Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

Wardrobe washing machine concept: please make this!
Facebook announcing webmail Monday: is this behind the Google spat?
Sonic Colours: new trailer!
Apple Dictionary easter egg? Ballmer = baloney
Apple hiring Mac App Store reviewers now
Toshiba Folio 100 Flash update arrives in beta
Lunchtime Lowdown: Microsoft Kinect hack, Palm Pre 2 UK launch and the Canon PowerShot G12
Tablet cameras: do they matter?
Kinect Mac and Multitouch hacks revealed!
Sites We Like: five worth clicking on a Friday

Wardrobe washing machine concept: please make this!

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 07:51 AM PST

Behold the wardrobe washing machine! Sadly, it's just a concept right now but hell, we'll throw some shekels the designer's way if they can actually get it made. It uses a combination of humidity, ionisation, ozone (we're a bit wary of that bit) and air pressure to destroy bacteria and remove stains. Hang your stuff up in the covers and the waterless system allegedly does the dry cleaner's work without you having to step out of your front door. It's also apparently free of any chemicals that make Mother Earth cry. We've seen similar concepts to this recently (see the Electrolux Design Lab ideas) so hopefully this is an idea whose time has come. Hit the headline above and head to the comments to let us know what you make of this one.

Out TBC | £TBC | Yanko Design

Facebook announcing webmail Monday: is this behind the Google spat?

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 07:28 AM PST

Word is that the Facebook announcement that’s coming on Monday is the launch of a Facebook mail client, not just revamps to its inbox. Click through for the full invite…

The mail client that Facebook is allegedly announcing Monday is called Project Titan, and getting even further into the rumourmill, behind the scenes at Facebook it’s referred to as the Gmail killer.

If it is indeed a mail client that’s being announced on Monday, then could this be the source of the Google/Facebook spat that’s been raging recently?

The previous Facebook event rolled out some extras and expanded goodies for Groups, plus Deals for Facebook Places. Before that event, there was talk that Facebook would be rolling out a fully fledged phone or mobile OS, and that’s been flat denied now, despite an apparent wad of supporting evidence.

There’s some heavy hints in the invite Facebook sent out, but Facebook event invites can be misleading. This is the invite that Facebook sent out:

Do you think this is on the money? Could Facebook really compete with Gmail?

[via TechCrunch]

Sonic Colours: new trailer!

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 06:58 AM PST

Look what just popped into our inbox: a new trailer for Sonic Colours, which is hitting the shelves today. Sonic Colours is available on Wii and DS only. Click through for the Sonic Colours video…

There’s new moves in Sonic Colours that you collect from “colour power”, which has something to do with the Wisp aliens. The story goes as follows: Dr Eggman has built an interstellar amusement park, that looks fun, but hides a more sinister secret. Dr Eggman is keeping an alien race active and using their energy. Sonic has to sort the whole mess out.

What do you think about Sonic Colours? Want? Drop us a line in the comments and tell us what you think!

Apple Dictionary easter egg? Ballmer = baloney

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 06:32 AM PST

Apple dictionary has a rather passive aggressive auto-correct that made us lol like IM-addicted teens this morning. Write "Ballmer" as in Microsoft emperor of ace dancing and CEO Steve Ballmer, and you'll instead be given Baloney. A comment on what Apple think's of Ballmer's opinion of the iPhone et al? We wouldn't be surprised. If you haven't got a Ballmer in your address book or added the word to the dictionary on your iOS device, you'll get a taste of the baloney too. Try it out and hit the headline to jump to the comments and tell us about any other Apple iOS easter eggs you may have come across. Wonder what Windows Phone 7 gives you if you type Steve Jobs…

Out now | £free | Apple (via Gizmodo)

Apple hiring Mac App Store reviewers now

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 06:03 AM PST

Apple is recruiting dedicated reviewbots for the Mac App Store. Over at Apple Worldwide Developer Relations, an ad asking for Mac Application Reviewers has been slapped up. The positions are based in Apple's brilliance bunker in Cupertino, California and you'll need to be a) familiar with Mac OS X and b) have some proficiency in written French, German or Japanese. Mac App Store submissions began on November 3 and it looks like the doors to the Mac App Store will swing open sometime on January 20 2011. Fancy being a Mac App Store review drone? Get your application in now!

Out now | £free | Apple (via MacNN)

Toshiba Folio 100 Flash update arrives in beta

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 05:31 AM PST

The Toshiba Folio 100 Flash update appears to be available in beta, although it’s two days late, and Tosh hasn’t been able to confirm the release of the Toshiba Folio 100 flash plugin to us, as of yet.

Luckily for us, one Electricpig reader has got in touch to say that he’s downloaded the Toshiba Folio 100 plugin. AJR said: “Flash is showing in the service centre app as an update… marked as a beta but working great with YouTube, iPlayer and other sites.” He also sent us a video (see bottom) as proof.

A spokesperson for Toshiba said he could not confirm whether the Toshiba Folio 100 Flash plugin was available, as the technical team in Germany who were responsible for the plugin had not confirmed or been in touch about the release.

Earlier in the week, Graeme Simons, Toshiba Business Manager for Northern Europe, said: "The plan is that the Flash 10.1 plugin will be available by 10th November latest – that's this Wednesday." but the beta that AJR has reported, only just seems to have been made available today.

Has Toshiba dropped the ball here? What do you think? Do you have a Toshiba Folio 100, have you returned one, or have you been put off buying one? Drop us a line in the comments…

[Massive thanks to AJR for the tip & video!]

Lunchtime Lowdown: Microsoft Kinect hack, Palm Pre 2 UK launch and the Canon PowerShot G12

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 04:27 AM PST

Oi oi! It’s mealtime, so stop what you’re doing, unless it’s reading this, and tuck into our roundup of all the latest gadget gossip. It’s all ready and waiting for you here in the lunchtime lowdown – get it while it’s hot.

First up, some big news in mobile. HP and Palm surprised us with the news that the Palm Pre 2 will be going on sale in the UK next week.

In gaming meanwhile, Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 has been hacked, and we want to know – what would you use it for?

And in photography, we took a look at that the experts made of a tip top new shooter in our Canon PowerShot G12 roundup.

Finally, don’t forget that there’s still time to get your name in the draw for the Nokia N8 competition – all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter.

Hungry for more tech stories still? Click on through to the homepage and help yourself to all you can eat.

Tablet cameras: do they matter?

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 04:01 AM PST

Lots of tablet manufacturers have neglected to put cameras in their devices, from the top end iPad to the budget Advent Vega, but does the camera on a tablet matter, or is it a function with no purpose in the tablet form factor? How much does it matter that a tablet has a camera? Are manufacturers missing a trick? Click and tell…

Kinect Mac and Multitouch hacks revealed!

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 03:35 AM PST

The Microsoft Kinect hacks are coming thick and fast. God bless you Adafruit and your Kinect hack bounty! Clever code wranglers have managed to create a Kinect Multitouch mashup and even create a Kinect Mac interface. We're move than a little impressed and if you jump through to the other side and watch the videos, you will be too!

If you haven’t read our Kinect review yet, why not? Get yourself over there now. And find out what our fine panel of Electricpig readers thought of it in the Kinect reader inquisition.

Out now | £129 | Kinect (via Adafruit)

Sites We Like: five worth clicking on a Friday

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 03:01 AM PST

It's Friday, the day of flagrant messing about and our weekly celebration of procrastination: Sites We Like. Here’s the five sites that have made us happy this week, all collected together for your bookmarking pleasure. We've got a custom chocolate, sock subscriptions, travelling toys and more after the break…

Chocri
www.chocri.co.uk
OK, let's not beat about the coco crops here, this site let's you design your own chocolate bar using organic Fairtrade Belgian chocolate and different toppings that give you the chance to create one of 27 billion combinations. I am now drooling and can barely complete this article for the desperate chocolate hunger but still onwards to…

Graze
www.graze.com
Yep, more food. This time it's the clever folks who'll send you a box of treats to keep you going in the desert-like apocalyptic landscape that stretches out between breakfast and lunch. How does Electricpig editor James Holland get through the morning to keep this fine outpost of tech news going? Why, it's down to a Graze box.

Sockrush
www.sockrush.com
It's getting cold. So cold that it burrows into your bones like some horrific alien in one of H.R.Giger's bad dreams. But don't worry because Sockrush is a sock subsription service that'll guarantee you've always got a new pair to keep your tootsies snug and warm. Again, those socks are what keep EP's army marching onwards in the gadget wars.

A World Of Tweets
www.aworldoftweets.frogdesign.com
Now we've covered off the key bits of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, on to more cerebral things with…erm…Twitter. Frog Design (the guy's behind Apple's classic Snow White design language), have created a great updating map which shows tweets in realtime, falling on the surface of the Earth like nuclear fall out and gives you enough stats to woo a randy mathematician.

Furry Toy Tours
www.furrytoytours.com
Want to visit Paris but don't have the time? Pay this fella and post your favourite soft toy there for the cutest package tour ever undertaken. With his standard package, your furry friend will visit the key tourist attractions in the French capital but send a bit more cash and you can get a more elaborate tour including, for the tedious toys, a Da Vinci Code themed trip.

See more great websites in Sites We Like episode 1, Sites We Like episode 2 and Sites We Like Episode 3.