Google can now say if your internet connection is quick enough for YouTube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/google-video-quality-report/

Many are tempted to blame stuttering YouTube streams on our internet providers, but who's really at fault? Google may shed some light on the subject now that it has launched a Video Quality Report. The tool tells surfers how well their providers typically handle YouTube in a given region, breaking reliability down by the feed quality and time of day. Services that properly load at least 90 percent of 720p videos get a "YouTube HD Verified" badge, while those that tend to choke wind up in standard definition and lower definition categories. Only Canadians have access to the report at the moment, although it should reach other countries in time. Wherever it goes, it should help viewers decide whether or not it's time to switch networks -- and it just might spur some companies into making much-needed upgrades.

Filed under: Networking, Internet, Google

Comments

Via: 9to5 Google

Source: Google Video Quality Report, Financial Post

Read More...

Summary only...

Toshiba's ready to make better SSDs following its takeover of OCZ

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/22/toshiba-buys-ocz/

Toshiba made its first move to rescue faltering solid state drive manufacturer OCZ Technology back in November, and now that sale is final. In the deal, OCZ gets to keep its identity and independence, but will now operate as OCZ Storage Solutions. It's a slight change in nomenclature to be sure, but hopefully that won't make picking its drives out from Newegg's stock any harder. Just think: for a cool $35 million, maybe you could have bought the drive-maker for yourself.

Filed under: Storage

Comments

Source: Financial Post

Read More...

Summary only...

Snapchat enlists its ghost mascot to thwart potential bot accounts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/22/snapchat-ghost-mascot-captcha/

It's anyone's guess what Snapchat's done behind the scenes to patch up its data vulnerabilities, but the firm's continuing to address the issues with a new public-facing measure. For instance: the app now has a new (and surprisingly cute) security measure in place to prevent the mass creation of dummy accounts usually made to harvest users' phone numbers. When new folks sign up, they're shown nine images instead of the usual captcha, and they have to prove they're not a bot by choosing the ones with Snapchat's ghost mascot. In addition, the company now implements server-side checks to ensure that those who use the Find Friends feature are real people with verified phone numbers. In theory, this double security layer should make it hard for scammers and spammers to collect private info en masse. Those still worried about their privacy, however, can always unlink their phone numbers for their own peace of mind.

Filed under: Misc, Mobile

Comments

Source: TechCrunch

Read More...

Summary only...

T-Mobile Will Now Give You A Free Checking Account, Complete With 42,000 No-Fee ATMs

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-mobile-money-2014-1

T-Mobile isn't just content being your wireless carrier. It now wants to manage your checking account, too.

The company announced today Mobile Money, a free checking account service available to anyone with a T-Mobile phone number.

With T-Mobile's Mobile Money, your wireless carrier is your bank. T-Mobile retail stores are your banking branches. T-Mobile retail employees are your tellers. And while it sounds bizarre, it's just another example of a company trying to remove the banks from banking. (Mobile Money is very similar to Simple, another promising alternative banking service.)

Here's how it works:

• You walk into a T-Mobile store and open your checking account with an initial cash deposit. T-Mobile gives you a prepaid Visa card. (You'll eventually get your own debit card with your name on it.)
• You deposit cash to your account at the T-Mobile store and checks by snapping a photo of the document using the T-Mobile Mobile Money app for iPhone or Android.
• To get cash, you can make withdrawals (no fees!) from a network of 42,000 ATMs that you can find using the app. There's also a network of international ATMs that you can use for free.
• You can transfer money to other Mobile Money customers using the app if you have the person's T-Mobile phone number and last four digits of his or her debit card.
• You pay your bills electronically using the app or T-Mobile's website. You can also have T-Mobile cut a check and send it to someone if that's your only option.

Mobile Money is totally free except for the occasional fee you might have to pay for stuff like same-day bill payments.

But it's not for everyone, of course. T-Mobile is only offering free checking, not savings accounts or any of the other premium services traditional banks offer. It's simply an option for T-Mobile customers who want to easily move money in their checking accounts around. If you need more than that, you're probably better off with your regular bank.

Join the conversation about this story »

Read More...

Summary only...

MIT's new transparent screen may lead to cheap heads-up displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/mit-transparent-display/

Transparent screens just aren't very practical these days -- bigger models are frequently expensive and bulky, while smaller heads-up displays tend to have very narrow viewing angles. However, MIT may have solved all those problems at once with its prototype nanoparticle display. The device creates color images on a glass surface simply by 'tuning' a silver nanoparticle coating until it lets only certain light wavelengths pass through. The technique is both cheap and compact, since it requires little more than the coating and some off-the-shelf projector technology. There's also no need for beam splitters or mirrors, so you can see the picture from just about any angle. While there's a lot of work left before there's a finished product, researchers note that their display would be as easy to implement as window tinting; don't be surprised if MIT's screen shows up on a car windshield or storefront near you.

Filed under: Displays

Comments

Via: GigaOM

Source: MIT

Read More...

Summary only...

8K (Yes, 8K) Broadcasts Just Took a Major Step Forward

Source: http://gizmodo.com/8k-yes-8k-broadcasts-just-took-a-major-step-forward-1505680131

Back in May of 2012 the NHK's science & Technology Research Lab in Japan successfully broadcasted an 8K, 7680x4320 signal over a distance of 2.7 miles using UHF frequencies. As a proof of concept it showed that 8K TV could be successfully delivered to televisions over the air, but it lacked the distance of traditional TV broadcasts.

Read More...

Summary only...

Hackers Swiped 70,000 Records from Healthcare.gov in Four Minutes

Source: http://gizmodo.com/hackers-swiped-70-000-records-from-healthcare-gov-in-fo-1505786371

After the bevy of problems Healthcare.gov encountered in its first few months of life, dumping one more onto the pile shouldn't phase you all that much, right? Well, not if that hiccup is actually a gaping vulnerability—and one that can grant hackers access to over 70,0000 private records in just four minutes, at that.

Read More...

Summary only...

Veho's new K-series action cameras have pro features, amateur-friendly price

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/vehos-new-k-series-action-cameras-have-pro-features-amateur-fr/

Veho is perhaps mostly known for its range of accessories -- so when we tested its entry into the (already busy) action cam market, we were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Fast-forward to today, and it appears it's looking to build on that success with a trio of new models. The Muvi K-2 NPNG edition is the show-stealer, and offers 1080p video up to 60 fps (or 120 fps at 720p), 32 Mbps bit rate video (double the previous model), WiFi, a pre-record function, built-in 2-inch LCD and a case that's waterproof to 100 meters all for £280 (about £100 less than a top-spec GoPro or £40 short of a Drift). The two other models -- the K-2 and K-1 -- come in at £240 and £190, respectively, with the former simply coming with fewer accessories, and the latter featuring a drop in shooting options (no 60 fps at 1080p, etc.) and a dip in bit rate (16 Mbps, not 32). US pricing is still to be confirmed, but will start in the region of $199 for the base model. The K! -series launches in February, which leaves just enough time to work on that 900.

Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Adidas Smart Run users can now export GPS data, while firmware update improves battery life and media player

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/21/adidas-smart-run-update/

When we reviewed Adidas' Smart Run training watch, we were very fond of it. That said, it had three major niggles: the poor battery life, the low volume of the media player and the inability to export your map/run data from either the watch itself, or the companion miCoach website. Today, we can strike all three off our gripe list. Exporting of GPS data from miCoach went live today (you can now import a GPX file to your training log of choice), while the latest firmware update improves the Smart Run's battery life considerably, activates the previously inaccessible Marathon Mode and jacks up the volume limit to personal best-inducing levels. What's more, Simon Drabble, Adidas' director for miCoach told Engadget there's even more to come:

Today, we allow for the simple export of a .gpx file where a workout is recorded with GPS. The next step will be to allow platform to platform connectivity for data to be ported from miCoach to other existing communities and vice versa. Ultimately, it is no secret that we are targeting an open API in the not too distant future.

So, if you were stuck to the couch with purchasing indecision, perhaps these tweaks will be enough to get you up on the starting blocks?

Filed under: Wearables

Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Article: How Google's Fitness API Will Buff You Up

Google may be working on an application programming interface for fitness tracking in Android smartphones. This new API could help Android smartphones automatically detect its users' daily motion and exercise routines to provide contextual information for users, but it could also help third-party...

http://readwrite.com/2014/01/17/how-google-fitness-api-contextual-sensor-data-android-users

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

Summary only...

Article: Google bans Chrome extensions purchased to deliver adware | The Verge

Google has removed two Chrome extensions from its store due to the way they were serving ads to users. The extensions in question, Add to Feedly and Tweet This Page, both started life as useful additions to Google's web browser, but were soon serving users pop-ups and other intrusive ads. The rea...

http://mobile.theverge.com/2014/1/20/5326582/google-bans-chrome-extensions-purchased-to-deliver-adware

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

Summary only...

Article: China cracks down on web anonymity with new regulations

Rule requires internet users to register their real names before uploading videos The Chinese government this week passed a new rule requiring all internet users to use their real names when uploading videos to the web, as part of an attempt to crack down on online dissent. As Reuters reports, th...

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/21/5330126/china-requires-web-users-to-use-real-names-uploading-videos

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

Summary only...

VLC gets one-touch playback controls and a fresh new interface on iOS 7

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/20/vlc-gets-an-ios-7-native-interface-with-multi-touch-gestures/

VLC for iOS just got a much-needed coat of fresh paint. The media player's version 2.2 update has introduced an iOS 7-native interface with its own set of multi-touch playback gestures: you can tap with two fingers to pause a video, and swipes control the brightness, playback position and volume. This is more than just a skin-deep upgrade, though. VLC is now more cloud-savvy with support for Dropbox streaming, HTTP Live Streaming and downloads from Google Drive. The new app handles both lock screen privacy and TV show organization more elegantly than its predecessor, and it plays clips encoded in the more advanced HEVC (H.265) and VP9 formats. All told, there are plenty of reasons for video lovers to swing by the App Store for the upgrade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Comments

Source: App Store, VideoLAN

Read More...

Summary only...

drag2share: Tadaa SLR Let's You Focus Later

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/vip/~3/H78cAaACSfs/this-weeks-top-downloads-1504034652

Tadaa SLR Shoots Now, Focuses Later for Lytro-Like Photos

iPhone: Lytro's shoot-now-focus-later feature is pretty cool and if you want something like that on your iPhone, then Tadaa SLR is what you need. It's essentially a blur-and-bokeh filter app, but the interface makes it almost foolproof.

---
drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 hits the FCC with Verizon's LTE bands in tow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/samsung-galaxy-note-pro-12-2-fcc-verizon-lte/

We've yet to hear more details about the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2's launch this quarter, but a recent FCC filing at least reveals that it might head to Verizon. According to the documents, a particular variant that goes by model number SM-P905V supports Big Red's LTE (4 and 13) bands. Since the 2014 refresh of the 10.1 Note Pro has also passed through the agency with Verizon LTE, the carrier might offer both sizes when the tablets hit the market. Based on the info we got from the gigantic tablet's CES debut, it'll have a WiFi version for those who have no need for mobile internet. Folks set on buying one with long-term evolution speeds, however, may want to cross their fingers for the behemoth to hit their preferred carriers.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Verizon

Comments

Via: Phone Arena

Source: FCC

Read More...

Summary only...