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Google looks to compete with Amazon Prime, offer speedy delivery service in 2012
You ordered a nifty thing. Now the nifty thing has to make your day by arriving. Then you'll have your nifty thing and a warm and nifty feeling inside. Evidently, Google's following this very line of thinking, as it appears to be in talks with various retailers and shippers to create a service that lets customers receive their wares within 24 to 48 hours. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, the company's effort is motivated by the success of Amazon's Prime service, which allows customers to receive many purchased items within a day or two for an annual fee of $79. Google, in turn, has apparently pitched the project to retailers such as Macy's, Gap and OfficeMax. Under the proposed system, when shoppers place an order on an affiliate's website, Google's system could kick in to offer them an option for same-day or possibly next-day delivery, said a person familiar with the matter. Sources indicated that Google plans to start a pilot test of the service in the San Francisco Bay Area sometime in 2012, which -- by then -- we'll have far more serious issues to deal with than tracking numbers.
San Francisco in Verizon's initial 30-market LTE rollout?
We've already heard how Verizon expects to hit the ground running on LTE, starting this November with a launch in 30 markets -- New York, LA, Philadelphia, and so forth. Now it looks like you can add San Francisco to that aggressive list, if Boy Genius Report's leak proves true. Will it beat WiMAX to the region? Your move, Sprint.
San Francisco considers displaying phone radiation levels next to price tag
If the San Francisco Department of the Environment gets its way, starting as soon as next month Bay Area residents might start noticing the radiation levels of cellphones displayed prominently next to their respective price at retail outlets. This is, of course, despite no definitive research that the handsets cause harm and the FCC's insistence that the devices sold to consumers are safe. The proposal is being endorsed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who as it's noted is not about to stop using his iPhone anytime soon. Not to worry, Maine, you'll still keep the top spot for most ridiculous cellphone warning label.
ASUS introduces ROG OC Station for all your on-the-fly overclocking needs
ASUS is doing what it can to bump up its gaming cred a few notches with its Republic of Gamers (ROG) OC Station. The bay-mounted overclock assistant lets you tweak parameters on the fly, even in the middle of a game, without ever having to dive into the BIOS. It's got a 3-inch LCD display, too, for keeping an eye on things or, apparently, showing your pictures in a slideshow. All this power comes at a cost, and not just financially: you're gonna have to give up two 5.25-inch bays to install this bad boy. It also looks like it only works with ROG motherboards, which is gonna limit the market even further. If you are, however, an anxious and willing member of that demographic, we hate to say you're gonna have to wait an undisclosed time before you can pick one up for an undisclosed number of Benjamins. [Via Engadget Spanish]
Uwe Boll confirms 'Boll vs. Bay' brawl, Michael Bay denies accepting Boll's challenge
Those who were wishing to actually witness a few rounds of fisticuffs between crummy filmmaker Uwe Boll and occasionally crummy filmmaker Michael Bay (following Boll's challenge last weekend) have certainly ridden a rollercoaster of excitement and disappointment these past few days. We admit, we got pretty pumped after viewing the above video, a supposed confirmation that Bay had accepted Boll's terms, and that the two would meet in the ring -- unfortunately, this directorial showdown isn't in the cards (much to Boll's chagrin, we're sure).An administrator on Michael Bay's official forums recently talked to the blockbuster poster boy (currently doing post-production work for "The Horsemen") who denied accepting Boll's challenge, and claimed he'd never spoken directly with Boll in the first place. We can't help but wonder -- is this another publicity stunt for the antagonized franchise-wrecker in light of the May 23 U.S. release for "Postal", or has Uwe finally lost his damn mind? Little from Column A, little from Column B.[Thanks, Fernando]
Video of The Darkness
Coming in at a whopping 47.1mb, this 720p video for The Darkness is worth the trouble to download. Developed by Starbreeze Studios, who are responsible for the excellent Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay, and being published by 2K Games, The Darkness was one of the best three games I was privileged enough to see at E3, although it should be noted that it was demoed on a Xbox 360 when I saw it.[Via QJ]
