Monday, December 06, 2010

FTC says it's talking to Adobe about the problem with 'Flash cookies'

FTC says it's talking to Adobe about the problem with 'Flash cookies'

We've already heard that the Federal Trade Commission is pushing for a "do not track" button of sorts to stop cookies from watching your every move, but it looks like it isn't stopping at the usual, non-edible definiton of a "cookie." Speaking at a press conference on Friday, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz also dropped the rather interesting tidbit that it's been talking with Adobe about what it describes as "the Flash problem." As Paid Content reports, newly-appointed FTC Chief Technologist Ed Felten later clarified that the problem in question is actually so-called "Flash cookies," or what Adobe describes as "local shared objects." As Felten explained, those can also be used for tracking purposes, but they usually aren't affected by the privacy controls in web browsers -- Chrome is one notable exception. For it's part, Adobe says that Flash's local shared objects were never designed for tracking purposes, and that it has repeatedly condemned such practices -- the company also added that it would support "any industry initiative to foster clear, meaningful and persistent choice regarding online tracking."

[Image courtesy dopefly dot com]

FTC says it's talking to Adobe about the problem with 'Flash cookies' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Pro dropped to $50 on contract by Best Buy Mobile (update: $20 at Amazon)

Droid Pro dropped to $50 on contract by Best Buy Mobile (update: $20 at Amazon)

If free Android phones on every US carrier weren't enough to entice you into a Best Buy Mobile store this month, maybe a deeply discounted Droid Pro will be. Motorola's Android 2.2 handset, which launched at $179.99 with the usual two-year Verizon tie-in, is now available for purchase for exactly $130 less at Best Buy's mobile outlets -- both the online and brick-and-mortar varieties will let you walk away with one for $49.99 and a 24-month commitment. We don't know where all these crazy deals are coming from, but we ain't complaining.

[Thanks, Tony]

Update: Amazon.com is undercutting Best Buy with a $19.99 price for those opening new Verizon accounts when buying the Droid Pro.

Droid Pro dropped to $50 on contract by Best Buy Mobile (update: $20 at Amazon) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

By now, you've decided if you're going to use Apple's iPod nano 6G as a watch. We obviously have our own feelings on the matter, but those who can't be bothered with actual functionality should definitely be looking in the direction of Frontal Concepts. This Australian outfit has just released its first product, and it's far and away the most sensibly designed iPod nano watch strap to date. Rather than just looping a band through the device's rear clip, the Infuse strap actually has a simple, one-click locking mechanism to keep your digital timepiece in position. It's also positioned to allow the audio cord to run upwards along the arm, and it's built from polycarbonate plastics and silicone -- plenty tough to withstand the occasional gym visit. Americans can get their pre-order in today for $24.95 (black, white and brown hues are available), with the first shipments expected to head out in around a fortnight. Time's ticking, Santa.

Gallery: Frontal Concepts Infuse iPoad nano wristmount

Continue reading Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Micron embeds error correction in flash memory chips, calls it ClearNAND

Micron embeds error correction in flash memory chips, calls it ClearNAND

Solid state storage is fantastic stuff, durable and lightning-quick, but it's got its fair share of quirks -- bits fail, pages fill up, and cells deteriorate over time. Typically, the onus is on a beefy controller to take care of your drive and make sure it lasts a good long while (which is why brand names like SandForce can make or break an SSD) but it looks like Micron is planning to usurp some of that responsibility with its new ClearNAND chips. Simply put, each ClearNAND memory module has a built-in 24-bit error correction engine, so your drive's host controller doesn't have to shoulder that load, and can focus on the good stuff -- like getting your data delivered at speeds that would obliterate traditional hard drives. Micron says the new chips are available right now in 25nm sizes. Want a more technical rundown? Hit up our more coverage link to hear what this might mean for the error-prone future of the medium. PR after the break.

Continue reading Micron embeds error correction in flash memory chips, calls it ClearNAND

Micron embeds error correction in flash memory chips, calls it ClearNAND originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M refreshes mobile graphics midrange, starts up 500M series

NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M refreshes mobile graphics midrange, starts up 500M series

Uh oh, just as we thought NVIDIA had moved beyond its penchant for rebadging hardware, here comes the vanguard of its 500M mobile GPU series -- which happens to be specced nearly identically to what's already on offer in the 400M family. The GT 540M chip maintains the same 96 CUDA cores and 128-bit memory interface as the GT 435M, but earns its new livery by cranking up graphics and processor clock speeds to 672MHz and 1344MHz, respectively, while also taking the onboard memory to a max speed of 900MHz. Power requirements have been kept unchanged, mind you, and NVIDIA itself admits it's exploiting the maturation of the production process to just throw out some speedier parts. China gets the GT 540M immediately, courtesy of Acer, while the rest of the world should be able to buy in at some point next month. Jump past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M refreshes mobile graphics midrange, starts up 500M series

NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M refreshes mobile graphics midrange, starts up 500M series originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Every night we go to bed thinking that we've finally seen the best Kinect hack done and every morning we wake up to see something even crazier concocted with Microsoft's motion controller. Today, it's been mounted atop a quadrocopter -- yes, man's future worst enemy -- and utilized essentially as a 3D radar, facilitating the bot's autonomous maneuvering around a predetermined track. The random introduction of obstacles is also handled in stride, leaving us equal parts impressed, apprehensive, and eager for more. See the video after the break.

[Thanks, Glen]

Continue reading Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Thinking of grabbing Looxcie's remarkable Bluetooth-based Borg-cam as a $200 stocking stuffer this year? Hold on a twirl, and make sure you're paying for the one that actually plays nice with your mark's favorite smartphone. You see, the company had to make a hardware modification this week to the original Looxcie to make it compatible with iOS devices, and while that's complete now, you'll want to buy the new Looxcie LX1 if your giftee owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Otherwise, you'll be buying a device that's Android-exclusive for the very same price. Got an Android phone to begin with? We expect the seething anger of Looxcie early adopters will soon afford you some deep discounts on the now-inferior original. PR after the break.

Continue reading Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky

Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky

Taking an underwater self-portrait isn't the easiest thing in the world -- even if you're fond of robot DIY -- but this concept camera won a Red Dot award for capturing more than typically meets the eye. The UNDERABOVE floats like a buoy thanks to a pair of watertight ballast compartments, takes images with twin cameras above and below, then stitches the result into a turquoise vertical panorama viewable on the inbuilt LCD screen. If and when this device actually gets produced (and gains some serious image stabilization) the worlds of fish and man will never be the same.

Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, December 04, 2010

Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

The Apple iOS and Android smartphone operating systems are the most desired upgrades, with their first and second place rankings varying by mobile phone user demographic, according to new data from The Nielsen Company. 1/3 of Likely Smartphone Upgraders Desire Apple iOS Among all likely US smartphone upgraders from August-October 2010, nearly one-third (30%) desire to upgrade [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingcharts/~4/etImmtbfqZI" height="1" width="1"/>

Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes Out [Google Maps]

Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes Out [Google Maps]

If you've never been able to put your finger on why Google Maps seems so much easier to read than other mapping services, here's why.

Justin O'Beirne lays out (and handily illustrates) the three major reasons Google Maps is more readable than the competition: White outlines, "a greater number/diversity of label classes" (more labels that are different sizes), and different label shadings. In other words, it's a lot of little things that add up to make it a nicer experience (hey look, Google can do design).

Once you see everything laid out, it makes total sense, so do check out all of the illustrations: [41Latitude via Techmeme]

Verizon trials Home Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone

Verizon trials Home Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone

We're aware of a few third-party products that pull off this trick by connecting to your cellphone via Bluetooth, but Verizon's throwing weight behind its own system called Home Phone Connect that'll connect your home phone into its wireless network. The system -- which seems to be available only to residents of New York and Connecticut at the moment -- includes some sort of base station that connects to Verizon's network on one end and your existing landline on the other; T-Mobile's now-defunct @Home service was similar, but used your internet connection to route the calls rather than the cellular airwaves. Subscribers pay $9.99 to add the landline to a Verizon family plan or $19.99 to grant it unlimited domestic minutes, which seems poised to cut into Verizon's legacy landline business just as much (if not more) than the unique Hub unit that got killed off a while back. Hard to say when (or even if) Home Phone Connect will go national, but these trials are often set up to test the pricing model just as much as they are the underlying technology -- so the question becomes, would you pay $10 more on your Verizon Wireless bill to use your old-school Slimline?

Verizon t! rials Ho me Phone Connect, turns your landline into a cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod)

Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod)

Is Sigma announcing an EVIL (as in Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, not malevolent) camera today? Digital Photography Review forum member Ryan Shine seems to think so, and says it's "here" in China. As if to prove his point, we've got a trio of pictures for the mirrorless shooter. Hey, don't say we didn't warn you -- and if it doesn't become official soon, at least there's pictures to enjoy.

Update: We tracked down the source and turns out this is just an enthusiast's modded Sigma DP1, which has been given a Leica M mount. Quite a daring mod, if we may say so.

Sigma's mirrorless camera spotted, announcement coming later today? (Update: just a mod) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th

Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th

The headline pretty much reveals the brunt of it, but indeed, it looks like next week Google is going to start talking about how its Chrome operating system is coming along. Multiple sources have told us that Google will be holding some sort of event on Tuesday, December 7th -- we're not sure if it'll be a live event, a webcast, or something else entirely -- and that the shindig will see the launch of that Google-branded Chrome OS netbook we've been hearing about. Again, we've heard that the Atom-powered laptop isn't going to be a mass market device -- there will only be around 65,000 units available to Google's closest "friends and family" -- and that the Cloud-based OS is still very much in a beta, non-consumer-friendly state. It's a bit odd that we still haven't received an invite to this planned event since it's purportedly days away, not to mention it conflicts with the All Things D: Dive Into Mobile Event, but at the time of publishing this post we had yet to hear back from Google's PR team with an official comment.

Of course, this all lines up with TechCrunch's report that Google will be launching its Chrome Web / App Store very soon, as well as yesterday's launch of Chrome 8, which supports those aforementioned Chrome apps. (Companies like TweetDeck have already started demoing their browser apps.) Don't forget that those apps are going to be a large part of the OS, so it would make sense for Google to talk about 'em in tandem. The pieces sure do seem to be fitting together quite well, and while we still have lots of unanswered questions, we're feeling confident that we'll be getting some official answers on all this Chrome-ness very soon.

Update: AllThingsD has also heard a similar December 7th launch date of the Chrome Web Store. The evidence seems to be mounting here...

Update 2: Well, there you have it, Google just sent out invites for its December 7th Chrome event! We will be there!

Image note: As we said last time, that picture above is just our own mockup of what a Chromebook may look like. We even added a Chrome key!

Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Review: Djay for iPad

App Review: Djay for iPad

The iPad's gorgeous 9.7-inch display has been attracting attention for its musical potential, and the Djay app from Algoriddim has definitely contributed to some of the noise. The guys who brought a consumer-friendly DJing app to the Mac have gone ahead and ported it over to Apple's magical tablet, enabling pretty much anyone to get their shot on the decks. Does Djay for iPad live up to the hype? Read on past the break to find out.

Continue reading App Review: Djay for iPad

App Review: Djay for iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair has added new 90GB and 180GB sizes to its blazin' fast Force Series of SSDs, growing the happy family which already included 60, 120, and 240GB versions in addition to the original 100GB and 200GB options released back in the spring. Unlike its previous siblings, both the F90 and F180 are also available immediately from Corsair dealers for suggested MSRPs of $255 and $430, respectively. Built around the lauded SandForce SF-1200 controller and capable of beastly 285MB/sec read speeds and 275MB/sec write rates, these latest releases are not too small and not too big, making them the perfect Goldie Locks drives of the SSD world. To hear the news straight from Corsair's mouth, check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable

Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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