Friday, December 31, 2010
Device may stop dengue fever by slaughtering pregnant mosquitos [Madscience]
5 perfect computery Christmas gifts for your mother, father or family elder
5 perfect computery Christmas gifts for your mother, father or family elder
Let's be honest: if you're reading Download Squad, you're in the 99th percentile when it comes to computer technology. You probably know how to touch type, or send a file across the world at the speed of light, and in all likelihood you own one of the big three video game consoles. Like all things that you've grown up with and come to rely on, though, you don't realize just how lucky you are to have high-tech gadgets in your life.
Don't worry, I'm not going to go on about the malnourished kids in Sub-Saharan Africa and how you ought to feel thankful for food and good health this Christmas. Instead, just take a moment and think about what life would be like without a computer, without an Internet connection -- without LOLCATS.
The sad truth is, only the last couple of generations have attained computer mastery. Your parents might use computers, but as a means to an end, not as a tool. I don't think I've ever heard my mother say she likes Microsoft Word, but it gets the job done. You and I both know that technology can be so much more than that. It can become an extension of our everyday life -- and there's no reason your older relatives should miss out on the fun!
I've compiled a list of five items that can all massively improve a nascent computer user's enjoyment of technology. Some are cheap, and some are expensive -- but do your parents a favor and buy them something from this list this Christmas.
Lily Allen
Nadine Velazquez
Let's be honest: if you're reading Download Squad, you're in the 99th percentile when it comes to computer technology. You probably know how to touch type, or send a file across the world at the speed of light, and in all likelihood you own one of the big three video game consoles. Like all things that you've grown up with and come to rely on, though, you don't realize just how lucky you are to have high-tech gadgets in your life.Don't worry, I'm not going to go on about the malnourished kids in Sub-Saharan Africa and how you ought to feel thankful for food and good health this Christmas. Instead, just take a moment and think about what life would be like without a computer, without an Internet connection -- without LOLCATS.
The sad truth is, only the last couple of generations have attained computer mastery. Your parents might use computers, but as a means to an end, not as a tool. I don't think I've ever heard my mother say she likes Microsoft Word, but it gets the job done. You and I both know that technology can be so much more than that. It can become an extension of our everyday life -- and there's no reason your older relatives should miss out on the fun!
I've compiled a list of five items that can all massively improve a nascent computer user's enjoyment of technology. Some are cheap, and some are expensive -- but do your parents a favor and buy them something from this list this Christmas.
Continue reading 5 perfect computery Christmas gifts for your mother, father or family elder
5 perfect computery Christmas gifts for your mother, father or family elder originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lily Allen
Nadine Velazquez
Netflix to go international in 2011?
Netflix to go international in 2011?
Over at Cnet, Don Reisinger is reporting that Netflix is positioning itself for international expansion. The service finally made the jump from the U.S. to Canada this year, and CEO Reed Hastings has said that move "has provided us with very encouraging signs regarding the potential for the Netflix service internationally." Spokesperson Steve Swasey recently told a CBC interviewer "based on the early success of Netflix.ca we're going to continue our international expansion next year and we're going to allocate significant dollars to it."
Netflix has been extremely successful in transforming itself from a video-by-mail service into one of the key players in video on demand. Hastings admits that Netflix's focus has shifted to streaming, and that it's time to begin looking outside North America. According to AdWeek, the company is now having exploratory discussions with advertising and media agencies around the globe to lay the groundwork their next expansion.
The company, of course, will have competitors to deal with overseas -- like the very popular Lovefilm in Europe. How Netflix will fare there -- as opposed to Canada where the service had no real competition -- remains to be seen.
Charlize Theron
Anna Faris
Netflix has been extremely successful in transforming itself from a video-by-mail service into one of the key players in video on demand. Hastings admits that Netflix's focus has shifted to streaming, and that it's time to begin looking outside North America. According to AdWeek, the company is now having exploratory discussions with advertising and media agencies around the globe to lay the groundwork their next expansion.
The company, of course, will have competitors to deal with overseas -- like the very popular Lovefilm in Europe. How Netflix will fare there -- as opposed to Canada where the service had no real competition -- remains to be seen.
Netflix to go international in 2011? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Charlize Theron
Anna Faris
Deal of the Day ?Save $150 on the Samsung Q430 14? Laptop
This LogicBUY deal saves you $150 on the Samsung Q430 14? Core i5-460M laptop.� Inside is 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive.� The screen has LED backlighting and is powered by NVIDIA GeForce 310M graphics.� The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium. The current lowest price found by LogicBUY is $799.99 – [...]
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iPad Soon To Go On Sale In 9 More Countries
Most people around the globe have heard of the iPad by now, even in areas where it’s not yet being sold. The iPad no longer needs an introduction but it will become available in 9 more countries this Friday. Apple’s trend setting gadget, tablet computer, or whatever you’d like to refer to it as, is [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/Mv6_uydNX1c/
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Android still has horrible text messaging bugs that'll get you fired, busted, or otherwise embarrassed
Pardon us if the headline is a little sensational, but this is one that we've personally experienced -- and it's not pretty. For at least the last couple versions, Android has been plagued with a couple extremely serious bugs in its text messaging subsystem that can ultimately end up causing you to text the wrong contact -- even contacts that you've never texted before. There appear to be a few failure modes; the one we definitely experience on the Gingerbread-powered Nexus S involves being routed to the wrong thread when you tap it either in the Notifications list or the master thread list in the Messaging application, so if you don't notice, you'll end up firing a message to the wrong person.More seriously, though, there's also an open issue in Android's bug tracking system -- inexplicably marked "medium" priority -- where sent text messages can appear to be in the correct thread and still end up being sent to another contact altogether. In other words, unless you pull up the Message Details screen after the fact, you might not even know the grievous act you've committed until your boss, significant other, or best friend -- make that former best friend -- texts you back. There seem to have been some attempts on Google's part over the year to fix it; we can't confirm that it still happens in 2.3, but for what it's worth, the issue hasn't been marked resolved in Google Code... and it was opened some six months ago.
This is akin to an alarm clock that occasionally won't go off (we've been there) or a car that randomly won't let you turn the steering wheel -- you simply cannot have a phone that you can't trust to communicate with the right people. It's a deal-breaker. We're pretty shocked that these issues weren't tied up and blasted to all affected phones as an over-the-air patch months ago, but whatever the reason, we'd like to see Google, manufacturers, and carriers drop every other Android update they're working on and make sure this is completely resolved immediately.
Want to see this fixed as much as we do? Scroll to the bottom of the Google Code page and hit "Vote for this issue and get email change notifications."
Android still has horrible text messaging bugs that'll get you fired, busted, or otherwise embarrassed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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20+ essential programs for your new Windows computer
20+ essential programs for your new Windows computer
Our regular readers can probably rattle off a list of their 20 favorite apps without breaking a sweat -- as the comments on this post will no doubt prove. But for our less in-the-know friends, family, and co-workers, it can be challenging to figure out where to download high quality programs that actually do what they need them to do.
We've put together an assortment that will help you hit the ground running with your new Windows PC. If you've got your own suggestions to add, feel free to post them in the comments.
Now let's take the jump and check out the apps!
Anna Kournikova
Hayden Panettiere
Cameron Diaz
We've put together an assortment that will help you hit the ground running with your new Windows PC. If you've got your own suggestions to add, feel free to post them in the comments.
Now let's take the jump and check out the apps!
Continue reading 20+ essential programs for your new Windows computer
20+ essential programs for your new Windows computer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Anna Kournikova
Hayden Panettiere
Cameron Diaz
Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu
Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu
If the recent demonstrations of the Kinect's potential have you all hot and bothered, brace yourself: official drivers are now available for both Windows and Ubuntu. It's all thanks to the OpenNI (Natural Interaction) initiative, where PrimeSense -- the company behind the Kinect -- happens to be one of the founding members.
OpenNI aims "to accelerate the introduction of Natural Interaction applications into the marketplace," and releasing drivers is a good first step. Binaries for 32-bit Windows and both 32 and 64-bit Ubuntu systems are available for download and source code is also available. There's also a full OpenNI user guide in PDF format.
Here's hoping driver availability leads something more than slick demos -- we'd love to actually be able to control our desktops this way.
Ciara
Blake Lively
Scarlett Johansson
OpenNI aims "to accelerate the introduction of Natural Interaction applications into the marketplace," and releasing drivers is a good first step. Binaries for 32-bit Windows and both 32 and 64-bit Ubuntu systems are available for download and source code is also available. There's also a full OpenNI user guide in PDF format.
Here's hoping driver availability leads something more than slick demos -- we'd love to actually be able to control our desktops this way.
Official Kinect drivers now available for Windows and Ubuntu originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ciara
Blake Lively
Scarlett Johansson
Chicken-based camera stabilization more effective than the human head mount (video)
As you're undoubtedly well aware, the chicken's vestibulo-ocular reflex and gaze stabilizing function (Google it!) is highly evolved, making it just the thing for steadying your camera. Of course, you need access to live poultry, a tiny camera, some sort of rubber band, and the patience and skill to befriend a rooster and bring him to your film shoots. You've already seen one loyal Engadget reader's fledgling attempts at the Chicken Powered Steadicam[TM], but you can rest assured that this fowl gadget (groan) is constantly in development. Check out our friend Jeremiah's video after the break to see comparison shots between a rooster cam, a handheld camera, and one just sort of strapped to Jeremiah's head.
Continue reading Chicken-based camera stabilization more effective than the human head mount (video)
Chicken-based camera stabilization more effective than the human head mount (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Toast the new year with a virtual glass of booze on your iPhone (or iPad!)
IKEA, the lord of bland, cheap, spruce and spartan Scandinavian furniture, has released a toasting app just in time for New Year's Eve. Pick from the huge range of glasses and drinks, and enjoy a virtual toast!The app, which is called Skål!, or "Cheers!" in English, has a neat trick up its sleeve: it uses the rear-facing camera to create a backdrop for your virtual drink. Then, as you drink from your iPhone (or iPad, or iPod touch), the drink, its contents and the background rotate to complete the illusion. You can even save a copy of the scene, if you're the kind of person that likes to keep mementos.
The app is free, which makes this our top pick for both saving money and preventing any cataclysmic chundering this New Year's Eve.
If you need further convincing of just how awesome this app is, there's a cute video of it in action after the break.
[If you manage to take a photo of yourself drinking a massive stein of virtual beer on your iPad, please leave a link in the comments. -- Update: forget that, the iPad doesn't have a camera!]
Continue reading Toast the new year with a virtual glass of booze on your iPhone (or iPad!)
Toast the new year with a virtual glass of booze on your iPhone (or iPad!) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tick! is a fun, simple timer for Android
There are a ton of timers available for Android, but most use the stock UI controls and emphasize features like multiple timers, saved presets, and others I don't really need. What I need is a fun, fast way to set up a timer and be able to move on. Tick! fits the bill quite perfectly.
The UI looks kind of like an old six-shooter cylinder. You just turn the big dial around, and the minutes on the slider increment. Once you dial in the duration you want to count down from, just hit the big green 'ON' button in the middle, and the timer starts counting down.
It's accurate down to a single minute. The only flaw I found is that, by default, it uses your phone's ringtone to alert you when the timer is up, so it sounds just like you're getting a phone call. Luckily, this can be changed. Quite a neat little free app, and as usual, you can find the QR code right after the jump.
Continue reading Tick! is a fun, simple timer for Android
Tick! is a fun, simple timer for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/24/tick-is-a-fun-simple-timer-for-android/
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The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:45PM EST!
P.S. And don't forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you're out and about and you can't join in on the Flash-based fun below.
Continue reading The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:45PM EST!
The Engadget Podcast, live at 4:45PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/30/the-engadget-podcast-live-at-4-45pm-est/
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QuickDesk is a great quick-launch tool for Android
QuickDesk is a great quick-launch tool for Android
There are quite a few homescreen app launchers for Android; the best-known ones, ADW and LauncherPro, are very powerful but tend to be a tad on the chunky side. When you're in the middle of doing something and need to quickly switch to another task, you may not always like to go via your cluttered homescreen.
Pen�lope Cruz
Hilary Duff
Enter QuickDesk: this quick utility is basically like a single homescreen page, with widget support and all. But when you launch it, it pops up as an overlay on top of what you're doing. The screenshot to the right shows QuickDesk running on top of a browser session, for example, but you could run it from any application; all it takes is a quick double-tap of the Home button (or even a single tap, with a double-tap to launch your "regular" launcher app). Those indicators you see next to PicMe, Phone and the other apps means they're currently running in the background.
Within QuickDesk, you get single-tap access to your most frequent applications and widgets. For example, I placed the power management widget there so I can quickly switch Wi-Fi off from any app - useful when I'm out and about, in the middle of something, and suddenly realize Wi-Fi is on and sucking battery power.
QuickDesk also features an "app drawer" of sorts, showing your most recently used applications. I personally disabled that feature (that's why you don't see it in the screenshot) because I feel the implementation clashes with the homescreen design - when the app drawer is open, some of the homescreen slides "up" and out of view. Still, QuickDesk is an interesting launcher, and the free version doesn't appear crippled in any way. QR code is after the jump.Continue reading QuickDesk is a great quick-launch tool for Android
QuickDesk is a great quick-launch tool for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pen�lope Cruz
Hilary Duff
Natale 2010: prime idee regalo geek
Natale 2010: prime idee regalo geek
Secondo le ultime sconcertanti notizie pubblicate da Wikileaks, oggi è cominciato il mese di dicembre. Fa freddo, qualcuno comincia ad andare in letargo e sì, molti di noi stanno già pensando a cosa regalare o farsi regalare a Natale. Potevamo mai scegliere giorno diverso per inaugurare il nostro Natale geek e proporvi qualche bella idea [...]
Angelina Jolie
Vanessa Hudgens
Danneel Harris
Zoe Saldana
Secondo le ultime sconcertanti notizie pubblicate da Wikileaks, oggi è cominciato il mese di dicembre. Fa freddo, qualcuno comincia ad andare in letargo e sì, molti di noi stanno già pensando a cosa regalare o farsi regalare a Natale. Potevamo mai scegliere giorno diverso per inaugurare il nostro Natale geek e proporvi qualche bella idea [...]
Secondo le ultime sconcertanti notizie pubblicate da Wikileaks, oggi è cominciato il mese di dicembre. Fa freddo, qualcuno comincia ad andare in letargo e sì, molti di noi stanno già pensando a cosa regalare o farsi regalare a Natale.
Potevamo mai scegliere giorno diverso per inaugurare il nostro Natale geek e proporvi qualche bella idea regalo per voi e i vostri cari? Certo che no, quindi mettiamo al bando le ciance e cominciamo subito il nostro viaggio nel mondo dei gadget geek più intriganti e simpatici del 2010!
Microsoft Kinect – Il controller di Microsoft che permette di interagire con la Xbox 360 senza usare alcun joypad, ma riconoscendo i movimenti dei giocatori e le loro voci, è un regalo perfetto per tutti i videogiocatori… e chi si accinge a diventarlo. Prezzo di vendita al pubblico: 149 euro (senza console).
Ritorno al futuro, trilogia in Blu Ray – una delle saghe cinematografiche più amate dai geek di tutto il mondo festeggia il suo 25° anniversario con una straordinaria collezione contenente la trilogia completa in blu-ray e un modellino della DeLorean. Prezzo: circa 60 euro.
(...)
Continua a leggere Natale 2010: prime idee regalo geek, su Geekissimo
Natale 2010: prime idee regalo geek, pubblicato su Geekissimo il 01/12/2010
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Post tags: natale, natale 2010, natale geek
Angelina Jolie
Vanessa Hudgens
Danneel Harris
Zoe Saldana
Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1!
The Mighty Eagle is a new item that lets you skip the current level, and unlock the next. Despite paying $1 for the luxury, you can only use the level-skip once per hour. There will undoubtedly be a $5 Mightier Eagle in 2011 that removes the 1-hour limitation. The Mighty Eagle also introduces a new Eagle Feather achievement, which you can get by filling up a "destruction gauge." Chrikee.
In other news, if you haven't been following the Angry Birds industry, 50 million copies of the game have now been sold. Rovio promise that 2011 will be exciting, too: Angry Birds will be released on even more platforms, including every major video game console.
Buy Angry Birds 1.5 for $0.99 [iTunes]
Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Well, That's One Way to Stop Your PC From Overheating [Image Cache]
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Adblock Plus for Chrome coming soon
AdBlock Plus' developer, Wladimir Palant, has had lots of time to convert the extension; after all, Chrome isn't exactly new. But so far, Palant has been reluctant to do the porting, due to the amount of work required and Chrome's limited blocking capabilities. Times have changed however, as according to TechCrunch, Adblock Plus is on its way. It won't be a complete re-write apparently, but based on an existing extension called AdThwart.
From an end user's point of view, having Adblock Plus for Chrome might not make a huge difference. After all, the existing options for Chrome do get the job done. But when you step back and look at the big picture, this is one more indication of the rapid rise of Chrome as a browser platform, and now, an OS.
Adblock Plus for Chrome coming soon originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/17/adblock-plus-for-chrome-coming-soon/
Feeding Your E-Book Habit: Feedbooks
So I had this series all laid out in my mind. Start with borrowing current books, then into free books, and finally into sources for paid books. Thing is, Feedbooks has mucked it up by adding a store for selling e-books. I have been a big Feedbooks fan for years. They are a great source [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/12/28/e-books_feedbooks/
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The best (or worst) security breaches of 2010
The best (or worst) security breaches of 2010
Very soon now -- probably in a year or two -- once everyone carries a smartphone, there won't be any discernible difference between our offline flesh-and-blood body and our online persona. That's not to say that real-life face-to-face interaction will slither into the abyss -- far from it! -- but we are reaching a stage where almost anything can be done online.
This obviously raises security concerns. If I can transfer money out of my bank account with just a name and password, so can you. That isn't to say that online security is worse than offline, however. SSL-encrypted communications are infinitely more secure than banking over the phone, or speaking in hushed tones in a brick-and-mortar bank. Passwords are a lot more secure than merely providing a 4-digit PIN or a mother's maiden name, too.
The actual problem is databases, or centralized repositories of information. It's no good having a password to your account if a nefarious types hacks a bank and takes all of the accounts. Likewise, putting your bag in a locker doesn't help if someone lifts the entire block of lockers into a truck and drives off.
2010 was a bad year for digital security breaches, and it won't get better until every organization and institution hires a security specialist and puts proper safeguards in place. This post, then, is dedicated to the organizations and institutions that left the barn door open in 2010 -- shame on you!
Lindsay Lohan
Eva Mendes
Julianne Hough
This obviously raises security concerns. If I can transfer money out of my bank account with just a name and password, so can you. That isn't to say that online security is worse than offline, however. SSL-encrypted communications are infinitely more secure than banking over the phone, or speaking in hushed tones in a brick-and-mortar bank. Passwords are a lot more secure than merely providing a 4-digit PIN or a mother's maiden name, too.
The actual problem is databases, or centralized repositories of information. It's no good having a password to your account if a nefarious types hacks a bank and takes all of the accounts. Likewise, putting your bag in a locker doesn't help if someone lifts the entire block of lockers into a truck and drives off.
2010 was a bad year for digital security breaches, and it won't get better until every organization and institution hires a security specialist and puts proper safeguards in place. This post, then, is dedicated to the organizations and institutions that left the barn door open in 2010 -- shame on you!
Continue reading The best (or worst) security breaches of 2010
The best (or worst) security breaches of 2010 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lindsay Lohan
Eva Mendes
Julianne Hough
The top Download Squad stories of 2010
The top Download Squad stories of 2010
As yet another year slips quietly into the annual abyss, it's customary to take a retrospective glance at all that has happened. While history is surely nowhere near as exciting as the future -- especially as far as technology is concerned -- we can still learn a lot by looking back at the events of a year and analyzing, with perfect hindsight, what actually happened. After all, it is one thing to report on a new advance or technology, but it's another thing entirely to see how that technology has actually changed the world.
We'll lead with a prime example.
AnnaLynne McCord
Kate Beckinsale
We'll lead with a prime example.
Continue reading The top Download Squad stories of 2010
The top Download Squad stories of 2010 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AnnaLynne McCord
Kate Beckinsale
2010: The Year in Alt
Engadget Alt, the most recent addition to the site, is something near and dear to our hearts. This a place where we can comment on (and draw attention to) things that don't exactly fit into the main stream of our coverage, yet resonate with us as writers -- and with you as readers. So, what did we learn this year? Spacecraft are prone to hardware failure, it seems, and Ozzy Osbourne's genome is a wonderful resource for scientists. And one editor-in-chief really, really digs eBoy. Aside from all that, this space has seen a number of feature articles and columns that we're especially proud of. Cruise on past the break for some of our favorites.
Continue reading 2010: The Year in Alt
2010: The Year in Alt originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Favimon lets you collect and do battle with your favorite Web sites -- Time Waster
Ah, Pokemon. Your collect-train-battle cuteness is a guilty pleasure for so many geeks. But wouldn't it be nice if we had an alternative to the cutesy little monsters (no offense, Squirtle)? Matthew Hollett thinks so, and he decided to create one for all of us to enjoy. Witness: Favimon!
You'll begin the battle by collecting Favimon's own favicon, and you can then begin searching for other Favimon to do battle with -- just type a domain name into the search box. The game analyzes your choice and assigns stats and abilities to the new Favimon, and the battle is on! Special abilities include winners like Microsoft's Blue Screen of Death and Missed Opportunity to the powerful Tyrannosaurus Chomp packed by Mozilla.
I began by going after a few small, expendable sites so that I could wear down a beefier Favimon I actually wanted to keep -- like Mozilla. The Foxy Favimon powered through opponents like Opera, WebKit, Microsoft, and Chromium without breaking a sweat (dig that crazy defense stat).
Favimon is ridiculously addictive, and it's only going to get worse (or is that better?). Hollett plans to add a save game feature -- right now you've got to leave your Favimon tab open to keep the game going. That said, I've had the tab on my main desktop computer open for two days now...
You'll begin the battle by collecting Favimon's own favicon, and you can then begin searching for other Favimon to do battle with -- just type a domain name into the search box. The game analyzes your choice and assigns stats and abilities to the new Favimon, and the battle is on! Special abilities include winners like Microsoft's Blue Screen of Death and Missed Opportunity to the powerful Tyrannosaurus Chomp packed by Mozilla.
I began by going after a few small, expendable sites so that I could wear down a beefier Favimon I actually wanted to keep -- like Mozilla. The Foxy Favimon powered through opponents like Opera, WebKit, Microsoft, and Chromium without breaking a sweat (dig that crazy defense stat).
Favimon is ridiculously addictive, and it's only going to get worse (or is that better?). Hollett plans to add a save game feature -- right now you've got to leave your Favimon tab open to keep the game going. That said, I've had the tab on my main desktop computer open for two days now...
Favimon lets you collect and do battle with your favorite Web sites -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Decorate Your Macbook
We’ve posted about stickers for your Macbooks that incorporate the Apple logo before, and here’s one that every Beatles fan will love. �The sticker is a simple black ring around the logo with the words “The Beatles”. �It turns your laptop into a Beatles record label from the Apple Corps era. �FastSigns, an Etsy shop, [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/12/31/decorate-your-macbook/
NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MOTOROLA MOODYS MISCROSOFT OFFICE
Daily Crunch: Robot Takeover Edition
Would Buying Leon?s Resident Evil 4 Jacket Make You A Cosplayer? Gresso Launching iPad For The Stupidly Rich See How Japan Crash Tests Their Robots Quirky Digits Makes Any Gloves Touchscreen-Friendly Poll: Only 21 Percent Of ?Likely US Voters? Support Net Neutrality
Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/12/29/daily-crunch-robot-takeover/
AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY AMPHENOL ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL APPLE COMPUTER
AOL spent more than $300 million on distributing free sign-up CDs
AOL spent more than $300 million on distributing free sign-up CDs
AOL used to be king of the dial-up hill. At its peak, over 26.7 million households accessed the Internet via AOL, a figure that no American ISP has ever surpassed. That success came at a cost, though: those CDs (and floppy disks!) that arrived in your letterbox, often on a weekly basis, cost AOL over $300 million.
The data comes from Quora, a service that is fast becoming the go-to place for juicy, 'insider' information. Someone asked about AOL's distribution costs, and in mere moments, both the CEO-at-the-time, Steve Case, and the former Chief Marketing Officer, Jan Brandt, had chimed in with authoritative responses. Case recalls, that in the hay day of the mid-1990s, AOL was quite content to spend $35 on obtaining a new subscriber. Brandt, responding a little bit later, provided a total cost of "over $300 million," for the distribution of the CDs. She went on to provide a shocking statistic: "At one point, 50% of the CDs produced worldwide had an AOL logo on it." Shocking, but... sadly rather believable.
Marisa Miller
Cat Power
Moon Bloodgood
AOL used to be king of the dial-up hill. At its peak, over 26.7 million households accessed the Internet via AOL, a figure that no American ISP has ever surpassed. That success came at a cost, though: those CDs (and floppy disks!) that arrived in your letterbox, often on a weekly basis, cost AOL over $300 million.The data comes from Quora, a service that is fast becoming the go-to place for juicy, 'insider' information. Someone asked about AOL's distribution costs, and in mere moments, both the CEO-at-the-time, Steve Case, and the former Chief Marketing Officer, Jan Brandt, had chimed in with authoritative responses. Case recalls, that in the hay day of the mid-1990s, AOL was quite content to spend $35 on obtaining a new subscriber. Brandt, responding a little bit later, provided a total cost of "over $300 million," for the distribution of the CDs. She went on to provide a shocking statistic: "At one point, 50% of the CDs produced worldwide had an AOL logo on it." Shocking, but... sadly rather believable.
AOL spent more than $300 million on distributing free sign-up CDs originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Marisa Miller
Cat Power
Moon Bloodgood
Skype for iPhone brings video calls over 3G
Skype for iPhone brings video calls over 3G
A little sooner than expected, Skype has just launched a new version of its iOS app [iTunes] that enables Skype-to-Skype video calls, via Wi-Fi or 3G.
Those lucky enough to have an iPhone 4 or 3GS, or 4th generation iPod touch, will be able to make two-way video calls with any other Skype user, including desktop and laptop PC users, and presumably other mobile Skype users on Android or BlackBerry.
This software update also affects the iPad and third-generation iPod touch, but they can only receive video, rather than send it.
The big news, of course, is that Skype is allowing video calls over 3G. It remains to be seen what the mobile operator's response will be, once people start making use of free, high-bandwidth video-to-video calls. We always figured that the Wi-Fi-only restriction of FaceTime was enforced by mobile operators, rather than Apple!
Eliza Dushku
Adriana Lima
A little sooner than expected, Skype has just launched a new version of its iOS app [iTunes] that enables Skype-to-Skype video calls, via Wi-Fi or 3G.Those lucky enough to have an iPhone 4 or 3GS, or 4th generation iPod touch, will be able to make two-way video calls with any other Skype user, including desktop and laptop PC users, and presumably other mobile Skype users on Android or BlackBerry.
This software update also affects the iPad and third-generation iPod touch, but they can only receive video, rather than send it.
The big news, of course, is that Skype is allowing video calls over 3G. It remains to be seen what the mobile operator's response will be, once people start making use of free, high-bandwidth video-to-video calls. We always figured that the Wi-Fi-only restriction of FaceTime was enforced by mobile operators, rather than Apple!
Skype for iPhone brings video calls over 3G originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink�|�Email this�|�Comments
Eliza Dushku
Adriana Lima
Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1!
The Mighty Eagle is a new item that lets you skip the current level, and unlock the next. Despite paying $1 for the luxury, you can only use the level-skip once per hour. There will undoubtedly be a $5 Mightier Eagle in 2011 that removes the 1-hour limitation. The Mighty Eagle also introduces a new Eagle Feather achievement, which you can get by filling up a "destruction gauge." Chrikee.
In other news, if you haven't been following the Angry Birds industry, 50 million copies of the game have now been sold. Rovio promise that 2011 will be exciting, too: Angry Birds will be released on even more platforms, including every major video game console.
Buy Angry Birds 1.5 for $0.99 [iTunes]
Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Who Gives A Tweet: MIT Researchers Build A ?Hot Or Not? For Twitter
Because everything eventually becomes an academic field (I'm still waiting for "Internet" to become a major), researchers from MIT, University of Southampton and Georgia Institute of Technology have teamed up to build Who Gives A Tweet, a Twitter app that allows users to anonymously rate their friends' and strangers' tweets in order gain more insight into status update perception. Kind of like Hot Or Not, but for tweets. While plenty of apps like Twitalyzer and Twitter Grader try to measure your social media engagement whatever that means, the Who Gives A Tweet study attempts to parse what is valuable and not so valuable about microblogging content. Says Michael Bernstein, PhD student at MIT, "Analysing the negatively rated tweets, and the consensus that forms around them, will help us understand the emerging approved or accepted norms in these new forms of online communication."
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MACv2PzuVog/
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