Disconnect browser extension keeps pesky cookies in check, blocks third-party tracking requests
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Internet Explorer 9 may block ‘em in 2011 , and the US government’s on the case too , but you don’t have to wait for Microsoft or bureaucracy to keep your privacy paramount if you browse with Rockmelt or Chrome. That’s because former Google developer Brian Kennish just released Disconnect, an extension for either one, that banishes Digg, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo tracking requests (more companies are on the way) as you make your merry way across the web. Install and you’ll find a nice little “d” icon on your browser’s status bar, with a drop-down menu exposing exactly how many requests you’ve blocked from each service, and the option to manually disable blocking at will. Why bother? Don’t you want to keep that secret love of Thanko products all to yourself? Disconnect browser extension keeps pesky cookies in check, blocks third-party tracking requests originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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After Twitter integration and iPad migration , looks like the next stop for Ping is social playlists. That’s right — the next time you make a mix in iTunes 10 , clicking on the playlist arrow will give you two options: you can either purchase the playlist as a gift to your friend or loved one, or publish the playlist to Ping itself. Once your playlist is published, you can even give your friends on the network the option to edit it, making it a community playlist of sorts. Of course, this last option only works if you really trust your friends’ taste. After all, it just wouldn’t do to have Philip Glass invade your “Core Workout Playlist” featuring such beloved anthems Move This by Technotronic and Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team. iTunes 10 now offering social playlists with Ping originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Discounts are raining down from the heavens these days as retailers try to offload old stock and do a bit of tidying up before rolling in the fresh batch of 2011 smartphones . Best Buy is keeping with this trend by treating its customers to a nice big saving on the AT&T-attached Dell Streak, offering it up for a mere $100 in upfront costs. The typical two-year commitment will be required from you, but that might just be worth it for this 5-inch Android slate, particularly if you load it up with the latest firmware . Pricing is the same for both the black and white versions, so if you’re keen to swap a small bulge in your wallet for a large protruding tabletphone in your pocket, you know where to look. [Thanks, Jeremy C.] Dell Streak slips to $100 on contract at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Telus to bundle free Xbox 360 with every WP7 activation or renewal for a limited time, says leak
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Buy this phone, won’t you please buy this phone? We’ve no idea why Telus has to try so hard to convince Canadian buyers to grab themselves a Windows Phone 7 handset, but the carrier’s expected to sweeten the deal dramatically over the next few days by bundling a freebie Xbox 360 with every WP7 device activation or renewal. The offer starts today, according to this leaked memo, and will last through to the end of the week, December 19th. Telus carries the HTC 7 Surround and LG Optimus 7 , neither of which would seem to have caught fire quite the way Microsoft would have wanted. Ah well, if you’re going to sell your wireless soul for a whole three years, you might as well do it for a phone-plus-console combo. [Thanks, Sean] Telus to bundle free Xbox 360 with every WP7 activation or renewal for a limited time, says leak originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Misa Digital’s stringless Kitara goes up for pre-order: $849 for a truly unique musical instrument
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Remember the Misa Digital Guitar ? Well, it’s called the Kitara now, it’s taken on a fresh lick of paint, and it’s ready to be pre-ordered now for an April delivery. The Kitara discards old fashioned strings and has you strumming along on a multitouch display instead, populating the fretboard with a litany of buttons that modify the aural output from your digital input. It has an onboard synthesizer, but the real magic will happen once you plug it into your own audio equipment and start experimenting. Basically, it’s like the Kinect of electronic music — just needs a few inventive souls to harness its potential properly. They’ll need fat wallets too, mind you, as turning this invention into a viable product has meant a lofty $849 starting price in the US. See a video demo and the full Kitara press release after the break. Gallery: Misa Digital Kitara press images Continue reading Misa Digital’s stringless Kitara goes up for pre-order: $849 for a truly unique musical instrument Misa Digital’s stringless Kitara goes up for pre-order: $849 for a truly unique musical instrument originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Three. It’s a magical number, you know? Hitachi GST sure feels that way, and the company is today introducing a trio of three terabyte storage solutions. First up is the 3TB Deskstar internal HDD kit, which apparently shatters the 2.2TB capacity limit on 32-bit Windows XP systems without any extra hardware required. For those who’ve graduated to more modern systems, there’s the new 3TB Hitachi XL USB 2.0, an external archive solution designed to be sat horizontally or vertically and operate with both PC and Mac platforms. Lastly, the company is finally shipping the 7K3000 and 5K3000 internal hard drives to OEMs and channel partners, but the 3TB version of the latter won’t hit until next quarter. As for pricing? All’s quiet on the western front… save for that XL, anyway — that one’s going for $249.99 (3TB), $169.99 (2TB) and $99.99 (1TB). Continue reading Hitachi ships Deskstar 7K3000 and 5K3000 HDDs, 3TB XL external drive Hitachi ships Deskstar 7K3000 and 5K3000 HDDs, 3TB XL external drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gmail can now restore deleted contacts, still can’t mend broken friendships
December 15, 2010 No Comment
So what if Google knows and remembers all our data, at least it’s turning that stuff into something useful. The latest enhancement to its Gmail client is a neat Contacts restoration option, which can rewind you back to a maximum of 30 days ago, offering a chance to recover rashly deleted email addresses or to remedy an ill-advised sync with any of your other contact-keeping services. As is par for the course with Gmail, it’s a neat and seemingly minor improvement that’ll probably keep users from leaving it for greener pastures over the long term as they grow accustomed to its security. Just how Google likes it. Gmail can now restore deleted contacts, still can’t mend broken friendships originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hey Mac home theater users, listen up — your AirPlay wishes have come true. TUAW’s very own Erica Sadun has developed a free (ad supported) 0.01 alpha hack that lets your Mac play host to AirPlay video streamed off of iOS devices. Right, just like an Apple TV. And as long as you’re skirting official support, why not install the free AirVideoEnabler app onto your jailbroken iPod touch, iPad, or iPhone to stream video from even more applications than Apple currently allows. Works for us. Everyone else can check the video after the break. Continue reading AirPlay video streaming from iOS devices hacked into Macs (video) AirPlay video streaming from iOS devices hacked into Macs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Eager to be freaked right on out? If so, head past the break and mash play. There, you’ll see a recent demonstration by Tohto C-Tech, where a 3D camera setup was used to capture a person’s face and then reproduce it on a monitor (in 3D, no less) in real-time. We’re told that an undisclosed GPGPU setup was used to pull it off, as typical CPUs just weren’t quick enough to render the final product on their own. The camera setup actually captures the face from two different viewpoints, enabling the sides of the face to be shown in addition to the front. We warned you that copious amounts of freaky were involved. Continue reading Real-time 3D face reproduction demonstrated on video Real-time 3D face reproduction demonstrated on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Swiftkey Android keyboard goes HD, adds new tongues and improved language prediction
December 15, 2010 No Comment
Even the most loyal Android user is bound to kvetch about the stock keyboard at some point or another, and while Swype has definitely grabbed the hearts of a good many Froyo users, Swiftkey remains our third-party keyboard of choice. After escaping beta just a few months ago, TouchType has just outed an ‘HD’ build that’s designed to cope with many of the higher-resolution displays being used on today’s gargantuan Android phones. Moreover, we’re guessing that this was done to look a bit better on devices like the Galaxy Tab , and there’s no denying that the new design elements are a real step forward. Aside from the makeover, the app is also gaining five new languages (Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Norwegian and Polish), improved language prediction quality and a new US layout that nixes accented characters. For those who’ve yet to try it, the latest version can be tested for a full 31 days, after which you’ll be coerced into ponying up $3.99 for the real-deal. Hit the source links below (or the QR code shown here) to give it a go. Continue reading Swiftkey Android keyboard goes HD, adds new tongues and improved language prediction Swiftkey Android keyboard goes HD, adds new tongues and improved language prediction originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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