a separate rubberized holster. The shell protects the device from damage, and can be snapped into the holster, combining the benefits of both design formats. The holster additionally features a retractable sidearm, which is used for coiling headphones....

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MacBreak 10: Conduit

Emery and Ben Syverson discuss Conduit, a new realtime nodal compositing plugin for Apple's Motion. Read More

MSI rolls out EX300, EX400 laptops

Filed under: Laptops

While it may seem like MSI has nothing but the Wind on its mind these days, the company is, in fact, still in the general laptop business, and its just let loose a pair of decidedly ordinary new models to prove it. From the looks of it, the "athletic and fashionable" EX300 (pictured above) is the slightly more interesting of the pair, with it sporting a 13.3-inch WXGA display, an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics, a max 320GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray drive, among other standard fare. The EX400, on the other hand, opts for a slightly less portable 14.1-inch display and some more traditional styling, along with some virtually identical specs to its more "athletic" counterpart. No word on a price for either of 'em just yet, unfortunately, nor is there any indication of a release 'round these parts.

Read - MSI EX300
Read - MSI EX400

[Via Far East Gizmos]

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MacBreak 48 Macworld 2007: iPod Accessory Roundup

Kendra shows us more fun iPod accessories from the Macworld Expo. Read More

GBTV #0397 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

I'm continually impressed with research coming out of Georgia Tech. The latest accomplishment is a project by Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo and his students. It's called Tongue Drive System and it allows people who have been paralyzed to control their wheelchair or a computer by a magnet on their tongue.



Google Maps released Walking Directions to get you from point A to point B on foot.

Lifehacker pointed me to a great work around for using Google to search all cities in Craigslist. When you're looking for an item, sometimes it just doesn't matter where you find it. Take a bus, for example.

Westfalia announced they'll be making a new VW bus-inspired camper called the Verdier Solar Power.

WordPress for iPhone was released today. It allows you to create, edit and post to a Wordpress blog from an iPhone or iPod Touch. Read More

Studios back Sony multi-DRM content format

Studios back Sony multi-DRM content format
A Tuesday report has the majority of the big movie studios and distributors supporting a plan put forth by Sony Pictures that would decrease the restrictions Digital Rights Management (DRM) imposes on users' ability to enjoy their purchased videos and movies. Last year, Sony Pictures proposed a set of policies and software and service framework it called Open Market that would allow larger flexibi...

Geek Brief Radio - Psystar

I love you guys, but there was no way I was going to spend $500 on a Psystar to try it out, even though it's deductible. John Biggs from CrunchGear.com did it, and I called him up to talk to him about it. Read More

Orange confesses to low caps on 3G network

French cellphone carrier Orange has admitted to imposing artificial limits on its 3G broadband network, reports say. The confession comes after complaints from a number of iPhone 3G owners, who in testing their download capacity discovered that they were limited to a maximum of 400Kbps, as compared to the 1.8Mbps possible on T-Mobile's German network. Most 3G networks are limited to a peak speed...

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ProPack adds QuarkXPress 8 compatibility

ProPack adds QuarkXPress 8 compatibility
GLUON has released its ProPack for QuarkXPress v8. The new update folds in some tools (TableMaker 8 and QC 8) that were previously available separately, while upgrading for QuarkXPress version 8 compatibility. TableMaker 8 provides formatted tables using tabbed text or table cells, while QC 8 adds a quality control tool that looks for and fixes editing problems....