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A Fire-specced Chevy Grand Prix
Miamoryax, an undead Mage from Blood Furnace, sent us these pictures of her new car and license plate -- she took along her Carrot-on-a-stick and Horde keychain (we'd like to see pictures of that) to the DMV and decided to pick up a vanity plate that was fitting of her Mage mentality (and car's red color). Looks great, but the car's probably got to worry about pulling aggro with all that visual DPS.We've added her pics to our WoW license plate gallery, where you can see players of all specs and classes sharing their love for the World of Warcraft through their favorite mode of transportation. It's touching, really, although it does provide an interesting insight into the kinds of cars we drive around: cheap ones, by the look of it. Blizzard's got all of our car money, apparently. %Gallery-20183% Update: Wish granted. Here's the (official!) Carrot on a Stick keychain, seen elsewhere in Mia's Flickr stream.
Sony Reader goes open, will be able to work with other booksellers
While Sony's Reader has never received the enormous press or enjoyed the supposed whirlwind sales of Amazon's Kindle e-book, and is certainly lacking in, erm, EV-DOness, the Reader is about to get one trick the Kindle doesn't have yet: openness. Sony will be shooting out an update on Thursday to allow the Reader to use purchased books in the protected EPUB format from whoever is peddling them, instead of being tied to the Sony's e-book store, or just DRM-free text and PDF documents. That openness should help Sony beef up its selection -- which is lagging behind Amazon's -- and will hopefully mark a bit of a turning point in the e-book market to more standards and, more importantly, more books.
Sony Reader pre-order now live in the UK, shipping in September
We Americans have had the opportunity to pick up Sony's Reader for what seems like eons, but you poor bookworms holed up in the UK have been neglected unjustly. No more, as Sony has just opened up the phone lines for folks eager to claim their spot in line the queue. No need in rehashing the specifications you already know -- it's still the same ole PRS-505, just way more expensive in US dollars.[Via MobileRead, thanks Alex]
Byline: Google Reader for your pocket
As someone who manages whole metric scads of information in Google Reader, I was excited to see Byline, from Phantom Fish software, in the App Store. Byline, as you might expect, fetches all your subscriptions from Google Reader and displays them for you to read. It also keeps track of the items you've read and starred. The greatest thing, though, especially for iPod touch owners and subway riders is this: Starring or Noting an item saves it on your iPhone or iPod for offline reading. If you star an item either using your desktop browser, Mobile Safari, or Byline itself, it saves it for later. Noting an item is even better, because you can save pages that aren't even in your RSS subscriptions for offline reading with Byline. They mention you can do this very easily with a bookmarklet. Now -- I can hear you screaming: NetNewsWire does all this, and it's free! Without boring you with detail, it's worth ten bucks to me to keep my Google Reader workflow the way it is, rather than spending time changing the way I work. Agreed: it's probably too steep for people who aren't heavily invested in Google Reader already. Additionally on the downside, Byline doesn't allow you to browse by tag, instead opting to lump everything together in one list by date. Phantom Fish says this is for performance reasons, as people with many feeds would experience sluggish behavior. They're looking into it, though, and I personally hope they figure it out. Byline is $9.99, awesome, and available through the App Store.
How to get Wowhead tooltips in Google Reader
An ode: Wowhead tooltips, O how I heart thee! I wish...eth I wouldst to be able to carry thou aroundst in mine pockets. (Did people even have pockets back when they went around saying thee and thou? Mine coineth purse?) Anyway, the point is: we love Wowhead tooltips because all it takes is a mouse-hover to find out everything you want to know about an item mentioned on WoW Insider or other websites. And now that you've gone ahead and put WoW Insider on your Google Reader, you can take the next step to get the nifty little tooltips in to show up in your RSS feeds.Here's how:
New book showcases the sociology of WoW
With over 10 million players strong (and growing), it seems that anything associated with World of Warcraft would be an instant success. We're talking movies, merchandise, novels and anything else Blizzard decides to license. But what about a book detailing WoW from several different sociological and psychological standpoints? Would it be directed at the correct target audience?In the recently published Digital Culture, Play, and Identify: A World of Warcraft Reader, we see an amazing collaboration among several authors giving their own views of the game, separated by their own chapters of the book. There's one on the economic model of WoW, one on the concept of virtual death and even one on how WoW could be considered a playground for feminism. So if you're into more than just teh phat lootz in your MMO of choice (WoW or not), and the actual sociology of the game is of interest to you, take a look at this book available now on Amazon.
Astak Mentor e-book reader comes in at under $200
E-book readers are becoming quickly becoming the new cheapo MP3 player, what with unusual designs, promises of salvation from paper, and now diving prices. Enter the Astak Mentor. This series of readers comes in three sizes -- 5-, 6-, and 9.7-inch -- and is based on either Linux or Windows CE. So what's new here? A sub-$200 price tag for the 5-inch version, touchscreens, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Those three latter features come standard on the 9.7-incher, and are optional on the smaller two. Look for them in October from less-than-$200 to $350, or until someone else comes out with a $99 reader.[Via Crave]
CyBook bumps Gen3 storage, revs firmware
CyBook's Gen3 e-book reader has been out for a while, and it looks like there's a slight spec bump in the making -- the Gen3 New Edition now features 512MB of storage, more stable firmware with better battery life and a more responsive interface, and a slightly revised housing. Owners of older Gen3 units will be able to download the new firmware, but sadly there's no word on whether the new rev comes with Bobby Brown or Johnny Gill.
How to put WoW Insider on your Google Reader
In an ongoing series of articles we'll show you how to put WoW Insider on your own blog, guild website, personal website, or even on your computer's desktop. For a complete list of the software that's covered, check out our guide's index.About Google Reader Google has developed an online tool that coalesces all your RSS feeds into one source. It's a very handy tool, and is one of the windows that I always have open. For me, it helps me stay abreast of everything happening in the world in one easy spot. One of the best things about Google Reader is that you can search through news with ease, and you can search through lots of news in just seconds. How to add WoW Insider to your Google Reader 1. Logon to Google Reader.2. As you can see from the above screenshot, I already have WoW Insider in my reader's list. However, you probably don't. What you want to do is click the green "Add subscription" link. 3. This will open up a window as shown above. Type in "wow.com" and click the "Add" button. 4. WoW Insider is now added to your Google Reader! You can see it on the list of subscribed sites to your left.
ECTACO's jetBook reader will purportedly change your life
ECTACO wants you to know something: it's about to change the way you read... forever! That's right, as we journey into the future, nothing will ever be the same about books, reading, or reading books. According to the company, its jetBook reader will allow you to, "Kiss your old-fashioned, dusty library goodbye," and you can rest easy because, "Not a single tree was cut down to make it!" The "completely amazing" bright red device houses a 5-inch grayscale display, and features multi-language support, bookmarking ability, playback of MP3 files, and an SD slot. The game- and life-changing reader -- which will crush and dismember your stupid, old, and ugly real books -- is available now for just $349.95.
Jeff Bezos posts Kindle apology on Amazon's front page
Sure, Philippe Starck may not care for the Kindle, but an open letter posted on Amazon's front page suggests he's in the minority. We already knew that the company was having a difficult time filling orders, but we had no idea the wait for buyers would warrant what amounts to a public apology from Jeff Bezos. Apparently, the online superstore is drawing heat for six-week delays on delivery for some customers, and is scrambling to get itself into an "order today, ship today" scheme. The original release of the device sold out in just 5 1/2 hours says the letter, which might explain why no one is hacking it -- no one has it.[Thanks, Michael]
Microsoft licenses Adobe stuff for Windows Mobile
Well, that's not much of a vote of confidence for Microsoft's own products, now is it? Despite the fact that Silverlight for Mobile development is well underway, Windows Mobile's patron saint has decided to license Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader LE packages directly and make them available to WinMo licensees straight from the mothership. Though Adobe's press release says that availability on specific devices will be "confirmed later," we imagine that it'll be a no-brainer for virtually every ODM to sign right up to offer the goods -- just ask any Nokia N95 8GB owner how cool the in-browser Flash support is.[Via Mobility Site]
Hands-on with Polymer Vision's e-ink Readius
The long wait is over, the Polymer Vision Readius has finally made an appearance and from our quick -- and loving -- glance, it's the stuff. Featuring Bluetooth, dual-band HSDPA, tri-band GSM / EDGE, expandability via microSD, and it'll also SMS -- albeit, without a keyboard, it'll be tough -- and can make calls. The cellular calling and messaging features are likely an afterthought since connectivity to get at the content via the Readius portal was the goal. The site will push content to your device based on choices made there for feeds, newspapers, mags, audio books, and whatever else Polymer Vision sees fit to add. The device will support books in HTML, text files, and PDFs, though, we expect as they gain ground with partners the list may expand. Hit the gallery for a pile of pics of it in action.%Gallery-16071%
Polymer Vision's Readius e-ink phone coming mid-2008 to Italy
It seemed obvious back in mid-December of last year that Polymer Vision wasn't going to nail its timetable for production versions of the 3G-equipped, e-ink wonder known as the Readius. Now word is that the company will have a commercial version of the phone / e-book reader available sometime in mid-2008 in Italy via Telecom Italia -- provided that everything goes according to its diabolical plans. If you'll recall, the device features a foldable, grayscale, 5-inch QVGA display, and boasts a slew of features, including HSDPA, a 400MHz ARM CPU, and a battery life up to "six times longer" than current mobile phones. We'll admit we're intrigued, but don't make us wait too long over here, okay?
Hanlin's V9 e-book reader with 9.7-inch e-ink display previewed
Although there's no arguing that the 6-inch e-ink display used in both the Kindle and the Sony PRS-505 looks beautiful, we're not exactly huge fans of endless scrolling -- which is why we're pretty intrigued by these shots of the Hanlin V9 that just popped up on the Mobileread forums. The update to the V3 features a 9.7-inch display that definitely cranks the overall dimensions, but being able to view a full letter-size page seems like a tangible enough benefit -- and the addition of WiFi, EV-DO, and handwriting recognition just sweetens the pot. Apparently there are some issues mass-producing that screen, but when they get sorted pricing will land somewhere between $599 and $699 -- numbers that will probably keep this thing at the intriguing curiosity level for now.Read - Hands-on with the V9 at MobilereadRead - V9 product page
Kindle sells out in 5.5 hours
Amazon isn't disclosing how many Kindles it actually had ready to go, but apparently the idea of a tiny e-book reader with free EV-DO and the visual flair of an Apple IIc hit home for quite a few people, because they sold out in just five and a half hours. Amazon's site says they'll be back in stock on the 29th, but availability is first-come, first-served, so it looks like you'll have to act fast if you want to get one before gift-giving time sets in.[Via Blankbaby]
Amazon's Kindle ebook reader delayed until end of the year?
Although it hasn't had the buzz of some other longstanding rumors, we've heard a lot about Amazon's Kindle ebook reader over the past year -- everything from FCC pics to tagged content to a supposed October 15th ship date, which came and went with nary a peep from the etailer. Now Brad Stone at the New York Times -- who predicted that ship date to begin with -- says that his sources have told him that the Kindle has been delayed (shocking), but will still make it out by the end of the year. Stone also says Amazon is still perfecting the service and wants to have as much Kindle-ready content (Kindling?) available at launch as it can -- and that the built-in EV-DO modem will pull down content over Sprint's network. That's news to us, but until we actually see this thing we're going to take our Kindle with a large grain of salt.[Via mobileread]
Leopard to come packed with all new Macs on Friday?
If you listened to the TUAW Talkcast last night (which should be available for download later this week, I'm told), not only did you hear that I have an atrocious backup plan, I burn a DVD every other year or so and write the date on it with a Sharpie, but you also heard about a very interesting strategy to get Leopard a little early. Mat told us that Apple plans not to sell computers with Leopard installed on them next Friday, but instead pull the computers out of the backstock, and just throw a Leopard box in the bag when you leave.Considering that I'm planning on buying a Mini with Leopard on it rather than Leopard itself, that's a very interesting plan. And now we've all but got corroboration-- reader Bren sent a tip that says he was hanging around the Apple Store this weekend, and was told by an employee that when the Apple Stores receive their shipments on Friday around 11am or noon, they'll start attaching copies of Leopard to the new computers right away.I find it hard to believe that they would do that and then still require people who were just buying Leopard itself to wait until 6pm, but you never know. Even if not, you can always do the up-to-date thing, or just wait until later in the evening to buy your new computer-- after the release at 6pm, it's almost guaranteed you'll get a new copy of Leopard with your purchase. But if you're planning to buy a new Mac this Friday anyway, you might try calling ahead (or showing up early) to see if you can get Leopard early with your machine.Update: An anonymous Apple employee tells us that employees will be working overnight to pack the boxes of new Macs with discs. No word on if Macs sold earlier in the day will have these discs or not.
TUAW and Gametap invite you to test their beta
Gametap, as you may already know, is working hard on a Mac client for their game subscription service, and when they told us they were looking for a few good beta testers, we told them to look no further than you, our beloved TUAW readers. So together with GameTap, we're offering you a chance to not only help them test their beta, but check out their service and their games (from Atari to Zork) for free.Hit the link below to see the details, sent to us by GameTap. The short version: you'll have to apply as a beta tester (not everyone who applies will get a free version of the software-- odds are that they're looking for people who will legitimately help them with feedback), and the client they're testing only works on Intel processors, so if you've got a PowerPC Mac, you're out. We'll leave this information up for a week, or until GameTap tells us they have everyone they need. Good luck!UPDATE: Gametap has all the beta testers they need, we've removed the Read link.
Sony's PRS-505 eBook reader ships this month
Sony just went live with their latest eBook reader, the PRS-505. Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen it but it's always good to get an official release. Available "this month" for $300 in silver and dark blue, Sony's 500-followup features a new electronic paper display that is more responsive with a better contrast than its predecessor while offering expansion for both Memory Stick Duo or SD memory cards. A new USB Mass Storage mode allows for a lickity-quick transfer of files when connected to your PC. Better yet perhaps, is to see a late 90's indie band coming out in support of Sony, eh Joey?%Gallery-8056%[Via MobileRead, thanks Alex]
