Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” debuted to wildly enthusiastic reviews rom the likes of Elton John and Perez Hilton, who see it as the new gay anthem—but other prominent gays are not so happy about it, writes Jacob Bernstein on the Daily Beast . Critiques ranged from the mild (“Gaga…
Continue reading …
Apple isn’t much of one for customer surveys, but this recent missive to select MacBook Air owners has all sorts of goodies inside it. Most notable is the large amount of questions on 3G data connectivity, a feature that Apple has so far avoided adding to any of its laptops, even though it sells a tablet computer with the functionality. Interestingly, Apple has waited so long on this feature that its primary objection — the need to pick a specific carrier over another — has disappeared thanks to Qualcomm’s Gobi chipset . On the other hand, most people get 3G data onto their laptops these days through tethering, whether it be with their phone or a dedicated MiFi-style device, and Apple’s survey seems to be designed to pick up on the prevalence of all these tendencies. Other aspects of the survey deal with data storage and syncing ( MobileMe and Dropbox get shout outs), missing functionality that keeps the Air from being a primary computer, and other miscellany. If you want to get overanalytical with the whole thing, Apple might actually be trying to feel out the dividing line between an iPad and a MacBook Air, instead of the dividing line between a MacBook Pro. Perhaps this year’s expected Sandy Bridge or (we wish) Fusion refresh of the MacBook Air could have something more in store? Check out the source link for the whole thing. Apple MacBook Air survey gets chatty about 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Next version of Android will combine Gingerbread and Honeycomb, arrive on a six-month cycle
February 15, 2011 No Comment
Eric Schmidt didn’t give a ton of details about the future of Android during his MWC 2011 keynote , but he did drop one interesting tidbit: the next version of Android will “start with an I, be named after a dessert” and combine Gingerbread for phones and Honeycomb for tablets into a cohesive whole. We’ll just go out on a limb and say that he’s talking about Ice Cream , and that we’ll see that Fragments UI construct used to bridge the phone / tablet display size gap. Unfortunately, Eric didn’t say anything about timing — just that updates have been happening on a “six month cycle.” Considering that Honeycomb has yet to officially launch on any devices, we’d say that’s not so long to wait — but of course we’re also dying to know more as soon as possible. We’ll let you know if we hear anything good. Next version of Android will combine Gingerbread and Honeycomb, arrive on a six-month cycle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The government of Afghanistan says they are going to take control of women’s shelters. But human rights’ groups fear this could be disastrous for hundreds of abused women who seek refuge at the safe houses. They say the government’s conservative attitude towards the shelters will put women’s lives in danger. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports from Kabul.
Continue reading …
With Hosni Mubarak gone and the army now running the country, will the 30-year peace between Egypt and Israel still hold? And how should Israel view the main opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, if it was to get a decisive say over Egypt’s future? We assess the impact on Israel of revolution in the region. Taking a short break from rehearsals, Ryan Craig discusses his new play, The Holy Rosenbergs, which premieres at the National Theatre next month. The play depicts a British Jewish family riven by disparate allegiances and attitudes to the Middle East. Is it ever possible to depict Anglo-Jewish life and Israel without facing a storm from all sides? And why does Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians seem to fascinate – and, some might say, obsess – British dramatists and documentary makers? We discuss Channel 4′s new series, The Promise . And finally, another Jewish family on the small screen – in comedy writer Robert Popper’s new show, Friday Night Dinner . But why do they not mention the J-word? Sounds Jewish is produced by the Jewish Community Centre for London Jason Solomons
Continue reading …
During a news conference, President Barack Obama says the Middle East should look to Egypt’s example as a way to bring about change, rather than Iran where people are beaten and gunned down for expressing themselves. (Feb. 15)
Continue reading …BlackBerry PlayBook to ship with full versions of Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover (video)
February 15, 2011 No Comment
EA Sports isn’t one to give things away , but that’s exactly what it’s doing on RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook . We still haven’t heard a concrete ship date for this thing, but EA swears up and down that these two titles will be finalized by the time it goes to market. Both Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover will come pre-loaded on the device, with both being full, unabridged versions; in fact, NFS will feature a new mode specifically designed for getting into the game quickly on this very tablet. Smartly, there’s even a “slo mo” mode which slows everything down to enable accurate control even during hectic rides on the subway. We’ve lauded the PlayBook before, but we were duly impressed with just how well this thing handled multitasking. Even with NFS running in the background, we were able to play back a video in the foreground with nary a bit of lag during the transition. Tetris was predictably Tetris, and it only works when holding the slate vertically. We’ve got to confess that the inclusion of these two titles is quite the gesture, and considering the first four letters of this product’s name, we’d say it’s more than fitting. Hop on down to see a demonstration video of both, showcased here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Gallery: Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover on BlackBerry PlayBook at MWC 2011 Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook to ship with full versions of Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover (video) BlackBerry PlayBook to ship with full versions of Tetris and Need For Speed: Undercover (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Photos by ALRDesign This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in awhile. Private First Class Rupert Valero is currently stationed at Khandahar, Afghanistan, and to fill his spare time, he builds toys out of recycled materials. They capture a wonderful mix of imagination, whimsy, and craftiness, and they rank way up there with awesome upcycled goods…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …When Colin Powell gave his speech at the UN in February 2003 insisting that Iraq had biological weapons of mass destruction, he relied heavily on intelligence from a source codenamed “Curveball.” Well now Curveball, aka Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, tells the Guardian that he flat out made all of it…
Continue reading …
At a news conference Tuesday morning, President Barack Obama said he is prepared to work with Democrats and Republicans to address spiraling Medicare and Medicaid costs. (Feb. 15)
Continue reading …