Wednesday, May 16, 2012

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 16/05/2012





Subretinal implant uses light instead of batteries, shows promise in initial testing
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There's been significant progress in bringing sight to the blind in recent years, and this looks set to continue that miraculous trend. Scientists at Stanford University have invented a subretinal photodiode implant for people who have lost their vision due to degenerative retinal diseases. Existing tech involves batteries and wires, but the new implant works without such crude appendages. Instead, it's activated by near-infrared beams projected by a camera that's mounted on glasses worn by the patient. Those beams then stimulate the optice nerve to allow light perception, motion detection and even basic shape awareness. The glasses also have an onboard camera that records what the patient sees. It hasn't actually been tested with humans just yet, but the first few rodents volunteers have yet to lodge a single complaint.
Permalink BBC News  |  sourceNature Photonics  | Email this | Comments

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Apple issues Leopard update with Flashback removal tool
Apple issues Leopard update with Flashback removal tool
Folks still rocking Apple's Leopard may have been feeling left out after Lion and Snow Leopard both got an update for addressing that Flashback malware. If you're one of them, you'll be glad to know that Apple has finally issued a Leopard fix that comes with a removal tool for the virus afflicting its big cats. In addition to a 1.23MB Flashback update, Apple also released a second 1.11MB fix for Leopard that disables versions of Adobe Flash Player that don't have the requisite security updates. Both should further whittle down the number of Apple computers affected by the Flashback trojan. For the actual updates, feel free to pounce on the source links below.
Apple issues Leopard update with Flashback removal tool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 9to5Mac  |  sourceApple Flashback Update, Apple Leopard Security Update  | Email this | Comments

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Samsung Galaxy S III gets permission to enter US, still only with HSPA+
Samsung Galaxy S III gets permission to enter US, still only with HSPA+
This is the same European version we've already spent so much time with, just stopping by the FCC to get its wireless paperwork in order. There's no LTE onboard, but the phone would handle HSPA+ on AT&T or just EDGE on T-Mo if it was (now legally) carried into the States. The regulatory label also helpfully alludes to one of the phone's key selling points: its 2,100mAh battery, which reportedly lasts for a tablet-like ten hours under load. It'll be globally available from May 29th, if you fancy getting into the import / export business.
Samsung Galaxy S III gets permission to enter US, still only with HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

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More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates
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We know smartphone and tablet owners like to buy games. But if you go by a new ABI exploration of user habits, most of us aren't buying much of anything. More than 70 percent of the crowd spends little to nothing on mobile apps, dragging down the average of $14 spent per month among paying customers to a median of $7.50 when you include the skinflints. As you might imagine, that leaves the remaining 30 percent making up for a lot of slack: three percent of downloaders represent a fifth of all the spending in the mobile app world. Researchers suggest that developers focus on a long-term strategy of freemium pricing or utility apps to get more customers buying, but we imagine that writing more games about catapulting frustrated birds might just work out on its own.
Continue reading More than 70 percent of mobile users pay little for apps, big spenders make up for us cheapskates
Permalink   |  sourceABI Research (paid access only)  | Email this | Comments

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Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers
Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers
Intel is pushing out that delicious Ivy Bridge update to server chips and, interestingly, it's not focusing purely on the high end to start. In total, 28 new Xeon CPUs were introduced today, including the E5-4600 and 2400 families targeted at four and two socket systems, respectively. Those tweaked mainstream processors aren't the interesting part, though. We're more intigued by the updated E3 series, the low-end offerings that are aimed small businesses and light web-hosting duty. In particular the new E3-1220L v2 slashes power consumption to an impressive 17w by going with just two cores and only 3MB of cache. While that 3W advantage over its predecessor may not sound like much, it can make a huge difference in the microserver market and in high-density environments where cooling a room full of servers can become problematic. Even in its stripped down form the extremely low-power processor still supports Turbo Boost, Trusted Execution Technology and PCI-Express 3.0. Considering that last-gen's Atom-based server chip pulled down 15W, we'd consider the 1220L v2 an impressive feat of engineering. Now we've just gotta hope that Intel can carry through on that promised 6W Centerton chip. Check out the PR after the break.
Continue reading Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers
Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Register  |   | Email this | Comments

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HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video)
HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video)
You might not know this, but you can literally never have enough all-terrain quadrupedal robots... at least according to us (John Connor might disagree). So, while HyQ from the Italian Institute of Technology might bear more than a passing resemblance to Boston Dynamic's Big Dog, we won't hold it against the creators. The Hydraulic Quadruped robot (HyQ for short) was first dreamed up in 2008, but the project is only now coming into its own. Researchers at IIT took the bot for a stroll outside of the confines of a laboratory and treadmill for the first time. They've also stepped up the treadmill testing by bumping up the incline and practically throwing obstacles at it. Impressively, HyQ holds his own, even as his creators pelt it with shipping pallets. Check out the video after the break to see the cybernetic crawler in action.
Continue reading HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video)
HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Ubergizmo  |  sourceIIT (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming
AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming
Itching for the details of AMD's latest Accelerated Processing Units (APUs)? Then get ready to scratch: Trinity has arrived and, as of today, it's ready to start powering the next generation of low-power ultra-portables, laptops and desktops that, erm, don't run Intel. The new architecture boasts up to double the performance-per-watt of last year's immensely popular Llano APUs, with improved "discrete-class" integrated graphics and without adding to the burden on battery life. How is that possible? By how much will Trinity-equipped devices beat Intel on price? And will it play Crysis: Warhead? Read on to find out.

Gallery: AMD reveals Trinity APU
Continue reading AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming
AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad T, W, L and X lines with Ivy Bridge processors, retooled keyboards
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Now that Intel's Ivy Bridge specifications are finally out of the bag, you may as well resign yourselves to a deluge of PC refreshes over the coming months. Today Lenovo's up at bat, unveiling a slew of products under its business-friendly ThinkPad brand. If you were looking for a wholesale redesign, we'll kindly direct you to the X1, which was just reborn as a 14-inch Ultrabook. Otherwise, if you were just holding out for a little Ivy Bridge, we've got your refresh right here.
All told, the upgrades span Lenovo's ultraportable X series, mainstream "T" lineup, budget "L" models and the W-series workstation. In general, you'll find Ivy Bridge processors (natch), Dolby audio and, in some cases, optional 4G radios. Additionally, the company tweaked its famed keyboard ever-so slightly and added a backlighting option to almost every system, save the newly available T430u Ultrabook. That's the abridged version for those of you not actually in the market for a new system, but folks craving more nitty-gritty details can follow past the break for a more detailed breakdown of pricing and specs.
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad L430
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad T430, T430s and T530
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X230 and X230t
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad W530
Continue reading Lenovo refreshes its ThinkPad T, W, L and X lines with Ivy Bridge processors, retooled keyboards
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Lenovo announces the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge, optional 3G and a 1600 x 900 display
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Yes, that laptop you see up there is called the ThinkPad X1 and yes, it's the successor to the X1 we reviewed around this time last year. But, folks, this isn't your typical refresh. The X1, once a 13-inch system, has grown up into a 14-inch ultraportable, now being marketed as an Ultrabook. Despite gaining an inch in screen real estate, though, it manages to be both thinner and lighter than its predecessor: 3.0 pounds and roughly 18mm (.71 inches) thick, down from 3.7 pounds / .84 inches. (As the name suggests, carbon fiber is the secret ingredient.) Chances are, you won't have the luxury of comparing the two systems side by side, but coming from someone who reviewed the original, we can assure you the difference is noticeable, even going off of sheer muscle memory. That bodes well for people picking up the X1 for the first time.

But those aren't the only changes the X1 has undergone. Lenovo also bumped the resolution from 1366 x 768 to 1600 x 900, and made some subtle tweaks to the backlit, spill-resistant keyboard. 3G connectivity is also a major selling point, though that was an optional feature last time around, too. As you could've guessed, it packs an Ivy Bridge processor, coupled with Intel's vPro management technology and (we assume) integrated graphics. Like the last-gen model, it makes use of Lenovo's RapidCharge tech, which allows the notebook to re-charge up to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, though, the company's staying mum on battery life claims for the time being. Another teensy detail we don't know? Price. So far, we only know it'll go on sale sometime this summer. Until then, though, check out some teaser shots below, along with a short hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon hands-on
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon


Continue reading Lenovo announces the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge, optional 3G and a 1600 x 900 display
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LG lines up Optimus 4X HD for launch in Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Poland
LG lines up Optimus 4X HD for launch in Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Poland
While there's already plenty of excitement around other quad-core Android phones, LG will join the party soon when its Optimus 4X HD launches in a few European countries next month. Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Poland are all on deck in June, where this latest Optimus variant will bring a 4.7-inch 720p HD IPS LCD, Tegra 3 CPU (benchmarked and seen in white here) and 2,150mAh battery coupled with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. On the software front, LG is touting its ability to take and share quick notes as well as "Media Flex" video playback. We got our hands all over this one during MWC 2012 a few months ago so until it drops in your neck of the woods, check out our gallery and video for a closer look.
Gallery: LG Optimus 4X hands-on
Continue reading LG lines up Optimus 4X HD for launch in Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy and Poland
Permalink   |  sourceLG Korea  | Email this | Comments

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Tizen gets play time on Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE, shows off new features
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Slowly but surely, Tizen's picking up momentum. In just the last two weeks we've witnessed version 1.0 of the OS get released, a prototype device made by Samsung, an official pledge of support by Sprint and even a full-out developer's conference. One thing we haven't yet seen, however, is the Linux-based firmware running on an existing Android phone. At the aforementioned convention's keynote, Jong-Deok Cohoi -- EVP of the Tizen Technical Steering Group -- showed off a few more features, such as photo gallery, videos and live calls... on what appears to be a Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE. This is great news, since it looks like Tizen supports at least some of Sammy's handsets -- in dev guise, at the very least. For now, curious open-source fans should head below to see the full video.
Continue reading Tizen gets play time on Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE, shows off new features
Tizen gets play time on Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE, shows off new features originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceTizenExperts  | Email this | Comments

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FXI Cotton Candy ICS-on-a-stick gets May release date, sweetened design
FXI Cotton Candy ICS-on-a-stick gets May release date, sweetened design
Is that an Ice Cream Sandwich riding shotgun atop your Cotton Candy stick? It may sound like a delicious carnival delight, but munching on this bad boy will send you to the hospital faster than a family pack of deep-fried Oreos. Keeping up the confection theme, FXI has coined the treat in question as Cotton Candy, and we got our first taste of the refresh back in February at Mobile World Congress, where we went hands-on with the bite-size computer-on-a-stick. FXI reps promised a March ship date at that point, but the refreshed model appears to have been worth the wait, with a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor, quad-core ARM Mali-400MP graphics and support for Android 4.0 and Ubuntu, along with embedded virtualization clients for Windows, Linux and Mac.
There's a gig of DRAM on board -- up to 64GB of storage will come in the form of a bring-your-own microSD card. There's a 1080p-ready HDMI port at one end of the 3-inch stick and a USB 2.0 connector on the other side, along with a female micro-USB port for peripheral connectivity. Customers with pre-orders in Scandinavia (FXI is based in Norway) should expect their $199 Cotton Candy devices by the end of the month, while those in the rest of the world (including the US of A) will need to hang tight until the end of the summer. There's a MWC-era hands-on awaiting you just past the break.
Continue reading FXI Cotton Candy ICS-on-a-stick gets May release date, sweetened design
FXI Cotton Candy ICS-on-a-stick gets May release date, sweetened design originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceLaptop  | Email this | Comments

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Ex-Microsoftie Robbie Bach: I wouldn't have made Zune MP3 players, we were just 'chasing Apple'
Robbie Bach
It took some time after Robbie Bach left Microsoft for the Zune device line to wind to a close, but that hasn't stopped the former music (and gaming) executive from suggesting that it should have been ramped down much, much sooner. While discussing the best way to get a startup company humming at a Northwest Entrepreneur Network event, Bach mentioned his view that Microsoft should never have started down the MP3 player path to start with and should have instead gone service-only. The Zune was a too-little-too-late reaction to the iPod, according to him, and the option to squirt your songs apparently wasn't enough of a lure:
"We just weren't brave enough, honestly, and we ended up chasing Apple with a product that actually wasn't a bad product, but it was still a chasing product, and there wasn't a reason for somebody to say, oh, I have to go out and get that thing."
We've had some affection for the Zune in the past, but there's no denying that it faced an uphill battle from the start. Sales leveled off almost immediately, and the damage was primarily to smaller competitors like Creative and SanDisk that couldn't throw their weight around the way Microsoft did.
Permalink   |  sourceGeekWire  | Email this | Comments

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Alliance for Broadband Competition forms to sway opinion against Verizon's AWS acquisition
Alliance for Broadband Competition forms to sway opinion against Verizon's AWS acquisition
The effort to prevent Verizon Wireless from its purchase of AWS licenses from SpectrumCo and Cox just became a bit more intense, as several opponents to the deal have now banded together to form the Alliance for Broadband Competition. The coalition includes T-Mobile and Sprint, along with advocacy groups such as Public Knowledge, the American Antitrust Institute, the Rural Cellular Association and the Rural Telecommunications Group. Today, the newly formed alliance held a press conference in which it called on the FCC and Department of Justice to block the transfer, which it said would lead to an "excessive concentration of spectrum" held by Verizon Wireless. While it's not much of an olive branch, the group similarly suggested that it would support the deal if Verizon were to divest some of its spectrum holdings, establish roaming agreements and agree to a backhaul pricing structure. As you may recall, Verizon Wireless estimates that it'll exhaust its network capacity by 2014. Regardless of how this $3.9 billion proposal shakes out, it's rather clear that something's gotta give.
Permalink   |  sourceComputerworld  | Email this | Comments

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BlackBerry 10 home screen and launcher officially previewed by RIM
BlackBerry 10 home screen and launcher officially previewed by RIM
By now, the crew in Waterloo have likely piqued your interest in what's to come for the world of BlackBerry. So far, we've gotten to see the company's developer handset, along with a few screenshots of the BlackBerry 10 software. One element that's remained elusive up until this point, however, was the home screen itself. All of that changed today, as Research in Motion is now providing a sneak peek of it and the full launcher. While you might mistake the home screen as being populated with widgets, in fact, these are open applications that will dynamically change based on your activities. Much of the interface will be gesture-driven, and as such, a quick swipe to the right will bring the full launcher to the forefront -- just hop the break for a glimpse. Similarly, a swipe to the left will reveal the unified inbox. The result is nothing revolutionary, but the BlackBerry 10 designers certainly deserve credit for the clean and functional interface -- it's but one more reason to be excited for what's next.
Continue reading BlackBerry 10 home screen and launcher officially previewed by RIM
BlackBerry 10 home screen and launcher officially previewed by RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceCNET UK  | Email this | Comments

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MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)
MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)
There are few things out there that can send you into a shame spiral of career despair quite as quickly as watching a group of people with arguably one of the funnest jobs in the world. People like the MakerBot 3D design team, who were tasked with assembling an army of cuddly robots a "petting zoo" for this weekend's Maker Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, granted, we're sure they all work hard, but we can't help but feel a little jealous at the opportunity to design kid-friendly 'bots using the company's Replicator 3D printer. Check out a video of the team in action after the break.
Continue reading MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video)
MakerBot uncovers the miracle of 3D printed 'bot making (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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BlackBerry 10's predictive keyboard gets transplanted with Octopus Keyboard for jailbroken iOS devices
BlackBerry 10's predictive keyboard gets transplanted with Octopus Keyboard for jailbroken iOS
RIM's latest on-screen keyboard effort may bear a passing resemblance to Swiftkey, but it also has us itching to see how the rest of the BlackBerry 10 UI will turn out. It looks like we're not the only ones, as Octopus Keyboard aims to bring the same slick prediction interface to jailbreaking iOS users. Swiping up will access suggested words depending on which letters are pressed, while the keyboard will also memorize new vocab like the iOS original. You can see how it works in real life -- and gauge whether it's worth the jailbreaking rigmarole -- in a quick walkthrough video after the break.
Continue reading BlackBerry 10's predictive keyboard gets transplanted with Octopus Keyboard for jailbroken iOS devices
Permalink 9to5Mac  |  sourceiDownloadBlog  | Email this | Comments

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:00PM ET
It's Monday, and we're on our regular day, but not our regular time. We're still going to let you listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3, but at 9:00PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.
Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:00PM ET
Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:00PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Flat-front dive housing for GoPro cameras available now, ready for your Memorial Day diving trip
Dive housing for GoPro cameras available now, ready for your Memorial Day diving trip
Anyone looking to capture their next deep-sea adventure in high-definition video is in luck, because GoPro's new dive housing is now available to buy at its online store. We got a peek at this one during NAB 2012 a few weeks ago and were told its flat lens should cut down on vignetting and blurring. Compatible with all of its HD Hero family, the casing will set you back $50 and also up for grabs in the bricks-and-mortar likes of Best Buy, Sports Chalet and several specialist sports stores. All that remains is to recall where we left that robot submarine.
Gallery: GoPro @ NAB 2012
Continue reading Flat-front dive housing for GoPro cameras available now, ready for your Memorial Day diving trip
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Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th)
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This week we're completely overrun by season finales -- if there's a winter show that you watch that is still airing, it's a safe bet that it will be wrapping up its run this week. Check after the break break for the dates and times on those as well as NBA and NHL playoffs action plus Blu-ray and videogame releases (we couldn't ignore Diablo 3), but there's just one finale we're highlighting this week.
Community
Even with the good news that NBC has ordered up (at least) 13 more episodes for next season, we'll be sad to see Greendale's study group leave for the summer. Season three wraps up Thursday night with an oddly disjointed three episode finale broken up by 30 Rock in the middle. While the only thing we know for sure is that they're never doing paintball again, it seems certain the finale will include healthy amounts of Officer Chang, a doppleDeaner, the appearance of Evil Troy, Jeff and Abed, and possibly a return trip to the Dreamatorium.
(May 17th, 8, 9 & 9:30PM, NBC)
Continue reading Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th)
Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Facebook redesigns mobile site and apps, takes a tip (or two) from Instagram
ImageFacebook redesigns mobile site and apps, takes a tip (or two) from Instagram
Maybe it was inspired by the other app's most recent update, or perhaps by Zuck's newly-minted commitment to mobile applications. Regardless, Facebook's redesigned its iPhone / iPod and Android apps along with its pocket-sized site, clearly taking some design tips from none other than its fresh acquisition, Instagram. As you can see in the image above, the news feed is now showing one large post rather than the usual two or three (at least on the iPhone / iPod variant), this mainly due to pictures now being up to 3X larger than before. Facebook didn't note any other major changes, and there was no mention on when, or if, this snap-driven design will make its way onto some of those not-so-mobile devices. Be sure to keep an eye out for the redesign, as it's said to be rolling out as we speak.
Facebook redesigns mobile site and apps, takes a tip (or two) from Instagram originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceFacebook  | Email this | Comments

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Windows 8 'Family Safety' feature chaperones underage users through the World Wild Web
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It's not the tantalizing bit of Windows 8 bait you'd expect in the lead up to that revolutionary OS' official launch, but for a certain domestic segment, it'll do. As part and parcel of its Release Preview -- slated for a June bow-- Microsoft's making the busywork of keeping digital tabs on your household ankle biters an integrated and easily managed feature of the two-faced system, accessible via the "Family Safety" option. Once enabled on the account profile for an underage user, parents will have the ability to receive weekly activity reports detailing web usage, as well as set site / application restrictions, search filters and time limits for PC usage. Despite Redmond's best efforts, there's still one wall this virtual oversight won't let you breach -- your child's Facebook account. For that, you'll just have to make friends. Head on past the break for the company's helpful how-to video.
Continue reading Windows 8 'Family Safety' feature chaperones underage users through the World Wild Web
Permalink   |  sourceBuilding Windows 8  | Email this | Comments

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Rdio redesign goes live for one and all
We took Rdio through its redesigned paces a couple of months back, and now it looks like it's finally ready for prime time. The streaming music service announced today that the new version is now available to everyone, featuring a speedier, cleaner, more socially-minded interface. More info on the redesign can be found in the source link below-dio.
Rdio redesign goes live for one and all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Panasonic, Sony purportedly entering into OLED TV team-up, torrid love affair
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Sony might not have taken long to find a new date in the TV scene after breaking up with Samsung late last year: if you believe Nikkei, Panasonic is the belle of the ball. The two Japanese firms are reportedly hoping to speed up the development of cheap, mass-produced OLED TVs by sharing each other's design techniques, including a Panasonic method for printing OLEDs on a scale that lets the company avoid $9,000 price tags. Neither Panasonic nor Sony has confirmed the talks, of course, and there's no guarantee a partnership will emerge even if it truly gets hot and heavy. Still, if real, we'll be on the lookout for a PanaSony OLED TV at CES in the future.
Panasonic, Sony purportedly entering into OLED TV team-up, torrid love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Reuters  |  sourceNikkei (subscription required)  | Email this | Comments

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Wireless Emergency Alert system goes live this month, delivers location-based SMS warnings
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Last we heard of the federal government's Wireless Emergency Alert system, only Sprint had signed on to deliver the SMS warnings. Now, with the secured participation of all four major carriers and smaller regional operators, that gratis service is set to go live this month, covering nearly 97 percent of active mobile users. Using a "point-to-multipoint system" that targets at-risk subscribers, the National Weather Service, FEMA, FCC and Department of Homeland Security-backed initiative works by sending location-based messages of 90 characters or less to nearby handsets in the event of an imminent meteorological threat. The mostly opt-out service will also accommodate AMBER and Presidential alerts, although you won't have that flexibility for missives sent from our head of state. So, the next time your phone gives off a strange auditory tone, you'll know to head for shelter.
Permalink PhoneScoop  |  sourceUSA Today  | Email this | Comments

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Fujitsu collar monitor proves that all dogs go to the cloud
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Sure, you're having a grand old time in the cloud, but what fun is it, really, if you can't bring your pets along? Fujitsu today announced a new collar-mounted device designed to monitor your dog's activity level. This one does more than just filling up a Twitter stream, however, aimed at actually providing helpful health monitoring, including activity, external temperature and the like to a cloud-based health service set to launch later this year. According to Fujitsu, the device is small and lightweight, with minimal power consumption, assuring that your canine can wear it at all times, so you can monitor your pet's activity while you're away. Not much in the way of availability at present, but you can find a bit more info in the PR after the break.
Continue reading Fujitsu collar monitor proves that all dogs go to the cloud
Fujitsu collar monitor proves that all dogs go to the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lenovo LePhone S899t with ICS reportedly in the works for China Mobile
Lenovo LePhone S899t with ICS reportedly in the works for China Mobile
According to a recent leak on Chinese site PConline, Lenovo's reportedly working on an Ice Cream Sandwich slab with China Mobile said to be on the receiving end of the delivery. Currently known as the LePhone S899t, this handset's allegedly friendly with the carrier's TD-SDCMA 3G network, while it's also said to feature a dual-core, NovaThor U8500 CPU, a 4.5-inch, IPS display for all viewing pleasures and, as stated earlier, it runs flavor of Google's latest OS. Aside from the purported specs, Lenovo's LePhone S899t is expected to be priced at a mere 1,299 yuan (around $200) once China Mobile makes the device official (no word on when that'll be). Either way, it's not like Lenovo's giving you a shortage of options.
Lenovo LePhone S899t with ICS reportedly in the works for China Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink UnwiredView  |  sourcePConline  | Email this | Comments

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T-Mobile gives HTC Sensation 4G users an Ice Cream Sandwich treat on May 16, Amaze 4G within weeks
HTC Sensation international
T-Mobile subscribers waiting on pins and needles for the day their HTC Sensation 4G or Amaze 4G will get its Android 4.0 update don't have to sit so uncomfortably for much longer: the carrier has just narrowed down the timetables considerably. The first wave of owners will get its Ice Cream Sandwich just desserts on May 16th, when Sensation 4G owners can push Android 4.0.3 to their dual-core 2011 flagships. Amaze 4G users have a looser timeframe of the "coming weeks" to dig in. Either circumstance will see HTC slap on Sense 3.6 like it has with other pre-2012 device updates, so don't expect a full One S-like Sense 4.0 experience. Do, however, expect to pay an extra $15 per month for hotspot support on the Sensation 4G if you've been sharing your service on the cheap before -- it'll be required for sharing data with Android 4.0 and up.
Permalink   |  sourceT-Mobile (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

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AT&T stops offering Xbox 360 U-verse bundle until it can deliver an updated version
AT&T temporarily pulls the plug on its Xbox 360 U-verse kit, says it's working to improve it
In a relatively strange fashion, AT&T's quietly pulled the plug on its U-verse kit for the Xbox 360 -- at least for the time being. According to a note on its own site, the company's taking some time to focus on "improving and enhancing" its U-verse bundle. This is probably a reference to the updated app (that would also require XBL Gold) AT&T promised for the new dashboard with Kinect support and a new UI, but has yet to deliver. As Multichannel points out, earlier last week Netflix had filed a complaint with the FCC, claiming that AT&T's U-verse on Xbox violated network neutrality regulations -- though, it's unclear whether this had anything to do with the outfit's decision to suspend the service. AT&T has said the set-top kit won't "be available until the new enhancements and functionality are added," so we'd recommend not holding your breath for too long.
Permalink SlashGear, Multichannel  |  sourceAT&T  | Email this | Comments

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Twitter now sending email summaries, will keep weekly tabs on the Biebs
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Twitter hasn't wasted any time in making good on its Summify acquisition. Not even half a year after the ink has dried, you can now opt to get a curated summary of the "most relevant Tweets" and linked stories sent to your email inbox. The layout borrows more than a few cues from the new Discover tab and will let you respond from the email message itself, although we can imagine friends being slightly irked at reviving a conversation that was so very three days ago. Even so, once the option has rolled out to everyone within the space of a few weeks, it'll be an easier way to keep up on one Mr. Bieber's Twitter adventures without others' pesky life events and politics getting in the way.
Twitter now sending email summaries, will keep weekly tabs on the Biebs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceTwitter  | Email this | Comments

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ZeroN slips surly bonds, re-runs your 3D gestures in mid-air
zeron-levitation-mit-media-labs
Playback of 3D motion capture with a computer is nothing new, but how about with a solid levitating object? MIT's Media Lab has developed ZeroN, a large magnet and 3D actuator, which can fly an "interaction element" (aka ball bearing) and control its position in space. You can also bump it to and fro yourself, with everything scanned and recorded, and then have real-life, gravity-defying playback showing planetary motion or virtual cameras, for example. It might be impractical right now as a Minority Report-type object-based input device, but check the video after the break to see its awesome potential for 3D visualization.
Continue reading ZeroN slips surly bonds, re-runs your 3D gestures in mid-air
ZeroN slips surly bonds, re-runs your 3D gestures in mid-air originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 16:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Verge  |  sourceJinha Lee  | Email this | Comments

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Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year
Certainly it's no great shocker that Amazon's got plans for a new e-reader and tablet later this year. Nor should anyone be particularly surprised at the prospect of a front-lit reader from the retail giant set to compete directly with the latest Nook offering. Reuters, however, claims to have some insight into both, courtesy of an anonymous source. Apparently the aforementioned reader is set for a July launch, arriving in the customary Wifi and 3G varieties. The tablet, meanwhile, is set for a release "closer to the holiday season," according to the source. Amazon, E Ink and the like naturally refused to comment on the matter.
Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

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New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up
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Competition among US cellular carriers is about to get a bit fiercer with a fresh national network that will actively encourage using your phone rather than setting hard limits. Newcomer (and MVNO on Sprint's network) Voyager Mobile is teasing a "frequent talker program" that will give all kinds of perks for the more talkative among us: call your Aunt Ruth a lot and you'll get phone upgrades, free months of service and smaller nice-to-haves like air mileage and gift cards. That's helped by Voyager starting off at $19 a month for unlimited voice, although picking a smartphone in the early catalog will hike that to a still rather thrifty $39 for all-unlimited voice, text and WiMAX data. If you're tempted by the price and don't mind an early phone roster that focuses on mostly Android-based carryovers like the LG Optimus S, Motorola XPRT or Samsung's Conquer 4G and Epic 4G Touch, Voyager will swing the virtual doors open for some states (with more to follow) when its countdown expires on May 15th.
Continue reading New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up
New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceVoyager Mobile  | Email this | Comments

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Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)
Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)
Plastic Logic has getting by with some eastern love since last year, when RUSNANO's $700 million investment helped the e-reader maker land its Plastic Logic 100 in Russian schools. The latest fruit of that partnership is a prototype of its first flexible color e-reader display, which delivers 4,000-plus hues at a resolution of 75 ppi. The screen contains some 1.2 million plastic transistors, and it's able to bend without distorting images thanks to a top filter and a 150-ppi display below that flex at the same rate. Skip past the break for a demo clip of the tech in action, appropriately featuring some Matryoshka dolls.
Continue reading Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)
Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Digital Reader  |  sourceDigit.ru  | Email this | Comments

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Time Warner Cable's CEO doesn't know what AirPlay is, hates set-top boxes
Time Warner Cable's CEO doesn't know what AirPlay is, hates set-top boxesWhile he might not be the first human to admit unfamiliarity with Apple's AirPlay, he's likely to be one of the most recognizable figures amongst the bunch. In a recent interview, Time Warner Cable's CEO, Glenn Britt, said one of the main challenges faced by digital video was the lack of simple ways to stream internet-based content to television sets. Naturally, that brought up the imminent question about Cupertino's streaming goods, to which he responded by saying "I'm not sure what AirPlay is," also adding that "the current Apple TV, the little thing, the hockey puck, really doesn't do anything to help enable you to get internet material on your TV." Furthermore, he went on to say, "I hate set-top boxes," as he believes smart TVs are a better streaming solution compared to other bits that require additional hardware. Perhaps this explains why the TWC iOS apps are still missing out on some much-needed AirPlay action.
Time Warner Cable's CEO doesn't know what AirPlay is, hates set-top boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 9to5Mac  |  sourceThe New York Times  | Email this | Comments

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Canon ditching humans, cameras hand-made by robots by 2015
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Canon has announced that it'll ditch human production line employees and rely entirely on robots to build its cameras. Several Japanese companies have felt the pinch thanks to the soaring value of the yen and have acted quickly to move production overseas, but Canon has resisted doing the same. Company spokesperson Jan Misumi has said that the move won't cause job losses as those employees will be moved into other parts of the organization once the switchover has been completed -- which could be as early as 2015. Now we just need to check our diaries as to when the Robopocalypse is due to begin.
Canon ditching humans, cameras hand-made by robots by 2015 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink AFP (PhysOrg)  |  sourceYahoo  | Email this | Comments

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Adobe Muse is ready to let you design websites without the coding headaches for $15 a month
Adobe Muse is ready to let you design websites without the coding headaches for $15 a month
If you've been looking to get that web project off the ground but despise the idea of coding it, Adobe's recently announced web design tool has just landed. Muse, the program that allows you to design websites without having to get your hands dirty with HTML5 is now available. The kit behaves more like a layout program (like InDesign) instead of a web publishing / programming tool, allowing those who are more design-minded to feel right at home. As you might expect, the software is available with an annual $49.99 per month Creative Cloud subscription alongside CS6 heavyweights like Photoshop and Illustrator. If Muse is all you're after, you can snag it alone for a $24.99 month-to-month fee or $14.99 for a twelve-month commitment. Need to see it in action before you open your wallet? No worries. Hit the coverage link below for a look at what the application can do.
Permalink   |  sourceAdobe Blogs  | Email this | Comments

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LightSquared officially files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
cell tower
As expected, May 14th is indeed a dark day for LightSquared. The company has just filed paperwork in order to initiate Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Manhattan's US Bankruptcy Court, effectively killing its dream of providing a high-speed mobile wireless network to upwards of 260 million people. Not quite a year after Sprint and LightSquared put together an agreement that would ensure 15 years of blissful LTE enjoyment together, Philip Falcone's baby looks weaker than ever. With the Sprint tie-up now void, and over $1.6 billion in debt, there's probably not too many places for LS to turn. The primary hurdle -- one it never could seem to overcome -- was the FCC's outright refusal to believe any of the company's mitigation proposals in relation to GPS interference issues. Despite "profoundly disagreeing" and raising all sorts of chaos in an effort to get its way, LightSquared never did manage to convince the powers that mattered. Where it turns from here is anyone's guess, but it won't be a quiet fall from grace, we're surmising.
LightSquared officially files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg, Bankruptcy filing (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

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UnEasyshare: Kodak's now-defunct, Rochester-based nuclear reactor
ImageReady for this unsettling Kodak moment? It seems the one-time imaging powerhouse held a decades-long secret deep in a bunker below Building 82 on its Rochester campus. The now vacant facility, a concrete-shielded chamber built in 1974, was once home to a californium neutron flux multiplier (CFX) or, in layman's terms, a small nuclear reactor as recently as six years ago. Certainly, that's not the technology one would normally associate with an outfit built on the foundations of photography, but according to recently released documents, its three and a half pound store of enriched uranium was used primarily for neutron radiography -- an imaging technique -- and chemical purity testing. The site's long been shut down and the radioactive material in question carted off with federal oversight, but for denizens of that upstate New York territory, alarming news of the reactor's existence has only just surfaced. Before you cast Kodak the evil side eye, bear in mind post-9/11 policies forbade the company from making the whereabouts of its small reactor widely known, though earlier scientific studies did make reference to the CFX's existence. It's an eye-opening glimpse into the esoteric machinations of private industry and the deadly dangers that lurk below your feet.
UnEasyshare: Kodak's now-defunct, Rochester-based nuclear reactor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceDemocrat and Chronicle  | Email this | Comments

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Apple gets another bite, wins appeal to pursue preliminary injunction against Samsung
Apple gets another bite, wins appeal to pursue preliminary injunction against Samsung
We'll forgive you if you've forgotten, given the myriad Apple/Samsung legal shenanigans, but back in February, Apple attempted to obtain a preliminary injunction against Samsung to prevent the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a few phones from being sold in the US. Samsung emerged victorious, as the district court denied Cupertino's request because it questioned the validity of a couple of Apple's patents and didn't see how Apple would be irreparably harmed if it failed to get Sammy's products banned. Naturally, Tim Cook's crew appealed that decision, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has decided to give Apple another crack at obtaining an injunction. The CAFC upheld the lower court's ruling as to three of the four patents, but found fault with the District Court's holding that Apple's tablet design patent had substantial questions of validity.
Essentially, the lower court held that Apple's patent was likely no good because it was an obvious design in light of two tablets that were created long before Apple patented the iPad's look. However, the CAFC found that one of the previous slate's asymmetrical bezel and lack of an unbroken, all-glass surface (among other differences) were sufficient to render Apple's patent non-obvious. Basically, the appellate court found that the District court "construed the claimed design too broadly," and remanded the issue so that the district court could complete its preliminary injunction analysis. So, Apple's cleared a big hurdle towards getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 off the US market, but the company's still got to persuade Judge Koh that it'll be irreparably harmed without the injunction. This decision assures even longer legal proceedings, but given how well both of these tech titans are doing these days, we're pretty sure they can afford the attorneys' fees.
Permalink Wall Street Journal  |  sourceCAFC ruling (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

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