Apple’s Bob Mansfield cashes in 35,000 AAPL shares ahead of fiscal cliff

“Apple's recently re-upped Bob Mansfield has cashed in 35k shares of his stock at a price of $582.21 a share,” Matthew Panzarino reports for The Next Web. “At that current valuation, the stock is worth a payday of roughly $20,377,507.50 to the long-time Apple vet.”

“Mansfield is still in posession of 29,548 shares and stands to take possession of another 150,000 shares in June of 2013 and March of 2016 if he stays with the company,” Panzarino reports. “Recently, Apple appointed Mansfield as SVP of its Technologies group, during a restructuring that saw SVP Scott Forstall ousted and his responsibilities divvied up between other staff.”

Read more in the full article here.

Within hours of availability, shipping times for 27-inch iMac slip to 3-4 weeks

“Apple’s big-screen 27-inch iMac looks to be in extremely limited supply this holiday, as the estimated shipping time has already lengthened less than 24 hours after the new all-in-one desktop went on sale,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider.

“Apple’s online store originally advertised that the new 27-inch iMac would ship to new orders within two to three weeks,” Marsal reports. “But just hours after the slimmer iMac became available, new orders are now advertised to ship in three to four weeks.”

Marsal reports, “The revised shipping estimate suggests that new orders may not arrive in time for Christmas.”

Apple’s all-new iMac (8th gen)

 

Advertisement: Apple’s New iMac starts at $1,294 with Free Mac Products after rebate & FREE Shipping!

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Once again, like clockwork, Apple has woefully inadequate supply at launch.

You’re in danger of leaving a lot of Christmas iMac sales on the table there, Tim, you ol’ operations genius, you.

A Den In a Trunk Lets You Travel With All the Comforts of Home

No matter how light you try to travel, the airlines will still find a way to tack on extra baggage fees. So stop trying to beat the system when you fly and just go all out. Bring a massive wardrobe, every gadget you own, and thanks to Pinel & Pinel, a complete and stylish sitting room that folds away into a rolling Boudoir trunk.

The leather-wrapped seat was inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's famous Barcelona chair, and is complemented by a matching footstool, a reading lamp, a side table with drawers, a small library, and a mini sound system with an iPhone dock. Plus, with a price tag of somewhere around $26,500 what's an extra $50 of luggage fees in the grand scheme of things? [Pinel & Pinel via SoBlackTie via Homecrux]

Killer Mike: Reagan

Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music is one of my favorite albums of the year. "Reagan" has a great, El-P-produced beat. But it's also especially timely in this election year.

In the track, Mike spits venomous criticisms at not just Ronald Reagan, but the last five presidents. The meaning of the song is best explained by the rapper himself:

A lot of people try to peg me as a political rapper and I'm not. I'm a social commentator and at times people have politicized the things I say, but I don't care too much for any political party. I care about people. Under Reagan, drugs were allowed to flood our community and wipe out two to three generations of people that could have kept my community growing and I take exception to that. I threw a BBQ when Reagan died. It's not a vehement hate though, I'm not gonna spit on his grave. I wanted to break down what the Reagan era was really like.

Regardless of your political views, it's a great song—one that makes you really listen to the lyrics. [iTunes, Spotify, Amazon]

Tony Fadell: Scott Forstall ‘got what he deserved’

“Tony Fadell is one of Silicon Valley’s biggest names. He’s known as the ‘father of the iPod’ for his work on the first 18 generations of Apple’s music player and was also involved in the hardware design of the original iPhone,” Leo Kelion reports for BBC News. “Since cutting ties with the firm in 2010 he’s set up Nest – a smart-thermostat that looks like nothing else on the market.”

“But let’s put his achievements aside for a moment and pinch-and-zoom into the ousting of a man portrayed as his nemesis: Scott Forstall,” Kelion reports. “In 2011 Businessweek magazine ran an article which said the two men had repeatedly clashed at Apple with Mr Forstall – the iPhone software chief – raiding his colleague’s team for talent, creating an ‘explosive’ climate in which the two argued over credit, attention and resources before Mr Fadell ultimately quit.”

Kelion reports, “So what does he make of the news that Mr Forstall lost his post in October after reports of rifts with other executives and a refusal to apologise for the release of a flawed Maps app. ‘Scott got what he deserved,’ Mr Fadell told the BBC. When pressed, he adds: ‘I think what happened just a few weeks back was deserved and justified and it happened.’”

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Kelion reports, “‘If you read some of the reports, people were cheering in Cupertino when that event happened,’ he answers, referring to Apple headquarters in California. ‘So, I think Apple is in a great space, it has great products and there are amazing people at the company, and those people actually have a chance to have a firm footing now and continue the legacy Steve [Jobs] left.’”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: By most credible accounts, Forstall was a cancer that Tim Cook was right to excise.

Apple starts construction of new campus in Santa Clara

“Apple’s planting its flag in Santa Clara in a big way for the first time as the technology giant continues its shopping spree for new offices, agreeing to occupy a site where Apple could locate 1,200 or more workers,” George Avalos reports for The Oakland Tribune.

“Cupertino-based Apple has struck a deal with developer Peery Arrillaga for a custom-tailored two-building campus that is under construction on the north side of Stevens Creek Boulevard in Santa Clara a short distance from the Cupertino city limits,” Avalos reports. “Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the transaction told this newspaper that Apple has leased nearly 296,000 square feet from Peery Arrillaga in a deal that included demolition of existing buildings.”

Avalos reports, “The two new structures will both be six-story office buildings, said Ruth Shikada, Santa Clara’s economic development officer... One of the big questions is whether the buildings Apple is leasing outside of Cupertino will be temporary workplaces for employees displaced while the company constructs its huge, circular-shaped ‘spaceship’ headquarters in Cupertino. Apple hopes to locate 14,000 employees at that site, up from estimates of 12,000 workers in June of last year. The headquarters, initially scheduled for completion in 2015, is now slated to open in mid-2016.”

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers "Brawndo Drinker" and "David E." for the heads up.]

Dutch court bans sale of Samsung products that infringe on Apple patent

“A Dutch court has banned sales of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy products that infringe on an Apple patent describing a way to scroll through a photo gallery using a touchscreen,” Loek Essers reports for IDG News.

“Samsung already lost a case over the same patent after preliminary proceedings in the Netherlands last year, leading to a sales ban on the then-infringing Galaxy S, SII and Ace,” Essers reports. “After the verdict, Samsung adjusted its photo gallery software as a work around, and said it stopped delivering infringing products to clients as of the end of August 2011. ‘The argument raised by Samsung at the hearing that Samsung Benelux does not sell the infringing products any more, cannot lead to a rejection of the ban,’ wrote judge Peter Blok, who presided over the panel of three judges in the verdict. Blok said he would grant the ban because Samsung refused to sign a declaration of abstinence committing to not infringing the patent.”

Essers reports, “The court ordered Samsung to tell Apple how much net profit it made from sales of infringing Galaxy products since June 27, 2011. A separate court procedure will determine how much of that profit Samsung must pay Apple. If Samsung continues to infringe on the patent, it has to pay Apple a penalty of 100,000 euros (US$129,000) for every day it violates the ban, the court ruled.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Yet another loss for the serial IP infringer Samsung.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Jake" for the heads up.]

RUMOR: Adobe to debut Photoshop CS6 with Retina display support on December 11th (with video)

“An announcement on Adobe’s website regarding the company’s upcoming ‘Create Now Live’ contains a video that appears to show a Retina display MacBook Pro running Photoshop CS6, suggesting the photo editing software will finally be getting native high-resolution screen support,” AppleInsider reports.

“As noted by Mac Otakara, the embedded video shows a MacBook Pro with Retina display running Photoshop CS6 in what looks to be the laptop’s native Hi-DPI screen resolution,” AppleInsider reports. “In August, Adobe announced that it would be bringing [Retina display] support for both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6 by the end of the year.”

Read more, and see the screenshots, in the full article here.

Geek deals: Toshiba Satellite U945 ultrabook, Microsoft Surface RT, more

While some of the more hardcore geeks may scoff at ultrabooks, especially considering how they tend to lack high performance parts and use low-voltage Core i3 or Core i5 CPUs, the reality is that an ultrabook is pretty much the ideal PC for the average user.

Most people simply don’t need an expensive Core i7 processor, a speedy SSD, or battery-draining discrete graphics. With Intel’s 3rd generation of Core processors, aka Ivy Bridge, you get more than enough CPU and graphics performance out of the mainstream Core i3 and Core i5 parts. Browsing web pages and watching videos really doesn’t need quad-cores and a massive GPU.

With focus placed on thin-and-light design, long battery life, solid user experience, and competitive price, the Uultrabook is one of the most consumer-friendly PCs to date. Models like today’s Toshiba Satellite offers a great user experience out of the box and, for the most part, consumers need just look for the Ultrabook label!

The Satellite U945-S4380 is comprised of those aforementioned mainstream parts: a Core i3 low-voltage processor with the new HD 4000 graphics built-in, a 32GB SSD cache that speeds up booting and app loading, a 500GB hard drive for uncompromised storage capacity, and very portable dimensions for a 14″ laptop at 0.82″ thin and 4.1 lbs. It also has goodies like USB 3.0, HDMI output, media card reader, and now Windows 8 preloaded.

• Toshiba Satellite U945-S4380 14-inch ultrabook with Windows 8 for $599.99 + free shipping
  (normally $699.99 | use instant savings | end Nov. 29 or sooner)

Our other top deals:

• Microsoft Surface Windows RT tablet for $499 + free shipping
• Buy an HP Laptop or Desktop ($299 starting), get Free NOOK Simple Touch ($99 value)

How Samsung stress tests phones (starring SFW robo-butt)

If you’ve ever wondered what kinds of rigors your smartphone go through in the lab before it ends up at your local wireless store, you’ll be happy to learn that Samsung is giving us a peek at its process. The company posted a video that shows everything from massive button mashing to a simulation of someone sitting down on the device.

According to the video, Samsung smartphones go through at least five major tests before they can be given a seal of approval: a button-pressing test, a scratching test, a sitting test, a bending test, and a water test. Everything is automated so every device gets the exact same treatment and nothing is left up to lazy, imprecise humans.

Perhaps the most interesting stress test is the one that tests the device’s ability to endure scratches. It is placed in a veritable torture machine filled with churning spikes and other objects. This one doesn’t seem to put the phone through its paces too severely but it is still cool to watch.

Surely everyone has a story of a cell phone they accidentally dropped on the ground, or sat on, or put in the same pocket as their keys. And for as many people who ended up with an unusable phone after that incident, there is probably someone else whose phone got away unscathed.

Samsung no doubt hopes this video will help sway at least some people to go with one of its phones for their next purchase. Granted, they might not be able to withstand the same kind of torture as Panasonic’s Toughpad, but it sure looks like Samsung takes some pretty strong measures to ensure its devices are durable.

via Engadget

Enterprises buying iPhones ‘in droves’: Here’s the tipping point

“BlackBerrys are on their way out, and iPhones are ready to take their place in the enterprise space, according to the latest forecast report from research firm IDC,” Zack Whittaker reports for ZDNet.

“Enterprises and large businesses are buying the petite Apple-branded shiny rectangles ‘in droves,’ the report said, and in the coming years will likely outshine its more popular rivals in the business smartphone space,” Whittaker reports. “Looking ahead to 2016, the iPhone will reign over the business space with around 68.9 million shipments, while Android will dwindle due to its fragmented ecosystem, leaving ‘more gaps in security than many organizations are comfortable with,’ the report notes. By contrast, Apple is forecast to ship 78.6 million iPhones to end consumers, with 37.1 million shipping to business workers and 31.1 million directly to companies.”

Whittaker reports, “This is the tipping point. BlackBerry is on its way out as the business and enterprise gold standard in security and functionality, and the iPhone is heading in. “

Read more in the full article here.

GM is bringing Apple iPhone’s ‘Siri’ to the car

“Tech-savvy drivers who miss conversing with ‘Siri,’ the chatty electronic assistant built into newer Apple iPhones, are about to get a big assist from General Motors,” Chris Woodyard reports for USA Today.

“Drivers will be able to continue their chats with voice-activated Siri behind the wheel in order to perform the same tasks that they usually do on their smartphone, from checking sports scores to phoning friends,” Woodyard reports. “Only now, they will be able perform those functions while keeping their eyes on the road at all times.”

Woodyard reports, “”Siri in Eyes Free mode’ will be available in the Spark and Sonic well before the luxury brands,’ says Cristi Landy, Chevrolet’s marketing director for small cars, in a statement... Siri is found on Apple 4S and 5 iPhones. But even those still stuck in the dial-phone age are likely to know the Siri function from a blizzard of Apple print and TV ads. On TV commercials, the Siri function is demonstrated in by hip actors like Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson who ask it to play particular songs or help with a recipe.”

Read more in the full article here.

Apple acquired ‘Lightning’ trademark from Harley-Davidson

“The EU Patent & Trademark Office officially published two Apple trademark applications for ‘Lightning’ under numbers 011399821/862,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.

“What’s interesting about this filing is that it clearly illustrates that Apple had acquired the trademark from Harley-Davidson which is still protected until 2013,” Purcher reports. “One of the documents indicate that the transfer may have officially occurred yesterday, November 24, 2012, the date that it appeared in the EU’s public trademark database.”

Purcher reports, “Harley-Davidson may have retained the ability to use certain aspects of the trademark relating to the motorcyle parts and so on.”

Read more in the full article here.

8 cranky complaints about the Mac from longtime Windows sufferer

Eight months ago, after 22 years of using a Windows PC as his primary work machine, Eric Knorr publicly declared he would switch to the Mac.

“Looking back over my eight months as a full-time Mac user, one thing stands out: OS X and Windows have borrowed so much from each other that the transition was anticlimactic. Sure, the Command key and menu bar took a while to feel natural, but I wasn’t a total Mac newbie, so it wasn’t hard,” Eric Knorr writes for InfoWorld. “Of course, I found lots of things to like, from the Dock to iCloud to Spotlight search to Time Machine to the lovely Cover Flow view in the Finder.”

Knorr writes, “As a public service to Windows emigrants like myself, I am obligated to list all these annoyances while they’re still fresh in my mind.”

8 cranky complaints about the Mac from longtime Windows sufferer:

Microsoft Office for the Mac: The worst problem with the Mac in business is Microsoft’s fault.

MacDailyNews Take: Okay, Microsoft’s fault, not Apple’s.

Switching windows within apps: Sounds trivial, but it kills me that I can’t flip through every open Outlook email message with Command-Tab (that switches me from app to app only). I discovered that Command-`(the Accent key under Esc) will switch among windows within apps — but it doesn’t always work.

MacDailyNews Take: Again, Microsoft’s fault, not Apple’s.

Obscure Multi-Touch trackpad gestures

MacDailyNews Take: Every gesture beyond pointing is obscure until you learn it. Not Apple’s fault.

No Apple docking stations:There are third-party MacBook docking stations, but my company won’t touch ‘em.

MacDailyNews Take: Your company’s fault, not Apple’s.

Cost of Apple peripherals

MacDailyNews Take: You get what you pay for.

Complicated keyboard shortcuts:Command-Shift-Control-3 to capture a screen to the clipboard? The Office shortcuts are worse…

MacDailyNews Take: Puleeze. And, again, Microsoft excretes Office, not Apple.

Who made the eject button a keyboard button? I’ve come to hate the sound of the optical drive ejecting a disc.

MacDailyNews Take: We’ve honestly never mistakenly hit that button... and optical drives are dead.

iTunes: This clunky, aggressive relic blew past its freshness date years ago. (Although a new version is supposedly due any minute now, so I may have to eat my words.)

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: That these are the eight “complaints” of a longtime Windows sufferer who’s finally upgraded to the Mac, should tell Windows-only sufferers all they need to know and remind all of us Mac users just how good we have it!

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "CognativeDisonance" for the heads up.]

Google Nexus 4 Headed To Three UK December 13th

UK mobile carrier Three has announced that they will be offering the new Google Nexus 4 on their network in the UK from the 13th of December, the device will be available on their monthly contracts and also on pay as you go.

Three will be offering the Google Nexus 4 for 29 up front on their 35 per month One Plan, and they will also off the handset on their pay as you go contracts for 399.99, which is more expensive than you can buy the device direct from Google on their Google Play Store.

Will.i.am To Launch New iPhone Accessories That Will Improve The Camera

Will.i.am has announced that he will be launching a new camera accessory for Apple’s iPhone, and it is designed to turn your iPhones 8 megapixel camera into a 14 megapixel camera and also provide an improved flash.

Congressmen Want The FBI To Shut Down Hamas Twitter Accounts

Twitter has moved far beyond just being a network you use to tweet about your lunch, and along with the many useful services it's a platform for, it can also be a tool for terrorism and violence. At least that's how seven House Republicans see it, and that's why they're asking the FBI to shut down Hamas-related Twitter accounts.

The request was sent to the FBI back in September, but so far the agency has taken no action, and the congressmen behind the request have been getting more vocal about it. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), who's been leading the campaign put it this way to The Hill on Wednesday:

Allowing foreign terrorist organizations like Hamas to operate on Twitter is enabling the enemy. Failure to block access arms them with the ability to freely spread their violent propaganda and mobilize in their War on Israel. Anti-American foreign terrorist groups around the world are doing the same thing every day. The FBI and Twitter must recognize sooner rather than later that social media is a tool for the terrorists.

So far the FBI hasn't released any sort of feedback to the request. Instead, an FBI spokesperson told The Hill that the FBI is considering the request internally, and intends to respond to the letter directly. Whether or not that response will involve actually locking down any Twitter accounts is yet to be seen. [The Hill via The Verge]

This Robotic Water Snake is Both Graceful and Utterly Terrifying

Do snakes freak you out? How about the idea of being hunted down and killed by robots either of their own accord, or on orders from someone else? If you said yes to either of those questions, chances are you'll find this video a little freaky, but enthralling nonetheless.

The little guy featured in this clip is the HiBot ACM-R5, a robotic snake designed for underwater movement, and evidentially designed quite well. There's something graceful and almost majestic about the way it twists and turns through the water, and the video's soundtrack certainly helps play up that part. By the same token though, there's something menacing about it. A robo-snake version of Jaws is way too easy to imagine. Either way, it's fascinating to watch...from all the way over here where it's safe. [IEEE Spectrum]

Google Launches Groups Migration API To Help Businesses Move Their Shared Mailboxes To Google Apps

Many businesses use shared mailboxes, public folders and discussion databases that, over the years, accumulate a lot of institutional knowledge. Most cloud-based email services don’t offer this feature, though, making it hard for some companies to move away from their legacy systems. But Google’s new Google Apps Groups Migration API now allows developers to create tools to move shared emails from any data source to their internal Google Groups discussion archives.

Setting up this migration process is likely a bit too involved for a small business without in-house developers, but it is very flexible and, as Google notes, “provides a simple and easy way to 'tag' the migrated emails into manageable groups that can be easily accessed by users with group membership.”

The Migration API is limited to 10 queries per second per account and half a million API request per day. The maximum size of a single email, including attachments, is 16MB.

This new API is mostly a complement to the existing Google Apps Provisioning API, which helps businesses create, retrieve and update their users’ accounts on the service, as well as the Google Apps Groups Settings API. The Provisioning API also includes a number of methods to work with Google Groups, but doesn’t currently feature any tools for migrating existing emails and accounts to the service.

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” Passes Justin Bieber’s “Baby” To Become The Most Popular YouTube Video Ever With Over 805 Million Views

It was only a matter of time, and we’re happy this happened on a slow news day over the weekend: Psy’s viral music video hit “Gangnam Style” just passed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to become the most popular video in the history of YouTube. The video has now been watched over 805 million times.

The video made its YouTube debut on July 15 and currently has over 5.3 million likes and about 320,000 dislikes. Bieber’s “Baby” – which had a nice run at the top of YouTube’s charts since its debut in February 2010 – only has about 1.4 million likes and a whopping 3.2 million dislikes. At least Bieber’s corporate parents won’t be too unhappy about this development: since September, Psy and Bieber work for the same music label.

Thanks to Psy’s (and his management’s) relatively hands-off approach to fan-made remakes and parodies, the song itself has likely been heard quite a bit more often on YouTube. According to one metric, these fan remakes have garnered over 220 million views. The first live performance of the song on Korean TV also has a full 152 million views.

With the exception of “Charlie bit my finger – again,” every single video in the YouTube top 30 is now a music video and sadly, this list also includes the “Tootin’ Bathtub Baby Cousins” with 251 million views and “The Gummy Bear Song” with 265 million views. We’ll leave it up to future anthropologists to decide what this all means…

Caviar Vending Machines Are Perfect for the Tycoon on the Go

Ever found yourself in the mood for some caviar but didn't have quite enough time to stop off for some on the way to your private jet for a trip to your own personal island? Me neither, but apparently someone has, because they invented the caviar vending machine.

The machines dispense $500 per ounce caviar along with mother of pearl spoons and all the other paraphernalia required for proper enjoyment of the delicacy. These vending machines—or "ATM's for caviar" if you want to be less pedestrian about it—have shown up at a trio of upscale malls in Los Angeles. It's hard to imagine many people who would be keen on eating caviar from a vending machine in a mall no less, but they probably only need a few sales to break even. Better start saving up. [LAMAG via Boing Boing]

This Crazy Bass Guitar Robot Shreds Like a Total Machine

We've all heard of drum machines, but you've probably never heard of a bass machine. Appartently at least one exists, and it's awesome.

This MechBass by a student named James at Victoria University of Wellington rocks out harder than any two-handed bassist ever could by four separate picks, one for each roboticly fingered string. Awesome as that is, it seems like we meatbags might have an advantage when it comes to peddling between two notes on the same string. Maybe.

So far, James has just put out this video of the it playing Muse's "Hysteria" though personally, I'd want to see it tackle "Myage" or maybe that crazy solo from "Maxwell Murder" or something specifically written to be humanly impossible. Sure, this sucker can play a mean bass, but can it groove? Then again, who cares when it can shred like that. [Hackaday]

SEC Watch: Swoop Raising $5M To Embellish Food Websites With Deals And Ads

Swoop, a company that works with food websites to automatically inject relevant deals, coupons, and ads, has raised $3 million of a $5 million Series B, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The filing was first spotted by Mass High Tech.

When the service launched in February, CEO Ron Elwell pitched it as a way for publishers to create a “search discovery” experience on their sites. If you’re looking up recipes, a natural next step is to figure out a place where you can buy the ingredients at a low price - with Swoop, publishers can provide that information without directing visitors to another site.

Elwell also told me that the technology could be used in other areas, like baby and beauty products.

A visit to the Swoop website suggests that the model hasn’t changed too much. The company is also pitching itself as “a Native Advertising service that seamlessly integrates relevant information about products and services,” and it features case studies on how food brands ran Swoop campaigns and saw much higher engagement rates than standard display advertising. At the same time, Swoop still says most of its content consists of automatically aggregated deals and coupons, rather than advertising. (In the screenshot above, you can see regular Swoop links and a butter-related ad.)

In addition to Elwell, Swoop’s founding team includes CTO Simeon Simeonov. Both Elwell and Simeonov have VC experience - Elwell was a partner at Bessemer Ventures, while Simeonov was an executive in residence at General Catalyst Partners and a technology partner at Polaris Venture Partners.

I’ve emailed Swoop for confirmation, and will update if I hear back. The company previously raised $4.8 million from US Venture Partners, Valhalla Partners, and General Catalyst. The filing doesn’t say who’s investing in the new round.

Diet Robot, Autom, Now Available On Indiegogo, Will Ship In Six Months

Just in time for post-holiday guilt comes Autom, the diet robot that reminds you to eat healthy, asks you how much you exercised per day, and generally sits there being judgmental as you stuff your face with pecan pie. The robot, originally announced in 2007, is coming to life thanks to an Indiegogo campaign and the help of gadget masters PCH International, a manufacturer in Shenzhen, China.

We’ve written quite a bit about Autom so far but to recap, it’s essentially a little robot that sits in your kitchen and reminds you to input the foods you’ve eaten and the exercise you’ve done. It’s friendly about it, but insistent, and in tests users have grown attached to their little kvetches, even resorting to dressing them up.

“In terms of the weight-loss coach application, Autom has been shown to be much more effective at helping someone stick with a diet as compared to doing the exact same thing on a computer, phone, or tablet screen. When we gave the trial version of Autom out to people, they talked about her like a friend or a family member after only a few weeks of having one short conversation with her every day,” said Cory Kidd, founder of Intuitive Automata and creator of Autom. “Not only that, nearly everyone named her and many people even dressed her up with things like scarves, hats, or a red feather boa!”

The partnership with PCH allows the company to ship a mere six months after the Indiegogo offer ends, a first in the crowdfunding space. The company is also creating a developers kit so users can build their own apps, controlling the motors, vision system, and speech output.

“Autom was developed based on my Ph.D. work at the MIT Media Lab where I spent six and a half years developing an understanding of the psychology of human-robot interaction and the health-related applications,” said Kidd. “In other words, I helped to figure out why talking to a robot is much more compelling than interacting with a character on a screen. In short, it’s the exact same reasons that we prefer to meet face-to-face with someone instead of talking through the phone or video conferencing — we tend to trust the person in front of us more, develop a better rapport, and feel more comfortable.”

The Indiegogo deal gets you an Autom without weight-loss coach subscription for $199. An Autom with a 1-year subscription to the service costs $249 while the dev kit costs $299. According to the site, the dev kit gives you access to:

• Low-level control of her six motors
• The camera inside her eye
• The audio and microphone for sound in and out
• Define a series of movements using XML files for her to play out on her motors
• Text-to-speech (TTS) control including markup for improving pronunciation
• Higher-level behavior control using a simple markup language that allow you to combine motor actions with text during TTS

Whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds or just need someone small and plastic to talk to, the simple fact that Autom is shipping is great news for the artisanal hardware world, and here’s hoping she helps me get rid of this spare tire, spare chin, and extra bust.

Exclusive Black Friday Deals For Gizmodo Readers Only

You can save a bundle on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but oftentimes to get the best savings you have to settle for a gadget that's not necessarily exactly what you want just because it's deeply discounted. So Dealzmodo went out and scored Black Friday savings for Gizmodo readers on cool stuff that you actually want. You're welcome, and enjoy.

We're continually updating this list and adding deals through Cyber Monday, so bookmark and come back!

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A pair of great headphones is an excellent gift for a close friend (or yourself!) The problem is the headphones you want rarely go on sale. But with Sound Earphone's promotion for 25% off gift cards (read: 25% off everything they sell), you could pick up a pair of our gift guide-recommended Sennheiser HD-280, or if you really wanted to treat someone, the Grado PS500, all at prices you won't see again anytime soon. Just plug in the code GIFTCARD25.

>>[Sound Earphones] Active now!

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You guys loved it so much that we had to do it again: $10 for a year of professional hosting from the experts at InMotion Hosting. It normally costs $107.90. You can add a domain name for $12 for a year. I bought this hosting package when we ran this promo back in October, and I couldn't be happier with my experience with InMotion Hosting—for less than the price of a lunch, you host your own website. This sale starts at midnight on Cyber Sunday, so set an alarm.

>>[InMotion Hosting] Starts 11/25 at 12AM EST

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Check back here at midnight on Monday (the official beginning of Cyber Monday) for a really great sale on a tablet everyone wants. It's probably the one you're thinking of. Set an alarm. In the meantime, pick up a whopping 6TB external hard drive for only $350.

>>[B&H Photo] Starts 11/26 at 12:00 AM

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Cool Material is offering 17% off with the code GIZ17. It works with a bunch of items that would make perfect gifts—at least, I'd personally love to get any of these as gifts. You can pick up some titanium collar stays, a badass survival kit, or this impossibly cool lamp that also doubles as a bookmark.

>> Titanium Collar Stays | Book Rest Lamp | SOL Survival Kit | Tactical Pen | Cutlery Knife | U-Lock Necklace Active now!

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Software! Our friends over at Stack Social are offering Parallels for $60—which already saves you $20—and then they throw in four other premium apps: SnagIt, VirusBarrier, MacOptimizer, and Rubbernet. Snagit's a great screen capture app, and the other three are really nice bonuses as well.

>>[Stack Social] Active now!

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This is the ultimate stuffing stocker for anyone who likes taking photos with their phone. So, everyone. A universal, impossibly clever macro lens that works with all phones—yup, the iPhone, the Galaxy S3, and any other camera with a small lens that you can strap a rubber band around. And with the code GIZMACRO you can save 25% on orders of three or more—get a bunch, and spread camera-phone cheer this season.

>>[Easy-Macro] Active now!

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You've been waiting for generic iPhone lightning cables, and now we've got them. The code GIZ5MOD takes off 10% from everything from iPhone5Mod, which is already significantly less than Apple's offerings.

>>[iPhone5Mod] Active now!

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You bring your wallet everywhere. You bring your phone everywhere. See a redundancy? We've worked with our friends at MapiCases to offer the Tion case in Brown—made from 100% real, nice leather—for only $22.99. Every other day except for Black Friday it's $45. Use the coupon code OTTOGIZMODO.

>> [MapiCases] Live now!

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We've worked with our friends at Sneekpeeq to bring you pretty amazing discounts on some really cool gadgets and toys. Sneekpeeq has a modern and advanced storefront—their iPad app is pretty great—and today they're offering awesome lamps and speakers for 45% off for Gizmodo readers. That's not even including the impossibly cool, all-electric Jetson scooter—which you can save 25% on. To turn on these exclusive discounts you simply have to go through these links.

>> Doxie Scanner (35% off) | Cielux Lamps (45% off) | Boombotix Speakers (45% off) | Jetson Electric Bikes (25% off) Active now!

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Do you want a lightsaber—or, the closest thing on earth to a lightsaber? You can still save 10% on wicked cool Wicked Lasers with the code wicked2012. That code covers laser pointers, the laser saber, and the world's most powerful flashlight.

>> [Wicked Lasers]

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It's really hard to get someone a cell phone as a present—most smartphones in the United States come with a contract, and that's really hard to give to someone who's not part of your close family. But you can give anyone the gift of a protected iPhone—someone you know (maybe you!) is walking around with a broken screen. Help 'em out with a $12 Otterbox Defender if they've got an iPhone 4 or 4s, and a $16.80 Defender if they've got the iPhone 5. Whisper the code 20GIZ at the checkout.

>>[protecti.co] Live now!

Spin This Brilliant Ridged Mug and It Automatically Stirs Itself

If you're not a morning person, or are dealing with a nasty hangover, the clinking sound of a spoon stirring a mug of coffee could drive you insane. And the fact that you can't buy this clever Pegtop ridged mug that automatically stirs its contents when spun on a plate might annoy you even more.

Instead of a smooth inner surface, the mug has a pair of rounded angled ridges on the inside that serve to mix up the liquids inside as it turns. So if you know how to spin a top, you've already got the hang of using it.

Unfortunately, save for an incredibly convincing video that shows both a simulation of the mug and a working prototype, not much is known about the Pegtop concept—including whether or not it will ever go into production. Which is too bad, because with it and that whirlpool pot in your kitchen, you may never have to stir again. [YouTube via HomeChunk]

World of Warcraft 8th Year Anniversary Short Movie Released (video)

It might be hard for some of your to believe but tomorrow the hurly popular MMO World of Warcraft will celebrate its 8th Birthday, and as a thanks to its community of players Blizzard has released a 3.36 minute movie showing highlights from the last 8 years of gaming.

In addition to this Blizzard has also announced that any players logging in to WoW between November 18th and December 1st 2012 will receive a unique “Feat of Strength” achievement and “Celebration Package”.

Samsung Adds iPad Mini To Lawsuit Against Apple

Samsung and Apple are both in the process of suing each other, and now Samsung has added Apple’s new iPad Mini to its lawsuit against Apple, Samsung recently filed new documents with the court, which also include Apple’s new fourth generation iPad and also their new iPod Touch.

Samsung is basically saying that the new iPad Mini, iPod Touch and the new iPad 4 are infringing the same patents as the devices that have been previously listed in the lawsuit between the two companies.

The Most Loyal: Shrinking Violet

You know what goes well with a full belly, an empty house, and that warm feeling you get after spending the day with friends and family? More pumpkin pie? That, and a little folk rock. While the Americans are distracted with their drunken turkey-induced comas, let me introduce you to a group of talented Torontonians known as The Most Loyal.

Led by Quebec-born songwriter Sarah Davignon, Shrinking Violet is the first track on the folk rock band's second EP, and both are available on The Most Loyal's Bandcamp site. You won't see them on MTV just yet—or hopefully ever—but with upcoming performances at iconic local concert halls like Lee's Palace (made famous as the venue where Scott battles Todd in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) they might just pull an Arcade Fire at the Grammys one year. And you can say you saw them here first. [The Most Loyal]

Answer a complete stranger's questions on Twitter with You Asked It

Even if you have a steady group of Twitter followers, posting a question is a cry into the dark, and anyone might answer. You Asked It takes advantage of this, searching for public tweets that contain a question mark (from what we can tell) and giving site visitors a chance to compose a response in 30 seconds or less. Once you've written your reply, it will be sent off through your Twitter account, creating a brief connection with a total stranger who just wants to know whether to buy a pair of ill-advised sweatpants or the true age of your soul.

You Asked It has been compared to ChatRoulette, but it's perhaps more like a surreal, microform version of Yahoo Answers or Formspring. The twist is that you're pushed into saying the first...

The Onion Explains Social Media More Accurately Than Anyone Has Before

The Onion's TED parody series rolls on, with what may be the best—and most scathing—round yet. The target this time? Social media, a joyous place where ideas are a waste of time, and talent is irrelevant.

Sounds about right to us. Oh by the way, could you be a doll and share this on Facebook for us?

Thanksgiving Onion Rings Get More Mouth Watering With Math

There's no better topping for a green bean casserole than crispy fried onions. But when you're serving up a matherole, you need something more cerebral as a garnish. And Vihart has just the thing with a recipe for borromean onion rings.

Each serving is like three onion rings in one, but the mathematical magic is that while no two of the rings are directly connected, all three are intertwined together in a flavorful fusion. And while your dinner guests probably won't notice as they scarf them down, at least you'll feel enriched for bringing a little extra science to supper. [YouTube]

Apple and HTC willing to show license agreement to Samsung, but not the royalty rate

“On Friday, Samsung’s counsel in the Apple case in California brought a motion to compel, demanding access to the newly-minted Apple-HTC license agreement that settled Apple’s first Android patent case ever,” Florian Mueller reports for FOSS Patents. “Apple has just responded on Tuesday evening local time, and Apple’s response is that Samsung’s motion is “moot” because Apple and HTC are happy to provide a redacted version, with only 33 words, which set forth the license fees HTC has to pay under the agreement, being redacted. And even the redacted version will be marked as “Highly Confidential – Attorneys’ Eyes Only”. HTC originally wanted to limit access to a maximum of two outside attorneys, but Samsung proposed the aforementioned AEO designation, and Apple and HTC accepted this.

“But Samsung’s lawyers still want access to the full, unredacted agreement, including the part on the royalty rate,” Mueller reports. “It’s obvious that HTC does not want its competitors to know about its cost structures. While HTC CEO Peter Chou said in interviews that the amounts on which the media speculated ($6-$8 per unit) were “outrageous” and not true, the world will never know the amount unless the full agreement is disclosed at some point, which is very unlikely to happen.”

Much more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Hey, Samsung, GFY – and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Apple paid $7 million for Color Labs, sources say

“In a lawsuit filed today by a former founding employee of Color Labs, one moment of clarity emerged amidst some seriously salacious allegations: Color's approximately 20 person technology team and some of its key intellectual property assets were indeed acquired by Apple last month,” Colleen Taylor reports for TechCrunch.

“This deal was buzzed about a lot in the press, but to date neither company has provided on the record confirmation - this was a central point in the suit, since former Color employee Adam Witherspoon claims he was intentionally left out from the move to Apple,” Taylor reports.

Taylor reports, “TechCrunch has confirmed with sources involved that the Apple deal did indeed go through, and the price paid in all was $7 million.”

Read more in the full article here.

Give your iOS devices a HyperBoost of storage with the iUSBport

Sanho makes a variety of battery packs under the HyperJuice name that give you extra power for iOS, Apple, and other USB based devices, but I was intrigued by their latest offering. The iUSBport is a hockey puck sized device that takes any USB hard drive or flash drive and turns it into a wireless storage device!

You can plug something as small as a 16GB flash drive or as big as a 3 terabyte hard disk drive and access the content from up to three devices at a time. Those devices can be iPhones, iPads, or iPod touches, but also Android devices!

To access the wireless data, just use a modern browser like Safari or Chrome and you can view videos and photos wirelessly! You just browse to the default address that the iUSBport broadcasts from, http://192.168.0.1 once you connect to the iUSBport WiFi network. There's also a built in FTP server so you can transfer files wirelessly!

A neat bonus feature is that you can use the USB port to charge your iOS device, provided you supply the USB cable! This could really help, in a punch. The device itself charges using a custom cable and a USB charger (not provided, and they recommend an iPad caliber 5watt charger) and can last about five hours on a full charge.

The iUSBport is available in white or black. Another nice touch is an integrated LCD screen that displays the current status of the iUSBport.

You might be concerned that by connecting to the iUSBport's WiFi network, you are giving up your Internet connectivity. Fortunately, they have a pass through option that allows you to connect to both the Internet and the iUSBport.

Given the high prices Apple charges to go from 16GB to 32GB, or to 64GB, the iUSBport offers a flexible, affordable alternative. And because that extra storage can be shared among multiple devices, and can be as large as you can find, the iUSBport is a great accessory for your gadget bag!

Apple announces Black Friday sales

Apple is again joining the Black Friday shopping frenzy and announced a one-day shopping event for this Friday, November 23. You can take advantage of the sales in the Apple Retail Stores, in their online store, or via the Apple Store app on your device. There's no word on what will be on sale, and you probably won't be able to find out until Friday. The sale begins at midnight PST. If I recall correctly, last year they offered small discounts on a wide range of computers and devices. So if you've been planning to make a purchase, Friday would be a good day to do it. Any item you buy in the online store will be eligible for free shipping. The Apple Retail Stores will have extended hours on Friday.

Microsoft hit with lawsuit over Surface tablet’s lack of storage due to bloated Windows RT operating system

“A California lawyer is suing Microsoft Corp., claiming the Surface tablet he bought doesn't have all the storage space the company advertised,” Peter Svensson reports for The Associated Press.

“Andrew Sokolowski, a lawyer in Los Angeles, claims that he bought a Surface with 32 gigabytes of storage last week. But he quickly ran out of space after loading it with music and Microsoft Word documents,” Svensson reports. “He discovered that a significant portion of the 32 GB storage space was being used by the operating system and pre-installed apps such as Word and Excel. Only 16 GB was available for him to use.”

Svensson reports, “Sokolowski's lawyers filed the suit alleging false advertising and unfair business practices on Tuesday at the Superior Court in Los Angeles. They are seeking class action status. The suit aims to change how Microsoft advertises its device and hopes to force the company to give back revenue and profits that resulted from its alleged wrongful conduct.”

MacDailyNews Take: “Profits?!” Ha! Good one!

Svensson reports, “Microsoft confirmed on Nov. 5 exactly how much usable storage space its Surface tablets come with out of the box. It says on its website that the 32 GB Surface has 16 GB of free space while the 64 GB version has 45 GB free... On flash drives, the kind used in tablets, another factor reduces the available storage further. A portion of the memory space is set aside to replace ‘cells’ that wear out over time. For this reason, Apple's 16 GB iPad has an actual storage capacity that's 11 percent lower than the one advertised: 14.3 GB. The 64 GB model stores 57.2 GB.”

MacDailyNews Take: The difference is stark. Apple’s iOS and built-in apps take up just 11% and Microsoft’s Windows RT morass of spaghetti code obliterates 50% of available storage. That Microsoft ever even made a nickel is all the proof anyone should ever need that this planet is littered neck-high with the morbidly stupid.

Svensson reports, “On the iPad, all the storage space after the 11 percent ‘discount’ is available for the user's photos, movies and apps. The operating system and Apple's pre-installed apps have their own, separate memory space. Microsoft's operating system and apps, in contrast, share memory space with the user.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: This ambulance chaser ought to sue himself for wasting his money on garbage with a kickstand to begin with; as if Microsoft doesn’t have an well-deserved, ironclad reputation for excreting shoddy hardware and bloated, poor-performing operating systems.

On the positive side, it’s not like there are any apps for the POS, so the idiots who’ve saddled themselves with the thing should have plenty of room for their bad music, awful snapshots, and ugly Word documents.

Kontra: Is Siri really Apple’s future?

“Siri is a promise. A promise of a new computing environment, enormously empowering to the ordinary user, a new paradigm in our evolving relationship with machines,” Kontra writes for Counternotions. “Siri could change Apple's fortunes like iTunes and App Store...or end up being like the useful-but-inessential FaceTime or the essential-but-difficult Maps or the desirable-but-dead Ping. After spending hundreds of millions on acquiring and improving it, what does Apple expect to gain from Siri, at once the butt of late-night TV jokes but also the wonder of teary-eyed TV commercials?”

“Siri's opportunity here to win the hearts and minds of users is to change the rules of the game from relatively rigid, linear and largely decontextualized CLI search towards a much more humane approach where the user declares his intent but doesn't have to tell Siri how do it every step of the way,” Kontra writes. “The user starts a spoken conversation with Siri, and Siri puts an impressive array of services together in the background.”

Kontra writes, “Google has spent enormous amounts of money on an army of PhDs, algorithm design, servers, data centers and constant refinements to create a global search platform. The ROI on search in terms of advertising revenue has been unparalleled in internet history. Apple's investment in Siri has a much shorter history and far smaller visible footprint. While it'd be suicidal for Apple to attack Google Search in the realm of finding things, can Apple sustainably grow Siri to its fruition nevertheless? Very few projects at Apple that don't manage to at least provide for their own upkeep tend to survive. Given Apple's tenuous relationship with direct advertising, is there another business model for Siri?”

Much more in the full article – very highly recommended – here.

Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar hit with $20,000 citations from California utilities commission

Transportations services like Lyft and Sidecar came under fire from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last month, and now citations are being issued — to the tune of $20,000 each. Today CPUC stated that it has issued citations to Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar for alleged "public safety violations," giving each company 20 days to pay the fee or file an appeal. According to the agency, the three services are "charter-party" carriers that must obtain its authorization before taking to California streets; the commission says that such authorization is required to insure that certain insurance and driver requirements are met.

Not surprisingly, there is disagreement on whether the citations are valid. Both Sidecar and Lyft...

'Punch Quest' goes paid after free-to-play failure

The developers behind Punch Quest, the excellent iOS endless runner/beat-em-up crossover, have abandoned its free-to-play business model — from now on, the game will cost $0.99 on the App Store. Rocketcat Games' latest title garnered more than 600,000 downloads in its first week since release, but failed to make much money from its in-app purchases. Many players evidently felt that the core game offered so much for free that there was little incentive to spend anything, and Rocketcat's Kepa Auwae told The Verge that the studio risked "leaving mobile game development completely."

"'Punch Quest' is way too generous to be a single currency free game."

While the team updated Punch Quest earlier this month in an attempt to promote and...