Microsoft’s new email service, Outlook.com, is more than an update to its free email offering. It’s also a one-two punch against major rival Google, analysts said.
Computerworld News
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Microsoft’s Outlook.com may be one-two punch against Google
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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China announces plans for moon landing in 2013
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Sony backpedals on Android 4.1 upgrade statement, is now ‘actively investigating’ all Xperia updates
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Let’s chalk this one up to something being lost in corporate translation. After a UK company rep issued a statement just days ago confirming the lack of an Android 4.1 upgrade path for certain 2011 Xperia handsets, Sony’s delicately backtracking and claiming that public info was made “in error.” While this official retraction may soothe previously irate owners’ concerns, it’s still not an outright commitment to Jelly Bean, as the company’s only now pledging to “actively [investigate]… upgrades for all devices” — a carefully worded PR promise par excellence. To the Japanese electronics giant’s credit, it has been pretty transparent and diligent about delivering ICS updates to its elder smartphone progeny, so we have plenty of reason to remain cautiously optimistic Google’s newest OS will make the transition, too.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Sony backpedals on Android 4.1 upgrade statement, is now ‘actively investigating’ all Xperia updates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
How Power Outages in India May One Day Be Avoided
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Microgrids, an increasingly popular solution in the developing world, could take the pressure off India’s struggling national grid.
Some 600 million people in India have been left without power after parts of the country’s massive electricity grid collapsed Tuesday. While the cause isn’t yet clear, the outage isn’t surprising. India’s grid has long been strained, with demand often exceeding supply by hundreds of megawatts, forcing regular rolling blackouts in some areas.
Google postponing Nexus Q launch to ‘make it better,’ sending a free device to those who pre-ordered
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Apparently Google’s strange little media streamer isn’t quite ready for prime time — not according to the company that made it, at least. The software giant has begun sending out a note to pre-orderers letting them know that the launch of the sphere has been delayed in order to “work on making it even better.” The company adds that it’s responding to user feedback from previewers who want it to “do even more than it does today.” To show that there are no hard feelings, the company will be “extend[ing] [the] Nexus Q preview to our pre-order customers and send[ing] [them] a free device,” according to Google. We asked the company to clarify that last bit, to make sure if meant exactly what we thought it meant, and sure enough they told us, “We are sending a free Nexus Q to any users who pre-ordered the device at no cost to them.” Sometimes it pays to be an early adopter. No word on when the device will begin shipping, but the company promised it will be arriving “soon.”
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Google postponing Nexus Q launch to ‘make it better,’ sending a free device to those who pre-ordered originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Wildfire Only Sells Ads Through Its Partner Adaptly, So Will Google Buy Them Too?
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Wildfire, just acquired by Google, isn’t a social ads company. It relies on its partner Adaptly for access to ads APIs for Facebook and other sites. That means Google may buy Adaptly or another ads company any minute now. Otherwise Google will have to split the profits of social ads Wildfire will continue to sell sold through Adaptly.
As Facebook Sponsored Stories and Twitter’s promoted products are taking off, being the middleman between brands and social networks is become quite lucrative and its only sensible that Google would want to own a social ads API tool and/or service.
TechCrunch
Ask Slashdot: Good Books and Tools For a Software/Hardware Hobbyist?
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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postermmxvicom writes “I have a friend who is a mechanic, but enjoys tinkering with software and hardware as a hobby. I want to get him a gift that will either broaden his horizons or deepen his understanding in these fields. He is proficient at soldering components and removing them from circuit boards. His programming experience is with a wide variety of scripting languages. He recently used teensy and arduino boards and an accelerometer to add some bells and whistles to a toy car he made. He also used his knowledge to help a friend find and correct weaknesses in his shareware (that would have let ‘customers’ share more freely than intended). He is fascinated that people can create chips to modify existing hardware. Do you know of any good books or kits (or even tools of the trade) that would appeal to a hobbyist and allow him to grow? Is there anything that might also play off of his handyman/mechanic abilities?”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Internet Billionaire Creates Huge Physics Prize
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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gbrumfiel writes “Billionaire Internet entrepreneur Yuri Milner has spontaneously awarded $ 3 million prizes to nine prominent theoretical physicists. The new Fundamental Physics Prize dwarfs awards like the Nobel, which this year is estimated to be worth some $ 1.2 million (and that’s before it’s split by up to three winners). It’s so much money that some theorists fear it could distort the field. Milner says that his only purpose for the new prize was to promote the field, which he studied in the 1980s: ‘The intention was to say that science is as important as a shares rating on Wall Street,’ he told Nature.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Samsung launches Music Hub service
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Samsung Tuesday unveiled a mobile music service, called Music Hub, that will initially run on its Galaxy S III smartphone that is sold by all the major U.S. carriers.
Computerworld News
Human Workers, Managed by an Algorithm
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Apple suggests Samsung will use “Devil made me do it” defense
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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In the second half of Apple’s opening statement in the United States-based court case that’s having the computer giant face off against rival company Samsung, Apple’s lead attorney Harold McElhinny suggested he knew what Samsung would be bringing to the table. One of the main items Samsung will speak about, McElhinny suggested this morning, is
Pantech MARAUDER heads to Verizon with 4G LTE on the cheap
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Making that jump from an old-fashioned feature phone to a smartphone can be pretty intimidating for a lot of consumers, and Verizon and Pantech are looking to do something about that with the new MARAUDER. Not only is the MARAUDER inexpensive, but it also comes with a number of features that will help newbies ease
Gmail iOS app updated to stay smooth
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Microsoft Unveils Outlook.com, Hotmail’s Successor
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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New submitter faraway writes “Microsoft has just unveiled Outlook.com, the planned successor to Hotmail.com. It includes a lot of what you’d expect from email today, including storage (images, data), a calendar, integration with other Microsoft tools, and of course a clean UI. According to ZDNet, ‘Outlook.com is integrated with Windows and Office, and can pull in Twitter, Facebook, Gmail and LinkedIn contacts. The new mail client has the Metro look and feel. And it is providing users with more granular control over which ads they see and where they see them.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Outlook.com Hands-on
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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50-mile landslides spotted on Saturn’s icy moon Iapetus
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Apple removes Hezbollah TV app from iTunes
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Streaming app from Lebanese-based satellite network still available on Google Play.
[Read more]
CNET News
Air Force approves design of newer, bigger space fence
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Microsoft launches Outlook.com to challenge Gmail
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Microsoft has launched Outlook.com, a new cloud-based email service to take on Gmail with integrated Skype video calling and social networking integration. Considerably more attractive – not to mention comprehensive – than Hotmail, which it replaces, Outlook.com supports easy access to attachment photo slideshows, integration with Office and SkyDrive, and support for Facebook Chat. As
iPad mini cases appear with tiny tablet details
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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There’s been an abnormal amount of clues this season leading up to the idea that several new devices are coming from Apple, the iPad mini being one of the most-denied yet most-seen. What you’re about to witness here is a set of iPad mini cases, each of them appearing to come from Devicewear, a company
SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: July 31, 2012
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Hey, Hackers: Defense Is Sexy, Too
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Is the computer security community so obsessed with demonstrating scary new attacks that it has neglected to improve defenses?
Pleasing the crowd at the Black Hat and Def Con computer security conferences that took place in Las Vegas last week is relatively easy: simply hop on stage and confidently show how to compromise, or “pwn,” a system that no one has hacked into before (see “Mobile Payment Chips Could Let Hackers into Your Phone“).
Did Twitter alert NBC to Adams’ Olympics criticism?
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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It was believed that NBC discovered the tweets and complained to Twitter. But a new report says Twitter acted first by alerting NBC to Adams’ tweets.
[Read more]
CNET News
Sprint starts rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC EVO 3D
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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It’s official: we can finally add Sprint’s three-dimensional EVO to that endeavoring list of slabs running Ice Cream Sandwich. According to multiple tipsters, and promptly confirmed by The Now Network’s legitimate support page, Google’s ICS assortment is now being delivered OTA — a wee bit earlier than expected, no less — to the now-discontinued HTC EVO 3D. As we could imagine, the tasty software update brings previously known features to the 4.3-inch device, including folders, improved browser, resizable widgets and the crowd-pleasing Face Unlock method. Needless to say, Sprint certainly took its sweet time to dish out the long-awaited 4.0 nuggets — but better late than never, right?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Sprint starts rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC EVO 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Statisticians Predict The Number Of Olympic Records That Will Fall at London 2012
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Facebook spars with advertiser over click fraud allegation
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Facebook said Monday it has defenses in place to detect click fraud despite one company's claim it detected suspicious clicks on its advertisements billed to it by the social-networking site.
Computerworld News
BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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The first live Super Hi-Vision broadcast for public consumption was of the Olympic opening ceremony in London last week. We didn’t get to see that premiere, or the second or third screenings either — but the fourth? Oh yes. We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process. At the same time, a question hung over the footage like a watermark: why bother? The world is barely getting to grips with the notion of 4K, so why did the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK go to the expense of sending a dedicated SHV video truck, a 22.2-channel SHV audio truck, and the world’s only three 8K Ultra HDTV cameras to London? Fortunately, we caught up with someone in charge who was able to respond to that question. Read on for what they said, plus a slightly fuller sense of what the footage was like to watch.
Continue reading BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Hulu Plus lands on Apple TV
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Apple may be calling the Apple TV a hobby, but there’s no doubt that the minature streaming media box has garnered some attention from various content providers. Netflix has been available on the Apple TV for some time, but Hulu has been noticeably missing. It looks it won’t be missing any more, as multiple users
Hulu Plus app live on Apple TV
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
No comments
We haven’t seen any official information yet, but tipsters report and we’ve confirmed on our own that Hulu Plus is quietly rolling out to Apple TV set-top boxes this morning. It was on our hockey pucks when we turned them on, while reports on Twitter indicate losing the connection, then the icon appearing once the box came back online. We’re checking it out now, and like Netflix, it allows users to pay for the service via iTunes if they choose.
Developing…
[Thanks, Rune]
Hulu Plus app live on Apple TV originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Spotify brings Pandora-like free streaming to Android
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Users can create stations, save songs they like, and personalize the offering by rating tracks.
[Read more]
CNET News
Ancient warrior king statue discovered in Turkey
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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UBS to take legal action against Nasdaq over Facebook IPO
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Swiss bank UBS is planning to take legal action against Nasdaq OMX Group to recoup losses it made related to the Facebook IPO, the company said on Tuesday as it reported its second quarter results.
Computerworld News
Republic Wireless reopens service, sells Motorola Defy XT
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
No comments
The heavily hyped service, which promises an all-you-can-eat service for just $ 19.99 a month, is finally adding more customers again.
[Read more]
CNET News
Eminem’s new record: More than 60 million Facebook ‘Likes’
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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The rapper still finds himself in the top five Facebook Pages.
[Read more]
CNET News
Surfacestations: NOAA Has Overestimated Land Surface Temperature Trends
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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New submitter BMOC writes “Anthony Watts of Surfacestations project (crowdsourced research) has finally yielded some discussion worthy results (PDF). He uses a siting classification system developed by Michel Leroy for Meteofrance in 1999 that was improved in 2010 to quantify the effect of heat sinks and sources within the thermometer viewshed by calculation of the area- weighted and distance-weighted impact of biasing elements to calculate both raw and gridded 30 year trends for each surveyed station, using temperature data from USHCNv2. His initial claims are that station siting is impacting the surface temperature record significantly, and NOAA adjustments are exacerbating that problem, not helping. Whether you agree with his results or not, recognize that this method of research is modern and worth your participation in the review. Poke holes in publicly sourced and presented research all you can, that’s what makes this method useful.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Amtrak launches mobile eTicket program nationwide
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Turning its back on traditional paper-and-punch tickets, Amtrak has launched a new program which turns tickets into mobile barcodes.
[Read more]
CNET News
Why The Open Cloud Wins And Oracle Loses When IT Gets Virtualized
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Oracle said today they have bought a company called Xsigo that leverages the growing popularity of a new form of technology that virtualizes the network. It’s called software defined networking (SDN) and it is shaking up the way we view IT and the cloud.
The acquisition points to a shift in the market that will eventually make Oracle the loser. The cloud is opening up while Oracle is folding inward. Network virtualization is serving as a catalyst for a federated infrastructure that will make the open cloud more viable for an organization than a vertically integrated stack that needs to be managed by teams of IT engineers. Oracle is rejecting that premise and will use Xsigo to strengthen its own proprietary environment.
TechCrunch
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Hits Primetime
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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First time accepted submitter Goat_Cheese_Pizza writes “Word on the Intertubes (I picked the Washington Post) is Joss Whedon’s musical masterpiece, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, will air on CW’s primetime lineup on October 9th. I’ve always wanted to watch Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog with commercials! Thanks, CW!”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Mobile Ad Network InMobi Continues Buying Spree, Picks Up Metaflow Solutions For App Distribution
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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“As a global leader in the mobile advertising space, InMobi is committed to growing the mobile ecosystem. Our acquisition of Metaflow Solutions will help us to continue to rapidly expand the distribution and monetisation of content for our developers and publisher partners,” Naveen Tewari, Founder and CEO at InMobi, said in a statement.
Consolidation in the mobile advertising and app distribution spaces seems inevitable. InMobi is one of the larger of the independent mobile advertising companies — its ads, it says, reach 578 million mobile consumers, in over 165 countries, through billions of ad impressions every single day — but there are at least 4 other ad networks working at that same scale or greater. Having a better route through to where those ads might go — that is, better targeting and placement, as well as wider placement — is essential for a company like InMobi to compete effectively against AdMob/Google, iAd, Jumptap, Millennial Media and all the rest.
Is Climate Change to Blame for the Current U.S. Drought?
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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A leading climate scientist describes the possible connection.
High temperatures and extremely dry conditions in much of the United States continue to hurt crops and cause corn prices to soar. In large parts of the Midwest, the drought has reached the worst classification possible, a D4 drought that could bring “exceptional and widespread crop and pasture losses” and “water emergencies” due to shortages in reservoirs, streams, and wells, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, an organization run by a collection of government and academic groups. The National Weather Service says scattered thunderstorms will bring little relief, and suggests that the drought will worsen.
Apple-Samsung patent trial to hear opening arguments on Tuesday
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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A highly anticipated patent infringement case between Apple and Samsung Electronics will get under way in a California courtroom on Tuesday after each side spent Monday agreeing on a 10-person jury.
Computerworld News
Dalton Caldwell On App.net’s Plan To Build A Dependable, Ad-Free Version Of Twitter [TCTV]
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Dalton Caldwell made some serious waves earlier this month when he announced “an audacious proposal” to refocus his company App.net to build a real-time feed API and service that would essentially be a new, more open version of Twitter.
It’s always fun to hear about big ideas like this, so it was great to have Caldwell stop by TechCrunch TV last week to tell us in person about App.net’s new mission and clear up some common misconceptions about what they’re up to. You can watch our whole conversation in the video embedded above, and below I’ve excerpted some of his points.
TechCrunch
Amazon Lockers Available For Delivery In Silicon Valley, Too
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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It looks like Amazon.com is expanding its Lockers program, which allows customers to have their deliveries sent to, yes, nearby lockers.
The idea was first reported last fall. It may seem like an inconvenient alternative to home delivery at first — until you think about some of the headaches that can come up, like worrying one of your neighbors will swipe the package as it’s sitting on your doorstep, or making sure you’re at home to sign for it. With Amazon Lockers, the package sits securely at a nearby pick-up station, until you come by at your convenience (well, as long as it’s within three days of delivery) and open the locker up with a special code.
TechCrunch
Microsoft, IBM Want to Seal Patents Agreements With Samsung
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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sfcrazy writes “The court battle between Apple and Samsung has created the possibility of disclosing the cross patent agreement between Microsoft and Samsung. Microsoft is suddenly scared and has filed a motion asking the court to seal the cross license agreement. I would like to remind that the Judge has asked both parties to make all the filings in this dispute available to the public for free.”
And on Monday, IBM filed for a restraining order to prevent Reuters from publishing their agreement with Samsung as well.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Most firms have no big data plans, survey finds
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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A survey of 255 high-level IT managers and storage admins found that they have no plans to use big data analytics and showed that Fibre Channel drives no longer make up the bulk of purchases for enterprise storage capacity.
Computerworld News
Irreducible
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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The future is in apps you don’t open.
“We’re going to move away from the era of ‘I have hundreds of apps but never think of using them’ towards ‘I have these cool apps and they take care of me’”. This is David Lieb, co-founder and CEO of Bump, on the sea change in design philosophy that underpins Pay With Square and his company’s new photos apps Flock.
It centers around the idea that apps shouldn’t force us to add new behaviors. Instead, they should strip away needless, interruptive steps from themselves and the way we live our lives until the solutions to our problems become irreducible.
TechCrunch
Yahoo’s IntoNow Updates Its iPad App With Music Syncing, TV Screen Captures, And Group Chat
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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When Yahoo acquired IntoNow last spring, the “technology powered media company” sought ways to connect users playing around with their iPhones and iPads with content that they were watching on TV. Today, about 80 percent of users watch television with some sort of mobile device in their hands. But mostly what they’re doing is checking email and playing Angry Birds. Now if only there were some app that could get them to pay attention to TV-type stuff while commercials are on. That’s what IntoNow and other second screen apps are all about.
Anyway, the newest IntoNow release — the company’s third major update — takes a step back from earlier versions, which were focused on TV discovery and sharing metadata with users. It found that users were getting little actual utility out of those features, and they weren’t coming back for more, according IntoNow GM Adam Cahan. So the team set about re-imagining ways it could promote more interaction with the app.
TechCrunch
Samsung 11.8 inch tablet revealed in court documents
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Court filings in the Samsung vs. Apple patent battle show that the Korean manufacturer appears to be working on an extra-large tablet with a Retina display and LTE connectivity.
[Read more]
CNET News
Twitter Launches Clickable Stock Symbols, StockTwits’ Howard Lindzon Says “Hey, We Already Do That!”
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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Tonight, Twitter quietly rolled out another feature — one that may seem simple and straightforward at first glance but could actually have big implications. The company said via its very own Twitter account that users can now click on stock (or “ticker”) symbols in any tweet to view search results for those stocks and companies.
To make this possible, Twitter is essentially introducing a new hashtag — or what is being called a “cashtag.” Instead of the ubiquitous “#”, the addition of the symbol “$ ” added in front of any ticker will instantly provide context for that stock, aggregating all tweets that use the ticker under one label. Twitter gives the example of “$ GE” — General Electric’s ticker symbol — although this will obviously work for any company, like Apple ($ AAPL) or Google ($ GOOG), allowing users to peruse conversations happening around those stocks in realtime.
TechCrunch
Sparklabs Aims To Bring Silicon Valley Innovators, Like Advisors Mark Cuban And Vint Cerf, To South Korea
Posted by Gsurface
on July 31, 2012
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SparkLabs, a new startup accelerator, launched today in hopes of developing South Korea’s next wave of entrepreneurs.
Serial entrepreneurs Hanjoo Lee, James Kim and Bernard Moon, who have all known each other since college, co-founded the accelerator. Moon said they are all Korean or Korean American and want to be a part of the changing entrepreneurial landscape in the country.
TechCrunch
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