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It’s not exactly a secret that Facebook is a breeding ground for viral scams. With close to 700 million users — many of whom are unwary and not-so-computer-savvy — the social networking site provides ample opportunity for cybercriminals to hawk their (mal)wares. Most of the time, the scammy links which go viral on Facebook are […]

The set-top box maker says Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio will make a showing on its devices. An Angry Birds video channel will also launch.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

It’ll be a little while before Windows Phone 7 Mango phones pop up in the shops, but here at Computex, Acer decided to give us a little tease with a mockup of its upcoming W4 handset. Before you get all excited, though, the hardware specs are pretty yawn-inducing: there’s a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 display of unknown type, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 CPU, up to 8GB of storage, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, and DLNA support. Hardly anything new here, which is a surprise given that we’re looking at a Mango device — a phone to be shipped with a major WP7 refresh.

Anyhow, you’ll also find the usual radios like 802.11 b/g/n plus Bluetooth 2.1 here, but interestingly enough, it looks like the W4 will be coming in two SKUs: one with HSPA 850 / 1900, and one with HSPA 900 / 2100 — obviously a potential problem for globetrotters. As for look and feel the W4’s well within the comfort zone of Acer’s smartphone ID, and the curved back felt nice and solid in our hands, but we shall save our final judgement for the real deal. When we hear a release date, you’ll know it as soon as we do.

Continue reading Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on (video)

Acer W4 Windows Phone Mango handset eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memorex eases the absurd, old-fashioned pain of carrying around games on removable cartridges

Memorex, once famous for making audio cassettes and video tapes, has just announced a clever accessory for Nintendo’s DS lineup. The Universal Game Selector Case snuggles up to the back the handheld console and extends an appendage into its game-cartridge hole. You then slot three game carts into the slots on the back and you can swap between them instantly at the flick of a switch.

You know how you can quickly change between games on your iPhone or iPod Touch without swapping in hardware? It’s just like that! (Only with just three games).

The case/dongle fits any DS — the DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL and the new 3DS — and requires no battery. It’s a clever solution for carrying around your spare games, with a very convenient twist. And it costs just $20, which might be worth it just to stop the kids from losing their $25 carts.

Universal Game Selector press release [Memorex]

See Also:

• Indestructible CDs and Other Tech Promises That Were Never Kept …
• Sony Announces the Death of the Floppy Disk
• A Zip Drive For Your Dreamcast?
• 5 Obsolete Storage Formats

As seems to be the case each year, one or two stars show up to demonstrate new technology here at the All Things D ‘Science Fair,’ and it just so happens that a pair from the University of Pennsylvania are soaking up the limelight this go ’round. uBeam’s the company, and based on what we saw at D9, we’re guessing that you’ll be hearing an awful lot more from the duo in the coming months. The company’s mission is to provide wireless power — hardly a new concept, but it’s all sorts of refreshing to see what’s often thought of as a pipe dream get an injection of reality. The outfit is literally comprised of two people for the moment, with the prototype shown here concocted just a few weeks ago.

The goal? To get uBeam transmitters installed in as many locales as possible, and then to hit critical mass from a device standpoint. Imagine walking into a restaurant with uBeam transmitters in the ceiling, and watching your handset magically recharge as you await your appetizer. Granted, the outfit’s a long way from that — its first product will be a small charging puck that’ll connect to a bevy of USB devices. That’ll pair with an enterprise or consumer-level transmitter, a device that will ideally be situated in a ceiling. For now, things are strictly line-of-sight, but the shipping system will be able to detect a uBeam puck in the room and charge it if it’s anywhere within a 20 to 30 foot radius. We’re told that the consumer version will be suitable for piping power to just a handful of devices, whereas the enterprise build will be able to juice up an undisclosed amount more. Care to learn more? Head on past the break.

Continue reading uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on)

uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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