BlackBerry Maker Unveils 'Playbook' Tablet

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has unveiled its rival to the Apple’s iPad: the PlayBook. Research in Motion (RIM) showed off the tablet for the first time last night and is set to launch it early 2011 in the U.S., with an international rollout due later in the year.

The PlayBook is a smaller, lighter device than Apple’s iPad, which kicked-started the tablet market when it launched in April. It will have a 7-inch screen, making it half the size of Apple's device, and weigh about 0.9 pounds to the iPad's 1.5 pounds. And unlike the iPAd, it will have two cameras, front and back.

The PlayBook will be able to act as a second, larger screen for a BlackBerry phone, through a secure short-range wireless link. When the connection is severed - perhaps because the user walks away with the phone - no sensitive data like company emails are left on the tablet.

Outside of Wi-Fi range, it will be able to pick up a mobile service like 3G to access the web by linking to a BlackBerry.

But the tablet will also work as a standalone device. RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said its goal is to present the full web experience of a computer, including the ability to display Flash, Adobe's format for video and interactive material on the web.

What Catches A Man's Eye

When it comes to seduction, short skirts and high heels have long been women’s weapons of choice. But showing off a bit of leg isn’t the best way to catch a man’s eye, according to scientists.

Long, shapely arms, sported by the likes of Christine Bleakley, Madonna or Courtney Cox, are considered more attractive than endless legs, a study has found. The finding was made after tests on Australian and Chinese men and women by experts at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

During the research, volunteers were asked to watch videos of 96 women aged between 20 and 49 and then to rate each one according to her looks. Results showed that ‘long-armed women’ were consistently considered the most attractive.

Hip and waist size were also regarded as important, along with a woman’s weight and age, but the length of her leg ‘did not contribute significantly to the ratings’. Professor Robert Brooks, who led the study, said: ‘Attractive bodies have a suite of traits in the right combination.

Real Challenger to Apple's iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab

We heard rumors about the challenger to iPad for several months, now it is time to meet the first real challenger to Apple's iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It will launch in Australia in November for $999 for the 16GB version, the company has confirmed.

Meanwhile, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is preparing to announce its tablet next week at the company's developer conference in San Francisco, The Wall Street Journal reported.

And Dell overnight unveiled its second tablet computer, which like its previously announced Streak also runs Android. It has a 7-inch touchscreen compared to the 5-inch screen on the Streak, but Dell has not yet announced when either of the models would launch in Australia.

Apple has cornered the tablet market since the launch of its iPad but starting from late this year there will be a raft of challengers from companies including Acer, Asus, Dell, RIM, Lenovo, Samsung and Cisco.

Smartphone maker HTC is also working on a tablet but says it will take its time to develop a unique selling point before putting one on the market.

Some commentators have predicted that Apple will unveil a second iPad version with a smaller 7-inch screen to compete directly against this new competition and cheaper reading devices like Amazon's Kindle.

Planets found outside the solar system

Scientists say they've identified a sun-like star with as many as seven different planets — including one that might be the smallest ever found outside the solar system.

If confirmed, the planetary system around HD 10180, a star more than 100 light years distant, would be the richest ever discovered. One astronomer says it's part of a growing body of evidence that the universe is full of planets — and that several could be similar to our own.

"The really nice thing about finding systems like this is that it shows that there are many more out there," said Alan Boss, of the Washington-based Carnegie Institution for Science, who wasn't involved with the find. "Mother Nature really had fun making planets."

Although most of the planets identified are large — about 13 to 25 times the mass of our home — those behind the discovery, announced Tuesday at an international conference in France, say they're nearly certain they've identified one only 1.4 times the size of Earth.

Planets found outside the solar system are called "exoplanets" and this would be the smallest one ever spotted.

Do you know that Chocolate milk can keeps your abs flat?

A glass of skim chocolate milk delivers a great combo of carbs and protein, helping you recover after a workout. Athletes who drank it post-workout had lower levels of muscle damage after four days of intense exercising than those who guzzled water or other recovery drinks, according to findings presented at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle.

That translates to less soreness and fatigue, so you can get back to the gym and those tummy-toning planks sooner. Simply stir 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder or syrup that has less than 20 g sugar into your milk and sip.

Orange juice, Chamomile tea, Beer and Cranberry juice

Orange juice guards against heart disease: Antioxidants in OJ help protect your ticker by fighting the inflammation that can cause blood vessel damage. Consider this: People who ate fast food with a glass of orange juice had fewer artery-harming free radicals in their blood afterward than those who had their burger and fries with water, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates. Isn't that a great reason to choose juice? Just watch the sugars—one cup contains 21 grams and 122 calories.

Chamomile tea can keep you calm: People who downed chamomile extract daily for two months felt significantly less anxious, a study from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia reports. Ease into mellow mode at night with a cup of chamomile tea.

Beer may prevent cardiovascular disease: File this under who knew? Compounds found in both regular and nonalcoholic brew may prevent blood thickening that can lead to cardiovascular disease, accord to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Our taste testers for SELF's 2010 Healthy Food Awards loved Budweiser Select 55—refreshing and full-bodied, with only 55 calories per bottle. Toast to your health!

Cranberry juice may prevent gum disease and urinary tract infections: Natural compounds in the juice may ward off gum disease by preventing bacteria from adhering to the teeth below the gum line. Cranberry juice also delivers 39 percent of the daily value for vitamin C per 8 ounces, raises levels of good cholesterol and keeps your urinary tract tip-top. A berry smart sip indeed!

Google announces Google Instant search

In a big-picture keynote at Berlin’s IFA home electronics event, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt said Google’s new guiding principle is in serving users automatic search results, all the time, super-quick.

“Our new definition of Google, we’re trying to get you something fast - never underestimate the importance of fast.

“Ultimately, search is not just the web but literally all of your information - your email, the things you care about, with your permission - this is personal search, for you and only for you.

“The next step of search is doing this automatically. When I walk down the street, I want my smartphone to be doing searches constantly - ‘did you know?’, ‘did you know?’, ‘did you know?’, ‘did you know?’.

This notion of autonomous search - to tell me things I didn’t know but am probably interested in, is the next great stage - in my view - of search.”

Apple's New 'iWatch'

Dubbed the 'iWatch', the latest addition to the iPod family boasts a clock face which appears at the touch of the power button but still allows users to view pictures and track your movements.

The nattily designed new iPod nano measures just 1.48 inches by 1.61 inches by 0.35 inches and weighs in at a slender 21.1 grams. For such a small gadget, the battery life is also impressive, with 24 hours of music playback in addition to an FM radio.

'It’s very tiny and instantly wear­able,' said Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. 'It even has a clock - one of our board of directors says he’s going to wear it as a watch.'

The tiny player is similar in function to the iPod and iPhone also boasts a 'multi-touch' screen, allowing more than one finger to be used on the screen at once.

It's thought that manufacturers will be quick to exploit the clock function of the new player by flooding the market with detatchable watch straps.

Colorful Life of Indonesia Marine Life on the Ocean Floor

Scientists using cutting-edge technology to explore waters off Indonesia were wowed by colorful and diverse images of marine life on the ocean floor — including plate-sized sea spiders and flower-like sponges that appear to be carnivorous.

They predicted Thursday that as many as 40 new plant and animal species may have been discovered during the three-week expedition that ended Aug. 14.

More than 100 hours of video and 100,000 photographs, captured using a robotic vehicle with high-definition cameras, were piped to shore in real-time by satellite and high-speed Internet.

Verena Tunnicliffe, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the images provided an extraordinary glimpse into one of the globe’s most complex and little-known marine ecosystems.

The E Advantage

In a study, those who reported getting the highest amount of vitamin E 19 milligrams a day were about 25 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease over a 10-year period.

People in the study got much of their vitamin E from processed or sat-fat foods, like butter, margarine, and mayo. Our suggestion? Get your E from healthy sources, such as nuts, seeds, veggies, plant oils, and nut butters.

The bonus with nuts and seeds is that you also get a shot of hunger-quelling protein. Not to mention some heart-healthy fats.

Mechanics of a Memory Keeper. Vitamin E helps protect cells against oxidative damage, a helpful thing when it comes to foiling the onset and development of dementia and Alzheimer's. Animal research also suggests that E may help inhibit the negative effects of beta-amyloid a type of protein fragment that turns into Alzheimer's-triggering brain plaques.