Filed under: Computers, GoogleIn case you haven't been paying very close attention to your Gmail, or for some bizarre reason don't use the Google Mail service, you may have missed that while staying almost exactly the same cosmetically, Gmail has undergone a complete overhaul during the last few months.Since late October Gmail has gained new features on an almost weekly basis. First they added IMAP, an E-Mail delivery protocol that allows you to sync several devices to your Gmail account. Then Gmail got a completely new code base that added some new keyboard shortcuts, faster load times, and an overhauled contacts manager. Then, earlier in the week, labels got color, and now the built-in chat client includes AIM support.As any user of of Gmail knows, Google Talk is integrated with your inbox, allowing you to chat with other Gmail and Google Talk users. Now, in the same contacts side bar under options, you should find a new entry that reads 'Sign in to AIM.' This has been a long time coming, but sadly the integration is not as tight as one would have hoped. The side bar simply allows you to sign in to your AIM account, and when you IM some one it still appears to them that you are using your AIM screen name. But Gmail will still keep logs of your AIM conversations if they're held within the Gmail client, just like it does with Google Talk. Currently,AIM is not available in the Google Chat desktop program or the gadget, but hopefully that will change soon.From BetaNewsRelated links:Users Reporting Deleted E-Mail from Gmail AccountsGmail Overhaul On the Way?Instant Upgrade: Better Gmail Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell PhonesNokia is about to make a whole bunch of people very unhappy, but it doesn't matter since those people aren't consumers. Nokia is preparing to launch an unlimited music download service to pair with some of its multimedia-focused handsets like the 5300 seen above. Nokia's new service is a challenge to the pay-per-track model that has made Apple so much cash with its iTunes store. It will also take money straight out of the service providers' pockets, who often offer their own pay-per-track download service.The particularly threating thing about the new Nokia service is that not only can users download an unlimited amount of songs from a catalog of millions, but the tracks can be burned to CD and kept after the contract with Nokia expires or is terminated. Nokia has already enlisted Universal Music Group in the service and is talking with the othermajor record labels. Currently, mobile music downloads make up roughly 13 percent of music sales, and this may be a sign that record companies are finally accepting that listeners are not willing to pay the absurd prices normally demanded for music. It may also get them to realize that allowing consumers to download music for free (or nearly free) through legitimate channels is better than forcing them to turn to outlets such as Pirate Bay.From ReutersRelated links:Wal-Mart Tells Music Labels to Offer DRM-Free Music 'or Else'Gift Guide: Nokia N95 Multimedia DeviceAT&T Releases Samsung SLM with Napster Music Downloads Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell PhonesIn the U.K., cell phones and bars go together like -- alcohol and bars. Just a few weeks ago a few English pubs introduced the ability to order drinks via text message, and now a new service has shy British bar hoppers talking to each other, or at least making contact, via cell phone.The service, called Ice Brkr, lets you create an online persona with a picture. You then indicate which bar(s) you're in and when. Others who are in the same locations as you at the right time can look you up (by your picture) and send you creepy text messages like "I just love to watch you laugh." Like most dating schemes, creating a profile and putting your information online is free. It's only when you want to contact someone that you get billed. The first four messages are free, after that you can buy ten-packs of messages for £10 (about $20), or 25 messages for £20 (about $40). Not too bad if the thought of talking to a real girl gives you the willies. From textually.orgRelated Links: Text Message Your Drink Orders at British Pubs NYC Hopes to Launch Subway Text Message Alert System PlayerBlock Lets You Check Up On Your Date Via Cell Phone  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Celebrities, Top Lists, MySpace, Google, TV, iPhoneEvery year, Google gives us a peak at the most popular search terms used by people on its now ubiquitous search site. This year, the iPhone took the number one spot on Google's of the fastest rising search terms in 2007 -- no surprise considering the device didn't really exist in 2006.The rest of the top 10 is dominated by social networks and entertainment. Webkinz, a social network and stuffed animal-line aimed at children, came in at No. 2, while the AOL (our parent company) property TMZ took the No. 3 spot, which begs the question "who can't remember 'TMZ.com?'"Interestingly, over at Yahoo!, Britney Spears turned up as the No. 1 search term, which begs the question -- are the people who use Yahoo! Search a bunch of scandal-addicted dopes? Also in the top 10 are MySpace and Facebook of course and the superhero television series 'Heroes.'From AOL Money & FinanceRelated Links: Malicious Websites Trick Google, Infect ComputersScary Search Engine Lets You Search by FaceEven Search Engines Dress Up for Halloween Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones So the paper ticket is dead, and a new move by Continental Airlines could mean that even paper boarding pass may be the next to go. The airline is currently testing out digital boarding passes that lets you use your cell phone as a ticket. Contintental's new system, which is being tested in Houston for the next three months, sends you a digital two-dimensional bar code, a square of pixels that represents your boarding info. Just display that bar code on your cell phone's screen, then pass the phone screen under the scanner and voila, you're ready to board. You've also save a tree while managing to reduce the number of things you have to remember to pack for your trip by one.Continental is the first U.S. airline to test out cell phone tickets, but other domestic carriers, including U.S. Airways and Delta, are looking into the service. Cell phones and bar codes are becoming quite the pair, with Orange enabling European phones to serve up advertising based on pictures of bar codes. That said, the whole bar code scanning tech seems a bit quaint. Why can't we just move on to global RFID tags already?From USA TodayRelated Links: Paper Airline Tickets to be Retired in June '08 Direct-to-Cell Phone Advertising Coming iPhone Flight Delay Ad Spoofed  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Green Tech, Gift News, Holiday Gift GuideMarketing geniuses at Japan's Aqua Toto Gifu Aquarium have caught the attention of both the marine-life lovers and the media with a holiday display that uses a unique source of clean renewable energy -- an electric eel, otherwise known to us geeks here at Switched as Electrophorus Electricus.The aquarium placed its "E-Tree" next to tan electric eel in a tank. Inside the tank, copper wiring has been run, and every time the eel brushes against the conductive wire, the tree's ornaments light up, much to the pleasure of spectators.Tanks filled with electric eels and lots of copper wire aren't going to allow any of us to drop off the grid anytime soon, but still, it's a neat trick, no?According to Wikipedia, electric eels generate electricity using three organs -- the main organ, hunter's organ, and Sachs organ -- that take up four fifths of its body. These organs act in a manner similar to charged plates in a battery. The average electric eel can produce up to 500 volts and one ampere of current (500 watts). That's enough to hurt -- a lot.Oh, and electric eels aren't eels. They're more closely related to catfish.%Gallery-11360%From UbergizmoRelated Links:Decorate Your Desk With a USB Christmas TreeRockefeller Christmas Tree Goes Green Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, MySpaceLast month, when Facebook announced a series of ads that would inject themselves into your friends' News Feeds, privacy advocates balked. It was believed that this sort of implied advertising that appeared to come from a friend was illegally using their likeness to shill for some product or another. All that seems minor now, however, compared to new reports that Facebook is actually tracking user's web surfing habits, even when they're signed off from the site. Beacon, the company's name for their new advertising system, tracks Facebook users' habits across over 40 sites who have signed up with the company, broadcasting things like movie ticket purchases and video rentals to friends in the News Feed section of the site. Once you have clicked "Remember Me" when logging into Facebook, the site will track your every move, despite Facebook executives earlier indicating that this sort of tracking was not in place. This raises a lot of privacy concerns. You can go to the External Applications section of your Facebook preferences page and disable these updates from showing on your Feed, but by default you've already opted in to letting your friends see whatever you rent. And, even if you turn them off, there's little doubt that your rental and ticket purchasing history is still being sent to Facebook, and who knowswhat they're doing with it. It's all a little disconcerting, and given a choice between MySpace's constant inundation of spam and bugs and Facebook's creepy advertising schemes, we're tempted to downgrade back to Web 1.0.From Yahoo! NewsRelated Links: Facebook Ads Raise Privacy Concerns Facebook Gets More Ads A Holy War Wages on Facebook  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Gadget Head, Domestic God / Goddess, Man / Woman Who Has Everything, $50 and Under, Gift News, Holiday Gift GuideProving yet again that we haven't run out of good ideas (as a species), the folks at Charles and Marie (we'll call them "Charles and Marie") have released one of the most logical items we've seen in some time. Like Sunday mornings, it's easy: The mug turns from off to on when filled with hot liquid, and then goes back to off when your beverage is drinkable again.25 bucks is a bit on the pricey side for a coffee mug, but for the perpetual tongue burners among you (you know who you are), it's easily worth the investment in your taste buds. Assuming it works. From BoingBoingRelated Links:50 million free iTunes songs at StarbucksStarbucks adds coffee orders to it wireless network Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  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