Hasta La Gadget!

Thought Google had a mountain-sized stack of your up close and personal online habits? Think again, because the omnipresent search king’s all-seeing eyes are nothing compared to the Chinese government, which recently enacted stricter regulations to identify free WiFi users. The government-issued monitoring software will cost the cafes and restaurants it targets $3,100, putting small business owners in a sticky situation — pay up, or shut down the free surfing. An informal survey conducted by the New York Times found not one owner willing to bow to the Republic’s pressure, citing the out-of-pocket cost and low number of actual users. It’s possible the move to clamp down on anonymous browsing was spurred by recent youth-embraced, social networking-backed uprisings, like the one in Cairo earlier this year. Seems a loophole in China’s net management policy allows “laptop- and iPad-owning colleges students and expatriates” — the very same group behind recent revolts — to go online undetected. It remains to be seen if the Communist Party will make this new measure widespread, or just restrict it to central Beijing. For their sake, we echo one owner’s hope that “official fervor [will]… soon die down.”

Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Plant a photo, watch it grow.” Photovine’s tagline is just as catchy as the concept behind its launch — a mobile app-based picture sharing service that groups images together using common photo-driven themes. These groupings, called vines, let you connect with strangers while sharing photos of everyday items that you wouldn’t otherwise have any interest in photographing. You can have a vine focused on Swingline staplers, or magazine covers, or bottle caps. But as clever as this concept may seem, it’s difficult to ignore Piictu, which budded several months before the Google app. It’s certainly not uncommon for duplicate services to sprout, all based on the same underlying concept. But Photovine doesn’t stop there — the app’s design is also remarkably similar to Piictu, down to page layouts and even main category tabs. For Piictu’s “Following” tab, Photovine has “Watching.” Piictu’s “Latest” section is matched with “Fresh,” and Photovine didn’t even bother searching for a synonym for “Popular,” which you’ll find in both apps. Jump past the break for a deeper look, along with statements from the makers of both apps.

Continue reading Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu?

Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, Brian]

Continue reading Microsoft leaks Tulalip internal project, planning to launch social search… thing?

Microsoft leaks Tulalip internal project, planning to launch social search… thing? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Were you all jazzed up and ready to plant your first Photovine, only to have those gardening dreams crushed by a barren three page teaser? El Goog’s Slide team isn’t quite ready for you to grab that spade, but it is willing to transcribe your digits for the service’s soft launch later this month. Judging by the brief demo, vines begin like a game of photo-sharing telephone: what starts as an innocent photograph of a “warm and fuzzy” pup, can easily transcend into friends sharing an equally snug and furry man. Sound like a party? See for yourself beyond the fold, and don’t forget to hit the source link to join the queue.

Continue reading Google’s Photovine sprouts official teaser, begins rollout later this month (video)

Google’s Photovine sprouts official teaser, begins rollout later this month (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following the usual leak + wait-and-see saga, AT&T has today confirmed that it’ll be the exclusive home to one half of HTC’s Facebook-infused duo. The so-called Status will be making its way onto Ma Bell’s airwaves on July 17th, with eager social networkers able to get their pre-orders in today. It’ll sell for $49.99 on a two-year agreement, with that tally netting you a dedicated Facebook “Share” button that’ll allow photos / videos /websites to be instantly uploaded to your account. We’re also told that it’ll ship with Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) onboard, with an “enhanced version” of HTC’s Sense overlay. Other specs include a 5 megapixel camera (with autofocus and LED flash), a 2.6-inch touch panel, 480 x 320 screen resolution and capacitive navigation buttons. Oh, and if you’re uninterested in the hue you see about, Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores will feature an exclusive mauve edition in due time. Fancy.

Continue reading HTC Status ships July 17th, currently in a pre-order relationship with AT&T

HTC Status ships July 17th, currently in a pre-order relationship with AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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