Dr. Blip's PC-Doctor Blog

endgadget - We just got an early hands on with T-Mobile's G1 Android and yes, it does look as nice as it does in the photos. The screen is fantastic, and it's actually not as chunky as it looks, but it's definitely not iPhone-skinny. You can see the Sizemodo here, and we'll have even more details and a more in-depth hands-on in a bit. UPDATE: Updating hands-on impressions live, right now.

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Techcrunch - Live from New York, it’s G1 day. Pop through for images and our liveblog. Speaking are Andy Rubin (Senior director of mobile platforms, Google), Cole Brodman (CTO, T-Mobile USA), Christopher Schlaffer (group product and innovation officer, Deutsche Telekom), and Peter Chou (CEO HTC).

John Biggs and Erick Schonfeld are double liveblogging this (using ScribbleLive).

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Engadget - We've seen 10-megapixel cameraphones. We've seen 8-megapixel cameraphones. But if you've been holding out for that oh-so-elusive 9-megapixel cameraphone, the wait is just about over. Digital Imaging Systems (DIS) has chosen Photokina 2008 to reveal its 9-megapixel (CMOS) DIS6931 camera module for mobile phones, which provides features such as auto-focus, a mechanical shutter and ND-filter with integrated actuators. Best of all, samples of the unit are shipping out right now, while volume production is on track for Q4 2008. Hey, handset makers -- can we get some attention on this, please?

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slashdot - thebryce writes "From cyborg housemaids and waterpowered cars to dog translators and rocket boots, Japanese boffins have racked up plenty of near-misses in the quest to turn science fiction into reality. Now the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by painfully and inefficiently blasting himself out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride to the final frontier. Japan is increasingly confident that its sprawling academic and industrial base can solve those issues, and has even put the astonishingly low price tag of a trillion yen (£5 billion) on building the elevator. Japan is renowned as a global leader in the precision engineering and high-quality material production without which the idea could never be possible."

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readwriteweb - A Google patent application filed two years ago but published this fall is getting some new attention because it's just too interesting to ignore. The patent (link) is for putting data centers on ships at sea and harvesting the energy in waves for power.

The biggest benefit for the company, though, could come from changed legal and tax status by placing the ships outside of national jurisdiction. It's a thought both fascinating and frightening, although it also may end up as just another crazy patent filed for the sake of filing it.

Called a Water-Based Data Center, the idea was written up by the UK's Times Online today with slightly misleading verbiage like the following:

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lifehacker - Free printer-friendly service PrintWhatYouLike.com is a simple point-and-click element removal tool to make printing sites and pages without printer-friendly links much easier, and without any software. Paste in the URL of a site, and you'll get a left-hand sidebar that lets you click and and remove pictures, headlines, and other page elements. You can pull out the background image, isolate selected parts of the page, and even resize individual elements, all in the name of reducing ink usage and improving readability. Better still, you can copy a link to the page you've just hacked to bits, giving web site owners with popular pages a free resource for printer-friendly versions. PrintWhatYouLike.com is a free service. For more earth-saving and frugal printer tips, check out the How-To Geek's smart and easy ways to reduce printing costs.

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lifehacker - Language education site Busuu emphasizes the social side of learning a language. While Busuu has standard components such as vocabulary exercises with audio and writing units to test out your composition, the most interesting aspect is its ability to connect you with both people learning your language and native speakers of your language. You're learning Spanish and someone else is learning English? Connect through Busuu and help each other out. While Busuu may not be a substitute for the do-or-die learning of full language immersion, it has a wider range of tools and social interaction than a standalone program or book. For more chances to hone your language learning skills check out Mango and load your MP3 player with foreign language podcasts.

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engadget - While the Acrylic Cowboy family of cases still has our hearts (okay, so maybe it's just the mascot that does it for us), Antec's latest offering is certainly worthy of praise. The aptly-dubbed Skeleton is wrongfully hailed as the "world's first open air case," but in reality, it is one of only a handful. Even with all that openness, there's still a 250mm fan up top along with a 92mm one up front, but we suppose there's no harm in being too careful. It also provides four drive bays, a layered tray design, seven expansion slots and a meager assortment of ports. You will have to provide your own power supply when the time comes, however, and you'll also have to wait a tick to find out a price and release date.

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engadget - We've already heard the good word about the HTC Touch HD's performance and general excellence, but if you're like us you want something more. Specifically, something on YouTube narrated in French. That's just how we roll. Nothing in this video (embedded after the break) we haven't heard before, but make sure to tap that "high quality" button to really taste the magic.

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techcrunch - It was only a matter of time before Amazon would decide to release a Content Delivery Network, and according to the company in an official statement released today, it has done just that.

Designed to complement its S3 storage service and EC2 web services, the CDN will be available later this year and will provide users with a high performance method of distributing content to end users. Amazon claims it will have low latency and high data transfer rates when users access the content and it will be specifically designed (in the beginning at least) for “developers and businesses who need to deliver popular, publicly readable content over HTTP connections.”worst.

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