Samsung's AdHub Market advertising platform set to debut this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/samsung-adhub-market-advertising-platform/

Would it be such a bad idea if Sammy were to try squeezing more revenue out of those five million (and counting) Notes? Not by any means. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung, in partnership with OpenX Technologies, is planning to launch an advertising platform of its own at some point during the second half of this year. Dubbed AdHub Market, the service will be able to run on the company's handsets and slates, following a model similar to that of Apple's iAds. The AdHub Market would essentially allow advertisers to shell out cash in exchange for real estate within apps running on most of Samsung's devices. What's not clear, however, is how Google will react to the news...

Samsung's AdHub Market advertising platform set to debut this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/hands-on-with-smart-monitors-smartwatch-the-seizure-sensing-wr/

Millions of people suffer from epileptic seizures, and the threat of such episodes is a constant concern for those with the condition, their families and caretakers. Smart Monitor knows that the freedom of folks with epilepsy is curtailed by trepidation caused by the unpredictability of seizures, so it's created the SmartWatch. The device is a wristwatch, roughly the size of a WIMM One, that has a GPS module and a proprietary accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor inside to detect the excessive and repeated motions that occur during grand mal seizures. It then records the time, duration and location of the occurrences and sends that information via Bluetooth to the accompanying app on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in the works). The app tracks and stores the info and automatically calls your designated caretakers to alert them of the seizure, thusly ensuring the safety of the watch wearer. The watch also has physical buttons on the side that allow users to cancel a false alert or manually send one out with a single press.

Gallery: Smart Monitor SmartWatch hands-on

Aside from the real-time safety net that comes with wearing the watch, it also provides valuable information to neurologists over the long term. When and where seizures take place is data that those who study and treat epilepsy find useful, and it can be quite difficult for folks to recall such info after a seizure. SmartWatch can give doctors an accurate long term look at a patient's episodic history that they wouldn't be able to obtain otherwise. Because it's a motion detection unit, the device is only for those who suffer from tonic clonic, or grand mal seizures, so it's not a universal seizure detector. However, the company's clinical trials with the device are ongoing, and Smart Monitor will submit it for FDA approval as a tonic clonic seizure sensor later this year.

Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wahoo Fitness BlueSC cycling sensor preview

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/wahoo-fitness-bluesc-cycling-sensor-preview/

It wasn't all that long ago that Wahoo Fitness unveiled it's iPhone 4S friendly BlueHR heart monitor to let you track your workouts. Well, it turns out that Wahoo's been working on something new, and at a Bluetooth 4.0 event today in SF, we got a sneak peek at the company's next device, the BlueSC. It's a gadget aimed at would-be Alberto Contadors that wirelessly tracks the speed and pedaling cadence of cyclists via Wahoo's existing app. It's a three piece affair with a main hub that straps to your bike frame, one magnet that goes on your wheel, and a second that's placed on the pedal crank. The hub gets rotational info from each magnet as it swings past and then shoots your stats to your phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to track your performance as you chug up the Alpe d'Huez. (OK, maybe just around the neighborhood.) What you see above is a working prototype device, but Wahoo's being coy about further hardware details, pricing and availability -- though we can say that it's quite lightweight and can't weigh more than few grams. In the meantime, you can get a better look at your next training tool in the gallery below.

Wahoo Fitness BlueSC cycling sensor preview originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/idrive-connect/

Need a way to access those Google Docs outside of the native interface? IDrive Online Backup has unveiled its free software that does just that. IDrive Connect allows folks who fancy the document-sharing platform to access files as if they were resting in a folder on their PC -- in a DropBox-esque fashion. The application enables drag-and-drop capabilities for easy upload, conversion for popular document types to the Google Docs format and file sharing directly within the Connect interface. If that wasn't enough, you can also save those Google Docs to an existing IDrive account, which offers up to 5GB of backup / storage (not just documents, either) at no cost. If you're looking for all the details, hit the PR below or take a gander and the source links to download the app and get started.

Continue reading IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine

IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix GF5 looks identical to its predecessor, offers similar specs for $100 more (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/panasonic-lumix-gf5-hands-on/

It's been a bumpy ride for Panasonic's GF line of Micro Four Thirds cameras. The GF1, an excellent mirrorless camera for its time, was soon replaced with a less-capable entry level model, the GF2. Then another, the GF3. And now, it's time to say hello (again) to the GF5. For better or worse, the GF3 won't be going away -- it'll sit tight at its new $500 price point (with a 14-42mm kit lens), ready to confuse consumers looking to purchase its nearly identical, yet $100 pricier, pseudo-replacement. Both cameras come equipped with 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensors, though the newer model adds a "High Picture Quality" distinction -- it's been dubbed a 12.1-megapixel "High Picture Quality" Live MOS sensor. So, naturally, we're going to expect some pretty incredible images. Panasonic has also added an ISO 12,800 "extended" mode (the GF3 topped out at a native ISO 6400). There has been a jump in the video department, with 1080/30p MP4 recording joining the 720p mix. Burst mode capabilities have seen an increase as well, from 3.8 frames-per-second to... 4. Finally, it's slightly larger, due to a more substantial (and more comfortable) grip, though battery life has dropped from 340 shots to 320, likely due to a new processing technique aimed at further reducing noise in low-light captures.

The GF3 and GF5 look so similar that we mistakenly photographed the former for a min! ute or t wo, only realizing the error when we flipped on the LCD. The 5 has a much-improved touchscreen, with a 920k-dot resolution (460k dots on the GF3). It looks gorgeous by comparison, but amateurs making the switch from a point-and-shoot may not take notice. The features they'll appreciate most relate entirely to the GUI, and include a highlight window for selection options, 14 filters with a realtime preview option, a background image that appears on the main menu and a filter recommendation while in Intelligent Auto. This feature works by suggesting that you apply the Expressive or Toy Effect if you're taking a macro shot, for example. Other additions include a stereo microphone for video capture, though the left and right mics are positioned oddly near each other -- on either side of the word "MIC" on the top of the camera, with the right mic angled towards the left -- so we can't image that you'll be getting a true stereo effect. Like its predecessor, the GF5 is clearly designed with beginners in mind -- more advanced photogs should consider the GX1 -- but with a $599 sticker price (with 14-42mm lens), it's sure to be a hit.

Gallery: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 hands-on

Continue reading Panasonic Lumix GF5 looks identical to its predecessor, offers similar specs for $100 more (hands-on)

Panasonic Lumix GF5 looks identical to its predecessor, offers similar specs for $100 more (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/samsung-ultra-high-speed-microsd/

While so far the Ultra High Speed Class 1 memory card designation has been reserved for SDXC and SDHC cards, Samsung just announced new microSD cards that support the faster interface as well. Currently being produced in 16GB sizes, they have maximum sequential read speeds of up to 80 MB/s, four times that of the high speed cards it introduced last year. There's no word on the write speeds but Samsung is already busy calling its next shot, planning to offer cards with even more storage in the future. Of course, you'll need compatible devices to make these new cards worth it, we wonder what kind of Advanced LTE smartphones with 3D gaming and HD video capabilities might be in store from Samsung soon...

Continue reading Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets

Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's ST200F goes on sale in Korea, wants you to know it exists

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/samsungs-st200f-wifi-goes-on-sale-in-korea/

Having trouble remembering Samsung's ST200F? You're forgiven as it was announced during the feed-busting monster that is CES, and alongside three other (arguably more interesting) Sammy WiFi-enabled shooters. No matter, as today the company's jogged our memory by letting us know the 16 megapixel shooter will soon soon grace Korean shelves for ₩249,000 (or around $200). Those buying will also be granted to a 10x optical zoom, 802.11 antennae and 720p video recording. And best of all, a quick perusal of online retailers reveal it's already up for preorder and will likely ship stateside in mid-April. Considerably later than the previously promised "February" ship date, but beggars can't be choosers. Right?

Samsung's ST200F goes on sale in Korea, wants you to know it exists originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, 'rich' stereo sound

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/plantronics-backbeat-go/

Plantronics has made a name for itself in the wireless headset space, but there's plenty of room to grow when it comes to premium stereo offerings. BackBeat Go is the company's smallest and lightest wireless earbud set to date, tipping the scale at 13 grams, or "about the weight of three nickels." The cordless rig includes a pair of earbuds linked with a flat tangle-free cord, with inline controls to adjust volume and an integrated mic for calls. The Bluetooth-enabled Go can sync up with one device at a time, so you'll need to repeat the pairing process if switching between phones or to a tablet -- and you should be able to snag 4.5 hours of listening and talk time or 10 hours of standby with a single charge. Digital noise reduction and echo canceling play into the call experience, while the "deep, rich, stereo sound" means the earbuds are equally suited for leisure. Sound good to you? You can snag your own set for a cool $100 by clicking through to the source link below.

Continue reading Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, 'rich' stereo sound

Plantronics BackBeat Go headset sports tangle-free cord, 'rich' stereo sound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT forces you to pay attention during a video conference (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/ntt-video-conferencing-technology/

Video conferencing solved the "you talkin' to me?" problem ages ago, when business execs first started using sophisticated telepresence suites to share moisturizing tips. The thing is, catching a person's eye somehow has greater instinctive impact when you actually see them turn around to face you. That's exactly the sensation that NTT engineers have tried to replicate with the MM-Space conferencing system. It's demoed after the break by a pleasant-looking (Oil of Olay?) Japanese woman -- and even though you can't hear a word she says, the rotating, nodding translucent screen definitely lends her some extra gravitas.

Continue reading NTT forces you to pay attention during a video conference (video)

NTT forces you to pay attention during a video conference (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Upstart SugarCRM Raises Another $33 Million To Take On Salesforce And Microsoft (CRM, MSFT, ORCL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sugarcrm-upstart-raises-another-33-million-to-take-on-salesforce-and-microsoft-2012-4

SugarCRM is up against a couple of noisy competitors -- Salesforce and Microsoft love to talk about their products and spend oodles on marketing every year.

But the seven-year-old company has carved out a nice niche for itself: it's been cash flow positive since 2010, and has more than one million end users, making it the third-largest CRM vendor. Billings were up 67% last year, and almost doubled in the fourth quarter.

Now, it's about to get bigger with a $33 million funding round led by NEA.

So how do they do it?

Focus. All they do is CRM. They're happy to let partners fill in all the other pieces that a business needs.

As CEO Larry Augustin told us, "We're not going to do like Salesforce has done. We're not pushing Heroku, Force.com, Rypple, Site.com or any of those things."

As far as Microsoft goes, "They have a solution that's an add-on to SharePoint, Exchange, and Office. If your goal is to live in Microsoft's world, that's naturally where you're going to go. Today, a lot of companies have a more heterogeneous environment. A lot of people have Google Docs, or mobile solutions that are not just Windows solutions. That's where we shine."

Another big difference: while Salesforce and Microsoft want customers to run in their clouds, SugarCRM wants customers choose their own cloud computing provider. The app can run on Amazon Web Services, IBM SmartCloud, Rackspace, a company's private data center or -- ironically -- even Microsoft's Windows Azure platform.

"We do host, we have a multitenant data center. But our emphasis is moving product out to other cloud services. If I never bought another server I'd be very happy."

Augustin also told us that the CRM market is far from full. Most of the company's customers so far have been smaller businesses, and about 60% of them are moving from makeshift solutions for tracking customer relationships, like storing data in Excel or Google Docs.

But SugarCRM is moving upmarket, and sought this funding round to make sure it had the cash to cover the longer sales cycles that enterprises require. It's also planning on making some "small tuck-in acquisitions" that help its core product.

The round was led by NEA, and NEA partner Brooke Seawell will join the board. The round also included new investments from Silicon Valley Bank and Gold Hill Capital.

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See Also:

• Larry Ellison Says SAP 'Must Be On Drugs' To Think It Will Hurt Oracle
• Cisco Takes A Jab At Microsoft With New Skype Alternatives
• Startup Opscode Just Put $19.5 Million In The Bank And Microsoft's Ex-CFO On Its Board

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Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera now shipping for $149

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/dropcam-hd-wifi-security-camera-now-shipping-pricing-details/

We've had the opportunity to spend time with an early version of the Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera prior to its CES unveiling, and now the company is finally ready to get the product out to the masses. Starting today, the bantam security camera is shipping from the outfit's site for $149, with that tally netting you a USB-powered camera with automatic night vision, HD-quality video, two-way audio support, optional DVR-style recording ($9.95+ per month) and always-on access. As stated in our review, users can access a live stream of what it's watching (or they're watching, if using multiple cams) from any web browser, iPhone or Android-based device, and privacy advocates should know that all streams are "encrypted with bank-level security, and streamed through the cloud, not your computer, so it's safe in case of any computer trouble or theft." Head on past the break for the full spiel, or hit the source link to get your order in.

Continue reading Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera now shipping for $149

Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera now shipping for $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel: Your Next Laptop Will Be a Touchscreen Clamshell [Computers]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5898609/intel-your-next-laptop-will-be-a-touchscreen-clamshell

Things are certainly changing in personal computing: laptops are getting smaller and slimmer; tablets are becoming more useful productivity tools; and the whole sector can't quite reach a consensus over what the future holds. But then, Intel drops into conversation that it firmly believes in the one technology most people have dismissed: Clamshell touchscreens.

Speaking to PCWorld, Intel product manager Anand Kajshmanan explained that Intel "fundamentally believe in the concept of touch, and touch on a clamshell," adding that the firm is "strongly encouraging our partners" to add touchscreens to their ultrabooks.

Well, well. We've seen a clamshell tablet from Sony, and it was awful. What's to make a touchscreen laptop better? Not a lot. Steve Jobs famously dismissed the idea—after Apple had conducted tests of the concept—over the fact that vertical touch surfaces lead to fatigue. Without some startling innovation—which is of course possible, and I'd love to be proved long—that isn't set to change.

Elsewhere in the interview, Kajshmanan made an interesting comment over Windows versus OS X, too. Windows, he explained, is itself a prime differentiator when it comes to buying a laptop, calling it "the operating system users have come to love." He has a point. I'm saying he's right, but he has a point. [The Verge]

Image by Travis Isaacs under Creative Commons license

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Canon EOS 60Da: the DSLR for that astrophotographer in your life

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/canon-eos-60da-dslr-astronomy-night-shooting-price-release-date/

What if all the answers to the universe resided in the stars? What if your real home was in space? What if you had a camera engineered specifically to capture the beauty of the night sky? You do. Canon has just outed the proper successor to the EOS 20Da, with the 60Da "catering to astronomers and hobbyists" who'd rather spend their clicks on galaxies than flowers and Earthlings. According to Canon, there's a "modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened hydrogen-alpha sensitivity" -- something that presumably means the world to astronomers. In more understandable terms, it's packing an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a 3-inch Clear View LCD (you know, the flip-out kind), a nine-point autofocus system and TV-out support. The Silent Shooting feature that we already praised on the EOS 5D Mark III is here as well, as is a native ISO ceiling of 6,400 and an expandable range that reaches 12,800. Canon also throws in its RA-E3 remote controller adapter -- a vital accessory for those looking to shoot timed exposures greater than 30 seconds -- as well as an AC adapter kit for those all-night sessions. It'll hit select dealers later this month for $1,499, and no, this is not a joke.

Gallery: Canon EOS 60Da DSLR press photos

Continue reading Canon EOS 60Da: the DSLR for that astrophotographer in your life

Canon EOS 60Da: the DSLR for that astrophotographer in your life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony PMW-100 camcorder brings 50Mbps bitrate in an itty-bitty package

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/sony-pmw-100-camcorder/

When is full 1920 x 1080 footage not really HD? When a broadcaster rejects it for not meeting its 50Mbps bitrate criteria. There's only a few handheld cameras that can capture video with such gentle compression, and a lot of those require a third-party add-on recorder to achieve it -- but not Sony's new XDCAM shooter, the PMW-100. It has a 1/2.9-inch Exmor sensor sitting behind a 40-400mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens and outputs 1080p, 1080i, and 720p at up to 50Mbps using MPEG HD422 compression. SxS cards are the primary media, but there's HD/SD-SDI output too should you still need it. Sound recording is equally data-heavy, letting you hear interviewees dodge questions in four channels of glorious 24-bit uncompressed 48kHz audio -- unless of course your diminutive kit fools them into thinking you're harmless. The PMW-100 should start shipping in May for an as yet undisclosed price, but in the meantime you'll find more specs in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony PMW-100 camcorder brings 50Mbps bitrate in an itty-bitty package

Sony PMW-100 camcorder brings 50Mbps bitrate in an itty-bitty package originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM seeks better security for connected devices, teams up Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/03/arm-seeks-better-security-for-connected-devices-teams-up-gemalt/

ARM is famous for its low-power chip designs, Gemalto is known for its NFC security features, and Giesecke & Devrient brings some nice nano-SIM notoriety to the table. As a trio, these companies are seeking regulatory approval for a new security standard that could be used on a wide range of web-connected devices, including tablets, smart TVs, game consoles and smartphones. There's little detail on the new technology itself, other than that it's based on ARM's TrustZone hardware-based security, which has been around for a while and is built into every ARM Cortex-A series processor. In any case, creating the technology is the easy bit these days -- it's the approval and licensing issues that'll get you unstuck.

Continue reading ARM seeks better security for connected devices, teams up Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient

ARM seeks better security for connected devices, teams up Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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