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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Researchers developing software to finger phony reviews

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/28/researchers-developing-software-to-finger-phony-reviews/

Researchers developing software to finger phony reviews

Opinion spam isn't a new version of your favorite meat treat, repackaged for discerning canned ham consumers. According to a team of researchers at Cornell University, it's a growing problem affecting user generated review sites, and the gang is working to stop it dead in its tracks with a new program that's aimed at tracking down fake reviews. That software, which has been tested on reviews of Chicago hotels, uses keyword analysis and word combination patterns to bust opinion spammers -- fakers, for example, use more verbs than their truth-telling counterparts. The as of yet unnamed program apparently has the ability to post deceptive opinions with 90 percent accuracy, but is currently only trained on hospitality in the Windy City. Ultimately, the group sees the software as a filter for sites like Amazon, but, for now, you'll just have to trust the old noggin to do the detecting for you.

Researchers developing software to finger phony reviews originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Olympus PEN E-PL3 gets a price tag, release date

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/olympus-pen-e-pl3-gets-a-price-tag-release-date/

Last month, Olympus lifted the veil on a trio of 12.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds cameras, replacing both models in its PEN line and adding the small and light E-PM1. We already knew to expect an August ship date for the $900 E-P3, but now the company filled us in on its tilt-enabled E-PL3, which will be available in black, white, red, and silver when it ships in September. Priced at $700, the kit will include either a 14-42mm zoom or 17mm fixed lens, and will retail for a full c-note higher than its predecessor, the E-PL2. Olympus also announced the VF-3 Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), which will feature a 100-percent field-of-view, 90-degree rotation, and brightness and color temperature adjustments -- though it sounds like that last feature could potentially leave you with off-color images if you mistake the EVF's white balance for what the camera will capture. We're still waiting on availability for the runt of the litter, but we imagine the E-PM1 will make its stateside debut soon -- perhaps even with a price tag lower than its rather pricey, beefier siblings.

Continue reading Olympus PEN E-PL3 gets a price tag, release date

Olympus PEN E-PL3 gets a price tag, release date originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

CHART OF THE DAY: Ex-Googlers Get More Funding For Their Startups Than Other Big Company Refugees (GOOG, YHOO, MSFT)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-way-to-get-funding-for-your-startup-be-a-former-google-employee-2011-7

Googlers who quit to form their own companies do get more venture funding than founders from other big tech companies.

That's according to research from online recruiting startup TopProspect, which has job data about more than three million tech workers (mostly in Silicon Valley) drawn from sources like LinkedIn and Facebook.

TopProspect took a look at startups founded in the last five years with publicly available funding information, and more than 10 employees in TopProspect's peer-recommended network (which shows they're a decent size and well-connected).

It found that ex-Yahoos have started the most companies in this category -- 15 total. But those companies have only received about $126 million in funding.

The 13 companies started by former Google employees, including Foursquare, Tapjoy, and Color, have raised almost $310 million in venture funding.

One reason is there are quite a few Silicon Valley angels and investors who also came from the company, like Chris Sacca, Aydin Senkut, and Paul Buccheit (who joined Y Combinator last year). It might also help that Google is the most acquisitive of the big tech companies right now -- and occasionally buys back its own spawn, like it did with Aardvark.

TopProspect also found that former Microsoft employees fared well with venture money (14 founders raised $189 million). Companies started by Facebook founders are hot on buzz -- Path, Asana, and Quora were all founded by ex-Facebookers -- but there are only 7 of them and they're still relatively young, so haven't gotten as much money yet -- only about $65 million.

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Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/microsoft-renews-alliance-with-suse-throws-100-million-in-pock/

Microsoft <3s SUSE

Microsoft and Linux haven't always had the friendliest of rapports but, a few years back, the folks at Redmond decided to cozy up to Novell and the enterprise-focused distro SUSE. The German arm of the company even wished Tux a happy 20th birthday last week, in an attempt to further thaw their notoriously chilly relationship. Now the Windows crew have decided to renew their partnership with SUSE and have committed to purchasing $100 million in technical support for Microsoft Enterprise customers who also happen to be running Linux boxes as part of their operations. It's not about to stop claiming that the open source OS violates several of its patents, but at least they've learned to get along with out suing each other into oblivion... unlike some other companies we could name. Cough. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux

Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to 'authenticated' pay TV subscribers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/fox-restricts-online-streams-of-new-tv-shows-to-authenticated/

Starting this fall, for the first eight days after they air, watching Fox TV shows online will require a subscription to Hulu Plus or a participating cable or satellite company. So far Dish Network is the first and only provider to sign up its customers for access to the new walled garden on Fox's site but others looking to fill out their TV Everywhere lineups probably won't be far behind. While pay-TV networks like ESPN with ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app and EPIX have already gone the "authentication" route, Fox is the first of the broadcast networks to do so. The new rules go into effect August 15th, then we'll find out if Fox is driving cable cutters towards paying for TV, piracy, or just ignoring the latest episode of Glee altogether.

Continue reading Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to 'authenticated' pay TV subscribers

Fox restricts online streams of new TV shows to 'authenticated' pay TV subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/akamai-sees-internet-speeds-climb-asia-still-dominates-broadban/

Average Broadband Speeds

Akamai's annual State of the Internet report is loaded with all sorts of interesting, if not terribly surprising, tidbits about both broad and narrowband connections around the globe. The big news? The world-wide average connection speed has jumped 23-percent from last year, to 2.1Mbps. Speeds in the good ol' US-of-A were up 15-percent for an average of 5.3Mbps, though we still languish in 14th place on the list of fastest countries. As expected, Asia continues to dominate the speed race, with 61 cities in Japan alone making the top 100 list. If you want the fastest connections the States have to offer you'll have to head for San Jose or Riverside in CA or the home of the Wu (that's Staten Island for those of you not in the know), which all tied with an average 7.8Mbps connection. Check out the PR after the break and click the more coverage link to download some charts.

Continue reading Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race

Akamai sees internet speeds climb, Asia still dominates broadband arms race originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These Women Are Wearing Clothes Made of Real Milk [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5824826/these-women-are-wearing-clothes-made-of-real-milk

I'm having a hard time believing this, but these women are wearing clothes actually made with real milk. Yes, the liquid white stuff. The milk fabric was created by 28-yo German biologist and fashion designer Anke Domaske.

Domaske and her team have found a way to turn sour milk into a environment friendly yarn in a very easy and clean way. They eliminate the liquid from it, extracting a protein found that solidifies and then is ground into the threads that form the fabric. Domaske finds the whole thing fascinating, do I:

Milk is underrated because people only view it as a food-stuff. But you can make a lot more from it – milk is a wonderful, natural raw material. The special thing about milk is that is has a lovely silky feel. The fabric falls wonderfully, and it's cheaper than silk.

That's the most amazing thing to me: the clothes feel like silk, but they don't impact the environment like silk production does—which depends on pesticides and other things. This process recycles spoiled milk, which sadly exists aplenty.

She will be selling her designs for as little as $290, which is impressive considering the quality and how new the process is. [DW via The Next Web]

Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/stanford-researchers-create-transparent-battery-dream-of-a-see/

Yuan Yang and a Transparent Battery

We've had about all of the transparent displays we can handle. Besides, what good is a screen you can see through if the electronics behind it are as opaque as ever? Thankfully, the fine folks at Stanford are working hard to move us towards a future filled with invisible gadgets. Yi Cui and Yuan Yang led a team that have created a lithium-ion battery that appears transparent. In actuality, the cells are composed of a very fine mesh of electrodes, approximately 35-microns wide, that are small enough to appear invisible to the naked eye. The resulting power packs are cheap and flexible but, currently, can only store about half as much energy as a traditional Li-ion battery. Cui has a particular destination in mind for creation, as he told the college paper, "I want to talk to Steve Jobs about this. I want a transparent iPhone!" Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video)

Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearwire announces $99 Clear Spot 4G Apollo hotspot

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/clearwire-announces-99-clear-spot-4g-apollo-hotspot/

We just spotted it at the FCC earlier this month, and Clear customers will now soon be able to get their hands on the company's new Clear Spot 4G Apollo mobile hotspot. Clearwire announced today that the device will be available for $99 (or leased for $6 a month) in "late July," which should mean any day now unless our calendars are off. Built by Gemtek, the hotspot allows for up to eight simultaneous connections, and promises up to six hours of continuous use from its built-in rechargeable battery -- plans to go along with it start $35 a month, with unlimited mobile data running you $45/month (with no long-term contract, of course). Press release is after the break.

Continue reading Clearwire announces $99 Clear Spot 4G Apollo hotspot

Clearwire announces $99 Clear Spot 4G Apollo hotspot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patent application takes the hard keys out of the keyboard, promises a flat surface solution

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/apple-patent-application-takes-the-hard-keys-out-of-the-keyboard/

Apple's giving us a patent application peek into its post-PC future, and it looks like hard keys will be so 2008. The recently revelead filing shows off a virtual, flat keyboard concept for Cupertino's line of non-iOS products that flirts with metal, plastic and glass form factors. Using a combination of piezoelectrics, haptic feedback and acoustic pulse recognition, these prospective designs will be able to detect your finger-pounding surface input. If you're the fast-typing kind, you're probably wondering how your digits will recognize the keys sight unseen. Well, there's a few workarounds for that. In its metal and plastic iterations, Jobs and co. plan to stamp or micro-perforate the layout into place, while their glass counterpart would receive a graphical overlay. The application also promises an LED-lit display for hard to see conditions and the inclusion of capactive sensors to enable multi-touch functions, so you avoid e.e. cummings-style emails. Of course, applications aren't necessarily indicative of a surefire product, but those interested in tickling their imagination can give the source link a look.

Apple patent application takes the hard keys out of the keyboard, promises a flat surface solution originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onkyo remote app ushers in a new era of losing Android phones in the couch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/onkyo-remote-app-ushers-in-a-new-area-of-losing-android-phones-i/

Is the devoted remote going the way of dodo? HiFi audio manufacturer Onkyo is certainly hedging its bets with the release of its first Android app, which gives users the ability to control a number of its home theater systems. The Remote App, due out in August, makes it possible to browse content and stream audio from Android smartphones to the TX-8050 and all Onkyo A/V network receivers released this year. This isn't the company's first flirtation with the open world of Android. Late last year, Onkyo beat the competition to the punch by announcing a couple of Android tablets.

Continue reading Onkyo remote app ushers in a new era of losing Android phones in the couch

Onkyo remote app ushers in a new era of losing Android phones in the couch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bang & Olufsen's BeoSound 5 Encore redefines 'affordable,' looks good doing it (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/bang-and-olufsens-beosound-5-encore-redefines-affordable-looks/

It's certainly been a while since Bang & Olufsen's given any love to its gorgeous (but pricey) BeoSound 5, but refining self-proclaimed perfection takes... well, about three years. The more affordable $3,350 BeoSound 5 Encore carries over the svelte 10.4-inch LCD / scroll wheel toting controller from its predecessor, but nixes the BeoMaster music server requirement, allowing it to run headless (and in turn save you bookodles of cash). So how does one play tunes if it rides solo? With a bevy of new connectivity options: content can now be slung over USB (be it via a "mobile device," thumb key or hard drive), from a NAS, over A2DP Bluetooth, or from one of 13,000 internet radio stations. It'll ship in August, which'll leave you plenty of time to count those pennies, and perhaps to ponder why it couldn't spring for finer graphics in the video that awaits you beyond the fold.

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen's BeoSound 5 Encore redefines 'affordable,' looks good doing it (video)

Bang & Olufsen's BeoSound 5 Encore redefines 'affordable,' looks good doing it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Verizon on July 28th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/samsungs-lte-equipped-galaxy-tab-10-1-hits-on-verizon-wireless/

It's a Galaxy Tab 10.1, but with 4G. No, not that 4G. Not even that 4G. This 4G. You know, the LTE variety, being spread around like Christmas ham by the folks at Verizon Wireless. Cosmetically, the slate offered up by Big Red is no different than the WiFi-only model that we peeked earlier in the year, but the LTE radio tucked within obviously makes it the one to get if you're looking for top-tier speeds on the go. VZW will actually hawk two separate models LTE Tab 10.1 models (in white or grey), both of which are priced outrageously with two-year agreements: $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model. That's a pretty penny (to say the least!) given the albatross that is a 24-month contract, and those who'd rather provide their own connectivity can opt for the WWAN-less Metallic Grey edition for $499.99 (16GB). Access plans start at $30 per month for 2GB, with $50 per period getting you 5GB, or $80 getting you 10GB (no mention of tethering, unfortunately). Your pickup date? Two days from now, or July 28th for the calendar-challenged.

Gallery: Samsung's LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits Verizon

Continue reading Samsung's LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Verizon on July 28th

Samsung's LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Verizon on July 28th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netswipe turns your webcam into a credit card reader, brings POS payments to the desktop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/26/netswipe-turns-your-webcam-into-a-credit-card-reader-brings-pos/

Credit card fraud costs the banking industry billions of dollars every year, and with companies yet to find an entirely secure system for processing payments online, there's no end in sight for unauthorized transactions. Jumio hopes to bring both security and convenience to the world of online payments, however, with its webcam-based Netswipe secure card reader solution. The system replicates the point of sale (POS) transactions you experience when making in-store purchases, prompting cardholders to scan the front on their credit card, then enter their CVV code using a tamperproof mouse-controlled interface. We're not sure how the software is able to distinguish a physical credit card from, say, a photocopy of a card, but it certainly sounds more secure than the standard input form we use today. It also reduces card number theft from insecure forms and website spoofing, by verifying details through a live video stream. Jump past the break for the full press release, along with video overviews of Netswipe and Jumio, which recently secured $6.5 million in initial funding and is backed by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

Continue reading Netswipe turns your webcam into a credit card reader, brings POS payments to the desktop

Netswipe turns your webcam into a credit card reader, brings POS payments to the desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, July 25, 2011

AT&T confirms LG Thrill 4G pricing, release 'in the coming weeks'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/25/atandt-confirms-lg-thrill-4g-pricing-release-in-the-coming-weeks/

Pricing for the LG Thrill 4G popped up on Radio Shack's corporate systems a few days ago, at $80 with a two-year contract. AT&T just shared its official Thrill pricing, however, with the glasses-free 3D smartphone commanding a healthy $99 at the company's retails stores when it ships "in the coming weeks." That timeframe meshes nicely with the August 7th launch date that a pair of Radio Shack insiders shared with us last week, though until we receive confirmation otherwise, it's within reason to expect that devices will begin to ship before or even after that date. Either way, it doesn't look like you'll need to hold out much longer for your Thrill, with only a few more days of tranquility to go before the excitement begins.

AT&T confirms LG Thrill 4G pricing, release 'in the coming weeks' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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