Jason Chen

Future MacBook Airs May Have 3G Built In

This Apple customer survey—conducted in-house, as they’re apt to do—asks how often customers use 3G devices with their MacBook Air. Does this hint at a future model with 3G built in, or just at a Mi-Fi bundle? [AppleInsider]

Sometimes Fireworks Work Too Well

After inventing fireworks, the Chinese have laid dormant in civilian-level explosion-technology for a few thousand years…until now. Behold, an improved way to scare the shit out of people.

One of Apple’s iPhone 5 Prototypes Has A Hardware Keyboard?

A SIM Card With Facebook On It

Gemalto, with Facebook’s help, just made a text-based, on-SIM implementation of basic Facebook functions. The software lets dumbphones do simple Facebook tasks like changing status or posting on walls. Good for developing countries, weird for everywhere else. [The Register]

Free Access to The Daily iPad Magazine Means iOS 4.3 Coming on Feb 28?

The Daily, the iPad Magazine app that you can actually read for free on a computer, just extended their free access until Feb 28. Why? Because users need iOS 4.3 in order to do in-app recurring subscriptions. [Macrumors]

Boxee’s Streamer Finally Gets Netflix

The Boxee box was a pretty decent streamer, but a big hole was its inability to stream Netflix—something pretty much every other electronic device can do. Now it can. [Boxee]

Make An Android Robot Version of Yourself

The Androidify app lets you make a “you” version of the Android bot, for avatar pics on Twitter, Facebook or your dating profile. Free. [Market via Androidify]

The Average Woman In Every Country Looks Like This

Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt 4G LTE Phone Will Be $250, Or $750 Without Contract

Best Buy’s $250 on-contract, $750 off-contract ad for the HTC Thunderbolt 4G phone cements the pricing on this early LTE Verizon phone. No more guessing how much you’ll pay for all four of the gees. [Slashgear]

All The Computers = One Human Brain

It’s obviously a guesstimate, but a pair of researchers are saying all the computing power in all the general purpose computers (that’s your PC, laptops, etc.) is equivalent to the instructions-per-second an average brain can execute. [Ars via Gawker]

The Internet Voted, But Harry Baals Might Not Get a Building Named After Him

In this News Channel 15 special report, you’ll discover why the city of Fort Wayne is disregarding the will of the people to name the new city/county building after a beloved Mayor called Harry Baals. Also, I’m sure that guy is just saying Harry Baals as many times as possible.

If Sony Abandons iTunes, Will Others Follow?

California Stores Can’t Ask For Your Zip Code Anymore

A California court says retailers cannot ask for your ZIP code when you’re buying something. That means Radio Shack, Fry’s and anybody else I’m leaving out (Best Buy?) will have to collect marketing data another way. Hurray privacy. [LATimes]

Nikon, Kodak Could Have Bought Photoshop

Back in 1988, Nikon turned down the opportunity to buy Photoshop, because Nikon Japan felt they weren’t a software company. Kodak and others declined as well, before Adobe finally purchased them. [Nikonweb via Petapixel]

Double Dragon Is Going To Beat Up Your iPhone

This street beat-em-up seems like it would make a good transition to the tiny screen. I’d prefer a physical D-pad to the virtual one for precision, but DD isn’t about precision. It’s about punching every last person you see. [Joystiq]

Next Windows Phone 7 Update Has IE Mobile 9 and HTML5

The next Windows Phone 7 update, code named Mango, will have IE Mobile 9, which contains HTML5 support. It’ll be the first major update for WP7, but might not have Silverlight browser support after all. It’s unclear if third-party multitasking and Twitter integration will make it. [ZDnet]

A Chipmunk In Slow Motion

I’m having a hard time thinking of a better use for slow motion cameras right now. [Boingboing]

RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet May Run Android Apps?

How A Scummy Advertising Agency Faked the Street View Birth

Remember the fake Google Street View birth last year, made by an advertising agency? Now they made a video celebrating how they tricked everyone for a short time.

Workplace Deaths in 2009

Here is a very gruesome PDF that shows the total number of workplace fatalities by various means. Struck against object, caught in collapsing materials, falls and exposure to harmful substances all make the list. [Stats.bls.gov (PDF)]