Wednesday, March 26, 2014

drag2share: V-Moda XS Headphones Review: Indestructible Cans With Runway Looks

Source: http://gizmodo.com/v-moda-xs-headphones-review-indestructible-cans-with-r-1551890986

V-Moda XS Headphones Review:  Indestructible Cans With Runway Looks

V-Moda, the decade-old veteran of the new-wave of headphones is just launching a fresh set of impressively over-engineered cans. They fit you snug like a tailored suit and last as long as a tank.

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drag2share: ZTE's giant Nubia X6 has 13MP cameras on the front and back

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/26/zte-nubia-x6-13-megapixel-dual-camera/

If you believe that China gets all the good phones, this won't change your mind. ZTE's premium Nubia brand has just launched the X6, a handset-cum-tablet with a 6.44-inch, 1080p screen. As with Oppo's Find 7, ZTE lavished it with top-notch specs, including a Snapdragon 801 chip, 3GB max RAM, up to 128GB storage and a 4,250 mAh battery. The kicker, though, is the pair of 13-megapixel cameras on the front and back -- a rare setup for a non-monkey phone. The front shooter puts many smartphones' main cameras to shame with backside illumination, video auto-focus and an f/2.2 lens. The back-facing camera ups the ante with an f/2.0 lens, optical image stabilization and dual flashes. Alas, if you were looking to wrap your (presumably large) mitts around one in the US or Europe, the Nubia X6 will likely stay put in China. It's now up for pre-order at $HK 5,010, or around $640 for the top model.

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Source: Engadget Chinese

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drag2share: Drobo's new storage box is faster, better at Mac backups

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/26/drobo-gen-3/

Drobo is kicking off its "biggest year" yet with an update to its eponymous flagship. The Drobo Gen 3 gains super-charged internals and Time Machine support that'll banish your bad memories of trying to use Apple's backup utility on older versions of the hardware. Rather than it eating a whole drive, users can now create a dedicated partition in the admin panel without any complicated tweaking. Pre-orders begin from today to ship at the end of April, with the base model setting you back $350 and running all the way to $1,450 if you want a 16TB unit. Unless, that is, you already own a first-or-second-gen Drobo, in which case you'll get a $50 discount if you order before June 9th.

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Source: Drobo

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Article: Bottlenose Adds Real-Time TV And Radio Data To Its Social Trend Monitoring

Bottlenose, a startup that helps large brands find emerging trends, is expanding beyond social media today with the addition of Broadcast Analytics, which allows customers to see TV and radio data as well. In order to accomplish this, Bottlenose has partnered with media monitoring company Critica...

http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/25/bottlenose-tv-and-radio-data/

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Article: Batteries to Make Comeback in Wearable Devices

And you thought batteries were old news. The booming wearables market –devices that can be worn in the form of glasses, jewelry and watches – is expected to lead to a projected 1,100% surge in battery sales over the next four years, according to new data from IHS (IHS). Worldwide revenues for wea...

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2014/03/25/batteries-to-resurrect-in-wearable-devices/

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Article: Google blows up cloud pricing; your move, Amazon

So the most commonly heard comment at Google Cloud Platform Live was: How will Amazon respond? It has a chance to do so Wednesday at its Amazon Summit in San Francisco, just up the street from the Google event. The quick story out of Google’s event Tuesday is it cut prices across most major servi...

http://gigaom.com/2014/03/25/google-blows-up-cloud-pricing-your-move-amazon/

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Article: Chrome Show: Run Android on a Chromebook thanks to Android-x86

Back in 2009, we had Android 1.6 running on a touchscreen Windows tablet. Fast forward to today and you can run Android 4.4.2 on a Chromebook Pixel or other Chrome OS device. It’s not a merger of Chrome and Android but it’s an interesting option, especially if you have a touchscreen laptop. And s...

http://gigaom.com/2014/03/26/chrome-show-run-android-on-a-chromebook-thanks-to-android-x86/

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drag2share: MIT develops new platform to spy-proof websites

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/26/mit-mylar-nsa-proof-platform/

You're all likely aware by now that identity thieves and hackers aren't the only ones who surreptitiously collect people's private info. In an effort to keep them (and you know, certain government agencies) at bay, a group of MIT researchers have created Mylar -- a new platform for building secure websites, services and applications. According to MIT's Technology Review, anything built using Mylar keeps your data encrypted all the time in its servers. That data's only decrypted when it's accessed from your computer with the right password, though Mylar can also issue encryption keys if you want to share data with other people.

Raluca Popa, the project's lead researcher, claims that method prevents anyone, even the NSA from snooping on your info: "If the government asks the company for your data, the server doesn't have the ability to give unencrypted data." (Of course, encryption won't do you any good if the government ends up forcing the websites and services you use to surrender their users' information.) Right now, a group of patients are testing a Mylar website to share medical info with their doctors. Popa and his team are also testing their own chat, photo sharing and calendar applications. The group still has to overcome a lot of hurdles before we can see Mylar-built services in the wild, though. After all, web companies might not be keen on using the technology, especially those who rely on accessing user data to serve targeted ads.

[Image credit: Simon Cocks/Flickr]

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: MIT Technology Review, Mylar

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

drag2share: Lenovo's new smart TV system grants greater processing power, more memory through swappable modules (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/lenovos-new-smart-tv-system-grants-greater-processing-power-mo/

SONY DSC

Lenovo is best known for its ThinkPad laptops and newly acquired phone business, but the Chinese firm started making TVs a couple years ago, too. And now, it's the first one to build a set utilizing NVIDIA's new Tegra K1 chip. It's that super-powered silicon that explains the TV's presence at GTC 2014, so naturally, we had to spend some time with it while we were at the show. Called the Terminator S9, it's a 50-inch 4K smart TV that runs a Lenovo-skinned version of Android 4.2 natively, but the real magic happens courtesy of a small plug-in module round the back called a Smart Card.

SONY DSC

It's roughly the size of a deck of cards (though half as thick), with a micro USB port and microSD slot on one end and a proprietary 70-pin connector on the other. That connector is how it plugs into the TV, while the USB and SD ports are for adding storage or connecting peripherals. Within the Smart Card's relatively bland exterior lies the aforementioned Tegra K1, and other hardware (currently unknown) needed to run Android 4.4. All Lenovo smart TVs moving forward will ship with a 70-pin port built in, but only higher-end models will come with Smart Card hardware. That means the Smart Card is a way for Lenovo -- and any other OEM who licenses the tech -- to keep customers running the latest and greatest software and hardware on their TVs.

The Smart Card comes with a slick motion Bluetooth remote that has a pair of physical buttons: a red power button at the end and a spun metal voice control key in the middle, plus a circular touchpad located in a thumb friendly location. Navigation works using gesture control (a la LG's Magic remote) to make selections, while swiping left and right on the touchpad scrolls through the menus. And, you adjust the volume via touchpad using the Seinfeld/Costanza special: clockwise or counter-clockwise swirl gesture. It's simple and intuitive to use, and the remote's shape and soft touch finish make it a pleasure to fondle.

Ready to plunk down your hard earned cash for Lenovo's new TV system? Unless you call China home, alas, you don't have the option to do so -- though Lenovo's looking at expanding to other regions should the Chinese market returns supply sufficient incentive to do so. Regardless, for those in the Far East, the Terminator S9 will set you back around 6,000RMB ($970), while the Smart Card costs less than 1,000RMB ($160).

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drag2share: The new HTC One vs. the competition: the battle of Android flagships rages on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/the-htc-one-2014-vs-the-competiton/

We all knew it was coming, and after a lengthy list of leaks, the new HTC One is finally official. This time of year is known for its gaggle of new handsets, so we've lined up the latest offerings so you can see for yourself how they stack up. Flagships from Samsung, Sony and LG are all here to see which mobile device will nab an edge on paper. Want to compare these to your current daily driver? Mosey on over to our comparison tool to do just that. Otherwise, head past the break for our neatly compiled list of specs and form your own analysis of the lot.

HTC One (2014) Samsung Galaxy S5 Sony Xperia Z2 LG G Pro 2
Starting price $199-$249 (on-contract) N/A N/A N/A
Known Dimensions 5.76 x 2.78 x 0.37 inches (146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35mm) 5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm) 5.78 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches (146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm) 6.22 x 3.22 x 0.33 inches (157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3mm)
Weight 5.64 oz. (160g) 5.11 oz (145g) 5.75 oz. (163g) 6.07 oz. (172g)
Screen size 5.0 inches 5.1 inches 5.2 inches 5.9 inches
Screen resolution 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (441ppi) 1,920 x 1,080 (432ppi) 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (424ppi) 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (373ppi)
Screen type S-LCD3 Super AMOLED Full HD Triluminos Full HD (IPS) Full HD IPS
Battery 2,600mAh (non-removable) 2,800mAh (user removable) 3,200mAh 3,200mAh (user removable)
Internal storage 16GB/32GB 16GB/32GB 16GB 16GB/32GB
External storage microSD (up to 128GB) microSD (up to 128GB) microSD (up to 64GB) microSD
Rear camera 4MP, UltraPixel sensor, Duo Camera, dual LED Smart Flash, BSI sensor 16MP, LED flash 20.7MP, LED flash 13MP, LED flash, OIS+
Front-facing cam 5MP 2MP 2.2MP 2.1MP
Video capture 1080p 4K 4K 4K
NFC Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth v4.0 v4.0

v4.0

v4.0
SoC 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
(2.5GHz variant in Asia)
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.26 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
GPU Adreno 330 Adreno 330 Adreno 330 Unspecified
RAM 2GB 2GB 3GB 3GB
WiFi 802.11a/ac/b/g/n, dual-band 802.11a/ac/b/g/n, dual-band 802.11a/ac/b/g/n, dual-band 802.11a/ac/b/g/n, dual-band
Operating system Android 4.4 Android 4.4 Android 4.4 Android 4.4
Standout features UltraPixel sensor, Duo Camera, HTC Sense 6, Zoe, BoomSound, BlinkFeed, Extreme Power Saving Mode Fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor, Ultra Power Saving Mode, IP67 certified, 4K video IP58 certified, BRAVIA screen tech, Exmor RS camera, 4K video KnockCode, Backside buttons, Mini view, Multi Window

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drag2share: The new HTC One review: a great phone, but no longer a game-changer

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/htc-one-2014-review/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

The first one is UFocus. Devices made by Nokia and LG (and soon to be Samsung) have a way to let you change the point of focus after the pic is taken, Lytro-style. With it, you can change depth of field and add bokeh, but there's a catch: You have to be in a separate mode just to make it do what you want. This is typically because the camera needs to take several pictures over the course of five seconds to achieve the desired effect. When your child is having a cute moment, you rarely have time to figure out the best mode to use for the best picture; you have a split second to pull your camera out, point it and snap the shot before it's too late. HTC's Duo Camera, however, eliminates the need for these separate modes because it takes just one image and uses the image's depth information to determine which part of the photo to keep in focus.

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drag2share: HTC explains how the 'Duo Camera' brings depth-sensing to the new One

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/htc-explains-duo-camera-on-htc-one-m8/

Finally, we have an official explanation for the two round holes in the back of the new HTC One. The main camera, which sits in the regular spot, houses a 4MP "UltraPixel" camera much like on last year's handset. The smaller lens, which is positioned directly above -- or to the side when you hold the phone in landscape mode to grab a shot -- contains half the resolution (i.e., 2MP), but it doesn't actually capture images. It merely offers a level of depth perception, allowing the camera to "understand objects in physical space." A key benefit of this, according to HTC, is a quicker autofocus time of around 300ms, because the camera can use actual depth measurements to focus on objects. Other benefits come when you edit a photo, thanks to a range of effects (such as blurring) that can be selectively applied to foreground or backgrounds subjects. HTC has also just announced an SDK that will allow third-party app makers to make use of the Duo Camera's depth map, which is stored as metadata within JPEG files. For more, including sample images, check out our full review of the HTC One.

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drag2share: NVIDIA announces Titan Z: a $3,000 graphics computing powerhouse

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/nvidia-titan-z-gpu/

Thought that NVIDIA's Titan Black was as good as it gets in the GPU world? You were mistaken. Meet the GeForce GTX Titan Z (seen in all its glory after the break), NVIDIA's latest graphical behemoth announced by CEO Jen-Hsun Huang today at NVIDIA's 2014 GPU Technology Conference. The Z packs dual Kepler GPUs specifically designed to operate in perfect power and performance harmony. It also keeps cutting-edge games (like those using Unreal Engine 4) running smoothly at up to 5K resolution and on multiple monitors thanks to 12GB of dedicated memory. For now, other Titan Z details are scarce, but we know it costs $3,000, and Huang likens its performance to that of a supercomputer -- what more do you really need to know?

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Source: NVIDIA

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drag2share: NVIDIA announces the Jetson TK1 dev-kit, calls it the world's first mobile supercomputer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/nvidia-announces-the-jetson-tk1-dev-kit-calls-it-the-world-s-fi/

Wish you had your own personal supercomputer? Soon, you'll be able to buy one -- well, sort of. At its GPU Technology conference today, NVIDIA announced the Jetson TK1, a $192 Tegra K1-based development kit built on the same architecture that powers the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Haung describes it as "the world's tiniest little supercomputer," noting that it's capable of running anything the Titan can run, but at a much slower pace.

The kit is designed for use in advanced robotics, autonomous cars and computers attempting to simulate human recognition of physical objects, but during a post-announcement briefing, NVIDIA beamed at the suggestion that builders might use it in quirky maker projects. Joking aside, however, they clarified that Jetson is a higher-grade board than you'll find in Arduinos or the Raspberry Pi -- it can push 326 gigaflops, and is far better suited to driving drones, ultrasound machines and self-driving vehicles. Still, at $192, we wouldn't be surprised to see a few Jetson-based projects pop up at the next MakerFaire.

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Article: The MicrobeScope Uses Your iPhone As A Microscopic Sidekick To Capture Views Of Bacteria In Real-Time

There are countless cool ways to extend the abilities of your smartphone by plugging in or linking up additional hardware. But here’s a Kickstarter project that wants to use your smartphone to extend the powers of something else: a basic microscope — allowing for real-time videos of microbes doin...

http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/25/microbescope/

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