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

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

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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/

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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