Reality Bites
What if forensics experts could use a microscopic sample of DNA to figure out what a criminal suspect looks like? No, it’s not science fiction. In just a few years, investigators may be reconstructing suspects’ faces from DNA. [io9] More »
DNA – Science in Society – Forensic Science – Testing Services – United States
Google might be trying to shake up video on the web by releasing the WebM video format and VP8 codec under a royalty-free open-source license, but we’ve already heard the format’s uncomfortably close relationship to H.264 might cause some patent concerns, and the MPEG-LA, which licenses the H.264 patents, doesn’t seem to be sitting still. CEO Larry Horn told All Things Digital that MPEG-LA is looking into forming a patent pool in order to license vendors who want stay clear of any patent disputes while using WebM — the idea would be to avoid any patent liability down the road by simply paying for a license now, especially since Google doesn’t seem to be promising anything when it comes to protection from lawsuits. We’d wager all this means WebM will go from royalty-free to patent-encumbered just as soon as MPEG-LA gets its paperwork in order — the same thing essentially happened to Microsoft when it tried to release the VC-1 format royalty-free — and that means video on the web might soon be right back where it started. We’ll see what happens.
Google’s WebM video format might not be so free after all, says MPEG-LA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says North Korea must face international consequences for its actions after “overwhelming” evidence showed one of its submarines sank a South Korean warship.
Thanks to some handy tricks in the Google Labs bag you can easily add an HTML signature complete with images and save it for future use without plug-ins or outside help. More »
HTML – Google – Data Formats – Markup Languages – FAQs Help and Tutorials
Google hopes to sidestep the entire HTML5 video debate with a new, open source, royalty free format called WebM. But will Apple ever support it? Judging by to the latest missive from Steve’s iPad, things don’t look great. More »
Continue reading Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video)
Wikitude Drive AR nav app beta announced, available in Android Market (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dashing away from the Google I/O keynote as fast as our feet would carry us, we scored the very first look at Logitech’s Google TV companion box. While we’ll share full details when we catch a breath, here’s the scoop: the box extends the full functionality of a Logitech Harmony remote and a WiFi access point to your TV, providing not only Google TV but also allowing you to control your entire entertainment system (including DVR) with a still-in-development keyboard / touchpad remote or an iPhone or Android smartphone app over WiFi. Hit the gallery below for a taste of what the little set-top box can do, and rest assured we’ve got more info on the way.
Update: Now with video, after the break.
Update 2: Details and specs after the break, too.
Logitech’s Google TV companion box includes smartphone apps, we go eyes-on (updated: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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An American consumer protection agency says claims over the safety and benefits of indoor tanning are false and deceptive and has forced the Indoor Tanning Association to stop making certain statements.
When the iPad was first announced back in January, consumers looked at the device as a possible failure. With a lack of features at launch, like a built-in webcam and flash, many expected the device to be the next Microsoft Origami.
Not many expected the iPad to take off as it did, where…
Earlier today at Google I/O, the company announced that its web browser, Chrome, was now 70 million users strong. That’s a big number, and up more than 100% in the past year. But wait a second, let’s get some perspective. Enter, Mozilla’s Asa Dotzler.
As he points out on his blog this evening, while Chrome may be at 70 million active users, Firefox is at nearly 370 million active users. And while Chrome grew by 40 million users in the past year, Firefox gained over 100 million new users in the same span — yes, more users than Chrome has total. He also made a nice chart to underscore his point.
Earlier this week we asked you if Windows 7 vindicated Microsoft from Vista, in light of a regarded customer satisfaction survey. The result was overwhelmingly positive in favor of Windows 7. Over 78 percent of readers said that they were satisfied, saying that it makes up for their Windows Vista experience. Only about 12 percent of readers found it to be a marginal improvement, and 5 percent said that Vista left a lingering bad taste in their mouth. If you’re barely or not satisfied, try optimizing your experience by checking out our Windows 7 tips and tricks. Even if you are happy with the operating system, check it out to make sure you’re not missing out on all of Windows 7’s nifty little features. More »
At Google I/O this morning, the topic of discussion was mobile; specifically, the Android mobile platform. As of this morning, there are more than 60 consumer devices running on Android, more than 100,000 new activations per day, 50,000 apps in the Android marketplace, and 180,000 registered developers working on apps. Not too shabby.
As the platform continues its rapid growth, Google has announced a number of very significant improvements will be coming to the next version, numbered 2.2 but nicknamed “FroYo,” which address key issues Android has dealt with in the past.
1) Improved Speed — Just as it was rumored, the next version of Android will have a JIT compiler, responsible for a significant (2x-5x) speed boost.
2) Better Enterprise Support — The platform has lagged behind Windows Mobile and BlackBerry in terms of enterprise functionality, but FroYo will include over 20 new enterprise features. These include better Exchange support, with auto-discovery, improved security, and GAL lookup, and new device admin APIs.
3) Cloud-to-Device API — Google services, Chrome extensions, and soon-to-be released Chrome apps will be able to sync with your Android device. If you need directions from Google Maps, it can be sent directly.
4) Tethering — This was also a rumored feature for a few weeks. The feature will be in the “settings” menu, and clicking “portable wi-fi hotspot.”
5) New Browser — The Javascript interpreter in Chrome will be used in FroYo’s native browser, offering a 2x-3x Javascript performance boost. Google’s Vic Gundotra said it will be the fastest mobile browser available.
6) Install apps on SD memory — One of the main problems people had with Android was that you could not install apps on your removable memory card, you were limited to the device’s physical memory, which in some cases was quite limited. In FroYo, apps can be moved to, and launched from, the phone’s SD card.
7) Flash 10.1 and AIR support — This one is not a surprise, as Adobe and Google have both said this would be coming.
8) Web-based Android Market — Without a doubt one of the weakest aspects of consuming apps on the Android Platform was that you were limited to only seeing what was shown on your mobile device’s screen, which in most cases is not very appealing.
9) App auto-updating — When an app you downloaded gets updated, you would get a notification that there was an update available in the Market. You’d have to navigate to the market and click OK three or four times per update just to get it installed. In FroYo, there will be an “Update All” icon, and the ability to check “allow automatic updating” when you download a new app. Apps can be purchased on the Web-based store and synced down to your Android device.
10) Music Sync — Even though it’s got a decent media player, Android devices have never had the music power that iPhone has with its built-in iPod functionality. With FroYo, however, users will be able to sync their local music collection with their Android device and stream wirelessly.
For more than six years, Opportunity has toiled away on the Red Planet — and it shows no signs of slowing down.
As expected, Google just announced Google TV at I/O. There’s four billion TV viewers worldwide, making it the biggest market in the world, and Google’s after it in a big way — it’s a $70 billion ad market in the US alone, after all. According to Google, “video should be consumed on the biggest, best, and brightest screen in your house, and that’s the TV.” The idea is to merge the web and TV without compromising on either the web experience or the video experience, with a focus on discovery and personalization. Of course, since it’s Google, the interface is search-driven, so you can just type in things like “30 Rock” or MSNBC” to find channels and content — including upcoming content to record and content from the internet. Yeah, it’s kind of like the TiVo Premiere’s swivel search, but prettier — and there’s a Hulu logo on the screen, which is extremely intriguing.
Google’s not sharing hardware specs, but we’re told Google TV devices will have WiFi, HDMI, the Intel CE4100 processor, and… some will have an IR blaster to tune your cable or satellite box, which is just sad. (Like, 1997 sad.) The input devices will all have keyboards, and you’ll also be able to use Android devices as a remote, including using voice search to find content and sending content from the phone to the TV. The software is based on Android with Chrome as the browser and full Flash 10.1 support. Since it’s Android, there’s a version of Android Market — any app that doesn’t require phone hardware can run on Google TV. There will also be a Google TV-specific Android SDK launching in “early” 2011, along with the Android Market for Google TV.
As for partners, it’s just as we heard: Sony will launch Sony Internet TVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV in the fall, and Logitech will introduce a set-top box with a Harmony remote and an HD camera for video chat at some point in the future. Dish Network will also launch a Google TV box at some point, while Best Buy will promote the platform as a whole in-store.
Make sure to keep up with the latest from I/O in our liveblog!
Gallery: Google TV turns on at I/O
Google TV turns on at I/O: runs Android and Flash, partnered with Sony, Logitech, and Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
And of course, they have the highest usage rate, according to Admob, and are the number two overall selling smartphone right now. More »
Earlier this week we asked you if Windows 7 vindicated Microsoft from Vista, in light of a regarded customer satisfaction survey. The result was overwhelmingly positive in favor of Windows 7. Over 78 percent of readers said that they were satisfied, saying that it makes up for their Windows Vista experience. About only 12 percent readers of found it to be a marginal improvement, and 5 percent said that Vista left a lingering bad taste in their mouth. If you’re barely or not satisfied, try optimizing your experience by checking out our Windows 7 tips and tricks. Even if you are happy with the operating system, check it out to make sure you’re not missing out on all of Window 7’s nifty little features. More »
DRAMA AT THE HOME OF WINGS AND BOSOMS! A Detroit area Hooters waitress, 20 year-old Cassie Smith, is claiming that she was put on weight probation. As you
We’ve still yet to find a great reason to eschew our tried-and-true mouse / keyboard tandem in favor of using our desktop with just our fingers, but if you know better, Gateway has a new duo it’d sure love for you to check out. The ZX4300 line, which is the lower-end of the two, gets served AMD’s Athlon II X2 CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), a 20-inch touchpanel (1,600 x 900 resolution), integrated ATI Radeon HD 4270 graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory a 640GB hard drive, 8x SuperMulti drive, a bundled wireless keyboard and mouse, inbuilt WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 sockets and a pair of five-watt speakers. The Gateway One ZX6900 family sports a 23-inch LCD (1,920 x 1,080), and while the vast majority of the specs mimic the others we’ve mentioned, the Core i3 power plant is a notable reason for paying extra. Speaking of which, the ZX4300-01e is slated to first hit stores next month for $749.99, while the ZX6900-01e lands alongside of it for $1,019.99.
Continue reading Gateway brings ZX4300 and ZX6900 all-in-one touchscreen PCs into a world of fingers
Gateway brings ZX4300 and ZX6900 all-in-one touchscreen PCs into a world of fingers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 May 2010 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It just landed in the open-source code for Chromium, so expect password syncing to arrive soon in Google Chrome’s Dev Channel. It will likely require a command line switch (--enable-sync-passwords) to activate, and no details yet on whether Chrome will offer a master password to protect your browsing. In the meantime, we recommend LastPass, the secure password solution that works with any browser. [Download Squad] More »
Google Chrome – Clients – WWW – Browsers – Google
