When Nokia announced free Ovi Maps for all, I was a bit ho-hum about it all. NOW I am excited. But not to the point where I'll actually buy a Nokia phone to play Ovi Maps Racing on, mind.

As the name suggests, the game actually uses real maps to race on, so you can fulfill those dreams of drag-racing through Manhattan or down Lombard Street, albeit virtually. It's compatible with Nokia Symbian^1 (S60 5th edition) phones, and is free. Certainly worth a download if you've got one of 'em. [Nokia via ElectricPig]

A whopping 40-megapixel beauty from Hasselblad has been outed before the official February 10th launch. At $19,995, it'll only be within arm's reach for a few people, though as you know they're a big name in the pro-photography world.

While full specs haven't been announced by Hasselblad yet for the H4D-40, we do know they're billing it as the "perfect entry point." There's a new True Focus AF system and Phocus 2.0 software for managing those all-important pics, and it comes with an 80mm lens and viewfinder.

We're expecting more info closer to the launch date, when it'll be shown off at the PMA show in Anaheim in just a couple of weeks' time. [Hasselblad via Let's Go Digital]

As someone who's using v5.0.0.321, I'm very interested in hearing that BGR's sources have tipped them off to the possibility that not only has RIM started work on OS 6.0, but OS 5.2 should be released this year. [BGR]

As someone who has an original AT-AT taking pride of place in her lounge, Lifegood Design's AT-AT lamp has just been offered adoption by yours truly. [Lifegood via Design-Milk via Katiesol]

Dan was lamenting the fact that Fujifilm's XP10 made him feel even more of a couch-potato than usual, but I've got to say, after owning one of Olympus' µTOUGHs before, there's a lot you can do with a waterproof cam.

If you're even remotely clumsy, then it's a practical investment. If you occasionally go boating, swimming or like partaking in shower-based photography, then the double waterproofing build of Olympus' µTOUGH-8010 and µTOUGH-6020 will come in use. Really, you don't have to be a rock-climbing steroid-pusher to appreciate a hardy camera model.

Both the 8010 and 6020 have 14-megapixel sensors and 5x optical zooms, with the only real difference being how far you want to test that hardiness—the 8010 can be dropped from 6.6-foot, resist temperatures up to -10°Ccrushed and crushed under 220 pounds of pressure and still survive. The 6020 is a little more weak-skinned, surviving under only a 5-foot fall.

Both models have 2.7-inch LCD screens and shoot in 720p resolution, with the 8010 containing 2GB of internal storage. On sale in February, for $399.99 and $299.99 each.

Great news—according to Nokia Taiwan's general manager Michael Hsu, they're going to be launching Symbian^3 in the third quarter of 2010, and the Android-looking Symbian^4 in early 2011. Maemo 6, meanwhile, will be seen on Nokia phones in the second half of 2010. [Digitimes]

If you've got your heart set on a new bridge camera from Olympus, here are the decisions you need to make—would you prefer a 15x or 30x optical zoom, and 12 or 14-megapixels?

If you think you can be quite comfortable with 15x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel sensor, then the SP-600UZ is the mystery camera hiding in the big black box. The screen is a 2.7-inch LCD screen job, and it's capable of shooting in 720p resolution.

As you will have guessed, the more spec'd SP-800UZ is the 30x optical zoomed, 14-megapixel'd model, and has the same 2.7-inch LCD screen as the lesser-named model from before. Both cameras have a new 'background defocusing' feature for defocusing the background, which is a trick stolen from D-SLRs.

US pricing has been announced, with the 600UZ coming in at $249.99 and the 800UZ for $349.99, with both swinging their ways onto store shelves in March.

Sony Ericsson's image has been given a lift with the Aspen smartphone—which they're billing as the "latest addition to Sony Ericsson's Greenheart portfolio." But that's now what's piqued our interests—this baby's packin' Windows Mobile 6.5.3.

It's the first handset to run on the latest version of WinMo, and it's surprisingly a huge step up over anything we've seen in Microsoft's OS previously. It's more intuitive to use, and supports capacitive screens with multitouch.

Moving onto the hardware however, this QWERTY dude has a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT touchscreen display, A-GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. What makes the Aspen eco-friendly? The power-saving mode, eco mate application, GreenHeart panel and the charger and box are made from recycled materials.

Coming on iconic black and white silver, the Aspen will be sliding down the slopes in the second quarter of 2010.

Uh oh. Steve Woz is having some "very scary" trouble with his 2010 Toyota Prius. At a recent event in San Francisco he went off topic and talked about how faulty software is to blame for his car's accelerator troubles:

Toyota has this accelerator problem we've all heard about. Well, I have many models of Prius that got recalled, but I have a new model that didn't get recalled. This new model has an accelerator that goes wild but only under certain conditions of cruise control. And I can repeat it over and over and over again—safely. This is software. It's not a bad accelerator pedal. It's very scary, but luckily for me I can hit the brakes.

Toyota's reponse? They're looking into it:

We're in the business of investigating complaints, assessing problems and finding remedies. After many years of exhaustive testing we have not found any evidence of an electronic [software] problem that would have led to unwanted acceleration.

I hope things get figured out soon, otherwise Woz might have to switch to a Segway as his main mode of transportation. [CNET via Jalopnik]

Mountain climbing. Cliff jumping. Cross-country skiing. Those are the kinds of activities the XP10 would be great at capturing. But I stay in my pajamas until 4:00 PM and do not appreciate the XP10's implicit condescension.

Who do you think you are, XP10? Just because you're a 12MP point-and-shoot capable of withstanding 3-foot drops, 10 feet of water and 14-degree temperatures, you think you're better than me? Well, how about that 165-shot battery life, huh? Not much endurance there. Maybe you should work out a bit, get those numbers up. One-touch tagging for Facebook and YouTube? Oh, you mean for when you're plugged into a computer, indoors, while sitting still, just like eeeeeverybody else? That's not very active, now is it? And that fancy-sounding 5x periscopic internal zoom—we'll just wee how good that is when you're released this month. Your price is okay, at $200, but just don't start thinking you're such hot stuff. Because I can work out, and then we'll see. Then we'll see, XP10 Toughcam from Fujifilm. [Fuji]

It seems that we're getting a first peek at what a Google Chrome OS based tablet may look like. Glen Murphy, Google Chrome's designer, posted this UI concept video along with some images on Google's official Chromium site.

There are several things to keep in mind about this mockup though. For starters, it's only intended as a "visual explorations of how a Chrome OS tablet UI might look in hardware." Google Chrome OS is not tied to a single device as far as we know. This would mean that there wouldn't have to be just one single Google tablet such as the concept shown in the video. Whenever we do get to hold a Google tablet, it could be an entirely different experience from what were being teased with right now. [Chrome Source via TechCrunch]

So Fujifilm unloaded about seven hundred and forty-two cameras tonight, and the point-and-shoots are pretty universally stacked for the price. Case in point: The AV100 is a 12MP shooter with 720p video capture, priced at $100.

The skinny:

The AV100 is the lowest of the low-end, with 12MP sensor, 720p video and 3x optical zoom. It's also the cheapest at $100, $10 cheaper than the AX200, which gives you a 5x wide-angle optical zoom for your Hamilton.

Then there's the F700EXR, Fuji's new 12MP touchscreen model, with one of them fancy internal 5x periscopic zoom lenses. That EXR lens gives surprisingly good low-light performance, and the 3.5-inch touchscreen lets you tag faces for Facebook, navigate menus, tap on your friend's (or dog's) face to focus, all that kind of stuff. It'll run $280 this March.

Ready for more? I hope so, because we are nowhere near finished. Go grab another drink and relax a spell! The J series point and shoot is a step up from the A series I already outlined (this'll all be on the test, you slackers). They're too similar to explain in much detail so here's the rub: Four cameras, priced between $130 and $250, all with metal bodies and rechargeable batteries (the A series is plasticky and AA-run). The best is the JV500, a 14MP shooter with a 10x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, 720p video, and pet detection, because Fuji correctly assumes that you'll be taking lots of pictures of your dog. The JV500 is the most expensive at $250, available in March.

Oh, you thought we were done? Sorry, friend, because this camera is pink and sassy and has a periscopic lens and altogether looks more expensive than it is. It's got the same lens as that touchscreen F700EXR, but this F70 is only 0.7-inches thick and also features one-touch upload to Facebook or YouTube. It'll run you $150 in February. Now everyone, take a breath. [Fuji via CNET]

Fuji just announced a quartet of megazoom (read: fixed lens) cameras in a Monday blitz, with the most impressive being this HS10. It won't give the level of control of a DSLR, but it looks to blow away any point-and-shoot.

The 10MP HS10, pictured, is an interesting beast: It's got a 30x manual optical zoom (24-720mm equivalent), meaning you can twist the lens like on a detachable DSLR (which does give faster and more accurate control), which is something I've never seen before in a fixed-lens camera. It'll also take 1080p video, including "a new Super High Speed Movie mode" that can take slow-motion video at up to 1000fps, and it has a 7-frame burst mode at 10fps. It's also got great low-light performance thanks to its new BSI-CMOS sensor, and takes simultaneous RAW and JPEG shots. It'll be available in April for $500.

The other two megazooms, the S1800 and S2550HD, are pretty similar; they're both 12MP shooters with an 18x zoom, 28mm-504mm lenses, 720p video recording and a 3-inch LCD. The differences: The S1800 has automatic picture rotation and tracking autofocus, while the S2550HD has a miniHDMI-out port. The S1800 will cost $230 and the S2550HD $250 when they're released this March.

Finally, there's also a "compact megazoom" in the family, the F80EXR. It's got a 27mm-equivalent, 10x optical wide-angle zoom lens, improved low-light and flash, and, um, pet face detection. Yeah, it can recognize the faces of dogs and cats. It'll be available in April for $300. [Fuji]

Trumpets playing, bloody moons, seas of fire, cats cohabiting with dogs, and Windows 7 running on the Apple iPad right on the day it launches. That's how the Universe ends, my dearly beloved, and you can blame Citrix for it:

It turns out the 9.7 inch display on the iPad with a 1024x768 screen resolution works great for a full VDI XenDesktop. Windows applications run unmodified and securely in the data center, and even multiple applications at once.

The iPhone restrictions of screen size and small keyboards are overcome with the iPad. The iPad looks to be an ideal end-point device that can empower users to be productive wherever they are and IT will be able to safely deliver company-hosted virtual desktops and apps without worry.

Those are the wet words of Chris Fleck, the vicepresident of virtualization and remote software company Citrix. And what you are seeing above is Windows 7 running on the iPad SDK simulator, thanks to Citrix Receiver and XenDesktop 4—running meaning that it's executed on a server and remotely displayed on the iPad at full resolution.

Fleck sounds excited on his blog, and points out that the software will be ready for the launch of Apple's JesusTablet. Personally, I can't wait for other remote desktop applications to be adapted for the iPad full resolution. [Citrix via PC World]

CanonRumors hears that the sequel to the T1i, to be named the T2i, will be announced next week, packing a redesigned case, selectable FPS for video and a better LCD. Try to control your budget-minded excitement.

The full list of proposed changes:

• New LCD (Even Higher Resolution)
• Selectable FPS (Video)
• New build quality and shape for a Rebel
• No articulating screen
• New battery LP-E8
• New battery grip

That's definitely all good news, especially since the T1i is one of our favorite entry-level DSLRs—well, except the lack of articulated screen (which is kind of "meh" news—does anybody actually care about that?). Only odd thing is the name, which doesn't really fit with Canon's typical naming structure: The T1i was actually the sequel to the XSi, which in turn was the sequel to the XTi, so "T2i" is possible but not necessarily likely. Anyway, we should see sometime next week when this thing is supposed to launch. [CanonRumors via Crunchgear, image from Crunchgear]

This is the OreObject SPHEREtouch mouse. It's basically an overpriced touch-sensitive ball. It doesn't matter that it's handcrafted out of steel, titanium, or platinum because it still looks more like a tacky paperweight than like a mouse.

Depending on your choice of material, the SPHEREtouch's price will range from $155 to $255. Sorry, but all the "balls of steel" jokes in the world aren't enough to make that a decent price for an oddly-shaped mouse with questionable ergonomics that doesn't even have Bluetooth. [OreObject via Engadget]

Do I even need to explain that a video entitled "One Laptop Per Third World Noob" might be a bit tasteless? Sure, I chuckled at the stick figures and the lewd child pornography references, but I'm also a terrible person.

The video comes from "the twisted minds" of the Upright Citizens Brigade, so you can blame or applaud them for it. I'll be here feeling guilty for giggling. [UCB Comedy]

After the first firmware update didn't really fix the flickering screens on 27-inch iMacs, we heard rumors that another was on the way. Well, it's here. But is it making a difference?

Let us know in the comments if you're seeing any improvement since the update. [TechCrunch]

If you're like me, you looked at this picture and the name "Three-Pendulum Rotary Harmonograph" and felt confused and a little bit threatened. But fear not! Turns out it's one of those fun spirograph-like things you see at science museums.

Unlike a spirograph, a harmonograph uses pendulums (instead of human effort—I mean, I'll go to the gym if I'm gonna work out, know what I mean?) to create its elegant Lissajous curves.

This one uses three pendulums, which creates some pretty complex and cool-looking patterns, even better than the clear plastic spirograph I used in third grade. The project isn't even all that hard: Looks like it takes a bit of careful balancing, but the actual construction is pretty standard woodshop kind of stuff. Pretty cool! [Karl Sims via MAKE]

Some are frequent keyboard switchers, some are faithful to a single peripheral. But we all still believe that there's a perfect keyboard out there somewhere. While we're searching for it we want to know: What are you typing on?

Are you a sucker for that satisfying clickety-clack of an old IBM keyboard or is it all about an input device that matches your decor? Tell us what you're using and why. Bonus points if you include pictures of your keyboard setup in the comments.

Picture by theopie