Kobe
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This is what Kobe's 20-year career in basketball looks like
Information is beautiful, none more so when data is combined with the power of the web to let us visualize the previously unseen. It's one of the reasons why data journalism is so engaging, since it helps show things that you would have otherwise had to trawl through mountains of spreadsheets to understand. This is one such example, the L.A. Times' breakdown of almost every shot Kobe Bryant took during his two-decade tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Head on over to the Times' website and you'll be able to delve into the stats, with each type of shot, the game and the distance all included. Oh, except for two shots from the 2012-13 season which got missed by the NBA's shot tracking data. But hey, nobody's perfect.
Exclusive: Motorola MB520 Kobe / Diablo for AT&T in the wild
Remember that midrange, Android-equipped MB520 Kobe from Moto we told you about a few days back? Well, it's stepping out for the first time this evening with a little help of our dear brother from another mother, Mr. Blurrycam. As we'd heard before it's definitely destined for AT&T bearing Android 2.1 with Blur (complete with Blur logo on back), though our tipster tells us we can expect an update to 2.2 over the air. Along with "Kobe," the codename "Diablo" is apparently being tossed around internally, though decisions have been made on what to call it when it hits shelves. A Droid X competitor it's not -- but coming off the Backflip debacle, it's baby steps for Moto's Android relationship with AT&T, right? Hit the break for more shots. [Thanks, Napoleon]
Exclusive: Motorola MB520 'Kobe' boasts a Droid X-esque UI, AT&T affinity
What is Motorola Kobe? The device, also known by its model number MB520, seems to be popping up on a couple of certification websites. UPnP Forum certified it on June 16, 2010 (listed as "Kobe ATT"), and additionally on July 8th the smartphone quietly got a thumbs up from the WiFi Alliance for single band (2.4GHz) 802.11b/g/n. Of course, an IEEE standard does not a phone make, and so we've been in touch with a trusted source who's provided us with specifications of the device, as well as screencaps of some benchmarks results and the all-important About Phone page. The Kobe is a slate-style smartphone currently featuring Android 2.1 with a Motoblur skin reminiscent of Droid 2 / Droid X's UI. We're told it has a 3.5-inch LCD with 480 x 854 resolution, a 800MHz TI OMAP processor (either 3440 or an underclocked 3630), PowerVR SGX 530 GPU, 512MB RAM, 2GB internal storage and a bundled 2GB microSD card, and a 3 megapixel camera (without flash). It currently comes loaded with Swype, Vlingo, and DNLA support. We gotta say, camera notwithstanding, this sounds like a pretty appealing addition to AT&T's growing Android lineup. Hit up the gallery below for benchmark scores. %Gallery-100051%
WPA networks cracked in just under a minute, researchers claim
To think it was just a few months ago that we thought taking 15 minutes to crack WPA encryption was a feat. Researchers from Kobe University in Japan are claiming they can best that by a wide margin by cracking any WPA-protected connection using the TKIP algorithm within just one minute flat. The details will be revealed at a tech conference on September 25th. Feeling paranoid? Bump up your encryption to the still-secure AES algorithm or WPA2... and if you're just wanting to live life on the edge, consider downgrading to WEP -- it's as good as open at this point anyway.
NICT and Kobe University team up to form "floating visual" 3D display
While making concrete slabs double as displays may prove useful when dressing up those otherwise drab skyscrapers, creating 3D-like images from real objects throws in a much-needed dash of geekiness. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Kobe University have partnered to craft "a thin-panel type device which forms 3D images in the air." Although 3D devices have a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to overcoming the "gimmick" stereotype, this rendition looks to have a bit more potential than usual. This offering is made by forming a "100 μm-thick Ni layer" on a glass plate, and punching a bevy of 100 μm square holes in it; when objects (such as the toy ball pictured above) are placed below the table, a "floating visual" appears. Moreover, this rendition doesn't require viewers to look from certain angles or with certain lighting scenarios like many forms of holography oftentimes do, and the team hopes to eventually conjure a 3D image of a human "if they can substantially enlarge the device size" while keeping its current attributes in tact.[Via The Raw Feed]
