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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

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Apple’s iPhoto For iOS Tops 1 Million Users

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:55 PM PDT

Apple's iPhoto For iOS Tops 1 Million Users


Apple's iPhoto For iOS Tops 1 Million Users
With a metric that's bound to make mobile app developers jealous, Apple has confirmed that its newly launched iOS-compatible version of iPhoto hit the 1 million user mark, only 10 days after its release. That's not app downloads, mind you, but unique users. Given the app's universal nature, it's likely that many are installing it at least twice – once on the iPhone, or possibly the iPod Touch, and then again...

HTC Sensation ICS camera mod allows 20Mbps 1080p video, adds 'experimental' 1250...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:55 PM PDT

HTC Sensation ICS camera mod allows 20Mbps 1080p video, adds 'experimental' 1250 ISO


HTC Sensation ICS camera mod allows 20Mbps 1080p video, adds 'experimental' 1250 ISO
It looks as if yesterday's Tango isn't the only thing being delivered from the XDA forums, as user NODO-GT is hooking some of you up with a sensational hack. That is, if you're rocking an HTC Sensation coated with a tasty (albeit unofficial) Ice Cream Sandwich ROM. The handset's shooter mod allows for 20Mbps 1080p video recording (double the stock 10Mbps) while also boosting quality in the process, as well as...

OMGPOP’s Sale to Zynga Is One of Y Combinator’s Biggest Exits To Date

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:55 PM PDT

OMGPOP's Sale to Zynga Is One of Y Combinator's Biggest Exits To Date


OMGPOP's Sale to Zynga Is One of Y Combinator's Biggest Exits To Date
Little known fact: OMGPOP was actually an early company backed by Paul Graham's incubator Y Combinator. Originally named Iminlikewithyou, it was co-founded by Charles Forman and was part of YC's mid-2006 class. It then toiled for many years building games on its own teen-focused destination site and then on Facebook before taking its Pictionary-like game Draw Something to iOS and Android a little over a month ago. On mobile, the game took off...

World's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser fired in California: no, you can't...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:55 PM PDT

World's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser fired in California: no, you can't buy one


World's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser fired in California: no, you can't buy one
The Wolverines may have concocted the "most intense" laser in the universe back in '08, but it's a group of grinners at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California that can now lay claim to firing the planet's first two-megajoule ultraviolet laser. Earlier this week, a 1.875-megajoule shot was fired into the target chamber, but it broke the two-dot-oh barrier after passing through the final focusing lens....

Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:09 PM PDT

Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans


Dell issues BIOS update A03 for XPS 13 Ultrabook, gets a handle on fiesty fans
Can't say we noticed an extraordinary amount of blowing from our XPS 13 Ultrabook review unit, but for those with an optioned Core i7 model, you may want to give the source link a look. Down there, you'll find a download link to the A03 BIOS update, which delivers "an updated thermal table which dictates fan speeds and trigger temperatures." Evidently, these machines have a tendency to kick the fans into...

Broadcom extends fiber reach with BroadLight acquisition, intros new location ar...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:09 PM PDT

Broadcom extends fiber reach with BroadLight acquisition, intros new location architecture


Broadcom extends fiber reach with BroadLight acquisition, intros new location architecture
Here's a question: did Broadcom get a 50 percent discount for acquiring a company that already had "Broad" in the name? Hard to say at this point, but regardless of semantics, the aforesaid company has snapped up BroadLight in a bid to extend its fiber access portfolio. In lay terms, it's hoping to use BroadLight's inroads to roll out next-gen fiber networks across the globe -- perhaps even through the arctic....

Revamped Hyundai Sonata due in 2014

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Revamped Hyundai Sonata due in 2014


Revamped Hyundai Sonata due in 2014
Filed under: Hybrid, Hyundai So a new Sonata isn't as exciting as a new Chevrolet Corvette, but given the enthusiasm the current Hyundai midsize sedan has generated around these parts, musing about what might be coming down the pipeline is worth at least a few minutes. Hyundai's Korean CEO Kim Choon-ho has told Reuters that a "revamped" Sonata is due in just two years, following closely on the heels of a new...

Google patent outlines ads targeted to 'environmental conditions'

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Google patent outlines ads targeted to 'environmental conditions'


Google patent outlines ads targeted to 'environmental conditions'
The ad game is all about targeting: demographics, locations, keywords -- and really, few companies are more equipped to target users than Google. In case you were worried that the search giant doesn't have enough information to harvest, a newly surfaced patent outlines the company's interesting utilizing environmental conditions, including things like temperature, humidity, sound, light or air composition, in order to serve up advertisements to devices....

Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive


Commodore Amiga Mini PC revealed: Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive
Yeah, an optical drive. You know, for folks who still appreciate the passing fads of life. Bitterness aside, Commodore is following up its retro-fabulous C64x with a new small-form-factor PC, the Amiga Mini. While not much of a looker, this box houses a potent 3.5GHz Core i7-2700k CPU, 16GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 430 (1GB), a WiFi radio and a 1TB HDD that can be swapped out for a...

Google reportedly rethinking Google Wallet strategy, may share revenue with carr...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Google reportedly rethinking Google Wallet strategy, may share revenue with carriers


Google reportedly rethinking Google Wallet strategy, may share revenue with carriers
It's not a done deal just yet, but Bloomberg is reporting that Google could be about to make some big changes to the way it does business with Google Wallet. Citing people with knowledge of the project, Bloomberg says that Google is considering sharing revenue from Google Wallet (specifically that from coupons and special offers) with carriers in an effort to boost adoption of the service, which hasn't exactly taken off...

YouTube wants to make your crummy video slightly less crummy

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

YouTube wants to make your crummy video slightly less crummy


YouTube wants to make your crummy video slightly less crummy
Upload a lot of videos to YouTube, but still can't afford that tripod? No worries, the Google-owned video site today announced some welcome additions to its editor, which can detect problems with your video and offer up corrections, so you can brighten things up a bit or eliminate some of the shakiness....

Trio of tourists ring up $100,000 taxi fare for charity

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Trio of tourists ring up $100,000 taxi fare for charity


Trio of tourists ring up $100,000 taxi fare for charity
As many cabbies do, they've taken the scenic route.

Yamaha's singing keyboard makes X Factor even more redundant (video)

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Yamaha's singing keyboard makes X Factor even more redundant (video)


Yamaha's singing keyboard makes X Factor even more redundant (video)
Tired of singers over pro-ho-ho-ho-nouncing every vowel? Perhaps the solution is to just remove their ilk from the equation altogether. That's the idea behind Yamaha's new Vocaloid Keyboard, which transforms the Vocaloid software into a ready-to-play device. 16 keys represent consonants, vowels and the types of voicing marks used in Japanese, while at the same time selecting a tone on the keyboard....

Kevin Systrom Drops A Few Hints About Instagram’s Business Model

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Kevin Systrom Drops A Few Hints About Instagram's Business Model


Kevin Systrom Drops A Few Hints About Instagram's Business Model
When Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom spoke today at Federated Media's Signal conference, there wasn't much in the way of new info — but the fact that Systrom was at the conference, and the angle he took, suggests that the company is starting to think a little more seriously about its business model. Systrom began his talk by reviewing some of the user numbers that Instagram has already shared — it has more than 27...

FCC weighs Dish 4G network and 700MHz interoperability

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:32 PM PDT

FCC weighs Dish 4G network and 700MHz interoperability


FCC weighs Dish 4G network and 700MHz interoperability
Let's temper our excitement -- the FCC is merely considering these proposals at the moment but, if either are adopted, it could permanently change the mobile broadband landscape. First up, the commission is considering reassigning the 2GHz band from MSS (Mobile Satellite Service) to AWS (Advances Wireless Service). If adopted, the new rules would clear the way for Dish to launch its LTE network and enter the 4G market....

Class-action settlement over Honda Civic Hybrid mileage claims approved

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:43 AM PDT

Class-action settlement over Honda Civic Hybrid mileage claims approved


Class-action settlement over Honda Civic Hybrid mileage claims approved
Filed under: Hybrid, MPG, Honda A class-action lawsuit between American Honda Motor Co. and plaintiffs who claimed the Japanese automaker overstated fuel-economy figures on Honda Civic Hybrids has been approved by a San Diego Superior Court Judge. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the lawsuit involves about 460,000 people who either owned or leased 2003 to 2009 Civic Hybrids....

Verizon halts dubious third-party billing on landlines, years after landlines we...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:43 AM PDT

Verizon halts dubious third-party billing on landlines, years after landlines were 'in'


Verizon halts dubious third-party billing on landlines, years after landlines were 'in'
Okay, okay -- landlines are still useful. But rapidly growing, they are not. That said, Verizon is caving to congressional pressure in a relatively minor way, announcing that it'll be banning certain third-party charges on landline bills. In political circles, the process is known as "cramming," where customers (oftentimes unknowingly) submit their number to certain third-party add-ons that have generated some $10 billion in revenue over the past five years....

SMS Audio SYNC by 50 wireless headphones review

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 11:43 AM PDT

SMS Audio SYNC by 50 wireless headphones review


SMS Audio SYNC by 50 wireless headphones review
Ah, celebrity-endorsed headphones -- whether it's Beats by Dre or Soul by Ludacris, you've always gotta wonder whether their actual sound-reproduction chops will match up with the steep price tags and fashion-focused designs. Oftentimes, shocker of shockers, the answer is a resounding "no." One of the newest entrants into this game is SYNC by 50, stemming from a long collaboration between Sleek Audio SMS Audio and none other than Curtis James...

Google Maps improves 3D models of major landmarks

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:54 AM PDT

Google Maps improves 3D models of major landmarks


Google Maps improves 3D models of major landmarks
Google Maps has long sported 3D models of major world landmarks. Some of them, however, left something to be desired. For example, the Piazza del Duomo in Florence was missing its signature domes. Now it's been drastically improved with a series of smooth shaded roofs. Plenty of other landmarks have also been revamped, including the Sydney Opera House, White House and the Petronas Towers....

DirecTV iPad app adds (some) TV and movie streaming 'Everywhere'

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:54 AM PDT

DirecTV iPad app adds (some) TV and movie streaming 'Everywhere'


DirecTV iPad app adds (some) TV and movie streaming 'Everywhere'
After adding live TV streaming features to the DirecTV iPad app last fall, the company is expanding the feature today by pushing an upgrade that lets viewers watch video (but no live TV, yet) even when they're away from home. Dubbed DirecTV Everywhere, it follows up on the company's promises of more video for customer's mobile devices, offering "selected" video on-demand programming for on the go viewing....

China Leads World In New iOS & Android Activations; App Sessions Up 1126% Over L...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:54 AM PDT

China Leads World In New iOS & Android Activations; App Sessions Up 1126% Over Last Year


China Leads World In New iOS & Android Activations; App Sessions Up 1126% Over Last Year
New data from mobile analytics firm Flurry indicates the incredible growth potential of the Chinese smartphone market. The country, which ranked 11th place at the start of 2011 in terms of iOS and Android activations, has now climbed into the number one spot, beating out the U.S., now number two. In addition, looking at data from Q1 2011 to Q1 2012, Flurry found that China led in app session growth as well,...

Einstein Archives website rolls out first phase of project to get 80,000 documen...

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:07 AM PDT

Einstein Archives website rolls out first phase of project to get 80,000 documents online


Einstein Archives website rolls out first phase of project to get 80,000 documents online
Believe it or not, there are still things that have yet to be put on the internet. That has included most of Albert Einstein's archives, a portion of which has previously been available, but which now has a greatly expanded online presence courtesy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (and a grant from the Polonsky Foundation UK)....

'Faster Pastor' breaks motorcycle hearse world speed record

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:07 AM PDT

'Faster Pastor' breaks motorcycle hearse world speed record


'Faster Pastor' breaks motorcycle hearse world speed record
What a way to go.

Instagram and Hipstamatic to announce photo-sharing partnership

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:07 AM PDT

Instagram and Hipstamatic to announce photo-sharing partnership


Instagram and Hipstamatic to announce photo-sharing partnership
Historically, Instagram has been the definition of closed. It's only available on one platform (iOS), and no third-party services were allowed to port content in via an API. According to Fast Company, that's changing today. It's bruited that Instagram will be opening its doors ever-so-slightly to one Hipstamatic, enabling users of the latter to tag their photos with lenses and filters, and then push them into the Instagram universe....

Samsung Exec Says Galaxy S III Could Launch In April After All

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:07 AM PDT

Samsung Exec Says Galaxy S III Could Launch In April After All


Samsung Exec Says Galaxy S III Could Launch In April After All
This Galaxy S III release date business is getting to be pretty ridiculous — first, all signs pointed to Samsung's newest flagship launching this April, but then company representatives killed that notion just a few days later. Now, according to a handful of new reports, it looks like an April launch window may actually be in the cards after all. The news comes courtesy of Samsung Greater China president Kim Young-ha, who...

BMW forced to lower 2012 3 Series automatic fuel economy to 33 mpg

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:19 AM PDT

BMW forced to lower 2012 3 Series automatic fuel economy to 33 mpg


BMW forced to lower 2012 3 Series automatic fuel economy to 33 mpg
Filed under: MPG, BMW, Legislation and Policy Remember that new 36-mpg 2012 BMW 3 Series we were so excited about, the 328i that got better fuel economy in EPA testing than even the old 335d diesel model? Well, those early estimates haven't held up. BMW has confirmed to Autoblog that the EPA has issued revised numbers for the eight-speed automatic-equipped F30 328i, with highway fuel economy taking a 3-mile-per-gallon hit to 33 mpg...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (Verizon Wireless LTE)

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:19 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (Verizon Wireless LTE)


Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (Verizon Wireless LTE)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review (international edition) Verizon Galaxy Tab 7.7 with LTE hands-on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus reviewSamsung's Galaxy Tab series boasts seven distinct models. Throw in all of the variants of each one -- LTE, WiFi, WiMAX and even the Galaxy Note 10.1 if you want to be picky -- and all of a sudden the number of tablets produced by the Korean electronics giant over the past...

Nissan Leaf to get minor range boost, prove Moore's Law doesn't apply to EVs

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:19 AM PDT

Nissan Leaf to get minor range boost, prove Moore's Law doesn't apply to EVs


Nissan Leaf to get minor range boost, prove Moore's Law doesn't apply to EVs
Fifteen months and 10,000 American sales later, Nissan is preparing a 2013 overhaul of its Leaf EV. What green and fresh bounties can we expect? Leather seats, a "darker" interior and more efficient heater, which could let the EV go up to 20-25 miles further in cold-weather conditions. Sounds minor to our comfortably warm ears, and there's no specific mention of inductive charging (depicted above) either....

Even cerebral palsy can't stop this dedicated video creator

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT

Even cerebral palsy can't stop this dedicated video creator


Even cerebral palsy can't stop this dedicated video creator
Christopher Hill isn't your typical video producer. The youngster whipped up the clip after the break controlling his array of Macs almost entirely with a single switch. Chris has cerebral palsy, a severe motor function impairment that makes it all but impossible for him to interact with a computer through a traditional keyboard and mouse....

Virgin Mobile USA restores service, apologizes for the inconvenience

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:29 AM PDT

Virgin Mobile USA restores service, apologizes for the inconvenience


Virgin Mobile USA restores service, apologizes for the inconvenience
A dozen or so hours after the carrier came clean with its most recent outage, Virgin Mobile USA service has been restored. Data, texts and calls should be flowing normally now, and the company has stated that those still experiencing issues should "try removing your battery and restarting your device." Not recommended?...