The developer of iCab Mobile, a feature-rich alternative to the Safari Web browser on iPad and iPhone, has been ordered by Apple to remove its ability to download and install JavaScript modules.
Presumably it's not the fact that iCab can execute JavaScript that's causing Apple to apoplectically puff and splutter, but rather its ability to download modules. Both Apple and Google frown upon apps that contain market-like functionality, and someone at Apple probably thought that iCab's JavaScript modules looked like a bit too much like discrete apps.
Alexander Clauss, iCab's developer, has rather a lot to say on the matter. "Maybe if I would have called the modules 'smart bookmarks' and would have made installing them much more complicated, Apple would have never asked to remove the ability to download them from the internet. The great user experience of installing modules has probably created a suspicion that these modules are more than just a piece of JavaScript code. From a pure technical point of view, if Apple does not allow to download modules (JavaScript code), Apple would also have to disallow to load web pages in general, because these do also contain JavaScript code."
In conclusion, to circumvent Apple's draconian decree, iCab Mobile now simply comes bundled with some 20 JavaScript modules. The ability to download modules made by third-party developers has been disabled, however -- but even then, Clauss says that you can simply contact him and ask for your module to be bundled with the next version of iCab.
Download iCab Mobile for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch ($1.99)Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Apple brings iWork to iPhone and iPod touch
It's been available on the iPad since that device launched, and now Apple has finally brought its iWork suite of productivity apps to the iPhone and iPod touch. That, of course, includes Keynote, Pages and Numbers, which are all now universal apps that run the same $9.99 apiece as their iPad-only predecessors -- current users can simply upgrade for free, thankfully. Head on past the break for the complete press release.Continue reading Apple brings iWork to iPhone and iPod touchApple brings iWork to iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Keynote, Pages, Numbers | Email this | Comments
BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game
In BattlePaint, you play a cube. In fact, you're not even a cube -- just a square. But boy, are you fast! And you can shoot in all directions. That's important, because there are baddies coming in from all over the place.
The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!
After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The "baddies" are swarms of other squares, in all sorts of pretty colors. They track you all over the screen, and you run around very quickly and just shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. If that doesn't sound very emotionally deep, it's because it isn't. But it's fun!
After you shoot a baddy, it splashes paint as it disappears. You need to skate across this blob of paint and "eat it up" to get points. This game is fast. It clocked in at around 60-70 FPS on my system, and was loads of fun to play. It does tend to insult you when you die, though, but don't be offended -- I don't think it's personal.BattlePaint is an addictive geometric shooter game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching
Later today, Firefox will undergo its biggest developmental upheaval ever. Mozilla-central, the source of nightly builds, will be renumbered to version 5 -- and at long last, after years of wallowing around version 1, Mozilla's rendering and layout engine, Gecko, will also have its version number updated to match Firefox.
Shortly thereafter, Firefox's new channel system will be implemented. Firefox 5a2 will be introduced as the first Aurora build, and we should also see a Firefox 6 Nightly build. While we we're not sure where they came from, one Sören Hentzschel seems to have unearthed the new Nightly and Aurora logos (see above), along with new About Firefox dialogs (after the break).
In other news, if you want to take a sneak peek at the new 'channel changing' technology that will be introduced in upcoming Firefox builds, head to about:config and create a new string called app.update.desiredChannel -- the value doesn't matter. Then open Help > About Firefox and you'll be able to switch channel, but it doesn't do anything just yet (image after the break). Here's hoping that Firefox channel switching is smoother than Chrome.Continue reading New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switchingNew Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Shortly thereafter, Firefox's new channel system will be implemented. Firefox 5a2 will be introduced as the first Aurora build, and we should also see a Firefox 6 Nightly build. While we we're not sure where they came from, one Sören Hentzschel seems to have unearthed the new Nightly and Aurora logos (see above), along with new About Firefox dialogs (after the break).
In other news, if you want to take a sneak peek at the new 'channel changing' technology that will be introduced in upcoming Firefox builds, head to about:config and create a new string called app.update.desiredChannel -- the value doesn't matter. Then open Help > About Firefox and you'll be able to switch channel, but it doesn't do anything just yet (image after the break). Here's hoping that Firefox channel switching is smoother than Chrome.Continue reading New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switchingNew Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5%
Using some early numbers from both StatCounter and Net Applications, Mozilla's noisiest hominid, Asa Dotzler, has illustrated Firefox 4's meteoric rise to around 5% of Web browser global usage share. Internet Explorer 9, which launched two weeks ago, seems to be enjoying a much more casual stroll in the park with just 1.5% of the global Web usage share.
Interestingly, we can see IE9 dipping between March 20 and 21, just before the 'Important' Windows Update rolled out. It's hard to say whether IE9 is only growing because of the installed-by-default Windows Update, but that small dip definitely sticks out -- did excitement peter out? Did people download IE9, try it out, and summarily uninstall it? Perhaps, given their close proximity, the stats show an attention shift from Microsoft to Mozilla?
Numbers-wise, if the bottom left corner of the graph shows 2.3 million downloads for IE9, we can guesstimate that that it has now been downloaded 5 million times. Firefox is clocking in at 37 million downloads after five days of public availability.
We wonder whether Microsoft knew its release schedule would coincide so closely with Firefox 4. Internet Explorer 9 -- a great browser by almost every metric -- was never going to do well against anything emanating from the maws of Mozilla. The main thing, though, is that Microsoft has now shown that it's serious when it comes to the Open Web. If Internet Explorer 10 is good, and 11 and 12, then we might finally see it compete with the zealous Mozillan horde.Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5% originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Interestingly, we can see IE9 dipping between March 20 and 21, just before the 'Important' Windows Update rolled out. It's hard to say whether IE9 is only growing because of the installed-by-default Windows Update, but that small dip definitely sticks out -- did excitement peter out? Did people download IE9, try it out, and summarily uninstall it? Perhaps, given their close proximity, the stats show an attention shift from Microsoft to Mozilla?
Numbers-wise, if the bottom left corner of the graph shows 2.3 million downloads for IE9, we can guesstimate that that it has now been downloaded 5 million times. Firefox is clocking in at 37 million downloads after five days of public availability.
We wonder whether Microsoft knew its release schedule would coincide so closely with Firefox 4. Internet Explorer 9 -- a great browser by almost every metric -- was never going to do well against anything emanating from the maws of Mozilla. The main thing, though, is that Microsoft has now shown that it's serious when it comes to the Open Web. If Internet Explorer 10 is good, and 11 and 12, then we might finally see it compete with the zealous Mozillan horde.Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5% originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Eclair update now rolling out to AT&T-branded Xperia X10's
Better late than never, eh? Today Sony Ericsson has announced on its official product blog that the Android 2.1 update is now available for Xperia X10 users on AT&T. Alongside the newer version of Android, X10 owners will get camera enhancements including 720p recording, multi-touch support and support for up to five homescreens. If you're still rocking your AT&T-branded X10, then you'll find a guide to getting yourself updated at the source link below.Source: Sony Ericsson Product Blog, Xperia X10 Update Page
Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game
Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.
The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.
As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.
As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.
If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.
As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.
As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.
If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Next 6 Months Worth Of Features Are In Facebook?s Code Right Now (But We Can?t See)
A few days ago, Facebook held a tech talk at their headquarters. The topic of the talk was pushing changes ? bug fixes, new features, product improvements, etc. Every day, Facebook engineers push hundreds of these; some big, some little. Most of the 600 million-plus users never notice a thing. And apparently, we're even less likely to notice changes due to a special feature Facebook has. The "Everyone But TechCrunch Can See This" feature.
As Facebook engineer Chuck Rossi details around minute 23:00 in the video, Facebook has a tool they call "Gatekeeper" which allows them to be in control of who can see what code live on the service at any given time. As Rossi points out, right now on Facebook.com there is already the code for every major thing Facebook is going to launch in the next six months and beyond! It's the Gatekeeper which stops us from seeing it.
As Facebook engineer Chuck Rossi details around minute 23:00 in the video, Facebook has a tool they call "Gatekeeper" which allows them to be in control of who can see what code live on the service at any given time. As Rossi points out, right now on Facebook.com there is already the code for every major thing Facebook is going to launch in the next six months and beyond! It's the Gatekeeper which stops us from seeing it.
Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'
Google, according to reports from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" is finally locking down the open source and easily-fragmented Android operating system.
As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.
Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
As it currently stands, Google hands over the 'final' code for each version of Android, and OEMs and developers then spend some time customizing the OS to fit their hardware, and to create a unique and marketable flavor. That's all set to change, however.
Over the last few months, according to several people familiar with the matter, Android licensees such as HTC, Motorola and Facebook, have been asked to sign 'non-fragmentation clauses.' This new contract caveat will give Google the right to review and pass judgment on all changes to the Android OS. Two executives at Facebook say that they're unhappy that Google gets to review its changes to Android -- which is understandable, given Facebook and Google are direct competitors -- and there have also been allegations that Google is preventing some Verizon devices from shipping because they include Microsoft's Bing instead of Google search.Continue reading Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source'Google demands veto on OEM Android changes, stretches definition of 'open source' originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on)
Computex 2011 is fast approaching here in Taipei, and today Shuttle introduced a trio of Android-based tablets to complement its fleet of small form factor computers. The 10-inch (WXGA) N10CN12 and 9-inch (XGA) N09CN01 models are both based on NVIDIA's Tegra 2 CPU paired with 1GB RAM, and target the consumer market. The 8-inch (SVGA) V08CT01 -- a ruggedized tablet for education -- features an 800 MHz Texas Instruments Cortex A8 processor and 512MB of memory. Pricing and availability are still up in the air -- no surprise considering the Froyo-running devices we handled still felt very much like prototypes. Take a look at our hands-on gallery below and hit the break for the full press release.
Gallery: Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011Continue reading Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on)Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Gallery: Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011Continue reading Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on)Shuttle tablets at Computex 2011 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Monday, May 30, 2011
Germany's Scrapping All Nuclear Power Plants by 2022 [Nuclear]
Following the Fukushima disaster, Germany's decided that its 17 nuclear power plants will either stay closed, or be shut down in the next 11 years, despite relying on nuclear power for almost 23 per cent of its energy. More »
TransPhone pairs tablet and handset, emerged before ASUS Padfone
While ASUS' Padfone was being launched with much sticker-clad-model fanfare at Computex today, CMIT's TransPhone was apparently enjoying its third day of life, having first appeared on the web as early as Saturday. Both tablets include built-in docks with smartphones to match, but are otherwise unique in appearance and features. The TransPhone includes a bluetooth headset and a slide-in smartphone dock, while the Padfone's handset is completely hidden by a flip-up rear door. The CMIT device reportedly packs a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and SVGA display, along with USB and HDMI ports, though we're still unclear on which OS will be running on the tablet. There's also no word on pricing or availability, but the TransPhone is in good company there, so don't get ready to ditch those standalone gadgets just yet.TransPhone pairs tablet and handset, emerged before ASUS Padfone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Engadget China | Email this | Comments
Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review
This morning, an updated version of the stock Android Music app was leaked along with a new version of Android Market. The new Music app, which is labeled 'version 3', is similar to the leaked build from December, but it has received a ton of polish -- and indeed, it looks almost ready for prime time.
If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music appContinue reading Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on reviewLeaked Android Music app images and hands-on review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music appContinue reading Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on reviewLeaked Android Music app images and hands-on review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Top Stories of the Week [Total Recap]
OG AT-AT | How the US Army came up with the whole Imperial Walker concept WAY before George Lucas More »
Metaphor recognition software aims to distinguish friend from foe
While it's only right that people be protected from bad poetry, this could be taking things a tad too far. Intelligence officials at the Office of Incisive Analysis (no, really) have determined that metaphors could be of vital significance to national security. By, well, incisively analyzing the way people use metaphors in everyday conversations, they believe they can reveal "underlying beliefs and world views" -- such as negative feelings towards a particular country. Now they're calling on civilian scientists and academics to help them do this automatically using pattern recognition and supercomputers. Of course there's always the risk that smart terrorists will switch to using similes instead.Metaphor recognition software aims to distinguish friend from foe originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink The Telegraph | IARPA | Email this | Comments
IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison
Over on the Internet Explorer Blog, Microsoft has posted results from an extensive comparison of the top five Web browsers. The goal: to determine whether Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Chrome 10, Safari 5, or Opera 11 is able to squeeze the most life out of your laptop's battery.
A baseline was determined with test systems sitting idle, and then browsers were pointed at about:blank, a news site, the HTML5 Galactic demo, and the IE9 fish tank demo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IE9 came out on top -- though Firefox 4 was a very close second on nearly every test. As you can see, the other browsers didn't necessarily fare quite as well, with Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all posting significantly worse scores. In Opera 11's case, a laptop battery would last over one hour more with Internet Explorer 9 installed.
But what we'd really like to know is where did Microsoft find the dilithium crystals required to run a Galactic Total Power Consumption test...IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
A baseline was determined with test systems sitting idle, and then browsers were pointed at about:blank, a news site, the HTML5 Galactic demo, and the IE9 fish tank demo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IE9 came out on top -- though Firefox 4 was a very close second on nearly every test. As you can see, the other browsers didn't necessarily fare quite as well, with Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all posting significantly worse scores. In Opera 11's case, a laptop battery would last over one hour more with Internet Explorer 9 installed.
But what we'd really like to know is where did Microsoft find the dilithium crystals required to run a Galactic Total Power Consumption test...IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Lego Fan Creates 250,000-Brick ?Garrison of Moriah? [Republished]
Usually, the only constraint on building a Lego creation is your imagination. Unless, that is, you build a giant structure that demands its own "Lego room." More »
Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam
Microsoft has shared some news about the state of its most and least loved Web browsers -- Internet Explorer 9 and 6, respectively. Even with IE9 only recently exiting beta, Microsoft reports that 3.6% of Windows 7 users are now running the new browser (no mention of Vista... what's with that?). The post also reveals that the adoption rate is almost five times what IE8 garnered in the early going.
It's also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9's Windows 7 integration features -- like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.
But perhaps the best news of all is that Microsoft's IE6countdown.com now has more than 400 partners and is generating nearly two million pageviews per month, helping to lure users away from the woefully out-of-date browser. Can the end come soon enough, DS readers?Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
It's also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9's Windows 7 integration features -- like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.
But perhaps the best news of all is that Microsoft's IE6countdown.com now has more than 400 partners and is generating nearly two million pageviews per month, helping to lure users away from the woefully out-of-date browser. Can the end come soon enough, DS readers?Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier
Some of you who own Windows Phone 7 devices are still waiting for your pre-NoDo preparation update -- never mind NoDo itself. A few workarounds have been posted, but unfortunately they didn't work unless your carrier had completed testing and was ready to schedule the update.
Now, however, the Chevron WP7 team's Chris Walshie has delivered a handy little utility that will allow you to update any Windows Phone 7 device -- regardless of your carrier.
Download and install the Windows Phone Support Tool (x86 or x64) and the ChevronWP7 Updater (x86 or x64)
Launch ChevronWP7 Updater and select your language. If your language isn't listed, stop and do not update.
If were running WP7 build 7004 (you can verify in Zune) then run the updater twice.
Once the process completes, you should be able to copy and paste to your heart's content. Let's just hope all this update foolishness gets sorted out before we're supposed to receive Mango.Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Now, however, the Chevron WP7 team's Chris Walshie has delivered a handy little utility that will allow you to update any Windows Phone 7 device -- regardless of your carrier.
Download and install the Windows Phone Support Tool (x86 or x64) and the ChevronWP7 Updater (x86 or x64)
Launch ChevronWP7 Updater and select your language. If your language isn't listed, stop and do not update.
If were running WP7 build 7004 (you can verify in Zune) then run the updater twice.
Once the process completes, you should be able to copy and paste to your heart's content. Let's just hope all this update foolishness gets sorted out before we're supposed to receive Mango.Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Rumored Ice Cream Sandwich test device surfaces
Update: Tech Hog has pulled the post and picture. That proof it's real? Proof it's fake? News at 11.ZOMG, might this be Google's next Nexus device? Could be. According to Tech Hog (yeah ...) what you see here indeed is testing platform for Ice Cream Sandwich -- ICS. And if you had any doubts about how Honeycomb features were going to be merged into the smartphone platform, you need only count the number of buttons you can see on the front of this thing. While it's possible they could be the kind of magical disappearing capacitive buttons you see on a few phones now, we're more than willing to bet the home-back-menu-search functions will be moving to software, just like in Android's tablet OS.Anyhoo, two manufacturers said to be in the running for the next Nexus device are HTC (natch) and LG. The device is said to be in testing with HSPA+ and Sprint's CDMA. No real surprise there. As for when we'll see release? We'd figure later in the year, much as we know you guys would like it out ... yesterday.Source: Techhog 1, 2; Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Ask Engadget: best sub-$100 5.1 surround sound system?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Greg, who needs 5.1 surround sound in the worst, most inexpensive way. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"I'm looking for a budget 5.1 surround sound system to set myself up with a rudimentary home theatre. I've got a Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U TV, and while the picture's fine, the internal speakers are a bit lacking. I know that almost any sound system, no matter how cheap, will probably be an improvement, so I'm focusing more on saving money than getting mind-blowing audio. Value is the name of the game. Can you give me any good leads? Thanks!"
Five years ago, $100 wouldn't get you much in the surround sound world, but today? Today, it's all you need. Toss your assistance in comments below!Ask Engadget: best sub-$100 5.1 surround sound system? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 22:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
"I'm looking for a budget 5.1 surround sound system to set myself up with a rudimentary home theatre. I've got a Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U TV, and while the picture's fine, the internal speakers are a bit lacking. I know that almost any sound system, no matter how cheap, will probably be an improvement, so I'm focusing more on saving money than getting mind-blowing audio. Value is the name of the game. Can you give me any good leads? Thanks!"
Five years ago, $100 wouldn't get you much in the surround sound world, but today? Today, it's all you need. Toss your assistance in comments below!Ask Engadget: best sub-$100 5.1 surround sound system? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 22:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Daily Crunch: Drop-Off Edition
Videos: Brainwave-Controlled Cat Ears ?Necomimi? Gameboys? Innnnnn? Spaaaace Smithsonian Announces Art Of Video Games Exhibition Winners An Atari 810 Disk Drive For MicroSD ? Built To Scale LA Noire To Ship On Three Discs For 360, One For PS3
Daily Crunch: Balloon Edition
Video: Pioneer?s Amazing 3D Floating Vision Display Fly Or Die: LiveScribe Connect And The T-Mobile G-Slate Google Unveils Wallet And Offers: An Open Platform For Mobile Payments Ebert Takes On The ?Dim Movie Projection? Issue Polaroid?s New GL10 Instant Printer Is Available For Pre-Order, Ships In June
Google Whips Out an E-Wallet
Google officially unveiled its e-wallet Thursday in a presentation with its partners at an event in New York. Google executives demonstrated making purchases and downloading e-coupons with the e-wallet through a Google Nexus S Android smartphone. They added that eventually consumers might even store their drivers' licenses in it.
Google Responds To PayPal Lawsuit: People Have The Right To Seek Better Jobs
Yesterday, PayPal filed a lawsuit against Google and two of its executives for stealing trade secrets. The lawsuit came on the same day that Google announced its mobile wallet plans involving Android phones with NFC chips. The two executives, Osama Bedier and Stephanie Tilenius, previously worked at PayPal. In fact, Bedier was in charge of negotiating a deal with Google on behalf of PayPal for inclusion of PayPal as a payment mechanism in Android phones. The deal fell through and Google hired away Bedier instead, who then helped build Google's own mobile wallet product.
At least that is PayPal's side of the story. Last night, I asked Google for a comment. It took them a while, but a spokesperson just emailed me the following statement:
At least that is PayPal's side of the story. Last night, I asked Google for a comment. It took them a while, but a spokesperson just emailed me the following statement:
HTML5 MP3 player lets you listen to your music library inside your browser
While this slick little HTML5 audio player might not pack all of the features of your favorite desktop media application, it's still a very cool demonstration of what a Web app can do with access to local resources -- like MP3 and OGG files.
Just fire up http://antimatter15.github.com/player/player.html in your HTML5-compatible browser and browse to the topmost folder in your music library. The app will quickly build an index of all your tunes and let you start listening right inside your Web browser. Click on the filter library text, and you can enter a search string -- results load as you type.
There's a volume control, shuffle mode, play/pause control, and you can click and drag to skip forward or rewind during playback. As OMG! Ubuntu points out, you can even save the app to your hard drive and run it offline, which is pretty darn cool.
Not all browsers are equal when it comes to HTML5 implementation, of course. We found that Chrome worked the best, and Firefox was OK. It's also worth noting that this music player comes from the same developer that created one of our favorite restartless Firefox 4 add-ons, drag2up.HTML5 MP3 player lets you listen to your music library inside your browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Just fire up http://antimatter15.github.com/player/player.html in your HTML5-compatible browser and browse to the topmost folder in your music library. The app will quickly build an index of all your tunes and let you start listening right inside your Web browser. Click on the filter library text, and you can enter a search string -- results load as you type.
There's a volume control, shuffle mode, play/pause control, and you can click and drag to skip forward or rewind during playback. As OMG! Ubuntu points out, you can even save the app to your hard drive and run it offline, which is pretty darn cool.
Not all browsers are equal when it comes to HTML5 implementation, of course. We found that Chrome worked the best, and Firefox was OK. It's also worth noting that this music player comes from the same developer that created one of our favorite restartless Firefox 4 add-ons, drag2up.HTML5 MP3 player lets you listen to your music library inside your browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
My Android Apps ? ICE: In Case of Emergency Review
One of the more logical recommendations emergency workers offer is there should be some way to quickly find your emergency contacts and information in your wallet or on your cell phone. For the last several years, they have suggested you make a listing for ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) with your primary contact’s information listed. [...]
iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes
iSites -- a zero-code cloud-based 'app creator' -- can now generate HTML5 apps that work on iOS devices. With this new feature, dubbed 'InstantApp', you can now design a single app in your browser and publish it natively on Android and iOS, and as an HTML5 iPhone app.
We haven't looked at iSites before, but it shot to fame last year when it launched with native iOS and Android support. Self-publishing Android apps wasn't a problem because Google does very little moderation of the Market, but iSites ran into trouble with its iOS apps. Thousands of people signed up for the service after it was featured on Mashable and TechCrunch, and you can imagine Apple's chagrin as thousands of cookie cutter apps flooded its approval queue.
Genwi, the developer behind iSites, realized something had to be done -- it had to circumvent the App Store approval process. Genwi, of course, turned to HTML5 Web apps -- which can be pinned to the iPhone home screen and which can be shoehorned into almost behaving like native apps.
Read on for our experiences with iSites' new InstantApp HTML5 iOS app creator.Gallery: iSites InstantApp HTML5 iPhone app creationContinue reading iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutesiSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
We haven't looked at iSites before, but it shot to fame last year when it launched with native iOS and Android support. Self-publishing Android apps wasn't a problem because Google does very little moderation of the Market, but iSites ran into trouble with its iOS apps. Thousands of people signed up for the service after it was featured on Mashable and TechCrunch, and you can imagine Apple's chagrin as thousands of cookie cutter apps flooded its approval queue.
Genwi, the developer behind iSites, realized something had to be done -- it had to circumvent the App Store approval process. Genwi, of course, turned to HTML5 Web apps -- which can be pinned to the iPhone home screen and which can be shoehorned into almost behaving like native apps.
Read on for our experiences with iSites' new InstantApp HTML5 iOS app creator.Gallery: iSites InstantApp HTML5 iPhone app creationContinue reading iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutesiSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
How this man flirted his way into a lifetime ban from Delta Airlines [Blip]
Picking up strangers while traveling is thrilling, but in the 21st century United States, there's no worse pickup line than "Have you ever wondered if someone could get something on the plane they weren't supposed to?" Meet that guy. [Jalopnik] More »
webOS 3.0 beta now available to developers
With the webOS 3.0 SDK available for almost two months, HP has now given developers access to a beta download of webOS 3.0 -- which powers the upcoming TouchPad and will likely ride along on HP desktops and laptops in the form of an emulator.
Right now, the webOS 3.0 beta is only available to Early Access developers. The crew at PreCentral states that HP appears to have eased up on access restrictions, however, so hopefully more devs will get on board and those of you who are planning to buy a TouchPad in the next couple months will have plenty of slick webOS 3.0 apps to install on your new tablet.webOS 3.0 beta now available to developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Right now, the webOS 3.0 beta is only available to Early Access developers. The crew at PreCentral states that HP appears to have eased up on access restrictions, however, so hopefully more devs will get on board and those of you who are planning to buy a TouchPad in the next couple months will have plenty of slick webOS 3.0 apps to install on your new tablet.webOS 3.0 beta now available to developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Top Stories of the Week [Total Recap]
OG AT-AT | How the US Army came up with the whole Imperial Walker concept WAY before George Lucas More »
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features
Speedtest.net is pretty much the go-to site for quickly figuring out how fast (or slow) your connection really is and comparing the numbers your ISP boasts with what it actually delivers. And now it's got a new coat of paint and a couple of neat features. In brief:
New UI: The map widget is much improved; it actually looks like a map now, and it's easy to see where you are.
Smart server selection: If there are several test servers nearby, Speedtest will now ping each to see which has the least latency and use that for the test. You can still specify servers manually, too.
User accounts: You can sign up for a free account and aggregate results from several computers/connections.
Speed Wave: This new feature lets you add your test results to the results of many other users, and get a nice composite view.
All in all, you get some nice, new functionality and a snazzier interface to boot. Nice!Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
New UI: The map widget is much improved; it actually looks like a map now, and it's easy to see where you are.
Smart server selection: If there are several test servers nearby, Speedtest will now ping each to see which has the least latency and use that for the test. You can still specify servers manually, too.
User accounts: You can sign up for a free account and aggregate results from several computers/connections.
Speed Wave: This new feature lets you add your test results to the results of many other users, and get a nice composite view.
All in all, you get some nice, new functionality and a snazzier interface to boot. Nice!Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
This Week's Best Apps [Video]
In this week's app roundup: leafs, identified; music, voice recognized; Jackass, documented; keyboards, personalized; BBC News, Androidified; Amazon free apps, notified; food, stylized; and much, much more. More »
Lodsys shifts in-app purchasing target to Android devs following Apple response
We figured Apple's firm response to Lodsys earlier this week regarding its claims against iOS devs would prompt the patent holder to move on to its next target, and sure enough, it looks as if said target has been selected. Unfortunately, a group of Android app devs have now found themselves in the Texas-based company's crosshairs, which is citing the same patent infringement that Apple recently addressed, relating specifically to in-app upgrade purchases. As was the case with the last round of letters, Lodsys is demanding licensing fees from small, individual developers, who don't have the resources to fight back. Lodsys appears to be maintaining its trend of ignoring media requests, so we're keeping an eye on the patent troll's blog to see if anyone comes up to the surface to defend this latest round of allegations. In the meantime, plugging your ears while humming and ignoring the mailman might not be such a bad idea... you know, if you do this kind of thing for a living.Lodsys shifts in-app purchasing target to Android devs following Apple response originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink CNET | Google Groups | Email this | Comments
Paypal v. Google: a tawdry tale of trade secret misappropriation
Google and its poached Paypal employees got sued for trade secret misappropriation yesterday, but we didn't know the dirty details until now. A peek at PayPal's complaint reveals there's a bit more to the story. Apparently, Paypal and Google were in talks last year to use PayPal for payments in the Android Market. Osama Bedier was in charge of those negotiations for PayPal in October of 2010, when the deal was supposed to close, but was allegedly interviewing for a mobile payment position at Google at the same time (holy conflict of interest, Batman!). The complaint claims that Bedier initially rebuffed El Goog's advances, told PayPal of the job offer and professed that he would stay, but jumped ship a month later (bringing some PayPal coworkers with him) after being recruited by Stephanie Tilenius and the almighty dollar. Once it hired Osama, Google reportedly put the brakes on the PayPal deal and created Google Wallet. Then Google, Bedier, and Tilenius got slapped with a lawsuit. A brief rundown of the legal claims awaits you after the break.Continue reading Paypal v. Google: a tawdry tale of trade secret misappropriationPaypal v. Google: a tawdry tale of trade secret misappropriation originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink TechCrunch | Complaint [PDF] | Email this | Comments
Twitter on my ipad
This is a good app Twitter client for the iPad. It?s uncluttered, smooth, loads websites and images well and quickly, and offers every option that you really need. If you tweet a lot, it?s good to have on your iPad why not Follow your interests instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, [...]
Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere
Color, the $41-million-in-funding location-oriented photo sharing startup, is susceptible to simple GPS spoofing. With nothing more than a jailbroken iPad or iPhone, you can use FakeLocation to trick Color into thinking you're somewhere else. Within seconds you can be browsing photos that were snapped thousands of miles away. With a little digging, you can pore through photos not intended for your eyes.
Of course, such a hack isn't illegal as such -- every photo you take with Color is public. With FakeLocation you are simply circumventing Color's very limited location-oriented security mechanism. It does undermine Color's usefulness (and uniqueness), though -- if nefarious types can sit in their bedroom or basement and eavesdrop on classy dinner parties and wild night club soirees, people might be less inclined to share personal photos with those around them.
Fortunately, both for Color and its users, this is an easy security hole to plug -- at least in the short term. The app (or server-side) code simply checks to see if the user has 'teleported' an impossibly large distance, without any intermediate steps in between. In the long term, though, Color's users must be aware that its social graph is completely public. Color's users must realize that every photo they upload is visible by anyone, from any place.
After the break, just to elucidate a little on Color's actual business model and ultimate intention, we have two amazing quotes from Bill Nguyen, Color's founder.Continue reading Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhereColor vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Of course, such a hack isn't illegal as such -- every photo you take with Color is public. With FakeLocation you are simply circumventing Color's very limited location-oriented security mechanism. It does undermine Color's usefulness (and uniqueness), though -- if nefarious types can sit in their bedroom or basement and eavesdrop on classy dinner parties and wild night club soirees, people might be less inclined to share personal photos with those around them.
Fortunately, both for Color and its users, this is an easy security hole to plug -- at least in the short term. The app (or server-side) code simply checks to see if the user has 'teleported' an impossibly large distance, without any intermediate steps in between. In the long term, though, Color's users must be aware that its social graph is completely public. Color's users must realize that every photo they upload is visible by anyone, from any place.
After the break, just to elucidate a little on Color's actual business model and ultimate intention, we have two amazing quotes from Bill Nguyen, Color's founder.Continue reading Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhereColor vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules
The developer of iCab Mobile, a feature-rich alternative to the Safari Web browser on iPad and iPhone, has been ordered by Apple to remove its ability to download and install JavaScript modules.
Presumably it's not the fact that iCab can execute JavaScript that's causing Apple to apoplectically puff and splutter, but rather its ability to download modules. Both Apple and Google frown upon apps that contain market-like functionality, and someone at Apple probably thought that iCab's JavaScript modules looked like a bit too much like discrete apps.
Alexander Clauss, iCab's developer, has rather a lot to say on the matter. "Maybe if I would have called the modules 'smart bookmarks' and would have made installing them much more complicated, Apple would have never asked to remove the ability to download them from the internet. The great user experience of installing modules has probably created a suspicion that these modules are more than just a piece of JavaScript code. From a pure technical point of view, if Apple does not allow to download modules (JavaScript code), Apple would also have to disallow to load web pages in general, because these do also contain JavaScript code."
In conclusion, to circumvent Apple's draconian decree, iCab Mobile now simply comes bundled with some 20 JavaScript modules. The ability to download modules made by third-party developers has been disabled, however -- but even then, Clauss says that you can simply contact him and ask for your module to be bundled with the next version of iCab.
Download iCab Mobile for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch ($1.99)Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Presumably it's not the fact that iCab can execute JavaScript that's causing Apple to apoplectically puff and splutter, but rather its ability to download modules. Both Apple and Google frown upon apps that contain market-like functionality, and someone at Apple probably thought that iCab's JavaScript modules looked like a bit too much like discrete apps.
Alexander Clauss, iCab's developer, has rather a lot to say on the matter. "Maybe if I would have called the modules 'smart bookmarks' and would have made installing them much more complicated, Apple would have never asked to remove the ability to download them from the internet. The great user experience of installing modules has probably created a suspicion that these modules are more than just a piece of JavaScript code. From a pure technical point of view, if Apple does not allow to download modules (JavaScript code), Apple would also have to disallow to load web pages in general, because these do also contain JavaScript code."
In conclusion, to circumvent Apple's draconian decree, iCab Mobile now simply comes bundled with some 20 JavaScript modules. The ability to download modules made by third-party developers has been disabled, however -- but even then, Clauss says that you can simply contact him and ask for your module to be bundled with the next version of iCab.
Download iCab Mobile for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch ($1.99)Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Daily Crunch: Ship Shape Edition
Be A Sky Pirate At Last With This Sweet Kite The Five (Minor) Differences Between The Motorola Xoom And Acer Iconia Tab Conan On The World?s Most Expensive Toilet By Kohler The Finger-nose Stylus Is, As Far As We Can Tell, Not A Joke Colorware Now Doing Its Thing On The iPad 2
This Week?s Top Web Comedy Video: Dick Wiener's Name Changery [Video]
It's a long weekend. (Yeah!) What better way to kick it off than to watch some poor souls attempting to cope with terrible names from cruel, cruel parents? Good thing there's Dick Weiner's Name Changery, which provides the perfect remedy! More »
Drawing Machine Converts Photos to Sketches, Robotically
A number of artistically inclined robots showed up at this year's Maker Faire, but The Drawing Machine really stood out among the competition.
British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app
To celebrate the imminent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Royal Collection will release an Android an iOS app that chronicles the last seven royal marriages, including Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840.
Ironically, the app won't actually feature anything to do with William and Kate's marriage -- rather, it will focus on the "tradition, splendor and romance" that are intrinsic to British royal marriages. "[The app] will share the stories of past royal weddings and offer a wealth of historical context for the ceremony on April 29."
Unfortunately, the app, which has been lumbered with the fantastically creative name of 'Royal App,' won't be available until April 18 -- just 11 days before Kate's big day. It won't be free, either: it'll cost the rather princely sum of £1.79, or three of your Tea Party-loving dollars. The money will go to the Royal Collection, though, which is a good cause!British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Ironically, the app won't actually feature anything to do with William and Kate's marriage -- rather, it will focus on the "tradition, splendor and romance" that are intrinsic to British royal marriages. "[The app] will share the stories of past royal weddings and offer a wealth of historical context for the ceremony on April 29."
Unfortunately, the app, which has been lumbered with the fantastically creative name of 'Royal App,' won't be available until April 18 -- just 11 days before Kate's big day. It won't be free, either: it'll cost the rather princely sum of £1.79, or three of your Tea Party-loving dollars. The money will go to the Royal Collection, though, which is a good cause!British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Friday, May 27, 2011
Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation
Google Chrome 11 -- which just recently made the move to the browser's beta channel -- has received a minor update that gives developers access to two new APIs.
The first is a full-featured proxy API, which will, for example, allow users to set different proxy servers for normal browsing and Incognito mode. Proxy auto-config scripts are also supported by the API.
The second -- Web Navigation Extension -- is a bit more expansive. This API will allow devs to build everything from more powerful safe browsing extensions -- like Traffic Light -- to data analysis and reporting extensions.
Both APIs are currently experimental, so you'll need to enable them on the about:flags page to try out any relevant extensions. Apart from a proxy example built by Google and shipped with the Chromium source, we're not aware of any examples just yet, however. We'll let you know when we spot any slick, new extensions which do surface.Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The first is a full-featured proxy API, which will, for example, allow users to set different proxy servers for normal browsing and Incognito mode. Proxy auto-config scripts are also supported by the API.
The second -- Web Navigation Extension -- is a bit more expansive. This API will allow devs to build everything from more powerful safe browsing extensions -- like Traffic Light -- to data analysis and reporting extensions.
Both APIs are currently experimental, so you'll need to enable them on the about:flags page to try out any relevant extensions. Apart from a proxy example built by Google and shipped with the Chromium source, we're not aware of any examples just yet, however. We'll let you know when we spot any slick, new extensions which do surface.Chrome 11 beta adds new experimental APIs for proxies, Web navigation originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Netflix updates Android app, expands device support
Tired of content providers bossing you around, telling you what you can do with your own phone? Good, because Netflix is sick of telling you kids to keep off its lawn. Following a recent update, the outfit's Android app now officially supports the LG Revolution, Motorola Droid, Casio G'zOne Commando C771, and any unsupported device that just happens to work on its own. In addition to adding official support for the aforementioned trio (and of course, some minor bug fixes), the stream king removed a device check that previously blocked unsupported handsets from attempting playback. Your mileage may vary, but the folks over at Droid Life are reporting success with both the Droid X and Droid X2, as well as the Xperia Play. That's no guarantee for you and your unsupported device, but at least you have the freedom to fail. That's nice, isn't it?Netflix updates Android app, expands device support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 21:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Android Central | Android Market | Email this | Comments
Widgets and Revamped Notifications Coming to iOS 5? [Unconfirmed]
According to TechCrunch sources, the iOS 5 update will come complete with a revamped notifications system and widgets of some form. I would normally explain more here, but that's all they said. [TechCrunch] More »
How to Share Photos of Your Adorable Child or Pet Without Annoying Your Friends [Etiquette]
That picture of your baby/dog/child on the couch is almost as cute as the one of her on a chair! Which is almost as cute as the one of her sleeping! Which is almost as cute as? OK STOP. More »
Is Apple Preventing Spotify's US Launch? [Republished]
Waiting for Spotify to launch in the United States is the new waiting for the Beatles to appear in iTunes. More »
Telecommunications device for the deaf gets hitched to a rotary phone, hacked to run Zork
In today's episode of "But will it run Zork?" a chap named Ulysses got the vintage game to run on a TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) -- a project he built to show off at the Bay Area Maker Faire last weekend. In a move we truly respect, he hunted down a rotary phone lifted straight out of the era when Zork was conceived (that would be the late '70s / early '80s). Then, he modified a modem so that the acoustically coupled TDD could be interfaced -- transmitting at a slow 45.5 baud to make it easy for even ponderous readers to keep up, one line at a time on the TDD's narrow display. Once this was sorted, things weren't exactly smooth sailing when Ulysses started fitting the compressed Zork story file into the system. At first, he tried using an Arduino Pro and an Arduino Mega, but found that neither had enough memory to accommodate the compressed Zork story file. Ultimately, he took a different tack and settled on an embeddable FitPC. We'd love nothing more than to see this thing in action, but in lieu of a video we highly suggest carving out a few minutes and perusing Ulysses' photo blog at the source link.Telecommunications device for the deaf gets hitched to a rotary phone, hacked to run Zork originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Hack A Day | Dial-A-Grue | Email this | Comments
T-Mobile G2x experiencing reboot issues, Gingerbread may be the remedy
Ready for a good story? Gather around, kids, we have an intriguing one to share. The T-Mobile G2x is enjoying its share of controversy this week as concerns arose about the phone experiencing random reboots. Our saga began on Wednesday, as we received tips about the G2x getting pulled from stores due to "quality concerns." We confirmed no inventory was in stock, but T-Mobile emailed us denying there was any reason for this other than high demand. With the phone being so popular, that's fair enough, right? Not so fast.
As it turns out, our tale doesn't stop there. A well-worded statement was sent out explaining, "a small percentage of customers have commented about possible improvements and we are working with LG to deliver a software update." A bit of a far cry from confirming reboot issues (or bugs of any kind, for that matter), but it is refreshing to hear some sort of acknowledgement at least. T-Mobile didn't get specific on what those "possible improvements" may entail, but the carrier also reiterated plans to bump the flagship phone up to Gingerbread "by summer" -- possibly tackling the bugs at the same time. The end to our story has yet to be written, but we sure hope it's a happy one.T-Mobile G2x experiencing reboot issues, Gingerbread may be the remedy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink PC Mag, TmoNews | Twitter (1), (2) | Email this | Comments
As it turns out, our tale doesn't stop there. A well-worded statement was sent out explaining, "a small percentage of customers have commented about possible improvements and we are working with LG to deliver a software update." A bit of a far cry from confirming reboot issues (or bugs of any kind, for that matter), but it is refreshing to hear some sort of acknowledgement at least. T-Mobile didn't get specific on what those "possible improvements" may entail, but the carrier also reiterated plans to bump the flagship phone up to Gingerbread "by summer" -- possibly tackling the bugs at the same time. The end to our story has yet to be written, but we sure hope it's a happy one.T-Mobile G2x experiencing reboot issues, Gingerbread may be the remedy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink PC Mag, TmoNews | Twitter (1), (2) | Email this | Comments
New Mac Malware: Passwords? We Don't Need No Stinking Passwords!
The newest strain of malware aimed at the Mac OS X platform doesn't require a user password to install and spread, according to a warning from security company Intego. Like a similar scam that arose weeks ago, this new version of malware promises visitors of certain websites a free security scan.
The City with the Fastest Internet in the US Is...Olympia, Washington [Factoid]
I've never actually been but I hear the Pacific Northwest is beautiful. Apparently, there's some really fast internet there too. An FCC report says that Olympia beats every US city in download speed at 21Mbps. That's nearly double second place. More »
Sony Ericsson boosts Xperia Arc and Play to 2.3.3, includes Facebook integration
Well, Sony Ericsson might just deserve a gold star for effort. A week ago we reported that a possible rollout of the long-rumored Facebook integration update would come to select Xperia series phones this week, and we're seeing the process begin today. The recipients of this particular push are the Arc and Play, though it will come to all new Xperia devices down the road. While the download includes Android 2.3.3, the major focus is on "Facebook Inside Xperia," another way for you to sync your social media with other aspects of your phone, such as contacts, calendar, and photo gallery. Other improvements in the package include WiFi stability, improved battery performance, HD video recording performance (Arc only), and bug fixes. Don't stress if your phone hasn't seen the update yet; Sony Ericsson says it's rolling it out gradually due to issues with individual markets and carrier branding. No specific timeframe was given, though the company mentioned that "it can take a while." Should you be one of the lucky recipients to get it today, however, sound off in the comments below.Continue reading Sony Ericsson boosts Xperia Arc and Play to 2.3.3, includes Facebook integrationSony Ericsson boosts Xperia Arc and Play to 2.3.3, includes Facebook integration originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 00:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Sony Ericsson | Email this | Comments
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Daily Tip: How to stop your iPhone from switching tracks when you dance
Dancing while holding your iPhone and wondering how to stop it from switching tracks every time you shake your groove thing? It might sound silly, but we’ve been asked about this several times so we figured we better write it up once and for all. Luckily, it’s easy to prevent your popping from locking up, [...]Daily Tip: How to stop your iPhone from switching tracks when you dance is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Hand-Holding Robot Teaches Novice Surgeons to Move Like the Masters [Medicine]
It takes hundreds upon hundreds of practice hours for surgical students to develop the hand-eye coordination and muscle memory needed to handle complex operations. This new system aims to speed that process by literally holding the surgeon's hands. More »
Roomba 770: It Might Be Time to Sell Your Vacuum, Grandpa [Video]
Vacuums are old. Roombas are old. So who cares about a Roomba? When the latter can finally kick the former to the tech trash pile, we care. The dream of having a robot (effectively!) be my personal maid is alive. More »
Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game
I have a thing for physics games, and I've been known to post the occasional platformer or action game here and there. But Let it Slide is one of the brainiest games I've posted to date.
The idea is very simple, and far from original: You get a board with pieces arranged in a particular pattern; you have to slide those around until you get the special piece into its target location.
It's not even about finding out where the target location is - you can just hover over "dim tiles" and instantly see where you're supposed to bring the special piece. But getting it there is a whole different story.
There are five tutorial levels, which I strongly recommend you do. Then there are twenty "beginner" levels, but that's really a misnomer. If those are the beginner levels, I don't want to know what the intermediate and advanced levels look like!
Every time you finish a level you get a score based on how many clicks it took you - each level has a "par" (the minimum number of clicks it could be completed in), and your performance is compared to that gold standard. Because it's such a brainy game, getting it right is quite satisfying. I was downright proud of myself when I managed to finish a few levels. All in all, quite recommended, especially if you've got a few minutes of quiet. It might actually help you focus better later on.Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The idea is very simple, and far from original: You get a board with pieces arranged in a particular pattern; you have to slide those around until you get the special piece into its target location.
It's not even about finding out where the target location is - you can just hover over "dim tiles" and instantly see where you're supposed to bring the special piece. But getting it there is a whole different story.
There are five tutorial levels, which I strongly recommend you do. Then there are twenty "beginner" levels, but that's really a misnomer. If those are the beginner levels, I don't want to know what the intermediate and advanced levels look like!
Every time you finish a level you get a score based on how many clicks it took you - each level has a "par" (the minimum number of clicks it could be completed in), and your performance is compared to that gold standard. Because it's such a brainy game, getting it right is quite satisfying. I was downright proud of myself when I managed to finish a few levels. All in all, quite recommended, especially if you've got a few minutes of quiet. It might actually help you focus better later on.Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Evoluce Win&I brings Kinect gesture controls to Windows 7
We've been looking at some pretty cool Kinect and Windows interactions for a while now, but we were hoping that the release of an official SDK would lead to even more coolness. Evoluce has stepped up, and is now offering Win&I -- a full-featured gesture control system for Windows 7.
The company claims that a range of up to four meters is supported, which should be perfect for just about any home theater setting. In the video embedded after the break, you can see an Evoluce demonstrator flip through a photo album, pan through a map, rearrange application windows, browse the Web, and control media playback. Two versions of Win&I are offered -- the home version goes for about 20 Euros, the business version for 40.
Anyone else having fun pretending his stance is a little "Iron Man"? We're tempted to put a repulsor on that hand.Continue reading Evoluce Win&I brings Kinect gesture controls to Windows 7Evoluce Win&I brings Kinect gesture controls to Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The company claims that a range of up to four meters is supported, which should be perfect for just about any home theater setting. In the video embedded after the break, you can see an Evoluce demonstrator flip through a photo album, pan through a map, rearrange application windows, browse the Web, and control media playback. Two versions of Win&I are offered -- the home version goes for about 20 Euros, the business version for 40.
Anyone else having fun pretending his stance is a little "Iron Man"? We're tempted to put a repulsor on that hand.Continue reading Evoluce Win&I brings Kinect gesture controls to Windows 7Evoluce Win&I brings Kinect gesture controls to Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
First Firefox 6 build next week, Firefox 7 by May, and aurora channel introduced
Mozilla's Engineering Project Manager, Christian Legnitto, has detailed the release schedule for Firefox 5, 6 and 7. If all goes to plan, Firefox 6.0a1 will be released next week, April 12, and Firefox 7.0a1 in the middle of May. The final build of Firefox 5 should be released on June 21, exactly three months after the release of Firefox 4.
Along with the faster 6-week release cadence, Firefox's new Chrome-like release channels have also been given names and anticipated update frequencies. The most notable change is the introduction of a new alpha channel -- which is analogous to Chrome Canary -- that will be called 'aurora' and will update nightly. Aurora will be where fixes and features are tested, and either approved for Beta, or backed out to Central. Aurora will have a new icon, too.
The Nightly (mozilla-central) channel will remain unchanged in name and frequency, but it will gain a new 'nightly icon.' The Beta (mozilla-beta) channel will remain as-is, with new builds rolling out weekly. The Release (mozilla-release) channel will also remain as-is, with security and stability updates coming every 6 to 12 weeks.
It should be noted that the names (including 'aurora') are not necessarily final, but it's unlikely that they'll change. We're also awaiting the arrival of the new 'channel switching' technology, which should arrive in the next few days -- in time for the release of Firefox 6 aurora!First Firefox 6 build next week, Firefox 7 by May, and aurora channel introduced originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Along with the faster 6-week release cadence, Firefox's new Chrome-like release channels have also been given names and anticipated update frequencies. The most notable change is the introduction of a new alpha channel -- which is analogous to Chrome Canary -- that will be called 'aurora' and will update nightly. Aurora will be where fixes and features are tested, and either approved for Beta, or backed out to Central. Aurora will have a new icon, too.
The Nightly (mozilla-central) channel will remain unchanged in name and frequency, but it will gain a new 'nightly icon.' The Beta (mozilla-beta) channel will remain as-is, with new builds rolling out weekly. The Release (mozilla-release) channel will also remain as-is, with security and stability updates coming every 6 to 12 weeks.
It should be noted that the names (including 'aurora') are not necessarily final, but it's unlikely that they'll change. We're also awaiting the arrival of the new 'channel switching' technology, which should arrive in the next few days -- in time for the release of Firefox 6 aurora!First Firefox 6 build next week, Firefox 7 by May, and aurora channel introduced originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Flickr adds to sharing options, now easier to share photos across the Web
It sure is nice to see some new developer action over at Flickr. The relatively slow-moving photo-sharing service has just announced a new sharing update, which consists of several new and easy ways to embed or link to your photos:
Share from Photo page: There's a new sharing option on each and every photo page. When logged off, the button shows only Facebook and Twitter options. But once you log on, you get Tumblr and Blogger too, and can configure other sharing venues as well.
Share non-public content on Facebook: This doesn't sound like a great idea, but you now can share private photos on Facebook if you're so inclined (and if you trust your privacy settings).
That's the gist of the update; it makes it easier to show off your pretty pictures in a plethora of places.Flickr adds to sharing options, now easier to share photos across the Web originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Share from Photo page: There's a new sharing option on each and every photo page. When logged off, the button shows only Facebook and Twitter options. But once you log on, you get Tumblr and Blogger too, and can configure other sharing venues as well.
Share non-public content on Facebook: This doesn't sound like a great idea, but you now can share private photos on Facebook if you're so inclined (and if you trust your privacy settings).
That's the gist of the update; it makes it easier to show off your pretty pictures in a plethora of places.Flickr adds to sharing options, now easier to share photos across the Web originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Nerdy Necklace Is Really a Multitool
This is the Honeycomb Pendant with Cord. It is also the necklace that MacGyver would wear. Take a closer look and you’ll see that these “honeycombs” are in fact wrenches.
It’s not just a fashion coincidence, either. These hexagonal holes are made to twist nuts. You can tweak any bolts sized 8, 10, 12 and 14mm.
I [...]
It’s not just a fashion coincidence, either. These hexagonal holes are made to twist nuts. You can tweak any bolts sized 8, 10, 12 and 14mm.
I [...]
Which Direction Should I Wipe? [Do It Right]
You probably don't remember who taught you how to wipe—your parents, most likely—or why you wipe the way you do. All you know is that once you were settled in on one style of wiping that worked, more or less, there was no real reason to change. But is it the right way? Is it the best way? Let's find out. More »
Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs
Mozilla, continuing its year-long crusade to speed up Firefox startup and shutdown times, has published a name and shame list of the Firefox's slowest add-ons.
The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.
Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.
In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.
Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.
In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Black & Decker iShred: Pretty, But Doesn't Do CDs [Lightning Review]
Finally, Black & Decker answers the question: What would Steve Jobs' paper disposal system look like? More »
Apple Promises Software Update to Kill ?MacDefender? Malware
Apple has published instructions on removing a piece of malicious software that targeted Mac customers. The company claims that an upcoming Mac software update will remove the malware from infected systems.
In a bulletin published Tuesday evening, Apple listed steps to remove the malware, and added that an upcoming software update for Mac OS X would [...]
In a bulletin published Tuesday evening, Apple listed steps to remove the malware, and added that an upcoming software update for Mac OS X would [...]
Toyota pulls Cydia theme and ads to appease Apple
In news that will no doubt shake the very bedrock of your belief system, Apple has asked Toyota to remove its Scion theme and its advertising from ModMyi, a Cydia repository. The Scion theme has been available for weeks, but after it received a ton of press in the last couple of days, Apple finally lashed out.
It's not like we should be surprised, considering Apple has claimed in the past that jailbreaking is illegal -- but at the same time, did the Cupertino cronies hear about the ruling that made circumventing DRM, and thus jailbreaking, legal? Anyway, whether Toyota was supporting illegal, legal, or deliciously gray and ambiguous, activity, it doesn't matter: Apple asked Toyota to remove the theme, and Toyota graciously bent over and capitulated.
This story raises a much more interesting topic, though: this is the first time a multinational company has publicly acknowledged and embraced the jailbreak community. Considering jailbreaking is technically legal, and Cydia's creator, Jay Freeman, estimates that up to 9% of OS devices are jailbroken, it simply makes good, commercial sense to target jailbreakers with ads. Toyota was simply trying to make some money, for shame!
As long as Apple continues to throw around its increasingly-expansive mass, the legality of jailbreaking will continue to be inconsequential. It will be interesting to see if another big company dares embrace the jailbreak community after this, too.Toyota pulls Cydia theme and ads to appease Apple originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
It's not like we should be surprised, considering Apple has claimed in the past that jailbreaking is illegal -- but at the same time, did the Cupertino cronies hear about the ruling that made circumventing DRM, and thus jailbreaking, legal? Anyway, whether Toyota was supporting illegal, legal, or deliciously gray and ambiguous, activity, it doesn't matter: Apple asked Toyota to remove the theme, and Toyota graciously bent over and capitulated.
This story raises a much more interesting topic, though: this is the first time a multinational company has publicly acknowledged and embraced the jailbreak community. Considering jailbreaking is technically legal, and Cydia's creator, Jay Freeman, estimates that up to 9% of OS devices are jailbroken, it simply makes good, commercial sense to target jailbreakers with ads. Toyota was simply trying to make some money, for shame!
As long as Apple continues to throw around its increasingly-expansive mass, the legality of jailbreaking will continue to be inconsequential. It will be interesting to see if another big company dares embrace the jailbreak community after this, too.Toyota pulls Cydia theme and ads to appease Apple originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
StreakDroid 2.0.0 gives the gift of Gingerbread to Streak hackers
If you've been following along, you know that a phone enthusiast named DJ_Steve has kept the Dell Streak fresh, thanks to a series of hacked ROMs, dubbed StreakDroid. The latest version, 2.0.0 (or GingerStreak, if you're feeling cute) brings Gingerbread to the 5-inch smartphone -- expanding on the last ROM, which gave hackers the option of selecting Gingerbread's app launcher. As always, though, dear Steve has noted a handful of bugs in the ROM's early stages, including issues with the Superuser app, less-than-stellar graphics performance, and the fact that both GPS and 720p video recording require an engineering baseband and DSP to be flashed. As of this writing, all of the comments are from Streak owners eager to download this for themselves. We assume you are, too, so let us know how the new ROM works out for ya.StreakDroid 2.0.0 gives the gift of Gingerbread to Streak hackers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | MoDaCo | Email this | Comments
Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)
Corel seems to be on a roll lately; after releasing WinZip System Utilities just last week, this morning the company announced VideoStudio Pro X4.
VideoStudio Pro is aimed at home users and small business professionals who want to create professional-looking videos, but without the hassle, steep learning curve and price of Adobe Premiere Pro and the likes.
This new version introduces several features:
Stop motion animation: You can now capture still frames using a webcam, camcorder or DSLR and use them to produce an animation. Tools such as "onion skin view" let you compare the previous image in the sequence with the current one and make the animation as smooth as possible.
Processor optimization: Corel says the app is optimized for Intel's new Sandy Bridge systems, and have shown us some graphs with very impressive numbers. We've been unable to test this particular point, but if you have a recent-generation Intel or AMD Fusion system, VideoStudio performance should be blazing. Even on our older test system performance was quite impressive.
Customizable workspace: You can drag the video preview window to your secondary monitor (if you have one) and tweak just about any other element in the window layout. Once done, you can save your ideal workspace in one of three slots.
Share-to-Web: VideoStudio Pro X4 hooks directly into YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr, so you don't even have to launch a browser to upload your final product. Edit, produce and share from within the app itself.
Smart Package: Video projects typically consist of many files; Smart Package lets you bundle all video assets for a given project into one ZIP file which you can password-protect and keep in a safe place once you're done editing.
I've had a chance to play around with a pre-release version for a few days, and have put it through its paces editing a short video for my day job. Overall, I've been impressed with how easy it was to create pro-looking results. If you do any sort of video editing but are leery of the investment other apps require (both in dollars and effort), VideoStudio Pro is well worth checking out. To see a bit of the interface itself and what the app can do, watch the video after the jump.
Note: We'll be running a give-away of ten VideoStudio Pro X4 licenses later today, each worth $100 USD. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway post!Continue reading Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
VideoStudio Pro is aimed at home users and small business professionals who want to create professional-looking videos, but without the hassle, steep learning curve and price of Adobe Premiere Pro and the likes.
This new version introduces several features:
Stop motion animation: You can now capture still frames using a webcam, camcorder or DSLR and use them to produce an animation. Tools such as "onion skin view" let you compare the previous image in the sequence with the current one and make the animation as smooth as possible.
Processor optimization: Corel says the app is optimized for Intel's new Sandy Bridge systems, and have shown us some graphs with very impressive numbers. We've been unable to test this particular point, but if you have a recent-generation Intel or AMD Fusion system, VideoStudio performance should be blazing. Even on our older test system performance was quite impressive.
Customizable workspace: You can drag the video preview window to your secondary monitor (if you have one) and tweak just about any other element in the window layout. Once done, you can save your ideal workspace in one of three slots.
Share-to-Web: VideoStudio Pro X4 hooks directly into YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr, so you don't even have to launch a browser to upload your final product. Edit, produce and share from within the app itself.
Smart Package: Video projects typically consist of many files; Smart Package lets you bundle all video assets for a given project into one ZIP file which you can password-protect and keep in a safe place once you're done editing.
I've had a chance to play around with a pre-release version for a few days, and have put it through its paces editing a short video for my day job. Overall, I've been impressed with how easy it was to create pro-looking results. If you do any sort of video editing but are leery of the investment other apps require (both in dollars and effort), VideoStudio Pro is well worth checking out. To see a bit of the interface itself and what the app can do, watch the video after the jump.
Note: We'll be running a give-away of ten VideoStudio Pro X4 licenses later today, each worth $100 USD. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway post!Continue reading Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
CrunchGear Week in Review: Primary Train Edition
Treintafel Is Dutch For Train Table, And That?s Exactly What This Is Weekend Giveaway: Something Called An iPad Two (??) Samsung?s New High-Resolution Screens: Too Good To Be True? World Record Set For Most Flashes Used In One Picture: 300 Viral video: Robot 1 ? Human 0
Lightning Strikes Just 200m From Quick-Fingered Photographers [Video]
There's nothing as spectacular as watching a thunderstorm roll in on the dry Australian landscape, which could explain why I've just spooked myself by watching William Phuoc's video of a bolt striking just 200m from where they were photographing. [PetaPixel] More »
A Hands-Free Case for Playing Your iPad Music on Stage [Ipad Accessories]
Carrying your iPad, hands-free, usually just means throwing it in your bag. But with the shoulder-strapped Trubador iPad case, you can skip the bag and still use your iPad on the go. More »
Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views
Google, as part of its ongoing and much-needed overhaul of its popular Blogger platform, has just enabled five dynamic, HTML5ish, AJAXy 'Dynamic Views'. There's a video introducing the new layouts after the break.
The five new views provide fresh and interesting ways to explore your favorite Blogger blogs. The Mosaic view, for example, creates a wall of thumbnails -- click one, and it zooms to fill the screen; click it again and it minimizes. Flipcard is similar to Mosaic, but not quite as eclectic. Sidebar, Timeslide and Snapshot round off the new views, with each one obviously targeted at different types of content, from photo blogs, to text-only philosophy blogs, and everything in between.
For now, you have to visit a Blogger blog and add /view to the URL to enable the new Dynamic Views. If you own a Blogger blog, you can disable the new views -- and really, why weren't they disabled by default?
If feedback is positive -- which we're sure it will be -- these Dynamic Views will soon be enabled by default. You'll also be able to edit the views in much the same way as current Blogger templates.Continue reading Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic ViewsGoogle's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The five new views provide fresh and interesting ways to explore your favorite Blogger blogs. The Mosaic view, for example, creates a wall of thumbnails -- click one, and it zooms to fill the screen; click it again and it minimizes. Flipcard is similar to Mosaic, but not quite as eclectic. Sidebar, Timeslide and Snapshot round off the new views, with each one obviously targeted at different types of content, from photo blogs, to text-only philosophy blogs, and everything in between.
For now, you have to visit a Blogger blog and add /view to the URL to enable the new Dynamic Views. If you own a Blogger blog, you can disable the new views -- and really, why weren't they disabled by default?
If feedback is positive -- which we're sure it will be -- these Dynamic Views will soon be enabled by default. You'll also be able to edit the views in much the same way as current Blogger templates.Continue reading Google's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic ViewsGoogle's Blogger platform adds five new HTML5 Dynamic Views originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
Vent Your Anger At Loud Vehicles With the Noise Snare [Video]
When a loud motorcycle woke up Mark Nesdoly's young daughter, he decided he had enough. Instead of taking a baseball bat to the offending Harley, Nesdoly used his engineering skills to design the Noise Snare, a video detection system for loud vehicles. More »
Kohort Is Group Management Done Simple, Yet Robust
Groups are all the rage right now. Facebook is focusing on them. Google is thought to be focusing on them. GroupMe, Beluga, etc. The fact that so many companies are focusing on them shows a common belief that they're extremely important. Kohort, a new service launching today at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York, believes this as well. They just believe that everyone else has failed at them so far.
One reason is that Kohort believes the grouping features for most of these services are tacked-on. With Kohort, it's the central feature. And it goes deep.
One reason is that Kohort believes the grouping features for most of these services are tacked-on. With Kohort, it's the central feature. And it goes deep.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
10 to 1: Can Intel Beat Apple?
The Intel-Apple war has been on a break ever since Intel won and Apple moved its PCs to x86. However, Apple has clearly been itching for a rematch with the iPad, and it has been chewing up PC market share at an impressive rate while Intel's been caught napping. Well, Intel has promised 10, count them, 10 new iPad butt-kicking tablets at Computex, and it is roaring in with wallets open and guns a-blazing.
New CyanogenMod lets you rule Android app permissions with an iron fist
We've recently seen Google crack down on rogue apps and patch some server-side security issues, but let's not forget Android does have a small measure of built-in security: app permissions. But as with those pesky EULAs, many users tend to breeze through the permissions screen. And Android forces even the most attentive readers to accept or deny all permissions requested by an app. But the newest nightly builds of the CyanogenMod custom ROM include a clever patch allowing users to grant and revoke permissions individually -- something like the TISSA security manager we're still awaiting. Obviously playing God with permissions can crash your applications: with great power comes great responsibility. But we figure if you're running aftermarket firmware on a rooted phone, you're comfortable experimenting. See how it works in the video after the break, then hit the source link to download.Continue reading New CyanogenMod lets you rule Android app permissions with an iron fistFiled under: Cellphones, SoftwareNew CyanogenMod lets you rule Android app permissions with an iron fist originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Androinica | CyanogenMod | Email this | Comments
Concept: Toaster-Shaped Alarm Clock for the iPhone
This conceptual product by Michael Kritzer is�called the DayMaker.�This is an alarm clock, with a place for 2 iPhones and an analog clock in front. When the alarm on one of the iPhones rings, the iPhone jumps like a bread slice in a toaster. You can make it snooze by pressing it down again. In [...]
Nexus S 4G: The Google Phone, But Faster (and Better) [Lightning Review]
The Nexus S 4G is the spitting image of the Nexus S—aka the Google Phone—save for two differences: It's on Sprint, and it's blessed with 4G WiMax. But it doesn't ravage your battery life. Say whaaaa? More »
PCH International Launches Business Accelerator Program; Lark Named First Startup
PCH International is one of those quirky, successful mid-size companies you've probably never heard of. For starters, PCH is a Chinese manufacturing company named after a California highway that has headquarters located in Ireland. If you have a lot of gadgets lying around, you've probably used one and you may not even know it. PCH designs and produces electronics and gadgets in partnership with major PC manufacturers and consumer electronics brands. The company was raking in $400 million in revenue last year, on top of $41 million in funding raised to date (about half of which was closed in February).
Today, PCH Founder Liam Casey took to the Disrupt NYC stage following Lark Founder Julia Hu to announce that PCH is launching its own business accelerator called, appropriately, "PCH Accelerator" -- and that Lark (a Disrupt SF alumni) will be the accelerator's inaugural startup.
Today, PCH Founder Liam Casey took to the Disrupt NYC stage following Lark Founder Julia Hu to announce that PCH is launching its own business accelerator called, appropriately, "PCH Accelerator" -- and that Lark (a Disrupt SF alumni) will be the accelerator's inaugural startup.
IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison
Over on the Internet Explorer Blog, Microsoft has posted results from an extensive comparison of the top five Web browsers. The goal: to determine whether Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Chrome 10, Safari 5, or Opera 11 is able to squeeze the most life out of your laptop's battery.
A baseline was determined with test systems sitting idle, and then browsers were pointed at about:blank, a news site, the HTML5 Galactic demo, and the IE9 fish tank demo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IE9 came out on top -- though Firefox 4 was a very close second on nearly every test. As you can see, the other browsers didn't necessarily fare quite as well, with Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all posting significantly worse scores. In Opera 11's case, a laptop battery would last over one hour more with Internet Explorer 9 installed.
But what we'd really like to know is where did Microsoft find the dilithium crystals required to run a Galactic Total Power Consumption test...IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
A baseline was determined with test systems sitting idle, and then browsers were pointed at about:blank, a news site, the HTML5 Galactic demo, and the IE9 fish tank demo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, IE9 came out on top -- though Firefox 4 was a very close second on nearly every test. As you can see, the other browsers didn't necessarily fare quite as well, with Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all posting significantly worse scores. In Opera 11's case, a laptop battery would last over one hour more with Internet Explorer 9 installed.
But what we'd really like to know is where did Microsoft find the dilithium crystals required to run a Galactic Total Power Consumption test...IE9 and Firefox 4 post top marks in Web browser power use comparison originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Bambi Rescued By the Jaws of Life [Video]
What do you do when you find a baby deer trapped underneath a pile of rocks? Call your local firefighters, who extract the poor creature using the largest power tool they could find—the Jaws of Life. More »
This Video Game Was Made in the 1940s [Video]
Do you see that retro-looking device above? That's a cathode ray tube amusement device, one of the one of the first interactive video games ever made. You can tell by the circular green display that this missile simulator game was inspired by the radar displays of World War II. It was created and patented by Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. and Estle Ray Mann in the late 1940s. More »
iPad 2 Commercial: If You Asked
Earlier in the week Apple released yet another clever and inspiring TV commercial for the iPad 2 tablet computer. This one is titled “If You Asked“. Their latest ad spot was aired almost one month after their first ever iPad 2 commercial which was called “We Believe“. The narrator states the following in the ad: [...]
Dell XPS 15z available in Australia and Asia, fits Sandy Bridge in under an inch of thickness
The XPS 15z, true to Michael Dell's word, is now with us. Provided "now" is May the 24th in whatever part of the world you happen to live in. Laptop shoppers in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan -- a group of nations already enjoying the glories of Tuesday -- can now buy the 0.97 inches-thick 15z for prices starting at just under A$1,400. That buys you a Core i5-2410M from Intel (2.3GHz default speed, 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost), a generous 6GB of DDR3 RAM, backlit keyboard, GeForce GT 525M graphics with 2GB of dedicated memory, a 750GB hard drive, and a 64WHr battery. The screen spans 15.6 inches diagonally and offers 1920 x 1080 resolution. Stepping up to A$1,700 gets you a Core i7-2620M (2.7GHz default, 3.4GHz TB) and 8GB of RAM. Juicy specs, we must admit. Now when's midnight coming?
[Thanks, John]Dell XPS 15z available in Australia and Asia, fits Sandy Bridge in under an inch of thickness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Dell (Australia), (Malaysia), (Hong Kong), (Taiwan), (Japan) | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, John]Dell XPS 15z available in Australia and Asia, fits Sandy Bridge in under an inch of thickness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Dell (Australia), (Malaysia), (Hong Kong), (Taiwan), (Japan) | Email this | Comments
Update Blogs From Your iPad With QuickWordPress
Not long ago there were really no descent blogging apps available for the iPad. Many bloggers were baffled by the fact that no such app existed for the iPad. Then of course Blogsy was released a few weeks ago. Now it appears there’s a trend starting here with yet another powerful blogging app available called [...]
Monday, May 23, 2011
HTC Evo 3D Won't Have Premium Cost for Pointless Feature [Unconfirmed]
The HTC Evo 3D is the first major 3D phone to hit these shores, but the price tag doesn't reflect the bonus dimension; according to this leaked RadioShack flier, the handset will cost $200 on-contract. And ship with a movie! More »
Windows Home Server 2011 released to manufacturers
Just a little under two months after its release candidate went live, Windows Home Server (WHS) 2011 has been finalized and released into the wild. The new version of Microsoft's slick, do-it-all server OS is a big step forward from its predecessor.
Built on the Windows Server 2008 R2 base, Home Server 2011 features a simpler dashboard, a better backup solution, dead simple remote access to your home computers, and Silverlight-powered remote media streaming. For a more detailed look at what's new in Windows Home Server 2011, you check out Microsoft's official breakdown.
Drive Extender, of course, didn't resurface for the final release of WHS 2011 and that's something a lot of power users are still pretty irked about. Even without Extender, Windows Home Server offers a boatload of useful functionality and might be a good fit for your home network. Manufacturers have already begun building hardware, so you should be able to pick up a device in the very near future.
An evaluation download for Windows Home Server 2011 will be made available in April -- we'll let you know when the links are ready.Windows Home Server 2011 released to manufacturers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Built on the Windows Server 2008 R2 base, Home Server 2011 features a simpler dashboard, a better backup solution, dead simple remote access to your home computers, and Silverlight-powered remote media streaming. For a more detailed look at what's new in Windows Home Server 2011, you check out Microsoft's official breakdown.
Drive Extender, of course, didn't resurface for the final release of WHS 2011 and that's something a lot of power users are still pretty irked about. Even without Extender, Windows Home Server offers a boatload of useful functionality and might be a good fit for your home network. Manufacturers have already begun building hardware, so you should be able to pick up a device in the very near future.
An evaluation download for Windows Home Server 2011 will be made available in April -- we'll let you know when the links are ready.Windows Home Server 2011 released to manufacturers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Fooducate: A Brilliant Professor of All Things Edible
After scanning the barcodes of various packaged food products with an app called Fooducate, it doesn't take long to understand one thing: Almost any food that comes in a sealed wrapper has a bunch of chemicals squirted into it or has been funkily modified so that it only barely resembles healthy food. I think most moderately health-conscious people have heard the basics of this information before.
Almost-Indestructible Bed Bugs Can be Sniffed Out With This Device [Bugs]
From the same man who invented the George Foreman spin fryer, the fuel-tank mechanism for the F-22 Raptor jet and dozens of other awesome products comes...the bed-bug sniffer! More »
Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated)
Following the tragic explosion at Foxconn's Chengdu plant on Friday, the company has now confirmed to All Things Digital the death of a third employee, with nine remaining in hospital. While investigation is still ongoing, initial findings are pointing at "an explosion of combustible dust in a duct" at one of the polishing workshops, which supports earlier rumors of dust explosion; though there's no confirmation on what caused the ignition just yet.
In related news: two weeks before the fatal accident, watchdog group SACOM released a report on the welfare of workers at the new Chengdu plant. Amongst the uncovering of management issues, excessive working hours, and hazardous environment, PC World highlights complaints from workers about the large amount of aluminum dust -- which is highly explosive -- floating around the polishing department, thus suggesting a lack of proper dust extraction methods within the facility. Foxconn has previously slammed this report, but the outcome of this explosion's investigation should once and for all prove who's telling the truth. For now, though, the priority is to make sure the victims and their families are taken care of.
Full statement from Foxconn after the break.
Update: According to China Times' industry sources, the explosion has only affected some storage facilities and chemical coating lines, though Foxconn president Terry Gou is said to be reallocating some production to his Shenzhen plant as a just-in-case measure.Continue reading Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated)Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | All Things Digital, PC World | Email this | Comments
In related news: two weeks before the fatal accident, watchdog group SACOM released a report on the welfare of workers at the new Chengdu plant. Amongst the uncovering of management issues, excessive working hours, and hazardous environment, PC World highlights complaints from workers about the large amount of aluminum dust -- which is highly explosive -- floating around the polishing department, thus suggesting a lack of proper dust extraction methods within the facility. Foxconn has previously slammed this report, but the outcome of this explosion's investigation should once and for all prove who's telling the truth. For now, though, the priority is to make sure the victims and their families are taken care of.
Full statement from Foxconn after the break.
Update: According to China Times' industry sources, the explosion has only affected some storage facilities and chemical coating lines, though Foxconn president Terry Gou is said to be reallocating some production to his Shenzhen plant as a just-in-case measure.Continue reading Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated)Foxconn confirms third death from explosion, earlier watchdog report points at aluminum dust (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | All Things Digital, PC World | Email this | Comments
Get free MLB.tv access during April with MLB.com At Bat app
If you're a baseball fanatic, the MLB At Bat app is a must-have. It's packed with live updates, scores, stats, news, and videos -- and right now there's another great reason to pick up At Bat. Pony up for At Bat and you'll get to enjoy MLB.tv free for the entire month of April.
The service streams games in HD to just about any connected device you can imagine, from iPhone to PS3, and even Roku boxes and LG Internet-ready televisions. The basic subscription will set you back $99 for the season, and a Premium sub is an extra $20 (and adds DVR functionality, multi-game PIP, and more).
MLB At Bat is available for Android and iOS and both apps run to $14.99 US.Get free MLB.tv access during April with MLB.com At Bat app originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The service streams games in HD to just about any connected device you can imagine, from iPhone to PS3, and even Roku boxes and LG Internet-ready televisions. The basic subscription will set you back $99 for the season, and a Premium sub is an extra $20 (and adds DVR functionality, multi-game PIP, and more).
MLB At Bat is available for Android and iOS and both apps run to $14.99 US.Get free MLB.tv access during April with MLB.com At Bat app originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls
Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.
Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.
Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.
Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
GroupLogic Brings Enterprise-Friendly File Management Platform To The iPad
Many companies and IT administrators are reluctant to move directly into the public cloud for file sharing and storage. Today, GroupLogic is unveiling a new product, mobilEcho, which attempts to give these companies a secure way for employees to access their files (stored on servers) from the iPad.
mobilEcho allows enterprise IT organizations to enable and manage mobile file management for their corporate iPad users. mobilEcho features include the ability to access, browse, preview, cache and search files on corporate file servers and allows administrators to encrypt and securely transfer files to and on iPad.
mobilEcho allows enterprise IT organizations to enable and manage mobile file management for their corporate iPad users. mobilEcho features include the ability to access, browse, preview, cache and search files on corporate file servers and allows administrators to encrypt and securely transfer files to and on iPad.
Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android
Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.
Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.
As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."
In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for AndroidGoogle holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.
As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."
In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for AndroidGoogle holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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