Yeah, that pretty much sounds like crazy geek YouTube video MadLibs, but in this case it's actually what you get. Fireworks might not be the most accurate missiles, but they're definitely the most fun ones. Especially with helium-filled targets involved. More »
Monday, January 31, 2011
No, Seriously, the MacBook Air Is This Light [Video]
Sure, I could tell you how light the new MacBook Air is. But there are some things you really do have to see to believe. And a MacBook Air suspended from nothing but a balloon is one of them. More »
Intersections International Rectifier International Game Technology
Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect
You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam's chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the "backward laser" could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact -- the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on "Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats," hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs, and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams.Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink PhysOrg | Princeton University (EurekAlert) | Email this | Comments
SHIFT: Freedom! is a fun, intelligent platformer -- Time Waster
Creating a good casual game is not a simple task: On the one hand, people want to "get" the game instantly, and just start playing without having to read lengthy tutorials or figure out complex controls. On the other hand, you don't want the game to be too one-dimensional.
And really, the first thing I noticed about SHIFT: Freedom! is that learning how to play was fun. The built-in tutorial walks you through a couple of levels, but you still have to think a little bit, and it's very fast.
As you might have gathered from the title, this is one platformer that doesn't emphasize crazy speed and agility. It's more cerebral - you have to figure your way out of every level using just what you see on the screen (no extra "tools" or anything like that).
It's a lot of fun to play, and due to the way it "teaches" you, you keep finding out new things you can do during the first few levels. And by the time you're done with those, you might just be hooked!SHIFT: Freedom! is a fun, intelligent platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
And really, the first thing I noticed about SHIFT: Freedom! is that learning how to play was fun. The built-in tutorial walks you through a couple of levels, but you still have to think a little bit, and it's very fast.
As you might have gathered from the title, this is one platformer that doesn't emphasize crazy speed and agility. It's more cerebral - you have to figure your way out of every level using just what you see on the screen (no extra "tools" or anything like that).
It's a lot of fun to play, and due to the way it "teaches" you, you keep finding out new things you can do during the first few levels. And by the time you're done with those, you might just be hooked!SHIFT: Freedom! is a fun, intelligent platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Put the Reader link back in Gmail with a Chrome extension
Google made a minor tweak to the Gmail navigation links recently -- moving Photos into a more prominent spot and Reader into the More drop-down. While I wasn't particularly concerned (I've got Firefox hotkeys wired to most of my bookmarks for fast mouse-free access), the change created quite a stir on Twitter.
But as is usually the case, enthusiasts who don't want to accept changes on their favorite Web sites have already responded. If you want your Reader link back and you're using Google Chrome, grab the Put Reader Back extension. Once installed, just reload your Gmail tab to see the change.Put the Reader link back in Gmail with a Chrome extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
But as is usually the case, enthusiasts who don't want to accept changes on their favorite Web sites have already responded. If you want your Reader link back and you're using Google Chrome, grab the Put Reader Back extension. Once installed, just reload your Gmail tab to see the change.Put the Reader link back in Gmail with a Chrome extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Kaspersky Pure simplifies, centralizes home virus protection and backups
Keeping the computers on your home network can be a messy business, but Kaspersky has a solution which can make things a bit easier to manage. Their re-tooled Pure Total Security suite offers full-spectrum network protection from malware defense to backups to parental controls.
Pure packs a ton of functionality, including malware protection, firewall, spam and phishing protection, backup and restore functions, parental controls, a password manager and secure data vault, and a file shredder. However, Pure's most interesting new feature is that it lets you manage all your Kaspersky-protected systems from one location. You can adjust settings, run scans or backups, and monitor parental control activity on any system from the dashboard on your main PC.
Pure Total Security will cost you $89.95 to cover three systems for one year -- protection for five systems is $149.95. It's not a bad deal for an easy to manage, all-in-one solution.Kaspersky Pure simplifies, centralizes home virus protection and backups originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Pure packs a ton of functionality, including malware protection, firewall, spam and phishing protection, backup and restore functions, parental controls, a password manager and secure data vault, and a file shredder. However, Pure's most interesting new feature is that it lets you manage all your Kaspersky-protected systems from one location. You can adjust settings, run scans or backups, and monitor parental control activity on any system from the dashboard on your main PC.
Pure Total Security will cost you $89.95 to cover three systems for one year -- protection for five systems is $149.95. It's not a bad deal for an easy to manage, all-in-one solution.Kaspersky Pure simplifies, centralizes home virus protection and backups originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
IP addresses are about to run out. Will the world end?
According to one IPv6 provider, we are now just days away from the IPv4 ARPAgeddon, or IPocalypse [not to be confused with the iPocalypse].
With IPv4 providing only 4.3 billion addresses, we all knew that the end of the reckless and fancy-free Internet era was coming -- we just didn't know when. The death knell has started to ring. Asia is on its knees plaintively pleading for its fix of IP addresses. Smartphones, the fastest growing market, will soon be unable to connect to the Internet. You might turn on your desktop PC, only to be told that you need to wait for an IP address to become available.
In short, it's now high time to consider our options.Continue reading IP addresses are about to run out. Will the world end?IP addresses are about to run out. Will the world end? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
With IPv4 providing only 4.3 billion addresses, we all knew that the end of the reckless and fancy-free Internet era was coming -- we just didn't know when. The death knell has started to ring. Asia is on its knees plaintively pleading for its fix of IP addresses. Smartphones, the fastest growing market, will soon be unable to connect to the Internet. You might turn on your desktop PC, only to be told that you need to wait for an IP address to become available.
In short, it's now high time to consider our options.Continue reading IP addresses are about to run out. Will the world end?IP addresses are about to run out. Will the world end? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Is True Do-Not-Track a Pie in the Sky?
Developers of the major browsers -- Microsoft, Google and the Mozilla Foundation -- plan to implement so-called do-not-track features into their browsers so consumers can indicate when they don't want their movements online to be observed and recorded by site hosts, which generally use the information to strengthen their advertising systems.
Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers
In a rather odd and haphazard move, Facebook has now made it possible for apps to read your home address and mobile telephone number.
In the "Request for Permission" window -- the one you have to accept before using an app on the Facebook platform -- look out for "Access my contact information", with the subtitle "Current Address and Mobile Phone Number" (see image above). You'd think that such important details would deserve a bolder warning, instead of the usual faded gray -- but obviously not.
As Sophos' Naked Security blog points out, making such details available in a landscape that is already packed full of rogue spam and scam applications puts Facebook users at even greater risk. With your full name and home address, identity theft basically becomes a no-brainer -- and can you imagine the SMS spam that awaits the unlucky Facebooker that gives his phone number to the wrong app developer?
Still, even if you're not bothered by this (and you can always remove your home address or mobile number from Facebook), you have wonder what Facebook will do next. Facebook is quickly becoming The One True Internet Hub, and the wealth of data it knows about us is terrifying. If access to incredibly sensitive data can be reduced to a small-font subtitle in a cluttered permission box, it's only a matter of time until you accidentally press "Allow" and fritter away your entire life story to a random rogue developer.Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
In the "Request for Permission" window -- the one you have to accept before using an app on the Facebook platform -- look out for "Access my contact information", with the subtitle "Current Address and Mobile Phone Number" (see image above). You'd think that such important details would deserve a bolder warning, instead of the usual faded gray -- but obviously not.
As Sophos' Naked Security blog points out, making such details available in a landscape that is already packed full of rogue spam and scam applications puts Facebook users at even greater risk. With your full name and home address, identity theft basically becomes a no-brainer -- and can you imagine the SMS spam that awaits the unlucky Facebooker that gives his phone number to the wrong app developer?
Still, even if you're not bothered by this (and you can always remove your home address or mobile number from Facebook), you have wonder what Facebook will do next. Facebook is quickly becoming The One True Internet Hub, and the wealth of data it knows about us is terrifying. If access to incredibly sensitive data can be reduced to a small-font subtitle in a cluttered permission box, it's only a matter of time until you accidentally press "Allow" and fritter away your entire life story to a random rogue developer.Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Products to Help the Hearing Impaired from Amplicom
If you have hearing loss, doing things that many take for granted – talking on the phone, hearing the alarm clock – can be difficult. Amplicom makes products that can help make your daily life a little easier.� They have a line of PowerTel phones – with cordless or corded handsets, single or multiple stations [...]
Flipit! USB Charger Adapter Review
Remember the FlexUSB? It was a little USB adapter from IDEATIVE that allowed you to position a USB connector in a variety of ways when faced with a cramped space. Now, these same folks have a new product. It’s the Flipit! USB Charger, which will let you charge a USB device when you don’t have [...]
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Intel's mSATA SSD 310 reviewed: a pint-size performer through and through
The forecast for speedy, razor-thin laptops is looking pretty sunny right about now, because it seems Intel's SSD 310 truly does bring the power of a full-sized solid state drive on a tiny little board. Storage Review and The SSD Review thoroughly benchmarked the tiny 80GB mSATA module this week, and found it performs even better than advertised -- easily tearing through 200MB / sec reads and 70 MB / sec writes -- which put it slightly behind Intel's legendary X25-M series but well ahead of the company's X25-V boot drives. While we're still not seeing Sandforce speeds from Intel's tried-and-true controller and 34nm silicon and they might not make Toshiba's Blade run for the hills, we can't wait to test it out in some new Lenovo ThinkPads when they integrate the SSD 310 later this year. Oh, by the way, that big green board up above isn't the drive. It's actually the tiny one on top.Intel's mSATA SSD 310 reviewed: a pint-size performer through and through originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Storage Review, The SSD Review | Email this | Comments
NASA's First Space Station on Earth: A Look Inside the Sustainability Base [Nasa]
Unsurprisingly, NASA has built the federal government's most sustainable building. Here's an early look at the ultra-green experimental building, a space station on Earth, dubbed Sustainability Base. More »
The First Full-Sized Microphone Arrives for the iPad and iPhone [Audio]
Sure, the iPhone and iPad have microphones, and there are mini-microphone accessories out there for the devices, but what about a full-sized mic? IK Multimedia thinks there's a need for one, offering up the iRig Mic as a solution. More »
The First Full-Sized Microphone Arrives for the iPad and iPhone [Audio]
Sure, the iPhone and iPad have microphones, and there are mini-microphone accessories out there for the devices, but what about a full-sized mic? IK Multimedia thinks there's a need for one, offering up the iRig Mic as a solution. More »
Kinect 3D Viewer now available in Mac App Store, but don't get too excited
The first Kinect app has just popped up in the Mac App Store, but unfortunately it does exactly what its name suggests. Kinect 3D Viewer lets you... view the output from the Kinect depth-sensing camera... in 3D!
It actually has two output options: you can either see a 3D point cloud, which excellently shows off the resolution of depth detection, or you can "view yourself in 3D", which looks very similar to the proof-of-concept Linux/Kinect hacks that we saw in November. There's no information about how the Kinect integration was achieved, but presumably the developers used a Mac port of libfreenect.
Hopefully there will be a follow-up app that actually does something -- but having said that, how many Mac users with Xbox 360s can there possibly be?Kinect 3D Viewer now available in Mac App Store, but don't get too excited originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
It actually has two output options: you can either see a 3D point cloud, which excellently shows off the resolution of depth detection, or you can "view yourself in 3D", which looks very similar to the proof-of-concept Linux/Kinect hacks that we saw in November. There's no information about how the Kinect integration was achieved, but presumably the developers used a Mac port of libfreenect.
Hopefully there will be a follow-up app that actually does something -- but having said that, how many Mac users with Xbox 360s can there possibly be?Kinect 3D Viewer now available in Mac App Store, but don't get too excited originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
International Game Technology International Business Machines (Ibm) Interdigital Communications
Should I Port My Number to Google Voice? [Google Voice]
The one last barrier for you using Google Voice full time—number porting—just got knocked down. But should you use Google Voice? Almost certainly yes. More »
Fairchild Semiconductor International Fair Isaac Factset Research Systems
Friday, January 28, 2011
BlackBerry PlayBook may be able to run Android apps, thanks to Dalvik
When RIM acquired QNX, it was all but certain that the days of Java-powered BlackBerry OSes were drawing to a close. That doesn't mean RIM plans on ditching support for all those legacy BlackBerry apps developed for use in the enterprise, however. Boy Genius Report has received information that RIM intends to support those apps by way of a virtual machine -- and what better Java VM to use than Google's Dalvik (which drives Android)?
In theory, a Dalvik VM running on a BlackBerry device could be capable of running an Android .APK. However, since most apps are closely tied to OS-specific APIs, there's also a very good chance that most Android apps wouldn't do anything noteworthy on future RIM devices. Still, the possibility is an exciting one -- and the ability to handle Android apps would definitely make BlackBerry a bit more enticing to both developers and users.
BlackBerry PlayBook may be able to run Android apps, thanks to Dalvik originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
In theory, a Dalvik VM running on a BlackBerry device could be capable of running an Android .APK. However, since most apps are closely tied to OS-specific APIs, there's also a very good chance that most Android apps wouldn't do anything noteworthy on future RIM devices. Still, the possibility is an exciting one -- and the ability to handle Android apps would definitely make BlackBerry a bit more enticing to both developers and users.
BlackBerry PlayBook may be able to run Android apps, thanks to Dalvik originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Intersections International Rectifier International Game Technology
Amazon to buy out European movie rental and streaming service LoveFilm
After merging its DVD rental business with LoveFilm in 2008, Amazon has now agreed to buy all of the remaining shares for $312 million. Pending regulatory approval, the deal will complete in the first quarter of 2011.
LoveFilm, with extensive distribution rights in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, is usually referred to as the 'Netflix of Europe,' and this purchase is obviously intended to give Amazon a strong entry into the European DVD rental and online streaming market. Amazon is hoping that LoveFilm's entrenchment will be enough to beat out Netflix, which after conquering America must surely have its sights set on Europe.Amazon to buy out European movie rental and streaming service LoveFilm originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
LoveFilm, with extensive distribution rights in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, is usually referred to as the 'Netflix of Europe,' and this purchase is obviously intended to give Amazon a strong entry into the European DVD rental and online streaming market. Amazon is hoping that LoveFilm's entrenchment will be enough to beat out Netflix, which after conquering America must surely have its sights set on Europe.Amazon to buy out European movie rental and streaming service LoveFilm originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google Voice will let you port your current phone number for $20 -- soon
One reason users shy away from Google Voice -- or any alternative calling solution -- is because they can't bring their existing phone number with them. That could all be about to change, however, as several users happened upon an option to port their number to Google Voice. After checking to make sure Google is able to port a given mobile number, a $20 payment via Google Checkout is all that's required.
The option has apparently disappeared overnight, with Google telling our friends at Engadget that number porting is currently being tested with a small group of Google Voice users. No ETA was given for general availability, but Google assures that it's part of their master plan.Google Voice will let you port your current phone number for $20 -- soon originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The option has apparently disappeared overnight, with Google telling our friends at Engadget that number porting is currently being tested with a small group of Google Voice users. No ETA was given for general availability, but Google assures that it's part of their master plan.Google Voice will let you port your current phone number for $20 -- soon originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Rise of the eBooks: Kindle Books Now Outsell Paperbacks [Ebooks]
Here's an interesting factoid dropped by Amazon during their quarterly call: since the beginning of the year, Amazon has sold 115 Kindle eBooks for every 100 paperback books purchases on its site. Are we finally witnessing a momentum shift here? More »
When Lightning Strikes Erupting Volcanoes [Imagecache]
Japan's Mount Kirishima is experiencing its biggest eruption in 50 years, sending smoke and ash 5,000 feet up into the air. And for the hell of it, a lightning bolt decided to strike the volcano at the same time. More »
Hubble telescope sees furthest galaxy, 13.2 billion light years from Earth
If you think Star Wars took place in a galaxy far, far away, you should probably prepare to have your perceptions of distance rocked. NASA astronomers believe they've laid their eyes what appears to be the most distant object ever spotted by humans... in the history of mankind, no less. The galaxy was first peeked back in 2009, but NASA has just confirmed (via that trusty Hubble contraption) that what it saw is actually the oldest known galaxy in existence. At a distance of 13.2 billion light years away, this galaxy is a staggering 150 million years older than the previous record-setting collection of stars. The cluster of blue stars is just a tiny galaxy, though -- NASA says you'd need hundreds of these little groups to make up our Milky Way. Head past the break for a closer shot of the constellation, otherwise known as a nondescript red pixel.Continue reading Hubble telescope sees furthest galaxy, 13.2 billion light years from EarthHubble telescope sees furthest galaxy, 13.2 billion light years from Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Reddit | NASA | Email this | Comments
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Pioneer Elite HDTVs to ride again in 2011... as rebranded Sharp LCDs
It was a dark day when Pioneer announced its mighty Kuro HDTVs would be no more, but the Pioneer Elite brand still has significant cachet and will return in 2011 on new high end TVs. The bad news? They will be LCDs, not plasmas, manufactured by its partner Sharp, a not entirely surprising move since this was actually the original plan for the Kuro brand back in 2008. Apparently both see potential as Sharp will gain access to higher-end AV salesrooms and integrators for its products, while Pioneer will have TVs to match its continuing Pioneer Elite Blu-ray player and receiver lines. Despite an impressive local dimming demo at CES we're still not sure Sharp can create enough new pixels to replace what we once had, but we should find out for sure when the new models arrive the end of the year, check the press release after the break for more details.Continue reading Pioneer Elite HDTVs to ride again in 2011... as rebranded Sharp LCDsPioneer Elite HDTVs to ride again in 2011... as rebranded Sharp LCDs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Sharp | Email this | Comments
Mobile Payments Startups Zong And Boku Launch Billing Partnerships With Verizon
After announcing direct relationships with AT&T, Zong, Boku are announcing direct relationships with Verizon through mobile payments operator BillToMobile.
So why is this important? Historically, mobile payments companies face the challenge of lofty carrier rates. Wireless carriers have charged roughly 30% to 40% to process transactions made via mobile phone accounts, making it very difficult for mobile payment companies like Boku to scale beyond virtual goods. These transactions costs are passed down to developers using Boku and Zong, which are then passed to the consumer. To avoid these costs, Boku and Zong have been negotiating direct relationships with carriers as a way of possibly avoiding these costs.
So why is this important? Historically, mobile payments companies face the challenge of lofty carrier rates. Wireless carriers have charged roughly 30% to 40% to process transactions made via mobile phone accounts, making it very difficult for mobile payment companies like Boku to scale beyond virtual goods. These transactions costs are passed down to developers using Boku and Zong, which are then passed to the consumer. To avoid these costs, Boku and Zong have been negotiating direct relationships with carriers as a way of possibly avoiding these costs.
Daily Crunch: Gift Exchange Edition
Polaroid And Lady Gaga Introduce Grey GL30 Instant Camera Samson Meteor Mic: Meteor-y Pogoplug Now Converts, Streams Your Video Into The Cloud Contest: Happy CES Day! Here?s A Windows Phone 7 HD7 Our Interview With The Notion Ink Guys: Fair and Balanced
Tech Lock Down (TLD) Accessory For iPad
Well here’s a simple, yet interesting and useful iPad accessory. Introducing the Tech Lock Down for iPad, aka TLD. Some of the most simple inventions can be the best ones. This accessory can come in handy for several different businesses. For example the Tech Lock Down would work well in hospitals, banks, hotels and doctor’s [...]
BlueKai Buys Ad Data Analytics And Optimization Startup TrackSimple
We've learned exclusively that BlueKai, an online auction-based data exchange, has bought TrackSimple, an analytics company that provides reporting, analysis and prediction services to media companies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but we've heard the deal is an all-stock transaction. This SEC filing indicates that the stock sold to TrackSimple is worth $6.8 million.
TrackSimple, which only launched in 2009, was founded by former Amazon employees Jon Ingalls and Ajit Banerjee. The startup, which raised $2.5 million in funding, provides data analytics and optimization services for media buyers and advertisers to bring all of their media and commerce data (online & offiline) into one place. TrackSimple's product, InsightService, will not only aggregate all this data, but will also make recommendations and serve insights on data based on performance.
TrackSimple, which only launched in 2009, was founded by former Amazon employees Jon Ingalls and Ajit Banerjee. The startup, which raised $2.5 million in funding, provides data analytics and optimization services for media buyers and advertisers to bring all of their media and commerce data (online & offiline) into one place. TrackSimple's product, InsightService, will not only aggregate all this data, but will also make recommendations and serve insights on data based on performance.
Kongregate Arcade for Android is a pocket gamer's dream come true
If you're a fan of casual games, chances are good you've visited Kongregate once or twice before. The site is packed with addictive little Flash games, many of which have been featured before as Time Wasters here on Download Squad. Now, there's a Kongregate Arcade app for Android which lets you take the games with you on your mobile device.
Fire up Kongregate Arcade, browse or search for a game, download it to your Android device, and you're ready to play. The games are all mobile-optimized, and those we tested worked quite nicely with touchscreen input. There are plenty of great games available via Kongregate Arcade, like Monster Slayers, Ink Ball, and Assembler. If you've been saying to yourself "I wish there was a way I could game, chew up my battery, and devour all the free space on my microSD card all at the same time!" your prayers have finally been answered!
Android 2.2 or better is required, as is Adobe Flash (obviously). Kongregate is a free download from the Android Market -- hit the link below to install, or take the jump for the QR Code!
Download Kongregate Arcade for Android [AppBrain]Continue reading Kongregate Arcade for Android is a pocket gamer's dream come trueKongregate Arcade for Android is a pocket gamer's dream come true originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Fire up Kongregate Arcade, browse or search for a game, download it to your Android device, and you're ready to play. The games are all mobile-optimized, and those we tested worked quite nicely with touchscreen input. There are plenty of great games available via Kongregate Arcade, like Monster Slayers, Ink Ball, and Assembler. If you've been saying to yourself "I wish there was a way I could game, chew up my battery, and devour all the free space on my microSD card all at the same time!" your prayers have finally been answered!
Android 2.2 or better is required, as is Adobe Flash (obviously). Kongregate is a free download from the Android Market -- hit the link below to install, or take the jump for the QR Code!
Download Kongregate Arcade for Android [AppBrain]Continue reading Kongregate Arcade for Android is a pocket gamer's dream come trueKongregate Arcade for Android is a pocket gamer's dream come true originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Fairchild Semiconductor International Fair Isaac Factset Research Systems
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Old Lady Tries to Smuggle 44 iPhone 4s Through Airport Security in Her Stockings [IPhone]
Last week, at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, security officials stopped a 60-year-old woman who had been moving erratically through airport security. She said she was feeling sick. Not true! She actually had 44 iPhone 4s stuffed down her pants. More »
What's new in Android 3.0 Honeycomb
We got our first real taste of Android 3.0 -- "Honeycomb" -- on the Motorola Xoom tablet during CES in early January. It's a pretty big leap from the Android we know and love today, to be sure. But most of what we saw were demonstrations, video of what Honeycomb can and will do. But today Google released a preview of the Android 3.0 software development kit -- the tools developers need to make applications. Along with the updated SDK, Google's compiled an excellent highlights package. Join us after the break where we'll walk you through the some of the major changes, and what we can expect in the coming year.
What's new in Android 3.0 Honeycomb posted originally by Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
What's new in Android 3.0 Honeycomb posted originally by Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new video
Major news from Google just hit at CES: Android 3.0, dubbed Honeycomb, has been revealed. It might be a leak, but the video is very well made and looks quite solid. While a new Android version is always a big deal, this leak is made all the more significant by the platform's apparent shift in focus. It's all about the tablets now.
While Android for phones is certainly not going away, the Honeycomb video features a bold statement, "Built Entirely for Tablet." And the UI really shows it, as you can see in the screencap above. Gmail looks different, but that's just one change. The whole interface underwent a radical change, to work with the tablet form factor. Other highlights from the video:
A 3D-looking task switcher
A massive software keyboard, quite reminiscent of a certain tablet that shall remain nameless (ahem)
Rich widgets on a roomy homescreen -- the Gmail widget looks basically like the current Gmail app
A strong emphasis on Google Books, including "live" widgets (scroll through books on the widget)
A tabbed browser, looking vaguely Chrome-like
A panorama-like view of YouTube with a 3D "wall" of thumbnails
Video-enabled Gtalk
Solid zoom-and-pan action with the new Maps app, including 3D buildings. This seems similar to Maps v5, but it looks so much better on a tablet.
Lots of futuristic-looking neon text
Exciting times indeed! Now let's see a review unit.Continue reading Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new videoGoogle's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new video originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
While Android for phones is certainly not going away, the Honeycomb video features a bold statement, "Built Entirely for Tablet." And the UI really shows it, as you can see in the screencap above. Gmail looks different, but that's just one change. The whole interface underwent a radical change, to work with the tablet form factor. Other highlights from the video:
A 3D-looking task switcher
A massive software keyboard, quite reminiscent of a certain tablet that shall remain nameless (ahem)
Rich widgets on a roomy homescreen -- the Gmail widget looks basically like the current Gmail app
A strong emphasis on Google Books, including "live" widgets (scroll through books on the widget)
A tabbed browser, looking vaguely Chrome-like
A panorama-like view of YouTube with a 3D "wall" of thumbnails
Video-enabled Gtalk
Solid zoom-and-pan action with the new Maps app, including 3D buildings. This seems similar to Maps v5, but it looks so much better on a tablet.
Lots of futuristic-looking neon text
Exciting times indeed! Now let's see a review unit.Continue reading Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new videoGoogle's Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets revealed in new video originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Linear Technology Lexmark International Level 3 Communications
Multitask With The New Compass iPad Stand
Twelve South is well known for their exclusive and stylish accessory designs for Apple products and most recently they have introduced the all new Compass stand for the iPad. You may recall back in April Twelve South was one of the first companies to release a quality iPad stand, also known as the Bookarc Stand. [...]
Flyde is a super-fast retro racing Time Waster
I liked Flyde from the moment I laid eyes on it. It reminded me of an anciet DOS game I used to play as a kid, where you had to race around in 3D and jump platforms while the level rushes by. [I totally played that game too -- anyone remember the name?! -Ed]
In Flyde there's no jumping per se: you control a white triangle that drives on or flies over a track made out of squares. There are colorful squares and black squares. The black squares are actually "holes" - when you drive over them, you fall into the abyss of space and die.
But it gets a little more complicated than just "not driving over the black squares". Instead of only one track, you have two tracks. When you drive over a square in the color of the other track, you switch tracks! The second track is above you, so when you switch, you're actually flying upside-down.
To keep from driving over the black squares, you have to continuously switch from track to track by touching the colorful squares. You're going pretty fast so navigating between those evil black squares and switching tracks just at the right moment is pretty challenging, and also a lot of fun.
The soundtrack consists of a robot with an attitude problem, but it also tells you how many points you've accumulated. This, along with nice electronic background music, makes Flyde a truly engaging time waster, even if you're not into retro gaming.
Oh, and don't judge me by the score in the screenshot. My top score is actually 12,610 - what's yours?
[Update: The old DOS game is called SkyRoads. Thanks, TnS! Awesome commenting there.]Flyde is a super-fast retro racing Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In Flyde there's no jumping per se: you control a white triangle that drives on or flies over a track made out of squares. There are colorful squares and black squares. The black squares are actually "holes" - when you drive over them, you fall into the abyss of space and die.
But it gets a little more complicated than just "not driving over the black squares". Instead of only one track, you have two tracks. When you drive over a square in the color of the other track, you switch tracks! The second track is above you, so when you switch, you're actually flying upside-down.
To keep from driving over the black squares, you have to continuously switch from track to track by touching the colorful squares. You're going pretty fast so navigating between those evil black squares and switching tracks just at the right moment is pretty challenging, and also a lot of fun.
The soundtrack consists of a robot with an attitude problem, but it also tells you how many points you've accumulated. This, along with nice electronic background music, makes Flyde a truly engaging time waster, even if you're not into retro gaming.
Oh, and don't judge me by the score in the screenshot. My top score is actually 12,610 - what's yours?
[Update: The old DOS game is called SkyRoads. Thanks, TnS! Awesome commenting there.]Flyde is a super-fast retro racing Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
LibreOffice 3.3, the open source office suite, now available
LibreOffice -- the Document Foundation's fork of OpenOffice -- has come a long way since the project was first announced in September 2010. Today, the Foundation has announced that its first stable release, LibreOffice 3.3, is ready to download.
Among the many changes you'll find in version 3.3 are the arrival of new import filters and improvements to existing ones -- key features when you're trying to persuade users to migrate from competing suites like Microsoft Office, Works, or WordPerfect. Calc (the LibreOffice spreadsheet app) now boasts better Excel interoperability, SVG images can be opened and modified in Draw, and they can also be imported into Writer.
The Suite's PowerPoint alternative -- Presenter -- now ships with a presentation mode plug-in which makes controlling slideshows from your laptop a breeze. Testers will enjoy the addition of Experimental Mode, which you can toggle if you'd like to play with new features before they've officially been added to LibreOffice. It's a bit like the about:flags page in Google Chrome. LibreOffice 3.3 also sports a long list of interface and usability tweaks -- check out this page at the official site for a complete rundown.
Download LibreOffice 3.3 for Windows, Mac, or LinuxLibreOffice 3.3, the open source office suite, now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Among the many changes you'll find in version 3.3 are the arrival of new import filters and improvements to existing ones -- key features when you're trying to persuade users to migrate from competing suites like Microsoft Office, Works, or WordPerfect. Calc (the LibreOffice spreadsheet app) now boasts better Excel interoperability, SVG images can be opened and modified in Draw, and they can also be imported into Writer.
The Suite's PowerPoint alternative -- Presenter -- now ships with a presentation mode plug-in which makes controlling slideshows from your laptop a breeze. Testers will enjoy the addition of Experimental Mode, which you can toggle if you'd like to play with new features before they've officially been added to LibreOffice. It's a bit like the about:flags page in Google Chrome. LibreOffice 3.3 also sports a long list of interface and usability tweaks -- check out this page at the official site for a complete rundown.
Download LibreOffice 3.3 for Windows, Mac, or LinuxLibreOffice 3.3, the open source office suite, now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Second-gen Apple Peel 520 caught on video doing GPRS, looking like an iPhone 4
Last year's Apple Peel 520 turned your iPod touch into an iPhone -- mostly, accepting a SIM card and allowing you to send and receive calls, texts, and even throwing a little extra battery life your way. Now we're looking at the next generation device and, which certainly looks a lot more sleek and less bulky than the previous model -- from a distance it could be confused for an iPhone 4. This version also allows the use of GPRS data, as you can see demonstrated in the video below. No mention of price or availability just yet, but review units are said to en route to other news sites, so hold that phone -- or iPod as it were.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading Second-gen Apple Peel 520 caught on video doing GPRS, looking like an iPhone 4Second-gen Apple Peel 520 caught on video doing GPRS, looking like an iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink M.I.C. Gadget | Yosion | Email this | Comments
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading Second-gen Apple Peel 520 caught on video doing GPRS, looking like an iPhone 4Second-gen Apple Peel 520 caught on video doing GPRS, looking like an iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink M.I.C. Gadget | Yosion | Email this | Comments
Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers
In a rather odd and haphazard move, Facebook has now made it possible for apps to read your home address and mobile telephone number.
In the "Request for Permission" window -- the one you have to accept before using an app on the Facebook platform -- look out for "Access my contact information", with the subtitle "Current Address and Mobile Phone Number" (see image above). You'd think that such important details would deserve a bolder warning, instead of the usual faded gray -- but obviously not.
As Sophos' Naked Security blog points out, making such details available in a landscape that is already packed full of rogue spam and scam applications puts Facebook users at even greater risk. With your full name and home address, identity theft basically becomes a no-brainer -- and can you imagine the SMS spam that awaits the unlucky Facebooker that gives his phone number to the wrong app developer?
Still, even if you're not bothered by this (and you can always remove your home address or mobile number from Facebook), you have wonder what Facebook will do next. Facebook is quickly becoming The One True Internet Hub, and the wealth of data it knows about us is terrifying. If access to incredibly sensitive data can be reduced to a small-font subtitle in a cluttered permission box, it's only a matter of time until you accidentally press "Allow" and fritter away your entire life story to a random rogue developer.Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
In the "Request for Permission" window -- the one you have to accept before using an app on the Facebook platform -- look out for "Access my contact information", with the subtitle "Current Address and Mobile Phone Number" (see image above). You'd think that such important details would deserve a bolder warning, instead of the usual faded gray -- but obviously not.
As Sophos' Naked Security blog points out, making such details available in a landscape that is already packed full of rogue spam and scam applications puts Facebook users at even greater risk. With your full name and home address, identity theft basically becomes a no-brainer -- and can you imagine the SMS spam that awaits the unlucky Facebooker that gives his phone number to the wrong app developer?
Still, even if you're not bothered by this (and you can always remove your home address or mobile number from Facebook), you have wonder what Facebook will do next. Facebook is quickly becoming The One True Internet Hub, and the wealth of data it knows about us is terrifying. If access to incredibly sensitive data can be reduced to a small-font subtitle in a cluttered permission box, it's only a matter of time until you accidentally press "Allow" and fritter away your entire life story to a random rogue developer.Facebook enables one-click identity theft option for rogue application developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Cathode Puts The Sex Back In Terminal Emulators [Video]
Twenty bucks for a terminal emulator when there's already a perfectly serviceable one on your Mac? Secret Geometry's "Cathode" makes a good case for itself. It can look like nearly any terminal on any old flickering CRT monitor. More »
International Game Technology International Business Machines (Ibm) Interdigital Communications
Facebook Desktop brings every notification to Windows and Mac and Linux!
Created by a computer scientist at Adobe, Facebook Desktop does exactly what it says on the tin, for both Windows and Mac PCs. It links into your Facebook account and notifies you of every change to your account -- pokes, messages, friend requests, event invites, etc. -- with a little pop-up toast window on your desktop. The notifications appear in the bottom right of your screen whether you like it or not -- you can't change it to another corner, and you can't change their appearance.
Still, Facebook Desktop works. Beyond notifications, it also lets you publish status updates -- but as you have to go via a tiny system tray icon, and there's no way to set a global hotkey, it's probably easier to just pop open a browser window and update your status normally.
The only problem -- for some people, anyway -- is that Facebook Desktop is an Adobe AIR app. It's advertised as "lightweight", but a 45MB memory footprint for an app that pops up toast windows seems a little on the chunky side. By default it loads on computer start-up, too, which is a bit obnoxious -- you can disable that in the settings, though.
Oh, it also requests a truly insane number of permissions when connecting to your Facebook account (picture after the break). Understandably, it needs to check a lot of things, but it doesn't need permission to publish check-ins, or insight data for my Pages. Heck, why does it even need my name, profile picture and gender?Continue reading Facebook Desktop brings every notification to Windows and Mac and Linux!Facebook Desktop brings every notification to Windows and Mac and Linux! originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Still, Facebook Desktop works. Beyond notifications, it also lets you publish status updates -- but as you have to go via a tiny system tray icon, and there's no way to set a global hotkey, it's probably easier to just pop open a browser window and update your status normally.
The only problem -- for some people, anyway -- is that Facebook Desktop is an Adobe AIR app. It's advertised as "lightweight", but a 45MB memory footprint for an app that pops up toast windows seems a little on the chunky side. By default it loads on computer start-up, too, which is a bit obnoxious -- you can disable that in the settings, though.
Oh, it also requests a truly insane number of permissions when connecting to your Facebook account (picture after the break). Understandably, it needs to check a lot of things, but it doesn't need permission to publish check-ins, or insight data for my Pages. Heck, why does it even need my name, profile picture and gender?Continue reading Facebook Desktop brings every notification to Windows and Mac and Linux!Facebook Desktop brings every notification to Windows and Mac and Linux! originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Chrome and Firefox adding new opt-out features to prevent third-party advertisers from tracking you
Ever been freaked out by an online ad that seemed to know you that little bit too well? It's the result of good old advertisers tracking your net-navigating habits and delivering targeted commercials to your eyeballs, but it can be prevented. Both Google and Mozilla have stepped up (or perhaps been pushed by the FTC) to try and tackle this issue of pernicious tracking cookies, but they've gone about it in different ways. The Chrome solution is a Keep My Opt-Outs browser extension that remembers the sites you don't want personalized information from, while Firefox will start beaming out a Do Not Track HTTP header that should be respected by advertisers and result in you receiving generic, repetitive ads. The important commonality between the two is that they don't rely on you preparing a cookie file with all your anti-advertiser bile contained within it (which was the FTC's original, somewhat impractical idea). Google intends to open-source its extension and bring it to other browsers as well, though obviously it's taking care of Chrome first, which can benefit from the add-on right now.Chrome and Firefox adding new opt-out features to prevent third-party advertisers from tracking you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink New York Times | Google Public Policy Blog, First Person Cookie | Email this | Comments
Veeco Instruments Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates United Online
How To Build a $10 Android Wind-Up Charger [DIY]
If you find that your Android phone always runs out of juice at the most inopportune times, never fear! Supermodder Ben Heck has heard your pleas, and is here to teach you how to build one cheap, hand-cranked Android charger. More »
Triquint Semiconductor Trimble Navigation Limited Trident Microsystems
Monday, January 24, 2011
Google defends its dropping of H.264, announces WebM plug-ins for IE and Safari
After Google's announcement last week that it would be dropping H.264 HTML5 video support, the tech world exploded. As the dust settled -- as the fragments of brainless bile drifted slowly back to the tech blog morass -- it became clear that there were two evenly-split sides. Half of the tech world, spearheaded by TechCrunch's slavering Siegler, felt that Google had figuratively defecated on its own so-called open "standards". The other half, led by a vanguard of slightly more intelligent and beardy bloggers, fully supported Google's decision.
Anyway, that aside, if you were worried about not being able to watch YouTube in your IE or Safari browsers, don't worry: Google will release WebM plug-ins for browsers that don't natively support it. The same blog post goes into more detail about why Google decided to drop H.264 support, and how this isn't a power-grabbing move by the big G.
The truth is Google is only ever going to look out for Google; it's utter lunacy that Google would ever do something that scuppered its own chances of survival. Google needs an open Web to thrive, and that's exactly what WebM provides over H.264. Imagine standing in Google's shoes for a moment: you run YouTube, the third biggest site on the Internet. One day, out of the blue, the H.264 consortium decides to increase its licensing fees, instantly making the operation of YouTube untenable. What do you do now? Switching to an open and free codec simply makes sense.
Google's entire lifeblood is indexing content created by you and me -- and while open standards empower the end-user to produce almost limitless amounts of delicious content, closed, proprietary standards put power in the hands of publishers. Don't ever forget that the democratization of information brought to us by the Web has only been possible due to the open standards like TCP/IP and HTML.
At the end of the day, you have to choose whether you want Google to index your entire life story, or whether you want to be spoon fed vertically-integrated media from just a handful of multinational mega publishers. On the one hand, you retain a few important freedoms -- like the ability to speak your mind on an open forum -- and on the other, corporations decide everything for you. It's not a tough choice.Google defends its dropping of H.264, announces WebM plug-ins for IE and Safari originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Anyway, that aside, if you were worried about not being able to watch YouTube in your IE or Safari browsers, don't worry: Google will release WebM plug-ins for browsers that don't natively support it. The same blog post goes into more detail about why Google decided to drop H.264 support, and how this isn't a power-grabbing move by the big G.
The truth is Google is only ever going to look out for Google; it's utter lunacy that Google would ever do something that scuppered its own chances of survival. Google needs an open Web to thrive, and that's exactly what WebM provides over H.264. Imagine standing in Google's shoes for a moment: you run YouTube, the third biggest site on the Internet. One day, out of the blue, the H.264 consortium decides to increase its licensing fees, instantly making the operation of YouTube untenable. What do you do now? Switching to an open and free codec simply makes sense.
Google's entire lifeblood is indexing content created by you and me -- and while open standards empower the end-user to produce almost limitless amounts of delicious content, closed, proprietary standards put power in the hands of publishers. Don't ever forget that the democratization of information brought to us by the Web has only been possible due to the open standards like TCP/IP and HTML.
At the end of the day, you have to choose whether you want Google to index your entire life story, or whether you want to be spoon fed vertically-integrated media from just a handful of multinational mega publishers. On the one hand, you retain a few important freedoms -- like the ability to speak your mind on an open forum -- and on the other, corporations decide everything for you. It's not a tough choice.Google defends its dropping of H.264, announces WebM plug-ins for IE and Safari originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Apple Brings The App Store To Twitter Promising Exclusive Offers
Apple and Twitter have had an interesting but cautious relationship over the past couple of years. Early on, the only official Apple accounts belonged to various iTunes properties, which utilized the service for promotions. Then Apple secured a deal with Twitter for Ping, their social network within iTunes. Then some Twitter executives starting joining in on the fun (though some more vocally then others). Now it appears that Apple is taking another step into official Twitter land today with an account for the App Store.
About an hour ago, the first tweet was sent from the account saying, "Welcome to App Store on Twitter! Follow us to discover new apps, get exclusive offers, and share with friends. #appstore". Looking over the vitals, the account has about 3,000 followers at the moment, but is only following 5 users ? all iTunes official accounts. And while the App Store account isn't yet verified, Twitter has altered their practice of doing that, so we'll have to take the fact that both iTunes TV and iTunes Music are following the account as a sign that it's legit (we've also reached out to Twitter about it).
About an hour ago, the first tweet was sent from the account saying, "Welcome to App Store on Twitter! Follow us to discover new apps, get exclusive offers, and share with friends. #appstore". Looking over the vitals, the account has about 3,000 followers at the moment, but is only following 5 users ? all iTunes official accounts. And while the App Store account isn't yet verified, Twitter has altered their practice of doing that, so we'll have to take the fact that both iTunes TV and iTunes Music are following the account as a sign that it's legit (we've also reached out to Twitter about it).
Tired of waiting for the mythical White iPhone 4? Convert your Black one with this kit
If you’re willing to void your warranty and pay an insane �159.95 ($253.61), this White iPhone 4�Conversion Kit from MobileFun will make your dreams come true. The kit contains a front panel consisting of the glass, digitiser and Retina Display LCD, a rear panel with the Apple logo, replacement dock connector, headphone jack and home [...]
It Takes a Mountain of Shipping Crates to Make a Trade Show
The Consumer Electronics Show 2011 featured 2,700 exhibitors across 1.5 million square feet of sprawling space. At times, the sheer size of the show, the crowds, and the smells made for a grueling slog that could leave you exhausted and spent.
Veeco Instruments Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates United Online
Gorenje iChef oven brings the touchscreen paradigm to all your baking needs
We've no doubt that Gorenje's iChef oven can bake, and bake well -- but as you've probably guessed, we're more interested in the appliance's finger-friendly controls. Kitchens of the future often come complete with touchscreen panels and home automation settings, but you aren't just keying in the time and temperature here -- it's got sixty-five preset dishes it can cook autonomously, 150 slots for you to program your own, and a option that lets you bake in three separate stages for perfection (or bitter disappointment, depending on your choices) inside and out. It's all controlled through a colorful filled with pictures of loving-prepared food, and though we're afraid we can't find a video of it in action, you'll find screencaps and descriptions at our source link below. The oven launches in Europe this spring and if you have to ask how much it costs, you probably won't have enough left over to afford a robotic manservant anyhow.Gorenje iChef oven brings the touchscreen paradigm to all your baking needs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Engadget German | Gorenje | Email this | Comments
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Kinect meets Minecraft, animates a giant statue in your honor (video)
This isn't the first time Kinect and Minecraft have crossed paths -- scavenge the 'nets and you'll find plenty of user interface examples. What Nathan Viniconis has done, however, is different. What you're looking at above is rendered instantly by way of using what the Kinect sees and constructing an in-world monument in real time. Not only that, but the project has now evolved into a sort of stop motion animation. It's pretty impressive, even for those who have little to no idea what Minecraft is. All the nitty gritty details are available on the project page. The video, of course, is after the break.Continue reading Kinect meets Minecraft, animates a giant statue in your honor (video)Kinect meets Minecraft, animates a giant statue in your honor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Joystiq, Reddit | Order of Events | Email this | Comments
How to Blow and Pour Liquid Smoke [Video]
Smoking is bad for you! But let's be honest, smoke itself looks sorta cool. Here's a video of smoke looking like liquid, which makes it even cooler looking. You can even swirl the smoke around and pour it out like water. More »
A Failed Prototype: The Hamster Ball Spacesuit [Spacesuit]
Space suits are insanely cool. Except this one. This prototype hamster ball suit was designed by engineers at John Hopkins and actually presented to NASA in 1964. The engineers claimed astronauts would be more mobile with this thing on. More »
Google Chrome dev gets password sync -- again
Google Chrome password sync has been a long time coming, first taking shape in May 2010 Chromium builds. It's popped up before in official Chrome builds, but never appeared to be functional. Now, however, password sync has come back to the Dev Channel -- and it seems to be working for some. On my own system, Chrome's status indicator spun endlessly and I was never able to authenticate -- forcing me to cancel the process and leave my sync options as they were. Sebastian, however, successfully logged in and activated password sync with no problem.
With password sync so close being finished, maybe Google will start working on letting us sync our custom search engines...Google Chrome dev gets password sync -- again originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
With password sync so close being finished, maybe Google will start working on letting us sync our custom search engines...Google Chrome dev gets password sync -- again originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Acer Aspire One 522 with AMD Ontario shows up on Amazon
Sure, we had known a few bits and pieces about Acer's forthcoming AMD Fusion-powered netbook but you can always count on Amazon to dish out the spec and pricing details we've been waiting for. Unlike the Fusion HP Pavilion dm1 we just reviewed, which packs a higher-end AMD Zacate E-350 APU, the Aspire One 522 is powered by AMD's netbook-class 1GHz C-50 Ontario processor. The 10.1-inch laptop still melds that CPU with Radeon HD 6250 graphics so it should be able to handle full HD video and some light gaming, and for $330 we're certainly expecting it to trounce Atom netbooks in both price and graphics prowess. Other than that, the 2.8-pound Aspire One 522 seems to be a lot like the previous AMD Neo-powered Aspire One 521 -- it looks to have a similar chassis and has 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, HDMI port, Windows 7 Starter, and a 4400mAh battery, which apparently provides six hours of battery life. No word on when the 522 will actually come out of the pre-order stage and start shipping, but our guess is that it shouldn't be too long of a wait.Acer Aspire One 522 with AMD Ontario shows up on Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Liliputing | Amazon | Email this | Comments
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Facebook App Caters to Phones of Average Intelligence
Together with mobile software maker Snaptu, Facebook on Thursday launched its branded mobile app for feature phones. The app's immediately available in 14 countries worldwide. It runs on more than 2,500 devices from manufactureres like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and others, Facebook Program Manager Mark Heynen wrote in a company blog post.
Emblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensues
Remember that day when Emblaze wowed the world with its First Else "death of main menu" smartphone? What a shame, eh? While it's unlikely that said Linux handset will ever be resurrected, there's a small chance that bits of its legacy will be passed onto other products. For instance, a recent LinkedIn newsletter led us to Itai Vonshak, who was one of the main engineers behind the architecture that powered the First Else's brilliant, mesmerizing UI. Now, according to his profile, our man has recently moved into HP / Palm's comfy little house to do UX strategy. Whether this means webOS will get a slice of that Minority Report action, we don't know; but it'll be interesting to see what Vonshak will surprise us with at the HP / Palm event next month. For now, there's a hands-on video of the First Else after the break for old time's sake.Continue reading Emblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensuesEmblaze First Else UX engineer embraced by HP / Palm, magic ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | LinkedIn | Email this | Comments
Tiny DSLR-Style Camera is Smaller Than its Charger
If you’re looking for a camera that it small enough to fit in a nostril but which still lets you swap out the lenses like an SLR? Or perhaps you’re in the market for a toy that can shoot photos at 1600 x 1200 pixels (almost 2MP) and take video so bad, and with such [...]
Lexmark International Level 3 Communications Lawson Software
Daily Crunch: 1.1.11 Edition
2010 In Review: The Fortunate Winners And The Pathetic Losers Why Roger Ebert Doesn?t Like Video Games: He Became Obsessed With TMNT Olympus E-PL2 Turns Into Doctor Octopus With Lights Eleven 3D Printing Predictions For the Year 2011 Progress Bar Illusions
Arriva Leo Bluetooth Headset offers bendable comfort
The Arriva Leo Bluetooth headset might look familiar to you as we reviewed their Shuffle headphones a few years ago. They have bendable wire cables that allow you to completely customize the fit to your noggin. The Leo is a 2.1 + EDR Bluetooth headset that is rechargeable and a features a�built in microphone and [...]
Cocoon hands on: the one-shot solution to private and secure Firefox browsing
A lot has been said about safe, secure surfing in recent months. Firesheep brought the necessity for HTTPS (and WPA-encrypted WLAN) into the limelight, and the Gawker Media breach reminded all of us that no one is safe.
The truth is, if you want to stay secure on the Web, you have to take a proactive stance. You need to install LastPass or KeePass, and using HTTPSEverywhere is a very good idea too. A good anti-virus suite like Microsoft Security Essentials is a necessity, and get into the habit of regularly scanning with Malwarebytes.
Alternatively, you can scrap everything and just use Cocoon, a service that proposes to solve all of your privacy and security problems in one fell swoop. There is a 45-day free trial, and it requires Firefox 3.6.13. I suggest you install it, and then read on!
Gallery: Cocoon, an all-in-one secure and private surfing solution for FirefoxContinue reading Cocoon hands on: the one-shot solution to private and secure Firefox browsingCocoon hands on: the one-shot solution to private and secure Firefox browsing originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The truth is, if you want to stay secure on the Web, you have to take a proactive stance. You need to install LastPass or KeePass, and using HTTPSEverywhere is a very good idea too. A good anti-virus suite like Microsoft Security Essentials is a necessity, and get into the habit of regularly scanning with Malwarebytes.
Alternatively, you can scrap everything and just use Cocoon, a service that proposes to solve all of your privacy and security problems in one fell swoop. There is a 45-day free trial, and it requires Firefox 3.6.13. I suggest you install it, and then read on!
Gallery: Cocoon, an all-in-one secure and private surfing solution for FirefoxContinue reading Cocoon hands on: the one-shot solution to private and secure Firefox browsingCocoon hands on: the one-shot solution to private and secure Firefox browsing originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Friday, January 21, 2011
Daily Crunch: Little Big Tech Edition
Minimalist Turntable Plays Your Records Minimally CHOBICAM1: Super-Tiny Camcorder Weighs 12g RB5X ?Intelligent Robot? From The 80s For Sale On eBay Can You Spot The Lacie Galet USB Drive In This Picture? Segways Pretty Much Banned In UK
Strip a Record Player Down to the Bare Essentials [Record Players]
We don't need your 1200s any more, Technics—some twisted metal and plastic is all we want for a bare-bones record player. Inventor RD Silva identified the must-have components and threw away the rest, resulting in this minimal design. More »
Daily Crunch: Gift Exchange Edition
Polaroid And Lady Gaga Introduce Grey GL30 Instant Camera Samson Meteor Mic: Meteor-y Pogoplug Now Converts, Streams Your Video Into The Cloud Contest: Happy CES Day! Here?s A Windows Phone 7 HD7 Our Interview With The Notion Ink Guys: Fair and Balanced
Daily Crunch: Little Ninja Edition
Designer Gas Cans Are Haute Couture, Haute Octane LittleBigPlanet 2 Review Round-Up: Pretty Much Universal Acclaim Ekocase: Ecologically Sound iPad Cases For All (Plus A Contest) The Steve Jobs Action Figure, Now With More Ninja Action! Concept USB Drive/Battery Is At Least Clever Lego Angry Birds: Needs More Pigs
Is Google Working on a Group Buying Service? [Unconfirmed]
The folks at Mashable have gotten their hands on a "confidential fact sheet straight from the Googleplex" which describes a new Google product: Google Offers. It appears to be a group buying service similar to Groupon and LivingSocial. More »
Trimble Navigation Limited Trident Microsystems Transaction Systems Architects
Nantucket iPad Station from Levenger
The Nantucket iPad Stand from Levenger is a workstation for your desk, chair-side table, or kitchen counter.� In addition to an angled stand, the solid-bamboo Nantucket stand has a small drawer to organize small items or notepads.� The drawer is magnetized to prevent it from accidentally sliding open.� Along the back of the stand is [...]
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Daily Crunch: Robot Takeover Edition
Would Buying Leon?s Resident Evil 4 Jacket Make You A Cosplayer? Gresso Launching iPad For The Stupidly Rich See How Japan Crash Tests Their Robots Quirky Digits Makes Any Gloves Touchscreen-Friendly Poll: Only 21 Percent Of ?Likely US Voters? Support Net Neutrality
Google confirms 300,000 Android activations a day
Google today in its fourth-quarter earnings call confirmed Andy Rubin's statement in December that some 300,000 Android devices are being activated every day. That's 9 million or so a month, folks. Google also said that searches from within Android ended the year up 10 times. ("10x actually is what was said.") "I think that this is the year that phones will play the big role in commerce, like I predicted," said Google Senior VP of Product Management Jonathan Rosenberg.Other highlights from the Q&A:Rosenberg on tablets vs. smartphones: "They're both viable."Mobile search grew 4 times on mobile devices. "No doubt that this market absolutely is cranking.""Click to call ads are generating a lot of money every month." Google confirms 300,000 Android activations a day posted originally by Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
High Tech Computer Hon Hai Precision Ind Hynix Semiconductor
Zombie Bites is a gory retro platformer -- Time Waster
So, you're a zombie. And you're hungry, and you're all pixelated. You're going to stay pixelated and retro-looking, at least on this game. But you don't have to stay hungry: In Zombie Bites, you run around the level, finding humans. As soon as you touch a human and press SPACE, you attack. Your energy bar fills up a bit, but not so much. You must keep running and jumping in search of more humans you can eat.
"What's the problem?", I hear you say, "That screenshot is full of humans". No it's not - those are zombies! As we've all learned in science class, once a zombie bites a human, the human turns into a zombie. And that's exactly what happens in Zombie Bites, so you find yourself running around the level searching for the few remaining humans amongst a growing horde of zombies, which are busy biting those same humans you're trying to catch. Hectic!
It's not exactly an epic quest, but it's a cute game, especially if you're into zombies. The 8-bit style makes the gore seem kind of fetching, really.Zombie Bites is a gory retro platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
"What's the problem?", I hear you say, "That screenshot is full of humans". No it's not - those are zombies! As we've all learned in science class, once a zombie bites a human, the human turns into a zombie. And that's exactly what happens in Zombie Bites, so you find yourself running around the level searching for the few remaining humans amongst a growing horde of zombies, which are busy biting those same humans you're trying to catch. Hectic!
It's not exactly an epic quest, but it's a cute game, especially if you're into zombies. The 8-bit style makes the gore seem kind of fetching, really.Zombie Bites is a gory retro platformer -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Boeing 787 Dreamliner delayed again, expectations still sky high
That's right, the 787 Dreamliner, which has airlines all aflutter over promises of increased fuel efficiency, has been delayed yet again. Boeing announced yesterday that customers can expect to see the plane in the third quarter of 2011: one in a long line of setbacks that have put it three years behind schedule. However, despite delays, it seems customer confidence hasn't waned. In fact, the New York Times reported that 787 buyers still find a summer release perfectly practical, leading to a three percent rise in Boeing stock. Trouble for the 787 started back in 2008, with the FAA warning of hacker vulnerability, followed by a 2009 discovery of structural weakness, and an on-board fire last November. Even with delays, and cancellation of at least 60 orders, the 787 still has about 850 pre-orders: more than any other mid-size commercial liner in history. So what's keeping the 787 Dreamliner afloat? Well, mostly promises of a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency, thanks to a design that's 50 percent composite materials. Clearly, testing the 787 hasn't been a dream, but it seems nothing can keep this plane grounded for good.Boeing 787 Dreamliner delayed again, expectations still sky high originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Businessweek | Boeing | Email this | Comments
Hey Bro, Foursquare Will Totally Show You the Best Spots to Pick Up Desperate Chicks [GPS]
Dude...it's like 1am and that chick you bought 5 drinks for totally bailed with her cockblocking grenade friend. SUCKS BRO! Luckily there's this new Foursquare utility, which'll lead us to the promised land of drunk-ass breezies down to hook up! More »
PS3 Assault Rifle Misfires Even With Move [Video]
In multiplayer shooters, I'm the worst, and peripherals offer the seductive idea of an advantage. CTA Digital's Assault Rifle Controller, for PlayStation Move, looks like something that could point-and-shoot me to pwnage, or at least not sucking. More »
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real)
Looks like the iPad might not have an exclusive on those new "multitasking" gestures unearthed in the latest iOS 4.3 beta, because BGR's got some shots up of an purported internal build that seem to indicate Cupertino intends to push them down to the iPhone line as well. Now, there are a couple of obvious red flags here -- using "four or five fingers" sounds pretty unreasonable for a 3.5-inch display, though it'd certainly tie in with recent rumors that Apple's turning sour on the physical Home button and might indicate that the complete redesign we're hearing about could include a slightly larger display. Of course, it could also indicate that this is really early software with the wrong (read: iPad) wording -- but at any rate, we could definitely see the benefit of, say, a two-finger gesture to swipe between apps.
Now, on to part two: 9to5 Mac seems to have unearthed traces in the iOS 4.3 beta of a new feature called "Photo Streams" that seems to be -- you guessed it -- a way to share continuous streams of photos with friends you approve, presumably through MobileMe (which would fit in nicely with the Find my Friends stuff). Alone, that's not worth $99 a year -- plenty of other services offer similar functionality -- but we wouldn't be surprised if this were bundled in with a bunch of MobileMe refreshes this year.
Update: We just received an interesting tidbit of information on the above pic (and others that BGR has its hands on). According to sources, after the iPhone 4 barroom debacle, Apple made significant changes to how it keeps track of -- and identifies to third parties -- its devices. Namely, the company began adding clauses to screens on the phones which read "Confidential and Proprietary, if found, please contact..." followed by a 408 number (that's Cupertino, of course). This prevents any misunderstanding from parties who may come across these devices. So what does it all mean? Well, not much, save that it seems these photos we're viewing are in fact the real deal... which means gestures may be headed to your iPhone. Intrigue!iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | 9to5 Mac, BGR | Email this | Comments
Now, on to part two: 9to5 Mac seems to have unearthed traces in the iOS 4.3 beta of a new feature called "Photo Streams" that seems to be -- you guessed it -- a way to share continuous streams of photos with friends you approve, presumably through MobileMe (which would fit in nicely with the Find my Friends stuff). Alone, that's not worth $99 a year -- plenty of other services offer similar functionality -- but we wouldn't be surprised if this were bundled in with a bunch of MobileMe refreshes this year.
Update: We just received an interesting tidbit of information on the above pic (and others that BGR has its hands on). According to sources, after the iPhone 4 barroom debacle, Apple made significant changes to how it keeps track of -- and identifies to third parties -- its devices. Namely, the company began adding clauses to screens on the phones which read "Confidential and Proprietary, if found, please contact..." followed by a 408 number (that's Cupertino, of course). This prevents any misunderstanding from parties who may come across these devices. So what does it all mean? Well, not much, save that it seems these photos we're viewing are in fact the real deal... which means gestures may be headed to your iPhone. Intrigue!iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | 9to5 Mac, BGR | Email this | Comments
Freaky Cows is an aquatic-themed bovine Time Waster
As you may know, cows do not float. They tend to be heavier than water, so they sink. Not being a creature of the sea, when a cow drowns, it ceases to live. So if you like cows and encounter a bunch of cows that are on the verge of drowning, you might be moved to save them --and that's pretty much the premise of Freaky Cows.
You get a queue of objects and when you click the screen, the next object appears. The first thing on every level is some sort of a floating platform - it may be a long plank, or a bunch of logs loosely bunched together (these can float apart, as you can see in the screenshot).
Once the first floating object is in the water, the next click usually drops a cow on it, and it happily floats. Of course, saving just one cow isn't enough. Cows are social creatures, so you have to save the whole herd. When you drop the next cow on the floating plank, it changes the balance and causes the plank to sink deeper into the water. If you're not careful, the whole plank might tip over -- and there go the cows! You may receive extra planks later on, which you can use to bolster up your platform.
There are bulls, too, and a bull weighs four times as much as a cow -- so you need to be extra-careful with them. Happily, though, you don't have to save every cow. I mean, every cow is precious, but you can usually get away with saving only nine out of twelve or so and still pass the level.
Freaky Cows is highly recommended, and I greatly enjoyed the frantic mooing in the soundtrack.Freaky Cows is an aquatic-themed bovine Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
You get a queue of objects and when you click the screen, the next object appears. The first thing on every level is some sort of a floating platform - it may be a long plank, or a bunch of logs loosely bunched together (these can float apart, as you can see in the screenshot).
Once the first floating object is in the water, the next click usually drops a cow on it, and it happily floats. Of course, saving just one cow isn't enough. Cows are social creatures, so you have to save the whole herd. When you drop the next cow on the floating plank, it changes the balance and causes the plank to sink deeper into the water. If you're not careful, the whole plank might tip over -- and there go the cows! You may receive extra planks later on, which you can use to bolster up your platform.
There are bulls, too, and a bull weighs four times as much as a cow -- so you need to be extra-careful with them. Happily, though, you don't have to save every cow. I mean, every cow is precious, but you can usually get away with saving only nine out of twelve or so and still pass the level.
Freaky Cows is highly recommended, and I greatly enjoyed the frantic mooing in the soundtrack.Freaky Cows is an aquatic-themed bovine Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
What the Soviet Space Shuttle Program Looks Like Today [Imagecache]
In the mid-1970s, the Soviets conceived of the Buran program as their answer to NASA and the U.S. Space Shuttle program. Though the ambitious project faltered after only one unmanned flight, many of its remnants still stand spectacularly today. More »
Hynix Semiconductor Infosys Technologies International Business Machines
Steve Jobs Ninja action figure now available
A new and improved version of the Steve Jobs action figure, simply called the ?Pineapple CEO?, is now available. This time around M.I.C did their best to avoid any infringing features — like the Apple logo stand — while adding Ninja throwing stars.
If you want to get your hands on a Ninja Steve it [...]Steve Jobs Ninja action figure now available is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
If you want to get your hands on a Ninja Steve it [...]Steve Jobs Ninja action figure now available is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Playboy magazine hitting iPad in March? uncensored?
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner announced on Twitter today that Playboy magazine would be hitting the iPad this March and followed up with replay saying it would be uncensored (we take that to mean the nude centerfolds will indeed be present in the app).
Big news! Playboy–both old & new–will be available on iPad beginning [...]Playboy magazine hitting iPad in March… uncensored? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Big news! Playboy–both old & new–will be available on iPad beginning [...]Playboy magazine hitting iPad in March… uncensored? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Dwolla, the low-fee PayPal alternative, now for Windows Phone 7
A little while back, we told you about Dwolla -- a new payment service with its sights set on challenging PayPal. Dwolla's angle? A flat rate per transaction of $0.25 and no other fees of any kind. It's also integrated with Twitter and Facebook, which makes it easy to send money to (or receive from) the people you're interacting with most online.
Now, Dwolla is expanding its mobile offerings with a new Windows Phone 7 app -- which joins its Android and iOS offerings. Like the Dwolla apps for other mobile platforms, the app provides a simple, straightforward interface which allows you to send payments, check your balance, and view your contacts. Sending a payment is a breeze -- just choose a contact, enter the amount, your pin, and a comment (if any) and you're done. You can also opt to pay the 25-cent fee yourself, or let the recipient absorb it.
Dwolla is a free download and is available now in the Zune Marketplace. The service is currently U.S.-only.Dwolla, the low-fee PayPal alternative, now for Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Now, Dwolla is expanding its mobile offerings with a new Windows Phone 7 app -- which joins its Android and iOS offerings. Like the Dwolla apps for other mobile platforms, the app provides a simple, straightforward interface which allows you to send payments, check your balance, and view your contacts. Sending a payment is a breeze -- just choose a contact, enter the amount, your pin, and a comment (if any) and you're done. You can also opt to pay the 25-cent fee yourself, or let the recipient absorb it.
Dwolla is a free download and is available now in the Zune Marketplace. The service is currently U.S.-only.Dwolla, the low-fee PayPal alternative, now for Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The (geek) decision: Kinect developer Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft for Google
After spending the last two and a half years helping Microsoft develop Kinect (and spending countless hours hacking Wiimotes before that), the illustrious Johnny Chung Lee has decided to take his talents to Mountain View and work for Google. Mr. Lee didn't say exactly what he'll be doing for Google, but we do know that he's joining a special projects team, and his title is "Rapid Evaluator." It's curious that Johnny has seemingly left his gaming roots to work for the search giant, but regardless we look forward to seeing what he's up to at El Goog and wish him the best in his new job. Here's hoping his new duties won't quell his penchant for at-home tinkering.The (geek) decision: Kinect developer Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft for Google originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Engadget Japanese | Procrastineering | Email this | Comments
IK Multimedia Introduces the iRig Mic ? the First Hand-held Mic for Apple iOS Devices
IK Multimedia has introduced the iRig Mic, the first hand-held microphone for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.� The iRig Mic has a quality condenser-electret unidirectional capsule.� The mic is great for recording vocals, speech, or instruments.� The iRig Mic dual in/out mini-jack connector allows you to monitor your recordings in real time without disconnecting the [...]
Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon
Not since Hollywood Reporter told us about a possible Asteroids bio-pic have we been excited about a film or TV show: Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Merv Griffin Entertainment has hammered out a deal with Namco Bandai to develop a reality TV show based on Pac-Man. Envisioned by Merv Griffin Entertainment's president of TV Roy Bank as something "big" and "crazy" like Wipeout or Fear Factor, the company wants "to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world's biggest game of tag to television." If this doesn't sound like the definition of a mid-season replacement, we don't know what is.Continue reading Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soonPac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink New York Press | Deadline Hollywood | Email this | Comments
Every Nerf Gun Should Look This Amazing [Guns]
Nerf guns are fun, but sometimes it's hard to use one without looking like you're at an 8 year old's birthday party. One toy gun tinkerer, however, made his own—and it's like something out of a Bond flick. More »
The Life of Steve Jobs - So Far [Apple]
Here's an idea: How about we stop focusing on livers for a second and look at the good, bad and as he might put it, "insanely great" parts of Steve Jobs life so far? More »
Monday, January 17, 2011
UK aims to improve access to technology, internet with �98 Linux PCs
Remember when the UK started distributing free laptops to poor schoolchildren in order to encourage them to get online? Well, a new, more frugal government is now in charge, and while the original scheme has been scrapped, today we're hearing of alternative plans to help economically disadvantaged people leap onto the worldwide surfer's web. The coalition government intends to offer £98 ($156) computers -- which include an LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse, warranty, and a dedicated helpline -- paired with subsidized £9 ($14) per month internet connections in its effort to show that the web doesn't have to seem (or be) unaffordable. The cheapest machines will be refurbished units running open-source Linux distros, meaning that if this Race Online 2012 trial turns out well, we could see a whole new group of Linux loyalists rising up. The more the merrier!UK aims to improve access to technology, internet with �98 Linux PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | BBC | Email this | Comments
Triquint Semiconductor Trimble Navigation Limited Trident Microsystems
More details emerge on Apple's A5 chip for upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5
So, AppleInsider has some new info on Apple's successor to the A4, which we were talking up last week, and our sources say it's spot on. Specifically, AI claims that Apple is moving to dual-core SGX543 graphics, up from the A4's single SGX535 GPU (also known as the PowerVR 535). What's particularly great about this move is that the graphical power improvement is rated at around 4X the current generation -- which makes a true 4X resolution iPad "Retina Display" upgrade seem much more of a possibility. We're also starting to see 1080p HDMI video output as a "default" spec in this year's generation of devices, so there's no reason Apple will want to be left out -- particularly in the Apple TV -- and these dual graphics cores could handle that easily. The same cast of A4 characters are to credit for this new A5 generation, including the Apple-owned Intrinsity and PA Semi, while Samsung will again do the production duties. But details aside, we're just excited to play around with all this new horsepower when it hits -- apparently the PSP 2 is rumored to use the same graphics architecture with even more cores. Isn't Moore's law a grand thing?More details emerge on Apple's A5 chip for upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | AppleInsider | Email this | Comments
Evolve III Maestro slate triple-boots Android, MeeGo and Windows 7 (video)
We inevitably miss things at tradeshows, and here's one we regret -- we didn't catch this obscure Australian tablet in the flesh at CES 2011. Apparently, this Evolve III Maestro was casually chilling at Intel's booth with Android, Windows 7 and a 1.83GHz Atom N475 CPU inside, but representatives were willing to reveal grander plans if you spent a little time with the device. You see, come Q2 2011, the slate will graduate to a dual-core Oak Trail CPU, and add MeeGo to the stack for a grand total of three operating systems. TabletPCBuzz says Windows 7 and Android are getting eight and sixteen hours of battery life on the Oak Trail chip respectively, and the tablet weighs less than two pounds.
It's hard to say what other features the Oak Trail version will have, but even the existing tablet isn't a pushover, with a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 32GB of solid state storage, 3G and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a pair of full-size USB ports on one edge. Sources suggest the original will find a $500 price point, with the Oak Trail commanding an additional $100. After the break, you'll find a disappointingly static video, but follow the links below for a walkthrough of the MeeGo UI and all the specs you could want.
[Thanks, Garf]Continue reading Evolve III Maestro slate triple-boots Android, MeeGo and Windows 7 (video)Evolve III Maestro slate triple-boots Android, MeeGo and Windows 7 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Geek.com, Liliputing | Evolve Three, pcchan54 (YouTube) | Email this | Comments
It's hard to say what other features the Oak Trail version will have, but even the existing tablet isn't a pushover, with a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 32GB of solid state storage, 3G and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a pair of full-size USB ports on one edge. Sources suggest the original will find a $500 price point, with the Oak Trail commanding an additional $100. After the break, you'll find a disappointingly static video, but follow the links below for a walkthrough of the MeeGo UI and all the specs you could want.
[Thanks, Garf]Continue reading Evolve III Maestro slate triple-boots Android, MeeGo and Windows 7 (video)Evolve III Maestro slate triple-boots Android, MeeGo and Windows 7 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Geek.com, Liliputing | Evolve Three, pcchan54 (YouTube) | Email this | Comments
Zooming Magnifying Glass Brings Multi-Touch to Meatspace
Eschenbach’s magnifying glass almost offers pinch-to-zoom for print. The meatspace multi-touch magnifier sits on top of a book or newspaper and lets you zoom from 2.2x to 3.4x with a simple twist, just like zooming a camera lens.
The German-made Menas Zoom works by changing the distance between two lens elements. The glass also gives the [...]
The German-made Menas Zoom works by changing the distance between two lens elements. The glass also gives the [...]
Thieves damage South African traffic lights, reach for the juicy SIM card innards
Johannesburg, South Africa had six hundred high-tech traffic signals, each with a cellular modem and GPS chip. The idea was, if one malfunctioned, they'd call home immediately. Well, that plan isn't working out so well, because only two hundred are still in working order -- vandals ripped apart the rest to get at their SIM cards, causing traffic jams and accidents. Apparently, the government-provided cards are a ticket to unlimited free phone calls for the thieves -- at least until the individual devices are identified and their permissions revoked. The Johannesburg Roads Agency told the Mail & Guardian that the crime looks like an inside job, because only the SIM-equipped signals seem to have been targeted so far, despite looking visually identical. The damages are piling up, with the agency figuring it will require ZAR 8.8 million (roughly $1.26 million) to repair the four hundred signals currently out of order. Needless to say, the agency is looking at ways to better secure the traffic lights. We're guessing that switching to CDMA is probably off the table. Embedded SIMs, perhaps?Thieves damage South African traffic lights, reach for the juicy SIM card innards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink The Guardian, Popular Science | Mail & Guardian, Joberg | Email this | Comments
Gadget Lab Podcast: Tablet Insanity, Superphones at CES 2011
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
� runMobileCompatibilityScript('myExperience750752022001', 'anId');brightcove.createExperiences();
After an exhausting and exhilarating week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the Gadget Lab is back with a full report on what was hot at the show.
CES 2011 saw an explosion of tablets from manufacturers big and small, and a multitude [...]
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
� runMobileCompatibilityScript('myExperience750752022001', 'anId');brightcove.createExperiences();
After an exhausting and exhilarating week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the Gadget Lab is back with a full report on what was hot at the show.
CES 2011 saw an explosion of tablets from manufacturers big and small, and a multitude [...]
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Man discovers glasses-free 3D tech in the blink of an eye (video)
Who's got two thumbs and needs glasses to see 3D? Not this guy! Francois Vogel's figured out a way to remove those pesky spectacles from the equation, and he's ready to revolutionize the stereoscopic industry forever. Sure, you'll need a monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate, but that's a prerequisite these days anyhow, and the rest is sweet, sticky gravy dished directly to your eyeballs. Get a sneak peek at the game-changing tech in the video above, and keep an eye out for unicorns (we're sure they're around here somewhere). You'll never look at 3D the same way again, we promise.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Man discovers glasses-free 3D tech in the blink of an eye (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Kotaku | Jonathan Post | Email this | Comments
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Man discovers glasses-free 3D tech in the blink of an eye (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Kotaku | Jonathan Post | Email this | Comments
Three iPad dummy SKUs appear at Best Buy website
There's not much to see here, folks, just a few listings on Best Buy's website for Apple iPads that don't currently exist. They could be the result of a database error, an employee prank, or even just wishful thinking. Still, between well-placed sources informing us that a super-high-resolution, SD-card bearing, dual-mode iPad 2 is on the way and a feeling of déjà vu, we can't help but think there might be a rather exciting prize behind doors number one, two and three. Or perhaps just a Verizon iPad. We're sure that would make someone's day.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Three iPad dummy SKUs appear at Best Buy website originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Best Buy | Email this | Comments
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Three iPad dummy SKUs appear at Best Buy website originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Jan 2011 21:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Best Buy | Email this | Comments
Google Docs now lets you stream video files you upload
Google has just snuck a rather slick feature into Docs which you might not have noticed. You could already play audio files you had uploaded to your Google Docs storage, but now you can play video files as well. Google's player supports a number of different formats, including its own WebM/VP8, MPEG4, 3GP, MOV, AVI, MPEG, FLV (Flash video), and WMV (Windows Media). The heavy lifting is performed by YouTube's video player, and it supports files up to 1GB in size.
Extra Docs storage is dirt cheap, so this could be a terrific way to enjoy your favorite videos (and music) from a private stash in the cloud. It also wouldn't be a surprise to see Google integrate some fancy playback options into Android and Chrome OS. All we need now is a good desktop-to-docs sync program from Mountain View...Google Docs now lets you stream video files you upload originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Extra Docs storage is dirt cheap, so this could be a terrific way to enjoy your favorite videos (and music) from a private stash in the cloud. It also wouldn't be a surprise to see Google integrate some fancy playback options into Android and Chrome OS. All we need now is a good desktop-to-docs sync program from Mountain View...Google Docs now lets you stream video files you upload originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
CES Confessions: Booth Babes, Trash, Motorola, Media
CES isn't all about the gadgets and the deals. Sometimes, it's about the booth babes -- and the recycling. At the show last week, Wired.com's video team interviewed four people for their unusual perspectives on the enormous electronics tradeshow, which brought an estimated 140,000 people to Las Vegas for a weeklong download of gadget news and wheeling and dealing.
Fei Company Fairchild Semiconductor International Fair Isaac
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)