What's new on SlashGear.com |
- WakeMate Bursts Into Flames Due to Issues with USB Charger
- Potential Solution for Windows Phone 7 DRM Crack in the Works
- SlashGear’s 2010 Wrap-Up
- Xbox LIVE Indie Game Developers Take Part in Winter Uprising
- Notion Ink Demos Eden in Part Eight of Series, Shows Off 3rd-Party App Installation [Video]
- Apple’s App Store Gross Revenue to be $2 Billion in 2011, According to Citibank
- The Cat’s In the Cradle and the PS3
- OffHollywood Studio Head Mark Pederson’s RED EPIC Stolen from Chalet
- Scientists Use Nintendo’s Wiimote to Measure Water Evaporation
- Palm Pre 2 for Verizon Appears in Best Buy’s System, Still Not Available
- SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 31 2010
- BitTorrent-based DDoS tool outlined at hacker convention
- Apple file iPod nano patent for screen-off gesture controls
- Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio custom coupe offers Germanic excess
- ECG device connects to your iPhone to keep track of heart
- She blinded me with Steins of Science (and beer)
- Borders financial problems slow payments to publishers
- New Android Port Loads into HTC HD2 NAND ROM
- Olympus PEN E-PL2 leaks again with Close Up Spotlight accessory
- Clear iSpot 4G hotspot discontinued
- FBI raids ISPs looking for servers used in Anonymous DDoS attacks
- Space history being auctioned off by RR Auction
- Researchers develop chips with solar cells directly on the surface
- NASA finds more cracks in Discovery fuel tanks, launch still on track
- Midland Radio Sub Zero and BT SKI headphones for cold climates surface
- India starts BlackBerry investigation over RIM security denial
- Grace Digital Audio color screen internet radio devices heading to CES 2011
- Myspace facing up to 50% workforce axe tip insiders
- Ramos W15 Android tablet packs Rockchip RK2918 Cortex-A8 SoC
- Duke Nukem Forever pre-orders taken for May 31 2011 release
| WakeMate Bursts Into Flames Due to Issues with USB Charger Posted: 31 Dec 2010 01:29 PM PST After reaching an important milestone, perhaps the most important one of them all for a new company, of sending out the first WakeMate units, it looks like Perfect Third Inc. is facing a serious issue with their USB chargers. A big enough issue that the device is reportedly catching on fire. The CEO of the company has issued a an official notice regarding the situation, and advises that you do not use the USB charger, under any circumstances.
While the issue is not clearly detailed in the official comment from Perfect Third’s CEO, he does say that the black USB charger bricks are defective, and that customers who purchased a WakeMate should not use them. He points out that the bricks were sourced through a Chinese vendor, and that his company paid to make sure that the correct safety tests were implemented on their device, and accessories, but that an issue has become apparent. Due to the issue, the company is officially recalling all black USB chargers. The problem’s issue had some light shed upon it through a Googler named Jason Toff, who tweeted: WARNING: my @WakeMate just burnt into flames, nearly catching my bed on fire. Do NOT use. Video of it afterward: http://twitvid.com/UBBWC The corresponding video goes to show that the event was more than likely pretty frightening, and it looks bad. However, Toff is all right. He does say that it was luck he was home, as he imagines that his entire home would have burned down had he not been. The company is trying to get across that the WakeMate device itself is safe, but that the black USB charger bricks are not. Thanks to the Hacker News Thread, it looks like Perfect Third is answering questions. They say that the batteries themselves are safe, but that the black USB chargers are “spitting out a noisy electrical signal.” The result is the battery charger on the WakeMate to overheat. Here’s their comment in full: “yes the batteries are safe. we believe that the chargers are spitting out a noisy electrical signal, which is causing the battery charger IC on the WakeMate to overheat, thus causing the problem. We have only seen any incidence when the unit is plugged into the black USB charger bricks we shipped with. To date we have logged over 20000 hours of sleep on our system, so we're certain that sleeping with the Wakemate is safe, and that the batteries on the WakeMates are safe as well. This is in addition to the testing and certification we had done on the unit as well before we began shipping units.” The company is still focused on bettering people’s lives, and hope that they can get this fixed in the shortest amount of time possible. You can read the official statement from Perfect Third’s CEO below. [via TechCrunch]   Official Statement
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| Potential Solution for Windows Phone 7 DRM Crack in the Works Posted: 31 Dec 2010 12:44 PM PST A couple of days ago, we reported that, thanks to a proof-of-concept video, it was more than evident the security behind the applications on Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Marketplace’s isn’ the best in the world. Or even close. Through a simple crack, anyone could easily strip the Digital Rights Management (DRM) tools in place, and download a paid application from the Marketplace, and install it on any Windows Phone 7 device they wanted. And while the conversation towards illegal downloads could have easily exploded, in which case Microsoft would have had an ever-worsening case on their hands, it looks like it’s taken a different turn. The developer behind FreeMarketplace, the tool needed to crack the DRM on applications, has actually turned his knowledge over and has begun trying to figure out a solution for the problem.
The developer behind the tool is named Tobias, and he believes that he has figured out a potential solution to the situation. However, it’s not a permanent fix, and it’s not completely fool-proof, either. He points out that the problem with the DRM that Microsoft uses for the apps within the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace is the fact that Microsoft decided to use the same DRM for every application in the Marketplace. Meaning, there’s no extra steps for a tool or program to crack individual DRM with each app. It’s all the same, so an automated tool works too well. Tobias says, “The code and the guides I gave you here will not stop piracy. Anyone with the corresponding skills can still startup reflector, go through your code, remove any checkes, remove DRM and install it on a device. YES, but it got a lot more difficult to do it in an automated fashion. So, there might be one or two who can still break your security measures by hand but the masses won't be able as there is no generic tool available.” It’s not a permanent fix by any means, but it may be a stop-gap until Microsoft can step forward and make some kind of fix that works for all apps, all the time. [via WPCentral]
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| Posted: 31 Dec 2010 12:35 PM PST We’ve already told you what to expect from 2011 and the imminent CES 2011 show next week, courtesy of Tim Bajarin’s excellent editorial, but it wouldn’t be fair to the departing twelve months to let them pass without a SlashGear wrap-up. 2010 has seen its share of highs along with a fair few worrying lows, with Apple extending its much-coveted brand to include a best-selling tablet, Android growth bursting through the roof, and privacy becoming the buzzword seldom from headlines.
Apple iPadWe were calling 2010 the year of the tablet all the way back at CES in January, and there are two companies that have epitomized that theme in the intervening months. Apple’s iPad put years of rumors to rest when Steve Jobs confirmed the tablet’s existence in late January, and went on in April to do what Microsoft never quite managed: drive tablet computing into the mainstream. Decried and praised in almost equal measure for the structured nature of its software environment – labeled both as limiting and user-friendly – the iPad prompted dozens of knock-offs and even more analyst pondering on what exactly the Apple tablet was cannibalising. Notion InkThe second company shaping tablet discussion this year could hardly be more different in scale, but still managed to muster a hugely loyal and forgiving fanbase. Notion Ink burst onto the Android tablet scene back when it was in its fledgling stages, and has punctuated the year with its own share of highs and lows. Branded vaporware and the “one true iPad killer” by those to whom extremes are everything, it’s been a fascinating story of an ambitious start-up that promises to culminate in early January 2011 as the first units are finally delivered. Still, pushing out a product is almost the easy part – just ask the JooJoo team – and it remains to be seen how Adam will fare against the torrent of tablet alternatives expected next week. AndroidA fair chunk of those alternatives are expected to run Android, and 2010 has seen Google’s mobile OS bulldoze its way to a significant chunk of market share and an impressive amount of consumer brand recognition. Android smartphones have arguably been at the forefront of the year’s key developments: WiMAX on the HTC EVO 4G, Google’s attempt to usurp carrier dominance with direct sales of the Nexus One. In the course of twelve months, Android handsets have effectively replaced BlackBerry devices as Verizon customers’ smartphones of choice, and turned the smartphone race into, for many, a two-horse battle between Google and Apple. iPhone 4Apple’s response was the iPhone 4, the company’s fourth-generation smartphone and an advance in both performance and usability. The high-res Retina Display shook the WVGA handset world out of its complacency, while the A4 processor left the iPhone 4 as the smoothness benchmark against which other devices were measured. Almost as interesting, though, was the growing backlash among the industry toward the handset, a love/hate relationship that saw the smartphone’s launch scooped with a controversial pay-for-play leaked prototype, vultures circulating as reception and durability concerns plagued the iPhone, and Apple’s ecosystem control mentioned alongside such traditional bogeymen as Microsoft. The iPhone 4 ended up at the top of many 2010 retrospectives, but getting there was not the smooth ride Steve Jobs perhaps expected. App StoresManufacturers continued to push smartphone hardware, but chipsets and megapixels increasingly had to share space with software in 2010. Apple’s App Store set the blueprint for mobile software downloads, the benchmark that joined device sales in judging the success of a platform. Ironically, in the race to secure the “most apps of any platform” title, how users would actually wade through that software and pick out the gems was left unexplored. Microsoft made a play to capitalize on that with the launch of Windows Phone 7, working with – and in some circumstances paying – developers to build them a best-of-breed grounding to get the Windows Phone Marketplace off to a solid start. Smart TVApps are a trend that look set to jump to our larger electronics, too, with the growth in attention toward Smart TV offerings like Google TV and Apple TV. Netflix announced a shift in direction as it placed increasing emphasis on streaming content over DVD mail-outs, and the idea of cloud-based media being a solid alternative to downloads grew more acceptable as home broadband speeds increased. For all its subscribers and bandwidth, though, it’s still a fledgling industry, and questions over DRM and content owners getting paid will carry on into 2011. When content can be blocked from Boxee, Google TV and others at the simple whim of the networks, companies can’t expect user confidence that their new STB will continue to do what was promised on the box. Net NeutralitySeldom understood and bitterly contested, net neutrality has in many ways been the fight for the internet that many users haven’t even realised was going on. At stake is the equality of our connectivity, and the rights that ISPs and others have to limit, block or otherwise control what we can connect and at what speed. Recent FCC rulings in the US have addressed some, though not all, concerns, and the arguments and legislation are no way near over yet. PrivacyData leaks are a fact of life when we live digitally, but privacy stories clinched headlines repeatedly in 2010 as we generally failed to successfully walk the fine line between sharing everything or sharing nothing. Whether it was hacked, accidentally disclosed or simply misused, we’ve seen big companies, websites and more get their hands burnt with increasingly valuable personal information and location data. Over-arching all of that has been WikiLeaks, itself prompting arguments over the compromises we accept in the name of security, the rights of governments to their own kind of privacy, and journalistic integrity. Over-sharing isn’t going away, and now the stakes are much higher. Facebook has overtaken Google as the most popular site, and there are rumors of Apple, Google and others planning social networks of their own. SlashGear TeamOnline publishing is always evolving, and the SlashGear team love being at the forefront of what’s brightest and most exciting (and, yes, shiny) in this electronic world. We’ve had some exciting additions to our line-up, too, with both industry analysts helping us put today’s tech into tomorrow’s context, and columnists voicing at times challenging views on digital lifestyle. We also launched our own iPhone and iPad SlashGear apps. 2011 promises to be even bigger, and we’ll continue to bring our independent voice to help you sift through the best and worst of consumer technology. So, that’s 2010 over and done; remember to check out Tim Bajarin’s editorial on what to expect at CES, Ben Bajarin’s 2011 tech predictions, and join us next week for all the SlashGear CES 2011 coverage! From all on the SlashGear team, we hope you have a very Happy New Year! Agree with our wrap-up or think we’ve missed out something obvious? Let us know your high – and low – points of 2010 in the comments.
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| Xbox LIVE Indie Game Developers Take Part in Winter Uprising Posted: 31 Dec 2010 11:55 AM PST Microsoft’s online gaming and media service, Xbox LIVE for the Xbox 360 is a place where gamers, and entertainment-loving folks in general can go and download all sorts of things to pass the time. A strong moneymaker for the Redmond-based company is Xbox LIVE’s Arcade, where developers and publishers can release “classic” titles, along with smaller games that may not be big enough to fit into a full “retail” package. Titles like Limbo and Monday Night Combat managed to garner plenty of rave reviews, and even some “best of” lists. But, there’s another section on Xbox LIVE that hasn’t received so much attention: Indie games. In fact, getting any kind of face time on Xbox LIVE for the Indie game developer has been sort of a rough patch recently.
Back at the beginning of November, Microsoft decided to shove the Xbox LIVE Indie Games section way, way into the depths of the Marketplace. No longer could you find it with a few flicks of a joystick. You’d have to go all the way into the “Specialty Shop,” and there you’d find your favorite “small-time” games. This didn’t sit well with the developers of these titles, and they made it apparent that they believed Microsoft was worried about these other games taking the limelight away from Microsoft’s cream-of-the-crop Arcade titles. Microsoft eventually relented, and returned the Indie Games panel back to the main section of the Marketplace. However, it doesn’t look like that’s enough for some Indie game developers, as they still believe they do not receive the same treatment that Arcade developers get. The result? The Indie Games Winter Uprising. It started off from a pair of developers coming together to promote not only their titles, but other Indie games that they believed looked too good to pass up. After the Xbox LIVE Indie Games panel was moved into the Specialty Shop, a lot of developers started losing money as sales dropped suddenly. It was bad enough that, according to Robert Boyd, the development head of Breath of Death VII, “a lot of developers talked about quitting the service.” That’s when Ian Stocker, the developer behind Soulcaster II, got in touch with Boyd and suggested that the two of them team up, more or less, to promote their games. Boyd was just about finished with Cthulhu Saves the World, and figured that it would be a good idea. He didn’t want it to just focus on their games, though, and suggested that they should widen their scope to include other top-notch Indie games. And that’s how the Indie Games Winter Uprising was conceived. In total, there are 14 games that are part of the Winter Uprising. A few of them are already out, but most of them won’t be released until early 2011. What’s interesting, though, is the support that the Winter Uprising has received from Microsoft. After the company wanted to squander the service into the depths of the Marketplace, the Winter Uprising now has its own promotional panel in the main section of the Dashboard. It’s not just in the Marketplace — it’s right there in the front, where everyone can see. And, what makes it better, is that the idea for the large promotion was apparently Microsoft’s. The developers taking part in the Winter Uprising are not only hoping that their games pick up in sales due to the promotion, but also that the overall traffic increases significantly into the Indie Games section of Xbox LIVE. One of the games, Epic Dungeon has already managed to sell over 10,000 copies. You can see the game in action below. [via Ars Technica]
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| Notion Ink Demos Eden in Part Eight of Series, Shows Off 3rd-Party App Installation [Video] Posted: 31 Dec 2010 11:03 AM PST Notion Ink’s Adam tablet is still a hot ticket, with people all over the world waiting to get their hands on their very own Android-powered tablet device. The story of the Adam is a roller coaster in of itself, but the company has made huge leaps forward when it comes to showing off the device. Perhaps hearing people call out for actual video of the device, along with its User Interface (UI) and functionality actually sank in (it did). We’ve seen plenty of videos of the Adam in the past, and now Notion Ink’s Rohan Shravan is ready to show off something else: Eden VIII.
In this video, we see what happens when applications don’t have “Leaves,” (you can see the Leaves here), along with plenty of other features. You’ll get to see third-party application installation, how auto-realignment works in the Browser when you zoom in or out, and portrait mode. You’ll also get to see how the Adam launches applications you choose, and pinch-to-zoom in the Browser. Another video showing the Adam’s potential is a welcomed gift before the end of 2010, and as Shravan puts it, this may be the last one before the new year, and before CES 2011. Notion Ink will be on hand at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, and we’ll be sure to grab some time with them and the Adam, so stay tuned. [via Notion Ink; thanks, Patrick!]
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| Apple’s App Store Gross Revenue to be $2 Billion in 2011, According to Citibank Posted: 31 Dec 2010 10:29 AM PST When the App Store launched, apps on your smartphone were just a novelty. But as the applications got better, and ultimately more advanced, the money started rolling in. Finding an application for something you need, whether it be a quick way to balance your checkbook, or some game that will keep you entertained on the spot, is one reason why Apple’s App Store is so popular, and keeps raking in the money. According to a new report from Citibank, it doesn’t look like that momentum is going anywhere, and in fact, will probably pick up in 2011.
Citibank’s U.S. Internet Stock 2011 Playbook has an estimation that the App Store from Apple, where some of the most popular applications can be found, will be able to bring in upwards of $2 billion in gross revenue in 2011. However, that number may be low, according to Gartner. The research firm believes that the total global app market in 2010 was $4 billion, and they project that over the next two years, that number could climb all the way up to $27 billion. Despite the fact that Citibank believes that smartphone growth will actually slow in 2011, that’s not going to stop people from buying more and more applications. [via BGR]
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| The Cat’s In the Cradle and the PS3 Posted: 31 Dec 2010 10:00 AM PST When I was a kid, my dad would clobber me at video games. He’s not a gamer. He didn’t grow up playing games, and he didn’t have much interest once games became popular. But we had an Atari 2600, and I remember spending rainy days playing games with my dad. We would play Basketball, which consisted of two jagged stick figures bouncing a square. I was probably 10 years old, or so. We would play for money. He would beat me out of a month’s worth of allowance, then I would cry until he let me welch on our bet. So, obviously when I had a son of my own, I couldn’t wait to get him started playing games.
[Image credit: AtariAge] My wife and I have kept our son away from the television for as long as possible. He’s turning 2 years old next month, and he’s never sat through an entire half hour of a TV show. As a tech journalist, though, my office is little with phones and gadgets that light up and make noise, and it’s been hard to keep his hands off. He knows how to navigate an iPod touch. He knows which phones have a slide-out keyboard, and how to check out the pictures on a point-and-shoot camera. He even plays simple, educational games on our iPad. Educational, of course, is any game that involved letters and or children’s music, no matter how surreal and inane the rest of the game might be. He’s not ready for console gaming, yet, and I’m in no rush to introduce him to the wonderful world of controllers and couch surfing for hours at a time. I was delighted to find that the toy he received for the holiday that elicited the most enthusiastic reaction, a genuine “Wow!,” was a LEGO set. He loves LEGO bricks. He likes building and then playing with his constructions. None of it lights up or makes noises or does much work for him. It all comes from his imagination, which is why I don’t worry when the little horse rides the bus he built, or the construction worker sits on a giant flower all day long. For myself this holiday, though, I bought a PlayStation 3. Obviously I’m not getting my child involved in playing God of War, a game I myself might not even be mature enough to play. But the video games are in the same room as his little wooden train set. The trains can occupy him for quite some time, so the other night, while he was engrossed in the “Woo-Woo” and the “Ding-Ding-Ding,” I surreptitiously snuck around to the other side of the couch to make another attempt at killing Hades. From where he sat, he couldn’t see the screen. When my wife came upstairs to check on us, she was mortified. Not that I wasn’t playing with him. We spend a lot of time playing with him and guiding his tasks. It’s healthy for him to have some time alone to be independent and come up with his own games. But it was clear she was upset. I apologized for the content on screen and offered to play Wipeout HD, instead. Wipeout is a bright, colorful and futuristic racing game. There is some missile action, but no blood or even people visible. It’s not a game I would call violent. “No, it’s not that. I just don’t want him to see you playing. I don’t want him to want to do that when he’s older.” We had never discussed this idea. She didn’t want him playing video games. If not ever, at least as long as she could keep him from gaming. I was stunned, and a little hurt. My first reaction was to think she was insulting something I enjoy. If she doesn’t want our son playing video games, and I love playing, then she’s saying that something I love is not good enough for our son. I took it as a personal affront. There are obvious things you should never do in front of your kids. Drinking. Smoking. Fighting. Drugs. None of those would be a problem for us. My wife doesn’t like my son watching The Simpsons, but she tolerates a few minutes (except for the Treehouse of Horror episodes). Family Guy? No chance. Some things she’s tried to forbid for no good reason. A childhood spent in religious Jewish education has her now swearing off pork, though we don’t keep kosher in any way. There were a few minutes when she said our son wouldn’t eat pork products himself, but I won that battle with no trouble. No pepperoni pizza? Not my child. Was she right about video games? Certainly I don’t want him becoming sedentary. I don’t want him to wake up in the morning and hit the controller first thing, the way he asks for the iPad when I wake him up. I’ve tried to make sure that we develop plenty of good habits in him that I never had as a child. I never ate fruits and vegetables as a kid, but my son prefers fruit to cookies, and he’s never had a sip of soda. My parents weren’t strict about keeping my playroom clean, but cleaning up is so enjoyable and ingrained in my son’s head that on trips to the mall, he has to stop into the LEGO store to make sure the bulk bins in the back are straightened and properly organized. I’ve always battled weight problems, too. While I don’t think video games caused my problems, I can say that if I exercised for every minute that I spent playing games, I would probably be in much better shape. My son gets plenty of outdoor exercise, and I’m in better shape because of the time I spend with him. But if he sees me having as much fun on the couch as we have on the playground, that could spell trouble in his future. I would prefer to beat my son on a real basketball court with a ball that is inflated and round than beat him on the virtual court with a ball made out of pixels. As always, I don’t think there’s an easy answer. If I simply keep him away from games, he’ll find friends who have gaming systems and play while he’s out of my sight. The answer isn’t to deprive him of the games, it’s to set a better example, so that he can see that playing in the real world can be more fun than playing in a virtual (and completely incorrect) version of ancient Greece. So, I’ve cut my gaming time significantly. Kratos will have to wait for vengeance. Commander Shepard will have to defeat Harbinger some other day. I’ll spend more time chasing my toddler than the other mag-lev racers. And best of all, I’ll have ammunition against my wife and her incessant love of General Hospital. After all, for our son’s sake, she should really spend more time outside, and less time living in Port Charles.
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| OffHollywood Studio Head Mark Pederson’s RED EPIC Stolen from Chalet Posted: 31 Dec 2010 09:42 AM PST To be an early adopter is one thing, but to be the first person to own something as extravagant as the RED EPIC camera, well that’s something completely different. And it obviously puts you on the radar of a lot of people. And some of those people may not have the best of intentions. For OffHollywood studio head Mark Pederson, who was the first person to own a RED EPIC, that lesson came the hard way, when he learned that his French chalet had been broken into, and cash wasn’t the only thing taken.
Last night, Pederson woke up to find that his chalet in France had been entered forcefully through the front door. Pederson, who wrote about the event on the REDUSER forum, said that “there was a forced entry through the front door. The thieves actually entered the master bedroom while my in-laws were sleeping, and standing a foot from their bed – emptied wallet and purse. There were 6 children and 8 adults sleeping in the house.” Police are actively working on the case, and hopefully the person, or people responsible for the theft will be found and the RED EPIC will be returned to its rightful owner. After all, a $58,000 purchase is nothing to take lightly. [via Engadget]
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| Scientists Use Nintendo’s Wiimote to Measure Water Evaporation Posted: 31 Dec 2010 09:02 AM PST Finding equipment for scientist’s to use in their daily tests, studies, and anything else can be a hassle, simply due to cost. But thankfully, consumer electronics have seemingly caught up with much of the equipment that scientists use. The only difference is that the devices consumers use are particularly cheaper. That’s one of the main reasons that some scientists have begun using Nintendo’s Wiimote, the controller for Nintendo’s Wii home videogame console, to measure water evaporation.
According to the process outlined in the Water Resources Research, the Wiimote is simply just a cheaper method to get the same results. Scientists have been forced to spend hundreds of dollars on pressure transducers in the past, but with the Wiimote, they don’t have that problem. The paper outlines that the Wiimote is able to track the four brightest points in a near infrared image, which allows it to track four IR reflectors that rest in a water pan. The scientists recreated waves with the use of a generator, and made water levels change with a pump. The result, is that even with substantial waves, they were able to track the changes in water level down to a single millimeter. Additionally, the scientists may use the Wiimote’s accelerometer to measure the overall motion of the pan, which would help them even more in accuracy. These measurements, and their accuracy, can help scientists forecast weather conditions, as well as floods. [via Wired]
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| Palm Pre 2 for Verizon Appears in Best Buy’s System, Still Not Available Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:20 AM PST It’s been over two months since the Palm Pre 2 was announced, with the company saying that the Verizon version of the device would be released “in the coming months.” The handset’s available in Europe, and you can even buy yourself a GSM-based unlocked version of the second generation Pre, but there hasn’t been any word on the handset landing on Verizon since its announcement. Of course, there’s been rumors, but nothing official. And while seeing the Pre 2 appear in Best Buy’s system is no indicator as to when, exactly, the handset will be showing up for sale, at least we know that the retailer is getting ready to sell it. And that’s a pretty good step forward.
Thanks to an anonymous tipster, the above screenshot was taken from Best Buy’s internal system. Here, we can see that the Palm Pre 2 for Verizon as clearly being listed. We’ll have to ignore that little bit about December 30th, 2010, because we’ve gone ahead and passed that day. The system says you’ll be able to buy the handset, which will hopefully be equipped with the latest and greatest version of webOS 2.0, for $499 out-right. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of what the electronics retailer would sell it for on contract. Unless the Pre 2 suddenly goes on sale today all over the United States, Palm won’t see the Pre 2 launched for Verizon in 2010. It’s unfortunate, but if you’re eagerly waiting to make this your next phone, at least you know it’s still coming. Either that, or you could just wait for another one to show up on eBay again. [via PreCentral]
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| SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 31 2010 Posted: 31 Dec 2010 07:59 AM PST Last day of the year! What a year it was! In the morning of this last day of the epic year 2010, our first news story comes from the hacker world, where a brand new BitTorrent-based DDoS tool is introduced as “Lying to the Neighbours.” Next, Apple files for a patent on screen-off gesture controls on the iPod Nano, AliveECG connects to your iPhone to keep track of heart, and you can now feel free to load Android onto your HTC HD2 (WinMo 6.5) via a brand new NAND level hack. Hackers of /b/ have to watch their back as FBI raids ISPs looking for servers used in Anonymous DDoS attacks. An RR Auction lets loose large bits of US Outer-Space history while NASA finds more cracks in Discovery fuel tanks but keeps launch on track. On a smaller scale, grab yourself a MeeGo 1.1 install on your HTC HD2. Fun! All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
R3 Media Network Editor’s Choice Android Community SlashGear To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]
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| BitTorrent-based DDoS tool outlined at hacker convention Posted: 31 Dec 2010 06:43 AM PST A system for turning trackerless BitTorrents into DDoS tools has been described at a hacker convention, potentially using peer swarms for inadvertent botnet-style cyberattacks. Hacker “Astro” revealed the process in a talk called “Lying to the Neighbours” earlier this week, whereby a decentralized DHT could be maliciously co-opted to target certain websites by overloading their servers.
DHT – or distributed hash tables – are used in BitTorrent downloads to avoid a central tracker and instead use peer-sourcing to identify other users sharing files. By establishing a malicious hash table, the torrent downloaders could be unwittingly directed at a specific server; large swarms of simultaneous users could potentially overwhelm the site. [via TorrentFreak]
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| Apple file iPod nano patent for screen-off gesture controls Posted: 31 Dec 2010 06:15 AM PST An Apple patent covering the touchscreen interface for the iPod nano has surfaced, suggesting that the company is considering alternative ways to control the compact PMP even when the display is out of sight in your pocket or bag. According to patent 20100328224, “Playback Control using a Touch Interface”, the nano touchscreen could be used to recognize taps and gestures even if the display itself is switched off.
Rather than demanding users aim for where the onscreen controls would normally be found, the iPod nano – or, indeed, another touchscreen device – would instead respond to more generic inputs. For instance, a single tap could toggle between play/pause while double- or triple-taps could skip forward or backward. Tracing circles on the touchscreen could adjust the volume up or down. [via Latest Patents]
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| Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio custom coupe offers Germanic excess Posted: 31 Dec 2010 06:06 AM PST Perhaps we don’t have the mindset of a suitably rich plutocrat, but we always thought the main point of Daimler’s exceedingly ostentatious Maybach line-up was to sit in the back and let the chauffeur worry about the twisty stuff ahead. That message doesn’t seem to have made it to German coachbuilder Xenatec, which has kicked off production of its Cruiserio project, turning the Maybach 57 S into a two-door coupe.
The Xenatec Maybach Cruiserio – which sounds a bit like a name from The Culture – keeps the original four-door saloon’s V12, turbocharged engine, which is capable of over 600bhp, but then makes some significant changes to the bodywork. Two large doors go on, the windshield is raked back and the roofline is lowered. It’s the design handiwork of Fredrink Burchhardt, who was responsible for the €25m Maybach Excelero concept. Happily the Cruiserio doesn’t cost quite that much, but it’s still a fair chunk over and above what you’d pay for the “regular” 57 S. It’s priced at €675,000 ($894,000) with a 9-month waiting list, with options including a fully glass roof and ridiculously large wheels.    [via Luxist]
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| ECG device connects to your iPhone to keep track of heart Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:49 AM PST We always see some crazy gadgets at CES and sometimes the ones that sound really odd can be the most help to a few out there. Take this new gadget for the iPhone that will be showing up at CES next month. It comes from a company called Alivecor and it is an ECG system for the iPhone made in partnership with Oregon Scientific.
Each of the iPhone ECG units is expected to be about $100 and can take accurate readings of the heart that a medical professional can look at to determine if there is a serious heart issue that needs to be addressed in the hospital. Something like this could save a user with heart problems a lot of time and money on trips to the doctor or emergency room if they think their heart might be acting up. Check out the video below to see the thing in action. Via ,a href=”http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2010/12/ecg_attachment_for_your_iphone.html”>MedGadget
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| She blinded me with Steins of Science (and beer) Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:33 AM PST Science is one of the subjects that tends to have a lot of dry, boring subject material spiced a bit with some really cool stuff. The Steins of Science certainly fall into that really cool stuff category. A science geek devised to create the ultimate beer drinking steins and to do so they used heavy-duty beakers from a science lab.
The things are made out of dual layers of silvered glass that has a vacuum between them that is 100,000 times more powerful than a thermos and some are stainless steel too. That science means that your beer will stay nice and frosty for you. That my friend is science we can all be proud of. The steins come in a variety of sizes from 11.8-ounce, to a tall 22.5-ounce version, or to the pro drunkards gallon size stein. These things are not cheap though. A 665ml offering will cost you $340 and the big daddy 1900ml unit is $400. Via Thrillist
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| Borders financial problems slow payments to publishers Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:19 AM PST I had always thought that a bookstore had to buy all the books it sells upfront. Apparently, sometimes the books are given before they are paid for and the then the publishers get their money after the sale, which is how Borders operates. Borders, the second largest bookstore in the US, has announced that its financial woes are forcing it to delay payments to its publishers.
Borders is delaying the payments to publishers in an attempt to get its finances under control. The news of the money problems and delayed payments reportedly sent Borders stock down 13%. Borders also notes that it can offer “no assurance that it will be successful in refinancing its senior credit facilities or restructuring its vendor financing arrangements.” BBC News reports that Borders latest financial information showed that its losses had doubled in Q3. The issue that prompted the money woes is that the credit facility available to it was reduced after the value of its inventory fell. The company is seeking alternative financing at this time.
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| New Android Port Loads into HTC HD2 NAND ROM Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:05 AM PST If you own an HTC HD2 that runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and you have a hankering for an Android handset, you don’ t have to buy a new device. There are already hacks that will let you get Android on your HD2, but they aren't ideal in most instances. A new port has surfaced on XDA-developers Forum that is a much better solution to those looking to move from WinMo 6.5 to Android on the HD2.
The new port is better because it allows the user to load the Android OS directly into the HTC HD2′s NAND ROM. The developer of the port says that the goal was to make Android on the device as close as possible to the HTC Desire stock ROM. To load the new OS onto your device you will need MAGLDR 1.10 and the new Android port from the developer DFT. You can download all the files you need for the port from this forum page.
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| Olympus PEN E-PL2 leaks again with Close Up Spotlight accessory Posted: 31 Dec 2010 04:58 AM PST A second shot of the Olympus PEN E-PL2 has leaked ahead of the micro four thirds camera’s official debut at CES 2011 next week, and it seems a Bluetooth dongle isn’t the only unusual accessory the company has planned. 43Rumors‘ latest shot shows the E-PL2 with a Close Up Spotlight addition, two independently posable LED lights that attach to the hot-shoe.
Power is taken from the hot-shoe itself, so there’s no extra battery to worry about, and each LED is apparently individually adjustable for brightness. The intention is obviously to make close-up photography more straightforward, in situations where the E-PL2′s regular pop-up flash would over-saturate closely-positioned subjects. What remains to be seen is if Olympus release a suitably macro-centric dedicated lens for the PEN E-PL2, as well as what sort of pricing they’re asking for the Medusa-style lighting accessory. It’s something you could probably whip up yourself with a couple of LED penlights and some spare time.
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| Clear iSpot 4G hotspot discontinued Posted: 31 Dec 2010 04:41 AM PST Only a few weeks ago Clear was offering its iDevice specific 4G hotspot at a discount for the holidays. The device normally sold for $99 and during the holiday special, you could pick it up for $20. At the time some may have wondered if the special deal was a hint that the thing wasn't selling that well rather than just holiday cheer on Clear’s part.
Some users on the Clear forums are now reporting that they have been told that the iSpot has been discontinued. User darrelllynn wrote, “Clear today discontinued iSpot. In fact, most representatives were in the dark as of this afternoon. Did any of you hear differently?” Later in the thread, a Clear rep chimed in and confirmed that after the current stock of iSpot devices are sold out in retail locations no more will be ordered. The thing that many owners wondered about is if the service would be continued. The rep said that the service would continue to be supported and that there were some of the iSpot devices held back to serve as warranty replacements if needed.
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| FBI raids ISPs looking for servers used in Anonymous DDoS attacks Posted: 31 Dec 2010 04:26 AM PST It seems that the hacker group going by the name Anonymous may not have been as anonymous in their DDoS attacks leveled against perceived enemies of WikiLeaks as they thought. The hacker group ran a massive DDoS attack against a number of websites that stopped working with WikiLeaks after the site came under significant fire for posting government documents.
The goal of the Anonymous attacks was to punish sites like Visa, PayPal, and MasterCard for severing ties with WikiLeaks and was called Operation Payback. Police all around the world are working hard to find the servers that were used for the DDoS attacks against the websites, which forced some of them offline for a while. The investigation started in Germany and a raid produced evidence that linked the attacks to IRC servers at Tailor Made Services in Dallas, Texas where the FBI sized two HDDs on December 16. The FBI also raided a California provider called Hurricane Electric. After the DDoS, attackers didn’t have the desired effect the Anonymous group decided to start posting WikiLeaks documents around the web with misleading titles. Via Computerworld
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| Space history being auctioned off by RR Auction Posted: 31 Dec 2010 04:10 AM PST The glory days of the US space program were in the 60′s when the nation was focused on the moon and beyond. If you are a space fan or just like to collect cool memorabilia there is an auction going on with RR Auction that is selling off some cool space related items.
The coolest of the items in my book is the sweet mini flag pictured here. This flag went with Apollo 11 to the moon and is on a card that is autographed by the astronauts on the mission including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong autographed the flag card to Rooster Andrews, who apparently owned a sports shop in Texas. There are all sorts of other items in the auction too from playboy centerfold pics to the headset that was used to talk to the astronauts on the moon. You can even pick up some freeze dried food. Via TG Daily
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| Researchers develop chips with solar cells directly on the surface Posted: 31 Dec 2010 03:54 AM PST Powering electronics and other devices with energy from the sun collected by a solar cell is nothing new. Solar powered gear like calculators and other items have been around for years. Typically, you have separate chip and a separate solar panel for power. Researchers have developed a way to power chips with solar cells that are directly integrated into the microchip.
The integration of the solar cell directly into the chip allows the chip to take up less space and generate their own power. The solar cells placed directly on top of the electronic components means that the chips need no batteries. The design of the solar cells means that the chips must need less than 1milliwatt of power according to the researchers. Like those calculators I mentioned before, the solar panels can collect enough juice to allow the chips to be used indoors. The major risk in the construction of chips with integrated solar panels is that the production of the solar panels might damage the electronics so the chips function less efficiently. The chip is used as the base for the solar panels and then the solar array is put onto the chip layer by layer. To reduce the chance of damaging the chips the researchers use solar cells made of amorphous silicon also known as CIGS. Utwente.nl via SlashDot
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| NASA finds more cracks in Discovery fuel tanks, launch still on track Posted: 31 Dec 2010 03:38 AM PST The space shuttle Discovery sits at Kennedy Space Center waiting for repairs to be made to its fuel tanks after a crack in the foam insulation around the tank was discovered and a subsequent investigation found cracks in some support structures on the fuel tank. A piece of foam falling from the tank is what contributed to the fatal accident when the Columbia broke up while reentering the atmosphere in 2003 killing all seven astronauts onboard the spacecraft.
NASA is working on a fix for the fuel tanks and investigating what caused the cracks. The shuttle fleet is set to retire permanently in 2011 and the Discovery is set for launch on February 3 at this point, though NASA is considering whether the launch needs to be delayed to wait for repairs. After the Discovery launches there will be two or three more missions and then the US will catch a ride aboard Russian spacecraft for trips to the ISS moving forwards. NASA is also looking to the private sector for cheap ways to get to the ISS.
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| Midland Radio Sub Zero and BT SKI headphones for cold climates surface Posted: 31 Dec 2010 03:22 AM PST
The subzero have warm fleecy ear cups that will keep your ears from freezing off while you get your groove on outside. The headphones are adjustable and should fit any size head. They also have a noise-cancelling mic for making phone calls. The BT SKI is designed for skiers and has wireless connectivity with Bluetooth to a smartphone, music device, or a Midlands 2-way radio. The idea is to allow the skier to communicate without being tied down with wires while keeping both hands available. Both of the headsets are offered in black or camo colors.
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| India starts BlackBerry investigation over RIM security denial Posted: 31 Dec 2010 03:04 AM PST RIM’s denial earlier this week that it had installed a messaging monitoring system at the behest of the Indian government has prompted more BlackBerry confusion, with the statement accused of conflicting with assurances made by RIM execs earlier in December 2010. According to information passed to The Economic Times, RIM’s VP of industry, government and university relations had told the Indian government that monitoring technology to “receive and process via the cloud computing-based system, lawfully intercepted BlackBerry messenger data” had indeed been installed.
The confusion appears to have arisen over the “lawfully intercepted” element of Crow’s statement, which would seem to tally with RIM’s assurances earlier this week that “there will be no change to the security model of BlackBerry Enterprise Service” and that information disclosure would only be made upon correctly-submitted legal requests. In contrast, Indian security forces have been asking for real-time monitoring abilities and less restricted access to BlackBerry messages. The Indian government has apparently ordered its telecoms division to test the cloud-computing monitoring system to validate RIM’s supposed claims.
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| Grace Digital Audio color screen internet radio devices heading to CES 2011 Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:52 AM PST Grace Digital Audio has a bunch of different internet radio devices in its lineup. The devices all do the same basic thing by providing the listener access to all their favorite internet radio content without entering computer to get to the stuff. The company will be on hand at CES to show off some new gear that has a color screens.
All of the gear will be able to access Pandora, Sirius, CBS Radio, iheartradio, Live365, and a lot more. The gear will even access Rhapsody and WeatherBug. All three of the devices have color screens with the Solo Touch getting a 4.3-inch color touchscreen, remote control, Ethernet, RCA outputs and headphone port for $249.99. The Bravado X will get a 2.7-inch TFT color screen, stereo speakers, RCA in and out ports, USB, and headphone ports for $179.99. The Mondo gets a 3.5-inch color screen, alarm clock functionality with snooze, Ethernet, RCA connections and more for $169.99. The devices also have WiFi connectivity.
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| Myspace facing up to 50% workforce axe tip insiders Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:49 AM PST Myspace execs are reportedly considering axing up to 50-percent of the struggling social network’s workforce, amid drastic cost-cutting measures intended to counter diminishing revenues and traffic growth. According to NetworkEffect‘s sources, as many as 550 employees could face redundancy should Myspace owner News Corp decide to go ahead with the plan; other strategies include selling on the social network, with both online game company Zynga and private equity buyers both tipped.
The leaks will come as little comfort to Myspace staff, the majority of which were put on mandatory leave in December in an attempt to save money. News Corp has been blunt about Myspace needing to shape up or face the chop; COO Chase Carey commented in November that “current losses are not acceptable or sustainable” and that the parent company “judge in quarters, not in years.” Myspace has declined to comment on the speculation.
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| Ramos W15 Android tablet packs Rockchip RK2918 Cortex-A8 SoC Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:36 AM PST Ramos is teasing a new tablet range for CES 2011, and while fresh slates won’t be in short supply at the show next week, the Ramos W15 does have something to help differentiate it. Fronted by an 8-inch, 16:9-aspect touchscreen, the W15 uses Rockchip’s new RK2918 ARM Cortex-A8 SoC which, benchmarking earlier this week showed, promises to deliver both high performance and bargain pricing.
In fact, Rockchip believe that RK29xx-based devices could retail for as little as $149, despite being able to best Snapdragon-based Android smartphones when it comes to crunching abilities, and able to do 1080p HD encoding/decoding. Rockchip’s SoCs have been found at the heart of many low-cost tablets, PMPs and smartphones, and it seems with the RK29xx series the performance will finally match the affordability. The W15 is one of three new Ramos slates due next week, though the other two only run older Cortex-A9 based SoCs and so won’t have quite the processing grunt. More on the Ramos W10 and W12 at Android Community. [via MP4 Nation]
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| Duke Nukem Forever pre-orders taken for May 31 2011 release Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:19 AM PST We’ve been writing about Duke Nukem Forever for years, and it seems our patience might finally be paying off. According to the Amazon pre-order page – which, along with GameStop and the official site – the much-anticipated title is expected to arrive on May 31 2011.
The announcement follows a legal battle by developers after 3D Realms folded back in May 2009, and which was only settled in May 2010. Gearbox Software took over development and promised a 2011 release, though given the title has been in the works since 1997, gamers took that news with more than a pinch of salt. Now, it seems, Duke Nukem Forever really is on the way, with pre-orders being taken for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows 7 versions of the game. We’ll only believe it when we see it drop into mailboxes, frankly. [via Expreview]
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