There's little to add to my glowing review of the Livescribe Pulse smartpen I wrote for TUAW last year. This is one of those gadgets that you show people and it looks like magic. It kinda is magic, I think. But this year's model introduces an app store for the pen (plus some nifty paper products), making it a desirable platform for anyone who takes their notes seriously.

Read my review for the hardware scoop; the newer models now have an improved cradle. You can now charge and keep your computer asleep, for example. The desktop software, which allows you to sort and annotate your notes (plus many other tricks covered in that earlier review for the Mac version of the software) is similarly the same but slightly upgraded. What matters is what's in the pen, since that's what you'll be using every day.

The pen runs Java applications specifically made *for* the Pulse smartpen. Now, earlier there had been some tech demos for 3D audio (the pen records in 3D, and it is very cool) and what amounted to built-in utility apps. Stuff like calculators and a simple piano that you draw and tap to play. Like Apple launching the iPhone with a limited set of pre-built applications, the Pulse had only a few "apps" but that was fine. The app store for the pen opens the doors to a huge variety of other applications, much like Apple's store does for its mobile platform.

The Livescribe Store also looks and feels nearly identical to Apple's -- at first. There's more than just apps here; there are paper products (you use special paper with the pen) and pens themselves. When you go to check out, you notice the lack of polish. Every purchase, even the free stuff, requires about three times as many clicks at it takes to buy something on the iTunes App Store. I'm not sure why people don't understand this seemingly obvious notion that consumers want to consume quickly. Especially for a pen, you know? But the entire store is a website, really, so perhaps app purchasing can be streamlined later. For now, it is catering to the physical side of the store by requiring shipping info with your orders.

If you've ever considered buying a Roku, the set-top streaming video box for your TV, you've got at least 10 new reasons today. Roku just launched its Channel Store, featuring 10 free content sources. You may have heard of some of them before: Flickr and Facebook Photos are available, as well as music from Pandora, and web shows from heavy hitters like Revision3 and Leo Laporte's TWiT.TV. On the paid side of things, Roku has already partnered with sites like Netflix, Amazon Video and MLB.com.

Will all this free content sell more Roku boxes? I'm not necessarily convinced that people will be willing to spend the money - please pardon the worn-out phrase I'm about to drop, here -- "in this economy," to get TV access to content they can already see for free on their computers. Web show creators might be more excited than consumers about the Channel Store, in fact, because they'll soon be able to create their own channels.

One question for Roku, though: why no YouTube? It seems like a pretty glaring omission from such a star-studded channel lineup.

[via NewTeeVee]

Motorola's Droid is a sweet piece of hardware that's hyped to give the iPhone a run for its money, especially since it's running the new Android 2.0 OS, and works on the Verizon network in the US. We care about software here at Download Squad though, and there's some dismaying news about the Droid on that front: it has only 256MB for app storage. Seriously.

The Droid reportedly only packs a 512MB ROM (that's the built-in memory), of which only half is allocated for apps. There are some iPhone games that couldn't even fit in that teeny-weeny storage space! But at least it's expandable, right? Um, nope. Google doesn't support installing apps to the SD cards that Motorola relies on, so developers are pretty limited in terms of file sizes for their Android 2.0 software.

The Droid may have a solid CPU and GPU for gaming, but games that take full advantage of that hardware are likely to need 100 megabytes or more of storage space. That's going to make things pretty tough until Android 2.0 comes to a device with a lot more pre-installed flash memory.

[via Daring Fireball]

UPDATE: While it's true that the Droid only has 256MB for apps, commenters have pointed out that various resources for the apps (graphics, etc.) CAN be stored on the device's SD cards. It looks like the situation isn't as bad as the numbers seem to indicate at first.

The EC might be content with Microsoft's browser ballot screen, but that's not stopping Google from getting OEMs to turn away from Internet Explorer on their own.

Google already has deals with several OEMs to include their software, of course. They've been shipping Google Desktop on OEM pcs for quite some time now, and their plans to drop Google Chrome on new users have come to fruition as well.

As you can see, I unboxed a new Sony Vaio laptop running Windows 7 yesterday. Nestled amongst the other desktop icons was the tri-color Chrome orb.
Not only was Chrome pre-pinned to the Windows 7 taskbar, but a quick look at the internet options on the laptop revealed sad news for Internet Explorer: it had been bumped from default web browsing duties.

If we weren't already in the middle of an all-out browser war, the introduction of Google Chrome as the preinstalled default on Windows PCs could well set things off.

We recently reported some bad news for Hackintosh enthusiasts: Apple's upcoming OS update, OS X 10.6.2, had removed support for Intel Atom processors. None of Apple's hardware uses Atom, but some of the most popular netbooks do, so that news affected a big chunk of the unauthorized OS X installs out there. With the latest developer build of 10.6.2, though, Apple seems to have flip-flopped and reintroduced Atom support.

A couple of possible explanations come to mind: removing Atom support could have been a bug, or it could have been an intentional, yet temporary, measure. On the other hand, maybe flipping the Atom switch back on is temporary. We really don't know, because Apple hasn't commented. The company is notorious for taking measures to keep its OS running exclusive on Macintosh hardware, so this could still go either way. For now, though, enjoy having a netbook with the very latest build of OS X

[via Engadget]

According to OSXDaily, Apple's next scheduled update to Snow Leopard, OS X 10.6.2, doesn't support Intel Atom processors. This is no problem for anyone on Apple hardware, because no Mac product runs an Atom. If you're on a hacked netbook, though, it looks like this is the end of the line for your OS X updates.

Although it's not confirmed, rumor has it that next update to Apple's previous Leopard OS (10.5.9) will also knock out Atom support. Until a workaround pops up from netbook hacker circles, Atom machines running 10.6.1 and 10.5.8 should probably avoid upgrading. Is Apple sending a message to users running its software on third-party machines? It seems likely, but it also doesn't seem like it will do much to stop determined netbook enthusiasts.

It's amazing how expensive cradles are for mobile devices. Most users realize that there is a big premium being charged for what amounts to a formed piece of plastic, and it makes them less likely to pony up the big bucks for a device that holds their phone. Luckily, this is an area where a little DIY creativity can help.

A Download Squad tipster pointed us to their YouTube video describing how to take a cardboard coffee cup sleeve and with a few careful cuts, turn it into a perfectly serviceable cradle for holding a mobile device in landscape orientation. The video could have been shorter, but it is very well put together. I've embedded the video after the jump at the end of this post.

Alternatively, there is an iPhone dock papercraft project that Lifehacker pointed to that is a little more complicated, but results in a cradle that can hold an iPhone in landscape or portrait orientation, and allows you to plug in your iPhone's sync cable while in portrait orientation.

Is it worth skimping on a cradle and trying to make it yourself, or are you willing to pay the premium that hardware makers charge for their sturdier versions? Do you know of a different set of DIY cradle plans? Let us know in the comments.

I got a message yesterday directing me to some groundbreaking post on Ars Technica, in which the long-winded and storied tale of an in-development 128 bit version of Windows unfolded like something out of a geek spy novel.

Robert Morgan is working to get IA-128 working backwards with full binary compatibility on the existing IA-64 instructions in the hardware simulation to work for Windows 8 and definitely Windows 9.

Bullpuckey, I said. Shenanigans, I mumbled. "It must be fairy tale time over at Conde Nast", I thought to myself, and quickly moved on. I never in my wildest dreams would have figured this had legs. Surely I wasn't the only one to spot the giant hole in the middle of this story.

Today, I read it on Slashdot. So, before Windows 8 for IA-128 becomes the digital equivalent of Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, I figured it was prudent to point out the itty, bitty, tiny little problem that's keeping this story from having any basis in reality.

There is no IA-128. The Abominable Snowman and the Easter Bunny could hold a press conference about the lost sex tapes of The Tooth Fairy and it would have more credibility than this rumor. In fact, calling it a rumor lends too much credence to the story. There may be a Robert Morgan, there certainly is a Windows 8, but there is no IA-128.

IA-64 was Intel's joint venture with HP to create a next generation 64 bit server processor. Finally released far behind schedule, the Itanium line has been beset with problems. Poor performance, a lagging upgrade path, and poor vendor uptake have all conspired to create what John Dvorak recently called, "one of the great fiascoes of the last 50 years""

So, while the editors at Ars are busy explaining to Emil Protalinski that there is no Santa Claus, it's probably the right moment to point out that you shouldn't believe everything you read on forums. Or, Slashdot. Or apparently Ars, for that matter.

Move along folks, nothing to see here.

Before I get started, yes, I do realize that this is not Engadget. However, TonidoPlug is a bit of a different situation for us. It's an excellent example of a software product making the jump to hardware -- and doing it well.

In case you missed the earlier posts, I took a look at the Tonido beta a while back. Anyone who is leery about offering up confidential documents and media files to the Cloud Gods, Tonido is for you. If you can read and follow directions and spare some of your valuable time to configure the suite, it's a simple, secure, and effective way to rock a cloud setup without giving up control and complete privacy.

Here's a quick recap of what Tonido provides:

• File sharing
• Photo gallery
• MP3 streaming with playlist support
• Thots, a simple blogging platform
• A collaborative workspace with calendar and task management

As for the plug itself, it utilizes Marvell's Sheevaplug base running the 1.2Ghz Foreceon processor with 512Mb of DDR2 memory and 512Mb of flash storage onboard. Ubuntu 9.04 provides the embedded software muscle and leaves plenty of room for expansion.

First, Tonido let you set up your own, private cloud. It's been an excellent fit at the office, providing plenty of useful collaboration features at no cost and with very little learning curve for our staff.

Now, CodeLathe has rolled out a new plug-in feature which allows your Tonido server to act as an OpenID provider. Instead of relying on someone else's server, just activate the Tonido service and you can being using yourname.tonidoid.com:10001 instead.

As they describe it in the official blog post, "Tonido OpenID is unique in the sense that it is a truly a decentralized and private OpenID provider. What it means is that Tonido OpenID does not use any third party server to manage your identity." To install, just head to your Tonido admin panel and open the apps page.

On to the hardware: TonidoPlug is similar to Pogoplug, which allows you to share your files via the internet. TonidoPlug goes a step further, offering all the core Tonido functions: Photos, Jukebox, Webshare, Workspace, Thots (blog), Explorer, Torrent and Search.

The Plug runs on an embedded Ubuntu Jaunty base, and retails for $99USD. That's not too shabby for a device which adds a ton of functionality to your existing USB hard drive.

Plenty of people out there are still running the odd DOS application - many of them for business purposes. So what are you to do when that trusty old printer breaks down and you can't find a new one with a parallel port?

Why not buy a fancy new USB-only printer and make use of a stupid Windows trick that's been around for a while? It's a fairly simple process.

Step one is to install the printer as you normally would - making sure you follow the instructions provided, of course. Once that's done, you're set for Windows printing. Go to control panel and open your printers, then right-click on the newly installed one and choose properties from the context menu.

Once the printer properties are up, click the ports tab and make note of which port has the check mark in it. You'll need that information in just a minute.

Close that window, and choose to add a new printer (the option to do so should be on the file menu, or you may see an icon). Click next to start the process. On the second screen, select local printer but take the check out of automatically detect and install.

With all the buzz about the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing I got to thinking, how powerful were the computers that "took us to the Moon?" It turns out, they were nothing short of amazing. If you've never had a nerdy bone in your body, feel free to skip this post. But, if you ever laid on your back under the stars and thought about Mercury, Gemini, Apollo or the Space Shuttle, read on and see if you're as geek-struck as I was researching this.

Since almost all phones can now take photos, many people have both a phone and a regular camera (or four) that they manage with their Mac. By default, you can choose whether to automatically open iPhoto when a camera is connected, but what if you want to do different things depending on which camera you connect? A new application by Flexibits has just been released to deal with this problem.

Cameras installs as a preferences pane, and allows you to very specifically choose what you would like to do with each camera. By default it is set to "Ask what to do" each time a new camera is plugged in, at which point you can choose to open a specific application, do nothing at all, or leave the option to ask what to do each time.

This functionality seems so dead-simple and obvious that I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't adopt it at some point in the future. For the time being, if you have more than one camera and you want to handle each one in different ways, Cameras is your free magic bullet.

[via our close personal friends at TUAW]

When Amazon created an iPhone app based on its popular e-reader device, the Kindle, it became clear that $10 books were as big or bigger than $400 readers in Amazon's business model. By allowing reading on other devices, Amazon has been able to make sales to customers who would never have bought a Kindle, and that's worked so well on the iPhone that other devices and book formats are now on the agenda.

According to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the company looks at the ebook business and the gadget business as separate. Expanding to new devices isn't going to keep gadget-hungry consumers from buying a Kindle if they were planning to do it anyway, and plenty of customers who would never buy a Kindle might still buy a few books for their own devices. As for file formats, the Kindle already reads PDFs, but Bezos said other formats could be supported in the future. This may be one of the results we're seeing from Amazon's acquistion of Stanza, which supported formats that the Kindle doesn't yet.

Updated: At first, I thought that recent release of the Kindle Source Code might have something to do with developing for other platforms, but it was actually only done to comply with the Gnu Public License. Because the Kindle was built on some open-source GPL-licensed components, Amazon had to release the parts of the code that were modifications of those components. It unfortunately has nothing to do with enabling developers on other platforms to build apps that work with Kindle books.

One of the selling points of the Palm Pre is that it can sync with iTunes just like an iPhone can, minus the ability to play old DRM-protected purchases from the Apple store. The thing is, that amazing iTunes support comes from a hacky workaround where the Pre passes itself off as Apple hardware when it's connected. It won't show up in iTunes as a "Palm Pre," it'll show up as an iPod.

What can Apple do about it, though? An escalating battle to break the hack could require Apple to release firmware updates, which is always annoying for users, or could be fixed on the software side with an iTunes update. The newest release of iTunes, 8.2, reportedly doesn't break Pre's syncing support.

What will the outcome be? Do you think we'll see a lawsuit, a firmware or iTunes-side fix from Apple, or something completely different?