0

Rockmelt comes to Android with onehanded navigation

Rockmelt brought its social news browsing to iOS back in 2012, with promises that the Android version was on the way. The company took its sweet time with the port, but it's here at last -- and with a few Android-only perks in return for the wait. While the core news aggregation remains intact, there's a new set of thumb navigation controls that makes sure tablet owners (or just those with giant smartphones) can read in comfort. Phone owners also get a landscape view similar to what their tablet brethren see and a set of elevator-like buttons help users of all kinds get back to articles after a refresh. The interface extras may not seal the deal by themselves, but they could tip the balance for those still undecided on a Google Reader alternative.

0 Comments

0

Feedly launches cloud platform and new web interface ahead of Google Reader shutdown

The eventual demise of Google Reader gave existing services like Feedly an opportunity to land hundreds of thousands of new users, but the sudden gain of popularity demands an infrastructure that can handle the load. By opening its APIs to the masses today, Feedly says it's officially making the transition "from a product to a platform," supplying developers and RSS users alike with a painless migration path from Google's soon-to-be deceased reader. To go along with that, the company also announced a novel version of Feedly on the web, one which doesn't require any extensions or plugins and is accessible via browsers such as Internet Explorer and Opera.

As the image above shows, the freshly minted cloud platform already offers support for a slew of third-party applications, and Feedly says numerous other devs are currently working on their own for the near future. Now, if you didn't think Mountain View's recent spring cleaning could have a huge influence in such a short span of time, hear this: Feedly's touting that its user base has more than tripled since the announcement, making the jump from 4 to 12 million through the end of last month. Only time will tell if Feedly ends up being a worthy Reader replacement, so perhaps now would be the perfect instance to start deciding whether or not this will be the proper solution to all your RSS needs.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

 HD

0

Redray 4K projector now shipping, UHDTV not included

4K televisions are all the rage right now, but they're still dogged by a slight problem: where's the content? Red has taken one step to rectify that, as it's finally started shipping it's Redray media player, which can send a native 4K (4,096 × 2,160) or up-converted HDTV signal to your UHDTV. It uses wavelet compression tech to play 4:2:2, 12-bit video over a relatively miniscule 2.5MB/s pipe, allowing up to 60 fps 4K video in 3D from a hard drive, USB key or other source. Red will also offer online 4K content via its Odemax.com network, though there's no word yet on when that'll launch. Meanwhile, those who pre-ordered the player for $1,450 last year (it's now $1,750 at Red's store) should be receiving it soon, along with an iOS app to control it, pending Apple's say-so. As for the Redray laser projector -- also promised earlier this year starting at $10,000 -- there's still no word on when it'll grace our eyes.

0 Comments

 HD

0

Image

Apple today announced that two more entertainment options will be hitting its set-top offering. HBO Go and WatchESPN have been added to the Apple TV lineup, along with Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello, joining the ranks of Hulu Plus, Netflix and sports from the MLB, NBA and NHL. Apple also used the opportunity to talk up some download numbers, revealing that iTunes users have downloaded one billion TV episodes and 380 million movies. At present, more than 800,000 episodes and 350,000 movies are purchased per day.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

0

BT CEO Ian Livingston leaves for government, Gavin Patterson takes his place

The CEO position is usually the last rung on the career ladder -- after that, it's either retirement or a less-than-graceful ouster. It's not the end for BT CEO Ian Livingston, however, as he's moving to the even bigger leagues of government. The executive will step down in September to accept a role as the UK's Minister of State for Trade and Investment. The company's current head of retail, Gavin Patterson, will take the reins from that point on. Livingston leaves BT mostly better off than when he took the lead in 2008: questionable patent lawsuits notwithstanding, the telecom giant has been forward-thinking with its plans for ultra-fast fiber and LTE service. Let's just hope that Patterson can deal with fiercer competition.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

 Mobile

0

Earlier than expected (and a little pricier than we'd hoped), the BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale tomorrow in the UAE. We know that its radios are primed for AT&T 3G and while the build might not rival the flagship BB10 device, it's another option for those who can't relinquish the tactile joys of a physical keyboard. It will launch priced at 1,499 AED (just above $400), which nets you BlackBerry's latest OS spread across a 3.1-inch touchscreen with the aforementioned keyboard nestled below. Interested in hopping on a red-eye flight for the third device since the company's name change? Then we'd recommend reacquainting yourself with our first impressions.

0 Comments

0

Researchers create microbattery using 3D printing

We often hear about the coming nanobot revolution, but just how are scientists planning on powering these future marvels? Well, researchers from Harvard and the University of Illinois may have found the solution in a 3D-printed battery: it's smaller than a grain of sand, yet has areal energy and power densities comparable to your cellphone battery. The team used a custom 3D printer with a 1mm wide nozzle to deposit two separate lithium metal oxide pastes into comb-like shapes, which then hardened to create an anode and cathode. After adding an electrolyte, a sub-hair-width cell was created with "performance comparable to commercial batteries in terms of charge and discharge rate, cycle life and energy densities." Those could someday wind up in medical devices, wearable electronics or tiny flying drones, for instance. To see how they did it, check the video after the break.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

0

video

Since surveillance culture is at the top of the news agenda, this new invention from Japan's National Institute of Informatics couldn't be more timely. It's a pair of goggles that blocks facial recognition algorithms and ensures that no one can snap a pic of your mug without your permission. The wearable uses 11 near-infrared LEDs that shine a bright light. It's invisible to humans, but enough to dazzle any passing cameras. Admittedly, the technology is useless for cameras that aren't sensitive to infrared, which is why the institute is also experimenting with reflective materials that'll work with any imaging sensor -- but that, unfortunately, isn't quite ready for prime time. Curious to see it in action? Head on past the break for the video.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

 HD

0

LG launches TV set and allinone PC with 29inch 219 ultrawidescreen

Remember LG's EA93, that eye-catching 29-inch 21:9 "ultrawidescreen" monitor we played with at IFA last year? Well, it's just spawned a couple offspring. Today in Korea, the company launched a TV set and an all-in-one PC which use the same 29-inch IPS panel with the same 21:9 aspect ratio, 2,560 x 1,080-pixel (WQHD) resolution and 178-degree viewing angles.

LG's new all-in-one PC boasts a standalone TV tuner with instant-on (no booting required) and simultaneous PC and TV operation (PiP and several split screen modes). Details are few, but we know it features an Intel Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT640M GPU (3D capable) and HDMI / MHL inputs (to use the display as a monitor). The PC comes pre-loaded with an instant messaging app (and matching mobile version) which lets users watch television while chatting.

The TV set supports PiP and split screen, including a 16:9 plus 5:9 mode (HD broadcast plus connected smartphone), and offers a comprehensive set of inputs (DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI and MHL). Pricing is 1.49 to 2.29 million won ($1,315 to $2,021) for the PC (based on configuration) and 690,000 won ($609) for the TV.

0 Comments

 Mobile

0

Anyone who's tried to tether to their iPhone or iPad will recall how iOS manages to craft its own passwords when used as a personal hotspot. The aim is to ensure that anyone sharing a data connection will get some degree of security, regardless of whether or not they tinker with the password themselves. However, three researchers from FAU in Germany have now worked the structure behind these auto-generated keys -- a combination of a short English word and a series or random numbers -- and managed to crack that hotspot protection in under a minute. To start, the word list contains about 52,500 entries, and once the testers were able to capture a WiFi connection, they used an AMD Radeon HD 6990 GPU to cycle through all those words with number codes, taking just under 50 minutes to crack with rote entry. Following that, they realized that only a small subset (just 1,842) of the word list was being used.

With an even faster GPU -- a cluster of four AMD Radeon HD 7970s -- they got the hotspot password cracking time to 50 seconds. The Friedrich-Alexander University researchers added that unscrupulous types could use comparable processing power through cloud computing. "System-generated passwords should be reasonably long, and should use a reasonably large character set. Consequently, hotspot passwords should be composed of completely random sequences of letters, numbers, and special characters," says the report, which outlines the trade-off between security and usability. However, as ZDNet notes, Apple's cycled password approach still offers more protection than static options found elsewhere. Check out the full paper at the source.

0 Comments