South Korean electronics giant loses $ 10 billion in market value — all because of a report in DigiTimes.
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CNET News
Samsung loses $10 billion market value on Apple report
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Pure Storage’s next-generation flash array offers high-availability option
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Pure Storage today announced the second generation of its all-flash array, which can now be configured for high availability.
Computerworld News
Brain Chip Helps Quadriplegics Move Robotic Arms with Their Thoughts
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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It’s the first study to show that brain chips can assist paralyzed people to perform complex real-world tasks.
A paralyzed patient equipped with an implanted brain chip has been able to use a robotic arm to reach for and pick up a bottle of coffee, bring it close enough to her face so she could drink from a straw, and then place the bottle back on the table.
Disney Video Launches In Beta, Bringing Kid-Friendly Clips And Trailers To All Your Devices
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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There’s a new product that just came out of Disney Labs — a video portal for clips, movie trailers, and even a collection of curated YouTube videos, all designed to be watched online or on any of your mobile devices. The new Disney Video site, located at video.disney.com, combines the best of Disney past and present, with a whole lot of content that might not be found anywhere else.
It’s too early to know too much about the site — we spotted after it was announced on Twitter by Henry Work, Senior Software Engineer for Disney Interactive Labs, and have a request out for more information. But at first glance, it seems like a pretty cool example of what a major media company can do with a huge library of content that it hopes to bring to multiple platforms and devices.
TechCrunch
The real business of the DIY movement
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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At the inaugural Hardware Innovation Workshop, about 200 leaders in the DIY movement gathered to talk about how to build real companies, while still maintaining a maker ethos.
[Read more]
CNET News
Smartphone security is heading for ‘apocalypse’
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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The meteoric rise in the smartphone market is creating a dangerous vulnerability in smartphone security — one that may not be patched until the problem expands into what has been dubbed an “apocalypse.”
Computerworld News
Sprint’s Android users get carrier billing in Google Play
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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American Android users started getting carrier billing in Google Play early this month through T-Mobile (and later AT&T), and now Sprint can join the party. Any app, book, music or video purchase can be tacked on to the monthly bill for your EVO 4G LTE instead of going through Google. The move leaves Verizon as the only major US carrier without a carrier billing option, so you’ll have to sit tight if you own the original US Galaxy Nexus and hate the thought of a separate download bill. We’ve also heard nothing about regional carriers being on the roadmap, but we’ll keep you posted.
Sprint’s Android users get carrier billing in Google Play originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Treyarch Call of Duty Black Ops II doesn’t need new engine
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Palantir Technologies Nabs $56M In New Funding, SEC Filing Shows
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Palantir Technologies, the big data analysis company founded in 2004 by a team of ex-PayPal employees including Peter Thiel, has raised $ 56 million in new funding, according to a document filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This is by no means Palantir’s first go-round with venture capital investors. This is the company’s 7th round of funding, according to our records.
TechCrunch
Positionly Raises $300,000 For Search Engine Ranking From Point Nine, Others
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Search engine ranking startup Positionly has secured $ 300,000 seed funding from Berlin-based led by seed VC Point Nine Capital and joined by Angels Mariusz Gralewski and Michal Skrzynski.
How much are you worth to Facebook?
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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The Biggest Cost of Facebook’s Growth
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Running the world’s largest social network will be a technical and financial challenge as it grows.
Facebook is the gateway to the Internet for a growing number of people. They message rather than e-mail; discover news and music through friends, rather than through conventional news or search sites; and use their Facebook ID to access outside websites and applications.
The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video)
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2012
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Sure, we’ve explained to you why sensor size matters in a digital camera, but maybe you need to take it back a bit. Maybe, you’re not entirely sure how those sensors work in the first place. Well, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, is here to help. After breaking down LCDs and hard drives for your amusement and education, Bill has turned his attention to the CCD. The charge-coupled device is the heart and soul of many a digital camera, turning incoming photons into a charge that the impressively complex processor inside can convert into an image. What makes the CCD so impressive is it’s rather ingenious solutions to problems such as interference (no wires, just a shift register) and color reproduction (pixel-sized filters and a hue-flattening algorithm). For more, check out the video after the break.
Continue reading The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video)
The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Wil Wheaton: BitTorrent Isn’t Only For Piracy
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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itwbennett writes “Geek advocate Wil Wheaton has written a blog post on the (legal) usefulness of BitTorrent, saying that the speed of his recent download of Ubuntu 12.04 should serve as a reminder that BitTorrent fills an important niche. Wheaton compares blocking BitTorrent to closing freeways because bank robbers could get away.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Only Way Facebook Can Justify Its Valuation
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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“It would be really interesting if Facebook launched a credit card. In fact, it would be terrifying.”
Farhad Manjoo has pointed out that for Facebook to maintain its share price, it needs to figure out how to increase its revenue by a factor of ten. Going from $ 5 per user per year in advertising revenue to $ 50 per user per year is about as likely as Facebook going from 1 billion users to 10 billion, which I suppose is the other way the company could increase revenue proportionally, even if it requires an alternate Earth’s worth of additional human beings.
Broadcast Industry Wades In On Dish Network’s Hopper
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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gollum123 writes “As with past technological threats, network executives are closing ranks against a Dish Network device that undermines the broadcast business model. The disruptive technology at hand is an ad-eraser, embedded in new digital video recorders sold by Charles W. Ergen’s Dish Network, one of the nation’s top distributors of TV programming. Turn it on, and all the ads recorded on most prime-time network shows are automatically skipped, no channel-flipping or fast-forwarding necessary. Some reviewers have already called the feature, called the Auto Hop, a dream come true for consumers. But for broadcasters and advertisers, it is an attack on an entrenched television business model, and it must be strangled, lest it spread elsewhere.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Evernote 4.0 for Android hands-on
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The next step in the most famous note-taking application of all starts on Android with a fully upgraded user interface in Evernote 4.0. This upgrade takes the full functionality of the application and adds on a much-improved set of graphics and organization so you’ll have the ability to make your notes, drawings, and all manner
Canada’s Internet Surveillance Bill: Not Dead After All
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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First time accepted submitter Maow writes “Despite a recent story claiming that Canada’s Bill C-30, covering internet surveillance, has died a ‘lonely’ death, the minister responsible claims otherwise. ‘Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is denying reports that the Harper government intends to quietly shelve its controversial online surveillance bill, C-30.’ Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Toews insisted the legislation was moving ahead. He has previously stated this is the bill that you either support, ‘or you stand with the child pornographers.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
DNA Sequencing Detects Residual Leukemia
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Genomic method is more sensitive than other techniques looking for lingering cells post-chemotherapy.
GenomeWeb Daily News reports that DNA sequencing is able to track cancerous blood cells in leukemia patients even when currently used methods cannot. The findings, published on May 16 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggest that high-throughput sequencing could improve the diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring of leukemia. The sequencing-based method is more sensitive than one of the two typical methods of detecting the malignant cells (flow cytometry) and cheaper and faster than the other (quantitative real-time PCR).
Facebook.com received 9% of all U.S. Internet visits in April
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The social network’s users are mostly women, they’re very loyal, and they’ve given Facebook.com more than 400B page views this year.
[Read more]
CNET News
Book Review: The Logic of Chance
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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eldavojohn writes “The Logic of Chance: The Nature and Origin of Biological Evolution is a comprehensive snapshot of the latest research of biological evolution. The text is written by Eugene V. Koonin, an editor for a journal and researcher at NCBI. The book, although lacking in foundational knowledge and often foregoing explanation of research, presents a comprehensive and well-referenced view of modern evolutionary research. It is heavily laden with acronyms and jargon specific to biology and evolution. As a result, reading it requires either prior knowledge or a high tolerance for looking up these advanced topics with the reward of it being an extremely eye opening and enjoyable read worthy of your time.” Keep reading for the rest of eldavojohn’s review.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Zynga coy on next version of Farmville
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Zynga has its 2013 game pipeline largely set. Will Farmville 2.0 be in that pipeline?
[Read more]
CNET News
Eton anticipates next natural disaster with self-powered FRX radios
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Eton, the name behind solar-powered sound systems and emergency radios, is updating its disaster-preparedness portfolio with the new FRX series of self-powered radios. The FRX 1, FRX 2 and FRX 3 use hand-turbine energy to keep the internal lithium ion battery juiced, and all include a glow-in-the-dark indicator, LED flashlight and DC input. While the FRX 1 offers only the basic components, the FRX 2 and 3 have solar panels for recharging, along with a headphone jack and a USB port for powering other gadgets. The FRX 3 boasts a digital alarm and radio — as opposed to the analog radio on the FRX 2 — and a display for receiving NOAA weather alerts. Eton priced the radios at $ 25, $ 40 and $ 60, respectively, and it’s currently selling the three options with American Red Cross co-branding at outlets such as Amazon, Best Buy and REI. Realizing your crank-powered Raptor is on its last legs? Check out the PR past the break.
Continue reading Eton anticipates next natural disaster with self-powered FRX radios
Eton anticipates next natural disaster with self-powered FRX radios originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Easter Island archaeology project digs up island’s secrets
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The latest photographs from the Easter Island Statue Project reveal what lies beneath the surface of one of the most remote islands in the world — the carved bodies of the 887 famous guardians.
Archaeologists excavate Easter Island’s statues
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Apple Tells Siri To Stop Recommending Nokia
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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judgecorp writes “Apple has changed the answer Siri gives to the question ‘what is the best smartphone ever?’ to prevent the voice-driven assistant from promoting the Nokia Lumia 900. Originally Siri trawled online reviews on the web using the wolfram Alpha search engine, to come up with the Lumia, much to Apple’s embarrassment. Now, apple has intervened, replacing that answer with a joke: ‘Wait there are other phones?’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Search engines at war, releasing biggest changes in years
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Verizon CFO says grandfathered unlimited plans on the way out
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo shattered many a hopes and dreams today speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. During his address, Shammo indicated that customers who have been grandfathered in to the unlimited data plan may soon find themselves pushed into tiered territory, with the debut of the carrier’s shared data plans. “Everyone will be on data share,” Shammo said, clarifying that, “a lot of our 3G base is on unlimited… [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share.” Obviously, with many customers clinging desperately to their truly unlimited usage in the shift to LTE, such a move would ruffle more than a few feathers. It’s not clear if this will affect customers who have already made the leap to LTE devices or if it will be limited to customers migrating from 3G phones after a particular cut off date. We’ve reached out to Verizon for comment, but so far Big Red is keeping mum. We’ll just have to take Shammo at his word for now. We hope you like data caps. To hear the comments in full hit up the source link.
Update: We just finished listening through the entire webcast (we’re still waiting for the transcript) and found the quote that is going to make most customers shake their fists in anger:
“LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan.”
Doesn’t get much clearer than that, but we’re still hoping Verizon will come back and say Shammo was speaking out of turn… fingers crossed.
Verizon CFO says grandfathered unlimited plans on the way out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Evernote 4.0 for Android sweeps in new home screen, list UI (video)
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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‘Tis the season for major Android app remakes, this time with Evernote going for a much appreciated adaptation to a more swipe-friendly universe. The 4.0 update of the note-taking app has a new home screen that lets you swipe out a hidden menu to get to your notes without having to always jump backwards — one of our pet peeves. Much of the overall navigation now leans towards swipes over buttons, and the list views for notes and notebooks are a good deal simpler. Combined with new contextual action bars, the revamp puts the text, audio and photo recorder much more at home in the Android 4.0 era than earlier versions. It still requires just Android 1.6, so nearly anyone can take a look by visiting the Google Play link below.
Continue reading Evernote 4.0 for Android sweeps in new home screen, list UI (video)
Evernote 4.0 for Android sweeps in new home screen, list UI (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Facebook’s latest filing: Insiders are cashing in
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The company’s latest S-1 Registration Statement reveals that the increase in available shares will come from investors and early shareholders, and not Facebook.
[Read more]
CNET News
iPhone 5 production starts in June
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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With the Summer season upon us, it’s the mobile world that we once again look to for the most surprises, especially from Apple with it’s upcoming iPhone 5, it being a “full refresh” season for the smartphone maker. Apple has for the past several years created a complete refresh of an iPhone, then an “S”
Judge to Oracle: A High Schooler Could Write rangeCheck
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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mikejuk writes with an update on the Oracle vs Google Trial. From the article: “One month into the Oracle v Google trial, Judge William Alsup has revealed that he has, and still does, write code. Will this affect the outcome? I think so! After trying to establish that the nine lines in rangeCheck that were copied saved Google time in getting Android to market the lawyer making the case is interrupted by the judge which indicates he at least does understand how straightforward it would be to program rangeCheck from scratch: ‘rangeCheck! All it does is make sure the numbers you’re inputting are within a range, and gives them some sort of exceptional treatment. That witness, when he said a high school student could do it — ‘ And the lawyer reveals he doesn’t: ‘I’m not an expert on Java — this is my second case on Java, but I’m not an expert, and I probably couldn’t program that in six months.’ Perhaps every judge should be a coding judge — it must make the law seem a lot simpler…”
From yesterday; the Oracle lawyer was attempting to argue that Google profited by stealing rangeCheck since it allowed them to get to market faster than they would have had they wrote it from scratch. Groklaw, continuing its detailed coverage as always, has the motions filed today.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Facebook raises stock offering, shoots for $18.5B with IPO
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Facebook is working to increase the size of its IPO by 85 million shares, an increase could lift the company’s upcoming offering to about $ 18.5 billion.
Computerworld News
NVIDIA enters cloud gaming with GeForce GRID
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Cloud gaming seems to be gathering some momentum, with OnLive and Gaikai both providing streaming games for reasonable prices with decent, if not amazing, quality. Now NVIDIA has signed a partnership with Gaikai that would see the cloud gaming company make use of of the new Kepler architecture as well as dedicated video encoding via
Microsoft improves multi-monitor support in Windows 8
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Microsoft has taken to the Building Windows 8 Blog in order to detail multiple monitor support in Windows 8. The company has further improved its support in the operating system thanks to the increasing popularity of multiple monitor setups. Features that Microsoft will be adding include multi-monitor desktop backgrounds, panoramic pictures spanning multiple monitors, a
Microsoft Store trims Xbox 360 price by $50
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The popular gaming platform is now on sale at Microsoft’s online store for anywhere from $ 249 to $ 399 depending on the bundle.
[Read more]
CNET News
“Data Killer” Erases the Evidence
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Humanoid Robot Swarm Synchronised Using Quorum Sensing
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Proof-of-principle experiment shows how humanoid robots can co-operate on a large scale by copying the behaviour of social insects and bacterial colonies
In recent years, various companies and labs have developed impressive humanoid robots that walk, shuffle and even run. Some even dance in groups of up to 20, performing sophisticated choreographed routines.
Xiaomi Phone gets a Youth Edition, a less powerful, cheaper alternative for students
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Many of you are already familiar with the Xiaomi Phone and its reverence in the MIUI community, but now the Chinese manufacturer has introduced a less expensive counterpart to the original, which is aptly known as the Youth Edition. Priced at 1,499 yuan ($ 237), this smartphone will sell for a full 500 yuan less than its elder and will retain many of its components, which include a 4-inch, 854 x 480 display, an 8-megapixel camera, 4GB of ROM and a 1,930mAh battery. In fact, the only significant changes are the dual-core 1.2GHz CPU (which is down from 1.5GHz), and 768MB of RAM instead of the original 1GB. Xiaomi will produce 150,000 Youth Edition handsets, which seems like a healthy number, but if you want to stake your claim to one, you’d best join in the pre-registration process, which runs now through May 18th.
Xiaomi Phone gets a Youth Edition, a less powerful, cheaper alternative for students originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Engadget China (translated), M.I.C. Gadget | Xiaomi (translated) | Email this | Comments
Engadget
Fotopedia Is On A Roll: Now Gets 200M Image Views Per Month, Launches Morocco App
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Fotopedia is quickly building a reputation for producing beautiful travel-focused photo apps for iOS. Today, the company is launching its latest free app, which focuses on Morocco. The app is optimized for the new iPad’s retina display and, as usual, features hundreds of stunning professional images.
TechCrunch
Slick HAND Stylus has retractable and replaceable tip
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Back when touchscreen devices like the iPhone first started to go mainstream, many people complained that the device needed a stylus. The problem was that capacitive screens didn’t work with the styluses that were on the market at the time. Today there is no shortage of styluses on the market that will work with capacitive
Female genitalia carvings are Europe’s oldest rock art
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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WSJ: Apple moving towards larger iPhone screens
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The idea of a smaller iPad has been rattling around the tech rumor mill for many a month now, but the iPhone’s 3.5-inch screen? That’s sacred surely? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, apparently not. It’s reporting that those ever-famous “people familiar with the situation” have told it that Apple has ordered screens that are larger that the ones used in the flagship phone so far. There’s no specifics on size, with the sources only going as far to say they are “at least” four inches. Apple, however, has declined to comment — no surprises there — but perhaps now is the time to start the office pool. Just hope you don’t land on the “4-inch iPad” square.
WSJ: Apple moving towards larger iPhone screens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Half of Americans call Facebook a fad
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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A Reason for RIM: Why we still need the Blackberry
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Flickr launches prettified ‘liquid’ layout, brings high-resolution eye candy to the forefront
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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After refreshing the uploading tool (and throwing in some better editing functions), Flickr’s decided to work on its looks. Its latest design update will now show a high-resolution version directly from a picture’s main page. The size will also adjust itself to the resolution and size of your screen — that’s the fluid part of it — avoid any nasty upscaling business. Hit up your own Flickr gallery to see the new design in action and expect more changes in the near future — the developers are promising more to come.
Flickr launches prettified ‘liquid’ layout, brings high-resolution eye candy to the forefront originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink The Verge | code.flickr | Email this | Comments
Engadget
Complete Tyrannosaurus skeleton to be auctioned
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Video games about Jesus, the devil released on same day
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Gartner: mobile phone sales fell two percent last quarter, Samsung confirmed as numero uno
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Gartner’s latest dispatch reveals a wobbly global trade in mobile phones. Although our love of smartphones continued to blossom, with sales of that subcategory up nearly 45 percent, it wasn’t enough to stave off a two percent overall decline compared to the same quarter in 2011. A total of 419.1 million handsets were sold, representing the first hiccup after nearly three years of growth and leading analysts to point fingers at a slow down in the Asia / Pacific region as well as a lack of product launches at the start of the year. Meanwhile, these figures also confirm what was already gleaned from IDC’s shipments data: Samsung has knocked Nokia off its 14-year-old perch to become the padrone of the mobile phone market, with a cut of over 20 percent. It also replaced Apple as the number one smartphone vendor, claiming ownership of almost half of that segment. Damn, it feels good to be a pebble.
Gartner: mobile phone sales fell two percent last quarter, Samsung confirmed as numero uno originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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