Crank Archive

  • The Qisda QCM-330 is gorgeous, headed for Vodafone, and quite possibly Android-powered

    The Qisda QCM-330 is gorgeous, headed for Vodafone, and quite possibly Android-powered

    When it comes to bar-shaped smartphones, it takes a good amount of effort to design something visually appealing. There’s really only so much you can do with a flat slab – and whatever can be done likely already has. With that said, there’s just something about this handset, the Qisda QCM-330. I’m not sure what that [...]

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  • What’s to be done about texting and driving?

    What’s to be done about texting and driving?

    New Yorkers now have to live with the threat of a $150 fine for texting and driving. (Incidentally, I know a fool-proof way to avoid paying the fine: put your stupid phone away while behind the wheel.) But in the UK? They don't mess around with their punishments. The New York Times has a story today about a young woman who's now serving 21 months in prison for her role in car accident that left someone dead. What was her role? That's right, texting while driving.

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  • Pedal power in the desert: OLPC in Afghanistan

    Pedal power in the desert: OLPC in Afghanistan

    One of the issues with the OLPC project has always been power. There's just not electricity in all the parts of the world where the OLPC is intended to be used. There is a solution available, however, and it's being tested in Afghanistan. We have just seen pictures of the first pedal power conversion for the OLPC.

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