Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook: 7/3/11 - 7/10/11

Friday, July 08, 2011

Listen and Watch How the Sounds of Transformers 3 Were Made [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819429/listen-and-watch-how-the-sounds-of-transformers-3-was-made

Soundworks Collection has a great little feature on a very big movie called Transformers 3. Heard of it? Sure! In this video you get to see how the movie's sound effects were made using dry ice, electric guitars and more.

We already know the creative sound methods used in Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (like tigers with emphysema) but in the video above you get to see the sound artists actually at work. Their passion for the project and getting it right bleeds through, they examine every detail of every possible sound everywhere. Dry ice melting on metal is freaky, they used it. Spending days on an electric guitar is painstaking, they did it. It's always awesome to see behind the scenes of movie making magic. [SoundWorks Collection]

Remains of the Day: YouTube Launches New Redesign Entitled "Cosmic Panda" [For What Its Worth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5819182/remains-of-the-day-youtube-launches-new-redesign-entitled-cosmic-panda

YouTube tries out new, sleek, redesign; Apple promises to fix .pdf loophole for jailbreaking; Gizmodo takes a look at what exactly goes into a "Social Media Background Check."

YouTube launches new experimental redesign, "Cosmic Panda": [YouTube] via [Mashable]
Kindle users with New York Times subscriptions now have free access to NYT Online: [New York Times] via [mocoNews]
Apple to patch latest jailbreak hole in upcoming software update: [MacRumors]
Chrome extension allows users to add Facebook events to Google Calendars: [Chrome Web Store] via [Addictive Tips]
Paypal to buy Zong, will allow for purchases through paid through cellphone bills: [PayPal Blog] via [MacWorld]
The inner workings of a social media background check: [Gizmodo]

The bizarre mathematical conundrum of Ulam's Spiral [Maths]

Source: http://io9.com/5819325/the-bizarre-mathematical-conundrum-of-ulams-spiral

If there's anything we learn from math teachers and the Da Vinci Code, it's that prime numbers are magic. They can do anything, and be anywhere. Including a doodle on a math paper.

In the 1960s, a gentleman known as Stanislaw Ulam was making his way through a miserable meeting by doodling on a piece of paper. Unlike most of us, who only manage to do 3D cubes and obscene drawings of people we don't like, Ulam tried filling his paper with math. And he discovered something very strange. Ulam drew a '1' at the center of his paper. Directly to the right of the one he drew a '2.' Above the two he drew '3', and continued spiralling the numbers outwards toward from the one. When he was done filling up the page, he decided to circle all the prime numbers - the numbers divisible only by one and themselves.

The bizarre mathematical conundrum of Ulam's Spiral
What he found was a lot of diagonal lines. They crisscrossed the paper, sometimes in short bursts and other times in long strings. While there are plenty of singularities and outliers, a large plot of the primes on Ulam's Spiral shows a remarkable density of diagonals. Further plotting with computers show that these diagonals appear even when the numbers get high, and even when the spiral doesn't originate with the number one. Change the spiral from one that's plotted on a grid to one that's plotted on a circular spiral, and the lines will change direction, but they'll still be there. Plot it on the hexagon - more lines.

It's things like this that make prime numbers so eery. They keep showing up in nature, in important functions, and in pure mathematical play. (I think they're the ghosts of ancient Greek numerals.)

Someone Thought It Was Clever Combining Instagram With Color [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819324/someone-thought-it-was-clever-combining-instagram-with-color

Far from being lukewarm, Instacolor takes the best bits of Instagram and combines them with the location-specific guidelines of the unpopular Color, helping you find other photo-sharers in your proximity, in real time. Out now, it costs $1. [iTunes via TechCrunch]

Apple Patent Shows Visual Content Sharing Between iPad and iPhone [Patents]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819338/apple-patent-shows-visual-content-sharing-between-ipad-and-iphone

From the looks of things, Apple has been working on a content sharing feature between iOS devices, much like HP is doing on WebOS with the TouchPad and Pre 3. But taking things one step further, they've animated it all.

According to Patently Apple, Apple is working on a method of sharing files, contacts, webpages, etc., that is activated by gestures which are metaphoric in nature. The prime example here, is "pouring" files from your iPhone to your iPad.

Example: A Pouring Motion

Apple's patent FIG. 1B illustrates an iPhone (device 110) in motion relative to the iPad (device 120). Here, the user has rotated their iPhone above the iPad's interface (122) in a manner similar to tipping a glass of water. This angular motion can be detected by one or more onboard motion sensors.

As shown in FIG. 1B, detached objects 114a-114d could be animated to simulate the effect of gravity by "sliding" toward the lowermost portion of interface 112 as device 110 is rotated. The animation of the objects creates the appearance that the objects have mass and are reacting to forces of a real world, physical environment. In FIG. 1C, we see that the iPad could interpret the rotation of the iPhone as a pouring motion as an indication of the user's intent to transfer the files represented by selected objects 114a-114d.

Upon determining that the user of the iPhone intends to transfer the files, the iPhone (device 110) determines if the iPad (device 120) is present and available to receive the files. After a link is established between the two devices by Bluetooth or RFID and authenticated, the iPhone could request that the iPad accept a file transfer.

Other physics based examples include floating objects, friction, repelling forces, and a vacuum-like effect that would come from something like an Apple TV. And this all sounds entertaining, but maybe a bit over the top. Can't I just tap my two devices together and call it a day? [Patently Apple]

This Solid-State Camera Fits on the Head of a Pin and Can Dive Into Your Skull [Monster Machines]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819033/this-solid+state-camera-fits-on-the-head-of-a-pin

Image quality isn't the only measure of a camera's functionality. The PFCA, developed by a Cornell Postdoc, has only a 20-pixel resolution but its size and construction will allow it to go where few cameras have been before.

The Planar Fourier Capture Array (PFCA) is constructed from a single piece of doped silicon and lack either a lens or any moving parts. It measures just 1/100th of a millimeter thick and only a half millimeter on each side—thinner than a human hair. Its dim 20-pixel-wide images are captured using advanced mathematical Fourier Transformations. Basically, the PFCA doesn't record images as a whole. Instead, each pixel records one component of the image by measuring the individual incident angles within it. This disparate data is then patched together by a computer into a unified image. "It's not going to be a camera with which people take family portraits, but there are a lot of applications out there that require just a little bit of dim vision," states Gill.

Nothing on the PFCA requires off-chip manufacturing, which results in an incredibly simple, small, and light miniature camera that costs pennies to produce. Similar-sized cameras with moving parts are more expensive by a factor of ten! This allows the camera to be, say, implanted in your skull to image neurons or used by satellites to measure the angle of the Sun or even help tiny robots to navigate a landscape.

[BoingBoing - TruthDrive - NewTec]

Monster Machines is all about the most exceptional machines in the world, from massive gadgets of destruction to tiny machines of precision, and everything in between.

"Halp, I'm Stuck In My PC!" And Other Fun Transparent-Gadget Hacks [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819383/halp-im-stuck-in-my-pc-and-other-fun-transparent+gadget-hacks

I know, I know—another weekend stretches before us, a weekend full of twiddling thumbs and watching paint dry before work begins yet again on Monday. So why not make your gadgets transparent? Seriously. Photojojo has a great tutorial, which works on computers, laptops, iPads, TVs...[Photojojo]

Samsung's Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/samsungs-q2-profit-drops-26-percent-due-to-sluggish-tv-sales-d/

You may or may not have noticed, but we're once again in the thick of earnings season, and today Samsung's in the hot seat. The company has reported that its second-quarter profit fell 26 percent year-over-year to 3.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion), largely thanks to underwhelming sales of flat screen TVs and, to a lesser extent, semiconductors. That's a shade worse than the whiz kids over on Wall Street were expecting, according to Bloomberg. In fact, the demand for televisions was so disappointing that it overshadowed what was actually an impressive quarter for the outfit's mobile division -- sales of feature and smartphones quadrupled year-over-year to 19.2 million units, putting the company on track to further narrow the gap with Nokia, the world's bestselling handset maker. All told, this balanced out to a modest growth in revenue -- an uptick of 2.9 percent to 39 trillion won ($36.7 billion).

Samsung's Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/wifi-xoom-sheds-100-could-stand-to-lose-a-few-more-benjamins/

$499 Xoom WiFi

Oh Xoom, you're but a few months old -- still only a babe -- and Motorola already has you on a diet. Sure, maybe it was a mistake to jump right into the deep end where big boys play, but you had to try right? Well, now that you've shed a $100 in weight, treading water alongside the rest of the WiFi tablets should be a little bit easier and, with 32GB of storage, you're more well-endowed than your $499 brethren. Still, it might be too little too late with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 muscling in on your territory and "iPad" quickly becoming a generic word for slates. Maybe if you dropped another $100 you'd have better luck -- and talk to your 3G-packing sibling, he's looking a little plump around the price tag too, if you ask us.

WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 SLR Mount lets you shoot 5-megapixel photos with your $3,000 lens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/iphone-4-slr-mount-lets-you-shoot-5-megapixel-photos-with-your/

So you flew around the world for a photo assignment, camera bag packed full of high-end lenses, but forgot the DSLR on the kitchen counter. Not to worry! You never leave home without your iPhone 4 and its new must-have accessory: the iPhone SLR Mount. ~~$190~~ $249 scores you one of these aluminum bad boys, eager to pair with your multi-thousand dollar Canon or Nikon optics, bringing "powerful depth of field" and manual focus to your smartphone's itsy bitsy image sensor. You can reportedly use the new pricey mobile rig to capture photos with shallow depth of field, without the need to add one of those "unethical" $5 digital filter apps. The accessory is ready to ship, so you're just 24 hours (and a couple hundred dollars) away from having this life-changing masterpiece sent straight to your door. As for us? We're holding out a bit longer for the iPad version.

Update: The folks at Photojojo wrote in to let us know that the $190 price provided earlier today was incorrect -- the iPhone 4 mount will actually set you back a cool $249.

iPhone 4 SLR Mount lets you shoot 5-megapixel photos with your $3,000 lens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola's LTE-infused Xoom 2 tablet caught skipping through the FCC?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/motorolas-lte-infused-xoom-2-tablet-caught-skipping-through-the/

There's nothing but a photo, a few dimensions and confirmation that LTE / CDMA radios are onboard, but it's sure looking like the device linked down in the source is Motorola's elusive followup to the Xoom. For those camped out under a boulder the past day or so, the Xoom recently saw a permanent $100 price drop for the WiFi-only model, and eagle-eyed observers may recall a brief glimpse of what appeared to be an unannounced Verizon Wireless slate a few weeks back. Of course, having a storyline that fits is only half the battle, but with the IHDP56LU2 measuring 259mm long and 166mm wide, it's getting harder and harder to reject any lingering thoughts that the Xoom 2 may indeed be on its way. For the curious, those dimensions are ever-so-slightly more compact than the existing Xoom, and it's not just anything that gets hooked up with radios to support both of VZW's native networks. So, what say you? Is the Xoom 2 really getting ready to bust your summer wide open? Or are we looking at the world's largest LTE smartphone?

Motorola's LTE-infused Xoom 2 tablet caught skipping through the FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xperia Arc hits the US unlocked and ready for action

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/xperia-arc-hits-the-us-unlocked-and-ready-for-action/

The Xperia Arc is one the best handsets we've seen from Sony Ericsson, but US consumers have had to sit by and watch as the thing popped up in other markets around the world -- until now, that is. The unlocked AT&T-compatible quad-band 3G handset just hit Sony's store. The Gingerbread-packing smartphone has a 4.2-inch Reality Display, 512MB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, and will start shipping tomorrow. The Xperia Arc will run you $600 -- that's the price you pay for contractual freedom.

Xperia Arc hits the US unlocked and ready for action originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Thrive in stock at Newegg and Amazon, is ready to ship free to your door

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/toshiba-thrive-in-stock-at-newegg-is-ready-to-ship-free-to-your/

You'll need to wait until Sunday to get your hands on a Toshiba Thrive at Best Buy, but the Honeycomb slate is ready to head out Newegg's door, with free shipping to boot. $430 nets you an 8GB tablet with two-day shipping, or you can add 30 bucks to get it overnight. That's unlikely to mean tomorrow at this point, but if you play your cards right, you could be sliding through emails a la Swype before the weekend is out.

Update: Best Buy has confirmed that the Thrive will be available on July 10th, both in-store and online.

Update 2: Looks like it's live on Amazon, too!

Toshiba Thrive in stock at Newegg and Amazon, is ready to ship free to your door originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlashGear | source

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Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/toshiba-unveils-new-cmos-sensor-flaunts-smaller-pixels/

Hoping your next smartphone will have more megapixels while being even thinner than the last? Us too, but we're not known to skimp on image quality -- an unfortunate conundrum of squishing more pixels into a tighter space. Enter Toshiba's new CMOS sensor, advancing on both fronts, with 8 megapixels and what the firm reckons is the smallest pixel size in the industry at 1.12 micrometers. Also present is backside illumination, helping maximize photon accrual -- which should make a certain Steve oh-so proud. Currently being sampled, the teensy gizmo plans to go into mass production later this year. Interested? Peep the full release after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels

Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/crayola-colorstudio-hd-app-for-ipad-swipes-its-way-to-your-child/

The iPad is not childproof. It's fragile and expensive and we can't imagine why you'd want to hand it over willy nilly to your kids. That said, if you've got money to burn and don't mind letting small hands tool around with high-end consumer products, then this should tickle your parental fancy. Announced as a collaboration between Griffin Technology and Crayola, the Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad matches a marker-shaped digital stylus -- the inventively titled iMarker -- with your child's LCD-colored imagination. The chunky, kid-friendly stylus mocks the tip of a pen, crayon, marker or paintbrush as your doe-eyed youngin' swipes along 30 plus animated pages -- all while sitting too close to the screen. If free is the key to your heart, go ahead and grab this now on the App Store -- it's the marker clone that'll set you back 30 bills. That said, it's a small price to pay for your child's happiness. Also, digital Burnt Sienna -- need we say any more?

Update: Turns out our friends at TUAW have already had the chance to sample one of these in the wild. Check out their impressions.

Continue reading Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart

Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS delays Eee Pad Slider, stretches the definition of 'soon'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/asus-delays-eee-pad-slider-stretches-the-definition-of-soon/

Toshiba delays Eee Pad Slider, stretches the definition of 'soon'

That promised May release for the Eee Pad Slider shifted to a rather more ambiguous "soon" a little over a month ago, and now we're sad to report it's moving further back still. ASUS has an update on its UK Facebook profile indicating that the QWERTYfied tablet will now be shipping there sometime this Autumn, taking this extra time to throw up some surveys and better "understand what is important for our customers." That sounds dangerously close to the company's feet getting a little cold as it prepares to launch the most interestingly designed Honeycomb slab we've yet seen, but maybe if everybody leaves some encouraging comments we can get this reluctant bride out of the limo and down the aisle, already.

ASUS delays Eee Pad Slider, stretches the definition of 'soon' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Samsung Galaxy S II: A First Draft of Your Next Android Phone [Lightning Review]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5818202/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-a-draft-of-your-next-android-phone

At this point, Android phones are officially being created faster than human babies. Samsung's Galaxy phones have been the blueprint for the last year, literally. The Galaxy S II is the new blueprint—and it's a very nice one.

Like

The fastestest Android phone I've ever used, bar none, no holds barred, etc., thanks to a crispy Gingerbread core and a 1.2 dual-core chip paired with 1GB of RAM. I can get used to this kind of whiplash. It's stupid thin, like thinner-than-an-iPhone-4 thin. The camera is like, good: the shots (though the iPhone 4's tweaks makes its photos more pleasant), the 1080p video (which murderfaces the iPhone 4's indoors) and Samsung's more camera-y interface. (Samples can be had in the gallery below, or here.) Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus display continues to be lovely, if slightly lacking for pixels.

If this is what we can expect as baseline for the next 6 months of Android phones, well, I can live with that.

No Like

What I can't live with: Samsung's terribly gauche custom software/interface, TouchWiz. There isn't an Android phonemaker on the planet who outdoes what Google's already doing with Android. (Not to say that Android's interface is good: Watching a serious nerd / web developer friend struggle with a clean build of Android this past week was eye-opening in that regard. Normal people, sure, Android's confusing. But to a real nerd too? Hrm.) I really wish Samsung would figure out whatever alchemy is required to produce plastic that doesn't feel like a terribly mean joke. The incongruity is jarring: The best of technology, the worst of materials. Ugh.

This is the international version of the Galaxy S II, so it's not available in the US yet—and it'll probably carry a different name depending on your carrier, just like the original Galaxy. Update: I've confirmed I used the Exynos 4210-powered model, not the Tegra 2 variant.

Specs
Samsung Galaxy S II
Price: TBD (in the US)
Screen: 4.3-inch, 800x480 Super AMOLED Plus
Processor and RAM: Dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 1GB RAM
Storage: 16GB/32GB
Camera: Rear: 8 megapixels, 1080p video Front: 2MP
Weight: ~ 116 grams
Battery: 1650 mAh

Japanese scientists discover massive rare earth deposits, China bristles

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/japanese-scientists-discover-massive-rare-earth-deposits-china/

China's control over the rare earths market hasn't faced too many challenges over the past few years, but that may be changing, thanks to a major discovery in Japan. Geologists say they've uncovered expansive new deposits of rare earth minerals, buried within a seabed some 20,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean surface. Research leader Yasuhiro Kato estimates that the deposits contain anywhere from 80 to 100 billion metric tons of rare earths, which, if commercially viable, could pose a serious threat to China's global hegemony. Supply shortages and aggressive Chinese export controls have combined to raise global prices in recent years, much to the chagrin of manufacturers who rely upon the metals to produce smartphones, tablets and a wide variety of other gadgets. But with analysts predicting a rare earth surplus within the next few years and Japan's mining industry now poised for a potential resurgence, the outlook is certainly looking a lot brighter.

Japanese scientists discover massive rare earth deposits, China bristles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google slides Prizes into beta, helps you get real paid

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/google-slides-prizes-into-beta-helps-you-get-real-paid/

Come on down! You can be the next contestant on the Prizes site. That was overkill, we know, but it's a necessary introduction into a new world of online solution-based social gaming pioneered by the Slide team. Acquired by the Goog back in 2010, the low profile entertainment-driven app developer has been hard at work making the web 'more social' and filling its Big Daddy's pockets. Debuting in classic Google beta form, Prizes takes your Twitter or Facebook accounts and signs you up for cash prize-winning, user-created contest shenanigans. In case you missed that fine point, we'll reiterate -- users design the challenges, you post a solution (or vice versa). Like the $40 "Give my Dad a makeover!" competition we're completely unqualified to enter, or the $30 "Comprehensive 'get healthy' plan for living in a large, polluted city" game we're sure Al Gore could win in his sleep. It's a kooky idea, but we can definitely see the service having widespread appeal. Let's be frank here: Google + social gaming + prize money = solid user gold.

Google slides Prizes into beta, helps you get real paid originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair's speedy, flaming red Force GT SSD goes on sale this month for $149 and up

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/corsairs-speedy-flaming-red-force-gt-ssd-goes-on-sale-this-mon/

Corsair's Force GT solid-state drives caught our eye earlier this year, and their fire engine-red shells were only half the reason. These bad boys also promise up to 85,000 random write IOPS and are rated for impressive read / write speeds of 550 MBps and 525 MBps -- a shade higher than the specs being bandied-about when Corsair showed it off back in March. The drive also supports SATA 3, is backward-compatible with SATA 2, and ships with a 3.5-inch adapter that'll work with both desktops and laptops. Look for it this month in two sizes: 60GB ($149) and 120GB ($279). No word, alas, on the 240GB version that was strutting its stuff on the show floor in Hanover, Germany. PR after the break.

Continue reading Corsair's speedy, flaming red Force GT SSD goes on sale this month for $149 and up

Corsair's speedy, flaming red Force GT SSD goes on sale this month for $149 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Maps-powered training bike simulates Tour de France, refuses to speak English

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/google-maps-powered-training-bike-simulates-tour-de-france-refu/

Poor France. The nation known mostly for its food and wine only has a few major sporting events to call its own, yet we -- great, fat and lazy America -- have pwned its most iconic one for seven years. That legacy could still live on -- if you don't mind shelling out $1299 and sweating all over your living room floor, that is. Powered by Google Maps and touted as the official trainer of Le Tour de France, comes a Pro-Form training bike so hardcore, it even simulates potholes. Ok, we made that last part up, but it does allow you to feel the burn of 24 pre-set courses, or one of your own punishing design. For the ultra-committed indoor enthusiast, there's also Intelligent Wind Resistance and a 20 percent incline / decline feature that'll match the ups and downs of real life outdoor cycling without the hassle of the actual outdoors. Honestly, it's a bit much and we can't really see this thing taking off with the New Year's Eve resolution set, but if you've always wanted that biker's derriere, this is your trainer.

Google Maps-powered training bike simulates Tour de France, refuses to speak English originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft offers up 'managed driving' source code, gets back to location-based business

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/microsoft-offers-up-managed-driving-source-code-gets-back-to/

WiFi-sniffing -- all the major tech giant's are doing it. But it's for your own better-targeted, location-based good... they swear. It's a familiar story that saw Google get served in France and the UK for its fleet of data-collecting Street View cars, and had Apple accidentally storing users' geographic info unencrypted on their phones. Given the history, it's not surprising to see Microsoft take the offensive by offering up source code from its own 'managed driving' program: the cars that collect WiFi, GPS and cell tower data. With the code out in the open, MS can easily side-step allegations of personal data-mining and continue its focus on improving local search services. The move is further evidence that the Ballmer-led company intends to take user privacy very seriously, having already stopped the tracking of individual Windows Phone handsets last May. Location aware devices are an inevitable part of our search-assisted lives, we just wish they all came with a giant opt-out button.

[Image credit via WinRumors]

Microsoft offers up 'managed driving' source code, gets back to location-based business originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google temporarily suspends Realtime search, thanks to expired Twitter deal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/google-temporarily-suspends-realtime-search-thanks-to-expired-t/

If you noticed a distinct lack of tweetage in your Google search results yesterday, you weren't alone. Turns out, the company has temporarily suspended its Realtime search feature, as part of its ongoing Google+ launch. El Goog made the announcement, ironically enough, in the form of a tweet, explaining that it needs time to integrate Google+ within its social network-based search tool, but without offering a specific time frame. Mountain View later revealed further details with the following statement, provided to Search Engine Land:

Since October of 2009, we have had an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results through a special feed, and that agreement expired on July 2. While we will not have access to this special feed from Twitter, information on Twitter that's publicly available to our crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google.

Twitter offered a similarly curt explanation, saying that it would continue to provide tweet integration to companies like Microsoft and Yahoo, while adding that it still works with Google in "many other ways." Google's Social Search, meanwhile, continues to function, but has been stripped of all Twitter data. No word yet on whether the two sides have entered negotiations, but when they do, the fate of humanity will certainly be hanging in the balance.

Google temporarily suspends Realtime search, thanks to expired Twitter deal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon restores camera production in Japan, hints at mirrorless model in 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/canon-restores-camera-production-in-japan-hints-at-mirrorless-m/

There's no question that Canon and Nikon still dominate the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) market, but with Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, and now Pentax all launching compact, inexpensive, mirrorless models in recent years, the legacy manufacturers have some catching up to do. In an interview confirming the restoration of pre-quake production levels in Japan, Canon camera division head Masaya Maeda told Reuters that the company is "considering the technical aspects" of creating a mirrorless camera, following up by saying "we will launch an interesting product next year." The comment doesn't exactly make a mirrorless Canon a sure thing, but it's as solid a commitment as we can expect for now.

One possible concern for Canon is that entry into the new ILC category would cannibalize the company's higher-end point-and-shoot offerings, which likely offer higher margins. But if mirrorless models gain market share over traditional DSLRs and Canon doesn't have its own cam to match, the company could find itself racing to catch up, rather than dominating the ILC category as it has done in the past. Competition from Canon isn't likely to start a price war, since there isn't much elasticity at this point, but it could put pressure on other manufacturers to push the limits with image quality, accessory selection, and perhaps even lead to a future lens standard -- though we're probably more likely to see a Pentax Q that can actually capture DSLR-quality images far before manufacturers decide to adopt a universal lens mount.

Canon restores camera production in Japan, hints at mirrorless model in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon speaks up, confirms usage-based data plans are coming July 7th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/verizon-speaks-up-confirms-usage-based-data-plans-are-coming-ju/

The leaks about Verizon's usage-based plans have become so abundant that it's been nearly impossible to shake off with any amount of skepticism, but one key ingredient's been missing from the saga: official word from the carrier itself regarding the exact date and specific pricing. A mere two days before DataGate's rumored debut, Verizon's finally cleared its throat to make a statement confirming the inevitable. The unlimited smartphone data plan will predictably make a sad and sudden departure from the company's brochures -- lingering only for those grandfathered into it -- and a tiered structure will enter in its place.

There were no surprises on pricing: for smartphone data, plans start at $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. New customers can add mobile hotspot service for an extra $20, and Big Red will throw in a couple additional gigabytes as well. Customers currently using the unlimited LTE mobile hotspot will be given the option to retain that service for another $30. We've yet to receive confirmation from our spokesperson, but will keep you updated as soon as we get word. Knowing is half the battle, though, so take action -- interested parties only have two days left.

Verizon speaks up, confirms usage-based data plans are coming July 7th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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