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22 Nov 2008 06:33:29 GMT

MIAMI (AP) - A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke.

21 Nov 2008 20:31:12 GMT

The firmware upgrade adds the ability to download podcasts directly on the device, improves map applications, and fixes some bugs.

21 Nov 2008 19:18:57 GMT

UPPSALA, Sweden, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- DNA from strands of hair found in a 16th century book confirm human remains uncovered in Poland belong to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

21 Nov 2008 11:13:34 GMT

The MacArthur Foundation just released a study suggesting that, not surprisingly, given the integration of social media into business and modern culture, the time kids spend with so-called new media, is generally neither wasted nor particularly harmful ...

21 Nov 2008 21:57:43 GMT

Hundreds of people lined up outside some Verizon Wireless stores to buy the new BlackBerry Storm on Friday, but many walked away empty handed.

21 Nov 2008 22:48:26 GMT

Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics America has said that the company believes sales of standalone Blu-ray (excluding the PS3) players will fall just short of expectations and the company will not meet its worldwide sales goal, due mainly to the global economic downturn. Glasgow also pointed out the obvious when he said that Blu-ray movies were expensive and when they become more affordable, the standard should see a significant boost in interest. The BDA and Sony had set a sales target of five million standalone players worldwide by the end of 2008 but Glasgow believes the year will end with only 4.5 million devices sold. “It’s not that far off of it. Maybe 10% off of what we had thought. It’s truly one of the items that has performed well during this economic mess,” added Glasgow. When talking about the prices of the discs, he added, “They (movie studios) need to make money, and the packaged media (discs) is a critical way for them to make money so I understand their problems also. But I’d love to see those prices come down, as well as the price of Blu-ray players, to drive adoption.” Glasgow also importantly added that sales would slump just like everything else in the world would, thanks to the worldwide economic recession. “We expected the TV industry to just skyrocket this holiday season. It’s going to grow, but its not skyrocketing. There are less consumers willing to spend money. I believe 80% of that is just consumer confidence. They don't feel as comfortable making a major investment in a television.”

21 Nov 2008 03:25:00 EST

Like the Eee Top all-in-one PC but 15.6-inches is just too wee for your taste? Fine, you'll have the chance to grapple with 20- and 22-inchers, according to ASUS CEO Jerry Shen, sometime in the first half of 2009. Drop Windows 7 into these touchscreen monuments to mediocrity and we're in. DesktopsASUS Eee Top climbing to 20- and 22-inches by June originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

21 Nov 2008 10:47:00 EST

No, you're not looking at some high-precision, multimeter-laden kegerator; the above is a picture from a recent AMD event in which things apparently got a little out of hand. The company started by talking up its upcoming Dragon platform (Phenom II X4, Radeon 4800 graphics, and 7-series chipset), took a few moments to discuss how its new 45nm chips will use 30-50 percent less power than their predecessors, and then threw all notions of sensibility out the window in an attempt to see just how fast the darned things could go. A Phenom II X4 managed 4GHz with air-cooling, 4.4GHz with a refrigerated setup, and finally a "stable" 5GHz on liquid nitrogen. That's mighty fast, but will the chips be quick enough to tackle Intel's mighty Core i7 when stripped of their fancy-pants cooling appendages? We'll see when they ship early next year. [Image courtesy of Legit Reviews] DesktopsAMD overclocks the snot out of Phenom II processors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

21 Nov 2008 13:09:00 EST

It's just taken a relatively short six months, but it looks like the team behind the Open Computing Language (or OpenCL) have already delivered the final spec for the standard, which puts it right on track for inclusion in OS X Snow Leopard. In fact, the team credits Apple with helping them meet the "impossible deadline," with Intel's Tim Mattson saying that Apple's decision to "support it in Snow Leopard was a huge plus to us," even if it forced them to "divorce our families" and left them "almost dead." The standard itself, which allows for greater leveraging of GPUs and other hardware, isn't quite ready to be implemented just yet, however, as it still has to go through the final stage of being vetted by all 20 partner companies for patent issues and whatnot. Once that's done, which will take a "minimum" of 30 days, they'll release the actual spec and begin the usual round demos.[Via Ars Technica] Desktops, LaptopsOpenCL spec gets finalized, Snow Leopard says "purrrr" originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

21 Nov 2008 18:29:47 GMT

By TORI TELLEM Is it real? Well, Jerry Seinfeld was in the audience at the reveal. And he wouldn?t come to a show about nothing.

21 Nov 2008 11:04:46 GMT

Nasa has successfully transmitted images to and from a spacecraft 20 million miles away with a communications system based on the net.

21 Nov 2008 21:01:49 GMT

The Wii gives players the power to annihilate villains and save the planet, all from the comfort of their sofas. Spending hours sat on your sofa playing console games isn't just bad for your health -- it's bad for the environment and bad for your bank ...

21 Nov 2008 19:02:02 GMT

The music industry has been stumbling and bumbling with subscription-based music services for years, and I?ve been experimenting with them since the very beginning.

21 Nov 2008 20:16:11 GMT

By Joel Hruska | Published: November 21, 2008 - 02:14PM CT We've watched the rapid evolution of Google's beta Chrome browser since it first appeared.

21 Nov 2008 13:17:59 GMT

Using hairs from frozen mammoth corpses, scientists at Penn State have mapped much of the woolly mammoth's genome, paving the way for possible resurrection in the near future.

21 Nov 2008 19:24:24 GMT

By HENRY FOUNTAIN The surface of Mars can be a bumpy place, particularly in the mid-latitudes. There, steep peaks are often surrounded by broad lobes of material that stretch away from the peaks for up to a dozen miles.

21 Nov 2008 13:37:04 GMT

Lori Drew, photo at left, is on trial for fraud in a case that resulted in the death of Megan Meier, 13. Christina Meier, in a dress at right, is the mother of Megan, who committed suicide after an exchange of e-mail messages over a fake account on ...

21 Nov 2008 22:43:22 GMT

I?ll be at Wired Magazine?s celebration tonight at San Francisco?s Academy of Sciences. The event features a conversation between Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson and Shai Agassi.

21 Nov 2008 21:50:58 GMT

by Michael Muchmore The Internet search market, which had seemed like a contest Google had won, is showing signs of life. A host of smaller competitors such as Cuil are trying to get in on the lucrative territory.

21 Nov 2008 02:43:24 GMT

After being announced earlier this year with no release date, the Xbox 360 exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content (DLC) will finally become available on February 17th, 2009, says Rockstar. The content, entitled "The Lost and the Damned," will follow the story of Johnny Klebitz, a prominent member of the "The Lost" gang in Liberty City. "Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background," said Dan Houser, vice president of creative development for Rockstar Games. "I can't go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City." There was no price announced but acclaimed video game analyst Michael Pachter predicts $20 USD.

21 Nov 2008 03:22:45 GMT

According to Dean Hachamovitch, Internet Explorer general manager at Microsoft, the company will not be able to reach its goal of releasing version 8 of its browser by the end of this year and instead will begin shipping the product in 2009. The general public beta will hit during the Q1 2009, with the final release following soon behind it. An initial beta was released in March, and a second beta was released in August. Microsoft had hoped to have a final release by the end of 2008, but there appears to be delays. Hachamovitch added that "Microsoft is being extra judicious in giving beta testers time to try out the software and incorporating their feedback into the product." Hachamovitch noted that the company "received a lot of feedback about how we transitioned from the IE7 beta releases to the IE7 final release, and as a result we want to be clear about the plan for IE8." Internet Explorer 8 will add better security features, expanded privacy capabilities and new "Web slices" which will let "users subscribe to content on different parts of Web pages and have it sent directly to their browser."

21 Nov 2008 04:25:54 GMT

Microsoft has announced that users with subscriptions to the Zune music store will receive ten free songs to keep every month, included in the $15 USD per month fee. The monthly fee allows user to download unlimited amounts of music as long as they keep paying for the subscription, but because they are rentals, they become unplayable if the user ever stops paying. The ten free tracks will come DRM-free in MP3 format and can be played back on any computer or device of your choosing. "I think the 10 free tracks is going to be a huge accelerant to subscriber numbers", said Adam Sohn, Zune's marketing director. "People will enjoy owning that music, and I think they'll be more apt to transact more in the store."

21 Nov 2008 04:58:27 GMT

Sonic Solutions announced yesterday that they had purchased the assets of streaming movie provider CinemaNow. None of the financial details were disclosed. The new agreement will combine CinemaNow's online movie business with Sonic's Qflix team, the new technology that allows users to download movies legally through CinemaNow then burn them to DVD using special drives and discs. The combined division will be known as Sonic's Premium Content Group for now on. Qflix was first announced in 2007 after Sonic signed a deal with Pioneer but the first drives were not released until recently. Sonic's shares have plummeted in recent months, from a high of $11 USD in as late as May to $0.74 cents today.

21 Nov 2008 05:57:12 GMT

eMusic, one of the older online music subscription stores, has finally hit its 250 millionth download, 5 years after the store opened for business. The company offers DRM-free MP3 downloads compatible with all players and for a steep discount compared to titan iTunes. A monthly plan costs about $12 USD and gives users 30 downloads per month, averaging out to 40 cents per song. The number may seem low, especially in comparison to Apple which has sold 5 billion tracks since opening their store in 2003, but it is important to note that the store has a heavy focus on independents and only 4.5 million tracks. Despite a small subscriber base of only 400,000, the company has remained profitable for years now.

21 Nov 2008 00:06:00 EST

If you thought your ARES CG6155 was hot stuff during the sweltering summer, well, you were right. Sadly, your bragging days have come to an end, as a new era of cutting-edge buyers are fixing to one-up you with the purchase of ASUS' ROG CG6190. Timed to be released alongside Intel's potent Core i7 processor, this beast is built around the X58 chipset and includes an eye-catching chassis, 52% faster processing speed in 3D gaming applications (thanks, overclocked Core i7!), up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM and support for an NVIDIA triple-SLI GPU setup or an ATI CrossFireX rig. You'll also notice a biometric fingerprint scanner, a unique 2-kilowatt dual power system, customized liquid cooling modules and a SupremeFX X-Fi audio card. As ASUS loves to do, we're left in the dark on pricing, but we'd guess it'll launch somewhere between expensive and ludicrously pricey here soon.[Via ComputerMonger] DesktopsASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

21 Nov 2008 02:06:15 GMT

By Joel Hruska | Published: November 20, 2008 - 07:50PM CT Yesterday, HP launched its multitouch-capable TouchSmart tx2 and dubbed it the first multitouch tablet on the market.

21 Nov 2008 03:38:51 GMT

The Internet giant, which launched the site less than five months ago, says it wants to focus on its core search business. By Alex Pham Not all Google Inc. endeavors turn into gold.

21 Nov 2008 07:37:18 GMT

Get ready for "The Lost and Damned," slated to roar onto Xbox Live early next year. Expect several more hours of fast and furious gameplay, along with a new (ahem) hero, Johnny Klebitz.

21 Nov 2008 01:37:30 GMT

The main thing keeping SSD hard drives out of the mainstream is their high costs and low capacities. Currently 128GB SSDs sell for around $400, far more expensive than comparable traditional drives while still holding less data.

21 Nov 2008 05:17:38 GMT

Vista is famous for asking unqualified users to make far too many judgment calls about security. Can Windows 7 teach the hated User Account Control to make its own decisions?

21 Nov 2008 04:04:42 GMT

By Julian Sanchez | Published: November 20, 2008 - 10:00PM CT If you believe author/activist Naomi Klein, there's a nefarious conservative conspiracy intent on making the world safe for capitalism by exploiting national crises to force political change ...

21 Nov 2008 06:13:36 GMT

By JERRY GARRETT ACROSS the United States, the inventory of unsold new vehicles accumulating at dealerships and on storage lots topped three million earlier this month.

21 Nov 2008 03:44:03 GMT

By Maggie Shiels Surfing the internet, playing games and hanging out on social networks are important for teen development, a large study of online use has revealed.

21 Nov 2008 06:34:09 GMT

By MARK CARREAU Scientists led by a University of Texas geologist report that data from an unmanned NASA space probe suggests there's much more ice on Mars than previously thought.

21 Nov 2008 06:30:14 GMT

By Martin Zimmerman One of the many questions surrounding the development of electric cars is surprisingly prosaic: Will there be someplace to plug the darn things in?

21 Nov 2008 07:34:45 GMT

Today Google is finally rolling out its long-promised and long-tested by a large group of randomly-selected users SearchWiki functionality - this time for everyone to see and use.

21 Nov 2008 05:11:58 GMT

This is what you call not having your witness under control. Wired?s Kim Zetter reports that the government?s star witness massively undercut the government?s case against Lori Drew, who is accused of violating federal antihacking laws by using MySpace ...

21 Nov 2008 03:28:50 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Spacewalking astronauts performed more repair work on a jammed joint at the international space station on Thursday, keeping a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time.

21 Nov 2008 06:15:03 GMT

The MySpace application for Research In Motion?s Blackberry smartphones has been downloaded more than 400000 times since it was introduced a week ago.

20 Nov 2008 17:25:40 GMT

Thank you Rockstar, it's about time we're finally talking release dates for the Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content you promised ages ago.

20 Nov 2008 17:31:34 GMT

The latest report from analyst group DFC Intelligence analyzes the rollout of Microsoft's New Xbox Experience -- is the Xbox 360 slowly expanding its demographics?

20 Nov 2008 19:46:59 GMT

Smartphones - and in particular Apple?s iPhone - were the only bright spot in ChangeWave?s November survey of corporate IT spending for the next 90 days, an otherwise dismal forecast that research director Paul Carton described in terms ranging from ...

20 Nov 2008 04:26:00 EST

DesktopsDell's Core i7-powered XPS 730x reviewed: potent and pricey, like it should be originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

20 Nov 2008 04:54:00 EST

Our brothers in gadgetry over at Engadget Chinese are at ASUS' Eee Top unveiling in Taipei. They've already been hands-on with the 15.6-inch all-in-one touchscreen PC and consider the build quality to be "ok," consistent with the traditional (read: non-S101) Eee PC netbooks. And while it includes an "Easy Mode" UI that runs on top of XP, launch anything other than an ASUS-built application and you're right back into XP's less finger-friendly interface. That's where the included stylus (hidden in the keyboard) comes into play. We also have a price: 18,900 Taiwanese dollars which is a tax inclusive price of about $580 in the US. It's available today in ASUS' home of Taiwan -- everyone else will have to wait for their local announcements. 'Till then, pics, plenty of pics. Update: Today's announcement is only for model ET1602. The ET1603 with better graphics and battery (whose existence is in dispute based on contradictory press reports and product specs) is still not available.Update 2: Added ASUS promotional video after the break -- only thing it's missing is Bruce Lee. [Thanks, Sascha], Gallery: ASUS Eee Top -- Hands-on

20 Nov 2008 14:46:00 EST

Intel's new Core i7 chip has been showing up in tons of silly-spec'd high-end gaming rigs for about three days now, so it's obviously time to get bored and move on -- and right on cue, TechRadar's got the first benchmarks we've seen of the upcoming dual-processor Nehalem EP platform. The secret test machine featured two 2.8GHz Nehalem EP chips (likely to hit retail in 2009 as the Xeon X5560) and 24GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM controlled by the new Quick Path Interconnect and on-die memory controllers, which together cranked out a SPECfp base rate of 160 -- way above the 90 posted by current 3.4GHz Xeon setups, and higher than the 105 scored by a 2.7GHz dual-processor rig with AMD's new Shanghai chips. Yeah, that's silly fast, and it's bound to get even faster when these bad boys launch with a 3.2GHz part along for the ride. Now if Intel could just siphon some of that speed into these pokey Atoms we can actually afford, we'd be grins-a-plenty. DesktopsUpcoming dual-processor Nehalem EP machine benchmarked -- yeah, it's fast originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

20 Nov 2008 15:43:00 EST

Frivolous lawsuits aren't anything new, but this is an eye-opener straight from annals of "office humor." It turns out that in the past year "several" companies, including UnitedHealthGroup, Cigna, and AT&T have had employee-filed lawsuits brought against them for unpaid time. That "unpaid time" is the minutes each day employees spend booting up and shutting down their computers (also their time-clocks), which they claim adds up to an astounding 15-30 per day. Astounding, that is, if you've never worked in a corporate office with a terrible IT department. If you have, you'll probably agree that this figure may, in some cases be on the mark, if not a little conservative. The employees claim they should be paid to work while the boot-ups and shut-downs are happening, since during that time they're doing tasks like paperwork or "arranging their calendar," while the companies counters that they're probably smoking, getting coffee, or talking to people. We're not really going to judge the veracity of these suits en masse -- we'll take them on a case-by-case basis, but there does seem to be something suspicious about this many people claiming to still use paper calendars.[Via Wired] DesktopsLawsuits over employees' unpaid computer boot-times stacking up next to unread paperwork originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

20 Nov 2008 18:25:59 GMT

By enabling corporate information to easily go to its handsets via Lotus Notes and ActiveSync, Nokia is making a stronger push for the enterprise market.

20 Nov 2008 22:30:53 GMT

By Rick Whiting, ChannelWeb It doesn't look like Microsoft will make its goal of releasing Internet Explorer 8 by the end of this year.

20 Nov 2008 19:27:58 GMT

Yahoo and T-Mobile have finally consummated a deal that will bring Yahoo's search capabilities to the United States' fourth-largest cell-phone carrier.

20 Nov 2008 19:05:56 GMT

An intact skeleton of a woolly mammoth that is on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. By NICHOLAS WADE Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of ...