Posted 11/26/09 at 10:00:00 AM by Alex Castle and Norman Chan

Are you planning to do some travelling or Holiday gift shopping this weekend? There's only one way you can do both at the same time, and that's with SkyMall. It's the catalog for products that didn't quite make it into Sharper Image or BrookStone, and are too expensive to sell on infomercials. We picked up the latest issue on a recent flight, and were astounded to find terrible products on every other page. Here, we've picked out the fifty worst items, including horrendously ill-conceived vehicle accessories, impractical grooming devices, and the most terribly advertised gadgets for sale. 

But let's start with the gem of a cover, which apparently breaks the rules of the space-time continuum.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 06:26:24 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Look, no one’s going to claim that Microsoft has really mastered this whole retail thing. That’s no to say they aren’t trying. The software company that recently brought you a Microsoft Store in Arizona, has now stepped it up to a small PC equipped space in Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.

While the spirit of providing free internet access is certainly appreciated, the design is a little awkward. Maybe the low chairs and high tables are by design; a way to get people to move along quickly? There is also an associated twitter stream for the promotion. You can check it out at #holidaywindows. Tweets from the tag are used to populate a screen in the Saks storefront window.

Microsoft may be a bit on the reactive side, but they were smart enough to know some sneaky internet types might try to spam the tag. Sure enough, if you check the tag online you’ll likely see some pro-Mac content. But Microsoft assures us that there are filters in place so only comments in the holiday spirit make it to the actual Saks windows display.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 05:39:49 PM by Ryan Whitwam

At Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference the Redmond giant showed off an early build of Internet Explorer 9 complete with GPU acceleration. Not to be outclassed, Mozilla has indicated they too are working on GPU acceleration for the popular Firefox browser. After the Microsoft demo, Mozilla Director of Developer Relations, Chris Blizzard tweeted, “Interesting that we're doing Direct2D support in Firefox as well - I'll bet we'll ship it first. :)"

Later, Firefox developer Bas Schouten wrote about the addition of Direct2D to the browser. He said the browser wouldn’t look much different, but rendering should be much improved. Schouten provided benchmark data for Direct2D rendering compared to standard Windows Graphic Device Interface (GDI). While some sites showed little difference, several saw dramatic reduction in rendering times. Hopefully we’ll see this technology sooner rather than later. However, there are currently no ship dates for either product.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 05:27:20 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Google has begun testing a new search interface. If you are wondering why on earth the change is not visible to you, it's because the new look search page is being rolled out in a very limited manner and appears randomly. The launch of the new interface is in keeping with a story that was published on Search Engine Land last week.

“We’re basically looking at a new look and feel for Google,” Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of search product and user experience, told the website last week. “It’s an overall cleaning up of the search results page.” The most notable addition seems to be that of a column on the left side of the results page.

The “All Results” section on the left side of the page has given way to tabs that let you switch between different types of search modes: all results, news, maps, images, books, maps etc. Similar search terms are displayed just below these tabs. The option to filter your search results by time is also included on the left side.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 03:14:03 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Limiting the time it takes to reach the desktop from the moment the PC is turned on (no pun intended)  may not be the holy grail of personal computing but it is something that merits attention. Google is just not chasing distant dreams in the “cloud” with its Chrome OS. It is also trying to address – or exploit - the growing mass resentment of slow boot times. In fact, the focal point of most reports about Google's operating system in the mainstream media has been its ability to boot in just 7 seconds.  Not that tech-savvy people don't like quick boot times, but this is wonderful publicity as it is simple enough to stoke the curiosity of tech greenhorns, the majority.

A bloke only identified by his Twitter id “Hexxeh” was able to boot Chromium OS (open source  version of Chrome OS) natively from a USB key. He has uploaded the image file of the operating system so others can burn it to a USB Key and begin toying with Chromium themselves. According to our friends over at Engadget, the USB version takes less time to boot than its virtualized counterpart. It took them few seconds to hit the ground running on a Dell Mini 9. Hexxeh has created a website for distributing the bootable image besides a simple set of  instructions for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 03:00:00 PM by David Murphy

After hearing the recent announcement that Google has opened up the doors to its extensions gallery for developers, I thought but one thing: Hurry. It's been more than a year since the launch of the browser itself--a tough, troubling year for those of us used to hacking the crap out of our browsers with all the third-party extensions and themes we can stuff into the window.

It warms the heart to see that Google will be using an automated approval process for extensions submitted to its online gallery, reserving the white-glove, actual-human treatment for those using the NPAPI components. For the uninitiated, NPAPI is a cross-platform architecture that should allow developers to quickly port Firefox plugins over to Google Chrome. That's plugins, not extensions--Google still has a lot of catching up to do in order to deliver the wealth of customizations currently enjoyed by the Firefox community at-large.

To this point, however, I wonder if the time has come where the security of a browsing experience has started to outweigh its customizability. Or, in layperson's terms, would you rather have a packed-to-the-gills Web browser or a safe, speedy Web browser? I've always found myself veering toward the former because tweaking a piece of software to one's own specifications is an art in itself. And I do like transforming Firefox into a Swiss Army knife of application stew. However, there does come a point when all the extensions in the world can't improve issues like a 600,000K memory leak or, worse, third-party security exploits.

Firefox might have a wealth of third-party customizations on its side, but is the allure of a fresh start in admittedly better browser enough to compel users to make a switch to Google's Chrome? It might just yet...

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Posted 11/25/09 at 02:30:39 PM by Paul Lilly

There have been a lot of layoffs this year, and it seems recently in particular we've been hearing about companies handing out pink slips. The tough times continue, and this time it's MSI who plans on trimming its workforce, by up to 20 percent and no less than 10 percent, industry sources say.

According to those who claim to be in the know, the layoffs will take place after the holidays in early 2010. MSI will focus on trimming staff in its business units and other departments with excess or overlapping staff, although employees pushing netbook, notebook, and graphics card sales are also under evaluation. It doesn't appear that anyone involved with MSI's motherboard business will be affected.

The rumors, which DigiTimes says MSI has denied, suggest that the layoffs will be primarily aimed at employees with unsatisfactory performance, and as such, the company also plans to hire some new staff.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 01:15:38 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

In motherboards—as in life—it’s the little things that bring the greatest pleasure.

Take the new Core i5/i7 LGA1156 board, the Asus P7P55D Deluxe. Enthusiasts are used to the flashy heatsinks and tons of ports and slots, but small touches like Asus’s innovative RAM slots will make you take notice. Instead of using the typical latch connectors that can snag the GPU, Asus has designed a system that requires only one side of the RAM to be latched in.

But adding unexpected conveniences is Asus’s M.O. of late. The board also features snag-free I/O shields, a quick-connect for front-panel connectors, and ExpressGate—the somewhat handy pre-OS boot environment. Besides adding such extras, Asus said it spent an inordinate amount of time making sure the board overclocks like a champ. There are multiple ways to overclock: using the Turbo V function, AI Suite, and the OC Tuner in the BIOS. If that’s not enough, the company even includes three ominous switches to let you override BIOS limits on RAM, memory controller, and CPU voltage. Even more interesting is the Turbo V remote. This wired remote lets you power up or down and select from three overclocking profiles or crank up the Bclock in real time.

Continue reading this review after the jump.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 12:15:14 PM by Paul Lilly

If at first you don't succeed, keep suing anyway. That appears to be the philosophy behind Rambus, the sue-happy company that some have accused of being a patent troll, while others -- especially its outspoken investors -- have cast as a victim of patent infringement. Most recently, Rambus has been on a rampage against Nvidia, claiming the graphics chip maker infringes on existing patents held by Rambus.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) doesn't agree and has rejected all 17 claims for three Rambus patents asserted against Nvidia in the International Trade Commission (ITC).

"This continues our string of victories against Rambus patents is the USPTO," said Nvidia general counsel David Shannon. "We believe these patents are invalid and are confident that a similar decision will be made on the patents that continue to be examined."

Nvidia requested the review and will present the findings to an ITC judge in Washington, D.C. The ITC judge, who is not bound by the findings, will likely make a decision in January.

Meanwhile, Rambus continues to stick to its guns, which isn't surprising, considering the company has spent $300 million on legal disputes with chip makers since 2000.

"The patents remain valid and enforceable as originally issued until the reexamination proceedings are concluded, including all appeals," a spokeswoman for Rambus said.

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Posted 11/25/09 at 11:54:54 AM by Paul Lilly

Now available from USB Geek is the aptly named USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touchpad. The marketing gurus have pegged the device as a simple wireless input device, but this could be the perfect stocking stuffer for HTPC enthusiasts.

You won't find a multitouch interface nor is there an LCD. But it does come with a trackpad, wireless USB dongle, and a QWERTY keyboard in a form factor that will have all those hours honing your text messaging skills paying off.

It works from up to 30 feet away, and a bright backlight ensures you'll have little trouble manipulating your DVR in the dark. It also comes with a built-in rechargeable battery and supports Windows 7, Vista, XP,  and 2000. And at $62, it's not going to break the bank either.

Check out a video of the remote USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touchpad in action here, then hit up the product page for more info.

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