Filed under: Gaming

Of all the weeks to have a major outage of your online gaming service, the holiday and vacation weeks of Christmas and New Years may have to be the worst -- which Microsoft has learned all to well over the last ten days. We know you've heard plenty about it here at Engadget -- but that's really only because Xbox Live has had such a solid track record over the years, and we're all just as surprised as you. But while it's perfectly clear users have been seeing these issues, it's still unclear exactly how "intermittent" those issues really are. Care to let us know how you've fared in our wholly unscientific poll?

 

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

In the latest major twist in this epic battle between wireless chipmakers, a US District Judge has slapped a permanent injunction on any products containing those Qualcomm 3G chips ruled to be infringing on Broadcom's so-called '686 patents. Not only can Qualcomm no longer offer infringing devices nor the chips themselves in the US, the retroactive nature of the ruling means that the company can't even provide service or technical support for '686 products already on the market. At this point, with a voluntary licensing agreement seemingly off the table, the next move for Qualcomm is establishing a plan of action to show Judge James Selna how it plans to redesign its products into compliance. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Reuters]

 

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Filed under: Laptops

Shockingly enough, Laptop magazine -- of all magazines in print today -- wanted remind everybody that tonight's the last night your hard earned (and increasingly devalued) American currency can be exchanged for an OLPC. But they also got a few words out of NickNeg as to how many OLPC units sold in the decidedly successful Give 1 Get 1 program (150,000+, not counting big buyers like Birmingham, Alabama), and why not continue the program indefinitely ("We are a charity and not a business. If we continued it, it would become 'sales' versus a charitable promotion.") While we kind of take umbrage with that attitude -- isn't it better, after all, to seed as many machines to underprivileged children as possible under any circumstances you can? -- we're hopeful at least that the gang at OLPC will bring back the G1G1 program next year with their v2 hardware. Hopefully by then some sovereign nations will have actually bought some OLPCs of their own.

 

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Ah, how we do love a good root-hacking resulting in the ability to run homebrew code. And being that we also have a soft spot in our heart for Archos's 605 and 705 series players, ARCwelder ought to do our kind and yours quite nicely. If yours is running firmware 1.7.13, check it out, it should get you root access to the device's Linux shell, enabling you to do all kinds of fun things, like develop and run your own apps, or see how long it'll take to break the DRM on downloaded media. Did we say that?

[Thanks, Justin and Nathan]

 

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Filed under: Gaming

It's been ten days since we started tracking The Great Xbox Live Outage of Late 2007 -- ten days that the team at Microsoft has spent working 24/7, apparently unable to quash the issues affecting untold thousands (or millions) of users. Things were supposedly looking better until earlier today when they apparently got worse again, resulting in Xbox Live's service status box making a decisive turn towards the apology side of the spectrum. Granted, the whole thing may seem a little gratuitous at this point, especially considering that the issues are still tagged as intermittent -- but at least our informal polling at Engadget HQ has improved, with some of us even able to get on and play a game (slow and sticky though it may be).

We suggest everyone get a little extra drunk tonight on behalf of all those at the Xbox NOC who will be ringing in the new year sitting at terminals so we can have our precious Live service back.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

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Here are Gizmodo's Greatest Hits 2007, the most popular stories, the best of the best in a single bubblelicious list full of gadgets, juicy industry happenings, in-deep reviews, shocking tech news, weird war planes, Star Wars, boobs and sex. With dogs. Sometimes, all combined into one. What are the most popular Giz stories of 2007? See the top 20 and the monthly top 5, re-read the stories and pick your favorite 2007 article after the jump:

Top 10 Giz Stories for 2007

1. Hotdoll: The Sex Doll for Dogs - 721,911 views

2. Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies, Has Built-in R2-D2 - 468,346 views

3. Verizon's LG VX10000 Voyager Revealed and Groped (with Gallery) - 444,887 views

4. Sidekick 4 and Sidekick Slide? - 437,106 views

5. Storm Trooper Stripper (OK, Prostitute) 410,361 views
newVideoPlayer("stormtrooper_stripper_gawker.flv", 475, 376);

6. X-Wing Rocket Launches, Disintegrates Mid-Air - 398,872 views
newVideoPlayer("xwing_launch_gawker.flv", 475, 376);

7. The World's Most Effective Speed Bump - 376,581 views
newVideoPlayer("speedbump.flv", 475, 376);
-
8. The iPhone: Price - $499 4GB, $599 8GB in June - 356,735 views

9. Video of Bill Gates Showing off his Expensive Table - 301,060 views
newVideoPlayer("gates_table_gawker.flv", 475, 376);

10. Breaking: Digg Riot in Full Effect Over Pulled HD-DVD Key Story - 268,268 views

11. How To: Install Apps on Your iPhone Easily, No Hacking Skills Required - 259,005 views

12. Terminator Sex Positions - 252,253 views

13. iPhone Firmware 1.1.1 Out and Tested: Breaks 3rd-party Apps, Relocks iPhones and Sends Them to Semi-Brick Activation Limbo (Updated with video) - 246,681 views

14. Exclusive: iPhone Free Software Unlock Confirmed (Death Star Explodes) - 243,591 views

15. Gang Kidnaps Gamer to Get Password Using Fake Orkut Date - 242,272 views

16. iPhone Review - 232,079 views

17. Squirrel Catapult is Awful, Yet We Can't Look Away - 226,650 views
newVideoPlayer("squirrel_trap_gawker.flv", 475, 376);

18. Biggest BSOD of All Time? - 225,035 views

19. iPhone Software Unlock Confirmed on Video - 222,088 views
newVideoPlayer("iphoneunlock_gawker.flv", 475, 266);

20. The Gizmodo Ultimate Black Friday Deal Guide - 209,135

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Monthly Top 5 Stories for 2007
The numbers of the monthly top 5 stories for 2007 are different from the top 20 above. The reason is simple: the following are the readers of a new story in that given month. The list on the top, however, shows the cumulative 2007 readership.

January
1. Leaked: Screenshots of OS X Leopard Terminal, Parental Controls, More
Jan 24 2007 153,475

2. iPhone Ringtone Sounds Like Holy Angels Tinkling: Download it Here
Jan 18 2007 141,867

3. Leaked Pt 2: OS X Leopard Spotlight, QuickView
Jan 25 2007 80,704

4. Zune: How We've Lived With It For Three Months
Jan 25 2007 75,430

5. Microsoft Ultimate Wireless 7000 Keyboard Hands-On
Jan 19 2007 68,750

February
1. The Original 1983 Microsoft Mouse
Feb 2 2007 102,235

2. Coolest... Lamps... Ever...
Feb 8 2007 92,891

3. Super Bowl Ad Watch: Top Spots
Feb 5 2007 82,479

4. The Most Ridiculous Windows Video Ever
Feb 7 2007 77,769

5. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: Joel Johnson Returns...to Spank Us All for Supporting Crap
Feb 13 2007 75,338

March
1. AppleTV First Unboxing
Mar 21 2007 124,935

2. Best Booth Babe Ever: Samsung's Leopard Lady
Mar 12 2007 117,883

3. DirectX 9 vs DirectX 10: Worth Upgrading to Vista For?
Mar 9 2007 97,587

4. Real Picture of the Optimus Keyboard?
Mar 6 2007 76,200

5. DIY: Apple TV Hard Drive Upgraded to 120GB
Mar 23 2007 74,235

April
1. Hotdoll: The Sex Doll for Dogs
Apr 18 2007 466,081

2. This is Why You Shouldn't Clean Your HDTV with Windex
Apr 11 2007 145,288

3. Booster Blades: Honorable Suicide
Apr 22 2007 127,038

4. Exclusive Pics of the Vudu - Video Store In A Box
Apr 28 2007 73,004

5. Shocking: An Innovative iPod Case from DLO
Apr 18 2007 71,634

May
1. Breaking: Digg Riot in Full Effect Over Pulled HD-DVD Key Story
May 2 2007 264,776

2. F-35 Helmet Display System To Scare the Bejeezus Out of Enemies
May 15 2007 180,525

3. Video of Bill Gates Showing off his Expensive Table
May 30 2007 176,985

4. Intel Unveils Metro, World's Thinnest Laptop, Almost Skinny as a RAZR
May 24 2007 130,423

5. World's Highest Swing Looks Terrifying
May 11 2007 111,855

June
1. Squirrel Catapult is Awful, Yet We Can't Look Away
Jun 19 2007 173,917

2. The iPhone: Price - $499 4GB, $599 8GB in June
Jan 9 2007 159,483

3. Amazing SawStop Cuts Anything But Your Fingers
Jun 4 2007 144,130

4. Angel Sword Guitar Plays Iron Maiden Songs, Slays Teen Pop Stars
Jun 21 2007 139,922

5. Megan Fox Gets Ready for Transformers Debut By Lounging Around in Her Underwear
Jun 27 2007 106,588

July
1. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/sex-crime-and-videogames/gang-kidnaps-gamer-to-get-password-using-fake-orkut-date-280966.php
">Gang Kidnaps Gamer to Get Password Using Fake Orkut Date
Jul 20 2007 225,306

2. Typhoon Strike Fighter Closing Dangerously On Hercules C130's Cargo Bay
Jul 29 2007 179,998

3. iPhone Review
Jul 9 2007 159,698

4. Google Streetview Camera Car Fleet Set to Invade America
Jul 17 2007 159,505

5. Why You Shouldn't Smash a Can of WD-40
Jul 19 2007 156,794

August
1. Storm Trooper Stripper (OK, Prostitute)
Aug 5 2007 389,709

2. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/poll/the-ipod-nano-mockup-updated-again-yes-it-is-real-292295.php
">The iPod nano Mock-Up (UPDATED again: Yes, It Is Real)
Aug 22 2007 177,832

3. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/two-worlds-collide/oops-iphone-display-needs-to-reboot-runs-windows-xp-285151.php
">Oops, iPhone Display Needs to Reboot, Runs Windows XP
Aug 2 2007 171,650

4. Best. Phishing email. Ever.
Aug 17 2007 164,397

5. F Cup Cookies Promise That Their Fat Will Go Straight to Your Boobs
Aug 6 2007 151,274

September
1. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exclusive/iphone-free-software-unlock-confirmed-death-star-explodes-298825.php
">iPhone Free Software Unlock Confirmed (Death Star Explodes)[
Sep 11 2007 188,569

2. iPhone Firmware 1.1.1 Out and Tested: Breaks 3rd-party Apps, Relocks iPhones and Sends Them to Semi-Brick Activation Limbo (Updated with video)
Sep 27 2007 179,010

3. iPhone Software Unlock Confirmed on Video
Sep 7 2007 144,263

4. New 8-mm-Thick iPod Touch Makes Us Drool, Itch with Desire Sep 5 2007 128528

5. 35 Years of Tokyo Progress in 10 Seconds
Sep 8 2007 122,991

October
1. Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies (Updated: Built-in R2-D2)
Oct 2 2007 459,513

2. X-Wing Rocket Launches, Disintegrates Mid-Air
Oct 8 2007 393,467

3. Verizon's LG VX10000 Voyager Revealed and Groped (with Gallery)
Oct 3 2007 234,147

4. Family Guy Explains The Death Star Flaw
Oct 13 2007 151,608

5. James Randi Offers $1 Million If Audiophiles Can Prove $7250 Speaker Cables Are Better
Oct 1 2007 145,641

November
1. The World's Most Effective Speed Bump
Nov 26 2007 309,788

2. Biggest BSOD of All Time?
Nov 9 2007 221,151

3. The Gizmodo Ultimate Black Friday Deal Guide
Nov 20 2007 209,135

4. Soldier Uses Wii to Catch Wife Doing Up, Down, Left, Right, A-B-A-B With Another Man
Nov 20 2007 203,717

5. Desktop Evolution: Windows and Mac OS Visual Comparison Through the Years
Nov 26 2007 176,796

December
1. Very NSFW Video: Beautiful Topless Girls Playing Wii
Dec 4 2007 198,743

2. Best Windows Error Ever May Rip Time-Space Continuum, Destroy Reality
Dec 6 2007 196,517

3. Imperial Stormtroopers Arrest Santa, Emperor to Take Over Xmas
Dec 16 2007 145,247

4. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/batman-trailer/the-new-dark-knight-trailer-334545.php
">The New Dark Knight Trailer
Dec 16 2007 144,614

5. Google Maps Catches Sophisticated High School Football Field Prank
Dec 5 2007 142,398

Do you have any other suggestion as the best post of 2007? Tell us your favorite in the comments.

Have great fun tonight and a Happy New Year from everyone in Gizmodo!

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

 

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"A federal judge in California ruled on Monday that wireless chip maker Qualcomm can keep selling chips whose designs infringe patents held by rival Broadcom Corp through January 2009. [Reuters]

"A federal judge in California ruled on Monday that wireless chip maker Qualcomm can keep selling chips whose designs infringe patents held by rival Broadcom Corp through January 2009. [Reuters]

Our official Gizmodo Reader of the Year for 2007 is David Bacio, also known as Deputy Sheriff David Bacio. He was one of the runners-up in the Inappropriate Gizmodo Browsing contest, submitting a picture of himself in front of a computer reading Gizmodo while at the station. So why is he the reader of the year? Because some douchebag called up his Sheriff, made a complaint, which ended up in a punishment for him just for being a loyal Giz reader.

In the end, David was determined (by the Sheriff's department) to have violated county internet policy and the code of conduct. He was also removed from his position, docked pay, and has a written reprimand that will stay in his file for three years. And for what? Taking an innocent picture of himself in front of a computer while on the job—an act that takes less time than going to the bathroom or taking a quick coffee break. We salute you, David, for being a loyal Gizmodo reader even despite the crap we got you into with the contest.

And here's to our worst Gizmodo reader of the year, the asshole who called up David's boss to complain. Please escort yourself out. Seriously. We don't want you here.