Delkin Elite 633 claims to be the fastest SDHC card with 80MBps write speeds
We can't say we're pleased that camera makers
still haven't called an armistice in their megapixel war, but a race for the speediest memory card is one battle we can get behind. Delkin says its 32GB Elite 633 SDHC is the fastest in the world, with 80MBps and 95MBps write and read speeds, respectively, handily trumping Sony's
new Memory Sticks that so recently impressed us. This card's ideal for people who shoot gobs of 1080p video, 3D movies, and high-resolution shots coupled with RAW files, but with a price of $440, it's only worth it for pros. And debutants.
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World Bank report finds selling virtual goods in games more profitable than 'real' economy
A report commissioned by the World Bank's infoDev unit has cast fresh light on one of the more fascinating aspects of our brave new interconnected world: the
virtual economy. The "third-party gaming services industry" -- where wealthy but impatient players have someone else grind away at
online games for them in exchange for monetary reward -- is one of the focal points of the study, chiefly owing to it having generated revenues in the region of $3
billion in 2009 and now serving as the primary source of income for an estimated 100,000 young folks, primarily in countries like China and Vietnam. What's encouraging about these findings is that most of the revenue from such transactions ends up in the country where the virtual value is produced, which contrasts starkly with some of the more traditional international markets, such as that for coffee beans, where the study estimates only $5.5 billion of the $70 billion annual market value ever makes it back to the producing country. The research also takes an intriguing look at the emerging phenomenon of microwork, which consists of having unskilled workers doing the web's version of menial work -- checking images, transcribing bits of text, bumping up
Facebook Likes (naughty!), etc. -- and could also lead to more employment opportunities for people in poorer nations. To get better acquainted with the details, check the links below or click past the break.
Continue reading World Bank report finds selling virtual goods in games more profitable than 'real' economy
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infoDev (PDF), Virtual Economy Research Network |
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Google preps Android for its corporate interview, adds new encryption and security measures
With over 300,000 devices activated per day,
Android's clearly firing on all cylinders from a consumer standpoint, but much like the famed Cheez-It wheel, some would argue that the OS isn't quite mature enough for unabashed enterprise use. Being a corporation itself, El Goog's obviously been toiling around the clock to change that, and it's taking three major strides today. An updated version of its Google Apps Device Policy enables employees to secure a lost or stolen Android 2.2+ device by locating it on a map, ringing the device, and resetting the device PIN or password remotely via the new My Devices website. Furthermore, Apps admins now have an option in the control panel to "Encrypt Data on Device," which will now include requiring encrypted storage on Android 3.0 tablets. Finally, Google Apps Lookup is acting as a type of internal blackbook, allowing users to easily sift through colleagues and contact them through one form or another. So... hired?
Permalink The Inquirer, Google Apps (1), (2) |
Official Google Enterprise Blog |
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Aurasma's AR iPhone app to turn everyday objects into multimedia triggers (video)
We've seen
augmented reality done what seems like a million different ways, but we've never seen it quite like this. The
New York Times reported Wednesday on a forthcoming iPhone app called Aurasma that has the power to turn ink-and-paper publications into interactive mine fields. Aurasma, conceived by enterprise software firm Autonomy, uses a scaled down version of the outfit's IDOL pattern recognizer to identify images stored in a vast database, and then converts those images into related video. Unfortunately, the first release of the app, scheduled for sometime next month, comes in the form of an
AR advertisement / game for an unidentified upcoming movie, and the company's founder seems solidly focused on the technology's marketing potential. No word yet on when or if we can expect to see our
New York Times come to life, as seen in the video at the source link below, but if this is the future of augmented reality, count us in.
Continue reading Aurasma's AR iPhone app to turn everyday objects into multimedia triggers (video)
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Download DARPA's sub-hunting sim, help train its ACTUV automaton
DARPA dabbles in all matter of defense drones, and it's no stranger to
leveraging the wisdom of the masses to help develop tomorrow's military machinery. The agency's latest program to go the crowdsourcing route is its Anti-submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), and it wants you to help develop the software that'll control the thing. DARPA's borrowed a bit of the Sonalysts Combat Simulations Dangerous Waters game to create the ACTUV Tactics Simulator, where players complete missions tracking a target sub while navigating through and around commercial ocean traffic. Would-be captains can then choose to submit their strategies and game data to DARPA for use in shoring up the autonomous seabot's strategic submarine pursuit software. Hit the source link for a free download and
dive into the sub-hunting action.
Permalink The Register |
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BlackBerry Orlando leaks out: say hello to the touchscreen Curve
As if we needed any more signs of where Research in Motion was heading in terms of its 2011 device line, we've just caught wind of yet
another touchscreen-equipped Berry. The BlackBerry "Orlando" is purported to be a variation of the
Curve with touch capabilities, already being described as a mini
Bold Touch. This yet again begs the question of why exactly RIM has so many different devices planned, especially when the spec differences are so minor. We wish the company would deviate from this approach it has relied on for years, but it seems to be more focused on its tablet strategy than it is on pushing the envelope with phones. Additionally, it could just mean that
BB6 might be sticking around for a while and that RIM wants its users to get acclimated, or perhaps that it might take a little longer than we think for QNX to trickle down from the
PlayBook.
Permalink BGR |
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Test subjects with electrode implants use mind control to move a cursor
As trippy as mind-control still seems to us, we've already seen it implemented in everything from
wheelchairs to pricey gaming (
and car driving!) headsets. But the problem is that they measure brain activity outside the skull -- you know, the thing we've evolved to shield the murky goings-on in our minds from prying
EEG sensors.
Now, though, a team of Washington University researchers appears to have happened upon a more effective -- albeit, invasive -- approach. The researchers got some brave specimens to move a mouse cursor by implanting plastic pads containing electrodes underneath their skulls, with the sensors sitting on the
surface of the brain. That, they say, gives them access to more telling, high-frequency waves that say a lot more about cognitive intentions. In the end, the subjects moved the cursors by thinking one of these sounds: "ee," "ah," "oo," and "eh."
Brain-computer interfaces ain't new, of course, but the scientists say the subjects with electrode implants had more success than people wearing electrode-studded EEG caps, which could translate to less frustration for people with severe disabilities.
Permalink BBC |
Journal of Neural Engineering |
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IBM shows off 155GHz graphene transistor in the name of DARPA research
IBM might be
cautious about touting graphene as a a silicon killer, but that hasn't stopped it from pushing the production of ever faster graphene transistors. With the recent demonstration of a 155GHz graphene transistor, the firm successfully outdid its previous
record-setting efforts, which produced a cut-off frequency of 100GHz. What's more, the thing is also IBM's smallest to date, with a gate length of 40 nanometers; that's 200 nanometers less than the 100GHz iteration. This smaller, faster transistor was produced as part of a
DARPA research project that aims to develop high-performance RF (radio frequency) transistors. So, no, we probably won't be seeing the things in our PCs anytime soon, but it looks like they could be right at home in war machines of the future.
Permalink Computerworld |
nature |
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Cowon's minuscule C2 PMP picks up where the D2 left off
At this point, Cowon's
D2 (and to a lesser extent, the
D2+) is getting a bit long in the tooth, and it looks as if the Korea-based outfit will be taking an alphabetical leap backwards in order to supplant it. The newly revealed C2 is slated to land at the end of April or early May in order to give barebones PMP users yet another alternative, boasting a 2.6-inch resistive touchpanel (320 x 240), a composite video output, microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of internal flash storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, an internal microphone and a rechargeable battery that's good for up to ten hours of video playback (and a whopping 55 hours when listening strictly to audio). Per usual, Cowon's supporting every file format under the sun (and the moon, for good measure), and we're expecting nothing less than world-class aural performance based on the
company's past. We're still waiting to hear back on a price, but you can use your limbo time wisely by deciding on white, black or gray.
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Smithsonian's Spark!Lab gives big ups to robots
We've seen them
scoop up oozy goop,
shake their moneymakers, and even
give birth, but it's rare for us to land solid face time with the robotic superstars we admire so much. If you're in DC over the next few weeks, however, the
Smithsonian's offering you the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most influential automatons in robotics history. In honor of National Robotics week, the museum is dedicating its Spark!Lab to our mechanical counterparts, allowing you to play Simon with DARPA's Autonomous Robotic Manipulator (ARM), invent a robotic arm of your own, or feast your eyes on the likes of ELECTRO the robo dog. The museum has also announced that it is now accepting donations "relating to the development of autonomous mobile robots in the United States." So, throw one back for your favorite robots this week, because -- you know -- they can't. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading Smithsonian's Spark!Lab gives big ups to robots
Permalink International Business Times |
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Full specs leak for BlackBerry Bold Touch, 1.2GHz Snapdragon can't overcome ugly
We understand that it's hard to
take two steps rather than one, but a solid list of specifications isn't going to make the BlackBerry Bold Touch (
Dakota) look any less
last-decade. For whatever reason, RIM's design department seems to be stuck in an era where last-generation is the new next-generation, while it's internals team has seemingly managed to escape. For those who couldn't disagree more regarding the exterior, you'll likely be elated to know that the impending handset will boast a blisteringly fast 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 8GB of internal storage, 768MB of RAM, a microSD expansion slot, 5 megapixel camera and a 35-key backlit keyboard. You'll also get a microscopic 2.8-inch LCD with a woeful 640 x 480 resolution, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm headphone jack, A-GPS, dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a 720p movie mode. So, one down, one to go --
time for a reread, is it RIM?
Update: Seems as if the faucet's still flowing, with a
full specs list popping up for the BlackBerry Torch 9860 (Monza) as well!
[Thanks, bighap]
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US DoJ approves Google's acquisition of ITA, but not without stipulations
The United States government may be dissolved tomorrow, but it's certainly taking care of one final piece of business before going into shutdown:
this. If you'll recall, Google
announced its intentions to acquire ITA for $700 million in July of last year, and as we cruise into the start of America's summer travel season, all signals are go. Today, the US Department of Justice approved Google's request to move forward with the buy, but rather than having the entire travel search market under its wing, El Goog's going to have to make a smattering of concessions in order to get the right signatures. For starters, the search monolith will allow ITA's existing client contracts to extend into 2016, and it'll let both current and new customers license ITA's QPX software on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms." No one's saying when the integration will be complete (or start, for that matter), but we're desperately anxious to see just how Kayak and Bing Travel react after this launches in earnest. Power to the searchers, as it were.
Permalink PCMag |
The Official Google Blog, US Department of Justice |
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Verizon Wireless killing one-year contracts on April 17th, assumes you won't even care
Okay, so maybe you'll
care, but you'll still
opt for the two-year option once your contract is up. That's according -- more or less, anyway -- to a Verizon Wireless spokesperson, confirming to our inquiry this afternoon that the carrier's one-year contract option will be eliminated on April 17th. The reason, as you might expect, revolves around historical customer preference. That's a fancy way of saying that most customers prefer the stout hardware discounts that are available with a lengthier two-year agreement, and barring that, they can still choose month-to-month, prepaid or a rival. Not that VZW would encourage the latter, but hey -- America's about options, man.
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House of Representatives votes to block FCC's net neutrality rules
Well, it looks like Republicans in the House of Representatives weren't about to let this one slip past a possible government shutdown -- they just passed a measure that seeks to block the FCC's
net neutrality rules by a largely party line vote of
240 to 179. That follows a House subcommittee vote
last month but, as then, the bill still faces an uphill battle in the Senate and with the President, who's expected to veto any such legislation if it somehow got to his desk. Not surprisingly, the rhetoric from both sides is only increasing following this latest development, with Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman saying the Republican bill would "end the internet as we know it," while Republican Rep. Fred Upton argues that "the internet is not broken and this bill will assure that the FCC does not break it."
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Star Trek series coming to Netflix Watch Instantly in July and October
Just because
Netflix has licensed new content we're not always sure when it will be available for Watch Instantly streaming, but
TrekMovie.com reports it has the dates for
Star Trek content covered by a
recent deal with CBS.
TrekMovie has confirmed it will have every episode of all five live action series -- US only, sorry Canada, enjoy that
Iron Man 2 -- with the original
Star Trek (
in HD),
Star Trek: The Next Generation,
Star Trek: Voyager, and
Star Trek: Enterprise (in HD) available July 1st, followed by
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 on October 1st. There's still no word on when
Family Ties is arriving, but the two year deal (with an option for two more) should give viewers who haven't already shelled out for the boxed sets (we know you got the
HD DVDs) a chance to get all the
Trek they can bear.
Permalink Hacking Netflix |
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Samsung's Droid Charge spotted in leaked promo material, multimedia dock in tow
Like it or not, it's a Big Red kind of day. The latest
VZW news to splash down in our inbox is the shot you see above -- the first hint of promotional material surrounding Samsung's Droid Charge. If you'll recall, this phone began its (public) life at CES 2011
sans a name, but as a source correctly
predicted, the name shown above will be the one that sticks. Proving that the Atrix 4G setup was more than just a fluke, Sammy's also showcasing a must-have peripheral: the multimedia desktop dock. Said accessory ships with a built-in battery charger and spare cell, but with no apparent signs of a video output, we're having a hard time getting
too hot and bothered.
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Motorola Xoom UK pricing official at آ£580 for 3G and آ£480 for WiFi-only
Motorola has now confirmed that the latest round of prices the Carphone Warehouse, PC World and other UK retailers are listing for its Xoom tablet are indeed the officially sanctioned price points for the Honeycomb slate. After being listed at
£600 for the 3G model and
£500 for the WiFi-only version initially, the 32GB-equipped 10-incher is now mercifully £20 cheaper, at £580 and £480 for each variant. A quick glance at Apple's online store tells us that those levies match up exactly to what a corresponding 32GB version of the iPad 2 will cost you, signaling Motorola's intent to at least be on par in terms of pricing. Stores are still showing the Xoom under a pre-order status for now, but that should be changing swiftly if Motorola wishes to live up to its promise of availability
this very week.
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Leaked Verizon Unleashed pricing sheets detail $50 unlimited talk / text plans
Just in case you're still dissatisfied after taking a peek at
one leaked Verizon screenshot today, well... here's numero dos. The folks at
Droid-Life managed to get their paws on a couple of monochrome sheets that look more like VZW promotional material than anything else, and if Sprint's
Simply Everything plan thought it had the whole market locked down, it might just have another thing coming. Best we can tell, the impending (?) 'Unleashed' pricing options will allow customers to choose a contract-free $50 / month unlimited calling and texting plan, with "Mobile Web" access thrown in as well for featurephones. 'Course, you'd have to pony up extra for legitimate data on a legitimate smartphone, but it's hardly a bad place to start -- particularly for those who are growing increasingly tired of locking themselves into two-year agreements. Hard to say if the carrier is planning to actually implement any of this, but why waste the intern's time mocking it up, right?
[Thanks, Mio]
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HTC breaks its own sales and profit records, keeps riding the smartphone wave to success
Another quarter, another
spectacular set of
financial results for HTC. The once-small Taiwanese phone maker reports its net income for the first quarter of 2011 nearly tripled earnings in the same period of 2010, now totaling an impressive $513 million. Overall quarterly revenue was in the vicinity of $3.6 billion and the causes cited were, rather predictably, demand for Android smartphones and higher-speed internet connectivity (as provided by the likes of the
EVO 4G and
Thunderbolt). Guess now we know why the stock markets are
loving HTC so much -- the company just can't stop growing!
[Thanks, Karan]
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Bloomberg |
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Purported Verizon screenshot points to LTE-upgradable 16GB Motorola Xoom
The
Motorola Xoom might be starting to look a bit pricey compared to some of its
new competitors, but it seems that the company may have a solution in the offing. According to a leaked, supposedly authentic Verizon screenshot obtained by
Droid Life, Motorola is apparently planning to launch an LTE-upgradable Xoom with just 16GB of storage instead of the current 32GB, which would presumably also open the door for a cheaper 16GB WiFi-only model. Of course, that's still a long way from being official, but cutting the storage in half is certainly one sure way to make a (seemingly necessary) price drop a bit more bearable.
[Thanks, Josh S]
Permalink Android Central |
Droid Life |
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ChevronWP7 updater pulled, places phones into 'non-serviceable state' of mind
We've had our phones in a number of states (Vermont is particularly lovely), but stopping by a "non-serviceable state" isn't exactly high on our list. Sadly, every user of ChevronWP7.updater may have unwittingly paid a visit to this place, that tool being
pulled offline after Microsoft contacted its developer. It seems that anyone who used it to update their WP7 handsets to NoDo may now be in a bit of a bind. According to Microsoft those phones may not be able to receive any future updates -- ever. MS
did warn people against using this updater in the first place, but we're still hopeful that Big Redmond will find a fix. If not, well, hope you like that copy & paste.
Permalink WMPoweruser.com |
My Coding Adventures |
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