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HDC-TM650: Panasonic Announces Another (Japan-Only) 3D Camcorder
Panasonic caused a splash in the blogosphere yesterday when it announced the world’s first consumer 3D camera, the HDC-SDT750, for the American market (release in October). The device was announced [JP] today in Japan as well, but Panasonic made some changes. And it showed another model, too, the HDC-TM650 (pictured), which hasn’t been announced for other markets thus far. The Japanese version of the SDT750 (shown on the right in the pic below) comes with a whopping 96GB of internal memory, but on the flipside, Panasonic decided to sell the 3D lens separately in its home market. It will cost $1,800 ($400 more than the American model with the lens) and go on sale two months earlier, in late August. The 3D lens will set Japanese buyers back another $430.
The HDC-TM650 is very similar to the SDT750 but comes with just 64GB of internal memory (instead of 96GB), a 2.7-inch screen (instead of 3 inches), and a stereo mic (instead of a 5.1 mic). At 388g, it’s lighter than its bigger brother (440g/including battery). It will hit Japanese stores in August, too (price: $1,480). Via AV Watch [JP]
Source: CrunchGear | 28 Jul 2010 | 4:16 am Blizzard Lists Known Starcraft II Issues - Softpedia
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 4:04 am Panasonic Shows Prototype 3D Lens for Lumix Cameras - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 3:40 am The Decline of Startpages Like Netvibes & iGoogle (POLL)2-3 years ago, so-called "startpages" were all the rage - online dashboards where users could store links and quickly scan important news feeds. Startpages were also an evolving platform for "widgets,"...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 3:29 am Short Notice: PayPal Removes Electronic Withdrawal Option For Indian Users
PayPal, the eBay-owned electronic payments company, continues to run into operational issues in India. Earlier this year, the company had to suspend personal payment transactions from and to India, albeit temporarily, when the Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) concluded that PayPal was not in compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements. This morning, an email was sent to Indian users, notifying them that they would (very) soon be removing the ability to withdraw funds from accounts electronically. In an update published on the PayPal blog, the company acknowledges that starting July 29 (in other words, tomorrow), Indian users will only be able to request for a cheque withdrawal of funds from their PayPal accounts. On the bright side, PayPal added that it would be waiving the $5 cheque withdrawal fee from July 29, 2010 onwards, at least “until further notice”. Again, the company cites compliance with regulatory instructions as the reason for the abrupt removal of the electronic withdrawal facility. PayPal does say they’re working to restore the service, and has set up a special website where its users can keep track of further changes, and also find instructions for the cheque withdrawal process. Already, the news has resulted in a flurry of blog posts from Indian users. We’ve contacted PayPal for further comment and will update if warranted. (Thanks for the tip, Sid)
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 28 Jul 2010 | 3:20 am Amazon says $189 Kindle "Temporarily out of stock" - International Business Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 3:19 am Long In Development, Toyota 'SCiB' Battery Debutsrelliker notes Toshiba's announcement of the SCiB, a battery we have been following for years. (As usual, use NoScript to avoid the incredibly annoying timed begging popup on Gizmag/'s site.) Here is Toshiba's SCiB site. The battery's specs claim 6,000+ charge/deep-discharge cycles with minor capacity loss, safe rapid charging to 90% in 5 minutes, and enhanced safety regarding overheating or shorting out. It could make its way into electric vehicles before long.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 28 Jul 2010 | 3:13 am Android, iPhone apps accessing sensitive dataThe explosion of mobile apps on Apple iPhone and Google Android has generally been seen as a good thing but opening up our phones to these devices could lead to vulnerabilities and Lookout is trying...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:55 am WikiLeaks: We don't know source of leaked dataWikiLeaks' chief claims his organization doesn't know who sent it some 91,000 secret U.S. military documents, telling journalists that the website is set up to hide the source of its data...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:43 am Gadget makers forced to investigate war linksDoes that smart phone in your pocket contribute to rape and murder in the depths of Africa? Soon, you'll know, writes stuff. A new U.S. law requires companies to certify whether their products contain...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:22 am Inception's musical secretInception is one of the two best science fiction movies I've ever seen (along with Gilliam's Brazil) -- in fact, it's one of two sf movies that I'd rank with the very best sf novels. Here's a YouTube...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:16 am Inception's musical secretInception is one of the two best science fiction movies I've ever seen (along with Gilliam's Brazil) -- in fact, it's one of two sf movies that I'd rank with the very best sf novels. Here's a YouTube clip...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:16 am PayPal making belated foray in Japan, without eBay (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:14 am The iPhone Jailbreak Ruling: Copyright Law's New Twist - TIME
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:12 am Rape charges dropped after deleted messages recovered from iPhoneIn may be the first time an iPhone's memory has saved someone accused of a serious crime, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. Deleted data retrieved by a leading surveillance expert appears to have led...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:01 am Apple Updates Mac Pro With Up to 12 CPU Cores - Tom's Hardware Guide
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 2:00 am CORRECTED - UPDATE 1-Broadcaster CME Q2 revenue up, sees challenging H2(Corrects last paragraph to show that shares had lost, not gained, 2.4 percent from the start of the year to Tuesday's close)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:56 am PayPal making belated foray in Japan, without eBayPayPal, the online payment unit of Internet commerce firm eBay Inc., is planning to break into the Japanese market _ the first time it has entered a region without eBay's powerful auction...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:52 am Viral Video: "Sucker Punch" [BoomTown]
It’s hard to say what’s going on in this trailer for a Hollywood movie titled “Sucker Punch,” skedded to come out next spring, except to say it is full of even more heavy-duty special effects and, bonus, lady warrior action. The film, reads the description, “is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, but her incredible adventures blur the lines between what’s real and what is imaginary…with potentially tragic consequences.” All I can see is yet another movie that relies even more on digital manipulation. But it does look cool, so enjoy: Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:30 am When Does CRM Become A Collaboration Service?What is the point when a CRM application becomes a collaboration service? And when does a collaboration service become a CRM application? These are question we ask ourselves when we see the range of services...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:30 am Panasonic introduces 3-D camcorder for consumers (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:23 am Intricately carved vintage vinyl records
By artist Scott Marr, who is based in Australia: "Records revert to time." Carved record and ochre, 25cm. View more from this series of artwork. He explains that these are all carved by hand using a dremel, which sounds awfully time-consuming and delicate. Really beautiful stuff. (via Bibliodyssey) SPECIAL FEATURE: MapsIt's a map of a world that doesn't exist: twelve feet wide and as tall as a Tataru. Fussy details are in tension with swathes of empty, gold-leaf space. It is what I once imagined adorned every videogame...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:07 am SPECIAL FEATURE: MapsIt's a map of a world that doesn't exist: twelve feet wide and as tall as a Tataru. Fussy details are in tension with swathes of empty, gold-leaf space. It is what I once imagined adorned every videogame...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:07 am There Will Be Blood: Why Apple and Intel Are Destined to Clash [Voices]By Jon Stokes, Senior Editor, Ars Technica A long time ago, in what seems like a galaxy far, far away, Apple and Google were the Brad and Jennifer of the tech world. Google had the cloud, Apple had the clients, and both companies were such industry darlings that fantasizing about world-changing Apple/Google team-ups was a popular pundit pastime. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:01 am Here's an Idea: The iPad Sombrero Program–And Get an iPad Sombrero or Parasol at No Charge [Digital Daily]
That’s the warning given to new iPad owners in the device’s user manual and Apple’s support forums as well–a warning that evidently went unheeded by a trio of early adopters who are now suing the company, claiming the iPad doesn’t operate properly at high temperatures. The suit, which seeks class action status, alleges that the iPad does not live up to a “reasonable consumer’s expectations.” From the complaint, which is embedded in full below: “The iPad overheats so quickly under common weather conditions that it does not function for prolonged use either indoors, or in many other warm conditions, for a variety of common uses such as, but not necessarily limited to, an e-reader, e-mail tool, Web browser and/or game/entertainment unit….Nowhere in any of Apple’s press releases and nowhere in any of Apple’s advertising materials which market the iPad to consumers does Apple mention that the iPad is virtually unusable when sitting in particular environmental conditions (e.g., in direct sunlight in connection with virtually any ambient air temperature) since it turns off, sometimes after just a few minutes of use.” In other words, the iPad gets hot in the sun. And if its temperature exceeds its operational threshold it overheats, just as a candy bar left on a car dashboard melts when it exceeds its operational threshold. Because of this, the plaintiffs claim Apple is guilty of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive advertising practices, intentional misrepresentation, breach of warranty, and unfair business practices under the Unfair Competition Act. Now, reports of iPads overheating are not new. But then neither is the concept that “things get hot in the sun.” Or RTFM. [Image credit: Sombrero used in graphic above courtesy Infrogmation] Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:01 am Mobile-TV Push Gets Fuzzy Reception [Voices]By Don Clark, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Chip maker Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) last week signaled it may give up a costly six-year quest to bring broadcast TV to mobile phones and other devices in the U.S. Not too many people are surprised, however, given the reception for mobile-TV services in the country so far. But other entrepreneurs remain undaunted, arguing that technology decisions and other factors slowed adoption of a medium that has gained traction in other countries. A group of U.S. local broadcasters, in fact, is just beginning to gear up an effort to deliver a broadcast service called Mobile DTV to U.S. markets, using transmission capacity freed up by a transition from analog to digital technology. Meanwhile, a start-up called MobiTV Inc., which helps carriers offer mobile-TV services, says viewership of the World Cup helped turn June into the best month in its 10-year history. The Emeryville, Calif., company claims more than 10 million users, up from seven million this time a year ago. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Behind "War Logs," a New Kind of Alliance [Voices]By David Carr, Columnist, New York Times It is perhaps fitting that the war in Afghanistan, a conflict rife with asymmetrical information–who is the enemy, who are the allies–has helped produce a new kind of asymmetrical journalism. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am The Acceleration of Addictiveness [Voices]By Paul Graham, Founder, Y Combinator What hard liquor, cigarettes, heroin, and crack have in common is that they’re all more concentrated forms of less addictive predecessors. Most if not all the things we describe as addictive are. And the scary thing is, the process that created them is accelerating. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am SPECIAL FEATURE: MapsIt's a map of a world that doesn't exist: twelve feet wide and as tall as a Tataru. Fussy details are in tension with swathes of empty, gold-leaf space. It is what I once imagined adorned every videogame developer's wall, a map to a virtual land where the treasure isn't a spot marked with an X, but the world itself: emerald hills, sapphire rivers, and mountains draped in ice.
The Neuroscience of "Inception" [Voices]By Jonah Lehrer, Contributing Editor, Wired The literary critic Frank Kermode famously argued that all successful works of art have the ability to inspire multiple interpretations. We read the classics, he said, because we believe they say more than the author meant. In other words, it is the ambiguity of art–this ability to inspire arguments and blog posts–that makes it so interesting. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Curated Computing Is No Substitute for the Personal and Handmade [Voices]By Cory Doctorow, Co-Editor, BoingBoing.net The launch of the iPad and the general success of mobile device app stores has created a buzzword frenzy for “curated” computing – computing experiences where software and wallpaper and attendant foofaraw for your device are hand-picked for your pleasure. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Big Bang Abandoned in New Model of the Universe [Voices]By KentuckyFC, Blogger, Technology Review As one of the few astrophysical events that most people are familiar with, the Big Bang has a special place in our culture. And while there is scientific consensus that it is the best explanation for the origin of the Universe, the debate is far from closed. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 28 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am UPDATE 1-Atos 2010 underlying sales dip, keeps goals* Sees underlying 2010 sales dip due to client bankruptcySource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:56 am Write On Top of the Internet With New Firefox Add-OnA new browser add-on by L.A.-based Border Stylo aims to bring the social web experience closer than ever before to the experience of sitting next to a friend and pointing to something on your screen. The...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:49 am Momentum building for federal online privacy rules - Washington Post
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:46 am Adobe Buys Swiss Company Day Software For $240 Million
Adobe is strengthening its product portfolio with its intention to acquire Swiss firm Day Software, which makes Web content management systems aimed at marketers. Adobe announced an all-cash tender offer for Day’s shares. The purchase price is approximately $240 million. Many of Adobe’s products, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, are used already to create marketing materials for companies. Moving into Web content management is a natural step since as many of these marketing materials are consumed and distributed online. Day allows marketers to manage digital assets for online marketing campaigns and set up marketing blogs and other social media outreach. Adobe is clearly looking to grow through acquisitions. Just last September it bought Web advertising analytics giant Omniture for $1.8 billion.      
Source: TechCrunch | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:41 am Panasonic introduces 3-D camcorder for consumersThe problem of what to watch on a 3-D TV will be yours to solve with Panasonic's camcorder for families to film birthdays, baby's first walk and weddings, all in 3-D. Numerous global...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:37 am LG Electronics' 2Q net profit falls 33 percent (AP)AP - LG Electronics, a top global manufacturer of flat screen televisions and mobile handsets, said second-quarter net profit fell by a third amid a decline in sales and weaker profitability for phones.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:35 am LG Electronics' 2Q net profit falls 33 percentLG Electronics, a top global manufacturer of flat screen televisions and mobile handsets, said second-quarter net profit fell by a third amid a decline in sales and weaker profitability forSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:35 am UPDATE 1-Sage sees year in line after stronger growth in Q3LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - British accountancy software firm Sage said on Wednesday it had seen improved growth trends in the third quarter, and it saw full-year results in line with market expectations...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:31 am Google in talks to build Facebook competitor: report (Reuters)Reuters - Google Inc has held talks with gaming companies as it looks to develop a new service to compete with social networking website Facebook, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:30 am Hirsch Receives $4 Million in Orders for Systems Capable of Using PIV Cards for Access ControlSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:30 am UPDATE 1-Wolters Kluwer keeps outlook, Q2 in line* Sees 2010 EPS at 1.41-1.45 euros, EBITA margin 20-21 pctSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:21 am Why the Facebook, Amazon integration is bigger than you think - VentureBeat
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:15 am Eric Schmidt: The World Doesn’t Need A Copy Of The Same Thing
And now the The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is trying to get a piece of the Facebook pie, the filling of which is primarily composed of social games, hence the rumored discussions with the newly acquired Playdom, and EA, not to mention Google’s recent $100 million investment in Zynga. Schmidt went on to state that Facebook was actually good for Google because “Facebook users use more Google products than any other users” which is a valid yet somewhat misleading statement, as the 500 million strong population of Facebook is greater than the United States. Schmidt also referenced our scoop on Google’s hooking up with Zynga, proclaiming “we haven’t announced it” but “you can expect a partnership with Zynga.” Schmidt’s “The world doesn’t need a copy of the same thing” attitude might have served Google well earlier this year when its reported “Twitter killer” Google Buzz did not actually kill Twitter.      
Source: TechCrunch | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:15 am UPDATE 1-AU returns to profit but weakness ahead* Strong takeup of LED screens helps boost margins - CFOSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:12 am Panasonic unveils 3D consumer camcorder (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 28 Jul 2010 | 12:02 am The 'Haystack' Gets Smaller in Hunt for Higgs ParticleHunting for the Higgs boson isn't like trying to find one needle in a haystack (as the proverbial saying goes), it's like trying to find one needle in a Chicago-sized city filled with haystacks.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:46 pm For Space Shuttle Workers, The End Is HereNASA's future may be up in the air, as Congress debates a myriad of options for the U.S. human space program, but 1,394 shuttle workers are getting a concrete reminder this week of what's in store -- no job.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:01 pm A New Tool For Improving SwitchgrassAgricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed a new tool for deciphering the genetics of a native prairie grass being widely studied for its potential as a biofuel. The genetic map of switchgrass, published by Christian Tobias, a molecular biologist at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., and his colleagues, is expected to speed up the search for genes that will make the perennial plant a more viable source of bioenergy.Switchgrass is now grown as a cattle feed and to restore depleted soils. But interest in using it as a biofuel has intensified in recent years because it can be burned to produce electricity and, like corn stalks, can be converted to ethanol. It also grows on marginal lands, is adaptable to different regions, and—as a perennial—does not need to be replanted each year, which means lower energy costs and less runoff.To assemble the genetic map, the team crossed a commercial variety of switchgrass known as Kanlow with an ARS-developed variety known as Alamo to produce 238 plants. They extracted DNA from that population and assembled a map based on more than 1,000 genetic markers that could each be attributed to one parent or the other.The map divides the switchgrass genome into 18 distinct groups of genes linked together on the same strand of DNA. The results were recently published in the journal Genetics.The work is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as part of the joint USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy Program.Understanding the genetic composition of switchgrass could produce big rewards. To make switchgrass more commercially viable as a biofuel, scientists are searching for ways to increase yields and make it easier to break down the plant cell walls, an essential step in producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass.The genetic map could lead to genes associated with cell wall composition, crop yields and other useful traits. Scientists will be able to use the genetic map to compare the genetic profile of switchgrass to that of rice, sorghum and other plants with better understood genomes and find analogues to genes linked to specific traits in those crops.ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of USDA. The work supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy.---On the Net:USDA Agriculture Research ServiceGeneticsSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:57 pm Native-Like Spider Silk Produced In Metabolically Engineered BacteriumResearchers have long envied spiders' ability to manufacture silk that is light-weighted while as strong and tough as steel or Kevlar. Indeed, finer than human hair, five times stronger by weight than steel, and three times tougher than the top quality man-made fiber Kevlar, spider dragline silk is an ideal material for numerous applications. Suggested industrial applications have ranged from parachute cords and protective clothing to composite materials in aircrafts. Also, many biomedical applications are envisioned due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability.Unfortunately, natural dragline silk cannot be conveniently obtained by farming spiders because they are highly territorial and aggressive. To develop a more sustainable process, can scientists mass-produce artificial silk while maintaining the amazing properties of native silk? That is something Sang Yup Lee at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, the Republic of Korea, and his collaborators, Professor Young Hwan Park at Seoul National University and Professor David Kaplan at Tufts University, wanted to figure out. Their method is very similar to what spiders essentially do: first, expression of recombinant silk proteins; second, making the soluble silk proteins into water-insoluble fibers through spinning.For the successful expression of high molecular weight spider silk protein, Professor Lee and his colleagues pieced together the silk gene from chemically synthesized oligonucleotides, and then inserted it into the expression host (in this case, an industrially safe bacterium Escherichia coli which is normally found in our gut). Initially, the bacterium refused to the challenging task of producing high molecular weight spider silk protein due to the unique characteristics of the protein, such as extremely large size, repetitive nature of the protein structure, and biased abundance of a particular amino acid glycine. "To make E. coli synthesize this ultra high molecular weight (as big as 285 kilodalton) spider silk protein having highly repetitive amino acid sequence, we helped E. coli overcome the difficulties by systems metabolic engineering," says Sang Yup Lee, Distinguished Professor of KAIST, who led this project. His team boosted the pool of glycyl-tRNA, the major building block of spider silk protein synthesis. "We could obtain appreciable expression of the 285 kilodalton spider silk protein, which is the largest recombinant silk protein ever produced in E. coli. That was really incredible." says Dr. Xia.But this was only step one. The KAIST team performed high-cell-density cultures for mass production of the recombinant spider silk protein. Then, the team developed a simple, easy to scale-up purification process for the recombinant spider silk protein. The purified spider silk protein could be spun into beautiful silk fiber. To study the mechanical properties of the artificial spider silk, the researchers determined tenacity, elongation, and Young's modulus, the three critical mechanical parameters that represent a fiber's strength, extensibility, and stiffness. Importantly, the artificial fiber displayed the tenacity, elongation, and Young's modulus of 508 MPa, 15%, and 21 GPa, respectively, which are comparable to those of the native spider silk."We have offered an overall platform for mass production of native-like spider dragline silk. This platform would enable us to have broader industrial and biomedical applications for spider silk. Moreover, many other silk-like biomaterials such as elastin, collagen, byssus, resilin, and other repetitive proteins have similar features to spider silk protein. Thus, our platform should also be useful for their efficient bio-based production and applications," concludes Professor Lee.---On the Net:The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:44 pm The Mouse Is Dead. I Just Killed It. Now Can We Move On?
I mean come on, it’s a mouse. Does anyone really think it’s going to be the main way we interact with computers in the future? It’s a 50-year old technology for Chrissakes. Let me be clear: I’m not saying trackpads and other multi-touch surfaces are going to replace the mouse overnight. Of course they’re not. I’m also not saying that the Magic Trackpad specifically is going to kill the mouse. Of course it’s not — it’s Mac-only, that’s still a small percentage of overall computer users. What I am saying is that the Magic Trackpad is the device that is signaling the end of the mouse era. It’s a harbinger, if you will. I believe that we’re going to start seeing more devices like this (and obviously, not just from Apple) which focus on touch as a way of interacting with desktop machines. But even if we don’t, the desktop machines are slowly fading out as the primary computers in most peoples’ lives. Some people will think that’s absurd, but ask yourself if you already use your notebook or netbook more than your desktop? I know I do. It’s not even close. That’s exactly what Apple spoke to today with the unveiling of this new peripheral. Most Mac users are now using trackpads as their main point of interaction with their machines. Going forward, this trend is going to continue. And that’s not even including devices like the iPad and yes, the iPhone, which are also computers. Going forward, tablets and smartphones are also going to be the computing devices that people use much more than desktops. The mouse is a desktop device. Sure, you can bring a portable one to hook up to your laptop on the go — but just look at young people, kids in college and high school. They don’t do that. The only reason some of us do that is because we’re accustomed to the mouse.
I went the other way. I argued that it would be stupid for Apple to put a physical keyboard on the iPhone. It would simply be a waste of space. The people complaining were largely BlackBerry (or Treo) users who, again, were accustomed to a certain way of doing things. And they didn’t think they could change, or that they wanted to change. The physical keyboard was actually a pair of handcuffs. But those of us who had never owned a BlackBerry couldn’t have cared less about such a feature. More importantly, a whole new generation of people were about to use smartphones for the first time. And they too wouldn’t care about the lack of a physical keyboard. We kept hearing the iPhone couldn’t make it without the physical keyboard. That the G1 would kill it. Or that the Palm Pre would. Yeah, how’s that working out? Here were are three years after the iPhone launch and most smartphones suspiciously seem to lack that very keyboard no one could live without. Most look like iPhones. It’s laughably short-sighted to think that computing isn’t going to change rapidly going forward. Are we all going to be tethered to a desk using a mouse and a keyboard? No. The whole concept never made a lot of sense in the first place — and to the next generation of children growing up with all sorts of new computing devices, it will make no sense. If companies like Apple listened to some of these short-sighted demands from users, we’d have an uglier and bulkier iPhone with a keyboard. It undoubtedly wouldn’t be as good. That’s because most users have no imagination. They want what they know. When they say they want the future, what they are really saying is that they want a moderately updated version of the past. With users in charge, we certainly wouldn’t have the iPad now. It’s would be the Henry Ford quote come true: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Right now, people may be saying they want the mouse. But they really don’t. They just don’t realize it yet because that’s all they know. I’m not saying the mouse will go fully extinct anytime soon. As I said, it will continue to be very popular for people who need precision when working with computers – If you really have a problem understanding that, these next few decades are going to be rough on you. It’s time to stop acting like you’re Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption getting paroled after 50 years in prison. The world evolves. Technology evolves. And the mouse is going to die. [images: flickr/heipei flickr/kairu and Warner Bros.]      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:40 pm Gone fission -- see you in September!
If you are reading this blog-post, it is because I have been kidnapped by my family and whisked away to a cottage on a Canadian lake, from which vantage I will be contemplating the loons, catching up on my reading, teaching Poesy to swim, going to the drive in, and lolling about in the grass or lazing on the dock.
Three things I will not be doing is looking at email, answering the phone, or blogging (though I have some book reviews in the queue for August, to coincide with the books' release dates). I'll see you all again on August 29th -- and if you're in Australia, I hope to see you at the World Science Fiction Convention and Melbourne Writers Festival in early September. Likewise, I hope to see my German friends on my September Little Brother tour, and my Dutch friends on my PICNIC and Bits of Freedom Makers launch. In the meantime, I leave you in the expert hands of my co-editors here at Boing Boing. See you all in the autumn!
(Image: more view, a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike (2.0) image from jtrant's photostream)
Panasonic Wants You To Take Pictures In 3D
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:27 pm Inception's musical secretInception is one of the two best science fiction movies I've ever seen (along with Gilliam's Brazil) -- in fact, it's one of two sf movies that I'd rank with the very best sf novels. Here's a YouTube clip showing some of the nice attention to detail in the film: the two major musical stings in the movie (a threatening, bassy throb and a grainy Victrola of Edith Piaf singing "Je Ne Regrette Rien") are, in fact, the same song, played at very different speeds. Inception Music Comparison (via Super Punch)   Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:23 pm Shark Knife will terrify your enemies with macho impracticality The shark knife isn't going to win any beauty contests, but that's OK, because shark knives aren't about looking good, they're about getting the job done. And the job here is looking insanely tough, but with a tender, whimsical side. The Klingons have a word for this, most often translated as "trying too hard." Shark Knife (via Making Light)  Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:19 pm Trumpet junk raygun C.G.Conn Gideon's entry at Budget Rayguns is this wonderful trumpetgun, suitable for arpeggioing the Bug-Eyed Monsters into paste. C.G.Conn Gideon (Thanks, Keri666! via Submitterator)  Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:16 pm 2010 Data Breach Report From Verizon Business, U.S. Secret Service Offers New Cybercrime InsightsBASKING RIDGE, N.J., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, based on a first-of-its kind collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service, has found that breaches of electronic records last year involved more insider threats, greater use of social engineering and the continued strong involvement of organized criminal groups. The study, released Wednesday (July 28), also noted that the overall number of breaches investigated last year declined from the total for the previous year - "a promising" indication, the study said. The report cited stolen credentials as the most common way of gaining unauthorized access into organizations in 2009, pointing once again to the importance of strong security practices both for individuals and organizations. Organized criminal groups were responsible for 85 percent of all stolen data last year, the report said. Verizon Business investigative experts found, as they did in the company's prior data breach reports, that most breaches were considered avoidable if security basics had been followed. Only 4 percent of breaches assessed required difficult and expensive protective measures. The 2010 report concluded that being prepared remains the best defense against security breaches. For the most part, organizations still remain sluggish in detecting and responding to incidents. Most breaches (60 percent) continue to be discovered by external parties and then only after a considerable amount of time. And while most victimized organizations have evidence of a breach in their security logs, they often overlook them due to a lack of staff, tools or processes. The collaboration with the Secret Service, announced in May, enabled this year's Data Breach Investigations Report to provide an expanded view of data breaches over the last six years. With the addition of Verizon's 2009 caseload and data contributed by the Secret Service -- which investigates financial crimes -- the report covers 900-plus breaches involving more than 900 million compromised records. "This year we were able to significantly widen our window into the dynamic world of data breaches, granting us an even broader and deeper perspective," said Peter Tippett, Verizon Business vice president of technology and enterprise innovation. "By including information from the Secret Service caseload, we are expanding both our understanding of cybercrime and our ability to stop breaches." Michael Merritt, Secret Service assistant director for investigations, said: "The Secret Service believes that building trusted partnerships between all levels of law enforcement, the private sector and academia has been a proven and successful model for facing the challenges of securing cyberspace. It is through our collaborative approach with established partnerships that the Secret Service is able to help expand the collective understanding of breaches and continue to augment our advanced detection and prevention efforts." (NOTE: Additional resources supporting the 2010 data breach report are available, including an audio podcast, video podcast and high-resolution charts and graphs.) Key Findings of the 2010 Report This year's key findings both reinforce prior conclusions and offer new insights. These include: Most data breaches investigated were caused by external sources. Sixty-nine percent of breaches resulted from these sources, while only 11 percent were linked to business partners. Forty-nine percent were caused by insiders, which is an increase over previous report findings, primarily due in part to an expanded dataset and the types of cases studied by the Secret Service. Many breaches involved privilege misuse. Forty-eight percent of breaches were attributed to users who, for malicious purposes, abused their right to access corporate information. An additional 40 percent of breaches were the result of hacking, while 28 percent were due to social tactics and 14 percent to physical attacks. Commonalities continue across breaches. As in previous years, nearly all data was breached from servers and online applications. Eight-five percent of the breaches were not considered highly difficult, and 87 percent of victims had evidence of the breach in their log files, yet missed it. Meeting PCI-DSS compliance still critically important. Seventy-nine percent of victims subject to the PCI-DSS standard hadn't achieved compliance prior to the breach. The State of Cybercrime: 2010 The report said the decline in the overall number of data breaches may be due to a number of factors, including "law enforcement's effectiveness in capturing criminals." The report cited the arrest of Albert Gonzalez, one of the world's most notorious computer hackers, who pleaded guilty to helping run a global ring that stole hundreds of millions of payment card numbers and who was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison. "The reduction in breaches is a positive sign that we are gaining some ground in the fight against cybercrime," said Tippett. "As we are able to share more information through the use of the VERIS security research framework to gather comparative security data such as the caseload of the Secret Service, we believe we will be even better equipped to arm organizations with best practices, processes, tools and services that will continue to make a difference." Data breaches continue to occur within all types of organizations. Financial services, hospitality and retail still comprise the "Big Three" of industries affected (33 percent, 23 percent and 15 percent, respectively) in the merged Verizon-Secret Service dataset, though tech services edged out retail in Verizon's caseload. A growing percentage of cases and an astounding 94 percent of all compromised records in 2009 were attributable to financial services. More than half of the breaches investigated by Verizon in 2009 occurred outside the U.S., while the bulk of the breaches investigated by the Secret Service occurred in the U.S. The report finds no correlation between an organization's size and its chances of suffering a data breach. "Thieves are more likely to select targets based on the perceived value of the data and cost of attack than victim characteristics such as size," Verizon researchers noted. Recommendations for Enterprises The 2010 study once again shows that simple actions, when done diligently and continually, can reap big benefits. These actions include: Restrict and monitor privileged users. The data from the Secret Service showed that there were more insider breaches than ever before. Insiders, especially highly privileged ones, can be difficult to control. The best strategies are to trust but verify by using pre-employment screening; limit user privileges; and employ separation of duties. Privileged use should be logged and messages detailing activity generated to management. Watch for 'Minor' Policy Violations. The study finds a correlation between seemingly minor policy violations and more serious abuse. This suggests that organizations should be wary of and adequately respond to all violations of an organization's policies. Based on case data, the presence of illegal content on user systems or other inappropriate behavior is a reasonable indicator of a future breach. Actively searching for such indicators may prove even more effective. Implement Measures to Thwart Stolen Credentials. Keeping credential-capturing malware off systems is priority No. 1. Consider two-factor authentication where appropriate. If possible, implement time-of-use rules, IP blacklisting and restricting administrative connections. Monitor and Filter Outbound Traffic. At some point during the sequence of events in many breaches, something (data, communications, connections) goes out externally via an organization's network that, if prevented, could break the chain and stop the breach. By monitoring, understanding and controlling outbound traffic, an organization can greatly increase its chances of mitigating malicious activity.Change Your Approach to Event Monitoring and Log Analysis. Almost all victims have evidence of the breach in their logs. It doesn't take much to figure out that something is amiss and make needed changes. Organizations should make time to review more thoroughly batch-processed data and analysis of logs. Make sure there are enough people, adequate tools and sufficient processes in place to recognize and respond to anomalies. Share Incident Information. An organization's ability to fully protect itself is based on the information available to do so. Verizon believes the availability and sharing of information are crucial in the fight against cybercrime. We commend all those organizations that take part in this effort, through such data-sharing programs as the Verizon VERIS Framework. A complete copy of the "2010 Data Breach Investigations Report" is available at http://www.verizonbusiness.com/go/2010databreachreport/. . About the United States Secret Service Well known for protecting the nation's leaders, the U.S. Secret Service also is responsible for protecting America's financial infrastructure. The Secret Service has taken a lead role in mitigating the threat of financial crimes since the agency's inception in 1865. As technology has evolved, the scope of the U.S. Secret Service's mission has expanded from its original counterfeit currency investigations to also include emerging financial crimes. As a component agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service has established successful partnerships in both the law enforcement and business communities - across the country and around the world - in order to effectively combat financial crimes. About Verizon Business Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com. VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases. SOURCE Verizon BusinessSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:01 pm July 28, 1948: IG Farben Explosion Punctuates Nuremberg TrialA deadly explosion at German chemical conglomerate IG Farben's Ludwigshafen plant kills more than 200 people and injures more than 3,800 — 500 of them seriously.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm How Big is Social Media in the UK? [VIDEO] (Mashable)Mashable - The social media and networking phenomenon is growing extremely fast in the UK. 85 percent of the population is online; they spend over 6 hours on social media sites every month, nearly 60 percent of them read blogs and 64% have their own profile on a social network.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:59 pm Google Develops a Facebook Rival [Voices]By Amir Efrati, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Google Inc. is in talks with several makers of popular online games as it seeks to develop a broader social networking service that could compete with Facebook Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. Google (GOOG) has been in discussions with top developers to offer their games on a new service it is building, these people said. Those developers include Playdom Inc., Electronic Arts Inc.’s Playfish and Zynga Game Network Inc.–a company in which Google recently took a financial stake, these people said. Read the rest of this report on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:45 pm VicenTerra GMT-3 Watch So what is this all about? Well the first planned watch from the new VicenTerra brand is the GMT-3. Large and tonneau cased, it will sport a steel case (not sure about the size) with a uniquely modified Swiss ETA 2892 automatic movement. The modifications will give it the time, retrograde date display, second time zone in GMT format, a day/night indication disc at the top of the dial, and a rotating globe that is meant to have the "lit" side of the Earth facing the dial. There are pushers all over the case to operate the various functions. Seems elegant enough given the good quality base movement.
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:43 pm Rambus Could Reap Millions In Patent SettlementsRedEaredSlider writes "Rambus, a designer of semiconductor chips, won a long-running patent battle with NVIDIA, but that dispute is not the only one the company is involved in — and the upcoming decisions could mean millions in additional revenue. Besides the NVIDIA decision, Rambus is involved in a suit with Hynix Semiconductor that will be heard in October. In that case, Hynix had originally sued Rambus in 2000, but Rambus counter-sued. Hynix lost, and appealed. The parties will appear before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in October. A judgment in Rambus's favor would be worth at least $397 million, according to the company's general counsel, Tom Lavelle."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:30 pm Data Sorting World Record — 1 Terabyte, 1 MinuteAn anonymous reader writes "Computer scientists from the University of California, San Diego have broken the 'terabyte barrier' — and a world record — when they sorted more than a trillion bytes of data in 60 seconds. During this 2010 'Sort Benchmark' competition, a sort of 'World Cup of data sorting,' the UCSD team also tied a world record for fastest data sorting rate, sifting through one trillion data records in 172 minutes — and did so using just a quarter of the computing resources of the other record holder."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:29 pm Rivals benefit as iPhone 4 delayed in S.Korea (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:19 pm Kanye West Raps About Getting Laid And Disses Twitter At Facebook [Video]
Facebook may be in the middle of negotiating a deal to acquire the check-in service Hot Potato, but that didn’t stop most employees from stopping by the cafeteria at the headquarters in Palo Alto today to see hip hop artist Kanye West freestyle. West, dressed in a suit, appears to be standing on a table as he lets loose. First, he raps a bit about getting laid. But then, cheered on by the crowd, he comes back to freestyle about a number of others things — and if you listen closely, you can even hear him diss Facebook rival Twitter (I’m not even sure those in the audience picked up on it). You may recall that early last year, West was mad as hell at Twitter — and blogged about it. Clearly, he’s a Facebook guy.
[thanks Jason for the pic and Joe for the vid]      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:03 pm Mosquito feels pretty (oh, so pretty)
Look at those eye lashes! Actually, they're flagellomeres—a basic part of all insect antennae. Looking at the number of flagellomeres present—and the way they're attached to the rest of the antenna—can help distinguish between species of insects, and sometimes even between males and females within a species. This picture comes to us through the Submitterator, via Karloskar. The photo was taken by Flickr user brokentoyshop. According to Karloskar, brokentoyshop took this image using only "some simple homebrew of lenses, flashes and a laser for targeting." Super cool!  Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:44 pm Panasonic Reveals Its Consumer 3D Camcorder, The HDC-SDT750
The main lens (i.e. for 2D shooting) is a 46mm F/1.5 Leica Dicomar, which sounds pretty awesome. You lose almost two full stops of light when you put on the 3D lens, though, bringing it down to F/3.2. That’s not so bad still for a camcorder, but you’ll need to keep it in mind when you’re shooting. It’s got 12x optical zoom, though of course you’ll lose a lot of light there too.
Another cool feature is built-in 5.1 channel recording; it uses five actual microphones and automatically mixes it. That’s pretty awesome, and I really hope it trickles down to more consumer-level cameras. On the other hand, that handy manual settings ring, normally able to control focus, zoom, exposure, white balance, and shutter speed, can only control white balance when the 3D lens is on. That’s what they get for half-assing the 3D capability. Pity! So what can you expect to pay for this sucker? $1400. Yeah, a bit expensive, but really, it’s one of the few all-in-one 3D systems on the market. It’s more than a fair price if you ask me, although the framerate limitation is baffling. It’ll be available in October. More specs and info at Panasonic.
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:38 pm What would happen if the world stopped turning?
Never fear. This isn't another ecological disaster scenario you need to lose sleep over. What we're really talking about here is some good, old-fashioned struttin'. In this case, the creators of ArcGIS—a suite of geographic information system programs—decided to show off their system's predictive modeling abilities by generating maps that show what a non-spinning Earth would look like. One of the most surprising outcomes they came up with has to do with the impact centrifugal force has on oceans.
In North America, this polar ocean would stretch all the way down to Chicago, while vast, unexplored vistas opened up west of Mexico. And, unlike the real world, the two oceans in this alternate reality wouldn't be connected. (Via Brainpicker) Image courtesy Flickr user nattu, via CC  Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:27 pm APNewsBreak: FBI says mastermind of botnet nabbed (AP)AP - International authorities have arrested a computer hacker believed responsible for creating the malicious computer code that infected as many as 12 million computers, invading major banks and corporations around the world, FBI officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:02 pm Is This The End For The Army’s “Pain Ray”?
The only reason given for its removal was a terse quote from Colonel Shanks, Chief of Public Affairs for ISAF:
Perhaps it just wasn’t effective? The technology works by exciting water molecules in the top layer of your skin, causing a burning sensation not unlike touching a hot light bulb, according to those it was tested on. It has a long range for a nonlethal weapon (500m) but in Afghanistan that may simply not be an effective tactical tool — lots of long distances and lots of cover, from what I hear. This failed (or actively denied) deployment may spell the end for the ray, but a more portable version, the Silent Guardian, is still in development by Raytheon. It’s not quite handheld, but it’s smaller than the Hummer-mounted model and still hurts like hell, if I’m to believe that guy in the picture. [via DailyTech]
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:00 pm Panasonic Unveils the World's First 3D Consumer Camcorder, Complete With a 3D Conversion Lens*1SECAUCUS, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic today announced the launch of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750, the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, which includes a 3D conversion lens*1 that enables the camcorder to shoot powerful and true-to-life 3D video content. The Panasonic SDT750 is a user-friendly consumer 3D camcorder that makes experiencing 3D at home easy and affordable*2. In addition to shooting 3D, the SDT750 can record full 1080p High Definition (HD) in AVCHD, when the 3D conversion lens is unattached, and includes powerful features such as a 3MOS system, a Leica Dicomar lens and a 12x optical zoom. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100727/NY41896 ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100727/NY41896 ) "As a result of research conducted through Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, Panasonic developed a professional 3D system camera and successfully brought high-quality Full HD 3D images to the home for viewing on Panasonic VIERA Full HD 3D televisions. But now, Panasonic has taken it one step further and developed the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750 - creating a 3D ecosystem available for consumers in the home," said Chris Rice, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Incorporating Panasonic's professional broadcast technology and bringing it to an easy-to-use consumer model, the SDT750 makes high-quality 3D video content a reality in the home." To shoot 3D video with the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 camcorder, the user needs to attach the 3D conversion lens that comes included, to record dynamic images. The specially-designed 3D conversion lens records right-eye and left-eye images simultaneously through its two lenses, thus resulting in video that can be viewed in 3D. The right and left images (each with 960 x 1080 pixels) that enter through the lenses are recorded using the side-by-side method. The Panasonic SDT750 features a Time Lapse Recording feature, which plays a scene such as a sunset or a blooming flower at an accelerated speed, similar to a fast-forward. By setting the recording interval to 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes, the user can view an otherwise long recording in a reduced time period. For example, when a scene is recorded at the 1-second interval setting, a 10-minute sunset scene can be played back in approximately 10 seconds, making the slow change in the subject appear as if it were taking place in a very short time. This interval recording feature is also available when the 3D conversion lens is attached to the SDT750. Panasonic offers a 5.1-channel audio recording sound system that uses five microphones, so when voices are recorded from the front, right, left and back are played on a 5.1-channel home cinema system, users are surrounded by clear, detailed sound that makes them feel as if they are right in the middle of the action. The Focus Microphone function, which has been made possible by five highly-directional microphones, picks up the sounds from sources in the area in front of the camcorder, regardless of whether the lens is focusing on a near or distant object. It also allows footage recorded in 3D to be enjoyed with lifelike and dynamic sounds. The high-sensitivity 3MOS System has 7.59 million effective motion image pixels (2.53 megapixels x 3), so this advanced image sensor separates the light received through the lens into the three primary colors - red, green and blue - and processes each color independently. As a result, the Panasonic SDT750 produces beautiful images with rich color quality, detail and gradation. Adding to the quality, the SDT750 also features a large-diameter (46mm) F1.5*3 Leica Dicomar lens and Crystal Engine PRO, a high-speed processing unit - both components which contribute to the effectiveness of the camcorder's light gathering, increased sensitivity, and reduced noise when shooting, even in dim lighting. Users can play back 3D videos recorded on the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 on 3D-capable televisions, such as Panasonic VIERA® Full HD 3D televisions, including the TC-P50VT25, TC-P54VT25, TC-P58VT25, TC-P65VT25 and the TC-P50VT20 models. Playback using a VIERA TV is done by connecting the 3D camcorder to the television using an HDMI cable. In addition, it is also possible to play 3D images recorded on SD Memory Cards by using an AVCHD compatible player,*4 such as a Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc player - the DMP-BDT350 or DMP-BDT300 models are currently available. When watching 3D content recorded by the SDT750 on any of the Panasonic Full HD 3D VIERA televisions, users can view the true-to-life content and the VIERA television will automatically engage the side-by-side method for smooth viewing of 3D content - no change of settings necessary. The SDT750 comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T PC editing software, which allows users to easily edit recorded 3D images, and save them onto PCs or Blu-ray/DVD discs. HD Writer AE 2.6T features a "Smart Wizard" that starts as soon as the SDT750 is connected to the USB port of the computer, which gives simple on-screen guidance. HD Writer AE 2.6T also enables easy uploading and sharing online without the need for any cumbersome processes, so that even an inexperienced user can post video clips on the web. When uploading 3D images from a PC onto the web, they must first be converted into 2D images. Even without the 3D conversion lens attached, the Panasonic SDT750 is an innovative and high-performance Full HD camcorder that is equipped with a wide range of sophisticated functions, including the 3MOS System, which features improved noise reduction (NR) technologies, and a wide-variety of manual adjustments controlled by a manual ring for easy, creative shooting. The manual ring provides convenient, fingertip control of the focus, zoom, exposure (iris), shutter speed and white balance settings. Using the ring is extremely intuitive, comfortable, and user-friendly. Only the white balance setting is available when the 3D conversion lens is attached. The SDT750 can shoot 1,080/60p recording (Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080, 60 progressive recording) and produces rich expressive images, with no detail loss and flickering. Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) function makes the SDT750 extremely easy to use. When the 3D lens is not attached and iA is engaged, the SDT750 automatically selects the most suitable shooting mode with the press of a button. While shooting HD video, the Panasonic SDT750's iA function offers the following six functions: Face Recognition, the new HYBRID O.I.S., AF/AE Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Intelligent Contrast Control. HYBRID O.I.S., a new feature, provides extremely accurate hand-shake correction with its four-axis blur detection, resulting in steady images while zooming or shooting on the move. Other features of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 include: Auto Power LCD automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen according to the shooting environment for comfortable use in a variety of different lighting situations. Large 3.0" touch-screen LCD allows icons to be easily operated by touching them with a fingertip. On the LCD, recorded 3D images are displayed only as the 2D images that were recorded with the left lens.Eco Mode automatically turns off the power when the camcorder is not operated for five minutes, reducing wasteful energy use and saving battery power.Pre-Rec allows for the camcorder to continuously record three seconds of content into internal memory. Then, when the record button is pressed, the three seconds immediately prior will have been recorded.The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 will be available in October 2010 with a suggested retail price of $1,399.95. For more information on Panasonic camcorders, please visit: www.panasonic.com/dvc. *1 As a consumer camcorder with 3D conversion lens for the AVCHD standard (as of July 27, 2010). *2 A TV that is capable of side-by-side method 3D playback, 3D Eyewear, and HDMI cable connection are required to play the recorded 3D images. *3 F3.2 when the 3D conversion lens is attached. *4 If the player/recorder is incompatible with 3D, the 3D mode must be set on the TV manually *Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. SOURCE PanasonicSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:00 pm Panasonic Announces Development of World's First* Interchangeable 3D Lens for LUMIX G Micro System**SECAUCUS, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continuing its record of 3D technology leadership, Panasonic today announced the development of the world's first* digital interchangeable twin-lens, making it possible to shoot 3D with an interchangeable lens system camera. As a new member of Panasonic's powerful lineup of interchangeable lenses as part of the LUMIX G Micro System**, the twin-lens will allow high-quality shooting in 3D. Panasonic plans to release this new lens for sale before the end of the year. "This year will be remembered as the 'First Year of 3D Era' and Panasonic has already taken the lead by launching 3D-capable VIERA(TM) televisions and Blu-ray(TM) 3D Disc Players," said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "With Panasonic's development of a twin-lens capable of 3D shooting, the company is providing consumers with a way to capture their own 3D content, which they can then enjoy watching in the comforts of their own home. Panasonic is dedicated to evolving the 3D ecosystem, letting consumers create and display lifelike 3D images in their homes." Currently, 3D shooting with an interchangeable lens system camera is possible only by using panorama systems or by combining two lenses and two CCDs. However, these systems are not ideal and have difficulty capturing moving objects. Panasonic's new 3D lens for the LUMIX G Micro System features two optical systems installed within the diameter of the lens mount, creating stereo images from the left and right lenses that are then processed with a 3D image processing system. Thanks to Panasonic's advanced technologies in optical technology, image processing systems, and lens barrel design, the 3D lens will be compact in size. This new compact 3D-capable interchangeable lens will be easy to handle and allow instant 3D shooting, without distortion or time lag between left and right images - even when shooting moving objects. *For a digital interchangeable lens of July 28, 2010. ** Compatible models to be announced at a later date. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. For more than 20 years, Panasonic has been proud to support the Olympic Movement as an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category and, beginning in 2009, in the Digital Imaging category as well. Panasonic has also renewed its partnership with the International Olympic Committee for an additional eight years through the 2016 Summer Games. For more information, visit http://panasonic.net/olympic/. SOURCE PanasonicSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:00 pm /C O R R E C T I O N -- The Oaks Virtual Academy/In the news release, "'America's Newest Christian Junior and Senior High School, The Oaks Virtual Academy, Provides an Alternative for Those Middle and High School Students Whose Needs Are Not Being Met in a Traditional School Setting,' Said Rev. Kenny Davis, The School's Head," issued 26-Jul-2010 by The Oaks Virtual Academy over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that the headline should read "'America's Newest Christian Junior and Senior High School, The Oaks Virtual Academy, Provides an Alternative for Middle and High School Students Whose Needs Are Not Being Met in a Traditional School Setting,' Said Rev. Kenny Davis, The School's Headmaster," as originally issued inadvertently. The complete, corrected release follows: "America's Newest Christian Junior and Senior High School, The Oaks Virtual Academy, Provides an Alternative for Middle and High School Students Whose Needs Are Not Being Met in a Traditional School Setting," Said Rev. Kenny Davis, The School's Headmaster HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- We are a 100% online Christian academy offering a broad scope of both core and Advanced Placement courses that will challenge and shape the student into who Christ desires them to be. Our teachers impart both moral and spiritual growth as they develop student leaders. At The Oaks Virtual Academy, students can be in control of their education with tools provided for them to succeed both academically and spiritually. AFFORDABLE TUITION ACCREDITED CURRICULUMGRADES 6 THROUGH 12 COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY24 / 7 ACCESS TO ONE ON ONE E-TUTORINGNO APPLICATION FEES ROLLING ADMISSIONMULTIPLE STUDENT DISCOUNTTo see press release go to http://myprgenie.com/7669 SOURCE The Oaks Virtual AcademySource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:49 pm Bees rob a hive: video of the aftermathRussell Bates says: "One of our hives got attacked by another bunch of bees recently, and the resulting body count (of bees) was truly impressive. I had Kirk come over to do a bit of detective work, and this short video is the result." Life isn't always pretty in the world of beekeeping. Kirk Anderson (aka Kirkobeeo) finds a hive that has fought to the death after being attacked by robbers. He also shows how to recover and move on after this happens.Backwards Beekeepers TV: Hive War  Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:47 pm Lawsuit Hits Companies Using 'Zombie' Flash CookiesA privacy activist has filed a lawsuit targeting eight corporate users of Quantcast's "zombie" Flash cookies, in addition to Quantcast itself. The suit alleges that MTV, ESPN, MySpace, Hulu, ABC, Scribd, and others used Quancast's Flash-based cookies to recreate browser tracking cookies that users had taken the trouble to delete. "At issue is technology from Quantcast, also targeted in the lawsuit. Quantcast created Flash cookies that track users across the web, and used them to re-create traditional browser cookies that users deleted from their computers. These 'zombie' cookies came to light last year, after researchers at UC Berkeley documented deleted browser cookies returning to life. Quantcast quickly fixed the issue, calling it an unintended consequence of trying to measure web traffic accurately. ... The lawsuit (PDF)... asks the court to find that the practice violated eavesdropping and hacking laws, and that the practice of secretly tracking users also violated state and federal fair trade laws. The lawsuit alleges a 'pattern of covert online surveillance' and seeks status as a class action lawsuit."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:43 pm Whooping cough on the riseMaryn McKenna—science journalist and Scary Disease Girl extraordinaire—talks about vaccinations, the precarious dance of herd immunity, and the time she caught whooping cough. Source: Boing Boing | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:40 pm Facebook Closing In On Acquiring Check-In Service Hot Potato
Terms of the deal are likely still be negotiated, but it’s believed that this would largely be a talent acquisition for Facebook. Yes, another one. Hot Potato raised a small $1.42 million Series A round late last year, so it should not be too expensive for Facebook to buy such a company. It would undoubtedly be much less than the supposed $50 million in cash and stock they paid for FriendFeed last year, for example. Hot Potato’s About page currently lists 8 employees. Hot Potato actually launched at our Realtime CrunchUp event last November. Since then, they’ve slightly pivoted away from check-ins based around events, and more towards check-ins based on anything you may be doing. While the service hadn’t yet exploded in usage, the team behind it impressed us with the way they built their application – particularly their mobile app for the iPhone. As I alluded to above, Facebook has been on the prowl for talent acquisition targets recently. In particular they’re supposedly looking to bulk up the projects under Facebook Director of Product Blake Ross, and on the mobile side of things, we’ve heard. This Hot Potato deal could fulfill either of those — or both. If the deal is completed, it would be the seventh known company that Facebook has acquired — with five of those deals taking place in the last six months (and a sixth, FriendFeed, happening just about a year ago). Earlier this year, Facebook is believed to have sniffed around both Loopt and Foursquare as potential acquisition targets. Hot Potato is often clumped in with those two as a location-based service. But, as I said, the latest revamp moved the service away from location check-ins (though location is still a central part), and more toward general check-ins — a space which is currently heating up quite a bit. (Still, I’ll chalk this up to up to the Great Location Land Rush of 2010, if it goes down.) But again, this would seem to be a pure talent buy. If the deal is finalized, you can probably expect Hot Potato, the service, to be shut down at some point in the future.
     
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:36 pm Turn Your Blog Into An iPad Native With PadPressed
Created by Jason Baptiste, PadPressed is a WordPress plugin that makes any WordPress blog look like a native iPad app when accessed from iPad. PadPressed bestows upon your humble blog the iPad features we’ve come to know and love such as “swipe to advance” articles, touch navigation, accelerometer positioning and home screen icon support when you’re really jonseing for that authentic app feeling. Baptiste started with WordPress because 8.5% of all websites (including our own) are WordPress, but has grander aspirations, “We did WordPress first because it’s the largest thing there is next we’re doing Tumblr, Posterous, Moveable Type, and then custom CMSs.” Exciting! We demoed the app and while the sparse interface harkens to the web browser/news aggregator hybrid we’re starting to see more of on the iPad (ala Pulse, and Flipboard) we’ve noticed some issues with its touch functionality. We had difficulty swiping article pages (you have to press down really hard and the pages tend to flicker) and accessing articles from images. Baptiste says he will address the flickering issue and the touch sensitivity in a minor update, “We don’t want it to be too easy to change, but we will do controls in the future to show how sensitive the touch will be. Right now you have to click on the title in order to access, but these simple things we can change.” While not yet nearly as fluid and visually breathtaking a way to view content as native apps Flipboard and Pulse, the advantage to PadPressed is that you don’t have to direct readers to download anything. If you aren’t looking to use a prebaked solution Sencha, an HTML-5 based mobile framework is another way to circumvent the app store. So If you’re a web publisher that wants to optimize your content specifically for the iPad as inexpensively and quickly as possible PadPressed is available now for a $49.95 one time fee which includes any updates to the theme. To try out on an iPad before you buy, you can check out Baptiste’s PadPressed personal blog here.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:36 pm Rumor Has $350 PS3 Move Bundle Heading Our Way
This is pretty important stuff, since if you want your PS3 to be your media player as well as game machine, you want as much space as you can get — and if they were planning on sticking you with a weak 80GB drive, the deal seemed a little less sweet. But some more information on the bundles has been revealed by one of those many unnamed sources out there, and the $400 bundle is said to be packing a whopping 320GB of hard drive space. Really? That’s… really generous, if true. The second reveal is that there may actually be a second console bundle for people who don’t really want to shell out for all those gigs — people who would prefer the 360 Arcade bundle, for instance, or SSD in a netbook. For these guys, there will be a $350 bundle with a 120GB drive inside, which isn’t bad at all. It would be available on September 19, with the other stuff. It’s still a rumor at this point, though, so don’t go around demanding it from your local retailer. I’m guessing the source wouldn’t have said anything if this wasn’t about to be announced, so we’ll keep our ears to the ground for more info. [via SlashGear]
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:30 pm Yahoo Japan to switch to Google's search engine - Reuters
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:14 pm Panasonic Has Two New Camcorders: Small And Extra Small
Panasonic is hedging their bets, announcing models of both types. Let’s see what they’ve got. The HM-TA1 is the pocket-cam style one. It says it shoots in “Full High Definition (HD), 1920×1080 pixels,” but it doesn’t actually say 1080p anywhere, though it uses 30p in the accursed iFrame format. Not that it matters — 1080p or 1080i, the video quality is going to be pretty weak on a pocket cam with a tiny lens and sensor. It’s got the same basic layout as every other pocket-cam (2″ LCD), and takes an SD card like every other pocket-cam. If you want to buy a camera like this, my advice is to get the Kodak Playsport, which won’t get you any better image quality but is waterproof.
The HDC-SDX1 is a more traditionally-styled camcorder, and it has the benefit of optical image stabilization and more versatile autofocus. It’s also got a 2.7″ touchscreen flip-out LCD, with the always handy touch-to-focus capability. It claims a “23x intelligent zoom” but I don’t believe a word of it, since they don’t mention the actual optical zoom factor. Any digital zoom should be avoided; intelligent simply doesn’t apply. It’s got a nice wide 35.8mm on the zoomed-out end, though. Both camcorders double as webcams, which is actually a perfectly good idea, if not new. It might sound weird to use a full-size camcorder as a webcam, but you’re guaranteed decent image quality, stereo sound, and it’ll save you a few bucks. If these things shoot 1080i, though, forget it. There’s too much good stuff out there for you to be worrying about deinterlacing. Panasonic is asking $170 for the little TA1 and $500 for the SDX1. They’ll be arriving in August and September, respectively.
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:10 pm Apple sued over iPad overheating in sunlight - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:07 pm Bangkok Takes a Major Step Towards Creating a Cashless SocietySYDNEY, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Bangkok Smartcard System (BSS) executes contract to implement Vix ERG's MASS clearing house solution. BSS have secured a major component in developing their vision to direct Bangkok towards a cashless society, announcing Vix ERG as the partner for the design and delivery of a smartcard clearing house solution for micropayments. The clearing house solution is based upon Vix ERG's highly successful MASS system which has been implemented in 11 cities in 5 countries around the world, most notably in Beijing, China where the system currently processes over 9 million transactions per day. "The system will initially provide support for an integrated payments solution for the Bangkok Mass Transit System Company Limited (BTSC) and Bangkok Metro Company Limited (BMCL) transit systems. Over time the system will be extended to provide support for other transit modes and to support micropayments generally in Bangkok" said Mr. Nelson Leung, Executive Director of BSS. "We are excited to be partnering with BSS on this project, The BSS smart card solution has the potential to positively impact not only transportation but the retail, tourism and service industries within Thailand" said Steve Gallagher, Vix ERG's Chief Executive Officer. Background: Bangkok Smartcard System Company Limited (BSS) BSS is a member of BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited. Additionally, the company has strong support from Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited (BMCL) and other major financial institutions in Thailand. Vix ERG Vix ERG is an Australian-based company and a member of the Vix Technology Group of companies. The company is a global player in the Automated Fare Collection and Payments industry in transit and delivers solutions ranging from turnkey solutions for small bus operators to large multi-operator, multi-modal solutions supporting large cities or entire countries. Vix ERG has delivered solutions in over 200 cities or regions in 25 countries around the world including Melbourne, Oslo, Seattle, Stockholm, Salt Lake City, Sydney, Las Vegas, Aberdeen, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Brussels and Gothenburg. Vix ERG has offices and agencies in 15 cities around the world, employing around 600 people. For more information, photography or to arrange an interview contact: Nick Crews Marketing Communications Manager Vix Technology Pty. Ltd. ncrews@vixtechnology.com www.vix-erg.com SOURCE Vix TechnologySource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:07 pm Toshiba Lays Out Three New 2.5” Hard Drives
Three total drive lines have been released, each offering a slightly different role in small-form-factored computing. There’s the MKxx61GSY, which is made for high-end notebooks, gaming machines and mobile workstations. With sizes ranging from 160 GB to 640 GB and a release date in Q3 of 2010. Next is the MKxx61GSY line. These are used for more stamina requiring applications such as the 24/7 blade servers used for say, Facebook’s photo gallery. Consider these to be very docile and tough. ”The MKxx61GSY is designed for speed, with a balanced approach to storage capacity, durability, power consumption, and acoustics, compared to 5,400 RPM mobile and 3.5-inch desktop drives.” Sizes range from 80 GB to 500 GB and will be available Q4 of 2010. Finally, we have the SED line, or Self-Encrypting Drive, this will be used for more secretive tasks that require eyes-only clearance. Think government and secret agents. It follows the security standards from the TCG Opal Specification. No word on size or release date for the secure drives. You can probably expect to see the first two lines showing up in laptops pretty soon. [via Tom's Hardware]
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:00 pm Photo Gallery: Propelled by the Hand of GodDrag racing is a sport of extremes. Take a look at these 14 hot pictures.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:59 pm Last Chance for Tickets to the Summer Party at August Capital
UPDATE: Sold out again. We’re releasing our final batch of 100 tickets now to our July 30 summer party at August Capital. Before that party we’re also hosting an all day event – the Social Currency CrunchUp. You can see the full agenda here. Ron Conway and Paul Graham kick off the morning, and then lots of great product discussions will follow. We’ve also lined up a half dozen different local retailers to share their own experiences using social currency in the wild. Combo tickets for the conference and the party are here.
Here’s a sneak preview of this year’s artwork for attendees generously provided by Hugh Macleod, the artist known as Gaping Void. We have lots of other great surprises in store as well. SecondMarket is hosting margaritas. PlacePop is organizing our photowall. Pandora will be spinning tunes, also our 5th year running. We’re live streaming the day with Ustream. Zong and Payvment have exhibits and treats to share with you. Engrave your phone with Coveroo. Thanks also to Adobe and Katalyst Media, Cannonball wine, Eventbrite, DesignAboutTown and BuildASign for support. There’s still time to grab a table, host beer or run a game. Contact Heather Harde or Jeanne Logozzo for sponsorships. See who’s going to the Social Currency CrunchUp and August Capital party via Plancast as well. Contact Laura Boychenko to request a press pass.      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:46 pm Panasonic Expands Its Award Winning Line of Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc PlayersSECAUCUS, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic, an industry leader in Full HD 3D technology, announced today the expansion of its line of Full HD 3D Blu-ray(TM) Disc players to include the DMP-BDT100. The DMP-BDT100, available in August, joins the DMP-BDT300 and DMP-BDT350 in providing superior 2D and 3D picture quality, as well as such innovative features as VIERA CAST(TM) internet functionality. Pricing will be announced at a later date. The BDT100 continues the commitment to excellence established by the BDT350 which made its US debut at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, where it received the esteemed Innovations Award for 3D technology. "From the beginning, Panasonic has led the way into the 3D era with end-to-end solutions ranging from our critically-acclaimed Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma TVs and 3D Blu-ray Disc Players, to professional 3D camcorders and our work with Hollywood studios on the authoring of Full HD Blu-ray 3D video content," said Richard Simone, Vice President, Panasonic Networking Group. "The addition of the BDT100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player to our line-up marks one of many planned expansions of our 3D offerings designed to give consumers more options and greater access to the immersive world of 3D entertainment for the home." The BDT100 outputs stunning and immersive Full HD 3D imagery to compatible HD displays. The player also handles a wide variety of audio standards, and upconverts all standard definition video formats to 1080p, the highest-possible video resolution. For nearly 20 years, Panasonic has maintained a base in Hollywood, via Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, where it has actively studied and created high quality image reproduction technologies in tandem with a number of leading movie studios. Many of the advanced image technologies originally cultivated by Panasonic through this experience are incorporated in the DMP-BDT100. Based on these technologies, the DMP-BDT100 reproduces the ultimate in 3D images, rendering them extremely faithful to the original movies. In addition to producing superb picture and audio quality, the DMP-BDT100, like the BDT350, also features VIERA CAST, Panasonic's proprietary internet functionality, which brings a variety of streaming services including NETFLIX(TM), Amazon VOD(TM), Pandora®, Twitter and YouTube(TM) Videos into the living room. Wireless LAN capability(*1) eliminates the need to connect a LAN cable, so the DMP-BDT100 can be used without having to worry about the length of the cable. Users can also watch 2D images (JPEG) and movies (AVCHD(*2)/MPEG2(*2)) from digital cameras and camcorders via the integrated SD card and USB slot, as well as 3D Content shot by a Panasonic HDC-SDT750 Camcorder. Ease of use remains a major consumer concern and the BDT100 addresses the issue of boot up time by reducing the time to 0.5-second. As a green innovation company, Panasonic also focuses on important environmental issues in its production system. For example, the single chip LSI, UniPhier, is used for image signal processing. Unification of this chip helps to lower power consumption and achieve a more compact design (reducing the DMP-BDT100 size by 1-17/32 inches(*3)) while also decreasing the burden on the environment by using limited natural resources more efficiently. For more information on Panasonic's Full HD 3D technology, visit www.panasonic.com/3D. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a market and technology leader in High Definition television, is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Information about Panasonic products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. (*1) For this function, the purchase of the Wireless LAN Adaptor (DY-WL10) is necessary. This function is not compatible with public Wireless LAN. (*2) SD Memory Card only (*3) Dimension size. Compared with the DMP-BDT350. DMP-BDT100 Technical Specifications [High Quality Picture and Sound] True to Cinema Picture Technology FULL HD 3D Blu-ray Disc(TM) Playback (All Models) Advanced 2D image technology accumulated over the years at the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) has also been applied to 3D image playback, allowing high-quality images to approach original film quality. Lifelike 3D images with enhanced depth, deep color and texture are beautifully reproduced. PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology developed to precisely process each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc(TM) video signal in the vertical direction. It reproduces color data with twice the accuracy of conventional systems to keep colors faithful and sharp. New P4HD Enhanced Full HD Upsampling With the new P4HD enhanced Full HD upsampling, the standard definition movies in DVD also approaches Full HD quality. The picture is intelligently analyzed to have the best matching process done on each pixel. 96-kHz Re-master The 96-kHz Surround Re-master function enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even raises the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. It increases the amount of sound information, to produce highly realistic sounds. *CD sampling is done at 88.2kHz. DivX® can be re-mastered both on DVD and CD whereas MP3 data can only be re-mastered on CD. [Easy to Use] 0.5 Sec Ultra Fast Booting The boot time from standby to power-on has been greatly reduced from prior models. * Your TV Set must be 'ON'. Ready in 0.5 sec from Power Off (with Quick Start Mode). [Networking] VIERA CAST(TM) with Wireless LAN System With optional wireless LAN adaptor (DY-WL10) plugged into the USB terminal, VIERA CAST(TM) can be enjoyed wirelessly by accessing to your Wireless LAN router. You can access NETFLIX, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube(TM) and other Internet sites from the special VIERA CAST(TM) Home screen. *For this function, the purchase of the Wireless LAN Adaptor (DY-WL10) is necessary. This function is not compatible with public Wireless LAN. *VIERA CAST(TM) home screen is subject to change without notice. *The services through VIERA CAST(TM) are operated by their respective service providers, and service may be discontinued either temporarily or permanently without notice. Therefore, Panasonic will make no warranty for the content or the continuity of the services. *All features of websites or content of the service may not be available. *Some content may be inappropriate for some viewers. *Some content may only be available for specific countries and may be presented in specific languages. *Google, Picasa and YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. *Amazon, Amazon Video On Demand, and the Amazon Video On Demand logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. *Requires broadband Internet service. *Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners. *Be sure to update the firmware when a firmware update notice is displayed on the screen. If the firmware is not updated, you will not be able to use the VIERA CAST(TM) function. [Environmentally Friendly] VIERA Link(TM) Reduces Power Consumption With Energy Saving Mode, power consumption is automatically minimized when VIERA TV's power is turned off with remote controller. The Blu-ray Disc(TM) players feature compatible Unselected Device Save(*1) which puts Blu-ray Disc(TM) players into standby mode(*2) when the input switches back to TV after movie finishes. (*1) Available for 2009 and later VIERA. (*2) With Quick Start on. Features [High Quality Picture and Sound] FULL HD 3D Blu-ray Disc(TM) PlaybackTrue to Cinema Picture Technology (PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus & Adaptive High Precision 4:4:4)Enhanced Full HD Upsampling: New P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD)96-kHz Re-master[Easy to Use] VIERA Link(TM)(*1) Ultra Fast Booting with Quick Start Mode[Networking] VIERA CAST(TM) (NETFLIX, Pandora, YouTube(TM) Videos, Picasa(TM), etc)3D Video content shot by Panasonic camcorder HDC-SDT750, Movie (AVCHD / MPEG2) & JPEG View with SD Memory Card SlotMusic (MP3), Photos (JPEG), and Video (DivX®(*2) and DivX HD(*2)) Playback on USB (Front1)[Environmentally Friendly] Low Power Consumption 0.1W in Standby Mode with Quick Start OffCompact Body (W16-15/16 x H1-3/8 x D8-5/32 inch)(*1) Not all VIERA Link(TM) features are usable with earlier VIERA Link(TM) compatible products. (*2) DivX® is a registered trademark of DivX, Inc., and is used under license. SOURCE PanasonicSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:44 pm Privacy-Conscious? Hear An Airhorn Every Time Google Detects You
BWOOOOOOOOOO [via HardOCP]
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:30 pm iPhone Appidemic: Real Flashlight for iPhone 4FROM APPLETELL - Real Flashlight for iPhone 4 is just like any other flashlight app you could imagine. The interface consists of an on and off button and, when on, the LED flash on the iPhone lights up. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:30 pm Android Takes A New Approach To Fighting Piracy With Licensing Service
According to the Dev Guide, developers are free to decide how they want to deal with an application that is deemed to be pirated (a developer could disable the app entirely, or perhaps they could activate a trial mode prompting the user to purchase the real thing). Only paid apps can currently be used with the service, though I’m not sure why you’d want to pirate a free one. The feature can be implemented on Android versions 1.5 and above using a set of official libraries. Of course, cloud-based verification requires that your phone has network access — Google’s guide says that in the event that a device can’t communicate with the server, developers can add license caching behaviors. For example, you could set you app to only require verification, say, once a week. So why go through all of this? Android has historically stored applications in a device’s internal storage — often with only be a few hundred megabytes or less available — but it recently began allowing developers to add support for encrypted SD card installs as well (SD cards typically offer far more storage space). But now Google appears to be abandoning the copy protection strategy in favor of this server-side verification. Google gives a few reasons for this:
If this effectively wards off pirates then it will be great news for Android developers, but it adds one more potential issue for users: it’s up to devs to decide how often they want to have their application phone home to request verification, and an over-restrictive application could be really frustrating if you’re trying to use it on a plane or in an area with poor connectivity. That said, if a developer implements a policy that forces you to ping Google’s servers every time you launch the app for no good reason, then it’s probably going to get hammered with negative reviews. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:21 pm AT&T: We Don't Intend to Stop Black Hat Demo (PC World)PC World - AT&T says it won't interfere with a highly anticipated talk on intercepting cell phone calls at the Black Hat conference this week, even though rumors are circulating that it will do just that.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:20 pm Panasonic Introduces Company's First High Definition Pocket-Sized Mobile Video Camera That Can Double as a Web Cam When Connected to ComputerSECAUCUS, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic today introduced the Panasonic HM-TA1, a new Full High Definition (HD), 1920 x 1080 pixels-capable mobile video camera with pocket-sized dimensions for ultimate portability and ideal for on-the-go shooting opportunities. With an easy-to-use design intended for intuitive operation, the TA1 features an integrated USB terminal and software that allows for easy PC connection and uploading videos to online sharing sites such as YouTube(TM) and Facebook®. The TA1 also supports the Apple© iFrame video format (960 x 540/30p), which is optimal for Mac® users to import quickly and maintain small file sizes. When using iMovie®, the iFrame video data in the video camera is the same format as the one that is used to edit. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100727/NY41895 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100727/NY41895 ) Beyond its HD video-capturing capabilities, the TA1 can also double as a Web camera and microphone, working with IP-based video chat programs, such as Skype*, by simply connecting the video camera to a computer via an included USB port. Thanks to integrated software, using the TA1 with video chatting services is seamless - an easy way to enjoy face-to-face communication with long-distance family or friends. "The new Panasonic TA1 is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, extremely easy and intuitive to use, and yet it is still powerful enough to shoot full-HD video and high-quality photos," said Chris Rice, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Designed to integrate easily with popular online social networks to quickly share videos, the TA1 can also be used as a Web camera, allowing users to make video chat calls - making this extremely portable video camera a truly versatile gadget." Measuring a mere 2.09 inch (w) x 0.70 inch (d) x 4.09 inch (h), and weighing just 0.25lb (with battery and SD card), the Panasonic TA1 is a compact and lightweight HD mobile video camera that records high-quality videos and photos. Complete with a wrist strap, making it ideal for carrying, the TA1 is perfect for shooting spontaneous videos and snapping photos. With an easy-to-use design, the TA1's single-function buttons include: Power, Play, Record, Still Photo, LED Light (on/off) and Delete. In addition, there is a center keypad for selecting additional settings. The Panasonic TA1 can record still photos with up to eight Megapixels. This high-resolution capability helps ensure clear, vivid images with sharp details and all data records to an SDXC/SDHC/SD Memory Card. The TA1 can also cut still images out of a video clip during editing. There is no need to connect any other device or to load the video into a PC for editing. To cut out and save a still image, simply press the Still Picture button when the desired image appears on the TA1's 2.0" LCD monitor. A unique feature for mobile video cameras, the Panasonic TA1 includes a built-in LED light**, which comes in handy when shooting in dimly-lit situations, such as indoors. The TA1 has an integrated USB terminal with pre-loaded software that allows recorded video clips and still images to be easily loaded into a PC, edited, and then uploaded to popular sharing websites. When the TA1 is connected to the PC's USB slot, its built-in software, HD Writer PE 1.0, automatically launches, enabling one-touch loading of data into the PC for editing. The TA1 records MPEG-4 AVC file format (MP4), which offers excellent PC compatibility and is ideal for viewing clear, high-resolution images on a PC or distributing them over a network. Other features of the Panasonic HM-TA1 include: E.I.S. (Electrical Image Stabilization) to minimize hand-shake issues.Digital zoom up to 4x, helping to expand the user's shooting range.Color effects enabling creative shooting, including Sepia, Monochrome, and Soft Skin. Sepia mode adds warmth to the captured images; Soft Skin produces realistic skin tones; and Monochrome mode transforms the appearance to create a cool ambience. USB-capable charging by connected the TA1's USB cord to a PC***, eliminating the need to carry a separate cord or charger. The Panasonic HM-TA1 will be available in three different color options, purple, dark grey and red in August 2010 with a suggested retail price of $169.95. *The use of a high-performance CPU is recommended for video conferencing with high-quality images. ** The LED light does not go on when operating as a Web camera. *** Do not use any USB extension cord other than the supplied one (Operation is not guaranteed with any other USB extension cord.). Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Mac, iMovie, iFrame are trademarks of Apple Inc. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. SOURCE PanasonicSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:07 pm Apparently, You Can Still Solder Together Your Own Computer If You Really Want To
Back in the dark ages, it used to be if you wanted a computer, you built it yourself. And I don’t mean order the parts and put them together, I mean soldering the chip sockets into a breadboard and assembling all the bits by hand. For whatever reason, computer enthusiast Matt Sarnoff misses the halcyon days of the Altair, and decided to build his own PC the old fashion way: with a hot piece of metal and some lead wire. Despite the fact that I’m pretty sure this makes him crazy, he’s quite good at it. Check out the video after the jump.
So good on you Matt, you have to respect a man who’s not afraid to put together a computer using the equivalent of stone knives and bearskins. [via Make]
Source: CrunchGear | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:00 pm Panasonic Introduces Their Lightest*1 Full-HD Consumer Camcorder That Is Also a Web Cam for Video ChattingSECAUCUS, N.J., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today Panasonic introduces the new HDC-SDX1, the world's lightest*1 full-High Definition (HD) camcorder, featuring an ultra-compact body and weighing in at just under 0.41 lbs. With its stylish and lightweight design, the new Panasonic SDX1 features a 35.8mm wide-angle lens*2, 23x Intelligent Zoom and can also double as a Web camera with built-in capabilities for Internet video calling. In addition to being a camcorder that can capture HD video content, the SDX1 also serves as a Web camera and microphone, allowing for users to connect with online video chat programs, such as Skype*3, and make video calls over the Internet to enable easy visual communication. By simply connecting the SDX1 to a computer, users can enjoy face-to-face communication with family or friends in distant locations right on the computer screen. In addition, the SDX1 supports Apple© iFrame video format for smooth and easy loading and editing of image data using a Mac® computer. Users can directly upload video clips to YouTube(TM) or Facebook® without having to launch a browser, for quick video sharing with included software. "With the addition of the SDX1, Panasonic has given consumers a versatile camcorder that can be used not only for high-quality video shooting, but also sharing these precious recorded moments with family and friends who may be far away," said Chris Rice, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "We do our best to provide products that adapt to the ever-changing world of technology and this model does just that - it's a camcorder that shoots high-quality video, using its incredible zooming capabilities and advanced optical technology - while providing consumers with the ability to make video calls from a computer." The Panasonic HDC-SDX1 also features a newly-developed HYBRID Optical Image Stabilization system (O.I.S.), an image stabilization system that provides optical and electrical hand-shake correction. This system specifically helps when zooming, making it possible to record beautiful videos. In addition to the HYBRID O.I.S. system, the SDX1 provides even more powerful hand-shake correction with O.I.S. Lock. By pressing the O.I.S. Lock button on the LCD monitor, the blur detection sensitivity is maximized and other camera movements are detected and corrected. While compact in size and light in weight, the SDX1 is packed with advanced features. It has full-HD AVCHD recording capabilities with outstanding 1920 x 1080*4 image quality, and records in the PC-friendly MP4 format. Its 35.8mm wide-angle setting is optimal for recording portraits indoors, as well as sweeping landscapes and even allows for voices to be clearly recorded at far distances. The Intelligent Zoom function which was achieved with the Intelligent Resolution technology of the newly-evolved image processing LSI, makes it possible to take telephoto shots with zoom power up to 23x. Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode automatically selects the most suitable of six shooting modes at the simple press of a button. These include Face Recognition, the new HYBRID O.I.S., AF/AE Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Intelligent Contrast Control. Face Recognition finds the registered faces of subjects and automatically optimizes the focus and exposure, while continuously tracking them as they move around within the LCD frame.HYBRID O.I.S. provides more accurate hand-shake correction with its four-axis blur detection, helping to steady images even when zooming or shooting a moving subject.AF/AE Tracking tracks a moving subject to make sure it's recorded in optimal image quality. The normal Auto mode adjusts the focus and exposure for a subject at the center of the screen. With AF/AE Tracking, the user "locks on" to a subject by simply touching the LCD screen.Intelligent Scene Selector detects the situation and switches the scene mode accordingly. Face Detection captures faces beautifully even in dim or backlit scenes. Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows to retain natural, highly-nuanced images with proper contrast. Touch Screen Operation with a 2.7-inch wide LCD monitor. The Panasonic HDC-SDX1 will be available in black in September 2010 with a suggested retail price of $499.95. For more information on Panasonic camcorders, please visit www.panasonic.com/dvc. *1 As of July 1, 2010. For a consumer-use AVCHD 1080i HD digital video camera. 185 grams without supplied battery and optional SD card. 229 grams with (supplied) battery and (optional) SD *2 35mm camera equivalent. *3 The use of a high-performance CPU is recommended for video conferencing with high-quality images. *4 "Full-HD video with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels" in Panasonic home-use camcorders refers to video recordings with 1,920 pixels in the horizontal direction and 1,080 pixels in the vertical direction. Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. YouTube is a trademark of Google Inc. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Mac and iFrame are trademarks of Apple Inc. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. SOURCE PanasonicSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:00 pm Open Security Foundation Offers Clearinghouse for Cloud Security Resources Through Cloutage ProjectRICHMOND, Va., July 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Security Foundation, providing independent, accurate, detailed, current, and unbiased security information to professionals around the world, announced today that it has launched Cloutage (cloutage.org) that will bring enhanced visibility and transparency to Cloud security. The name Cloutage comes from a play on two words, Cloud and Outage, that combine to describe what the new website offers: a destination for organizations to learn about cloud security issues as well as a complete list of any problems around the globe among cloud service providers. The new website is aimed at empowering organizations by providing cloud security knowledge and resources so that they may properly assess information security risks related to the cloud. Cloutage documents known and reported incidents with cloud services while also providing a one-stop shop for cloud security news and resources. "When speaking with individuals about the cloud, to this point it has been a very emotional conversation. People either love or hate the cloud," says Jake Kouns, Chairman, Open Security Foundation. "Our goal with Cloutage is to bring grounded data and facts to the conversation so we can have more meaningful discussions about the risks and how to improve cloud security controls." Cloutage captures data about incidents affecting cloud services in several forms including vulnerabilities that affect the confidentiality and integrity of customer data, automatic update failures, data loss, hacks and outages that impact service availability. Data is acquired from verifiable media resources and is also open for community participation based on anonymous user submissions. Cloud solution providers are listed on the website and the community can provide comments and ratings based on their experiences. Cloutage also features an extensive news service, mailing lists and links to organizations focused on the secure advancement of cloud computing. "The nebulous world of cloud computing and the security concerns associated with it confuses many people, even IT and security professionals," says Patrick McDonald, a volunteer on the Cloutage project. "We want a clearinghouse of information that provides a clear picture of the cloud security issues." About Open Security Foundation Open Security Foundation (OSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public organization founded and operated by information security enthusiasts. OSF exists to empower all types of organizations by providing knowledge and resources so that they may properly detect, protect, and mitigate information security risks. For more information or to support the efforts, please visit www.opensecurityfoundation.org. Open Security Foundation's Cloutage can be found at www.cloutage.org. Press Contacts: Jake Kouns Email: jkouns@opensecurityfoundation.org David Shettler Email: dave@opensecurityfoundation.org Brian Martin Email: bmartin@opensecurityfoundation.org Open Security Foundation: (804) 306-8412 SOURCE Open Security FoundationSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:56 pm Possible Room Temperature Superconductor AchievedTechkNighT_1337 sends news that surfaced on the Next Big Future blog, concerning research out of the University of Bengal, in India. The report is of a possible superconducting effect at ambient room temperatures. Here is the paper on the ArXiv. (Note that this research has not been peer-reviewed or published yet.) "We report the observation of an exceptionally large room-temperature electrical conductivity in silver and aluminum layers deposited on a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) substrate. The surface resistance of the silver-coated samples also shows a sharp change near 313 K. The results are strongly suggestive of a superconductive interfacial layer, and have been interpreted in the framework of Bose-Einstein condensation of bipolarons as the suggested mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates. ... The fact that the results described above have been obtained from very simply-fabricated systems, without the use of any sophisticated set-up and any special attention being given to crystal purity, atomic perfection, lattice matching, etc. suggests that the physical process is a universal one, involving only an interface between a metal and an insulator with a large low-frequency dielectric constant. We note in passing that PZT and the cuprates have similar (perovskite or perovskite-based) crystal structures. This resemblance may provide an added insight into the basic mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity."
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Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:55 pm iOS 4.1 Beta 2 now available to developers
Beta 2 of iOS 4.1 has just hit the e-shelves of Apple’s developer center. You know the drill: developers, go get your download on. Everyone else, look on with a pinch of jealousy, and a heaping cup of gladness over the fact that you’ve got a few hundred thousand anxious developers beta testing the software so you don’t have to. We’re not hearing much in terms of new stuff — but if we do, we’ll let you know.
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:50 pm $20 Wikipedia Reader Uses 8-Bit Computing Power
A digital book reader could bring information to students in developing countries using a technology that is long past its prime: 8-bit computing. The Humane Reader, a device designed by computer consultant Braddock Gaskill, takes two 8-bit microcontrollers and packages them in a “classic style console” that connects to a TV. The device includes an optional keyboard, a micro-SD Card reader and a composite video output. It uses a standard micro-USB cellphone charger for power. In all, it can hold the equivalent of 5,000 books, including an offline version of Wikipedia, and requires no internet connection. The Reader will cost $20 when 10,000 or more of it are manufactured. Without that kind of volume, the each Reader will cost about $35. “Everything about it is related to the cost,” says Gaskill. “It’s meant to be an absolute basic system that can deliver Wikipedia and e-books for educational and non-profit use.” A major driver for this kind of technology is that 8-bit processors are cheap and people in developing countries have greater access to TVs than to computers. “Hundreds of millions of households have TVs but no access to the internet,” says Gaskill. “I wanted to create a device that uses the display on the TV.” Gaskill’s Humane Reader is much cheaper than the $100 WikiReader launched last year. (The self-contained, battery-powered WikiReader may be more useful in a zombie invasion, however.) Over the last few years, a number of initiatives have tried to bring low-cost computing to students in developing countries. The One Laptop Per Child project, started in 2005, promised a $100 laptop but now sells its device for twice as much. Intel has its own low-cost PC for students called Classmate. Last week, Indian officials showed a prototype $35 tablet targeted at students. All these ideas use the latest display technology and chips to power the devices. Meanwhile, another group of researchers have looked at 8-bit computing as an inexpensive way to reach students. Playpower is a $12 system that uses a microprocessor favorite from the 1970s, the 8-bit 6502 processor. The system plugs into a TV and comes with a keyboard and a basic game controller. Gaskill says Playpower is focused on educational games, while the Humane Reader is about giving students a digital encyclopedia. Next, Gaskill hopes to find partners to help produce and distribute the device. “Once you put these in the hands of the students, they can, not just learn from it, but also hack it,” he says. “The combination of a computing platform and a encyclopedia opens up the world to them.” For electronics hobbyists, Gaskill hopes to sell a tricked-out version of the Humane Reader, the Humane PC. The PC has almost the same specs as the Reader but offers additional features such as a micro-USB port and infrared port. Gaskill estimates the Humane PC’s bill of materials will cost just a few dollars more than the Reader, though he hopes that it will be sold for profit. See Also:
Photo: Humane Info 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:44 pm $20 Wikipedia Reader Uses 8-Bit Computing PowerA digital book reader could bring information to students in developing countries using a technology that is long past its prime: 8-bit computing.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:44 pm $20 Wikipedia Reader Uses 8-Bit Computing PowerA digital book reader could bring information to students in developing countries using a technology that is long past its prime: 8-bit computing.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:44 pm US-equipped Dell Streak gets a video demo, will launch with Android 1.6 and no T-Mobile 3G supportSection: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers  As we here in the US are still waiting to find out the pricing and actual release date for the Dell Streak, there is a bit of bad news for those hoping for T-Mobile 3G support. Of course, I am not sure how much of a surprise this really is, but in short—there is no T-Mobile 3G support. Bottom line, with a SIM inserted you can surf on EDGE. But that is where the fun will stop. In addition, the Dell Streak will be shipping with Android 1.6 with an update to Android 2.2 promised for “later this year.” Finally, when the launch kicks off, the Dell Streak will be available in carbon black. But if carbon black is not quite as exciting of a color for you taste, rest assured because Dell will also have the Streak available in “New Cherry Red” though the release date for that is still unknown. At present it was noted as “coming soon.” But then again so is the carbon black model. Anyway, while we wait for the pricing and official release date, check out the video below… Read [Direct2Dell] Via [StreakSmart] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:26 pm Rogue Anti-Virus Victims Rarely Fight Backkrebsonsecurity writes "One big reason why rogue anti-virus continues to make major bucks for scam artists: relatively few victims ever ask their credit card company or bank to reverse the charges for the phony security software — even when the victims don't even receive the worthless software they were promised. I recently found several caches of data for affiliates of a rogue anti-virus distribution program, and the data showed that in one set of attacks only 367 out of more than 2,000 scammed disputed the charge. A second rogue anti-virus campaign scammed more than 1,600 people, and yet fewer than 10 percent fought the charges."
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Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:04 pm Dogs Automatically Imitate PeopleSome dogs may look like their owners, but all dogs imitate their human companions.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:00 pm With Olark, You Can Follow Customers Around Your Online Store To Make Sure They Buy
For example, with this new Olark tool, dubbed Shopping Cart Saver, a site owner can get an IM every time someone hits the site. And you can see the referrer indicating how they got there. While they’re there, you can see what pages they’re visiting and most importantly, what items they’re putting in their shopping cart. If a user has a question, this same IM window serves as your way to interact with them. You could get some of this information before with Olark, but now the service is designed to ping you depending on how you set it up. For example, if the value of the items in a user’s cart goes over a certain number, you can get an IM letting you know that. Most importantly, this gives owners a way to stop what Olark calls “shopping cart abandonment” — yes, users putting things in their cart and then leaving. Now, you can see exactly what’s in their cart and ask if they need any help to make sure they completely the purchase. Sure, that may sound a little creepy — kind of like a shop owner who follows a customer around the store to make sure they buy something — but it’s also extremely useful. And this type of tracking is actually not any different than the data most sites can already see — it’s just that with this IM integration, you get to see it in real time. Well, and annoy people. Olark co-founder Ben Congleton is clear with who they’re targeting with this product: small to medium size business owners. Obviously, if you installed this on Amazon.com, your computer might explode with IMs. Olark has partnered with the online store creation tool Shopify to offer this product with the click of a button. This IM tool will work with all the major IM services, iChat, AIM, Gtalk, Adium, etc. The business model for all of this is a freemium one. Basically, you can try out the features up until a certain point, then you have to buy one of their plans, which start at $15 a month and go all the way up to $149 a month. This model has helped Olark reach cash-flow positive status almost from the get go, Congleton says. Beyond the Y Combinator seed round, Congleton says Olark raised a small angel round a few months back. Since they are cash-flow positive, he’s not too concerned just yet about a larger round, but envisions it happening soon. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 4:29 pm Websense 2Q net income slips 6 percent (AP)AP - Websense Inc. on Tuesday said its second-quarter net income dipped 6 percent and the Internet filtering and security software maker issued revenue guidance lower than Wall Street was expecting, citing concerns about foreign exchange rates and the overall economy.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 27 Jul 2010 | 4:24 pm HTC announce plans to sell HTC-branded smartphones in ChinaSection: Business News, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile  Coming by way of an official press release, HTC has announced plans to begin selling HTC-branded smartphone in China. And while that does not sound all that interesting to anyone outside of China—its nice to hear because the phones had already been available. Wait what, they are going to sell them, but they have been available. Right on both accounts—up until now the HTC phones have been sold under the name of Dopod. And in addition, HTC is also partnering with China Mobile to begin sales which will kick off with a few Android and a few Windows Mobile devices. Read [PR Newswire]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 4:17 pm Intel's 50Gbps Light Peak SuccessorBarence writes "Intel has unveiled yet another high-speed optical interface – before its long-awaited Light Peak connector has even reached the market. The Light Peak optical interconnect can transfer data at 10Gbps in both directions, and is touted as an all-in-one replacement for USB, DisplayPort, and HDMI. The new interface uses an indium phosphide hybrid laser inside the controller chip — a process that Intel calls silicon photonics — rather than using a separate optical module, as with Light Peak. And by encoding data at 12.5Gbits/sec across four laser beams of differing wavelengths, the connector yields a total bandwidth of 50Gbps, five times that offered by Light Peak. 'This is not a technology that's ten years away, but maybe three to five years,' Intel fellow Mario Paniccia announced. 'Light Peak, as we've stated, will launch next year.'" HotHardware quotes Intel in more detail on the difference between the two programs: "This research is separate from Intel's Light Peak technology... Light Peak is an effort to bring a multi-protocol 10Gbps optical connection to Intel client platforms for nearer-term applications. Silicon Photonics research aims to use silicon integration to bring dramatic cost reductions, reach tera-scale data rates, and bring optical communications to an even broader set of high-volume applications."
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Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 4:11 pm WikiLeaks Tech Challenges 'Top Secret' SecurityOne push of a button and WikiLeaks put some 91,000 documents at the public's disposal.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:33 pm Second Student Sues School District Over Webcam SpyingAnother student comes forward with allegations a Philadelphia suburban school district's laptops secretly snapped hundreds of photos of him, without his knowledge or consent. A federal judge blocks the school from re-activating the spy program, which it claims was only turned on if a laptop was reported lost or stolen.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:19 pm The Titanic In 3-Dcrimeandpunishment writes "A scientific expedition to the Titanic will create a detailed three-dimensional map of the world's most famous shipwreck. A 'dream team' of archaeologists, oceanographers, and other scientists will spend 20 days assessing the legendary ship's deteriorating condition, and collecting data and images. They're calling it the most advanced scientific mission to Titanic since its discovery 25 years ago. A leader of the expedition says this is the first time the wreck will be treated as an archaeological site, with two goals: 'One is to preserve the legacy of the ship by enhancing the story of the Titanic itself. The second part is to really understand what the state of the ship is.'"
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Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:19 pm Infrared Camera Sees Anthrax-Stricken BisonThe technology allows wildlife managers to find dead bison hidden under thick brush and dispose of the carcass before it can pose a threat to other animals.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:02 pm Looking for an inexpensive Android tablet? How about the Augen Gentouch, its at K-Mart for $150Section: Computers, Mobile Computers  It looks like Android is coming to Kmart—in the form of a 7 inch tablet. The device is called the Gentouch and coming by way of a company called Augen. Not much is really known here about the company behind the tablet, but we can tell you that it will arrive with a $149.99 price tag. As far as specs, well, lets just say its an inexpensive tablet. Features include a 7 inch (800 x 480) touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, 2GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, 800Mhz processor, 256MB RAM, Android 2.1 and access to a “Market App Store.” And by all accounts, that Market App Store is not the Android Market. Otherwise, if you are brave enough to part with your cash, hit up Kmart, though be warned, the tablet is not yet available at all locations which means a call may be in order to avoid a wasted drive. Bottom line, this tablet does not sound like one that will be able to offer any serious competition to the (still rumored) 10 inch Android tablet from Motorola, but hey, at least this one is available. Product [Kmart] Via [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:00 pm In The 'Neck' Of Time: Scientists Unravel Another Key Evolutionary TraitBy deciphering the genetics in humans and fish, scientists now believe that the neck – that little body part between your head and shoulders – gave humans so much freedom of movement that it played a surprising and major role in the evolution of the human brain, according to New York University and Cornell University neuroscientists in the online journal Nature Communications (July 27, 2010.)Scientists had assumed the pectoral fins in fish and the forelimbs (arms and hands) in humans are innervated – or receive nerves - from the exact same neurons. After all, the fins on fish and the arms on humans seem to be in the same place on the body. Not so.During our early ancestors' transition from fish to land-dwellers that gave rise to upright mammals, the source for neurons that directly control the forelimbs moved from the brain into the spinal cord, as the torso moved away from the head and was given a neck. In other words human arms, like the wings of bats and birds, became separate from the head and placed on the torso below the neck."A neck allowed for improved movement and dexterity in terrestrial and aerial environments," says Andrew Bass, Cornell professor of neurobiology and behavior, and an author on the paper. "This innovation in biomechanics evolved hand-in-hand with changes in how the nervous system controls our limbs."Bass explained that this unexpected level of evolutionary plasticity likely accounts for the incredible range of forelimb abilities – from their use in flight by birds to swimming by whales and dolphins, and playing piano for humans.---On the Net:Cornell UniversityNature CommunicationsSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:57 pm Background Music Can Impair PerformanceFor decades research has shown that listening to music alleviates anxiety and depression, enhances mood, and can increase cognitive functioning, such as spatial awareness. However, until now, research has not addressed how we listen to music. For instance, is the cognitive benefit still the same if we listen to music whilst performing a task, rather than before it? Further, how does our preference for a particular type of music affect performance? A new study from Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that listening to music that one likes whilst performing a serial recall task does not help performance any more than listening to music one does not enjoy.The researchers explored the ‘irrelevant sound effect’ by requiring participants to perform serial recall (recall a list of 8 consonants in presentation order) in the presence of five sound environments: quiet, liked music (e.g., Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Stranglers, and Arcade Fire), disliked music (the track “Thrashers” by Death Angel), changing-state (a sequence of random digits such as “4, 7, 1, 6”) and steady-state (“3, 3, 3”). Recall ability was approximately the same, and poorest, for the music and changing-state conditions. The most accurate recall occurred when participants performed the task in the quieter, steady-state environments. Thus listening to music, regardless of whether people liked or disliked it, impaired their concurrent performance.Lead researcher Nick Perham explains: “The poorer performance of the music and changing-state sounds are due to the acoustical variation within those environments. This impairs the ability to recall the order of items, via rehearsal, within the presented list. Mental arithmetic also requires the ability to retain order information in the short-term via rehearsal, and may be similarly affected by their performance in the presence of changing-state, background environments.”Although music can have a very positive effect on our general mental health, music can, in the circumstances described, also have negative effects on cognitive performance. Perham remarks, “Most people listen to music at the same time as, rather than prior to performing a task. To reduce the negative effects of background music when recalling information in order one should either perform the task in quiet or only listen to music prior to performing the task.”---On the Net:WileyApplied Cognitive PsychologySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:53 pm Waste Chip Fat Fuels Hydrogen EconomyDon't pour that dirty fat from the frier down the sink – it could be used to make the fuel of the future.Hydrogen has been tipped as a cleaner, greener alternative to fossil fuels. But scientists have struggled to find a way to make it that doesn't consume vast amounts of energy, use up scarce natural resources, or spew out high levels of greenhouse gas.Researchers at the University of Leeds have now found an energy-efficient way to make hydrogen out of used vegetable oils discarded by restaurants, takeaways and pubs. Not only does the process generate some of the energy needed to make the hydrogen gas itself, it is also essentially carbon-neutral."We are working towards a vision of the hydrogen economy," said Dr Valerie Dupont, who is leading the Leeds-based project. "Hydrogen –based fuel could potentially be used to run our cars or even drive larger scale power plants, generating the electricity we need to light our buildings, run our kettles and fridges, and power our computers. But hydrogen does not occur naturally, it has to be made. With this process, we can do that in a sustainable way by recycling waste materials, such as used cooking oil."Hydrogen can already be made quite easily from simple fossil fuels, such as natural gas. The fuel is mixed with steam in the presence of a metal catalyst then heated to above 800 degrees centigrade to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide.However when much more complex fuels are used, such as waste vegetable oil, it is difficult to make very much hydrogen using this method without raising the temperature even further. The reactions could be run at lower temperatures but the catalysts would quickly become poisoned by residues left over from the dirty oil. In short, the process is not only expensive but also environmentally unsound.Dr Dupont and colleagues have perfected a two-stage process that is essentially self-heating. To begin, the nickel catalyst is blasted with air to form nickel oxide – an 'exothermic' process that can raise the starting temperature of 650 degrees by another 200 degrees. The fuel and steam mixture then reacts with the hot nickel oxide to make hydrogen and carbon dioxide.The researchers also added a special 'sorbent' material to trap all the carbon dioxide produced, leaving them with pure hydrogen gas. This trick eliminated the greenhouse gas emissions and also forced the reaction to keep running, increasing the amount of hydrogen made."The hydrogen starts to be made almost straight away, you don't have to wait for all of the catalyst to be turned into pure nickel," Dr Dupont said. "So as well as the generation of heat, this is another way that makes the process very efficient."The researchers have shown that the two-stage process works well in a small, test reactor. They now want to scale-up the trials and make larger volumes of hydrogen gas over longer periods of time."The beauty of this technology is that it can be operated at any scale. It is just as suitable for use at a filling station as at a small power plant," Dr Dupont said. "If we could create more of our electricity locally using hydrogen-powered fuel cells, then we could cut the amount of energy lost during transmission down power lines."Details of the work will be published in the journal Bioresource Technology.---On the Net:University of LeedsBioresource TechnologySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:50 pm Intel Turns to Light to Transfer Data Inside PCs - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:48 pm Build Us a Better Ray Gun, Pentagon PleadsThe military wants working laser weapons. So it's reaching out to businesses to make the lasers smaller, brighter and better at cutting through the air.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:40 pm More Accurate Than Heisenberg Allows?Uncertainty in the presence of a quantum memoryA quantum particle is hard to grasp, because one cannot determine all its properties precisely at the same time. Measurements of certain parameter pairs such as position and momentum remain inaccurate to a degree given by Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. This is important for the security of quantum cryptography, where information is transmitted in the form of quantum states such as the polarization of particles of light. A group of scientists from LMU and the ETH in Zurich, including Professor Matthias Christandl, has now shown that position and momentum can be predicted more precisely than Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle would lead one to expect, if the recipient makes use of a quantum memory that employs ions or atoms. The results show that the magnitude of the uncertainty depends on the degree of correlation ("entanglement") between the quantum memory and the quantum particle. "The result not only enhances our understanding of quantum memories, it also provides us with a method for determining the degree of correlation between two quantum particles", says Christandl. "Moreover, the effect we have observed could yield a means of testing the security of quantum cryptographic systems." (Nature Physics online, July 25, 2010)Unlike classical computers, quantum computers operate not with bits, but with quantum bits or qubits, quantum mechanical states of particles. The crucial feature of qubits is that they can exist in different states at once, not just 0 or 1, but also as a superposition of 0 and 1. The ability to exploit superposition states is what makes quantum computers potentially so powerful. "The goal of our research is to work out how quantum memories, i.e. memory systems for qubits, might be utilized in the future and how they affect the transmission of quantum bits", explains Christandl, who left LMU Munich in June 2010 to take up a position in the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the ETH in Zurich.Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle plays a central role in quantum computing, because it sets a fundamental limit to the accuracy with which a quantum state can be determined. Quantum mechanics also tells us that the measurement of a parameter can itself perturb the state of a particle. If, for example, one were to measure the position of a particle with infinite precision, the particle's momentum would become completely uncertain. Quantum cryptography uses this effect to encrypt data, for instance by entangling two quantum particles in a way that the probability with which the measurement of one particle yields a certain value depends on the state of the other particle. Eavesdropping can thus easily be uncovered, because any measurement will change the state of the particle measured.The teams at LMU and the ETH Zurich have now shown that the result of a measurement on a quantum particle can be predicted with greater accuracy if information about the particle is available in a quantum memory. Atoms or ions can form the basis for such a quantum memory. The researchers have, for the first time, derived a formula for Heisenberg's Principle, which takes account of the effect of a quantum memory. In the case of so-called entangled particles, whose states are very highly correlated (i.e. to a degree that is greater than that allowed by the laws of classical physics), the uncertainty can disappear. According to Christandl, this can be roughly understood as follows "One might say that the disorder or uncertainty in the state of a particle depends on the information stored in the quantum memory. Imagine having a pile of papers on a table. Often these will appear to be completely disordered -- except to the person who put them there in the first place.""Our results not only improve our understanding of quantum memories, they also give us a way of measuring entanglement", says Christandl. "The effect could also help us to test the security of quantum cryptographic systems." One can picture the method as a game in which player B transmits a particle to player A. A then performs a measurement on the particle, introducing an uncertainty. A subsequent measurement by B will only yield the value determined by A with an uncertainty given by Heisenberg's Principle. "But if B uses a quantum memory", says Christandl, "he can determine the correct value and win the game."---On the Net:Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenNature PhysicsSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:39 pm How to Jump-Start a CarWe've all been there: stranded in a parking lot, on a street corner, or in our own driveway with a drained battery. Luckily, this is a fix that you can handle on your own in about 10 minutes if the force is with you.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:30 pm Java IO Faster Than NIOrsk writes "Paul Tyma, the man behind Mailinator, has put together an excellent performance analysis comparing old-school synchronous programming (java.io.*) to Java's asynchronous programming (java.nio.*) — showing a consistent 25% performance deficiency with the asynchronous code. As it turns out, old-style blocking I/O with modern threading libraries like Linux NPTL and multi-core machines gives you idle-thread and non-contending thread management for an extremely low cost; less than it takes to switch-and-restore connection state constantly with a selector approach."
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Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:26 pm You Are Sexually Attracted to Your Parents, YourselfIn a series of experiments where subjects viewed photographs of their opposite-sex parent or a photo morphed with their own face, researchers found that people are turned on by photographs of people who resemble their close genetic counterparts.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:25 pm Firefox 4 Beta 2 Arrives, Gives Macs 'Tabs on Top'The second beta release of the next version of Firefox is now available. It has a number of new features, but the one sure to draw the most attention is a new look for Mac OS X users.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:24 pm Dell Streak Priced at $300 For AT&T
After months of teasing, Dell’s 5-inch tablet-phone hybrid called the Streak finally has a price tag. The Streak will cost $300 with a two-year contract on AT&T. An unlocked version of the device will cost $550. Dell is yet to announce exactly when the Streak will hit retail stores in the U.S. but it is accepting pre-sale orders from customers on its site. The device will initially be available in black with a red color variant introduced later this year, says Dell. Dell launched the Streak in U.K. last month. The Streak is targeted at smartphone users who crave a larger display but still need a device that’s portable and could potentially replace their phone. The Streak has a 5-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, phone, browser and access to Android apps. But it doesn’t exactly succeed in trying to be bigger than the phone but smaller than the iPad. (Read Wired.com’s review of the Dell Streak.) A major drawback of the Streak is that it uses version 1.6 of the Android operating system, while most smartphones today run Android 2.1. Google has already released Android 2.2 Froyo and some devices such as the Nexus One have gotten the Froyo update. The Streak seems woefully behind the times but Dell says a Froyo update is coming “later this year.” In the U.S., AT&T haters won’t have a choice when it comes to choosing a wireless carrier for the device. Dell doesn’t plan to support T-Mobile’s 3G network or certify the Streak for operation on the T-Mobile network. See Also:
Photo: Dell Streak (Jon Snyder/Wired.com) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:09 pm Privacy Lawsuit Targets Net Giants Over 'Zombie' CookiesSome of the net's top websites, including ESPN, Hulu and MySpace, are being sued for allegedly using Flash technology to re-create cookies that users deleted from their computers. The suit alleges the company's violated hacking and wiretapping laws.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 2:06 pm High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps
A new research breakthrough from Intel combines silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second — and someday, maybe as fast as a terabit per second. The 50-Gbps speed is enough to download an HD movie from iTunes, or up to 100 hours of digital music, in less than a second. The technology, known as silicon photonics, can be used as a replacement for copper wires to connect components within computers, or between computers in data centers. “The fundamental issue is that electronic signaling relying on copper wires is reaching its physical limits,” says Justin Rattner, chief technology officer for Intel, which announced the breakthrough Tuesday. “Photonics gives us the ability to move vast quantities of data across the room or planet at extremely high speeds and in a cost-effective manner.” Photonics refers to the generation, modulation, switching and transmission of light, and can be done using lasers or light-emitting diodes. Over the next two years, Intel hopes to perfect the technology by improving the efficiency of the lasers, as well as the packaging and assembly of the silicon chips and the manufacturing techniques needed to churn out millions of these modules. “We have a good sense of the challenges here and what it takes to put all the components together, so we expect the technology to be widely deployed by the middle of the decade,” says Mario Paniccia, director of the Photonics technology lab at Intel. Copper cables are the lifeblood of computing today. But they are limited by length because of the signal degradation that comes with using them over distances. “At speeds of 10 Gbps and higher, it is difficult to move electrons fast enough and with enough signal strength to beat the tradeoffs,” says Rattner. This limits the design of computers, forcing processors, memory and other components to be placed just inches from each other, says Intel. The alternative is to transmit data over optical fiber, but that is expensive and also limited. “It’s not an issue if you are using only a few of them in an undersea cable,” says Rattner, speaking about optical fiber cables. “But if you want to have optics widespread, from consumers to supercomputers, the cost has to be taken down or it is not practical.” That’s where integrated silicon photonics could come in. Using silicon-based chips and the same manufacturing process currently used for those chips, photonics modules could replace copper connections. It could change how computers and data centers are designed in the future, says Intel. Earlier this year, the company showed its Light Peak technology that uses optics to deliver bandwidth of 10 Gbps and higher. Silicon-based photonics can go much higher, reaching tera-scale data rates, says Intel. Here’s how the silicon photonics prototype works to achieve the 50-Gbps rate. Each module has a silicon transmitter and a receiver chip. The transmitter chip has four lasers whose light beams travel into an optical modulator. The modulator encodes data onto them at 12.5 Gbps. The four beams are then combined to output a total data rate of 50 Gbps. The receiver chip at the other end of the link separates the four optical beams and directs them into photo detectors. The detectors convert the data back into electrical signals. “In the labs, we ran this for 27 hours with no errors and transferred about a petabit of data,” says Paniccia. “And all this at room temperature with no fancy cooling.” The silicon-based photonics chip could be used within a computer or to communicate from server to server in a data center. “If we are talking about CPU-to-memory connection, we would take our photonics chip and put it close to the CPU to bypass the copper interconnects,” says Paniccia. “For now we are not talking about integrating with the CPU.” As the next step, Intel researchers are trying to increase the data rate by boosting the modulator speed and increasing the number of lasers per chip. “If you increase the data rate of the modulator and put more than four lasers on a chip you can scale the whole thing,” says Paniccia. “The 50-Gbps rate is just the beginning.” See Also:
Photo: A 50Gbps Intel Photonics module/Intel 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:55 pm High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 GbpsIntel researchers combine silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second. The technology should be able to achieve a terabit per second in the future.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:55 pm High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 GbpsIntel researchers combine silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second. The technology should be able to achieve a terabit per second in the future.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:55 pm How does a state start earning an extra $100,000 per month?Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Transportation  The hands free law recently went into effect in Washington state, and officially it means that drivers are required to use a hands free device when making a call while driving. And furthermore, drivers are not allowed to send and/or check text messages and email while driving. Sounds fairly logical, almost makes you wish we did not need a law to make people keep from potentially hurting themselves. But then again, it looks like we need those laws. And because we need these types of laws, the states are potentially set to profit from them. At least that seems to be the case in Washington as they have earned an estimated $96,596 during the first month alone. The breakdown, 94% of the tickets were given for talking and the remaining 6% for texting (emailing). Either way, stop and pay attention to the road. Read [FreeInsuranceQuotes] Via [textually]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:51 pm Take the Plunge for Swiss Army's Dive Master WatchFancy a timepiece that's colored like a traffic cone and can survive a descent of a quarter-mile below the surface of the water? Have we got a watch for you.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:50 pm If Oracle Bought Every Open Source CompanyAn anonymous reader points out Glyn Moody's thought experiment: what if Oracle bought up the entire open source ecosystem? Who would win, who would lose? And how might an open ecosystem grow in the wake of such an event? "Recently, there was an interesting rumour circulating that Oracle had a war chest of some $70 billion, and was going on an acquisition spree. Despite the huge figure, it had a certain plausibility, because Oracle is a highly successful company with deep pockets and an aggressive management. The rumour was soon denied, but suppose Oracle decided to spend, if not $70 billion, say $10 billion in an efficient way: how might it do that? One rather dramatic use of that money would be to buy up the leading open source companies — all of them."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:40 pm Adorable Walking Robot Sets Distance Record
That amounts to 108.5 laps around the 1/8-mile indoor track at Cornell University’s Barton Hall — or 65,185 steps of Ranger’s spindly metal legs. The robot’s journey took it 10 hours, 40 minutes and 48 seconds, using about a penny’s worth of electricity for each 3 miles it traversed. Although several humans accompanied it for parts of its stroll, Ranger was never touched by human hands during the journey. Earlier versions of Ranger walked just 1 kilometer in 2006 and 9.07 kilometers (5.6 miles) in 2008. Ranger’s steps are coordinated by 6 on-board microprocessors, but the robot’s steering is done by remote control. The “eyes” and “ears” on the robot are not sensors, but foam padding, designed to protect the robot in case of falls. The research team that built Ranger was aiming for distance, not speed. By comparison, Boston Dynamics’ BigDog, an eerie quadrupedal robot built for carrying 300-pound loads, set the previous robot walking distance record of 12.8 miles. But BigDog is loud and frightening, while Ranger is quiet and kids love him (at least, one kid appears to). See below for more photos and a video showing Ranger’s long walk. And for details and more photos, see the Cornell Ranger 2010 page at Cornell.edu.
 Jason Cortell, Lipeng Yuan, Matthew Proudlove and Fatemeh Hasaneini accompany Ranger as it rounds the curve on an indoor track.  Humans Jason Cortell (on cart) and Lipeng Yuan may be at the limits of their endurance, but Ranger walks on.  At the end of the marathon walking session, Ranger and Jason Cortell take a much-needed break. Somebody call Beer Robot! Top photo: Ranger completes a lap around the track, accompanied by Fatemeh Hasaneini, the 6-year-old daughter of one of the students who worked on the robot. Photos and video courtesy Cornell University. See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Dylan Tweney and Gadget Lab on Twitter. And don’t overlook the world-dominating plans of Wired.com’s own Beer Robot. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:33 pm Adorable Walking Robot Sets Distance RecordA four-legged robot nicknamed "Ranger" sets a distance record, walking 14.3 miles before running out of juice.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:33 pm Requiem for the G1
I bought one right away; I was due for an upgrade and I was using a Samsung Trace at the time, not exactly smartphone material. Maybe I was falling for the hype, but at least I didn’t buy a white one. Two years later and those things still look dorky. Unlike many others, though, I was of the opinion that the G1 was a decent-looking phone. A little thick, sure, but I thought the keyboard was great, the buttons were well-placed and responsive, and the screen never failed me.
Of course, it shipped with what we all think of now as practically pre-beta software. There were bugs, it was ugly, transitions were disabled to save CPU cycles, and there hardly anything in the way of apps. Oh, and the battery life was pretty awful. But it didn’t take long before a few OTA updates brought improvements to this larval smartphone OS. Before long I was running 1.6, and looking forward to 2.0 — little did I know that I’d hit the end of the line (unless I felt like ROMing it, which many have done). But you know what? I haven’t minded one bit. The apps I needed worked well, and many of the cool improvements rolling out from Google trickled down. Now’s not the time for an ode to Android, but it has been fun watching it grow.
The handset itself, I have to say, has exceeded my expectations. Everyone thought that this thing was going to fall apart. The sliding screen had everyone rattled, but mine is still as springy and snappy as the day I bought it. The keyboard, which some people didn’t like, I have always found comfortable, though I’ll be the first to admit that the chin does get in the way; you can tell a pro G1 user by the lopsided thumb-work. It’s also one of the few phones that can stand on its head, though I only discovered this a month ago:
One thing that did fail was the USB port cover. Why they felt it needed a flimsy rubber cap is beyond me, that thing broke off like a year ago. The MicroSD flap would have too if I took it out more than once a month. But none of the many falls, skids, and crushings ever did anything but take a bite or two out of the bezel. And now the poor thing is being put out to pasture (replaced by the capable, but gauche, MyTouch 3G Slide). It may still have life left in it for Android fans and hackers, but nobody in their right mind would pay a nickel for one today at the T-Mobile store. I feel it had a hard life — neglected by the tech elite for its palpable lack of panache, and feared by the public as a phone for nerds, it was unfairly maligned yet loved by those who took the chance. Farewell, sweet G1! You will be missed — as soon as I find a decent replacement.
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:26 pm Dell Aero coming August 9th for $99.99, Dell Streak pre-orders begin today
Its been over three months since we first heard AT&T and Dell piping up about their Android phone, the Aero — and, unfortunately, three months in the mobile world is a really, really long time. 90 days later, this once nearly-top-shelf handset has devolved into something a little more mediocre in comparison to the freakishly powerful monster-phones that lead the way today. Fortunately, there’s plenty of room on the mid-range shelves. Today, Dell has finally revealed the Aero’s long-awaited availability details, along with all of the important info about their Android-powered tablet, the Streak. If you’re willing to sign a 2-year contract with AT&T, you’ll be able to bag the Aero for $99 bucks. If the contract is a no-go for you, it’ll set you back $299 instead. As for the Streak: if you want to pre-order it in the first round, you’ll have to pre-register here by the end of today. The Streak will set you back three hundred smackers with a 2-year AT&T soul-sign, or $549.99 without. That’s $100 bucks more than the AT&T Captivate, with the primary differences being that the Streak has 1″ more of screen space and is that much harder to fit in your pocket. Think its worth it?
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 1:00 pm Another Oil Well Ruptures In The Gulf Of MexicoU.S. Coast Guard emergency teams erre dispatched on Tuesday after a boat crashed into an oil well off the coast of New Orleans, sending crude spewing about 20 feet into the air. DHS official Deano Bonano told Fox News that a tugboat or other workboat collided with the well 65 miles from the coast, shearing off its valve structure and releasing pressurized natural gas and light oil. The Coast Guard said it could not immediately confirm reports of oil gushing from the damaged wellhead, which was situated only six feet below the surface of the sea. Bonano said federal officials do not know who owns the well, but a contractor who handles wild wells is also on the way. A Coast Guard team has been dispatched by boat from Mobile, Alabama, and a marine pollution investigator is on board a Helicopter that took off from New Orleans. "There have been reports of oil from the elision and we are investigating those reports to mitigate any environmental concerns," petty officer William Colclough, a Coast Guard spokesman, told AFP. "The oil spill liability trust fund has been enacted to provide monetary support for any clean-up operation."The incident occurred in a nearby part of the Gulf of Mexico and could require clean-up vessels to be redeployed if reports are confirmed. A contractor who flew over the leak told Fox News that oil is spewing about 20 feet in the air from the severed 4-inch pipe. The contractor said that the area has been evacuated and civilian boats are being told not to enter the area.---Image Caption: Pictured here is smoke billowing from a wellhead after a towing vessel's dredge barge allided with the structure in the waters of Barataria Bay, La., as the vessel and barge exited Mud Lake, July 27, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Wayne Alleyene. ---On the Net:US Coast GuardSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:50 pm Scripps Research Study Shows Infectious Prions Can Arise Spontaneously In Normal Brain TissueMetal surfaces spur conversion of normal prion protein into disease-causing prionsIn a startling new study that involved research on both sides of the Atlantic, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in Florida and the University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology in England have shown for the first time that abnormal prions, bits of infectious protein devoid of DNA or RNA that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease, can suddenly erupt from healthy brain tissue.The catalyst in the study was the metallic surface of simple steel wires. Previous research showed that prions bind readily to these types of surfaces and can initiate infection with remarkable efficiency. Surprisingly, according to the new research, wires coated with uninfected brain homogenate could also initiate prion disease in cell culture, which was transmissible to mice.The findings are being published the week of July 26, 2010, in an advance, online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)."Prion diseases such as sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans or atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a form of mad cow disease, occur rarely and at random," said Charles Weissmann, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Scripps Florida's Department of Infectology, who led the study with John Collinge, head of the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease at UCL Institute of Neurology. "It has been proposed that these events reflect rare, spontaneous formation of prions in brain. Our study offers experimental proof that prions can in fact originate spontaneously, and shows that this event is promoted by contact with steel surfaces."Infectious prions, which are composed solely of protein, are classified by distinct strains, originally characterized by their incubation time and the disease they cause. These toxic prions have the ability to reproduce, despite the fact that they contain no nucleic acid genome.Mammalian cells normally produce harmless cellular prion protein (PrPC). Following prion infection, the abnormal or misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) converts PrPC into a likeness of itself, by causing it to change its conformation or shape. The end-stage consists of large aggregates of these misfolded proteins, which cause massive tissue and cell damage.A Highly Sensitive TestIn the new study, the scientists used the Scrapie Cell Assay, a test originally created by Weissmann that is highly sensitive to minute quantities of prions.Using the Scrapie Cell Assay to measure infectivity of prion-coated wires, the team observed several unexpected instances of infectious prions in control groups where metal wires had been exposed only to uninfected normal mouse brain tissue. In the current study, this phenomenon was investigated in rigorous and exhaustive control experiments specifically designed to exclude prion contamination. Weissmann and his colleagues in London found that when normal prion protein is coated onto steel wires and brought into contact with cultured cells, a small but significant proportion of the coated wires cause prion infection of the cells – and when transferred to mice, they continue to spawn the disease.Weissmann noted that an alternative interpretation of the results is that infectious prions are naturally present in the brain at levels not detectable by conventional methods, and are normally destroyed at the same rate they are created. If that is the case, he noted, metal surfaces could be acting to concentrate the infectious prions to the extent that they became quantifiable by the team's testing methods.---On the Net:Scripps Research InstituteProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:46 pm Canadian iPhone 4 pricing revealed, they are unlocked but at a priceSection: Apple, Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  Yesterday we learned that the iPhone 4 was about to come available in 17 additional countries as of this Friday, and well, Canada is included in that list. Well, flash forward till today and we have some pricing information. Sadly though, that comes as some good news and some bad news. First, the iPhone 4 in Canada will be sold unlocked. That was the good, now for the bad—the iPhone 4 in Canada will be on the expensive side. According to the details posted on the CBC News blog, the 8GB iPhone 3GS will be $549 with the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4 coming in at $659 and $779 respectively. Then again, it will also be available with carriers at a lower (and subsidized) price. Via [CBC News]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:42 pm Very Early Warning: 1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact in 2182This isn't an urgent call to arms, but it's a future date to consider. In 172 years time there's the possibility that we might be hit by an asteroid with potential to cause some significant global turmoil.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:33 pm Apple releases its own batteries, chargerFROM APPLETELL - Apple devices eat batteries, and the company loves to make money. Perhaps those two things together explain the announcement of Apple’s own rechargeable batteries and wall outlet charger. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:26 pm Why Do Hurricanes Form?Researcher this summer hope to answer one of the oldest mysteries in weather science: why do hurricanes form?Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:16 pm Food for Mars: A Daunting ChallengeAstronaut foods may appear indestructible, but many crew favorites don't retain their nutrition or palatability for even a year.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:15 pm Orange gets creepy, limits iPhone 4 launch events at some stores to just the ladies
It’s like the lifeboat policy put in place while the Titanic was sinking, except creepier: if you’re looking to pick up an iPhone 4 on launch day at any Orange At Globus store in Switzerland, you best be a lady — or at least, you better know one you can hide behind.
Straight off this page on Orange’s own site:
How very skeezy-night-club-owner of you, Orange. [Thanks Frederic!]
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:04 pm Apple Pumps Up iMacs With Faster Processors, TV-Like DisplaysThe iMac just got a little bit faster thanks to an update across the line. Processors, graphics and even the displays have been improved, although prices have stayed the same.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:00 pm New Oil Leak Reported in the Gulf of MexicoA barge crashed into an oil well, sending crude spewing some 20 feet into the air.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 12:00 pm Stargazing in PittsburghHumans have always been fascinated by the night sky. And Googlers are no exception. Over the years, Google engineers have used their 20 percent time to create Google Sky, Moon, Mars and most recently Google Sky Map for Android. This handy app, built by engineers in our Pittsburgh office, turns your Android-powered phone into a live map of the night sky. You just point your phone to the sky and it gives you information about the stars and planets that you’re looking at. Since we introduced the app a year ago, Sky Map has been downloaded more than 5 million times.On Sunday night we had a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for astronomy with our community in Pittsburgh at the Deep Sky Urban Star Party, held in the abandoned swimming pool at Leslie Park in Lawrenceville. We loaded up a bunch of Android phones with Sky Map and joined the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh—who brought along their telescopes—and several hundred local residents for a night of stargazing. As a Sky Map engineer the biggest thrill I get is when we get emails from people who have used our app to show a planet to their children for the first time. At the Star Party we were delighted to have the chance to show people around the night sky in person. It was great to meet so many people who were both excited by astronomy and interested in Google’s technology. Thanks for all of your ideas for new features, and a big thank you to the Leslie Park Pool Collective and all involved for organizing such a fun event. Photos by Jason Parker-Burlingham Posted by John Taylor, Software Engineer    
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:53 am Negative Stereotypes Shown To Affect Learning, Not Just PerformanceNegative stereotypes not only jeopardize how members of stigmatized groups might perform on tests and in other skill-based acts, such as driving and golf putting, but they also can inhibit actual learning, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.While the effect of negative performance stereotypes on test-taking and in other domains is well documented, the study by social psychologist Robert J. Rydell and his colleagues in IU's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is the first to show that the effects might also be seen further upstream than once thought, when the skills are learned, not just performed."The effect on learning could be cumulative," says Rydell, whose research focuses on stereotype threat involving women and mathematics. "If women do not learn relatively simple skills early on, this could spell trouble for them later on when they need to combine a number of more simple skills in new, complicated ways to solve difficult problems. For example, if a young girl does not learn a relatively simple principle of algebra or how to divide fractions because she is experiencing threat, this may hurt her when she has to use those skills to complete problems on geometry, trigonometry, or calculus tests."This reduced learning may ultimately hamper efforts to help women enter into careers in science and mathematics, where they are currently underrepresented.The study, "Stereotype threat prevents perceptual learning," was published on Monday (July 26), in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. Co-authors are Richard M. Shiffrin, Kathryn L. Boucher, Katie Van Loo and Michael T. Rydell, all from IU.The study was designed to examine "attention and perceptual learning in a visual search," not mathematical learning specifically, because the tasks used in the experiments allowed researchers to easily differentiate between learning effects and performance effects. Through a series of experiments involving Chinese characters and color judgment tasks, the researchers were able to show that actual learning had not occurred in the group of women who had been reminded of the negative stereotypes involving women's math and visual processing ability. Instead of finding it difficult to express learning, which is a typical effect of stereotype threat, they had not learned the same skill that women in the control group, who had not been exposed to the negative stereotypes, had learned.The women in the stereotype threat group appeared to try too hard to overcome the negative stereotype, ultimately searching for the characters in the experiment in a focused yet unproductive manner rather than letting the figures just "pop out," as they normally would have after some training."The results seem to fit with the view that the women under threat try harder to carry out the task, thereby persisting in effortful serial search throughout training, and failing to find and learn an alternative strategy that makes search easier and less effortful," the authors wrote."Women who are good at the skill they are performing are more likely to show stereotype threat because they have more invested in disproving the stereotype and are more distracted by the stereotype," Rydell said.Rydell said he and his colleagues have conducted additional research specifically on mathematical learning and the results are forthcoming. They think the effect of stereotype threat on learning warrants more study by scientists and more attention by educators."(The present study) points to the importance of creating environments that reduce the impact of stereotype threat during mathematical skill acquisition by women," the authors concluded in their PNAS article. "If creating such an environment is not done, the learning deficits that result could well be cumulative, causing problems that continually worsen as development proceeds." ---On the Net:Indiana UniversityProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early EditionSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:40 am Scientists 'Reprogram' Mouse Fat Cells Into Clinically Useful Stem CellsAustralian scientists from the Monash Institute of Medical Research have "reprogrammed" adult mouse fat cells and neural cells to become stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of different cells (pluripotency). The cells, called "induced pluripotent stem cells" (iPS), are nearly identical to the naturally occurring pluripotent stems cells, such as embryonic stem cells, which are highly pluripotent, in short supply and their access restricted in the U.S.The study is published in issue 19(5) of Cell Transplantation and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/ ."Induced pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized cell reprogramming," said the study's lead author, Dr. Paul J. Verma. "One challenge is to find the most appropriate cell for reprogramming. Our study demonstrated that both neural stem cells (NSCs) and adipose tissue-derived cells (ADCs) from adult mice expressed genetic pluripotency and could differentiate into the three germ layers, endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The ADCs were the most amenable to reprogramming."According to Dr. Verma, iPS cells have been shown to have many of the hallmarks of embryonic stem cells. Choosing which cells were best for reprogramming required looking at the ease of access and ease of derivation and growth of the cells in vitro. They concluded that it was likely that certain iPS cell lines will have a "higher propensity to differentiate into certain lineages (cell types).""This variation may be related to different levels of programming achieved," added Dr. Verma. "Many different cell types need to be investigated to generate many iPS lines for specific differentiation and different research purposes."The research team concluded that ADCs represent a more clinically relevant cell type and that fat tissue can be easily accessed and grown easily and rapidly in cultures. Fat tissue cells, when reprogrammed, can also be prolific. The authors cited a study previously published in Cell Transplantation (16:9) suggesting that 100 ml of human fat tissue could yield one million clinically useful stem cells.Their work takes the development of iPS cells a step closer toward their eventual clinical use in treating human diseases."There is considerable potential in the generation of iPS cells for the treatment of a number of disorders" said Dr. Paul Sanberg, coeditor-in-chief and Director of the Center Of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida. "Finding the optimal source of cells to start with, is of paramount importance and this study provides reassuring data on a highly favorable source".---On the Net:Cell TransplantationSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:36 am Rumor: Verizon rolling out Android 2.2 upgrade for Droid, Droid Incredible & Droid X on August 6thSection: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Via [AndroidSpin] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:33 am Dogs Sneak Food When We're Not LookingDogs quietly sneak food when we're not looking, waiting for the perfect opportunity to bite, steal and nosh.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:28 am Samsung Epic 4G spec sheet leaksSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
As we hopefully get closer to the Samsung Epic 4G launch, rumored for August 20, it’s time to make sure all the hardware details about the phone are known. Fortunately, most of the specs have already been revealed by way of rumors and such, but the guys over at SDX-Developers found the official Epic 4G spec sheet. In a nutshell, the Epic 4G features a 4 inch Super AMOLED capacitive display, 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1, 3G and 4G capability, rear facing 5MP camera with LED flash, front facing VGA camera, Mobile hotspot for up to five devices, 16GB onboard memory, and 1 GB ROM and 512MB RAM. If you want to check out the rest of the specs, feel free to read the text on the image above. Hopefully we’ll hear pricing and exact availability from Sprint in the coming weeks. Via [SDX-Developers] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 11:12 am Google updates Maps for Android to 4.4, includes Places appSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Web, Google
If you search for a restaurant, the results will list pricing, reviews, parking, menu links, business hours, directions, and distance. I tried using the Places app after updating my Maps app and it worked well using the GPS to find my location and display results of restaurants nearby. Unfortunately for users running Android 1.5, version 4.4 is supported only by devices running Android 1.6 or higher. Read [Google]  Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 27 Jul 2010 | 10:22 am Shade-coffee Farms Help Maintain Tropical Genetic DiversityShade-grown coffee farms support native bees that help maintain the health of some of the world's most biodiverse tropical regions, according to a study by a University of Michigan biologist and a colleague at the University of California, Berkeley.The study suggests that by pollinating native trees on shade-coffee farms and adjacent patches of forest, the bees help preserve the genetic diversity of remnant native-tree populations. The study was published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."A concern in tropical agriculture areas is that increasingly fragmented landscapes isolate native plant populations, eventually leading to lower genetic diversity," said Christopher Dick, a U-M assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. "But this study shows that specialized native bees help enhance the fecundity and the genetic diversity of remnant native trees, which could serve as reservoirs for future forest regeneration."An estimated 32.1 million acres of tropical forest are destroyed each year by the expansion of cropland, pasture and logging. Often grown adjacent to remnant forest patches, coffee crops cover more than 27 million acres of land in many of the world's most biodiverse regions.Over the last three decades, many Latin American coffee farmers have abandoned traditional shade-growing techniques, in which plants are grown beneath a diverse canopy of trees. In an effort to increase production, much of the acreage has been converted to "sun coffee," which involves thinning or removing the canopy.Previous studies have demonstrated that shade-grown farms boost biodiversity by providing a haven for migratory birds, nonmigratory bats and other beneficial creatures. Shade-coffee farms also require far less synthetic fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides than sun-coffee plantations.In the latest study, U-M's Dick and UC-Berkeley's Shalene Jha investigated the role of native bees that pollinate native trees in and around shade-grown coffee farms in the highlands of southern Chiapas, Mexico. In their study area, tropical forest now represents less than 10 percent of the land cover.Jha and Dick wanted to determine the degree to which native bees, which forage for pollen and nectar and pollinate trees in the process, facilitate gene flow between the remnant forest and adjacent shade-coffee farms.They focused on Miconia affinis, a small, native understory tree that many farmers allow to invade shade-coffee farms because the trees help control soil erosion.M. affinis, commonly known as the saquiyac tree, is pollinated by an unusual method known as buzz pollination. In order to release pollen from the tree's flowers, bees grab hold and vibrate their flight muscles, shaking the pollen free. Non-native Africanized honeybees don't perform buzz pollination, but many native bees do."Our focus on a buzz-pollinated tree allowed us to exclude Africanized honeybees and highlight the role of native bees as both pollinators and vectors of gene flow in the shade-coffee landscape mosaic," said Jha, a postdoctoral fellow at UC-Berkeley who conducted the research while earning her doctorate at U-M.Jha and Dick combined field observations with seed-parentage genetic analysis of Miconia affinis. They found that trees growing on shade-coffee farms received bee-delivered pollen from twice as many donor trees as M. affinis trees growing in the adjacent remnant forest. The higher number of pollen donors translates into greater genetic diversity among the offspring of the shade-farm trees.Seed parentage analysis revealed that pollen from forest trees sired 65.1 percent of the seeds sampled from M. affinis trees growing in a shade-coffee habitat. That finding demonstrates that native bees are promoting gene flow between the remnant forest and the coffee farms—bridging the two habitat types—and that the shade-farm trees serve as a repository of local M. affinis genetic diversity, according to the authors.In addition, Jha and Dick found that native bees carried pollen twice as far in a shade-coffee habitat than they did in the forest. They documented shade-farm pollination trips of nearly a mile, which are among the longest precisely recorded pollination trips by native tropical bees.Jha and Dick said their results likely apply to other buzz-pollinated plants, which represent about 8 percent of the world's flowering plant species, as well as to other native plants whose limited pollen and nectar rewards don't attract honeybees.The enhanced genetic diversity of the shade-farm trees could provide a reservoir for future forest regeneration, as the coffee farms typically fall out of production in less than a century. Given that potential, along with the shade farm's previously identified roles in connecting habitat patches and sheltering native wildlife, it is important to encourage this traditional style of agriculture, Jha and Dick said.The project was supported by the Helen Olson Brower Fellowship at the University of Michigan and by the National Science Foundation.---Image Caption: Shade coffee vista in Chiapas, Mexico, with coffee bloom in foreground. Credit: Shalene Jha, University of California, Berkeley---On the Net:University of MichiganUniversity of California, BerkeleyProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesChristopher DickSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 27 Jul 2010 | 9:48 am 12-Core Mac Pro and 27-inch IPS Cinema Display
Last of today’s Apple updates are the new 27-inch Cinema Display and a new 12-core Mac Pro. The display is essentially a super-sized version of the 24-inch monitor already available. Here’s what you get: The display hooks up to any Mac with a Mini DisplayPort connector, which is every late-vintage model. The cable combines a power-cable and a USB-connector, and this last will pipe the sound from your MacBook to the display, as well as send back data from the screen’s built-in iSight camera and microphone. It also has a 2.1 (sub and “satellite”) speaker system (50 watts) and, most important of all, Apple new favorite display tech, IPS (in-plane switching) for an almost 180-degree viewing-angle. The 16:9 widescreen aspect-ratio panel sports a 2560 x 1440 resolution, and the panel now has an ambient light sensor to automatically dim the display. If it works as well as it does in other Apple products, you’ll probably want to switch it off. The display will be shipping “soon” for $1,000. The new Mac Pro also beefs things up. Apple’s heavy-lifter now comes with 12 processor-cores, faster graphics and SSD options and, well, did I say it has twelve cores?. This monster begins at $5,000, but you can have the 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” for “just” $2,500. Add to this an ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and a couple of those fancy new 27-inch Cinema Displays, and you’ll have a pretty mean setup (and a very light wallet). The new range of Mac Pros will be on sale in August. LED Cinema Display [Apple] New 12-core Mac Pro [Apple] Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 8:05 am New iMacs Add IPS Displays, Core ‘i’ Processors Across the Range
The iMac just got a little bit faster, thanks to an update across the line. Processors, graphics and even the displays have been improved, although the prices have stayed the same. All iMacs now have i-processors, as in Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 (the last an upgrade option), so the Core 2 Duo now exists only in the Mac Mini. Graphics are now discrete across the line, which means that every iMac has a separate graphics card inside, using its own dedicated memory. The screens have been replaced, too, using the IPS (in-plane switching) technology found in the iPad. The advantage of IPS is its crazy-wide viewing angle, making the new iMac perfect for watching movies. There is also a new high-end, small-screen option, letting you put a 3.2-GHz Intel Core i3 in the 21.5-inch iMac (the base chip runs at 3.06 GHz). It’ll cost $1,500 against $1,200, but you also double video memory to 512 MB and get a bigger, 1-TB hard drive. The sweet spot is now the 3.2-GHz 27-incher, which has the i3 processor and still costs just $1,700. Sure, that’s not a cheap computer, but for what you actually get, it is a real bargain. Add to this redesigned, bassier speakers and an SD card slot that works with the new SDXC spec, and you’ve got almost everything you might want in a home-entertainment computer. Finally, the iMac doesn’t come with the new Magic Trackpad. You’ll have to buy it for an extra $70. Thanks, Apple. New iMac [Apple] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:39 am Dell Streak to get Froyo later this year, T-Mobile wants none of it
First up, you can breathe a sigh of relief as, according to Android Central, Dell have now confirmed that the 5 inches of hotness will, indeed, get an over-the-aether upgrade to Android 2.2 later this year. It’ll still launch with Android 1.6, but you can feel safe in the knowledge that your device won’t be abandoned in the ancient halls of obscurity. But what’s this? Dell have now also confirmed that the Streak won’t run on T-mobile’s 3G network. Uh-oh. This is clearly bad news for the T-Streak Freaks in the audience. So, unless you’re of the patient type that doesn’t mind staring outside of the train/bus/ferry/helicopter window for most of your morning commute as your page loads and loads and loads and loads over an EDGE connection, I’d consider moving to a different device/network. If you’re still keen (and you probably should be), you can hit up the pre-sale page here, and leave your contact details to be eligible for a shipping upgrade to 2nd Business Day, as well as the opportunity to buy a Plantronics Bluetooth headset for only $0.99 when purchased with the Streak.
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:38 am Apple’s Magic Trackpad Brings Multi-Touch to the Desktop
Apple’s oft-leaked multi-touch trackpad is now on sale. The Magic Trackpad is a multi-touch tablet-style pad which is either a bigger version of the trackpad on the MacBook, or a smaller version of the iPad’s screen. Like every other Apple touch-device, it is made from glass, and the panel is set into an aluminum base. The batteries that power it (the unit is Bluetooth) sit in a tube at the back, and it looks like nothing more than Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard, chopped in half and with the keys removed. The pad works with swipe and pinch gestures, and even has the “momentum-scrolling” familiar to iOS users as well as owners of the latest MacBooks. It’s not going to replace your Wacom Tablet, as there is no pressure detection, but it will replace a mouse on a desktop Mac. The price? $70, and available now. Magic Trackpad [Apple] See Also:
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Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 7:13 am ShutterSnitch and Eye-Fi: Wireless Camera Tethering for iPad
Back in May, we took a look at a ShutterSnitch, an iPad app that lets you receive photos wirelessly from your camera. Combined with an Eye-Fi wireless SD card, you can shoot away and have the photos pop up on the big screen in seconds. It’s like shooting tethered to a laptop, only about a zillion times more convenient. So why are we revisiting the subject? Because it got a whole lot easier to use. Now, the tricky networking part has been simplified and you need only follow a few steps to get things up and running. The first time you do this, you’ll need to configure both the Eye-Fi card (using the Eye-Fi Center) if it is not already aware of your Wi-Fi network, and also the ShutterSnitch app (just enter the Eye-Fi username and password). From there, you simply need to shoot, with one weird caveat: you need to create a “collection” in ShutterSnitch to receive the photos. That’s it. Now you can beam the photos across as you shoot. There are plenty of things you can do within the application. As you shoot, the images are shown full-screen, with or without shutter-speed, aperture and histogram overlays. Once done, you can keep the photos in ShutterSnitch, mail them, organize them, upload to Flickr and pass them off to the iPad’s own photo-library, from where it can be sent off to any other photo-editing application you might have. There is one big gotcha. You’ll need to have a Wi-Fi network running to make this all work: The Eye-Fi cannot beam direct to the iPad. That means you’ll need either a portable hotspot like the MiFi, be in a place where there is already a network, or create one using a laptop (which kind of defeats the point of this). I’m going to pick up an Eye-Fi card this afternoon and also investigate jailbreak solutions for ad-hoc network creation on the iPad. If it works, I’ll let you know. From Eye-Fi to iPad [Eye-Fi blog] Eye-Fi Card, iPad, and ShutterSnitch for Wireless Transfer [The Digital Story] See Also:
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Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:48 am Video: S-LCD vs AMOLED vs S-AMOLED vs LCD
Well, I’m not about to tell you that you’ve been personally selected to do a hands-on comparison for yourself, but I am about to give you the next best thing: a video of someone else doing the comparison. And what more could you really ask for? Oh, a comparison between S-LCD, AMOLED and S-AMOLED? And while we’re at it, why not throw in an LCD comparison, too? BAM! You got it, Mister! Don’t thank me, though, thank Howard. The take-away message is that (for indoor viewing) S-AMOLED > S-LCD > AMOLED > LCD, but the difference between the top three is pretty close, especially between the S-LCD and AMOLED. [via SlashGear]
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 6:23 am HyperMac Crams 16-Hour Battery into iPad Stand
The iPad already has a crazy-long battery life, measuring around ten hours whatever you do with it. A good thing, too, as something this portable would suffer from being stuffed into one of those juice-pack type cases. But what of those occasions when you really can’t find a power outlet for days at a time? HyperMac has you covered with a surprisingly neat (and simple) solution. The answer is to put a battery into a stand. Clever, right? The stand is in the slab’n’slot style, a block with two angled slits (18 and 45-degrees) to hold the iPad in either orientation. The heft of the stand is provided not by weights but by stuffing in a battery which can juice the iPad for a further 16 hours. That, if you are feeling a little slow this morning, brings the total to 26 hours of continuous use. In normal stop-start usage, that’ll probably be enough to last you for an entire weekend. The stand comes with a USB port into which you plug your existing dock connector-cable. To charge it, you hook it up via its own mini-USB port, and it supports “charge-through” so you can just use it as a charging desk-dock and grab it when you leave the house. Ingenious, nice-looking and even fairly light (12.7oz or 360g), the only problem may be price. At $130, it seems expensive. But then, it may well be cheaper than buying a stand and battery pack separately. HyperMac Stand [HyperMac via Brownlee] See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:47 am Adapter Puts Nikon Lenses on Canon Bodies
One of the great things about the little mirrorless cameras like the Panasonic G-series, the Olympus Pens and the Sony NEXes is that their currently meager lens line-up can be supplemented by other lenses old and new, just by using an adapter. SLRs, on the other hand, are pretty much stuck with the glass that was made for them. An adapter has a thickness, and when you put one on a lens, you move that lens away from the film (or sensor). This stops the lens focusing at infinity (and will also allow it to focus a little closer). Thus, mounting a Canon lens on a Nikon body doesn’t work so well. The mirrorless cameras already have a lot of extra space to spare, so the adapters have room to fit. Novoflex has managed to get this ring thin enough not to cause focus problems. The new EOS/NIK-NT adapter has an integrated aperture ring so that you can still set the hole-size. As G-series lenses are controlled entirely by electronics in the camera body, they need this extra to work on a Canon camera. Thus, auto-exposure (aperture priority) will work by actually stopping down the lens. Focus will still be manual, although infinity focus is maintained. If you have lenses with aperture rings, another adapter is available. The problem is that there are plenty of great lenses for both Canon and Nikon, so we wonder why you’d need this adapter. For quick, fun experiments it will be great, but otherwise its hard to see the point. Especially when you consider the price, a rather odd $292.99. Novoflex Adapter Finder [Novoflex via Photography Bay] See Also:
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Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 27 Jul 2010 | 5:20 am HTC to sell HTC-branded Android, Windows Mobile smartphones in China
Source: MobileCrunch | 27 Jul 2010 | 3:06 am
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This morning when 
And that speaks to why people are getting so worked up about the previous post. By saying the time of the mouse is ending, I’m killing a comfort zone. It reminds me a lot of the arguments I would have a few years ago when the first iPhone came out. A lot of people were demanding that Apple build one with a physical keyboard. And some were saying that it was enevitable that Apple would have to do this.
like designers and gamers. But eventually they’ll also have some sort of new technology that they prefer over the mouse. That’s simply how it works. Shocking! Outrageous! Blasphemy! I know.
Among the many advances in military technology, perhaps one of the most unwelcome was the “Active Denial System,” a super-short-wavelength radiation weapon that caused intense pain in whoever it was aimed at, be it enemy combatants, protestors, or 
We’re hearing from sources close to the deal that Facebook is in late stage negotiations to buy 
Last August, we first wrote about 
According to rumor, Verizon is going to begin rolling out Android 2.2 to their higher end Android phones as of August 6th. The details are coming by way of the AndroidSpin blog who have reportedly received the information from a tipster who “stated that this not a rumor, but confirmed.” Time will tell, time will tell. Moving on though—by higher end, I am referring to the Droid, Droid Incredible and the Droid X. The details suggest that all three handsets will begin getting the update on the 6th and it will arrive no later than the 15th of August. So just like that, If you are sporting a high end Android phone with Verizon you may be getting some Froyo soon. If you ask me, the Motorola handsets seem much more likely, but it would be nice the see the HTC Incredible also get Froyo at the same time.
Google updated its Maps for Android application to version 4.4, and one of the main features is its Places app. As soon as you update your Maps app, you should find a Places app in your list of applications. Basically, Places can be used to find POIs, such as restaurants, movie theaters, parks, coffee, bars, hotels, gas stations, ATMs, etc. In case none of the default searches suit your needs, you can add your default search to the main page in the Places app. 
Two pieces of news for all you 
No doubt after 
Accessory maker Novoflex has a new lens adapter that will let you use Nikon F-mount lenses on Canon EOS bodies. It adds one big extra over previous versions: you get a ring to control aperture on Nikon G-lenses (those without an aperture ring.)
