Alltel's New Toys

So it looks like Alltel is going to be getting some new gadgets in the coming weeks. A reliable source inside of Alltel is telling us that they are releasing their first 3G BlackBerry®, the 8830 World Edition. More goodies are on its way as well **CoughRAZR2Cough**.

I had some hands-on time with the phone, and I was greatly impressed with BlackBerry's new offering. One of the features was a scroll ball to navigate which was surprisingly intuitive. The ball has been used on many BlackBerrys already, but the ball was fix over previous versions so it doesn't skip anymore. The ball also doubled as a click to select button. The 8830 also was able to use on board memory and/or a sim card. The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition goes with you anywhere life takes you. It's the first CDMA BlackBerry smartphone that lets you roam globally on GSM/GPRS networks There was also an expansion slot for additional microSD memory for the new built in MP3 player. Oh, and did I mention that the reception is exceptional? Verizon very recently received the 8830, but Alltel isn't far behind. The phone is scheduled to release in about two weeks time, so be watching early next month for Alltel to drop the phone on us.

Another tidbit of info I received is the release date for the RAZR 2. It looks like, again, in about 2 weeks from today that it will be released into the wild. Alltel will be one of the first to receive shipments of the RAZR 2. There are 2 versions of the RAZR coming out. The RAZR 2 v8 is designed for all carriers, and is completely unlocked. The v9 is slated for AT&T only. The feature difference between v8 and v9, if at all, is unknown. But, as you can see from the pictures, it is one slick hand held. Hopefully the UI is fixed from the first RAZR. Ugh, I had nightmares from the clunky RAZR UI. Motorola really needs this launch to be a hit if it wants to stay on top. With constant threat from the Iphone, other cell makers need to pull out all the punches to keep up. Again, be watching the first week of September for this new model to launch.

Google Sees All, and All Use It.

So I stumbled upon this page which, of itself, has almost no practical use, but is cool to see none the less. It is called Daylightmap and what it does is take the images from Google Earth, and overlay them with a day and night time map. It will also show you lights from the ground as seen from space. It also has a kinda cool spin-off, Clouds, by DaylightMap. I kinda like to see the clouds map, then look out the window to see if it is correct. Supposedly the cloud imagery is about 6 hours old, so more often then not, the clouds are not acurate. But what the hell, it's not like it's for research or anything, right?!

Ubuntu+ATI+Xgl+Compiz= Wtf?

Ok, wow. I'm finally done. That was a crazy ordeal that I don't even wish upon my enemies. Ugh but it was worth it. Over the past few days I have been setting up Linux, the Ubuntu Feisty version to be exact. And of course I want to cool eye candy that you can use.
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But, ATI is a bitch when it comes to us Linux users. Their drivers don't support some key features in the desktop effects software, Compiz Fusion; formally 2 groups, Beryl and Compiz. So, I needed to have a lengthy work-around to fix the problem with ATI's crappy drivers. I gotta tell you though, it was worth it. Check out this video and see for yourself!



Pretty much, since ATI doesn't support some of Linux's technologies, you must improvise and use a software that ATI will use. Unfortunately in Ubuntu, it is not activated by default. In fact, it is not even installed to begin with. What you have to do is run an "Xgl" session when you load the OS. I posted the instructions I followed below, so all you geek ATI users can get this thing rolling.
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http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=488385&highlight=7.04+feisty+xgl

Live Free Or Die Hard

So yesterday night, I saw the new Die Hard movie. Fist off, it could easily be the best of all of 'em. The movie was definitely a geek movie.

***Spoiler Alert***

It had it all, action, comedy, and for the first time in Hollywood, the portrayal computers was relatively accurate. I mean there were a few rolling of the eyes; like how the co-star hacker could automatically interface with every electronic device out of a small satchel he conveniently carried with him. I say conveniently because he remembered to grab it on the way out of his apartment which happened to be under attack by multiple well armed terrorists. Also the main hacker group seemed to also be able to interface with every electronic device, which either means that they had an exploit for everything at once, or it was a movie. So, no biggie. On a non technology note, I liked that the Die Hard series seemed to make a turn from their classic action formula. I liked that Detective McClain (he got promoted) is now with a partner. And now law enforcement is actually working with him to foil the terrorists nefarious ways instead of rebuffing him. I felt that was a welcome change.

***End Spoilers***

But wow, the special effects were great. The humor seemed to fit the moments and wasn't an forced addition at all. One thing I found particularly funny was John McClain's reaction to certain thing that happen. It was almost making fun of himself, which was awesome. My buddies also loved the movie which in my group is a rarity. You know there is always a guy who sits back during comment time after the movie, doesn't have much to say, then when asked what he thought, all he gives is a "ehh." But for once, the reviewers at large were absolutely correct. This was a great movie. If you a nerd or if your not, go see this movie.

The Third Dimention

Almost everyone online knows, or at least has heard of, the popular photo sharing site Flickr. And even if you didn't, you do now. But now we have the Flickr for the third dimension. Yes, there is a new, and free, 3D model sharing website and it goes by the name of 3DVIA. It is by a relatively unknown company, Dassault Systems. I have never heard of them before, but it seems that they are pretty big in the 3D merchandising world. Right now all they really have that is any good is a motorcycle and an iPhone model. God, I'm so sick of the iPhone... Anyways, as more users jump on board I'm sure that the amount of quality content will rise. The site seems to supports almost all major model brands such as 3DS and 3DXML. There is also a really cool interface to preview the model, in 3D, in you browser before you download. The only thing I'm worried about is, is what their bandwidth bill will be. The website is www.3dvia.com.

Google Plays Politics

So far Google has been smart and tried to focus on making their services the best possible, and staying out of the political arena. As we all know, world politics are a dirty matter and with a relatively clean company like Google, it just doesn't seem smart to get involved.

But it seems that Google's profits are on the line now. With the rise of governmental internet censorship, mainly in Asia and the Middle East, Google advertisements have taken a back seat to the sophisticated internet filters of China, India, Vietnam, and others. Google's Ad-Sense program bring targeted advertisement to website vendors through the program. A company can buy ad space from the Ad-Sense program, and Google will post that advertisement to a certain targeted audience. This is Google's primary income source and what allows the company to create such amazing services for free.

Now with governments filtering out certain "questionable" content, some of Google's advertisements have gotten caught and blocked. But the search giant is taking a unique approach to the whole situation. "It's fair to say that censorship is the No. 1 barrier to trade that we face," said Andrew McLaughlin, Google's director of public policy and government affairs. A Google spokesman told reporters said that McLaughlin has met with U.S. Trade representatives on this issue.

Google contests that these firewalls are interfering with international business and trade. They want the filters to be considered an indirect illegal trade embargo on the U.S. Google wants the USTR to get involved, but they want to send the case to the State Department because it deals with foreign policy. Weather Google will get the government involved is still yet to be seen.

I personally think that Google is doing the right thing in trying to get our government involved. The last thing they want is to get their whole site blocked by foreign government for speaking out against their domestic policies. And if our government takes the lead on this issue it will not only help Google, but will benefit other international e-commerce sites as well. So it seems that what is good for Google, is good for America.

Full story here.

OMG WOW GOLD!!!!!1!one!!

So I was gonna write about the changing of the guard at Yahoo, but then I realized, I didn't care. Yeah yeah, new CEO gonna make big changes; I've heard it all. Those promises are a dime a dozen these days anyways. But this recent article from The New York Times shows an almost slave like profession of selling virtual gold on a popular online game, World of Warcraft.

"At the end of each shift, Li reports the night’s haul to his supervisor, and at the end of the week, he, like his nine co-workers, will be paid in full. For every 100 gold coins he gathers, Li makes 10 yuan, or about $1.25, earning an effective wage of 30 cents an hour, more or less. The boss, in turn, receives $3 or more when he sells those same coins to an online retailer, who will sell them to the final customer (an American or European player) for as much as $20. The small commercial space Li and his colleagues work in — two rooms, one for the workers and another for the supervisor — along with a rudimentary workers’ dorm, a half-hour’s bus ride away, are the entire physical plant of this modest $80,000-a-year business."

As a "WoW" player myself, I have heard of these services widely advertised in-game; almost the the point of spam. But I feel that to buy online currency with real money defeats the sense of accomplishment that draws those 8 million world wide players in the first place. And then to see how these workers are on 12 hour shifts for 30 cents an hour is almost slavery. I, for one, will never be using these services and I encourage other Wow'ers to do the same.

Full article here.