Confirmed: BlackBerry Thunder is Actually BlackBerry Storm, Release Not Delayed

ckb has learned from a solid source that the upcoming BlackBerry is definitely being called the "Storm" and not the "Thunder" as previously reported—proving that BGR had it all wrong all along. BGR was also incorrect in stating that the release would be delayed. In fact, our source claims that "It's on track and it rocks." So, it seems that in the midst of all of this iPhone news, BlackBerry fans have something to get excited about as well.Thanks, Tipster X!

Question of the Day: Are You More Excited About iPhone Apps or 3G?

The App Store is up and firmware 2.0 has been leaked, so I'm feeling pretty content right now. Sure 3G is awesome, but to be honest I was more excited about the App Store than anything else. So, my question is: do you feel the same way? Are you more excited about the App Store or the 3G upgrade?
leave ur comment as answer

Inquirer: Every Nvidia Graphics Card With G84 or G86 Chipset Is Ready to Die

Those overheating Nvidia laptop graphics cards that are dying en masse? The Inquirer is reporting that "all the G84 and G86 parts are bad. Period. No exceptions," on mobile and desktop. Those chipsets are in pretty much every GeForce 8-series graphics card below the 8800s (here's a complete list of cards and chipsets). Notably, that means every MacBook Pro since the Santa Rosa update has the bad cards, which fail at a "higher-than-normal" rate.

The root of the problem is the substrate/bumping material, which Nvidia themselves had characterized as "weak." The G84 and G86 chipsets use the same application-specific integrated circuit, which the Inquirer has been told had no changes made to it during its life cycle—besides, Nvidia wouldn't change the assembly process or materials for a single batch, according to engineers. So Nvidia's official claim, that the weak materials were only used for a single batch, doesn't hold so much water. And as the Inquirer points out, their fix, to run the fan more to offseat the heat issue simply covers up the problem while it drains your battery.

If this is all true, Nvidia better have more than $200 million set aside for fixes

iPhone OS 2.0 Unlocked (YES!)

The new iPhone OS 2.0 software has been unlocked and jailbroken. It was released just hours ago and it has already been cracked by the iPhone Dev Team. The first one took a couple of months, but this one was actually unlocked before Apple released it to the public. And you have had the proof in front of you all morning.

If you were wondering how I was doing push email tests on iPhone OS 2.0 and Vodafone UK, this is the reason why. The code wizard commandos at the iPhone Dev Team have been working on this non-stop since the early days of beta testing. In fact, I had iPhone OS 2.0 running on my iPhone since last week. That was version 5A345, two below 5A347, but identical in functionality.

Now that the official iPhone OS 2.0 is out, the iPhone Dev Team will release their Pwnage tool for everyone to unlock and jailbreak their iPhones soon. It may not be as interesting as before—since most countries now have the iPhone and it will be impossible to buy without doing a contract first—but people looking to install unsigned applications and buy pay-as-you-go cards while traveling—instead of roaming—will find it very useful.

And besides, we don't get tired of seeing the Death Star exploding again and again.

A Bond Without Gadgets?!

a blopper to casino royale

OLPC XO Laptop 2.0 Has Dual Touchscreens, Looks Amazing and Future-y

At OLPC's Global Country workshop today, founder Nick Negroponte unveiled the next-gen XO Laptop, and it totally blows the original away. About half XO 1.0's size and more like a foldable book, it does away with the keyboard and trackpad to go totally touchscreen—that's right, dual touchscreens, straight out of the future, like a kid's book in Minority Report. Folded all the way out, the displays work like a single continuous one, for say, a sweet game of pong. Like XO 1.0, the display by Pixel-Qi will look fine indoors or in bright sunlight. Unfortunately, it really is from the future: Due in 2010, they're aiming for $75 and one-watt power consumption. Update: High-res shots and full press release, and they're calling it XOXO, or XO-2.

6 Takes On The Netflix Player

While our own Brian Lam already published Gizmodo's review of the new Netflix Player by Roku—a $100 streaming media box allowing unlimited downloads of 10,000 movies with a Netflix subscription—apparently there are other news outlets in existence who had opinions of their own. (I know, totally tacky on their part, right?) Here's the quick version of the first six reviews of the Netflix Player.

Caysea Knows Best (7/10)
On the technical end, this small set top box is dead simple to configure and use with my existing Netflix account. Plug it in, hook it up to the HDTV with an HDMI cable, plug in an Ethernet cord, and then use a confirmation code to link it to your account. I was running within five minutes.

CNET (7.7/10)
The load time for videos isn't exactly "instant," but depending on the speed of your Internet connection, they buffer and launch in less than a minute. What adds a little time is the innovative way Netflix is enabling fast-forwarding (and rewinding). Since there are no chapter breaks, you're forced to zip forward and back...through a series of hundreds of snapshots of frames in the film...The system works well...

Iron Man, Now Powered By LED Arc Reactor

We know way better than to actually buy this 1:6 scale Iron Man "Fine Art Statue" that is coming this September, but we can't help but ogle a bit. The model is a tiny replica of the Mark III armor according to Marvel's specifications, and it will feature an LED-powered Unibeam, along with glowing LED eyes and Repulsor Ray palms. We hope you understand what we mean when we say that this thing isn't worth $179.99, but it's totally worth $179.99.

Robot Climbs Walls With Static Electricity

This unnamed robot by SRI International has a useful trick—it can climb walls using the principle of electro-adhesion (what we generalized as "static electricity" as kids, when we'd rub balloons on our heads and stick them to walls). But what's most promising is that the robot needs only a "very small amount of power" to stick to surfaces that can be covered in dust and other debris. The link has a video of the robot in action. SPOILER ALERT: robots climbing up drywall is more boring than you'd think.

Win Vista SP1 Out and How it Works out For You?

After over a year of waiting, you finally got that packet o' bits known as Windows Vista SP1. We're gonna guess you downloaded it almost immediately—that's what we did. So, tell us how about it. Share your experiences, good or bad in comments section..