This one’s been in the works for some time now , but the White House has just today officially unveiled its plans for a national secure internet ID program — or as it has dubbed it, the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). As expected, that will be entirely voluntary and largely driven by various private sector companies, who will be responsible for verifying your ID and providing you with secure credentials that you’ll be able to use across the internet — the credentials themselves could simply be a secure application, or something like smart card or SecurID token. The administration is also quick to point out that the system is not a national ID program of any sort, and it’s going to some length to play up the involvement of multiple credential providers, with Commerce Secretary Gary Lock saying that ” having a single issuer of identities creates unacceptable privacy and civil liberties issues.” Hit up the source link below for all of the finer details, or head on past the break for a quick video explanation. Continue reading White House unveils national strategy for secure internet IDs White House unveils national strategy for secure internet IDs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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President Obama may be content using a slightly outdated (though admittedly secure) BlackBerry while on the go, but it seems that he’s far more disappointed in the technology at the White House itself. Speaking at a fundraiser in Chicago this week, Obama said that “when it comes to technology, we are like 30 years behind,” and he’s not just just talking about some ancient Windows desktops left over from the previous administration in the West Wing. He went on to complain about the lack of “really cool phones and stuff,” saying, “I’m the president of the United States. Where’s the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn’t happen.” Maybe he can get some of his new tech industry friends to help him out with that if manages to settle in for a second term. President Obama complains White House technology is ’30 years behind’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Brazilian police live out Robocop fantasies, test glasses that scan for criminals
April 15, 2011 No Comment
In advance of the 2016 Olympics (and the thousands of visitors it’ll draw), military police in S
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We’re not gonna lie: this week, we’re all over the place . PlayBook banter? We got it. Dual-screened Android analysis? Check. Cool Kinect chaos? It’s in the bag. And so on and so forth, with the smoothest segways between topics on this side of the Andromeda galaxy. It’s The Engadget Podcast, again, for the first time — know it, own it, cherish it. Hosts: Tim Stevens, Darren Murph Guests: Myriam Joire, Vlad Savov Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Light My Fire 00:04:00 – BlackBerry PlayBook Review 00:22:58 – Kyocera Echo review 00:34:45 – Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform 00:43:44 – HTC Sensation 4G official: 1.2GHz dual-core, qHD display, and Sense 3.0 00:46:46 – What is ‘ix.Mac.MarketingName’ and why is it listed as a supported device for iOS apps? 00:51:32 – Cisco killing Flip line of camcorders, axing 550 employees in restructuring effort 01:00:00 – Ad-supported Kindle to ship May 3rd: saves $25, includes lot of enticement 01:03:15 – Intel to support USB 3.0 alongside Thunderbolt, coming with Ivy Bridge in 2012 01:04:55 – AMD beats Intel to the punch, confirms USB 3.0 support in future chipsets 01:06:38 – Netflix for Xbox 360 updated with Kinect support, everybody wave! 01:10:23 – Microsoft details Kinect SDK for Windows PC, promises ‘robust skeletal tracking’ (update) 01:10:38 – Spotify announces new limits for free service, hopes you’ll consider its premium options Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @tim_stevens @darrenmurph @tnkgrl @vladsavov Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 236 – 04.15.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Cisco’s Cius Android tablet now orderable, requisite ‘field representative’ still MIA
April 15, 2011 No Comment
Cool your jets, buster — Cisco’s still no closer to rejoining the consumer realm . If you’ll recall, this here Android tablet was actually introduced at the front-end of the year, but it remains one for the business sect. Rivaling the PlayBook as the working man’s tablet, the Cius is now orderable through your Cisco field representative and / or authorized Cisco channel reseller. Of course, tracking him / her down on a Friday is another thing entirely, but you can expect the first shipments to go out “this month.” Excited? Jazzed? Bubbling over? You betcha. Cisco’s Cius Android tablet now orderable, requisite ‘field representative’ still MIA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Yes, this is what happens when you combine Kinect with a recliner on a motorized platform — perfectly normal people doing awesome zombie impersonations! This week at Microsoft’s MIX 11 web developer conference, the enterprising Clint Rutkas of Coding4Fun / Channel 9 fame showed off his Kinect-driven “Jellybean” armchair on stage during the keynote, and later let our very own Sean Hollister take it for a spin. Sadly, we missed our chance to capture this special occasion on video for posterity when the laptop used to control this armchair overlord ran out of juice in the final stages of our practice run. The motorized platform uses eight batteries, four omnidirectional wheels each with its own motor, and a pair of motor controllers connected to a laptop which interprets the input from Kinect (using the new SDK for Windows ) and provides visual feedback to the driver. A gesture interface brings the entire contraption to life and even includes a hand signal to recline the armchair. Take a look at some closeup shots in our gallery below and watch our video of the recliner in action after the break. Gallery: Kinect-driven armchair hands-on Continue reading Kinect-driven ‘Jellybean’ armchair hands-on (video) Kinect-driven ‘Jellybean’ armchair hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sesame Street and PNC Bank have set out to tech young children about the value of money and hard work. (April 15)
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The G Tablet hasn’t been getting much attention of late, slowly fading into obscurity as newer and fancier slates come floating on down the river. Now, thanks to XDA member pershoot, Viewsonic’s Tegra 2 tab has a little extra spring in its step. He’s managed to get it running at 1.4GHz (a 40 percent boost over stock) and, with the ability to run CyanogenMod 7, this 10.1-incher is definitely earning a reputation as something of a hacker’s delight. Now it’s even easier to afford, too, with Amazon knocking the price down to $280. Cheap and tweakable? Really, it doesn’t get any better than that. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] ViewSonic G Tablet overclocked to 1.4GHz, goes on sale to celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Canada to introduce recyclable, polymer-based ‘plastic cash,’ dragons and PC users rejoice
April 15, 2011 No Comment
See that guy right there? His world is ending. Dragons are swallowing his neighbors, snatching his peoples up. Rather than make an effort to hide his kids, hide his wife or hide his husband (too), he’s celebrating uncontrollably. Why? Because his homeland is preparing to make the shift to plastic cash. You heard right — Canada is scheduled to introduce a polymer-based $100 bill in November, and in March of 2012, a recyclable $50 bill will follow. From there, smaller notes will be phased in over the next dozen months or so, providing citizens with legal tender that holds up better to Yellowknife’s winters. Sure, Australia has been doing something similar for over a decade, but have you ever seen a DinoPark Tycoon rise up and use only non-digestible money? Exactly. Canada to introduce recyclable, polymer-based ‘plastic cash,’ dragons and PC users rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple patent application reveals more projector possiblities, including a projector-equipped laptop
April 15, 2011 No Comment
We’ve already seen a few patent applications that suggest Apple is at least mulling over the idea of using projectors for one purpose or another, and another newly published one has now offered a bit more fodder for speculation. Described as a “display system having coherent and incoherent light sources,” the patent application suggests that the projector would be laser-based, and be both cheaper and more power efficient than conventional light projectors, while also overcoming the so-called “speckle” problem sometimes seen with laser projectors. What’s perhaps most interesting, however, is that the patent application also suggests the projector could be integrated into other devices — in fact, one of the claims specifically mentions a laptop with an integrated projector, as artfully illustrated above. Apple patent application reveals more projector possiblities, including a projector-equipped laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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