The 404 336: Where sometimes it's good to be alone
We'd first like to thank Randall Bennett, former host of The 404, for having us on his new show Tech VI--check us out!One story from today comes from our brothers in the East, and by "our" I mean "me and Wilson," and by "East," I mean "China." Soon, China will be the first country to approve a male contraceptive shot. Users will inject a monthly shot of testosterone into their body, which will limit the amount of sperm produced, and they're saying it could be as effective as a condom. Strange to think that prior to this, listening to The 404 was the only way to prevent a woman from getting pregnant. Be sure to listen to today's Calls from the Public for more on how our show is contributing to the the U.S.'s rampant overpopulation problem.Click thumbnail for full size.Matthew MarleyI'd also like to personally announce the winners of our Star Trek Photoshop Contest! We asked you guys to Photoshop us as your favorite Star Trek characters for a chance to win a ticket (we have two) to see the new movie with us one day before the official release, and we got some seriously hilarious pictures! Check out ALL the submissions in the slideshow below, but congratulations to Jacky Chen and Matthew Marley for their winning pictures, posted above! We'll be e-mailing you about where to meet us for the showing, but all 404 listeners are welcome to join, here are the deets:Star TrekWhere: AMC Loews Lincoln Center @ 1998 Broadway, N.Y.When: Thursday, May 7 @ 7 p.m.Check out all the submissions for our Star...See full gallery1 - 4 / 12NextPrevEPISODE 336Download today's podcast |Â Subscribe in iTunes audio |Â Subscribe in RSS Audio|Â Subscribe in RSS VideoDying Gamer tries to write name of murder in own bloodHey look, another Etch-a-sketchApple will start offering $199 replacements for water damaged phonesWinner, winner, free chicken dinnerNo more GPS for British ambulancesMale contraceptive takes China by stormFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson Tang
Last-minute gift- A $50 iTunes gift card for $40
Last-minute gift: A $50 iTunes gift card for $40
Well, folks, that wraps up another year for the Cheapskate. (Actually, I may have a deal or two for you next week, but mostly I'm planning some much-needed battery recharging.)I want to wish everyone a safe and exciting holiday, and a happy and healthy new year. Wish I could join all of you for some latkes and eggnog!What I can do is offer you one last pre-holiday deal--something that arrives almost instantly via e-mail. Wal-Mart is offering a $50 iTunes gift card for $40. No sales tax, and no shipping charge!It's pretty rare to see deals on iTunes cards, let alone a 20 percent discount. If you're giving this as a gift, you get to look like a big shot while secretly remaining a cheapskate. Mwa ha ha.iTunes, of course, is home to all manner of media goodies: music, movies, TV shows, apps, e-books, audiobooks, and so on. For iDevice users in particular, it's usually the first stop for all this stuff.The gift card is delivered via e-mail, usually "within minutes," according to Wal-Mart. Note that if you want to send it to someone else, you'll need to wait until you receive your PIN, then log in to Wal-Mart's e-delivery site.I don't know if Wal-Mart has limited "stock," but I do know this won't last indefinitely; there was a $25-card-for-$20 deal earlier this week, but it's now expired. As always, if you want in, act fast!Once again, have a wonderful holiday, and I'll see you next year! (Or possibly a little next week, if you're around.)Bonus deal: Yesterday's $199 32-inch HDTV was a great deal, but too small a screen for some shoppers. Well, here's an equally great deal on a significantly larger set: Best Buy has the Dynex DX-46L262A12 46-inch HDTV for $399.99 shipped, plus sales tax. (I shudder to think of what I spent on a 46-inch TV just a few years ago.) The only real downside? Just two HDMI inputs. Come on, Dynex, we need at least three.Bonus deal No. 2: Earlier this month I wrote about the $19/month Android phone from Republic Wireless. There was a string attached--namely, it wasn't really unlimited service--but the company just dropped its usage-threshold stipulation. In other words, you now get truly unlimited voice, texting, and data for $19 per month. Game-changer! I'll have more on the story later today over at Android Atlas.
Well, folks, that wraps up another year for the Cheapskate. (Actually, I may have a deal or two for you next week, but mostly I'm planning some much-needed battery recharging.)I want to wish everyone a safe and exciting holiday, and a happy and healthy new year. Wish I could join all of you for some latkes and eggnog!What I can do is offer you one last pre-holiday deal--something that arrives almost instantly via e-mail. Wal-Mart is offering a $50 iTunes gift card for $40. No sales tax, and no shipping charge!It's pretty rare to see deals on iTunes cards, let alone a 20 percent discount. If you're giving this as a gift, you get to look like a big shot while secretly remaining a cheapskate. Mwa ha ha.iTunes, of course, is home to all manner of media goodies: music, movies, TV shows, apps, e-books, audiobooks, and so on. For iDevice users in particular, it's usually the first stop for all this stuff.The gift card is delivered via e-mail, usually "within minutes," according to Wal-Mart. Note that if you want to send it to someone else, you'll need to wait until you receive your PIN, then log in to Wal-Mart's e-delivery site.I don't know if Wal-Mart has limited "stock," but I do know this won't last indefinitely; there was a $25-card-for-$20 deal earlier this week, but it's now expired. As always, if you want in, act fast!Once again, have a wonderful holiday, and I'll see you next year! (Or possibly a little next week, if you're around.)Bonus deal: Yesterday's $199 32-inch HDTV was a great deal, but too small a screen for some shoppers. Well, here's an equally great deal on a significantly larger set: Best Buy has the Dynex DX-46L262A12 46-inch HDTV for $399.99 shipped, plus sales tax. (I shudder to think of what I spent on a 46-inch TV just a few years ago.) The only real downside? Just two HDMI inputs. Come on, Dynex, we need at least three.Bonus deal No. 2: Earlier this month I wrote about the $19/month Android phone from Republic Wireless. There was a string attached--namely, it wasn't really unlimited service--but the company just dropped its usage-threshold stipulation. In other words, you now get truly unlimited voice, texting, and data for $19 per month. Game-changer! I'll have more on the story later today over at Android Atlas.
Apple's Steve Jobs remembrance will be Oct. 19
Apple's Steve Jobs remembrance will be Oct. 19
Apple's celebration of the life of co-founder Steve Jobs for its employees is set to take place later this month, as outlined in a company-wide e-mail sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook this morning.The correspondence, which was posted by French site Mac Generation this afternoon and later confirmed by Reuters, says that the company plans to hold the private event on October 19 at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.:Team,Like many of you, I have experienced the saddest days of my lifetime and shed many tears during the past week. But I've found some comfort in the extraordinary number of tributes and condolences from people all over the world who were touched by Steve and his genius. And I've found comfort in both telling and listening to stories about Steve. Although many of our hearts are still heavy, we are planning a celebration of his life for Apple employees to take time to remember the incredible things Steve achieved in his life and the many ways he made our world a better place. The celebration will be held on Wednesday, October 19, at 10am in the outdoor amphitheater on the Infinite Loop campus. We'll have more details on AppleWeb closer to the date, including arrangements for employees outside of Cupertino. I look forward to seeing you there. Tim A company spokesman did not respond to CNET's request to ascertain the e-mail's validity. Several other e-mails from Cook have leaked out following his appointment as CEO in August. One shared with the public following Jobs' death on Wednesday noted that the company was planning such a celebration of his life for company employees.Bloomberg noted this afternoon in a story about Jobs' cause of death that Jobs was buried at a private, non-denominational funeral in Santa Clara County this past Friday.
Apple's celebration of the life of co-founder Steve Jobs for its employees is set to take place later this month, as outlined in a company-wide e-mail sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook this morning.The correspondence, which was posted by French site Mac Generation this afternoon and later confirmed by Reuters, says that the company plans to hold the private event on October 19 at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.:Team,Like many of you, I have experienced the saddest days of my lifetime and shed many tears during the past week. But I've found some comfort in the extraordinary number of tributes and condolences from people all over the world who were touched by Steve and his genius. And I've found comfort in both telling and listening to stories about Steve. Although many of our hearts are still heavy, we are planning a celebration of his life for Apple employees to take time to remember the incredible things Steve achieved in his life and the many ways he made our world a better place. The celebration will be held on Wednesday, October 19, at 10am in the outdoor amphitheater on the Infinite Loop campus. We'll have more details on AppleWeb closer to the date, including arrangements for employees outside of Cupertino. I look forward to seeing you there. Tim A company spokesman did not respond to CNET's request to ascertain the e-mail's validity. Several other e-mails from Cook have leaked out following his appointment as CEO in August. One shared with the public following Jobs' death on Wednesday noted that the company was planning such a celebration of his life for company employees.Bloomberg noted this afternoon in a story about Jobs' cause of death that Jobs was buried at a private, non-denominational funeral in Santa Clara County this past Friday.
Apple's Siri service not working for some
Apple's Siri service not working for some
Apple's Siri service, the voice assistant feature that's an exclusive to the newly launched iPhone 4S, is experiencing downtime, according to numerous users.At approximately 6 p.m. PT, users began posting to Twitter that they were experiencing problems getting Siri to respond to voice commands. Affected users reported that the feature activated correctly, but was not connecting to process voice commands. Multiple tests with CNET's test unit between 6:58 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. Pacific had the feature working over CNET's Wi-Fi network and over Sprint's 3G network on a number of query types, suggesting the problems could be isolated.The feature uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes things that make use of a network connection, like searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are then piped through Apple's servers.The reported problems follow on the heels of users having difficulties downloading and installing iOS 5 earlier this week. iOS 5 is the latest version of Apple's software for powering the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad.An Apple representative could not provide information about an outage. We'll update this post if that changes.Update, 10:30 p.m. PT: Going through the comments in this post, I find that a number of CNET readers have also run into the problem, with others reporting the feature to be working just fine. There's also an Apple discussion thread about the issue here. One user on that thread suggested disabling the feature, rebooting the phone, then re-enabling Siri, however it seems inconclusive whether that helps those affected by the issue.Did you buy an iPhone 4S today, and are you having trouble with Siri? Let us know in the comments.Updated at 7:50 p.m. PT with additional testing notes and once again at 10:30 p.m. with more details.
Apple's Siri service, the voice assistant feature that's an exclusive to the newly launched iPhone 4S, is experiencing downtime, according to numerous users.At approximately 6 p.m. PT, users began posting to Twitter that they were experiencing problems getting Siri to respond to voice commands. Affected users reported that the feature activated correctly, but was not connecting to process voice commands. Multiple tests with CNET's test unit between 6:58 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. Pacific had the feature working over CNET's Wi-Fi network and over Sprint's 3G network on a number of query types, suggesting the problems could be isolated.The feature uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes things that make use of a network connection, like searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are then piped through Apple's servers.The reported problems follow on the heels of users having difficulties downloading and installing iOS 5 earlier this week. iOS 5 is the latest version of Apple's software for powering the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad.An Apple representative could not provide information about an outage. We'll update this post if that changes.Update, 10:30 p.m. PT: Going through the comments in this post, I find that a number of CNET readers have also run into the problem, with others reporting the feature to be working just fine. There's also an Apple discussion thread about the issue here. One user on that thread suggested disabling the feature, rebooting the phone, then re-enabling Siri, however it seems inconclusive whether that helps those affected by the issue.Did you buy an iPhone 4S today, and are you having trouble with Siri? Let us know in the comments.Updated at 7:50 p.m. PT with additional testing notes and once again at 10:30 p.m. with more details.
Apple's Siri service hit with another outage
Apple's Siri service hit with another outage
Update at 1:40 p.m. PT: Siri's working again on multiple devices here, and users reporting the feature as functional following the earlier outage.Apple's Siri service, the voice assistant feature that's an exclusive to the recently launched iPhone 4S, is experiencing downtime once again, according to numerous users.At approximately 11 a.m. PT, users began posting to Twitter that they were experiencing problems getting Siri to respond to voice commands. Affected users reported that the feature activated correctly, but was not connecting to process voice commands. Tests on several iPhone 4S devices owned by CNET staffers confirmed the issue.Siri uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes things that make use of a network connection, like searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are then piped through Apple's servers, where they're processed and sent back to the user's handset. This appears to be the second widespread outage of Siri since it launched alongside the iPhone 4S last month. The first took place immediately following the launch of the device in the U.S. and other countries on October 14. Today's outage was first reported by blog iSmashPhone.An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment about the issue. We'll update this post if that changes.Worth noting is that Siri is in "beta" according to Apple. The company says it plans to add support for additional languages, as well as bringing over some U.S. only features like maps and local search sometime next year.
Update at 1:40 p.m. PT: Siri's working again on multiple devices here, and users reporting the feature as functional following the earlier outage.Apple's Siri service, the voice assistant feature that's an exclusive to the recently launched iPhone 4S, is experiencing downtime once again, according to numerous users.At approximately 11 a.m. PT, users began posting to Twitter that they were experiencing problems getting Siri to respond to voice commands. Affected users reported that the feature activated correctly, but was not connecting to process voice commands. Tests on several iPhone 4S devices owned by CNET staffers confirmed the issue.Siri uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes things that make use of a network connection, like searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are then piped through Apple's servers, where they're processed and sent back to the user's handset. This appears to be the second widespread outage of Siri since it launched alongside the iPhone 4S last month. The first took place immediately following the launch of the device in the U.S. and other countries on October 14. Today's outage was first reported by blog iSmashPhone.An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment about the issue. We'll update this post if that changes.Worth noting is that Siri is in "beta" according to Apple. The company says it plans to add support for additional languages, as well as bringing over some U.S. only features like maps and local search sometime next year.
Apple's Siri nailed with patent suit over voice-to-text
Apple's Siri nailed with patent suit over voice-to-text
Apple's virtual personal assistant Siri has been smacked with yet another lawsuit.This time around, Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University filed a lawsuit against Apple on Friday, charging the company with violating patents it holds related to voice-to-text technology. The university says that it acquired two patents in 2007 and 2010 in the U.S., and believes that Siri violates those.Apple is certainly no stranger to Siri lawsuits. Over the last year, the company has been hit with everything from class-action suits complaining of the service's performance to infringement. Earlier this month, Shanghai-based voice application developer Zhizhen Network Technology sued Apple for allegedly infringing a patent it holds related to "a type of instant messaging chat bot system" it calls Xiaoi Bot.Related storiesSteve Jobs: Let the post-PC era begin (live blog)At SRI, developing an expertise in R&D, innovationReport: Apple using Nuance voice tech in data centerWatching TV backfires during 'SuriTV' parodyApple iPad live blog (Wednesday, March 7)Speaking to Reuters, which was first to report on the lawsuit, the National Cheng Kung's legal manager, Yama Chen, said that it decided to file the suit in a Texas court "because it processes faster and its rulings are usually in favor of patent owners and the compensations are usually higher."Chen didn't say how much the University is looking to score in the lawsuit, but acknowledged that the damages are based on sales of Siri-equipped devices.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the lawsuit. We will update this story when we have more information.
Apple's virtual personal assistant Siri has been smacked with yet another lawsuit.This time around, Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University filed a lawsuit against Apple on Friday, charging the company with violating patents it holds related to voice-to-text technology. The university says that it acquired two patents in 2007 and 2010 in the U.S., and believes that Siri violates those.Apple is certainly no stranger to Siri lawsuits. Over the last year, the company has been hit with everything from class-action suits complaining of the service's performance to infringement. Earlier this month, Shanghai-based voice application developer Zhizhen Network Technology sued Apple for allegedly infringing a patent it holds related to "a type of instant messaging chat bot system" it calls Xiaoi Bot.Related storiesSteve Jobs: Let the post-PC era begin (live blog)At SRI, developing an expertise in R&D, innovationReport: Apple using Nuance voice tech in data centerWatching TV backfires during 'SuriTV' parodyApple iPad live blog (Wednesday, March 7)Speaking to Reuters, which was first to report on the lawsuit, the National Cheng Kung's legal manager, Yama Chen, said that it decided to file the suit in a Texas court "because it processes faster and its rulings are usually in favor of patent owners and the compensations are usually higher."Chen didn't say how much the University is looking to score in the lawsuit, but acknowledged that the damages are based on sales of Siri-equipped devices.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the lawsuit. We will update this story when we have more information.
Apple's Siri might have been called something else
Apple's Siri might have been called something else
What's in a name? That which we call Siri, by any other name would be as sassy -- though we might have known the voice assistant technology by another name.NetworkWorld this morning recounts some of the highlights from a speech given by Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus at Chicago's Technori Pitch event yesterday. While the speech focused mainly on the importance of building Chicago as a startup scene, Kittlaus included a handful of behind-the-scenes tidbits on what led to Siri becoming an Apple technology.One of those was that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs originally sought a different name for Siri. Not finding a suitable alternative, and with persuading from Kittlaus, the name was kept around.Kittlaus also noted that the first time he talked with Jobs ahead of the acquisition, he was under the impression he had been called up by Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall. Instead it was Jobs, who invited him over to his house, whichled to a three-hour conversation "about the future": And, you know, [Jobs] talked about why Apple was going to win, and we talked about how Siri was doing. And he was very excited about the fact that -- you know -- he was very interested in this area in general but -- you know -- they're patient, they don't jump on anything until they feel they can go after something new and he felt that we cracked it. So that was his attraction.Related storiesSiri co-founder Kittlaus leaves Apple, report saysApple's Siri is Apple's buttocks in JapanApple's Siri not as smart as she looks, lawsuit chargesUltimately, the rest became history. Apple acquired Siri in 2010, relaunching it as a built-in feature exclusive to the iPhone 4S in October 2011. That same month Kittlaus departed Apple to begin work on new startup ideas. One other fun tidbit from the talk: Kittlaus originally took to the name because of its Norwegian meaning of "beautiful woman who leads you to victory," later deciding to name his child that if he had a daughter. Kittlaus ended up having a son instead.
What's in a name? That which we call Siri, by any other name would be as sassy -- though we might have known the voice assistant technology by another name.NetworkWorld this morning recounts some of the highlights from a speech given by Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus at Chicago's Technori Pitch event yesterday. While the speech focused mainly on the importance of building Chicago as a startup scene, Kittlaus included a handful of behind-the-scenes tidbits on what led to Siri becoming an Apple technology.One of those was that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs originally sought a different name for Siri. Not finding a suitable alternative, and with persuading from Kittlaus, the name was kept around.Kittlaus also noted that the first time he talked with Jobs ahead of the acquisition, he was under the impression he had been called up by Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall. Instead it was Jobs, who invited him over to his house, whichled to a three-hour conversation "about the future": And, you know, [Jobs] talked about why Apple was going to win, and we talked about how Siri was doing. And he was very excited about the fact that -- you know -- he was very interested in this area in general but -- you know -- they're patient, they don't jump on anything until they feel they can go after something new and he felt that we cracked it. So that was his attraction.Related storiesSiri co-founder Kittlaus leaves Apple, report saysApple's Siri is Apple's buttocks in JapanApple's Siri not as smart as she looks, lawsuit chargesUltimately, the rest became history. Apple acquired Siri in 2010, relaunching it as a built-in feature exclusive to the iPhone 4S in October 2011. That same month Kittlaus departed Apple to begin work on new startup ideas. One other fun tidbit from the talk: Kittlaus originally took to the name because of its Norwegian meaning of "beautiful woman who leads you to victory," later deciding to name his child that if he had a daughter. Kittlaus ended up having a son instead.
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