Taurus’The Raging Judge: Looks Like A Handgun, Shoots Shotgun Shells, Likely Illegal

Next time someone gives you the“You talking to me?” speech, you might be able to respond with a confident,“yeah.” This massive shell shooter, dubbed“The Raging Judge,” offers a very pragmatic approach to settling disputes— even .57 Magnum dualers will shake in their boots. The Judge creator, the Brazilian armsmaker Taurus, recently revealed the 28 gauge firearm.

Don’t expect to see it anytime soon. In fact, Taurus pulled it from their booth at the SHOT show is Las Vegas, and said they weren’t going to make the superfluous handgun.

{vianeatorama}

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Apple Now Selling Universal Bumper For Both Verizon And AT&T, Antenna Issues Still Not Known

One of the only exterior physical changes made for the Verizon iPhone was a slight relocation of the mute switch. In order to make the‘new’ phone functional with thenew bumper case, Apple simply cut a bit more out of the mute switch opening. How clever. We can only hope that theantenna issueis fixed and that Verizon customers won’t have to purchase iPhoneLeBras.

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Veriozon Can’t Even Stand Net Neutrality Lite, Goes To Court To Challenge FCC’s Authority

Who saw this coming? (Oh, right: everyone.) Verizon has taken umbrage with certain aspects ofNet Neutrality, and has taken the rather predictable tract ofchallenging the FCC’s authority in order to get out of complying with the rules. It’s nothing more than a simple case of if you can’t win an argument based on its own merit attack the credibility of your adversary. Verizon isn’t too keen on the provision that would force it to treat all data on its network equally, so it’s going to court to make sure it doesn’t have to.

Verizon, while claiming to be“committed to preserving an open Internet” (whatever that means), says that it’s “deeply concerned by the FCC’s assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself.” Note the presence of the word “sweeping,” which is designed to make it seem like the sky is falling. Sweeping new regulations? What kind of evil agenda is at work here?

You know, making it so that ISPs don’t treat you and your data like dirt. Such an evil agenda, I know.

Verizon has taken its complaint to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. That’s the same court that said the FCC didn’t have the authority to make any sort of Net Neutrality rules, so perhaps Verizon is hoping the court will see things its way.

Meanwhile, the FCC says Net Neutrality rests upon solid legal ground, something NYU Law Schoolhas suggested may not actually be the case.

It’s best to keep a skeptical eye trained on any company that claims to be looking out for your interests.

In fact, I still don’t know if I’ve seen any coherent argument against the requirement that ISPs treat all data equally? How, exactly, does that hurt consumers?

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Samsung Apps For Smart TVs Hit The 2 Million Download Mark

It took months for Samsung’s HDTV apps tohit the 1 million downloaded markbut that milestone was crossed back in early December 2010. Now, just mere weeks later, the platform surpassed 2 million downloaded apps. Party time in Samsungtown!

The increased download rate is partially thanks to the app platform making its way downmarket in Samsung’s HDTV lineup. Once reserved for only the top-tier models, a good amount of Samsung’s latest TVs rocks the apps. Plus, consumers are becoming more comfortable with the whole notion of apps making the process a bit more natural. YouTube tops the most downloaded app followed by Hulu Plus, ESPN Next Level, AccuWeather, Google Maps and Texas Holdem.

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Sony Shows First PSP2 Titles, Announces“LiveArea”And“Near”Functions

ThePSP2(code name“Next Generation Portable”) looks like it’s a real beast spec-wise, but how good can it be without decent games? At theirPSP2 launch event today, Sony didn’t show just the hardware but also invited some game developers from Capcom, Konami or Activision on stage. Here’s the first batch of titles.

The list includes:

• Call of Duty
• Uncharted Portable
• Hot Shots Golf Next
• Killzone
• Wipe Out
• Resistance
• Monster Hunter
• Yakuza
• Gravity Daze
• Little Deviants

Sony will also offer two special features with the PSP2 that weren’t available before.

The first is calledLiveArea. From thepress release:

Every game title for NGP will be provided with a space called“LiveArea™” where users can share the fun and excitement with other players. Users will have access to the latest information of games provided from SCE and 3rd party developers and publishers through PlayStation®Network. Additionally, NGP users will be able to view an “Activity” log thatis constantly updated with accomplishments from users who are playing the same game, which in turn can trigger active real-time communication among users.

The second makes use of the GPS module in the PSP2 and is simply called“Near”. Near essentially adds a location-based element to the device (it’s pre-installed), meaning you’ll be able to see what your friends or strangers in the vicinity are currently playing (or which games they used to play).

With Near, it will be possible to contact other players around you to share game information. Here’s a Near screenshot Sony Japan released today:

Update:
Silionera has alistof 82 third-party game developers and publishers backing the new system:

From Japan:
Acquire
Alvion (makers of Malicious)
AQ Interactive
Arc System Works
Arika
Artdink
Ascii Media Works
Atlus / Index Holdings
Capcom
Chunsoft
Craft& Meister (they’re making Earth Seeker for Wii)
CyberConnect2
D3 Publisher
Dimps
Edia (they make Maplus software for PSP)
Enterbrain
Falcom
From Software
Genki
Grasshopper Manufacture
GungHo Online Entertainment (remember Mimana?)
Gust
Hamster
Hudson
Idea Factory
Irem
Kadokawa Games
Kadokawa Shoten
Konami
Level-5
Marvelous
Media Five
Namco Bandai
Nippon Ichi Software
Now Production
Q Entertainment
Sega
SNK Playmore
Spike
Square Enix
SystemSoft Alpha
Takara Tomy
Tecmo Koei Games
Tose
Yukes

North America:
Activision
Capybara Games
Demiurge Studios
Epic Games
Far Sight Studios
Frima
High Voltage Software
Kung Fu Factory
Paramount Digital Entertainment
PopCap Games
Powerhead Games
Trendy Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
2K Games
2K Sports

Europe:
Avalanche Studios
Climax Studios
Codemasters Software Company
Eurocom Developments
Eutechnyx
Exient
Firemint
Gameloft
Gusto Games
Home Entertainment Suppliers
Impromptu Software
Rebellion
Rockstar Games
Sidhe Interactive
Sumo Digital
Team 17 Software
Ubisoft Entertainment
Zen Studios

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Panasonic DMC-GF2 Micro Four-Thirds Camera Now For Pre-order

Alright camera people, it’s time to get your pre-orders in for the DMC-GF2, the sucessor to the GF1. The camera offers interchangeable lenses and comes with a 14mm f2.5 kit lens. Also, the camera sports a 12 megapixel sensor featuring Full-HD video capabilities, all viewed with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD. Even more cool is that the camera is compatible with Panasonic’s new 3D 12.5mm f12 lens, so users can take 3D photos.

Currently priced at $699.95 atAmazon.

{via43rumors}

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Will Planet Earth Have‘Two Suns’By 2012?

Well look that:we may have another“sun” soon. That would be swell, and certainly the greatest thing to happen to sunglasses manufacturers. A scientist in Australia says thatBetelgeuse, which is something like 640 light years away, appears to be losing mass at a fairly rapid rate. If that happens the star could go supernova, which would produce such a blindingly bright, uh, image, that it would be as visible in our sky as a second sun. Wild.

The prediction is that all of this would go down in 2012.

That, of course, means that thisactually happened640 years ago, more than 100 years before Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue.

I don’t know, I thought it was neat. It also reminded me ofSephiroth, which is always appreciated.

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Ford Dealers To Offer Training For MyFord Touch

It seems not everyone is able to use the new MyFord Touch system. MyFord Touch isFord’snew interface, displayed over three screens, that is the next generation ofSYNC. While many young people, familiar with tech since birth, find the system generally easy to use, many of the older customers aren’t as tech savvy and have been having difficulty using MyFord. Therefore,Ford dealersare taking it up on their own to train their customers.

This comes at a time when Consumer Reports said the new system was slow and complicated, so they reneged on their recommended rating for theFord Edge. While our opinion of the system wasinitially mixed, mainly for the lack of speed in the interface, we found that after a few days getting used to the system, it wasquite nice. It’s important that Ford figures out a way to solve the latency issue and perhaps streamline the interface a bit— luckily the system is updatable and from what we hear plans are in the works to improve the issues. Ford plans to have the system on 80% of its vehicles by 2015.

Many of the Ford dealers are hiring dedicated technology specialists to answer questions about the system for customers, and have setup a minimum of 45 minutes to explain the new system.

With all the new technology coming out, should manufacturers pay for technology specialist positions? Would it help speed up the process and get more tech into cars?

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Space Shuttle Atlantis To Make Its Final Launch In June

NASA is putting a cap on the long-running Space Shuttle program with STS-135, the final flight by Space ShuttleAtlantis, just recently announced to be taking place on June 20th. There are no more missions planned after this, and the 30-year old shuttle program will finally give way to its successor. This will presumably the Constellation Program, aimed at creating unified architecture for orbital, lunar, and potential Mars missions.

The actual status of the mission is somewhat obscure, since the money isn’t really there. But when it’s all funny money anyway, they can probably fire off one last bottle rocket on credit and figure out the payment plan later.

Atlantis itself has been around the Earth 5200 times, for a total of 120 million miles in flight.This last mission, a resupply trip to the International Space Station, would add another 5 million to that total.

Let’s hope neither foul weather nor funding shenanigans delay or cancel the mission. Let’s give this program a proper send-off.

{image:NASA}

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Kork iPad Case: Corky, Unique, And Eco-Friendly

One criticism I should have mentioned for pretty much the whole lineup ofiPadcases Ireviewedlast month is that none of them really used any natural materials. Sure, it’s a pretty frou frou complaint, but some people don’t really want to buy any more nylon and plastic than they have to. TheDodocaseandEkocaseare examples of a more natural, hand-made style, and thisKorkone is even simpler, and possibly cooler.

It’s cork. I mean really, it’s just a single big piece of cork. Sounds like you’d break it in half by accident (who among us has not screwed up (as it were) the removal of a wine cork?), but as they demonstrate in the video, it’s pretty strong stuff. Yet it’s also flexible enough to allow you to pop your iPad in and hold it securely.

Of course, it isn’t very compact, and it doesn’t protect your screen. But it’s cool nevertheless. Costs 50 euros, or around $67.

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Toy DSLR Actually Shoots Stills And Video, Has Swappable Lenses

Although this might actually also work as a gag gift your favorite photographer, it might be a pretty cool thing to give a kid, too. I mean really, if you want them to like the idea of interchangeable lenses and cameras, a little thing like this would be great way to introduce them.

It’s called theChobi Cam One, and it costs around $110 (if you can figure out how to order and deliver to a non-Japan address). It shoots 1600×1200 stills and really,reallybad video, though at a full 30fps. The fun part is that there are actually three extra lenses to choose from, which presumably have actually different optical qualities. They cost… looks like around $50 each. Yow! A little more and you could pick up anactuallens for your DSLR.

{viaPetaPixel}

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Pure Black Knife Set Is Evil-Looking, Tasteful

Man, these are some handsome knives. They’re each cut from a single piece of metal and then given a grippy, non-stick black coating. It’s not really clear whether these knives are actually good knives, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having them hanging in my kitchen. Are you evil? A Sith lord perhaps? Or a gothic lolita moonlighting as a chef? I think these are for you.

No price yet. You can also order the knives individually, or rather you’ll be able to once they’re for sale. I like the set, though. You never need anything more than those three knives, really. And only the two if you like to tear your bread.

{viaUncrate}

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Video: Tesla Model S On The Road

I feel like there’s something missing from this video of a Tesla Model S cruising down the road. Oh yes, the thumping music and roaring engines that usually accompany these road-type videos— on Top Gear, anyway. Isn’t it a little creepy how quiet it is?

If you’re looking for more Model S love,we got a bunch of shots of a nice red one at CES. I actually like the silver color better, though.

The Model S is set to be Tesla’s break-out vehicle; despite lots of media attention, limited production facilities (read: every one made by hand) have limited Roadster sales to around 1500. But Tesla hopes to sell a hundred times that number of the far more practical four-door sedan you see here. Availability isn’t really announced, though.There’s a bit more info at the Tesla blog.

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Florida County Trying To Force Magic Jack To Collect 911 Fees

Magic Jack, the broadband telephony service famous for its kooky late-night TV adverts, is in a bit of hot water in Florida. A county therewants to know why Magic Jack hasn’t collected 911 fees from its customers, and has taken the company to court to demand payment. Magic Jack, of course, claims that it shouldn’t have to collect such fees, even if its customers have the same access to 911 services as other,payingcitizens.

Kanawha County says that Magic Jack has refused to collect 911 fees from its customers despite being, in its opinion, no different than any other telephone service. (Telephony companies collect nominal fees, mostly around the $3 per month range, then send this money off to the county, with which it uses to pay for 911 services—a roundabout tax, if you will.) Magic Jack says it shouldn’t have to collect the fee because of a technicality: it’s not a telephony company, per se, but rather a company that just so happens to provide a separate incoming and outgoing telephone service.

When Kanawha Count’s commissioner took issue with that argument—one can’t subscribe to Magic Jack’s outgoing service while subscribing to a different company’s incoming service, for example—Magic Jack quickly broke out the ol’“no comment” defense.

Most readers should be familiar with Magic Jack.

For $39.95 per year users get unlimited local and long-distance calls, along with call waiting, voicemail, Caller ID, and so on. It all runs through a USB dongle that plugs into your PC or Mac.

It’s unclear why Magic Jack would be so reluctant to collect the 911 fees, as it’s not like the company itself would have to pay; it’d merely collect the fees from its users, than pass them onto the county. Magic Jack would have to raise the price of its service, sure, but it’s hardly an astronomical fee the county is looking for here.

Further hearings on the matter are scheduled for March 1 and 2.

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New iPad 2 Rumors Could Suggest Price Difference For Retina Display

Here’s yet another piece of proof that the nextiPadmay be coming soon. AsDevin pointed out yesterday, there is support for large (perhaps Retina Display) resolution graphics, all tied up in the latest release of Apple’s iBooks app. Now, some new leakage byway of Best Buy, that tells us the newiPad 2may be right around the corner.

As more Apple stuff is sold in other retailers, it has been easier to keep up on future Apple products by way of the loose lips, more particularly, the lips at Best Buy. What we have here are three new offerings that appeared earlier on Best Buy’s site – though they are magically gone now, probably along with the web producers job.

Three new iPads are titled as coming soon, with different SKUs that aren’t recognized. Interestingly enough, two of the iPads are priced the same at $599 (both Wifi), with one at $699. Could there be a Retina Display option for $100? One thing saddens me about these prices: no price drops? Or, could this just be thosethree Verizon iPads? We’ll have to wait and see.

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Oversized Assets Indicate 2048×1536 Resolution On iPad 2

A couple image assets included in the latest version of iBooks seem to have the same naming convention as iPhone apps have when they must accommodate both old and new iPhone displays. In other words, the images imply that the iPad 2 will undergo a similar transformation: remaining the same size whiledoubling the resolution of its screen.

If this true, you can sign me right up. Although theiPad’sIPS screen is bright and has a great viewing angle range, I’ve always found its resolution distracting. I thought I left 1024×768 behind back in the late 90s. And the new generation of tablets promises quite a significant jump: 1280×800 would show 720p content very well, and the new form factors are 16:9 or thereabouts.

The asset in question, resaved to JPEG for bandthrift.

The only trouble is that this resolution jump is perhaps even more difficult to make than the iPhone 4′s. Making high-density panels like that isn’t easy, or cheap, and if you combine these rare new displays with the expected improvements in form factor, you might be looking at a significant premium. I’d guess the new iPad would debut at $100 more than the old one, while the old one will remain available and sell for $100 less. That’s just my take.

Interestingly, these assets were previously noticed byMacStoriesin August, but I don’t remember much of a hullaballoo about it at the time. Maybe I just missed it, but at any rate these images shipping inside the newest iBooks suggest it wasn’t just a test version that accidentally leaked back then.

As for whether it’s a“retina” display, which is what people seem to be debating in the comments at the blogs, let’s all remember that“retina display” is Apple marketing, and the term has little technical relevance. I’m perfectly satisfied sticking to objective measures like pixel density, response time, and brightness.

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PS3 Hacking Case Judge: Why Is This In My Courtroom

Just a little update on the Sony/George Hotzlawsuit. You know, the one where Sony tries to put the cat back in the bag. Well it turns out that their reason for filing suit in California is that YouTube, Twitter, and Paypal are all based on California. Wait, what?

See, Hotz received donations from Paypal, and he posted the news ofthe hackon Twitter and YouTube. Are Sony’s lawyers smoking crack? Do you try a mugger at the mint where the money he stole was made? Fortunately,the honorable Judge Susan Illston felt this was indeed a bit of a stretch.If anything involving Google or Facebook could be brought to California, then potentially“the entire universe would be subject to my jurisdiction.” Nice gig if you can get it.

Sony then suggested the case should be tried in Federal court close to Sony’s American headquarters… because it says so in the PlayStation terms-of-service agreement. I’m not sure that’s binding, Sony, especially since Hotz obviouslydidn’t agreeto those terms, and rendered the agreement null long ago.

Seriously, though, the trial will be delayed and possibly moved to Hotz’s home state, beautiful New Jersey. We’ll keep you posted, as the results of this case could actually be relevant to the end user.

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Nissan Apologizes For Slow Leaf Rollout

Being the first affordable all-electric car on the market, theLeafwas kind of guaranteed to be a big seller. But their way of going about selling the thing seems to have given their customers unrealistic expectations of when their cars would actually arrive. People have been given extremely vague promises of when their car will arrive (“4-7 months”?), and theories have arisen in the community to the effect that Nissan is attempting to manufacture scarcity.

Nissan is hitting back, or rather soothing back, and hasissued some statementsregarding the rollout intended to get their customers to put down the pitchforks. Nissan’s Senior Vice President of Sales Brian Carolin says:

We probably gave an expectation of availability which in hindsight was too early. Our engineers are incredibly crucial and they want to make sure that every {Leaf} coming out of the gate is absolutely right. The rate of climb has been probably a little slower than you’d expect.

They were just taking their time in Japan to make sure everything was perfect. We’re at the leading edge of technology and the engineers just wanted to make sure that the car was absolutely spot on.

Fair enough, but I feel that Nissan really didn’t manage expectations very well. We all know they needed to get the name and the reservations out there as early as possible so they could ship before cars like theFord Focus ElectricandTesla Model Sstole their thunder. They might have overdone it a bit.

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Ease Seasonal Depression The Easy Way With Valkee Ear Buds

I’ve always worried about people on depression meds; there are all kinds of meds, like Prozac and whatnot, then if that’s not working–probably due to overuse–there’s Abilify. Are you f’in kidding me? Stop these bad things now! Now! And check out somedepression-fighting ear buds.

Those going with the natural way–good diet and exercise–that need an extra boost can check out the new development from Finnish companyValkee. Just by wearing them for 8-12 minutes, users can ease seasonal depression. The researchers believe that we need more light in the brain, not just the eyes–sosungazingis not really an effective solution–so by placing the buds in the ears, light can effectively get to the brain. Happy days ahead.

Cost is 185€, but good luck getting them shipped here. Right now they don’t ship to the US.

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iPhone Aside, What Else Happened On January 11 In History?

According to just about every publication under the Sun, and possibly a few publications outside of the solar system,today is the day that Verizon Wireless will announce the availability of the iPhone on its wonderful network. (Well, it’s a wonderful network until everybody and his mother are trying to tether gigs of data using the iPhone!) It was decided that, since this is such a momentous day in the annals of human history—a communication device that’s been available for nearly four years now available in a slightly different format—we’d look back on what else happened on this day, January 11, in history. Join us.

Note that the following is based onthe January 11 entry on Wikipedia. We may be old, but we’re not old enough to remember Matt’s home state of Michigan being made a territory!

Also, all dates are AD (or CE, depending on what nomenclature you want to use)

• 630 Muhammad conquered Mecca, what was to become one of the two holiest cities in all of Islam. If he had a VZW iPhone he wouldn’t be able to call his family celebrating his triumph and still receive e-mail at the same time, such is the limitation of CDMA.

• 1569 The very first lottery was held in England. Today we’re all winners, lol!

• 1805 As mentioned earlier, the Michigan Territory was created. Some 200 years later Matt Burns would be sitting at his computer screen reading John Biggs’ liveblog!

• 1935 Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. Is there an App for that?

• 1949 The very first case of recorded snowfall occurs in Los Angeles. Too bad there was no Twitter for iPhone back then!

So as you can tell, today’s announcement actually ranks fairly highly in terms of“big” things that happened on January 11.

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Any Video With PixelJunk Shooter 2 In It Is A Good Video

PixelJunk has it going on; as one of the premiere 2D developers out there, they would already have my attention, but since they decided to make a sweet and very original shooter, and then make asequel to said shooter, they’ve been on my shortlist.

I didn’t get a chance to drop by their corner of the show floor at CES, butthese guys did, and took a little video formyour enjoyment.

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The Star Wars Re-Release: Much We Have To Learn

As we sawteasedbefore CES, the Star Wars Trilogy (along withthoseotherones) is indeed to be re-released on Blu-Ray in September (you can pre-order now). The fan relationship with this franchise is perhaps the most complicated one in the entertainment world, for various reasons, and while I have no doubt that the new release will see millions of sales, it’s a legitimate question to ask whether this is the film my parents watched in 1977, and which I have perhaps never seen.

I mean, I’ve seen all the movies, but the process of keeping a movie alive for 30, 40, 50, or more years is a complicated one, especially for one that pushed the technical boundaries of filmmaking at the time. In contemplating this, I ran acrossthis somewhat old but absolutely fascinating articleabout the preservation and restoration of the series.

Not everyone is sensitive about the poorly-tweaked colors and added special effects we saw in the re-releases and DVDs (I am). We all know that Han shot first, and that the Sarlacc isn’t supposed to look likeAudrey II, but the restoration was more than that. The actual film was cleaned, awkward optical effects were smoothed and aligned, minor errors were corrected, and the film was re-scanned. It was an expensive and labor-intensive endeavor, not just an ego trip by Lucas.

The re-releases for other major films, like the Godfather, have been more painstaking and preservative, scanning the original film at a seemingly excessive 8K resolution, while the last major scan of Star Wars, for HDTV, was scanned at 1080p. Observe the following chart:

For preservation purposes, it makes sense now to scan at high resolutions, since storage is done digitally and it is costly and damaging to the original film to re-scan. It’s not clear whether Lucasfilm has actually done this, because, as the article I link above notes, the source is not just a few reels sitting somewhere, but the work of several decades and many mediums.

What Star Wars fans want, and almost certainly will not get, is a sort of HD chimaera of the theatrical original trilogy with the minor changes and tweaks that didn’t bother them, minus the major and incongruous updates Lucas shoehorned in.

The ability in digital media to seamlessly change the language, cut, and so on of movies should not be disregarded, though I suspect it will be for this release. What if you could switch on the fly between the“absolute theatrical,” with dirt and old effects intact, the“restored theatrical,” with all the clarification, rebalancing, and effects fixes in, and the“enhanced” version, with new effects, scenes, and so on? Not only would people buy that, they would buy it for quite a large sum, and beyond that, it would show that Lucasfilm is not the soulless media machine people take it for these days.

The chances of this happening are not good. Lucas has taken every chance for re-re-re-releasing the films, and a“complete” edition might simply be a precursor to amorecomplete“definitive” edition with the aspects I’ve suggested. This new release may be worthwhile either way, since the capabilities of Blu-ray more closely match ideal theatrical conditions, but I wouldn’t expect Lucasfilm to put a cap on this money geyser just yet.

Hey, at least they’re not converting it to 3D.Oh,right.

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New iPhone Case Idea: iPhone Holster Design Project

Need averyspecial iPhone or iPod case but didn’t find anything yet?Kickstarter, thesitethat helps people fund product ideas and concepts, might have the right one in store for you: designer Myles Christensen just needs $3,000 to start his design project“iPhone Holster”.

The iPhone Holster is a case that fits all versions Apple has released of the iPhone and the iPod touch so far. As you can see on the pictures, the case is designed to look like an old west gun holster, and it has a soft interior lining to protect your screen (the holster itself is made of leather).

Christensen says that if his project gets funded (he needs the money by February 3), the first people ordering the iPhone Holster should receive it by the end of February. If you pledge $35 or more, you’ll get one shipped (in black or brown).

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Is This The Nintendo 3DS’s UK (And US’s) Release Date?

Japan is getting the3DSon February 26. That’sa factper Nintendo themselves. But so far the rest of the world is left wondering when they’ll be able to buy it although most are speculating that early March is likely.

That thought seems to be confirmed with aGamestation shop window displaythat clearly indicates that the 3D gaming system will be released on March 1st. Of course this is from the UK where they drive on the wrong side of the road and transpose dates, but there’s nothing stopping this fromnotbeing true.

Retailers make up signage— that’s what it’s called in retail-speak— months in advance and this is generally followed by a few more months of marketing strategy so it’s very likely that select launch partners already know when the 3DS’s release date even though Nintendo hasn’t publicly revealed it to us. March 1st? Sure, why not.

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Zero Punctuation: Top 5 of 2010

A bit NSFW (of course) but totally worth your time. I mean, what else are you doing. Let Yahtzee run down the top five games of 2010.

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Doug Reviews the Pandigital Novel: Not Such a Good Ebook Reader

It runs Android! It has a screen! It’s cheap! What’s not to love. Apparently plenty, because good old Doug (remember him?) just looked at the Pandigital Novel, the latest member in the craplet family coming out of Asia these days.

Here’s the money shot:

It’s definitely an interesting device, although it’s been a bit clunky overall during my initial testing. I’ll have a full review up after I’ve had some more time to play with it. Just to be clear, it’s no iPad killer—not even close.

Seriously: wait for the big boys to catch up or get a Dell Streak. You’ll be happier, fitter, and more productive.
via Techland

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HP Announces A Metric Gaggle Of New Laptops

As if there weren’t enough laptops in the world already! Ah well. The new lineup of Envy, Mini, and Pavilion laptops looks pretty solid, and they’ve got stuff for pretty much every price point. I don’t want to get into too much detail here, since obviously if you’re looking for a laptop you’ll be checking HP’s site for specifics, but let’s hit the high points.

Why don’t we start with the smallest and work our way up?

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HP Mini 210

The familiar Mini line gets a redesign here: the body is redone to be more easily upgradeable, and they’ve improved the keyboard. You’re looking at a dual-core Atom N455 (you can get a N550) and a max of 1GB of RAM. Yeah, that sucks, but you’ve also got a 7200RPM 250GB HDD, which is great for storage, but bad for battery life (opt for the 6-cell). It comes in many colors,because you’re shallow.$329 to start.

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HP dm3

The new dm3 has a lot going on. It’s of the ultraportable variety, and at 13.3″ and less than 1″ thick, it’s pretty portable. It’ll come with a dual-core U5400, but you should be able to upgrade to a Core i3. That’ll make some heat, but fortunately the dm3 is sporting HP’s new CoolSense technology, which includes a totally new internal layout and fan setup, and software that keeps track of temperature and load to keep things frosty. Starts at $549 with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD. I like it. I want it. I’m gonna review it.

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Envy 14 Beats Edition

This is really just the existingEnvy 14, but with a menacing red and black look and some audio optimizations. It comes with a pair of Beats. Theydid this to the Envy 15a while back. At $1249 I find this a hard one to recommend.

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Envy 17 with ATI 3D

I can’t be the only one who thinks this looks like a knockoff MacBook Pro. It’s the hinges on the screen, they make it look cheap. But! That is an illusion. It’s not actually cheap, and it’s a powerful piece of kit. Aluminum, baby. The biggest change is the display, though: it’s 1080p native, and goes to 120Hz, so it’s 3D compatible. The laptop comes with ATI 3D glasses of the active shutter variety. It’ll sport a quad-core i7, ATI discrete mobile graphics… and that’s pretty much all we know. Pricing and other specs are a mystery, though HP did say it would be under two grand. Wow, thanks a lot!

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It’s a pretty solid lineup; I think the dm3 is easily the best buy, as long as you upgrade the processor. I’d hold off on netbooks until I see whether the new crop of tablets is going to be a suitable replacement for them. As for the bigger laptops— well, you’ll have to decide for yourself whether 3D displays and Dr. Dre branding are worth the extra cash. I wouldn’t spring for them, personally.

As usual, these laptops are burieddeep in HP’s site. Go if you dare. I got scared.

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CES May Have Flexible Displays From Samsung, Others

Lots of companies are getting in theflexible displayR&D, but few have actually shown anything but prototypes. That’s not likely to change at CES this year, but we may see a few new items; Samsung is nowshowing off a 4.5″ AMOLED displaythat’s both flexibleandtransparent. Nice!

It’s different from theother screensthey’ve shown off, and of course it’s note-inklike some of the ones we’ve seen. Whether the flexibility would remain once you’d added a CPU and touch-sensitive panel is of course hard to say, but I’m liking where things are going.

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Olympus E-PL2 Turns Into Doctor Octopus With Lights

TheOlympus E-PL2is due to hit retailers soon, and we’re starting to see pictures of the accessories that will be available. Sure, there’s the standard fisheye, macro, and wide angle lenses; but what other camera has lights on flexible arms?

Olympus is also coming out with some specialized lights intended for macro photography. These lights are powered off the hot shoe (that mount on top of the camera where you put your flash), and mounted on two flexible arms, allowing you to light your subject using just the camera. No word on when the lights will hit stores, or how much they’ll cost. Props to Olympus for coming up with this clever lighting solution.

{viaElectronista}

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