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Sunday, April 17, 2011

BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others (AP) : Technet

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BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others (AP) : Technet

BlackBerry maker: UAE policy would apply to others (AP)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 11:54 AM PDT

By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer Adam Schreck, Ap Business Writer – Sun Apr 17, 2:54 pm ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The maker of BlackBerry devices says tighter restrictions on the popular gadgets proposed by Emirati authorities would likely apply to other smartphones too, raising new questions about data freedom in the Gulf Arab nation.

The United Arab Emirates' telecommunications regulator has outlined plans to limit access to the Blackberry Enterprise Server system, which provides the most secure form of communication on the handheld devices. It is used by many international companies and government agencies to keep emails and other data safe.

Only organizations with 20 or more BlackBerry accounts would be allowed to use the service under the UAE's proposed new rules. Others would need to rely on a less-secure system that analysts say is easier for authorities to monitor and could cause accessibility problems for corporate users.

The proposed policy shift opens a new front in the Emirates' push to gain greater control over smartphone data. Barely six months ago, the federation backed down from a threat to impose a sweeping ban on the most popular BlackBerry services amid concerns about security.

"It seems very arbitrary. ... All I can think is that they're trying to address their security concerns by limiting the use of this more secure platform to larger companies and organizations," said Matthew Reed, a Dubai-based analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, a research firm. "It will inconvenience quite a few people" who work for smaller companies and branch offices, he said.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority on Saturday sought to assure customers that all BlackBerry services will continue. But it has not explicitly backed down from plans to limit access to the most secure service.

Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian company that makes BlackBerrys, said in an emailed statement Sunday it has been in contact with the regulator and understands that other smartphone makers could also face new restrictions.

"The TRA has confirmed to RIM that any potential policy regarding enterprise services in the UAE would be an industrywide policy applying equally to all enterprise solution providers," the company said.

In the telecom industry, the term enterprise generally refers to company phones often tied to a corporate email account. RIM said it understands the new UAE policies would aim to avoid affecting "legitimate enterprise customers."

The TRA did not reply to a request for clarification Sunday.

RIM built its reputation on the security of its enterprise system, which routes encrypted data traffic through corporate computers typically stored abroad. That makes it extremely difficult to monitor.

It also sells BlackBerry devices to consumers who can access email through a less-secure system known as the BlackBerry Internet Service, which runs over the regular Internet.

"There is still some encryption. It is just not regarded as being as strong as the security on the BES," Reed said.

Other smartphone manufacturers, including Motorola Inc. and iPhone maker Apple Inc., are starting to win enterprise customers. But none has managed to unseat RIM in the UAE, where the BlackBerry remains the phone of choice among foreign professionals and affluent citizens alike.

The federation of just over 8 million people has at least 500,000 BlackBerry users.

The UAE's smartphone policies have been closely watched since last summer when it threatened to shut off BlackBerry messaging, email and Web browsing services partly because of security concerns. It backed off the plan in October.

Critics said the effort also aimed to keep a closer eye on political activism in the federation. Although the UAE has seen none of the widespread unrest roiling other parts of the Arab world, authorities have detained at least three activists calling for democratic reforms in recent days.

In 2009, the Emirates' leading state-run phone company, Etisalat, was caught instructing BlackBerry customers to download spy software that could allow outsiders to peer inside. It misled users by describing the software as a required service upgrade.

HOW TO: Give Your Digital Life a Spring Cleaning (Mashable)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:53 AM PDT

Mollie Vandor Mollie Vandor – Sun Apr 17, 11:53 am ET

Mollie Vandor is the Associate Product Manager at Cooking.com. Prior to that, she helped launch Ranker.com, where she served as the Product Manager, amongst many other roles. You can reach her @mollierosev, on her blog, or on her latest addiction - Words With Friends, where she plays under the username "Mollierosev."

It̢۪s official: Spring has sprung. Time to start spring cleaning. And there is no better place to start than the place you spend most of your time anyway -- the world wide web.

There are plenty of tools you can use to tidy up, whether it's organizing your email, using the cloud to get your files in order, or making the most of your social media. This spring-cleaning regimen is all about getting you organized, optimized and ready to take on the digital world. Read on to find out how:

Email

The folks over at Google say it best: "Email is great, except when there's too much of it." Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to cut the clutter out of your inbox, and even some ways that your inbox will cut it for you.

Gmail has a feature called "priority inbox" that will organize your email into sections. It also learns which messages you open, delete and reply to, so it can actually start prioritizing your inbox for you. If you want to get really hardcore with the Gmail prioritization features, you can also follow this guide to turning your Gmail into the ultimate 'GTD' inbox, modeled on the aptly-named productivity philosophy of "Get Things Done."

Of course, most of us have more than one messy inbox to organize. Which is why you may want to start your spring e-cleaning by consolidating all of your email accounts into one manageable mailbox. By routing all of your accounts to the same place, you can check as many email addresses as you want, all from a single site. There's a great eHow guide to managing multiple email accounts on Hotmail and Yahoo Mail too, because Gmail users shouldn't be the only ones who get to have all the email organizing fun this Spring.

Similarly, open-source software Zimbra Desktop will create a custom dashboard where you can also check all of your emails from a single place. Digsby not only allows you to check multiple emails from one place but also allows you to check them from within your instant messenger client, which makes for even more consolidation. And, speaking of consolidation, you might also want to look into NutshellMail -- a service that consolidates all of your social networking notifications into a single email, which means you can significantly cut down on those social media notification emails once and for all.

While you're getting rid of notification emails, it's also a good time to get rid of any mailing lists that you don't want to be on anymore, particularly in light of the big Epsilon security breach last week. Unsubscribe is a service that places a single "unsubscribe" button in your inbox, allowing you to easily remove yourself from mailing lists, spam lists, and the like. You can even forward them an email and the company will unsubscribe that way too.

If you really want to be proactive about stopping those mailing list emails, you can create a second email address that you use solely for signing up on sites, purchasing products, etc. Before you get worried that this might seem counter-intuitive to the whole consolidation plan, rest assured that if you already have one Gmail address, then you automatically have a second one already created that you can easily start using from the same mailbox. Similarly, Hotmail recently started offering users "throwaway accounts" they could use for just this purpose.

The Cloud

"The cloud" is a term for using "a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or personal computer", as Google puts it. While that may not sound like the safest place to put all your stuff, there's growing evidence that it's at least as safe as the Post-it covered computer on your desk, if not more so. The cloud can also help you organize your music, documents and schedule.

Amazon's new music player lets you upload your music to the cloud, then play it from any computer or Android phone. The cloud can also free you from having to buy music altogether. Instead, try streaming music from Grooveshark or Pandora. Both services let you search for and play music on the web or on your phone, although Grooveshark lets you pick and save your own songs like a traditional iTunes library, whereas Pandora picks the songs for you in real time, based on your preferences.

Once you've got your Pandora station all set up, use it as background music while you move all those disorganized documents from your desk to the -- you guessed it -- cloud. There's a variety of services that let you backup to the cloud, including Amazon's own "Dropbox lets you upload files directly from your desktop to your very own password-protected piece of the cloud, as well as sync files between your computer and the cloud and access all of it from the web or your mobile phone.

Docstoc also lets you upload files to the web, and allows you to easily share them with others, similar to how Google Docs works. There are also specific tools for storing receipts and creating easy expense reports, plus plenty of dedicated sites where you can store copies of your favorite photos too, including Flickr, Picasa and, of course,Facebook.

The cloud isn't just great for storing tangible things, it can also store your schedule and help you stick to it. If you use Google Calendar, you'll be able to view and edit your calendar on your computer or mobile device and set email or text reminders. Mobile Me also lets you use the cloud to keep calendars and reminders in sync across devices, sans Post-its. And, if you just want the reminders without any of that pesky calendar stuff, Remember The Milk lets you set up tasks and to-dos on the web and on your phone.

Social Networks

The average American spends a lot of time on social networking sites. So, it stands to reason that your social networking presence deserves just as much of a spring cleaning as everything else in your life.

Get started by using a service such as Evernote, Springpad, Instapaper or Browser Sync service or a Firefox add-on such as Foxmarks, which will help you keep links, bookmarks and other browsing behavior organized between different computers.

Of course, one of the biggest organizational challenges when trying to clean up your social networking is the sheer amount of noise involved in managing multiple accounts with large numbers of friends and followers. The first way to cut down on that noise is to make Twitter and Facebook lists of the keywords and connections you want to keep a close eye on. If you're trying to keep track of multiple online profiles, try setting up an HootSuite or TweetDeck to monitor and update multiple profiles from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more all in one place. Before you set up one of those tools, take a tough look at which social media profiles are really giving you the best bang for your buck, and get rid of the rest. By targeting your social media accounts, you can cut a lot of the clutter out of your daily routine right away, and focus more of your efforts where they really matter.

To figure out which accounts are worth keeping, try triangulating data from some of the many social media analytics tools out there -- Klout, Crowdbooster, ViralHeat and Hootsuite Analytics are all great tools that, when put together, can give you a really detailed picture of the reach and response rate of your various accounts and their related trending topics.

While you're on a spring social media cleaning spree, now is a great time to make sure your Facebook privacy settings are exactly what you want them to be, and that the profile pic, bio, and links on all your social media accounts are up to date. It's also a good time to Google yourself and delete any old sites, links, pages, and such that you no longer wish to be associated with. Google even has a handy guide to help you do this.

Conclusion

Studies have shown that organized people live longer. With its warm weather, blooming greenery and promise of summer to come, Spring is the perfect time of year to get organized both at home and on the world wide web. Now, stop reading and get cleaning!

Interested in more Social Media resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.

Image courtesy of Flickr, velo_city

What Android Phones Do that Apple Phones Don't (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 10:15 AM PDT

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sun Apr 17, 1:15 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.

Does anyone remember this ad for the Verizon Droid? "Everything iDon't," it said, "Droid does!"

Of course, the iPhone can do half of those things now, like take 5-megapixel pictures in the dark. And the usefulness of some of the others is up for debate. (What exactly is "Open development?") But even today, there are some pretty big things the iPhone can't do, that Android phones can ... and you may be surprised by some of them.

Come in all different shapes and sizes

Here's one you probably won't be surprised by, although you might be surprised by some of the weird Android phones out there. A slider phone with a second touch screen instead of a keyboard?

In all seriousness, though, the one-size-fits-all iPhone leaves out the people it doesn't fit. Want a keyboard with actual keys? A gigantic screen, plus a kickstand for watching movies? There's an Android phone out there for you. There's even a phone with a slide-out game controller, a la the PSP Go. And speaking of portable PlayStations.

Run PlayStation games

And I don't just mean games that were originally made for the Sony PlayStation (although like the Xperia Play.

These things are made for gaming, to Sony's specs, and have access to tons of exclusive games. They can even connect to the PlayStation Network, using will be able to play Android games designed for the PlayStation Certified phones, which just shows how committed Sony is to gaming on Android devices.

Buy apps from Amazon

That's right, Amazon has its own "Appstore for Android." So why would you want to go through its 8-step signup process?

Well, first off is the "free app of the day." These aren't apps that are normally free, and are being promoted; they're paid apps, costing as much as $4.99 sometimes, they're put up for download for free. A new one goes up each day, like it says. You can also use Amazon.com to look for all discounted apps, or to read reviews and look for similar apps, just like you would for any other product you buy from Amazon.

A bunch of other stuff?

The iPhone doesn't support text reflow, which is an Android feature that makes it so zoomed-in text on a website fits the screen width, so that you don't have to swipe back and forth to read paragraphs. It also doesn't support home screen "widgets," which let you do things like check your bank balance or the latest news stories without opening an app. There's even a widget to set your phone to silent mode. With all this stuff Android phones can do that the iPhone can't, one might ask: Why does anyone buy an iPhone at all?

The answer's as simple as it is obvious. The iPhone's the best-designed smartphone there is, and it has more and better apps than every Android phone combined. Plus, Apple's clout means that the wireless carriers can't mess up its phones, with huge logos and non-uninstallable apps.

One size, though, doesn't fit all. And thanks to Android's open-source programming code, companies like Sony and Amazon are getting to try some interesting things, that they never would've been able to on the iPhone.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Japan's TEPCO: no decision yet on sale of KDDI shares (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 05:03 PM PDT

– Sun Apr 17, 8:03 pm ET

TOKYO (Reuters) – Troubled Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501.T) said on Monday it is mulling the sale of stock holdings and real estate, but said it has not decided whether to offload its shares in Japan's No. 2 mobile phone network KDDI Corp (9433.T)

"No decision has been made at this current time," the utility said in a release.

The power company, commonly known as TEPCO, plans to sell its KDDI shares to help pay for compensation stemming from the disaster at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.

JP Morgan has estimated TEPCO could face 2 trillion yen ($24 billion) in compensation losses this financial year, while Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has said the bill could reach $130 billion if the crisis continues.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Joseph Radford)

2012 presidential candidates `friend' social media (AP)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 02:30 PM PDT

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Beth Fouhy, Associated Press – Sun Apr 17, 5:30 pm ET

NEW YORK – Republican Tim Pawlenty disclosed his 2012 presidential aspirations on Facebook. Rival Mitt Romney did it with a tweet. President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election bid with a digital video emailed to the 13 million online backers who helped power his historic campaign in 2008.

Welcome to The Social Network, presidential campaign edition.

The candidates and contenders have embraced the Internet to far greater degrees than previous White House campaigns, communicating directly with voters on platforms where they work and play. If Obama's online army helped define the last campaign and Howard Dean's Internet fundraising revolutionized the Democratic primary in 2004, next year's race will be the first to reflect the broad cultural migration to the digital world.

"You have to take your message to the places where people are consuming content and spending their time," said Romney's online director, Zac Moffatt. "We have to recognize that people have choices and you have to reach them where they are, and on their terms."

The most influential of those destinations include the video sharing website YouTube; Facebook, the giant social network with 500 million active users; and Twitter, the cacophonous conversational site where news is made and shared in tweets of 140 characters or less.

All the campaigns have a robust Facebook presence, using the site to post videos and messages and to host online discussions. In the latest indication of the site's reach and influence, Obama plans to visit Facebook headquarters in California this coming Wednesday for a live chat with company founder Mark Zuckerberg and to take questions from users who submit questions on the site.

Candidates have embraced Twitter with an intensity that rivals pop star Justin Bieber's. Twitter was the Republican hopefuls' platform of choice last Wednesday, moments after Obama gave a budget speech calling for some tax increases and decrying GOP proposals to cut Medicare.

"President Obama doesn't get it. The fear of higher taxes tomorrow hurts job creation today," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour tweeted.

"The president's plan will kill jobs and increase the deficit," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned in a tweet, attaching a link to a more detailed statement posted on Facebook.

In the past, candidates would have pointed supporters to their websites for such a response. Now, as Moffatt puts it, "the campaign site may be headquarters, but it needs digital embassies across the web."

Republicans once seemed slow to harness the power of the web. The party's 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, told reporters he didn't even use email. The 2012 hopefuls have worked hard to prove their Internet savvy, particularly with social media.

Pawlenty "understands the power of new technology and he wants it to be at the forefront. We are going to compete aggressively with President Obama in this space," spokesman Alex Conant said. Conant pointed to efforts to live stream videos to Facebook and award points and badges to supporters in a way that mirrors Foursquare, the emerging location-based mobile site.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's 2008 running mate and a potential presidential candidate this time, has made Facebook a centerpiece of her communication efforts to supporters.

Palin has been criticized for treating it as a one-way form of communication that allows her to bypass direct questions from reporters and voters. Other Republicans insist they're willing to wade into the messy digital fray and cede some control of their message.

"We trust our supporters and want to err on the side of giving them more control, not less," Conant said.

Just as social networking liberates candidates to take their message directly to voters, it offers plenty of pitfalls as well.

It's prone to mischief, with dozens of fake Twitter accounts and Facebook pages popping up daily that are intended to embarrass the candidates. Also, a candidate's gaffe or an inconsistency on issues can be counted on to go viral immediately.

Gingrich has gotten ensnared in some online traps. His apparent back-and-forth on whether the U.S. should intervene in the conflict in Libya was discussed widely and amplified online. He first advocated military engagement, then came out against it after Obama ordered airstrikes.

Twitter lit up with the news that a photo on Gingrich's exploratory website showing people waving flags was a stock photo once used by the late liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.

Spokesman Rick Tyler rejected such criticism and said Gingrich has pioneered the use of digital technology.

"Over 1.4 million people follow him on Twitter. He has a very active Facebook. There are eight websites connected to organizations started by Newt (that) use social media platforms to communicate to their coalitions," Tyler said.

But Josh Dorner, who tracks GOP candidates online for the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, said the Republican presidential hopefuls appear to be unprepared for the unforgiving pace of the digital age.

Obama, who in 2008 had to recover from plenty of web-amplified flubs such as his comment that bitter small town voters "cling" to guns and religion, will probably be more nimble, Dorner said.

"We are moving in a warp speed environment, and none of the Republican candidates understand the media environment in which they're operating. It puts them at a huge disadvantage to the president," Dorner said.

Strategists also say the greatest digital innovation in 2012 may not even have surfaced yet, even as campaigns figure out how to do effective microtargeting ads for Facebook and work to develop "apps" for smart phones rather than laptops and traditional TV.

"As with anything, there's going to be a shiny new cell phone every six months," said Matt Ortega, a former online organizer for the Democratic National Committee. "You're going to see both new tools and more sophistication in existing tools."

What Would an Amazon Kindle Tablet Look Like? (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 09:52 AM PDT

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sun Apr 17, 12:52 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.

You know it, I know it, and Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun-Times knows it: The "Appstore for Android" was just the beginning. Amazon can't be content with just selling books on Android devices; it wants you buying them from a Kindle. And iPad-style, color multitouch devices are what people want, so it doesn't take a huge leap to see Amazon making a "Kindle Touch" of its own.

The question is, what would that look like?

Size matters

Marco Arment suggests that the Kindle tablet will have a 7-inch screen, "to keep costs down." I think that's certainly part of the reason, but there are two others I can see.

One, it's a lot easier to read from a 7-inch tablet than from an iPad, which is about twice as large. The Kindle's target market is book lovers, so a lightweight tablet for reading makes sense.

Two, Amazon already has some superb cases and accessories for its Kindle line, and existing Kindles are about the size of the 7-inch Nook Color. (Although if you factor the Kindle DX into things, it's possible that Amazon might make a separate, larger tablet as well.)

Google gone; all Amazon

Google likes to play favorites with its partners, BusinessWeek alleges, and leave "lesser" companies and competitors in the dust when it comes to early access and the Google apps for Android. And with its Google Books store, Google's clearly put itself at odds with Amazon.

Rather than submit to Google's review queues, Amazon's more likely to strike out on its own, taking Android's open-source programming code and running with it. After all, why not? Most people who'd buy a Kindle probably already have a smartphone to use stuff like Google Maps on. And with the "Amazon Appstore for Android," Amazon's shown that it won't need the Android Market, either. It even has its own music and video stores.

Incredibly cheap

I say this for two reasons. One, Amazon's recent experiment with an ad-subsidized Kindle (or one that "includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers"). The thing is $25 cheaper than a regular Wi-Fi-only Kindle, knocking its price down to $114. A color tablet could probably display more ads, more prominently, which might make it even cheaper than usual (in more ways than one).

Two, Barnes and Noble's Nook Color. In a world where tablets cost $500 or more, Barnes and Noble is selling a capable, color device for only $250. How the heck do they do that? Partly by cutting out unneeded features (like cameras), and probably also because each Nook Color is a storefront. You're expected to buy way more books from them than you otherwise would, if you have one, and it costs a lot less to download them to you than to ship paper to your house.

I don't have any insider information, but I would not be surprised if a Kindle Tablet matched the Nook Color for price, with an ad-supported version going even cheaper.

The big picture

So that's what we're looking at ... basically a Nook Color with optional ads, plus a working "Appstore" and music store. Why would anyone buy that?

Well, the Nook Color itself is nothing to sneeze at. It may be more limited than a Xoom or an iPad, but it's also more focused, and easy to use. If anything, that might be an advantage; instead of Android's complex tablet interface, it'd have something more like an iPad's.

Not that I actually know. But I think the idea sounds neat, and I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon does too.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Dramatic New Video of Japan Tsunami [VIRAL VIDEO] (Mashable)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 07:41 AM PDT

Charlie White Charlie White – Sun Apr 17, 10:41 am ET

We've seen a lot of footage of the tragic Japan tsunami, but this clip is the most horrifying yet. Entitled "South Sanriku -- Tsunami seen from Shizugawa High School," it's shot from high ground, but toward the end of the video you can see panicked residents running for their lives.

Almost as dramatic as the video is its audio track, where even if you don't speak Japanese, you can tell the people are expressing concern at the beginning, but by the end, their voices have reached a high level of panic and horror as they watch their homes washing away.

Shortly after the tsunami, one survivor called the oncoming deluge "a gigantic pile of garbage coming down the street." That's an apt description, as you can see an entire town reduced to a huge pile of watery debris in a matter of minutes. Shocking.

[Via YouTube]

Flipboard and Oprah Launch The Oprah Experience (Appolicious)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 02:24 PM PDT

RIM studies bid for Nortel wireless patents: report (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 12:14 PM PDT

– Sun Apr 17, 3:14 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Research In Motion may attempt to top Google Inc's $900 million bid for Nortel Networks Corp.'s wireless technology patents, according to a Bloomberg report citing two people familiar with the plans.

Nortel, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2009, was a pioneer in wired and wireless network technology and the assets include some 6,000 patents and patent applications for wireless, data and optical networking, voice, Internet, semiconductors and other technologies.

Google established itself as a "stalking horse" for a suite of its patents with a $900 million bid earlier this month.

Google, which runs the world's most popular search engine, wants the Nortel patents to help it fight a growing wireless patent war against well-armed mobile superpowers. The company has pushed its Android mobile phone software to the top of the wireless heap, attracting litigation in the process.

Interest in the Nortel patents has been robust, but a deal has been delayed as Nortel's liquidators and potential buyers haggle over price.

Analysts have said other expected bidders could include Chinese telecom network company ZTE, Ericsson, which bought most of Nortel's wireless operations, and RPX, which licenses patents on behalf of member clients for a fee.

RIM was not immediately available for comment on the Bloomberg report.

(Reporting by Paul Thomasch, editing by Bernard Orr)

William Shatner reveals new album track list, will feature Bootsy Collins, Dave Davies, others (Digital Trends)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 10:34 AM PDT

Adam Rosenberg Adam Rosenberg – Sun Apr 17, 1:34 pm ET

William Shatner will always be known best as Star Trek's original Captain James T. Kirk, but the man has also made some significant contributions to the world of music. His particular brand of tune-making isn't for everyone, but like the best acquired tastes, those who appreciate it do so with their whole hearts. Seriously… there's an entire Wikipedia page devoted to his musical career.

Shatner hasn't released an album since 2004′s Has Been, which featured production and arrangements by Ben Folds and musical contributions by Folds, Aimee Mann, Joe Jackson, Henry Rollins, Adrian Below and more. His latest, Searching for Major Tom, was announced a couple of months ago and now the track listing and guest artist lineup has been confirmed on his official website. Shatner has an insanely diverse lineup of cover songs set for the album, with work by everyone from The Police to Hawkwind to Frank Sinatra to U2 to… really folks, it just keeps getting weirder.

That's the charm of course. If you're unfamiliar with his musical work, Shatner doesn't really go for straight-ahead translations. His singing is characterized by the same halting stop-and-start cadence that typified his work on the original Star Trek series, which has been parodied countless times in all corner of pop culture. Elton John's "Rocket Man" is a particularly famous one, and it will be featured on the upcoming album with former Gong guitarist Steve Hillage.

The other cuts include: "Space Trucking" (by Deep Purple), "She Blinded Me With Science" (by Thomas Dolby), "In A Little While" (by U2), "Empty Glass" (by The Tea Party), "Lost in the Stars" (by Frank Sinatra), "Twilight Zone" (by Golden Earring), "Space Cowboy" (by Steve Miller), "Space Oddity" (by David Bowie), "Spirit in the Sky" (by Norman Greenbaum), "Bohemian Rhapsody" (by Queen), "Silver Machine" (by Hawkwind), "Major Tom" (by Peter Shilling), "Learning to Fly" (by Pink Floyd), "Mr. Spaceman" (by The Byrds), "Iron Man" (by Black Sabbath), "Planet Earth" (by Duran Duran), "Walking On the Moon" (by The Police) and an original track, "Mrs. Major Tom."

The album will feature musical contributions by Hillage, The Kinks' Dave Davies, Bootsy Collins, Zakk Wylde, Toots (of Toots & the Maytals), Mike Inez, Peter Frampton, Bill Wetton, Ritchie Blackmore and quite a few others.

iPad 2 at Best Buy? Blink and it's Gone (PC World)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 01:25 PM PDT

Paul Suarez Paul Suarez – Sun Apr 17, 4:25 pm ET

Sure, Best Buy and Toys R Us are promoting iPad 2s this week, but don't count on finding a tablet available for purchase at your nearest big box store.

A few calls this morning confirmed that many stores received limited quantities of the device (if any) and they were sold out early in the day.

I called the three Best Buys closest to me in the Portland, Oregon area to see if I could waltz in and purchase Apple's new tablet.

I was out of luck.

None of the stores had any in stock when I called around 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Only one said it was taking reservations and expected shipments to come sometime this week. An employee from another store said the few units the store had to sell were gone within an hour of opening.

The local Toys R Us didn't receive any iPad 2s to sell and wasn't sure when they would be getting any in, according to an employee from the electronics section.

Just for kicks I called a few stores out of state for comparison.

Near the iPad's home at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, a Best Buy in Mountain View played an automated message stating it doesn't have any iPad2s and isn't taking reservations. A San Jose, was sold out and a store in Manhattan was sold out but taking reservations today only.

To make a long story short, if you didn't already snatch up an iPad 2 this morning, you probably won't be getting one anytime soon.

Best Buy is still selling the device in store only and online sellers, including Apple's Online Store, say the device will ship within ten days at the earliest.

If you want to keep an eye out for devices in the store you can now pick up the iPad 2 at the Apple Store, AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, Verizon Wireless and Walmart.

Happy hunting.

HP prepping cloud music-syncing for TouchPad launch (Digital Trends)

Posted: 17 Apr 2011 09:12 AM PDT

Adam Rosenberg Adam Rosenberg – Sun Apr 17, 12:12 pm ET

The clouds continue to roll in. While questions still swirl as to how Apple and Google will respond to Amazon's recently launched Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services, details are starting to emerge about other competitors' plans in the remote user storage arena. Today brings word that Hewlett-Packard will be using cloud servers for music storage when its webOS-powered HP TouchPad tablet arrives this summer.

The news comes from a Powerpoint presentation being sent around to HP Small & Medium Business customers previewing what's coming up, PreCentral reports. The slideshow reveals plans for an HP Movie Store and an HP Music Store. The notes for the latter mention built-in music syncing using cloud servers to remotely store content.

It is hardly surprising at this point to hear that a tech company is embracing the cloud, but HP will offer a few features that trump what Amazon's recently launched initiative is capable of so far. The TouchPad will use a "smart-caching" to locally store the music that the user is most likely to listen to. There will also be the option of streaming music that isn't actually owned. The service will apparently extend to HP smartphones as well at some point, likely after they've all been updated to webOS 3.0 alongside the TouchPad.

As of now, Apple continues to maintain a stranglehold on the tablet space with its (deservedly) popular iPad. Cloud syncing won't make or break the success of the TouchPad, but if recent reports of a $499 price tag and June launch are true, it will certainly arrive priced to compete, and with features and hardware specifications that trump the Apple device on several fronts.

at 9:59 PM

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