Filed under: Cell PhonesOur thief didn't die, and therefore is not eligible for a Darwin award, but Randy-Jay Adolphos Jones is certainly someone who should be prevented from reproducing. The suspect indecently assaulted a Philadelphia woman as she exited her car in front of a friend's house in Lancaster County, PA around 1:00am. The woman squirmed free of her assailant's grasp but lost her purse -- with her cell phone in it -- to his grimy paws in the process.Officer Jeff Gerhart arrived on the scene and got the woman to call her cell phone. Jones answered and demanded an absurd $185,000 ransom for the mobile phone. The woman quickly negotiated the ransom down to $200.Jones agreed to meet the woman to collect his ransom and return the phone on a pedestrian walkway connected to Franklin and Marshall College. When Jones arrived on the scene, officers immediately surrounded him, guns drawn. The woman got her cell phone and her purse back and Jones is now in jail. During questioning Jones gave no explanation as to why he initially requested $185,000 for the return of the phone.From Textually.org and EngadgetRelated links:GM Lets Police Kill Engines of Stolen CarsiPods Linked to Rise in CrimeThieves Begin Tracking Gadget Shoppers Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video GamesWhoever said video games were a waste of time is totally eating his words right now. Wired News reports that a cluster of eight interlinked PlayStation 3's is actually solving "a celestial mystery involving gravitational waves and what happens when a super-massive black hole, about a million times the mass of our own sun, swallows up a star." Which we'd explain to you in layman's terms, except for we think those may actually be layman's terms, in addition to the fact that we forgot our astrophysicist degrees at home this week. Dr. Gaurav Khanna, the main scientist behind the research, is employing the PS3s to help measure the ripples in the space-time continuum that travel at the speed of light. The fact that the PS3 uses a version of Linux to work its magic is essentially what allows for the research to be done -- Linux is a very open system, and customizing it for the needs of the project was relatively easy. "Basically, it's almost like a replacement," Khanna says. "I don't have to use that supercomputer anymore, which is a good thing."From Wired NewsRelated Links:$399 PlayStation 3 ComingPlayStation 3 Controllers Ready to Rumble Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, GoogleGoogle already knows everything else about you, your schedule, the contents of your E-mail, even what web pages you visit, so why not let it get its hands on what's inside your body?Hot on the heels of Microsoft's announcement of its HealthVault initiative, Google has decided to announce its plans to work on digitizing health records and making them portable. Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience at Google, made the announcement Wednesday at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Mayer said the company became interested in the health record market following Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane destroyed not only buildings, but everything within them. This included the health records of millions of people held in hospitals and private medical practices across the Gulf Coast. She went on to say that "it doesn't make sense to generate this volume of information on paper. It should be something that is digital. People should have control over their own records." With this technology, if a patient changes physicians he could simply call up previous X-rays digitally rather than transfer or re-take them. The digital transition is hardly an overnight process, and Mayer acknowledges that. "It is a huge endeavor. It will take a lot of breakthroughs in digitization," she said. "You'll be seeing a lot more activity here... so stay tuned."From Slashdot and Computer WorldRelated links:Google Earth -- Now With Geo-Specific YouTube VideosGoogle Earth Uncovers Swastika Shaped Government BuildingGmail Overhaul on the Way? Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Video GamesIf you live in New York -- anywhere in New York -- chances are you're no more than a few miles away from the ubiquitous OTB, or Off Track Betting. It's the place horse racing junkies go when they want to lose some money but can't get to the track. Now, it seems, gamblers may be able to lose some money wherever they are, thanks to a mobile application called mWager. Gamblers can already place bets from the New York Racing Association website, but assuming it is approved by the New York Racing and Wagering Board, mWager would let anyone do the same from their mobile phone. The software has been around since 2005, but this will be the first time it will be approved for use by NYRA. mWager pulls down odds and results directly to your phone along with links to specific information about the horses like jockey, trainer, and owner. Placing bets is done with just a few button presses and, presto, you're well on your way to gaming addiction. From textually.orgRelated Links: TV Shows' Text Messaging Contests Illegal? Is the HTC Touch Better Than the iPhone? The Top Five E-Mail Scams  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, MySpace, Google, TV, YouTubeAccording to a report in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) today, several major media and technology companies are joining forces to form the Masters of Evil! Wait... sorry, they are just joining forces to form an anti-piracy ring, no plots for world domination... yet.This coalition of super companies will be working together on copyright-related issues, including video piracy and the technology needed to stop it.Coming together to form this super team of anti-pirates are: CBS, Dailymotion, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Fox and MySpace units of News Corp, Viacom and Disney. The coalition is due to launch Friday. Google is still in talks to join the anti-piracy ring.From Tech CrunchRelated Links:Mom of Two Stung With $220K RIAA PenaltyTrent Reznor Tells Fans to Steal MusicPrince Sues Three Sites Over the Piracy of his Music Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersEven the police are getting pretty good at Photoshop. Which is becoming something of a problem. The Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom have been accused of manipulating a photo of Jean Charles de Menezes -- who was shot dead after being falsely identified as one of the men who targeted London's underground tube train -- so it could be more easily likened to one of the actual plotters. Prosecutors are saying the image had been "stretched and sized" to form a composite image of de Menezes (who is Brazilian) and and one of the bombers, Hussain Osman. The Metropolitan Police denies any wrongdoing, saying the composite picture was created to illustrate the difficulties officers would have had in differentiating between the two men.The 27 year-old de Menezes was shot seven times in the head on a train at London's Stockwell Tube station, in July of 2005.From the BBCRelated Links:Worst Airbrushed Celebs of 2007ATA Tries to Arrest Passenger for Using iPhone in Airplane Mode Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Editor's Picks, Slideshows This silhouette wins the award for coolest thing we've seen all day -- and it's not just because the tiny dancer above is in the buff. This is a little test that will tell you whether the left or right hemisphere of your brain is more dominant.Instead of concentrating on her chest, concentrate on the woman's movement. If you see her spinning clockwise, that means you're using the right side, or more creative side of your brain. If she appears to be moving counter-clockwise, then that means the left side, or more logical side of your think muscle is superior. At the Switched office, some of us see her going clockwise, others see her spinning counter-clockwise. At least one of us claims to see both, while another one of us opened this animation in Adobe ImageReady in order to isolate the frames to see if there's any direction-changing funny business going on. There isn't. Take the test for yourself. Then, if you have time for a 50-question survey, compare these instant results to a more thorough diagnosis.From Gizmo Watch But wait! We have more optical illusions for you! Next >>  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video GamesWe knew it was coming. We really, really knew it was coming. But you can never be quite sure of these things until the company itself confirms, and that's exactly what Sony has finally done. The consumer electronics giant has announced that the U.S. is officially going to get the new 40-gigabyte PlayStation 3 model on November 2 priced at $399.99. The model forgoes PlayStation 2 backwards-compatibility in favor of a cheap(er) price, but still comes in $50 higher than the most common version of Microsoft's Xbox 360, and $150 more than Nintendo's Wii (assuming you can find one). Considering this more affordable version of the console also has Blu-ray playback, we think that the PS3 is finally starting to be a value proposition.Sony also announced that the current 80-gigabyte PS3 model, which will still play PS2 games, has seen a price cut down to $499.99 from $599.99. What remains to be seen is whether the 80-gigabyte model will stay around or is actually being put on clearance and sent out to pasture, like the recently retired 60-gigabyte PS3 model in Europe and the earlier 20-gigabyte model here. Confused by all the versions? We are, too, though we were actually kinda hoping that one more version -- the ivory-colored PS3 hitting Japan shortly -- would make its way to the U.S.. That still hasn't been mentioned for a U.S. release, and we think you can figure out what that means -- no snowy PS3 for Christmas.From ReutersRelated Links: $399 PlayStation 3 Confirmed (Again) New $399 PlayStation 3 Confirmed? Rumored PlayStation 3 Price Cut ... Worth It?  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell PhonesThe plight of in-flight cell phone use has been more turbulent than the last time we flew from Philly to NY in the middle of a blizzard. Airborne cell use was looking promising at one point in the US, but the FCC has been staunchly against the idea. That said, earlier this year, things started looked promising in the European Union, and now are looking even better, with regulators requesting the introduction of technology that would allow for safe mid-flight calling on European flights. Not wanting to have to hear the babbling of your fellow passengers while you're trying to sleep through that red-eye out of LAX is a perfectly valid reason for not wanting in-flight cell phone use, but the real reason it's currently disallowed is safety. Studies have shown that phones have the potential to mess with an aircraft's navigation systems, meaning your pilot might think he's making a safe landing at a runway while actually lining up over a cow pasture. To prevent this, the system proposed in Europe would place transmitters on the aircraft themselves, allowing calls to be safely routed by the plane to a satellite and then back down to the terrestrial phone system.The problem with this approach is, of course, that it will require the installation of hardware on planes before calls would be allowed. No estimated costs have been given at this point, but we can only imagine what sort of extra fees you'd see on your cell bill (and plane ticket) if you were, say, to pull out your iPhone mid-flight and make a few calls over Spain. We've already seen what kind of bills you can get there when you stay on the ground. From BBC NewsRelated Links: In-Flight Cell-Phones a Go In Europe In-Flight Cell Phone Calls a Reality FCC Says No to Cell Phones on Planes  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Advice, Reviews, Editor's Picks, Top Lists, Slideshows After nine months of pregnancy and a baby shower, you've probably acquired a lot of stuff. Now that the baby's here, what do you really need and what can you stuff back in the closet or sell on eBay? Based on our own experiences with our own young babies, here are a few things we've think you won't want to live without.Prince Lionheart Slumber BearSleep -- talk to any new mother and the subject is bound to come up. How is the baby sleeping? How are you sleeping? And most importantly, how do you get the baby to actually go to sleep? With this age-old question comes a reliable answer in the form of the $27 Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear. Though it looks like a typical stuffed bear swaddled in pink, blue or beige pajamas, the Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear is stuffed with an audio box that plays actual recordings of intra-uterine womb sounds. Just fasten the bear onto the crib bars with the included hook and straps, and the baby will recognize these ambient white-noise-like sounds and be immediately lulled to sleep. With a five-minute shut-off timer to save batteries, as well as motion and sound sensors to reactivate the recording when your little one wakes up, this bear is a must-have for frustrated mommies who could use more time to themselves. The audio box is removeable, and can also attach to a stroller or car seat, for example.Next >> Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games, TVOnline virtual worlds are taking over. It would seem as though World of Warcraft and Second Life are cultish phenomena inhabited primarily by the uber-dorky, but if mainstream television is an indicator, things are changing.Recently, 'South Park' aired an episode in which much of the animation was modified in-game footage from World of Warcraft, while 'The Simpsons' parodied the virtual world in an episode in which Bart and Marge become engrossed in an online role playing world called Earthland Realms.Second Life isn't left out of the party either: 'Law and Order:SVU' chased a rapist through a fictional virtual world called AY, and, in the October 25th episode of 'The Office,' Dwight Schrute explores Second Life proclaiming his desire to calculate an exchange rate for Linden Dollars (the currency in Second Life) for Schrute Bucks.The most inventive tie in is coming soon from an upcoming episode of 'CSI: NY,' in which a killer escapes into the world of Second Life. The episode will end with a cliffhanger and pick up in the the virtual world of Second Life, where viewers will be able to help solve the case in a virtual crime lab. In the Spring, the show will pick up where the virtual story line leaves off.Already, 'The Office' has created its own social networking site / virtual world called Dunder Mifflin Infinity, where branches of the fictional paper company hire employees and compete for Schrute bucks. Sadly, at the moment, the site is barely functional and some have speculated that it's one big ironic joke.From Virtual Worlds News and Information WeekRelated Links:Online Game More Populous Than NYCVirtual Barbie World Sees Meteoric RiseSecond Life Virtual Bank Collapses, Losses at $750K Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: CamerasIf you're anything like us, you're hands are a little shaky, thanks to years of manic video game sessions and text-messaging away on tiny keypads. If you're also a serious photographer, though, you're in luck, since Olympus' new top-tier digital SLR camera has some integrated technology that's aimed at those with shaky hands. The new Olympus E3 is the latest "prosumer" entry from Olympus, meaning it's a camera ostensibly good enough for professionals, but easy enough to use and priced at a point where some serious amateur shooters can swing. Mind you, when we say serious, we mean someone willing to spend $1,699 on a camera without a lens! That's the estimated street price on this thing when it drops in November. For that price, you'll get just the E3 itself, a 10-megapixel SLR camera body. SLR (single-lens reflex) technically means that the viewport looks directly through the glass of the lens, but in the world of digital cameras itgenerally means a shooter that has swappable lenses. So, yes, your $1,699 camera won't be any good without some equally expensive glass on the end, but the E3 itself will deliver one feature typically only found in high-end SLR lenses: image stabilization (IS). IS means compensation for your shaky hands to produce a blur-free image, and the E3 has it built right in. This means all of its lenses can compensate for a little unintentional twitch. Most comparable SLRs, like those from Canon and Nikon, require that you buy higher-end IS lenses ... or carry around a tripod or monopod wherever you go.Interestingly, the E3 also supports both the traditional CompactFlash style memory card, the standard for most SLRs, and the smaller xD-style card Olympus has been pushing. However, given that xD cards currently top out at just two-gigabytes (GB), you'll probably want to stick with the larger capacity CompactFlash cards on which to store the huge 10-megapixel images this camera takes. That is, unless you like swapping memory cards. The E3 also sports a 2.5'-inch, dual-axis swivel LCD on the back, which you can pivot around at any angle, and auto-focus speeds said to be the fastest in the world when combined with the ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 lens from Zuiko Digital -- which will set you back another $1,000.The $1,699 price without lens will likely scare away many amateurs, but the overall E3 package offers those serious shooters another choice between the other go-to cameras in this price range, the Canon EOS 40D and the Nikon D300. As we all know, gadget competition is a good thing for shoppers, whether they be prosumers or just plain 'ol amatuers. %Gallery-8725%Related Links: Just Tell Me What to Get: A Sub-$200 Cam How to Resize Your Photos For E-Mail A Video Cam No Bigger Than a Pack of Gum!  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell PhonesWith the announcement that it would offer the HTC Touch come November 4th, Sprint proved that it's still capable of releasing first-to-the-gate, innovative phones for its network. The touch-screen enabled handheld is definitely designed to be the hands-on iPhone-killer for the Windows Mobile 6 set, not only because of its smart phone features (seamless integration with your e-mail, full office document editing and viewing, Windows Media Player) but also because its touch screen is almost as innovative as the iPhone's -- almost.The HTC Touch's big claim tofame is "TouchFLO Technology," which is really just a fancy name for a 3D cube interface that users maneuver around by swiping their finger. It's basically the iPhone with different visuals, and a more powerful and versatile, though sometimes glitchier, operating system (OS).We played around with the unlocked GSM version of the HTC Touch a few months back, but didn't see what all the fuss was about beyond a gee-whizzy touch screen with different animations than the iPhone. But we also didn't have all the apps a carrier can provide, so we're excited to check out the official Sprint Touch, which will have access to the Sprint Music Store (for direct-to-phone downloads), Sprint TV, streaming Sirius satellite radio, and on-demand news and sports information.Now, before we complain too much, let's mention the many ways this phone is better than the iPhone Surprisingly, most of these have less to do with the touted touchscreen and more with the overall specs, such as the 2.0-megapixel camera (versus the iPhone's 1.3 megapixel), high-speed 3G EV-DO capability for fast downloading and Web surfing (versus the iPhone's slower EDGE network), stereo Bluetooth capability (for wireless headphones and speakers), and expandable/removeable memory (MicroSD cards).And let's not forget that it's only $249.99 (with a two-year contract). We're anxious to try out the spiffy new Sprint-enabled HTC Touch to see if it lives up to the hype. We'll report back later.Related Links:AOL Money & Finance: Sprint to Introduce Touch-Screen PhoneHTC Unveils iPhone-Like TouchArmani Phone Combats Rape and Theft Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, iPod, TV, iPhoneLooks like the movie studios are finally joining the 21st century while looking to preempt illegal ripping and sharing of movies via peer to peer networks. The proliferation of video-capable personal media players has made carrying your movie collection with you not only reasonable but popular.Until now the only way to bring your movies with you legally was to rip your movies yourself, which can be a difficult and convoluted process. Or, as many have chosen, you could let someone else do the work and download movies via BitTorrent or some other file-sharing network.With the release 'Live Free or Die Hard,' studios have begun including Windows media-encoded versions of movies that can be copied from the DVD to your computer or media player. Reportedly, the files have no DRM copy protection. However, a 16-digit code will be needed to download and unlock the file.This feature doesn't end with 'Die Hard' thankfully. The 'Digital Copy' will be extended to future Fox releases, and Warner Home Video plans to introduce a similar program beginning with 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' in December.From BetaNewsRelated links:Headaches for Blu-ray OwnersApple iTunes to Offer 99 Cent TV Shows?'Family Guy' Arrives on Xbox Live Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments