THE Tech Scoop

Original iPhone owners who prefer not to give away or sell their old iPhones after upgrading to the iPhone 3G can instead keep it and use them as a WiFi-enabled iPod (per AT&T confirmation).

As AT&T would prefer existing users to give their 1st gen iPhones to friends or family (keep that $$ stream coming on the service)…various spokespeople have confirmed that neither AT&T nor Apple will prevent de-activated 1st gen iPhones from utilizing WiFi. “If the [original] device is not re-activated as a wireless phone after you’ve upgraded to iPhone 3G, it will still work as an iTunes player and can access Wi-Fi,” the spokesperson said. That means old iPhones can still surf the web, check email, and browse the mobile iTunes store when connected to WiFi. Additionally, they’ll
be able to function as a handheld gaming device and widescreen video iPod with calendar and photo functions.

It’s recommended that owners who take this approach upgrade their original iPhones with iPhone Software v2.0 (which includes the App Store) on July 11th prior to de-activating the devices, as it’s unclear whether upgrades to non-active handsets will be possible.
[via AppleInsider]

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Posterous is a cool new blogging tool that forgos some of the traditional dashboards and will simply let you write the post in your favorite e-mail tool. Any photos, music, or videos you attach to your message will show up in a new blog post, which can later be administered on the Web.
There’s no sign-up, and in fact the first time you send a message to post@posterous.com it’ll automatically create your blog and Posterous account for you.

Once you register you’ll still get a way to create posts in your browser. There’s a simple WYSIWYG editor, and a way to go back and edit previous creations. Like Tumblr, there’s also a network of other users you can subscribe to, so their posts show up in a centralized stream.

Writing blog posts via e-mail is definitely not a new thing. Google’s Blogger product has had this for quite some time now, and will support both links and images that get pushed straight to a live post. Hosted WordPress blogs and Tumblr itself also support this feature. However, none of these products support comment forwarding, which lets you keep track of community discussion while you’re away from your computer. In Posterous’ case you’ll get a new e-mail for every new comment with the option to reply. If you do (through your e-mail client of course) that reply will be pushed live as a threaded comment. Neat.
[via DownloadSquad]

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This doesn’t pertain to those (like me who bought the 1st gen PS3 - we got hooked up well !!). But

those who got the newer 40GB version got short-changed a few USB ports, a memory card reader and hardware-based backwards compatibility.

Nyko is solving two of these problems with their Media Hub, a 3-port USB hub with media card reader (SD and Memory Stick). Compatible with all available PS3s, the Media Hub snaps seamlessly onto consoles and works from a horizontal or vertical position. Expect the Media Hub to hit stores this August for $20. Sorry, no answer yet on the backwards compatibility stuff. [Nyko]

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The folks at Guinness Books have officially stated that Mozilla set a record for downloads in a 24-hour period with 8,002,530 copies of Firefox downloaded on June 17th.

“As the arbiter and recorder of the world’s amazing facts, Guinness
World Records is pleased to add Mozilla’s achievement to our archives,”
Gareth Deaves, Guinness’ records manager, said in a statement.

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Looking to add a bit of personal flair to your desk at work?

Powered by USB, and with decent audio quality, get yourself one of these pink, white or black pig speaker units for $14 each.

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Sony has pulled the 2.40 firmware update from both its in-console update and website after some users reported that the firmware has bricked their system. SCEA PR director Patrick Seybold told Joystiq that Sony is “looking into it right now and will work with those customers directly to address any issues they may be experiencing.”

[via engadget]

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Forget about those measly 7″ screens. This thing has a 12.5″ screen for you and the little ones to watch your favorite movies on during that long car ride.

This unit is coming from Chinavasion (yes, out of China)

Pricing is $196.69 for 1 and volume discounts come into effect when 3 or more units are purchased.

Check out some of the relatively impressive specs:

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It looks like those wanting to add a workstation to their computing arsenal now have a relatively inexpensive option to consider from HP, which has just rolled out some new additions to its xw4550 series that start at a mere $599. That’ll get you a 2.0GHz AMD Opteron 1212 processor, along with 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 290 graphics with 256 MB of RAM. If you’ve got a bit more cash to throw around, you can max that out to a 2.8GHz Opteron 1220, 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 graphics for $1,349, with a couple of options available in between, all of which come with Vista Business as standard with XP Professional pre-installed.

[Via Electronista]

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Hamilton Beach has made the machine every home bartender wants and needs.

The Ultimate Professional Drink Maker has the ability to count how many times the agitator passes the shaver blade and then releases just the right amount of ice to mix and blend with the liquids. ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?!!

Here’s some specs:

• Prepares up to four 16-oz. drinks in a single cycle in your choice of slushy or smooth
• Powerful blender operates smoothly and quietly
• Three-horsepower motor; heavy duty stainless steel blade
• Wave-Action ™ system continually forces mixture down into blades for smooth results every time
• Insulated 20 oz. double-walled ice hopper
• Automatic cycle buttons with 128 ice programs to customize beverages and portions
• Oversized, unbreakable 64-oz. polycarbonate drink pitcher will not cloud over time and is dishwasher-safe
• Integrated water drain helps keep ice fresh

For those with $1999 in hand click through to make that purchase in time for your next Summer BBQ

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Perfect for the apartment dweller….

Take a look at the DeLonghi Portable Air Conditioner ($750). With sleek styling, the 11,000-BTU cooling capacity unit will look great wherever you need to cool down, and features an electronic control panel with LED display, an included LCD remote control, a 24-hour programmable timer, adjustable thermostat, and more.

On top of that, the air conditioner helps purify the air thanks to its 3M Filtrete air filter, which contains specially charged fibers that attract and capture tiny microparticles of pollen and dust.

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