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- Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 gets official: Hands-on Video Demo
- Verizon’s Chocolate Touch is a dead ringer for the LG SB210
- Dutch Hacker Holds Jailbroken iPhones Hostage For €5 Ransom While Exposing Security Vulnerability [IPhone]
- Sorenson’s Squeeze 6: A Connected Media Encoding And Distribution Platform
- Idiot Plane Passenger Steadies Himself With An Ejection Handle [Airplanes]
- Google’s New Music Search Will Be Getting A Boost From Your Favorite Bands
- Wherein tenuous links are made between BioShock and two new Ayn Rand biographies
- Dumb Pipes — Why Skype Treads Carefully With Open Source
- Creative Zii EGG Android build demoed on video
- Sonic Fabric Neckties Are Actually Playable [Clothing]
| Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 gets official: Hands-on Video Demo Posted: 02 Nov 2009 07:00 PM PST Sony Ericsson have finally come clean on their latest smartphone, and as expected it's an Android flagship. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 – previously known as the Rachael and the X3 – is a Snapdragon-based touchscreen candybar, with a huge display, 8.1-megapixel camera and some "special sauce" in the shape of two homegrown applications – for communication aggregation and media aggregation – with a custom UI. SlashGear caught up with Sony Ericsson in London yesterday to take a look at the new smartphone, and find out why the company reckons this is the launch not only of the Android X10 but of a new "user experience platform".
After the cut: live XPERIA X10 gallery and video The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 has a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen running at WVGA resolution, though there's no multitouch support; the company claimed that they didn't want to "fragment" Android by adding it to the handset as HTC have done. In fact, beyond the custom skin and two key applications, the OS is pretty much standard Android 1.6; Sony Ericsson have left the default on-screen keyboard, and the Android Market is present for the usual downloading of extra applications. Other hardware specifications include UMTS 3G HSDPA/HSUPA, along with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS, together of course with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. Connectivity includes microUSB and a 3.5mm headphone jack, both on the top edge of the X10, and there's a microSD slot with an 8GB card in the box as standard. The camera is an 8.1-megapixel unit with autofocus and an LED flash, together with some of the CyberShot extras we've seen on previous Sony Ericsson handsets. Sony Ericsson's two key developments on the X10 are Timescape and Mediascape, each running as a standalone application but fully integrated in terms of features into each of the native Android apps. Timescape handles events, with a single view of tumbling panes each detailing the most recent changes, updates or events. SMS or email messages, calls, voicemails, photos, Twitter or Facebook updates and calendar entries are all pulled together into one dangling stream, and you can tap each pane to see it completely; hitting the Infinity symbol in the top corner then pulls together related information from all across the phone and online.
For instance, if you tap an SMS pane and then hit Infinity, the XPERIA X10 will bring up the contact details for that individual including all of their Twitter, Facebook, email, photos (both on the phone – pulled together using automatic facial recognition – and in any linked photo galleries online) and anything else. Scrolling between tabs at the bottom of the list can pull out different categories: SMS, email, etc. Facial recognition can spot up to five different faces in each image and, once an individual is tagged, you can dial them or trigger a message simply by tapping them in the gallery Mediascape, meanwhile, works in a similar way to Timescape but for audio, video and still image content. Three tabs show photos, audio and video, with the top half of the screen having draggable bars showing local content (split into rows by most recent, most played, etc.) while the lower half has online content. Sony Ericsson are working with content providers and carriers to develop this latter content; right now, the XPERIA X10 has access to YouTube video and online galleries, but there's the potential for carrier-provided streaming music, PlayStation Network integration or third-party services. We'd particularly like to see Spotify integration too.
As with Timescape, tapping on the Infinity icon in any media listing will pull together not only any other content by the same artist on the handset, but information online too. That could include YouTube videos, album details, discographies and concert dates, together with suggested tracks from PlayNow and other services. It's also straightforward to then create a new message, such as tweeting what track you're currently listening to, or suggesting a new artist to someone via email or SMS. Unfortunately, the single pre-production handset Sony Ericsson had brought along to demonstrate was running non-optimized software, which considerably undermined the strength of the Snapdragon chipset. Performance in Timescape and Mediascape was sluggish and jerky, with both apps slow to load, slow to update and prone to suffering screen locks. The regular applications – Google Maps, for instance – were much more impressive, with brisk load times and rapid screen orientation flips. Still, there's plenty of time for optimization to take place; despite the launch this week, the XPERIA X10 isn't expected until the new year. Sony Ericsson are saying they'll release the XPERIA X10 in Q1 2010, though when pushed they did confirm it's unlikely to be either at the very beginning or very end of that quarter. We're guessing the smartphone will have its official debut at Mobile World Congress in February 2010 and go on sale in Europe shortly after; Sony Ericsson are hoping for a global roll-out (including the US and Japan) but they recognize that some geographies (we're looking at you, North America) are more carrier-controlled than others and so timescales vary. No word on pricing at this stage. Beyond the X10 – which SE describe as their flagship for 2010 – there'll be a range of mid-tier smartphones based on both Symbian and Android, each sharing the (as yet unnamed) same user interface. According to the company, the UI is platform-agnostic – they're even considering using it on future Windows Phones – and will eventually be positioned as distinct from the hardware, similar to how HTC Sense has been branded. Unfortunately there'll be no retroactive deployment, so Satio buyers will have to make do with that smartphone's existing UI. It'll come as little consolation for those owners, but Sony Ericsson do expect to offer more consistent, long-term updates to their "smart" devices from now on; the X10, for instance, will eventually get an update to Android 2.0. It's too early to give a conclusive opinion on the XPERIA X10; while Sony Ericsson's demo model proved reasonably capable in the core Android apps, the real test will be whether Timescape and Mediascape have the speed to back up their functionality. It's worth remembering when you watch the demo video below that the X10 being shown is non-optimized; SE assure us that the final result will be far snappier. As we've seen with Motorola's MOTOBLUR and HTC's Sense, adding value to Android can definitely help define your smartphone from the rest of the crowd; while we have little doubt that Sony Ericsson will be able to get the hardware/software mix fettled in time, our prime concern is that the XPERIA X10 may not – like the X1 before it – make it to shelves before the pre-release hype has expired. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 demo:
Relevant Entries on SlashGear
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| Verizon’s Chocolate Touch is a dead ringer for the LG SB210 Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:36 PM PST
 If you want to know what Verizon’s upcoming Chocolate Touch will look like, look no further than this little number, the SB210, that’s just been unveiled for LG’s domestic South Korean market. Naturally we can expect that the firmware will be a good deal different, but the hardware looks exactly like the spy shots we’ve seen so far of the next Big Red handset to wear the storied Chocolate brand — which, it bears repeating, won’t be the much hotter BL40. In the SB210’s case, the big feature here is an integrated database of 280 golf courses that hooks up with the GPS to offer distance information and lower your handicap (theoretically, anyway). The phone’s available now on SKT for 638,000 won — about $538 — so we’re expecting a much lower subsidized price when this thing comes to Verizon later this week. Verizon’s Chocolate Touch is a dead ringer for the LG SB210 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:23 PM PST
Apparently all that it took to terrify many Dutch iPhone users was a “trivial” port scanning technique and “a modicum of networking know-how.” After the hacker gained access to the jailbroken phones with unchanged root passwords, he sent the pictured message which led to a demand for a €5 PayPal payment and words of caution:
This particular gentleman was almost kind. He didn’t inflict any serious harm, only demanded a small optional payment, and limited his activity to the Netherlands. Whoever learns from his approach might not be as nice. The lesson, my darlings? Change your root passwords or disable SSH if you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone. I finally did. [Ars Technica]
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| Sorenson’s Squeeze 6: A Connected Media Encoding And Distribution Platform Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:20 PM PST
Now, the point is not that you need a PC to encode heinous old formats, but rather that digital distribution is a weird, complex process that could use a bit of simplification. Sorenson’s Squeeze 6 appears to go to some lengths to make this happen. It’s far from the only encoding platform out there, but I think they’re moving the right direction with this version, which not only integrates tightly with your Mac, but also with SMS, Twitter, and other popular services. After all, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to be working in the same office, or even the same country, as people who need to be informed every step of the way. (link fixed) Original post:
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| Idiot Plane Passenger Steadies Himself With An Ejection Handle [Airplanes] Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:20 PM PST
That’s right, a passenger joyriding over South Africa with an experienced Silver Falcons air display team pilot steadied himself during an aerobatic maneuver by grabbing the ejection seat handle between his legs. Fortunately for him, ejection seats are fairly idiot proof—the chute opens automatically and he glided back to Earth unharmed. [Telegraph Image via Flickr]
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| Google’s New Music Search Will Be Getting A Boost From Your Favorite Bands Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:04 PM PST
We’ve heard that artists will be offering songs that can only be found through Google search, some of which will be given away for free. Over 20 artists are involved. Beyond that details are still scant, but we hear that the new promotion will start running soon — perhaps later this week.
Information provided by CrunchBase Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. Original post:
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| Wherein tenuous links are made between BioShock and two new Ayn Rand biographies Posted: 02 Nov 2009 04:00 PM PST
Working under the assumption that many of you have played BioShock, I point you in the direction of this week’s issue of The New Yorker, which has a quick review of two Ayn Rand biographies (here and here) that may interest you. It’s pretty funny because while the game’s story, which is unreservedly great, is in part inspired by the Rand novel "Atlas Shrugged," the New Yorker review doesn’t miss a beat in calling the author, well, a hack. Keeping in mind that I’ve never read the novel, and have zero plans to (I’m more of a non-fiction guy when it comes to reading), my basic understanding is that it’s all about how man is best served by being an individual, and is only hampered when he has to deal with icky other people, especially icky other people in the government keeping him down. How can man be expected to excel when he has to worry about society getting in his way? Which brings us to the game. All throughout, you’re told that Rapture is (well, was) a place where man can be great, where he can rise as far as his talents will allow him without having to worry about the big bad government getting in the way. Then again, you spend the game shooting icicles at large robots, so maybe that whole Utopia business was ill advised. Darn good shooter, though. Read more from the original source:
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| Dumb Pipes — Why Skype Treads Carefully With Open Source Posted: 02 Nov 2009 03:52 PM PST
It could also become part of multi-protocol messengers like Pidgin or eBuddy or Meebo. Or at least that was the hope for some hours today after a French user got the following answer from Skype customer support. Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware. Continued here:
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| Creative Zii EGG Android build demoed on video Posted: 02 Nov 2009 03:52 PM PST
 We’re still not entirely sure what Creative has planned for the Zii, but things appear to be going according to plan: as promised, an Android 1.6 installer for the Zii EGG developer unit was released today. Things are still pretty rough, however — the camera doesn’t work, and leftover bits of phone code like the signal strength icon are still present. We’re guessing that means we’re still ages away from seeing anything resembling a consumer device come out of all this, but let’s hope this is the first step towards a whole slew of kickin’ Android-powered KIRF devices. Video after the break. [Thanks, Yuki] Continue reading Creative Zii EGG Android build demoed on video Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Creative Zii EGG Android build demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Sonic Fabric Neckties Are Actually Playable [Clothing] Posted: 02 Nov 2009 03:40 PM PST
If you have $90 to spend on one of the ties, and you are willing to sacrifice an old Walkman for the project, you can make this a fixture of your formal wardrobe. Of course, walking around with a broken Walkman asking every one to rub you with it is not recommended. [Supermarket via Gadget Lab]
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![a828659a4cintro.jpg Dutch Hacker Holds Jailbroken iPhones Hostage For €5 Ransom While Exposing Security Vulnerability [IPhone]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/a828659a4cintro.jpg.jpg "Dutch Hacker Holds Jailbroken iPhones Hostage For €5 Ransom While Exposing Security Vulnerability [IPhone]")
Many of us have jailbroken our iPhones, but did everyone remember to change the default root password? Those guilty of that oversight are vulnerable to the simple intrusion method this guy used to hold iPhones hostage in the Netherlands.![Dutch Hacker Holds Jailbroken iPhones Hostage For €5 Ransom While Exposing Security Vulnerability [IPhone]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/226ac3e48deus.gif.gif?eui=2226 "Dutch Hacker Holds Jailbroken iPhones Hostage For €5 Ransom While Exposing Security Vulnerability [IPhone]")
A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine came to me with a problem. The British distribution company handling his music video for was shockingly backwards in its formatting, and was asking for a Real Media encode of the video. They didn’t specify bitrate, resolution, where it would be shown, or anything like that. Quicktime was being a bother, and we needed to use my PC to do a few encodes at this or that specification. We ended up getting it to go through in Vegas, and going to grab a coffee while it churned out the frames.![524ed97d73n seat.jpg Idiot Plane Passenger Steadies Himself With An Ejection Handle [Airplanes]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/524ed97d73n_seat.jpg.jpg "Idiot Plane Passenger Steadies Himself With An Ejection Handle [Airplanes]")
My guess is that when the rockets under his seat fired and he suddenly found himself over 300 feet away from the 
Last week Google 
Skype’s Linux version will soon become open source software – and maybe run on every smartphone, TV set-top box or other gadget powered by the free operating system. ![fbb2f8ccd1tie 2.jpg Sonic Fabric Neckties Are Actually Playable [Clothing]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/129c557daetie_2.jpg.jpg "Sonic Fabric Neckties Are Actually Playable [Clothing]")
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