Gadget news

Leaving all personal opinions about Jeb Bush's legacy aside, it's worth noting, from a technology perspective, that he chose to include his BlackBerry in the backdrop of his official gubernatorial portrait in an attempted nod to his role as the first "e-governor," according to press reports.

Last week, at the close of the Florida governor's two-term administration, he revealed the portrait, in which he's standing next to a bookshelf topped with a family photo and his beloved device. Bush reportedly received tens of thousands of e-mails sent to his very public address, Jeb@Jeb.… Read more

Media sites are watching how we consumers spend our money this holiday season. And it looks like a double victory for the tech world.

First, online sales are up more than 25 percent from last year. Consumers are apparently comfortable now with last minute online buys.

Second, HD flat screens and Nintendo's Wii were both big sellers this season. This week tech gadgets will have to compete with even more heavly discounted general merchandise.

I'm hearing some analysts on CNBC today saying brick and mortar discounters were not even making a profit on the flat screens they sold. … Read more

With gadgets and their components getting smaller all the time, it makes sense that amplifiers should join the trend. But this is ridiculous.

Oki Electric Industry, according to Fareastgizmos, has debuted a chip that includes a "stereo-playback-capable DAC (Digital Audio Converter), 3D surround functionality and speaker amp"--and can easily fit on a fingertip with plenty of room to spare. The amplifier can improve sound quality on any number of portable devices, ranging from digital dictionaries to cell phones and GPS navigators.

All this is well and good, of course, but we ask you: Can it really compare … Read more

File this under "for the ridiculously lazy"--a rapidly growing category of late.

USB-powered devices are slowly rising to the iPod case's level of ubiquity. Who isn't selling one of these? It may be because no one is feeling the urge to do anything more than an arm's length from a keyboard any more.

Case in point: Gearlog has a USB Noodle Strainer that, quite honestly, resembles a foot bath. It's for making cold soumen noodles when you're presumably too engrossed in battling virtual armies of the undead, or are allergic to kitchens, … Read more

--CURRENT EVENTS: Baghdad is like Grand Theft Auto (Alive in Baghdad)

--ONLY IN NEW YORK: Online Auction Store Windows (PSFK)

--SECOND LIFE: Virtual land magnate shares secrets of her success and Virtual magnate talks China, censorship (CNET News.com)

--GAMING: Wii Dissection (Notcot)

--CYBERLAW: Record industry DRM from 1907 (BoingBoing)

--THE INDUSTRY: Executive shakeup at video site Revver (CNET News.com)

--CONSUMERISM: Popular gadgets may make painful holiday gifts (Reuters)

--CYBERLAW: Major record labels (finally) sue Moscow-based AllofMP3.com (PaidContent)

--APPLE: Apple Store Holiday Screensaver (Cult of Mac)

--GAMING: Wii Forecast Walkthrough Video (gmrblogs)

--HUMOR: Al Gore caught warming globe to boost box office (Treehugger)

--VIRTUAL EVENTS: NBC to host "jam session" in Second Life tonight (CNET News.com)

--GADGETRY: Asus Z801 Karaoke Phone (Gizmodo)**

--CONSUMERISM: DIY wrapping paper design (Information Aesthetics)

--CYBERLAW: CA legislator not liking in-game adware (Game|Life)

--THE INDUSTRY: Mobile gaming firm Glu Mobile applies for an IPO (PaidContent)

**I know of a few Cravers who probably want a karaoke phone.

--VIRAL INFECTIONS: iPod in a blender (YouTube)

--SECOND LIFE: The AvaStar: Second Life gets a tabloid (PSFK)

--APPLE: iPod Death Watch (CrunchGear)

--GAMING: CNN staffer nearly assualted over Wii (Game|Life)

--SOCIAL NETWORKING: MySpace's print foray: Marmalade (PaidContent)

--WEB 2.0: GeoBeats: YouTube meets the Travel Channel (Webware)

--GAMING: New Year's flOw: Evolutionary title delayed to January 2007 (IGN)

--ONLY IN DUBAI: Hydropolis: The world's first underwater luxury hotel (Gadgetell)

--ADVERTISING: Double Fusion draws $26 million funding round (CNET News.com)

--MICROSOFT: Zune 1.2 Firmware Update: Faster? (Gizmodo)

--GAMING: More LocoRoco games, confirms Sony (Joystiq)

We dredged the series of tubes for you: here's today's roundup of link love.

--ONLY IN JAPAN: Japanese man makes Wii from tofu (Kotaku)

--GAMING: Amazon to sell Wii and PS3 on Tuesday (CrunchGear)

--APPLE: MacBook Pro batteries are inflating (Gizmodo)

--GREEN TECH: Reva Electric Car Company receives $20M funding (Treehugger)

--YEAR IN REVIEW: Top of the Tube in '06 (Webjunk TV)

--APPLE: Top 5 "I'm a Mac" parody commercials (Gizmodo)

--USB WTF: Firefly Squid USB flash drive (Plastic Bamboo)

--GAMING: Ron Jeremii (Wonderland)

Will Orange soon be Google's favorite color?

France Telecom Group's mobile-telephony division Orange is in discussions with Google about a prospective "branded Google phone," according to a report in the Observer.

"Manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specializing in smart phones and Personal Data Assistants, it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. It would have built-in Google software (for) surfing the Web from a mobile handset," reported the Observer. "The companies believe that they have an affinity as brands that are perceived as both 'positive' and 'innovative.'"

Orange is … Read more