Samsung R519 Notebook Review, Specs, Deals and Pictures

The Samsung R519 blends performance with affordability and offers a feature set a buyer would look for in a mid range laptop. The Samsung R519 is powered by an Intel 2.16GHz Pentium Dual Core processor and has 2GB RAM.

Graphics are supplied by an Intel GMA X4500M video card, and the Samsung R519 packs in a large 250GB hard drive. The 15.6 inch SuperBright Gloss LCD display combines with embedded 4-Watts stereo speakers and SRS 3D sound effects.

Other features include WiFi,Source: Cheap Laptops RSS Feed

BlackBerry Desktop Manager Hitting the Mac Oct. 2 [TheAppleBlog]

We reported earlier that BlackBerry would be delivering its Desktop Manager software for Mac in September of this year. Keen readers will note that, in fact, that was not the case, since it is now the last possible day for that software to appear, and that software isn’t coming.

It is, however, going to arrive just a little outside of the originally announced release window. On Oct. 2, which is this Friday, BlackBerry customers who are also Mac users will finally beSource: GigaOM Network RSS Feed

Preview: Tweetie 2 Takes The Best iPhone Twitter App And Ups The Sex Appeal

There is absolutely no shortage of Twitter apps available for the iPhone. But in my mind (and the minds of many others) one stands above all the rest: Tweetie. And while the app has undergone several small tweaks since it was first released last year, a big time revamp is about to hit: Tweetie 2.

We’ve been testing out of the app for a few weeks now, and I’m happy to report that it’s the Tweetie you know and love, but better.

Maybe you’ve seen some tweets from users in Source: TechCrunch.com RSS Feed

Orbis Finally Adds Bracket to Ring Flash Adapter

Enlight has finally gotten around to making a mounting bracket for its neat-o Orbis ring flash adapter. The Orbis is one of several plastic circles designed to redirect the light from the strobe you already own and give it that distinctive, flat and shadowless light characteristic of specialist purpose built ring units.

One of these, the Ray Flash, clamps on to your strobe while it sits up in the hotshoe. Neat, but also wobbly and huge. The Orbis was always a neater solution but youSource: Gadget Lab RSS Feed

HTC Hero In Da House [jkOnTheRun]

At Mobile Tech Manor gadgets even show up on Sunday, and today it’s the cool, new HTC Hero from Sprint. The Hero is the phone based on Android that has the HTC Sense user interface. The Hero only landed 30 minutes ago so I haven’t spent much time with it. I have to admit the interface is very sweet.

How did the Hero arrive on a Sunday, you ask? I received an email this morning from the person who bought my home over a year and a half ago. The email stated a box had arrived for me aSource: GigaOM Network RSS Feed

Zoe Keating: Web Fame that Actually Translated to a Career

Just like Web 2.0 start-ups have been spending much of 2009 trying to figure out how to turn users and community into revenues, so too have the last few years’ crop of Internet celebrities been trying to figure out how to make a business out of those over-used buzz words “their personal brands.”

Think of all the online fame that’s been created in the last few years amid this hype of the Web democratizing celebrity. Now try to name how many of them crossed over to mainstreamSource: TechCrunch.com RSS Feed

Reminder: MMS coming to AT&T iPhones today

Just a quick little reminder to all of you who are going about your lives rocking an iPhone from AT&T — MMS will go live today. AT&T hasn’t yet put out a press release bragging about MMS finally touching down but according to a blurb on its Facebook page from a few days ago, it should go live by this afternoon on the East Coast:

MMS Update: We know you’ve been eager for this service so we wanted to offer a quick update on the launch plans for MMS on Friday, Sept. 25. LateSource: The Boy Genius Report RSS Feed

250 Years of Guinness: Website Celebration

Well, it’s official. Arthur Guinness has just turned 250. Around the world people are enjoying free pints of Guinness, one gigantic party and the ‘craic’. As an Irishman, I feel compelled to inform you of some of the cool web tools and features that Guinness has unveiled on their website to mark the occasion.

First, we have the blast from the past as we go for a walk down memory lane looking at all of the old advertisements from Guinness’s.

Then, there isSource: Crenk.com RSS Feed

iPhone To Do The Impossible–Breaks Into South Korean Markets

South Korea has been long regarded as one of the most closed markets on earth for outside electronics imports–probably largely due to the fact that most of South Korea’s economy is electronics–but there’s word that Apple may be making some headway there, and soon, the iPhone may be available to purchase in South Korea.

This is an EXTREMELY big deal that I’ll let Chung Yun-ho, manager of Veyond Partners, explain in more detail:

“This is a big strike for the governmentSource: Gadget Review RSS Feed

Digi-Diana: Lomo Lens Adapter for Canon, Nikon DSLRs

If the roll-your-own Digital Holga is too rich for you (and at $3,000 and up to take some blurred photos it certainly should be), then you might try Lomo’s ready-made solution for its other medium format camera, the Diana F+.

The Diana F+ SLR adaptors are simple rings that attach to Nikon and Canon SLR cameras and let you use them with the low-quality Diana lenses. Why bother? Because the happy accidents you get using crappy glass or plastic lenses are impossible, or at least tooSource: Gadget Lab RSS Feed

Tactical 5.11 Eco-Flashlight Doesn’t Need Batteries

For those of you survivalists out there compiling your “apocalypse gear” collection, this may be the flashlight you have been dreaming about.  Harnessing an appropriately titled Flashpoint Power Technology, the flashlight uses environmentally friendly ultracapacitors to help manage the the flow of energy in terms of performance and run time.  So without the help of actual conventional batteries this 5.11 tactical flashlight can be fully charged in 90 seconds.

With that fullSource: Gadget Review RSS Feed

iPod nano banned by many gyms

The iPod nano has become very popular with the gym crowd. It’s light, doesn’t skip, and is inexpensive enough that if it gets stolen, it’s not the end of the world. The bad news is, many gyms are banning the new version, due to the camera. Seems that recording devices in general are verboten in gym locker rooms, and something small and concealable like an iPod nano is exactly what they are trying to avoid.

So should Apple make a nano without a camera? The features of the newSource: CrunchGear RSS Feed

We Explore the Galaxy…the Samsung i7500 Galaxy, That Is!

It has been hard to miss thanks to extensive coverage all over the Internet, but in case you’re not aware, the i7500 Galaxy is the first Samsung phone to use Google’s Android operating system.  This also makes it the first ‘high street’ mobile phone manufacturer - by this we mean those who produce feature phones rather than solely smartphones - to effectively bring Android to the masses.  Could this be the break through device for the OS?

The Galaxy’s feature list looksSource: Dial-a-Phone RSS Feed

A Really Nasty Ad Slips Past Google

Generally you can trust the ads on Google to at least be safe. But that’s not the case right now for the top ad being served on the query “Firefox.”

The top ad says it is linking to “Firefox ® OfficiaI Sitе” at the URL www.mozilla.com/firefox/. And that is indeed the official Mozilla Firefox site. But the link actually goes to the much more sinister firefox.mozilla-now.com, a site that dishonestly tries to get users to pay up to $2.50/month for an ongoing subscription toSource: TechCrunch.com RSS Feed

Push for Gmail: it's here, it works, and it's limited

Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone

If you use Gmail, you have something to be excited about today, because you can finally have new email messages pushed directly to your iPhone when they arrive.
For many users, however, their first response is "it's about time!" and others have even gone as far as saying "it's finally here, no thanks to Apple." This new feature, unveiled this morning by Google, has even been called a "workaround" to Apple's alleged refusal to support pushSource: The Unofficial Apple Weblog RSS Feed

Plug-in IT for Smarter Cars and Grids

By 2015, there will be over 1 million electric vehicle (EV) charging installations in the U.S. and utilities will spend millions to accommodate them and an influx of EVs, according to the latest GigaOM Pro and Pike Research report, “IT and Networking Issues for the Electric Vehicle Market” (subscription required) by John Gartner and Clint Wheelock. Utilities are expected to spend $800 million integrating car-charging technology into their grids, and for IT companies and smart gridSource: GigaOM RSS Feed

Roman Abramovich's Eclipse has anti-photo 'laser shield'

If you ask a young boy to spec out his ideal boat, you might hear of helipads, swimming pools, missile-proof hulls, mini-submarines and laser shields. Well, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is one of those people with the time and money to listen to his inner child, and he's gone and put all of the above together inside a $1.2 billion 557-foot vessel of luxury and excess. The Eclipse will attempt to repel paparazzi with a laser system that is said to "detect CCDs" (we suspect theySource: Engadget RSS Feed

PS3 Motion Controller launching in March?

Is your name "harborneb?" It is? Then you might be out of a job. That's the name attributed to the author of a Microsoft Word document sitting on SEGA America's official FTP site at this very moment. The .doc file resides in SEGA's otherwise benign "news" directory. Now, it's very possible that the document could have been uploaded in jest as an Internet prank. But assuming it's real, then these meeting minutes between SEGA and Sony on August 5th reveal quite a few tantalizing details.Source: Engadget RSS Feed

Swiss Army Knives, Rebooted

You have, of course, heard the saying “jack of all trades and master of none”, and it might have been coined for the Swiss Army Knife. While is is undoubtedly very convenient to have a tiny tool-kit in a pocket-sized package, the tools themselves are never as good as the standalone versions. The knife is hard to pull out and folds back in, chopping fingertips, when you press any way but the right way, the screwdriver doesn’t so much drive screws as scratch and tickleSource: Gadget Lab RSS Feed

MySpace adds 2-way Twitter connection

Social network site MySpace is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. It’s letting users sync their status updates with Twitter, adding another social networking service to the list of companies integrating with the fast-growing microblogging network. (See right for an example.)

The News Corp.-owned property is using OAuth to share limited data with Twitter. Tweets originating from MySpace will include a link to drive traffic back to the social network.

The moveSource: VentureBeat RSS Feed

Mix a Custom Sleep Track at Sound Sleeping [Relaxation]

If you’re looking for soothing tracks to help your sleep or fill your work space, Sound Sleeping offers you the ability to mix your own custom track.

We introduced you to Sound Sleeping back in 2006. Since then they’ve revamped their sound mixer to include some additional source sounds and abilities.

You can mix five different sounds including outdoor sounds like rain, ocean surf, and crickets chirping, as well as man-made sounds like drums and bonfires. Each Source: TechBlogger RSS Feed

art academy: learn to paint on your nintendo dsi

Ever wanted to learn how to draw and paint, but don’t have the time or money to deal with real world art supplies? Well if you happen to own a Nintendo DSi, you can sign up for the Art Academy without so much as buying a tube of paint.

Art Academy: First Semester (do I smell a sequel already?) is a complete art training course in the form of a DSiWare app. Just download Art Academy from the DSi Shop, and you’ll be a junior Rembrandt in no time. The programSource: technabob RSS Feed

PSP Homebrew Weekend Warrior: The CFW Mythbusters edition

Last week's announcement of a new CFW in the works was marred by cries of shenanigans from the homebrew community. We already touched on that a bit in the previous edition of the PSP Homebrew Weekend Warrior, but the issue didn't stop there. In the past seven days, we saw new videos both backing up and debunking the one that Team Mack showed.
Custom Firmware News:

• Mack explains 6.00 MAC-B beta with a video. Link
  
• Watch: Team Mack shows offSource: QJ.NET RSS Feed

Not-to-Miss Florida Online Media, Technology Events

A group of online technology enthusiasts listens in on a presentation at BarCamp Orlando in 2007. The event is now in its third year. [Photo by Josh Hallett ]

In the next few months, yours truly’s calendar is jam-packed with all sorts of great online media and technology events in Florida –events you should really think about attending!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about 10 things online editors can do to save their jobs. Well, attending these kinds of events is Number Source: Journalistopia RSS Feed

Toshiba Camileo S10 Ducati camcorder breaks cover

Some of the coolest vehicles to ever roll the highways come from Italy. We have brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini doing Italy proud on four wheels and on two wheels, Italy gives us superbike maker Ducati. We have seen the Ferrari and Lamborghini logos on notebooks before, and now the Ducati logo is making its way to a camcorder.

Toshiba and Ducati have a partnership going that has seen the electronics maker unveil the U500 notebook in Ducati colorsSource: SlashGear RSS Feed

Bon Jovi passed up on Guitar Hero 5, says Activision said nothing about singing others' songs

Kurt Cobain may not have been alive to turn down Activision's offer to appear as a fully playable character on Guitar Hero 5 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), but Jon Bon Jovi most definitely is! Talking to BBC, the rocker revealed that Activision had also approached him to appear for the game, which he rejected.
Recounted Bon Jovi:

I had the paperwork, they wanted me to be on that game and I just passed. But no one ever broached the subject with me that I would be singing otherSource: QJ.NET RSS Feed

iPhone cop-cam

[Tim] wanted to make some recordings of himself driving similar to those made by the dashboard cameras on police cars.  In a simple two step hack (1. Measure, 2. Drill), he altered his iPhone windshield mount so that it didn’t block the lens of the camera. We will admit (sheepishly) that at first glance we thought this might be connected to the outside of the windshield but it’s not. Take a look at his drive to work after the break.

Source: Hack A Day RSS Feed

HP Boutique Opens at Lord & Taylor For Fashion Week

This Fashion Week just might be the best ever for HP fans. Aside from the unveiling of the gorgeous new Vivienne Tam Edition Netbook, HP has also set up a chic boutique inside of Lord & Taylor in New York City. The store’s opening purposely coincides with Fashion Week, as well as a global 13 country, 1 night only “Fashion’s Night Out (FNO)” program, led by Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, to promote retail and celebrate fashion. Many of the slick new products that we covered earlier in theSource: Chip Chick RSS Feed

SketchUp Bridge Competition Winners

Google's SketchUp team has announced the winners of the 3D Student Bridge Modeling Competition. The three winners won cash prizes - first prize was $5000!

Jason Wong was the first prize winner. You can view his bridge models at the 3D Warehouse and view the models in Google Earth by clicking on the links there. Here is one of Jason's models in Google Earth:

Source: Google Earth Blog RSS Feed

Zune HD review

When we broke news and images of the Zune HD back in April, we were more than a little excited. There had been talk -- and rumor -- of a widescreen, touchscreen Zune for some time, and seeing the fruits of Microsoft's labor made it clear that the company had done its homework. As time wore on and we reported on the official announcement, confirmation of NVIDIA's awesome Tegra chip inside, and news that the Zune Marketplace would extend into Xbox Live, we were downright giddy at theSource: Engadget RSS Feed

Google Gives Webmaster Advice for User-Generated Content Sites

Google has made some recommendations for "best practices" for sites that allow users to create their own sites. They give the examples of their own Google Sites and Blogger. So in other words, if you run some type of site that allows users to make their own pages, you may want to pay attention.

1. Make sure your users can verify their website in website management suites (like Webmaster Tools).
2. Choose a unique directory or hostname for each user.
3. Set useful andSource: WebPro News RSS Feed

Opera Mini 5: Best Blackberry, Nokia and HTC Web Browser Gets New Features

Opera Mini has just released some great new features which will improve the best browser for Blackberry, Nokia, HTC and other Java enabled mobile phones.

Opera yesterday announced a new version of their Opera Mini which includes tabs so you can open multiple web pages in the same browser simultaneously. The new tab feature is optimised for touch screen phones.

Opera Mini adds a new “Open in Mini” option to your BlackBerrySource: Crenk.com RSS Feed

Second time a charm? Seagate launches new version of its entertainment player

After an unsuccessful attempt last spring, Seagate is launching a new and improved version of its backup device that lets you play your computer’s videos and pictures on a living room TV.

The FreeAgent Theater + HD Movie Player is a revamped device that is now much more like an entertainment device than an external hard drive backup device. It comes with an HDMI connector that makes it easier to connect the device to a flat panel TV. The software is alsoSource: Venture Beat RSS Feed

Get the Drift With Gist

Gist, a free web service that provides a snapshot of information about your email contacts, is publicly launching in beta today. The web service pulls information about email contacts and the companies they work for from around 50,000 news sites and 20 million blogs and is supported by Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and Salesforce. Indeed, when we test-drove Gist, we found that it was no longer necessary to sift endlessly through a flood of real-time information — such as tweets, LinkedInSource: GigaOM RSS Feed

Dual voltage power supply

[Melanie] had some time this weekend so she whipped up a dual voltage power supply from parts on hand. This design plugs right into a breadboard and, unlike the last breadboard power supply we saw, provides two voltages at one time. 5v is delivered to one power bus while 3.3v goes to the other. Her design uses two linear low voltage drop regulators from the LF00 family (PDF datasheet) to accomplish this. Nice work!

Source: Hack A Day RSS Feed

Windows Live Gets MySpace Activity Updates

Microsoft and MySpace announced that Windows Live will now begin broadcasting MySpace user activity streams to the Windows Live Platform via MySpaceID. What this means is that users of Windows Live, Windows Live Messenger, and Hotmail, who are also MySpace users, will be able to see their friends':

- Status updates
- Blog Entries
- Photo uploads
- Music

MySpace's Windows Live MySpaceID implementation is built upon the activitystrea.ms open standard. MySpaceSource: WebPro News RSS Feed

Alex Mercer to join the Entourage tonight

Those who enjoy a good laugh with E, Vinnie, Turtle, and Drama on the HBO Original "Entourage" will find that the boys will be joined by a different kind of celebrity tonight. Activision made the announcement, so Alex Mercer and Prototype will be on the show, so those who love either of the two might want to read up on this bit.

Activision didn't say exactly how Prototype will be featured on the show, or which between the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC versions of the Source: QJ.NET RSS Feed

Skullcandy 1/4 Stereo Headphone Adapter Necklace is Perfect Audiophile Bling

You don’t see 1/4 stereo headphone adapters around that much anymore, unless you are a hardcore audiophile and actually have a need for them. Us common folk are happy just to have your standard 3.5mm to stick into Mp3 players. Well I guess Skullcandy found a use for those old 1/4 stereo headphones and decided to make it into a necklace. Looking almost like a bullet, the SKDY 1/4 Inch Adpater ( not sure if that was a typo on their part) Necklace is available in gold or silver and retailsSource: Chip Chick RSS Feed

Charge Kit for Wii

The TouchCharge Kit for the Wii is a charging product that allows you to wirelessly charge your controllers. The charging pad can completely charge controllers in under four hours. The kit consists of a charging pad that plugs into a standard outlet and rechargeable battery packs that replace the original game controllers’ batteries and battery covers.

Multiple game controllers can be charged simultaneously by simply setting them on the charging pad. The pad’s base

The /Filmcast: After Dark - Ep. 66 - The Jurassic Park Trilogy

The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, Dave Chen, Devindra Hardawar, and Adam Quigley discuss their reflections on the Jurassic Park trilogy, and try to explain why The