HP will soon be unveiling an AMD-based laptop that will serve as an alternative to its Intel-based model.  Using the AMD processor, HP is able to knock down the price.  The AMD version starting cost will be about $599.99 and will be even further reduced by $30 using a coupon.  A free HP DeskJet printer will be available with this purchase and a mail-in rebate.  The colors will be available in Espresso Black and Moonlight White.

One of the most feeble attempts at trying to get your cat to look like the Belle of the Ball is by sticking a $50 wig on it.  The model at the top sporting the wig is named Chicken.  The Kitty Wig concept was put together by Jill Jackson and her cats along with photographer Jill Johnson.  The Kitty Wigs are available for purchase at their website.

[KittyWigs.com]

Blockbuster announced earlier this week that they have partnered with TiVo to make Blockbuster’s OnDemand service available through TiVo.  In return, Blockbuster will promote TiVo DVRs at their retail stores.  Blockbuster OnDemand will be available on TiVo’s Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVO HD XL boxes.

“We are excited to be teaming with TiVo, the company that created the DVR, to make Blockbuster’s entertainment content readily available to their millions of subscribers,” stated Blockbuster Chairman and CEO Jim Keyes. “Ultimately, our vision is to work with TiVo so that their subscribers can access movies not only through our OnDemand service but also from our stores and through our by-mail service as well. Regardless of a film’s availability – through VOD or on DVD – we want to work with TiVo to provide their subscribers unprecedented access to movie content.”

[via Blockbuster PR]

The Shot Carver allows you to use nature’s candy as a shot glass.  Everyone knows that shots of vodka taste better when you are drinking it through an apple, a pear, or various other fruits.  Lushlife has created a way to carve a shot sized hole in those fruit.  I think that this idea is just as creative as boiling pasta with Everclear.

You can get one of these bad boys for $11.99 from CoolStuffExpress.com.

[via NA]

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i is looking like a solid competitor to the Nikon D90.  The T1i has 15.1 megapixels built-in with 1080p HD video recording.  It won’t come cheap as the prices starts around $799.  With an IS zoom lens it is about $899.

The T1i also features a 3″ Live View screen, Digic IV processor, auto lighting optimizer, Creative Auto mode, and the EOS integrated cleaning system.

“We are witnessing the emergence of a new phase in digital imaging history, as high-resolution still images and HD video can now both be produced in a hand-held device, for under $1,000. This is truly a great time to be involved in digital imaging as the advent of online communities are helping usher in this next great era in imaging,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, SVP and GM for the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A.

[via Canon PR]

The Tryvann Winter Park is a ski resort that is located in Norway.  Its about 15 minutes from Oslo.  There is a common misperception with the ski resort that when the weather in the city is calm, then the slopes may not be skiable.  However, the resort is located 500 meters above sea level so it could be raining in Oslo, but snowing in Tryvann.

To solve this problem, Tryvann asked their marketing agency TBWA/Oslo for a way to clear up this misconception. “That led to a simple but seemingly impossible idea. If we can’t take the people to the mountain, let’s take the mountain to the people,” stated Erik Heisholt, the creative director of TBWA/Oslo.

The agency decided to place several ads in the shelters of buses.  The ad would have a panel mounted on the sides so that people walking around the bus stand would see them too.  If it was snowing at the ski resort, the ad panels would display snow falling on the screen.  Inside each of the ads were electrical fans that create fake snow when turned on.  The switching device could be turned on with a text message from a cell phone.  Another text message could turn them off.

JCDecaux, a French outdoor company created the technology for the ads.  The ad campaign worked well for Tryvann because they saw an increase of visitors after the advertisements went up.

[via MediaLifeMag]

About three years ago, Motorola unleashed a phone called the A1200 MING.  The original MING had looked pretty aesthetic and it had the Linux operating system built-in.  And now the device has a successor, also known as the MING A1210.  The A1210 has a 2.8″ QVGA (400×240 pixel) touchscreen, a 3.1 megapixel camera, tri-band GSM support, Bluetooth, USB, FM radio, a TI OMAP850 processor, and a microSD card slot.  This phone will have the Linux operating system too.

[via Engadget]

Mike Lazaridis the co-CEO of Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) will be stepping on stage at the annual trade show in Las Vegas on April 1st.  From that day forward, it is expected that BlackBerry App World will be open to the public.  This is the second challenge to Apple’s App Store after the Google Android Market.

Nokia, Microsoft, and Palm plan on launching application stores of their own soon.  It is rumored that the BlackBerry App World will all require PayPal, new phone models, and a $2.99 minimum price of the applications selling on that market.

Given that BlackBerry is more established in the corporate world, owners of the device tend to be more well off financially.  RIM only plans to take only 20% of revenues from BlackBerry software developers.  Apple takes about 30%.

RIM has been working with developers since 2002 to develop applications for the BlackBerry mobile device.  Since then developers have downloaded over 100,000 kits to write code for the BlackBerry.

Apple’s App Store already has traction going with over 1 billion downloads across 25,000 applications.  The MySpace BlackBerry application itself hit 400,000 downloads in its first week.

[via BusinessWeek]