Jason Chen's Posts

Software

Microsoft's Patent Revolutionizes Dating By Matching People With Celebrity Faces

That website where you upload a picture of yourself and it tells you which celebrities you look like is fun, but what if you could do the same thing in reverse? Microsoft's latest image-based face search has just that application, allowing you to potentially upload a picture of a celebrity and find matches on dating sites depending on how close he or she looks to the shot you picked. That's right, you can pick a date based on their likeness to Angelina Jolie or Evangeline Lilly. Plus, if you're having a hard time getting over a breakup, you can pick a woman that looks as close to your ex as possible, ensuring that your relationship will be long and healthy. [Dialaphone]

4:00 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
3,370 views, 34 comments

Latest by devGOD: they're probably going to use the on Facebook since Microsoft is now an investor more »

heineken beertender

Heineken Beertender Finally Getting US Launch

The Heineken Beertender we first wrote about almost four years ago is finally getting its US launch tomorrow, March 1. The beertender is a special for-your-home tap that takes in four-liter Heineken DraughtKegs and dispenses via the tap, for a reasonably authentic home beer experience. It'll be exclusively available at Williams-Sonoma stores starting tomorrow for $299, and move into a wider release schedule at the start of April. [Beer Tender USA - Thanks Jason!]

3:30 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
8,547 views, 40 comments

Latest by maven2k: This is very cool except for the kind of beer you have to put in it. The price is a little nuts, too, but if I could get Newcastle in that size keg I would seriously consider it (or more »

Announcements

Contest Reminder: Last Day to Win a Toshiba Laptop

Still haven't entered in our Toshiba laptop contest? Better hurry, since today's the last day you'll be able to send in your entry. Check here to see how.

2:50 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
2,094 views, 7 comments

Gadgets

Samsung's Vivace Shadow and Neo-Forte Air Conditioners Kill Germs

Having an air conditioner running during the summer while we're sitting naked on our leather chairs is luxurious enough, but an air conditioner that also kills germs? That's just plain opulent. Samsung's Vivace Shadow and Neo-Forte (black and white) air conditioners do just that, using their Micro Plasma Ion technology to kill 78 percent of fungus and 58 percent of bacteria within 30 minutes in a closed environment. It may look like a printer, but when's the last time you hung a printer on the wall? [Crave Asia via Unpluggd via DVice]

2:20 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
3,138 views, 17 comments

Latest by photog: also, homes without ductwork or circulated air have a harder time filtering dust and dander from the home (unlike a more conventional forced-air HVAC unit that has filters)... so some sort of purification on units like these are nice. the more »

Gadgets

How to Make a DIY USB Fan

If you're both cheap and enjoy losing your eye thanks to a flying CD shard, take a look at this home-made USB Cooler. All you have to do is take an old CD, cut it up like a fan, melt it down so you can twist the shards, stick a cork in the middle, hook up a few wires to a little motor, hook that up to a USB port, and you're good to go. If you're really lucky, nothing will happen and you'll get a nice breeze. If you're unlucky, however, say goodbye to your corneas.

1:50 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
3,213 views, 22 comments

Latest by sshrum: Frick! I need to make one now. I already made 2 CD-Lamps: [www.shrum.net] This reminds me of my first concocked $5 DIY project: MercMon! Remember those old Radius CRTs from years ago? You know, the ones you could rotate and the screen more »

iphone rumor

iPhone SDK Detail Rumors: No Accessory Support, iTunes-Centric

iLounge says they've gotten an inside look at the iPhone SDK and came up with a few interesting details, one of which is the limitation imposed on developers that they won't be able to use the dock connector to interface with accessories. That means no third-party GPS connector (or other similar devices). What supposedly will be accessible is the camera, the Wi-Fi, and the "phone" itself, which is slightly more permissive than we thought Apple would be. more »

12:13 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
10,546 views, 53 comments

Latest by thechansen: @Canoehead: you can use it but using EDGE means missing calls. more »

Announcements

Sponsors Get Us Off the Island

Who else saw Lost last night? Was that not the best episode ever? Desmond! Desmooooond! I love that guy. If we were stuck on an island, we'd want to have that crazy bloke with us. But thanks to Alaska Airlines, Ask.com, Bell Business Mobility, BMW, Insecticide, Mini, Sprint, The 88, Toshiba and Zoombak, we won't have to be stuck!

Come join us

9:01 AM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY JASON CHEN
1,020 views, 7 comments

Aliph Jawbone

Limited Edition Jawbone Headsets Look Incredible

The default Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headsets already look quite stylish for a Bluetooth headset, but these Yves Behar-created limited edition sets beat his originals by quite a bit. The white, brown and black headsets are smooth, unlike the pock-marked original design, and represent trash talk, sweet talk and dirty talk, respectively. We can't quite make out what the picture for sweet talk is supposed to be, but the dirty and trash talk are obvious. If we didn't already own a Jawbone for our in-the-car conversations, we'd nab one of these ASAP. [Fuse Project via Josh Spear via Yanko]

6:00 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
6,575 views, 45 comments

Latest by eCurmudgeon: @workingonyourinvoice: Bluetooth = bad taste? I'm sorry I missed that one. I guess driving a manual shift makes it impossible for me to imagine driving with a phone lodged up against my ear. When I see people driving and trying more »

Question of the Day

Question of the Day: What's the Best Hard Drive Deal You Can Find?

This is a bit of a self-serving question of the day, but here's something for readers to participate in. What's the best hard drive deal you can find right now? We're talking preferably internal and SATA, but if you've got a hot Swedish deal for an external USB drive, we'd love to hear about that too. Help out your fellow Giz readers and tell them where to get cheap, yet functional, storage.

4:20 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
13,835 views, 85 comments

Latest by kingbob337: Probably the best bang for the buck over at newegg for laptop drives. Check this out: Seagate Momentus 7200.2 ST9200420AS 200GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive - $179.99 [www.newegg.com] more »

Peripherals

Tributaries T12 Power Strip Is Overkill With 12 Ports, Eight of Which Rotate

Tributaries has had a rotating power strip on the market before, but this T12 seems like they're going all out—and by all out, we mean adding two extra ports to the strip. The whole thing comes in at an amazing 12 ports, eight of which rotate at up to 90 degrees so AC adapters don't bump into each other. Plus there's even coax and Ethernet protection. Sounds good, right? Too bad it costs $120, and doesn't even include a UPS battery backup in that price. [Tributaries Cable]

2:50 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
2,360 views, 41 comments

Latest by mikegriffin: You not fooling me that is a lego creature. more »

usb speedometer

USB Speedometer Measures WPM From Super Slow to Court Reporter Speed

We can see this USB typing Speedometer being extremely useful for young typists who want to improve their speed, or Brian Lam if he ever wants to type faster than three words per minute, but it's a USB gadget that plugs into your computer and tells you how fast you're typing. If you want to keep track of how much you've typed during the entire day (say, if you're a writer getting paid by the word), it measures that too. The meter goes up to 260 WPM, but the world's fastest typist can only go 212 WPM. And that was with a DVORAK keyboard layout, which you're probably not using. [Drink Stuff via Nexus 404 via Technabob]

2:20 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
2,757 views, 21 comments

Latest by Worf: Actually, there aren't any third party reports that say DVORAK is actually a faster key layout than QWERTY. It may be more ergonomic, though, but the only speed tests were done for the US Navy, conducted by Mr. Dvorak himself more »

Lenovo X300

Lenovo's Official X300 Comparison vs. MacBook Air Shows Why It's Better For Business Dudes

You saw the 5 takes on the Lenovo X300, the X300 benchmarked vs. the MacBook Air, and even Mossberg's review, but what does Lenovo think about the comparisons between the two laptops? Well, obviously, they think their machine is better, but the reasons given for why it's better appeals to Lenovo's core audience—the traveling corporate worker—and not the MacBook Air's core audience, weaklings who like shiny laptops. Hit the jump for a big version of the image and realize that these two aren't really competing for the same credit cards. [Thanks Justin!]

1:55 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
15,797 views, 68 comments

Latest by hkicedude: Both are boring. Why can't it be beautiful (eye catching) and for business traveller as well and at a reasonable price? The laptop industry is asking us to make too much compromises... more »

start button

Desktop PC Start Button Eliminates Gamer's Crack

If you thought plumber's crack was bad, imagine a gamer in crawling under his desk to turn on his PC. He'll never have to do that again if he grabs one of these Sharkoon PC Jump Start Buttons, which hook up via USB to his PC and allows him to not only start a computer, but plug in two USB devices and a mic/headphone as well. more »

1:25 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
5,728 views, 41 comments

Sharper Image

What Went Wrong With Sharper Image

Now that Sharper Image declared bankruptcy and plans to close down 90 out of its 180 stores, us (vibrating) armchair quarterbacks are all trying to figure out why the store shut down. The Washington Post explores, and says that the chain's downfall came because it remained the same—stainless steel tools that streamlined "your life by .002 percent"—while the rest of the world changed. more »

12:45 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
13,241 views, 61 comments

Peripherals

Mysterious Curved Mouse Gets a Countdown to its March 4 Release

We're as in the dark as you are about this mysterious mouse on speedofthelight.com, but it seems to be some kind of corded mouse? For gaming? Called "The Light"? Either way, those curved left and right mouse buttons seem fairly ergonomic for flack gunning in UT3, or clicking for the 10,000th time mining ore in World of Warcraft. Only five more days left to find out what this thing is and why it doesn't have all those extra buttons on the side like we enjoy in Logitech's mice. [Speed of the Light via Crunchgear]

12:20 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
4,225 views, 34 comments

Latest by Wwhat: I'm going to insert a little rant here: logitech should have made a free trade in of the old 1-side-button G5 for the proper 2-side-button one. Oh, I should add: dammit!. more »

Sprint

Sprint Finally Offers $99 'Simply Everything' Flat Rate Calling Plan

It's not the super cheap $59 plan everyone was hoping for, but it has finally joined the other three carriers in offering a $99 unlimited plan. Sprint's version includes unlimited voice, data, text messages, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS, Direct Connect and Group Connect. This seems like it's even better than most of the other plans (Verizon and AT&T;'s are for voice only, and T-Mobile's is for voice and messaging). Good job Sprint! [BusinessWire]

12:11 PM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
3,729 views, 44 comments

Roundups

Man Stuff - The Best of Uncrate

This week at Uncrate: We hone our getaway skills with a Land Rover Off-Roading Lesson, geek out with some new toys from Bennett Robot Works, and pick up some new tees from Rumplo. We also hoop it up with the Jordan 23 Basketball, fool our friends with some Fake Gift Boxes, and draw more than our fair share of strange looks wearing the Beard Cap. more »

9:35 AM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
5,861 views

Apple

Apple Time Capsule Confirmed Shipping Now

Apple's confirmed with us that Time Capsules are indeed shipping, meaning that you'll be backing your Macs up wirelessly with Time Machine soon. And by soon, that probably means next week, since they're only heading out of China this week. [Apple]

5:00 AM ON THU FEB 28 2008
BY JASON CHEN
2,599 views, 8 comments