Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Google Apps for Business users receive Quickoffice for iPad as a freebie

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/19/google-apps-for-business-receive-quickoffice-for-ipad/

If Google recently caught you off-guard with its announcement that Google Apps would move to a $50 per user model, perhaps some free software will help restore balance to your world. Today, the company announced a free version of Quickoffice for the iPad, which is an exclusive perk for users of Google Apps for Business. The software suite allows users to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, and as proof that integration isn't lost on Google, all files are stored to Google Drive. For the moment, only iPad users will be treated to this free version of Quickoffice, but Google insists that iPhone and Android versions are on the way. If you'll recall, this is the same bit of software that Google purchased earlier this year. Nice to see it's being put to good use.

Filed under: Software, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: App Store

Samsung to release Verizon developer edition Galaxy Note II

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/19/samsung-verizon-developer-edition-galaxy-note-ii/

Samsung gave devs an unlockable version of its Verizon flavored flagship, the GSIII, mere months ago, and now the Korean firm has seen fit to do the same for its phablet. That's right, folks, you'll soon be able to get a dev edition 16GB Galaxy Note II with all that amazing VZW branding you know and ~~hate~~ love. Of course, while the product page is live on Sammy's site, it hasn't announced availability or pricing for this freed Note II, but we do know it'll have that beautiful 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen and come with Android 4.1. So, it appears we won't be getting everything we wanted for Christmas this year, but it's nice to have something to look forward to.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Verizon

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Via: Phandroid

Source: Samsung

Automatically Send Starred Google Reader Articles to Pocket or Instapaper

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5969460/automatically-send-starred-google-reader-articles-to-pocket-or-instapaper

Automatically Send Starred Google Reader Articles to Pocket or Instapaper Bookmark and Read Later apps like Pocket, Instapaper, and Readability are awesome ways to store and catch up on the interesting articles you find online, but if you use Google Reader, saving those articles is a multi-step process. Here's an IFTTT recipe that will send articles to your favorite service in one keystroke.

IFTTT, our favorite webapp-automating service, has actions for Pocket, Instapaper, and Readability built-in. All you need to do is create a recipe (like this one from user masemase) that adds an item to Pocket, Instapaper, or Readability whenever you star it in Google Reader. That way, as you're flying through your RSS feeds, you can star anything that looks interesting and check it out in your favorite app later on.

Read your starred items from Google Reader in Instapaper | IFTTT via @IFTTT

A Stunning Two Billion Pixel Photo Is the Safest Way To Explore Mount Everest

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969706/a-stunning-two-billion-pixel-photo-is-the-safest-way-to-explore-mount-everest

Not only has filmmaker David Breashears climbed Mount Everest on five different occasions, he's visited the world's tallest peak 15 times in his career as he works to document the effects of climate change on the mountain. And fortunately for those of us who will never have the chance to see Everest in real life, let alone climb it, Breashers created a stunning gigapixel photo of the mountain and the Khumbu glacier earlier in the year.

The final composite, which can be panned, zoomed, and viewed on the GlacierWorks website, was assembled from almost 400 separate shots taken with a 300 millimeter zoom lens. It's so detailed you can apparently even see climbers making an ascent, and one of the base camps full of tents, all from the comfort and warmth of your couch. [GlacierWorks via NPR via Washington Post]

Image by David Breashears/GlacierWorks

Samsung ATIV S review: the Galaxy S III, repackaged for Windows Phone 8

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/19/samsung-ativ-s-review/

Samsung was one of the first to join the Windows Phone parade with the Focus, and was quick to follow up with devices like the Focus S. It's been unusually conservative with Windows Phone 8, however: the ATIV S ($100 on contract through Bell Canada) is the last of the big three flagships to arrive in 2012, following weeks after the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 920 went on sale. Some would argue that Samsung has been especially conservative with the ATIV S, given that it shares the same 4.8-inch screen, Snapdragon S4 processor, cameras and overarching design traits with Sammy's other flagship phone, the Galaxy S III. There's a real worry that someone visiting the carrier store will see both devices and pick the Galaxy simply through name recognition alone.

And yet, they're not entirely cut from the same cloth: there's a design twist or two, a larger battery and, of course, a switch to an entirely different ecosystem. Some will want the phone to try Windows Phone's simpler, at-a-glance interface concept; others are shopping solely inside of Microsoft's universe and want to know if expandable storage and Samsung's custom app suite fend off rivals. We already have lots to like, but there are a few punctures in the AT! IV S' fa ux-metal armor that will keep it from being the handset for everyone, even if they do prefer Windows Phone. Read on and you'll see why.

Gallery: Samsung ATIV S review

Continue reading Samsung ATIV S review: the Galaxy S III, repackaged for Windows Phone 8

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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W3C completes HTML5 definition, starts interoperability testing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/w3c-completes-html5-definition/

Long heralded as the darling of the open web, the standards for HTML5 haven't actually been finalized by the W3C -- it was just recently that the international consortium pledged to get it done by 2014. So it's good to hear the group just hit a significant milestone on the road to that goal by publishing the full definition for the spec this Tuesday. With that accomplished, the next step is interoperability and performance testing to make sure HTML5 plays nice with any and all browsers, servers and other web tools. The W3C hopes that this will bring "broad HTML 5 interoperability" by 2014, which fits right in to the organization's philosophy of bringing the entirety of the web -- however divisive -- together.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Inquirer

Source: W3C

NEC intros 15.6-inch LaVie X Ultrabook in Japan, claims it's the 'world's thinnest'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/19/nec-lavie-x-ultrabook-in-japan/

Following the announcement of its somewhat flexible LaVie Y in Japan, NEC's now introducing us to a new, much sleeker member of the company's Windows 8 lineup. At first glance, you may quickly notice that the novel LaVie X clearly takes a design cue from another NEC affiliate, the Lavie Z, but does sport a relatively larger 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS display, a more powerful Core i7-3517U CPU which clocks in at 1.9GHz, 4GB RAM and a 256GB SSD -- all while being wrapped in a slim 12.8mm package. The LaVie X is expected to hit Rising Sun shelves starting December 27th, with NEC slapping a cool 175,000 Yen (around $2,100) price tag on this slim, Windows 8-loaded Ultrabook.

Filed under: Laptops

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Via: AkihabaraNews

Source: NEC

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Credit Card Skimmers Aren't Just at ATMs Anymore

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969373/credit-card-skimmers-arent-just-at-atms-anymore

It used to be that you only had to be paranoid about credit card skimmers when using an ATM. But times have changed, and the bad guys have gotten so sophisticated that they've now created realistic but fake point of sale terminals that even print an authentic looking receipt while they're collecting your credit card number and PIN.

Discovered and exposed by Brian Krebs over on KrebsonSecurity, the new skimmers can either be set to issue a receipt, or report back a connection error message which most consumers wouldn't think twice about. And even though the skimmers can run as much as $3,000, it wouldn't take long for someone to easily make that money back if they had access to even a handful of credit cards. [KrebsonSecurity via BoingBoing]

Beats By Dre Headphones Are Going in Helmets Now

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969436/beats-by-dre-headphones-are-going-in-helmets-now

POC and Beats By Dre are going to make your next ski trip better and safer with a new line of Receptor BUG Helmets that have headphones built in.

They're pretty standard as far as these kinds of helmets go—the headphones are built into the neckroll for a comfortable fit, and there's a mic and remote on the cord, so you can take calls, change songs, and adjust the volume. It comes in white or black and runs from XS-XXL for the perfect fit. And if you already have a POC helmet and don't want to pay the full $330 for a new head protector, you can just buy the neckroll for $180.

I have a helmet with built-in headphones, and it's one of my favorite pieces of gear to take to the mountains. The new Receptor BUG/Beats helmest will be available in January. Good timing, because it's so important to protect your brain when you're skiing or snowboarding, and tunes always make your ride more fun. [POC via GearPatrol]

Google Music gains scan and match feature in the US

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/google-music-gains-scan-and-match-feature-in-the-us/

Google Music gains scan and match feature in the US

It wasn't very long ago that Google Music landed in Europe -- to the delight of local music lovers, we're sure. On its trip across the pond, the service gained a unique new feature called scan and match, wherein Google scans your local music library and makes the songs it matches instantly available in the cloud -- no upload required. Until now the feature, which is similar to iTunes Match, was only available in Europe, but it's coming to the US starting today. From now on, any US Google Play users who upload their music collection will benefit from this new feature. Over time, the company will also upgrade users with existing cloud libraries. It's a free service and it's automatic -- you're unlikely to notice that it's even happening. The upside is that entire collections will be uploaded faster. We're not aware of any downsides yet -- matched songs will be available for streaming at 320Kbps like regular Google Play purchases, while re-downloaded music will be available at or close to the bitrate of the original file.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: Google Play (Google+)

NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor details leaked: 4-plus-1 cores, 28nm, six times the power of Tegra 3

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/nvidia-tegra-4-processor-leak-4-plus-1-quad-core-28nm/

NVIDIA's next superhero-themed mobile chipset has possibly made an early appearance in a leaked side in China, and it looks like it wants to go toe-to-toe with the latest processors from Samsung and Qualcomm. The Tegra 4 (codenamed Wayne) will apparently offer the same power-efficient 28nm process found on its Snapdragon rival and according to the slide from Chip Hell, there's a dizzying 72-core graphics setup. That's six times as many GPU cores as Tegra 3 -- the processor found in the Nexus 7, for example -- and the increase is claimed to result in six times the overall visual performance. Those graphics cores will be able to feed displays of up to 2,560 x 1600, with 1080p output at 120Hz, while the leak also mentions 4K -- if only in passing. There's no increase in CPU cores this time, with the same 4-plus-1 setup , but we are seeing its move to ARM's latest design, the Cortex-A15. Tegra 4 will apparently also catch up with USB 3.0, being NVIDIA's first mobile chip to do so, alongside dual-channel DDR3L memory. We've reached out to chipmaker and we'll let you know when we hear more, but it's highly likely we'll be welcoming this next-generation processor early next year -- say, at a certain mobile trade show.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, NVIDIA

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Via: Mobile Geeks

Source: Chip Hell

HTCâs Next Android Flagship to Pack a 1.7GHz Quad-Core Processor and 1080p Screen?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969336/htcs-next-android-flagship-to-pack-a-17ghz-quad+core-processor-and-1080p-screen

HTCâs Next Android Flagship to Pack a 1.7GHz Quad-Core Processor and 1080p Screen? Some leaked tech specs supposedly tell us what to expect from HTC's flagship Android model for 2013, with the phone maker apparently set to launch a 4.7-inch model with a 1080p display.

The phone, which is currently known under the codename HTC M7, features an enormous 468PPI image density output thanks to the display numbers, which ought to see our beloved old flip clock bursting out of the screen clearer than ever.

Elsewhere, the M7 is said to contain a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor alongside 2GB of RAM, the required chips to make it compatible with 4G networks, and version 5.0 of HTC's popular Sense user interface stuck over the top of Android 4.2.

There should also be a 13-Megapixel camera inside it, plus a 2-MP front facing secondary cam for looking at your own face with and a 2,300mAh battery to give it a decent desk life. Stick it on the next phone list. And if those numbers are all correct, it ought be close to the top. [Unwired View]

Our newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

WSJ: Apple, Foursquare in talks to share local data

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/17/wsj-apple-foursquare-in-talks-to-share-local-data/

The battle over localized data continues to heat up, and according to rumor's Apple's next weapon against Google, Nokia and the rest could be a partnership with Foursquare. Last week TechCrunch noted a check-in tweeted by Apple SVP Eddy Cue, coincidentally at the same time Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley happened to be in the San Francisco area. Now, the Wall Street Journal has followed up with its always-helpful "people familiar with the talks" who indicate that yes, the two are in early discussions about sharing data.

Currently, iOS features deep ties with Yelp, but Apple could swap in Foursquare and its check-in supported database, giving both a leg up on the competition. At the same time, Foursquare's iOS app received an update today, shifting location details like phone number and hours to the top, and bringing bigger photos and info after users have checked in somewhere. Of course, we'll have to wait for an official announcement to see what, if anything may arise from the talks, but with Google's Maps app off to a quick start on the App Store, the folks in Cupertino may not want to wait very long.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal

Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/trustonic-mobile-security/

This here narrative begins back in April, when ARM, Giesecke & Devrient and Gemalto teamed up and gave themselves precisely nine months in which to find the perfect brand name for their newly merged mobile security platform. Today, we're looking at the fruits of their efforts: Trustonic; a word which snappily captures the essence of what's at stake (trust-onic) and which you may soon encounter in connection with your next-gen smartphone, Mastercard payment app or 20th Century Fox DRM'd media.

What does Trustonic do, exactly? Pretty much what Mobicore already does in the Galaxy S III, or what Trusted Foundation does inside a Tegra-powered tablet: it allows certain pieces of software to tap into hardware-level encryption and authentication, courtesy of the TrustZone silicon that many ARM chips already contain, thereby removing many of the risks associated with malware and other intrusions within the mobile OS. As far as we understand it, the key difference with Trustonic is that it won't require direct input from OEMs like Samsung and NVIDIA, but will instead be more readily accessible to any banking, payment or DRM service that is willin! g to pay for a key. In return, the service would get enhanced security and faster logins for its users, who'd only need to enter a short, locally-verified PIN rather than wading through cloud-based steps to prove their identity. Indeed, perhaps that's where the tonic comes into it.

Continue reading Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Samsung Galaxy Grand announced: single and dual-SIM versions, multi-window apps, not-so-spectacular 5-inch WVGA screen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/samsung-galaxy-grand-dual-core-wvga-5inch/

After getting a glimpse in an FCC filing (and some certification via China) the Galaxy Grand has now appeared in earnest, with a 5-inch 800 x 480 WVGA display that betrays that glamorous naming. It'll arrive running Android 4.1.2, while the dual-core (unspecified) 1.2GHz apparently enough to handle running two apps on screen with Samsung's Multi Window mode, seen on the flagship Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. There's an 8-megapixel camera on the back, while a 2-megapixel sensor on the front will offer 720p video for calls. Inside there's a 2,100mAh battery, alongside 8GB of built-in memory and a microSD slot for expansion up to 64GB. Likely due to the bigger screen, the familiar looking Galaxy Grand carries 30g more weight than the Galaxy S III, while connectivity is provided by HSPA+ (up to 21Mbps down, 5.76 up) on 850 / 1900 / 2100 bands, alongside Bluetooth, DLNA and WiFi. Despite those familiar bands, Samsung hasn't revealed where we can expect to see the phone appear for sale, although the appearance of a dual-SIM version suggests appearances in Asia. We plan to catch the Galaxy Grand somewhere within the madness of CES -- and you can expect that we'll test it out then.

Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Google Apps for Business users receive Quickoffice for iPad as a freebie

Samsung to release Verizon developer edition Galaxy Note II

Automatically Send Starred Google Reader Articles to Pocket or Instapaper

A Stunning Two Billion Pixel Photo Is the Safest Way To Explore Mount Everest

Samsung ATIV S review: the Galaxy S III, repackaged for Windows Phone 8

W3C completes HTML5 definition, starts interoperability testing

NEC intros 15.6-inch LaVie X Ultrabook in Japan, claims it's the 'world's thinnest'

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Credit Card Skimmers Aren't Just at ATMs Anymore

Beats By Dre Headphones Are Going in Helmets Now

Google Music gains scan and match feature in the US

NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor details leaked: 4-plus-1 cores, 28nm, six times the power of Tegra 3

HTCâs Next Android Flagship to Pack a 1.7GHz Quad-Core Processor and 1080p Screen?

WSJ: Apple, Foursquare in talks to share local data

Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security

Samsung Galaxy Grand announced: single and dual-SIM versions, multi-window apps, not-so-spectacular 5-inch WVGA screen

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