When you name a custom built vehicle Eleanor, it better be good. It better be really good.

Read the original here:
MIT team develops solar car, bodly calls it Eleanor

eBay is having second thoughts about how easy it will be to spread the Kijiji brand in the U.S. The company is testing out the name “eBay Classifieds” in two cities, San Antonio and Pittsburgh. A letter sent out to Kijiji members states:

We here at Kijiji thought it made a lot of sense to start using the eBay brand name. After all, we are part of the eBay family and we are a classifieds site…so “eBay Classifieds” just seemed like a good idea.

Maybe it also has something to do with the “j”s and “i”s blending together beyond recognition in “Kijiji.” It’s not just the name that needs work. The number of visitors to Kijiji sites worldwide was up only 7 percent in January to 23.2 million, while Craigslist grew six times faster and widened the gap. It ended January with 41.4 million unique visitors (see comScore chart below).

In the U.S., Kijiji is experiencing much stronger growth, but its 3.7 million unique visitors in January is only a tenth of that of Craigslist (which had 39.4 million U.S. unique visitors, see second chart below). A year ago, Kijiji vowed to become No. 1 in the U.S. It is still far from that goal. And Oodle, which just signed a deal to power Facebook’s classifieds (in addition to MySpace’s and AOL’s), is catching up from below.

Kijiji is going to need more than a name change to challenge Craigslist.

Above is the global chart, below is the U.S. chart.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

View original here:
“Kijiji” Isn’t Kutting It. How about eBay Classifieds?

The fellas at the Nokia Blog went down to the flagship store in New York looking for the 5800 and were told that the phone was no longer for sale.

As you dost recall, the 5800 is having lots of trouble due to issues with the speaker as well as 3G failure. We’ll ask what the matter was next week but for now, no 5800s for you.

See the original post here:
Nokia flagship store pulls XpressMusic 5800

We’ll just go ahead and warn you — don’t even think of giving the read link any attention if you’re both a) a Lego freak and b) strapped for cash. Otherwise, you’ll definitely be $169.99 further away from paying the light bill next month, as the limited edition Mindstorms Black NXT Brick is simply a must-have item for even amateur collectors. The device, which was created to celebrate ten years of Mindstorms , boasts four input ports, a trio of output ports for motors, a large dot-matrix display, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, a 32-bit microprocessor and a digital wire interface for third-party developments.

Original post: 
Limited edition Lego Mindstorms NXT brings back a decade of memories

Yes, it’s funny, but it’s also a very good idea. Remote controls are among the worst-designed pieces of technology we have to deal with these days. They’re being replaced, somehow, but even more complicated controllers, but one of these days we’ll get it right.

Anyway, considering how hard it is for someone who grew up around these things to get anything done (that’s yours truly), I don’t hold it against my Grandma when she can’t figure out how to get back to the TV from the DVD player interface. There’s probably a way of doing this “mod” that’s a little more tasteful, but the idea is totally sound.

It’s nabbed from Designing Interactions, a new book from IDEO co-founder Bill Moggridge. You can bet he’s got a few more pieces of good advice in there as well — I’m sure he’d take it ill if you just thought he came up with remote mods.

I’ve totally had both those clickers, too. That’s kind of weird.

[via Divine Caroline and Reddit]

Go here to see the original:
A truly practical TV remote mod

Amazon has the Acer Aspire One AOA110-1588 for just $255.98 shipped. Not only does it have 8GB of NAND Flash memory, this model “comes with an 8 GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory card — great for storing digital media.” Product page .

Excerpt from:
Deal of the Day: Acer Aspire One AOA110-1588 8.9-Inch Netbook for $255.98 Shipped

The iPhone isn’t synonymous with snapping quality pictures, but these photographers aim to prove otherwise. Yes, all of them were taken with the iPhone’s 2.0-megapixel camera. Click here for first picture in gallery

Originally posted here:
Stunning iPhone Pictures

This LEGO tank is basically “built around a Zamor launching system nicknamed ‘Hailstorm’ and also has a small wireless ’spycam’ attached — it autonomously detect, target, and destroy loose LEGO targets.” Video after the break. Watch as Ogre detects the right and left edges of its target. Then watch Hailstorm go to work. After that, gaze on as a few Imperial Stormtroopers feel the full wrath of those rapid-fire projectiles.

Here is the original: 
LEGO Tank Autonomously Takes Out Targets

Not that we haven’t seen cooking robots before , but there’s just something distinctly awesome about one that whips up a sandwich. Particularly one that kvetches first, and then gives in and makes a sandwich

Read more:
Sudo robot begrudgingly makes sandwiches on command

Sure, the Lamborghini Countach is a fast car, but unfortunately, most of them can’t be used as a watercraft…except for this one, built by Mike Ryan of Sea Roader. No word yet on availability.

See the rest here:
World’s First and Only Amphibious Lamborghini Countach