Saturday, February 01, 2014

APPLE'S NEXT MOVE: The iWatch Will Monitor Your Health And Fitness Too

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-exploring-health-tracking-iwatch-2014-1

Apple iWatch concept design

Apple is planning to make a push into health-tracking and medical devices according to two reports in the New York Times and 9to5Mac. It's likely that these efforts will eventually work their way into Apple's so-called iWatch, an wearable wrist-computer that Apple is expected to launch later this year.

Let's start with the New York Times report, which says high-level Apple executives have met with the FDA to talk about bringing medical devices and apps to market. Nick Bilton, who co-bylined the NYT report, was the first person to break the news that Apple was working on the iWatch.

Then there's the 9to5Mac report from Mark Gurman, the best Apple reporter in the world. Gurman says Apple's next version of iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads, will have a new app called "Healthbook" that will be used to monitor stuff like calories burned, steps taken, and weight lost. 

It's sounding more and more like Apple's iWatch is going to be a breakthrough product. Right now, smart watches are pretty dull with limited features and clunky designs. Many have compared the current state of smart watches to what smartphones looked like before the iPhone launched. 

Join the conversation about this story »


    






Read More...

Friday, January 31, 2014

How the Super Bowl Turned the NYC Macy's Building Into a Massive Screen

Source: http://gizmodo.com/how-the-super-bowl-turned-the-nyc-macys-building-into-1512709552

How the Super Bowl Turned the NYC Macy's Building Into a Massive Screen

There's endless Super Bowl hoopla happening in New York right now, what with the big game just days away. But you might miss one of the coolest if you don't look up: The projection-mapping specialists Moment Factory have turned the grand Herald Square facade of Macy's into an orgy of light. It's incredible. Here's how they did it.

Read More...

Sony upgrades smartphone-pairing QX10 and QX100 lens cameras with higher ISO and 1080p video capture

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/31/sony-qx10-qx100-firmware-update/

Shutterbugs who shunned traditional point-and-shoots in favor of Sony's QX10 and QX100 lens cameras can now take even better images and videos. Thanks to a firmware upgrade, both smartphone lens attachments are now capable of recording clips with a higher resolution (1,920 x 1,080) than before (1,440 x 1,080). It also cranks up the clip-ons' max ISO settings from 1,600 to 3,200 on the QX10 and from 3,200 to 12,800 on the QX100, which is bound to please those especially fond of nighttime photography. Other than these two feature boosts, folks with the more expensive QX100 get an extra shutter speed mode for their devices. Unfortunately, users can't upgrade over their phones and will have to download the firmware on a Windows (XP/Vista/7/8) or a Mac computer.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: SonyAlphaRumors, Softpedia

Source: Sony (for Mac), Sony (for Win XP/Vista/7/8)

Read More...

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Japanese 'smart clothing' uses nanofibers to monitor your heart-rate (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/30/ntt-docomo-toray-smart-cloth/

Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo and materials developer Toray have been working on joint projects for a while and now they're publicly announcing one. Welcome Hitoe (Japanese for "one layer"), cloth that contains Toray's nanofibers that are coated in a transmittable layer. It's not the orange cloth (that's just standard material), but the nicotine-patch sized square you attach to it that does the sensing.

Place two of these on you and they'll act as electrodes, measuring your heartbeat and even offering metrics resembling a cardiogram. The plan is to connect this cleanly non-invasive health monitor to NTT Docomo's health app platform that's already on its smartphones, developing practical... soft... hardware for sale alongside it. The pitch didn't just include sports clothing, however, with pajamas and other sleepwear planned for launch. Look! There's even a little hat! The sensors will apparently survive tumbles in the washing machine and, having seen an earlier prototype late last year, we can confirm that the patches are suitably lightweight and flexible -- now the work is down to reducing that lumpy hub sensor that we also spotted. Wearable gadgets might finally be going subtle. There's a quick video from our allies at Engadget Japanese after the break.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Engadget Japanese

Read More...

Facebook announces Paper: a 'distraction-free' news reading app for iOS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/30/facebook-paper-news-app/

Facebook is making its own play in the news app category, going up against incumbents like Flipboard and Google's own Currents service. It's called Paper and it promises a "full-screen" distraction-free layout, with the app separating out your own Facebook News feed to begin with. You can then add to that, picking from Facebook's curated themes that'll include photography, sports, food, science and design. If you feared this would be populated exclusively by giant media corps, Facebook is promising that articles will come from from well-known sites as well as "emerging voices," although it says it'll also ensure that trusted publications will be easy to spot within the mix.

Navigation from article to article is done through swipes. and you'll be able to tilt the phone and arch across bigger panoramic pictures. From the early screens that Facebook's been sharing, the social network is going heavy on the visual appeal: pictures dominate the navigation, with soft white icons laid on top of pictures for navigation -- there's certainly flashes of iOS 7 in places. Videos, full-screen, will also auto-play (we're hoping there will be a toggle for that). The app launches February 3rd and marks the premier release for the social network's Creative Labs department: more apps are promised from the team going forward.

Filed under: , , , , ,

Comments

Read More...

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Dell's new Android HDMI dongle turns screens into virtualized desktop computers for $130

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/dell-wyse-cloud-connect-android-hdmi-dongle/

Dell's betting that a bunch of businesspeople want to be able to carry their work computer around in their pocket. Not literally, of course, but with the release of the company's $130 dollar Wyse Cloud Connect dongle (formerly known as Project Ophelia), you can do just that. It connects to any TV or display with an HDMI or MHL port, and hooks up to mice and keyboards via Bluetooth or mini-USB. There's also a microSD slot to give you up to 32GB of local storage, should you want it. Plus, you can access your desktop using yours or your company's choice of virtualization technologies: Citrix, Microsoft or VMWare. Once plugged in, users can access a full Jelly Bean Android experience or their Windows and Mac machines via the aforementioned remote clients, and see them in 1080p resolution (on compatible displays, of course). Dell's pitching the dongle as primarily an enterprise solution, but the company also thinks it's well-suited as an educational tool, too.

We got to see the Cloud Connect in action today at a launch event in Silicon Valley, and in our limited time with the device, it worked just as Dell said it would. The dongle itself is a bit bigger than your standard flash drive... it's roughly the size of an Apple TV remote. Installing the thing really is as simple as plugging it into a monitor, which turns said monitor into a fully fledged Android device. That means you have access to any compatible app from Google Play (or at least whatever apps your company's IT department allows). Speaking of, the Cloud Connect management dashboard allows IT administrators to easily set permissions and access for the dongles with a straightforward and simple interface.

As for consumer applications, Dell's VP and GM of cloud client computing, Steve Lalla, told us that his focus is on b2b for now, but regular folks are certainly on his radar. "It'll bleed into the consumer space," he said. "It's just that businesses already understand the value proposition of the technology." When we inquired about the possibility of building the Cloud Connect directly into monitors (essentially creating Android desktop computers), Lalla said that he has nothing to announce, but we get the feeling we'll see one from Dell before too long.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: Dell

Read More...

This Machine Perfectly Filets and De-Bones Fish with X-Rays and Water

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-machine-perfectly-filets-and-de-bones-fish-with-x-1511542681

Machines that can accurately and efficiently filet a fish have been used for years now to speed up processing plants—though only with farmed fish that are all the same size and weight. Fish caught in the wild usually have to be processed by hand given they vary in size, but a new machine that employs x-ray vision and precise water jets can finally automate the filleting process.

Read More...

Twitter's adding new search features for web users: filter results by videos, photos, news, or peopl

Source: http://gizmodo.com/twitters-adding-new-search-features-for-web-users-filt-1511760075

Twitter's adding new search features for web users: filter results by videos, photos, news, or people. You can also filter only results from those you follow. [Twitter via The Verge]

Read More...

Twitter tool tells journalists what's BREAKING!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/twitter-dataminr-for-news/

We've known for sometime that Twitter is looking to make a move in the news game, but what that would look like was still unclear. Today, the blue bird's intentions are starting to look a bit more concrete, with the announcement of Dataminr for News, a tool that pinpoints and alerts journalist of breaking news before every Joe with a dot com is tweeting about it. The tool, created in partnership with NY startup Dataminr, uses machine learning algorithms to identify big and reliable stories and alert journalists via email, mobile alerts, and other means. It will also provide detailed information about the origins and sources behind the information. According to The Verge, CNN has used Dataminr tools for months and is already seeing some payoff: it claims to produce at least two stories a day sourced from the service.

The new initiative feeds into the "me first" media culture that has seen hoaxes rise to the top of Twitter as quickly as real breaking news stories. However, Dataminr claims that its algorithms cut through the bull shit by looking beyond the first tweet to find "corroborating sources on the ground" among other factors. According to TechCrunch, Dataminr CEO Ted Bailey said Dataminr for News will become available to all journalists for an undisclosed price later this year.

Filed under:

Comments

Via: The Verge, TechCrunch

Source: Twitter

Read More...

drag2share: A first glimpse of the new 'multiOS' handset from Geeksphone

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/geeksphone-revolution-images-boot2gecko/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Though we were able to tell you all about the Geeksphone Revolution's specs last month, the gestation-themed stock photo gave no clue as to how it actually looked. Now, we finally have pictures of the Firefox OS/Android dual-boot handset (there's another after the break) and a further description of how it'll work. First off, Geeksphone is now referring to the Firefox OS option as "Boot2Gecko by Mozilla," harkening back to the original (awful) name for some reason. Nomenclature aside, it'll come with Android installed (a version hasn't been specified yet) and you'll be able to choose Boot2Gecko or "any other community-supported ROM" -- but it won't be dual-boot. You will get OTA updates for whichever OS option you choose though, along with the previously reported dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 4.7-inch 960 x 540 screen, 1GB of RAM and 8-megapixel rear/2-megapixel front cameras. There's still no s! ign of a release date and, more importantly, the price -- that'll no doubt weed out those willing try the MultiOS device from those who prefer the devil they know.

Update: Geeksphone has told us that "Boot2Gecko" is how Mozilla is now branding Firefox OS for carriers, but is otherwise identical. The more you know...

Read More...

drag2share: Scribd takes on Amazon, brings its subscription e-book service to Kindle Fire tablets

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/scribd-e-book-subscription-kindle-fire-app/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

The whole point of owning an Amazon tablet is that you're eventually gonna buy stuff. Want movies? Amazon's got you covered. Music? Time to check out Amazon's MP3 store. And then, of course, there's books: Amazon expects you to buy lots and lots of reading material through the built-in Kindle app. Now, though, another company is trying to get in on the action. Scribd, which already runs a $9-a-month e-book subscription service, is opening up shop on Kindle Fire tablets. As on the existing apps (Android, iOS and a web version), the Kindle version offers unlimited monthly access, allowing readers to share what they're reading and embed books onto websites. The catch? Scribd only has a deal with one major publishing house, HarperCollins, with the rest of the catalog comprised of titles from independent publishers. So, while you'll enjoy authors like Michael Chabon and classics like Sh*t My Dad Says, you'll be missing out on things like the Game of Thrones! series. Then again, if you read even two books a month, that $9 fee could pay for itself.

Read More...

drag2share: Android climbed to 79 percent of smartphone market share in 2013, but its growth has slowed

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/strategy-analytics-2013-smartphone-share/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Smartphone market share in both Q4 and all of 2013

Android may have quickly reached the top of the smartphone world, but there are signs that this red-hot growth is cooling off... if only just. Strategy Analytics estimates that the platform claimed nearly 79 percent of smartphone market share in 2013. While that's both a record high and a big step up from almost 69 percent in 2012, it also represents Android's slowest annual growth rate since its birth. As the analysts note, Google is facing an increasingly saturated market; there are only so many more customers it can reach.

Not that things were rosy for other mobile operating systems last year. Apple shipped more phones in 2013, but not enough to avoid a dip to 15.5 percent market share. Windows Phone grew to 3.6 percent share, although its one-point improvement over 2012 wasn't going to make Apple or Google nervous. And for smaller platforms, 2013 was downright ugly. BlackBerry, Symb! ian and others fell from a collective 9.1 percent in 2012 to just 2 percent. The smartphone market in 2014 is effectively a three-horse race, and it's doubtful that the rankings will change any time soon.

Read More...

Sony add-on will let you graft a giant camera to your tablet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/sony-add-on-will-let-you-graft-a-giant-camera-to-your-tablet/

Sony SPA-TA1 lens camera add-on for tablets

Whether you like it or not, tablet photography is here to stay -- it's only fair that slate owners get a fair chance at taking nice pictures. Sony certainly thinks so, since it has unveiled a new mount, the SPA-TA1, that attaches its QX lens cameras to tablets. The peripheral isn't just for small devices, either; it includes six adjustable arms that accommodate larger hardware, like the Xperia Tablet Z and VAIO Tap 11. Sony ships the camera accessory to Japan this April for a suggested price of ¥3,675 ($36). There's no word of a US release, but we wouldn't rule out an eventual stateside launch.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: Xperia Blog, Talk Android

Source: Sony (translated)

Read More...

LG G Pro 2 pics leak out, show the G2's rear button setup mounted on a larger phone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/lgs-g-pro-2-leaked-pics-indicate-it-will-steal-the-g2s-rear-bu/

LG only just announced that it's launching the G Pro 2 phone next month, and now two pictures that claim to show the device have surfaced on a Korean forum, DC Inside. Following up on last year's 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro, the pictured device features a rear-mounted button setup mirroring LG's most recent flagship phone, the G2. The pics lack accompanying details, although Android Central mentions rumors have hinted at a size bump to 6-inches, support for faster LTE-A networks, a Snapdragon 800 CPU and 1080p screen -- it's also unknown if the G Pro 2 will follow the G2's software tweaks with "knock on" and QSlide multitasking. Check after the break for one more picture -- we should have all the details confirmed by the time the Mobile World Congress 2014 event begins in Barcelona on February 24th.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: Android Central

Source: DC Inside

Read More...

drag2share: Mark One 3D printer creates carbon fiber objects, costs $5,000

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/mark-one-3d-printer-carbon-fiber/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

There's a new 3D printer in town, and unlike other models that use plastic, rubber or even chocolate, this one prints out objects using a far tougher material: carbon fiber. The printer, named Mark One, was designed by creator Gregory Mark as a way to reduce carbon fiber manufacturing costs. He sees Mark One as a way to make useful things like tools, replace! ment parts or even home fixtures, though nothing would stop you from printing out super-durable toys and knick-knacks, too. Of course, carbon fiber raw materials my not be so easy to come by, so Mark's creation also works with other composites, like fiberglass, nylon and PLA plastic. Those who want to make tough little trinkets (and have $5,000 to spare) will have to wait until March to pre-order the Mark One, but folks in San Diego can see it in person right now at the SolidWorks World convention.

Read More...

drag2share: Olympus launches 50x superzoom with unique 'Eagle-Eye' gun sight

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/29/olympus-50x-superzoom-stylus-sp-100/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Not only has Olympus unveiled the Stylus SP-100 with a whopping 50x optical zoom lens, it's tackled one of the biggest issues in using such cameras: losing a moving subject. The new model is equipped with what the company calls its "eagle-eye" dot-sight located just above the viewfinder, which projects a target onto a semi-transparent mirror below the flash, as shown in the photo after the break. That way, you can keep a bead on your photographic prey (the tech is also used on gun-sights) without needing to zoom out, which could make the difference between nailing or losing a shot. The rest of the specs include a 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with a TruePic VII processor, 7fps burst speed with a small 6 frame buffer, a 24-1200 (50mm equivalent) f/2.9-6.5 lens, a 3-inch, 460K-dot LCD, 920K-dot EVF and 1080/60p Full HD video. It'll arrive in March for $400 or so and while it might not be the biggest superzoom out there, at least you may actually catch Junior's winning goal.

Read More...

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Gridded "Superlens" Brings Wireless Power Transmission A Step Closer

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gridded-superlens-brings-wireless-power-transmission-1510675780

Gridded "Superlens" Brings Wireless Power Transmission A Step Closer

Above is a close-up of what developers call a "superlens," a device that can focus low-energy magnetic waves over a distance. The result? Wireless power generation over nearly one foot of air between transmitter and receiver.

Read More...

To Make Glass Stronger, Etch It With Microscopic Cracks

Source: http://gizmodo.com/to-make-glass-stronger-etch-it-with-microscopic-cracks-1510973860

To Make Glass Stronger, Etch It With Microscopic Cracks

To anyone who has ever dropped a wine glass or broken a window, you might have a thing or two to learn from mollusks. A new technique inspired by natural materials such as mollusk shells or tooth enamel can make glass 200 times stronger. Weirdly enough, it works by weakening the glass with microscopic cracks.

Read More...

drag2share: Chrome apps will soon arrive on Android and iOS devices

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/chrome-apps-android-ios/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Last month, we discovered Google was working on a tool that would port Chrome apps to both Android and iOS. Today, the folks in Mountain View released a developer preview that does just that. Like the early rumblings suggested, it's based on open-source Apache Cordova, which leverages the software's native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This means that the software will get wrapped in the stylings of a native app and can be submitted to each app store for distribution. There's also a slew of Chrome APIs available that you'd expect to see in mobile apps, including the ability to build in payments, notifications and alarms on top of those offered by the Cordova platform. Now that the tools are in the hands of devs, we'll have to bide our time until the finished Chrome apps begin to surface.

Read More...

drag2share: Future US Soldiers Might Just Be Trained In a Star Trek Holodeck

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/oLM7KAXRK30/us-soldiers-might-be-trained-in-holodeck-2014-1

attached imageThe VIPE Holodeck is similar in approach to the Infantry Immersion Trainer (IIT) that was developed by Lockheed Martin to train marines, but they differ in many key ways.

IIT was designed as a mixture of mediums, including physical reconstructions that were meant to resemble Fallujah, Iraq. This scenario was complemented by a piping in of digital sounds and avatars to create a fully immersive environment.

VIPE, though, is purely digital. Aside from the individuals within the Holodeck, everything else is a projection based on simple, and inexpensive, consumer technology.

Read More...

drag2share: This 17-Year-Old Dropped Out Of High School For Peter Thiel And Built A Game-Changing New Kind Of Computer

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/RwrGreCBvB8/cool-startup-17-year-old-thiel-fellow-2014-1

Thomas Sohmers REX Computing

On Tuesday, 17-year-old Thomas Sohmers unveiled a new super fast computer server that uses a fraction of the electricity that a normal computer does.

He's showing it off at the Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit happening this week in San Francisco.

OCP is the Facebook-led project that is changing the data center hardware industry. It's where big Internet companies like Facebook design their own hardware to be faster and cheaper than traditional options from companies like Dell, HP, IBM, or Cisco. (But Dell and HP are also involved in OCP). It gives those designs away for free, a concept called open source hardware.

This computer is the first product from Sohmers' startup, REX Computing, created with 52-year-old co-founder and CTO Kurt Keville.

The computer is a very powerful machine built with ARM processors, the kind low-power processors that run smartphones and tablets. (In geek speak: these are multi-core ARM processors designed for servers, made by a San Jose company called Xilinx.)

These servers allow more computing power to be packed into a smaller space. The server is "2,500% more power-efficient for the same performance," Sohmers told Business Insider. Think of it like a supercomputer running on the equivalent of smartphone battery.

And that has big implication! s for building green-but-powerful data centers.

"I think of myself as an entrepreneur besides just being an electrical engineer. I believe what I'm doing can have a major effective on the world," Sohmers said.

Low-power ARM servers is big trend in the server industry with companies like HP and Dell now in the market, but one that hasn't really taken off yet for a bunch of technical reasons that add up to one thing: there isn't a lot of software that runs on them, yet.

Read More...

drag2share: Intel's smart headset understands you even when you're offline

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/intel-smart-headset-offline-voice-recognition/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Intel Jarvis headset

Intel claims that its Jarvis headset's voice recognition makes it smart, but we've seen voice commands on Bluetooth earpieces before -- what's so special this time around? It's all about offline support, the company tells Quartz. Unlike many wearables, Jarvis can process complex voice requests without talking to a server. That's most helpful when there's no internet access, but it also leads to faster, more natural interaction than you typically get from the likes of Google Now or Siri. You won't necessarily have to buy Jarvis to reap its benefits, either. Intel hopes to sell its voice recognition technology to phone manufacturers, so your handset may be the only smart device you need.

Read More...

Article: Akamai's state of the internet: America gets with faster broadband, IPv6

Good news, everyone! The U.S. has shot up rapidly in its adoption of high-speed broadband, up to 20 percent in some states, according to Akamai’s latest State of the Internet report for the third quarter of 2013. Things seem to be on the up-and-up for American broadband connections, especially af...

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/28/akamais-state-of-the-internet-america-gets-with-faster-broadband-ipv6/

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

drag2share: Lenovo's 10-inch Miix 2 convertible tablet goes on sale early, starting at $699

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/27/lenovo-10-inch-miix-2-goes-on-sale-early/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Lenovo Miix 2 convertible tablet

You won't have to wait until March to get your hands on Lenovo's 10-inch Miix 2; much to our surprise, the budget-friendly convertible tablet is already on sale. Just be prepared to pay extra for early access. The company is offering only higher-end versions of the Windows 8.1 slate, which currently starts at $699 for a WiFi model with 128GB of storage. The promised $499 variant isn't listed on Lenovo's site as of this writing. While it's hard to complain too much about the higher price given the unexpectedly quick launch, those who want the cheapest edition of this mid-size Miix 2 will have to be patient.

Read More...

drag2share: Smartphone sales may have topped 1 billion in 2013, depending on who you ask

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/smartphone-sales-may-have-topped-1-billion-in-2013/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

IDC smartphone market share for all of 2013

You once had to look to the broader cellphone market to see more than a billion phones ship in one year. Well, times have changed... at least, if you ask the right analysts. IDC now estimates that smartphone shipments topped one billion for the first time in 2013. However, Strategy Analytics begs to differ -- it reckons that shipments fell just short, at 990 million. Whether or not the industry hit its symbolic milestone, the roughly 40 percent increase over 2012 data shows that the smartphone market had plenty of room to grow last year. Samsung led the pack with 31.3 percent of the the market, while Apple dipped to 15.3 percent as both Samsung and Chinese manufacturers (including Huawei and Lenovo) chipped away at its second-place position.

As for what happened in ! the fourth quarter? Both analyst groups say that Samsung was once again the top vendor, although they note that the Korean firm's share was largely flat at 29 percent. Not that Apple fared any better, as its record-setting iPhone shipments weren't enough to prevent a slide to 18 percent share. Huawei, LG and Lenovo were the real victors -- each of them typically gained a point or more of share in the past year. IDC chalks some of this up to the rise of very low-cost smartphones, which are quickly taking over developing markets like China and India. Companies which focus on more expensive handsets, such as Apple and Samsung, have the most to lose in these areas.

IDC smartphone market share for Q4 2013

Filed under: , , , , ,

Read More...

drag2share: British government reportedly tracking YouTube and Facebook data without permission

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/gchq-squeaky-dolphin-youtube-facebook-snoop/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

While the NSA has been busy scouring the Angry Birds leaderboards, newly leaked documents report that its British counterpart -- the GCHQ -- has been monitoring the flow of social media in real-time. The General Communications Headquarters can apparently keep track of YouTube traffic, which links are liked on Facebook and even which Blogger or Blogspot pages are visited. This all comes via documents taken by Edward Snowden that were obtained by NBC News. NBC's sources also say that the British spies have been able to physically tap the lines carrying global web traffic to extract key data about specific users as well. This initiative, called Squeaky Dolphin, intends to put broad data trends into context with world events and give the intelligence community a heads up for future anti-government happenings -- not for spying on a person-by-person level. What's more, the GCHQ reportedly shares this information with the US.

The GCHQ has issued a statement claiming that all of its work is carried out within the limits of the law, while the NSA says that it's only interested in the communication activities of valid foreign intelligence targets. For their part, Google and Facebook say that the spying on unencrypted information was done with out their respective knowledge, and neither company had given the UK government permission to access the data -- something we've heard before.

Read More...

drag2share: Chipotle Is Launching A Satirical Series About The Dark Side Of 'Big Agriculture' On Hulu

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/qKpSBmDeps8/chipotle-launches-satirical-tv-series-on-hulu-2014-1

Chipotle series

Chipotle is launching a satirical TV series on the dark side of industrial agriculture in the U.S.

The four-part series, called "Farmed and Dangerous," will air on Hulu and Hulu Plus beginning Feb. 17.

The show was produced by Chipotle and New York-based studio Piro. It contains no explicit Chipotle marketing, according to the company.

"The show addresses issues that we think are important — albeit in a satirical way — without being explicitly about Chipotle," Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle, said in a release. "This approach allows us to produce content that communicates our values and entertains people at the same time."

The first season focuses on the introduction of "PetroPellet," a petroleum based animal feed. 

Read More...

Monday, January 27, 2014

Bitcoin Exchange CEO Arrested for Money Laundering

Source: http://gizmodo.com/report-bitcoin-exchange-ceo-arrested-for-running-illeg-1509842040

Bitcoin Exchange CEO Arrested for Money Laundering

The Justice Department has formally charged the CEO of Bitcoin exchange Bitinstant.com with running an illegal wire service, and according to reports by the New York Post's Kaja Whitehouse, he's just been arrested at JFK. Uh oh.

Read More...

The FBI Seized All of TorMail's Data and Is Using It to Catch Hackers

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-fbi-seized-all-of-tormails-data-and-is-using-it-to-1509838202

The FBI Seized All of TorMail's Data and Is Using It to Catch Hackers

If you had any faith left in anonymous email services, now would be the time to let that go. New court documents show that in chasing down associates of Freedom Hosting, the FBI managed to download the entire email database of TorMail. And now it's using that information to take on the Darknet.

Read More...

Article: Chartio Raises $2.2M, Updates Its Business Intelligence And Data Visualization Platform

Chartio has raised $2.2 million from Avalon Ventures and added some new features to its data visualization platform that blends data sets and does complex calculations. Chartio had previously raised a $4.4 million Series A round from Avalon in 2011. With the funding, Chartio will continue to deve...

http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/24/chartio-raises-2-2m-and-adds-new-features-to-business-intelligence-and-data-visualization-platform/

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

Stratasys' new 3D printer creates multicolored flexible materials

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/27/stratasys-3d-printer-flexible-color/

Stratasys' has a new $330,000 3D printer, but this one has the potential to do a whole lot more than monochrome figurines. In fact, the company says it's the first machine able to create objects in colored, flexible materials. The Objet500 Connex3 3D printer uses rubber and plastic as base materials, although according to Stratasys (the company which now owns the MakerBot series) material combinations will be able to offer different levels of rigidity, transparency and opacity. Colors, meanwhile, are produced by the same mix of cyan, magenta and yellow you'll find on your inkjet printer at home -- it even comes with six palettes of rubbery "tango" colors, if you're perhaps looking to channel your '90s tastes into some tasteful flexible booties, as seen above.

At the technical level, the printer can go as fine as 16-micron layers, offering a high level of detail and finish, and can pump out around 30kg of resin (that is, base material) per run. Talking to the BBC, a Stratasys spokesperson said the advanced printer could cut down industrial design prototyping times by 50 percent, although he was talking about the time from prototype to market, not printing time itself. The Objet500 Connex3 launches today, although those flexible color printing materials won't be available to buy until Q2 later this year, so hold on to those neo-boot dreams for now.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Read More...