Hasta La Gadget!

Windows Blue was the talk of the town last month when fellow tech site The Verge revealed that Microsoft’s next-generation operating system, presumable dubbed “Windows Blue,” is coming. Details were bleak, but at least we learned that its price will be much cheaper and that Microsoft will subsequently release software updates following its launch, much similar to what Apple is doing with Mac OS X. Today, the Windows Blue rumor is very much alive, as we are hearing reports of a Taiwanese forum member who was able to post more information about the elusive OS on the forum site PC Beta. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Currents Now Lets Users Scan Categories, Editions, & Breaking News, Venture Summit Silicon Valley by AlwaysOn – Live Video Streaming,

AT&T has proved to be the last of the four major carriers in the US to deliver the update that will showcase the Multi-Window split screen feature for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, where one is then able to multi-task in the real sense of the word, as you take full advantage of the 5.5” display on the Galaxy Note 2 to run two apps (or more) simultaneously. This particular update will arrive on the AT&T Galaxy Note 2 in the form of an Over The Air (OTA) update, so if you have yet to receive the update, fret not, these things do take time. Taking alI things into consideration, since you have already waited so long, why not be a little bit more patient and see when the OTA will arrive for you?

AT&T mentioned, “AT&T plans to begin rolling out a software update for Samsung Galaxy Note II customers that includes the Multi-Window feature, which allows the user to divide the screen into two active “windows” creating a split screen that enables fluid multitasking between applications. The update will be available for download over the air beginning Dec. 27.”

Don’t you just love the festive season?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean Update Confirmed, Jelly Bean Update For T-Mobile’s HTC One S In Beta Phase,

Sonos is the de facto choice for multi-room audio, but even some of its biggest proponents will grumble about the lack of built-in WiFi — going wireless in any way has meant tacking a Bridge on to the cost of an already expensive system. An FCC filing for an upcoming device, the Playbar, hints that common sense might have the upper hand. While there’s few details of the audio system itself, there’s explicit mentions of dual-band 802.11n WiFi inside. Just what that WiFi does is another matter. Sonos prefers using its proprietary network to cut back on lag and interference, so the Playbar’s additional wireless may extend functionality rather than simplify our lives. With approval out of the way, there’s a better chance we’ll know the full story in the near future.

Update: We’ve done some digging, and the WiFi may be more innocuous: Sonos’ proprietary network is actually WiFi that’s just invisible most of the time. Android users have access to settings that expose Sonos’ WiFi network and make it usable. As such, the Playbar may be more conventional than first thought, although its exact role in the home is still a mystery.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: FCC

When we think about achieving our weight loss goals, tactics like cutting the number of calories we consume likely come to mind. But what about spending less time in the car?

A new study from the University of Illinois shows that in addition to how many calories we eat, the amount of time we spend traveling by car each day instead of exercising may also be linked with our body mass index.

“The most important thing for people to learn from this study is that they have a choice,” study researcher Sheldon H. Jacobson, a professor of computer science and mathematics at the university, said in a statement. “One has to be just as careful about when you choose to drive as when you choose to eat. These small changes in our driving and dietary habits can lead to long-term significant changes in obesity issues. Those are the kind of changes we advocate.”

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The United States Geological Survey is poised to shut down the Landsat 5, an observational satellite that has been circling our fair planet since 1984. The announcement comes about 25 years after when the satellite was originally slated for deactivation. During its life span, Landsat 5 has taken over 2.5 million snapshots.

The satellite is being shut down due to a gyroscope that broke, which the USGS announced on December 21. The gyroscope cannot be repaired, and thus ends the Landsat 5′s long life. The satellite’s decommissioning won’t be instant, however, with the USGS stating that it will take place over most of 2013. The unit has made in excess of 150,000 trips around the Earth.

The Geological Survey’s Director Marcia McNutt offered this statement. “Any major event since 1984 that left a mark on this Earth larger than a football field was likely recorded by Landsat 5, whether it was a hurricane, a tsunami, a wildfire, deforestation, or an oil spill.” The Landsat legacy won’t die with the Landsat 5, however.

The USGS has another observational satellite in orbit, the Landsat 7, which was launched in 1999. Likewise, there are plans to launch another dubbed the Landsat 8 in February. The first Landsat satellite, the Landsat 1, was launched in July of 1972. Says Anne Castle of the Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, “This is the end of an era for a remarkable satellite, and the fact that it flew for almost three decades is a testament to the NASA engineers and the USGS team who launched it and kept it flying well beyond its expected lifetime.”

[via USGS]

Landsat 5, a satellite that has been observing Earth since 1984, to be shutdown is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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