Filed under: Cell Phones, Google While slightly less creepy than the idea of GPS-equipped school uniforms, the latest mandate by Montclair State University in New Jersey is bound to ruffle the feathers of some students. The new rule stipulates that studentsmust own and carry school-distributed cell phones with GPS.The idea behind the mandate is that the phones are designed with student safety in mind. If, for example, someone is following a student, or threatening them, then a beacon on the cell phone can be set to go off for a predetermined period of time. If, at the end of that period, the student has not disabled the alarm, then campus security can use Google Maps to locate the student (thanks to the required-cell-phone's on-board GPS) and inform the local authorities. The service is even available when off-campus, whether the student is merely somewhere in town, or home for the holidays.The phones are all automatically registered with the campus alert system as well, notifying students via text message of any situations that may arise, be they canceled classes due to weather, power outages, or, God forbid, a shooting like the one at Virginia Tech.Not all of the features on the phones designed by Rave Wireless and Sprint are aimed at tracking students, however. The phones also can be loaded up with podcasts of lectures, notes, and even digital flash card study aides. Of course, the phones also acts as, well, phones, allowing student to place calls and send text messages,So far, all calls into the police department to respond to student GPS beacons have been false alarms, but a staff of security still monitors the signals 24/7 just in case the system ever proves necessary.From AP on AOL VideoRelated Links:Man Fired After GPS Showed He Was Not At WorkGPS Equipped School Uniforms Allow Parents to Track KidsArmani Phone Combats Rape and Theft Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Hey robot fans! The 12th annual Robo-One Grand Championship match just went down in Tokyo, and boy was it surreal. Here's how it works: To win the tournament, contestants must keep their balance while attacking their enemy, be able to get up when pushed down, and ultimate push their opponent out of the ring. Some of the robots come from professional roboticists in labs, while others come from kids in their bedrooms. Apparently, the highlight of the night came when hundreds of spectators clapped as a robot (affectionately known as "Arichyon") sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Then, the crowd, in a rather disloyal gesture, went bananas when a robot with a penguin head knocked Arichyon out with a right hook. Japan -- continuing to make the rest of the world look like ancient Rome. From ReutersRelated links:Monkeys control robotic arms via InternetForce feedback suit teaches you to box Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, iPhoneIn the iPhone's slim case are a number of simple yet important improvements to the standard cell phone interface culminating in what some consider to be the most usable phone on the market. One such improvement, called "Visual Voicemail", turns voice mail messages into audio files that can be listened to in any order. They're also displayed based on the sender so you know, ahead of time, who the message is from. One company, Klausner Technologies, is alleging that it had visual voicemail first.Klauser says it has not one but two patents that cover iPhone's visual voicemail. The company has already received settlements from AOL and Vonage in similar lawsuits over the same two patents. Will Apple cave and shell out some cash, or is Klauser due for a drawn out battle in Texas Eastern District Court with Apple's wily suits?From CNET News.comRelated Links: iPhone Flight Delay Ad Spoofed AT&T CEO Says High-Speed 3G iPhone Coming Next Year AT&T Recalling Some BlackJacks  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Advice, Editor's Picks, TV, YouTube, Switched Video, Windows Software, Mac Software, ReviewsYouTube is getting all the hype, but it's a far cry from the immersive, long-form esc..., er, entertainment offered 24-hours-a-day on broadcast networks around the world. Unfortunately, broadcast moves on a broadcast schedule, and while PVRs such as TiVO let to time-shift your prime-time lineup, they need you to know what you want to record before it airs. Through the miracle of the Internet, you can now combine the on-demand satisfaction of YouTube with the boob-tube fix of broadcast programs. Joost, a free service available for both Mac and a PC, gives you access to more than 250 channels of programing from providers such as CBS, Comedy Central, and MTV. This is television if the future. It just happens to be on right now. Watch the video to see how it works and learn how to tune in. Related Links:Nokia Predicts Social Networks Will Replace TV NetworksEvery Episode of 'South Park' to Be Available Online for FreeGet the Switched Show on Your iPod for Free - Subscribe! Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, TVIt seems as if 'The War' is finally over. Sadly the 'War' we're referring to is not the one in Iraq, or even the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war. Valleywag is ready to declare a winner in the Netflix / Blockbuster face off, and we can't say we disagree. According to web analytics firm Compete, by the end of October, Netflix was attracting four times as many unique visitors a month as Blockbuster. Since January of 2005 Netflix web traffic has steadily climbed, while Blockbuster's has dropped off.Netflix's instant watch feature alone has attracted 450,000 users in the month of November, while Blockbuster struggles to get its direct-download service from Movielink off the ground. Adding to Blockbuster's troubles, Apple is expected to launch a movie rental service via iTunes any day now.The battle between Netflix and Blockbuster has been a long one. But every time it looked like Blockbuster might be gaining some ground, Netflix countered with a move that buried its competition.From ValleywagRelated links:Blockbuster Heading for the Dustbins of History?Netflix Customer Service Drops E-Mail In Favor of Real PeopleNetflix Adds Social Features to Rental Site Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video Games, GamerFor gamers who live by the technological adage, "Better, Stronger, Faster" - well, your world just got a whole lot more exciting. Digitimes reports that Samsung has announced the development of the GDDR5, a new video memory chip that will be fastest graphics data processor of its kind in the world. This type of graphics memory chip is an integral part of a computer's video card, the component by which images and video from your favorite games are processed and transmitted to the screen. The GDDR5, a series 5 double-data rate memory chip, transfers data at an astounding 6-gigabytes-per-second (GPps) and images at 24 GBps. Besides being about four times faster than today's widely used GDDR3, the new chip operates at 1.5 volts, which means that it uses about 20% less power than its slower contemporary. To put these numbers in perspective, the chip uses less power to be faster than your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. In other words, he GDDR5 promises to increase it and make your favorite state-of-the-art games more seamless and fluid. on big screens. Samples have been sent to the top graphics processor firms, and mass production is expected to begin in 2008, with GDDR5 chips expected to be available sometime in the coming year. By 2010, Samsung claims the GDDR5 will capture about half the PC gaming market and be the standard for gaming memory chips. What does this mean for gamers? It suggests that the GDDR3 will soon be obsolete, and that the GDDR4, which has gotten positive reviews but has not been as ubiquitous as the GDDR3, won't be the top dog for long either. Customers who want the best, most fluid graphics will wait until the GDDR5 is available in video cards before making their next purchase. Sorry, gamers, but the bad news is that taking gaming to the next level will have to wait until next year sometime. From Digitimes Via EngadgetRelated Links:Gateway 30-Inch LCD XHD3000 High Definition MonitorOptoma HD 65 ProjectorActivision, Vivendi Announce Biggest Game Publishing Merger in History  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Slideshows, TravelerThe writing is on the cave wall as a tried and true friend moves from city mainstay to relic of the Stone Age. Telephone giant AT&T will leave the pay phone market by the end of 2008, the company announced today. PR Newswire reports that the widespread use of cell phones and other communication devices has left AT&T with a declining market it no longer wishes to pursue. The phasing out of public pay phones and phones contracted out to correctional facilities will begin immediately and be limited to AT&T's thirteen state service area. Verizon, meanwhile, continues to offer pay phone service in 33 out of 50 states.The move by AT&T, though, follows a general trend in the shrinking pay phone market. BellSouth Corporation, an AT&T acquisition in 2006, halted pay phone service in its nine state area in 2001. Indeed, today there are only about 1 million public pay phones in the United States, compared to 2.8 million in 1998. It is expected, however, that independent providers will pick up a portion of AT&T's business. In its announcement, the company assured customers that it will honor all existing contracts over the next year, while publicizing alternative providers and service options. As sentimental as we can get about the passing of an era into a new, annoying age in which even nine year-olds have a CrackBerry and Bluetooth headset attached to the dome, we realize that it's true: All good things must come to an end, especially when we're talking wireless. From PR Newswire Via MarketWatch (AOL Money & Finance)%Gallery-11309%Related Links:AT&T CEO Says High-Speed 3G iphone Coming Next YearAT&T Recalling Some Black JacksVerizon Wireless To Let You Use Any Phone On Its Network Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, eBayThis may sound like a joke, but trust us, it's true. In Sarasota, Florida, streets were closed after a typewriter was reported as a suspicious package. And while many of us may not remember what one of these pre-PC word processors looks like, the senior citizens in Florida should have no excuse.In the spirit of complete disclosure, the typewriter was inside its briefcase-like carrying-case and stashed in a locked cage under a stairwell in a county parking facility. The package was doubly suspicious since the only people with access to the cage would have been county officials.Following standard procedure for a post 9/11, terrorism-obsessed world, the local bomb squad was called in. It proceeded to detonate the typewriter, then discovered it was just a typewriter.Check out the gallery below so you, too, don't mistake an ancient writing tool for a weapon of mass destruction.%Gallery-11308%From SNAFU-edRelated links:Exploding Piggy Bank Helps Kids Save?Lost Cell Phone Sparks Airplane Bomb Scare Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video GamesA couple times a year, Microsoft sees fit to roll out a suite of improvements to the Xbox 360's Dashboard, the interface that you get if you boot up the thing without a game in the drive. From here you can browse the Marketplace, download games and movies, and not too long ago they added the ability to easily stream media from just about any computer. The company's latest Dashboard enhancement has dropped this morning, and it includes some helpful enhancements to make media lovers happier with their boxes. The biggest enhancement is addition of support for DivX and XviD formatted videos. These are the two formats you're most likely to find in downloaded videos from the Internet, and until now playing them on the Xbox 360 required some complicated streaming and transcoding. Now you should be able to serve those videos up directly from your home PC or burn them to a DVD and play them right on the machine. Sweet.Other helpful enhancements include the ability to set timers for individual accounts, meaning parents can restrict their kids to so many minutes of video games per day, and the ability to browse your friends' friends lists, giving a bit of a social networking twist to the Xbox Live service. All these nice improvements further cement Xbox Live's position as the best online service in gaming. Now if only we could do something about that $60-per-year fee...[Correction: Turns out the update does not include IPTV, unfortunately.]From EngadgetRelated Links: Video Downloads Coming to PlayStation 3 Atari Classics Now on Xbox Live Arcade Xbox 360 Halo 3 Edition  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Video GamesAfter the launch of the Xbox 360 console, Microsoft was quick to add a video-on-demand service, stuffing the Xbox Live Video Marketplace with content ranging from episodes of 'Family Guy' to movies like 'Bourne Identity.' It's been a (relative) success, out-pacing Amazon's digital distribution service last year. Sony is jumping in the video download game, at least in Japan, with the announcement of its own video distribution service for PlayStation 3.The first downloadable videos will all be related to the upcoming 'Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.' First up will be a three-part documentary on the immensely-popular Nissan GT-R, a series produced by the BBC . The first will be free (as usual), but it's unclear whether future episodes will be free as well. It's unclear just how this will fit in with the already announced Gran Turismo TV, a sort of in-game movie player, or whether those video downloads that will appear in-game will be free. Subsequent videos, which presumably will feature something other than automotive porn, will come sometime early next year, costing around $1.85 each.Still no word on U.S. plans for direct-to-PS3 video downloads, but since you can already stream just about whatever you want from your PC or Mac to your PS3, does anybody really care?From Evil AvatarRelated Links: PlayStation 3 Out-sells Nintendo Wii in Japan PS3 Version 1.8 Coming Tomorrow PlayStation 3's DualShock 3 Unboxing  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Advice, Editor's Picks, Top Lists, Holiday Gift Guide Who doesn't love gadgets? We here at Switched pretty much think everyone does, though we're sure there are a few stragglers out there who haven't hopped on the gizmo bus yet. Regardless, as far as we're concerned, gadgets are the perfect gift for the holidays, which is why we've scoured the piles and piles of cool items we've had a chance to check out hands-on over the past few months and compiled a list of 60 plus perfect presents for various different types of people. From gadget heads and video-gamers to homebodies and style mavens, no gift recipient on your holiday list will be disappointed with the suggestions we've gathered for you.To make it easy, we've divided the initial set of 60 plus recommendations into ten different gift recipient types and six different price ranges. Just click on "Find by Price" or "Find by Recipient" at the top of any Holiday Gift Guide page to find the perfect present. Wherever possible, we've also linked our gift picks to online retailers that carry them.Be sure to check back daily, as we'll be adding breaking news on the latest sales and deals and just-released products, as well as even more gift roundups, shopping tips, how-tos (so you can set up those new gadgets), and other features. All new additions to the gift guide will also show up in a special holiday blog, which you can access by clicking on the Holiday Gift Guide link here or on the Switched main page.Happy browsing and shopping!Visit the 2007 Switched Holiday Gift Guide. From whether you've got to get holiday gifts for early-adopting, video-game-playing gadget heads or for aesthetically-minded style mavens that couldn't give two cents for some ugly-but-powerful new doodad,  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersSome Web sites has as many lives as cats. One of the Web sites that helped launch the blogging craze, Live Journal, has been sold by its American owners Six Apart to Russian business partner SUP. The one-time haven for teenage emo girls has declined in popularity over the last few years, and been replaced by MySpace, Google Blogger, and Yahoo 360, which are at the top of the list of most popular blogging hosts.But even though its popularity here in the States has waned, Live Journal has gradually become the blogging outlet of choice for Russian intellectuals, who are increasingly looking for ways to break through their government's increased crackdowns on media and free speech. So, naturally, SUP was eager to step in and take this blogging pioneer to its next chapter.Under its new owners, Live Journal will continue to operate as normal, and will be established as a separate company from SUP.From ReutersRelated Links:'Stupid Filter' Blocks Dumb Comments Online95 Year-Old Granny Blogger Reminisces for All to SeeTexas School District Sues Blogger Mom Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, MySpaceOver the past few years online social networks -- sites like MySpace and Facebook -- have grown exponentially to the point that that they've caught the eyes of the more "traditional" media types. MySpace was purchased by Fox who launched MySpace TV to bring bit-sized entertainment to its users. Now, Nokia is predicting that within five years social networks like MySpace will out-pace even traditional television networks and record labels, something the company calls "Circular Entertainment."Nokia says that people will become more interested in sharing entertainment created by their friends for their friends including videos or music that will get passed around social networks and continually refined within small groups. That's an intriguing concept, but we can't help but think the folks at Nokia and the Future Laboratory, who ran the study that came up with these findings, have far more talented friends than we do. We like independent programming as much as the next person, but regardless of how stale Saturday Night Live has become, we'd much rather sit down and watch that than vids of any of our friends acting goofy before a camera.At least for now.From Tech DigestRelated Links: MySpace TV: A Better YouTube Competitor? Study Shows Racial Divisions on Social Networks MySpace to Get a Facelift  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Car TechSome people will go to any length to avoid sitting helplessly in traffic, even if it means breaking the law by pretending to be Johnny Law. The News Tribune reports that a 25 year-old man was taken into custody last week after using flashing lights on his car to impersonate the police and bypass heavy traffic. Driving a late-model Ford Mustang with flashing blue lights affixed to the front grill and around the rear bumper, the man was arrested by the Washington State Patrol after witnesses called the police to report the suspicious vehicle. Highway patrolmen finally caught up to the impersonator (who was first spotted weaving through traffic on Interstate 5) on Highway 512 in Tacoma, where he told troopers the lights were "just for show."Police proceeded to check the vehicle, where they found a switch near the driver's leg that triggered the lights, flashing them in arbitrary patterns. They also uncovered what they termed a "control head" between the driver's seat and center console that set off a siren-like tone emitter linked to a speaker near the front of the car. Apparently this wasn't the first time that the man had pulled the trick, as records indicate a November 19th 911 call to police reporting a car with flashing blue lights. The moral of the story is don't put your fake police lights on your bumper, put them on top of your car. Just kidding -- we'd rather have you stuck in traffic than be in the slammer for what the wise men call stupid smart people tricks. From The News TribuneRelated Links:Cell Phone Valet Finds Lost Cars at Mall of AmericaGM Prepping Electric Car for 2010This 17,000 Watt Car Stereo Turns Car Into Jell-O Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments