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NASA reveals arsenic-bred organisms, search for life gets broader parameters

If you were hoping NASA was going to announce the very first tweet from an extraterrestrial being, sorry to break your heart — it is astrobiological, but the findings are actually borne of this rock. Researchers in Mono Lake, California, have discovered a microorganism (pictured) that uses arsenic instead of phosphorous to thrive and reproduce. The latter, as far as terrestrial life is concerned, is a building block of life along with carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, all integral to our DNA and RNA. Arsenic, meanwhile, is generally considered poisonous — but “chemically it behaves similarly to phosphate,” apparently making for a good substitution. In other words, NASA’s proven that life can be made with components different than our current assumptions, both locally and beyond the stars. Seems entirely logical, if you ask us. (A silicon-based Horta, Mr. Spock?)

So, what about other atypical life-forming chemicals? NASA isn’t speculating. That sound you hear is a thousand light bulbs popping up as science fiction writers everywhere conjure up brand new super villains — and a thousand Chemistry professors writing new extra credit questions for their fall semester finals.

NASA reveals arsenic-bred organisms, search for life gets broader parameters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube Now Allows Viewers to Skip Commercials

Skip Commercials in YouTube

Google is now allowing viewers to skip the commercials that play before YouTube videos. The new ad system, dubbed TrueView, has been in testing for some time, but the format saw a wider roll-out today. When a TrueView ad begins playing, you’ll see a counter at the top of the video window. After five seconds, you’ll be able to skip the rest of the ad if you so choose.

Surprisingly, advertisers seem okay with the new system, partially because they’re only charged for advertisements if viewers don’t click the skip button. That could potentially save the companies money, but it also means (presumably) that viewers who actually sit through the commercials are more interested in whatever services or products are being offered. Most importantly, though, it means less obnoxious, unwanted advertising for the viewer.

YouTube Now Allows Viewers to Skip Commercials originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LastPass Acquires Xmarks, Keeping Free Bookmark-Syncing Plans Available [Bookmarks]

From the files of the Acquisition Totally Makes Sense Dept.: Universal password manager LastPass, maker of our favorite any-browser-anywhere security solution, is acquiring Xmarks, the bookmark syncing tool that was scheduled to shut down in January 2011 from lack of revenue, but then bought and saved (the unnamed buyer, whom we now know). The key figures for subscribers? The free plan sticks around, but a premium plan, with Android/iPhone apps and priority support, will go for $12 per year, and you can bundle LastPass Premium into that deal for $20 a year. Intrigued? Go ahead and check out the upgrade to Xmarks premium. [Xmarks Blog via BoomTown] More »







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RIM buys TAT, BlackBerry UI in danger of becoming awesome

This is not a joke, in fact it’s quite official. Research In Motion has just confirmed the acquisition of Swedish UI design company TAT, which will soon be “bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms.” You’ll be familiar with TAT as the team that helped polish the original Android interface on the T-Mobile G1 as well as from more recent UI design projects — the important thing is that these guys have shown they know what they’re doing. We have to admit, pairing the rock solid foundation of the QNX-built PlayBook OS with some top-level spit-shine from a company specializing in exactly that has us legitimately excited. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see a BlackBerry with a user interface that someone other than a BBMer could love.

[Thanks, Rasmus]

RIM buys TAT, BlackBerry UI in danger of becoming awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos Internet Tablets get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo

Archos Internet Tablets and PMPs get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo

Okay, maybe not everybody, but the vast majority of the Android offerings from Archos are receiving some guilt-free sweet treats. Models 23, 32, 43, 70, and 101 (you know, these guys) are all on the lucky receiving end of firmware updates that bring Android 2.2.1 to the table. That comes with improved performance, better battery life estimation, and support for external GPS adapters. All yours for the low, low price of free — well, assuming you’ve already bought the tablet, of course.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Archos Internet Tablets get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wesley Snipes: Prison or Bust

Wesley SnipesWesley Snipes will soon be getting fitted for some prison stripes.

The U.S. Marshal’s Office has ordered the Blade star to report to a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9…

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Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability

Nielsen‘s just released a report finding that 29.7 percent of mobile users in the United States now own a smartphone. Of that 29.7 percent (which you can see in the pie chart above), 27.9 percent of them have iPhones, 27.4 percent are BlackBerry users, and 22.7 percent have an Android device. Windows Mobile, Symbian, Linux and Palm are left to divide up the remaining chunk — about 22 percent — of the market. That’s a massive shift from the beginning of the year, when the iPhone boasted 28 percent of the market, BlackBerry had 35 percent, and Windows Mobile about 19 percent. The biggest winner in this story is Android, which has gone from 9 percent of the smartphone-owning market at the beginning of the year, to 22.7 percent of the market today. The story looks a bit different, however, when people are asked about what kind of smartphone they would like to own next. In that case, Apple and Google are the big winners, with 30 percent of ‘likely’ smartphone upgraders’ reporting they’d like an iPhone, while 28 percent said they want an Android device, and only 13 percent reporting that they’re interested in a BlackBerry device.

The picture looks very much the same with current smartphone owners, as well. As far as gender goes, the percentages are very similar when asked what smartphone is desired next, except that more men report wanting an Android device, while more women — about 12 percent more — say they simply don’t know what they want next. Hit up the source link for charts on all this knowledge.

Continue reading Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability

Nielsen: Android makes huge gains in US smartphone marketshare, RIM takes a backseat, Apple leads in desirability originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Army Weapon "Taliban's Worst Nightmare."

x25_grenade.jpg

Personally, I hope that future wars look like scenes from Tron (diplomacy through Light Cycles)–or, perhaps, just American Gladiators (diplomacy through giant Q-Tips). Near future wars, however, will be fought with that thing above.

It’s the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System. It’s a programmable grenade launcher that’s more or less roughly the size of a rifle. The ammunition is microchipped and can be used to seek out enemies hiding behind walls. The gun can clast 25mm shells up to 2,300 feet.

The US government is calling it a “game changer.” AFP has tossed around the phrase “the Taliban’s Worst Enemy.” The gun XM25 is said to be 300 times more effective than current squad weapons.

The gun’s “program” manager Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner told AFP ominously, “You get behind something when someone is shooting at you, and that sort of cover has protected people for thousands of years. Now we’re taking that away from the enemy forever.”

The gun is said to have “very limited” collateral damage.

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New Firefox, Fennec Betas Slated for Dec. 7 [Firefox]

Before Firefox 4, there will be at least two more betas, a release candidate, and some compatibility match-ups with Firefox Portable, a.k.a. Fennec, according to Mozilla’s meeting notes. To accommodate a change to the Sync system, the next Firefox 4 beta, number 8, will ship on Dec. 7, along with a new Firefox Portable beta. What feature are you most looking forward to having in a stable Firefox 4? [ZDNet] More »







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HP Slate beginning to ship?

We’ve got word from one loyal reader that his HP Slate is en route from Shanghai, and he even provided us PDF proof of that fact, just to quell any doubts. We’re not sure if that’s some little slip on HP and FedEx’s part, or a sign of larger things to come (be sure to let us know in the comments if you’ve received similar notice), but for now all we know is that something enterprisey is scheduled to show up on one Dave P.’s doorstep on December 6th. Godspeed, dear tablet. Godspeed.

[Thanks, Dave P.]

HP Slate beginning to ship? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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