Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Dell has shipped around an estimated 40,000 Ubuntu based computers. The idea originally came after around 130,000 people confirmed a suggestion that was left on Dell’s IdeaStorm website. If these numbers are accurate that means that roughly only 1/3 of the original supporters were willing to spend the money on the system, which means that the remaining were either not willing to part with the money or just not ready to make a new purchase yet.

These numbers have not yet been confirmed by Dell, however a Dell spokesman has said that “adoption has been very good.” Dell had only begun shipping Ubuntu based systems about 6-months ago, so the question remains; Is 40,000 units enough to keep Dell selling these machines? Keep in mind that Dell usually ships around 10 million machines each quarter.

Read [The Register]

Google Reader has recently been updated (with thanks to both current and ex-interns) and now has support for recommendations and drag-and-drop.

The recommendation feature is just what the title implies, giving suggestions of new sites based on the users current subscriptions and web history data. You can find your personal recommendations using the Discover link, which can be found on the left side above your current subscriptions. The drag-and-drop feature will allow users better manage those feeds, users will now be able to re-order or move feeds within a folder or to a new folder.

I am a daily Google Reader user myself, the drag-and-drop feature will be very handy for quick adjustments, but as someone who is always looking for new sites to check out I may find myself using the recommendation feature on a regular basis.

Read [Official Google Reader Blog]

Taking the bull (or in this case, the cell phone) by the horns, Korea has become the first nation in the world to conduct a program to cure cell phone addiction among the youth. This comes on the heels of a Chinese summer camp program designed to battle Internet addiction.

The campaign represents the blended efforts of a civic group called the School Beautiful Movement, the Korean Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion and SK Telecom. It is hoped that through research and education, the program will help prevent mobile phone addiction and that students will learn proper cell phone “management” skills.

Twelve elementary, middle and high schools were selected for the pilot program, which is intended to monitor via discussions the symptoms students experience over the next two months when they are without a mobile phone. Students will be assigned cell phone lockers, where they voluntarily put their phones, thus preventing their use during class time.

As far as the most common complaint so far of not knowing what to do with empty hands, surely they will think of something. Maybe they should all take up baton twirling; that is, until that becomes an addiction, and then, well, that’s a story for next time!

Read [New Launches]

Motorola announced today that Greg Brown will be replacing Edward Zander as Chief Executive Officer beginning January 1, 2008. Edward Zander will remain with Motorola as Chairman of the Board of Directors until May 2008.

“I am privileged to become the CEO of Motorola,” said Greg Brown. “This is a unique Company with strong technology, people and customers. I welcome this opportunity to lead Motorola successfully into the future.”

Greg Brown first came to Motorola in 2003. Prior to his new role as CEO he had been the President and Chief Operating Officer since March 2007 and was also elected to the Board of Directors earlier this year.

Read [Motorola]

Cowon has already released the A3 in Korea and now they released some information as to when it will be launched in the US.

Basically, the A3 features a 4-inch screen with 16 million colors and 800×480 resolution. Additionally, it comes with an FM radio, voice recorder, USB connectivity, MPEG-4 video recorder, 1280 x 720 HD output, and codec support that includes FLAC, DivX, and OGG.

It will be released in 2 different models, the 30GB and 60GB model selling for $349 and $399 respectively. The A3 will begin shipping in early December, although no word on exact date.

Via [Engadget]

Wal-Mart is now selling another Hi-Def video player for what appears to be the sweet spot of $200. The Venturer SDH7000 HD DVD player is no-name brand, based in Ontario, Canada, with manufacturing plants in China. The SDH7000 has support for 1080i with an HDMI hookup and also has Ethernet connectivity for downloads and updates.

A $200 price for an HD DVD player is pretty good, but it doesn’t seem as impressive knowing that Toshiba has the HD-A2 HD DVD player for the same price which makes the launch of this Venturer player somewhat anti-climatic.

The cheapest Blu-ray player available is currently the Sony BDP-S300 which Wal-Mart has for $348, but you can always get a 40GB PS3 for $400, which seems like a better deal.  Let the format wars continue!

Product [Wal-Mart] Via [Engadget]

AMD, once the darling of the PC processor market, has fallen on hard times. Last month, AMD posted a huge loss of nearly $400 million in the third quarter last year. That loss along with managerial and demand problems have caused the chip makers to fall out of iSupply’s top ten chip makers list.

iSupply says AMD’s market share in the semiconductor industry will climb to 14.2% by the end of the fourth quarter, which is below where AMD was last year. AMD rival Intel is currently sitting on nearly 80% of the semiconductor market according to iSupply. Analysts for iSupply are predicting that Intel will generate $7.24 billion in revenue this quarter while AMD generates only $1.3 billion.

Sony is the biggest movement in the industry with it’s revenue expected to increase by almost 60% this year. One imagines that most of this increase is due to Sony’s Cell processor built into the PS3.

Read [PC World]

It is a real feat to make arguably the sexiest gadget look even better, but DLO’s HybridShell does just that.  Covering the touch with clear polycarbonate while cleverly adding sticky silicon to its backside, this case is nothing short of beauty.  Included with the Shell is DLO’s surface shield that protects the touchscreen as well.

DLO is a company I’ve come to trust for iPod gear and this case does not disappoint.  All controls and ports are fully accessible with the HybridShell, a nice touch that you might realize is important after you’ve made the purchase.  Kudos to DLO.

Rated A- by iLounge.  $24.99 Fits both 8GB and 16GB versions.

Product Page [DLO]

While the following news might not make the world’s toothpaste manufacturers smile, it just might improve those on the consumers of the future! Oral hygiene is not only important, it can also be, as we all know, very expensive. For the busy multi-tasker of the future, the solar-powered toothbrush may make it possible to sit in bed and brush your teeth at the same time!

Although this product is still in the prototype stage, it’s developers The Shiken Company of Japan, and a University of Saskachewan researcher are very happy with the progress made so far. The idea is to create a solar-powered toothbrush, which causes a chemical reaction in the mouth. This in turn, eliminates harmful plaque and bacteria. Dentistry professor emeritus, Dr. Kunio Komiyana, and his colleague, Dr. Gerry Uswak, are hoping this innovative method can replace the usual brush and toothpaste combination.

Dr. Komiyama designed the first prototype almost 15 years ago. It contained a titanium dioxide rod in the neck of the brush, just below the nylon bristles. Any light falling on the wet rod would release electrons, which would react to the acid typically found in the mouth, helping break down plaque. The latest model, the Soladey-J3X, is similar, except that it’s twice as powerful.

Final testing and perfection of the latest prototype will permit this brush to destroy the two major types of bacteria that cause plaque. It is estimated that this solar-powered brush will require as much light as a solar-powered calculator to work. What’s next, folks? Perhaps solar-powered dentists?

Read [New Launches]

As part of the FCC approval for the Bell South purchase, AT&T agreed to offer naked DSL for just $10. While this sounds like a great offer its also an offer that has proven very difficult to obtain, in part because the FCC had stated that it was an offer they may not enforce.

The naked DSL is 768kbps for just $10 a month, however AT&T has never officially announced or advertised that price. Meaning most people in the general public would have no idea that its even available. AT&T’s current CEO has also told the press that it was not advertised because no one would want it.

Since the initial $10 offering AT&T has expanded the offer to include a few new options, all of which seem to vary based on market. In California for example the naked DSL service is actually priced one dollar more than the DSL and landline bundle, which according to AT&T is “a way to let customers know that buying several services at the same time is always the best value.”

According to an AT&T insider, these are the steps to follow to get the low-priced service.

•Call the AT&T Dry Loop department directly at 888-800-4095
•Ask to switch to “DSL direct”
•If they give you a hassle, say it’s a retention offer
At the time, this appeared to only work in a certain number of markets. CNET is now claiming you can order it in the following states: AL, AR, CA, CT, FL, GA, IN, IL, KY, LA, MI, MO, OH, NC NV, SC, TN, TX.

Personally its not a service I would want as an everyday connection, but for just $10 a month it would make an excellent low-cost backup for those times when my primary cable connection is out.

Read [DSL Reports]