Filed under: Cell Phones, GoogleYesterday, Google updated its mobile Google Maps application with a new 'My Location' feature. This new version will find your specific location even if you don't have GPS. The new Google Maps Mobile finds your location by triangulating information from nearby cell phone towers.Sadly, we've yet to see the new location-finder in action as device support is fairly limited. Despite Google's claims that it will work on most Windows Mobile phones, it seems all the most popular (Blackjack, Q9, Dash, Treos), have been left out of the My Location fun.From EngadgetRelated links:Users Reporting Deleted E-Mail from Gmail AccountsGoogle Maps Coming to Gas Pumps, but Is it Complete?Google Announces gPhone? Not Quite. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video GamesIf you signed on to your Xbox Live Arcade account today, you may have noticed two new games waiting there for you to play: 'Asteroids' and 'Asteroids: Deluxe' (pictured above).These two classic Atari titles won't be alone for long. Microsoft has promised that others are on the way. 'Battlezone', 'Tempest', and 'Warlords' will be available sometime after the holiday season. Personally, we can't wait for 'Yar's Revenge.'All the games are true to the originals, including the prehistoric graphics. The only tweaks made have allowed online multi-player support and widescreen aspect ratios for HDTVs.%Gallery-11111%From TG DailyRelated links:Xbox 360 Halo 3 EditionMicrosoft Celebrates Five Years of Xbox Live With a Free GameESPN Games and Shows Now Available on Xbox Live Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cameras, Green Tech, Gift NewsThis year the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is going green. By green, we mean environmentally friendly, of course. The 30,000+ lights on the massive conifer have been replaced with energy sipping LEDs that have cut the tree's power consumption to about a third its normal level. In fact, the amount of electricity required by the tree has been reduced enough that the whole thing is powered by solar panels resting atop a nearby building.When the season finally ends (likely sometime in July) and the tree is taken down, it will be milled and donated to Habitat for Humanity, which will use the lumber to construct doorways for shelters built by the charity.From TGDailyRelated links:Nintendo Ends Up at the Bottom of Green Electronics ListHonda Testing Clean Hydrogen Fuel Cell CarFive Percent of U.S. Electricity Wasted by "Vampire" Electronics Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, iPhone>AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson, told Bloomberg that the 3G iPhone that we had all hoped for is coming next year. Most of us expected the addition of near-broadband data capability to the iPhone, but confirmation such as this lets us rest easy since the device's current slower EDGE network (for surfing the Web and getting e-mail) is so five years ago! No date or any specifics are known beyond that, but presumably the phone will run on the same HSDPA network that the new BlackJack II uses.Stephenson cited battery life as the reason the first generation was saddled with the pokey EDGE data network, saying that 3G chipsets are "real power hogs." Stephenson says the faster download speeds of AT&T's HSDPA network will come as battery technology improves, and hopes to get the talk time back up in the five-hours-plus range.What does this mean for you? Well, if you haven't bought an iPhone already and can wait up to a year for the latest and greatest, you should definitely hold off! This is a real boon to anybody who's got a year left on their Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless accounts.From Bloomberg (via Engadget) Related Links:T-Mobile Selling $1,500 Unlocked iPhone in Germany iPhone Named Time's "Invention of the Year" Apple Founder Steve Wozniak Calls for Open iPhone  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersNotiong of the online realm ushering in a new age free of any racial and societal divisions may be somewhat misplaced if the results of a new study out are to be believed. The study, which polled 1,000 college freshmen entering Northwestern University, showed that clearly divided lines exist among the various social networks preferred by various races. For example, white students tended to prefer Facebook, Hispanic students were more likely to sign up for MySpace, while Asian-Americans were most likely to use Xanga and Friendster. The results are interesting if not exactly surprising, but given the rather limited sample here (just 1,000 students compared to the hundreds of millions of registrants on MySpace alone), we 'd advise readers to not be too quick in drawing sweeping conclusions here.From DailyTechRelated Links: Students Arrested After Planning Shooting on Columbine Anniversary Facebook to Drop "is" From Status Updates 'Lust, Caution' Sets Off Frenzy of Virus and Anti-Sex Warnings  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Curious George prefers eating bananas, but playing with robots will do to pass the time. A team of scientists at Duke University took the world by surprise in 2003 when it successfully used monkeys to control robotic arms with only their brains. Don't be surprised, but the Duke team just one-upped itself. Implanting electrodes into the monkeys' brains, the researchers were able to train the primates to move robotic legs in this iteration of their experiments. Nothing special there, right? Well, the new wrinkle that they presented at this year's Neuroscience Conference was the monkeys' ability to movethe robotic legs from thousands of miles away, with the primates and robotic limbs linked only by the Internet! While the monkeys were at the conference in SanDiego, they moved the legs, which happened to across the Pacific at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, Japan.In 2005, the Duke scientists announced that their original work caused the monkeys' brain cells to adapt. Even though the 2003 experiment showed that the monkeys could control the robotic arms as if they were moving their own limbs, it was inconclusive as to whether the monkeys' brain cells were changing in response to the task. The study two years later definitively proved that the primate brain is very adaptable, which suggests that the human brain is much the same. If the human brain can adapt to using similar technology, then its significance for the disabled is unparalleled. Should the brain be as adaptable as the 2005 work intimates, it would allow the handicapped to experience greater independence and self-sufficiency by using these brain-operated devices to control robotic assistants or limbs. Want to know more? Check out back issues of the journal Neuroscience. Until then, let's hope these monkeys have a less mischievous inner child than George. From New Scientist (via Engadget)Related Links:Bionic Arm Restores Sensation and Mobility to Amputees iRobot Create Gibson's Robot Guitar Tunes Itself  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video GamesYou've probably seen the silly little additions various companies are producing for Nintendo's Wii that make it look like a tennis racket or golf club. But, we're guessing you've never seen one quite like this before. Some intrepid Wii gamers have found a way to get themselves into the game in a super immersive way. The father-son team turned a toy horse mounted on springs into a sort of giant motion-sensing controller. It's the ultimate in DIY innovative gaming, and all it requires is some duct tape.Now, if only there was a real horse racing game for the Wii.From CollegeHumor.comRelated Links:Nintendo Ends Up On Bottom of Green Electronics List Study of Studies Shows No Link Between Video Games and Violence Study Shows Video Games Make Senior Citizens' Brains Sharper Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, MySpaceApril 20, 2010 will be the eleventh anniversary of the Columbine attacks, an auspicious anniversary and one that, according to some posts on MySpace, was going to see another round of attacks. Three students at Arlington High School in Lagrangeville, N.Y. were arrested after making threatening posts on MySpace.com. The students, all 15 or 16 years old, claimed to be planning an attack on the school and were discussing specific areas to target on the uber-popular social networking site. Given the two and a half year distance between now and the anniversary ,one has to wonder if they would have actually gone through with their plans, but the school superintendent didn't take any chances. She had the students arrested and the school was thoroughly searched for explosives. So, potential nightmare averted -- thanks to MySpace.From Daily NewsRelated Links: 'Lust, Caution' Sets Off Frenzy of Virus and Anti-Sex Warnings MySpace to Get a Facelift Losing Face on Facebook - True Stories  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Green Tech Another exploding cell phone battery is being blamed for a man's death, this time in South Korea, where a quarry worker was found dead at his place of work with a melted LG phone in his shirt pocket.Kim Hoon, the doctor who examined the dead man's body, said that the man's ribs and spine were broken. According to Hoon's report, the explosion -- and resulting shrapnel -- damaged his heart and lungs, leading to his death.LG, a South Korean company that manufactures phones in both Asia and the United States, hasn't said a word yet about which phone or battery model caused the explosion, but we're hoping they will let that information out soon in case recalls are necessary. It's entirely possible that the phone isn't at fault at all -- the worker was in a quarry, presumably chock-full of water and other minerals that could react with a cell phone battery. [In an update the AP posted after its initial story, scientists say that the injuries are too extreme to have been caused by a lone cell phone battery, but final results won't be known for 15 days).That said, this death is very similar to another exploding-phone death we recently covered, in which a Chinese welder was killed when his battery exploded, broke through his ribcage, and sent phone and bone shrapnel into his heart.We have covered a surprising number of cell phone-related deaths in the past year, though just how much a cell phone is actually involved in each case and how much has to do with pre-existing conditions or just plain human stupidity varies with each case. Here's a brief list of the most recent:Cell Phone Battery Explodes, Kills Chinese Worker: In this strikingly similar case, a Chinese man was found with a melted cell phone in his shirt pocket.Cell Phone Blamed for Train Death: Paying attention to your cell phone while crossing train tracks: not a good idea.Teen Struck by Train While Text Messaging: Once again, cell phones and trains do not mix.Kid Drowns in Lake After Trying to Rescue Sinking Cell Phone: Sometimes it's best to just let the cell phone go. %Gallery-11071%From AOL News Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, LaptopsApple MacBook and MacBook Pro owners should be aware of a design flaw that may lead to unrecoverable data loss, claims Retrodata, a data-recovery firm based out of the United Kingdom. The company says that MacBooks manufactured in China and equipped with a 2.5 inch Seagate SATA hard drive with a Firmware version 7.01 may have faulty read/write heads that become dislodged from the hard drive's arm, scratching the magnetic platter surface and causing irrecoverable data loss.For those customers who wish to know whether they are at risk, Retrodata suggests going to the System Profiler and checking the Serial ATA for the Firmware Revision number. If the computer has Firmware version 7.01, data should be backed up immediately, the company urges. Models affected may include ST96812AS and ST98823AS.Not so fast,say specialists from other data-recovery companies like DiskEng. While Apple has been silent and Seagate insists that they are looking into the matter, these parties suggest that thousands of instances of the same problem must first be seen and diagnosed before a design flaw can be pronounced for an entire line of hard drives. Some say specific factors such as temperature and read/write head oscillation may be to blame for damaging some computers rather than a general design shortcoming that affects them all.Just to be safe, consumers should check whether their computer has the specific hard drive in question, and should back up their files if that is the case. Those concerned should also monitor Apple and Seagate pronouncements regarding the issue. From Retrodata (via Engadget)Related Links:New Ultra Portable MacBook Out in January? MacBooks Get Upgrades -- Should You Have Waited? Fastest PC Notebook... Is a Mac?  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersMost of us here at Switched H.Q. are old enough to have lived through the ergonomics disasters that were early personal computers. Computers from the 70s and 80s were revolutionary, but their manufacturers were still trying to figure out what people wanted their keyboard to do, This resulted in some far-out and, often, completely unusable designs. And, since everybody likes lists of things, PCWorld.com has gathered their 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time.The one most people will find familiar is that big, ugly, brown Commodore 64 keyboard (which actually was the computer), coming in at the number 10 slot. Far more problematic was the Atari 400, number seven on the list, which used a "membrane" keyboard that offered zero feedback to would-be BASIC programmers of the day, feeling a little like the flat buttons on Motorola's RAZR. The number one worst keyboard on the list is the 1984's IBM PCjr, which on paper sounded great. It was wireless, something that's still considered a bit of a luxury today, and featured dedicated keys for Backspace and for moving the cursor about (surprising rarities in those days). However, the infra-red wireless connection meant the keyboard had to have a clear line of sight to the computer itself, and the thing's hunger for batteries was unmatched, leaving it dead more often than not.This list only includes personal keyboards, so those thumb-crampingly bad keypads found on many mobile phones today weren't eligible. However, we expect that list to be compiled shortly and hope that it won't take 20 years for cell phone makers to get those perfect.From PC WorldRelated Links: Apple Making Databases and Spreadsheets... Fun? Folding Electric Piano Keyboard Has Great Touch Handheld Supercomputer On the Way  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Celebrities, MySpace, GoogleThe upcoming Michel Gondry-directed Jack Black vehicle 'Be Kind Rewind' is set to hit theaters on January 25th, which means it's promotion time. In the film, Mos Def and Jack Black are forced to re-film or 'swede' a pile of films after a magnetized Jack Black accidentally erases every video in the rental shop.So in keeping with the film's premise, the web site for the motion picture erases the Internet. Then, in a rather cutesy fashion, the site presents you with several 'sweded' versions of popular web pages to use, including Google, Wikipedia, a social networking site called MyFace, and Flickr, among others.Check out the site for some interesting web fun. Even if it all just amounts to an interactive advertisement, at least the movie looks cool.From ValleywagRelated links:John Mayer Googles Himself, Doesn't Like What He SeesWilliam Shatner and Mr. T Team Up for World of WarcraftWilliam Shatner to Appear In Next 'Star Trek' Movie Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersWe're almost three years into the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program, and things are not looking good for the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte. Negroponte is not just the founder of the OLPC Foundation, but he is also a professor at MIT, a founder of Wired magazine, a board member of Motorola, and was recently brought on by the Wall Street Journal to ensure that publication's editorial integrity following its purchase by News Corp. Clearly, he's a busy, busy man.Since unveiling it in January of 2005, Negroponte has been known as the master of the OLPC initiative. The goal was to create a $100 laptop for educational purposes and get it into the hands of up to 150 million children across the developing world within 4 years. Three years later, it turns out that Negroponte's goals are unattainable, at least according to a recent story at the 'Wall Street Journal'. He has learned the hard way that getting pledges and promises is not the same as an order on paper and cash in hand.A proper examination of the successes and failures of the OLPC Program could fill a book, but that won't stop us from trying to condense the information into an easy-to-digest blog post:Where it went right:To be sure, the OLPC XO is a marvel of engineering. It is extremely efficient, able to derive energy from optional solar panels, foot pedals, and draw strings when outlets are unavailable. The batteries used are even special. The XO uses an extremely inexpensive ($10) nickel-metal hydride or LiFePO4 battery that is less volatile than traditional lithium-ion batteries found in laptops. It will also survive four times as many recharges before capacity takes a nose dive.Then there is the screen. It uses a beautiful dual-mode, high-resolution, sunlight-readable, ultra low power LCD that has tech mavens marveling.OLPC has also inspired others to join the effort, producing their own low cost laptops aimed at the developing world and driving companies and philanthropists to donate to OLPC and other similar programs.Where it went wrong:A $100 laptop was an ambitious goal -- perhaps too ambitious. Even before it became obvious that the economies of scale would not bail out the project, the price had climbed to $150. And when deals collapsed, that number shot up to its current resting place of $188.A price like that puts it with in spitting distance of the $230 Windows-equipped Intel Classmate PC, Intel's machine that was inspired by Negroponte's organization. Competition from these other initiatives has hurt the OLPC's bottom line, driving up costs by reducing orders of the XO.This brings us to the single biggest failure of the organization: marketing. OLPC may be a non-profit, but businesses such as Intel and Microsoft, who were left out of the OLPC party, have a vested interest in spreading their wares around the globe and preventing Linux and AMD from entrenching themselves in developing markets. Good intentions alone can not keep the foundation alive. The marketing muscle and high profit margins of the big technology companies give them a leg up on Negroponte's little non-profit. Microsoft has started offering a $3 software bundle that includes Windows, Office and educational programs, and Intel has the aforementioned Classmate all taking a bite out of the XO's market share.The tale is not over for the XO. Intel joined the board of the foundation in July, and a new Intel-powered OLPC model is in the works. The OLPC foundation also has plenty of funding to survive at least another year or two before things begin to get shaky. The effect of the OLPC foundation has been a net positive for the world, but whether or not it can survive the trials and tribulations of its own quest for technological penetration remains to be seen.From the Wall Street JournalRelated links:Best Buy's $200 Black Friday PC and Other Cheap ComputersFirst '$100 Laptops' Sold to UruguayWorld's Richest Man Donating One Million Laptops'$100 Laptop' Goes into Production Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video Games, Green Tech, Features, Gift News, holiday giftGreenpeace has been making a lot of noise lately with its attacks on Apple for using nasty stuff in the iPhone and in general for not being very green. Apple is implementing plans for getting greener, and now it seems Greenpeace is moving on to, well, greener pastures, attacking a whole boatload of tech companies with its latest Guide to Greener Electronics.The guide rates electronics manufacturers based largely on their commitment to recycling old gear and reducing the use of toxic compounds in new stuff. This is the first time Greenpeace has chosen to include Nintendo in the list, and it has ranked the Wii-maker dead last -- not because the motion-sensing abilities of the Wiimotes are powered by globs of toxic waste, but instead simply because the company doesn't provide any information about things such as what it's doing for recycling and when it plans to phase out the use of PVC. Nintendo's competitor in the video game battle, Microsoft, is also new to the list and also scores low, though slightly better than Nintendo, thanks to having a plan for phasing out the use of PVC and other materials that result in the creation of toxic compounds. Sony, the third player in the current console war, scores much higher in the green rankings thanks largely to its acceptance of expired electronics from Japanese consumers for recycling.We here at Switched find this ordering somewhat confusing. Sony's console, the PlayStation 3, is by far the most power hungry of the three, drawing 200-plus watts of electricity when playing games. Microsoft's Xbox 360 averages a somewhat more efficient 145 watts, while Nintendo's Wii uses just 15-20 watts, which is less than 10-percent of the power of Sony's machine! Yet Nintendo is ranked as the worst electronics maker on the planet? We think Greenpeace should care a little more about thepollution caused by power generation.Top of the charts was Sony's celly spin-off Sony Ericsson, which has already phased out the use of PVC to a large extent, while most others are still just thinking about it.From Greenpeace (via Engadget)Related Links: iPhone Bad For Environment, Says Greenpeace Apple Responds to Greenpeace, Gets Sued Apple Getting Greener  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments