And you thought batteries were old news. The booming wearables market –devices that can be worn in the form of glasses, jewelry and watches – is expected to lead to a projected 1,100% surge in battery sales over the next four years, according to new data from IHS (IHS). Worldwide revenues for wea...
http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2014/03/25/batteries-to-resurrect-in-wearable-devices/
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So the most commonly heard comment at Google Cloud Platform Live was: How will Amazon respond? It has a chance to do so Wednesday at its Amazon Summit in San Francisco, just up the street from the Google event. The quick story out of Google’s event Tuesday is it cut prices across most major servi...
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/25/google-blows-up-cloud-pricing-your-move-amazon/
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Back in 2009, we had Android 1.6 running on a touchscreen Windows tablet. Fast forward to today and you can run Android 4.4.2 on a Chromebook Pixel or other Chrome OS device. It’s not a merger of Chrome and Android but it’s an interesting option, especially if you have a touchscreen laptop. And s...
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/26/chrome-show-run-android-on-a-chromebook-thanks-to-android-x86/
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/26/mit-mylar-nsa-proof-platform/
You're all likely aware by now that identity thieves and hackers aren't the only ones who surreptitiously collect people's private info. In an effort to keep them (and you know, certain government agencies) at bay, a group of MIT researchers have created Mylar -- a new platform for building secure websites, services and applications. According to MIT's Technology Review, anything built using Mylar keeps your data encrypted all the time in its servers. That data's only decrypted when it's accessed from your computer with the right password, though Mylar can also issue encryption keys if you want to share data with other people.
Raluca Popa, the project's lead researcher, claims that method prevents anyone, even the NSA from snooping on your info: "If the government asks the company for your data, the server doesn't have the ability to give unencrypted data." (Of course, encryption won't do you any good if the government ends up forcing the websites and services you use to surrender their users' information.) Right now, a group of patients are testing a Mylar website to share medical info with their doctors. Popa and his team are also testing their own chat, photo sharing and calendar applications. The group still has to overcome a lot of hurdles before we can see Mylar-built services in the wild, though. After all, web companies might not be keen on using the technology, especially those who rely on accessing user data to serve targeted ads.
[Image credit: Simon Cocks/Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Ars Technica
Source: MIT Technology Review, Mylar
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/lenovos-new-smart-tv-system-grants-greater-processing-power-mo/
Lenovo is best known for its ThinkPad laptops and newly acquired phone business, but the Chinese firm started making TVs a couple years ago, too. And now, it's the first one to build a set utilizing NVIDIA's new Tegra K1 chip. It's that super-powered silicon that explains the TV's presence at GTC 2014, so naturally, we had to spend some time with it while we were at the show. Called the Terminator S9, it's a 50-inch 4K smart TV that runs a Lenovo-skinned version of Android 4.2 natively, but the real magic happens courtesy of a small plug-in module round the back called a Smart Card.
It's roughly the size of a deck of cards (though half as thick), with a micro USB port and microSD slot on one end and a proprietary 70-pin connector on the other. That connector is how it plugs into the TV, while the USB and SD ports are for adding storage or connecting peripherals. Within the Smart Card's relatively bland exterior lies the aforementioned Tegra K1, and other hardware (currently unknown) needed to run Android 4.4. All Lenovo smart TVs moving forward will ship with a 70-pin port built in, but only higher-end models will come with Smart Card hardware. That means the Smart Card is a way for Lenovo -- and any other OEM who licenses the tech -- to keep customers running the latest and greatest software and hardware on their TVs.
The Smart Card comes with a slick motion Bluetooth remote that has a pair of physical buttons: a red power button at the end and a spun metal voice control key in the middle, plus a circular touchpad located in a thumb friendly location. Navigation works using gesture control (a la LG's Magic remote) to make selections, while swiping left and right on the touchpad scrolls through the menus. And, you adjust the volume via touchpad using the Seinfeld/Costanza special: clockwise or counter-clockwise swirl gesture. It's simple and intuitive to use, and the remote's shape and soft touch finish make it a pleasure to fondle.
Ready to plunk down your hard earned cash for Lenovo's new TV system? Unless you call China home, alas, you don't have the option to do so -- though Lenovo's looking at expanding to other regions should the Chinese market returns supply sufficient incentive to do so. Regardless, for those in the Far East, the Terminator S9 will set you back around 6,000RMB ($970), while the Smart Card costs less than 1,000RMB ($160).
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Lenovo
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