ComScore: Black Friday online spending rings in at a record $1.04 billion

Considering the parody-worthy dangers of America's busiest shopping day, it's no surprise to hear that online consumerism is on the rise. According to ComScore, 57.3 million Americans took their wallets to digital storefronts on Black Friday, spending a record $1.04 billion in the process. "With Black Friday online sales up 26 percent and surpassing $1 billion for the first time, coupled with early reports indicating that Black Friday sales in retail stores were down 1.8 percent, we can now confidently call it a multi-channel marketing phenomenon," stated ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni. The organization also noted that digital content sales are on the rise, too, citing a 29 percent increase in the category over the same period last year. Finally, Fulgoni projected Cyber Monday sales in excess of $1.5 billion, based on observations culled from the years past. Read on for ComScore's official numbers.

[Source: Engadget]

Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote

The Pulse pen couldn't do it. The more recent Echo couldn't manage it either. But sending notes and linked audio wirelessly is what Livescribe's latest digital pen is all about. Branded the Sky WiFi Smartpen, it works with proprietary physical notebooks to preserve your handwritten notes and linked audio files on a minimum of 2GB of onboard storage, and then it sends them directly to your Evernote account via WiFi -- from where you can access them on pretty much any PC, tablet or smartphone. If you're wondering a how the pen selects the right network and enters a password, then it's actually pretty straightforward: Livescribe's new stationery is printed with connection buttons that, in conjunction with the OLED display on the pen itself, guide you through the procedure in a few seconds. The latest notebooks also have buttons for sending your captured thoughts to Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook, although those services won't be activated until early next year.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read the full story]

Google takes us inside their data centers, shows you where the internet lives

Ever fancied a look inside one of Google's cavernous server farms? Given the security issues, the company isn't likely to just let anyone mooch around -- but understands if you're curious. That's why it's adding a special collection to its Street View data that lets you wander inside without a big trek to Iowa, Belgium or Finland. If you'd like to sample some of the delights, you can check out our gallery or head down past the break to get a video tour of the facility in Lenoir, NC.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read more]

Dyson’s Tangle-free Turbine tool The only turbine tool that doesn’t tangle

Other turbine heads leave you tugging out the tangles. They rely on a brush bar to collect hair and dirt from the surface. Hair wraps around the brush bar slowing it down and overtime stopping it from working all together. Hair balls, scissors – and mess. Dyson’s Tangle-free Turbine tool uses two counter-rotating heads, with brushes to remove hair and dirt sucking it straight into the bin - hygienically. No tangles – no mess.

 James Dyson

“We put as much into developing our tools as we do our vacuum cleaners. After the Groom tool, the engineers were tasked with getting rid of another hairy problem. We found that rubbing hair in a circular motion and causing it to clump allowed for easy removal, so we replaced the brush bar in the turbine head with two counter-rotating heads - improving the performance of our machines.”

How it works...

Fitting on most Dyson vacuum cleaners, it is the only turbine tool that effectively removes hair from surfaces without tangling. The flexible counter-rotating heads (made from TPU- thermoplastic polyurethane) and articulating base plate ensure that he brushes remain in constant contact with a surface – no matter how uneven. The brushes on these heads maintain contact over a larger surface area (when compared to a conventional turbine tool).  They spin round to the very front of the tool, dislodging hair and dirt right up to the edges of stairs and corners. With the heads counter-rotating they continually overlap, maintaining full surface contact throughout.

The Dyson Tangle-free Turbine tool splits the airflow between the mouth of the tool (for removing hair and dirt and through the turbine (for generating head-rotation). Only clean air is directed over the turbine enabling the heads to rotate with constant power.

Introducing the Vega Watch: A Revolution in Illumination

Ditch your dowdy digital watch and set your wrist to wow with this range of illuminating timepieces by exciting new fashion watch label VEGA. Unlike any other glow-in-the-dark timepiece, the entire face of the watch, and not just the hands, glows brightly in low lighting.

Bold wristwear is on the up and with ten delectable colour combinations to choose from, there’s a VEGA watch to suit any outfit. Collect the whole set and match them to your summer wardrobe - from a day time beach look to Ibiza inspired club-wear - or add a splash of colour to those pedestrian winter hues.

Newcomer to the fashion scene, the VEGA brand - brainchild of design-led UK gadget developer thumbsUp! - is aptly named after one of the brightest stars in the celestial hemisphere. The vivid glow of VEGA’s debut collection is all thanks to new technology Neoluxs. Neoluxs is a safe, army-grade material that stashes light via solar power using a crystalline structure and then slowly releases the energy for a brilliant, long-lasting glow.

You’ll be able to wear your watch all day in the sunshine, see it light up as the sun sets and then clock that it’s stillglowing the next morning when you wake up (or go to bed)!

VEGA watches are water resistant up to 50m, are protected by scratch resistant crystal glass and the mechanics come with a 24 month guarantee. If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd, VEGA will give you a good head start.

iPhone 5 outperforms Galaxy S III in damage tests

Despite reports about the iPhone 5's aluminum back being easily scratched, Byte is reporting that tests of the iPhone 5 show that it is much more durable than its biggest competitor -- Samsung's Galaxy S III.

Byte cited torture tests from three different sources: PhoneDoctors, Android Authority, and SquareTrade.com. These sites did everything from dropping the phones and having a toddler toss one onto concrete, to throwing them into swimming pools. For the most part the iPhone 5 survived everything that it was subjected to. The Samsung smartphone? It wasn't so lucky.

[Source: TUAW]

Motorola pokes fun at iOS 6 Maps, wants to prevent people becoming #iLost

By now, the vast majority of Android users -- no, make that people in the world -- have heard about Apple's new replacement for Google Maps in iOS 6. Proudly announced during their iOS 6 keynote, replacing Google Maps was another step away from using Google services for the Cupertino giant. Since the launch, much has been said about the maps, and their apparent lack of some key information within the maps themselves. 

We'll admit it. It makes us chuckle. As we sit here using our native Google Maps, more and more we see comments arising from iPhone owners, both new and old, slating iOS6 Maps. And now, Google owned Motorola is joining in on the fun. 

Looking for 315 E 15th in Manhattan? Google Maps on DROID RAZR M will get you there & not #iLost in Brooklyn.

Seen on the Motorola Mobility Google+ page, and on their Twitter page, the message is clear. While an obvious advertisement for their latest handset -- and perhaps the RAZR M's edge to edge screen, compared to the 'stretched' iPhone 5 -- rather than Google Maps itself, we wonder how long before the #iLost tag will catch on. Probably until Google releases a third-party Google Maps application into the iOS App Store, but until then, we can but chuckle away.

[Source: Andoird Central]

Myspace and Geocities Yourself take your Facebook page back in time

Pining for the days when you could be social on the internet without running into troubling Facebook updates or worrying about which Twitter client you'll be allowed to use in future? Buzzfeed has you covered with its new Myspace Yourself and Geocities Yourself tools. They take information from your Facebook account and extrapolate that into a frame-perfect Myspace page reanimation complete with Tom on your friends list, or a gloriously ugly Geocities site adorned with flaming GIFs and Comic Sans.

[Source: The Verge]

Missing all the features of Google Maps? Get them back in iOS 6 with these third-party apps

Are you already feeling the frustration of Apple’s new iOS 6 Maps app? Apple is officially no longer using the Google Maps backend from iOS 5 with today’s public release of iOS 6. With its new in-house Maps app, some were concerned users would be disappointed with the arguably downgraded experience. A few of the reasons some users are refusing to update to iOS 6: lack of Google’s Street View and public transportation features, limited traffic data, and inferior local search. Above is a breakdown of lost features by country, courtesy of theunderstatement.com, showing 51 countries will be losing access to Transit data, 24 countries losing traffic data, and 41 countries without access to Street View. Also worth noting is that 20 countries won’t have access to Apple’s shiny new turn-by-turn and 3D Flyover features. Another consideration is that many of the features of Apple’s new Maps app, such as Flyover, turn-by-turn, and Siri, will be limited to iPhone 4S/iPhone5, and third gen iPad users.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read the full article there]

D-Link Cloud Storage 4000 NAS stores up 16TB, hooks up to your smartphone and tablet

D-Link's latest storage solution is pitched at small business and households looking to escape into the world of cloud storage. There's four SATA bays, each of which can carry up to 4TB, with D-Link adding in compatibility with its own cloud cameras (for network video recording) plus connectivity to Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices. Remote access from your phone or tablet is possible through either the dedicated app or D-Link's portal website. There's also a pair of ethernet jacks on the back, for full-speed file transfer and back-up. The Cloud Storage 4000 is priced up at $450 and includes an DLNA server which will hook-up with D-Link's own BoxeeBox, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 -- storage buffs can even setup automatic email and SMS event notifications. Read up on the finer details in the press release below.

[Source: Engadget]

Elgato outs smaller EyeTV Mobile for iPhones and iPads, EyeTV Micro for Android

It was at the last IFA we got some time with Elgato's EyeTV Mobile for the iPad, and this year they're at it again with a redesigned iDongle and a brand new model for Android gear. The smaller EyeTV Mobile will have you watching DVB-T broadcasts on your iPhone 4S or iPad (2 or new), while the EyeTV Micro swaps Apple's dock connector for, you guessed it, microUSB. Not all Android devices support the Micro -- you'll need a dual-core CPU, Neon support and at least the 4.0.3 build of ICS. That said, the Micro's a generous little chap, as you can use the included USB cable to hook it up to your PC or Mac and get your TV fix on bigger screens, too. Both peripherals can be used with myriad aerials to meet your reception needs, provided you're in Europe, of course. The Mobile and Micro will be available in September for £89.95 and £54.95 (around $143 and $87), respectively, and we hope to see one on the show floor before IFA 2012 is done, so stay tuned.

[Source: Engadget]

Hisense Pulse with Google TV set-top box hands-on (video)

Hisense announced its low-cost set-top box, the Pulse with Google TV, a few days ago, and though pricing remains vague at "less than $100," we got a chance to see the device in action at IFA today. The Android-based Pulse supports content in 1080p, and includes HDMI, USB and Ethernet connections, along with WiFi, and the double-sided remote communicates with the square-shaped box via Bluetooth 4.0. Being a Google-branded product, it also gives users access to compatible apps from Google Play.

The remote includes dedicated buttons for YouTube, Netflix, the web and Live TV, and there's a small touchpad in addition to the standard remote-control keys. It's nifty, in theory, to have a trackpad on the remote, but in practice it's quite difficult to navigate across a TV's display this way: the touchpad is too small, and it doesn't support scrolling, which makes it incredibly inconvenient for viewing web pages. On the flip side of the remote, there's a full QWERTY keyboard -- the keys are large enough to make typing in the Chrome browser and other apps very easy. A booth rep told us the Pulse will drop in September, though that contradicts information from this week's press release. In any case, you can take a closer look in our video hands-on after the break.

[Source: Engadget]