January 18th marks a day that huge sites like Reddit, Wikipedia and many others – just noticed that OSNews.com is also protesting as well as a black bar over Google’s logo at Google.com – plan to shut down their sites in protest of the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. Why should you care?

(SOPA) would authorize the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing on copyrights, or of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. After delivering a court order, the U.S. Attorney General could require US-directed Internet service providers, ad networks, and payment processors to suspend doing business with sites found to infringe on federal criminal intellectual property laws. The Attorney General could also bar search engines from displaying links to the sites.

Effectively, all it would take would be a complaint from somebody in the MPAA and RIAA, or some intellectual property (proven or not) holder will be able to complain that your website is an agent of some form of piracy. This is an oversimplified look at what these bills provide and attempt to do; however it’s an attempt to stop foreign websites from pirating American software, movies and music. And to do so, it grants these rights holders the ability to influence your ISP to block sites as well as disallow search engines to display results that they deem are infringing on their rights.

To date, DNS/ISP blocking has been removed from these controversial bills. But there’s still a lot of “teeth” in the bills that allow intellectual property and copyright holders the ability to point their finger and have a website deemed a website that’s committing piracy.

You don’t have to imagine where this is going. Go to YouTube now and you will not being able to hear some more music since the Universal Music Group (UMG) has disallowed uploading any of their catalog. Now imagine that power Internet wide. That’s just the start. And there are no provisions against false accusations. The burden of proof is on the site to prove their innocence.

So what is piracy? We all know websites that allow wholesale downloading of movies, music and software *cough*PirateBay*cough* but with highly visible sites like YouTube being monitored already, imagine the entire Internet under that type of scrutiny. Love a song, link to a YouTube video that’s not yet censored, you might be considered contributing to piracy. That’s a bit extreme, but who’s saying that it will not end there. Sure, some sites do nothing but link to pirated material. There’s no use for those sites other than assisting piracy. Fine, go after those sites.

But SOPA and PIPA are structured mainly to restrict access to the Internet based on rules, accusations and the lawyers that they employ that are always shifting to support their agendas. And that agenda is simply to make money from what they consider lost sales to piracy. In many cases, historically, it’s been proven that those that will pirate were not going to buy the software/music/movie anyway. And in the end, those that are paying customers walk away with the feeling that they are being treated like criminals.

Bills like this have existed in one form or another for the last decade. Ten years ago, SSSCA was another attempt at such a law that empowered the film and music industry and regulate all digital media via restricting and downright crippling copy restriction preventative measures. Think DRM on a much more invasive level – but not as invasive as Sony Music putting a rootkit on your PC.

Learn more about PIPA and SOPA. Write your representatives, even the ones that do not support PIPA/SOPA. Boycott the companies that support SOPA and PIPA. Make your voice and opinion known. And find out why Lamar Smith (Republican – Texas) is so damn hung up on this bill.

[ Links: SOPA, SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts ]

Big things come in little packages, right? Well, Orb Audio is out to prove that old adage right with their new Class T amplifier, the Mini-T to go along with their small, but full of sound, handmade Orb speakers.

The Mini-T allows consumers to use high quality home speakers instead of poorly built, questionable sounding computer speakers. By pairing the Mini T with Orb’s award-winning speakers, consumers now have a simple, elegant audio solution that looks as good as it sounds. This is a great way to bring high quality audio to your desktop or TV without large, complicated surround sound receivers.

The Mini-T is based on legendary T-Class amplifier technology, known for its audiophile sound quality and low harmonic distortion (just .04%). Like Orb’s speakers, the Mini-T produces a rich, brilliant soundstage with detailed imaging. Together, the speakers and amp create an immersive listening experience that will not disappoint.

The Mini-T is also small, measuring six inches wide, one and a quarter inches high, and five inches deep. Finished in an attractive charcoal gray, with black gloss front, the Mini T complements any of the six available Orb speaker colors.

The Mini-T can be purchased by itself for $88 USD or can be purchased alongside a matching pair of Orb Audio speakers for $299, for a savings total of $29 off of MSRP. I’m personally digging the hand polished steel enclosure on the speakers.

The Mini-T can accept audio input from many sources including your iPod, iPhone, PC and many other sources.

[ Links: Orb Audio ]

Just 5 months ago, Firefox 4.0 came out. Just 2 days ago, Firefox 6.0 came out. And scarily enough, they’re already testing in the nightly builds version 8.0. Damn Mozilla, slow down. I can’t update and test fast enough!

App Tabs: Take sites you always keep open—like Web mail—off your tab bar and give them a permanent home in your browser.
Organize your Tabs with Panorama: Too many tabs? Reclaim your browser from tab clutter! Panorama lets you drag and drop your tabs into manageable groups that you can organize, name and arrange in a fun and visual way.
Scratchpad: One of our new, built-in developer tools, Scratchpad lets you build and test snippets of JavaScript code right in the browser, saving you time and precious keystrokes.

I’m already a fan of Scratchpad. And so far, it seems like Firefox 6.0 is a tad bit faster and also seems to use less RAM.

[ Links: Firefox 6.0 Download, Features ]

If you’ve traveled via plane in the last almost decade, you know that you cannot travel with liquids above 2 ounces on the plane. And last I checked, the best beers and wines came in much bigger bottles than 2 ounces, so that means you’ll have to check those fragile bottles. VinniBag is a fully reusable and 100% recyclable inflatable bag that will allow wine and other fragile items safe travel in your checked-in luggage.

VinniBag is a reusable travel bag with inflatable air chambers that protect and insulate wine bottles, other liquids, and fragile items. It’s designed to provide superior protection against impact and leakage, is easy to use, and stores flat, rolled or folded when not in use.

The VinniBag has an inflatable pouch that secures and protects by conforming to its contents, safeguarding your fragile items against breakage and safeguarding the rest of your luggage from spills. Specifically designed to withstand high altitude and cushion impact, this clever reusable travel tote packs flat or folded when empty so it’s easy to stow in your suitcase.

Made from recyclable materials, the VinniBag’s open architecture accommodates breakables of all shapes and size, and can even protect multiple items at once. Carry home your favorite vintage, a potent Parisian perfume, a delectable Italian olive oil, or heavily hit up Duty Free—this bag will safely secure your stock.

I’ll bet that even the TSA or UPS gorillas people will be hard pressed to cause your safely tucked items inside the VinniBag to break or bust. Great timing too… with an upcoming overseas trip, I definitely will be investing in a couple of these to bring back some more fragile items without fear of breakage.

Buy one for $28, or two or more for $25 each from VinniBag.com or other online retailers.

[ Links: VinniBag ]

LaCie and Philippe Starck have hooked up yet again for an iconic and smooth looking combo of aluminum, what could pass for mercury (not the planet) and an ultra-fast USB 3.0 connection.

The LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 – simply connect it into any PC or Mac for a seamless plug-and-play experience.

Encased in 2mm of sturdy aluminum, the LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 is one the most resistant choices for consumer hard drives on the market. The aluminum offers resilience from blunders, improved heat dissipation, and is fully recyclable.

The LaCie Starck Mobile Drive USB 3.0 at 320gb priced at $69.99 and the 500gb at $109.99.

[ Links: Philippe Starck Mobile Drive USB 3.0 ]

Clearwire’s third quarter earnings were very positive in the sense that the company added a whopping 1.23 million new subscribers during the quarter. On the other hand, cash continues to be a concern as the company continues deployment and preps Mobile WiMax launches in Los Angeles and San Francisco starting in December.

The company posted operating losses of about $540 million during the third quarter and Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow means that this is going to result in some operational streamlining:

While we continue to exceed our subscriber and operational goals, we have not yet secured future funding and prudence dictates that we take appropriate cash conservation steps to reduce costs. We continue to pursue all options for future funding including debt, equity or a potential sale of excess spectrum or other assets, and we remain cautiously optimistic that we will resolve our short-term funding needs in the near future. We continue to believe that our unmatched spectrum portfolio and our all-IP based network will keep us extremely well positioned in the dynamic and burgeoning market for mobile data.”

Clearwire says they’re going to cut back sales and marketing spending, delay commercial Mobile WiMax launches in Denver and Miami, and reduce their workforce by about 15%. Clearwire insists these efforts should reduce costs by $100 million to $200 million this year and the same amount during the first half of 2011. Despite some very deep pocketed sugar daddies (like Comcast and Intel), questions have long lingered about Clearwire’s financial ability to get their network completed. Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOM notes that Clearwire is $2 billion in debt, with several checks coming due soon.

Link to the original article…

I love gadgets. I hate wires. I’ve said it numerous times on this blog. And when I travel, I have take along enough chargers to probably alert TSA on multiple levels.

Inductive charging, when one device is designed to receive power from another device that sends power (think of the connections on a Sonicare Toothbrush) and do so without the need of wires. It’s not a new technology, but to finally see folks like Energizer get into the act, it’s definitely something I can get behind.

Designed in cooperation with WPC co-founder ConvenientPower, the first generation of the Energizer Inductive Charger is designed to conveniently charge up to three devices at one time. It features two large inductive charging zones that don’t require locking the device into a precise position, so consumers can simply set down their phone and be sure that it will be charged and ready to go. It also has a USB port so it’s easy to charge an additional device such as a phone, headset, mp3 player, camera or GPS. Two LED charge lights indicate that the device is charging.

The Energizer Inductive Charger will be introduced with a Qi Sleeve for the iPhone 3GS/3G and a one-time replacement Qi Door for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, so consumers can enjoy the convenience of Qi right away. Soon, consumers can expect to have Qi built right into many of their devices.

With the addition of the Qi standard, any Qi-enabled device (the list is growing daily) will charge without incident. I just can’t wait to see this for more devices that I currently own take the hint, Energizer.

The Energizer Inductive Charger will be available at retail starting this October with a suggested retail price of $89. The removable Qi sleeve for the Apple iPhone 3GS/3G and the Qi door for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be sold separately for $34.99 each.

[ Links: Energizer Inductive ]

Logitech this week fully unveiled their GoogleTV-based broadband video device over at the company blog, and began pre-orders via their website. The skinny: the $300 Logitech Revue with Google TV comes with a wireless keyboard and directional pad, a flurry of Google apps (including Netflix support) and broadband streaming capabilities.

There’s also a slew of accessories, including a $150 HD video chat camera, a $100 larger keyboard, and $130 mini controller.

Dish Network meanwhile says they’re going to sell the device for $179 instead of $300 but charge an ongoing yet to be determined monthly fee.

Link to the original article…

As part of their franchise agreement with New York City, Verizon was required to deploy FiOS services to every home in New York City by 2014 though the agreement allows Verizon lawyers to wiggle over, under and around those obligations should Verizon not see the kind of service uptake they’d like. According to Verizon, they’ve now passed about 1.8 million homes and businesses, or 58% of the roughly 3.1 million households in New York City.

Verizon says they’re ahead of their agreement to pass 54% of NYC premises by the end of this year. Of course while Verizon is moving forward with FiOS deployment in several cities where they’ve signed franchise agreements, they’ve frozen overall FiOS expansion elsewhere.

Link to the original article…

When I first wrote about Sym-Bionic Titan in March 2009 [ article here ] I knew that Genndy Tartakovsky wouldn’t disappoint.

Cartoon Network is bringing animator/director Genndy Tartakovsky back to prime-time television with a new sci-fi series called Sym-Bionic Titan.

The show, one of several announced Wednesday as part of Cartoon Network’s dramatically expanded development slate, will focus on three extraterrestrials from the war-torn planet Galaluna who crash-land, only to be swept up in high school and the fate of the Earth as we know it.

Last night, Cartoon Network finally debut Sym-Bionic Titan and while the cartoon comes across as equal parts: Voltron, Samurai Jack, Gundam, mixed alongside some high school drama and a mysterious villain with a past; I’m seriously happy with what I saw. And like prior Genndy Tartakovsky offerings, expect a whole lot of action, fighting, and backstory.

Almost 18 months later, I’m pleased with the premise.

[ Links: Sym-Bionic Titan ]

Verizon has made no secret of their interest in expanding beyond broadband and eventually becoming a company that offers you, well, everything including home automation and security services. To that end, Verizon this week has invested in home automation outfit 4Home, and in January at CES, Verizon and 4Home will be showing off home automation services that will work over Verizon’s upcoming LTE wireless broadband network.

Of course maybe before Verizon gets into smart refrigerators they can offer FiOS users that 802.11N-capable router they told us was supposed to arrive last month? We’ve asked for an update on that, but in the mean time you can check out some of what 4Home offers here.

Link to the original article…

It has been interesting watching Blockbuster video adapt to the broadband age, with the company seemingly not trying very hard, either out of fear of cannibalizing their brick and mortar revenue, or just a general fear of losing control. Early efforts to mirror Netflix’s success at broadband video delivery have seemed relatively lackluster, and the company’s CEO, when announcing such broadband initiatives, seems to almost expect them to fail.

Rumors of an impending bankruptcy have been around for a while, but a Blockbuster filing is now expected in September.

Link to the original article…