Friday, Aug 29, 2008    Text size: 

• Comcast customers, be aware that the company has put a 250-gigbyte cap on Internet usage. That sounds like it might be a hassle, but TechCrunch believes it will herald a new emphasis on streaming.

• Webmasters, here's a way to relieve some stress: JamLegend.com lets professionals chained to their computers play a "Guitar Hero"-style game at their stations.

• AppleInsider somehow got ahold of a copy of an Apple patent application for a new touch-screen operating system. The application confirms some previous rumors that Steve Jobs wanted to slowly move the computing world into a post-mouse environment.

• EyeCandy-brand USB drives include lots of storage space and a psychedelic presentation for a variety of positive messages.

• Sony has unveiled an all-in-one new home theater system built around a Blu-rau player.

• Here's a look at the new Canon 5D Mark II camera.

• Apple has conceded that the iPhone has a major security flaw.

• It looks like many major companies will disable the new "porn mode" in Microsoft's future versions of Internet Explorer.

• For webmasters who are also "Star Wars" maniacs – and who isn't? – here's a guy who built an actual sandspeeder, as seen in the original movie.

• Volkswagen is unveiling a new car that comes with a boat-like deck on its roof.

• A genius built a sleek, futuristic house with a mini-golf course on its roof.

• Samsung has released a sleek new Blu-ray player, as well as a thin new laptop that aims to compete with Apple's troubled MacBook Air.

• One of the most useful applications ever is now available for the iPhone: DirectCall. This app lets users choose from a pre-approved list of companies, and then automatically calls those companies and makes the appropriate choices to get a live person on the phone. It's available thorugh the Apple App Store.

• The document-sharing community website Scribd.com has undergone a facelift.

• As previously reported on XBIZ, Google is working on an answer to the iPhone, and they've working on an App Store to compete with it.

• Gizmodo has a review of Sony Ericsson's new mobile phone.

• The Onion has unveiled a non-satirical new website called Decider that will publish reviews and directions to restaurants and other nightlife events in major cities, although they're only starting in Chicago right now.

• TheWB.com has launched as a mainstream video-on-demand alternative to Hulu.com.

• Diary.com lets users build online diaries that they can share. Although, doesn't that defeat the purpose of a diary?

• Sony's got a new still camera out that shoots HD video, too.

• Philips has found a way to put an entire home theater into one little box.

• The open-source content manager Drupal has unveiled a new, commercially supported version called Acquia, which aims to make Drupal easier to use and more accessible by offering a better support structure for novices.