$500 million. States Om Malik, who’s about as reliable as they come. A lot for the assimilation, but nothing compared to what they’re throwing at Yahoo. [GigaOM]

Via [gizmodo]

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Earlier this day, Blackberry-maker Research in Motion reported an outage of one of its email servers, leading to several problems for Blackberry users throughout the country, including the unavailability of email, registration, and World wide web browsing services. According to RIM, voice services…

Earlier this day, Blackberry-maker Research in Motion reported an outage of one of its email servers, leading to several problems for Blackberry users throughout the country, including the unavailability of email, registration, and World wide web browsing services. According to RIM, voice services weren’t affected.

The email server went down at around 3:20 Eastern, and within 15 minutes, all of the Blackberry carriers had been notified of the problem. Within a few hours, almost all of the services were up, with the notable exception of a somewhat slow Verizon Wireless system, according to CNN/Money.

RIM apologized shortly after the outage was announced, but that may not satisfy bummed out users who depend on their daily dose of the Crackberry.

This is the third major outage for the company in the last year.

Via [wired.com]

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It’s really unlikely that this Motion picture Phone from the Indian cellphone maker Spice would make it anywhere besides India, but it’s an incredible phone because of what it’s got on the back: an optical drive. This h.264 optical drive loads into the back of the phone much like UMDs into a PSP, and can fit a 2.5 hour film into one disc. There’s going to be 40 movies available in India at launch, which will be followed by 1,000 more movies later. We only have one question, which will probably be the only time anyone on earth ever asks this question: Why didn’t they just go with UMDs instead of making a proprietary format? [Tech Digest]

Via [gizmodo]

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The N96 is Nokia’s new flagship phone and will replace the venerable N95 this fall. When discussing features, it’s easier to ask what it doesn’t do: The N96 has everything. A 5MP camera, video, a whopping 16GB memory (which can…

The N96 is Nokia’s new flagship phone and will replace the venerable N95 this fall. When discussing features, it’s easier to ask what it doesn’t do: The N96 has everything. A 5MP camera, video, a whopping 16GB memory (which can be beefed up to 24GB with a microSDHC card and of course, 3G. Video comes through the 2.8″ screen and the sound through stereo “3D” speakers.

It looks like Nokia is going all out to make this an entertainment device. If you live in the right part of the world, you can stream live Television via the DVB-H receiver and the N96 will buffer 30 seconds for instant-replays.

The phone looks great. Not as jaw-dropping as the iPhone was when we first saw it, but in a more traditional way, the N96 is beautiful and slick. The double-slider keyboards (one for QWERTY the numerical keypad and one with media keys) feel solid and the whole box is slim and well built. The only worry is the “kick-stand”, a tiny loop of metal which flips out from the back of the handset to stand it up for video viewing. It’s thin, and looks dangerously breakable.

Product page [Nokia]

Via [wired.com]

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PSP Concept is Slick, Slidey Goodness [Gaming]

This fan-made PSP concept design is pretty much the coolest thing ever. It’s got a massive beautiful screen and an iPhone-like home button on the front, but when it’s slid open it reveals all the necessary buttons for gaming bliss. Needless to say, I want one. Hit the jump for high-res shots of the concept open and closed.

[Flickr via PSP Fanboy]

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AT&T Bringing Free Wi-Fi to Starbucks (Finally!) [Starbucks]

AT&T is popping Wi-Fi hotspots at over 7,000 Starbucks stores, exploding their own network and razing T-Mobile’s biggest Wi-Fi front in one fell swoop. And they’re offering the true killer app: Two hours of free Wi-Fi a day to Starbucks Card holders (like the gift cards, so just pre-pay for your fix) and unlimited internets to AT&T’s broadband customers and Starbucks slaves. Update: Even though T-Mobile has actually gotten the boot from Starbucks, AT&T is letting T-Mo customers keep using the hotspots for no extra fee.

AT&T is promising fatter pipes to boot—a necessity with the certain spike of wireless leechers. If you’re not in the privileged classes, monthly subs that work at any AT&T Wi-Fi spot go for $20, while a two-hour hit runs $4. This all hits in the spring.

Am I the only one who finds it strange to suddenly see a Wi-Fi war in 2008, when we should be talking about mobile broadband, 4G—something a little less five years ago? That stated, I’m not exactly one to complain about more, free internet access, however it gets to me, and it’s good to see AT&T palpably improving its network assets.

More Than 12 Million AT&T, Starbucks Customers to Get Free Wi-Fi Access for a Rich In-Store Experience

New Offering Includes Two Hours of Free Wi-Fi Service Per Day for Starbucks Card Holders Beginning this Spring

All 100,000 U.S.-Based Starbucks Partners to Receive Free Wi-Fi at Starbucks Stores

Seattle, Washington, San Antonio, Texas, February 11, 2008

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) today announced plans to deliver AT&T Wi-FiSM service at more than 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations across the United States. The initiative brings together two of the most recognizable global brands to create a powerful and convenient online experience for consumers and business customers. Starbucks and AT&T will offer a mix of free and paid Wi-Fi offerings at Starbucks stores to meet the needs of both frequent and occasional Starbucks Wi-Fi customers.

The initiative further expands the AT&T Wi-Fi network, already the largest in the United States, to more than 17,000 U.S. hot spots and more than 70,000 globally.

Beginning this spring, Starbucks Card holders can enjoy up to two hours of free Wi-Fi service per day at Starbucks locations offering Wi-Fi access, while more than 12 million qualifying AT&T broadband and AT&T U-verseSM Internet customers will have unlimited free access to the Wi-Fi service. In addition, more than 5 million of AT&T’s remote access services business customers will be able to access Wi-Fi service at Starbucks locations. AT&T will soon extend the benefits of Wi-Fi at Starbucks to its wireless customers.

“People want to stay connected to their world 24/7, and Wi-Fi hot spots, broadband and wireless make that mobility possible,” stated Rick Welday, AT&T chief marketing officer, Consumer. “Laptops and smartphones give us the on the web mobility we crave, and now millions of AT&T and Starbucks customers will get Internet access free from the comfort of their neighborhood Starbucks.”

“This is what our customers have been waiting for — free Starbucks-quality Wi-Fi,” stated Chris Bruzzo, chief technology officer, Starbucks Coffee Company. “Through our new partnership with AT&T, we also welcome their millions of current customers who can now come in and enjoy free Wi-Fi as part of their daily Starbucks Experience.”

As an added benefit for the more than 100,000 Starbucks partners in the U.S., all Starbucks partners will receive free AT&T Wi-Fi accounts allowing them to use the network in Starbucks company-operated locations offering Wi-Fi access.

“Our new relationship with AT&T gives us the chance to expand and enhance the range of digital entertainment experiences for our customers as well as our partners, including the continued rollout of the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at Starbucks,” said Ken Lombard, president, Starbucks Entertainment.

In addition to the free Wi-Fi access for qualifying AT&T customers and any Starbucks Card holder, customers will be able to buy tiered access to the AT&T Wi-Fi network at Starbucks at attractive price points. For a two-hour period, customers will pay just $3.99 per session. Monthly membership will also be available for $19.99 per month, and will include access to any of AT&T’s 70,000 hot spots in 89 countries around the world.

AT&T business customers who subscribe to remote access services can also enjoy unlimited, flat-rate access plans at any Starbucks location offering Wi-Fi service or at other AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots.

Additionally, AT&T is providing Starbucks an enterprise-class network with increased bandwidth and redundancy. AT&T’s underlying network technologies will enable a wide range of business applications and help Starbucks stores operate more efficiently.

“Delivering networking capabilities to help a world-class company such as Starbucks achieve greater business velocity is what we do,” stated Welday. “Our work with Starbucks is collaborative innovation at its finest.”

The availability of AT&T Wi-Fi service at Starbucks will take place on a market-by-market basis with store implementation beginning this spring and completed by the end of the year.

[AT&T]

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4-in-1 Hot Dog Cooker Makes Fatties Jiggle With Excitement [Chest Pains]

I love convergence when it comes to gadgets—especially when food is involved. If you agree, feast your eyes on this 4-in-1 Hot Dog Maker. As the name implies, it will cook your hot dogs—but it doesn’t stop there. It can also make popcorn, boil eggs, warm your buns, and steam your foodstuffs. Are you clutching your chest in excitement yet? You soon will be because this mechanized heart attack maker will only set you back $29.48. [Spilsbury]

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