Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Being a CEO of a major brand on the net isn’t easy.  Getting the job is even harder, that is where Gadgetell comes in.  By entering our contest, you’ll earn our public recommendation to Yahoo!‘s board for the open CEO position.  Warm up those golf clubs, here is what we think Yahoo! needs:

To be the next CEO at Yahoo!, we believe the company needs a big personality.  Google has the rollerblading wonder twins, MS now has almost larger-than-life Ballmer and Apple’s got a guy with a closet full of black mock turtlenecks.  While we don’t believe having rollerblades, being nutty or sticking to one outfit is a prerequisite, here is what we do think is. . .

Follow to find out more and to apply to Gadgetell’s Be the next Jerry Yang contest.

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Sections: Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Features, Contests

2008 has not been kind to Yahoo.  It began with a buyout offer from Microsoft that they promptly screwed up, and was followed by the disintegration of their ad deal with Google and two rounds of layoffs.  Now it appears CEO Jerry Yang has finally had enough.

Yang announced his resignation last night, saying he will remain on the board of directors and reclaim his old title of “Chief Yahoo.”  Yang has been under the microscope of his shareholders ever since he rejected Microsoft’s offer of $33 per share for being too low.  Yahoo’s shares are now trading at a mere $11 each.  He now appears to regret his decision.

“To this day I would say that the best thing for Microsoft to do is to buy Yahoo,“ he said at a conference two weeks ago. And when quizzed on if he would stick to a higher price that he demanded back in May added, “Oh no. At the right price, whatever the price is.“
But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer didn’t bite and said a couple of days later, “We are not interested in going back and re-looking at an acquisition. I don’t know why they would be either, frankly. They turned us down at $33 a share.“

Ouch.  Yahoo has begun the search for a successor, but finding someone willing to take over the tough job of turning around what was once the net’s top search engine won’t be easy, and for now what lies in the company’s future is anyone’s guess.

Read: [PC World]

• Contest: can you be Yahoo’s next CEO?
• Microsoft to offer free virus protection
• New Xbox Experience features Street Fighter II Turbo “branded destination”

Sections: Web, Websites, Google

Rumors this morning suggest T-Mobile was hoping to spring a fresh white G1 phone for the holidays.  The word is there is a problem with the white paint causing the delay.  The Android phone was launched only in basic black.

Website TMO suggests the white paint is chipping.  Thankfully, the faulty paint was caught by T-Mobile but the delay will push an intro until after Thanksgiving.  This could push the hot phone’s sales downward as Black Friday brings out the masses in a buying mood.

The tipster originally said the white should be in stores by October 22.  We’ve pushed well past that date and now we hear after Thanksgiving.  Surely few are waiting for the white if they desire the G1, but T-Mobile has to wonder how this will hurt them this holiday season.

I like the white option.  And hey, without the iPhone’s cracks, it could be a better deal.

Source: [IntoMobile]

• Walmart will sell iPhone, just not for the holidays
• Ocarina Wars: A challenger appears!
• Contest: can you be Yahoo’s next CEO?

At last, a browser toolbar that’s unobtrusive and useful!  Trustpilot has introduced a new toolbar that warns users if an E-tailer is reliable or not.  Search results are given a check mark in green, orange, or red.  Green means the site has a high rating and many positive reviews, orange means the site has an average rating, and red is a sign to stay away—the site has mostly negative reviews and lots of user complaints.

Trustpilot gives its ratings based on reviews and media stories it collects from the web.  At the present time, it claims to have over 1 million reviews and stories. The download is quick and free and is unobtrusive.  Keep reading for more details about this helpful toolbar.

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Sections: Computers, Security, Web, Downloads, Web Apps, Websites

Yesterday,  Google let loose their video chat to the masses.  If your account doesn’t have the option yet, Google promises within a day or so you will.  The new option for video is very simple and many users are wondering, how does this differ from other online video services like Skype?

Skype is a full-featured video calling program.  It is easiest to think of Gmail voice and chat as augmenting their instant messaging chat rather than something completely new.  One of the biggest differences is Gmail’s version only allows video chatting with other Gmail users who have downloaded the plug in (about 2MB).  With Skype, users are allowed to contact both online and offline numbers, albeit for a fee.  There is not an option to go offline with Gmail voice and chat.

See what else Gmail voice and video users won’t be doing anytime soon.

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Sections: Communications, Email / IM, Web, Web 2.0, Google

Today in the USA, we honor our soldiers.  While today’s soldiers are usually outfitted in the latest gadget gear we all know about, Gadgetell takes a look back at previous generations of gadgets.  Our findings might surprise you.

Motorola intros the WWII RAZR

Meet the Moto SCR-536.  Imagine the soldiers dancing in a foxhole when the CO calls with the “Hello Moto” ringtone blares.  OK, maybe not.  But this is the real deal, the Handie-Talkie was the world’s first two-way AM radio.  It weighted just under 7 lbs and had an 8-hour talk time.  I’ll avoid any comparisons to Moto’s current line up, feel free to make your own and chuckle.  Moto’s device was way ahead of the competition and up to 26lbs lighter.  Way out in front.

See what other odd gadgets we’ve found.

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  This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Follow to see me call out:

• LG and its ridiculously square phone
• AT&T thinks Android is on crack
• Sprint thinks we want to watch football (American) on our phones.
• Moto wants to be on crack
• and our own Natesh who finds more than his share of obscure gadgetry

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In the video after the break, you’ll see Intel CEO Paul Otellini demoing an unnamed mobile internet device.  This time, Intel shows a device that is 100% touchscreen and has GPS, a camera and connectivity on board.  Watching the video, the first thing that came to my mind is Google phone OS Android.

That is because the demo was about the MID smart camera.  Using the camera, the device is able to translate Chinese very quickly and is able to add relevant YouTube videos, web pages and more all based on your GPS position and what the camera identifies.  The concept is you get all the information you desire, when you need it, where you need it.

Hit the jump to see the video and what this MID can do for you.

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Sections: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Web, Google

Ever since Google Android was first officially released, one question asked by many was which cell phone carrier would use it in their phones.  With the release of T-Mobile’s G1, we knew T-Mobile liked Android and gave it a shot.  From that, another question was developed, which other carriers would follow suit to T-Mobile.  At the Web 2.0 Summit, Ralph de La Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, was asked about Android being used in AT&T phones. 

Unfortunately for AT&T enthusiasts, AT&T will not be incorporating Google Android into their cell phones anytime soon.  He wants to see Google Android evolve more before they think about using it in their phones.  He also adds that they are looking at it as a possible new platform.  Lastly, he adds that he wants to see Google Android take on more non-Google Apps. 

From what I can infer, I think AT&T will be using Google Android at some point, but not in the immediate future.  Looks like AT&T is just waiting for Android to mature a bit before fully adopting the platform.

Read [SFGate]

• LG’s hot new touchscreen at AT&T
• Contest: can you be Yahoo’s next CEO?
• Peek device gets price cut and adds texting

Sections: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Web, Google

If you are looking around for some great, new cell phones you may want to consider checking out what T-Mobile has to offer this holiday season.  A few notable deals T-Mobile has going on are the availability of the new MOTOZINE ZN5, the T-Mobile Cameo, the Samsung Behold, the Samsung Gravity, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, the T-Mobile G1 (as expected), and they are even offering free plane tickets to any destination within the United States. 

Keep reading to find out more.

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Sections: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Gadgets / Other, Household, Imaging, Accessories, Web, Google