Acer announces two H6 Series monitors for the US, prices start at $150
Acer just announced US availability for its H6 Series LED-backlit monitors, which the company unveiled globally back in November. Both the 21.5-inch (H226HQL) and 23-inch (H236HL) models have full 1080p IPS panels and feature a nearly bezel-less design; the frame is just 0.08 inch thick. Acer says it chose this design with video walls in mind, but you'll likely appreciate the sleek aesthetic even if you aren't rocking a massive multi-monitor setup. The displays also offer tilt capability from -5 to 15 degrees, and the stand sports a magnetic surface for storing paper clips and other odds and ends. Other specs include HDMI, DVI and VGA connections, plus dual built-in speakers. The 21.5-inch H6 monitor will go for $150, while the 23-incher is yours for $180. Head past the break for Acer's full press release.
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Acer
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Outlook.com exits preview with 60 million active users, Hotmail UI to be retired this summer
It's been so long since Microsoft launched
Outlook.com that we forgot it was technically in preview mode. Well, that ended today, at 12:01AM ET on the dot. The company just announced that the email service is no longer in beta, and that the site has racked up 60 million active users -- over a third of them Gmail converts. If you decide to join today, you'll be getting the same feature set announced last summer, just with a smoother, less glitchy experience (not that it was ever that buggy to begin with, if you ask us). To lure in even more users, Microsoft is planning on launching a massive advertising campaign, one that will include TV and radio spots (see one of them after the break), online ads and even posters in subway stations. Basically, the sort of
heavy promotion Microsoft is already doing for Surface.
Regardless of how much success Microsoft has in converting Gmail loyalists, though, a
lot more people are about to become acquainted with Outlook's clean UI: the company has said it plans to switch Hotmail users over to the Outlook interface by summertime. To be clear, Microsoft says it has no plans to shut down the hotmail.com domain, so your existing Hotmail email address is safe, and you don't even have to register for an Outlook.com addy if you don't want to. Additionally, all of your folders and settings will be preserved. It's just that you're soon going to have to say goodbye to the old Hotmail. Onward, we say.
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Software,
Microsoft
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Source: Microsoft
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Fujitsu, Orange partner on senior-friendly Stylistic S01 smartphone
Fujitsu just announced a smartphone partnership with
Orange Telecom, with its first handset to launch on the French carrier this June. The Stylistic S01 will run Android 4.0 and offer GSM and HSPA compatibility through Orange, and it's targeted specifically at elderly users. As such, it will include many of the same features available on Fujitsu's
Raku-Raku series of senior-friendly phones available on NTT DoCoMo. For instance, the phone will have tactile virtual buttons that mimic the experience of pushing actual hardware keys, oversized icons and audio technology that optimizes the frequency range according to the user's age. Other specs include a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, an 8.1-megapixel camera, a 0.3-MP front-facing shooter and 4GB of internal storage (expandable by microSD card). There's no pricing info yet, but we're bound to have more details after getting a hands-on look at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this coming week.
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Sprint LTE also live in parts of Florida, New York City and Washington, DC (updated)
Sprint was clearly up to something good when we noticed LTE in
parts of San Francisco. It turns out that this was just the tip of the iceberg -- the carrier has since confirmed that it's also flicking the switch in New York City, parts of New York state, Washington DC, and Florida cities that include Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa. The faster access is going live on a site-by-site basis in given areas rather than all at once, which bears out what we're hearing from readers and a Sprint spokesperson we reached for comment: LTE appears to be available in pockets in at least New York City and San Francisco. Sprint won't have a formal news release until it believes the coverage is complete, but we suspect most customers will be too busy testing the speed of their long-underused
EVO 4G LTE or
iPhone 5 to notice.
[Thanks, Derek and Revie]
Update: The full Sprint statement is after the break.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
Sprint
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Source: The Verge
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Editorial: RIAA takedown requests and ad complaints are missing an opportunity
As noted
here, the RIAA has issued 10 million takedown requests to Google in an attempt to close off paths to sites that facilitate music downloading. At the same time, a related phenomenon is fueling the fire of rightsholder outrage:
Brand advertising that appears on download sites and generates revenue for those businesses.
These two aspects of the internet's ecosystem -- finding free music downloads through search engines, and ad-supported sites expediting illicit music acquisition -- represent deeply rooted challenges to media owners. At the same time, as with most challenges, there is a flip side of opportunity. The difference between capitalizing on an opportunity and being defeated by its challenge is the difference between getting in front of reality and falling behind it. The RIAA is regarded by many as the poster organization for denial of reality. A reversal of strategy and tactics might get big media owners in front of 21st century realities.
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Internet
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Tizen 2.0 SDK and source code emerge from alpha, bring slew of new features
Sure, an early version of
Tizen 2.0 Magnolia may have first emerged last September, but now the SDK and source code have dropped the "alpha" designation for a proper release. After a few months of incubation, the
open source OS has been laden with enhanced support for HTML5 and a beefed up Web UI framework that enables full-screen and multi-window features. Developers can now leverage new hardware APIs for Bluetooth and NFC support, and access a
device's call history, calendar and messaging "subsystems." Support for background applications, text-to-speech and IP Push have also made it into the operating system along with reference applications including the likes of a calendar, gallery and phone app. In addition, a native IDE and a spruced up web development environment have been released with the latest code. Hit the source link for the full skinny and appropriate downloads.
[Image credit: Tizen Project,
Flickr]
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Tablets,
Software,
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Source: Tizen
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Rumors claim Google will launch its own retail stores, maybe by the holidays
On Friday, a report surfaced on
9to5Google that
Google was making serious plans to open permanent retail locations, and it's been followed up today by the
Wall Street Journal indicating the same thing. Both cite unnamed sources, who claim that the company wants to provide space for customers to try out its Nexus devices, software like the Chrome browser and unnamed upcoming products. The rumors differ slightly on potential timeframe, with the initial one suggesting we could see shops open by the holidays this year, while the
WSJ indicates a wider timeframe with the possibility that stores may not launch this year at all. Google's already opened a few pop-up shop temporary locations
at airports and in other stores, like the one pictured above in the UK.
As Google moves further into hardware the potential of Apple-style branded physical stores grows, whether just to sell the phones and tablets we've seen so far or alongside more secretive projects like that rumored "
X Phone." Also, once moonshot attempts like
Project Glass and
self-driving cars hit, having trained retail staff for hands-on demos may be just what the doctor ordered for skeptics. There's no word on where these stores may appear of course, but if you spot any darkened storefronts in your local mall please drop a line in our tips inbox, along with its distance from the nearest Sbarros -- we hear Googlers loves Sbarros.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Tablets,
Mobile,
Google
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Source: 9to5Google,
Wall Street Journal
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Must See HDTV (February 18th - 24th)
After its run on the internet and then cable TV,
Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome is coming to Blu-ray, along with the second season of
Game of Thrones and
Monsters Inc. Sports fans have NASCAR racing to (try to) replace football, while movie buffs can keep an eye out for the Academy Awards on Sunday. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Top Gun 3D
After a short run in theaters,
Top Gun 3D is coming home on Blu-ray. We've had the chance to watch it already and came away with (mostly) good things to say about the conversion. The 3D conversion is well done and particularly in the action scenes, as one watches F-14s zooming through the air it enhanced the feeling of speed and depth. Now, it's not all good news as we did notice a slightly different color tint on the 3D version, not necessarily bad, but different. Overall we liked it, so if you're looking for another 3D viewing option and are a fan of the original, it's worthwhile, but probably not required viewing. If you're not a 3D fan, this probably won't change your opinion.
($19.96 on
Amazon)
Daytona 500
NASCAR is back and in full effect. If you like to see cars turning left then this is the series for you, and in a fresh twist, Danica Patrick will debut as the first female polesitter in race history. This race will also see the new Gen6 cars that are designed to not only be safer and faster, but also more closely resemble production automobiles. Whether you're watching the race end to end
(February 24th, Fox, 12PM)
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HD
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The Daily Roundup for 02.18.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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BlackBerry says TIFF vulnerability exposes enterprise servers to malware
BlackBerry has always prided itself on its
top-notch security features, so it's a little worrying to see the company release a "high severity" advisory today warning of a potential exploit. According to the Waterloo-based operation:
Vulnerabilities exist in how the BlackBerry MDS Connection Service and the BlackBerry Messaging Agent process TIFF images for rendering on the BlackBerry smartphone.
Essentially, hackers could rig a TIFF file with malware and then trick a BlackBerry user into loading it via webpage, email or an embedded message, thus allowing the bad guys into their company's
Enterprise Server. BlackBerry hasn't received any reports of attacks just yet, but urges IT administrators to update their BES software all the same. The update is available at the source, as are several temporary workarounds for those that can't update their installations just yet.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
Blackberry
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Via: Naked Security
Source: BlackBerry Knowledge Base
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Harmonix drops the mic, Rock Band weekly DLC ending on April 2nd
After 275 consecutive weeks of DLC that produced over 4,000 songs, Harmonix is tuning up
Rock Band for its final content release on April 2nd. As the once-prominent rock star sim walks up the
Stairway to Heaven, its studio will release additional tracks and pro guitar upgrades. This final planned run of new content will include music from unnamed artists who have yet to be featured in the
Rock Band series. Sure, this news is a bummer, but not all hope is lost. Harmonix clarified that this isn't the end of the
Rock Band franchise as a whole, only its weekly DLC releases. So, don't go listing your plastic axe on eBay just yet, because you never know when or
where Harmonix could announce a reunion tour.
Filed under:
Gaming
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Source: Rock Band Forums
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Opera confirms downsizing of developer team as it readies for newly adopted WebKit era
Opera's been making quite a few
notable changes lately, and now we're finding out it won't be without any repercussions to some of its staff. Earlier today, Opera CEO Lars Boilsen's confirmed to our friends over at
TechCrunch that the browser's developer team is indeed downsizing, confirming previous reports about the company having to make changes as part of its recently announced
WebKit adoption. Just how many Core positions will be lost in the process is still unclear, however, with Mr. Boilsen only going as far as telling
TechCrunch the number of developers working on the overall project is now at "around 600." What's more, Opera's CEO says it's all part of a belief that "WebKit's good enough, to switch, and by doing that we free up a lot of resources," adding that
Opera "will still have a Core team but it will be less people going forward."
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Source: TechCrunch
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Samsung rolls out Jelly Bean to original Galaxy Note via Kies and OTA
It's been a long time coming, but
Android 4.1.2 has finally arrived for the phone that began the whole "is it a phone, or is it a tablet?" quandary: the original international
Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000. The Jelly Bean update brings a number of improvements to the OG Note, with a brand new Nature UX that brings it a little closer to the
Note sequel in terms of look and feel. It'll also get features like Multi-Window, Page Buddy, Smart Rotation and of course,
Google Now. As usual, the update will roll out in phases depending on your country or carrier and is available via Kies or over the air.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
Samsung
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Source: Sammobile
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NYT says Tesla Model S review the result of shaky judgment, Musk calls it even
The dust-up over the
New York Times' Tesla
Model S review may have left
no real winners, but that doesn't preclude at least trying to reach the truth. According to the newspaper's Public Editor, Margaret Sullivan, the final answer rests where it often does: in between the two extremes. Following interviews with driver John Broder, Tesla staff and others involved in the tale, the scrutineer believes the review was conducted honestly, but that improper decisions and less-than-precise notes led to the charging woes and
accusations of deception that characterized the drive. Broder should have topped up the way the company recommends, but wasn't planning on dragging anyone through the mud, Sullivan says. Whatever you think of her verdict, it's enough for Tesla founder Elon Musk to relax -- he's already saying that the inspection "restored" his trust in the Old Gray Lady's integrity. About the only demand we have left is to get enough
Supercharger stations that there's never a repeat incident.
Filed under:
Transportation
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Source: New York Times,
Elon Musk (Twitter)
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Mimobot's US Presidents flash drives give Americans patriotic storage
We wouldn't have foreseen thumb drives figuring prominently into our President's Day observations, and yet... here we are. In sync with the holiday, Mimoco has kicked off a US Presidents collection of
Mimobot storage that lets Americans carry their national pride on their USB 2.0 ports. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are the only current options -- what, no William Henry Harrison model? -- but the 8GB to 64GB of capacity should keep either stick useful once the novelty wears off. As long as you're prepared to spend between $20 to $130 to pick one up, either of the Mimobots is a decent choice for a drive. Just hurry if you want a flash-based replica of the country's key founder -- there's only 1,000 Washington drives to go around.
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Storage
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Source: Mimoco (1),
(2)
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Create Game Jam declares its winners, picks the cream of the OUYA crop (video)
Kill Screen wanted to jumpstart
OUYA game development with its
Create Game Jam, and it turns out that there were more than a few takers -- 165, to be exact. That makes the grand prize winner, FreeLives'
Strange Happenings on Murder Island, something special. The
top-down action game's dinosaur rampages and
Minecraft-like art were wild enough to earn the developer $20,000 and a head start in what's increasingly becoming a
crowded field. Other developers weren't entirely left out, as winners in specialized categories still received $5,000 each. There's no guarantee that the results of Create will resonate with gamers in the long run; if they lead to a better selection for an untested console, though, they'll have been worth the effort.
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Gaming
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Source: Kill Screen
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Slickdeals' best in tech for February 18th: 55-inch Panasonic Viera 3D HDTV and more
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
If you've managed to luck into a day off to start the week, allow us to propose another
leisure activity for all of that free time. Of course, those of you who are stuck at work can join in too. We've compiled today's list of good deals with a 55-inch 3D plasma
HDTV resting atop the shopping rundown. Dive past the jump in order to see the whole lot, but careful to include those rebate forms and coupon codes where they're needed.
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Cellphones,
Misc,
Home Entertainment
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Source: Slickdeals
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MIT and US Army crafting uniforms with full-body fiberoptic sensors
Militaries want soldiers to carry an increasing amount of tech
on to the battlefield, but that isn't necessarily convenient -- or comfortable.
MIT and the US Army have started early work on
uniforms with fiberoptic sensors that would alleviate much of that burden. By weaving in microfibers cut from a mix of specialized, fluidized materials, the partnership can build data links that cover the entire body without breaking or adding significant bulk. They could serve as basic elements of a communication system, but MIT has broader ambitions: the sensors could track wounds through heat signatures, and just might prevent friendly fire incidents by sending a don't-shoot signal when targeted with a laser sight. The fibers still have to get much thinner before the Army can offer smart uniforms as standard issue, but the wearable tech may keep soldiers nimble and, just possibly, save a few lives.
Filed under:
Wearables
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Via: Wired
Source: MIT
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Weather Channel for Android gets tablet optimization, precise weather warnings
The
Weather Channel has dwelt mostly on its iOS apps as of late, but don't worry -- it's lavishing attention on forecast-minded Android users today. As of version 4.0, the Android app is optimized for tablets and gives a better heads-up for the conditions ahead from your
Nexus 7. Other tweaks are more for feature parity, including precisely-timed warnings for significant weather changes, faster radar maps and higher-detail forecasts. Favorites also help with Android-specific widgets. Should you need to know more about the rain or snow than a
Google Now card can deliver, the Weather Channel revamp is ready at the source.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Tablets,
Mobile
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Source: Google Play
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Accel Telecom unveils Voyager, an Android smartphone that wants to stay in the car (video)
Remember the days of yore when carphones used to be attached to the car --
permanently? Accel Telecom wants to take you back there with the Voyager, an Android smartphone with car-centric functions that can stay put in your vehicle. To start with, the handset will feature a dedicated
Waze launcher key for GPS navigation duties, and will also sport "high level noise reduction and echo cancellation," along with hands-free voice activation. Other features include a 3G-WiFi hotspot, a "driver-centric" design with large physical keys, multiple car-focused apps and "crystal clear, echo free sound quality." Interestingly, it'll also connect to your vehicle's
on-board diagnostics system via RS232 or Bluetooth and ping you if any parts are about to break off. Accel told us that it'll launch Voyager in Europe and the US "with operators that offer a second sim device," to let you share your current phone number. There's no sign of pricing yet, but there
is PR and a video after the break.
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Transportation
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We're liveblogging HTC's big event tomorrow at 10am ET!
We have
some idea what
HTC is planning to show us tomorrow, although we're hoping to get all the juicy details (perhaps even
confirm a name) at the company's big reveal. So far, we're expecting to see the very
latest iteration of Sense, a Butterfly-mimicking 1080p display and probably some more imaging innovations, if HTC's
Twitter-based teasers are anything to go by. There are New York and London event planned and we've got teams attending
both. It's set to kick off at 10am ET and you should be able to see the appropriate geo-adjusted time in our magic bubble below. Bookmark our
liveblog page and we hope to see you then.
February 19, 2013 10:00 AM EST
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
HTC
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Kai-Fu Lee defies ban, invites 30 million Weibo followers to join him on Twitter
Think you're brave, internet tough guy? Ex-Google China chief Kai-Fu Lee's been rather outspoken about
censorship in his homeland, and as such was banned from
Sina and
Tencent Weibo for three days, presumably by over-zealous authorities. To keep his followers in the strictly monitored nation up-to-date, the Beijing-based Lee took to
Twitter and invited all 30 million of them to join him, which would make him the social network's fourth most-followed user. That's unlikely, of course -- Twitter can be accessed fairly easily despite a ban in the nation, but developing a
country-sized following on an illicit site would be a stretch, even for an outspoken pundit.
Filed under:
Misc,
Internet
Comments
Via: The Telegraph
Source: Kai-Fu Lee (Twitter, translated)
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Sony looks back on PlayStation's past with an eye on its future (video)
If Sony doesn't announce the
PS4 at Wednesday's blockbuster
press conference, then this reminiscipackage will seem oddly out of place. The company has cut together three videos charting the history of the console from its (not so) humble beginnings in 1993 to the present day. If you'd like to wistfully remember the genesis of the console that's probably still lurking beneath your TV, head on past the break.
Filed under:
Gaming,
Sony
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NBA gives casual fans and armchair GMs access to the league's entire statistical history
The odds of rising from
NBA stat junkie / forum poster to Houston Rockets GM like Daryl Morey did are slim, but thanks to the new NBA.com/Stats page fans have access to more data than ever before. Until now, only league and team personnel have had access to the NBA's complete official stats -- media got access last spring -- with box scores that go as far back as its start in 1946-47, individual stats for anyone who has ever played in the league plus advanced statistical breakdowns and rankings of best lineup combinations. Fan sites like
Basketball Reference have filled in the gaps in the past, but this should bring a new level of accuracy and analysis to bear.
Access to these stats means we can evaluate games at a much deeper level to know precisely why the Lakers are so bad this season, or which combinations of players are giving the Knicks their best advantage. SAP announced the project back in July as a part of its marketing deal with the league, as it gets to show off its database chops building a system that can handle such a large number of requests on so much info. Hopefully other leagues follow suit and encourage this level for interaction with fans, although we suspect it would take more than a few
Moneyball-esque calculations to fix squads like the Bobcats. Hit the source link below to satisfy a
jones for numerics or find the perfect angle for your LeBron vs. Kobe argument, although last night's
All-Star Game may have given all the ammo necessary.
Filed under:
Internet,
Software,
Alt
Comments
Source: NBA.com/Stats,
NBA Hang Time Blog
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