Author: Angela West

The “Everybody Draw Mohammed” Day Facebook event was formed in protest to the threats against South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, over their recent South Park episode that featured the likeness of Mohammed. The event, due to take place on May 20th, prompted the country of Pakistan to ban access to Facebook until May 31st. The move was in response to further outrage in Pakistan over the purpose of the group, which is encouraging everyone to violate an important Muslim law which bans likenesses of Mohammed from being created. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority required all…

When Google announces a new product, you have to get a little excited. Their newest, announced today, is the Chrome Web Store, which will make it easy for anyone to pay for and download applications over the internet or to mobile phones. According to Google Vice President Sundar Pichai, Google wants to make it easy to create and sell a premium web application, and the new Web Store is the delivery vehicle for those applications. The store will only be available through Google’s Chrome web browser, which may boost its numbers from 70 million users. The store will use the same basic model as Apple’s…

Verizon is planning to release their own version of the tablet computer with a as-yet-unnamed manufacturer who will be using Google’s software on the device. Verizon’s CEO, Lowell McAdam, confirmed that the partnership with Google has been in the works to help Verizon catch up to rival AT&T with a device similar to Apple’s iPad. “We’re working on tablets together, for example. We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.” McAdam said in an interview with WSJ. Verizon would not discuss a manufacturer or timing, and Google…

These ads were produced to publicize Disney Star Wars Weekends, which are taking place every Friday to Sunday from May 21 to June 13. The Star Wars weekends feature characters from the original epic Star Wars movie saga and the newer animated series, Clone Wars. There is a Jedi Training Academy, and a Star Tours flight simulator attraction, as well as Star Wars characters and themed entertainment throughout the weekend. The event takes place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park and events are being put on in addition to the regular attractions at the park. The Yellow Shoes Creative Group,…

It’s not a building. Not in the traditional sense. It is a three-dimensional sculpture that you can walk through with no defined interior or exterior. It starts at a harbor, leads through gardens and parks, and ends up at a power plant. The 6000 square meter structure composed of pure design hotness is Germany’s largest at any expo, ever. More pictures follow for those of us who can’t hop the red-eye to Shanghai to experience this bad boy. Cruise on over to DesignBoom for all the pictures. Source: DesignBoom…

He may not be able to call anyone on his Android-iPhone hybrid, but blogger and erstwhile hacker David Wang (known more widely by his handle, planetbeing) can surf wi-fi and perform most of the other tasks associated with a smartphone with the beast that he has created. Any task that doesn’t require audio support can be performed on the Android-modded iPhone. After the modification, the Android OS can be accessed easily from the boot menu via an Android icon, allowing you to choose either the Android OS or the iPhone OS. Very handy once you do want to return your device into phone mode. Audio support…

The Nokia/Apple patent lawsuits just got a little more real today when Nokia filed a second federal patent lawsuit alleging that the iPhone 3G and 3GS infringe on five Nokia-held patents. In addition, Nokia filed the suit in Wisconsin, a state which is known to bring a conclusion to these kinds of cases in a year or less. Nokia fired the first salvo last year, alleging several patent infractions on the part of the iPhone. Apple then launched a countersuit, and the two tech cos have been in negotiations ever since to try to hash out the issue. Additionally, Nokia has filed a complaint with the US International…

Silicon Valley Insider had a funky lil’ chart to show us today; a chart that reveals that Microsoft spends twice as much on advertising as Apple. We’re betting Apple stockholders just all collectively pumped their fists in the air after finding out that fun fact. The Big Apple is still up there over other tech giants like eBay and Google in terms of actual ad spend dollars, but it looks like word of mouth does a lot of their work for them. Source: 9 to 5 Mac, Silicon Valley Insider…

The Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS are about to get even more useful. You’ll be able to wave your phone over a system that doesn’t require any contact to pay for your smaller purchases. Germophobes rejoice! Visa and DeviceFidelity are partnering to bring this payment system to your iPhone. The only problem we can foresee is that it isn’t just an app; it is a shell constructed specially for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that has a secure memory card that works with Visa’s app, PayWave. Will iPhone users go for it? If you’ve ever been faced with a greasy pay terminal just to get your morning coffee, you’d be tempted… Source:…

Do you have a Wikipedia page that you keep on returning to over and over again? Why not turn it into a book? A company called Pediapress lets you do just that. Just fire in the URL, pay, and a few weeks later a book will show up at your door with your favorite topic all bound up and ready to go. While this may seem a bit counterintuitive with the breakout of tablet computers, it is a concept that may get some play just through its sheer novelty. Get your favorite WOW geek a printout of the World of Warcraft page. The gifting possibilities alone are endless. As a bonus, part of the purchase price is donated to Wikipedia….