Hasta La Gadget!

After the split, you’re left with an abandoned attic’s worth of stuff: on your phone and hard drive, in your inbox. It’s stuff that used to matter, and still does. It’s stuff that hurts. It’s stuff you loved. What do you do with it? More »

Google admitted that the company had mistakenly not deleted all of the data it collected from users throughout the UK, and as a result it breached an agreement to delete all the data by December 2010. The data may include emails and passwords that were collected through unencrypted WiFi networks from its Street View cars in cities all around the world in 2010.

Google contacted the UK Information Commissioner’s Office to mention that it had somehow still held on to some of the user data, which should have been deleted well over a year ago. The ICO released a statement saying that Google had been ordered to hand over the data immediately for forensic analysis before deciding what to do next.

“The ICO has always been clear that this should never have happened in the first place and the company’s failure to secure its deletion as promised is cause for concern,” a spokeswoman for the ICO said.

Other countries affected by the data controversy include Ireland, France, Norway, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Australia. In a letter to the ICO, Google asked how to proceed and stated that it would like to delete the data. Google has also gotten in touch with other data protection authorities around Europe to try to work on resolving the “hugely embarrassing” issue.

[via BBC]

Google under fire after failing to delete Street View data is written by Elise Moreau & originally posted on SlashGear.
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I am rather surprised to hear that Windows Phone 8 is certainly taking its own sweet time to make headway in new markets, with one of the main stumbling blocks being Windows Phone 8′s relatively poor language support. What you see on the right would be Arabic in Windows Phone 8, where there is the presence of the app list which comes from the left instead of the right. It might seem rather disorienting to some of us at first glance, but when you consider the nature of the Arabic language, it makes perfect sense. After all, Arabic reads from right to left, and hence the same format applies to options and icon indicators amongst others. Hopefully Arabic for Windows Phone 8 will be polished and ready to roll out sooner rather than later.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows Phone 8 SDK shows off upcoming features, Nokia to announce Windows Phone 8 devices at Nokia World?,

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Remote-controlled cameras are nothing new — heck, some even ride atop robotic vacuums — but this Android smartphone-powered device delivers quite a bit of versatility in a petite package with a reasonable price tag to boot. Botiful, a “social telepresence robot,” serves as a roving platform for your Android smartphone. You can move the handset (and its front-facing camera) up and down as it speeds along any flat surface, responding to commands from someone on the other end of a Skype video chat. Once you connect the device to your Android phone through Bluetooth or USB, you can control its direction from a pop-up window within Skype, letting you position Botiful however you see fit. If your Android phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera, you can flip it around to use the rear shooter — of course, you won’t be able to see the display in this configuration, so it won’t be ideal for two-way chats. Naturally, this makes the duo a natural choice for surveillance and baby monitoring, but it can also be used to provide a more immersive experience during conference calls or for sending back video from locations that aren’t easily accessible, such as the undercarriage of a car.

Designed in a garage in California (no, really), Botiful is already functional, with working software as well. The current configuration requires Skype for control, though an SDK will allow developers to create other control apps for the device — and who knows, the seemingly capable inventor could release another tool of her own before it’s set to hit production later this year. With much of the design already completed, the project sponsor is turning to Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to launch Botiful to production — the device could ship as soon as November if it reaches a $90,000 goal before August 22nd. Available in white, blue or red, the remote-controlled rig is currently only compatible with Android, though iOS support may come if funding exceeds a $100k threshold. There’s still more than three weeks to go to make your pledge, with a limited number of pre-order slots available for $199 (retail pricing is expected to come in at $299). Hit up the source link below to show your support.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Botiful telepresence robot for Android (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Robots

Insert Coin: Botiful telepresence robot for Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier in the day, we talked about the Pantech Star Q, and while there are some disputes going around claiming that the Pantech Star Q is really the Pantech Marauder, I think that both handsets are different beasts. After all, the Marauder was touted to come with a 5-megapixel camera, while the Star Q has a 3-megapixel shooter at the back, so no prizes for guessing just which smartphone will come with the more capable camera. Both were said to feature a physical QWERTY keyboard, but I guess smartphones that come in such a form factor will get fewer and fewer in between, especially when you consider how the full touchscreen user interface is going to gobble up the way we use smartphones.

We also know that the Pantech Marauder will come with LTE connectivity, in addition to having it run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Sure, it is no Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but at the very least you know that Ice Cream Sandwich has its fair share of features and functions to keep you happy. There is no word on pricing as at press time although it does seem headed for Verizon, but we do hope to keep our keen senses peeled just in case we pick anything from the radar.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Pantech Star Q with QWERTY keyboard leaked, appears to be headed Verizon’s way, Pantech Vega S5 announced,