When surfing the Internet and browsing web pages with Internet Explorer
(IE) web browser such as IE8, the browser will pop up dialog box to prompt a security warning as below:
Do you want to view only the webpage content that was delivered securely?
This webpage contains content that will not delivered using a secure HTTPS connection, which could compromise the security of the entire webpage.

User is giving three buttons or options to choose – “More Info” to open a help window explaining what’s the secure connections and mixed content, “Yes” which blocks off non-secure (HTTP) content on the web page, and “No” which displays mixed content or elements delivered through both secure (HTTPS/SSL) and non-secure (HTTP) web server connections.

Mixed content situation can happen on HTTPS secure
websites such as online stores or financial sites that display images, banners, or scripts that are coming from a server that is not secured. IE has defaulted to prompt user for next course of action when encounter mixed content as displaying mixed content carries risk that non-secure web page or script will be able to access information from the secure content.

Having to click “No” (or “Yes” to block non-secure content) button for every visit to website with mixed content can be troublesome and annoying. Besides, it’s possible user accidentally click “Yes”, which prevents some insecure elements from loading and displaying. For user who confident that he or she does not visit possibly malicious site, it’s possible to instruct IE to display mixed content automatically, instead of asking for input.

How to Disable and Turn Off Do You Want To View Only the Webpage Content that Was Delivered Securely Security Warning

• Launch Internet Explorer.
• Click on Tools -> Internet Options.
• Go to Security tab.
• Select Internet zone (default selection).
• Click on Custom level… button under “Security level for this zone” section.
• Under “Miscellaneous” branch, for Display mixed content parameter, select the radio button of Enabled.

• Tip: Select “Disabled” to always stop loading on unsecured components in secure web page.
• Click OK when done, and click Yes when prompted are you sure you want to change the settings for this zone.

As you are no doubt well aware, the launch date for the Xperia Pureness is looming. If you've been dying for a closer look, you're in luck: the fashion icons over at MobileBurn have got their hands on one and have been kind enough to make us a short film of the reveal. At first blush, the phone doesn't look any less impressive than it did in the shots and video we've seen before. There doesn't appear to be any hint of a keypad before the thing when shut off, although that obviously changes once it's powered on. As far as that transparent glass display goes, we can tell from here that it's not likely to be visible in direct (or even some indirect) sunlight -- but since you're a jet-setting nightclub habitue' who hasn't been outside in the daylight in four years that probably shouldn't bother you much. The UI is pretty much standard for an SE feature phone, and the battery is not removable. The price? Looks like it will run you a healthy £530 (about $875).

We've already seen some sample footage from Canon's new professional EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR (and should be seeing plenty more come December), but a pre-production version of the camera has now turned up at the Canon Pro Photo Solutions 09 show in London, and TrustedReviews managed to get an early hands-on with it. As you might expect, the camera definitely seems to impress in person, with the 1.2 kilogram body providing a feeling of "solid reliability and competence," while its ergonomics also apparently represent a more subtle but welcome improvement over previous Canon offerings. Unfortunately, the folks at TrustedReviews weren't able to share any sample shots, but they did get a chance to try out the camera's 45-point autofocus system, which is said to be "extremely fast," and its tracking function reportedly had no trouble focusing even in dark, low contrast situations with a 400mm telephoto lens. Hit up the link below for a few more hands-on shots and impressions.

The leading manufacturer of laptop computers, Acer has introduced its new 23-inch Acer T230H multi-touch LCD monitor, which the company claims as its first touch-activated display that offers users a fantastic touch-enabled possibilities via Windows 7, delivering powerful graphic performance with full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels).



Features And Specifications Of Acer T230H:

• 23″ wide (16:9), full HD LCD SCREEN
  
• Rapid 2ms response time, 80,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 300 cd/m2 brightness
• Multi-touch capability lets users rotate images, flip pages, pinch and draw on the screen with hand gestures
• Advanced HDMI connectivity delivers highest quality video/audio currently available
• 2 integrated speakers with 1.5W power

The new sleek Acer T230H multi-touch LCD monitor which measures 22.1 x 8.5 x 15.6 inches and weighs in at 18.7 pounds is available at Amazon.com for around $380.

Here we are at last. RED has finally dropped the full specs of at least one its "Digital Stills and Motion Cameras." And what did you expect? RED has naturally blown this thing out. The first camera to be released will be the insanely high-end EPIC-X, which will come out in four stages and retails for $28,000 (ouch). A pre-production "TATTOO" version will hit this year, followed by a production model for pre-existing RED owners next year, a release after that for RED trade-ins and then finally a widespread release. Meanwhile the Scarlet 2/3-inch camera (which is much more akin to current video-shooting DSLRs, though it doesn't have a full frame sensor) hasn't been given a price range or a release window, but promises to please with dual XLR inputs, electronic lens interoperability with RED, Canon and Nikon lenses (adapters required) and 1080p shooting at 60 fps. One great function shared between the cameras is the ability to operate the camera with a touchscreen and perform "touch focus tracking." So, now that we've frightened off all but the die-hards with a hint at pricing and some vaguely defined functionality, let's let the bullet points take it away after the break:


Scarlet 2/3-inch features

• Increased REDCODE data rates
• New FLUT Color, Gamma and Sensitivity Science. Now same as EPIC.
• More extensive modular system integration.
• Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses, along with Zoom data (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable)
• "Touch Focus Tracking" with electronic lens mounts and RED touchscreen LCD's (Scarlet 2/3" Interchangeable and 8x Fixed)
• Two independent microphone level channels, balanced input circuits, 48V Phantom Power, digitized at 24-bit 48KHz.
• GigaBit Ethernet port
• Scaled 1080P at 60fps

EPIC-X features

• New MYSTERIUM-X 5K sensor
• 5K (2:1) at 1-100fps
• 4K (2:1) at 1-125fps
• Quad HD at 1-120fps
• 3K (2:1) at 1-160fps
• 2K (2:1) at 1-250fps
• 1080P (scaled from full frame) at 1-60fps
• Increased Dynamic Range, reduced noise
• Time Lapse, Frame Ramping
• REDCODE 250
• ISO 200-8000
• New FLUT Color Science
• Completely Modular System, each Module individually upgradeable
• Independent Stills and Motion Modes (both record full resolution REDCODE RAW)
• 5 Axis Adjustable Sensor Plate
• Multiple Recording Media Options (Compact Flash, 1.8" SSD, RED Drives, RED RAM)
• Wireless REDMOTE control
• Touchscreen LCD control option
• Bomb-EVF, RED-EVF and RED-LCD compatible
• Multiple User Control Buttons
• Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses (along with Zoom data)
• "Touch Focus Tracking" with electronic lens mounts and RED Touchscreen LCDs
• LDS and /i Data enabled PL Mount
• Rollover Battery Power
• Independent LUTs on Monitor Outputs
• Independent Frame Guides and Menu overlays on Monitor Outputs
• Monitor Ports support both LCD and EVF
• True Shutter Sync In/Out and Strobe Sync Out
• 720P, 1080P and 2K monitoring support
• Gigagbit Network interface and 802.11 Wireless interface
• 3 Axis internal motion sensor, built in GPS receiver
• Enhanced Metadata
• Full size connectors on Pro I/O Module. AES Digital Audio input, single and dual link HD-SDI
• Support for RED, most Arri 19mm, Studio 15mm, 15mm Lite, Panavision and NATO accessories
• Dimensions- Approx. 4"x4"x5.5"
• Weight (Brain only)- Approx. 6 lbs (2.72kg)

You may simply be able to chalk this one up to some freewheeling speculation and rumination, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata went pretty far out on a limb in talking about the future of the company during a recent sit-down with the Financial Times, and indicated that Nintendo may just be looking outside the gaming industry for a little inspiration. Apparently, Iwata is intrigued by the Kindle "because it's a new business model in which the user doesn't bear the communications cost," which he says wouldn't "fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products." He did go on to note though, that "in reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up," but said that "it is one option for the future." At the same time, however, Iwata also seemingly downplayed the short-term potential for download-only games, saying that he thinks "it will take quite a long time" for the industry to shift to them -- although he did hedge his bets somewhat by pointing out how unpredictable the games business is.

Don't panic, we haven't gone back in time. What we're looking at here is the world's first but still-yet-to-be-released phone that runs on Windows XP, and its Chinese maker has just released some juicy specs and interface images to tease us all. The ITG xpPhone will be blessed with the chutzpah-filled AMD "Super Mobile" CPU, coupled with either 512MB or 1GB RAM. Storage options range from 8GB SSD to 120GB HDD (probably 1.8-inch) and everything in between. While the sheet confirms both GSM and CDMA support, ITG's pre-order page -- which looks more like a newsletter sign-up page at the moment -- is still vague on the phone's availability and price. For now we'll just continue to gaze at the interface pictures until something happens.

For a time, it looked Aptera might be missing out on the US Department of Energy's funding bonanza for energy-efficient vehicles due to its car's three-wheeled nature, but it looks like President Obama has now had the final say on the matter, and signed legislation that makes both two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles eligible for the same funding as their four-wheeled counterparts. Of course, that doesn't yet mean that Aptera will actually receive any funding, and the legislation doesn't have anything to do with safety regulations, where the 2e is still classified as a motorcycle by the Department of Transportation. For its part, however, Aptera says that it'll be filing another application to meet the updated requirements, and it still insists that it'll hit "volume production" of the car sometime in 2010, and get it on the road for between $25,000 and $40,000.

For the most part, we'd say that Sony addressed the concerns of many when it introduced the PlayStation 3 Slim. The console was smaller, cheaper and easier on the eyes, and of course the 120GB hard drive didn't hurt matters either. That said, we know that the redesign didn't please everyone, and we've heard more than a few PS3 diehards complain about the new design. If it were you designing a newer, less expensive PlayStation 3, what would you have done differently? Kept PS2 backwards compatibility? Colored it white? Added HD DVD support? Don't be scared to get a little crazy -- besides, they call that "innovation" in the corporate world.

The fine folks at both HotHardware and PC Perspective have run the new ASUS P7P55D-E Premium motherboard through its paces, which has the particular distinction of handling both USB 3.0 and the up-and-coming SATA 6G through controllers by NEC and Marvell, respectively. Lucky for us, both sites' tests came to similar conclusions. The Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6G drive has almost zero improvement over SATA 3G, other than in some burst speeds due to the fancy cache on the 6G -- the bottleneck here is the drive, not the controller. Meanwhile, USB 3.0 has speeds that are roughly 5 to 6 times faster than USB 2.0 with the same drive, a huge win for fans of external storage the world over. Perhaps even better news is that an ASUS US36 controller card with USB 3.0 and SATA 6G support is a mere $30, so this stuff is already basically within reach to the average desktop user.

Read - HotHardware
Read - PC Perspective

What could be a better feeling than beating a world record? Beating your own world record. The Tesla Roadster has put an extra exclamation mark on its world-conquering single-charge antics by raising the bar from 241 miles back in April to an even more impressive 313 this week. As you can see in that homemade "world record" sign above, that's 501 kilometers in metric terms, or pretty much the exact distance between Paris and Amsterdam. The Global Green Challenge in Australia -- where this feat was achieved -- allows only production battery-powered vehicles to compete, meaning that the new record is down to driver skill on the part of one Mr. Simon Hackett, and not some newfound techno mojo. Kinda makes those long recharge times seem like less of a burden, no?

It belts out severe weather alerts as storms are barreling towards your domicile. It acts as a decent bedroom stereo. And it wakes you and the SO up to your own favorite jams -- all while charging your iPod or iPhone throughout the night. If those amenities sound like must-haves in your own life, you might be interested in knowing that iLuv's iMM183 dual dock alarm clock is now shipping, nearly a full year after being originally announced at CES. The pain? $149.99 -- but hey, that's a small price to pay to keep your dear media player / handset out of a tornado's eye, right?

Read

Surface? What Surface? Ideum, which popped out a rather gigantic MT2 multitouch table earlier this year, is now introducing another model that makes that fellow look like child's play. The 100-inch MT-50 is an outright beast, boasting 86 viewable inches, a 16 x 5 aspect ratio and a stunning 2,304 x 800 resolution. It was engineered for the Space Chase Gallery at the Adventure Science Center, which is one of several high-tech exhibits the company has deployed at the Nashville, TN-based science center. The table itself can support over 50 simultaneous touch points, and while the Flash-based software is obviously tailored for learning applications, there's nothing stopping this thing from becoming the world's next great arcade fixture.

Whoa, is that webOS 2.0 we see on the horizon? No, sorry, it definitely isn't -- but we can say with relative confidence that the upcoming Pixi will be shipping with a newer, slightly more feature-rich version of webOS than its Pre brethren around the world; if nothing else, Synergy supports Yahoo on the new model, as PreCentral observes. What remains to be seen is the exact version number that'll be shipping out of the gate -- recent DSLReports user agent logs suggest that 1.2.9 might be the gold build (for the record, the Sprint Pre currently rocks 1.2.1), but apparently there's some chatter going on about a 1.3 as well. Doesn't seem like much of a difference, but a 0.1 increment usually means more features, fixes, and changes than a 0.01 increment does, so naturally, we're pulling for a bigger number. There isn't any intel on what this mythical 1.3 might contain just yet or whether it'd be heading to Bell, Sprint, and O2 Pres, but we'll keep an eye out.

RIM and Verizon Wireless have announced the upcoming availability of the highly anticipated BlackBerry Storm2 9550, which features SurePress “clickable” display technology, and BlackBerry OS 5.0 that includes usability and visual enhancements like inertial scrolling, spin boxes, providing users an exceptional multimedia and communication experience.

Highlights Of BlackBerry Storm2 9550 (Verizon Wireless):

• Stylish, smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents, glass lens stainless steel backplate
• 3.25″ dazzling high-resolution (480 x 360 pixels) touchscreen display at 184 ppi
• 3.2 MP camera with autofocus, Image Stabilization (IS), flash and video recording capabilities
• 256MB Flash memory, 2GB of on-board memory storage and a microSD/SDHD memory card slot with a 16GB card included
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) and Bluetooth v2.1+EDR
• New SurePress”clickable” display technology
• Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging
• Supports Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator service, Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service and V CAST Music with Rhapsody
• Improved BlackBerry Browser with faster JavaScript and CSS processing as well as support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets
• Users running BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 will gain the ability to set follow-up flags, manage e-mail folders, access remote files (Windows Shares), forward appointments, view calendar attachments and more
• Loud distortion-free speakerphone, background noise suppression technology and proximity sensor
• BlackBerry OS 5.0 includes typing accuracy and variety of improvements
• Removable, rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery supports up to 5.5 hours of talk time or up to 11.2 days of standby time

The new BlackBerry Storm2 9550 smartphone which measures 4.43 x 2.45 x 0.55 inches and weights 5.64 ounces will be available through Verizon Wireless beginning October 28 for $179.99, after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new 2-year service contract.

Aw, snap. For years now, we've been waiting (and waiting) for solid state disc prices to stoop down from the realm of you've-got-to-be-kidding-me, and now it finally looks like the everyman can ditch the HDD and get onboard with flash. Kingston's newly announced SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive ain't very capacious, but for just $84.99 (after rebates) at NewEgg, it's definitely affordable. The drive itself isn't slated to ship until November 9th, but the cool kids over at Legit Reviews seem to have already wrangled a unit for review. Kingston promises sequential read rates of up to 170MBps and write rates of up to 40MBps, and while that's certainly not mind-blowing, it's not too awful given the 2.5-inch form factor and bargain-basement price. Oh, and critics found that the drive far surpassed published speed ratings in testing, which is always completely and utterly awesome. Hit the via link for more, vaquero.

Remember how in grade school, you usually made fun of the people you had crushes on? Verizon -- hot on the heels of some surgically strategic anti-iPhone marketing to promote its upcoming Android line -- is singing a very different tune in the corporate boardroom, with CEO Ivan Seidenberg (who has a storied reputation for running his mouth) saying during the company's earnings call today that the company "obviously would be interested at any point in the future that they would be interested in having us as a partner." He went on to say that the decision to bring the iPhone to Verizon is "exclusively in Apple's court," though we doubt that's entirely true -- Verizon has a reputation for putting manufacturers and devices through the wringer, and if any carrier in the world were to spike the iPhone for failing acceptance testing or throw its gargantuan weight and reputation around to put pressure on the contract, it'd be Big Red. Either way, though, it's an olive branch and a potential start to the near-constant cries of "if only the iPhone were on Verizon" that we've been hearing for the past two years; we're still having an awful hard time picturing a CDMA-equipped version ever happening, but with Verizon's LTE network progressively lighting up over the next few years, it might just be the perfect opportunity for these wayward souls to finally find common ground, especially with the tune AT&T's singing these days.

There's not exactly much in the way of official statements on the matter just yet, but it looks like support forums have been piling up with reports of text messaging problems on the HTC Hero over the past few weeks, and with no signs of a fix in sight. Apparently, the phone can send texts just fine, but runs into a little trouble when it comes to receiving 'em, with most folks reporting only intermittent problems, and at least some not receiving any at all. Interestingly, the problem seems to be occurring in both the US and the UK, so it would seem to be a problem on the phone's end and not the carrier's, and a few people seem to have had some (brief) success after resetting the device. Of course, there are also plenty of folks having no problems at all, but there doesn't seem to be any question that the issue is out there. So, have you been missing some texts on your Hero? Let us know in comments.

It can't all be sweet, right? So Netflix is indeed coming to PlayStation 3, but there's a catch, and that is a disc (badly photoshopped into the picture above) will be required for use -- not just for a one-time install, but every time you want to stream. Joystiq shot some questions off to the company, who justified this as being "fastest and easiest way to let PS3 enthusiasts get Netflix on the PS3" and that an embedded software solution through XMB will be coming late next year. It denies this has anything to do with Microsoft's exclusivity agreement, but frankly we're a bit bummed by this perplexing hurdle in convenience. At any rate, be sure to go reserve your disc now if you want to start streaming -- assuming, of course, PlayOn hasn't already satisfied your Netflix needs.

Read - Netflix interview
Read - Disc reservation page (must be logged in to see)

Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.

Apple hasn't exactly been making any promises to the contrary, but it looks like anyone hoping to use the company's Mini Display Port to DVI adapter to hook a game console or other device up to a brand new 27-inch iMac is flat out of luck -- for now, at least. That's because the system's exciting (but pricey) ability to be used as a standalone monitor only applies to devices equipped with their own Mini Display Port at the moment, which does limit your options quite a bit. Of course, it's almost certainly only a matter of time before Apple or a third-party manufacturer comes out with an adapter that does work, but we haven't heard anything firm on that front as of yet.

That Northwest Flight 188 San Diego to Minneapolis that went 150 miles off course? Well, it wasn't because of alcohol or sleeping. No, the cause here was the pilots using their personal laptops while talking about "airline crew flight scheduling procedure." As far as we can tell there was no in-flight WiFi, and it's a good thing, too -- no telling how far off they'd have been if the pilots had access to World of Warcraft.

You read that headline correctly, Google Voice now works with your existing mobile phone number -- no need to choose a new Google number that must be communicated to friends, family, and co-workers. This "lighter" version of Google Voice then lets you hand-over voicemail responsibility (and your data) to Google's authority where you can listen to (or read via automatic voice to text conversion) your voicemail on a computer in any order you like, read them as text messages on your phone, and choose personalized greetings by caller. A side-by-side feature table that compares Google Voice when choosing a Google number versus your existing cellphone number can be found after the break. We've also dropped in a cutsie video overview of the change -- surely a company that produced it can't be evil, can it?

At this stage of its development, PETMAN is here to assist mankind. However, it's clearly fated to be weaponized as an AT-ST walker in support of Imperial ground forces. For the time being anyway, this biped humanoid is being built by Boston Dynamics to test military suits used to protect soldiers in chemical warfare. As an evolutionary advance from its four-legged BigDog platform, PETMAN does the ol' heel-toe at a healthy 3.2 MPH (5.14 KPH) and packs enough balancing intelligence to remain upright even when given a shove from the side.

A few forward-thinking libraries in the UK have started offering ebook downloads as an alternative to borrowing physical copies of books, and the local public's reaction has been one of overwhelming enthusiasm. Seemingly attracted by the idea of being able to collect and return books without having to actually attend the library, Brits have been eagerly joining up to the new scheme. Free downloads that last for 14 days before self-deleting can be had either in the library or at home, and transitioned onto your Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, or that new hotness, B&N's nook. Naturally, the proprietary-format Kindle isn't invited to this party. We've already seen a similar initiative in the USA, and can only hope this kind of convenience becomes mainstream before too long.

Sky TV has made its arrival on the Xbox 360 today in prompt fashion, with live streaming and on-demand video available, and the keen lads over at Electric Pig already have a preview of the service in action. Their immediate reaction was that the Sky Player interface was "ultra-speedy" and easily navigable using the 360 controller. Streaming at the high-quality setting (alas, there's no HD on offer yet) was also no problem on a 4Mb broadband connection, though they reserve their highest praise for the on-demand content which was pumped through within a couple of seconds of selection and benefits from an "astonishingly well-designed interface." For the full impressions of the subscription-based service, which starts out at £15 per month, hit up the read link below.

Got an N97? Yeah? Reckoned that Nokia has forgotten about your loyalty and moved all of its focus onto the N900? Fret not, dearest early adopter -- the engineers in Espoo are making good on a promise to clear out lots of bugs in the aforesaid handset with firmware 2.0, and if we're seeing this right, it's available now to download all over the world. We know, you 5800 owners are clamoring for the same type of TLC, but for now it looks like the pricier sibling is getting its due. Hit the read link and get your download going, and make sure to report back on your kinetic scrolling experience, cool?

No matter how bad the global economy gets, you can always rely on there being a select few people with (a lot) more money than sense. Exclusively for them, Dutch outfit Intelligent Design has put together this handcrafted Bluetooth laser mouse, which boasts a neodymium scroll wheel, high quality plastic resin and a grade 1 titanium body. We didn't know you could handcraft titanium and we challenge anyone to explain what neodymium has to do with good input ergonomics, but then maybe that just shows how little we know about luxurious items like this. So, if you have $1,200 (or €800 in Old World money) to spare, why not add this unnamed mouse to your shopping list, just under the Mnemosyne USB drive?

This isn't exactly the same magnitude as last year's Z2K scare, but it's still an all-around bummer for all you Zune nuts. According to a spate of complaints posted to the Zune.net forums as of late, certain Zune HD units are not syncing their playcounts properly with the user's PC and Zune Social accounts. To be a little more specific, it seems that if you let a song play through on the device it will not be counted as played -- but if you skip to another tune before it has a chance to complete (but after 20 seconds or so), the play will be counted. A real pain, right? Of course, this is not only bad news for obsessive list keepers, but for Zune Social fans as well: if your listening habits aren't being properly tabulated, how are you supposed to make new friends and discover new music? Certainly not by going to noisy rock clubs and talking to people! Apparently a Microsoft Zune support team member has acknowledged the issue, but the company has made no statement relating to the bug -- or possible firmware fix -- as of yet. We'll keep you posted.

Google's gone ahead and uncorked the bubbly to celebrate the launch of Android 2.0 "Eclair" today ahead of Verizon's big reveal tomorrow, bundling its announcements into two very important sections: SDK support, meaning devs can go ahead and start targeting the new bits, and a comprehensive list of changes in the latest version. Here are the major changes us lay folk are going to care about:

• Support for multiple Google and Exchange accounts
• Third-party "sync adapters" allow apps to tie in to the phone's sync services
• Quick contact menus for fast access to specific key pieces of contact information
• Unified email inbox (yes!)
• SMS and MMS search
• Text message auto-delete after a user-defined thread size is reached
• Significantly improved camera controls with white balance, macro, effects, and more
• Improved keyboard layout, dictionary, and algorithm based on multi-touch support
• Double-tap zoom in browser, support for HTML5
• Bluetooth 2.1 support with addition of OPP and PBAP profiles
• "Better" graphics hardware acceleration

Needless to say, we're extremely excited about the changes Google's made here -- and on top of the Droid, we can only hope this action is coming to legacy devices on the double. We'll find out soon enough (hopefully).

Read - SDK support announcement
Read - Android 2.0 changes

As is often the case, the FCC spoiled the surprise on this one, but Dell's keeping its PR machine chugging along with its new Latitude XT2 XFR rugged tablet nonetheless, and it's fleshed out a few details in the precess. As expected, this one is more or less just a rugged version of the company's existing Latitude XT2, including the same 12.1-inch multitouch display, a modestly upgraded Core 2 Duo SU9600 processor, up to 5GB of RAM, your choice of a standard hard drive or SSD, a range of hot-swappable modules (soon to include GPS) and, somewhat curiously, no Windows 7 option -- just Vista or the ever popular XP downgrade. Of course it's the ruggedness that's the real selling point, and this one looks to deliver the goods on that front (for a starting price of $3,599) --

We're still not entirely certain what Google Wave is for -- or even if humans are capable of comprehending it -- but we do know that we're super-intrigued by the idea of third-party extensions that hook into the fledging messaging platform, and it sounds like the folks in Mountain View are as well. Google's planning to launch both an extension gallery and extension store in the coming months, which would allow users to easily find, buy, and share apps for Wave. It's not clear how the sharing will work, or how much Google expects extensions to cost, but it's certainly an interesting way to capitalize on Wave's flexibility. Our first request? An extension to kill live-typing. Let's make it happen.

Netbook specs have been held in check by Microsoft and Intel's dizzying array of rules and restrictions for low-cost machines, but now that Windows 7 is out and Intel's getting ready to release the next generation of Atom chips it sounds like things are about to get slightly better. Microsoft has already started allowing netbook manufacturers to load Windows 7 Home Premium on machines without restrictions, and now Fudzilla says Intel will lift the 1GB RAM limit from Atom machines when the 1.83GHz N470 Pine Trail chip hits in March. That means we'll start to see more of a range of netbook specs going forward, but the low-end will probably still be dominated by Windows 7 Starter and the Atom N450, which will still be limited to 1GB of RAM, so don't expect to be happy with the cheap stuff anytime soon.

We've already seen the iPhone 3GS handily win an ARM Cortex A8-powered browsing bakeoff against the Palm Pre, but now that a few more devices have hit the scene with the processor it's time for another round, don't you think? Pocketables certainly does, and they've pitted the 3GS against a pretty eclectic group of devices, including the Sharp NetWalker Android "smartbook," the Archos 5 IMT, and the Archos 5 Android PMP. That's two Android devices, one funky proprietary OS, and the iPhone, all running different browsers on different variants of the same chip design, so there are obviously a lot of variables at play here, but the results are still interesting: the 800MHz Android Archos 5's WebKit browser was just a tick faster than the 600MHz iPhone 3GS, turning in an average page-load time of 9.0 seconds as opposed to 9.6, while the 800MHz NetWalker and 600MHz Archos 5 IMT trailed at 10.3 and 11.6 seconds. All we're taking away from that is that WebKit-based mobile browsers still seem to be the speed champs, but we're sure you have a different opinion.

You know, we've been pretty skeptical about the whole "fit" part of the "Wii Fit" phenomenon, and for good reason: as studies have shown, the health benefits of gaming, whether you're sitting, standing, or faux-bowling, are minimal at best. Still, for a number of consumers at home and abroad, the game conjures up notions of leading an active lifestyle. So perhaps it is no surprise, as the Telegraph reports, that Britain's National Health Service is using it to promote its Change4Life initiative -- even going so far as to allow the company to append the Change4Life logo on its upcoming Wii Fit Plus release. And how about those who cry foul -- specifically, those who point out that the deal includes Nintendo shelling out money to help promote the NHS-funded program. See how one might get the idea that this is a "pay to play" affair? To the government's credit, it does stress that it's endorsing an exercise, not a video game system. "Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving," a spokesperson said. Rob Saunders, the British spokesman for Nintendo, had this to say: "If you are worried about your bingo wings or your flabby bum, the game will give you specific exercises to target those areas." Bingo wings? Flabby bums? Why didn't you say so in the first place?

Mmm, flash. Fusion-io's product line has largely targeted enterprise users, but with the introduction of the ioXtreme PCI Express SSD back at E3, it was clear that the next-gen storage outfit was serious about breaking into the consumer market. Today, the 80GB ioXtreme and ioXtreme Pro (which was previously unheard of) have both broke cover over at Hot Hardware, with the former being useful for single-drive installs and the latter good for multi-drive setups. We should note that Fusion-io is obviously behind schedule on these, and there still doesn't look to be a definite price and release for the laypeople out there. That said, if the company's shipping out products that punch out an average write rate of 300MBps and read rate of 775MBps (yes, seriously), we'd say it's darn near ready for the real world.

Shape-shifting chairs may not always be the most attractive additions to your living room, but Taiwanese designer Yu-Ying Wu is hoping to change that with her so-called "Breathing Chair," which has already won a few prestigious design awards but hasn't yet snagged any commercial partners. The secret, such as it is, is the array of "professionally calculated" holes spaced out through the three layers of foam plastic, which are designed to compress into the shape of an armchair when someone sits in it and spring back into a cube when they stand up. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any video of it in action, but the chair will soon be on display at Red Dot Design Museum in Signapore if you happen to be in the area.

Well, that was a short honeymoon -- Intel's now pulled its SSD Toolbox and associated TRIM firmware update amid reports that it was bricking drives under Windows 7. We haven't heard more than anecdotal evidence about this, but we'd definitely pick having a functional drive over the promised 40 percent speed boost from the code, so you should probably hold off if you've downloaded but haven't updated yet. We're looking into things, we'll let you know -- but man, the X-25M just hasn't had an easy life, has it?

Update: Intel just gave us its official statement on the matter:

Yes, we have been contacted by users with issues with the firmware upgrade for our 34nm SSDs and we are investigating. We take all sightings and issues seriously and are working toward resolution. We have temporarily taken down the firmware link while we investigate.

Read - Former SSD Toolbox download page
Read - Intel support forum page

We already know plenty of people who've eschewed traditional turn-by-turn GPS systems in favor of plotting it out for free on Google Maps, and now there's whispers that Mountain View is coming after the rest of the market with a free nav app. That's at least what nav services providers are saying to Forbes, who think El Goog is gearing up to release a free ad-supported navigation app after making moves to use its own US maps instead licensing data from Tele Atlas and putting ads on the iPhone Maps app. Obviously that would shake things up a ton -- and make Android devices a huge bargain -- but we'll see where this all leads over the next few months.

Google has its PowerMeter, Microsoft has its Hohm and Obama has his "smart meters." Got it? Good. Around two years after UK taxpayers began footing the bill for in-home energy monitors, it seems as if America's current administration is looking to follow suit. While visiting the now-open solar facility in Arcadia, Florida today, the Pres announced that $3.4 billion in cash that the US doesn't actually have has just been set aside for a number of things, namely an intelligent power grid and a whole bundle of smart power meters. Aside from boring apparatuses like new digital transformers and grid sensors (both of which are designed to modernize the nation's "dilapidated" electric network), 18 million smart meters and 1 million "other in-home devices" will be installed in select abodes. The idea here is to give individuals a better way to monitor their electricity usage, with the eventual goal set at 40 million installed meters over the next few years. Great idea, guys -- or you know, you could just advise people to turn stuff off when they aren't using it, or not use energy they can't afford. Just sayin'.

We can certainly understand why Verizon wants to brand all of its Android devices under the "Droid" label, but at this point we can't say we understand why it's launching the HTC Droid Eris alongside the Motorola Droid at all -- BGR says it's going to run Android 1.5 on a 528MHz Qualcomm CPU, which means it'll be instantly obsoleted by Android 2.0 on the Moto's OMAP3 at launch. What's more, it sure seems like Verizon knows it's mismanaging this situation, as we haven't heard a single peep about the Eris in the runup to the Droid launch tomorrow, even though Eric Schmidt and Lowell McAdam were waving both devices around a few weeks ago. We'll see how this all plays out -- HTC certainly has Android 2.0 phones of its own in the works, so the Eris might not be long for this world.

So, Dell finally revealed just exactly what was going on with its ultrathin Adamo XPS -- to an extent, anyway -- but there's always room for a little more detail, and that's where the folks at Zive Computer come in. This lovingly filmed video of theirs shows off all the physical intricacies of the XPS, the hinge in action from multiple angles, and even a bit of pretend typing on that odd-looking keyboard. Sure, we're still in the dark on plenty of specs, but we've already gathered enough on this thing to make it clear it's unlike anything else on the market. Hit up the read link for the video.

Read

A robot barista-filled future may still be a long ways off, but it looks like you may just be answering to a machine of another sort for your coffee sooner than you think -- at least if Douwe Egberts has its way. While it's still a concept, the company's so-called BeMoved coffee machine promises to finally bring the disparate worlds of hot beverages and motion control together at last, and do nothing short of raise "human interaction with a coffee machine to a higher level" in the process. Because, really, you can never truly feel close to a coffee machine until it's taunted you to jump up and down to fill your cup of joe. Of course, you can also do some slightly more practical things like tailor your coffee exactly the way you like using the massive touchscreen, and even check up on the weather and news while you wait. No word on any test markets just yet, but folks can apparently check out the concept first-hand at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven this week.

Need a digital photo frame? Need a printer? Need them to happen within the same enclosure? If you're one of the oddballs who curiously answered yes -- and you don't actually need it until after the holiday shopping season -- Sony's got you covered. The DPP-F700 digital picture frame with one-touch printing that we saw pop up internationally just last month has finally been blessed with a US ship date and price, and if you've paid any attention whatsoever to the headline, you're probably well aware of what those two data points are. The frame itself will boast a 7-inch display (800 x 480 resolution), 1GB of memory, a multicard reader and will print out "professional quality" 4- x 6-inch photos at 300 x 300 dpi. There's also a nifty "screen capture" mode that prints out exactly what's displayed during a slide show, though there's literally no telling how pricey those refills will be.

Lighters are more often than not outside the scope of our coverage here at Engadget, and while we don't condone smoking or lighting anything on fire... well, these are just awesome. Banpresto's launched a pre-order of these two beautiful Zippo-style lighters, a Sega Mega Drive and a Sega Saturn which runs through November 6th, with a shipping date sometime in December. Each lighter runs ¥10,500 (around $115). We'll definitely keep our eyes peeled for more of these smokers.

We've been led to believe in the past that there'd be a GSM version of Motorola's mighty Sholes for markets outside the US, but this particular version that passed the FCC this week -- ID IHDP56KC5, if you must know -- has us particularly interested. Why? Well, it's packing WCDMA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, which means it'd work on AT&T, Rogers, and HSPA newcomers Bell and Telus. We've been led to believe, though, that this particular device is destined for Latin America where 850 / 1900 is also used in favor of the 2100MHz spectrum more prevalent in Europe. That doesn't rule out Canada, but our instincts tell us that Verizon has every intention of locking up the Sholes as a US exclusive, which means AT&T is a likely no-go -- the carrier's been strangely silent on Android, anyhow, and we haven't heard a peep of recent intel suggesting they're prepping Google-powered gear in time for the holidays. Of course, enterprising individuals will probably figure out how to unlock and import this bad boy, so if you're an American and the thought of switching to Big Red for a Droid makes you physically ill, take heart that there might yet be hope.

Samsung's made some lofty boasts regarding its LTE support before, and here we go with some official documentation of US-bound products care of the FCC. The agency's database lists device A3LSLCU100 (catchy name, eh?) as a pre-production LTE USB modem from the company -- and that's about it. As for the usual fun of looking at over-saturated internal / external photos, good ol' Sammy's got a window of 180 days of confidentiality that started September 24th, so by our count, we've got potentially quite a while before we see something. The best we get now is this label outline above -- one more, equally nondescript shot after the break, if you're curious.

Hey, you -- yeah you, the BlackBerry Storm owner over there. You listening? Good. That mythical software update we heard about just last week is obviously the real deal, and a screen grab from Verizon's internal systems has shown up to prove it. We're told that it should go live tomorrow (that's October 25th for those in strange, potentially illegitimate time zones) at 6PM. On the whole, it'll make your Storm act a lot more like the forthcoming Storm2, but specifically you can expect a "faster, more accurate and more natural text input experience, word completion, a virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view and enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting." You'll also get the ability to "enable Auto Correction as opposed to Word Completion in landscape view." The full changelog should be coming soon, so hang tight! Oh, and cancel those plans for tomorrow night, okay?

Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!

BlackBerry Storm - MR3 (5.0) Software Release
OEM: RIM
Model: 9530
Software Version: 5.0.0 Release 508(OS 4.2.0.128 / Applications 5.0.0.328)
Approval Date: 10/22/09
Available through the following methods:
Over The Air Software Loading (OTASL): NOT AVAILABLE for this upgrade.
Desktop Manager Software Loading: Customers will have access any time after
10/25 10PM Eastern time.
Web Based Software Loading (WebSL): Customers will have access any time
after 10/25 10PM Eastern time.
A software update to help enhance the performance on your BlackBerry ®
StormTM smartphone is now available. From your computer go to
www.verizonwireless.com/storm, select "Software Download" and follow the
on-screen instructions. Thank you, Verizon Wireless

New software has been approved for the RIM Blackberry Storm (9530), and will
be available effective 10/25/2009 at 7 PM PST for customers. Communication
will be provided to customers via a "Pin Message" to their device stating:

Symptoms Resolved:

• Significant improvements in rotation detection and screen painting have been introduced in this software.
• Device displayed a white bar at the bottom of the screen after a rotation event.
• When setting a custom SMS tone for a single contact, this tone may playback unexpectedly for SMS' received from other contacts.
• When swiping down the virtual keyboard in an MMS message the send and save draft icons did not appear as expected.
• * When viewing an SMS there was no simple way to call the current user. Now the user can select the number from the Callback Number field or from the message body and call that number from the pop up menu.
• The delete prior function has the unwanted side-effect of triggering the compose email screen.
• The user cannot configure their profile settings to increase the number of alerts when being notified of an event such as incoming SMS or email.
• Previous software versions did not allow the user to increase the count of notifications (i.e. Beep 5 times when when I get an email and beep 3 times when I get an sms). In this software, this is now allowed with counts from 1-10.
• When trying to set a home screen background of a certain resolution (more specifically a resolution matching either the width or the height of the native resolution of the LCD) it may have appeared as a black screen.
• When trying to edit/create a folder, the virtual keyboard did not render to allow the user to enter the names of said folders.
• * Intermittently, when streaming a video while doing a handover to 2G on a 3G network the video would stop playing.
• * If you paused a video recording and then resumed, the icon state may not have reflected the current recording state.
• After recoding a video of a certain size (7M) the saved video may be corrupted and unplayable.
• During manual network selection, the radio buttons associated with the networks did not render as expected.
• When moving out of coverage your device display for no coverage may have been inconsistent.
• During voice calls, your device may have reset on a rare occasion.
• After viewing and accepting the End User Licensing Agreement of the App World application the application doesn't startup (fixes introduced in the latest version of App World).
• On some rare occasions, the device may reset on its own during a voice call or while idle.
• During an MTP side load of 16GB of music, the device would leak memory and stop the transfer at ~75%.
• During device full boot-up, the progress bar skips from 0% complete to ~66% complete instead of showing a gradual progression (Note: from 66% to 100% it does show a gradual progression).