Testing begins for X-48B Blended Wing Body Concept
The X-48B’s three turbojet engines will allow the 500-pound, composite-skinned, 21-foot wingspan prototype to fly up to 120 knots and 10,000 feet in altitude during flight testing. (Gizmag)
The Saitek Obsidian, like the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Pad, is well designed, and features a 1,000 dpi resolution with touch-sensitive scrolling capability. The horizontal charging dock will charge your mouse and a Li-ion battery both at once, so it never dies on you. Also enjoy no wires, with the Obsidian’s interference-free 2.4GHz wireless technology. Get it for $80 at Interactive Ideas. Via Electronista
All four reddit employees will relocate from Boston to Wired’s San Francisco office and become part of Wired Digital. Reddit, founded and funded in 2005, is YCombinator hatched (just like another favorite site of mine, Snipshot).
Reddit is a social news site that has always been second place compared to Digg’s popularity, although Reddit does have many active and loyal users. Like Digg, news stories on Reddit are submitted by users, and other users vote up or down on the story. When it gets enought “up†votes, the story appears on the home page.
Made from polished aluminum, these speakers fit in the palm of your hand and give a total of 9 watts (4.5 watts RMS per channel). Also. you can rotate the speakers, so you can blast your music any direction you like.
The middle portion glows a different color according to the function being adjusted. These would be great for a coffee table or even a desk. To see them in action, check out the video. Available for $95 at Firebox. Via Newlaunches.com
The LG KV2400 we looked at in August, features a 1.3-megapixel camera, click wheel navigation, and a 2.4-inch TFT-LCD display. the phone also functions as an MP3 player and is DMB capable. Apparently you can also make music with this device, take a look…
Seidai Software has released FairGame, designed to convert songs purchased from iTunes Music Store to an unprotected format. FairGame uses iTunes’ default encoder, keeping all the original metadata, lyrics, and artwork intact.
The process takes 2 minutes and 42 seconds to convert a 4-minute song to AAC on a MacBook Pro 2.16GHz, according to Seidai. Users must enable “Access for assistive devices” in the “Universal Access” system preference and select “Place clip in Movie Timeline” in the “Import” preference of iMovie HD.
Following those two steps users can select songs in iTunes, click on the “Process songs” button, and wait for FairGame to complete its tasks. FairGame is available for free as a digital download, and is known to work on Mac OS X 10.4.8 with iMovie HD 6.0.3, and iTunes 7.0.1 installed.
As Engadget states, “it’s not quite DRM-stripping in it’s purest form, but for many a Mac user it’s going to have to do.” Via iPodNN
This comes just after Jon Lech Johansen’s (a.k.a. ‘DVD Jon’) claim that he has cracked Apple’s FairPlay copy protection technology.
Windows Media Player 11 Final Released
After a brief delay, Microsoft on Monday made available Windows Media Player version 11. The update includes several enhancements, including a new user interface, improved syncing, and integration with the URGE music service. (BetaNews)
Back in May, we took a look at Spot Runner, an online ad agency that streamlines advertising on TV and boasts cost efficiency as it’s gem. The 10 month old start-up has just raised $40 million in it’s third round of financing. Who’s behind the big pile o’ cash? Big names like CBS, former News Corp. exec Lachlan Murdoch, and two major advertising holding companies - WPP Group and Interpublic Group.
Spot Runner plans to use the new funds to further refine its core local TV advertising solutions and greatly expand its breadth of services to support key emerging mediums such as online video, video on demand and IPTV.
This comes 2 months after CBS decided to simulcast the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” online. Spot Runner’s technology, CBS says, “provides broadcasters the opportunity to expand the demand for local advertising by providing clients a quick and easy way to promote their businesses.” Spot Runner’s service also increase advertising demand and will continue to allow stations to control their inventory. Spot Runner via Ad Age
The Sony Recording Media & Energy (RME) division has just announced the 8GB Micro Vault ‘Midi’, doubling the maximum capacity available in its current offering.
With 8GB native storage capacity the new Micro Vault is can of hold over 2000 MP3s or hi-def images, or more than 20 hours of MPEG-4 video. In addition, the pre-installed Virtual Expander2 compression software lets you to store up to three times more data.
Micro Vault Midi models have retractable USB ports which make it easy to extend the connector with a slide button. On the slide button is the LED indicator, signals if it’s reading or writing. The Sony Micro Vault ‘Midi’ range is available in 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and now 8GB in November. Via BIOS
Video game industry veterans formerly of Gameloft and Activision have joined to launch Massively Mobile, a game development studio committed to delivering fresh entertainment content for mobile devices.
“For too long, the mobile platform has been treated as the red-headed stepchild of ‘real’ gaming,†says founding member and Creative Director, Demetri Detsaridis.
The company has developed a proprietary engine that will allow them to deliver immersive and addictive single and multiplayer gaming experiences, utilizing the unique advantages of the mobile platform to offer players new experiences not possible on other gaming platforms.
Seidai Software has released 
Video game industry veterans formerly of Gameloft and Activision have joined to launch