Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Mozilla reveals an adaptive Android home screen built around Firefox

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/06/firefox-launcher-for-android/

We hope you haven't had your fill of adaptive Android home screens, because Mozilla is throwing its hat into the increasingly crowded ring. The company has just offered a sneak peek at Firefox Launcher for Android, a front end that revolves around its mobile browser. The upcoming software mates Firefox with EverythingMe's context-sensitive app search, personalizing both your web surfing and your software in one shot. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to know exactly how this combination works; Mozilla doesn't plan to reveal more details about Firefox Launcher until it's ready to start beta testing at an unspecified point in the future.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Source: Mozilla

drag2share: Your car's computer system can be hacked with off-the-shelf parts

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/06/your-car-s-computer-system-can-be-compromised-with-off-the-shelf/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

You probably don't spend much time thinking about the computer in your car, but a pair of Spanish security researchers sure do. In preparation for next month's Black Hat Asia security conference in Singapore, Javier Vazquez-Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera have assembled a small electronic device that can leave a vehicle's computer system open to attack. "It can take five minutes or less to hook up and then walk away," Vidal says. It can also be built from off-the-shelf components for less than $20.

What the gizmo can actually do depends on the car. The team says that they've wired the CAN Hacking Tool (named for the Controller Area Network bus it exploits) into four vehicles, and have used it to wirelessly manipulate lights, set off alarms, control power windows and even activate the vehicle's brakes. By the time the conference starts, they hope to outfit the prototype with a GSM radio, making it possible to control vehicle's systems from virtually anywhere. Still, Vidal says they don't want to aid any nefarious activities, so the hacking tool's source code is going to re! main private for now -- but they do hope their demonstration at Black Hat Asia will get the attention of automakers. "A car is a mini network," Illera said. "And right now there's no security

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drag2share: HTC Jumps Aboard The Wearable Tech Train

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/cvopaXT9Jqo/htc-jumps-aboard-the-wearable-tech-train-2014-2

HTC watch concept drawing

Not to be outdone by literally everyone around it, HTC told Bloomberg today that it, too, will jump aboard the wearable tech train with a release of a wearable device later this year.

HTC Chairman Cher Wang told Bloomberg that the company has been looking at wearables for many years, but only now is it almost ready to ship. She confirmed that it will be ready to go by the Christmas shopping season:

Many years ago we started looking at smartwatches and wearables, but we believe that we really have to solve the battery problems and the LCD light problems. These are customer-centric problems.

Poor battery life is a problem plaguing the other wearable devices that are out there, like the Samsung Galaxy Gear. If HTC can figure out how to improve battery life, while offering a slick design like its HTC One, then it could have a chance at cracking the nut that is wearable devices.

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Wednesday, February 05, 2014

drag2share: This Vending Machine Dishes Out Fresh Fruits And Veggies Instead Of Junk Food

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/6gAGZWs6jRE/farmers-fridge-vending-machine-2014-2

farmers fridge vending machine A trip to the vending machine will usually yield some pretty unhealthy and unsatisfying snacks.

A Chicago-based entrepreneur is looking to change that with a healthy twist on the vending machine, an experiment he calls the Farmer's Fridge.

Luke Saunders opened his first kiosk back in October at Chicago's Garvey Food Court, an eating center that's already host to McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, among other fast-food options.

At the Farmer's Fridge, on the other hand, you can use a touchscreen to order from a menu packed with super-nutritious items, like a fresh kale salad with quinoa, fennel, pineapple, and blueberries, or a Napa salad with avocado, grapes, and pistachios. They even sell sliced veggies with hummus and Greek yogurt mixed with berries.

farmer's fridge vending machine "I want to make it fast and easy for someone to choose a delicious, nutritious smart meal when they are on-the-go," Saunders said in a press release. "What we’re doing is taking the vending machine concept and revolutionizing it."

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âWhy a Single-Molecule LED Could Be a Big Deal

Source: http://gizmodo.com/why-a-single-molecule-led-could-be-a-big-deal-1516488795

Why a Single-Molecule LED Could Be a Big Deal

Technologically speaking, smaller is virtually always better. So it's perhaps no surprise that scientists have developed the first ever single-molecule LED. But why is it potentially such a big deal?

Panasonic reverses its fortunes amid electric vehicle boom

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/05/panasonic-reverses-its-fortunes-amid-electric-vehicle-boom/

Not every struggling company story has to have a depressing ending. Though its troubles are far from over yet, Panasonic has just announced 73.7 billion yen ($730 million) in net earnings for Q3. That's up 20 percent over last year, a disastrous period that saw nearly $10 billion in full-year losses and painful company-wide layoffs. While those cuts are finally helping the bottom line, Panasonic also said it's no longer relying on its consumer electronics division for profits. Instead, it saw the most growth in the automotive sector, highlighted by booming battery sales to EV makers like Toyota and Tesla -- a key part of new president Kazuhiro Tsuga's strategy. Unfortunately, another part of the plan is to keep eliminating unprofitable divisions until March 2016. That means the recent death of its much-loved plasma TV unit isn't the end of the slashing.

Filed under: Transportation

drag2share: More Than One Billion Smartphones Will Ship This Year, Here's All The Data On The Maturing Smartphone Market

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/VtG-jkHaoOg/innovation-in-the-smartphone-market-2-2014-2

Global Average Selling Price

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Article: Newegg Launches $50 Amazon Prime Competitor

Meet Premier, Newegg’s $49 answer to Amazon Prime. With free three-day shipping, discounted expedited shipping, and free returns, it’s a legitimate competitor to Amazon’s proven customer loyalty program. Premier of course lacks the video streaming library found on Prime. Newegg is the second larg...

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/05/newegg-launches-premier-50-amazon-prime-competitor/

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Article: The 'Sea View' Windows On This Cruise Ship Are Actually TV Screens

If you're going to go on a cruise, you'll likely be tempted to opt for a sea-view cabin. Unfortunately modern ships are so huge that not every room can have access to a window. Now Royal Caribbean has a solution - a terrifying, horrible solution. The cruise-line has just unveiled a new "virtual b...

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/05/sea-view-cruise-ship-tv-screens_n_4728479.html?ir=Technology&utm_hp_ref=technology

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Article: Browsing on your Android phone just got safer, thanks to the EFF

In the wake of Edward Snowden's NSA revelations, finding ways to browse the internet more securely has become of paramount importance. In its mission to help netizens feel that little bit safer, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has long offered its HTTPS Everywhere add-on for desktop brow...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/05/firefox-for-android-https-everywhere/

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Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Inside the Fakes Factory: My Chat With a Viral Image Creator

Source: http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/inside-the-fakes-factory-my-chat-with-a-viral-image-cr-1505790523/@barrett

Inside the Fakes Factory: My Chat With a Viral Image Creator

It's an astounding sight: Buddha carved into a tall rock formation at the Ngyen Khag Taktsang Monastery in China. People talked breathlessly about how they visited the place, saw it with their own eyes. Except that they didn't. Because it's a fake. And this is the guy who faked it.

This Simple Invention Seals Gunshot Wounds in 15 Seconds Flat

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-simple-invention-seals-gunshot-wounds-in-15-second-1515835861

This Simple Invention Seals Gunshot Wounds in 15 Seconds Flat

To stop bleeding, apply pressure—with tiny sponges. A group of veterans, scientists, and engineers in Oregon have a developed a device that uses small medical sponges to stop bleeding from gunshot wounds in just 15 seconds.

drag2share: This liquid can make any glove touchscreen-friendly

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/04/nanotips/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

It hasn't been all that easy to make your own touchscreen-friendly gloves short of grabbing a needle and some conductive thread. With Tony Yu's upcoming Nanotips, however, it could be as simple as applying touch-up paint. The conductive liquid gives any pair of gloves (and many other surfaces) the same capacitive effect as your own fingers, letting you use your phone no matter what style of handwear you prefer -- you can check email while you're still dressed for a motorcycle ride. If you're intrigued by the idea, you can pledge $22 Canadian ($20 US) to get a bottle of Nanotips Black, which is intended for rubber and other thicker materials. Outside of early bird specials, it costs $30 CAD ($27 US) to get the fabric-oriented Nanotips Blue. Both formulas should reach backers between February and March.

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drag2share: Iridium's satellite hotspot will get you online nearly anywhere on Earth

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/04/iridium-go/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Globalstar's Sat-Fi won't be the only game in town for satellite hotspots. Iridium has unveiled the Iridium Go, a hotspot that lets up to five WiFi-equipped devices hop on the internet, send texts and make phone calls from just about anywhere on the planet. It's built for outdoor adventurers with both a rugged design and an SOS mode that gets in touch with emergency services. However, software may be the Go's real ace in the hole; while it will ship with official Android and iOS apps, there's already a developer kit that lets third-party software take advantage of the satellite link on any platform. Iridium plans to ship the hotspot in the first half of the year. The firm isn't discussing exact pricing at this point, but it promises that Go will represent its "lowest cost" offering to date at below $800 -- for some people, it will be cheap enough to come along on that big summer hiking trip.

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

drag2share: Apple and carriers will donate free devices and broadband to US schools

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/04/apple-and-carriers-support-connected-schools/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

The White House won't be going it alone as it brings US classrooms into the internet era through its ConnectED initiative -- it just revealed that a host of technology firms will also lend a hand. Apple plans to donate $100 million in iPads, MacBooks and software to underprivileged schools, while Autodesk and O'Reilly Media will give away free software and content. Microsoft, in turn, will heavily discount Windows to lower educational PC prices. Carriers are getting in on the action, too. AT&T and Sprint have both pledged to offer free wireless broadband to schools for multiple years; Verizon ! isn't giving away service, but it will donate up to $100 million in cash and other commitments. The combined efforts aren't going to fix the American education system by themselves, but they could create a level playing field for schools across the country.

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