Common Paradox Tech Blog

Hey, look! It’s a gimmicky USB drive that actually provides a somewhat useful service! Lockface, developed by Futen in Japan, uses your computer’s web cam to identify you before letting you access its data.

The flash drive holds 4GB of memory—though larger capacity models are planned—and employs 256-bit AES encryption. To use, you register several pictures of your face, which will then be checked against what your web cam sees to confirm that you’re the owner. The entire process takes about one second.

The drive is about 98% accurate, with a backup password authentication system for that other 2% of the time. Surprisingly enough, there’s also no need to download or install any additional software. Lockface also looks like it could double as a bottle opener, but it’s probably too small and expensive for that at 22×4×55mm and $110. Currently only available in Japan. [Excite News (translated) via Crunch Gear]

Oh hey, it’s the Google Phone! Nexus One! Whatever it’s called! Here’s some shots taken with the phone, including some of the phone.

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The EXIF data on the sample photos pulled from Picasa all say that they were taken with a Nexus One, manufactured by HTC. Though sizes vary, the resolution max appears to be 2592×1944. The ones we were emailed obviously show the phone in action, though supposedly they were also taken by the Nexus One.

Oh, BTW, does anybody think that a “secret phone” that a thousand people (or so) are walking around with is like, dumb?

Hey Googlers, congrats on the new handset. If you guys and gals can send us nice, discreet photos and details of the new handset to tips@gizmodo.com, that would kick ass. And all your fellow readers will thank you. XOXO, Brian.

It gets boring this time of year in Scotland. That’s what I assume, anyway, knowing that scientists in Aberdeen have developed software to turn a computer into a cold pun machine. Some of the jokes are funny! Most are not.

The software was originally written to help children with cerebral palsy develop language skills. Somewhere along the line the developers seem to have gotten a wee bit sidetracked, and so the Joking Computer was born. Let’s see what it’s got:

Q: What do you call a cross between a bun and a character?
A: A minor roll.

Q: What kind of temperature is a son?
A: A boy-ling point.

Q: What kind of tree is nauseated?
A: A sick-amore.

Hey, that last one’s not half bad! But if I wanted to hear mediocre jokes based on formulaic word play, I’d probably just watch Leno. Bah-DING. [The Joking Computer via PhysOrg]

Hey, do you ever wish you had an extra inch of screen real estate, for a clock or a tiny picture or a single tweet? Yeah, me either. But this is $30 if you change your mind. [GadgetDisplay via SlashGear]

Hey Richard Dreyfuss, better hurry up to the Mojave Desert, because tonight the aliens are coming. Seriously:

I just saw SpaceShipTwo. It’s very large and shiny. It’s really impressive mounted to the mothership, makes Eve look right.

What you are seeing here is the rehearsal for the presentation of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the first space airliner in history. It will happen tonight, so stay tuned for images of this new spectacular aircraft, hopefully the beginning of a long series yet to come.

UPDATE:

• Watch the photos of SpaceShipTwo here.
• Watch the video here.

[Flickr and Twitter via Hyperbola]

AT&T might have dropped its lawsuit against Verizon Wireless, but the display of back-and-forth petulant bickering is still alive and well. AT&T has just released a new ad featuring celebrity spokesman Luke Wilson (who has made two earlier appearances on behalf of AT&T), this time highlighting the speed of its 3G network versus that of Verizon.

Of course, AT&T doesn’t bother to mention how likely it is that you’ll actually be able to take advantage of that speed, seeing as your phone has to actually be able to connect to the network in order to transfer data. Unsurprisingly, “last place in customer satisfaction” is not one of the features AT&T touts as being part of the “better 3G experience.”

Hey AT&T, here’s an idea, let Apple do the rebuttal advertisements. At least those make a cognizant argument about the differences between AT&T’s 3G service and Verizon’s CDMA network. It doesn’t change the coverage or availability options, but at least it points out where users do have an actual advantage over the competition.

[via Gizmodo]

Tags: att, luke wilson, verizon

Guys, Facebook is so last week. You know what the new hotness is? Friendster! Hey, stop laughing!

Yes, Friendster is prepping for a big ol’ relaunch tomorrow, using a brand new logo and a new slogan, “Connecting Smiles.” Hoo boy.

Apparently, they’re trying to make it more customizable than Facebook. So…like MySpace? Based on the above video, it looks exactly like Facebook, just with customizable skins and backgrounds, like MySpace. Oh, and it’s aimed pretty hard at Asians, as Asia is the only place where the Friendster brand has any cachet these days, apparently.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m deleting my Facebook account tonight in anticipation. I hope all my friends will be waiting for me at Friendster! With any luck, they were too lazy to delete their accounts back when Friendster became totally irrelevant years ago. [Friendster via TechCrunch]

Meet the IQ Pentagon: a 4-inch Rubik’s Cube-like puzzle that’s probably so infuriatingly complex that it’s got a better chance of ending up embedded in your TV screen than a Wiimote. But hey, maybe that’s just me.

Think Geek are the culprits, and they’re flogging the harbinger of frustration for $60—just in time for holiday frenemy presents. [ThinkGeek via DVICE]

Psystar’s recent legal woes keep proving the company’s insanity. New documents show that these guys planned to sell at least 1.45 million Mac clones by 2011. How many did they actually sell in the past year? 768.

The best part is, those are conservative estimates. According to Psystar’s aggressive predictions, the company planned to move 12 million computers by 2011. 12 million! That’s a far cry from the triple digit numbers they managed to sell.

The other best part is that Psystar pitched their inevitable legal battle with Apple as a competitive advantage, claiming other companies would want to stay away from that mess. Imagine asking the bank for a loan on a truck, saying you’ll use it to haul stolen TVs, and arguing that fear of getting arrested will make yours the only TV truck in town. No wonder these guys are going under.

The documents were provided as part of the upcoming injunction proceedings, where Apple is trying to halt sales of Psystar’s products. Hey Apple, I know this is all about protecting your IP and all, but going by those dismal figures, you really don’t have to worry about Psystar’s sales. [Computer Wold via BGR]