Saturday, July 26, 2008

The View from Google Knol

Google’s answer to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, Google Knol
(short for Knowledge), launched earlier this week to some fanfare, at
least from cash-strapped authors and other subject-matter experts.



"At the discretion of the author, a knol may include ads," according to the official Google blog.
"If an author chooses to include ads, Google will provide the author
with substantial revenue share from the proceeds of those ads."



The key idea behind the knol project is to highlight authors (either
singularly or in groups) willing to put their names behind their
content on a wide of range of topics, "from scientific concepts, to
medical information, from geographical and historical, to
entertainment, from product information, to how-to-fix-it
instructions." Google will not edit the content in any way, but, like
Wikipedia, readers will have access to community tools that will allow
them to submit comments, questions, edits, and additional content -- in
addition to being able to rate or write a review of a knol.



Problems With Wikipedia



Founded in January 2001, the online Wikipedia
encyclopedia has more than 8.2 million articles in more than 200
languages, including more than 2 million in English. Unlike Google
Knol, Wikipedia is not ad-supported and its operating expenses are
funded mainly by private donations and grants funneled through the
nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, whose laudatory mission is to support
the free dissemination of information.



Just how free the information on Wikipedia is has been called into
question lately, primarily because of the collaborative nature of its
entries. WikiScanner (also
known as Wikipedia Scanner), a tool released by Virgil Griffith in
August 2007 that identifies the authors behind Wikipedia edits,
revealed that people at the IP addresses of several major companies had
made changes to their own or competitors' Wikipedia entries.



It's too early to tell what effect Knol will have on Wikipedia and
similar sites, but at the very least adding author identification,
ranking, and the profit motive to Wikipedia's group contribution
approach certainly seems to have the potential to upset the Wikipedia
apple cart.



If you think you have what it takes and want to improve your
reputation and fatten your wallet, I recommend you start by taking a
closer look at one of the more immediately useful new Google knols:
Aaron Wall’s Search Engine Optimization knol. Wall’s promising a free three-month SEO training trial to the best commentator.

From : http://www.informationweek.com/

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Intel unveils next wave of laptops

SAN FRANCISCO - Get ready for the next wave of over-achieving
Intel-equipped laptops this fall. The chip giant recently showed off
its newest mobile processing technology called Centrino 2 in San
Francisco.

The chips are faster, cooler and battery misers. You
can play a Blu-ray movie (seven times more intensive than DVD)
onscreen, or hooked up to your High Definition TV, with time to spare
for extra computing.

The game playing rivals desktop computers
with the added ability for laptops to play wirelessly against each
other with no required network. You will even be able to switch between
two graphics chips in a gaming laptop, a faster one for performance and
an integrated graphics chip for battery-saving office work. Lenovo
demonstrated the instant switch on their new series SL laptops using
Centrino 2 chips.

The new Centrino 2 chips, a combination of two processors and
supporting functions in new laptops, also offer the fastest wireless
connection technology called WiMAX. It is similar to existing home WiFi
technology but can bridge over much longer distances similar to
cellphone towers without the associated high cost of the cellphone
industry.

WiMax technology has been around for several years but
is still in its infancy in terms of wide acceptance. Trials are
starting in Baltimore, Md., in September, followed by Chicago and
Washington, D.C., before the end of the year.

Dozens of
demonstrations from laptop makers showed off the prowess of Centrino 2
technology five years after the first version propelled laptops to more
than 50-per-cent market share over desktops worldwide.

The new
laptops were able to run longer on a battery charge and perform faster.
Lenovo's new Centrino 2-based ThinkPad X200 13.1 inch screen, at 1.34
kg, can run for 9.8 hours before the next battery charge.

"We
summarize the concept of the new Centrino 2 in one word: HUGI 'Hurry Up
and Get Idle' said Mody Eden, corporate VP and general manager for the
Intel mobile graphics group.

He demonstrated how new Centrino 2 laptops from Lenovo, Acer, HP, Sony and Toshiba could run software up to four times faster.

"The new processors get the job done sooner and spend more time in sleep mode, saving battery power," added Eden.

The
new laptops will also be equipped with cellphone technology, allowing
many choices of how to connect to the Internet wirelessly.

Centrino 2 also offers features for the enterprise sector.

Its
more expensive vPro technology, allows a large or small company to
wirelessly access and administrate its laptops anywhere in the world,
even outside company networks. A live demonstration showed a crippled
laptop that could not start in Windows. An IT administrator was able to
access the laptop in its non-working state wirelessly and make repairs
as if they were sitting in front of the computer, a first in today's
rapidly changing cordless technology.

Although Intel has shipped
Centrino 2 chips to laptop makers, it will be several months before
consumers can get their hands on one. The deadline for this year's
back-to-school laptops will be missed and the first wave of these new
laptops, whose chip software is still being fine tuned, will not be
able to compete in the price-conscious consumer market.

For more information go to www.intel.com/products/centrino

Steve
Makris is a freelance technology writer and can be reached at
www.stevoid@pressword.com and can be seen on the Monday Morning News
show on Global TV.

From : http://www.canada.com/

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UNLOCKED Apple iPhone 8GB Jailbroken 2.0 Any GSM SIM






Up for NO RESERVE auction is a gently used first generation 8GB UNLOCKED AND JAILBROKEN iPhone in great condition. Included is: iPhone
(1st Gen) 8GB, iPhone 2.0 software with appstore (free and paid
programs approved by Apple), jailbroken (Cydia Installer for programs
not approved by Apple), Unlocked!Original packagingDock and dock cable (original)Wall outlet adapter (original)Apple Lint free cloth for cleaning Sim card not included. The
iPhone is in great condition as pictured. It has normal every day
scuffs on the chrome ring (pictured), light scuff on black antenna
cover (pictured), very minor dent on top left by headset jack (pictured
as best as I can due to minute size), screen is in excellent condition
and very bright! Below you
will also find a photo of the screen which includes both the AppStore
icon and the Cydia Installer icon side by side. This is running the 2.0
firmware with jailbreak and unlock. Your iPhone will be shipped the business day following the close of the auction. Must have PayPal confirmed address, NO EXCEPTIONS!Ships to US confirmed addresses only, NO EXCEPTIONS!Please contact with any questions, phone can be factory restored before shipping if preferred (you must let me know).



Auction : New 2008 CECT P168+ Quad Band GSM Dual Sim Cell Phone
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New 2008 CECT P168+ Quad Band GSM Dual Sim Cell Phone

FEATURES Include:



  • Dual Standby Sim (all-in-one work and home phone)


  • Plays MP3 Music and MP4 movies


  • Flash Drive works just like a portable USB drive


    • Drag and drop files via USB port of computer (no special software needed)


  • T-Flash MicroSD card EASY TO UPGRADE AND STORE MEMORY


  • Flow Touch Technology


  • 3.5" LCD Display


  • SMS/MMS/GPRS included and WAP/GPRS/MMS/SMS enabled


  • 2 Megapixel Camera with Video Recording


  • Digital voice recorder


  • Bluetooth enabled


  • Built in games


  • MP3 Music and MP3 Ringtones


  • MP4 Player: Play stereo 3GP/MP4 movie


  • 6 built in speakers Polyphonic 3-D sound


  • Internet WAP/GPRS supported


  • Size: 115x15x14mm Weight: 105g


  • Mutiple Language Support


  • Average talk time 7 hours, 4-5 days standby


  • Simultaneous Battery charging with dock charger and via the USB port

Auction : New 2008 CECT P168+ Quad Band GSM Dual Sim Cell Phone
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Nintendo finally confirms new Mario and Zelda games for hardcore fans By Mike Ferro

I recently criticized how lackluster the Wii press conference was with a clear disregard for the hardcore Nintendo Wii fanbase. The Nintendo press conference actually received scorn from many of the journalist and consumers for its complete shift to focusing on the casual market.

Well it seems like Shigeru Miyamoto the genius behind the Nintendo Wii has come out recently in an interview with the Telegraph and confirmed they are indeed working on a new Mario, Zelda and Pikmin project. The way Miyamoto describes their development process one could assume they have been working on these new titles all along. This is what Miyamoto had to say about their core franchises:

“Making these ‘traditional’ games is what I am best at. Because games of that nature take upwards of two or three years to make, we always have to keep the teams working on those projects going.

Well if they have been working on a new Mario or Zelda game why not announce it and show a teaser of it at E3? That’s the million dollar question folks, because we really didn’t see anything like that.

We saw Shaun White trying to make snowboarding look cool on the Wii balance board and we saw the Nintendo execs make a fool of themselves pantomiming air guitar and other instruments but we saw nothing for the hardcore fans. It’s definitely understandable why Wii owners would be so angry at Nintendo.

The last Zelda and Mario game were excellent games and garnered high marks from critics and showed Nintendo still had it after over 30 years in the video game business. It seems like anything Miyamoto touches in their core franchises they become successful, and as long as he keeps it fresh, innovative and fun they will continue to succeed in the industry.

It’s incredible when you think how the name Nintendo and Mario have persisted through three generations as a household name.

From : http://gamer.blorge.com
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Fujitsu's Lifebook U2010 gets new pics, specs



We've caught a few glimpses of Fujitsu's Lifebook U2010
in the past, but now we've got a whole handful of new shots of the
crazy-versatile device, plus some fresh video and actual,
honest-to-goodness specs. According to a Vietnamese forum, the
miniature laptop / tablet will feature an Intel Atom CPU (at 1.6GHz or
1.8GHz), a 5.6-inch 1024 x 768 display, an 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM,
a 3G radio, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and will weigh 680 grams (about 1.5
lbs). No word on a street date or regions for the device right now, but
the price is said to clock in around a hefty $1300.

[via] Engadget
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