Bite Counter knows how many donuts you devoured, shames you into eating less
August 4, 2011 No Comment
Because all you ever really wanted was an $800 bracelet that counts calories… enter the Bite Counter. It’s the retro-lookin ‘ lovechild of two Clemson University researchers that helps its hosts approximate caloric consumption by counting how many bites they take. Color us skeptical, as the meatbag wearing the gizmo has to — gasp! — actually remember to both start and stop the device each time they feast. The duo is hopeful it’ll glean useful data for future research, as the contraption can be used “anywhere, such as at restaurants or while working” — you know, places where scribbling how much you eat in a secret diary is frowned upon. Best of luck fellas, but until it hits a sub-century price point, we’ll just stick to eating salads. PR after the jump. Continue reading Bite Counter knows how many donuts you devoured, shames you into eating less Bite Counter knows how many donuts you devoured, shames you into eating less originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Travel to Mars, Cheap: Efforts Underway to Make The Red Planet Budget-Friendly
August 4, 2011 No Comment
An American rocket company is partnering with NASA to make missions to Mars an easy-on-the-wallet endeavor, a public sign of the enterprising private sector that was used to justify the termination of the government-backed space program. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (often known as SpaceX) plans to build a rocket known as the “Falcon Heavy” which
Continue reading …
There’s a war on unlimited data being fought as we speak, and Ma Bell is leading the main charge. Just days after AT&T announced it would begin throttling data speeds for the heaviest bandwidth hogs grandfathered into the carrier’s no-limit internet service, it’s also confirmed it’s ready to crack the whip on illegal tethering as well. In attempt to achieve “fairness for all of [its] customers,” the carrier has added a bit of force behind its March announcement , sending out notices to anyone using their jailbroken iPhones as a mobile hotspot . The gist? Cut it out or be scaled back to a tiered data plan. In a statement originally given to 9to5mac, an AT&T spokesperson said: Earlier this year, we began sending letters, emails, and text messages to a small number of smartphone customers who use their devices for tethering but aren’t on our required tethering plan. Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers. (This impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base.) The letters outline three choices: 1. Stop tethering and keep their current plan (including grandfathered unlimited plan) 2. Proactively call AT&T or visit our stores and move to the required tethering plan 3. Do nothing and we’ll go ahead and add the tethering plan on their behalf – after the dated noted in their customer notification We reached out to AT&T and confirmed that this statement is indeed true. Consider this the company’s last warning — your time to enjoy all-you-can-eat tethering is almost at an end. How soon the day of reckoning will come, however, likely depends on when you received the notification originally. And you thought you were being so sneaky… AT&T: no more unlimited data for illegal tetherers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
We’ve already seen SCADA systems controlled by Google Search , and now the Black Hat Technical Security Conference is offering up yet another slice of cringe-inducing hacker pie. A pair of pros from iSec Partners security firm was able to unlock and start the engine of a Subaru Outback using an Android phone and a process they call war texting. By setting up their own GSM network, they were able to snatch up password authentication messages being sent from server to car, allowing them the option to ride off in a brand new crossover. Apparently, your car isn’t the only thing in danger of a war-texting takeover, however, as the team says there are a slew of devices and systems, accessible over telephone networks, that are vulnerable to similar attacks, including A-GPS tracking devices, 3G security cameras, SCADA sensors — and thus the power grid and water supply — home automation, and urban traffic control systems. Somehow this group of otherwise innocent looking New York texters appears a whole lot more sinister now. Hackers break into Subaru Outback via text message originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google addresses Microsoft’s ‘patent attack’ response, says it didn’t fall for its offer
August 4, 2011 No Comment
Apple may still be staying out of the fray, but it looks like we now have a full-on back and forth between Google and Microsoft, following the former company’s blog post yesterday that alleged a “hostile, organized campaign” against Android on the part of Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and others. The latest word comes once again from Google’s SVP and Chief Legal Officer, David Drummond, who has updated his original post with a response to what he calls Microsoft’s “false gotcha.” As you’ll recall from late yesterday, Microsoft brought up the fact that it had offered Google the opportunity to bid jointly with it on the Novell patents, and that Google turned it down. According to Drummond, however, such a joint acquisition would have “eliminated any protection these patents could offer to Android against attacks from Microsoft and its bidding partners,” and that it “didn’t fall for it.” He further goes on to note that the Justice Department’s eventual intervention in the acquisition — which required the winning group to provide a license to the open source community — only backed up Google’s case, and reaffirmed its original point that its “competitors are waging a patent war on Android and working together to keep us from getting patents that would help balance the scales.” Still no response from Microsoft on that , but we’d recommend staying tuned. Google addresses Microsoft’s ‘patent attack’ response, says it didn’t fall for its offer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gmail for Mobile gets a facelift, now ready for its Retina Display close-up
August 4, 2011 No Comment
Gmail for mobile was looking a little tired around the eyes, so Google went ahead and gave the ol’ web app a cosmetic lift. The update, announced on the Gmail blog, packs a hat trick’s worth of tweaks aimed squarely at iOS and QNX (read: BB PlayBook) users. Email messages can now be manually refreshed with a top-down pull and release — a feature similar to Twitter’s own drag-down approach. The team also added a bit of finesse to inbox navigation with new sliding transitions, and even beefed up the graphical interface, taking full advantage of that Retina Display . Curious to see these tune-ups in action? Then head to the source for your own hands-on. Gmail for Mobile gets a facelift, now ready for its Retina Display close-up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon Wireless year-end roadmap leaks, Android and LTE spotted on the horizon?
August 4, 2011 No Comment
Nope. There’s no mention of a Nexus Prime in this glimpse of VZW future, but don’t let that stop you from drooling over the purported goods. The leaked shot over on IGN lays out a back-to-school road filled with Android phones a plenty, and one lone RIM entry. September 8th is gearing up to be a busy Thursday for Big Red, with launches slated for the Droid Bionic , Motorola Xoom 4G, BlackBerry Curve 9370 (the LTE cousin of ‘Apollo’ ?) and Samsung Stratosphere — the operator’s rumored Galaxy S II variant. The end of the month gets a 2.3 combo of Gingerbread phones as the Samsung Illusion (codenamed Viper), and HTC Bliss touch down on the 29th. Refreshes for a couple of the carrier’s early LTE phones debut in October, when the Thunderbolt gets pushed aside by the virile HTC Vigor and LG gets a redo with the Revolution 2. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab P8 (most likely the Galaxy Tab 8.9 ) gets an unconfirmed November mention, while BlackBerry’s PlayBook languishes in a release date grey zone. Ready for that end-of-year upgrade? From the looks of things, there’ll be no dearth of options. Verizon Wireless year-end roadmap leaks, Android and LTE spotted on the horizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Got a pair of Macs laying around, but don’t want to shell out for two Apple Cinema Displays ? We don’t blame you, those things are expensive. A little company called Kanex has a solution for you though, the SnapX. SnapX is, at it’s heart, simply a port switcher that lets you connect two DisplayPort-equipped Macs to a single Cinema Display. But, the glossy $70 adapter does have a few neat features, like USB pass through for firing up the iSight camera and a clip for securing it to the base of the monitor. The SnapX is available for pre-order now and starts shipping to Apple devotees in September. One more pic and some PR await after the break. Continue reading SnapX lets your Macs share a single Cinema Display SnapX lets your Macs share a single Cinema Display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
It’s a calculator. It’s a wireless mouse. It’s a Bluetooth numeric keypad. It’s… really bizarre. Canon’s X Mark I Mouse Lite takes everyone’s favorite desktop rodent and tries to make it all fancy like, filling that wasted space below the mouse buttons with a calculator — monochrome LCD and all. Except that the unused space below the mouse buttons isn’t wasted at all — it was designed for resting palms, not poking fingertips. The result is a mediocre mouse paired with a mediocre calculator, for $60. Sadly, it’s not nearly as elegant of a solution as it may appear to be, and after a couple days of use, we were ready to switch back to our boring old single-function mouse. So what exactly left us so unimpressed? Jump past the break to find out. Gallery: Canon X Mark I Mouse Lite Continue reading Canon X Mark I Mouse Lite hands-on impressions Canon X Mark I Mouse Lite hands-on impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Police on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg say the campus remains on alert, but they have not yet found anyone matching the description of a man reported to have a gun. (Aug. 4)
Continue reading …