Photo by kaibara87 via Flickr Creative Commons When we think of bacteria, we usually think about the illness it can cause and our need to get rid of it. However, bacteria play enormously positive roles in our lives without us even thinking twice about it. As Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University put it in a TED talk , “When I look at you, I think of you as 1 or 10 percent human and either 90 or 99 percent bacterial.” And back in May, we found out about research that sho… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Corning , your scratch-free monopoly is coming to an end. No longer will you hold us hostage with your insanely durable and cunningly marketed Gorilla Glass . Asahi Glass is getting in on the game, introducing Dragontrail — a name that doesn’t quite give us the same connotations of incredible strength but, if you watch the video, you’ll see it manages many of the same tricks as Corning’s offering. Poking and prodding ? Pass. Huge flexes? Bring it. Whacked with a hammer? Easy. The company indicates it’s been working on the product for years now and expects sales next year to surpass 30 billion yen — that’s $365 million. For glass. Continue reading Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video) Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …South Korea has accepted a Northern Korean proposal for talks between the two nations’ defense ministers, in an effort to ease tensions following the Yeonpyeong shelling. The North has offered to sit down several times this month, but until now Seoul has rejected its overtures, demanding an apology for the…
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New statistics showed China’s torrid growth accelerated to 10.3 percent last year. But many worry that as inflation soars as well, Beijing’s moves to control prices may hurt the economies of other countries. (Jan. 20)
Continue reading …Another step forward in Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery: The congresswoman was able to stand on both feet—with help—and look out a window. The news comes as Giffords prepares for a move to a rehabilitation facility in Houston tomorrow. Husband Mark Kelly lives and trains in Houston at NASA’s Johnson…
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With Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler on the new look judging panel, ‘American Idol’ set a different tone when it came back without Simon Cowell for a new series. (Jan. 20)
Continue reading …Did a Sarah Palin insult get Joan Rivers kicked off Fox News? Depends who you ask. It all started when Rivers told TMZ that Palin is “stupid and a threat,” and that those who blame her for the Tucson shootings are “right.” Rivers and her daughter, who were originally supposed…
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If you’ve been cheekily holding on to the old version of iDOS , the one that got yanked from the App Store in record time, we’re sorry to say that you’ve got a decision to make. It’s now back and available for download, and if you want to keep your old one you’re going to have to update all your other apps around it. This free version has been simplified somewhat and graced with a suite of formerly freeware apps that we haven’t seen since we lost our giant box of floppies back in 1999, including Wolfenstein 3D and the original Duke Nukem — back when he was kicking butt in 2D. These are the only proggies that you can easily access from within the emulator, but we’re told you can still move others into the /Apps/iDos/documents folder and run them from there. Now if only we could find our TIE Fighter floppies… [Thanks, Adam] iDOS strikes back, returns to the App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on
January 20, 2011 No Comment
With a fantastic Bluetooth headset on the market and a pumpin’ portable speaker to blast out jams, how could Jawbone improve their product lineup? Well, we still think a stereo headset might be swell… but that’s not what the company delivered today. No, this is the Jawbone Era, the world’s first Bluetooth earpiece with a built-in accelerometer for motion-sensing apps, and plenty more improvements where that came from. There’s a new version of the company’s NoiseAssassin noise-canceling algorithms that adjusts inbound volume and equalization to let you hear better, an extra-large 10mm cone speaker with a larger range of frequencies, two processors, more memory, and an hour of extra battery life compared to the Jawbone Icon, to be specific. With only two motions currently recognized — a double-tap to begin / end / switch calls and a rapid shake to pair — the accelerometer’s a bit of a gimmick for now, but Jawbone suggests more gestures are probably on the way. In the meanwhile, the other advancements might make the Era worth the price of entry — which is $130, by the by. We’ve spent about five hours with the headset already, listening to music and taking calls, and while the accelerometer seems almost wasted at present, there’s no discounting that new 10mm driver and the audio it can pump out. While no substitute for a set of quality dedicated earbuds, it sounded worlds better than the Jawbone Icon’s tiny, tinny drum, and playing Pandora tracks we no longer felt an overpowering desire to take it out of our ear — making a cyborg existence all the more bearable, we suppose. We’ll bring you a full review soon, but if you’re already sold, you’ll find four different Era designs on sale at Jawbone’s online store… oh, right about now. PR after the break. Gallery: Jawbone Era unboxing and hands-on Continue reading Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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