AT&T to some iPhone users: stay with us and get a free microcell
AT&T has quietly begun offering microcells to some iPhone customers in hopes of keeping them from defecting to Verizon. Some readers have reported receiving e-mails from AT&T with the microcell offer "as our way of saying 'thank you' for continued loyalty," though not all AT&T iPhone users have received it.
The e-mail offer comes with a bar code and has instructions to visit an AT&T store to receive a "free" 3G microcell, which retails at $199.99. The microcell, which is actually a femtocell device, acts as a sort of 3G signal extender and allows you to receive a cellular signal on your phone in small areas—such as your home or office—where you might not normally get signal. (The femtocell device actually creates new 3G signal using your own broadband connection, so it doesn't really "boost" signal so much as it creates new signal.) AT&T first started selling its own microcells to customers last year and they have been moderately popular among those who live in low- or troubled-coverage areas.
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Battlefield 3 teased: jets, destruction, 64 players on PC
EA has finally shared some Battlefield 3 details with fans—you can read and see even more in the latest issue of Game Informer—and what we know makes us very hopeful about the title. At least some of our wishlist has been granted."Battlefield 3 is the true successor to Battlefield 2. Beyond our signature multiplayer, we have also included a full single-player campaign and a co-op campaign—all straight out of the box," the official site states. "As for fan favorite features, how does the return of jets, prone, and 64-player multiplayer (on PC) sound?" There is also a short teaser, but it doesn't show much in the way of actual gameplay.
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Hands on: Android Market website a step forward, still lags AppBrain
Google launched a Web-based interface to the Android Market this week, offering Android users an easier way to find and install applications. The service integrates with the user's Google account and can be used to deploy software to a remote Android device over the Internet.Google first disclosed its plans for an Android Market website last year at the Google I/O conference. It has become one of the key pieces in Google's effort to improve the Android Market experience and remedy the reportedly slow growth of commercial application purchases. Google also recently overhauled the Android Market application that ships on devices and has worked to support carrier-billing and in-app purchases.
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Chrome 9 goes stable with WebGL and Chrome Instant
In a statement on the official Google Chrome Blog, the browser's developers have announced the availability of a new version in the stable channel. It brings some performance improvements and a handful of new features.Google's development efforts on Chrome have been moving forward at an impressive pace. The company is iterating very quickly on new features and stabilizing them as they trickle down through the various release channels. The most noteworthy new features introduced in the stable release of Chrome 9 are support for WebGL and Chrome Instant.
WebGL is a relatively new standard that emerged in 2009 with the support of the Khronos group. It provides a set of JavaScript APIs that wrap the functionality of OpenGL ES, allowing developers to render 3D graphics in the Canvas element. Mozilla and Apple have also adopted the standard and have their own increasingly mature implementations. Google officially supports WebGL with hardware-accelerated rendering in Chrome 9. To take the feature for a spin, you can try out some of the WebGL demos at the Chrome Experiments website.
Another major feature in Chrome 9 is support for Chrome Instant, the browser equivalent of Google's instant search innovation. As the user types a URL, the autocompletion mechanism will automatically load pages. This feature is integrated into the browser, but is not enabled by default. Users who want automatic loading will have to opt-in by toggling a preference in Chrome's settings panel.
Users can download the latest version of Chrome from Google's website. For more details about some of the bug fixes, you can refer to the release notes.
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The leafy rustle you hear could be the wind farm of the future
I tend to be the environmentally conscientious sort. I try to do the right thing in my purchasing decisions and life choices. So, as you might expect, I am of two minds with wind power. On the one hand, I love wind turbines: I think they look cool, make a cool noise, and generate power that is relatively economic and, overall, not too bad in terms of environmental effects. Unfortunately, they also seem to kill bats and birds, which is not nice. With that in mind, you can understand why a paper about using leaf structures to extract energy from the wind caught my eye. It turns out to be a very cool idea that has a long way to go to become competitive. And, unfortunately, I can't really see where the breakthroughs that might make it competitive will come from.
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Feature: L. Ron Altman: Why Dead Space 2 is a direct attack on Scientology
The mythology of Dead Space is centered on a religion called Unitology. The church actively recruits members, solicits money from its followers, and worships an alien artifact called "the Marker," with an aim to bring about the "convergence" or "unification." It's a large part of a Dead Space world, which spans DVDs, games, and books. It's also uncomfortably close to another, real-world religion."We never really approach that discussion with the intention of poking fun at a particular religion, or sort of making a social statement about something that's going on right now," Wright Bagwell, the creative director of Dead Space 2, told MTV. "For us, Unitology's purpose in the story represents people's illogical thinking about things they don't understand. It was never really intended to be a jab at any particular religion." That particular religion is Scientology, and he claims most of us think there's a link because the "names are very similar." That's not exactly accurate; the latest game in the series presented a pointed, ongoing attack on Scientology and its leadership. Let's take a look.
Warning: the following feature will contain light spoilers concerning the Dead Space series.
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Canada still wants to "discipline the use of the Internet"
Unlike the parrot in the famous Monty Python sketch, it appears that metered Internet billing in Canada is not quite dead after all. Speaking at a House of Commons hearing today, the head of Canada's telecoms regulator made it clear that metered billing rules would indeed be delayed—but they could well reappear.Konrad von Finckenstein, head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), said that he has heard the "evident concern expressed by Canadians" about metered billing rules. Those rules would allow the dominant DSL provider, Bell Canada, to impose usage-based billing on the small indie ISPs that use parts of its network to offer service.
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P2P lawyer accused of issuing ISP subpoenas without court approval
A few weeks ago, a man headed home from work and found that his wife had already opened a letter from their ISP, Comcast. The letter said that the man's IP address had been fingered by Mick Haig Productions, a German film producer suing 670 people in a Dallas federal court. Mick Haig suspected our unnamed protagonist of sharing a pornographic film called Der Gute Onkel (The Good Uncle) and had gone to Comcast in order to unearth his identity. Awkward conversations between husband and wife no doubt ensued.The man tried to find out exactly what was going on. He eventually got in touch with Paul Allen Levy at Public Citizen, a DC nonprofit that had been asked by the judge in the Mick Haig case to step in and stand up for the rights of the anonymous defendants.
The man "was really quite alarmed," Levy tells me, to be accused of downloading "this junk." Now he's "living in fear" of what might come next—and he denies even downloading the film in the first place.
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"Dating" site imports 250,000 Facebook profiles, without permission
How does a unknown dating site, with the absurd intention of destroying Facebook, launch with 250,000 member profiles on the first day?Simple.
You scrape data from Facebook.
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(Secret) US cables reveal: ACTA was far too secret
US government cables published by WikiLeaks show us that it wasn't just "the usual blogger-circles" (as the US Embassy in Sweden called them) complaining about the secrecy of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).French digital rights group La Quadrature du Net has compiled a list of relevant WikiLeaks cables regarding ACTA. In one, a top intellectual property official in Italy told the US that "the level of confidentiality in these ACTA negotiations has been set at a higher level than is customary for non-security agreements." He added that it was "impossible for member states to conduct necessary consultations with IPR stakeholders and legislatures under this level of confidentiality."
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Nonembryonic stem cells can't forget their past
Embryonic stem cells can potentially revolutionize the way we treat disease, providing a source of tissue to replace or repair a huge variety of disorders. In the US, however, funding of stem cell research has been limited by policy decisions and, once those decisions were reversed, a court ruling. In the intervening years, researchers developed what appeared to be a promising alternative, a technique that could push any adult cell into a state that appeared to be indistinguishable from an embryonic one. Unfortunately, researchers have now looked a bit more closely at these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and found that they are distinct from embryonic ones, in part because they retain the imprint of their former, mature state.Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), like the earliest cells of the embryo, have the ability to develop into any adult cell type: cardiac, neural, pancreatic, etc. An adult cell, including adult stem cells like the ones in bone marrow, typically is committed to one, or at least a limited number of fates. This process of commitment is partly controlled by the proteins they express, which are relatively easy to change. But only partly. As cells go through the process of development and become committed to role in a specific organ, their DNA is chemically modified to lock this developmental decision in place.
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Apple slow to respond to counterfeit app on Mac App Store
Shady developers stealing assets from other developers and selling them on the iOS App Store isn't a new phenomenon. But what if that same thing happened on the Mac App Store, and instead of just repackaging certain assets, the shady developer ripped off the entire app and sold it for cheap, keeping the profits for himself? That's what those behind a game called Lugaru HD, Wolfire Games, are saying has happened to them, and so far, Apple has done little to help.
Lugaru HD is a combat game involving a "rebel bunny rabbit" that is on a mission to exact revenge on those who slaughtered his village. The app is available through Steam for both Mac and PC, but recently joined the Mac App Store at $9.99 per download. Shortly thereafter, another company going by "iCoder" uploaded an identical version of the game—this time named Lugaru—and priced it at $1.99. Since the games are otherwise identical and there's no indication that it was ripped off, it's easy to see how regular users would choose to pay for the cheaper, counterfeit option.
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Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Onslaught canned for PC
Fans of EA's Battlefield series who also enjoy playing their games on the PC aren't having a good day. DICE has announced that the long-delayed Battlefield 1943 has finally been canceled for the PC, and we likewise won't be seeing the Onslaught mode in our version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2"We know some of you eagerly have been awaiting Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Onslaught on PC," Karl Magnus Troedsson, general manager of DICE, wrote on the official blog. "I'm sad to say that these two titles are now officially canceled. Instead, our talented teams will focus on delivering the greatest possible gaming experience in our next behemoth release. We're confident this will lead to an even better experience in Battlefield 3, not only on PC, but on all platforms."
Battlefield 3 will be unveiled to the press at an event before the upcoming Game Developers Conference, and PC gamers have had the release of Bad Company 2: Vietnam to keep them somewhat placated, but this is still disappointing. We wanted to play some Onslaught! Still, DICE is making it clear that it's looking forward, not back.
We will reserve our rage until after we see Battlefield 3. If it's everything DICE is hinting at, we can be considered satisfied. If not, the bitter complaints will begin again.
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Feature: Virtualization in the trenches with VMware, Part 1: Basics and benefits
IT in the enterprise is as much about technology as it is about people, processes, and business needs. In a five-part series, we will cover some of the challenges faced when trying to design and deploy a virtualization platform for a sizable enterprise and migrate its infrastructure into the cloud. This usually ends up being a far larger undertaking than imagined, partly due to technical challenges, but mostly due to having to make careful selections at every step of the way.
For reasons I'll cover in a moment, this series focuses on VMware. There are some fantastic alternatives to VMware out there, but VMware was the package that best suited my own company's needs. However, much of the discussion in this series can easily be applied to other virtualization platforms.
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Motorola Atrix 4G + laptop dock $500 with contract, hits March 6
The Motorola Atrix 4G, a smartphone that can be docked into a laptop, will arrive no later than March 6, according to AT&T. The phone will be priced at $200 and will be available for preorder through AT&T starting February 13, but the peripherals that have made the phone such a hit pre-launch may drive the price of adoption up significantly.
The Atrix garnered a lot of attention at CES last month for its ability to dock into a laptop and power the laptop's entire experience with its Tegra 2 processor and dual 1GHz cores. But the companion laptop dock (referred to by Motorola reps as a "lapdock") will cost $500 on its own, or it can be packaged with the Atrix and a two-year contract for a total cost of $500.
Motorola is also making a multimedia dock for the Atrix to connect the phone to an HD screen. AT&T made no indication the dock will be sold separately, but will instead come in a package with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse‚ and a remote control, for $190. We've seen whisperings, though, that the dock may be sold standalone by third parties for $60.
The Atrix does have a couple of drawbacks: it's shipping with Android 2.2 Froyo rather than the latest 2.3 Gingerbread. It also will not be able to play or record video at the promised 1080p resolution when it launches, though Motorola has promised to enable these features in a software update. It seems like the fully enabled Atrix will be able to envelop your entire media experience if you let it; we're already wondering how many customers will get on board.
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Ask Ars: What do I do with a dead UPS?
Ask Ars was one of the first features of the newly born Ars Technica back in 1998. It's all about your questions and our community's answers. Each week, we'll dig into our bag of questions, answer a few based on our own know-how, and then we'll turn to the community for your take. To submit your own question, see our helpful tips page.Question: My UPS is dead and I need to dispose of it. Is there any kind of special consideration here (is it dangerous?), or can I just dump it into the trash?
The answers to those three questions are yes, it can be, and no. Most of the batteries used in UPS systems are lead-acid, the same technology used in a car battery, so most of the things you've heard about those apply here. The batteries are sealed, and as long as that seal remains intact, the biggest danger—exposure to the sulfuric acid within—is minimal. Hit it with the compaction used by most garbage trucks, however, and you run the risk of giving someone an acid bath.
Even if the acid weren't an issue, however, you wouldn't want to just dump the battery into the local municipal waste stream. Lead is a potent toxin, with both immediate and chronic effects, so it needs to be disposed of properly. That's also true of cadmium, an ingredient of the primary alternative to lead-acid batteries, the Ni-Cd. So, no matter which type of UPS you've got, the contents of its battery are toxic. Try to avoid eating it, and don't just dump it in the trash.
Because they have toxic ingredients, disposal of batteries is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rules there are rich in bureaucratese (an example: "Batteries, as described in Sec. 273.9, that are not yet wastes under part 261 of this chapter, including those that do not meet the criteria for waste generation in paragraph (c) of this section."), but the EPA has also provided some human-readable advice. The feds are not the only ones with regulations; most states and a number of municipalities have their own rules governing how spent batteries are handled. The end result of this regulation is that the manufacturers of batteries that contain toxic waste are responsible for recycling them once they're no longer in use.
Notice that's "recycled," and not "disposed of." The rules require that the batteries get recycled, and many major manufacturers have banded together to form a non-profit company that collects the batteries and sends them into a single recycling stream; the vast majority of the lead and cadmium reclaimed from batteries ends up right back in other batteries. Many companies have their own programs in place for returning the spent batteries to them (APC's program, for example, lets you download a prepaid shipping label online).
If your manufacturer is not so generous, you may still be in luck, as the non-profit mentioned above also helps collect the batteries from consumers. A trip to its homepage lets you enter a zip code and find a battery drop-off location. The EPA also recommends a similar resource.
If that's too much work, your state may make life even easier. In New York, for example, any place that sells batteries is required by law to accept them. As a result, the battery can be taken to any office supply, home improvement store, or drugstore.
So, in summary: your UPS's battery contains toxic ingredients; although these don't present a danger as long as the battery is intact, it's illegal to to dispose of it in the trash. Fortunately, you have plenty of options for getting rid of it safely, and with the knowledge that the toxic chemicals will be recycled.
Photo by carrotmadman6
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More shareholders back Steve Jobs succession plan, but Apple resists
Some Apple shareholders are turning up the heat on the company to publish its CEO succession plan now that Steve Jobs is on medical leave once again, but Apple is still not budging. The proposal for publishing a succession plan annually was backed by the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), and now the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has given its support as well, both recommending that shareholders vote for it at the upcoming Apple shareholder meeting.What LIUNA (and now ISS) want is for Apple to publish an annual report with a clear CEO succession plan. "A vote for the shareholder proposal to adopt a succession planning policy is warranted in light of the company’s limited disclosure regarding this issue and the market’s expression of concern over CEO succession at Apple," ISS said in its latest report, according to Bloomberg.
Apple announced last month that CEO Steve Jobs would be going on another medical leave—the third he has taken since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. In his statement, sent to employees and issued to the press, Jobs said that COO Tim Cook would be responsible for day-to-day operations in his absence, and that he hoped to be "back as soon as I can."
Since Jobs' medical leave is currently indefinite, Apple watchers have been left wondering what the company's plan is in the event that Jobs cannot return. Rumors have circulated about Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, being asked to step in for Jobs, but Schmidt has refused to comment on his "private conversations." The idea is a little on the unconvincing side anyway, as Cook has proven himself to be a capable interim CEO and would likely be the company's first choice.
As pointed out by Bloomberg, Apple has already asked its shareholders to vote against the LIUNA proposal when the annual meeting occurs on February 23. The reasoning? Apple's board already has a succession plan in place for senior management, but wants to keep those talks confidential in order to avoid giving the competition a leg up. Apple also said it wants to avoid giving its executives a reason to look elsewhere "because it would identify who’s being considered for positions and how they are being evaluated."
Apple has never been one for transparency when it comes to Steve Jobs and its senior management, so the fact that it opposes the publication of a succession plan comes as no surprise. Still, with Jobs on his third medical leave from Apple, some shareholders are feeling more antsy than ever about placing all their trust in the Apple board. We'll see how the vote turns out in a few weeks, but Jobs' potential replacement is likely to remain a hot topic throughout 2011.
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Researchers engineer protein containers to regulate cellular activity
Chemists are fascinated by the cell’s ability to compartmentalize, and they have been trying to mimic it for years. Separate things like the nucleus, mitochondria, and other compartments keep otherwise incompatible biochemical processes functioning cohesively in one cell. One of the simplest compartments is a protein shell, like the capsid of a virus. Protein shells are usually highly organized structures with defined geometric shapes and sizes. Scientists have altered natural protein shells for a variety of purposes, from crystallizing inorganic nanoparticles to the delivery of drugs. In a new paper, they've engineered a capsule that can neutralize a toxic protein.Bigna Wörsdörfer, Kenneth Woycechowsky, and Donald Hilvert used directed evolution, where they specifically select for certain traits in a protein, to engineer a container that is able to control the catalytic activity of an enzyme called a protease from the HIV genome. Their capsule was made from a protein called lumazine synthase, found in the bacteria Aquifex aeolicus (AaLS). AaLS is an enzyme that is involved in the biosynthesis of riboflavin (vitamin B2); it normally forms icosahedral-shaped capsids made from either 60 or 180 identical subunits.
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Big Cable fed up with endless P2P porn subpoenas
The big ISPs, especially Comcast and Time Warner Cable, have intervened for months in massive file-sharing lawsuits, telling judges that they simply can't drop all of their activity for law enforcement in order to spend weeks doing IP address lookups on behalf of pornographers. And, when the ISPs get the chance to make their arguments before judges, they routinely go beyond complaints about the workload and challenge the very basis of the mass lawsuits.One recent case serves as a good example. Last November, the large New York law firm of Foley & Lardner jumped into the P2P game, filing John Doe lawsuits on behalf of films like Anal Fanatic. A judge granted expedited discovery and subpoenas went out to ISPs—but the ISPs objected.
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