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Google Chrome searches redirecting to blank.html (Update: fixed!)
There's no word yet on what exactly is causing it, but various Google Chrome users are reporting that searches from the omnibox / address bar that go nowhere. While the instant results appear properly, once the user hits enter they're sent to a blank.html page that's just that, blank. There's a Google Groups thread 116 posts long of people noticing the issue going back a few hours and we're seeing it on our end also. In the thread, users suggest going into the settings menu, selecting "Manage Search Engines", adding a new search engine with the url http://www.google.com/search?q=%s (it can be named anything) and then making it the default as shown above. That did the trick for us, let us know if you're seeing the same in the comments below. Update: Google has responded, telling us the issue should be resolved for "most users." If you changed your default search, this would seem to be as good a time as any to switch it back, check after the break for a statement from a Google spokesperson. [Thanks, Dustin]
LG prepares to update Optimus 2X, banishes unexpected reboots to Never Never Land
LG is delivering good news for those affected by random reboots and shutdowns on the Optimus 2X. Today, the company reached out to Engadget and acknowledged the plight of its early adopters. Even better, the manufacturer wants everyone to know it will begin delivering updates in Europe this week, and expects North America to be close behind. In most situations, users will receive the firmware update over-the-air, but this will depend on your carrier and region. After all the hoopla, LG determined these troubles occur when the device is charging, the power button is pressed, or the phone is in standby -- which basically means whenever you reach for it. Let's hope this update filters down to G2x handsets as well. It would seem rather unkind to leave them in the cold, don't you think?
LG Optimus 2X is world's first dual-core phone necessitating an online petition
Early adopters of the Optimus 2X are rightfully proud to carry the distinction of owning the world's first dual-core smartphone, however, that badge of honor comes with a steep price. In LG's rush to be first, it delivered a unpolished operating system that hinders the speed and stability of the phone -- and we're now seeing user reports suggesting the troubles may go beyond software. Notably, the forum at xda-developers now exceeds 100 pages of comments describing blank, unresponsive screens, random reboots and exceedingly hot temperatures when recharging. While many owners are performing various forms of voodoo hoping to stave off the symptoms, the problems are intermittent, making fixes difficult to verify. Regardless, putting the phone in a paper bag and lighting candles isn't going to banish the ghost in this machine. In response to LG's silence, frustrated users have started an online petition to bring their plight to the public's eye. Here's a little boost to the cause -- if you're an affected owner, please add yourself to the list of names by following the source.
Apple seizes 16 domain names from squatter
Apple dropped the hammer on a domain squatter the other day, reclaiming sixteen different domain names in one fell swoop. The company filed a complaint a while back against a guy named Daniel Bijan, who didn't bother to fight his case at all (not that he has one), and the result earlier this week gives them the rights to all of them. They run the gamut from iphonecheap.com to macbookpro.com (how did Apple not own that one?), and as of this writing, we couldn't find any that were actually being used by Apple yet -- they all seem to point to either a blank Apache page or a simple domain placeholder. And as you may have noticed, there are no secrets here -- macfriend.com is probably just a stab in the dark on the part of the domain squatter, and ipodsbaratos.com means "iPods cheap" in Spanish. Just Apple reclaiming some of their rightful web space.
The Descent giving fits to BD-Java-less Blu-ray players
If you've just picked up the recently released The Descent on Blu-ray disc, hold back from tearing the plastic off just a minute. If you're using a first-generation Blu-ray player that doesn't yet support the "BD-Java environment," chances are you'll be graced with a depressing black screen instead of an action-packed thriller. Users across the web are complaining that the film isn't playing back on their particular Blu-ray player, and High-Def Digest has suggested that units that don't play nice with BD-Java extras are having a hard time swallowing (and playing) the featurette-packed disc. Sony's BDP-S1 and Pioneer's BDP-HD1 have been singled-out as the two most problematic players in this ordeal, and while Sony has promised a firmware update to add BD-J support "early this year," the Pioneer users are currently out of luck. Notably, Panasonic units, Samsung's BD-P1000, and Sony's own PlayStation 3 are having no troubles, although some Samsung devices may need the latest firmware installed to overcome any glitches. Hopefully more manufacturers will get on the ball and start supporting these newfangled extras that were supposed to make high definition discs worth more than the pretty resolution, and kudos to Lionsgate for pumping this one up with BD-J action -- even though some of us are still trying to make it spin.[Via High-Def Digest]
RITEK rolling out HD DVD-Rs next month
HD DVD-Rs are on the way, with Maxell/Hitachi and Mitsubishi/Verbatim announcing shipments to Japan in July, and September in the US, now Advanced Media, better known as RITEK or RIDATA, has announced they will ship single-layer HD DVD-Rs to the US in late July. Other than the 15GB discs next month, they will release dual-layer 30GB HD DVD-Rs and single-layer HD DVD-RWs sometime in the fourth quarter.We're still left guessing as to the burning speed supported by the discs as that is not mentioned in the press release. There is also no specific price mentioned, but we can expect HD DVD recorders to become available around the same time as the media.
