Permaduino makes your Arduino projects permanent (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/20/permaduino-makes-your-arduino-projects-permanent-video/

Arduinos are fun to tinker with, but there's one problem. Once you've built something cool, you pretty much have to tear it down to use your board for another project. Sure, you can always buy multiple Arduino boards or proto shields, but what if you want to turn your creation into something a bit more permanent and a lot more compact? Say hello to Permaduino, a small battery-powered Arduino prototype board that just launched on Indiegogo. It features an Atmega328P (natch), two AAA battery holders with a 3 to 5V DC-DC converter (up to 180mA), a 25-column breadboard with VCC and ground, plus FTDI, AVR-ISP and USB interfaces. Best of all, Permanuino conveniently fits inside a standard 8mm videotape case (as long as you don't mount large components on that breadboard). Interested? Hit the break for the Indiegogo link and campaign video.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Permaduino (Indiegogo)

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Sony's Xperia Tablet Z announced: 1.5GHz quad-core, 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 6.9mm thickness

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/20/sony-xperia-tablet-z/

Announced bright and early in Japan today is the Sony Xperia Tablet Z that we've been hearing about. As you'd expect, this 10.1-inch Android 4.1 tablet features the same design language as its smartphone counterpart, but it's what's inside that really sells this device: a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen (with Mobile Bravia Engine 2), an 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera, NFC, LTE (MDM9215M radio), microSD expansion and Sony's very own "S-Force" virtual surround sound technology. Amazingly, these are all packed tightly into a 6.9mm-thick, 495g-heavy body which not only takes a huge leap from the retiring Xperia Tablet S, but it also beats the Toshiba Excite 10 LE that was once the champion in both fields. That's right, Sony now has the world's thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablet! Oh, and did we mention that the Tablet Z is both waterproof and dustproof as well? We'll update you guys once we get hold of info on pricing and availability.

Update: For those wondering, Blog of Mobile says this new tablet packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is actually a tad smaller than the Excite 10 LE's 6,690mAh cell. Hopefully Sony's power management will bring its tablet up to about the same mobility performance.

Gallery: Sony's Xperia Tablet Z announced: 1.5GHz quad-core, 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 6.9mm thickness

Filed under: Tablets, Sony

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Source: Sony Mobile

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HTC M7 purportedly spied brandishing Sense 5.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/20/htc-m7-purportedly-spied-brandishing-sense-5-0/

It's that special time again -- that time when Mobile World Congress looms, and HTC fans wonder what design philosophy they'll live with for the next year. We might have just been given a peek at their future. Android Police claims to have a photo and screenshots for the M7, a prototype HTC smartphone that previously only existed in a slightly sketchy 3D render. The design appears to take a handful of cues from the Droid DNA, although there's touches front and back (such as different front camera and rear flash positions) that suggest it's not a carbon copy. What may matter most is the software: the M7 appears to be running Sense 5.0, which could bring a stripped-back look while adding new widgets for at-a-glance news and tips.

Before we declare this a preview of what we'll see in Barcelona, though, we'd do well to point out some of the more glaring uncertainties beyond just the lack of internal hardware details. The capacitive buttons sit unusually high on the front, for one; and they are in an unusual order -- the home button isn't in the middle. There's also none of the usual regulatory markings on the back -- even if authentic, this may be a prototype that doesn't reflect the final result. Whether it's the real thing or just wishful thinking, we may find out in a little over a month's time.

Update: It is worth pointing out that the time, weather and the length of the black bar over the location name in the widget suggest this device was spied in Taipei, the home of HTC. Unless, of course, this was a carefully calculated hoax.

Filed under: Cel lphones, Mobile, HTC

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Source: Android Police

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Cyber-Espionage Platform Red October Is Already Pulling Its Tendrils Back Into the Dark

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5977318/cyber+espionage-platform-red-october-is-already-pulling-its-tendrils-back-into-the-dark

Earlier this week, a sophisticated, capable, and seemingly freelance cyber-spying operation called Red October burst onto the scene. Well, it's probably been around for years, but we all only just found out about it. Now, it's already disappearing. After having the light shined on it, it's darting back into the shadows.

It looks like Red October is a bit bashful. After the big reveal, Red October's infrastructure started going offline. Domain names associated with the project have begun to disappear, as well as hosting for command and control servers. It's like the whole project is packing up and going home now that the secret' is out.

While that could be the case, to a certain extent, Red October is known for being resilient and having layers upon layers of proxy defense. The "mothership" has not been located, so there's still a juicy core of stolen intel somewhere out there. The retraction of recently discovered feelers only makes sense as a move to protect it. The question is: has Red October been thwarted by being found out, or is it just pulling into hibernation until everyone forgets about it, only to come back with new tools and now proxies? My money is on the latter. [Threatpost via Ars Technica]

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LG Optimus G sales hit 1 million worldwide

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/20/lg-optimus-g-sales/

LG proved with the Optimus G that it can produce a smartphone that stacks up with the best of 'em, and according to the company's newly released sales figures, consumers are starting to take notice. As it stands, more than 1 million Optimus G's have been sold since the handset's September debut. While the figure pales in comparison to heavyweights like the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5, that's not too shabby for a phone that's only been available in North America since November. Given the similarities between the Optimus G and the Nexus 4, we're quite curious to know how sales of the two smartphones compare, but Google's currently keeping those numbers close to its chest. That said, there's little doubt that LG currently has its hands full at the production line.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Via: GSM Arena

Source:! Yonhap News

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The Simplest Stock Market Indicator In The World Continues To Work Amazingly

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/january-20-sp-500-vs-initial-claims-2013-1

We've run this chart a million times, but we're not getting bored of it.

The S&P 500 vs. weekly initial jobless claims continues to be a beautiful chart, as the two lines have moved in virtual lockstop through the last five years. When Jobless Claims improve, stocks improve. When the opposite happens, stocks down down.

The primary takeaway from the chart: The market rally is based on fundamentals of the economy. Forget headlines or great rotations or the Fed. It's still all about the economy.

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

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Google Handwrite gets better at interpreting your multi-lingual finger scribbles

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/google-handwrite-update/

When Google's Handwrite feature launched this past summer, we welcomed the ability to compose our queries instead of pecking keys. Problem is, Handwrite had a bad habit of confusing our 1's and l's -- and despite the growing size of smartphone screens, it's still difficult to fit written words on them. Well, Big G has solved those problems with the latest Handwrite upgrades. The system now provides alternative interpretations of ambiguous characters so you can choose what's propper, and it lets you write letters on top of one another instead of spelling them out across the width of the screen. Not only that, folks who search using Chinese characters are no longer limited to single-character input. Want to know if it can interpret your chicken scratch? Head on over to Google.com and enable Handwrite under settings on the iOS or Android device of your choosing.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Google

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Source: Inside Search: The official Google Search Blog

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Chrome 25 extends encrypted search to everyone, not just signed-in users

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/chrome-25-ssl-encrypted-search-everyone/

Chrome users with something to hide have heretofore been required to sign in to Google to keep their omnibox searches hidden from prying eyes -- but today's Chrome 25 beta update changes that. Now all searches are automatically encrypted, whether you're signed in or not. It's certainly not the first browser to implement such a security feature -- Firefox 14 switched to HTTPS for all searches last year -- but it's a welcome change all the same. With web voice recognition and security whitelists on the docket as well, the latest version of Chrome is setting up to be quite the must-have, especially for those who want to keep their Justin Bieber search results to themselves.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Chromium Blog

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Metamaterial camera needs no lens, could herald cheaper imaging tech

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/19/metamaterial-imaging-sensor/

Metamaterials are proving to be quite useful for toying with the electromagnetic spectrum, whether for technology previously thought to be the stuff of science fiction, or for boring real-world applications. Engineers at Duke University have come up something that falls more into the latter category: a metamaterial imaging sensor that doesn't require a lens to generate a picture. The sensor is a flexible copper-plated sheet patterned with small squares that capture various light frequencies all at once, functioning like one big aperture. Add a few circuits with a pinch of software and the sensor-only camera can produce up to ten images per second, but the catch is Duke's only works at microwave frequencies. Microwave imaging is used plenty, however, and due to its flexibility and lack of moving parts, the sensor could be used to build better integrated, cheaper airport scanners and vehicle collision avoidance technology -- making you safer however you choose to travel. Unless you take the train. Then you're on your own.

Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Science, Alt

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Science, Duke University

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Researchers Develop a New Material Giving LEDs a Warm Nostalgic Glow

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5977042/researchers-develop-a-new-material-giving-leds-a-warm-nostalgic-glow

Having spent over a half-century living under the warm glow of incandescent light bulbs, it's understandable that consumers haven't been keen on adopting the cold bluish light emitted by energy-efficient CFL and LED bulbs. But researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new single phosphor coating that finally lets LEDs produce that warm nostalgic glow we all know and love.

Past efforts to tweak the color of light emitted from a blue LED have involved coating it with a mixture of different phosphors to shift its hue towards the warmer end of the color spectrum. But as the LED heats and cools, its color can vary over time as the different chemicals respond to the temperature changes. So taking a slightly different approach, the University of Georgia researchers have managed to create a single phospor that does the same thing, by combining europium oxide, aluminum oxide, barium oxide, and graphite powders in a vacuum furnace heated to 2,642 degrees Fahrenheit.

The resulting material is able to produce a warm glow when encapsulated around a blue LED, but unfortunately it's not quite ready for primetime just yet. The current manufacturing process is complex and finicky, and the resulting LED bulbs are actually not quite as efficient as what's currently available in stores. But the research certainly has the potential to finally cast LEDs in a better light for consumers. [University of Georgia]

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Google experiments with hardware-based authentication, envisions passwordless future

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/google-experiments-with-hardware-based-authentication/

2012 was not a great year for security. From the "epic hack" of Wired's Mat Honan to the breach of Dropbox and the breakdown of barriers at Blizzard (not to mention countless smaller incidents), last year held frequent reminders that what you put online is never truly safe. Google has, in the wake of such public failings, began pushing its two-factor authentication with a pretty heavy hand. But even that system has its short comings, and Mountain V! iew is l ooking for ways to shore up users' accounts. In particular the web giant is exploring hardware authentication options and experimenting with a device called YubiKey -- a USB-based token system. The research will be unveiled in a paper being published later this month in IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, and includes preliminary work on a protocol for using a hardware device to unlock an online account. If carrying around and jacking in a USB key sounds too cumbersome, fear not. Google is also working on a wireless version of the platform that could be embedded in a cellphone or even a piece of jewelry like a ring. We may never ditch the password entirely, but we can hope.

Filed under: Misc, Google

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Source: Wired, IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine

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BlackBerry 10's voice control shows off its Germanic speaking skills (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/blackberry-10-voice-control-video/

Seen enough of BB10 yet? Neither have we, and we can now add voice control to the list of leaked previews that includes the camera app, Twitter and Google Talk integration. The folks at Telekom Presse are the ones with the latest leak, showing off a Z10 handset and its onboard voice controls, along with a demo of BB10's keyboard and mapping app via web video today. The clip shows the Z10 taking SMS dictation, calling contacts, and playing music -- and it appears to take all those verbal German commands in stride, though we can't say how well it'll deal with less literal languages. We'll let you watch the video after the break to draw your own conclusions, but it's safe to say it looks like BB10 has its answer for Siri and Google Now.

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Via: Crackberry

Source: Tel! ekom Pre sse

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with Sprint-friendly LTE visits FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-spint-lte-fcc/

Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 made a quick stop-over at the FCC with 4G for Verizon shortly before making its trip to Big Red official, and it now seems a Sprint variant has a similar itinerary. A Samsung slate bearing the model number SPH-P600 has just crossed Uncle Sam's inspection tables with support for Sprint's Band 25 LTE and HSPA connectivity over the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands. In addition, the expected WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 tag along with the hardware. Sprint and Samsung haven't announced anything about the tab arriving on the Now Network, but we suspect such news isn't far off with the hardware already sporting the FCC's stamp of approval.

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung, Sprint

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Source: FCC

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'User friendly' XBMC for Android build rolls out for set-top boxes and mobile devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/xbmc-for-android/

If you've been waiting to try out XBMC on your Android, it appears now is the time. While beta and nightly builds were already available, the team behind it has finally readied a release it says is "end user friendly," ready to run on most any device. It achieves that feat by offloading video player duties to another app, in this case MX Player, in order to get around XBMC's lack of hardware support for many devices. After sideloading the two necessary APKs we were able to get it up and running without any trouble, tossing in add-ins and playing back locally stored media without a problem. There's a video to go along with the release (embedded after the break) but installing it yourself is probably the best way to get a feel for its video, picture and audio playback abilities.

Gallery: XBMC for Android

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: XBMC for Android

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TSMC to triple 28nm chip shipment this year, asserts confidence in 20nm demand

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/18/tsmc-28nm-process-2013/

At yesterday's investor meeting in Taipei, TSMC's chairman and CEO Morris Chang shared the good news that his company's 28nm chip shipment this year will triple that of last year, which should boost its annual increase in revenue to above the industry's average rate of seven percent. China Times reports that orders for TSMC's 28nm silicon are lined up to as far out as late Q3, courtesy of demand for ARM processors, baseband chips, graphics processors and x86 processors. This is no surprise considering the likes of Qualcomm (Snapdragon 600 and 800), Huawei (HiSilicon K3V2 Pro and K3V3), NVIDIA (Tegra 4), AMD (Temash and Kabini) and possibly Apple will be ordering more 28nm-based chipsets from the foundry throughout the year. TSMC did struggle with its 28nm supply for Qualcomm early last year, but it eventually caught up later on, and Chang stated that TSMC now owns nearly 100 percent of the 28nm process market.

Looking further ahead, Chang said his company's already seen enough clients and demand for the upcoming 20nm manufacturing process, which should have a more significant financial contribution in 2014. The exec also predicted that at TSMC, its 20nm production will see a bigger growth rate between 2014 and 2015 than its 28nm counterpart did between 2012 and 2013 -! - the fo rmer should eventually nab close to 90 percent of the market, said Chang.

[Image credit: TSMC]

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Via: The Next Web

Source: China Times (translated), MoneyDJ (translated)

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