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Latest by Geoff Duncan

Google Voice Offers to Turn Voicemail into Email

Google has launched a limited beta of Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) that offers up transcriptions of voicemail messages in email..and one phone number to rule them all.

Smartphone Sales Still Growing, But Not As Fast

Research firm Gartner found that smartphone sales were still growing in the fourth quarter of 2008 - by 3.7 percent - but that Nokia is struggling to maintain its lead.

PlayStation Network Tunes into NBC Universal Movies and TV

Sony's PlayStation Network has inked a deal with NBC Universal to bring movies and TV shows to PS3 and PSP users in the United States.

Nokia Looks to Build XpressMusic Ecosystem with Three New Handsets

Nokia's new 5730 XpressMusic, 5330 XpressMusic, and 5030 handsets expand Nokia's music-capable offerings at three different price points - just not in the United States.

Apple’s Screenless iPod shuffle Gets Chatty

Apple's tiny iPod shuffle music players eschew screens, but the new third-gen 4GB iPod shuffle has a VoiceOver feature can announce tracks, artists, and playlists - in 14 languages.

LaCie Unlocks USB Storage with Three Key-Shaped Drives

LaCie's new itsaKey, iamaKey, and PassKey USB drives are shapes like keys and feature touch metal casings to stand up to everyday use.

Muziic Cranks Up YouTube as a Steaming Music Service

Ever wonder what YouTube would be like...without the video? The new Muziic tapes into all the music on YouTube, leaving the pixels behind.

Indian Web-based Map Bhuvan Raises Security Concerns

India is rolling out its own competitor to Google Earth named Bhuvan, promising high-resolution imagery and regular updates. But does it also open up new risks?

Google, Citrix, LGE, T-Mobile Cut Deals with Klausner for Visual Voicemail

The inventor of the PDA strikes again: Klausner Technologies has reached more settlements for its visual voicemail patents, this time with Citrix, LGE, T-Mobile...and Google.

Dell Goes Ballistic with Latitude E6400 XFR Rugged Notebook

Dell's new Latitude E6400 XFR rugged notebook meets or exceeds military toughness specs...plus packs an Intel Core 2 Duo and a 14.1-inch display.

Former Eminem Producers Lose iTunes Suit Against Universal

Two former Eminem producers have lost their suit against Universal Music, which claimed offering songs to iTunes counted as licensing, not distribution.

Clearwire Details Plans to Roll Out WiMax Mobile Broadband in 2009

Clearwire has announced it plans to bring WiMax mobile broadband to eight major markets in 2009, with coverage for 80 markets - and 120 million people - in 2010.

Maybe You Can Whack Fredo! EA’s Godfather II Goes Gold

Electronic Arts' action game The Godfather II has gone gold for Xbox 360, PS3, and PCs, and is planning hits on North American retailers April 7th.

Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge: Mimi Switch to Control Devices by Facial Expression

Japanese inventor Kazuhiro Taniguchi has come up with the "Mimi Switch" for earbuds, which can measure movements inside the ear to read facial expressions and control devices.

Cisco Looking Flip Out Over Pure Digital?

Reports have Internet router and gear maker Cisco looking to acquire Pure Digital, makers of the consumer-friendly Flip camcorders.

Former Motorola CFO Takes Off Gloves, Sues for Wrongful Firing

Former Motorola CFO Paul Liska has sued the company, saying his dismissal was a "retaliatory discharge" - which how companies get rid of whisteblowers.

Cydia Opens Rogue App Store for Jailbroken iPhones

Jay Freeman, the developer of the Cydia application installer for jailbroken iPhones, has launched an App Store chalk full of tools you won't find via iTunes.

U.S to Roll Dice on Lifting Internet Gambling Ban?

Senior Democratic Representative Barney Frank says he plans to push legislation that would lift a a three-year-old ban on Internet gambling.

Welcome to the Social (Networks): MSN Games Hit Facebook, MySpace

Microsoft's casual games portal MSN Games is embracing social networking sites, launching Hexic and Chess for Facebook and MySpace.

That’s All Folks: Circuit City’s Final Closing is March 8

Circuit City's liquidation is all but over, and the firm has announced its remaining stores will close for good on March 8.

Boxee Re-Tunes to Hulu Videos via RSS

Cross-platform media server Boxee might not be able to provide direct access to Hulu content...but a new release does at least let users get to it via public RSS feeds.

Amazon Challenges GameStop by Booting Up Video Game Trade-Ins

Online retailer Amazon.com is getting into the video game trade-in business, offering gamers Amazon credit for used games they send in.

Gov’t Clearing DTV Coupon Waiting List, Millions Still Not Ready

The U.S. government is starting to work its way through 4.1 million waitlisted requests for DTV converter coupons...and millions still aren't ready.

Vini Vidi Vevo? Google and Universal Ponder Premium Music Video Site

Reports have Google and Universal Music in talks to launch a new YouTube-like service with premium music video content.

PC Shipments Show First Drop in Five Years

According to IDC, PC shipments will fall by more than 8 percent in the first half of 2009...but there may be a slight turnaround by the end of the year.

Cheap Shot or Chip Shot? Nvidia Ponders x86 CPUs

Graphics developer Nvidia is considering developing its own x86 CPUs for low-cost PCs, potentially ratcheting up its rivalry with Intel.

Shake It Up, Baby! The Beatles Rock Band to Ship September 9

Are The Beatles bigger than Jesus...or at least bigger than Call of Duty? Harmonix and MTV have announced The Beatles: Rock Band will ship on September 9.

COO and Two More Execs Un-Friend MySpace to Join Startup

MySpace COO Amit Kapur and two other executives have walked away from the social networking giant for positions at an undisclosed startup company.

Roku Digital Video Player Taps into Amazon Video on Demand

Roku's set-top digital video player can now access more than 40,000 titles through Amazon Video on Demand - on top of over 12,000 titles from Netflix.

Is General Imaging All Wet with G3WP Waterproof Camera?

General Imaging's new G3WP camera offers a 12.2 megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom, and a 2.7.-inch LCD - and it's waterproof to depths of 10 feet.

JVC’s Everio X: Still Camera and HD Camcorder At The Same Time

JVC's new Everio X blurs the lines between camcorders and digital still cameras, simultaneously shooting 5.3 megapixel stills and high-definition video.

Kindle Sparks Up The iPhone…for Free

Amazon has released a Kindle app that enables iPhone and iPod touch owners to read Kindle book titles - and it's free (but you still have to buy the books).

Kumo Wrestling: Microsoft Testing New Search Service

Microsoft might still be circling Yahoo in hopes of picking up the company's search business dirt cheap, but it's also working an upgrade to Live Search dubbed Kumo.

Garmin Hopes for Happy Feet with New Pedestrian-Friendly nuvi GPS Series

Garmin's new nuvi 1200 and nuvi 1300 GPS series are the company's first with pedestrian navigation features available - on a city-by-city basis - through optional CityXplorer maps.

Panasonic’s Lumix GH1 Micro Fourth-Thirds DSLR Captures 1080p Video

Panasonic's new Micro Fourth Thirds Lumix GH1 DSLR can capture 1080p AVCHD video - and features continuous autofocus and a silent motor deep zoom lens.

Sony Intros New Bravia HDTVs and Wireless-ready Blu-ray Players

Sony is bolstering its networkable Bravia HDTV line with two new models, plus introducing new Blu-ray players with Wi-Fi and S-AIR wireless audio support.

New iMacs, Mac Pros, and Mac minis: It’s a Whole New Apple Desktop Line

Apple has refreshed its complete line of desktop computers, rolling out 2 GHz Mac minis, 3 GHz iMacs, and four- and eight-core Xeon-packing Mac Pros.

Survey Finds Young Germans Would Rather Ditch Cars or Spouses Than the Internet

A survey of finds that a whopping 84 percent of Germans between the ages of 19 and 29 would rather do without a car or their current partner than without the Internet.