http://www.ethioplanet.com/news Ethiopian news, review and reports, from Addis Ababa, Nazret, surrounding regions. Home of Ethiopian chat rooms, Medrek discussion forum; Africa-Ethiopia news Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:15:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/12/04/gift-guide-high-tech-happiness-for-100-or-less-ap/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/12/04/gift-guide-high-tech-happiness-for-100-or-less-ap/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:20:11 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=13620 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/12/04/gift-guide-high-tech-happiness-for-100-or-less-ap/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/dash-robot-can-fall-off-a-28m-building-and-keep-running/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/dash-robot-can-fall-off-a-28m-building-and-keep-running/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:44:06 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10617 Have you ever tried to catch a running cockroach? They’re fast little suckers, and resilient too, which is why scientists at the University of California Berkeley modeled their latest robot after them. DASH or Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod is a six legged robot made from cardboard and polymer. It’s the size of your open hand, [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/dash-robot-can-fall-off-a-28m-building-and-keep-running/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/design-firm-shows-gadgets-from-the-near-future/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/design-firm-shows-gadgets-from-the-near-future/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:44:03 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10618 A radio without any knobs. A bathroom where a clear display wirelessly streams vital statistics on your health. And a user interface that takes brain waves and translates them into commands for a computer. These are some of the products in development by Cambridge Consultants, a product design and development company. It showed off some of [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/design-firm-shows-gadgets-from-the-near-future/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/offshore-construction-projects/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/offshore-construction-projects/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:44:00 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10619 “You can print money, manufacture diamonds, and people are a dime a dozen, but you’ll always need land. It’s the one thing they’re not making any more of.” So sayeth Lex Luthor, criminal mastermind and Superman’s nemesis… but despite being evil, he has a point. With more and more land being needed for food production, and [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/offshore-construction-projects/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/internet-set-for-change-with-non-english-addresses/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/internet-set-for-change-with-non-english-addresses/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:57 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10620 The Internet is set to undergo one of the biggest changes in its four-decade history with the expected approval this week of international domain names — or addresses — that can be written in languages other than English, an official said Monday. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN — the non-profit group [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/internet-set-for-change-with-non-english-addresses/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/debunking-some-linux-myths/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/debunking-some-linux-myths/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:53 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10621 With new releases of several major Linux distributions coming up in the next few weeks, I would like to take a few minutes to debunk some of the more blatant inaccuracies which are circulated about Linux. Many of these will sound absurd to anyone with reasonable knowledge about Linux, but I have seen every one [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/debunking-some-linux-myths/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/iphone-helps-att-continue-subscriber-gains-on-verizon/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/iphone-helps-att-continue-subscriber-gains-on-verizon/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:46 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10622 Verizon and AT&T have both reported their latest quarterly earnings, and the strength of the iPhone has continued to help AT&T close the gap on the market leader. Update: In a conference call following Monday’s earnings report, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said his company would welcome the iPhone on its network if Apple is interested, according [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/iphone-helps-att-continue-subscriber-gains-on-verizon/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/the-questionable-ethics-of-brutal-legend/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/the-questionable-ethics-of-brutal-legend/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:43 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10623 If you had to choose, would you rather die by gunshot or melting? This is hypothetical, of course. Because I never asked the people I murdered what they would prefer. I just went right ahead and gunned down a prostitute in one game and melted the faces of a bunch of dudes in another. Because nothing [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/the-questionable-ethics-of-brutal-legend/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/stacy-conradt-the-quick-10-10-billboard-200-milestones/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/stacy-conradt-the-quick-10-10-billboard-200-milestones/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:39 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10624 It was this day in 1988 that Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album finally dropped off the Billboard 200, ending a phenomenal, record-setting streak that has yet to be broken. Check out their staggering accomplishment and nine other Billboard 200 milestones below. 1. Most weeks on the chart: Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/stacy-conradt-the-quick-10-10-billboard-200-milestones/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/itunes-price-hikes-hurt-some-track-rankings/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/itunes-price-hikes-hurt-some-track-rankings/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:20 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10625 The big music news today is a report from Billboard on iTunes price changes and their negatively affecting chart positions for the top 100 songs. Last week, iTunes introduced variable pricing, with some newer and more popular singles priced at $1.29 while other songs remaining at 99 cents and some older songs reduced to 69 [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/itunes-price-hikes-hurt-some-track-rankings/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/how-to-install-windows-7/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/how-to-install-windows-7/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:16 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10626 So you’ve decided to take the Windows 7 plunge, having heard all the paeans to Redmond’s latest operating system. For many users, setting it up will be a simple case of popping in the installation disc and following the prompts. But there are a few steps you should take and decisions you need to make [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/how-to-install-windows-7/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/download-mp3-music-%e2%80%93-soundsbox-com-vs-itunes-%e2%80%93-where-to-buy-music/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/download-mp3-music-%e2%80%93-soundsbox-com-vs-itunes-%e2%80%93-where-to-buy-music/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:13 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10627 Prices for individual hit songs and full album releases can vary. Is there any real difference if you pay $0.14 for a song at SoundsBox.com as opposed to paying an expensive $1 fee per song charged by iTunes? SoundsBox.com is a mp3 download website providing music consumers an affordable solution to downloading mp3 music. The site has [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/download-mp3-music-%e2%80%93-soundsbox-com-vs-itunes-%e2%80%93-where-to-buy-music/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/twitter-%e2%80%98costs-british-economy-1-38bn%e2%80%99/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/twitter-%e2%80%98costs-british-economy-1-38bn%e2%80%99/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:10 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10628 More than half of office workers use sites like Twitter and Facebook for personal use during the working day, and admit wasting an average of 40 minutes a week each. One in three of the 1,460 office workers surveyed also said they had seen sensitive company information posted on social networking sites, leading to fears about [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/twitter-%e2%80%98costs-british-economy-1-38bn%e2%80%99/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/metallica-debuts-finger-tapping-app-in-iphone-ap/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/metallica-debuts-finger-tapping-app-in-iphone-ap/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:07 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10629 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/metallica-debuts-finger-tapping-app-in-iphone-ap/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/second-nokia-booklet-3g-due-in-2010/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/second-nokia-booklet-3g-due-in-2010/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:43:03 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10630 Demand has been high enough for Nokia’s Booklet 3G netbook that the company is moving ahead with a second model next year, a leak to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News newspaper claims. Nokia’s contractor in the area, Compal, is reportedly working “overtime” to meet demand for the Atom-based portable and that it’s likely to receive [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/second-nokia-booklet-3g-due-in-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/marvel-super-hero-squad-review-this-one-is-for-the-brats/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/marvel-super-hero-squad-review-this-one-is-for-the-brats/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:57 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10631 For those of us who can’t handle the grown-up action of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, THQ delivers Marvel Super Hero Squad, the game of the television show of the toy line. In Marvel Super Hero Squad, tiny cartoon versions of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains race to collect Infinity Fragments in order to either forge [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/marvel-super-hero-squad-review-this-one-is-for-the-brats/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/htc-starts-major-advertising-push/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/htc-starts-major-advertising-push/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:53 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10632 HTC today began its first ever large-scale marketing campaign aimed at boosting its market share. The “You” promos will include TV ads (viewable below), billboards and other spots and is ultimately expected to reach 95 percent of US cellphone users as many as 36 times before the end of the year. The 10 largest [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/htc-starts-major-advertising-push/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/netflix-coming-next-month-to-playstation-3/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/netflix-coming-next-month-to-playstation-3/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:50 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10633 What a coup. After we’ve been hearing all along that Xbox 360 had a game console exclusivity to Netflix streaming, Sony just announced it, too, will be joining in on the fun. Timeframe? Sometime next month. Press release after the break. Update: Turns out a disc will be required for streaming, and that’s the only solution [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/netflix-coming-next-month-to-playstation-3/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/uncharted-2-exceeding-sales-expectations-dlc-coming-%e2%80%98before-the-end%e2%80%99-of-2009/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/uncharted-2-exceeding-sales-expectations-dlc-coming-%e2%80%98before-the-end%e2%80%99-of-2009/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:44 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10634 With all the resounding critical praise that Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2 has received thus far, it’s good to see creative director Amy Hennig speaking up on the possibility of DLC for the game. “We’re working on that now … there will be DLC available before the end of the year,” she told IndustryGamers today. Though [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/uncharted-2-exceeding-sales-expectations-dlc-coming-%e2%80%98before-the-end%e2%80%99-of-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/gdc09-nintendo-announces-the-legend-of-zelda-spirit-tracks-ds/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/gdc09-nintendo-announces-the-legend-of-zelda-spirit-tracks-ds/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:39 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10635 At the Game Developers Conference Iwata has announced that a new Zelda game will be released for Nintendo DS later in the year. In the game Link has the ability to control/create enemies and make them fight other enemies. The game will feature a railroad mechanic that looks to be an extension of the boat system [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/gdc09-nintendo-announces-the-legend-of-zelda-spirit-tracks-ds/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/apple-tablet-should-cost-600-to-reach-windows-users/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/apple-tablet-should-cost-600-to-reach-windows-users/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:36 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10636 Apple’s often-rumored tablet may need to come in well below the rumored $800 price if it hopes to attract Windows users, a study shows today. While Retrevo believes 68 percent of Mac users are willing to opt for the large multi-touch device if it costs over $600, only 36 percent of Windows users asked [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/apple-tablet-should-cost-600-to-reach-windows-users/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mifi-2200-update-brings-always-on-mode/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mifi-2200-update-brings-always-on-mode/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:29 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10637 Novatel’s MiFi 2200 has recently benefitted from a firmware update that has upgraded much of its functions. The device connects to either Sprint’s or Verizon’s EVDO Revision A Internet connection and shares with up to five compatible devices across an 802.11g Wi-Fi network. Most notably, the new software allows the modem to never enter [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mifi-2200-update-brings-always-on-mode/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/after-40-years-the-internet-is-about-to-get-even-messier/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/after-40-years-the-internet-is-about-to-get-even-messier/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:18 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10638 An ICANN representative has led reporters to believe that, till the end of the week, the committee might approve the usage of non-Latin characters in standard web addresses. The change, if approved, will not only be the biggest face-lift given to the Internet, but will also be the biggest technical modification done since its birth [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/after-40-years-the-internet-is-about-to-get-even-messier/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/lg-unveils-its-first-core-i7-notebook/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/lg-unveils-its-first-core-i7-notebook/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:14 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10639 Korea’s LG has recently shown off its first netbook with Intel’s Core i7 quad-core processor, the 15.6-inch XNOTE R590. Two models will be available, one with a 1.73GHz i7 and the other sporting a 1.6GHz version. Either version will ship with Windows 7 Home Premium and NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 230M graphics chipset with 1GB [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/lg-unveils-its-first-core-i7-notebook/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/google-expands-availability-of-its-free-voice-mail-ap/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/google-expands-availability-of-its-free-voice-mail-ap/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:10 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10640 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/google-expands-availability-of-its-free-voice-mail-ap/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mpio-intros-v7-touchscreen-multimedia-player/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mpio-intros-v7-touchscreen-multimedia-player/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:07 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10641 Korea-based MPIO is once again returning to multimedia players with the V7. The device sports a 3-inch color touchscreen with 400×240 pixel resolution and will be available in 4, 8 and 16GB capacities. The MPIO V7 has a built-in text reader, voice recorder, and FM tuner and transmitter. A built-in accelerometer will turn videos into [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/mpio-intros-v7-touchscreen-multimedia-player/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/from-ecological-soviet-era-ruin-a-sea-is-reborn/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/from-ecological-soviet-era-ruin-a-sea-is-reborn/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:42:03 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10642 Standing on the shore under the relentless Central Asian sun, Badarkhan Prikeyev drew on a cigarette and squinted into the distance as one fishing boat after another returned with the day’s catch. Click here to find out more! Until recently, this spot where the fish merchant was standing, in a man-made desert at the edge of nowhere, [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/from-ecological-soviet-era-ruin-a-sea-is-reborn/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/zillow%e2%80%99s-top-five-trick-or-treat-neighborhoods-in-seattle/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/zillow%e2%80%99s-top-five-trick-or-treat-neighborhoods-in-seattle/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:41:59 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10643 Now, here’s a splendid use of technology. Zillow.com — the Seattle online real estate company best known for its automated home valuations — has put its complex algorithms to the test to come up with the top five Seattle neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. They are Wallingford, Queen Anne, Magnolia, University District and Capitol Hill. In a blog [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/zillow%e2%80%99s-top-five-trick-or-treat-neighborhoods-in-seattle/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/microsoft-nixes-%e2%80%98family-guy%e2%80%99-deal-after-content-proves-too-raunchy/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/microsoft-nixes-%e2%80%98family-guy%e2%80%99-deal-after-content-proves-too-raunchy/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:41:54 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10644 Here’s an unexpected development. Microsoft has pulled the plug on Windows 7’s high-profile and somewhat controversial sponsorship of a TV special developed by “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane. Variety reports that the deal-breaker was the show’s contents — including “typical ‘Family Guy’ style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest.” Without [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/microsoft-nixes-%e2%80%98family-guy%e2%80%99-deal-after-content-proves-too-raunchy/feed/ 0 http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/intel-34nm-ssd-gets-potential-40-write-speed-boost/ http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/intel-34nm-ssd-gets-potential-40-write-speed-boost/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:41:51 +0000 Mike Namara http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/?p=10645 Intel today posted a crucial firmware update for its current-generation 34 nanometer solid-state drives that promises a major lift to their performance. The X25-M series now supports the Trim, or ATA Data Set Management Command, to more efficiently write to the drive. By better recognizing and shuffling which data blocks aren’t used, Trim avoids [...]]]> http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/11/06/intel-34nm-ssd-gets-potential-40-write-speed-boost/feed/ 0