Thursday, July 28, 2011

A Wall of 250 Canon Cameras Flashing Their Lights Is a Seizure Waiting to Happen [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5825294/a-wall-of-250-canon-cameras-flashing-their-lights-is-a-seizure-waiting-to-happen

Be warned though, the music ain't for everybody. [Androp.jp via Fast Company]


You can keep up with Casey Chan, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.

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Netflix Is for HDTV Buffs, Hulu for Computer Geeks [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5825458/netflix-is-for-hdtv-buffs-hulu-is-for-computer-geeks

Netflix Is for HDTV Buffs, Hulu for Computer GeeksNielsen recently polled 12,000 netizens and asked them about Hulu and Netflix. The survey results suggest that Netflix users are movie-watching HDTV buffs, while Hulu users are TV show-watching computer geeks.

According to Nielsen, Netflix users tend to watch only movies (53%) on their HDTVs via a gaming console (50%). Only 11% of subscribers watch only TV shows on the streaming service. Hulu users, however, prefer the computer (89%) to the big screen and watch mostly TV shows (73%).

Overall, online streaming is exploding. Viewers watched a record 15 billion videos online in May 2010 which is a staggering amount of content flowing through the intertubes. [Nielsen]


You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.

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California May Be Riddled With Poorly Mapped Underground Fuel Pipelines [Wtf]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5825467/california-may-be-riddled-with-poorly-mapped-underground-fuel-pipelines

California May Be Riddled With Poorly Mapped Underground Fuel PipelinesSince 1998, fuel pipeline owners in California were required by law to give local officials detailed maps of their underground pipe network. Problem is, many companies submitted inaccurate maps early on and haven't updated them.

This major oversight was uncovered after the San Bruno gas fire in 2010. To prevent another disaster, fire departments, construction crews and others called the California State Fire Marshal's Office to find out the location of underground fuel pipes. Astonishingly, the office discovered that most maps on file were old, contact lists were outdated and much of the new information had not been updated properly.

Not knowing the location of an underground fuel pipe puts a construction crew at risk when it begins digging and leaves firefighters helpless when they are forced to fight a blaze caused by a pipe leak. To fix this problem, California may setup a website that would let pipeline owners enter new, accurate pipe information and let emergency personnel access this information when necessary. [The Oakland Tribune]


You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.

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Engadget comes to your TV on Boxee, Roku, Yahoo and DivX starting today

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/engadget-comes-to-your-tv-on-boxee-roku-yahoo-and-divx-startin/

Gather round everyone, while you may have gotten used to accessing Engadget via the browser or any one of our mobile apps, starting today we're ready to come home in one more way: on your TV. Launching on Boxee, Roku, Yahoo! Widgets and DivX is a new AOL HD package which includes a channel full of our videos ready for viewing on big screens. This way, when you want to kick back and enjoy a new hands-on video, The Engadget Show or any of our other content it's only as far away as your remote control, which is probably also your phone, PC or tablet. There's plenty more to come in the future -- we'll figure out an in-app Screen Grabs submission tool somehow -- but for now we're happy to have an official outlet on some of the most widely available connected TV platforms out there. The AOL HD app will begin showing up today, check out the gallery for a few screenshots of us on each of the platforms.

Continue reading Engadget comes to your TV on Boxee, Roku, Yahoo and DivX starting today

Engadget comes to your TV on Boxee, Roku, Yahoo and DivX starting today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola considering Nike+ SportWatch contender?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/motorola-considering-nike-sportwatch-contender/

Motorola considering Nike+ SportWatch contender?
It looks like Motorola might be prepping to give the Nike+ SportWatch a run for its money. An intrepid tipster sent along a screenshot from a recent survey showing off what looks like a tricked out nano watch. Described as an "all-in-one fitness and music personal fitness device" (redundant much?) that packs a GPS for "accurate performance tracking," the as of yet unnamed gadget also sports a "smart music player" that compiles a list of songs based on the tunes that help you sweat your best. It also lets you wirelessly sync to your PC for workout analysis, and apparently does the same for Android devices. Among the possible names listed in the survey is the MotoActive, hinting at, but certainly not pinning down, Motorola branding. Of course this is just an online survey, so we wouldn't get too excited about your new running mate just yet.

[Thanks, Anon]

Motorola considering Nike+ SportWatch contender? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS confirms Eee Pad Transformer will get Android 3.2 update tomorrow

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/asus-confirms-eee-pad-transformer-will-get-android-3-2-update-to/

No leaks this time around, but Eee Pad Transformer users don't have to wait much longer to get their Android 3.2 fix. ASUS has now confirmed that the update will be rolling out tomorrow, July 28th. Unlike Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners, Transformer users shouldn't expect too many surprises in store here considering ASUS is sticking with stock Honeycomb, although there will hopefully be a few fixes included in addition to the more general Android updates.

ASUS confirms Eee Pad Transformer will get Android 3.2 update tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultrabooks to start arriving in September, more expensive than expected

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/ultrabooks-to-start-arriving-in-september-more-expensive-than-e/

ASUS UX21
Looks like those skinny Ultrabooks Intel was trying to sell us on at Computex will all be hitting the market at roughly the same time. Despite earlier suggestions that HP would beat ASUS's planned September launch, DigiTimes reports the Palo Alto company's Air competitor may not actually ship until as late as Q1 of 2012, thanks to LCD supply issues. Those problems scoring enough panels are also holding up similar systems from Acer and Dell. To make matters worse, it seems those promised sub $1,000 price points were a bit optimistic. ASUS told the Taipei Times that its UX line would only be able to hit such a price using slower Core i3 chips -- upgrading to a Core i5 and sticking in an SSD would push the price towards the $2,000 mark.

[Thanks, Marco]

Ultrabooks to start arriving in September, more expensive than expected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Notebook Italia (translated)  |  sourceTaipei Times, DigiTimes  | Email this | Comments

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NASA iPad app helps you discover life on Earth

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/nasa-ipad-app-helps-you-discover-life-on-earth/

Focusing on the extraterrestrial all day can probably make it pretty easy to forget about all that's going on here on Earth. NASA has shifted its focus a bit for its new iPad app, taking a look at the goings-on of the world around us. The app features videos, stories, and images explaining things like climate change and plant life from the vantage point of the organization's satellites. Like the self-titled NASA iPad app before it, the Visualization Explorer is available now as a free download from iTunes.

NASA iPad app helps you discover life on Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Permalink gizmag  |  sourceCornell  | Email this | Comments

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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.

chart of the day, spawn of the tech giants, july 2011

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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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