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Mitt Romney has a ridiculous Twitter alias: Pierre Delecto
In an interview with The Atlantic, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) admitted to being a "lurker" on Twitter. He wouldn't share his Twitter handle, but it didn't take long for the internet to figure out Romney's alias, Pierre Delecto (@qaws9876).
Supreme’s burner phone is a hypebeast’s dream
Here's a few things to know about trying to score Supreme products during its weekly drop: I had to wait in line for about two hours, on a cold and windy day in NYC, just to get inside the brand's Brooklyn store. But to even make it that far, you have to first try and register online to get an invite to the shop in the first place. Typically, Supreme releases happen on Thursdays and store registration on Tuesdays, though they close out in minutes. I've gone through all of this many times before, but today I was there to pick up the "Supreme Blu Burner Phone," a low-end device that's made for hypebeasts.
Firewall app promises to keep robocalls from ringing your phone
Ad Hoc Labs, the creators of temporary phone number app Burner, announced a new tool designed stop robocalls from blowing up your phone. Meet call screening app Firewall for iOS. According to its creators, the app is the "first and only" service that filters out unknown callers and likely auto-dialers, allowing only approved calls to even cause your phone to ring.
Toyota will use hydrogen burners to reduce factory emissions
As clean as fuel cell cars and EVs may be, they're still made using pollution-producing factories -- and Toyota wants to help solve this. The company has introduced what it says is the first-ever general-purpose hydrogen burner built for use at factories and other industrial plants. While hydrogen burners have already existed, they've typically pumped out dangerous levels of nitrous oxide due to rapid reactions between hydrogen and oxygen. The new burner keeps the two elements relatively separate and lowers the oxygen concentration, leading to a system with "greatly reduced" nitrous oxygen emissions and the zero carbon dioxide emissions you already get with hydrogen burners.
Burner's virtual phone lines add automatic robocall blocking
When it debuted in 2012, Burner's virtual phone number app promised to help privacy-minded folks shield their private digits with temporary phone numbers while adding a few useful cloud-based integrations at the same time. Today, Burner announced a new integration with Nomorobo -- the winner of the FTC's Robocall Challenge -- to eliminate another major phone-related headache: Rachel from Card Services.
ICYMI: Saving the ocean and ghosting on love interests
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The Burner chatbot would let a machine ghost on acquaintances you'd rather not text with anymore. So that's point one for the endtimes, zero for humanity. But this Dutch inventor should more than switch that around with a small prototype of the ocean fence that is designed to collect ocean trash passively, allowing currents to push plastic and other stuff that doesn't belong in the water into a collection fence. If it all works out, a huge, 60-mile long version of his invention will grace the Pacific Ocean within a few years and hopefully be a solution to solving the Great Pacific garbage patch. If you're into Nerf guns, you must watch this video. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
House bill would discourage crooks from using burner phones
For many criminals, prepaid "burner" phones are a dream tool: they're cheap, commitment-free... and most importantly, don't require ID that could reveal the buyer. House Representative Jackie Speier wants to put an end to that anonymity. She just introduced a bill, HR4886, that would require prepaid phone sellers to verify ID through common sources like credit cards, drivers' licenses or Social Security numbers. In theory, this prevents drug dealers, terrorists and other crooks from evading law enforcement by using untraceable phones that they can toss at a moment's notice.
Burner's disposable phone numbers save everything in the cloud
Thanks to The Wire (one of the greatest TV shows ever), we know all about burner phones. These cheap and quickly discarded phones are an easy way to communicate without sharing your permanent number with random folks (or the police). The Burner app for iOS and Android works under the same concept. It creates temporary numbers to hand out to people while keeping your main digits a secret. To add value to those short-term (and in some cases long term) numbers Burner is adding integration with Dropbox, Soundcloud, Evernote and Slack. Linked numbers can auto-save texted photos and voicemails to Dropbox. Slack can route messages from a channel to a number and accept replies. While Evernote can create an auto-response bot that replies to texts with pre-determined messages.
EVE Evolved: Features coming in Oceanus and beyond
It's been almost four months since EVE Online switched from publishing two major expansions per year to releasing ten smaller updates, and so far it looks like the new schedule has been a huge success. Rather than forcing the industry overhaul out the door in Kronos before it was ready, CCP was able to push it forward to the Crius release window seven weeks later and the extra development time meant the feature launched in a very polished state. It may be too early to tell if the new schedule's success can be seen in the concurrent player graph for Tranquility, but the numbers have remained steady for the past few months in what is typically the annual low-point for player activity. The Oceanus update is scheduled to go live in just two day's time, adding several graphical upgrades, more difficult burner missions, an experimental new notification feature, and other small improvements. The scale of the update seems to be on par with the recent Hyperion release, consisting of mostly small features and minor iterations on gameplay. While we're told that CCP is still working on large projects behind the scenes, the new release schedule means they won't be rushed out the door and so we may not see them for some time. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I summarise everything we know about Tuesday's Oceanus update, and take a look at what's to come in further releases.
New burner missions scrap nearly 20,000 EVE Online ships, CCP happy with results
CCP is "extremely happy" with the positive player reception of EVE Online's new burner missions that came in Hyperion. The studio said that the high level of difficulty in these missions was intentional in order to challenge the playerbase, and cited a bloodbath of 19,962 destroyed player ships as of September 14th as proof. The cost of the lost ships has topped 870 billion ISK so far. Due to the embrace of these missions, CCP is prepping a new batch of burner missions for September 30th. These new burners, believe it or not, will be even tougher than the current ones, working in teams of three against players. CCP will be putting these missions on the test servers later this week.
Burner overhauls its app for iOS 7, improves calling and texting
Ad Hoc Labs today updated Burner, its popular disposable phone number app, with a handful of new features that'll make it easier for users to manage their calls and text messages. Burner is a disposable phone number app that debuted on iOS in early 2012. It climbed in popularity on iOS, expanded to Android earlier this year and received US$2 million in VC funding to expand the service even further. The app allows people to create a disposable number they can use to send text messages and make calls. It works just like a regular phone number, except everything is filtered through the Burner app. The latest update refreshed the app with an iOS 7 look and feel. The new design makes it easier to manage multiple burner numbers, adds phonebook lookup and improves text messaging. I've used it a few times for Craigslist sales, and it works wonderfully. You can download Burner in the iOS App Store for free. The app doesn't cost you anything, but each Burner number requires you to purchase credits. A three-credit pack costs $1.99 and will give you a Mini Burner which lasts for 14 days and provides you with 20 minutes or 60 texts.
Burner now lets Android users have disposable phone numbers, gives iOS app a refresh
Many months have gone by since we first heard about Ad Hoc Labs' Burner application, which brought a new kind of disposable digits service to folks with an iPhone. Well, starting today, those with an Android handset can also snag throw-away phone numbers via the newfangled app on Google's flavorful platform. Naturally, Burner for Android will perform in a similar fashion to its iOS counterpart, allowing users (that are in the US) to seamlessly choose from an array of different plans that'll determine how many minutes / texts any given number is good for -- don't worry, we're sure you'll come across one that's perfectly suited for your business. Customers on Apple's side, meanwhile, can expect to experience some improvements within the app thanks to a recent update. Burner says its iOS offering has been enhanced in a number of ways, including "smarter" notifications as well as the ability to keep easier track of conversations by way of favoriting and archiving. And although this particular sector may be looked upon with uncertainty, Ad Hoc Labs CEO, Greg Cohen, says his team is just happy to be able to provide "an important tool for users to protect themselves by adding an extra layer of anonymity to their phones." Craigslist, anyone?
Burner turns your iPhone into a disposable, lets you be faux-shady
Need a throw-away phone number? It's now available as the Burner iPhone app, from a company called Ad Hoc. There's no explanation for how it works technically, but using it looks easy: you pay $2 for the app, which gives you a new phone number that lasts for 20 minutes, 60 texts or seven days. The new digits become your caller ID, and afterwards, you can hit the "burn" key to permanently wipe it from the company's servers, then score additional credits plus a new number, if needed. The company sees it being used for things like Craigslist transactions and dating, but if you have less above-board purposes in mind, be aware -- the privacy policy says it "may disclose your personal data if required by law." Check the source below or the Apple store to get it.
ASUS teases mystery product on its Facebook page (update: it's a 3D Blu-ray writer!)
What's this? ASUS is teasing a mystery product shrouded in shadows on its Facebook page. From the looks of it, the piano-black hardware is mounted vertically onto a brushed metal cantilevered stand that just oozes style. Our vague, uninformed reckonings make us wonder if it's not an art-deco styled EeeBox, a desktop PC you'd be ashamed to hide under your desk, or the prettiest router we've ever seen. Either way, we'll keep our eyes peeled and in the meantime, you can cast your own idle speculation into the comments below. Update: Ah, and here it is: the SBW-06C2X-U 3D Blu-ray writer that supports 6X Blu-ray writing speed! Thanks, Kiran.
Plextor's PlexEasy backs up your photos, phone and tablet without a computer
It was first announced in Europe just about a month ago, but Pextor's PlexEasy stand-alone DVD burner is finally hitting the market. The drive backs up data to CDs and DVDs directly from a variety of sources -- including SD cards, cameras, smartphones or tablets over USB. While it's made to be used without a PC it can be connected to one and draw it's power from your computer's USB ports. Despite Plextor touting its release here at CES we couldn't actually track down any info about pricing, but we'll make sure to update this post as soon as we do. Check out the complete PR after the break.
Pioneer unveils world's smallest and lightest external Blu-ray burner
When describing the current fleet of BD burners on the market, one word that certainly doesn't come to mind -- sleek. Pioneer is aiming to change all that, though, with the BDR-XD04. What it lacks in a catchy name it makes up for with a slim and light clamshell design that doesn't make too many sacrifices in the features department. At just under 8.5oz and 0.55 inches thick, it puts most of its competitors to shame. Now, it settles for just a 6x write speed and skips USB 3.0 in favor of the more common (and slower) 2.0, but it is capable of drawing power entirely from your machines peripheral ports. (Though, you'll have the option of hooking up an AC adapter if you wish.) And don't worry about format support -- the BDR-XD04 will handle everything from quad-layer 128GB BD-Rs to old-school CDs with aplomb. The slim new burner will start shipping in the middle of this month for $150. Full PR is after the break.
Samsung SE-208BW SmartHub packs DVD writer, we ask why then take it for a spin (video)
Is there any better way to ring in 2012 than to drop 129 bills on a shiny new wireless-enabled DVD burner? Absolutely. But if your New Year's resolution includes archiving smartphone pics to optical media and steaming DVD flicks over WiFi, Samsung is prepared to make those nostalgic dreams a reality, with its SE-208BW SmartHub. The premise here is quite familiar -- little black box takes content from an attached storage device and streams it to connected devices over WiFi, or over the Web. Samsung's twist on the traditional model brings optical media into the equation, however, with a CD/DVD burner enabling music and movie playback, along with remote file archival. You'll need to wait until late January (or perhaps early February) before introducing Samsung's shiny streamer to your wired or wireless network, but we got an early look at the new DLNA-enabled gadget today. If you've used an external DVD burner made in the last decade, you're already familiar with the form-factor employed here -- there's a slim disk tray up front, with full-size and mini USB connectors, Ethernet and a DC input on the rear. This is strictly a streaming device, so there's no HDMI or other AV connectivity -- you'll need to use an Android, iOS or smart TV app, along with Samsung AllShare or an FTP client to access content. We tried steaming 720p video and a few photos using the Android app and the AllShare application included with most recent Samsung devices, and everything worked as expected, with content loading quickly without any hiccups. You can access files on a connected HDD or USB flash drive remotely from the built-in FTP server, but you'll need to use Samsung's apps to stream DVDs and music CDs from that built-in optical drive, or to burn smartphone pics or other remote files to a blank disc. You can view content directly on your smartphone or tablet, or on a connected TV, using the former device to control playback. The hub also serves as an internet bridge, so you won't lose web access when connected directly over WiFi. There's nothing groundbreaking here, unless the absence of an optical drive has been keeping you from adding such a device to your collection, but jump past the break to see it in action.%Gallery-141063%
Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage
Europeans have been able to bag this speedy external writer for a few months now, but it's only just received its Green Card -- turning up in the US with a suitcase full of dreams and a price tag of $239.99. A quick check of its CV resume reveals a choice of either USB 3.0 or eSATA connectivity, 12x write speed, and the ability to burn up to 50GB of data on a dual-layer disc. The drive is being pitched as an "all-in-one Blu-ray device" because it also handles 3D playback and has a low vibration system for quieter operation. Admittedly, it only offers half as much storage as BDXL writers, but those burn slower and onto judderingly expensive media. Closer competition comes from Buffalo, which arrived early to the USB 3.0 table, but whose current MediaStation model omits the eSATA option.
ASUS' 12x BW-12D1S-U external Blu-ray writer: world's fastest, until the next one
Fed up with the simply unacceptable performance of your external Blu-ray writer? Of course you are. ASUS feels your pain, and it's looking to ease it with the soothing balm of the BW-12D1S-U, a new 12X, USB 3.0 burner. The highly capable (and highly complex, we're surmising) BW-12D1S-U offers realtime 2D to 3D conversion, 1080p video output and support for the usual complement of HD audio formats. But does it have a jewel-like, almost ominous translucent blue power button, you ask? Indeed it does, not to mention a sleek black finish and the ability to operate horizontally or vertically. The outfit has yet to put a price on having the fastest writer on the block, but don't even pretend that you wouldn't pay it. Whatever "it" ends up being.
Buffalo reveals slimline external BDXL burner for $275, affiliated media still makes your wallet weep
BDXL is the optical storage medium du jour, but the options for those wanting its capacious quad-layer burning capabilities in a tasty to-go form factor are fairly limited. Previous drives have lacked a certain... aesthetic appeal, but now Buffalo has unveiled its BRXL-PC6U2-BK, a slim and shiny external model that'll handle all of your BDXL disc-creation needs. The drive can run off a single USB 2.0 plug, though writing at 4x speeds requires a second USB connection to give it the juice required to do the deed. Slated for a release by the end of March, otherwise known as next week, this hot little onyx number will set you back ¥22,100 (about $275). Just don't go blowing all your cash on the drive -- BR-R XL discs ain't cheap, y'know.
