Facebook has announced the completion of their very first acquisition by acquiring Parakey, a startup run by Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt, co-founders of Mozilla Firefox.

Going by the comments of Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, it seems as if the deal was more about getting Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt on board at Facebook than what Parakey had to offer ...

Blake and Joe built the Firefox web browser and then turned to the developer community to build on top of the foundation they’d established, not unlike what we’ve done with Facebook Platform ... The work they’ve done with Firefox and Parakey and their approach to building products fit right in at Facebook.

Google has reportedly acquired the Clayton, Missouri based ImageAmerica to help increase Google's stronhold on aerial imagery technlogy.

According to Stephen Chau's (Google Earth and Maps Product Manager) blog post ...

We're excited about how ImageAmerica's technology will contribute to our mapping services down the road. Since we're in the research and development phase right now it may be some time before you see any of this imagery in Google Maps or Earth.

Something strange has been happening over at MySpace during the past 48-hours ... they are removing all "i" in blog posts and replacing them with "..". Hopefully since Tom and I are friends on MySpace he will keep me updated. Once I personally hear from him, then I'll make sure to let everyone know.

Thanks to Mashable for alerting everyone to this and for the great screenshot above.

VoodooPC revealed that the newest addition to their notebook stable is the ENVY H:171, a 17-inch widescreen notebook designed especially for gamers and multimedia/entertainment aficionados.

The H:171 features the Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor, a Dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 graphics processing unit (GPU) and a hard drive capacity of up to 600GB using three 200GB hard drives. Yes, the notebook can handle up to THREE HARD DRIVES!

On top of the massive storage possibilities with the H:171, this performance-packed PC also boasts integrated RAID 0, RAID 1 or RAID 5 support for unmatched transfer rates and application load times. A definte positive for the both the gamer and entertainment user.

However there is a downside to all these features and addons ... the notebook weighs in at a whopping 11.9 pounds when the battery and drives are installed. Better hit the gym to lug this notebook around to the local coffee shop.

Source: VoodooPC

Without much fanfare Woot! celebrated its 3rd Birthday by giving its members what they've been asking for ... Bag of Crap!

Today is Woot’s third birthday – we’re almost potty-trained! – so welcome to the party. But instead of taking home a goodie bag, how about a Bag O’ Crap? The Internet’s most beloved consumer ripoff returns for a celebratory reel around the crap fountain. Whatever you do, don’t buy it. Come on, it says “crap” right there in the name. What are you, nuts?

Hopefully the competition in the smartphone market is paying attention because RIM's latest smartphone, the Blackberry 8820, is chock full of features that even make the iPhone seem ancient.

Without hesitation, let's get straight to the features ...

The BlackBerry 8820 smartphone supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi that now allows the phone to enable data access through public hotspots and wireless home networks. YIPPIE! This feature is already making me drool over this phone ... But even better, by utlizing UMA, the 8820 can also seamlessly switch voice calls between a wireless carrier's cellular network and a Wi-Fi network. So for those currently on T-Mobile (like myself), this phone should be part of T-Mobile's new HotSpot @ Home Free Calls over WiFi service.

Next on the list of new features is the built-in GPS. This is a definte plus for all of us who Blackberry while in the car (we don't encourage this, but it happens). Using the GPS, the 8820 can pinpoint its location and utilize one of the wide variety of location-based applications and services it supports, including BlackBerry® Maps, so that you can get to the important [strike]baseball game[/stirke] meeting in time.

Now for those who need a distraction from all those work emails, RIM didn't forget about you. The 8820 now allows users to play both audio and videos files (in full screen!) and has a new desktop media manager, Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry. Using this new media manager, you can search for media files on your computer, create MP3s from your CDs and even convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback on the smartphone.

Actually there are a lot more features in the 8820 that I couldn't get to (disappointedly no camera), so defintely checkout RIM's Blackberry 8820 Website that lists all of these features plus gives video tours, 360 views and more.

The BlackBerry 8820 will be available from select wireless carriers around the world in the coming weeks. AT&T is scheduled to launch the BlackBerry 8820 in the U.S. later this summer.

... multi-colored!

Wow ... amazing ... those people over at Dell really know how to push the envelope ... honestly, this defintely should seal the deal that Michael Dell will be this year's Time Man of the Year.

So I headed over to Dell's website hopefully before these laptops sell out ... who knows, this could be Dell's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

So when I arrive and go through Dell's random menu system, I pick the Inspiron 1721 and click on BUILD YOURS, select a random service plan and then there it is ... right their in front of me ... its like getting to the end of the random and finding the pot of gold ... a SELECT MY SYSTEM COLOR option. I just moving my mouse over all the colors and watch the back of the laptop change ... fun ... amazing ... what technological geniuses ... and then after five minutes of watching the colors change I remember that I'm colorblind and really don't need a laptop.

Hopefully you noted the sarcasm in this whole story ... but seriously, Dell did come out with the multi-color laptop which defintely will be a fashion statement in the tech world. I've used Dell for many years, including the desktop and notebook that I do my blogging from, and have to say I wouldn't try anything else ...

Anyways, for those who haven't seen the commercial for them, you're in luck ...

Guitar Hero fanatics we have some good news for you ... Activision has revealed that none other than Guns N' Roses Vet and Velvet Revolver Frontman Slash will be appearing as a boss battle character in the upcoming Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

"Guitar legend Slash, combined with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's robust soundtrack and innovative new game features, will continue to solidify the brand's leadership in the rhythm-action genre," said Robin Kaminsky, executive vice president of Activision Publishing.

The star-studded soundtrack will also include master tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam, with added songs as made legendary by Kiss, Alice Cooper and Heart.

So far no release date has been set, but has stated that the game is planned for release in the fiscal year of 2008, which stretches from March 2007 to March 2008.

Source: Activision

With only 2 speakers utilizing S-Force PRO Front Surround, Sony is hoping the Bravia Theatre DAV-X10 will be the perfect solution for those looking for a home theatre system without the clutter.

The DAV-X10, available this September, provides 480W of power out of its small footprint and packs a nice punch in the features department. Instead of trying to fumble around in the dark to navigate through the system, the DAV-X10 has touch-sensitve controls that light up when you touch the main unit. And don't worry about getting those new DVDs ... the system will upscales your DVDs to 720p or 1080i.

But what will attract buyers even more than the features is that Sony is considering the DAV-X10 a "home cinema in a box," and according to the release, this may hold true ...

The idea of a ‘home cinema in a box system’ is that it should be easy to buy, set-up and use, and the DAV-X10 takes this convenience to new levels: one cable connects it to the mains power and another to your TV, and after that it’s just a matter of a lead to each speaker and you’re ready to play.

Next, plug in the supplied microphone, place it where you would normally sit and at the push of a button, the system sets itself up. It’s all done with Sony Digital Cinema Auto Calibration, which checks the positions of the speakers in your room and sets the optimum surround parameters for convincing music and movies. That all happens in 30 seconds, and the whole process of setting up the system can be done in under three minutes, leaving you to sit back and enjoy a whole world of entertainment.

75=year old Sigbritt Lothberg from Karlstad, Sweden is believed to have set the record for the fastest residential uplink in the world, clocking it at 40 gigabits-per-second over a fiber-optic connection.

To put that into perspective, Lothberg, who says she only uses the web to read the news, could download a full-length movie in less than 2 seconds!

Source: MSNBC