Jan 26
With the rise of Android smartphones, which tend to have bigger screens than iPhones, CNET asked readers whether they felt Apple should make the next iPhone 5’s screen larger. 60 percent said Apple should.
Jan 26
With claims like “360-degree omni-directional sound,” “stronger bass,” and “optimized digital amplifiers,” it’s hard not to notice Razer’s new portable gaming speakers.
Jan 26
We’ll be the first to admit that there’s not a lot of tech in use here — this is the story of a man using techniques that are hundreds of years old. Still, it’s a mesmerizing glimpse into the creation of art with a hugely useful purpose: glass eyes. The video below is a study of Jost Haas, a Londoner who shapes each orb by hand, said to be the last man in Britain who still manufactures them this way. It’s a 16mm film shot by Ben Todd and, if you like, you can consider this your five minutes and three seconds of zen for the day.
Update: Loudmouthman was kind enough to share this link that contains another video of Mr. Haas in action plus some further information from one of the recipients of his work.
Continue reading Visualized: the last glass eye maker in Britain
Visualized: the last glass eye maker in Britain originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 26
We don’t know much about the four new Galaxy smartphones Samsung announced, but we’ll find out plenty about these global releases by Mobile World Congress next month in Barcelona.
Originally posted at Dialed In
Jan 26
Lawmakers in California, Virginia, and Oregon are proposing various bans on mobile devices, while New York considers banning the use of electronic devices while crossing streets.
Originally posted at News – Health Tech
Jan 26
Acer debuts education-minded Aspire One E100 with Android and Windows
Posted in: Android, education, netbook, Today's Chili, Windows
Acer’s been doing the dual-boot, Android / Windows thing on some of its netbooks for a little while now, but it looks to be branching out into a bit of new territory with its new Aspire One E100 model. It’s more or less the same as the D255, but Acer is pitching this one directly at the education market, and it’s added some things like a special rubber coating and the potential for school branding — not to mention a slew of pre-installed education software — to make it a bit more attractive to schools and students alike. Otherwise, you can expect the usual 10.1-inch display, an unspecified Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a promised eight hours of battery life.
Acer debuts education-minded Aspire One E100 with Android and Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 26
Hack brings USB tethering to HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, Dell Venue Pro
Posted in: hack, Microsoft, mobile broadband, mobile internet, mobile os, MobileBroadband, MobileInternet, MobileOs, mod, Today's Chili, usb, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7, wwan
Cutting through the back and forth surrounding Windows Phone 7 tethering are two new hacks, with one being markedly easier than the other to implement. After discovering the option in Samsung’s Focus and Omnia 7 late last year, engineering minds over at xda-developers have now uncovered a method to allow USB internet tethering on HTC’s smattering of Windows Phone 7 handsets. Unfortunately, you’ll need to unlock your device before any of this will work, but the case is definitely different for Dell’s Venue Pro. For that one, you’ll simply need to modify the .INF file — no unlock required. Hit the links below for the devilish details, and try not to set up a P2P farm using your phone’s 3G connection. We hear carriers are none too fond of that foolhardiness.
[Thanks, Lake]
Hack brings USB tethering to HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, Dell Venue Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 26
Molecular Cuisine Starter Kit Teaches You What Xanthan Gum Is
Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, science, Tech Toys, Today's ChiliYou’ve seen them as ingredients in your favorite foods and sauces: Agar-Agar, Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, but you’ve never really figured out what they are, where they come from, and what they do. With the Molecular Cuisine Starter Kit from ThinkGeek, you have the opportunity to get started with the science behind molecular gastronomy and how you can apply those principles to make tasty eats.
Molecular gastronomy is the science of understanding the relationships between chemicals used in or created by cooking. Chefs and scientists alike then use that knowledge to tweak their dishes to come up with new and interesting things, like foams that taste like beets or semi-solid bubbles that taste like balsamic vinegar.
The Molecular Cuisine Starter Kit comes with five sets of additives that each have different properties, the necessary tools to get dirty in the kitchen, and a DVD with recipes and demonstrations so you’re not flying blind when you open the box. It’s available now for $69.99 list price.
Jan 26
Apple’s New Security Chief Has a Master’s in Information Warfare
Posted in: Apple, security, Today's Chili
As Apple’s reach expands beyond desktops and laptops and into your bags and pockets thanks to the iPhone and iPad, it’s natural to expect the company to spend some time focusing on security, and making sure their products are as secure as they can be. That explains why Apple decided to hire a new Director of Global Security.
Still, the hiring process at Apple must be pretty stringent, since David Rice, the man they decided on for the job, not only worked at the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Global Network Vulnerability Analyst, but graduated from the US Naval Academy with a Master’s Degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering, and served in the Navy as a Special Duty Cryptologic Officer.
Along with those impressive credentials, Rice is also the author of “Geekonomics,” a book on why companies should focus on making sure their software products are secure. What Rice’s duties will be when he’s onboard at Apple aren’t clear, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever be really public, but one thing is for sure: you can’t say the company isn’t taking security seriously.
[via SlashGear]
Jan 26
Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK preview goes live
Posted in: Android, breaking news, BreakingNews, Google, honeycomb, sdk, Today's Chili
It’s still going to be a little bit before you can get your hands on a Xoom, but if you’d like to start playing with the Honeycomb SDK right now — and hey, developers, we’d encourage you to do just that — Google’s now made it possible. A version of the Android 3.0 SDK billed as a “preview” is now available for download, featuring “non-final” APIs and system images that will help would-be Android tablet devs get their feet wet as they prepare for an inevitable onslaught of these things over the next few months. So go on, get it while the gettin’s good.
Among the more delicious promises from Google are tablet-specific UI elements like “richer” widgets and notifications, a built-in GL renderer that permits GPU acceleration of both 2D and 3D visuals, and support for multicore processor architectures. Yay for making the most out of the available hardware.
[Thanks, D]
Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK preview goes live originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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