Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been a while (four months, actually) since we’ve featured a camera in “IRL,” but today we’re breaking that dry spell as we explain what it’s like to live with Sony’s NEX-5N. Meanwhile, Mailplane 3 is great for Gmail power users (or so says Darren), but you’ll need to own a Mac — and, you know, feel OK spending $25 for the update.

Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Software

Comments

In each issue of Distro, Executive Editor Marc Perton publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.

There was a time when gearing up to go back to school meant little more than picking up a new backpack, some clothes and the latest HP calculator. Those days, of course, are long gone, and even fifth-graders can expect to start the school year with a new smartphone and laptop.

In this issue of Distro, Engadget’s annual back to school guide presents our latest recommendations for everything from tablets to TVs to gaming gear. And if you’re a US resident over 18 (sorry fifth-graders), there’s still time to enter our Back to School sweepstakes, where we’re giving away tons of great gadgets, including laptops, e-readers and smartphones.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Lavabit shut down its email services a couple weeks ago in response to governmental pressure regarding NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s account. At the time, founder Ladar Levison stated he was shutting down Lavabit because he didn’t want to “become complicit in crimes against the American people,” but didn’t expound upon what that statement meant due to a governmental gag order. The Guardian spoke with Levison recently, however, and while he still didn’t deliver details about his legal dealings with Uncle Sam, he did share some thoughts about governmental surveillance in general.

As you might expect, Levison is against ubiquitous governmental surveillance of communications between citizens. To that end, he’s calling for a change to be made in US law so that private and secure communications services can operate without being used as “listening posts for an American surveillance network.” He’s not wholly against the feds tapping phone lines, though, as he recognizes the role such surveillance plays in law enforcement. However, he thinks the methods that are being used to conduct that surveillance should be made public — not an unreasonable request, by any means. You can read Levison’s full take on the matter, along with a recounting of reasons behind Lavabit’s creation at the source below.

Filed under: Misc, Internet

Comments

Source: The Guardian

Luckily, most of us don’t have to think about the tangled infrastructure that keeps the internet ticking along. But, as profiled by Wired, that’s the obsession of the crew at CoreOS, who are building an operating system it ambitiously hopes will help make the web tidier and more nimble. It’s underpinned by Chrome OS, which the team aims to fork so that it can run every web service imaginable. That’d give smaller players in the web server game access to modular web infrastructure tech, like that used by Google on desktops and laptops with ChromeOS. It would also keep servers up-to-date automatically without the need to install brand new versions of an operating system — a peril-fraught hassle administrators often postpone as long as possible. If successful, the project could result in better server security, quicker response to evolving web technologies and less downtime. CoreOS is still early in its development, but the group has already sold another of its open source projects to cloud player Rackspace, and counts Linux kernal specialist Greg Kroah-Hartman among its collaborators. For more, check Wired’s in-depth take on it at the source.

[Image credit: Wired]

Filed under: Misc, Internet

Comments

Source: Wired

Word broke in late July that Google might launch Helpouts — a Hangout-based video platform where folks could charge for lending assistance over video — in about a month’s time. Like clockwork, Mountain View’s officially announced the platform, but it isn’t a free-for-all just yet. Page and Co. are inviting people with expertise in different topics to offer their services when the solution opens for business. The search giant has published a form allowing self-proclaimed experts to toss their hat in the ring for an invite, and lists categories including Arts and Music, Computers and Electronics, Cooking, Education, Fashion and Beauty, Fitness and Nutrition, Health and Counseling along with Home and Garden. Fittingly, Google’s own help documents for Helpouts have gone live as well, and they give us a few more details.

First, users will have to submit a listing for their services, which Google will review just before hanging out with them over video to get acquainted and ensure their live feed is in tip-top shape. If you’re a medical professional, you can offer your expert opinion to the masses as well, but Mountain View will confirm you’ve got the proper certificates and licenses in order. Once that’s done, interested customers will be able to check a pro’s availability and schedule appointments. Folks can offer their skills for free or charge for sessions, but both parties must use Google Wallet for the transaction, and Google will apply a 20 percent fee (yes, even with credit card payments). A launch date for Helpouts is MIA, but you can sign up to be notified and provide a helping hand at the source.

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google

Comments

Source: Google (1), (2)