Posts Tagged ‘designer’

Microsoft is updating its Windows Phone YouTube app today. In a statement to The Verge, the company says it’s making some changes to address concerns from Google. “Microsoft updated the Windows Phone YouTube app to address the restricted video and offline video access concerns voiced by Google last week,” says a spokesperson. “We have been in contact with Google and continue to believe that our two companies can work together to hone an app that benefits our mutual customers, partners and content providers.” The update follows Google’s demand for Microsoft to remove the YouTube app fully from its Windows Phone Store.

Continued here:
Microsoft updates YouTube Windows Phone app to address some Google concerns

Today, Samsung is announcing a 7-inch tablet running Android 4.1 called the Galaxy Tab 3, but to our eyes, it doesn’t look much different from the current 7-inch Tab 2 . The previous Tab’s 1 GHz dual-core processor gets upgraded to a 1.2GHz chip, and the newer tablet offers 16GB of internal storage as an option — its predecessor was limited to 8GB — but the 3-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front camera stay the same. The resolution of the Tab 3′s LCD is also unchanged at 1024 x 600, which isn’t much of a match for the 1280 x 800 display on the Nexus 7 . So far there aren’t any details on price, but Samsung says the Wi-Fi-only Tab 3 will be available beginning in May, followed by a 3G model for making calls and browsing the… Continue reading…

Read More:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 announced, a low-end 7-inch tablet that makes calls

Instapaper founder Marco Arment has just announced that he doesn’t own his creation anymore. Betaworks, which also owns Digg, has acquired a majority stake in the read-it-later service. In a post on his personal blog , Arment explains that Instapaper had grown beyond its original beginnings in 2008 as a web-only service, and that maintaining it was no longer feasible for a one-person operation. “To really shine, it needs a full-time staff of at least a few people,” he writes; hence the deal with Betaworks. While it was an early pioneer in the world of iOS apps, in recent years Instapaper has faced increased competition from services like Pocket and Readability

See original article:
Instapaper acquired by Betaworks, owner of Digg

Nokia’s new flagship Lumia 928 for Verizon is reportedly scheduled for a launch in May. Bloomberg reports that Verizon will “unveil a plan next month” for the Lumia 928, which reportedly features a “metal body” alongside a 4.5-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera, and wireless charging. The Verge’s own sources have previously indicated that Nokia will not be using an aluminum frame for this particular devices, opting for a thinner polycarbonate body. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop recently hinted at a new Lumia due “later this quarter” with a hero status on a leading US carrier ahead of “a season of new product introductions.” Elop didn’t name check the Lumia 928 specifically, but he has previously refused to answer questions about the Lumia 928…. Continue reading…

Follow this link:
Nokia unveiling Lumia 928 for Verizon next month, says Bloomberg

The fastest supercomputer of 2008 is being decommissioned today after setting record-breaking speeds five years ago. The IBM-built Roadrunner was the first machine to reach the notable performance target of 1 sustained petaflops — equivalent to one million billion calculations per second. Though the machine is still one of the faster computers in the world, its power consumption is making it obsolete. The next-fastest supercomputer nearly matches Roadrunner’s speeds with only about one-fifth of the energy consumption, making Roadrunner comparably too expensive to operate

Visit site:
Energy inefficiency brings an end to 2008′s record-breaking Roadrunner supercomputer

Google just announced the Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge, a new initiative whereby the company has promised not to sue developers, distributors, and users of open source software utilizing Mountain View’s patents “unless first attacked.” In introducing the good faith effort, Google is reiterating its passion and support for open platforms. “Open-source software has been at the root of many innovations in cloud computing, the mobile web, and the Internet generally,” writes Duane Valz , Google’s senior patent counsel. “We remain committed to an open Internet — one that protects real innovation and continues to deliver great products and services.” The company isn’t throwing its entire patent portfolio up for grabs, however. It’s…

Read more here:
Google announces open source patent pledge, won’t sue ‘unless first attacked’

Cody Wilson, who heads 3D printed firearms group Defense Distributed, has apparently received a federal firearms license officially allowing him to manufacture or sell the group’s guns. Defense Distributed posted a Facebook photo of the license with a note reading “The work begins!” Wilson tells Ars Technica that his Type 7 license will allow him the same rights as other manufacturers: “I can sell some of the pieces that we’ve been making. I can do firearms transactions and transport.” He’ll be required to keep records on what he makes and sells, and he’s not planning to sell anything at all until he receives a supplemental license to make a broader range of firearms. Continue reading…

See more here:
Defense Distributed gets license to make and sell 3D printed guns

Google’s controversial decision to shut down Google Reader on July 1st has left its users searching for a new news-collecting homeland, and we now have an idea of the scale of the RSS diaspora. Feedly has announced that more than half a million Google Reader users have signed up for its RSS service following Google’s service termination announcement on Wednesday. Feedly also says it’s working to keep up with its growth, increasing bandwidth by 10 times and adding new servers.

View article:
More than 500,000 Google Reader users flock to Feedly in two days

Formspring, one of the original social question and answer sites, has announced that it will be shutting down on March 31st . Launched in November 2009, Formspring let users post questions either anonymously or tagged with their accounts and then receive answer from other Formspring users or anonymous visitors. Users could also follow each other and post questions targeted to their followers. The service eventually expanded to offer mobile apps for both Android and iOS

Visit link:
Social question and answer site Formspring to shut down on March 31st

It’s a game all too familiar to technology journalists and anyone following the industry closely: Company X teases, announces, or releases a flagship product. Apple — purely by “coincidence” — makes big news within days or even hours of the event. That news can be in the form of an invitation to an event of Apple’s own or, just as common, a rumor posted to a primary news source like The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg . Of course, it’s not actually a coincidence at all. Apple is widely understood to feed interesting bits of information on future products to news outlets (mostly the Journal ) when it feels the need to spin a message or move the spotlight off of a competitor.

See the original article here:
As Galaxy S4 launch draws near, Apple plays a very different game

Less than 24 hours away from Samsung’s next Galaxy S unveiling, detailed images have leaked on Chinese site IT168 that look exactly like yesterday’s purported video of the device. The pictures show that the eight-core phone will measure 7.7 millimeters thick and weigh in at 138g, with a 4.99-inch 1080p display. The description confirms reports that the device will have a 13-megapixel camera , a significant jump from the Galaxy S III’S 8-megapixel resolution.

Read the article:
Samsung Galaxy S 4 revealed in leaked images

Right now, thousands of computers are infected with malware that hands hackers almost complete control of the machines. Often hidden inside torrents, Remote Administration Tools (RAT) create a server that lets hackers execute malicious code, access users’ files, webcams, and log keystrokes. RATs are nothing new — they’ve been around in multiple guises for well over a decade, but an entire community has developed around the tools, sharing images of “slaves” (the hackers’ name for a user whose computer is infected), tips on how to infect more users, and even in some cases “slave trading” the details of users. Ars Technica has run an extensive piece on RATs , which includes a look at how some developing nations are using the tools for..

Read more here:
The perverted world of webcam hackers

Some fairly convincing images of a previously-unseen Samsung smartphone have surfaced, possibly revealing a Chinese variant of the yet-to-be-announced Galaxy S 4. The images show a 5-inch smartphone with similar styling to the Galaxy S III , complete with a physical oblong home button and glossy back. They were uploaded to Chinese forum 52 Samsung a few hours ago, and if legitimate confirm a number of the heavily-rumored specifications.

Taken from:
Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 may have leaked on Chinese forum

Google has a knack for going big at SXSW. Last year, the company created an entire village near the Convention Center. This year, just outside the convention center, Google has opened a “playground.” And what better way to experience the playground than with a shoe that taunts you with a male, British voice. It’s not intended to be a consumer product — the project comes out of Google’s Art, Copy, & Code initiative, whose tagline is “Advertising Re-imagined.” With an Arduino board, some key sensors (pedometer, gyroscope, etc.), and a bit of snarky code, the shoe tracks how active you are and will respond accordingly with either faint praise or biting sarcasm. A branding initiative that’s also an art project that attempts to..

Read the article:
Of course Google made a talking shoe for SXSW 2013 (video)

Just ahead of the launch of Windows Phone 8, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said he had ” no indications ” that Microsoft was building its own Surface phone, even welcoming Microsoft to join the ranks as “a stimulant to the ecosystem.” Nokia has never made any formal risk statements that Microsoft could build its own smartphone, but this week the company’s tone changed somewhat. In a filing with the SEC , spotted by ZDNet , Nokia acknowledged that Microsoft could very well be building its own smartphone hardware. “Microsoft may make strategic decisions or changes that may be detrimental to us.

Read the original:
Is Nokia starting to believe in the Surface phone?

We’ve called the Oculus Rift head-mounted display “the future of virtual reality.” But what does that really mean? Perhaps you’d like to hear the answer, live on the air, from a panel of gaming luminaries. At 4PM PT today, you can join renowned game developers Chris Roberts ( Wing Commander ), Cliff Bleszinski ( Gears of War ), Paul Bettner ( Words with Friends ), and the inventor of the Oculus Rift himself, for a live conversation streaming to you direct from the SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. Check back here at 4PM PT (7PM ET) to hear their thoughts on all things VR.

Continue Reading:
Watch live: Oculus Rift inventor and CliffyB talk virtual reality at SXSWi

Last year the Federal Communications Commission put new measures in place to protect consumers from spam text messages, and now the Federal Trade Commission is taking actions of its own by filing complaints against 29 different individuals in connection with a massive spam SMS operation. According to the FTC, the defendants were responsible for sending more than 180 million spam text messages promising free gift cards from the likes of Target and Best Buy. Those that clicked through on links in the messages would be directed to websites where they would be asked for personal information, instructed to apply for a credit card, or be forced to subscribe to different services in order to receive their free gift. The FTC alleges that the…

View article:
FTC files charges against spammers accused of sending 180 million text messages

Dell’s buyout deal is reportedly facing more opposition from shareholders, and competing offers could be in the works. Sources have told Bloomberg that fellow computer makers HP and Lenovo have expressed interest in buying the company at a higher price, as has Blackstone Group. The sources say HP and Lenovo are unlikely to actually pursue a bid, but their consideration will complicate Michael Dell’s plan to take the beleaguered company private for $24.4 billion provided by himself, equity firms, and a Microsoft loan. Meanwhile, prominent investor Carl Icahn — recently known for his heavy investment in Netflix — seems to have his own plans in the works. CNBC sources reported yesterday that Icahn has collected a roughly 6 percent..

View post:
Dell buyout challenged by another major investor and potential bids from Lenovo and HP

Amplify, an educational unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, made a surprising announcement today, unveiling a new tablet designed for public school classrooms. As the New York Times reports , the 10-inch Android tablet will be officially presented Wednesday at an SXSWedu event led by Joel Klein, News Corp executive vice president, former chancellor of New York City’s public school system, and an ardent supporter of tech-savvy classrooms. “We understand technology and we understand education,” Klein told the Times . “A lot of people who understand technology don’t understand education.” Continue reading…

Continued here:
News Corp unveils Amplify tablet for use in classrooms

Sugar. Corn syrup. Modified food starch.

More:
90 Seconds on The Verge: Apple’s watch, a medical breakthrough, and the White House talks cellphones

Nicholas Webber’s rap sheet should have instantly disqualified him from joining an IT class at HMP Isis prison in South London. Yet somehow Webber, whose GhostMarket online forum was a haven to hackers, virus assemblers, and identity thieves, managed to join the course without a problem. The 21-year-old is currently serving out a five-year sentence after authorities caught him using stolen information to make extravagant purchases.

More:
Notorious UK cyber criminal allowed into prison IT class, predictably causes chaos

Earlier this year it became illegal in the United States to unlock a carrier-subsidized phone or tablet without prior authorization — but it looks like the Federal Communications Commission may not be so fond of the idea. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told TechCrunch that the FCC was in fact going to investigate the ban to see whether it has any harmful effects for consumers and competitors. Genachowski is quoted as saying that it “raises competition concerns; it raises innovation concerns.” However, he reportedly wasn’t entirely sure if the FCC would be able to intervene in any meaningful way in this instance — though it will be exploring its options. “It’s something that we will look at at the FCC to see if we can and should…

View the original here:
FCC will investigate cellphone unlocking ban, says chairman

It seems inevitable that if a product specifically advises against certain activities that some people are going to push the limit. That’s exactly the case with home soda machines like the SodaStream, called carbonators, which are increasingly empowering inspired owners to try to mix their own concoctions — a warranty-voiding activity. As detailed in a New York Times article , some are graduating from adding prepackaged syrups and juices to their carbonated drinks to tossing natural flavor infusers like slices of fruit and mint leaves directly into the water before carbonating it. Some mixologists with professional gear are carbonating alcoholic drinks directly, foregoing the once-obligatory splash of club soda, and creating a… Continue reading…

Original post:
Drink hackers take home carbonators to the limit

Ikea is making your dream of living in Ikea a reality. Inter Ikea Group, Ikea’s parent company, is moving into urban development, and its first town is planned for south of Stratford, London. The half-billion dollar project isn’t a new idea — planned communities and company towns already exist — but it’s unclear what Ikea has to gain from the low-profit venture. The company is planning its town responsibly, with 15 percent of the apartments and family homes marked as affordably priced housing, and Fast Company questions whether the town is a convoluted tax haven or a somewhat philanthropic effort.

Read More:
You can finally live in Ikea

Nokia is unveiling its new mid-range Windows Phone 8 device today: the Lumia 720. Known previously as the Zeal , the Lumia 720 leaked in photo form last week, but it’s finally official now. Equipped with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 1.0GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of storage, it’s a device that finds itself wedged between the Lumia 620 and the Lumia 820.

Read the original:
Nokia Lumia 720: a thin 4.3-inch Windows Phone, with an improved camera but no LTE