Hot and Spicy: The Mystery Device Revealed as Compal Tabasco MID But it is Still a Mystery

Pictures of this former mystery device have been circulating along with rumors about just what the heck it was. Speculation was all over the map including that this swivel screen device was going to a new Palm entry called the Roteo.
Well, Jenn at Pocketables has done the dirty work and it is looking more and more like this is a MID from Compal called the Tabasco.
Certainly that’s hot and spicy news if it all pans out the way Jenn’s legwork suggests it will bit there is still some doubt about its future. But at least we’ve got a one company that isn’t afraid of some sexy naming conventions either.
But before you get your jalapenos in a bunch, Jenn points out that there is still much we don’t know about this device, or who is going to bring this to market. So, we’ll just have to wait and see

Toshiba's LCD can't make HD wine from SD water

The difference between HDTV and standard-definition TV is pretty drastic, and there's not much any device--television, DVD player, or cable box--can do to make standard-definition look like high-definition. But don't tell Toshiba.


The 46XV545U, a 46-inch LCD TV, represents one of the company's latest attempts to persuade buyers that with the right video processing, "all your DVDs and TV channels will be displayed in near High Definition picture quality." If you believe that, I have a burning five-dollar bill I'll sell you for a grand. Every company touts their upconversion technology, but Toshiba's "SRT Super Upconversion" blares its trumpets louder than anything we've heard.


In our tests, SRT basically added artificial sharpness, aka edge enhancement, to standard-definition images. You may like the look (we didn't), but you won't confuse it with HD. Without SRT, the television's standard-definition looked a good deal softer than other TVs in our comparison, for what it's worth.


It is worth mentioning that, as with all other standard-definition processing, SRT is irrelevant if you use an external source that does the conversion itself. Such sources can include upconverting DVD or Blu-ray players, or cable box or satellite boxes set to convert everything to HD.
But enough about standard-definition video processing; how does this HDTV perform otherwise? Click through to find out.

Stolen X-Box located with some technology and luck

Hey kids. You know how your parents tell you you're never going to learn anything if you keep playing video games? Well, they're wrong.
You can at least learn how to find your game system if it's ever stolen...by someone stupid enough to keep it relatively close to you. Also, it has to be an Xbox 360. Yeah, so as long as you meet those criteria, then you can learn something. Otherwise, no. Nothing to learn, at all.
According to The Standard Online, Missouri State University student Ryan Ketsenburg had his Xbox 360 stolen after he and his roommate neglected to lock the door to their dorm room.
Once he saw that the thieves had failed to also steal the 360's wireless controller, he also realized that the controller was still in contact with the Xbox. After that, through the process of elimination, he was able to find the console.
A controller that's registered to an Xbox 360 has a range of about 30 feet. If the controller is further than that from the system, the LEDs will begin to flash. Knowing this, Ketsenburg determined that his system was on the fifth floor of his dorm. He got the fifth floor attendant to open the door of the room he'd narrowed it down to, found his system, and was able to prove it was his by using the controller to turn the system on. The Xbox was then given back to him.
There are obviously two morals here. The first, know your tech. If you're just playing games without understanding how the technology behind your systems is working, then start doing that. Current-generation consoles have really cool technology running them, both on the software and hardware fronts.

PSP-4000 rumors, PSP2 software already being developed?

While we just met with Sony Hardware Marketing Director John Koller, he had nothing to say about the possibility of a PSP-4000, let alone a successor to the PSP itself. According to Eurogamer, it's possible he was holding something back.
It seems that a PSP-4000 is very much in the works for 2009. We'd imagine the updated PSP would address the screen interlacing issues that the PSP-3000 suffers from, but we're just speculating. We're still going to chalk these details up as rumors, but it does make sense for a new iteration of the PSP to debut as there have been updates quite steadily for some time now.
The site also claims that PSP2 games are already in development. If this is true, that would mean we could see a new portable console in about 16 months--following conventional development time cycles.
What would you like to see in the new PSP2? Let us know in the comments section. We'd love to see some onboard memory, two analog sticks, and a touch screen.

Amazon.com Becomes Santa Sweatshop, Says U.K. Report

To make sure you get your Xbox 360 this Christmas, Amazon's U.K. workers pack 140 games consoles every hour. And that might be the easiest part of their day, according to a report in the Times of London , which says laborers are sometimes made to walk up to 14 miles a shift to collect items for packing. The report also notes that U.K. workers risking firing if they take sick days, even with a doctor's note.
A reporter went undercover in one of Amazon's U.K. fulfillment centers (warehouses, packaging and delivery centers) and found that laborers there have to work seven days a week, including an overnight shift, which runs from Saturday evening to 5am on Sunday.
The reporter also revealed that Amazon refuses to allow sick leave, even with a doctor's note. Amazon operates a penalty points scheme, where a worker gets dismissed when he accumulates 6 points. One sick day off will cost the laborer one point.
Breaks are not very comfy for Amazon's workers either. Apparently they are given only 35 minutes break (15 and 20 minutes respectively) in an eight-hour shift and they have to get permission to go to the toilet.
Amazon U.K. doesn't deny the report, telling the Times that their workers are "working flat out to ensure that our millions of customers receive the products that they have ordered on time this Christmas." However, in the U.S., an Amazon spokesperson said to Seattle PI reporter Andrea James: "Don't believe everything you read!" as "There were many inaccuracies in the U.K. article."
Amazon, founded 13 years ago by Jeff Bezos in his garage in Seattle, quickly became today's most popular place for online shopping--due to its low prices and reliability. The company estimates that around 81 million people around the world are buying something from them every year.

source: yahoo news

AT-T now selling refurbished iPhone 3G units

I have a friend who refuses to buy anything used: he insists that all his purchases be untouched by human hands before his. Sure, I can see the appeal to getting something brand-new, but it’s also a pretty expensive habit. Fortunately, if you don’t have the same hold-ups as my buddy, you can now snag a refurbished iPhone 3G from AT&T.
You can snag the black 8GB model for $150 or your choice of black or white 16GB units for $250. That’s a savings of $50 in either case, though you will have to sign up for a two-year commitment, just as with a brand new iPhone. The refurb devices are previously owned, but “unused or lightly used” and returned to AT&T within the 30-day trial period. While the units are tested and upgarded to the latest software, the company warns that they may have minor scratches.
AT&T says only that devices carry a warranty of “90 days or more,” compared to the new iPhone, which comes with a one-year warranty. Personally, I’d guess that Apple will honor the one-year warranty on refurbished iPhones as well, though you can check online if you have a serial number.
Oh, and don't worry: they don't have that honking big AT&T logo on them.Â

Microsoft May Use 'Kumo' Name for More Than Search

Microsoft has been rumored for some time to be renaming its Live Search "Kumo" in 2009. However, a trademark application the company filed this month suggests Microsoft may use the name for more than just its search engine.

According to the application, filed on Dec. 4, Microsoft wants to trademark Kumo for a host of software and services beyond a search engine, including advertising and telecommunications services, education, training, entertainment, and the design and development of computer hardware and services.
According to Whois.Net, Microsoft has registered the kumo.com domain, and through CSC, a company that manages domain names for corporations, also has registered related domains that indicate the Kumo name could be used for other services. Those domains include: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/microsoftmayusekumonameformorethansearch/30272020/SIG=10ri7q852/*http://www.kumosearch.com, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/microsoftmayusekumonameformorethansearch/30272020/SIG=10pvkauq1/*http://www.kumopics.com, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/microsoftmayusekumonameformorethansearch/30272020/SIG=10plqiv8j/*http://www.kumowiki.com, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/microsoftmayusekumonameformorethansearch/30272020/SIG=10rci1aqp/*http://www.kumogroups.com and http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/microsoftmayusekumonameformorethansearch/30272020/SIG=10rh83end/*http://www.kumotravel.com.
Kumo is a Japanese word that can be used to mean "cloud," "ceiling" or "sea spider," among other things, according to an online Japanese-to-English translation service.
The trademark application and various domain registrations could mean Microsoft plans to drop the Windows Live and Live Search brands, which are fairly new in and of themselves. Microsoft only gave its online services the "Windows Live" moniker at the end of 2005, later dropping the "Windows" for its search engine but keeping it for other services and Web-based client applications.
However, Matt Rosoff, analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said that it is unlikely Microsoft would drop the Windows Live brand entirely, since the Windows Live-branded services and client applications, such as Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail, are part of the Windows client group at the company.
"It would be weird to me that they would rename everything," he said. "They're probably going to keep the Windows Live brand around and make it specifically for things that Microsoft think can improve Windows or take Windows-like functionality online -- those thick clients that connect to services."
Still, for its search engine, Kumo makes sense, Rosoff said. And while another name change might be confusing to some who already are aware of Microsoft's search engine, it actually might help the company because the bulk of average Web users still don't even know about Microsoft Live Search, he said.
"Search has had a lot of branding problems -- that's one reason people aren't even aware Microsoft has a search engine, and if they are they're not aware of where to find it," Rosoff said. Renaming it yet again "won't hurt them and maybe help them," he said.
Microsoft confirmed through its public relations firm Tuesday that it has trademarked the Kumo name, but would not disclose anything further about its plans to use it.