With the news this week that the recession officially ended in June 2009, there?s a ton of commentary about how it still feels like we?re in recession. But from where I sit, it never felt much like a recession at all. Revenues tightened up and people didn?t get raises, but I don?t know any friends who lost apartments, few who lost jobs and few companies that went under, just because of the crash.
Compare that to the post-2000 crash, when I?d estimate that half of my friends in the Bay Area were laid off and out of work for months or in some cases, years. I may sound like those old grandmas who insists on rinsing and reusing paper towels because they never got over the Great Depression, but honestly, that was a recession. This thing we just went through? From the Valley standpoint it was an excuse to trim fat and put some decisions off.
This should seem obvious-- after all we?d been built up to a crazy level in the late 1990s, propped up by IPOs that weren?t sustainable. But somehow I keep finding myself in this debate-- including in China at the World Economic Forum last week-- and the broader business press keeps projecting that this was "the big one" when for a lot of us out here, it just wasn't.
Well, I?m tired of having the debate, so I spent the afternoon digging up some stats to back up my anecdotal sense of things. Spoiler alert: I was right.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
WSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next week
The Wall Street Journal is saying that RIM's now very close to being ready to show off this long-rumored tablet they've been cooking up -- and the public unveiling could come as early as next week when the company will be holding its Developer Conference in San Francisco. The QNX operating system rumor is apparently correct, as is the talk that the only means of connectivity will be WiFi and tethering through a BlackBerry; in other words, you won't need a dedicated service plan for the tablet and it won't be sold on contract (good call). The manufacturing wizards at Quanta are rumored to be on tap for manufacturing it with some sort of Marvell power under the hood, and even if the tablet ultimately fails Foleo-style, it could still be a huge launch: WSJ's sources are also saying that RIM will end up migrating all of its phones to QNX in the long term.
As for the name? WSJ doesn't seem to know, though it does report that "BlackPad" is being thrown around internally; we're kind of partial to "SurfBook" ourselves, especially since "BlackPad" will make it tough to sell the thing in any color other than black. Seriously, who wants an orange BlackPad? Follow the break to sound off in the poll!Continue reading WSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next weekWSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | WSJ | Email this | Comments
As for the name? WSJ doesn't seem to know, though it does report that "BlackPad" is being thrown around internally; we're kind of partial to "SurfBook" ourselves, especially since "BlackPad" will make it tough to sell the thing in any color other than black. Seriously, who wants an orange BlackPad? Follow the break to sound off in the poll!Continue reading WSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next weekWSJ says BlackBerry tablet could be announced as soon as next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | WSJ | Email this | Comments
NCC-1701 Pizza Cutter [Star Trek]
Mozzarella: The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Pizza-Prize. Its ten-second mission: to divide strange new pies, to cut new slices and new portions, to boldly separate where no cutter has gone before. *Cue music* [Think Geek] More »
Microsoft's Next IE: Ninth Time's the Charm?
Microsoft's Internet Explorer has had a lead in the Web browser battle for years, and that lead is still alive, but it's not well. IE has been losing some serious market share over the last few years, mostly because of young Turks like Firefox and Chrome. Not helping matters is the fact that the ancient IE6 browser is still tottering around like a sick old dog.
Apple reverses its stance on iOS third-party developer tools; Unity games and Flash apps incoming
Filed under: Developer, OS Updates, Apple
In a rather momentous and magnanimous reversal, Apple has rescinded its draconian iOS development tool restriction. Developers are now free to use any development environment, framework (Unity) or cross-compiler (Flash-to-iPhone).
We probably won't ever know the real reason for Apple's change of heart, but it's likely a gambit to ensure the iPhone and iPad remain top-dogs, at least as far as cool apps and games are concerned.
In other news, Apple is also publishing its App Store Review Guidelines! I'd like to think that Apple has finally seen the merits of transparency, but this is almost certainly a reaction to the continuing growth of Android and other open platforms. Still, once the guidelines are public, developers will never again be mystified by an app's failure to make it into the App Store.
Update: the App Store Review Guidelines are now available.Apple reverses its stance on iOS third-party developer tools; Unity games and Flash apps incoming originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In a rather momentous and magnanimous reversal, Apple has rescinded its draconian iOS development tool restriction. Developers are now free to use any development environment, framework (Unity) or cross-compiler (Flash-to-iPhone).
We probably won't ever know the real reason for Apple's change of heart, but it's likely a gambit to ensure the iPhone and iPad remain top-dogs, at least as far as cool apps and games are concerned.
In other news, Apple is also publishing its App Store Review Guidelines! I'd like to think that Apple has finally seen the merits of transparency, but this is almost certainly a reaction to the continuing growth of Android and other open platforms. Still, once the guidelines are public, developers will never again be mystified by an app's failure to make it into the App Store.
Update: the App Store Review Guidelines are now available.Apple reverses its stance on iOS third-party developer tools; Unity games and Flash apps incoming originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA
Bored Hunters in Oregon Are Regularly Shooting Down Google's Fibers [Gun Problems]
When there's no deer, or quail, or whatever it is hunters shoot up in The Dalles around, bored gunmen have been playing target practice with the insulators on Google's electricity distribution poles. It's so problematic Google's moving their fibers underground. More »
Google Docs editing coming soon to iPad, Android devices
Filed under: Office, Google
Sometimes, when companies blog about a big new feature, there's a juicy little tidbit of news just thrown in somewhere. That's the case with today's Google Apps two-factor authentication announcement from Google. Tucked in amongst the notes was an aside about Google Docs, and it's a zinger. As spotted by out pal Brad over at Mobiputing, Google Docs users with an Android device or iPad will soon be able to edit their documents.
Don't be deceived by the screenshot -- it's from the current iteration, which only allows for data to be entered in cells. It's safe to assume Google means that "mobile editing" on supported devices will be much more than that.
[via: Mobiputing]Google Docs editing coming soon to iPad, Android devices originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Sometimes, when companies blog about a big new feature, there's a juicy little tidbit of news just thrown in somewhere. That's the case with today's Google Apps two-factor authentication announcement from Google. Tucked in amongst the notes was an aside about Google Docs, and it's a zinger. As spotted by out pal Brad over at Mobiputing, Google Docs users with an Android device or iPad will soon be able to edit their documents.
Don't be deceived by the screenshot -- it's from the current iteration, which only allows for data to be entered in cells. It's safe to assume Google means that "mobile editing" on supported devices will be much more than that.
[via: Mobiputing]Google Docs editing coming soon to iPad, Android devices originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tipping contest winners: Donington 2009
It was a freakish race - one which I am still trying to get my head around, let alone write up!
Because of the unusual podium, points were scarce this week with many people striking out. Only one person scored podium points: @leighberwick with his 3rd place for de Puniet. How you picked him out Leigh, [...]
Because of the unusual podium, points were scarce this week with many people striking out. Only one person scored podium points: @leighberwick with his 3rd place for de Puniet. How you picked him out Leigh, [...]
Spy Shots: Ducati Diavel Gets A Little Bit More Refined ? No Pillion Available?
British magazine website Visordown has snagged the latest Ducati Diavel spy shots, showing the Italian power cruiser with a bit more fit & finish than has previously been seen in other photos. While the tank and headlight still have some camouflage�covering them, we get an especially clearer look at the Diavel’s left-hand side, which looks [...]
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL
Don't Chat With Your Victim's iChat Buddies After Stealing Their Laptop [Idiots]
$30,000 worth of items were stolen from an East Hampton home, including a laptop. The thief (?) then logged into the original owner's iChat and video-chatted with one of his buddies, who snapped his picture. Sic 4chan on him. More »
The Science Behind the Art of Delicious Craft Beer [Beer]
Craft beer. It's delicious. Brewing it is an art. But it's also a science. Our friends at Eater visited Colorado's Great Divide Brewery, and explain how it's done, in 10 easy steps. [Eater] More »
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)
How to uninstall Internet Explorer 9
Filed under: Microsoft, Beta, Browsers?
Maybe you've seen enough of the Internet Explorer 9 beta for now -- you just wanted a taste, but you'd rather not use a beta browser on a day-to-day basis. Maybe you just want to know how to uninstall it because other people are going to ask you how to do it. Unlike most other programs on your computer, however, you won't find IE9 listed on the Uninstall or change a program screen.
That's because Internet Explorer 9 installs as a Windows update. Here's what you need to do to uninstall IE9 on Windows Vista or Windows 7:
click your windows button and type view updates in the search box
once the results appear, click view installed updates
Don't want to search? Press Win+R and paste in the following:
C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{d450a8a1-9568-45c7-9c0e-b4f9fb4537bd}
then press Enter.
wait for the Uninstall an update screen to load completely
scroll through the list until you find Windows Internet Explorer 9
click once to highlight IE9, then click the Uninstall button (or right-click and uninstall)
confirm that you want to uninstall (click yes)
How to uninstall Internet Explorer 9 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Maybe you've seen enough of the Internet Explorer 9 beta for now -- you just wanted a taste, but you'd rather not use a beta browser on a day-to-day basis. Maybe you just want to know how to uninstall it because other people are going to ask you how to do it. Unlike most other programs on your computer, however, you won't find IE9 listed on the Uninstall or change a program screen.
That's because Internet Explorer 9 installs as a Windows update. Here's what you need to do to uninstall IE9 on Windows Vista or Windows 7:
click your windows button and type view updates in the search box
once the results appear, click view installed updates
Don't want to search? Press Win+R and paste in the following:
C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{d450a8a1-9568-45c7-9c0e-b4f9fb4537bd}
then press Enter.
wait for the Uninstall an update screen to load completely
scroll through the list until you find Windows Internet Explorer 9
click once to highlight IE9, then click the Uninstall button (or right-click and uninstall)
confirm that you want to uninstall (click yes)
How to uninstall Internet Explorer 9 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Lensbaby Tilt Transformer Marries Nikon Lenses to Micro Four Thirds Bodies
Lensbaby has crammed an embarrassment of new features into its tiny Tilt Transformer. The little sliver of metal and plastic lets you mount any Nikon lens onto a Micro Four Thirds camera and use it for tilt-shift* effects. And with the (optional) Composer Focus Front, you can use any of Lensbaby’s own optics with the [...]
QPC's Articulated Naturality Web looks to one up augmented reality
We've already heard QderoPateo Communications (or QPC) talk up its notion of "articulated naturality" on smartphones, but it looks like the company has really gone all out for the World Economic Forum's recent Summer Davos Conference. That's where the company laid out its ambitious vision for an "Articulated Naturality Web," which promises to take the concept of augmented reality to a whole new level. Described as a "complete renaissance in the way we approach technology," the system would let you check hotel room availability simply by looking at the outside of the hotel, try out different furniture in an empty office space, look at items from a museum before you go inside, and get a weather forecast just by looking at the sky, to name just a few possibilities. Ambitious to be sure, but is it actually attainable in the near future? We certainly hope so. Head on past the break for the video.
[Thanks, Marius]Continue reading QPC's Articulated Naturality Web looks to one up augmented realityQPC's Articulated Naturality Web looks to one up augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Vimeo | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Marius]Continue reading QPC's Articulated Naturality Web looks to one up augmented realityQPC's Articulated Naturality Web looks to one up augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Vimeo | Email this | Comments
The Inhuman Anatomy of RoboCop [Robocop]
Well, that answers a burning question: There is no RoboCock. More »
Microsoft's Secret Plan to Take Over the World
Here in Silicon Valley, otherwise known as drama central, we live for conspiracy theories, have vampire CEOs who are rewarded for bleeding their companies dry, and even have executives who have their own fighter planes and are at war with each other. You would think we would have a few good conspiracy theories as well.
Hard Candy Cases for iPad Review
In case you didn?t notice, Apple released their iPad tablet in April of this year.� It?s been a bit of a success, and there have been several accessories released for it.� Okay, there have been a LOT of accessories released for it, and I personally have tried out quite a few cases and covers for [...] Filed in categories: Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: iPad cases and coversHard Candy Cases for iPad Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 21, 2010 at 8:00 am.
Droid X Froyo coming on Wednesday, Verizon announces
The Motorola Droid X officially will get its Android 2.2 update starting Wednesday, according to a note Verizon just dropped in our inbox. Here's the word:
Verizon Wireless will begin pushing Android 2.2, Froyo, to the DROID X by Motorola tomorrow. Customers do not have to wait for the over the air push, they can obtain the official update via the device itself by following these steps: "Menu" > "Settings" > "About Phone" > "System Updates". For more information and step-by-step instructions please visit www.verizonwireless.com/DroidXsupport.
And you read that right: You won't actually have to wait for the update, you should be able to go and get it. (And there shouldn't be any shenanigans like with AT&T.) More in the Droid X forums!
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Verizon Wireless will begin pushing Android 2.2, Froyo, to the DROID X by Motorola tomorrow. Customers do not have to wait for the over the air push, they can obtain the official update via the device itself by following these steps: "Menu" > "Settings" > "About Phone" > "System Updates". For more information and step-by-step instructions please visit www.verizonwireless.com/DroidXsupport.
And you read that right: You won't actually have to wait for the update, you should be able to go and get it. (And there shouldn't be any shenanigans like with AT&T.) More in the Droid X forums!
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
CrunchGear Week in Review: Death Drives A Stick Edition
Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: New Display Tech Could Have Eight Times The Pixel Density As Retina Display Immortality Via Valve?s Team Fortress 2 Hat-Describing Contest Now You Wily Terrorists Will Be Subject To Long-Range Skeleton Analysis I?d Live In It. Bufalino Camper Combines Car, Bedroom, Office Science! Viral Batteries [...]
23% of AT&T users would switch to Verizon iPhone [survey]
Credit Suisse has run a survey asking, if AT&T lost iPhone exclusivity, would users switch to another carrier like Verizon. 23% said they would go to Verizon while 3% would go to Sprint and 2% to T-Mobile.
When TiPb ran a Verizon-only switching poll, 34% of our readers said they’d make the switch in a [...]23% of AT&T users would switch to Verizon iPhone [survey] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
When TiPb ran a Verizon-only switching poll, 34% of our readers said they’d make the switch in a [...]23% of AT&T users would switch to Verizon iPhone [survey] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC
NVIDIA CEO: Tegra 3 almost done, Tegra 4 on the way, expect a new Tegra annually
Though NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference is primarily about the applications of GPU computing, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang hasn't shied away from revealing new silicon, and he just promised something quite unexpected to attending press: new Tegra chips. Though the Tegra 2 has yet to leave a single dent on the consumer marketplace -- the Boxee Box famously tossed it out -- Huang told us that not only is a Tegra 3 almost done and a Tegra 4 currently underway, but that we should expect a new Tegra SOC "every single year." Forgive us for being a mite skeptical of the company's ability to attract customers, but the only notches we see on Tegra's belt are the Zune HD... and Microsoft's failed Kin.NVIDIA CEO: Tegra 3 almost done, Tegra 4 on the way, expect a new Tegra annually originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Scosche FreedomMIC Is a Wireless Mic For Your New Flip Ultra [Mics]
One of the more exciting features of the new Flip Ultras is the FlipPort, a proprietary connection that allows the UltraHD to take advantage of third-party accessories. Among the first: the Scosche freedomMIC, a wireless lapel mic for your pocketcam. More »
Motorola Droid X getting Android 2.2 update starting tomorrow
Motorola's teasing that it's "still on track for a summer launch of Android 2.2 for Droid X," and considering that tomorrow is the last day of summer (sadly), that lines up nicely with new information on Droid Life today that Moto's beast for Verizon will get blessed with the update starting tomorrow at noon Eastern Time. Verizon's actually already posted the update document, and it's a doozy: besides 2.2, you get improves visual voicemail with Bluetooth support, a refreshed mobile hotspot app, and a fix to prevent data connections from dropping as you move between WiFi and 3G coverage. Looks like you'll be able to grab this of your own accord rather than having to wait for Verizon to bless you with the OTA, so gear up and enjoy one last evening with your Eclair-based Droid X. Go ahead, take it out somewhere nice, it's treated you well.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: Verizon has independently confirmed that the update is indeed available tomorrow. Good way to start your Wednesday, we'd say.Motorola Droid X getting Android 2.2 update starting tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Verizon, Droid Life, Motorola Owners' Forum | Email this | Comments
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: Verizon has independently confirmed that the update is indeed available tomorrow. Good way to start your Wednesday, we'd say.Motorola Droid X getting Android 2.2 update starting tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Verizon, Droid Life, Motorola Owners' Forum | Email this | Comments
VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up!
Filed under: Video, iPhone
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Iyaz Akhtar's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Iyaz Akhtar's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Papershow Digital Pen Now Available With Mac Support [Digital Pens]
Branching out after years of PC support, the Papershow digital pen is now available for Macs, working much like a LiveScribe does, only it displays scribbles and written words on-screen instantly. More »
Donington MotoGP tipping contest prizes
Great news! Enter the Donington round of the Tipping Contest to have a chance of winning a copy of Ring of Fire, The Inside Story of MotoGP by Rick Broadbent.
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Top three scorers for the round (not overall) will win a copy of Ring of Fire.
The top two scoring Minellas will [...]
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Top three scorers for the round (not overall) will win a copy of Ring of Fire.
The top two scoring Minellas will [...]
Sanofi-Aventis debuts iBGStar blood glucose meter for iPhone
It's not the first to announce a blood glucose meter that connects to an iPhone, but Sanofi-Aventis has just rolled out what's surely the most streamlined solution to date. Unlike the LifeScan Bluetooth glucose meter shown off during Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 preview event way back in March of last year, this one connects directly to your iPhone (or iPod touch), and it can even be kept permanently attached with the aid of a custom (and fairly stylish) case. Otherwise, it functions just as you'd expect, with it able to display all the basic info on the device itself (it can also be used without the iPhone), and a ton more info on the accompanying app. No word on availability just yet -- that still hinges on FDA clearance -- but the device is "expected" to run somewhere in the neighborhood of $80.Sanofi-Aventis debuts iBGStar blood glucose meter for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Diabetes Mine | Sanofi-Aventis | Email this | Comments
Harley-Davidson Brand Drops 24% in Value ? Threatens to Fall Off The Interbrand 100
Interbrand, the leader in brand consultancy, ranks the Top 100 brands each year according to their brand value, with brands like Google, Coca-Cola, and McDonalds usually taking the top honors. Interbrand?s method looks at the ongoing investment and management of the brand as a business asset, and then assigns a dollar value to that asset. [...]
Tweet of the Day: AirPlay Is Apple?s Little Thing to Make a Big Difference
When we’re constantly barraged with new computers, smartphones and tablets, it’s hard to take the time to appreciate small details that have a lot of significance. Take AirPlay, for example: a feature integrated into Apple’s iOS devices to wirelessly stream content to the new Apple TV.
That feature has the potential to be killer, even at [...]
That feature has the potential to be killer, even at [...]
Daily Crunch: Home Axe Movie Edition
Extrude the Light: Britons Make 3D ?Holograms? With The iPad Hands-on With The Lumus See-Through Wearable Display: Real 3D, Real Augmented Reality 3M Releases New Pico Projectors And Camcorder-Projector A VHS Skin For Your Notebook, iPhone, & Blackberry Slow Motion Axe Porn? Wait, It?s Not What It Sounds Like
Red Bull?s pace key to championship outcome (Singapore Grand Prix preview)
Any one of five different drivers could be leading the championship after this weekend’s race in Singapore. But while none of them can win the title this weekend a poor result could fatally compromise their chances with opportunities to score points running out. The high-downforce track should reveal which of the top three teams is [...]
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL
Dueling Droids: When 2 Is Greater Than X
Summer was a Droid double-header for Motorola. The company opted to follow up last year's successful original Droid launch by introducing not one but two sequels: The Droid X, followed by the Droid 2. When I first heard this, I started to believe Motorola was having a numerological crisis, unable to find the value of X or unwilling to give it a number lest the world think it's somehow better than 2.
New Yahoo! Mail to be sexier, faster, and more social
Yahoo! Mail's upcoming interface refresh made its first public appearance today, and it's surprisingly good. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but to me, the overall layout is much more appealing than the Gmail default I've grown accustomed to.
The first thing I noticed was that, unlike Gmail, there are tabs provided to switch between inbox and contacts views -- instead of another handful of buttons crammed into the left-hand navigation. Yahoo! Mail looks quite polished and a bit more like a desktop mail app.
This update isn't just be about looks, however. The new Yahoo! Mail will also be faster and feature an updated inbox search page, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and SMS integration. There's also talk of new photo and video sharing tools and an updated version of the integrated Yahoo! Messenger.
Yahoo reports that the Mail update will become available to users sometime this fall, though no specific date has been given at this point. Users will have the choice of opting in to the beta once it's made available.
I'm going to assume the color scheme will be customizable. While that's a nice shade of purple, it wouldn't be my number one pick.
[via CNet]New Yahoo! Mail to be sexier, faster, and more social originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The first thing I noticed was that, unlike Gmail, there are tabs provided to switch between inbox and contacts views -- instead of another handful of buttons crammed into the left-hand navigation. Yahoo! Mail looks quite polished and a bit more like a desktop mail app.
This update isn't just be about looks, however. The new Yahoo! Mail will also be faster and feature an updated inbox search page, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and SMS integration. There's also talk of new photo and video sharing tools and an updated version of the integrated Yahoo! Messenger.
Yahoo reports that the Mail update will become available to users sometime this fall, though no specific date has been given at this point. Users will have the choice of opting in to the beta once it's made available.
I'm going to assume the color scheme will be customizable. While that's a nice shade of purple, it wouldn't be my number one pick.
[via CNet]New Yahoo! Mail to be sexier, faster, and more social originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
MerchantCircle Acquires Online Meeting Scheduler TimeBridge
Online marketing network for small business owners MerchantCircle has acquired meeting scheduler TimeBridge, we've learned. We've confirmed the acquisition with MerchantCircle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2005, TimeBridge provides a web app and an iPhone app that allows users to coordinate and schedule meetings easily. The company also offers a number of features that allow users to conduct meetings, including web, phone and video conferencing. The app will send attendees email and SMS reminders and allow users to upload documents and capture notes.
Founded in 2005, TimeBridge provides a web app and an iPhone app that allows users to coordinate and schedule meetings easily. The company also offers a number of features that allow users to conduct meetings, including web, phone and video conferencing. The app will send attendees email and SMS reminders and allow users to upload documents and capture notes.
3D Face Modeling Software Generates Your Visage With a Single Photo and Old Data [3D Modeling]
At Waseda University, researchers are developing a 3D face generation process that requires no special equipment. It combines 3D measurement data from thousands of faces with a single photograph to extrapolate what your features will look like, cheaply and quickly. More »
EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration
Filed under: Developer
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Finally, someone has gone and done it: EtherCodes is a mashup of EtherPad and Skywriter (formerly known as Bespin). In simple terms, it's a collaborative, real-time, Web-based code editor, with syntax highlighting for C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruby (yay!), and HTML.
It's currently in alpha, but I've played around with it, and it feels quite solid. It really feels like a hybrid. The familiar EtherPad interface surrounds a text area that is actually Skywriter. And Skywriter has its own command line, which lets you do all sorts of things to your code (convert all tabs to spaces, for example).
You don't get code completion, though, which is a shame. Also, for some reason, EtherCodes won't play nice with Opera -- it wants you to use Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 2.0+, or Safari 4.0+. I'm not really sure why, because Opera has a blazing-fast JavaScript engine. But all in all, I really like this mashup. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it takes two established technologies and pairs them elegantly.
The mind behind EtherCodes is Gary Yao, who co-authored CKEditor (a well-regarded Rich Text editor for Web applications). I can only hope that EtherCodes will have the same kind of success. It is a much needed product, indeed.EtherCodes is an interesting code editor for real-time collaboration originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Plantronics introduces the K100 Bluetooth in-car speakerphone
We all know that making and answering calls with a mobile phone while driving distracts you from the task at hand – actually driving the vehicle. Solutions to this problem include various hands-free systems like Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones. Plantronics has just introduced a new addition to the last category. It’s the K100 Bluetooth in-car [...] Filed in categories: Bluetooth Gear, Car Gear, News, Spotlight GadgetsTagged: Bluetooth Gear, speakerphonePlantronics introduces the K100 Bluetooth in-car speakerphone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2010 at 1:00 pm.
eHolster Front Pocket Wallet ? Holsters aren?t just for Cowboys
eHolster has just introduced a new Front Pocket Wallet with Cell Phone Pouch. It’s a soft leather wallet, with a pocket to hold your phone. It has an ID slot, 2 card slots and a zippered currency slot. It has been designed to be worn in your front pocket – for guys of course It [...] Filed in categories: Android related, Blackberry related, News, Spotlight Gadgets, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: Case, WalleteHolster Front Pocket Wallet – Holsters aren’t just for Cowboys originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 21, 2010 at 6:34 pm.
16-Year-Old Dies In Tragic Bowflex Exercise Accident [Accidents]
There aren't too many details on just how 16-year-old Justin Butler got entangled in his Bowflex exercise machine, but we do know that the incident, unfortunately, led to his death. More »
MetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the ride
MetroPCS was quite serious when it said it wanted to have commercial LTE up and running in 2010 -- and indeed, it has made good on its word today with an official launch in Vegas. Of course, you need hardware to go along with a new network, and that's not much of a surprise either: the long-discussed Samsung Craft becomes not just MetroPCS' first 4G handset, but the first LTE phone to launch commercially anywhere in the world. It's not a smartphone, but it's got a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a full QWERTY slide. Interestingly, MetroPCS is not offering tethering (or any modems) at this time, which means the only way you're going to be able to enjoy those blazing speeds is on the handset itself. The carrier is offering basic unlimited service for $55 for a month, while another $5 will net you unlimited on-demand video streaming from 14 networks. The Craft, meanwhile, runs $299 contract-free -- and since it's dual-mode, it'll work just fine on MetroPCS' CDMA network once you leave the blackjack tables. Follow the break for Samsung's press release.Continue reading MetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the rideMetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | MetroPCS | Email this | Comments
iPhone Awareness! app selectively filters outside noises into your headphones, saves hipster lives
Apps are funny things. They tend to provide narrow utility -- focusing intensely on one specific thing -- but once you get used to them, you wonder how you lived without them. Take this Awareness! app, for example: it gauges environmental noise levels, sets up a threshold, and then pipes in anything louder than that into your skull alongside your music. Reasons why you'd want that to happen include oncoming SUVs, mothers screaming because their babies are in peril (from oncoming SUVs), or something as benign as your teacher yelling at you for not paying attention in class. There's a nice set of options too, such as manually adjusting how loud a sound must be to be allowed entry into your cranium, as well as pausing of the app or of your music. Awareness! is available for five bucks on the iPhone and iPod touch, and will soon jump on to the iPad, Android, Symbian, and even the Mac and PC.Continue reading iPhone Awareness! app selectively filters outside noises into your headphones, saves hipster livesiPhone Awareness! app selectively filters outside noises into your headphones, saves hipster lives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Yahoo! News | iTunes | Email this | Comments
Verizon prepping an update for the Samsung Fascinate
Looks like the Droid X isn't the only Verizon phone about to be updated. There are some fixes coming down the pike for the Samsung Fascinate. No Froyo yet in version i500.DI01 (and no mention of that pesky Bing thing, either). Instead, here's what you'll get: Instant notification of Visual Voice Mail in the messaging bar. Improved sync between phone and e-mail accounts. Prompt notification when switching to airplane mode. Faster switching from 3G to 1x RTT. Search phone while on a call. Improved Exchange password alerts. No Service audio alert removed. So, it takes care of some of the bugs that were on that leaked launch list, but we wait for Android 2.2, among other things. When will the update be released? We've had no official word yet, but we've been told Thursday is a strong possibility. Stay tuned. [Verizon - PDF] Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
The Tracktor Adds Price History and Alerts to Amazon [Downloads]
Chrome: Earlier this year we highlighted the Amazon price tracker The Tracktor. They've released a Chrome extension that embeds the price history of Amazon products directly under the listed price for instant and easy comparison. More »
So Hot: Fujifilm X100 Mixes Optical and Electronic Viewfinder in Gorgeous Retro Body
Fujifilm’s retro-fantastic X100 is probably the hottest-looking camera you’ll see this year. Announced at this year’s Photokina tradeshow, the magnesium-clad compact makes it look like Fujifilm took the wish list of many photographers and made it real.
The first thing you’ll notice is the styling, which looks almost exactly like the rangefinder cameras of the past, [...]
The first thing you’ll notice is the styling, which looks almost exactly like the rangefinder cameras of the past, [...]
Sachsenring 2009 MotoGP race analysis
While the weather had produced torrential downpours thoughout the preamble to this GP, it stayed dry for the action in Germany. As the riders lined up on the grid, there was a real feeling of anticipation as Rossi and Lorenzo, so close through practice until that awesome final qualifying lap from Valentino, pulled up next [...]
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)
VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up!
Filed under: Video, iPhone
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Iyaz Akhtar's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Iyaz Akhtar's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The man behind Foxconn, the largest and most powerful exporter in the world
Filed under: Business, Apple
First, a little trivia. You know that famous Foxconn factory -- the iPhone one, the one with the suicides -- well, it has between 300,000 and 450,000 employees. That's about four times the size of Microsoft and Dell, or ten times the size of Apple. But here's the scary bit: that factory ('Foxconn City') represents less than half of Foxconn's entire 920,000-strong workforce. By 2011, that number will grow to 1.3 million -- and every single one of them is making gadgets for us. Anyone would think that we're a society of consumers...
Bloomberg Businessweek has a fascinating (8-page!) interrogative analysis of Foxconn's owner, Terry Gou. Those million workers have just one boss -- or 'general', as he likes to call himself. As of today, it's speculated that he has a personal fortune of some $6 billion, but to Gou that's seemingly inconsequential: "I am not interested in knowing how much I have. I don't care. I am working not for money at this moment, I am working for society, I am working for my employees."
The story goes on, detailing how Foxconn started small, with Gou using a $7,500 loan from his mother to make plastic knobs for TVs. Soon after he was making connectors for the Atari 2600. Then in the early 1980s he toured the USA to pick up new customers, and the rest is history.
Sadly, a lot of the story is about Foxconn's working conditions -- and the suicides. I guess the allure of writing about death is such that even Bloomberg can't escape it. Nevermind that, even after 13 suicides, the suicide rate is still below the national average. Nevermind that Foxconn is providing jobs (well-paid by Chinese standards!) to the incredibly poor citizens of central China.
Still, if you're interested in finding out how the largest exporter in the world does business, about how Terry Gou goes that extra mile to ensure the happiness of Apple, Dell and other big-hitters, you should read the story.The man behind Foxconn, the largest and most powerful exporter in the world originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
First, a little trivia. You know that famous Foxconn factory -- the iPhone one, the one with the suicides -- well, it has between 300,000 and 450,000 employees. That's about four times the size of Microsoft and Dell, or ten times the size of Apple. But here's the scary bit: that factory ('Foxconn City') represents less than half of Foxconn's entire 920,000-strong workforce. By 2011, that number will grow to 1.3 million -- and every single one of them is making gadgets for us. Anyone would think that we're a society of consumers...
Bloomberg Businessweek has a fascinating (8-page!) interrogative analysis of Foxconn's owner, Terry Gou. Those million workers have just one boss -- or 'general', as he likes to call himself. As of today, it's speculated that he has a personal fortune of some $6 billion, but to Gou that's seemingly inconsequential: "I am not interested in knowing how much I have. I don't care. I am working not for money at this moment, I am working for society, I am working for my employees."
The story goes on, detailing how Foxconn started small, with Gou using a $7,500 loan from his mother to make plastic knobs for TVs. Soon after he was making connectors for the Atari 2600. Then in the early 1980s he toured the USA to pick up new customers, and the rest is history.
Sadly, a lot of the story is about Foxconn's working conditions -- and the suicides. I guess the allure of writing about death is such that even Bloomberg can't escape it. Nevermind that, even after 13 suicides, the suicide rate is still below the national average. Nevermind that Foxconn is providing jobs (well-paid by Chinese standards!) to the incredibly poor citizens of central China.
Still, if you're interested in finding out how the largest exporter in the world does business, about how Terry Gou goes that extra mile to ensure the happiness of Apple, Dell and other big-hitters, you should read the story.The man behind Foxconn, the largest and most powerful exporter in the world originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA
HTC HD7 schematic illustrates our Windows Phone 7 future
First thing's first: there's no way to verify that the above image is a legitimate HTC doc. The tipster seems reliable, having provided WMPoweruser with the HTC Mozart video yesterday, but until we witness Peter Chou holding the damn thing up in front of an audience struggling to get a WiFi signal, we'll remain cautious. Anyhow, what we're looking at above is the claimed first visual of that ephemeral HD7 from HTC, replete with a dedicated camera button and what looks like a dual LED flash, along with a MicroUSB data/power port and headphone jack at the bottom (identical to the HD2 and Desire HD). It's reassuring to see much of the glorious HD2 heritage being carried over into this successor atop HTC's Windows phone line, though if you're not all that keen on jumping on what looks like yet another superpowered 4.3-inch slate, there's always the rumored Trophy handset as well.HTC HD7 schematic illustrates our Windows Phone 7 future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | WMPoweruser | Email this | Comments
Adobe acts quickly to patch latest Flash vulnerability
Filed under: Security, AdobeThanks to F-Secure, we have just learned that Adobe has responded quickly to the most recent critical security flaw in Flash, which Lee reported on a week ago. According to Adobe:
Chrome users are already protected! Versions above 6.0.472.62 are patched. This version number refers to the Stable channel, but the latest Beta channel update also has the same update (with a different version number).
Patches for all other operating systems (including Android) are to be available today.
Adobe Reader isn't protected yet - the patch is due around October 4. On the plus side, there isn't a known exploit in the wild for this vulnerability in Reader.
[Photo: acoustickyy)Adobe acts quickly to patch latest Flash vulnerability originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Chrome users are already protected! Versions above 6.0.472.62 are patched. This version number refers to the Stable channel, but the latest Beta channel update also has the same update (with a different version number).
Patches for all other operating systems (including Android) are to be available today.
Adobe Reader isn't protected yet - the patch is due around October 4. On the plus side, there isn't a known exploit in the wild for this vulnerability in Reader.
[Photo: acoustickyy)Adobe acts quickly to patch latest Flash vulnerability originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Diaspora puts out Developer Release -- source code is here!
Filed under: Open Source, Social Software, web 2.0
Diaspora has just offered up their first public release - a developer version of the platform.
In their own words, Diaspora is "in its infancy," but now everyone can see exactly what's going on in the code base, and hopefully pitch in with some help. This code is far from production-ready, but it is a solid indication that the Diaspora guys have been using their crowdsourced startup money for more than mojitos.
According to Diaspora's post, here are some of the features that are already implemented:
Share status messages and photos privately (and in near real time) with your friends through "aspects."
Friend people across the Internet no matter where Diaspora seed is located.
Manage friends using "aspects."
Upload photos and albums.
All traffic is signed and encrypted (except photos, for now).
"Aspects" seems to be a favorite buzzword here. The only explanation I could find in the post was: "We live our real lives in context, speaking from whatever aspect of ourselves that those around us know. Social tools should work the same way." That actually makes sense to me, and I feel it's something Facebook is sorely lacking (even with "groups").
You can see screenshots in the original post. Note that the screenshots are small in the post and aren't linked to hi-res files, but if you right-click and download them, you get full-resolution images (that's how I got the screenshot for this post). And for those of us who aren't coders, Diaspora says the first Alpha is due to be released in October.Diaspora puts out Developer Release -- source code is here! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Diaspora has just offered up their first public release - a developer version of the platform.
In their own words, Diaspora is "in its infancy," but now everyone can see exactly what's going on in the code base, and hopefully pitch in with some help. This code is far from production-ready, but it is a solid indication that the Diaspora guys have been using their crowdsourced startup money for more than mojitos.
According to Diaspora's post, here are some of the features that are already implemented:
Share status messages and photos privately (and in near real time) with your friends through "aspects."
Friend people across the Internet no matter where Diaspora seed is located.
Manage friends using "aspects."
Upload photos and albums.
All traffic is signed and encrypted (except photos, for now).
"Aspects" seems to be a favorite buzzword here. The only explanation I could find in the post was: "We live our real lives in context, speaking from whatever aspect of ourselves that those around us know. Social tools should work the same way." That actually makes sense to me, and I feel it's something Facebook is sorely lacking (even with "groups").
You can see screenshots in the original post. Note that the screenshots are small in the post and aren't linked to hi-res files, but if you right-click and download them, you get full-resolution images (that's how I got the screenshot for this post). And for those of us who aren't coders, Diaspora says the first Alpha is due to be released in October.Diaspora puts out Developer Release -- source code is here! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Why Our Schools Suck, The Movie
Whether it?s this post or Oprah, today may be the first time you hear of the movie ?Waiting for Superman? but it won?t be the last. A flood of pissed-off parents, Charter Schools and reformers and deep-pocketed billionaires and millionaires will make sure of that.
But the other reason you?ll keep hearing about this documentary on the state of America?s public education system is that it?s just a really great documentary.
I?ve never quite understood how the public school system of the wealthiest country in the world--one where every President pledges to ?fix? education and one where education spending continually goes up--could be so intractably horrible. The problem seems too big, bloated, complex and confusing to even have a smart debate around, much less try to fix. Fortunately, since I'm not a parent, it?s an issue where I can just throw up my hands, assume any politician saying they?ll fix it is lying, and start saving for the private school I?ll one day need when I do have kids.
But the brilliance of ?Waiting for Superman? is in how it breaks the problem with education down into mostly one simple problem: Bad teachers can?t be fired, good teachers can?t get rewarded for being good, whether that?s promotions or merit-based raises.
But the other reason you?ll keep hearing about this documentary on the state of America?s public education system is that it?s just a really great documentary.
I?ve never quite understood how the public school system of the wealthiest country in the world--one where every President pledges to ?fix? education and one where education spending continually goes up--could be so intractably horrible. The problem seems too big, bloated, complex and confusing to even have a smart debate around, much less try to fix. Fortunately, since I'm not a parent, it?s an issue where I can just throw up my hands, assume any politician saying they?ll fix it is lying, and start saving for the private school I?ll one day need when I do have kids.
But the brilliance of ?Waiting for Superman? is in how it breaks the problem with education down into mostly one simple problem: Bad teachers can?t be fired, good teachers can?t get rewarded for being good, whether that?s promotions or merit-based raises.
Turn Your iPhone 4 into a Leica Camera
This skin from Topdecal on Etsy�can give your iPhone 4 the look of a Leica camera.� You can choose from a Leica X1, M8, or M9 look for $9.90 each.� The skins are precision-cut from vinyl that has a 3-5 years outdoors lifespan.� The vinyl skin can be removed without damaging your iPhone and without [...] Filed in categories: News, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: iPhone 4 skinTurn Your iPhone 4 into a Leica Camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm.
HIGH TECH COMPUTER HON HAI PRECISION IND HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
$29,000 Titanium Leica M9 Will Sadly Never Take a Picture
Apart from the price ? ?22,000, or $29,000 ? all you need to know about the photographic ambitions for Leica’s new M9 Titanium special edition is in this paragraph:
[T]he Leica logo has been restyled and is elaborately hand-engraved in pure resin, inlaid with white enamel, sealed with clear varnish and then polished and positioned centrally [...]
[T]he Leica logo has been restyled and is elaborately hand-engraved in pure resin, inlaid with white enamel, sealed with clear varnish and then polished and positioned centrally [...]
TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS
Google to boost account security with security code, mobile authentication
Google has begun rolling out much-improved account security features for its Google Apps Premiere, Education, and Government customers. The system features the standard "username and password" we are all used to now, but it also will contain a second verification step. This will require a special code that can be obtained in one of three ways: A "Google Authenticator" app available for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry phones A SMS (text) message A automated phone call This system is designed primarily to entice business, education, and government users who require the added security to do their daily business, which is why they will be seeing it first. Google does plan on rolling out the added security to all Google accounts within the next few months. Users can choose to have the code required upon every login, once per computer, or turn it off completely. Requiring it upon every login would ensure that any would-be hacker would need both your password and access to your phone. Download links for the Android app are past the break. [Google]
appid:
com.google.android.apps.authenticator
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
appid:
com.google.android.apps.authenticator
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Giant Motherf*cking Spiderwebs Stronger Than Kevlar [Spiders]
Don't be surprised if you see the US Army sporting fine garments made from Madagascan bark spider's silk in the future. It's "10 times better than Kevlar," which itself is "5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis." More »
?Steampunk? Designs That Actually Do Real Work
Part of the problem with the steampunk aesthetic is that it’s a mish-mash of at least a half-dozen eras and styles, and as a result these pseudo-Victorian mods have little substance.
The real steam-engine Victorians were industrialists and colonialists. They were all about power. Gears, pulleys, and exposed wood-grain were all functional. These guys didn’t hide [...]
The real steam-engine Victorians were industrialists and colonialists. They were all about power. Gears, pulleys, and exposed wood-grain were all functional. These guys didn’t hide [...]
2010 Aragon 125cc Race Result - Last-Corner Pass Decides Race-Long Battle
Results and summary of the 125cc race at Motorland Aragon:
read more
read more
New BMWs To Sport Apple Interface, iPad And iPod Out Integration
The Paris Motor show is going on now. The usual car unveilings are a given, but also the shows are becoming a place for automakers to showcase and release exciting new tech. Take BMW for example, they are known around the globe for making the ?ultimate driving machines.? Now, they are entering the realm of being the ultimate connectivity machine.
Zune Marketplace Now All MP3 Across PC, Xbox and Windows Phone [Zune]
Zune's been going in this direction for a while, but Microsoft has finally gone all MP3 with their Zune Marketplace music. All 11 million tracks in the US, and 8 million tracks in UK, France Italy, Spain and Germany. Yes, Europe! More »
How to Record the Cops: A Guide to the Technology For Keeping Government Accountable [Accountability]
This summer the issue of recording on-duty police officers—and consequent phone and camera confiscations—has received a great deal of attention. Here's how to make sure your coverage won't get lost should you find yourself in such a situation. More »
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews
Filed under: Fun, Apple, MobileI'm not quite sure if this one counts as 'news', and you'll probably want the 30 seconds of your life back afterwards, but anyway: Marco Arment (of Tumblr and Instapaper fame) has compiled a list of the most commonly used words in 1- and 5-star App Store reviews.
In true American style, awesome and worth are at the top of the 5-star list. As Marco points out, it's very nice to see simple so high in the 5-star list, but words like ever, never and done are a bit odd. I don't have an iOS device, so I can only guess, but are people writing reviews that read 'This app is awesome. I don't know how I ever got along without it. I will never leave home without it'? And where does touch figure into positive reviews? I hope it comes from 'it also works on my iPod touch!'...
The bad-review list reads like a litany of woe: waste and money come first, quickly followed by crashes, useless, deleted and stupid.
Interestingly, both lists emphasize cost and value: i.e. when an app works well, it's 'worth its weight in gold', but when it doesn't work, an app is 'a useless waste of money'. As Marco highlights, though, talking about the price when you've paid hundreds of dollars for the device itself is a little silly.
My favourite word, if you're wondering, is right at the end of the 1-star review list: Apple.
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In true American style, awesome and worth are at the top of the 5-star list. As Marco points out, it's very nice to see simple so high in the 5-star list, but words like ever, never and done are a bit odd. I don't have an iOS device, so I can only guess, but are people writing reviews that read 'This app is awesome. I don't know how I ever got along without it. I will never leave home without it'? And where does touch figure into positive reviews? I hope it comes from 'it also works on my iPod touch!'...
The bad-review list reads like a litany of woe: waste and money come first, quickly followed by crashes, useless, deleted and stupid.
Interestingly, both lists emphasize cost and value: i.e. when an app works well, it's 'worth its weight in gold', but when it doesn't work, an app is 'a useless waste of money'. As Marco highlights, though, talking about the price when you've paid hundreds of dollars for the device itself is a little silly.
My favourite word, if you're wondering, is right at the end of the 1-star review list: Apple.
The most common words used in 1-star and 5-star App Store reviews originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
HTC Lexikon ROM leaks out, Verizon the obvious intended receiver
When last we saw the HTC Lexikon, it was just a smattering of rumored specs. Now we have a leaked ROM to go with it, courtesy of some good old-fashioned Chinese file dumps. Funny thing about the Lexikon, though. When we go back and look at the specs again -- 3.8-inch screen, 512MB RAM/4MB ROM, Qualcomm 72xx processor at 800MHz, QWERTY keyboard, 5MP camera -- sure sounds like a lot like the T-Mobile G2, doesn't it?But, of course, this isn't the G2, as the Verizon branding on the RUU screen shot clearly shows. So what will the Lexikon end up being for Verizon (assuming it makes it all the way to market)? News at 11, folks. [911 HTC via Android Guys]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!
We're finishing up our back to school coverage here for the year and we thought we'd end on a high note. The third and final installment of our back to school giveaways is a doozy, people. On offer, we've got a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13, a 500GB Skim eGo Portable Hard Drive, a Zeppelin Mini, a BlackBerry Curve, a Slim External DVD writer, an HP Envy 14, a second generation Mickey, a Logitech Z15, and a Logitech Z305. The total value of this giveaway is nearly $2,400, and all you have to do is read the rules below and get commenting.
Special thanks to all of the companies for donating the gear for us to give away!Continue reading Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Special thanks to all of the companies for donating the gear for us to give away!Continue reading Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE
CrunchGear Week In Review: Dropped Frames Edition
TravelTeq Suitcase Doubles As A Chair, Speaker System A VHS Skin For Your Notebook, iPhone, & Blackberry Dell?s Convertible Netbook-Tablet Actually Looks Really Cool A Stocking Stuffer For The Wooden Robot Fan In Your Life Vivitar Tries To Sell Its Last Film Cameras To The Aged
Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!
We're finishing up our back to school coverage here for the year and we thought we'd end on a high note. The third and final installment of our back to school giveaways is a doozy, people. On offer, we've got a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13, a 500GB Skim eGo Portable Hard Drive, a Zeppelin Mini, a BlackBerry Curve, a Slim External DVD writer, an HP Envy 14, a second generation Mickey, a Logitech Z15, and a Logitech Z305. The total value of this giveaway is nearly $2,400, and all you have to do is read the rules below and get commenting.
Special thanks to all of the companies for donating the gear for us to give away!Continue reading Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Special thanks to all of the companies for donating the gear for us to give away!Continue reading Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more!Engadget's back to school giveaway, part three: win an HP Envy 14 with Beats Audio and much, much more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
inDinero?s Jessica Mah: This Is A 20-30 Year Company That We Want To Build (TCTV)
At 20-years-old, Jessica Mah is already something of a budding serial entrepreneur.
She launched her first startup at 13, graduated from high school at 15, debuted InternshipIN in 2008 and most recently founded inDinero, a financial management site that promises to be the Mint for small businesses.
With that kind of resume, it's no wonder that Mah has been seen as a teen to watch for quite some time, but with her latest venture, inDinero, she's finally making a legitimate play for the big leagues. In our TechCrunch TV interview (see video ahead), Mah discusses her latest funding round, how she picked her collection of 20 angel investors and why she doesn't want inDinero to follow Mint's path.
She launched her first startup at 13, graduated from high school at 15, debuted InternshipIN in 2008 and most recently founded inDinero, a financial management site that promises to be the Mint for small businesses.
With that kind of resume, it's no wonder that Mah has been seen as a teen to watch for quite some time, but with her latest venture, inDinero, she's finally making a legitimate play for the big leagues. In our TechCrunch TV interview (see video ahead), Mah discusses her latest funding round, how she picked her collection of 20 angel investors and why she doesn't want inDinero to follow Mint's path.
Solipskier is an insanely fun, ski-themed Time-Waster
Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Solipskier is a ski game with a twist: rather than control the skier, you control the slope.
You click and drag with the mouse to draw the slope that your skier navigates. If you make it too hilly, the skier will slowly trudge up the hill. If you make it a gentle slope, you can see the little guy whiz along like there's no tomorrow!
There are gates that you have to go through, and as you pass through them, you pick up more and more speed. Your skier dude can jump, too! It takes some skill, but if you draw the terrain just right and pick up enough speed, the guy can really get some serious air.
The points rack up very quickly, and the whole thing is intense and loads of fun. There are some places where you have to jump, ... or you die (you cannot draw terrain there, so your skier falls into oblivion). In general, it's pretty easy to die in this game, but you can start again just as easily.
The level seems to be generated on the fly; every time, the gates are located at different spots and heights. Make sure you pay attention to the little triangular guide at the right side of the screen - this shows you where and when the next gate is going to be coming up. It's highly recommended!Solipskier is an insanely fun, ski-themed Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Solipskier is a ski game with a twist: rather than control the skier, you control the slope.
You click and drag with the mouse to draw the slope that your skier navigates. If you make it too hilly, the skier will slowly trudge up the hill. If you make it a gentle slope, you can see the little guy whiz along like there's no tomorrow!
There are gates that you have to go through, and as you pass through them, you pick up more and more speed. Your skier dude can jump, too! It takes some skill, but if you draw the terrain just right and pick up enough speed, the guy can really get some serious air.
The points rack up very quickly, and the whole thing is intense and loads of fun. There are some places where you have to jump, ... or you die (you cannot draw terrain there, so your skier falls into oblivion). In general, it's pretty easy to die in this game, but you can start again just as easily.
The level seems to be generated on the fly; every time, the gates are located at different spots and heights. Make sure you pay attention to the little triangular guide at the right side of the screen - this shows you where and when the next gate is going to be coming up. It's highly recommended!Solipskier is an insanely fun, ski-themed Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Apple Approves VLC Video Player for iPad
Well, color us surprised (and delighted). Apple has approved VLC Media Player for iPad, an app that plays a multitude of movie formats unsupported by the tablet’s built-in video player.
VLC has been a popular open-source app on the desktop, capable of playing a wide range of media formats at high resolutions, making Apple’s standard iTunes [...]
VLC has been a popular open-source app on the desktop, capable of playing a wide range of media formats at high resolutions, making Apple’s standard iTunes [...]
2010 Aragon 125cc FP2 Result - Espargaro Reigns In A Downpour
The second session of practice for the 125cc class took place in a downpour at Aragon. Tuenti Derbi's Pol Espargaro was the fastest man in the wet, by a country mile, with the next fastest rider Marc Marquez, nearly two thirds of a second back. In 3rd place was Ongetta's Jonas Folger, the German rider traditionally strong in the wet, while this morning's fastest man Nico Terol ended the session in 4th.
Results:
read more
Results:
read more
CodeBurner puts Web language reference information at your fingertips
Filed under: Developer, Search, web 2.0
CodeBurner is a neat tool for rapidly checking a ton of CSS and HTML reference information, including compatibility, functionality, and more. It's available as a Firefox add-on or a Firebug plug-in, and as an Adobe AIR application, OS X Dashboard Widget, or Opera add-on.
I tested the Firebug variant, because I use Firebug for all of my Web debugging needs. And indeed, CodeBurner adds a nice, comprehensive reference layer. I click any page element (or search for an element), and get a list showing the selected element and telling me about it, showing what are the attributes defined for this element, what other attributes may be defined for it (i.e, are valid but aren't specified in the site markup), and what styles and selectors apply to this element.
Next to each of these, I can see browser compatibility information for select browsers. For example, I had no idea the "text-align" style is considered "buggy" under IE7 - now I know.
Each style and attribute gets just a single line of text, but if you want more information, just click the more link. You will then be taken to SitePoint's reference section for the selected attribute - here's color for example. The reference page contains a verbose description, an example, and complete compatibility information. If all of this sounds a bit too comprehensive, you can always dial it down a bit and filter your search so that it only returns HTML Elements, for example.CodeBurner puts Web language reference information at your fingertips originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
CodeBurner is a neat tool for rapidly checking a ton of CSS and HTML reference information, including compatibility, functionality, and more. It's available as a Firefox add-on or a Firebug plug-in, and as an Adobe AIR application, OS X Dashboard Widget, or Opera add-on.
I tested the Firebug variant, because I use Firebug for all of my Web debugging needs. And indeed, CodeBurner adds a nice, comprehensive reference layer. I click any page element (or search for an element), and get a list showing the selected element and telling me about it, showing what are the attributes defined for this element, what other attributes may be defined for it (i.e, are valid but aren't specified in the site markup), and what styles and selectors apply to this element.
Next to each of these, I can see browser compatibility information for select browsers. For example, I had no idea the "text-align" style is considered "buggy" under IE7 - now I know.
Each style and attribute gets just a single line of text, but if you want more information, just click the more link. You will then be taken to SitePoint's reference section for the selected attribute - here's color for example. The reference page contains a verbose description, an example, and complete compatibility information. If all of this sounds a bit too comprehensive, you can always dial it down a bit and filter your search so that it only returns HTML Elements, for example.CodeBurner puts Web language reference information at your fingertips originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up!
Filed under: Video, iPhone
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Brad Linder's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
VLC lovers, rejoice! Well, VLC lovers who own an iPad, anyway. Applidium has announced that VLC for iPad has been approved and is now available for download from the App Store.
In case you were wondering about the open source implications of the release, good news on that front: Applidium states that the code will be released before the end of the day. The blog also states that they've begun work on a version for the iPhone and iPod touch as well, so you'll soon be able to enjoy VLC viewing on your pocket-sized device.
The rest of you who love VLC can still party if you want to -- it's a celebration-worthy app, even if you don't have an iPad to play with!
update: Have a look at Brad Linder's review over at Mobiputing... overall, VLC on the iPad looks pretty darn good -- DivX and Xvid worked well, though it did struggle with a large M4V (not a complete shocker) VLC arrives on the iPad, iPhone version coming up! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
BlackBerry Storm3 caught on camera?
Theoretically, we think this could just be a really well-executed Photoshop mashup, but considering how good RIM is at keeping industrial design elements consistent from device to device, we tend to believe this alleged shot of a BlackBerry Storm3 in the wild. Specs are said to include a 3.7-inch display -- up significantly from the Storm2's 3.2-inch example and better suited to take on 2010's top-tier touchphones -- along with 8GB of onboard storage. We'd also heard in the past that the Storm3 would be slated for BlackBerry 6, a 5 megapixel cam, and a late-2010 launch on Verizon, and the new rumor of integrated mobile hotspot functionality would corroborate that a bit since Big Red's really pushing that feature as a plan add-on these days. Torch owners, feeling any tinge of envy, or are you at peace with your decision?BlackBerry Storm3 caught on camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink IntoMobile | BerryReview | Email this | Comments
Solve Media's CAPTCHA replacement might have ads, but they're still an improvement
Filed under: News
At times, fighting with multiple CAPTCHA codes is more painful than having to hear "Party in the U.S.A." playing on the radio for the umpteenth time in a single day. I understand the point of a CAPTCHA, but there have just been too many times where the squashed, skewed letters are far too mangled to comprehend.
Enter Solve Media, who think they've got a solution which is not only superior, but profitable. Instead of letter soup, Solve wants websites to display their ad-powered codes. "Browse Safer." Yep, I can read that -- and I'm not bothered at all by the advertisement.
That's a trade-off I'd be willing to make every time. What about you?
Full disclosure: AOL is an investor in Solve Media.Solve Media's CAPTCHA replacement might have ads, but they're still an improvement originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
At times, fighting with multiple CAPTCHA codes is more painful than having to hear "Party in the U.S.A." playing on the radio for the umpteenth time in a single day. I understand the point of a CAPTCHA, but there have just been too many times where the squashed, skewed letters are far too mangled to comprehend.
Enter Solve Media, who think they've got a solution which is not only superior, but profitable. Instead of letter soup, Solve wants websites to display their ad-powered codes. "Browse Safer." Yep, I can read that -- and I'm not bothered at all by the advertisement.
That's a trade-off I'd be willing to make every time. What about you?
Full disclosure: AOL is an investor in Solve Media.Solve Media's CAPTCHA replacement might have ads, but they're still an improvement originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)
BlackBerry Bold 9780 in the wild one more time, still looks exactly like a 9700
Look, we know that every new BlackBerry model is going to bear a striking resemblance to the model it replaces -- that's just how RIM does things -- but isn't this getting a little out of hand? The BlackBerry 6-equpped Bold 9780 has been leaked a few times at this point, but we're seeing it now for the first time totally unshackled from Mr. Blurrycam's surly bonds... and yeah, if you had any doubts as to whether it was a dead ringer for the 9700 it'll likely be replacing, you can put those doubts to rest. Of course, when you've got a keyboard as good as the Bold series does, sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone, we suppose -- just makes that lucrative early upgrade market a little tougher to tap.
[Thanks, Dion]BlackBerry Bold 9780 in the wild one more time, still looks exactly like a 9700 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | @Jon4Lakers (TwitPic) | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Dion]BlackBerry Bold 9780 in the wild one more time, still looks exactly like a 9700 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | @Jon4Lakers (TwitPic) | Email this | Comments
TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS
Dave Morin Argues Information Is More Valuable When You Pay For It. He?s Wrong.
Lately there's been a backlash against blogs and open information on the Web, in general. It started with newspapers putting up paywalls again, but even former blogging kingpins are now hiding behind email subscriptions. And now Dave Morin, the CEO of stealthy startup Path and Facebook's former platform chief, is arguing that information is more valuable when it is locked up behind a subscription paywall.
If you want to actually read Morin's argument, "The Age of Premium Information," you have to pay $3.99 a month for his email newsletter, The Dispatch, on Letter.ly. Or you can just read on below and I'll summarize it for you.
If you want to actually read Morin's argument, "The Age of Premium Information," you have to pay $3.99 a month for his email newsletter, The Dispatch, on Letter.ly. Or you can just read on below and I'll summarize it for you.
Gutierrez to be Sauber test driver in 2011
Pictures: Esteban Gutierreztesting for BMW Esteban Gutierrez will be Sauber’s test and reserve driver in 2011. The Mexican driver has already worked with the team this year as an “affiliated” driver. He will also drive for the team in the end-of season rookie driver test at Abu Dbahi. He won the inaugural GP3 championship at [...]
Bing Maps adds public transportation directions
Filed under: Microsoft
Bing Maps has added another nice feature, adding public transportation routes to 11 major U.S. cities. It's a good first step for Bing, though there's certainly a lot of work left to do to catch up to Google Maps -- which covers more than twice that many in California alone and a total of 446 cities around the globe.
In cities with coverage, Bing now includes routes for bus, rail, and subway. The official blog post states that the update wasn't just about transit routes, noting that more detailed information is now available for landmarks and businesses.
Even if you're a with-it Seattle resident you might not know that the #48 bus will take you from Cowen Park to the Peet's Coffee on 15th Ave., right, Jay?Bing Maps adds public transportation directions originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Bing Maps has added another nice feature, adding public transportation routes to 11 major U.S. cities. It's a good first step for Bing, though there's certainly a lot of work left to do to catch up to Google Maps -- which covers more than twice that many in California alone and a total of 446 cities around the globe.
In cities with coverage, Bing now includes routes for bus, rail, and subway. The official blog post states that the update wasn't just about transit routes, noting that more detailed information is now available for landmarks and businesses.
Even if you're a with-it Seattle resident you might not know that the #48 bus will take you from Cowen Park to the Peet's Coffee on 15th Ave., right, Jay?Bing Maps adds public transportation directions originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
I?m Finally Joining the TED Royalty. (Sort of.)
As we wrote last year, some of the die-hard TED faithful have been grousing about audience fragmentation and cliques-within-cliques at the conference since its move to Long Beach a few years ago. People -- especially some from Silicon Valley-- have pined for the days when everyone was stuck in the same hotel in Monterey and there wasn't much else to do except listen to speakers, have great conversations and get to know one-another.
Until this year, the only option was inventing a time machine or another conference with the same panache, A-list attendees and editorial chops. Both would take time. So entrepreneur and conference organizer Francisco Dao has a more immediately feasible idea: Rent out a hotel in Monterey, sign up for the TED live feed, get a bunch of huge screen TVs and bean bags and invite fifty of the most interesting people he can find to virtually attend the conference together. The idea is brilliantly obvious: No one disputes the quality of the TED content, it's the breakdown of the community that has some attendees in a funk. So Dao isn't remaking or reinventing the content, he's reinventing the community in the mold--and even in the location--of classic TED.
Until this year, the only option was inventing a time machine or another conference with the same panache, A-list attendees and editorial chops. Both would take time. So entrepreneur and conference organizer Francisco Dao has a more immediately feasible idea: Rent out a hotel in Monterey, sign up for the TED live feed, get a bunch of huge screen TVs and bean bags and invite fifty of the most interesting people he can find to virtually attend the conference together. The idea is brilliantly obvious: No one disputes the quality of the TED content, it's the breakdown of the community that has some attendees in a funk. So Dao isn't remaking or reinventing the content, he's reinventing the community in the mold--and even in the location--of classic TED.
This Doghouse Is Nicer Than Your House House [Doghouses]
It's one lucky pooch whose gets to live in this 2.5-meter tall replica of Matsumoto Castle, with one impressively handy owner. Won't you please join me on a guided tour? More »
Halo Reach requires hard drive to play in co-op mode, Microsoft working on this 'temporary issue'
The Halo series has always been about addictive multiplayer experiences, so it's most disturbing to find out that campaign co-op gaming on the latest title is a non-starter for people without a hard drive attached to their 360. An issue has been identified by users of the 4GB Xbox 360, whereby attempts to team up on the baddies with your buddies -- whether locally or via Xbox Live -- is met with an error message saying that a HDD is "required for this game type." This affects both Halo: Reach and the earlier Halo: ODST. Adding extra memory via USB has been found to be ineffective, but at least Microsoft has stated that it's aware of the limitation and is "quickly working to resolve it." Standard multiplayer is predictably unaffected, so we suggest taking your rage out on some newbies while the MS techs figure out their caching algorithms.Halo Reach requires hard drive to play in co-op mode, Microsoft working on this 'temporary issue' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Joystiq | Nukezilla, Eurogamer | Email this | Comments
Light Up a Game of Toss With an LED Ball [DIY]
Feeling like a game of catch, but the sun's gone down? Try out this DIY ball filled with LEDs. They light up randomly as the ball is shaken up, like a bunch of angry fireflies trapped in a globe. More »
New OK Go Awesome Video Is Full of Awesome Dogs [Image Cache]
There's not much else to say about OK Go's new video, except that 1) it's awesome, 2) it features awesome dogs, and 3) the song—White Knuckles—is awesomely good, to the level of the best Prince. More »
Hide or move the orange button in Firefox 4 (updated)
Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers
With the release of the latest Firefox 4 beta build, the original userChrome.css hack fails to remove the big, orange menu button. Fortunately, Download Squad commenter poiru pointed out a thread on the Rainmeter forums that provides some working CSS! If you know what you're doing, head over to that thread and copy the CSS -- if not, read on for some instructions!
Open Firefox 4 beta 5 (or later)
Locate your Profile directory -- click Help > Troubleshooting Information and then Open Containing Folder
Now navigate to the Chrome directory
Copy userChrome-example.css
Rename your copy to userChrome.css
Open userChrome.css in your editor of choice and dump the following code in it:
margin-top:0px!important;
}
#appmenu-button-container {
position: fixed!important;
}
#navigator-toolbox[tabsontop="true"] #TabsToolbar {
padding-left: 110px !important;
}
.tabbrowser-strip {
height: 22px!important;
}
.tabbrowser-tab {
height: 22px!important; padding-right: 3px!important;
}
#toolbar-menubar {
margin: -27px 98px 2px 95px;
}
Alternatively, you can download my userChrome.css file -- but make sure you rename it beforehand!
You'll note that my code is slightly different from the CSS on the Rainmeter forums. I played with the positioning a little to make it "tighter." That said, I'm sure that with a little work you could make it look even nicer -- and if you do, please share your changes in the comments.Hide or move the orange button in Firefox 4 (updated) originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
With the release of the latest Firefox 4 beta build, the original userChrome.css hack fails to remove the big, orange menu button. Fortunately, Download Squad commenter poiru pointed out a thread on the Rainmeter forums that provides some working CSS! If you know what you're doing, head over to that thread and copy the CSS -- if not, read on for some instructions!
Open Firefox 4 beta 5 (or later)
Locate your Profile directory -- click Help > Troubleshooting Information and then Open Containing Folder
Now navigate to the Chrome directory
Copy userChrome-example.css
Rename your copy to userChrome.css
Open userChrome.css in your editor of choice and dump the following code in it:
margin-top:0px!important;
}
#appmenu-button-container {
position: fixed!important;
}
#navigator-toolbox[tabsontop="true"] #TabsToolbar {
padding-left: 110px !important;
}
.tabbrowser-strip {
height: 22px!important;
}
.tabbrowser-tab {
height: 22px!important; padding-right: 3px!important;
}
#toolbar-menubar {
margin: -27px 98px 2px 95px;
}
Alternatively, you can download my userChrome.css file -- but make sure you rename it beforehand!
You'll note that my code is slightly different from the CSS on the Rainmeter forums. I played with the positioning a little to make it "tighter." That said, I'm sure that with a little work you could make it look even nicer -- and if you do, please share your changes in the comments.Hide or move the orange button in Firefox 4 (updated) originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Star Walk Goes To New Heights In Version 4.4
Astrology fans worldwide are going to love what Vito Technology has done with their latest Star Walk v4.4 update. They have taken their highly popular and award winning Star Walk app for the iPad and iPhone and made it even better. So let’s get down to business, what’s new in Star Walk 4.4? Arrow Guides [...]
Crank That iPod: Hearing Loss Rates Lower Than Thought
By Jacqui Cheng
We all surely remember what our parents drilled into our brains about listening to loud music: Turn that sh*t down or you’ll go deaf! As it turns out, the prevalence of young people suffering from hearing loss thanks to loud music may be much lower than previously believed, according to a new [...]
We all surely remember what our parents drilled into our brains about listening to loud music: Turn that sh*t down or you’ll go deaf! As it turns out, the prevalence of young people suffering from hearing loss thanks to loud music may be much lower than previously believed, according to a new [...]
Ask Mozilla a question
Filed under: Mozilla, BrowsersInstead of my usual abode deep in the lush green forests of south England, I'm currently in San Francisco. I was here for the Internet Explorer 9 beta launch (which was very cool!) Yesterday I visited Google -- and later today I will be seeing the wonderful people at Mozilla.
I have a lot of things I want to ask them, but I figured you guys might also have a few clever questions up your sleeves! So, if there's something you've always wanted to ask Mozilla, leave a comment and I'll do my best to pose your questions to the right people.Ask Mozilla a question originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
I have a lot of things I want to ask them, but I figured you guys might also have a few clever questions up your sleeves! So, if there's something you've always wanted to ask Mozilla, leave a comment and I'll do my best to pose your questions to the right people.Ask Mozilla a question originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
T-Mobile's Grand Anti-Pot Text Blockade [Censorship]
T-Mobile is catching flak for abruptly banning its customers from receiving text updates from WeedMaps, an opt-in service that points you in the direction of the nearest legal medical marijuana dispensary. Does T-Mobile have the right to stifle legal smokers? More »
HON HAI PRECISION IND HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
The Data Liberation Movement
Renaissance Italy created an explosion of new ideas across art, science and culture, but the biggest idea to come from that era was the idea of the modern bank. By creating an independent entity to hold and protect customer assets, modern banking helped lay the foundation for modern capitalism, and all the wealth that it has created.
Crank That iPod: Hearing Loss Rates Lower Than Thought
By Jacqui Cheng
We all surely remember what our parents drilled into our brains about listening to loud music: Turn that sh*t down or you’ll go deaf! As it turns out, the prevalence of young people suffering from hearing loss thanks to loud music may be much lower than previously believed, according to a new [...]
We all surely remember what our parents drilled into our brains about listening to loud music: Turn that sh*t down or you’ll go deaf! As it turns out, the prevalence of young people suffering from hearing loss thanks to loud music may be much lower than previously believed, according to a new [...]
An early sneak-peek at Google's real-time search results
Later today there's a big Google event, where we think some big changes to their primary search product will be announced. One of those changes might be the new 'instant search' -- and if you can't wait for the official launch, you can try it out by simply visiting a special URL: http://www.google.com/webhp?sclient=psy
We covered Google's testing of this new feature just two weeks ago, so I'd be surprised if it moves into the mainstream so quickly. I still have no idea how advertising will work; try it yourself! Start typing something commercial like wheel of, and end with time -- see how the ads just disappear?
It is impressively fast, though!
Stay tuned for more Google changes as and when they're announced.
[via TheNextWeb]
ed note: anyone else remember Long Zheng putting something very similar together ages ago? We thought so. Try his version out here.
Update: And here's the announcement! Google Instant.An early sneak-peek at Google's real-time search results originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
We covered Google's testing of this new feature just two weeks ago, so I'd be surprised if it moves into the mainstream so quickly. I still have no idea how advertising will work; try it yourself! Start typing something commercial like wheel of, and end with time -- see how the ads just disappear?
It is impressively fast, though!
Stay tuned for more Google changes as and when they're announced.
[via TheNextWeb]
ed note: anyone else remember Long Zheng putting something very similar together ages ago? We thought so. Try his version out here.
Update: And here's the announcement! Google Instant.An early sneak-peek at Google's real-time search results originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Daily Crunch: Out Of The Frying Pan Edition
Round-up: Our Take On Apple?s New Media Devices Post-Apple Palate Cleanser: Beautiful Cast-Iron Skillets Schools Now Tracking Your Kids? Bus Rides Using GPS Boxee Box Gets Priced: $199 iTunes 10 Features New Logo And Social Media Sharing Service, Ping Hands-On With The New Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse
Spy Shots: Ducati Diavel Gets A Little Bit More Refined ? No Pillion Available?
British magazine website Visordown has snagged the latest Ducati Diavel spy shots, showing the Italian power cruiser with a bit more fit & finish than has previously been seen in other photos. While the tank and headlight still have some camouflage�covering them, we get an especially clearer look at the Diavel’s left-hand side, which looks [...]
APPLIED MATERIALS ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ARROW ELECTRONICS
iTunes Instant: A Lightning Fast Way to Search iTunes and the App Store [ITunes]
iTunes is slow, bloated, cluttered, and generally maddening to search through. iTunes Instant, a super simple iTunes and App Store search cobbled together by a 15-year-old whiz kid, is the exact opposite. Which is to say it's a godsend. More »
Firefox Friday: can Firefox hold off Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome?
Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, BrowsersHappy Firefox Friday, friends! In the lead up to an exciting winter, things have been heating up at Mozilla.
There's strong competition from all sides. The IE9 beta launches next week and we'll soon see whether Microsoft can transform its excellent developer previews into something which can make the end-user salivate. Chrome's hardware acceleration currently leads the pack, and will presumably find its way to the beta build very soon. Does Firefox 4 have what it takes to hold onto its wavering market share?
This war, kicked off by Google's intent to push Chrome from nerdy obscurity into the mainstream, has forced Mozilla to roll with the blows. After almost completely avoiding innovation with Firefox 3.6 -- yay, Personas! -- we're now seeing a delicious glut of additions rolling out with each and every beta build of Firefox 4.
These past two weeks have been the busiest I've ever seen Mozilla, in terms of bug fixes, new features, and new out-reach and research projects. Let's tuck in!
Firefox debuts new JagerMonkey JavaScript engine, now on the tail of Chrome and IE9
JavaScript has long been a weakness of Firefox -- or rather, it became a sore point after the initial release of Chrome showed the world just how fast JavaScript can be. With JagerMonkey, Firefox 4's JS performance will be very close to the competition.
From conversations with developers at Mozilla, I also get the feeling that raw JavaScript performance isn't their prime concern. Benchmarks are notoriously bad at depicting real-world applications -- and JavaScript can still only perform as fast as the layout engine lets it.
It's safe to say that FF4 will run your JavaScript-intensive games and Web apps just fine.
The outlook of in-the-browser 2D and 3D games is sunny
JavaScript performance certainly isn't the only measure of what a browser can do, but it is very important when it comes to browser games and calculation-intensive Web apps. Which brings me neatly on to this week's release of Mozilla Labs Gaming. Mozilla usually manages to drum up a lot of interest with its competitions and design challenges, but usually these take the form of concept brainstorms, or mock-ups for new browser features. I'm not sure whether the slower-moving and slightly-less-hip-than-it-used-to-be Mozilla can pull off a gaming competition -- but I hope I'm wrong.
Mozilla certainly has plenty of academic ties, and what with it being the start of a new school year, perhaps Open Web Gaming will be on the curriculum? In fact, looking at the sheer number and variety of today's 'open' technologies, you could create an entirely open-source curriculum! Are you listening, universities? Open video, audio, WebGL, JavaScript, SVG, geolocation.
Gamers and developers, you should take a look at Rocket Engine
I intend to do a full write-up of Rocket Engine, but in the meantime here are my initial thoughts: OMG. The website is intentionally vague, but it looks like it's a pure JavaScript games engine with an in-the-browser SDK and editor. Watch the video and have your mind blown.
It should be immediately apparent how potentially awesome a JavaScript games engine is. Rocket Pack (the developer) pulls no punches by showing the same game running on a PC, netbook and iPad -- apparently you can even design games on an iPad.
But that's not the best bit: Rocket Engine can be used to build MMOs like FarmVille. I've seen a few HTML5 and JavaScript game engines, but this is certainly the first to offer such a wide range of features. Just scroll down and have a look at what's on offer -- crazy.
Which reminds me... what's happening to that Mozilla Web App Store?
What can developers do with their games after they write them? Self-publish? Publish their game on Steam?
Everyone and their mother is working on an app store at the moment -- but not Mozilla. All of this talk of building upon Open Web technologies and shunning proprietary platforms like Native Client, yet the only outlet Firefox developers have is AMO! And that's for add-ons!
I'm certain Chrome's Web Store will open first -- not to mention the tie-in it will have with Google TV and Chrome OS installations! -- and Microsoft has spent the last few months pushing developers to write apps for IE9... but Mozilla is still only testing the waters.
If Mozilla built it, game developers would come.
This week's Firefox release round-up
To finish, here are the latest Mozilla releases, along any significant changes:
Firefox 3.6.9 -- the stable build of Firefox received a ton of bug fixes (67!) and patched no less than 14 security vulnerabilities
Firefox 3.5.12 -- yup, tons of people are still running Firefox 3.5. Some security and stability issues were fixed
Firefox 4.0 beta 5 -- and finally, FF4 beta 5 was released this week, with hardware acceleration turned on by default and the inclusion of the new Audio Data API. The hardware acceleration -- if it can be called that -- actually doesn't seem to work right now. I've asked Mozilla about it, but I haven't had a response yet
Thunderbird 3.1.3 -- yes, Thunderbird is still going! This is just a standard point release that fixes some bugs and stability issues
Firefox Friday: can Firefox hold off Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome? originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
There's strong competition from all sides. The IE9 beta launches next week and we'll soon see whether Microsoft can transform its excellent developer previews into something which can make the end-user salivate. Chrome's hardware acceleration currently leads the pack, and will presumably find its way to the beta build very soon. Does Firefox 4 have what it takes to hold onto its wavering market share?
This war, kicked off by Google's intent to push Chrome from nerdy obscurity into the mainstream, has forced Mozilla to roll with the blows. After almost completely avoiding innovation with Firefox 3.6 -- yay, Personas! -- we're now seeing a delicious glut of additions rolling out with each and every beta build of Firefox 4.
These past two weeks have been the busiest I've ever seen Mozilla, in terms of bug fixes, new features, and new out-reach and research projects. Let's tuck in!
Firefox debuts new JagerMonkey JavaScript engine, now on the tail of Chrome and IE9
JavaScript has long been a weakness of Firefox -- or rather, it became a sore point after the initial release of Chrome showed the world just how fast JavaScript can be. With JagerMonkey, Firefox 4's JS performance will be very close to the competition.
From conversations with developers at Mozilla, I also get the feeling that raw JavaScript performance isn't their prime concern. Benchmarks are notoriously bad at depicting real-world applications -- and JavaScript can still only perform as fast as the layout engine lets it.
It's safe to say that FF4 will run your JavaScript-intensive games and Web apps just fine.
The outlook of in-the-browser 2D and 3D games is sunny
JavaScript performance certainly isn't the only measure of what a browser can do, but it is very important when it comes to browser games and calculation-intensive Web apps. Which brings me neatly on to this week's release of Mozilla Labs Gaming. Mozilla usually manages to drum up a lot of interest with its competitions and design challenges, but usually these take the form of concept brainstorms, or mock-ups for new browser features. I'm not sure whether the slower-moving and slightly-less-hip-than-it-used-to-be Mozilla can pull off a gaming competition -- but I hope I'm wrong.
Mozilla certainly has plenty of academic ties, and what with it being the start of a new school year, perhaps Open Web Gaming will be on the curriculum? In fact, looking at the sheer number and variety of today's 'open' technologies, you could create an entirely open-source curriculum! Are you listening, universities? Open video, audio, WebGL, JavaScript, SVG, geolocation.
Gamers and developers, you should take a look at Rocket Engine
I intend to do a full write-up of Rocket Engine, but in the meantime here are my initial thoughts: OMG. The website is intentionally vague, but it looks like it's a pure JavaScript games engine with an in-the-browser SDK and editor. Watch the video and have your mind blown.
It should be immediately apparent how potentially awesome a JavaScript games engine is. Rocket Pack (the developer) pulls no punches by showing the same game running on a PC, netbook and iPad -- apparently you can even design games on an iPad.
But that's not the best bit: Rocket Engine can be used to build MMOs like FarmVille. I've seen a few HTML5 and JavaScript game engines, but this is certainly the first to offer such a wide range of features. Just scroll down and have a look at what's on offer -- crazy.
Which reminds me... what's happening to that Mozilla Web App Store?
What can developers do with their games after they write them? Self-publish? Publish their game on Steam?
Everyone and their mother is working on an app store at the moment -- but not Mozilla. All of this talk of building upon Open Web technologies and shunning proprietary platforms like Native Client, yet the only outlet Firefox developers have is AMO! And that's for add-ons!
I'm certain Chrome's Web Store will open first -- not to mention the tie-in it will have with Google TV and Chrome OS installations! -- and Microsoft has spent the last few months pushing developers to write apps for IE9... but Mozilla is still only testing the waters.
If Mozilla built it, game developers would come.
This week's Firefox release round-up
To finish, here are the latest Mozilla releases, along any significant changes:
Firefox 3.6.9 -- the stable build of Firefox received a ton of bug fixes (67!) and patched no less than 14 security vulnerabilities
Firefox 3.5.12 -- yup, tons of people are still running Firefox 3.5. Some security and stability issues were fixed
Firefox 4.0 beta 5 -- and finally, FF4 beta 5 was released this week, with hardware acceleration turned on by default and the inclusion of the new Audio Data API. The hardware acceleration -- if it can be called that -- actually doesn't seem to work right now. I've asked Mozilla about it, but I haven't had a response yet
Thunderbird 3.1.3 -- yes, Thunderbird is still going! This is just a standard point release that fixes some bugs and stability issues
Firefox Friday: can Firefox hold off Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome? originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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