FocuSoft Tech Blog |
- Palm Pre filtering into Sprint stores, indocile employee sizes it up
- Shhh. Blekko Is Still In The Oven. Do Not Disturb
- ASUS to introduce O!Play media player at Computex
- BBQ Sword: Swashbuckling meets Deliciousness and has a baby named Fun
- Pixel Qi: The Display That Will Make You Want an E-Reader [Displays]
- Make Your Photos Look Like Google Streetview or YouTube In Real Life [Funny]
- Charlotte, NC mall has an E-cigarette kiosk, the world is doomed
- Microsoft confirms: no three app limit in Windows 7 Starter
- So the PSP Go Is Basically a Sony Mylo 2 With Gaming Then? [Psp Go]
- Village Voice Wishes McMaster Would Hate Them, Too
| Palm Pre filtering into Sprint stores, indocile employee sizes it up Posted: 30 May 2009 04:28 PM PDT
 With only days to go before at least four or five Sprint stores begin selling Palm’s Pre, we’re already seeing at least one employee with some time on his hands give the smartphone a go. Moral of the story? Right about now would be an awesome time to know somebody who can get behind a Sprint counter without using an unlawful amount of force. Filed under: Cellphones Palm Pre filtering into Sprint stores, indocile employee sizes it up originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 May 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Shhh. Blekko Is Still In The Oven. Do Not Disturb Posted: 30 May 2009 04:12 PM PDT
Life is not easy for search engine startups. FIrst, it's hard to create something that doesn't fall flat against Google. Too much hype (Google Killer!), whether the company drives it or not, inevitably leads to disappointment. Cuil is walking dead, for example, and Wikia Search is just dead. Other ambitious projects like SearchMe are dealing with tepid user enthusiasm, and Wolfram Alpha's over-hype has cost it credibility. Any search engine startup with a shred of common sense wouldn't want to create a lot of hype about itself before launching. There are too many dead bodies lying around to prove how badly that strategy works. But on the other hand: ambitious startups need to hire talented engineers, and they need lots of money. Crawling and indexing the web is expensive and requires thousands of servers. Those servers aren't free. So there needs to be at least a little awareness of the startup out there for hiring and fundraising purposes. New search engine startup Blekko has been trying to figure out exactly where pre-launch press should begin and end. They've said very little up to now and haven't made any big promises at all. We first covered them in early 2008, and have subsequently noted some high profile investors that have put money into the project. But that's it. The company has said clearly that they don't want press, and most bloggers and other journalists have respected that. So why the slight buzz yesterday and today? They're preparing to launch later this year and they are raising more money to ramp up. They're starting to show people a little more of the product. We're impressed. As are others. Is Blekko a Google killer? I don't think so. And the company isn't claiming that, either. But I do think they have a really cool search product that a lot of people are going to love. I look forward to writing about it when they prepare to launch. But until then we're going to give them the privacy they've requested to fully bake the product. Because the last thing we need is another over-hyped pre-launch search engine that's called a failure just because they aren't a Google slayer a week after launch. Information provided by CrunchBase Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors Here is the original post:
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| ASUS to introduce O!Play media player at Computex Posted: 30 May 2009 03:41 PM PDT
 Wait, what’s this? ASUS diving head first into the HD media streamer game? Based on images and details acquired by Hardware, we’d say chances are looking pretty good. Reportedly, the aforementioned outfit will showcase its very own media player at Computex next week in Taiwan, and our expectations are already fairly lofty. The O!Play (codename HDP-R1) is said to be a fair bit quicker than competing models, and the file compatibility list is also worthy of laud. Port wise, this one’s packing eSATA, USB, HDMI, stereo audio jacks, optical digital audio, Ethernet and an AC port. If all goes well, we could see this little bugger in European stores by July, with a price tag pegged at €119 ($168). Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if that price nets you an internal HDD, but we’ll find out for sure soon enough. [Via The Inquirer] Filed under: Home Entertainment ASUS to introduce O!Play media player at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 May 2009 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| BBQ Sword: Swashbuckling meets Deliciousness and has a baby named Fun Posted: 30 May 2009 03:37 PM PDT
I know what you’re thinking: $20 is far too much for a skewer. And normally I’d agree with you, except that this skewer is called the “Swashbuckling BBQ Sword” and features a handsome fencing grip. I’d submit that it needs some sort of handsome leather sheath, but other than that it looks perfect for just about any outdoor grill. Just make sure that if you dress like a swashbuckling pirate while you’re grilling, you try to avoid getting your billowy pirate shirt too close to the open flame. The Swashbuckling BBQ Sword is 19 inches long, features an “easy-grip wood handle with metal hand-shield,” and costs $19.99 from ThinkGeek. Read more:
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| Pixel Qi: The Display That Will Make You Want an E-Reader [Displays] Posted: 30 May 2009 03:30 PM PDT
We’ve known about Pixel Qi technology for awhile, and it’s been steadily progressing to production. It’s basically a two-mode LCD: One for typical use, and one “reflexive” mode that requires much less energy and is easier on the eyes. Well, Josh Quittner over at Time actually got to check out a Pixel Qi display, and was awfully impressed. He brands the colors about as vibrant as a typical LCD and said video “ran perfectly smoothly” (yes, Pixel Qi is capable of both color and video). Jepsen claims battery life at around 40 hours of use, which isn’t quite up to the marathon-like endurance of the Kindle but is still impressively long. Best of all, Jepsen states that the Pixel Qi is ready for production now, at a relatively cheap price: Only about $200 for a 10-inch screen. This might finally be the tech that brings e-readers up to their potential, so please, manufacturers, bring on the Pixel Qi e-readers! [Time] More:
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| Make Your Photos Look Like Google Streetview or YouTube In Real Life [Funny] Posted: 30 May 2009 02:30 PM PDT
Original post:
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| Charlotte, NC mall has an E-cigarette kiosk, the world is doomed Posted: 30 May 2009 02:24 PM PDT
As my better half says, “Only in the South.” Have you guys seen these e-ciggy kiosks in malls around your neck of the woods? If you’ve never seen one of these things then check out John’s review of the SuperSmoker Blue. via KSA’s Twitter Here is the original post:
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| Microsoft confirms: no three app limit in Windows 7 Starter Posted: 30 May 2009 01:58 PM PDT
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops Microsoft confirms: no three app limit in Windows 7 Starter originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 May 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| So the PSP Go Is Basically a Sony Mylo 2 With Gaming Then? [Psp Go] Posted: 30 May 2009 01:30 PM PDT
There were a couple hints leading up to this. There was the patent for a mystery device that could browse the web and play back music—but also had a touchscreen. There was the rebranding of the Mylo into an Internet Device, which was strange to us at the time. But why is Sony using the Mylo body to make a flash-based PSP that won’t replace the PSP 3000? I have no idea. Maybe they felt bad for the only very lightly-used machines and molds they had for the Mylo and wanted to give them a purpose? [PSP Go] Read more here:
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| Village Voice Wishes McMaster Would Hate Them, Too Posted: 30 May 2009 01:14 PM PDT
If anything sucks more than being the target of an ambitious but delusional gubernatorial candidate who has suddenly developed a bit of a fetish for prostitution, it’s being ignored by that candidate. As far as Village Voice sees the world, Craigslist just got a bunch of free press. And they want their share. When Craigslist management was facing a criminal investigation for listings on the site they did the smart thing. They talked about the law, and they pointed out that the real smut was on other sites that were being ignored by the South Carolina Attorney General. If you really want hard core porn and prostitution, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster pointed out, check out Village Voice’s BackPage.com. That’s all body fluids under the bridge now, of course, since a federal judge smacked down McMaster and forbid him from stalking Craigslist management. But Village Voice is still smarting from those Buckmaster links in that blog post. Yesterday they issued a very official press release titled “Village Voice Media to Craigslist CEO Buckmaster: Calm Down, Back Off; There is Nothing Wrong With a Little Competition.” In an email, Village Voice’s PR firm accuses Buckmaster of “leveraging the legal bind he’s in to damage Craigslist’s competition.” The real reason for the press release and press outreach, of course, is to get a little bit of the spotlight pointed to backpages, too. Because their official story doesn’t make sense. Backpages has adult ads, lots and lots of them, and they’re proud of it: “We will continue to exercise our right to accept legal adult postings,” they say. All Buckmaster did was link to a whole bunch of them. And since backpages desperately needs the traffic, what they really should be doing is thanking Craigslist, not attacking them. What we learned today: If you really want to pay for sex, backpages is the place to go. Full press release is below: Village Voice Media to Craigslist CEO Buckmaster: Calm Down, Back Off; There is Nothing Wrong With a Little Competition PHOENIX, May 29 /PRNewswire/ — Last Friday, Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist, fired a deliberate, unnecessary and wholly inaccurate shot across the bow of Village Voice Media and backpage.com, our online classified advertising property. Given the serious nature of what Buckmaster inferred in his post about Village Voice Media newspapers and backpage.com, we can’t sit on our hands and be silent. In the original blog post, which was later “submarine” edited to reword and soften some of the attacks towards Village Voice Media, Buckmaster complained that politicians are attacking Craigslist but not Village Voice Media and other media outlets because they have a “need for positive stories and campaign endorsements from those very same newspapers. “Is it possible that writing stories critical of Craigslist’s (relatively tame) ‘adult service’ section is more career-friendly than attacking their own employer (or journalistic media brethren) for operating a (far more graphic) ‘adult service’ section of their own?” Buckmaster and Craigslist are in a tough, and in many ways, frightening situation - they have a number of moralistic state Attorneys General threatening them over their adult ads, and a raft of bad press following the terrible tragedy in Boston that the company is admittedly in no way responsible for. But, the manner in which Buckmaster is responding to this pressure - by disingenuously lashing out at competitors and caving to political pressure - is inexcusable, and displays a remarkable lack of sound judgment. In 2002, Village Voice Media recognized the forces that were changing the classified advertising market and created backpage.com to answer that challenge. We’ve put a lot of work into making it the No. 2 free classifieds site in U.S. We’re fine with being No. 2, proud in fact. Buckmaster, apparently, is not. Instead of working with his competitors to find a way to solve, or at least mitigate issues surrounding adult ads - the shortcomings of automatic content filters is something we are all trying to fix - Buckmaster simply attempted to take the competition down with him. And, his methods leave much to be desired. First off, our newspapers don’t endorse politicians and rarely have anything nice to say about them, so to say that politicians aren’t going after Village Voice Media because they need our endorsement isn’t viable. Secondly, Buckmaster is only complaining because a competitor is challenging his economic advantage in the free classified arena - which he built in part on adult ads - and has made him a very wealthy man. His talk of building community and serving his users rings hollow. It now appears that, as is so often the case with New Age entrepreneurs, it’s all about the money. We will continue to exercise our right to accept legal adult postings from our users and concentrate on growing backpage.com. We are aggressively building additional technical solutions as well as increasing our manual site inspections to improve efficiency of removing content that is illegal or otherwise violates our Terms of Use. About Village Voice Media Village Voice Media is a collection of 15 weekly newspapers and daily Web sites, including New York’s Village Voice, the LA Weekly, Denver’s Westword and the Phoenix New Times. Online, in print, and on mobile devices, VVM’s products combine music, food and events coverage with gritty, hard-hitting journalism to create the most powerful city guides in each market. While the focus of the brand is local, its free classifieds site backpage.com, partnership with social recommendation engine LikeMe.net and national sales force, Voice Media Group, extend its reach on a national level. Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware. Here is the original post:
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![1d04588959screen Pixel Qi: The Display That Will Make You Want an E Reader [Displays]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/1d04588959screen.jpg "Pixel Qi: The Display That Will Make You Want an E Reader [Displays]")
We’ve gone through it time and time again: One of the most formidable problems e-readers need to overcome is the expensive and primitive issue of e-ink. But ![0c6b47985f031 Make Your Photos Look Like Google Streetview or YouTube In Real Life [Funny]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/0c6b47985f031.jpg "Make Your Photos Look Like Google Streetview or YouTube In Real Life [Funny]")
Here is a simple and funny way to make your still photos look like they are part of 
![334144fafepsp 01 So the PSP Go Is Basically a Sony Mylo 2 With Gaming Then? [Psp Go]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/334144fafepsp-01.jpg "So the PSP Go Is Basically a Sony Mylo 2 With Gaming Then? [Psp Go]")
The 
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