|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've already known that Republic Wireless was planning to reopen the beta program for its hybrid WiFi / cellular service this summer, and the company has now finally detailed exactly how that beta will take place. For starters, it'll only be open to those who have already signed up to the company's email list or tried to place an order when that option was available last November, but that's still not a guarantee to get in. Starting next week, those folks will receive an email with details on how to take part in the company's online reservation system, after which you'll then have a week to claim a spot in one of the beta waves that will be rolling out over the course of the summer. Still no word on that new handset that was also promised for April, but you can find all the details on the beta program at the link below.
[Thanks, Andy]Republic Wireless opening up reservation system next week in advance of summer beta program originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Republic Wireless | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 
The ASUS Transformer Pad 300 is getting closer to bringing its watered-down Prime flavor to store shelves, as PC World reports a spokesperson confirmed it will begin shipping April 22nd. What they could not confirm was the price, although there are preorders out there for $399 already. In case you've forgotten, the 300 brings the same Tegra 3 processor as the Prime, but matches it with a standard IPS display, optional LTE and only 16GB of built-in storage, as well as 10 hours of battery life. We'll let you know when we hear more, but for now feel free to pencil in a note on your Earth Day calendar entries. ASUS reportedly to release Transformer Pad 300 on April 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PC World | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | You thought Sennheiser had already done enough to appease audiophiles this year at CES? Think again. The company has announced yet another new set of headphones with an amp to keep it warm at night, but the high-end wares come at a high-end price. The ceramic IE 800 buds (€599 or $787) offer a broad 5 - 46,000 Hz audio range in spite of their mere 7mm drivers, while stainless steel vents on the back supposedly "improve bass and airflow." If you need some extra juice and don't mind forking over the premium €1,499 ($1,973), the HDVD 800 headphone amp's shell is rocking anodized aluminum and a glass window for peering at the bantam circuitry within -- way over the top, but also, pretty amazing. It supports 24-bit 192kHz sources and is engineered for ideal synergy with Senn's HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600. Both should hit the shelves by summer of this year. Sennheiser intros ritzy IE 800 headphones and HDVD 800 amp, your wallet screams originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | SlashGear | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When Michael Abrash started working for Valve, he expected the higher-ups to hand him a pile of work and tell him to hop to it. They didn't. Instead, he was told to figure out the most valuable thing he could do for the company, and then do it. So, Abrash wound up kicking off an in-house R&D project for wearable computers, and according to a recent blog post, is looking to expand his research team. More than me-too mice and gamepads, indeed. Abrash is quick to put a lid on rumors of "Steam glasses," however, and warns readers not to expect any big reveals at E3 -- this is just an "initial investigation into a very interesting and promising space," he says, and is more "research than development." Rearing to give Google's Project Glass a run for its money? Or maybe you're just itching for a detailed narrative of employee and employer? Either way, you'll find what you're looking at the source link below. Valve employee spills the hardware beans: wearable computers, ahoy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Verge | Valve Software | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The black HTC One S uses a process called micro arc oxidation (MAO) to harden its aluminum unibody and make it feel like ceramic. We've recently experienced some chipping on the finish of one of our review units, so we reached out to HTC to find out if this is a known problem. Turns out we're not the only ones to report the issue, and while rare, the company's gone ahead and tweaked its manufacturing process and is offering to swap affected phones for free for existing customers. Here's HTC's statement: HTC is committed to delivering a high quality product and great experience for all our customers. There have been a few, isolated reports of this issue. The finish on the One S was laboratory tested as being at a hardness similar to ceramic. While that's hard, it doesn't mean it's impossible to damage. Regardless, HTC takes quality very seriously and are providing all customers with an immediate fix and we are implementing some small changes to ensure customers do not experience this issue in the future. HTC fixes rare One S chipping finish issue, swaps phones for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Still loving your XF video shooter from Canon, but lamenting the lack of 1440 x 1080, 35 mbps HD? Better sit down on your director's chair then, as it looks like a forthcoming firmware update for the series adds exactly this (at both 50i and 60i.) The format is popular with broadcast and news, and no doubt Canon is hoping to broaden the appeal of the XF line by bundling it in -- or smoothing the workflow of existing owners. The update will be available to all four cameras in the range (XF100, XF105, XF300, and XF305,) and you'll be able to start shooting with it from end of May. Continue reading Canon firmware update for XF camcorders incoming, brings broadcast friendly format along Canon firmware update for XF camcorders incoming, brings broadcast friendly format along originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Lets Go Digital | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | While the Optimus LTE's already made its way to South Korea, Japan and the US (in the guise of the Spectrum and the Nitro HD), LG's decided to give this dual-core handset a new name ahead of its Hong Kong launch at the end of this month. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Optimus True HD LTE. Alas, the "true HD" part here doesn't actually mean the phone's getting 1080p resolution on a 4.5-inch panel (which would be 490ppi; yet Toshiba's actually done it!); but we were told that 'tis really just a dig at Samsung's HD Super AMOLED technology -- you know, the magic behind that 4.65-inch screen on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE.
Simply put, LG doesn't think that 1,280 x 720 on PenTile counts as HD due to the lower number of sub-pixels; and while it's at it, the company also criticized AMOLED's over-expressed colors and higher power consumption in "normal user environment" -- for the latter, LG showed that its AH-IPS has a more consistent power consumption across varying levels of overall whiteness. You can see the relevant slides after the break.
Of course, we've already expressed (twice) how much we like the HD Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Nexus. The clearness issue now is much less noticeable when compared to the original Super AMOLED; but as for color accuracy, many of us are indeed deceived by the vibrancy that we naturally enjoy -- except when you need to inspect photos, of course. Regardless, we're pretty sure that it's only a matter of time before Samsung strikes back with a, ahem, "true HD" Super AMOLED (Plus) panel -- hopefully in time for the upcoming Galaxy S III.
Continue reading LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung's HD Super AMOLED LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung's HD Super AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sprint's Steve Elfman has said that the company's intending to activate an LTE service over its 800MHz spectrum by 2014. Big Yellow's already received 3GPP certification to turn Band 26 into super-fast mobile internet, the only remaining regulatory hurdle left to overcome is a thumbs-up from the FCC. The due date isn't set in stone, as it'll depend entirely on how quickly the company can force current iDEN users to migrate to its CDMA Direct Connect service. Meanwhile, LTE service in Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City and San Antonio will activate across next year, with the company confident that it'll be able to keep pace with AT&T and Verizon's services by offloading traffic onto Clearwire's TD-LTE Network which should go live by June 2013. We can only guess that after that the announcement was done, Mr. Elfman looked at a picture of Philip Falcone and had to step outside for a little cry. Sprint will activate LTE on the 800MHz band in 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phonescoop | Fierce Wireless | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Plug-ins bogging down your web browsing? Then it looks like you could soon have another option to cut through the clutter right in Firefox. The latest nightly build of the browser includes a new feature that lets users turn off all plug-ins by default and then click on each to enable them (something that, we should note, can already be done through third-party add-ons). While that functionality is still in the early stages, Mozilla's Jared Wein says that they're now working on adding the ability to remember plug-in settings on a per-site basis, and hope to have the feature ready for the release version of Firefox 14 (currently due out in July). In the meantime, you can get an early look at the feature in the latest nightly build available at the source link below. Mozilla tests out opt-in system for plug-ins in latest Firefox nightly build originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashdot | Firefox Nightly | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Somewhere along mike1986's development of Android Revolution HD, a custom ROM for the HTC One X, he found that something amiss with the smartphone's stock system -- its Tegra 3 power management software didn't function properly. According to the developer, an app known as NvCPLSvc.apk was misplaced in the /system/bin folder, rather than its proper destination of /system/app. Along with the custom ROM, mike1986 has released the fix as a separate bundle, which is detailed in the source below. To apply the patch, users must push the new APK to their handset via ADB, and then alter the file's permissions. Unless you're seriously hindered by your phone's battery life, however, it seems safe to wait for an official update from HTC. On the upside, users report an battery life increase in the neighborhood of 10 to 20 percent once with the fix in place, and we can only hope that all users will soon benefit from similar gains.
[Thanks, Nitin]HTC One X gets unofficial power management fix, boosts battery life 10 to 20 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | xda-developers | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When Facebook first announced Offers you we're probably wondering if there was even room for yet another coupon service. Between Google, Groupon, Yelp, Living Social and countless others we're not entirely sure there's a niche left untapped for Facebook, but that isn't going to stop Zuck and crew from trying. The service is officially rolling out as we speak, and offering its wares to any business with a Facebook page, regardless of size. The hope is that it'll catch on with smaller businesses in particular, which will now have an easy way to place deals directly into user's news feeds. Of course, after the failure of Facebook Deals, you'd be forgiven for assuming this experiment is doomed from moment one. Check out the video after the break and the source link for more details. Continue reading Facebook Offers starts rolling out, spamming your news feed with coupons (video) Facebook Offers starts rolling out, spamming your news feed with coupons (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | Facebook | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We're back, fresh off a Webby nomination and ready for a very special episode of The Engadget Show. We took our film crew to Asia this time out, to check out the markets of Taipei, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We'll also be speaking with top reps from Huawei and ASUS on our trip and bringing you the latest and greatest gadgets, surprises, music and a whole bunch more. Best of all, if you're in New York City, you can be a part of the live show -- just fire off an email to engadgetshow [at] engadget.com. And if you can't make it in person, fear not, we'll be streaming live at 6PM on Friday. Just bookmark this here URL. Here are the deets: o. The event is all ages. o. We'll open doors and begin seating at 5:15pm on April 20th, and the taping begins at 6:00PM. We'll be closing the doors at 5:50PM. o. A limited number of tickets are available, first come first serve. We will also have a limited stand-by list available. o. Please bring a photo ID with you to the taping. o. The show length is around an hour. If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [ iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [ Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [ RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. The Engadget Show returns Friday, April 20th! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Big eyes, small stomach. We've all been there at some point, when we load our plate up with more than our tummies can handle. Now, a team of Professors at Tokyo University has created special glasses that magnify the food on your plate, to create the illusion of larger portions, and trick your brain into creating a sensation of fullness. Now this might just sound like "magnifying glasses" but to give it credit, it's a little smarter than that. The diet-specs house a camera that only expands your nosh (up to fifty percent,) and not your hands. The proof of concept has been backed up by a small group test of 12 people. The subjects consumed 9.3 percent less cookies when magnified, and ate 15 percent more when the treats were set to appear smaller. Certainly these are the wackiest glasses we've seen in, oh, over a week. Professors develop food magnifying glasses, no need to super size originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | Yomiuri Online (Japanese) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Real Engadget Podcast: New York City: It's when bloggers stop being polite, and start getting real, which for these Engadget Podcasters means talking to their pets and talking to their beers, with a stiff dose of tech talk up top that can't be out-realed.
Host: Brian Heater
Guests: Michael Gorman, Terrence O'brien
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Orbital - Never
00:02:00 - The Engadget Show is nominated for a Webby Award! 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. Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 289 - 04.13.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Good news for all you owners of 2011 edition Xperia smartphones -- Sony's Xperia Product Blog has just confirmed that the devices will begin receiving a tasty upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The update is set to first rollout in the Nordic countries of Norway (naturally), Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland -- specifically for the Xperia arc S, ray and neo V -- followed by an expansion into other markets within the next "four to six weeks." Don't fret if you don't own one of the aforementioned devices, though, as Sony has noted that near the end of May it should have ICS ready for the Xperia arc, Play, active, neo mini, mini pro, pro and Sony Ericson Live. If you're hungering for more specific information on when you'll be able to update your device, you'll have to keep it posted to the source links below in the meantime. PSA: Sony details ICS rollout for 2011 Xperia smartphones, Nordic regions to get first dibs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Sony Xperia Product Blog, Sony Xperia support forum | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's the other One. While HTC's One X and One S jostle over which has the more potent processor, and customers weigh high-definition screens against high-science coatings, the One V has held back. Quite rightly, as this phone has no delusions of flagship grandeur. Negri Electronics has lent us an off-gray HTC One V to try out, although it will also be available in a black finish. With a nod to HTC's design past, a now relatively modest 3.7-inch screen and a ho-hum single-core 1GHz processor, the phone's looking to capture first-time smartphone buyers, along with anyone looking for a reasonably priced upgrade. For the money -- around $346 (£229) -- they'll get the latest version of Android topped by a slightly tweaked version of HTC's Sense 4 skin. Is this the new benchmark for entry-level smart phones? Can a such a weedy processor handle Android 4.0? And what's with that chin? We'll answer all those questions and more after the break.
Continue reading HTC One V review HTC One V review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Negri Electronics | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We were a tad disappointed when ChevronWP7 stopped handing out unlock token for Windows Phones in early January, only two months after launching. But, we held out hope that one day the shop might reopen its doors and once again offer a cheap option to those of us that wish to free our WP7 devices from Microsoft's shackles. Sadly, that dream is officially dead, as ChevronWP7 has been shuttered for good. On the plus side, current customers will be rewarded with a one year membership to Microsoft's App Hub -- currently the only legit way to unlock your Windows Phone. So, we're sad to see ChevronWP7 go but, if you were lucky enough to score a token before the 10,000 available sold out, you got a pretty sweet deal in paying $9 for a $99 App Hub membership. Hit up the source link for full details.
[Thanks, Joe]ChevronWP7 officially closes up shop for good, hands out App Hub memberships originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink WinSource | ChevronWP7 | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Just mention the company's name, and a pair of things come to mind: world-beating sound quality, and above-average prices. Such is life when you're Cowon, which has informed us that its Plenue Z2 portable media player will be shipping to the US of A in May. Based on details shared to us from a Cowon spokesperson, "early May" is the targeted release window, which makes sense given the unit's FCC debut back in December of 2011. We've learned that it'll ship in 16GB (white only) and 32GB (black only) sizes, with prices set for $279.99 and $319.99 in order of mention. As for specs? Glad you asked. Rather than relying on one of Cowon's proprietary operating systems, the Z2 will ship with Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread), while measuring 62.8- x 116.5- x 11.8-millimeters, weighing 116 grams and boasting a 3.7-inch (800 x 480) capacitive touchpanel.
On the audio side, you'll get a typical 20Hz to 20,000Hz frequency range, 29mW + 29mW maximum outlet and a 95dB signal-to-noise ratio. There's also an HDMI output, a microSD expansion slot, built-in FM radio tuner, 802.11b/g/n WiFi module, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and an internal microphone. The outfit claims that this guy can last some 22 hours when playing back music alone, while video junkies will see 8.5 hours of their favorite Family Guy clips before needing a rejuvenation session. Not surprisingly, the Z2 also supports a smorgasbord of file formats, including AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MKV, MPG, DAT, 3GP -- tired yet? -- DivX, XviD, H.264, WMA, OGG, PMC and FLAC. We managed to grab hold of a unit prior to its launch here in the States; head on past the break to hear our take. Continue reading Cowon Plenue Z2: US pricing, availability and hands-on impressions Cowon Plenue Z2: US pricing, availability and hands-on impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Not that we were expecting Apple and Macmillan to simply fess up and say, "you're right, totally tried to circumvent the free market," but both companies have come out swinging pretty hard against the allegations of price fixing. Apple has rejected the charges, calling them "simply not true." A company spokesman, Tom Neumayr, went so far as to tell Reuters that Cupertino was actually fostering competition by "breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry." John Sargent, the CEO of Macmillan, defended his company's behavior in blog post, saying the publisher had done nothing illegal and that the concessions sought by the DOJ in settlement negotiations were "too onerous." It looks like the next step for both is to face off with the US government in court -- a daunting task, no matter how large your war chest. Apple says e-book price fixing charges 'simply not true,' Macmillan also responds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Daring Fireball | Reuters, Tor | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sources close to former RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie have revealed his plans to save the company before he was shown the door, a plan that didn't involve handsets. He'd entered into talks with AT&T, Verizon and several European carriers to offer them use of the company's BlackBerry-exclusive network to provide limited data plans to featurephone users that included social networking and BBM -- with the aim of reducing the cellphone operators data burden and coaxing users to upgrade to smartphones. The company was working on Mobile Fusion; software that allowed enterprise and government users on iOS and Android devices to join RIM's system, which reportedly earns the company $1 billion per quarter. However, while talks progressed, company execs grew nervous and ousted him in favor of Thorsten Heins with a mandate to focus on BB10 and new devices rather than turning RIM into a service company. However, given that it's still losing money on its handset business, Heins has reopened the door to Balsillie's plan. It's just a shame Balsillie himself is keeping quiet, as we'd love to hear his thoughts in an executive-level edition of How Would you Change. Former RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie's very different rescue plan revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As we eagerly await the arrival of the 808 PureView, video professionals are pondering the usefulness of that 41-megapixel sensor. On paper, it's capable of shooting continuously-focusing 34-megapixel video that's then resampled down when compressed, but blogger James Burland wonders what it could do with less resampling. He claims that a member of Nokia's imaging team told him that shooting at 4K "might be possible," although there are plenty of issues that prevent it being achieved on the 808 handset itself.The hardware wouldn't be able to handle the storage or processing requirements, so it's unlikely Peter Jackson will be shooting on a Symbian-powered device any time soon -- but in any case it's an interesting pointer to the future of cellphone cinematography. Could future PureView devices support 4K video? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink All About Windows Phone | Nokia Creative | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Buckle up, folks. The latest installment of our weekly e-publication is chock full of awesome. First, we caught up with The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne to chat about the role of tech in their music and, more specifically, the group's upcoming album. In case you were napping, we take another look at what the New York International Auto Show had to offer this year and what Google needs to do to keep it weird. For your gadget fix, we put the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 and 15-inch Samsung Series 9 Ultrabooks as well as the Nikon D4 through the wringer. To top that all off, Snap Analysis looks at Facebook's purchase of Instagram, the Stat counts Android flavors, Crackberry founder Kevin Michaluk tackles the Q&A and Box Brown has the Last Word. An e-copy of your very own is a few clicks away, as your download link awaits below.
Distro Issue 36 PDF
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Follow Distro on TwitterDistro Issue 36 lands with The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, the New York International Auto Show, Ultrabooks and Nikon's D4 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | iTunes, Google Play | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Internet of Things is on the rise, and when things get big, they tend to get regulated. The European Commission has spotted this trend, and has decided to get its rubber stamp ready, in a bid to protect individual rights from all the data that it collects, as well as "unleash the potential economic and societal benefits." While this may seem like bureaucratic party-pooping, the Commission points out that much of the information carried includes personal location, preferences and behavioral patterns. There will be an initial consultation to determine the required privacy and security of an IoT infrastructure which will then be fed into the Commission's recommendation -- expected to be presented in summer 2013. The good news is that there's a survey open to citizens and businesses to have their say on how on how the regulation should be administered. Check the more coverage link below to make your opinions heard. European Commission outlines plans for Internet of Things regulation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Wall Street Journal | European Commission | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Portugal's opposition party, Partido Socialista, is pondering a tax on storage media under the flag of copyright protection. Under the proposal, consumers would pay €0.2 for every gigabyte of storage purchased, so a 1TB HDD would cost around €21 ($28) extra, plus an additional levy on devices over that size means a 2TB drive could cost an additional €103.2 ($135). It doesn't just stop at desktop platters: USB sticks, memory cards and even smartphones would also be charged, with any device packing 64GB of storage facing a surcharge of €32 ($42). A party member defended the idea, saying that the tax is aimed at professionals who use larger capacity drives -- but since most consumer HDDs come with a minimum size of 160GB and the legislation is also supposedly meant to tackle piracy, we're not entirely sure it adds up -- except maybe in government coffers. Portuguese opposition party wants 'terabyte tax,' voters want a new opposition party originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashdot | Tech Eye | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A vivid memory of Cisco's would-be FlipLive streaming camera is all we've got, but thankfully there's existing devices out there like the Livestream Broadcaster to help fill that void. Priced at a whopping $495, Livestream's Broadcaster allows it to be paired with an array of shooters via HDMI and used to stream live high-def vids to any Livestream-equipped device over Ethernet, WiFi, or with a 3G / 4G USB dongle. Aside from being capable of sending out 1080i waves, the Broadcaster can also push 720p and 480i resolutions (in case you don't feel like being a bandwidth hog), while all video and audio encoding is done with H.264 and ACC, respectively. It's also worth noting that the near 500 bucks includes a three-month sub to Livestream's service, which usually costs an extra $45 per month. For now, this bright red streamer's only available to Euros and Americans, with shipping set to commence by May 31st. Livestream Broadcaster pre-orders available now, shipping at the end of May for $495 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | Livestream | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | IBM's Holey Optochip? Yawn. Fujitsu's K supercomputer? Yesterday's news. Forget about boring old conventional computing stuff, the future of computer technology lies in crabs -- lots and lots of crabs. Researchers at Kobe University and the University of the West the England's Unconventional Computing Centre have discovered that properly herded crabs can signal the AND, OR and NOT arguments essential to computers, not to mention those crucial 1s and 0s. Forcing two swarms of crabs into one, for instance, represents the OR gate -- a trick the computational crustaceans pulled off fairly reliably. Not every operation was pincer perfect, however, as the crabs tended to stumble a bit through attempts at signaling the AND function. At least guiding a group of crabs isn't as tough as herding cats -- researchers used a shadow to imitate a predatory bird and direct the hapless creatures accordingly. Sure, it may not be the first biological computer, but it just might be the first fear-based computer. Researchers say crab-based computing possible, lobsters throw up claws in disbelief originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink New Scientist | Complex Systems (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Zotac and its XBOXes -- just when you think your next dorm room PC couldn't get any smaller... it does. The latest in the stable is the long-winded Nano XS AD11 Plus, a hysterically titled small form factor PC equipped with a dual-core 1.6GHz AMD E-450 APU, Radeon HD 6320 GPU, 2GB of DDR3 memory and an HDMI output. There's also a 64GB mSATA SSD, a pair of USB 3.0 sockets (as well as a couple of the USB 2.0 variety), a gigabit Ethernet jack and a bundled MCE-compatible remote. In a smattering of reviews that also cropped up alongside the box's launch, we've learned that the E-450 moderately bests the prior E-350 rigs and soars past similarly equipped Atom-based machines; the mSATA SSD is perhaps the biggest upgrade, however, easily helping the system as a whole feel far faster than those with mechanical hard drives. Hot Hardware was pleased with the overall showing, though they did note that the include USB WiFi adapter gave 'em headaches when trying to stream high-bitrate content from a NAS / home server. Worth the $359? Hit those More Coverage links to help you decide. Zotac ZBOX Nano XS AD11 Plus mini PC launches with E-450 APU, gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TG Daily | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Walking is apparently underrated. So University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Matt Tomasulo decided to engage in some "guerilla urbanism" in January with fellow fans of bipedal activity, posting 27 signs at three Raleigh, NC intersections as part of the "Walk Raleigh" project. The cardboard and vinyl signs contained snippets about how many minutes it would take to walk to must-see destinations like Raleigh City Cemetery, as well as QR codes for downloading directions. Like the activity it promotes, Tomasulo says the idea behind the project is simple: It's OK to walk. Apparently, Tomasulo and his buddies did such a great job with the signs that it took the sharp folks at the city government a month to catch on and take the stuff down. The city has since walked back its opposition to the signs, however, and put them back up as part of a 90-day pilot project. In the meantime, Walk Raleigh has turned into a Walk [Your City] Kickstarter campaign to put your wallet where your feet are. Student's push to make Raleigh more walkable relies on homemade signs and QR codes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | AP (Yahoo) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
