Mobile broadband use jumps 154 percent | Tech news blog – CNET News.com
Mobile broadband use jumps 154 percent
Posted by Steven Musil | Post a comment
American workers apparently are getting more comfortable accessing the Web via their cell phones and PDAs.

The number of mobile devices accessing the Internet via wireless broadband skyrocketed 154 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006, according to research released Tuesday by ComScore.

The study also found that mobile broadband had a higher presence on work computers (59 percent) compared with home or personal computers (41 percent).

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Warning: Your iPod may get you mugged | Tech news blog – CNET News.com:

Warning: Your iPod may get you mugged
Posted by Elinor Mills | 1 comment 
A friend of mine got her throat sliced in a daytime iPod mugging a year and a half ago. Even the police were amazed at the violent nature of the attack. Fortunately, the cut didn’t go too deep and she is fine except for the scar and possibly some lingering post-traumatic-stress symptoms.

Her tale is indicative of a wider trend. A new study (PDF) entitled ‘Is there an iCrime Wave?’ concludes that the mainstream use of iPods and other gadgets has led to a rise in such street crime.

Not only are the white iPod earbuds easy “

(Via .)

iNdependence Beta Brings It All To iPhone 1.1.4 []: ”

If you’ve just updated your iPhone to the 1.1.4 firmware and have been awaiting an easy jailbreak and unlock process, iNdependence v1.4 beta 5 is out and brings ‘jailbreak, activation, SSH installation and ringtone/wallpaper/application.’ The Mac-only software is still beta and as it goes with any iPhone hacking, you must use caution, especially with the SDK coming next week. [iNdependence]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

iPhone’s First Native P2P Torrent App is Up and Running [Software]: ”

Core, an iPhone Hacker with mad hacking skills, has managed to port to the iPhone a functioning P2P client based on Transmission, which is a popular torrent app for Macs. This is the first time P2P torrent software has run natively on the iPhone, and the prospect has us in tizzy fits of excitement.

Tests have been carried out, and they have worked a charm. However, before you guys go nuts about downloading completely legal torrent files, there are some things you should know:

• This is a command line client at present, and although someone will chuck a GUI on it in the near future, steer clear unless you can handle messing with terminal.
• EDGE and P2P will screw your shit up. If you plan to get your download on, it’s WiFi all the way.
• If you start a download immediately before having sex, your iPhone’s battery will be dead before you are finished; i.e. torrenting will drain your battery extremely rapidly.
• You won’t see this up in installer.app, hit through on the link for further instructions.

All that aside, this is a neat development and bodes well for the post-SDK era. If anyone does give this one a go, let us know how you get on. [Wickedpsyched via TUAW]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

PQI’s Intelligent Stick Flash Drives are Tiny, Waterproof, Dust-Proof [FlashDrives]: ”

PQI’s new Intelligent Stick USB flash drives may be a boon for those clumsy people, like myself, who often spill coffee on their electronics or get them soaking wet in pockets that let the rain in. I can’t think of a time when I’ve got a gadget too dusty to use, but these tiny flash drives can even cope with that. Manufactured with a special COB process, they’re available in 2GB and 4GB in a number of colors, and are due to be unveiled at CeBIT this week.
[7Gadgets]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

Sony Increases Hard Drive Storage Fivefold [Upgrades]: ”

Sony has announced that they’ve increased hard drive storage capacity by five times through developing a new method of writing information that’s viable even for notebooks. Instead of writing via magnetics, the new system resembles current optical technologies, using a hybrid magnet/laser to write information to a disk at densities of 125GB/square inch. As we understand it, most elements of the traditional hard drive stay intact, but your current 320GB hard drive setup would see data storage reaching 1.6TB. Of course, there are no immediate plans for mass production. [itplus via electronista]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

Iogear Mobile Digital Scribe Writes Anywhere with Anything [Digital Ink]: ”

The updated Iogear Mobile Scribe captures 50 pages of your handwriting and doodles on any surface, using normal ink, and without the need to be connected to a computer like the previous Digital Scribe GPEN100C. This storage capability is more than enough for a full day of classes and meetings, but short of the 250 pages necessary to do anything really useful. And with useful I really mean full stickmen animations. Full specs after the jump:

• The first device ever to capture natural handwriting from any surface, and store it in the receiver for future use
• Students don’t need to carry their laptops to class, write on paper and upload your notes when you are back in the comfort of your room
• No special notepad, digital pad, or ink is required
• Included handwriting recognition software (OCR software) turns your handwriting into digital text
• Full editing capabilities allow you to easily modify your notes
• Export notes via JPEG format and share notes with other users via E-mail or Instant Messaging
• Write on any paper up to Letter or A4 size
• 12 Language OCR Support (English, Spanish, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, French, Dutch, Italian, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Korean, Japanese, and Russian)

[Iogear]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

Cyber Goggles Record and Tag Your World For Future Reference [Gadgets]: ”

Straight out of sci-fi and into reality, this pair of ‘cyber goggles,’ invented at the University of Tokyo, records everything you see as you wander through the day, then tells you where to find stuff later.

A computer analyzes the video for recognizable objects: you know, a hammer, a cellphone, a potted begonia, etc. To search for an item, you type in a keyword, and if located, a video of that item plays in the LCD screen positioned over your right eye.

The intended end product is a less bulky system that can help people locate lost belongings and maybe even assist in investigations and other visual searches. Naturally, though, the core of this whole system is insanely powerful visual recognition software, and until that works without a hitch, your just gonna have to remember where you left your car keys. [Pink Tentacle]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

RoadRunner Bluetooth NeckSet Translates Throat Vibrations Into Phone Conversations [Gadgets]: ”

Regular Bluetooth headsets, however small, have the unfortunate distinction of being on your ‘head’ and not your ‘neck,’ a problem this RoadRunner Bluetooth Communicator aims to solve. The bulk of it wraps around your neck, attaching onto the side of your throat in order to turn your throat vibrations into sounds it pipes through your phone. There’s then a Secret Service-like attachment that goes up into your ear so you can hear as well. How does this work in practice? We have no idea. But for $78 and your dignity, it better be good. [Pro-Idee via Gadget Review via Crave via Wired via DVice]

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(Via Gizmodo.)

British Navy Working on Developing Invisible Ships Using Metamaterials [Magic]: ”

Scientists at the Britannia Royal Navy College are working hard to make the idea of an invisible ship a reality using metamaterials that refract light in such a way that it ‘bends’ around an object, making it appear as if it were invisible. This would only account for viewing with the naked eye however—naturally radar cloaking would be an important part of the equation. However, it appears that this technology may be able to accomplish a lot more.

Chris Lavers, a senior lecturer in remote sensing and sensors technology at the college believes that nanomaterials could help render the next generation of ships invisible to the naked eye, radar, and even heat seeking missiles—all while being completely quiet and impossible to detect based on their impact on the Earth’s magnetic field. This isn’t the first time we have heard about invisibility cloaking using similar methods, so here’s hoping that something actually comes of it in the near future. [Physics World via Gizmag]

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(Via Gizmodo.)