Canadian Stanton Friedman is a superstar in the UFO world, a man who can walk into a conference about aliens and be recognized the way that golf fans recognize Tiger Woods prowling the fairways of the Masters.
Google+ for Android app (hands-on)
Given the number of apps Google’s made available for smartphones, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that it’s taken its suite of social networking services direct to the mobile world as well. As soon as Google+ was officially announced, an app was ready for download in the Android Market and a web app became available for Safari for iOS (with its full offering to the App Store coming soon). As usual, we couldn’t resist the urge to play around with it, but how does the mobile iteration fare against the competition? Continue past the break to get a peek of the larger-than-life service squeezed into a 4.3-inch (or smaller) display.
Continue reading Google+ for Android app (hands-on)
Google+ for Android app (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Don't be racist
GoDropBox Gives Google Docs a Drop Box Where Anyone Can Upload [Video]
GoDropBox (no relation to DropBox) is an add-on for Google Apps that allows public uploads to your Google Docs account. The add-on provides a link you can send to anyone who has a file to upload, and will email you when they’ve uploaded a file. More »
Skype 2.0 brings two-way video calling to Nexus S, Desire S, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro
The latest update to Skype’s Android application has just been rolled out and a big part of its goodie delivery is two-way video calling. Only a quartet of phones are supported right now: Google’s own Nexus S, HTC’s Desire S, and the Xperia Neo and Pro from Sony Ericsson, all handsets that shipped with Android 2.3 installed. We suspect the rest of the Android world won’t be far behind — Thunderbolt users will surely be wondering why they’re not included in this first batch — but for now it’s just that fearsome foursome. Also included in Skype v2.0.0.45 is a UI overhaul and support for SMS messaging, neither of which suffers from any handset restrictions. Hit up the Android Market on your phone (the web Market still lists version 1) to get at the latest software.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: We’ve just spent a little quality time with Skype 2.0 and its newfangled video calling. Notably, we couldn’t get a video call to work between the Xperia Neo and a desktop version of Skype (update: video chat between the Skype Android app and the desktop client has since been confirmed to work; thanks, David!) — it was only possible to get video when calling between the Neo and the similarly compatible HTC Desire S. Once we did establish a connection, though, frame rates were smooth and buttery and the UI is simple and unintrusive yet offers quite a few functions. You can mute the call, choose between the front- or rear-facing camera, reposition the small window that shows your video feed anywhere on the screen, or — with a double tap upon that window — switch focus so that your own video output dominates the screen and your buddy’s feed is relocated to the smaller preview. It’s a great looking implementation of video calling, though we did only test it over WiFi, 3G performance may be materially worse.
Update 2: Skype’s press release and demo video can now be found after the break.
Update 3: Though you might suspect otherwise given the Nexus S’ inclusion, Skype has now confirmed that the Nexus S 4G isn’t supported just yet — it will apparently be brought into the fold with the next release.
Skype 2.0 brings two-way video calling to Nexus S, Desire S, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
IBM develops ‘instantaneous’ memory, 100x faster than flash
You’ve got to hand it to IBM’s engineers. They drag themselves into work after their company’s 100th birthday party, pop a few Alka-Seltzers and then promptly announce yet another seismic invention. This time it’s a new kind of phase change memory (PCM) that reads and writes 100 times faster than flash, stays reliable for millions of write-cycles (as opposed to just thousands with flash), and is cheap enough to be used in anything from enterprise-level servers all the way down to mobile phones. PCM is based on a special alloy that can be nudged into different physical states, or phases, by controlled bursts of electricity. In the past, the technology suffered from the tendency of one of the states to relax and increase its electrical resistance over time, leading to read errors. Another limitation was that each alloy cell could only store a single bit of data. But IBM employees burn through problems like these on their cigarette breaks: not only is their latest variant more reliable, it can also store four data bits per cell, which means we can expect a data storage “paradigm shift” within the next five years. Combine this with Intel’s promised 50Gbps interconnect, which has a similar ETA, and data will start flowing faster than booze from an open bar on the boss’s tab. There’s more detailed science in the PR after the break, if you have a clear head.
Continue reading IBM develops ‘instantaneous’ memory, 100x faster than flash
IBM develops ‘instantaneous’ memory, 100x faster than flash originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung Galaxy S II gets official for Canada on Bell, Virgin Mobile and SaskTel
We’ve already had some indication of where and when the Galaxy S II would land in Canada, and three carriers have now finally made things fully official (even if they haven’t yet got completely specific). That includes Bell and Virgin Mobile — neither of which are confirming a price at the moment — plus regional carrier SaskTel, which plans to offer the phone for $79.99 on a three-year contract. SaskTel and Virgin Mobile both also say that the phone will be available in the coming weeks, while Bell isn’t offering much more than a chance to win the phone in a contest that ends July 19th — we’ve previously heard that the phone will be hitting Bell on July 14th. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s looking like the phone will also alternatively be known as the “Galaxy S II” or “Galaxy S II 4G” depending on the carrier.
Samsung Galaxy S II gets official for Canada on Bell, Virgin Mobile and SaskTel originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HP TouchPad review
As things get older they tend to get bigger. It’s the same for people, corporations, models of cars, budget deficits… and so it is for webOS. As Palm was in the process of being subsumed its great mobile operating system was being eyed for much broader things, far bigger than the little phones it had previously been flashed on. Things like printers and desktops and laptops, but for its first proper foray outside of a phone it has a tall task: compete in the brutally vicious tablet space.
Its weapon is the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet from HP that got official back in February and will be available July 1st (if you don’t manage to find it earlier) — $499.99 for the 16GB model, $599.99 for 32GB. That’s exactly on parity with the WiFi iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, current kings of the tablet court. Does this plus-sized Palm progeny really have what it takes to hang at that price point, or is this just a chubby pretender that’s outgrown its britches? Read on to find out.
Gallery: HP TouchPad, unboxing and comparison
Continue reading HP TouchPad review
HP TouchPad review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video)
In the market for a $750 Android tablet with an IT-controlled closed ecosystem, Atom processor, and a requisite middle man to place your order? Then you probably work for a corporation. Cisco’s Cius Android tablet was designed with a Cisco infrastructure in mind, focusing heavily on security and integration with other products. Sure, you can watch HD video or play Angry Birds (if IT is willing to flip the switch on game downloads), but you’ll mostly be using the Cius to join WebEx presentations, TelePresence conferences, and access custom enterprise apps — this is not the tablet to give your kids, for someone just looking to browse the web, or really for anyone not working at a company that already depends heavily on Cisco services. Basically, if a Cius magically appears on your desk one day, you’ll know it’s right for you.
Gallery: Cisco Cius Hands-On
Today Cisco launched AppHQ, a custom app store created to give IT departments complete control over device app loading, allowing them to limit access only to enterprise apps, or the entire Android Market. We went hands-on with the tablet and AppHQ at the company’s offices in NYC, and were impressed with the tablet’s ability to integrate seamlessly with Cisco services. Even though Cius isn’t intended to be used for entertainment, it’s designed to be both your primary portable device and desktop workstation — so that ability to play HD video will definitely come in handy. You can access all of Cisco’s popular communications tools, making private calls as you walk, joining a video conference from the train over AT&T or Verizon LTE, and then slipping the device into its dock once you reach the office, which adds speakerphone functionality, three USB ports, video out, and even Ethernet connectivity. You can use Cius to access an offsite virtual Windows desktop, using a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to control your primary machine. The tablet has begun rolling out to some clients and will be available worldwide on July 31st. You’ll need to reach out to your Cisco sales rep to make a purchase, but jump past the break for a quick look in our hands-on video.
Continue reading Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video)
Cisco Cius Android tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Cyclopean baby shark smiles for the camera (despite being dead) [Monsters Among Us]
According to the Pisces Fleet Sportsfishing blog, this one-eyed bull shark fetus was removed from a mother caught in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Apparently shark researcher Felipe Galvan Magaña is now examining this monocular specimen. More »
HP confirms it’s in talks about licensing webOS, Samsung tipped as a possibility
HP CEO Leo Apotheker has already indicated that he’s totally open to licensing webOS to other companies, and he’s now confirmed that HP has, in fact, been in talks with a “number of companies” about that possibility. Not surprisingly, he didn’t get much more specific than that, and went some way to dampen expectations a bit, saying that “there is no time pressure to do this.” According to Bloomberg, however, “three people with knowledge of the discussions” say that Samsung is one of the companies HP has had talks with, and one said that the company is specifically interested in possibly using webOS for its Galaxy Tab tablets. HP’s Jon Rubinstein also dished a bit more on the subject to This is my next, noting that “if someone wants to really invest, and potentially help develop webOS, we’re interested in talking to them,” although he went on to indicate that HP isn’t interested in playing second (or third) fiddle with a company primarily focused on Android or Windows Phone — it’d seemingly have to be webOS first, but not necessarily webOS exclusively.
HP confirms it’s in talks about licensing webOS, Samsung tipped as a possibility originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Postal workers taking fight to court
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers plans to take Canada Post to court to challenge the federal government’s legislation forcing its members back to work.
Another Study Says It: Diet Soda Leads to Weight Gain
Study after study has told us to watch out for those empty, sugary calories in sweetened drinks like soda, but two new studies remind us about the dangers of diet soda – they too can lead to weight gain and may raise your risk for developing diabetes.
The studies were presented at a diabetes conference this weekend, and together they show that drinking diet soda may just be another thing in our diets that is making us fat. One study followed 474 older-age diet-soda drinkers and found that their waistlines grew 70 percent more than non-diet-soda drinkers, even when the researchers accounted for differences in age, physical activity level, and diabetes status.
The news gets worse; read on for how bad a two-diets-a-day habit is for your waistline.
Google+ Hangouts Is the Best Free Group Video Chat We’ve Seen [Video]
Team Lifehacker has been playing around with Google+ all morning, and so far the coolest innovation we've seen—particularly from a productivity standpoint—is the Hangouts feature, which creates rooms for you to hang out with your friends, coworkers, or any of your social circles. It's great. More »
Android Market reaches 4.5 billion downloaded apps, “The last billion took 60 days”
The popularity of Android is growing everyday. Yesterday Google’s Andy Rubin tweeted that “there are now over 500,000 Android devices activated every day”. At Google I/O execs stated there was 200,000 apps available, but what about downloaded apps? According to Ian Carrington, Google’s mobile advertising sales director for northern and central Europe, said the Android Market has reached 4.5 billion total downloads. “A year ago that was one billion, and that first billion took two years to happen. The last billion took 60 days”. Any guess on when the 10 billion mark will be reached?
Source: Gizmodo
Via: Phandroid
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Fungus keeps lawns weed-free
An organic lawncare product developed in Saskatoon has just been approved for use in Canada.
Transformers 3 is a movie about how wrong you were to hate Transformers 2 [Movie Review]
A lot of people paid a lot of money to hate Transformers 2. The movie made enough money for Michael Bay to bathe in the blood of supermodels every hour, for the rest of his life. But people loathed it. More »
Best. Added. Time. Clock. Ever.
Q: Name another place outside of the soccer field where an extra four minutes can seem like an eternity and mean the difference between making someone scream in ecstasy or sending them home disappointed?
A: The bedroom.
This folks, is great marketing.
How Not to Demolish a Building [Video]
WARNING: This video contains strong graphic content. If you have to demolish a building, you really need to use experts. Destroying pillars with a pneumatic hammer is never going to end well, as this video demonstrates. More »
Walking May Increase Brain Size and Boost Memory [Health]
We’ve long known that exercise is good for your brain and stimulates brain activity. A recent study shows that aerobic exercise—in particular, walking—can actually increase the size of the part of the brain responsible for memory. More »