PE Secure External Hard Drive Locks Down Your Secret Files

There are plenty of ways to secure your ahem naughty files, from using hidden folders and strange names, but if you’re really paranoid, you might have to do even more. The PE Secure Hard Drive takes securing your files to the next level, going beyond password and encryption technologies.

pe external secure hard drive

Jae-Hoon Lee designed this hard drive enclosure and it was designed to protect the hardware itself from getting into the wrong hands. It was inspired by “old school” security like padlocks and combination locks. The PE External Hard Drive will secure your data by toughening the hardware itself. The device would add a physical combination lock, partnered with an app, that will increase the security of your data.

pe external secure hard drive portable

For now, this hard drive is just a concept, but I could definitely see something like this being made.

pe external secure hard drive design

[via Yanko Design]

Wikipad in miniature: 7-inch gaming tablet to debut in spring for $249, 10.1-inch sees further delay

Wikipad in miniature 7inch gaming tablet to debut in spring for $249, 101inch sees further delay

When a company delays a product for “minor refinement,” we typically expect to see small changes that contribute to a stronger overall product. That wasn’t Wikipad’s approach — when it took its namesake gaming tablet into the lab for “minor” tweaks, it took a few inches off its screen size. The Wikipad is now a 7-inch tablet, slated to launch in spring for $249. It’s smaller, the company says, but no less powerful — it’s keeping the Tegra 3 GPU the original build promised, not to mention 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 16GB of Flash memory, a 2-megapixel front facing camera and a 1,280 x 800 resolution display.

Wikipad’s President of sales, Fraser Townley, told us the gamepad design hasn’t changed much either. “We took the pinball wizard approach,” he said. “We made everybody in the room shut their eyes, and try the controllers. It’s not about the look, it’s about the feel. Once we got the feel right, then we could worry about the look. That’s how the ten inch was born, and that’s how the seven inch stayed the same.” The attachment boasts new buttons (now labeled a, b, x and y) with a chrome finish, but seems otherwise unchanged. Wikipad is mum on specific availability, but we’re told we can expect to hear more after Chinese New Year. As the 10.1-inch original design? It’s still coming, but Townley couldn’t it narrow it down further than “before Christmas.” Read on for Wikipad’s official press announcement, or click here to find out how the tablet was cut down to size.

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Next Xbox Will Reportedly Have Siri-Style Natural Language Input

Image (1) xbox-360-new.jpg for post 322889

One of the most-rumored features of the mythical Apple television set is Siri integration that would allow you to naturally ask questions and issue commands to your TV, but Microsoft may beat Apple to the punch, if a new report from The Verge is accurate. Microsoft already has some voice features built into the current generation Xbox, but the next-gen console will get much-improved abilities including natural language processing powers, the report claims.

New voice-based abilities include the option to wake the new Xbox from sleep mode with an “Xbox on” command, as well as a system that can use Kinect to detect people in the room and offer up multiplayer game suggestions. Users can also query the new Xbox to ask it what their friends are currently playing, tell it to pick up playing a movie where it was last left off and more. The new system will also be much better at vocalizing responses to voice-based user input, according to the report, which should make the overall experience feel much more like an ordinary conversation.

Natural language input for Smart TV platforms is a trend that’s just starting to find its sea legs. The tech was discussed at CES this year by many CE companies including LG as part of their upcoming or shipping platforms, and language processing industry leader Nuance launched its Dragon TV platform last year at CES, to be offered up for integration into OEM hardware and cable/satellite services that want to start building in NLP functionality.

Microsoft is clearly interested in more than just games with the Xbox, and the next generation version of that console will probably take its efforts to be the locus of the living room further still. Building a Siri-like experience into that platform is one way to increase its value proposition over competing, more affordable devices like the Roku and current Apple TV, for users who might not be so interested in the gaming side of the equation.

We’ll see the next Xbox at E3 this year, but also possibly before if Verge’s sources are correct, at an event similar to the one Sony is holding on February 20th in NYC. Both consoles are also expected to make their official commercial debuts later this year, in time for the holiday shopping season.

FreedomPop raises $4.3 million in additional funding, lets users share data

Wireless provider FreedomPop, which offers free data to smartphone users, has announced additional funding of $4.3 million in order to bolster up its network and provide customers with more features. Case in point: the company announced that users will now be able share data with one another, whether they’re friends, family members, or just acquaintances.

FreedomPop_logo

FreedomPop’s new data sharing program allows you to share or trade megabytes almost like a currency of sorts, and will allow you request megabytes through Facebook or Twitter from users who are willing to hand them over. Purchasing the $99 iPhone/iPod Touch sleeve will get you 500MB per month, but if you need more, your social friends may help you out this time around.

As for the additional funding, the company says that the extra cash will help them continue to come up with new plans and social features that users will enjoy. The company outed the ability to boost the amount of free data each user gets for referring a friend to FreedomPop, a system that will not only reward users, but will also gain customers for FreedomPop.

FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols says that the company plans to do “very little” hardware development, and instead will focus on getting more customers and adding new features to their service. Stokols says that “hundreds of thousands” of users have signed up for FreedomPop so far, and the program is still in beta mode, so once the service launches publicly nationwide, we should see a huge surge of users make their way to FreedomPop.


FreedomPop raises $4.3 million in additional funding, lets users share data is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Form 1 3D Printer Goes Into Production, First Batch Scheduled For Delivery In Late April

formlabs

After experiencing a roller coaster pre-production period, the folks over at FormLabs have announced that the Form 1 3D-printer is entering into full production.

The “large majority” of Kickstarter orders set for delivery by the end of April. They’ve purchased enough components to build out over 1,000 Form 1 3D printers.

The company first launched the Form 1 on Kickstarter to an awesome reception, scoring over $2.9 million in pre-orders after asking for a mere $100k.

But before the company could begin production, it was hit with a patent infringement lawsuit from 3D Systems, which also accused Kickstarter of promoting the allegedly infringing product.

FormLabs pressed on, and is now ready to begin full production of the 3D printer.

FormLabs claims that it can offer better accuracy than competitive 3D printing offerings, like the Makerbot, at a similar price.

According to FormLabs, the team will begin by vigorously testing the first small batch of Form 1 printers. After that, the company plans on setting exact ship dates.

TI-Nspire rethinks the graphing calculator for the iPad (video)

TI rethinks the graphing calculator with TINspire for iPad video

With tablets slowly working their way into the classroom, it wasn’t a huge stretch to realize that Texas Instruments would bring a graphing calculator app to the table, but would you believe its solution is just hours away? The company has revealed TI-Nspire for the iPad, which is currently available within the App Store for those in Australia. Beyond problem solving, the product is said to provide an interactive experience that should be helpful for reinforcing mathematical concepts. Depending on your needs and curriculum, you’ll find numerical and symbolic (CAS) versions of the TI-Nspire app, both of which cost $29.99. Yes, the app’s a bit pricey, but it’s not surprising given the insane profit margins of TI’s graphing calculator biz. Hop the break for a better peek of the app that might just become required within classrooms.

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Via: TI-Planet

Beat By Dre: The Exclusive Inside Story of How Monster Lost the World

There’s never been anything like Beats By Dre. The bulky rainbow headphones are a gaudy staple of malls, planes, clubs, and sidewalks everywhere: as mammoth, beloved, and expensive as their namesake. But Dr. Dre didn’t just hatch the flashy lineup from his freight train chest: The venture began as an unlikely partnership between a record-industry powerhouse and a boutique audio company best known for making overpriced HDMI cables. More »

OUYA to release new console every year

It looks like the OUYA will see an upgrade each year. At the 2013 DICE Summit, OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman said that they want to follow a strategy similar to the mobile industry, where manufacturers release new phones each year. However, instead of releasing a brand-new console each year, the OUYA will get upgraded components at the same price of $99.

ouya_tweaked_controller-580x4211

Uhrman said that the updated yearly consoles will “take advantage of faster, better processors,” thanks to the decline of component prices every year. However, it seems that the yearly console will get a naming scheme instead of simply remaining the “OUYA.” Uhrman says that each new console will be the “OUYA 2,” OUYA 3,” and so on.

However, Uhrman assures gamers that all games will be compatible with all the consoles, meaning that you don’t have to worry about an older game not working on a newer console. This is certainly great news for gamers, but since the OUYA won’t see a release cycle like all the other gaming consoles, one may worry about futureproofing, and the minute they buy an OUYA, it’ll be obsolete within a year, something that other console gamers don’t need to worry about.

In any case, the OUYA should be a huge it when it release to the public in a few months. In fact, it’s already been a huge hit. The Kickstarter campaign collected almost $8.6 million, absolutely shattering its original goal. This first OUYA comes with a quad-core A9 Tegra 3 clocked at 1.6GHz, so if the company sticks with NVIDIA for future consoles, we could see them move to the Tegra 4 chip that we’ve been hearing a lot about recently.

[via Engadget]


OUYA to release new console every year is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nexus 7 WiFi + 3G model goes on sale in Japan February 9th

Nexus 7 WiFi  3G model goes on sale in Japan February 9th

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet will soon be freed from the tyranny of WiFi range in Japan, as the 32GB WiFi + 3G model (supporting W-CDMA and HSPA+ networks) is finally launching there this Saturday, aka February 9th. Nothing’s changed from the WiFi-only version apart from the additional micro-SIM slot, of course, and although there’s no confirmed pricing, it’s expected to cost 29,800 yen (around $318, a little more than in the US) when it pops up online. Given the rate at which new Nexus devices disappear from the Play store, those eager for one from the first batch should think about clearing their diaries, and adding “click refresh” to their weekend to-do list, a thousand times over.

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Source: Impress Watch (Japanese)

Apple Patents Image Identification Unlocking Method For iPhones And Macs

Apple buys AuthenTec

Apple had a new patent application published by the USPTO today, describing an unlocking method for digital devices that uses image identification to properly recognize an authorized user. The system would present a user with photographs from their iPhoto or iCloud collections, and then ask them to identify who or what the subject is in order to unlock the device. The item in question could also be an object or series of images.

The authentication process would work by displaying at least one image to be identified from the user’s library, though it could also display a number in succession if users are looking for more security. It’s highly likely that someone close to you will recognize another individual depicted in photos on your phone, for instance, but if you’re worried about granting access even to that inner circle of acquaintances, it becomes increasingly unlikely they’ll be able to identify each of a series of more than one picture.

Different means of input are also described in the patent, from a multiple selection list of choices for one-tap entry, to using an on-screen (on an iOS device) or physical keyboard (on a Mac) to type in the exact answer, to just speaking the name of the person or object aloud. Combined with voice recognition, you can see how the third option would provide yet another layer of added, personalized security, which would be very hard to beat via conventional machine-based security workaround tools.

If the system uses objects instead of people, the patent describes a process by which users would offer up unique, alternative nicknames for recognizable monuments and landmarks. So, for example, a picture of the Eiffel Tower could actually be linked to the phrase “The Big Stick.” Since no one else is likely to use quite the same idiosyncratic alternate names for highly recognizable objects, the system should remain fairly secure.

In most cases, Apple’s current passcode unlock system is probably sufficient for the needs of users, but should the company want to meet the needs of privacy sensitive users, a method like this that’s highly personal and hard to hack could be of considerable benefit.