2010 January | Gadgets & Technology

Grammy Awards 2010: Twitter Dress is a Hit!

The Grammy Awards will air tonight but the non-televised segment of the awards were given out this afternoon. Imogen Heap created a buzz at the awards with her Twitter Dress! The artist accepted an award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical created a dress that made geeks all over the web swoon. Imogen’s Twitter Dress has its own Twitter feed, displays Twitter pics sent by fans in real-time using the hashtag #twitdress

Mashable reports that the artist uploaded a pic of the “dress in progress” to her yfrog account last night with Twitpic being used to handle the extensive stream of fan-submitted pics. She tweeted to earlier this morning that the dress was envisioned as a way to let fans “accompany me on the red carpet.”

Visit the Grammy Awards website and watch the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards tonight at 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST on CBS.

iPad: CNET Gives iPad Lukewarm Review?

CNET’s lukewarm review of the iPad is creating a buzz on the web this morning! But will millions of Mac Geeks will care? The editors at CNET have handed down their verdict is that Apple’s new tablet is disappointing. Here’s a quick peek of their review:

It also doesn’t have to replace a laptop or phone–which is good, because it doesn’t. That said, you can easily spend $800 to get more memory and a 3G connection.

The CNET editors suggest waiting for future versions of the iPad with more features at a lower price. Check out CNET’s review of the iPad.

iPad Price Causes Mac Geeks to Rejoice!

ipad 2up top iPad Price Causes Mac Geeks to Rejoice! When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad today, you could almost hear the geeky squeals of glee from Mac Addicts! In case you’ve been in a coma today, the iPad unveiled to the world, fulfilling the dreams of Mac Geeks worldwide.

The iPad is a slate tablet-style computer that bridges the gap between a MacBook and an iPod touch. Check out this Mashable report on the the iPad’s capabilities. The iPad is going to be as hot as the iPhone for a variety of reasons!

The Price is Right – $500 is a an awesome price for all that the iPad does! Especially when you remember what you paid for your cheap Netbook or your Kindle.

The iPad = Multi-Media - The iPad allows you to watch video, surf the web and read an e-book in a comfortable way using an optimized interface—all in a light, thin, compact form factor.

Will you buy an iPad?

Apple Tablet Pics Leaked, ‘Engadget’ Has Photos?

Pictures of the Apple Tablet were leaked. Tech blog Engadget obtained photos of a tablet-like device.

According to Apple Insider, a very reliable source for Apple information, the blog has photos of a device with a display that is 10 inches diagonally, and one of the shots seem to show a front-facing camera. In addition to the photos of the device, a source told Engadget other sensitive information about the Apple Tablet:

The person claimed the device will have a 10-inch screen and MacBook-like aluminum back, which is consistent with what AppleInsider was told. In addition, they said it will cost $800 on contract with Verizon and $1,000 unsubsidized for a March debut. That timeline is consistent with a rumor published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

Is this a hoax? A great PR campaign? Or are the Engadget photos the real thing? Can’t wait to find out! Go to Engadget to check out the photos.

Gloss Find: LG Lotus Elite

lglotuselite 189x300 Gloss Find: LG Lotus Elite LG’s chic Lotus mobile phone is getting an upgrade — the new Lotus Elite is still square, but now comes in a fiery red color and has new features to boot.

The biggest upgrade is the new touchscreen on the front of the device, which lets you do pretty much anything — except make a call — without opening the phone. The 2.0 megapixel camera features a camcorder function to shoot quick video, and because the camera is located on the phone’s hinge, you can easily flip the phone open and take photos or video of yourself.

A “social” button inside the phone connects directly to Twitter, Facebook or mySpace accounts and an “emoticon” button makes it simple to add smileys or other emotions to your social or text messages.

LG Lotus Elite – available through Sprint for $99.99

Robert Pattinson: Use Technology To Help Haiti Crisis, New Media Shaped Response

Twilight star Robert Pattinson spoke tonight on the Hope for Haiti telethon about the importance of technology during the crisis. Pattinson, who appeared on camera from London, shared a story that demonstrated how technology, including Twitter, Facebook and texting, has shaped the response to the earthquake in Haiti.

Robert told the story of a girl in Haiti who had been buried under a flattened university for nearly six days, praying that someone would find her. Finally, on the sixth day, rescuers discovered her because of a text message sent from underneath the rubble. Here is Robert Pattinson’s speech on the Hope for Haiti telethon:

Underneath a flattened university, Maxine Fallon waited. She was crouched in a fetal position and could barely move. In the darkness and during the hectic sounds of the day, through the pain, the hunger and thrist, she prayed that someone would find her. And on the sixth day her prayers were answered, she was found because of a text message from the rubble sent rescuers to her side. Unlike any other event in history, our world has been connected to this tragedy because of technology. Twitter updates, Facebook pages with pictures of the missing and text messages for help. This technology is working right now to connect us, too. At hopeforhaitinow.org, you can donate and you can instantly interact with people in Haiti and anywhere in the globe. Join with those watching and see what they’re saying about something we all care deeply about — helping the Haitian people get back on their feet. Please go to hopeforhaitinow.org. Thank you.

MTV News reports that Robert was not the only Twilight star to participate in the benefit to help Haiti. Taylor Lautner and Anna Kendrick answered calls from people interested in making a donation.

Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation!

“Distracted Walking” On The Rise

walkingtexting 300x219 Distracted Walking On The Rise States across the country are banning “distracted driving” — which includes talking on the phone and texting while behind the wheel, but there’s a new problem on the rise: distracted walking.

Citing a recently published study, the New York Times wrote:

Slightly more than 1,000 pedestrians visited emergency rooms in 2008 because they got distracted and tripped, fell or ran into something while using a cellphone to talk or text. That was twice the number from 2007, which had nearly doubled from 2006, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University, which says it is the first to estimate such accidents.

And considering that there are likely more incidents that didn’t bring people into the ER, the number can only get higher. So, what’s a busy, metropolitan city with tens of thousands of pedestrians to do? Initiate a texting while walking ban?

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Fox News Confirms Apple Tablet Launch January 27

Fox News claims that the Apple tablet will be shown to the world next week!

PC World reports that Fox News has published a story by Clayton Morris, “Apple Tablet, iPhone 4 Launch Confirmed for January 27th“. In the Fox News story, there is a very detailed conversation Morris allegedly had with an Apple source early Monday morning about the launch of the Apple tablet.

Per Clayton Morris, Apple has three big announcements next week: Apple’s long-rumored tablet, the next version of iLife, and an updated iPhone OS. Morris has correctly broken Apple related stories in the past, so it will be very interesting to see if he is right this time.