Meizu rips off artist to showcase iPhone ripoff

Why merely steal the entirety of your product’s industrial design and user interface when you can gank so much more? Philip Warner of Lithium Picnic studios dropped us a line to let us know that the wallpaper being used on the latest rendering of Meizu’s M8 MiniOne is his own work — and surprise, surprise, Meizu hasn’t licensed it, which ironically only serves to rip off Apple’s own ripping off of artists. Yeah, you’ve gotta have stones to survive in this industry, but Meizu’s chutzpah takes it to a whole new level, particularly if they makes good on their apparent intention to debut the M8 stateside at CES in a few weeks. Then again, when they said “CES,” maybe they meant some knockoff tradeshow held in a vacant lot somewhere.

Source:Engadget

Toshiba sold 100 000 HD DVD players in 2 days

Toshiba has announced that it sold 90,000 HD DVD players between last Friday and Sunday, thanks to sub-$100 players offered by Best Buy and Wal-Mart, according to trade publication Video Business. Toshiba’s HD-A2 is the lowest priced standalone high-def disc player, and last weekend that was made even more evident when Wal-Mart announced a special one-day sales to bring the price down to $98. The discount retailer normally sells the player for around $200. In a seemingly immediate reactionary move, Best Buy decided to clear out its existing stock of HD-A2 players, marking the price permanently down to $100. However, most locations sold out within hours.Media reports said that other, more local retailers also marked down their price to match Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Because of its price advantage, sales of specific standalone HD DVD players have consistently been ahead of similar Blu-ray sales numbers. For example, Video Business reports the three-day sales of HD DVD players was greater than Sony’s BDP-S300 Blu-ray player over the past several months. The S300 is the top-selling Blu-ray player aside from the Playstation 3. If course, because of the PS3, Sony has been more easily able to convert people into Blu-ray adopters and has handily taken the lead in overall HD disc market share.

Source: TG Daily

Microsoft’s Surface taking a while to, you know, surface

While the tech demos are always sure to draw a crowd, Microsoft’s Surface is still having trouble making it past the prototype stage. Originally slated to show up in a few commercial venues this year, applications of the tech have been pushed back to next spring at the earliest. Microsoft has plans to build devices for Sheraton hotels, Harrah’s casinos and T-Mobile retail spots, but CNET reports that all the custom software needed and a lack of a one-size-fits-all solution for customers has Microsoft struggling to ship anything just yet. That said, there’s still plenty of interest in Surface — Microsoft says it’s received 2,000+ inquiries from companies around the world and in many industries — and while initial versions of the tabletop device are going to range from $5,000 to $10,000, Microsoft hopes to have a consumer-affordable version in three to five years.

Source:engadget

Google announces Android mobile platform

Google on Monday announced a widely expected open-development platform for mobile devices backed by industry heavyweights like T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola that could shake the wireless market to its core by simplifying and reducing the cost of developing mobile applications. The platform, called Android, has been developed by Google and others as part of the Open Handset Alliance, which has over 30 partners supporting it. The goal of this ambitious initiative is to spur innovation in the mobile space and accelerate improvements in how people use the Web via cell phones. The open-source platform will have a complete set of components, including an operating system, middleware stack, customizable user interface and applications.

Google in talks with Verizon over Gphone

The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported Tuesday evening that Google is in “serious discussions” with Verizon Wireless to put its mobile “GPhone” software on Verizon phones. For months, people have been speculating about the rumored Google “GPhone.” Most people believe that it’s not a specific phone, but is more likely an operating system or software that integrates many of Google’s mobile services, like Web search, Gmail, Youtube, and Google Maps, onto phones made by existing handset makers. But more than simply integrating Google services onto handsets, the new Google mobile OS is believed to be an open platform on which application developers would have free reign to develop a slew of new applications and services.

Hulu

Hulu is a new video streaming site,but this one ways created by NBC and News Corporation.

Here you will be able to watch tv show just like on youtube,but you wont be able to download any of the content.

Its still in its beta stage when you visit their homepage you can enter your e mail adress and than you have to wait for a response.

You can currently watch some videos on video.aol.com

Visit Hulu for more info.