Sunday, October 31, 2010

Engadget Podcast 217 - 10.30.2010

Best Engadget Podcast Ever? Worst Engadget Podcast Ever? Is there really even a difference anymore? Only to the discerning Engadget Podcast Listener / Bingo player. Test your aptitude with this week's edition of The Engadget Podcast!!!!!!!!!!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Stan

00:02:55 - The PlayStation Phone
00:03:55 - The PlayStation Phone is still real
00:07:45 - Sony Ericsson Z-System: the PlayStation Phone's gaming platform?
00:26:55 - Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months'
00:30:00 - webOS 2.0 review
00:43:44 - HP Slate 500 finally (finally!) official, rings up at $799
00:50:21 - Microsoft announces a record first-quarter revenue of $16.20 billion, $5.41 billion in profit
00:52:08 - Mac OS X 10.7 Lion announced, coming summer 2011
00:52:55 - Mac App Store for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 unveiled, coming 'within 90 days'
00:56:00 - Apple's Mac App Store Review Guidelines posted -- will Photoshop make it in?
01:20:10 - MacBook Air review (late 2010)
01:27:45 - Google TV Review
01:28:28 - Nook Color first hands-on! (updated: with video)
01:30:00 - Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed
01:37:20 - Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab's price makes sense
01:37:30 - Verizon to sell Galaxy Tab starting November 11th for $599.99
01:44:00 - Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract
01:44:30 - Galaxy Tab for Sprint confirmed for November 14th: $400 with two-year contract

Hear the podcast

Subscribe to the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace

Download the podcast

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)

Contact the podcast

1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.

Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget @zpowerFiled under: PodcastsEngadget Podcast 217 - 10.30.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Atlanta Falcons

Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Robot Wants Ice Cream does not actually have ice cream. At least not as far as I was able to tell.
What it does have is a robot. Well, to be exact, it has a robot, a dog, a ton of bad guys, 8-bit music, and bosses that you have to beat. You can tell when you're facing a boss because it's huge, and the music gets all "Bowser" when one of them shows up. There are also bonuses that make you jump higher, shoot faster, and generally become a more awesome, ice cream-loving robot.
Most importantly, there are lots and lots of save points, and if you die, you instantly reincarnate. You don't even lose your bonuses!
As far as time-wasters go, this isn't a quick one. It leans more towards the "addictive" side of the scale. If you have any sort of affinity for 8-bit graphics, robots, and cute puppies, you really should give it a spin.Robot Wants Ice Cream is a fun retro platformer -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Arizona Cardinals *

Will Resolution Independent Interfaces Ever Come to the Mac?

Resolution independence, or the lack of it, is one of those nagging problems most users don’t even realize have a name. But the concept is simple: user-interface elements like icons, buttons and window borders on the same OS should be the same physical size no matter what screen you’re using.
From the 1980s until just a [...]

Portland Timbers Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal Impact

Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149

What happens when you punch the phrase "Droid" into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report's sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we're also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet, it's a pretty safe bet the handset's coming out soon -- and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955. (We've gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There's also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos, a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won't get off that easily -- subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD.Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Boy Genius Report  | Email this | Comments



Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues

Opera 11 adds portable install option

Filed under: Browsers
Opera 11 already looks like it's going to be a solid browser once complete, with support for extensions, and even faster JavaScript and rendering engines. Over at TechieBuzz, they spotted one more feature addition: the option to install Opera 11 to an external device.

During the install, just click the options button instead of accept and install. You'll be taken to the screen above, where you can easily change the install path to point at your USB flash drive or other removable storage device. That's all there is to it!

Download Opera 11Opera 11 adds portable install option originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

New England Revolution New York Red Bulls Philadelphia Union

Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember

Sure, different color options and various designer patterns are all well and good, but what gadgets really need more of is moustaches. Thankfully, Flip has now stepped in to fill that void with no less than eleven different moustache designs for the month of Movember. Available on the Flip UltraHD, MinoHD and SlideHD (and in various capacities), the moustachio'd offerings include handsome options like The Professor and The Auteur (pictured above) and, best of all, Flip will donate $10 from each purchase to the Movember Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for men's health. Hit up the source link below to check out all the options available, and to place your order if you find one that suits your style.Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Flip Video Store  | Email this | Comments



Milwaukee Bucks Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Bobcats

Unlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 to be 'available direct from HP,' Gorilla Glass on the front

We've been toying with a Palm Pre 2 for a few weeks now, but given that it's not "final hardware," we can't exactly make any firm judgments on the unit itself. Tim Pettitt, product manager for HP Palm, can. In speaking with MarkGuim.tv (and slyly handling a Verizon Pre 2), he not only confirmed that the company was relying on a layer of the famed Gorilla Glass to keep the front as scratch-resistant as possible, but also that the five megapixel camera is capable of capturing a shot every second. More importantly, however, he made clear that it wouldn't be just the developers nabbing an unlocked GSM Pre 2. According to Tim, that very handset will be "available direct from HP.com," though he stopped short of saying whether it would support T-Mobile's AWS 3G band. For AT&T loyalists, however, we're guessing this may be the best way to nab webOS on the network that's still rethinking possible.

[Thanks, Fuu]Continue reading Unlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 to be 'available direct from HP,' Gorilla Glass on the frontUnlocked GSM Palm Pre 2 to be 'available direct from HP,' Gorilla Glass on the front originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink webOS Roundup  |  YouTube (markguim.tv)  | Email this | Comments



Kansas City Chiefs * Oakland Raiders * San Diego Chargers *

Chinese Supercomputer Blazes Path to Glory

China has unveiled the world's fastest supercomputer, the Tianhe-1A, at a high-performance computing conference in Beijing. The Tianhe-1A has a Linpack benchmark performance of 2.507 petaflops, according to Nvidia, whose Tesla M2050 graphics processing units were used in the supercomputer.

Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets

Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service

Filed under: Security, Utilities, AndroidThere are two ways of looking at geolocation and other tracking technologies. There are those that decry the Information Dynasty, that abhor the idea of sharing your location with the godless monstrosities of Facebook and Google -- and then you have the diametric opposite: sharing is good, information is knowledge, knowledge is wisdom, Google is God.

But both schools are missing the point: data is useful. It is simply how you use it that matters. It might not seem apparent as a marketing-bombarded, social media munching consumer, but there is a mid-ground between giving Facebook all or none of your data. The danger with Facebook and other omnipresent Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net corporations is that you never really know how your information will be used: you sign up to chat to your friends, and before you know it, your data is being used by countless other services.

There is a way out, though, if you're looking for that fabled mid-ground -- it's counterintuitive, going against everything we've been taught in the last decade, but it works. You simply have to use services that do just one thing -- no feature creep, bloat, or third-party integrations -- just one thing.

Which brings me onto Prey, an open-source and cross-platform anti-theft tool that lets you track your mobile phone or laptop at all times. It's free to use, there are pro accounts for large companies, and you can even set it up on your own servers if you like.
While Prey works across almost every modern platform (iOS and BlackBerry are the only omissions), I will be focusing on the experience for Android. Every version uses the Web control panel, however -- and the Prey app that runs on your phone or laptop doesn't require much configuration. If you want to secure a laptop or netbook, check out Lee's post!

To start, you need to register on the Prey website. Then grab the Prey app from the Android Market. Log in with your account details, and you'll be greeted with the Settings screen:



To understand the settings, you need to know how Prey for Android works. It's very simple: Prey reads every incoming SMS, and if it contains the activation code ("GO PREY" by default), your phone immediately tries to contact the Prey servers -- your phone is then considered "missing." Disabling Prey is just a matter of sending another SMS ("STOP PREY"), or toggling the "found" button on the Web control panel. The only other option for mobile phones is "SIM replacement detection" -- if your would-be thief tries to change the SIM, Prey can be configured to SMS the phone's new number to your phone.



Now we move onto the more important bit: the (very pretty) Web control panel. Here you can modify how often your stolen (or lost) phone reports back, and what data is reported. You also configure "Action Modules," which as you might have guessed, cause your phone to perform an action. For now you can only make your phone display an obnoxious message ("YOU THIEVING B*STARD"), or ring a very loud police-siren alarm. Presumably there might soon be more Action Modules that do other cool things -- like nuke your address book, take photos of the thief, use a voice synthesizer to produce racial slurs, and so on.



Finally, the whole point of Prey is to produce reports of your stolen phone or laptop. To this end you get a nice Google Map with your phone pin-pointed on it, your phone's current IP address, ... and that's about it. The control panel suggests that you should get "nearby Wi-Fi hotspots," "traceroute," and "active connections" information, but that seems to be missing from my reports. Maybe it doesn't work on the Android version!

Conclusion
To be honest, I don't know how big an issue phone (or laptop) theft is. But maybe it doesn't matter: Prey is so light-weight and so free that you might as well install it on your phone -- you have nothing to lose (hah).

Prey for Android Tech Specs

Installed Size -- 400KB
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 2.1 @ 600MHz, LG GT540)
User Interface -- The Android app doesn't have an interface as such; the Web control panel is nice, though!
Configurability & Extensibility -- None really, but you could code your own modules if you like...!
License -- Free and open-source with "premium" packages available
Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies

Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network

We're still trying to understand why Entourage has chosen the Home Shopping Network of all places to reveal its new Pocket Edge, but at least we now know that the previously spied dualscreen tablet / e-reader lives! Although the 1.35-pound device has been shrunken down with smaller displays -- a 6-inch "Wacom Penabled" e-ink panel and 7-inch LCD -- it actually doesn't appear like much else has been changed from the original. Unfortunately, that means our biggest complaints about the device are very much present -- it's got a resistive touchscreen and appears to run an older version of Android. If it's any consolation, the trackball on the right edge has been replaced with an optical touchpad and there are now red and black color options. Spec-wise, it still boasts 4GB of storage, a 2 megapixel camera (hopefully there's software now that takes advantage of it), 802.11 b/g, a USB port, and micro-SD slot. It is, however, more affordable -- though it's originally priced at $499, HSN has a sale running that puts it at $399. Of course, no word on if a 3G version will be arriving at Verizon as we've previously heard, but we're sure this thing will get its official unveil sometime soon. Until then feel free to keep yourself preoccupied with the gallery below and at the source link -- just don't get lost in the cookware section. Gallery: Entourage Pocket Edge on HSN.comEntourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink @enTourageeDGe (Twitter)  |  HSN  | Email this | Comments



Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Texans

Visualize the Game Console Generation Shift

An interactive infographic lets you visualize the videogame console wars in terms of how they've traded market share over the past several years.

Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Easiest Way To Dress Up As Steve Jobs For Halloween [Humor]

Sadly, iWear is fake. But oh it would be magical! Packaging a black mock turtleneck, blue jeans and New Balance sneakers is remarkable. The glasses (sold separately) are a great touch. You'll feel incredible, amazing, and phenomenal. Apple just re-invented clothes. More »






Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Anaheim Ducks

iPod foils potential kidnapping attempt in the hands of quick-thinking child

Apple's iPod touch can't make cellular calls -- at least, not without a special case -- but it did look enough like the similar iPhone to foil one would-be predator. A Delaware suspect asked a 12-year-old girl to get into his van in front of her middle school, but quickly fled the scene, when the girl reportedly put her iPod against her ear and told him she was dialing police. The local authorities did eventually get called and are still looking for the suspect. If you see a "white male, 35-45 years of age, with a dark crew cut styled hair" suspiciously eying the headphone jack placement on devices in your local Apple Store, perhaps you'd best stay away.iPod foils potential kidnapping attempt in the hands of quick-thinking child originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 08:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Cult of Mac, Gizmodo  |  ABC News  | Email this | Comments



Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts *

Facebook 'Friendship' Tool May Cause Some Squirming

Facebook has introduced another new product to keep its 500 million user base engaged -- Friendship Pages, a new element to a Facebook page that displays content and connections shared between two friends. The page may contain photos in which they've both been tagged, wall posts, comments exchanged, events to which they've both RSVP'd, mutual friends and mutual "likes."

Charlotte Bobcats Miami Heat Orlando Magic

Turkish Court Orders End to Three-Year YouTube Ban [Censorship]

Turkish citizens can once again access the Internet's plethora of cat videos thanks to a court ruling on Friday that eliminated a three-year YouTube ban. In 2007, YouTube was banned when disparaging remarks were made on the service about the country's revered founder of state, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. More »






San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Boston Bruins

Fortune: Verizon iPhone Debuts Early 2011

The elusive Verizon iPhone is going to become a reality early next year, according to a chorus of mainstream publications.
Following The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Bloomberg, now Fortune claims that a Verizon iPhone is “fait accompli” (i.e., a done deal).
Repeating past rumors, Fortune says the new iPhone will be compatible with Verizon’s [...]

Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Chicago Blackhawks

Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember

Sure, different color options and various designer patterns are all well and good, but what gadgets really need more of is moustaches. Thankfully, Flip has now stepped in to fill that void with no less than eleven different moustache designs for the month of Movember. Available on the Flip UltraHD, MinoHD and SlideHD (and in various capacities), the moustachio'd offerings include handsome options like The Professor and The Auteur (pictured above) and, best of all, Flip will donate $10 from each purchase to the Movember Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for men's health. Hit up the source link below to check out all the options available, and to place your order if you find one that suits your style.Flip offers moustachio'd cameras for Movember originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Flip Video Store  | Email this | Comments



Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers

Playboy Goes Non Nude For iPad

Soon the official Playboy iPad App will be revealed but certain other elements won’t be. What we’re trying to say is that in order to follow Apple’s very strict anti-obscenity rules Playboy has agreed to keep their app for the iPad tablet device entirely non-nude and tasteful. With no nudity allowed Playboy may just have [...]

Philadelphia Union Toronto FC C.D. Chivas USA

Google Chrome Dev channel update brings password sync, minor tweaks

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Google has update the Chrome Dev channel to 8.0.552.18 on all platforms, and while the focus this time is on polish and bug fixes, one important new feature has arrived.

First spotted in the Canary build a few days ago, password sync is now available to Dev channel users and enabled by default. I'm still not certain the sync is actually active, though, as my Canary builds on three machines still seem to be running password stores that are noticeably out-of-sync.

At this point, there are really only two pieces missing from the Chrome sync puzzle: tabs and search engines, both of which would be extremely handy (so how about it, Google?).Google Chrome Dev channel update brings password sync, minor tweaks originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Columbus Crew D.C. United Kansas City Wizards

Gadget Lab Podcast: Google?s Neutered TV, Elusive White iPhone, Tablet Sequels

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, the crew fiddles around with a mildly useless iPad stylus (made by Hard Candy) before diving into more serious news about innovation-blocking cable networks, a phone you can’t have and some upcoming tablets.












� runMobileCompatibilityScript('myExperience653274843001', 'anId');brightcove.createExperiences();
We discuss the Logitech Revue, [...]

Washington Redskins * Chicago Bears * Detroit Lions *

Engadget Podcast 217 - 10.30.2010

Best Engadget Podcast Ever? Worst Engadget Podcast Ever? Is there really even a difference anymore? Only to the discerning Engadget Podcast Listener / Bingo player. Test your aptitude with this week's edition of The Engadget Podcast!!!!!!!!!!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Stan

00:02:55 - The PlayStation Phone
00:03:55 - The PlayStation Phone is still real
00:07:45 - Sony Ericsson Z-System: the PlayStation Phone's gaming platform?
00:26:55 - Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months'
00:30:00 - webOS 2.0 review
00:43:44 - HP Slate 500 finally (finally!) official, rings up at $799
00:50:21 - Microsoft announces a record first-quarter revenue of $16.20 billion, $5.41 billion in profit
00:52:08 - Mac OS X 10.7 Lion announced, coming summer 2011
00:52:55 - Mac App Store for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 unveiled, coming 'within 90 days'
00:56:00 - Apple's Mac App Store Review Guidelines posted -- will Photoshop make it in?
01:20:10 - MacBook Air review (late 2010)
01:27:45 - Google TV Review
01:28:28 - Nook Color first hands-on! (updated: with video)
01:30:00 - Barnes & Noble Nook Color revealed
01:37:20 - Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab's price makes sense
01:37:30 - Verizon to sell Galaxy Tab starting November 11th for $599.99
01:44:00 - Samsung Galaxy Tab hitting T-Mobile USA on November 10th, $400 on contract
01:44:30 - Galaxy Tab for Sprint confirmed for November 14th: $400 with two-year contract

Hear the podcast

Subscribe to the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace

Download the podcast

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)

Contact the podcast

1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.

Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget @zpowerFiled under: PodcastsEngadget Podcast 217 - 10.30.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors

Chinese Supercomputer Blazes Path to Glory

China has unveiled the world's fastest supercomputer, the Tianhe-1A, at a high-performance computing conference in Beijing. The Tianhe-1A has a Linpack benchmark performance of 2.507 petaflops, according to Nvidia, whose Tesla M2050 graphics processing units were used in the supercomputer.

New Jersey Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers

Why Is There a USB Drive Sticking Out of This Wall? [Art]

Across New York, there are USB drives embedded in walls, buildings and curbs. The idea is to create an anonymous, offline file-sharing network in public space. The drives are completely public and anyone can plug in to drop and download files. More »






Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings

Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.3 adds Web and URL scanning, nixes the nag screens

Filed under: Security
Panda launched their lightweight Cloud Antivirus app just under a year ago, and it's already received a number of significant updates and improvements. Today, they're announcing the release of Cloud Antivirus 1.3 -- and a few more cool feature additions.

Probably the most significant addition is Cloud AV's ability to filter malicious URLs and websites -- regardless of which browser you're using. Using the Web filter does require installing a toolbar, but that's a trade-off some of your less security-minded friends and family might be willing to make.

Other changes include improvements to Cloud AV's behavioral and blocking rules, which Panda now updates on the fly. Cloud Antivirus also now updates all of its rules and even installs program updates without requiring user interaction. The icing on the v1.3 cake is Panda's decision to remove the nag screens.

Now, I'm not one to complain too much about a free antivirus program that pops up the odd banner advertising a company's paid products... but if Panda's willing to get rid of the nags in Cloud AV, that's just fine with me. You will still see a promotional pop-up for the pro version during the install process, but according to the official blog post that's all, folks.
Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.3 adds Web and URL scanning, nixes the nag screens originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Washington Wizards Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves

Concept Butter Package Packs A Butter Knife In The Lid [Food]

Single servings of butter are almost always a pain to use. This concept packaging would revolutionize single serving butter because you don't need a butter knife. The lid of the package is the butter knife. I want this so bad. More »






New Orleans Hornets San Antonio Spurs Chicago Fire

Girl pretends iPod touch is an iPhone to scare away kidnapper

It turns out that the iPod touch is a kidnapper deterrent. In Stanton, Delaware, a 12-year-old girl was waiting for a ride outside Stanton Middle School when a man driving a white van pulled up next to her and yelled at her to “get in the van”. Instead of panicking, the girl pulled out her [...]Girl pretends iPod touch is an iPhone to scare away kidnapper is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

New England Patriots New York Jets Baltimore Ravens

After A Five Month Stay (And $750M Acquisition), AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui Leaves Google

Last November, Google announced that it had acquired leading mobile ad network AdMob for a whopping $750 million. Today, less than a year after the deal closed, AdMob founder and CEO Omar Hamoui is leaving Google, we've confirmed with the company. Google says Hamoui is leaving for personal reasons.

It sounds like Google is getting the short end of the stick here ?�Hamoui has actually only been able to work at the search giant for five months, because the AdMob/Google acquisition was held up by an endless federal investigation that stretched on from November 2009 through the end of May 2010 ?�an eternity in this highly�competitive�space.

Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns

Will Resolution Independent Interfaces Ever Come to the Mac?

Resolution independence, or the lack of it, is one of those nagging problems most users don’t even realize have a name. But the concept is simple: user-interface elements like icons, buttons and window borders on the same OS should be the same physical size no matter what screen you’re using.
From the 1980s until just a [...]

Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets

Firefox Friday: Mozilla refuses to ban Firesheep, a more-Awesome Bar, delayed Firefox 4, and more

Filed under: Features, Mozilla, BrowsersThis week has been a busy one for Mozilla, and not in a here-are-lots-of-awesome-toys-to-play-with way.

First of all, Firefox 4 was pushed back to 2011. We had originally hoped to see it launch before the end of 2010, but in all likelihood we probably won't see before March or April 2011. There are still a bunch of Beta releases to get through, and then the Release Candidates. On the flip side, FF4 is already very fast and a joy to use -- as long as you don't mind the occasional hiccup, it's well worth the upgrade from FF3.6!

Then there was Firesheep, a sidejacking add-on that gets its name from Firefox, which Mozilla has decided not to ban. Mozilla retains the ability to blacklist add-ons, but generally only blocks add-ons that cause browser crashes. There have been a few add-ons blocked for 'security issues', though, which raises the question: is Mozilla simply looking at the bigger picture -- a Web made all the more secure because of awareness-raising add-ons like Firesheep?

Finally, the Nobel Peace Prize website was hacked to exploit a 0-day Firefox vulnerability. The hole was summarily patched and new versions of Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 were released.

It wasn't all bad this week though! Mozilla Labs threw out a few of very fun toys to play with (an auto-complete Awesome Bar!), and I've found a few other goodies to show you, too.

Mozilla Labs brings you Awesome Bar word completion

This add-on, which is the first deliverable from Mozilla Labs' Prospector experiments, is all about enhancing the search experience inside Firefox. If you thought the Awesome Bar was good -- this will blow your mind! It's hard to explain exactly what 'word completion' does, but essentially it means you have to type less while searching -- just like Google's search suggestions!

Incidentally, this is yet another Chrome-like feature -- but hey, I don't think anyone's complaining.



Combine your address books and friends lists with Mozilla Labs' Contacts

Mozilla Labs has been quietly plugging away at the Contacts add-on for a while, and with release 0.4 it's definitely starting to become usable.

Contacts is part of Mozilla's continued efforts to make the browser a tool, rather than a portal. While Google's Chrome tries to get out of your way as quickly as possible, Mozilla wants Firefox to be part of the browsing experience. With Contacts you can import contacts and friends from a variety of services (Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, Yahoo, etc.) into your browser.

Having your contacts in your browser is great for two reasons: a) you always have an offline backup handy, and b) when registering for new Web services, you'll be able to give those sites access to your contacts directory. You won't have to give up your Facebook, Google, Flickr and Twitter credentials every time a site asks you to 'look for friends'!

[At the time of writing, this add-on doesn't seem to work -- I don't know if it's an issue with Contacts, or the latest builds of Firefox -- either way, I guess you just have to bookmark this one and hope Mozilla fixes it ASAP.]




Grab a faster, optimized version of Firefox 3.6 for Windows and Linux

The tenacious Mitch over at Firefox Facts dug up two gems this week: The Pale Moon Project and Swiftfox, which provide optimized versions of Firefox 3.6 for Windows and Linux respectively. Documentation for Swiftfox is lacking, but fortunately Pale Moon provides tons of details for why its build is faster than Mozilla's. The memory management runtime library has been custom-compiled for faster operation, and overall complexity has been reduced by removing unnecessary features (like accessibility and ActiveX). In general, it sounds like the Pale Moon build is angled towards speed, while Mozilla builds for compatibility.

The only real problem is that these are builds of Firefox 3.6. No matter how hard you tune it, 3.6 still languishes some way behind 4.0. Still, if you're not quite ready to transition over to the beta builds of Firefox 4, these two optimized builds should definitely give you a bit of a boost. Pale Moon also says it will build an optimized version of Firefox 4 when it's released -- and when that happens, Download Squad will be sure to review it.

Of course, neither of these optimized versions are overseen or ratified by Mozilla, so use them at your own risk!Firefox Friday: Mozilla refuses to ban Firesheep, a more-Awesome Bar, delayed Firefox 4, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Anaheim Ducks

Hard Candy Cases Offers Yet Another Stylus Option

If you are still searching for the perfect capacitive stylus for your iPad or other touch screen device, I have another one for you to consider. It’s the Candy Pen iPad Stylus from Hard Candy Cases. This stylus has a chromed finish with two caps that reveal a capacitive stylus on one end and a [...] Filed in categories: News, Spotlight Gadgets, iPhone, iPad, iPod relatedTagged: Capacitive, StylusHard Candy Cases Offers Yet Another Stylus Option originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 31, 2010 at 1:00 pm.

Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Western Conference

The PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details!

We've gotten our hands on some more images of the PlayStation Phone, and gleaned a few more juicy details about the handset. Firstly, as you can see in the photos, the model in question does indeed seem to be codenamed "Zeus" (as we reported on the 27th). Furthermore, the handset pictured is running Android 2.2, though apparently there are multiple devices out there with different versions on board (including at least one packed with Android 3.0). Based on what we know, there's little chance the phone will launch with Froyo -- but it's clear these have been worked on for some time with various versions of the OS.

The device appears to have an 8GB microSD card slotted, and at least 512MB of internal storage (though we're hoping it's the 1GB we've heard would be present). As you can see from the pictures in the gallery below, the device isn't exactly thin -- we surmise that the handset is around 17mm thick, or slightly thicker than HTC's Touch Pro 2 (and funnily enough, about the same as the PSPgo). From a design standpoint, the device seems to have more in common with BlackBerry handsets than previous Sony Ericsson phones; that smoky chrome bezel which surrounds the device is definitely giving us Torch flashbacks. As always, we're hard at work digging up more info on the phone (and potentially more images), but for now, just sit tight and enjoy the exclusive photos in the gallery below.
Gallery: Even more PlayStation Phone
Gallery: The PlayStation Phone
Gallery: PlayStation Phone detailsThe PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



Los Angeles Galaxy Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes

Feign 2 is an eerie, artsy first-person maze game -- Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Quiet, blocky, cryptic, and minimalistic. These are the first adjectives that come to mind when I think of Feign 2. It's a maze game, but it's built like an FPS (first-person shooter). So, it's like Quake with a creepy soundtrack, but there are no monsters.
Your goal is to collect nine bodies by navigating the maze. The whole thing is done up in shades of gray, but the bodies are bright orange. They're almost iridescent, so they're very easy to spot, but they're not so easy to find. This means that once you're in the vicinity of a body, you won't miss it. However, if it's hiding just behind a wall or two, you're in for a bit of hunting.
This is not an arcade game. I think it's something to do while you're on the phone, because you can easily pause, and it's not fast-paced. You don't really "pause" per se - you just stop moving, and nothing happens.
Bottom line: Feign 2 is soothing, artsy, and just a tad creepy.Feign 2 is an eerie, artsy first-person maze game -- Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings

Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service

Filed under: Security, Utilities, AndroidThere are two ways of looking at geolocation and other tracking technologies. There are those that decry the Information Dynasty, that abhor the idea of sharing your location with the godless monstrosities of Facebook and Google -- and then you have the diametric opposite: sharing is good, information is knowledge, knowledge is wisdom, Google is God.

But both schools are missing the point: data is useful. It is simply how you use it that matters. It might not seem apparent as a marketing-bombarded, social media munching consumer, but there is a mid-ground between giving Facebook all or none of your data. The danger with Facebook and other omnipresent Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net corporations is that you never really know how your information will be used: you sign up to chat to your friends, and before you know it, your data is being used by countless other services.

There is a way out, though, if you're looking for that fabled mid-ground -- it's counterintuitive, going against everything we've been taught in the last decade, but it works. You simply have to use services that do just one thing -- no feature creep, bloat, or third-party integrations -- just one thing.

Which brings me onto Prey, an open-source and cross-platform anti-theft tool that lets you track your mobile phone or laptop at all times. It's free to use, there are pro accounts for large companies, and you can even set it up on your own servers if you like.
While Prey works across almost every modern platform (iOS and BlackBerry are the only omissions), I will be focusing on the experience for Android. Every version uses the Web control panel, however -- and the Prey app that runs on your phone or laptop doesn't require much configuration. If you want to secure a laptop or netbook, check out Lee's post!

To start, you need to register on the Prey website. Then grab the Prey app from the Android Market. Log in with your account details, and you'll be greeted with the Settings screen:



To understand the settings, you need to know how Prey for Android works. It's very simple: Prey reads every incoming SMS, and if it contains the activation code ("GO PREY" by default), your phone immediately tries to contact the Prey servers -- your phone is then considered "missing." Disabling Prey is just a matter of sending another SMS ("STOP PREY"), or toggling the "found" button on the Web control panel. The only other option for mobile phones is "SIM replacement detection" -- if your would-be thief tries to change the SIM, Prey can be configured to SMS the phone's new number to your phone.



Now we move onto the more important bit: the (very pretty) Web control panel. Here you can modify how often your stolen (or lost) phone reports back, and what data is reported. You also configure "Action Modules," which as you might have guessed, cause your phone to perform an action. For now you can only make your phone display an obnoxious message ("YOU THIEVING B*STARD"), or ring a very loud police-siren alarm. Presumably there might soon be more Action Modules that do other cool things -- like nuke your address book, take photos of the thief, use a voice synthesizer to produce racial slurs, and so on.



Finally, the whole point of Prey is to produce reports of your stolen phone or laptop. To this end you get a nice Google Map with your phone pin-pointed on it, your phone's current IP address, ... and that's about it. The control panel suggests that you should get "nearby Wi-Fi hotspots," "traceroute," and "active connections" information, but that seems to be missing from my reports. Maybe it doesn't work on the Android version!

Conclusion
To be honest, I don't know how big an issue phone (or laptop) theft is. But maybe it doesn't matter: Prey is so light-weight and so free that you might as well install it on your phone -- you have nothing to lose (hah).

Prey for Android Tech Specs

Installed Size -- 400KB
Speed/Responsiveness -- Excellent (Android 2.1 @ 600MHz, LG GT540)
User Interface -- The Android app doesn't have an interface as such; the Web control panel is nice, though!
Configurability & Extensibility -- None really, but you could code your own modules if you like...!
License -- Free and open-source with "premium" packages available
Prey for Android is an open-source anti-theft service originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes

This Week's Best Web Video [TV]

Treat yourself to this week's hidden gems, from Dexter's Dark Echo to GameTrailers' Rock Band 3 Review. Just don't have Masters of Horror on full blast while kids are ringing your bell or you could scar them for life. More »






Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards

Daily Crunch: The Rat Edition

Meta Mouse: A Rat-controlled Car CEATEC 2010: ?Augmented Reality Walker? From Olympus (Video) Logitech Revue First Hands-On! Cisco Announces ?mi HD Home Video Calling System For $599, $25 Per Month Chevy Volt 240V Home Charging Kit: $490 (That?s Without Installation Taken Into Account)

Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers

9 Futuristic Monorails... From the Past [Vintage]

Monorails used to be the vision of futuristic travel. Now, that mode of transit has been mostly reduced to inter-terminal airport travel and family theme parks. Take a step back in time and gander at these bullet-shaped babies in action. More »






Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals

New details and pictures emerge about Sony's 'Playstation' phone

The much rumored about Sony "Playstation" phone has posed for more pictures and let a few more details out about itself. Engadget was able to score some more pictures of what appears to be a test version of the device. Here are some details: The phone is codenamed "Zeus," is running Android 2.2, has an 8GB microSD card slotted and has at least 512MB of internal storage. Nothing concrete has been confirmed about what the device will actually release with, but the details we've learned over the past week suggest it could be an awesome gaming phone. We'll keep you updated with anything further that is learned. Head over to the source for more pictures. Thoughts? [Engadget]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories



National Football Conference Dallas Cowboys New York Giants

HTC Trophy review

Why yes, yes it is another Windows Phone 7 device review. Not that we're complaining. It's not everyday that a new mobile operating system this polished arrives at our doorstep. Having already gone in depth with Microsoft's entirely new OS and half dozen or so other WP7 devices, it's now time to dive deep into the life and times of the HTC Trophy (codenamed, Spark). And it's about time. We first saw the words "HTC" and "Trophy" on the same page in a roadmap leak all the way back in 2009. Several of the leaked handsets eventually launched -- but not the 3-inch portrait QWERTY Trophy running Windows Mobile 6.5. Perhaps that original design was scrapped along with WinMo's relevancy to the consumer smartphone market. We don't know and we may never know. What we can tell you is what it's like to live with a production HTC Trophy for a week -- an average speced touchscreen slate offering anything but a middle-of-the-road experience.

This review is primarily of the HTC Trophy hardware. Check out our full review of Windows Phone 7 for our thoughts on the OS.Gallery: HTC Trophy reviewContinue reading HTC Trophy reviewHTC Trophy review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes

Bing Pimps New Microsoft Service As A Top Natural Search Result; Google Buries It

Search engines like Bing and Google will swear up and down that their natural search results are determined by one thing and one thing only: the all-knowing, all-powerful Algorithm. Sure, paid results might pop up at the top or to the side, but they are always highlighted as such. But sometimes the temptation is too great and the natural search results, which are supposed to be sacrosanct, are used to promote a product or service owned by the same company that operates the search engine.

That certainly appears to be what is happening on Bing right now if you do a search for the term "datamarket." The top result is for Windows Azure DataMarket, a product which just launched a couple days ago. Don't get me wrong. It sounds like a cool product. It is a cloud-based service where people can upload and sell data in a consistent way.

Houston Dynamo Los Angeles Galaxy Real Salt Lake

Apple Passes RIM to Become No. 4 Global Mobile Phone Vendor

The IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker claims that Apple’s record Q3 this year was exactly what it needed to bypass RIM and take over the fourth spot on their list of global mobile phone vendors. Apple is currently still behind, Nokia, Samsung and LG according to a report from Business Wire. Apple has been [...]Apple Passes RIM to Become No. 4 Global Mobile Phone Vendor is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

San Antonio Spurs Chicago Fire Columbus Crew

The Prize Portrait From Our Halloween Illustration Contest [Promotion]

Yesterday we chose our Halloween Illustration Contest winner and locked Gizmodo's contributing artist Sam Spratt in a creepy basement with instructions to draw a freaky portrait. Here's the result. More »






New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins *

This Is What A Nuclear Test Site Looks Like From Above [Nukes]

This is a Google Maps Satellite View of Yucca Flat, one of the Nevada Nuclear Test Sites. Over 739 nuclear tests were run between 1951 and 1992 which has left the region scarred and pockmarked to this day. More »






Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Boston Celtics

White iPhone 4 humor ? Saturday fun video

John from the Los Angeles-based sketch group that created this white iPhone 4 response video sent it in, hoping the humor would help ease the sting of non-release.

Let us know if laughter really is the best medicine, after the break!




White iPhone 4 humor – Saturday fun video is a story by TiPb. This [...]White iPhone 4 humor – Saturday fun video is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Western Conference Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche

Google now taking suggestions for improving Tasks

Filed under: Productivity, Google
Google seems to be aiming at making Tasks into a ubiquitous tasklist, available anywhere and easy to use. This is one of the few niches where a non-Google tool has the upper hand - in this case, Remember the Milk is the leader of the pack, at least for now.
Google's engineers know what they have to do to make Tasks into a smash hit: give users what they want!

To make that happen, they've just announced a Tasks poll for feature requests. Google's post seems to be very new, but the poll already has 720 ideas -- so I'm assuming they're just reminding us it exists. And a worthy reminder it is - go ahead, tell Google what you think and help them make a kick-ass task manager for all of us to use!Google now taking suggestions for improving Tasks originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Columbus Crew D.C. United Kansas City Wizards

HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop

The differences between the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition and the plain ol' Envy 14 have been primarily aesthetic -- it's got a black Beats branded lid and red backlit keyboard -- but HP's also included that set of Monster Beats Solo headphones you see up there. Sadly, that last differentiator is no longer. We'd heard from a few readers that their Envy 14 Beats Edition laptops arrived sans headphones, and HP has confirmed for us that due to "supply constraints" the Dr. Dre Solo from Monster headphones are no longer included with the snazzy black and red laptop. Hopefully those customers that paid full price for the laptop and didn't receive the Solos will get a refund, but we're told by HP that the price has been lowered by $100 since the cans went out of stock -- the starting price was originally $1,249.99 and is now $1,149.99. We're not entirely sure why you'd pay $150 more for the Beats version now, considering you get the same audio experience with the standard $999.99 Envy, but what do we know? There may be tons of diehard Beats Audio fans living amongst us.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  HP Envy 14 Beats Edition  | Email this | Comments

Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers

Minimalist Profile? Facebook Knows About You, Too [Facebook]

Even if you keep your profile bare, Facebook can infer your interests from your friends' interests—and target ads towards you, according to a recent patent application. More »






Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder

Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand

Well, wouldn't you know it? Seems that tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign may actually be working. Way back in April of this year, Sprint decided it would begin offering its own iPad case, despite the fact that even today the iPad isn't sold in Sprint stores. The reason? It's the perfect opportunity to push the Overdrive, a 4G mobile hotspot that's able to take the iPad (and any other WiFi-enabled device) to 4G speeds where available. In a recent interview with GigaOM, the carrier's CEO (Dan Hesse) confirmed that most iPads being sold are of the WiFi variety, and due to that, "the company has seen an uptick in demand for its Overdrive (3G/4G) wireless-hotspot device, as people use it to connect their iPads to the Internet when on the go." He failed to exaggerate on actual numbers, but it's obvious he's in favor of Apple's darling tablet selling like hotcakes -- after all, how else are you going to get an iDevice into 4G territory?Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Apple Insider  |  GigaOM  | Email this | Comments

Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers

Steve Jobs: "We Don't See USB 3 Taking Off At This Time" [Unconfirmed]

A curious Apple fan decided to email Steve Jobs a note asking about whether there'll be USB 3.0 support in Macs soon. This was the reply: More »






Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Search your Google Chrome tabs with Spot

Filed under: Google, Browsers
I don't typically browse with more than a handful of open tabs, but every now and then I wind up with a vast forest of them. When that happens, it's easy to lose that one tab you're actually looking for.

No worries, however, with the Spot extension for Google Chrome. Just click the magnifying glass icon and start typing something you remember about the page and Spot quickly returns a list of matches. Just click a result to be taken to the tab. The results list is also keyboard-navigable for those who eschew excess mousing.

Spot's developer also says he's working on integrating Chrome history and bookmarks in future versions.

Download Spot for Google ChromeSearch your Google Chrome tabs with Spot originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints

All 900GB of GeoCities Will Soon be Downloadable [Websites]

After killing off GeoCities last year, diehard Homesteaders will release a massive (and slightly unnecessary) 900GB torrent containing every single webpage ever hosted by the Yahoo-owned company. Just think of all those Gif-laden treats... [Archive Time via TechRadar] More »






New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Arizona Cardinals *

Microsoft loosens up, enables Windows Phone 7 apps to run beneath screen lock

We felt that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was a product that would be perpetually evaluated, tweaked and overhauled as time went on, and sure enough, we're already seeing those winds of change blow yonder. Reportedly, Microsoft has now removed the restriction that prevented developers from writing applications that would continue to operate behind a locked screen (without a user's explicit permission, anyway), enabling a whole host of apps to breathe in a manner in which they simply should. Audio apps, for example, will now be able to run in the background without yet another layer of pointless Vista-esque permissions, and Microsoft's Charlie Kindel said in an interview at its Professional Developer Conference that this move "is an example of us continuing to listen to customers." Frankly, it's just more fair -- Microsoft's own ingrained applications could already do this sans user permission (email, Zune playback, downloads, etc.), so it makes sense to give loyal developers that same opportunity. Of course, devs will have to prove that background apps won't burn up an absurd amount of battery life, but that's definitely not an unexpected qualification.Microsoft loosens up, enables Windows Phone 7 apps to run beneath screen lock originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  CNET  | Email this | Comments

Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Pittsburgh Steelers

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Russia to develop Linux-based Windows alternative to reduce its US tech dependence

Filed under: OS Updates, SecurityIn a move to decrease Russia's dependence on American technology, the Russian government has announced plans to develop a state-sponsored national operating system. Shifting away from Windows would mean both money savings for Russia, and increased digital security.

150 million rubles (5 million dollars) have been set aside to create an operating system that will be based on Linux. It's not yet known whether this national distro will be built from scratch, or simply a branch of a popular distro like Ubuntu. Speaking to AFP, Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev said "The devil is in the details," and that a meeting to decide the exact specifications of this new operating system would occur in December.

This move is a sign that Europe and Asia continue to be unnerved by the US-dominated technology industry. The last few years have seen a massive shift towards open-source software across Europe and Asia, and also a marked increase in the activity of European and Chinese space agencies.

Russia [System operates you!] won't be the first country to work on a national operating system either: China's Red Flag Linux first appeared back in 1999, and only last week India announced its plans to build a proprietary, hyper-secure operating system.
Russia to develop Linux-based Windows alternative to reduce its US tech dependence originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs * Oakland Raiders *

Search your Google Chrome tabs with Spot

Filed under: Google, Browsers
I don't typically browse with more than a handful of open tabs, but every now and then I wind up with a vast forest of them. When that happens, it's easy to lose that one tab you're actually looking for.

No worries, however, with the Spot extension for Google Chrome. Just click the magnifying glass icon and start typing something you remember about the page and Spot quickly returns a list of matches. Just click a result to be taken to the tab. The results list is also keyboard-navigable for those who eschew excess mousing.

Spot's developer also says he's working on integrating Chrome history and bookmarks in future versions.

Download Spot for Google ChromeSearch your Google Chrome tabs with Spot originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Denver Nuggets

Deal of the Day ? Sharp AQUOS 42? 120Hz, 1080p LED HDTV for $699

The LogicBUY Deal for Friday is the Sharp AQUOS LC-42LE620UT 42? 1080p LED HDTV.� This AQUOS has a 6.5ms response time and 120Hz refresh rate.� There are four HDMI inputs and more with this HD television.� $1099.00 – $400 off�= $699.00 with free shipping. This deal expires November 3, 2010 or sooner.� Check the LogicBUY [...] Filed in categories: NewsTagged: Deal of the DayDeal of the Day ? Sharp AQUOS 42? 120Hz, 1080p LED HDTV for $699 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2010 at 6:30 am.

Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns

Search your Google Chrome tabs with Spot

Filed under: Google, Browsers
I don't typically browse with more than a handful of open tabs, but every now and then I wind up with a vast forest of them. When that happens, it's easy to lose that one tab you're actually looking for.

No worries, however, with the Spot extension for Google Chrome. Just click the magnifying glass icon and start typing something you remember about the page and Spot quickly returns a list of matches. Just click a result to be taken to the tab. The results list is also keyboard-navigable for those who eschew excess mousing.

Spot's developer also says he's working on integrating Chrome history and bookmarks in future versions.

Download Spot for Google ChromeSearch your Google Chrome tabs with Spot originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Anaheim Ducks

Steorn peddles Orbo development kit, snake oil optional

With Steorn's track record, you'd think that the company wouldn't be in such a hurry to put its "free energy" technology under a microscope. Then again, maybe once it has your €399 (roughly $550) your thoughts on the subject really aren't that important anyways. Regardless, we're a wee bit skeptical of anyone who claims to have made a miraculous scientific breakthrough, refuses to explain said scientific breakthrough, and then asks you to cut them a check. But maybe you're a more trustworthy type: In that case, to build an Orbo device for yourself and access to the Steorn Knowledge Development Base, hit the source link. But don't say we didn't warn you.Steorn peddles Orbo development kit, snake oil optional originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Steorn  | Email this | Comments



San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Portland Timbers

IE9 Developer Preview 6 launched, and new Test Drive site now live

To celebrate the opening of the Professional Developer Conference 2010, the Internet Explorer team has just flipped the switch on a very sexy new version of the Internet Explorer Test Drive site.

Not only is Developer Preview 6 now available (don't get too excited, non-developers; this is another UI-less build), but there's also a ton of new demos that you can try out. A few of you might recognise SVG Helicopter, and Flickr Postcards is quite possibly the cutest application of HTML5 and CSS3 that I've ever seen.

For more info on Preview 6, check the full release notes.

As you can see in the screenshot above, there's a rather cute easter egg for Chrome 8 users, too!IE9 Developer Preview 6 launched, and new Test Drive site now live originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts *

Intel, Samsung, Toshiba form consortium aiming for 10nm chips by 2016

There isn't much to say here, so let's just get on with the facts: Intel, Samsung, and Toshiba are joining forces and pooling R&D efforts in a consortium funded in part by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (an expected 50 percent, or 5 billion yen / US $62 million) and the rest from the members. The goal? Semiconductor chips nearing 10nm by 2016. Ten more companies are expected to be invited once things get sorted out, so major chip-related corporations, please keep checking your mailboxes daily.Intel, Samsung, Toshiba form consortium aiming for 10nm chips by 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments



New England Patriots New York Jets Baltimore Ravens

Sprint: iPad has increased demand for 3G and 4G mobile hotspots

Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, says his company has seen an increase in the demand for their 3G and 4G Overdrive wireless hotspot devices since the launch of the iPad. He also noted that most iPads sold are the WiFi only model and they have become increasingly reliant upon devices such as their Overdrive to have [...]Sprint: iPad has increased demand for 3G and 4G mobile hotspots is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Boston Celtics New Jersey Nets New York Knicks

Skype 5 with Facebook integration sheds beta tag

Filed under: Utilities, Video
Skype has just announced Version 5 for Windows. This version has been in beta for quite some time, and it's now officially out. Amongst the new features:

Group video - which is still labeled "beta," even though the app itself is final
Automatically recovering dropped calls - Skype redials the other party; from our experience, it sometimes intentionally drops the call when the connection is really bad, and then it redials to try and get a better connection.
Facebook integration -- you can call or chat with Facebook friends directly from Skype.

If you've been using the beta version, none of this is overly exciting. But if you're still using Skype 4.0, this is certainly a worthy upgrade.Skype 5 with Facebook integration sheds beta tag originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nikon?s 3D Android-Powered Picture-Frame is Just Plain Weird

Is this a Nikon Android tablet? Well, not quite, but it’s pretty damn close. The NF-300i is a 3D, 7.2-inch digital photo frame that runs the Android 2.1 OS. If it had a touch-screen, then it would be a tablet.
Nikon’s frame, available only in Japan, is as full of gimmicks as you could wish for. [...]

Minnesota Vikings Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers

The PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details!

We've gotten our hands on some more images of the PlayStation Phone, and gleaned a few more juicy details about the handset. Firstly, as you can see in the photos, the model in question does indeed seem to be codenamed "Zeus" (as we reported on the 27th). Furthermore, the handset pictured is running Android 2.2, though apparently there are multiple devices out there with different versions on board (including at least one packed with Android 3.0). Based on what we know, there's little chance the phone will launch with Froyo -- but it's clear these have been worked on for some time with various versions of the OS.

The device appears to have an 8GB microSD card slotted, and at least 512MB of internal storage (though we're hoping it's the 1GB we've heard would be present). As you can see from the pictures in the gallery below, the device isn't exactly thin -- we surmise that the handset is around 17mm thick, or slightly thicker than HTC's Touch Pro 2 (and funnily enough, about the same as the PSPgo). From a design standpoint, the device seems to have more in common with BlackBerry handsets than previous Sony Ericsson phones; that smoky chrome bezel which surrounds the device is definitely giving us Torch flashbacks. As always, we're hard at work digging up more info on the phone (and potentially more images), but for now, just sit tight and enjoy the exclusive photos in the gallery below.
Gallery: Even more PlayStation Phone
Gallery: The PlayStation Phone
Gallery: PlayStation Phone detailsThe PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies

White iPhone 4 humor ? Saturday fun video

John from the Los Angeles-based sketch group that created this white iPhone 4 response video sent it in, hoping the humor would help ease the sting of non-release.

Let us know if laughter really is the best medicine, after the break!




White iPhone 4 humor – Saturday fun video is a story by TiPb. This [...]White iPhone 4 humor – Saturday fun video is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues

Google TV review

Google's taking a big leap with Google TV -- unlike its competitors, who've all focused on delivering curated video content with inexpensive streaming devices, Google's new platform brings Android, Chrome, and Flash directly to your TV in a variety of hardware configurations from Sony and Logitech. But whether you're adding Google TV to your existing rig with a Logitech Revue or starting from scratch with a Sony Internet TV, the basic experience of using each product is the same -- it's the web on your TV, in all its chaotic and beautiful glory. Is this the future of television? Can Google do what no company has ever managed to do in the past and put a little PC in your TV? Read on to find out!
Gallery: Google TV interface walkththroughContinue reading Google TV reviewGoogle TV review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators

OnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOS

Looking to spend a little quality time with your ride this weekend? If you just plunked down for a 2011 Chevrolet or Cadillac, and you just so happen to own an Android or iOS-based phone, you can now download the myChevrolet, myCadillac, and OnStar MyLink mobile phone apps that were duly introduced last month. We're told that the Buick and GMC versions will be launched in November, with the whole crew enabling owners to access vehicle-specific information, vehicle diagnostics, and even lock / unlock the doors. There's still no word on widespread Facebook integration, but hey, baby steps... right?Continue reading OnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOSOnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs New Jersey Devils

Pasteboard is a free and simple clipboard management tool

Filed under: Text, Windows, Freeware
There's no dearth of clipboard management applications. These are usually tools that let you copy and paste multiple snippets of text, append text to your clipboard, or manage images and other rich content in all sorts of clever ways.
Pasteboard doesn't even try to compete with that sort of functionality. It's a single-file application (if you don't count the readme and the PDF manual) that is free, portable, and -- at just 964KB of RAM on my system -- very lightweight.
All it does is give you 10 text fields that you can copy and paste text into. When you close the application, the content of each field is automatically saved, and will show up the next time you run Pasteboard. It's stored as plain text, too -- so if you need to strip links or formatting off of text that you copied from a website, you can just paste it into Pasteboard.
This is nothing you couldn't do with Stickies or with a ton of other applications, but Pasteboard is simple, lightweight, and it does what it says on the tin.Pasteboard is a free and simple clipboard management tool originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC

With Two Days Left In October, Diaspora Pushes Public Alpha To Thanksgiving

Project Diaspora. The open source Facebook-killa. You know the one. Developers got a taste of it last month. And the rest of us were supposed to get a usable alpha build this month. Well, there are only two days left in this month. So it's shouldn't be too surprising that they're pushing the consumer release again.

In a post pointing out some of the progress being made today, the Diaspora team notes:

San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC Portland Timbers

Apple sues Motorola right back over six patents

What, you didn't think Apple was just going to sit around and take it after Motorola first sued for patent infringement and then asked to court to declare some 20 of Cupertino's patents weren't applicable to its products, did you? Apple's fired back with two lawsuits claiming that Motorola's Android phones, including but not limited to the Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Cliq, Cliq XT, BackFlip, Devour A555, Devour i1, and Charm, infringe a total of six multitouch and OS patents. That would be pretty much par for the course -- you sue me, I sue you -- but there are a couple interesting strategic wrinkles to note:

We've only seen Apple litigate one of these patents before: #7,479,949, Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by Applying Heuristics. You should remember it well -- it's the patent covering scroll behavior on multitouch screens that was hyped as "the iPhone patent" and triggered a press frenzy over a possible Apple / Palm lawsuit. As we predicted at the time, that hasn't yet materialized, but old '949's gotten pretty popular: Apple's asserting it against Nokia and HTC as well.
Apple might be suing over six patents in these two cases, but ultimately Apple will claiming Motorola's devices infringe a total of 26 patents -- part of Apple's defense to Motorola's 20-patent lawsuit will be to claim that that Moto's in fact infringing each of those patents. That's a lot of patents across a lot of devices, and it'll just take one finding of infringement to cause a lot of pain.
Apple's filed its two cases in the Western District of Wisconsin, a patent "rocket docket" that tries cases quickly and are often perceived as being plaintiff-friendly. (Part of the Apple / Nokia lawsuit is happening in this same court.) Moto's obvious next move will be to try and consolidate all these cases into a single proceeding at one court, a procedural tactic that will take likely take months. And that's just the first step. Don't expect these cases to be decided for at least a year -- probably many years -- unless Apple and Motorola decide to settle, which is always possible.
Apple's now seriously engaged in litigation with the two largest Android handset makers (HTC and Motorola), largely over OS-level patents. At some point Google has to get involved, if only to indemnify its partners against further liability for using Android, and we can't help but think Apple and Google are eventually bound to face off directly. Or perhaps not -- by suing Android handset makers, Apple's essentially putting a tax on Android without having to further muddy up its complex competitor / partner relationship with Google by adding in a major lawsuit.

We've added in a list of the patents after the break, if you're interested -- and we know you're interested, right? It's not like it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon or anything.Continue reading Apple sues Motorola right back over six patentsApple sues Motorola right back over six patents originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink 9 to 5 Mac, Patently Apple  |  Complaint (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

D.C. United Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution

Why Is Quora Down?

Beloved Q & A site Quora has been spotty all day and is now showing a "503 Service Unavailable" error message when we attempt to access the site.

This is the first time I've experienced the site going down since it was launched in private beta by former Facebookers Adam D' Angelo and Charlie Cheever in 2010. Its absence has motivated us to use Facebook Questions to try to get further information about the outage (see above).

It's a testament to the site's burgeoning popularity and a good sign that people are actually noticing its service disruptions.

Vancouver Canucks Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets

Lost AIM access in Gmail chat? Check your language settings

Filed under: TroubleshootingDid you know that you can chat with your AIM buddies using Gmail's built-in chat? It's actually been a feature since 2007, but at some stage it seems like Google hid it away. For some reason, if you're using any display language other than English (US), you can't use the AIM integration.

Fortunately, it's just a matter of hitting Settings in the top right of Gmail and changing the Gmail Display Language to English (US). You can then sign into AIM by clicking the little down arrow next to your Gmail chat status.

Of course, this doesn't help you if you want to use a non-American display language. It doesn't even work with British English! Crazy.Lost AIM access in Gmail chat? Check your language settings originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo

Office Mobile 15 job posting heralds "next wave of innovation"

Filed under: Microsoft
With Windows Phone 7 and Office Mobile 2010 only just now making their big debut, it's time for Microsoft to focus on what's next. And based on this job posting over at LinkedIn, that's precisely what they're doing.

The post seeks a test lead for Microsoft's business division in Hyderabad, and they hope to build on what they feel is already a "breakthrough for Microsoft in the mobile market." The Office Mobile 15 team's goal? To "
define and build the next generation of software and services for mobile professionals."

Microsoft began recruiting new Windows Phone 8 team members as far back as April of this year, so it certainly makes sense to finish assembling the group who will be responsible for the OS' flagship app. [And, judging by that image, let's hope that WP8 will feature a landscape orientation... -Ed]

[via Windows8beta]
Office Mobile 15 job posting heralds "next wave of innovation" originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals

New B&N Nook Colors Outside the E-Reader Lines

Barnes & Noble took a big swipe at Amazon's dominance of the e-reader market with the introduction Wednesday of a new color Nook reader and a program to encourage development of apps for its devices. The $249 Nookcolor is designed to appeal to readers interested in periodicals and graphic books as well as traditional text-dominated books.

D.C. United Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution

CrunchGear Week in Review: Caps for Sale Edition

$$$: Team Fortress 2 Modders Make Nearly $50,000 Apiece End Of An Era: Sony Stops Manufacturing Cassette Walkmans Apple Announces The Apple MacBook Air Refresh Including A Smaller Model Inflatable Photo Studio Sets Up In Minutes, Is a Firetrap New Pleo Peeks Out From The Antediluvian Mists

Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts * Jacksonville Jaguars

Apple Sues Motorola Over Multitouch [Lawsuits]

Earlier this month, Motorola sued Apple for pretty much everything phone-related: MobileMe, the App Store, location based services, antenna design, and so forth. One thing Moto didn't mention however, was multitouch. So guess what happened? Apple decided to sue Motorola right back, filing two patent infringement lawsuits that cover six patents regarding, you guessed it, multitouch. More »






Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets San Antonio Spurs

Future Sonics debuts Atrio Special Edition professional earphones

Looking for some earphones below a $999 reference set of buds but above the mid-range fare filling the shelves at your local department store? Then you can now at Future Sonics' new Atrio Special Edition "professional" earphones to your list of options. Coming at $229, the earphones pack the company's MG7 transducer and so called TrueTimbre technology to provide what's described as "rich, dynamic and full sound" -- in terms of specs, you'll get a frequency response of 8Hz - 20,000Hz, along with a sensitivity level of 112dB at 30Hz, and ambient noise rejection of +/- 26 dB. As a bonus, you'll also also get a carrying case made from reclaimed tires, which is not only environmentally-friendly but one of a kind in appearance. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below for a hands-on look courtesy of Gadling.


Continue reading Future Sonics debuts Atrio Special Edition professional earphonesFuture Sonics debuts Atrio Special Edition professional earphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Gadling  | Email this | Comments



Montreal Impact Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins

Make Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 6 look like IE9 Beta

Filed under: Microsoft, Beta, Browsers

As with earlier previews of Internet Explorer 9, the latest release is totally chromeless (there's no shiny user interface, just a floating window). That can make it a little tricky to test things, but fortunately Ars Technica has posted a simple guide on how to turn on the IE9 GUI in Platform Preview 6.

First, you'll need to download and install both the Internet Explorer 9 Beta and Platform Preview 6 if you haven't already. Once that's done, follow these remaining steps:

32-bit Windows 7

1. Create a new folder on your desktop (call it whatever you like)
2. Open My Computer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer
3. Copy iexplore.exe and paste it into the new folder you just created
4. Go back to your My Computer window and navigate to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer Platform Preview
5. Copy the iepreview.exe.local folder and paste it into the new folder you created in step 1
6. Rename the folder you just pasted iexplore.exe.local

64-bit Windows 7
1. Create a new folder on your desktop (call it whatever you like)
2. Open My Computer and navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer
3. Copy iexplore.exe and paste it into the new folder you just created
4. Go back to your My Computer window and navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer Platform Preview
5. Copy the iepreview.exe.local folder and paste it into the new folder you created in step 1
6. Rename the folder you just pasted iexplore.exe.local

Once that's done, just double-click the iexplore.exe in your new desktop folder, and Platform Preview 6 will load with the full Internet Explorer 9 interface.

Make Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 6 look like IE9 Beta originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chicago Fire Columbus Crew D.C. United

Smith Electric?s CEO On Delivering Zero Emission Trucks, Avoiding The G-Word

Bryan Hansel, chief executive of Smith Electric Vehicles U.S., spoke with TechCrunch this week about how he is convincing American corporations to try electric trucks, and some of the challenges the company faces as it scales to meet the demand it's been working so hard to create.

But the CEO almost disdains the word "green." His company, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. sells all-electric trucks for medium-duty commercial and industrial use. It competes against brands like Ford, Peterbilt and Hino. Its technology is constantly compared to traditional diesel, gas and alternative fuel combustion engines.

Instead of strictly environmental benefits, the CEO emphasizes...

Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins * Chicago Bears *

Visualize the Game Console Generation Shift

An interactive infographic lets you visualize the videogame console wars in terms of how they've traded market share over the past several years.

Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New England Patriots

12-yo Girl Prevents Kidnapping By Pretending iPod Touch Is a Phone [Creeps]

This week in Stanton, Delaware, a 12-yo girl was confronted by a man driving a white van. He told her to get in. She held up her iPod Touch and said she'd dialed 911. That may have saved her life. More »






Atlanta Thrashers Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers