Some careful digging in the iOS 4.3 beta has revealed an intriguing new string intended for the iPad’s Settings menu. As you can see above, users will be able to toggle a new auto-unlocking feature on their iPad, which would respond to closing and opening of the slate’s cover (or case , or sleeve , or whatever ). Though the iPad already has an ambient light sensor, the one true way to make this functionality work is by employing a good old proximity sensor, so we can probably pencil that into our ever-expanding list of iPad 2 attributes . Who’d have thought there were so many ways to improve on a magical revolution , eh? [Thanks, Mike] Next-gen iPad may come with proximity sensor, iOS 4.3 beta reveals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Click here to view this media I had heard that Glenn Beck had been quite muted after the president’s speech last week. But today the dam broke. He just couldn’t hold it back any longer, and let fly with a segment worthy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest . Jack Nicholson couldn’t do it any better. He aims at CNN’s John King, who discusses a conversation he had about the Chicago mayoral race, where a colleague used the term “in the crosshairs”. King says they’re trying to get away from that language, but sometimes falter, and for viewers to “hold us accountable when we don’t meet your standards.” This is all it takes to push Beck over the edge. For the next 5 minutes, 49 seconds, he completely loses whatever tenuous hold on sanity he may appear to have. Citing old Bugs Bunny cartoons, he goes on and on about how we’ve raised an entire generation who understand the difference between make-believe and reality. Well, no. What Beck intentionally misses here is the obvious, which is that most people are attuned to what is rhetoric and what is real, and are smart enough to separate them. It’s that group who live on the unraveling edges because of their own mental health state who may not be able to. But of course, that would sort of intrude on Beck’s own stroll down the river of illogic and venom. I do have one observation of my own on his casual dismissal of violent rhetoric. There is a desensitizing effect on sane people. Crosshairs the first time can become a shrug the sixth or seventh time. That doesn’t mean it’s not deleterious. It just means people become that much less sensitive to expressions of harm and violence toward others. I don’t view that as a good thing, even if they don’t act upon the idea. I don’t take Glenn Beck seriously. I know most people here don’t, either. I also don’t believe we have to sugar-coat everything we say, but surely there’s a place for reasonable, respectful verbal exchanges that don’t involve wishing some form of death upon those with opposite viewpoints? (h/t C&L community member PissedOffPatricia )
Continue reading …Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are promoted as revolutionary power-saving devices—able to produce more light with less juice and last for nearly 10 years. But a review of conservation measures undertaken by California, a state that adopted CFLs more enthusiastically than any other—shows the bulbs to be a little disappointing,…
Continue reading …Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t been waiting on this feature since the service’s debut. As one reader just notified us (and verified by a number of staffers), Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number into its system — as in, that 10-digit hometown relic you’ve been holding onto as long as you’ve carried a handset can now live in the cloud and grant you freedom to start afresh / forward to your many on-hand devices. Check under phone setting to see if “change / port” is now an option. The cost of porting is $20 and, as you may guess, it’ll terminate your current service plan and probably prompt the carrier in question to charge applicable early termination fees, but that’s pittance for saving your old line for the indefinite future. You know, just in case your seventh grade crush gets the nerve to call and say, “sorry.” Of course he / she will, just give it time. Update: Google just pinged us to note this feature is still being tested and may not be available to everyone. “We’re continually testing new features to enhance the user experience. For a limited amount of time, we’re making the Google Voice number porting process available to users. We don’t have any additional details to share at this time, but plan to offer this feature to all users in the near future.” Update 2: Ninja vanish! Looks like the option to port is gone — for now, at least. Just keep an eye on your settings pane, it’s bound to resurface sooner or later. Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Forget about raging criminals or outspoken college students, wildlife like bears and moose may soon have to start worrying about getting Tased, too — for, well, being wild. Today, one stun gun manufacturer announced the release of a brand new non-lethal (or, rather not always lethal) alternative for outdoorsmen to enjoy their almost authentic experience in nature — a new Taser designed especially for use on wildlife. Its maker says the product is a more humane form of protection, but aren’t most situations where you might need to Taser an animal best to be avoided anyways?… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Looks like the iPad might not have an exclusive on those new “multitasking” gestures unearthed in the latest iOS 4.3 beta, because BGR ‘s got some shots up of an purported internal build that seem to indicate Cupertino intends to push them down to the iPhone line as well. Now, there are a couple of obvious red flags here — using “four or five fingers” sounds pretty unreasonable for a 3.5-inch display, though it’d certainly tie in with recent rumors that Apple’s turning sour on the physical Home button and might indicate that the complete redesign we’re hearing about could include a slightly larger display. Of course, it could also indicate that this is really early software with the wrong (read: iPad) wording — but at any rate, we could definitely see the benefit of, say, a two-finger gesture to swipe between apps. Now, on to part two: 9to5 Mac seems to have unearthed traces in the iOS 4.3 beta of a new feature called “Photo Streams” that seems to be — you guessed it — a way to share continuous streams of photos with friends you approve, presumably through MobileMe (which would fit in nicely with the Find my Friends stuff). Alone, that’s not worth $99 a year — plenty of other services offer similar functionality — but we wouldn’t be surprised if this were bundled in with a bunch of MobileMe refreshes this year. Update: We just received an interesting tidbit of information on the above pic (and others that BGR has its hands on). According to sources, after the iPhone 4 barroom debacle, Apple made significant changes to how it keeps track of — and identifies to third parties — its devices. Namely, the company began adding clauses to screens on the phones which read “Confidential and Proprietary, if found, please contact…” followed by a 408 number (that’s Cupertino, of course). This prevents any misunderstanding from parties who may come across these devices. So what does it all mean? Well, not much, save that it seems these photos we’re viewing are in fact the real deal… which means gestures may be headed to your iPhone. Intrigue! iPhone rumor two-pack: multitasking gestures and MobileMe Photo Streams? (Update: those pics are real) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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EITHNE DONNELLAN in Strasbourg SEVERAL MEMBERS of the European Parliament showed their strong opposition to Hungary’s controversial new media law yesterday by placing tape over their mouths and displaying posters bearing the word “censored” when Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban arrived to deliver his first address. Mr Orban was in attendance to mark the start of Hungary’s six-month presidency of the European Union and…
Continue reading …The first indictments against Jared Lee Loughner came out today, with plenty more to follow. The indictments from a federal grand jury charge him with the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords and the attempted murder of two of her aides, reports the Arizona Republic . Still to come are federal murder…
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Click here to view this media Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley was sworn in Monday and wasted no time in offending his constituents. Speaking to Dexter Street King Memorial Baptist Church, a church once led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Bentley declared himself to be the governor of all Alabamians, but added that non-Christians were not his brothers and sisters . “I was elected as a Republican candidate,” he said. “But once I became governor … I became the governor of all the people. I intend to live up to that. I am color blind.” “There may be some people here today who do not have living within them the Holy Spirit,” Bentley continued. “But if you have been adopted in God’s family like I have, and like you have if you’re a Christian and if you’re saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister.” “Now I will have to say that, if we don’t have the same daddy, we’re not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother,” he added. Bentley was later asked if he was trying to be insulting to non-Christians. “We’re not trying to insult anybody,” he replied. “I don’t think he was trying to disenfranchise me, I just think he needs to be a little more sensitive to the fact that there are many different types of Alabamians,” Sheldon Rosenzweig, a member of the Tuscaloosa Jewish synagogue Temple Emanuel, told Tuscaloosa News . “I have real mixed feelings about it. I just hope this is not going to be done in repetition. Many of the people in Alabama who are not Christian are good people.” The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Tuesday was shocked by Bentley’s remarks. “His comments are not only offensive, but also raise serious questions as to whether non-Christians can expect to receive equal treatment during his tenure as governor,” ADL regional director Bill Nigut said. He expressed concern that the new governor may be using his position to evangelize. “If he does so, he is dancing dangerously close to a violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which forbids government from promoting the establishment of any religion,” Nigut noted. Bentley was the second Republican governor who found himself in hot water during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. After the NAACP complained that Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a tea party favorite, was not attending their events, the governor responded to a reporter by saying: “Tell ‘em to kiss my butt.” “They are a special interest. End of story … and I’m not going to be held hostage by special interests. And if they want, they can look at my family picture. My son happens to be black, so they can do whatever they’d like about that,” he said.
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