Reality Bites
You guys voted (and we agree) that a custom-built home theater PC is by far the best set-top box for on-demand video. Whether you’ve built yourself an XBMC machine, a Boxee box, or a Windows Media Center PC, here are our ten favorite ways to turn it into a media-watching powerhouse. More »
According to Steve Anderson, a retired brigadier general who served as Gen. Petraeus’ chief logistician in Iraq, the Department of Defense spends $20 billion air conditioning tents and temporary structures for the military. That’s more than NASA’s entire $19 billion annual budget. More »
Space weather gets nasty when the sun starts shooting plasma into the cosmos, and these solar storms wreak havoc on both satellites and gadgets here on earth. Scientists want to predict the sun’s eruptions so we can protect our gear (and know the best time to go tanning), and George Mason University researchers have made a discovery that may help us do so. By examining images from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory spacecraft, Professor Jie Zhang and grad student Xin Cheng determined that magnetic ropes are causing coronal ejections. The ropes are formed by several magnetic fields wrapped around each other, and scientists believe they can carry electrical currents strong enough to cause the plasma bursts. Prior to an eruption, Zhang observed a low-lying channel with unique electromagnetic properties (believed to be a magnetic rope) heat a portion of the sun’s surface up to 10 million degrees. Once hot enough, the spot spewed forth copious amounts of the plasma and magnetic energy that gives GPS units and phones fits. Now that we know what gets Helios all riled up, we just need to find a way to calm him down. Close-ups of the sun in its tizzy are after the break.
Sun’s coronal ejections caused by magnetic ropes, galactic weathermen to predict solar storms? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Jun 2011 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
New Scientist | 
George Mason University | Email this | Comments
Continue reading Kobo eReader Touch Edition goes on sale in the US and Canada
Kobo eReader Touch Edition goes on sale in the US and Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Jun 2011 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Almost three months following Firefox 4’s release, Mozilla has posted final builds for Firefox 5 ahead of the official release date of June 21. The new accelerated release schedule Mozilla is using for Firefox development will see the next version of Firefox, Firefox 6, go into beta about two weeks…
Microsoft gets antitrust okay for Skype purchase, readies shockingly large wire transfer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Yahoo | Reuters | Email this | Comments
In an apparent ode to Rebecca Black, Ice Cube and any number of body switch movies, Netflix has had an incredibly active Friday, so sit back while we get you up to speed. Sony Pictures movies from Starz Play are no longer available (on any device, not just the Xbox 360 this time) due to a “temporary contract issue” according to the official blog. According to NewTeeVee, the problem is an “IP distribution cap” that was reached due to Netflix’s explosive growth, but with no word on when the movies will be back, you’ll be missing The Other Guys. Up next was the National Association of the Deaf, which has filed a lawsuit in Springfield, MA against Netflix, claiming that its failure to provide closed captions on all streaming content puts it in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Netflix last claimed 30 percent of titles were subbed with plans to reach 80 percent by the end of the year, but the press release (and captioned YouTube video) make the case that as a leader in streaming video, it should do better.
Netflix also quietly gave US subscribers access to the same bandwidth management options provided to Canadians a few months ago. The new Manage Video Quality settings (shown above) can be found in the Your Account section, and if you’re trying to stay under bandwidth caps or just keep seeing buffering, they should help you out at the cost of a few pixels. As if that wasn’t enough, the Netflix Tech Blog squeezed in news that it was ending access to “DVD-related features” for apps using its Open API later this year. The move is apparently preparation for expanded international streaming, so if you’re trying to manage discs through a third party things may change soon.
Netflix’s day: Sony movies pulled, new bandwidth options, no more DVD API access and a lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Hacking Netflix, (2) | Netflix Blog, Netflix Tech Blog, NAD | Email this | Comments
Scott Jones says he was just trying calm his girlfriend down after they both had been beaten on by Vancouver police when the now-famous photos of them lying in the street was taken in the midst of Wednesday night’s riot.
There was a time when RIM owned the smartphone space with its revolutionary push email-equipped BlackBerrys. And there are still plenty of folks who can’t live without a good physical keyboard and BBM. But, despite the company’s $4.9 billion in revenue and $695 million in profits from Q1 2011, RIM’s stock has tumbled to its lowest price in five years. What’s changed since those heady days when it seemed like there was a Pearl in every pocket? As many of you know, Androids and iPhones have carved out a big chunk of the smartphone market, largely at RIM’s expense. Sure, Blackberry 7 OS is coming and the PlayBook is rolling out to help the company gain ground on Android and iOS, but only time will tell if these latest efforts from Waterloo can stem the rising tide of iPhones and little green bots.
RIM shares hit a five-year low: oh, how the mighty have fallen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A restaurant worker who witnessed the story behind the ‘kissing couple’ image describes what happened as a young woman got trapped between rioters and Vancouver police officers in riot gear.
So, we knew the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was coming, but it looks like some shoppers eagerly anticipating the tablet’s arrival will go home empty handed today. We just received word from a Samsung rep that there have been “shipping delays to some stores in certain regions.” They went on to say, “We expect most retail locations to have inventory by tomorrow while supplies last.” That’s all we have at the moment, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 experiencing shipping delays, unavailable at some outlets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
In this week’s app roundup: Instagram and iCloud, replicated on Android; movies, recommended; cookbooks, shared; pictures, mysteriously pixelated; apps, found with Yahoo; karaoke, added to Shazam; ringer, smartly silenced; Swype, honeycombed; and much, much more. More »
A follow up to a previous rumours of the HTC WildFire S heading to SaskTel. Today on their Twitter account SaskTel quickly let the entire world know, or at least those who case in Saskatchewan, that the “the HTC Wildfire S in the next month”. No price has been announced but Bell released this for $29.95 on a 3-year (it’s already dropped to $0), and $249.95. SaskTel has a tendency to come in a bit higher prices than Bell.
The Wildfire S has a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 320 x 480, runs Android OS 2.3, 5 megapixel camera video capabilities and Wi-Fi.
Source: Twitter
Related posts:
Ghost Recon Online for the Wii U is a third-person shooter for Nintendo’s next big thing packed with tons of cool bells and whistles. It also demonstrates some of the big hurdles the new console will face when trying to satisfy hardcore gamers. More »
A man who was blind in his right eye has had his sight restored after 55 years, doctors say.
Women spend more time on Facebook, have more Facebook friends, and upload five times more photos than men, researchers say.
Research In Motion lost 21 per cent on the TSX on Friday – plunging to the lowest level in five years – as investors responded to slower BlackBerry sales and analyst downgrades.
When did you last scan a QR code? Was it during last week’s Republican debate? Or maybe that ad for a free Coke at Wendy’s. It probably wasn’t on a coin. But the Dutch are changing that with QR-coded currency. More »
Picket lines are down and travel ease expectations are up as Air Canada customer service and sales staff return to work a day after a tentative agreement was reached three days into a walkout.
