Steve Ballmer began his first keynote with a brief look back of the 15 previous during the Gates’ era. He then paid tribute to Gates work in Africa. Then, looking ahead, Ballmer acknowledged that in the short term, the economy is going through what he considers to be merely a speed bump on the road to technological advancement. Tech marches on and it’s drumbeat is convergence. Ballmer said that Microsoft is committing a considerable amount of treasure to research and development to what he considers are three main areas: 1) the Convergence of the PC, phone, and TV; 2) How we compute through new interfaces that will augment the traditional keyboard – being voice and gesture recognition; and 3) moving our lives from the hard drive to the cloud. The future will meld these three and we’ll be even more connected online and we’ll be all the richer for it.

To that end, Windows will become the hub, the lynchpin to what Ballmer refers to as everyone’s “personal solar system.” And it will transform that system from a PC OS to connected environment. To that end, Windows 7 has become streamlined with faster boot times, less alerts, and a modular design which will bring more features as they mature and become available. It’s quite the departure from the “all up” variants which became larger and slower and more security prone. But Windows 7 changes all that with the basic , stable and secure OS that Microsoft can build upon. And everyone can play with it now as Microsoft will release the beta version beginning Friday. Then, users who need options, like email, video editing, and instant messaging, can download Windows Live! Essentials and begin their connection to the cloud. Part of the Windows 7 advantage is that home networking has become easier and more connected with other PCs, Media Players, and even game consoles. There’s even what Microsoft promises to be – seamless integration to phones using an improved Windows Mobile.

Lastly, Microsoft announces two near Halo games coming this year and the new Xbox experience which will have custom avatars, “primetime custom programming,” and Netflix movie downloads. But the most fun could be “KODU,” an application that will let users, and especially kids, make their own social video games! Then there’s a new tablet PC turned into a collaborative digital text book for students, Microsoft Surface, of course with flexible 3D color display and interactivity.

I dunno. By comparison to the Schiller MacWorld keynote we see what we always see between these two platforms. Both competing, but on different roads as they face a future without their founding fathers (although Jobs is still in the Apple captain’s chair for the moment).

The short term may be a bit rocky, but the road to Redmond looks pretty smooth.

Hat Tip – CoverItLive! Photo Credit - The Gray Old Lady

With a whole host of A-listers experiencing their Twitter accounts being hacked, we imagine that it’s fairly likely that ours aren’t too safe either. 

It all started with that now infamous Fox news message about one of their anchors which stated, ‘Bill O Riley is gay’.  And while Fox was reeling CNN didn’t go unscathed as Rick Sanchez was hit with, ’I am high on crack right now might not be coming into work today’.

Wow.  So what can you do to protect your own crack pipe from being leaked?  Do not give your account information out lightly.  If you think you have fallen prey to a scam, change your password asap.  You may even feel better by contacting Twitter or reading their numerous blog entries on the topic.

The tinyCylon gets its tiny little brains from the programmable ATtiny13 controller chip, and loaded with more patterns than you can shake a stick at.

A simple press of the button lets you toggle between a bunch of mini light shows: classic Cylon bi-directional scan, left-to-right, right-to-left, glowing eyes, a couple of random modes, cyclops, and the oh-so-thrilling “off”.

You can grab the tinyCylon kit over at the MakerSHED for just $10. If you’d rather have one pre-assembled for you, just add $5 bucks. Me, I’d plunk down a couple hundred donuts and build my own mini desktop Cylon army.

The iPhone does a good job of mobile internet access - right now!

Yep, that’s a bit of a shock for those predicting that it would be in the next few years or so!

According to a new report by the “Pew Internet & American Life Project”, people will only be using Mobile devices to access the net in around 2020. The “Future of the Internet III” study checked nearly “600 Internet experts” (I wonder what that means….) about how technology will influence things like net access - the result was that opinion was centred on 2020 as the year that will occur.

The experts believed that by 2020 there will changes in cost (of device and access), and also that universal standards will dominate.  Another comment was that mobile devices will be computers rather phones.

Personally, I don’t go along with this at all - the thought that a universal standard for any tech could pervade the whole world, to my mind, is crazy. It’s been proven time and time again that not everyone likes standards, and even in the rare instances where they do, the fact that they require everyones’ agreement means they move very slowly.

To be fair, some of the experts that the research connected with were not in agreement with the main views - limitations such as device screen size, and operators’ interference were cited as issues.

Other key findings included the identification of voice recognition, and also touchscreens as being more common by 2020 - also that work/personal time divides will become more blurred - and that definitely is NOT good.

[Story Via: Mediapost News / Image Via: Apple]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Consumer Demand for Digital Convergence
• ARM ships 10 billionth chip
• Video: Nokia N810 Internet Tablet unboxing
• Telecom Italia jumps into Nokia’s OVI offering
• Virpi Roto posts her dissertation entitled “Web Browsing on Mobile Phones - Characteristics of User Experience”

You can also even add your own locations for example on a street where a police office commonly squats with his radar gun. On the GPS Angel website in several locations it is advertised that the GPS Angel comes with free unlimited updates to the Patriots database. However in one location it says that these unlimited updates are free for the first year of ownership and then $19.95 buys you unlimited updates for the lifetime of your GPS Angel.

The GPS Angel at $129 is a very simple device with not much to it. There is no battery so the unit must be plugged into the cigarette lighter to operate. No fancy LCD screen or robotic, yet soothing, voice warning you of the oncoming camera; It is just flashing LEDs and an audible alarm. As you approach, the alert system issues a warning before you reach the location of the risk and it will also let you know if you are exceeding the speed limit for that location.

Out of the box, I found the alarm mechanism to be annoying. Approaching the intersection, the alarm would start beeping away more than 1000 feet away and then continue beeping until I got really close. I would prefer if I could hit a button on the GPS Angel, telling it that I acknowledge (and of course appreciate) the warning and now it can go into silent mode so I don’t have to listen to the annoying beeping as I continue to approach the intersection. Another quip about the GPS Angel is that as I left the intersection the alarm would sound again and I get to hear that infernal beeping again. Honestly I was disappointed in the unit, but then when I used the GPS Angel Software I was pleasantly surprised that they had thought about most of the things that annoyed me!

With the software you can set the approach and departure distance of speed camera alarms. Directional cameras are not currently supported in the US database so if you are approaching a camera that is aimed at the opposite direction the unit will still sound an alarm. Directional cameras are supported in the databases for several European countries.

You can also enable the onboard trip recorder and speed limiters. The software also has diagnostics and you can even use the software to play the different alarms (approaching a camera, leaving a camera) so you can familiarize yourself with the different alerts.

Let’s take a look at the hardware. The device has two buttons and a volume control. The first button is a ‘record’ button which records your current position as a user-defined “Point Of Interest” or POI. A chime occurs indicating the location was successfully recorded. These POI’s can be managed using the GPS Angel Manager software available from the GPS Angel website.

The second button is a ‘speed limit’ button which records the current speed of the vehicle and if you exceed this set speed limit the device will beep until your speed falls below this limit. I think this is a good feature but not the best implementation. If I want to set the speed limit alarm for 85mph, I don’t want to have to speed up to 85mph, hit the button and then slow back down. I realize the risk is slight but I don’t want to get a ticket while setting my alarm to avoid getting tickets. I think it would be a nice feature if you can set an alarm based on the speed limit of the road using the GPS Angel Software and use the button to enable/disable this mode.

The GPS Angel comes with a User Manual, Cigarette lighter Power Adapter and a cable to sync the device to your computer or to the Cigarette lighter (which takes a USB input) and a gel skid-free pad to mount the unit on your dash. My cigarette power adapter was picky and sometimes the unit would turn off without me noticing, this could have been because of the adapter or my car’s plug but I haven’t had issues with other devices so I’m inclined to blame the adapter. Since there is no battery and it takes 1-5 minutes to obtain a fix on the satellites this became troublesome if I wasn’t paying attention.

Your GPS Angel website advertises that you can also change the color of the unit to suit your car and that there is a choice of colored click-on skins available in their buy-online section. I however did not see any skins on their website.

Again the GPS Angel has one purpose to protect you and your wallet and there isn’t a lot more to it. I think the concept for this device is great, and at first I found the GPS Angel to be a little annoying out of the box and I was concerned by its simplicity but once I used the GPS Angel software I really liked how it provide me the ability to configure the device. At $129 if this device saves you from just one ticket its pretty much paid for itself!

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

A new netbook is said to be coming to the U.S. sometime in January called the Gdium. The machine has the typical 10-inch screen and while the CPU isn’t mentioned, it’s likely the common Atom we are used to seeing inside everyone’s netbooks.

Where the Gdium differs is in the G-Key, which is a bootable USB key that acts as storage for all files and even the operating system. Speaking of the OS, the machine runs Linux, not a favorite among the average netbook consumer. The worst sticking point is that the machine will sell for about $400; you can get some similarly equipped Windows machines for that price. Most netbook users prefer Windows to Linux as demonstrated by the higher Linux return rate some manufacturers have talked about.

Engadget

A new netbook is said to be coming to the U.S. sometime in January called the Gdium. The machine has the typical 10-inch screen and while the CPU isn’t mentioned, it’s likely the common Atom we are used to seeing inside everyone’s netbooks.

Where the Gdium differs is in the G-Key, which is a bootable USB key that acts as storage for all files and even the operating system. Speaking of the OS, the machine runs Linux, not a favorite among the average netbook consumer. The worst sticking point is that the machine will sell for about $400; you can get some similarly equipped Windows machines for that price. Most netbook users prefer Windows to Linux as demonstrated by the higher Linux return rate some manufacturers have talked about.

Engadget

Creative marketing company AKQA set up 49 microwaves to play Jingle Bells, one note per microwave. They sound a bit silly at the start, but… just watch it. Then hug your microwave.

For some reason the video reminded me of The Brave Little Toaster. It’s like being next to a new loaf of bread.

[via Mark's Technology News]

Apparently kids these days also look like grown men. But seriously: look at that thing. I almost wept when I realized that the guy was behind the tank, and not on the tank. Where else will you see an RC vehicle that can literally trample a child?

I’m pretty sure that the tank’s gun isn’t functional, but still. Still. Imagine your kid showing up at their school Christmas party on this. He’ll immediately be everyone’s best friend. Or at least every bully’s best friend.

Of course something this cool and obscenely large also has a humongous price: the King Tiger is worth £6,600 ($9, 713). If that’s too much for you, Mark-1 is also selling a 1/6 scale King Tiger, base price £2900 ($4,267). If that’s still too much for you then you’re a bad parent. Because giant tanks are the key to stronger parent-child relationships.

[Mark-1 via Tech Digest]

Thanks, Merry Christmas and good luck, now please vote for the coolest.

The Datamancer Aviator Keyboard

If you’re a fan of steampunk styled gadgets, then check out this cool keyboard, the Datamancer Aviator Keyboard.

This stunning looking keyboard comes with a brushed aluminum frame, a black felt face plate, and a bunch or jewel LEDs in blue, red, voilet, green or amber.

The full post can be found on Geeky Gadgets.

Star Wars Milennium Falcon Sled

Let’s face it, the average overly enthusiastic Star Wars fan is
probably more at home in front of his or her favorite trilogy than
they are on the slopes. So what to do when one’s friends head out for
a delightful day on the mountain? Pack in your Milennium Falcon sled
and let the good times roll. Sledding requires almost no physical
coordination beyond that which can be developed via video games.

The full post can be found on The UberReview.

Pong watch

For years we’ve all been telling the time in the same way. Now we have the Pong watch.

The full post can be found on Decide What to Buy.

Social Networking with USB Poke

Set to revolutionise the way social networkers…er, socialise, this keyring-friendly USB device lets you swap contact details instantly. Simply pull out your Poken and ‘high five’ it with your new best friend’s. Clever RF technology then zaps the info between the devices, so next time you log on to your favourite site, your profiles are linked. Genius!

The full post can be found on RGS.

R2D2 USB Hub

Instead of having a plain old box connected to your computer with a bunch of extra USB ports on it, why not have this cool looking USB hub in the shape of everyone’s favourite droid. Plug him into your computer and when you connect a USB device into him, he’ll come to life and bleep/chirp just like in the movies!

The full post can be found on Zath.

Anti-Grav R/C Wall Racing Car

Can an R/C car really impress nowadays? Yes, it
definitely can. The Anti-Grav R/C Wall Racing Car races up walls. No
special effects or camera tricks, just physics: the car generates a
powerful vacuum underneath causing it to cling to any flat surface. Up
up and away!

The full post can be found on Everything below $29.99.

Philips Prestigo Universal Remote Control

Philips Prestigo SRT9320 universal remote control is nothing short of beautiful. At the top end is a 2.8-inch color touchscreen with all your channels, logos and all. On the bottom end is a variety of hard keys that control every function. The SRT9320 is fully programmable without connecting to a PC–it comes with a USB connect for firmware updates–though CNET reports its much easier to use the PC for “multidevice macros”. The Prestigo can control up to 20 different devices so I can see how a computer connection might simplify things here. Available in the first quarter of 2009, Philips Prestigo SRT9320 will set you back $249.

The full post can be found on TV Snob.

The Vibrating Alarm Clock Pillow

The vibrating alarm clock pillow is a gentle means by which to be awoken in the morning. Why get startled by the buzzer of a traditional alarm clock when you can wake up to a soothing vibration. Not only will it save your nerves, it will also allow your partner to sleep undisturbed.

The full post can be found on Coated dot Com.

GAMEROX Gaming Chair For Children By Tim Briggs

This GAMEROX chair aims to deliver health benefits to children stimulating better circulation, movement and exercise and is suitable for 7-12 age groups and can load a maximum weight of 175lbs. The chair is virtually covered by cushions and allows a flexible movement. The sitting position reminds me of horse riding. The coolest thing about this chair is that it stimulates not only correct sitting position but is also good for core stability and muscle training. The base of the chair remains stationary ensuring the safety of the gamer

The full post can be found on Elite Choice.

Noggin Nets: MP3 Enabled Beanies

LimbGear offers you ‘mp3 enabled apparel and accessories’. Those looking for a change when it comes to looking great and still being able to listen to their music would absolutely dig this collection. The latest by LimbGear is an mp3-enable beanie cap that they call a Noggin Net. Just one letter away from being an extremely kissable piece of clothing, the Noggin Net has a slit inside that can hold your mp3 player and space to shove your earphones in.

The full post can be found on Trends Updates.

iMu Vibrating Speaker: Turn anything into a sound system

The iMu vibrating speaker will transform any flat, hard surface into a top notch audio speaker.You can listen to your beats from things like tops of household appliances, cupboards and even car bonnets. It works thanks to a unique US Navy-developed composite called Terfenol-D.

The full post can be found on Gaj-It.

Thanks again to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher) and tell a friend about this contest to possibly win another $50:

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