Tim Cook to give first TV interview on Rock Center Dec. 6

NBC will air the first televised interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook next week on Rock Center with Brian Williams. The interview was filmed today at the Grand Central Apple Store in New York City.

The network hasn't divulged the focus of the discussion, but it will be just one of three segments on the episode which is also slated to feature a chat with The Hobbit director Peter Jackson. After filming of the interview with Cook wrapped, Rock Center's Twitter account tweeted the above photo of Williams and the Apple CEO in front of the cameras.

Cook's spot on Rock Center with Brian Williams will air next Thursday, December 6 at 10 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. CT on NBC.

[Source: TUAW]

Code hints Microsoft may add direct music playback to SkyDrive

Microsoft has been busy streamlining SkyDrive to make the most of our time in the cloud, but it hasn't yet cut out the middleman for audio playback; if a song wasn't obtained through a channel like Xbox Music, it won't play online in Microsoft's universe. LiveSide has made some code discoveries suggesting the storage service could at least partly remedy the problem with a web-based music player. We don't know much of how it would work, although the presence of interface elements hints that Microsoft is at least committed to development. The real dilemma is an absence of clues as to when (and if) playback will ever go live -- and there's nothing that would reveal whether or not SkyDrive is the heart of an upcoming option to upload personal tracks for Xbox Music streaming. If the music player mentions reflect more than just experimentation, however, the Redmond team may soon have a more direct answer to the likes of Amazon Cloud Player or Google Music.

[Source: Engadget]

Mitsubishi is ending rear-projection TVs, ceases production of DLP and laser models

It's time for someone over at IDC to pop the champagne, as its 2007 projectionabout the end of rear-projection TVs turned out to be only a year off, now that the last company still making them has announced it's getting out of the game. As first reported by CE Pro, Mitsubishi is finally ceding to competition from flat-panels which have grown to equally ridiculous size, and cut prices so sharply that it "can no longer sustain our business in its current form." The company's official statement is after the break, confirming that its DLP and LaserVue models are no more however "existing customer relations and parts and services departments will remain in place along with existing authorized service centers" which should be good news for current owners. There's an in-depth retrospective of the technology at the source link, looking back to Samsung's exit that left Mitsubishi alone in the segment three years ago, long after others like Sony and Hitachi fled for thinner-framed climates.

Mitsubishi also made a go of it in flat-panels, but ditched those efforts last yearand will now focus on the professional market and home-theater projectors here in the US. In recent years the tech has improved with thinner models, integrated soundbars and even larger screens available. The slowing economy may have extended RPTV's lease on life with a size bang for buck that's tough to beat, but ultimately customers opted for bright flashy flat-panel HDTVs that offer easier wall-mounting options while seeming to get bigger, lighter and cheaper every year. We're sure there are more than a few super-sized rear-projection TVs that will continue to bring the big game to basements and dens everywhere, feel free to celebrate an old friend in the comments below.

[Source: Engadget]

Macronix plans to heat up flash memory to keep it from burning out

Despite the looming threat of being replaced by phase-change memory, contemporary memory modules aren't quite ready to be shown the door -- engineers at Macronix have found a way to revive spent NAND flash cells. Most flash modules fail after being written to and erased about 10,000 times, but Macronix found that the tired memory could be restored by baking it for extended periods of time. The team funneled the time consuming and cumbersome solution into a more practical package: a redesigned memory chip that packs onboard heaters. The new modules are designed to periodically heat focused groups of memory cells to 800 °C (1,472 °F) for a few milliseconds, effectively "healing" worn cells.

Researchers found that heated chips could tolerate more than 100 million write/erase cycles and erased faster at higher temperatures. The team said the power drain of the heaters shouldn't effect battery life, either -- chips don't have to be heated often, and when they do, it can be done while prospective devices are recharging. Macronix will be presenting the technology at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting next week, but project deputy director Hans-Ting Lue wouldn't say when the company plans on taking the technology to market. Luewas willing to speculate on what might become of it, however. "This may evolve into a 'thermally assisted' mode of operation that gives both better performance -- such as the faster erasing -- and better endurance flash memory." Faster, more reliable, super-heated memory. Sounds fine by us.

[Source: Engadget]

Secret Santa Revealed

Ooooooh, only 21 sleeps until Christmas :D

It is this time of year that we all look forward to spending time with family & friends. The preparation is just as exciting too, with late night shopping, food planning & the decorating of a real (or possibly virtual) Christmas Tree.

I am in the priveleged position to have an extended set of friends too. Over the years of producing videos, the cool comments come flooding in, the tweets go crazy and the likes on Facebook make me smile. On Twitter & YouTube I communicate with some super cool people, mainly gadget addicts like me, but really a diverse mix. So when I was contacted to take part in a Secret Santa by MoneySuperMarket I was super excited.

The time to reveal the recipient of my gift is now here … and boy oh boy was I smiling when I saw that I had been partnered with a fellow geek. So my Christmas Gift is winging its way to GadgetsBoy … making his Christmas that little bit brighter.

For a nice twist & to keep everyone guessing, just what should I buy someone who handles tech every day? 

Winter Warmers
Maybe some Touch Screen Gloves are in order. Keeping those fingers warm and frost free, whilst still being able to keep those Tweets & Instagram pics coming. These look really geeky and good value for money. I have seen these in varying styles and always fancied a pair myself. Maybe I am drawn to these because I WANT THEM!!! I have heard many a funny story over the years where people buy gifts for others that they really wish they were receiving. Now, if someone could invent some Gaming Gloves to make me play a little better… Hmmmmmmm. 

Gaming
Now, I know that GadgetsBoy likes his gaming, both hardcore & casual, so I went on the search for something that would make this a little more unique & enjoyable. The JOYSTICK-IT Tablet Arcade Stick came to mind and certainly looks the part. Made of aluminium, it looks superbly engineered and attaches to your iPad (or other tablet) for the ultimate control. I really like the look of this and think it could finally see my good friend achieving some good scores.

Staying Alert
Working with and testing all this tech takes time. We both work hard and play hard. Maybe a mix of caffeine and multi-vitamins will do the trick and keep my friend producing all those great articles & videos. I don't believe in getting drunk (although I know many do have a very MERRY Christmas), but I do think staying alert & happy, allows us all to pass on that love and enthusiasm that we have. Making someone else smile, through a comment or a video or a goodwill gesture is a must thing to do. Maybe a month's supply of React Energy Drinks will do the trick!!! When your eyes are getting tired Mr GadgetsBoy, sit back and re-energize yourself… will this be your gift? 

So, I guess we will all have to sit back and wait to see what I send my good friend for Christmas. Have a great time everyone… enjoy your technology, enjoy your gadgets, but most of all … enjoy your friends, family and close ones and have an EPIC CHRISTMAS !!!

Syrian internet access mostly restored, for now

History has a way of repeating itself, and the turmoil in Syria is proving no exception -- though potentially for the better. Following a communications blackout that began Thursday, reports have surfaced from Renesys, the AP, theBBC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that internet and phone access has resumed across major swaths of the country as of Saturday. President al-Assad's office and rebels accuse each other of severing the links, although the US State Department doesn't see there being much debate: it believes the near-simultaneous cut was an attempt by Assad to disrupt opposition that has been using the internet as one of its coordinating tools. It's difficult to know if links will remain intact when battles inside the country are as fierce as ever. While there's some comfort to be had in knowing that technologies like satellite internet access are available if the lines go dark once again, we just hope that peace comes to the country instead.

[Source: Engadget]

Netgear's NeoTV Prime (GTV100) is the latest Google TV box outed by FCC filings

Just like the suddenly inescapable 4K, it appears Google TV will be a buzzword for multiple new devices at CES like this Netgear NeoTV Prime (model # GTV100) which GTV Hacker discovered via a pair of curious FCC testing documents. It actually snuck through the FCC before the just-leaked ASUS Qube (more on that in a moment), revealed via a documents for both its Bluetooth-connected remote control and a wireless component, although the box itself remains under wraps. The remote packs a QWERTY keyboard, while up front there's a touchpad plus the usual assortment of control buttons augmented with several app shortcuts for Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Vudu, HBO Go and Crackle. It may be wishful thinking, but here's hoping the inclusion of Amazon and HBO Go buttons mean dedicated apps are on the way, instead of the current website shortcuts. The wireless module is less revealing, only confirming the name, 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0 and a lack of ad-hoc wireless network support. Check after the break for a couple of more pics, and info on where Google TV may be headed.

 [Source: Engadget]

Fresh Videos Coming in 2013

Geekanoids has now been publishing videos for over six years, bringing you the latest tech news & reviews. It is a pleasure sharing this content and all our viewer feedback is appreciated, helping to mould how The Geekanoids Channel has changed & grown.
Certainly for the past 2-3 years the schedule has been hectic, with 1-3 videos published every day (on occasion even more). In meetings and discussions, it has been decided that now is the time to change things & re-focus on production value.

You will find that the channel now publishes fewer videos, between 3-4 per week, with the same great information and opinion on the very latest products. In addition to this, come the New Year, you will see some different type of coverage. Switching up a gear to deliver you, the viewer, something different.

"I feel these changes are necessary", says Dave (owner & video guru). "Pushing out videos is all well and good, but when it comes down to trying to rush reviews just to keep up with the competition, I decided it was time to stop. I find it amazing when, for example, reviews of a mobile phone get published after on one or two days of use. It is impossible to test a product that quickly. Rather than fall into that trap and de-value The Geekanoids Channel content, I decided to take a break away from the norm, recharge my personal thoughts and publish only videos that I am happy to be released. This includes approval of our own productions and the popular guest reviews. From 2013, the quality HAS to be the VERY BEST."

So, to recap, you will see some of the currently recorded & planned videos play out for 2012, followed by a refreshing change in 2013. Keep smiling & enjoy your technology. 

Netflix Ireland, UK score deals to carry previous seasons of key Warner-distributed shows

Hot on the heels of a deal for Canada, Netflix and Warner Bros. have spread their newfound affection for each other to a multi-year, exclusive agreement for Ireland and the UK. Both island nations are getting streaming access to past seasons of four Warner-distributed TV shows, with availability staggered over the next several months. The Vampire Diaries is first out of the gate, with three seasons coming to Netflix on December 1st; five seasons of Gossip Girl follow on March 1st, while less definite schedules have all of Chuck and four seasons of Fringeappearing sometime in 2013. The arrangement isn't quite as ideal as it would be if episodes appeared as they aired, but it's a welcome expansion for a young regional service that's still locked in a battle for supremacy.

[Source: Engadget]

Dell's $1,549 Ubuntu-based XPS 13 goes on sale, $50 more than Windows variant

What once was just an internal skunkworks project, Dell's Project Sputnik has taken off with the release of the XPS 13 Developer Edition. The thin and light darling of the Ultrabook crowd is now shipping with a Precise Pangolin Ubuntu build pre-installed, along with feature-complete drivers that ensure maximum peripheral compatibility right out of the box. Also bundled in the XPS 13 are a couple of Project Sputnik's open source tools -- Profile Tool and Cloud Launcher -- that are designed to help developers install and deploy their projects quickly and efficiently. The hardware packs quite a punch, with either an Intel i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256 GB SATA III SSD. All that Linux goodness comes at a cost, however -- the Developer Edition retails for $1,549, which is around $50 more than the Windows equivalent. Still, it might be well worth it for one of the best specced pre-assembled open-source laptops we've seen to date.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Drive adds site publishing, won't quite replace your Geocities page

The hit parade of Google Drive updates continues. As of today, account holders can publish web content to their Drive storage in a public folder accessible from any browser; it can even host JavaScript for those who want to run web apps from their personal space. Lest we rush to toss out our existing web hosts, however, Google has some inherent ground rules. Content has to be static, and any links to other pages or files in the folder need a special approach to show web addresses that make sense to mere humans. As such, Google Drive won't quite relive the glory days of 1998 and simple web tools; at least we can still add a permanent "under construction" GIF.

[Source: Engadget]

Syrian internet goes down, gets cut off from the world

The civil war-torn nation of Syria has seemingly disappeared from the internet. In a sign that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is trying to limit the flow of information and possibly increase its violent crackdown on opposition forces, all 84 blocks of IP addresses used by the nation have gone offline. The blackout was first reported by Renesys this morning at around 5:26am ET and the #SyriaBlackout hashtag has started picking up steam on Twitter as others have noticed. While it's unclear exactly what has happened and investigations are on going, and a nationwide outage is highly suspicious. The Associated Press is reporting that rebels are laying blame for the blackout at the feet of the government and that cellphone service has also been severed. We'll update as more information rolls in, but we wouldn't expect good news.

Update: Akamai has provided more confirmation of the outage. As you can see in the image above, at some point this morning the amount of data coming out of Syria simply dropped to zero.

[Source: Engadget]