MICROSOFT IS WORKING ON A TABLET CALLED COURIER, GOOGLE GETS UNDER
THE HOOD OF INTERNET EXPLORER, AND HOW TO USE A MAPPING PROGRAM TO
FIND THE BATHROOM IN A MALL. IT'S WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD. I'M
NATALI DEL CONTE AND IT'S TIME TO GET LOADED.
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MICROSOFT IS WORKING ON A DUAL-SCREEN TABLET COMPUTER NAMED
COURIER. SCREENSHOTS OF THE PROTOTYPE WERE SHOWN OFF ON TUESDAY
NIGHT IN NEW YORK CITY BUT NOT BY MICROSOFT. IT WAS REVEALED BY
GIZMODO AT A GALLERY EVENT. IT LOOKS TO HAVE TWO SCREENS BUT WITH
PEN INPUT AND MULTITOUCH CAPABILITIES. OUR MICROSOFT REPORTER INA
FRIED SAYS THAT HER SOURCES HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THE TABLET IS LEGIT
BUT IT IS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT. SEVERAL PROTOTYPES ARE BEING PUSHED
AROUND.
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GOOGLE WANTS TO TURN INTERNET EXPLORER INTO ITS OWN CHROME
BROWSER. THE COMPANY RELEASED A GOOGLE CHROME FRAME PLUGIN FOR
INTERNET EXPLORER THAT BASICALLY TURNS I.E. INTO CHROME WITH ITS
OPEN-WEB TECHNOLOGIES AND JAVASCRIPT ENGINE. THIS WILL MAKE I.E.
COMPATIBLE WITH SOFTWARE IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN COMPATIBLE WITH
BEFORE. AND IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, IT WILL ALSO PUT GOOGLE UNDER THE
HOOD OF THE MOST POPULAR BROWSER IN THE COUNTRY.
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AMAZON IS GOING TO START DELIVERING GROCERIES IN SEATTLE OVER THE
NEXT THREE MONTHS, WHICH WILL BE JUST IN TIME FOR YOU TO GET THEM TO
BRING YOU YOUR 17-POUND TURKEY. THIS DIVISION IS CALLED AMAZON FRESH
AND IT BEGAN AS A TRIAL IN 2007. THE COMPANY TOLD BLOOMBERG THAT IT
LEARNED THE LESSONS FROM WEBVAN AND THEY ARE GOING TO APPLY THOSE
LESSONS BY KEEPING ADVERTISING COSTS LOW AND CONCENTRATING ON
SUCCEEDING IN ONE MARKET AT A TIME.
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PIONEER LAUNCHED A NEW IPHONE APPLICATION THAT WILL WORK WITH THE
COMPANY'S IN-DASH NAVIGATION SYSTEMS. THE AVIC FEEDS APP WILL LINK
YOUR IPHONE TO YOUR GPS SYSTEM OVER BLUETOOTH. THIS MEANS THAT YOU
CAN FIND PLACES TO GO ON YOUR IPHONE AND THEN DIRECTLY LINK THAT
INFORMATION TO YOUR CAR'S GPS SYSTEM AND THEN GET DIRECTIONS TO GO
THERE. IT WILL ALSO FIND POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WAY. THE APP IS
FREE BUT THE TWO IN-DASH SYSTEMS THAT IT WORKS FOR ARE CERTAINLY
NOT. THE AVIC-U310BT IS $599 AND THE AVIC-Z110BT IS $1,599.
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GOOGLE SYNC NOW OFFERS PUSH SUPPORT FOR EMAIL, CONTACTS, AND
CALENARS. THIS MEANS THAT YOU GET YOUR GMAIL AND ANY UPDATES IN YOUR
GOOGLE ACCOUNT INSTANTANEOUSLY OVER THE AIR. THIS WORKS WITH YOUR
PHONE'S NATIVE EMAIL OR CALENDAR APPLICATION. UNFORTUNATELY FOR
IPHONE USERS, GOOGLE SYNC REQUIRES YOU SET IT UP AS A MICROSOFT
EXCHANGE ACCOUNT AND YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE OF THOSE SO IF YOUR
CORPORATE EMAIL IS SYNCED OVER EXCHANGE, YOU CAN'T REALLY USE GOOGLE
SYNC. BUT IF YOU WANT TO DITCH THE CORPORATE EMAIL, YOUR GMAIL IS NOT
AVAILABLE OVER PUSH. IT'S A TRADE-OFF.
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HOW WOULD YOU LIKE FOUR SCREENS ON YOUR LAPTOP? CHECK OUT INTEL'S
PROTOTYPE LAPTOP CALLED THE TANGENT BAY. IT HAS ONE MAIN LCD SCREEN
AND THREE AUXILIARY OLED SCREENS ACROSS THE TOP OF THE KEYBOARD. IT IS
BEING CALLED THE FIRST MULTITOUCH, MULTISCREEN CONCEPT. IT WAS
SHOWN OFF AT THE MOBILITY MEETUP IN THE BAY AREA THIS WEEK. IN
THEORY, YOU WOULD USE THIS TO ORGANIZE YOURSELF AND ZIP AND ZOOM
WITH YOUR HANDSWIPES FROM SCREEN TO SCREEN. YES PLEASE!
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I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE STARTUPS LAUNCHING AT THE DEMO
CONFERENCE THIS WEEK. THERE ARE A FEW THAT CAUGHT MY EYE THAT I
THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO CHECK OUT. THE FIRST IS MICELLO. THE
COMPANY CALLS ITSELF "GOOGLE MAPS FOR THE INDOORS," WHICH MEANS IT
MAPS THE INSIDES OF BUILDINGS, SHOPPING MALLS, CONVENTION CENTERS,
ETC. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONVENIENT AT COMIC CON WHEN I WAS
LOOKING FOR BATHROOMS AND STARBUCKS! ANOTHER INTERESTING COMPANY
IS CALLED GELATO. IT IS BEING CALLED THE FRIENDFEED OF THE DATING
WORLD. THE SITE CAN IMPORT YOUR DATA FROM FACEBOOK OVER FACEBOOK
CONNECT SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME UP WITH A WHOLE NEW PROFILE
IN YOUR QUEST FOR LOVE. IT ALSO SUPPORTS TWITTER, LAST.FM, NETFLIX,
FLICKR, HULU, AMAZON, AND SEESMIC SO THAT YOUR PROSPECTIVE MATE CAN
GET A SENSE OF WHAT YOU ARE REALLY LIKE. YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH
OUR DEMO COVERAGE AT WEBWARE.COM.
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THOSE ARE ALL OF YOUR HEADLINES FOR TODAY. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.
I'M NATALI DEL CONTE WITH CNET TV AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN LOADED.
