Saturday, December 04, 2010

Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

The Apple iOS and Android smartphone operating systems are the most desired upgrades, with their first and second place rankings varying by mobile phone user demographic, according to new data from The Nielsen Company. 1/3 of Likely Smartphone Upgraders Desire Apple iOS Among all likely US smartphone upgraders from August-October 2010, nearly one-third (30%) desire to upgrade [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingcharts/~4/etImmtbfqZI" height="1" width="1"/>

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Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes Out [Google Maps]

Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes Out [Google Maps]

Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes OutIf you've never been able to put your finger on why Google Maps seems so much easier to read than other mapping services, here's why.

Justin O'Beirne lays out (and handily illustrates) the three major reasons Google Maps is more readable than the competition: White outlines, "a greater number/diversity of label classes" (more labels that are different sizes), and different label shadings. In other words, it's a lot of little things that add up to make it a nicer experience (hey look, Google can do design).

Once you see everything laid out, it makes total sense, so do check out all of the illustrations: [41Latitude via Techmeme]

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Verizon trials Home Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone

Verizon trials Home Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone

We're aware of a few third-party products that pull off this trick by connecting to your cellphone via Bluetooth, but Verizon's throwing weight behind its own system called Home Phone Connect that'll connect your home phone into its wireless network. The system -- which seems to be available only to residents of New York and Connecticut at the moment -- includes some sort of base station that connects to Verizon's network on one end and your existing landline on the other; T-Mobile's now-defunct @Home service was similar, but used your internet connection to route the calls rather than the cellular airwaves. Subscribers pay $9.99 to add the landline to a Verizon family plan or $19.99 to grant it unlimited domestic minutes, which seems poised to cut into Verizon's legacy landline business just as much (if not more) than the unique Hub unit that got killed off a while back. Hard to say when (or even if) Home Phone Connect will go national, but these trials are often set up to test the pricing model just as much as they are the underlying technology -- so the question becomes, would you pay $10 more on your Verizon Wireless bill to use your old-school Slimline?

Verizon t! rials Ho me Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NetworkWorld  |  sourceVerizon  | Email this | Comments

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Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod)

Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod)

Is Sigma announcing an EVIL (as in Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, not malevolent) camera today? Digital Photography Review forum member Ryan Shine seems to think so, and says it's "here" in China. As if to prove his point, we've got a trio of pictures for the mirrorless shooter. Hey, don't say we didn't warn you -- and if it doesn't become official soon, at least there's pictures to enjoy.

Update: We tracked down the source and turns out this is just an enthusiast's modded Sigma DP1, which has been given a Leica M mount. Quite a daring mod, if we may say so.

Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Photo Rumors  |  sourceDigital Photography Review  | Email this | Comments

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Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th

Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th

The headline pretty much reveals the brunt of it, but indeed, it looks like next week Google is going to start talking about how its Chrome operating system is coming along. Multiple sources have told us that Google will be holding some sort of event on Tuesday, December 7th -- we're not sure if it'll be a live event, a webcast, or something else entirely -- and that the shindig will see the launch of that Google-branded Chrome OS netbook we've been hearing about. Again, we've heard that the Atom-powered laptop isn't going to be a mass market device -- there will only be around 65,000 units available to Google's closest "friends and family" -- and that the Cloud-based OS is still very much in a beta, non-consumer-friendly state. It's a bit odd that we still haven't received an invite to this planned event since it's purportedly days away, not to mention it conflicts with the All Things D: Dive Into Mobile Event, but at the time of publishing this post we had yet to hear back from Google's PR team with an official comment.

Of course, this all lines up with TechCrunch's report that Google will be launching its Chrome Web / App Store very soon, as well as yesterday's launch of Chrome 8, which supports those aforementioned Chrome apps. (Companies like TweetDeck have already started demoing their browser apps.) Don't forget that those apps are going to be a large part of the OS, so it would make sense for Google to talk about 'em in tandem. The pieces sure do seem to be fitting together quite well, and while we still have lots of unanswered questions, we're feeling confident that we'll be getting some official answers on all this Chrome-ness very soon.

Update: AllThingsD has also heard a similar December 7th launch date of the Chrome Web Store. The evidence seems to be mounting here...

Update 2: Well, there you have it, Google just sent out invites for its December 7th Chrome event! We will be there!

Image note: As we said last time, that picture above is just our own mockup of what a Chromebook may look like. We even added a Chrome key!

Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Review: Djay for iPad

App Review: Djay for iPad

The iPad's gorgeous 9.7-inch display has been attracting attention for its musical potential, and the Djay app from Algoriddim has definitely contributed to some of the noise. The guys who brought a consumer-friendly DJing app to the Mac have gone ahead and ported it over to Apple's magical tablet, enabling pretty much anyone to get their shot on the decks. Does Djay for iPad live up to the hype? Read on past the break to find out.

Continue reading App Review: Djay for iPad

App Review: Djay for iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair has added new 90GB and 180GB sizes to its blazin' fast Force Series of SSDs, growing the happy family which already included 60, 120, and 240GB versions in addition to the original 100GB and 200GB options released back in the spring. Unlike its previous siblings, both the F90 and F180 are also available immediately from Corsair dealers for suggested MSRPs of $255 and $430, respectively. Built around the lauded SandForce SF-1200 controller and capable of beastly 285MB/sec read speeds and 275MB/sec write rates, these latest releases are not too small and not too big, making them the perfect Goldie Locks drives of the SSD world. To hear the news straight from Corsair's mouth, check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Trusted Reviews  |  sourceCorsair  | Email this | Comments

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Thursday, December 02, 2010

Splashtop Instant-On OS Boots You Into Chromium Quickly (on Some HP Laptops) [Video]

Splashtop Instant-On OS Boots You Into Chromium Quickly (on Some HP Laptops) [Video]

Windows only: Splashtop, an instant-on, web-focused OS with Chromium, formerly pre-installed on laptops alongside Windows, has gone and made itself a free download. The catch? It's mostly HP Mini and Pavilion laptops, and one Compaq, that can run it, for now.

Which HP/Compaq laptops? Here's the compatibility list. For those who happened to pick up the right kind of PC, though, Splashtop does look pretty handy. It books quickly to a minimalist OS that features Chromium, the open-source version of Chrome, with Flash pre-installed. There's a search bar powered by Bing. Two big buttons make it easy to get back to Windows or power off/sleep the system, and your Chrome start tab panels make up your desktop.

If you're able to give Splashtop a go in its new download form, tell us how you like it in the comments. It's a free download, and installs through Windows.

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Right Click to Link to a YouTube Video at a Specific Time [Video]

Right Click to Link to a YouTube Video at a Specific Time [Video]

You've always been able to hack a YouTube URL to link to a specific time, but now all it takes is a right click.

This is a very simple trick. Load up any YouTube video, seek to a specific time, pause the video, and right click. Then you'll be able to choose "Copy video URL at current time" and end up with a URL in your clipboard that'll start the video at the time you chose. Currently this only works on YouTube.com, but hopefully it'll roll out to embedded players on other sites in the future.

Thanks for the tip, HahSohrob!

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FindTheBest Compares Almost Anything Online to Find Your Best Option [Video]

FindTheBest Compares Almost Anything Online to Find Your Best Option [Video]

FindTheBest is a comparison engine that lets you browse or search for almost anything and provides an unbiased overview of your options so you can choose the right one for you.

In the way travel sites like Hipmunk provide unbiased flight search results, FindTheBest attempts to do that for practically anything on the web. Suppose you're looking for the best blogging platform and our Hive Five on the subject didn't quite do it for you. Search for blogging software in FindTheBest and you'll end up with a page like the following:

FindTheBest Compares Almost Anything Online to Find Your Best Option
(Click to enlarge.)

At first it's a pretty daunting list of your options, but on the left side of the page you'll see a list of checkboxes, a cost slider, and other options so you can narrow down your comparison grid based on things that matter to you.

FindTheBest isn't limited to just technology stuff. You can search and compare just about anything, from pet breeds to vacation spots to the best colleges for a particular course of study. Of course, if you're shopping for the holidays and want to compare a few products it can definitely handle that as well. FindTheBest is currently in beta and available to use now for free.

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Needle Is a Smart and Efficient Research Assistant [Video]

Needle Is a Smart and Efficient Research Assistant [Video]

If you've ever spent hours clicking through web pages collecting data—whether you're planning a vacation or culling data for academic research—webapp Needle (presumably so-named with the haystack in mind) collects and organizes data from any source, online or off.

We could painstakingly explain Needle, but your best bet is to watch the video demo above. Basically you teach Needle how to understand a data source—and it's incredibly good at learning how a data source works, even if it's a tedious-to-navigate web site—and then, once its got the hang of the source, Needle collects all the data you ask for automatically, sorting it into an easy-to-parse format. Once you've got it, you can search, map, chart, and analyze the data however you see fit.

Again, check out the video to see it in action. Needle's definitely not a tool for everyone, but if you do a lot of research online, it seems like a lifesaver. (ReadWriteWeb's Marshall Kirkpatrick sure thinks so.) Either way, you can't deny that it's a cleverly built tool. Needle is free for personal use.

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Stream Any Video to Your Apple TV, No Pre-Conversion Required [Video]

Stream Any Video to Your Apple TV, No Pre-Conversion Required [Video]

AirPlay is great if your video collection is in the right format, otherwise you can only stream Apple-approved videos from your iOS device to your Apple TV. Here's how to circumvent that limitation and how to get the best results.

AirPlay is Apple's great new media streaming technology that lets you stream your music, video, and photos from your iOS device to your Apple TV. Air Video is an iOS app that lets you stream any video from your Mac or PC to your iOS device, converting it on-the-fly if necessary. Wouldn't it be great if you could combine these two things? Then you could stream any video in any format from your computer to your iPad to your Apple TV. Because AirPlay's APIs aren't yet available, Air Video's developer says he can't add this functionality to the application. Fortunately, if you want to jailbreak your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can install a little hack that'll let you stream anything from Air Video directly to your Apple TV.

Stream Any Video to Your Apple TV, No Pre-Conversion Required

This is very easy to do. Here are the steps:

  1. First, you need an iOS device running iOS 4.2 or greater. You'll need to jailbreak your device, and the currently redsn0w is the jailbreak method of choice for iOS 4.2. (Here's how to do it.)
  2. Once you're jailbroken, you need to jump into Cydia—that's the package manager that should now be installed on your device—and download AidVideoEnabler. You don't need to add any special repositories. You should be able to just search for it, download, and install.
  3. Reboot your device.

That's all you need to do to make this work. It doesn't work perfectly, however, so let's take a quick look at how you can get the best experience.

Stream Any Video to Your Apple TV, No Pre-Conversion RequiredFirst things first, the bit rates don't matter here—the iPad we used could handle the highest setting in Air Video so as long as the computer converting and serving the video can keep up, feel free to tell Air Video it's okay if it wants to stream at the highest possible bit rate. For reference, that's 2560kbps and you can set it in "Global Settings." The only thing you really need to worry about is when you start streaming to your Apple TV. We found that if you don't let Air Video get a pretty decent head start of at least a few minutes, streaming will fail. If you let it convert for a little bit before you get started, however, it works like a charm.

That's it! Enjoy streaming all your videos!

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GameString demos its streaming, custom World of Warcraft UI by raiding on an HTC Desire (video)

GameString demos its streaming, custom World of Warcraft UI by raiding on an HTC Desire (video)

We're still not ready to apply the label "Gaming 3.0" here (or to anything, for that matter), but despite its boasts, GameString's making a compelling case for cloud-based play time. We've already seen the company bring World of Warcraft to Google TV, but now the company's showcasing its take on a challenge we've seen a few times before -- streaming a playable version of WoW to a mobile phone. (Gotta get 'em out of the house somehow.) The trick here is a streamlined UI overlay that makes for a every touch-friendly experience; there's translucent "thumbstick" spots and larger buttons for spells. The setup in question here is its Adrenalin Host Server from approximately 80 kilometers away (geographically) and an HTC Desire running over a home network that's 2Mbps down / 2Mbps up. And while there's some notable lag and parts of the interface that's still too tiny to really use, it's still an Alpha build that seems functional for all but the most intense of moments. See it for yourself after the break.

Continue reading GameString demos its streaming, custom World of Warcraft UI by raiding on an HTC Desire (video)

GameString demos its streaming, custom World of Warcraft UI by raiding on an HTC Desire (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Droid Gamers  |  sourceYouTube  | Email this | Comments

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PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver

PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver

PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can handle
Little fingers can dish out big pain for gadgets, and unless your little one is beefy enough to lug around a Toughbook you'll be wanting something small and durable for them. Enter the $449 PeeWee Power 2.0, the latest revision to the company's series of kid-friendly computers. This netbook is said to survive drops with aplomb, but only has a "water resistant" keyboard, so don't toss those sippy cups just yet. It also comes loaded with security software to hopefully keep your kids from finding the worst the 'net has to offer, but with only a 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor on tap, 1GB of RAM, and a mere 30GB of HDD storage, we're guessing it could also be a good tool to teach them all about patience.

Continue reading PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver

PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting

Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting

We've seen a few Apple 3D patents before, but this latest IP portfolio addition shows Cupertino has clearly been thinking differently. At its core the system involves a screen, projector, sensor, and a 3D imager, which work together to allow multiple viewers to perceive 3D images from nearly any position in a room without glasses. This flexible autostereoscopic 3D effect is achieved by tracking user's positions and projecting pixels onto a reflective, textured surface that then bounces separate images into the left and right eye. Virtual interaction methods with the 3D projections are also described in the document, implying the technology has aspirations beyond passive viewing.

Speaking of aspirations, Apple's approach clearly seeks to fix many common 3D issues at once. The most obvious is literally taking 3D glasses of the picture -- which we firmly support. On the flip side, the design addresses common faults with current glasses-free options too such as: ghosting and narrow viewing angles, while still keeping commercial viability in mind. That sounds magical to us, but considering the patent was filed back in 2006, we still expect 3D to be handled the old fashion way for quite a while to come.

While we're on the subject of patents, a handful more popped in by way of Apple related to keyboard backlighting. Think multiple colors, individually lit, customizable by the user or automated based on environmental conditions and you get the gist. Hey, if it means a return for the Bondi Blue late 90's iMac design (with bright, matching keyboards), then we're excited. But it doesn't.

Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Register, Apple Insider  |  sourceUSPTO (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

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MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love

MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love

First the 2018 World Cup and now this. An Intel press event in Moscow was reportedly the site of some new MeeGo device reveals. Mail.ru's Anton Spiridonov was on hand and managed to spot Intel Atom-based phone the Hi/Lo Vibrant (we haven't heard of the company, either) and a tablet of some sort, both equipped with the Linux-based OS. Not much else is known save for what appears to be a 5 megapixel camera labeled as such on the back. More pics below.

[Thanks, Chris]

MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MeeGo Experts, Hi-tech@Mail.ru  |  sourceTwitter (@playd), Neowin, PopSci  |  sourceTakayukiFukatsu (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today

PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today

Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.

PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ZDNet  |  sourceAVG Official Forums  | Email this | Comments

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Flipboard's Big Update: This is an iPad Mag Done Right

Flipboard's Big Update: This is an iPad Mag Done Right

Flipboard, the iPad "social" magazine which launched to a barrage of press back in July, has just announced the addition of several more publishing partners, the first to test Flipboard's new framework called Flipboard Pages. This framework automatically converts traditional Web content into an iPad-friendly format, featuring full-screen, paginated, magazine-like pages.

When readers tap content from these publishers shared by friends on Twitter or Facebook within the Flipboard app, they're now taken to this new magazine-like reading experience instead of a traditional Web page. And for publishers, the result of the tap is the same as a Web hit on their end.

Flipboard Pages, however, isn't the only big news coming out of the company today.

Sponsor

About Flipboard Pages

The new media partners participating in the launch of Flipboard Pages are ABC News, All Things D, Bon Appetit, Lonely Planet, SB Nation, SF Gate, Uncrate and The Washington Post Magazine.

All publishers worked with Flipboard to create their own HTML5-based framework, so they each have their own look and feel. (HTML5 is the next version of HTML, the markup language of the Web. Although currently in development, its use has become so prevalent throughout the year, that we dubbed it one of 2010's top trends.)

Flipboards_new_publications.jpg

The end result of these partnerships is unique, branded experiences for the publishers, but all housed within the overall framework of the Flipboard app itself.

For the end user, switching between the various custom formats isn't jarring because you don't flip from one publisher's content to the next. Instead, you "happen upon" the content by tapping a link shared by a friend on Facebook or Twitter, the social networks already integrated into Flipboard. Previously, tapping links would load up a traditional Web page - and that was far more jarring, as it took you out of the magazine experience altogether. Now, moving from social posts to the Web and back again feels like more seamless.

Other News: Ad Partnership, William R. Hearst Advising

Flipboard is also announcing a new ad partner, OMD, and a notable new advisor: William R. Hearst, a media industry veteran and Affiliated Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Buyers.

flipboard_before.PNGOMD will serve full-page ads from its clients including Pepsi, Gatorade, Infiniti, The CW Television Network, Showtime, Levi's, Dockers, Hilton Worldwide, GE, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Project (RED), Standup2cancer.org and Charity Water.

Magazine readers will see the ads while browsing stories from Flipboard's partners during the advertising trial.

Compared With Other iPad Mags

As for how Flipboard compares to other companies launching iPad magazines of their own, we think Flipboard is closer to "getting it right" than the other ventures we've caught wind of in recent weeks.

For example, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is said to be launching an iPad-only newspaper (or news service?) in the near future and Richard Branson officially launched an iPad-only magazine called "Project" just this week. Both companies distribute (or will distribute) their content as locked-down subscription-based tablet applications. While both deliver "iPad-friendly" experiences, they're missing the point of the iPad - you don't have to reinvent the wheel and launch entirely new media publications, you just need to boldly rethink the user interfaces of existing ones.

flipboard_after.PNGIn doing so, why not render the content using Web technologies instead of downloading megabytes of media to the iPad's hard disk? (Well, perhaps those with Wi-Fi only iPads will disagree here - Flipboard currently offers only limited offline support. You can flip pages, but can't read articles.)

More recently, critics, such as those on tech news site GigaOm for example, called Branson's "Project" as "bloated and unfriendly" as the other magazine apps for iPad that are out there today. Many of these apps are confusing to use - you actually need a "how to" guide to get started. Flipboard is much easier. As the name implies, you just flip (swipe your finger across the screen).

Plus, Flipboard acknowledges a truth the others - all the others - do not: and that's the truth about how people go about getting their news today. Outside of a few publications read religiously, for the most part, news finds us via our friends. Flipboard makes Twitter and Facebook the jumping off point for accessing news, and the result is a news magazine we actually want to read.

Discuss


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Cinnamon Could Replace Harsh Chemicals To Produce Gold Nanoparticles, Researchers Say

Cinnamon Could Replace Harsh Chemicals To Produce Gold Nanoparticles, Researchers Say

A humble spice found in nearly every kitchen could yield a safer, simpler way to produce gold nanoparticles, according to a new study. Researchers say the cinnamon-infused particles can even be used to fight cancer.

Gold nanoparticles are heralded for their potential to detect tumors, search for oil, light the streets and cure diseases, but their production requires dangerous toxic chemicals. There are several ways to produce gold particles, but most involve dissolving chloroauric acid, also called gold salts, in liquid and adding chemicals to precipitate gold atoms. Common mixtures include sodium citrates, sodium borohydride (also used to bleach wood pulp) and ammonium compounds, all of which can be toxic to humans and the environment.

Hoping to promote green nanotechnology, researchers at the University of Missouri mixed gold salts with cinnamon instead and stirred the mixture in water. The combination produced gold nanoparticles and phytochemicals, an active chemical in cinnamon. When combined with the nanoparticles, the phytochemicals can enter cancer cells and destroy them or help image them for more accurate medical procedures.

"Our gold nanoparticles are not only ecologically and biologically benign, they also are biologically active against cancer cells," said Kattesh Katti, a professor of radiology and physics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

The process uses no electricity and no chemicals, other than the initial gold salts. The researchers reported their work in the journal Pharmaceutical Research.

Katti said cinnamon and other seeds, leaves and herbs could be used to convert metals into nanoparticles without using harsh chemicals.

"Our approach to 'green' nanotechnology creates a renaissance symbolizing the indispensable role of Mother Nature in all future nanotechnological developments," he said.

[Eurekalert]

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Synapse Is a Super-Fast, Tightly Integrated Application Launcher for Linux [Downloads]

Synapse Is a Super-Fast, Tightly Integrated Application Launcher for Linux [Downloads]

Synapse Is a Super-Fast, Tightly Integrated Application Launcher for LinuxLinux: Free app Synapse goes beyond the simple application launcher to tightly integrate with your Linux system, quickly accessing any recent action you've performed so you can return to it or perform something similar in an instant.

GNOME-Do is still one of our favorite Linux launchers, but it hasn't updated in over a year. If you're looking for something a bit fresher (and without the ugly Mono dependencies), Synapse is a great replacement. It's similar to GNOME-Do and other application launchers in the sense that, with a quick keyboard shortcut, you can launch an application or take action on a certain file, depending on the plugins you have installed.

However, while the plugin list isn't quite as extensive as the more mature GNOME-Do, the Zeitgeist plugin allows for a lot of cool things. Zeitgeist (which comes pre-installed on Ubuntu) is a service that logs all your activity—files opened, websites visited, conversations held—and all these are quickly available through Synapse. You can look up recently used files (say, if you closed that document by accident or want to repeat the song you just heard) and even find other similar files. It's a slightly different approach to quick launching, and one that may have a slightly bigger learning curve but it has a ton of possibilities since Zeitgeist logs so much.

Apart from all that, you also have the usual plugins—Banshee, Rhythmbox, Dictionary, Log out/Shut Down/Suspend, and quick Terminal commands, to name a few. If you rely heavily on some of GNOME-Do's more custom plugins, you might have to wait a bit before Synapse fits into your workflow better, but if not, it's definitely worth checking out. Hit the link below to read more.

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Lineo's Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data's SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant

Lineo's Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data's SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant

Alright, you caught us. We're suckers for speedy, unrealistically optimized boot times. The fine folks at Linux for Devices just highlighted two major players on the horizon: Lineo's Warp 2, which is about to launch; and MPC Data's SwiftBoot, which is now available. Both of them are less of a "boot" and more of a "wake from hibernation" sort of thing, but most of the issues are the same -- you still have to boot a kernel, whether or not you're gonna populate the system with a saved state when it's ready. Lineo is booting up Fedora Linux 12 on an Atom Z530 machine, and has just hit the 4.06 second mark -- compared to a 54.72 second "normal" boot time on the system. Meanwhile, MPC Data is going after much more of a niche, but doing it well: its SwiftBoot tech can get Linux up and running an actual application on an embedded device-ready Renesas SuperH SH7724 processor in under a second (0.982 seconds, to be precise). This one has to be seen to be believed, so check out the video after the break. Sure, it won't help you love your pokey PC or Mac any more (though Apple's doing its own work on this problem with its misnomered "instant on" feature on the MacBook Air, which wakes the computer from hibernation in a few seconds), but it's a nice glimpse of what's to come.

Continue reading Lineo's Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data's SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant

Lineo's Warp 2 boots to Fedora on Atom in 4 seconds, MPC Data's SwiftBoot warms up embedded Linux in an instant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Permalink Linux for Devices  |  sourceSwiftBoot, Lineo  | Email this | Comments

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