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Friday, February 10, 2012

Best Movie Recommendation Service? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5883858/best-movie-recommendation-service

Best Movie Recommendation Service? Valentine's Day is next week, and whether you're forever alone or you're looking for the perfect film to take someone special to see, this week we want to know where you turn for movie suggestions and reviews to help you decide what's worth seeing on the big screen, where you can find indie theaters playing documentaries and special releases, and what you may as well wait for to appear on Netflix and save your money.

You don't have to be planning a night out to look for movie reviews, although movie recommendation services are particularly useful if you're not a movie buff and you're looking for something that everyone will find interesting to watch. So which site or service do you turn to when you want to know what's worth checking out in the theaters? Let us know in the comments below.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: BEST LIVE TV STREAMING METHOD. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: "Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's five best ways to stream live TV.

Photo by gailf548.

Will New Apple Displays Optimize Themselves According to Surroundings? [Rumors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5883974/will-new-apple-displays-optimize-themselves-according-to-surroundings

Will New Apple Displays Optimize Themselves According to Surroundings? Apple's most recent screen successes have centered around the Retina display. But a new patent suggests that Apple has been working on displays that can react to their surroundings to dynamically improve the viewing experience.

According to Patently Apple, the company has filed a patent for a mobile display that uses the sensors aboard devices like the iPhone and iPad to understand the world around it. The patent suggests that the "physical and lighting properties of the user's environment" could be used to provide "a more interesting and visually appealing" display.

The patent goes on to suggest that devices could monitor factors like ambient light, as well as the position of the user's eyes, to generate dynamic shadows on their screens. Those shadows could be used to either make the entire display more clear, or even to spotlight what the users is looking at or add perspective to images. The patent also makes it clear that this could be implemented on desktop and laptop displays, too.

It sounds like the kind of thing that anyone who has ever used a laptop or iPad outside would jump at. Anti-glare covers exist, sure, but in my experience they don't really work. This, on the other hand, could mean I spend a lot more time working from my garden. [FPO via Patently Apple; Image: Ed Yourdon]

Hacker spites Symantec, puts pcAnywhere's source code out in the open

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/hacker-spites-symantec-puts-pcanywheres-source-code-out-in-the/

Hacker releases Symantec pcAnywhere's source code out in the open

Symantec said that folks running its pcAnywhere utility were at an "increased risk" when it revealed that the company had been hacked and its source codes pilfered, and advised customers to stop using pcAnywhere for the time being. Sage advice, as a hacker with the handle YamaTough -- who's affiliated with Anonymous -- helped do the deed and has now published the code for all the world to see. Apparently, the hacker and hackee had attempted to broker a deal for $50,000 to keep the code private, but neither side negotiated in good faith -- YamaTough always intended to release the code, and law enforcement was doing the talking for Symantec to catch him and his hacking cohorts. The good news is, Symantec has released several patches to protect pcAnywhere users going forward. As for the stolen code for Norton Antivirus, Internet Security and other Symantec software? Well, the company's expecting it to be disclosed, too, but because the code is from 2006, customers with current versions can rest easy.

Hacker spites Symantec, puts pcAnywhere's source code out in the open originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNET |

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Reuters | Email this | Comments

Super Bowl internet debut breaks records, disappoints some viewers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/super-bowl-internet-debut-breaks-records-disappoints-some-viewe/

Super Bowl stream on NBCSports.com

Not sure what this says about the state of streaming video online, but while the first live internet stream of the Super Bowl was watched by a record 2.1 million unique viewers, it didn't receive glowing reviews. The best indicator, though, is that the engagement for the three (plus) hour event was only 39 minutes. We think the folks over at Streaming Media got it right when they called it the Super Bowl Streaming Fail. It was bad enough that only Verizon Wireless customers could watch it on anything other than a laptop, but even those who could see it were left searching for a TV once they saw the quality. Big sports fans who might've been checking it out for the additional commentary and camera angles were also left wanting more, as the stream was plagued with lag. This meant that the other angle you were in search of was as much as a minute behind the big screen. Ultimately, we're sure everyone's glad the Super Bowl was extended to the smaller screens, but one thing sure seems true, broadcasting an event like this to millions of people is unlikely to ever be replaced by unicast internet streams.

Super Bowl internet debut breaks records, disappoints some viewers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/lytro-fcc/

Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor

There's a scene in Robocop 2, where our eponymous hero is set-to with an angle grinder and dumped in pieces outside the Detroit Police station. Now replace the cybernetic Alex Murphy with the Lytro Light Field camera and you'll know what was found on the sidewalk opposite from the FCC's concrete bunker this morning. Interesting tidbits revealed in the government-sponsored autopsy included a questionably small Zoran imaging chip and Marvell Avastar W8787 wireless SoC -- but the company's already swiftly denied it'll have WiFi capability. Still, the infinite-focus device is certainly on for that early 2012 launch date if it's passed through the FCC without derision. We like to treat you right, dear readers, so below you'll find a cornucopia of galleries to hunt through before these units arrive in your hands. What do you think? Should we equip all our staffers with Lytro cameras for our future hands-ons?

Gallery: Lytro Light Field Camera Manual

Lytro Light Field Camera Manual

Gallery: Lytro Light Field Camera External Shots

Lytro Light Field Camera External Shots

Gallery: Lytro Light Field Camera Internal Shots

Lytro Light Field Camera Internal Shots

Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Verge, Tech Crunch | source

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FCC | Email this | Comments

Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/sigma-dp1-dp2-get-46-megapixel-makeover/

If Nikon thought its 36-megapixel D800 would be the king of the resolutions this week, they were wrong. Sigma, it seems, didn't get the memo and has crashed the party, updating its DP1 and DP2 compacts with whopping 46-megapixel sensors. Okay, so technically it's three 15.3 megapixel layers (that also being the effective resolution), but we'll play along with the marketing spin. Rebranded as the DP1- and DP2-Merrill in honor of the sensor's co-creator, the refresh sees the compacts sporting the same imaging innards as the firm's flagship SD1 Merrill SLR. The LCD screen also gets a bump from 2.5 to three inches, which, we suppose, is to do better justice to those massive pictures you'll be taking. Sigma's keeping price and availability under wraps for now, but hit the PR after the break for more info.

Continue reading Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover

Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Electronista | | Email this | Comments

Google reportedly working on wireless home entertainment system to be sold under its own brand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/google-reportedly-working-on-wireless-home-entertainment-system/

Details are still fairly light at the moment, but The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Google could be about to make big push into the hardware business. Citing people briefed on the company's plans, the WSJ says that Google is now developing a home entertainment system that would stream music wirelessly throughout the home (including to web-connected devices and "Google-made speakers"), and be able to be controlled using a smartphone or tablet -- making it sound a whole lot like a Sonos competitor. What's more, unlike current Android and Google TV devices, this system will reportedly be marketed under Google's own brand. An attempt to really turn it up to eleven, perhaps?

Google reportedly working on wireless home entertainment system to be sold under its own brand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AllThingsD | source

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The Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments

Nanoshells trap light for more efficient solar panels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/nanoshells-trap-light-for-more-efficient-solar-panels/

Nanoshells

Scientists at Stanford are hard at work trying to improve the efficiency and durability of solar panels -- two key factors that have kept the Sun from becoming a more popular source of energy. Their latest effort involves nanocrystalline-silicon, a material that has proven resilient and highly conductive, but not very good at absorbing light. Their solution, nanoshells -- hollowed out spheres of silicon that trap and recirculate light much like a whispering gallery does sound. Balls of the crystalline material are dipped in silicon, then hydrofluoric acid is used to eat way the center of the sphere, leaving a path for light to enter. The shells trap the light, allowing more of it to be absorbed, and also reduces the effect of non-optimal angles on energy production. Hit up the source for a few more details.

Nanoshells trap light for more efficient solar panels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmag | source

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Stanford | Email this | Comments

That's hot: Heat-based recording could boost magnetic drive speed, performance

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/thats-hot-heat-based-recording-could-boost-magnetic-drive-spee/

That's hot: Heat-based recording could boost magnetic drive speed, performance

Magnetic fields are pretty nifty for levitating stuff, carving sponge-like thingamajigs and, of course, data storage. But an international team led by the University of York in the UK has figured out a way to replace magnetic fields for the latter by using ultra-short heat pulses instead. Conventional thinking typically dictates that an external magnetic field is required to store data on a magnetic medium. By using heat, however, researchers were able to record terabytes of information per second in a way that is also more energy-efficient compared to current hard drive technology. As for the time it'll take for the tech to make it to market, well, we have a feeling it won't be as fast.

That's hot: Heat-based recording could boost magnetic drive speed, performance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmag | source

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University of York | Email this | Comments

Wolfram Alpha Pro now available, $4.99 a month will let you throw almost anything at it for analysis

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/10/wolfram-alpha-pro-now-available-4-99-a-month-will-let-you-thro/

Wolfram Alpha has made some fairly big strides in its few short years of existence, but the so-called computational knowledge engine has now rolled out what founder Stephen Wolfram says is the "the single most important development for Wolfram Alpha since the original website launched in 2009." That development is Wolfram Alpha Pro, a new premium service that will run you $4.99 a month (or $2.99/month for students) and give you access to a wealth of new options for both input and output. On the input end, you can now upload images, audio and other files (over 60 types in all) for automatic analysis and a detailed report -- according to Stephen Wolfram, the ultimate goal being "to do what a top data scientist would do if given the user's data." As for output, you'll now be able to take advantage of a number of richer download options, including the ability to interact with and tailor the reports to your liking. As you might expect, however, that's just scratching the surface -- you can get a detailed look at the new service at the links below, or take it for a spin yourself with a free trial subscription.

Continue reading Wolfram Alpha Pro now available, $4.99 a month will let you throw almost anything at it for analysis

Wolfram Alpha Pro now available, $4.99 a month will let you throw almost anything at it for analysis originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:07:00 EDT. Pleas! e see ou r terms for use of feeds.

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Wolfram Alpha Pro, Wolfram Alpha Blog | Email this | Comments

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Chrome 17 Is Now Available, Get Ready for Prerendered Pages [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5883582/chrome-17-is-now-available-get-ready-for-prerendered-pages

Chrome 17 Is Now Available, Get Ready for Prerendered Pages Google has made the newest version of its popular browser available, offering more secure downloads and faster-loading web pages. Here's what's new.

Prerendering pages appears to be a natural progression from autocomplete. According to the Google Chrom blog, "When you start typing in the omnibox and the URL autocompletes to a site you're very likely to visit, Chrome will prerender the page, so it will appear faster—sometimes, even instantly—as soon as you hit Enter." We'll have to see how long that feature lasts before it gets turned off like I did to autocomplete.

To better secure your system against malicious code, Chrome's download scanner checks any executable files against a whitelist. If the files don't check out, the browser will query Google for more information on the website—such as if it has a history of malicious code downloads. [Chrome Blog]

Google's Cloud Storage Could Launch In the Coming Weeks [Google Drive]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5883648/googles-cloud-storage-could-launch-in-the-coming-weeks

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is closer than ever to launching the company's cloud-based storage service that will rival now established services like Dropbox and Apple's iCloud. In fact, it could be available in just a few weeks.

Like Dropbox, which offers various tiers of online storage for your files and documents, Google will offer a standard free account, though specifics on how many gigs of data you can upload without paying aren't known just yet. However, if the data cap on the free account isn't sufficient for your needs, a paid version will also be available, with Google aiming to undercut the cost of existing cloud based services.

And unlike Apple's iCloud which caters to the company's iOS devices, Google's cloud storage services will not be exclusive to the millions of Android devices on the market. Instead, like the company's other services, it will be easily accessible on a wide variety of devices, including the iPhone and iPad, Apple permitting of course. [WSJ]

Lytro Teardown Reveals Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Capabilities [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5883653/lytro-teardown-reveals-its-wi+fi-and-bluetooth-capabilities

Lytro Teardown Reveals Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Capabilities The focus-free Lytro camera is so good that Steve Jobs reportedly wanted to roll the technology into the iPhone. Though it's not quite ready for sale yet, a teardown has revealed that the camera is capable of communicating via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The long, boxy camera has plenty of room for guts, so its nice to find out that it's home to some impressive technology. The pictures from the teardown show us some stuff we already know about, like the fictional-sounding 11 Megaray image sensor and its tiny 1.5-inch LCD screen.

But elsewhere, there's a Marvell Avastar chip, which offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, meaning that the Lytro should be able to offer wireless transfer of images. The camera also has a Zoran processor — though we're not quite sure what that's for — and some on-board flash storage.

The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth make what was an already-exciting product even more tempting: the ability to change depth of focus and wirelessly transmit your snaps after they're taken is surely too good to pass up. The Lytro is only available for pre-order at the moment, but I for one am struggling to resist. [Wireless Goodness via Ubergizmo; Image: Wireless Goodness ]

Verizon's double data deal returns this Friday, prepare yourselves accordingly

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/08/verizon-wireless-double-data-4g-offer/

It looks like Verizon's about to double up on double data. According to the Los Angeles Times, Big Red is about to reintroduce the double data promotion that first rolled out in November, and came to a close at year's end. Under the offer, customers signing up for a 4G plan will receive double the amount of monthly data (at no extra charge) for the duration of their contracts, as long as they sign up for two-year deals. Unfortunately, though, the promotion only applies to first time 4G subscribers (or those looking to upgrade from a non-4G plan), and is restricted to smartphones, leaving tablet owners in the dark. As with its original campaign, the redux will only be available for a limited time, though Verizon has yet to announce a closing date. It all kicks off this Friday, when, not coincidentally, the carrier will officially welcome the Droid 4 to the fold, as well.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Verizon's double data deal returns this Friday, prepare yourselves accordingly originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlashGear | source

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Los Angeles Times | Email this | Comments

Google Screenwise panel will pay you to track your every move online

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/08/google-screenwise-panel-pays-to-track-browsing/

Don't mind letting Google watch your every click while browsing the web? Awesome, because the folks in Mountain View want to pay you for letting them do just that. The company is recruiting panelists for a project it's calling Screenwise, a program that will give the internet behemoth more insight into how the general public uses the interwebs day in and day out. Once you opt in, you'll receive a $5 gift card code to Amazon and for up to a year, you'll get additional spending money every three months. But how will The Goog track your mouse clicks? Just before getting paid, you'll have to download a browser extension that will keep an eye on things and send your data back to the mothership. If you're looking to make a little more dough, Ars Technica reports that you'll be able to opt for a more lucrative hardware monitoring option. Here, you'll have to install the Screenwise Data Collector (pictured above) on your home network; however, the pay out is an initial Benjamin and $20 for every month you participate. Sound like something you'd want in on? Hit the source link below to be notified when registration opens.

Update: Google has passed along the following statement on the Screenwise project with a reminder that participation in the panel is 100% voluntary.

Like many other web and media companies, we do panel research to help better serve our users by learning more about people's media use, on the web and elsewhere. This panel is one such small project that started near the beginning of the year. Of course, this is completely optional to ! join. Pe ople can choose to participate if it's of interest (or if the gift appeals) and everyone who does participate has complete transparency and control over what Internet use is being included in the panel. People can stay on the panel as long as they'd like, or leave at any time.

Google Screenwise panel will pay you to track your every move online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TechCrunch | source

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