Slacker radio, the Pandora alternative. How well does it work? And what’s that new ABC News feature all about? Watch as Alex checks it out.

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The artists first cast paper pulp into clay molds and apply vacuum pressure to remove the water. Then the casts are removed from the molds and the long process of sculpting in paper and detailing begins. [...] View full post on Toxel.com

That being said, if you’re feeling saucy and want to download the latest version of Android for the EVO now instead of waiting until it rolls out naturally, you can do it. You just have to download the update directly from HTC, and do some magic with recovery mode and your SD card. You can get the full instructions from here.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Times are changing. We see it every day in the way we live, the things we buy, and the way we live with the things we buy. Technology is riding the wave of change, and this wave is about to break on the rocks of education. Technology is looking to change the way we go to school and make higher education easier and more cost effective.

Last year a whole series of trials were conducted on the Amazon Kindle DX devices, putting them in the hands of students and professors on several university campuses for free. They wanted to see if the Kindle could replace paper textbooks. The gadgets were distributed across the country, from Arizona State University and U. of Washington, to Pace University, Princeton and UVA, along with others in between… and on each campus, they got kicked out in a flash. Not lugging around big, heavy textbooks was great, said most students, but the limited functionality — like search, markup features, slow page refreshes, and inability to open multiple tests at once — were big drawbacks. Seems the idea was there, but the technology wasn’t yet.

The Kindle is so “last year” anyways. Now the iPad’s the new kid on the block at school, and there are multiple universities launching iPad test programs. And why not? Apple already achieved iconic status at universities with its iPod years ago.

Apple has always had strong ties to major universities, with discounts, promotions and other initiatives geared toward educators and students. Just take a look at this commercial for the Apple II computer.

But back to the iPad: If you’re a student lucky enough to be enrolled at one of these institutions, you may have some touch gadgetry to look forward to: A list has courteously been provided by Wired:

• Seton Hill University’s “An iPad for Everyone” initiative, part of its Griffin Technology Advantage Program, will offer free iPads to every full-time student starting this fall.
• George Fox University has given a MacBook to incoming freshman for years, but now it will give them a choice between a MacBook or an iPad.
• North Carolina State University Libraries snagged 30 iPads to loan out to students and faculty in four-hour increments. It’s part of the school’s Technology Lending Service, which lets users borrow one of a variety of devices, including laptops, digital cameras, eReaders, calculators, and more. Student can use the tablets to read some of the 9,000 eBooks NC State just acquired.
• Duke University students taking a master’s course in global health research via the university’s Global Health Institute will be supplied with iPads for use in field work. Students get 3G networking,  plus pre-installed apps for data collection, importing media files, and charting graphs.
• The University of Maryland has a Mobility Initiative that integrates mobile devices into the curriculum. In conjunction with that, the university is doling out iPads to 75 honors students registered in the Digital Cultures and Creativity “living and learning program” this fall. They’ll use the tablets to access multimedia content related to their studies, as well as develop their own iPad apps.
• Reed College did some testing to find out if students preferred textbooks on the Kindle versus traditional paper books. (Paper books won.) Now it’s setting its sights on the iPad this fall. Martin D. Ringle, CTO at the college, expects the Apple tablet to do much better.

I agree with Ringle; I’m almost certain that students will take a better liking to the iPad for numerous reasons, the main being that it is an Apple product. It offers more functionality than a Kindle, and it’s more suited for fast-paced notetaking and studying. Plus, when you want to take a break, it’s nice being able to have some YouTube entertainment.

The only downside, at least for the bibliophiles out there, is that you can’t touch and smell your textbooks. Some people would rather have the tangible experience of holding or flipping pages, and sadly, there’s no app for that. But I think the pros outweigh the cons here. Not breaking your back with tons of books would be welcome relief for a lot of students, and having access to a multifunctional device that offers so much in such a thin, lightweight space is a no-brainer.

What do you think? Will the iPad revolutionize the education system, or will good old fashion books prevail?

Via: Wired

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BTW, if you (or your kid) are supplying your own iDevice this fall, there are plenty of ways to optimize that for college students. Check out Jake’s Back-to-School video on tricking out that dorm room!

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It does in fact comprise a short book, along with some handy tools for the printer or publisher like conversion tables and a font ruler. It doesn’t have an iPad form yet, unfortunately. $4 in the App Store.

[via NotCot]

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This week, AT&T announced new cities getting its Wifi Hotzone, a pilot project that offers large outdoor wireless internet hotspots for AT&T smartphone users: Charlotte, NC, has been added to the mix and Chicago, IL, will come into the fold in a few weeks.

The North Carolina city is the second area in the country to get a Wifi Hotzone. (The first was deployed last May in New York’s Time Square area.) Users in downtown Charlotte will get to enjoy free internet for their mobile devices along South Brevard Street (from around the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza to East Trade Street), as well as the nearby Lynx light rail.

I can’t help but feel the marketing on this is a little goofy. This is being positioned as a magnanimous move by AT&T to make its brand shine. But the only reason this type of program is necessary is because coverage is lacking in some high density areas of the country. This what makes stuff like Yankee Group’s report (that 73 percent of iPhone customers are “very satisfied” with AT&T) hard to believe. If that was the case, why is a massive Wifi initiative even necessary?

Weigh in: Are you in a good or bad AT&T coverage area? And if not, would an AT&T Wifi Hotzone near you adequately make up for the connectivity fail? Let us know.

Via: AT&T press release

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What we U.S. iPhone users go through just to have an unlocked phone… Some of us deny ourselves the latest software to stick with a jailbroken and unlocked older version, as we wait for a hack to debut for the current software. Others will get devices from other countries, which will be readily available unlocked, tapping every friend they know abroad to buy and ship the handsets to them.

Yessirree, it’s not an easy sitch. And items like this just pour salt in the wound.

Today is Canada’s iPhone 4 launch day, and they’re getting the option of unlocked devices.* Sure, without a carrier subsidy, they’re more expensive, but at least these consumers can nab the devices and then choose from three different carriers for it (Bell, Rogers and Telus). That’s it — no fuss, jumping through hoops or waiting for hacks. And that’s not all.

As another option, for budget-conscious users, customers who don’t mind contracts can even pick a three-year term that drops the handset down to super cheapo levels: $159/$269 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. There’s also good news with data plans, as the $30 for 6GB option has been restored. (On AT&T, it’s $25 for 2GB.)

Jealous yet? Check this out: No less than TWO Canadian carriers are allowing dual iDevice subscribers to share their data plans between the iPad 3G and iPhone 4 for a small fee. On Rogers, customers can add the iPad for $20. On Bell, it’s even less: just a mere $10.

The bottom line is our neighbors to the north have way better options: An unlocked phone without hassle, a standard two-year plan and subsidy, or a three-year contract with huge phone discount. And unlike American iPhone users — who either pay twice for data on their two iDevices or pay $45 for data plus tethering, with a 2GB cap — Canadian users can share a whopping 6GB data between the phone and the iPad for as little as $40.

(See, this is what happens when carriers compete for your business. Better terms, better service, and more options.)

Congrats, Canadian users. Enjoy your launch day, you lucky dogs.

Via: CBC news

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UPDATE: If Canadian users get an iPhone 4 from a carrier, it’s actually locked to the carrier. Looks like the activation process is what locks it. Full-priced devices gotten directly from Apple, however, are sold unlocked. Via: Engadget

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Get your funny hats and noise makers ready, Droid owners: it’s party time! As long as the note that Verizon just sent over to our buddies over at Engadget holds true, the Droid should be seeing Android 2.2 grace its screen as early as next week.

It won’t be the first Android handset getting the update treatment, but you’ve gotta commend Verizon for staying on top of these updates even as they prepare to make the handset obsolete.

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It’s not the real thing, but it is beautiful nonetheless. The world has been waiting, breathless, for the launch of the white iPhone 4, but until that magical day happens, people have been coming up with their own solutions.

Since we first posted about the availability of DIY white iPhone kits, we have seen people try lots of different things. Some even paint their black iPhones with correction fluid, which is probably not the best way to go, but gets the job done. The only problems are that you need a steady hand and it voids the warranty.

The Engadget guys however, did it a bit more professionally. They were able to get their hands on white iPhone cases from China, and make their own white iPhone using iFixit‘s tear-down guide. The result was somewhat of a hybrid between the black and the white models (as seen below). The handset still has the black button, but I think the black and white combination actually gives it a classy feel.

Here’s another, and this one does not involve dismantling your phone or voiding the warranty in any way. Trevor, an iPhone owner, simply created a JPEG of the vintage Apple logo and then uploaded it to Gelaskins, which lets customers send in images for custom skins. The process was simple. The retro Apple logo makes this almost drool-worthy, and the white and black combination, again gives it an elegant touch. (You can’t find this in Gelaskins’ inventory, but who knows? If people start asking for it, maybe this could become part of the regular stock available for purchase.)

The last option is sending your iPhone to Colorware. The company has been colorizing iPhones for a while, and now they’re offering the service for iPhone 4s. If you can bear to part with your device and money is not a factor, this is a good way to go. It can render the handset in a variety of colors to suit your liking, and it can even color the antenna. (I’m not sure if this would affect the signal strength, but it looks rather cool). The cost varies for the different colors used, but like I said, this isn’t a cheap option regardless. I priced one out to $285, which is more than the price of the phone itself! But at least it gets you a white device — or any other hue or accent color you want. Here are just a few of the color combinations you can create:

Know of any other white iPhone hacks? Or have you actually done any of the ones above? Let us know in the comments.

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Blackberry has certainly made a concentrated effort to remain in the news this week, both directly and indirectly. While AT&T drew the short or long stick (depending on how you view it) to be the launch carrier for the Blackberry 9800, it appears as though T-Mobile just might get the 9780 very soon. Of course I’m basing most of this “theory” on the first few seconds of the video, which contains a T-Mobile launch screen. That usually makes for a pretty solid guesstimate of a Magenta arrival though admittedly no other T-Mobile features are spotted through the rest of the video, at least none that I saw.

As it stands, I really hope Blackberry doesn’t go down for the count, I’ve shared some found memories with their devices over the years and while they may not have the most visually pleasing interface these days, you can’t knock their reliability and the beauty with which they handle email. For that reason alone, I’m pulling for you Blackberry!

Crackberry via BBLeaks

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