Saturday, December 31, 2011

Would you inhale caffeine powder for an energy boost?

AEROSHOTS are portable inhalers that puff a 12-20mg dose of caffeine and B vitamins into your mouth with each application. The zero calorie powder is swallowed and does not go into your lungs and according to their information, it is not absorbed any quicker into your system than the caffeine in a soft drink or [...]

COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS COMPAL ELECTRONICS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM DLINK DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS

The Best Reviews of the Year [Best Of 2011]

A lot of gadgets come across our desks, but we try to review only the ones that matter the absolute most—good, bad, or buggy. Here's a rundown of some of the best reviews we wrote this year. More »






WESTERN DIGITAL VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC

The iPod Nano Pill Speaker: Good for What Ails You [Speakers]

There's a pill to cure almost everything these days, including elderly boredom if I understand those vague Viagra commercials correctly. And now even one for remedying a lame party, even if it literally looks like a tough pill to swallow. More »






SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL

Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review

This morning, an updated version of the stock Android Music app was leaked along with a new version of Android Market. The new Music app, which is labeled 'version 3', is similar to the leaked build from December, but it has received a ton of polish -- and indeed, it looks almost ready for prime time.

If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music appContinue reading Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on reviewLeaked Android Music app images and hands-on review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

EMS TECHNOLOGIES EMC ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC ARTS

N-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-orders

Keeping up with your gamer gossip? Then you're probably up to snuff on the recent Ocean Marketing / Penny-Arcade spat. We held our tongues as the drama unfolded -- no easy task, considering Engadget's name was dragged into the affair -- but now it seems like the internet soap-opera is reaching its conclusion.

Not the gossiping type? Here's a quick recap: When N-Control's latest Avenger add-on missed its November 8th street date, customers with pre-orders were left wanting. Some reached out for answers, hoping they could still get their PS3 Avenger before Christmas. All they got in reply, though, were some *ahem* choice words from N-Control's third party marketing contractor, Paul Christoforo -- a man who gained instant notoriety when his emails caught the attention of Penny-Arcade's Mike Krahulik. Krahulik took exception to Christoforo's insults, threatening tone and name-drop posturing (that's where we came in) and responded by publishing the marketing mishap on his comic's website.

Suffice to say, it hasn't ended well for Paul Christoforo -- N-Control has released a statement saying that he and his marketing operation have been "categorically dismissed," stressing that Christoforo owns no stake whatsoever in N-Control. After ejecting the elephant from the room, N-Control went on to announce that all PS3 Avenger pre-orders would be given a $10 discount, and penned in a new ship date for January 15th. "I created the Avenger to make people happy," said inventor and company founder Dave Kotkin, who originally designed the controller for a student who had a physical disability, "I deeply regret that so many people have any negative feelings toward it as a result of what has happened." N-Control seems bent on moving on -- which is fine by us, so long as they keep their customers better informed. After all, it's not every day that such an awkward-looking gadget blows us out of the water. Read on for N-Control's full and apologetic press release.

Update: To clarify, Engadget's relationship with Mr. Christoforo was limited to a few emails and PR requests regarding his clients. Continue reading N-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-ordersN-Control dismisses marketing consultant, discounts PS3 Avenger pre-orders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

APPLIED MATERIALS ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ARROW ELECTRONICS ASML HOLDING ASUSTEK COMPUTER

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL BT GROUP

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

EMC ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS

Please Make Games That Work With This Incredible iOS Controller [Video]

From the almost-too-good-to-be-true department comes this iOS gamepad that connects through the headphone jack for minimal battery drain. The catch? Games have to be specifically written to use the controller. And, uh, they haven't been yet. More »






CHINA MOBILE CISCO SYSTEMS COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS COMCAST COMMSCOPE

Gentlemen, You Can Thank This Robotic Arm for Your New Head of Hair [Video]

Conventional hair transplant treatments can last eight hours or more. That causes fatigue in even veteran surgeons, and you don't want a tired doctor plowing for follicles on the back of your head. Luckily, the new ARTAS system can do the heavy hair-pulling. More »






NII HOLDINGS NIKON NINTENDO NOKIA NVIDIA

European Motorola RAZR maintenance update rolling out now

European Motorola RAZR owners should be waking up to an update this morning to software version 651.73.30, bringing with it some useful bugfixes along with a couple of new features. Here's whats new: New Evernote™ application Camera - General improvements to camera performance New Smart Rule Trigger  - 'Motion Detection' Security features - Added new security features in the Google™ Android™ release Phone stability - Improvements on call performance and Bluetooth® connectivity Localisation improvements Wi-Fi performance and stability   General improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity          You can get the update by hitting Settings>About Phone>System Updates  Source: Motorola 

VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC VERISIGN VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS

How Some Crafty Devs Are Defying Apple's App Laws [Apple]

Developing for iOS has its share of tradeoffs: you get to put up a stall in the busiest app bazaar in the world, but only if you jump through Apple's many, many hoops. Or, as these clever underminers did, just find ways around them. More »






SPSS SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS

Ed Hardy headphones hope to ink up your ears

Celebrity headphone endorsements are very à la mode right now, and we've seen Ed Hardy's trademark tattoo stylings defacing gadgetry before, so, if you were the one lamenting the glaring omission that was Hardy-branded cans, then he obviously got your letter. The new "Stereo" range evidently refers to the two designs available thus far: Skull and Bones for the over-ears ($66), while your in-ears get some Tiger power ($29). The in-ears also feature a microphone, presumably so you can call for help from the fashion police. Both are available now.Ed Hardy headphones hope to ink up your ears originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Chip Chick  |  Ed Hardy  | Email this | Comments

AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL BT GROUP

Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro

It's not really a secret the Microsoft had planned on bringing bits of Windows Phone 7's Metro UI to Windows 8, but we haven't seen a lot of really telling evidence. However, with the Windows 8 milestone 3 build now available to Microsoft Connect partners, it was really just a matter of time before we started to get a peek.

Thanks to Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, we've now had a glimpse at what the Windows 8 welcome screen will look like. As you can see, the typography is very Metro indeed. Within Windows also mentions that the background image is customizable, and we're wondering if it might not pull from your current Windows 8 theme. This particular shot shows the CTRL + ALT + DELETE login option, but we imagine you'll still be able to log in by clicking your account picture tile as well.

Rivera and Thurrott also mention that the tablet version of the welcome screen will allow you to log in by swiping a pattern on the screen -- as you can on current Android devices.Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

ITRON IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED IOMEGA INTUIT INTERSECTIONS

Friday, December 30, 2011

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

HARRIS HCL TECHNOLOGIES HEWLETTPACKARD HIGH TECH COMPUTER HON HAI PRECISION IND

Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

This morning, Corel released VideoStudio X4. We've already published a quick overview and hands-on of the application, and now is the moment you've all been waiting for: We're giving away ten full licenses of this new version, each worth $99.99!

To enter our random draw, you just have to leave a comment. Full terms and conditions are after the break.Continue reading Corel VideoStudio X4 giveawayCorel VideoStudio X4 giveaway originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

MENTOR GRAPHICS IMS HEALTH IMATION IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS IDT

Shot Shot Pirate is a fun, simple physics game

Shot Shot Pirate is very satisfying, because each level is short and to the point. You know what you have to do and you just do it.

As you may have gathered from the name, you're cast in the role of a pirate. Your goal is to shoot at a diamond and make it fall off a tower of bricks. The height of the tower changes as you progress through the levels. It's not enough to just make the diamond fall off the tower of bricks - it has to fall below a certain line (drawn on the screen) for the level to be completed.

There are also different kinds of bricks, with some heavier than others, and different kinds of ammo. You only get a certain amount of ammo for each level, and when it's gone, you lose. But don't worry! If you don't make it on the first try, it's very easy to restart the level and just give it another shot (or three).

All in all it's a cute game. I've seen similar games with better graphics and music, but the game delivers on its main promise - a few minutes of pure time wasting!Shot Shot Pirate is a fun, simple physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY

We've Bought $41 Billion in Unused Gift Cards Since 2005 [Factoid]

Gift cards are the laziest, lousiest, most convenient, popular and widely given present. And this is your yearly reminder of just how much they stink. Since 2005, we've tossed out more value in gift cards than the entire GNP of Ghana. More »






INTUIT INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

Introducing Snapdragon Stadium ? the New (Temporary) Name for the Home of the San Diego Chargers

This post brought to you by Snapdragon by Qualcomm. All opinions are 100% mine. Have you heard the news?� Since December 18, Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers, has changed their name to Snapdragon Stadium.� Since 1997, Qualcomm, the San Diego-based wireless chip giant, has had naming rights to the Charger’s stadium.� This [...]

MOODYS MISCROSOFT OFFICE MICROSOFT MICROSEMI MICROS SYSTEMS

Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review

This morning, an updated version of the stock Android Music app was leaked along with a new version of Android Market. The new Music app, which is labeled 'version 3', is similar to the leaked build from December, but it has received a ton of polish -- and indeed, it looks almost ready for prime time.

If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music appContinue reading Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on reviewLeaked Android Music app images and hands-on review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay

If you play Scrabble (or a scrabble-like game) from time to time, you may want to check out Scrabble Helper. This simple website is a godsend when you're at a loss for words. Simply enter whatever letters you have, and the word you'd like to connect with. Scrabble helper comes up with a whole bunch of suggestions sorted by score.

The site lets you select one of five dictionaries - Scrabble International/US, Lexulous International/US, and Words With Friends. Some people might say this constitutes cheating -- I think if the other side knows you're doing it, it's definitely not cheating. And it doesn't take the challenge out of the game, because implementing Scrabble Helper's suggestions and deciding which words you'd like to connect with still takes a fair bit of thought.

Very handy, though perhaps not one for the Scrabble puritans in the crowd.Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Calendar [Video]

The end of the year seems like as appropriate a time as any to take a deep dive into how and why our calendar got to be the way it is. And while you may have some of these facts scrambling around in the dusty recesses of your brain somewhere, I promise you've never seen them so lithely illustrated. More »






MAXIMUS MANTECH INTERNATIONAL MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY

Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)

Corel seems to be on a roll lately; after releasing WinZip System Utilities just last week, this morning the company announced VideoStudio Pro X4.

VideoStudio Pro is aimed at home users and small business professionals who want to create professional-looking videos, but without the hassle, steep learning curve and price of Adobe Premiere Pro and the likes.

This new version introduces several features:


Stop motion animation: You can now capture still frames using a webcam, camcorder or DSLR and use them to produce an animation. Tools such as "onion skin view" let you compare the previous image in the sequence with the current one and make the animation as smooth as possible.

Processor optimization: Corel says the app is optimized for Intel's new Sandy Bridge systems, and have shown us some graphs with very impressive numbers. We've been unable to test this particular point, but if you have a recent-generation Intel or AMD Fusion system, VideoStudio performance should be blazing. Even on our older test system performance was quite impressive.

Customizable workspace: You can drag the video preview window to your secondary monitor (if you have one) and tweak just about any other element in the window layout. Once done, you can save your ideal workspace in one of three slots.

Share-to-Web: VideoStudio Pro X4 hooks directly into YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Flickr, so you don't even have to launch a browser to upload your final product. Edit, produce and share from within the app itself.

Smart Package: Video projects typically consist of many files; Smart Package lets you bundle all video assets for a given project into one ZIP file which you can password-protect and keep in a safe place once you're done editing.

I've had a chance to play around with a pre-release version for a few days, and have put it through its paces editing a short video for my day job. Overall, I've been impressed with how easy it was to create pro-looking results. If you do any sort of video editing but are leery of the investment other apps require (both in dollars and effort), VideoStudio Pro is well worth checking out. To see a bit of the interface itself and what the app can do, watch the video after the jump.

Note: We'll be running a give-away of ten VideoStudio Pro X4 licenses later today, each worth $100 USD. Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway post!Continue reading Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video)Corel releases VideoStudio Pro X4, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR

Opera 11.10 includes improved power saving features

Just recently, the Opera 11.10 release candidate was made available for download. It brought a handful of important feature additions -- like HTML5 File API support and IMAP enhancements -- and loads of bugfixes. Nestled in amongst the other details in the Opera team's announcement is one more interesting tidbit: Opera 11.10 offers improved battery optimizations.

The timing here is certainly interesting, what with Microsoft's recent report on how much power the top five Web browsers consume. In its findings, Opera 11 was fairly low in the standings. While we've not seen any new benchmarks yet, we're curious to know whether the Opera 11.10 RC offers any significant gains.

If you're running Opera 11.10 on a laptop, let us know if you're seeing an improvement in your battery life while browsing!Opera 11.10 includes improved power saving features originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SAIC SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES SES SHAW COMMUNICATIONS SIEMENS

Engadget Distro's 2011 Year In Review is here!

As yet another year of spectacular technological gains and enormous losses comes to a close, we present to you our best attempt at a comprehensive look back: Engadget Distro's Year In Review. In "Technology_In_2011.zip" we'll provide a compressed month-by-month timeline of just a few of the year's standout stories and announcements. We'll also bring you the year in corporate mudslinging with a collection of the most outrageous "CE-Oh No He Didn't" moments and present "The Top 10 Crappiest Crapgadgets of 2011," as selected by our readers. Looking ahead, we have our predictions of what's to come at CES 2012, TechnoBuffalo's Jon Rettinger gives us some insight into his distaste for OS wars in "Q&A" and Don Melanson offers up his list of the year's must-reads. So, in the interest of retrospection, hit that download link and let's reflect.

Distro Issue 20 PDF
Distro on the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Android Market
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on TwitterEngadget Distro's 2011 Year In Review is here! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Android Market, iTunes  | Email this | Comments



IDT IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS

New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching

Later today, Firefox will undergo its biggest developmental upheaval ever. Mozilla-central, the source of nightly builds, will be renumbered to version 5 -- and at long last, after years of wallowing around version 1, Mozilla's rendering and layout engine, Gecko, will also have its version number updated to match Firefox.

Shortly thereafter, Firefox's new channel system will be implemented. Firefox 5a2 will be introduced as the first Aurora build, and we should also see a Firefox 6 Nightly build. While we we're not sure where they came from, one Sören Hentzschel seems to have unearthed the new Nightly and Aurora logos (see above), along with new About Firefox dialogs (after the break).

In other news, if you want to take a sneak peek at the new 'channel changing' technology that will be introduced in upcoming Firefox builds, head to about:config and create a new string called app.update.desiredChannel -- the value doesn't matter. Then open Help > About Firefox and you'll be able to switch channel, but it doesn't do anything just yet (image after the break). Here's hoping that Firefox channel switching is smoother than Chrome.Continue reading New Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switchingNew Firefox Nightly and Aurora logos unearthed, and how to enable channel switching originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SPSS SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS

Verizon Will Charge You Extra to Pay Your Bill Online [Verizon]

Service outages have made Verizon customers grumpy the past few days. They probably won't be any happier about a leak from Droid-Life and confirmed by Phonescoop that Verizon's going to start charging a $2 "convenience fee" for paying your bill online or by phone starting January 15th. More »






DIRECTV GROUP ELPIDA MEMORY EMC FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS FISERV

How are you going to deal with Verizon's $2 'convenience' fee?

Let's face it, that Verizon will start charging an extra $2 a month to pay your bill in certain ways kinda sucks, no two ways about it. But companies don't do these sort of things just to see how we'll react. They know a goodly number of people will just pay their $24 a year and go about their business. So how are you going to handle it? What will you do about Verizon's $2 'convenience' fee?

AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL BT GROUP

March 31 is World Backup Day 2011

Those benevolent armchair philanthropist Redditors are at it again! Four days ago a 'self' post extolling the potential virtues of a Backup Day exploded with 2500 upvotes and 1000 comments -- and now World Backup Day 2011 is actually happening.

On March 31, as part of the global data-saving initiative, you are encouraged to back up all of your cherished photos and videos, and important documents. If you've ever had a hard disk fail, and not had a backup to fall back on, you'll know that it's a bit like losing a sizable fragment of your soul. If you've never backed up your important files -- or if you only back up sporadically -- do it on World Backup Day!

It's not hard to back up your data, either. A 2TB drive costs only a fistful of dollars, and it takes just a few minutes to set SyncToy for Windows, or Time Machine for Mac, to mirror your data every night. If you prefer a cloud-based solution, there's always SugarSync and Dropbox. Finally, don't forget that Bundlelytic has a charity giveaway for three excellent data-backup-and-recovery tools -- $160 of software for only $25, and 100% of the proceeds to go the Japanese Red Cross.

For even more backup options, for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, check our list of 13 great backup programs.March 31 is World Backup Day 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY KEY JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP JACK HENRY and ASSOCIATES

The Best Image Caches of the Year [Video]

This is probably one of the most beloved features of Gizmodo: image cache. It's where we put the most beautiful, the most striking, the most most images and videos of the web. Here are the best of 2011. More »






QIMONDA QUALCOMM QUANTA COMPUTER RESEARCH IN MOTION ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS

ComScore: Android up, RIM down, water wet

Stop us (oh, oh, oh stop us) if you've heard this one before, but in the world of cellphone market share: nothing's changed -- or at least almost nothing. The quarterly data from ComScore say you all still love Android and iOS only slightly more than you used to. Of the 91.4 million smartphones in the US, Google gained the 3.1 percent of the market that RIM lost, and is now inching toward controlling half the nation's phones with 46.9 percent, whilst Apple swallowed the modest gains that Microsoft and Symbian lost. Samsung remains top manufacturer in a report where the only surprise is that 72.6 percent of users send text messages, so what do the other 27.4 percent do when they've been delayed or way-laid?

[Thanks, Wilson]Continue reading ComScore: Android up, RIM down, water wetComScore: Android up, RIM down, water wet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink OddPattern  |  comScore  | Email this | Comments

INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC KDDI KLATENCOR

Action Movie FX Turns iPhone Movies into Blockbusters

Unless you hate fun (or just don’t have an iOS device), you’re going to love Action Movie FX. As you will have guessed from the name, it’s an app which lets you add visual effects to your home movies.
The free app comes with two “FX”: Missile Attack and Car Smash. Like the names, these effects [...]

FINISAR FEI COMPANY

DSLR Remote HD Review

Everybody is excited by OnOne?s DSLR Remote HD launch as an iPad App. What was previously available only for the Iphone and Ipod Touch is now with the iPad as well. The most obvious advantage for this app is that with the iPad?s generous screen area, the program is no longer just a fancy remote controller but also something that can really be useful for certain applications. But what exactly is the DSLR Remote HD and how does it stack [...]

MCAFEE MAXIMUS MANTECH INTERNATIONAL MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI

Once Upon a Time, We Used Radium Condoms For Glow in the Dark Sex [Past Perfect]

It's the same old story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Boy uses radioactive condom for virility. Yeah, romance has a shelf life of forever. More »






KEY JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP JACK HENRY and ASSOCIATES IXYS

Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

RESEARCH IN MOTION ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS SAIC SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES SES

Verzo Kinzo unboxing and impressions (video)

Yes, the Verzo Kinzo is real! That Americano-Czech Android smartphone with mid-range specs that went on sale in November with a ludicrous $459 price tag only to be hastily relaunched earlier this month for a slightly more digestible $359 is not a giant farce. (Well, maybe it is.) It left the ethereal world of rendered computer graphics and landed in our mitts just in time for the holidays. To be specific, we received the pricier $384 Verzo Kinzo Plus GPS package, which includes a voucher for Sygic's off-line navigation app and a gaudy, Star Trek-inspired car holder. After spending a few days with the handset we are able to report that it isn't particularly impressive in this day and age but isn't completely horrible either -- not to mention the faux-Vertu packaging and branding which are rather, well... unique. So why not grab some leftover eggnog, and join us after the break for our unboxing and impressions?
Gallery: Verzo Kinzo overviewContinue reading Verzo Kinzo unboxing and impressions (video)Verzo Kinzo unboxing and impressions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



COMPAL ELECTRONICS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM DLINK DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS DIRECTV GROUP

Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia

Acer already spilled the beans on its Iconia Tab A200, a 10.1-inch slab powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, but whatever happened to that Tegra 3 touting A700? It went to Russia, of course. According to NoMobile.ru, the A200's slimmer, but more powerful brother will debut at CES 2012 next month. The Ruskie site pegs the tablet's 1920 x 1200 resolution screen at 10.1-inches, which is bordered by SIM and micro-USB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, the standard volume rockers, an audio jack and a micro-HDMI port. On its rear they found a textured back garnished with a five megapixel camera sporting a built-in flash -- the whole unit weights 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts a ten hour battery life. When can we see it? At CES, says NoMobile.ru, or in stores if you're willing to wait until March. We'll poke around Acer's offerings next month and let you know what we find. Can't wait? Follow the source link below for a few more pictures.

[Thanks, Erik]Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  NoMobile.ru  | Email this | Comments



SAIC ROCKWELL AUTOMATION RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT RADISYS

LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012

LG let us know at CES 2011 that it had 4K LCD televisions in the pipeline, but unfortunately they didn't make it out this year. Expect for that to change in 2012, as the company just announced it's bringing an 84-inch "ultra definition" (3840x2160) TV to Las Vegas to go along with its 55-inch OLED. It has all of LG's Cinema 3D and Smart TV features built-in, including support for that upgraded Magic Motion remote and voice control. There's no official word yet on when we'll see these on shelves or at what price, but it certainly looks production ready compared to other prototypes that have been displayed over the years. While we don't have easy sources of 4K-res video content yet, one of the reasons LG is making the jump first is for 3D. Its Cinema 3D tech uses a Film Pattern Retarder (FPR) screen and passive glasses that result in lowered resolution, but with those extra pixels there's no question about whether viewers are still getting at least an HD picture. So far 4K at home is the domain of Sony and JVC's high-priced projectors, but we'll see if any other companies (we'll check off Toshiba right now) show off upgrades in size and resolution of their HDTVs this year. Check the press release after the break for a few more details.
Gallery: LG 4K UDTVContinue reading LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012LG unveils 84-inch 'ultra definition' 4K TV it's bringing to CES 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS

Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro

It's not really a secret the Microsoft had planned on bringing bits of Windows Phone 7's Metro UI to Windows 8, but we haven't seen a lot of really telling evidence. However, with the Windows 8 milestone 3 build now available to Microsoft Connect partners, it was really just a matter of time before we started to get a peek.

Thanks to Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, we've now had a glimpse at what the Windows 8 welcome screen will look like. As you can see, the typography is very Metro indeed. Within Windows also mentions that the background image is customizable, and we're wondering if it might not pull from your current Windows 8 theme. This particular shot shows the CTRL + ALT + DELETE login option, but we imagine you'll still be able to log in by clicking your account picture tile as well.

Rivera and Thurrott also mention that the tablet version of the welcome screen will allow you to log in by swiping a pattern on the screen -- as you can on current Android devices.Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY KEY JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP

Wicked Audio's Solus headphones let you listen like a DJ at the flick of a switch

For what it's worth, Wicked Audio has a habit of producing egregiously loud headphones -- looks-wise, that is. Hence our surprise, when we glanced at its latest red and black offering in our Gmail inbox. The Solus, "Latin for be yourself" as we're told, doesn't look like much more than a basic set of cans, but the inline volume control on its braided cable serves a unique function for all you budding record-spinners out there. With a flick of this puppy's "DJ switch," you'll be able to rattle both of your ears in stereo, or have an easier time listening with just one of 'em when it comes time to crossfade into your next track. No word on specs (not that we'd expect any), but letting go of a Benjamin will snag you the Solus when it officially releases at CES. Wicked.

Update: A representative for the company has sent over some specs for cans:


40mm "high performance" drivers

106 dB SPL

20-20,000 Hz

32 ohms

4 ft cord

gold plated plug
Continue reading Wicked Audio's Solus headphones let you listen like a DJ at the flick of a switchWicked Audio's Solus headphones let you listen like a DJ at the flick of a switch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Wicked Audio  | Email this | Comments



DELL CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR ACCENTURE ACER ADOBE SYSTEMS

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to WindowsOmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO

The 2011 Android Central Awards Editors' Picks

2011 brought an avalanche of hardware running Android -- some if it good, some of it not so good.  We try to love everything Android-related around these parts (really, we do), but some things just stand out more than others.  We asked you guys what your picks were in all the categories, but of course we had to chime in ourselves here.  We've fondled just about every Android device out there, and after a bit of discussion amongst ourselves, we've decided on just what ones rise to the top. Remember -- our choices don't have to mimic yours.  That's the great thing about Android, there is a ton of choice for just about any taste.  Anyhoo, see our winners (and losers) after the break. And coming up on Thursday -- the Readers' Choice Awards! read more

VERISIGN VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE

Ask DLS: What's your primary Web browser?

Competition is a good thing, and the browser arena has been a fierce arena for years now. There are at least four "major" browsers each vying for your attention, along with lots of smaller spin-offs (SRWare Iron or Flock, anyone?).

While the browser usage charts we share from time to time show overall browser usage amongst the Web at large, Download Squad readers are not exactly the average bunch in terms of browser use. So today we have one simple question for you:

What's your primary Web browser?

View PollAsk DLS: What's your primary Web browser? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

QLOGIC PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

Intel Gallops Up Cedar Trail

Intel announced its third-generation Atom mobile processor-based platform, code-named "Cedar Trail," on Wednesday. It consists of two dual-core mobile processors, the N2600 and N2800, and two that target entry-level desktop and other solutions, the D2500 and D2700. The platform introduces new features such as Intel Wireless Music and Intel Wireless Display.

NINTENDO NOKIA NVIDIA ORACLE POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus

Once upon a time, there used to be a DOS game with a caveman and a human powered helicopter. The caveman would shuttle around the screen, madly trying to get customers to where they wanted to go.

Jetbus is not that game, but it's obviously inspired by it. You're driving a yellow school bus which has jets. I guess the jet engine takes quite a bit of space inside the bus, because you can only pick up one person at a time.

There are several doors on the screen, each with its own number. As you pick up a person, the status bar at the bottom of the screen shows you which number door you have to take them to.

You must fly your bus carefully, because if it gets bumped around too much, you lose. You earn money on each level, and can visit the garage to buy better jets and damping, power-ups, or even a whole new vehicle.

So while this game isn't made as well as the original that inspired it, it does provide a few minutes of fun. And now, which one of you guys remembers the original and feels like pointing to it in the comments?Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video)

We got our first whiff of the SIM-LEI, an EV from across the Pacific, in March. Back then it was just an oddly shaped prototype with an impressive range of 207 miles and a top speed of 93mph. With the SIM-Drive's concept marching closer to a planned production date sometime in 2013 the company is finally giving a more detailed look at the car at the 2011 Electrical Vehicle Industrial Exhibition. The tapered, fish-like shape reduces drag, but the tiny coefficient of 0.91 couldn't be reached without shrinking the mirrors to their legal limit. The SIM-LEI compensates for the minuscule side and rear-view reflectors with a trio of cameras that feed video to the 19-inch (yes, we said 19-inch) monitor in the dashboard. Check out the video after the break for a complete tour of its advanced motoring tech.Continue reading SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video)SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  DigInfo  | Email this | Comments

COMCAST COMMSCOPE COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS COMPAL ELECTRONICS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM

Capture 360-degree Panoramic Video with Your iPhone

The Kogeto Dot lens works with your iPhone 4 or 4S’s camera and their own free Looker app to capture 360-degree panoramic video.� The Dot uses Kogeto’s iCONIC lens and their “unique catadioptric optical system is fully AR-coated for excellent color fidelity in all environments.”� The Dot attaches to your camera with either a black, [...]

MOBILE TELESYSTEMS NANYA TECHNOLOGY NII HOLDINGS NIKON NINTENDO

How the Hashtag Is Ruining the English Language (Updated) [Rant]

If Twitter is useful for anything beyond a flamethrower of breaking news and URL errata, it's forcing us to be considerate about language—we have to use space wisely. Unfortunately, the hashtag is ruining talking. #NotGonnaLie More »






QUANTUM QLOGIC PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS

Daily Crunch: Two Turntables And Two Tablets Edition

A Watch Created In 1969 Could Sense Heart Attacks? But Wait, There?s More Amazon, Please Do Not Make The Kindle Touchscreen B&N Unleashes A New Nook: Touchscreen E-Ink, 2 Month Battery, $139 Kobo Touch Vs. New Nook In Specs iRemoTap: Power Strip with Built-In Wi-Fi (Video)

DIRECTV GROUP ELPIDA MEMORY EMC FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS FISERV

Sony Needs to Revive This Gorgeous Sliding Radio As a Bluetooth Speaker [Past Perfect]

Sometimes Sony can make some questionable business decisions, but rarely am I able to fault them on design. Particularly back in the 1970s—just look at this cubic portable AM radio. More »






DIRECTV GROUP ELPIDA MEMORY EMC FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS FISERV

Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps

Up until a couple of years ago, I used to turn to RescueTime to figure out how I spend my time online. Then it got too complex, and I stopped using it. Personal Activity Monitor is like a vastly dumbed-down version of RescueTime, and I mean that as a compliment. It's free and bare-bones -- all it does is track what applications you're using and for how long.

A big drawback at this point is that it doesn't integrate with Web browsers to help you analyze how you spend your time on the Web. Still, if your work doesn't require constant Web app use, knowing how long you've used a browser overall might be enough to help you manage your time.


This is far from the only application in this space -- alternatives such as Slife and Chrometa are full-featured and impressive -- but PAM is good option for those who want a nice, simple tracker.Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SIEMENS CDW CHINA MOBILE CISCO SYSTEMS COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS

Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian

Google Voice Search has just introduced localizations for Latin America, Indonesia and Malaysia, enabling native language search for hundreds of millions of users.

Google's official blog post offers some interesting insights into the process of collecting and analyzing the speech data needed to expand support. Thousands of hours were spent gathering voice samples and choosing key regional accents to analyze, and International Program Manager Linne Ha is clearly very appreciative of the Google users who helped the company complete the expansion. Without an enthusiastic base of users to lend a hand, Google Voice Search's polyglot powers would have been nearly impossible to deliver.Google Voice Search learns Latin American Spanish, Indonesian, and Malaysian originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA INFOCUS ZORAN

CrunchGear Week In Review: Freshly Cut Flowers Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: The Cansole: A Pong Console In A Can DIY Collapsable Ninja Star Is Great For Collapsable Ninjas Your Nightmares Have Arrived: Kinect-Driven Powerpoint LusionBloom: A Magnetic Vase For Your Next Weird Cocktail Party A Watch Created In 1969 Could Sense Heart Attacks? But Wait, There?s [...]

TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TNS TIBCO SOFTWARE TIBCO SOFTWARE

Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time

We're not entirely sure of the time line here, but it looks like Google has now rolled out the SPDY HTTP replacement to its full bevy of Web services, including Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. If you're currently using Google's Chrome browser you're probably already using SPDY.

We originally reported on SPDY way back in November 2009, when Google introduced it as yet another experiment in making the Web faster, like Go, Native Client and speculative pre-connections. Over the last 18 months, though, SPDY support has found its way into the stable build of Chrome.

SPDY is basically a streamlined and more efficient version of HTTP. At its most basic, SPDY introduces parallel, multiplexed streams over a single TCP connection -- but at the same time, SPDY allows for prioritization, so that vital content (HTML) can be sent before periphery content (JavaScript, video). All in all, the SPDY protocol can halve page load times, which is obviously rather significant.

The best bit, though, is that SPDY is an open-source project. HTTP 1.1 is a lumbering beast that needs to be replaced before low-latency real-time computing really becomes a reality, and SPDY is one of the best options currently on the table. To be honest, we're not sure why SPDY hasn't received more coverage -- it's awesome in every way. At the moment, though, the only way to help speed up SPDY's proliferation, is with an experimental Apache mod.

As far as actually 'trying it out,' your best bet is downloading Chrome, hitting up some Google sites, and then checking chrome://net-internals to see your active SPDY sessions. SPDY is a transparent replacement for HTTP, though, and as such it's rather hard to see its effects. Google's sites definitely feel fast in Chrome, but there are more technologies than just SPDY at work.Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi and others settle LCD panel price fixing consumer class action for $539 million

'Tis the season for settling antitrust lawsuits, folks. Earlier this month, Sharp, Samsung, Hitachi and other LCD panel producers settled out their price fixing lawsuit with direct purchasers (read: TV and computer monitor manufacturers) for $388 million. So the story goes, the companies colluded to assure higher prices on LCDs sold between 1999 and 2006. Now, those same seven companies have settled up with indirect LCD purchasers -- aka the folks buying TVs and PCs -- to the tune of $539 million. Samsung, Sharp and Chimei are dishing out the lion's share of settlement dollars at $240 million, $115 million and $110 million, respectively, with the other companies kicking in between $2.8 and $39 million for their (allegedly) anti-competitive ways. Of course, the settlement isn't final until it receives the court's blessing, but you can see what the judge will likely be rubber-stamping at the source below.Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi and others settle LCD panel price fixing consumer class action for $539 million originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Reuters  |  Motion for Settlement (PDF)  | Email this | Comments



SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL SPSS SPANSION

The Sad Story of a Real Life R2-D2 Who Saved Countless Human Lives and Died [Bots Of War]

Robots can't have feelings. But humans develop feelings for them. You know, like R2-D2 in Star Wars. Or like Scooby Doo, a real life small robot that saved the day 19 times. This is his single-tear story. More »






TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS SYNNEX

TouchPad Go gets reviewed; or the 7-inch war that never was

Full review of HP’s never announced, never released, 7-inch TouchPad Go, the webOS-powered iPad competitor that could have been Derek Kessler of our newly renamed sibling site, webOS...

ASUSTEK COMPUTER ATandT AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Daily Tip: How to untethered jailbreak original iPad, iPhone 4, and older devices on iOS 5.0.1 with redsn0w 0.9.10b1

Heard about the untethered jailbreak for the original iPad, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and older models running iOS 5.0.1 and curious how to use it on your...

SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL

SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video)

We got our first whiff of the SIM-LEI, an EV from across the Pacific, in March. Back then it was just an oddly shaped prototype with an impressive range of 207 miles and a top speed of 93mph. With the SIM-Drive's concept marching closer to a planned production date sometime in 2013 the company is finally giving a more detailed look at the car at the 2011 Electrical Vehicle Industrial Exhibition. The tapered, fish-like shape reduces drag, but the tiny coefficient of 0.91 couldn't be reached without shrinking the mirrors to their legal limit. The SIM-LEI compensates for the minuscule side and rear-view reflectors with a trio of cameras that feed video to the 19-inch (yes, we said 19-inch) monitor in the dashboard. Check out the video after the break for a complete tour of its advanced motoring tech.Continue reading SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video)SIM-LEI EV gets a video walk-through: shaped like a fish, has a big screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  DigInfo  | Email this | Comments

TELETECH HOLDINGS TECHNITROL TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

SIEMENS CDW CHINA MOBILE CISCO SYSTEMS COGNIZANT TECH SOLUTIONS

M-Edge suit accuses Amazon of corporate bullying, patent infringement over Kindle cases

Case maker M-Edge filed suit with a Maryland court last week accusing Amazon of "unlawful corporate bullying" and patent infringement relating to the company's line of Kindle cases. According to M-Edge, the company signed a three-year agreement with Amazon in November 2009 for a 15-percent sales commission, only to have the retail giant demand a new contract with a 32-percent cut a mere two month later. A lawyer for M-Edge told The Wall Street Journal that Amazon punished the case maker over its refusal to play ball, after threats of burying the company's products on its site. According to the filing, M-Edge finally caved and signed a new contract in July of last year, given the fact that Amazon apparently drives nearly 90-percent of the small company's revenue. The suit also accuses Amazon of "knocking off" its reading light-packing covers with lighted jacket designs for the Kindle 3. Amazon, for its part, has refused to comment on the matter.M-Edge suit accuses Amazon of corporate bullying, patent infringement over Kindle cases originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Geekwire, Geek.com  |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments



RACKABLE SYSTEMS QUEST SOFTWARE QUANTUM QLOGIC PROGRESS SOFTWARE

Zeo Mobile Is A Delight to Sleep With [Fitmodo]

I'm tired. I'm old and I'm groggy and mentally slow. I don't get enough exercise, or family time, and I'm sick too often. I don't perform my best at work, or anywhere else, and I'm grumpy when I don't mean to be and it's all largely because I'm so damn tired. More »






SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNOPSYS SYNNEX SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED

Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8

If you used Windows XP for a long time (who didn't?), one of the biggest changes when moving to Windows 7 or Vista was the massively-altered Explorer. While the new Explorer introduces some useful new features, it also removed just as many -- which is where Classic Shell comes in!

We've covered Classic Shell before, but here's the crib note: Classic Shell restores almost every Windows XP-era Explorer feature. The best change, in our opinion, is the reemergence of the 'up' arrow, meaning you now navigate without using the Windows Vista/7 'breadcrumbs' address bar. The status bar yet again shows the total size of your selection, and -- praise be! -- the diabolical Windows 7 Copy File 'copy and replace?' dialog has been replaced with a Windows XP lookalike (image after the break).

New to the most recent version of Classic Shell is the ability to make IE9 look like IE8. With Classic Shell the title bar yet again has a caption, so you can see the full title of Web pages. The current security zone and loading progress indicator have been put back into the status bar, too. If you enable 'Show tabs on a separate row,' it's almost like using IE8.

Finally, Classic Shell replaces the omnipotent Windows 7 Start Menu with the age-old 'classic' Windows 2000/XP-style Start Menu. Classic Shell makes the Start Menu skinable, too, if you're into the kind of thing.

As awesome as it sounds, we've only touched on a small section of Classic Shell's feature set. Check the Classic Shell site for a complete list. There's a few more images of Classic Shell in action after the break.

Download Classic Shell for WindowsContinue reading Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8Classic Shell now makes Internet Explorer 9 look like IE8 originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

QUALCOMM QUANTA COMPUTER RESEARCH IN MOTION ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS SAIC

Rumor Roundup: Apple?s Game-Changing TV Set

Following a spate of Digitimes reports regarding Apple's alleged TV project, we thought it's high time to do a full roundup of "iTV" rumors. Here's all you need to know about the speculation thus far.

INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA INFOCUS

Italian anti-trust body fines Apple for misleading customers on product guarantees

Apple Italia has been fined a total of 900,000 euros for failing to inform its customers that products purchased were already covered by two years of free assistance under national law. It appears that Apple employees encouraged the extra purchase of its own AppleCare plans. With the European court's continued investigation of possible e-book price-fixing and ongoing legal jousting with Samsung unlikely to end any time soon, it looks like Apple will be busy in the courts next year too.


[Thanks Giulio]Italian anti-trust body fines Apple for misleading customers on product guarantees originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments



AUTODESK AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING AVNET BHARTI AIRTEL BT GROUP

The Best Songs Ever Written About A Robot Friend [Video]

Grandaddy's magnificent album from the year 2000, The Sophtware Slump, features a recurring character, a humanoid robot called Jed. After his creators tire of him, Jed gets drunk, and his system crashes. But first, he writes some poems. More »






INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA INFOCUS ZORAN ZIONS BAN

YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time

Not content with limiting its dominance in streaming uploaded videos, YouTube is now ready to take on competitors like Justin.TV and Ustream. The new YouTube Live service is being rolled out to select YouTube partners and will enable real-time broadcasting. In its official announcement, Google states that "The goal is to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead."

You can check out live broadcasts at http://www.youtube.com/live, where you'll also find a schedule of upcoming episodes from beta partners like Revision3 and Destructoid. You're also able to subscribe to YouTube Live broadcasts -- which will ensure you're notified when a new episode is coming up.YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT RADISYS RACKABLE SYSTEMS QUEST SOFTWARE

Recent developments and rumors

The recent developments and rumors about the new ipad 3 has left the market not sure of which way to go. Many predict that apple is bond to keep all secrets about the upcoming ipad 3 a secret. Apple Company does not deny or confirm the rumors about whether they will be an ipad 3 released this year or in the near future. Many are aware that apple does business slightly different from others and this can just be a [...]

QLOGIC PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS PEROT SYSTEMS PALM

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for AndroidGoogle holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP JACK HENRY and ASSOCIATES IXYS ITRON

Italian anti-trust body fines Apple for misleading customers on product guarantees

Apple Italia has been fined a total of 900,000 euros for failing to inform its customers that products purchased were already covered by two years of free assistance under national law. It appears that Apple employees encouraged the extra purchase of its own AppleCare plans. With the European court's continued investigation of possible e-book price-fixing and ongoing legal jousting with Samsung unlikely to end any time soon, it looks like Apple will be busy in the courts next year too.


[Thanks Giulio]Italian anti-trust body fines Apple for misleading customers on product guarantees originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments



ACER ADOBE SYSTEMS ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS ALLTEL

M-Edge suit accuses Amazon of corporate bullying, patent infringement over Kindle cases

Case maker M-Edge filed suit with a Maryland court last week accusing Amazon of "unlawful corporate bullying" and patent infringement relating to the company's line of Kindle cases. According to M-Edge, the company signed a three-year agreement with Amazon in November 2009 for a 15-percent sales commission, only to have the retail giant demand a new contract with a 32-percent cut a mere two month later. A lawyer for M-Edge told The Wall Street Journal that Amazon punished the case maker over its refusal to play ball, after threats of burying the company's products on its site. According to the filing, M-Edge finally caved and signed a new contract in July of last year, given the fact that Amazon apparently drives nearly 90-percent of the small company's revenue. The suit also accuses Amazon of "knocking off" its reading light-packing covers with lighted jacket designs for the Kindle 3. Amazon, for its part, has refused to comment on the matter.M-Edge suit accuses Amazon of corporate bullying, patent infringement over Kindle cases originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Geekwire, Geek.com  |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

QUALCOMM QUANTA COMPUTER RESEARCH IN MOTION ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS SAIC

Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier

Some of you who own Windows Phone 7 devices are still waiting for your pre-NoDo preparation update -- never mind NoDo itself. A few workarounds have been posted, but unfortunately they didn't work unless your carrier had completed testing and was ready to schedule the update.

Now, however, the Chevron WP7 team's Chris Walshie has delivered a handy little utility that will allow you to update any Windows Phone 7 device -- regardless of your carrier.


Download and install the Windows Phone Support Tool (x86 or x64) and the ChevronWP7 Updater (x86 or x64)

Launch ChevronWP7 Updater and select your language. If your language isn't listed, stop and do not update.

If were running WP7 build 7004 (you can verify in Zune) then run the updater twice.

Once the process completes, you should be able to copy and paste to your heart's content. Let's just hope all this update foolishness gets sorted out before we're supposed to receive Mango.Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TNS

China Has Its Own GPS Now—And It's Better Than Yours [China]

China is now one step closer to become the top economic and military superpower in the world: their Beidou geo-positioning system is now fully armed and operational. More »






FEI COMPANY FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS

Deal of the Day ? 30% Coupon for HP ENVY 15 Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 2.4GHz Laptop

Today?s LogicBUY Deal is the new 15.6? HP ENVY 15 laptop for $944.99 after a 30% discount coupon.� Features: all-new aluminum design, Beats Audio, six built-in speakers and a subwoofer, audio-grade mesh, Beats volume control, optional 1080p LCD screen, 8-cell 72WHr battery, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 3.0 ports, 2-in-1�card reader, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi, HD webcam, Radiance [...]

SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla's increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs' current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change -- some URLs might change, but that's it -- and presumably Messaging's F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

What this means for the end user -- for the hundreds of millions of Firefox users -- is that the next big additions will be communication- and messaging-oriented. Contacts and F1 will be almost certainly be baked into Firefox 5 or 6, both of which will be released this year -- and, who knows, there might be something else even more exciting up Mozilla Labs' sleeve!Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH

Chamber Raid: Hackers Target US Commerce Lobby

As the U.S. government continues to pound out proposals for getting its IT security ducks in a row, it appears it's not the only party in Washington, D.C., to have a problem with network intrusion. IT systems belonging to the lobbying group the United States Chamber of Commerce were breached by hackers using servers located in China, according to a recent report.

RACKABLE SYSTEMS QUEST SOFTWARE QUANTUM QLOGIC PROGRESS SOFTWARE

Scientists Say We Should Search Moon for Alien Traces [Space]

Arizona State University's professor Paul Davies—a theoretical physicist and cosmologist now working on astrobiology—and Robert Wagner—Research Technician at the School of Earth & Space Exploration—have published a scientific paper calling for the search of alien artifacts on the Moon.. More »






MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look

While not a game per se, I found Mitoza intriguing enough to spend quite some time with it. You start off with a seed, and are then presented with two choices: you can either click a flower pot, or click a cute little birdie.

If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You're then presented with two further choices -- a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.

There's no winning or losing, really. Each "game" usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.

The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.

All in all, it's a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you're at it.Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

HON HAI PRECISION IND HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC