Amazon Releases Kindle 3

amazon kindle 3Amazon’s release of the Kindle 3 is deemed as not revolutionary, but rather evolutionary, which means that this new Kindle is an improved version of the previous Kindle. Amazon has done a great job doing just that, and once again it has proven to the world that it is the iPod of the eBook reader industry.

In fact, it is not the first eBook reader ever invented, neither is iPod the first mp3 player ever invented, but both devices are the ones that ushered in their gadget type into the mass market, making these gadgets everyday devices for millions of people.

One of the most prominent changes made for the new Kindle is that it is smaller and lighter. Amazon made it this way so that it can be more portable and accessible, a device that people can carry around and use anywhere, except when you are driving, and especially if you are a bus driver. That last statement comes from the news that a bus driver got fired for reading his Kindle while driving. Evidence sufficed when a passenger took a video of him doing such a dangerous thing. The exact size of Kindle 3 is 21 percent off the size of the previous version of Kindle.

High School Coach Saves Basketball Star with iPhone App

iphone appsA high school coach, Eric Cooper Sr, decided to download an app on his iPhone. This iPhone app is called the Phone Aid. Little did he know that this app would definitely come to the aid of one of his star players, and in fact one of the star center players in the entire United States high school basketball. Initially, this 1.99 dollar application that coach Cooper Sr downloaded was just his way of making his CPR skills better. He never anticipated he would put that information to good use one week later.

What happened is that Xavier Jones, the 6 foot 8 star player, collapsed during a team practice at the La Verne Lutheran High School, located in California. His team mate passed the ball to him, and all of a sudden, he fell down and it seemed that his heart has stopped. Upon seeing this, coach Eric Cooper Sr with the help of John Osorno, the assistant coach, tried to revive Xavier Jones.

And they were successful; primarily because of the information that coach Cooper got from the iPhone App called Phone Aid that he downloaded a week before the incident. The high school center, it turned out, had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and he needs to have defibrillator chest implant.

Futuristic Appliances to Save Space

futuristic appliancesIn the future, the population will be so huge that the need for space will be a resounding necessity. By the year 2050, only 35.2 square meters will be available for each one of us to occupy. Thus, as early as now, many engineers and scientists are looking for ways to optimize space, and that includes storing food. The Electrolux Design Lab is one of those institutions looking for future solutions to space availability in the future.

In fact, Electrolux has organized a contest, challenging 1300 industrial engineers to create futuristic home appliances aimed at maximizing space. One of the most creative designs is a helmet which takes you to a virtual kitchen. This helmet will prompt you to make movements pretending that you are cooking something, while elsewhere the actual cooking is taken place by robots in the same building.

Another appliance design is an External refrigerator which was designed by Nicolas Hubert, a French student. The fridges design is like a big iPod shuffle, and it is connected on the outside walls of your apartment. To use the fridge, you open the window and pull out the internal parts. This can save a lot of space inside your apartment.

Toyota and Saylor Family Agree on Settlement against Lawsuit

toyotaA settlement was agreed upon between Toyota and the family and relatives of a high way patrolman which was killed in a car accident among three other passengers. This accident which happened in 2009 was said to have been caused by the floor mat of the car they were riding on, as it was lodged against the pedal for acceleration. The name of the victim was Mark Saylor, and the three other passengers were his wife, brother-in-law and daughter.

Although the settlement agreed upon was not disclosed, the important thing is that this was sort of a breather for the company, which has been scrutinized after the accident, because somehow, it proved what other people have been saying about the flaws of its cars. Specifically, people complain that sometimes, the cars accelerated on their own.

The Saylor accident received wide spread attention not only for the Toyota car complaints, but also because of the 911 call that the brother-in-law of Mr. Saylor, Chris Frantella, made as the car was racing to speeds of around 100 miles per hour before it finally crashed into an embankment, killing everyone inside as it burst into flames. The victims were driving a Lexus ES 350 that time.

Harry Potter author faces plagiarism issue

harry potterThough everyone is much excited about the upcoming Harry Potter saga, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” a new case involving Harry Potter fantasy books’  author JK Rowling. Rowling has been charged with plagiarism because she was said to have “stolen the ideas” for the story on her very successful Harry Potter series.

For the past years, the content of Rowling’s famous Harry Potter series had been criticized; including that the ideas that were put into the book were stolen from books from other places. But these claims seem not to justify anything and no evidences were shown. Years and years of controversy, religious organizations and parent’s groups have considered the fantasy books as “too dark for its target audience and that it leads kids into the study of witchcraft.” Rowling, for instance, that shied away those criticisms and still stands firm for her books. Moreover, the considered “dark outcomes” for its target audience just made the book, much more the movie, even more salable.

The plagiarism charge has now escalated even more with the upcoming Harry Potter movie. The 7th book was said to be stealing the ideas from a book titled “The Adventures of Willy the Wizard – No.1 Livid Land” which was written by Adrian Jacobs, published in the year 1987.

According to Paul Allen, the person who says that he’s the trustee for Jacob’s estate, large portions of Jacob’s book were copied by Rowling in her Harry Potter 7th book. If the case moves forward, then Rowling and her publisher Bloomsbury will be required to give and explain the similarities between the two books.

If Allen succeeds in this trial, the payout for the Harry Potter will amount to tens of millions or even higher. If Rowling and Bloomsbury loose the case, it will be much more of a damage for the world of HP.

Paris Hilton Grace Real Housewives Premiere

paris hiltonIt was a family affair for the Hiltons. Paris Hilton, with her sister Nicky, came at the West Hollywood’s premiere of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The two younger Hiltons were spotted at the premiere to support their aunts Kyle and Kim Richards and even posed on the red carpet along with the Housewives. Paris Hilton’s mother Kathy was also present in the event.

The premiere, and the appearance of the Hiltons made buzzes that the newest addition to the Housewives series will definitely give a good taste of the new show.

Kim Richards is known to have “lots of expensive designer drugs, mega amounts of hair bleach, a ton of fake tan, oodles of Botox, and more than just a hint of plastic surgery.” She is a half-sister to Kathy Hilton. 

Kim’s younger sister, her co-actress in the show, Kyle Richards is having lower profile than her, though it doesn’t seem to show on her dress during the premiere. Kyle sported a white and silver knee length frock with a very low front cut. 

On the other hand, Paris and Nicky, though always seen as elegant as ever, most especially Paris, they were just dressed in a little more low profile than what Kyle had dressed. Paris wore a black, short Kimono style dress with a large flower print partnered with her usual stilettos. Nicky had a tight, short leopard skin dress.

Consumer Reports Compares iPad with Everything Else

ipad`sAn entity called Consumer Reports created an evaluation of the iPad, Apple’s premier tablet computer, by comparing it with other tablet computers in the market. The first category that they evaluated the iPad with is its overall view. According to the report, the iPad is really superior in terms of portability and versatility. Also, because of its touch screen feature, it is excellent in terms of navigation. A drawback, however, would be its video viewing, simply because it is not compatible with Flash. Furthermore, there is no memory card reader and USB Port.

The iPad had excellent ratings for web surfing and reading periodicals or journals. It was also rated excellent for reading eBooks and email, viewing photos and videos, and reading documents. However, it rated only fair for editing and writing documents. Its weight is 1.5 pounds and is priced at 500 dollars. It’s battery life lasts for at most 2 days.

The Netbook is a laptop which is less powerful compared to the iPad. It has a smaller screen, the iPad has a 9.7 inch screen, and it cannot handle games that have very high system requirements. Where it fared excellent is in reading email and documents, it is also very good for viewing photos, videos, and web surfing, typing and editing and writing documents.

Toshiba to Release its First 3D TV

toshibaToshiba finally enters the 3D TV scene with its new Toshiba WX800, which will arrive this late September. We have heard of a quasi 3D TV from Toshiba before, but it was called the Cell TV, and was described as an ultrapremium mainframe equivalent in a flat panel TV, and it was so expensive and a bit ridiculous. The WX800 is not as ridiculous, but still, it is expensive. It comes with Toshiba 3D glasses at the price of 169 dollars.

Toshiba is just the sixth company to include 3D television viewing as an experience that they want their customers to have. Indeed, watching TV on 3D brings a whole new meaning and experience to viewing, and everyone should really experience it. The first five companies to do that is Samsung, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Sony and LG.

You are given the option to choose between two different sizes for the WX800 3D TV. The first is the 46WX800 which has a 46 inch screen, and the second is the 55WX800 with a, you guessed it, 55 inch screen. Obviously, the latter is more expensive, worth 3,299 dollars, while the former is listed as 2,599 dollars. Physically, the TV looks very modern and slick, and really thin, only 1.2 inches deep.

Robert Pattinson wins BBC Teen Best Dressed Award

robert pattinsonFor all the good attributes that Robert Pattinson, there seems to only be one thing about him that is not too pleasant. A lot of people think that the popular British actor doesn’t dress properly, and is too casual with his style. Not only that, he is also known for not having the best hygiene. In fact, his co actors and coworkers for the Twilight Saga says that he sometimes smells bad! He may have also admitted in the past that he only changes clothes for days at a time.

So why is it that he won the BBC Teen Awards for being the Best Dressed? That is really something that a lot of people would be speculative about. In fact, even among the Twilight actors, he is not the best dressed as well. I mean, compare his style with that of Taylor Lautner’s style, or that of Kellan Lutz’s style. I really think that a lot of people will disagree with whoever is judging for the Best Dressed Award, and why it got to Robert Pattinson’s hands.

Perhaps it’s the fact that whatever Robert Pattinson wears, it just makes him look so effortlessly handsome. But that can hardly be attributed to his clothes; rather his natural charm which he has been wearing ever since.

Whirlpool Introduces New Side by Side Refrigerator

whirlpoolWhirlpool introduces the new side by side refrigerator, which is perfect for the family. One of the best things about this refrigerator is that it is one of the most spacious refrigerators ever created. Because of its size, the side by side refrigerator can stall every important food in it. This is very important especially now that the school days are coming in. The spacious shelves are also an edge, and they are very effective that they are given a name: the new MicroTech Spill Control Shelves.

The Whirlpool Company stated that they were inspired to create this refrigerator because that is what their customers from all over the world want. Specifically, the customers were looking for a refrigerator that was both more spacious and more energy efficient. This refrigerator was also the solution to the very common messes that we have when storing food inside.

This new refrigerator by Whirlpool also has shelf space that is 25 percent more usable, so that you won’t lose items that you put inside the refrigerator, and you don’t have to shove other items aside to look for a specific item. Furthermore, this is not energy wasting despite its size. I know, it sounds so ideal as a refrigerator.

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