Samsung shareholders approve spin-off of LCD business

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/samsung-shareholders-approve-spin-off-of-lcd-business/

It's been less than a month since Samsung confirmed that it would be spinning-off its LCD business into a separate company, and it looks like things are proceeding along speedily. The company's shareholders have now approved the spin-off, paving the way for the tentatively-titled Samsung Display Co. to come into existence on April 1st. Samsung Electronics will have a 100 percent stake in that company, and the current executive vice president of its LCD business, Park Dong-gun, will take on the position of president in the new firm. All of that, Samsung says, is being done in an effort to make the company more nimble and able to respond to its clients' needs more quickly.

Samsung shareholders approve spin-off of LCD business originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GeChic On-Lap 1302 is a 'Secret Tool' to give your smartphone dual screens (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/17/gechic-on-lap-1302-portable-monitor-video/

If you've ever felt the burning urge to mirror your smartphone's display onto a larger screen, then you might consider stuffing GeChic's portable, 13.3-inch monitor into the ol' man purse for your next wayward outing. We're not promising that it'll be simple, but in addition to supporting laptops, game consoles and digital cameras, you can also rig up your smartphone to the On-Lap 1302 monitor -- with the assistance of a tangle of adapters, batteries and cords, that is. The product is said to be just 8mm thick, but most importantly, this 1366 x 768 display can be powered either from your laptop's USB port or an external battery pack. It includes proper hookups for VGA and HDMI video connections (via a proprietary 30-pin connector), but laptop users may also purchase a Mini DisplayPort accessory. Throw in Apple's Digital AV Adapter or an MHL to HDMI solution, and boom, you've also got support for your iPhone and many Android smartphones. Okay, so it's a bit convoluted, but the product's video touts this as, "The best idea ever," and along with its homespun production, we think you'll enjoy it for a good laugh -- so just hop the break. Those interested in such gear will find it on Newegg next month for $199.

Continue reading GeChic On-Lap 1302 is a 'Secret Tool' to give your smart! phone du al screens (video)

GeChic On-Lap 1302 is a 'Secret Tool' to give your smartphone dual screens (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SPORTS CHART OF THE DAY: Linsanity Is Coming Back Down To Earth

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sports-chart-of-the-day-linsanity-is-coming-back-down-to-earth-2012-3

Whether it was over-hype, or Carmelo Anthony, or Mike D'Antoni, the Linsanity over Jeremy Lin has disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived on the scene.

Below is a look at the Google Search volume of "Jeremy Lin" over the last few months and it doesn't paint a pretty picture. It doesn't help that the Knickerbockers have only one win in the last seven games. And even worse when one considers that the Knicks are just 3-8 since Carmelo Anthony returned to the lineup.

Everybody's greatest fear has been realized: Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony cannot coexist. The Knicks need to pick one and stick with him...

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See Also:

• The New York Knicks Will Be Just As Awful Under Interim Coach Mike Woodson
• Idiot Bulls Fan Spits On His Hand And High-Fives Jeremy Lin
• NEW YORK POST: Linsanity Is Dead

Social Networking versus Email

 

time spent on social networks versus email

number of global users on social networks versus email

New Bi-Plane Design Promises All of the Sonic, None of the Boom [Planes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5893768/new-bi+plane-design-promises-all-of-the-sonic-none-of-the-boom

The Concorde became the premiere transport across the Atlantic in part because it was precluded from flying over populated areas due to the sonic boom it created on takeoff. A new two-wing design, however, may hold the secret to silently breaking the sound barrier. Guile does not approve.

As a plane moves through the air, it stacks up air pressure in front of the plane and creates a vacuum in its wake. When the plane hits super sonic speeds—actually travelling faster that the sound wave it's creating—the plane will drag and compress the leading and trailing pressure waves together to form a single big shock wave moving at the speed of sound. The wave from this hits the ground is what's considered the sonic boom.

A team of researchers from MIT and Stanford University developed the bi-plane design based on a design devised in the 1950's by German engineer Adolf Busemann. He figured that a design using triangular wings connected at the tip would effectively cancel out the boom. His original design wasn't quite efficient—the inner channel prevented sufficient air flow— so the researchers had to tweak the design a bit.

And man what a tweak. The design they settled on—with a smooth finish on the inner edge of the triangle and small bumps on the outer—could reduce the plane's fuel consumption by 50 percent and allow speeds in excess of Mach 5. Not to mention they'd be able to fly over the country and not just the oceans. Get ready for two-hour jaunts across the continent if this design reaches the market. [Sonic Boom Wiki - LiveSciences]

TED expands its reach with streaming talks on Netflix

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/ted-expands-its-reach-with-streaming-talks-on-netflix/

You can already watch TED talks on any number of devices via the web or the various apps available, but the oft-debated conference / organization has now added another fairly big feather to its cap: it's streaming on Netflix. That includes around 200 talks to start with, which have been grouped into 14 different "shows" with titles like Space Trek, Cyber Awe, Building Wonder and Video & Photo Mojo. Those are naturally all available in HD, and they can be seen in Canada, Latin America, the UK and Ireland in addition to the US.

TED expands its reach with streaming talks on Netflix originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Earth for Android and iOS reaches version 6.2, supports custom KML overlays and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/google-earth-for-android-and-ios-reaches-version-6-2-supports-c/

Good news for fans of the iOS and Android ports of Google Earth: the apps are getting updated to version 6.2, which brings more customizable experience with it. Just like the browser and desktop variants, Keyhole Markup Language files are now accessible, meaning you'll be able to open up information overlays you find on websites, or from the app itself now that Google Earth Gallery's been added. Better yet, Android users will be pleased to know that their even gets baked-in screenshot functionality, while both versions feature "improvements in navigation." Although the iOS version will get released sometime soon, those of you running Google's goods can download the update from Google Play right now to get exploring. As per usual, make your way over to the source link below for all the details.

Google Earth for Android and iOS reaches version 6.2, supports custom KML overlays and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These Are The Killer Apps For Your iPad's New Retina Display (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-best-apps-to-use-on-your-ipads-new-retina-display-2012-3

The new iPad launches at the Apple Store in just a couple hours.

TechCrunch's MG Siegler has rounded up a list of apps that will make the best use of the new tablet's impressive high definition screen.

Here's a brief selection of what we're most excited about, but click over to Siegler's article for the full list.

• ABC Player
• The Daily
• Diamond Dash
• Evernote
• Flight Control Rocket
• Galaxy on Fire 2 HD
• Incredibooth
• Infinity Blade II
• iStopMotion for iPad
• Kindle
• Labyrinth 2 HD
• Real Racing 2 HD
• Skitch
• Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy
• Soundcloud
• Vimeo

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See Also:

• Walt Mossberg: The New iPad Has A Million More Pixels Than An HDTV
• You Can Buy The New iPad At Walmart At Midnight TONIGHT
• A Frustrating Fact About The New iPad

Gross Fluorescent Green Goo Spills In Dallas [Pollution]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5893630/mysterious-fluorescent-green-goo-spills-over-dallas-water

Yesterday, a mysterious green fluorescent substance took over the White Rock Creek, in Dallas, way ahead of St. Patrick's Day. The Simpsons bright green-colored goo was coming from Medical City Dallas Hospital, which is located across the street, and nobody knew what it was.

An emergency crew appeared at the scene and quickly proceeded to block the green goo flow. Then, hazardous material experts were called. Was it a biological attack? Alien bodily fluids? Mutant blood? No. It was non-toxic fluorescent green dye used to detect leaks in the hospital cooling tower number 3.

Nothing to see here except a cool river of green crap, folks. Carry on. [WFAA]

PayPal Here mobile card reader: it's like Square, but with way more frozen accounts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/paypal-introduces-mobile-card-reader-square-rival/

Hear that? That's the sound of coins hitting the mental floor at a breakneck pace, and if PayPal's meteoric success is any indication of how it'll do in mobile... well, stockholders should be pleased. Nearly three years after first hearing of Jack Dorsey's Square (formerly 'Squirrel') project, the most hated division of eBay is coming out with a rival. President and CEO of eBay John Donahoe took the wraps off of the device at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco today, with an aim to bring PayPal to "merchants in the offline world." The plastic triangle module plays a familiar role: pop it into an iPhone, load up an app and swipe until you just can't sell anything else. We're hearing that PayPal will charge merchants 2.7 percent (just 0.05 percent less than Square), but further details -- and even the thing's name -- are still developing.

As much as we jest about PayPal's polarizing nature, we've been victim to one too many unjustified account freezes to become overly joyous here, but we won't kvetch about a little competition. Here's hoping we see rates and fees on the decline thanks to another major player stepping up to bat, but something tells us those kinds of dreams are dreamt only by fools. That aside, the fact that famed designer Yves Behar (profiled here on The Engadget Show) and Fuseproject were tapped to engineer it gets a major thumbs-up from us.

Update: Looks like it'll go by the name Here. PayPal Here. Moreover, the hardware and app will be gratis, and shipments will begin to go out in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, and Australia today. Everyone else will need to sit tight for a few weeks, and we're still digging for information on compatibility beyond the iPhone.

Update 2: Look like Android support will be here at launch, but iOS devices will need to run iOS 4.0 or higher.

Continue reading PayPal Here mobile card reader: it's like Square, but with way more frozen accounts

PayPal Here mobile card reader: it's like Square, but with way more frozen accounts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google to switch on 'semantic search' within months, emphasize things as well as words

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/google-semantic-search/

A search engine should be about more than just keywords. MC Hammer believes that passionately and Google must do too, because over the next few months and years it'll gradually adjust its own algorithms to put greater emphasis on "semantic search". Under this system, search queries are run through a vast knowledge database that discovers relationships with other words and facts. A Mountain View exec explained it thus: If you search for "Lake Tahoe", you won't just get ranked websites containing those two words but also key attributes about the lake, such as its location, altitude, average temperature and Bigfoot population. If a piece of knowledge isn't the in the ever-expanding database, the search engine will still use semantic search to help it recognize and evaluate information held on websites. In doing this, Big G hopes to compete with social networks that are amassing their own valuable (and sometimes intrusive) databases full of personal information, while also encouraging people to stay longer on its site and see more targeted ads. Google, who is Viviane Reding?

Google to switch on 'semantic search' within months, emphasize things as well as words originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 brings an NVIDIA Kepler GPU to the ultrabook party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/acer-aspire-ultra-timeline-m3-brings-an-nvidia-kepler-gpu-to-the/

Acer unveiled several new Ultrabooks at CeBIT last week (we spent time with the V5 and V3) but its M3 may be the most special one of all. NVIDIA mentions it will not only be the first with a discrete GPU -- beating Lenovo's T430u to the punch -- but that the included GeForce GT640M is based on the long-awaited 28nm Kepler architecture. That should give it enough power to run the latest games while still remaining true to the ultrabook tag with a 20mm thick frame and (promised) 8 hours of battery life thanks to Optimus technology. The 15-inch Aspire Timeline M3 Ultra also breaks the mold by squeezing in a DVD drive for games you can't get from Steam, along with options for either a hybrid hard drive / SSD or SSD-only storage setup. Neither company has included a pricetag in their joyful announcements, but these no-compromise packages are expected to begin shipping later this month.

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 brings an NVIDIA Kepler GPU to the ultrabook party originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung considering Android-based digital camera

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/14/samsung-researching-android-based-digital-camera/

Android on a mainstream digital camera? Yes, you could live to see the day. We're at Samsung's Korean headquarters this week, where we had an opportunity to sit down with the company's research and development team to talk about the past, present and future of digital imaging. One interesting bit of discussion: Samsung is considering an "open" camera operating system. It's still early days and nothing is confirmed but, given the company's support for Android on other platforms, that OS would be a logical choice. What we know is that Samsung R&D has been researching bringing Android to its digital cameras -- a move that would be far from shocking, considering that development teams do tend to collaborate, and the company clearly has experience with the Google OS. And while there are likely to be such open OS prototypes buried deep within Sammy HQ, they're mere experiments at this point -- at least from a production perspective.

What exactly would an OS like Android mean for digital camera users? It could be a major breakthrough from a usability standpoint, opening up the in-camera ecosystem to third-party developers. We could see Twitter and Facebook apps that let you not only publish your photos directly with a familiar interface, but also see photos shared by your friends. A capacitive touchscreen would let you type in comments directly as well. You could publish to web-based services, utilize apps that enable post-capture creativity or receive firmware updates directly over WiFi. That hotshoe or USB port could acc! ommodate a variety of different accessories, like a microphone or 4G modem that could be used with several models, including those from other manufacturers. While there's nothing making Android integration impossible from a technical standpoint, there are obvious disadvantages as well -- especially for camera makers. Stability would become an issue -- your camera could need a reboot just as often as your smartphone -- and such a powerful imaging device could theoretically cannibalize tablets and smartphones, though on a limited scale. Sadly this is merely educated speculation at this point, pending a product announcement from Samsung, though we wouldn't be surprised to come to fruition -- perhaps even before the next CES.

Update: Samsung reached out to us asking to clarify that this is simply something under consideration; nothing is confirmed yet. We've updated the post above to match.

Samsung considering Android-based digital camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM's Super-Efficient New Chip Can Get "Years of Battery Life" [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892873/arms-super+efficient-new-chip-can-get-years-of-battery-life

With processors, it's easy to get caught up in gigahertz and petaflops and the top-end specs. But blazing fast speed doesn't mean all that much for, say, your refrigerator. ARM's says its Cortex-M0+ chip will connect your dumb appliances to a smart grid, and offer "years" of battery life on some of them.

The Cortex-M0+ chip is capable of 32-bit processing, measures 1mm x 1mm, and is based on Flycatcher architecture. ARM says it's the world's most energy-efficient design. It's even more efficient than the 8- and 16-bit MCUs it's replacing.

The idea is that if the "Internet of Things"—that near-future sci-fi aspiration where your toaster knows when your dishwasher is using too much power—is ever going to happen, we'll need super low power chips to make it possible. [ARM via Geek, BBC]

Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/rdio-rolls-out-redesigned-website-and-desktop-apps-promises-to/

If you've checked into Rdio's website this afternoon (and are a web or unlimited subscriber) you've probably noticed a message prompting you to try out the "new Rdio." Clicking on it will take you to the redesigned website that the music streaming service has rolled out today -- something the company claims is "faster, simpler, and more social." That includes a completely overhauled layout that puts it slightly more in line with the likes of Spotify and iTunes, and social networking features that are brought to the fore, including a new "People Sidebar" where you can see who's online and what they're listening to (along with suggestions of people to follow). You can also now simply drag tracks to the People Sidebar to share them with friends, or drag entire albums to add them to a playlist. What's more, that overhaul also carriers over to Rdio's desktop apps, which now mirror the web interface quite closely. Hit the links below to take a closer look or try it for yourself.

Continue reading Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social

Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel: Optical Thunderbolt cables arriving this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/optical-thunderbolt-this-year/

Intel's Dave Salvator has been talking about Thunderbolt's future, promising that optical versions of the high-speed interconnect will arrive this year. The copper version currently available is cheaper and can carry 10 watts of power, but it can only be run a maximum distance of six meters. While the fiber version loses the ability to power devices, it's reportedly far faster and capable of running to the "tens of meters." Dave Mr. Salvator wouldn't commit to a release date, or how much more we'll be expected to pay for the cables, but given that we're also expecting to see PCI-Express 3.0 bolted on to the standard soon, we'll start saving today.

Intel: Optical Thunderbolt cables arriving this year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM Cortex-M0+ is a low-power, low cost 32-bit processor for the 'internet of things'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/arm-cortex-ultra-low-power-32-bit-processor/

The "internet of things" is quite the buzzed about phenomena these days and everyone wants in on the action. But, much of the hype so far has been associated with that DIY staple, the Arduino, and its admittedly under-powered 8-bit MCU. ARM is looking to put more power at developers fingertips, though, with the Cortex-M0+, an ultra low-power processor designed for embedded applications. The 32-bit chip is based on the existing M0, but with significant tweaks that greatly improve performance while keeping power draw to a minimum. Freescale and NXP should be first out the box with licensed processors and, while we wouldn't anticipate these showing up in a refrigerator or printer just yet, we wouldn't be shocked if they drew some interest from hobbyists. Check out the complete PR after the break.

Continue reading ARM Cortex-M0+ is a low-power, low cost 32-bit processor for the 'internet of things'

ARM Cortex-M0+ is a low-power, low cost 32-bit processor for the 'internet of things' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We Demand Ikea's Magical Touchscreen Thread In America Now Now Now [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892612/we-demand-ikeas-magical-touchscreen-thread-in-america-now-now-now

Winter and touchscreens don't mix because gloves and mittens aren't so capacitive. Ikea's Beröra sewing kit could change the world forever, had they not decided to only produce 12000 of the thread kits. We demand Ikea bring it back.

Beröra is an über-simple solution to the wooly-handed problems of winter. It's a sewing kit with a piece of conductive thread which turns the glove of your choice into a touchscreen-ready glove. We've seen touchscreen gloves before, but the idea that any glove could be a touchscreen glove is the kind of bigger hammer thinking we've come to expect from Ikea. Well done.

Unfortunately, this brilliant idea wasn never intended for a long lifespan on the shelves of Ikea—It was a short-lived marketing campaign designed to promote Ikea's new iPad catalog in Norway. The catalog came out in mid-Winter, and the Beröra kits sold out in under two weeks.

This is an injustice. We demand that like Sweedish meatballs before it, the Beröra be brought to Americans so that next winter we might all touchscreen-enable our gloves. There is a bright future ahead in which winter will no longer dominate my tablet usage. It's up to Ikea to make this right. Do the right thing Ikea. [PSFK via Laughing Squid]

Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample images (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/12/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-high-iso-sample-images/

Canon unveiled its highly-anticipated EOS 5D Mark III just 10 days ago, but we already have a pre-production sample in-hand, and will be putting it through its paces over the next week. Today's installment focuses on high-sensitivity still image shooting, which we conducted at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. We chose a dimly lit temple as our test subject, shooting a handful of images at ISO settings ranging from 800 to the camera's top native sensitivity of 25,600, and extended modes of ISO 51,200 and ISO 102,400. All images were captured at f/8 with a 24-105mm L lens.

As expected, the camera offered excellent performance at all of the native settings -- as you can see from the image above, there's some noise noticeable when viewing an image at full size, though considering the camera's top resolution of 22.3 megapixels, we hardly see ISO 25,600 being an issue. Jumping beyond the top native range did yield significant noise, but assuming you're shooting for the web, even these settings are usable. Chances are, you won't often be examining images at a 1:1 pixel view, so jump past the break to see how each of the four frames represented above will look when scaled to a web-friendly 600-pixels-wide resolution, then hit up our source link to grab full-res JPEGs of each image captured during the shoot.

Continue reading Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample images (hands-on)

Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample ima! ges (han ds-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner pegs Samsung as China's top smartphone maker, ranks Apple fifth overall

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/12/gartner-samsung-top-smartphone-maker-china/

Analysts at the research firm Gartner have come out and crowned Samsung as the most popular smartphone producer in China. The Korean manufacturer beat out others such as Nokia, Huawei, ZTE and Apple to score the title, and now boasts a rather impressive 24.3 percent market share in the country. While the iPhone 4S is portrayed as the most desired handset in China, Gartner suggests its limited availability with carriers played a large role in Samsung's achievement. The report provides a stark contrast with Apple's global success, which was recently named by Gartner as the top smartphone manufacturer in the world. The importance of China can't be overlooked, however, which is now projected to overtake the United States as the largest smartphone market. Until Apple further expands its carrier reach, it appears to be smooth sailing for Samsung -- unless Nokia is able to apply some pressure from its new Windows Phone handsets, that is.

Gartner pegs Samsung as China's top smartphone maker, ranks Apple fifth overall originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer brings five monitors to the US, prices range from $139 to $329

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/acer-brings-five-monitors-to-the-us-market/

If that display up there looks familiar, it's because it's already won itself a fancy schmancy iF product design award. But as Prospero would say, 'tis new to thee -- at least if you live on this side of the Atlantic. Acer just announced it's bringing that very S23HL monitor to the US, along with four other models whose screens range in size from 20 to 27 inches. The S235HL is clearly the star of the show here, with a half-inch-thick frame and asymmetrical stand. (It has 1080p resolution and VGA / HDMI ports too, if you're interested in more than just the design.) Intrigued? You can expect to fork over $219 for it when it lands stateside next month.

Moving on, Acer also has two other 23-inch, 1080p monitors -- the S230HL Abd and Abii -- with the former packing VGA and DVI ports, and the latter trading DVI for two HDMI sockets. Look for those in April for $169 and $189, respectively. Of the lot, the most expensive is the 27-inch S271HL, a 27-inch, 1080p monitor with DVI, HDMI and a VESA mount. You can snag one now for a cool $329. Last but not least, if you're on a tighter budget there's the 20-inch S200HL, which has a more modest 1600 x 900 resolution, along with VGA and DVI ports. That's on sale now for $139. More info on all of these in the PR after the break, though we're pretty sure we passed on all the pertinent details already.

Continue reading Acer brings five monitors to the US, prices range from $139 to $329

Acer brings five monitors to the US, prices range from $139 to ! $329 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Path vows contact data 'hashing' in next update, chases privacy certification

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/path-seeks-TRUSTe-privacy-certification/

Path is still trying to pave over those privacy cracks, promising that its next update will "hash" the contact data it previously used to suck up without prior warning. Last month, the app was caught with its digital fingers inside users' address books and while the subsequent (and understandably swift) update allowed users to opt out, the Path devs are still looking to gain privacy certification with TRUSTe. They told The Verge that the next version will still allow contact matching without plucking the precise details at the same time, using a hashing technique that won't identify the data delivered to the social network app. The latest update adds compatibility with Nike+ GPS, plus improvements to the embedded camera and a new music recognition function. It's available now for the mobile OS of your choice at the sources below.

Path vows contact data 'hashing' in next update, chases privacy certification originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony outs Xperia sola: 3.7-inch LCD, 1GHz CPU, 'floating touch' navigation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/sony-outs-xperia-sola/

So, it turns out the sola isn't a US-specific version of the Xperia S after all, but a new handset in its own right -- albeit one we've already seen under the "Pepper" codename. In some ways, it's a budget version of the S, with a similar appearance minus the glittery translucent strip along the bottom and with various other reductions, including a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 LCD, 1GHz dual-core processor and 5-megapixel rear camera. On the other hand, it's a fully hazed member of the Xperia gang, with NFC SmartTags, an xLOUD "surround sound" speaker, Mobile BRAVIA image processing and, of course, full access to the Sony Entertainment Network. As expected, the sola will ship with Gingerbread but be upgradeable to ICS soon after launch. There's also one completely new spec: "floating touch" navigation for "magic web browsing without touching the screen." What is it? Does it work? We should have answers pretty soon -- the handset is due for a global release in black, white and red colors in Q2. Check the source link for full specs.

Continue reading Sony outs Xperia sola: 3.7-inch LCD, 1GHz CPU, 'floating touch' navigation

Sony outs Xperia sola: 3.7-inch LCD, 1GHz CPU, 'floating touch' navigation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:44:00 EDT. Pl! ease see our terms for use of feeds.

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New iPad gets benchmarked: 1GB RAM confirmed, no boost in CPU speed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/new-ipad-gets-benchmarked-1gb-ram-confirmed-no-boost-in-cpu-sp/

Not only did some lucky gents in Vietnam get their hands on the new iPad while most people are still refreshing their delivery status page, they were also kind enough to run some benchmark tests. The results confirm that the RAM has been upped to 1GB, with the Geekbench score settling at 756. The processor remains at 1GHz, again, which is what we expected, but puts the kibosh on any speculation that there might have been a slight bump in clock speeds. If you want to see the full breakdown, hit the source for the goods.

New iPad gets benchmarked: 1GB RAM confirmed, no boost in CPU speed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T continues 4G LTE expansion, plans to light up eleven markets by early summer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/12/atandt-continues-4g-lte-expansion-plans-to-light-up-eleven-market/

AT&T's 4G LTE isn't the new kid on the wireless block anymore, but that's not to say the network's leapfrogged its growing pains. With almost two years to go before it reaches that end-of-year 2013 expansion target, the carrier's flipping the switch on an additional eleven markets across the US, as well as completing coverage in New York City. With a phased rollout in place that's set to begin next month and terminate at some undisclosed point in early summer, subscribers in Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio; Naples, Florida; Bloomington, Lafayette and Muncie, Indiana; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Bryan-College Station, Texas and Staten Island will get to benefit from those 700MHz waves. Check out the official presser below for the finer details.

Continue reading AT&T continues 4G LTE expansion, plans to light up eleven markets by early summer

AT&T continues 4G LTE expansion, plans to light up eleven markets by early summer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online Retailers are Cutting Spam, and Here's Why [Spam]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892401/online-retailers-are-cutting-spam-and-heres-why

For years, we've all been used to inboxes bursting at the seams with promotional email. But increasingly disgruntled recipients are starting to make their voices heard, and as a result online retailers are beginning to cut the amount of junk mail they send.

A report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the change of heart—which might currently be difficult for consumers to notice—could change our inboxes for good. According to the report, the amount of e-commerce spam sent out by the top 100 online retailers has shot up by 87 per cent since 2007, and some companies now manage to send out over 500 emails a year to each of their customers. But that's changing, reports the Wall Street Journal:

...there are signs of customer burnout. A study of its retail clients by email marketing firm Harte-Hanks found that since 2007, the rates at which recipients open retail emails and click on links have declined. In the first six months of 2007, consumers opened 19% of the retail emails they received and clicked through to the website 3.9% of the time. By the first half of 2011, those numbers shrank to 12.5% and 2.8%, respectively.

Some retailers are finding that sending fewer emails can pay off. Since cutting back its volume, Nicole Miller has seen the rate at which customers "unsubscribe"-or request to stop receiving emails-drop, and the percentage of recipients who open the emails has grown from 15% to 40%, according to Andrea Marron, director of digital strategy at the company. Meanwhile, the percentage of online sales that began with an email has grown to 17% from 10%.

Interestingly, unsubscribe rates have hardly changed since 2007, which means that on some level—even if we bitch and moan about them—we don't seem to mind being flooded with promos enough to actually do anything about them. [Wall Street Journal]

Steve Jobs Was Smacked Down by CBS CEO Over Apple TV [Apple]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892405/steve-jobs-was-smacked-down-by-cbs-ceo-over-apple-tv

Speaking at a conference in LA on Saturday, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves explained how Steve Jobs approached him with a pitch for an Apple subscription content service. Moonves, however, wasn't convinced, and he decided to turn Jobs away.

While many rumors point to the idea of Apple launching a subscription TV service before the end of this year, the journey hasn't been an easy one. During a meeting around a year ago, Moonves recalls:

"I told Steve, 'You know more than me about 99 percent of things but I know more about the television business.' "

Moonves went on to turn down Jobs' pitch, according to The Hollywood Reporter, arguing that the deal could disrupt CBS's existing revenue streams. The Reporter goes on to explains how Jobs, in characteristic fashion, "strongly disagreed with [the] assessment."

At the same conference, however, Moonves also mentioned that he was happy about the benefits that content deals with Netflix and Amazon bought the company. Bad luck, Apple. [The Hollywood Reporter]

How Secure Are NASA's Servers? [Nasa]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892408/how-secure-are-nasas-servers

We expect—or at least hope—that large government agencies put a lot of effort into the security of computing. If anything you'd expect NASA to lead the pack, but a new report suggests that there are a few holes it could do with plugging—quickly.

A report by Motherboard explains that of NASA's annual $1.5 billion IT spend, about $58 million goes on security. But that doesn't stop it getting hacked.

In 2011, NASA was the victim of 47 individual advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks, 13 of which successfully compromised its computers. APT attacks are particularity sophisticated and as a result are usually carried out by well-funded organizations, and one of the hacks was successful enough to capture credentials for over 150 employees, including access codes to sensitive information.

Compared to some organizations, that's minor. But this is NASA; a paragon of technological advancement. So what gives?

Firstly, incomplete security. This is an organization with a lot of computers, and it's hard to keep track of what's going on. Motherboard claims that NASA reported 5,408 computer security incidents including the installation of malicious software and unauthorized access to its systems in 2010 and 2011. It also struggles to keep track of computers that are being thrown out, and managed to lose ten computers that hadn't been properly wiped from one center in 2010.

But the single biggest problem? Mobility. It's the rise of laptops and tablets among NASA employees that is making the task so difficult for their IT department. In recent years, NASA has seen plenty of lost portable devices. In March 2011, Motherboard reports, "an unencrypted NASA notebook computer was stolen and with it was lost the algorithms used to command and control the International Space Station." Whoops. Added to that, only 1 per cent of all of NASA's laptops are encrypted.

The problem is, NASA is a unique amalgam of researchers, academics and governmental employees. It's an odd melting pot, where people from different backgrounds aren't necessarily on the same page when it comes to security. Maybe it's time that changed. [Motherboard; Image: cogdogblog]

Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/11/switched-on-the-ipads-landscape-orientation/

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The two major classes of tablet seeking to grab a share of the iPad's market have in many ways been driven by operating system advances. Windows 8 will bring the new Metro user interface and ARM support to allow what has historically been the more powerful PC class to scale down. Android 4.0 unifies the platform's tablet and smartphone operating systems, encouraging it to take better advantage of the larger screen capabilities and scale up.

Indeed, the full potential of the new iPad won't be known until the release of iOS 6 to fuel Apple's historically tight pairing of hardware and software; that other shoe will likely drop at its developer conference in June. Despite the lack of a new operating system or form factor, the third-generation iPad and its now price-reduced predecessor have set the stage for how Apple plans to defend against Android and Windows tablets.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation

Switched On: The iPad's landscape orientation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM's Holey Optochip transmits 1Tbps of data, is named awesomely

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/12/ibms-holey-optochip-transmits-1tbps-of-data-is-named-awesomely/

Be honest: was there any doubt whatsoever that something called a "Holey Optochip" would be anything short of mind-blowing? No. None. The whiz-kids over at IBM have somehow managed to transmit a staggering 1Tbps of data over a new optical chip, with the fresh prototype showing promise for ultra-high interconnect bandwidth to power future supercomputer and data center applications. For those who'd rather not deal with esoteric descriptions, that's around 500 HD movies being transferred each second, and it's enough to transfer the entire U.S. Library of Congress web archive in just 60 minutes. Needless to say, it's light pulses taking charge here, and researchers are currently hunting for ways to make use of optical signals within standard low-cost, high-volume chip manufacturing techniques. Getting the feeling that your own personal supercomputer is just a year or two away? Hate to burst your bubble, but IBM's been touting similar achievements since at least 2008. Actually, scratch that -- where there's hope, there's Holey.

IBM's Holey Optochip transmits 1Tbps of data, is named awesomely originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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