Tuesday, February 21, 2012

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 2/21/2012





Samsung spinning off LCD business


When the Korea Exchange asked Sammy about rumors of a impending spin-off of its LCD business, the firm said it was a move it was considering -- consider it done. Today Samsung announced it would be launching Samsung Display on April 1st, 2012 with $667 million in its coffers.

Developing...
Samsung spinning off LCD business originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MinION USB stick decodes DNA in a matter of seconds
If you happen to be "special," then this $900 USB device is just about the worst thing ever. The aptly named MINion serves its masters by interrogating the cells of living organisms and rooting out their genetic secrets. We won't pretend to know exactly how it works, but it starts by pulling a strand of DNA through a razor-like nanotube that unzips the double helix. The nucleotide bases are then electrocuted one by one until they give up their code. The resulting sequence is stored like a ticker-tape readout, for the whole world to see. The MinION can complete its task in seconds and, unlike most other DNA sequencers, it's portable and simply plugs into a laptop. Luckily, it has so far only been shown to work on very short genomes, like those belonging viruses and bacteria, so for now you're probably safe.
MinION USB stick decodes DNA in a matter of seconds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink New Scientist  |  sourceNanoPore Technologies  | Email this | Comments

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How would you change Sony's Vaio F?
How would you change Sony's Vaio F?
Let's say you bought Sony's VAIO F Series laptop at the end of last year. Would it be a stretch to say you liked how cheap it was and that games played well as long as you dialed down those display settings? Were you not too impressed by the battery life or that touch button on the trackpad? Well, at least you agree with our review of the "desktop replacement" device. But we'd like to know more, dear friends: what gremlins have you uncovered in the numerous hours logged using this unit? What are the nice surprises? If Kaz Hirai was reading this intently waiting for your opinion, what would you tell him you'd like to change?
How would you change Sony's Vaio F? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'Plantscraper' vertical farm, new wave energy and a battery-powered iPhone case
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Groundbreaking green architecture burst into life in Sweden this week as Inhabitat reported that Plantagon began construction on the world's first 'Plantscraper' vertical farm. We also marveled at artist Yayoi Kusama's dazzling Infinity Mirror Room, which shines with the reflections of thousands of LEDs, and we shared the bubbly modular AMPS living wall system. Meanwhile, the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program announced that HWKN's bright blue spiky sea-urchin shaped pavilion will be popping up this summer, PinkCloud.DK unveiled plans to transform oil refineries into giant energy positive communities and the UK granted planning commission for its first amphibious house.

We also showcased several amazing applications for LEGO bricks this week: a NYC apartment renovated with 20,000 plastic bricks, a gigantic LEGO-inspired church in the Netherlands and a remarkable fully articulated prosthetic LEGO arm. Speaking of next-gen prosthetics, this week Israeli scientists demoed a real-life "Star Trek" VISOR that enables the blind to see, and Nike took the wraps off a prosthetic running sole for amputee triathlete Sarah Reinertsen.

This also marked a heated week for energy news as solar power heavyweight Sunpower sued Solarcity over stolen data, and Aquamarine Power geared up to connect its new wave energy generator to the UK's national grid. We also got ready for rough days ahead with the waterproof, armageddon-ready, solar-charged, battery-powered iPhone case, and we got things cooking with Biolite's brilliant new camping stove, which converts waste heat into electricity for USB gadgets. Last but not least, we were wowed by several amazing new applications for discarded tech: Sean Avery's astounding animal sculptures made from shattered CDs and Paola Mirai's elegant jewelry fashioned out of discarded computer circuits.
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Refresh Roundup: week of February 13th, 2012
Refresh Roundup: week of February 13th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of February 13th, 2012
Refresh Roundup: week of February 13th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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VLC 2.0 now available, offering faster decoding, a refreshed UI and experimental Blu-ray support
The release candidate version slipped out a few days ago, but those waiting for the final release will be glad to know that version 2.0 of the open source VLC media player is now officially available for download. It's being dubbed a "major" release of the software, and with good reason. In addition to some UI changes (a big change in the case of the Mac version), VLC 2.0 also brings with it faster decoding on multi-core processors, GPUs, and mobile hardware, and the ability to open yet more file formats, including a number HD formats used by professional users. Also making its debut is support for Blu-ray playback, although it's being dubbed an "experimental" feature at this time. It also promises to fix "several hundred" bugs. Naturally, it remains completely free as ever -- hit the source link below to download it for the platform of your choice.
Permalink   |  sourceVideoLAN  | Email this | Comments

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Switched On: Think form factors, not PCs
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.


The iPad, launched in 2010, kicked off the post-PC era. The combination of a multitouch display and keyboard-less design enabled mobile computing in a way not done before. On the other hand, maybe the IBM Simon, launched in 1992, kicked off the post-PC era. Widely considered to be the first smartphone, it enabled mobile computing in a way that was not done before. Then again, maybe the Osborne I, launched in 1981, marked the beginning of the post-PC era. After all, it was widely considered to be the first portable computer, enabling mobile computing in a way that was not done before.
Continue reading Switched On: Think form factors, not PCs
Switched On: Think form factors, not PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Arnova launches 8b G2 slate, hopes to keep it cheap
Arnova launches 8b G2 slate, hopes to keep it cheap
Arnova isn't exactly a newcomer when it comes to dealing with budget-friendly tabs, already having produced the 9 and 10 G2s. The outfit's newest addition to its tablet lineup is simply dubbed 8b G2, honoring its 8-inch, 800 x 600, TFT display. Coming in what some could consider "last year's specs," the slate's packing a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, a front-facing shooter, microSD slot for extra storage (4 or 8GB built-in) and a predictably outdated piece of Gingerbread. Presumably price will be its best asset -- Arnova hasn't given us a figure but, if its predecessor is a telling sign, we can't imagine you'd part ways with more than 200 bucks.
Arnova launches 8b G2 slate, hopes to keep it cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Liliputing  |  sourceArnova  | Email this | Comments

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March Madness streams to more platforms in 2012, but not everything is free
Last year CBS and Turner Sports brought every game of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament home in HD on four cable channels, and streaming for free to PCs and iOS devices. While the broadcast plans remain the same this year, if you want to stream the 41 games broadcast on cable networks then you'll need to subscribe to an affiliated TV provider (all the major guys except Time Warner) and log into the TNT, TBS, or TruTV website on your Windows PC or Mac. For the other 41 games broadcast on CBS, CBSSports.com is your (free) online resource. Live streaming on mobiles (over WiFi or 3G) has been extended to the Android platform for the first time, however after being offered for free last year the rebranded March Madness Live app will cost $3.99 this time around, which is still less than the $10 it cost in 2010. Check out the press release after the break for all the details on what's viewable where -- cord cutting sports fans will want to make some alternate arrangements.
Continue reading March Madness streams to more platforms in 2012, but not everything is free
March Madness streams to more platforms in 2012, but not everything is free originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceTurner Sports  | Email this | Comments

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Google quietly launches Latitude Leaderboards, threatens Foursquare under its breath
Latitude Leaderboard
Google didn't exactly offer much fanfare for this new feature -- as far as we can tell, it still hasn't been officially announced. With the latest update to the Maps app, Mountain View delivered an extra level of functionality to the all but forgotten Latitude. Now check check-ins earn you points which are tallied and used to rank Google+ users on a global leaderboard, just like on Foursquare. Not everyone is seeing the feature just yet, and it only appears to reveal itself after you check-in somewhere. In fact, we still haven't found a way to pull up the leaderboard without first registering our location. You can see the rather sparse help page at the more coverage link and sound off in the comments if you're seeing your name ranked alongside your favorite Engadget editors and Leo Laporte.
Permalink   |  sourceAndroid World (translated)  | Email this | Comments

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Student hacks into Facebook, gets eight months in prison, twelve likes
The next time you get caught hijacking your friend's Facebook, remember it could be worse. On Friday, British Student Glenn Mangham was sentenced to eight months in not-so-social jail, for hacking deep into Facebook's servers. Apparently no user details were taken, with Mangham heading straight for "invaluable" intellectual property instead. Facebook alerted the authorities after it discovered the breach last May, the FBI then followed the digital thread back to the Briton's UK address. It's believed Mangham gained access to the inner sanctum after hacking into a Facebook employee's account, though it's not known if the comedy status update and embarrassing profile picture were also part of the attack.
Student hacks into Facebook, gets eight months in prison, twelve likes originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Huffington Post  |  sourcePress Association  | Email this | Comments

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DARPA's 'Avatar project' aims to give soldiers surrogate robots, make James Cameron proud
In a fevered mash up of blockbuster films directed by James Cameron, DARPA is looking to put soldier controlled bi-pedal robots on the battlefield. Think Terminator meets Avatar. The agency has set aside $7 million of it's $2.8 billion 2012 budget to develop an "Avatar program" that will "develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier's surrogate." DARPA isn't talking about simple remote control rigs, either -- these 'bots are being designed to clear rooms, and facilitate sentry control and combat casualty recovery. The new budget also sets aside $4.1 million to design laser countermeasures to protect military weapons, well, lasers -- ensuring that the future's robot soldiers will be nigh indestructible when they rebel against their human hosts.
Permalink IEEE  |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

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NASA simulates fly through of ginormous crack in Antarctic glacier, takes you for virtual ride
It's a trap! NASA uses The Force in virtual fly-through of ginormous Antarctic crack
Swooping through the trenches of the Death Star likely ranks high on every geek's bucket list, but even an earthbound version won't really do the trick. Fortunately, the folks at NASA have rigged up a passable alternative -- flying through a massive 19-mile crack across Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. The crack was discovered last October and measures 60 yards wide and 50 yards deep, certainly more than enough clearance to accommodate adventurous fliers. Using data gathered by NASA's Operation IceBridge science flight team, the agency generated an animated fly through that, well, mostly flew over the crack -- but we're sure that was a defensive maneuver. After all, you just never know when a TIE fighter flown by someone's father might sneak up from behind. See the icy flyover yourself after the break.
Continue reading NASA simulates fly through of ginormous crack in Antarctic glacier, takes you for virtual ride
Permalink   |  sourceNASA (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

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LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated)
Similar to its pre-CES reveals, LG just couldn't wait for Mobile World Congress to get underway on the 27th before showing off its new Optimus Vu handset. These new pics offer a much clearer look at its 4x3 aspect ratio, 1024x768 res, stylus-friendly 5-inch IPS LCD display, while the official specs confirm rumors it would pack a 1.5GHz dual core CPU, 8MP camera, LTE, 2080mAh battery and Android 2.3 in a slim 8.5mm thick frame. An upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich is promised within three months of its launch, currently scheduled for March on Korean carriers SK Telecom and LG+. Check the gallery for a few more glamour shots of this new Galaxy Note competitor, and see if wider truly is better.

Update: You'll find a few more official pictures in the gallery below and the English PR with details on its "QuickClip" hotkey for one-button screenshots and memos and the "Rubberdium" stylus after the break.
Gallery: LG Optimus Vu
Continue reading LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated)
LG Optimus Vu officially revealed ahead of MWC with stylus, 1.5GHz CPU (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Available Tags:Samsung , USB , Vaio , iPhone , Blu-ray , everything , Google , NASA , LG , CPU ,
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