Ever since Stuxnet was discovered, most of the accusing fingers have been pointed at the US, Israel or both, whether or not there was any evidence; it was hard to ignore malware that seemed tailor-made for wrecking Iranian centrifuges and slowing down the country's nuclear development. As it turns out, Occam's Razor is in full effect. An exposé from the New York Times matter-of-factly claims that the US and Israel coded Stuxnet as part of a cyberwar op, Olympic Games, and snuck it on to a USB thumb drive that infected computers at the Natanz nuclear facility. The reason we know about the infection at all, insiders say, is that it got out of control: someone modified the code or otherwise got it to spread through an infected PC carried outside, pushing Obama to either double down (which he did) or back off. Despite all its connections, the newspaper couldn't confirm whether or not the new Flame malware attack is another US creation. Tipsters did, however, deny that Flame is part of the Olympic Games push -- raising the possibility that there are other agencies at work.

[Image credit: David Holt, Flickr]

Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 won't be the first major browser to pack a "do not track" component, but it'll be the first to have it switched on by default. Though Microsoft doesn't yet support the feature on its own websites, it plans to help hammer out the protocols by cooperating with industry, government and standards organizations in the months ahead. With Twitter's support for the measure, the crew in Redmond isn't the only one kicking the privacy ball forward. The Digital Advertising Alliance, however, isn't pleased with the development, in no small part because it struck a deal with the White House to honor "do not track" so long as it's not a default setting. Despite the move, Microsoft said it hopes users will choose to share their data with advertisers to receive more relevant advertising. Hit the more coverage links for added details on Microsoft's feather ruffling.

[Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]

Microsoft sets 'do not track' as default on IE10, ruffles feathers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

About a year ago, Arris teased a system capable of 4.5Gbps downloads, and while that technology was in the proof-of-concept phase last June, it's beginning to look more like a real possibility. German network provider Kabel Deutschland just notched a new download speed record using Arris' C4 CMTs and Touchstone CM820S cable modems: a mind-blowing 4,700 Mbps (4.7 Gbps). The cable operator set that world-record rate in the city of Schwerin, where it recently updated its network to 862 MHz. The network may be capable of delivering those 4.7Gbps speeds, but the company noted that current laptops and modems can't even process such blazing data transfer rates. And before you North Americans get too excited, note that KD uses the EuroDOCSIS specification on the 8MHz channel, while the DOCSIS uses the 6MHz scheme in the US and beyond. Still, that's not to say that other cable providers like Verizon FiOS have been slacking lately -- 300Mbps downloads are nothing to scoff at.

Continue reading Kabel Deutschland sets record with 4.7Gbps download speeds

Kabel Deutschland sets record with 4.7Gbps download speeds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google has already been taking us to exotic locations through Street View, but now it's hoping to enshrine the most famous places on Earth through the World Wonders Project, one car (or trike) at a time. A total of 132 sites, ranging from natural landmarks like Yosemite to much more synthetic constructions like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, have both an on-the-ground view as well as 3D renderings, videos and loads of history from UNESCO and the World Monuments Fund, among others. The educational bent is so conspicuous that Google is offering up some of the content in downloadable bundles for schools along with the usual web-based look. All of it promises a much more fascinating, hands-on approach than a dry textbook, and it's a unique way of bringing encyclopedic knowledge to an era of Chromebooks and the cloud.

Continue reading Google World Wonders Project takes you to Earth's treasures in glorious Street View vision (video)

Google World Wonders Project takes you to Earth's treasures in glorious Street View vision (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 02:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Between all of the delays, disappointment and a general lack of availability, many Brits can't seem to catch a break when it comes to getting fast internet -- but this time it could be their own fault. BT's fiber optic rollout plans came to a screeching halt in Kensington and Chelsea after a staggering 96 of 108 applications for big green street cabinets housing the fiber were flat-out rejected. The local council just isn't prepared to clutter its pristine streets with the "ugly" boxes. The telecoms provider now says it'll concentrate on nearby areas that "have shown a greater eagerness to enjoy the benefits of broadband." It's a good thing there are no plans to paint their famous telephone booths green, or those might be out of a job as well.

Upscale London borough says no no no to BT's broadband revolution, ugly green boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google just can't wait until ICANN reveals custom domain name bids in mid-June to say what it's trying to buy -- and it's clear that Mountain View went on a shopping spree. Some of the top-level domains in the land grab are ones you'd expect safeguarding Google's prized possessions, such as .google, .youtube and .docs. Others make us fear for the future of Internet memes. Google claims that it's bidding for TLDs such as .lol to explore their "interesting and creative potential,' but we have a hunch it's just taking the addition of LOL to the dictionary a little too seriously. The company does assuage our fears with a promise to prevent TLD abuse. If we ever see omgwtf.lol become a reality, though, we'll know Google has gone off the .deepend.

Google springs for .lol, .youtube domains, we wonder if it's going TLD .crazy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 21:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google has been on another one of its Google+ feature addition streaks lately, and it's so eager to please that it's spoiling other features early. More than a few people visiting Google Calendar have been given an introduction to "Events in Google+" in recent hours despite the extra component (and its splash page) being absent. From what we know, Events will provide the obvious Facebook-like option to create and track events among Google+ circles, but it will also let organizers slot in a Hangout video chat in advance as well as pool together photos and videos associated with an event. The Google+ app for Android has even been showing an empty button that's speculated to be a dedicated Events section. Google hasn't sent any official word as to when Events will go live, although we suspect it won't be long before everyone from photographers through to grandmothers knitting scarves can use Google+ to coalesce.

Google+ Events leaks out through Google Calendar, will let your knitting circle schedule a Hangout originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The FCC has created a new forum for corporations, experts and activists to scrap over web laws: The Net Neutrality Advisory Committee. Members have been tasked with "tracking and evaluating the effects of the FCC's Open Internet rules," as well as making policy recommendations. The new group is to be led by Harvard professor and long-time defender of an open internet, Jonathan Zittrain, whose appointment echoes that of Tim Wu -- another expert in a senior advisory position over at the FTC. Harvard University is no stranger to what can go wrong when open access is stifled, so perhaps the good professor can shake things up a bit.

Outspoken Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain to head FCC's open internet advisory panel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google might be in trouble for how it handled an earlier raid by South Korean officials over antitrust concerns. Insiders claimed to AllThingsD that the country's Fair Trade Commission stormed Google's Seoul offices again on May 28th after the company allegedly stonewalled the investigation in suspicious ways. Among the accusations, Google supposedly deleted files and asked staff to work from home rather than face inquiries. The FTC's goal was still to answer complaints from local search firms Daum and NHN that Google was unfairly making it difficult to use a non-Google search engine in Android. Google still says it's cooperating with regulators, but the assertions if they're accurate would paint a different picture. They certainly don't alleviate pressure in the US over similar subjects.

South Korea's FTC reportedly raids Google again over lack of cooperation originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ICANN anticipated that we'd see the first fruits of its open season on top-level domains (TLDs) roughly a year after the hunt began; sure enough, it's winding down applications tonight. If you have the $185,000 plus $25,000 per year to make a domain your own, you've got until midnight GMT (7PM ET) to get that custom spin on the web. Don't think that you'll get the rubber stamp right away, though. ICANN plans to detail the requests on June 13th and consider any objections over similarity or multiple bids for the same name. If all goes smoothly, the first generic TLDs will be active within nine months, while those who face a fight could be waiting roughly one to two years. We're just hoping someone had the courtesy to pick up .gadget for us -- not that ICANN's worried about a gap in registrations after taking $352 million in fees and over 2,000 applications so far.

ICANN stops taking custom domain names at 7PM ET, details the TLD explosion June 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Verizon's IP network traffic jam apparently wasn't that much of an issue, since it just kicked up the speeds for FiOS service by a notch... or ten. Unless you're a spendthrift sticking to the base 15Mbps plan, download speeds have more than doubled across the board -- including to an eye-watering 300Mbps if you opt for the costliest plan. Upload speeds aren't advancing quite so quickly, although those who spring for the two highest tiers will see their upload speeds crack 65Mbps. The fiber speed-up is being attributed to a flood of Internet video and cloud backups, both of which get downright reasonable at 300Mbps; Verizon figures that both a 2-hour HD movie download and a 10GB backup will finish in 22 minutes or less. Whether or not pricing will have changed will have to wait until the speed upgrades take effect in June. Somehow, we can't imagine a drop anytime soon in the $200 monthly outlay for the top tier.

Verizon doubles FiOS speeds to 300Mbps, thumb-twiddling waits are officially over originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We'd been wondering what Google would do following its acquisition of Zagat, and now we know: it's part of Google+ Local, a boost to Maps, general search, and Google+ itself. Zagat's point system now automatically shows up in search results for restaurants that have been given the extra scrutiny. Those of us who don't trust The Man for reviews will also now see Google+ friends' picks surface at the same time. The addition is considered important enough that Google is even adding a Local tab on Google+ just to show recommendations, so you won't have to abandon your constant updating (you're always posting on Google+, right?) to find a well-rated sushi place. Local should be live soon, if not now, and will make search plus Your World that much more omnipresent.

Continue reading Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video)

Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Huawei's 102HW Ultra WiFi 4G router might not be bathing in the same irradiated limelight as Sharp's Pantone 5, but it's said to support the fastest mobile data service in Japan. Announced at SoftBank's summer product rollout, the 102HW sports download speeds of up to 110 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up on AXGP (Advanced eXtended Global Platform) 4G, though it'll fall back to 3G when necessary. Up to ten users can simultaneous surf the web via 802.11b/g/n WiFi at 300 Mbps and share files through a built in microSDXC card slot. The box can also switch to and from SoftBank WiFi hotspots on the fly if cellular connections alone won't cut it. Live in Japan? You'll have to wait until September to land a hotspot of your own.

Huawei hotspot supports 110Mbps downstream on Softbank's 4G network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

France typically hasn't been kind to Google. Today, though, it's cutting some important slack. A court has ruled that the search firm can't be held liable when YouTube members upload clips of their favorite football matches or movies from local network TF1. As in a case involving Dailymotion last year, the judge saw YouTube as just the host for others' videos rather than having any hand in producing the content itself. Not only does the decision let Google off the hook for a possible €141 million ($177 million) fine, it prevents the company from having to pre-screen every video that might be visible in France -- a difficult challenge for a company that takes 72 hours of new video every minute. Google is still facing less-than-cordial attitudes towards its copyright enforcement in other countries, including a zombie Viacom lawsuit in the US, but it now has some extra ammunition if it wants to cite a precedent.

[Image credit: Premiere]

French court rules Google isn't liable for YouTube bootlegs of TF1 TV shows originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Much ado was made when security experts found Stuxnet wreaking havoc, but it's looking as though the malware was just a prelude to a much more elaborate attack that's plaguing the Middle East. Flame, a backdoor Windows trojan, doesn't just sniff and steal nearby network traffic info -- it uses your computer's hardware against you. The rogue code nabs phone data over Bluetooth, spreads over USB drives and records conversations from the PC's microphone. If that isn't enough to set even the slightly paranoid on edge, it's also so complex that it has to infect a PC in stages; Flame may have been attacking computers since 2010 without being spotted, and researchers at Kaspersky think it may be a decade before they know just how much damage the code can wreak.

No culprit has been pinpointed yet, but a link to the same printer spool vulnerability used by Stuxnet has led researchers to suspect that it may be another instance of a targeted cyberwar attack given that Iran, Syria and a handful of other countries in the region are almost exclusively marked as targets. Even if you live in a 'safe' region, we'd keep an eye out for any suspicious activity knowing that even a fully updated Windows 7 PC can be compromised.

Flame malware snoops on PCs across the Middle East, makes Stuxnet look small-time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've see BBC iPlayer reach many devices over time, but it's been conspicuously absent on Windows Phone. Nokia has stepped into give us some relief, and it's now promising that a port of the TV catch-up service will be ready for your Lumia 800 "in weeks." Good news no doubt, although Nokia's encyclopedic knowledge of British TV streaming is also dashing hopes of using the Sky Go mobile app on Windows Phone anytime soon: the same Nokia rep doesn't see Sky being ready for a "good few months" at the earliest. As such, you'll have no problems keeping up with Doctor Who and Sherlock when they're airing, but we wouldn't count on watching live football matches for awhile.

Update: Pocket-lint is reporting that it quizzed the BBC over this issue and got a firm denial about a Windows Phone version, which suggests that The Inquirer's report, or its Nokia source, may have made an illogical deduction.

BBC iPlayer reaching Windows Phone within 'weeks,' will catch up with Sherlock on your Lumia (update: perhaps not) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 01:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, time tracking comes in handy when trying to make your workflow as efficient as possible. Perhaps you're looking for a more visual indication of how your time is spent on that MacBook Pro. That's where ThreadWatch comes in handy. Thanks to developer Alex Milde, you can visually analyze your daily task habits on a Mac. After a rather quick and painless app download, the tech monitors software being used on the desktop, taking notes on their individual memory and CPU consumption. The collected info is placed in a text file that you'll then upload to ThreadWatch to create the graphical splendor you see above. Each color indicates a different application and you won't have to worry about having your tracked data catalogued. To take the kit for a spin, hit the source link below to start monitoring your procrastination... er, work sessions.

Visualized: ThreadWatch tracks daily workflow on a Mac, turns the data into eye candy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gigabit Squared strikes deal to bring ultra high-speed broadband to six communities

Gigabit Squared strikes deal to bring ultra high-speed broadband to six communities originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 06:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Aereo's mini-antenna arrays started streaming OTA television broadcasts in Gotham a couple months ago in spite of the lawsuit filed by a few of New York's local stations to stop them from doing so. Today, it was able to dismiss its opponents' state law unfair competition claim under the theory of federal preemption. Essentially, Aereo argued (and the judge agreed) that the anti-competition claim was actually an attempt to vindicate the broadcasters' rights to control the performance of their copyrighted materials. Because those rights are granted under federal law, the state law claim was preempted and dismissed from the lawsuit pursuant to the Copyright Act. Despite this courtroom victory, Aereo still has a lot of legal legwork to do, as it still faces two copyright claims that could still shut down the OTA streaming party. Stay tuned.

Aereo gets unfair competition claim dismissed, still faces two claims of copyright infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola is demonstrating how it expects TVs of the future will work with its DreamGallery concept. Powered by the company's Medios cloud-service, the display is designed to let you browse content as if it was the internet -- with bookmarks, personalized recommendations and interactive search tools. Its designed to work across your TV, computer, tablet and smartphone, aggregating Cable, Internet TV and VOD under a single interface that sits behind pull-tabs around the picture. If you're curious to see if this is easier to use than TiVo, head on past the break to catch your first glimpse.

Continue reading Motorola reinvents the TV interface with DreamGallery concept (video)

Motorola reinvents the TV interface with DreamGallery concept (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 13:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The European Union has been taking a leisurely pace investigating Google over possible antitrust abuses, but it's now accelerating to a full-on sprint. European Commission competition head Joaquin Almunia has given Google just a "matter of weeks" to propose how it would patch things up and soften fears that it was unfairly pushing its own web services over others. If Google makes the Commission happy, Almunia says, the whole investigation might wrap up and avoid fines. Google hasn't responded yet, but we wouldn't guarantee that it makes a deal: its execs have usually argued that there's nothing keeping users from going to another search site, and the company has been eager to emphasize that competition still exists. That said, Google only has to see what happened to Microsoft to know how expensive an EU antitrust fight can be.

EU competition head gives Google a 'matter of weeks' to offer an antitrust fix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Comcast's bandwidth policy has come under fire from several directions lately, and today it's announced plans to test two new systems for managing capacity. In a company blog post, VP Cathy Avgiris describes the new "flexible" approaches it will be testing out in certain markets that start off by raising the limit to 300GB (from 250GB where it's been since 2008) per month. One of the plans involves offering 300GB as a base on its Essentials, Economy, and Performance internet packages, and higher limits on its Blast and Extreme tiers, with extra data available as an add-on, possibly $10 for 50GB or so. The other plan simply bumps all tiers to 300GB per month and offers the additional blocks of data as needed. For markets where it's not testing the new plans, it's suspending enforcement of the 250GB cap entirely for now, although it says it will still contact "excessive" users about their usage.

We're currently on a conference call concerning the changes and Comcast is reaffirming its belief that the FCC has decided it can "manage" data usage on its network, and that it will continue to do so in a "non-discriminatory" way. Particularly since the launch of its Xfinity TV Xbox 360 app others like Netflix and some consumer and networking watchdogs would beg to differ, it will be interesting to see if these approaches change anything. Executives on the call noted "noise" around the Xbox 360 app in making the change, but also pointed to an "ongoing internal discussion" and simply that times have changed from four years ago. The words that keep coming up so far are choice and flexibility, as well as mentioning that even today, very few customers approach the previous 250GB limit. In response to a question, Avgiris indicated the median usage for customers is still around 8-10GB per month.We'll find out more like where the test markets are later, for now hit the source link for all the information currently available.

Update: Netflix has responded to the move, and it's about what you'd expect. In other words, it appreciates the notion, but it's still mad.

Comcast rethinks bandwidth caps, trials two new policies that involve higher 300GB monthly limits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In its ongoing battle against internet bottlenecks -- or let's face it -- techie bragging rights, Netgear has launched two more devices with that sweet, sweet 802.11ac data flow. Joining its recently announced R6300 router, is the R6200 model, which supports a combined WiFi speed of 1200 Mbps, has a USB port for networking devices, and of course also rides the a, b, g and n waves too -- if you don't have any 802.11ac kit just yet. Well, as it happens, Netgear thought of that, and has also announced the A6200 dual band USB WiFi adapter to, literally, bring your existing kit up to speed. If you want in on the action, you'll need to spend $179.99 and $69.99 respectively when they launch in Q3 this year. Full specs in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Netgear adds R6200 router and A6200 USB adapter to its 802.11ac family

Netgear adds R6200 router and A6200 USB adapter to its 802.11ac family originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Complaints by Netflix's Reed Hastings and a handful of politicians must have rankled Comcast CTO Tony Werner, as he just posted a particularly detailed explanation of why Comcast believes the Xfinity TV app on the Xbox 360 isn't violating net neutrality. We'd previously heard the argument that the Xfinity app's traffic is simply being routed through Comcast's internal network and isn't the same as the Internet data of Netflix, but Werner now contends that the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) tags that some think are breaking FCC rules by favoring Xfinity video are really just necessary switches. They're not prioritizing traffic, they're setting it aside, the claim goes. Of course, Hastings and others believe that setting Xfinity video aside is prioritizing, and Comcast's point of view sidesteps the practical reality that watching Netflix, Amazon Instant Video or iTunes will lead you closer to that ever-present 250GB cap while Xfinity doesn't. The FCC during its rulemaking warned against special private services being used as end-runs around neutrality concerns; it's up to the agency to decide whether or not that's true here, or whether Comcast is just offering its usual service in a new way.

Comcast fires back over Xfinity TV on Xbox 360, says no way, no how it's violating net neutrality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although it's been true for some time that Google Maps will remember frequent searches as long as you're signed in to Google, it hasn't had the option of permanently tagging important places by their familiar names. An update to the web version of Maps now lets you define specific home and work locations that will stay attached to your Google account, no matter how much PC-hopping you do. Along with just speeding up day-to-day direction searches, the locations are particularly handy if you're staying in a foreign country and don't yet have the neighborhood committed to heart. The addition should already be live, so you can establish home base at the same time as you're checking out Chrome 19's tab syncing. Update: Google has had to delay rolling out the location feature and is promising that it will come "soon."

Google Maps adds always-available home and work locations for the navigation-needy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Update: Yahoo has confirmed Thompson's departure in an official press release (after the break), placing Ross Levinsohn in a interim CEO position, as expected. The firm also mentions that Roy Bostock's seat as Chairman of the board will be filled by Fred Amoroso. Hit the break for the official statement.

Continue reading ATD: Yahoo's CEO Scott Thompson to step down amidst degree scandal (update: confirmed)

ATD: Yahoo's CEO Scott Thompson to step down amidst degree scandal (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, Google wasn't merry-dancing when it promised to update its search engine with new "semantic" algorithms. One of our readers sent in the screen grab above, which shows what happens when they search for "Howard Carter." In addition to all the regular links, there's a box on the right that seems to be distinctly aware of who that poor fellow was (er, happy birthday old bean). We haven't been able to replicate these results, which probably means it's a limited roll-out at this time. Nevertheless, if we're right, then this archaeologist's name will have wormed its way through Mountain View's constantly updated knowledge database, which we're told can link facts together rather than just match keywords. Carter's cause of death? Hmm, clearly the system still as a few things to learn about mummies and curses.

[Thanks, Joseph]

First signs of Google's new 'semantic search' spotted, put to good use originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 05:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Netgear updates its Genie app to make even the loneliest printer AirPrint compatible

Netgear updates its Genie app to make even the loneliest printer AirPrint compatible originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 00:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday the IEEE announced an update to the 802.11 WiFi standard, and today it's promptly moving on to the Ethernet side of things. The association just approved the 802.1aq Shortest Path Bridging standard, which will streamline the management and build-out of networks by using the latest-gen VLAN with a higher service capacity. Basically, a larger scale for more efficiency and less errors. Head past the break for the full presser.

Continue reading New 802.1aq standard promises to improve Ethernet efficiency

New 802.1aq standard promises to improve Ethernet efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gogo grabs 1MHz spectrum from JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV, beefs up in-flight bandwidth

Gogo grabs 1MHz spectrum from JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV, beefs up in-flight bandwidth originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The hottest tech news of the day in Europe will undoubtedly be the next Galaxy phone, launching tonight in London. Music fans on that side of the pond woke up to another surprise, however, with the launch of Rdio's online streaming service in France and the UK. Pricing starts at £4.99 (about $8) per month for unlimited web streaming, jumping to £9.99 (roughly $16) when you add mobile support. Ready to rock? Hit up the source link below for a six-day free mobile trial, without any need to hand over those precious credit card deets.

Rdio grows its European presence, hits France and the UK starting at £4.99 per month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wikipad's Android 4.0 gaming tablet still hasn't received a definitive release date despite having just half a season left to meet its launch target, but that hasn't stopped its creator from boosting the feature set. When the tablet does arrive, it will now bake in Gaikai's game streaming service for you to start playing games as soon as the shrink wrap's off the box. In return for the long wait since CES, Wikipad is also giving its slate a heavy makeover: the 8.1-inch screen is ballooning to 10.1 inches, while a lighter body will carry an unnamed quad-core processor and an option for 3G. Otherwise, you're looking at much of the same formula that first emerged in January, which includes traditional gamepad-like controls on either side as well as front and back cameras, 1080p video support and 8GB of space to store your games when you don't want to bring a microSD card. We're looking forward to getting our paws on those dual analog sticks soon, but for now you can check the news release after the break.

Continue reading Wikipad's Android tablet amps up with Gaikai game streaming, quad-core, 10-inch screen

Wikipad's Android tablet amps up with Gaikai game streaming, quad-core, 10-inch screen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google's Language Immersion Chrome extension translates random text to teach foreign lingo

Google's Language Immersion Chrome extension translates random text to teach foreign lingo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We'll forgive you if you failed to take MIT up on its offer take its courses for free when it rolled out its MITx online learning platform last year. However, Harvard took notice of its efforts, and has joined MIT online to form the edX platform and offer courses and content for free on the web. There's no word on the available subjects just yet, but video lessons, quizzes and online labs will all be a part of the curriculum, and those who comprehend the coursework can get a certificate of mastery upon completion. edX won't just benefit those who log on, either, as it'll be used to research how students learn and how technology can be used to improve teaching in both virtual and brick and mortar classrooms. The cost for this altruistic educational venture? 60 million dollars, with each party ponying up half. The first courses will be announced this summer, and classes are slated to start this fall. Want to know more? Check out the future of higher education more fully in the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading MIT and Harvard announce edX web education platform, make online learning cheap and easy

MIT and Harvard announce edX web education platform, make online learning cheap and easy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mozilla has shown off ideas for future versions of Firefox as it becomes less of a traditional browser and more of a "soft, friendly, human" ecosystem. Slides released on the web hint at a new desktop environ with a simplified menu, cleaner download interface, and a more functional startpage -- all the while maintaining the same curved-edge look as the mobile variant. A Windows 8 Metro tile-based version is also in the works that's similar to the Firefox tab layout on Android. There's no word when Mozilla's so-called Kilimanjaro project will come to fruition, but you can check out the slideshow after the break for an early glimpse.

Continue reading Mozilla plans war on fragmentation, reveals unified UI design for Windows 8 and mobile devices

Mozilla plans war on fragmentation, reveals unified UI design for Windows 8 and mobile devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If there's anything that Google doesn't like, it's things that collect dust. The company is famous for its annual spring cleaning efforts, in which the firm rids itself of redundant and dead-end projects, along with more bullish moves, such as its push to overhaul the internet's DNS system. Now it's looking to replace HTTP with a new protocol known as SPDY, and to that end, it's demonstrating the potential speed gains that one might expect on a mobile network. According to the company's benchmarks, mean page load times on the Galaxy Nexus are 23 percent faster with the new system, and it hypothesizes that further optimizations can be made for 3G and 4G networks. To its credit, Google has already implemented SPDY in Chrome, and the same is true for Firefox and Amazon Silk. Even Microsoft appears to be on-board. As a means to transition, the company proposes an Apache 2.2 module known as mod_spdy, which allows web servers to take advantage of features such as stream multiplexing and header compression. As for HTTP, it's no doubt been a reliable companion, but it seems that it'll need to work a bit harder to earn its keep. Stay weird, Google, the internet wouldn't be the same without you.

Google badmouths HTTP behind its back, proposes SPDY as a speedy successor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you fancy seeing what headlines those who you follow on Twitter are chatting about in one compact list, some new functionality in the Discover tab will offer their insight in a few clicks. Essentially, the new feature tracks stories that your pals in the Twitterverse post and allows you to see what the commotion is all about via the "View Tweets" option along the bottom of each article link. From there, you can tweet the link yourself and include your thoughts on the particular matter. While the outfit boasts ongoing improvements to the Discover tab, this particular feature will see daylight on the web while hitting both iPhone and Android apps in the next few weeks. Go on. Navigate to your Twitter home page to take it for a spin yourself.

Twitter's Discover tab now snags popular stories and commentary from those in your Twitterverse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 02:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's an odd one: average connection speeds around the globe dropped 14 percent to just 2.3 Mbps during the last quarter of 2011. The drop off remains something of a mystery since the data used to calculate that result doesn't include mobile broadband (so its increased adoption can't be dragging down the whole) and Akamai offers no explanation. Still, it's not time to start panicking, just yet. Even though speeds in the US dropped 5.3 percent from the previous quarter, average connection rates are still up significantly over the previous year. Otherwise, things largely stayed the same. Global broadband adoption was steady at 66 percent and the US continued to trail its friends across the Pacific (by a lot) in the race for the fastest Internet connections.

Interestingly, while the number of broadband connections stayed consistent the number of narrowband lines (under 256 Kbps) declined dramatically. Yet, the percentage of the world's population connected to the web managed to increase 2.1 percent quarter over quarter -- and 13 percent for the year. So, while it may seem that the internet had a temporary set back in Q4 of 2011, the long term trends look good. The number of people online is increasing, the average speeds being pulled down by those people is climbing and the number of folks stuck in the dial up era is dropping. To get a copy of the full report hit up the source.

Internet speeds drop around the world according to Akamai, adoption rate up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been defiantly clinging onto Firefox 3.6 by your fingertips, bad news. Mozilla is officially putting it to sleep -- whether you like it or not -- by auto-updating users to version 12. You've still got a few days to bid your emotional farewells, with the switchover being pegged as early May. But, the browser's creators stop short of setting a date for you to get the flowers delivered by. Official support for the 2010 release finished this week, and the final bout of security fixes was back in January. At the other end of the spectrum, Firefox 13 wobbled up onto its beta legs yesterday, bringing a new homepage, Google's new SPDY protocol and tab extra features with it. If you're making the leap, don't panic if you find some old friends missing.

Mozilla dispatches Firefox 3.6, fills its chair with version 13 beta originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We know what it's like to be in a foreign country without a mobile internet connection. Although there are domestic options making it easier to connect our devices abroad, Spanish company iPavement wants to help confused tourists (and their confused devices) by seamlessly integrating hotspots into tiles -- which are seamlessly integrated into the ground. It's unclear whether users will have open access to the entire world wide web, or only controlled info about the city, but the service is at least free to use. The 24kg (53lb) tiles are slightly larger than normal, installed a maximum of 20 meters (66 feet) from one another and only work at temperatures between -10 - 45 degrees Celsius (14 - 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Touristy cloud apps like maps, coupons, and traffic updates in various languages are also a part of the deal, and you would look like less of a tourist without that huge guide to Madrid. Just lose the fanny pack and you'll be set.

Predictably named iPavement puts hotspots into the sidewalk originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.