Thursday, July 31, 2014

Poochi the robot dog can talk with your 3DS (and play rock-paper-scissors)


You can count on Japan to perpetually push the idea of robot pets -- and some of us are okay with that. Poochi is the latest effort from Sega Toys, and it can interact with with a downloadable app / mini-game on Nintendo's 3DS. This particular robot pet series has been on sale in Japan (and the US) for several years, but this is a notable evolution: the blue and pink pet substitutes communicate with 3DSes wirelessly, translating yips and barks into, well, Japanese. It sings (the way a cartoon robot dog should), and can even play rock-paper-scissors with you if you're feeling particularly lonely. Courtesy of the 3DS connection, there's several more mini-games and even a Nintendogs-ish interaction screen -- which is kind of confusing when the dog's right in front of you in real life. Poochi has sensors on its back, nose and tail, and there's handy color indicators on its face to indicate how it's feeling. The robot (and companion app) launches today, priced at 6,000 yen -- around $58. We've added the (surprisingly intense) TV ad after the break. We're still waiting on an alpha-male version.



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Source: Nintendo (Japanese)


New malware can live inside any USB device undetected

USB Stick Key on KeyboardUSB Stick Key on Keyboard


It turns out that the stalwart USB thumbstick, or any universal serial bus device, isn't as trustworthy as once thought. A pair of security researchers has found we need to worry about more than just malware-infected files that are stored portable drives, and now need to guard against hacks built into our geek-stick's firmware according to Wired . The proof-of-concept malware Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell have created is invisible and installable on a USB device and can do everything from taking over a user's PC to hijacking the DNS settings for your browser. Or, if it's installed on a mobile device it can spy on your communications and send them to a remote location, similar to the NSA's Cottonmouth gadgets. If those don't worry you, perhaps that the "BadUSB" malware can infect any USB device -- including keyboards -- and wreak havoc, will. What's more, a simple reformat isn't enough to disinfect either, and the solution that Lell and Nohl suggest goes against the core of what many of us are used to doing.


The duo says that the only way around BadUSB is to more or less treat devices like hypodermic needles; trusting only those that have been used within our personal ecosystem and throwing away any that've come in contact with other computers. Hopefully you don't have a ton of untrustworthy Porsche sticks laying around.


[Image credit: Getty Images]


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Via: Gizmodo Australia


Source: Wired


Mars 2020 rover will give us a way to know the red planet better


NASA's been planning for the Mars 2020 rover for a long time now, back when Curiosity was just making its way to the red planet. Now, the agency has finally chosen seven scientific instruments that'll be equipped on the new rover out of the 58 proposals submitted by researchers from all over the globe. These instruments were chosen based on their potential to discover how humans can live off the extraterrestrial land by using the natural resources available, and also by their capacity to unearth any danger posed by Martian dust to future human explorers.


One of the scientific payloads is called Mastcam-Z, a camera with panoramic, stereoscopic and zoom abilities. Another called SuperCam can analyze the chemical and mineral composition of rocks, while the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) can determine the elemental composition of surface minerals. The third one called Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) uses UV light to detect organic compounds, while Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) will attempt to produce oxygen from Martian carbon dioxide. Then there's the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) that will monitor the environmental conditions on the planet, and finally, the Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Exploration (RIMFAX) equipped with a ground-penetrating radar that'll give us a glimpse of what's beneath the planet's surface.


All these equipment will cost $130 million to develop and will be the main difference between the upcoming rover and Curiosity, as Mars 2020's designed to look similar to the latter. Before NASA sends off Mars 2020, though, it still has to go through the InSight mission, which will explore Mars' interior in 2016. The agency still also has to find a way to keep communication between the planets going if it wants the new rover to be able to transmit data back home.


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Source: NASA


Apple decal sellers saw a tremendous spike in sales following 'Stickers' ad


Your worst fear, confirmed: Engadget's staff laptop of choice is the MacBook Air. Other than the massive checks we each personally receive from Apple (har har), it's our go-to laptop because it's light, fast, and great for the kind of work we do. It doesn't hurt that it looks sweet with stickers as well, of course. And after Apple highlighted users' proclivity for decking out their MBAs in a recent video (seen below), the world of laptop decal sellers was suddenly cast in the spotlight. That spotlight resulted in a lot of new buyers, according to a report on MacStories . Quite a few more, actually. One of the venders MacStories spoke with saw orders increase by 400 percent since the ad aired, and page views jumped from a typical 500 per day all the way up to a peak of some 4,500 last week. If you dug any of those stickers, well, our sister site TUAW searched out links for where to buy those 74 decals. And while a majority of those depicted are easily found online, for those that aren't, the site scoured Etsy and other places for suitable stand-ins. Now for the hard part: picking out the perfect decal.


Ben Gilbert contributed to this report



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Source: MacStories, TUAW


Wikipedia iOS app relaunches with mobile editing and a new design


Wikipedia recently revamped its app for Android, bringing the ability to edit articles and view random articles in the process. Starting today, those features are also available on iOS, with a new version of the official app available for download in the App Store. In addition to adding new functionality, the Wikimedia Foundation's overhauled the design, and it promises a better, faster navigation experience. Check it out for yourself via the source link below.


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Source: Wikimedia Blog, Wikipedia Mobile (iTunes Preview)


Engadget Daily: HTC Desire 816 review, the perks of being verified and more!


Today, we investigate the perks of being verified on social media, review the HTC Desire 816, look at Distiller's new social network for whiskey lovers and learn about the NFL's next-gen stat technology. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.



The perks of being 'somebody' online


Being verified on social media isn't just about proving your identity; it's also a status symbol. And while the perks of that blue check mark beside your name could be considered trivial, they're one of many indicators of online inequality.



Distiller builds a social network for whiskey lovers


Distiller's whiskey recommendation service just went social. With its brand-new iOS and Android app, you can enlist help from your friends while you search for the perfect bottle of spirits.



HTC Desire 816 review: A mid-range M8 let down by sluggish cameras


HTC's Desire 816 is almost a perfect mid-range LTE phablet, only to be let down by its erratically sluggish cameras. Otherwise, this $390 handset features a nicely curved metal body, beautiful display and plenty of power under the hood.



NFL players to wear shoulder pad RFIDs for on-field stats tracking


Get ready sports fans. The NFL is teaming up with Zebra Technologies for the "Next Gen Stats" initiative. Seventeen different stadiums will be outfitted with RFID receivers that track tags inside the shoulder pads of athletes, recording speed, acceleration and more.



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Facebook's Slingshot now keeps the convo going with reactions to reactions


It's been a little over a month since Facebook unleashed Slingshot, its stab at an ephemeral competitor to Snapchat, so it seems about the right time for it to get its first update. Slingshot, if you'll recall, is a unique messaging app that requires you to reciprocate before you get to see what your friends have sent you. Once you see that photo or video, you have the option of sending a reaction shot, which takes up half the screen and is already unlocked so you don't need to send a reply to view it. With the latest update, you can now react to those reaction shots -- as seen in the third screen shot above -- again, without any unlocking necessary.


Other updates to Slingshot include the introduction of My People, which is essentially a section of folks you're regularly slinging shots with. It's also now easier to find Slingshot buddies on Facebook and your phone's contacts. So if you weren't intrigued enough to try out Slingshot before, perhaps this new update will be enough to convince you to start slinging. You can download the latest version on both iOS and Android starting today.

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Source: Slingshot, App Store, Google Play


Sony's new Action Cam arrives stateside with SteadyShot and more for $200


Sony's stable of action cams just got a new option for thrill seekers in the US. The HDR-AS20 joins the outfit's HDR-AS100V and HDR-AS30V in capturing daring feats of whatever you fancy. This new model packs the company's SteadyShot image stabilization tech, Zeiss Tessar lens and 170-degree wide-angle views. As you might expect, built-in WiFi allows for control via iOS or Android device in additon to Sony's own live-view remote. In terms of detailed specs, there's a 16.8-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor capable of 1080/60p, 1080/30p and 720/30p footage and 11.9-megapixel stills. The usual USB, HDMI and microphone jacks are included, along with an on-board memory card slot for storage. As with previous releases, a waterproof case outfits the HDR-AS20 for expeditions at sea and a smattering of mounts can position the unit for the best footage -- up to 130 minutes between charges. Looking to take the plunge? $200 allows you to do just that when the compact gadget hits shelves in August.


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Source: Sony


To-do app Wunderlist gets a fresh coat of paint and real-time sync


The folks at 6Wunderkinder have been quite busy as of late, releasing version 2 of the Wunderlist productivity app on top of Pro and Business options for power users. Keeping up the pace, the third installment of the to-do list manager is rolling out with over 60 improvements in tow. Notable additions include a visual overhaul to clean up the UI, real-time sync (insures tasks will show up on all of your devices immediately) and public lists for widespread sharing. The latest version is now available for iOS, Android, Mac and on the web with an update for Windows pending for the recently-announced universal app option.


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Source: Wunderlist


WWE Network heading to 170 new countries next month

Newest Innovations In Consumer Technology On Display At 2014 International CES

Fans of professional wrestling seem to be enjoying WWE's new online network. The company announced during its most recent earnings report that it has 700,000 subscribers to date, which is a pretty great sum given the service's mere five-month existence, a relatively young history. But WWE doesn't want to stop there, and it plans to keep expanding its digital channel to more places. To do just that, WWE Network will be arriving in 170 new countries next month, on August 12th, including Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Singapore, Spain and the Nordic region. In addition to those, WWE revealed its video service is also headed to China, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand and UAE, but that further details about this won't be shared until later on. So, are you one of the subs? Let us know in the comments below, or feel free to hit up our forums and spark up a conversation about the WWE Network.


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Via: Variety


Source: WWE


Office for iPad updated with PDF export, third-party fonts and video playback support


Microsoft's iPad version of Office is pretty sleek, but it isn't perfect: it has limited print and export functions and just isn't as robust as its desktop counterpart. Slowly but surely, Redmond is changing that -- today the company announced a few notable updates to the tablet-based office suite, including PDF exports, wider font capability and a small collection of advanced Excel features.

Much of the update consists of simple, small things that will make the average user's life easier. The share button, for instance, now allows all users (even non-subscribers) to export documents to PDF, and fonts downloaded through the iOS AppStore are now instantly recognized and usable in document editing. Printing options have been expanded too, and now allows users to choose from more scaling and paper sizes. Some of the more interesting features are hidden in Excel: advanced users can now use keyboard shortcuts to switch between Edit and Point mode and a new flick motion makes it easier to select columns of related data.


Finally, Microsoft has augmented PowerPoint for iPad with a presenter mode -- allowing users to project the main presentation to another screen while viewing a more complex, editable view on their iPad, complete with speaker notes. There are even more fixes (including the ability to play videos in PowerPoint and edit photos without leaving Word), but you'll need to check out Microsoft's Office blog at the source for the full rundown.


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Source: Microsoft


Boston's due up next on our Engadget Live tour!

Getty with EL overlay


Beantown, Titletown, Bahston or Bawston; whatever you call this strong Massachusetts city or how you pronounce it, we're excited to be heading back there. On Friday August 22nd, we'll head to Royale on Tremont St. at 7PM for our third Engadget Live of the year. But why is this the can't-miss event of the summer? Click through our gallery below to find out.


Only chowdaheads will miss this event, so don't be like them -- get your free tickets right here. After Boston, we'll wrap up our Engadget Live series in Los Angeles on October 3rd, which for those of you keeping score, leads us into Engadget Expand. Our flagship event hits the Javits Center in New York City on November 7-8 and tickets won't cost you a thing.

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Facebook's Internet.org app offers free web access in Zambia


We've heard quite a bit about Mr. Zuckerberg's plans to bring low-cost internet access to the otherwise disconnected, and today, his social network announced plans to do just that in Zambia. The new Internet.org app allows users to browse weather, health and employment info at no cost. And that's not all Google Search, Facebook, Messenger and Wikipedia are available as well. Right now, the option is available to Airtel subscribers in the country, but it will roll out to other parts of the world in the future. Cellular service blankets much of the globe, however the cost of the mobile web deters many from opting in. This will certainly help.



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Source: Facebook


Apple's new online content network should deliver your files faster


If you're an iOS or Mac user, your downloads and streams are going to improve in the near future -- if they haven't already. Apple has quietly switched on its own content delivery network (CDN), letting it deliver files directly instead of leaning on services from Akamai and Level 3. The change gives the folks in Cupertino a ton of headroom, according to Frost & Sullivan analyst Dan Rayburn. In addition to offering "multiple terabits per second" of bandwidth, Apple has clearly struck Netflix-like connection deals that link it directly to internet providers. If all goes well, you should get speedy app updates and media streams even when the internet is extra-busy.


Don't expect to see upgrades across the board, at least not right away. Rayburn has only seen the CDN handling OS X-related downloads, so it could be a while before it's taking on your iPhone backups or iTunes movie rentals. He also suggests that Apple is unlikely to completely forego third-party help. Given that Apple is getting serious about cloud storage in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, though, it won't be surprising if the company puts more services on its own network and (hopefully) provides a smoother experience.

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Via: Ars Technica


Source: StreamingMediaBlog


The government still won't let Twitter share details about national security requests

Twitter To Report Second Quarter Earnings


Twitter really wants to tell you more about the kind of national security requests it gets from organizations like the Department of Justice and the FBI -- but the government just won't let it. The company's latest transparency report is prefaced with the sad tale of the company's failure to get permission to share more details about requests concerning national security. Twitter wants to be able to disclose how many requests are made each year or, failing that, smaller sets of data that still provide meaningful context to users. Sadly, the company wasn't able to make any significant headway: the existing DOJ restrictions stand.


That said, the company does have some interesting statistics to share. Specifically, Twitters says that its global requests for account information, copyright takedowns and content removal has seen a notable increase since its last report. Requests for account information has almost doubled since last year, totaling to 2,058 requests from 54 countries -- eight of which were filing requests for the first time. This report has more detail on the requests too, and breaks down US account information queries by state and territory. You can check out the entire report (stats and maps included) right here.


[Image credit: Getty Images]


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Source: Twitter (1), (2)


BlackBerry's BBM messenger app officially arrives on Windows Phone


Have a Windows Phone and crave access to BlackBerry's famed messaging app? Today's your lucky day. Announced in a video posted today, BBM is now exiting beta to become available for download in the Windows Phone store. The company said it spent considerable time tweaking the app's interface to fit with Microsoft's mobile OS, and the result is a clean UI that looks considerably different than the versions you'll see on iOS and Android (not to mention BlackBerry OS 10). BBM for Windows consists of three main screens -- chats, feeds and contacts -- and you'll have the ability to pin a chat right to your phone's start screen. Windows Phone users who are new to BBM can pick up a few tips on getting started via the video (posted below). As of this posting, the app wasn't yet live in the Windows Phone store, but the rollout should begin shortly.



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CIA admits to spying on US Senate computer network

Committee chair, Sen Diane Feinstein,D-C


Back in March 2014, two United States senators accused the Central Intelligence Agency of infiltrating Senate computers. Worse, they accused the CIA of hacking Senate computer networks and accessing files while the Senate's Intelligence Committee was actively investigating CIA detention practices. Following an internal investigation by the CIA, it turns out that the senators were right. "Some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached between SSCI (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) and the CIA in 2009," a statement issued by the CIA spokesman Dean Boyd says.


As McClatchyDC points out, the battle between the Senate's intelligence committee and the CIA stems from a 2009 agreement that formed the basis of the Senate's investigation into the CIA detention program. According to that agreement, the Senate committee could access classified CIA files through a database set up for and only accessible to the Senate. When CIA director John Brennan privately raised concerns to Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein realized that the CIA were monitoring the files her committee was supposed to access exclusively.


Feinstein then took to the Senate floor, accusing the CIA of intentionally intruding on her investigation. The CIA's denied that claim. CIA director John Brennan said, "When the facts come out on this, I think a lot of people who are claiming that there has been this tremendous sort of spying and monitoring and hacking will be proved wrong." This week, Brennan met with Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and vice chairman Saxby Chambliss to apologize. The Senate Intelligence Committee's report is set for release in the near future.


[Image credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images]


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Source: McClatchyDC


French company Iliad reportedly wants to buy T-Mobile too

FRANCE-TELECOM-ILIAD-FREE_LOGO

Sprint isn't the only company hoping to shell out billions for the privilege of scooping up T-Mobile's US branch; according to the Wall Street Journal , a French company called Iliad wants in on the action as well. Iliad, which owns a mobile operator in France known as Free, recently made a bid to counter the reported $32 billion offer T-Mobile is already entertaining with Sprint's parent company Softbank. The terms of the deal are unknown, and it's unclear how Iliad can pay for such a transaction, since its market value of $16 billion is merely half of what Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son is putting on the table.


Iliad's point of view is that its offer will be looked upon more favorably by regulators than a potential merger between Sprint and T-Mobile. If its bid is successful, the company plans to take control of the carrier, which means there would still be four major national players in the US. Since competition is one of the biggest concerns to the Powers That Be, Iliad believes its offer would stand a much better chance of clearing the necessary legal hurdles. And if the company were to use the same strategy with T-Mobile as it does with Free, it's likely the UnCarrier moves would not only continue but get even more aggressive in pricing. It's hard to say at this point if T-Mobile and parent company Deutsche Telekom will entertain Iliad's offer, but at least the situation just became a whole lot more intriguing.


[Image credit: Getty Images]


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The perks of being 'somebody' online


The web was supposed to be the great equalizer. But, it turns out, the haves and have-nots exist online too. And they're separated by a mark of distinction: verification.


​A month ago, William Shatner got into an unfortunate public spat on Twitter with John Colucci, our social media manager, over why he was verified on Twitter. Shatner argued that recognition should only be given to public figures who are in danger of being impersonated. In Shatner's words, "nobodies should not be verified because it shows a huge flaw in the Twitter system." This spiraled into a big kerfuffle involving several other Twitter users. When our Editor-in-Chief Michael Gorman stepped in to defend Colucci by saying he was verified because he's good at his job, Shatner interpreted that as an abuse of the verification system. Things died down eventually, but Shatner held tight to his belief that verification is a privilege for a select few.




@johncolucci Why are you even @verified? If this guy can get verified I'll nominate my Social Media guy.


- William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 21, 2014


Of course, Twitter isn't the only social network that offers verification. Facebook, too, has a verification system for certain public figures and popular brands and so does Google+. Facebook even released a Mentions app specifically tailored for verified celebrities such as Shatner, who recently posted a rather thorough review of the app on his Tumblr (in sum: He wasn't a fan). These social networks are ostensibly open to all members of the public, allowing us to connect with politicians and celebrities directly. But verification is a reminder that just because everyone's using the same network, that doesn't mean everyone's treated in the same way.



In Shatner's words, "nobodies should not be verified because it shows a huge flaw in the Twitter system."



The concept of verified accounts is fairly recent. Twitter implemented it in 2009, Google+ in 2011, while Facebook only started it in 2012 with verified pages appearing in 2013. It began initially as a way to curb account impersonations by authenticating certain individuals and brands -- essentially a way for people to know that you are who you say you are. And for the most part, it works. For example, I know that @MayorEmanuel is a parody account and not really Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Not only because he likely would never tweet, "Fuck you, you motherfucking time vortex. I fucking love dancing with my friends," but also because it doesn't have an identifiable blue check icon next to his name.


Twitter says it focuses its verification efforts on "highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business and other key interest areas." Similarly, Facebook and Google+ verify profiles and pages that include celebrities, journalists, government officials and popular brands and businesses. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ don't accept verification requests from the general public. We've asked all three for more information as to the exact requirements for verification, but none were willing to cough up much detail, instead pointing us to their respective FAQ pages.


But being verified is more than just having your identity authenticated -- it's also a status symbol. Verified accounts on Twitter get special "perks," like the ability to filter their Mentions and access to analytics like how much "engagement" a particular tweet gets. The aforementioned Facebook Mentions app provides the verified "celebrity" more tools to engage with their fans like Q&A posts, for example. Of course, these perks aren't terribly useful to the average person, but it's certainly an indicator that verified users are somehow more special than everyone else.



... Being verified is more than just having your identity authenticated -- it's also a status symbol.


"Verified accounts were created to solve a practical matter, especially as people couldn't tell if celebrities were the celebrity or someone pretending to be the celebrity," says danah boyd, a social media researcher at Microsoft Research and author of It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens (she prefers her name to be written in lowercase). "Needless to say, this quickly became a status game and people begged to be verified. Unlike followers, which could easily be purchased by third parties running bot networks, verification required Twitter."


The whole idea of a different tier of Twitter or Facebook reserved just for the elite runs counter to the idea of the internet as a democratizer. Similar to how the printing press enabled the mass dissemination of ideas, so too has the internet, but on a much wider scale. Social media in particular has been upheld as a bastion of democracy, as in the case of the Arab Spring, where ordinary citizens used Twitter and Facebook to organize rallies and spread awareness of government atrocities.



Cartoon by Peter Steiner for The New Yorker

But more than that, the reason the internet is seen as the great equalizer is because no one can see what you look like. There's a famous cartoon in The New Yorker with a caption that simply states, "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog." It's emblematic of this idea that the internet breaks down real-world barriers like gender, race and class, so that all of us are on equal footing. Unfortunately, that simply isn't the case.


"It's a complete myth," says boyd. "The internet reinforces many inequalities, hierarchies and existing social divisions. ... This technology simply mirrors other aspects of life back at us." After all, our brains are not separate from our bodies -- when we go online, we bring with us a whole host of pre-existing prejudices and preconceived notions of how the world works. In It's Complicated, boyd writes this about inequality on social media: "Social media magnifies many aspects of daily life, including racism and bigotry. Some people use social media to express insensitive and hateful views, but others use the same technologies to publicly shame, and in some cases threaten, people who they feel are violating social decorum."



"No site does the work of democracy. It is people who do that through technologies, not technologies in and of themselves."



When we ask boyd if anonymous forums like Reddit offer a more even playing field than other social networks, she says, "No site does the work of democracy. It is people who do that through technologies, not technologies in and of themselves." Jen Schradie, a sociologist at UC Berkeley, adds to this, telling us that the poor and working class are much less likely to be online in the first place, so there's already a built-in class disparity. "What we are left with is a digital production gap," she says. "The internet in general, and social media in particular, is dominated by the elite. ... The verified/non-verified divide is just the tip of the iceberg."


As is evidenced by Shatner's reaction to some of us being verified, he certainly believes in that divide -- that those who are verified are somehow more privileged than those who are not, and they should be deserving of that privilege. As a verified user on Twitter myself, I'll admit that it's nice to be deemed worthy of the status, if only because it adds legitimacy and credibility to what I do.




@DashaPohoral @Numeson @verified @twitter and nobodies should not be verified because it shows a huge flaw in the Twitter system.


- William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 22, 2014


But being verified doesn't make me special. It doesn't make me better than anyone who's not verified -- I don't get preferential treatment at restaurants and I don't get to skip ahead in line at the airport. Further, you don't need a verified checkmark to have credibility. Dick Costolo, the CEO of Twitter, does not have a verified account. I was unverified on Twitter for years and I'm still unverified on Facebook. Not having that little checkmark did not and does not impact how I do my work. I'm sure the majority of people I interact with on a daily basis have no idea what in the world being verified on Twitter means. As Colucci himself mentioned in a response to Shatner, the verification status is "just for work, and outside of that it really means nothing."


And yet, the prestige associated with that silly little verification icon persists. At least among the elite few who know what it means.


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NFL players to wear shoulder pad RFIDs for on-field stats tracking


The NBA isn't the only professional sports league in the States getting serious about accurate stats accounting. With some help from Zebra Technologies' location system, 17 NFL stadiums will use receivers and RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags inside player's shoulder pads to track movement. The setup provides real-time position data for each player, offering up precise info on acceleration, speed, routes and distance as part of the "Next Gen Stats" initiative for fans. Referees are getting the tags too, in case you've ever wanted more info on those fellas. "Zebra's tracking technology will help teams to evolve training, scouting and evaluation through increased knowledge of player performance, as well as provide ways for our teams and partners to enhance the fan experience," says NFL VP of Media Strategy Vishal Shah. The 15 venues that are hosting Thursday night games are getting outfitted, with Detroit and New Orleans added in to make sure each team gets tallied.


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With Qi wireless charging, you'll soon be able to charge your device from a small distance


It's becoming more and more common to find mobile devices with wireless charging capability, either as a built-in feature or integrated into third-party cases. Progress has been somewhat hampered, however, by the fact that no universally adopted standard is available. Of the three major groups trying to corner the market, Qi -- a standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) -- has arguably been the most successful at courting manufacturers and carriers (over 200 have signed up so far). The problem is, its abilities have been limited because it only uses a method called inductive charging; in other words, you can power up your smartphone as long as it's sitting on a charging pad. Wireless, sure, but it's still only marginally more convenient than simply plugging the handset in. Fortunately, Qi's adding some crucial functionality later this year that will allow you to charge your device from nearly two inches away.


With version 1.2, the WPC is adding resonance charging to Qi's features. This makes it so the receiver (the device that needs to be charged) and the transmitter (the charging pad or surface that's pushing the power to the device) won't need to physically touch each other anymore; now they can be up to 45mm (1.77 inches) apart. The new standard is backwards-compatible, so if you already have a smartphone or tablet with Qi built-in, you'll be able to charge them up from as much as 35mm away. The standard also allows multiple devices to charge up at the same time, provided they're both within range, and it will be capable of pushing as much as 2,000 watts to larger products like kitchen appliances.



Qi's newfound ability to charge your gadgets from a distance is much more convenient for end users than what its current products offer. Using this technology, you might be able to place charging pucks under tables so your phone starts charging whenever you're close by; you could put several devices in a Qi-compatible bucket, which would be very handy placed in between the two front seats in your car; and you won't have to worry about placing your device on a precise spot to get it to charge.


Two competing wireless charging standards, Rezence and the Power Matters Alliance, already have adopted resonance charging, but the WPC claims that Qi is more power efficient and has a larger group of partners and products. Representatives couldn't give specific stats on power efficiency yet, since the earliest products are still in development and results will vary from one device to another; that said, their initial estimates were somewhere between 70-80 percent. (Qi's inductive chargers average about 85.)


We should expect to see the first v1.2 products arrive sometime later this year, although kitchen appliances using the standard likely won't hit the market until 2015.


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Recording industry sues Ford and GM over in-car CD ripping


Ford and GM both sell cars that'll rip a CD to its internal HDD, so you never have to go without your jam in a pinch. Unfortunately, that same feature is now the target of outrage from the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, which has launched a class-action lawsuit against both the automakers, as well as AV unit outfits Denso and Clarion. The lobby group believes that the quartet need to pay royalties under the rules of the old Audio Home Recording Act, so that companies that made devices that "recorded" music had to pay musicians a fee as compensation for any future piracy. Considering the verdict in RIAA v. Diamond Multimedia that specifically exempted HDDs from the ruling and the fact that the head units can't directly record songs from the radio, we think the AARC might be onto a loser.


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Via: SlashGear


Source: Torrentfreak, (2) (.PDF)


The second Oculus Rift headset uses the Samsung Note 3 screen, literally


Back when Oculus VR first showed off its second virtual reality development kit, the Facebook subsidiary wasn't saying anything specific about the origins of its new, higher-resolution screen. But now that that second dev kit is shipping to pre-order customers, the teardowns have begun and we have a better idea of what it's using: the screen from Samsung's Note 3. Not a similar screen, but the screen directly taken from a Note 3 smartphone -- an AMOLED pushing 1080 x 960 into each eye. Oculus VR even kept the touch module attached, though we'd strongly suggest against trying to use it while wearing the Rift headset.


As iFixit notes, the screen is being overclocked to run a higher refresh rate (75 Hz), which is important in creating what Oculus calls "low-persistence". Hilariously, when the headset's taken apart, you can see the directness of the screen's use, camera-holes and all. Check out the video below for a full walkthrough of the new Rift dev kit.



Of course, Samsung and Oculus working together is interesting unto itself. We reported in May that Oculus VR and Samsung are collaborating on another VR headset -- "Gear VR" -- which Oculus is creating the software for while Samsung creates the hardware. That Samsung is providing the screen for Oculus' new dev kit looks to be another component of the partnership.


Interested in learning more about the second Oculus Rift dev kit? Check out the video below!



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Source: iFixit


HTC Desire 816 review: A mid-range M8 let down by sluggish cameras


HTC may have some problems behind closed doors, but outside, it's still widely regarded as one of the world's top phone makers. We already gave this year's One M8 flagship a rather jolly review, and now it's time to see if the same qualities are preserved in its mid-range counterpart, the Desire 816. Indeed, back at Mobile World Congress, HTC called this $390 LTE phablet the "flagship mid-range" to emphasize its competitiveness. But has it lived up to its name? Or is it too little, too late in a world full of affordable options? Let's find out.


LG's G Vista looks like the G3 but lacks the power and resolution


What do you get when you cross a 5.7-inch screen with 960x540 resolution and a 3,200mAH battery? Pretty sparse pixel density, that's for sure, but the new LG G Vista for Verizon will keep smartphone-ing through a day and then some. Aimed at the mid-range crowd who want a flagship feel, the G Vista strongly resembles the top-end G3 with an even narrower bezel. But don't be confused: on top of the meager qHD screen, it gets by with a quad-core 1.2GHz chip, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, microSD and an 8-megapixel rear/1.3-megapixel front camera. On the plus side, it does have LTE, Android 4.4.2, LG software like Knock Code and a prodigious 15 hours of talk time. For all that, you'll pay $100 with a 2-year contract, or $400 off contract with Verizon's Edge. A little pricy considering the competition, but not a bad mid-range option if you're set on Big Red.


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Source: Verizon


Indiegogo has a new iOS app for mobile crowdfunding


Like giving money to ambitious projects but hate using your computer? Well, that's pretty weird. We think that's weird. Thankfully for you, though, the folks at Indiegogo think that's totally awesome, and they wanna cater to your whims with a new iOS app (yes, an Android version is on the way). Guess what it's called! If you guessed "Indiegogo," you're spot on. And frankly, we appreciate your gusto.


So, what can you do with said app? Well, back projects for one. There's also discovery, and you can follow campaigns as they work toward funding goals. That said, as always, buyer beware: Indiegogo projects make no guarantee of delivery. And with Indiegogo, even if a project doesn't reach its funding goal, the project owner keeps the money they raised. Wanna know even more about crowdfunding services? We've got you covered right here. And if you wanna snag the new Indiegogo app from the iTunes App Store, it's free and available here.


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Via: The Next Web


Source: iTunes App Store, Indiegogo


Nanobots get tiny propellers for targeted drug delivery


Nanobots need the proper propulsion system if they're going to be used to deliver drugs to targeted areas. Take for example this teeny-tiny corkscrew-shaped propeller made out of silica and nickel that's developed by a group of German and Israeli scientists. The team says it's around 100 times smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell at 70 nanometers in width and 400 nanometers in length, so it can swim through blood and other fluids without getting caught in protein chains and the like. In order to make a nanopropeller this small, its creators had to forego giving it a motor of its own -- it needs to be controlled externally by a weak rotating magnetic field.


The lack of an internal motor doesn't seem to affect its performance, though: it successfully swam through hyaluronan gel, a material found throughout the human body, during a lab test. Since the propeller is incredibly small, it can be used to target not just extracellular locations, but also materials inside cells, giving it huge potential in medicine. Its creators believe, for instance, that it can be used to deliver tiny doses of radiation, even to sensitive areas of the body such as the retina. It'll take a looong time for that to happen, though, so head over to ACS Nano where you can read the team's study on this minuscule propeller.

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Via: Gizmag


Source: American Technion Society, ACS Nano


Distiller builds a social network for whiskey lovers

Distiller's whiskey social network

If you're a whiskey drinker, finding the perfect bottle can be a daunting quest; just because something is well-rated doesn't mean that it suits your tastes. You're about to get some help from your friends, though, as Distiller has turned its recommendation service into a full-fledged social network. You can now follow others with similar palates to see what they say about that Colonel E.H. Taylor or Lagavulin you've been meaning to try. You can also leave comments, and everyone has a "top shelf" in their profile to reflect their absolute favorites. Distiller can't promise that others will share your love of Bulleit Bourbon, but it should be easier to find that like-minded connoisseur. Swing by Apple's App Store or Google Play to give this social spirit service a try.


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Source: App Store, Google Play


LG announces its first big 4K OLED TV with a non-ridiculous price tag


If you're set on an OLED UltraHDTV instead of LED, you can now put a price and date on your idealism: LG's 65-inch 65EC9700 4K model will reportedly ship in September for $8,999. Apart from those deep OLED blacks, the model also features passive 3D, Miracast/MHL and nearly invisible bezels. The first 4K OLED models, including that one, arrived earlier this year at CES, but so far none have hit stores. We also haven't seen any pricing, other than for a few exotic models like LG's $30,000 curved 77-inch UHDTV. Though the 65-inch model is far more reasonable, according to HD Guru, the lowest possible price (UPP) set by LG is $6,999 -- still more than double LG's 4K LED model.


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Source: HD Guru


Runtastic's Orbit band is a fitness tracker that doubles as a running watch


If you've heard of Runtastic, it probably means you're something of a jock: The company got its start building running apps for tracking your distance, pace, et cetera. For the past two years, though, it's been making all sorts of gear to go with it, including a GPS watch, armband, heart-rate monitor, speed sensor, bike mount and even a WiFi scale. Now the company's rounding out its collection with something super obvious: a fitness tracker. The Orbit, as it's called, does all the things you'd expect a fitness band to do: track your steps, calorie burn, sleep patterns. It's waterproof up to 300 feet, meaning you can use this for swimming, in addition to jogging. It vibrates to wake you up in the morning, and when you've been inactive for too long. And, like competing devices, it uses Bluetooth Smart to wirelessly sync your data with either an Android or iOS app. Thanks to that low-power radio inside, battery life is rated for seven days. So far, so familiar.


What makes the Orbit slightly different, though, is that in addition to being a fairly generic fitness tracker, it doubles as a basic running watch. Once you sync the device to the Runtastic app, you can use the small screen on the band to view key stats like your distance, current pace and so on. And though the display is so small that it only shows one line of text at a time, you can press a button on the device to cycle through different metrics. It's a neat feature for folks who would normally run with their smartphone, and who already use an app to track their distance. (In this case, of course, you'd have to use Runtastic, specifically.) Of course, if you already own a dedicated sports watch, this feature will be of little use.


Other than that, the most distinguishing thing about the Orbit might actually be the application itself. Which makes sense: This is the company's specialty. In addition to compiling all your data into pretty graphs, the standalone Runtastic Me app can make recommendations based on your goals, and based on what's worked for other people. So, if your goal were to have 25 percent body fat, Runtastic could tap into the habits of other people who are already that lean. In addition, the Orbit has an ambient light sensor, which means if the company wanted to, it could later add things like sunscreen reminders, depending on how much time you've sent in the sun. Finally, the app lets you log your mood, but more than anything, this just seems like a gimmick.


The Orbit is available today for $119, with the free Runtastic Me app available on iTunes and Google Play. As it happens, that's slightly expensive for a fitness tracker (the Fitbit Flex, for instance, costs $100), but there's also more in the box: two one-size-fits all band in two different colors, plus a detachable clip you can use to fasten the device to your clothes. There are also six additional colors you can buy separately, in case the standard black and blue bands aren't doing it for you. Hopefully we'll test one ourselves at some point, but in the meantime we've added device photos and screenshots so that you have a better idea of what you're getting here.


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Amazon's offering 30 free Android apps to help make you a better person


Another month, another batch of 30 free Android apps courtesy of Amazon. Like the bookseller's last Appstore promotion, the "Summer Self-Improvement Bundle" features $100/£100's worth of complimentary apps, as long as you download them within the next two days (so don't leave it 'til the weekend, basically). On-theme apps include exercise, nutrition, sleep, budgeting and learning aids, while games such as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Carcassonne should provide a little entertainment. Other notable freebies include Kayak Pro for travel planning and management, and popular read-it-later app Instapaper. Remember, Amazon's Appstore is available to any Android device (some side-loading required), not that we're saying you could use a little self-improving. You're perfect just the way you are.


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Source: Amazon


Tesla seals landmark deal to mass-produce EV batteries in the US


How is Elon Musk going to produce his vaunted $35,000 Tesla when EV batteries are so expensive? By making his own. Tesla has signed a deal with Panasonic that'll see the pair team up to build the Gigafactory. It's from here that vehicle packs and cells will be mass-produced on an unprecedented scale that costs are expected to tumble. According to the announcement, Tesla will build the plant and maintain it, while Panasonic supplies the lithium cells, plant, machinery and manufacturing equipment to make the whole thing happen. The Gigafactory is expected to produce 35GWh of cells and 50GWh of power packs by 2020 and will be built just as soon as Musk and co. work out which state -- Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada or Texas -- depending on which has the better tax rebate renewable energy resources.


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Source: Tesla


T-Mobile's UnCarrier plans continue to surge at the expense of rivals


T-Mobile keeps riding its UnCarrier plans to increased subscribers and added 1.5 million in total for Q2 2014, including 579,000 post-paid phone contracts. That compares to its much larger competitor Verizon, for example, which added only 304,000 net post-paid phone customers this quarter, or Sprint, which lost a 180,000. That puts T-Mobile nearly on par with AT&T for the quarter, which added 700,000 more phone customers and about 1.1 million total. As a result, T-Mobile finished the quarter with just over 50 million subscribers and earned $1.4 billion, a jump of over 14.7 percent over last year. The company also said that as of today, its VoLTE (Voice over LTE) coverage is now nationwide -- the first carrier to achieve that status.


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Source: T-Mobile


23andMe gets $1.4 million NIH funding to advance human DNA research


Genetic testing firm 23andMe might not be in good terms with the FDA, but it impressed the National Institutes of Health enough for the agency to give it a $1.4 million grant. The money will be used for a two-year project that'll improve the firm's web-based genetic database and make data available (anonymously, that is) for use by external researchers. This will also allow the company to look into the association between genes and health conditions, conduct more extensive surveys to collect data, among other things that it details on its official announcement.


Haven't heard of 23andMe before? It calls itself a "personal genetics company" that sells DNA test kits and sends customers back their genetic ancestry information and raw genetic data. It also used to issue health reports that indicate how much you're at risk for a certain disease (cancer, for instance), but the FDA called the reports' accuracy into question last year. The company believes this two-year project will ultimately lead to valuable information on thousands of diseases and help improve disease detection and drug development.

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Source: Reuters, 23andme, FierceHealthIT


Samsung sees its lowest profit in two years as smartphone sales languish


When Samsung took the time to update investors ahead of its upcoming quarterly earnings report, it warned 'weak demand' for phones and an increased marketing spend could hit the company hard. That report hit today, and it's as bleak as the company expected. In its second quarter, Samsung posted profit of 6.25 trillion won ($6.1 billion), down from 7.77 trillion won ($6.96 billion) last year, its lowest quarterly profit in two years. Smartphone sales contributed the majority of its revenue, but the Samsung's flagship phone, the Galaxy S5, languished as the iPhone continued to fly of the shelf and Chinese brands cut directly into its low-end business.


As expected, Samsung blames the global slowdown of mobile sales and a strong won for its poor second quarter, noting that it spent more on marketing to shift a backlog of devices it couldn't sell. And as fewer phones hit the market, its chip business also took a hit. With all of those factors weighing heavy on its shoulders, Samsung says that the second half of 2014 will "remain a challenge" as global competition "intensifies." It expects mobile sales to grow in the next quarter, helped by the rollout of new flagship products, which likely includes the Galaxy Note 4, but warns it will be even harder to turn sales into profit, as the average cost of smartphones continues to fall.


With Apple rumored to be working on a bigger iPhone and its rivals eating into its market share in Asia, execs are well aware that the company has its work cut out if it's to return to growth in its next quarter. Samsung believes introducing new technologies and adopting new designs will help, as will concentrating on a smaller number of products, suggesting we could see a whole new Samsung emerge in the coming months.


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Source: Samsung Tomorrow, Samsung Earnings Release


Sony makes money on movies and games, but not on smartphones


It wasn't long ago that Sony, almost inexplicably for a company of its size and heritage, was losing money everywhere it went. After a few years of pain, however, things have begun to look up, with the company posting a first quarter net profit of around $265 million. The bulk of the good news comes from the PlayStation 4 and Sony Pictures, the company's film and TV arm that benefited from the successes of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 22 Jump Street. The only sore point on the company's financials is that its mobile division continued to see sales of Xperia handsets drop -- a loss that even managed to offset a favorable bump in the exchange rate. The corporation is still predicting that it'll eat around $487 million in losses across the year, so don't be surprised if someone greenlights 23 Jump Street in the next couple of weeks.


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Source: Sony (.PDF)


Shazam takes its music discovery powers to the Mac


Shazam has already covered ground on mobile platforms such as iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8, but now it is prepared to bring its media identification software to more devices. And it all starts with Apple's line of personal computers. The newly minted Shazam for Mac, naturally, features the same discovery tools which have made the app as popular as it is today, with the main differentiator being that it's new for desktops and laptops. Once installed, the application performs in a rather subtle way, running its trademark ID work constantly in the background, if you allow it to. On the home screen, additionally, it only takes a spot on the menu bar to let you glance at recently discovered media. We say "media" because Shazam isn't just capable of recognizing music playing around you, but also other stuff like TV shows -- this is something that's also possible on the smartphone/tablet apps.


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

HTC's latest J Butterfly is a supercharged One M8 in a waterproof body


Japanese carrier KDDI has just announced a new HTC J Butterfly, a handset which resembles the HTC One in specs but with features aimed at its home market. Like a lot of new Sony and other Japanese devices, the 5-inch, full HD handset is waterproof, for starters, in case you feel like taking underwater pics. For that, HTC has a brand new set of cameras for the handset: a 13-megapixel rear model with a selfie-friendly 5-megapixel front shooter. Those specs differ from the One's 4-megapixel Duo "Ultrapixel" camera; KDDI is referring to it instead as a "Duo Effect" camera with features like depth of field adjustment. Filling out the spec sheet are a Snapdragon 801, 802.11ac WiFi, LTE-Advanced, 150Mbps 4g, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.4 KitKat. All of that sounds pretty nice, so the question is, will it come to US shores? Hard to say, but the last J Butterfly model from KDDI did eventually arrive in the US (to Verizon), so we wouldn't be surprised to see the new model here too.


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Google Fiber hardware is being streamlined: fewer boxes, same functionality


Remember that new Google Fiber box we spotted in the FCC last month? It's almost here. According to Kansas City residents in Google's beta program, a new router is on the way that combines the service's existing network and storage boxes into a single unit. The unit is also reported to be ushering in a Google Fiber Android app. There aren't too many other details (though forum users did confirm the WiFi upgrade we saw in the FCC) but Dave Zats did find a new image lurking on Google's servers, pictured above.


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Source: ZatsNotFunny, KCrag


Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan want to save the future of movies on film

Dynamite 10th Anniversary Panel - Comic-Con International 2014


The movie industry has seen its share of struggles as we transition into a digital future, and likely no one has felt the pinch more than film company Kodak. The struggling outfit is getting a life-raft, though, in the form of several studios committing to buy a set amount of celluloid per year regardless of if any of their movies are even made using film. As The Wall Street Journal tells it, directors J.J. Abrams, Judd Apatow, Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino -- all who've professed their love for celluloid quite publicly -- were part of the lobbying council for the business deal. Why? Because they adore the look and feel of working with the physical format. Nolan's Interstellar and Abrams' upcoming Star Wars are both being shot on film, but for better or worse, though, these filmmakers are a dying breed.


Kodak's film sales have fallen a massive 96 percent since 2006, from 12.4 billion feet down to a paltry 449 million feet this year, largely because adding special effects and post-processing is faster when the source is a digital file to start. Ironically enough though, film is the only constant storage medium with digital movies even being scanned to it for archival purposes.


Film has a certain patina to it, though, with its grain, color reproduction and slight imperfections that a video-based movie just doesn't compare to. And unlike digital, you can pull a reel out of the can from the 1930s and it'll work on essentially any projector. That sounds almost trite until you stop to think about how many digital formats we've moved through in the past twenty years. It's something that's explored in detail in the documentary Side by Side , which turns the camera on filmmakers and gives insight into the divide between the two recording formats. Nolan is featured heavily in that, and his recent op-ed in WSJ echoes a lot of the points he made in the doc; that the likes of Netflix and the ubiquity of content on screens won't replace people actually getting out to the theater.


[Image credit: Getty]



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Via: A/V Club


Source: Wall Street Journal (1)


Danish researchers achieve fastest single-laser data transfer speeds ever

optic fiber hub as part of...


Looking for wicked fast internet? You may want to move to Denmark: researchers in DTU Photonics' High-Speed Optical Communications Group (HSOC) have set a new world record for single-transmitter data transfer. Using a new kind of optical fiber, the team was able to achieve transfer speeds of 43 terabits per second. Not familiar with bit-based statistics? Try this: that's more than five 1TB HDDs worth of data moved in less than one second. So, fast. The record was set using only a single laser transmitter, but faster speeds can (and have) been obtained using setups with hundreds of lasers. You can see the group's official announcement at the source link below, assuming you can read North Germanic languages.


[Shutterstock / Kubais]


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Source: DTU


Samsung's new UHD TV is the first to go from flat to curved on command


Samsung's new TVs have pressed 4K and curved frames as features, but what if you want one that's only curved sometimes? That's where a bendable TV comes in, and Samsung says it will release the industry's first one on August 1st in Korea. We got a peek at an 85-inch version in January at CES (check after the break for video of the demo unit), but the one going on sale is 78-inches. We're not sure how much it will cost, but we're betting the feature isn't cheap. As usual, Samsung is dueling with its Korean counterpart LG, which showed off a flexible OLED TV at CES. Both recently announced 105-inch Ultra HDTVs for sale, and are furiously chasing the title of "best screen almost no one can afford to buy." If this one gets a US release date, we'll let you know which store window to look at it through.





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Source: Samsung Tomorrow (Korea)


Twitch streams its first live concert tonight


If this weekend's Lollapalooza festival doesn't have enough electronic music for you, tonight you can catch a live DJ set from Steve Aoki (above) as he spins from Ibiza, Spain. The Twitch broadcast starts at 10 p.m. Eastern, so you might have to pull the neon hula-hoops and rainbow leggings out of the closet a bit earlier than you're used to. It's a free show of course, and you can watch it on basically every platform at hand -- gaming console, mobile device or even via this Chromecasted browser tab on your flat-screen. If competitive gaming is more your style, however, the streaming behemoth has something more traditional in store for you. Following its PAX Prime booth broadcast, Twitch is doing a digital premiere of Die Noobs , a documentary following two decade-long online gaming pals as they finally meet in person and then train to compete in their first-ever eSports event.


Should the initial August 29th broadcast date not work with your personal schedule, there'll be a rerun 24 hours later at 9 p.m. Eastern -- maybe Google will have finally fessed up to its purchase by then.


Watch live video from SteveAoki on www.twitch.tv

[Image credit: Getty]


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Source: Twitch (1), (2)


Samsung's paid Milk Music Premium service arrives with offline listening


Samsung has spent months promising a paid tier for Milk Music that takes the gloves off. Well, it's here at last -- an update to the Android app for its exclusive (if Slacker-based) streaming service offers a $4 per month Premium tier that brings offline listening, unlimited skips and the option of removing DJ banter. Both the free and paid tiers remain ad-free for now, so don't rush to upgrade unless you need constant access to your tunes. That parity isn't going to last forever, though, so be prepared to cough up some cash in the future if you want to dodge commercials.


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Via: Android Police


Source: Google Play