Second CM9 build for Galaxy Note looks a bit more functional

Yesterday we reported on the first CyanogenMod 9 build for the (international) Samsung Galaxy Note, noting that it was still early days, and that a couple of major bugs would make it a non-starter for many users. In particular, the lack of working phone calls was a deal-breaker for us. However, the devs at TeamHacksung have followed up with a second build today, fixing most of the serious glitches, including voice calls and video recording.

There are still some issues to be ironed out, including DSP Manager and Movie Studio, but kudos to the developers for moving so quickly to squish bugs. If you're rocking an international (GT-N7000) Galaxy Note and are comfortable with experimental custom ROMs, then hit the links below to get started.

Source: TeamHacksung, XDA; Thanks @android_indian!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/vEm0AgJlJlM/story01.htm

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Pacemaker DJ app for BlackBerry PlayBook impressions (video)

Back in 2008, a nifty little box of tricks elbowed its way onto the market -- the Tonium Pacemaker. A gadget about the size of an OG PSP, with a complete DJ set-up hidden inside. It was a brave idea, and one that was fondly received. A few years down the line, mixed with a sprinkling of business politics, and sadly the Pacemaker's time on stage would come to an end. Like all good performances though, the show wasn't completely over. In true musical fashion its back for an encore, reinvented and more importantly -- right now at least -- in our hands. We spent sometime with the reincarnated Pacemaker DJ app, to see what life is like after hardware.

Gallery: Pacemaker app for PlayBook - Impressions

Continue reading Pacemaker DJ app for BlackBerry PlayBook impressions (video)

Pacemaker DJ app for BlackBerry PlayBook impressions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/pacemaker-dj-app-for-blackberry-playbook/

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Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US

Recently, Google has been busy beefing up Latitude to make it more competitive with other location apps -- and more fun to use. Location history was added recently, iOS users can post check-ins via Latitude, and now Google has begun rolling out location-based deals which are tied to the service.

If you're in the U.S., you can now score local savings at participating merchants by checking in with Latitude. Google will also be offering "status deals," which users can unlock by visiting a particular merchant on a regular basis. Mashable notes three status levels: regular, VIP, and guru -- though partners can apparently customize those titles if they choose.

Right now deals are available from merchants like American Eagle Outfitters, Arby's, Finish Line, Macy's, Quiznos, and RadioShack.

Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/google-latitude-check-in-deals-now-available-across-the-us/

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Adblock Plus developer pokes holes in Mozilla's new add-on performance tests

Wladimir Palant, developer of the most popular add-on in the world, Adblock Plus, is also an active contributor to the Planet Mozilla blog community. Over the last few days, in response to Mozilla's new name and shame list of slow add-ons, Palant has been investigating whether Mozilla's testing methods are actually accurate.

Rather surprisingly, it turns out that Mozilla's numbers could be significantly wrong -- and if they're not wrong, the factors that Mozilla uses to tabulate an add-ons final score should definitely be made more transparent.

In the first set of tests, Palant shows that FlashGot's position in the top 10 is probably due to a fault in Mozilla's testing setup, and that add-ons can perform very differently depending on which operating system they're being tested on. In the second analysis, Palant uncovers an irregularity that doesn't seem to have an obvious cause -- but it could be due to an I/O bottleneck on Mozilla's test machines. Basically, even though performance testing of Read It Later is disabled because of a bug, it still (somehow!) manages to record a 14% slow-down on Windows 7.

Palant concludes both analyses by scolding Mozilla for going public with the performance data before its testing methods had been confirmed accurate. It definitely looks like Mozilla has been more than a little reckless, considering the importance of Firefox's add-on ecosystem.

Adblock Plus developer pokes holes in Mozilla's new add-on performance tests originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/adblock-plus-developer-pokes-holes-in-mozillas-new-add-on-perfo/

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Researchers build optical transistor out of silicon, provide path to all-optical computing

The speed of light is the universal speed limit, so naturally, optical technologies appeal when trying to construct speedy computational devices. Fiber optics let us shoot data to and fro at top speed, but for the time being our CPUs still make their calculations using electronic transistors. Good news is, researchers from Purdue University have built an optical transistor out of silicon that can propagate logic signals -- meaning it can serve as an optical switch and push enough photons to drive two other transistors. It's constructed of a microring resonator situated next to one optical line that transmits the signal, and a second that heats the microring to change its resonant frequency. The microring then resonates at a specific frequency to interact with the light in the signal line in such a way that its output is drastically reduced and essentially shut off. Presto, an optical transistor is born. Before dreams of superfast photonic computers start dancing in your head, however, just know they won't be showing up anytime soon -- the power consumption of such transistors is far beyond their electronic counterparts due to the energy inefficient lasers that power them.

Researchers build optical transistor out of silicon, provide path to all-optical computing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/researchers-build-optical-transistor-out-of-silicon-provide-pat/

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Nintendo 3DS turning purple on May 20th, takes a bruising from the ugly stick

Pink, red, aqua and black not good enough for you? Fine. Have a purple one -- if that's what you really want. On May 20th you can pick up this Grimace-hued Nintendo 3DS for the usual price of $169.99 alongside Mario Tennis Open. Hoping for something a bit more subtle, perhaps a nice clean white or a nice two-tone gray? Tough. You're getting purple.

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS turning purple on May 20th, takes a bruising from the ugly stick

Nintendo 3DS turning purple on May 20th, takes a bruising from the ugly stick originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/TY01nQj5ghI/

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Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out

Logitech might be in the midst of a corporate revolution, but it still has time to produce peripherals just for the G-men (and women). The Swiss company has produced a keyboard and mouse that satisfy all TAA guidelines and, most importantly, answered "no" when asked if they are, or were ever a member of the communist party. The pairing can be picked up by federal IT buyers for $35 and are fully "spill resistant," so we can't blame the forthcoming robopocalypse on a wayward cup of coffee.

Continue reading Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out

Logitech introduces spill resistant keyboards for the feds, prevents Bauer flip-out originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/zgokqpo4Ro8/

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New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

Having the right programs and hardware to keep the information on your display safe from prying eyes is never a bad idea, and new software from Oculis Labs offers a very interesting take on how to do just that. It's called PrivateEye, and it utilizes facial recognition to automatically pixelate the contents of your display when you look away.

If you step away from your system and someone else decides to sit down and poke around, PrivateEye will present a confusing jumble of garbled text. It'll even notify you if someone tries to peek over your shoulder -- and display a picture of your peeping Tom, throw up an alert, or sound an alarm.

Check out the video embed after the break, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Continue reading New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/new-software-uses-facial-recognition-to-defend-against-prying-ey/

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BlackBerry Music Gateway hands-on (video)

The music streaming accessory market is immensely saturated, but RIM is hoping to add its own flavor with its latest version of the BlackBerry Music Gateway. We took a brief look at this year's BlackBerry World in Orlando, and were impressed by both its size and ease of use. A tiny dongle no larger than the Bold 9900's display, the device easily pairs up with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, tablet or music player and lets you push your tunes into a home or car stereo -- provided it offers ports for RCA cables, that is. NFC is also added into the mix this time around, which means you can impress friends by simply tapping your BlackBerry to the Gateway to initiate the pairing sequence. While it's not bringing anything drastically new to the table, its $50 price tag makes it a tempting offer for anyone whose FM transmitter is picking up nothing but static in a densely populated city. If you fall into that category or are just looking for something to bedazzle close friends and relatives, don't hesitate to check out our gallery below and video after the break.

Gallery: BlackBerry Music Gateway hands-on

Continue reading BlackBerry Music Gateway hands-on (video)

BlackBerry Music Gateway hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/30/blackberry-music-gateway-hands-on-video/

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PSA: Space X streaming test-firing of Falcon 9 at 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT (update: video)

Today, SpaceX is test-firing the engines of its Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for that oft-delayed May 7th launch for its Dragon capsule. You'll be able to watch the static-fire test from the comfort of your own desk by pointing a browser at the company website (link below) from 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT. If successful, then the rocket will lift-off properly in a week's time, with designs on being the first commercial craft used to resupply the International Space Station.

Update: For those who missed the live stream, you can check out a replay of today's event just after the break.

Continue reading PSA: Space X streaming test-firing of Falcon 9 at 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT (update: video)

PSA: Space X streaming test-firing of Falcon 9 at 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/30/space-x-test-fire-psa/

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