To placate security concerns over its attempt to acquire Sprint — and over use of Chinese gear in Sprint’s network — the Japan-based firm would allow for board member who’d oversee compliance with security rules. [Read more]
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Tag Archives: gives
SoftBank gives U.S. right to OK Sprint board member — report
Posted by Gsurface
on May 23, 2013
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Smartphone Tracker Gives Doctors Remote Viewing Powers
Posted by Gsurface
on May 17, 2013
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Here’s the smartphone technology that alerts a doctor when patients are headed for trouble.
At the Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, nurses can see into the lives of some diabetes patients even when they’re not at the clinic. If a specific patient starts acting lethargic, or making lengthy calls to his mom, a green box representing him on an online dashboard turns yellow, then red. Soon, a nurse will call to see if he is still taking his medication.
Intel chip gives new hope for Windows 8 tablets
Posted by Gsurface
on May 9, 2013
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Analysts are encouraged by Intel’s new Atom design. So future Windows 8 and Windows Blue-based tablets powered by Intel’s revamped mobile chips could provide a lift for Microsoft and its hardware partners. [Read more]
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Twitter gives API 1.0 a reprieve, lets it live until June 11th
Posted by Gsurface
on May 4, 2013
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Those who preferred Twitter’s earlier, more liberal ways have regarded May 7th with a sense of dread, as that’s when API 1.0 (and our chance at a truly competitive app ecosystem) was supposed to go dark. While the company isn’t about to reverse course, it is giving the refuseniks a break by delaying the shutdown until June 11th. More time is necessary for blackout tests, Twitter says. We wouldn’t lean too heavily on remaining API 1.0-era apps and services when that instability exists, but the extra month does allow for a gentler transition into API 1.1′s brave new world.
[Image credit: Coletivo Mambembe, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Via: Android Central
Source: Twitter
Physics teacher adopts Google Glass, gives students a glance at CERN (video)
Posted by Gsurface
on May 3, 2013
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When Google asked what we’d do if we had Glass, it was no doubt hoping we’d produce some world-changing ideas. We now know at least a few exist, courtesy of physics teacher Andrew Vanden Heuvel. He’s long been hoping to use the wearable tech for remote teaching and one-on-one sessions, and the Glass Explorer program has given him the chance to do just that. His first stop? None other than CERN. Courtesy of a trip for Google’s new Explorer Story video series, Vanden Heuvel is the first person to teach a science course while inside the Large Hadron Collider tunnel, streaming his perspective to students thousands of miles away. While we don’t know if other Explorer Stories will be quite as inspiring, we’ll admit to being slightly jealous — where was Glass when we were kids?
[Thanks, Peter]
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: AGL Initiatives
Space rock rips through ISS solar panel, gives hull a miss
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2013
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Space is a dangerous world. Debris is flying around everywhere, including small space rocks (read: bits of asteroid or meteoroid), which means that the International Space Station is constantly prone to getting hit by these small objects, and when you’re traveling at 4.8 miles per second, even small objects can have a big impact. ISS
Snapzoom accessory gives smartphones a telephoto boost
Posted by Gsurface
on April 28, 2013
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This universal adapter making the rounds on Kickstarter combines your smartphone with a pair of binoculars to create a megazoom camera. [Read more]
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Uncover gives your MacBook’s lid a new, Apple-less kind of glow
Posted by Gsurface
on April 27, 2013
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Etsy stickers adorning your MacBook’s lid, oft making a cute play on the presence of that glowing Apple? That’s so 2012. Uncover, a Dutch company showcasing its talents here at The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam this week, has crafted a new method of customizing one’s MacBook lid. And, perhaps most importantly, it involves the seamless removal of the Apple logo altogether. In essence, these guys use a specialized laser cutting process that can etch out anything your brain can muster — from band logos to company mantras. And, as you’ll see in the gallery below, the Apple logo doesn’t have to be a part of the equation.
The outfit will take in any aluminum-faced MacBook from around the world, and once it lands in Holland, you’ll typically see it headed back to your domicile within four to five days. If you’re selecting one of Uncover’s designs, you can have your machine tweaked for as little as €249 (around $ 325), while completely custom work starts at €599 ($ 780). (And yes, you can just buy a totally new Mac from Uncover as well.) We spoke to Jasper Middendorp, the company’s CEO, and he confessed that only MacBooks are being accepted due to Apple’s unique backlighting arrangement. They’re obviously keen to offer similar work for PCs, but to date, every one he has seen blocks or covers the backlight in some way. For those looking to get it on the fun, allow the source link below to be your guide.
Gallery: Uncover MacBook lid modification
Filed under: Laptops
Source: Uncover
Microsoft launches Bing Offers to round up local bargains, gives Bing Deals the axe
Posted by Gsurface
on April 26, 2013
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Call it a deal, offer or a bargain — isn’t a discount by any name just as sweet? Microsoft seems to think so, and it recently retired Bing Deals in favor of a locally focused newcomer: Bing Offers. Like its predecessor, Offers culls discounts from a number of sources, but rather than pulling deals from all over the web it focuses on group-discount bargains from outfits like Livingsocial, Groupon and Homerun. The aggregator spreads the discounts across the standard categories: food activities, health and fitness, beauty, travel and retail / services. Although the name has changed, a Microsoft spokesperson told TechCrunch that Offers is essentially the latest update to Bing Deals, noting that the site has gone through “a number of iterations” since it launched in 2011. Hit the source link to start pinching pennies.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Bing Offers
FocusTwist app for iOS gives you Lytro-esque refocusable images
Posted by Gsurface
on April 23, 2013
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Arqball has just released the FocusTwist app for iOS that lets you selectively focus after taking an image — without investing $ 400 in a Lytro light field camera. It works by automatically taking several shots with different focus points from your iPhone’s camera, delivering the best results if you hold very still and have subjects in the near foreground and far background. You can then change focus by clicking different parts of the resulting image, which is hosted on the company’s server and can be shared via a link. After playing with the app ourselves for a bit (see More Coverage link), we’ve got to admit we’re stupidly hooked — you can grab it at the source for $ 1.99.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Software, Mobile, Apple
Source: Focus Twist (App Store)
Luigi edition Nintendo 3DS LL gives Mario’s brother his due, but only in Japan
Posted by Gsurface
on April 18, 2013
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There must be some kind of unstated rule that Nintendo can never give the US a special edition handheld without releasing some Japan-focused models. While the company was busy promising Americans an Animal Crossing 3DS XL of their very own, it was also introducing a Luigi edition 3DS LL for its home country as part of its “Year of Luigi” theme — not fair, Nintendo. The system is decked out in a camouflage-like pattern that pays tribute to Mario’s oft-neglected sibling, and it should ship with a preloaded copy of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team just to drive the point home. Local gamers will get the distinctly-patterned 3DS LL on June 18th, but there’s no word on an XL equivalent for the US so far. We’ll just have to make do with Mario-colored devices instead.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo
Via: Destructoid
Source: Nintendo
MetroPCS gives shareholders more time to consider T-Mobile bid
Posted by Gsurface
on April 13, 2013
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MetroPCS has pushed back a hotly anticipated shareholder meeting that will decide the fate of the carrier's proposed merger with T-Mobile USA.
Computerworld News
TJX Hacker Gives Keynote At ‘Offensive’ Security Conference
Posted by Gsurface
on April 13, 2013
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An anonymous reader writes “Two hundred hackers from around the world gathered at a Miami Beach hotel Thursday and Friday for the Infiltrate Security conference, which focuses on systems hacking from the ‘offensive’ perspective (with slides) . In a keynote address, Stephen Watt, who served two years in prison for writing the software used by his friend Alberto Gonzalez to steal millions of credit card numbers from TJX, Hannaford and other retailers, acknowledges he was a ‘black hat’ but denies that he was directly involved in TJX or any other specific job. Watt says his TCP sniffer logged critical data from a specified range of ports, which was then encrypted and uploaded to a remote server. Brad ‘RenderMan’ Haines gave a presentation on vulnerabilities of the Air Traffic Control system, including the FAA’s ‘NextGen’ system which apparently carries forward the same weakness of unencrypted, unauthenticated location data passed between airplanes and control towers. Regarding the recent potential exploits publicized by Spanish researcher Hugo Teso, Haines says he pointed out similar to the FAA and its Canadian counterpart a year ago, but received only perfunctory response.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tint Gives Businesses An Easy Way To Bring Social Media Feeds To Their Websites, Apps And Facebook Pages
Posted by Gsurface
on April 11, 2013
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Last year, Tim Sae Koo, Nikhil Aitharaju, Eunice Noh and Ryo Chiba launched HypeMarks to give people a less hectic way to consume social media. The startup aggregated tweets, articles, links and more shared by influencers and celebrities on social media accounts and, by grouping those by topic, aimed to give people a snapshot of an industry through the eyes of the people who know it best.
TechCrunch
Google Adds Non-Profit Information To Knowledge Graph, Gives Them A Boost With Google+ Follow Buttons
Posted by Gsurface
on April 10, 2013
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Some people believe that Google’s practices when it come to search are mystical and unfair, or sometimes evil, but what the company wants to do is surface the most important information for you when you perform a task on its most important product. With the introduction of Knowledge Graph last year, Google started showing information on the right-hand side of search results to help you figure out if you’re searching for the right thing, be it a person, place or thing. Today, Google announced that it’s now filling up its Knowledge Graph with information about non-profits, which will help people find the right organization that they’d like to check out and potentially donate to. In its announcement, Google said that this is still in its early roll-out phase, with more information being added all of the time: We’ve just started to add information about nonprofits to the Knowledge Graph. When you search for a nonprofit organization on Google.com, you will start to see information to the right side of the search results that highlights the nonprofit’s financials, cause, and recent Google+ posts. Start following the organization on Google+ directly from the panel by clicking the Follow button. To learn more about related nonprofits, click on one of the organizations under “People also search for” and a carousel of similar organizations will appear at the top of the search results. Over time, we’ll continue to work on bringing more nonprofit information into your search experience. In addition to key information about non-profits, including their category and tax deductibility code, Google is promoting their Google+ pages as well. This means that Google+ could immediately become a hot spot for non-profits to find new volunteers, avenues for fundraising and more importantly, awareness for their campaigns and causes. While all known non-profits aren’t available in Knowledge Graph as of yet, it looks like most of the big ones are. You’ll notice that Google is also publishing the last Google+ post from the organization, allowing people to jump right into a conversation: This is yet another example of how Google has strategically, and with precision, started to stitch together all of its products to create a world where people can spend just a little bit of time and get better results and information quicker. It’s also an example of how Google+ has become the connective tissue to make all of these connections happen.
TechCrunch
Starbucks mobilizes Pick of the Week, gives away Angry Birds Star Wars
Posted by Gsurface
on April 9, 2013
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Skip those printed iTunes cards and pick up the Starbucks app instead, as the coffee company is finally serving up app and book downloads in a less old-fashioned way, CNET has learned. [Read more]
CNET News
Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case Gives Logitech A Competitor For The Best iPad Keyboard Crown
Posted by Gsurface
on April 8, 2013
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Keyboard cases for iPad are many and multiplying, but at this point it’s a question of refining the best concepts, not creating dramatically different devices. The Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad is a great example, taking a lot of cues from the massively popular Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad and folio style designs to create a solution that might be as near as perfect as tablet typers can get.
TechCrunch
Oakley gives Bubba Watson a hovercraft to replace his golf cart (video)
Posted by Gsurface
on April 4, 2013
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While there’s plenty of tech to improve your swing, the golf course itself doesn’t see too much innovation which is why this attention-grab from Oakley and Bubba Watson is even more enjoyable. The audacious golfer decided that he was tired of pootling around courses in a golf buggy, so his new sponsors enlisted the help of Neoteric Hovercraft to build him a whip that isn’t restricted to the cart path. In fact, with the BW1 hovercraft, Watson can take shortcuts across water hazards and through sand traps while shaded under the traditional golf buggy canopy — making it the perfect ride for the eccentric 2012 Masters winner. If you’d like to see the other golfers stare in slack-jawed disbelief, then head on past the break for the video.
Filed under: Transportation
FTC selects two winners in its Robocall Challenge, gives each $25,000
Posted by Gsurface
on April 3, 2013
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Back in October 2012, the FTC decided to make the battle against annoying robocalls public, tasking the hivemind with a challenge to develop technology for dealing with the calls. The incentive was a $ 50,000 award, in addition to a trip to Washington D.C. where the solution would be presented. Now, nearly six months later, the
CERN Gives Away Higgs Boson Particles To 10 Lucky Winners
Posted by Gsurface
on April 1, 2013
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erqyrggreqnir jevgrf “Va na hacerprqragrq zbir fher gb funxr hc gur jbeyq bs cnegvpyr culfvpf, PREA naabhaprq ba Zbaqnl gung vg jvyy tvir njnl vgf arjyl-qvfpbirerq Uvttf obfba cnegvpyrf va n ybggrel. Ohg tvira gur enevgl bs Uvttf obfba cnegvpyrf bayl bar cnegvpyr vf perngrq bhg bs bar zvyyvba zvyyvba pbyyvfvbaf PREA jvyy bayl or noyr gb erjneq 10 yhpxl jvaaref. ‘Ng PREA, jr unir nyjnlf oryvrirq va funevat gur erfhygf bs bhe erfrnepu, naq gur gvzr unf pbzr gb znxr gung gnatvoyr,’ fnvq PREA qverpgbe bs erfrnepu Fretvb Oregbyhppv. ‘Guvf vf bhe jnl bs fnlvat gunaxf sbe gur vaperqvoyr yriry bs raguhfvnfz gung unf terrgrq guvf qvfpbirel.’” Read below for your FREE logged-in-user’s-eye view of the unencrypted version!
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Visualized: Unreal Engine 4 ‘Infiltrator’ demo gives an impressive peek at next-gen gaming
Posted by Gsurface
on March 31, 2013
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Just in case you missed it last night buried in our interview with Epic Games VP Mark Rein, the company showed off a new real-time demo at GDC 2013 this week, titled “Infiltrator.” The nearly four-minute clip, showcases a sci-fi shootout created with its Unreal Engine 4, and remarkably powered by a single GeForce GTX 680. Now that we’ve piqued your curiosity a bit, check out this gorgeous display of futuristic espionage after the break, plus a bonus clip of the “Elemental” UE4 demo running on a PlayStation 4 dev kit in real-time.
James Cameron Gives Sub To Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Posted by Gsurface
on March 26, 2013
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A year ago James Cameron made history by traveling solo almost seven miles deep in an area of the Pacific Ocean known the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep. He made the trip in a submersible he helped design, the Deepsea Challenger submersible system and science platform. To celebrate the anniversary, Cameron is forming a partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and donating the Deep Sea Challenger. From the press release: “Cameron will transfer the Deepsea Challenger to Woods Hole, where WHOI scientists and engineers will work with Cameron and his team to incorporate the sub’s numerous engineering advancements into future research platforms and deep-sea expeditions. This partnership harnesses the power of public and private investment in supporting deep-ocean science. “The seven years we spent designing and building the Deepsea Challenger were dedicated to expanding the options available to deep-ocean researchers. Our sub is a scientific proof-of-concept, and our partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a way to provide the technology we developed to the oceanographic community,” says Cameron. James even sent us a few early drawings of the Deepsea Challenger that he made during a conversation with oceanographer Don Walsh in November 2003. The sketches are proof that many great ideas start out on napkins or lined paper.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Predictive Smartphone Assistant Gives You a Heads-Up
Posted by Gsurface
on March 25, 2013
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Addappt goes public, gives iOS users group contact control and messaging
Posted by Gsurface
on March 23, 2013
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While Addappt has been teasing painless contact syncing between iOS-using friends and colleagues since its December launch, its invitation-only nature has kept most of us on the sidelines. It may be time to try Addappt now that an update opens the doors to the public. On top of widening the app’s audience for its update once, share everywhere approach, the 1.3 release brings group management that easily lets us lump coworkers or social circles together. Messaging is appropriately easier as well — it’s possible to quickly text or email everyone in a given group, including the option to share more photos at once than the five that iOS usually allows. A port to Android isn’t yet on the cards, but iPhone and iPod touch owners tired of missing phone number changes can give Addappt a whirl today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: App Store
Doomsday Recalculation Gives Humanity Greater Chance of Long-Term Survival
Posted by Gsurface
on March 21, 2013
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For Investors, Mobile Startup Boom Gives Way to Caution
Posted by Gsurface
on March 18, 2013
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Some venture capitalists are avoiding consumer apps and putting their money behind the “picks and shovels” of mobile computing.
Viddy, a mobile video-sharing service that bathed in media attention and more than $ 36 million in investor funds last year (see “What’s the Next Instagram?”), is facing hard times. Users have abandoned its app by the millions, and last month it had to fire its cofounder and CEO and a third of its staff.
New Disease Registry Gives Patients Some Privacy
Posted by Gsurface
on March 14, 2013
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A new venture lets patients choose how their data is used for medical research and offers sophisticated privacy settings.
As advances in genomics, molecular analysis, and data processing have propelled disease research forward, scientists and drug developers still face a formidable challenge: recruiting patients for their studies.
Google gives developers a look at Glass Mirror API and apps at SXSW
Posted by Gsurface
on March 12, 2013
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Earlier at SXSW, Google showed off Glass, giving a demonstration of the device in use and providing developers with their first glimpse of the Mirror API. The demonstration showed the device being used to perform searches, take a photo, view the weather, share with Google+, and more. You can check out a video of the
Leap Motion creator: It gives you Jedi powers
Posted by Gsurface
on March 11, 2013
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Leap CTO David Holz says it’s easy to be like Yoda with the forthcoming motion controller. [Read more]
CNET News
Tesla gives Uber a Model S boost at SXSW, so come on and take a free ride
Posted by Gsurface
on March 10, 2013
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The number of cabs per capita in Austin is probably quite reasonable for a city of under a million, but during SXSW, taxis can be difficult to come by, plagued by ridiculous traffic and a surge of carless visitors. So, to make our way from last night’s Engadget+gdgt event to our hotel — a roughly 15-mile drive north of the city center — we turned to Uber’s Android app. Selecting the UberX option, we were told, would net us a free ride, but we were expecting a clunky cab to pull up; instead, we got a brand new Tesla Model S, with a tie-clad chauffeur to match. The driver, we learned, was on loan from Dallas, while the gorgeous all-electric car was likely to quietly roll its way to distant roads following this week’s Central Texas geek fest. But we weren’t leaving Austin without our ride.
Gallery: Tesla Model S with UberX
Filed under: Transportation
San Quentin Prison Demo Day Gives Entrepreneurs Behind Bars A Second Chance
Posted by Gsurface
on February 23, 2013
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Barbed wire and armed guards aren’t your typical intro to a startup pitch event. But today, San Quentin Prison hosted The Last Mile demo day featuring presentations by seven inmates. The Last Mile hopes that through entrepreneurship, it can prepare convicts for employment and reduce recidivism. Considering these founders have never used the Internet or an app, their business plans were remarkable.
TechCrunch
Y Combinator-Backed Zenefits Gives Small Businesses A One-Stop Shop For Finding And Managing Employee Benefits
Posted by Gsurface
on February 19, 2013
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For startups and small businesses, providing and managing benefits can be a huge headache. In the early stages, this responsibility generally falls into the hands of founders, who have to contact insurance brokers and manage the whole enrollment process themselves. It’s distracting and tedious, but it’s also a critical part of ensuring that employees are happy, healthy and productive.
After becoming intimately familiar with this painful process at his two prior companies, Wikinvest and SigFig, Parker Conrad decided to build a solution — the product he says he wishes had been available to him at the time. After recruiting Laks Srini, a software engineer at SigFig, the two co-founded Zenefits — a service that quotes, enrolls and manages benefits for startups and SMBs.
TechCrunch
Microsoft job post gives more info about ‘Windows Blue’
Posted by Gsurface
on February 17, 2013
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A new job posting by the company verifies that Windows Blue will include user experience improvements, not just under-the-covers interface tweaks. Bonus: There’s a reference to “Windows Phone Blue” on Microsoft’s job site, too. [Read more]
CNET News
Opera’s WebKit move gives it shot at iOS market
Posted by Gsurface
on February 14, 2013
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Opera’s announcement yesterday that it would ditch its own browser and JavaScript engines in favor of the open-source WebKit and V8 engines will let it compete in the lucrative iOS market.
Computerworld News
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner Pulls An Oprah, Gives Every Employee An iPad Mini
Posted by Gsurface
on February 13, 2013
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Technology is a wonderful thing, especially when your employer hooks you up with gadgets for free. Today, we’ve learned that LinkedIn has decided to give all of its employees an iPad Mini. This reminds us of Oprah Winfrey giving things to her audience and exclaiming “You get an iPad, you get an iPad!” A spokesperson from LinkedIn confirmed this for us, as it’s not something that you’d want to report if it weren’t true. Employees could have gotten sad. We wanted to acknowledge the hard work and accomplishments of all of our employees in 2012. During today’s bi-weekly All Hands meeting, we surprised our employees with iPad Minis as a small gesture of the company’s gratitude for their contributions. Here’s a look at CEO Jeff Weiner standing with a whole grip of them: The gifts were given out because the company had such a great 2012, “beating the streets” consistently in each quarter. The company currently has 3,500 employees, so if each costs $ 329, that’s $ 1,151.500.00. I wonder if they get a discount.
TechCrunch
Livestream releases software version of Studio video switcher, gives producers an even more portable option
Posted by Gsurface
on February 12, 2013
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Back when Livestream announced its Studio HD500 all-in-one, the company told us a software-based equivalent would be coming at some point during Q1 2013. Well, folks, today’s the day the Livestream Studio family grows by one, welcoming the addition of a software-based switcher tool that aims to be yet another on-the-go option for roving broadcasters. As expected, both professional and recreational producers will be able to control an array of elements from the comfort of their own machine — including, but not limited to, up to five live video output feeds (yes, it can handle HD) and a real-time, multi-view video canvas which allows for live transitions and audio mixing. It’s also worth noting Livestream isn’t constraining the Studio software to its own web platform, meaning that, as is the case with the HD500, streams can also be shared to third-party places like Ustream, Akamai and, you guessed it, YouTube Live.
In what’s perhaps the only caveat attached to this particular version, Livestream’s decided to make this release only compatible with Windows PCs that are coupled with a Blackmagic Design capture card. However, a company representative did tell us an OS X solution is indeed in the works and should be coming once the next iteration of the product gets launched — mum’s the word on when exactly that’ll be. All that aside, though, the new Studio version goes on sale around the world starting today for a cool $ 1,999 — a price tag which Livestream CEO Max Haot believes to be ideal so that “anyone can make their own production studio to mix, produce and go live instantly at an affordable price.”
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Software
Source: Livestream
Nokia’s Cheapest Windows Phone 8 Lumia, The 620, Gives The Budget Android Pack A Run For Its Money
Posted by Gsurface
on February 10, 2013
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The Nokia Lumia 620 is an entry level Windows Phone 8 smartphone that puts a polished mobile computing experience in your pocket without breaking the bank or compromising usability with awfully underpowered hardware. Its performance beats plenty of budget Androids but the trade-off is far fewer apps.
TechCrunch
IBM gives cloud storage controls to corporate end users
Posted by Gsurface
on February 7, 2013
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Lost in all the Watson server news this week from IBM was its release of is a self-service software portal that allows end-users to dynamically provision storage within minutes.
Computerworld News
Electricity Gives Bubbles Super Strength
Posted by Gsurface
on February 7, 2013
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sciencehabit writes “Left to its own devices, a bubble will weaken and pop as the fluid sandwiched between two thin layers of soap succumbs to gravity and drains toward the floor. But when researchers trapped a bubble between two platinum electrodes and cranked up the voltage, the fluid reversed direction and actually flowed up, against the force of gravity. The newly strong and stable bubbles could live for hours, and even visibly change colors as their walls grew fatter. Because soap film is naturally only nanometers thick, this whimsical experiment could help scientists create more efficient labs-on-chips, the mazes of nanotunnels that can diagnose disease based on the movements of a miniscule drop of blood.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Vodafone brings fiber optics to the Shard, gives you signal high above London
Posted by Gsurface
on February 2, 2013
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What good is a spectacular view if you can’t use your phone to tell people about it? London’s newly opened 95-story skyscraper, The Shard, measures 1,016 feet, making it the tallest building in the European Union. From the 69th and 72nd floors, you can get 360 degree views of the city, up to 40 miles out, according to the building’s owners. But what happens when the 200 people who can fit on the platforms at any one time want to user their mobile devices? Vodafone’s implemented a fiber optic system that converts signal into light, allowing it to travel upwards at a rate of 100GB per second. Once they’ve hit the proper spots, its converted into a radio signal, which is then beamed to several antennas located on different floors. More information — and some cool imagery — can be found in the source link below.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: Vodafone
Google Gives 15,000 Raspberry Pis To UK Schools
Posted by Gsurface
on January 30, 2013
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Grench writes “Search giant Google is providing funding to the Raspberry Pi Foundation to give 15,000 new Raspberry Pi Model B computers to schools all around the United Kingdom. Google Giving’s partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation is a significant investment in UK IT education; it is hoped this will help turn around the decline in UK schoolkids going on to study IT in colleges or universities. The Foundation said, ‘CoderDojo, Code Club, Computing at Schools, Generating Genius, Teach First and OCR will each be helping us identify those kids, and will also be helping us work with them. … Grants like this show us that companies like Google aren’t prepared to wait for government or someone else to fix the problems we’re all discussing, but want to help tackle them themselves.’ 15,000 Model B units at $ 35 each would run $ 525,000.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Twitter gives up user data to feds 69% of the time
Posted by Gsurface
on January 29, 2013
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Twitter has released new numbers showing that the social network complied with government data requests 69% of the time in the U.S., as government requests for user information worldwide continue to rise.
Computerworld News
Hands-On: Tactus Technology Gives Flat Touchscreens The Middle Finger With Pop-Up Buttons
Posted by Gsurface
on January 13, 2013
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This actually works. I touched it. I played with it. And I fantasized about a bubble wrap app.
Tactus Technology stopped by our CES booth for a short demo of its crazy touch screen technology. Using microfluid technology (and a bit of magic), Tactus’s solution produces honest-to-goodness buttons that raise out of the touchscreen. And then, just as quickly as they appear, they disappear when not needed. There wasn’t another technology or gadget that drew as big of a crowd at our booth. Not the Pebble Watch, not the Oculus Rift, not the Razer Edge. All of our staff had to touch what we all hope will eventually become standard in touchscreens — real buttons.
TechCrunch
Ion Scratch 2 Go gives your iPad physical DJ controls, we go hands-on
Posted by Gsurface
on January 13, 2013
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DJing apps on the iPad are cool and all, but the touchscreen controls leave something to be desired. However, Ion Audio has launched a set of physical controls, such as knobs, turntables, and sliders, specifically for DJ apps on the touchscreen tablet, and it makes the experience way more tactile and realistic. The company has
US Gives $120M For Lab To Tackle Rare Earth Shortages
Posted by Gsurface
on January 10, 2013
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coondoggie writes “With China once again playing games with the rare earth materials it largely holds sway over, the US Department of Energy today said it would set up a research and development hub that will bring together all manner of experts to help address the situation. The DOE awarded $ 120 million to Ames Laboratory to set up an Energy Innovation Hub that will develop solutions to the domestic shortages of rare earth metals and other materials critical for US energy security, the DOE stated.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Facebook Gives Free Voice Calls a Trial Run in Canada
Posted by Gsurface
on January 5, 2013
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An anonymous reader writes with this nice news (for Canadians) snipped from CBC: “Facebook has chosen Canadian users to be guinea pigs for a new mobile feature to make free phone calls. Facebook’s new Messenger app for Apple mobile devices enables voice-over-Internet protocol phone calls, which use data instead of eating into the minutes in a mobile plan.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
FTC gives Google slap on wrist instead of face
Posted by Gsurface
on January 4, 2013
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After a nearly two-year antitrust investigation, Google escaped with more of a slap on the wrist than a slap in the face, say industry analysts.
Computerworld News
iOS Do Not Disturb bug gives some users the gift of silence on New Year’s Day
Posted by Gsurface
on January 1, 2013
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If you’re running iOS 6, your smartphone, media player or tablet may be taking a bit longer than usual to shake that post-party hangover. Users are reporting that the latest Apple OS’ Do Not Disturb feature remains engaged even after its scheduled period has ended, with the misstep linked to January 1st. As you can see in the screenshot above, the feature fails to flip off automatically, as confirmed by the crescent icon beside the current time — adjusting the date does seem to offer a temporary fix. When enabled, Do Not Disturb flips the device to silent mode, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the screen in order to catch phone calls, text messages and other notifications. The tool does not disable alarms set through the native Clock app, however. There doesn’t appear to be an official fix available, but if you’re experiencing this issue, you can cancel that last-minute Genius Bar appointment — Apple reps aren’t likely to have a solution just yet. And, if you’ve been trying to reach an iPhone owner without success, expect a call back only once they’ve had a chance to check their device.
[Thanks, Martyn]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Upcoming book gives look at early Apple designs
Posted by Gsurface
on December 30, 2012
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Hartmut Esslinger ruled Apple’s design roost in the 1980s. He exposes some of his original eye-catching concepts for the Mac and other gadgets in an upcoming book. [Read more]
CNET News
Samsung Unveils ChatON 2.0, Gives Sneak Peeks Of Its Smart TV, Smart Hub Ahead Of CES
Posted by Gsurface
on December 27, 2012
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Samsung is keeping its fans entertained during the lull between Christmas and New Years with a several announcements and teasers: a CES 2013 Smart TV teaser video, a sneak peek at its Smart Hub, a content platform for Samsung Smart TV, and a new version of ChatON that turns its cross-platform messaging app into a social media network.
TechCrunch
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