retroremakes
December 10th, 2009, 06:30
Today in the Gizmodo junk cabinet called Remainders we've got another report of a Verizon iPhone, a slightly-skinned new Android phone from Acer, death by exploding gum, and a questionable report of Microsoft being kind of a dick. Onward!
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/verizonbirds.jpg
More Analysts Make Total Speculation About a Verizon iPhone Sound Confident and Certain
Until we get some legit hard evidence, like an announcement, or a leaked photo, or screenshot, or anything at all, any and all chatter on the subject of a Verizon iPhone is just speculation. Knowing that, I have no idea how someone can claim that there's a "70% chance" of seeing it in 2010. Until somebody has something to show me, all Verizon iPhone speculation is doomed to Remainders.
That being said, there is one interesting little tidbit here: The next-gen iPhone may have an RFID reader, a technology common to Japanese and Korean phones but unheard of here in the States. An RFID reader would allow the iPhone to act as a credit card—pretty cool! [AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/12/09/piper_apples_next_big_iphone_feature_is_verizon.ht ml)]
Acer's Snapdragon'ed Android Handset Gets Groped...By the Brits
We knew (http://gizmodo.com/5381384/acer-liquid-finally-gives-android-the-snapdragon-it-deserves) about Acer's 1GHz-Snapdragon-packing Android phone, the uncomfortably named Liquid A1 (it just sounds dirty to me), but as it's not been announced for us freedom-loving Amurricans, we haven't been tracking it too closely. Now it's finally out in the UK, and it's been unboxed and groped, and all in all, it's sort of disappointing. It's thicker than we'd expected, and that sexy 1GHz proc has been underclocked by about 25% for some reason we can't fathom. Luckily the video shows that it still runs buttery smooth (opening the applications tray is smoother than on my Droid) but it's still an odd choice to dumb down one of the best mobile processors on the market. Take a look at the video for more. [Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/09/acer-liquid-a1-unboxed-video-style/)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/images.jpg
Exploding Gum Believed to Have Killed Ukrainian Chemistry Student
What in the hell is going on in Ukraine? This sparsely written article says that a chemistry student was killed recently, his jaw blown off in an explosion believed to be caused by his chewing gum. Apparently he liked to coat his gum in citric acid, but the theory is that this time he actually coated it in some kind of explosive powder that took his life. What? I mean, we're sad that he died, but what? [News24 (http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/f9288c35d4214826a97986dd2d02a10e/09-12-2009-02-07/Students_jaw_blown_off_by_gum)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/1258531748.usr1_.jpg
Microsoft Tells Journalists Not to Use or Mention Apple Products at Briefing
Google's translation of this German page is so bad that for all I know it's actually talking about holiday themed pumpkin head dances (http://videogum.com/archives/love-watching/the_very_best_pumpkin_head_chr_103011.html) and not tech, but if I am to trust Google's remedial German, a Microsoft rep got snippy at a WinMo 6.5 briefing and told journalists present not to talk about the iPhone. In the clearest sentence available in this translation:
a journalist was warned by a Microsoft spokesman not to mention or use Apple products
That's honestly the only thing I can glean from this. It's in Remainders because first, who cares, and second, WTF, Google? Isn't English a Germanic language? This translation should be so much better! [9to5Mac (http://www.9to5mac.com/microsoft_is_blind_stupid_30161)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/google_screen_shot.jpg
A Glimpse at Twitter-Integrated Google Results
This is pretty simple: What will Google's new search results page look like, post-Twitter-integration? Pretty clean, if you ask me—apparently the Tweets scroll through in real time, and in the case of this particular Google query, I'd imagine they scroll for a very long, entertaining time. [Thanks, Matt!]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1)http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/0/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/0/da)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/1/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/1/da)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/z_NvXRTYuJ8
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/z_NvXRTYuJ8/)
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/verizonbirds.jpg
More Analysts Make Total Speculation About a Verizon iPhone Sound Confident and Certain
Until we get some legit hard evidence, like an announcement, or a leaked photo, or screenshot, or anything at all, any and all chatter on the subject of a Verizon iPhone is just speculation. Knowing that, I have no idea how someone can claim that there's a "70% chance" of seeing it in 2010. Until somebody has something to show me, all Verizon iPhone speculation is doomed to Remainders.
That being said, there is one interesting little tidbit here: The next-gen iPhone may have an RFID reader, a technology common to Japanese and Korean phones but unheard of here in the States. An RFID reader would allow the iPhone to act as a credit card—pretty cool! [AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/12/09/piper_apples_next_big_iphone_feature_is_verizon.ht ml)]
Acer's Snapdragon'ed Android Handset Gets Groped...By the Brits
We knew (http://gizmodo.com/5381384/acer-liquid-finally-gives-android-the-snapdragon-it-deserves) about Acer's 1GHz-Snapdragon-packing Android phone, the uncomfortably named Liquid A1 (it just sounds dirty to me), but as it's not been announced for us freedom-loving Amurricans, we haven't been tracking it too closely. Now it's finally out in the UK, and it's been unboxed and groped, and all in all, it's sort of disappointing. It's thicker than we'd expected, and that sexy 1GHz proc has been underclocked by about 25% for some reason we can't fathom. Luckily the video shows that it still runs buttery smooth (opening the applications tray is smoother than on my Droid) but it's still an odd choice to dumb down one of the best mobile processors on the market. Take a look at the video for more. [Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/09/acer-liquid-a1-unboxed-video-style/)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/images.jpg
Exploding Gum Believed to Have Killed Ukrainian Chemistry Student
What in the hell is going on in Ukraine? This sparsely written article says that a chemistry student was killed recently, his jaw blown off in an explosion believed to be caused by his chewing gum. Apparently he liked to coat his gum in citric acid, but the theory is that this time he actually coated it in some kind of explosive powder that took his life. What? I mean, we're sad that he died, but what? [News24 (http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/f9288c35d4214826a97986dd2d02a10e/09-12-2009-02-07/Students_jaw_blown_off_by_gum)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/1258531748.usr1_.jpg
Microsoft Tells Journalists Not to Use or Mention Apple Products at Briefing
Google's translation of this German page is so bad that for all I know it's actually talking about holiday themed pumpkin head dances (http://videogum.com/archives/love-watching/the_very_best_pumpkin_head_chr_103011.html) and not tech, but if I am to trust Google's remedial German, a Microsoft rep got snippy at a WinMo 6.5 briefing and told journalists present not to talk about the iPhone. In the clearest sentence available in this translation:
a journalist was warned by a Microsoft spokesman not to mention or use Apple products
That's honestly the only thing I can glean from this. It's in Remainders because first, who cares, and second, WTF, Google? Isn't English a Germanic language? This translation should be so much better! [9to5Mac (http://www.9to5mac.com/microsoft_is_blind_stupid_30161)]
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/12/google_screen_shot.jpg
A Glimpse at Twitter-Integrated Google Results
This is pretty simple: What will Google's new search results page look like, post-Twitter-integration? Pretty clean, if you ask me—apparently the Tweets scroll through in real time, and in the case of this particular Google query, I'd imagine they scroll for a very long, entertaining time. [Thanks, Matt!]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1)http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/0/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/0/da)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/1/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/FE9se9uGdkg7XVnTkO2DTz3l8mw/1/da)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=z_NvXRTYuJ8:RieKMHO2pdg:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/z_NvXRTYuJ8
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/z_NvXRTYuJ8/)