Hasta La Gadget!

We’d already heard before that in the wake of the Apple Maps iOS 6 fiasco, Google was plotting its own app for iOS to launch before the end of the year. The Wall Street Journal reports that the app is in the polishing stages, and that it will soon be submitted for approval to Apple. More »

These new Zai Laisa skis are so beautiful, I want to ditch everything and hit the slopes right now. Except it’s still November, I’m still at work, and there isn’t any snow in upstate New York. But even as a snowboarder, I’m lusting after this pair. More »

It’s time to take a peek at the Samsung Galaxy Camera once again, this time in its final form straight out of the crate, the shipping materials, the box inside a box, and the wrapping. This device is essentially a two-in-one device, with all the looks and functions of a digital camera but with the ability to connect via a SIM card and use all manner of Android apps with the giant 4.8-inch HD touchscreen display on the back. Here in its final form we’re ready for some sweet high definition action as well as full Android app control.

The device is ready to rock right out of the box, with its pop-up flash and full 21x optical zoom, 16-megapixel camera up front. Normally we’d say that the camera on this side of the device is on the “back” of a smartphone, but because this device is first and foremost a camera, it’s now the front. The “back” then brings on a brand new user interface built on Android – but here with a mind for photography.

The user interface is quote different from what you’re going to see on a Samsung Galaxy S III with a brand new interpretation of Android allowing you to quickly access mainly photography-centered apps easily. The apps you’re using here we’ll be having a closer look at in the full review, of course. For now we can say this: they’re just as impressive as they were way back at IFA 2012 when we got our first look at this device.

This device has extremely simple physical controls around its sides and a single speaker on one side. Samsung certainly expect you to be using the touchscreen interface here primarily with only the most basic reliance on the physical buttons – as it is with a smartphone. Note also that this isn’t a device that’s mean to replace your smartphone, instead acting as a replacement for your everyday point-and-shoot camera.

Now we’ve got to decide if it makes sense to add another device to our pockets since we’ve been using nothing but the smartphone for such things for some time – we’ll see!

Samsung Galaxy Camera hands-on and unboxing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

4G LTE might be a thing of beauty for mobile users who love a good and fast internet connection while on the road, but according to a document filed with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a laptop and a software-defined radio unit costing about $650 is all it takes to take down a 4G network within a reasonably-size radius.

It turns out that every mobile phone grid is vulnerable to this technique, including FirstNet, which is the emergency communications network that was designed and implemented after 9/11, but 4G networks are said to be especially vulnerable to the hack. The authors of the document say that “it’s relatively easy to do” by anyone with basic communications engineering skills, and if you were to spend just a bit more on a cheap power amplifier, you could take down a region as large as the state of New York.

If 4G LTE networks were to be compromised, existing 3G and 2G networks would still operate, but seeing how these older network technologies are gradually being phased out, there soon won’t be a backup for a downed 4G network. Of course, any radio frequency can be “jammed” if a transmitter sends a signal at the same frequency with enough power, but knowing that it can happen to a 4G LTE network across an entire state is a little disconcerting.

While the authors say that anyone could do this, it would require technical knowledge of the complexity of the LTE standard. However, those standards are actually openly published, which means that “any communications engineer would be able to figure this stuff out.” And all they would need is less than $1,000 to make it happen. Both Qualcomm and Ericsson, which are companies heavily invested in LTE networks, have yet to comment on the matter.

[via Technology Review]

4G LTE networks vulnerable to easy takedown hack is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NEW YORK — The looming fiscal cliff could mean colleges and universities around the country — both public and private — will lose billions of dollars they previously received from the federal government. As the deadline approaches, presidents of the institutions are nervously watching for a solution from Congress.

“I’m very worried about it,” said James Barker, president of Clemson University in South Carolina. “It’s keeping me awake — honestly — it’s keeping me awake at night.”

As detailed in a report released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, the sequestration’s 8.2 percent across-the-board cut for domestic discretionary programs and 7.6 percent cut for mandatory spending programs would impact several funding streams that are critical for universities, including sources of scholarship programs and research grants.

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