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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Mobile Ad Network Jumptap Closes $25 Million Funding Round

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/05/mobile-ad-network-jumptap-closes-25-million-funding-round/

As we reported a month ago, mobile ad network JumpTap has raised a round of new funding. The company confirmed this today, announcing a $25 million financing round from AllianceBernstein, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Summerhill Ventures, Valhalla Partners and WPP, as well as several new investors, who are not being disclosed. This brings the company’s funding to over $90 million.

JumpTap is one of the largest remaining independent mobile advertising networks, in addition to Millennial Media, 4INFO, InMobi and others (another remaining network Greystripe was just acquired). Jumptap's data-driven technology promises highly targeted advertising and the company partners with digital and media agencies, publishers, wireless carriers and brand advertisers to serve an array of mobile advertising solutions.

Despite the heated competition in the mobile advertising space, JumpTap appears to be growing, both in terms of reach and employees. JumpTap says its network now reaches 83 million consumers, which is a 30 percent increase from last year. And the network has partnered with more than 10,000 sites and apps; received over 10 billion ad requests in April, and has over a dozen patents related to mobile ad technologies.

The company added 35 employees since the beginning of 2011 from companies including Apple, IAC, Time Inc, and Maxus. JumpTap also recently landed a deal with Tokyo-based cyber communications (cci).

George Bell, CEO of Jumptap said this in a statement: "Our focus on leading mobile innovation through technology and services underscores our long-term vision and commitment to delivering the best solutions for advertisers and publishers…We are well positioned to capitalize on the momentum in the mobile marketplace and continue to see impressive growth across all measures."

The company says the new investment will be used towards product and technology development, and to hiring additional staff to support client demand.

As we reported a month ago, mobile ad network JumpTap has raised a round of new funding. The company confirmed this today, announcing a $25 million financing round from AllianceBernstein, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Summerhill Ventures, Valhalla Partners and WPP, as well as several new investors, who are not being disclosed. This brings the company’s funding to over $90 million.

JumpTap is one of the largest remaining independent mobile advertising networks, in addition to Millennial Media, Greystripe, InMobi and others. Jumptap's data-driven technology promises highly targeted advertising and the company partners with digital and media agencies, publishers, wireless carriers and brand advertisers to serve an array of mobile advertising solutions.

Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ultra-thin-handheld-microscope-could-sniff-out-skin-cancer-forg/

It may not look like it, but that sleek black thing pictured above is actually a microscope. Designed by engineers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, this little guy boasts a 5.3mm optical length, rendering it slim enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet powerful enough to deliver images at a scanner-like resolution of five micrometers, over a wide surface area. Fraunhofer's researchers achieved this balance by essentially tossing out the manual on traditional microscope design. Whereas most devices slowly scan areas and construct images on a piecemeal basis, this handheld uses several small imaging channels and a collection of tiny lenses to record equal sized fragments of a given surface. Unlike conventional scanner microscopes, all of these 300 x 300 square micrometer imaging channels are captured at the same time. With a single swipe, then, users can record 36 x 24 square mm shots of matchbox-sized objects, without even worrying about blurring the images with their shaky hands. The prototype is still two years away from going into production, but once it does, engineers say it could help doctors scan patients for skin cancer more easily, while also allowing bureaucrats to quickly confirm the authenticity of official documents. We can only imagine what it could do for Pac-Man. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents

Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents originally appeared on Eng! adget on Thu, 05 May 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel refreshes Wireless Display with support for DRM-protected DVDs, Blu-rays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/intel-refreshes-wireless-display-with-support-for-drm-protected/

We were bowled over from the start by Intel's Wireless Display technology, which lets you stream HD content from select laptops to an HDTV (with the help of a small adapter, of course). But while WiDi's been good for watching The Colbert Report on Hulu and streaming flicks stored on your hard drive, it hasn't played so nice with DVDs and Blu-rays. At last, though, Intel is supporting HDCP-protected discs (along with some online content) through a free driver update. One catch: it only applies to Sandy Bridge laptops, which just started shipping this spring. If your notebook's a few months too old, well, using an HDMI cable isn't the worst consolation prize.

Intel refreshes Wireless Display with support for DRM-protected DVDs, Blu-rays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acoustic Poetry concept turns ambient noise into verse

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/acoustic-poetry-concept-turns-ambient-noise-into-verse/

Modern society invests a lot of time and money attempting to drown out our surroundings, but the inability to hear ambient noise can rob one of a sense of place, which can be a very real concern amongst the deaf community. The Acoustic Poetry concept device from British designer Michail Vanis won't miraculously cure the deaf, but it does promise to keep them a bit more in touch. The wooden box is used to capture sound and transmit it to an interpreter, who listens and translates it into text, coming out like something of a free form haiku. It's a communication relay not entirely unlike ones we've seen from a number of other companies, and one that doesn't really necessitate its own stand-alone device. Still, it's nice to see text messaging that can actually keep people more in-touch with their surroundings, for a change -- we still don't recommend using it while driving, however. Video after the break.

[Thanks, Ro]

Continue reading Acoustic Poetry concept turns ambient noise into verse

Acoustic Poetry concept turns ambient noise into verse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TrendNet outs first 450 Mbps dual-band WiFi adapter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/trendnet-outs-first-450-mbps-dual-band-wifi-adapter/

If you're reading this, we're going to go ahead and assume you've got a computer endowed with its own wireless radio, but that doesn't mean it's powerful enough to handle your non-stop streaming these days. For folks craving more oomph, TrendNet has just announced the first USB adapter that promises to boost your throughput to speeds as high as 450 Mbps (thanks to MIMO technology) -- a mighty boost over the 54Mbps or 150Mbps rates you might be used to. As a dual-band adapter, it'll connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz networks and -- bonus -- its design is relatively discreet, too. Feel the need for speed? It's on sale now for $80.

Continue reading TrendNet outs first 450 Mbps dual-band WiFi adapter

TrendNet outs first 450 Mbps dual-band WiFi adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT Media Lab develops glasses-free HR3D, supports broad viewing angles (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/mit-media-lab-develops-glasses-free-hr3d-supports-broad-viewing/

We've already seen plenty of glasses-free 3D HDTVs and portable devices, but a promising new technology called HR3D (High-Rank 3D) has hit the prototype phase. Engineers from MIT's Media Lab, who developed the new solution, say that it avoids compromising on screen brightness, resolution, viewing angle, and battery life, and doesn't require those pesky (and pricey) 3D glasses. HR3D uses a pair of layered LCDs to give the illusion of depth, with the top layer (or mask) displaying a variable pattern based on the image below it, so each eye sees a slightly different picture. Nintendo's 3DS uses a similar technique, but with a parallax barrier instead of a second display. The designers constructed the prototype from two Viewsonic VX2265wm displays, removing the LCDs from their housings and pulling off polarizing filters and films. We've yet to go eyes-on with HR3D, so we're a mite skeptical, but tech this promising is worth watching closely, and from every angle.

Continue reading MIT Media Lab develops glasses-free HR3D, supports broad viewing angles (video)

MIT Media Lab develops glasses-free HR3D, supports broad viewing angles (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/harman-kardons-mas-102-stereo-has-a-petite-profile-luxury-look/

Harman Kardon has departed from its austere design language on occasion and come up with some questionable aesthetic results, but its latest compact stereo system sports the clean and classic lines for which H/K is famed. Of course, looks aren't everything, so the MAS 102 slings songs at your skull using a two-channel 65W amp, five-inch mid bass drivers, and one-inch waveguided dome tweeters. The MAS 102 also has dual USB ports for accessing digital music and a phono input for those who prefer sourcing tunes from an old school turntable. It's not all sonic bliss, however, as an optional dock (sold separately) is needed to hook up the iDevice of your choosing. That's a glaring omission for a stereo that costs just under a grand -- but forgiving that flaw should be easy for the form-over-function crowd. More info can be found in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag

Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surface SDK gets input simulator, opens doors to indie devs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/surface-sdk-gets-input-simulator-opens-doors-to-indie-devs/

Microsoft Surface Input Simulator

There's one big, table-shaped obstacle to developing apps for Microsoft's Surface: you kind of have to own one. A new Surface 2 SDK, landing this summer, will sidestep that problem with an input simulator so devs can test their code on any Windows 7 PC. You can tap fingers, place tags, or paint "blobs" for your virtual SUR 40 to interact with, and even fake multitouch gestures by "stamping" a finger in one spot then moving a second one. If the Surface you're programming for happens to be movable (though we're not sure who would put a $7,600 computer on hinges) you can also alter the tilt of the display to trigger UI changes. You'll still need access to one of these behemoths to make sure your wares work in the really real world, but at least the preliminary work can be done on any old laptop or desktop. Frankly, this is something we'd have thought would be included from day one -- as they say, better late than never.

Surface SDK gets input simulator, opens doors to indie devs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/samsung-sens-240-navigation-tablet-is-strange-and-familiar/

It's been a few years but iriver just released an updated version of its NV GPS navigator with SPINN UI. Wa... wait a second, that's a Samsung logo. Sorry, this is the Samsung SENS-240, a hybrid car navigation system / tablet that plays nice with your Android-powered Samsung smartphone or, uh, tablet. According to Akihabara News, the SENS-240 uses Bluetooth to take over your voice, data, voice search, and even "video features" from your smartphone when driving. You can then control the SENS-240 using your smarpthone or tablet as an "advanced" remote when idle. The details behind how this works, or why you'd want to do it, is a mystery. We do know that the SENS-240 comes packing 256MB of RAM, USB-host mode, and an SD slot in addition to a 1.43GHz processor (of unknown origins) said to be powerful enough to handle 3D maps, video, or DMB TV on that 7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. Oh, and it's Korea-only for now.

Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ios-5-updates-expected-to-be-carried-over-the-air-at-least-for/

Having spent a good part of our day yesterday negotiating with iTunes and downloading a whopping 666.2MB file to update our iPhone to version 4.3.3 -- a version, we might add, whose sole claim to fame is the removal of things -- we know well the pains of updating Apple's mobile software. Those aches, however, may soon be coming to an end. 9to5Mac has multiple sources informing it that Apple and Verizon are scheming to start delivering iOS updates over the air from this fall, or just as soon as iOS 5 is made available. Untethered OS updates are a familiar feature to users of other smartphone operating systems and even the iOS-infused Apple TV, but getting Apple's mobile devices up to date has so far always required going through the company's own cable and software.

There's no reason to believe this wireless update feature will be limited to Verizon, mind you -- that's just where the informants are coming from in this instance -- though Apple will almost certainly have to alter the file sizes of its updates. We can't think of many carriers who'll be happy to push more than half a gigabyte of data per user per update. Additionally, since iTunes currently acts as the major backup hub, 9to5Mac speculates Cupertino must be working on a cloud backup service as well, which would seem a very sensible idea. Of course, that doesn't paint a very happy or busy future for iTunes, but so what?

iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Verizon Droid X2 and LG Revolution—the First Android Phone With Netflix—Coming May 12 [Unconfirmed]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5798498/verizons-next-android-phones-droid-x2-lg-revolution-and-sony-xperia-play

According to Droid Life, Verizon is getting ready to release an onslaught of Android phones in the next few weeks. Tthe Droid X2, expected to pack a dual-core Tegra 2 chip, and the LG Revolution, a 4G LTE Android phone that's supposed to be the first Android phone with Netflix, are both expected to release on May 12th (next Thursday). On May 26, the Xperia Play aka the PSP Phone is expected to become available on Big Red.

It's shaping up to be a major month for Verizon (who also has their first Windows Phone, the HTC Trophy coming on the 12th) and an even bigger month for Android. Three awesome phones on the heels of the two that just released (Droid Incredible 2 and Droid Charge)? What a pace. [Droid Life]

FCC gives the RED EPIC-M its teardown treatment, so you don't have to

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/red-epic-m-gets-torn-down-by-the-fcc-so-you-dont-have-to/

Ever wondered what it feels like to tear down a $58,000 professional video camera? Well, unless you're as minted as Peter Jackson or James Cameron, chances are you'll never get close to a RED EPIC-M (without breaking the law) to find out. That said, you may get some insight from this fresh batch of disassembly shots, courtesy of the FCC. Sure, there aren't any jewels or unicorns hidden inside this powerful 5K imager, but you'll get plenty of close-up shots of its delicate circuitry -- it's actually pretty impressive how much the hand-machined chassis holds. Head over to Wireless Goodness to admire the full glory, but make sure you don't dribble over your keyboard.

FCC gives the RED EPIC-M its teardown treatment, so you don't have to originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/casio-tryx-ex-tr100-review/

Given the sheer quantity of marketing muscle that Casio put behind the Tryx, you'd think the company was gearing up to rival Nikon and Canon in the DSLR space. Instead, out popped the outre device you see above. Without qualification, this is one of the strangest, most bizarrely designed cameras we've ever seen, featuring a pop-out display and a grand total of two buttons for operation. At 4.8- x 2.3- x 0.6-inches, it's certainly one of the slimmest, easy-to-carry point-and-shoots on the market, but is the absence of an optical zoom and a removable battery enough to tank an otherwise radical idea? Head on past the break for our two pennies.

Gallery: Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) hands-on

Continue reading Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review

Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is digital YOUR philosophy? - http://bit.ly/gcNnY8

Is Nokia Making a Dual-Screen 3D Phone? [Phones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5798414/is-nokia-making-a-dual+screen-3d-phone

When in doubt, go 3D. Hey, it's working so well for everyone else, so why shouldn't Nokia have a stab too? A patent has arisen showing a Nintendo 3DS-style dual-screen phone with both 2D and (glassesless) 3D screens. Dual-cameras would shoot 3D content similar to LG's G-Slate/Optimus Pad and Optimus 3D/Thrill 4G phone, but unlike LG's tablet it actually shows autostereoscopic 3D right there on the screen.

The patent shows that the 3D cameras can be controlled using gestures or by touching the bottom 2D screen, and mentions that rivals' efforts (looking at Nintendo, obviously) are "typically poorly implemented," suggesting they're going to have a wider 3D viewing area rather than just the usual sweet spot. Nokia is also exploring making the 3D display touchscreen along with the 2D screen, which could certainly lead to some interesting games in the future. [UnwiredView via IntoMobile via SlashGear]

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