Mobile Miscellany: week of May 14th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This past week, Verizon Wireless brought its LTE service to 28 new markets and expanded its reach in 11 additional areas. We also saw Straight Talk introduce the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, and it appears that Rogers will soon offer the HTC One S. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of May 14th, 2012.
Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 14th, 2012
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 14th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/mobile-miscellany-week-of-may-14th-2012/
NCR NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MOTOROLA MOODYS
MenuTab Keeps Facebook Nicely Widgetized
Facebook’s march toward its IPO has put a harsh spotlight on the social network’s shortcomings, and one of the primary worries among prospective investors is that Facebook doesn’t have very sharp mobile chops. There are a million things it could be doing in mobile to draw in more revenue, they say, but it’s still an area in which the network moves painfully slowly.
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AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL BT GROUP CANON
Fisker leak shows Atlantic production delayed to mid-2014, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds
Our hopes of taking the Fisker Atlantic for a spin next year just got dampened considerably: a big document leak has revealed that the more reasonably-priced alternative to the Karma won’t be rolling off the production lines en masse until mid-2014, a year later than we’d expected. Thanks in part to a factory overhaul, the only Atlantics rolling on their hybrid-powered wheels in mid-2013 will be prototypes. On the upside, we’ve learned more about the car itself, including a fairly brisk 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds courtesy of a 300HP-equivalent motor. Green drivers who thought that the promised lower price would put it into entry-level luxury will nonetheless get a reality check with that $50,000 to $60,000 target, even if it’s still a big savings over the six-digit Karma. There’s still a huge amount of leeway for things to change, but with our compatriots at Autoblog having confirmed that the documents were real and “highly confidential,” they may be a sign that the Tesla Model S will have free rein in the green luxury sedan world for a good year or more.
Fisker leak shows Atlantic production delayed to mid-2014, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL SPSS
Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android
Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.
Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won’t affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.
As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. “To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs,” says Andy Rubin, the head of Google’s Android group. “We didn’t want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut.”
In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb — it doesn’t want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.
Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android
Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Facebook likes Karma app, buys the whole darn thing
What does one do after generating billions from an initial public stock offering? Go shopping, of course. After falling short of expectations following its somewhat helter-skelter IPO debut, Facebook simply shook off the whole thing and acquired itself some good Karma. No, we’re not talking about that Karma. Instead, Facebook purchased the startup responsible for the Karma social gifting app. The move was apparently made to bolster Facebook’s mobile chops — an area the company considers ripe for opportunity. Just recently, Facebook also acquired mobile stalwart Instagram and the Lightbox team, for example. As for its newest purchase, Karma will be allowed to “continue to operate in full force” despite its recent status change, according to a blog post by co-founders Lee Linden and Ben Lewis. Details weren’t disclosed about how much the deal was worth but judging from celebratory nature of their post, it doesn’t look like Linden and Lewis will “Unlike” the agreement any time soon.
Facebook likes Karma app, buys the whole darn thing originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Gizmodo Internships in New York and San Francisco [Jobs]
Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent
Microsoft, citing Google’s tyrannical 95% share of the European search market, has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission. It’s not like Microsoft is breaking any ground here — the European Commission has been investigating Google’s alleged violation of European competition law since November 2010 — but there’s no doubt that the addition of Microsoft’s gravitas will affect the proceedings.
Microsoft’s complaint reads like a sincere and plaintive cry for help against the Google Overlord. Microsoft lists no less than six damning reasons why Google’s behavior is anti-competitive — from Windows Phone 7′s incompatibility with YouTube, to its nefarious handling of Google Books — and finishes with a wide-eyed plea to the European Commission to please find Google guilty.
For those of you that have been following Microsoft’s own antitrust troubles over the last decade, don’t worry: MS is quick to point out the irony in the situation. “There of course will be some who will point out the irony in today’s filing. Having spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal antitrust complaint is not something we take lightly. This is the first time Microsoft Corporation has ever taken this step. More so than most, we recognize the importance of ensuring that competition laws remain balanced and that technology innovation moves forward.”
It sounds like Microsoft, having well and truly gone through the wringer, wants Google to be held similarly accountable. That’s fair enough, right?
Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire
Let’s face it, whether you’re down at the laundromat or feeding the meter on a busy street, you can never find enough quarters when you need’em. Know what effectively sidesteps that lack of foresight? NFC, that’s what. And that tap-to-pay convenience is ready to roll out for folks in Oakland, CA courtesy of Atlanta-based Parkmobile. There’s no great mystery to the company’s purpose — the name says it all — as it specializes in payment solutions for (what else?) parking. With the installment of special near field-equipped stickers on meters throughout that West Coast city, fine-fearing citizens will now have one extra payment option beyond the outfit’s currently available mobile app and internet transactions. Naturally, you’ll have to sign-up online to get started, but after that you’ll never have to fear the meter maid again.
Continue reading Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire
Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look
While not a game per se, I found Mitoza intriguing enough to spend quite some time with it. You start off with a seed, and are then presented with two choices: you can either click a flower pot, or click a cute little birdie.
If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You’re then presented with two further choices — a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.
There’s no winning or losing, really. Each “game” usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.
The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.
All in all, it’s a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you’re at it.
Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/mitoza-is-a-fun-freaky-web-toy-with-an-artistic-look/
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iPhone 5 Screen: Will Things Get Ugly?
Should Apple decide to increase the display size of the next version of its bestselling iPhone, it could present developers with new sets of both challenges and opportunities. Speculation about Apple boosting the screen found on the next edition of its smartphone isn’t new, but it was renewed this week with a report predicting the new iPhone would have a display of at least four inches.
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TECHNITROL TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS
Stylish Sun Shade Is the Easiest Way To Harness Solar Power For Your Home [Solar Panels]
Dolby ups TrueHD lossless audio on Blu-ray to 96k, says every upsampled bit is amazing (video)
Just because your home theater can handle lossless audio doesn’t mean the sound is as good as it could be. Dolby is now giving Blu-ray producers using Dolby Media Producer Encoder v2 the choice of premastering TrueHD surround sound at an upsampled 96k. Along with just squeezing the most possible clarity and depth out of 48kHz audio, the encoding purportedly eliminates some of the harshness of digital sound through an apodizing (signal altering) filter. At least three projects have already been given the 96k treatment, and authoring firms like Technicolor have upgrades in place to give that noticeable boost to your next Blu-ray movie.
Dolby ups TrueHD lossless audio on Blu-ray to 96k, says every upsampled bit is amazing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/dwYt21pghYY/
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Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.
On average, North American consumers will spend a lifetime total of five days on failed attempts to pair their dock connector cable with an iPad or iPhone. Yeah, that’s not true, but we can certainly sympathize with frustrated device owners — fitting a tiny connector to any gadget can be a chore, especially in the dark. Scrap Pile Labs’ CordLite sets out to point the way to a successful connection with its built-in LEDs. The illuminated cable is quite simple to use — with no buttons or switches to fuss with, the connector lights up when you touch the aluminum plates, and powers off the moment it’s secured to your device. There’s really not much else to it — CordLite functions identically to an Apple-manufactured cable, though the dock connector itself is significant larger than the OEM variety, at least in its current prototype form.
The design team has turned to Kickstarter to get their project funded, with a $70,000 goal. If all goes to plan, they expect to ship black or white CordLites beginning in September at $35 a pop, but as always, getting in during the “pre-order” phase will net you a hefty discount. The first 200 backers can get an early-bird cord in the color of their choice with a $25 pledge, with the required amount jumping up to $30 from there. A $45 pledge gets you an exclusive laser-etched model, while $50 will be met with a pair of early-bird cords. As you may have gathered from the picture above, the first version will only function with Apple devices, though a microUSB cord is also said to be in the works. See it in action in the video demo just past the break.
Continue reading Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video)
Insert Coin: CordLite illuminated iPhone cable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/19/insert-coin-cordlite-iphone-ipad/
ECLIPSYS EASTMAN KODAK CO EARTHLINK DST SYSTEMS DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire
Let’s face it, whether you’re down at the laundromat or feeding the meter on a busy street, you can never find enough quarters when you need’em. Know what effectively sidesteps that lack of foresight? NFC, that’s what. And that tap-to-pay convenience is ready to roll out for folks in Oakland, CA courtesy of Atlanta-based Parkmobile. There’s no great mystery to the company’s purpose — the name says it all — as it specializes in payment solutions for (what else?) parking. With the installment of special near field-equipped stickers on meters throughout that West Coast city, fine-fearing citizens will now have one extra payment option beyond the outfit’s currently available mobile app and internet transactions. Naturally, you’ll have to sign-up online to get started, but after that you’ll never have to fear the meter maid again.
Continue reading Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire
Parkmobile adds NFC to its parking payment repertoire originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 May 2012 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Someone Put a Giant Soda Fountain Shower On a Beach [Video]
Man Loses His Penis to a Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Failed Penile Implant Surgery [WTFriday]
Badass Fitness Weirdo Runs 13 Miles on Treadmill Attached to Hot Air Balloon [Video]
HTML5 MP3 player lets you listen to your music library inside your browser
Just fire up http://antimatter15.github.com/player/player.html in your HTML5-compatible browser and browse to the topmost folder in your music library. The app will quickly build an index of all your tunes and let you start listening right inside your Web browser. Click on the filter library text, and you can enter a search string — results load as you type.
There’s a volume control, shuffle mode, play/pause control, and you can click and drag to skip forward or rewind during playback. As OMG! Ubuntu points out, you can even save the app to your hard drive and run it offline, which is pretty darn cool.
Not all browsers are equal when it comes to HTML5 implementation, of course. We found that Chrome worked the best, and Firefox was OK. It’s also worth noting that this music player comes from the same developer that created one of our favorite restartless Firefox 4 add-ons, drag2up.
HTML5 MP3 player lets you listen to your music library inside your browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony helps you ‘personalize’ your Xperia further, announces case maker partnerships
Despite there being so many smartphones nowadays, finding cases for certain handsets can be tricky — unless you’re toting the likes of an iPhone or the latest Android flagship device, that is. Keeping that in mind, Sony has good news for Xperia owners, as it’s officially announced a partnership program to bring more case options for its phones to market. According to Sony, 10 companies are currently onboard, including the likes of Case-Mate and Incipio, and some will be announcing what’ll be on offer before the month’s out. There’s no word regarding designs or prices just yet, but here’s hoping that Case-Mate brings its cuddly Creature cases into the fray — especially the Waddler.
Sony helps you ‘personalize’ your Xperia further, announces case maker partnerships originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/18/sony-xperia-case-partnership-program/
Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5%
Using some early numbers from both StatCounter and Net Applications, Mozilla’s noisiest hominid, Asa Dotzler, has illustrated Firefox 4′s meteoric rise to around 5% of Web browser global usage share. Internet Explorer 9, which launched two weeks ago, seems to be enjoying a much more casual stroll in the park with just 1.5% of the global Web usage share.
Interestingly, we can see IE9 dipping between March 20 and 21, just before the ‘Important’ Windows Update rolled out. It’s hard to say whether IE9 is only growing because of the installed-by-default Windows Update, but that small dip definitely sticks out — did excitement peter out? Did people download IE9, try it out, and summarily uninstall it? Perhaps, given their close proximity, the stats show an attention shift from Microsoft to Mozilla?
Numbers-wise, if the bottom left corner of the graph shows 2.3 million downloads for IE9, we can guesstimate that that it has now been downloaded 5 million times. Firefox is clocking in at 37 million downloads after five days of public availability.
We wonder whether Microsoft knew its release schedule would coincide so closely with Firefox 4. Internet Explorer 9 — a great browser by almost every metric — was never going to do well against anything emanating from the maws of Mozilla. The main thing, though, is that Microsoft has now shown that it’s serious when it comes to the Open Web. If Internet Explorer 10 is good, and 11 and 12, then we might finally see it compete with the zealous Mozillan horde.
Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5% originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game
I have a thing for physics games, and I’ve been known to post the occasional platformer or action game here and there. But Let it Slide is one of the brainiest games I’ve posted to date.
The idea is very simple, and far from original: You get a board with pieces arranged in a particular pattern; you have to slide those around until you get the special piece into its target location.
It’s not even about finding out where the target location is – you can just hover over “dim tiles” and instantly see where you’re supposed to bring the special piece. But getting it there is a whole different story.
There are five tutorial levels, which I strongly recommend you do. Then there are twenty “beginner” levels, but that’s really a misnomer. If those are the beginner levels, I don’t want to know what the intermediate and advanced levels look like!
Every time you finish a level you get a score based on how many clicks it took you – each level has a “par” (the minimum number of clicks it could be completed in), and your performance is compared to that gold standard. Because it’s such a brainy game, getting it right is quite satisfying. I was downright proud of myself when I managed to finish a few levels. All in all, quite recommended, especially if you’ve got a few minutes of quiet. It might actually help you focus better later on.
Let it Slide is an engaging, difficult puzzle game originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/23/let-it-slide-is-an-engaging-difficult-puzzle-game/
Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US
Recently, Google has been busy beefing up Latitude to make it more competitive with other location apps — and more fun to use. Location history was added recently, iOS users can post check-ins via Latitude, and now Google has begun rolling out location-based deals which are tied to the service.
If you’re in the U.S., you can now score local savings at participating merchants by checking in with Latitude. Google will also be offering “status deals,” which users can unlock by visiting a particular merchant on a regular basis. Mashable notes three status levels: regular, VIP, and guru — though partners can apparently customize those titles if they choose.
Right now deals are available from merchants like American Eagle Outfitters, Arby’s, Finish Line, Macy’s, Quiznos, and RadioShack.
Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
RIM and Motorola modify nano-SIM proposal, hope to meet Apple halfway
It’s been a battle of epic proportions over a microscopic piece of plastic, but the warring sides appear to be working together to find a compromise. We’re referring to the fight between Apple and a coalition formed by RIM, Motorola and Nokia as each group attempts to make their own nano-SIM design the ETSI standard. Neither entity has seemed willing to extend an olive branch and come up with any compromise — until recently. RIM and Motorola have updated their design proposal in an effort to reach middle ground with Cupertino, and it appears that they were more than accommodating in the chip’s refreshed look (seen above).
So how different can two nano-SIM designs be? Worlds apart, it turns out. For instance, RIM and Motorola have insisted from the beginning that a notch is necessary to allow for “push-push” mechanisms (push to lock the chip in place, push to pop it back out again); Apple, on the other hand, has been entirely anti-notch — not a surprise, given the fact that the company uses SIM trays on the iPhone, therefore making the concept of a notch completely irrelevant. In its redesign, however, RIM and Motorola took elements from both sides of the fight and combined them. The new look retains Apple’s simple rectangular style, but still makes room for a low-key notch on one side. It’s difficult to say whether this move will be enough to gain the affection of Tim Cook’s company and sway the vote — Apple is still hard at work modding its own design, after all — but it’s nice to see both factions playing nice with each other prior to the next ETSI meeting on May 31st. Head to the source to see the difference between the original designs and the latest version.
RIM and Motorola modify nano-SIM proposal, hope to meet Apple halfway originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 00:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/18/rim-motorola-nano-sim-redesign/
ACCENTURE ACER ADOBE SYSTEMS ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
Crystal White PS Vita landing in Hong Kong June 28th, overpriced import shops two days later
It was bound to happen eventually, every other gadget does it. After debuting in a serious black sheen, the PS Vita is now getting a stylish white shell as well. Sadly, the shiny new pale version will only be available in Hong Kong at first, starting June 28th. There’s no price premium for grabbing the lighter shade of handheld, though, if you want the matching white accessory pack, you’ll have to pre-order. On the plus side, if you pledge now, they’ll toss in the Trooper Pack, Armor Game case, 4GB memory card and (perhaps most importantly) a lint free cloth for free. Check out the PR after the break.
Crystal White PS Vita landing in Hong Kong June 28th, overpriced import shops two days later originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/BiMGBY1l4Ts/
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British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app
To celebrate the imminent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Royal Collection will release an Android an iOS app that chronicles the last seven royal marriages, including Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert in 1840.
Ironically, the app won’t actually feature anything to do with William and Kate’s marriage — rather, it will focus on the “tradition, splendor and romance” that are intrinsic to British royal marriages. “[The app] will share the stories of past royal weddings and offer a wealth of historical context for the ceremony on April 29.”
Unfortunately, the app, which has been lumbered with the fantastically creative name of ‘Royal App,’ won’t be available until April 18 — just 11 days before Kate’s big day. It won’t be free, either: it’ll cost the rather princely sum of £1.79, or three of your Tea Party-loving dollars. The money will go to the Royal Collection, though, which is a good cause!
British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony Hires Woz as Advisor for Steve Jobs Biopic [Steve Jobs]
Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere
Color, the $41-million-in-funding location-oriented photo sharing startup, is susceptible to simple GPS spoofing. With nothing more than a jailbroken iPad or iPhone, you can use FakeLocation to trick Color into thinking you’re somewhere else. Within seconds you can be browsing photos that were snapped thousands of miles away. With a little digging, you can pore through photos not intended for your eyes.
Of course, such a hack isn’t illegal as such — every photo you take with Color is public. With FakeLocation you are simply circumventing Color’s very limited location-oriented security mechanism. It does undermine Color’s usefulness (and uniqueness), though — if nefarious types can sit in their bedroom or basement and eavesdrop on classy dinner parties and wild night club soirees, people might be less inclined to share personal photos with those around them.
Fortunately, both for Color and its users, this is an easy security hole to plug — at least in the short term. The app (or server-side) code simply checks to see if the user has ‘teleported’ an impossibly large distance, without any intermediate steps in between. In the long term, though, Color’s users must be aware that its social graph is completely public. Color’s users must realize that every photo they upload is visible by anyone, from any place.
After the break, just to elucidate a little on Color’s actual business model and ultimate intention, we have two amazing quotes from Bill Nguyen, Color’s founder.
Continue reading Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere
Color vulnerable to simple GPS hack, lets you spy on anyone, anywhere originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code
Okay, I know what you’re thinking: chocolate on Download Squad? That’s right! That’s because Chocomize is one of the nerdiest ways to get chocolate online: it’s a website where you customize your own bar using a multi-step process.
We’ve covered Chocomize before in our holiday gift guide, so when they reached out to us offering to do a giveaway, we really couldn’t resist.
Chocomize is giving away ten gift certificates, each worth $50, for you to create your own customized chocolate. They sent us some pictures of their recent creations, which you can find in the gallery below.
Regardless of the giveaway, you can use the discount code switched to get 10% off any Chocomize order. The code is valid through April 20th – just in time for Easter!
To participate, simply leave a comment. Fine print is after the jump.
Gallery: Chocomize personalized chocolate
Continue reading Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code
Chocomize personalized chocolate: giveaway and discount code originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Windows Home Server 2011 released to manufacturers
Just a little under two months after its release candidate went live, Windows Home Server (WHS) 2011 has been finalized and released into the wild. The new version of Microsoft’s slick, do-it-all server OS is a big step forward from its predecessor.
Built on the Windows Server 2008 R2 base, Home Server 2011 features a simpler dashboard, a better backup solution, dead simple remote access to your home computers, and Silverlight-powered remote media streaming. For a more detailed look at what’s new in Windows Home Server 2011, you check out Microsoft’s official breakdown.
Drive Extender, of course, didn’t resurface for the final release of WHS 2011 and that’s something a lot of power users are still pretty irked about. Even without Extender, Windows Home Server offers a boatload of useful functionality and might be a good fit for your home network. Manufacturers have already begun building hardware, so you should be able to pick up a device in the very near future.
An evaluation download for Windows Home Server 2011 will be made available in April — we’ll let you know when the links are ready.
Windows Home Server 2011 released to manufacturers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/windows-home-server-2011-released-to-manufacturers/
HEWLETT PACKARD CO HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS GOOGLE GOOGLE FORMFACTOR
Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn’t matter
For each donut-like yellow thing you pick up, you gain a bit of experience. If you manage to collect several in a row without getting hit, this counts as a combo. You can see my mad combo skills in the screenshot, of course. Collecting combos is a good thing, because a ten-point combo gives you for more experience than just collecting ten dounts one by one (getting hit in-between).
Having experience is useful, because once you die, you get to a screen where you can upgrade your skills. You can learn to run faster, double-jump (and then double-jump higher), and duck. You can also gain more armour so that getting hit won’t kill you so quickly.
What makes this simple game so addictive is that when you die, your experience doesn’t reset. You just go back to the same level, or another level of your choosing, and keep accumulating more and more experience. Lots of fun, especially if you’re into the whole retro-gaming thing.
Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn’t matter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
AVG launches LiveKive cloud sync and backup tool
A while back, we told you about AVG’s new LiveKive service, a new cloud synchronization and backup tool which appears to have been named after a vat in which mash is made during the brewing process. But enough about AVG’s odd choice of monikers — LiveKive has launched and is now ready to accept your files into the AVG cloud.
LiveKive takes aim at services like Dropbox and SugarSync, though at the moment it’s lagging behind in terms of features. As it stands, LiveKive is only compatible with Windows and OS X. There are no mobile clients yet, though with AVG’s strong presence on Android we wouldn’t be surprised to see an app arrive in the near future.
The company is offering a heck of a deal right now, however. If you sign up for a paid account during the launch phase, you can score unlimited storage for $80 for a whole year. You can’t even score 50GB per year at that price from Dropbox, so if cost and space are more important to you than cross-platform availability, LiveKive might be worth checking out.
If you’re not interested in ponying up any cash at the moment, you can still get a 5GB account free of charge. Just head on over, and create a LiveKive account.
AVG launches LiveKive cloud sync and backup tool originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/avg-launches-livekive-cloud-sync-and-backup-tool/
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New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching
Later today, Firefox will undergo its biggest developmental upheaval ever. Mozilla-central, the source of nightly builds, will be renumbered to version 5 — and at long last, after years of wallowing around version 1, Mozilla’s rendering and layout engine, Gecko, will also have its version number updated to match Firefox.
Shortly thereafter, Firefox’s new channel system will be implemented. Firefox 5a2 will be introduced as the first Aurora build, and we should also see a Firefox 6 Nightly build. While we we’re not sure where they came from, one Sören Hentzschel seems to have unearthed the new Nightly and Aurora logos (see above), along with new About Firefox dialogs (after the break).
In other news, if you want to take a sneak peek at the new ‘channel changing’ technology that will be introduced in upcoming Firefox builds, head to about:config and create a new string called app.update.desiredChannel — the value doesn’t matter. Then open Help > About Firefox and you’ll be able to switch channel, but it doesn’t do anything just yet (image after the break). Here’s hoping that Firefox channel switching is smoother than Chrome.
Continue reading New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching
New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Toyota turns to Nintendo DS as in-car GPS remote, won’t guide you to Princess Peach
Let’s say you liked adding GPS to your Nintendo DS. How about adding a Nintendo DS to your GPS? Toyota is trying just that through a new Smart Navi GPS unit in its Estima Hybrid minivan that will let passengers control the mapping system. Load up the Bluetooth-equipped Kuruma de DS cartridge and you can enter directions from the back seat instead of waiting for the driver’s next chance at a red light. The automaker is also hoping to cut the “are we there yet?” levels of ennui to a minimum by providing trivia questions, hand-drawn map notes and a surfeit of tourist info. Mii characters speak out text information, and you can even use the car as a speaker system in the event your Starfox game needs that much more audio immersion. Estima buyers can get the new Smart Navi and Kuruma de DS in Japan on June 1st, although the $2,586 equivalent price for the GPS, the $92 cartridge and the cost of the Nintendo console itself might be too rich when you don’t need a navigator to tell you that the princess is in another castle.
Toyota turns to Nintendo DS as in-car GPS remote, won’t guide you to Princess Peach originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Kotaku | 4Gamer.net (translated) | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-cTGJcMFc8s/
Army Helicopter Accidentally Drops Hellfire Missile Over Texas Homes [Weapons]
Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules
The developer of iCab Mobile, a feature-rich alternative to the Safari Web browser on iPad and iPhone, has been ordered by Apple to remove its ability to download and install JavaScript modules.
Presumably it’s not the fact that iCab can execute JavaScript that’s causing Apple to apoplectically puff and splutter, but rather its ability to download modules. Both Apple and Google frown upon apps that contain market-like functionality, and someone at Apple probably thought that iCab’s JavaScript modules looked like a bit too much like discrete apps.
Alexander Clauss, iCab’s developer, has rather a lot to say on the matter. “Maybe if I would have called the modules ‘smart bookmarks’ and would have made installing them much more complicated, Apple would have never asked to remove the ability to download them from the internet. The great user experience of installing modules has probably created a suspicion that these modules are more than just a piece of JavaScript code. From a pure technical point of view, if Apple does not allow to download modules (JavaScript code), Apple would also have to disallow to load web pages in general, because these do also contain JavaScript code.”
In conclusion, to circumvent Apple’s draconian decree, iCab Mobile now simply comes bundled with some 20 JavaScript modules. The ability to download modules made by third-party developers has been disabled, however — but even then, Clauss says that you can simply contact him and ask for your module to be bundled with the next version of iCab.
Download iCab Mobile for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch ($1.99)
Apple orders iCab iOS browser to cripple JavaScript modules originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Club Jameco borrows from Etsy and Kickstarter, lets DIYers design, sell and buy project kits
Though electronics hobbyists may not have the same resources that the Maker Sheds of the world have to design, package and sell do-it-yourself kits, electronics component distributor Jameco plans to change that. With Club Jameco, enthusiasts can pitch their kit ideas to the electronic component wizards in Belmont, CA and if a project is deemed viable for production, they’ll be provided with feedback and have their idea posted for public comment. After the creation of step-by-step kit instructions, a list of materials and undergoing final approval, kits will be sold to the adoring masses. Once projects roll off production lines and into garages, creators will be paid royalties anywhere from five to ten percent based on quarterly sales. Aside from giving DIYers another sales avenue, it’s also an opportunity for those who’ve been wary of piecing together projects to finally dive in sans the added fuss. Hankering to propose a bundle of your own? Per usual, all the particulars can be found in the source link below.
Club Jameco borrows from Etsy and Kickstarter, lets DIYers design, sell and buy project kits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Hack A Day | Club Jameco | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/jlnnV7AST0I/
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TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available
TripAdvisor, the popular travel planning tool, has just launched an app for Windows Phone 7. Just like the mobile website, the app allows you to search for anything travel-related — from hotels and flights to restaurants and points-of-interest to visit once you reach your destination.
Geolocation is supported, which allows TripAdvisor to quickly locate places nearby. But while that’s a neat feature, it’s also a bit of a downer — because, really, it’s about the only feature TripAdvisor for WP7 brings to the table that its mobile Web app doesn’t already offer (its browser-based geolocation doesn’t work with WP7 at the moment).
While it’s nice to see Windows Phone 7 users getting some big-name apps, it’d be even nicer if we saw some packing a bit more swagger.
Still, TripAdvisor for WP7 might just be worth installing on your device if you’re frequently on the go — at least until a better browser arrives with the Mango update.
Gallery: TripAdvisor for Windows Phone 7
TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/tripadvisor-app-for-windows-phone-7-now-available/
webOS 3.0 beta now available to developers
With the webOS 3.0 SDK available for almost two months, HP has now given developers access to a beta download of webOS 3.0 — which powers the upcoming TouchPad and will likely ride along on HP desktops and laptops in the form of an emulator.
Right now, the webOS 3.0 beta is only available to Early Access developers. The crew at PreCentral states that HP appears to have eased up on access restrictions, however, so hopefully more devs will get on board and those of you who are planning to buy a TouchPad in the next couple months will have plenty of slick webOS 3.0 apps to install on your new tablet.
webOS 3.0 beta now available to developers originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/webos-3-0-beta-now-available-to-developers/
IDT IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS
Buffalo Debuts Speed Freak WiFi Router
Buffalo Tech on Monday became the first on the market with wireless products touting 802.11ac WiFi, also known as “5G WiFi.” These are its AirStation WZR-D1800H wireless router and WLI-H4-D1300 wireless media bridge. They purportedly offer speeds up to three times faster than 802.11n, and they are fully backward compatible with 802.11a, b, g and n.
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FINISAR FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
Facebook’s Face-Melting Fast European Network
Today in international tech news: Ahead of its upcoming IPO, Facebook taps a Swedish telecommunications company to build and operate a massive pan-European optical network. Elsewhere, Change.org launches a UK platform, Apple decides to drop “4G” from the third-generation iPad, and Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin renounces his U.S. citizenship.
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FIRST SOLAR FINISAR FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC
TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available
TripAdvisor, the popular travel planning tool, has just launched an app for Windows Phone 7. Just like the mobile website, the app allows you to search for anything travel-related — from hotels and flights to restaurants and points-of-interest to visit once you reach your destination.
Geolocation is supported, which allows TripAdvisor to quickly locate places nearby. But while that’s a neat feature, it’s also a bit of a downer — because, really, it’s about the only feature TripAdvisor for WP7 brings to the table that its mobile Web app doesn’t already offer (its browser-based geolocation doesn’t work with WP7 at the moment).
While it’s nice to see Windows Phone 7 users getting some big-name apps, it’d be even nicer if we saw some packing a bit more swagger.
Still, TripAdvisor for WP7 might just be worth installing on your device if you’re frequently on the go — at least until a better browser arrives with the Mango update.
Gallery: TripAdvisor for Windows Phone 7
TripAdvisor app for Windows Phone 7 now available originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/tripadvisor-app-for-windows-phone-7-now-available/
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Pulling a Zuckerberg, or How to Kill a $100B IPO
Last week was rather quiet except for the increasing drama surrounding Facebook and what was to be their $100B IPO. It could still be, but thanks to its young, inexperienced, and clearly still-maturing CEO, it found itself digging out of an avoidable hole. Its experienced executive team was by all reports doing a terrific job until Zuckerberg decided to show up at an IPO pitch in a hoodie.
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ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS ON SEMICONDUCTOR NVIDIA NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS
Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent
Microsoft, citing Google’s tyrannical 95% share of the European search market, has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission. It’s not like Microsoft is breaking any ground here — the European Commission has been investigating Google’s alleged violation of European competition law since November 2010 — but there’s no doubt that the addition of Microsoft’s gravitas will affect the proceedings.
Microsoft’s complaint reads like a sincere and plaintive cry for help against the Google Overlord. Microsoft lists no less than six damning reasons why Google’s behavior is anti-competitive — from Windows Phone 7′s incompatibility with YouTube, to its nefarious handling of Google Books — and finishes with a wide-eyed plea to the European Commission to please find Google guilty.
For those of you that have been following Microsoft’s own antitrust troubles over the last decade, don’t worry: MS is quick to point out the irony in the situation. “There of course will be some who will point out the irony in today’s filing. Having spent more than a decade wearing the shoe on the other foot with the European Commission, the filing of a formal antitrust complaint is not something we take lightly. This is the first time Microsoft Corporation has ever taken this step. More so than most, we recognize the importance of ensuring that competition laws remain balanced and that technology innovation moves forward.”
It sounds like Microsoft, having well and truly gone through the wringer, wants Google to be held similarly accountable. That’s fair enough, right?
Microsoft files antitrust complaint against Google in Europe, showdown imminent originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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