Thursday, May 31, 2012

Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices

Firefox 4 MobileMoments ago, Mozilla stripped the release candidate moniker from Firefox 4 Mobile and pronounced it fit for public release. If you have a Nokia N900 phone, or a fairly-modern Android 2.0-or-later device, go ahead and install it from the Market, by using scanning the QR code after the break, or by visiting Firefox.com/m.

Accompanying the release is the launch of Spark, a cute social game that's designed to fuel the adoption of Firefox 4 Mobile, much like last week's use of Glow and Twitter Party during Firefox 4 PC's release.

While the browser still feels a little rough around the edges, it's definitely worth trying out if you're still using Android's stock browser. Its JavaScript performance is significantly better than any other Android browser, and if you use Firefox on your PC, its built-in Sync functionality is awesome.

Over the next few days we'll have plenty of tips and tricks for Firefox 4 Mobile, and a list of the best add-ons available for the new browser.

Continue reading Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices

Firefox 4 Mobile officially released for Android and Maemo devices originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/firefox-4-mobile-officially-released-for-android-and-maemo-devic/

LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS

The Downsides to Apple’s iPad

When Apple’s iPad was launched, there were queues of people waiting to get their hands on one. The revolutionary tablet iPad was going to offer people a new device that was going to change their lives. However, a lot of people shrugged at the idea with clear indifference. Many people announced their disappointment at the fact the iPad could not deliver on it’s promises. The two opposing views show just how divided opinions are about the device.

First we need to take a look at the things that make the iPad a device that really is not worth buying.

 Apple are constantly releasing new versions of the iPad in the very near future, so is it the device we all need to rush out and buy?

 A lot of people have expressed their pure disappointment in the iPad so when it comes to a new tablet PC, the big question on everyone’s lips is ‘will the device be any better’? The fact that questions are being asked is enough to hurt Apple’s sales because it is mostly ‘techies’ who don’t like the iPad. Bad press always puts a large number of people off buying a product.

 With a new upgraded version soon to be released, a lot of people would rather wait for the it to be launced because the device might have a few of the features that Apple did not incorporate into the iPad in the first place and this includes a built-in camera. If it means waiting a few months for a better version of the device, then people would prefer to do this than fork out $500 on a device that lacks some fundamental features that will be outdated very soon by an upgraded version.

On factor that many people find annoying about the iPad is the fact is does not support Flash which is a standard on the web. Flash runs videos, audios as well as games but for one reason or another Apple does not like this application which some people find understandable. Apple prefers a less vulnerable application that’s more stable and harder to hack into. As such the company uses it’s own HTML5.

However, as the majority of websites use Adobe Flash, this can be a little annoying. Users have to visit sites using the iPad’s Safari browser and although this is great, this causes a few problems that can be very annoying.

As mentioned above, there’s no in-built camera either and there’s no guarantee that a newer version will have one either. This is a huge downside of the iPad as people can’t communicate over skype or any other way they might want to.

Multitasking can only be done when running Apple’s native applications, it does run on third party applications. So if users want to multitask the simple answer is they won’t be able to if they are running any application that are not native to Apple.

The conclusion is the iPad is great if you want a sophisticated gadget that has multi-function applications like a multimedia player, a laptop hybrid or that represents a really great toy. However, if you like to be online then you might find you reach a dead end pretty quickly without Flash support and you won’t be able to make a video call on Skype while listening to iTunes.

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/the-downsides-to-apples-ipad/

SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS

Best jailbreak apps for iPad

The best jailbreak apps for your iPad

iMore's authoritative guide to the very best Cydia apps, tweaks, and more for your jailbroken iPad

If you've already jailbroken your iPad on iOS 5.1.1 you'll probably want to start loading it up with the best jailbreak apps and tweaks Cydia, the jailbreak app store, has to offer.

Cydia has tons of great apps that you just can't get on the App Store but if you're new to jailbreak in general, or to iPad jailbreak in particular, you may not know where to begin. After you check out our list below you can check out our jailbreak starter's guide for even more tips and tricks. And don't miss our companion list, Best jailbreak apps for iPhone!

If you're a veteran jailbreaker and think we missed some of the very best jailbreak apps for iPad, let us know why you love them and we'll make sure we include them.

Check back often as we'll be updating this list as we find more great jailbreak apps for iPad.

System enhancements

Activator

If you've installed any kind of jailbreak app that uses springboard gestures, you probably already have Activator installed. Most jailbreakers will also tell you it's one of the few jailbreak tweaks they can't live without.

Activator allows you to set quick gestures on your iPad such as double tapping the status bar to bring up a quick compose message or swiping up from the bottom of the screen to toggle on or of Wi-Fi. There's tons of default toggles and gestures to configure and a lot of jailbreak apps will also be compatible with Activator. Just pop into settings and Activator to start customizing gestures.

Free - Cydia Search Link

NCSettings

NCSettings-for-iPad

If you want a way to activate quick toggles from your iPad within Notification Center, look no further than NCSettings. It's very similar to SBSettings but a lot simpler in premise and execution. I actually prefer it to SBSettings for toggles since it blends right into iOS 5 like it's meant to be there.

Just enable it within Notifications in Settings and then open Notification Center. You'll see a new top row of icons. You can customize the order and what ones show up in Settings and you're done. Super simple and it even looks like something Apple would design stock.

Free - Download Now

SBSettings

SBSettings-for-iPad

SBSettings has been around just about as long as jailbreak has. While it was obviously made for iPhone it also works on iPad. It's a great way to add quick toggles, manage memory, clear out running processes to free up memory, and more. If you're on iOS 5 it'll even integrate into Notification Center, just enable it in Settings under Notifications.

Since SBSettings has been around so long, there are tons of add-ons, themes, and other enhancements available in Cydia. I personally prefer the look and feel of NCSettings better on the iPad but if you need more than just toggles SBSettings will be a better option.

Free - Cydia Search Link

Quasar

Quasar-for-iPad

Quasar is a nifty little tweak for iPad that allows you to run and view multiple open apps at once. It's very similar to expose on a Mac and aims to provide a desktop-like multitasking experience. Instead of having to run one app at at time, Quasar will open them in individual windows the same way a desktop computer would.

Quasar is also tied into the iOS app switcher which means whenever you perform an action like killing an app will kill it but closing a window in Quasar will still allow it to run in the background.

$9.99 - Cydia Search Link

Fullscreen for iPad

Fullscreen-for-iPad

Fullscreen for iPad is a Safari plugin that not only brings fullscreen browsing to the iPad but adds true multitasking gestures and actions such as two and three finger swiping. By default you'll just have to double tap anywhere on a webpage to enter fullscreen mode. Double tapping again will exit fullscreen mode and bring back the address bar.

You can customize gestures and actions within the Settings panel however you'd like.

$2.19 - Cydia Search Link

Folder Enhancer & Infinifolders

Folder-enhancements-in-iOS-6

Apple only allows you to stick 20 apps into a single folder on your iPad. If you're anything like me, you've got tons of games on your iPad. Apps like Folder Enhancer and Infinifolders remove the cap Apple has put in place and will allow you to put as many apps as you'd like inside a folder.

Both apps also take it a step further and will allow you to nest folders inside of each other just like you can on a desktop computer. I find this great for games so I can have one main games folder and sub-folders containing different types of games inside of that.

Folder Enhancer - $1.99 - Cydia Search Link

Infinifolders - $1.99 - Cydia Search Link

Notification enhancements

IntelliscreenX

IntelliscreenX-for-iPad

While Notification Center was a great addition in iOS 5, it still leaves a lot to be desired. IntelliscreenX will allow you to fine tune notifications on your iPad just the way you'd like. You can even link Facebook, Twitter, RSS, feeds, and more straight in Notification Center. Just tab like you would through pages to view your Facebook Timeline, Twitter feed, and any other service you've linked.

Since Apple also left out the default apps on the iPad, you also won't get things like the weather widget within Notification Center. IntelliscreenX supports widgets and allows you to add several such as weather, SBSettings, and more.

$9.99 - Cydia Search Link

LockInfo

LockInfo-for-iPad

LockInfo is another notification enhancement app that'll do a lot of the same things IntelliscreenX does. I personally prefer IntelliscreenX over LockInfo due to the Messages+ integration but you may not.

LockInfo is just as full featured and functional as IntelliscreenX but in a different package. It offers a bit more fine tuned control over how it behaves than IntelliscreenX in some cases but the general settings are a bit more confusing. If you can get over the initial shock of how many options there really are, you'll realize how powerful it really is.

$7.99 - Cydia Search Link

It'll really be up to you which one you choose as both are great notification enhancement options for both iPhone and iPad, but if you need help deciding you can always check out our LockInfo vs IntelliscreenX comparison.

Customizing your iPad

Springtomize-2-for-iPad

Whether you just want to be able to customize the look and feel of your iPad or tweak the overall layout, there's tons of apps in Cydia available to get your iPad looking just the way you want it.

Apps like Springtomize 2, Winterboard, and Dreamboard will all help you theme out your iPhone and customize every little aspect of the overall look and feel. Change your dock, icons, fonts, menu bar colors, and every other visual element you can think of.

Springtomize 2 - $2.99 - Cydia Search Link

Winterboard - Free - Cydia Search Link

Dreamboard - Free - Cydia Search Link

Shrink

Shrink-for-iPad

Maybe you don't want to completely theme your iPad but would like the ability to see more of the background picture behind your icons. I find Shrink perfect for this kind of task.

You can change the size of your dock and springboard icons within Settings. If you want to keep your dock icons at 100% but your page icons at 50%, you can do that. You can also remove icon labels from within Shrink.

$1.49 - Cydia Search Link

Gridlock

Gridlock-for-iPad

Just like with Shrink, if you want to view more of your background picture, Gridlock will come in handy. It simply allows you to move icons around on your iPad wherever you'd like. If you don't want a top row of icons or want them every other row, you can do so.

Organize however you want, wherever you want.

$0.99 - Cydia Search Link

What are your favorites?

Have any favorites you think should be on the list but aren't? Drop them in the comments below and tell us why you can't live without them. If you need more jailbreak help, tips, or suggestions, check out the resources below.

Additional Resources



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/TEdmOuKmzRY/story01.htm

VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE

Tasty Planet is a fun flash game where you eat everything in sight

tastyplanet
So this professor comes up with a new toilet cleaner that works by "eating" the dirt; or so he thinks. That's how the plot starts for Tasty Planet. You play the role of the toilet cleaner, but you're not really a toilet cleaner after all -- you're a blob of gray goo that can eat anything that's smaller than yourself.

As you chomp away, you grow -- and as you grow, you can eat bigger and bigger stuff. The first level pits you against microscopic particles; by the time I stopped playing, I got all the way to eating cats and dogs. I know that sounds disturbing, but it's a really cute game, and there's no gore or anything like that.

Supposedly you keep growing and growing until you're able to eat whole planets (hence the name). The challenge factor comes when you realize you can't touch any critter larger than yourself - you'll get "bitten" and become smaller. In the beginning you're so small, that a single touch can kill you. Later on, you're big enough that touching larger animals doesn't kill you on the spot, but it does reduce your size. Each level is timed, so if you're not large enough by the time your clock runs out, you need to start again. As long as you don't touch the larger animals, you should be fine.

All in all, a fun, addictive little game. It's available for iOS, too.

Tasty Planet is a fun flash game where you eat everything in sight originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/08/tasty-planet-is-a-fun-flash-game-where-you-eat-everything-in-sight/

NII HOLDINGS NIKON

OmniVision's 12.7-megapixel OV12830 can shoot 24 fps photo bursts from your smartphone

ImageOmniVision has been on a bit of a tear introducing new mobile camera sensors this week, and its newest could well have the biggest impact on smartphones in the next year. The OV12830's 12.7 megapixels don't make it as dense as the 16-megapixel sensors we've seen, but it makes up for that with some mighty fast still photography. As long as the attached phone can handle it, the CMOS sensor can snap full-resolution photos at 24 frames per second, or the kind of relentless shooting speed that would make One X and Galaxy S III fans happy. The same briskness musters 1080p video at 60 fps, even with stabilization thrown in. Production won't start until the fall and likely rules out a flood of 12.7-megapixel phones and tablets until 2013, but the OV12830's dead-on match for the size of current 8-megapixel sensors gives it a good shot at becoming ubiquitous -- and guarantees that phones won't need a giant hump on the back for a higher resolution.

Continue reading OmniVision's 12.7-megapixel OV12830 can shoot 24 fps photo bursts from your smartphone

OmniVision's 12.7-megapixel OV12830 can shoot 24 fps photo bursts from your smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOmniVision  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/adxYeCqFqu4/

LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Microsoft releases sexy Bing app for iPad

It's still a bit odd seeing Microsoft deliver apps for Apple's mobile platform. And it's even stranger still to see one as sexy as the new Bing app for iPad, which brings a slick, immersive search experience to Apple's tablet.

Just as a regular search on bing.com will, the Bing app for iPad tailors the results it displays based on what you're searching for. There are loads of custom views, covering everything from movies and maps to weather and shopping. The app also offers a heads-up display of currently trending searches, complete with related images, which is an iPad-exclusive feature.

Navigation is a breeze thanks to multitouch controls, allowing users to flick or swipe through results. And while the development team refers to the app as "touch and decide," Bing Voice Search is also built in -- making it easy to start a query without using the iPad's on-screen keyboard.

The Bing app for iPad is available for download now from the App Store.

Microsoft releases sexy Bing app for iPad originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/microsoft-releases-sexy-bing-app-for-ipad/

DST SYSTEMS DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES

O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only

O'reilly make some of the best computer books in the world. They also sell them as DRM-free e-books in a bunch of formats, including PDFs and Mobi for Kindle.

They usually offer one "Deal of the Day", which is a 50% discount code for a book chosen for that one day. But just for for today, they've created a discount code -- DDJPN -- that gives you a 50% discount on their entire catalog, and they give a part of the proceeds to aid Japan relief efforts.

So far they've raised over $60,000, and the day is still young. So if you've been recently hankering after some nerdy book (or three), now would be a great time to grab one.

O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/22/oreilly-helps-japan-offers-entire-e-book-catalog-for-50-off/

INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

Small iPads, Big iPhones: How Apple Battles Its Own Legacy [Apple]

Tim Cook gave his second-ever interview as Apple's CEO last night. He said all the right things about the company's present and future, but lurking behind every question was the past. Just like it has been for every Apple product release and rumor since last October. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XEgZrKSEoOs/small-ipads-big-iphones-how-apple-battles-its-own-legacy

AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY

Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing

Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing

You'd have thought that replacing a human teacher with a swanky robot would be enough to keep the kids interested, but apparently not. The University of Wisconsin-Madison found that supplying a robot teacher didn't in itself max out concentration. In one trial, they put a Wakamaru robot instructor in the classroom with only mediocre results. But then they switched it out for a robot that could read students' EEG signals to tell when they were enjoying Matthew Broderick daydreams, and which could then change its intonation or wave its metallic hands in response. That second robot resulted in far better scores when the students were subsequently quizzed about their lessons, proving once again that teaching is about more than preaching.

Mind-reading robotic teachers are more... Anyone? Anyone? Attention-grabbing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 06:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/f7pfPWqciYw/

SHAW COMMUNICATIONS MCAFEE

Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video)

Image

Most simulators act in isolation from the real world, so when we see one that breaks out of its virtual shell, we're more than a little intrigued. Saginomiya has designed a driving simulator that's directly linked to an actual car's components sitting on a six-axis motion system. The whole affair works as a form of virtuous circle for testing, where the real parts feed on the simulator and vice versa: since the simulator is based on the internal model of the car, it can translate road results directly to the suspension and steering of the physical components, which promptly loop around and dictate force feedback in the simulator through actuators in the steering wheel. Apart from creating what amounts to the real real driving simulator, Saginomiya's invention is a huge boon to automakers, which can test how key components work without having to build the whole vehicle first. Sadly, the simulator likely won't reach full-on Avatar levels and steer a car on a real road anytime soon, but it's engaging enough that we can see more than a few test drivers putting in overtime just for kicks.

Continue reading Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video)

Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DigInfo TV  |  sourceSaginomiya  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/aZaCRamq0nY/

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS