It’s another Microsoft video, another few minutes of hilarious, unintentional pain. This time Microsoft is tackling the topic of apps, riffing on the abundance of gimmick apps for the iPhone. Unfortunately for Microsoft, we’d think the last thing it would want to do is draw comparisons between Apple’s App Store and the company’s freshly minted Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Video is after the break.
John thinks he’s a major media figure on the Internet, but we all know that he’s just a dude that likes to review sex toys. Good thing CNN didn’t know that when they showed up at his front door with a camera and a list of Windows 7 questions. His spot starts at 1:38, BTW.
So, picture this. You get the itch to start some chaos at around 3AM local time. You snatch up your stolen shotgun, load a few slugs in there and roll out with a mind to come home in a shiny new vehicle. As fate would have it, you choose to carjack a 2009 Chevy Tahoe, and while everything seems kosher at first (look, there’s even a half-full bottle of Coke Zero over there!), the mighty V8 just seems to be struggling all of a sudden. As the horrifying reality sets in (you know, the one that involves the accelerator not functioning any longer), you’re left with no choice but to curse OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown feature, which has just nabbed its first-ever criminal. As the Tahoe slowly grinds to a halt, you make a fruitless dash and topple into a swimming pool before being apprehended soaking wet, and even though OnStar took just 16 minutes to return the vehicle to its rightful owner, at least you’ll go down in history as the first one to fall victim to the system. Here’s to you, unfortunate carjacker — next time, go for a lawnmower. Humiliating video is after the break.
So, picture this. You get the itch to start some chaos at around 3AM local time. You snatch up your stolen shotgun, load a few slugs in there and roll out with a mind to come home in a shiny new vehicle. As fate would have it, you choose to carjack a 2009 Chevy Tahoe, and while everything seems kosher at first (look, there’s even a half-full bottle of Coke Zero over there!), the mighty V8 just seems to be struggling all of a sudden. As the horrifying reality sets in (you know, the one that involves the accelerator not functioning any longer), you’re left with no choice but to curse OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown feature, which has just nabbed its first-ever criminal. As the Tahoe slowly grinds to a halt, you make a fruitless dash and topple into a swimming pool before being apprehended soaking wet, and even though OnStar took just 16 minutes to return the vehicle to its rightful owner, at least you’ll go down in history as the first one to fall victim to the system. Here’s to you, unfortunate carjacker — next time, go for a lawnmower. Humiliating video is after the break.
What happens when you launch a 7-pound (3.2-kg) PS3 Slim into a 46-inch Bravia KDL46X 3100 LCD at 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr)? A video destined to go viral with internet stardom, that’s what. Exactly the thing Sony Australia is looking for with a new ad campaign touting its buy a Bravia get a PS3 for free. Awesome, and after the break.
Sure, you’ve seen the hands-onposts and the PR, but have you really gotten a look at Apple’s new gear? Join us for a quick and spirited walkthrough of the goods. You won’t be disappointed. Or you might be. It really depends on how picky you are.
Too busy to bother with buying an Android-powered Archos 5? Then you’re probably way too busy to bother with this here hack. But just in case you’ve got a morning you can wipe clean and a few afternoons where you can scoot out early, it’s apparently possible to load up an Android 1.6 port onto one’s Samsung Q1 UMPC. Kevin at jkOnTheRun did just that over a relaxing weekend, and while he’s still struggling to get the touchscreen to act right, most everything else seems to be humming along sans issue. Eager to see if it’s something you’d be into? Hop on past the break and mash play — it’s twelve minutes in heaven, ladies.
When U2 takes the stage in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium this Sunday, fans in the United States and 15 other countries will be able to watch the whole show, live and for free, on YouTube — the first time the website has ever broadcast a complete concert live.
“We are streaming the Rose Bowl U2 live concert onto our platform, inviting millions of people around the country and around the world to participate in what we say is the world’s largest band on the world’s largest platform,” said Chris Maxcy, Google’s director of YouTube partner development.
The show, part of the U2 360° tour, will be webcast starting at 8:30 p.m. PST Sunday.
YouTube has experimented with live content before, broadcasting its YouTube Live show in November 2008, and showing live segments of the Outside Lands music festival, and says it plans to offer more webcasts similar to this U2 one in the future. But don’t expect it to become a place where you can watch live music any time soon — not until the rights situations get sorted out. The reason you don’t see more live music, now that the technology is here, is that the rights associated with doing it are complex and often owned by multiple parties (band members, song writers, labels, publishers, managers, the venue, the production company, etc.), all of whom must be wined and dined (or at least persuaded to sign a piece of paper) before the song can be webcast.
When asked whether rights issues would hamper a wider rollout of the program, Maxcy implied that the rights issues make this something that will only be available for high-profile bands, due to the amount of negotiating that must take place before a show is webcast.
“Obviously, when you have the opportunity to get the world’s largest band in a venue like this, we thought that 90,000 seats wasn’t enough,” said Maxsy. “So we will continue obviously to look for opportunities to provide that value within the context of making sure that we’re covering ourselves and the band with respect to all licensing that we need to do.”
He didn’t specify how YouTube’s live audio-and-video streaming technology differs from its other streams, but acknowledged that a different system is in place for them — and that it will be able to handle millions of users from the 16 countries covered by its licensing arrangement. The show will be presented as a free, ad-supported stream; the types of ads that will be used “are still to be determined.”
As with YouTube’s stream of the movie Taxi Driver last Friday, fans will be able to chat with each other as they watch, using an integrated Twitter feed. Another thoughtful addition to U2’s free concert: a “donate now” button linking to the RED campaign, a charity co-founded by Bono whose goal is to eliminate AIDS in Africa.
You can watch the live event at YouTube.com/U2 starting at 8:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, October 25, if you are in any of the following countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, India, Israel, South Korea and the Netherlands. Following the show, an archived version will be available at YouTube.com/U2official. (Apparently, Utube.com was already taken.)
You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today’s candidate for a grilling is LG’s BL40, which is now available in Europe. You’ll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us over at Engadget Mobile where we explore what’s under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is.
You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today’s candidate for a grilling is LG’s BL40, which is now available in Europe. You’ll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us over Engadget Mobile where we explore what’s under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is.
John thinks he’s a 
Recent Comments