Daily Crunch: Finish Line Edition

Thanko Sells Underwater Video Camera Goggles The Pringle’s Can Antenna Is Now 10 This Wood Bike Looks Like It Came Out Of Minecraft – In A Good Way Laser Research Company TeraDiode Starting Humble, But Hopes To Make Ray Guns Soon Card-Case Speaker Is A Speaker Like A Card Case

Computer Software KONINKLIJKE KPN

Developer uses Siri to control home thermostat via a proxy server

A developer has managed to get Siri to control his home thermostat. The hack does not involve any jailbreaking but does involve setting up a proxy server which intercepts the Siri commands. This proxy server can then be used to add additional command functionality to Siri.

Siri

...

Multimedia distribution mechanism MOBILE TELESYSTEMS

Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets 'opened'

It’s not “rooting,” it’s openness

-- Nick Kralevich, Android security engineer

There's a bit of brouhaha on the Internet today about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus being "rooted."  While I applaud the gentlemen who take the time to build binaries needed to flash the superuser/switchuser files to the GNexus, I think it's more important to re-visit something from the past.  Namely, you don't need to exploit a Nexus device to root it.  The tools to unlock the potential of a Nexus phone are included, so pushing new software that allows more access to the system isn't really a surprise.  Hopefully, someone can go further with this access and do something that does surprise us. 

Mr. O'Brien, I tip my hat to you for taking the time to build your superboot image.  Most users wouldn't take the time needed to learn how do it, and you've provided the easy path for them.  Now there's no excuse for anyone with a GNexus to not jump in feet first and see what Android can do when given the proper tools, and openness.

More: MoDaCo

Computer Hardware CISCO SYSTEMS

Galaxy Nexus coming to Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada December 8th, pre-orders begin today

Time to start whoopin' and hollerin', Canada -- not only do you have a date with the Galaxy Nexus on December 8th, you can begin pre-ordering it on Bell and Virgin Mobile today. Getting your phone ordered early ensures that you can have the $160 handset (after a three-year commitment, of course) shipped out "as soon as it's available," but it doesn't necessarily guarantee your brand new treasure will show up on launch day. Bell's got a promo going on that we don't recall having seen before: a Twitter line-up. The idea is to sign up on the site on December 1st between 10am and 11am (EST), claim a spot in the virtual line and you'll be given a message to send on Twitter. Then, return to the site once an hour until 10pm and tweet out the latest message. If you remain in the top 100 when all is said and done, your Galaxy Nexus will be guaranteed to arrive on the 8th. 'Course, given the amount of interest circulating around the phone, it's probably best if you're on the site ready to get your Tweet at 9:59am. Check out the press release for the deets.

Continue reading Galaxy Nexus coming to Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada December 8th, pre-orders begin today

Galaxy Nexus coming to Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada December 8th, pre-orders begin today originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileSyrup  |  Bell , Virgin Mobile  | Email this | Comments

Related News SYNNEX

Optimizing solar thermal performance with data loggers

By measuring and monitoring solar thermal system performance, installers can correct mistakes and fine-tune and optimize systems. As a result, US consumers are likely to regain confidence in the technology, spurring what is expected to be a burgeoning market for solar hot water heaters.

Computer Hardware INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES

HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year

It hasn't been the best year for HP, what with the demise of webOS and the uncertainty surrounding its status as a PC maker. But, Meg Whitman hasn't taken the bridge of a sunken ship, though things are far from peachy keen. HP just posted its Q4 2011 earnings, and the company cleared a healthy $9.7 billion operating profit in 2011, though that's down 10 percent from last year. Total revenue for the quarter was 32.1 billion, a three percent decline from 2010. And, for those wondering just how much the death of webOS cost the company? Turns out that dalliance took a $3.3 billion chunk out of HP's bottom line. So, the news isn't the best for you HP fans, but we'll be listening in on the earnings call later today, so stay tuned for more details. Impatient folks can find plenty more financial figures in the Source link and PR that follow.

Update: CEO Meg Whitman and CFO Cathie Lesjac were on the call, and while specifics were hard to come by, they did let loose a couple hints regarding the company's future direction. Meg once again assured us all that HP and PSG are meant to be together, so the king of PC makers plans to keep its crown. Additionally, both bigwigs stressed that the company will be plowing more of its money in 2012 into R&D to foster "organic innovation" instead of buying it through outside acquisitions. Given the massive case of buyer's remorse HP had this year, that's probably a pretty good idea.

Continue reading HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year

HP releases Q4 2011 earnings: $9.7 billion operating profit for fiscal year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  HP  | Email this | Comments

Enterprises IT MOTOROLA

Why 2012 Will be the Year of the Ultrabook

The computing industry calls them ultrabooks: super-thin, super-light, high-performance notebooks. Apple’s wafer-thin MacBook Air partly inspired this new category, and a lot of these devices are doppelgangers for that highly successful notebook.
In 2011, Windows-based ultrabooks haven’t been flying off shelves. In fact, Acer and Asus have reportedly cut back their manufacturing orders by 40 [...]

Read More... ITRON

this week on the web

This week on the Web, we turn first to those moments in life when "wow" doesn't quite do it.

Moments like the release of Opera 11.60 beta, for example. Or, in a double-rainbow-related-way, the glimpse of an unusual natural occurrence. These are things that induce a full-grown man (even one who devotes a good portion of his free time to cage fighting) to utter breathy exclamations of awe, wonder and joy.

And thanks to the Internet, we can all share the overwhelming experience of moments like this - indeed, what we might call their sublime terror.

Speaking of which, this week we also heard about an interesting new gadget that lets you set scent alerts for online events. Meaning, this device could fill the room with the smell of pizza - or flowers, for that matter - whenever you get new mail or tweets. (And you thought there must be an app for that - nope, it's a smelly robot!)

Meanwhile, there was good news for open standards - not to mention for anyone who has ever experienced a certain kind of plug-in crash :no: - as Adobe announced it was dropping Flash in favor of HTML5. Can we say they saw the writing on the wall - or maybe the PDF?

Finally, a heads-up to anyone thinking of buying some new hardware or extra storage in the near future. With the ongoing flooding in Thailand impacting the country's high-tech manufacturing sites, prices for external hard drives and PCs are expected to go up and stay high until June of 2012. Time to get creative, friends! Give us your suggestions on ways to get around the coming storage crunch in the comments...

Have a great weekend, everybody!

:cool:

PS: there is a little contest going on over at Mashable... If you would like to nominate us for one of your favorite Internet things, that would be great - thanks!

Related News TERADATA

Tiny USB Stick Brings Android to PCs, TVs

Thanks to FXI Technologies' Cotton Candy USB device, we may not have to wait long to see Android on more than just our mobile devices. FXI essentially built an ultra-lean computer inside a small USB stick. Stick it into any device that supports USB storage, and Cotton Candy will register as a USB drive. From there, you can run the Android OS in a secure environment inside your desktop, courtesy of a Windows/OSX/Linux-compatible virtualization client embedded in the device.

Programming Language INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY

At TEDYouth: Photo slideshow

IT professional STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS

Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011

This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of November 14, 2011:

• Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Ingram Micro, a distributor that ships phones to Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy and Newegg, to expand the distribution of its Android lineup in the US. The deal will include a healthy chunk of the Xperia series, including the arc S. [PRNewswire]
• Like the Motorola Defy+ but it's just not tough enough? Check out the limited-edition JCB version of the rugged device, which adds a hardcore JCB case, a special app with handyman tools and a two-year extended warranty. And it can be yours through Clove on December 6th for £219. [TechDigest]
• Verizon introduced the LG Extrovert, a prepaid device with a slide-out four-row QWERTY, 2.8-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen display, 2MP camera and expandable storage. It, however, lacks 3G data. It's all yours on Verizon's prepaid site for $110. [PhoneArena]
• Speaking of Big Red, the rugged Casio Gz'One Ravine 2 was launched this week, and can be yours for $150 with a two-year contract. [PhoneScoop]
• The BlackBerry Bold 9790, announced this week, is confirmed to show up in the UK on Vodafone and O2, likely sometime in January. [Unwired View]
• SFR is selling the ZTE Tania, but it appears to be sold as a carrier-branded Windows Phone. You can purchase it without a contract for €269, or with a two-year commitment for €9.99. [MobileTechWorld]
• Twitter for Windows Phone just got updated to be compatible with Mango. It's meant to offer a smoother experience, but doesn't bring any new features with it. [WMPowerUser]
• Fandango debuted a new paperless ticket system, in concert with Regal-owned theaters, which can send a scannable bar code to your phone when you want to go see a movie. The ticket-takers then simply scan the code and you're all ready to root on Team Edward in the latest Twilight movie. Just don't forget the popcorn. [Yahoo!]

Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Computer Software JDA SOFTWARE GROUP

Mac OS X Lion Preview 2 released, introduces mega exciting leather bound iCal skin

This is one of those posts that could probably be condensed into a tweet: Apple has released the second Preview of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. If you're running Preview 1, it looks like you'll first receive a small update via Software Update, and then you can download Preview 2 from the Mac App Store.

There has been some speculation that Apple is getting close to a release or Golden Master build, but judging by 9to5 Mac's initial findings there's definitely some way to go. The Golden Master will probably appear at, or just before, the Apple WWDC in June.

So far, it's looking like the only changes in Preview 2 are the leather bound iCal skin that you can see above, and the main iChat window now combines your AIM, Bonjour and Jabber contacts, like Adium. We're sure that more details will emerge throughout the day, though, and there's bound to be lots of invisible changes, too. We'll update this post when we find out more.

Mac OS X Lion Preview 2 released, introduces mega exciting leather bound iCal skin originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

information database SHAW COMMUNICATIONS

Achievement Unlocked

(Alternative Get: Mac users can get/rate Opera in the Mac App Store)

Best Practices KLATENCOR

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

When Amazon Appstore for Android launched last week, one of its primary features -- Test Drive -- was disabled just a few minutes after it opened. With no try-before-you-buy, no refund process, and 1-Click purchasing ready to strike at any moment, this caused some problems. Anyway, don't despair: Test Drive is now enabled.

Before you get your hopes up, Test Drive doesn't work with every app. The IMDb app works fine -- you can even watch movie trailers on it! -- but the Angry Birds games are sadly not enabled. Some games work surprisingly well, though, like Bubble Buster. There's very little latency, and the framerate is really rather good. The Test Drive experience is so true to life that you even get ads; how cool is that?

Gallery: Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive

Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sun Microsystems IDT

PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play

If you're lucky enough to own an Xperia Play -- Sony Ericsson's new Gingerbread-powered smartphone-cum-gamepad -- you can now buy PlayStation (PSX) titles from the Android Market.

There are five titles currently available, all priced at £3.99: Syphon Filter, MediEvil, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, and Jumping Flash. They don't have an American price yet, but that will surely change once the Xperia Play launches in the States.

Two important questions remain unanswered: How big are these games? The Market descriptions say the games are only 5MB, but that sounds incredibly unlikely -- and more importantly, will it be possible to 'spoof' the Xperia Play and download PSX games onto other Gingerbread-powered phones, like the Nexus S?

In other news, the PlayStation emulator PSX4droid was recently removed from the Android Market. This obviously has nothing to do with today's release of first-party PlayStation games.

PSX games now available in the Android Market, if you own an Xperia Play originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Related News GRUPO IUSACELL

Say hello to the iShred, snowboarders' tribute to Steve Jobs (video)

Every third Thursday, the team at California based Signal Snowboards like to spice things up some and make something a little more outside the box. This time around the team decided on creating a fitting tribute to Steve Jobs -- a custom ride complete with built-in iPad -- and thus the iShred was born. By no means a cut-and-shut affair, the team take inspiration from the simple, yet creative, design principles that led to ideas like the iPad Smart Cover. A layer of ABS with a cut out for the screen sits atop an all aluminum base, sandwiching an Apple-esque illuminated Signal logo -- presumably so you know when your WiFi is on while heading off-piste. Power is cleverly supplied only when contact is provided by the presence of a rider. If you think this is all just for show, think again, as they final product gets taken out on the slopes and put through its paces, complete with a bit of après-ski Facetime.

Continue reading Say hello to the iShred, snowboarders' tribute to Steve Jobs (video)

Say hello to the iShred, snowboarders' tribute to Steve Jobs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  Signal Snowboards  | Email this | Comments

Related Stats LAM RESEARCH

Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads

A few moments ago, version 2 of the Banshee music player for Linux was released, bringing with it a whole slew of new features, and the addition of an official -- but alpha-quality -- Windows build. The Mac OS X build of version 2 is due later today.

The most notable new feature is support for the Amazon MP3 store -- you can buy and download music from within Banshee -- but unfortunately it's only available in the Linux build at the moment (OS X and Windows support are planned, however). There have also been some significant improvements to artist, album, and queue interactions -- and yes, you can finally right click a track, album or artist and select 'play after' to insert it into the queue.

Beyond actual playback, the user interface has been tidied up -- it now looks a whole lot smarter -- and the Ubuntu One Music Store and SoundMenu extensions have been made official. For a complete list of changes, additions and bug fixes, check the change log.

When Windows support initially appeared in February, we found it rough around the edges and fraught with stability issues. With version 2, Banshee for Windows is still a bit unstable, but it's shaping up to be a good alternative to Winamp, iTunes, or whatever other music library manager you use. It's almost as attractive as its GNOMEish brother, too!

Download Banshee 2 for Linux and Windows (Mac OS X coming soon)

Banshee music player now works in Windows, supports Amazon MP3 downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: QUANTA COMPUTER

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

Having the right programs and hardware to keep the information on your display safe from prying eyes is never a bad idea, and new software from Oculis Labs offers a very interesting take on how to do just that. It's called PrivateEye, and it utilizes facial recognition to automatically pixelate the contents of your display when you look away.

If you step away from your system and someone else decides to sit down and poke around, PrivateEye will present a confusing jumble of garbled text. It'll even notify you if someone tries to peek over your shoulder -- and display a picture of your peeping Tom, throw up an alert, or sound an alarm.

Check out the video embed after the break, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Continue reading New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More... NVIDIA

TC Cribs: Eventbrite Gives Us A Backstage Pass To Their House Of Orange

We're back for a new episode of TC Cribs, and it's one of our most colorful yet: Eventbrite. The company, which offers a variety of ways to coordinate events and sell tickets, has a penchant for orange — and it shows. Their office is nestled in San Francisco's SOMA district and has an office loaded with goodies that include everything from train sets to nap rooms... and random people walking around in costume (huh?) Hey look, that's me in a tiara. Tune in!

information database YAHOO

How Do You Get a Million People to Buy a Gadget That Nobody's Even Used Yet?

The iPhone and the iPad are card-carrying members. Modern Warfare 3 is, like, the President. I'm talking, of course, about the Million-Plus Preorder Club. Now the Amazon Kindle Fire has joined the ranks. Before anyone even touched a Kindle Fire. More »

Enterprises IT TELETECH HOLDINGS