Technology Round-Up (11/15/10)

Technology Round-Up Thanks to Melissa and Chad for putting this together.

Google

Gmail will soon record phone calls.

Google is suing the US government for not considering using Google Apps for its client to handle messaging needs.

Google Street View launched in Germany this week; some people chose to opt-out of having their home shown on service and the result is 3% of homes are blurred out.

Fusion Tables, a former Labs feature that assists in managing large sets of data, will become an official Google Docs app.

The Google Buzz class action lawsuit regarding security issues was settled back in September, but Google just sent an email to all Gmail users explaining what happened.

Take a look at Chrome OS, Google's operating system, which is almost ready for release. HP is supposedly releasing the first Chrome OS smartbooks this month.

Google will not be penalized for its Street View cars grabbing wifi data in the UK.

Google Sky now shows galaxy clusters.

Gmail users will soon no longer be able to find their contacts on Facebook.

Google Chrome gets its own PDF viewer.

The creator of Google Wave is leaving the company to work for Facebook.

Learn how sites like Hulu and ABC are blocking Google TV.

Internet

Hotmail users can now secure their session using SSL.

Facebook can predict when you'll be broken up with.

Facebook is being sued by Lamebook for trademark infringement.

eBay's got a new homepage and a new gift-sharing feature just in time for the holidays.

Bing and Facebook integration has gone live.

Myspace needs to get its act together or it might get shut down.

Hulu Plus, the subscription-based video watching service, is now available to anyone in the US.

Turkey, which had previously blocked YouTube for 2.5 years, lifted the ban and put it back in place in the same week.

Skype group video calling finally comes to Mac, but is different from its PC counterpart in that it lacks Facebook integration.

Check out three P2P alternatives to the recently-deceased Limewire.

Capital One offers users different car loan rates based on which browser they're using.

Opera has officially opened its new renewable energy data center in Iceland.

Firefox and Chrome extension Social Media Sobriety Test determines if you're too intoxicated to post a status update.

Apparently Internet Explorer 9 is currently the most HTML5-compatible web browser.

Check out the top 10 most essential extensions for every browser.

Electronics

Some people in China have found that they are able to access otherwise restricted websites from their Kindles.

LG has snatched the title of world's thinnest bezel from Samsung, with theirs coming in with only 4 mm of separation between panels.

Affectiva has created the Q Sensor wristband which monitors stress level and will be particularly useful for people who are unable to communicate.

A group of researchers in Germany have created an electronic implant that allows the blind to see.

James Cameron thinks we've still got 8-10 years before glasses-less 3D TVs take over.

Calvin Klein's got their oewn model of snazzy 3D glasses.

Movie theaters may soon be able to watch you to see how much you're enjoying the movie.

Ski resorts across the US are being fitted with the Magnestick, a magnetic backpack-to-chair mechanism that will attach children (or adults) to lifts.

The Entourage Pocket Edge, that two-paneled 'dualbook', is up for preorder on Amazon for $399.99.

A 3D printer created a full-functioning hybrid car.

Miscellaneous

A research team in Cambridge made a huge discovery about viruses that could potentially bring about a cure for the common cold.

The International Space Station has officially been inhabited for 10 years straight.

What do your weed-smoking choices say about you?

Learn to make your own confetti bomb.

San Francisco has banned Happy Meals.

Lego is adding more buildings to its architecture series.

Remember McDonald's never-rotting hamburger experiment? A food researcher explains that no burger of this size will rot because of some science-y stuff. Disappointing, I know.

The answer to all your salsa-and-chip dilemmas: spoonachos.

A young Asian man managed to pass off as an old white male at an airport.

Cloaks of invisibility are becoming more and more real.

Turn anything into a guitar pick.

Contributors: CyberInferno, klawansie7