A proof-of-concept vending machine shows how we can dispense with cash for everyday purchases, skipping credit and debit cards altogether and going straight to electronic transfer.
The vending machine uses QR codes, PayPal, a smartphone camera and Twitter. And, to complete the geek-buzzword bingo checklist, the hardware is based in part on Arduino, an open source [...]
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149
What happens when you punch the phrase "Droid" into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report's sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we're also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet, it's a pretty safe bet the handset's coming out soon -- and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955. (We've gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There's also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos, a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won't get off that easily -- subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD.Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Boy Genius Report | Email this | Comments
The Apple Store is down, nobody here but us chickens (update: back up)
Could it be a Verizon iPhone? The white iPhone 4? Perhaps a surprise Core i3 ULV in the 13-inch MacBook Pro? We can't tell for sure, but our money's on none of the above, folks. We'll be sure to dig through for changes as soon as the house that Jobs built is up and running once more.
Update: The store's back up, but contrary to popular belief nothing of import seems to have changed -- the white iPhone 4 option had been removed and the Core i7-640M made available in the larger MacBook Pros a while back. We're hearing from an internal source that it may have just been scheduled maintenance.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]The Apple Store is down, nobody here but us chickens (update: back up) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Apple Store | Email this | Comments
Update: The store's back up, but contrary to popular belief nothing of import seems to have changed -- the white iPhone 4 option had been removed and the Core i7-640M made available in the larger MacBook Pros a while back. We're hearing from an internal source that it may have just been scheduled maintenance.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]The Apple Store is down, nobody here but us chickens (update: back up) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Apple Store | Email this | Comments
Google now taking suggestions for improving Tasks
Filed under: Productivity, Google
Google seems to be aiming at making Tasks into a ubiquitous tasklist, available anywhere and easy to use. This is one of the few niches where a non-Google tool has the upper hand - in this case, Remember the Milk is the leader of the pack, at least for now.
Google's engineers know what they have to do to make Tasks into a smash hit: give users what they want!
To make that happen, they've just announced a Tasks poll for feature requests. Google's post seems to be very new, but the poll already has 720 ideas -- so I'm assuming they're just reminding us it exists. And a worthy reminder it is - go ahead, tell Google what you think and help them make a kick-ass task manager for all of us to use!Google now taking suggestions for improving Tasks originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google seems to be aiming at making Tasks into a ubiquitous tasklist, available anywhere and easy to use. This is one of the few niches where a non-Google tool has the upper hand - in this case, Remember the Milk is the leader of the pack, at least for now.
Google's engineers know what they have to do to make Tasks into a smash hit: give users what they want!
To make that happen, they've just announced a Tasks poll for feature requests. Google's post seems to be very new, but the poll already has 720 ideas -- so I'm assuming they're just reminding us it exists. And a worthy reminder it is - go ahead, tell Google what you think and help them make a kick-ass task manager for all of us to use!Google now taking suggestions for improving Tasks originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sprint CEO claims WiMAX is here to stay, says Clear's LTE trials were for potential multi-mode phones
Sprint and Clearwire have characterized LTE as complimentary to WiMAX time and again, but if that doesn't allay your suspicions of turncoat tactics in the wireless data space, take it from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's lips. "Our 4G strategy is WiMAX, full stop!" he told GigaOM, adding that LTE isn't necessarily on Sprint's roadmap. Quizzed about WiMAX partner Clearwire's LTE trials, however, he dropped a very intriguing hint about the possible shape of phones to come: "We have so much spectrum that we decided to do tests so in case we have multi-modal phones with other air interfaces, we can add LTE on top of WiMAX and run both networks," he told the publication. Dual-mode WiMAX / LTE smartphone, anyone?Sprint CEO claims WiMAX is here to stay, says Clear's LTE trials were for potential multi-mode phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | GigaOM | Email this | Comments
Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on
Evidently missing the first two games of the World Series was about all Cablevision thought it subscribers could take, as news just hit the wire: the fourteen-day standoff is over and both tonight's game three of the World Series and tomorrow's Jets vs Packers game are available to subscribers. While these carriage disputes are pretty common, it is very rare for channels to be pulled and downright unheard of for a channel as popular as Fox. It came to this because Cablevision was very unhappy about News Corp's new terms and after many pleas to the FCC and politicians to intervene, an advertising campaign, and eventually an unaccepted offer to match the price that Time Warner Cable pays, a deal has finally been done. Not exactly all's well that ends well, though, as Cablevision released the following statement: "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest." Talk about sour grapes. Well at least we can hope that Cablevision's efforts paid off a little bit and your cable bill won't go up as much as it would've if the outage never occurred to begin with. We can hope.Continue reading Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues onFox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
By now you've probably read our Desire HD review and you've seen how HTC's latest Android flagship stacks up against its Windows Phone 7 sibling, the HD7. But how does it fare against the original Android giant, Sprint's EVO 4G? The devices share common displays (4.3-inch WVGA) and cameras (8 megapixel with dual LED flash) -- but they use different radios (HSPA+ versus CDMA / WiMAX) and processors (first-generation Snapdragon in the EVO, second-gen in the Desire). In fact, the two phones actually have very different personalities when you consider the Desire HD's aluminum unibody case and the EVO 4G's HDMI output and kickstand. Take a look at these mighty beasts side-by-side in our gallery -- along with a video after the break!
Note: In the video we mention that the Desire HD features a front facing camera. This is incorrect.
Gallery: HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
Continue reading HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Note: In the video we mention that the Desire HD features a front facing camera. This is incorrect.
Gallery: HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
Continue reading HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine
Filed under: Internet, Features, Mozilla, BrowsersGood afternoon! Firefox Friday has been decidedly absent from the luridly green pages of Download Squad over the last few weeks, but it returns today with vengeance.
A lot has been happening at Mozilla, with developments emerging on all fronts. As always we've covered the most important bits, but there's still a lot more to tell you about.
Let's crack on with the first and perhaps most telling titbit:
Mozilla has a new CEO: Gary Kovacs
John Lilly, after almost three years at the top, has stepped aside for newcomer Gary Kovacs. Kovacs has a ton of experience in product management (10 years at IBM), and also significant knowledge of rich media and the mobile Web (5 years at Macromedia, then Adobe). For further reading, Lilly has a great blog post introducing Kovacs.
With this appointment it's clear that Mozilla is fully invested in making Firefox the best browser, both on the desktop and on mobile devices. If you thought the difference between Firefox 3.6 and 4.0 was a big leap, you can only begin to imagine what 5.0 will bring with Kovacs at the helm.
Game On 2010: the judges are announced, and the first fruits of the competition begin to trickle in
The new Game On competition always struck me as rather unMozilla. When I picture the average Mozillan, many kind adjectives pop into my mind but gamer isn't one of them. Still, if you had any doubts, take a look at the list of judges. There are 30 of them, and while they're not all A-listers, there are some big names from Zynga, Facebook, Palm, and more. Almost everyone that's anyone in the JavaScript community is on the list!
If you want to get in on the action, there are already tons of resources on the Game On website. You should probably subscribe read the Game On blog, too.
Also worth noting, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, is that the next Mozilla Labs Night (October 28) will be a 'Gaming Special'. I'm not quite sure what it will entail, but the Labs Nights are usually a lot of fun... so sign up and head on down to Mountain View! [I wish I lived in San Francisco...]
Mozilla finally plays its next hand in the Apps War: Open Web Applications
Earlier this year, at the Mozilla Summit, attendees were asked what would make the perfect Web App Store. A lot of heated discussion ensued, but ultimately the summit ended and radio silence descended. This week Mozilla Labs broke that silence with the release of the Open Web Applications Technology Overview and the new apps.mozillalabs.com website.
The concept is brilliant, and there's a demo App Store and Directory that you can play with today. The most important part, however, is that Open Web App developers will have the option of self-publishing their software. This is in stark contrast to the Google-centralised Chrome offering -- and light years ahead of the Mac App Store.
We're not quite at the stage where HTML, JavaScript, CSS and SVG are ready to replace every desktop app, but the Open Web App specification has come just at the right time. Mozilla may just have secured the future platform for all installed apps.
Build your own browser with Mozilla Labs Chromeless
Have you ever looked at the Firefox UI, at that big orange button, and thought to yourself 'hmm... I could do it better'? Well, now's your chance! Using HTML, CSS and JavaScript you can now create your own browser interface.
Chromeless is a pre-alpha prototype at the moment (grab the code here), but the team has grand plans to make browser UI design as 'easy as designing a Web page'. It's an interesting concept that, like all forms of crowdsourcing, might turn up some fantastic new designs.
Last, but by no means least, Firefox JavaScript performance pulls ahead of Chrome and Safari
Launched by the JavaScript team at Mozilla, ARE WE FAST YET? details the reassuringly steady improvement of Firefox's JavaScript engine. Up until yesterday the site featured a huge 'NO' at the bottom of the page -- today... well, you can see for yourself!
Basically -- and you have to admit this is pretty darn impressive -- it has only taken three months for Mozilla to reach Chrome and Safari's level of JavaScript performance. This is only the result of one synthetic benchmark, so the results are hardly authoritative -- but then again, Firefox still leads the 'real world' Kraken benchmark, too.
* * *
Not a bad week for Mozilla, then! Open Web Apps, Open Web Games and even an Open User Interface -- and they're all powered by the fastest JavaScript engine in the world.Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
A lot has been happening at Mozilla, with developments emerging on all fronts. As always we've covered the most important bits, but there's still a lot more to tell you about.
Let's crack on with the first and perhaps most telling titbit:
Mozilla has a new CEO: Gary Kovacs
John Lilly, after almost three years at the top, has stepped aside for newcomer Gary Kovacs. Kovacs has a ton of experience in product management (10 years at IBM), and also significant knowledge of rich media and the mobile Web (5 years at Macromedia, then Adobe). For further reading, Lilly has a great blog post introducing Kovacs.
With this appointment it's clear that Mozilla is fully invested in making Firefox the best browser, both on the desktop and on mobile devices. If you thought the difference between Firefox 3.6 and 4.0 was a big leap, you can only begin to imagine what 5.0 will bring with Kovacs at the helm.
Game On 2010: the judges are announced, and the first fruits of the competition begin to trickle in
The new Game On competition always struck me as rather unMozilla. When I picture the average Mozillan, many kind adjectives pop into my mind but gamer isn't one of them. Still, if you had any doubts, take a look at the list of judges. There are 30 of them, and while they're not all A-listers, there are some big names from Zynga, Facebook, Palm, and more. Almost everyone that's anyone in the JavaScript community is on the list!
If you want to get in on the action, there are already tons of resources on the Game On website. You should probably subscribe read the Game On blog, too.
Also worth noting, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, is that the next Mozilla Labs Night (October 28) will be a 'Gaming Special'. I'm not quite sure what it will entail, but the Labs Nights are usually a lot of fun... so sign up and head on down to Mountain View! [I wish I lived in San Francisco...]
Mozilla finally plays its next hand in the Apps War: Open Web Applications
Earlier this year, at the Mozilla Summit, attendees were asked what would make the perfect Web App Store. A lot of heated discussion ensued, but ultimately the summit ended and radio silence descended. This week Mozilla Labs broke that silence with the release of the Open Web Applications Technology Overview and the new apps.mozillalabs.com website.
The concept is brilliant, and there's a demo App Store and Directory that you can play with today. The most important part, however, is that Open Web App developers will have the option of self-publishing their software. This is in stark contrast to the Google-centralised Chrome offering -- and light years ahead of the Mac App Store.
We're not quite at the stage where HTML, JavaScript, CSS and SVG are ready to replace every desktop app, but the Open Web App specification has come just at the right time. Mozilla may just have secured the future platform for all installed apps.
Build your own browser with Mozilla Labs Chromeless
Have you ever looked at the Firefox UI, at that big orange button, and thought to yourself 'hmm... I could do it better'? Well, now's your chance! Using HTML, CSS and JavaScript you can now create your own browser interface.
Chromeless is a pre-alpha prototype at the moment (grab the code here), but the team has grand plans to make browser UI design as 'easy as designing a Web page'. It's an interesting concept that, like all forms of crowdsourcing, might turn up some fantastic new designs.
Last, but by no means least, Firefox JavaScript performance pulls ahead of Chrome and Safari
Launched by the JavaScript team at Mozilla, ARE WE FAST YET? details the reassuringly steady improvement of Firefox's JavaScript engine. Up until yesterday the site featured a huge 'NO' at the bottom of the page -- today... well, you can see for yourself!
Basically -- and you have to admit this is pretty darn impressive -- it has only taken three months for Mozilla to reach Chrome and Safari's level of JavaScript performance. This is only the result of one synthetic benchmark, so the results are hardly authoritative -- but then again, Firefox still leads the 'real world' Kraken benchmark, too.
* * *
Not a bad week for Mozilla, then! Open Web Apps, Open Web Games and even an Open User Interface -- and they're all powered by the fastest JavaScript engine in the world.Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Protect Your iPad With iShine Microfiber Sleeve
Every iPad owner understands the importance of keeping their device both protected and clean. It takes very little time for oil from your hands to build up on the iPad’s screen, leaving plenty of unwanted smudges. There is an affordable solution though thanks to the iShine Microfiber iPad Sleeve. The iShine Sleeve is a must [...]
The Prize Portrait From Our Halloween Illustration Contest [Promotion]
Yesterday we chose our Halloween Illustration Contest winner and locked Gizmodo's contributing artist Sam Spratt in a creepy basement with instructions to draw a freaky portrait. Here's the result. More »
Flickriver is a fun way to browse through Flickr photos
Filed under: Design, Photo
Flickriver was briefly mentioned on Download Squad back in 2007, but it really deserves its own post.
It's a very simple interface for browsing Flickr photos which displays a bunch of photos on the page, and you scroll down to view them. As you near the bottom, more photos are loaded so that you can just keep scrolling. This is by no means a new trick, but I find it very convenient and easy to use. What's nice about it is that it pre-loads four images at a time, so I don't find myself waiting for the next image when I want to view it.
You can search by photo, group, user, tag, or location, and then you can sort the results according to relevance, recency, or "interestingness." The whole thing is very low-key; it has a dark background, an uncluttered interface, and the bare minimum of JavaScript required to make it work. You won't find anything sliding around, fading in and out, or being overly modern.
Flickriver just gives you the photos you want to look at, with no frills.Flickriver is a fun way to browse through Flickr photos originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Flickriver was briefly mentioned on Download Squad back in 2007, but it really deserves its own post.
It's a very simple interface for browsing Flickr photos which displays a bunch of photos on the page, and you scroll down to view them. As you near the bottom, more photos are loaded so that you can just keep scrolling. This is by no means a new trick, but I find it very convenient and easy to use. What's nice about it is that it pre-loads four images at a time, so I don't find myself waiting for the next image when I want to view it.
You can search by photo, group, user, tag, or location, and then you can sort the results according to relevance, recency, or "interestingness." The whole thing is very low-key; it has a dark background, an uncluttered interface, and the bare minimum of JavaScript required to make it work. You won't find anything sliding around, fading in and out, or being overly modern.
Flickriver just gives you the photos you want to look at, with no frills.Flickriver is a fun way to browse through Flickr photos originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video)
For a while now, there has been a conversation going on in certain circles (you know, space circles): namely, if the most prohibitive part of a manned flight to Mars would be the return trip, why bother returning at all? And besides the whole "dying alone on a hostile planet 55-million-plus kilometers from your family, friends, and loved ones" thing, we think it's a pretty solid consideration. This is just one of the topics of discussion at a recent Long Now Foundation event in San Francisco, where NASA Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden discussed the Hundred Year Starship Initiative, a project NASA Ames and DARPA are undertaking to fund a mission to the red planet by 2030. Indeed if the space program "is now really aimed at settling other worlds," as Worden said, what better way to encourage a permanent settlement than the promise that there will be no coming back -- unless, of course, they figure out how to return on their own. Of course, it's not like they're being left to die: the astronauts can expect supplies from home while they figure out how to get things up and running. As Arizona State University's Dr. Paul Davies, author of a recent paper in Journal of Cosmology, writes, "It would really be little different from the first white settlers of the North American continent, who left Europe with little expectation of return." Except with much less gravity. See Worden spout off in the video after the break.Continue reading Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video)Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink PopSci, AOL News | Kurzweil AI | Email this | Comments
Saturday, October 30, 2010
This Week's Best Web Video [TV]
Treat yourself to this week's hidden gems, from Dexter's Dark Echo to GameTrailers' Rock Band 3 Review. Just don't have Masters of Horror on full blast while kids are ringing your bell or you could scar them for life. More »
Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more
Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they're published -- and Verizon's latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here's what we've got:
There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it'll actually be the Global that's getting a cameraless version.
Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time.
The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate.
There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.
The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.
There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate).
More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.
Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it'll actually be the Global that's getting a cameraless version.
Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time.
The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate.
There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.
The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.
There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate).
More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.
Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Skype 5 with Facebook integration sheds beta tag
Filed under: Utilities, Video
Skype has just announced Version 5 for Windows. This version has been in beta for quite some time, and it's now officially out. Amongst the new features:
Group video - which is still labeled "beta," even though the app itself is final
Automatically recovering dropped calls - Skype redials the other party; from our experience, it sometimes intentionally drops the call when the connection is really bad, and then it redials to try and get a better connection.
Facebook integration -- you can call or chat with Facebook friends directly from Skype.
If you've been using the beta version, none of this is overly exciting. But if you're still using Skype 4.0, this is certainly a worthy upgrade.Skype 5 with Facebook integration sheds beta tag originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Skype has just announced Version 5 for Windows. This version has been in beta for quite some time, and it's now officially out. Amongst the new features:
Group video - which is still labeled "beta," even though the app itself is final
Automatically recovering dropped calls - Skype redials the other party; from our experience, it sometimes intentionally drops the call when the connection is really bad, and then it redials to try and get a better connection.
Facebook integration -- you can call or chat with Facebook friends directly from Skype.
If you've been using the beta version, none of this is overly exciting. But if you're still using Skype 4.0, this is certainly a worthy upgrade.Skype 5 with Facebook integration sheds beta tag originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Superhero-Style Spacesuits Could Provide Vital Compression For Astronauts [Astronauts]
This new Spiderman-style spacesuit may not win astronauts a spot in the fashion hall of fame, but it could help keep their bones intact during long spaceflights. More »
Daily Crunch: Sun Dance Edition
Zoom Q3HD Basically Records It All Frito-Lay Pulling Compostable Snack Bags Over Noise Are You At Risk For ?Toasted Skin Syndrome?? The Dube Has Just Made Your Old Percussion Instruments Obsolete Google TV?s Minisite Launches, Finally Sheds Some Light On The Platform
Playboy Goes Non Nude For iPad
Soon the official Playboy iPad App will be revealed but certain other elements won’t be. What we’re trying to say is that in order to follow Apple’s very strict anti-obscenity rules Playboy has agreed to keep their app for the iPad tablet device entirely non-nude and tasteful. With no nudity allowed Playboy may just have [...]
9 Futuristic Monorails... From the Past [Vintage]
Monorails used to be the vision of futuristic travel. Now, that mode of transit has been mostly reduced to inter-terminal airport travel and family theme parks. Take a step back in time and gander at these bullet-shaped babies in action. More »
Borders get another eBook Reader ? NextBook Next2
The NextBook Next2 isn’t just an eBook reader, it’s also a tablet. Powered by Android OS 1.5, this little guy has a 600 MHz processor, 7″ 800 x 480 resistive touch screen, 2GB internal memory and an SD card slot for expansion. The Next2 ships with 25 free books already installed, but using built-in WiFi, [...] Filed in categories: Android related, News, Spotlight Gadgets, eBook Readers and GearTagged: Android, eBook readerBorders get another eBook Reader – NextBook Next2 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 28, 2010 at 3:17 pm.
How would you change Motorola's Droid 2?
You've already told us (and the world, we might add) how you'd change just about every other Droid phone out there, so why not? Motorola's Droid 2 has been in the hands of loyal can-doers for a few months now, giving the user base plenty of time to nitpick and stew about things that aren't... quite... right. We had a few bones to pick with the handset during our August review, but as the regulars know, this space isn't about rekindling old flames. It's about you telling us how you'd change things if given the lead design position on this here phone. Would you have upgraded the camera? Changed the slide? Tweaked the Android build? Offered it on another carrier? Hit us with your best shot in comments below.How would you change Motorola's Droid 2? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
CrunchGear Week in Review: Bear Scare Edition
Herman Miller?s Sayl Chair: Live Unframed Chevy Volt 240V Home Charging Kit: $490 (That?s Without Installation Taken Into Account) The SmartShopper: Because Writing Down Grocery Lists Is So 20th Century Zoom Q3HD Basically Records It All CEATEC 2010: Hands-on With Fujitsu?s ?Social? Teddy Bear Robots Going The Distance: Nike+ GPS Vs. RunKeeper
Quirky Contort, An Ingenious USB-Hub and Cable Manager
Contort is another crazy-useful looking gadget from the seemingly bottomless idea-pit at Quirky. Like all Quirky gear, it combines simplicity with a re-think of existing solutions. This particular widget is a four-port USB-hub and cable-manager.
At Quirky, they actually are working with a bottomless pit of ideas. A community of internet denizens coughs out an idea [...]
At Quirky, they actually are working with a bottomless pit of ideas. A community of internet denizens coughs out an idea [...]
Google Bans Creepy Text Forwarding Spy App From Android Market [Video]
The Android Market doesn't have anywhere near the vetting process that the App Store does. That's great for openness, but sometimes some bad apple slip through. Like this recently banned text message forwarding app, Secret SMS Replicator. More »
Friday, October 29, 2010
You Won't See These Photoshops In Any Fashion Magazine [Video]
Fashion magazines keep making women impossibly thin and supposedly perfect, even while they all look beautiful to begin with. Some anonymous person decided to do the contrary, and here's a video that shows the results. More »
Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more
Carrier rebate forms have a fun tendency to reveal unannounced hardware, since they cover several upcoming weeks when they're published -- and Verizon's latest for the month of November is a particularly juicy one. Here's what we've got:
There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it'll actually be the Global that's getting a cameraless version.
Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time.
The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate.
There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.
The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.
There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate).
More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.
Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
There are two SKUs listed for the Droid 2 Global, but only one for the Droid Pro, leading us to wonder whether it'll actually be the Global that's getting a cameraless version.
Speaking of Motorola, the WX445 Citrus is in the mix for the first time.
The Pre 2 is in the system with a $100 rebate.
There are two new SKUs for the Bold 9650, possibly indicating the release of new versions with BlackBerry 6 pre-installed.
The LG Cosmos Touch is in here, which we imagine will be a touchscreen successor to the Cosmos.
There's a Samsung Zeal listed with a $50 rebate, but we're not sure what it is -- we know that Sammy has a number of Android phones in the pipe for Verizon, and we suppose this could be one of 'em (likely low-end considering it's not a $100 rebate).
More interestingly, the Samsung Continuum is in here, suggesting that the November 8 event could be for this dual-screened (and Galaxy S-branded) beast. $100 rebate here.
Of course, November is a time when retailers of all types and sizes bring out new products in time for the holidays, so we're not surprised to see the mother lode here. Who's excited?Verizon's new rebate form shows two Droid 2 Globals, Samsung Continuum, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Daily Crunch: Caught Edition
Rumor: Barnes & Noble To Show Color Nook Next Week Review: Fantasma Web Runner Remote Control Spider Video: Super-Cute Dancing Hello Kitty Speaker Hands-On With The HP Slate 500, A Windows 7 Business Tablet Ask CG: Do You Need A Computer To Use An E-Reader?
Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service
Filed under: Security, Utilities, AndroidThere are two ways of looking at geolocation and other tracking technologies. There are those that decry the Information Dynasty, that abhor the idea of sharing your location with the godless monstrosities of Facebook and Google -- and then you have the diametric opposite: sharing is good, information is knowledge, knowledge is wisdom, Google is God.
But both schools are missing the point: data is useful. It is simply how you use it that matters. It might not seem apparent as a marketing-bombarded, social media munching consumer, but there is a mid-ground between giving Facebook all or none of your data. The danger with Facebook and other omnipresent Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net corporations is that you never really know how your information will be used: you sign up to chat to your friends, and before you know it, your data is being used by countless other services.
There is a way out, though, if you're looking for that fabled mid-ground -- it's counterintuitive, going against everything we've been taught in the last decade, but it works. You simply have to use services that do just one thing -- no feature creep, bloat, or third-party integrations -- just one thing.
Which brings me onto Prey, an open-source and cross-platform anti-theft tool that lets you track your mobile phone or laptop at all times. It's free to use, there are pro accounts for large companies, and you can even set it up on your own servers if you like.
While Prey works across almost every modern platform (iOS and BlackBerry are the only omissions), I will be focusing on the experience for Android. Every version uses the Web control panel, however -- and the Prey app that runs on your phone or laptop doesn't require much configuration. If you want to secure a laptop or netbook, check out Lee's post!
To start, you need to register on the Prey website. Then grab the Prey app from the Android Market. Log in with your account details, and you'll be greeted with the Settings screen:
To understand the settings, you need to know how Prey for Android works. It's very simple: Prey reads every incoming SMS, and if it contains the activation code ("GO PREY" by default), your phone immediately tries to contact the Prey servers -- your phone is then considered "missing." Disabling Prey is just a matter of sending another SMS ("STOP PREY"), or toggling the "found" button on the Web control panel. The only other option for mobile phones is "SIM replacement detection" -- if your would-be thief tries to change the SIM, Prey can be configured to SMS the phone's new number to your phone.
Now we move onto the more important bit: the (very pretty) Web control panel. Here you can modify how often your stolen (or lost) phone reports back, and what data is reported. You also configure "Action Modules," which as you might have guessed, cause your phone to perform an action. For now you can only make your phone display an obnoxious message ("YOU THIEVING B*STARD"), or ring a very loud police-siren alarm. Presumably there might soon be more Action Modules that do other cool things -- like nuke your address book, take photos of the thief, use a voice synthesizer to produce racial slurs, and so on.
Finally, the whole point of Prey is to produce reports of your stolen phone or laptop. To this end you get a nice Google Map with your phone pin-pointed on it, your phone's current IP address, ... and that's about it. The control panel suggests that you should get "nearby Wi-Fi hotspots," "traceroute," and "active connections" information, but that seems to be missing from my reports. Maybe it doesn't work on the Android version!
Conclusion
To be honest, I don't know how big an issue phone (or laptop) theft is. But maybe it doesn't matter: Prey is so light-weight and so free that you might as well install it on your phone -- you have nothing to lose (hah).
Prey for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 400KB
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 2.1 @ 600MHz, LG GT540)
User Interface -- The Android app doesn't have an interface as such; the Web control panel is nice, though!
Configurability & Extensibility -- None really, but you could code your own modules if you like...!
License -- Free and open-source with "premium" packages available
Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
But both schools are missing the point: data is useful. It is simply how you use it that matters. It might not seem apparent as a marketing-bombarded, social media munching consumer, but there is a mid-ground between giving Facebook all or none of your data. The danger with Facebook and other omnipresent Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net corporations is that you never really know how your information will be used: you sign up to chat to your friends, and before you know it, your data is being used by countless other services.
There is a way out, though, if you're looking for that fabled mid-ground -- it's counterintuitive, going against everything we've been taught in the last decade, but it works. You simply have to use services that do just one thing -- no feature creep, bloat, or third-party integrations -- just one thing.
Which brings me onto Prey, an open-source and cross-platform anti-theft tool that lets you track your mobile phone or laptop at all times. It's free to use, there are pro accounts for large companies, and you can even set it up on your own servers if you like.
While Prey works across almost every modern platform (iOS and BlackBerry are the only omissions), I will be focusing on the experience for Android. Every version uses the Web control panel, however -- and the Prey app that runs on your phone or laptop doesn't require much configuration. If you want to secure a laptop or netbook, check out Lee's post!
To start, you need to register on the Prey website. Then grab the Prey app from the Android Market. Log in with your account details, and you'll be greeted with the Settings screen:
To understand the settings, you need to know how Prey for Android works. It's very simple: Prey reads every incoming SMS, and if it contains the activation code ("GO PREY" by default), your phone immediately tries to contact the Prey servers -- your phone is then considered "missing." Disabling Prey is just a matter of sending another SMS ("STOP PREY"), or toggling the "found" button on the Web control panel. The only other option for mobile phones is "SIM replacement detection" -- if your would-be thief tries to change the SIM, Prey can be configured to SMS the phone's new number to your phone.
Now we move onto the more important bit: the (very pretty) Web control panel. Here you can modify how often your stolen (or lost) phone reports back, and what data is reported. You also configure "Action Modules," which as you might have guessed, cause your phone to perform an action. For now you can only make your phone display an obnoxious message ("YOU THIEVING B*STARD"), or ring a very loud police-siren alarm. Presumably there might soon be more Action Modules that do other cool things -- like nuke your address book, take photos of the thief, use a voice synthesizer to produce racial slurs, and so on.
Finally, the whole point of Prey is to produce reports of your stolen phone or laptop. To this end you get a nice Google Map with your phone pin-pointed on it, your phone's current IP address, ... and that's about it. The control panel suggests that you should get "nearby Wi-Fi hotspots," "traceroute," and "active connections" information, but that seems to be missing from my reports. Maybe it doesn't work on the Android version!
Conclusion
To be honest, I don't know how big an issue phone (or laptop) theft is. But maybe it doesn't matter: Prey is so light-weight and so free that you might as well install it on your phone -- you have nothing to lose (hah).
Prey for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 400KB
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 2.1 @ 600MHz, LG GT540)
User Interface -- The Android app doesn't have an interface as such; the Web control panel is nice, though!
Configurability & Extensibility -- None really, but you could code your own modules if you like...!
License -- Free and open-source with "premium" packages available
Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Unicorns, the Nexus Two, Continuum and HTC Merge [From the forums]
Where do we talk about gnomes, unicorns and Android phones that might or might not exist? In the Android Forums at Android Central, of course! Here's what's going on as we head into the weekend:The Nexus Two/Nexus S if on everybody's mind this week, and everybody has their own source on what it is, and when it's coming out. Discuss the Nexus Two rumors here.The Samsung Continuum is expected to be announced on Nov. 8. We've already had our hands on it. Have a question? Ask it here!(Oh, and there might be free stuff involved.)Then there's the HTC Merge, coming to Verizon. It's just a question of when, folks. Discuss the HTC Merge here.And of course there's the Wifi-only version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Is it coming? When is it coming, and how much is it going to cost? We're talkin' Tab here.Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Sony Ericsson Experia X10 update begins rolling out this weekend
If you listen carefully, you can hear the cheer of X10 users all around the world celebrating their impending update to Android 2.1. Scheduled to begin on Sunday in Nordic countries, this 2.1 update will crawl around the world, one market at a time over the coming months.Although the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 didn't perform as well as we'd hoped, we were optimistic that its flaws would be ironed out with updates, but unfortunately, the x10 family has been stuck on Android 1.6 since its launch back in August. The hardware inside the Xperia X10 isn't cutting edge, but it certainly isn't outdated by any means. Whatever reasons Sony Ericsson had to launch the X10 with an outdated OS remains a mystery to us. I can say with a certain measure of confidence that the X10 would have been received better had it been loaded with Android 2.1. Here's to hoping an Eclair is all the X10 needed to achieve its full potential.But I digress. Xperia X10 users, get ready to start enjoying your device even more. Check out the list of enhancements after the break. [via Sony Ericsson Blog]
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Sony posts $852m profit: PS3, PC sales up
Sony got itself back in black with a $293m profit last quarter courtesy of improved PS3 and Bravia sales, and the good times continue: the company just posted a second-quarter profit of ¥68.7b ($852m). The Networked Products and Services division that encompasses PlayStation and VAIO was Sony's strongest performer, with revenue going up five percent to ¥369b ($4.6b) on top of 3.5m PS3 sales (a slight increase), a 40 percent increase in PS3 software sales to 35m units, and "significant hardware cost reductions." PC sales were up to 2.3m units from 1.4m units last year, and Bravia and digital camera sales also increased, to 4.9m and 6.2m units, respectively. Now for the bad news: PSP sales continued their precipitous decline, down 50 percent to 1.5m from 3.0m last year. By way of comparison, that's the same number of PS2s Sony shipped this past quarter -- maybe it's time to break out a totally new PlayStation Phone, eh, Sony?Sony posts $852m profit: PS3, PC sales up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Joystiq | Sony | Email this | Comments
Google, HP, eBay And Yahoo Fund Group Behind Pro-Death Penalty Attack Ads
California politics blog�Calitics has unearthed some interesting data about the $1 million in funding behind the recent round of television ads against Democratic attorney general candidate Kamala Harris. Digging deeper into the contribution history of the Republican State Leadership committee, the Karl Rove-backed group behind the ad campaign, reveals contributions from four top Silicon Valley tech firms.
Daily Crunch: Pleo?s Back Edition
New Pleo Peeks Out From The Antediluvian Mists New Balance Minimus Shoes Get Some New Glamor Shots Celebrate The NES?s 25th Birthday With These 8 Classic Commercials Leatherbound.me Bookstore Comparator Was Made in 48 Hours Altaz Internet Clock: Fun For All (Well, Really One)
Broke Taiwanese Company to Sue Apple Over ?iPad? Trademark
If you’re going broke, look for reasons to sue rich people. That seems to be the strategy behind a Taiwanese company’s threat to take legal action against Apple.
Struggling Taiwanese company Proview told Financial Times that it plans to sue Apple over infringement of the trademark “iPad.” Proview over a decade ago made an unsuccessful attempt [...]
Struggling Taiwanese company Proview told Financial Times that it plans to sue Apple over infringement of the trademark “iPad.” Proview over a decade ago made an unsuccessful attempt [...]
Sunflex Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ does integrated MotionPlus, third-party style
It looks as if we've located the proverbial "ugly stick": behold the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ Wii controller. It's not the first third-party Wiimote to have built-in MotionPlus, in fact, Nyko beat Nintendo's own upcoming Wii Remote Plus to market with the Wand+. Still, the Sunflex's Premium Remote XL+ has a certain lack of stylistic direction that may surpass even the drab gray Wand+ for the title of "ugliest Wiimote." The Snakebyte, which includes USB-rechargeable batteries in addition to its traditional duties, is out now for $35, $5 under Nintendo's pricetag.Sunflex Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ does integrated MotionPlus, third-party style originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink SlashGear | Sunflex | Email this | Comments
Verizon giving away the HTC Merge as part of 'Urban Challenge' in Seattle (Update: It's the Droid Incredible)
Update: Just heard back from HTC, and they tell us that anywhere you see the word "Merge" below, replace it with "Droid Incredible." They then told us they didn't know what we were talking about, there is no HTC Merge, we must be a prank caller and then hung up on us. (Not really.)The HTC Merge is still very much unofficial, not having been announced by either HTC or Verizon. So imagine our surprise when it shows up on the prize list for the Verizon Urban Challenge. In fact, Verizon is giving away six of the Android 2.2 sliders on Saturday. Here's the deal, according to Verizon:[The Urban Challenge is] a rat race through the fair city of Seattle. A grueling test of head-to-toe and between-the-ears strength. An unpredictable, multi-stage contest against 49 teams all with a ravenous appetite for the same dish-1st place. Or maybe it's the cash and HTC smartphone. Either way, grab the closest relative, girlfriend, boyfriend, best friend, neighbor, or stranger and snag one of the 50 spots while you still can.The first-place team wins $3,000 case, a pair of Merges Droid Incredibles, and a couple of $125 Verizon gift cards. Second place wins $1,500, plus the phones and gift cards, and third place gets $500 plus the phones and gift cards.If you're looking for more information on the HTC Merge, allow us to present our initial hands-on, video preview, photo gallery and -- oh, heck, you can just find it all right here. [Verizon Urban Challenge via Android Central Forums]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Thursday, October 28, 2010
China Beats U.S. For the World?s Fastest Supercomputer Title
Add the ‘made in China’ tag to yet another gadget: the world’s fastest supercomputer. China says it has the most powerful computing system — a machine called Tianhe-1A.
The supercomputer uses 7,168 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs (graphics processing units) and 14,336 Intel Xeon CPUs and is capable of clocking 2.507 petaflops or 2,507 trillion [...]
The supercomputer uses 7,168 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs (graphics processing units) and 14,336 Intel Xeon CPUs and is capable of clocking 2.507 petaflops or 2,507 trillion [...]
Daily Crunch: King?s LED Coat Edition
Mad Pimpin? Personified ? The LED Fur Coat My Summer Project, Circa 1991: A Shoulder Mounted Rocket Launcher Super Talent CKB Is A Flash Drive For Your Keychain With WebP, Google Aims To Replace Yet Another Elemental Web Format Once Again, Valve Proves Its Awesomeness With Latest Team Fortress 2 Update Press Release
NC State gurus find 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, look to improve drug-delivery vehicles
We're guessing that most Wolfpackers in the greater Raleigh area are in full-on tailgate mode right now, but aside from laying a beating on the Seminoles this evening, NC State faithful are also trumpeting a new DNA discovery that could one day make it easy to get vital drugs to hard-to-reach places within you. Researchers from the university have purportedly discovered the 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, which holds promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The concept, known as DNA-assisted self-assembly, has been vastly improved by using "computer simulations of DNA strands to identify the optimal length of a DNA strand for self-assembly." You see, perfection occurs when strands aren't long enough to intertwine with each other, yet not short enough to simply fold over on each other. We know, it's a lot to wrap your brain around with half a hot dog shoved in your mouth, but hit the video after the break for a... shall we say, more visual explanation.Continue reading NC State gurus find 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, look to improve drug-delivery vehiclesNC State gurus find 'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly, look to improve drug-delivery vehicles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | NC State | Email this | Comments
Eking's S700 E-notepad launches 'the era of color digital reading' with a stylus... and a dream (update)
The kids at Eking don't always take due credit for their handiwork (they're usually busy manufacturing devices that get badged by companies like Viliv) but this time around they seem pretty proud of their S700 E-notepad. "A notepad," the company states in its PR, "means 'a memorandum' in English. With the prefix E, e-notepad means electron memorandum, abbreviated as electron book. It's concise and easy to understand and can be accepted by consumers." You get all that? It sports a color 7-inch display with both resistive touch input and an electromagnetic stylus (just like your old Wacom tablet), integrated 3G, fingerprint scanner, three megapixel camera, and a plastic case that looks similar to the one that came with our old Day Runner knock-off. And it's apparently a color display, because "multi-purpose colored electronic notepads will certainly replace the black and white E-books of simple features. It's a trend the same as that of the color TV sets replacing the black and white ones." Took the words right out of our mouth, Shenzhen PR guy! Not entirely sure on a price or release date for this one, but you'll know as soon as we do. Promise.
Update: Our old friend (and enthusiastic contributor) snoop_snoop dug one up on youbaonet.com for 4,000 Yuan (something like $600). Who's going to be the first one to throw down their credit card?Continue reading Eking's S700 E-notepad launches 'the era of color digital reading' with a stylus... and a dream (update)Eking's S700 E-notepad launches 'the era of color digital reading' with a stylus... and a dream (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | youbaonet.com | Email this | Comments
Update: Our old friend (and enthusiastic contributor) snoop_snoop dug one up on youbaonet.com for 4,000 Yuan (something like $600). Who's going to be the first one to throw down their credit card?Continue reading Eking's S700 E-notepad launches 'the era of color digital reading' with a stylus... and a dream (update)Eking's S700 E-notepad launches 'the era of color digital reading' with a stylus... and a dream (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | youbaonet.com | Email this | Comments
Robots With Guns Are the Pentagon's Equivalent of Booth Babes [Robots]
The Army is holding a military hardware jamboree in our nation's capital, and like any trade show, companies want attention. But rather than hiring flirty models, Northrop Grumman is showing off a gun-toting robot they don't even actually sell. More »
Wake up the Box 2 is a cute physics Time-Waster
Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
In Wake up the Box 2, the object of the game is to ... wake up the box! Yup, there's a box, and it's asleep. And as soon as something jars it hard enough, it wakes up, and you get to move on to the next level.
Each level is a tiny physics playing field. You get a piece of wood (or sometimes two or three, but always in a set sequence), and you can then connect that piece of wood to other pieces of wood that are already shown on the level. This causes all sorts of actions to occur. For example, things can become lopsided and tip over.
Pretty soon, though, other forces come into play. Balls start rolling and impacting against your creations, and there's an unnamed substance (which looks like iron) that makes wood vanish on touch. That's important, because you can have a ball that's made of the stuff roll onto a piece of wood and make it disappear at just the right time.
The game starts off very easy, but around level eight it becomes more challenging. Go ahead, give it a try!Wake up the Box 2 is a cute physics Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In Wake up the Box 2, the object of the game is to ... wake up the box! Yup, there's a box, and it's asleep. And as soon as something jars it hard enough, it wakes up, and you get to move on to the next level.
Each level is a tiny physics playing field. You get a piece of wood (or sometimes two or three, but always in a set sequence), and you can then connect that piece of wood to other pieces of wood that are already shown on the level. This causes all sorts of actions to occur. For example, things can become lopsided and tip over.
Pretty soon, though, other forces come into play. Balls start rolling and impacting against your creations, and there's an unnamed substance (which looks like iron) that makes wood vanish on touch. That's important, because you can have a ball that's made of the stuff roll onto a piece of wood and make it disappear at just the right time.
The game starts off very easy, but around level eight it becomes more challenging. Go ahead, give it a try!Wake up the Box 2 is a cute physics Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
How Users Will Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Mac App Store
There's been a lot written in tech publications regarding Apple's upcoming Mac App Store, which the company introduced at last week's media event. For plugged-in tech geeks, a common first set of related thoughts spring into negative questions: Will Apple patrol the Mac App Store too strictly with an obscure puritan glee? Will Apple's many restrictions stifle Mac developers?
White iPhone 4 Delayed Again ? or Forever?
Apple has delayed the white model of the iPhone 4 until spring of 2011, a release date that’s difficult to believe.
The black iPhone 4 hit stores in June, 2010, but the release of the white model was mysteriously postponed — first for a month, then to the end of the year, and now until spring [...]
The black iPhone 4 hit stores in June, 2010, but the release of the white model was mysteriously postponed — first for a month, then to the end of the year, and now until spring [...]
Daily Crunch: Night Experiment Edition
Astrophotography: A Primer Video: Turkish Iron Man SURALP Review: Potato Chip Science Capcom?s Okamiden: The Friendly Game That Has Nothing To Do With Fragging Each Other Researchers Looking Into How Hard Robots Should Be Punching You
Google faces landmark fine in Britain for 'gross invasion of privacy'
Filed under: Security, GoogleBritain's Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, announced yesterday that a new investigation into the Google Street View privacy debacle will be opened. If found guilty of a breach of privacy, Google could face a fine of up to £500,000 ($790,000).
While £500,000 might seem like a pittance compared to the billions of dollars that Google has in the bank, it is the maximum fine that a privacy breach in Britain can warrant. It would be a publicity disaster, too, and it would open the flood gates for fines from other countries.
Google has already admitted that both emails and passwords were scooped out of the air by its Wi-Fi snooping. It is probably no coincidence that Britain is only now announcing a new investigation into the matter -- and it's hard to see how this new investigation can return anything other than a guilty verdict for Google.Google faces landmark fine in Britain for 'gross invasion of privacy' originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
While £500,000 might seem like a pittance compared to the billions of dollars that Google has in the bank, it is the maximum fine that a privacy breach in Britain can warrant. It would be a publicity disaster, too, and it would open the flood gates for fines from other countries.
Google has already admitted that both emails and passwords were scooped out of the air by its Wi-Fi snooping. It is probably no coincidence that Britain is only now announcing a new investigation into the matter -- and it's hard to see how this new investigation can return anything other than a guilty verdict for Google.Google faces landmark fine in Britain for 'gross invasion of privacy' originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Verizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilities
Verizon's FiOS footprint may be on an expansion hiatus, but that's not to say the company's abandoning existing users. Nearly 3.5 years after boosting FiOS internet speeds with G-PON, the company is now out testing XG-PON2 -- a newfangled iteration that somehow enables 10Gbps upstream and downstream from its existing fiber network. If you'll recall, we heard just a few weeks back that the outfit was close to being able to serve GigE on its existing platform, and now that this field trial has been successful, we'd say the boundaries are stretched even further. In the test, technicians were able to suck down a 2.3GB movie in four ticks of the second hand, and if you're hoping to see the nerdiest video of the day, a highlight reel of the trial awaits you just past the break.
[Thanks, David]Continue reading Verizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilitiesVerizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, David]Continue reading Verizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilitiesVerizon FiOS field trial introduces XG-PON2 to the lexicon, shows 10Gbps capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Balloon Boy Dad Theatre: The Bear Scratch [Video]
Remember that whole balloon boy hoax, wherein a terrible man exploited his family to achieve fleeting notoriety through national panic before being fined and jailed? I try not too every day. But Richard Heene is back, scummier than ever. More »
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
There's Still Time To Win A Zombified Portrait Of Yourself! [Promotion]
You seemed to enjoy our first Facebook illustration contest, so we decided to put Gizmodo's contributing illustrator Sam Spratt to work again. This time, he'll make one of you a Halloween portrait. Here's how you can be the lucky zombie/vampire/ghoul/random-creature-of-the-night: More »
Aro proves the strength of Android's 'chaos,' says Scoble
Robert Scoble, a well-known tech pundit and current iPhone user, recently got a hands on demo with Aro, a new app in closed beta for Android. The app is a complete replacement for nearly all your communication apps: email, SMS, phone, etc. By tapping into all your messages, the app is able to intelligently link names, places, and other data together. It is a pretty complicated process, and Scoble sums it up pretty well: What does Aro do? If, say, Bill Gates sends Steve Jobs an email, copies me, and is talking about Larry Ellison, Larry’s name will have a little square around it. Click on that square and a new UI fans out, letting me see other info. It’s like Rapportive or Xobni, but done much better and for the mobile interface. It makes your phone much more productive than it would be otherwise and that’s why I feel it’s so important. In addition to previewing the app, Scoble talks a bit about how this kind of app is simply not possible on the more closed iPhone. Apple actively prevents developers from changing the core experience of using the iPhone, even if those changes make the phone easier to use or offer more features. A perfect example is the Swype keyboard many Android users (myself included) have fallen in love with or WiFi syncing with iTunes. There are pros and cons to both approaches, but it seems the tables are tipping in Google's favor as of late. Scoble has posted videos of his interviews and demos of both Sywpe and Aro, which can be found past the link. If you want to sign up for the closed beta of Aro, click on the "Aro" link. [Scobleizer, Aro]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Google Chrome Dev channel update brings password sync, minor tweaks
Filed under: Google, Browsers
Google has update the Chrome Dev channel to 8.0.552.18 on all platforms, and while the focus this time is on polish and bug fixes, one important new feature has arrived.
First spotted in the Canary build a few days ago, password sync is now available to Dev channel users and enabled by default. I'm still not certain the sync is actually active, though, as my Canary builds on three machines still seem to be running password stores that are noticeably out-of-sync.
At this point, there are really only two pieces missing from the Chrome sync puzzle: tabs and search engines, both of which would be extremely handy (so how about it, Google?).Google Chrome Dev channel update brings password sync, minor tweaks originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google has update the Chrome Dev channel to 8.0.552.18 on all platforms, and while the focus this time is on polish and bug fixes, one important new feature has arrived.
First spotted in the Canary build a few days ago, password sync is now available to Dev channel users and enabled by default. I'm still not certain the sync is actually active, though, as my Canary builds on three machines still seem to be running password stores that are noticeably out-of-sync.
At this point, there are really only two pieces missing from the Chrome sync puzzle: tabs and search engines, both of which would be extremely handy (so how about it, Google?).Google Chrome Dev channel update brings password sync, minor tweaks originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
iPad Web App Converts Flash Video On The Fly
Transmedia has introduced the new Glide OS 4.0, a cloud-based operating system that is ad-free, full of great productivity apps and best of all is compatible with the Apple iPad. It has great syncing capabilities and runs right from your iPad’s browser. It operates like an online mobile desktop. With Glide OS you can share [...]
Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]
If you're looking for some great gadget deals, then today's your lucky day. Don't miss out on some great deals on a Philips LED-LCD HDTV, the new Canon PowerShot G12, and then maybe grab yourself a free USB Flash Drive. More »
Asus WX-DL Is a Round Mouse That Likes To Be Touched [Peripherals]
It would be hard to convince me to shell out $80 for Asus's WX-DL wireless touch mouse before actually holding one—I'm having flashbacks to another circular input puck here—but I can always respect a company trying something weird. More »
Daily Crunch: TV Move Edition
The SmartShopper: Because Writing Down Grocery Lists Is So 20th Century New Zwitterionic Material Could Improve Refresh Rates In LCDs The Five Remaining Google TV Questions Ultrasone Edition 10: Zebrano Wood Ear Cups For The Oligarch Audiophile Kinect Manual Scans Show A Few Tidbits
Giant Android mascot let loose in Sydney
South Korea might have some real competition on its hands from Australia for title of "Most Random Android Promotion Strategy." The mighty robot you see above is part of Vodaphone Australia's plan to improve customer awareness of the Android OS, but we aren't sure how exactly it does that. Perhaps it yells catchphrases like "Open Source!", "Widgets!", "Flash!", or "Multitasking!" at unsuspecting humans as it wanders the streets, but no one really knows. But we can all agree it might be best to bow down to our new robot Android overlords, and remember, they know what you are saying. [Android Australia via Engadget]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Nielsen Revises iPad App Stats
A high-profile market research company radically revised its findings about how many iPad users download iPad apps.
Last week Nielsen published figures stating that 31 percent of iPad owners had never downloaded an app.
Now the company has revised its figures. The true number, Nielsen now says, is 9 percent.
In other words, the vast majority of iPad [...]
Last week Nielsen published figures stating that 31 percent of iPad owners had never downloaded an app.
Now the company has revised its figures. The true number, Nielsen now says, is 9 percent.
In other words, the vast majority of iPad [...]
Chromium 9 debuts, versioning sticklers collectively howl
Filed under: Google, Browsers
Google made it pretty clear that Chrome's new, faster release schedule was going to lead to a rather steep incline on the version number chart, but I'm starting to side with the sticklers here. Last night, Chromium hit version 9.
If you weren't keeping tabs, Chromium 8 was only released two weeks ago. Yep, two weeks. There have been a couple small visual tweaks that you'll notice right off the hop, the first being a promo panel for the Omnibox (image after the break). Also now on board: password sync support, which is enabled by default.
I'm curious, Download Squad readers. Does the version number in Chrome still mean anything to you at this point? To me, it really doesn't. There are five versions: Stable, Beta, Dev, Canary, and Chromium. Wherever they are in their evolution, that's what matters to me.
As always, you can download the latest Chromium build for your OS here.
Chromium 9 debuts, versioning sticklers collectively howl originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google made it pretty clear that Chrome's new, faster release schedule was going to lead to a rather steep incline on the version number chart, but I'm starting to side with the sticklers here. Last night, Chromium hit version 9.
If you weren't keeping tabs, Chromium 8 was only released two weeks ago. Yep, two weeks. There have been a couple small visual tweaks that you'll notice right off the hop, the first being a promo panel for the Omnibox (image after the break). Also now on board: password sync support, which is enabled by default.
I'm curious, Download Squad readers. Does the version number in Chrome still mean anything to you at this point? To me, it really doesn't. There are five versions: Stable, Beta, Dev, Canary, and Chromium. Wherever they are in their evolution, that's what matters to me.
As always, you can download the latest Chromium build for your OS here.
Chromium 9 debuts, versioning sticklers collectively howl originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Easiest Way to Skip Ahead In YouTube Videos [Video]
Want to skip ahead to 10%, 20%, 80% of the way through whatever YouTube video your college roommate sent you? Google made a shortcut that takes you there with the push of a button. Here's how: More »
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Barnes & Noble Reveals The Nook Color, Please Act Surprised
Well, well. The interweb rumor mill wins again. It's been said for weeks that B&N was going to out a color Nook and sure enough, the bookseller did just that.
Android powers the second-gen Nook and it uses a 7-inch color, yep, color LCD for displaying the content. Since Android is inside, it's slightly more than an ebook reader and slightly less than a tablet. There are social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter, along with the ability to display videos as well as the standard ebook content. Sounds a bit like some other devices, no?
Android powers the second-gen Nook and it uses a 7-inch color, yep, color LCD for displaying the content. Since Android is inside, it's slightly more than an ebook reader and slightly less than a tablet. There are social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter, along with the ability to display videos as well as the standard ebook content. Sounds a bit like some other devices, no?
Steve Jobs: iPad Screen-Lock Switch Is Gone for Good
Apple is turning the physical switch on the iPad into a mute button whether you like it or not, according to a purported e-mail sent by Steve Jobs.
The switch on the iPad currently locks or unlocks screen orientation on the device, but in beta versions of the next iOS update (4.2), it instead mutes or [...]
The switch on the iPad currently locks or unlocks screen orientation on the device, but in beta versions of the next iOS update (4.2), it instead mutes or [...]
Daily Crunch: Kindling Edition
Inflatable Photo Studio Sets Up In Minutes, Is a Firetrap Biblio Leaf SP02: Toshiba?s Answer To The Kindle Just What Kids Need: Scholastic Pocket Texting Devices Videos: Cybernetic Human Robot HRP-4C Dancing Ask CG: Am I Ready For An E-Reader?
Digg Says Internal Accounts Were For Testing Purposes, Not Gaming Its Own System
Digg just can't get a break. On the heels of news that the company had to lay off 37% of its staff and saw the departures of both its CRO and CFO, last night a report surfaced alleging that Digg was gaming its own system, ostensibly to favor certain partners. If true, this would have further undermined user trust in the site's democratic voting system, and the evidence was convincing that something out of the ordinary was going on. Now Digg has just responded to this accusation with a blog post that boils down to, "Yes, we do have fake accounts voting up stories, but they're for testing purposes". Here's a relevant excerpt:
Before doing that, I'm going to address a story submitted to Digg that called out activity of a number of our internal test accounts. As with many sites, we continuously run tests on the site to expose vulnerabilities in our own security. In this case, we did have a number of our internal test accounts Digging content from the Upcoming section of the site.
Before doing that, I'm going to address a story submitted to Digg that called out activity of a number of our internal test accounts. As with many sites, we continuously run tests on the site to expose vulnerabilities in our own security. In this case, we did have a number of our internal test accounts Digging content from the Upcoming section of the site.
DLS Review: BeejiveIM for Android rocks your instant messaging world
Filed under: Social Software, Mobile, AndroidI always had one rather large complaint about Fring and other multi-network messengers: they're dog-ugly -- like, Ugliest Dog In The World ugly. Fortunately there's a beautiful alternative that, until now, has only been available for iPhone and BlackBerry: it's called BeejiveIM, and after you try it every other messenger app on Android will fade into clumsy and ugly insignificance.
From the outset, BeejiveIM is just another multi-network messenger. It has support for all of the usual suspects -- AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GTalk, Jabber, ICQ, MySpace IM, and even a very nice Facebook chat interface. What sets it apart from its clunky brethren, of which there are many, is the user interface.
The UI (and I apologize for this cliché) is an absolute dream. The ease at which you can carry out conversations across multiple networks is almost superior to desktop apps.
Let me walk you through the UI and explain what I mean.
On the left, you have your "accounts" panel, and on the right, your unified contact list. If you use friend groups on Facebook, or Categories in your Yahoo, MSN, or AIM buddy lists, they appear here, too. Clicking each bar makes it expand or contract, so you can easily manage a huge number of friends. With a push-and-hold you can easily see each contact's profile, or block them.
Your current status can be set across all messaging networks, or you can select each one individually. If you want to be invisible on Facebook but visible on MSN, go for it!
My only complaint is that tabs are on top, far away from your thumb. There's no reason for them to be up there!
The middle tab shows your current conversations. There are handy little indicators that show you how many messages are waiting to be read, and there's even a snippet of text! If you look closely, a small icon shows you which network that conversation is being held on, too. [Don't worry, Sophie wasn't diagnosed with anything life-threatening.]
Now we're onto the best bit: the conversation view. I'm having a conversation with Lee on GTalk. My bubbles move up the right, and his up the left. The pièce de résistance, however, is the draggable bar at the top: it shows me notifications from other conversations, and it can be pulled down for a quick view of all open chats. Switching between chats is a breeze.
Hopefully you noticed the GIANT THUMB in the conversation above. With BeejiveIM, you can send a photo (either direct from the camera, or from memory) or a sound clip. The file is uploaded to the Beejive servers, and a link is sent to your chat buddy -- it's quick and painless and does away with the usual omg-sort-out-your-port-forwarding rigmarole.
If you don't like lime green speech bubbles, you can change the color to something more sensible in the settings -- you can also change the wallpaper (and BeejiveIM comes bundled with a bunch of pretty images that are guaranteed to make your text almost impossible to read!).
You can also change the Sent and Received notifications (sounds from MSN, AIM, Yahoo, and iChat are available), the sort order of your buddy list (and whether they are broken into groups/categories or not), your auto-away message (handy if you're going to leave BeejiveIM online 24/7), and you can even enable "Text Auto Correct" -- but I couldn't work out what this actually did.
Finally, I want to show you a really simple (but really cool) feature: "Email Chat." From any conversation, you can email the entire dialogue to any email address. This is a great way to get important conversations off your phone and onto your PC, or indeed any other device.
Conclusion
I'm hard pressed to find anything wrong with BeejiveIM for Android. Admittedly, I don't regularly use my phone for instant messaging, so there may be issues that would only emerge with extended use -- but considering Beejive's experience with other mobile platforms, I doubt it.
Perhaps the only bad thing is the fact that it costs $9.99 -- but if you commute, or otherwise spend a lot of time on the move, I think the price is more than reasonable.
BeejiveIM for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 8MB, and I'm pretty sure conversations are cached. This isn't a small app by any means
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent, very snappy
User Interface -- Very intuitive, highly polished, but tabs should be on the bottom!
Configurability & Extensibility -- You can't change the theme of the tabs, nor can you alter the font -- the ability to change conversation colors and individual statuses for each network is very nice however
License -- Commercial, closed-source. 30-day trial available by visiting www.beejive.com/android on your phone
DLS Review: BeejiveIM for Android rocks your instant messaging world originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
From the outset, BeejiveIM is just another multi-network messenger. It has support for all of the usual suspects -- AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GTalk, Jabber, ICQ, MySpace IM, and even a very nice Facebook chat interface. What sets it apart from its clunky brethren, of which there are many, is the user interface.
The UI (and I apologize for this cliché) is an absolute dream. The ease at which you can carry out conversations across multiple networks is almost superior to desktop apps.
Let me walk you through the UI and explain what I mean.
On the left, you have your "accounts" panel, and on the right, your unified contact list. If you use friend groups on Facebook, or Categories in your Yahoo, MSN, or AIM buddy lists, they appear here, too. Clicking each bar makes it expand or contract, so you can easily manage a huge number of friends. With a push-and-hold you can easily see each contact's profile, or block them.
Your current status can be set across all messaging networks, or you can select each one individually. If you want to be invisible on Facebook but visible on MSN, go for it!
My only complaint is that tabs are on top, far away from your thumb. There's no reason for them to be up there!
The middle tab shows your current conversations. There are handy little indicators that show you how many messages are waiting to be read, and there's even a snippet of text! If you look closely, a small icon shows you which network that conversation is being held on, too. [Don't worry, Sophie wasn't diagnosed with anything life-threatening.]
Now we're onto the best bit: the conversation view. I'm having a conversation with Lee on GTalk. My bubbles move up the right, and his up the left. The pièce de résistance, however, is the draggable bar at the top: it shows me notifications from other conversations, and it can be pulled down for a quick view of all open chats. Switching between chats is a breeze.
Hopefully you noticed the GIANT THUMB in the conversation above. With BeejiveIM, you can send a photo (either direct from the camera, or from memory) or a sound clip. The file is uploaded to the Beejive servers, and a link is sent to your chat buddy -- it's quick and painless and does away with the usual omg-sort-out-your-port-forwarding rigmarole.
If you don't like lime green speech bubbles, you can change the color to something more sensible in the settings -- you can also change the wallpaper (and BeejiveIM comes bundled with a bunch of pretty images that are guaranteed to make your text almost impossible to read!).
You can also change the Sent and Received notifications (sounds from MSN, AIM, Yahoo, and iChat are available), the sort order of your buddy list (and whether they are broken into groups/categories or not), your auto-away message (handy if you're going to leave BeejiveIM online 24/7), and you can even enable "Text Auto Correct" -- but I couldn't work out what this actually did.
Finally, I want to show you a really simple (but really cool) feature: "Email Chat." From any conversation, you can email the entire dialogue to any email address. This is a great way to get important conversations off your phone and onto your PC, or indeed any other device.
Conclusion
I'm hard pressed to find anything wrong with BeejiveIM for Android. Admittedly, I don't regularly use my phone for instant messaging, so there may be issues that would only emerge with extended use -- but considering Beejive's experience with other mobile platforms, I doubt it.
Perhaps the only bad thing is the fact that it costs $9.99 -- but if you commute, or otherwise spend a lot of time on the move, I think the price is more than reasonable.
BeejiveIM for Android Tech Specs
Installed Size -- 8MB, and I'm pretty sure conversations are cached. This isn't a small app by any means
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent, very snappy
User Interface -- Very intuitive, highly polished, but tabs should be on the bottom!
Configurability & Extensibility -- You can't change the theme of the tabs, nor can you alter the font -- the ability to change conversation colors and individual statuses for each network is very nice however
License -- Commercial, closed-source. 30-day trial available by visiting www.beejive.com/android on your phone
DLS Review: BeejiveIM for Android rocks your instant messaging world originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Droid Explorer lets you manage your rooted Android phone from Windows Explorer
Filed under: Windows, Android
Droid Explorer is, at a glance, a dream app for Android owners. As you can see from the screenshot above, it provides a delicious Windows Explorer-powered portal to everything on your phone. It's also free, and open-source.
The tools provided by Droid Explorer range from the very handy (browsing the file system, installing/uninstalling apps, backing up and syncing your data) -- through to the positively power useresque (debug console, ROM updating, SQLite exploring). Needless to say, at least half of the tools can probably brick your phone, so be careful.
You can also send SMS massages (though I didn't get this to work), capture screenshots and video (like other tools of this ilk, it's still only a few frames per second) -- and, most importantly, you can even shut down your phone! Never again do you have to click through a bunch of menus to shut down your phone.
Despite how awesome it all sounds, don't get too excited: Droid Explorer is beta software and unless you have one of the confirmed-compatible devices, it might simply refuse to work. It only half-worked with my cheap-and-cheerful LG smartphone, but it's possible that I botched one of setup steps.
The installer took a few attempts (and reboots) before it would play ball. And even then, you still need to root your phone and install BusyBox! Being able to really manage your phone from a Windows PC really makes all the pain worthwhile, though.Droid Explorer lets you manage your rooted Android phone from Windows Explorer originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Droid Explorer is, at a glance, a dream app for Android owners. As you can see from the screenshot above, it provides a delicious Windows Explorer-powered portal to everything on your phone. It's also free, and open-source.
The tools provided by Droid Explorer range from the very handy (browsing the file system, installing/uninstalling apps, backing up and syncing your data) -- through to the positively power useresque (debug console, ROM updating, SQLite exploring). Needless to say, at least half of the tools can probably brick your phone, so be careful.
You can also send SMS massages (though I didn't get this to work), capture screenshots and video (like other tools of this ilk, it's still only a few frames per second) -- and, most importantly, you can even shut down your phone! Never again do you have to click through a bunch of menus to shut down your phone.
Despite how awesome it all sounds, don't get too excited: Droid Explorer is beta software and unless you have one of the confirmed-compatible devices, it might simply refuse to work. It only half-worked with my cheap-and-cheerful LG smartphone, but it's possible that I botched one of setup steps.
The installer took a few attempts (and reboots) before it would play ball. And even then, you still need to root your phone and install BusyBox! Being able to really manage your phone from a Windows PC really makes all the pain worthwhile, though.Droid Explorer lets you manage your rooted Android phone from Windows Explorer originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt
Considering that you're an avid viewer of The Ben Heck Show, we're assuming this is old news to you and yours. On the off-chance that you missed the last episode, we're here to rope you back into reality. Embedded past the break is a video filled with love, laughter and legitimate instructions on building your very own Portal t-shirt. According to Benjamin, the system consists of a front-mounted LCD, pocket-mounted battery pack and rear-mounted camera, and naturally, it's being released just prior to Halloween. You now know exactly what you have to do.Continue reading Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal ShirtLatest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Ben Heck, Element 14 | Email this | Comments
Microsoft announces next stage of cloud strategy: Office 365
Filed under: Utilities, Office, Microsoft
If the screenshot above seems a bit grainy, it's because I snapped it off of a live video that Microsoft has just finished streaming. It was a 30-minute event announcing Office 365, which is a very bold foray into the cloud for Microsoft. Some of the highlights of the announcement:
Full access to Microsoft Word and Excel -- plus video conferencing, quick-setup website, intranet, extranet, and more
Subscription-based -- from $2-$27 per month per user, with the average small-business user coming in at $6/month
Single-sign on - log on to your PC (or phone), and you're logged onto the entire system
IT administrators have almost full control -- just like local installations, the administrator will be able to configure how a user can interact with the system
Microsoft's idea for enterprises is that the whole place would run on a single platform; so the CTO will use the exact same system and infrastructure as the guys down at the mail room, but each user will only get "what they need" (which explains the wide price range).
It sure sounds interesting, but I'm afraid I can't show you any in-product screenshots yet because this is an announcement rather than a launch. The product will be generally available sometime in 2011, but beta signups do begin today over at office365.com. Just to show you how fresh off the press this is (or how unprepared Microsoft is), the Office365.com website isn't even ready yet - as of this writing, it still hosts the website for an IT company from Melbourne, which was apparently the domain's previous owner.
At any rate, Microsoft says that both large organizations and tiny businesses can benefit from Office365, so if any of this sounds interesting, go sign up for the beta! (It should be up from 3PM EST, but we'll see!)Microsoft announces next stage of cloud strategy: Office 365 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
If the screenshot above seems a bit grainy, it's because I snapped it off of a live video that Microsoft has just finished streaming. It was a 30-minute event announcing Office 365, which is a very bold foray into the cloud for Microsoft. Some of the highlights of the announcement:
Full access to Microsoft Word and Excel -- plus video conferencing, quick-setup website, intranet, extranet, and more
Subscription-based -- from $2-$27 per month per user, with the average small-business user coming in at $6/month
Single-sign on - log on to your PC (or phone), and you're logged onto the entire system
IT administrators have almost full control -- just like local installations, the administrator will be able to configure how a user can interact with the system
Microsoft's idea for enterprises is that the whole place would run on a single platform; so the CTO will use the exact same system and infrastructure as the guys down at the mail room, but each user will only get "what they need" (which explains the wide price range).
It sure sounds interesting, but I'm afraid I can't show you any in-product screenshots yet because this is an announcement rather than a launch. The product will be generally available sometime in 2011, but beta signups do begin today over at office365.com. Just to show you how fresh off the press this is (or how unprepared Microsoft is), the Office365.com website isn't even ready yet - as of this writing, it still hosts the website for an IT company from Melbourne, which was apparently the domain's previous owner.
At any rate, Microsoft says that both large organizations and tiny businesses can benefit from Office365, so if any of this sounds interesting, go sign up for the beta! (It should be up from 3PM EST, but we'll see!)Microsoft announces next stage of cloud strategy: Office 365 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Microsoft Not So Keen On HD Re-Releases For The Xbox 360 [Microsoft]
From Ico to God of War to Sly to Beyond Good & Evil, the PlayStation 3 is currently being inundated by high definition ports of classic PS2 games. The Xbox 360? Notsomuch. More »
EVO 4G picks up stylish Powermat induction charger (video)
This isn't your father's Powermat. The company whose name is synonymous with induction charging has undergone a makeover of sorts, reducing the bulk of its egregious logo in addition to the custom battery covers it makes for select devices. The $59.99 mat and receiver door (or $39.99 for the receiver only) for the notoriously power hungy EVO 4G is a good example of where Powermat's aftermarket induction charging tech can melt away into the design without affecting the overall aesthetic. In fact, if it wasn't for that logo and charging connector on the case to the right we'd swear that was a stock EVO 4G handset. See it unboxed and put to task in the video after the break.Continue reading EVO 4G picks up stylish Powermat induction charger (video)EVO 4G picks up stylish Powermat induction charger (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Smart KeiTai | Email this | Comments
Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics
Filed under: Fun, Utilities, Education
Show World (actually written with an inexplicable (R) mark in the middle) is a world map with a twist: you choose a metric, and the Flash-based map twists and morphs to reflect it.
The screenshot above shows a world map, as you've probably recognized. But the reason the map looks so weird is that the size of each country reflects the amount of poultry that it raises. When you mouse over a country, you can see an exact number, and now we all know that Brazil houses 6.5 percent of the world's chicken population.
This is not the first time that I've posted about such a tool; I think it's actually the third or fourth such tool that I've covered. And as with most of said tools, Show World purports to display a slew of statistics, like causes of death, cell phone penetration, and a whole bunch of other metrics. As always, it's interesting and fun to watch, but the data must be taken with a large, crunchy grain of salt. Ironically, their page listing all data providers is the least polished part of the site, and it even broke mid-way on my browser (stopped at FIFA). Still, the providers that it did display seemed reputable enough.
All in all, it's an interesting, visual way to learn a few new tidbits about this world we live in. Just try not to get too morbid.Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Show World (actually written with an inexplicable (R) mark in the middle) is a world map with a twist: you choose a metric, and the Flash-based map twists and morphs to reflect it.
The screenshot above shows a world map, as you've probably recognized. But the reason the map looks so weird is that the size of each country reflects the amount of poultry that it raises. When you mouse over a country, you can see an exact number, and now we all know that Brazil houses 6.5 percent of the world's chicken population.
This is not the first time that I've posted about such a tool; I think it's actually the third or fourth such tool that I've covered. And as with most of said tools, Show World purports to display a slew of statistics, like causes of death, cell phone penetration, and a whole bunch of other metrics. As always, it's interesting and fun to watch, but the data must be taken with a large, crunchy grain of salt. Ironically, their page listing all data providers is the least polished part of the site, and it even broke mid-way on my browser (stopped at FIFA). Still, the providers that it did display seemed reputable enough.
All in all, it's an interesting, visual way to learn a few new tidbits about this world we live in. Just try not to get too morbid.Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Somewhere in Ohio, the Internet Is Ruining Snow Days [Education]
The best part about growing up in Michigan, besides my pet wolverine, was the abundance of snow days. But a school district in Ohio is threatening to destroy the sacred snow day by making kids learn. On the internet. More »
Monday, October 25, 2010
Amazon Touts Kindle Sales Numbers Without Sharing Kindle Sales Numbers
Unsurprisingly, the fourth quarter is usually the best sales period for the Kindle (and most retail products), but it looks like this year will be especially strong as more consumers flock to e-books. After announcing a new e-book loan feature last week, Amazon is revealing a number of new Kindle stats today in time for the holiday shopping rush.
According to the company, sales of the new generation Kindle devices have already surpassed total Kindle device sales from the holiday season of last year (October through December 2009).
According to the company, sales of the new generation Kindle devices have already surpassed total Kindle device sales from the holiday season of last year (October through December 2009).
Another Digg Exec Is Out: Longtime CFO John Moffett Leaves
More bad news for Digg. Earlier today we broke the news that Digg was having a large wave of layoffs that cut 37% its staff, which came�alongside the exit of Chief Revenue Officer Chas Edwards. We've just confirmed that Digg has also seen another departure from its executive team: Chief Financial Officer John Moffett recently left the company.
Moffett wasn't a recently appointed executive hire ?�he's been with Digg for nearly five years, which means he's been there for most of the company's history (it launched in 2004). According to his LinkedIn profile, Moffett has served as Digg's CFO since 2005, and has led the company's "financial, legal, and human resource initiatives as part of the executive team."
Moffett wasn't a recently appointed executive hire ?�he's been with Digg for nearly five years, which means he's been there for most of the company's history (it launched in 2004). According to his LinkedIn profile, Moffett has served as Digg's CFO since 2005, and has led the company's "financial, legal, and human resource initiatives as part of the executive team."
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