Just yesterday it was announced that the FreeRunner from OpenMoko would be ready for sale beginning on July 4, but it seems they just could not wait any longer, and have made the handset available today.

We would expect the original July 7 shipping date will however remain in effect, just due to the weekend. However if you were waiting, head on over and place you order today, after all that just means one less thing you will have to do tomorrow.

Product [OpenMoko Store]

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Perhaps in a catch-up game with the recent launch of the ultra popular Mozilla Firefox 3 and upcoming Opera 9.5, Microsoft has been beefing up its own Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) with plethora of new security features

Currently in public beta phase, this once dominant Web browser hopes to win back the hearts of its disheartened users with its new anti-malware protection and Cross Site Scripting (XSS) filter to fight against the so-called reflection attacks.

On top of these new developments, Microsoft recently announced other security features in IE8 such as the upgraded version of its phishing filter called SmartScreen Filter, improvement on ActiveX controls as well as anti-social engineering features.

However, most of these features are already available in other Web browsers so it won’t do much to help IE8 differentiate itself from competition. To make matters worse, your computer must be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3 for you to enjoy this added protection.

In short, we suggest sticking with Firefox!

Read [InformationWeek]

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Perhaps in a catch-up game with the recent launch of the ultra popular Mozilla Firefox 3 and upcoming Opera 9.5, Microsoft has been beefing up its own Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) with plethora of new security features

Currently in public beta phase, this once dominant Web browser hopes to win back the hearts of its disheartened users with its new anti-malware protection and Cross Site Scripting (XSS) filter to fight against the so-called reflection attacks.

On top of these new developments, Microsoft recently announced other security features in IE8 such as the upgraded version of its phishing filter called SmartScreen Filter, improvement on ActiveX controls as well as anti-social engineering features.

However, most of these features are already available in other Web browsers so it won’t do much to help IE8 differentiate itself from competition. To make matters worse, your computer must be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3 for you to enjoy this added protection.

In short, we suggest sticking with Firefox!

Read [InformationWeek]

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FROM GAMERTELL - GoLive2 is releasing Stix 200 and Stix 400 in August, 2008. The controllers act like the Nintendo Wii’s wiimote, and can control Games for Windows titles and games from GoLive2’s Sphere site.
MORE »

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Brightonnet has released the BI-SPMINI Series of portable speakers for the ipod range - it won’t bring down the house with a miserable output power of just 1.5 watts, but it sure as heck is capable of offering enough punch to keep you entertained at your desk. No idea on pricing, but it shouldn’t burn too big a hole in your pocket. Choose from black or white colors.

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Microsoft is now offering iPods (nano, shuffle & touch) to promote Live Search in Australia. The company said that using a competitor’s products in this way is frowned upon. However, the Zune is not available in Australia, making them use iPods as part of the offer to acquire some extra search traffic.

In the US, Microsoft is pouring money into search in an effort to gain on Google. For example, earlier this week it announced the acquisition of Powerset, which has developed innovative “semantic web” search technology.

Brisbane times also reported that Microsoft is offering large discounts on Windows Mobile-based smartphones. The fight against the iphone continues.

Compared to last year, Google searches grew 14% while MS Live Search grew 11% in Australia alone. Will these marketing campaigns by Microsoft capture users’ attentions? Will they help Live Search reach their goals? We sure should keep watching the battle of the giants.

Read more at the Brisbane Times

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Klipsch X5 Earbuds

Klipsch’s X5 earbuds are little bullet-shaped ‘buds that, despite weighing next-to-nothing, deliver big booming sound.

Like many other earbuds we’ve tested, the X5s must be inserted deep into your head to create a sound-isolating seal in the ear canal. We’re prepared to tickle our eardrums a little, sure, but because these ‘buds are so small and sharp, it’s not clear when you’ve got a proper seal or are about to poke yourself in the brain.

It turned out with our testing, the deeper you push the X5s, the better they sound. While running on the treadmill — ok suffering on the treadmill — the sound started to wobble, so I pushed the featherweight nuggets increasingly deeper into my ear canals. The reward for such blatant disregard for my own safety? Audio nirvana.

The racket of the treadmill and my own sweaty huffing and wheezing was sealed away while the aural experience inside becoming equal to a set of big cans; thumping bass, sparkling highs, and solid middle notes.

If you’re dead set on wearing these while exercising, you’ll have to cinch down the chinstrap to get these little buggers to sit still in your ear. Oh yeah, you’ll also look like an idiot. So if you are the running/jogging/parkour type and the cinch down does not fit your mojo, you might want to look elsewhere.

The crazy thin cable is also just a nudge annoying. It ends up flopping all over the place and gets tangled up easier than many other ‘buds we’ve tested. But this is a minor quibble easily overlooked once the tunes begin to roll.

And on a final (slightly random) note: why can’t the audio industry come up with Braille-like markings on the right and left earbud? I’d give up my firstborn child just so I’d never again have to scour my headphones for the tiny type that indicates which ‘bud goes in what ear.  —Jim Merithew

WIRED Big can audio quality in the guise of wee earbuds. Sharp sound and sharp design. 0.398-ounce weight? What are these things made out of, aerogel?

TIRED You’ve got to push (and I mean really push) the buds into dangerously deep areas of your ear to make them work properly. Cinching the cable to keep them tied down will make you look ridiculous.

$250, klipsch.com

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With Metal Gear Solid 4 for the playstation 3, and just about every game to come out for the Xbox 360, you might feel like the depth of gameplay on the Wii has been a bit on the light side since its introduction. Complaints aren’t completely unfounded, either. The Wii is severely lacking in RPGs of any sort, or any fun, competitive platformers (with the exception of Super Mario Galaxy and No More Heroes. Still, the console continues to outsell the competition and part of that is based on expectations of games to come. One game that has a lot of people curious is Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars.

The game is being produced by Red Fly Studio and began as some incredible concept art, that has seemingly formed into a beautiful, dramatic game. New screenshots released today show off some of the surroundings and enemies that you’ll find on your travels through the human world of the game, with all sorts of accessories such as motorcycles and oil jugs all around to aid in your weapon-making.

The other big news on the game came yesterday in the form of the music direction, apparently helmed by Primus frontman and all-around awesome character, Les Claypool. With his music completeing the ambiance of this fungular world, Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars is shaping up to be a huge delight.

Read more at Nintendo Wii Fanboy and, again, Nintendo Wii Fanboy

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The MPAA is taking a heavy hand with piracy, as is the RIAA, but that only covers audio and video. What about books?

According to book publishers the threat of piracy from illegally downloaded text books is growing. Rather than students spending as much as US$100 per book to get the texts they need, they are turning to the Internet to download scanned versions for free.

The situation isn’t helped by BitTorrent sites appearing focusing specifically on books. One such example is Textbook Torrents, which recently received a demand from Pearson Education asking for the removal of 78 book torrents or legal action would be started.

The torrent site complied with the demand, but has stated the action was taken on “shaky legal ground” and has vowed to keep going. They even have the following message up:

There are very few scanned textbooks in circulation, and that’s what we’re here to change … Chances are you have some textbooks sitting around, so pick up a scanner and start scanning it!

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has decided to start taking action as the threat of illegal digital books increases. A law firm was hired to identify illegal books on the web it didn’t take them long to uncover thousands. Edward McCoyd, director of digital policy at the AAP commented:

In any given two-week period we found from 60,000 files all the way up to 250,000 files … It is troubling that there is a culture of infringement out there.

Individual publishers are also starting to employ people specifically to search out pirate copies of their published books and issue removal demands. Harvard Business Publishing has stated it sends out over 100 such demands every week; with MIT Press and Oxford University Press also doing the same.

Read more at Chronicle.com

Matthew’s Opinion
There are a number of problems with books that make them desirable as pirated, digital additions. For one, some textbooks are absolutely huge making them difficult to carry around and use, but also making them incredibly expensive. Another major issue is the fact the texts get updated, so you are disheartened buying a book you know will be out-of date relatively quickly. This is especially the case with computer books – I have DirectX 7 books lying around that are best just recycled.

Really the book publishers need an equivalent iTunes for books. These are starting to appear with the most advanced one I know of being O’Reilly’s Safari service. There you can download digital versions of their books through a subscription. It concentrates on technology books, but is a good example of how such a service can work.

I think technology is going to play a big part in pushing more books into the digital space. E-book readers like Amazon’s Kindle are just the start, and with successive releases of that hardware I believe more people will choose to buy digital over paper.

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USB devices and gadgets can be pretty silly at times, and the USB Animal Massager is one of them. This one retails for $10 and will come in a dog, panda or pig form to help relieve you of aches and pains at your feet and back. Since it requires a USB port to power it, you can take five from your work while looking silly (albeit getting some much needed relief). Would make for a pretty nice welcome gift for anyone joining the organization before they realize what backbreaking work is in store.

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