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LinkedIn reportedly jumping on the platform bandwagon

You've probably heard it by now--LinkedIn founder and chairman Reid Hoffman hinted to Dan Farber at our sister site ZDNet that within the next nine months, his site will be opening itself up to developers, Facebook-style. There's not a whole lot else to report now aside from speculation--and the speculation thus far has indeed been rampant.

This is especially interesting, because over the past few months I've seen a few trends: first, a more professional crowd gravitating toward Facebook; and second, that recent college graduates entering the work force haven't pounced on LinkedIn the way … Read more

Should LinkedIn do battle with Facebook?

Dan Farber, over at ZDNet, is reporting that LinkedIn's founder, Reid Hoffman, has made their plans clear to open up API's and create a developer platform. I am not exactly sure whether this means that developers will now be able to create applications, using LinkedIn's data to be displayed on their own site or if it will take the form of widgets on LinkedIn's own site like Facebook has done with their platform.

First off, let me make something clear. I do not think that LinkedIn can be the same type of social network that Facebook … Read more

Opening up APIs...LinkedIn goes "open source"

It's not open source, of course, but I find the gathering momentum toward opening up APIs in Web 2.0 applications to be an interesting spin on the "offline" open source world. First it was Facebook, and now it's LinkedIn. In the web world, it's not source code that gets opened (though these properties could do this and, in my mind, should), but rather APIs.

As to why companies are opening up the web, it has nothing to do with charity. It's actually very similar to the offline software world where you can put … Read more

HP unveils three new Photosmart printers

HP announced three new printers today: two high-end single-function units, and a midrange all-in-one. All are part of HP's Photosmart lineup. The Photosmart D7260 and the D7460 are both single-function printers that offer a 3.5-inch touch screen LCD; 34ppm black and 33ppm color printing (in draft mode); six-color photo printing; built-in memory card readers; a front-mounted, PictBridge-enabled USB port; and built-in Ethernet for easy networking. Additionally, the D7460 includes built-in wireless networking, so your printer's not confined to your already-crammed networking closet. The D7260 costs $150, while the D7460 costs $180; both will be available in August. … Read more

Trivia question: How many plug-in hybrids have been made?

You've probably read quite a bit about plug-in hybrids. Plug-ins contain more battery cells than regular hybrids and thus can get between 70 to 100 miles to the gallon.

Converting your Prius to a plug-in reduces your gas costs to around $1 a gallon and results in far fewer emissions in most cases.. They can even be used to send electricity to the grid and prevent a brown-out.

So how many are there on the road? 50, according to Felix Kramer, president of Calcars, which promotes the concept and is trying to persuade lawmakers to pass tax breaks for … Read more

Category: Community

LinkedIn provides a way for people to keep track of connections, both business and personal. Users can build out their own network, and use it as a reference to see how people are connected to one another. More importantly it's a great way to see friends of friends, and get leads on jobs. While there are quite a few job-hunting sites out there, LinkedIn is one of the few that's part social network too. You can keep track of where your friends are working, sort them based on field or location, and even ask about a … Read more

CIA-launched fund invests in image sensor company

In-Q-Tel, a private investment firm launched by the CIA to support U.S. intelligence agencies, has invested in image sensor maker Pixim, the company said Wednesday.

The investment was part of a $15 million funding round announced in March that also included Tallwood Venture Capital, Ridgewood Capital and the Mayfield Fund.

Pixim sells digital image sensors and associated software used in surveillance cameras. The technology is geared to work in particular with difficult lighting conditions. The company's Orca chips are used in more than 100 camera models available today.

"In-Q-Tel invested in Pixim because it offers government and … Read more

Cheaper than a dentist: Photoshop teeth-whitening filter

Austin, Texas-based Image Trends plans to release new Photoshop plug-ins Tuesday that automate two common tasks for cosmetic retouching of digital photos: whitening teeth and removing skin glare.

The company's PearlyWhites and ShineOff plug-ins cost $49.95 each. The plug-ins work on Windows, but Mac OS X versions will be available later.

The filters can operate in a batch mode, allowing Photoshop users to edit large groups of images in bulk. The PearlyWhites plug-in doesn't need to be told where teeth are located--the often-laborious selection process. Instead, it applies its changes to white areas that it finds surrounded … Read more

What you can do about the latest Google Desktop flaw

On this week's Security Bites podcast, I asked Robert Hansen, aka RSnake, the security researcher who disclosed the man-in-the-middle attack on the Google Desktop last week, what readers can do to avoid becoming a victim.

Hansen said: "They could turn off the integration between Google Desktop and the Web. Or they could wait for a patch to come out, which I'm sure there will be. Or my favorite answer is to uninstall the Google Desktop entirely.

"I'm not exactly quick to tell people to stop using applications, but Google Desktop's had, like I said (… Read more

Photos: Kenwood Excelon DDX8019

The Kenwood DDX8019 is yet another contender for your all-in-one in-car device dollar. The in-dash system plays CDs, DVDs (audio and video), MP3 discs, WMA discs, and USB audio sources out of the box. With add-on modules, it can be used to play satellite and HD radio and as a Bluetooth hands-free calling interface. Despite all this, however, its touch screen interface leaves something to be desired for playing media. Check our slide show and full review to see what we liked and what we didn't with this system.