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US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:08:37 +0000

War. What is it good for? Well, if new use of technology by the US Navy has anything to do with it, finding Pirates for a start. By upgrading its existing Fire Scouts with new 3D laser imaging tech, it’s hoped that the drones will be able to recognize the small ships used by these unscrupulous seafarers. The system, known as LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, also known as LADAR) uses millions of laser pulses reflected off an object to create the three-dimensional image, which could then referenced against known pirate ships from a database. Ultimately, human operators will make the final call, to avoid any ED-209 style mis-understandings. That said, if you’re taking the dingy out past the Californian breakwaters this summer, you might want to keep the stars and stripes in clear view, as that’s where the Navy will be running its initial trials.

Netflix explains its recommendation system, can’t find a reason for Adam Sandler’s last movie

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:04:03 +0000

In case you’ve been wondering why Netflix tends to recommend the movies it does, there’s a post on the company’s Tech Blog breaking down the various levels of its system. Remember the Netflix Prize contest? Teams of researchers produced competing algorithms capable of more accurately predicting how members would rate movies, but while some of the early winning efforts are still in use, the million dollar solution was never implemented because the potential gains were too small to justify the engineering effort needed. Additionally, while Netflix still hasn’t implemented individual profiles for household members yet, the blog indicates it does try to recommend something for everyone, seeking both accuracy and diversity — which may explain some of more out there picks in our personal “recommended for you” list. Where available (read: outside the US) Facebook integration plays a part too, as well as a variety of information used to find movies similar to those previously viewed. The proof of how all these parts come together is ultimately judged by the viewers, so while we wait for part two of the post with more data to pore over — is Netflix managing to accurately pull any flicks you want to watch out of its catalog?

PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:54:08 +0000

Did our thorough Lumia 900 review convince you that a mix of polycarbonate hardware and Metro UI is where your smartphone future lies? Well, it’s time to head to your nearest AT&T vendor because Nokia’s latest effort to break America is here. Just don’t forget those 100 bucks.

Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:50:51 +0000

Still dallying at the corner of Custom ROM Road? Then maybe the forthcoming update from Team Kang (AOKP Build 30, no less) will entice you onwards. The preview clip after the break reveals a new level of freedom for the ICS navigation bar, including the ability to add up to five buttons, assign them to apps or actions as you wish, modify their icons and add separate long-press functions. It also gives you the ability to incorporate Nova Launcher actions into the bar, effectively bringing a whole extra layer of customization. Reactions over at RootzWiki range from “I’m crying, this is a beautiful moment” to “I just broke my hand punching a wall,” but the latter dude admitted he’d been drinking.

How would you change ASUS’ Transformer Prime?

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:45:36 +0000

“All hail the new king,” was how we capped off our review of the Transformer Prime, which simply blew us away. Gaming performance was astonishing and it only improved when Ice Cream Sandwich appeared in the middle of this year’s CES. In fact, the only issues we could find involved a less-than-ideal speaker placement, slightly flat color reproduction and the fact that the keyboard dock and battery is an additional $150. The company’s even getting around fixing the GPS issue with the soon-to-be-released dongle attachment. But then we wanna hear your opinions about how this thing behaves in the real world: what are your feelings using this thing on a daily basis? Can you use it instead of a laptop or Ultrabook? What do you love, what do you hate and, if Asus’ was watching, how would you change it?

Philips’ new ErgoSensor desktop display demands that you sit up straight

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:41:10 +0000

Remember those halcyon days when your mother would chide you to sit up straight should you ever start to slouch? Good news, desk jockeys, because Philips’ ErgoSensor desktop monitor is here to stop your stooping now that mom’s no longer around — and it doesn’t require you to wear some silly plastic pendant or occupy any of your USB real estate. The 24-inch, 250-nit, 1920 x 1080 display has a sensor in its bezel that watches you while you work, and warns you when your posture becomes poor or if you’ve been staring at the screen too long. It also informs users how to set up the monitor for optimal viewing distance and ergonomic position. Plus, it can tell when you’re not around and shut the screen off to conserve power. We don’t know how much money the monitor will cost or even when it’ll be available to fix your poor sitting form, but we do know you can learn everything else about it at the source below.

Researchers suggest haptics and audio for discreet password input

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:36:24 +0000

You can use as complex as a password as you like, but that won’t do you much good if someone’s able to watch or record you entering it. Researchers Andrea Bianchi, Ian Oakley and Dong-Soo Kwon have some ideas for overcoming that little problem though, and recently put together a video demonstrating a few of the possibilities they’ve come up with. All of those rely on haptic input systems — either on their own or in conjunction with some audio output (through headphones for privacy). That includes things like a dedicated haptic keypad or haptic wheel, and different methods that could take advantage of a haptic display on a smartphone. As you can see in the video after the break, some of those options could be a bit more time consuming than an easy-to-remember password, but there’s certainly plenty of potential applications where security would trump convenience.

Sony to cut 10,000 jobs and slash bonuses, says Japanese newspaper

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:31:59 +0000

There have been some major adjustments at Sony HQ already, but Japanese business sheet Nikkei reckons they’re nothing compared to what’s on the horizon. It reports that, come an announcement on April 12th, Kaz Hirai will reveal plans to clear out 10,000 jobs by the end of this year — that’s six percent of his workforce. The paper also says that seven execs, including chairman Howard Stringer, could be asked to forgo their bonuses, as the company concedes a $3.2 billion loss for 2011. It’s a just a single report and it’s entirely possible that none of this will happen, but merely the hint of such austerity could perhaps serve Hirai’s interests, even if he ends up being less drastic when Thursday comes around.

Apple’s Marketing Of iPad 4G Access Probed By UK Regulators

Teni Sow — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:20:50 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s advertising regulator is deciding whether to launch an inquiry into Apple Inc’s marketing of its latest iPad following what some customers said were misleading claims about access to 4G, which is not available in the country.

Fourth-generation or 4G technology enables users to access faster Internet broadband services.

“We have received 24 complaints about claims on Apple’s website about 4G on the iPad. We are assessing whether there are grounds for investigation,” a spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority said on Saturday.

The company could not be reached for comment.

Apple has come up against a similar problem in Australia, whose consumer watchdog took legal action last month to ensure the company makes consumers aware that its latest version of the hand-held computer cannot connect to 4G in Australia, prompting Apple to offer refunds to all affected buyers in the country.

Illuminated Kindle e-readers could arrive this year, also, might not

Teni Sow — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:44:57 +0000

Rumors relating to a new Kindle, or three, land in our inbox with surprising frequency, but when they come from our brethren at TechCrunch, we’ll definitely give it a listen. Devin Coldewey reports how he was lucky enough to snatch a glance at an in-development Kindle, which sports an illuminated screen. Amazon’s purchase of Finnish firm Oy Modilis, which has a quiver of patents pertaining to lighting technology, adds credence to the idea that an e-reader with some form of lighting could be in the works, and Coldewey thinks he’s seen it. He says tapping the screen reveals a slider that, when dragged to the right, “lit up evenly with a rather cool light.” Importantly — for eyes and batteries alike — the light is said to be softer, and of a gentler blue-white color, compared to the harsh white common in LCDs. The loose-lipped wielder of this device claims that the industrial design isn’t finished yet, but did hint at a 2012 release. We’re not holding our breath, but the chance to do away with additional light accessories, is definitely enough to have us keep our fingers crossed.