UK.gov to use Spending Challenge website ideas

HM Treasury has said it will implement three ideas submitted by the public to its Spending Challenge website which include a government e-auction site.…

Look for Game Center compatibility to take the form of a familiar face, as Namco Networks’ Ms. Pac-Man will soon work with the new iOS 4.1-friendly gaming...



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Facebook. Google. Apple. Hurrah!

Open...and Shut It may not be that "Every woman adores a Fascist," as the poet Sylvia Plath once caustically penned, but it certainly seems that every market appreciates a monopolist.…

Earlier this year HBO unveiled HBO Go, a new walled-garden broadband video platform that offers HBO content to users online -- if you already pay for HBO on traditional cable and if your ISP has struck a partnership to carry the service. That latter catch, pioneered by ESPN for their ESPN3 service, has been taking flak for disrupting the traditional consumer content access model. HBO has now launched a similar service for HBO-owned Cinemax dubbed Max GO, and just like HBO Go, the service requires you pay for the TV-version of Cinemax, and have an ISP willing to pony up the cash for the privilege of offering the service. Eager to get any edge they can against cable TV competitors, Verizon is of course first out of the gate to strike a deal to offer access to the service.
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Like the solid feel of a hardwood pencil but hate writing with a tiny stub? This modular continuous pencil is for you.

UPDATE: Security vendors warn of a mass-mailing worm that links to a malicious screensaver file.



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Nyko's Wand+ controller isn't reinventing the wheel, it's simply doing what the wheel does for a little less money and without two pieces. In fact... let's get away from this metaphor before I hurt myself.

The Wand+ is Nyko's take on the Wiimote, albeit with the Motion Plus technology built-in. There is no dongle, there is no extension on the controller—it's just one standard-sized Wiimote that does everything the Motion Plus does. We tested the controller by playing Wii Sports Resort and it worked flawlessly, just as well as the official controllers. Isn't that the mark of greatness when it comes to third-party accessories? Even after switching back and forth between the Wand+ and the first-party controller we couldn't feel a difference in accuracy or responsiveness.

It does feature a few design eccentricities: the power button is now on the right hand side of the controller, the A-button is square and a little larger, and the plastic has a smoother feel than the standard controller. To my hand all these things are actually advantages over the official controller, but that's more preference than fact. This is simply a comfortable, attractive Wiimote.

At $39.99 MSRP it's even $10 cheaper than the standard Wiimote with a Motion Plus dongle at most retailers. If you're tired of losing your Motion Plus attachment, or you don't like the added length of the dongle, this is a good alternative. It's neither flashy nor an amazing leap forward. It simply does everything as advertised. There's nothing wrong with that.

Verdict: Buy

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The other day, a rumor bubbled forth that Verizon would be making Bing the default search on all Android phones. That's certainly the case for phones like the Samsung Fascinate, which not only comes loaded with annoying bloatware (including Verizon's $10 a month VZ Navigator service), but comes with Bing as default -- and no way to change it. But while Microsoft may have given Verizon a big bag of money to lock down Bing as the default on many handsets, it won't be that way on all Android gear. "We have a relationship with Microsoft and Bing is the search engine on our multi-media phones but we have never said it would be exclusive on all of our devices," Verizon tells Engadget. Of course precisely what Verizon defines as a "multi-media phone" isn't clear.
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As users in our Canadian Broadband forum are discussing, Canada's Quebecor this week launched a new wireless service under the Videotron brand. Videotron can of course now offer its cable broadband customers "quadruple play" service, and the company is offering a new voice plan starting at $32.95 for those who also bundle home phone, broadband and TV services. Of note: during the Q&A session for the service's launch, a Videotron executive suggested that Apple is working on an AWS-compliant iPhone -- and that users should "expect an announcement in the coming months" on an iPhone launch on the new Videotron network.
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Only a matter of time until Google gets involved

Military-funded researchers in the US have developed a backpack system containing cameras, lasers and inertial sensors which can be carried around indoors and generate a detailed, accurate 3D map of the spaces it moves through.…

Reg Guide to Improving Systems Agility - Free Download!

DIY meat

The Worldwide wing of the BBC has hired Mark Smith as its global iPlayer launch director, in its latest attempt to get its video-on-demand service off the ground outside the UK.…

Apple has changed the guidelines for its App Store, now allowing some programs and services previously banned into the App Store. Here is what's out and in.



Apple - AppStore - Macintosh - Apple II - Companies

Apple has changed the guidelines for its App Store now allowing some programs and services previously banned into the App Store. Here is what's out and in.



Apple - AppStore - Macintosh - Apple II - Companies

The "Here You Have" worm is taking the world by storm using rudimentary techniques that are a decade old, and illustrating the need for malware defense to evolve.



Malware - Security - Malicious Software - Computer worm - Viruses

The "Here You Have" worm is taking the world by storm using rudimentary techniques that are a decade old, and illustrating the need for malware defense to evolve.



Malware - Security - worm - Animals - Agriculture

Tackling the corporate bureaucracy

Analysis So Nokia's board has decided the company needs shock treatment: it's brought in a non-Finn for the first time in its history, and someone who carries very little baggage to boot. This should be interesting.…