Last January, I asked you what your list of first installs on a computer was. We all have our own suite of applications and utilities that enjoy first dibs on a new/reformatted PC, and easily hours are spent locating the apps’ homepages and clicking on their respective download links.

With Ninite however, the process is streamlined. Simply visit ninite.com, choose the applications you want, and the site builds a customized installer for your convenience. And theoretically, it gets even better: if you’re really familiar with slipstreaming additional software onto your Windows installation disc, you can integrate your customized installer into Windows …read more

Nothing’s sure yet, but a recent Apple patent application details an in-OS advertising system that could conceivably “disable some aspect of [the OS'] operation to prompt the operator to pay attention to the advertisement.” Eeek!
European Parliament says: feel to cut off persistent file-sharers from the Internet, member states!
Good advice: if you no longer need a SIM, destroy it by breaking it in half. Not if you want to “protect” your hot girlfriend from potential suitors.
If you’ve never bothered researching the history of the Internet, this easy-to-digest slide show should help.
I’m a Nokia fan, but I still scratch my head over …read more

HP Laptop and Desktop Promos

Based in the US? Here are some promos from HP:

Save up to $319 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB (-$40), and Save 50% on 4GB memory (-$20). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
Save up to $209 instantly on the HP Pavilion dm3t Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $150 instant rebate, and FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
Save up to $518 instantly on the NEW HP …read more

Apparently one of the first apps to appear on the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Dymo’s CardScan Mobile’s premise is very simple: you take a picture of a business card with your Windows Mobile smartphone’s built-in camera, and it takes care of encoding the text, adding the information to your contact list, and making sure the data is in the correct fields.
While I look for someone who can try out the app on his or her Windows Mobile smartphone, here are some five quick questions answered by Dymo’s PR:

CardScan Mobile uses OCR to decipher the text right? Yes.
Do your testers have …read more

Here’s a really really long text message, an apparent attempt to recruit Helga Weber, a blogger and designer from the Philippines:

Hello! Greetings!!!:-)
My name is [redacted], Marketing Officer for [redacted] ([redacted]).
I would just like to take this bold opportunity to announce this WONDERFUL NEWS about a RARE PROMO OFFER for a FULLY-FUNCTIONAL website development service that we would like to provide you for your competitive business need to GAIN A STRONG POSITION in the industry, as well as to REALIZE/MATERIALIZE today’s untapped potential markets. For ONLY PhP 30,000, our Web Development Team shall ensure your PROMINENCE and UNMATCHED OUTPUT CALIBER, which …read more

Damn you Kwang Kim of the University of Nevada! You’ve given our future robot overlords a distinct advantage, and made it easier for them to quietly take over human society and shape it to their collective will.
And we mean “quietly” literally, for Kim has apparently found a way to create artificial muscles that operate silently, unlike the clumsily noisy hydraulics that drive today’s dormant robotic tech. Kim’s setup also involves the use of gas, but in a way that mimics the biological push-pull opposing motions of real muscles, meaning it doesn’t rely on pistons. By controlling the level of heat …read more

Through some clever use of time-scape photography and sound editing, Sony Australia makes a pretty compelling ad for their campaign to give away 25,000 PS3s. Slow-mo video of a PS3 crashing into a Sony BRAVIA HDTV is below:
Gizmag was on the scene during the production of this unique and cringe-inducing (for gadget lovers) video. Full details are available here.

Reps from Dell have positively insisted I share the following discount: $200 in instant savings on the Dell Studio hybrid desktop.
While Dell—and other online retailers—are known to slap “instant” discounts on their product pages to move sales, the $200 price cut is notable because it brings the price of a pre-configured Studio hybrid down to $299. The fact that Dell designed this particular Studio to be the “greenest, most power-efficient consumer desktop” should also appeal to our environmentally-conscious sides.
Note that the $299 price is exclusive of any applicable shipping charges and taxes. If you also want something a bit more …read more

Mix the flip form factor with the classic iPod look and you get what GE CEO Jeff Immelt calls the “stethoscope of the 21st century”. Like it’s emplacement-worthy cousin, the Vscan features an ultrasound scanner connected via cord to the main unit, transmitting what it sees into the display. It’s easy to see why GE’s marketing wants to push Vscan as the stethoscope of the future: while the marketese “roughly the size of a smart phone” is a bit of a stretch, the Vscan is small enough to hold with one hand, with the other operating the scanner. The whole …read more

Sony sent in a Cyber-shot TX1 to review. As the camera features a 3.0″ touch-screen, the only physical controls (zoom, preview, and the on-off buttons) are situated on the top of the device. Here’s what comes with the TX1:

Instruction manuals in 4 different languages (region-dependent)
Warranty card
Software CD
Catalog of Cyber-shot TX1 accessories
USB / TV-out cable
NP-BD1 battery in a plastic case
Changing dock and power cord
Wrist strap (already attached to camera
Paint pen (attaches to wrist strap, used to operate touch-screen

At first glance, that seems like a lot. Yet Sony could’ve done a little better with the bundle, including a Memory Stick and a …read more