Friday, 30 November 2012
NASA hedges on Curiosity's mystery Mars discovery
Tired of clunky batteries? Slap on these power leg braces
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: e-readers
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. And don't forget to enter our giveaway -- leave a comment for a chance to nab AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Express.
Those predicting the death of the e-reader in 2012 at the hands of cheap 7-inch tablets have gotten quite the surprise this year. The space is quite alive, thanks to heated competition between industry leaders such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble and some solid choices from the likes of Kobo and Sony. There are still plenty of options for those who like a little multimedia with their books -- and don't mind doing their reading on an LCD.
Continue reading Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: e-readers
Filed under: Amazon
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/30/holiday-gift-guide-e-readers/
Apple's Stock Plunge Mystifies Wall Street Analysts
Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/eweekmac/~3/js3Hj0MrH7A/
Thursday, 29 November 2012
This Handsome Leather Bag Will Make Even the Most Weary Traveler Look Good
Big data drives high performance for Cars.com
Web businesses have long realized that a direct line can be drawn between revenue and the quality of user experience. Measuring that experience on a wide scale has become a leading big data analytics endeavor, one embraced by Cars.com. By analyzing data from 12 million monthly website visits, the company is optimizing the user experience for its shoppers -- and gaining deep operational insight and fraud prevention capability in the bargain.
NPD: Windows 8 not yet providing boost to slow PC market
Microsoft is pretty happy about how Windows 8 is doing, but 40 million license sales isn't exactly translating to a boon for the PC market. According to NPD, sales of Windows-powered devices are 21 percent lower than they were during the same time period last year -- October 21 through November 17. Of course, Windows 8 didn't actually hit shelves until the 26th, which may have skewed the numbers a bit as consumers held out for the latest and greatest from Redmond. The weakness of the desktop and laptop market are partially to blame, but while license sales for Windows 8 are outpacing its predecessor, there is some cause for concern. Specifically that, after a few weeks, the touch friendly revamp of the OS is only shipping on about 58 percent of new machines. Four weeks after the launch of Windows 7, it was preloaded on 83 percent of new hardware. Worse yet, according to the NPD, tablet sales "have been almost non-existent." Of course, things could pick up as we enter the holiday season, but it's not entirely clear that Windows 8 will be able to lift the sagging PC market on its back. The full PR awaits you after the break.
Continue reading NPD: Windows 8 not yet providing boost to slow PC market
Filed under: Software
Via: TechCrunch
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/29/npd-pc-sales-down-microsoft-bears-the-brunt/
Hot Deals of the Day: Alienware m18x r2 18.4" DTR Gaming Notebook and More
It’s time for our latest batch of HOT deals, courtesy of our friends at LogicBuy. The featured attraction today is the powerful Alienware m18x r2 18.4" DTR gaming notebook. With all the discounts and free shipping, this machine is available for under $1650, which is about an 18% savings. The configuration being offered features a Space...Source: http://hothardware.com/News/Hot-Deals-of-the-Day-Alienware-m18x-r2-184-DTR-Gaming-Notebook-and-More/
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Updated Version of Android Developer Software Ships
Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/pdfmobile/~3/4FLdF7m2fAo/
Mini Espresso Maker allows you to remain civilized even while backpacking
You’ll be the hit of the campout with this one shot portable Mini Espresso Maker from Restoration Hardware. Made in Italy, it is made of aluminum with a brass spout and can make a 2.5 oz double shot. You even get an enamel cup with the kit. The Mini Espresso Maker makes a fun gift for your favorite backpacking coffee guzzling pals. Get yours for $49
Filed in categories: Home Tech, News
Tagged: Beverage
Mini Espresso Maker allows you to remain civilized even while backpacking originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 26, 2012 at 8:00 am.
There's Now Proof That Chemo Brain Is Real
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lHYa0BJ9i2I/theres-now-proof-that-chemo-brain-is-real
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Ericsson Sues Samsung Over Mobile Patents
Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/eweekwireless/~3/oN_PiGnVhVI/
Oh God, Even TMZ Wants Drones Now (Updated)
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_8hkcXmr47o/oh-god-even-tmz-wants-drones-now
Firefox 17 Gets Friendly With Facebook, Wary of iFrames
Mozilla has made its Web browser more social -- and more secure -- with the release of Firefox 17. The latest version of the foundation's popular browser includes a plug-in that displays notifications and instant messages from Facebook in a sidebar. The plug-in is the first implementation of the Social API introduced by Mozilla in July. The feature, must be activated through Facebook. In addition to the Facebook plug-in, Mozilla made more than a score of changes in Firefox 17. 
George Lucas loses NIMBY clash over giant digital arts complex
Monday, 26 November 2012
New 3D tech in The Hobbit risks backlash as film debut nears
J.R.R. Tolkien fans who head to theaters on December 14 to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey might be in for an unpleasant surprise, thanks to a new 3D format debuting in some theaters.
The new technology, called “High Frame Rate 3D” (HFR 3D), runs at 48 frames per second, which is double the frame rate of traditional movies. It’s meant to reduce the “judder” effect that results from panning and other fast motion in 3D movies, but it has the side effect of making everything smoother—perhaps unusually so.
Some audiences who’ve seen preview footage of the movie in HFR 3D aren’t happy. They claim that the higher frame rate is “too real,” in the sense that it resembles home video or a sports broadcast. As 3D Focus reports, even director Peter Jackson had said that the format takes some getting used to.
Many of the early complaints come from a 10-minute preview shown to audiences at Cinemacon last April. A reporter from one site claimed that the footage has “that soap opera look you get from badly calibrated TVs at Best Buy.” The Los Angeles Times quoted one projectionist who said the format “looked like a made-for-TV movie.”
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Gadget Lab’s Guide for Holiday-Travel Home Safety
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/11/home-safety-holidays/
5 data center breakthroughs I'm thankful for
Technology has a habit of evolving at a rate that's difficult to keep up with. New hardware and software with ever-broader capabilities and increased performance hit the market at a dizzying rate. Staying on top of it all -- much less trying to figure out how best to leverage it -- can be a job in itself. However, sometimes it's helpful to take a step back and count your blessings.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
South Carolina faults weak IRS standard in massive data breach
Deal of the Day – Black Friday Edition
You don’t have to fight the crowds this year! Visit the LogicBUY home page to find great gifts at great prices.
Filed in categories: News
Tagged: Deal of the Day
Deal of the Day – Black Friday Edition originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2012 at 9:00 am.
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/11/22/deal-of-the-day-black-friday-edition/
Windows Phone Will Target Smartphone Midmarket
"We are dramatically broadening the set of price points in Mango-related phones that we can reach," Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone division, told the audience during the Asia D conference Oct. 19. "That's particularly important because going lower down in price point opens up more addressable market."
Until this point, Microsoft had positioned Windows Phone as more of a competitor to high-end devices such as Apple's iPhone and the Motorola Droid. But Microsoft's traditional aim with any of its products has been to capture as big an audience as possible, so a thrust toward the smartphone midmarket is perhaps inevitable.
For a couple of months, rumors have circulated about a stripped-down Windows Phone OS code-named Tango, aimed at lower-cost hardware and developing markets such as India and China. Back in August, Mary Jo Foley wrote on her All About Microsoft blog about two new Tango releases that could expand Windows Phone into new markets and load onto those cheaper devices.
At the moment, Microsoft is mostly concerned with pushing Mango, a wide-ranging update with some 500 tweaks and features, onto Windows Phone. That's happening in conjunction with a host of new manufacturers, including Nokia and Samsung, prepping a host of new Windows Phone devices. Although outside research firms generally place Windows Phone's share of the smartphone market far behind that of the iPhone and Android, Microsoft hopes that the combination of boosted software and new manufacturing partners can give the platform the momentum it needs to seize a bigger portion for itself.
One of those partners, Nokia, reportedly plans to show off its first Windows Phone devices at Nokia World in London, due to start Oct. 26.
That information also came from Lees, who told the Asia D conference Oct. 19: "Next week it's going to be Nokia World, where they're going to announce their phones and how they're going to make the most out of the Windows Phone opportunity."
It'll be interesting to see what rolls out. By tossing out homegrown mobile operating systems such as Symbian in favor of Windows Phone, Nokia is betting its existence on Microsoft software allowing it to push back against Android and other competitors. I'll bet anything that Nokia's push will eventually involve Windows Phone devices targeted at that midrange. The only question is when Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will try to make that happen.
