Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, March 15, 2010

Netflix's Million Dollar Contest Shut Down Amidst Privacy Concerns [NetFlix]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5492675/netflixs-million-dollar-contest-shut-down-amidst-privacy-concerns

Netflix's Million Dollar Contest Shut Down Amidst Privacy Concerns Yesterday, Netflix announced that they're pulling the plug on the sequel to their supercool Netflix Prize in which teams competed to improve the company's recommendation algorithm for a million dollar reward. Privacy: can't live with it, can't live without it.

In December, a woman filed a lawsuit against Netflix in which she claimed that their identity (as well as her movie-watching history) could be divined from the huge, anonymous data set Netflix provided to contest participants.

That suit brought Netflix's contest to the attention of the FTC, who raised more questions about all this privacy business, and yesterday Neil Hunt, Netflix's Chief Product Officer, said they were cancelling the contest for good.

This is a bummer! I guess if I thought my movie rentals reflected some part of my personality that I wanted to keep hidden—like if I just happened to be exclusively renting movies that featured very attractive animated female characters, like Space Jam or Who Framed Roger Rabbit—I wouldn't want people digging around in my Netflix history either. But the Netflix Prize was a cool intersection of geekery and business, and I'm sad to see it go. [New York Times]

Image credit gitsul

Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/13/dead-ipad-battery-never-mind-replacing-it-apple-just-sends-ano/

Whoa, Nelly! Isn't this something? Apple has just posted details on its iPad battery replacement service, which is really not a battery replacement service at all. Check out the company's opening line:

"If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee."

Now, let's compare that to the verbiage found in the iPhone's battery replacement program details:

"If your iPhone requires service only because the battery's ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will service your iPhone for a service fee."

We can see the puzzled look on your face from here, and we're sharing in the same disbelief. Apple is actually saying that it won't bother cracking open your withered iPad, replacing the battery and sending it back your way; instead, you'll pay $105.95 (including shipping) for a completely different iPad, which certainly has its pros and cons. On one hand, you're getting a new (or potentially refurbished, actually) iPad in around "one week," but on the other, you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in -- unless you backup beforehand, of course. Here's Apple's take on answering "will the data on my iPad be preserved?"

"No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad."

Lovely, don'tcha think? Head on past the break for the full text.

[Thanks, David]

Continue reading Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99

Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another optical wireless experiment shows us that LEDs will beam your future downloads

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/13/another-optical-wireless-experiment-shows-us-that-leds-will-beam/

Another optical wireless experiment shows us that LEDs will beam your future downloads

Beaming data with light is hardly a new thing, but lately we've seen a number of attempts at making it rather more usable and, more interesting, rather more speedy. We're starting to get the feeling that those maybe/maybe not dangerous microwave-based systems have had their days numbered. The latest to beam bits with blinkenlights is a team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications in Germany, which will be showing its stuff at the always happenin' Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition in two weeks. The team was able to use a commercial LED and get an impressive 230Mb/s transfer rate, which doesn't compare to the gigabit Penn State managed or 500mb/s Siemens pulled off, but those were done using rather more specialized hardware (like the Siemens rig pictured above). It's interesting stuff, and we're looking forward to see the commercial applications for this tech, but we do have one nagging question: what if you want to surf in the dark?

Another optical wireless experiment shows us that LEDs will beam your future downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell introduces $339 G2410H 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/13/dell-introduces-339-g2410h-24-inch-1080p-lcd-monitor-we-go-han/

Just over a year ago, Dell pushed out its latest and greatest 24-incher, the energy-sipping G2410. Today, the Round Rock powerhouse has introduced that very unit's successor (complete with a height adjustable stand), the G2410H. Still sized at 24-inches, this 1080p LCD monitor sports a variety of eco-modes, 5 millisecond response time, 160-degree (horizontal) / 170-degree (vertical) viewing angles, a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, ambient light sensor, 250 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and DVI / VGA inputs. We've had one in-house for around a week now, and for $339, it's not a bad replacement to that 21-inch CRT that's still weighing heavily on your desk. It's not as sharp and brilliant as the (admittedly more expensive) UltraSharp U2711, but it was certainly clear enough for the average home user. It's shipping now if you just can't resist.

Gallery: Dell G2410H 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor

Dell introduces $339 G2410H 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stanford develops safer lithium-sulfur batteries with four times the charge of lithium-ion cells

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/14/stanford-develops-safer-lithium-sulfur-batteries-with-four-times/

Longer battery life is high atop our list of gadget prayers, and the brainiacs at Stanford are one step closer to making our dreams come true with a new lithium-sulfur technology. Half of this trick lies in the silicon nanowire anode that the same team developed back in 2007, whereas the new cathode consists of a similarly commodious lithium sulfide nanostructure. Compared to present lithium-ion batteries, Stanford's design is "significantly safer" and currently achieves 80 percent more capacity, but it's nowhere near commercial launch with just 40 to 50 charge cycles (Li-ion does "300 to 500") due to the compound's rapid degradation. That said, we're promised a theoretical quadruple boost in capacity as the technology matures, so until then we'll keep that hamster running in our backpack.

Stanford develops safer lithium-sulfur batteries with four times the charge of lithium-ion cells originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo unleashes three new monitors, one boasting multitouch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/14/lenovo-unleashes-three-new-monitors-one-boasting-multitouch/

Lenovo's quietly unleashed three new 1080p resolution-boasting monitors. Up first, the 21.5-inch L2261 Wide LCD, a pretty basic affair with VGA and DVI inputs. The L2361p Wide is 23-inches, with a more stylized look than the L2261, with integrated speakers and microphone, a webcam, and three USB 2.0 ports. Finally, the real star of the show, the L2461X Wide is a 23.6-inch, multitouch display. It also has integrated speakers and microphone, a 2 megapixel webcam. There is no official pricing or availability information for any of these bad boys yet, but there are two more images after the break.

Continue reading Lenovo unleashes three new monitors, one boasting multitouch

Lenovo unleashes three new monitors, one boasting multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wind U100 magically modded into tablet-thing, iPad UI along for the ride

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/14/wind-u100-magically-modded-into-tablet-thing-ipad-ui-along-for/

Are you desperate for an iPad-like device, short on cash, and long on the desire to completely jack up your netbook? Well you're in luck, friend, as the proprietor of MSI Wind fansite Insanely Wind has crafted a device which may satiate your tablety desires. By taking a U100, removing the keyboard, relocating a touchscreen display to the bottom half of the unit, and doing some simple rewiring, user alexbates has fashioned a tablet which he says bests a device like the iPad or JooJoo with "10 times the storage, twice the speed, external video (VGA), webcam, USB ports, and built-in multi card reader." Of course, as you can tell by the photos, this mod has a ways to go before it's got the fit and finish of the aforementioned devices, and you'll have rev up a compatible, hackintosh build of OS X to make it appropriately Apple-ish -- but it can clearly be done. While this isn't the first time we've seen this type of modification, it's nice to see the love spreading to various devices (and done in a fashion that doesn't seem overly complicated). From the sounds of things, this project hasn't hit its zenith yet, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for a more complete variation of the Windlet (our name). For now, hit the read link and keep up with the unfolding saga.

[Thanks, MistaBishi]

Wind U100 magically modded into tablet-thing, iPad UI along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanvon's multitouch tablet previewed, surfaces in China March 25th with 1080p playback

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/hanvons-multitouch-tablet-previewed-surfaces-in-china-march-25/

Though cheap Android craptablets were a commodity item at CeBIT 2010, that doesn't mean we didn't find the occasional diamond in the rough. Specifically, the Hanvon Touchpad BC10C, a sleek, multitouch Windows 7 device with specs firmly entrenched in high-end netbook territory. Thanks to our friend jkkmobile, we now know exactly what's powering this thing -- a comparatively juice-gulping 1.3GHz Celeron M ULV 743 CPU and GMA4500 graphics -- and that when it comes to the US and Europe, it'll cost a little more than we thought, hovering around $877. Mind you, that price bump might be worth it when you consider just how smoothly the 10-inch tablet performs (peep 1080p video and Microsoft Surface Globe demos after the break) but also know your YouTube surfing sessions will be limited by a simply sad 3.5 hours of battery life. For when "mobile" isn't an important word in your vocabulary... the BC10C launches in China March 25th.

Continue reading Hanvon's multitouch tablet previewed, surfaces in China March 25th with 1080p playback

Hanvon's multitouch tablet previewed, surfaces in China March 25th with 1080p playback originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Vaio M and its Atom N450 heart get unboxed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/sony-vaio-m-and-its-atom-n450-heart-get-unboxed/

Sony's successor to the Vaio W netbook made its debut a little prematurely earlier this month, which has now been followed by its first unboxing and preview. Encased in an appealing matte black plastic, the Vaio M is set for an April launch in the UK at the very reasonable £300 ($456) price point. Unfortunately, the drop in price also means a lower-res 1024 x 600 display, while the W's chiclet keyboard has also been replaced with a more conventional typing surface. With 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB storage drive, Sony seems to be giving us the bare minimum here, but that's alright with us -- let's just make sure this thing actually has a battery that lasts, shall we Sony? The original article doesn't seem to be up anymore, but give the Google Cached source a click for some more pictures.

Sony Vaio M and its Atom N450 heart get unboxed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Non-Enclosed 3D Printer Can Build Houses [3D Printing]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5492014/non+enclosed-3d-printer-can-build-houses

Non-Enclosed 3D Printer Can Build Houses Normally they're contained in a box, so the fact that this 3D printer isn't confined means it's theoretically capable of building much larger objects that most. In fact, the owner wants to build a cathedral with it.

It lives in Pisa, Italy, and uses CAD software to create objects designed using the program. Blueprint Magazine describes how it works:

Driven by CAD software installed on a dust-covered computer terminal, the armature moves just millimetres above a pile of sand, expressing a magnesium-based solution from hundreds of nozzles on its lower side. It makes four passes. The layer dries and Enrico Dini recalibrates the armature frame. The system deposits the sand and then inorganic binding ink. The exercise is repeated. The millennia-long process of laying down sedimentary rock is accelerated into a day. A building emerges.

3D printers are still very expensive though, so before you start planning on adding a new extension or granny flat to your house you should definitely weigh up the costs. Having said that, 2010 is apparently going to see the cost lower drastically from the $15,000 or so that they normally cost, with the MakerBot being the cheapest we've seen so far, at $750. [Blueprint Magazine via MAKE]

Non-Enclosed 3D Printer Can Build Houses

Did You Know That Octopus Love High Definition Crabs? [Machine Vs Nature]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5492349/did-you-know-that-octopus-love-high-definition-crabs

New research shows that the advantages of HDTV aren't lost on octopuses. A recent study on octopus behavior made the upgrade from CRT sets to HDTVs for the playback of octopus-related videos, like one of a tasty crab.

Whereas the octopuses had previously ignored the videos—researchers surmise that on the CRT sets the images were "incomplete and probably incoherent" when viewed by the octopuses—the HD crabs had the octopuses reacting like they were the real thing. Scientists had tried unsuccessfully for ten years to get octopuses to react to video, until the leap to HD got the creatures interested. Wait until they see Crabs in 3D. [New Scientist]

By Your Accelerometers Combined, I Am Quake Catcher! [Earthquakes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5492384/by-your-accelerometers-combined-i-am-quake-catcher

What if computers could be turned into a worldwide earthquake detecting network? With the Quake Catcher software and your laptop's built-in accelerometer, that might just be possible.

Elizabeth Cochran, an earth scientist at UC Riverside, has already managed to get about 1,000 people to install Quake Catcher and has been tracking the date submitted by the software—including disruptions from the recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile.

The system isn't perfect as it's limited by the sensitivity of accelerometers built into computers or ones connected by USB, but at least it does have a mechanism in place to ignore vibrations that are limited to a single machine. This means that accidentally letting your laptop fall off the desk won't make anyone assume there's an earthquake. Now if you coordinated such a drop with a bunch of people in your geographic area on the other hand, we might manage to upset Ms. Cochran a bit. [LA Times via Pop Sci]

Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/nokia-c6-is-actually-a-5230-ish-landscape-slider/

We hate to turn your entire world -- nay, your very belief system -- on its end, but it's at least conceivable here that the so-called Nokia Mystic with the portrait QWERTY keyboard may not be the upcoming C6 after all. Instead, Tom's Guide is submitting this bright white exhibit as the device lucky enough to wear the C6 name, a phone that looks a whole hell of a lot like a 5230 with a QWERTY slider tacked on for good measure. That would make sense considering Nokia's goal of turning the freshly-introduced Cseries into a midrange, consumer-friendly brand; this phone could easily slot in below the N97 Mini, for example, particularly in light of rumors that the phone will lack the N97's beefy internal storage. Word is the C6 is pegged for a European release by Summer, so start cleaning off those 5800s and 5230s for eBay right now, why don't you?

Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/okoro-media-systems-upgrades-htpc-range-with-core-i3-i5-cpus/

You picked up an Okoro media PC last month, didn't you? If you're nodding up and down in a worried fashion, you're probably better off ignoring everything else we'll say in this post. For the rest of you HTPC hounds, the boutique outfit has something that's very likely to pique your interest (and kick that upgrade itch into high gear). Announced today, the company is adding Core i3 and Core i5 processors to its 2010 media center PC lineup, and as if the extra horsepower weren't enough, users will also find native bitstreaming of TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio on every system save for the Q100. You'll also get a 64-bit copy of Windows 7, up to 8TB of internal storage space, optional Blu-ray playback, quad CableCARD support and the new holy grail of transfers, USB 3.0. You can hit up the outfit's webstore now to configure your dream machine, and if you so desire, you can check out its dedicated trade-up program that'll last through May 31st.

Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/13/scientists-discover-method-for-rapid-charging-li-ion-batteries/

Huzzah! Yet another discovery for us to add to our ever-expanding list of "awesome things that'll never actually happen!" Ibrahim Abou Hamad and colleagues from Mississippi State University have reportedly devised a method of charging batteries that could hasten the process rather significantly, and better still, it could provide "an increase in battery power densities" as well. The only problem? Lithium-ion batteries have been disappointing tech users for years, and so long as Energizer and Duracell are calling the shots, we kind of doubt a lot will be done to improve the longevity of 'em. Skepticism aside, the new method involves some fancy black magic surrounding molecular dynamics simulations, and researchers have found a way to boost charging time by "simulating the intercalation of lithium ions into the battery's graphite anode." We know we just went way over your heads on a Friday afternoon, but if techobabble's your thing, all you can handle is right there in the Source link.

Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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